{"title":"Correction: Seed dispersal function of the brown bear Ursus arctos on Hokkaido Island in northern Japan: gut passage time, dispersal distance, germination, and effects of remaining pulp.","authors":"Yoshihiro Tsunamoto, Hifumi Tsuruga, Konomi Kobayashi, Takeshi Sukegawa, Takuya Asakura","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05565-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00442-024-05565-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":" ","pages":"229"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140957046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
OecologiaPub Date : 2024-05-01Epub Date: 2024-05-24DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05564-5
James L L Lichtenstein, Brendan L McEwen, Skylar D Primavera, Thomas Lenihan, Zoe M Wood, Walter P Carson, Raul Costa-Pereira
{"title":"Top-down effects of intraspeciflic predator behavioral variation.","authors":"James L L Lichtenstein, Brendan L McEwen, Skylar D Primavera, Thomas Lenihan, Zoe M Wood, Walter P Carson, Raul Costa-Pereira","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05564-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00442-024-05564-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Among-individual variation in predator traits is ubiquitous in nature. However, variation among populations in this trait variation has been seldom considered in trophic dynamics. This has left unexplored (a) to what degree does among-individual variation in predator traits regulate prey populations and (b) to what degree do these effects vary spatially. We address these questions by examining how predator among-individual variation in functional traits shapes communities across habitats of varying structural complexity, in field conditions. We manipulated Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) density (six or twelve individuals) and behavioral trait variability (activity level by movement on an open field) in experimental patches of old fields with varying habitat complexity (density of plant material). Then, we quantified their impacts on lower trophic levels, specifically prey (arthropods > 4 mm) and plant biomass. Predator behavioral variability only altered prey biomass in structurally complex plots, and this effect depended on mantis density. In the plots with the highest habitat complexity and mantis density, behaviorally variable groups decreased prey biomass by 40.3%. In complex plots with low mantis densities, low levels of behavioral variability decreased prey biomass by 32.2%. Behavioral variability and low habitat complexity also changed prey community composition, namely by increasing ant biomass by 881%. Our results demonstrate that among-individual trait variation can shape species-rich prey communities. Moreover, these effects depend on both predator density and habitat complexity. Incorporating this important facet of ecological diversity revealed normally unnoticed effects of functional traits on the structure and function of food webs.</p>","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":" ","pages":"203-214"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141094084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
OecologiaPub Date : 2024-05-01Epub Date: 2024-05-02DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05558-3
Eva Rüther, Dietrich Hertel, Christoph Leuschner
{"title":"Intraspecific variation in fine root morphology of European beech: a root order-based analysis of phenotypic root morphospace.","authors":"Eva Rüther, Dietrich Hertel, Christoph Leuschner","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05558-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00442-024-05558-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fine roots are multifunctional organs that may change function with ageing or root branching events from primarily absorptive to resource transport and storage functions. It is not well understood, how fine root branching patterns and related root functional differentiation along the longitudinal root axis change with soil chemical and physical conditions. We examined the variation in fine root branching patterns (the relative frequency of 1st to 4th root orders) and root morphological and chemical traits of European beech trees with soil depth (topsoil vs. subsoil) and soil chemistry (five sites with acid to neutral/alkaline bedrock). Bedrock type and related soil chemistry had an only minor influence on branching patterns: base-poor, infertile sites showed no higher fine root branching than base-rich sites. The contribution of 1st-order root segments to total fine root length decreased at all sites from about 60% in the topsoil (including organic layer) to 45% in the lower subsoil. This change was associated with a decrease in specific root area and root N content and an increase in mean root diameter with soil depth, while root tissue density did not change consistently. We conclude that soil depth (which acts through soil physical and chemical drivers) influences the fine root branching patterns of beech much more than soil chemical variation across soil types. To examine whether changes in root function are indeed triggered by branching events or result from root ageing and diameter growth, spatially explicit root physiological and anatomical studies across root orders are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":" ","pages":"121-133"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11144161/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140860046","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}
