Journal of Animal Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Eyespot peek-a-boo: Leaf rolls enhance the antipredator effect of insect eyespots.","authors":"Elizabeth G Postema","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14232","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14232","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animal colour patterns are often accompanied by specific, synergistic behaviours to most effectively defend prey against visual predators. Given the inherent context-dependence of colour perception, understanding how these colour-behaviour synergies function in a species' natural environment is crucial. For example, refuge-building species create a unique visual environment where most (or all) of the body is obscured unless closely inspected. How these built environments affect the perception of defensive colour patterns by predators is not well understood. Using artificial caterpillars that resemble a refuge-building species with conspicuous markings (Papilio troilus; Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), I tested the hypothesis that leaf rolls amplify the antipredator effect of this species' eyespots. I compared wild avian predation rates on 659 artificial swallowtail-like caterpillars from four treatment groups: eyespotted and non-eyespotted, and presented in leaf rolls or on open leaves of live host plants. In support of my hypothesis, eyespots only reduced predation for larvae in leaf rolls. On open leaves, eyespots had no antipredator effect. I also found that leaf rolls reduced predation in general for both eyespotted and non-eyespotted prey. These results highlight the importance of considering relevant behaviours in studies of animal coloration whenever possible, including behaviours that influence colour perception indirectly (e.g. through habitat use or modification).</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142894565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conceptualising ecology to support more theory-driven research","authors":"Roberto Salguero-Gómez,&nbsp;Darren M. Evans,&nbsp;Jean-Michel Gaillard,&nbsp;Lesley T. Lancaster,&nbsp;Nate Sanders,&nbsp;Milly Ivy Briden,&nbsp;Jennifer Meyer","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14206","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14206","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Concepts are abstract ideas that describe processes of interest. As such, concepts are the backbone to theories in any science. Concepts and theories are related in that novel theories cannot emerge without the existence of the solid concepts that underpin them. Indeed, Einstein and Darwin would not have been able to put forward their respective theories of relativity (Einstein, &lt;span&gt;1918&lt;/span&gt;) and evolution (Darwin, &lt;span&gt;1859&lt;/span&gt;) without the concepts of ‘gravity’ and ‘natural selection’. Concepts are not necessarily empirically testable, while theories must be.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Concepts are particularly useful to investigate and understand ecological systems because nature is complex. The development of concepts has historically enabled ecologists to better understand the interactions between organisms and their environments, as well as their underlying mechanisms. Indeed, ecological concepts encapsulate key processes such as energy transfer (e.g. ‘energy flows’, Lindeman, &lt;span&gt;1942&lt;/span&gt;), self-regulation (e.g. ‘density dependence’, Nicholson &amp; Bailey, &lt;span&gt;1935&lt;/span&gt;), species interactions (e.g. ‘competition’, Volterra, &lt;span&gt;1927&lt;/span&gt;; ‘facilitation’, Clements, &lt;span&gt;1916&lt;/span&gt;), or evolutionary dynamics (e.g. ‘fast evolution’, Reznick et al., &lt;span&gt;1990&lt;/span&gt;; ‘eco-evolutionary dynamics’, Pelletier et al., &lt;span&gt;2009&lt;/span&gt;). By providing a consistent structure to study ecological systems, ecological concepts allow researchers to classify life history strategies (Stearns, &lt;span&gt;1983&lt;/span&gt;; Stott et al., &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;), predict behaviours (Hamilton, &lt;span&gt;1964&lt;/span&gt;), quantify the stability and resilience of systems (Van Meerbeek et al., &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;), or identify key drivers of biodiversity (Mac Arthur &amp; Wilson, &lt;span&gt;1970&lt;/span&gt;). These foundational concepts integrate biology, evolution, environmental sciences, and conservation, enabling us to address global challenges such as resource depletion, climate change and biodiversity loss.