Article
Forestry
Tessa R. Putz, Alexandra K. Urza, Lacey E. Hankin, Sarah M. Bisbing
Summary: Tree species resistant to drought stress may be more successful under climate change, with variation in drought-resistant traits influencing a species' sensitivity to change. Traits are often tied to precipitation exposure and topographic variability, with seasonal water availability strongly impacting trait responses.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Vanessa Menges, Sophie Spaeth, Florian Menzel
Summary: Individuals of the same species can have consistent behavioral differences in the field, despite variable abiotic and biotic conditions. Exploration, aggression, and foraging activity show temporally consistent differences between ant colonies, highlighting the importance of animal personality traits in understanding ecological interactions and intraspecific coexistence.
Article
Entomology
Ye-Song Ren, Bin Zhang, Yang Zeng, Dao-Hong Zhu
Summary: This study investigated the flight ability of long-winged females in the cricket species Velarifictorus aspersus and examined its effect on ovarian development. The findings revealed that flight capacity increased with age and peaked after 5 days. Flight capability varied among individuals, with most females only capable of short flights (<10 min) and a few capable of long flights (>20 min). Short flights promoted reproductive development, while long flights affected it only after 60 min.
Article
Entomology
Courtney C. Grula, Joseph P. Rinehart, Kendra J. Greenlee, Julia H. Bowsher
Summary: Body size impacts metabolic rates, allometry, and flight-related morphometrics in solitary bees. Larger bees have higher absolute metabolic rates at rest and during flight, while smaller bees have higher mass-specific metabolic rates at rest. Flight biomechanical formulas predict that smaller bees have more power available during flight with reduced power requirement and no metabolic cost.
JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Fen Xiao, Yuchen She, Jiyun She, Yun Wang, Fei Wu, Peng Xie, Qianxin Chen
Summary: This study examines the pollen morphology of a remnant and endemic wild species of Cathaya argyrophylla and explores its intraspecific variability. By analyzing quantitative and qualitative traits of pollen grains, diagnostic features that can distinguish populations were identified, resulting in the classification of 23 samples into two, three, or four clusters. Precipitation factors were found to have a greater impact on pollen morphology compared to geographical and temperature factors. Furthermore, the size of pollen grains exhibited a positive correlation with main precipitation factors and a negative correlation with temperature factors. This research provides valuable insights for seed breeding and population reproduction of the endangered C. argyrophylla tree.
Article
Forestry
Kaiyu Yang, Jianghao Wu, Xinman Li, Xinbo Pang, Yangchen Yuan, Guohui Qi, Minsheng Yang
Summary: This study compared the application of traditional morphometric methods (TMMs) and geometric morphometric methods (GMMs) in the study of intraspecific leaf morphological characters of Quercus dentata. The results showed that GMMs had higher classification accuracy and could provide more information about leaf shape, while TMMs could provide more information about leaf size.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peter E. Schlichting, Raoul K. Boughton, Wes Anderson, Bethany Wight, Kurt C. VerCauteren, Ryan S. Miller, Jesse S. Lewis
Summary: An individual's spatial behavior is influenced by social and environmental factors, providing important insights into population processes. By studying space use in wild pigs, differences between sexes and seasons were observed. The results suggest that wild pigs may exhibit territorial behavior, with seasonal variations in their space use.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Wenxu Cao, Zhiqiang Zhang, Yongqiang Liu, Lawrence E. Band, Shengping Wang, Hang Xu
Summary: The Chaohe watershed in northern China, which is the primary reservoir watershed for Beijing's drinking water supply, is facing a drier and warmer future climate trend during the summer monsoon period. This will result in decreased summer streamflow, driven by both decreased precipitation and increased evapotranspiration. However, the annual streamflow magnitude with a 5-year return period is projected to increase significantly, indicating reduced risk for future water shortages.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY-REGIONAL STUDIES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Celine Rochais, Hoel Hotte, Neville Pillay
Summary: The study found seasonal and gender differences in cognitive performance, with females outperforming males in learning and reversal learning tasks in the summer season. Additionally, females demonstrated greater efficiency in reversal learning compared to males in the winter season. These findings suggest a potential link between cognitive flexibility and sex-specific adaptations to harsh environmental conditions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
T. M. Hasegawa, T. Itagaki, S. Sakai
