Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences最新文献

Illusory speeding-up and slowing-down of objects moving at constant speed emerges from natural motion detection algorithms.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-04-02 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2219

Emmeline L Handojo, Szonya Durant, Johannes M Zanker, Andrew Isaac Meso

{"title":"Illusory speeding-up and slowing-down of objects moving at constant speed emerges from natural motion detection algorithms.","authors":"Emmeline L Handojo, Szonya Durant, Johannes M Zanker, Andrew Isaac Meso","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2219","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2219","url":null,"abstract":"The footsteps illusion is a perceptual illusion in which two bars moving at the same constant speed on a stripey background are seen as alternately accelerating and decelerating like footsteps. The cortical mechanisms that give rise to footsteps and similar illusions remain to be fully understood and may reveal important neural computations. Using an implementation of the biologically inspired correlational model of motion detection, the 2-Dimensional Motion Detector, this study had three aims. First, reproducing perceptual speed oscillations in model simulations. Second, mapping empirical reports of multiple illusion configurations onto model outputs. Third, inferring from the successful model, the perceptual role of multi-scale spatio-temporal channels. We developed a 2-Dimensional Motion Detector implementation adding a global (single value) frame-by-frame dynamic readout to quantify continuous and oscillating response components. We confirmed that an expected signature oscillatory motion response corresponded to the footsteps illusion, demonstrating that its amplitude varied according to empirically measured illusion strength. We showed that with a global readout, the inherent pattern and contrast dependence of correlation detectors is sufficient to reproduce the surprising perceptual illusion. This evidence suggests spacetime correlation may be a fundamental sensory computation across species, with complementary filtering and global pooling operations adapted for various complex phenomena.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2044","pages":"20242219"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11961266/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Release of tree species diversity follows loss of elephants .from evergreen tropical forests.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-04-02 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2026

John Terborgh, Lisa Ong, Lisa Clare Davenport, Wei Harn Tan, Alicia Solana Mena, Kim McConkey, Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz

{"title":"Release of tree species diversity follows loss of elephants .from evergreen tropical forests.","authors":"John Terborgh, Lisa Ong, Lisa Clare Davenport, Wei Harn Tan, Alicia Solana Mena, Kim McConkey, Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2026","url":null,"abstract":"We report on a decade of research on elephant impacts in equatorial evergreen forests in Gabon and Malaysia, comparing sites with (+) and without (-) elephants and documenting major differences in forest structure, tree species composition and tree species diversity. In both regions, we compared sites supporting natural densities of elephants with otherwise undisturbed sites from which elephants had been absent for several decades. Elephant (+) sites supported low densities of seedlings and saplings relative to elephant (-) sites. In Lope National Park, Gabon, 88% of saplings and small trees (<20 cm dbh) were of species avoided by elephants, implicating forest elephants as powerful filters in tree recruitment. In Malaysia, Asian elephants showed strong preferences for monocots over dicots, as we found through both indirect and direct means. Loss of elephants from both Asian and African forests releases diversity from top-down pressure, as preferred forage species increase in abundance, leading to increased density of small stems and tree species diversity. In contrast, loss of other major functional groups of animals, including top carnivores, seed predators and seed dispersers, often results in negative impacts on tree diversity.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2044","pages":"20242026"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11961250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Making sense of the virome in light of evolution and ecology.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-04-02 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2025.0389

Megan A Wallace, Michelle Wille, Jemma Geoghegan, Ryan M Imrie, Edward C Holmes, Xavier A Harrison, Ben Longdon

{"title":"Making sense of the virome in light of evolution and ecology.","authors":"Megan A Wallace, Michelle Wille, Jemma Geoghegan, Ryan M Imrie, Edward C Holmes, Xavier A Harrison, Ben Longdon","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2025.0389","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2025.0389","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the patterns and drivers of viral prevalence and abundance is of key importance for understanding pathogen emergence. Over the last decade, metagenomic sequencing has exponentially expanded our knowledge of the diversity and evolution of viruses associated with all domains of life. However, as most of these 'virome' studies are primarily descriptive, our understanding of the predictors of virus prevalence, abundance and diversity, and their variation in space and time, remains limited. For example, we do not yet understand the relative importance of ecological predictors (e.g. seasonality and habitat) versus evolutionary predictors (e.g. host and virus phylogenies) in driving virus prevalence and diversity. Few studies are set up to reveal the factors that predict the virome composition of individual hosts, populations or species. In addition, most studies of virus ecology represent a snapshot of single species viromes at a single point in time and space. Fortunately, recent studies have begun to use metagenomic data to directly test hypotheses about the evolutionary and ecological factors which drive virus prevalence, sharing and diversity. By synthesizing evidence across studies, we present some over-arching ecological and evolutionary patterns in virome composition, and illustrate the need for additional work to quantify the drivers of virus prevalence and diversity.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2044","pages":"20250389"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11961256/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Sexual selection, genomic evolution and population fitness in Drosophila pseudoobscura.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-04-02 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2744

