Article
Biology
Anina C. Knauer, Cedric Alaux, Matthew J. Allan, Robin R. Dean, Virginie Dievart, Gaetan Glauser, Tomasz Kiljanek, Denis Michez, Janine M. Schwarz, Giovanni Tamburini, Dimitry Wintermantel, Alexandra-Maria Klein, Matthias Albrecht
Summary: This study shows that the synergistic impacts of pesticide exposure and nutritional stress on bees were observed, and the current risk assessments that ignore these interactions are insufficient in protecting bees and their pollination services.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ryan D. Phillips, Bjorn Bohman, Rod Peakall, Noushka Reiter
Summary: This study discovers a new type of sexual deception in orchids, where pollination occurs during feeding behavior at the labellum, offering important insights into pollination strategy shifts. Similar pollination strategies were found in other Caladenia species, suggesting a widespread occurrence across the genus and providing clues about transitional strategies during the evolution of sexual deception.
Article
Biology
Sean O'Fallon, Kim Drager, Art Zhao, Andrew Suarez, Noa Pinter-Wollman
Summary: Animals construct and inhabit nests that can vary due to differences in behavior, environment, and evolutionary history. In ants, nest architecture reflects differences in both ecology and collective behavior. This study analyzes measures of ant nests and nest casts to explore variation in subterranean nests and determine the potential drivers of this variation. The findings indicate that foraging strategy is a better explanatory variable than evolutionary history. This research sheds light on the importance of ecology in shaping nest structure and provides a foundation for future investigations.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ross C. Nichols, David E. Cade, Shirel Kahane-Rapport, Jeremy Goldbogen, Alison Stimpert, Douglas Nowacek, Andrew J. Read, David W. Johnston, Ari Friedlaender
Summary: This study used animal movement modelling and biologging tags to investigate the seasonal foraging behavior of Antarctic humpback whales. The results showed that humpback whales have high feeding rates at the beginning of the feeding season, but the feeding rates decrease and foraging primarily occurs at night as the season progresses.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Douglas Sponsler, Aaron Iverson, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
Summary: The mutualism between plants and pollinators is dependent on the ecology of flowers as food, which has been neglected in previous studies. Floral resource limitation is a complex ecological contingency that impacts competition between pollinators. This article proposes a framework for understanding the availability of floral resources and discusses the causal relationships between floral resource structure and species coexistence, plant-pollinator community dynamics, and external drivers. Estimating and analyzing floral resource structure is challenging but necessary for shedding light on coexistence and guiding management decisions.
Article
Ecology
Robin Richter, Alexander Dietz, James Foster, Johannes Spaethe, Anna Stoeckl
Summary: The colourful patterns on flowers have been found to guide flower-visiting insects, reducing their handling time and improving the efficiency of pollination.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kevin Barre, Alice Baudouin, Jeremy S. P. Froidevaux, Vivien Chartendrault, Christian Kerbiriou
Summary: The presence of ground-mounted solar farms affects the flight and feeding behavior of insectivorous bats, resulting in changes in flight speed, flight trajectory, and probability of prey capture attempts. These changes indicate a decrease in bat feeding behavior, which can have negative impacts on the quality of bat habitat. It is important to consider these effects when planning solar energy projects and make efforts to mitigate the negative impacts.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Arjun Adit, Vineet Kumar Singh, Monika Koul, Rajesh Tandon
Summary: Consumption of pollination reward through felonious means can influence the foraging behavior and reproductive success of pollinators. In the study of Aerides odorata, it was found that nectar thieving and robbing increased the visits and fruit-set of the pollinator, while florivory had a negative impact. The net reproductive fitness of this orchid species is influenced by the breeding system and the overall interacting framework of the foraging guild.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Darren A. Whitehead, Joel Gayford
