Article
Plant Sciences
Alistair G. Auffret, Pieter Vangansbeke, Pieter De Frenne, Inger Auestad, Sofia Basto, Ulf Grandin, Hans Jacquemyn, Anna Jakobsson, Rein Kalamees, Marcus A. Koch, Rob Marrs, Bryndis Marteinsdottir, Markus Wagner, Renee M. Bekker, Hans Henrik Bruun, Guillaume Decocq, Martin Hermy, Malgorzata Jankowska-Blaszczuk, Per Milberg, Inger E. Maren, Robin J. Pakeman, Gareth K. Phoenix, Ken Thompson, Hans Van Calster, Vigdis Vandvik, Jan Plue
Summary: Responses to climate change often lag behind warming rates. Soil seed banks can buffer unsuitable conditions, containing species with warm and wide climatic ranges. Seed banks may play a role in climate-driven community shifts and the spread of generalist species.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tommaso Valdesolo, Silvia Del Vecchio, Gabriella Buffa
Summary: Seed dispersal plays a crucial role in species distribution and assembly. This study examined the link between seed dispersal patterns and coexisting species in a plant community. The findings suggest that seasonal differentiation in seed dispersal may have a greater impact on species assembly than dispersal vectors.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Priscila Sanjuan de Medeiros-Sarmento, Leandro Valle Ferreira, Markus Gastauer
Summary: The study highlights the importance of soil seed bank in the natural regeneration of secondary forests, with herb seeds dominating the seed bank and tree seeds density and richness increasing over time. The composition of the seed bank changes with regeneration stages, emphasizing the significance of dispersal and habitat connectivity for forest regeneration.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Camille Coux, Isabel Donoso, Jason M. Tylianakis, Daniel Garcia, Daniel Martinez, D. Matthias Dehling, Daniel B. Stouffer
Summary: The study found that interactions involving native plants more strongly deviate from neutral predictions compared to interactions involving exotic plants. However, the proportion and composition of exotic species did not systematically alter the neutral predictions for entire networks, as only a subset of interactions were realized in different sites. This indicates that neutral and niche processes underlying individual interactions may not scale up to entire networks.
Article
Ecology
Janette L. Davidson, Lauren G. Shoemaker
Summary: This study used a mathematical model to investigate the relationship between community synchrony and ecological invasions. The findings suggest that synchronous communities are more resistant and resilient to invasion, and emphasize the importance of protecting compensatory and weakly synchronous communities.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jinyu Zhang, Bo Wang
Summary: Seed dispersal mechanisms have a significant impact on intraspecific variation in seed size. Biotic-dispersed species and vertebrate-dispersed species exhibit greater intraspecific variation in seed size, with bird-dispersed species showing greater variation than mammal-dispersed species. There is a negative correlation between the degree of seed size variation and the body mass of the dispersers.
Article
Biology
Sarina Thiel, Marco Tschapka, Eckhard W. Heymann, Katrin Heer
Summary: Vertical stratification is a common phenomenon in forest communities, where birds, bats, primates, and non-flying small mammals exhibit vertical stratification in terms of abundance, species richness, diversity, and community composition.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Yueqin Yang, Xianfeng Yi
Summary: This study provides empirical evidence for the trade-off between seed dormancy and dispersal effectiveness, showing a negative correlation between seed dormancy and dispersal fitness. The results highlight the ecological role of seed germination schedule in seed dispersal and life history evolution.
Article
Plant Sciences
Stephen B. Vander Wall
Summary: Pines play a crucial role in forest ecosystems due to their economic and ecological value, and their importance in managing wildland fires. The dispersal and establishment of pine seeds have significant implications for forest health. 75% of pines are wind-dispersed, while 25% are dispersed by animals. Some pines are dispersed by both wind and animals. Serotiny, the feature of having closed cones that open and shed seeds after fire, allows pines to establish a seed bank that can last for decades. Masting, the intermittent production of large seed crops, increases seedling establishment and improves seed dispersal efficiency.
Article
Ecology
Damie Pak, Varun Swamy, Patricia Alvarez-Loayza, Fernando Cornejo-Valverde, Simon A. Queenborough, Margaret R. Metz, John Terborgh, Renato Valencia, S. Joseph Wright, Nancy C. Garwood, Jesse R. Lasky
Summary: The study found that seed fall phenology in tropical plant communities exhibits significant synchrony and is influenced by shared environmental responses and positive interactions among species. Within species groups, both compensatory and synchronous phenology were observed. Wind-dispersed species showed significant synchrony at a scale of approximately 6 months, suggesting shared phenological niches to match seasonal wind patterns.
