Austral Ecology最新文献

{"title":"First record of preying behaviour of Achelous spinimanus","authors":"Alexandre R. da Silva,&nbsp;Alexandre D. Kassuga","doi":"10.1111/aec.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Achelous spinimanus</i>, a species of swimming crab found along the Western Atlantic from the USA to Brazil, inhabits coastal areas up to 90 m deep across various substrates. While these crabs are known to be omnivorous, the extent of their predatory behaviour remains unclear. This note documents the first record of <i>A. spinimanus</i> actively preying on live fish. In the observed interaction, the fish was still alive and moving its operculum and mouth while being eaten. The observation was made during a night dive at Ilha dos Porcos, Arraial do Cabo, Brazil, where a crab was seen preying on a live <i>Malacoctenus zaluari</i>. The behaviour suggests that <i>A. spinimanus</i> may employ sit-and-wait strategy, utilizing its strong chelipeds for capturing prey. Such records are crucial for understanding the trophic dynamics and ecological roles of marine species, emphasizing the importance of both scientific and citizen science contributions to biodiversity knowledge. This finding also underscores the importance of further research on the feeding and behavioural ecology of portunids.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142666011","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":"Floral morphology is associated with pollen deposition patterns on moth bodies","authors":"Max N. Buxton,&nbsp;Anne C. Gaskett,&nbsp;Janice M. Lord,&nbsp;David E. Pattemore","doi":"10.1111/aec.70006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70006","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Floral syndromes can be a useful tool for predicting the identity of pollinators from floral morphology. However, the reliability of floral syndromes are still debated in the literature, and can often result in effective pollinators being overlooked. Pollination by moths has historically been associated with a floral syndrome comprising white tubular flowers that are heavily scented at night, but there have been few experimental tests of this association. To test whether moths preferentially land on flowers that are white and tubular, we allowed two moth species (<i>Agrotis ipsilon</i> (Hufnaggel, 1766) and <i>Ichneutica mutans</i> (Walker, 1857)) to choose freely between three plant species (<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i>, Ericaceae, <i>Pittosporum tenuifolium</i>, Pittosporaceae, and two forms of <i>Leptospermum scoparium</i>, Myrtaceae) which represent four different floral morphologies. Anthers on the flowers were marked with fluorescent powder dye (pollen-tracker), with the presence of pollen-tracker on moth bodies after the experiment indicating floral visitation. We detected no floral preferences for any of the plant species by either moth species, suggesting moths will visit flowers that lack features associated with the syndrome even when in the presence of white, tubular flowers which might be predicted to be more attractive to moths. We also examined moth bodies to determine where pollen-tracker was carried most often and if this varied among the floral types. Our results indicate that some moth body parts may be more important than others for pollen transfer, depending on the morphology of the flowers visited. After visiting tubular flowers (<i>Vaccinium</i> and <i>Pittosporum</i>), pollen-tracker was most often located on the proboscis, but after visiting open-access flowers (<i>Leptospermum</i>) pollen-tracker was most often located on the legs. Future studies looking at the presence of pollen on moth bodies should consider this and ensure the entire moth body is examined for the presence of pollen.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142665932","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":"Forest carbon in lowland Papua New Guinea: Local variation and the importance of small trees","authors":"John B. Vincent,&nbsp;Bridget Henning,&nbsp;Simon Saulei,&nbsp;Gibson Sosanika,&nbsp;George D. Weiblen","doi":"10.1111/aec.12187","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aec.12187","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Efforts to incentivize the reduction of carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation require accurate carbon accounting. The extensive tropical forest of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a target for such efforts and yet local carbon estimates are few. Previous estimates, based on models of neotropical vegetation applied to PNG forest plots, did not consider such factors as the unique species composition of New Guinea vegetation, local variation in forest biomass, or the contribution of small trees. We analysed all trees &gt;1 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH) in Melanesia's largest forest plot (Wanang) to assess local spatial variation and the role of small trees in carbon storage. Above-ground living biomass (AGLB) of trees averaged 210.72 Mg  ha⁻¹ at Wanang. Carbon storage at Wanang was somewhat lower than in other lowland tropical forests, whereas local variation among 1-ha subplots and the contribution of small trees to total AGLB were substantially higher. We speculate that these differences may be attributed to the dynamics of Wanang forest where erosion of a recently uplifted and unstable terrain appears to be a major source of natural disturbance. These findings emphasize the need for locally calibrated forest carbon estimates if accurate landscape level valuation and monetization of carbon is to be achieved. Such estimates aim to situate PNG forests in the global carbon context and provide baseline information needed to improve the accuracy of PNG carbon monitoring schemes.