Article
Biology
Ivana Schoepf, Sarena Olson, Ignacio T. Moore, Frances Bonier
Summary: Hosts with long coevolutionary history with parasites often assume negligible fitness costs of chronic infection. However, experimental manipulation of infections reveals effects of parasites on hosts during reproduction. In this study, the authors found that reducing haemosporidian infections in red-winged blackbirds resulted in significant benefits to mothers and their offspring.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Serena Federico, Francesca Glaviano, Roberta Esposito, Bruno Pinto, Maissa Gharbi, Anna Di Cosmo, Maria Costantini, Valerio Zupo
Summary: The outcome of in vitro fertilization of P. lividus is influenced by maternal influences, but largely determined by culture conditions. Twenty-three genes involved in response to stress and skeletogenesis were differently expressed in sea urchins cultured in two experimental conditions. These findings are critical to develop protocols for the larval culture of P. lividus.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michio Yoneda, Hajime Kitano, Mitsuo Nyuji, Masahiro Nakamura, Masanori Takahashi, Atsushi Kawabata, Michiya Matsuyama, Akio Shimizu, Tatsuo Tsuzaki, Hiroyuki Togashi, Yasuhiro Kamimura
Summary: Maternal age and experienced temperature have important effects on the egg and offspring traits of chub mackerel. First-time spawners produce smaller and less nutritious eggs, while repeat spawners produce larger and more nutrient-rich eggs. The starvation tolerance, body size, and growth rate of the offspring are also influenced by maternal age and temperature.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jennifer S. Lord, Robert Leyland, Lee R. Haines, Antoine M. G. Barreaux, Michael B. Bonsall, Stephen J. Torr, Sinead English
Summary: Through studying tsetse flies, we found that nutritionally stressed females had an impact on reproduction, but the results did not indicate that resource allocation trade-offs or costs of reproduction increase the rate of senescence.
Article
Zoology
Allison S. Injaian, Jennifer J. Uehling, Conor C. Taff, Maren N. Vitousek
Summary: Experimental exposure of tree swallows to artificial light at night revealed that females exposed to ALAN provided lower provisioning rates to nestlings compared to control females. Nestlings exposed to ALAN also showed altered corticosterone levels. While the effects of ALAN were relatively weak, they may impact reproductive success.
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Yangyang Li, Pengpeng Zhang, Wenjing Sheng, Zixiang Zhang, Ray J. Rose, Youhong Song
Summary: Securing maize grain yield is crucial to meet future food and energy needs in the face of frequent drought events and elevated CO2 levels due to climate change. Maximizing kernel setting rate under drought stress is a key strategy to combat the negative impacts. Utilizing CO2 fertilization through improved photosynthesis and efficient assimilate reserve remobilization is critical in coping with drought stress. Optimizing planting methods and mining natural genetic variation, along with advanced genetic engineering and plant phenomics tools, can accelerate the breeding program of maize varieties adapted to high CO2 levels. Stabilizing maize production under drought stress can be achieved by ensuring reproductive success through harnessing CO2 fertilization.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sophia M. Blaauwendraad, Vincent WV. Jaddoe, Susana Santos, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Gert R. Dohle, Leonardo Trasande, Romy Gaillard
Summary: Fetal exposure to bisphenols and phthalates during pregnancy may have an impact on the development of the reproductive system, particularly in boys. This population-based cohort study investigated the associations between maternal gestational urinary concentrations of these chemicals and offspring reproductive outcomes. The findings suggest that higher maternal concentrations of certain bisphenols and phthalates are associated with alterations in reproductive development in boys.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Longtao Yu, Xujiang He, Xinxin Shi, Weiyu Yan, Xiaobo Wu
Summary: Maternal effects in honey bees result in larger eggs in queen cells, leading to better daughter queens. In our study, we evaluated the morphological indexes, reproductive tissues, and egg-laying ability of newly reared queens. The results showed that queens reared with eggs laid in queen cells had higher reproductive capacity and offspring with better body sizes and working performance compared to the other groups. These findings have implications in apicultural and agricultural production.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
S. T. Koenigbauer, T. O. Hook
