Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Caitlin V. Miller, Christen M. Bossu, James F. Sarraco, David P. L. Toews, Clark S. Rushing, Amelie Roberto-Charron, Junior A. Tremblay, Richard B. Chandler, Matthew G. Desaix, Cameron J. Fiss, Jeff L. Larkin, Samuel Hache, Silke Nebel, Kristen C. Ruegg
Summary: In this study, we successfully identified the genetic conservation units (CUs) of the Canada Warbler using a genomics-guided framework. We demonstrated the evolutionary significance and adaptive nature of these CUs through demographic modeling and genomic offset. The results showed that the genomic variation in the Canada Warbler is primarily driven by adaptive variation. Additionally, there were significant differences in vulnerability to climate change and population trends among different regional CUs.
Article
Ecology
Casey Youngflesh, Jacob Socolar, Bruna R. Amaral, Ali Arab, Robert P. Guralnick, Allen H. Hurlbert, Raphael LaFrance, Stephen J. Mayor, David A. W. Miller, Morgan W. Tingley
Summary: Data from citizen science observations on bird migration in eastern North America show that the timing of spring arrival of migratory birds is correlated with changes in vegetation green-up, but the sensitivity of different species varies based on their migratory strategies. Understanding how and why species differ in their ability to adjust to phenological events is crucial for predicting their vulnerability to climate change.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Susumu Takahashi, Takumi Hombe, Sakiko Matsumoto, Kaoru Ide, Ken Yoda
Summary: Animals demonstrate remarkable navigation abilities, possibly due to the presence of head direction cells that encode the animal's heading information. In the study of shearwater chicks, it was found that their head direction cells exhibited a preference for the north direction, indicating the existence of an internally generated magnetic compass in animals.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Javier Gutierrez Illan, Guiming Wang, D. Tommy King, Fred L. Cunningham
Summary: Migratory birds, such as the American White Pelican, may adopt niche tracking strategies to cope with changing environmental conditions between breeding and non-breeding grounds. This study found that the American White Pelican tracked seasonal climate niche both at the individual and population level, allowing them to adapt to variations in winter food availability caused by cold weather.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Rachael A. Bay, Daniel S. Karp, James F. Saracco, William R. L. Anderegg, Luke O. Frishkoff, David Wiedenfeld, Thomas B. Smith, Kristen Ruegg
Summary: For migratory songbird yellow warblers, individual-level wintering and breeding precipitation show correlation, while birds from drier regions exhibit distinct morphologies and responses to varying rainfall. Bill size is positively associated with breeding season precipitation, indicating potential adaptation to local precipitation regimes. Relative abundance in the breeding range is linked to interannual precipitation fluctuations, with differing responses observed across geography.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jan M. Baert, Eric W. M. Stienen, Frederick Verbruggen, Nico Van de Weghe, Luc Lens, Wendt Mueller
Summary: This study uses GPS tracking data to analyze the migration behavior of 28 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The findings suggest that the birds' stopover fidelity and distance traveled during stopovers are strongly influenced by the reliability of food sources. The study highlights the importance of experience and cognitive processes in migratory decisions.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. Diaz, T. Grim, G. Marko, F. Morelli, J. D. Ibanez-Alamo, J. Jokimaeki, M. -L. Kaisanlahti-Jokimaeki, K. Taette, P. Tryjanowski, A. P. Moller
Summary: Climate and land use changes are affecting bird populations' behavior and flight initiation distance (FID) in response to human approaches. FIDs decrease with increasing temperature and precipitation, indicating reduced foraging success in warm and humid conditions. Factors like latitude, urbanization, and body mass also influence FID trends, suggesting that climate effects on FIDs are mediated by food availability and hierarchical positions in food webs. This study highlights the importance of behavioral responses within food webs in influencing bird populations and communities under global change.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Marcos Maldonado-Coelho, Sidnei S. dos Santos, Morton L. Isler, Maria Svensson-Coelho, Manuelita Sotelo-Munoz, Cristina Y. Miyaki, Robert E. Ricklefs, John G. Blake
Summary: Understanding the causes of population divergence and speciation requires studying the ecological and evolutionary processes that influence spatial variation in mate recognition signals. A study of two sister species of Atlantic Forest birds found that geographic, genetic, morphological, and environmental factors all contribute to song variation. Integrating different processes is important for understanding the evolution of acoustic signals.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yulei Zhu, Gang Sun, Guohui Ding, Jie Zhou, Mingxing Wen, Shichao Jin, Qiang Zhao, Joshua Colmer, Yanfeng Ding, Eric S. Ober, Ji Zhou
Summary: This study introduces a large-scale phenotyping solution combining LiDAR device and CropQuant-3D software for wheat phenotype analysis, demonstrating the system's ability to perform 3D trait analysis at a larger scale and more quickly. The results show that the system can effectively differentiate significant genotype and treatment effects, address challenges in mobility, throughput, and scalability, and have potential for further development in accuracy and affordability.
