Journal of Animal Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Habitat and land-use intensity shape moth community structure across temperate forest and grassland.","authors":"Rafael Achury, Michael Staab, Sebastian Seibold, Jörg Müller, Lea Heidrich, Marcel Püls, Hermann Hacker, Carlos Roberto Fonseca, Markus Fischer, Nico Blüthgen, Wolfgang Weisser","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70132","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70132","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Land-use change and intensification are major drivers of biodiversity loss, yet their effects on diversity have usually been studied within a single habitat type or land-use category, limiting our understanding of cross-habitat patterns. Moths, a species-rich taxon worldwide, represent a significant portion of the biodiversity in both temperate forests and grasslands, functioning as pollinators and herbivores. While increasing land-use intensity (LUI) in both habitats is expected to negatively impact moth assemblages, the strength of this effect remains uncertain. Moreover, land-use intensification interacts with broader environmental factors, such as weather conditions and the spread of artificial light at night (ALAN), but their combined effects on moth community diversity and turnover across habitats remain poorly understood. We sampled moth communities across 150 grassland and 150 forest plots along land-use gradients in Germany. We quantified plot- and landscape-scale LUI and tested the role of plant diversity, temperature and precipitation during the night of sampling and the preceding season, and ALAN in shaping moth diversity (standardized by coverage) along Hill numbers. Forests supported significantly higher moth abundance, biomass and diversity than grasslands, with habitat type being the main driver of moth community composition. LUI at the plot scale had contrasting effects on moth abundance, increasing it in forests but reducing it in grasslands. Impacts of LUI were more pronounced at the landscape level, reducing moth diversity particularly in areas dominated by grasslands. Plant diversity and temperature were key determinants for moth communities, increasing alpha diversity across diversity metrics, that is Hill numbers. ALAN had no significant influence on moth abundance or biomass but significantly decreased Simpson diversity. Beta diversity increased with geographic distance, habitat change and LUI but decreased with weather differences among plots. Our results highlight the interplay between LUI, habitat type and abiotic factors in shaping moth communities across large spatial scales. Effective conservation strategies should consider maintaining habitat heterogeneity and promoting plant diversity, particularly in temperate habitats exposed to high land-use intensification.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145029883","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":"Social network dynamics under experimental manipulations of predation risk and food abundance in wild rock hyraxes.","authors":"Camille N M Bordes, Marine Ammeter, Chuchu Lu, Rosanne Beukeboom, Yael Goll, Julien Bourdiol, Amiyaal Ilany","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70122","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding how animals respond to ecological constraints is crucial for interpreting the dynamics of social networks in the wild. We investigated how experimentally induced changes in perceived predation risk and food abundance influence the social behaviour of wild rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), using experimental manipulations and a meta-analytical framework. We used proximity sensors, trail cameras and observations to record multiple aspects of social interactions. Elevated predation risk caused hyraxes to prioritize spatial adjustments over social rewiring, leading to a slight decrease in sociality and increased social stability within groups. Bachelor males and adult females exhibited greater behavioural adjustments, with solitary individuals interacting more with social groups to mitigate predation risk. In contrast, increased food abundance led to forced proximity at feeding patches, promoting social interactions and clustering within groups. Bachelor males connected social units without increasing network transitivity. Both manipulations highlighted that hyraxes preserve group structure and individual social bonds while exhibiting compensatory social behaviours. Our findings emphasize the possible role of space use in shaping short-term social network dynamics and underscore the stability of animal social structures under mild environmental perturbations. This study also demonstrates the utility of a meta-analytical approach for disentangling context-dependent social responses in complex ecological systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145000687","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":"Harnessing 50 years of tick population genetics: Choosing the right molecular tool for contemporary research.","authors":"Xavier Barton, Joseph B Fontaine, Shanan S Tobe, Charlotte L Oskam","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70127","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1365-2656.70127","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ticks are ectoparasites of major medical, veterinary and ecological importance, transmitting a wide range of pathogens to humans, companion animals and livestock. Understanding the population structure of ticks is essential for uncovering patterns of pathogen transmission, and population genetics provides a powerful method for this purpose. Tick population studies are uniquely challenging as their biology is shaped by complex interactions between hosts, microbiome and environmental factors. The choice of population genetic tools is crucial, as different methods offer varying levels of cost, throughput, resolution and accessibility, which can significantly influence the quality and scope of results. This review traces the evolution of molecular tools in tick population genetics, from early allozyme electrophoresis in the 1970s to advanced whole genome sequencing (WGS) technologies. It critically evaluates key methodologies, including allozyme electrophoresis, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), microsatellites (STRs), amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP), sequence typing, restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) and WGS, highlighting their strengths, limitations and applications. By offering a practical guide to these tools, this review helps researchers select the most appropriate methods for their studies and allows interpretation of results from older tools in the context of modern research. Sequence typing and RADseq currently provide the best balance of cost and practicality, while WGS has great potential once sequencing costs decline. This resource empowers researchers to make informed decisions, maximise the impact of their work and gain deeper insights into disease vector population structure.