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Russo D, Jones G, Martinoli A, Preatoni DG, Spada M, Pereswiet‐Soltan A, Cistrone L. Climate is changing, are European bats too? A multispecies analysis of trends in body size. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10872. [PMID: 38333101 PMCID: PMC10850807 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal size, a trait sensitive to spatial and temporal variables, is a key element in ecological and evolutionary dynamics. In the context of climate change, there is evidence that some bat species are increasing their body size via phenotypic responses to higher temperatures at maternity roosts. To test the generality of this response, we conducted a >20-year study examining body size changes in 15 bat species in Italy, analysing data from 4393 individual bats captured since 1995. In addition to examining the temporal effect, we considered the potential influence of sexual dimorphism and, where relevant, included latitude and altitude as potential drivers of body size change. Contrary to initial predictions of a widespread increase in size, our findings challenge this assumption, revealing a nuanced interplay of factors contributing to the complexity of bat body size dynamics. Specifically, only three species (Myotis daubentonii, Nyctalus leisleri, and Pipistrellus pygmaeus) out of the 15 exhibited a discernible increase in body size over the studied period, prompting a reassessment of bats as reliable indicators of climate change based on alterations in body size. Our investigation into influencing factors highlighted the significance of temperature-related variables, with latitude and altitude emerging as crucial drivers. In some cases, this mirrored patterns consistent with Bergmann's rule, revealing larger bats recorded at progressively higher latitudes (Plecotus auritus, Myotis mystacinus, and Miniopterus schreibersii) or altitudes (Pipistrellus kuhlii). We also observed a clear sexual dimorphism effect in most species, with females consistently larger than males. The observed increase in size over time in three species suggests the occurrence of phenotypic plasticity, raising questions about potential long-term selective pressures on larger individuals. The unresolved question of whether temperature-related changes in body size reflect microevolutionary processes or phenotypic plastic responses adds further complexity to our understanding of body size patterns in bats over time and space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Russo
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Evolution (AnEcoEvo), Dipartimento di AgrariaUniversità degli Studi di Napoli Federico IIPorticiItaly
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Gareth Jones
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Adriano Martinoli
- Unità di Analisi e Gestione delle Risorse Ambientali, Guido Tosi Research Group, Dipartimento di Scienze Teoriche ed ApplicateUniversità degli Studi dell'InsubriaVareseItaly
| | - Damiano G. Preatoni
- Unità di Analisi e Gestione delle Risorse Ambientali, Guido Tosi Research Group, Dipartimento di Scienze Teoriche ed ApplicateUniversità degli Studi dell'InsubriaVareseItaly
| | | | | | - Luca Cistrone
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Evolution (AnEcoEvo), Dipartimento di AgrariaUniversità degli Studi di Napoli Federico IIPorticiItaly
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Turza F, Miler K. Small workers are more persistent when providing and requiring help in a monomorphic ant. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21580. [PMID: 38062073 PMCID: PMC10703799 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49012-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The common sand-dwelling Formica cinerea ants possess monomorphic workers, yet with considerable and easily identified size variation. Considering the importance of body size in polymorphic ants and other animals, we test whether size-dependent differences in behaviour occur in this species. We focus on the behaviour of large and small foragers in the context of rescue occurring between nestmates when one of them is entrapped and requires help. We show that workers of different sizes are characterized by a similar frequency of rescue activity and time delay to the first act of rescue. However, small workers rescue for longer than large workers. These results indicate that, although there is no size-related rescue specialization in F. cinerea foragers, small rescuers behave differently than large ones in terms of rescue persistence. Additionally, we show that small workers are more active when trapped. We suggest that variation in behavioural persistence of differently-sized workers may increase the efficiency of rescue actions. This study is the first to find a connection between body size and rescue behaviour in ants and the first to quantify and analyze the behaviour of individuals in need of rescue. These findings add substantially to our understanding of social insects and, more generally, highlight the need to study among-individual behavioural variation in social animals, including those in which body size is judged minute and irrelevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Turza
- Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Prof. S. Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland.
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Krzysztof Miler
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016, Kraków, Poland.
