Ecology and Evolution最新文献

Feather corticosterone (fCORT) acts as a reliable indicator of avian physiological responses to environmental stressors. However, variation in fCORT across taxa and ecological contexts, combined with limited knowledge of the stress physiology of molt migrants (individuals moving from breeding to specific molting grounds) has left population-level stress patterns in many species poorly understood. We compared fCORT concentrations in the globally endangered Scaly-sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus, SSME) between its two remaining breeding populations exposed to different stress regimes, while accounting for molting habitat variation inferred from stable isotope analyses. By controlling for the generally higher fCORT concentrations in molt migrants, population-level variation was primarily driven by habitat-specific stressors. Elevated fCORT levels in the Russian population are indicative of heightened physiological stress, whereas the comparatively low fCORT levels observed in the Chinese population may reflect habituation to chronic disturbance. Meanwhile, the divergence in fCORT between populations may be further mediated by population-specific factors, such as migration-related energetic demands and habitat conditions. These contrasting stress profiles highlight the importance of adopting population-specific approaches in conservation planning. Our findings reinforce the growing recognition that physiological indicators offer a powerful framework for assessing population-level responses to differing habitat conditions. Moreover, given the widespread occurrence of heterogeneous molt-movement strategies among birds, integrating molt-related movement ecology into conservation physiology can improve our ability to identify vulnerable subpopulations, refine stress-based monitoring tools, and design management actions that better accommodate intra-specific diversity across avian taxa.

Understanding species range dynamics is central to ecology and biogeography, particularly as global environmental change accelerates range shifts, expansions, and biological invasions. Carnivores are notable for their capacity to exploit human-modified landscapes, yet most research has focused on temperate regions where apex predator extirpation often facilitates expansion. By contrast, carnivore range expansions in tropical landscapes remain poorly documented. Here we assess the recent southward expansion of coyotes (Canis latrans) into the human-modified tropics of Mesoamerica, where they now overlap with apex predator assemblages. We compiled 278 coyote records from areas lacking previous evidence of their presence by integrating data from 44 camera-trap surveys (1125 cameras deployed, totaling 203,682 camera-trap/days between 2012 and 2025) and citizen-science platforms (iNaturalist and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility). To investigate drivers of coyote occurrence, we fitted a generalized linear model (GLM) using the Global Human Modification Index (GHMI), the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and spatiotemporal factors as predictors. Model results indicated higher probabilities of coyote occurrence in more human-modified landscapes (higher GHMI) and areas with lower vegetation greenness (lower NDVI). Furthermore, a significant positive temporal trend indicated that the probability of occurrence increased annually. This case highlights how land-use change facilitates range expansions at continental margins and underscores the conceptual blurring between native range expansion and invasion processes. The ability of coyotes to thrive in both natural and human-dominated environments suggests continued spatial expansion, reinforcing the need for proactive management strategies grounded in both ecological science and local sociocultural contexts.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1002/ece3.72575.].

The expansion and functional diversification of gene families are key drivers of phenotypic innovation in plants. The SABATH family of methyltransferases, involved in growth regulation and stress responses, provides an ideal system to study such evolutionary processes. In this study, we identified and functionally characterized a novel member of this family in cucumber, designated CsIAMT. Phylogenetic and synteny analyses confirmed that CsIAMT shares a common ancestry with conserved IAA methyltransferase (IAMT) orthologs across angiosperms. Evolutionary analysis revealed that CsIAMT has undergone strong purifying selection (dN/dS < 1), indicating high functional conservation despite deep evolutionary divergence. Functional validation in transgenic tobacco plants revealed a decrease in IAA content accompanied by a significant increase in MeIAA. Expression profiling under various stress conditions showed that CsIAMT is notably up-regulated under biotic stresses-such as powdery mildew and nematode infection-while exhibiting variable responses to abiotic treatments. These findings collectively establish CsIAMT as a conserved IAA methyltransferase in cucumber and suggest its potential role in integrating auxin metabolism with biotic stress responses, highlighting the evolutionary conservation of core enzymatic functions within the SABATH family amid lineage-specific regulatory diversification.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1002/ece3.72186.].

Elucidating the spatial patterns of biodiversity and their driving mechanisms is crucial for predicting the impacts of environmental changes and informing conservation and management efforts. This study investigated the spatial distribution patterns of species in the Chengdu section of the Giant Panda National Park (GPNP), located in the western part of Sichuan Province, China, which provides a wide range of suitable habitats for diverse species and biotic communities. Species trace points data derived from the 4th National Survey on Giant Pandas were used to analyze the diversity and composition of mammals and gallinaceous birds among the five regions. The results indicated that the central regions comprising Dujiangyan Shi (DJYS), Chongzhou Shi (CZS), and Dayi Xian (DYX) exhibited higher α-diversity, whereas Qionglai Shi (QLS) and Pengzhou Shi (PZS) presented lower values across most indices, a pattern that was consistent with expectations of the mid-domain effect. However, Pielou's evenness index showed no significant differences among regions. β-diversity analysis revealed that species turnover was the dominant factor contributing to faunal heterogeneity among regions, with nestedness playing a relatively minor role. These findings highlight the necessity for coordinated conservation among the five regions within the Chengdu section of the GPNP, with a particular focus on improving habitat connectivity and establishing species dispersal corridors to maintain biodiversity. The study provides valuable insights for the development of targeted conservation strategies and the establishment of a long-term biodiversity monitoring system, which will enhance the ecological sustainability of the GPNP and contribute to the protection of isolated giant panda populations and their sympatric species.

