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Reid R, Capilla-Lasheras P, Haddou Y, Boonekamp J, Dominoni DM. The impact of urbanization on health depends on the health metric, life stage and level of urbanization: a global meta-analysis on avian species. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240617. [PMID: 39016598 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0617] [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: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Stressors associated with urban habitats have been linked to poor wildlife health but whether a general negative relationship between urbanization and animal health can be affirmed is unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of avian literature to test whether health biomarkers differed on average between urban and non-urban environments, and whether there are systematic differences across species, biomarkers, life stages and species traits. Our dataset included 644 effect sizes derived from 112 articles published between 1989 and 2022, on 51 bird species. First, we showed that there was no clear impact of urbanization on health when we categorized the sampling locations as urban or non-urban. However, we did find a small negative effect of urbanization on health when this dichotomous variable was replaced by a quantitative variable representing the degree of urbanization at each location. Second, we showed that the effect of urbanization on avian health was dependent on the type of health biomarker measured as well as the individual life stage, with young individuals being more negatively affected. Our comprehensive analysis calls for future studies to disentangle specific urban-related drivers of health that might be obscured in categorical urban versus non-urban comparisons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Reid
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, 82 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Pablo Capilla-Lasheras
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, 82 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Yacob Haddou
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, 82 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Jelle Boonekamp
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, 82 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Davide M Dominoni
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, 82 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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2
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Damiani G, Sebastiano M, Dell'Omo G, Costantini D. Blood transcriptome analysis of common kestrel nestlings living in urban and non-urban environments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 928:172585. [PMID: 38641099 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Urbanisation is one of the main anthropogenic forms of land cover affecting an ever-increasing number of wild animals and their habitats. Physiological plasticity represents an important process through which animals can adjust to the novel conditions of anthropogenic environments. Relying on the analysis of gene expression, it is possible to identify the molecular responses to the habitat conditions and infer possible environmental factors that affect the organismal physiology. We have quantified for the first time the blood transcriptome of common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) nestlings living in urban sites and compared it to the transcriptome of kestrel nestlings inhabiting rural and natural environments. We found mild differences in the expression of genes among sites, indicating adaptability or acclimation of the birds to the urban habitat. We identified 58 differentially expressed genes between urban and natural kestrels, and 12 differentially expressed genes between urban and rural kestrels. The most striking differences among sites involved inflammatory-immunological, metabolic, apoptosis, DNA repair and development genes. In particular, we found that (i) urban kestrel nestlings had higher expression of genes linked to inflammation, repair of DNA damage, or apoptosis than natural kestrel nestlings, and (ii) natural and rural kestrel nestlings had higher expression of genes linked to the development and activation of immune cells, type I interferon response, or major histocompatibility complex than urban kestrel nestlings. Finally, the KEGG enrichment analysis identified the insulin signalling as the main pathway that differed between natural and urban kestrel nestlings. This is one of a limited number of studies on vertebrates that revealed habitat-associated differences in the transcriptome. It paves the way for further in-depth studies on the links between physiological variation and habitat structure at different spatial and temporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Damiani
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; Ornis italica, Piazza Crati 15, 00199 Rome, Italy.
| | - Manrico Sebastiano
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - David Costantini
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; Ornis italica, Piazza Crati 15, 00199 Rome, Italy; Unité Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, UMR7221-Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle-CNRS, 75005 Paris, France.
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3
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Amer A, Spears S, Vaughn PL, Colwell C, Livingston EH, McQueen W, Schill A, Reichard DG, Gangloff EJ, Brock KM. Physiological phenotypes differ among color morphs in introduced common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis). Integr Zool 2024; 19:505-523. [PMID: 37884464 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Many species exhibit color polymorphisms which have distinct physiological and behavioral characteristics. However, the consistency of morph trait covariation patterns across species, time, and ecological contexts remains unclear. This trait covariation is especially relevant in the context of invasion biology and urban adaptation. Specifically, physiological traits pertaining to energy maintenance are crucial to fitness, given their immediate ties to individual reproduction, growth, and population establishment. We investigated the physiological traits of Podarcis muralis, a versatile color polymorphic species that thrives in urban environments (including invasive populations in Ohio, USA). We measured five physiological traits (plasma corticosterone and triglycerides, hematocrit, body condition, and field body temperature), which compose an integrated multivariate phenotype. We then tested variation among co-occurring color morphs in the context of establishment in an urban environment. We found that the traits describing physiological status and strategy shifted across the active season in a morph-dependent manner-the white and yellow morphs exhibited clearly different multivariate physiological phenotypes, characterized primarily by differences in plasma corticosterone. This suggests that morphs have different strategies in physiological regulation, the flexibility of which is crucial to urban adaptation. The white-yellow morph exhibited an intermediate phenotype, suggesting an intermediary energy maintenance strategy. Orange morphs also exhibited distinct phenotypes, but the low prevalence of this morph in our study populations precludes clear interpretation. Our work provides insight into how differences among stable polymorphisms exist across axes of the phenotype and how this variation may aid in establishment within novel environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Amer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Sierra Spears
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Princeton L Vaughn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Cece Colwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Ethan H Livingston
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Wyatt McQueen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Anna Schill
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
- Department of Biology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA
| | - Dustin G Reichard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Eric J Gangloff
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Kinsey M Brock
