Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Multiple mating does not benefit females of a polyandrous pollinating fig wasp","authors":"Jaco M. Greeff,&nbsp;Duncan V.K. Newman","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103973","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103973","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In some species, females vary in the numbers of times they mate. While polyandry will always be beneficial to a male that mate with a previously mated female, the effect on female fitness is unclear. From females' perspective, variation in matedness can reflect adaptive differences in females’ requirements for mating or non-adaptive chance factors. Pollinating fig wasps have been considered to be mostly monandrous although polyandry has been confirmed in a number of species. Here we first show that the pollinating fig wasp, <em>Platyscapa awekei</em>, is polyandrous. Second, we show that intraspecific variation in female matedness may be explained best by chance encounters between males and receptive females. The mean number of offspring does not increase with polyandry. Nor is there evidence of sperm limitation. These observations rule out direct benefits to females. Despite evidence for multiply-mated females having mated with less compatible males, multiple mating is not combined with selective preference for more compatible males' sperm, ruling out indirect benefits. Therefore variation in female matedness seems to have no fitness benefit to females and from the females' perspective may be best explained by chance variation in encounter rates between males and receptive females.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1146609X23000851/pdfft?md5=904779394bd1a33e2f45c9a5c2299d44&pid=1-s2.0-S1146609X23000851-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138693356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Mammal functional diversity increases with forest patch complexity in tropical mining areas","authors":"Juliana Teixeira-Santos ,&nbsp;Diego Simeone","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103972","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103972","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Enhanced mammal functional diversity is crucial for forest ecological functioning. However, this group is affected by habitat degradation, such as mineral exploitation, which is a major threat worldwide. In these habitats, the maintenance of forest patches is important to support species diversity. Here, we addressed this knowledge gap by examining the functional diversity of medium-sized mammals among forest patches of different sizes in an area of approximately 3195 ha that is used for copper mining in the eastern Pará state, in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. In these patches, we also observed responses between mammal functional diversity and patch structural complexity. We used </span>camera traps<span> to survey the mammal fauna. We observed that large forest patches are associated with enhanced mammal functional diversity, mainly due to higher canopy closure and overstory<span> tree density. In these habitats, species with functional attributes that allow resource partitioning may occur, which is important for habitat functioning. These findings have major implications for maintaining forest patch heterogeneity in mined areas, which is important for mammal functional diversity. Thus, management efforts in mining areas should explicitly include large forest patches to conserve mammal assemblages.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138693364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Plant vegetative propagation plays a considerable role in the regeneration following slash-and-burn agriculture in Caatinga dry forest","authors":"Ana Beatriz Silva Gomes ,&nbsp;Maria Fabíola Barros ,&nbsp;Renato Soares Vanderlei ,&nbsp;Marcelo Tabarelli ,&nbsp;Pavel Dodonov","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103971","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2023.103971","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>Slash-and-burn agriculture is a common practice in dry forests worldwide. Understanding the relative importance of different regeneration mechanisms following this disturbance provides insights into forest regeneration dynamics and resilience. We assessed differences in structural components, the relative contribution of vegetative and sexual reproduction, and the taxonomic composition of woody assemblages among different habitats in a Brazilian </span>Caatinga<span> dry forest after slash-and-burn agriculture. We assessed vegetation parameters (i.e., basal area, height, species richness, and the frequency of each regeneration mechanism) in recently abandoned fields, regenerating forest stands and old-growth forest stands. Overall, trees originates from root suckers accounted for at least 40% of the individuals, stems, and basal areas across the habitats. The structure of regenerating stands was similar to old-growth stands except for species composition, total number of roots, and number of primary roots. The aboveground basal area varied in total values, but not averages, among habitats, indicating a rapid recovery of </span></span>aboveground biomass<span> after slash-and-burn agriculture. Conversely, recently abandoned fields had higher belowground basal area and basal area of primary roots, revealing that the trees in these habitats emit more roots even with fewer individuals. There was a high degree of species turnover among the habitats, probably due to both species selection by farmers and environmental effects. Nevertheless, the dominant species presented both regeneration mechanisms across the habitats. Our findings thus show that the Caatinga dry forest regeneration considerably relies on the ability of woody plant species to emit root suckers in addition to sexual reproduction, which should be considered for better management practices as slash-and-burn agriculture is and will continue to be practiced.