Austral Ecology最新文献

{"title":"An Austral Ecology 5 year retrospective on Natural History Notes: A compelling case for curiosity","authors":"Stephanie K. Courtney Jones","doi":"10.1111/aec.13563","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13563","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141624544","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":"Bee diversity and pollination services improve with revegetation effort","authors":"D. Kireta,&nbsp;A. J. Lowe,&nbsp;G. R. Guerin,&nbsp;R. Leijs,&nbsp;K. Hogendoorn","doi":"10.1111/aec.13559","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13559","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Habitat loss is causing declines in native bees and reducing pollination services. Revegetation can be used to reverse these declines, and this restoration technique attracts growing efforts and resources. However, how the quality of revegetation affects native bee abundance, diversity and their pollination services is not well understood, and this limits opportunities to improve revegetation outcomes. To assess this gap, we surveyed floral and bee diversity in revegetated landscapes ranging in habitat quality, and compared these among each other and to remnant habitat and cleared areas. We also measured pollination services using two native phytometer species, which can be pollinated by native bees only, or by both native and introduced honey bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>). We found that bee diversity and richness were higher within treatments that were higher in floral diversity. In addition, while pollination services provided by honey bees were uniform across treatments, remnant vegetation supported greater pollination services to the plant species pollinated by native bees only. These results indicate that higher quality revegetation characterized by the establishment of a more diverse set of plant species, has the potential to restore native bee diversity and associated pollination services. However, for the plant species investigated, restoration of pollination services had not occurred and might require more time. These results suggest preserving remnant vegetation should be the highest priority conservation action, and that restoration practitioners and landowners wishing to support landscape-level bee diversity and pollination services, should aim for revegetation using high flowering plant diversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.13559","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141597023","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":"Fish and macroinvertebrates respond differently to seasonal drying in tropical non-perennial streams","authors":"Júlia Silva Oliveira,&nbsp;Robert M. Hughes,&nbsp;Bianca de F. Terra","doi":"10.1111/aec.13558","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13558","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Surface water drying challenges the persistence of lotic biological assemblages in non-perennial streams and rivers. However, the effects of natural hydrological disturbances on an assemblage depend on individual species characteristics. In this study, we investigated the structure and association of fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages during two phases in non-perennial streams (flowing vs. disconnected pools). We sampled fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages in five non-perennial stream reaches located in the Caatinga (Brazilian semi-arid region). Fish species were resistant to hydrological dynamics in the streams. On the other hand, some macroinvertebrate <i>taxa</i> from the flowing phase disappeared, and new <i>taxa</i> colonized the disconnected pools. The absence of lotic insects following flow cessation and the colonization of disconnected pools by lentic <i>taxa</i> facilitated macroinvertebrate assemblages persistence in these dynamic streams. Our study showed that fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages respond differently to the same natural flow cessation, which leads us to predict that flow changes will yield different assemblages, depending on the <i>taxa</i>. Thus, it is crucial to consider multi-assemblage responses to effectively manage and conserve non-perennial stream ecosystems in a tropical semi-arid region.