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Hederström V, Ekroos J, Friberg M, Krausl T, Opedal ØH, Persson AS, Petrén H, Quan Y, Smith HG, Clough Y. Pollinator-mediated effects of landscape-scale land use on grassland plant community composition and ecosystem functioning - seven hypotheses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:675-698. [PMID: 38118437 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13040] [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: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Environmental change is disrupting mutualisms between organisms worldwide. Reported declines in insect populations and changes in pollinator community compositions in response to land use and other environmental drivers have put the spotlight on the need to conserve pollinators. While this is often motivated by their role in supporting crop yields, the role of pollinators for reproduction and resulting taxonomic and functional assembly in wild plant communities has received less attention. Recent findings suggest that observed and experimental gradients in pollinator availability can affect plant community composition, but we know little about when such shifts are to be expected, or the impact they have on ecosystem functioning. Correlations between plant traits related to pollination and plant traits related to other important ecosystem functions, such as productivity, nitrogen uptake or palatability to herbivores, lead us to expect non-random shifts in ecosystem functioning in response to changes in pollinator communities. At the same time, ecological and evolutionary processes may counteract these effects of pollinator declines, limiting changes in plant community composition, and in ecosystem functioning. Despite calls to investigate community- and ecosystem-level impacts of reduced pollination, the study of pollinator effects on plants has largely been confined to impacts on plant individuals or single-species populations. With this review we aim to break new ground by bringing together aspects of landscape ecology, ecological and evolutionary plant-insect interactions, and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research, to generate new ideas and hypotheses about the ecosystem-level consequences of pollinator declines in response to land-use change, using grasslands as a focal system. Based on an integrated set of seven hypotheses, we call for more research investigating the putative pollinator-mediated links between landscape-scale land use and ecosystem functioning. In particular, future research should use combinations of experimental and observational approaches to assess the effects of changes in pollinator communities over multiple years and across species on plant communities and on trait distributions both within and among species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Hederström
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Johan Ekroos
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Magne Friberg
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Theresia Krausl
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Øystein H Opedal
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Anna S Persson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Hampus Petrén
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Yuanyuan Quan
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Yann Clough
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
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Wang Z, Chase JM, Xu W, Liu J, Wu D, Zhang A, Wang J, Luo Y, Yu M. Higher trophic levels and species with poorer dispersal traits are more susceptible to habitat loss on island fragments. Ecology 2024; 105:e4300. [PMID: 38650396 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4300] [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: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation caused by human activities represent one of the greatest causes of biodiversity loss. However, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation are not felt equally among species. Here, we examined how habitat loss influenced the diversity and abundance of species from different trophic levels, with different traits, by taking advantage of an inadvertent experiment that created habitat islands from a once continuous forest via the creation of the Thousand Island Lake, a large reservoir in China. On 28 of these islands with more than a 9000-fold difference in their area (0.12-1154 ha), we sampled plants, herbivorous insects, and predatory insects using effort-controlled sampling and analyses. This allowed us to discern whether any observed differences in species diversity were due to passive sampling alone or to demographic effects that disproportionately influenced some species relative to others. We found that while most metrics of sampling effort-controlled diversity increased with island area, the strength of the effect was exacerbated for species in higher trophic levels. When we more explicitly examined differences in species composition among islands, we found that the pairwise difference in species composition among islands was dominated by species turnover but that nestedness increased with differences in island area, indicating that some species are more likely to be absent from smaller islands. Furthermore, by examining trends of several dispersal-related traits of species, we found that species with lower dispersal propensity tended to be those that were lost from smaller islands, which was observed for herbivorous and predatory insects. Our results emphasize the importance of incorporating within-patch demographic effects, as well as the taxa and traits of species when understanding the influence of habitat loss on biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghan Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jonathan M Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Wubing Xu
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jinliang Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Donghao Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Aiying Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jirui Wang
- School of Agricultural and Food Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuanyuan Luo
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Mingjian Yu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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La Cava S, Rijllo G, Zucco G, Innocenti S, Guasti M, Puletti N, Ferrara C, Scalercio S. Moths in space: The below-canopy structure of forest drives abundance and mobility-related traits of moth communities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 921:171056. [PMID: 38382613 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171056] [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: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The distribution of species is primarily driven by the availability of trophic resources. In a given forest type, insects trophically related to the dominant tree are expected to be evenly distributed due to the abundance of their foodplant. However, their distribution is also influenced by complex relationships with abiotic and biotic parameters such as available space, predatory pressure, and morphometric traits. In this study, we investigated how the three-dimensional structure of space below the canopy may affect the composition of nocturnal lepidoptera communities. To synthesise the complexity of the dispersal behaviour of these insects, we evaluated easily measurable traits such as wingspan and the presence of tympanic organs, both connected to their mobility and thus potentially influenced by the structure of the available flight space. The study was conducted in the Sila National Park (Italy), where 12 sampling sites were selected in pine forests and an additional 12 in beech forests. Forest spatial structure was investigated using a portable terrestrial laser scanner. Moths were sampled monthly using light traps from May to October in both 2019 and 2020. Among measured forest traits, we observed that the space above three meters from the ground is the only factor influencing community composition. Larger species with tympanic organs prefer environments with less space below tree canopies. Our findings could be the starting point for future studies that investigate a potential defence strategy of moths against bats, as tympanate and larger species not only actively avoid chiropter predation but could also choose denser forests because of a lower bat activity. Moths' distribution and community composition thus appear to be significantly shaped by the spatial structure of forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara La Cava
- Council for agricultural research and economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, I-87036 Rende, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Rijllo
- Council for agricultural research and economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, I-87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Giada Zucco
- Council for agricultural research and economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, I-87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Simone Innocenti
- Council for agricultural research and economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, I-52100 Arezzo, Italy
| | - Matteo Guasti
- Council for agricultural research and economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, I-52100 Arezzo, Italy
| | - Nicola Puletti
- Council for agricultural research and economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, I-52100 Arezzo, Italy
| | - Carlotta Ferrara
- Council for agricultural research and economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, I-00166 Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Scalercio
- Council for agricultural research and economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, I-87036 Rende, Italy
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Adhurya S, Lee DY, Lee DS, Park YS. Functional trait dataset of benthic macroinvertebrates in South Korean streams. Sci Data 2023; 10:838. [PMID: 38017016 PMCID: PMC10684509 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02678-y] [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: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional traits are the result of evolution and adaptation, providing important ecological insights into how organisms interact with their environment. Benthic macroinvertebrates, in particular, have garnered attention as biomonitoring indicators for freshwater ecosystems. This study presents a functional trait dataset for benthic macroinvertebrates, comprising 447 taxa (393 at genus level, 53 at family level and one at class level) from five phyla (Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca, Nematomorpha, and Platyhelmenthes), categorized into nine traits related to life history, morphology, and habit. To account for variation in available trait information, we assigned confidence levels to each taxon and functional trait based on the level of evidence using fuzzy coding. Our dataset provides an important resource for understanding the ecology of benthic macroinvertebrates in South Korea, serving as a valuable baseline dataset for studying their biodiversity, conservation, and biomonitoring in freshwater ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagar Adhurya
- Ecology and Ecological Informatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, College of Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Da-Yeong Lee
- Ecology and Ecological Informatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, College of Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae-Seong Lee
- Ecology and Ecological Informatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, College of Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Seuk Park
- Ecology and Ecological Informatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, College of Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
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Burner RC, Stephan JG, Drag L, Potterf M, Birkemoe T, Siitonen J, Müller J, Ovaskainen O, Sverdrup‐Thygeson A, Snäll T. Alternative measures of trait-niche relationships: A test on dispersal traits in saproxylic beetles. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10588. [PMID: 37869428 PMCID: PMC10585442 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional trait approaches are common in ecology, but a lack of clear hypotheses on how traits relate to environmental gradients (i.e., trait-niche relationships) often makes uncovering mechanisms difficult. Furthermore, measures of community functional structure differ in their implications, yet inferences are seldom compared among metrics. Community-weighted mean trait values (CWMs), a common measure, are largely driven by the most common species and thus do not reflect community-wide trait-niche relationships per se. Alternatively, trait-niche relationships can be estimated across a larger group of species using hierarchical joint species distribution models (JSDMs), quantified by a parameter Γ. We investigated how inferences about trait-niche relationships are affected by the choice of metric. Using deadwood-dependent (saproxylic) beetles in fragmented Finnish forests, we followed a protocol for investigating trait-niche relationships by (1) identifying environmental filters (climate, forest age, and deadwood volume), (2) relating these to an ecological function (dispersal ability), and (3) identifying traits related to this function (wing morphology). We tested 18 hypothesized dispersal relationships using both CWM and Γ estimates across these environmental gradients. CWMs were more likely than Γ to show support for trait-niche relationships. Up to 13% of species' realized niches were explained by dispersal traits, but the directions of effects were consistent with fewer than 11%-39% of our 18 trait-niche hypotheses (depending on the metric used). This highlights the difficulty in connecting morphological traits and ecological functions in insects, despite the clear conceptual link between landscape connectivity and flight-related traits. Caution is thus warranted in hypothesis development, particularly where apparent trait-function links are less clear. Inferences differ when CWMs versus Γ estimates are used, necessitating the choice of a metric that reflects study questions. CWMs help explain the effects of environmental gradients on community trait composition, whereas the effects of traits on species' niches are better estimated using hierarchical JSDMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan C. Burner
- U.S. Geological SurveyUpper Midwest Environmental Sciences CenterLa CrosseWisconsinUSA
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | - Jörg G. Stephan
- SLU Swedish Species Information CentreSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | - Lukas Drag
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocenterUniversity of WürzburgRauhenebrachGermany
- Institute of EntomologyBiology Centre of the Czech Academy of SciencesCeske BudejoviceCzech Republic
| | - Mária Potterf
- Department of Life Science SystemsTechnical University of MunichFreisingBavariaGermany
| | - Tone Birkemoe
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | - Juha Siitonen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)HelsinkiFinland
| | - Jörg Müller
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocenterUniversity of WürzburgRauhenebrachGermany
- Bavarian Forest National ParkGrafenauGermany
| | - Otso Ovaskainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity DynamicsNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNorway
| | - Anne Sverdrup‐Thygeson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | - Tord Snäll
- SLU Swedish Species Information CentreSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
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Kalawate AS, Prachee Surwade, S.N. Pawara. An annotated checklist of the economically important family of moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera: Noctuidae) of the northern Western Ghats, India, with notes on their type species, diversity, distribution, host plants, and an unusual new faunistic record. JOURNAL OF THREATENED TAXA 2023. [DOI: 10.11609/jott.7824.15.2.22632-22653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
This research is based on the surveys conducted from 2015─2018 resulting in identification of 37 species of 25 genera of noctuid moths. From the surveys, three new records including one unusual species namely, Conservula indica (Moore, 1867) are reported in the present study. A total of eight species of this family are reported as endemic. Two species—C. indica and Pyrrhia umbra—are reported first time from the Western Ghats part of Maharashtra. In this communication, notes on host plant, type species, endemic species with their distribution are provided.
