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Bai H, Strong C, LaMontagne JM, Widick IV, Zuckerberg B. A North American climate-masting-irruption teleconnection and its change under future climate. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174473. [PMID: 39002596 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Atmospheric variability can impact biological populations by triggering facultative migrations, but the stability of these atmosphere-biosphere connections may be vulnerable to climate change. As an example, we consider the leading mode of continental-scale facultative migration of Pine Siskins, where the associated ecological mechanism is changes in resource availability, with a mechanistic pathway of climate conditions affecting mast seeding patterns in trees which in turn drive bird migration. The three summers prior to pine siskin irruption feature an alternating west-east mast-seeding dipole in conifer trees with opposite anomalies over western and eastern North America. The climate driver of this west-east mast-seeding dipole, referred to as the North American Dipole, occurs during summer in the historical record, but shifts to spring in response to future climate warming during this century in a majority of global climate models. Identification of future changes in the timing of the climate driver of boreal forest mast seeding have broadly important implications for the dynamics of forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Husile Bai
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Courtenay Strong
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | | | - Ivy V Widick
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Benjamin Zuckerberg
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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2
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Zhang H, Niu H, Steele MA, Peng L, He H, Li A, Yi X, Li H, Zhang Z. Masting promotes transformation from predation to mutualism in an oak-weevil-rodent system. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:1514-1524. [PMID: 38558376 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-023-2517-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The significance of ecological non-monotonicity (a function whose first derivative changes signs) in shaping the structure and functions of the ecosystem has recently been recognized, but such studies involving high-order interactions are rare. Here, we have proposed a three-trophic conceptual diagram on interactions among trees, rodents, and insects in mast and non-mast years and tested the hypothesis that oak (Quercus wutaishanica) masting could result in increased mutualism and less predation in an oak-weevil-rodent system in a warm temperate forest of China. Our 14-year dataset revealed that mast years coincided with a relatively low rodent abundance but a high weevil abundance. Masting not only benefited seedling recruitment of oaks through increased dispersal by rodents but also a decrease in predation by rodents and weevils, as well as an increase in the overwintering survival of rodents. Masting appeared to have increased weevil survival by reducing predation of infested acorns by rodents. These results suggest that masting benefits all participants in the plant-insect-rodent system by increasing mutualism and reducing predation behavior (i.e., a non-monotonic function). Our study highlights the significance of masting in maintaining the diversity and function of the forest ecosystem by facilitating the transformation from predation to mutualism among trophic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmao Zhang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China.
| | - Hongyu Niu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, 18766, USA
| | - Liqing Peng
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Huimin He
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Aoqiang Li
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Xianfeng Yi
- School of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, China
| | - Hongjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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3
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Cannon JB, Rutledge BT, Puhlick JJ, Willis JL, Brockway DG. Tropical cyclone winds and precipitation stimulate cone production in the masting species longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:289-301. [PMID: 38009313 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Many trees exhibit masting - where reproduction is temporally variable and synchronous over large areas. Several dominant masting species occur in tropical cyclone (TC)-prone regions, but it is unknown whether TCs correlate with mast seeding. We analyzed long-term data (1958-2022) to test the hypothesis that TCs influence cone production in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). We integrate field observations, weather data, satellite imagery, and hurricane models to test whether TCs influence cone production via: increased precipitation; canopy density reduction; and/or mechanical stress from wind. Cone production was 31% higher 1 yr after hurricanes and 71% higher after 2 yr, before returning to baseline levels. Cyclone-associated precipitation was correlated with increased cone production in wet years and cone production increased after low-intensity winds (≤ 25 m s-1 ) but not with high-intensity winds (> 25 m s-1 ). Tropical cyclones may stimulate cone production via precipitation addition, but high-intensity winds may offset any gains. Our study is the first to support the direct influence of TCs on reproduction, suggesting a previously unknown environmental correlate of masting, which may occur in hurricane-prone forests world-wide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - John L Willis
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Dale G Brockway
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
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4
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Maag N, Korner-Nievergelt F, Szymkowiak J, Hałas N, Maziarz M, Neubauer G, Luepold SB, Carlotti S, Schaub M, Flade M, Scherrer D, Grendelmeier A, Riess M, Stelbrink P, Pasinelli G. Wood warbler population dynamics in response to mast seeding regimes in Europe. Ecology 2024; 105:e4227. [PMID: 38038276 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Mast seeding is the episodic, massive production of plant seeds synchronized over large areas. The resulting superabundance of seeds represents a resource pulse that can profoundly affect animal populations across trophic levels. Following years of high seed production, the abundance of both seed consumers and their predators increase. Higher predator abundance leads to increased predation pressure across the trophic web, impacting nonseed consumers such as the wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix through increased nest predation after tree mast years. Over the past 30 years, the frequency of tree seed masts has increased, while wood warbler populations have declined in several regions of Europe. We hypothesized that increasing mast frequencies may have contributed to the observed population declines by creating suboptimal breeding conditions in years after masting. We measured reproductive output in four study areas in central Europe, which was between 0.61 and 1.24 fledglings lower in the years following masting than nonmasting. For each study area, we used matrix population models to predict population trends based on the estimated reproductive output and the local mast frequencies. We then compared the predicted with the observed population trends to assess if the frequency of mast years had contributed to the population dynamics. In Wielkopolska National Park (PL) and Hessen (DE), masting occurred on average only every 4 years and populations were stable or nearly so, whereas in Jura (CH) and Białowieża National Park (PL), masting occurred every 2 and 2.5 years, respectively, and populations were declining. The simple matrix population models predicted the relative difference among local population trends over the past 10-20 years well, suggesting that the masting frequency may partly explain regional variation in population trends. Simulations suggest that further increases in mast frequency will lead to further declines in wood warbler populations. We show that changes in a natural process, such as mast seeding, may contribute to the decline in animal populations through cascading effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nino Maag
