Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Anything you can eat, I can eat better: Evidence of generalism from species to individual level in an insect herbivore","authors":"Mattheau S. Comerford,&nbsp;William Maguire,&nbsp;Leah Murphy,&nbsp;Emma Schneider,&nbsp;Mayra C. Vidal","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70181","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70181","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Most insect herbivores specialize on a few host plants; however, there are a minority of highly generalized species capable of feeding on hundreds of hosts. Generalism could emerge as a property of the species as a whole, while individuals would still exhibit greater specialization at more specific organizational levels. Yet, we lack studies with generalist insect herbivores directly testing this prediction. Here, we test if the highly generalized fall webworm (<i>Hyphantria cunea</i>) maintains its broad diet through specialization at the population, maternal genotype, or individual level. We reared two populations and multiple matrilines on either a static or rotating diet of four host plants. We found that both populations survived and pupated on all hosts, suggesting population-level generalization. We found evidence for generalization at the genotype level, as maternal genotypes did not vary in performance rankings across host plants. Finally, we found generalism at the individual level, as individuals reared on a rotating diet had no difference or showed intermediate performance to those reared on static diets. Overall, we found support for the maintenance of generalism across all levels, suggesting that generalist species need not be locally specialized to maintain their extremely broad diet.</p>","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.70181","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144995760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aridity-dependent response bias of grassland productivity to precipitation in experiments compared to observations","authors":"Yumiao Xiao,&nbsp;Yun Jiang,&nbsp;Jiawei Li,&nbsp;Haibo Lu,&nbsp;Xiuchen Wu,&nbsp;Yuan Jiang,&nbsp;Bingwei Zhang","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70189","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70189","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Precipitation manipulation experiments and long-term observations have been widely employed to examine the response of ecosystem productivity to changing precipitation. However, whether experiments accurately reflect natural responses remains questionable. Here, we conducted a global reality check analysis using paired datasets from 22 grassland sites that included both experimental and observational measurements. The results revealed that the sensitivity of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) to changing precipitation was lower in the experiments than in the observations in xeric grasslands. One potential reason is that the experiments fail to simulate the concurrent changes in air humidity that typically accompany natural precipitation events, thereby leading to the underestimation of the changing precipitation effect on ANPP. Conversely, in mesic grasslands, the ANPP sensitivity to experimental changing precipitation was greater than that in the observations likely because low radiation and temperature during the natural raining days have negative effects on ANPP when water is not limited. This study highlights the aridity-dependent bias of changing precipitation effects on ANPP in precipitation manipulation experiments in grasslands, which should be fully considered when conclusions from experiments are incorporated in model simulations.</p>","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.70189","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144995723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phenotypic plasticity underlies seasonal and latitudinal variation in thermal tolerance in a native bee","authors":"Matt C. Elmer,&nbsp;Keyne Monro,&nbsp;Harley Thompson,&nbsp;Aidan Stuckey,&nbsp;Vanessa Kellermann","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70183","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70183","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Climate change threatens biodiversity and ecosystem services around the globe. Despite the importance of native bees as pollinators, there is evidence of global declines, and we know very little about how climate shapes their distributions now and into the future. In the current study, we combined large-scale seasonal field sampling and experimental acclimation to examine whether populations of an Australian bee, <i>Exoneura robusta</i>, vary in their capacity to adapt to different climates. Collecting female bees across a latitudinal cline and examining heat and cold tolerance, we found populations did not vary in their heat tolerance along a latitudinal gradient. In contrast, bees from higher latitudes tended to be more cold-tolerant than bees from lower latitudes, but the relationship between cold tolerance and latitude differed between summer and spring (post-winter). Such seasonal variation suggests that phenotypic plasticity plays a role in shaping cold tolerance, as bees are likely to belong to the same generation from summer to spring. To untangle the roles of plasticity and genetic variation in shaping variation in thermal tolerance across seasons, we acclimated adult females from three populations spanning the species' distributional range to either 21 or 26°C in glasshouses (approximating summer and spring/autumn temperatures experienced throughout their range). We then estimated heat and cold tolerance. Contrasting acclimation responses observed in the glasshouses to those observed in the field point to phenotypic plasticity in cold tolerance rather than genetic variation underpinning population variation. In contrast, heat tolerance varied little in the field and in our glasshouse experiments. These results suggest bees may have little capacity to increase their heat tolerance, which is high at ~47°C, via