Pub Date : 2024-05-13DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1389382
Michael Wolf-Vollenbröker, Stefanie Petow, Max Schmidbauer, Mareike Fellmin, Reiner Ulrich, Julia Mehlhorn
IntroductionCrested chickens show abnormalities in their anatomy of the skull, endocranium, and brain (including cerebral elongation) and can be appropriate model systems for neuroanatomical evolution, brain–skull integration, and skull and brain deformities. Here, we give a detailed comprehensive description of the skull of crested chickens using the example of the Padovana chicken, including ontogenetic aspects and an allometric analysis of their brain size.MethodsIn total, 109 chickens of two different strains of the Padovana chicken were hatched together. All animals were X-rayed weekly during growth. Nine juvenile (ready for hatch) and 22 adult skulls were processed for histology and morphological descriptions, and a further 20 individuals were processed for brain analysis.ResultsAt hatching, all chicks were already crested, and a distinctive bony protuberance was first observed at the age of 4 weeks. Juvenile chickens exhibit either an open neurocranium or a protuberance. In the adult skull, foramina of different sizes can be found in the frontal bone, but no completely open neurocrania are observed in juveniles. Particularly in Padovana with cranial protuberances, several peculiarities can be observed in the os mesethmoidale, os nasale, os praemaxillare, orbit, and cranial fossae. Additionally, the brain of Padovana with cranial protuberances looks drawn in length with the shape of an hourglass and showed significantly larger encephalization indices than plain-headed breeds, topped only by another crested chicken breed.DiscussionInvestigations on chickens with cerebral elongation may facilitate the understanding of skull and brain dysplasia and may provide meaningful insights into cerebral hernia development. Additionally, crested breeds, combined with standard chickens, form a promising comparative system for investigating the emergence of novel brain and skull morphologies.
{"title":"Detailed analysis of skull morphology and brain size in crested Padovana chicken (Gallus gallus f.d.)","authors":"Michael Wolf-Vollenbröker, Stefanie Petow, Max Schmidbauer, Mareike Fellmin, Reiner Ulrich, Julia Mehlhorn","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1389382","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1389382","url":null,"abstract":"IntroductionCrested chickens show abnormalities in their anatomy of the skull, endocranium, and brain (including cerebral elongation) and can be appropriate model systems for neuroanatomical evolution, brain–skull integration, and skull and brain deformities. Here, we give a detailed comprehensive description of the skull of crested chickens using the example of the Padovana chicken, including ontogenetic aspects and an allometric analysis of their brain size.MethodsIn total, 109 chickens of two different strains of the Padovana chicken were hatched together. All animals were X-rayed weekly during growth. Nine juvenile (ready for hatch) and 22 adult skulls were processed for histology and morphological descriptions, and a further 20 individuals were processed for brain analysis.ResultsAt hatching, all chicks were already crested, and a distinctive bony protuberance was first observed at the age of 4 weeks. Juvenile chickens exhibit either an open neurocranium or a protuberance. In the adult skull, foramina of different sizes can be found in the frontal bone, but no completely open neurocrania are observed in juveniles. Particularly in Padovana with cranial protuberances, several peculiarities can be observed in the os mesethmoidale, os nasale, os praemaxillare, orbit, and cranial fossae. Additionally, the brain of Padovana with cranial protuberances looks drawn in length with the shape of an hourglass and showed significantly larger encephalization indices than plain-headed breeds, topped only by another crested chicken breed.DiscussionInvestigations on chickens with cerebral elongation may facilitate the understanding of skull and brain dysplasia and may provide meaningful insights into cerebral hernia development. Additionally, crested breeds, combined with standard chickens, form a promising comparative system for investigating the emergence of novel brain and skull morphologies.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140931539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-05-13DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1389619
Miriam Edelkind-Vealey, Michael D. Ulyshen, S. Kristine Braman
IntroductionUrban forests provide necessary habitat for many forest-associated bee species amidst development and fragmentation. These forest fragments provide a variety of important floral and non-floral resources for bees that encompass a diversity of functional guilds characterized by size, diet breadth, nesting, sociality, origin, and seasonality. The relative importance of forest edge vs. interior habitats to these organisms is not well understood.MethodsHere, we compare bee communities between forest edge and interior locations at eight locations in Athens, GA, USA. We also explore the effects of stand structure, tree composition, ground cover type, and the presence of snags and downed wood on these organisms.ResultsWe found bee abundance and richness to be higher at the forest edge than interior with distinct community compositions at both locations. Canopy cover, invasive shrub cover, ground cover, and tree diversity influenced the observed community composition. We also determined that the most impactful functional traits influencing bee community structure in urban forest fragments were nesting substrate, origin (native or exotic to North America), sociality, and diet breadth.DiscussionOur findings will help establish the effects of local forest characteristics on the community composition, diversity, and abundance of wild bees and further our knowledge of the conservation value of urban forests for preserving wild bee communities.
