Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gretchen H. Roffler, Charlotte E. Eriksson, Jennifer M. Allen, Taal Levi
Summary: Sea otters and wolves, two apex predators, have interacted for the first time after their ranges overlap, with sea otters becoming an abundant marine subsidy for wolves. The reintroduction and restoration of sea otters have caused a dietary switch in wolves, eliminating deer and linking nearshore and terrestrial food webs. This study highlights the unexpected nutrient pathway and cross-boundary subsidy cascades resulting from species restoration.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biology
Elisa Caudera, Simona Viale, Sandro Bertolino, Jacopo Cerri, Ezio Venturino
Summary: A mathematical model was built to validate field study results on a three-species system, including two prey species and a predator. The study found that the introduction of an invasive species, the Eastern cottontail, had a negative impact on the native European hare due to increased predation rates by foxes. The model results supported the hypothesis of hyperpredation by increasing fox populations on native hares.
BULLETIN OF MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Kevin E. Scriber, Christine A. M. France, Fatimah L. C. Jackson
Summary: Invasive apple snails negatively impact non-native habitats, leading to eutrophication and reduced biodiversity, which in turn affects human well-being. Stable isotope analysis reveals that invasive apple snails shift their diet from generalist to specialist, with an increasing reliance on aquatic plants, particularly in disturbed native habitats and non-native habitats. These dietary differences may explain the variable ecological impacts of invasive apple snails in native and non-native habitats.
Article
Ecology
Erin R. Crone, Erin L. Sauer, Daniel L. Preston
Summary: Contemporary ecosystems are often populated by multiple non-native species that can interact with and change community structure. In this study, the effects of goldfish and Chinese mystery snails on urban pond community structure were examined. Goldfish had direct negative effects on various species, while mystery snails had more subtle effects, especially on the growth rates of grey tree frogs. The results indicate unidirectional facilitation between these invaders through indirect changes in the food web.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jordan R. Croy, Tania Zaviezo, Michael S. Crossley, Olivia M. Smith, William E. Snyder, Audrey A. Grez
Summary: Generalist predators can either enhance or disrupt biological control depending on their interaction with other predators and parasitoids. In this study, we examined the interaction between native and exotic lady beetles attacking aphids in alfalfa fields near Santiago, Chile. We found that exotic lady beetles reached peak abundance earlier in the growing season and closely aligned with aphid peaks, suggesting potential complementarity with the natives. Habitat edges and landscape composition also influenced the abundance and lag behind aphid peaks of the lady beetles.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Christina A. Murphy, Jeremy D. Romer, Kevin Stertz, Ivan Arismendi, Ryan Emig, Fred Monzyk, Sherri L. Johnson
Summary: In reservoirs formed by large dams in temperate ecosystems, overlap between warmwater and coldwater fish species can lead to increased predation pressure, particularly from non-native warmwater game fishes, on sensitive life stages such as Chinook Salmon fry. Understanding these predator-prey interactions is important for effective management strategies to prioritize species composition in reservoirs with conflicting recreational and conservation goals.
Article
Fisheries
Jennifer E. Smith, John Keane, Craig Mundy, Caleb Gardner, Michael Oellermann
Summary: Climate change increases the need to control range-extending species, but the predation rate of resident Southern Rock Lobsters on the Longspined Sea Urchins is low, indicating the need for additional control methods to safeguard ecological communities and commercial stocks.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biology
Mark J. F. Brown
Summary: Parasites can pose both threats and benefits to wild pollinators. Endemic parasites can help maintain diversity at the community level by reducing competition among pollinator species, while epidemic and spillover parasites have obvious negative impacts. Therefore, researching floral resources that control parasites can aid in designing landscapes that balance the parasite community of pollinators.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guillermo Figueroa-Munoz, Ivan Arismendi, Angel Urzua, Fabian Guzman-Rivas, Pablo Fierro, Daniel Gomez-Uchida
Summary: This study demonstrates that invasive rainbow trout can benefit from consuming the marine-derived nutrients contained in Chinook salmon eggs, as the omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids in the eggs are transferred to the trout's tissue, leading to significant changes in their fatty acid profile. This interaction may contribute to the synergistic interactions between invaders in the Patagonia ecosystem.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biology
Luke E. Holman, Shirley Parker-Nance, Mark de Bruyn, Simon Creer, Gary Carvalho, Marc Rius
Summary: The combined methodological approach effectively detected spatial and temporal variation in genetic composition and range size of non-native species, which is crucial for their management and conservation.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Reinhard Saborowski, Patrick Bartolin, Marie Koch, Simon Jungblut
Summary: The brachyuran crabs Carcinus maenas and Hemigrapsus sanguineus are successful invaders along coastal areas. They compete for food, with C. maenas better suited for animal food and H. sanguineus better suited for algae food. H. sanguineus can increase its utilization of algae food when animal food is scarce or competition with C. maenas is intense.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Vanessa A. Mata, Luis P. da Silva, Joana Verissimo, Pedro Horta, Helena Raposeira, Gary F. McCracken, Hugo Rebelo, Pedro Beja
Summary: In multifunctional landscapes, diverse communities of flying vertebrate predators play a vital role in insect pest control services. By combining DNA metabarcoding and ecological network analysis, individual species within diverse predator communities that have a disproportionate contribution to pest control services can be identified. This framework can help target species for conservation biocontrol efforts in multifunctional landscapes.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Nicholas S. Lorusso, Cara A. Faillace
Summary: This study investigated the dynamics of apparent competition in a model laboratory system, finding that positive interactions and indirect effects play important roles in a highly asymmetric outcome favoring one prey, Chlamydomonas. It was revealed that Chlamydomonas can form colonies to defend against predators, while Colpidium cannot do so.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Catherine Fahey, Stephen Luke Flory
Summary: The study found that invasive plants and simulated drought did not have significant soil legacy effects on plant growth and competition, but soil microbes played a significant role in plant competition. In competitions, soil microbes created a competitive hierarchy where pine was more competitive than wiregrass and cogongrass.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Lucas A. Wauters, Peter W. W. Lurz, Francesca Santicchia, Claudia Romeo, Nicola Ferrari, Adriano Martinoli, John Gurnell
Summary: The eastern gray squirrel has been listed as one of the 100 worst invasive alien species by the IUCN. In Europe, its introduction has resulted in the extinction of native Eurasian red squirrels in the areas it has colonized. This replacement of native species by an alien competitor is a clear example of the devastating effects of biological invasions on native fauna.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)