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | | | - Jakub Szymkowiak
- Population Ecology Research Unit, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- Forest Biology Center, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Natalia Hałas
- Population Ecology Research Unit, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Marta Maziarz
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | | | | | | | - Martin Flade
- Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve, Angermünde, Germany
| | - Daniel Scherrer
- Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Michael Riess
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Pablo Stelbrink
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Gilberto Pasinelli
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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5
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Fleurot E, Lobry JR, Boulanger V, Debias F, Mermet-Bouvier C, Caignard T, Delzon S, Bel-Venner MC, Venner S. Oak masting drivers vary between populations depending on their climatic environments. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1117-1124.e4. [PMID: 36764300 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Large interannual variation in seed production, called masting, is very common in wind-pollinated tree populations and has profound implications for the dynamics of forest ecosystems and the epidemiology of certain human diseases.1,2,3,4,5 Comparing the reproductive characteristics of populations established in climatically contrasting environments would provide powerful insight into masting mechanisms, but the required data are extremely scarce. We built a database from an unprecedented fine-scale 8-year survey of 150 sessile oak trees (Quercus petraea) from 15 populations distributed over a broad climatic gradient, including individual recordings of annual flowering effort, fruiting rate, and fruit production. Although oak masting was previously considered to depend mainly on fruiting rate variations,6,7 we show that the female flowering effort is highly variable from year to year and explains most of the fruiting dynamics in two-thirds of the populations. What drives masting was found to differ among populations living under various climates. In soft-climate populations, the fruiting rate increases initially strongly with the flowering effort, and the intensity of masting results mainly from the flowering synchrony level between individuals. By contrast, the fruiting rate of harsh-climate populations depends mainly on spring weather, which ensures intense masting regardless of the flowering synchronization level. Our work highlights the need for jointly measuring flowering effort and fruit production to decipher the diversity of masting mechanisms among populations. Accounting for such diversity will be decisive in proposing accurate, and possibly contrasted, scenarios about future reproductive patterns of perennial plants with ongoing climate change and their numerous cascading effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Fleurot
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean R Lobry
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Vincent Boulanger
- Département Recherche, Développement et Innovation, Office National des Forêts, 77300 Fontainebleau, France
| | - François Debias
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Camille Mermet-Bouvier
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Thomas Caignard
- UMR 1202, BIOGECO, Université de Bordeaux, 33615 Pessac, France
| | - Sylvain Delzon
- UMR 1202, BIOGECO, Université de Bordeaux, 33615 Pessac, France
| | - Marie-Claude Bel-Venner
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Samuel Venner
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
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6
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Sakata Y, Kobayashi K, Makita A. Multi-trophic consequences of mass flowering in two bamboos (Poales: Poaceae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blac121] [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]
Abstract
Abstract
Mass flowering (masting) has been hypothesized to be an adaptive strategy to satiate florivores/granivores. However, few studies have corroborated this by examining seed predation in multiple flowering patches of varying sizes across a wide geographical range over multiple years. Moreover, the trophic consequences of masting for the parasitoids of florivores/granivores and their feedback effects are poorly understood. Here, we used the nationwide masting of two bamboo species, Sasamorpha borealis var. borealis and Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis, in Japan and compared florivory and seed sets in multiple flowering patches during the masting year and the following sporadic flowering years. We found lower florivory damage in both bamboo species and higher seed set for Sasamorpha borealis var. borealis in patches with massive and spatiotemporally isolated flowering. Additionally, the relative level of parasitism of florivores increased considerably in the sporadic flowering year, particularly in large flowering patches of Sasamorpha borealis var. borealis. Our results indicate the importance of spatiotemporal isolation during masting for satiating two dipteran florivores and suggest that parasitoids might rapidly suppress the extent of florivory in the sporadic flowering years after masting. Collectively, our study highlights the importance of considering multi-trophic consequences in understanding the adaptive significance of masting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzu Sakata
- Department of Biological Environment, Faculty of Bioresource Sciences, Akita Prefectural University , Shimoshinjyo-Nakano, Akita 010 - 0915 , Japan
| | - Keito Kobayashi
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University , Kyoto 606-8502 , Japan
- Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute , Kyoto 612 - 0855 , Japan
| | - Akifumi Makita
- Department of Biological Environment, Faculty of Bioresource Sciences, Akita Prefectural University , Shimoshinjyo-Nakano, Akita 010 - 0915 , Japan
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7