Within Africa, collection and trade of anurans is often recorded as single-site case studies, making it difficult to accurately understand the scale of use, its livelihood importance, and impact on species. We conducted a systematic review to: compile literature on anuran uses in Africa; identify the species and ecoregions involved; and identify gaps and opportunities for monitoring anuran utilisation. From an initial pool of 3335 articles, 85 studies on anuran use were reviewed. We augmented this with data from records on levels of anuran trade within CITES from 2012 to 2021, IUCN redlist, UNdata and WILDMEAT databases. We found 131 amphibian (124 anuran) species belonging to 18 families and 42 genera used within Africa. About 31.5% of species are used as food and 2.4% used in traditional medicine. Another 23.4% are used in multiple ways. Larger-bodied species, including Hoplobatrachus occipitalis and Pyxicephalus edulis, are most preferred as food, whereas smaller and colourful ones (mostly in the Mantellidae family) are traded as pets. The use of anurans as food and traditional medicine is concentrated in Guineo-Congolian and Guineo-Sudanian ecoregions, whilst Madagascar and the Indian Ocean dominates the international pet trade. Wild populations of anuran species are collected mainly by local men and sold to intermediaries to supply food and pet markets. African countries import frog legs more than they export possibly, to supply locally based international restaurants. We identified the inability of most international databases to accurately capture the extent of anuran use with literature review identifying 28 additional species missed by these platforms. Also, there are few scientific studies that quantify the impacts of use on anurans in Africa. Synthesis and applications: We recommend that anuran species collection and trade be incorporated into national biodiversity monitoring plans.

Strangler figs (Ficus spp.) typically establish as epiphytes on host trees before developing ground roots; terrestrial establishment also occurs but is less widely recognised. Here we document abundant terrestrial establishment of strangler figs in burned tropical peat swamp forests of Sumatra, Indonesia. Across 3.4 ha of transects in two post-fire sites, 97% of 138 strangler fig individuals (representing 10 species) germinated directly on the ground rather than epiphytically. Ficus sundaica dominated, comprising 22% of all trees and 67% of all figs. We find that strangler figs exhibit striking terrestrial establishment ability in degraded peatlands where active planting efforts have largely failed. Given their abundance, flexible establishment mode, and role as keystone species supporting frugivore communities, naturally regenerating strangler figs may facilitate broader ecosystem recovery in fire-damaged peat swamp forests.

Changes in plant diversity and abundance due to land-use modifications can induce plant-pollinator trophic cascades, potentially leading to long-term shifts in pollination services. Our ability to mediate such loss of pollination services through informed landscape management is limited by insufficient understanding of long-term adaptations of wild pollinators to land-use, especially when accounting for rapid evolution of traits involved in plant-pollinator interactions. To address this issue, we here use a conceptual trait-based eco-evolutionary model to explore how shifts in plant abundance within agricultural landscapes affect: (1) pollinator populations through bottom-up cascades, and (2) plant populations through top-down effects of eco-evolutionary pollinator responses. Our results align with the expectation that specialist pollinators tend to be vulnerable to plant abundance changes over ecological timescales. This vulnerability is exacerbated by limited evolutionary adaptation of specialist pollinators. In contrast, generalists are more resilient to ecological change due to their broader tolerance and, notably, a better capacity for adaptive responses. Such adaptive responses can, however, lead to a significant loss of functional diversity, potentially outweighing the compensatory effects of evolutionary rescue in mitigating negative land-use change impacts. For specialists, the loss of functional diversity equals the loss of species diversity in our model. By contrast, the loss of functional diversity for pollinators with a more generalised feeding strategy, especially for moderate generalists, may exceed the loss of species diversity to the point that the functional properties of pollinators completely overlap. Our findings demonstrate how resource specialisation influences eco-evolutionary responses of pollinators to land-use changes. To ensure stable pollination services, conservation and landscape management strategies must account for limited adaptive capacity of specialists while acknowledging the risk of adaptive loss of functionality in generalists.

Baer's Pochard (Aythya baeri), a diving duck endemic to eastern Asia, has once experienced a significant population decline and was classified as "Critically Endangered" in 2012. However, the factors contributing to this decline remain poorly understood. Nest survival is a crucial demographic parameter that significantly influences avian population dynamics and is often correlated with various environmental factors and the breeding period. We conducted research on its breeding biology from 2019 to 2022, documenting a total of 108 nests with laying dates ranging from 25 April to 15 July. The nest success rate was 24.97%. Predation was the primary cause of nest failure, accounting for 44.66% of nest failures, followed by desertion (17.48%), flooding (7.77%), and egg collecting by local people (6.80%). The analysis of the factors affecting daily nest survival indicated that daily nest survival was positively correlated with the height above water and the distance to shore of mound where they nested, but negatively correlated with the laying date. We suggest that controlling nest predation, providing suitable nesting sites, and maintaining suitable water levels are crucial for ensuring the nesting success of Baer's Pochard.