Stewart Leigh, Peter Thorpe, Rhonda R Snook, Michael G Ritchie

{"title":"Sexual selection, genomic evolution and population fitness in Drosophila pseudoobscura.","authors":"Stewart Leigh, Peter Thorpe, Rhonda R Snook, Michael G Ritchie","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2744","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2744","url":null,"abstract":"Sexual selection shapes the genome in unique ways. It is also likely to have significant fitness consequences, such as purging deleterious mutations from the genome or conversely maintaining genetic load in a population via sexual conflict. Here, we examined what the influence of sexual selection has on genomic variation potentially underlying population fitness using experimentally evolved Drosophila pseudoobscura populations. Sexual selection was manipulated by keeping replicate lines in elevated polyandry or strict monogamy for approximately 200 generations followed by individual-based sequencing. Using pi (π), fixation index (Fst)and recombination rate measures, we confirmed signatures of selection were not dispersed but mainly localized to the third and X chromosome. Overall mutational load was similar between lines but our analysis of the distribution of fitness effects revealed considerable variation between lines and chromosomes. Furthermore, we found that the distribution of transposable elements differs between the lines, with a higher load in monogamous lines. Our results suggest that complex interactions between purifying selection and sexual conflict are shaping the genome, particularly on chromosome 3 and the sex chromosome; sexual selection influences divergence across chromosomes but in a more complex way than proposed by simple 'purging' of deleterious loci.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2044","pages":"20242744"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11961267/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Route flexibility is associated with headwind minimization in a long-distance migratory seabird.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-04-02 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2522

Nathalie Kürten, Joe Wynn, Birgen Haest, Heiko Schmaljohann, Oscar Vedder, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Sandra Bouwhuis

{"title":"Route flexibility is associated with headwind minimization in a long-distance migratory seabird.","authors":"Nathalie Kürten, Joe Wynn, Birgen Haest, Heiko Schmaljohann, Oscar Vedder, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Sandra Bouwhuis","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2522","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2522","url":null,"abstract":"Seasonal migration has evolved across taxa and encompasses a multitude of features, many of which vary between species, between and within populations, and even within individuals. One feature of migration that appears especially variable within individuals is the route taken to reach a destination, even when the destination itself is not variable at this level. To investigate why, we analysed the geolocator tracks describing 192 post-breeding migratory journeys of 84 common terns (Sterna hirundo), as well as 149 pre-breeding migratory journeys of 75 of these birds. We found little within-individual spatial consistency in migration routes across years, irrespective of season or sex. Instead, individuals departing during the same time window took similar migration routes, which, during pre-breeding migration, when birds predominantly encountered headwinds, were associated with minimized headwind exposure. We therefore suggest that the individual routes of this long-distance migratory seabird can be flexibly adjusted to environmental variation, which is likely to be adaptive.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2044","pages":"20242522"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11961259/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Six-decade research bias towards fancy and familiar bird species.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-04-02 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2846

