Ecology and Evolution最新文献

In species with parental care, the transition from dependence to independence is a critical stage during which juveniles must make key decisions for their future life. In colonial birds, the physiological state of juveniles during this transition may influence the timing of colony departure and subsequent movement patterns. Telomere length and DNA damage have been proposed as important biomarkers of early-life stress and physiological condition, which can predict an individual's capacity to cope with environmental challenges during the postfledging life. Here, we analyzed telomere length and DNA damage in blood samples of fully grown yellow-legged gull chicks and monitored their postfledging movements using GPS tracking. All individuals left their natal colony between 52 and 84 days of age. Those with shorter telomeres and higher levels of DNA damage left the colony earlier, possibly due to reduced parental provisioning and poor competitive ability for resources. Females and those with higher DNA damage settled farther from the natal colony. These findings suggest that physiological state at the end of the developmental period influences key decisions during the transition to independence, with potential consequences for population dynamics.

Post-release monitoring is critical for evaluating the success of rehabilitating stranded cetaceans, yet such data are scarce for many species in the South China Sea (SCS). We satellite-tracked a rehabilitated subadult male short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus; named "Haitang"), following a live stranding on Hainan Island, China. We collected tracking locations and behavioral data over a 52-day period and conducted a dedicated 3-day expedition to resight Haitang at sea in the sixth week post-release. Results confirm Haitang's survival beyond the critical 6-week benchmark. Its daily movement distance (6.2-145.9 km) and speed (0.6-5.9 km/h) were consistent with those of healthy, free-ranging conspecifics. Furthermore, diving behavior including time-at-depth budgets, maximum dive depth (621 m), diel patterns, and thermal-depth profiles reflected natural foraging activity and environmental adaptation. Notably, high density and spatial proximity of local conspecifics during the post-release expedition indicate favorable conditions for social integration and long-term survival. Movement trajectories suggest that the Qiongdongnan slope represents a critical habitat for this species in the northern SCS. This study provides the first empirical evidence of successful rehabilitation and release of short-finned pilot whale in the SCS, supporting future stranding response and conservation initiatives.

Babinskaiidae is an extinct lacewing family, only known from the Cretaceous, of the superfamily Myrmeleontoidea, currently comprising 22 species in 16 genera. The family is primarily recorded from two Cretaceous deposits: the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil and the mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber of Myanmar. Shared morphology between the two localities points to a possible evolutionary or biogeographic link. Here, we describe two new species of Babinskaiidae from the mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber: Burmobabinskaia jiaxiaoae sp. nov. and Parababinskaia weijie sp. nov. The combined presence of female gonapophysis 8 and gonocoxites 8 is documented for the first time in Babinskaiidae based on a new female specimen of Burmobabinskaia. Despite the occurrence of a shared genus between two deposits, the degree of morphological disparity within Cretaceous Babinskaiidae-and the character traits responsible for this variation-has not been quantified. To address this, we compared the morphological disparity of Babinskaiidae from the Crato Formation and the Kachin amber. Our results reveal pronounced morphological divergence between the two localities, both in overall size and morphospace orientation, with little overlap. A correlation between body length and the primary PCoA axis further indicates that size-related traits may be key drivers of morphological variation within the family. The available niches in the Myanmar ecosystem may have accelerated adaptive evolution, propelling morphological divergence through ecological differentiation and lineage-specific adaptations.