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Lee DY, Lee DS, Park YS. Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Reservoirs of South Korea. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 20:673. [PMID: 36612995 PMCID: PMC9819676 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Numerous community indices have been developed to quantify the various aspects of communities. However, indices including functional aspects have been less focused on. Here, we examined how community composition varies in response to the environment and discovered the relationship between taxonomic diversity and functional diversity while considering the environment. Macroinvertebrate communities were collected from 20 reservoirs in South Korea. To characterize functional diversity, functional traits in four categories were considered: generation per year, adult lifespan, adult size, and functional feeding groups. Based on their community composition, we classified the reservoirs using hierarchical cluster analysis. Physicochemical and land use variables varied considerably between clusters. Non-metric multidimensional scaling indicated differences between reservoirs and clusters in terms of structure, functional diversity, and environmental variables. A self-organizing map was used to categorize functional traits, and network association analysis was used to unravel relationships between functional traits. Our results support the characteristics of species' survival strategies such as r- and K-selection. Functional richness exhibited a relationship with taxonomic diversity. Our findings suggest that different types of diversity could play complementary roles in identifying biodiversity. Our findings should prove useful in developing new criteria for assessing freshwater ecosystem health, as well as in evaluating and predicting future alteration of benthic macroinvertebrate communities facing anthropogenic disturbances.
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Yabsley SH, Meade J, Hibburt TD, Martin JM, Boardman WSJ, Nicolle D, Walker MJ, Turbill C, Welbergen JA. Variety is the spice of life: Flying-foxes exploit a variety of native and exotic food plants in an urban landscape mosaic. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.907966] [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
Generally, urbanization is a major threat to biodiversity; however, urban areas also provide habitats that some species can exploit. Flying-foxes (Pteropus spp.) are becoming increasingly urbanized; which is thought to be a result of increased availability and temporal stability of urban food resources, diminished natural food resources, or both. Previous research has shown that urban-roosting grey-headed flying-foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) preferentially forage in human-modified landscapes. However, which land-use areas and food plants support its presence in urban areas is unknown. We tracked nine P. poliocephalus roosting in Adelaide, South Australia, between December 2019 and May 2020, using global positioning systems (GPS), to investigate how individuals used the urban landscape mosaic for feeding. The most frequently visited land-use category was “residential” (40% of fixes) followed by “road-side,” “reserves” and “primary production” (13–14% each). However, “reserves” were visited four times more frequently than expected from their areal availability, followed by the “residential” and “road-side” categories that were visited approximately twice more than expected each; in contrast, the “primary production” category was visited approximately five times less than expected. These results suggest that while residential areas provide most foraging resources supporting Adelaide’s flying-fox population, reserves contain foraging resources that are particularly attractive to P. poliocephalus. Primary production land was relatively less utilized, presumably because it contains few food resources. Throughout, flying-foxes visited an eclectic mixture of diet plants (49 unique species), with a majority of feeding fixes (63%) to locally indigenous Australian native species; however, in residential areas 53% of feeding visits were to non-locally indigenous species, vs only 13% in reserves. Flowering and fruiting phenology records of the food plants visited further indicated that non-locally indigenous species increase the temporal availability of foraging resources for P. poliocephalus in urban Adelaide. Our findings demonstrate the importance of residential areas for urban-roosting P. poliocephalus, and suggest that the anthropogenic mixture of food resources available in the urban landscape mosaic supports the species’ year-round presence in urban areas. Our results further highlight the importance of conserving natural habitats within the urban landscape mosaic, and stress the need for accounting for wildlife responses to urban greening initiatives.
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Specht H, Golding JD, Pero EM, Crane MT, Ortiz‐Calo W, McDevitt MC, Karlen JG, Branch JV, Hansen CP, Millspaugh JJ. A framework for evaluating the implications of assumptions in broad conservation strategies. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Specht
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Missoula Montana USA
| | - Jessie D. Golding
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Missoula Montana USA
| | - Ellen M. Pero
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Missoula Montana USA
| | - Madison T. Crane
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Missoula Montana USA
| | | | - Molly C. McDevitt
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Missoula Montana USA
| | | | - J. Vaughan Branch
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Missoula Montana USA
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Piccini I, Pittarello M, Di Pietro V, Lonati M, Bonelli S. New approach for butterfly conservation through local field‐based vegetational and entomological data. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Piccini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS) University of Turin Turin Italy
| | - Marco Pittarello
- Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA) University of Turin Turin Italy
| | - Viviana Di Pietro
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS) University of Turin Turin Italy
- Department of Biology KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
| | - Michele Lonati
- Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA) University of Turin Turin Italy
| | - Simona Bonelli
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS) University of Turin Turin Italy
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11
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Sugimoto N, Fukasawa K, Asahara A, Kasada M, Matsuba M, Miyashita T. Positive and negative effects of land abandonment on butterfly communities revealed by a hierarchical sampling design across climatic regions. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212222. [PMID: 35317678 PMCID: PMC8942172 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Land abandonment may decrease biodiversity but also provides an opportunity for rewilding. It is therefore necessary to identify areas that may benefit from traditional land management practices and those that may benefit from a lack of human intervention. In this study, we conducted comparative field surveys of butterfly occurrence in abandoned and inhabited settlements in 18 regions of diverse climatic zones in Japan to test the hypotheses that species-specific responses to land abandonment correlate with climatic niches and habitat preferences. Hierarchical models that unified species occurrence and habitat preferences revealed that negative responses to land abandonment were associated with species that have cold climatic niches and use open habitats, suggesting that species negatively impacted by land abandonment will decline more due to future climate warming. Maps representing species gains and losses due to land abandonment, which were created from the model estimates, showed similar geographical patterns, but some areas exhibited high species losses relative to gains. Our hierarchical modelling approach was useful for scaling up local-scale effects of land abandonment to a macro-scale assessment, which is crucial to developing spatial conservation strategies in the era of depopulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Sugimoto
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Keita Fukasawa
- Biodiversity Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Akio Asahara
- Team HEYANEKO, 3-22-18-702 Minami-Urawa, Minami-ku, Saitama, Saitama 336-0017, Japan
| | - Minoru Kasada
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University 6-3, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan.,Department of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Alte Fischerhuette 2, 16775 Stechlin, Germany
| | - Misako Matsuba
- Biodiversity Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Tadashi Miyashita
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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Habitat specialisation and matrix resistance predict responses of butterfly populations to landscape features in tropical grassland-forest complexes. Oecologia 2022; 199:513-525. [PMID: 35290500 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05144-5] [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: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental question in ecology is to understand how a species is distributed in a landscape. In terrestrial landscapes, the size and isolation of habitat patches, and matrix properties, are thought to drive population density patterns. Yet, given the same set of landscape features, why do species from a single taxon vary so widely in their density patterns? A primary hypothesis for such variation, proposed by community-level studies, is that key ecological characteristics of species influence how they respond to landscape features. However, robust tests of this hypothesis, which require measurements of populations of multiple species in an assemblage, are still scarce. We investigated the ability of ecological specialisation and the interaction of species with the matrix (matrix resistance) to predict population responses of butterfly species to patch size and connectivity in naturally heterogeneous tropical forest-grassland complexes. We surveyed 56 habitat patches in a 65 sq. km area by laying 276 transects, along which the identity and abundances of butterfly species were recorded. We also used transects that cut across two habitats to estimate matrix resistance. We find that habitat specialisation predicted the strength of area-density and isolation-density relationships. Matrix resistance also predicted variation in area-density relationships, highlighting the importance of species interactions with the matrix. Specialists showed higher matrix resistance and stronger area and isolation effects than did generalists. Our findings suggest that investigating how traits related to ecological specialisation and matrix resistance affect demographic parameters can contribute towards understanding mechanisms underlying species distributions in heterogeneous landscapes.
