Article
Ecology
David C. Bartholomew, Lindsay F. Banin, Paulo R. L. Bittencourt, Mohd Aminur Faiz Suis, Lina M. Mercado, Reuben Nilus, David F. R. P. Burslem, Lucy Rowland
Summary: Understanding the mechanisms of environmental niche partitioning in lowland tropical forests is crucial for studying species distributions and vulnerability to environmental change. This study examined how leaf physiological function and morphology vary with nutrient availability across different forest types and along a fine-scale edaphic gradient in Borneo. The results showed that leaf traits responded consistently to soil nutrient availability, and unique combinations of leaf nutrients were related to variations in photosynthesis and respiration rates. Additionally, generalist species were able to adapt to nutrient-poor environments through changes in leaf mass per area. These findings highlight the importance of leaf physiological and morphological adaptations for dipterocarp species in response to environmental gradients.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hayden Waller, Thomas Blankers, Mingzi Xu, Kerry L. Shaw
Summary: Sexual signalling traits and their associated genetic components are crucial for the speciation process. However, our understanding of the genetic basis of variable sexual signalling traits linked to speciation is limited. This study provides new genetic evidence of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) underlying divergent sexual signalling behaviour in Hawaiian crickets. By sequencing RNA in the brain and central nervous system, candidate genes associated with pulse rate are identified, shedding light on the genetic processes driving reproductive isolation and species diversity.
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Lauren N. Carley, William F. Morris, Roberta Walsh, Donna Riebe, Tom Mitchell-Olds
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between genetic variation and population dynamics in Boechera fecunda. The results showed a weak positive correlation between genetic diversity and demographic performance. The inbreeding coefficient was not strongly correlated with demographic performance. Conservation of distinct B. fecunda populations is recommended.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Evolutionary Biology
Jane M. Reid, Paul Acker
Summary: It is highlighted that directly analyzing observed phenotypes as continuously distributed quantitative traits can potentially generate biased and misleading estimates of additive genetic variances and individual-by-environment and gene-by-environment interactions, if in fact the underlying biology is best conceptualized as an environmentally sensitive threshold trait.
Article
Plant Sciences
Christopher T. Cole, Clay J. Morrow, Hilary L. Barker, Kennedy F. Rubert-Nason, Jennifer F. L. Riehl, Tobias G. Koellner, Nathalie D. Lackus, Richard L. Lindroth
Summary: This study revealed high levels of genetic variation and heritability in key traits of aspen trees, with ontogeny strongly shaping intraspecific variation and clear trade-offs among growth, defence, and reproduction. The architecture of aspen's community genetics is influenced by its broad range and diverse associates, fostering further diversity.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jack Pattee, Lauren A. Vanderlinden, Spencer Mahaffey, Paula Hoffman, Boris Tabakoff, Laura M. Saba
Summary: The Hybrid Rat Diversity Panel (HRDP) is a stable and diverse collection of inbred rat strains that can be used to study the genetic and genomic variation associated with complex diseases. It is important to consider the population structure induced by inbreeding and use appropriate models when analyzing quantitative traits. Extensive simulations can help evaluate the power and performance of genetic association analyses in the HRDP.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
M. L. Souza, L. E. Garcia, M. B. Lovato, J. P. Lemos-Filho
Summary: Understanding how plant traits respond to environmental heterogeneity during ontogeny is crucial for resource capture in tropical forests. Our study found that as Brazilian rosewood plants grow taller and reach different vertical strata, their leaf traits undergo changes, with understorey plants exhibiting larger phenotypic variation and emergent trees showing increased phenotypic stability under stressful conditions.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
David Moreau
Summary: Recent research in psychology suggests that behavioral interventions can have profound effects on cognitive abilities, but there are important discrepancies in effect sizes within the field. The multimodal characteristics of cognitive-intervention effects and their potential impact on large-scale policies remain largely unexplained.
PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Vidya Chidambaran, Xue Zhang, Valentina Pilipenko, Xiaoting Chen, Benjamin Wronowski, Kristie Geisler, Lisa J. Martin, Artem Barski, Matthew T. Weirauch, Hong Ji
Summary: The study identified differences in pain measures between CPSP patients and non-patients, with CPSP risk meQTLs being associated with DNA methylation, indicating a genetic risk. These results suggest that epigenetic mechanisms may mediate the occurrence of CPSP.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Akhilesh Kumar Bajpai, Qingqing Gu, Buyan-Ochir Orgil, Fuyi Xu, Carolina Torres-Rojas, Wenyuan Zhao, Chen Chen, Athena Starlard-Davenport, Byron Jones, Djamel Lebeche, Jeffrey A. Towbin, Enkhsaikhan Purevjav, Lu Lu, Wenjing Zhang
Summary: Copper (Cu) is necessary for the functioning of enzymes involved in cellular and physiological processes. Variations in cardiac Cu content can lead to cardiac pathologies and imbalance in systemic Cu metabolism. This study identified significant correlations between cardiac Cu concentration and left ventricular size and LV hypertrophy in BXD mice. Six QTLs and 21 candidate genes, including Prex1 and Irx3, were identified as regulators of cardiac Cu levels.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lorena Parra, Ivan Simko, Richard W. Michelmore
Summary: The study identified a major QTL on chromosome 4 that significantly affects field resistance in both the Grand Rapids x Salinas and Iceberg x PI491224 populations, as well as two additional significant QTLs on chromosomes 2 and 5 in the Iceberg x PI491224 RIL population. By utilizing marker-assisted gene pyramiding of multiple Dm genes along with QTLs for field resistance, there is potential to develop cultivars with more durable resistance to B. lactucae.
Article
Ecology
Kate Layton-Matthews, Vidar Grotan, Brage Bremset Hansen, Maarten J. J. E. Loonen, Eva Fuglei, Dylan Z. Childs
Summary: The study found that herbivore population dynamics are not sensitive to changes in body condition, but have significant impacts on reproductive behavior and fledgling survival, partly due to positive responses to rapidly advancing spring phenology.
Article
Ecology
Jane M. Reid, Paul Acker
Summary: This article summarizes the differences in forms of phenotypic plasticity, genetic variation, and heritability between threshold traits and continuously distributed traits. It highlights the need for theoretical developments to rationalize and predict the dynamics involving plastic threshold traits in phenotypic and microevolutionary responses.
Article
Plant Sciences
Aida Sole-Medina, Juan Jose Robledo-Arnuncio, Jose Alberto Ramirez-Valiente
Summary: Using the Mediterranean tree Quercus faginea as study system, this research investigated the evolution of resource-use strategies and the relationship between genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity. The results showed a genetic gradient of resource-use strategies and phenotypic plasticity associated with provenance climate, with populations from harsher environments exhibiting conservative resource-use strategy with increased drought tolerance and reduced phenotypic plasticity.
Article
Ecology
Jose Alexandre F. Diniz-Filho, Ana M. C. Santos, Elisa Barreto, Felipe Naves, Wanderson Santos, Kelly Silva Souza, Rejane Santos-Silva, Ricardo Dobrovolski, Thannya Nascimento Soares, Rosana Tidon, Zander Augusto Spigoloni, Thiago F. Rangel, Pasquale Raia, Joaquin Hortal, Lucas Jardim
Summary: The extreme dwarfing of red deer on Jersey is the expected outcome of high mutational variance, high immigration rate, a wide adaptive landscape, low levels of inbreeding, and high phenotypic plasticity (in the early phase of dwarfing), all occurring within a time window of around 6 kyr. Our model reveals how extreme dwarfism is a plausible outcome of common, well-known evolutionary processes.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Stephen P. Ellner, Peter B. Adler, Dylan Z. Childs, Giles Hooker, Tom E. X. Miller, Mark Rees
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Erika M. Hansson, Dylan Z. Childs, Andrew P. Beckerman
Summary: This article describes the design and construction of a chemostat array for cultivating algae and presents experimental data to demonstrate the system's reliability and stability. The system is crucial for studying the adaptation of algae to herbicides.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jocelyne S. Sze, Dylan Z. Childs, L. Roman Carrasco, David P. Edwards
Summary: Intact tropical forests are of high conservation value and have been influenced by long-term human activities. Indigenous lands, which cover a quarter of Earth's surface and overlap with a third of intact forests, often exhibit reduced deforestation, degradation, and carbon emissions compared to other areas. Understanding the impacts and contributions of Indigenous lands to forest integrity is crucial for effective conservation policies. A study using forest landscape integrity index and anthropogenic datasets found that high-integrity forests are mainly located within protected-Indigenous areas. Protected-Indigenous areas showed the highest protective effect on forest integrity and the lowest land-use intensity. However, the protective effect of Indigenous lands on forest integrity was lower in the Americas and Asia. The combined positive effects of state legislation and Indigenous presence in protected-Indigenous areas can help maintain tropical forest integrity.
