Article
Ecology
Carl G. Lundblad, Courtney J. Conway
Summary: Variation in life-history strategies is crucial for understanding population dynamics and adaptation, with nest microclimate driving important trade-offs and thermal gradients often explaining observed biogeographic and seasonal patterns. Our study implies an indirect effect of climate change on reproductive success and recruitment.
Article
Parasitology
Guilherme Gonzaga da Silva, Robert Poulin, Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira
Summary: The prevalence of ectoparasites in dragonflies and damselflies is partially associated with latitude, showing a decrease at lower latitudes, while endoparasites are unaffected by latitude. Ectoparasite prevalence is also positively associated with vegetation biomass and climatic stability.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Carl G. Lundblad, Courtney J. Conway
Summary: This article discusses hypotheses explaining variation in avian clutch size, with a focus on N. Philip Ashmole's hypothesis. It clarifies the misconceptions and confusion surrounding Ashmole's hypothesis, summarizes existing evidence for and against the hypothesis, and proposes new methods to test and improve understanding of the mechanisms driving variation in avian clutch size and fecundity, as well as life-history evolution.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Stephanie C. Schmiege, Kevin L. Griffin, Natalie T. Boelman, Lee A. Vierling, Sarah G. Bruner, Elizabeth Min, Andrew J. Maguire, Johanna Jensen, Jan U. H. Eitel
Summary: Light availability plays a crucial role in vertical canopy gradients. This study found differences in light availability, photosynthetic functioning, and leaf traits between trees at the northern and southern range extremes of white spruce. Unlike many other tree species, high latitude trees may not require vertical gradients to optimize photosynthetic carbon gain. The lower photosynthetic rates and higher respiratory costs could ultimately constrain the northern range limit of this boreal species.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Viktor Baranov, Jonas Jourdan, Blue Hunter-Moffatt, Sajad Noori, Simon Schoelderle, Joachim T. Haug
Summary: The size of animals is influenced by the interactions between evolution, environment, and physiology. Warm-blooded animals become larger in colder climates to produce and preserve heat. In cold-blooded animals, similar patterns have been found in some cases. This study shows that there is a negative relationship between size and temperature in aquatic insects, specifically non-biting midges. The findings are important for monitoring aquatic ecosystem health and tracking global climate change.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mariana J. Alvarez-Noriega, Craig White, Jan Kozlowski, Troy Day, Dustin Marshall
Summary: Within many species, and particularly fish, there is a disproportionate relationship between fecundity and mass, which contradicts most biological growth theories and poses challenges for biological system management. This study used a life history optimization model to predict global patterns in marine fish life histories, and confirmed that polar fish reproduce at a later age and have steeper reproductive scaling than tropical fish. The study also predicted that global warming will reshape fish life histories, resulting in earlier reproduction, smaller body sizes, and lower mass-specific reproductive outputs with potential consequences for population persistence.
Article
Ecology
Jonathan Diamond, Denis Roy
Summary: This study examines the relationship between species richness and functional diversity in fish. It finds that species richness cannot accurately estimate functional diversity. In most fish families, there is a pattern of stable functional diversity from the equator through the tropics that shifts at around absolute latitude 31.7 degrees. This analysis demonstrates the importance of considering functional diversity in conservation priorities and policies.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Christopher R. Cooney, Yichen He, Zoe K. Varley, Lara O. Nouri, Christopher J. A. Moody, Michael D. Jardine, Andras Liker, Tamas Szekely, Gavin H. Thomas
Summary: This study confirms the long-held belief that tropical bird species are more colorful than temperate species by analyzing a dataset of over 4,500 bird species.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Victor M. Aguilera, Nina Bednarsek
Summary: This study reveals significant latitudinal variations in environmental habitat conditions and phenotypic plasticity among populations of Acartia tonsa copepods, suggesting a potential mechanism for their differential adaptation to different coastal provinces in the South East Pacific.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ruhi S. Humphries, Melita D. Keywood, Sean Gribben, Ian M. McRobert, Jason P. Ward, Paul Selleck, Sally Taylor, James Harnwell, Connor Flynn, Gourihar R. Kulkarni, Gerald G. Mace, Alain Protat, Simon P. Alexander, Greg McFarquhar
Summary: The Southern Ocean region exhibits unique atmospheric characteristics and aerosol compositions, with distinct influences in the northern, mid-latitude, and southern sectors. The northern sector shows higher aerosol concentrations, the mid-latitudes display a mixture of biogenic and sea-salt aerosols, while the southern sector primarily consists of biologically derived sulfur species aerosols. Further long-term measurements are needed to comprehensively understand the aerosol processes across different latitudes and seasons in the Southern Ocean region.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mark A. Kirk, Brandon R. Hays, Chris J. Petranek
Summary: The success of introduced species is influenced by a combination of abiotic stress and species interactions, with species from high latitudes occupying larger introduced ranges. This suggests that the origin of a species plays a crucial role in predicting introduction success.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Estelle P. Bruni, Olivia Rusconi, Olivier Broennimann, Antoine Adde, Raphael Jauslin, Valentyna Krashevska, Anush Kosakyan, Eric Armynot du Chatelet, Joao P. B. Alcino, Louis Beyens, Quentin Blandenier, Anatoly Bobrov, Luciana Burdman, Clement Duckert, Leonardo D. Fernandez, Maria Beatriz Gomes e Souza, Thierry J. Heger, Isabelle Koenig, Daniel J. G. Lahr, Michelle McKeown, Ralf Meisterfeld, David Singer, Eckhard Voelcker, Janet Wilmshurst, Sebastien Wohlhauser, David M. Wilkinson, Antoine Guisan, Edward A. D. Mitchell
