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Dumandan PKT, Yenni GM, Ernest SKM. Shifts in competitive structures can drive variation in species' phenology. Ecology 2023; 104:e4160. [PMID: 37671433 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
For many species, a well documented response to anthropogenic climate change is a shift in various aspects of its life history, including its timing or phenology. Often, these phenological shifts are associated with changes in abiotic factors used as proxies for resource availability or other suitable conditions. Resource availability, however, can also be impacted by competition, but the impact of competition on phenology is less studied than abiotic drivers. We fit generalized additive models (GAMs) to a long-term experimental dataset on small mammals monitored in the southwestern United States and show that altered competitive landscapes can drive shifts in breeding timing and prevalence, and that, relative to a dominant competitor, other species exhibit less specific responses to environmental factors. These results suggest that plasticity of phenological responses, which is often described in the context of annual variation in abiotic factors, can occur in response to biotic context as well. Variation in phenological responses under different biotic conditions shown here further demonstrates that a more nuanced understanding of shifting biotic interactions is useful to better understand and predict biodiversity patterns in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Glenda M Yenni
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - S K Morgan Ernest
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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2
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Roeder KA, Bujan J, Beurs KM, Weiser MD, Kaspari M. Thermal traits predict the winners and losers under climate change: an example from North American ant communities. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Karl A. Roeder
- Agricultural Research Service North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory USDA Brookings South Dakota57006USA
- Department of Biology Geographical Ecology Group University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma73019USA
| | - Jelena Bujan
- Department of Biology Geographical Ecology Group University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma73019USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Kirsten M. Beurs
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma73019USA
| | - Michael D. Weiser
- Department of Biology Geographical Ecology Group University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma73019USA
| | - Michael Kaspari
- Department of Biology Geographical Ecology Group University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma73019USA
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Abstract
Throughout time, operational laws and concepts from complex systems have been employed to quantitatively model important aspects and interactions in nature and society. Nevertheless, it remains enigmatic and challenging, yet inspiring, to predict the actual interdependencies that comprise the structure of such systems, particularly when the causal interactions observed in real-world phenomena might be persistently hidden. In this article, we propose a robust methodology for detecting the latent and elusive structure of dynamic complex systems. Our treatment utilizes short-term predictions from information embedded in reconstructed state space. In this regard, using a broad class of real-world applications from ecology, neurology, and finance, we explore and are able to demonstrate our method's power and accuracy to reconstruct the fundamental structure of these complex systems, and simultaneously highlight their most fundamental operations.
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Bruckerhoff LA, Connell RK, Guinnip JP, Adhikari E, Godar A, Gido KB, Boyle AW, Hope AG, Joern A, Welti E. Harmony on the prairie? Grassland plant and animal community responses to variation in climate across land-use gradients. Ecology 2020; 101:e02986. [PMID: 31961449 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Human induced climate and land-use change are severely impacting global biodiversity, but how community composition and richness of multiple taxonomic groups change in response to local drivers and whether these responses are synchronous remains unclear. We used long-term community-level data from an experimentally manipulated grassland to assess the relative influence of climate and land use as drivers of community structure of four taxonomic groups: birds, mammals, grasshoppers, and plants. We also quantified the synchrony of responses among taxonomic groups across land-use gradients and compared climatic drivers of community structure across groups. All four taxonomic groups responded strongly to land use (fire frequency and grazing), while responses to climate variability were more pronounced in grasshoppers and small mammals. Animal groups exhibited asynchronous responses across all land-use treatments, but plant and animal groups, especially birds, exhibited synchronous responses in composition. Asynchrony was attributed to taxonomic groups responding to different components of climate variability, including both current climate conditions and lagged effects from the previous year. Data-driven land management strategies are crucial for sustaining native biodiversity in grassland systems, but asynchronous responses of taxonomic groups to climate variability across land-use gradients highlight a need to incorporate response heterogeneity into management planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey A Bruckerhoff
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - R Kent Connell
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - James P Guinnip
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - Elina Adhikari
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, 4024 Throckmorton PSC, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - Alixandra Godar
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - Keith B Gido
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - Alice W Boyle
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - Andrew G Hope
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - Anthony Joern
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - Ellen Welti
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA.,Geographical Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