Summary: Intraspecific variations in pollen traits of Weigela hortensis were examined along an altitudinal gradient. Results showed that pollen spine length was greater at higher altitudes and not correlated with flower size. Pollen spine number and density increased with flower size, while pollen lipid mass decreased with plant size. Pollinator assemblages also changed with increasing altitude.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
B. Brinkman, A. Ngwenya, K. Fjordbotten, O. Stephen, A. N. Iwaniuk
Summary: Seasonally reproducing small mammals undergo changes in hippocampal neuron morphology and dendritic spine density, which may be influenced by activity levels, stress hormones, and photoperiod.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2022)
Article
Zoology
R. Schwarz, G. Stark, E. Levin, D. G. Chapple, S. Meiri
Summary: In this study, we investigated whether individuals of Ptyodactylus guttatus, which inhabit the Mediterranean and desert biomes in Israel, are adapted to their respective microclimates. We measured various traits including temperature preferences, metabolic rates, water loss rates, body condition, mite loads, and limb lengths. The results showed no significant differences between biomes, but some differences were found in areas with different geographic locations and levels of aridity, supporting some of our predictions.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Anne A. Nakamoto, Pierre M. Joubert, Ksenia Krasileva
Summary: In this study, we investigated the dynamics of transposable elements (TEs) in different lineages of the fungal plant pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. We found significant differences in TE content across these lineages and identified recent lineage-specific expansions of certain TEs contributing to overall higher TE content. We also reconstructed the evolutionary histories of long terminal repeat-retrotransposon expansions and discovered complex proliferation dynamics of TEs in some cases. The study also revealed evidence of recent transfer of a DNA transposon between different M. oryzae lineages and regions showing evidence of homologous recombination between those lineages.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Angele Martins, Manuella Folly, Guilherme Nunes Ferreira, Antonio Samuel Garcia da Silva, Claudia Koch, Antoine Fouquet, Alessandra Machado, Ricardo Tadeu Lopes, Roberta Pinto, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, Paulo Passos
Summary: This article describes a new species and reassigns a known species, which is significant for the taxonomic and evolutionary research of threadsnakes. It also emphasizes the importance of protected areas in maintaining vertebrate populations.
VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Zhipeng Shi, Jun Yang, Ling-En Wang, Fang Lv, Guiyang Wang, Xiangming Xiao, Jianhong Xia
Summary: This study utilized the latest ECOSTRESS data to analyze the variation of land surface temperature (LST) in the Fifth Ring Road area of Beijing from the perspective of Local Climate Zone (LCZ), revealing significant differences in LST between seasons and day-night cycles. The results suggest that the insights gained can facilitate the development of strategies aimed at improving the urban thermal environment and promoting livability and public health in cities.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Melanie Gibbs, Hans Van Dyck, Casper J. Breuker
Review
Environmental Sciences
Nora Braak, Rebecca Neve, Andrew K. Jones, Melanie Gibbs, Casper J. Breuker
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2018)
Article
Entomology
Nathalie Brenard, Vincent Sluydts, Evi Christianen, Lien Bosmans, Luc De Bruyn, Rob Moerkens, Herwig Leirs
ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA
(2019)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dirk Maes, Sam Ellis, Philippe Goffart, Katie L. Cruickshanks, Chris A. M. van Swaay, Ruddy Cors, Marc Herremans, Kristijn R. R. Swinnen, Carine Wils, Sofie Verhulst, Luc De Bruyn, Erik Matthysen, Susannah O'Riordan, Daniel J. Hoare, Nigel A. D. Bourn
JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION
(2019)
Article
Agronomy
Nathalie Brenard, Lien Bosmans, Herwig Leirs, Luc De Bruyn, Vincent Sluydts, Rob Moerkens
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Zoology
Lucinda Kirkpatrick, Grzegorz Apoznanski, Luc De Bruyn, Ralf Gyselings, Tomasz Kokurewicz
ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA
(2019)
Article
Zoology
Tanja Milotic, Peter Desmet, Anny Anselin, Luc De Bruyn, Nico De Regge, Kjell Janssens, Raymond Klaassen, Ben Koks, Tonio Schaub, Almut Schlaich, Geert Spanoghe, Filiep T'Jollyn, Joost Vanoverbeke, Willem Bouten
Article
Ecology
Sridhar Halali, Erik van Bergen, Casper J. Breuker, Paul M. Brakefield, Oskar Brattstrom
Summary: The study shows that species may need to adapt their life-history traits to colonize new ecological niches arising from climate change. Through research on Mycalesina butterflies, it was found that savannah species in different radiations consistently exhibit faster development, smaller bodies, higher fecundity, earlier investment in reproduction, and reduced longevity compared to forest species.
