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Sam K, Jorge LR, Koane B, Hazell RJ, Shearman PL, Novotny V. Reorganization of bird communities along a rainforest elevation gradient during a strong El Niño event in Papua New Guinea. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10955. [PMID: 38751823 PMCID: PMC11094519 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The El Niño 2015 event, most extreme since 1997, led to severe droughts in tropical wet Papua New Guinea (PNG), reducing May to October dry season rainfall by 75% in the lowlands and 25% in the highlands. Such droughts are likely to have significant effects on terrestrial ecosystems, but they have been poorly explored in Papua New Guinea. Here, we report changes in bird community composition prior to, during, and after the 2015 El Niño event along the elevational gradient ranging from 200 m to 2700 m a.s.l. at the Mt. Wilhelm rainforest in PNG. The abundance of birds in the lowlands dropped by 60% but increased by 40% at elevations above 1700 m during El Niño year. In the following year, the individual bird species reached mean population sizes similar to pre-El Niño years but did not fully recover. Species richness roughly followed the pattern of observed abundance and quickly and fully re-established after the event to the pre- El Niño values. Thus, at least some terrestrial birds seem to react quickly to the extreme droughts in lowlands and shift to less affected mountain habitats. We recorded upper elevational range limits to shifts by more than 500 m a.s.l. in 22 bird species (out of 237 recorded in total) during El Niño year, in contrast to their typical ranges. Our study suggests that a strong El Niño event can have strong but reversible effects on bird communities as long as they have an opportunity to move to more favorable sites through undisturbed habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Sam
- Institute of EntomologyBiology Centre of the Czech Academy of SciencesCeske BudejoviceCzech Republic
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South BohemiaCeske BudejoviceCzech Republic
| | - Leonardo Ré Jorge
- Institute of EntomologyBiology Centre of the Czech Academy of SciencesCeske BudejoviceCzech Republic
| | - Bonny Koane
- The New Guinea Binatang Research CenterMadangPapua New Guinea
| | | | - Philip L. Shearman
- School of Botany and ZoologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
- UPNG Remote Sensing Centre, Biology DepartmentUniversity of Papua New GuineaPort MoresbyPapua New Guinea
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Institute of EntomologyBiology Centre of the Czech Academy of SciencesCeske BudejoviceCzech Republic
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South BohemiaCeske BudejoviceCzech Republic
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2
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Fischer V, Bennion RF, Foffa D, MacLaren JA, McCurry MR, Melstrom KM, Bardet N. Ecological signal in the size and shape of marine amniote teeth. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221214. [PMID: 36100016 PMCID: PMC9470252 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amniotes have been a major component of marine trophic chains from the beginning of the Triassic to present day, with hundreds of species. However, inferences of their (palaeo)ecology have mostly been qualitative, making it difficult to track how dietary niches have changed through time and across clades. Here, we tackle this issue by applying a novel geometric morphometric protocol to three-dimensional models of tooth crowns across a wide range of raptorial marine amniotes. Our results highlight the phenomenon of dental simplification and widespread convergence in marine amniotes, limiting the range of tooth crown morphologies. Importantly, we quantitatively demonstrate that tooth crown shape and size are strongly associated with diet, whereas crown surface complexity is not. The maximal range of tooth shapes in both mammals and reptiles is seen in medium-sized taxa; large crowns are simple and restricted to a fraction of the morphospace. We recognize four principal raptorial guilds within toothed marine amniotes (durophages, generalists, flesh cutters and flesh piercers). Moreover, even though all these feeding guilds have been convergently colonized over the last 200 Myr, a series of dental morphologies are unique to the Mesozoic period, probably reflecting a distinct ecosystem structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Fischer
- Evolution and Diversity Dynamics Lab, Université de Liège, Liège 4000, Belgium
| | - Rebecca F. Bennion
- Evolution and Diversity Dynamics Lab, Université de Liège, Liège 4000, Belgium
- Palaeobiosphere Evolution, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Davide Foffa
- Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UK
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Jamie A. MacLaren
- Evolution and Diversity Dynamics Lab, Université de Liège, Liège 4000, Belgium
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerpen 2610, Belgium
| | - Matthew R. McCurry
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales 2052, Australia
- Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Keegan M. Melstrom
- Engineering and Science Division, Rose State College, Midwest City, OK 73110, USA
- Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - Nathalie Bardet
- CR2P, Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie–Paris, CNRS-MNHN-SU, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 75005, France