Summary: This study presents the first direct evidence of bottom-feeding behavior in whale sharks and offers potential explanations for their foraging strategy. The findings suggest that whale sharks actively feed on benthic prey in deepwater environments or where such prey is more abundant than planktonic food sources. The study also highlights the importance of ecotourism and citizen science projects in enhancing our understanding of marine megafauna behavioral ecology.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ahlam Sentil, Thomas James Wood, Patrick Lhomme, Laila Hamroud, Insafe El Abdouni, Oumayma Ihsane, Youssef Bencharki, Pierre Rasmont, Stefanie Christmann, Denis Michez
Summary: Pollinators worldwide are declining due to insufficient access to floral resources caused by habitat loss and degradation. A novel mitigation strategy called Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP) has been evaluated for its impact on pollinators' pollen diet in agricultural ecosystems.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
David A. Holway, Erin K. Cameron
Summary: Recent studies show that ants, including introduced species, are proficient scavengers that can monopolize carrion resources, potentially increasing worker production and altering interactions within food webs. Further research is needed to understand the impact of ant invasions on energy transfer in ecosystems.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Chaim J. J. Lasmar, Tom R. R. Bishop, Catherine L. L. Parr, Antonio C. M. Queiroz, Icaro Wilker, Rodrigo M. M. Feitosa, Fernando A. A. Schmidt, Carla R. R. Ribas
Summary: Animals integrate into the wider ecosystem by foraging and behavior, targeting scarce and atypical nutrients according to the compensation hypothesis. This study investigated the variation in resource use by ants across habitat strata and trophic levels in Neotropical biomes. The results showed consistent patterns of sugar and lipid preferences across biomes and trophic levels, indicating sugar limitation in the arboreal stratum and lipid limitation on the ground. However, there was no consistent pattern for amino acid and sodium preferences. Overall, the study suggests strong local niche partitioning of sugar and lipid use and the influence of large-scale processes on amino acid and sodium dynamics.
Review
Ecology
Sarah K. Richman, Jessica L. Barker, Minjung Baek, Daniel R. Papaj, Rebecca E. Irwin, Judith L. Bronstein
Summary: This study examines the cognitive decision-making processes of animals foraging from flowers and their impact on pollination and plant fitness. It explores the effects of nectar robbing on plant fitness and the role of animal cognition in the evolution and ecological consequences of this behavior. By considering nectar robbing behavior when used as the sole foraging strategy or when individuals switch between robbing and legitimate foraging, it analyzes sensory and cognitive biases, learning, and the influence of a variable environment on decision-making processes.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Cicero Luanderson da Silva Alencar, Anselmo Nogueira, Ricardo Eduardo Vicente, Italo Antonio Cotta Coutinho
Summary: This study investigates the phenotypic plasticity of nectar production in relation to plant attractiveness to ants. The researchers examined the impact of extrafloral nectary (EFN) size on extrafloral nectar productivity in three sympatric legume species. It was found that plant species with larger EFNs had higher induced nectar secretion after herbivory events and interacted more with dominant ant partners. The results suggest that EFN size variation is an important factor in determining nectar productivity and interactions with protective ant species.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Elsa Bonnard, Jun Liu, Nicolina Zjacic, Luis Alvarez, Monika Scholz, Manuel Zimmer
Summary: This article introduces a tool called PharaGlow and an imaging protocol for measuring feeding behavior of crawling worms. The tool demonstrates robustness and high-throughput capabilities, and can be used in different scenarios to measure feeding behavior.
Article
Entomology
A. Falibene, R. Josens
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Agustina Falibene, Roxana Josens
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2008)
Article
Entomology
Francisco Sola, Agustina Falibene, Roxana Josens
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2013)
Article
Entomology
Agustina Falibene, Wolfgang Roessler, Roxana Josens
JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY
(2012)
Article
Entomology
Agustina Falibene, Roxana Josens
JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY
(2014)
Article
Entomology
Roxana Josens, Agustina Falibene, Alberto de Figueiredo Gontijo
JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY
(2006)