Tyson R. Jones, Graham J. Edgar, Rowan Trebilco, Camille Mellin, Rick D. Stuart‐Smith, Lara Denis‐Roy, Olivia J. Johnson, Matthew Rose, Scott D. Ling
Diel partitioning of animals within ecological communities is widely acknowledged, yet rarely quantified. Investigation of most ecological patterns and processes involves convenient daylight sampling, with little consideration of the contributions of nocturnal taxa, particularly in marine environments. Here we assess diel partitioning of reef faunal assemblages at a continental scale utilizing paired day and night visual census across 54 shallow tropical and temperate reefs around Australia. Day–night differences were most pronounced in the tropics, with fishes and invertebrates displaying distinct and opposing diel occupancy on coral reefs. Tropical reefs in daytime were occupied primarily by fishes not observed at night (64% of all species sighted across day and night, and 71% of all individuals). By night, substantial emergence of invertebrates not otherwise detected during sunlit hours occurred (56% of all species, and 45% of individuals). Nocturnal emergence of tropical invertebrates corresponded with significant declines in the richness and biomass of predatory and herbivorous diurnal fishes. In contrast, relatively small diel changes in fishes active on temperate reefs corresponded to limited nocturnal emergence of temperate invertebrates. This reduced partitioning may, at least in part, be a result of strong top‐down pressures from fishes on invertebrate communities, either by predation or competitive interference. For shallow reefs, the diel cycle triggers distinct emergence and retreat of faunal assemblages and associated trophic patterns and processes, which otherwise go unnoticed during hours of regular scientific monitoring. Improved understanding of reef ecology, and management of reef ecosystems, requires greater consideration of nocturnal interactions. Without explicit sampling of nocturnal patterns and processes, we may be missing up to half of the story when assessing ecological interactions.
{"title":"Fish and invertebrate communities show greater day–night partitioning on tropical than temperate reefs","authors":"Tyson R. Jones, Graham J. Edgar, Rowan Trebilco, Camille Mellin, Rick D. Stuart‐Smith, Lara Denis‐Roy, Olivia J. Johnson, Matthew Rose, Scott D. Ling","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4477","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4477","url":null,"abstract":"Diel partitioning of animals within ecological communities is widely acknowledged, yet rarely quantified. Investigation of most ecological patterns and processes involves convenient daylight sampling, with little consideration of the contributions of nocturnal taxa, particularly in marine environments. Here we assess diel partitioning of reef faunal assemblages at a continental scale utilizing paired day and night visual census across 54 shallow tropical and temperate reefs around Australia. Day–night differences were most pronounced in the tropics, with fishes and invertebrates displaying distinct and opposing diel occupancy on coral reefs. Tropical reefs in daytime were occupied primarily by fishes not observed at night (64% of all species sighted across day and night, and 71% of all individuals). By night, substantial emergence of invertebrates not otherwise detected during sunlit hours occurred (56% of all species, and 45% of individuals). Nocturnal emergence of tropical invertebrates corresponded with significant declines in the richness and biomass of predatory and herbivorous diurnal fishes. In contrast, relatively small diel changes in fishes active on temperate reefs corresponded to limited nocturnal emergence of temperate invertebrates. This reduced partitioning may, at least in part, be a result of strong top‐down pressures from fishes on invertebrate communities, either by predation or competitive interference. For shallow reefs, the diel cycle triggers distinct emergence and retreat of faunal assemblages and associated trophic patterns and processes, which otherwise go unnoticed during hours of regular scientific monitoring. Improved understanding of reef ecology, and management of reef ecosystems, requires greater consideration of nocturnal interactions. Without explicit sampling of nocturnal patterns and processes, we may be missing up to half of the story when assessing ecological interactions.","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142763492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
María Natalia Umaña, Jessica Needham, Claire Fortunel
As long‐lived tropical trees grow into the multi‐layered canopy and face different environmental conditions, the relationships between leaf traits and whole‐plant survival can vary over ontogeny. We tested the strength and direction of the relationships between leaf traits and long‐term survival data across life stages for woody species from a subtropical forest in Puerto Rico. Trait–survival relationships were largely consistent across ontogeny with conservative traits leading to higher survival rates. The stage‐specific relationship R2 increased by up to one order of magnitude compared to studies not considering ontogenetic trait variations. Stage‐specific traits were significant predictors of their corresponding stage‐specific survival: Seedlings traits were better predictors of seedling survival than adult traits, and adult traits were better predictors of maximum adult survival than seedling traits. Our results suggest that stage‐specific leaf traits reflect different strategies over ontogeny and can substantially improve predictability of survival models in tropical forests.
