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Liu Y, Li C, Shao H. Comparative Study of Potential Habitats for Simulium qinghaiense (Diptera: Simuliidae) in the Huangshui River Basin, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: An Analysis Using Four Ecological Niche Models and Optimized Approaches. INSECTS 2024; 15:81. [PMID: 38392501 PMCID: PMC10889266 DOI: 10.3390/insects15020081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The Huangshui River, a vital tributary in the upper reaches of the Yellow River within the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is home to the endemic black fly species S. qinghaiense. In this study, we conducted a systematic survey of the distribution of the species in the Huangshui River basin, revealing its predominant presence along the river's main stem. Based on four ecological niche models-MaxEnt with parameter optimization; GARP; BIOCLIM; and DOMAIN-we conduct a comparative analysis; evaluating the accuracy of AUC and Kappa values. Our findings indicate that optimizing parameters significantly improves the MaxEnt model's predictive accuracy by reducing complexity and overfitting. Furthermore, all four models exhibit higher accuracy compared to a random model, with MaxEnt demonstrating the highest AUC and Kappa values (0.9756 and 0.8118, respectively), showcasing significant superiority over the other models (p < 0.05). Evaluation of predictions from the four models elucidates that potential areas of S. qinghaiense in the Huangshui River basin are primarily concentrated in the central and southern areas, with precipitation exerting a predominant influence. Building upon these results, we utilized the MaxEnt model to forecast changes in suitable areas and distribution centers during the Last Interglacial (LIG), Mid-Holocene (MH), and future periods under three climate scenarios. The results indicate significantly smaller suitable areas during LIG and MH compared to the present, with the center of distribution shifting southeastward from the Qilian Mountains to the central part of the basin. In the future, suitable areas under different climate scenarios are expected to contract, with the center of distribution shifting southeastward. These findings provide important theoretical references for monitoring, early warning, and control measures for S. qinghaiense in the region, contributing to ecological health assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
- Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Integrated Pest Management in Qinghai, Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
| | - Chuanji Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
- Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Integrated Pest Management in Qinghai, Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
| | - Hainan Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
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Willot Q, Ørsted M, Malte H, Overgaard J. Cold comfort: metabolic rate and tolerance to low temperatures predict latitudinal distribution in ants. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230985. [PMID: 37670587 PMCID: PMC10510448 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0985] [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: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolic compensation has been proposed as a mean for ectotherms to cope with colder climates. For example, under the metabolic cold adaptation and the metabolic homeostasis hypotheses (MCA and MHH), it has been formulated that cold-adapted ectotherms should display both higher (MCA) and more thermally sensitive (MHH) metabolic rates (MRs) at lower temperatures. However, whether such compensation can truly be associated with distribution, and whether it interplays with cold tolerance to predict species' climatic niches, remains largely unclear despite broad ecological implications thereof. Here, we teased apart the relationship between MRs, cold tolerance and distribution, to test the MCA/MHH among 13 European ant species. We report clear metabolic compensation effects, consistent with the MCA and MHH, where MR parameters strongly correlated with latitude and climatic factors across species' distributions. The combination of both cold tolerance and MRs further upheld the best predictions of species' environmental temperatures and limits of northernmost distribution. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that the association of metabolic data with cold tolerance supports better predictive models of species' climate and distribution in social insects than models including cold tolerance alone. These results also highlight that adaptation to higher latitudes in ants involved adjustments of both cold tolerance and MRs, to allow this extremely successful group of insects to thrive under colder climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Willot
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Michael Ørsted
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg E, Denmark
| | - Hans Malte
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Krapf P, Arthofer W, Ayasse M, Steiner FM, Schlick-Steiner BC. Global change may make hostile - Higher ambient temperature and nitrogen availability increase ant aggression. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 861:160443. [PMID: 36436655 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Behaviour is a response of organisms to internal and external stimuli and comprises various activities such as searching for food. Aggression is important in such activities, for example, improving the chances of winning competition for food, but animals differ in their level of aggression. This behavioural plasticity allows individuals to respond to environmental changes and is important for the survival of animals. It may be an important asset in facing global changes, which affect all organisms, for example, via rising temperature and eutrophication. The latter have steadily increased since 1900, especially in high elevations. Their effects may first become visible in stationary organisms such as ants because their nests are strictly associated with the conditions on site. Here, we analysed eight populations of the high-elevation ant Tetramorium alpestre along several elevations spanning the European Alps. We conducted a correlative approach and analysed several genetic and environmental proxies, namely within- and across-colony genetic relatedness, cuticular hydrocarbons, body size, across-colony geographic distance, air temperature, and worker nitrogen values additionally to within-population aggressive behaviour. We hypothesised that a) these proxies and aggressive behaviour differ among populations and that b) one or more of these proxies influence aggression. We found that a) some environmental proxies and aggression differed among populations but not the genetic proxies and that b) air temperature and worker nitrogen-isotope values correlated positively with worker aggression. The results indicate an environmental but not social-structural influence on this ant's aggressive behaviour, even though social structure varied among populations (single- and multiple-queened colonies). We infer that global change affects aggression in our study system and propose five mutually non-exclusive scenarios to explain the behavioural change mechanistically. Using the space-for-time principle, we speculate that aggression may increase due to future increases in temperature and nitrogen availability in this ant and other species living in high elevations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Krapf
- Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
| | - Wolfgang Arthofer
- Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Florian M Steiner
- Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Birgit C Schlick-Steiner
- Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
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Chown SL. Macrophysiology for decision‐making. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. L. Chown
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
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Parr CL, Bishop TR. The response of ants to climate change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:3188-3205. [PMID: 35274797 PMCID: PMC9314018 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are one of the most dominant terrestrial organisms worldwide. They are hugely abundant, both in terms of sheer numbers and biomass, on every continent except Antarctica and are deeply embedded within a diversity of ecological networks and processes. Ants are also eusocial and colonial organisms-their lifecycle is built on the labor of sterile worker ants who support a small number of reproductive individuals. Given the climatic changes that our planet faces, we need to understand how various important taxonomic groups will respond; this includes the ants. In this review, we synthesize the available literature to tackle this question. The answer is complicated. The ant literature has focused on temperature, and we broadly understand the ways in which thermal changes may affect ant colonies, populations, and communities. In general, we expect that species living in the Tropics, and in thermally variable microhabitats, such as the canopy and leaf litter environments, will be negatively impacted by rising temperatures. Species living in the temperate zones and those able to thermally buffer their nests in the soil or behaviorally avoid higher temperatures, however, are likely to be unaffected or may even benefit from a changed climate. How ants will respond to changes to other abiotic drivers associated with climate change is largely unknown, as is the detail on how altered ant populations and communities will ramify through their wider ecological networks. We discuss how eusociality may allow ants to adapt to, or tolerate, climate change in ways that solitary organisms cannot and we identify key geographic and phylogenetic hotspots of climate vulnerability and resistance. We finish by emphasizing the key research questions that we need to address moving forward so that we may fully appreciate how this critical insect group will respond to the ongoing climate crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine L. Parr
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
- Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandWitsSouth Africa
| | - Tom R. Bishop
- Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
- School of BiosciencesCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
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Bujan J, Ollier S, Villalta I, Devers S, Cerdá X, Amor F, Dahbi A, Bertelsmeier C, Boulay R. Can thermoregulatory traits and evolutionary history predict climatic niches of thermal specialists? DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Bujan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Sébastien Ollier
- Department of Ecology, Systematics and Evolution University Paris‐Saclay CNRS AgroParisTech Orsay France
| | - Irene Villalta
- Institute of Insect Biology University François Rabelais of Tours Tours France
| | - Séverine Devers
- Institute of Insect Biology University François Rabelais of Tours Tours France
| | - Xim Cerdá
- Department of Ecology, Systematics and Evolution University Paris‐Saclay CNRS AgroParisTech Orsay France
- Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC Sevilla Spain
| | | | - Abdallah Dahbi
- Department of Biology Polydisciplinary Faculty of Safi Cadi Ayyad University Safi Morocco
| | - Cleo Bertelsmeier
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Raphaël Boulay
- Institute of Insect Biology University François Rabelais of Tours Tours France
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Sankovitz M, Purcell J. Ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23053. [PMID: 34845261 PMCID: PMC8630048 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02491-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Social insects are among the most abundant arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems, where they provide ecosystem services. The effect of subterranean activity of ants on soil is well-studied, yet little is known about nest architecture due to the difficulty of observing belowground patterns. Furthermore, many species’ ranges span environmental gradients, and their nest architecture is likely shaped by the climatic and landscape features of their specific habitats. We investigated the effects of two temperature treatments on the shape and size of nests built by Formica podzolica ants collected from high and low elevations in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in a full factorial experiment. Ants nested in experimental chambers with soil surface temperatures matching the local temperatures of sample sites. We observed a plastic response of nest architecture to conditions experienced during excavation; workers experiencing a high temperature excavated deeper nests than those experiencing a cooler temperature. Further, we found evidence of local adaptation to temperature, with a significant interaction effect of natal elevation and temperature treatment on nest size and complexity. Specifically, workers from high elevation sites built larger nests with more tunnels when placed in the cool surface temperature treatment, and workers from low elevation sites exhibited the opposite pattern. Our results suggest that subterranean ant nest architecture is shaped by a combination of plastic and locally adapted building behaviors; we suggest that the flexibility of this ‘extended phenotype’ likely contributes to the widespread success of ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Sankovitz
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
| | - Jessica Purcell
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
