Article
Ecology
Shane L. Hogle, Iina Hepolehto, Lasse Ruokolainen, Johannes Cairns, Teppo Hiltunen, Jonathan Chase
Summary: Modifying intraspecific trait diversity can alter competitive hierarchies between different species, leading to competitive exclusion. This competitive outcome is driven by foraging traits and has significant impacts on prey community assembly.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea F. Vallejo-Vargas, Douglas Sheil, Asuncion Semper-Pascual, Lydia Beaudrot, Jorge A. Ahumada, Emmanuel Akampurira, Robert Bitariho, Santiago Espinosa, Vittoria Estienne, Patrick A. Jansen, Charles Kayijamahe, Emanuel H. Martin, Marcela Guimaraes Moreira Lima, Badru Mugerwa, Francesco Rovero, Julia Salvador, Fernanda Santos, Wilson Roberto Spironello, Eustrate Uzabaho, Richard Bischof
Summary: This study examines the diel activity patterns of tropical mammals in protected forests across different biogeographic regions. The findings suggest that the activity of herbivores and insectivores is constrained by thermoregulation, while the activity of carnivores is influenced by bottom-up processes and the activity of small omnivores and insectivores is regulated by top-down processes. Overall, diel activity in tropical mammal communities is shaped by similar processes and constraints, reflecting body mass and trophic guilds.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gretchen H. Roffler, Charlotte E. Eriksson, Jennifer M. Allen, Taal Levi
Summary: Sea otters and wolves, two apex predators, have interacted for the first time after their ranges overlap, with sea otters becoming an abundant marine subsidy for wolves. The reintroduction and restoration of sea otters have caused a dietary switch in wolves, eliminating deer and linking nearshore and terrestrial food webs. This study highlights the unexpected nutrient pathway and cross-boundary subsidy cascades resulting from species restoration.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Erica F. Stuber, Ben S. Carlson, Brett R. Jesmer
Summary: The study shows that there is consistent individual variation in spatial behaviors among animals, known as spatial personality. This variation has important implications for wildlife distribution, abundance, interactions, and adaptation to environmental change. Understanding spatial personality can improve our understanding of species' distributions and population dynamics.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sabine Floeder, Joanne Yong, Toni Klauschies, Ursula Gaedke, Tobias Poprick, Thorsten Brinkhoff, Stefanie Moorthi
Summary: The study reveals that intraspecific trait variation significantly influences the competition outcome between ciliate species, with different Coleps clones showing preferences for Cry and Nav affecting the competition result. Additionally, the ability of Euplotes to utilize bacteria as an alternative food source enhances its persistence after the depletion of primary resources.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Javier Sanchez-Hernandez, Anders G. Finstad, Jo Vegar Arnekleiv, Gaute Kjaerstad, Per-Arne Amundsen
Summary: The study reveals that resource diversity, rather than resource abundance, is the primary driver of niche variation in fish in temperate riverine systems. Competition leads to a decrease in niche variation, while ecological opportunity may mask the effect of competition on niche variation.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Claudio Arancibia-Ibarra, Pablo Aguirre, Jose Flores, Peter van Heijster
Summary: The study investigates the Bazykin predator-prey model and confirms the existence and stability of two interior equilibrium points. Various bifurcations, such as saddle-node bifurcations, Hopf bifurcations, etc., are shown in the model. Numerical simulations reveal the impact of changing predator consumption rate and conversion efficiency on the basin of attraction of stable equilibrium points.
APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Varpu Parssinen, Kaj Hulthen, Christer Bronmark, Caroline Bjorneras, Gustaf Ekelund Ugge, Raphael Gollnisch, Lars-Anders Hansson, Simon David Herzog, Nan Hu, Emma Johansson, Marcus Lee, Karin Rengefors, Yongcui Sha, Martin Skerlep, Jerker Vinterstare, Huan Zhang, R. Brian Langerhans, P. Anders Nilsson
Summary: Research shows that varying levels of predation risk can lead to differences in behaviors associated with resource competition in prey, but these effects can strongly differ between sexes.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Paul E. Bourdeau, Steven A. Pothoven, Scott D. Peacor
Summary: This passage discusses the study of cannibalism in Bythotrephes cederstromii, demonstrating and quantifying the cannibalism rates through laboratory experiments. The results suggest that cannibalism could be an important food source during certain periods of the year and in particular places.