Review
Ecology
Haldre S. Rogers, Isabel Donoso, Anna Traveset, Evan C. Fricke
Summary: Seed dispersal is crucial for the persistence and spread of plant populations, as most plant species rely on animals to disperse their seeds. Loss of dispersers can lead to changes in plant populations, community patterns, and ecosystem functioning.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS, VOL 52, 2021
(2021)
Article
Ecology
John R. Poulsen, Christopher Beirne, Colin Rundel, Melissa Baldino, Seokmin Kim, Julia Knorr, Taylor Minich, Lingrong Jin, Chase L. Nunez, Shuyun Xiao, Walter Mbamy, Guichard Ndzeng Obiang, Juliana Masseloux, Tanguy Nkoghe, Medard Obiang Ebanega, Connie J. Clark, Michael J. Fay, Pete Morkel, Joseph Okouyi, Lee J. T. White, Justin P. Wright
Summary: This study found that large, fruit-eating animals influence plant population spread and community dynamics through seed dispersal, with dispersal distances being influenced by both environmental and individual-level variables. Elephants disperse seeds through gut passage time and movement, with gender and behavioral traits playing a role in dispersal distances.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kel Cook, Jyotsna Sharma, Andrew D. Taylor, Ian Herriott, D. Lee Taylor
Summary: This study explored the spatial structure and substrate specificity of fungal communities in the canopy of a Costa Rican tropical rainforest. The results showed significant positive spatial autocorrelation and distance decay of similarity of fungal communities at small scales, with high turnover and low similarity among samples. The composition and diversity of fungal communities varied among substrate types.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jianqing Tian, Xinya Huang, Huai Chen, Xiaoming Kang, Yanfen Wang
Summary: The research findings indicate that fungal communities in peatlands exhibit significant differences among layers and are influenced by different drivers, with fungal community assembly processes being depth-dependent.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Nanako Abe, Kohei Koyama, Azumi Okamoto, Kowa Katayama, Yura Kato, Natsuki Mimura, Shoji Okoshi, Yuki Tanaka
Summary: This study investigates the seed dispersal mechanisms of Asian plantain through trampling and walking experiments. The results indicate that seed mucilage facilitates the attachment of seeds to dispersal agents, promoting seed dispersal.
Article
Ecology
Robert R. Junker, Joerg Albrecht, Marcel Becker, Raya Keuth, Nina Farwig, Matthias Schleuning
Summary: The animal economics spectrum (AES) is proposed based on traits that describe organismal size, biological times and rates. AES can depict key dimensions of different ecological strategies of animals and be used to understand ecological processes and predict the impact of global change on animal communities.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rocio Pena, Matthias Schleuning, Marcos Minarro, Daniel Garcia
Summary: Currently, there is limited understanding about the effects of trait diversity on animal-provided ecological functions, and the importance of trait diversity relative to other components of biodiversity is unclear. This study tested the effects of different biodiversity components on avian seed dispersal and insect predation along environmental gradients, revealing that different avian functions in the same agroecosystem are controlled by different biodiversity components.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hanna E. Walter, Joern Pagel, Huw Cooksley, Alexander Neu, Matthias Schleuning, Frank M. Schurr
Summary: Biotic interactions in plant communities, including plant-plant, pollinator- and seed predator-mediated interactions, have been found to affect individual fitness and community dynamics. This study focused on understanding how these interactions impact year-to-year variation in three fecundity components (cone production, seed set and seed survival) during post-fire recovery in a South African Fynbos. The results showed that competitive effects on cone production and seed set increased with post-fire stand age, while the effects on seed survival were weak throughout the recovery period. Plant-plant interactions were shaped by neighbor traits related to resource acquisition, while animal-mediated interactions depended on neighbor traits related to resource availability for pollinators and seed predators. The spatial scale of the interactions increased from plant-plant over predator-mediated to pollinator-mediated interactions. Overall, studying the temporal, spatial and functional determinants of these interactions is important for predicting individual plant fitness, as well as population and community dynamics in changing environments.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rocio Pena, Matthias Schleuning, Fredrik Dalerum, Isabel Donoso, Javier Rodriguez-Perez, Daniel Garcia