Article
Ecology
Javier Garcia, Juan Arizaga, Jose Ignacio Rodriguez, Daniel Alonso, Susana Suarez-Seoane
Summary: This study analyzed the morphological differentiation of the Iberian bluethroat bird population across geographical and environmental gradients, in correlation with genetic differentiation and geographical isolation. The research found that latitude and elevation significantly influenced bird morphology, while climate and vegetation did not show a significant impact.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Kira E. Delmore, Benjamin M. Van Doren, Kristian Ullrich, Teja Curk, Henk P. van der Jeugd, Miriam Liedvogel
Summary: This study investigates structural variants (SVs) in Eurasian blackcap and finds that SVs have important evolutionary implications in natural populations, especially in relation to seasonal migration. It also identifies specific SVs associated with different migratory strategies and traits, highlighting the genetic basis of migration.
Article
Ecology
Wee Hao Ng, Daniel Fink, Frank A. La Sorte, Tom Auer, Wesley M. Hochachka, Alison Johnston, Adriaan M. Dokter
Summary: This study examined the relationship between primary productivity and the spatio-temporal distributions of migratory birds. It found that primary productivity was positively associated with bird abundance and species richness, but had a weaker association with bird biomass. The study also observed that during spring migration, bird biomass increased before vegetation green-up in temperate regions, while in the south-eastern USA, spring green-up was associated with a decrease in biomass.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gaurav Gupta, Meghana Kshirsagar, Ming Zhong, Shahrzad Gholami, Juan Lavista Ferres
Summary: This study presents a deep learning approach for large-scale prediction and analysis of bird acoustics from 100 different bird species. The hybrid modeling approach involving CNN and RNN shows the most accurate model on this dataset, with the best performing model achieving an average accuracy of 67% over 100 bird species and a highest accuracy of 90% for the Red crossbill species. Visual analysis of learned representations reveals intuitive clustering of related bird species.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Karan Kapoor, Sundar Thangapandian, Emad Tajkhorshid
Summary: Proteins can sample a broad landscape as they undergo conformational transition between different functional states. Considering the different conformational states of a protein is central for a successful drug-design strategy. In this study, a novel docking protocol, termed extended-ensemble docking, is introduced for proteins that undergo large-scale conformational changes. The results show the importance of incorporating the global conformational flexibility of proteins in future drug-discovery endeavors.
Article
Ecology
Timothee Schwartz, Aurelien Besnard, Jesus M. Aviles, Teresa Catry, Andrzej Gorski, Orsolya Kiss, Deseada Parejo, Edmunds Racinskis, Laimonas Sniauksta, Milda Sniaukstiene, Otto Szekeres, Ines Catry
Summary: Life-history theory predicts that animals develop trade-offs between survival and reproduction, resulting in a continuum of strategies among species. This study found a negative correlation between survival and clutch size in European roller populations, with slower pace-of-life in the north and faster pace-of-life in the south, contrary to inter-specific studies.
Article
Ecology
Frankie Jean-Gagnon, P. Legagneux, G. Gilchrist, S. Belanger, O. P. Love, J. Bety
Article
Ecology
Holly L. Hennin, Cody J. Dey, Joel Bety, H. Grant Gilchrist, Pierre Legagneux, Tony D. Williams, Oliver P. Love
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vincent Lamarre, Pierre Legagneux, Alastair Franke, Nicolas Casajus, Douglas C. Currie, Dominique Berteaux, Joel Bety
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2018)
Article
Ecology
Holly L. Hennin, Pierre Legagneux, H. Grant Gilchrist, Joel Bety, John P. McMurtry, Oliver P. Love
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Ulrich Brose, Phillippe Archambault, Andrew D. Barnes, Louis-Felix Bersier, Thomas Boy, Joao Canning-Clode, Erminia Conti, Marta Dias, Christoph Digel, Awantha Dissanayake, Augusto A. Flores, Katarina Fussmann, Benoit Gauzens, Clare Gray, Johanna Haeussler, Myriam R. Hirt, Ute Jacob, Malte Jochum, Sonia Kefi, Orla McLaughlin, Muriel M. MacPherson, Ellen Latz, Katrin Layer-Dobra, Pierre Legagneux, Yuanheng Li, Carolina Madeira, Neo D. Martinez, Vanessa Mendonca, Christian Mulder, Sergio A. Navarrete, Eoin J. O'Gorman, David Ott, Jose Paula, Daniel Perkins, Denise Piechnik, Ivan Pokrovsky, David Raffaelli, Bjoern C. Rall, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Remo Ryser, Ana Silva, Esra H. Sohlstroem, Natalia Sokolova, Murray S. A. Thompson, Ross M. Thompson, Fanny Vermandele, Catarina Vinagre, Shaopeng Wang, Jori M. Wefer, Richard J. Williams, Evie Wieters, Guy Woodward, Alison C. Iles
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2019)
Article
Ornithology
