Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alice Monnier-Corbel, Anne-Christine Monnet, Leo Bacon, Blas M. Benito, Alexandre Robert, Yves Hingrat
Summary: The study indicates that reproductive success of North African Houbara bustard is negatively impacted by local densities, with this relationship remaining constant over time and space and not varying with habitat quality.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Lankesh Yashwant Bhaisare, Sweta Paraste, Sandeep Kaushik, Desh Deepak Chaudhary, Fahad Al-Misned, Shahid Mahboob, Khalid Al-Ghanim, Mohammad Javed Ansari
Summary: The study found that post-mating behavior in insects, especially in Chrysomelidae beetles, plays a crucial role in reproductive success. The mating duration and fecundity of males and females have significant effects on reproductive performance, with males displaying mate-guarding behavior.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Erika M. King, David A. Tallmon, Scott C. Vulstek, Joshua R. Russell, Megan V. McPhee
Summary: Despite extensive research on Pacific salmon life histories, little is known about the reproductive success of smaller, immature males (jacks) compared to full-size males. This study examined the reproductive contribution of jacks in a wild population of coho salmon and found that although their individual success was lower, they sired a significant proportion of the population's offspring.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Koutaro Ould Maeno, Cyril Piou, Sidi Ould Ely, Sid'Ahmed Ould Mohamed, Mohamed El Hacen Jaavar, Said Ghaout, Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Babah Ebbe
Summary: Male mating harassment can be reduced in dense populations of desert locusts through behavioral adaptations, where non-gravid females and males live separately while males wait for gravid females at lekking sites to mate. In low-density populations, solitarious locusts display balanced sex ratios and females mate regardless of ovarian state. This suggests that group separation based on sex biases behavior to minimize male mating harassment and competition.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Benedikt Holtmann, Carlos E. Lara, Eduardo S. A. Santos, Joanne E. Gillum, Neil J. Gemmell, Shinichi Nakagawa
Summary: This study investigated the influence of individual behavioral traits on social relationships and reproductive success in a wild population of dunnocks. The findings suggested that in polygamous groups, cooperative breeding males exhibited differences in behavior, and there was evidence of assortative mating based on behavioral traits for alpha males and females. Additionally, male provisioning significantly impacted reproductive success for both sexes, while female provisioning only correlated with her own reproductive output.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Xin Zhang, Renee C. Firman, Mingjing Song, Guoliang Li, Chaoyuan Cheng, Jing Liu, Shuli Huang, Erdenetuya Batsuren, Zhibin Zhang
Summary: This study examined the effects of population density and body mass on mating strategies and reproductive success in Brandt's voles. The results showed that individuals with more mating partners had increased reproductive success, especially in high-density environments. The findings highlight the importance of understanding individual reproductive strategies and their implications for population growth.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Inga Kujala, Hannu Poysa, Erkki Korpimaki
Summary: Social polygyny benefits males by increasing offspring numbers, but is detrimental for females due to resource sharing. In bird species with bi-parental care, like Eurasian kestrels, polygyny occurs more frequently during years with abundant prey, impacting secondary females' reproductive success negatively. Males space out their nests to deceive secondary partners, leading to poor reproductive outcomes, highlighting deceptive behavior during courtship as a key factor in maladaptive mate choice.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Clint D. D. Kelly, Darryl T. T. Gwynne
Summary: Males in better body condition are expected to have better endurance and travel farther during mate searching, but our study on the male Cook Strait giant weta found that both body condition and travel distance were negatively related to mating success. This suggests that lighter males might have an advantage in sprints for nearby females. The findings provide rare evidence of how male mating success is influenced by both body condition and mate-searching effort.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Melissa Peignier, Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy, Max Ringler, Eva Ringler
Summary: This study investigated the effects of boldness, aggressiveness, and exploration on the number of mating partners, mating events, and offspring surviving until adulthood in the Neotropical poison frog. The results showed that these behavioral traits had diverse and even opposite effects on different components of reproductive success in both males and females.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Conor C. Taff, Corey R. Freeman-Gallant
Summary: In many species, both males and females possess sexual signals, but most research focuses on understanding signal expression in males. However, increasing evidence demonstrates functional explanations for variation in female signals, highlighting the need for further research in this area.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Peng Zhou, Xiong Zhao He, Chen Chen, Qiao Wang
Summary: The European red mite has successfully invaded new habitats by overcoming barriers such as inbreeding depression and adjusting resource allocations for reproduction, leading to its invasion success in successive generations.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Mira Van den Broeck, Raphael De Cock, Stefan Van Dongen, Erik Matthysen
Summary: Nocturnal light pollution is a growing worldwide issue, and our study shows that female common glow-worms exposed to artificial light have a longer glowing duration, leading to reduced mating success and potentially declining populations.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jhoniel Perdigon Ferreira, Stefan Luepold