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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4
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Ancillotto L, Amori G, Capizzi D, Cignini B, Zapparoli M, Mori E. No city for wetland species: habitat associations affect mammal persistence in urban areas. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240079. [PMID: 38471547 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0079] [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: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The fast rate of replacement of natural areas by expanding cities is a key threat to wildlife worldwide. Many wild species occur in cities, yet little is known on the dynamics of urban wildlife assemblages due to species' extinction and colonization that may occur in response to the rapidly evolving conditions within urban areas. Namely, species' ability to spread within urban areas, besides habitat preferences, is likely to shape the fate of species once they occur in a city. Here we use a long-term dataset on mammals occurring in one of the largest and most ancient cities in Europe to assess whether and how spatial spread and association with specific habitats drive the probability of local extinction within cities. Our analysis included mammalian records dating between years 1832 and 2023, and revealed that local extinctions in urban areas are biased towards species associated with wetlands and that were naturally rare within the city. Besides highlighting the role of wetlands within urban areas for conserving wildlife, our work also highlights the importance of long-term biodiversity monitoring in highly dynamic habitats such as cities, as a key asset to better understand wildlife trends and thus foster more sustainable and biodiversity-friendly cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Ancillotto
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute for the Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), via della Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Giovanni Amori
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute for the Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), via della Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Dario Capizzi
- Latium Region Directorate for Environment, Via di Campo Romano 65, 00173 Rome, Italy
| | - Bruno Cignini
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Marzio Zapparoli
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), Università degli Studi della Tuscia, via San Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
| | - Emiliano Mori
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute for the Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), via della Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
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5
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Li Y, Hopkins AJM, Davis RA. Going, Going, Gone The Diminishing Capacity of Museum Specimen Collections to Address Global Change Research: A Case Study on Urban Reptiles. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13061078. [PMID: 36978619 PMCID: PMC10044672 DOI: 10.3390/ani13061078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been increasingly popular to use natural history specimens to examine environmental changes. As the current functionality of museum specimens has extended beyond their traditional taxonomic role, there has been a renewed focus on the completeness of biological collections to provide data for current and future research. We used the collections of the Western Australian Museum to answer questions about the change in occurrence of five common reptile species due to the rapid urbanization of Perth. We recorded a significant decline in collection effort from the year 2000 onwards (F = 7.65, p < 0.01) compared to the period 1990–1999. Spatial analysis revealed that only 0.5% of our study region was well sampled, 8.5% were moderately sampled and the majority of the regions (91%) were poorly sampled. By analysing the trend of specimen acquisition from 1950 to 2010, we discovered a significant inconsistency in specimen sampling effort for 13 common reptile species across time and space. A large proportion of past specimens lacked information including the place and time of collection. An increase in investment to museums and an increase in geographically and temporally systematic collecting is advocated to ensure that collections can answer questions about environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanlin Li
- School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
| | - Anna J. M. Hopkins
- School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
| | - Robert A. Davis
- School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australia Museum, 49 Kew St, Welshpool, WA 6106, Australia
- Correspondence:
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6
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Bonfoey AM, Chen J, Stahlschmidt ZR. Stress tolerance is influenced by artificial light at night during development and life-history strategy. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:286276. [PMID: 36606751 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is increasingly prevalent worldwide, but life-history strategy may mitigate the costs of ALAN for animals. Yet, interactions among ALAN, life-history strategy and tolerance to climate-related stressors are unknown. We determined if developmental ALAN exposure (1) affects development, (2) affects adult phenotype, including heat and desiccation tolerance, and (3) affects and/or interacts with life-history strategy. We used the variable field cricket (Gryllus lineaticeps) because its geographic range is increasingly exposed to ALAN, heat, and drought conditions, and it exhibits different life-history strategies (flight-capability versus flight-incapability). ALAN affected adult phenotype, with positive effects on body mass (and size) and female reproductive investment, and a negative effect on heat tolerance. Life-history strategy also affected stress tolerance; flight-incapable females had greater heat tolerance and their desiccation tolerance was improved by ALAN exposure. Key features of environmental change (i.e. exposure to ALAN, heat and drought) may favor some life-history strategies over others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa M Bonfoey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA, 95211, USA
| | - Jessica Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA, 95211, USA
| | - Zachary R Stahlschmidt
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA, 95211, USA
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7
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Do Suburban Populations of Lizards Behave Differently from Forest Ones? An Analysis of Perch Height, Time Budget, and Display Rate in the Cuban Endemic Anolis homolechis. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization transforms natural ecosystems into novel habitats, which can result in negative consequences for biodiversity. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanisms of maintenance of native species in urbanized environments, including behavior—which can act as a fast response to rapid environmental changes. We compared some behavioral traits between two suburban and two forest populations of Anolis homolechis. Direct observations of 779 individuals revealed that perch height was positively influenced by body size, but not by sex. Suburban individuals perched higher than forest ones, and even more so in the afternoon compared to the morning; a behavior that was not observed in forests populations. These differences might be due to a change from foraging activities in the morning to vigilance, display, and/or thermoregulation in the afternoon, promoted by suburban habitat conditions (e.g., higher predator abundance, open habitat structure, and urban heat). Video recordings of 81 focal individuals showed that males were more active than females (i.e., spending less time in stationary behavior and having a higher display rate), with no significant effect of habitat type. As some of our results diverge from previous studies on invasive anoles, we recommend extending comparative studies of urban and non-urban populations to other native Anolis.
