Article
Ecology
Yichao Zeng, John J. Wiens
Summary: Ecology aims to reveal generalities in species interactions and explain differences in species richness among groups. Through a systematic review, it was found that different types of interactions can predictably impact species diversification and richness patterns.
Article
Agronomy
Hafiza Javaria Ashraf, Komivi Senyo Akutse, Irum Mukhtar, Luis Carlos Ramos Aguila, Muhammad Qasim, Wenjie Wang, Bamisope Steve Bamisile, Liande Wang
Summary: This study evaluated the diversity and parasitism rate of Tamarixia radiata populations, confirmed its potential as a biocontrol agent against Diaphorina citri, and investigated the presence of the endosymbiont Wolbachia. The genetically diverse T. radiata populations demonstrated effective parasitization of D. citri, indicating promising biocontrol candidates for integrated pest management strategies.
Article
Microbiology
Rami Kassam, Jyoti Yadav, Gautam Chawla, Aditi Kundu, Alkesh Hada, Nisha Jaiswal, Haritha Bollinedi, Deeba Kamil, Prameela Devi, Uma Rao
Summary: The two fungal species Arthrobotrys thaumasia and Tolypocladium cylindrosporum from Indian soils showed promising biocontrol potential against root-knot nematodes, reducing nematode disease burden significantly in greenhouse evaluations. The study also identified various volatile and non-volatile compounds with nematicidal activity in these fungi, indicating their potential as safe and effective alternatives for nematode management.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
James E. Byers, Julie A. Blaze, Alannah C. Dodd, Hannah L. Hall, Paul E. Gribben
Summary: Non-indigenous species (NIS) and hypoxia can disturb and restructure aquatic communities. Most studies show that NIS are tolerant of hypoxia and perform better than native species under hypoxia. However, NIS are more often considered passengers associated with hypoxia, rather than drivers of it.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jason Wood, Ben Ashby
Summary: Hyperparasites have dramatic effects on the evolution of parasite virulence and caution should be exercised when using them in biocontrol.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jinlin Chen, Owen T. Lewis
Summary: As average temperatures increase and heatwaves become more frequent, species are expanding their distributions and colonizing new habitats. This leads to novel species interactions that shape the reorganization of resident communities driven by temperature changes. Our study reveals the different and sometimes contrasting impacts of extreme temperatures and constant warming on community composition.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Guillaume Martel, Francesco Scirpoli, Rene F. H. Sforza
Summary: This study evaluates the oviposition pattern of the phytophagous stinkbug pest Bagrada hilaris and the parasitism behavior of the egg parasitoid Gryon gonikopalense, highlighting the relevance of using G. gonikopalense as a biocontrol agent against B. hilaris based on its specific foraging behavior.
ENTOMOLOGIA GENERALIS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Stephanie Brockmann, Hongyan Zhang, Doran M. Mason, Edward S. Rutherford
Summary: Aquatic invasive species, such as bigheaded carp, can have catastrophic impacts on lake ecosystems. Understanding the spatially differentiated impacts and interactions with other species is crucial for policymakers to make informed decisions on mitigation or conservation policies. Neglecting species interactions or assuming ecological homogeneity across space can lead to biased estimates of social welfare implications.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Imran A. Rajput, Agha M. Ahmed, Khalid A. Khan, Myron P. Zalucki, Ghulam H. Abro, Michael J. Furlong, Hamed A. Ghramh
Summary: This study examines the multitrophic interactions between aphids, coccinellids, and their parasitoids. It finds that coccinellids exhibit selectivity towards host plants and aphids, suggesting that prey selection is more specific than previously assumed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TROPICAL INSECT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Adam Z. Hasik, Daniela de Angeli Dutra, Jean-Francois Doherty, Meghan A. Duffy, Robert Poulin, Adam M. Siepielski
Summary: The study found that parasitism did not significantly affect the mean or variance of host-species interaction outcomes. Infected hosts could experience both strongly detrimental and strongly beneficial effects. The impact of parasites on host species interactions varied depending on the environment.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marc J. S. Hensel, Brian R. Silliman, Johan van de Koppel, Enie Hensel, Sean J. Sharp, Sinead M. Crotty, Jarrett E. K. Byrnes
Summary: The study demonstrates that invasive species, such as feral hogs, can reduce ecosystem resilience by disrupting essential species interactions, leading to decreased plant biomass and slower recovery rates. This highlights the importance of considering the impact of invasive consumers on ecosystem dynamics beyond just competition and predation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
C. Ripolles-Avila, M. Guitan-Santamaria, K. Pizarro-Gimenez, T. Mazaheri, J. J. Rodriguez-Jerez
Summary: The ecological interactions in dual-species biofilms between Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica were studied. Results showed different effects of different species on the growth of these pathogens. Bacillus megaterium demonstrated the highest replacement capacity for L. monocytogenes.