genetic or plastic responses as climate changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.70183","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144995728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is Poa annua a skin-changer? Annual–perennial life history shift enables the species to conquer Antarctica","authors":"Agnieszka Rudak,&nbsp;Halina Galera,&nbsp;Maciej Wódkiewicz","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70162","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70162","url":null,"abstract":"<p>An extended lifespan of <i>Poa annua</i> may be of adaptive value during the invasion of harsh environments. Our aim was to investigate whether this trait is population-specific or general for the species. Individuals representing eight populations were cultivated under experimental conditions for two Antarctic growing seasons separated by polar winter conditions. Our experiment indicated that the species is capable of extending its life history toward perenniality regardless of population origin. Adventitious roots at the lower nodes were observed in overwintering plants from all the studied populations. We observed a similar response regardless of the source population. Plants exposed to stress from both climatic and edaphic conditions did not survive the simulated Antarctic winter. Plants grown in optimal gardening soil expressed a life history with vegetative growth during the first vegetation season and flowered and produced seeds only during their second growing season. <i>P. annua</i> may exhibit at least a two-year life cycle under harsh Antarctic conditions. This trait is general for the species and determines high survival potential, which may initiate an invasion breakout under climate change. Shifts in species life history traits should be considered in the management of alien species invasions occurring under harsh environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.70162","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144995729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cryptic predation on coral spawn: Hidden trophic links in the dead of night","authors":"Tom Shlesinger","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70182","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70182","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Broadcast-spawning, where gametes are released into the water for external fertilization, is a widespread reproductive strategy in marine environments, particularly among invertebrates. Coral broadcast-spawning events rank among nature's most synchronized reproductive phenomena (Harrison et al., &lt;span&gt;1984&lt;/span&gt;). Typically occurring annually, these well-timed events enhance fertilization success by mitigating gamete dilution and satiating predators (Babcock et al., &lt;span&gt;1986&lt;/span&gt;; Harrison et al., &lt;span&gt;1984&lt;/span&gt;; Shlesinger &amp; Loya, &lt;span&gt;1985&lt;/span&gt;). Most corals and reef organisms spawn at night, presumably to reduce gamete predation by visually oriented predators. Consequently, most research and hypotheses regarding gamete predation have focused on conspicuous fish predation (Alino &amp; Coll, &lt;span&gt;1989&lt;/span&gt;; Baird et al., &lt;span&gt;2001&lt;/span&gt;; Chamberland et al., &lt;span&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;; Ip et al., &lt;span&gt;2023&lt;/span&gt;; Muller &amp; Vermeij, &lt;span&gt;2011&lt;/span&gt;; Pratchett et al., &lt;span&gt;2001&lt;/span&gt;; Westneat &amp; Resing, &lt;span&gt;1988&lt;/span&gt;), leaving the role of cryptic invertebrate consumers underexplored. Based on extensive nocturnal observations in Eilat, Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea, I document previously underappreciated coral spawn predation by diverse invertebrates. These findings reveal previously overlooked trophic interactions and suggest that invertebrate predation may constitute a substantial source of gamete loss, potentially altering fertilization rates or simply reducing overall reproductive output—an increasing concern as coral populations continue to decline globally (Chamberland et al., &lt;span&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;; Hartmann et al., &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;; Johnston et al., &lt;span&gt;2020&lt;/span&gt;; Levitan et al., &lt;span&gt;2014&lt;/span&gt;; Mumby et al., &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;; Nozawa et al., &lt;span&gt;2015&lt;/span&gt;; Shlesinger &amp; Loya, &lt;span&gt;2019b&lt;/span&gt;; Williamson et al., &lt;span&gt;2023&lt;/span&gt;). Understanding such ecological interactions and their impact on coral-reef resilience is crucial as coral reefs face increasing environmental pressures (Donovan et al., &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;; Hoegh-Guldberg et al., &lt;span&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;; Hughes et al., &lt;span&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;; van Woesik et al., &lt;span&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most reef-building corals are simultaneous hermaphrodites, functioning as both male and female and releasing eggs and sperm into the water for external fertilization (Harrison, &lt;span&gt;2011&lt;/span&gt;). These gametes, however, remain viable for only a few hours, making precise timing crucial (Levitan et al., &lt;span&gt;2011&lt;/span&gt;; Nozawa et al., &lt;span&gt;2015&lt;/span&gt;; Oliver &amp; Babcock, &lt;span&gt;1992&lt;/span&gt;). The ocean's vast dilution effect coupled with the high palatability of coral eggs exerts pressure for highly synchronized spawning—typically occurring once per species per year, at a specific month, night, and hour. Since 2015, I have conducted an extensive nocturnal survey in the northern Red Sea, documenting the reproduction, behavior, and interactions of coral-reef dweller","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.70182","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144905419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of dominant species in community organization and aboveground