Article
Ornithology
Christopher W. Briggs, Elizabeth A. Wommack, Sarah E. Sawtelle, Chevonne Reynolds, Arjun Amar
Summary: A melanin-based color polymorphism in Swainson's Hawks in California has remained consistent over time, despite a significant population decline. This suggests that the high occurrence of dark morphs in this population is not solely due to a bottleneck event.
JOURNAL OF RAPTOR RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Manuel Elias-Gutierrez, Miriam Steinitz-Kannan, Eduardo Suarez-Morales, Carlos Lopez
Summary: A new species of a Neotropical diaptomid copepod was discovered in a small, forgotten collection of plankton samples from El Junco crater lake in the Galapagos Islands. The copepod was previously abundant in the lake but became extinct due to various disturbances. The taxonomic examination of the specimens allowed the recognition of this new species of the freshwater diaptomid genus Mastigodiaptomus.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Caroline H. Brighton, Lillias Zusi, Kathryn A. McGowan, Morgan Kinniry, Laura N. Kloepper, Graham K. Taylor
Summary: The behaviors of predators and prey can impact catch success and predation risk, with lone bats being more vulnerable to attacks. The success of hawk attacks is determined by their maneuvers, with high-speed stoops and rolling grabs being more successful. Lone bats are attacked disproportionately often, but hunting efficiency is not decreased by group vigilance or confusion.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing Wang, Ri-Jin Jiang, Yi Xiao, Rui Yin, Feng Chen, Yong-dong Zhou, Han-Xiang Xu
Summary: This study investigates the ecological niche differences and resource sharing among five Sciaenid fish species in the waters of the Zhoushan Archipelago. The results show significant differences in carbon and nitrogen isotopic values in the muscle tissues of these fish species. Zooplankton is a key food resource for all species, and some species also feed on benthos organisms. Differences in trophic niche width and overlap are observed among the species.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Gretchen H. Roffler, Jennifer M. Allen, Aimee Massey, Taal Levi
Summary: The study found that wolves alter their dietary diversity and foraging patterns in response to the availability of their main prey, ungulates. In the Alexander Archipelago, wolves primarily consume ungulates, but when ungulates become scarce, they increase the number and diversity of prey species consumed instead of focusing on a few specific items.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
E. L. Wilson, K. S. Harpp, D. M. Schwartz, R. Van Kirk
Summary: Understanding the evolution of ocean island volcanoes provides insight into mantle plumes, plume-ridge interaction, and volcanic risks. This study of the Galapagos Islands reveals the geochemical evolution of Santa Cruz Island over the past 2 million years. The analysis shows that lavas from the island have become more evolved and isotopically enriched as they moved away from the plume. The findings contribute to our understanding of the behavior of mantle plumes and the potential hazards associated with aging islands.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Adrian Garcia-Rodriguez, Bernd Lenzner, Clara Marino, Chunlong Liu, Julian A. Velasco, Celine Bellard, Jonathan M. Jeschke, Hanno Seebens, Franz Essl
Summary: Shifts between native and alien climatic niches pose challenges for predicting biological invasions, especially for insular species. This study analyzed alien occurrences of endemic insular amphibians, reptiles, and birds and found that climatic mismatches were common in invasions of birds and reptiles, but less common in amphibians. Several predictors were identified for climatic mismatches, which varied among taxonomic groups.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Simon L. Mitchell, David P. Edwards, Rob W. Martin, Nicolas J. Deere, Maria Voigt, Agustinus Kastanya, Adi Karja, Panji Gusti Akbar, Khaleb Jordan, John Tasirin, Zuliyanto Zakaria, Tom Martin, Jatna Supriatna, Nurul Winarni, Zoe G. Davies, Matthew J. Struebig
Summary: Anthropogenic-driven species extinctions are changing the biosphere, with forest conversion to agriculture leading to biotic homogenisation. Generalist species replace endemic species, which may have negative consequences for ecosystem functioning and resilience.
