Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Borja Maestresalas, Julien C. Piquet, Marta Lopez-Darias
Summary: This study aimed to assess the spatial ecology of the California kingsnake on Gran Canaria to strengthen management actions. The research found that the kingsnake had a small home range and moved short distances, with higher activity during central and evening hours. These findings are valuable for improving control programs for this invasive snake.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katherine J. Leitch, Francesca Ponce, William B. Dickson, Floris van Breugel, Michael H. Dickinson
Summary: Research using fruit flies as a model species shows that insect dispersal behavior can be influenced by wind under specific conditions. Through release-and-recapture experiments, it was observed that even tiny fruit flies could disperse tens of kilometers in light winds. An agent-based model explains the specific behaviors of fruit flies during dispersal, depicting a balance between covering large distances while intercepting odor plumes from upwind sources.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Carmela Marangi, Angela Martiradonna, Stefania Ragni
Summary: Controlling and planning the removal of invasive species is of great importance in natural resource management. By combining population dynamics models with optimization procedures, an effective allocation of resources can be achieved. In this study, we propose a parabolic optimal control model that incorporates external forces to improve the accuracy of the model. We also introduce a novel numerical procedure to reduce computational costs.
APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Natasha Gillies, Lucia Martina Martin Lopez, Olivier F. C. den Ouden, Jelle D. Assink, Mathieu Basille, Thomas A. Clay, Susana Clusella-Trullas, Rocio Joo, Henri Weimerskirchi, Mario Zampolli, Jeffrey N. Zeyl, Samantha C. Patrick
Summary: This study investigated whether wandering albatrosses respond to microbarom infrasound at sea. The results showed that albatrosses not only respond to winds encountered in situ but also move toward source regions associated with higher sound pressure levels. This suggests that albatrosses may be responding to long-range infrasonic cues, which are important for optimizing their flight over long distances.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Kareem Ahmed, Mai A. Gad, Amal Elsayed Aboutabl
Summary: Incorrect snake identification based on visual traits can lead to death from snake bites. This study proposes a deep learning model for snake species classification, achieving unprecedented results through salient object detection and classification processes.
MULTIMEDIA TOOLS AND APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Simone Macri, Ida-Maria Aalto, Remi Allemand, Nicolas Di-Poi
Summary: This study reveals the ecological origins and early evolution of snakes using high-definition brain reconstructions of extant species. The findings suggest that crown snakes originated from ancestors with a burrowing lifestyle and opportunistic behavior, reflecting complex brain patterns. The research emphasizes the importance of tracking soft tissue phenotypic diversification and accurately defining intact brain morphological traits, such as the cerebellum, in understanding snake evolution and vertebrate paleobiology.
Article
Biology
Julien C. Piquet, Marta Lopez-Darias
Summary: The study examined the impact of the invasive California kingsnake on the endemic herpetofauna of Gran Canaria, revealing a significant decrease in population in invaded sites. This highlights the severe threat of invasive snakes to island biodiversity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Liangliang Zhu, Pengfei Yang, Feng Li, Kai Wang, Langquan Shui, Xi Chen
Summary: This study explores and compares the movement and energy efficiencies of snake-like lateral undulation in terrestrial, aquatic, and sand environments using a slender soft beam model. It reveals a close relationship between the movement configuration of the soft body and efficiency factors, leading to the discovery of optimal undulatory configurations for each environment. The findings shed light on developing amphibious/all-terrain soft robots and broaden our understanding of nature's strategies for locomotion.
JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICS AND PHYSICS OF SOLIDS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jesse B. Borden, S. Luke Flory
Summary: Urban areas can drive rapid evolution of non-native species, enhancing invader establishment, spread, and ecological impact. Additionally, ecological opportunity in urban areas may accelerate invader evolution, highlighting the importance of studying urban evolution of invaders for predicting and managing invasive species globally.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Eric Nordberg, Rheanne Denny, Lin Schwarzkopf
Summary: Invasive house geckos showed significantly higher levels of exploratory activity compared to native house geckos, but there was no difference in boldness between the two species. Sex did not influence exploratory activity or boldness in either species. The increased exploratory activity of invasive house geckos may have contributed to their successful expansion into natural environments surrounding urban areas.
Review
Plant Sciences
Xiaonan Ma, Ling Bai
Summary: Plant guard cells play a crucial role in regulating stomatal aperture for photosynthesis and transpiration. CO2 serves as an important regulator of stomatal movement, with high levels triggering closure. ROS has been identified as a key component in this regulation, highlighting the complexity of CO2 signaling pathways. Further research is needed to fully understand the molecular mechanisms, particularly related to ROS, involved in these responses.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vivek H. Sridhar, Liang Li, Dan Gorbonos, Mate Nagy, Bianca R. Schell, Timothy Sorochkin, Nir S. Gov, Iain D. Couzin
Summary: The study reveals that animals make multichoice decisions by breaking them into a series of binary decisions in space-time, with spontaneous and abrupt critical transitions occurring during the process. This happens across different taxa and ecological contexts, demonstrating fundamental geometric principles underlying animal decision-making.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Steven A. Seifert, James O. Armitage, Elda E. Sanchez
Summary: Snakebites are a global health problem that can lead to thromboses and neuromuscular paralysis. Antivenoms made from horses and sheep are the preferred treatments, but accurate identification of the bite source is necessary and they can cause anaphylaxis and serum sickness.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Economics
Benjamin Meadows, Charles Sims
Summary: Bounties and rebranding have become popular tools for tackling invasive species with commercial value. However, there are concerns that these policies may hinder eradication efforts and worsen the spread of invasive species. To address this issue, a dynamic harvesting model is developed to identify welfare-enhancing policies that correct market failures associated with commercially valuable invasive species. The model considers the dual role of invasive species as both pests and commodities, leading to nonconvexities that influence incentives for eradication or exacerbation. Application of the model to the invasion of silver carp in the United States suggests that current carp subsidies are insufficient and highlights the importance of rebranding effectiveness in making it a cost-effective policy choice compared to harvest subsidies.
ENVIRONMENTAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Katharina Mayer, Tina Heger, Ingolf Kuhn, Stefan Nehring, Mirijam Gaertner
Summary: The increase in global trade and traffic networks has led to the introduction and spread of invasive alien species, which pose a threat to biodiversity. In response, the EU and Germany have developed an action plan to prevent and manage the unintentional introduction and spread of invasive alien species through targeted measures.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mathew J. Denton, Amanda W. J. Demopoulos, John D. Baldwin, Brian J. Smith, Kristen M. Hart
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2019)
Article
Oceanography
Amanda W. J. Demopoulos, Jennifer P. McClain-Counts, Jill R. Bourque, Nancy G. Prouty, Brian J. Smith, Sandra Brooke, Steve W. Ross, Carolyn D. Ruppel
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS
(2019)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Frank J. Mazzotti, Brian J. Smith, Michiko A. Squires, Michael S. Cherkiss, Seth C. Farris, Caitlin Hackett, Kristen M. Hart, Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez, Laura A. Brandt
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2019)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Margaret E. Hunter, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Jason A. Ferrante, Brian J. Smith, Kristen M. Hart
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2019)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Thomas H. Selby, Kristen M. Hart, Brian J. Smith, Clayton G. Pollock, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Madan K. Oli
ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Simona Picardi, Brian J. Smith, Matthew E. Boone, Peter C. Frederick, Jacopo G. Cecere, Diego Rubolini, Lorenzo Serra, Simone Pirrello, Rena R. Borkhataria, Mathieu Basille
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kristen M. Hart, Margaret M. Lamont, Autumn R. Iverson, Brian J. Smith
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Kristen M. Hart, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Brian J. Smith
Summary: The study examined factors influencing the duration of satellite tags tracking marine animals and found that tag damage was the main limiting factor, with significant variation in tracking duration among different species and foraging regions of sea turtles.
Article
Ecology
John Fieberg, Johannes Signer, Brian Smith, Tal Avgar
Summary: Habitat-selection analyses and integrated step-selection analyses are useful for linking animals to their environment, commonly used in wildlife management and conservation. However, many users struggle with interpreting parameters in these analyses, and using weighted distribution theory and Poisson point process can facilitate parameter interpretation.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Brian J. J. Smith, Daniel R. R. MacNulty, Daniel R. R. Stahler, Douglas W. W. Smith, Tal Avgar
Summary: While the impact of density dependence on temporal changes in population abundance is well understood, little is known about its effects on spatial variation in abundance. This study investigated how spatial trade-offs between food and safety influenced population distribution in northern Yellowstone elk over a four-decade period. The results revealed a shift in habitat selection from food to safety as elk density decreased, highlighting the importance of population density in driving landscape-level shifts in distribution and potentially affecting community-level interactions.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Allison M. Benscoter, Brian J. Smith, Kristen M. Hart
Summary: Estimates of parameters affecting population dynamics are crucial in understanding recovery efforts for imperiled species. This study observed smaller nesting loggerhead marine turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, with the highest proportion at Everglades National Park. Smaller nesters migrate shorter distances and swim in shallower waters compared to larger nesting loggerheads.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Kelsey E. Roberts, Brian J. Smith, Derek Burkholder, Kristen M. Hart
Summary: Through satellite tracking data analysis, it was found that sea turtles tend to select existing protected areas, especially multi-use zones, while showing no preference for no-take zones within MPAs.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicholas M. Whitney, Connor F. White, Brian J. Smith, Michael S. Cherkiss, Frank J. Mazzotti, Kristen M. Hart
Summary: The study utilized acceleration data loggers to monitor the activity of wild Burmese pythons, revealing that the snakes primarily alternate between resting and being active, with most activity occurring in midday or early-night. Understanding seasonal differences in activity levels can improve population estimates accuracy, detect range expansion, and enhance managers' ability to locate and capture individuals.
ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lucas P. Griffin, Brian J. Smith, Michael S. Cherkiss, Andrew G. Crowder, Clayton G. Pollock, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Andy J. Danylchuk, Kristen M. Hart
ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Brian J. Smith, Thomas H. Selby, Michael S. Cherkiss, Andrew G. Crowder, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Clayton G. Pollock, Kristen M. Hart
ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY
(2019)