Silas E Fischer, Joshua G Otten, Andrea M Lindsay, Donald Miles, Henry Streby

{"title":"Six-decade research bias towards fancy and familiar bird species.","authors":"Silas E Fischer, Joshua G Otten, Andrea M Lindsay, Donald Miles, Henry Streby","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2846","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2846","url":null,"abstract":"Human implicit biases towards visually appealing and familiar stimuli are well documented and rooted in our brains' reward systems. For example, humans are drawn to charismatic, familiar organisms, but less is known about whether such biases permeate research choices among biologists, who strive for objectivity. The factors driving research effort, such as aesthetics, logistics and species' names, are poorly understood. We report that, from 1965 to 2020, nearly half of the variation in publication trends among 293 North American male passerine and near-passerine birds was explained by three factors subject to human bias: aesthetic salience (visual appeal), range size (familiarity) and the number of universities within ranges (accessibility). We also demonstrate that endangered birds and birds featured on journal covers had higher aesthetic salience, and birds with eponymous names were studied about half as much as those not named after humans. Thus, ornithological knowledge, and decisions based thereon, is heavily skewed towards fancy, familiar species. This knowledge disparity feeds a cycle of public interest, environmental policy, conservation, funding opportunities and scientific narratives, shrouding potentially important information in the proverbial plumage of drab, distant, disregarded species. The unintended consequences of biologists' choices may exacerbate organismal inequalities amid biodiversity declines and limit opportunities for scientific inquiry.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2044","pages":"20242846"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11961255/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Turning lances into shields: flower mantids stretch their raptorial forelegs to avert and deflect predator attack.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-04-02 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.3081

Yuanlang Li, Qinpeng Liu, Zhaoyang Chen, Le Liang, Zhixin Wang, Yuange Duan, Fan Song, Wanzhi Cai, Jin Ge, Hu Li, Li Tian

{"title":"Turning lances into shields: flower mantids stretch their raptorial forelegs to avert and deflect predator attack.","authors":"Yuanlang Li, Qinpeng Liu, Zhaoyang Chen, Le Liang, Zhixin Wang, Yuange Duan, Fan Song, Wanzhi Cai, Jin Ge, Hu Li, Li Tian","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2024.3081","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2024.3081","url":null,"abstract":"Evolutionary co-option, in which existing traits acquire novel adaptive functions, is a key strategy by which organisms adapt to new environmental challenges. Although such co-option has been widely documented at the genetic and morphological levels, its incidence at the behavioural level remains largely unknown. Mantids stretch their forelegs to capture prey; however, some flower mantids also perform foreleg stretches in the absence of prey. The current study tested whether this behaviour represents a novel function of the foreleg stretch, thus representing a case of behavioural co-option. Predator encounter behaviour assays revealed that foreleg stretching facilitates the escape of flower mantids from large predatory mantids by delaying predator approach or deflecting their attack towards less vulnerable body parts. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the ancestral function of foreleg stretching involves prey capture, with the anti-predator function subsequently acquired in the flower mantid clade, coinciding with the diversification of large-sized mantids, the most likely invertebrate predators of flower mantids. This study provides a case of behavioural co-option, where a predator uses its predatory organ as a defensive implement to cope with its own predators. These findings further suggest that behavioural co-option may be common in nature, meriting more comprehensive studies.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2044","pages":"20243081"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11961251/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Fjord oceanographic dynamics provide refuge for critically endangered Pycnopodia helianthoides.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-04-02 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2770

Alyssa-Lois Madden Gehman, Ondine Pontier, Tyrel Froese, Derek VanMaanen, Tristan Blaine, Gillian Sadlier-Brown, Angeleen M Olson, Zachary L Monteith, Krystal Bachen, Carolyn Prentice, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Jennifer M Jackson

{"title":"Fjord oceanographic dynamics provide refuge for critically endangered Pycnopodia helianthoides.","authors":"Alyssa-Lois Madden Gehman, Ondine Pontier, Tyrel Froese, Derek VanMaanen, Tristan Blaine, Gillian Sadlier-Brown, Angeleen M Olson, Zachary L Monteith, Krystal Bachen, Carolyn Prentice, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Jennifer M Jackson","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2770","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2770","url":null,"abstract":"Disease outbreaks as a driver of wildlife mass mortality events have increased in magnitude and frequency since the 1940s. Remnant populations, composed of individuals that survived mass mortality events, could provide insight into disease dynamics and species recovery. The sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epidemic led to the rapid >90% decline of the sunflower star Pycnopodia helianthoides. We surveyed the biomass density of P. helianthoides on the central British Columbia coast before, during and after the arrival of SSWD by conducting expert diver surveys in shallow subtidal habitats from 2013 to 2023. We found a rapid decline in biomass density following the onset of SSWD in 2015. Despite consistent recruitment post-outbreak to sites associated with outer islands, we found repeated loss of large adult individuals over multiple years. Within nearby fjord habitats, we found remnant populations composed of large adult P. helianthoides. The interaction of temperature and salinity with the biomass density of P. helianthoides varied by location, with high biomass density associated with higher temperatures in the outer islands and with lower temperatures and higher salinity in the fjords. These patterns suggest that fjords provide refuge from consequences of SSWD and protecting these populations could be imperative for the species.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2044","pages":"20242770"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11961252/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Integrative phylogenomics sheds light on the diversity and evolution of fluorescence in coral-dwelling gall crabs.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-03-01 Epub Date: 2025-03-12 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2403

