Article
Ecology
Pedro Luna, Fabricio Villalobos, Federico Escobar, Frederico S. Neves, Wesley Dattilo
Summary: The study found that variations in trophic specialisation were not explained by latitudinal zones or elevation. Additionally, sites with high productivity and precipitation tended to have higher trophic specialisation, while historical temperature stability was linked to lower trophic specialisation. The global variation in trophic specialisation may be driven by energetic constraints imposed by climate and resource availability.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rodrigo A. Moreno, Fabio A. Labra, Darko D. Cotoras, Patricio A. Camus, Dimitri Gutierrez, Luis Aguirre, Nicolas Rozbaczylo, Elie Poulin, Nelson A. Lagos, Daniel Zamorano, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira
Summary: The study found that there is a rare hump-shaped latitudinal diversity gradient among marine organisms along the Southeastern Pacific coast, with species richness peaking at around 42 degrees south and declining towards the northern and southern areas. There is a significant increase in phylogenetic conservatism and species richness towards the southern region, while pairwise distance variation shows the opposite trend. This suggests that evolutionary processes play a major role in shaping the latitudinal diversity gradient in this region.
Article
Ecology
Ian S. Pearse, Patrick McIntyre, N. Ivalu Cacho, Sharon Y. Strauss
Summary: Based on an analysis of a clade of jewelflowers, this study found that the fitness homeostasis of genotypes can be a major factor contributing to a species' realized niche breadth and geographic range. Fitness homeostasis is important for species as it can buffer them from the loss of genetic diversity and provide time for adaptation under changing climates.
Article
Ecology
Josep Padulles Cubino, Irena Axmanova, Zdena Lososova, Martin Vecera, Ariel Bergamini, Helge Bruelheide, Juergen Dengler, Ute Jandt, Florian Jansen, Ricarda Paetsch, Milan Chytry
Summary: Niche filtering theory predicts that abundant species in communities have similar traits that are suitable for the environment. In this study, we used a trait-based approach to investigate the positioning of abundant and rare species along different axes of trait variation in temperate grassland communities in Central Europe. Our findings suggest that niche filtering, particularly resource-acquisition trade-offs, drives species abundance in these grassland communities.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lifeng Zhou, Hongwei Yu, Kaiwen Yang, Li Chen, Wandong Yin, Jianqing Ding
Summary: This study demonstrates that invasive plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia adapts its seed traits in response to climate variations along latitudes and longitudes. Germination time is delayed with increasing latitude and longitude, while germination rate shows a reversed pattern. Temperature is identified as the dominant driver of the variability in seed traits and germination.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Angelino Carta, Eduardo Fernandez-Pascual, Margherita Gioria, Jonas Mueller, Stephane Riviere, Sergey Rosbakh, Arne Saatkamp, Filip Vandelook, Efisio Mattana
Summary: This study used germination data from European plants to investigate the role of climate and phylogenetic relatedness in shaping the germination niche of temperate plants. The results showed that climate and phylogenetic relatedness play important roles in determining the germination responses of plants. In warm and dry climates, seed germination is inhibited by cold and alternating temperature, while in climates with high temperature seasonality, opposite responses can be observed. Additionally, germination responses are influenced by seed mass but not climate. There is a phylogenetic signal in the response of seeds to experimental conditions, but phylogenetically distant lineages exhibit similar germination responses under similar climates.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Katia Yasuko Yofukuji, Ana Lucia Paz Cardozo, Barbara Angelio Quirino, Matheus Henrique Ferreira Aleixo, Rosemara Fugi
Summary: The study found that increasing macrophyte diversity can increase the richness and diversity of associated invertebrates, and also alter the diet composition of the small fish M. forestii. Higher macrophyte diversity increases the consumption of invertebrates and decreases the consumption of aquatic plants by M. forestii.
Article
Plant Sciences
J. Yuan, Q. Yan, J. Xie, J. Wang, T. Zhang
Summary: Warming can accelerate seedling recruitment of temperate woody species by shortening germination time, especially for seeds that have undergone cold stratification. Shrubs were found to be the least sensitive to warming.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rafael Batista Ferreira, Micael Rosa Parreira, Filipe Viegas de Arruda, Marcus J. A. Falcao, Vidal de Freitas Mansano, Joao Carlos Nabout
Summary: Predicting the geographic distribution of plants that provide ecosystem services is crucial for understanding climate change impacts on community adaptation. This study evaluated the effects of climate change on the distribution of Apuleia leiocarpa using experimental and ecological niche modeling approaches. The findings suggest that, despite a tendency to migrate to milder regions, unsuitable temperatures for germination may drastically reduce the availability of the species in future climate change scenarios.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Kristen E. E. Saban, Yan-Fu Qu, John J. J. Wiens
Summary: By comparing patterns of phylogenetic conservatism among 10 niche variables in major clades of land vertebrates, we found that phylogenetic signal of niche variables does not disappear over deep timescales. Additionally, alpha niche traits are more conservative and exhibit slower rates of evolution than beta niche variables.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Matthew C. Hutchinson, Andrew P. Dobson, Robert M. Pringle
Summary: The structure of vertebrate diets show strong generality in following a hollow-curve shape, with most populations being surprisingly specialised and dependent on only a few foods for at least half of their diet. Variation in dietary generalisation is influenced by factors such as consumer type, body mass, and latitude. Challenges ahead include understanding the mechanisms behind the hollow-curve DAD, its generality beyond vertebrates, and the biological determinants of dietary generalisation.
