Article
Ecology
Katharine Keogan, Francis Daunt, Sarah Wanless, Richard A. Phillips, David Alvarez, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Robert T. Barrett, Claus Bech, Peter H. Becker, Per-Arvid Berglund, Sandra Bouwhuis, Zofia M. Burr, Olivier Chastel, Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard, Sebastien Descamps, Tony Diamond, Kyle Elliott, Kjell-Einar Erikstad, Mike Harris, Jonas Hentati-Sundberg, Martin Heubeck, Stephen W. Kress, Magdalene Langset, Svein-Hakon Lorentsen, Heather L. Major, Mark Mallory, Mick Mellor, Will T. S. Miles, Borge Moe, Carolyn Mostello, Mark Newell, Ian Nisbet, Tone Kirstin Reiertsen, Jennifer Rock, Paula Shannon, Oystein Varpe, Sue Lewis, Albert B. Phillimore
Summary: This study investigates the shared phenological responses to environmental drivers among different seabird populations. The results show that populations of different species sharing the same breeding site or small-scale breeding region have positively correlated laying dates, suggesting shared phenological responses to the same environmental conditions. However, no positive phenological covariation was found among populations across species at larger spatial scales. The study also highlights the idiosyncratic responses of populations to local environmental conditions.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Fisheries
M. D. Tillotson, M. C. Arostegui, C. S. Austin, A. E. Lincoln, W. Matsubu, K. N. McElroy, T. P. Quinn
Summary: Migration timing in animals can evolve to match seasonal changes in abiotic conditions and resource pulses, but shifts due to climate change may disrupt this synchronization. Climate change can influence migration timing through various pathways, while factors unrelated to climate like anthropogenic modifications, demographic effects, and fisheries can also impact phenology. This makes it challenging to determine the causal basis of observed patterns, requiring rigorous testing of mechanistic hypotheses and systematic ruling out of alternative causes. Salmon exemplify the complexities of migration timing changes, from climate shifts to anthropogenic influences.
REVIEWS IN FISHERIES SCIENCE & AQUACULTURE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Katharina Ruthsatz, Fabian Bartels, Dominik Stuetzer, Paula C. Eterovick
Summary: This study found that parental breeding time affects the sensitivity of European common frogs to nitrate pollution at different life stages. Breeding later in spring reduces hatching size and survival rate, but also induces compensatory growth. Nitrate exposure reduces developmental rate and results in larger but older larvae that are more sensitive to warmer temperatures. However, standard metabolic rate is not affected by parental breeding time or nitrate exposure. Exposure to nitrate pollution during embryonic and larval stages influences the temperature sensitivity of juvenile frogs.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Zhongxi Ge, Jing Huang, Xufeng Wang, Xuguang Tang, Lei Fan, Yinjun Zhao, Mingguo Ma
Summary: This study investigated the peak photosynthesis timing (PPT) as a key factor affecting seasonal terrestrial carbon uptake. It found that there were no significant differences in PPT derived from different carbon flux partitioning methods, but fitting methods performed differently in various biomes. The study suggests that PGT is not a good proxy for PPT, and trends based on VIs should be viewed with caution.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Abigail A. Kimmitt, Daniel J. Becker, Sara N. Diller, Nicole M. Gerlach, Kimberly A. Rosvall, Ellen D. Ketterson
Summary: This study investigates the reproductive timing of dark-eyed juncos over a period of 32 years and finds that there is plasticity in response to temperature. The study also reveals selection favoring earlier breeding and variation in the strength of selection over time. Additionally, advancing first egg dates may increase the length of the breeding season and reproductive success for multi-brooded birds.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Alycia C. R. Lackey, Pheobe M. Deneen, Gregory J. Ragland, Jeffrey L. Feder, Daniel A. Hahn, Thomas H. Q. Powell
Summary: Climate change can lead to phenological changes in populations, impacting community interactions and evolutionary processes. In this study, we investigated the response of two sympatric populations of Rhagoletis pomonella flies and their parasitoid wasps to climate warming. We found that warmer temperatures caused earlier development in both fly populations, but had a significant and maladaptive effect on pre-winter development in apple flies. Parasitoid phenology showed less sensitivity to warming, potentially leading to ecological asynchrony. Our findings suggest that climate-induced shifts in fly phenology may reduce temporal isolation and limit ongoing divergence in specialist communities.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Guillem Chust, Fernando Gonzalez Taboada, Paula Alvarez, Leire Ibaibarriaga