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Food availability alters community co-occurrence patterns at fine spatiotemporal scales in a tropical masting system. Oecologia 2022; 200:169-181. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05252-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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8
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Carpenter JK, Monks A, Innes J, Griffiths J. Pushing the limits: ship rat (Rattus rattus) population dynamics across an elevational gradient in response to mast seeding and supplementary feeding. Biol Invasions 2022; 24:3065-3081. [PMID: 35694204 PMCID: PMC9166931 DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02829-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding marginal habitat use by invasive species is important for predicting how distributions may change under future climates. We investigated the influence of food availability and temperature on ship rat (Rattus rattus) distribution and density across a forested elevational gradient in New Zealand by measuring ship rat demographics following a beech (Nothofagaceae) mass seeding event (‘mast’) at three elevation bands (20–80, 400–500, 800–900 m asl). We tested whether declining food availability limits rat populations at the highest elevation band post-mast by experimentally increasing food abundance above baseline food availability. When our study started 4 months post-seedfall, rats at mid- and low- elevations were at high densities (11.4–16.5 ha−1). Rats at higher elevations were barely detectable, but densities peaked (9.4 ha−1) 10 months post-seedfall, with the initial increase possibly driven by immigration from lower elevations. All populations declined sharply over the next year. Supplementary feeding at high elevation increased survival, recruitment, and density of rats through winter, 16 months post-seedfall, relative to unfed grids, suggesting food limitation. However, both fed and non-fed populations declined to zero by the following spring, perhaps due to stoat (Mustela erminea) predation. Our results suggest that low food availability plays a significant role in restricting rats from cool, high elevation environments. The variation in the timing and magnitude of ship rat responses to the pulsed resource across the gradient also highlights the importance of initial population size and spatial processes as factors modulating ship rat responses to pulsed resources across a landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adrian Monks
- Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Private Bag 1930, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - John Innes
- Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - James Griffiths
- Department of Conservation, 18-32 Manners Street, PO Box 10-420, Wellington, New Zealand
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9
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Invasive species and thermal squeeze: distribution of two invasive predators and drivers of ship rat (Rattus rattus) invasion in mid-elevation Fuscospora forest. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02789-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
AbstractGlobal climate change could alter the range, abundance, and interactions of species, potentially favouring invasive species and harming endemics. Ship rats (Rattus rattus) are one of the world's worst invasive predators but are typically absent from Aotearoa New Zealand's native Fuscospora cliffortioides (mountain beech) forest above 1000 m. Stoats (Mustela erminea) are another damaging invasive predator in Aotearoa New Zealand and prey on ship rats. We analyse community trapping records 2007–2020 to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of ship rats and their key predator stoats at Craigieburn Forest Park. We document an invasion of ship rats after 2010 at Craigieburn and hypothesised two drivers of the increase in rat abundance: (1) more frequent mountain beech high-seed years providing more food for rats; and (2) warming winter temperatures allowing rats to invade areas that were previously too cold. We were unable to test a third possible driver (stoat trapping resulting in top-down meso-predator release) due to the nature of the data available. Rats were more common at low altitudes near streams, and stoats were more common at higher-altitudes on forest edges. Average winter temperature, but not seedfall, increased significantly at Craigieburn mid-elevations since 1972. The best predictor of annual rat catch was higher average winter temperatures interacting with high seedfall. This shows a key interaction between two global change drivers: warming temperatures have allowed exotic ship rats to expand into areas where they were previously absent, increasing the resultant "thermal squeeze" of predation on sensitive endemic birds at higher-altitude sites.
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10
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LaMontagne JM, Redmond MD, Wion AP, Greene DF. An assessment of temporal variability in mast seeding of North American Pinaceae. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200373. [PMID: 34657469 PMCID: PMC8520784 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Our overall objective is to synthesize mast-seeding data on North American Pinaceae to detect characteristic features of reproduction (i.e. development cycle length, serotiny, dispersal agents), and test for patterns in temporal variation based on weather variables. We use a large dataset (n = 286 time series; mean length = 18.9 years) on crop sizes in four conifer genera (Abies, Picea, Pinus, Tsuga) collected between 1960 and 2014. Temporal variability in mast seeding (CVp) for 2 year genera (Abies, Picea, Tsuga) was higher than for Pinus (3 year), and serotinous species had lower CVp than non-serotinous species; there were no relationships of CVp with elevation or latitude. There was no difference in family-wide CVp across four tree regions of North America. Across all genera, July temperature differences between bud initiation and the prior year (ΔT) was more strongly associated with reproduction than absolute temperature. Both CVp and ΔT remained steady over time, while absolute temperature increased by 0.09°C per decade. Our use of the ΔT model included a modification for Pinus, which initiates cone primordia 2 years before seedfall, as opposed to 1 year. These findings have implications for how mast-seeding patterns may change with future increases in temperature, and the adaptive benefits of mast seeding. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jalene M. LaMontagne
- Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University, 2325 N. Clifton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, USA
| | - Miranda D. Redmond
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Andreas P. Wion
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - David F. Greene
- Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, USA
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11
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Abstract
Mast seeding is a widespread reproductive phenomenon in plants, and testing evolutionary drivers is challenging. New research uses four decades of individual-tree reproduction data and demonstrates selection for hypersensitivity to a weather cue, high temporal variability, and high synchrony with neighbours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jalene M LaMontagne
- Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University, 2325 N. Clifton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60660, USA.