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138501941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Influence of geographic predictors on beta diversity of insular snakes communities","authors":"Fátima Barboza Penayo ,&nbsp;Eloize Ferreira do Nascimento ,&nbsp;Michel Varajão Garey","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103960","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2023.103960","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Islands biogeography theory establishes that species richness and composition in islands result from ecological and evolutionary processes, such as immigration/emigration rate and the balance between speciation and extinction. Islands' geographic distribution, area, and distance from the mainland are important features in structuring communities of different taxonomic groups. Here, we aimed to evaluate the influence of geographic predictors on the variation of snakes' community composition. The study area encompassed 17 oceanic islands in the state of São Paulo, southeast Brazil. We recorded 40 species of snakes, with an average of 8.53 ± 8.11 species per island. We observed that islands closer to the mainland are more similar in snake composition, and more distant islands have a greater variation in composition among themselves. We verified a positive correlation between beta diversity and distance from the mainland, turnover component and distance from the mainland, nested component and distance among islands, and </span>nestedness<span><span> and island area. So, we conclude that the spatial pattern of island snake composition seems to be related to species dispersal. However, it can also be a relictual fauna pattern due to the isolation of populations due to </span>rising sea level and the subsequent formation of the studied islands. Our results reinforces the pivotal role of geographic factors in shaping spatial patterns of insular communities.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"92135766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Plant richness and vegetation structure drive the topology of plant-herbivore networks in Neotropical savannas","authors":"Érica Vanessa Duraes de Freitas ,&nbsp;Leandro Maracahipes ,&nbsp;Walter Santos de Araújo","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103961","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2023.103961","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plants and phytophagous insects make up the highest terrestrial diversity on the planet, forming complex interspecific interaction networks. Interaction networks are an important tool to understand how ecological interactions shape plant-herbivore assemblages. In the present study, we tested the hypotheses that the plant species richness and vegetation structure (vegetation cover and vegetation height) (i) drive the richness and abundance of herbivorous insects and (ii) determines topological patterns (connectance, specialization and modularity) of plant-herbivore networks. We sampled ten different areas in the Neotropical savannas to assess those hypotheses and constructed plant-herbivore interaction matrices using species composition data. Plant-herbivore interaction networks comprised 298 plants of 60 species, 421 insects distributed in 96 morphospecies, and totalizing 218 interactions. We found that plant species richness positively influenced the species richness of herbivorous insects, whereas average vegetation height negatively affected the species richness of herbivorous insects. The abundance of herbivorous insects was negatively affected by plant species richness, and by vegetation height. Species richness and structure of plant communities also significantly affected network topological parameters. Network connectance was negatively influenced by plant richness and positively affected by vegetation cover. Besides, plant species richness positively influenced network modularity, whereas vegetation height negatively affected network modularity. However, the plant community diversity and vegetation structure did not affect network specialization. Our results show that both plant community diversity and vegetation structure in Neotropical savannas drive the structure of plant-herbivore interaction networks. Considering the current high rates of removal of native vegetation in Brazilian savannas, our findings indicate that the preserving this ecosystem is crucial for maintaining ecosystem services through plant-herbivore interaction networks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49838712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"How many seeds can birds disperse?: Determining the pattern of seed deposition by frugivorous birds","authors":"Kyohsuke Ohkawara ,&nbsp;Kazuya Kimura ,&nbsp;Fumio Satoh","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103958","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2023.103958","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Frugivorous