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Podder A, Panja S, Chaudhuri A, Roy A, Biswas M, Homechaudhuri S. Patterns of morphological traits shaping the feeding guilds in the intertidal mudflat fishes of the Indian Sundarbans. J Fish Biol 2021; 99:1010-1031. [PMID: 34021587 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Broad-scale patterns of resource utilization and the corresponding morphological evolution is a result of an integral relationship among form and function. In addition, there is also an inherent role of the latter in determining species co-interaction and assemblage pattern that forms an integral aspect of ecological research. The present study aimed to evaluate the ecomorphological relationship among 37 fish species inhabiting the intertidal mudflats of the Indian Sundarbans by outlining the following objectives: (i) identifying and characterizing feeding guilds/groups and (ii) understanding the inter-relationship between morphometry with (a) the established feeding guild classifications and (b) observed prey taxa (that characterizes these feeding groups) for determining the role of morphometry in prey acquisition followed by (iii) the evaluation of their potential phylogenetic convergence among the species. For the first objective, two approaches for feeding guild classification were made (3-Guild and 8-Guild) for assessing the prediction accuracy of morphological characters in identifying the different guilds. While the former was based on troph values, the latter classification mode relied on the similarities in diet composition among the different fish species. For addressing the second objective, we employed two different models namely, linear discriminant (LDA) and redundancy analysis (RDA). While the LDA model tested the prediction accuracy of morphological traits in classifying the different feeding guilds, RDA was applied to model the correlation between the morphological traits and the prey categories. In the LDA model, morphological characters showed higher accuracy (78.4%) in classifying three feeding groups rather than eight feeding groups (73%). Following this, the RDA model (explaining 79.78% of constrained variance) showed gill raker intensity, protrusion length, head depth, caudal peduncle, eye diameter and inter-orbital distance to be highly associated with selection of specific prey types by species, thereby characterizing a particular feeding guild. However, generalized linear models testing for correlation between troph value and feeding groups showed substantial variation (90.35%) in the dietary index being explained by the 8-Guild classification. Hence, our study maintains the assumption that broad morphological differentiation acts as one of the underlying processes resulting in dietary variations that results in the varying modes of resource utilization by the coexisting species, thereby determining the structure of a trophic guild. Furthermore, it also suggests that in terms of prey abundance or selectivity, the 8-Guild model is much more conducive in representing the feeding habits of the species while the morphological traits reflected a relatively broader scheme of classification, (i.e., 3-Guild model) with certain traits being phylogenetically conserved within these groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupam Podder
- Aquatic Bioresource Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Soumyadip Panja
- Aquatic Bioresource Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Atreyee Chaudhuri
- Aquatic Bioresource Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Anwesha Roy
- Aquatic Bioresource Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Missidona Biswas
- Aquatic Bioresource Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Sumit Homechaudhuri
- Aquatic Bioresource Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
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Seifert CL, Volf M, Jorge LR, Abe T, Carscallen G, Drozd P, Kumar R, Lamarre GPA, Libra M, Losada ME, Miller SE, Murakami M, Nichols G, Pyszko P, Šigut M, Wagner DL, Novotný V. Plant phylogeny drives arboreal caterpillar assemblages across the Holarctic. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:14137-14151. [PMID: 33732431 PMCID: PMC7771119 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Assemblages of insect herbivores are structured by plant traits such as nutrient content, secondary metabolites, physical traits, and phenology. Many of these traits are phylogenetically conserved, implying a decrease in trait similarity with increasing phylogenetic distance of the host plant taxa. Thus, a metric of phylogenetic distances and relationships can be considered a proxy for phylogenetically conserved plant traits and used to predict variation in herbivorous insect assemblages among co-occurring plant species.Using a Holarctic dataset of exposed-feeding and shelter-building caterpillars, we aimed at showing how phylogenetic relationships among host plants explain compositional changes and characteristics of herbivore assemblages.Our plant-caterpillar network data derived from plot-based samplings at three different continents included >28,000 individual caterpillar-plant interactions. We tested whether increasing phylogenetic distance of the host plants leads to a decrease in caterpillar assemblage overlap. We further investigated to what degree phylogenetic isolation of a host tree species within the local community explains abundance, density, richness, and mean specialization of its associated caterpillar assemblage.The overlap of caterpillar assemblages decreased with increasing phylogenetic distance among the host tree species. Phylogenetic isolation of a host plant within the local plant community was correlated with lower richness and mean specialization of the associated caterpillar assemblages. Phylogenetic isolation had no effect on caterpillar abundance or density. The effects of plant phylogeny were consistent across exposed-feeding and shelter-building caterpillars.Our study reveals that distance metrics obtained from host plant phylogeny are useful predictors to explain compositional turnover among hosts and host-specific variations in richness and mean specialization of associated insect herbivore assemblages in temperate broadleaf forests. As phylogenetic information of plant communities is becoming increasingly available, further large-scale studies are needed to investigate to what degree plant phylogeny structures herbivore assemblages in other biomes and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo L Seifert