{"title":"Local factors influence the wild bee functional community at the urban-forest interface","authors":"Miriam Edelkind-Vealey, Michael D. Ulyshen, S. Kristine Braman","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1389619","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1389619","url":null,"abstract":"IntroductionUrban forests provide necessary habitat for many forest-associated bee species amidst development and fragmentation. These forest fragments provide a variety of important floral and non-floral resources for bees that encompass a diversity of functional guilds characterized by size, diet breadth, nesting, sociality, origin, and seasonality. The relative importance of forest edge vs. interior habitats to these organisms is not well understood.MethodsHere, we compare bee communities between forest edge and interior locations at eight locations in Athens, GA, USA. We also explore the effects of stand structure, tree composition, ground cover type, and the presence of snags and downed wood on these organisms.ResultsWe found bee abundance and richness to be higher at the forest edge than interior with distinct community compositions at both locations. Canopy cover, invasive shrub cover, ground cover, and tree diversity influenced the observed community composition. We also determined that the most impactful functional traits influencing bee community structure in urban forest fragments were nesting substrate, origin (native or exotic to North America), sociality, and diet breadth.DiscussionOur findings will help establish the effects of local forest characteristics on the community composition, diversity, and abundance of wild bees and further our knowledge of the conservation value of urban forests for preserving wild bee communities.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140931457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-05-13DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1356679
Stephen P. Rubin, Melanie J. Davis, Eric E. Grossman, Isa Woo, Susan E. W. De La Cruz, Glynnis Nakai, John Y. Takekawa
Benthic invertebrates play vital roles in estuarine ecosystems, but like other taxa they have been excluded from former marshlands by diking and land use conversion. Dike removal is one way of restoring marsh, but the response of benthic invertebrates has been little studied. Also understudied is variation in benthic invertebrate communities across entire deltas, particularly in the Pacific Northwest of North America where deltas receive high flows and sediment loads for their size. Our goals were to evaluate invertebrate response to large-scale dike removal on the Nisqually River Delta in Puget Sound, Washington, U.S.A., characterize delta-wide invertebrate community variation, and relate invertebrate response and spatial variation to environmental conditions. We sampled invertebrates annually from one year before to three years after dike removal in restoring marsh, previously restored marsh, undisturbed reference marsh, and adjacent tidal flats. Marine taxa immediately colonized the area recently restored to tidal inundation and population size grew exponentially thereafter for several of them. Community composition and diversity recovered completely, and density and biomass were approaching recovery three years later. Invertebrate communities converged between restoring and pre-existing marsh (previously restored and reference), suggesting an influence of reestablished connectivity. Just offshore from the dike line, invertebrates declined one year after dike removal but then rebounded indicating resilience to short-term disturbance. Dike removal effects were not detected farther offshore. Near the offshore edge of the delta, invertebrate biomass and body size were greater than elsewhere and a diverse assemblage of crustaceans, polychaetes, and bivalves was present. Farther inshore, tidal flats were dominated by a few species of small-bodied polychaetes and had higher density but lower biomass and diversity. Facultative detritivores, which can also filter feed, were the dominant feeding guild everywhere on the tidal flats. Density, biomass, diversity, and community composition on the marsh were more similar to the inner than outer tidal flats. Environmental variables most associated with invertebrate community variation were elevation, salinity, and sediment grain size and organic content. Our results are relevant to assessing performance and setting expectations for future restorations and have broad implications for the role of benthic invertebrates in estuarine ecosystems.