birds are the primary seed dispersers for fleshy-fruited plants through defecation. In general, small-sized species disperse seeds across short distances from parental plants. However, multiple seeds or seeds of different plant species are frequently mixed in the fecal mass, because birds are prone to eat multiple fruits of a few plant species during foraging. This suggests birds deposit seeds as clumps in the field, causing inter- and intraspecific competition. However, the exact number of dispersed seeds for each defecation is very hard to estimate in field. It may also vary according to several variables, such as body size of birds and number of seeds per fruit. To clarify seed deposition patterns, we captured small frugivorous birds and collected the feces and regurgitations. The number of seeds excreted in fecal samples was investigated. From 2003 to 2019, a total number of 21518 seeds from 60 plant species were collected from 2214 birds of 17 species. Average number of seeds included in the fecal sample was 9.7 ± SD 18.4 (range: 1–340). The frequency of the number of excreted seeds was not normally distributed and the mode value was one in all cases and for five main dispersers. In most cases (64.8–74.5%), birds excreted a single seed. Furthermore, the effects of morphological traits of birds and plants on number of excreted seeds were analyzed using GLMM. The body mass of birds had a positive effect on the number of excreted seeds. However, fruit and seed weight exhibited negative effects, suggesting the number of excreted seeds is smaller when smaller birds eat larger fruits bearing larger seeds. The seed deposition pattern based on excretion of a single seed may avoid seed and seedling aggregation at local sites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49895126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Spillover of avian seed dispersers between secondary forests and degraded areas in a tropical island","authors":"Rodrigo Béllo Carvalho ,&nbsp;Kaizer J.F. Alves ,&nbsp;Marco A. Pizo","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103959","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2023.103959","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Seed arrival to degraded areas often represents a limiting factor to forest regeneration, but seed-dispersing birds able to move into such areas may help to overcome such constraint. As the number of degraded areas prone to regeneration is increasing in the tropics, it is important to know which bird species and associated traits make such spillover movements. We studied the interactions between frugivorous birds and eight plant species in contiguous degraded and secondary forest areas in a Brazilian land-bridge island, evaluating the potential of avian cross-habitat spillover to disperse seeds to degraded areas and thus contribute to their vegetation recovery. We recorded 21 and 17 bird species removing fruits in degraded areas and secondary forests, respectively. Avian communities dispersing seeds in both habitats are dominated by habitat generalist species. Visitation and fruit removal rates did not differ between the two habitats. Avian cross-habitat spillovers were more frequent from secondary forests to degraded areas than the reverse. A few bird species (<em>Dacnis cayana</em>, <em>Elaenia flavogaster</em>, and <em>Turdus</em> spp.) stood out in the spillover between habitats due to their generalist habitat occupancy and capacity for foraging in disturbed areas. We likewise identified the plants that most attracted birds (including an exotic palm, <em>Livistona chinensis</em>) so as to pinpoint the plant species that may occasionally be the focus of management actions to enhance the arrival of seeds to degraded areas. We conclude that the spillover dynamics reported herein shed some light on how tropical forest regeneration could benefit from native species’ spatial behaviour, offering a biological alternative to overcome practical issues, such as seed limitation in degraded environments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49838713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"More is not always better: Impact of nutrient-addition on floral traits important for buzz pollination","authors":"Upasana Sengupta,&nbsp;Shivani Krishna","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103957","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2023.103957","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nutrient addition can affect plant fitness by altering resource allocation to reproduction or modifying floral traits. Alterations in floral attributes, particularly in species that exhibit specialization in specific ecological niches, can disrupt or augment the dynamics of interactions between plants and their pollinators. However, very little is known about how soil enrichment affects the floral characteristics and pollen release dynamics of buzz pollinated plants. Our study analyzed the effects of nutrient enrichment on the reproductive traits of a buzz pollinated plant species. Under greenhouse conditions, we established a phosphorus-rich nutrient gradient to investigate the impact of such enrichment on tomato plants (<em>Solanum lycopersicum</em>). Our study focused on: i) flowering patterns, ii) flower morphology, iii) pollen release from anthers, and iv) pollen quantity and quality (protein concentration). Plants were grown in low, intermediate, and high nutrient conditions, and various functional traits that are essential for buzz pollination