Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bianca Stapelfeldt, Alexander Scheuerlein, Christoph Tress, Ralf Koch, Johannes Tress, Gerald Kerth
Summary: Bats' reproductive success, especially for young females, is significantly affected by increased precipitation during a short time window in spring. Additionally, larger females have higher reproductive success.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Rui Wu, Qinghuan Zhu, Satoshi Katayama, Yongjun Tian, Jianchao Li, Kunihiro Fujiwara, Yoji Narimatsu
Summary: This study tracked the early life stages of Pacific cod and found that early growth had a lasting effect on subsequent growth, but had minimal impact on body size at each stage, which was primarily influenced by growth during that stage.
MARINE LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Fisheries
Thassya C. dos Santos Schmidt, Doug E. Hay, Svein Sundby, Jennifer A. Devine, Guomundur J. Oskarsson, Aril Slotte, Mark J. Wuenschel, Dmitry Lajus, Arne Johannessen, Cindy J. G. van Damme, Rikke H. Bucholtz, Olav S. Kjesbu
Summary: The study extensively reviewed the life-history traits of Pacific and Atlantic herring populations, finding that body size of Pacific herring increased with latitude, while the pattern was inconsistent for Atlantic herring. Atlantic herring summer and autumn spawners produced many small eggs compared to spring spawners, aligning with findings from decades ago.
REVIEWS IN FISH BIOLOGY AND FISHERIES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alycia C. R. Lackey, Howard H. Whiteman
Summary: Climate change has diverse effects on populations, with variations in response across different populations and life stages. An experimental study on mole salamanders found that a slight increase in temperature during larval development had complex consequences, including density-dependent effects on growth and body mass, density-independent effects on fat storage, and no effects on survival and reproductive investment. Although warming reduced growth rates, size at maturity, and fat storage, it did not significantly impact survival and reproductive investment in the first year. However, smaller body size and lower fat reserves may limit overwintering survival and future reproduction.
Article
Geography, Physical
Blanca Moncunill-Sole, Caterinella Tuveri, Marisa Arca, Chiara Angelone
Summary: Body size is a valuable trait for understanding the biology of fossil taxa and their paleoenvironment. In this study, statistical models were used to evaluate teeth and long bone scaling as well as dentition size evolutionary dynamics in the anagenetic lineage Prolagus figaro-P. sardus from Sardinia. Results suggest that postcranial bones are reliable predictors of body mass in Prolagus, while the occlusal surface of their teeth indicates a resistance to tooth wear and a durable dentition. Both food habit and life history hypotheses may explain the evolution of megalodontia in Sardinian Prolagus.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Daniel Pincheira-Donoso, Lilly P. Harvey, Jack V. Johnson, Dave Hudson, Catherine Finn, Luke E. B. Goodyear, Jacinta Guirguis, Edel M. Hyland, Dave J. Hodgson
Summary: Genome size is proposed to influence extinction risk, but our global-scale analysis using amphibians as a model shows no support for this hypothesis. The only consistent predictor of extinction risk is decreasing geographical range size.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Joseph B. Burant, Candace Park, Gustavo S. Betini, D. Ryan Norris
Summary: This study experimentally assessed how the timing of stressors influences the production, detection, and sensitivity of abundance- and trait-based early warning indicators derived from declining populations. Results showed that early warning indicators were more effective in predicting population collapse when stressors occurred during the breeding period, but less predictive when stressors occurred during the non-breeding period.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Mariko Nagano, Masaki Sakamoto, Kwang-Hyeon Chang, Hideyuki Doi
Summary: Predator-induced plasticity is an adaptive response in prey to predation risks. This study compares the predator-induced plasticity of Daphnia against size-selective predators and shows that body size is a key trait influencing its plasticity expression and evolution.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
George C. Jarvis, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: The evolution of internal fertilization has reshaped sexual selection and the covariances among sexual traits. It is unclear whether fertilization mode also shows evolutionary associations with traits other than primary sex traits. Using a phylogenetically controlled approach, the study found that external fertilizers are consistently larger than internal fertilizers within all phyla.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Amanda K. Weller, Olivia S. Chapman, Sarah L. Gora, Robert P. Guralnick, Bryan S. Mclean
Summary: The digitization and open availability of life history traits measured directly from individuals provide a key means of linking organismal function to environmental and ecological contexts at fine resolution. In this study, we use digitized museum specimen and census data to investigate the impact of climate and body size on litter size in 39 small mammals across North America. Our findings show that both climate and body size have significant influences on litter size, with body size being the stronger factor. The individual-level biodiversity records improve the precision and granularity of ecological studies and contribute to a better understanding of tradeoffs between energetic supply and demand in wild mammals.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Farid Saleh, Muriel Vidal, Lukas Laibl, Pierre Sansjofre, Pierre Gueriau, Francesc Perez-Peris, Lorenzo Lustri, Victoire Lucas, Bertrand Lefebvre, Bernard Pittet, Khadija El Hariri, Allison C. Daley
Summary: Understanding variations in body size is crucial for interpreting organism responses to environmental conditions and ecological adaptations. This study on trilobite size variations in the Lower Ordovician Fezouata Shale reveals that large trilobites are predominantly found in the most distal, oxygen and nutrient-rich environments, while smaller specimens are more common in proximal and intermediate settings. Various biotic and abiotic factors, such as oxygen levels, nutrient availability, predation, and physical disturbances, impact body size variations in trilobites.