Article
Entomology
Matthew R. Pintar, Jason R. Bohenek, William J. Resetarits
Summary: Our study reveals the first documented case of geographic variation in oviposition response of a prey species to a predator species. In Missouri, Culex restuans showed reduced oviposition in the presence of Notonecta irrorata, while in Mississippi, C. restuans did not respond to various factors related to N. irrorata.
ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Vanessa A. Mata, Luis P. da Silva, Joana Verissimo, Pedro Horta, Helena Raposeira, Gary F. McCracken, Hugo Rebelo, Pedro Beja
Summary: In multifunctional landscapes, diverse communities of flying vertebrate predators play a vital role in insect pest control services. By combining DNA metabarcoding and ecological network analysis, individual species within diverse predator communities that have a disproportionate contribution to pest control services can be identified. This framework can help target species for conservation biocontrol efforts in multifunctional landscapes.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lachlan R. Phillips, Gemma Carroll, Ian Jonsen, Robert Harcourt, Andrew S. Brierley, Adam Wilkins, Martin Cox
Summary: Understanding how marine predators encounter prey across patchy landscapes remains challenging. This study used GPS and dive loggers to measure the at-sea behavior of little penguins and assessed the prey field through boat-based acoustic surveys. The results showed that penguin tracks had higher prey encounter rates compared to random movements, but reductions in prey encounters and abnormal body mass were observed when prey was sparse or deep.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Pierre Pepin
Summary: Data on individual stomach contents were analyzed to investigate length-dependent differences in feeding success of larvae of 11 fish species in coastal Newfoundland, Canada. The results showed a shift in diet from nauplii to copepodites in all species, with copepods dominating the diet. Feeding success in terms of prey number and gut fullness was linked to increasing individual diet diversity, although there was a slight decline in mean prey size. Maxilla and body length had a positive influence on the potential feeding success of larval fish, regardless of taxonomic proximity.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Sangeeta Saha, Debgopal Sahoo, Guruprasad Samanta
Summary: Degradation of habitat caused by human activities, such as urbanization and industrial waste emission, poses severe challenges for the survival of living organisms. A study on prey-predator interaction with prey refuge shows that predators' survival is negatively affected when the rate of habitat destruction exceeds the rate of habitat regeneration. Even slightly lower rates of habitat degradation can still threaten predator species with extinction. Maintaining biodiversity requires efforts to slow down habitat degradation and accelerate habitat restoration, while effectively controlling habitat deterioration caused by human activity.
Article
Ecology
Virginie Vanlandeghem, Pierre Drapeau, Marie-Caroline Prima, Martin-Hugues St-Laurent, Daniel Fortin
Summary: Landscape complexity plays a key role in determining the population dynamics of interacting predators and prey. The commonly used aspatial predictive models in management plans may lead to unexpected outcomes or missed opportunities for spatial interventions. By utilizing spatially explicit individual-based models, it is possible to manipulate species interactions and achieve specific management goals related to predation rates.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefanie M. Guiliano, Cerina M. Karr, Nathalie R. Sommer, Robert W. Buchkowski
Article
Ecology
Matthew A. McCary, Oswald J. Schmitz
Summary: Functional traits are useful for characterizing variation in community and ecosystem dynamics. Advances in trait-based ecology focus mainly on plant traits, but animal traits also contribute significantly to community and ecosystem processes. Invertebrates play important roles in nutrient cycling, but the effects of their functional traits on terrestrial nutrient cycling are still not fully understood.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Diego Ellis-Soto, Kristy M. Ferraro, Matteo Rizzuto, Emily Briggs, Julia D. Monk, Oswald J. Schmitz
Summary: Meta-ecosystem theory studies how organisms and matter move across landscapes to connect different ecosystems, with recent research highlighting animals as important vectors of nutrient transport. Empirical tests of this theory are limited due to its abstract nature, and there is a need for better integration of tools to predict the roles and impacts of animals on diverse ecosystems. Integrating insights from movement, foraging, and ecosystem ecology can help enhance the quantification of animal-vectored nutrient flows and improve the predictive power of meta-ecosystem theory.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alexandria C. Moore, Oswald J. Schmitz
Summary: Recent studies have shown that the loss of predators in coastal salt marshes can lead to a significant reduction in wetland extent due to overgrazing of vegetation by herbivores. Manipulating the presence of predators can lead to measurable changes in salt marsh ecosystem properties, indicating that controlling top-down factors can influence changes in measured variables.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kristy M. Ferraro, Oswald J. Schmitz, Matthew A. McCary
Summary: The study indicates that the movement of large ungulates like caribou can increase the heterogeneity of available nutrients within a landscape and provide an important feedback for population stability. Results show that the density and sociality of caribou can affect nutrient distribution on the landscape, and the cumulative effects of consumption and deposition are crucial for landscape stability.