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Martin Volf
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Leonardo R Jorge
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | | | - Grace Carscallen
- Conservation Ecology Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal VA USA
| | - Pavel Drozd
- Faculty of Science University of Ostrava Ostrava Czech Republic
| | - Rajesh Kumar
- Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute Central Silk Board Ministry of Textiles Govt. of India Pampore Jammu and Kashmir India
| | - Greg P A Lamarre
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
- ForestGEO Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa, Ancon Panama
| | - Martin Libra
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Maria E Losada
- Conservation Ecology Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal VA USA
- National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington DC USA
| | - Scott E Miller
- National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington DC USA
| | | | - Geoffrey Nichols
- Conservation Ecology Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal VA USA
| | - Petr Pyszko
- Faculty of Science University of Ostrava Ostrava Czech Republic
| | - Martin Šigut
- Faculty of Science University of Ostrava Ostrava Czech Republic
| | | | - Vojtěch Novotný
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
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5
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Vilenica M, Kerovec M, Pozojević I, Mihaljević Z. Mayfly response to different stress types in small and mid-sized lowland rivers. Zookeys 2020; 980:57-77. [PMID: 33192138 PMCID: PMC7642158 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.980.54805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Freshwater ecosystems are endangered worldwide by various human pressures, resulting in dramatic habitat and species loss. Many aquatic invertebrates respond to disturbances in their habitat, and mayflies are among the most sensitive ones. Therefore, we investigated mayfly response to anthropogenic disturbances at 46 study sites encompassing slightly to heavily modified small and mid-sized lowland streams and rivers. Mayfly nymphs were sampled between April and September 2016 using a benthos hand net. A total of 21 species was recorded, with Cloeondipterum (Linnaeus, 1761) being the most frequently recorded one. Nevertheless, the taxa richness was rather low per site, i.e., between zero and nine. Assemblage structure had a high share of lower reaches and lentic (potamic and littoral) elements, and detritivores (gatherers/collectors and active filter feeders). This indicates that hydromorphological alterations lead to assemblage “potamisation” in small and mid-sized rivers. More mayfly species were related to higher oxygen concentration and lower water temperature, abundance of aquatic vegetation and total organic carbon. Additionally, the assemblage diversity and abundance were negatively associated with increasing intensive agriculture area at the catchment scale. This study confirms mayfly bio-indicative properties, i.e., their sensitivity to alterations of their habitat and pollution, but also provides new data related to mayfly response to the impacted environment. Those data can be used for management and protection activities of lowland rivers and their biota according to the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Vilenica
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Teacher Education, Trg Matice Hrvatske 12, Petrinja, Croatia University of Zagreb Petrinja Croatia
| | - Mladen Kerovec
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Rooseveltov Trg 6, Zagreb, Croatia University of Zagreb Zagreb Croatia
| | - Ivana Pozojević
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Rooseveltov Trg 6, Zagreb, Croatia University of Zagreb Zagreb Croatia
| | - Zlatko Mihaljević
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Rooseveltov Trg 6, Zagreb, Croatia University of Zagreb Zagreb Croatia
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6
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Jesse WAM, Molleman J, Franken O, Lammers M, Berg MP, Behm JE, Helmus MR, Ellers J. Disentangling the effects of plant species invasion and urban development on arthropod community composition. Glob Chang Biol 2020; 26:3294-3306. [PMID: 32216012 PMCID: PMC7317202 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Urban development and species invasion are two major global threats to biodiversity. These threats often co-occur, as developed areas are more prone to species invasion. However, few empirical studies have tested if both factors affect biodiversity in similar ways. Here we study the individual and combined effects of urban development and plant invasion on the composition of arthropod communities. We assessed 36 paired invaded and non-invaded sample plots, invaded by the plant Antigonon leptopus, with half of these pairs located in natural and the other half in developed land-use types on the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius. We used several taxonomic and functional variables to describe community composition and diversity. Our results show that both urban development and A. leptopus invasion affected community composition, albeit in different ways. Development significantly increased species richness and exponential Shannon diversity, while invasion had no effect on these variables. However, invasion significantly increased arthropod abundance and caused biotic homogenization. Specifically, uninvaded arthropod communities were distinctly different in species composition between developed and natural sites, while they became undistinguishable after A. leptopus invasion. Moreover, functional variables were significantly affected by species invasion, but not by urban development. Invaded communities had higher community-weighted mean body size and the feeding guild composition of invaded arthropod communities was characterized by the exceptional numbers of nectarivores, herbivores, and detritivores. With the exception of species richness and exponential Shannon diversity, invasion influenced four out of six response variables to a greater degree than urban development did. Hence, we can conclude that species invasion is not just a passenger of urban development but also a driver of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy A. M. Jesse
