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Beaulieu M. Oxidative status: A general but overlooked indicator of welfare across animal species? Bioessays 2024:e2300205. [PMID: 38837433 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Because of their ubiquity, plasticity, and direct effects on the nervous system, markers of oxidative status may be of great value to assess animal welfare across species and conditions in the wild. However, welfare biologists have not yet seized this opportunity, possibly because the validity of these markers as welfare indicators remains questionable. A validation process was, therefore, performed here using a meta-analytical approach considering three conditions assumed to impair the welfare of animals. With very few exceptions, two of the four considered markers consistently varied across these negatively-valenced conditions. By highlighting the current underrepresentation of markers of oxidative status in animal welfare studies, and by concretely illustrating that some of these markers can consistently reflect negative affective states, this article aims to encourage biologists to include these physiological markers in their toolbox to better measure, monitor, and perhaps also improve the welfare of animals in their natural habitat.
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2
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Short ML, Service CN, Suraci JP, Artelle KA, Field KA, Darimont CT. Ecology of fear alters behavior of grizzly bears exposed to bear-viewing ecotourism. Ecology 2024; 105:e4317. [PMID: 38687245 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Humans are perceived as predators by many species and may generate landscapes of fear, influencing spatiotemporal activity of wildlife. Additionally, wildlife might seek out human activity when faced with predation risks (human shield hypothesis). We used the anthropause, a decrease in human activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, to test ecology of fear and human shield hypotheses and quantify the effects of bear-viewing ecotourism on grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) activity. We deployed camera traps in the Khutze watershed in Kitasoo Xai'xais Territory in the absence of humans in 2020 and with experimental treatments of variable human activity when ecotourism resumed in 2021. Daily bear detection rates decreased with more people present and increased with days since people were present. Human activity was also associated with more bear detections at forested sheltered sites and less at exposed sites, likely due to the influence of habitat on bear perception of safety. The number of people negatively influenced adult male detection rates, but we found no influence on female with young detections, providing no evidence that females responded behaviorally to a human shield effect from reduced male activity. We also observed apparent trade-offs of risk avoidance and foraging. When salmon levels were moderate to high, detected bears were more likely to be females with young than adult males on days with more people present. Should managers want to minimize human impacts on bear activity and maintain baseline age-sex class composition at ecotourism sites, multiday closures and daily occupancy limits may be effective. More broadly, this work revealed that antipredator responses can vary with intensity of risk cues, habitat structure, and forage trade-offs and manifest as altered age-sex class composition of individuals using human-influenced areas, highlighting that wildlife avoid people across multiple spatiotemporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica L Short
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Justin P Suraci
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc., Truckee, California, USA
| | - Kyle A Artelle
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
- College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, USA
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kate A Field
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chris T Darimont
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada
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3
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Kaplan G. The evolution of social play in songbirds, parrots and cockatoos - emotional or highly complex cognitive behaviour or both? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105621. [PMID: 38479604 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Social play has been described in many animals. However, much of this social behaviour among birds, particularly in adults, is still relatively unexplored in terms of the environmental, psychological, and social dynamics of play. This paper provides an overview of what we know about adult social play in birds and addresses areas in which subtleties and distinctions, such as in play initiation and social organisation and its relationship to expressions of play, are considered in detail. The paper considers emotional, social, innovative, and cognitive aspects of play, then the environmental conditions and affiliative bonds, suggesting a surprisingly complex framework of criteria awaiting further research. Adult social play has so far been studied in only a small number of avian species, exclusively in those with a particularly large brain relative to body size without necessarily addressing brain functions and lateralization. When lateralization of brain function is considered, it can further illuminate a possibly significant relevance of play behaviour to the evolution of cognition, to management of emotions, and the development of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela Kaplan
- University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
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4
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Stahlschmidt ZR, Joura H, Makarem JR, Sun JL. Hot and scared: how do heatwaves and predation risk impact resource acquisition and allocation? Biol Lett 2024; 20:20240009. [PMID: 38653332 PMCID: PMC11040502 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Heatwaves are increasingly prevalent and can constrain investment into important life-history traits. In addition to heatwaves, animals regularly encounter threats from other organisms in their environments, such as predators. The combination of these two environmental factors introduces a decision-making conflict-heat exposure requires more food intake to fuel investment into fitness-related traits, but foraging in the presence of predators increases the threat of mortality. Thus, we used female variable field crickets (Gryllus lineaticeps) to investigate the effects of heatwaves in conjunction with predation risk (exposed food and water sources, and exposure to scent from black widow spiders, Latrodectus hesperus) on resource acquisition (food intake) and allocation (investment into ovarian and somatic tissues). A simulated heatwave increased food intake and the allocation of resources to reproductive investment. Crickets exposed to high predation risk reduced food intake, but they were able to maintain reproductive investment at an expense to investment into somatic tissue. Thus, heatwaves and predation risk deprioritized investment into self-maintenance, which may impair key physiological processes. This study is an important step towards understanding the ecology of fear in a warming world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Harnoor Joura
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, USA
| | - Jenna R. Makarem
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, USA
| | - Jodie L. Sun
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, USA
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5
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Pekas A, Mazzoni V, Appel H, Cocroft R, Dicke M. Plant protection and biotremology: fundamental and applied aspects. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 29:32-39. [PMID: 37563025 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
There is overwhelming evidence that synthetic pesticides have a negative impact on the environment and human health, emphasizing the need for novel and sustainable methods for plant protection. A growing body of literature reports that plants interact through substrate-borne vibrations with arthropod pests and mutualistic arthropods that provide biological control and pollination services. Here, we propose a new theoretical framework that integrates insights from biological control, the ecology of fear, and plant-borne vibrations, to address plant-insect interactions and explore new, sustainable opportunities to improve plant health and productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Valerio Mazzoni
- Fondazione Edmund Mach, Research and Innovation Centre, via Mach 1, S. Michele all'Adige 38010, TN, Italy
| | - Heidi Appel
- University of Houston, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Science & Research Building 2, 3455 Cullen Blvd, Room 342, Houston, TX 77204-5001, USA
| | - Reginald Cocroft
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Marcel Dicke
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, PO Box 16, NL-6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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6
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Meuthen D, Salahinejad A, Chivers DP, Ferrari MCO. Transgenerational plasticity of exploratory behavior and a hidden cost of mismatched risk environments between parental sexes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19737. [PMID: 37957198 PMCID: PMC10643415 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46269-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We require a better understanding of the relative contribution of different modes of non-genetic inheritance in behavioral trait development. Thus, we investigate variation in exploratory behavior, which is ecologically relevant and a target of selection. The metabolic hypothesis predicts exploratory behavior to be size-dependent across taxa. This size-dependency is cancelled out under high perceived risk, allowing us to determine the transgenerationally integrated estimated level of risk. Using fathead minnows Pimephales promelas, we manipulated perceived risk in mothers, fathers, caring males and offspring through continuous exposure to either conspecific alarm cues or to a control water treatment. In 1000 four-month old offspring, we determined body sizes and exploratory behavior. Perceived high risk in mothers, followed by personal risk, was most effective in eliminating size-dependent behavior whereas effects of paternal risk on offspring behavioral development were substantially weaker. When maternal risk is high, environmental mismatches between parents prevented offspring from responding appropriately to personal high risk. The environment of the caring male also impacted offspring behavior to a greater extent than that of its genetic parents. Our study highlights the high relative importance of maternal, personal and caring male risk environments and showcases potential costs of an environmental mismatch between parental sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Meuthen
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada.