production in semiarid grasslands","authors":"Timothy J. Ohlert,&nbsp;Alesia Hallmark,&nbsp;Jennifer A. Rudgers,&nbsp;Debra P. C. Peters,&nbsp;Scott L. Collins","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70164","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70164","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Dominant species play a key role in plant communities, influencing the abundance and richness of subordinate species through competitive and facilitative interactions. However, generalizations about the effects of dominant plant species in grasslands can be difficult due to the many differences among communities, such as abiotic conditions and regional species pools. To overcome this issue, we conducted a dominant species removal experiment in two semiarid grassland communities at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico. These communities had different dominant species but similar abiotic conditions and regional species pools. We studied the effects of removing dominant species on community composition, diversity, and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) over a 23-year period. Our results showed that dominant grasses suppressed both richness and abundance of subordinate species. In the Chihuahuan Desert grassland, the loss of <i>Bouteloua eriopoda</i> was only partially compensated for by subordinate species, while in the Great Plains grassland, the loss of <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i> was fully compensated for after 16 years. Despite increased species richness, removing dominant species reduced ANPP and resulted in a negative relationship between species richness and ANPP in both grasslands. These results have important implications for ecosystem management and conservation, highlighting the potential impact of losing dominant species on subordinate species and community dynamics.</p>","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 8","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.70164","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144815000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Field experiments on the effects of fire on parasite transmission to amphibian hosts","authors":"Nicole Ortega,&nbsp;Alexander Shepack,&nbsp;Wayne Price,&nbsp;Todd Campbell,&nbsp;Kym Rouse Holzwart,&nbsp;Steven A. Johnson,&nbsp;Jason R. Rohr","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70179","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70179","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The emergence of infectious diseases is often associated with changes to host–pathogen ecology, and wildfires are known to profoundly modify the ecology of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Nevertheless, few studies have employed manipulative experiments to quantify the effects of fire on infections across parasite species. In a mark–recapture study, prescribed burns did not significantly affect the densities of Cuban tree frog (CTF; <i>Osteopilus septentrionalis</i>) definitive hosts. However, prescribed burn field experiments and a before-after-control-burn mesocosm study revealed that fire decreased a skin-penetrating nematode in CTFs by killing the parasite's soil-dwelling, free-living stage, with hotter fires causing a greater reduction in soil-dwelling nematodes. Additionally, prescribed burns were associated with increases in a terrestrial acuariid nematode and several aquatic trematode metacercariae in CTFs, likely by increasing intermediate host densities. Seven years after the burns, we found little evidence of full recovery because the trajectories of these parasites did not show clear signs of flattening. These results suggest that fire can have predictable and long-term direct and indirect positive and negative effects on parasite transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.70179","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Migratory Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) as a prey pulse for Arctic marine predators","authors":"Matthew J. H. Gilbert,&nbsp;Les N. Harris,&nbsp;Alexander L. Vail,&nbsp;Kristin L. Laidre,&nbsp;Mark L. Mallory,&nbsp;David J. Yurkowski","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70177","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70177","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Variation in resource distribution and phenology can necessitate that mobile animals move to track resource availability through space and time (Abrahms et al., &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;; Furey et al., &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;). Northern latitudes are characterized by extreme seasonality in temperature and food availability, making them rich in examples of species' capitalizing on resource waves or pulses (e.g., food and thermally suitable habitat) over the brief summer before either coping with or migrating to avoid resource limitations over winter. An iconic northern example is in Alaskan brown bears (&lt;i&gt;Ursus arctos gyas&lt;/i&gt;) that track brief, asynchronous salmon migrations to extend their access to this vital resource (Schindler et al., &lt;span&gt;2013&lt;/span&gt;). Marine examples include the bowhead whale (&lt;i&gt;Balaena mysticetus&lt;/i&gt;), various seabirds that time feeding and life history events with the recession of the annual sea ice and subsequent production blooms (Mallory &amp; Forbes, &lt;span&gt;2007&lt;/span&gt;), and polar bears (&lt;i&gt;Ursus maritimus&lt;/i&gt;) that exhibit hyperphagia (strongly elevated appetite) in spring when weaned ringed seal (&lt;i&gt;Pusa hispida&lt;/i&gt;) pups are accessible and at peak fatness (Stirling &amp; McEwan, &lt;span&gt;1975&lt;/span&gt;). However, given the challenges of northern research (Mallory et al., &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;), western scientific documentation of such events is lacking for many species. Here, we showcase images (Figures 1 and 2) of summer aggregations of migratory Arctic char (&lt;i&gt;Salvelinus alpinus&lt;/i&gt;) with individual char being hunted and consumed by multiple marine mammal and seabird species. We hypothesize that these events may be examples of resource tracking by Arctic char and their marine predators.