Rolanda J. Steenweg, Pierre Legagneux, Glenn T. Crossin, H. Grant Gilchrist, T. Kurt Kyser, Oliver P. Love
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chantal Hutchison, Frederic Guichard, Pierre Legagneux, Gilles Gauthier, Joel Bety, Dominique Berteaux, Dominique Fauteux, Dominique Gravel
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Frederic LeTourneux, Thierry Grandmont, Frederic Dulude-de Broin, Marie-Claude Martin, Josee Lefebvre, Akiko Kato, Joel Bety, Gilles Gauthier, Pierre Legagneux
Summary: The study found that the lockdown in 2020, due to the COVID19 pandemic, resulted in a significant reduction in hunting activity, leading to better body condition of greater snow geese compared to previous years. However, they reached peak body condition earlier than in other years and spent less time feeding in agricultural habitats in late spring. This suggests that hunting-related disturbances may have a negative impact on the foraging efficiency and body condition of geese.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Christina Frederick, Catherine Girard, Gary Wong, Melanie Lemire, Alexandra Langwieder, Marie-Claude Martin, Pierre Legagneux
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked concerns among Indigenous communities about virus transmission risks from wild food, particularly migratory birds. However, little is currently known about the host tropism range of SARS-CoV-2. To address the concerns raised by Northern communities, researchers captured 500 snow geese in May 2020 and found all samples to be PCR-negative for SARS-CoV-2, providing rapid communication with the communities.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas Zgirski, Pierre Legagneux, Olivier Chastel, Lyette Regimbald, Louise Prouteau, Audrey Le Pogam, Helene Budzinski, Oliver P. Love, Francois Vezina
Summary: The study shows that early-life exposure to very low doses of neonicotinoids can improve body condition and lead to compensatory growth in nestling birds. Additionally, this early-life neonicotinoid exposure can have lasting effects on adult birds, with exposed individuals showing higher lean mass and basal metabolic rate compared to controls at ages of 90-800 days.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Don-Jean Leandri-Breton, Arnaud Tarroux, Kyle H. Elliott, Pierre Legagneux, Frederic Angelier, Pierre Blevin, Vegard Sandoy Brathen, Per Fauchald, Aurelie Goutte, William Jouanneau, Sabrina Tartu, Borge Moe, Olivier Chastel
Summary: Site fidelity in non-breeding movements of black-legged kittiwakes in the High Arctic was found to be driven by predictable resource distributions and individual memory. Spatial consistency was higher than temporal consistency, with some individuals displaying more flexibility in their movement patterns.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Frederic Dulude-de Broin, Jeanne Clermont, Andreanne Beardsell, Louis-Pierre Ouellet, Pierre Legagneux, Joel Bety, Dominique Berteaux
Summary: This study investigates the complex ecological relationships between seven prey species sharing a common predator. The results show that the abundance of clumped and spatially predictable prey leads to a reduction in predator home range size, an increase in local predator density, and a significant decrease in the nest survival rate of incidental prey. In contrast, the scattered cyclic prey has a weaker effect on predator space use and an overall positive impact on the survival rate of specific prey. The contrasting effects highlight the importance of studying predator behavioral responses in multiprey systems and explicitly integrating behavioral-numerical responses in multispecies predator-prey models.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Gilles Gauthier, Marie-Christine Cadieux, Dominique Berteaux, Joel Bety, Dominique Fauteux, Pierre Legagneux, Esther Levesque, Catherine A. Gagnon
Summary: This study presents the research activities and findings from the Bylot Island Field Station in the Canadian Arctic, a hotspot of biodiversity. The research started in the late 1980s, primarily focusing on greater snow goose ecology and its impact on tundra vegetation. It has since expanded to encompass the entire vertebrate food web and has become one of the most comprehensive ecological monitoring programs in the region. The study's contribution to the field of ecology, particularly in understanding predator-prey interactions in the Arctic food web, has been significant and has supported management decisions and international efforts to assess Arctic biodiversity.
Meeting Abstract
Zoology
H. L. Hennin, P. Legagneux, H. G. Gilchrist, M. H. Janssen, J. Bety, O. P. Love
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Ecology
Pierre Legagneux, Nicolas Casajus, Kevin Cazelles, Clement Chevallier, Marion Chevrinais, Lorelei Guery, Claire Jacquet, Mikael Jaffre, Marie-Jose Naud, Fanny Noisette, Pascale Ropars, Steve Vissault, Philippe Archambault, Joel Bety, Dominique Berteaux, Dominique Gravel
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2018)