Article
Environmental Sciences
Carolina Bravo, Mathieu Sarasa, Vincent Bretagnolle, Olivier Pays
Summary: This study aims to investigate the relationship between depredation rate, nest camouflage and concealment in ground-nesting birds of farmlands and their predators. The study found that nests in vegetation higher than 30 cm had a drastic reduction in depredation rates by corvids. Management of vegetation structure is a key tool to mitigate depredation risk.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Pietro B. D'Amelio, Andre C. Ferreira, Rita Fortuna, Matthieu Paquet, Liliana R. Silva, Franck Theron, Claire Doutrelant, Rita Covas
Summary: Climate plays a significant role in reproductive processes, and this study investigated the effects of weather and nest predation on reproductive output in a social species. The results showed that larger group sizes have limited capacity to mitigate the effects of adverse weather.
Article
Biology
Dylan Padilla J. Perez, Dale F. DeNardo, Michael J. Angilletta
Summary: Life-history theory suggests that the optimal reproductive effort of an organism is affected by factors such as energy acquisition and predation risk. The foraging-mode paradigm proposes that widely foraging species have evolved greater reproductive effort compared to sit-and-wait species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Boling Chu, Zhi Liu, Yihong Liu, Hui Jiang
Summary: The increase of parental reproductive age is a worldwide trend. Older parents have a significant impact on reproductive genetics and the health of offspring. However, the extent of this impact on future generations is still debated.
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa, Effiong Fortune, Richard Gyan Aboagye, Abdul-Aziz Seidu, Olalekan Seun Olagunju, Ugochinyere Ijeoma Nwagbara, Edward Kwabena Ameyaw, Bright Opoku Ahinkorah
Summary: The study in Nigeria found that women who had their first birth before the age of 20 were less likely to give birth in health facilities compared to those who were 20 and above. The findings suggest the importance of interventions to encourage younger women to give birth in health facilities to reduce the risks associated with home deliveries.
Article
Ecology
Viraj R. Torsekar, Moshe Zaguri, Dror Hawlena
Summary: This study found that some animals can maintain size assortative mating (SAM) even in the presence of predation risk, although the size ratio between mates may be different. Larger males tend to stay near safe burrows and win male-male contests against smaller conspecifics. The findings suggest that prey can anticipate future costs of predation and assess the expected reproductive value of mates based on this information.
Article
Entomology
Amador Rodriguez-Gomez, Virginia Balanza, Alberto Donate, Ana Belen Abelaira, Maria del Carmen Reche, Isabel Sanchez-Martinez, Pablo Bielza
Summary: This study found that male Orius laevigatus have a high capacity for consecutive mating in mass-rearing, and fecundity changes with male and female age. While fecundity is influenced by female age and mating status, little is known about the impact of parental status at mating on female reproductive outcomes in BCAs for efficient mass-rearing and field performance.
Article
Ecology
David M. Delaney, Luke A. Hoekstra, Fredric J. Janzen
Summary: This study on painted turtles' nesting ecology indicates that while RRV is high in early life and slowly decreases, age is a better predictor of risky behavior, possibly due to stronger correlates of age such as size influencing behavior in turtles.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alison Gemmill, Blair O. Berger, Matthew A. Crane, Claire E. Margerison
Summary: High and increasing mortality rates among reproductive-aged women in the U.S. have significant implications for maternal, women's, and children's health. Patterns differ by age, race/ethnicity, and geography, indicating a need to address structural factors to improve health outcomes for this population.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Geir A. Sonerud, Helge E. Gronlien, Ronny Steen
Summary: According to the alternative prey hypothesis, the synchrony in population fluctuations of microtine rodents and other small herbivores in boreal areas is caused by generalist predators. The study shows that the predation of goldeneye eggs by pine martens is not related to microtine abundance, but is influenced by cavity age and distance from forest habitat.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Rui Deng, Ke Lou, Siliang Zhou, Xingxiu Li, Bin Dong, Jun Ma, Jie Hu
Summary: This study found that parental reproductive age is associated with the risk of elevated blood pressure in offspring, and this association is influenced by offspring lifestyle. A U-shaped relationship between maternal age and risk of elevated blood pressure was observed, while risk of elevated blood pressure decreased with increasing paternal age. The significant associations between maternal/paternal age and risk of elevated blood pressure were only observed in offspring with worse lifestyle behaviors, not in those with healthier lifestyle.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Zanri Strydom, Lauren J. Waller, Mark Brown, Herve Fritz, Kevin Shaw, Jan A. Venter
Summary: Seabird populations, such as the Cape gannet, are impacted by predation, with selective culling of Cape fur seals proving to reduce predation probability and increase food availability for both species, suggesting a sustainable conservation approach.
PEERJ COMPUTER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Juan Carlos Castro-Caro, Isabel C. Barrio, Francisco Sanchez Tortosa
Summary: Agri-environmental measures aim to reduce the negative impacts of modern agriculture on farmland biodiversity. However, their potential implications on the breeding success of songbirds are not well understood. This study found that soil management regimes did not influence breeding success, but the presence of herbaceous cover had opposing effects on nest densities of different bird species. Other factors, such as management activities and interannual weather variation, may have a larger impact on nesting success.
