Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vojtech Abraham, Petr Kunes, Ondrej Vild, Eva Jamrichova, Zuzana Pleskova, Barbora Werchan, Helena Svitavska-Svobodova, Jan Rolecek
Summary: This study explored the relationship between pollen records and plant diversity, finding a significant positive correlation between pollen richness and plant diversity. It validates the use of pollen as a tool for reconstructing plant diversity in the past.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Saeid Alirezazadeh, Paulo A. V. Borges, Pedro Cardoso, Rosalina Gabriel, Francois Rigal, Luis Borda-de-Agua
Summary: Ecology, biogeography, and conservation biology rely on species identity, distribution, and abundance to perceive patterns. Species play similar roles in networks, and studying functional traits is important for understanding species abundance. Using functional units instead of taxonomic species can provide different insights into community dynamics and diversity patterns.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
S. A. Khrapak, A. G. Khrapak
Summary: It is demonstrated that the freezing density scaling of transport coefficients in fluids, similar to the freezing temperature scaling, can be explained by the quasi-universal excess entropy scaling approach proposed by Rosenfeld. This scaling approach for freezing density has a considerably wider applicability on the phase diagram of Lennard-Jones and related systems. The excellent accuracy of this approach in reproducing the shear viscosity coefficients of saturated liquid argon, krypton, xenon, and methane further showcases its predictive power.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bin Chen, Yufang Jin
Summary: This study analyzed human- and lightning-caused ignition probability in California, USA. The results showed that human-caused ignitions were concentrated in populated areas and along traffic corridors, while lightning-caused ignitions were more remote. Precipitation, slope, human settlement, and road network were found to be the primary drivers of human-started ignitions, while snow water equivalent, lightning strike density, and fuel amount were the primary drivers of lightning-started ignitions.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Pablo Villegas, Tommaso Gili, Guido Caldarelli
Summary: The study uses statistical physics to analyze a plant-species competition model and discovers scale-invariant plant clusters and modular correlations, which are significant in natural rainforest ecosystems.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leonardo Costa Ribeiro, Americo Tristao Bernardes, Heliana Mello
Summary: Natural Language Processing (NLP) utilizes AI algorithms to extract meaningful information from unstructured texts. We use NLP to discover similar linguistic patterns among different languages and represent them in a three-dimensional space based on word2vec algorithm and fractal dimensions. The distance between languages in this space is closely related to their position on the Phylogenetic tree.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Akira Terui, Seoghyun Kim, Christine L. Dolph, Taku Kadoya, Yusuke Miyazaki
Summary: The prevailing paradigm suggests that species richness increases with area in a decelerating way. However, in spatially complex ecosystems like river networks, biodiversity patterns may scale along two dimensions of ecosystem size and complexity. Ecosystem size dictates metacommunity size and habitat diversity, while ecosystem complexity, represented by branching in fractal systems, controls habitat heterogeneity and affects species richness.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Jiang-Hai Qian, Qi-Jia Liao, Jing Xu, Han-Yun Chang, Ding-Ding Han, Yu-Gang Ma
Summary: We study a network model in which the spatial constraint changes with the network growth and find that the dynamic constraint generally leads to a non-stationary multiple scaling law in degree distribution. Specifically, we demonstrate the successive emergence of different power-law segments during the network evolution, from a single power law at the beginning to a double one and to more scaling laws due to the model setting. Our findings suggest a plausible geometric origin of the double power-law distribution and predict its non-stationary nature accompanied by its emergence, which are supported by our empirical study on the Chinese airline network.
CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Meng Xu, Ignasi Arranz
Summary: This study aims to estimate the metabolic scaling exponent (b) within a community by integrating metabolic scaling and maximum entropy theory of ecology (METE). The research found that the community-level b showed great spatial variability and was influenced by abiotic conditions, species composition, and human disturbance. The parameterized METE framework provides a novel approach to estimate the metabolic pace of life in stream fish communities and can be applied in other ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Urban Studies
Yixiong Xiao, Peng Gong
Summary: Analyzing urban scaling relations and incorporating spatial autocorrelation can help predict future city development and derive scale adjusted metropolitan indicators (SAMIs) for evaluating city performance. In this study, an eigenvector spatial filtering (ESF) model is proposed to capture the spatial effect in modeling the scaling relations of cities. Based on the residuals of the ESF model, a new set of urban indicators called spatial and scale adjusted metropolitan indicators (SSAMIs) is proposed to address the influence of spatial autocorrelation on SAMIs. The results from experiments in China and the United States show that the ESF model generates better-fitted results compared to non-spatial models, and using SSAMIs can avoid overestimations or underestimations of cities in different regions.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Zhijun Xia, Jani Heino, Fandong Yu, Yongfeng He, Fei Liu, Jianwei Wang
Summary: Understanding beta diversity and its ecological determinants in freshwater ecosystems is crucial for biogeography, conservation biology, and environmental management. This study examined the patterns and mechanisms of beta diversity in freshwater fish using data from the Chishui River basin. The results showed that fish beta diversity was influenced by both environmental and spatial factors, and was related to species richness and community abundance. Functional traits of fish assemblages were also associated with beta diversity. The study highlights the importance of considering both site and species contributions to beta diversity for effective conservation of riverine fish diversity.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Adam Thomas Clark, Jean-Francois Arnoldi, Yuval R. Zelnik, Gyorgy Barabas, Dorothee Hodapp, Canan Karakoc, Sara Koenig, Viktoriia Radchuk, Ian Donohue, Andreas Huth, Claire Jacquet, Claire de Mazancourt, Andrea Mentges, Dorian Nothaass, Lauren G. Shoemaker, Franziska Taubert, Thorsten Wiegand, Shaopeng Wang, Jonathan M. Chase, Michel Loreau, Stanley Harpole
Summary: Ecological stability refers to how interacting species in a system change over time and respond to disturbances. It is challenging to compare stability measurements across different sites and systems due to sampling scales and environmental context. Stochastic dynamical systems theory can be used to derive statistical scaling relationships for resilience, resistance, and invariance, aiding in predicting average stability across various scales and revealing unknown heterogeneity information.
