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Zhang J, Wang B. Intraspecific variation in seed size is mediated by seed dispersal modes and animal dispersers - evidence from a global-scale dataset. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:461-470. [PMID: 37858964 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Seed dispersal mechanisms play a crucial role in driving evolutionary changes in seed and fruit traits. While previous studies have primarily focussed on the mean or maximum values of these traits, there is also significant intraspecific variation in them. Therefore, it is pertinent to investigate whether dispersal mechanisms can explain intraspecific variations in these traits. Taking seed size as a case study, we compiled a global dataset comprising 3424 records of intraspecific variation in seed size (IVSS), belonging to 691 plant species and 131 families. We provided the first comprehensive quantification of dispersal mechanism effects on IVSS. Biotic-dispersed species exhibited a larger IVSS than abiotic-dispersed species. Synzoochory species had a larger IVSS than endozoochory, epizoochory, and myrmecochory species. Vertebrate-dispersed species exhibited a larger IVSS than invertebrate-dispersed species, and species dispersed by birds exhibited a larger IVSS than mammal-dispersed species. Additionally, a clear negative correlation was detected between IVSS and disperser body mass. Our results prove that the IVSS is associated with the seed dispersal mechanism. This study advances our understanding of the dispersal mechanisms' crucial role in seed size evolution, encompassing not only the mean value but also the variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyu Zhang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China
| | - Bo Wang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, China
- Anhui Shengjin Lake Wetland Ecology National Long-Term Scientific Research Base, Dongzhi, Anhui, 247230, China
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2
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Hallam J, Harris NC. What's going to be on the menu with global environmental changes? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:5744-5759. [PMID: 37458101 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Ongoing anthropogenic change is altering the planet at an unprecedented rate, threatening biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. Species are responding to abiotic pressures at both individual and population levels, with changes affecting trophic interactions through consumptive pathways. Collectively, these impacts alter the goods and services that natural ecosystems will provide to society, as well as the persistence of all species. Here, we describe the physiological and behavioral responses of species to global changes on individual and population levels that result in detectable changes in diet across terrestrial and marine ecosystems. We illustrate shifts in the dynamics of food webs with implications for animal communities. Additionally, we highlight the myriad of tools available for researchers to investigate the dynamics of consumption patterns and trophic interactions, arguing that diet data are a crucial component of ecological studies on global change. We suggest that a holistic approach integrating the complexities of diet choice and trophic interactions with environmental drivers may be more robust at resolving trends in biodiversity, predicting food web responses, and potentially identifying early warning signs of diversity loss. Ultimately, despite the growing body of long-term ecological datasets, there remains a dearth of diet ecology studies across temporal scales, a shortcoming that must be resolved to elucidate vulnerabilities to changing biophysical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Hallam
- Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Nyeema C Harris
- Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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3
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Hale KRS, Maes DP, Valdovinos FS. Simple mechanisms of plant reproductive benefits yield different dynamics in pollination and seed dispersal mutualisms. Am Nat 2022; 200:202-216. [DOI: 10.1086/720204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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4
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Donoso I, Fricke EC, Hervías-Parejo S, Rogers HS, Traveset A. Drivers of Ecological and Evolutionary Disruptions in the Seed Dispersal Process: Research Trends and Biases. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.794481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As the sole opportunity for most plants to move, seed dispersal influences the biodiversity and functioning of plant communities. Global change drivers have the potential to disrupt seed dispersal processes, affecting plant communities and ecosystem functions. Even though much information is available on the effects of seed dispersal disruption (SDD), we still lack a comprehensive understanding of its main causes at a global scale, as well as the potential knowledge gaps derived from research biases. Here we present a systematic review of biotic and abiotic SDDs to ascertain the global change drivers addressed, dispersal modes impacted, plant processes affected, and spatial focus of existing research on this topic up-to-date. Although there are many modes of dispersal and global change drivers in temperate and tropical ecosystems worldwide, research efforts have predominantly addressed the effect of alien species for biotic seed dispersal in temperate systems and oceanic islands as well as how defaunation of bird or mammal dispersers has affected seed removal in the Neotropics. SDD studies were also biased toward forest ecosystems, with few in shrublands or grasslands. Finally, the effects of climate change, ecological consequences at the whole community level, and evolutionary changes were largely unrepresented in SDD studies. These trends are likely due to a combination of true geographic and ecological patterns in seed dispersal and global change and bias in research focus. We conclude that increased research investment in the less-studied systems and a better understanding of potential synergies and feedback between multiple global change drivers will be important to forecast the threats to plant biodiversity and those ecosystem functions derived from seed dispersal in the Anthropocene.