Summary: This study investigates the diversity and distribution of Apodera vas, a model soil microorganism, and explores the role played by historical factors and dispersal limitation. It demonstrates the potential impact of climate change on the regional extinction of terrestrial microorganisms, highlighting the importance of including microorganisms in biodiversity conservation research and actions.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rodrigo A. Moreno, Fabio A. Labra, Darko D. Cotoras, Patricio A. Camus, Dimitri Gutierrez, Luis Aguirre, Nicolas Rozbaczylo, Elie Poulin, Nelson A. Lagos, Daniel Zamorano, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira
Summary: The study found that there is a rare hump-shaped latitudinal diversity gradient among marine organisms along the Southeastern Pacific coast, with species richness peaking at around 42 degrees south and declining towards the northern and southern areas. There is a significant increase in phylogenetic conservatism and species richness towards the southern region, while pairwise distance variation shows the opposite trend. This suggests that evolutionary processes play a major role in shaping the latitudinal diversity gradient in this region.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Matthew R. McCurry, Travis Park, Ellen J. Coombs, Lachlan J. Hart, Shawn Laffan
Summary: Snout shape in delphinoid cetaceans is correlated to diet, with long-snouted predators preying on smaller and more agile prey. The study analyzes cranial morphological variation of Delphinoidea assemblages across the world's oceans. It finds that tropical and subtropical assemblages have higher average measures of long-snout shape, likely due to differences in prey availability in different environments. The study also suggests that ocean temperature influences the diversity, range limits, and assemblage structure of delphinoid cetaceans.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Genevieve Lajoie, Steven W. Kembel
Summary: Phyllosphere bacterial diversity is influenced by interactions between hosts and microbes, with host taxonomic identity and traits being important drivers. Dispersal of bacteria from neighboring communities plays a role in homogenizing bacterial communities and may constrain the match between tree species and their symbionts, particularly at range limits. Considering host-associated microbial communities as part of metacommunities within the host landscape is a promising tool for understanding host-symbiont matching.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Alyssa Borowske, Christopher R. Field, Katharine J. Ruskin, Chris S. Elphick
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Ecology
Christopher R. Field, Katharine J. Ruskin, Jonathan B. Cohen, Thomas P. Hodgman, Adrienne Kovach, Brian J. Olsen, W. Gregory Shriver, Chris S. Elphick
Article
Ornithology
Brian J. Olsen, Jennifer L. Froehly, Alyssa C. Borowske, Chris S. Elphick, Christopher R. Field, Alison R. Kocek, Adrienne Kovach, Rebecca A. Longenecker, W. Gregory Shriver, Jennifer Walsh, Katharine J. Ruskin
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christopher R. Field, Chris S. Elphick
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2019)
Article
Ornithology
David J. Schimpf, Laurie J. Goodrich, Alison R. Kocek, David A. La Puma
JOURNAL OF RAPTOR RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Ornithology
Hallie Marshall, Erik J. Blomberg, Valerie Watson, Meaghan Conway, Jonathan B. Cohen, Maureen D. Correll, Chris S. Elphick, Thomas P. Hodgman, Alison R. Kocek, Adrienne Kovach, W. Gregory Shriver, Whitney A. Wiest, Brian J. Olsen
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Brian T. Klingbeil, Jonathan B. Cohen, Maureen D. Correll, Christopher R. Field, Thomas P. Hodgman, Adrienne Kovach, Erika E. Lentz, Brian J. Olsen, W. Gregory Shriver, Whitney A. Wiest, Chris S. Elphick
Summary: The study compared the predictions of static inundation and dynamic response models for tidal marsh degradation in 2030 and 2050, finding significant differences in predictions for 2030 but both models suggesting that the majority of tidal marsh in the northeastern USA may disappear by 2050.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Katharine J. Ruskin, Garth Herring, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Alyssa B. Eiklor, Chris S. Elphick, Matthew A. Etterson, Christopher R. Field, Rebecca A. Longenecker, Adrienne Kovach, W. Gregory Shriver, Jennifer Walsh, Brian J. Olsen
Summary: The study revealed that tidal marsh wildlife are exposed to high levels of mercury, with significant spatial and temporal variation. By measuring total mercury concentrations in blood, it was found that nest survival probability in female songbirds decreases with higher mercury levels.
Article
Education & Educational Research
Clara L. Meaders, Michelle K. Smith, Timothy Boester, Anne Bracy, Brian A. Couch, Abby G. Drake, Saima Farooq, Bashir Khoda, Cynthia Kinsland, A. Kelly Lane, Sarah E. Lindahl, William H. Livingston, Ayesha Maliwal Bundy, Amber McCormick, Anya Morozov, Jennifer L. Newell-Caito, Katharine J. Ruskin, Mark A. Sarvary, Marilyne Stains, Justin R. St. Juliana, Stephanie R. Thomas, Cindy van Es, Erin L. Vinson, Maren N. Vitousek, Mackenzie R. Stetzer
Summary: To help instructors anticipate and respond to student questions effectively, researchers identified common questions through surveys and qualitative analysis, and provided advice and resources for instructors to address these questions.
FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christopher R. Field, Katharine J. Ruskin, Bri Benvenuti, Alyssa C. Borowske, Jonathan B. Cohen, Laura Garey, Thomas P. Hodgman, Rebecca A. Longenecker, Erin King, Alison R. Kocek, Adrienne I. Kovach, Kathleen M. O'Brien, Brian J. Olsen, Nancy Pau, Samuel G. Roberts, Emma Shelly, W. Gregory Shriver, Jennifer Walsh, Chris S. Elphick
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maureen D. Correll, Whitney A. Wiest, Thomas P. Hodgman, Joseph T. Kelley, Brian J. Mcgill, Chris S. Elphick, W. Gregory Shriver, Meaghan Conway, Christopher R. Field, Brian J. Olsen