Summary: Contemporary fisheries research and management emphasize the importance of protecting the size and age structures of fish populations. This study conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effects of increasing female size on offspring performance in fish. The results support the idea that larger females benefit offspring performance, but they must trade off between egg size and fecundity. Larger eggs promote offspring growth and survival, but may incur relative fecundity costs.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Timothy Paciorek, Michael McQuillan, Layla Al-Shaer, Andrew Bloch, Zachary Carroll, Rachel Moyer, Jai Vaze, John Leiser, Michael Kuchka, Murray Itzkowitz
Summary: Experimental tests on sheepshead minnows show that operational sex ratio does not significantly affect male reproductive behavior, with competitive ability potentially being more crucial to reproductive success for focal males.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hui Chen, David Van Reyk, Annabel Oliveira, Yik Lung Chan, Stephanie E. L. Town, Benjamin Rayner, Carol A. Pollock, Sonia Saad, Jacob George, Matthew P. Padula, Brian G. Oliver
Summary: Maternal exposure to low levels of PM2.5 has negative effects on liver health and metabolism in offspring, with more severe impacts on females. Removing PM2.5 during gestation provides limited protection in offspring's metabolism.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juliet E. Kitson, James Ord, Penelope J. Watt
Summary: Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause serious health issues known as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The underlying mechanisms are still unclear, and animal models are used to overcome the limitations of human studies. This study used zebrafish to investigate the effects of chronic alcohol exposure in females and found that the offspring had reduced stress responses.
Article
Immunology
Yue Sun, Runxiang Xie, Lu Li, Ge Jin, Bingqian Zhou, Huan Huang, Mengfan Li, Yunwei Yang, Xiang Liu, Xiaocang Cao, Bangmao Wang, Wentian Liu, Kui Jiang, Hailong Cao
Summary: Prenatal maternal stress may affect the gut microbiota and neuroimmune network of offspring, resulting in impaired intestinal development and increased susceptibility.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
You-Lin Tain, Chien-Ning Hsu
Summary: Maternal high-fat diet is linked to offspring hypertension, and potential mechanisms have been revealed through animal studies. Reprogramming interventions can prevent high-fat-diet-induced hypertension.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Thomas V. Riecke, Johann Hegelbach, Michael Schaub
Summary: An understanding of the drivers of individual fitness is crucial for evolutionary ecology and life-history theory. This study used long-term data on white-throated dippers in Switzerland to investigate the effects of parental age, mating tactic, and individual heterogeneity on reproductive success. The results showed that reproductive parameters such as polygyny, hatching probability, and offspring survival were influenced by age and mating tactic, indicating the importance of these factors in determining individual fitness.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Nicholas J. Gotelli, Douglas B. Booher, Mark C. Urban, Werner Ulrich, Andrew Suarez, David K. Skelly, David J. Russell, Rebecca J. Rowe, Matthew Rothendler, Nelson Rios, Sandra M. Rehan, George Ni, Corrie S. Moreau, Anne E. Magurran, Faith A. M. Jones, Gary R. Graves, Cristina Fiera, Ulrich Burkhardt, Richard B. Primack
Summary: Using museum specimens can be a valuable method to estimate species' relative abundance, although the estimates for rare species tend to be overestimated. However, the relative abundance estimated from museum records has a strong correlation with the estimates from standardized field surveys.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicholas J. Gotelli, Faye Moyes, Laura H. Antao, Shane A. Blowes, Maria Dornelas, Brian J. McGill, Amelia Penny, Aafke M. Schipper, Hideyasu Shimadzu, Sarah R. Supp, Conor A. Waldock, Anne E. Magurran
Summary: The composition of plant and animal species in global assemblages has changed substantially, with dynamics of a small percentage of species driving this change significantly. Quantifying the reorganization of assemblages based on shared temporal dynamics could aid in monitoring and restoring biodiversity.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Aaron Jessop, Amy Deacon, Miguel Barbosa
Summary: While most introduced species fail to become invasive, the small percentage that do succeed pose a significant threat to global biodiversity. Understanding the traits and heterogeneity of invasive species is crucial for better management. This study examines the contribution of phenotypic heterogeneity in founding populations to reproductive success, using the Trinidadian guppy as a model.