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5
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Hisano M, Evans MJ, Soga M, Tsunoda H. Red foxes in Japan show adaptability in prey resource according to geography and season: A meta‐analysis. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Masumi Hisano
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
| | - Maldwyn J. Evans
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Masashi Soga
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
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6
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A fat chance of survival: Body condition provides life-history dependent buffering of environmental change in a wild mammal population. CLIMATE CHANGE ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecochg.2021.100022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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7
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Lei B, Cui J, Newman C, Buesching CD, Xie Z, Macdonald DW, Zhou Y. Seed dispersers shape the pulp nutrients of fleshy-fruited plants. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210817. [PMID: 34157866 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The dispersal-syndrome hypothesis posits that fruit traits are a product of selection by frugivores. Although criticized as adaptationist, recent studies have suggested that traits such as fruit or seed size, colour and odour exhibit signatures that imply selection by animal mutualists. These traits imply nutritional rewards (e.g. lipid, carbohydrate), attracting frugivores; however, this remains incompletely resolved. Here, we investigated whether fruit nutrients (lipid, sugar, protein, vitamin C, water content) moderate the co-adaptation of key disperser-group mutualisms. Multivariate techniques revealed that fruit nutrients assembled non-randomly and grouped according to key dispersal modes. Bird-dispersed fruits were richer in lipids than mammal-dispersed fruits. Mixed-dispersed fruits had significantly higher vitamin C than did mammal- or bird-dispersed fruits separately. Sugar and water content were consistently high irrespective of dispersal modes, suggesting that these traits appeal to both avian and mammalian frugivores to match high-energy requirements. Similarly, protein content was low irrespective of dispersal modes, corroborating that birds and mammals avoid protein-rich fruits, which are often associated with toxic levels of nitrogenous secondary compounds. Our results provide substantial over-arching evidence that seed disperser assemblages co-exert fundamental selection pressures on fruit nutrient trait adaptation, with broad implications for structuring fruit-frugivore mutualism and maintaining fruit trait diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyu Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China.,Hubei International Scientific and Technological Center of Ecological Conservation and Management in the Three Gorges Area, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 43002, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China
| | - Jifa Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China.,Hubei International Scientific and Technological Center of Ecological Conservation and Management in the Three Gorges Area, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 43002, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zongqiang Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Youbing Zhou
- Hubei International Scientific and Technological Center of Ecological Conservation and Management in the Three Gorges Area, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 43002, People's Republic of China
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van ’t Padje A, Bonfante P, Ciampi LT, Kiers ET. Quantifying Nutrient Trade in the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis Under Extreme Weather Events Using Quantum-Dot Tagged Phosphorus. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.613119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Given the current trends in climate change, extreme weather events are expected to increase in strength and frequency. Such events can impact species survival and species interactions. One of the most ubiquitous symbioses on earth is the nutrient exchange partnership between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and their host plants. While past work has shown that mycorrhizal fungi can help alleviate stress, it is unknown how phosphorus uptake by plants to fungi is affected by extreme weather events, such as flooding and heat waves. To test this response, we grewMedicago truncatulahost plants with or without mycorrhizal fungi and then exposed them to extreme weather treatments: increasing soil temperature by 12°C, or by flooding the plant roots for 7 days. We measured plant and fungal performance, and quantified phosphorus (P) uptake before and after extreme weather treatments using a technique in which we tagged apatite, a form of rock phosphorus, with fluorescing quantum-dots (QDs) nanoparticles. We then measured fluorescence in root and shoot tissue at harvest. We found that plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were affected by soil flooding, with plant survival, fungal colonization and QD-apatite uptake decreasing under flooded conditions. We did not see these negative effects in the heat treatment. While the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi affected plant biomass allocation, leading to an increase in shoot biomass, the symbiosis did not increase plant survival, total biomass or QD uptake in either treatment. More generally, we found host tissue contained roughly 80% more QD-apatite from the pre-treatment compared to the post-treatment nutrient injection. Future studies should focus on various plant-fungal combinations to create databases on which predictive models to extreme weather events can be constructed.