{"title":"Benthic macroinvertebrate response to estuarine emergent marsh restoration across a delta-wide environmental gradient","authors":"Stephen P. Rubin, Melanie J. Davis, Eric E. Grossman, Isa Woo, Susan E. W. De La Cruz, Glynnis Nakai, John Y. Takekawa","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1356679","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1356679","url":null,"abstract":"Benthic invertebrates play vital roles in estuarine ecosystems, but like other taxa they have been excluded from former marshlands by diking and land use conversion. Dike removal is one way of restoring marsh, but the response of benthic invertebrates has been little studied. Also understudied is variation in benthic invertebrate communities across entire deltas, particularly in the Pacific Northwest of North America where deltas receive high flows and sediment loads for their size. Our goals were to evaluate invertebrate response to large-scale dike removal on the Nisqually River Delta in Puget Sound, Washington, U.S.A., characterize delta-wide invertebrate community variation, and relate invertebrate response and spatial variation to environmental conditions. We sampled invertebrates annually from one year before to three years after dike removal in restoring marsh, previously restored marsh, undisturbed reference marsh, and adjacent tidal flats. Marine taxa immediately colonized the area recently restored to tidal inundation and population size grew exponentially thereafter for several of them. Community composition and diversity recovered completely, and density and biomass were approaching recovery three years later. Invertebrate communities converged between restoring and pre-existing marsh (previously restored and reference), suggesting an influence of reestablished connectivity. Just offshore from the dike line, invertebrates declined one year after dike removal but then rebounded indicating resilience to short-term disturbance. Dike removal effects were not detected farther offshore. Near the offshore edge of the delta, invertebrate biomass and body size were greater than elsewhere and a diverse assemblage of crustaceans, polychaetes, and bivalves was present. Farther inshore, tidal flats were dominated by a few species of small-bodied polychaetes and had higher density but lower biomass and diversity. Facultative detritivores, which can also filter feed, were the dominant feeding guild everywhere on the tidal flats. Density, biomass, diversity, and community composition on the marsh were more similar to the inner than outer tidal flats. Environmental variables most associated with invertebrate community variation were elevation, salinity, and sediment grain size and organic content. Our results are relevant to assessing performance and setting expectations for future restorations and have broad implications for the role of benthic invertebrates in estuarine ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140931622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-05-10DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1399584
Zhenya Liu, Yiqing Zhao, Hongyan Yu, Yao Zhao, Huijun Guo, Mei Sun
The impact of climate warming on wetland ecosystems is a current focal point in ecological research. In this study, the Napahai wetland, a typical plateau wetland in northwest Yunnan Province, was selected as the study site to understand the growth and survival strategies of emergent plants in a plateau wetland under climate warming conditions. Open-top chambers (OTCs) were used to simulate warming in three treatments (i.e., control group, 2.0 ± 0.5°C, and 4.0 ± 0.5°C) in order to study the responses of the functional traits of the dominant emergent plant Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani to simulated warming. The results showed that simulated warming significantly reduced the photosynthetic carbon assimilation capacity and biomass accumulation of S. tabernaemontani, as well as its nitrogen content and vascular bundle density, while it significantly increased the vascular bundle size. The growing season accumulated temperature (AT) and the mean temperature of the hottest month (WT) were the main temperature factors influencing the functional traits of S. tabernaemontani. In summary, simulated warming significantly affected the functional traits of S. tabernaemontani, which demonstrated effective adaptation to warming conditions. As the temperature rises and the light and productivity decrease, S. tabernaemontani prioritizes the supply of limited resources to the underground part to ensure the biomass supply of the reproductive structure. This study provides a case for revealing the response patterns and ecological adaptation strategies of plateau wetland plants to climate warming.