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144955024","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":"Limited inbreeding avoidance at the gamete level despite inbreeding depression in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).","authors":"Marco Graziano, Monica Solberg, Kevin A Glover, Martin Taylor, Anne Grete Eide Sørvik, David Murray, Simone Immler, Matthew J G Gage","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70123","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1365-2656.70123","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inbreeding and the associated increase in homozygosity and potential accumulation of deleterious alleles may reduce fitness in a process known as inbreeding depression. Mechanisms to mitigate reproduction between close relatives, ranging from pre-mating mate choice to post-mating gamete selection, have evolved across taxa. In external fertilisers like Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), where females have limited control over paternity, mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance can be expected to evolve at the gamete level. Philopatric Atlantic salmon may run the risk of breeding between relatives, particularly in small populations, and frequent escapes from aquaculture settings are augmenting the chances of adults from the same sibling cohort overlapping in the wild, raising potential ecological and sustainability concerns. Moreover, the presence of inbreeding avoidance mechanisms between full siblings in externally fertilising fish is currently untested. This study tested post-mating inbreeding avoidance mechanisms in domesticated Atlantic salmon. In a paired breeding design, we compared sperm motility parameters in sibling and non-sibling ovarian fluid, and assessed fertilisation and hatching success, growth rate and paternity in sperm competition trials between sibling and non-sibling males. Sperm activated in ovarian fluid of sibling females showed lower values of motility-related parameters and led to an average of 18% reduction in fertilisation rates in the resulting crosses. Furthermore, offspring from sibling crosses were smaller before the onset of sexual maturation. However, we found no difference in survival rates between sibling and non-sibling cross offspring. Besides, when sperm from sibling and non-sibling males were competing simultaneously for the same egg batch, we found no influence of this on paternity. Our findings reveal the presence of post-mating inbreeding avoidance at the gamete level in Atlantic salmon, but its effects are limited in competitive scenarios. Our results have implications for salmonid conservation and aquaculture, where small natural or closed domestic strains may both display a degree of inbreeding. Mating between escaped domestic and wild salmonids could favour admixed over wild or feral crosses if an inbreeding avoidance mechanism is present; although this remains to be tested in more outbred crosses.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144955132","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":"Freeze-tolerant frogs accumulate cryoprotectants using photoperiod: A potential ecological trap.","authors":"Troy C Neptune, Diana C Koester, Michael F Benard","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70125","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change is disrupting the reliability of photoperiod as a cue signalling seasonal changes in temperature. Temperate and Arctic species are especially vulnerable to this mismatch between photoperiod and temperature because winters are warming more rapidly in these areas relative to the rest of the world. Organisms relying on autumn photoperiods to trigger physiological adaptations to survive winter may incorrectly time the onset of winter and exhibit maladaptive responses. We exposed a freeze-tolerant amphibian, the eastern gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor), to variation in photoperiod and measured its cryoprotectant reserves (glycogen stored in the liver), thermal tolerance and post-metamorphic growth. We raised treefrogs under three photoperiods starting at egg development through the juvenile stage in the context of a warm growing environment. By the end of the experiment, juveniles were under photoperiods simulating late June, late September and early November (early, average and late, respectively). We show that gray treefrogs under the late-season photoperiod accumulated large reserves of cryoprotectants (i.e. 'antifreeze') and exhibited greater cold tolerance. Treefrogs raised under the late-season photoperiod had both higher concentrations of glycogen in liver tissue and larger livers compared to individuals from the other photoperiods. This resulted in treefrogs from the late-season photoperiod exhibiting 13.8 times more total liver glycogen compared to treefrogs in the early-season photoperiod and 8.2 times more reserves than treefrogs in the average-season photoperiod. Treefrogs under a late-season photoperiod also exhibited a lower critical thermal minimum but not critical thermal maximum compared to treefrogs from the early-season photoperiod. However, treefrogs in the late-season photoperiod also had reduced size-specific growth rates during the juvenile stage, indicating a potential cost to these physiological overwintering strategies. Photoperiod alone, without decreases in temperature, induced all of these physiological changes. Our results highlight the importance of photoperiod as a cue for overwintering preparation in a widespread North American amphibian. However, as climate change continues to expand the growing season, organisms relying on photoperiod to prepare for overwintering may therefore enter an ecological trap where photoperiod no longer accurately signals seasonal changes in temperature.