Ecosphere最新文献

{"title":"Exploring reserve and depth refuge effects on marine fish communities: Insights from environmental DNA metabarcoding","authors":"Sylvain Roblet,&nbsp;Fabrice Priouzeau,&nbsp;Gilbers Romero Suarez,&nbsp;Gilles Gambini,&nbsp;Aurélie Bonin,&nbsp;Benoit Dérijard,&nbsp;Cécile Sabourault","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70347","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70347","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been increasingly developed to protect fish communities and restore their ecological services. Shallow water fish populations may also find a natural refuge in the depths of the mesophotic reefs to escape overfishing and climate change. While a lot of knowledge has been acquired in the last decades about the effect of MPAs and, more recently, about mesophotic ecosystems, thanks to advances in monitoring methods, little is known about the effect of the interaction between protection and depth. Using environmental DNA metabarcoding, we sampled rocky fish assemblages of the Cap Roux no-take marine reserve and the surrounding fished areas, covering several depth strata ranging from the surface to mesophotic depths. We found that protection, depth, and their interaction had a significant effect on fish diversity and assemblage composition. The vast majority of the 66 fish taxa identified in this study were detected inside the MPA. On the other hand, depth had a negative impact, with mesophotic reefs harboring the lowest diversity. Shallow protected locations were composed of rich fish assemblages, including targeted and threatened species that were rarely detected or even undetected outside the MPA and/or at mesophotic depths. In this study, depth does not seem to act as an efficient refuge for shallow communities. We suggest that the only effective protection comes from the MPA, highlighting the importance of these management tools for the long-term conservation of fish populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70347","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144657676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"State of India's Birds 2023: A framework to leverage semi-structured citizen science for bird conservation","authors":"Ashwin Viswanathan,&nbsp;Karthik Thrikkadeeri,&nbsp;Pradeep Koulgi,&nbsp;Praveen J.,&nbsp;Arpit Deomurari,&nbsp;Ashish Jha,&nbsp;Ashwin Warudkar,&nbsp;Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi,&nbsp;M. D. Madhusudan,&nbsp;Monica Kaushik,&nbsp;Naman Goyal,&nbsp;Rajah Jayapal,&nbsp;Suhel Quader,&nbsp;Sutirtha Dutta,&nbsp;Tarun Menon,&nbsp;Vivek Ramachandran","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70290","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70290","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Birds and their habitats are threatened with extinction around the world. Regional assessments of the “State of Birds” are a vital means to prioritize data-driven conservation action by informing national and global policy. Such evaluations have traditionally relied on data derived from extensive, long-term, standardized surveys that require significant resources, limiting their feasibility to a few regions in the world. In the absence of such “structured” long-term datasets, “semi-structured” datasets have recently emerged as a promising alternative in other regions around the world. Semi-structured data are generated and uploaded by birdwatchers to citizen science platforms such as eBird. Such data contain inherent biases because birdwatchers are not required to adhere to a fixed protocol. An evaluation of the status of birds from semi-structured data is therefore a difficult task that requires careful curation of data and the use of robust statistical methods to reduce errors and biases. In this article, we present a methodology that was developed for this purpose and was applied to produce the comprehensive State of India's Birds (SoIB) 2023 report. SoIB 2023 assessed the status of 942 bird species in India by evaluating each species based on three metrics: (1) long-term change, (2) current annual trend, and (3) distribution range size. We found evidence that 204 species have declined in the long term and that 142 species are in current decline. Birds that have vertebrate or invertebrate diets have declined most rapidly in the long term, whereas those that feed on fruits and nectar have been stable. Birds that require grasslands have declined more rapidly than those that require other habitats, indicating that grasslands are an important ecosystem to prioritize conservation in India. We classify 178 species as high conservation priority and present and discuss important insights about India's birds that can guide research and conservation action in the region. We hope that the detailed methodology described here can act as a blueprint to produce State of Birds assessments from semi-structured citizen science datasets and springboard conservation action in many other regions where structured data are lacking but strong communities of birdwatchers exist.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70290","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144647369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Utility of indicator thresholds across spatial gradients for applications to ecosystem-based fisheries management","authors":"Shannon M. Hennessey,&nbsp;Jamison M. Gove,&nbsp;Mary K. Donovan","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70307","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70307","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is increasingly recognized as an effective management strategy, especially in systems with dynamic components that have integrated responses to interacting drivers. Management targets therefore need to incorporate these complex dynamics, which may be accomplished by establishing targets based on the indicators. Here, we leverage existing data to evaluate the use of indicators in EBFM for nearshore ecosystems in Hawai‘i. We screened for potential nonlinearities in the spatial relationships between ecosystem indicators and environmental drivers over a 10-year period, and assessed