气候变暖对湿地生态系统的影响是当前生态学研究的一个焦点。本研究选择了云南省西北部典型的高原湿地--纳帕海湿地作为研究地点，以了解气候变暖条件下高原湿地挺水植物的生长和生存策略。在三个处理（即对照组、2.0±0.5°C和4.0±0.5°C）中使用开顶室（OTC）模拟升温，以研究优势挺水植物Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani的功能性状对模拟升温的响应。结果表明，模拟升温显著降低了S. tabernaemontani的光合碳同化能力和生物量积累，也降低了其氮含量和维管束密度，但显著增加了维管束尺寸。生长季积温（AT）和最热月平均气温（WT）是影响S. tabernaemontani功能性状的主要温度因子。总之，模拟升温对 S. tabernaemontani 的功能性状有明显影响，表明其能有效适应升温条件。随着气温升高，光照和生产力下降，S. tabernaemontani会优先将有限的资源供给地下部分，以确保生殖结构的生物量供应。本研究为揭示高原湿地植物对气候变暖的响应模式和生态适应策略提供了案例。
{"title":"Response of the functional traits of Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani to simulated warming in the Napahai wetland of northwestern Yunnan, China","authors":"Zhenya Liu, Yiqing Zhao, Hongyan Yu, Yao Zhao, Huijun Guo, Mei Sun","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1399584","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1399584","url":null,"abstract":"The impact of climate warming on wetland ecosystems is a current focal point in ecological research. In this study, the Napahai wetland, a typical plateau wetland in northwest Yunnan Province, was selected as the study site to understand the growth and survival strategies of emergent plants in a plateau wetland under climate warming conditions. Open-top chambers (OTCs) were used to simulate warming in three treatments (i.e., control group, 2.0 ± 0.5°C, and 4.0 ± 0.5°C) in order to study the responses of the functional traits of the dominant emergent plant Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani to simulated warming. The results showed that simulated warming significantly reduced the photosynthetic carbon assimilation capacity and biomass accumulation of S. tabernaemontani, as well as its nitrogen content and vascular bundle density, while it significantly increased the vascular bundle size. The growing season accumulated temperature (AT) and the mean temperature of the hottest month (WT) were the main temperature factors influencing the functional traits of S. tabernaemontani. In summary, simulated warming significantly affected the functional traits of S. tabernaemontani, which demonstrated effective adaptation to warming conditions. As the temperature rises and the light and productivity decrease, S. tabernaemontani prioritizes the supply of limited resources to the underground part to ensure the biomass supply of the reproductive structure. This study provides a case for revealing the response patterns and ecological adaptation strategies of plateau wetland plants to climate warming.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141257928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-05-09DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1344065
Emily Heffernan, Megan Barkdull, Noah Brady
We are nearing the 20-year anniversary of a groundbreaking paper which details how microsatellite marker development in Lepidoptera is “extremely difficult for no apparent reason.” How far have we come in these past 20 years? Microsatellites are still the marker of choice in many population genetics studies for their ease of use, high degrees of polymorphism, species-specificity, and low cost. The rise of next-generation sequencing technologies (e.g. 454, Illumina, PacBio, etc.) has greatly advanced our abilities to generate many microsatellite markers per species. In this paper, we summarize the improvements in marker development using next-generation technology. Using case studies, we review the use and implementation of microsatellite markers in different conservation programs. Lastly, we provide a guide to data interpretation of microsatellite data generated for butterflies, with the goal of supporting student researchers and conservation practitioners in evaluating the meaning in their data.