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Arash Salahinejad
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Douglas P Chivers
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Maud C O Ferrari
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, WCVM, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
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Cohen H, Matar MA, Todder D, Cohen C, Zohar J, Hawlena H, Abramsky Z. Sounds of danger and post-traumatic stress responses in wild rodents: ecological validity of a translational model of post-traumatic stress disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:4719-4728. [PMID: 37674017 PMCID: PMC10914612 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02240-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
In the wild, animals face a highly variable world full of predators. Most predator attacks are unsuccessful, and the prey survives. According to the conventional perspective, the fear responses elicited by predators are acute and transient in nature. However, the long-term, non-lethal effects of predator exposure on prey behavioral stress sequelae, such as anxiety and post-traumatic symptoms, remain poorly understood. Most experiments on animal models of anxiety-related behavior or post-traumatic stress disorder have been carried out using commercial strains of rats and mice. A fundamental question is whether laboratory rodents appropriately express the behavioral responses of wild species in their natural environment; in other words, whether behavioral responses to stress observed in the laboratory can be generalized to natural behavior. To further elucidate the relative contributions of the natural selection pressures influences, this study investigated the bio-behavioral and morphological effects of auditory predator cues (owl territorial calls) in males and females of three wild rodent species in a laboratory set-up: Acomys cahirinus; Gerbillus henleyi; and Gerbillus gerbillus. Our results indicate that owl territorial calls elicited not only "fight or flight" behavioral responses but caused PTSD-like behavioral responses in wild rodents that have never encountered owls in nature and could cause, in some individuals, enduring physiological and morphological responses that parallel those seen in laboratory rodents or traumatized people. In all rodent species, the PTSD phenotype was characterized by a blunting of fecal cortisol metabolite response early after exposure and by a lower hypothalamic orexin-A level and lower total dendritic length and number in the dentate gyrus granule cells eight days after predator exposure. Phenotypically, this refers to a significant functional impairment that could affect reproduction and survival and thus fitness and population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagit Cohen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel & Ministry of Health, Anxiety and Stress Research Unit, Beer-Sheva Mental Health Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
| | - Michael A Matar
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel & Ministry of Health, Anxiety and Stress Research Unit, Beer-Sheva Mental Health Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Doron Todder
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel & Ministry of Health, Anxiety and Stress Research Unit, Beer-Sheva Mental Health Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Carmit Cohen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel & Ministry of Health, Anxiety and Stress Research Unit, Beer-Sheva Mental Health Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Joseph Zohar
- Post-Trauma Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 52621, Israel
| | - Hadas Hawlena
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion Israel, Sde Boker, 8499000, Israel
| | - Zvika Abramsky
- Department of Life Sciences and Ramon Science Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
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Pahl CC, Ruedas LA. Big boned: How fat storage and other adaptations influenced large theropod foraging ecology. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290459. [PMID: 37910492 PMCID: PMC10619836 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Dinosaur foraging ecology has been the subject of scientific interest for decades, yet much of what we understand about it remains hypothetical. We wrote an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate meat energy sources present in dinosaur environments, including carcasses of giant sauropods, along with living, huntable prey. Theropod dinosaurs modeled in this environment (specifically allosauroids, and more particularly, Allosaurus Marsh, 1877) were instantiated with heritable traits favorable to either hunting success or scavenging success. If hunter phenotypes were more reproductively successful, their traits were propagated into the population through their offspring, resulting in predator specialists. If selective pressure favored scavenger phenotypes, the population would evolve to acquire most of their calories from carrion. Data generated from this model strongly suggest that theropods in sauropod-dominated systems evolved to detect carcasses, consume and store large quantities of fat, and dominate carcass sites. Broadly speaking, selective forces did not favor predatory adaptations, because sauropod carrion resource pools, as we modeled them, were too profitable for prey-based resource pools to be significant. This is the first research to test selective pressure patterns in dinosaurs, and the first to estimate theropod mass based on metabolic constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron C. Pahl
- Department of Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Biology, Science Research and Teaching Center—246, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Luis A. Ruedas
- Department of Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Biology, Science Research and Teaching Center—246, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
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9