Article
Parasitology
Adam D. Hayward, Jerzy M. Behnke, Dylan Z. Childs, Yolanda Corripio-Miyar, Andy Fenton, Mariecia D. Fraser, Fiona Kenyon, Tom N. McNeilly, Robin J. Pakeman, Amy B. Pedersen, Josephine M. Pemberton, Amy R. Sweeny, Ken Wilson, Jill G. Pilkington
Summary: Long-term ecological studies are essential for understanding the impact of parasites on host life histories, immune profiles, and selective forces. In a 31-year study of wild Soay sheep, researchers found that the prevalence and abundance of gastrointestinal parasites increased over time. The dynamics of parasite prevalence and abundance varied across age groups and were influenced by both host population density and temporal trends.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paolo Fraccaro, Junaid Butt, Blair Edwards, Robert P. Freckleton, Dylan Z. Childs, Katharina Reusch, David Comont
Summary: This study demonstrates the feasibility of automatically detecting weeds in winter wheat fields using deep learning methods and UAV data at scale. The results show a high-performance and statistically significant correlation between imagery-derived local and global weed maps and field survey data collected by experts.
Article
Ecology
Joe P. P. Woodman, Ella F. F. Cole, Josh A. A. Firth, Christopher M. M. Perrins, Ben C. C. Sheldon
Summary: Age has significant effects on behavior, survival, and reproduction. Age-assortative mating is common, but the mechanisms driving it are not well understood. This study compares breeding data from great tits and mute swans to investigate the contributions of pair retention, cohort age structure, and active age-related mate selection to age assortment. The results show that the drivers of age assortment differ between the species, likely due to their different life histories and demographic differences. Understanding these mechanisms and their consequences is important for wild populations.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Francesco Cerini, Dylan Z. Childs, Christopher F. Clements
Summary: Contemporary rates of biodiversity decline highlight the importance of reliable ecological forecasting, especially the prediction of real-world population declines. This requires a shift in focus from abundance data to individual-level effects, opening up opportunities to utilize multi-dimensional data for ecological forecasting. It is proposed that stressed populations will show a predictable sequence of observable changes, such as changes in behavior, fitness-related traits, population dynamics, and ultimately abundance declines. Monitoring these signals can help determine whether a population is at risk of collapse or is adapting to environmental change.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emily Durant, Grace A. Hoysted, Nathan Howard, Steven M. Sait, Dylan Z. Childs, David Johnson, Katie J. Field
Summary: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonize the roots of most plants, forming a near-ubiquitous symbiosis characterized by the exchange of nutrients and carbon. They can form below-ground networks that facilitate the movement of carbon, nutrients, and defense signals across plant communities. The role of neighbors in mediating carbon-nutrient exchange between mycorrhizal fungi and their plant hosts is still uncertain.