Summary: Poleward distributional shifts and phenological adjustments are common ecological responses to ocean warming. A new framework proposed in this study analyzes the alternative acclimatization pathways that can include or exclude timing and poleward shift. The analysis of horse mackerel and Atlantic mackerel in the northeast Atlantic showed contrasting responses to warming, with horse mackerel spawning earlier and Atlantic mackerel shifting northward. These new insights have implications for fisheries management and habitat projections under climate change.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Limoilou-Amelie Renaud, Marco Festa-Bianchet, Fanie Pelletier
Summary: In species with long gestation periods like bighorn sheep, autumn temperature and precipitation drive the timing of parturition, while vegetation phenology does not have a significant impact. The mismatch between individual parturition date and spring green-up fluctuates over time but does not show a clear trend, and it negatively affects lamb weaning mass. The study suggests that the consequences of phenological mismatch on fitness may vary depending on the species' life history, emphasizing the complexity in assessing trophic mismatches under the context of climate change.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Marius Budeanu, Ecaterina Nicoleta Apostol, Emanuel Besliu, Vlad Emil Crisan, Any Mary Petritan
Summary: Research on genetic gain through selection of productive and resilient families, as well as the role of crown forms in Norway spruces in response to climate, provides valuable insights for forest managers to choose suitable tree species and provenances. A study found no significant differences in annual wood characteristics between the two spruce crown forms, but identified significant differences in latewood proportion (LWP) which can guide future selection strategies.
Article
Ecology
Lianthuamluaia Lianthuamluaia, Suman Kumari, Uttam Kumar Sarkar, Simanku Borah, Mishal Puthiyottil, Gunjan Karnatak, Basanta Kumar Das, Bandana Das Ghosh, Arijit Das, Sanjeet Debnath, Aneek Ray, Canciyal Johnson
Summary: This study assessed the impact of climate variability on population attributes and breeding phenology of the Asian leaf fish for the first time. The study identified the preferred climatic conditions and threshold biological conditions for breeding in two different regions in India. The vulnerability of the species to climate change was found to range from moderate to highly vulnerable based on 14 designed attributes.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Biology
W. C. Oosthuizen, P. A. Pistorius, M. N. Bester, R. Altwegg, P. J. N. de Bruyn
Summary: Population-level shifts in reproductive phenology in response to environmental change are common, but the individual-level responses are influenced by demographic and genetic factors. Researchers quantified reproductive timing variation in female southern elephant seals breeding at Marion Island and found that breeding arrival dates were more repeatable at the individual level, even after considering individual traits associated with phenological variability. Similarities in breeding phenology between mother and daughter seals suggest genetic effects contribute to between-individual variation. The study also found no correlation between annual fluctuations in phenology and environmental variation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Gisela C. Stotz, Cristian Salgado-Luarte, Victor M. Escobedo, Fernando Valladares, Ernesto Gianoli
Summary: The study found a positive association between phenotypic plasticity and climatic variability only for plasticity in allocation, and plasticity in leaf morphology, size and physiology were positively associated with mean annual temperature. Evidence also showed that phenotypic plasticity in physiology is limited by cold stress. Overall, plant plastic responses to non-climatic factors were stronger than responses to climatic factors.
Article
Ecology
Franz-Sebastian Krah, Ulf Buentgen, Claus Baessler
Summary: By analyzing 6.1 million fungal fruit body records, this study reveals the similarities and differences in fruiting events in major terrestrial biomes. While most biomes exhibit a main fruiting peak in most years, boreal and temperate biomes also have a second peak indicating spring and autumn fruiting. The timing and duration of fungal fruiting are influenced by temperature, and with global temperature increase, these biome-specific differences in fungal phenology are expected to change in space and time.