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Batabyal A. Predator-prey systems as models for integrative research in biology: the value of a non-consumptive effects framework. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245851. [PMID: 37772622 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions are a cornerstone of many ecological and evolutionary processes that influence various levels of biological organization, from individuals to ecosystems. Predators play a crucial role in shaping ecosystems through the consumption of prey species and non-consumptive effects. Non-consumptive effects (NCEs) can induce changes in prey behavior, including altered foraging strategies, habitat selection, life history and anti-predator responses. These defensive strategies have physiological consequences for prey, affecting their growth, reproduction and immune function to name a few. Numerous experimental studies have incorporated NCEs in investigating predator-prey dynamics in the past decade. Interestingly, predator-prey systems can also be used as experimental models to answer physiology, cognition and adaptability questions. In this Commentary, I highlight research that uses NCEs in predator-prey systems to provide novel insights into cognition, adaptation, epigenetic inheritance and aging. I discuss the evolution of instinct, anxiety and other cognitive disorders, the shaping of brain connectomes, stress-induced aging and the development of behavioral coping styles. I outline how studies can integrate the investigation of NCEs with advanced behavioral, genomic and neurological tools to provide novel insights into physiological and cognitive health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Batabyal
- Department of Physical and Natural Sciences, FLAME University, Pune 412115, India
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10
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Rombaut A, Gallet R, Qitout K, Samy M, Guilhot R, Ghirardini P, Lazzaro BP, Becher PG, Xuéreb A, Gibert P, Fellous S. Microbiota-mediated competition between Drosophila species. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:201. [PMID: 37679800 PMCID: PMC10483763 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01617-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The influence of microbiota in ecological interactions, and in particular competition, is poorly known. We studied competition between two insect species, the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii and the model Drosophila melanogaster, whose larval ecological niches overlap in ripe, but not rotten, fruit. RESULTS We discovered D. suzukii females prevent costly interspecific larval competition by avoiding oviposition on substrates previously visited by D. melanogaster. More precisely, D. melanogaster association with gut bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus triggered D. suzukii avoidance. However, D. suzukii avoidance behavior is condition-dependent, and D. suzukii females that themselves carry D. melanogaster bacteria stop avoiding sites visited by D. melanogaster. The adaptive significance of avoiding cues from the competitor's microbiota was revealed by experimentally reproducing in-fruit larval competition: reduced survival of D. suzukii larvae only occurred if the competitor had its normal microbiota. CONCLUSIONS This study establishes microbiotas as potent mediators of interspecific competition and reveals a central role for context-dependent behaviors under bacterial influence. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Rombaut
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Romain Gallet
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Kenza Qitout
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Mukherjy Samy
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Robin Guilhot
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Pauline Ghirardini
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Brian P Lazzaro
- Department of Entomology, Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Paul G Becher
- Dept Plant Protection Biology - Chemical Ecology Horticulture, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Anne Xuéreb
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Patricia Gibert
- Laboratoire de Biométrie Et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Simon Fellous
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
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Gupte PR, Netz C, Weissing FJ. The Joint Evolution of Animal Movement and Competition Strategies. Am Nat 2023; 202:E65-E82. [PMID: 37606946 DOI: 10.1086/725394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
AbstractCompetition typically takes place in a spatial context, but eco-evolutionary models rarely address the joint evolution of movement and competition strategies. Here we investigate a spatially explicit forager-kleptoparasite model where consumers can either forage on a heterogeneous resource landscape or steal resource items from conspecifics (kleptoparasitism). We consider three scenarios: (1) foragers without kleptoparasites, (2) consumers specializing as foragers or as kleptoparasites, and (3) consumers that can switch between foraging and kleptoparasitism depending on local conditions. We model movement strategies as individual-specific combinations of preferences for environmental cues, similar to step-selection coefficients. Using mechanistic, individual-based simulations, we study the joint evolution of movement and competition strategies, and we investigate the implications for the distribution of consumers over this landscape. Movement and competition strategies evolve rapidly and consistently across scenarios, with marked differences among scenarios, leading to differences in resource exploitation patterns. In scenario 1, foragers evolve considerable individual variation in movement strategies, while in scenario 2, movement strategies show a swift divergence between foragers and kleptoparasites. In scenario 3, where individuals' competition strategies are conditional on local cues, movement strategies facilitate kleptoparasitism, and individual consistency in competition strategy also emerges. Even in the absence of kleptoparasitism (scenario 1), the distribution of consumers deviates considerably from predictions of ideal free distribution models because of the intrinsic difficulty of moving effectively on a depleted resource landscape with few reliable cues. Our study emphasizes the advantages of a mechanistic approach when studying competition in a spatial context and suggests how evolutionary modeling can be integrated with current work in animal movement ecology.
