Article
Plant Sciences
Belen Fadrique, Daniel Gann, Bruce W. Nelson, Sassan Saatchi, Kenneth J. Feeley
Summary: Bamboo-dominated forests cover significant areas in the Southwestern Amazon, and this study reveals that bamboo competes with coexisting trees for water, impacting large-scale ecosystem dynamics. Remote sensing analysis demonstrates the unique seasonal and long-term dynamics of BDF and coexisting trees, with bamboo influencing water competition shaping the ecosystem. The study suggests a potential selection for drought-tolerant trees in BDF and emphasizes the importance of understanding the cyclical dynamics of BDF for interpreting Amazonian forests' responses to extreme climatic events.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
K. D. Weinfurther, A. M. M. Stuckert, M. E. Muscarella, A. L. Peralta, K. Summers
Summary: We provide evidence of a symbiotic protist in the digestive tract of Peruvian mimic poison frog tadpoles. The presence of this protist could aid in protein/lipid digestion and may have allowed the frog to expand into an area with similar species. This discovery also suggests the possibility of a Mullerian mimetic radiation in vertebrates.
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(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
Ecology
Edmund W. Basham, Macario Gonzalez-Pinzon, Angel Romero-Marcucci, Noah Carl, J. Alex Baecher, Brett R. Scheffers
Summary: This study found that large, old trees (LOTs) in tropical forests are keystone structures providing unique habitats. The yellow-bellied poison frog exhibited vertical migration and strong philopatry to individual trees, primarily inhabiting the largest trees that offered higher-quality microhabitats and epiphytes. LOTs, specifically Anacardium excelsum, are of high conservation value due to their provisioning of unique habitats.
Article
Ecology
Maria Paula Toro-Gomez, Juan D. Carvajal-Castro, Santiago Casas-Cardona, Fernando Vargas-Salinas
Summary: The presence of tadpoles on the dorsum of poison frogs compromises the effectiveness of their warning signal, increasing the risk of attack by visually oriented predators.
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lucas Ferrante, Augusto Getirana, Fabricio Beggiato Baccaro, Jochen Schongart, Ana Cristina Monteiro Leonel, Renato Gaiga, Michel Varajao Garey, Philip Martin Fearnside
Summary: Given the speed of climate change caused by humans, endemic species may not have enough time to adapt and avoid extinction. This study investigated the origin of rainfall that affects the phylogenetic diversity of rainforest frogs and the impact of microclimate differences on the morphological traits of isolated populations. It also examined how deforestation in the Amazon can affect ecosystem services essential for maintaining the biodiversity of the Atlantic rainforest. The results suggest that morphological traits and population dynamics of Atlantic Forest frogs are influenced by the Amazonian flying rivers, which are now threatened by temperature anomalies caused by global warming and deforestation.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sulamita M. C. Da Rocha, Albertina P. Lima, Igor Luis Kaefer
Summary: The study found that in the Amazonian species Allobates paleovarzensis, paternal care plays a crucial role in the survival of offspring, with mothers playing a minimal role. Severe droughts caused by the El Nino climatic anomaly significantly impact the survival rate of tadpoles in the pre-metamorphic stages, making paternal care less relevant during these times. The research also showed that under these increasingly frequent climatic anomalies, paternal care does not prevent offspring death.
ANAIS DA ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Yusan Yang, Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki
Summary: This study investigated the impact of male-male competition on mate choice, and found that in the strawberry poison frog, territorial competition among males determines females' mating choice, rather than their preference for male coloration.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jerod A. Merkle, Briana Abrahms, Jonathan B. Armstrong, Hall Sawyer, Daniel P. Costa, Anna D. Chalfoun
Summary: Site fidelity, the behavior of returning to previously visited locations, provides benefits in stable environments. However, rapid environmental change in the Anthropocene can result in maladaptive site fidelity and the occurrence of ecological traps. Understanding the mechanisms enabling species to persist with site fidelity is crucial for conservation efforts.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Zhanghua Xu, Qi Zhang, Songyang Xiang, Yifan Li, Xuying Huang, Yiwei Zhang, Xin Zhou, Zenglu Li, Xiong Yao, Qiaosi Li, Xiaoyu Guo
Summary: By utilizing UAV remote sensing technology and machine learning algorithms, this study developed a detection model to study the damage caused to Moso bamboo forests by the Pantana phyllostachysae Chao (PPC). Experimental results showed that XGBoost performed the best, followed by RF and SVM. The study findings provide a technical reference for the regional monitoring and control of PPC in Moso bamboo.
Article
Fisheries
Wisarut Junprung, Premruethai Supungul, Anchalee Tassanakajon, Gilbert Van Stappen, Peter Bossier
Summary: The study identified a novel SNP in the ArHSC70 gene that potentially increases thermotolerance in a selectively bred Artemia franciscana population. This SNP may be a result of balancing selection, as indicated by the increased allele frequency in the TF12 population.
Article
Agronomy
Simon Rio, Deniz Akdemir, Tiago Carvalho, Julio Isidro Y. Sanchez
Summary: In this study, new forms of the coefficient of determination (CD) were proposed to forecast the genomic prediction reliability of genotypes, helping to optimize multi-environment trials. These new CD criteria can be used to predict the performance and mean performance of genotypes in multi-environment trials, especially in the presence of complex pedigree relationships between genotypes.
THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yudong Fang, Liwei Wang, Enoch Sapey, Shuai Fu, Tingting Wu, Haiyan Zeng, Xuegang Sun, Shuqing Qian, Mohammad Abdul Awal Khan, Shan Yuan, Cunxiang Wu, Wensheng Hou, Shi Sun, Tianfu Han
Summary: This study demonstrated a cost-saving off-site summer nursery pattern, fresh-seeding method, and marker-assisted selection to accelerate soybean improvement by obtaining advanced soybean cultivars in a shorter time. By reducing generation cycles and predicting the optimal adaptation region, the breeding process for soybeans was sped up significantly.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Claudia I. Bartlick, Julia I. Burton, Christopher R. Webster, Robert E. Froese, Yvette L. Dickinson
Summary: This study investigated the regeneration of a managed northern hardwood forest and found that regeneration and site preparation methods have an influence on the species composition of regenerating trees. Shelterwood seed cutting with 60% and 30% residual canopy cover, along with scarification, increased species richness and compositional heterogeneity. However, the combination of deer exclusion and direct seeding resulted in the highest species richness. These findings suggest that addressing both seed limitations and deer browsing is necessary to increase tree species diversity in some cases.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Nitiporn Chaikuad, Wipas Loengbudnark, Vibuntita Chankitisakul, Wuttigrai Boonkum
Summary: The study aimed to improve growth performance of Thai native chickens on smallholder farms using a multiple trait animal model and selection index. The results showed higher body weight, average daily gain, and breast circumference in chickens raised on-station compared to on-site farms, with slightly higher heritability estimates. Selection criteria for breeding programs should include body weight at eight weeks of age, average daily gain from 4-8 weeks of age, and breast circumference at eight weeks of age.
VETERINARY SCIENCES
(2023)