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141596962","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":"Ruellia blechum: A new case of cleistogamy in Acanthaceae","authors":"Olavo Honório Corrêa Bonzanini,&nbsp;Milena Rodrigues Soares,&nbsp;Devando Rosa da Silva,&nbsp;Raphael Matias","doi":"10.1111/aec.13561","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aec.13561","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cleistogamy is characterized by the presence of flowers that are permanently closed, yet they still produce fruits and seeds through autonomous self-pollination. Populations with cleistogamous flowers can also have flowers that open, called chasmogamous, which promote cross-pollination and genetic variability. Acanthaceae is among the families with the highest frequency of cleistogamy, observed mainly in <i>Ruellia</i>. This study aimed to assess cleistogamy in <i>Ruellia blechum</i> for the first time. In a population in Central Brazil, we analysed the production of cleistogamous and chasmogamous flowers, their fruiting, differences in flower bud size, self-pollination in cleistogamous flowers and visitors in chasmogamous flowers. Of the flower buds observed, 35.29% remained closed (cleistogamous flowers), with 31.25% of them forming fruit. In contrast, 60.24% of the flowers that opened (chasmogamous) developed fruit. The length of cleistogamous flowers was shorter than that of chasmogamous floral buds in pre-anthesis. On average, 24.45 pollen grains were self-deposited on the stigma of a cleistogamous flower. The chasmogamous flowers were visited mainly by small bees. This study is the first to confirm the presence of cleistogamous flowers in <i>R. blechum</i>. However, their co-occurrence with chasmogamous flowers suggests a fitness advantage for maintaining a mixed mating strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141572582","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":"Temporal and behavioural niche partitioning underlies coexistence within a native-exotic rodent assemblage exploiting a high-value limited resource","authors":"Sebastián Cordero,&nbsp;Francisca Gálvez,&nbsp;Francisco E. Fontúrbel","doi":"10.1111/aec.13560","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aec.13560","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Niche partitioning is a common strategy species use to avoid competition for limited resources, allowing them to coexist. Rodent species often reduce competition by spatial segregation and trophic differentiation, but behavioural differences, particularly related to foraging, can also be important. Therefore, temporal segregation can also be an important mechanism for species coexistence, as it helps them avoid sub-optimal habitats. We found three rodent species (the native <i>Octodon degus</i> and <i>O. lunatus,</i> and the exotic <i>Rattus rattus</i>) foraging on endemic palm <i>Jubaea chilensis</i> seeds, a highly valuable but limited resource. We hypothesized that these rodent species could coexist by segregating foraging in time, showing behavioural differences. To test this, we used camera traps to monitor the fate of <i>J. chilensis</i> seeds and rodent activity at 25 feeding stations. From 596 photographic records, we identified 128 as <i>O. degus</i>, 232 as <i>O. lunatus</i> and 236 as <i>R. rattus</i>. <i>Octodon degus</i> had a diurnal activity, while <i>O. lunatus</i> and <i>R. rattus</i> were nocturnal, showing significant temporal segregation. However, we found no spatial association among these rodents. We found significant behavioural differences in decision and handling times and seed removal rates, with <i>O. degus</i> having the greatest seed removal rate. Nevertheless, we found some nocturnal <i>O. degus</i> records in which the three rodent species were co-foraging, which may suggest that the resource is limited but valuable enough to shift from exploitation to interference competition. Our results suggest that temporal and behavioural differentiation are more important than spatial segregation and trophic differentiation. Thus, niche partition over multiple dimensions might allow for species coexistence.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141572581","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 impact of a mega-fire on tree hollow loss and nest box occupancy by secondary cavity-nesting cockatoos","authors":"Karleah Kyrene Berris,&nbsp;Michael Barth,&nbsp;Torran Welz","doi":"10.1111/aec.13565","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aec.13565","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Tree hollows are important structural habitat features for secondary cavity-nesting birds, however, there has been limited research on how fire severity and frequency affect hollow abundance. Following a mega-fire on Kangaroo Island during the 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season, we conducted an opportunistic post-fire assessment of the fate of 144 monitored hollows in <i>Eucalyptus cladocalyx</i> and <i>Eucalyptus leucoxylon</i> trees used by endangered glossy black-cockatoos (<i>Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus</i>) and yellow-tailed black-cockatoos (<i>Zanda funerea</i>). We investigated the relationship between burn severity, inter-fire interval, tree species and landscape position on the likelihood of tree hollow loss. We also compared the occupancy of nest boxes by both cockatoo species in fire-affected catchments pre-fire (2015–2017; 59 nest boxes) and post-fire (2020–2022; 52 nest boxes). Surveys revealed that 64.4% of monitored tree hollows within the burnt area were destroyed, as were the trees that contained them. Most monitored tree hollows (76.9%) were in areas that had not experienced fire in &gt;50 years