Article
Ecology
Ann Kristin Schartau, Heather L. Mariash, Kirsten S. Christoffersen, Daniel Bogan, Olga P. Dubovskaya, Elena B. Fefilova, Brian Hayden, Haraldur R. Ingvason, Elena A. Ivanova, Olga N. Kononova, Elena S. Kravchuk, Jennifer Lento, Markus Majaneva, Anna A. Novichkova, Milla Rautio, Kathleen M. Ruhland, Rebecca Shaftel, John P. Smol, Tobias Vrede, Kimmo K. Kahilainen
Summary: The study assessed spatial patterns and contemporary trends in plankton diversity in the circumpolar Arctic region, revealing significant variations in phytoplankton and crustacean zooplankton diversity across the region, positively correlated with summer air temperature. However, the positive correlation between summer temperature and zooplankton species numbers decreased with increasing latitude, and zooplankton taxonomic richness was lower in the high Arctic compared to the sub- and low Arctic. Furthermore, climatic variables were found to be the most important environmental factors influencing diversity patterns for both phytoplankton and zooplankton.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Carlinda Railly Medeiros, Jani Heino, Paulo Jorge Parreira dos Santos, Joseline Molozzi, Raphael Ligeiro
Summary: This study examines the diversity of macroinvertebrates in typical and semi-arid tropical estuaries across multiple scales, identifying a non-random spatial pattern with higher beta diversity values at larger scales. In semi-arid tropical estuaries, richness difference plays a significant role in the rainy season, while species replacement is more prominent in the dry season. Overall, abundance difference is more important in structuring benthic macrofauna communities in both typical and semi-arid tropical estuaries across seasonal periods.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yanguang Chen, Yajing Li, Shuo Feng, Xiaoming Man, Yuqing Long
Summary: The study found that the gravity model based on power law decay effectively described the diffusion pattern of COVID-19 in Hubei Province, while the model based on negative exponential decay performed poorly. Direct transmission from Wuhan was identified as the main process in the early stages of COVID-19 spread in Hubei, and spatial lockdown and isolation measures had a significant impact on controlling the epidemic.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Peter Mikula, Anna Toszogyova, David Horak, Tereza Petruskova, David Storch, Tomas Albrecht
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2020)
Correction
Behavioral Sciences
Peter Mikula, Anna Toszogyova, David Horak, Tereza Petruskova, David Storch, Tomas Albrecht
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Petr Pysek, Martin Hejda, Jan Cuda, Guin Zambatis, Klara Pyskova, Sandra MacFadyen, David Storch, Robert Tropek, Llewellyn C. Foxcroft
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David Storch, Irena Simova, Jan Smycka, Eliska Bohdalkova, Anna Toszogyova, Jordan G. Okie
Summary: Human activities have profound impacts on biodiversity in the rapidly changing environment, highlighting the need for a suitable theory of biodiversity dynamics for prediction and conservation. Stable equilibria set biodiversity limits at various scales, and non-linear effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning can lead to multiple equilibria and tipping points.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Eliska Bohdalkova, Anna Toszogyova, Irena Simova, David Storch
Summary: The study analyzed species richness data from different regions and taxa, finding that temperature and productivity are generally positively correlated with species richness, but the strength and direction of the relationships vary across different data types, ectotherms and endotherms. Statistical and non-statistical factors contribute to this variation, with productivity playing a more consistent role than temperature in driving species richness patterns.
