1
|
Leal LC, Koski MH. Linking pollen limitation and seed dispersal effectiveness. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14347. [PMID: 38073068 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Seed production and dispersal are crucial ecological processes impacting plant demography, species distributions and community assembly. Plant-animal interactions commonly mediate both seed production and seed dispersal, but current research often examines pollination and seed dispersal separately, which hinders our understanding of how pollination services affect downstream dispersal services. To fill this gap, we propose a conceptual framework exploring how pollen limitation can impact the effectiveness of seed dispersal for endozoochorous and myrmecochorous plant species. We summarize the quantitative and qualitative effects of pollen limitation on plant reproduction and use Optimal Foraging Theory to predict its impact on the foraging behaviour of seed dispersers. In doing so, we offer a new framework that poses numerous hypotheses and empirical tests to investigate links between pollen limitation and seed dispersal effectiveness and, consequently, post-dispersal ecological processes occurring at different levels of biological organization. Finally, considering the importance of pollination and seed dispersal outcomes to plant eco-evolutionary dynamics, we discussed the implications of our framework for future studies exploring the demographic and evolutionary impacts of pollen limitation for animal-dispersed plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura C Leal
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - Matthew H Koski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Savazza S, Bartolommei P, Gasperini S, Bonacchi A, Manzo E, Cozzolino R. Should I Stay or Should I Go? Seasonal Fluctuations of Wood Mouse Populations in Fields Surrounded by Woodlands. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2017. [PMID: 37370527 PMCID: PMC10295659 DOI: 10.3390/ani13122017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus is common in woodlands and open areas of the Western Palearctic. Despite extensive research, little is known about its population ecology in fields in the Mediterranean area, where the climate involves great seasonal changes in environmental features. Here, we investigated wood mice seasonal fluctuations in the number of captures and population structure by sampling long-fallow fields and woodlands, i.e., oak forest and conifer plantation, in a heterogeneous landscape of central Italy. Mice were live-trapped every two months for three years (23.814 trap-days). The number of captures, mice body weight, and proportion of adult, residents and breeding individuals were analyzed. Mice dynamics changed across seasons and habitats. In fields, we recorded more captures, more reproductive individuals, and fewer non-adults and resident individuals in the warmer months compared to the colder months; mice were heavier in warmer months. During the cold season, the captures and adult proportion in fields were lower than in resource-rich woodlands. Breeding and non-resident mice were more abundant in fields than in woodlands in warmer months. Overall, the seasonal demographic variations we recorded provide evidence that fields can represent a suboptimal habitat in Mediterranean heterogeneous landscapes, acting nonetheless as a source of food resources, cover, and mates for mice in spring-summer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paola Bartolommei
- Fondazione Ethoikos, Convento dell’Osservanza snc, Radicondoli, 53030 Siena, Italy
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
High Frequency of Apodemus Mice Boosts Inverse Activity Pattern of Bank Voles, Clethrionomys glareolus, through Non-Aggressive Intraguild Competition. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13060981. [PMID: 36978522 PMCID: PMC10044290 DOI: 10.3390/ani13060981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Sympatric animals with similar requirements can separate their ecological niches along the microhabitat, food and time axes. There may be alternative reasons for an interspecific different activity pattern, such as intraspecific social constraints, predator avoidance or physical conditions such as temperature, precipitation and illumination. We investigated the importance of intraguild competition in a 2-year study in an inner-alpine mixed forest, using small forest rodents as our model species. Apodemus mice were the physically superior, and bank voles, Clethrionomys glareolus, the inferior competitor. We predicted that bank voles would exhibit increased diurnal activity when frequencies of the almost exclusively nocturnal Apodemus mice were high during a seed mast year. To investigate this, we recorded 19,138 1 min videos. Controlling for confounding variables, bank vole diurnal activity was significantly related to the frequency of Apodemus mice. We assume that at high densities of Apodemus mice, a purely nocturnal separation in the niche dimensions of time, habitat and microhabitat is no longer sufficient, and therefore an inverse activity pattern by the bank voles is reinforced. Our videos showed, however, that this does not require persistent aggressive meetings and we explain this by the long co-evolution of the taxa under study.