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Kozel P, Sebek P, Platek M, Benes J, Zapletal M, Dvorsky M, Lanta V, Dolezal J, Bace R, Zbuzek B, Cizek L. Connectivity and succession of open structures as a key to sustaining light‐demanding biodiversity in deciduous forests. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petr Kozel
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Sebek
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Michal Platek
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Bile Karpaty Protected Landscape Area Administration Luhacovice Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Benes
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Michal Zapletal
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Dvorsky
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Trebon Czech Republic
| | - Vojtech Lanta
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Trebon Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Dolezal
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Trebon Czech Republic
| | - Radek Bace
- Department of Forest Ecology Czech University of Life Sciences Praha Czech Republic
| | | | - Lukas Cizek
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
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14
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Parravicini V, Bender MG, Villéger S, Leprieur F, Pellissier L, Donati FGA, Floeter SR, Rezende EL, Mouillot D, Kulbicki M. Coral reef fishes reveal strong divergence in the prevalence of traits along the global diversity gradient. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211712. [PMID: 34666520 PMCID: PMC8527194 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1712] [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: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are experiencing declines due to climate change and local human impacts. While at a local scale these impacts induce biodiversity loss and shifts in community structure, previous biogeographical analyses recorded consistent taxonomic structure of fish communities across global coral reefs. This suggests that regional communities represent a random subset of the global species and traits pool, whatever their species richness. Using distributional data on 3586 fish species and latest advances in species distribution models, we show marked gradients in the prevalence of size classes and diet categories across the biodiversity gradient. This divergence in trait structure is best explained by reef isolation during past unfavourable climatic conditions, with large and piscivore fishes better represented in isolated areas. These results suggest the risk of a global community re-organization if the ongoing climate-induced reef fragmentation is not halted.
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Affiliation(s)
- V. Parravicini
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, University of Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - M. G. Bender
- Marine Macroecology and Conservation Lab, Departamento de Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - S. Villéger
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - F. Leprieur
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - L. Pellissier
- Landscape Ecology, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, 8044 Zürich, Switzerland
- Unit of Land Change Science, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - F. G. A. Donati
- Landscape Ecology, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, 8044 Zürich, Switzerland
- Unit of Land Change Science, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - S. R. Floeter
- Marine Macroecology and Biogeography Lab, Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC 88010-970, Brazil
| | - E. L. Rezende
- Marine Macroecology and Biogeography Lab, Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC 88010-970, Brazil
- Departamento de Ecología, Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - D. Mouillot
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - M. Kulbicki
- IRD, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR ‘Entropie’, LABEX Corail, University of Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
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15
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Stilley JA, Gabler CA. Effects of Patch Size, Fragmentation, and Invasive Species on Plant and Lepidoptera Communities in Southern Texas. INSECTS 2021; 12:777. [PMID: 34564216 PMCID: PMC8472066 DOI: 10.3390/insects12090777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Habitat loss, fragmentation, and invasive species are major threats to biodiversity. In the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of southern Texas, a conservation hotspot, few studies have examined how land use change and biotic disturbance influence biodiversity, particularly among Lepidoptera. We surveyed 24 habitat fragments on private lands in the LRGV and examined how patch size, edge to interior ratio (EIR), prevalence of invasive, exotic, and pest (IEP) plant species, and other environmental factors influenced plant and Lepidoptera communities within four habitat classes. Biotic disturbance was widespread and intense. IEP plants represented three of the four most common species in all but one habitat class; yet, classes largely had distinctive plant and Lepidoptera communities. Larger habitat patches had lower IEP prevalence but also lower plant richness and lower Lepidoptera richness and abundance. Conversely, patches with higher EIRs had greater IEP prevalence, plant richness, and Lepidoptera richness and abundance. IEP prevalence was negatively related to plant diversity and positively related to woody dominance, blooming plant abundance, and, surprisingly, both plant cover and richness. However, plant richness, abundance, and diversity were higher where a greater proportion of the plants were native. Lepidoptera diversity increased with plant cover, and Lepidoptera richness and abundance increased with plant richness. More individual Lepidoptera species were influenced by habitat attributes than by availability of resources such as host plants or nectar sources. Our results illustrate extensive landscape alteration and biotic disturbance and suggest that most regional habitats are at early successional stages and populated by a novel species pool heavy in IEP species; these factors must be considered together to develop effective and realistic management plans for the LRGV.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Stilley
- School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 1 West University Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA;
| | - Christopher A. Gabler
- School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 1 West University Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA;
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 1201 W University Dr, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
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16
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Liu G, Rowley JJL, Kingsford RT, Callaghan CT. Species' traits drive amphibian tolerance to anthropogenic habitat modification. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:3120-3132. [PMID: 33939215 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic habitat modification is accelerating, threatening the world's biodiversity. Understanding species' responses to anthropogenic modification is vital for halting species' declines. However, this information is lacking for globally threatened amphibians, informed primarily by small community-level studies. We integrated >126,000 verified citizen science observations of frogs, with a global continuous measure of anthropogenic habitat modification for a continental scale analysis of the effects of habitat modification on frogs. We derived a modification tolerance index-accounting for anthropogenic stressors such as human habitation, agriculture, transport and energy production-for 87 species (36% of all Australian frog species). We used this index to quantify and rank each species' tolerance of anthropogenic habitat modification, then compiled traits of all the frog species and assessed how well these equipped species to tolerate modified habitats. Most of Australia's frog species examined were adversely affected by habitat modification. Habitat specialists and species with large geographic range sizes were the least tolerant of habitat modification. Call dominant frequency, body size, clutch type and calling position (i.e. from vegetation) were also related to tolerance of habitat modification. There is an urgent need for improved consideration of anthropogenic impacts and improved conservation measures to ensure the long-term persistence of frog populations, particularly focused on specialists and species identified as intolerant of modified habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gracie Liu
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jodi J L Rowley
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Richard T Kingsford
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Corey T Callaghan
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Ecology & Evolution Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
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17
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Fourcade Y, Åström S, Öckinger E. Decline of parasitic and habitat-specialist species drives taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional homogenization of sub-alpine bumblebee communities. Oecologia 2021; 196:905-917. [PMID: 34129123 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04970-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The ongoing biodiversity crisis is characterised not only by an elevated extinction rate but also can lead to an increasing similarity of species assemblages. This is an issue of major concern, as it can reduce ecosystem resilience and functionality. Changes in the composition of pollinator communities have mainly been described in intensive agricultural lowland areas. In this context, using a replicated survey of historical and recent bumblebee diversity, we aimed here to test how documented changes in climate and land use influenced the potential homogenization of sub-alpine bumblebee communities in southern Norway. We assessed the change in community composition in terms of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional (β-)diversity, and estimated the impact of various species traits in probabilities of species gains and losses. Overall, we found a strong reduction in functional diversity, but no change in phylogenetic diversity over time. The β-diversity decreased, especially at high elevations, and this pattern was consistent for taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional β-diversity. The spatial distribution, measured as the average site occupancy, decreased in habitat-specialist species. This was explained by both a higher risk of species loss and a lower probability of species gain for habitat-specialist and parasitic species than for generalist and social species. These findings demonstrate that a narrow niche breadth may contribute to a higher extinction risk in bumblebee species. This non-random impact of disturbance on species may lead to large-scale biotic homogenisation of communities, a pattern that can be detected by investigating biodiversity changes at different scales and across its multiple facets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoan Fourcade
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden. .,Univ Paris Est Creteil, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Sorbonne Université, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement, IEES, 94010, Creteil, France.
| | - Sandra Åström
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, Box 5685, 7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Erik Öckinger
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden
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18
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Millard J, Outhwaite CL, Kinnersley R, Freeman R, Gregory RD, Adedoja O, Gavini S, Kioko E, Kuhlmann M, Ollerton J, Ren ZX, Newbold T. Global effects of land-use intensity on local pollinator biodiversity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2902. [PMID: 34006837 PMCID: PMC8131357 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23228-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Pollinating species are in decline globally, with land use an important driver. However, most of the evidence on which these claims are made is patchy, based on studies with low taxonomic and geographic representativeness. Here, we model the effect of land-use type and intensity on global pollinator biodiversity, using a local-scale database covering 303 studies, 12,170 sites, and 4502 pollinating species. Relative to a primary vegetation baseline, we show that low levels of intensity can have beneficial effects on pollinator biodiversity. Within most anthropogenic land-use types however, increasing intensity is associated with significant reductions, particularly in urban (43% richness and 62% abundance reduction compared to the least intensive urban sites), and pasture (75% abundance reduction) areas. We further show that on cropland, the strongly negative response to intensity is restricted to tropical areas, and that the direction and magnitude of response differs among taxonomic groups. Our findings confirm widespread effects of land-use intensity on pollinators, most significantly in the tropics, where land use is predicted to change rapidly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Millard
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom ,grid.20419.3e0000 0001 2242 7273Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte L. Outhwaite
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robyn Kinnersley
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin Freeman
- grid.20419.3e0000 0001 2242 7273Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard D. Gregory
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom ,grid.421630.20000 0001 2110 3189RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, United Kingdom
| | - Opeyemi Adedoja
- grid.411921.e0000 0001 0177 134XDepartment of Conservation and Marine Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sabrina Gavini
- grid.412234.20000 0001 2112 473XINIBIOMA, CONICET-Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Esther Kioko
- grid.425505.30000 0001 1457 1451Zoology Department, National Museums of Kenya (NMK), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Michael Kuhlmann
- grid.9764.c0000 0001 2153 9986Zoological Museum, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany ,grid.35937.3b0000 0001 2270 9879Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jeff Ollerton
- grid.44870.3fFaculty of Arts, Science and Technology, University of Northampton, Northampton, United Kingdom
| | - Zong-Xin Ren
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, PR China
| | - Tim Newbold
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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19
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Isolation-by-distance and male-biased dispersal at a fine spatial scale: a study of the common European adder (Vipera berus) in a rural landscape. CONSERV GENET 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-021-01365-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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20
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Batáry P, Rösch V, Dormann CF, Tscharntke T. Increasing connectivity enhances habitat specialists but simplifies plant-insect food webs. Oecologia 2020; 195:539-546. [PMID: 33367959 PMCID: PMC7882472 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04830-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Strong declines of grassland species diversity in small and isolated grassland patches have been observed at local and landscape scales. Here, we study how plant-herbivore interaction webs and habitat specialisation of leafhopper communities change with the size of calcareous grassland fragments and landscape connectivity. We surveyed leafhoppers and plants on 14 small (0.1-0.6 ha) and 14 large (1.2-8.8 ha) semi-natural calcareous grassland fragments in Central Germany, differing in isolation from other calcareous grasslands and in the percentage of arable land in the surrounding landscape (from simple to complex landscapes). We quantified weighted trophic links between plants and their phytophagous leafhoppers for each grassland fragment. We found that large and well-connected grassland fragments harboured a high portion of specialist leafhopper species, which in turn yielded low interaction diversity and simple plant-leafhopper food webs. In contrast, small and well-connected fragments exhibited high levels of generalism, leading to higher interaction diversity. In conclusion, food web complexity appeared to be a poor indicator for the management of insect diversity, as it is driven by specialist species, which require high connectivity of large fragments in complex landscapes. We conclude that habitat specialists should be prioritized since generalist species associated with small fragments are also widespread in the surrounding landscape matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Batáry
- "Lendület" Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Alkotmány u. 2-4, 2163, Vácrátót, Hungary.