OecologiaPub Date : 2024-05-01Epub Date: 2024-05-13DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05557-4
Jorge M Pereira, Jaime A Ramos, Filipe R Ceia, Lucas Krüger, Ana M Marques, Vitor H Paiva
{"title":"Boldness predicts foraging behaviour, habitat use and chick growth in a central place marine predator.","authors":"Jorge M Pereira, Jaime A Ramos, Filipe R Ceia, Lucas Krüger, Ana M Marques, Vitor H Paiva","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05557-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00442-024-05557-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animal personality can shape individual's fitness. Yet, the mechanistic relationship by which individual's personality traits lead to variations in fitness remains largely underexplored. Here, we used novel object tests to measure boldness of chick-provisioning Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) from a coastal colony off west Portugal, and deployed GPS loggers to study their at-sea behaviour and distribution. We then tested whether boldness predicts individual differences in adult's trophic ecology and variations in chick growth, to assess potential implications of personality-specific foraging behaviours. Foraging effort was higher for shyer than for bolder individuals, which, during short forays, exhibited larger foraging ranges, and foraged in regions of higher and more variable bathymetry. This suggests that nearby the colony bolder individuals expanded their foraging area to maximize resource acquisition and increase the probability of foraging success. When endeavouring to longer distances, bolder individuals exhibited comparably shorter foraging ranges and targeted low bathymetry regions, likely with enhanced prey availability, while shyer individuals exhibited much larger foraging ranges indicating greater flexibility when foraging in oceanic realms. Despite such differences between bolder and shyer individuals their isotopic niches were similar. Yet, chicks raised by bolder parents grew at a faster rate than those raised by shyer parents. Together, our results suggest that differences in resource acquisition strategies could play a key role through which individual's boldness may influence breeding performance, even when individuals have similar isotopic preferences.</p>","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":" ","pages":"135-147"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11144154/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140912281","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}
OecologiaPub Date : 2024-05-01Epub Date: 2024-05-21DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05562-7
Weize Tang, Xiaorong Liu, Xingyun Liang, Hui Liu, Kailiang Yu, Pengcheng He, Scott McAdam, Han Zhao, Qing Ye
{"title":"Hydraulic vulnerability difference between branches and roots increases with environmental aridity.","authors":"Weize Tang, Xiaorong Liu, Xingyun Liang, Hui Liu, Kailiang Yu, Pengcheng He, Scott McAdam, Han Zhao, Qing Ye","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05562-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00442-024-05562-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The vulnerability of plant xylem to embolism can be described as the water potential at which xylem conductivity is lost by 50% (P<sub>50</sub>). According to the traditional hypothesis of hydraulic vulnerability segmentation, the difference in vulnerability to embolism between branches and roots is positive (P<sub>50 root-branch</sub> > 0). It is not clear whether this occurs broadly across species or how segmentation might vary across aridity gradients. We compiled hydraulic and anatomical datasets from branches and roots across 104 woody species (including new measurements from 10 species) in four biomes to investigate the relationships between P<sub>50 root-branch</sub> and environmental factors associated with aridity. We found a positive P<sub>50 root-branch</sub> relationship across species, and evidence that P<sub>50 root-branch</sub> increases with aridity. Branch xylem hydraulic conductivity transitioned from more efficient (e.g., wider conduit, higher hydraulic conductivity) to safer (e.g., narrower conduit, more negative P<sub>50</sub>) in response to the increase of aridity, while root xylem hydraulic conductivity remained unchanged across aridity gradients. Our results demonstrate that the hydraulic vulnerability difference between branches and roots is more positive in species from arid regions, largely driven by modifications to branch traits.</p>","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":" ","pages":"177-190"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141076430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
OecologiaPub Date : 2024-04-30DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05548-5
Rebecca S. Mostow, Felipe S. Barreto, Sally D. Hacker