Article
Biology
C. -E. Schaum, A. Buckling, N. Smirnoff, G. Yvon-Durocher
Summary: This study examines the evolution of trait and tolerance curves in marine ecosystem foundation organisms using a globally distributed phytoplankton species. The results demonstrate that fluctuations in temperature rapidly lead to enhanced trait plasticity and elevated thermal tolerance in the populations. Furthermore, long-term temperature fluctuations result in the formation of two distinct populations, one evolving high trait plasticity and enhanced thermal tolerance, and the other resembling samples evolved under constant warming conditions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xujian He, Shanshan Chen, Jinmei Wang, Nicholas G. Smith, Sergio Rossi, Hongjun Yang, Jianquan Liu, Lei Chen
Summary: This study synthesized a large dataset of leaf unfolding dates of eight temperate tree species in Europe from 1951 to 2015 and comprehensively analyzed the effect of humidity on spring phenology. The results showed that rising humidity delayed spring leaf unfolding for all eight temperate tree species, with early-successional species being more sensitive. Additionally, the delaying effect of humidity on leaf unfolding increased as temperature warmed over the past 65 years.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Charline Couchoux, Dany Garant, Maxime Aubert, Jeanne Clermont, Denis Reale
Summary: The study found that the probability of winning in eastern chipmunks' contests depended on the individual's intrinsic characteristics (mass, age but not sex) and was also influenced by the opponents' characteristics. The outcome of the contest was also influenced by extraneous environmental factors, such as the distance to opponents' burrows, but not by the order of arrival at the feeding patch. The study also revealed consistent individual differences in the probability of winning, potentially related to differences in aggressiveness and territoriality.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Marie-Pier Poulin, Jeanne Clermont, Dominique Berteaux
Summary: The study evaluated movement rates of arctic foxes on Bylot Island using high GPS fix frequencies, revealing the impacts of fix interval and location error on estimated movement rates. Daily distances traveled by arctic foxes were underestimated due to fix intervals, with longer intervals leading to greater underestimation.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andreanne Beardsell, Dominique Gravel, Dominique Berteaux, Gilles Gauthier, Jeanne Clermont, Vincent Careau, Nicolas Lecomte, Claire-Cecile Juhasz, Pascal Royer-Boutin, Joel Bety
Summary: The functional response is crucial for predator-prey interactions, and accurate evaluation is necessary. The study found that predator acquisition rates were influenced by predator speed, rather than being limited by handling processes. Mechanistic models can generate functional response shapes specific to the range of prey densities observed in the wild.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Katherine M. Ineson, Nichola J. Hill, Daniel E. Clark, Kenneth G. MacKenzie, Jillian J. Whitney, Yianni Laskaris, Robert A. Ronconi, Julie C. Ellis, Jean-Francois Giroux, Stephane Lair, Skyler Stevens, Wendy B. Puryear, Jonathan A. Runstadler
Summary: The study sampled sympatric populations of gulls along the densely populated Atlantic rim of North America to understand the transmission dynamics of influenza A virus (IAV). It found that seasonal epidemic in gulls is primarily driven by juveniles and horizontal transmission plays a key role in IAV amplification due to the convergence of gulls from different breeding grounds and age classes. Gulls accumulate immunity over their lifespan, but migration may impose limits on the immune system to maintain circulating antibodies.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Joshua M. Miller, Dany Garant, Charles Perrier, Tristan Juette, Joel W. Jameson, Eric Normandeau, Louis Bernatchez, Denis Reale
Summary: The island syndrome hypothesis predicts that island populations should differ from mainland populations, with individuals on islands being larger, less aggressive, more sociable, and investing more in their offspring. Using genome-wide SNP markers, this study found clear genomic differentiation between island and mainland populations, with moderate to high marker-based heritability estimates for traits thought to underlie the ISH. Further analysis identified 12 loci associated with differentiation between mainland and island populations, suggesting independent evolutionary trajectories and a genetic basis for the traits considered.
Article
Ecology
Laura Gervais, Nicolas Morellet, Ingrid David, Mark Hewison, Denis Reale, Michel Goulard, Yannick Chaval, Bruno Lourtet, Bruno Cargnelutti, Joel Merlet, Erwan Quemere, Benoit Pujol
Summary: Accurate heritability estimates for fitness-related traits are crucial for predicting the ability of organisms to respond to global change. The potential issue of inflated heritability estimates due to environmental similarity among relatives has been pointed out but not examined empirically. This study investigates the link between genetic variation for habitat selection and environmental similarity, and how it affects heritability estimates for fitness-related traits. The results show that accounting for similarity in habitat composition between relatives decreases heritability estimates, suggesting that similar genotypes occupy similar environments and heritable variation may be incorrectly attributed to environmental effects.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hassen Allegue, Christophe Guinet, Samantha C. Patrick, Mark A. Hindell, Clive R. McMahon, Denis Reale
Summary: This study investigates the individual differences in seasonal foraging habitat selection of southern elephant seals based on sex, body size, and boldness. The study found that males and females exhibit different habitat preferences, with males selecting more productive habitats and females selecting less productive ones. The results also show a seasonal shift in habitat selection, with seals moving from Antarctic habitats in the summer to subantarctic and subtropical habitats in the winter.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Samantha C. Patrick, Denis Reale, Jonathan R. Potts, Alastair J. Wilson, Claire Doutrelant, Celine Teplitsky, Anne Charmantier
Summary: There are variations in life-history strategies regarding the investment in current versus future reproduction. This study focuses on the temporality in reproductive investment hypothesis and explores the variations in the time frame over which reproductive costs are paid. The findings suggest that individuals differ in when they pay the cost of reproduction, and failure to consider these differences across different temporal scales and environments may underestimate reproductive trade-offs.
