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Lu M, Jetz W. Scale-sensitivity in the measurement and interpretation of environmental niches. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:554-567. [PMID: 36803985 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Species environmental niches are central to ecology, evolution, and global change research, but their characterization and interpretation depend on the spatial scale (specifically, the spatial grain) of their measurement. We find that the spatial grain of niche measurement is usually uninformed by ecological processes and varies by orders of magnitude. We illustrate the consequences of this variation for the volume, position, and shape of niche estimates, and discuss how it interacts with geographic range size, habitat specialization, and environmental heterogeneity. Spatial grain significantly affects the study of niche breadth, environmental suitability, niche evolution, niche tracking, and climate change effects. These and other fields will benefit from a more mechanism-informed choice of spatial grain and cross-grain evaluations that integrate different data sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muyang Lu
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Walter Jetz
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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Gábor L, Jetz W, Lu M, Rocchini D, Cord A, Malavasi M, Zarzo‐Arias A, Barták V, Moudrý V. Positional errors in species distribution modelling are not overcome by the coarser grains of analysis. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lukáš Gábor
- Department of Spatial Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Praha – Suchdol Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
| | - Muyang Lu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
| | - Duccio Rocchini
- Department of Spatial Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Praha – Suchdol Czech Republic
- BIOME Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna Bologna Italy
| | - Anna Cord
- Institute of Geography Technische Universität Dresden Dresden Germany
| | - Marco Malavasi
- Department of Spatial Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Praha – Suchdol Czech Republic
| | - Alejandra Zarzo‐Arias
- Department of Spatial Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Praha – Suchdol Czech Republic
- Universidad de Oviedo Oviedo Asturias Spain
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN‐CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | - Vojtěch Barták
- Department of Spatial Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Praha – Suchdol Czech Republic
| | - Vítězslav Moudrý
- Department of Spatial Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Praha – Suchdol Czech Republic
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Hořák D, Rivas-Salvador J, Farkač J, Reif J. Traits and ecological space availability predict avian densities at the country scale of the Czech Republic. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9119. [PMID: 35866025 PMCID: PMC9289119 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Species' geographical distributions and abundances are a central focus of current ecological research. Although multiple studies have been conducted on their elucidation, some important information is still missing. One of them is the knowledge of ecological traits of species responsible for the population density variations across geographical (i.e., total physical area) and ecological spaces (i.e., suitable habitat area). This is crucial for understanding how ecological specialization shapes the geographical distribution of species, and provides key knowledge about the sensitivity of species to current environmental challenges. Here, we precisely describe habitat availability for individual species using fine-scale field data collected across the entire Czech Republic. In the next step, we used this information to test the relationships between bird traits and country-scale estimates of population densities assessed in both geographical and ecological spaces. We did not find any effect of habitat specialization on avian density in geographical space. But when we recalculated densities for ecological space available, we found a positive correlation with habitat specialization. Specialists occur at higher densities in suitable habitats. Moreover, birds with arboreal and hole-nesting strategies showed higher densities in both geographical and ecological spaces. However, we found no significant effects of morphological (body mass and structural body size) and reproductive (position along the slow-fast life-history continuum) traits on avian densities in either geographical or ecological space. Our findings suggest that ecological space availability is a strong determinant of avian abundance and highlight the importance of precise knowledge of species-specific habitat requirements. Revival of this classical but challenging ecological topic of habitat-specific densities is needed for both proper understanding of pure ecological issues and practical steps in the conservation of nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hořák
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
| | - Javier Rivas-Salvador
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
| | - Jan Farkač
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Reif
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science Palacký University Olomouc Czech Republic.,Czech Society for Ornithology Prague Czech Republic
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Saniee K, Villablanca F. Hierarchy and Scale Influence the Western Monarch Butterfly Overwintering Microclimate. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.844299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Migratory species are expected to demonstrate habitat selection that occurs at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Western monarch butterflies migrate seasonally to overwintering groves at geographically predictable locations along the coast of California. To date, overwintering habitat selection by western monarch butterflies has primarily been studied assuming the microclimate hypothesis. Specifically, that microclimate habitat selection occurs when monarchs form dense overwintering aggregations in overwintering groves. However, western monarch butterflies are migratory; thus, previous habitat selection studies could have commingled selection at different scales into a single local scale in the site of aggregation. Therefore, we explore monarch overwintering habitat selection to determine whether an explicit spatial framework is necessary. We studied nine groves on the coast of California, and at each we collected temperature, humidity, and light data from grove edges, grove interiors, and aggregation locations for several weeks during the overwintering season. We tested the hypothesis that monarchs aggregate in locations in groves that have a unique microclimate that is consistently selected across groves (the microclimate hypothesis). We find no evidence supporting the hypothesis that aggregation locations have a unique microclimate that differs significantly from that of other locations inside the grove or that aggregation locations are uniform in their microclimatic attributes across overwintering groves. Rather, we find that microclimatic attributes in aggregation locations vary spatially with latitude, and that aggregation conditions exist in a large portion of each grove. We conclude that it will be necessary to consider spatial effects when studying or managing western monarch butterfly overwintering habitats, and that interpretations of habitat selection to date likely commingle habitat selection on the local and geographical scales.