{"title":"A hybrid beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria × A. breviligulata) is more productive and outcompetes its non-native parent species","authors":"Rebecca S. Mostow, Felipe S. Barreto, Sally D. Hacker","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05548-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-024-05548-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The ability of non-native species to successfully invade new ecosystems sometimes involves evolutionary processes such as hybridization. Hybridization can produce individuals with superior traits that give them a competitive advantage over their parent species, allowing for rapid spread. Here we assess growth, functional morphology, and species interactions between two non-native beachgrass species (<i>Ammophila arenaria</i> and <i>A. breviligulata</i>) and their recently discovered hybrid (<i>A. arenaria</i> × <i>A. breviligulata</i>) on the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast. We asked whether the hybrid beachgrass differs from its parent species in morphology and growth, whether it competes with its parent species, and, if so, what are the potential mechanisms of competition. Plant taxa were grown in low- and high-density monocultures and in two-way interactions in a common garden environment. We show that the hybrid grew taller and more densely, with greater total biomass, than either parent species. The hybrid was also the better competitor, resulting in the model prediction of competitive exclusion against <i>A. breviligulata</i> and, depending on its relative abundance, <i>A. arenaria</i>. The hybrid displays a mixed ‘guerilla–phalanx’ growth form that allows it to spread laterally and achieve high shoot densities, giving it a competitive advantage. Given the current dominance of <i>A. breviligulata</i> compared to <i>A. arenaria</i> in most of the region where these taxa co-occur, we suggest that the hybrid will grow, compete, and spread quickly with potentially widespread consequences for the two non-native <i>Ammophila</i> congeners and the dunes they build.</p>","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140836808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Behave yourself: effects of exogenous-glucocorticoid exposure on larval amphibian anti-parasite behaviour and physiology","authors":"Katie O’Dwyer, Dino Milotic, Marin Milotic, Janet Koprivnikar","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05547-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-024-05547-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Parasites represent a ubiquitous threat for most organisms, requiring potential hosts to invest in a range of strategies to defend against infection—these include both behavioural and physiological mechanisms. Avoidance is an essential first line of defence, but this behaviour may show a trade-off with host investment in physiological immunity. Importantly, while environmental stressors can lead to elevated hormones in vertebrates, such as glucocorticoids, that can reduce physiological immunity in certain contexts, behavioural defences may also be compromised. Here, we investigate anti-parasite behaviour and immune responses against a trematode (flatworm) parasite by larval amphibians (tadpoles) exposed or not to a simulated general stressor in the form of exogenous corticosterone. Tadpoles that were highly active in the presence of the trematode infectious stage (cercariae) had lower infection loads, and parasite loads from tadpoles treated only with dechlorinated water were significantly lower than those exposed to corticosterone or the solvent control. However, treatment did not affect immunity as measured through white blood-cell profiles, and there was no relationship between the latter and anti-parasite behaviour. Our results suggest that a broad range of stressors could increase host susceptibility to infection through altered anti-parasite behaviours if they elevate endogenous glucocorticoids, irrespective of physiological immunity effects. How hosts defend themselves against parasitism in the context of multiple challenges represents an important topic for future research, particularly as the risk posed by infectious diseases is predicted to increase in response to ongoing environmental change.</p>","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140836796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
OecologiaPub Date : 2024-04-29DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05556-5
Jie Luo, Wei-xue Luo, Jun-ting Liu, Yong-jian Wang, Zong-feng Li, Jian-ping Tao, Jin-chun Liu
{"title":"Karst fissures mitigate the negative effects of drought on plant growth and photosynthetic physiology","authors":"Jie Luo, Wei-xue Luo, Jun-ting Liu, Yong-jian Wang, Zong-feng Li, Jian-ping Tao, Jin-chun Liu","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05556-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-024-05556-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Hard limestone substrates, which are extensively distributed, are believed to exacerbate drought and increase the difficulty of restoration in vulnerable karst regions. Fissures in such substrates may alleviate the negative effect of drought on plants, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In a two-way factorial block design, the growth and photosynthesis of 2-year-old <i>Phoebe zhennan</i> seedlings were investigated in two water availabilities (high versus low) and three stimulated fissure habitat groups (soil, soil-filled fissure and non-soil-filled fissure). Moreover, the fissure treatments included both small and big fissures. Compared to the soil group, the non-soil-filled fissure group had decreased the total biomass, root biomass, total root length, and the root length of fine roots in the soil layer at both water availabilities, but increased net photosynthetic rate (<i>Pn</i>) and retained stable water use efficiency (<i>WUE</i>) at low water availability. However, there were no significant differences between the soil-filled fissure group and soil group in the biomass accumulation and allocation as well as <i>Pn</i>. Nevertheless, the SF group decreased the root distribution in total and in the soil layer, and also increased <i>WUE</i> at low water availability. Across all treatments, fissure size had no effect on plant growth or photosynthesis. Karst fissures filled with soil can alleviate drought impacts on plant root growth, which involves adjusting root distribution strategies and increasing water use efficiency. These results suggest that rock fissures can be involved in long-term plant responses to drought stress and vegetation restoration in rocky mountain environments under global climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140809078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