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Christensen EM, Simpson GL, Ernest SKM. Established rodent community delays recovery of dominant competitor following experimental disturbance. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20192269. [PMID: 31822258 PMCID: PMC6939914 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Human activities alter processes that control local biodiversity, causing changes in the abundance and identity of species in ecosystems. However, restoring biodiversity to a previous state is rarely as simple as reintroducing lost species or restoring processes to their pre-disturbance state. Theory suggests that established species can impede shifts in species composition via a variety of mechanisms, including direct interference, pre-empting resources or habitat alteration. These mechanisms can create transitory dynamics that delay convergence to an expected end state. We use an experimental manipulation of a desert rodent community to examine differences in recolonization dynamics of a dominant competitor (kangaroo rats of the genus Dipodomys) when patches were already occupied by an existing rodent community relative to when patches were empty. Recovery of kangaroo rat populations was slow on plots with an established community, taking approximately 2 years, in contrast with rapid recovery on empty plots with no established residents (approx. three months). These results demonstrate that the presence of an established alternate community inhibits recolonization by new species, even those that should be dominant in the community. This has important implications for understanding how biodiversity may change in the future, and what processes may slow or prevent this change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica M. Christensen
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- New Mexico State University, Jornada Experimental Range, Wooton Hall, 2995 Knox Street, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
| | - Gavin L. Simpson
- Institute of Environmental Change and Society, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan, CanadaS4S 0A2
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan, CanadaS4S 0A2
| | - S. K. Morgan Ernest
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Invasion intensity influences scale-dependent effects of an exotic species on native plant diversity. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18769. [PMID: 31822718 PMCID: PMC6904574 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55165-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive plant species reduce the diversity of natives by altering habitats or disturbance regimes, but it is less clear whether they do so via competitive exclusion. Here, we show that invader abundance alters scale-dependent competitive effects of invasion on native plant richness. Large-seeded exotic annual Erodium cicutarium invaded a site that manipulated rodent granivores. The invader became dominant on all plots but attained its highest abundance on plots that removed rodents. Invasion reduced plant abundance but not evenness; site-wide richness did not change over time on control plots but declined significantly on rodent removal plots. Species-area relationships within plots changed differently with invasion intensity: slopes increased and y-intercepts decreased on control plots relative to rodent removal plots. Changes in species-area slopes and y-intercepts following invasion suggest that common rather than rare species were most strongly impacted at small spatial scales on control plots, while common and rare species were both negatively impacted at all spatial scales on rodent removal plots. Small-seeded species declined in abundance following invasion more so than large-seeded species, indicative of competitive interactions mediated by seed size. These results reveal variation in scale-dependent competitive effects of invasion on native richness associated with invasion intensity.
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White EP, Yenni GM, Taylor SD, Christensen EM, Bledsoe EK, Simonis JL, Ernest SKM. Developing an automated iterative near‐term forecasting system for an ecological study. Methods Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ethan P. White
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida
- Informatics Institute University of Florida Gainesville Florida
- Biodiversity Institute University of Florida Gainesville Florida
| | - Glenda M. Yenni
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida
| | - Shawn D. Taylor
- School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Florida Gainesville Florida
| | - Erica M. Christensen
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida
| | - Ellen K. Bledsoe
- School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Florida Gainesville Florida
| | - Juniper L. Simonis
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida
| | - S. K. Morgan Ernest
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida
- Biodiversity Institute University of Florida Gainesville Florida
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Christensen EM, Harris DJ, Ernest SKM. Long-term community change through multiple rapid transitions in a desert rodent community. Ecology 2018; 99:1523-1529. [PMID: 29718539 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
While studies increasingly document long-term change in community composition, whether long-term change occurs gradually or via rapid reorganization events remains unclear. We used Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and a change-point model to examine the long-term dynamics of a desert rodent community undergoing compositional change over a 38-yr span. Our approach detected three rapid reorganization events, where changes in the relative abundances of dominant and rare species occurred, and a separate period of increased variance in the structure of the community. These events coincided with time periods, possibly related to climate events, where the total abundance of rodents was extremely low. There are a variety of processes that could link low abundance events with a higher probability of rapid ecological transitions, including higher importance of stochastic processes (i.e., competitive interactions or priority effects) and the removal of structuring effects of competitive dominants or incumbent species. Continued study of the dynamics of community change will provide important information not only on the processes structuring communities, but will also provide guidance for forecasting how communities will undergo change in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica M Christensen
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - David J Harris
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - S K Morgan Ernest
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
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Valone TJ, Balaban-Feld J. Impact of exotic invasion on the temporal stability of natural annual plant communities. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Bagchi S, Singh NJ, Briske DD, Bestelmeyer BT, McClaran MP, Murthy K. Quantifying long-term plant community dynamics with movement models: implications for ecological resilience. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 27:1514-1528. [PMID: 28370777 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Quantification of rates and patterns of community dynamics is central for understanding the organization and function of ecosystems. These insights may support a greater empirical understanding of ecological resilience, and the application of resilience concepts toward ecosystem management. Distinct types of dynamics in natural communities can be used to interpret and apply resilience concepts, but quantitative methods that can systematically distinguish among them are needed. We develop a quantitative method to analyze long-term records of plant community dynamics using principles of movement ecology. We analyzed dissimilarity of species composition through time with linear and nonlinear statistical models to assign community change to four classes of movement trajectories. Compositional change in each sampled plot through time was classified into four classes, stability, abrupt nonlinear change, transient reversible change, and gradual linear drift, each representing a different aspect of ecological resilience. These competing models were evaluated based on estimated coefficients, goodness of fit, and parsimony. We tested our method's accuracy and robustness through simulations, or the ability to distinguish among trajectories and classify them correctly. We simulated 16,000 trajectories of four types, of which 94-100% were correctly classified. Next, we analyzed 13 long-term vegetation records from North American grasslands (annual grasslands with warm-season and cool-season communities, shortgrass, mixedgrass, and tallgrass prairies, and sagebrush steppe), and a record of primary succession at Mt. St. Helens volcano. Collectively, we analyzed 14,647 observations from 775 plots, between 1915 and 2012. Dynamics could be reliably assigned for 705 plots (91%), and overall statistical fit was high (goodness of fit, 0.77 ± 0.15 SD). Among the perennial grasslands, stability was most common (44% of all plots), followed by gradual linear (22%), abrupt nonlinear (17%), and reversible (6%) change. Among annual grasslands, abrupt nonlinear shifts (33%) were more common in the warm-season community than in the cool-season (20%). As expected, abrupt nonlinear change was common during primary succession (51%) while reversible change was rare (3%). Generally, reversible dynamics often required 2-3 decades. Analysis of long-term community change, or trajectories, with principles of movement ecology provides a quantitative basis to compare and interpret ecological resilience within and among ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumanta Bagchi
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Navinder J Singh
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, SE-90183, Sweden
| | - David D Briske
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University, 2120 TAMU, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
| | - Brandon T Bestelmeyer
- USDA-ARS, Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, 88003, USA
| | - Mitchel P McClaran
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210137, Tucson, Arizona, 85719, USA
| | - Karthik Murthy
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
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Morris BD, White EP. The EcoData retriever: improving access to existing ecological data. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65848. [PMID: 23785456 PMCID: PMC3681786 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Accepted: 05/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological research relies increasingly on the use of previously collected data. Use of existing datasets allows questions to be addressed more quickly, more generally, and at larger scales than would otherwise be possible. As a result of large-scale data collection efforts, and an increasing emphasis on data publication by journals and funding agencies, a large and ever-increasing amount of ecological data is now publicly available via the internet. Most ecological datasets do not adhere to any agreed-upon standards in format, data structure or method of access. Some may be broken up across multiple files, stored in compressed archives, and violate basic principles of data structure. As a result acquiring and utilizing available datasets can be a time consuming and error prone process. The EcoData Retriever is an extensible software framework which automates the tasks of discovering, downloading, and reformatting ecological data files for storage in a local data file or relational database. The automation of these tasks saves significant time for researchers and substantially reduces the likelihood of errors resulting from manual data manipulation and unfamiliarity with the complexities of individual datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Morris
- Department of Biology and The Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America.
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Dornelas M, Magurran AE, Buckland ST, Chao A, Chazdon RL, Colwell RK, Curtis T, Gaston KJ, Gotelli NJ, Kosnik MA, McGill B, McCune JL, Morlon H, Mumby PJ, Ovreås L, Studeny A, Vellend M. Quantifying temporal change in biodiversity: challenges and opportunities. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20121931. [PMID: 23097514 PMCID: PMC3574422 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2012] [Accepted: 09/27/2012] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing concern about biodiversity loss underscores the need to quantify and understand temporal change. Here, we review the opportunities presented by biodiversity time series, and address three related issues: (i) recognizing the characteristics of temporal data; (ii) selecting appropriate statistical procedures for analysing temporal data; and (iii) inferring and forecasting biodiversity change. With regard to the first issue, we draw attention to defining characteristics of biodiversity time series--lack of physical boundaries, uni-dimensionality, autocorrelation and directionality--that inform the choice of analytic methods. Second, we explore methods of quantifying change in biodiversity at different timescales, noting that autocorrelation can be viewed as a feature that sheds light on the underlying structure of temporal change. Finally, we address the transition from inferring to forecasting biodiversity change, highlighting potential pitfalls associated with phase-shifts and novel conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Dornelas
- Scottish Oceans Institute and Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, East Sands, KY16 8LB, UK.
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White EP, Ernest SKM, Adler PB, Hurlbert AH, Lyons SK. Integrating spatial and temporal approaches to understanding species richness. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2011; 365:3633-43. [PMID: 20980312 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding species richness patterns represents one of the most fundamental problems in ecology. Most research in this area has focused on spatial gradients of species richness, with a smaller area of emphasis dedicated to understanding the temporal dynamics of richness. However, few attempts have been made to understand the linkages between the spatial and temporal patterns related to richness. Here, we argue that spatial and temporal richness patterns and the processes that drive them are inherently linked, and that our understanding of richness will be substantially improved by considering them simultaneously. The species-time-area relationship provides a case in point: successful description of the empirical spatio-temporal pattern led to a rapid development and testing of new theories. Other areas of research on species richness could also benefit from an explicitly spatio-temporal approach, and we suggest future directions for understanding the processes common to these two traditionally isolated fields of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan P White
- Department of Biology, The Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
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