Summary: The study examined the influence of species abundance and trait-matching on plant-bird seed dispersal interactions. Both abundance and trait-matching were found to affect interaction frequencies and species-specific contributions to ecological functions.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alexander Neu, Huw Cooksley, Karen J. J. Esler, Anton Pauw, Francois Roets, Frank M. M. Schurr, Matthias Schleuning
Summary: This study investigated the interactions between Protea plant species and their interacting animal mutualists and antagonists in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, and found that both morphological and energetic trait matching significantly influenced these interactions.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Carolina Bello, Matthias Schleuning, Catherine H. Graham
Summary: To quantify the vulnerability of ecosystems to global change, it is important to understand how trophic ecosystem functions emerge. This study proposes the interaction functional space (IFS) as a conceptual framework to integrate the perspectives of functional diversity and network ecology. By applying this framework to seed dispersal and wood decomposition, the study demonstrates the influence of species interactions on the relationship between functional trait diversity and trophic functions. The IFS has potential future applications to elucidate mechanisms driving trophic functions and understand functional changes in ecosystems amidst global change.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alexander Neu, Huw Cooksley, Karen J. J. Esler, Anton Pauw, Francois Roets, Frank M. M. Schurr, Matthias Schleuning
Summary: In this study, we investigated the effects of fire disturbance and variation in sugar resources on pollinator communities and interactions between plants and their pollinating insects and birds. We found little variation in the overall interaction frequency, species richness, and functional diversity of pollinator communities. However, insect species richness increased with post-fire age. Pollinator specialization and potential pollination services varied differently between insects and birds along environmental gradients.
Article
Ecology
Sarina Thiel, Franziska Willems, Nina Farwig, Finn Rehling, Dana G. Schabo, Matthias Schleuning, Ney Shahuano Tello, Till Toepfer, Marco Tschapka, Eckhard W. Heymann, Katrin Heer
Summary: Vertical stratification is a significant feature of tropical forests and affects plant-frugivore interactions. This study examines whether vertical differences in these interactions are caused by variations in plant community composition or frugivore preferences for specific strata. The study finds that a few frugivore species visit the understorey frequently, while many different frugivores visit the canopy and midstorey less frequently. There is a continuous shift in frugivore community composition along the vertical gradient, indicating the persistence of vertical niche differentiation in tropical forests. This study highlights the importance of vertical stratification for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maciej K. Barczyk, Diana C. Acosta-Rojas, Carlos I. Espinosa, Matthias Schleuning, Eike L. Neuschulz
Summary: This study examined the beta-diversity of seedling communities in a tropical montane forest in southern Ecuador. The results showed that species turnover was associated with biotic dissimilarity within elevations, while species richness differences were linked to environmental dissimilarity. The study highlights the scale-dependent importance of abiotic and biotic factors in shaping seedling diversity.
Editorial Material
Ecology
Jean-Philippe Lessard, Mar Sobral, Matthias Schleuning, Mariano A. Rodriguez-Cabal
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Philipp Mendgen, Nandintsetseg Dejid, Kirk Olson, Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar, Justin M. Calabrese, Buyanaa Chimeddorj, Munkhnast Dalannast, William F. Fagan, Peter Leimgruber, Thomas Mueller
Summary: Habitat fragmentation and disturbance pose a threat to the long-distance movements of ungulates. This study used GPS tracking data from Mongolian gazelles to examine changes in their movement behavior over a 15-year period. The results showed a 36% decline in long-distance movements, which was linked to increasing vehicle numbers in Mongolia.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Agustin Vitali, Sofia Ruiz-Suarez, Diego P. Vazquez, Matthias Schleuning, Mariano A. Rodriguez-Cabal, Yamila Sasal, Shai Pilosof