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ines Orfao, Constanca Carvalho, Ines Rodrigues, Leonor Ascensao, Marie Pedaccini, Luis Vicente, Miguel Barbosa, Susana A. M. Varela
Summary: This study hypothesizes that male-male courtship display evolved as a response to intrasexual competition, and the research found more evidence of eavesdropping, exploitation, and audience effect related to this competition.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Cher F. Y. Chow, Caitlin Bolton, Nader Boutros, Viviana Brambilla, Luisa Fontoura, Andrew S. S. Hoey, Joshua S. S. Madin, Oscar Pizarro, Damaris Torres-Pulliza, Rachael M. M. Woods, Kyle J. A. Zawada, Miguel Barbosa, Maria Dornelas
Summary: The process of coral recruitment is crucial to coral reef ecosystems. Fish can mediate this process by removing benthic competitors, but their foraging impacts can be either facilitative or harmful to coral recruits. Coral settlement and recruitment exhibit a negative relationship with foraging trait diversity, especially with trait divergence and richness in settlement. Our findings provide further evidence that fish play a role in making benthic habitats more conducive for coral settlement and recruitment, and fish biodiversity variation likely contributes to uneven patterns of coral recruitment and reef recovery.
Article
Ecology
Joshua S. S. Madin, Andrew H. H. Baird, Sean R. R. Connolly, Maria A. A. Dornelas, Mariana Alvarez-Noriega, Michael J. J. McWilliam, Miguel Barbosa, Shane A. A. Blowes, Paulina Cetina-Heredia, Alec P. P. Christie, Vivian R. R. Cumbo, Marcela Diaz, Madeleine A. A. Emms, Erin Graham, Dominique Hansen, Mizue Hisano, Emily Howells, Chao-Yang Kuo, Caroline Palmer, James Tan Chun Hong, Theophilus Zhi En Teo, Rachael M. M. Woods
Summary: In this study, scleractinian corals were tagged and tracked to measure their vital rates and competitive interactions. Despite being disrupted by a tropical cyclone, the data collected can still be valuable for researchers interested in coral ecology and population dynamics.
Article
Ecology
Amelia Penny, Maria Dornelas, Anne Magurran
Summary: The composition of ecological assemblages has been rapidly changing in the past century. We developed a quantitative framework to compare the temporal trajectories of this compositional reorganization and applied it to bird and marine fish datasets. The number of changes away from the baseline was found to be a consistent correlate of the overall rate of change, but both fish and birds showed large unreversed changes and time series with accelerating compositional change.
Review
Biology
Maria Dornelas, Jonathan M. Chase, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Anne E. Magurran, Brian J. McGill, Laura H. Antao, Shane A. Blowes, Gergana N. Daskalova, Brian Leung, Ines S. Martins, Faye Moyes, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Chris D. Thomas, Mark Vellend
Summary: Estimating biodiversity change is a critical challenge in the context of human modification. This review examines how biodiversity has changed across scales and taxonomic groups, focusing on species richness, temporal turnover, spatial beta-diversity, and abundance. The findings show mixed patterns of both increases and declines in local scales, with higher prevalence of declining trends in beta-diversity and abundance. At the global scale, extinction rates are likely surpassing speciation rates, although both are elevated. Reducing blind spots in understanding biodiversity change is essential for effective management.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Faye Moyes, Isaac Trindade-Santos, Anne E. E. Magurran
Summary: Recent research has shown rapid reorganization in ecological assemblages, especially in marine ecosystems. However, it is not well understood how changes in taxonomic diversity correspond to changes in functional diversity. This study analyzed 30 years of trawl data and found that taxonomic rarity aligns with changes in assemblage size, while functional rarity actually increases with larger assemblages. These findings highlight the significance of assessing both taxonomic and functional dimensions when studying biodiversity change.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Alessandra R. R. Kortz, Faye Moyes, Vania R. Pivello, Petr Pysek, Maria Dornelas, Piero Visconti, Anne E. E. Magurran