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9
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Changes in Snow Cover Dynamics over the Indus Basin: Evidences from 2008 to 2018 MODIS NDSI Trends Analysis. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12172782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The frozen water reserves on the Earth are not only very dynamic in their nature, but also have significant effects on hydrological response of complex and dynamic river basins. The Indus basin is one of the most complex river basins in the world and receives most of its share from the Asian Water Tower (Himalayas). In such a huge river basin with high-altitude mountains, the regular quantification of snow cover is a great challenge to researchers for the management of downstream ecosystems. In this study, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily (MOD09GA) and 8-day (MOD09A1) products were used for the spatiotemporal quantification of snow cover over the Indus basin and the western rivers’ catchments from 2008 to 2018. The high-resolution Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) was used as a standard product with a minimum Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) threshold (0.4) to delineate the snow cover for 120 scenes over the Indus basin on different days. All types of errors of commission/omission were masked out using water, sand, cloud, and forest masks at different spatiotemporal resolutions. The snow cover comparison of MODIS products with Landsat ETM+, in situ snow data and Google Earth imagery indicated that the minimum NDSI threshold of 0.34 fits well compared to the globally accepted threshold of 0.4 due to the coarser resolution of MODIS products. The intercomparison of the time series snow cover area of MODIS products indicated R2 values of 0.96, 0.95, 0.97, 0.96 and 0.98, for the Chenab, Jhelum, Indus and eastern rivers’ catchments and Indus basin, respectively. A linear least squares regression analysis of the snow cover area of the Indus basin indicated a declining trend of about 3358 and 2459 km2 per year for MOD09A1 and MOD09GA products, respectively. The results also revealed a decrease in snow cover area over all the parts of the Indus basin and its sub-catchments. Our results suggest that MODIS time series NDSI analysis is a useful technique to estimate snow cover over the mountainous areas of complex river basins.
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10
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Wilkinson BP, Satgé YG, Lamb JS, Jodice PGR. Tropical cyclones alter short-term activity patterns of a coastal seabird. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2019; 7:30. [PMID: 31673358 PMCID: PMC6816181 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-019-0178-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mobile organisms in marine environments are expected to modify their behavior in response to external stressors. Among environmental drivers of animal movement are long-term climatic indices influencing organism distribution and short-term meteorological events anticipated to alter acute movement behavior. However, few studies exist documenting the response of vagile species to meteorological anomalies in coastal and marine systems. METHODS Here we examined the movements of Eastern brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis) in the South Atlantic Bight in response to the passage of three separate hurricane events in 2 years. Pelicans (n = 32) were tracked with GPS satellite transmitters from four colonies in coastal South Carolina, USA, for the entirety of at least one storm event. An Expectation Maximization binary Clustering algorithm was used to discretize pelican behavioral states, which were pooled into 'active' versus 'inactive' states. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess behavioral state probabilities in relation to changes in barometric pressure and wind velocity. RESULTS Individual pelicans were more likely to remain inactive during tropical cyclone passage compared to baseline conditions generally, although responses varied by hurricane. When inactive, pelicans tended to seek shelter using local geomorphological features along the coastline such as barrier islands and estuarine systems. CONCLUSIONS Our telemetry data showed that large subtropical seabirds such as pelicans may mitigate risk associated with spatially-extensive meteorological events by decreasing daily movements. Sheltering may be related to changes in barometric pressure and wind velocity, and represents a strategy common to several other classes of marine vertebrate predators for increasing survival probabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley P. Wilkinson
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
- South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
| | - Yvan G. Satgé
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
- South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
| | - Juliet S. Lamb
- Department of Natural Resource Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881 USA
| | - Patrick G. R. Jodice
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
- U.S. Geological Survey South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
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11
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Thermal forest zone explains regional variations in the diet composition of the Japanese marten (Martes melampus). Mamm Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2018.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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12