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12
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Samarth, Lee R, Kelly D, Turnbull MH, Macknight RC, Poole AM, Jameson PE. Molecular control of the floral transition in the mast seeding plant Celmisia lyallii (Asteraceae). Mol Ecol 2021; 30:1846-1863. [PMID: 33624370 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Mast flowering (or masting) is synchronous, highly variable flowering among years in populations of perennial plants. Despite having widespread consequences for seed consumers, endangered fauna and human health, masting is hard to predict. While observational studies show links to various weather patterns in different plant species, the mechanism(s) underpinning the regulation of masting is still not fully explained. We studied floral induction in Celmisia lyallii (Asteraceae), a mast flowering herbaceous alpine perennial, comparing gene expression in flowering and nonflowering plants. We performed translocation experiments to induce the floral transition in C. lyallii plants followed by both global and targeted expression analysis of flowering-pathway genes. Differential expression analysis showed elevated expression of ClSOC1 and ClmiR172 (promoters of flowering) in leaves of plants that subsequently flowered, in contrast to elevated expression of ClAFT and ClTOE1 (repressors of flowering) in leaves of plants that did not flower. The warm summer conditions that promoted flowering led to differential regulation of age and hormonal pathway genes, including ClmiR172 and ClGA20ox2, known to repress the expression of floral repressors and permit flowering. Upregulated expression of epigenetic modifiers of floral promoters also suggests that plants may maintain a novel "summer memory" across years to induce flowering. These results provide a basic mechanistic understanding of floral induction in masting plants and evidence of their ability to imprint various environmental cues to synchronize flowering, allowing us to better predict masting events under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samarth
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Robyn Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Dave Kelly
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Matthew H Turnbull
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | | | - Anthony M Poole
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.,Bioinformatics Institute, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Paula E Jameson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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13
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LaMontagne JM, Pearse IS, Greene DF, Koenig WD. Mast seeding patterns are asynchronous at a continental scale. NATURE PLANTS 2020; 6:460-465. [PMID: 32341539 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-0647-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Resource pulses are rare events with a short duration and high magnitude that drive the dynamics of both plant and animal populations and communities1. Mast seeding is perhaps the most common type of resource pulse that occurs in terrestrial ecosystems2, is characterized by the synchronous and highly variable production of seed crops by a population of perennial plants3,4, is widespread both taxonomically and geographically5, and is often associated with nutrient scarcity6. The rare production of abundant seed crops (mast events) that are orders of magnitude greater than crops during low seed years leads to high reproductive success in seed consumers and has cascading impacts in ecosystems2,7. Although it has been suggested that mast seeding is potentially synchronized at continental scales8, studies are largely constrained to local areas covering tens to hundreds of kilometres. Furthermore, summer temperature, which acts as a cue for mast seeding9, shows patterns at continental scales manifested as a juxtaposition of positive and negative anomalies that have been linked to irruptive movements of boreal seed-eating birds10,11. Here, we show a breakdown in synchrony of mast seeding patterns across space, leading to asynchrony at the continental scale. In an analysis of synchrony for a transcontinental North America tree species spanning distances of greater than 5,200 km, we found that mast seeding patterns were significantly asynchronous at distances of greater than 2,000 km apart (all P < 0.05). Other studies have shown declines in synchrony across distance, but not asynchrony. Spatiotemporal variation in summer temperatures at the continental scale drives patterns of synchrony in mast seeding, and we anticipate that this affects the spatial dynamics of numerous seed-eating communities, from insects to small mammals to the large-scale migration patterns of boreal seed-eating birds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ian S Pearse
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, IL, USA
- Fort Collins Science Center, US Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - David F Greene
- Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, USA
| | - Walter D Koenig
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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14
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Modelling tick bite risk by combining random forests and count data regression models. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216511. [PMID: 31821325 PMCID: PMC6903726 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The socio-economic and demographic changes that occurred over the past 50 years have dramatically expanded urban areas around the globe, thus bringing urban settlers in closer contact with nature. Ticks have trespassed the limits of forests and grasslands to start inhabiting green spaces within metropolitan areas. Hence, the transmission of pathogens causing tick-borne diseases is an important threat to public health. Using volunteered tick bite reports collected by two Dutch initiatives, here we present a method to model tick bite risk using human exposure and tick hazard predictors. Our method represents a step forward in risk modelling, since we combine a well-known ensemble learning method, Random Forest, with four count data models of the (zero-inflated) Poisson family. This combination allows us to better model the disproportions inherent in the volunteered tick bite reports. Unlike canonical machine learning models, our method can capture the overdispersion or zero-inflation inherent in data, thus yielding tick bite risk predictions that resemble the original signal captured by volunteers. Mapping model predictions enables a visual inspection of the spatial patterns of tick bite risk in the Netherlands. The Veluwe national park and the Utrechtse Heuvelrug forest, which are large forest-urban interfaces with several cities, are areas with high tick bite risk. This is expected, since these are popular places for recreation and tick activity is high in forests. However, our model can also predict high risk in less-intensively visited recreational areas, such as the patchy forests in the northeast of the country, the natural areas along the coastline, or some of the Frisian Islands. Our model could help public health specialists to design mitigation strategies for tick-borne diseases, and to target risky areas with awareness and prevention campaigns.