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To further fuel the development and implementation of concepts in ecology, in 2020 &lt;i&gt;Journal of Animal Ecology&lt;/i&gt; added a seventh Article Type to its publishing portfolio: ‘Concepts’. The goal of Concept articles is to challenge existing paradigms or to introduce novel ideas that may guide the field of animal ecology in fresh directions and ultimately support more theory-driven research. Here, we provide some key examples of concepts that have helped advance ecology. In doing so, we also highlight contributions published in &lt;i&gt;Journal of Animal Ecology&lt;/i&gt;, and provide suggestions to authors interested in submitting Concept articles to the Journal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other key concepts in ecology published by the Journals of the British Ecological Society can be found in this link: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/learning-and-resources/career-development/key-concepts-in-ecology/.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Authors wishing to submit a &lt;i&gt;Concepts in Animal Ecology&lt;/i&gt; article are encouraged to contact ","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":"93 12","pages":"1814-1818"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1365-2656.14206","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142764320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Erosion of behavioural plasticity and pace-of-life shifts under multigenerational pharmaceutical pollution.","authors":"Clelia Gasparini","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14230","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14230","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research Highlight: Aich, U., Polverino, G., Yazdan Parast, F., Melo, G. C., Tan, H., Howells, J., Nosrati, R., & Wong, B. B. M. (2024). Long-term effects of widespread pharmaceutical pollution on trade-offs between behavioural, life history and reproductive traits in fish. Journal of Animal Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14152. Pharmaceutical pollutants are increasingly common in aquatic ecosystems, and organisms living there are the unintended targets of these compounds, originally designed for humans. However, our understanding of these effects remains limited. In a recent study, Aich et al. (2024) investigated the effects of fluoxetine on a small freshwater fish, the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), with particular emphasis on behaviour. The authors found that, after multigenerational exposure to ecologically relevant concentrations of this compound, there was minimal impact on average behavioural traits at the population level. However, fluoxetine exposure reduced within-individual behavioural plasticity and altered the delicate equilibrium among these traits. These findings could have far-reaching evolutionary implications for how individuals and populations may respond to environmental changes and highlight the need for behavioural ecotoxicology to move beyond population-level effects. This research provides valuable insights into the subtle and multifaceted-yet profound-impacts of pollutants on ecological and evolutionary processes, highlighting the importance of studying behavioural responses at the individual level to predict how populations will respond to our rapidly changing world.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142769155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reproductive success and offspring survival decline for female elephant seals past prime age.","authors":"Allison R Payne, Max F Czapanskiy, A Marm Kilpatrick, Patrick W Robinson, Cara M O Munro, Kelli Ong, Adrien Bastidas, Alegra O Negrete, Brecken Theders, Bryn Stillwell, Danissa Coffey, Elijah Schweitzer, Elise Baugh, Jasmine Salazar, Keenan Chau-Pech, Mason Rodrigues, Mimi Chavez, Savanna Wright, Sofia Rivas, Joanne Reiter, Daniel P Costa, Roxanne S Beltran","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14226","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Maternal age can influence reproductive success and offspring fitness, but the timing, magnitude and direction of those impacts are not well understood. Evolutionary theory predicts that selection on fertility senescence is stronger than maternal effect senescence, and therefore, the rate of maternal effect senescence will be faster than fertility senescence. We used a 36-year study of northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) to investigate reproductive senescence. Our dataset included 103,746 sightings of 1203 known-age female northern elephant seals. We hypothesized that fertility (maternal reproductive success), offspring survival and recruitment into the breeding population, and male offspring production would decline with advanced maternal age. Furthermore, we hypothesized that older females would shorten their moulting haul out to allow for more time spent foraging. We found evidence for both fertility and maternal effect senescence, but no evidence for senescence impacting offspring recruitment or sex ratio. Breeding probability declined from 96.4% (95% CI: 94.8%-97.5%) at 11 years old to 89.7% (81.9%-94.3%) at 19 years old, and the probability of offspring survival declined from 30.3% (23.6%-38.0%) at 11 years old to 9.1% (3.2%-22.9%) at 19 years old. The rates of decline for fertility and maternal effect senescence were not different from each other. However, maternal effect senescence had a substantially greater impact on the number of offspring surviving