{"title":"Microsatellites for butterfly conservation: historical challenges, current relevance, and a guide to implementation","authors":"Emily Heffernan, Megan Barkdull, Noah Brady","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1344065","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1344065","url":null,"abstract":"We are nearing the 20-year anniversary of a groundbreaking paper which details how microsatellite marker development in Lepidoptera is “extremely difficult for no apparent reason.” How far have we come in these past 20 years? Microsatellites are still the marker of choice in many population genetics studies for their ease of use, high degrees of polymorphism, species-specificity, and low cost. The rise of next-generation sequencing technologies (e.g. 454, Illumina, PacBio, etc.) has greatly advanced our abilities to generate many microsatellite markers per species. In this paper, we summarize the improvements in marker development using next-generation technology. Using case studies, we review the use and implementation of microsatellite markers in different conservation programs. Lastly, we provide a guide to data interpretation of microsatellite data generated for butterflies, with the goal of supporting student researchers and conservation practitioners in evaluating the meaning in their data.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140931855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-05-09DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1271824
Steven Lee, Robert Klinger, Matthew L. Brooks, Scott Ferrenberg
Soil seed banks help maintain species diversity through temporal storage effects and function as germination pools that can optimize fitness across varying environmental conditions. These characteristics promote the persistence of native plant communities, yet disturbances such as fire and associated invasions by non-native species can disrupt these reserves, fundamentally altering successional trajectories. This may be particularly true in deserts, where native plant communities are less adapted to fire. While studies of fire effects on desert plant communities are not uncommon, information regarding the short- and long-term effects of fire on seed banks is less available. To better understand the influence of fire and invasive species on desert seed banks, we investigated soil seed bank biodiversity from 30 wildfires that burned between 1972 and 2010 across the Mojave Desert ecoregion of North America. We assessed how characteristics of fire regimes (frequency, time since fire, and burn severity) interacted with climate and invasive plants on measures of α-, β-, and γ-diversities. Because β-diversity is a direct measure of community variability and reveals important information about biodiversity loss, we further examined the nestedness and turnover components of β-diversity. Mean α- and γ-diversities were generally higher for burned locations than in unburned reference sites, however individual fire variables had little influence on patterns of seed bank diversity. Burned area seed banks tended to be dominated by non-native invasive species, primarily two grasses, (Bromus rubens, Bromus tectorum), as well as an invasive forb (Erodium cicutarium). The most striking pattern we observed was a collective sharp decline in α-, β-, and γ-diversities with increased invasive species dominance, indicating the homogenization of seed bank communities with the colonization of invasive species after fire. Evidence of homogenization was further supported by reduced turnover and increased nestedness in burn areas compared to reference areas indicating potential biodiversity loss. Our findings highlight how biological processes such as plant invasions can combine with disturbance from fire to alter patterns of seed bank composition and diversity in desert ecosystems.
{"title":"Homogenization of soil seed bank communities by fire and invasive species in the Mojave Desert","authors":"Steven Lee, Robert Klinger, Matthew L. Brooks, Scott Ferrenberg","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1271824","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1271824","url":null,"abstract":"Soil seed banks help maintain species diversity through temporal storage effects and function as germination pools that can optimize fitness across varying environmental conditions. These characteristics promote the persistence of native plant communities, yet disturbances such as fire and associated invasions by non-native species can disrupt these reserves, fundamentally altering successional trajectories. This may be particularly true in deserts, where native plant communities are less adapted to fire. While studies of fire effects on desert plant communities are not uncommon, information regarding the short- and long-term effects of fire on seed banks is less available. To better understand the influence of fire and invasive species on desert seed banks, we investigated soil seed bank biodiversity from 30 wildfires that burned between 1972 and 2010 across the Mojave Desert ecoregion of North America. We assessed how characteristics of fire regimes (frequency, time since fire, and burn severity) interacted with climate and invasive plants on measures of α-, β-, and γ-diversities. Because β-diversity is a direct measure of community variability and reveals important information about biodiversity loss, we further examined the nestedness and turnover components of β-diversity. Mean α- and γ-diversities were generally higher for burned locations than in unburned reference sites, however individual fire