Article
Ecology
Ericka O. C. Coni, David J. Booth, Camilo M. Ferreira, Ivan Nagelkerken
Summary: In response to human-mediated ocean warming, coral-reef fishes are shifting poleward and modifying their behavioral niches. Tropical fishes in novel temperate ranges are adjusting their behavior and increasing niche breadth, while native temperate species are also modifying their niches towards subtropical ranges. Behaviors related to feeding and shoaling play a significant role in niche modifications for both tropical and temperate species.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Elizabeth P. Lacey, Matthew M. Marshall, Marc Bucciarelli, Scott J. Richter
Summary: This study investigates the genetic control of seed traits in Plantago lanceolata and finds evidence of transgenerational effects on seed mass and germination timing. The results highlight the importance of considering the influence of both maternal genotype and zygotic genes in understanding the evolution of populations and in species conservation and restoration efforts.
Article
Plant Sciences
S. S. Phartyal, S. Rosbakh, M. Gruber, P. Poschlod
Summary: Ethylene can broaden the germination niche width and increase overall germination percentage and speed for wetland plant seeds. This is crucial for non-dormant seeds to sense favorable conditions for germination.
Article
Ecology
Daniela de Angeli Dutra, Gabriel Moreira Felix, Robert Poulin
Summary: The geographical and environmental ranges of parasites are negatively associated with their host specificity and their local abundance. Local abundance restricts the geographical and environmental ranges of parasites, indicating a trade-off between these traits that becomes evident when considering heterogeneous host communities.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Susan E. Everingham, Raymond A. J. Blick, Manon E. B. Sabot, Eve Slavich, Angela T. Moles
Summary: Southern hemisphere species are showing fewer advances in their flowering phenology through time, especially in comparison to northern hemisphere species.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katarina C. Stuart, Richard J. Edwards, Yuanyuan Cheng, Wesley C. Warren, David W. Burt, William B. Sherwin, Natalie R. Hofmeister, Scott J. Werner, Gregory F. Ball, Melissa Bateson, Matthew C. Brandley, Katherine L. Buchanan, Phillip Cassey, David F. Clayton, Tim De Meyer, Simone L. Meddle, Lee A. Rollins
Summary: This study presents the genome assembly and transcriptome data of the European starling, providing valuable resources for population genetic and evolutionary research. The researchers used multiple techniques to generate high-quality genome assemblies and demonstrated the effectiveness of a new tool. This work expands our understanding of avian genomes and offers tools for evaluating and improving genome quality.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Statistics & Probability
David I. Warton
Summary: This article proposes a method of constructing global envelopes on residual plots to validate regression model assumptions and study their properties through simulation experiments. The global envelope tests perform better than commonly used tests at detecting violations of distributional and linearity assumptions.
AMERICAN STATISTICIAN
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mingjie Luo, Yinqiu Ji, David Warton, Douglas W. Yu
Summary: Accurately extracting species-abundance information from DNA-based data is important for various applications. This study focuses on distinguishing within-sample across-species quantification and across-sample within-species quantification. The authors review literature on methods to remove biases and noise in DNA-based data sets and propose using DNA spike-ins as well as a model-based estimator to correct for pipeline noise.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Richard C. Connora, Michael Krutzen, Simon J. Allen, William B. Sherwin, Stephanie L. King
Summary: Efforts to understand human social evolution often involve comparisons with nonhuman primates. However, a group of bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia, exhibit chimpanzee-like traits, including a fission-fusion grouping pattern and strategic male alliances. The study reveals a large and differentiated alliance network among male dolphins, with connections to males outside of their alliance network. The duration of consortship with females is dependent on connections with third-order allies, indicating that alliances between groups increase reproductive success.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Han Wang, Colin Prentice, Ian J. Wright, David I. Warton, Shengchao Qiao, Xiangtao Xu, Jian Zhou, Kihachiro Kikuzawa, Nils Chr. Stenseth
Summary: The life span of leaves is positively correlated with their mass per unit area (LMA), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. By analyzing large leaf trait datasets, we found that this empirical generalization is a result of natural selection, which maximizes average net carbon gain over the leaf life cycle. We demonstrated how evergreen and deciduous species with different construction costs (assumed proportional to LMA) are selected by light, temperature, and growing-season length in predictable ways. Moreover, we explained the observed divergent latitudinal trends in evergreen and deciduous LMA and showed how local distributions of LMA arise from selection under different environmental conditions acting on the species pool. These findings highlight how optimality principles can contribute to a new theory for plant geography and terrestrial carbon dynamics.