to age 1 compared to fertility senescence. Compared to a hypothetical non-senescent population, maternal effect senescence resulted in 5.3% fewer surviving pups, whereas fertility senescence resulted in only 0.3% fewer pups produced per year. These results are consistent with evolutionary theory predicting weaker selection on maternal effect than fertility senescence. Maternal effect senescence may therefore be more influential on population dynamics than fertility senescence in some systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142675061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A 'how-to' guide for estimating animal diel activity using hierarchical models.","authors":"Fabiola Iannarilli, Brian D Gerber, John Erb, John R Fieberg","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14213","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1365-2656.14213","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animal diel activity patterns can aid understanding of (a) how species behaviourally adapt to anthropogenic and natural disturbances, (b) mechanisms of species co-existence through temporal partitioning, and (c) community or ecosystem effects of diel activity shifts. Activity patterns often vary spatially, a feature ignored by the kernel density estimators (KDEs) currently used for estimating diel activity. Ignoring this source of heterogeneity may lead to biased estimates of uncertainty and misleading conclusions regarding the drivers of diel activity. Thus, there is a need for more flexible statistical approaches for estimating activity patterns and testing hypotheses regarding their biotic and abiotic drivers. We illustrate how trigonometric terms and cyclic cubic splines combined with hierarchical models can provide a valuable alternative to KDEs. Like KDEs, these models accommodate circular data, but they can also account for site-to-site and other sources of variability, correlation amongst repeated measures, and variable sampling effort. They can also more readily quantify and test hypotheses related to the effects of covariates on activity patterns. Through empirical case studies, we illustrate how hierarchical models can quantify changes in activity levels due to seasonality and in response to biotic and abiotic factors (e.g. anthropogenic stressors and co-occurrence). We also describe frequentist and Bayesian approaches for quantifying site-specific (conditional) and population-averaged (marginal) activity patterns. We provide guidelines and tutorials with detailed step-by-step instructions for fitting and interpreting hierarchical models applied to time-stamped data, such as those recorded by camera traps and audio recorders. We conclude that this approach offers a viable, flexible, and effective alternative to KDEs when modelling animal activity patterns.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142667810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tadpole aggregations create biogeochemical hotspots in wetland ecosystems.","authors":"Nicholas J Corline, Erin R Hotchkiss, Brian Badgely, Brian D Strahm, Durelle T Scott, Daniel L McLaughlin","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14222","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14222","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animal waste can contribute substantially to nutrient cycling and ecosystem productivity in many environments. However, little is known of the biogeochemical impact of animal excretion in wetland habitats. Here we investigate the effects of wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpole aggregations on nutrient recycling, microbial metabolism and carbon cycling in geographically isolated wetlands. We used a paired mesocosm and field study approach that utilized measurements of tadpole excretion rates, microbial extracellular enzyme activities, and litter degradation. We found a strong relationship between tadpole development and nutrient excretion, demonstrating that ontological changes impact tadpole-mediated nutrient cycling in wetland habitats. Further, the interplay between population-level tadpole excretion and wetland hydrologic conditions increased ambient <math> <semantics> <mrow><msubsup><mi>NH</mi> <mn>4</mn> <mo>+</mo></msubsup> </mrow> <annotation>$$ {mathrm{NH}}_4^{+} $$</annotation></semantics> </math> and <math> <semantics> <mrow><msubsup><mi>PO</mi> <mn>4</mn> <mrow><mn>3</mn> <mo>-</mo></mrow> </msubsup> </mrow> <annotation>$$ {mathrm{PO}}_4^{3-} $$</annotation></semantics> </math> concentrations by 56 and 14 times, respectively, compared to adjacent wetlands without tadpoles. Within our mesocosm study, microbes decreased extracellular enzyme production associated with nitrogen acquisition in response to the presence of tadpole-derived nitrogen. In addition to microbial metabolic responses, tadpole presence enhanced litter breakdown in both mesocosms and wetlands by 7% and 12%, respectively, in comparison to reference conditions. These results provide evidence for the functional and biogeochemical role of tadpole aggregations in wetland habitats, with important implications for ecosystem processes, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem management.