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Arctic char are the most northerly distributed freshwater or anadromous fish whose range spans across coastal areas of the circumpolar Arctic (Reist et al., &lt;span&gt;2013&lt;/span&gt;; Weinstein et al., &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). Anadromy is a common trait in many northern freshwater fishes that involves fish hatching in freshwater, living part of their life at sea, and returning to freshwater for reproduction (McDowall, &lt;span&gt;2008&lt;/span&gt;). Adult anadromous Arctic char overwinter and spawn in freshwater, where the young rear under nutrient-poor conditions for several years before their first marine migration (~3–8 years and ~200 mm; Gilbert et al., &lt;span&gt;2016&lt;/span&gt;; Johnson, &lt;span&gt;1980&lt;/span&gt;). First-time migrants and adults migrate to the ocean in spring, which is in part dictated by the timing of river ice breakup (Figure 1a; Dutil, &lt;span&gt;1986&lt;/span&gt;; Gilbert et al., &lt;span&gt;2016&lt;/span&gt;; Johnson, &lt;span&gt;1980&lt;/span&gt;; Menzies, &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;, 23:10). At sea, Arctic char spend the short summer foraging (~4–6 weeks) in a relatively high productivity environment (Harris et al., &lt;span&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;; Johnson, &lt;span&gt;1980&lt;/span&gt;). In late summer, they return to freshwater to access spawning and overwintering habitats before freeze-up, avoiding the frigid winter ","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.70177","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Competition for waterborne food resources among tropical shallow-water sponges","authors":"Mark J. Butler IV,&nbsp;Steven E. McMurray,&nbsp;Joseph R. Pawlik","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70178","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70178","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A recurrent theme in marine ecology is that the community dynamics of sessile, suspension-feeding animals is primarily limited by the availability of space, but in some habitats, filtration by these organisms may locally deplete water column resources, setting the stage for exploitative competition for food. We examined filtration by sponge assemblages in the shallow waters (~2 m depth) of Florida Bay (Florida, USA), where water residence times are often high and filtration by dense communities of sponges was hypothesized to deplete the water column of food, primarily picoplankton and dissolved organic matter (DOM). We transplanted three sponge species into replicate locations that differed by an order of magnitude in natural sponge community biomass. Sponge transplants were clones, enabling us to control for sponge genotype effects across all sites. The growth of sponge clones was recorded seasonally for 18–30 months. Growth of transplants placed in areas devoid of sponges was 10 times greater than growth in areas with dense sponge communities and three times greater than growth in areas with average sponge biomass. Sponge mortality was similar regardless of background sponge density. Measurements of picoplankton, DOM, and PO₄ concentration confirmed an inverse relationship with sponge community biomass, whereas nitrogen concentrations in seawater were highest where sponge species replete with nitrogen-fixing symbiotic microbial communities were most abundant. This is striking evidence that filtration of waterborne resources by sponges in shallow, coastal environments can deplete those resources sufficiently to cause exploitative competition that limits sponge growth.</p>","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.70178","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sample size considerations for species co-occurrence models","authors":"Amber Cowans,&nbsp;Albert Bonet Bigatà,&nbsp;Chris Sutherland","doi":"10.1002/ecy.70175","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecy.70175","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Multispecies occupancy models are widely applied to infer interactions in the occurrence of different species, but convergence and estimation issues under realistic sample sizes are common. We conducted a simulation study to evaluate the ability of a recently developed model to recover co-occurrence estimates under varying sample size and interaction scenarios while increasing model complexity in two dimensions: the number of interacting species and the number of covariates. Using both standard and penalized likelihood, we demonstrate that the ability to quantify interactions in species occupancy using this model is highly sensitive to sample size, detection probability, and interaction strength. In the simplest scenario, there is high bias in the interaction parameter (used for co-occurrence inference) with less than 100 sites at high detection, and 400–1000 sites at low detection, depending on interaction strength. Strong co-occurrence is detected consistently above 200 sites with high detection probabilities, but weak co-occurrence is never consistently detected even with 2980 sites. We demonstrate that the mean predictive ability of the co-occurrence model is less affected by sample size, with low bias in derived probabilities at 50 sites. Our results highlight that while occupancy patterns are often robust to sample size limitations, reliable inference about co-occurrence demands substantially larger datasets than many studies currently achieve. We caution the interpretation of model output in small datasets or when co-occurrence is expected to be weak, but show methods are suitable to quantify strong co-occurrence in larger datasets and generate predictions of site occupancy states.</p>","PeriodicalId":11484,"journal":{"name":"Ecology","volume":"106 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12332257/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144801305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}