Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jacob Usinowicz, Jonathan M. Levine
Summary: The study investigated the impact of climate change on alpine plant persistence by combining experimental data with a theoretical framework. Predictions suggest that while warmer and wetter conditions may increase growth rates, overlapping competition will negate these benefits. The research highlights the intricate pathways through which climate change affects species' persistence and emphasizes the importance of considering low-density growth rates in understanding these impacts.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stephen G. Hesterberg, Kendal Jackson, Susan S. Bell
Summary: This study finds that the transition from salt marsh to mangrove is linked to the transition from oyster reef to mangrove through the spread of mangrove propagules. The transition is influenced by climate change as well as other non-climate factors. If the supply of propagules keeps up with predicted warming, subtropical estuaries will begin to transform by 2070. Measures such as restoring oyster reefs or removing mangrove seedlings could help slow down the impacts of climate change.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jennifer Auld, Susan E. Everingham, Frank A. Hemmings, Angela T. Moles
Summary: The study reveals that Australian alpine plant species are shifting rapidly to higher elevations in response to climate change. This could potentially help the species to adapt and persist, but if current warming trends continue, several species within the Australian alpine zone may lose suitable habitat in the future.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Stephanie C. Schai-Braun, Hannes Jenny, Thomas Ruf, Klaus Hacklaender
Summary: Global climate change leads to range shifts in plants and animals, threatening biodiversity. In the Alps, climatic variation allows habitat specialists and generalists to coexist, but regional differences and climate variables can affect their adaptations.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Qiyao Han, Greg Keeffe, Sean Cullen
Summary: Forest connectivity is crucial for range shifts of forest-dependent species in the context of climate change. The study found that about 36% of Europe's total forested area has achieved successful climate connectivity under moderate emission scenario, while only 12% has done so under the highest emission scenario. The research identified sites of high conservation value for improving and sustaining forest connectivity in order to facilitate climate-driven range shifts in European forests.
Article
Ecology
Joshua S. Lynn, Tom E. X. Miller, Jennifer A. Rudgers
Summary: This study found that mammalian herbivores are key drivers of the low-elevation range limits of alpine plants. Exclosures can increase plant population growth rates, with a more significant effect in novel habitats, implying that novel interactions may have negative impacts on plant populations.
Article
Microbiology
Andrea Moravcova, Florian Barbi, Vendula Brabcova, Tomas Cajthaml, Tijana Martinovic, Nadia Soudzilovskaia, Lukas Vlk, Petr Baldrian, Petr Kohout
Summary: A study of alpine ecosystems in Europe shows that temperature increases can lead to changes in plant and fungal communities, resulting in loss of fungal biomass and topsoil carbon content. Ongoing warming-induced tree encroachment and vegetation shifts are affecting alpine tundra ecosystems. Understanding the effects of climate change on shifts within alpine vegetation and its impact on soil microorganisms and carbon storage is crucial.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Lianfu Chen, Simon T. Segar, Bhanumas Chantarasuwan, Da-Mien Wong, Rong Wang, Xiaoyong Chen, Hui Yu
Summary: Research on fig wasps has contributed significantly to understanding insect-plant interactions, but the molecular mechanisms of fig wasp host specificity remain poorly understood. This study presents a large-scale transcriptomic dataset of 25 fig wasp species, revealing potential genetic mechanisms underlying specific host adaptation. The findings shed light on the evolutionary diversification and host specificity of fig wasps, and contribute to the growing dataset on fig wasp genomics.
