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Novella-Fernandez R, Brandl R, Pinkert S, Zeuss D, Hof C. Seasonal variation in dragonfly assemblage colouration suggests a link between thermal melanism and phenology. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8427. [PMID: 38114459 PMCID: PMC10730518 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44106-0] [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: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenology, the seasonal timing of life events, is an essential component of diversity patterns. However, the mechanisms involved are complex and understudied. Body colour may be an important factor, because dark-bodied species absorb more solar radiation, which is predicted by the Thermal Melanism Hypothesis to enable them to thermoregulate successfully in cooler temperatures. Here we show that colour lightness of dragonfly assemblages varies in response to seasonal changes in solar radiation, with darker early- and late-season assemblages and lighter mid-season assemblages. This finding suggests a link between colour-based thermoregulation and insect phenology. We also show that the phenological pattern of dragonfly colour lightness advanced over the last decades. We suggest that changing seasonal temperature patterns due to global warming together with the static nature of solar radiation may drive dragonfly flight periods to suboptimal seasonal conditions. Our findings open a research avenue for a more mechanistic understanding of phenology and spatio-phenological impacts of climate warming on insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Novella-Fernandez
- Technical University of Munich, Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department for Life Science Systems, School of Life Sciences, Freising, Germany.
| | - Roland Brandl
- Department of Ecology-Animal Ecology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Pinkert
- Department of Conservation Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Dirk Zeuss
- Department of Geography-Environmental Informatics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Christian Hof
- Technical University of Munich, Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department for Life Science Systems, School of Life Sciences, Freising, Germany
- Department of Global Change Ecology, Biocentre, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Hallam J, Harris NC. What's going to be on the menu with global environmental changes? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:5744-5759. [PMID: 37458101 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Ongoing anthropogenic change is altering the planet at an unprecedented rate, threatening biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. Species are responding to abiotic pressures at both individual and population levels, with changes affecting trophic interactions through consumptive pathways. Collectively, these impacts alter the goods and services that natural ecosystems will provide to society, as well as the persistence of all species. Here, we describe the physiological and behavioral responses of species to global changes on individual and population levels that result in detectable changes in diet across terrestrial and marine ecosystems. We illustrate shifts in the dynamics of food webs with implications for animal communities. Additionally, we highlight the myriad of tools available for researchers to investigate the dynamics of consumption patterns and trophic interactions, arguing that diet data are a crucial component of ecological studies on global change. We suggest that a holistic approach integrating the complexities of diet choice and trophic interactions with environmental drivers may be more robust at resolving trends in biodiversity, predicting food web responses, and potentially identifying early warning signs of diversity loss. Ultimately, despite the growing body of long-term ecological datasets, there remains a dearth of diet ecology studies across temporal scales, a shortcoming that must be resolved to elucidate vulnerabilities to changing biophysical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Hallam
- Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Nyeema C Harris
- Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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D'Aguillo M, Donohue K. Changes in phenology can alter patterns of natural selection: the joint evolution of germination time and postgermination traits. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:405-421. [PMID: 36600403 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18711] [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: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The timing of a developmental transition (phenology) can influence the environment experienced by subsequent life stages. When phenology causes an organism to occupy a particular habitat as a consequence of the developmental cues used, it can act as a form of habitat tracking. Evolutionary theory predicts that habitat tracking can alter the strength, direction, and mode of natural selection on subsequently expressed traits. To test whether germination phenology altered natural selection on postgermination traits, we manipulated germination time by planting seedlings in seven germination cohorts spanning 2 yr. We measured selection on postgermination traits relating to drought, freezing, and heat tolerance using a diverse combination of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants and naturally occurring ecotypes. Germination cohorts experienced variable selection: when dry, cold, and hot environments were experienced by seedlings, selection was intensified for drought, freezing, and heat tolerance, respectively. Reciprocally, postgermination traits modified the optimal germination time; genotypes had maximum fitness after germinating in environments that matched their physiological tolerances. Our results support the theoretical predictions of feedbacks between habitat tracking and traits expressed after habitat selection. In natural populations, whether phenological shifts alter selection on subsequently expressed traits will depend on the effectiveness of habitat tracking through phenology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle D'Aguillo
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Kathleen Donohue
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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Prather RM, Dalton RM, barr B, Blumstein DT, Boggs CL, Brody AK, Inouye DW, Irwin RE, Martin JGA, Smith RJ, Van Vuren DH, Wells CP, Whiteman HH, Inouye BD, Underwood N. Current and lagged climate affects phenology across diverse taxonomic groups. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222181. [PMID: 36629105 PMCID: PMC9832555 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2181] [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: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The timing of life events (phenology) can be influenced by climate. Studies from around the world tell us that climate cues and species' responses can vary greatly. If variation in climate effects on phenology is strong within a single ecosystem, climate change could lead to ecological disruption, but detailed data from diverse taxa within a single ecosystem are rare. We collated first sighting and median activity within a high-elevation environment for plants, insects, birds, mammals and an amphibian across 45 years (1975-2020). We related 10 812 phenological events to climate data to determine the relative importance of climate effects on species' phenologies. We demonstrate significant variation in climate-phenology linkage across taxa in a single ecosystem. Both current and prior climate predicted changes in phenology. Taxa responded to some cues similarly, such as snowmelt date and spring temperatures; other cues affected phenology differently. For example, prior summer precipitation had no effect on most plants, delayed first activity of some insects, but advanced activity of the amphibian, some mammals, and birds. Comparing phenological responses of taxa at a single location, we find that important cues often differ among taxa, suggesting that changes to climate may disrupt synchrony of timing among taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M. Prather
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Rebecca M. Dalton
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
| | - billy barr
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Carol L. Boggs
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Alison K. Brody
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - David W. Inouye
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Rebecca E. Irwin
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Julien G. A. Martin
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 9A7
| | - Rosemary J. Smith
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA
| | - Dirk H. Van Vuren
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Caitlin P. Wells
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Howard H. Whiteman
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071, USA
| | - Brian D. Inouye
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Nora Underwood
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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Bird Communities in a Changing World: The Role of Interspecific Competition. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d14100857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Significant changes in the environment have the potential to affect bird species abundance and distribution, both directly, through a modification of the landscape, habitats, and climate, and indirectly, through a modification of biotic interactions such as competitive interactions. Predicting and mitigating the consequences of global change thus requires not only a sound understanding of the role played by biotic interactions in current ecosystems, but also the recognition and study of the complex and intricate effects that result from the perturbation of these ecosystems. In this review, we emphasize the role of interspecific competition in bird communities by focusing on three main predictions derived from theoretical and empirical considerations. We provide numerous examples of population decline and displacement that appeared to be, at least in part, driven by competition, and were amplified by environmental changes associated with human activities. Beyond a shift in relative species abundance, we show that interspecific competition may have a negative impact on species richness, ecosystem services, and endangered species. Despite these findings, we argue that, in general, the role played by interspecific competition in current communities remains poorly understood due to methodological issues and the complexity of natural communities. Predicting the consequences of global change in these communities is further complicated by uncertainty regarding future environmental conditions and the speed and efficacy of plastic and evolutionary responses to fast-changing environments. Possible directions of future research are highlighted.
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