Summary: The effects of invasive species on multitrophic networks were investigated in an ongoing invasion scenario in Patagonia, Argentina. Non-native ungulates disrupted a keystone interaction between hummingbirds, mistletoe, and marsupials, altering community composition. The connectivity between pollination and seed dispersal was reduced, and the network structure fragmented by the invasive species, leading to increased disturbance propagation and reduced network stability.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Mar Sobral, Matthias Schleuning, Antonio Martinez Cortizas
Summary: Trait evolution is influenced by carbon economics not only at the organismal level but also at the ecosystem level. The trait diversity of ecological communities affects the carbon cycle, and systematic shifts in trait diversity are likely to cause changes in the carbon cycle.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marlee A. Tucker, Aafke M. Schipper, Tempe S. F. Adams, Nina Attias, Tal Avgar, Natarsha L. Babic, Kristin J. Barker, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Dominik M. Behr, Jerrold L. Belant, Dean E. Beyer, Niels Blaum, J. David Blount, Dirk Bockmuhl, Ricardo Luiz Pires Boulhosa, Michael B. Brown, Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar, Francesca Cagnacci, Justin M. Calabrese, Rok Cerne, Simon Chamaille-Jammes, Aung Nyein Chan, Michael J. Chase, Yannick Chaval, Yvette Chenaux-Ibrahim, Seth G. Cherry, Dusko Cirovic, Emrah Coban, Eric K. Cole, Laura Conlee, Alyson Courtemanch, Gabriele Cozzi, Sarah C. Davidson, Darren DeBloois, Nandintsetseg Dejid, Vickie DeNicola, Arnaud L. J. Desbiez, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, David Drake, Michael Egan, Jasper A. J. Eikelboom, William F. Fagan, Morgan J. Farmer, Julian Fennessy, Shannon P. Finnegan, Christen H. Fleming, Bonnie Fournier, Nicholas L. Fowler, Mariela G. Gantchoff, Alexandre Garnier, Benedikt Gehr, Chris Geremia, Jacob R. Goheen, Morgan L. Hauptfleisch, Mark Hebblewhite, Morten Heim, Anne G. Hertel, Marco Heurich, A. J. Mark Hewison, James Hodson, Nicholas Hoffman, J. Grant C. Hopcraft, Djuro Huber, Edmund J. Isaac, Karolina Janik, Milos Jezek, Orjan Johansson, Neil R. Jordan, Petra Kaczensky, Douglas N. Kamaru, Matthew J. Kauffman, Todd M. Kautz, Roland Kays, Allicia P. Kelly, Jonas Kindberg, Miha Krofel, Josip Kusak, Clayton T. Lamb, Tayler N. LaSharr, Peter Leimgruber, Horst Leitner, Michael Lierz, John D. C. Linnell, Purevjav Lkhagvaja, Ryan A. Long, Jose Vicente Lopez-Bao, Matthias-Claudio Loretto, Pascal Marchand, Hans Martin, Lindsay A. Martinez, Roy T. McBride, Ashley A. D. McLaren, Erling Meisingset, Joerg Melzheimer, Evelyn H. Merrill, Arthur D. Middleton, Kevin L. Monteith, Seth A. Moore, Bram Van Moorter, Nicolas Morellet, Thomas Morrison, Rebekka Mueller, Atle Mysterud, Michael J. Noonan, David O'Connor, Daniel Olson, Kirk A. Olson, Anna C. Ortega, Federico Ossi, Manuela Panzacchi, Robert Patchett, Brent R. Patterson, Rogerio Cunha de Paula, John Payne, Wibke Peters, Tyler R. Petroelje, Benjamin J. Pitcher, Bostjan Pokorny, Kim Poole, Hubert Potocnik, Marie-Pier Poulin, Robert M. Pringle, Herbert H. T. Prins, Nathan Ranc, Slaven Reljic, Benjamin Robb, Ralf Roder, Christer M. Rolandsen, Christian Rutz, Albert R. Salemgareyev, Gustaf Samelius, Heather Sayine-Crawford, Sarah Schooler, Cagan H. Sekercioglu, Nuria Selva, Paola Semenzato, Agnieszka Sergiel, Koustubh Sharma, Avery L. Shawler, Johannes Signer, Vaclav Silovsky, Joao Paulo Silva, Richard Simon, Rachel A. Smiley, Douglas W. Smith, Erling J. Solberg, Diego Ellis-Soto, Orr Spiegel, Jared Stabach, Jenna Stacy-Dawes, Daniel R. Stahler, John Stephenson, Cheyenne Stewart, Olav Strand, Peter Sunde, Nathan J. Svoboda, Jonathan Swart, Jeffrey J. Thompson, Katrina L. Toal, Kenneth Uiseb, Meredith C. VanAcker, Marianela Velilla, Tana L. Verzuh, Bettina Wachter, Brittany L. Wagler, Jesse Whittington, Martin Wikelski, Christopher C. Wilmers, George Wittemyer, Julie K. Young, Filip Zieba, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Mark A. J. Huijbregts, Thomas Mueller
Summary: COVID-19 lockdowns have had significant impacts on wildlife, altering their spatial behaviors such as increased movements and reduced avoidance of roads. However, individual responses varied and were influenced by the different lockdown conditions.