commonalities in identified indicator–driver thresholds. To understand how the ecosystem indicators relate to commonly used metrics in single-species assessments, we also tested whether these relationships were consistent across species, species complexes, and functional groups. Gradient forests and generalized additive mixed models revealed detectable threshold relationships across five environmental drivers and six ecosystem indicators. Several indicators showed considerable overlap in threshold locations with common drivers, especially for rugosity (habitat complexity) and wave forcing. While some indicators comprising nested species, species complexes, and functional groups had comparable thresholds with a common driver, this was not always the case, highlighting the need for careful consideration when selecting indicators for management applications. We demonstrate the use of these thresholds in environmental drivers by evaluating them along a gradient of fish biomass. The use of multi-model inference to incorporate multiple statistical methods to define the relationship between an ecosystem indicator and driver offers a quantitative basis for ecosystem management. Our results here provide a rubric by which to test for the existence of thresholds in indicator–driver relationships across spatial gradients and additionally identify clear thresholds for which to consider when managing fisheries.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70307","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144647370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Functional but not taxonomic diversity increases productivity of Populus in the southeastern United States","authors":"Austin Himes,&nbsp;Waqar Shafqat,&nbsp;Andrea Drager,&nbsp;Courtney Siegert,&nbsp;Heidi Renninger","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70337","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70337","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Plant interactions like competition and facilitation impact ecosystem function and resilience. Improving our understanding of the relationships between these interactions and community productivity has important implications for managers of production systems in forestry and agriculture as well as conservation science. <i>Populus</i> spp. are an excellent model system for exploring how inter- and intraspecific interactions impact ecosystem functions, such as productivity, in forest plantations. In this study, we compared aboveground productivity of six <i>Populus</i> clones from three different taxa grown in monoclonal and mixed-clonal plots. The different mixture treatments were intended to experimentally test aboveground biomass response to contrasting levels of taxonomic diversity and functional diversity based on nitrogen use characteristics of <i>Populus</i> clones. We hypothesize that functional diversity would be more important than taxonomic diversity in increasing aboveground productivity of mixed-clonal plantings compared to monocultures. In addition, a subset of treatments was carried out on additional sites representing a productivity gradient in order to determine if the relationship between biodiversity and productivity in these systems diminished at more productive sites as suggested by the stress-gradient hypothesis. We found that functionally diverse mixtures of clones had greater yield of aboveground biomass than the average of their constituent monocultures, while more taxonomically diverse mixes of clones did not differ from the average of their constituent monocultures. However, when reestablished on sites with extremely high or low productivity, the best performing clone mixture also did not differ from the average of its constituent monocultures. Our results suggest that intimate clone mixtures of <i>Populus</i> have the potential to significantly increase productivity, but results vary by mixture and by site. To capitalize on positive biodiversity effects on yield in production systems, targeted mixtures based on divergent functional traits linked to different use and acquisition strategies for site-specific limiting resources are most likely to be successful.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70337","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144647371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Online citizen science in higher education courses","authors":"Stacy R. Cotey,&nbsp;Amy K. Dunbar-Wallis,&nbsp;Yaela N. Golumbic,&nbsp;Pankaj Mehrotra,&nbsp;David A. Beamer,&nbsp;Heather D. Vance-Chalcraft","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70352","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70352","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Climate change and biodiversity loss require us to engage the next generation of scientists in addressing global ecological issues. Introducing undergraduate students to citizen science allows them to learn scientific processes and content while contributing to real-world applications. We conducted a systematic review of literature to (1) identify what types of undergraduate courses and institutions use citizen science, (2) list the projects and platforms that have been implemented in online courses in undergraduate education, (3) examine how students participated in the projects through online courses, and (4) summarize learning objectives and reported benefits of student participation. In all, 44 studies about the use of citizen science in undergraduate online courses were found in 25 papers in the published literature. The most common projects consisted of classification of species or natural history (e.g., iNaturalist), which could be done mainly online but with data collection completed at a location available to the student. Citizen science projects were incorporated into multiple course formats (e.g., lecture, lab) and class sizes, and students were most frequently asked to collect and submit data. The most frequently reported learning outcomes included increased student interest/engagement, improved appreciation for the relevance of science to the “real world,” and practice using the scientific process, but rigorous assessment data were lacking in papers. The use of citizen science in online courses and institutions appears to be increasing, and we encourage faculty using these approaches with students to publish on their efforts, providing details about their implementation, assessment, and course context.