Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qicheng Xu, Gongwen Luo, Junjie Guo, Yan Xiao, Fengge Zhang, Shiwei Guo, Ning Ling, Qirong Shen
Summary: This study identified bacterial generalists and specialists in soils at a national scale based on niche breadth, and assessed the intraspecific variation in each species. Generalists exhibited higher intraspecific variation, wider niche breadth, and stability compared to specialists, indicating their ability to adapt to different environments and their independence from environmental filtering.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alix E. Matthews, Than J. Boves, Andrew D. Sweet, Elizabeth M. Ames, Lesley P. Bulluck, Erik I. Johnson, Matthew Johnson, Sara E. Lipshutz, Katie L. Percy, Douglas W. Raybuck, Wendy M. Schelsky, Christopher M. Tonra, Catherine B. Viverette, Asela J. Wijeratne
Summary: Researchers tested the specialist-generalist variation hypothesis (SGVH) on proctophyllodid feather mites found on migratory warblers. Contrary to predictions, the generalist mites displayed stronger population structure than the specialists, suggesting different dispersal behaviors. These findings enhance our understanding of feather mite biology and the factors influencing symbiont diversification.
Article
Forestry
Bin J. W. Chen, Xinyu Wang, Yuting Dong, Heinjo J. During, Xia Xu, Niels P. R. Anten
Summary: This study found that maple seeds produced in shaded microhabitats have greater dispersal potential, attributed to morphological plasticity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Marco Antonio Chiminazzo, Aline Bertolosi Bombo, Tristan Charles-Dominique, Alessandra Fidelis
Summary: By considering the coexistence of fire-prone and fire-free ecosystems, this study tested whether bark production is influenced by fire frequencies and if it is related to aerial bud protection. The results showed that species from areas with higher fire frequencies have a faster bark production, and bark growth rate does not differ between trees and shrubs. Generalist species in savannas are able to produce bark above a certain threshold, but produce bark below the threshold in forests. Higher bark growth rate results in better aerial bud protection.
Article
Soil Science
Rudi C. Swart, Michael J. Samways, Francois Roets
Summary: The reasons for the higher-than-expected soil and litter faunal diversity, especially in terms of specialization of arthropod detritivores towards leaf-litter species, are still poorly understood. This study assessed soil detritivorous arthropod diversity patterns in relation to eight green leaf-litter species in an old-growth, diverse southern Afrotemperate forest. The results showed that ground-dwelling, detritivore arthropods are largely generalist towards leaf-litter species, and decomposition rates were largely independent of the diversity of detritivorous arthropods.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Elly C. Knight, R. Mark Brigham, Erin M. Bayne
Summary: This study focused on the habitat use of the Common Nighthawk in post-disturbance habitats, finding that they prefer to nest in open habitats with lower amounts of residual vegetation. The research highlights the importance of understanding the context-dependence of species responses to disturbance for effective forest management.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Irena A. Koelemeijer, Ayco J. M. Tack, Beyene Zewdie, Sileshi Nemomissa, Kristoffer Hylander
Summary: This study identified drivers behind woody plant regeneration in coffee agroforestry, showing that local management intensity negatively impacted species richness, diversity, density, and height, while sites adjacent to continuous forests had higher species richness and diversity. Transfer limitation was detrimental for the regeneration of late successional species in agroforestry systems with reduced woody plant diversity.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Oscar Istas, Marianna Szucs
Summary: Laboratory-selected native parasitoids show improved control of invasive targets, but their performance in natural environments and comparison to co-evolved specialists is unclear. Rearing in artificial diet did not impair the ability of laboratory-selected native parasitoids to locate and attack hosts in natural conditions. Specialist and generalist parasitoids have different biocontrol potentials in nature.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Marion Casati, Thomas Kichey, Deborah Closset, Fabien Spicher, Guillaume Decocq
Summary: Understanding the population dynamics of invasive species is crucial for effective management. The Pontic Rhododendron has a long history of invasion in European temperate forests, but is an emerging threat on the mainland. This study found that the species can rapidly spread and form dense bushes on acidic and moist soils, but its ability to establish new, distant populations is limited.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Art Schuermans, Tetsushi Nakao, Yunfeng Ruan, Satoshi Koyama, Zhi Yu, Md Mesbah Uddin, Sara Haidermota, Whitney Hornsby, Adam J. Lewandowski, Alexander G. Bick, Abhishek Niroula, Siddhartha Jaiswal, Benjamin L. Ebert, Pradeep Natarajan, Michael C. Honigberg
Summary: This study found that higher birth weight is associated with an increased risk of developing clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) in midlife, particularly DNMT3A CHIP. These findings provide valuable insights into the connections among early-life factors, CHIP, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Review
Entomology
Xingeng Wang, Xiao-Yi Wang, Marc Kenis, Liang-Ming Cao, Jian J. Duan, Juli R. Gould, Kim A. Hoelmer
Summary: Parasitoids play a unique role in reducing woodborer populations by shifting from more specialist endoparasitoids to more generalist ectoparasitoids; Larval ectoparasitoids dominate the guilds by locating hosts through substrate vibration and rendering attacked hosts undetectable by other parasitoids; Novel associations between exotic woodborers and extant larval parasitoids promote coexistence and synergistic regulation of host populations.
Article
Ecology
Ana Paula A. Assis, Mauro Galetti, Kate P. Maia, Paulo R. Guimaraes
Summary: Morphological attributes play a crucial role in determining the success of ecological interactions and can exhibit high levels of intraspecific variation within and among populations. Different populations show slight differences in mean morphological attributes, with populations in stress areas demonstrating lower evolvability in response to selection pressure and environmental changes.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kimiko Hirayama, Asuka Masuda, Satoshi Kurokawa, Ayaka Terada, Mizuki Sasaki, Ayami Kuge
Summary: We investigated the effect of plant-animal interactions on fruit production and seed dispersal pattern of Photinia glabra and found that reproductive loss due to generalist avian seed predators is the most significant factor contributing to annual variability in seed dispersal. The damage caused by these predators directly determines the intermittent and highly synchronous seed dispersal of P. glabra.
Article
Forestry
Maximilian Axer, Robert Schlicht, Sven Wagner
Summary: The study analyzed natural oak regeneration in coniferous stands and found that the highest regeneration densities were not necessarily closest to the seed source, but rather at distances between 60 and 140 meters away, demonstrating the importance of dispersal distance in oak regeneration in forest conversion.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Cody L. Barnes, Desiree Wickwar, Matt Yost, Earl Creech, Ricardo A. Ramirez
Summary: This study found that drought-tolerant corn had larger stem diameter, more massive cobs, and greater leaf water mass compared to drought-susceptible corn under water stress. The populations of Banks grass mite (BGM) were reduced on drought-tolerant plants under water stress, as expected, but there was an opposite trend for two-spotted spider mite (TSM). Additionally, water-stressed leaves were warmer, transpired less, and had higher carbon concentration, which contributed to larger investment in eggs and growth in BGM.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)