Summary: Alien species are often associated with changes in biodiversity, but their impact on the reshaping of ecological communities is not well understood. In this study, we used the BioTIME database to examine the relationship between alien species and compositional change in vascular plant assemblages. We found that, although rare, the presence of alien species was linked to increased rates of compositional turnover. This suggests that alien species play a role in driving rapid changes in ecological communities.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wu-Bing Xu, Shane A. A. Blowes, Viviana Brambilla, Cher F. Y. Chow, Ada Fontrodona-Eslava, Ines S. Martins, Daniel McGlinn, Faye Moyes, Alban Sagouis, Hideyasu Shimadzu, Roel van Klink, Anne E. E. Magurran, Nicholas J. J. Gotelli, Brian J. J. McGill, Maria Dornelas, Jonathan M. M. Chase
Summary: Using global metacommunity data, this study found that large-ranged species tend to increase in site occupancy over time, while small-ranged species tend to decrease. This pattern is more pronounced in marine habitats, but in terrestrial regions, protected areas show less extreme changes in occupancy. These findings highlight the importance of range size in determining species declines and the potential of habitat protection in mitigating these losses under environmental change.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Anne Chao, Simon Thorn, Chun-Huo Chiu, Faye Moyes, Kai-Hsiang Hu, Robin L. Chazdon, Jessie Wu, Luiz Fernando S. Magnago, Maria Dornelas, David Zeleny, Robert K. Colwell, Anne E. Magurran
Summary: In this study, we propose a rigorous standardization method to measure and compare beta diversity across datasets based on sampling data. Our approach is built upon the assumption of a statistical sampling model, treating the sampling data as a representative sample from an assemblage. We introduce the concept of standardized, coverage-based beta diversity by standardizing alpha and gamma diversity at the same level of sample coverage. Our extension of the iNEXT method to beta diversity ensures the removal of the dependence on gamma and alpha values, allowing us to quantify the pure among-assemblage differentiation. The proposed standardization is demonstrated with various spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal datasets.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Angel Galvez, Andreu Castillo-Escriva, Anne Magurran, Ivan Alambiaga, Fabian Bonilla, Antonio Camacho, Eduardo M. Garcia-Roger, Sanda Iepure, Javier Miralles-Lorenzo, Juan S. Monros, Carla Olmo, Antonio Picazo, Carmen Rojo, Juan Rueda, Mahmood Sasa, Mati Segura, Xavier Armengol, Francesc Mesquita-Joanes
Summary: This study compares the diversity of multiple taxa inhabiting tropical and Mediterranean temporary ponds using a spatial and temporal approach. The results show higher gamma and alpha diversity in tropical ponds, but phytoplankton and microinvertebrates from the Mediterranean region matched or exceeded tropical alpha diversity on some occasions. Spatial beta diversity did not differ between regions, and temporal beta diversity showed similar patterns. However, macroinvertebrates and amphibians exhibited differential effects on community variation observable only in animals with longer life-spans.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Juan D. D. Bogota-Gregory, David G. G. Jenkins, Flavio C. T. Lima, Anne E. E. Magurran, William G. R. Crampton
Summary: Explaining the mechanisms of spatial and temporal variation in community composition is challenging. This study focuses on the temporal variation in community composition at different habitat types in the Amazon, and investigates the influence of seasonality and landscape connectivity. The results show that river-floodplain systems have higher temporal turnover compared to stream systems, indicating the importance of considering temporal dynamics and hydrological seasonality in the conservation of aquatic biodiversity in the Amazon.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ines S. Martins, Franziska Schrodt, Shane A. Blowes, Amanda E. Bates, Anne D. Bjorkman, Viviana Brambilla, Juan Carvajal-Quintero, Cher F. Y. Chow, Gergana N. Daskalova, Kyle Edwards, Nico Eisenhauer, Richard Field, Ada Fontrodona-Eslava, Jonathan J. Henn, Roel van Klink, Joshua S. Madin, Anne E. Magurran, Michael McWilliam, Faye Moyes, Brittany Pugh, Alban Sagouis, Isaac Trindade-Santos, Brian J. McGill, Jonathan M. Chase, Maria Dornelas
Summary: Biotic responses to global change, especially in the Anthropocene, have led to a decrease in body size, primarily driven by fish. Both within-species trends and compositional changes contribute to body size changes, with significant variation in magnitude and direction.