{"title":"From seedlings to adults: Linking survival and leaf functional traits over ontogeny","authors":"María Natalia Umaña, Jessica Needham, Claire Fortunel","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4469","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4469","url":null,"abstract":"As long‐lived tropical trees grow into the multi‐layered canopy and face different environmental conditions, the relationships between leaf traits and whole‐plant survival can vary over ontogeny. We tested the strength and direction of the relationships between leaf traits and long‐term survival data across life stages for woody species from a subtropical forest in Puerto Rico. Trait–survival relationships were largely consistent across ontogeny with conservative traits leading to higher survival rates. The stage‐specific relationship <jats:italic>R</jats:italic><jats:sup>2</jats:sup> increased by up to one order of magnitude compared to studies not considering ontogenetic trait variations. Stage‐specific traits were significant predictors of their corresponding stage‐specific survival: Seedlings traits were better predictors of seedling survival than adult traits, and adult traits were better predictors of maximum adult survival than seedling traits. Our results suggest that stage‐specific leaf traits reflect different strategies over ontogeny and can substantially improve predictability of survival models in tropical forests.","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142760178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael W. Belitz, Asia Sawyer, Lillian Hendrick, Robert P. Guralnick
Urbanization in temperate climates often advances the beginning and peak of biological events due to multiple factors, especially urban heat islands. However, the effect of urbanization on insect phenology remains understudied in more tropical areas, where temperature may be a weaker phenological cue. We surveyed moths across an urban gradient in a subtropical city weekly for a year to test how impervious surface and canopy cover impact phenology at the caterpillar and adult life stages. For macro‐moths, we also examine how these effects vary with life history traits. When pooling all individuals, we found no effect of urbanization proxy variables on timing of caterpillar or adult phenology. At the species‐specific level, we found timing of peak adult macro‐moths is influenced by canopy cover, which also interacts with two traits: temperature niche and body size. Cold‐adapted species delay timing of peak abundance in more shaded sites, while warm‐adapted species were not affected. Smaller species, associated with lower dispersal ability, were more phenologically sensitive to canopy cover than larger bodied species. These results highlight the importance of canopy cover within cities and its interaction with species' traits in mediating impact of urbanization on moth phenology in subtropical systems.
{"title":"Temperature niche and body size condition phenological responses of moths to urbanization in a subtropical city","authors":"Michael W. Belitz, Asia Sawyer, Lillian Hendrick, Robert P. Guralnick","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4489","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4489","url":null,"abstract":"Urbanization in temperate climates often advances the beginning and peak of biological events due to multiple factors, especially urban heat islands. However, the effect of urbanization on insect phenology remains understudied in more tropical areas, where temperature may be a weaker phenological cue. We surveyed moths across an urban gradient in a subtropical city weekly for a year to test how impervious surface and canopy cover impact phenology at the caterpillar and adult life stages. For macro‐moths, we also examine how these effects vary with life history traits. When pooling all individuals, we found no effect of urbanization proxy variables on timing of caterpillar or adult phenology. At the species‐specific level, we found timing of peak adult macro‐moths is influenced by canopy cover, which also interacts with two traits: temperature niche and body size. Cold‐adapted species delay timing of peak abundance in more shaded sites, while warm‐adapted species were not affected. Smaller species, associated with lower dispersal ability, were more phenologically sensitive to canopy cover than larger bodied species. These results highlight the importance of canopy cover within cities and its interaction with species' traits in mediating impact of urbanization on moth phenology in subtropical systems.","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142760179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Natural communities are exposed to multiple environmental stressors, which simultaneously impact the population and trait dynamics of the species embedded within these communities. Given that certain traits, such as body size, are known to rapidly respond to environmental change, and given that they can strongly influence the density of populations, this raises the question of whether the strength of the eco‐phenotypic feedback loop depends on the environment, and whether stressful environments would enhance or disrupt this feedback or causal linkage. We use two competing freshwater ciliates—Colpidium striatum and Paramecium aurelia—and expose their populations to a full‐factorial design of increasing salinity and temperature conditions as well as interspecific competition. We found that salinity, temperature, and competition significantly affected the density and cell size dynamics of both species. Cell size dynamics strongly influenced density dynamics; however, the strength of this eco‐phenotypic feedback loop weakened in stressful conditions and with interspecific competition. Our study highlights the importance of studying eco‐phenotypic dynamics in different environments comprising stressful abiotic conditions and species interactions.