Article
Plant Sciences
Bethan J. Hindle, Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio, Eric S. Menges, Dylan Z. Childs
Summary: The frequency of ecological disturbances, such as fires, is changing due to changing land use and climatic conditions. However, studies often disregard the effects of changes in other abiotic factors, such as climatic conditions, or use simple approaches that disregard seasonal variation. In this study, we used functional linear models to estimate the cumulative effect of climatic variables across the annual cycle and compared predictions of population persistence under different fire return intervals (FRIs) and future climatic conditions for a fire-dependent herb.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Samuel J. L. Gascoigne, Simon Rolph, Daisy Sankey, Nagalakshmi Nidadavolu, Adrian Stell S. Picman, Christina M. Hernandez, Matthew E. R. Philpott, Aiyla Salam, Connor Bernard, Erola Fenollosa, Young Jun Lee, Jessica McLean, Shathuki Hetti Achchige Perera, Oliver G. Spacey, Maja Kajin, Anna C. Vinton, C. Ruth Archer, Jean H. Burns, Danielle L. Buss, Hal Caswell, Judy P. Che-Castaldo, Dylan Z. Childs, Pol Capdevila, Aldo Compagnoni, Elizabeth Crone, Thomas H. G. Ezard, Dave Hodgson, Tiffany M. Knight, Owen R. Jones, Eelke Jongejans, Jenni McDonald, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Chelsea C. Thomas, Andrew J. Tyre, Satu Ramula, Iain Stott, Raymond L. Tremblay, Phil Wilson, James W. Vaupel, Roberto Salguero-Gomez
Summary: Stage-based demographic methods, such as matrix population models (MPMs), are powerful tools used to address a broad range of fundamental questions in ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation science. However, there is pronounced variation in how MPMs are parameterized and reported, lacking standardization. This article summarises current issues and provides suggestions for improving clarity, reproducibility and future research utilising MPMs.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Kristina B. Beck, Ben C. Sheldon, Josh A. Firth
Summary: The emergence and spread of novel behaviors through social learning can result in rapid changes at the population level, as social connections shape information flow. However, little is known about how information flow is influenced by individuals' learning mechanisms. By comparing four different learning mechanisms on wild great tit networks, we found that individuals with increased social connectivity and reduced social clustering acquired new behaviors faster. However, when the adoption of behaviors depended on the ratio of social connections to informed versus uninformed individuals, social connectivity had no impact on the order of acquisition. Additionally, specific learning mechanisms were found to limit behavioral spread within networks.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marta Maziarz, Richard K. Broughton, Kristina B. Beck, Robert A. Robinson, Ben C. Sheldon
Summary: Human activity has affected natural resources and the species that depend on them, resulting in changes in interspecific competition dynamics. This study used automated data collection to examine competition among species with different population trends. Specifically, it focused on the foraging behavior of subordinate marsh tits among socially and numerically dominant blue tits and great tits. The findings showed that marsh tits were less likely to join larger groups of heterospecifics and accessed food less frequently in larger groups. This suggests that subordinate species exhibit temporal avoidance of dominant heterospecifics but have limited spatial avoidance, indicating partial reduction in interspecific competition.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jocelyne S. Sze, Dylan Z. Childs, L. Roman Carrasco, Alvaro Fernandez-Llamazares, Stephen T. Garnett, David P. Edwards
Summary: Indigenous Peoples have long been custodians of their lands and play a crucial role in tropical forest conservation. Research shows that Indigenous Peoples' Lands overlap with the distribution ranges of tropical forest-dependent vertebrates, affecting species richness, extinction vulnerability, and range-size rarity.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kristina B. Beck, Damien R. Farine, Josh A. Firth, Ben C. Sheldon
Summary: The structure of animal societies is influenced by factors such as habitat configuration and population size. In this study, the researchers investigated how population size and habitat configuration affect the social structure of great tits. They found that population size was consistent within locations and predicted by habitat configuration, and that it influenced social structure as measured by network metrics. Additionally, the researchers discovered that social decisions made by individuals played a significant role in shaping social network features.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Amy R. Sweeny, Hannah Lemon, Anan Ibrahim, Kathryn A. Watt, Kenneth Wilson, Dylan Z. Childs, Daniel H. Nussey, Andrew Free, Luke McNally