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144955055","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":"Predator activity, proactive anti-predator strategies and nesting phenology produce a dynamic landscape of risk to tundra goose reproduction.","authors":"Sean M Johnson-Bice, Chloé Warret Rodrigues, Holly E L Gamblin, Frank B Baldwin, James D Roth","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70128","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70128","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Birds generally rely on proactive anti-predator strategies when selecting nest sites, as they have limited options to adapt to changing levels of risk once incubation begins. Arctic waterfowl often nest colonially as an anti-predator strategy, but dispersed-breeding species may use other proactive strategies, such as nesting in areas perceived to be safer. However, empirical links between spatial patterns of predation risk and nest habitat selection or success are needed to better understand how predator activity shapes Arctic waterfowl reproduction. Using activity data from the main cursorial nest predators, Arctic and red foxes (Vulpes lagopus, Vulpes vulpes), and aerial predators, we evaluate the influence predator activity has on Canada goose (Branta canadensis interior) nest habitat selection and success, and how nesting phenology mediates these effects. We compared habitat selection models fit to (i) goose nest locations and (ii) fox locations obtained from GPS collars and found that geese and foxes displayed nearly opposite patterns of selection for the same landscape traits. Geese selected sites that minimized their probability of encountering foxes while also maximizing their ability to detect foxes. Spatial predictions of fox activity revealed nests located in areas with higher probability of fox use had lower nest success, indicating fox space-use patterns reflect predation risk. Landscape heterogeneity influenced both fox and goose nest habitat selection patterns and, consequently, spatial variation in predation risk and reproductive success. Aerial predators appeared to have a lesser effect on spatial patterns of goose nest habitat selection and success. Spatial patterns of nest success were, however, strongly influenced by nesting phenology. Nests initiated earlier had a greater probability of successfully hatching, but these patterns depended on location; the benefits of nesting early decreased in areas of high fox activity. Our study demonstrates the mechanisms by which nesting phenology, predator activity and landscape heterogeneity interact to shape bird reproduction and provides an empirical demonstration of how our understanding of predation risk is enhanced by integrating both spatial and temporal dynamics.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144955097","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":"Early-growth trajectories affect juvenile survival, age at first reproduction and lifetime fitness in a long-lived seabird, the little penguin.","authors":"Justine Wintz, Nicolas Joly, Stéphanie Jenouvrier, Vincent A Viblanc, Andre Chiaradia, Claire Saraux","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early environmental conditions experienced during juvenile growth are known to have marked effects on adult phenotypes in animal populations. Yet, the life-history outcomes of variable growth strategies have rarely been investigated in wild populations. The aim of this study was to examine the natural variation of growth patterns displayed within a seabird population and assess their impact on juvenile survival, age at first reproduction, lifetime reproductive outputs (LRO) and longevity. Using a 26-year study on the ecology of little penguins, we compiled over 2200 chick growth curves and defined 11 growth parameters classified by magnitude, form and rate. Although the growth curves formed a continuum according to these 11 growth parameters, non-supervised statistical clustering showed that growth trajectories clustered into three main groups: fast, slow and light. Fast chicks (n = 48%) attained the highest maximum mass in the shortest amount of time, whereas slow chicks (n = 33%) stood out by a prolonged (+7 days, i.e. +13% in comparison to fast chicks) and irregular period of juvenile growth. Finally, light chicks (n = 19%) reached low maximum and fledging masses (~-350 g; -37% and -36% of fast and slow chicks). We tested for the effects of chick growth parameters on subsequent annual vital rates estimated through capture-mark-recapture methods as well as longer term effects on life-history outcomes using Markov chain models. Fast and slow individuals had the highest survival rates from hatching to yearling age (19% and 17%, respectively), while light chicks were at a disadvantage during this initial period (3% survival). Fast individuals reproduced 12% earlier (2.6 years old) than slow individuals, had 12.5%-88% greater longevity (up to 21 years old), and produced 1.2-3.8 times more eggs over their lifespan than slow and light individuals, respectively. Fast chicks reached maturity faster and produced more offspring during their lifetime without discernible negative effects to their longevity, highlighting possible silver spoon effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144955081","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":"Enhanced thermoregulation abilities of shortfin mako sharks as the key adaptive significance of regional endothermy in fishes.","authors":"Soma Tokunaga, Wei-Chuan Chiang, Itsumi Nakamura, Rui Matsumoto, Yuuki Y Watanabe","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Some large, wide-ranging teleosts and elasmobranchs are converged to have regional endothermy, retaining metabolic heat via vascular countercurrent heat exchangers. Yet, their adaptive significance remains