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Naoe S, Tayasu I, Sakai Y, Masaki T, Kobayashi K, Nakajima A, Sato Y, Yamazaki K, Kiyokawa H, Koike S. Downhill seed dispersal by temperate mammals: a potential threat to plant escape from global warming. Sci Rep 2019; 9:14932. [PMID: 31624326 PMCID: PMC6797773 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51376-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Vertical seed dispersal, i.e. seed dispersal towards a higher or lower altitude, is considered a critical process for plant escape from climate change. However, studies exploring vertical seed dispersal are scarce, and thus, its direction, frequency, and mechanisms are little known. In the temperate zone, evaluating vertical seed dispersal of animal-dispersed plants fruiting in autumn and/or winter is essential considering the dominance of such plants in temperate forests. We hypothesized that their seeds are dispersed towards lower altitudes because of the downhill movement of frugivorous animals following the autumn-to-winter phenology of their food plants which proceeds from the mountain tops to the foot in the temperate zone. We evaluated the vertical seed dispersal of the autumn-fruiting wild kiwi, Actinidia arguta, which is dispersed by temperate mammals. We collected dispersed seeds from mammal faeces in the Kanto Mountains of central Japan and estimated the distance of vertical seed dispersal using the oxygen isotope ratios of the dispersed seeds. We found the intensive downhill seed dispersal of wild kiwi by all seed dispersers, except the raccoon dog (bear: mean −393.1 m; marten: −245.3 m; macaque: −98.5 m; and raccoon dog: +4.5 m). Mammals with larger home ranges dispersed seeds longer towards the foot of the mountains. Furthermore, we found that seeds produced at higher altitudes were dispersed a greater distance towards the foot of the mountains. Altitudinal gradients in autumn-to-winter plant phenology and other mountain characteristics, i.e. larger surface areas and more attractive human crops at lower altitudes compared to higher altitudes, were considered drivers of downhill seed dispersal via animal movement. Strong downhill seed dispersal by mammals suggests that populations of autumn-to-winter fruiting plants dispersed by animals may not be able to sufficiently escape from current global warming in the temperate zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoji Naoe
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Matsunosato 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan. .,Tohoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 92-25 Nabeyashiki, Shimokuriyagawa, Morioka, Iwate, 020-0123, Japan.
| | - Ichiro Tayasu
- Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, 457-4 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8047, Japan.,Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Hirano 2-509-3, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2113, Japan
| | - Yoichiro Sakai
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Hirano 2-509-3, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2113, Japan.,Lake Biwa Environmental Research Institute, 5-34 Yanagasaki, Ohtsu, Shiga, 520-0022, Japan
| | - Takashi Masaki
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Matsunosato 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Kazuki Kobayashi
- College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-8510, Japan
| | - Akiko Nakajima
- College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-8510, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Sato
- College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-8510, Japan.,Rakuno Gakuen University, 582 Bunkyodai-Midorimachi, Ebetsu, Hokkaido, 069-8501, Japan
| | - Koji Yamazaki
- Ibaraki Nature Museum, 700 Ohsaki, Bando, Ibaraki, 306-0622, Japan.,Department of Forest Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan
| | - Hiroki Kiyokawa
- Laboratory of Biodiversity Science, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
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Bogdziewicz M, Szymkowiak J, Kasprzyk I, Grewling Ł, Borowski Z, Borycka K, Kantorowicz W, Myszkowska D, Piotrowicz K, Ziemianin M, Pesendorfer MB. Masting in wind-pollinated trees: system-specific roles of weather and pollination dynamics in driving seed production. Ecology 2017; 98:2615-2625. [PMID: 28722149 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Revised: 06/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Masting, the highly variable production of synchronized large seed crops, is a common reproductive strategy in plant populations. In wind-pollinated trees, flowering and pollination dynamics are hypothesized to provide the mechanistic link for the well-known relationship between weather and population-level seed production. Several hypotheses make predictions about the effect of weather on annual pollination success. The pollen coupling hypothesis predicts that weather and plant resources drive the flowering effort of trees, which directly translates into the size of seed crops through efficient pollination. In contrast, the pollination Moran effect hypothesis predicts that weather affects pollination efficiency, leading to occasional bumper crops. Furthermore, the recently formulated phenology synchrony hypothesis predicts that Moran effects can arise because of weather effects on flowering synchrony, which, in turn, drives pollination efficiency. We investigated the relationship between weather, airborne pollen, and seed production in common European trees, two oak species (Quercus petraea and Q. robur) and beech (Fagus sylvatica) with a 19-yr data set from three sites in Poland. Our results show that warm summers preceding flowering correlated with high pollen abundance and warm springs resulted in short pollen seasons (i.e., high flowering synchrony) for all three species. Pollen abundance was the best predictor for seed crops in beech, as predicted under pollen coupling. In oaks, short pollen seasons, rather than pollen abundance, correlated with large seed crops, providing support for the pollination Moran effect and phenology synchrony hypotheses. Fundamentally different mechanisms may therefore drive masting in species of the family Fagacae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, Poznań, 61-614, Poland.