Article
Ecology
Sophie Gryseels, Luc De Bruyn, Ralf Gyselings, Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer, Fabian H. Leendertz, Herwig Leirs
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the world, with the causative agent SARS-CoV-2 capable of infecting various mammal species. There is a significant risk of human-to-wildlife transmission, and sanitary precautions are recommended when interacting with wild mammals to prevent the establishment of new SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs in wildlife.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luc De Bruyn, Ralf Gyselings, Lucinda Kirkpatrick, Alek Rachwald, Grzegorz Apoznanski, Tomasz Kokurewicz
Summary: Winter in temperate regions is characterized by cold temperatures and low food availability. Heterothermic animals can enter a state of torpor to survive this period. The choice of hibernation site is crucial, as temperature conditions impact torpor. Bunkers provide a more stable environment for hibernation, particularly for bats in warm winters.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lisa F. Baardsen, Luc De Bruyn, Frank Adriaensen, Joris Elst, Diederik Strubbe, Dieter Heylen, Erik Matthysen
Summary: Research on arthropod communities in great tit nests in Flanders, Belgium showed diverging effects of urbanization on taxonomic groups and abundances, with no overall impact on arthropod diversity or richness. There were no significant community differences between urbanization levels at plot or subplot scales, and environmental variables did not contribute much to community variation. Overall, arthropod nestbox communities were not negatively affected by urbanization, suggesting no evidence for a parasite release effect in human-dominated environments.
Article
Ecology
Jens Zarka, Frederik C. De Wint, Luc De Bruyn, Dries Bonte, Thomas Parmentier
Summary: The balance between costs and benefits plays a significant role in driving associations between species. In this study, the costs of living in a facultative association between red wood ants and Porcellio scaber were quantified. The results showed that the association incurred several costs for the isopod, including a decrease in density near the ant nest, smaller size of individuals near the nest, a higher proportion of wounded individuals near the nest with higher ant traffic, and a negative impact on reproductive investment in females. However, the red wood ant nests and their surrounding territory provided a stable resource provisioning and protection for the facultative associate.
Article
Ecology
Claude Mande, Lucinda Kirkpatrick, Victor Van Cakenberghe, Luc De Bruyn, Anne Laudisoit, Guy-Crispin Gembu, Erik Verheyen
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between sonotype activity of hipposiderid bats and habitat structure in the rainforests of Democratic Republic of the Congo. The findings suggest that open habitats negatively affect sonotype activity in the Hipposideros subgroup, while activity peaks in the early evening and declines until early morning. The study also points to three possible foraging guilds that modulate hipposiderid bat responses to habitat structure.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Claude Mande, Victor Van Cakenberghe, Lucinda Kirkpatrick, Anne Laudisoit, Luc De Bruyn, Guy-Crispin Gembu, Erik Verheyen
Summary: This study examined the impact of habitat attributes on bats in the Lomami and Yangambi landscapes, Democratic Republic of the Congo. By comparing bat species-level characteristics with forest stand variables, the researchers found a correlation between bat species and their spatial location within the forest.
Article
Zoology
Frederik C. De Wint, Michiel Cornelis, Simon Reynaert, Pablo Albo Gonzalez, Nils Bouillard, Ralf Gyselings, Luc De Bruyn
Summary: This study aims to increase knowledge on bat communities on the Adriatic islands of Vis and Bisevo in Croatia. Bat echolocations were recorded using passive acoustic devices and confirmed the presence of eight bat taxa on the islands. The results suggest that bat communities and diversity might also be understudied on other islands in the Mediterranean, highlighting the importance of bat conservation.
BELGIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)