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8
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The importance of habitat in the tumor-associated Pten, Mtor, and Akt gene expressions and chromosomal aberrations for wild rats. Biologia (Bratisl) 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-022-01272-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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9
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Jackson N, Littleford-Colquhoun BL, Strickland K, Class B, Frere CH. Selection in the city: Rapid and fine-scale evolution of urban eastern water dragons. Evolution 2022; 76:2302-2314. [PMID: 35971751 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14596] [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: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Oceanic archipelagos have long been treated as a Petri dish for studies of evolutionary and ecological processes. Like archipelagos, cities exhibit similar patterns and processes, such as the rapid phenotypic divergence of a species between urban and nonurban environments. However, on a local scale, cities can be highly heterogenous, where geographically close populations can experience dramatically different environmental conditions. Nevertheless, we are yet to understand the evolutionary and ecological implications for populations spread across a heterogenous cityscape. To address this, we compared neutral genetic divergence to quantitative trait divergence within three native riparian and four city park populations of an iconic urban adapter, the eastern water dragon. We demonstrated that selection is likely acting to drive divergence of snout-vent length and jaw width across native riparian populations that are geographically isolated and across city park populations that are geographically close yet isolated by urbanization. City park populations as close as 0.9 km exhibited signs of selection-driven divergence to the same extent as native riparian populations isolated by up to 114.5 km. These findings suggest that local adaptation may be occurring over exceptionally small geographic and temporal scales within a single metropolis, demonstrating that city parks can act as archipelagos for the study of rapid evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Jackson
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia
| | - Bethan L Littleford-Colquhoun
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, US.,Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, US
| | - Kasha Strickland
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia.,Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Sauðarkrókur, 550, Iceland
| | - Barbara Class
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia
| | - Celine H Frere
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
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10
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Vidal A, Iturriaga M, Mancina CA, Cézilly F. Differences in sex ratio, tail autotomy, body size and body condition between suburban and forest populations of the cuban endemic lizard Anolis homolechis. Urban Ecosyst 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01259-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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11
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Mühlenhaupt M, Baxter-Gilbert J, Makhubo BG, Riley JL, Measey J. No evidence for innate differences in tadpole behavior between natural, urbanized, and invasive populations. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022; 76:11. [PMID: 35002046 PMCID: PMC8727469 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03121-1] [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: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Animals are increasingly challenged to respond to novel or rapidly changing habitats due to urbanization and/or displacement outside their native range by humans. Behavioral differences, such as increased boldness (i.e., propensity for risk-taking), are often observed in animals persisting in novel environments; however, in many cases, it is unclear how these differences arise (e.g., through developmental plasticity or evolution) or when they arise (i.e., at what age or developmental stage). In the Guttural Toad (Sclerophrys gutturalis), adult urban toads from both native and invasive ranges are bolder than conspecifics in natural habitats. Here, we reared Guttural Toad tadpoles in a common garden experiment, and tested for innate differences in boldness across their development and between individuals whose parents and lineage came from rural-native, urban-native, and urban-invasive localities (i.e., origin populations). Tadpoles did not differ in their boldness or in how their boldness changed over ontogeny based on their origin populations. In general, tadpoles typically became less bold as they aged, irrespective of origin population. Our findings indicate that differences in boldness in free-living adult Guttural Toads are not innate in the tadpole stage and we discuss three possible mechanisms driving phenotypic divergence in adult boldness for the focus of future research: habitat-dependent developmental effects on tadpole behavior, decoupled evolution between the tadpole and adult stage, and/or behavioral flexibility, learning, or acclimatization during the adult stage. Significance statement To determine if animals can persist in urban areas or become invasive outside their native ranges, it is important to understand how they adapt to life in the city. Our study investigates if differences in boldness that have been found in adult Guttural Toads (Sclerophrys gutturalis) represent heritable differences that can also be found in early life stages by rearing tadpoles from eggs in a common garden experiment. We did not find any differences in boldness among tadpoles from rural-native, urban-native, and urban-invasive origin populations. Our findings suggest that differences in boldness are not innate and/or that boldness is a behavioral trait that is decoupled between the tadpole and the adult stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Mühlenhaupt
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape 7600 South Africa