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70352","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144635262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Traditional harvest systems as models for advancing understanding of dynamics and resilience in socio-ecological systems","authors":"Sara Souther,&nbsp;Diana Stuart,&nbsp;Clare Aslan","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70349","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70349","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Traditional harvest entails humans extracting and managing resources from intact, semi-natural ecosystems. As such, it is inherently comprised of close interactions between humans and ecosystems and may provide unique insight into socio-ecological systems. Traditional harvest is generally accompanied by traditional resource management and directly influences ecological community dynamics, species reproduction and distribution, and competitive interactions. Meanwhile, ecological processes, seasonality, and natural disturbances influence human behaviors, decision making, activities, and well-being. As a result of this tight coupling, traditional harvest systems have the potential to serve as important laboratories for the study of ecological community dynamics. Resilience science, in particular, may benefit from greater appreciation of traditional harvest, wherein thresholds and bidirectional feedbacks may be more easily detected and modeled than in more diffuse socio-ecological systems. Additionally, because traditional harvest links to cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge, a greater understanding of these systems may facilitate efforts to support marginalized communities and social equity. We here discuss the value of traditional harvest research for science and society, highlighting as a case study the traditional harvest of Emory oak acorns by Western Apache Tribal Nations. We argue that traditional harvest systems carry important heuristic value but are often assumed to be rare or declining and are therefore relatively neglected by researchers, yet their persistence in modern agriculture-dominated systems exemplifies resilience. As environmental change persists and natural systems near critical tipping points, understanding the role of humans in ecosystem resilience will be necessary to develop effective and sustainable management.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70349","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144635263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Robustness of ecological indicators to species misidentification in the national forest inventory of the United States","authors":"Jonathan Knott,&nbsp;Jianmin Wang,&nbsp;David Walker,&nbsp;Grant Domke,&nbsp;Songlin Fei","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70340","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70340","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Longitudinal data are essential to assessing change in environmental parameters over space and through time. This is particularly true in forest ecosystems where demographic patterns are controlled by many biotic and abiotic factors that may only be observed through repeated measures of tree (e.g., height, diameter, status), stand (e.g., tree density, litter depth), and site conditions (e.g., evidence of disturbance). Data from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA), support a variety of research and reporting efforts in forest resources and ecology. Remeasurements of the same plots provide invaluable information about the temporal dynamics of forest ecosystems. However, changes in attributes between remeasurements, such as species identification code (SPCD), can impact a variety of forest measurements such as species richness, species range dynamics, and carbon estimates. Here, we linked over 12 million tree remeasurements from approximately 140,000 FIA plots to explore how SPCD changes can lead to differences in key indicators of forest dynamics. Our workflow identified &gt;114,000 trees with SPCD changes, with the frequency of SPCD changes highest in the southeastern United States. Two SPCD correction methods—adjusting a tree's SPCD based on either the earliest or the most recently recorded SPCD—led to species range centroids that differed by 0.3–24.5 km. Plot-level species richness varied by ±4 species between the two SPCD correction methods, but many plots (58%) had the same richness despite reassignment of individual trees to different SPCDs. Tree-level carbon stock estimates were correlated between the two SPCD correction methods, but some trees were more sensitive to changes when species-specific allometric model form, coefficients, and/or carbon fractions changed. However, population estimates of parameters such as carbon stocks per unit area were robust to SPCD corrections because trees with consistent SPCDs vastly outnumbered trees with SPCD changes. Our results illustrate that decisions on how to handle nuances in remeasurement data can have substantial implications on the biological and ecological conclusions drawn from large-scale, strategic-level inventories such as the national forest inventory in the United States.