Susanne Bähr, Sancia Et van der Meij, Tullia Terraneo, Nicolas Oury, Nico K Michiels, Stephen Ogg, Fabio Marchese, Francesca Benzoni

{"title":"Integrative phylogenomics sheds light on the diversity and evolution of fluorescence in coral-dwelling gall crabs.","authors":"Susanne Bähr, Sancia Et van der Meij, Tullia Terraneo, Nicolas Oury, Nico K Michiels, Stephen Ogg, Fabio Marchese, Francesca Benzoni","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2403","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2403","url":null,"abstract":"Fluorescence is a notable adaptation in marine environments, helping to counteract the loss of longer wavelengths as light diminishes with depth. Studied to some extent in cnidarians and reef fish, its presence and functions in crustaceans are less understood. Recently, fluorescence was discovered in gall crabs (Cryptochiridae). To investigate the evolutionary significance of fluorescence in these coral-dwelling decapods, we combined a multivariate examination of 27 fluorescent morphological traits with phylogenomic analysis across 14 crab genera from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Fluorescence first evolved in the genus Opecarcinus and was subsequently retained showing varying levels of expression. We identified four distinct fluorescent morphologies (fluotypes) with high phenotypic variability, some of which show distinct distributions across the phylogeny. Along with differences in the crabs' microhabitats, these findings suggest that fluorescence may be shaped by selective pressures, such as visibility to potential viewers, and could thus play a role in camouflage, aiding concealment against complex coral reef backgrounds. This study provides a deeper understanding of evolutionary dynamics in cryptochirids and introduces a new workflow, providing guidance for future research on fluorescence in marine invertebrates. Further research into behavioural functions and fluorophore identification are required to explain the observed variability in Cryptochiridae.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2042","pages":"20242403"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11896703/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143606050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Quantifying the ecological role of crocodiles: a 50-year review of metabolic requirements and nutrient contributions in northern Australia.

IF 3.8 1区生物学

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-03-01 Epub Date: 2025-03-12 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2260

Mariana A Campbell, Vinay Udyawer, Craig White, Cameron J Baker, R Keller Kopf, Yusuke Fukuda, Timothy D Jardine, Stuart E Bunn, Hamish A Campbell

{"title":"Quantifying the ecological role of crocodiles: a 50-year review of metabolic requirements and nutrient contributions in northern Australia.","authors":"Mariana A Campbell, Vinay Udyawer, Craig White, Cameron J Baker, R Keller Kopf, Yusuke Fukuda, Timothy D Jardine, Stuart E Bunn, Hamish A Campbell","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2260","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2024.2260","url":null,"abstract":"The ecological roles of large predators are well recognized, but quantifying their functional impacts remains an active area of research. In this study, we examined the metabolic requirements and nutrient outputs of the estuarine crocodile population (Crocodylus porosus) in northern Australia over a 50-year period, during which the population increased from a few thousand to over 100 000 individuals. Bioenergetic modelling showed that during this period, the crocodile population's annual prey consumption increased from <20 kg km-2 in 1979 to approximately 180 kg km-2 in 2019. Further, the prey consumption increase was accompanied by a significant dietary shift from predominantly aquatic prey (approx. 65% in 1979) to a terrestrial-based diet (approx. 70% in 2019). A substantial portion of these terrestrial-derived nutrients was excreted into the water, significantly increasing the input rates of nitrogen (186-fold) and phosphorus (56-fold). The study shows that, despite being ectothermic, the high biomass of crocodiles within the environment generated nutrient inputs comparable to terrestrial endothermic predator populations. While crocodiles are apex predators, they are not considered to influence ecosystems in the same manner that large-bodied endothermic predators do. However, in the oligotrophic freshwater systems of northern Australia, the large volume of crocodile biomass is likely to impact the ecosystem through top-down and bottom-up processes.","PeriodicalId":20589,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences","volume":"292 2042","pages":"20242260"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11896701/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143606053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0