AVIAN CONSERVATION AND ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Fabian Anger, Marc I. Foerschler, Nils Anthes
Summary: Most farmland birds in Europe are experiencing declines, likely due to agricultural intensification. Our study on Meadow Pipits in the Northern Black Forest found that the observed population declines may be driven by reduced reproductive success. We also found that higher altitude and adverse weather conditions delay hatching dates, and dense grass swards and small clutch sizes are associated with lower reproductive success. Restoration efforts involving cattle grazing and vegetation control may be key to increasing population productivity.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lisa J. Rodrigues, Jacqueline L. Padilla-Gamino
Summary: Warming ocean temperatures are damaging coral reefs worldwide. Research shows that coral relies mainly on autotrophy to allocate carbon to gametes, and previously bleached corals have less carbon available for adult tissues when provisioning gametes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Adam E. Mitchell, Jordan Boersma, Anthonio Anthony, Kanehiro Kitayama, Thomas E. Martin
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2020)
Article
Ecology
James C. Mouton, Bret W. Tobalske, Natalie A. Wright, Thomas E. Martin
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Juan C. Oteyza, James C. Mouton, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: Parents facing predators must balance their own safety with caring for their offspring. Factors such as adult survival probabilities and species size influence their willingness to take risks and return to care for their young. Ultimately, the level of risk posed by a predator and the likelihood of future reproduction play a role in determining parental behavior across different species.
Review
Ecology
Winsor H. Lowe, Thomas E. Martin, David K. Skelly, H. Arthur Woods
Summary: Most animals have complex life cycles with metamorphosis or other distinct life stage transitions, making individuals vulnerable to environmental stressors. Climate change is increasing thermal and hydrologic variability during metamorphosis, impacting survival and performance. Understanding how metamorphosis affects population responses and trait evolution requires new methods for estimating individual trait changes and integrating metamorphosis into analytical models.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Letter
Ecology
Winsor H. Lowe, Thomas E. Martin, David K. Skelly, H. Arthur Woods
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Adam E. Mitchell, Blair O. Wolf, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: Understanding variation in offspring energy expenditure is crucial for growth and development. Weather and parental care may affect offspring energy expenditure, and species differences also play a role.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Necmiye Sahin Arslan, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: The study on the movement behavior of offspring from cavity- and open-cup-nesting bird species shows that cavity-nesting species have offspring with greater mobility but remain more aggregated within the family, while open-cup-nesting species have offspring which are more dispersed despite increasing movement distances with age. This variation in movement behavior of young can have implications for parental care strategies and juvenile survival.
Article
Ornithology
William M. Blake, Katharine R. Stone, William M. Janousek, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: This study on Lewis's Woodpeckers in floodplain and burned forests found higher population densities but lower nest success in floodplain forests, while burned forests had higher nest success. Woodpeckers in floodplain forests preferred nesting in cavities in taller trees, while in burned forests nest tree height was the only distinguishing feature for nest-site selection. Characteristics of nest sites did not predict nest success. Both forest types play an important role in maintaining populations of Lewis's Woodpeckers. Management strategies should focus on retaining tall trees and snags in both forest types, along with promoting recruitment of cottonwoods in floodplain forests.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
James C. Mouton, Renee A. Duckworth, Ryan T. Paitz, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: In songbirds, androgens can influence offspring development and begging behaviors to reduce predation risk, but little is known about other steroids' effects. This study found that increased nest predation risk led to decreased yolk progesterone deposition, while yolk androgen deposition did not change significantly.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alexander Kumar, Marketa Zimova, Thomas E. Martin, L. Scott Mills
Summary: Ecological processes are influenced by abiotic factors, such as temperature and snow. This study found that reduced fall and spring snow duration and warmer summers led to decreased snowshoe hare density, while warmer winters increased hare density.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Daniel Sol, Seweryn Olkowicz, Ferran Sayol, Martin Kocourek, Yicheng Zhang, Lucie Marhounova, Christin Osadnik, Eva Corssmit, Joan Garcia-Porta, Thomas E. Martin, Louis Lefebvre, Pavel Nemec
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between animal intelligence and absolute or relative brain size. The results show that the number of neurons in the pallial telencephalon is positively associated with innovation propensity, a major expression of intelligence. The number of neurons is also greater in larger brains and positively covaries with longer post-hatching development periods. These findings contribute to our understanding of the evolutionary bases of the connections between brain and cognition.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Thomas J. Matthews, Joseph P. Wayman, Pedro Cardoso, Ferran Sayol, Julian P. Hume, Werner Ulrich, Joseph A. Tobias, Filipa C. Soares, Christophe Thebaud, Thomas E. Martin, Kostas A. Triantis
Summary: This study provides a global summary of the status and ecology of extant and extinct island birds, the threats they face, and the implications of species loss for island functional diversity, with a particular focus on morphological trait diversity.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Necmiye Sahin Arslan, Daniel Munoz, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: The Whitehead's Broadbill, an endemic species on Borneo, has a declining population. Our study on its breeding biology in Kinabalu Park revealed a relatively high nest success rate and relatively low nest predation rate. The growth rate of the species is slow, possibly due to their frugivorous diet. However, our study suggests that reproductive success is not limiting the population growth.
EMU-AUSTRAL ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Necmiye Sahin Arslan, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: The study examined a montane tropical bird community and found the necessary conditions for the Skutch Hypothesis, which states that nest predation risk affects parental nest activity. The study also revealed the influence of nest and adult mortality rates on evolved parental strategies.
Article
Ornithology
Elise C. Zarri, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: Advances in understanding geographic patterns of life history variation depend on documentation of life history traits for species in poorly studied regions. This study compared the reproductive biology of two closely related Muscicapids in Borneo and found differences in reproductive strategies and nest defense between the species. The larger size and better nest protection ability of the Bornean Whistling-Thrush may explain its slower growth and development compared to the Bornean subspecies of the White-crowned Forktail.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY
(2022)