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Costa-Pereira R, Moll RJ, Jesmer BR, Jetz W. Animal tracking moves community ecology: Opportunities and challenges. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1334-1344. [PMID: 35388473 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
1. Individual decisions regarding how, why, and when organisms interact with one another and with their environment scale up to shape patterns and processes in communities. Recent evidence has firmly established the prevalence of intraspecific variation in nature and its relevance in community ecology, yet challenges associated with collecting data on large numbers of individual conspecifics and heterospecifics has hampered integration of individual variation into community ecology. 2. Nevertheless, recent technological and statistical advances in GPS-tracking, remote sensing, and behavioral ecology offer a toolbox for integrating intraspecific variation into community processes. More than simply describing where organisms go, movement data provide unique information about interactions and environmental associations from which a true individual-to-community framework can be built. 3. By linking the movement paths of both conspecifics and heterospecifics with environmental data, ecologists can now simultaneously quantify intra- and interspecific variation regarding the Eltonian (biotic interactions) and Grinnellian (environmental conditions) factors underpinning community assemblage and dynamics, yet substantial logistical and analytical challenges must be addressed for these approaches to realize their full potential. 4. Across communities, empirical integration of Eltonian and Grinnellian factors can support conservation applications and reveal metacommunity dynamics via tracking-based dispersal data. As the logistical and analytical challenges associated with multi-species tracking are surmounted, we envision a future where individual movements and their ecological and environmental signatures will bring resolution to many enduring issues in community ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul Costa-Pereira
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil
| | - Remington J Moll
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, 56 College Road, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Brett R Jesmer
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06520, USA.,Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06520, USA.,Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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Murphy SJ, Smith AB. What can community ecologists learn from species distribution models? Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J. Murphy
- Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development Missouri Botanical Garden 4344 Shaw Boulevard Saint Louis Missouri 63110 USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University 318 West 12th Avenue Columbus Ohio 43201 USA
| | - Adam B. Smith
- Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development Missouri Botanical Garden 4344 Shaw Boulevard Saint Louis Missouri 63110 USA
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Åkerblom M, Kaitaniemi P. Terrestrial laser scanning: a new standard of forest measuring and modelling? ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 128:653-662. [PMID: 34487143 PMCID: PMC8557362 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Laser scanning technology has opened new horizons for the research of forest dynamics, because it provides a largely automated and non-destructive method to rapidly capture the structure of individual trees and entire forest stands at multiple spatial scales. The structural data themselves or in combination with additional remotely sensed data also provide information on the local physiological state of structures within trees. The capacity of new methods is facilitated by the ongoing development of automated processing tools that are designed to capture information from the point cloud data provided by the remote measurements. SCOPE Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), performed from the ground or from unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular, has potential to become a unifying measurement standard for forest research questions, because the equipment is flexible to use in the field and has the capacity to capture branch-level structural information at the forestplot or even forest scale. This issue of Annals of Botany includes selected papers that exemplify the current and potential uses of TLS, such as for examination of crown interactions between trees, growth dynamics of mixed stands, non-destructive characterization of urban trees, and enhancement of ecological and evolutionary models. The papers also present current challenges in the applicability of TLS methods and report recent developments in methods facilitating the use of TLS data for research purposes, including automatic processing chains and quantifying branch and above-ground biomass. In this article, we provide an overview of the current and anticipated future capacity of TLS and related methods in solving questions that utilize measurements and models of forests. CONCLUSIONS Due to its measurement speed, TLS provides a method to effortlessly capture large amounts of detailed structural forest information, and consequent proxy data for tree and forest processes, at a far wider spatial scale than is feasible with manual measurements. Issues with measurement precision and occlusion of laser beams before they reach their target structures continue to reduce the accuracy of TLS data, but the limitations are counterweighted by the measurement speed that enables large sample sizes. The currently high time-cost of analysing TLS data, in turn, is likely to decrease through progress in automated processing methods. The developments point towards TLS becoming a new and widely accessible standard tool in forest measurement and modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markku Åkerblom
- Unit of Computing Sciences, Tampere University, FI-33014 Tampere University, Finland
| | - Pekka Kaitaniemi
- Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Hyytiäläntie 124, FI-35500 Korkeakoski, Finland