{"title":"Eco‐phenotypic feedback loops differ in multistressor environments","authors":"Lynn Govaert, Toni Klauschies","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4480","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4480","url":null,"abstract":"Natural communities are exposed to multiple environmental stressors, which simultaneously impact the population and trait dynamics of the species embedded within these communities. Given that certain traits, such as body size, are known to rapidly respond to environmental change, and given that they can strongly influence the density of populations, this raises the question of whether the strength of the eco‐phenotypic feedback loop depends on the environment, and whether stressful environments would enhance or disrupt this feedback or causal linkage. We use two competing freshwater ciliates—<jats:italic>Colpidium striatum</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Paramecium aurelia</jats:italic>—and expose their populations to a full‐factorial design of increasing salinity and temperature conditions as well as interspecific competition. We found that salinity, temperature, and competition significantly affected the density and cell size dynamics of both species. Cell size dynamics strongly influenced density dynamics; however, the strength of this eco‐phenotypic feedback loop weakened in stressful conditions and with interspecific competition. Our study highlights the importance of studying eco‐phenotypic dynamics in different environments comprising stressful abiotic conditions and species interactions.","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142718173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
José I. Orellana, Guillermo C. Amico, Roberto F. Nespolo, Soraya Sade, Valentina Vilches‐Gómez, Francisco E. Fontúrbel
{"title":"Mistletoes on lianas: Seed dispersal highways or drought safe havens? Evidence from South American temperate rainforests","authors":"José I. Orellana, Guillermo C. Amico, Roberto F. Nespolo, Soraya Sade, Valentina Vilches‐Gómez, Francisco E. Fontúrbel","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4479","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4479","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142713103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chris Brimacombe, Korryn Bodner, Dominique Gravel, Shawn J. Leroux, Timothée Poisot, Marie‐Josée Fortin
Large collections of freely available food webs are commonly reused by researchers to infer how biological or environmental factors influence the structure of ecological communities. Although reusing food webs expands sample sizes for community analysis, this practice also has significant drawbacks. As food webs are meticulously crafted by researchers for their own specific research endeavors and resulting publications (i.e., books and scientific articles), the structure of these webs inherently reflects the unique methodologies and protocols of their source publications. Consequently, combining food webs sourced from different publications without accounting for discrepancies that influence network structure may be problematic. Here, we investigate the determinants of structure in freely available food webs sourced from different publications, examining potential disparities that could hinder their effective comparison. Specifically, we quantify structural similarity across 274 commonly reused webs sourced from 105 publications using a subgraph technique. Surprisingly, we found no increased structural similarity between webs from the same ecosystem nor webs built using similar network construction methodologies. Yet, webs sourced from the same publication were very structurally similar with this degree of similarity increasing over time. As webs sourced from the same publication are typically sampled, constructed, and/or exposed to similar biological and environmental factors, publications likely holistically drive their own webs' structure to be similar. Our findings demonstrate the large effect that publications have on the structure of their own webs, which stymies inference when comparing the structure of webs sourced from different publications. We conclude by proposing different approaches that may be useful for reducing these publication‐related structural issues.