As the wild progenitor of cultivated apricot, Xinjiang wild apricot is a key resource for ecosystem stability and germplasm conservation. We analyzed its phylogeography in the Ili wild fruit forests using two chloroplast DNA regions (rpl32-trnL, ndhC-trnV) and one single-copy nuclear locus (DXH). Genetic variation was mainly within populations, with weak among-population differentiation. cpDNA and nuclear data showed discordant spatial patterns, indicating different demographic signals from seed-mediated versus pollen-mediated processes. cpDNA neutrality and mismatch analyses did not support recent overall expansion and were more consistent with contraction/bottleneck dynamics, although the dominant cpDNA lineage (h4) retained a post-LGM expansion signal (~19.6 ka). In contrast, DXH supported recent expansion, strongest in the Yining County population. Isolation-by-distance was significant for cpDNA but weak and nonsignificant for DXH, consistent with stronger geographic structuring of maternally inherited variation. MaxEnt models identified precipitation in the wettest season (100-135 mm), precipitation in the warmest season (90-120 mm), and soil sand content (6%-38%) as key predictors of distribution. Suitable habitat is currently concentrated in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, with projected expansion under future climate scenarios. These results provide an integrated view of historical demography and contemporary habitat suitability, and offer a basis for conservation planning and sustainable use of Xinjiang wild apricot genetic resources.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a key tool in biodiversity monitoring due to its high-throughput, non-destructive nature. While short-read (SR) sequencing platforms such as Illumina Miseq have been routinely used in environmental monitoring, their limited read lengths (less than 600 bp) constrain the depth of taxonomic assignment, particularly for complex microbial eukaryotes like protists. Conversely, long-read (LR) sequencing technologies like Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) offer promising alternatives but remain underutilized for studying protist communities. We conducted a comparative study of SR versus LR metabarcoding of protist communities along a coastal-offshore gradient in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Using amplicons targeting the V4 region (SR; 577 bp) and the V4-V5 region (LR; 745 bp) of the 18S rRNA gene, we compared diversity patterns, taxonomic assignment, and community composition between approaches. We observed general congruence in community composition at higher taxonomic levels, but under the applied workflows, LR metabarcoding yielded a greater depth of taxonomic annotation at lower taxonomic ranks. Notably, dinoflagellates were less overrepresented in LR data, and a unique detection of potential nuisance taxa (e.g., Bellerochea), and ecologically important genera such as haptophytes (e.g., Gephyrocapsa) was achieved. These results highlight the potential of LR metabarcoding to complement SR approaches by providing increased taxonomic annotation depth and ecological insights. Although both methods targeted only partial regions of the 18S rRNA gene, LR metabarcoding yielded a greater depth of taxonomic assignment under the applied workflows. As next-generation sequencing technologies continue to evolve, our research provides valuable insights for selecting optimal strategies in routine plankton monitoring and biodiversity assessment programs.

Despite the ecological importance of avian scavengers such as vultures, demographic information that is essential to their conservation and management remains limited. The goal of this study was to evaluate survival and mortality risk in black vultures (Coragyps atratus), a protected native species of conflict management concern in the United States. Here, we combined monitoring data from a 28-year period to estimate annual survival rates among age classes and test for seasonal and age-related patterns in mortality risk. Using dead recovery information, we also summarized the causes and timing of annual mortalities. Additionally, we tested whether mortality risk was affected by aspects of landscape composition and configuration, as well as human development. Average annual survival was high overall (0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98), with estimate precision markedly improved by combining datasets (72.1%-84.2% increase). Mortality risk differed by season and age class such that vultures experienced 68.7% more hazard during the breeding season, and adults experienced 66.2% less hazard than juveniles. Among the mortality causes, 67% were anthropogenic, 4% were natural, and the remaining 29% were unknown. Additionally, greater land cover diversity (Shannon diversity index) reduced mortality risk, whereas measures of landscape configuration and human development had no effect. High survival rates help explain this species' population growth and range expansion and further inform allowable take for sustainable management practices. Moreover, the identified seasonal and age-related vulnerabilities may help guide lethal control of human-vulture conflicts in an ecologically relevant manner. Maintaining diverse landscapes may also enhance survival overall, facilitating conservation of this species and other avian scavengers.

Understanding how altitudinal gradients influence floristic diversity and indicator species is essential for unlocking the ecological dynamics of biodiversity-rich regions. We examined the floristic diversity, communities' formation and their respective indicator species across defined altitudinal zones of the Upper Indus Basin region in Indus Kohistan Valley, northern Pakistan. Vegetation was sampled along transects ranging from 1957 to 3380 m using quadrat, with a total of 600 quadrats from 30 different sites surveyed during the summer season (June-August). Most plants belonged to family Asteraceae, Pinaceae, Lamiaceae and Berberidaceae, with chamaephytes as the dominant life forms, followed by geophyte and phanerophytes. Cluster Analysis classified the vegetation into three communities: Taxus-Rumex-Mentha (TRM), Pinus-Indigofera-Leontice (PIL), and Pinus-Phyllanthus-Valeriana (PPV). Species attributes plots identified based on Canonical Correspondence Analysis demonstrated that TRM community is primarily influenced by calcium, pH and salinity. The PIL community is limited by potassium, oxygen reduction potential, sand and silt while the PPV community by sodium, MWHC, soil moisture and carbon content. Tukey showed that the TRM community had the highest mean dominance, the PIL community exhibited the highest Simpson, Shannon and Evenness indices, and the PPV community had the lowest values, indicating that soil properties and microclimatic factors along the altitudinal gradients shape the species composition and association. Detrended correspondence analysis explained a total of 23.89% of the variance, as the first axis illustrated the maximum gradient length (3.07) further strengthening the influence of environmental variables on species distribution and association. The DCA indicated that environmental variables such as salinity, pH, carbon content, soil texture, and calcium substantially influenced species distribution and association, a pattern supported by the Mantel test. It is recommended that reforestation efforts should prioritize the PPV community at high-altitude zone (2390-3380 m) and consider sodium, MWHC, soil moisture and carbon content when selecting suitable indicator species for restoration.