Summary: Disadvantaged males can use parasitic mating tactics to compete for mates. Male Drosophila prolongata intercept courting rivals and steal females from them. This behavior is not linked to a specific morphology but depends on the condition and context of the males. The study of alternative reproductive tactics helps understand the maintenance of variation within and between species.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Natalie Pilakouta, Anafs Baillet
Summary: This study conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effects of temperature on mating latency, choosiness, and mating success. The results showed no overall effect of temperature on these traits, but an increase in mating success when animals were exposed to higher temperatures during mating trials. Additionally, there was a negative relationship between mating latency and mating success.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Olivia E. Anastasio, Chelsea S. Sinclair, Alison Pischedda
Summary: Cryptic male mate choice refers to the differential allocation of resources by males to females during or after copulation. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, males mate longer and allocate more resources to larger females compared to smaller females. However, it is unclear if this increased investment in larger females has any impact on the males' subsequent matings.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Theresa S. M. Stratmann, Nandintsetseg Dejid, Justin M. Calabrese, William F. Fagan, Christen H. Fleming, Kirk A. Olson, Thomas Mueller
Summary: Nomadic Mongolian gazelles show selection for areas with more forage cover during the growing season and for intermediate snow cover in winter. While the majority of individuals did not exhibit clear selection patterns at the individual level, those that did showed similar selection to the population level analysis. This may indicate a random search strategy for foraging in a landscape with homogeneous vegetation cover.
Editorial Material
Ecology
Elise A. Larsen, Vaughn Shirey
Summary: Large occurrence datasets are valuable for ecological analyses but have limitations. Reanalyzing 22 univoltine species revealed substantially different phenological patterns, including later onset at higher latitudes for most species.
Article
Ecology
Michael J. Noonan, Ricardo Martinez-Garcia, Grace H. Davis, Margaret C. Crofoot, Roland Kays, Ben T. Hirsch, Damien Caillaud, Eric Payne, Andrew Sih, David L. Sinn, Orr Spiegel, William F. Fagan, Christen H. Fleming, Justin M. Calabrese
Summary: This study introduces a method for describing the long-term encounter location probabilities for movement within home ranges, termed the conditional distribution of encounters (CDE), and demonstrates its broad ecological relevance. The CDE can be used to estimate territorial borders, identify key resources, quantify potential for competitive or predatory interactions, and understand behavior changes resulting from location-specific encounter probabilities. It provides researchers with a better understanding of population dynamics and does not require specialized data collection protocols. This method is now openly available via the ctmm R package.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lennart Schuler, Justin M. Calabrese, Sabine Attinger
Summary: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread globally with over 100 million infections, leading to countries facing a second wave of cases. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) remain the primary measure due to lack of sufficient vaccination capacity and effective medication. A modified SEIRD model was successfully fitted to COVID-19 cases in German districts, states, and nationwide, with spatial resolution allowing for geostatistical analysis of pandemic patterns. Measures such as correlation length are proposed to describe the current epidemic situation alongside weekly incidence rates.
Article
Ecology
Michael W. Belitz, Vijay Barve, Joshua R. Doby, Maggie M. Hantak, Elise A. Larsen, Daijiang Li, Jessica A. Oswald, Neeka Sewnath, Mitchell Walters, Narayani Barve, Kamala Earl, Nicholas Gardner, Robert P. Guralnick, Brian J. Stucky
Summary: This study utilized community-science and museum specimen data to investigate the effects of climate and urbanization on adult insect activity timing. Results showed that detritivores and species with aquatic larval stages extended their activity periods most rapidly in response to increasing regional temperature, while species with subterranean larval stages maintained relatively constant durations. Additionally, species extended their adult activity period similarly in warmer conditions regardless of voltinism classification.
Review
Ecology
Ines Silva, Christen H. Fleming, Michael J. Noonan, Jesse Alston, Cody Folta, William F. Fagan, Justin M. Calabrese
Summary: Modern tracking devices allow for high-volume animal tracking data collection, but traditional statistical methods may underestimate or overestimate home range areas. The autocorrelated kernel density estimation (AKDE) family of estimators aims to address the complexities of modern movement data, improve statistical efficiency, and reduce biases.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Christen H. Fleming, Iman Deznabi, Shauhin Alavi, Margaret C. Crofoot, Ben T. Hirsch, E. Patricia Medici, Michael J. Noonan, Roland Kays, William F. Fagan, Daniel Sheldon, Justin M. Calabrese
Summary: This paper introduces a statistically and computationally efficient method for population-level analysis of home-range areas, based on autocorrelated kernel density estimation (AKDE). The method can account for variable temporal autocorrelation and estimation uncertainty. By applying the method to empirical examples, the study quantifies differences between species, environments, and sexes. The approach allows researchers to accurately compare different populations while maintaining statistical precision and power.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Justin M. Calabrese, Jeffery Demers
Summary: Insufficient testing capacity has been a critical bottleneck in the worldwide fight against COVID-19. A modified SEIR model was used to optimize testing strategies under a constraint of limited testing capacity. The study found that purely clinical testing is optimal at very low testing capacities, while a mix of clinical and non-clinical testing becomes optimal as testing capacity increases. The study highlights the advantages of early implementation of testing programs and combining optimized testing with contact reduction interventions.
JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
E. P. Medici, S. Mezzini, C. H. Fleming, J. M. Calabrese, M. J. Noonan
Summary: Animal movement is an important ecological process that is affected by human activities. Understanding how species respond to human disturbance is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies. In this study, researchers used telemetry data to investigate the movement behavior of lowland tapirs in different habitats with varying levels of human disturbance in Brazil. Contrary to expectations, they found that human disturbance had no measurable effect on the tapirs' movement behavior.
Article
Ecology
Michael W. Belitz, Elise A. Larsen, Vaughn Shirey, Daijiang Li, Robert P. Guralnick
Summary: Natural history collections are crucial for studying the timing of seasonal events, and the digitization of specimens allows for further research on phenology. However, there are challenges in utilizing these data resources, such as integrating multiple data sources and making decisions regarding data quality and resolution. This study provides best practice recommendations and a case study on using natural history collections to understand spatiotemporal trends in Lepidoptera flight timing.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Ricardo Martinez-Garcia, Ciro Cabal, Justin M. Calabrese, Emilio Hernandez-Garcia, Corina E. Tarnita, Cristobal Lopez, Juan A. Bonachela
Summary: Self-organized vegetation patterns in drylands are important indicators of ecosystem health, but the mechanisms underlying their emergence are still unclear. The existence of focal plants and the inter-individual distance can greatly affect the fitness of neighboring plants. Alternative theories, assuming inhibitory plant interactions with scale-dependent intensity, can also explain observed vegetation patterns. However, these alternative hypotheses predict contrasting desertification dynamics, challenging the use of vegetation patterns as ecosystem-state indicators. Further research and experimental testing are needed to understand pattern-forming mechanisms and improve predictions on ecosystem fate.
CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jesse M. Alston, Christen H. Fleming, Roland Kays, Jarryd P. Streicher, Colleen T. Downs, Tharmalingam Ramesh, Bjorn Reineking, Justin M. Calabrese
Summary: Resource selection functions (RSFs) are widely used in animal ecology, but autocorrelation in tracking data can lead to biased estimates and narrow confidence intervals. This study proposes a likelihood weighting method to mitigate the negative effects of autocorrelation on RSFs. The method improves the quality of inferences derived from RSFs and provides a workflow for applying the method to animal tracking data.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Adam Mertel, Jiri Vyskocil, Lennart Schueler, Weronika Schlechte-Welnicz, Justin M. Calabrese
Summary: The global and temporally asynchronous spread of COVID-19 has emphasized the role of international borders in combating the pandemic. The availability of high-resolution, spatially referenced epidemiological data presents new opportunities to study disease transmission. This study focuses on the German-Czech border region and finds an overall inhibitory effect of the border, with stronger inhibition from Saxony to Czechia. Spatial variation along the border is also observed, with the Lo center dot bau area in Saxony identified as a hotspot for cross-border disease transmission.
SPATIAL AND SPATIO-TEMPORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Mansoor Davoodi, Ana Batista, Abhishek Senapati, Justin M. Calabrese
Summary: Effective personnel scheduling is crucial for organizations to match workload demands. However, staff scheduling is sometimes affected by unexpected events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that disrupt regular operations. Limiting the number of on-site staff in the workplace together with regular testing is an effective strategy to minimize the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 because they spread mostly through close contact with people. Therefore, choosing the best scheduling and testing plan that satisfies the goals of the organization and prevents the virus's spread is essential during disease outbreaks.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Justin M. Calabrese, Christen H. Fleming, Michael J. Noonan, Xianghui Dong
Summary: Estimating animal home ranges is often done using conventional kernel density estimators, which assume independently-sampled data. However, modern tracking datasets are usually strongly autocorrelated, leading to underestimated home ranges. Autocorrelated kernel density estimation (AKDE) directly models the observed autocorrelation structure of tracking data, and has shown to accurately estimate home ranges.
WILDLIFE SOCIETY BULLETIN
(2021)