variables had little influence on patterns of seed bank diversity. Burned area seed banks tended to be dominated by non-native invasive species, primarily two grasses, (<jats:italic>Bromus rubens</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Bromus tectorum</jats:italic>), as well as an invasive forb (<jats:italic>Erodium cicutarium</jats:italic>). The most striking pattern we observed was a collective sharp decline in α-, β-, and γ-diversities with increased invasive species dominance, indicating the homogenization of seed bank communities with the colonization of invasive species after fire. Evidence of homogenization was further supported by reduced turnover and increased nestedness in burn areas compared to reference areas indicating potential biodiversity loss. Our findings highlight how biological processes such as plant invasions can combine with disturbance from fire to alter patterns of seed bank composition and diversity in desert ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140931648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1405459
Kristin M. Robinson, Kaitlin M. Baudier
IntroductionThe current state of anthropogenic climate change is particularly concerning for tropical insects, species predicted to be the most negatively affected. Researching climatic tolerance in social insects is challenging because adaptations exist at both individual and societal levels. Division of labor research helps to bridge the gap between our understanding of these adaptations at different scales, which is important because social insects comprise a tremendous portion of global animal biomass, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Considering how individual physiologies construct group-level adaptations can improve climate change impact assessments for social species. Tetragonisca angustula is a neotropical stingless bee species that exhibits high worker subcaste specialization with a morphologically distinct soldier caste.MethodsWe used this species to investigate 1) whether age- and size-differentiated subcastes differ in thermal tolerance, 2) which worker subcaste operates closest to their thermal limits, and 3) the extent to which this species selects active foraging times to offset thermal stress. We measured the thermal tolerance (CTmax and CTmin) of small-bodied foragers and two soldier subcastes (hovering guards and standing guards) in T. angustula.Results and discussionDespite body size differences between foragers and guards, no differences in the upper or lower thermal limits were observed. However, the average thermal tolerance breadth of foragers was significantly larger than that of guards, and foraging sites were more thermally variable than nest sites, supporting the Climatic Variability Hypothesis at a microclimate scale and in the context of division of labor. Warming tolerance was significantly lower among small-bodied foragers compared to hovering and standing guards. The magnitude of warming tolerances indicated low risk of imminent climate change impacts in this environment but suggests that increasing temperatures and heatwave prevalence may cause foragers to meet their upper thermal limits before other subcastes. Foraging occurred at a narrower range of temperatures than would challenge critical temperatures, with higher morning activity. Directionally increasing temperatures will likely confine these preferred foraging temperatures to a narrower time window. Further study is needed to elucidate how foragers may shift times of activity in response to anthropogenic warming, but changing climates may impact plant pollination rates in natural and agricultural systems.
{"title":"Stingless bee foragers experience more thermally stressful microclimates and have wider thermal tolerance breadths than other worker subcastes","authors":"Kristin M. Robinson, Kaitlin M. Baudier","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1405459","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1405459","url":null,"abstract":"IntroductionThe current state of anthropogenic climate change is particularly concerning for tropical insects, species predicted to be the most negatively affected. Researching climatic tolerance in social insects is challenging because adaptations exist at both individual and societal levels. Division of labor research helps to bridge the gap between our understanding of these adaptations at different scales, which is important because social insects comprise a tremendous portion of global animal biomass, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Considering how individual physiologies construct group-level adaptations can improve climate change impact assessments for social species. <jats:italic>Tetragonisca angustula</jats:italic> is a neotropical stingless bee species that exhibits high worker subcaste specialization with a morphologically distinct soldier caste.MethodsWe used this species to investigate 1) whether age- and size-differentiated subcastes differ in thermal tolerance, 2) which worker subcaste operates closest to their thermal limits, and 3) the extent to which this species selects active foraging times to offset thermal stress. We measured the thermal tolerance (CT<jats:sub>max</jats:sub> and CT<jats:sub>min</jats:sub>) of small-bodied foragers and two soldier subcastes (hovering guards and standing guards) in <jats:italic>T. angustula</jats:italic>.Results and discussionDespite body size differences between foragers and guards, no differences in the upper or lower thermal limits were observed. However, the average thermal tolerance breadth of foragers