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Gómez JM, González-Megías A, Armas C, Narbona E, Navarro L, Perfectti F. The role of phenotypic plasticity in shaping ecological networks. Ecol Lett 2023; 26 Suppl 1:S47-S61. [PMID: 37840020 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Plasticity-mediated changes in interaction dynamics and structure may scale up and affect the ecological network in which the plastic species are embedded. Despite their potential relevance for understanding the effects of plasticity on ecological communities, these effects have seldom been analysed. We argue here that, by boosting the magnitude of intra-individual phenotypic variation, plasticity may have three possible direct effects on the interactions that the plastic species maintains with other species in the community: may expand the interaction niche, may cause a shift from one interaction niche to another or may even cause the colonization of a new niche. The combined action of these three factors can scale to the community level and eventually expresses itself as a modification in the topology and functionality of the entire ecological network. We propose that this causal pathway can be more widespread than previously thought and may explain how interaction niches evolve quickly in response to rapid changes in environmental conditions. The implication of this idea is not solely eco-evolutionary but may also help to understand how ecological interactions rewire and evolve in response to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Gómez
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Almería, Spain
- Research Unit Modeling Nature, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Adela González-Megías
- Research Unit Modeling Nature, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Cristina Armas
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Almería, Spain
| | - Eduardo Narbona
- Departamento de Biología Molecular e Ingeniería Bioquímica, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Luis Navarro
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ciencias del Suelo, Universidad de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Francisco Perfectti
- Research Unit Modeling Nature, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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Clark FE, Greggor AL, Montgomery SH, Plotnik JM. The endangered brain: actively preserving ex-situ animal behaviour and cognition will benefit in-situ conservation. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230707. [PMID: 37650055 PMCID: PMC10465207 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Endangered species have small, unsustainable population sizes that are geographically or genetically restricted. Ex-situ conservation programmes are therefore faced with the challenge of breeding sufficiently sized, genetically diverse populations earmarked for reintroduction that have the behavioural skills to survive and breed in the wild. Yet, maintaining historically beneficial behaviours may be insufficient, as research continues to suggest that certain cognitive-behavioural skills and flexibility are necessary to cope with human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC). This paper begins by reviewing interdisciplinary studies on the 'captivity effect' in laboratory, farmed, domesticated and feral vertebrates and finds that captivity imposes rapid yet often reversible changes to the brain, cognition and behaviour. However, research on this effect in ex-situ conservation sites is lacking. This paper reveals an apparent mismatch between ex-situ enrichment aims and the cognitive-behavioural skills possessed by animals currently coping with HIREC. After synthesizing literature across neuroscience, behavioural biology, comparative cognition and field conservation, it seems that ex-situ endangered species deemed for reintroduction may have better chances of coping with HIREC if their natural cognition and behavioural repertoires are actively preserved. Evaluating the effects of environmental challenges rather than captivity per se is recommended, in addition to using targeted cognitive enrichment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fay E. Clark
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Joshua M. Plotnik
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
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14
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Darimont CT, Cooke R, Bourbonnais ML, Bryan HM, Carlson SM, Estes JA, Galetti M, Levi T, MacLean JL, McKechnie I, Paquet PC, Worm B. Humanity's diverse predatory niche and its ecological consequences. Commun Biol 2023; 6:609. [PMID: 37386144 PMCID: PMC10310721 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04940-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Although humans have long been predators with enduring nutritive and cultural relationships with their prey, seldom have conservation ecologists considered the divergent predatory behavior of contemporary, industrialized humans. Recognizing that the number, strength and diversity of predator-prey relationships can profoundly influence biodiversity, here we analyze humanity's modern day predatory interactions with vertebrates and estimate their ecological consequences. Analysing IUCN 'use and trade' data for ~47,000 species, we show that fishers, hunters and other animal collectors prey on more than a third (~15,000 species) of Earth's vertebrates. Assessed over equivalent ranges, humans exploit up to 300 times more species than comparable non-human predators. Exploitation for the pet trade, medicine, and other uses now affects almost as many species as those targeted for food consumption, and almost 40% of exploited species are threatened by human use. Trait space analyses show that birds and mammals threatened by exploitation occupy a disproportionally large and unique region of ecological trait space, now at risk of loss. These patterns suggest far more species are subject to human-imposed ecological (e.g., landscapes of fear) and evolutionary (e.g., harvest selection) processes than previously considered. Moreover, continued overexploitation will likely bear profound consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris T Darimont
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, BC, Canada.
| | - Rob Cooke
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, UK.
| | - Mathieu L Bourbonnais
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Geographic Sciences, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Heather M Bryan
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, BC, Canada
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - Stephanie M Carlson
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - James A Estes
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Mauro Galetti
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Department of Biodiversity, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
- Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University (FIU), Miami, FL, USA
| | - Taal Levi
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Jessica L MacLean
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, BC, Canada
| | - Iain McKechnie
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, Quadra Island, BC, Canada
| | - Paul C Paquet
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, BC, Canada
| | - Boris Worm
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Ocean Frontier Institute, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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15
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Forti LR, Szabo JK, Japyassú HF. Host manipulation by parasites through the lens of Niche Construction Theory. Behav Processes 2023:104907. [PMID: 37352944 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The effect of parasites on host behaviour is generally considered an example of the extended phenotype, implying that parasite genes alter host behaviour to benefit the parasite. While the extended phenotype is a valid perspective supported by empirical examples, this approach was proposed from an evolutionary perspective and it does not fully explain all processes that occur at ecological time scales. For instance, the roles of the ontogenetic environment, memory and learning in forming the host phenotype are not explicitly mentioned. Furthermore, the cumulative effect of diverse populations or communities of parasites on host phenotype cannot be attributed to a particular genotype, much less to a particular gene. Building on the idea that the behaviour of a host is the result of a complex process, which certainly goes beyond a specific parasite gene, we use Niche Construction Theory to describe certain systems that are not generally the main focus in the extended phenotype (EP) model. We introduce three niche construction models with corresponding empirical examples that capture the diversity and complexity of host-parasite interactions, providing predictions that simpler models cannot generate. We hope that this novel perspective will inspire further research on the topic, given the impact of ecological factors on both short-, and long-term effects of parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Rodriguez Forti
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, 668 - Campus de Ondina CEP: 40170-115 Salvador - Bahia, Brazil; Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Av. Francisco Mota, 572 - Bairro Costa e Silva, 59625-900, Mossoró - Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
| | - Judit K Szabo
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, 668 - Campus de Ondina CEP: 40170-115 Salvador - Bahia, Brazil; College of Engineering, IT and Environment, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Northern Territory 0909, Australia
| | - Hilton F Japyassú