Article
Ecology
Robert W. Buchkowski, Oswald J. Schmitz
Summary: Interactions between herbivores and detritivores may only occur in situ when animals have exceptionally high individual effects on ecosystems and when external forces driving plant community change and soil biogeochemical fluxes are weak.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Julia D. Monk, Oswald J. Schmitz
Summary: The interaction between predators and prey can generate spatial heterogeneity in ecological systems, impacting the overall stability of the ecosystem. The intensity and spatial variability of predation have significant effects on ecosystem heterogeneity, with weak or diffuse predation leading to ecosystem homogenization.
Article
Ecology
Nathalie R. R. Sommer, Yara A. A. Alshwairikh, A. Z. Andis Arietta, David K. K. Skelly, Robert W. W. Buchkowski
Summary: Predation risk leads to various responses in prey, including changes in life history and habitat shifts. Metabolism, being a ubiquitous trait, provides a way to study the effects of predators and generate generalizable outcomes. In this study, we examined the metabolic responses of different functional groups of terrestrial and aquatic prey to predator cues. We found that constitutively defended prey did not show any metabolic responses, while deimatic and freeze-flight prey exhibited cue type and predator hunting mode-dependent metabolic responses. Consistent with previous research on nonconsumptive effects, ambush predators elicited metabolic responses, while active predators did not. We propose that future research should continue to use a metabolic approach as a unified, scalable response variable to study the sensory ecology of nonconsumptive effects and identify additional systems to evaluate predator hunting mode and prey antipredator defenses more comprehensively.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kristy M. Ferraro, Anthony L. Ferraro, A. Z. Andis Arietta, Nathalie R. Sommer
Summary: Conservation science is a field with implicit and explicit values, and conservationists must engage with conservation ethics to examine these values. Recent studies show that individual animals and their variation are valuable for conservation science, and there is a growing consensus in environmental philosophy on the moral worth of individuals. Avoiding anthropomorphism is detrimental to conservation, as critical anthropomorphism allows for a more nuanced and compassionate scientific approach. We provide evidence that these dogmatic norms are outdated and propose new normative values for more robust conservation science and ethical practice.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Oswald J. Schmitz, Magnus Sylven
Article
Environmental Sciences
Oswald J. Schmitz, Magnus Sylven, Trisha B. Atwood, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Fabio Berzaghi, Jedediah F. Brodie, Joris P. G. M. Cromsigt, Andrew B. Tilker, Shawn J. Leroux, Frans J. Schepers, Felisa A. Smith, Sari Stark, Jens-Christian Svenning, Andrew B. Tilker, Henni Ylanne
Summary: The authors argue for the importance of including animals in natural climate solutions, as the restoration and conservation of wild animals and their functional roles can enhance natural carbon capture and storage. They believe that this approach can contribute to preventing climate warming beyond 1.5 degrees C. However, they point out that the current understanding undervalues the role animals play in controlling the carbon cycle.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Franklin Bertellotti, Nathalie R. Sommer, Oswald J. Schmitz, Matthew A. Mccary
Summary: The study found that decreasing habitat connectivity has a significant impact on the abundance and diversity of ground-dwelling arthropods, but not on flying arthropods. Additionally, changes in habitat connectivity also affected the trophic interactions among ground-dwelling arthropods.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nathalie R. Sommer, Kristy M. Ferraro
Summary: This research explores an ethical framework for conservation and wild animal ethics, providing a basis for ethical intervention for wildlife managers. Through case studies, it demonstrates the ethical justification of behavioral training in wildlife management and offers practical considerations for implementation.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kristy M. Ferraro, Anthony L. Ferraro, Nathalie R. Sommer
Summary: Conservation ethics, as an interdisciplinary field, faces challenges such as reciprocal ignorance between conservationists and ethicists, as well as the difficulty of creating widely applicable ethical principles. By highlighting medical bioethics as a productive example of applied ethical theory, the field can avoid unproductive pitfalls and promote positive collaboration between different disciplines.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2021)