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Mead A, Fitz-Gibbon ST, Escalona M, Beraut E, Sacco S, Marimuthu MPA, Nguyen O, Sork VL. The genome assembly of Island Oak (Quercus tomentella), a relictual island tree species. J Hered 2024; 115:221-229. [PMID: 38305464 PMCID: PMC10936553 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esae002] [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: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Island oak (Quercus tomentella) is a rare relictual island tree species that exists only on six islands off the coast of California and Mexico, but was once widespread throughout mainland California. Currently, this species is endangered by threats such as non-native plants, grazing animals, and human removal. Efforts for conservation and restoration of island oak currently underway could benefit from information about its range-wide genetic structure and evolutionary history. Here we present a high-quality genome assembly for Q. tomentella, assembled using PacBio HiFi and Omni-C sequencing, developed as part of the California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP). The resulting assembly has a length of 781 Mb, with a contig N50 of 22.0 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 63.4 Mb. This genome assembly will provide a resource for genomics-informed conservation of this rare oak species. Additionally, this reference genome will be the first one available for a species in Quercus section Protobalanus, a unique oak clade present only in western North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alayna Mead
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 90095-7239, United States
| | - Sorel T Fitz-Gibbon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 90095-7239, United States
| | - Merly Escalona
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, United States
| | - Eric Beraut
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, United States
| | - Samuel Sacco
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, United States
| | - Mohan P A Marimuthu
- DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Core Laboratory, Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Oanh Nguyen
- DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Core Laboratory, Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Victoria L Sork
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 90095-7239, United States
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 90095, United States
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Vollert SA, Drovandi C, Adams MP. Unlocking ensemble ecosystem modelling for large and complex networks. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011976. [PMID: 38483981 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The potential effects of conservation actions on threatened species can be predicted using ensemble ecosystem models by forecasting populations with and without intervention. These model ensembles commonly assume stable coexistence of species in the absence of available data. However, existing ensemble-generation methods become computationally inefficient as the size of the ecosystem network increases, preventing larger networks from being studied. We present a novel sequential Monte Carlo sampling approach for ensemble generation that is orders of magnitude faster than existing approaches. We demonstrate that the methods produce equivalent parameter inferences, model predictions, and tightly constrained parameter combinations using a novel sensitivity analysis method. For one case study, we demonstrate a speed-up from 108 days to 6 hours, while maintaining equivalent ensembles. Additionally, we demonstrate how to identify the parameter combinations that strongly drive feasibility and stability, drawing ecological insight from the ensembles. Now, for the first time, larger and more realistic networks can be practically simulated and analysed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Vollert
- Centre for Data Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Christopher Drovandi
- Centre for Data Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Matthew P Adams
- Centre for Data Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
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Kim S, Sales L, Carreira D, Galetti M. Frugivore distributions are associated with plant dispersal syndrome diversity in the Caribbean archipelagos. DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Seokmin Kim
- Department of Biology University of Miami Coral Gables Florida USA
| | - Lilian Sales
- Department of Biology Faculty of Arts and Science Concordia University Montreal Canada
| | | | - Mauro Galetti
- Department of Biology University of Miami Coral Gables Florida USA
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Pearse IS, Wion AP, Gonzalez AD, Pesendorfer MB. Understanding mast seeding for conservation and land management. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200383. [PMID: 34657466 PMCID: PMC8520776 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Masting, the intermittent and synchronous production of large seed crops, can have profound consequences for plant populations and the food webs that are built on their seeds. For centuries, people have recorded mast crops because of their importance in managing wildlife populations. In the past 30 years, we have begun to recognize the importance of masting in conserving and managing many other aspects of the environment: promoting the regeneration of forests following fire or other disturbance, conserving rare plants, conscientiously developing the use of edible seeds as non-timber forest products, coping with the consequences of extinctions on seed dispersal, reducing the impacts of plant invasions with biological control, suppressing zoonotic diseases and preventing depredation of endemic fauna. We summarize current instances and future possibilities of a broad set of applications of masting. By exploring in detail several case studies, we develop new perspectives on how solutions to pressing conservation and land management problems may benefit by better understanding the dynamics of seed production. A lesson common to these examples is that masting can be used to time management, and often, to do this effectively, we need models that explicitly forecast masting and the dynamics of seed-eating animals into the near-term future. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian S. Pearse
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Andreas P. Wion
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1177, USA
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1177, USA
| | - Angela D. Gonzalez
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1177, USA
| | - Mario B. Pesendorfer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna 1190, Austria
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Migratory Bird Center, Washington, DC 20013, USA
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Wion AP, Pearse IS, Rodman KC, Veblen TT, Redmond MD. The effects of ENSO and the North American monsoon on mast seeding in two Rocky Mountain conifer species. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200378. [PMID: 34657459 PMCID: PMC8520773 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We aimed to disentangle the patterns of synchronous and variable cone production (i.e. masting) and its relationship to climate in two conifer species native to dry forests of western North America. We used cone abscission scars to reconstruct ca 15 years of recent cone production in Pinus edulis and Pinus ponderosa, and used redundancy analysis to relate time series of annual cone production to climate indices describing the North American monsoon and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We show that the sensitivity to climate and resulting synchrony in cone production varies substantially between species. Cone production among populations of P. edulis was much more spatially synchronous and more closely related to large-scale modes of climate variability than among populations of P. ponderosa. Large-scale synchrony in P. edulis cone production was associated with the North American monsoon and we identified a dipole pattern of regional cone production associated with ENSO phase. In P. ponderosa, these climate indices were not strongly associated with cone production, resulting in asynchronous masting patterns among populations. This study helps frame our understanding of mast seeding as a life-history strategy and has implications for our ability to forecast mast years in these species. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas P. Wion
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology and Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523‐1472, USA
| | - Ian S. Pearse
- US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Kyle C. Rodman
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Thomas T. Veblen
- Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - Miranda D. Redmond
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology and Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523‐1472, USA
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Trumbo DR, Funk WC, Pauly GB, Robertson JM. Conservation genetics of an island-endemic lizard: low Ne and the critical role of intermediate temperatures for genetic connectivity. CONSERV GENET 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-021-01362-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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A guide to ecosystem models and their environmental applications. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:1459-1471. [PMID: 32929239 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01298-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Applied ecology has traditionally approached management problems through a simplified, single-species lens. Repeated failures of single-species management have led us to a new paradigm - managing at the ecosystem level. Ecosystem management involves a complex array of interacting organisms, processes and scientific disciplines. Accounting for interactions, feedback loops and dependencies between ecosystem components is therefore fundamental to understanding and managing ecosystems. We provide an overview of the main types of ecosystem models and their uses, and discuss challenges related to modelling complex ecological systems. Existing modelling approaches typically attempt to do one or more of the following: describe and disentangle ecosystem components and interactions; make predictions about future ecosystem states; and inform decision making by comparing alternative strategies and identifying important uncertainties. Modelling ecosystems is challenging, particularly when balancing the desire to represent many components of an ecosystem with the limitations of available data and the modelling objective. Explicitly considering different forms of uncertainty is therefore a primary concern. We provide some recommended strategies (such as ensemble ecosystem models and multi-model approaches) to aid the explicit consideration of uncertainty while also meeting the challenges of modelling ecosystems.