Letter
Evolutionary Biology
Cameron A. Smith, Ben Ashby
Summary: Defensive symbionts in the host microbiome can provide protection from infection or reduce the harms of being infected. However, the consequences of introducing a defensive symbiont for parasite evolution and how the symbiont may coevolve with the parasite have been relatively understudied.
Article
Ecology
Yuanming Lu, Donald L. DeAngelis, Junfei Xia, Jiang Jiang
Summary: Many introduced plants can become invasive species and pose a threat to native ecosystems, controlling invasions require attention to timing.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Mohsen Torbati, Mahdi Arzanlou, Ana Carla da Silva Santos
Summary: The study provides a survey of fungicolous Fusarium species and their hosts, demonstrating that Fusarium associations with other fungi are predominantly necrotrophic. The prevalent fungal hosts for fungicolous Fusarium isolates were members of the sub-kingdom Dikarya, mostly microfungi. Through highlighting these associations, the study aims to expand the understanding of the ecology and diversity of these fungi.
CURRENT MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Douglas H. Boyes, Darren M. Evans, Richard Fox, Mark S. Parsons, Michael J. O. Pocock
Summary: The use of artificial light at night (ALAN) can have diverse impacts on moths, affecting behaviors from flight to reproduction and development. While there is strong evidence for effects on moth behavior and physiology, there is little direct evidence of population-level impacts. Precautionary strategies are recommended to mitigate potential negative effects on insect populations.
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mateusz Konczal, Karolina J. Przesmycka, Ryan S. Mohammed, Christoph Hahn, Jo Cable, Jacek Radwan
Summary: Hybridization plays a significant role in the success of parasites, with hybrid vigor potentially diluted by subsequent generations. A 'frozen hybrid' genotype has invaded natural populations of Gyrodactylus turnbulli, with surprisingly high nucleotide diversity discrepancies between Trinidad and Tobago. The presence of highly heterozygous hybrids on Tobago is maintained by clonal reproduction, suggesting a selective advantage compared to native genotypes.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Steven J. Weiss, Duarte V. Goncalves, Giulia Secci-Petretto, Gernot K. Englmaier, Andre Gomes-Dos-Santos, Gael P. J. Denys, Henri Persat, Alexander Antonov, Christoph Hahn, Eric B. Taylor, Elsa Froufe
Summary: Graylings species diversity increases and range size decreases from higher to lower latitudes globally. The origin of extant diversity is in East Asia, with colonization of Europe and at least two colonizations of North America, as well as multiple dispersal events occurring in Western Siberia. Conservation status for the 15 taxa ranges from least concern to data deficient.
ORGANISMS DIVERSITY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Fredric M. Windsor, Julia Tavella, Debora C. Rother, Rafael L. G. Raimundo, Mariano Devoto, Paulo R. Guimaraes Jr, Darren M. Evans
Summary: Managing agricultural environments in a way that maximizes the provision of multiple ecosystem services is a significant challenge. Advances in network ecology offer a way forward by identifying plant species mixes that maximize species richness.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Mariana Scaramussa Depra, Darren Mark Evans, Maria Cristina Gaglianone
Summary: The study evaluated the restoration success of pollination interactions in a Brazilian restinga by comparing newly planted sites with target reference sites. Results showed that more species and interactions were recorded in the restoration area, mainly due to the high abundance of common insect species. While network robustness was higher in restoration sites, interaction evenness was lower, indicating less uniformity in interaction frequencies compared to control sites.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Douglas H. Boyes, Darren M. Evans, Richard Fox, Mark S. Parsons, Michael J. O. Pocock
Summary: The study found that artificial light at night significantly reduces moth caterpillar abundance and affects their development, with negative impacts more prominent under white LED street lights. This suggests that ALAN and the shift towards white LEDs will have substantial consequences for insect populations and ecosystem processes.