- Department of Ecological Science – Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Jasper Molleman
- Department of Ecological Science – Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Oscar Franken
- Department of Ecological Science – Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Mark Lammers
- Department of Ecological Science – Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Institute for Evolution and BiodiversityUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany
| | - Matty P. Berg
- Department of Ecological Science – Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences – Community and Conservation EcologyUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Jocelyn E. Behm
- Integrative Ecology LabCenter for BiodiversityDepartment of BiologyTemple UniversityPhiladelphiaPAUSA
| | - Matthew R. Helmus
- Integrative Ecology LabCenter for BiodiversityDepartment of BiologyTemple UniversityPhiladelphiaPAUSA
| | - Jacintha Ellers
- Department of Ecological Science – Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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7
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Stiegel S, Mantilla-Contreras J. Environment vs. Plant Ontogeny: Arthropod Herbivory Patterns on European Beech Leaves along the Vertical Gradient of Temperate Forests in Central Germany. Insects 2018; 9:E9. [PMID: 29373542 PMCID: PMC5872274 DOI: 10.3390/insects9010009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Revised: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Environmental and leaf trait effects on herbivory are supposed to vary among different feeding guilds. Herbivores also show variability in their preferences for plant ontogenetic stages. Along the vertical forest gradient, environmental conditions change, and trees represent juvenile and adult individuals in the understorey and canopy, respectively. This study was conducted in ten forests sites in Central Germany for the enrichment of canopy research in temperate forests. Arthropod herbivory of different feeding traces was surveyed on leaves of Fagus sylvatica Linnaeus (European beech; Fagaceae) in three strata. Effects of microclimate, leaf traits, and plant ontogenetic stage were analyzed as determining parameters for herbivory. The highest herbivory was caused by exophagous feeding traces. Herbivore attack levels varied along the vertical forest gradient for most feeding traces with distinct patterns. If differences of herbivory levels were present, they only occurred between juvenile and adult F. sylvatica individuals, but not between the lower and upper canopy. In contrast, differences of microclimate and important leaf traits were present between the lower and upper canopy. In conclusion, the plant ontogenetic stage had a stronger effect on herbivory than microclimate or leaf traits along the vertical forest gradient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Stiegel
- Ecology and Environmental Education Group, Institute of Biology and Chemistry, University of Hildesheim, 31141 Hildesheim, Germany.
| | - Jasmin Mantilla-Contreras
- Ecology and Environmental Education Group, Institute of Biology and Chemistry, University of Hildesheim, 31141 Hildesheim, Germany
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Girma Z, Mamo Y, Mengesha G, Verma A, Asfaw T. Seasonal abundance and habitat use of bird species in and around Wondo Genet Forest, south-central Ethiopia. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:3397-3405. [PMID: 28515875 PMCID: PMC5433982 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Revised: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The habitat use and seasonal migratory pattern of birds in Ethiopia is less explored as compared to diversity studies. To this end, this study aimed at investigating the patterns of distribution related to seasonality and the effect of habitat characteristics (elevation, slope, and average vegetation height) on habitat use of birds of Wondo Genet Forest Patch. A stratified random sampling design was used to assess the avian fauna across the four dominant habitat types found in the study area: natural forest, wooded grassland, grassland, and agroforestry land. A point transect count was employed to investigate avian species richness and abundance per habitat type per season. Ancillary data, such as elevation above sea level, latitude and longitude, average vegetation height, and percent slope inclination, were recorded with a GPS and clinometers per plot. A total of 33 migratory bird species were recorded from the area, of which 20 species were northern (Palearctic) migrants while 13 were inter‐African migrants. There was a significant difference in the mean abundance of migratory bird species between dry and wet seasons (t = 2.13, p = .038, df = 44). The variation in mean abundance per plot between the dry and wet seasons in the grassland habitat was significant (t = 2.35, p = .051, df = 7). In most habitat types during both dry and wet seasons, omnivore birds were the most abundant. While slope was a good predictor for bird species abundance in the dry season, altitude and average vegetation height accounted more in the wet season. The patch of forest and its surrounding is an important bird area for migratory, endemic, and global threatened species. Hence, it is conservation priority area, and the study suggests that conservation coupled with ecotourism development is needed for its sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zerihun Girma