| | - Verena Rösch
- Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstr. 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Carsten F Dormann
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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21
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Roberts HP, King DI. Investigating the role of matrix habitat use in determining avian area-sensitivity. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:12792-12800. [PMID: 33304494 PMCID: PMC7713974 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The absence of some species from small habitat patches has long posed a challenge for conservationists, yet the underlying mechanisms that cause this "area-sensitivity" remain poorly understood. Capacity of a species to extend their activities into the surrounding matrix habitat represents one potential determinant of area-sensitivity. Species may be able to occupy smaller patches if they can utilize matrix habitat beyond patch boundaries, whereas area-sensitive species may be restricted to larger patches due to their inability to utilize the surrounding matrix. We investigated the potential role of matrix utilization in determining area-sensitivity by mapping the movements of two shrubland-obligate passerines with contrasting patch area requirements in shrub-dominated forest openings ranging in area by nearly an order of magnitude. Our findings were consistent with our predictions; the less area-sensitive chestnut-sided warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) exhibited greater use of matrix habitat than the highly area-sensitive prairie warbler (S. discolor). Furthermore, chestnut-sided warblers that occupied smaller openings used mature forest more than conspecifics in larger patches, yet forest use by prairie warblers was unrelated to opening size. Chestnut-sided warblers foraged as frequently in mature forest as within shrubland, whereas prairie warblers foraged significantly more in openings compared to forest. The findings of this study suggest that the ability or inclination of a species to utilize surrounding matrix habitat explains at least some of the observed variation in area-sensitivity in songbirds and potentially other taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Patrick Roberts
- Department of Environmental ConservationUniversity of MassachusettsAmherstMAUSA
| | - David I. King
- U.S. Forest Service Northern Research StationUniversity of MassachusettsAmherstMAUSA
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22
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Barnagaud J, Geniez P, Cheylan M, Crochet P. Climate overrides the effects of land use on the functional composition and diversity of Mediterranean reptile assemblages. DIVERS DISTRIB 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jean‐Yves Barnagaud
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
| | - Philippe Geniez
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
| | - Marc Cheylan
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE‐PSL, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
| | - Pierre‐André Crochet
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
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23
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Evans LC, Sibly RM, Thorbek P, Sims I, Oliver TH, Walters RJ. Behavior underpins the predictive power of a trait-based model of butterfly movement. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:3200-3208. [PMID: 32273981 PMCID: PMC7141018 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Dispersal ability is key to species persistence in times of environmental change. Assessing a species' vulnerability and response to anthropogenic changes is often performed using one of two methods: correlative approaches that infer dispersal potential based on traits, such as wingspan or an index of mobility derived from expert opinion, or a mechanistic modeling approach that extrapolates displacement rates from empirical data on short-term movements.Here, we compare and evaluate the success of the correlative and mechanistic approaches using a mechanistic random-walk model of butterfly movement that incorporates relationships between wingspan and sex-specific movement behaviors.The model was parameterized with new data collected on four species of butterfly in the south of England, and we observe how wingspan relates to flight speeds, turning angles, flight durations, and displacement rates.We show that flight speeds and turning angles correlate with wingspan but that to achieve good prediction of displacement even over 10 min the model must also include details of sex- and species-specific movement behaviors.We discuss what factors are likely to differentially motivate the sexes and how these could be included in mechanistic models of dispersal to improve their use in ecological forecasting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke C. Evans
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| | | | - Pernille Thorbek
- SyngentaJealott's Hill International Research CentreBracknellUK
- BASF SE, APD/EELimburgerhofGermany
| | - Ian Sims
- SyngentaJealott's Hill International Research CentreBracknellUK
| | - Tom H. Oliver
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| | - Richard J. Walters
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
- Centre for Environmental and Climate ResearchUniversity of LundLundSweden
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24
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Differential effects of habitat loss on occupancy patterns of the eastern green lizard Lacerta viridis at the core and periphery of its distribution range. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229600. [PMID: 32134932 PMCID: PMC7058328 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of habitat loss on the distribution of populations are often linked with species specialization degree. Specialist species can be more affected by changes in landscape structure and local patch characteristics compared to generalist species. Moreover, the spatial scale at which different land covers (eg. habitat, cropland, urban areas) affect specialist species can be smaller. Specialization is usually assumed as a constant trait along the distribution range of species. However, for several taxa, there is evidence of higher specialization degree in peripheral populations compared with populations in the core. Hence, peripheral populations should have a higher sensitivity to habitat loss, and strongest effects should be found at a smaller spatial scale. To test these expectations, we implemented a patch-landscape approach at different spatial scales, and compared effects of landscape structure and patch characteristics on occupancy probability among northern peripheral, more specialized populations (Czech Republic) and core populations (Bulgaria) of the eastern green lizard Lacerta viridis. We found that landscape structure and patch characteristics affect differently the occupancy probability of Lacerta viridis in each region. Strongest effects of habitat loss were found at a spatial scale of 150m around patches in the periphery, but at a scale of 500m in the core. In the periphery occupancy probability of populations was principally affected by landscape composition, and the effect of habitat quality was stronger compared to core populations. In the core, persistence of populations was mainly explained by characteristics of the spatial configuration of habitat patches. We discuss possible ecological mechanisms behind the relationship between sensitivity to habitat loss, populations' specialization degree and position in the distribution range, and suggest conservation measures for L. viridis.
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25
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Characterizing the Landscape Structure of Urban Wetlands Using Terrain and Landscape Indices. LAND 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/land9010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have shown human impacts on urban wetlands. These impacts are mostly studied at broad scales, which may generalize and aggregate important information needed for landscape quantification or terrain analysis. This situation can weakly or inappropriately address the structure of wetland landscapes, thus affecting the assessment of the quantities and qualities of terrestrial wetland habitats. To address these issues for urban wetland dynamics, this study proposes the use of landscape and terrain indices to characterize the landscape structure of urban wetlands at a fine scale in order to assess its usefulness in contributing to wildlife sustainability. To achieve this goal, secondary terrain attribute data are integrated with an object-based satellite image classification at the wetland and watershed level. The result reveals a general swell in wetland coverage at the watershed level. Further analysis shows the size and shape complexities, and edge irregularities are increased significantly at the patch level but slightly at the watershed level. Terrain analysis further reveals a potential increase in wetness and decrease in stream power vulnerability for most of the major wetlands under study. These results suggest that terrain and landscape indices are effective in characterizing the structure of urban wetlands that supports socio-ecological sustainability.