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Bakker VJ, Sillett TS, Boyce WM, Doak DF, Vickers TW, Reisen WK, Cohen BS, Hallworth MT, Morrison SA. Translocation with targeted vaccination is the most effective strategy to protect an island endemic bird threatened by West Nile virus. DIVERS DISTRIB 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - T. Scott Sillett
- Migratory Bird Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteNational Zoological Park Washington District of Columbia USA
| | | | - Daniel F. Doak
- Environmental Studies Program University of Colorado Boulder Colorado USA
| | | | | | | | - Michael T. Hallworth
- Migratory Bird Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteNational Zoological Park Washington District of Columbia USA
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Swaisgood RR, Montagne J, Lenihan CM, Wisinski CL, Nordstrom LA, Shier DM. Capturing pests and releasing ecosystem engineers: translocation of common but diminished species to re‐establish ecological roles. Anim Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. R. Swaisgood
- Recovery Ecology Division San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research Escondido CA USA
| | - J.‐P. Montagne
- Recovery Ecology Division San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research Escondido CA USA
| | - C. M. Lenihan
- Recovery Ecology Division San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research Escondido CA USA
| | - C. L. Wisinski
- Recovery Ecology Division San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research Escondido CA USA
| | - L. A. Nordstrom
- Recovery Ecology Division San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research Escondido CA USA
| | - D. M. Shier
- Recovery Ecology Division San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research Escondido CA USA
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Land bridges in the Pleistocene contributed to flora assembly on the continental islands of South China: Insights from the evolutionary history of Quercus championii. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2019; 132:36-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2018.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Randall JM, Mceachern K, Knapp J, Power P, Junak S, Gill K, Knapp D, Guilliams M. Informing Our Successors: What Botanical Information for Santa Cruz Island will Researchers and Conservation Managers in the Century Ahead Need the Most? WEST N AM NATURALIST 2018. [DOI: 10.3398/064.078.0427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John M. Randall
- The Nature Conservancy, California Chapter, 201 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
| | - Kathryn Mceachern
- U.S. Geological Survey, WERC, Channel Islands Field Station, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001
| | - John Knapp
- The Nature Conservancy, California Chapter, 201 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
| | - Paula Power
- National Park Service, Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001
| | - Steve Junak
- Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
| | - Kristina Gill
- Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
| | - Denise Knapp
- Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
| | - Matt Guilliams
- Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
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12
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Boser CL, Sillett TS, Collins PW, Faulkner KR, Funk WC, Ghalambor CK, Laughrin L, Pauly GB, Robertson JM, Shea R, Vickers W. Equipping Tomorrow's Historical Ecologist: Priorities for Documenting Conditions of the Terrestrial Fauna of Santa Cruz Island, California. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2018. [DOI: 10.3398/064.078.0426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - T. Scott Sillett
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20013
| | - Paul W. Collins
- Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
| | | | - W. Chris Funk
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - Cameron K. Ghalambor
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - Lyndal Laughrin
- University of California Natural Reserve System, UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
| | - Gregory B. Pauly
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007
| | | | - Robyn Shea
- California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA 93012
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Pesendorfer MB, Baker CM, Stringer M, McDonald‐Madden E, Bode M, McEachern AK, Morrison SA, Sillett TS. Oak habitat recovery on California's largest islands: Scenarios for the role of corvid seed dispersal. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mario B. Pesendorfer
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ithaca NY USA
- Migratory Bird Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute National Zoological Park Washington DC USA
| | - Christopher M. Baker
- School of BioSciences University of Melbourne Melbourne Vic. Australia
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland St Lucia, Brisbane Qld Australia
- CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences Ecosciences Precinct Brisbane Qld Australia
| | - Martin Stringer
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Queensland St Lucia, Brisbane Qld Australia
| | - Eve McDonald‐Madden
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Queensland St Lucia, Brisbane Qld Australia
| | - Michael Bode
- ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reefs Studies James Cook University Townsville Qld Australia
| | - A. Kathryn McEachern
- U.S. Geological Survey‐Western Ecological Research Center Channel Islands Field Station Ventura CA USA
| | | | - T. Scott Sillett
- Migratory Bird Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute National Zoological Park Washington DC USA
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