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, 668 - Campus de Ondina CEP: 40170-115 Salvador - Bahia, Brazil; INCT-INTREE: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para estudos Interdisciplinares e Transdisciplinares em Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal da Bahia
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16
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Browning H, Veit W. Positive Wild Animal Welfare. BIOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY 2023; 38:14. [PMID: 36926384 PMCID: PMC10008771 DOI: 10.1007/s10539-023-09901-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
With increasing attention given to wild animal welfare and ethics, it has become common to depict animals in the wild as existing in a state dominated by suffering. This assumption is now taken on board by many and frames much of the current discussion; but needs a more critical assessment, both theoretically and empirically. In this paper, we challenge the primary lines of evidence employed in support of wild animal suffering, to provide an alternative picture in which wild animals may often have lives that are far more positive than is commonly assumed. Nevertheless, while it is useful to have an alternative model to challenge unexamined assumptions, our real emphasis in this paper is the need for the development of effective methods for applying animal welfare science in the wild, including new means of data collection, the ability to determine the extent and scope of welfare challenges and opportunities, and their effects on welfare. Until such methods are developed, discussions of wild animal welfare cannot go beyond trading of intuitions, which as we show here can just as easily go in either direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Browning
- University of Southampton, Southampton, England
- Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, England
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17
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Guerra AS, Van Wert JC, Haupt AJ, McCauley DJ, Eliason EJ, Young HS, Lecchini D, White TD, Caselle JE. Differences in the behavior and diet between shoaling and solitary surgeonfish ( Acanthurus triostegus). Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9686. [PMID: 36620397 PMCID: PMC9817200 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation in behavior within marine and terrestrial species can influence the functioning of the ecosystems they inhabit. However, the contribution of social behavior to ecosystem function remains underexplored. Many coral reef fish species provide potentially insightful models for exploring how social behavior shapes ecological function because they exhibit radical intraspecific variation in sociality within a shared habitat. Here, we provide an empirical exploration on how the ecological function of a shoaling surgeonfish (Acanthurus triostegus) may differ from that of solitary conspecifics on two Pacific coral reefs combining insight from behavioral observations, stable isotope analysis, and macronutrient analysis of gut and fecal matter. We detected important differences in how the social mode of A. triostegus affected its spatial and feeding ecology, as well as that of other reef fish species. Specifically, we found increased distance traveled and area covered by shoaling fish relative to solitary A. triostegus. Additionally, shoaling A. triostegus primarily grazed within territories of other herbivorous fish and had piscivorous and nonpiscivorous heterospecific fish associated with the shoal, while solitary A. triostegus grazed largely grazed outside of any territories and did not have any such interactions with heterospecific fish. Results from stable isotope analysis show a difference in δ15N isotopes between shoaling and solitary fish, which suggests that these different social modes are persistent. Further, we found a strong interaction between social behavior and site and carbohydrate and protein percentages in the macronutrient analysis, indicating that these differences in sociality are associated with measurable differences in both the feeding ecology and nutrient excretion patterns. Our study suggests that the social behavior of individuals may play an important and underappreciated role in mediating their ecological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Sofia Guerra
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine BiologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jacey C. Van Wert
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine BiologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Alison J. Haupt
- Department of Marine ScienceCalifornia State University Monterey BaySeasideCaliforniaUSA
| | - Douglas J. McCauley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine BiologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA,Marine Science InstituteUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Erika J. Eliason
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine BiologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA,Marine Science InstituteUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Hillary S. Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine BiologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - David Lecchini
- EPHE‐UPVD‐CNRSPSL UniversityMo'oreaFrench Polynesia,Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL"ParisFrance
| | - Timothy D. White
- Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityPacific GroveCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jennifer E. Caselle
- Marine Science InstituteUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
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18
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Zhao J, Shao Y. Bifurcations of a prey-predator system with fear, refuge and additional food. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2023; 20:3700-3720. [PMID: 36899600 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2023173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In the predator-prey system, predators can affect the prey population by direct killing and inducing predation fear, which ultimately force preys to adopt some anti-predator strategies. Therefore, it proposes a predator-prey model with anti-predation sensitivity induced by fear and Holling-Ⅱ functional response in the present paper. Through investigating the system dynamics of the model, we are interested in finding how the refuge and additional food supplement impact the system stability. With the changes of the anti-predation sensitivity (the refuge and additional food), the main result shows that the stability of the system will change accordingly, and it has accompanied with periodic fluctuations. Intuitively the bubble, bistability phenomena and bifurcations are found through numerical simulations. The bifurcation thresholds of crucial parameters are also established by the Matcont software. Finally, we analyze the positive and negative impacts of these control strategies on the system stability and give some suggestions to the maintaining of ecological balance, we perform extensive numerical simulations to illustrate our analytical findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinxing Zhao
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China
| | - Yuanfu Shao
- College of Science, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
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19
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Collins AC, Vickers TW, Shilling FM. Behavioral responses to anthropogenic noise at highways vary across temporal scales. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.891595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is pervasive across the landscape and can be present at two temporal scales: acute (occurring sporadically and stochastically over the shortest time scales, e.g., milliseconds), and chronic (more persistent than instantaneous and occurring over longer timescales, e.g., minutes, days). Acute and chronic anthropogenic noise may induce a behavioral fear-mediated response in wildlife that is analogous to a prey response to predators. Understanding wildlife responses to anthropogenic noise is especially important in the case of wildlife crossing structures that provide wildlife with access to resources across busy roadways. Focusing on two species common at wildlife crossing structures, mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and coyotes (Canis latrans), we addressed the hypotheses that (1) acute traffic noise causes flight behavior; and (2) chronic traffic noise causes changes in a range of behaviors associated with the vigilance–foraging trade-off (vigilance, running, and foraging). We placed camera traps at entrances to ten crossing structures for a period of ∼ 2 months each throughout California, USA. Mule deer and coyotes demonstrated a flight response to acute traffic noise at entrances to crossing structures. Both species demonstrated shifts in behavioral response to chronic traffic noise within and among structures. Coyote behavior was indicative of fear, demonstrating increased vigilance at louder times within crossing structures, and switching from vigilance to running activity at louder crossings. Mule deer responded positively, increasing foraging at both spatial scales, and demonstrating decreased vigilance at louder structures, potentially using crossing structures as a Human Shield. Our results are the first to demonstrate that anthropogenic noise at crossing structures could alter wildlife passage, and that variations in fear response to anthropogenic noise exist across temporal, spatial, and amplitude scales. This dynamic response could alter natural predator-prey interactions and scale up to ecosystem-level consequences such as trophic cascades in areas with roads.