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26
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Anderson RM, Dallar NM, Pirtel NL, Connors CJ, Mickley J, Bagchi R, Singer MS. Bottom-Up and Top-Down Effects of Forest Fragmentation Differ Between Dietary Generalist and Specialist Caterpillars. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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27
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Zhang C, Settele J, Sun W, Wiemers M, Zhang Y, Schweiger O. Resource availability drives trait composition of butterfly assemblages. Oecologia 2019; 190:913-926. [PMID: 31300926 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04454-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
How species respond to environmental change is a fundamental question in ecology and species traits can help to tackle this question. In this study, we analyze how the functional structure of species assemblages changes with selected environmental variables along an elevational gradient. In particular, we used species traits of local butterfly communities (body size, voltinism, overwintering stages, and host specificity) in a national nature reserve in China to assess the impacts of temperature, net primary productivity, and land use. Our results show that productivity, measured as NDVI, had a stronger influence on the functional community structure of butterflies than temperature. Within the butterfly assemblages, net primary productivity mainly affected body size and supported few but large species. Length of vegetation period demonstrated dominating effects on the functional structure of local butterfly assemblages. However, an observed increase in dietary generalists with longer vegetation periods contradicted expectations based on niche breadth hypothesis, that more stable conditions should favor specialists. Furthermore, the general positive impact of vegetation period on species abundances differed considerably among functional groups. Only the group containing species hibernating as egg decreased with the length of vegetation period. Our results suggest that trait associations are instructive to explain environment-herbivore relationships, that resource availability can predominantly influence the functional composition of herbivore assemblages, and that conservation priority should be given to specialist butterfly species overwintering as egg, especially in the face of global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chensheng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, Entomological Museum, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,Department of Community Ecology, UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany
| | - Josef Settele
- Department of Community Ecology, UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany.,iDiv, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines, Los Banos, 4031, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Wenhao Sun
- College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Martin Wiemers
- Department of Community Ecology, UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany
| | - Yalin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, Entomological Museum, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
| | - Oliver Schweiger
- Department of Community Ecology, UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany
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28
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Ovaskainen O, Ramos DL, Slade EM, Merckx T, Tikhonov G, Pennanen J, Pizo MA, Ribeiro MC, Morales JM. Joint species movement modeling: how do traits influence movements? Ecology 2019; 100:e02622. [PMID: 30644540 PMCID: PMC6850360 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Joint species distribution modeling has enabled researchers to move from species-level to community-level analyses, leading to statistically more efficient and ecologically more informative use of data. Here, we propose joint species movement modeling (JSMM) as an analogous approach that enables inferring both species- and community-level movement parameters from multispecies movement data. The species-level movement parameters are modeled as a function of species traits and phylogenetic relationships, allowing one to ask how species traits influence movements, and whether phylogenetically related species are similar in their movement behavior. We illustrate the modeling framework with two contrasting case studies: a stochastic redistribution model for direct observations of bird movements and a spatially structured diffusion model for capture-recapture data on moth movements. In both cases, the JSMM identified several traits that explain differences in movement behavior among species, such as movement rate increasing with body size in both birds and moths. We show with simulations that the JSMM approach increases precision of species-specific parameter estimates by borrowing information from other species that are closely related or have similar traits. The JSMM framework is applicable for many kinds of data, and it facilitates a mechanistic understanding of the causes and consequences of interspecific variation in movement behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otso Ovaskainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.,Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, N-7491, Norway
| | - Danielle Leal Ramos
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eleanor M Slade
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Merckx
- Behavioural Ecology and Conservation Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud 4-5, bte L7.07.04, Louvain-la-Neuve, BE-1348, Belgium
| | - Gleb Tikhonov
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Juho Pennanen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Marco Aurélio Pizo
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Rio Claro, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Milton Cezar Ribeiro
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juan Manuel Morales
- Grupo de Ecología Cuantitativa, INIBIOMA-CRUB, CONICET, Avenida Pioneros 2350, S.C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
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29
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Alpízar P, Rodríguez-Herrera B, Jung K. The effect of local land use on aerial insectivorous bats (Chiroptera) within the two dominating crop types in the Northern-Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0210364. [PMID: 30645621 PMCID: PMC6333354 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Land transformation into agricultural areas and the intensification of management practices represent two of the most devastating threats to biodiversity worldwide. Within this study, we investigated the effect of intensively managed agroecosystems on bat activity and species composition within two focal areas differing in landscape structure. We sampled bats via acoustic monitoring and insects with flight interception traps in banana and pineapple monoculture plantations and two nearby protected forested areas within the area of Sarapiquí, Costa Rica. Our results revealed that general occurrence and feeding activity of bats was higher above plantations compared to forested areas. We also recorded higher species richness at recording sites in plantations. This trend was especially strong within a fragmented landscape, with only four species recorded in forests, but 12 above pineapple plantations. Several bat species, however, occurred only once or twice above plantations, and forest specialist species such as Centronycteris centralis, Myotis riparius and Pteronotus mesoamericanus were only recorded at forest sites. Our results indicated, that mostly mobile open space and edge foraging bat species can use plantations as potential foraging habitat and might even take advantage of temporal insect outbreaks. However, forests are vital refugia for several species, including slower flying forest specialists, and thus a prerequisite to safeguard bat diversity within agricultural dominated landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Alpízar
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Kirsten Jung
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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30
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Nguyen HN, Lu CW, Chu JH, Grismer LL, Hung CM, Lin SM. Historical demography of four gecko species specializing in boulder cave habitat: Implications in the evolutionary dead end hypothesis and conservation. Mol Ecol 2018; 28:772-784. [PMID: 30580492 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Specialization in narrow ecological niches may not only help species to survive in competitive or unique environments but also contribute to their extermination over evolutionary time. Although the "evolutionary dead end" hypothesis has long been debated, empirical evidence from species with detailed information on niche specialization and evolutionary history remains rare. Here we use a group of four closely related Cnemaspis gecko species that depend highly on granite boulder caves in the Mekong Delta to investigate the potential impact of ecological specialization on their evolution and population dynamics. Isolated by unsuitable floodplain habitats, these boulder-dwelling geckos are among the most narrowly distributed Squamata in the world. We applied several coalescence-based approaches combined with the RAD-seq technique to estimate their divergence times, gene flow and demographic fluctuations during the speciation and population differentiation processes. Our results reveal long-term population shrinkage in the four geckos and limited gene flow during their divergence. The results suggest that the erosion and fragmentation of the granite boulder hills have greatly impacted population divergence and declines. The habitat specialization of these geckos has led to fine-scaled speciation in these granite rocky hills; in contrast, specialization might also have pushed these species toward the edge of extinction. Our study also emphasizes the conservation urgency of these vulnerable, cave-dependent geckos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung N Nguyen
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Zoology, Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam Academia of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.,Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Wei Lu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Hua Chu
- Center for Systems Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Chih-Ming Hung
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.,Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Si-Min Lin
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
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31
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Penn HJ, Crist TO. From dispersal to predation: A global synthesis of ant-seed interactions. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:9122-9138. [PMID: 30377488 PMCID: PMC6194306 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 05/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ant-seed interactions take several forms, including dispersal, predation, and parasitism, whereby ants consume seed appendages without dispersal of seeds. We hypothesized that these interaction outcomes could be predicted by ant and plant traits and habitat, with outcomes falling along a gradient of cost and benefit to the plant. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a global literature review and classified over 6,000 pairs of ant-seed interactions from 753 studies across six continents. Linear models showed that seed and ant size, habitat, and dispersal syndrome were the most consistent predictors. Predation was less likely than parasitism and seed dispersal among myrmecochorous plants. A classification tree of the predicted outcomes from linear models revealed that dispersal and predation formed distinct categories based on habitat, ant size, and dispersal mode, with parasitism outcomes forming a distinct subgroup of predation based on seed size and shape. Multiple correspondence analysis indicated some combinations of ant genera and plant families were strongly associated with particular outcomes, whereas other ant-seed combinations were much more variable. Taken together, these results demonstrate that ant and plant traits are important overall predictors of potential seed fates in different habitat types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J. Penn
- Department of EntomologyLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLouisiana
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32
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Jung K, Threlfall CG. Trait-dependent tolerance of bats to urbanization: a global meta-analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181222. [PMID: 30135163 PMCID: PMC6125892 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is a severe threat to global biodiversity, often leading to taxonomic and functional homogenization. However, current urban ecology research has focused mostly on urban birds and plants, limiting our ability to make generalizations about the drivers of urban biodiversity globally. To address this gap, we conducted a global meta-analysis of 87 studies, including 180 bat species (Chiroptera) from urban areas in Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. We aimed to (i) understand the importance of functional traits and phylogeny in driving changes in urban bat assemblages, and (ii) assess the capacity of traits for predicting which types of species are most sensitive to urbanization. Our results indicate that species-specific functional traits explain differences in the intensity of urban habitat use. Urban tolerance mainly occurred within the open and edge space foraging and trawling species as well as in bats with flexible roosting strategies. In addition, across bioregions and independent of phylogeny, urban tolerance correlated with higher aspect ratio, a trait enabling fast flight but less agile manoeuvres during aerial food acquisition. Predictive success varied between bioregions, between 43 and 83%. Our analysis demonstrates that the local extinction of bat species in urban areas is non-random, trait-based and predictable, allowing urban landscape managers to tailor local conservation actions to particular types of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Jung
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Caragh Grace Threlfall
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
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33
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Bagchi R, Brown LM, Elphick CS, Wagner DL, Singer MS. Anthropogenic fragmentation of landscapes: mechanisms for eroding the specificity of plant-herbivore interactions. Oecologia 2018; 187:521-533. [PMID: 29560512 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4115-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Reduced ecological specialization is an emerging, general pattern of ecological networks in fragmented landscapes. In plant-herbivore interactions, reductions in dietary specialization of herbivore communities are consistently associated with fragmented landscapes, but the causes remain poorly understood. We propose several hypothetical bottom-up and top-down mechanisms that may reduce the specificity of plant-herbivore interactions. These include empirically plausible applications and extensions of theory based on reduced habitat patch size and isolation (considered jointly), and habitat edge effects. Bottom-up effects in small, isolated habitat patches may limit availability of suitable hostplants, a constraint that increases with dietary specialization. Poor hostplant quality due to inbreeding in such fragments may especially disadvantage dietary specialist herbivores even when their hostplants are present. Size and isolation of habitat patches may change patterns of predation of herbivores, but whether such putative changes are associated with herbivore dietary specialization should depend on the mobility, size, and diet breadth of predators. Bottom-up edge effects may favor dietary generalist herbivores, yet top-down edge effects may favor dietary specialists owing to reduced predation. An increasingly supported edge effect is trophic ricochets generated by large grazers/browsers, which remove key hostplant species of specialist herbivores. We present empirical evidence that greater deer browsing in small forest fragments disproportionately reduces specialist abundances in lepidopteran assemblages in northeastern USA. Despite indirect evidence for these mechanisms, they have received scant direct testing with experimental approaches at a landscape scale. Identifying their relative contributions to reduced specificity of plant-herbivore interactions in fragmented landscapes is an important research goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Bagchi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Road Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06260-3043, USA.
| | - Leone M Brown
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Road Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06260-3043, USA
| | - Chris S Elphick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Road Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06260-3043, USA
| | - David L Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Road Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06260-3043, USA
| | - Michael S Singer
- Department of Biology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, 06459, USA
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34
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Abstract
Habitat degradation can affect trophic ecology by differentially affecting specialist and generalist species, and the number and type of interspecific relationships. However, the effects of habitat degradation on the trophic ecology of coral reefs have received limited attention. We compared the trophic structure and food chain length between two shallow Caribbean coral reefs similar in size and close to each other: one dominated by live coral and the other by macroalgae (i.e., degraded). We subjected samples of basal carbon sources (particulate organic matter and algae) and the same 48 species of consumers (invertebrates and fishes) from both reefs to stable isotope analyses, and determined the trophic position of consumers and relative importance of various carbon sources for herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. We found that both reefs had similar food chain length and trophic structure, but different trophic pathways. On the coral-dominated reef, turf algae and epiphytes were the most important carbon source for all consumer categories, whereas on the degraded reef, particulate organic matter was a major carbon source for carnivores. Our results suggest that the trophic structure of the communities associated with these reefs is robust enough to adjust to conditions of degradation.