Article
Ecology
Isaac Eckert, Tonia De Bellis, Gabriel Munoz, Steven W. Kembel, Jean-Philippe Lessard, Martin A. Nunez
Summary: Species are expanding their ranges at an unprecedented rate, with potential impacts on ecosystems. A study found that range-expanding trees create distinct abiotic 'islands' with altered soil conditions and impact belowground fungal communities. These impacts begin only a few years after range expansion and have rapid and significant effects on belowground diversity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gabriella Ljungstrom, Tom J. Langbehn, Christian Jorgensen
Summary: By using mechanistic models, the authors demonstrate how latitudinal light gradients can constrain warming-related shifts to high latitudes and play a crucial role in this process. The research suggests that seasonality in light at high latitudes may lead to greater depletion of energy stores and higher foraging-related mortality rates, acting as barriers to poleward range expansions.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jordan D. Satler, Edward Allen Herre, Tracy A. Heath, Carlos A. Machado, Adalberto Gomez Zuniga, John D. Nason
Summary: The specificity of pollinator host choice influences opportunities for reproductive isolation in their host plants, but host plants have relatively little influence on reproductive isolation in their pollinators.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Michael J. Osland, Philip W. Stevens, Margaret M. Lamont, Richard C. Brusca, Kristen M. Hart, J. Hardin Waddle, Catherine A. Langtimm, Caroline M. Williams, Barry D. Keim, Adam J. Terando, Eric A. Reyier, Katie E. Marshall, Michael E. Loik, Ross E. Boucek, Amanda B. Lewis, Jeffrey A. Seminoff
Summary: Tropicalization refers to the transformation of temperate ecosystems by poleward-moving tropical organisms in response to warming temperatures. In North America, as extreme winter cold events decrease, many tropical species are expected to expand their range northward, potentially impacting temperate organisms. The effects of extreme cold events on tropical organisms are significant and understudied, with warming winters likely facilitating the poleward range expansion of tropical species.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jacqueline M. Chapman, Robert J. Lennox, William M. Twardek, Amy K. Teffer, Martha J. Robertson, Kristi M. Miller, Steven J. Cooke
Summary: The study characterized changes in individual condition and pathogen dynamics of Atlantic salmon during spawning migration in freshwater. Multiple infectious agents were detected in the population, with infection burden and species richness increasing over time. Water temperature and time in freshwater were related to salmon transcriptional response, highlighting the metabolic cost of warming temperatures and the dynamic nature of pathogen infection profiles in migratory fish species.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joshua M. Coates, Benedict Keaney, Benjamin C. Scheele, Saul A. Cunningham
Summary: Migration is crucial for many insect species, and the Bogong moth stands out as a keystone species undergoing a long-distance annual migration. Recent declines in the population of this species have raised concerns, leading to its recognition as an endangered species. In this study, we investigated for the first time the feeding habits of Bogong moths during their summer aestivation and found that they visit a variety of plant species, indicating their potential role in pollination in subalpine and alpine ecosystems.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Chris Wyver, Simon G. Potts, Rowan Edwards, Mike Edwards, Deepa Senapathi
Summary: The phenology of crops and their pollinators is shifting due to climate change, which can result in phenological mismatch and decreased crop production. This study analyzes 48 years of UK citizen science and systematic data to report shifts in apple flowering and bee phenology. The study highlights the potential risk of asynchrony between crop and pollinator phenology and the importance of citizen science in understanding these shifts.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jacob S. Francis, Anna R. Tatarko, Sarah K. Richman, Anthony Vaudo, Anne S. Leonard
Summary: Integrating floral microbial ecology and pollinator behavior can provide insights into how pollinators respond to microbial-altered floral phenotypes, helping to predict microbial dispersal within plant communities. Behavior plays a key role in connecting microbial changes in floral phenotype to downstream effects on both microbial dispersal and plant fitness.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Laura Stefan, Nadine Engbersen, Christian Schob
Summary: The study examines the impact of crop diversity on weed communities and crop yield through intercropping experiments in Switzerland and Spain. Results show that intercropping reduces weed biomass and diversity in Spain but not in Switzerland. Additionally, crop yield in Switzerland is positively correlated with crop species number, while in Spain crop yield is not related to weed biomass or diversity. The research highlights the importance of considering environmental conditions when designing sustainable weed control strategies in agricultural systems.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Laura Stefan, Martin Hartmann, Nadine Engbersen, Johan Six, Christian Schoeb
Summary: Intensive agriculture has negative impacts on ecosystem diversity and soil functioning. Increasing plant diversity through intercropping can enhance soil microbial diversity and functioning, potentially leading to increased crop yield. However, the effects of crop diversity on soil microbes are small compared to abiotic factors, such as fertilization and soil moisture. The context-dependence of crop-microbe relationships highlights the complexity of interactions within intercropping systems.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Harry Siviter, Sarah K. Richman, Felicity Muth
Summary: Neonicotinoid insecticides have sub-lethal effects on non-Apis bees, impacting reproductive output and colony growth. Restrictions on neonicotinoids may benefit bee populations.