| | - James Baxter-Gilbert
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape 7600 South Africa
| | - Buyisile G Makhubo
- College of Agriculture, Engineering & Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 91 Ridge Rd, Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville 3201 South Africa
| | - Julia L Riley
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape 7600 South Africa.,Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 Canada.,Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1E2 Canada
| | - John Measey
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape 7600 South Africa
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12
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The interplay of spatial scale and landscape transformation modulates the abundance and intraspecific variation in the ecomorphological traits of a phyllostomid bat. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1017/s026646742100047x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractLand use intensification imposes selective pressures that systematically change the frequency of wild population phenotypes. Growing evidence is biased towards the comparison of populations from discrete categories of land uses, ignoring the role of landscape emerging properties on the phenotype selection of wild fauna. Across the largest urban–rural gradient of the Colombian Orinoquia, we measured ecomorphological traits of 216 individuals of the flat-faced fruit-eating bat Artibeus planirostris. We did this to evaluate the scale of effect at which landscape transformation better predicts changes in phenotype and abundance of an urban-tolerant species. Forest percentage at 1.25 km was the main predictor affecting negatively bat abundance and positively its wing aspect ratio and body mass. Landscape variables affected forearm length at all spatial scales, this effect appeared to be sex-dependent, and the most important predictor, forest percentage at 0.5 km, had a negative effect on this trait. Our results indicate that landscape elements and spatial scale interact to shape ecomorphological traits and the abundance of A. planirostris. Interestingly, the scale of effect coincided at 1.25 km among all biological responses, suggesting that species’ abundance can be linked to the variation on phenotype under different environmental filters across landscape scenarios.
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13
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Mühlenhaupt M, Baxter-Gilbert J, Makhubo BG, Riley JL, Measey J. Growing up in a new world: trait divergence between rural, urban, and invasive populations of an amphibian urban invader. NEOBIOTA 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.69.67995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Cities are focal points of introduction for invasive species. Urban evolution might facilitate the success of invasive species in recipient urban habitats. Here we test this hypothesis by rearing tadpoles of a successful amphibian urban coloniser and invader in a common garden environment. We compared growth rate, morphological traits, swimming performance, and developmental rate of guttural toad tadpoles (Sclerophrys gutturalis) from native rural, native urban, and non-native urban habitats. By measuring these traits across ontogeny, we were also able to compare divergence across different origins as the tadpoles develop. The tadpoles of non-native urban origin showed significantly slower developmental rate (e.g., the proportion of tadpoles reaching Gosner stage 31 or higher was lower at age 40 days) than tadpoles of native urban origin. Yet, tadpoles did not differ in growth rate or any morphological or performance trait examined, and none of these traits showed divergent ontogenetic changes between tadpoles of different origin. These findings suggest that prior adaptation to urban habitats in larval traits likely does not play an important role in facilitating the invasion success of guttural toads into other urban habitats. Instead, we suggest that evolutionary changes in larval traits after colonization (e.g., developmental rate), together with decoupling of other traits and phenotypic plasticity might explain how this species succeeded in colonising extra-limital urban habitats.
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14
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Vaughn PL, Mcqueen W, Gangloff EJ. Moving to the city: testing the implications of morphological shifts on locomotor performance in introduced urban lizards. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Understanding how morphology affects performance in novel environments and how populations shift their morphology in response to environmental selective pressures is necessary to understand how invaders can be successful. We tested these relationships in a global colonizer, the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), translocated to Cincinnati, OH, USA 70 years ago. We investigated how morphology shifts in this population inhabiting a novel environment, how these morphological shifts influence locomotor performance and how performance changes in novel conditions. We compared the morphology of museum specimens and current lizards to see which aspects of morphology have shifted over time. Although overall body size did not change, most body dimensions reduced in size. We measured sprint speed with a full-factorial design of substrate type, incline angle and obstacles. We identified a pattern of negative correlation in sprint performance between conditions with and without obstacles. The locomotor advantage of larger body size was diminished when obstacles were present. Finally, there was no relationship between individual variation in contemporary morphology and sprint performance, providing no support to the hypothesis that these shifts are attributable to selective pressures on locomotor performance in the conditions tested.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wyatt Mcqueen
- Department of Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH, USA
| | - Eric J Gangloff
- Department of Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH, USA
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