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35
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Species traits modify the species-area relationship in ground-beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages on islands in a boreal lake. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0190174. [PMID: 29261805 PMCID: PMC5738139 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Life-history traits influence colonization, persistence, and extinction of species on islands and are important aspects of theories predicting the geographical distribution and evolution of species. We used data collected from a large freshwater lake (1,413 km2) in central Canada to test the effects of island area and isolation on species richness and abundance of carabid beetles as a function of body size, wing length, and breeding season. A total of 10,018 individual beetles from 37 species were collected during the frost-free period of 2013 using transects of pitfall traps on 30 forested islands ranging in area from 0.2 to 980.7 ha. Life-history traits improved the predictive ability and significantly modified the shape of species-area and abundance-area curves. Abundance and richness of small-bodied (< 13.9 mm), macropterous (winged), and spring-breeding species decreased with island area and increased with isolation. In contrast, richness and abundance of larger-bodied (> 14.0 mm) and flightless species increased with area, but not isolation. Body size of female Carabus taedatus Fabricius, the largest-bodied species, was positively related to island area, while body size on the adjacent mainland was most similar to that on smaller islands. Overall, species with large body size and low dispersal ability, as indicated by flightlessness, were most sensitive to reductions in area. We suggest that large-bodied, flightless species are rare on small islands because habitat is less suitable for them and immigration rates are lower because they depend on freshwater drift for dispersal to islands.
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36
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Kuussaari M, Rytteri S, Heikkinen RK, Heliölä J, von Bagh P. Weather explains high annual variation in butterfly dispersal. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.0413. [PMID: 27440662 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Weather conditions fundamentally affect the activity of short-lived insects. Annual variation in weather is therefore likely to be an important determinant of their between-year variation in dispersal, but conclusive empirical studies are lacking. We studied whether the annual variation of dispersal can be explained by the flight season's weather conditions in a Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) metapopulation. This metapopulation was monitored using the mark-release-recapture method for 12 years. Dispersal was quantified for each monitoring year using three complementary measures: emigration rate (fraction of individuals moving between habitat patches), average residence time in the natal patch, and average distance moved. There was much variation both in dispersal and average weather conditions among the years. Weather variables significantly affected the three measures of dispersal and together with adjusting variables explained 79-91% of the variation observed in dispersal. Different weather variables became selected in the models explaining variation in three dispersal measures apparently because of the notable intercorrelations. In general, dispersal rate increased with increasing temperature, solar radiation, proportion of especially warm days, and butterfly density, and decreased with increasing cloudiness, rainfall, and wind speed. These results help to understand and model annually varying dispersal dynamics of species affected by global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikko Kuussaari
- Natural Environment Centre, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), PO Box 140, 00251 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Susu Rytteri
- Metapopulation Research Centre, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Risto K Heikkinen
- Natural Environment Centre, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), PO Box 140, 00251 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Janne Heliölä
- Natural Environment Centre, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), PO Box 140, 00251 Helsinki, Finland
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37
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Phillips HRP, Knapp S, Purvis A. Estimating the potential biodiversity impact of redeveloping small urban spaces: the Natural History Museum's grounds. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3914. [PMID: 29104821 PMCID: PMC5667537 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With the increase in human population, and the growing realisation of the importance of urban biodiversity for human wellbeing, the ability to predict biodiversity loss or gain as a result of land use change within urban settings is important. Most models that link biodiversity and land use are at too coarse a scale for informing decisions, especially those related to planning applications. Using the grounds of the Natural History Museum, London, we show how methods used in global models can be applied to smaller spatial scales to inform urban planning. Methods Data were extracted from relevant primary literature where species richness had been recorded in more than one habitat type within an urban setting. As within-sample species richness will increase with habitat area, species richness estimates were also converted to species density using theory based on the species–area relationship. Mixed-effects models were used to model the impact on species richness and species density of different habitat types, and to estimate these metrics in the current grounds and under proposed plans for redevelopment. We compared effects of three assumptions on how within-sample diversity scales with habitat area as a sensitivity analysis. A pre-existing database recording plants within the grounds was also used to estimate changes in species composition across different habitats. Results Analysis estimated that the proposed plans would result in an increase of average biodiversity of between 11.2% (when species density was modelled) and 14.1% (when within-sample species richness was modelled). Plant community composition was relatively similar between the habitats currently within the grounds. Discussion The proposed plans for change in the NHM grounds are estimated to result in a net gain in average biodiversity, through increased number and extent of high-diversity habitats. In future, our method could be improved by incorporating purposefully collected ecological survey data (if resources permit) and by expanding the data sufficiently to allow modelling of the temporal dynamics of biodiversity change after habitat disturbance and creation. Even in its current form, the method produces transparent quantitative estimates, grounded in ecological data and theory, which can be used to inform relatively small scale planning decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen R P Phillips
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, London, United Kingdom.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Leipzig Universität, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sandra Knapp
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andy Purvis
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, London, United Kingdom
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38
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Schuler MS, Chase JM, Knight TM. Habitat patch size alters the importance of dispersal for species diversity in an experimental freshwater community. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:5774-5783. [PMID: 28808548 PMCID: PMC5551274 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased dispersal of individuals among discrete habitat patches should increase the average number of species present in each local habitat patch. However, experimental studies have found variable effects of dispersal on local species richness. Priority effects, predators, and habitat heterogeneity have been proposed as mechanisms that limit the effect of dispersal on species richness. However, the size of a habitat patch could affect how dispersal regulates the number of species able to persist. We investigated whether habitat size interacted with dispersal rate to affect the number of species present in local habitats. We hypothesized that increased dispersal rates would positively affect local species richness more in small habitats than in large habitats, because rare species would be protected from demographic extinction. To test the interaction between dispersal rate and habitat size, we factorially manipulated the size of experimental ponds and dispersal rates, using a model community of freshwater zooplankton. We found that high-dispersal rates enhanced local species richness in small experimental ponds, but had no effect in large experimental ponds. Our results suggest that there is a trade-off between patch connectivity (a mediator of dispersal rates) and patch size, providing context for understanding the variability observed in dispersal effects among natural communities, as well as for developing conservation and management plans in an increasingly fragmented world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Schuler
- Department of Biology Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis MO USA.,Present address: Darrin Fresh Water Institute Department of Biology Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY 12180
| | - Jonathan M Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Germany.,Institute for Computer Science Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle Germany
| | - Tiffany M Knight
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Germany.,Institute of Biology Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle Germany.,Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ Halle Germany
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39
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Pardikes NA, Harrison JG, Shapiro AM, Forister ML. Synchronous population dynamics in California butterflies explained by climatic forcing. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170190. [PMID: 28791146 PMCID: PMC5541541 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
A long-standing challenge for population biology has been to understand why some species are characterized by populations that fluctuate in size independently, while populations of other species fluctuate synchronously across space. The effects of climatic variation and dispersal have been invoked to explain synchronous population dynamics, however an understanding of the relative influence of these drivers in natural populations is lacking. Here we compare support for dispersal- versus climate-driven models of interspecific variation in synchrony using 27 years of observations of 65 butterfly species at 10 sites spanning 2750 m of elevation in Northern California. The degree of spatial synchrony exhibited by each butterfly species was used as a response in a unique approach that allowed us to investigate whether interspecific variation in response to climate or dispersal propensity was most predictive of interspecific variation in synchrony. We report that variation in sensitivity to climate explained 50% of interspecific variation in synchrony, whereas variation in dispersal propensity explained 23%. Sensitivity to the El Niño Southern Oscillation, a primary driver of regional climate, was the best predictor of synchrony. Combining sensitivity to climate and dispersal propensity into a single model did not greatly increase model performance, confirming the primacy of climatic sensitivity for driving spatial synchrony in butterflies. Finally, we uncovered a relationship between spatial synchrony and population decline that is consistent with theory, but small in magnitude, which suggests that the degree to which populations fluctuate in synchrony is of limited use for understanding the ongoing decline of the Northern California butterfly fauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A. Pardikes
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
- Authors for correspondence: Nicholas A. Pardikes e-mail:
| | - Joshua G. Harrison
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
- Authors for correspondence: Joshua G. Harrison e-mail:
| | - Arthur M. Shapiro
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Matthew L. Forister
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
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40
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Hirschfeld M, Rödel MO. What makes a successful species? Traits facilitating survival in altered tropical forests. BMC Ecol 2017; 17:25. [PMID: 28659130 PMCID: PMC5490239 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-017-0135-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ongoing conversion, disturbance and fragmentation of tropical forests stress this ecosystem and cause the decline or disappearance of many species. Particular traits have been identified which indicate an increasing extinction risk of a species, but traits facilitating survival in altered habitats have mostly been neglected. Here we search for traits that make a species tolerant to disturbances, thus independent of pristine forests. We identify the fauna that have an increasing effect on the ecosystem and its functioning in our human-dominated landscapes. Methods We use a unique set of published data on the occurrences of 243 frog species in pristine and altered forests throughout the tropics. We established a forest dependency index with four levels, based on these occurrence data and applied Random Forest classification and binomial Generalized Linear Models to test whether species life history traits, ecological traits or range size influence the likelihood of a species to persist in disturbed habitats. Results Our results revealed that indirect developing species exhibiting a large range size and wide elevational distribution, being independent of streams, and inhabiting the leaf litter, cope best with modifications of their natural habitats. Conclusion The traits identified in our study will likely persist in altered tropical forest systems and are comparable to those generally recognized for a low species extinction risk. Hence our findings will help to predict future frog communities in our human-dominated world. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12898-017-0135-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mareike Hirschfeld