- School of Wildlife and Eco-tourism Hawassa University Hawassa Ethiopia
| | - Yosef Mamo
- Department of Biology Hawassa University Hawassa Ethiopia
| | - Girma Mengesha
- School of Wildlife and Eco-tourism Hawassa University Hawassa Ethiopia
| | - Ashok Verma
- School of Wildlife and Eco-tourism Hawassa University Hawassa Ethiopia
| | - Tsyon Asfaw
- School of Wildlife and Eco-tourism Hawassa University Hawassa Ethiopia
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9
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Zupo V, Alexander TJ, Edgar GJ. Relating trophic resources to community structure: a predictive index of food availability. R Soc Open Sci 2017; 4:160515. [PMID: 28386417 PMCID: PMC5367299 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The abundance and the distribution of trophic resources available for consumers influence the productivity and the diversity of natural communities. Nevertheless, assessment of the actual abundance of food items available for individual trophic groups has been constrained by differences in methods and metrics used by various authors. Here we develop an index of food abundance, the framework of which can be adapted for different ecosystems. The relative available food index (RAFI) is computed by considering standard resource conditions of a habitat and the influence of various generalized anthropogenic and natural factors. RAFI was developed using published literature on food abundance and validated by comparison of predictions versus observed trophic resources across various marine sites. RAFI tables here proposed can be applied to a range of marine ecosystems for predictions of the potential abundance of food available for each trophic group, hence permitting exploration of ecological theories by focusing on the deviation from the observed to the expected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Zupo
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn,
Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Benthic Ecology
Center, Punta San Pietro,
Ischia80077, Italy
| | - Timothy J. Alexander
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Centre
of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, EAWAG Swiss
Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology,
Seestrasse 79, Kastanienbaum 6047,
Switzerland
- Division of Aquatic Ecology and Evolution,
Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of
Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern 3012,
Switzerland
| | - Graham J. Edgar
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic
Studies, University of Tasmania,
GPO Box 252-49, Hobart, Tasmania 7001,
Australia
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Moreno ML, Fernández MG, Molina SI, Valladares G. The role of small woodland remnants on ground dwelling insect conservation in Chaco Serrano, Central Argentina. J Insect Sci 2013; 13:40. [PMID: 23902409 PMCID: PMC3738104 DOI: 10.1673/031.013.4001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2011] [Accepted: 08/18/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Many terrestrial ecosystems are changing due to extensive land use and habitat fragmentation, posing a major threat to biodiversity. In this study, the effects of patch size, isolation, and edge/interior localization on the ground dwelling insect communities in the Chaco Serrano woodland remnants in central Argentina were examined. Sampling was carried out in December 2003 and March 2004 in nine remnants (0.57 to 1000 hectares) using pitfall traps. In total, 7071 individuals representing 12 orders and 79 families were recorded. The taxonomic composition of these communities was linked to remnant size. Insect abundance increased (as did their richness, albeit marginally) as remnant area decreased, with no significant effects of isolation or edge/interior localization on abundance, richness, or diversity. No differential area effects were observed when abundance and richness of predators, scavengers, and herbivores were compared. Thus, ground insect communities in fragmented Chaco Serrano seem to respond mainly to patch level, rather than to within-patch (edge effects) or landscape (isolation) level variables. These results suggest that small Chaco Serrano remnants, by supporting larger ground-dwelling insect assemblages, may play an important role from a conservation viewpoint.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Laura Moreno
- Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba, F.C.E.F. y N., Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 266 (X50I6GCA), Córdoba, Argentina
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611 -(X5016GCA), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - María Guadalupe Fernández
- Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba, F.C.E.F. y N., Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 266 (X50I6GCA), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Silvia Itati Molina
- Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba, F.C.E.F. y N., Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 266 (X50I6GCA), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Graciela Valladares
- Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba, F.C.E.F. y N., Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 266 (X50I6GCA), Córdoba, Argentina
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611 -(X5016GCA), Córdoba, Argentina
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