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Ydenberg RC, Fernández G, Ortiz Lopez E, Lank DB. Avian wings can lengthen rather than shorten in response to increased migratory predation danger. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10325. [PMID: 37492461 PMCID: PMC10363853 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Increasing predation danger can select for safety-enhancing modifications to prey morphology. Here, we document the multi-decade wing lengthening of a Pacific flyway migrant, the western sandpiper (Calidris mauri), and contrast this with contemporaneous wing shortening of the closely related semipalmated sandpiper (C. pusilla) on the Atlantic flyway. We measured >12,000 southbound western sandpipers captured from 1978 to 2020 at a major stopover site in British Columbia. Wing length increased at 0.074 mm year-1 (SE = 0.017; p < .0003) for adults, and 0.087 mm year-1 (SE = 0.029; p < .007) for juveniles. These rates are of similarly large magnitude (4%-5% overall), but opposite in direction, to the rate we previously reported for semipalmated sandpiper adults (-0.103 mm year-1). In both species, the change is specific to wings rather than being part of a general body size change. We interpret both trends as responses to the ongoing strong increase of peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) populations since the mid-1970s, an important predator encountered by these species in contrasting ways during migration. Western sandpipers and peregrine migrations have temporal and spatial overlap. Longer wings enhance migratory speed and efficiency, enabling western sandpipers to decrease overlap by advancing to safer zones ahead of falcon passage. In contrast, semipalmated sandpipers primarily encounter peregrines as residents at migratory staging sites. Shorter wings improve acceleration and agility, helping migrants to escape attacks. Juvenile western sandpiper wing length also shows a component additive to the lengthening trend, shifting between years at 0.055 mm day-1 with the highly variable snowmelt date, with wings shorter following early springs. On the Pacific flyway, the timing of peregrine southward passage advances with snowmelt, increasing the relative exposure of juveniles to post-migratory resident peregrines. We interpret this annual wing length adjustment as an induced defense, made possible because snowmelt timing is a reliable cue to danger in the upcoming migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald C. Ydenberg
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Department of Biological SciencesSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Guillermo Fernández
- Unidad Académica Mazatlán, Instituto de Ciencias del Mary LimnologíaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMazatlanMexico
| | | | - David B. Lank
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Department of Biological SciencesSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
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Chen W, Miao K, Wang J, Wang H, Sun W, Yuan S, Luo S, Hu C, Chang Q. Five new mitogenomes sequences of Calidridine sandpipers (Aves: Charadriiformes) and comparative mitogenomics of genus Calidris. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13268. [PMID: 35462767 PMCID: PMC9022639 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The genus Calidris (Charadriiformes, Scolopacidae) includes shorebirds known as dunlin, knots, and sanderlings. The relationships between species nested within Calidris, including Eurynorynchus, Limicola and Aphriza, are not well-resolved. Methods Samples were collected from Xiaoyangkou, Rudong County, Jiangsu Province, China. Mitogenomes were sequenced using the Illumina Novaseq 6000 platform for PE 2 × 150 bp sequencing, and then checked for PCR products. Protein-coding genes were determined using an Open Reading Frame Finder. tRNAscan-SE, MITOS, and ARWEN were used to confirm tRNA and rRNA annotations. Bioinformatic analyses were conducted using DnaSP 5.1 and MEGA X. Phylogenic trees were constructed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses. Results We sequenced and annotated the mitogenome of five species and obtained four complete mitogenomes and one nearly complete mitogenome. Circular mitogenomes displayed moderate size variation, with a mean length of 16,747 bp, ranging from 16,642 to 16,791 bp. The mitogenome encoded a control region and a typical set of 37 genes containing two rRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, and 22 tRNA genes. There were four start codons, four stop codons, and one incomplete stop codon (T-). The nucleotide composition was consistently AT-biased. The average uncorrected pairwise distances revealed heterogeneity in the evolutionary rate for each gene; the COIII had a slow evolutionary rate, whereas the ATP8 gene had a fast rate. dN/dS analysis indicated that the protein-coding genes were under purifying selection. The genetic distances between species showed that the greatest genetic distance was between Eurynorhynchus pygmeus and Limicola falcinellus (22.5%), and the shortest was between E. pygmeus and Calidris ruficollis (12.8%). Phylogenetic trees revealed that Calidris is not a monophyletic genus, as species from the genera Eurynorynchus and Limicola were nested within Calidris. The molecular data obtained in this study are valuable for research on the taxonomy, population genetics, and evolution of birds in the genus Calidris.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China,Jiangsu Open University (The City Vocational College of Jiangsu), College of Environment and Ecology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Keer Miao