- Department Diversity Dynamics, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin-Leibniz Institute for Evolutionary and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mark-Oliver Rödel
- Department Diversity Dynamics, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin-Leibniz Institute for Evolutionary and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
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41
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Winsa M, Öckinger E, Bommarco R, Lindborg R, Roberts SPM, Wärnsberg J, Bartomeus I. Sustained functional composition of pollinators in restored pastures despite slow functional restoration of plants. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:3836-3846. [PMID: 28616180 PMCID: PMC5468136 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat restoration is a key measure to counteract negative impacts on biodiversity from habitat loss and fragmentation. To assess success in restoring not only biodiversity, but also functionality of communities, we should take into account the re-assembly of species trait composition across taxa. Attaining such functional restoration would depend on the landscape context, vegetation structure, and time since restoration. We assessed how trait composition of plant and pollinator (bee and hoverfly) communities differ between abandoned, restored (formerly abandoned) or continuously grazed (intact) semi-natural pastures. In restored pastures, we also explored trait composition in relation to landscape context, vegetation structure, and pasture management history. Abandoned pastures differed from intact and restored pastures in trait composition of plant communities, and as expected, had lower abundances of species with traits associated with grazing adaptations. Further, plant trait composition in restored pastures became increasingly similar to that in intact pastures with increasing time since restoration. On the contrary, the trait composition of pollinator communities in both abandoned and restored pastures remained similar to intact pastures. The trait composition for both bees and hoverflies was influenced by flower abundance and, for bees, by connectivity to other intact grasslands in the landscape. The divergent responses across organism groups appeared to be mainly related to the limited dispersal ability and long individual life span in plants, the high mobility of pollinators, and the dependency of semi-natural habitat for bees. Our results, encompassing restoration effects on trait composition for multiple taxa along a gradient in both time (time since restoration) and space (connectivity), reveal how interacting communities of plants and pollinators are shaped by different trait-environmental relationships. Complete functional restoration of pastures needs for more detailed assessments of both plants dispersal in time and of resources available within pollinator dispersal range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Winsa
- Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | - Erik Öckinger
- Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | - Riccardo Bommarco
- Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | - Regina Lindborg
- Department of Physical GeographyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Stuart P. M. Roberts
- School of Agriculture, Policy and DevelopmentCentre for Agri‐Environmental ResearchUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| | - Johanna Wärnsberg
- Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
- Dpto. Ecología IntegrativaEstación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC)Isla de la CartujaSevillaSpain
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42
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Kovács-Hostyánszki A, Espíndola A, Vanbergen AJ, Settele J, Kremen C, Dicks LV. Ecological intensification to mitigate impacts of conventional intensive land use on pollinators and pollination. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:673-689. [PMID: 28346980 PMCID: PMC6849539 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Revised: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Worldwide, human appropriation of ecosystems is disrupting plant–pollinator communities and pollination function through habitat conversion and landscape homogenisation. Conversion to agriculture is destroying and degrading semi‐natural ecosystems while conventional land‐use intensification (e.g. industrial management of large‐scale monocultures with high chemical inputs) homogenises landscape structure and quality. Together, these anthropogenic processes reduce the connectivity of populations and erode floral and nesting resources to undermine pollinator abundance and diversity, and ultimately pollination services. Ecological intensification of agriculture represents a strategic alternative to ameliorate these drivers of pollinator decline while supporting sustainable food production, by promoting biodiversity beneficial to agricultural production through management practices such as intercropping, crop rotations, farm‐level diversification and reduced agrochemical use. We critically evaluate its potential to address and reverse the land use and management trends currently degrading pollinator communities and potentially causing widespread pollination deficits. We find that many of the practices that constitute ecological intensification can contribute to mitigating the drivers of pollinator decline. Our findings support ecological intensification as a solution to pollinator declines, and we discuss ways to promote it in agricultural policy and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anikó Kovács-Hostyánszki
- MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Lendület Ecosystem Services Research Group, Alkotmány u. 2-4., 2163, Vácrátót, Hungary.,MTA Centre for Ecological Research, GINOP Sustainable Ecosystems Group, Klebelsberg Kuno u. 3., 8237, Tihany, Hungary
| | - Anahí Espíndola
- Department of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences South 252, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3051, USA
| | - Adam J Vanbergen
- NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Josef Settele
- UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Dept. of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle, Germany.,iDiv, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Banos, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines
| | - Claire Kremen
- University of California, 217 Wellman Hall Berkeley, California 94720-3114 CA, USA
| | - Lynn V Dicks
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
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43
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Pecsenye K, Tóth A, Bereczki J, Varga Z. A possible genetic basis for vulnerability in Euphydryas maturna (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Genetica 2017; 145:151-161. [PMID: 28238053 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-017-9953-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Nearly all of the known populations of Scarce Fritillary, Euphydryas maturna (Linnaeus, 1758), are declining in Western and Central Europe. In order to identify the possible reasons for its vulnerability we surveyed the population genetics of this butterfly species using multi-locus genotype data. Females of our target species lay lots of eggs in one or two batches only and pre-hibernation caterpillars live and feed gregariously in a nest. As a consequence, a random unfavourable event can eliminate most offspring of a particular female resulting in a strong genetic drift effect combined with inbreeding. Thus, our hypothesis regarding the genetic composition of Scarce Fritillary populations suggests that: (1) there will be random fluctuations in allele frequencies from generation to generation; (2) populations should exhibit small effective sizes and a relatively high level of heterozygote deficiency, and; (3) the majority of the individuals in a population will be composed of the offspring of just a few females. In order to test these hypotheses, fine-scale genetic structure was studied in two subpopulations of a Hungarian Scarce Fritillary population for 4 consecutive years (generations) using enzyme polymorphism data. The results supported all of our assumptions. We detected random fluctuation in the frequency of several alleles, small effective population size and the index of heterozygote deficiency (F IS) indicated a considerable level of inbreeding in most samples. Furthermore, average values of relatedness were also fairly high, and we were able to identify 17 putative sib families in total with the two subpopulations based on estimation of individual gametic phases. Thus, the present study suggests that intrinsic factors (e.g. specific life history) might increase the sensitivity of a species to various threatening factors (e.g. habitat loss or fragmentation) and result in the vulnerability of the given species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Pecsenye
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Andrea Tóth
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Judit Bereczki
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, Hungary
- MTA-DE 'Lendület' Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem ter 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Varga
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, Hungary
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44
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Tan CKW, Doyle P, Bagshaw E, Richardson DS, Wigby S, Pizzari T. The contrasting role of male relatedness in different mechanisms of sexual selection in red junglefowl. Evolution 2017; 71:403-420. [PMID: 27925168 PMCID: PMC5324671 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In structured populations, competition for reproductive opportunities should be relaxed among related males. The few tests of this prediction often neglect the fact that sexual selection acts through multiple mechanisms, both before and after mating. We performed experiments to study the role of within-group male relatedness across pre- and postcopulatory mechanisms of sexual selection in social groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, in which two related males and one unrelated male competed over females unrelated to all the males. We confirm theoretical expectations that, after controlling for male social status, competition over mating was reduced among related males. However, this effect was contrasted by other sexual selection mechanisms. First, females biased male mating in favor of the unrelated male, and might also favor his inseminations after mating. Second, males invested more-rather than fewer-sperm in postcopulatory competition with relatives. A number of factors may contribute to explain this counterintuitive pattern of sperm allocation, including trade-offs between male investment in pre- versus postcopulatory competition, differences in the relative relatedness of pre- versus postcopulatory competitors, and female bias in sperm utilization in response to male relatedness. Collectively, these results reveal that within-group male relatedness may have contrasting effects in different mechanisms of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Kai Wei Tan
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - Philippa Doyle
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - Emma Bagshaw
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - David S. Richardson
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwichNR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
| | - Stuart Wigby
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
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45
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Forsman A, Betzholtz PE, Franzén M. Faster poleward range shifts in moths with more variable colour patterns. Sci Rep 2016; 6:36265. [PMID: 27808116 PMCID: PMC5093557 DOI: 10.1038/srep36265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Range shifts have been documented in many organisms, and climate change has been implicated as a contributing driver of latitudinal and altitudinal range modifications. However, little is known about what species trait(s) allow for faster environmental tracking and improved capacity for distribution expansions. We used data for 416 species of moths, and show that range limits in Sweden have shifted to the north by on average 52.4 km per decade between 1973 and 2014. When also including non-expanding species, average expansion rate was 23.2 km per decade. The rate of boundary shifts increased with increasing levels of inter-individual variation in colour patterns and decreased with increasing latitude. The association with colour patterns indicate that variation in this functionally important trait enables species to cope with novel and changing conditions. Northern range limits also increased with average abundance and decreased with increasing year-to-year abundance fluctuations, implicating production of dispersers as a driver of range dynamics. Studies of terrestrial animals show that rates of poleward shifts differ between taxonomic groups, increase over time, and depend on study duration and latitude. Knowledge of how distribution shifts change with time, location, and species characteristics may improve projections of responses to climate change and aid the protection of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Forsman
- Center for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, EEMiS, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Per-Eric Betzholtz
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Markus Franzén