debated. While previous studies proposed potential benefits of elevated body temperature, enhanced controllability of body temperature enabled by heat exchangers may also be important. Some endothermic teleosts (e.g. bigeye tuna) alter rates of body temperature change depending on dive phases to maximize foraging time in deep, cold waters while minimizing recovery time in shallow, warm waters. However, whether endothermic elasmobranchs possess similar abilities remains unclear. Using animal-borne tags, we recorded diving behaviours and muscle temperatures of shortfin mako sharks, a possible elasmobranch equivalent to bigeye tuna. Warming and cooling rates were estimated with a heat exchange model. Further, we conducted literature-based, phylogenetically informed comparative analyses of heat exchange rates across 25 fish species (mass range, 0.01-1600 kg). All four mako sharks repeatedly dived below the thermocline with ambient temperature changes of up to 7-14°C. On average, muscle temperatures were 1.5-3.9°C warmer than the ambient water. Two individuals dived deep (up to 286-327 m) and showed a 14-47 times higher warming rate than cooling rate, whereas the other two individuals that dived shallowly exhibited one to two times differences. One individual warmed its muscle above sea surface temperature before a deep dive, possibly preparing for the coming deep excursion using internal heat sources. Comparative analyses showed that the ratio of warming to cooling rate and its range across individuals was larger in endothermic bigeye tuna, swordfish and mako sharks than in most other fishes. Our results demonstrate that enhanced temperature controllability has convergently evolved among some endothermic teleosts and elasmobranchs that inhabit low-to-middle latitude waters with strong thermal gradients. By contrast, some other endothermic species (e.g. salmon sharks and Atlantic bluefin tuna) that migrate to subpolar waters are specialized for body temperature elevation. We propose that the controllability and elevation of body temperature have different adaptive significance, reflecting species' habitats and foraging ecology. Our findings help explain the diversity and success of endothermic fishes as apex predators across the world's pelagic oceans.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144955073","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":"Herbivory mediates the response of below-ground food webs to invasive grasses","authors":"Marco Fioratti Junod,&nbsp;Irene Cordero,&nbsp;Nadia Chinn,&nbsp;Jennifer Firn,&nbsp;Julia Holmes,&nbsp;Marcus Klein,&nbsp;Gabrielle Lebbink,&nbsp;Uffe N. Nielsen,&nbsp;Martin Schütz,&nbsp;Stephan Zimmermann,&nbsp;Anita C. Risch","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70113","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1365-2656.70113","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000 \u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":"94 10","pages":"2103-2117"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1365-2656.70113","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144955047","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":"Across the edge: Spatial segregation drives community structure in tri-trophic multilayer networks at a forest-grassland edge.","authors":"Henrique Negrello-Oliveira, José Tovar-Marquez, Milton de Souza Mendonça Júnior","doi":"10.1111/1365-2656.70120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70120","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Examining spillover between habitat boundaries offers a key opportunity to understand how neighbouring habitats may affect each other. Although extensively studied, ecological responses at forest-grassland edges are variable across trophic levels and their underlying interactions. Thus, tackling the subject from a multitrophic perspective may yield valuable insights into how energy may flow across forest-grassland edges. We asked whether a forest-grassland edge functions as an ecological barrier or a continuum for species interactions across space and trophic levels. We also examined whether species influence in the network is better explained by their distribution across the edge (spatial structure) or by their connections with other species (modular structure). We studied a tri-trophic (prey-consumer-parasitoid) antagonistic system at Atlantic Forest and Pampa Grassland edges, arranged in fire-prone mosaics in southern Brazil. Using network dissimilarity and multilayer approaches, we investigated species and trophic-level contributions to connectivity across the spatial/modular landscape by sampling cavity-nesting hymenopterans and their interactions across a distance gradient from the habitat edge We found spatially segregated modules confined to each habitat, indicating that the edge likely functions as an ecological barrier. Network dissimilarity peaked in cross-habitat comparisons, reinforcing the separation between forest and grassland ecosystems. While all trophic levels were less adaptable to shifts between habitats and modules, they showed greater adaptability across spatial strata within each habitat. The main factor determining species influence throughout the network was their ability to move across spatial layers, although trophic-level and habitat subgroups also responded to other variables. Cross-edge species had greater influence in connecting habitats internally than in serving as energy pathways between them. Our findings reveal that Atlantic Forest-Pampa Grassland edges likely constitute an ecological barrier network-wise. However, edge effects increasing interaction richness and abundance may highlight the importance of edge proximity to key species promoting within-habitat network cohesion. Our results highlight how network dynamics may span across habitat edges with significant species turnover, calling for active conservation strategies to prevent forest encroachment and maintain grassland habitats-while recognising that disturbances within the roughly 40-m edge effects zone could potentially cascade inward, influencing species and interactions beyond the edge.</p>","PeriodicalId":14934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144955044","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}