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, Catalonia, 08193, Spain
| | - Jakub Szymkowiak
- Population Ecology Lab, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, Poznań, 61-614, Poland
| | - Idalia Kasprzyk
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology and Agriculture, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 4, Rzeszów, 35-601, Poland
| | - Łukasz Grewling
- Laboratory of Aeropalynology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, Poznań, 61-614, Poland
| | - Zbigniew Borowski
- Department of Forest Ecology, Forest Research Institute, Braci Lesnej 3, Sękocin Stary, Raszyn, 05-090, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Borycka
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology and Agriculture, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 4, Rzeszów, 35-601, Poland
| | - Władysław Kantorowicz
- Department of Silviculture and Genetics of Forest Trees, Forest Research Institute, Braci Lesnej 3, Sękocin Stary, Raszyn, 05-090, Poland
| | - Dorota Myszkowska
- Department of Clinical and Environmental Allergology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Śniadeckich 10, Kraków, 31-531, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Piotrowicz
- Department of Climatology, Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Gronostajowa 7, Krakow, 30-387, Poland
| | - Monika Ziemianin
- Department of Clinical and Environmental Allergology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Śniadeckich 10, Kraków, 31-531, Poland
| | - Mario B Pesendorfer
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, New York, 14850, USA
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Main determinants of rodent population fluctuations in managed Central European temperate lowland forests. MAMMAL RES 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-017-0316-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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18
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Different population responses of three sympatric rodent species to acorn masting—the role of tannin tolerance. POPUL ECOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-017-0570-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Dept of Systematic Zoology; Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University; Umultowska 89 PL-61-614 Poznań Poland
- Dept of Biology; Tufts University; 163 Packard Ave Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Dept of Systematic Zoology; Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University; Umultowska 89 PL-61-614 Poznań Poland
| | - Elizabeth E. Crone
- Dept of Biology; Tufts University; 163 Packard Ave Medford MA 02155 USA
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University; Petersham MA 01366 USA
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Koenig WD, Knops JMH, Carmen WJ, Pearse IS. What drives masting? The phenological synchrony hypothesis. Ecology 2015; 96:184-92. [DOI: 10.1890/14-0819.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Walter D. Koenig
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 USA
| | - Johannes M. H. Knops
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, 348 Manter Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588 USA
| | | | - Ian S. Pearse
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 USA
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Lichti NI, Steele MA, Zhang H, Swihart RK. Mast species composition alters seed fate in North American rodent-dispersed hardwoods. Ecology 2014; 95:1746-58. [PMID: 25163109 DOI: 10.1890/13-1657.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between plants and scatter-hoarding animals may shift from mutualism to predation as a function of the resources available to those animals. Because seed species differ in their nutrient content and defenses to predation, resource selection and cache management by scatter-hoarders, and thus seed fate, may also depend on the relative availability of different seed types. We tracked the fates of tagged Castanea dentata, Quercus alba, and Q. rubra seeds presented to rodents in pairwise combinations and found that C. dentata, which has moderate dormancy prior to germination, survived better in the presence of Q. alba (no dormancy) than with Q. rubra (longer dormancy). Decisions made by scatter-hoarders in response to the composition of available seed resources can alter the relationship between masting and seed dispersal effectiveness in individual tree species and may have influenced the evolution of asynchrony among species-specific masting patterns in temperate forests. In theory, preferential allocation of certain seed species to storage or consumption could also result in indirect apparent predation by one seed species on another.