prior to the 2019–2020 fires. Tree hollow loss in 2020 was 29 times greater than the mean annual loss of 1.6% recorded in the 22 years prior. Burn severity, inter-fire interval, landscape matrix and tree species were poor predictors of hollow loss. However, increasing distance from forest edge slightly increased the probability of hollow loss. Post-fire, the proportion of nest boxes used for nesting by glossy black-cockatoos per annum increased to 0.70 ± 0.09, compared to 0.50 ± 0.03 pre-fire. However, the proportion of nest boxes used for nesting by yellow-tailed black-cockatoos per annum remained similar (post-fire 0.32 ± 0.12; pre-fire 0.28 ± 0.05). The mega-fires on Kangaroo Island in 2019–2020 resulted in tree hollow loss on a much larger scale than recorded in the 22 years prior, and subsequently, nest boxes have become an important resource for the endangered glossy black-cockatoo.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141572584","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":"Tracking ecosystem decline in an uncertain and changing alpine landscape","authors":"D. A. Tierney","doi":"10.1111/aec.13528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13528","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigated regional and site level diversity for alpine and subalpine systems. The aim was to assess whether differing analytical methods could track diversity through time. The study was undertaken within Kosciusko National Park in south-eastern Australia (6900 km²) which encompasses most of the alpine zone (~2500 km² or 48% of its occurrence on mainland Australia). Multivariate ordination, species richness and the relationship of diversity to landscape patterns were assessed and considered in relation to changes predicted to impinge upon these systems over coming decades. Species richness had limited capacity to detect predicted changes; however, ordination based on floristic patterns may have more capacity to detect change if adequate replication is applied. Complex patterns across landscapes and at the site level contributed to these analytical challenges. Species richness is commonly used to assess ecosystem status and to provide benchmark values, but it had very limited capacity to do so in the assessed alpine and subalpine ecosystems, including the most threatened. Government agencies often rely heavily on species richness to assess ecosystem change and this urgently needs re-evaluation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.13528","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141536856","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":"Distribution, habitat associations and status of the Carpentarian Pseudantechinus (Pseudantechinus mimulus, Dasyuridae)","authors":"Jarrad C. Barnes,&nbsp;Christofer J. Clemente,&nbsp;Elizabeth A. Brunton,&nbsp;Mark G. Sanders,&nbsp;Scott E. Burnett","doi":"10.1111/aec.13557","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13557","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Carpentarian Pseudantechinus (<i>Pseudantechinus mimulus</i>, Dasyuridae) is a little-known, saxicolous dasyurid marsupial from the Mount Isa Inlier bioregion in Queensland (QLD) and the Gulf Coastal bioregion in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. A paucity of targeted survey effort across broad swathes of potentially suitable habitat means that the species' distribution and habitat associations are uncertain. This study aimed to (1) refine the contemporary distribution of <i>P. mimulus</i>, (2) determine the landscape and floristic variables that may predict <i>P. mimulus</i> presence, and (3) assess the current conservation status of <i>P. mimulus</i>. We conducted camera trap surveys covering 631 camera stations at 227 independent sites over 4 years for a total of 28 767 trap-nights throughout QLD and NT in known and predicted suitable habitat. Stepwise generalized linear models were used to test the effect of landscape and floristic predictors on <i>P. mimulus</i> presence. The species' contemporary distribution was assessed using a MAXENT species distribution model. We collated a database of 292 records of <i>P. mimulus</i>, including 111 recorded during this study, extending the species' known range in QLD. The proposed holotype location of the Mittiebah Range was surveyed twice during this study but <i>P. mimulus</i> was not recorded. <i>Pseudantechinus mimulus</i> had the highest probability of presence on most non-northerly aspects on metamorphic landforms. Eleven plant taxa had a significant effect on <i>P. mimulus</i> presence. This study provides new evidence for landscape and floristic factors that help predict the presence of <i>P. mimulus</i>. Our results indicate the possibility of two disjunct populations, but large swathes of potential habitat still require additional effort to determine the species' true distribution. Our estimate for area of occupancy partially satisfies a threatened species listing; however, more focused research on population dynamics, trends in habitat quality, and