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20
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Gadsden GI, Golden N, Harris NC. Place-Based Bias in Environmental Scholarship Derived from Social-Ecological Landscapes of Fear. Bioscience 2022; 73:23-35. [PMID: 36643594 PMCID: PMC9832956 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biac095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Historical perspectives (e.g., moments of social, political, and economic significance) are increasingly relevant for developing insights into landscape change and ecosystem degradation. However, the question of how to incorporate historical events into ecological inquiry is still under development, owing to the evolving paradigm of transdisciplinary thinking between natural science and the humanities. In the present article, we call for the inclusion of negative human histories (e.g., evictions of communities and environmental injustices) as important factors that drive landscape change and shape research questions relevant to environmental conservation. We outline the detrimental effects of conservationists not addressing negative human histories by likening this social phenomenon to the ecological concept of landscapes of fear, which describes how not acknowledging these histories produces a landscape that constrains where and how research is conducted by scientists. Finally, we provide three positive recommendations for scholars or practitioners to address the manifestation of historic place-based bias in ecological research. What we call the social-ecological landscapes of fear provides a conceptual framework for more inclusive practices in ecology to increase the success of environmental and conservation goals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nigel Golden
- Applied Wildlife Ecology (AWE) Lab, School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
| | - Nyeema C Harris
- Applied Wildlife Ecology (AWE) Lab, School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
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21
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Batabyal A, Chau D, Rivi V, Lukowiak K. Risk in one is not risk in all: snails show differential decision making under high- and low-risk environments. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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22
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Rani V, Burton T, Walsh M, Einum S. Evolutionary change in metabolic rate of Daphnia pulicaria following invasion by the predator Bythotrephes longimanus. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9003. [PMID: 35784058 PMCID: PMC9168341 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic rate is a trait that may evolve in response to the direct and indirect effects of predator-induced mortality. Predators may indirectly alter selection by lowering prey densities and increasing resource availability or by intensifying resource limitation through changes in prey behavior (e.g., use of less productive areas). In the current study, we quantify the evolution of metabolic rate in the zooplankton Daphnia pulicaria following an invasive event by the predator Bythotrephes longimanus in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, US. This invasion has been shown to dramatically impact D. pulicaria, causing a ~60% decline in their biomass. Using a resurrection ecology approach, we compared the metabolic rate of D. pulicaria clones originating prior to the Bythotrephes invasion with that of clones having evolved in the presence of Bythotrephes. We observed a 7.4% reduction in metabolic rate among post-invasive clones compared to pre-invasive clones and discuss the potential roles of direct and indirect selection in driving this change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varsha Rani
- Department of BiologyCentre for Biodiversity DynamicsNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNorway
- Department of Community EcologyCenter for Ecological ResearchBudapestHungary
| | - Tim Burton
- Department of BiologyCentre for Biodiversity DynamicsNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNorway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchTrondheimNorway
| | - Matthew Walsh
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonTexasUSA
| | - Sigurd Einum
- Department of BiologyCentre for Biodiversity DynamicsNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNorway
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23
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Feitosa ML, Dionisio-da-Silva W, Lira AF, Teles-Pontes WJ. Fear as an enemy? Behavioral changes of Ananteris mauryi (Scorpiones: Buthidae) triggered by chemical cues from an intraguild predator. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2022-0027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Fear level and intraguild predation are factors that act together to directly influence animal behavior, population dynamics, and community structure. These factors trigger stress, which promotes behavioral, morphological, physiological, and demographic changes, especially in the prey. Some invertebrates, such as scorpions, are known to have a refined chemoreception system to perceive both prey and predators. Therefore, we investigated the ability of an intraguild prey, the scorpion Ananteris mauryi Lourenço, 1982, to detect chemical traces of its predator, the scorpion Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893. Our goal was to verify whether A. mauryi exhibits antipredator behavior induced exclusively by chemical cues from its predator. Ananteris mauryi specimens were subjected to two experimental treatments: one with and one without traces of T. pusillus. The results showed that A. mauryi tended to avoid substrates with chemical traces of T. pusillus, confirming its capacity for chemical detection. As a result of this perception, changes in behavioral frequencies were triggered, generating an antipredator behavioral repertoire. These findings were supported by behavioral changes, such as tail wagging, which is performed exclusively by scorpions in the presence of a predator and at imminent risk of predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus L.B. Feitosa
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Welton Dionisio-da-Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa 58050-585, Brazil
| | - André F.A. Lira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biociência Animal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife 52171-900, Brazil
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24
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Zhu J, Gosnell JS, Akallal L, Goltsman M. Fear changes traits and increases survival: a meta‐analysis evaluating the efficacy of antipredator training in captive‐rearing programs. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Zhu
- PhD Program in Biology, The Graduate Center City University of New York 365 5th Ave New York New York 10016 United States
- Department of Natural Sciences, Baruch College City University of New York 17 Lexington Ave New York New York 10010 United States
| | - J. Stephen Gosnell
- PhD Program in Biology, The Graduate Center City University of New York 365 5th Ave New York New York 10016 United States
- Department of Natural Sciences, Baruch College City University of New York 17 Lexington Ave New York New York 10010 United States
| | - Laila Akallal
- Department of Natural Sciences, Baruch College City University of New York 17 Lexington Ave New York New York 10010 United States
| | - Micah Goltsman
- Department of Natural Sciences, Baruch College City University of New York 17 Lexington Ave New York New York 10010 United States
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25
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Flykt A, Eklund A, Frank J, Johansson M. “Landscape of Stress” for Sheep Owners in the Swedish Wolf Region. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.783035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Farmers who keep livestock in large carnivore areas are exposed to threat of predation directly impacting on finances and workload as well as the associated psychological stress indirectly impacting on farmers well-being. So far, little is known about such stress responses. The concept of “stress” or “stress reaction” is often used as an undifferentiated umbrella concept for the experience of negative emotional episodes. However, the stress reactions could be divided into cognitive, physiological, and behavioural aspects. This study aimed to develop and apply a theory-based approach to identify stress responses among sheep farmers in the Swedish “wolf-region.” A thematic analysis of interviews conducted with sheep farmers showed ample support for stress responses among the informants in relation to large carnivores and their management, although the interviews were conducted with a different focal topic. The findings support the idea that stress responses could be categorised into cognitive, physiological, and behavioural aspects. This distinction would help to identify and fully understand the cumulative impact of stress from the presence of large carnivores on farmers’ well-being.