Review
Ecology
Pablo Capilla-Lasheras, Megan J. Thompson, Alfredo Sanchez-Tojar, Yacob Haddou, Claire J. Branston, Denis Reale, Anne Charmantier, Davide M. Dominoni
Summary: Cities pose a major ecological challenge for wildlife worldwide. Recent meta-analysis of avian literature shows that urban populations have higher levels of phenotypic variation in reproductive traits, such as lay date and clutch size, compared to non-urban populations. Urban populations also reproduce earlier and have smaller broods than their non-urban counterparts.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anais Kerric, Marc J. Mazerolle, Jean-Francois Giroux, Jonathan Verreault
Summary: This study investigated the contribution of atmospheric exposure pathways relative to diet for PBDEs and other HFRs in ring-billed gulls nesting in the densely populated Montreal area. The results showed that atmospheric exposure, in addition to dietary exposure, significantly contributed to the accumulation of PBDEs in the liver of ring-billed gulls. Future landfill-foraging wildlife species should consider atmospheric exposure to HFRs as a potential exposure route compared to the traditional dietary exposure pathway.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Hassen Allegue, Denis Reale, Baptiste Picard, Christophe Guinet
Summary: This study tests the predictive capacity of simple continuous movement metrics for feeding intensity in southern elephant seals and investigates potential factors influencing the accuracy of these metrics. The study finds that simple movement metrics do not accurately predict feeding activity in free-ranging marine predators.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
David Lopez-Idiaquez, Celine Teplitsky, Amelie Fargevieille, Maria Del Rey-Granado, Raphaelle Mercier Gauthier, Christophe de Franceschi, Anne Charmantier, Claire Doutrelant, Denis Reale
Summary: This study analyzed the associations between behavior, ornamentation, morphology, and life history in blue tits, and explored the differences in these associations between males and females. The results showed weak associations between ornamentation and behavior, and these associations differed between the sexes.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jimmy Allain, Mathilde Tissier, Patrick Bergeron, Dany Garant, Denis Reale
Summary: This study investigates the relationships between age at first reproduction, reproductive senescence, and longevity in an eastern chipmunk population. It found sex-specific relationships between age at first reproduction and senescence, with females reproducing at a later age showing reproductive senescence. Additionally, it highlights the importance of studying life-history strategies in both males and females when studying senescence in the wild.
Article
Ecology
Manon Sorais, Martin Patenaude-Monette, Christopher Sharp, Ryan Askren, Armand LaRocque, Brigitte Leblon, Jean-Francois Giroux
Summary: The number of temperate-breeding Canada geese in the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyway has increased significantly since the 1980s, leading to an increase in the number of pre-molt migrants. This provides hunting opportunities for Cree hunters living near James Bay. A study on the movement patterns and habitat use of molt migrant Canada geese along the east coast of James Bay revealed that they prefer tidal flats and salt marshes in spring, and inland freshwater wetlands, peatlands, and tidal flats in autumn. Molt migrant geese can increase hunting opportunities and provide supplementary wildlife food for Cree communities.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jean-Francois Giroux, Jean Rodrigue, Rodney W. Brook, Martin Patenaude-Monette
Summary: Canada Geese play an important role as a wildlife food resource for Cree people living along the James Bay coasts. This study investigates the impact of environmental changes and fluctuation in goose populations on hunting success for the Cree hunters. By analyzing band recoveries, the study identifies the harvested populations by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters in their Eastern James Bay territory between 2000 and 2020. The findings reveal that the ratio of banded geese recovered is significantly higher for the Atlantic Population (AP) compared to other populations. The study emphasizes the importance of maintaining banding programs and encourages Cree hunters to report their recovered bands.
AVIAN CONSERVATION AND ECOLOGY
(2022)