- Department of Community Ecology, UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Halle, Germany
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46
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Treitler JT, Heim O, Tschapka M, Jung K. The effect of local land use and loss of forests on bats and nocturnal insects. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:4289-97. [PMID: 27386075 PMCID: PMC4930980 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Revised: 03/31/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Land‐use intensification at local and landscape level poses a serious threat to biodiversity and affects species interactions and ecosystem function. It is thus important to understand how interrelated taxa respond to land‐use intensification and to consider the importance of different spatial scales. We investigated whether and how local land‐use intensity and landscape features affect the predator–prey interaction of bats and insects. Bats and nocturnal insects were assessed on 50 grassland sites in the Schorfheide‐Chorin. We analyzed the effect of local land use and distance to forested areas as a proxy for site accessibility on bats and insects and their biological interaction measured in bat's feeding activity. Insect abundance increased with higher land‐use intensity, while size and diversity of insects decreased. In contrast, bat activity, diversity, and species composition were determined by the distance to forested areas and only slightly by land‐use intensity. Feeding attempts of bats increased with higher insect abundance and diversity but decreased with insect size and distance to forested areas. Finally, our results revealed that near forested areas, the number of feeding attempts was much lower on grassland sites with high, compared to those with low land‐use intensity. In contrast, far from forests, the feeding attempts did not differ significantly between intensively and extensively managed grassland sites. We conclude that the two interrelated taxa, bats and insects, respond to land‐use intensification on very different scales. While insects respond to local land use, bats are rather influenced by surrounding landscape matrix. Hereby, proximity to forests reveals to be a prerequisite for higher bat species diversity and a higher rate of feeding attempts within the area. However, proximity to forest is not sufficient to compensate local high land‐use intensity. Thus, local land‐use intensification in combination with a loss of forest remnants weakens the interaction of bats and insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia T Treitler
- Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics University Ulm Ulm Germany; Present address: RG Ecology and Environmental Education Institute of Biology and Chemistry University of Hildesheim Hildesheim Germany
| | - Olga Heim
- Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics University Ulm Ulm Germany; Present address: Leibniz Institute for Zoo- and Wildlife Research (IZW) Berlin Germany
| | - Marco Tschapka
- Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics University Ulm Ulm Germany; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa Panama
| | - Kirsten Jung
- Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics University Ulm Ulm Germany
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47
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Li X, Luo Y, Yang H, Yang Q, Settele J, Schweiger O. On the Ecology and Conservation of Sericinus montelus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) - Its Threats in Xiaolongshan Forests Area (China). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150833. [PMID: 27002639 PMCID: PMC4803218 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Contents and Methods Here we present a detailed analysis of the life history, mobility and habitat requirements of the butterfly Sericinus montelus on the basis of extensive field observations, experimental breeding, capture-mark- recapture (CMR) and transect surveys. Life History We found that S. montelus has three generations per year and overwinters as pupae on shrub branches in Xiaolongshan. The adults of first generation have a peak of emergence in late April. The second generation emerges at the end of June and the third in early to middle August. Within the study region, larvae of S. montelus are monophagous on Aristolochia contorta. Adults fly slowly and lay eggs in clusters. Key Factors Life tables show that natural enemies and human activities such as mowing, weeding and trampling during the egg and larval stages are key factors causing high mortality, killing up to 43% of eggs and 72% of larvae thereby limiting population growth and recovery. Population Ecology The populations of S. montelus in Xiaolongshan have a rather patchy distribution. According to CMR data, adults fly a maximum distance of 700m within a lifespan of 6 days. The host plant A. contorta, grows along the low banks of fields, irrigation ditches and paths, and can be highly affected by agricultural activities, like mowing, weeding and herding, which impact larval survival. Population Maintenance For S. montelus should mainly focus on reducing agricultural threats to the host plant A. contorta and on increasing habitat connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiushan Li
- Key Laboratory of Forest Silviculture and Conservation of the Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Beijing, China
- Biodiversity Research Center, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science, 100012, Beijing, China
| | - Youqing Luo
- Key Laboratory of Forest Silviculture and Conservation of the Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
| | - Haiyu Yang
- Key laboratory of Oak Secondary Forest Ecosystem of Gansu Province, Research Institute of Forestry Science of Xiaolongshan Forestry Experiment Agency, 741020, Tianshui, China
| | - Qingsen Yang
- The Station of forests diseases and pests control and quarantine, Xiaolongshan Forestry Experiment Agency, 741020, Tianshui, China
| | - Josef Settele
- UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Community Ecology, 06120 Halle, Germany
- iDiv, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Oliver Schweiger
- UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Community Ecology, 06120 Halle, Germany
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Bregman TP, Lees AC, Seddon N, Macgregor HEA, Darski B, Aleixo A, Bonsall MB, Tobias JA. Species interactions regulate the collapse of biodiversity and ecosystem function in tropical forest fragments. Ecology 2016; 96:2692-704. [PMID: 26649390 DOI: 10.1890/14-1731.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Competitive interactions among species with similar ecological niches are known to regulate the assembly of biological communities. However, it is not clear whether such forms of competition can predict the collapse of communities and associated shifts in ecosystem function in the face of environmental change. Here, we use phylogenetic and functional trait data to test whether communities of two ecologically important guilds of tropical birds (frugivores and insectivores) are structured by species interactions in a fragmented Amazonian forest landscape. In both guilds, we found that forest patch size, quality, and degree of isolation influence the phylogenetic and functional trait structure of communities, with small, degraded, or isolated forest patches having an increased signature of competition (i.e., phylogenetic and functional trait overdispersion in relation to null models). These results suggest that local extinctions in the context of fragmentation are nonrandom, with a consistent bias toward more densely occupied regions of niche space. We conclude that the loss of biodiversity in fragmented landscapes is mediated by niche-based competitive interactions among species, with potentially far-reaching implications for key ecosystem processes, including seed dispersal and plant damage by phytophagous insects.
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49
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Murphy AL, Pavlova A, Thompson R, Davis J, Sunnucks P. Swimming through sand: connectivity of aquatic fauna in deserts. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:5252-5264. [PMID: 30151128 PMCID: PMC6102528 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Revised: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 08/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Freshwater ecosystems in arid regions range from highly fragmented to highly connected, and connectivity has been assumed to be a major factor in the persistence of aquatic biota in arid environments. This review sought to synthesize existing research on genetic estimation of population connectivity in desert freshwaters, identify knowledge gaps, and set priorities for future studies of connectivity in these environments. From an extensive literature search, we synthesized the approaches applied, systems studied, and conclusions about connectivity reached in population genetic research concerning desert freshwater connectivity globally. We restrict our scope to obligate aquatic fauna that disperse largely via freshwaters and exclude those with active aerial dispersal abilities. We examined 92 papers, comprising 133 studies, published from 1987 to 2014. Most described studies of fishes and invertebrates in the deserts of Australia and North America. Connectivity declined with increasing scale, but did not differ significantly among arid regions or taxonomic classes. There were significant differences in connectivity patterns between species with different dispersal abilities, and between spring and riverine habitats at local scales. Population connectivity in desert freshwaters is typically most influenced by the ecology of the species concerned and hydrological connectivity. Most studies did not assess predefined models of connectivity, but described gene flow and/or genetic structure. Climate change and anthropogenic impacts worldwide are likely to increase the incidence and impact of habitat fragmentation in already threatened desert freshwaters. To reduce this risk, biodiversity conservation and environmental management must address connectivity, but often the required information does not exist. Researchers can provide this by explicitly considering the effects of hydrology and species' ecology on connectivity, and incorporating these into connectivity models, which are vital for understanding connectivity in desert freshwaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Murphy
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria 3800 Australia
| | - Alexandra Pavlova
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria 3800 Australia
| | - Ross Thompson
- Institute for Applied Ecology University of Canberra Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2617 Australia
| | - Jenny Davis
- Institute for Applied Ecology University of Canberra Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2617 Australia
| | - Paul Sunnucks
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria 3800 Australia
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50
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Gámez-Virués S, Perović DJ, Gossner MM, Börschig C, Blüthgen N, de Jong H, Simons NK, Klein AM, Krauss J, Maier G, Scherber C, Steckel J, Rothenwöhrer C, Steffan-Dewenter I, Weiner CN, Weisser W, Werner M, Tscharntke T, Westphal C. Landscape simplification filters species traits and drives biotic homogenization. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8568. [PMID: 26485325 PMCID: PMC4634213 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 201] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity loss can affect the viability of ecosystems by decreasing the ability of communities to respond to environmental change and disturbances. Agricultural intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss and has multiple components operating at different spatial scales: from in-field management intensity to landscape-scale simplification. Here we show that landscape-level effects dominate functional community composition and can even buffer the effects of in-field management intensification on functional homogenization, and that animal communities in real-world managed landscapes show a unified response (across orders and guilds) to both landscape-scale simplification and in-field intensification. Adults and larvae with specialized feeding habits, species with shorter activity periods and relatively small body sizes are selected against in simplified landscapes with intense in-field management. Our results demonstrate that the diversity of land cover types at the landscape scale is critical for maintaining communities, which are functionally diverse, even in landscapes where in-field management intensity is high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagrario Gámez-Virués
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - David J. Perović
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martin M. Gossner
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, D-85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Carmen Börschig
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks, Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Heike de Jong
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nadja K. Simons
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, D-85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jochen Krauss
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Gwen Maier
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Scherber
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Juliane Steckel
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Rothenwöhrer
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christiane N. Weiner
- Ecological Networks, Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Weisser
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, D-85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Michael Werner
- Ecological Networks, Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Catrin Westphal
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
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