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Quiles P, Barrientos R. Interspecific interactions disrupted by roads. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1121-1139. [PMID: 38303408 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13061] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Roads have pervasive impacts on wildlife, including habitat loss and fragmentation, road mortality, habitat pollution and increased human use of habitats surrounding them. However, the effects of roads on interspecific interactions are less understood. Here we provide a synthesis of the existing literature on how species interactions may be disrupted by roads, identify knowledge gaps, and suggest avenues for future research and conservation management. We conducted a systematic search using the Web of Science database for each species interaction (predation, competition, mutualism, parasitism, commensalism and amensalism). These searches yielded 2144 articles, of which 195 were relevant to our topic. Most of these studies focused on predation (50%) or competition (24%), and less frequently on mutualism (17%) or, parasitism (9%). We found no studies on commensalism or amensalism. Studies were biased towards mammals from high-income countries, with most conducted in the USA (34%) or Canada (18%). Our literature review identified several patterns. First, roads disrupt predator-prey relationships, usually with negative impacts on prey populations. Second, new disturbed habitats created in road corridors often benefit more competitive species, such as invasive species, although some native or endangered species can also thrive there. Third, roads degrade mutualistic interactions like seed dispersal and pollination. Fourth, roads can increase parasitism rates, although the intensity of the alteration is species specific. To reduce the negative impacts of roads on interspecific interactions, we suggest the following management actions: (i) verges should be as wide and heterogenous as possible, as this increases microhabitat diversity, thus enhancing ecosystem services like pollination and seed dispersal; (ii) combining different mowing regimes can increase the complexity of the habitat corridor, enabling it to act as a habitat for more species; (iii) the use of de-icing salts should be gradually reduced and replaced with less harmful products or maintenance practices; (iv) wildlife passes should be implemented in groups to reduce animal concentrations inside them; (v) periodic removal of carcasses from the road to reduce the use of this resource by wildlife; and (vi) implementation of traffic-calming schemes could enhance interspecific interactions like pollination and avoid disruption of predator-prey relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Quiles
- Road Ecology Lab, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, C/ José Antonio Novais 12, E-28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Barrientos
- Road Ecology Lab, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, C/ José Antonio Novais 12, E-28040, Madrid, Spain
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Wang X, Ye Z, Zhang C, Wei X. Effect of Plateau pika on Soil Microbial Assembly Process and Co-Occurrence Patterns in the Alpine Meadow Ecosystem. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1075. [PMID: 38930457 PMCID: PMC11205797 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12061075] [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: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Burrowing animals are a critical driver of terrestrial ecosystem functioning, but we know little about their effects on soil microbiomes. Here, we evaluated the effect of burrowing animals on microbial assembly processes and co-occurrence patterns using soil microbiota from a group of habitats disturbed by Plateau pikas (Ochtona curzoniae). Pika disturbance had different impacts on bacterial and fungal communities. Fungal diversity generally increased with patch area, whereas bacterial diversity decreased. These strikingly different species-area relationships were closely associated with their community assembly mechanisms. The loss of bacterial diversity on larger patches was largely driven by deterministic processes, mainly due to the decline of nutrient supply (e.g., organic C, inorganic N). In contrast, fungal distribution was driven primarily by stochastic processes that dispersal limitation contributed to their higher fungal diversity on lager patches. A bacterial co-occurrence network exhibited a positive relationship of nodes and linkage numbers with patch area, and the fungal network presented a positive modularity-area relationship, suggesting that bacteria tended to form a closer association community under pika disturbance, while fungi tended to construct a higher modularity network. Our results suggest that pikas affects the microbial assembly process and co-occurrence patterns in alpine environments, thereby enhancing the current understanding of microbial biogeography under natural disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangtao Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China
- Qiangtang Alpine Grassland Ecosystem Research Station, Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
| | - Zhencheng Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (Z.Y.); (C.Z.)
| | - Chao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (Z.Y.); (C.Z.)