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Will Sowersby, Simon Eckerstrom-Liedholm, Alexander Kotrschal, Joacim Naslund, Piotr Rowinski, Alejandro Gonzalez-Voyer, Bjorn Rogell
Summary: Research suggests that there may not be a trade-off between brain size and life-history pace in killifish, as fast-living species have larger relative brain sizes in adulthood compared to slow-living species. This discrepancy could potentially be due to differences in the timing of somatic versus neural growth or cognitive demands in their respective environments.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Colin E. Adams, Hannele M. Honkanen, Ellen Bryson, Isabel E. Moore, Malcolm MacCormick, Jennifer A. Dodd
Summary: The study utilized a 116-year time series of catch abundance data from a recreational fishery to examine population trends of Atlantic salmon, sea trout, and brown trout in Loch Lomond, Scotland. Results showed fluctuating trends for salmon, overall declining trends for sea trout and brown trout, with differences in population trends between Loch Lomond and wider regions. Sea trout in Loch Lomond exhibited a similar declining trend to populations in the wider west of Scotland.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Toshiaki Yamamoto, Shigeru Kitanishi
Summary: This study investigated the influence of paternal life-history form and egg size on offspring life-history traits in masu salmon. The results showed that egg size was related to early-life body size of the offspring, while paternal life-history form had no effect. Additionally, the study found that the movement of offspring within the tributary differed between males and females, but was not influenced by egg size or paternal life-history form. The researchers concluded that environmental conditions play a more significant role than parental genetic effects in shaping offspring life-history traits.
Article
Ecology
Anna Kuparinen, Emily Yeung, Jeffrey A. Hutchings
Summary: Large bodied species generally have longer life spans than small bodied species, although the correlation varies among different taxa. This study collected data on body mass and maximum life span for 3722 species from various taxonomic Classes. The analysis revealed a positive relationship between body size and longevity, with slightly different slopes and intercepts among the Classes except Reptilia and Amphibia. The dataset compiled in this study can serve as a starting point for further phylogenetic analyses on the evolutionary pathways of body size and its correlates.
ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alisa Kutzer, Edouard Lavergne, Manabu Kume, Toshihiro Wada, Yuki Terashima, Yoh Yamashita
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Mark Ravinet, Manabu Kume, Asano Ishikawa, Jun Kitano
Summary: Maintaining reproductive isolation factors in marine environments remain elusive due to few absolute geographic barriers. Spatial structuring in breeding habitat can contribute to reproductive isolation, especially for marine organisms migrating to fresh- or brackish water environments. Geological barrier differences between Japanese Gasterosteus species contribute to high genomic divergence and varying levels of introgression, particularly in rivers where spawning sites are shared. Habitat isolation is found to significantly reduce gene flow, while certain genomic regions of introgression indicate potential adaptation driving introgression. Despite genetic differentiation, low introgression occurs in regions with low recombination rates, suggesting other barriers may prevent speciation reversal.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Takuji Noda, Toshihiro Wada, Hiromichi Mitamura, Manabu Kume, Takuhei Komaki, Tsuneo Fujita, Tatsuma Sato, Kaoru Narita, Manabu Yamada, Akira Matsumoto, Tomoya Hori, Junichi Takagi, Alisa Kutzer, Nobuaki Arai, Yoh Yamashita
Summary: This study monitored the post-release movements of wild and cultured Japanese eels in a brackish water lagoon, revealing that wild eels showed greater behavioral plasticity in habitat selection based on environmental changes, while cultured eels had a shorter residency time in brackish water areas.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hyojin Ahn, Manabu Kume, Yuki Terashima, Feng Ye, Satoshi Kameyama, Masaki Miya, Yoh Yamashita, Akihide Kasai
Article
Zoology
Ayano Medo, Hideaki Nishizawa, Ayako Yokoyama, Manabu Kume, Yasushi Mitsunaga, Nobuaki Arai, Hiroyuki Yamane, Koki Ikeya, Thavee Viputhanumas, Hiromichi Mitamura
ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Manabu Kume, Edouard Lavergne, Hyojin Ahn, Yuki Terashima, Kohmei Kadowaki, Feng Ye, Satoshi Kameyama, Yoshiaki Kai, Yumi Henmi, Yoh Yamashita, Akihide Kasai
Summary: Estuarine and coastal ecosystems are important habitats for many fish species. Patterns of fish communities in these ecosystems are influenced by geographical factors such as latitude and water temperature, as well as human activities. Environmental DNA metabarcoding has provided insights into the structure of these communities, revealing the impact of red-listed and alien species, as well as human population density, on fish diversity. These findings can inform conservation efforts for estuarine and coastal ecosystems.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Ryo Kakioka, Manabu Kume, Asano Ishikawa, Satoshi Ansai, Takuya K. Hosoki, Yo Y. Yamasaki, Atsushi J. Nagano, Atsushi Toyoda, Jun Kitano
Summary: In a hybrid zone between Gymnogobius breunigii and Gymnogobius castaneus, genetic basis for variation in supraorbital neuromasts was investigated, identifying a locus significantly associated with the number of pores. Genomic cline analysis demonstrated potential adaptive introgression at this locus.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Manabu Kume, Naoki Nakayama, Yasunari Iwasaki, Tomoya Hori, Shun Watanabe, Yuki Terashima, Ayano Medo, Nobuaki Arai, Yoh Yamashita, Hiromichi Mitamura
Summary: The study found evidence of Japanese eels moving between different rivers via the sea, indicating that they may migrate seaward for purposes other than just spawning, which is valuable for understanding the eels' life-history diversity and for future conservation plans.
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES
(2021)
Correction
Ecology
Manabu Kume, Naoki Nakayama, Yasunari Iwasaki, Tomoya Hori, Shun Watanabe, Yuki Terashima, Ayano Medo, Nobuaki Arai, Yoh Yamashita, Hiromichi Mitamura
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Edouard Lavergne, Manabu Kume, Hyojin Ahn, Yumi Henmi, Yuki Terashima, Feng Ye, Satoshi Kameyama, Yoshiaki Kai, Kohmei Kadowaki, Shiho Kobayashi, Yoh Yamashita, Akihide Kasai
Summary: Estuaries are facing threats like biodiversity loss and unsustainable fisheries. This study in Japan found that watershed land-use factors, such as forest cover, play a significant role in determining the richness of vulnerable fish species in estuaries. Conservation efforts should focus on proper forest management and land-use practices to protect threatened fish species and coastal ecosystems.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Moemi Horiuchi, Seishi Hagihara, Manabu Kume, Daichi Chushi, Yuya Hasegawa, Hikaru Itakura, Yoh Yamashita, Shinji Adachi, Shigeho Ijiri
Summary: This study provides the first demonstration of the entire process of natural gonadal sex differentiation in eels at both molecular and morphological levels. The findings suggest that sex differentiation in eels is triggered by growth rather than aging.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Manabu Kume, Yudai Yoshikawa, Tomoichiro Tanaka, Shun Watanabe, Hiromichi Mitamura, Yoh Yamashita
Summary: This study directly observed the ability of Japanese eels to climb a low-height vertical weir as a migratory barrier using infrared video camera systems. The eels climbed the weir at night, and their total length ranged from 60 to 140 mm. The study also found significant effects of water temperature and precipitation on eel climbing. The effectiveness of infrared video cameras in monitoring eel climbing was demonstrated. These findings are useful for the management and conservation of wild eel stocks.
Article
Ecology
Manabu Kume, Junichi Takagi, Yurika Dantsuji, Takayuki Ito, Yoh Yamashita, Hiromichi Mitamura, Toshihiro Wada
Summary: This study examined the effects of different tagging methods on tag retention, growth, and survival of small-sized spotted halibut. The results showed that surgical implantation had higher retention and survival rates compared to external attachment.
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Ryo Kakioka, Seiichi Mori, Tomoyuki Kokita, Takuya K. Hosoki, Atsushi J. Nagano, Asano Ishikawa, Manabu Kume, Atsushi Toyoda, Jun Kitano
BMC EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Fisheries
Shigeya Nagayama, Manabu Kume, Munehiro Oota, Koichiro Mizushima, Seiichi Mori
KNOWLEDGE AND MANAGEMENT OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
(2020)