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White JD, Sarnelle O, Hamilton SK. Unexpected population response to increasing temperature in the context of a strong species interaction. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 27:1657-1665. [PMID: 28401624 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is driving large changes in the spatial and temporal distributions of species, with significant consequences for individual populations. Community- and ecosystem-level implications of altered species distributions may be complex and challenging to anticipate due to the cascading effects of disrupted interactions among species, which may exhibit threshold responses to extreme climatic events. Toxic, bloom-forming cyanobacteria like Microcystis are expected to increase worldwide with climate change, due in part to their high temperature optima for growth. In addition, invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have caused an increase in Microcystis aeruginosa, a species typically associated with eutrophication, in low-nutrient lakes. We conducted a 13-yr study of a M. aeruginosa population in a low-nutrient lake invaded by zebra mussels. In 10 of the 13 years, there was a significant positive relationship between M. aeruginosa biomass and accumulated degree days, which are projected to increase with climate change. In contrast, Microcystis biomass was up to an order of magnitude lower than predicted by the above relationship during the other three years, including the warmest in the data set, following repeated heat-induced mass mortality of D. polymorpha. Thus, the positive relationship between Microcystis biomass and temperature was negated when its facilitating species was suppressed during a series of exceptionally warm summers. Predicting the net response of a species to climate change may therefore require, at minimum, quantification of responses of both the focal species and species that strongly interact with it over sufficiently long time periods to encompass the full range of climatic variability. Our results could not have been predicted from existing data on the short-term responses of these two interacting species to increased temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D White
- Department of Biology, Framingham State University, 100 State Street, Framingham, Massachusetts, 01702, USA
| | - Orlando Sarnelle
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Stephen K Hamilton
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, 3700 East Gull Lake Drive, Hickory Corners, Michigan, 49060, USA
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13
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Hisano M, Hoshino L, Kamada S, Masuda R, Newman C, Kaneko Y. A Comparison of Visual and Genetic Techniques for Identifying Japanese Marten Scats - Enabling Diet Examination in Relation to Seasonal Food Availability in a Sub-Alpine Area of Japan. Zoolog Sci 2017; 34:137-146. [PMID: 28397597 DOI: 10.2108/zs160148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We compared the reliability of visual diagnostic criteria to DNA diagnostic techniques, including newly designed primers, to discriminate Japanese marten (Martes melampus) feces from those of other sympatric carnivore species. Visual criteria proved > 95% reliable for fresh, odoriferous scats in good condition. Based upon this verification, we then examined if and how Japanese marten diet differs among seasons at high elevation study site (1500-2026 m). We also considered how intra-specific competition with the Japanese red fox (Vulpes vulpes japonica) may shape marten feeding ecology. From 120 Japanese marten fecal samples, high elevation diet comprised (frequency of occurrence) 30.6-66.0% mammals, 41.0-72.2% insects and 10.6-46.2% fruits, subject to seasonal variation, with a Shannon-Weaver index value of 2.77. These findings contrast substantially to seasonal marten diet reported in adjacent lowland regions (700-900 m), particularly in terms of fruit consumption, showing the trophic adaptability of the Japanese marten. We also noted a substantial dietary overlap with the red fox (n = 26 scats) with a Shannon-Weaver index of 2.61, inferring little trophic niche mutual exclusion (trophic niche overlap: 0.95), although some specific seasonal prey selection differences were likely related to relative differences in body size between foxes and martens. This additional information on the feeding ecology of the Japanese marten enables a better assessment of the specific risks populations face in mountainous regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masumi Hisano
- 1 Carnivore Ecology and Conservation Research Group, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwaicho 3-5-8, Fuchu City, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Lisa Hoshino
- 1 Carnivore Ecology and Conservation Research Group, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwaicho 3-5-8, Fuchu City, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Shouko Kamada
- 2 Department of Natural History Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Masuda
- 2 Department of Natural History Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.,3 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Chris Newman
- 4 Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Oxon OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Yayoi Kaneko
- 1 Carnivore Ecology and Conservation Research Group, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwaicho 3-5-8, Fuchu City, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
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14
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Senner NR, Verhoeven MA, Abad-Gómez JM, Gutiérrez JS, Hooijmeijer JCEW, Kentie R, Masero JA, Tibbitts TL, Piersma T. When Siberia came to the Netherlands: the response of continental black-tailed godwits to a rare spring weather event. J Anim Ecol 2015; 84:1164-76. [PMID: 26033015 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
1. Extreme weather events have the potential to alter both short- and long-term population dynamics as well as community- and ecosystem-level function. Such events are rare and stochastic, making it difficult to fully document how organisms respond to them and predict the repercussions of similar events in the future. 2. To improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which short-term events can incur long-term consequences, we documented the behavioural responses and fitness consequences for a long-distance migratory bird, the continental black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa limosa, resulting from a spring snowstorm and three-week period of record low temperatures. 3. The event caused measurable responses at three spatial scales - continental, regional and local - including migratory delays (+19 days), reverse migrations (>90 km), elevated metabolic costs (+8·8% maintenance metabolic rate) and increased foraging rates (+37%). 4. There were few long-term fitness consequences, however, and subsequent breeding seasons instead witnessed high levels of reproductive success and little evidence of carry-over effects. 5. This suggests that populations with continued access to food, behavioural flexibility and time to dissipate the costs of the event can likely withstand the consequences of an extreme weather event. For populations constrained in one of these respects, though, extreme events may entail extreme ecological consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan R Senner