was significantly larger than that of guards, and foraging sites were more thermally variable than nest sites, supporting the Climatic Variability Hypothesis at a microclimate scale and in the context of division of labor. Warming tolerance was significantly lower among small-bodied foragers compared to hovering and standing guards. The magnitude of warming tolerances indicated low risk of imminent climate change impacts in this environment but suggests that increasing temperatures and heatwave prevalence may cause foragers to meet their upper thermal limits before other subcastes. Foraging occurred at a narrower range of temperatures than would challenge critical temperatures, with higher morning activity. Directionally increasing temperatures will likely confine these preferred foraging temperatures to a narrower time window. Further study is needed to elucidate how foragers may shift times of activity in response to anthropogenic warming, but changing climates may impact plant pollination rates in natural and agricultural systems.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140931605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-05-03DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1385516
Jianqing Bi, Yonghang Ge, Zhuqing Wang, Hongzhe Peng, Bo Dong
Lumen formation, as a key process of biological tube construction, is essential in various physiological processes such as nutrient and waste transporting, gas exchanging, and structural supporting. However, the mechanisms underlying tubular lumen development are still not fully understood. In the present study, we identified a matrix metalloproteinase, Nas15, which is enriched in the apical domain of the Ciona embryonic notochord. The expression level of the Nas15 gene significantly increased during notochord lumen formation and expansion. Nas15 loss-of-function resulted in abnormal notochord lumen expansion in Ciona embryos. Besides, yeast two-hybrid screening and CO-IP results indicated a Phosphatase 2 Catalytic Subunit Alpha (PPP2CA) physically interacted with Nas15. PPP2CA also involved in notochord lumen formation via localizing Nas15. Furthermore, we investigated the distribution of laminin in Nas15 disrupted embryos. In conclusion, our results revealed a mechanisms of how notochord cells regulating lumen expansion via metalloproteinase-mediated ECM localization. This findings provide insight into the mechanisms of tubular organ lumen formation and serve as a reference for research on human abnormal lumenogenesis diseases.
{"title":"Matrix metalloproteinase Nas15 regulates the lumen formation and expansion in Ciona notochord","authors":"Jianqing Bi, Yonghang Ge, Zhuqing Wang, Hongzhe Peng, Bo Dong","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1385516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1385516","url":null,"abstract":"Lumen formation, as a key process of biological tube construction, is essential in various physiological processes such as nutrient and waste transporting, gas exchanging, and structural supporting. However, the mechanisms underlying tubular lumen development are still not fully understood. In the present study, we identified a matrix metalloproteinase, Nas15, which is enriched in the apical domain of the <jats:italic>Ciona</jats:italic> embryonic notochord. The expression level of the <jats:italic>Nas15</jats:italic> gene significantly increased during notochord lumen formation and expansion. Nas15 loss-of-function resulted in abnormal notochord lumen expansion in <jats:italic>Ciona</jats:italic> embryos. Besides, yeast two-hybrid screening and CO-IP results indicated a Phosphatase 2 Catalytic Subunit Alpha (PPP2CA) physically interacted with Nas15. PPP2CA also involved in notochord lumen formation via localizing Nas15. Furthermore, we investigated the distribution of laminin in Nas15 disrupted embryos. In conclusion, our results revealed a mechanisms of how notochord cells regulating lumen expansion via metalloproteinase-mediated ECM localization. This findings provide insight into the mechanisms of tubular organ lumen formation and serve as a reference for research on human abnormal lumenogenesis diseases.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140829926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-05-03DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1338166
Xiaojing Cai, Falin Liu
IntroductionIn the aftermath of a fire, prompt reforestation of the affected areas is crucial to mitigate economic losses and ecological impacts.MethodsThis paper introduces an ecological function assessment model leveraging the Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN). The model's efficacy is validated through simulation comparison experiments. Subsequently, an analysis of the ecosystem's material circulation and energy flow capabilities is undertaken.ResultsSimulation outcomes reveal that our proposed model attains convergence by the 10th training iteration, with a loss function value of just 0.28, highlighting minimal training loss. This underscores the model's rapid convergence and impressive training performance. Our method proves superior to the comparison method in both initial and later operational phases. Notably, it offers a significantly faster response speed and boasts an accuracy rate exceeding 95%.DiscussionConsequently, employing this model to analyze ecological function changes is deemed feasible. The analysis of ecosystem material circulation and energy flow capabilities reveals that while initial assessments show minimal change, scores exhibit a clear acceleration as the cycle progresses.