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70340","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144635242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Spatially dynamic abundance patterns for a rare fish species","authors":"Valerie A. Steen,&nbsp;James T. Peterson,&nbsp;Adam Duarte","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70326","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70326","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recovery of rare and imperiled species is often supported by targeting the dynamic drivers of abundance patterns. However, knowledge of these drivers can be obscured by challenges stemming from species detectability and autocorrelated data. Longfin Smelt (<i>Spirinchus thaleichthys</i>) in the San Francisco Bay-Delta have become rare as the result of dramatic declines in abundance. Abundance indices from a multitude of surveys in the Bay-Delta have documented these declines, but utilizing survey data to support recovery has been more challenging. To elucidate the spatiotemporal drivers of Longfin Smelt abundance patterns, we employed spatial multistate (“abundant”) dynamic occupancy models that integrated surveys across seasons from three fish monitoring programs. We found that species occupancy may be driven by broad-scale temporal and spatial processes not accounted for in the environmental covariates we used given the relative importance of day of year and spatial and year random effects. However, we also found that relatively high abundance may be driven in part by local habitat conditions. Our analysis approach allowed us to capture various sources of heterogeneity in the data and map seasonal distribution and abundance patterns for this rare species that can be used to inform policy and management decisions in the Bay-Delta.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70326","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144615021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Habitat characteristics and nest of the ladybird spider, Eresus kollari (Araneae: Eresidae) in South Korea","authors":"Jin Hyeok Choi,&nbsp;Daegeun Oh,&nbsp;Na Hyeon Kim,&nbsp;Kil Won Kim","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70346","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70346","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Eresus kollari</i> is typically found in dry grasslands and stony steppes; however, in South Korea, it has been primarily found in the humid environments of cemeteries. These spiders have highly localized habitats, and their burrowing and nest-building habits make them difficult to find and observe in the field. This study investigated the cemetery habitat environment, which has not been well-researched previously. Because direct observation without separating the spiders from their nests is difficult, the relationship between nest size and individual size was studied to estimate the size of the spiders based on their nests. The cemeteries are open and sunny, with loess-like soil. The ground surface is mainly covered with Korean lawn grass, lacking trees or shrubs, and the herbaceous layer consists of low-growing plants. The nests of <i>E. kollari</i> consist of an aboveground web canopy and an underground retreat, and they were found just below the grass. The height of the web canopy and the depth of the retreat were not correlated with the individuals' body size. However, the overall nest diameter exhibited a positive exponential relationship with both cephalothorax and abdomen size. In particular, the product of cephalothorax width and length was the most informative parameter for predicting nest diameter. Remains of beetles and ants were found in the web canopy, suggesting that these insects constitute the primary prey of <i>E. kollari</i>. However, in the case of very small ants, it seems that <i>Plagiolepis manczshzurica</i> may be a predator of <i>E. kollari,</i> as ants were found alongside <i>E. kollari</i> remains within the nest. In South Korea, <i>E. kollari</i> is not designated as an endangered species, but its habitat and population have reportedly been in decline. Notably, the habitat observed during the study period was destroyed by construction activities. Therefore, research and conservation measures for this species are necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70346","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144615058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Home range size, habitat selection, and mycophagy of sympatric North American flying squirrels","authors":"Rebekah Persad,&nbsp;Samantha M. Stead,&nbsp;Ryan B. Stephens,&nbsp;Jeff Bowman","doi":"10.1002/ecs2.70333","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ecs2.70333","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The northern flying squirrel (<i>Glaucomys sabrinus</i>) is a mycophagous specialist (i.e., having a fungi-dominated diet) which might be displaced following northward range expansion by the congeneric southern flying squirrel (<i>Glaucomys volans</i>). Loss of the northern flying squirrel could, in turn, limit fungi spore dispersal in forest communities. To understand the potential implications of squirrel species turnover on fungal dispersal, we investigated the home ranges, habitat selection, and fungi consumption of the two flying squirrel species living in sympatry in Ontario, Canada. We live-trapped flying squirrels for more than one year (2020–2021), deployed 31 radio collars (northern, <i>n</i> = 13; southern, <i>n</i> = 18), and radio-tracked individuals to investigate home range size. We also collected fecal pellets to quantify fungi in the squirrels' diet. Both squirrel species had similar home range sizes, and there was evidence of considerable home-range overlap between the species. Habitat selection analysis using a binomial generalized linear model of mean selection ratios indicated that southern flying squirrels selected deciduous-dominated habitats more than northern flying squirrels did within their home ranges and that both species selected pine-oak-barren habitats. Finally, we identified that northern flying squirrels had significantly higher spore loads and spore richness in their scat than their southern counterparts. Nevertheless, southern flying squirrels consumed fungi during each season. We conclude that the two squirrel species share many aspects of the landscape but habitat partitioning and differences in diet between species facilitated sympatry. Southern flying squirrels do make a contribution to spore dispersal at this location through fungus consumption and relatively large home ranges.</p>","PeriodicalId":48930,"journal":{"name":"Ecosphere","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecs2.70333","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144615022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}