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, Groningen, 9700 CC, The Netherlands
| | - Mo A Verhoeven
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, Groningen, 9700 CC, The Netherlands
| | - José M Abad-Gómez
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Anatomy Cell Biology and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas, Badajoz, 06071, Spain
| | - Jorge S Gutiérrez
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Anatomy Cell Biology and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas, Badajoz, 06071, Spain.,Department of Marine Ecology, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, Den Burg, Texel, 1790 AB, The Netherlands
| | - Jos C E W Hooijmeijer
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, Groningen, 9700 CC, The Netherlands
| | - Rosemarie Kentie
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, Groningen, 9700 CC, The Netherlands
| | - José A Masero
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Anatomy Cell Biology and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas, Badajoz, 06071, Spain
| | - T Lee Tibbitts
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, Groningen, 9700 CC, The Netherlands.,Department of Marine Ecology, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, Den Burg, Texel, 1790 AB, The Netherlands
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15
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Ge J, Xiong G, Wang Z, Zhang M, Zhao C, Shen G, Xu W, Xie Z. Altered dynamics of broad-leaved tree species in a Chinese subtropical montane mixed forest: the role of an anomalous extreme 2008 ice storm episode. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:1484-93. [PMID: 25897387 PMCID: PMC4395177 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Revised: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Extreme climatic events can trigger gradual or abrupt shifts in forest ecosystems via the reduction or elimination of foundation species. However, the impacts of these events on foundation species' demography and forest dynamics remain poorly understood. Here we quantified dynamics for both evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved species groups, utilizing a monitoring permanent plot in a subtropical montane mixed forest in central China from 2001 to 2010 with particular relevance to the anomalous 2008 ice storm episode. We found that both species groups showed limited floristic alterations over the study period. For each species group, size distribution of dead individuals approximated a roughly irregular and flat shape prior to the ice storm and resembled an inverse J-shaped distribution after the ice storm. Furthermore, patterns of mortality and recruitment displayed disequilibrium behaviors with mortality exceeding recruitment for both species groups following the ice storm. Deciduous broad-leaved species group accelerated overall diameter growth, but the ice storm reduced evergreen small-sized diameter growth. We concluded that evergreen broad-leaved species were more susceptible to ice storms than deciduous broad-leaved species, and ice storm events, which may become more frequent with climate change, might potentially threaten the perpetuity of evergreen-dominated broad-leaved forests in this subtropical region in the long term. These results underscore the importance of long-term monitoring that is indispensible to elucidate causal links between forest dynamics and climatic perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jielin Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences No.20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China ; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Gaoming Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences No.20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Zhixian Wang
- Administration Bureau of Shennongjia National Nature Reserve Shennongjia, Hubei, 442421, China
| | - Mi Zhang
- Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Xining, 810008, China
| | - Changming Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences No.20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Guozhen Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences No.20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Wenting Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences No.20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Zongqiang Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences No.20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
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16
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Cryptic function loss in animal populations. Trends Ecol Evol 2015; 30:182-9. [PMID: 25678379 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2013] [Revised: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The essential functional roles performed by animal species are lost when they become locally extinct, and ecosystems are critically threatened by this decline in functional diversity. Theory that links function, diversity, and ecosystem stability exists but fails to assess function loss that occurs in species with persistent populations. The entire functional role of a species, or a critical component of it, can be lost following large population declines (functional extinction), following population increase, or after behavioural adaptations to changes in the population, community, habitat, or climate. Here, we provide a framework that identifies the scenarios under which 'cryptic' function loss can occur in persistent populations. Cryptic function loss is potentially widespread and critically threatens ecosystem stability across the globe.