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26
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Zaluar MT, Tardin R, Llusia D, Niemeyer J, Ribeiro MC, Vale MM. Impact of invasive marmosets (Primates, Callitrichidae) on bird acoustic diversity in a large neotropical urban forest. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02748-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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27
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Gallina S, Contreras A, Álvarez-Peredo C, Saucedo-Castillo E, García-Feria L, Flores-Romero C, Tejeda-Cruz C, Ortega-Argueta A, Pineda-Vázquez M. Contribution of wildlife management units to the conservation of terrestrial mammals in southeastern Mexico. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-021-00220-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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28
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Selbach C, Marchant L, Mouritsen KN. Mussel memory: can bivalves learn to fear parasites? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211774. [PMID: 35116166 PMCID: PMC8790352 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Fear plays a crucial role in predator-prey interactions and can have cascading impacts on the structure of whole ecosystems. Comparable fear effects have recently been described for hosts and their parasites but our understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains limited by the lack of empirical examples. Here, we experimentally tested if bivalves Mytilus edulis can potentially 'learn to fear' the infective transmission stages (cercariae) of the trematode Himasthla elongata, and if experienced mussels change their parasite-avoidance behaviour accordingly. Our results show that previous experience with parasites, but not established infections, lead to a reduced filtration activity in mussels in the presence of cercariae compared to parasite-naive conspecifics. This reduction in filtration activity resulted in lower infection rates in mussels. Since parasite avoidance comes at the cost of lower feeding rates, mussels likely benefit from the ability to adjust their defence behaviour when infection risks are high. Overall, these dynamic processes of avoidance behaviour can be expected to play a significant role in regulating the bivalves' ecosystem engineering function in coastal habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Selbach
- Department of Biology, Aquatic Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Loïc Marchant
- Department of Biology, Aquatic Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Kim N. Mouritsen
- Department of Biology, Aquatic Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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29
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30
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Wiley B, Batabyal A, Lukowiak K. Fluoride alters feeding and memory in Lymnaea stagnalis. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2021; 208:267-277. [PMID: 34854952 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01528-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Fluoride occurs naturally in the terrestrial and aquatic environment and is a major component in tea. Prolonged fluoride exposure alters metabolic activity in several aquatic invertebrates. For the first time, we investigated the effects of fluoride on cognition in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis as it is capable of a higher form of associative learning called configural learning. We first showed suppressive effects of black tea and fluoride on feeding (i.e., rasping) behavior. We then investigated how fluoride may alter cognition by introducing fluoride (1.86 mg/L) before, during, after, a day before and a week before the snails underwent the configural learning training procedure. Our results show that any 45-min exposure to fluoride (before, during or after a configural learning training procedure) blocks configural learning memory formation in Lymnaea and these effects are long-lasting. One week after a fluoride exposure, snails are still unable to form a configural learning memory and this result is upheld when the snails are exposed to a lower concentration of fluoride, one which is naturally occurring in ponds that a wild strain of Lymnaea can be found (0.3 mg/L). Thus, fluoride obstructs configural learning memory formation in a fluoride-naïve, inbred strain of Lymnaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bevin Wiley
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Anuradha Batabyal
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
| | - Ken Lukowiak
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
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31
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Mols B, Lambers E, Cromsigt JPGM, Kuijper DPJ, Smit C. Recreation and hunting differentially affect deer behaviour and sapling performance. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bjorn Mols
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Inst. for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Univ. of Groningen Groningen the Netherlands
| | - Evert Lambers
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Inst. for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Univ. of Groningen Groningen the Netherlands
| | - Joris P. G. M. Cromsigt
- Dept of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
- Dept of Zoology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Univ. Port Elizabeth South Africa
| | | | - Christian Smit
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Inst. for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Univ. of Groningen Groningen the Netherlands
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Haemig PD, Sjöstedt de Luna S, Blank H. Dynamic table‐visiting behavior of birds at outdoor restaurants and cafés. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul D. Haemig
- Nature Division Government of Jönköping Province Jönköping Sweden
- Department of Natural Sciences Linneaus University Kalmar Sweden
| | | | - Henrick Blank
- Nature Division Government of Jönköping Province Jönköping Sweden
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Scrosati RA. Nonconsumptive Predator Effects on Prey Demography: Recent Advances Using Intertidal Invertebrates. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.626869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators influence prey demography through consumption, but the mere presence of predators may trigger behavioural changes in prey that, if persistent or intense, may also influence prey demography. A tractable system to study such nonconsumptive effects (NCEs) of predators involves intertidal invertebrates. This mini review summarises recent research using barnacles and mussels as prey and dogwhelks as predators. The field manipulation of dogwhelk density revealed that pelagic barnacle larvae avoid benthic settlement near dogwhelks, which limits barnacle recruitment, a relevant outcome because recruitment is the only source of population replenishment for barnacles, as they are sessile. This avoidance behaviour is likely triggered by waterborne dogwhelk cues and may have evolved to limit future predation risk. Increasing densities of barnacle recruits and adults can prevent such NCEs from occurring, seemingly because benthic barnacles attract conspecific larvae through chemical cues. Barnacle recruit density increased with the abundance of coastal phytoplankton (food for barnacle larvae and recruits), so barnacle food supply seems to indirectly limit dogwhelk NCEs. By inhibiting barnacle feeding, dogwhelk cues also limited barnacle growth and reproductive output. Wave action weakens dogwhelk NCEs likely through hydrodynamic influences. Dogwhelk cues also limit mussel recruitment, as mussel larvae also exhibit predator avoidance behaviour. The NCEs on recruitment are weaker for mussels than for barnacles, possibly because mussel larvae can detach themselves after initial settlement, an ability that barnacle larvae lack. Overall, these field experiments provide evidence of predator NCEs on prey demography for coastal marine systems.