OecologiaPub Date : 2024-04-27DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05549-4
Benjamin F. A. Souriol, Hugh A. L. Henry
{"title":"Short-versus long-term effects of nitrogen addition and warming on soil nitrogen mineralization and leaching in a grass-dominated old field","authors":"Benjamin F. A. Souriol, Hugh A. L. Henry","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05549-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-024-05549-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and climate warming are both anticipated to influence the N dynamics of northern temperate ecosystems substantially over the next century. In field experiments with N addition and warming treatments, cumulative treatment effects can be important for explaining variation in treatment effects on N dynamics over time; however, comparisons between data collected in the early vs. later years potentially can be confounded with interactions between treatment effects and inter-annual variation in environmental conditions or other factors. We compared the short-term versus long-term effects of N addition and warming on net N mineralization and N leaching in a grass-dominated old field using in situ soil cores. We added new N addition and warming plots (3 years old) to an existing field experiment (16 years old), which enabled comparison of the treatment effects at both time scales while controlling for potential inter-annual variation in other factors. For net N mineralization, there was a significant interaction between plot age and N addition over the growing season, and for extractable inorganic N there was a significant interaction between plot age and warming over winter. In both cases, the directions of the treatment effects differed among old and new plots. Moreover, the responses in the new plots differed from the responses observed previously when the 16-year-old plots had been new. These results demonstrate how inter-annual variation in responses, independent from cumulative treatment effects, can play an important role in interpreting long-term effects on soil N cycling in global change field experiments.</p>","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140809090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
OecologiaPub Date : 2024-04-21DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05550-x
Tongtian Guo, Yuqi Wei, Bin Wei, Meiqi Guo, Shuxia Zheng, Yingjun Zhang, Nan Liu
{"title":"Defoliation, trampling and nutrient return differentially influence grassland productivity by modulating trait-dependent plant community composition: insights from a simulated grazing experiment","authors":"Tongtian Guo, Yuqi Wei, Bin Wei, Meiqi Guo, Shuxia Zheng, Yingjun Zhang, Nan Liu","doi":"10.1007/s00442-024-05550-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-024-05550-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ungulate grazing involves multiple components, including defoliation, dung and urine return, and trampling, which supply offsetting or synergistic effects on plant community composition and productivity (ANPP), but these effects have not been fully studied. Plant functional traits may reflect the response of plants to disturbance and their impact on ecosystem functions. Species turnover and intraspecific trait variation (ITV) are important drivers of community trait composition. We conducted a simulated grazing experiment in a steppe grassland in northern China to examine the effects of defoliation, dung and urine return, and trampling on community-weighted mean (CWM), functional diversity (FD) and ANPP, and to disentangle the roles of species turnover and ITV in driving these changes. We found that defoliation had a dominant effect on CWMs and FDs of all four traits through species turnover and ITV, respectively, resulting in a convergence of traits towards as more resource-acquisitive strategy. Dung-urine return resulted in more resource-acquisitive community traits mainly through ITV, whereas there were no significant effects on FDs except for leaf C/N. Trampling increased CWM of leaf dry matter content primarily driven by ITV, and had no significant effect on FDs. Furthermore, our simulated grazing positively affected ANPP, primarily due to nutrient additions from dung and urine, and ITV largely explained the variation in ANPP. These findings highlight the multifaceted effects of grazing components on community structure and ANPP, and the significance of ITV in shaping grassland plant communities and productivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":19473,"journal":{"name":"Oecologia","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140636656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}