{"title":"Publication‐driven consistency in food web structures: Implications for comparative ecology","authors":"Chris Brimacombe, Korryn Bodner, Dominique Gravel, Shawn J. Leroux, Timothée Poisot, Marie‐Josée Fortin","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4467","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4467","url":null,"abstract":"Large collections of freely available food webs are commonly reused by researchers to infer how biological or environmental factors influence the structure of ecological communities. Although reusing food webs expands sample sizes for community analysis, this practice also has significant drawbacks. As food webs are meticulously crafted by researchers for their own specific research endeavors and resulting publications (i.e., books and scientific articles), the structure of these webs inherently reflects the unique methodologies and protocols of their source publications. Consequently, combining food webs sourced from different publications without accounting for discrepancies that influence network structure may be problematic. Here, we investigate the determinants of structure in freely available food webs sourced from different publications, examining potential disparities that could hinder their effective comparison. Specifically, we quantify structural similarity across 274 commonly reused webs sourced from 105 publications using a subgraph technique. Surprisingly, we found no increased structural similarity between webs from the same ecosystem nor webs built using similar network construction methodologies. Yet, webs sourced from the same publication were very structurally similar with this degree of similarity increasing over time. As webs sourced from the same publication are typically sampled, constructed, and/or exposed to similar biological and environmental factors, publications likely holistically drive their own webs' structure to be similar. Our findings demonstrate the large effect that publications have on the structure of their own webs, which stymies inference when comparing the structure of webs sourced from different publications. We conclude by proposing different approaches that may be useful for reducing these publication‐related structural issues.","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142684240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicholas V. Benedetto, Craig R. McClain, Natalie A. Clay
Community structure and ecosystem function may be driven by the size or the energy within a given habitat, but these metrics (space and energy) are difficult to separate, especially in systems where the habitat itself is also food, such as detritus. Only a handful of studies have attempted to isolate potential mechanisms experimentally, which has left a notable knowledge gap in understanding the drivers of community structure and function. Here, we tested whether fine woody debris (FWD) affects leaf litter communities primarily as a source of space or energy. We used a crossed factor design to isolate the effects of FWD as space and energy, with four treatments: (1) no FWD, (2) only energy‐providing FWD (sawdust), (3) only space‐providing synthetic wood debris, and (4) a combination of both space and energy. We hypothesized that the highest levels of diversity, carnivore:detritivore ratio, and decomposition rate would occur on plots supplied with sawdust (representing energy), synthetic woody debris (representing space), or a combination of both, depending on the relative significance of FWD as a source of either energy or space. After 7 months, FWD as a source of energy but not space led to decreased decomposer abundance and richness. Conversely, increased proportion of carnivores and labile substrate decomposition was primarily driven by FWD as a source of space. However, the fastest decomposition of more recalcitrant substrates required both space and energy (additive), and the synergy of space and energy supported the greatest proportion of carnivores. These results suggest that the presence of FWD in forest ecosystems supports increased diversity and decomposition through a synergistic interaction of space and energy and the maintenance of deadwood like FWD in forest ecosystems can thus significantly contribute to forest ecosystem function.
{"title":"Condo or cuisine? The function of fine woody debris in driving decomposition, detritivores, and their predators","authors":"Nicholas V. Benedetto, Craig R. McClain, Natalie A. Clay","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4474","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4474","url":null,"abstract":"Community structure and ecosystem function may be driven by the size or the energy within a given habitat, but these metrics (space and energy) are difficult to separate, especially in systems where the habitat itself is also food, such as detritus. Only a handful of studies have attempted to isolate potential mechanisms experimentally, which has left a notable knowledge gap in understanding the drivers of community structure and function. Here, we tested whether fine woody debris (FWD) affects leaf litter communities primarily as a source of space or energy. We used a crossed factor design to isolate the effects of FWD as space and energy, with four treatments: (1) no FWD, (2) only energy‐providing FWD (sawdust), (3) only space‐providing synthetic wood debris, and (4) a combination of both space and energy. We hypothesized that the highest levels of diversity, carnivore:detritivore ratio, and decomposition rate would occur on plots supplied with sawdust (representing energy), synthetic woody debris (representing space), or a combination of both, depending on the relative significance of FWD as a source of either energy or space. After 7 months, FWD as a source of energy but not space led to decreased decomposer abundance and richness. Conversely, increased proportion of carnivores and labile substrate decomposition was primarily driven by FWD as a source of space. However, the fastest decomposition of more recalcitrant substrates required both space and energy (additive), and the synergy of space and energy supported the greatest proportion of carnivores. These results suggest that the presence of FWD in forest ecosystems supports increased diversity and decomposition through a synergistic interaction of space and energy and the maintenance of deadwood like FWD in forest ecosystems can thus significantly contribute to forest ecosystem function.","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"129 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142678279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kenneth F. Kellner, Jeffrey W. Doser, Jerrold L. Belant
Analytic reproducibility is important for scientific credibility in ecology, but the extent to which scientific literature meets this criterion is not well understood. We surveyed 497 papers published in 2018–2022 in 9 ecology‐related journals. We focused on papers that used hierarchical models to estimate species distribution and abundance. We determined if papers achieved two components of analytic reproducibility: (1) availability of data and code, and (2) code functionality. We found that 28% of papers made data and code available, and 7% of papers provided code that ran without errors. Our findings indicate that analytic reproducibility remains the exception rather than the rule in ecology literature. We recommend authors (1) test code in a separate clean environment; (2) simplify code structure; (3) minimize software packages used; and (4) minimize code run time. We suggest journals (1) validate authors' provided open data statements and URLs; (2) recommend that code and data be shared in a separate repository rather than as appendices; and (3) elevate the status of code and data during review. We suggest these guidelines can aid the ecology community by improving the scientific reproducibility and credibility of ecological research.