{"title":"Effects of different fire slash artificial promotion regeneration and natural material regeneration on ecological function","authors":"Xiaojing Cai, Falin Liu","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1338166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1338166","url":null,"abstract":"IntroductionIn the aftermath of a fire, prompt reforestation of the affected areas is crucial to mitigate economic losses and ecological impacts.MethodsThis paper introduces an ecological function assessment model leveraging the Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN). The model's efficacy is validated through simulation comparison experiments. Subsequently, an analysis of the ecosystem's material circulation and energy flow capabilities is undertaken.ResultsSimulation outcomes reveal that our proposed model attains convergence by the 10th training iteration, with a loss function value of just 0.28, highlighting minimal training loss. This underscores the model's rapid convergence and impressive training performance. Our method proves superior to the comparison method in both initial and later operational phases. Notably, it offers a significantly faster response speed and boasts an accuracy rate exceeding 95%.DiscussionConsequently, employing this model to analyze ecological function changes is deemed feasible. The analysis of ecosystem material circulation and energy flow capabilities reveals that while initial assessments show minimal change, scores exhibit a clear acceleration as the cycle progresses.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140829819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-05-01DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1392050
Tirtha Das Banerjee, Cédric Finet, Kwi Shan Seah, Antónia Monteiro
Previous studies have shown that Optix regulates lower lamina thickness and the type of pigment that is produced in wing scales of a few butterfly species. However, the role of Optix in regulating pigment production across species, and in regulating additional aspects of scale morphology remains to be investigated. By combining microspectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, and focused ion beam technology on wild-type and Optix Bicyclus anynana crispants, we show that Optix regulates the production of orange pigments (ommochromes), represses the production of brown pigments (melanins), and regulates the morphology of the lower and upper surface of orange scales. Our findings suggest a conserved role of Optix as a switch gene that activates ommochrome and represses melanin synthesis across butterflies. By comparing these effects with other mutations, where only melanin is removed from scales, we propose that pigmentary changes, alone, affect the way that chitin polymerizes within a scale, changing lower lamina thickness as well as multiple intricate structures of the upper surface.
{"title":"Optix regulates nanomorphology of butterfly scales primarily via its effects on pigmentation","authors":"Tirtha Das Banerjee, Cédric Finet, Kwi Shan Seah, Antónia Monteiro","doi":"10.3389/fevo.2024.1392050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1392050","url":null,"abstract":"Previous studies have shown that <jats:italic>Optix</jats:italic> regulates lower lamina thickness and the type of pigment that is produced in wing scales of a few butterfly species. However, the role of <jats:italic>Optix</jats:italic> in regulating pigment production across species, and in regulating additional aspects of scale morphology remains to be investigated. By combining microspectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, and focused ion beam technology on wild-type and <jats:italic>Optix Bicyclus anynana</jats:italic> crispants, we show that <jats:italic>Optix</jats:italic> regulates the production of orange pigments (ommochromes), represses the production of brown pigments (melanins), and regulates the morphology of the lower and upper surface of orange scales. Our findings suggest a conserved role of <jats:italic>Optix</jats:italic> as a switch gene that activates ommochrome and represses melanin synthesis across butterflies. By comparing these effects with other mutations, where only melanin is removed from scales, we propose that pigmentary changes, alone, affect the way that chitin polymerizes within a scale, changing lower lamina thickness as well as multiple intricate structures of the upper surface.","PeriodicalId":12367,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140829816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
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