Article
Ecology
Daniela C. Roessler, Massimo De Agro, Kris Kim, Paul S. Shamble
Summary: Research suggests that salticids display a robust, fast, and repeatable 'freeze and retreat' behavior when presented with stationary predators, but not towards similarly sized non-predator objects. Anti-predator responses are triggered by co-occurring and non-co-occurring salticid predators, as well as by 3D-printed salticid models, indicating a generalized predator detection/classification. The presence of eyes in the modified 3D-printed models plays an important role in triggering responses, but suggests that underlying processes rely on multiple cues rather than just single features.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
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
Biology
Rebecca N. MacKay, Tyler C. Wood, Paul A. Moore
Summary: The study reveals that crayfish utilize both safety cues and fear cues to relocate themselves when responding to alarm signals in order to navigate their environment.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Christian Drerup, Martin J. How, James E. Herbert-Read
Summary: Many animals rely on their visual systems to detect, locate or discriminate information in their environment. Visual noise caused by caustic flicker impairs the ability of fishes to detect prey, but its impacts on non-vertebrates remain untested. This study found that caustic flicker does not affect the hunting success or behavior of cuttlefish.
Article
Biology
Sajesh Vijayan, Eric J. Warrant, Hema Somanathan
Summary: The study found that the shimmering behavior of giant honeybees is influenced by ambient light conditions. Shimmering is strongest in bright environments but declines in dim light. Giant honeybees only shimmer when presented with the darkest stimulus against a light background, not the other way around. This behavior is an effective strategy for these bees to defend against predators.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Alberto Bortoni, Sharon M. Swartz, Hamid Vejdani, Aaron J. Corcoran
Summary: A predator's ability to catch prey depends on its navigation skills in response to prey movements. The pursuit behavior of Townsend's big-eared bat varies, as it relies on a slow and agile flight to stealthily approach prey and reacts to prey movements using a combination of pure pursuit and proportional navigation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Daniela Hipolito Maggio, Victoria Zannuzzi Rossetti, Larissa Muniz Amaral Santos, Felipe Levorato Carmezini, Alberto Soares Correa
Summary: This study aimed to develop a molecular marker to detect Spodoptera frugiperda DNA in predators' gut content. The results showed that ladybugs and earwigs prey on S. frugiperda in maize fields, and the predation rates vary depending on time and location. Predators play an important role in the control of S. frugiperda in maize crops.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryo Nakano, Akio Ito, Susumu Tokumaru
Summary: A study has found that using ultrasonic pulses that mimic bat echolocation calls can effectively suppress the intrusion of moths into agricultural fields, reducing plant damage and the need for insecticides.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Yuuki Y. Watanabe, Yannis P. Papastamatiou
Summary: Addressing important questions in animal ecology, physiology, and environmental science often requires in situ information from wild animals. This difficulty is being overcome by biologging and biotelemetry, or the use of miniaturized animal-borne sensors. Advanced devices and analytical methods provide rich information on individual and group behavior, internal states, and the surrounding environment of free-ranging marine animals. These studies contribute to global environmental research and our understanding of the secret lives of marine animals.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANIMAL BIOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Mathematics
Seralan Vinoth, R. Vadivel, Nien-Tsu Hu, Chin-Sheng Chen, Nallappan Gunasekaran
Summary: This study investigates the impact of fear on prey populations and prey refuges in a predator-harvested Leslie-Gower model. The research focuses on analyzing the number and stability properties of all positive equilibria and uses numerical simulation to evaluate the stability. Additionally, sensitivity investigations are performed on model solutions in relation to fear impact, prey refuges, and harvesting.
Article
Entomology
Marie C. Russell, Lauren J. Cator
Summary: This study assessed the impact of Megacyclops viridis copepods on the survival and traits of Aedes albopictus mosquito larvae. While copepod predation caused a slight increase in late instar mortality, there was no significant impact on development time or size. This supports the use of M. viridis copepods as a biocontrol agent against Ae. albopictus.
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
Ecology
Jesus Miguel Aviles, Angel Cruz-Miralles, Deseada Parejo
Summary: The niche divergence hypothesis suggests that color polymorphism is based on disruptive selection, and individuals with different colors differ in their trophic niche. However, coloration did not lead to segregation among territories of different qualities.
Article
Biology
Yurii Kornilev, Nikolay D. Natchev, Harvey B. Lillywhite
Summary: This study provides the first extensive review of incidents where snakes died during feeding, including cases caused by oversized prey, potentially harmful prey, and predator's behavioral/mechanical errors. The findings suggest that mortality during feeding may be more common than previously assumed and has implications for the ecology of populations impacted by changing trophic environments.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Benjamin A. Belgrad, William Knudson, Sarah H. Roney, William C. Walton, Jessica Lunt, Delbert L. Smee
Summary: Prey species can adjust morphology to reduce predation risk by responding to predator cues. A study on oysters showed that they grew stronger shells and had increased survivorship when raised with cues from common predator species. The findings highlight the potential of using predator cues to enhance the survival of target species and control pest-based mortality.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Paulino Bambi, Alan M. Tonin, Renan de Souza Rezende, Fernando Carvalho Vieira, Fernanda Gabriela Graciano Miranda, Luz Boyero, Jose F. Goncalves
Summary: Riparian forests play a crucial role in stream ecosystems by supporting biodiversity, reducing water erosion, and providing litter for aquatic biota. However, they are vulnerable to various anthropogenic threats, including logging, which can alter the composition and physical structure of riparian vegetation. This study investigated how logging affects litter inputs and storage in riparian forests, finding that logged sites had higher litterfall and lateral inputs compared to reference sites. The legacy impact of clear-cut logging can therefore significantly alter the type, quantity, and seasonality of litter subsidies to tropical streams.