{"title":"Functional R code is rare in species distribution and abundance papers","authors":"Kenneth F. Kellner, Jeffrey W. Doser, Jerrold L. Belant","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4475","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4475","url":null,"abstract":"Analytic reproducibility is important for scientific credibility in ecology, but the extent to which scientific literature meets this criterion is not well understood. We surveyed 497 papers published in 2018–2022 in 9 ecology‐related journals. We focused on papers that used hierarchical models to estimate species distribution and abundance. We determined if papers achieved two components of analytic reproducibility: (1) availability of data and code, and (2) code functionality. We found that 28% of papers made data and code available, and 7% of papers provided code that ran without errors. Our findings indicate that analytic reproducibility remains the exception rather than the rule in ecology literature. We recommend authors (1) test code in a separate clean environment; (2) simplify code structure; (3) minimize software packages used; and (4) minimize code run time. We suggest journals (1) validate authors' provided open data statements and URLs; (2) recommend that code and data be shared in a separate repository rather than as appendices; and (3) elevate the status of code and data during review. We suggest these guidelines can aid the ecology community by improving the scientific reproducibility and credibility of ecological research.","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"54 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142678281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
João Pedro Fontenelle, Jeremy Larroque, Simon Legault, Julian Wittische, Jessica A. R. Underwood, Patrick M. A. James
<p>Population outbreaks are characterized by irruptive changes in population density and connectivity resulting in rapid demographic and spatial expansion, often at the landscape scale. Outbreaks are common across multiple taxa, many of which inhabit northern ecosystems. Outbreaks of Lepidopteran defoliators in forest ecosystems are a particularly compelling example of this phenomenon, given the massive spatial scales over which these outbreaks can occur, their frequency, and socioeconomic impacts. The eastern spruce budworm (SBW) is a native outbreaking Lepidopteran defoliator of North American boreal forests. Cyclic outbreaks of the SBW influence ecosystem functioning and resilience, as well as forest productivity, timber supply, and other socioeconomic values related to management and mitigation. Despite these significant impacts, the ecological and biological drivers and outcomes of these outbreaks remain poorly understood. Here, we present an extensive genotypic dataset for 1998 geo-referenced SBW individuals collected between the years of 2012 and 2017, during the rising and peak phases of an outbreak that began approximately in 2006. Our sampling covers an unprecedented scope in the extent and number of individuals collected between 2012 and 2017 from Quebec, and in 2015 from New Brunswick (Canada) and from Maine (USA), from multiple SBW life stages, including early and late instar larvae (L2–L6), pupae, and adult moths. Genomic DNA extraction was followed by library preparation and high-throughput sequencing using Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS). Samples were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and aligned to the bw6 version of the SBW genome. This dataset represents one of the most extensive genotypic datasets to date for a boreal insect and is unique as it includes multiple years during a developing (ongoing, at time of sampling) outbreak. Sampling effort covered areas close to the epicenter of the outbreak (Quebec/Canada) and adjacent areas affected by the outbreak progress. This dataset also provides genome-wide characterization of SBW populations from Quebec, serving as a standard for the identification of future samples regarding their locality of origin, structure and connectivity. These data represent a valuable novel resource for further study of the spatial and temporal dynamics of SBW, and how spatial genetic diversity and gene flow are affected by population outbreaks. These data provide a temporal snapshot of SBW genetic diversity, which can serve as baseline for future studies regarding outbreaks, and the impact of human-induced environmental changes on complex population dynamics. This genotype dataset comprises a unique representation of genomic-level composition and variation observed in subsequent generations of an irruptive, cyclic outbreaking species and is of utmost importance for exploring and describing how accelerated demographic variation impacts the development of spatial genetic structure across