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17
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Zhou Y, Chen W, Buesching CD, Newman C, Kaneko Y, Xiang M, Nie C, Macdonald DW, Xie Z. Hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) latrine use in relation to food abundance: evidence of the scarce factor paradox. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es14-00155.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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18
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Seasonal dietary shifts and food resource exploitation by the hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) in a Chinese subtropical forest. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-014-0881-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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19
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Zhou Y, Newman C, Palomares F, Zhang S, Xie Z, Macdonald DW. Spatial organization and activity patterns of the masked palm civet ( Paguma larvata) in central-south China. J Mammal 2014; 95:534-542. [PMID: 32287381 PMCID: PMC7107440 DOI: 10.1644/13-mamm-a-185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2013] [Accepted: 01/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Movement and activity patterns are important components of life history, being central to resource acquisition and defense, mating behavior, and individual survival and fitness. Here, we present results from the 1st systematic radiotracking study of the masked palm civet (Paguma larvata), a widespread viverrid found in subtropical and tropical forests of Asia. From June 2004 to November 2007, we radiotracked 12 masked palm civets (5 males and 7 females) in central-south China. Mean individual home-range size based on 95% minimum convex polygons was 192.6 ha ± 42.6 SE (range = 64-451 ha). Although males had larger mean home-range sizes than females (276.8 and 136.5 ha, respectively), these differences were not statistically significant. Males also exhibited greater daily movement distances and extents than females, but we found no evidence of sexual dimorphism in body size. Masked palm civets were predominantly nocturnal, but were active intermittently during the day. No significant seasonal (monthly) differences in daily activity patterns were apparent. We did, however, observe reduced hours of activity-but not continuous inactivity-during winter; consequently, we concluded that our study animals did not hibernate or semihibernate. We speculate that our observations of home-range overlap among individuals may indicate group living in the masked palm civet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youbing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing 100093, China
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Francisco Palomares
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Donaña—CSIC, Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Shuiyi Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institutes for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research, East China Normal University, No. 3663 Zhongshan Rd., Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Zongqiang Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing 100093, China
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
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20
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Nouvellet P, Newman C, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW. A multi-metric approach to investigate the effects of weather conditions on the demographic of a terrestrial mammal, the european badger (Meles meles). PLoS One 2013; 8:e68116. [PMID: 23874517 PMCID: PMC3708947 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Accepted: 05/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Models capturing the full effects of weather conditions on animal populations are scarce. Here we decompose yearly temperature and rainfall into mean trends, yearly amplitude of change and residual variation, using daily records. We establish from multi-model inference procedures, based on 1125 life histories (from 1987 to 2008), that European badger (Meles meles) annual mortality and recruitment rates respond to changes in mean trends and to variability in proximate weather components. Variation in mean rainfall was by far the most influential predictor in our analysis. Juvenile survival and recruitment rates were highest at intermediate levels of mean rainfall, whereas low adult survival rates were associated with only the driest, and not the wettest, years. Both juvenile and adult survival rates also exhibited a range of tolerance for residual standard deviation around daily predicted temperature values, beyond which survival rates declined. Life-history parameters, annual routines and adaptive behavioural responses, which define the badgers’ climatic niche, thus appear to be predicated upon a bounded range of climatic conditions, which support optimal survival and recruitment dynamics. That variability in weather conditions is influential, in combination with mean climatic trends, on the vital rates of a generalist, wide ranging and K-selected medium-sized carnivore, has major implications for evolutionary ecology and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Nouvellet
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Christina D. Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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