Collapse
|
4
|
Viviano A, Scarfò M, Mori E. Temporal Partitioning between Forest-Dwelling Small Rodents in a Mediterranean Deciduous Woodland. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12030279. [PMID: 35158603 PMCID: PMC8833473 DOI: 10.3390/ani12030279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporal partitioning is reported as one of the main strategies adopted by coexisting mammal species to limit interspecific competition and behavioural interference. In the last decades, camera-trapping surveys have provided valuable insights in assessing temporal niche and activity rhythms of medium and large-sized mammalian species. Conversely, this method has been poorly applied to small rodents. In this work we aimed at assessing temporal niche partitioning between two species of forest-dwelling small rodents—Apodemus flavicollis and Clethrionomys glareolus—by means of intensive camera-trapping. Camera traps were placed in areas where previous genetic analyses have confirmed the only presence of A. flavicollis amongst wood mice species, to prevent misinterpretation of records. We collected 124 independent records of A. flavicollis and 67 records of C. glareolus over three years. The former was mostly nocturnal, with activity peaking after midnight, whereas the latter was mostly active at dawn and dusk. Therefore, a limited temporal overlap was observed, confirming the potential for interspecific competition. Intraguild interference competition between A. flavicollis and C. glareolus may play a pivotal role forcing C. glareolus to be more active in daylight hours where, the more strictly nocturnal A. flavicollis is present. Nocturnal activity of C. glareolus was limited and not influenced by moon phases, whereas A. flavicollis was mostly active in the darkest nights, avoiding bright moonlight nights.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Viviano
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy;
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-Ambientali, Produzioni Agroalimentari e Gestione degli Agroecosistemi, Università degli Studi di Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Manuel Scarfò
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy;
| | - Emiliano Mori
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy;
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Balčiauskas L, Skipitytė R, Garbaras A, Stirkė V, Balčiauskienė L, Remeikis V. Stable Isotopes Reveal the Dominant Species to Have the Widest Trophic Niche of Three Syntopic Microtus Voles. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11061814. [PMID: 34204576 PMCID: PMC8233935 DOI: 10.3390/ani11061814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Diets and the trophic positions of animals are fundamental issues in their ecology. We analysed the isotopic niches (as a proxy for trophic niches) of common (Microtus arvalis), field (M. agrestis), and root (M. oeconomus) voles co-occurring in orchards, berry plantations, and nearby meadows using isotopic (δ15N and δ13C) compositions from hair samples. We tested if the niche of the dominant common vole was widest, whether its width was related to the presence of other Microtus species, and whether there were intraspecific differences in average δ13C and δ15N stable isotope values. The obtained results showed relative stability in the trophic niche across the vegetative period. The isotopic niche of the common vole was the widest, exceeding the other two Microtus species by 1.6–3 times. Co-occurring vole species were separated according to δ13C (i.e., used different plants as main food), but they maintained similarity according to δ15N distribution. The effect of animal age and gender on the width of the trophic niche was strongest in root vole, which is a species that has spread across the country in the last 70 years. These results give new insights into the trophic ecology small herbivores, showing the impact of species co-occurrence. Abstract Diets and trophic positions of co-occurring animals are fundamental issues in their ecology, and these issues in syntopic rodents have been studied insufficiently. Using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios from hair samples, we analysed the trophic niches of common (Microtus arvalis), field (M. agrestis), and root (M. oeconomus) voles co-occurring in orchards, berry plantations, and nearby meadows (as control habitat to orchards and plantations). We tested if the niche of the dominant common vole was the widest, whether its width depended on the presence of other vole species, and whether there were intraspecific differences. Results suggest stability in the trophic niches of all three Microtus species, as season explained only 2% of the variance. The widest trophic niche was a characteristic of the dominant common vole, the range of δ13C values exceeding the other two species by 1.6, the range of δ15N values exceeding the other two species by 1.9, and the total area of niche exceeding that of the other voles by 2.3–3 times. In the meadows and apple orchards, co-occurring vole species were separated according to δ13C (highest values in the dominant common vole), but they maintained similar δ15N values. Results give new insights into the trophic ecology small herbivores, showing the impact of species co-occurrence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linas Balčiauskas
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania; (R.S.); (V.S.); (L.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +370-685-34141
| | - Raminta Skipitytė
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania; (R.S.); (V.S.); (L.B.)
- Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Saulėtekio av. 3, 02300 Vilnius, Lithuania; (A.G.); (V.R.)
| | - Andrius Garbaras
- Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Saulėtekio av. 3, 02300 Vilnius, Lithuania; (A.G.); (V.R.)
| | - Vitalijus Stirkė
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania; (R.S.); (V.S.); (L.B.)
| | - Laima Balčiauskienė
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania; (R.S.); (V.S.); (L.B.)
| | - Vidmantas Remeikis
- Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Saulėtekio av. 3, 02300 Vilnius, Lithuania; (A.G.); (V.R.)
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Common Vole as a Focal Small Mammal Species in Orchards of the Northern Zone. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13030134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In 2018–2020, we performed a country-wide study of small mammals in commercial orchards and berry plantations with the aim of determining whether the common vole (Microtus arvalis) is a more suitable focal species than the field vole (M. agrestis) in the risk assessment of plant protection products in Lithuania (country of the Northern Zone). Common vole was present in 75% of orchards and in 80% of control habitats, accounting for 30% of all trapped individuals. The proportion of this species was stable between years and seasons. The pattern was in agreement with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, i.e., highest in medium-aged crops, while lowest in habitats with high intensities of agricultural practices. The average relative abundance of common vole in autumn, 2.65 ± 0.52 individuals per 100 trap days, was three times higher than that in summer, with no differences recorded between crops and control habitats. Field vole was present in 30% of locations, only accounting for 2.1% of all trapped individuals. In central and eastern European countries, common vole is more widespread and abundant than field vole. In Lithuania, common vole dominates in orchards and natural habitats and is, therefore, the most relevant small mammal species for higher tier risk assessment.