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"40 2","pages":"151-159"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2014-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1111/aec.12187","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33389677","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":"Ecology and bioprospecting","authors":"ANDREW J. BEATTIE,&nbsp;MARK HAY,&nbsp;BILL MAGNUSSON,&nbsp;ROCKY de NYS,&nbsp;JAMES SMEATHERS,&nbsp;JULIAN F. V. VINCENT","doi":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2010.02170.x","DOIUrl":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2010.02170.x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Bioprospecting is the exploration of biodiversity for new resources of social and commercial value. It is carried out by a wide range of established industries such as pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and agriculture as well as a wide range of comparatively new ones such as aquaculture, bioremediation, biomining, biomimetic engineering and nanotechnology. The benefits of bioprospecting have emerged from such a wide range of organisms and environments worldwide that it is not possible to predict what species or habitats will be critical to society, or industry, in the future. The benefits include an unexpected variety of products that include chemicals, genes, metabolic pathways, structures, materials and behaviours. These may provide physical blueprints or inspiration for new designs. Criticism aimed at bioprospecting has been addressed, in part, by international treaties and legal agreements aimed at stopping biopiracy and many activities are now funded by agencies that require capacity-building and economic benefits in host countries. Thus, much contemporary bioprospecting has multiple goals, including the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable management of natural resources and economic development. Ecologists are involved in three vital ways: first, applying ecological principles to the discovery of new resources. In this context, natural history becomes a vast economic database. Second, carrying out field studies, most of them demographic, to help regulate the harvest of wild species. Third, emphasizing the profound importance of millions of mostly microscopic species to the global economy.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"36 3","pages":"341-356"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2010-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2010.02170.x","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30719876","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":"Net woody vegetation increase confined to seasonally inundated lowlands in an Australian tropical savanna, Victoria River District, Northern Territory","authors":"BEN R. SHARP,&nbsp;DAVID M. J. S. BOWMAN","doi":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01407.x","DOIUrl":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01407.x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>Abstract </b> Georeferenced digital aerial photographs were used to assess changes in overstorey vegetation cover since 1948 in the Victoria River District, Northern Territory, Australia, across a range of lowland tropical savanna habitats and with explicit consideration of known and variable site-specific grazing and fire management histories. Vegetation surveys at corresponding locations on the ground identified five distinct woody vegetation communities defined primarily by water drainage and secondarily by soil characteristics. Air-photo analyses revealed that, contrary to popular perceptions and in contrast to results from other habitats, there has been no generalized net increase in overstorey woody vegetation cover across the full range of lowland savanna habitats. Rather, different habitats exhibited distinctly different vegetation change mechanisms: low-lying seasonally inundated ‘wet’ habitats have experienced woody vegetation increase since 1948, whereas well-drained ‘dry’ habitats have experienced overstorey vegetation stability or loss. In almost every instance woody vegetation increase could be attributed to the invasion or proliferation of a single species, <i>Melaleuca minutifolia</i> F.Muell. The extent of <i>M. minutifolia</i> increase was unrelated to historical grazing/fire regime. Demographic analyses for this species revealed that recruitment was often episodic and that synchronized recruitment events occurred uniformly across the full range of historical management treatments, most likely as a consequence of favourable climatic conditions in years with an extended wet season. Heavy grazing facilitated juvenile survival and/or recruitment, most likely by reducing grassy fuel loads and eliminating landscape fire. We conclude that while there has been no generalized net increase in overstorey woody vegetation cover in lowland environments, savanna dynamics are complex, and multiple change mechanisms have occurred simultaneously in different habitats, some of which have been significantly transformed since 1948. Where net woody vegetation increase has occurred it is primarily a natural consequence of episodic <i>M. minutifolia</i> establishment in climatically favourable years, but the extent and magnitude of this effect is likely mediated by fire/grazing regime.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"29 6","pages":"667-683"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2009-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01407.x","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37874501","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":"The loss of aquatic and riparian plant communities: Implications for their consumers in a riverine food web","authors":"BRIAN M. DEEGAN,&nbsp;GEORGE G. GANF","doi":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01834.x","DOIUrl":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01834.x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>Abstract </b> Human induced alterations to rivers and steams have resulted in significant changes to the structure and diversity of riparian and aquatic plant communities. These changes will impact on the dynamics of riverine carbon cycles and food web structure and function. Here we investigate the principal sources of organic carbon supporting local shredder communities across a gradient in different levels of anthropogenic development along riverine reaches, in South Australia. In forested/wooded reaches with minimum to limited development, semi-emergent macrophytes were the principal sources of organic carbon supporting the local shredder communities. However, in developed reaches, course particulate organic matter and filamentous algae were the principal food sources. The C:N ratios of the food sources in developed reaches were higher than those of their consumers indicating a stoichiometric mismatch. This imbalanced consumer-resource nutrient ratio in those developed reaches is likely to impose constraints on the