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Ellis-Soto D, Ferraro KM, Rizzuto M, Briggs E, Monk JD, Schmitz OJ. A methodological roadmap to quantify animal-vectored spatial ecosystem subsidies. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1605-1622. [PMID: 34014558 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Energy, nutrients and organisms move over landscapes, connecting ecosystems across space and time. Meta-ecosystem theory investigates the emerging properties of local ecosystems coupled spatially by these movements of organisms and matter, by explicitly tracking exchanges of multiple substances across ecosystem borders. To date, meta-ecosystem research has focused mostly on abiotic flows-neglecting biotic nutrient flows. However, recent work has indicated animals act as spatial nutrient vectors when they transport nutrients across landscapes in the form of excreta, egesta and their own bodies. Partly due to its high level of abstraction, there are few empirical tests of meta-ecosystem theory. Furthermore, while animals may be viewed as important mediators of ecosystem functions, better integration of tools is needed to develop predictive insights of their relative roles and impacts on diverse ecosystems. We present a methodological roadmap that explains how to do such integration by discussing how to combine insights from movement, foraging and ecosystem ecology to develop a coherent understanding of animal-vectored nutrient transport on meta-ecosystems processes. We discuss how the slate of newly developed technologies and methods-tracking devices, mechanistic movement models, diet reconstruction techniques and remote sensing-that when integrated have the potential to advance the quantification of animal-vectored nutrient flows and increase the predictive power of meta-ecosystem theory. We demonstrate that by integrating novel and established tools of animal ecology, ecosystem ecology and remote sensing, we can begin to identify and quantify animal-mediated nutrient translocation by large animals. We also provide conceptual examples that show how our proposed integration of methodologies can help investigate ecosystem impacts of large animal movement. We conclude by describing practical advancements to understanding cross-ecosystem contributions of animals on the move. Understanding the mechanisms by which animals shape ecosystem dynamics is important for ongoing conservation, rewilding and restoration initiatives around the world, and for developing more accurate models of ecosystem nutrient budgets. Our roadmap will enable ecologists to better qualify and quantify animal-mediated nutrient translocation for animals on the move.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Ellis-Soto
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Matteo Rizzuto
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Emily Briggs
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Julia D Monk
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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Rochat E, Vuilleumier S, Aeby S, Greub G, Joost S. Nested Species Distribution Models of Chlamydiales in Ixodes ricinus (Tick) Hosts in Switzerland. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 87:e01237-20. [PMID: 33067199 PMCID: PMC7755253 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01237-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The tick Ixodes ricinus is the vector of various pathogens, including Chlamydiales bacteria, which potentially cause respiratory infections. In this study, we modeled the spatial distribution of I. ricinus and associated Chlamydiales over Switzerland from 2009 to 2019. We used a total of 2,293 ticks and 186 Chlamydiales occurrences provided by a Swiss Army field campaign, a collaborative smartphone application, and a prospective campaign. For each tick location, we retrieved from Swiss federal data sets the environmental factors reflecting the topography, climate, and land cover. We then used the Maxent modeling technique to estimate the suitability of particular areas for I. ricinus and to subsequently build the nested niche of Chlamydiales bacteria. Results indicate that I. ricinus habitat suitability is determined by higher temperature and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values, lower temperature during the driest months, and a higher percentage of artificial and forest areas. The performance of the model was improved when extracting the environmental variables for a 100-m radius buffer around the sampling points and when considering the climatic conditions of the 2 years previous to the sampling date. Chlamydiales bacteria were favored by a lower percentage of artificial surfaces, drier conditions, high precipitation during the coldest months, and short distances to wetlands. From 2009 to 2018, we observed an extension of areas suitable to ticks and Chlamydiales, associated with a shift toward higher altitude. The importance of considering spatiotemporal variations in the environmental conditions for obtaining better prediction was also demonstrated.IMPORTANCEIxodes ricinus is the vector of pathogens including the agent of Lyme disease, the tick-borne encephalitis virus, and the less well-known Chlamydiales bacteria, which are responsible for certain respiratory infections. In this study, we identified the environmental factors influencing the presence of I. ricinus and Chlamydiales in Switzerland and generated maps of their distribution from 2009 to 2018. We found an important expansion of suitable areas for both the tick and the bacteria during the last decade. Results also provided the environmental factors that determine the presence of Chlamydiales within ticks. Distribution maps as generated here are expected to bring valuable information for decision makers in controlling tick-borne diseases in Switzerland and establishing prevention campaigns. The methodological framework presented could be used to predict the distribution and spread of other host-pathogen pairs to identify environmental factors driving their distribution and to develop control or prevention strategies accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Rochat
- Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems (LASIG), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Séverine Vuilleumier
- La Source School of Nursing, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sébastien Aeby
- Centre for Research on Intracellular Bacteria, Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Centre and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gilbert Greub
- Centre for Research on Intracellular Bacteria, Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Centre and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stéphane Joost
- Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems (LASIG), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- La Source School of Nursing, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Group of Geographic Information Research and Analysis in Population Health (GIRAPH), Switzerland
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