Article
Ornithology
Brett J. Furnas, David H. Wright, Erin N. Tennant, Reagen M. O'Leary, Michael J. Kuehn, Peter H. Bloom, Carie L. Battistone
Summary: The population of Swainson's Hawks in California has experienced rapid growth in recent decades, although they remain nearly extinct in Southern California. The expansion of orchards and vineyards may have contributed to the increase in hawk numbers.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Yu Lei, Qiang Liu
Summary: The study found niche expansion in non-native populations of the Asian openbill, primarily due to the tolerance of colder and wetter environments, with potential distribution concentrated on equatorial islands. Recommendations include considering source populations when analyzing alien species and further application of the tolerance niche concept, as well as the need for standard measurement frameworks for analyzing the tolerance niche.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Cristina Rebelo, Esther Martin-Gonzalez, Carlos S. Melo, Markes E. Johnson, Alberto Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Ines Galindo, Rui Quartau, Lara Baptista, Sergio P. Avila, Michael W. Rasser
Summary: Rhodoliths are widely found around the shores of Fuerteventura Island, with the most prominent species being Lithothamnion cf. corallioides. The debris from washed up rhodoliths contributes to the formation of modern beach sediments. Various types of rhodolith deposits can be found on the northern coast of the island, with examples like the "Popcorn Beach" near Caleta del Bajo de Mejillones.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Ning Guo, Jilji Sitko, Hui-Xia Chen, Liang Li
Summary: Porrocaecum angusticolle, a nematode parasitic in birds of Accipitriformes and Strigiformes, was studied morphologically using light and scanning electron microscopy. New genetic data confirmed the validity of P. angusticolle and P. depressum, providing insights for further DNA-based taxonomy, population genetics, and phylogeny studies.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Biology
Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis, Aggeliki Kaloveloni, Theodora Petanidou
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the climate change impact on bee pollinators in the Aegean Islands, Greece. It identifies current biodiversity and future extinction hotspots, highlighting the urgent need for conservation actions. The findings suggest that most bee species in the region will experience range contractions and there is a risk of extinction. The study emphasizes the importance of including bees in conservation planning in the archipelago.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Marko Mimica, Dominik Franjo Dominkovic, Tomislav Capuder, Goran Krajacic
Summary: Different demand response models are proposed and often tested on islands that serve as test-beds for new technologies. A novel demand response model based on price differentials on the day-ahead electricity market is proposed in this study, which considers all relevant grid constraints in the distribution system and shows positive results in an archipelago scenario connected to the mainland grid.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marc Fernandez, Filipe Alves, Rita Ferreira, Jan-Christopher Fischer, Paula Thake, Nuno Nunes, Rui Caldeira, Ana Dinis
Summary: Accurate distributional estimates of cetaceans in oceanic islands were obtained using a long-term dataset, providing novel insights on species ecology and quantitative data for better dynamic management actions.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Kyle D. Gustafson, Roderick B. Gagne, Michael R. Buchalski, T. Winston Vickers, Seth P. D. Riley, Jeff A. Sikich, Jaime L. Rudd, Justin A. Dellinger, Melanie E. F. LaCava, Holly B. Ernest
Summary: Urbanization is reducing wildlife habitat and connectivity, affecting apex predators such as pumas. A study on pumas in California found genetic clusters at different scales, with fragmented populations showing low genetic diversity and inbreeding. The results suggest that existing genetic variation at a broader scale has the potential to restore diversity if gene flow and recombination can be enhanced. These findings are important for conservation and management practices.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Noor D. White, Zachary A. Batz, Edward L. Braun, Michael J. Braun, Karen L. Carleton, Rebecca T. Kimball, Anand Swaroop
Summary: The study used a probe set to capture 46 genes related to avian vision, achieving high success rates and saving sequencing resources, while avoiding the issue of chimeric assembly. By applying these data, positively selected genes in the evolution of night vision and high-speed vision were identified, providing a new perspective for evolutionary research.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Adrienne M. Mackenzie, Megan Dudenhoeffer, Berit Bangoura, Ravinder N. M. Sehgal, Lisa A. Tell, Braden L. Godwin, Holly B. Ernest
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence and diversity of haemosporidians in Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. The results showed that different types of haemosporidians were detected in the blood samples of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, providing important information for understanding haemosporidian infections in hummingbirds in North America.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Michael R. Buchalski, Benjamin N. Sacks, Kristen D. Ahrens, Kyle D. Gustafson, Jaime L. Rudd, Holly B. Ernest, Justin A. Dellinger
Summary: The study developed a panel of 95 SNP markers for routine monitoring of individual mountain lions, which can confidently differentiate individuals, identify gender, and distinguish mountain lions from bobcats. The panel showed high performance on fecal DNA extracts, even in populations with low genetic diversity in southern California.