Article
Ecology
Sarah K. Richman, Felicity Muth, Anne S. Leonard
Summary: Animals develop food preferences based on taste, nutritional quality, and environmental toxins. Experimental measurement of preferences can be challenging, but a new restricted-sampling method was found to closely match free-flying scenarios in bees' foraging behavior. Additionally, pesticides were found to interfere with bees' ability to discriminate between different floral rewards.
Article
Ecology
Nadine Engbersen, Laura Stefan, Rob W. Brooker, Christian Schob
Summary: Increasing crop diversity enhances seed yield through a combination of selection and complementarity effects, with plant height and specific leaf area playing important roles. The increase in seed yield from monocultures to mixtures is driven by different ecological processes, highlighting the complex interactions in diverse cropping systems.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sarah K. Richman, Isabelle M. Maalouf, Angela M. Smilanich, Denyse Marquez Sanchez, Sharron Z. Miller, Anne S. Leonard
Summary: This study found that even a single acute exposure to a pesticide has the potential to reshape interactions between pollinators and plants mediated by nectar secondary chemistry.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher A. Johnson, Proneet Dutt, Jonathan M. Levine
Summary: The decline of pollinators has raised concerns about their role in maintaining plant diversity. This study empirically tested the effects of competition for pollinators on plant coexistence and found that it can both stabilize and destabilize interactions between plant species, potentially disrupting plant coexistence.
Article
Ecology
Laura Stefan, Nadine Engbersen, Christian Schob
Summary: Intercropping is a promising option to increase agricultural sustainability, but the complexity and context-dependency of plant-plant interactions make it challenging for farmers to find suitable crop combinations. In this study, we present a spatially-explicit yield analysis method based on plant ecological interaction models that allows for the optimization of crop species combinations and spatial configurations for maximal yield in intercropped systems.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Laura Stefan, Nadine Engbersen, Christian Schob
Summary: By capitalising on positive biodiversity-productivity relationships, intercropping provides opportunities to improve agricultural sustainability. This study shows that parental diversity may affect plant-plant interactions, species complementarity, and ecosystem functioning in annual crop systems.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jesus Lopez-Angulo, Laura Stefan, Nadine Engbersen, Christian Schöb
Summary: Higher plant species diversity decreases variability of plant community productivity. The stabilizing effect of plant diversity can result from species-specific responses to environmental fluctuations and from shifts in competitive hierarchies. Evolutionary adaptation of species to surrounding plant diversity could further decrease productivity variability.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Christopher A. Johnson, Rachael Ren, Lauren B. Buckley
Summary: Thermal performance curves (TPCs) are a convenient method for predicting the effects of climate change on temperature-sensitive organisms, but their direct application and predictions vary. This study integrates TPCs into a population dynamic model, validating it with actual data, and finds that direct application of TPCs simplifies the prediction of fitness impacts. The study highlights the importance of considering multiple fitness components throughout the life cycle to better understand the ecological consequences of climate change.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Christian Schob, Nadine Engbersen, Jesus Lopez-Angulo, Anja Schmutz, Laura Stefan
Summary: Inspired by grassland biodiversity experiments, the Crop Diversity Experiment aimed to test the impact of plant diversity on primary productivity in annual crop systems. The experiment demonstrated that crop mixtures not only increased yield compared to monoculture, but often outperformed the highest yielding monoculture. The underlying mechanisms of the yield benefits included both direct complementarities between crop species and indirect effects via other organisms, such as weed suppression and plant growth-promoting microbes.
JOURNAL OF PLANT ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Laura Stefan, Dario Fossati, Karl-Heinz Camp, Didier Pellet, Flavio Foiada, Lilia Levy
Summary: The study investigated the drivers of mixture productivity and stability in Swiss wheat variety mixtures. The results showed that mixture stability was positively linked with the asynchrony of the components. This result was particularly significant during stressful environmental conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jianguo Chen, Nadine Engbersen, Laura Stefan, Bernhard Schmid, Hang Sun, Christian Schob
Summary: Resource allocation to reproduction is a critical trait for plant fitness. While plant diversity increases plant biomass, its effects on seed yield of crops are ambiguous. In mixtures, the reduced harvest index of crop species may contribute to higher seed yield.