Article
Ornithology
Miroslav Salek, Martin Sladecek, Vojtech Kubelka, Jiri Mlikovsky, David Storch, Petr Smilauer
Summary: Nest location and habitat choice are important for bird reproductive success. This study found that bird nests were aggregated not only within species, but also with other bird species. In particular, birds tended to breed near active nest defenders. The disappearance or appearance of certain bird species can influence the spatial pattern of bird nests. Integration of factors supporting umbrella species breeding may be crucial for conservation in large wetlands.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Martin Hejda, Jan Cuda, Klara Pyskova, Guin Zambatis, Llewellyn C. Foxcroft, Sandra MacFadyen, David Storch, Robert Tropek, Petr Pysek
Summary: This study sampled plant communities in different water availability, disturbance, and bedrock in South African savanna, and found that factors such as water availability, disturbance, and bedrock have certain influences on plant species richness. Among these factors, temperature is the most important determinant.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Valentin Rineau, Jan Smycka, David Storch
Summary: Biodiversity on Earth is influenced by abiotic perturbations and rapid diversifications, as well as biotic interactions. Analysis of the fossil record reveals that diversity has a universal impact on origination and extinction rates, although the precise mechanisms are complex. The global regulation of diversity through negative diversity dependence seems to be a common feature in the biosphere, with significant implications for understanding the current biodiversity crisis.
Article
Entomology
Sylvain Delabye, David Storch, Ondrej Sedlacek, Tomas Albrecht, David Horak, Vincent Maicher, Anna Toszogyova, Robert Tropek
Summary: A study of moth diversity patterns in southern African savannah ecosystems found a significant positive relationship between species richness of most analyzed moth groups and environmental productivity at local and regional scales. However, there was no significant relationship between abundance of most moth groups and environmental productivity. The study suggests that water availability, habitat complexity, and plant diversity may drive the observed moth diversity patterns.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sylvain Delabye, Fernando P. Gaona, Pavel Potocky, Llewellyn C. Foxcroft, Pavla Halamova, Martin Hejda, Sandra MacFadyen, Klara Pyskova, Ondrej Sedlacek, Marketa Stankova, David Storch, Petr Pysek, Robert Tropek
Summary: South Africa's Kruger National Park is a hotspot of lepidopteran diversity, but regional knowledge of this diversity is still lacking. This study reported 13 moth species that had not previously been recorded in South Africa and expanded the distribution ranges of two of these species.
BIODIVERSITY DATA JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Francois Leroy, Jiri Reif, David Storch, Petr Keil
Summary: Quantifying changes in biodiversity remains challenging, even in well-studied groups such as birds. This is because the changes depend on spatio-temporal scales, and different metrics of biodiversity may exhibit different trends.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David Storch, Jaroslav Kolecek, Petr Keil, Zdenek Vermouzek, Petr Vorisek, Jiri Reif
Summary: This study reveals that reducing the population change trajectory of bird populations to a linear trend may obscure the complex responses of bird populations to changing human activities. By using multivariate analysis, the study decomposes bird population dynamics into different driving factors and finds that climate change and species traits are crucial drivers of complex population dynamics of central European birds.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Irena Simova, Alejandro Ordonez, David Storch
Summary: The study found that the temporal diversity-energy relationship only appears when energy levels rapidly change, while the spatial diversity-energy relationship is pronounced only when these levels stabilize. Current rapid climate changes can disrupt spatially consistent diversity-energy relationships. To understand diversity dynamics, it is crucial to simultaneously consider both the spatial and temporal dimensions of diversity variation.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jan Smycka, Anna Toszogyova, David Storch
Summary: Range size is a universal characteristic of every biological species, and there are theoretical arguments that large-ranged species should have higher diversification rates. However, observation suggests that small-ranged species are often phylogenetically clustered, indicating higher diversification. This study on mammals using a diversification model shows that range size changes during speciation are common and small-ranged species indeed diversify slower. However, both range size and diversification are strongly influenced by idiosyncratic and spatially localized events, which can override the general pattern of range size evolution.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Iwona Dembicz, Juergen Dengler, Manuel J. Steinbauer, Thomas J. Matthews, Sandor Bartha, Sabina Burrascano, Alessandro Chiarucci, Goffredo Filibeck, Francois Gillet, Monika Janisova, Salza Palpurina, David Storch, Werner Ulrich, Svetlana Acic, Steffen Boch, Juan Antonio Campos, Laura Cancellieri, Marta Carboni, Giampiero Ciaschetti, Timo Conradi, Pieter De Frenne, Jiri Dolezal, Christian Dolnik, Franz Essl, Edy Fantinato, Itziar Garcia-Mijangos, Gian Pietro Giusso del Galdo, John-Arvid Grytnes, Riccardo Guarino, Behlul Guler, Jutta Kapfer, Ewelina Klichowska, Lukasz Kozub, Anna Kuzemko, Swantje Loebel, Michael Manthey, Corrado Marceno, Anne Mimet, Alireza Naqinezhad, Jalil Noroozi, Arkadiusz Nowak, Harald Pauli, Robert K. Peet, Vincent Pellissier, Remigiusz Pielech, Massimo Terzi, Emin Ugurlu, Orsolya Valko, Iuliia Vasheniak, Kiril Vassilev, Denys Vynokurov, Hannah J. White, Wolfgang Willner, Manuela Winkler, Sebastian Wolfrum, Jinghui Zhang, Idoia Biurrun
Summary: The study investigated the environmental factors influencing fine-grain beta diversity of vegetation, revealing differences in z-values among taxonomic groups. Productivity has a negative impact on z-values, while heterogeneity has a positive impact, and the effect of disturbance varies depending on type and intensity.
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2021)