CONSERVATION GENETICS RESOURCES
(2022)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Roxana Filip, Roxana Gheorghita Puscaselu, Liliana Anchidin-Norocel, Mihai Dimian, Wesley K. Savage
Summary: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in December 2019 caused a global health crisis, exposing weaknesses in healthcare systems worldwide. This paper explores different countries' approaches to the pandemic and emphasizes the importance of reorganizing medical systems to better manage future outbreaks. The expansion of digital network medicine, such as telemedicine and mobile health apps, can provide accessible and safe healthcare while controlling the spread of new variants.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Barbara E. Kus, Rebecca T. Kimball, Robert D. Montgomerie
Article
Ornithology
Peter A. Hosner, Min Zhao, Rebecca T. Kimball, Edward L. Braun, J. Gordon Burleigh
Summary: Biodiversity research has been advanced by linking genetic, distributional, and trait datasets, but molecular systematics has created taxonomic instability. This study presents a method to standardize avian taxon names in NCBI GenBank with eBird/Clements taxonomy, facilitating further research on avian biodiversity.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Min Zhao, Sarah M. Kurtis, Noor D. White, Andre E. Moncrieff, Rafael N. Leite, Robb T. Brumfield, Edward L. Braun, Rebecca T. Kimball
Summary: This study focuses on the phylogenetic relationships between Antilophia and Chiroxiphia genera in manakins. By analyzing more than 11,000 loci from whole genomes and applying different analytical methods, the study reveals the importance of identifying factors that can affect phylogenetic signal when dealing with complex phylogenetic problems.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Liping Zhou, Christos Mammides, Youfang Chen, Wenyi Zhou, Wenzhang Dai, Edward L. Braun, Rebecca T. Kimball, Yang Liu, Scott K. Robinson, Eben Goodale
Summary: Participants in mixed-species bird flocks tend to associate with species that are similar in body size, diet, and evolutionary history, and they also show similarities in their plumage. The study found that body size has the strongest effect on association strength, followed by phylogeny, plumage patterns, and plumage color; diet has the weakest effect.
Review
Ornithology
Wenyi Zhou, Rebecca T. Kimball, Yang Liu, Scott K. Robinson
Summary: This article reviews four hypothesized functions of elongated tails in birds: sexual selection, aerodynamic enhancement, anti-predation signaling, and perch balancing. Our current knowledge of avian elongated tails is not comprehensive, and further research is needed to explore other functions and consider the possibility of multiple functions.
Review
Biology
Rebecca T. Kimball, Edward L. Braun, Yang Liu, Liping Zhou, Eben Goodale, Wenyi Zhou, Scott K. Robinson
Summary: One of the fundamental goals of modern biology is to understand the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. In mixed-species animal societies, there is evidence of phenotypic trait matching, which may drive diversification and speciation. This article reviews evidence of convergent evolution and mimicry in mixed-species bird flocks in southwestern China.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Forthman, Chandler Downie, Christine W. Miller, Rebecca T. Kimball
Summary: Intra- and interspecific communication is crucial to fitness via mating, territoriality, and defence. Studying stridulatory mechanisms in insects provides insights into the origin and diversification of communication systems. We investigated the evolution of stridulatory mechanisms in the Coreoidea superfamily and identified four mechanisms with evolutionary gains, suggesting their adaptive nature and providing a foundation for further research.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Forthman, Eric R. L. Gordon, Rebecca T. Kimball
Summary: Target capture is commonly used in various fields of genetic research. The choice of hybridization temperature during the process has been investigated in vertebrates but not in invertebrates. Lower hybridization temperatures were found to enhance the recovery of targeted elements in leaf-footed bugs. Transcriptome-derived baits showed less sensitivity to hybridization temperature compared to baits developed from divergent genomes. Thus, using low hybridization temperatures can improve cost-effective invertebrate locus recovery.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Evolutionary Biology
Javan K. Carter, Rebecca T. Kimball, Erik R. Funk, Nolan C. Kane, Drew R. Schield, Garth M. Spellman, Rebecca J. Safran
Summary: This review provides an overview of commonly used genomic markers in phylogenomic studies and their applications, as well as a concise outline to efficiently consider key aspects of each type of genetic marker.
JOURNAL OF HEREDITY
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
George Sangster, Edward L. Braun, Ulf S. Johansson, Rebecca T. Kimball, Gerald Mayr, Alexander Suh
Summary: The knowledge of higher-level phylogenetic relationships of birds has significantly increased in the past two decades with the application of genomic data. However, the nomenclature of higher-level taxa remains unstable due to the lack of regulation by the ICZN and the use of rank-based nomenclature. Lack of regulation and instability impede effective communication among systematists. This study reviews support for avian clades using phylogenomic data sets and provides formal definitions of their names based on the rules of the PhyloCode, aiming to stabilize avian higher-level nomenclature.