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142647344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Picky eaters: Selective microbial diet of avian ectosymbionts.","authors":"Alix E Matthews, Brian K Trevelline, Asela J Wijeratne, Than J Boves","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14215","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Individual organisms can function as ecosystems inhabited by symbionts. Symbionts may interact with each other in ways that subsequently influence their hosts positively or negatively, although the details of how these interactions operate collectively are usually not well understood. Vane-dwelling feather mites are common ectosymbionts of birds and are proposed to confer benefits to hosts by consuming feather-degrading microbes. However, it is unknown whether these mites exhibit generalist or selective diets, or how their dietary selection could potentially impact their symbiotic functional nature. In this study, we conducted 16S rDNA and ITS1 amplicon sequencing to examine the microbial diet of feather mites. We characterized and compared the diversity and composition of bacteria and fungi in the bodies of mites living on feathers of the Prothonotary Warbler, Protonotaria citrea, to microbial assemblages present on the same feathers. We found less diverse, more compositionally similar microbial assemblages within mites than on feathers. We also found that mites were resource-selective. Based on the identity and known functions of microbes found within and presumably preferred by mites, our results suggest that these mites selectively consume feather-degrading microbes. Therefore, our results support the proposition that mites confer benefits to their hosts. This study provides insight into symbioses operating at multiple biological levels, highlights the ecological and evolutionary importance of the synergistic interactions between species, and greatly expands our understanding of feather mite biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142620946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"No evidence of early life resource pulse effects on age-specific variation in survival, reproduction and body mass of female Siberian flying squirrels","authors":"C. Le Coeur,&nbsp;V. Berger,&nbsp;V. Lummaa,&nbsp;R. Wistbacka,&nbsp;V. Selonen","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14218","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1365-2656.14218","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000 \u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":"93 12","pages":"2024-2037"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1365-2656.14218","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142620944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Seasonally variable thermal performance curves prevent adverse effects of heatwaves.","authors":"Matthew Sasaki, Michael Finiguerra, Hans G Dam","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14221","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14221","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>1. Differential vulnerability to heatwaves may affect community dynamics in a changing climate. In temperate regions, this vulnerability to heatwaves depends on the interactions between seasonal temperature fluctuations and the capacity to rapidly shift thermal performance curves. 2. Here we investigate how these dynamics affect the vulnerability of two ecologically important copepod congeners, Acartia tonsa and A. hudsonica, to heatwaves of different durations. Using a combination of field observations and simulated laboratory heatwave experiments, we uncover strong seasonal variation in the performance curves of A. tonsa but not A. hudsonica. This translated to species-specific seasonal patterns of vulnerability to heatwaves, with increased vulnerability in A. hudsonica. 3. By reducing parental stress during simulated heatwaves, seasonal performance curve shifts likely reduced indirect, transgenerational effects of these events on offspring performance in A. tonsa. 4. Our results illustrate how different levels of seasonal variation in thermal performance curves will affect population persistence in a changing climate.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142620950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Space-for-time substitutions exaggerate urban bird–habitat ecological relationships","authors":"Harold N. Eyster,&nbsp;Kai M. A. Chan,&nbsp;Morgan E. Fletcher,&nbsp;Brian Beckage","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.14194","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1365-2656.14194","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000 \u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":"93 12","pages":"1854-1867"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1365-2656.14194","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142590620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}