landscape-scale threats is necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.13557","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141536615","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":"And the Oscar goes to… – Species-specific ant behaviour related to predator defence in ant-mimicking spiders","authors":"Robert Perger,&nbsp;Gonzalo D. Rubio,&nbsp;Julián E. Baigorria","doi":"10.1111/aec.13553","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13553","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Mimicry, the superficial resemblance between organisms of two or more species, is considered a textbook example for natural selection, for which it is assumed that predators are important selective agents. Ant mimicking spiders have received considerable attention in studies on mimicry because they include examples with remarkable, species-specific morphological adaptations. Ant-like behaviours such as erratic locomotory patterns, abdomen bobbing and vertical movements of the first or second pair of legs to imitate antennal movements, are assumed to have evolved before morphological mimicry and may be considered adaptations to general ant resemblance. Species-specific behavioural ant mimicry (behaviour that is only observed in specific ants and imitated by their mimics) was very rarely documented and ant resembling behaviour that repels predator attacks has not been confirmed yet. In this study we report and discuss such species-specific behaviour, a spray display (SD), in the castianeirine spiders <i>Myrmecotypus iguazu</i> (a morphologically accurate mimic of the carpenter ant <i>Camponotus sericeiventris</i>), and <i>M. tahyinandu</i> (a morphologically accurate mimic of <i>C. crassus</i>). The SD consisted of the raising of the cephalothorax and moving of the abdomen ventrally under the cephalothorax, pointing the apex forward, and holding the antennae (ant) or first pair of legs (spiders) at an angle of about 45°–120°. The morphological adaptations that are required to perform the SD and the lack of an alternative explanation for the purpose of this display suggest that the SD has evolved to enhance both general behavioural and morphologically accurate ant resemblance. The two observed <i>Myrmecotypus</i> species may be considered the behaviorally most accurate ant-resembling spiders known to date, as the SD may provide protection against spider- and ant-eating predators at a point in predator interactions where other myrmecomorph spiders may abandon their ant-resembling behaviour.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141536868","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":"Using bioindicators to inform effective predator management for threatened species protection","authors":"C. A. Adams,&nbsp;L. K. Van der Weyde,&nbsp;K. Tuft,&nbsp;G. R. Finlayson,&nbsp;K. E. Moseby","doi":"10.1111/aec.13556","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13556","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In Australia, most threatened species translocations conducted into areas where feral predators are present fail to establish viable, self-sustaining populations despite intensive predator control. These translocations are occurring amidst a lack of understanding regarding the conditions required for native species to survive, including predator densities. This study investigated whether population trends of in situ common species could be used as bioindicators to determine the effectiveness of predator management for threatened species protection. We compared changes in capture rates of four small mammals and four reptile species inside and outside a predator-proof reserve for 11 years after cat and fox removal to identify which species responded to cat and fox eradication at various time scales. We only used sites inside the reserve where threatened species had not yet been reintroduced to isolate the effects of cat and fox removal. The effectiveness of these bioindicators was then tested at an unfenced reserve where predators were controlled using baiting, trapping, and shooting. There was a significant increase in the abundance of native rodents (spinifex hopping mouse and Bolam's mouse) inside the fenced reserve compared to outside, however, these differences were not detected in the unfenced reserve possibly due to inadequate predator control or insufficient time for in situ species to recover with sustained predator control. Captures of the introduced house mouse were higher at sites inside the fenced reserve in some years, but the difference was not consistent. Native dunnarts and all four reptile species did not respond consistently over the 11-year time frame at either reserve. Native rodent abundance was the best indicator of effective feral predator control and may provide a useful bioindicator for threatened species management, such as reintroductions.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.13556","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141536725","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}