were examined. Adding nutrients improved the display of flowers. Morphometric traits important for pollinator attraction and interaction, such as floral diameter, anther-tube width, and petal width, showed an increase in the high nutrient condition. The pollen quality and quantity were found to be unaltered; however, flowers originating from intermediate and high nutrient conditions exhibited reduced pollen release upon buzzing despite possessing ample pollen reserves. Our findings suggest that the positive effects of nutrient addition on floral traits are limited to a narrow range of concentrations. Higher concentrations can diminish these effects and impact the accessibility of pollen, as well as the reproductive performance of plants. In conclusion, based on our results, we predict that changing land use scenarios leading to nutrient accumulation may have significant consequences for plant-pollinator interactions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49876252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Abiotic factors similarly shape the distribution of fruit, seed and leaf traits in tropical fleshy-fruited tree communities","authors":"Diana Carolina Acosta-Rojas ,&nbsp;Maciej K. Barczyk ,&nbsp;Carlos Iván Espinosa ,&nbsp;Nina Farwig ,&nbsp;Jürgen Homeier ,&nbsp;Yvonne Tiede ,&nbsp;Boris A. Tinoco ,&nbsp;Andre Velescu ,&nbsp;Wolfgang Wilcke ,&nbsp;Eike Lena Neuschulz ,&nbsp;Matthias Schleuning","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103953","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2023.103953","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The distribution of plant traits is related to abiotic and biotic factors, but it is unknown whether different types of plant traits respond similarly to these factors. We simultaneously studied seed, fruit and leaf traits and their associations with abiotic and biotic factors for tree communities in the tropical mountains of southern Ecuador. We measured seed, fruit, and leaf traits on 18–33 fleshy-fruited plant species and recorded the abundance for these species on nine 1-ha forest plots located at 1000, 2000, and 3000 m a.s.l. On the same plots, we recorded abiotic (soil C/N ratio, mean temperature, and annual rainfall) and biotic factors (avian fruit removal and foliar herbivory) potentially relevant for the measured traits. We conducted principal component and RLQ analyses to test for trait-environment covariation, controlling for phylogenetic relatedness and spatial autocorrelation. We identified a trade-off between (i) seed number and seed size and between (ii) the production of few costly (nitrogen-rich) vs. many cheap (carbon-rich) fruits. Likewise, leaf trait variation was primarily associated with (i) the leaf economics spectrum and (ii) leaf size. Controlling for phylogenetic and spatial covariation, seed, fruit and leaf traits were associated with abiotic and, to a lesser extent, with biotic factors. Fruit and leaf traits linked to production costs were mainly related to soil C/N ratios, whereas traits associated with the size of seeds, fruits, and leaves were related to rainfall. Our study suggests that associations between seed, fruit and leaf traits and the abiotic environment follow similar principles in tropical tree communities.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49876251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"The effects of seasonal changes on the dynamics of a fig tree's pollination","authors":"J. Jauharlina ,&nbsp;Rupert J. Quinnell ,&nbsp;Hamish G. Robertson ,&nbsp;Stephen G. Compton","doi":"10.1016/j.actao.2023.103918","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2023.103918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Fig trees and their pollinating wasps are mutually dependent on each other. Both partners' reproductive success is regulated by the capacity of fig wasps to enter receptive figs at an appropriate time for pollination and oviposition. Oviposition is dependent on successful female pollinator dispersal from one tree to another and although fig wasps are slow flyers and short-lived they can be carried long distances by the wind. The relative importance of local versus long-distance pollinator dispersal is unclear, as is how this may vary with season. In the highly seasonal environment of the Makana Botanical Gardens, Grahamstown, South Africa, we recorded fruiting phenologies of all the trees in a monoecious <em>Ficus burtt-davyi</em> Hutchinson population together with variation in the abundance of its pollinator <em>Elisabethiella baijnathi</em> Wiebes. By comparing captures of fig wasps flying in the air with the numbers that emerged locally, we also examined the independence of the fig tree population, which was separated from the nearest conspecifics by more than 1 km. The abundance of pollinators flying in the air and the number of fig wasps released by figs were correlated with temperature. During winter there were times when no pollinators were released locally; however, they were still caught in the traps, showing that the wasps had dispersed from elsewhere and that the population was not totally independent. These results highlight the ability of fig wasps to disperse between populations and the likely impact of seasonal fluctuations on fig tree gene flow.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55564,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49853363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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}