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Xuehong Wei
- Qiangtang Alpine Grassland Ecosystem Research Station, Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
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Warret Rodrigues C, Roth JD. Coexistence of two sympatric predators in a transitional ecosystem under constraining environmental conditions: a perspective from space and habitat use. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:60. [PMID: 37784160 PMCID: PMC10544556 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00421-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Range expansion of species, a major consequence of climate changes, may alter communities substantially due to competition between expanding and native species. METHODS We first quantified size differences between an expanding habitat generalist, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and a circumpolar habitat specialist, the Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus), at the edge of the Arctic, where climate-related changes occur rapidly, to predict the likelihood of the larger competitor escalating interference to intraguild killing. We then used satellite telemetry to evaluate competition in a heterogeneous landscape by examining space use early during the foxes' reproductive period, when resource scarcity, increased-food requirements and spatial constraints likely exacerbate the potential for interference. We used time-LoCoH to quantify space and habitat use, and Minta's index to quantify spatio-temporal interactions between neighbors. RESULTS Our morphometric comparison involving 236 foxes found that the potential for escalated interference between these species was high due to intermediate size difference. However, our results from 17 collared foxes suggested that expanding and native competitors may coexist when expanding species occur at low densities. Low home-range overlap between neighbors suggested territoriality and substantial exploitation competition for space. No obvious differential use of areas shared by heterospecific neighbors suggested low interference. If anything, intraspecific competition between red foxes may be stronger than interspecific competition. Red and Arctic foxes used habitat differentially, with near-exclusive use of forest patches by red foxes and marine habitats by Arctic foxes. CONCLUSION Heterogeneous landscapes may relax interspecific competition between expanding and native species, allowing exclusive use of some resources. Furthermore, the scarcity of habitats favored by expanding species may emphasize intraspecific competition between newcomers over interspecific competition, thus creating the potential for self-limitation of expanding populations. Dominant expanding competitors may benefit from interference, but usually lack adaptations to abiotic conditions at their expansion front, favoring rear-edge subordinate species in exploitation competition. However, due to ongoing climate change, systems are usually not at equilibrium. A spread of habitats and resources favorable to expanding species may promote higher densities of antagonistically dominant newcomers, which may lead to extirpation of native species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Warret Rodrigues
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada.
| | - James D Roth
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
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Warret Rodrigues C, Roth JD. Feast to famine: Sympatric predators respond differently to seasonal prey scarcity on the low Arctic tundra. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9951. [PMID: 36993144 PMCID: PMC10041551 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Resource fluctuation is a major driver of animal movement, influencing strategic choices such as residency vs nomadism, or social dynamics. The Arctic tundra is characterized by strong seasonality: Resources are abundant during the short summers but scarce in winters. Therefore, expansion of boreal-forest species onto the tundra raises questions on how they cope with winter-resource scarcity. We examined a recent incursion by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) onto the coastal tundra of northern Manitoba, an area historically occupied by Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) that lacks access to anthropogenic foods, and compared seasonal shifts in space use of the two species. We used 4 years of telemetry data following 8 red foxes and 11 Arctic foxes to test the hypothesis that the movement tactics of both species are primarily driven by temporal variability of resources. We also predicted that the harsh tundra conditions in winter would drive red foxes to disperse more often and maintain larger home ranges year-round than Arctic foxes, which are adapted to this environment. Dispersal was the most frequent winter movement tactic in both fox species, despite its association with high mortality (winter mortality was 9.4 times higher in dispersers than residents). Red foxes consistently dispersed toward the boreal forest, whereas Arctic foxes primarily used sea ice to disperse. Home range size of red and Arctic foxes did not differ in summer, but resident red foxes substantially increased their home range size in winter, whereas home range size of resident Arctic foxes did not change seasonally. As climate changes, abiotic constraints on some species may relax, but associated declines in prey communities may lead to local extirpation of many predators, notably by favoring dispersal during resource scarcity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James D. Roth
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
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Douglas DJ, Tománková I, Gullett P, Dodd SG, Brown D, Clift M, Russell N, Warnock N, Smart J, Sanders S. Varying response of breeding waders to experimental manipulation of their habitat and predators. J Nat Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
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Lindsø LK, Dupont P, Rød-Eriksen L, Andersskog IPØ, Ulvund KR, Flagstad Ø, Bischof R, Eide NE. Estimating red fox density using non-invasive genetic sampling and spatial capture-recapture modelling. Oecologia 2022; 198:139-151. [PMID: 34859281 PMCID: PMC8803778 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05087-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Spatial capture-recapture modelling (SCR) is a powerful tool for estimating density, population size, and space use of elusive animals. Here, we applied SCR modelling to non-invasive genetic sampling (NGS) data to estimate red fox (Vulpes vulpes) densities in two areas of boreal forest in central (2016-2018) and southern Norway (2017-2018). Estimated densities were overall lower in the central study area (mean = 0.04 foxes per km2 in 2016, 0.10 in 2017, and 0.06 in 2018) compared to the southern study area (0.16 in 2017 and 0.09 in 2018). We found a positive effect of forest cover on density in the central, but not the southern study area. The absence of an effect in the southern area may reflect a paucity of evidence caused by low variation in forest cover. Estimated mean home-range size in the central study area was 45 km2 [95%CI 34-60] for females and 88 km2 [69-113] for males. Mean home-range sizes were smaller in the southern study area (26 km2 [16-42] for females and 56 km2 [35-91] for males). In both study areas, detection probability was session-dependent and affected by sampling effort. This study highlights how SCR modelling in combination with NGS can be used to efficiently monitor red fox populations, and simultaneously incorporate ecological factors and estimate their effects on population density and space use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars K Lindsø
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Høgskoleringen 9, 7034, Trondheim, Norway.