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Canham CD, Ruscoe WA, Wright EF, Wilson DJ. Spatial and temporal variation in tree seed production and dispersal in a New Zealand temperate rainforest. Ecosphere 2014. [DOI: 10.1890/es13-00384.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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24
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Koenig WD, Knops JMH. Environmental correlates of acorn production by four species of Minnesota oaks. POPUL ECOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-013-0408-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Walter D. Koenig
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell University14850IthacaNYUSA
| | - Johannes M. H. Knops
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Nebraska348 Manter Hall68588LincolnNEUSA
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Tompkins DM, Byrom AE, Pech RP. Predicted responses of invasive mammal communities to climate-related changes in mast frequency in forest ecosystems. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2013; 23:1075-1085. [PMID: 23967576 DOI: 10.1890/12-0915.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Predicting the dynamics and impacts of multiple invasive species can be complex because ecological relationships, which occur among several trophic levels, are often incompletely understood. Further, the complexity of these trophic relationships exacerbates our inability to predict climate change effects on invaded ecosystems. We explore the hypothesis that interactions between two global change drivers, invasive vertebrates and climate change, will potentially make matters worse for native biodiversity. In New Zealand beech (Nothofagus spp.) forests, a highly irruptive invasive mammal community is driven by multi-annual resource pulses of beech seed (masting). Because mast frequency is predicted to increase with climate change, we use this as a model system to explore the extent to which such effects may influence invasive vertebrate communities, and the implications of such interactions for native biodiversity and its management. We build on an established model of trophic interactions in the system, combining it with a logistic probability mast function, the parameters of which were altered to simulate either contemporary conditions or conditions of more or less frequent masting. The model predicts that increased mast frequency will lead to populations of a top predator (the stoat) and a mesopredator (the ship rat) becoming less irruptive and being maintained at appreciably higher average abundances in this forest type. In addition, the ability of both current and in-development management approaches to suppress invasive mammals is predicted to be compromised. Because invasive mammals are key drivers of native fauna extinction in New Zealand, with the additional loss of associated functions such as pollination and seed dispersal, these predictions imply potentially serious adverse impacts of climate change for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem function. Our study also highlights the importance of long-term monitoring data for assessing and managing future impacts of global change drivers.
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26
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Reusken C, Heyman P. Factors driving hantavirus emergence in Europe. Curr Opin Virol 2013; 3:92-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2013.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Revised: 01/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Kelly D, Geldenhuis A, James A, Penelope Holland E, Plank MJ, Brockie RE, Cowan PE, Harper GA, Lee WG, Maitland MJ, Mark AF, Mills JA, Wilson PR, Byrom AE. Of mast and mean: differential-temperature cue makes mast seeding insensitive to climate change. Ecol Lett 2012; 16:90-8. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2012] [Revised: 08/15/2012] [Accepted: 09/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dave Kelly
- Biological Sciences; University of Canterbury; Private Bag 4800; Christchurch; 8140; New Zealand
| | - Andre Geldenhuis
- Biomathematics Research Centre; University of Canterbury; Private Bag 4800; Christchurch; 8140; New Zealand
| | - Alex James
- Biomathematics Research Centre; University of Canterbury; Private Bag 4800; Christchurch; 8140; New Zealand
| | | | - Michael J. Plank
- Biomathematics Research Centre; University of Canterbury; Private Bag 4800; Christchurch; 8140; New Zealand
| | | | | | - Grant A. Harper
- Department of Conservation; PO Box 55, St Arnaud; Nelson; 7053; New Zealand
| | | | - Matt J. Maitland
- Department of Conservation; PO Box 55, St Arnaud; Nelson; 7053; New Zealand
| | - Alan F. Mark
- Botany Department; University of Otago; Dunedin; 9054; New Zealand
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Garneau DE, Lawler ME, Rumpf AS, Weyburne ES, Cuppernull TM, Boe AG. Potential Effects of Beech Bark Disease on Small Mammals and Invertebrates in Northeastern US Forests. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2012. [DOI: 10.1656/045.019.0303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Fernández-Martínez M, Belmonte J, Maria Espelta J. Masting in oaks: Disentangling the effect of flowering phenology, airborne pollen load and drought. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2012.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Nopp-Mayr U, Kempter I, Muralt G, Gratzer G. Seed survival on experimental dishes in a central European old-growth mixed-species forest - effects of predator guilds, tree masting and small mammal population dynamics. OIKOS 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19099.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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32
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Dalgleish HJ, Swihart RK. American Chestnut Past and Future: Implications of Restoration for Resource Pulses and Consumer Populations of Eastern U.S. Forests. Restor Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-100x.2011.00795.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Managing an invasive predator pre-adapted to a pulsed resource: a model of stoat (Mustela erminea) irruptions in New Zealand beech forests. Biol Invasions 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-011-9993-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Masting in ponderosa pine: comparisons of pollen and seed over space and time. Oecologia 2010; 165:651-61. [PMID: 20706849 PMCID: PMC3038219 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1742-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2009] [Accepted: 07/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Many plant species exhibit variable and synchronized reproduction, or masting, but less is known of the spatial scale of synchrony, effects of climate, or differences between patterns of pollen and seed production. We monitored pollen and seed cone production for seven Pinus ponderosa populations (607 trees) separated by up to 28 km and 1,350 m in elevation in Boulder County, Colorado, USA for periods of 4–31 years for a mean per site of 8.7 years for pollen and 12.1 for seed cone production. We also analyzed climate data and a published dataset on 21 years of seed production for an eighth population (Manitou) 100 km away. Individual trees showed high inter-annual variation in reproduction. Synchrony was high within populations, but quickly became asynchronous among populations with a combination of increasing distance and elevational difference. Inter-annual variation in temperature and precipitation had differing influences on seed production for Boulder County and Manitou. We speculate that geographically variable effects of climate on reproduction arise from environmental heterogeneity and population genetic differentiation, which in turn result in localized synchrony. Although individual pines produce pollen and seed, only one-third of the covariation within trees was shared. As compared to seed cones, pollen had lower inter-annual variation at the level of the individual tree and was more synchronous. However, pollen and seed production were similar with respect to inter-annual variation at the population level, spatial scales of synchrony and associations with climate. Our results show that strong masting can occur at a localized scale, and that reproductive patterns can differ between pollen and seed cone production in a hermaphroditic plant.