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Junqi Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hao Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wan Sun
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Sijia Yuan
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Site Luo
- School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Guangdong, China
| | - Chaochao Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China,Nanjing Normal University, Analytical and Testing Center, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qing Chang
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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Subasinghe K, Symonds MRE, Vidal-García M, Bonnet T, Prober SM, Williams KJ, Gardner JL. Repeatability and Validity of Phenotypic Trait Measurements in Birds. Evol Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-020-09527-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Csősz S, Seifert B, Mikó I, Boudinot BE, Borowiec ML, Fisher BL, Prebus M, Puniamoorthy J, Rakotonirina J, Rasoamanana N, Schultz R, Trietsch C, Ulmer JM, Elek Z. Insect morphometry is reproducible under average investigation standards. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:547-559. [PMID: 33437450 PMCID: PMC7790639 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Morphometric research is being applied to a growing number and variety of organisms. Discoveries achieved via morphometric approaches are often considered highly transferable, in contrast to the tacit and idiosyncratic interpretation of discrete character states. The reliability of morphometric workflows in insect systematics has never been a subject of focused research, but such studies are sorely needed. In this paper, we assess the reproducibility of morphometric studies of ants where the mode of data collection is a shared routine.We compared datasets generated by eleven independent gaugers, that is, collaborators, who measured 21 continuous morphometric traits on the same pool of individuals according to the same protocol. The gaugers possessed a wide range of morphometric skills, had varying expertise among insect groups, and differed in their facility with measuring equipment. We used intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) to calculate repeatability and reproducibility values (i.e., intra- and intergauger agreements), and we performed a multivariate permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) using the Morosita index of dissimilarity with 9,999 iterations.The calculated average measure of intraclass correlation coefficients of different gaugers ranged from R = 0.784 to R = 0.9897 and a significant correlation was found between the repeatability and the morphometric skills of gaugers (p = 0.016). There was no significant association with the magnification of the equipment in the case of these rather small ants. The intergauger agreement, that is the reproducibility, varied between R = 0.872 and R = 0.471 (mean R = 0.690), but all gaugers arrived at the same two-species conclusion. A PERMANOVA test revealed no significant gauger effect on species identity (R 2 = 0.69, p = 0.58).Our findings show that morphometric studies are reproducible when observers follow the standard protocol; hence, morphometric findings are widely transferable and will remain a valuable data source for alpha taxonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sándor Csősz
- MTA‐ELTE‐MTM Ecology Research GroupBudapestHungary
- Evolutionary Ecology Research GroupCentre for Ecological ResearchInstitute of Ecology and BotanyVácrátótHungary
| | | | - István Mikó
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
| | | | - Marek L. Borowiec
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and NematologyUniversity of IdahoIDUSA
| | - Brian L. Fisher
- Department of EntomologyCalifornia Academy of SciencesSan FranciscoCAUSA
| | - Matthew Prebus
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and NematologyUniversity of IdahoIDUSA
| | | | - Jean‐Claude Rakotonirina
- Madagascar Biodiversity CenterAntananarivoMadagascar
- Département d'EntomologieUniversité d'AntananarivoAntananarivoMadagascar
| | | | - Roland Schultz
- Senckenberg Museum of Natural History GörlitzGörlitzGermany
| | | | | | - Zoltán Elek
- MTA‐ELTE‐MTM Ecology Research GroupBudapestHungary
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Hope DD, Lank DB, Smith PA, Paquet J, Ydenberg RC. Migrant Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) Have Over Four Decades Steadily Shifted Towards Safer Stopover Locations. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Morbey YE, Hedenström A. Leave Earlier or Travel Faster? Optimal Mechanisms for Managing Arrival Time in Migratory Songbirds. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Holberton RL, Taylor PD, Tudor LM, O'Brien KM, Mittelhauser GH, Breit A. Automated VHF Radiotelemetry Revealed Site-Specific Differences in Fall Migration Strategies of Semipalmated Sandpipers on Stopover in the Gulf of Maine. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Anderson AM, Duijns S, Smith PA, Friis C, Nol E. Migration Distance and Body Condition Influence Shorebird Migration Strategies and Stopover Decisions During Southbound Migration. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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