Article
Ecology
Emanuel Rampanelli Cararo, Cassia Alves Lima-Rezende, Renan de Souza Rezende
Summary: Although competition for resources has a significant impact on aquatic ecosystem structure, its influence on allochthonous matter dynamics in streams is still poorly understood. This study evaluates the effect of direct and indirect competition on leaf consumption by Phylloicus sp. larvae. Both direct and indirect competitions decrease the feeding activity of the larvae and negatively affect leaf fragmentation rates.
Article
Environmental Sciences
William Gabriel Borges, Gilberto Dinis Cozzer, Giovana Rech Durigon, Cassia Alves Lima-Rezende, Renan de Souza Rezende
Summary: Predator presence has a strong effect on the life history traits of Aedes aegypti, including larval mortality, wing asymmetry, development time, adult body size, and survival time, while predator size has a weak effect.
Article
Entomology
Isabella Bodanese Marsaro, Gilberto Dinis Cozzer, Emanuel Rampanelli Cararo, Raquel De Brito, William Gabriel Borges, Jacir Dal Magro, Cassia Alves Lima-Rezende, Renan de Souza Rezende
Summary: Efforts to control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes often involve using synthetic insecticides, which can harm the environment. However, plant compounds released through the leaf-leaching process have biocontrol potential. In this study, the leachates from Ateleia glazioviana and Eucalyptus grandis were found to increase larval mortality and decrease emergence time of Ae. aegypti, but also resulted in larger adults. Therefore, biocontrol attempts using urban green spaces may have unintended consequences.
BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Renan de Souza Rezende, Bruna Valencio Cavallet, Alana Maria Polesso, Edpool Rocha Silva, Carolina Riviera Duarte Maluche Baretta
Summary: Soil conservation in agriculture is important for productivity and sustainability. This study measured the rate of cellulose decomposition in agriculture systems compared to forest systems. The results showed that cellulose decomposition was lower in agriculture systems, highlighting the importance of forest fragments for retaining ecosystem services in productive areas.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carlos Calderon del Cid, Alessandra Nasser Caiafa, Renan de Souza Rezende, Tailane Silva Sousa, Lenise Guedes, Adriana Oliveira Medeiros
Summary: Temporal scale and biodiversity components determine how temporal variation affects biodiversity. In the case of Brazilian Savannah riparian zones, rainfall fluctuations control litter input, while dominance and diversity components represent litter biodiversity. Our hypothesis was that the dominance components would respond more to temporal variation, while the diversity components would vary more among input compartments due to a heterogeneous riparian forest. Our experiment in a Brazilian savannah riparian forest supported our hypothesis, showing that temporal variation affected dominance components but not diversity components. Additionally, the study found that diversity and dominance components responded to input compartments, suggesting a heterogeneous riparian forest at a local spatial scale, which would impact the resource supply for decomposer community.
WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Elder Pacheco da Cruz, Juliani Buchveitz Pires, Felipe Nardo dos Santos, Laura Martins Fonseca, Marjana Radunz, Jacir Dal Magro, Eliezer Avila Gandra, Elessandra da Rosa Zavareze, Alvaro Renato Guerra Dias
Summary: This study aimed to inhibit fungal spoilage in bread by using cassava starch fibers loaded with lemongrass essential oil. The study measured the amylose content of cassava starch and characterized the chemical composition of lemongrass essential oil. The polymeric solution of starch and lemongrass essential oil was prepared and evaluated for various parameters. The study found that the cassava starch-lemon grass essential oil fibers displayed high antifungal activity and could be a promising alternative to synthetic additives in the food industry.
FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Emanuel Rampanelli Cararo, Joao Pedro Bernardi, Cassia Alves Lima-Rezende, Jacir Dal Magro, Renan de Souza Rezende
Summary: This study found that changes in riparian vegetation can affect leaf litter input and quality in aquatic ecosystems, but the impact on litter fragmentation by invertebrate shredder communities in tropical streams has been poorly studied. The caddisfly genus Phylloicus sp. preferred to consume leaves with higher phosphorus and caloric values, and used leaves with lower caloric content for case-building.
NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Luana Makhleine Martinelli, Renan de Souza Rezende
Summary: Different forest systems have different impacts on the function, traits, diversity, and distribution of ferns. Abandoned silviculture has a negative effect on fern diversity and abundance, mainly due to decreased nutrients and soil humidity as well as increased canopy openness. Native forests exhibit higher taxonomic and functional diversity compared to abandoned Pinus plantations.