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Universitetstunet 3, 1430, Ås, Norway.
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), The Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, 0371, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Pierre Dupont
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Universitetstunet 3, 1430, Ås, Norway
| | - Lars Rød-Eriksen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Høgskoleringen 9, 7034, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | | | - Øystein Flagstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Høgskoleringen 9, 7034, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Richard Bischof
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Universitetstunet 3, 1430, Ås, Norway
| | - Nina E Eide
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Høgskoleringen 9, 7034, Trondheim, Norway
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Gomo G, Mattisson J, Rød-Eriksen L, Eide NE, Odden M. Spatiotemporal patterns of red fox scavenging in forest and tundra: the influence of prey fluctuations and winter conditions. MAMMAL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-021-00566-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
AbstractConcern has been raised regarding red fox (Vulpes Vulpes) population increase and range expansion into alpine tundra, directly and indirectly enhanced by human activities, including carrion supply, and its negative impact on native fauna. In this study, we used cameras on bait stations and hunting remains to investigate how spatiotemporal patterns of red fox scavenging were influenced by abundance and accessibility of live prey, i.e., small rodent population cycles, snow depth, and primary productivity. We found contrasting patterns of scavenging between habitats during winter. In alpine areas, use of baits was highest post rodent peaks and when snow depth was low. This probably reflected relatively higher red fox abundance due to increased reproduction or migration of individuals from neighboring areas, possibly also enhanced by a diet shift. Contrastingly, red fox use of baits in the forest was highest during rodent low phase, and when snow was deep, indicating a higher dependency of carrion under these conditions. Scavenging patterns by red fox on the pulsed but predictable food resource from hunting remains in the autumn revealed no patterns throughout the rodent cycle. In this study, we showed that small rodent dynamics influenced red fox scavenging, at least in winter, but with contrasting patterns depending on environmental conditions. In marginal alpine areas, a numerical response to higher availability of rodents possible lead to the increase in bait visitation the proceeding winter, while in more productive forest areas, low availability of rodents induced a functional diet shift towards scavenging.
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Di Bernardi C, Thierry AM, Eide NE, Bowler DE, Rød-Eriksen L, Blumentrath S, Tietgen L, Sandercock BK, Flagstad Ø, Landa A. Fitness and fur colouration: Testing the camouflage and thermoregulation hypotheses in an Arctic mammal. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1328-1340. [PMID: 33660289 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Selection for crypsis has been recognized as an important ecological driver of animal colouration, whereas the relative importance of thermoregulation is more contentious with mixed empirical support. A potential thermal advantage of darker individuals has been observed in a wide range of animal species. Arctic animals that exhibit colour polymorphisms and undergo seasonal colour moults are interesting study subjects for testing the two alternative hypotheses: demographic performance of different colour morphs might be differentially affected by snow cover with a cryptic advantage for lighter morphs, or conversely by winter temperature with a thermal advantage for darker morphs. In this study, we explored whether camouflage and thermoregulation might explain differences in reproduction and survival between the white and blue colour morphs of the Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus under natural conditions. Juvenile and adult survival, breeding propensity and litter size were measured for 798 captive-bred and released or wild-born Arctic foxes monitored during an 11-year period (2007-2017) in two subpopulations in south-central Norway. We investigated the proportion of the two colour morphs and compared their demographic performance in relation to spatial variation in duration of snow cover, onset of snow season and winter temperatures. After population re-establishment, a higher proportion of blue individuals was observed among wild-born Arctic foxes compared to the proportion of blue foxes released from the captive population. Our field study provides the first evidence for an effect of colour morph on the reproductive performance of Arctic foxes under natural conditions, with a higher breeding propensity of the blue morph compared to the white one. Performance of the two colour morphs was not differentially affected by the climatic variables, except for juvenile survival. Blue morph juveniles showed a tendency for higher survival under colder winter temperatures but lower survival under warmer temperatures compared to white morph juveniles. Overall, our findings do not consistently support predictions of the camouflage or the thermoregulation hypotheses. The higher success of blue foxes suggests an advantage of the dark morph not directly related to disruptive selection by crypsis or thermoregulation. Our results rather point to physiological adaptations and behavioural traits not necessarily connected to thermoregulation, such as stress response, immune function, sexual behaviour and aggressiveness. Our findings highlight the need to explore the potential role of genetic linkage or pleiotropy in influencing the fitness of white and blue Arctic foxes as well as other species with colour polymorphisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nina E Eide
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Diana E Bowler
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Lars Rød-Eriksen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Lukas Tietgen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway.,Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Øystein Flagstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Arild Landa
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Bergen, Norway
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