growth and reproduction of their aquatic shredder communities with probable knock-on effects to higher trophic levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"33 5","pages":"672-683"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2008-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01834.x","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37874504","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":"Habitat structure is more important than vegetation composition for local-level management of native terrestrial reptile and small mammal species living in urban remnants: A case study from Brisbane, Australia","authors":"JENNI G. GARDEN,&nbsp;CLIVE A. MCALPINE,&nbsp;HUGH P. POSSINGHAM,&nbsp;DARRYL N. JONES","doi":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2007.01750.x","DOIUrl":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2007.01750.x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>Abstract </b> As urban areas continue to expand and replace natural and agricultural landscapes, the ability to manage and conserve native wildlife within urban environments is becoming increasingly important. To do so we first need to understand species' responses to local-level habitat attributes in order to inform the decision-making process and on-ground conservation actions. Patterns in the occurrence of native terrestrial reptile and small mammal species in 59 sites located in remnant urban habitat fragments of Brisbane City were assessed against local-level environmental characteristics of each site. Cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling ordination, and principal axis correlation were used to investigate relationships between species' occurrences and environmental characteristics. Native reptiles were most strongly associated with the presence of termite mounds, a high amount of fallen woody material, and a moderate amount of weed cover. Native small mammals were most strongly associated with the presence of grass trees (<i>Xanthorrhoea</i> spp.), and both reptiles and small mammals were negatively influenced by increased soil compaction. Significant floristic characteristics were considered to be important as structural, rather than compositional, habitat elements. Therefore, habitat structure, rather than vegetation composition, appears to be most important for determining native, terrestrial reptile and small mammal species assemblages in urban forest fragments. We discuss the management implications in relation to human disturbances and local-level management of urban remnants.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"32 6","pages":"669-685"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2007-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2007.01750.x","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37874503","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":"Structure and environmental relationships of insectivorous bat assemblages in tropical Australian savannas","authors":"D. J. MILNE,&nbsp;M. ARMSTRONG,&nbsp;A. FISHER,&nbsp;T. FLORES,&nbsp;C. R. PAVEY","doi":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2005.01535.x","DOIUrl":"10.1111/j.1442-9993.2005.01535.x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>Abstract </b> Patterns in the composition of assemblages of microbat species sampled during the late dry season (the ‘build-up’) in north Australian savannas were assessed against a range of environmental factors as well as four <i>a priori</i> defined habitat types (riparian, escarpments, coastal and woodlands). Distinct species assemblages were most strongly associated with topographic and climatic variables. There were also limited associations with vegetation structure, fire and local roost potential but no associations with insects or water availability. Total species diversity at sample sites was associated with distance to rivers and rainfall. In general, species assemblages were not clearly defined and the number of significant environmental associations was relatively few. We compare these associations with those reported for bat assemblages elsewhere in Australia.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"30 8","pages":"906-919"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2005-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2005.01535.x","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37874502","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":"Dormancy and germination characteristics of herbaceous species in the seasonally dry tropics of northern Australia","authors":"JohN. G. McIvor,&nbsp;S. Mark Howden","doi":"10.1046/j.1442-9993.2000.01026.x","DOIUrl":"10.1046/j.1442-9993.2000.01026.x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigated changes in dormancy and germination over 8 months for 23 common species (annual and perennial grasses, legumes and other dicotyledons) from herbaceous communities in northern Australia. Seeds were exposed to three storage treatments: relatively constant laboratory conditions, an oven with fluctuating temperatures similar to those found on the soil surface (25/60°C), or exposed on the soil surface at Townsville. There were wide ranges of initial levels of dormancy (9–100%), rates of change of dormancy and response to the different storage conditions showing that species with several types of dormancy characteristics are able to coexist in these communities. The general trend in dormancy levels was a decline with time with the rate of decline greatest for seeds exposed on the soil surface and least for those stored in the laboratory. The species were divided into groups based on dormancy levels in seeds on the soil surface during the late dry and mid wet seasons. The dormancy characteristics of the groups were related to the ecology of the species in the groups. There was an approximately linear increase in germination rate (i.e. a decrease in the number of days to 50% of final germination) over time for all storage treatments; rates for seeds on the soil surface increased more rapidly than those of seeds in laboratory and oven samples.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"25 3","pages":"213-222"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2001-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1046/j.1442-9993.2000.01026.x","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37853016","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}