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Watkins AF, McWhirter JL, King CM. Patchiness in distribution of rodents and mustelids in New Zealand forests. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2010. [DOI: 10.1071/wr09088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context. Relative density indices assuming uniform distribution of the target species are often the only cost-effective method for monitoring a population over the long term and at landscape scale, and the only source of valuable historical data. Yet, theoretical models emphasise the dangers of ignoring spatial heterogeneity, especially in short-term field data.
Aims. To test whether Brown’s index of patchiness (BIP) can offer a simple means of checking rodent and mustelid survey data for violations of the assumption of uniform distribution.
Methods. We use BIP to interrogate long-term legacy data collected by index trapping of mice (Mus musculus), rats (Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus) and stoats (Mustela erminea) in New Zealand forests.
Key results. We found evidence of moderately patchy distributions that were independent of abundance in all three species. In two South Island beech (Nothofagus) forest valleys, 19% (6 of 31) of mouse samples and 8% (3 of 36) of stoat samples were significantly patchy, correlated with a seedfall event; in mixed forest at Pureora in the North Island, significant patchiness in distribution of ship rats was recorded in 19% (16 of 84) of Fenn trap samples and 5% (2 of 42) of rodent trap samples.
Conclusions. Moderate patchiness is common. The consequences for any given study depend on the purpose of the work, but may be more important for practical management than for population modeling.
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Wilson DJ, Lee WG. Primary and secondary resource pulses in an alpine ecosystem: snow tussock grass (Chionochloa spp.) flowering and house mouse (Mus musculus) populations in New Zealand. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2010. [DOI: 10.1071/wr09118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context. Rodent populations in many parts of the world fluctuate in response to resource pulses generated by periodic high seed production (masting) by forest trees, with cascading effects on predation risk to other forest species. In New Zealand forests, populations of exotic house mice (Mus musculus) irrupt after periodic heavy beech (Nothofagus spp.) seedfall. However, in alpine grasslands, where snow tussock grasses (Chionochloa spp.) also flower and set seeds periodically, little is known about house mouse population dynamics.
Aims. Our primary objective was to test for an increase in alpine mouse density following a summer when snow tussocks flowered profusely. We also estimated mouse density in adjacent montane forest over 2 years, and assessed mouse diet, to predict their potential impacts on native species.
Methods. Flowering intensity of Chionochloa was assessed by counting flowering tillers on permanent transects (2003–06). Mouse density was estimated with capture–mark–recapture trapping in alpine (2003–07) and forest (2003–04) habitats. Mice were also collected and their stomach contents analysed. Flowering or fruiting of alpine shrubs and herbs, and beech seedfall at forest sites, were also measured.
Key results. Chionochloa flowered profusely in austral summer 2005/06. Between autumn (May) and spring (November) 2006, mean alpine mouse density increased from 4 ha–1 to 39 ha–1, then declined to 8 ha–1 by autumn (May 2007). No mice were captured in 768 trap-nights during the following spring (November 2007). Prior to the mouse irruption, mouse density was consistently higher at alpine (0.4–4.0 mice ha–1) than at montane forest (0.02–1.8 mice ha–1) sites (in 2003–04). Alpine mouse diet was dominated by arthropods before mast flowering, and by seeds during it.
Conclusions. The density and dynamics of alpine mice in relation to intensive snow-tussock flowering were similar to those in New Zealand beech forest in relation to beech masts.
Implications. We predict the timing and duration of periods of heightened predation risk to native alpine fauna, as the result of pulses in mouse density and likely associated pulses in the density of stoats (Mustela erminea), a key exotic predator.
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New logo and updated editorial board. POPUL ECOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-008-0129-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Noda T, Nakaoka M, Takada T. Spatial connectivity and scaling for populations and communities. POPUL ECOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-008-0128-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Synchrony of spatial populations: heterogeneous population dynamics and reddened environmental noise. POPUL ECOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-008-0121-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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41
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