Collapse
|
7
|
Mortelliti A, Brehm AM. Environmental heterogeneity and population density affect the functional diversity of personality traits in small mammal populations. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201713. [PMID: 33290673 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding factors affecting the functional diversity of ecological communities is an important goal for ecologists and conservationists. Previous work has largely been conducted at the community level; however, recent studies have highlighted the critical importance of considering intraspecific functional diversity (i.e. the functional diversity of phenotypic traits among conspecifics). Further, a major limitation of existing literature on this topic is the lack of empirical studies examining functional diversity of behavioural phenotypes-including animal personalities. This is a major shortcoming because personality traits can affect the fitness of individuals, and the composition of personalities in a population can have important ecological consequences. Our study aims to contribute to filling this knowledge gap by investigating factors affecting the functional diversity of personality traits in wild animal populations. Specifically, we predicted that the richness, divergence and evenness associated with personality traits would be impacted by key components of forest structure and would vary between contrasting forest types. To achieve our objective we conducted a fully replicated large-scale field experiment over a 4 year period using small mammal populations as a model system. We found that greater heterogeneity in the cover of shrubs, coarse woody debris and canopy cover was associated with a greater richness, lower divergence and lower evenness in personality traits. Greater population density was associated with greater functional richness and lower functional divergence and evenness of personality traits. To maintain a behaviourally diverse population and its associated functions, managers may promote heterogeneity in vegetation and increased population density, which we found to be the most important determinants driving functional diversity of personality traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Mortelliti
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, 5755 Nutting Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Allison M Brehm
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, 5755 Nutting Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Yang Y, Li Q, Garber PA, Grueter CC, Ren G, Wang X, Huang Z, Xiang Z, Xiao W, Behie A. Cafeteria-style feeding trials provide new insights into the diet and nutritional strategies of the black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri): Implications for conservation. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23108. [PMID: 32100313 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic changes and fragmentation of natural habitats often exert a negative effect on resource availability and distribution, and the nutritional ecology and feeding behavior of nonhuman primates. The goals of this study are to examine food choice and to identify the nutritional profile of foods consumed by the Critically Endangered black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri). To accomplish our study goals, we presented cafeteria-style feeding trials of fresh food items collected in the home range of wild black snub-nosed monkeys to the only two captive R. strykeri, and compared the nutritional profiles of the leafy foods (buds, young, and mature leaves, 100 i23tems from 70 plant species) selected with those avoided (54 items from 48 plant species). Overall, the results indicate that captive R. strykeri selected foods that were higher in moisture (Mo; 77.7%), crude protein (CP; 21.2%), total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC; 34.9%), and phosphorus (P; 0.37%) while tending to avoid foods with a neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content of greater than 46.8%. Leaves collected in autumn and selected by the monkeys were characterized by a slightly higher amount of metabolizable energy (ME) than those rejected (1,350 kJ/100 g vs. 1,268 kJ/100 g). In contrast, the protein content of foods collected and consumed during the spring was greater (22.9%) than in autumn (16.4%). Random Forests modeling, an ensemble learning method, indicated that the proportion of Mo, NDF, ME, CP, P, and TNC were among the most important factors in predicting which items were consumed by the captive R. strykeri during spring and autumn. On the basis of the nutritional profile of foods consumed across the two seasons, we identified 18 nutrient-rich native plant species that we recommend for use in ex- and in-situ conservation management and reforestation programs to provide long-term access to a nutritionally adequate diet.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yin Yang
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra ACT, Australia.,Collaborative Innovation Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Qihua Li
- Yunnan Province Key Lab of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Paul A Garber
- Department of Anthropology, Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Cyril C Grueter
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Guopeng Ren
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Xinwen Wang
- Lushui Bureau of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Liuku, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhipang Huang
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Zuofu Xiang
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Biology, Central South University of Forestry & Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wen Xiao
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Alison Behie
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra ACT, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Zwolak R, Witczuk J, Bogdziewicz M, Rychlik L, Pagacz S. Simultaneous population fluctuations of rodents in montane forests and alpine meadows suggest indirect effects of tree masting. J Mammal 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska, Poznań, Poland
| | - Julia Witczuk
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska, Poznań, Poland
- CREAF, Campus de Bellaterra (UAB) Edifici C, Cerdanyola del Valles, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Leszek Rychlik
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska, Poznań, Poland
| | - Stanisław Pagacz
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza, Warszawa, Poland
| |
Collapse
|