Article
Biology
Nikol Kmentova, Christoph Hahn, Stephan Koblmuller, Holger Zimmermann, Jiri Vorel, Tom Artois, Milan Gelnar, Maarten P. M. Vanhove
Summary: The study revealed the lake-wide occurrence of Cichlidogyrus casuarinus and highlighted the limitations of its magnifying potential for the focal host species. Additionally, the first assessment of the genetic variation of mitochondrial data in Cichlidogyrus was provided using different sequencing technologies. In bathybatine cichlid fishes, the lake-wide population differentiation pattern differs among species, indicating potential for further research on mechanisms driving host range and the role of phenotypic plasticity in diversification and speciation.
Review
Ecology
Jordan P. Cuff, Fredric M. Windsor, Maximillian P. T. G. Tercel, James J. N. Kitson, Darren M. Evans
Summary: The construction of species interaction networks is crucial for understanding complex eco-evolutionary interactions, ecosystem services, and the impacts of environmental change. Dietary metabarcoding is a promising tool for constructing high-resolution trophic interaction networks, but it faces challenges and difficulties.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Jordan P. Cuff, Sharon Aifionn Evans, Ian Angel Porteous, Julia Quinonez, Darren M. Evans
Summary: This study investigated the habitat preferences and leaf usage of candy-striped spiders in different habitats near arable fields. The results showed that candy-striped spiders preferentially deposited their eggs in hedgerows and exhibited a preference for bramble, common nettle, and hogweed leaves. Their leaf preference was related to the width and length of the leaves.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Roberto Salguero-Gomez, Darren M. Evans, Jean-Michel Gaillard, Lesley Lancaster, Nathan J. Sanders, Kirsty Scandrett, Jennifer Meyer
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jordan P. Cuff, James J. N. Kitson, David Hemprich-Bennett, Maximillian P. T. G. Tercel, Samuel S. Browett, Darren M. Evans
Summary: Dietary metabarcoding technology has greatly improved the analysis of animal diets, but technical limitations, such as uneven DNA amplification, hinder its application. This review explores various approaches to overcome the predator problem, from deeper sequencing to excluding predator DNA during PCR, and their potential impact on multipredator-taxon studies. The use of multiprimer strategies that prioritize both depth and breadth of prey detection is suggested as a partial solution, although multitaxon studies still require further consideration. Alternative methods for reducing the prevalence of predator DNA are also discussed, highlighting the need for additional empirical examination.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Johanna N. J. Weston, Evelyn L. Jensen, Megan S. R. Hasoon, James J. N. Kitson, Heather A. Stewart, Alan J. Jamieson
Summary: The study focuses on the phylogeographic patterns of an amphipod species across different hadal features in the world's oceans. Despite a wide distribution, the populations of this species were found to be highly restricted to individual features with limited gene flow. This suggests separate evolutionary paths for different populations within the hadal zone, with potential cryptic speciation observed.
Review
Plant Sciences
Mark D. Johnson, Joanna R. Freeland, Laura Parducci, Darren M. Evans, Rachel S. Meyer, Brenda Molano-Flores, Mark A. Davis
Summary: Environmental DNA (eDNA) has gained popularity as a tool for biodiversity detection, measurement, and monitoring, as well as understanding biological interaction networks and past patterns. Recently, eDNA applications in the botanical world have been realized, with focuses on aquatic, ancient, contemporary sediment, and airborne systems. This review discusses single-species and multispecies community metabarcoding approaches, as well as factors that influence the interpretation of airborne eDNA results. Further development of eDNA tools for plants is explored, aiming to advance knowledge, understanding, and adoption of eDNA analyses in botanical systems.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)