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Menzel F, Feldmeyer B. How does climate change affect social insects? CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 46:10-15. [PMID: 33545433 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate change poses a major threat to global biodiversity, already causing sharp declines of populations and species. In some social insect species we already see advanced phenologies, changes in distribution ranges, and changes in abundance Rafferty (2017) and Diamond et al. (2017). Physiologically, social insects are no different from solitary insects, but they possess a number of characteristics that distinguish their response to climate change. Here, we examine these traits, which might enable them to cope better with climate change than solitary insects, but only in the short term. In addition, we discuss how climate change will alter biotic interactions and ecosystem functions, and how it will affect invasive social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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Klimes P, Bishop TR, Fayle TM, Xing S. Reported climate change impacts on cloud forest ants are driven by sampling bias: A critical evaluation of Warne et al. (2020). Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petr Klimes
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Tom R. Bishop
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
- Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Tom M. Fayle
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation Universiti Malaysia Sabah Sabah Malaysia
| | - Shuang Xing
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
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Muluvhahothe MM, Joseph GS, Seymour CL, Munyai TC, Foord SH. Repeated surveying over 6 years reveals that fine-scale habitat variables are key to tropical mountain ant assemblage composition and functional diversity. Sci Rep 2021; 11:56. [PMID: 33420160 PMCID: PMC7794360 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80077-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
High-altitude-adapted ectotherms can escape competition from dominant species by tolerating low temperatures at cooler elevations, but climate change is eroding such advantages. Studies evaluating broad-scale impacts of global change for high-altitude organisms often overlook the mitigating role of biotic factors. Yet, at fine spatial-scales, vegetation-associated microclimates provide refuges from climatic extremes. Using one of the largest standardised data sets collected to date, we tested how ant species composition and functional diversity (i.e., the range and value of species traits found within assemblages) respond to large-scale abiotic factors (altitude, aspect), and fine-scale factors (vegetation, soil structure) along an elevational gradient in tropical Africa. Altitude emerged as the principal factor explaining species composition. Analysis of nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity indicated that ant assemblages are specific to each elevation, so species are not filtered out but replaced with new species as elevation increases. Similarity of assemblages over time (assessed using beta decay) did not change significantly at low and mid elevations but declined at the highest elevations. Assemblages also differed between northern and southern mountain aspects, although at highest elevations, composition was restricted to a set of species found on both aspects. Functional diversity was not explained by large scale variables like elevation, but by factors associated with elevation that operate at fine scales (i.e., temperature and habitat structure). Our findings highlight the significance of fine-scale variables in predicting organisms' responses to changing temperature, offering management possibilities that might dilute climate change impacts, and caution when predicting assemblage responses using climate models, alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mulalo M Muluvhahothe
- SARChI-Chair On Biodiversity Value and Change, Department of Zoology and Centre for Invasion Biology, School of Mathematical and Natural Science, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, South Africa
| | - Grant S Joseph
- SARChI-Chair On Biodiversity Value and Change, Department of Zoology and Centre for Invasion Biology, School of Mathematical and Natural Science, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, South Africa.
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa.
| | - Colleen L Seymour
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Private Bag X7, Claremont, 7735, South Africa
| | - Thinandavha C Munyai
- School of Life Science, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa
| | - Stefan H Foord
- SARChI-Chair On Biodiversity Value and Change, Department of Zoology and Centre for Invasion Biology, School of Mathematical and Natural Science, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, South Africa
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Hethcoat MG, King BJ, Castiblanco FF, Ortiz-Sepúlveda CM, Achiardi FCP, Edwards FA, Medina C, Gilroy JJ, Haugaasen T, Edwards DP. The impact of secondary forest regeneration on ground-dwelling ant communities in the Tropical Andes. Oecologia 2019; 191:475-482. [PMID: 31485850 PMCID: PMC6763530 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04497-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Natural regeneration of abandoned farmland provides an important opportunity to contribute to global reforestation targets, including the Bonn Challenge. Of particular importance are the montane tropics, where a long history of farming, frequently on marginal soils, has rendered many ecosystems highly degraded and hotspots of extinction risk. Ants play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning, and a key question is how time since abandonment and elevation (and inherent temperature gradients therein) affect patterns of ant recovery within secondary forest systems. Focusing on the Colombian Andes across a 1300 m altitudinal gradient and secondary forest (2-30 years) recovering on abandoned cattle pastures, we find that over time ant community composition and species richness recovered towards that of primary forest. However, these relationships are strongly dependent on elevation with the more open and warmer pasturelands supporting more ants than either primary or secondary forest at a particular elevation. The loss of species richness and change in species composition with elevation is less severe in pasture than forests, suggesting that conditions within pasture and its remaining scattered trees, hedgerows and forest fragments, are more favourable for some species, which are likely in or near thermal debt. Promoting and protecting natural regenerating forests over the long term in the montane tropics will likely offer significant potential for returning ant communities towards primary forest levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Hethcoat
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S3 7RH, UK.,Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Bethany J King
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | | | | | | | - Felicity A Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Claudia Medina
- Instituto de Investigacion de Recursos Biologicos Alexander von Humboldt, Calle 28A#15-09, Bogota, Colombia
| | - James J Gilroy
- School of Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Torbjørn Haugaasen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - David P Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
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