Trends in ecology & evolution最新文献

Group-living animals sleep together, yet most research treats sleep as an individual process. Here, we argue that social interactions during the sleep period contribute in important, but largely overlooked, ways to animal groups' social dynamics, while patterns of social interaction and the structure of social connections within animal groups play important, but poorly understood, roles in shaping sleep behavior. Leveraging field-appropriate methods, such as direct and video-based observation, and increasingly common on-animal motion sensors (e.g., accelerometers), behavioral indicators can be tracked to measure sleep in multiple individuals in a group of animals simultaneously. Sleep proximity networks and sleep timing networks can then be used to investigate the collective dynamics of sleep in wild group-living animals.

The rapid diversification of terminology associated with invasion ecology is a known barrier to effective communication and management. These challenges are magnified by the addition of terms and concepts related to climate-induced range-shifting taxa and/or changes to impacts. Further, institutional policies and terminologies for invasive species introduce new ambiguities when considering climate change. To alleviate communication and application challenges, we introduce a conceptual framework that organizes climate-related invasion terms, revealing ambiguities and gaps. Additionally, we illustrate how these ambiguities can affect management with four case studies and consider situations where resolution can improve policy and management outcomes. The framework can help users avoid inconsistent use of terminology, and prioritize when to address management and policy consequences related to associated terminological ambiguity.

Biodiversity is declining at alarming rates, with some negative impacts caused by activities that are necessary for meeting basic human needs and others which should be avoided to prevent ecological collapse. Avoidance of biodiversity impacts is costly; these costs must be distributed fairly. Principles of fair allocation - which are grounded in longstanding theories of justice and are mathematically operationalizable - are rarely used in biodiversity decision-making but can help to deliver procedural and distributive justice alongside biodiversity outcomes. We show how incorporating rules of fair allocation into biodiversity decision-making could advance policy formulation towards a safe and just future. Such rules provide a means to operationalize equity and create space for cooperatively and constructively negotiating avoidance liabilities within biodiversity impact mitigation.

Understanding ecosystem responses to global change have long challenged scientists due to notoriously complex properties arising from the interplay between biological and environmental factors. We propose the concept of ecosystem synchrony - that is, similarity in the temporal fluctuations of an ecosystem function between multiple ecosystems - to overcome this challenge. Ecosystem synchrony can manifest due to spatially correlated environmental fluctuations (Moran effect), exchange of energy, nutrients, and organic matter and similarity in biotic characteristics across ecosystems. By taking advantage of long-term surveys, remote sensing and the increased use of high-frequency sensors to assess ecosystem functions, ecosystem synchrony can foster our understanding of the coordinated ecosystem responses at unexplored spatiotemporal scales, identify emerging portfolio effects among ecosystems, and deliver signals of ecosystem perturbations.

Stoichiometric homeostasis is the ability of life to maintain inner chemical constancy despite changes in the environment and resources. Organisms can be stoichiometrically homeostatic to different degrees. This variation can be substantial even within species, but is ignored in most studies of ecological stoichiometry. Recent studies suggest that resource limitations are an important selective pressure behind homeostasis, but are contradictory in direction, likely owing to differences in nutrient storage strategies. Understanding the selective pressures underlying stoichiometric homeostasis, and its potential for rapid evolution, are key to predicting eco-evolutionary dynamics. This calls for the development of an evolutionary theory of stoichiometric homeostasis that incorporates rapid evolution, as well as for empirical studies to test the underlying mechanisms.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses are increasingly spreading between birds and mammals globally, with sporadic transmission to humans. With recent emergence in Antarctica, traditional animal capture and influenza testing approaches have proven challenging and logistically impractical. Without reference laboratories in the region, responses are slow and few samples will ever be collected or tested from local outbreaks due to lack of infrastructure. We call for development of innovative data collection strategies that can be deployed for a diverse range of sample types for rapid, field-forward characterization. Policy shifts and enhanced biosecurity protocols are required to protect Antarctic biodiversity, and we advocate for global coordination and strengthened collaborations between national programs, tour operators, and scientists to establish a 'smart surveillance' network.

Aposematic animals couple unprofitability to predators, such as toxicity, with a warning signal, such as conspicuous coloration. Although toxicity and coloration can provide effective protection against predation, these traits also play a major role in the context of parasitism. Many of the color pigments used by aposematic animals are components of anti-infection immunity. Moreover, toxic compounds are used by conspicuous animals as defenses against parasites and pathogens. Parasites and pathogens not only pose selection on coloration through immunity and toxicity, they also play a major role in sexual selection, with mate choice often depending on conspicuous coloration and anti-infection toxicity. Consequently, parasitism is likely an important component in the evolution of traits that provide predator protection through aposematism.

The delay between disturbance events and genetic responses within populations is a common but surprisingly overlooked phenomenon in ecology and evolutionary and conservation genetics. If not accounted for when interpreting genetic data, this time lag problem can lead to erroneous conservation assessments. We (i) identify life-history traits related to longevity and reproductive strategies as the main determinants of time lags, (ii) evaluate potential confounding factors affecting genetic parameters during time lags, and (iii) propose approaches that allow controlling for time lags. Considering the current unprecedented rate of loss of genetic diversity and adaptive potential, we expect our novel interpretive and methodological framework for time lags to stimulate further research and discussion on the most appropriate approaches to analyse genetic diversity for conservation.

Bullying during the peer review process is an overlooked form of academic bullying. Measures to limit its negative impact are insufficient, necessitating new initiatives to protect individuals and the integrity of science. If unaddressed, peer review bullying will undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly harming early-career researchers and minorities.

Understanding how natural communities and ecosystems are structured and respond to anthropogenic pressures in a rapidly changing world is key to successful management and conservation. A fundamental but often overlooked biological characteristic of organisms is sex. Sex-based responses are often considered when conducting studies at organismal and population levels, but are rarely investigated in community ecology. Focusing on kelp forests as a model system, and through a review of other marine and terrestrial ecosystems, we found evidence of widespread sex-based variation in species interactions. Sex-based variation in species interactions is expected to affect ecosystem structure and functioning via multiple trophic and nontrophic pathways. Understanding the drivers and consequences of sex-based variation in species interactions can inform more effective management and restoration.