Vultures are avian obligate scavengers which provide important ecosystem services by efficiently removing carcasses from the landscape. Some species are now being observed feeding in coastal environments where they consume marine carcasses (i.e., whales, dolphins, seals and fish). On the African continent, only two species thus far have been reported to feed in the coastal ecosystems: the Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia and the Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) in southern Gambia. Here we report on the first observation of four White-backed Vultures feeding on a Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus) killed by lions (Panthera leo). These observations carry several ecological and conservation implications and raise certain conservation concerns, including marine nutrients transfer and potential accumulation of marine environmental toxicants.

Human-wildlife conflict is on the rise due to urbanisation, and the development of non-invasive deterrents can help to mitigate negative interactions. European herring gulls Larus argentatus are increasingly moving into urban areas, bringing them into conflict with humans. Many animals exhibit aversive behaviour to eyes and directed gaze, and we tested whether gulls foraging in urban areas were deterred by and/or habituated to artificial eye-like stimuli (known as eyespots) in the short term. We also tested whether aversion to eye-like stimuli may be due to shape or contrast by testing aversion to high contrast circles and squares. We found that some gulls were slower to approach and less likely to peck a takeaway food box with eye-like stimuli compared to a box without eyes. When we presented individual gulls with boxes either with or without eye-like stimuli over three trials, the response to eyes appeared to be individual-specific. Approximately half of the birds tested consistently avoided boxes with eyes and never approached, indicating a lack of short-term habituation. The other half approached and pecked at them just as quickly as they did boxes without eyes, suggesting that eyes are unlikely to deter all gulls. There was no difference in approach time or peck likelihood when gulls were presented with circular or square high contrast stimuli, indicating that contrast may be important in eliciting aversion. Overall, our results suggest that high contrast stimuli can deter gulls, although responses appear to be highly individually specific. High contrast and/or eye-like stimuli may therefore offer a potential tool to help mitigate negative interactions between humans and opportunistic wildlife such as urban herring gulls.

The communication of African and Asian elephants based on seismic and acoustic waves has been studied for decades. However, research within anthropogenic zoo environments, particularly with respect to seismic signals, remains limited compared to studies in natural habitats. This study analyzes low-frequency elephant rumbles recorded at the Opel-Zoo near Frankfurt am Main, Germany, by comparing characteristics from datasets obtained using non-invasive, co-located seismic and infrasound sensors. Analysis of recordings from August 2024 revealed over 1350 rumbles, indicating significant temporal variability. These rumbles are characterized by signal durations of 1-8 s and fundamental frequencies between 10 and 25 Hz, with harmonics above. Due to high seismic background noise during zoo opening hours, infrasound detections are more abundant during the day, while seismic and infrasound detection rates are comparable at night. The systematic nocturnal housing schedule of the elephants leads to an increase in rumbling activity approximately every second night, with one pair showing substantially higher vocal communication than the other. Many rumbles occur in rapid sequences within minutes, suggesting elephant interaction or external triggers. Most rumbles are accompanied by motion-induced signals associated with locomotion or trampling, phenomena not detectable with infrasound sensors measuring acoustic waves only. This highlights the value of combined seismic and infrasound data. To enable a robust automated classification of rumbles and noise for continuous monitoring, we train CNNs using spectrogram images of the hand-picked seismic and infrasound rumbles as inputs. The models achieve up to 98% classification accuracy, while cross-domain applications demonstrate better generalization and robustness of the CNN trained with seismic data. The seismo-acoustic monitoring approach and resulting findings have the potential to enhance our understanding of zoo elephant behavior, social interactions, and welfare.