Article
Ecology
Hongxiang Zhang, Si-Chong Chen, Stephen P. Bonser, Timothy Hitchcock, Angela T. Moles
Summary: This study examined the relationships between plant characteristics, environmental variables, and the probability of clonal reproduction in plant species in Australia. It found that plant characteristics had a stronger correlation with clonal reproduction than environmental variables. Short, herbaceous plants and monocots were more likely to have clonal reproduction and were found in environments with specific characteristics, while tall, woody plants and eudicots tended to only reproduce sexually and were found in different environments.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Statistics & Probability
Elliot Dovers, Wesley Brooks, Gordana C. C. Popovic, David I. I. Warton
Summary: Log-Gaussian Cox processes (LGCPs) provide a framework for regression-style modeling of point patterns with spatial latent effects. We propose a novel methodology for fitting LGCP models that addresses the challenges of marginal likelihood and high dimensional integral. The method combines variational approximation, reduced rank interpolation, automatic differentiation, and integral approximation using the Laplace method. Simulation and real data application show promising results in terms of computational speed and accuracy compared to existing approaches.
JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL AND GRAPHICAL STATISTICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
C. H. Frere, G. D. O'Reilly, K. Strickland, A. Schultz, K. Hohwieler, J. Hanger, D. de Villiers, R. Cristescu, D. Powell, W. Sherwin
Summary: The genetic consequences of population subdivision in human-impacted landscapes are significant for long-term evolution. This study analyzes the effects of population subdivision on genetic diversity using koala population data and proposes a method to evaluate mitigation measures.
Article
Ecology
Ben Maslen, Gordana Popovic, Michelle Lim, Ezequiel Marzinelli, David Warton
Summary: Sample size estimation through power analysis is crucial in ecological studies. A proposed power analysis procedure addresses challenges in multivariate abundance data collection by using a Gaussian copula model, assuming a common effect size across all taxa, and using a critical value approach to estimate power. This procedure was demonstrated on fish assemblage data and is available in the ecopower R software package.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rosa A. D. Earle, Joe Atkinson, Angela T. T. Moles
Summary: This study compared the traits of British species that are present in Australia and those that are not. The results showed that species present in Australia have larger geographic extents, longer seed bank longevity, and taller maximum heights compared to species not present in Australia. However, there were no significant differences in flower size, flower colour, and seed mass between the two groups. The findings suggest that human introductions may contribute to an increased risk of ecosystem invasion by selecting species with specific traits.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Charlie D. Clark, Angela T. Moles, Fatih Fazlioglu, Claire R. Brandenburger, Stephen Hartley
Summary: Phenotypic plasticity in introduced populations of Arctotheca populifolia, a plant species, was found to be lower compared to their native source population. This unexpected result may be attributed to founder effects or differences in selective pressures between the native and introduced ranges.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ryan Shofner, William Sherwin, Chris Reid, Aidan Runagall-McNaull, Gerasimos Cassis, Shawn Laffan
Summary: The wildfires in Australia's Black Summer did not significantly affect the genetic diversity of invertebrate species, especially the flightless dung beetle Amphistomus primonactus Matthews 1974.
JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Scarlett Li-Williams, Katarina C. Stuart, Sebastien Comte, David M. Forsyth, Michelle Dawson, William B. Sherwin, Lee A. Rollins
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the population structure of rusa deer in the Illawarra region of New South Wales and determine the effects of landscape features on gene flow. The results showed that genetic diversity was highest near the original introduction site, and a railway line restricted gene flow. Surprisingly, the Illawarra escarpment did not limit gene flow, and there was no evidence of sex-biased dispersal.
Review
Biology
Angela T. Moles, Rhiannon L. Dalrymple, S. Raghu, Stephen P. Bonser, Jeff Ollerton
Summary: Introduced species often benefit from escaping their enemies, a concept known as the enemy release hypothesis. However, they may also lose mutualists when colonizing a new range, which can reduce their success or even prevent establishment. This study provides the first quantitative synthesis of the missed mutualist hypothesis, showing that plants interact with fewer mutualist species and have fewer interactions with mutualists in their introduced range compared to their native range. Understanding the role of missed mutualists can inform the management of introduced species.