{"title":"Multiyear genotype characterization of eastern spruce budworm outbreaking populations from Quebec and adjacent regions","authors":"João Pedro Fontenelle, Jeremy Larroque, Simon Legault, Julian Wittische, Jessica A. R. Underwood, Patrick M. A. James","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4466","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.4466","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Population outbreaks are characterized by irruptive changes in population density and connectivity resulting in rapid demographic and spatial expansion, often at the landscape scale. Outbreaks are common across multiple taxa, many of which inhabit northern ecosystems. Outbreaks of Lepidopteran defoliators in forest ecosystems are a particularly compelling example of this phenomenon, given the massive spatial scales over which these outbreaks can occur, their frequency, and socioeconomic impacts. The eastern spruce budworm (SBW) is a native outbreaking Lepidopteran defoliator of North American boreal forests. Cyclic outbreaks of the SBW influence ecosystem functioning and resilience, as well as forest productivity, timber supply, and other socioeconomic values related to management and mitigation. Despite these significant impacts, the ecological and biological drivers and outcomes of these outbreaks remain poorly understood. Here, we present an extensive genotypic dataset for 1998 geo-referenced SBW individuals collected between the years of 2012 and 2017, during the rising and peak phases of an outbreak that began approximately in 2006. Our sampling covers an unprecedented scope in the extent and number of individuals collected between 2012 and 2017 from Quebec, and in 2015 from New Brunswick (Canada) and from Maine (USA), from multiple SBW life stages, including early and late instar larvae (L2–L6), pupae, and adult moths. Genomic DNA extraction was followed by library preparation and high-throughput sequencing using Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS). Samples were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and aligned to the bw6 version of the SBW genome. This dataset represents one of the most extensive genotypic datasets to date for a boreal insect and is unique as it includes multiple years during a developing (ongoing, at time of sampling) outbreak. Sampling effort covered areas close to the epicenter of the outbreak (Quebec/Canada) and adjacent areas affected by the outbreak progress. This dataset also provides genome-wide characterization of SBW populations from Quebec, serving as a standard for the identification of future samples regarding their locality of origin, structure and connectivity. These data represent a valuable novel resource for further study of the spatial and temporal dynamics of SBW, and how spatial genetic diversity and gene flow are affected by population outbreaks. These data provide a temporal snapshot of SBW genetic diversity, which can serve as baseline for future studies regarding outbreaks, and the impact of human-induced environmental changes on complex population dynamics. This genotype dataset comprises a unique representation of genomic-level composition and variation observed in subsequent generations of an irruptive, cyclic outbreaking species and is of utmost importance for exploring and describing how accelerated demographic variation impacts the development of spatial genetic structure across ","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"105 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.4466","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142669895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Naima C. Starkloff, Moses P. Mahalila, Safari Kinung'hi, David J. Civitello
<p>In rural northwestern Tanzania, land-use change to increase agricultural water availability has resulted in networks of rain catchment ponds teeming with snails that transmit <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i>, a parasitic worm causing urinary schistosomiasis in humans. These aquatic snails (<i>Bulinus nasutus</i>), however, must endure seasonal droughts that transform lush, nutrient-filled habitat to barren, parched earth for up to seven months yearly. The return of rain in the wet season is followed rapidly by the reappearance of abundant snail populations. The mystery of <i>how</i> snails endure the persistent harsh elements of long dry seasons is well described by severely decreased metabolism and other physiological adaptations that underlie the behavior of aestivation (periodic dormancy due to decreased moisture in a habitat, i.e., “dry season hibernation”), which is common in snails (Brown, <span>1994</span>). The lack of knowledge of <i>where</i> snails aestivate has largely halted the study of schistosomiasis-transmitting snail dormancy in the last half century, even though successful dormancy could drive snail population dynamics and consequently, schistosome disease outcomes for humans.