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Friesen OC, Detwiler JT. Parasite-Modified Chemical Communication: Implications for Aquatic Community Dynamics. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.634754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical communication within an aquatic environment creates an intricate signaling web that provides species with information about their surroundings. Signaling molecules, like oxylipins, mediate a multitude of interactions between free-living members of a community including non-consumptive effects by predators. Parasites are another source of signaling molecules in aquatic communities and contribute directly by synthesizing them or indirectly by manipulating host chemical cues. If chemical cues of infected hosts are altered, then non-consumptive interactions between other members of the community may also be affected. Different cues from infected hosts may alter behaviors in other individuals related to foraging, competition, and defense priming. Here, we discuss how parasites could modify host chemical cues, which may have far reaching consequences for other community members and the ecosystem. We discuss how the modification of signaling molecules by parasites may also represent a mechanism for parasite-modified behavior within some systems and provide a mechanism for non-consumptive effects of parasites. Further, we propose a host-parasite system that could be used to investigate some key, unanswered questions regarding the relationship between chemical cues, parasite-modified behavior, and non-consumptive effects. We explain how trematode-gastropod systems can be used to test whether there are alterations in the diversity and amounts of signaling molecules available, and if habitat use, immune function, and behavior of other individuals and species are affected. Finally, we argue that changes to pathway crosstalk by parasites within communities may have broad ecological implications.
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Wasson K, Tanner KE, Woofolk A, McCain S, Suraci JP. Top-down and sideways: Herbivory and cross-ecosystem connectivity shape restoration success at the salt marsh-upland ecotone. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247374. [PMID: 33617558 PMCID: PMC7899356 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Wetland restoration provides remarkable opportunities to understand vegetation dynamics and to inform success of future projects through rigorous restoration experiments. Salt marsh restoration typically focuses on physical factors such as sediment dynamics and elevation. Despite many demonstrations of strong top-down effects on salt marshes, the potential for consumers to affect salt marsh restoration projects has rarely been quantified. Recently, major restoration projects at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in central California, USA provided an opportunity to examine how herbivory influences restoration success. We quantified the strength of consumer effects by comparing caged to uncaged plantings, and compared effects among plant species and sites. We used camera traps to detect which herbivores were most common and how their abundance varied spatially. Beyond characterizing consumer effects, we also tested management strategies for reducing negative effects of herbivory at the restoration sites, including caging, mowing, and acoustic playbacks of predator sounds. We found extremely strong consumer effects at sites with extensive stands of exotic forbs upland of the high marsh; uncaged restoration plants suffered heavy herbivory and high mortality, while most caged plants survived. Brush rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani) were by far the most frequent consumers of these high marsh plants. Our work thus provides the first evidence of mammal consumers affecting salt marsh restoration success. Mowing of tall exotic forb cover adjacent to the marsh at one restoration site greatly reduced consumption, and nearly all monitored plantings survived at a second restoration site where construction had temporarily eliminated upland cover. Playbacks of predator sounds did not significantly affect restoration plantings, but restoration efforts in marsh communities vulnerable to terrestrial herbivory may benefit from concurrent restoration of predator communities in the upland habitats surrounding the marsh. A landscape approach is thus critical for recognizing linkages between terrestrial and marine vegetation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Wasson
- Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Royal Oaks, California, United States of America
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Karen E. Tanner
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Andrea Woofolk
- Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Royal Oaks, California, United States of America
| | - Sean McCain
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - Justin P. Suraci
- Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
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Steiner M, Huettmann F. Justification for a taxonomic conservation update of the rodent genus Tamiasciurus: addressing marginalization and mis-prioritization of research efforts and conservation laissez-faire for a sustainability outlook. THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2020.1857852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M. Steiner
- Institute for Arctic Biology, Department of Conservation Ecology, EWHALE Lab, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - F. Huettmann
- Institute for Arctic Biology, Department of Conservation Ecology, EWHALE Lab, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
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Selbach C, Mouritsen KN. Mussel Shutdown: Does the Fear of Trematodes Regulate the Functioning of Filter Feeders in Coastal Ecosystems? Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.569319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Poulin R, Bennett J, de Angeli Dutra D, Doherty JF, Filion A, Park E, Ruehle B. Evolutionary Signature of Ancient Parasite Pressures, or the Ghost of Parasitism Past. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Saufi S, Ravindran S, Hamid NH, Zainal Abidin CMR, Ahmad H, Ahmad AH, Salim H. Diet composition of introduced barn owls (Tyto alba javanica) in urban area in comparison with agriculture settings. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juz025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThis study investigated the diet of introduced barn owls (Tyto alba javanica, Gmelin) in the urban area of the Main Campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia, based on collected regurgitated pellets. We also compared the diet of the introduced barn owls with the diet of barn owls from two agricultural areas, i.e. oil palm plantations and rice fields. Pellet analysis of introduced barn owls showed that commensal Norway rats, Rattus norvegicus, made up the highest proportion of the diet (65.37% prey biomass) while common shrews, Suncus murinus were the second highest consumed prey (30.12% prey biomass). Common plantain squirrel, Callosciurus notatus, made up 4.45% of the diet while insects were taken in a relatively small amount (0.046% prey biomass). Introduced barn owls showed a preference for medium-sized prey, i.e. 40–120 g (52.96% biomass and 38.71% total). In agricultural areas, rice field rats, Rattus argentiventer predominated the diet of barn owls (98.24% prey biomass) in rice fields while Malayan wood rats, Rattus tiomanicus, were the most consumed prey in oil palm plantations (99.5% prey biomass). Food niche breadth value was highest for barn owls introduced in an urban area with a value of 2.90, and 1.06 in rice fields and 1.22 in oil palm plantations. Our analysis reiterates the prey preference of barn owls in various landscapes for small mammals. Our results also indicate the suitability of utilizing barn owls as a biological control not only in agricultural areas, but also as a biological control agent for commensal rodent pests in urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safwan Saufi
- Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG), School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
| | - Shakinah Ravindran
- Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG), School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
| | - Noor Hisham Hamid
- FGV Agri Services Sdn Bhd, Tun Razak Agricultural Research Centre, Jerantut, 27000 Pahang, Malaysia
| | | | - Hamdan Ahmad
- Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG), School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
- Vector Control and Research Unit, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
| | - Abu Hassan Ahmad
- Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG), School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
| | - Hasber Salim
- Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG), School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
- Vector Control and Research Unit, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
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