</p><p>Only a single publication, to our knowledge, has identified aestivating <i>B. nasutus</i> in the field, describing the typical locality as <2 cm below the soil and in the pond outer periphery (Webbe, <span>1962</span>), but they did not provide standard survey protocols. Following the standardized methods for another <i>Bulinus</i> species (Betterton et al., <span>1988</span>), we dug 2–5 cm transects or quadrats into nine dry agricultural ponds outside of Mwanza, Tanzania, searching for the locality of dormant snails in September and October 2022. We opportunistically searched 10 additional dry and nearly dry ponds for aestivating snails in drying vegetation and mud. But across these 19 different ponds, we observed only a single snail which then survived in the lab for over 30 days. We also found many desiccated shells in the landscape. We realized why scientists had largely ignored this behavior for the last half century: Dormant snails seemed well shielded from the elements, including curious scientists. Considering the duration of the dry period and its potential disease implications, however, we were determined to better characterize the dormancy ecology of <i>B. nasutus</i>.</p><p>In mid-2023, we began a small-scale dormancy experiment at the National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza. We measured survival rates in four basins (two for one month of dormancy, two for two months of dormancy), each containing soil and 20 <i>B. nasutus</i> snails collected from active agricultural ponds. Within each dormancy period, basins contained either schistosome-infected or -uninfected snails. What we did not expect was that most snails (66.25%) did not burrow below the soil but instead remained on the surface throughout dormancy (Figure 1). We assu
{"title":"Resting in plain sight: Dormancy ecology of the intermediate snail host of Schistosoma haematobium","authors":"Naima C. Starkloff, Moses P. Mahalila, Safari Kinung'hi, David J. Civitello","doi":"10.1002/ecy.4472","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.4472","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In rural northwestern Tanzania, land-use change to increase agricultural water availability has resulted in networks of rain catchment ponds teeming with snails that transmit <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i>, a parasitic worm causing urinary schistosomiasis in humans. These aquatic snails (<i>Bulinus nasutus</i>), however, must endure seasonal droughts that transform lush, nutrient-filled habitat to barren, parched earth for up to seven months yearly. The return of rain in the wet season is followed rapidly by the reappearance of abundant snail populations. The mystery of <i>how</i> snails endure the persistent harsh elements of long dry seasons is well described by severely decreased metabolism and other physiological adaptations that underlie the behavior of aestivation (periodic dormancy due to decreased moisture in a habitat, i.e., “dry season hibernation”), which is common in snails (Brown, <span>1994</span>). The lack of knowledge of <i>where</i> snails aestivate has largely halted the study of schistosomiasis-transmitting snail dormancy in the last half century, even though successful dormancy could drive snail population dynamics and consequently, schistosome disease outcomes for humans.</p><p>Only a single publication, to our knowledge, has identified aestivating <i>B. nasutus</i> in the field, describing the typical locality as <2 cm below the soil and in the pond outer periphery (Webbe, <span>1962</span>), but they did not provide standard survey protocols. Following the standardized methods for another <i>Bulinus</i> species (Betterton et al., <span>1988</span>), we dug 2–5 cm transects or quadrats into nine dry agricultural ponds outside of Mwanza, Tanzania, searching for the locality of dormant snails in September and October 2022. We opportunistically searched 10 additional dry and nearly dry ponds for aestivating snails in drying vegetation and mud. But across these 19 different ponds, we observed only a single snail which then survived in the lab for over 30 days. We also found many desiccated shells in the landscape. We realized why scientists had largely ignored this behavior for the last half century: Dormant snails seemed well shielded from the elements, including curious scientists. Considering the duration of the dry period and its potential disease implications, however, we were determined to better characterize the dormancy ecology of <i>B. nasutus</i>.</p><p>In mid-2023, we began a small-scale dormancy experiment at the National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza. We measured survival rates in four basins (two for one month of dormancy, two for two months of dormancy), each containing soil and 20 <i>B. nasutus</i> snails collected from active agricultural ponds. Within each dormancy period, basins contained either schistosome-infected or -uninfected snails. What we did not expect was that most snails (66.25%) did not burrow below the soil but instead remained on the surface throughout dormancy (Figure 1). We assu","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"105 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.4472","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142673164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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