Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
5,828
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
5,828 results for “Traits”
Collapse of dispersal trait diversity across a long-term chronosequence reveals a strong negative impact of frugivore extinctions on forest resilience
<p><span><b>1. </b></span><span>Understanding how seed dispersal disruption may alter plant community diversity and dynamics over a large temporal scale remains a challenge. Here, we use a long-term chronosequence to compare changes in the richness and composition of different dispersal trait assemblages in communities established before and after human colonisation in the Mascarene archipelago.</span></p> <p><span><b>2. </b></span><span>Our study was located on Réunion on the slopes of the Piton de la Fournaise, one of the most active volcanoes worldwide. We analysed 151 vegetation surveys on lava flows dated between 1401-AD and 1956-AD and in tropical rainforests established on older substrata. We defined five classes of substratum age, according to the well-known chronology of native frugivore defaunation: "old substrata" and </span>[1401, 1665[ when frugivores were abundant and diverse <span>before permanent human settlement</span>; [1665, 1800[ when large-bodied frugivore populations were strongly reduced; [1800, 1900[ when large-bodied frugivores went extinct and small-bodied frugivores were still abundant; [1900, 1956] <span>decline in the population of small-bodied frugivores. Based on dispersal traits, we categorised 146 native woody species as anemochorous, small fleshy-fruited or large fleshy-fruited, i.e. plant of which fruit could not theoretically be dispersed by extant frugivores.</span></p> <p><span><b>3. </b></span><span>Changes in dispersal trait diversity strongly correlated with the chronology of defaunation. Species-rich communities settled before human colonisation were strongly dominated by fleshy-fruited species. </span>L<span>arge fleshy-fruited plants in the oldest communities </span>settled after human colonisation <span>declined markedly and almost disappeared after 1800. The richness of small fleshy-fruited plants decreased less rapidly across the chronosequence, with medium levels on </span>[1665, 1800[ and [1800, 1900[ <span>lava flows and low levels on </span>[1900, 1956] lava flows<span>. Conversely, the richness of anemochorous plants remained unchanged. Communities settled before human colonisation had a similar composition. Fleshy-fruited assemblages showed strong species loss across the chronosequence, while anemochorous assemblages showed strong species turnover, which was probably due to lower dispersal limitation.</span></p> <p><span><b>4. Synthesis. </b></span><span>Our results provide the first insights into the tremendous impact that frugivore extinction has on plant colonisation dynamics over 300 years. The dramatic loss of fleshy-fruited plant diversity on historical lava flows highlights the irreplaceable dispersal role played by frugivores, especially large-bodied species. The conservation of </span>plant-animal mutualistic interactions<span> is invaluable and refaunation efforts need to be undertaken in areas where frugivores have been extirpated.</span></p>
Data from: Interactive life-history traits predict sensitivity of plants and animals to temporal autocorrelation
Temporal autocorrelation in demographic processes is an important aspect of population dynamics, but a comprehensive examination of its effects on different life-history strategies is lacking. We use matrix populations models from 454 plant and animal populations to simulate stochastic population growth rates (log λs) under different temporal autocorrelations in demographic rates, using simulated and observed covariation among rates. We then test for differences in sensitivities, or changes, of log λs to changes in autocorrelation among two major axes of life-history strategies, obtained from phylogenetically-informed principal component analysis: the fast-slow and semelparous-iteroparous continua. Fast life histories exhibit highest sensitivities to simulated autocorrelation in demographic rates across reproductive strategies. Slow life histories are less sensitive to temporal autocorrelation, but their sensitivities increase among highly iteroparous species. We provide cross-taxonomic evidence that changes in the autocorrelation of environmental variation may affect a wide range of species, depending on complex interactions of life-history strategies.
Data from: Geographic variation of reproductive traits and competition for pollinators in a bird-pollinated plant
Geographic variation in the reproductive traits of animal-pollinated plants can be shaped by spatially variable selection imposed by differences in the local pollination environment. We investigated this in Babiana ringens (Iridaceae), an enigmatic species from the Western Cape region of South Africa. B. ringens has evolved a specialized perch facilitating cross-pollination by sunbirds and displays striking geographic variation in perch size and floral traits. Here, we investigate whether this variation can be explained by geographic differences in the pollinator communities. We measured floral and inflorescence traits, abiotic variables (N, P, C and rainfall) and made observations of sunbirds in populations spanning the range of B. ringens. In each population, we recorded sunbird species identity and measured visitation rates, inter-floral pollen transfer and whether the seed set of flowers was pollen limited. To evaluate whether competition from co-occurring sunbird-pollinated species might reduce visitation, we quantified nectar rewards in B. ringens and of other co-flowering bird-pollinated species in local communities in which populations occurred. Variation in abiotic variables was not associated with geographical variation of traits in B. ringens. Malachite sunbirds were the dominant visitor (97% of visits) and populations with larger-sized traits exhibited higher visitation rates, more between-flower pollen transfer and set more seed. No sunbirds were observed in four populations, all with smaller-sized traits. Sunbird visitation to B. ringens was not associated with local sunbird activity in communities, but sunbird visitation was negatively associated with the amount of B. ringens sugar relative to the availability of alternative nectar sources. Our study provides evidence that B. ringens populations with larger floral traits are visited more frequently by sunbirds and we propose that visitation rates to B. ringens may be influenced, in part, by competition with other sunbird pollinated species.
Data from: Contrasting trait assembly patterns in plant and bird communities along environmental and human-induced land-use gradients
Human-driven environmental changes can induce marked shifts in the functional structure of biological communities with possible repercussion on important ecosystem functions and services. At the same time it remains unclear to which extent these changes may differently affect various types of organisms. We investigated species richness and community functional structure of species assemblages at the landscape scale (1km2 plots) for two contrasting model taxa, i.e., plants (producers and sessile organisms) and birds (consumers and mobile organisms), along topography, climate, landscape heterogeneity, and land-use (agriculture and urbanization) gradients in a densely populated region of Switzerland. Our study revealed that agricultural and urban land uses drove marked shifts in the functional structure of biological communities compared to changes along climate and topography gradients, especially for plants, while for birds these changes were comparable. Agricultural and urban land uses enhanced divergence in traits related to resource use for birds (diet and nesting), growth forms, dispersal, and reproductive traits for plants, while it induced convergence in vegetative plant traits (plant height and leaf dry matter content). These results suggest that contrasting assembly patterns may arise within and across taxonomic groups along the same environmental gradients as result of distinct underlying processes and 'organism-specific' environmental perceptions. Our results further suggest a potential homogenization of biological communities, as well as low functional diversity and redundancy levels of bird assemblages in our human-dominated study region. This might potentially compromise the maintenance of key ecological processes under future environmental changes.
Data from: Life-history traits of Macrolophus pygmaeus with different prey foods
Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a generalist predatory mirid widely used in augmentative biological control of various insect pests in greenhouse tomato production in Europe, including the invasive tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae). However, its biocontrol efficacy often relies on the presence of alternative prey. The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of various prey foods (Ephestia kuehniella eggs, Bemisia tabaci nymphs, Tuta absoluta eggs and Macrosiphum euphorbiae nymphs) on some life history traits of M. pygmaeus. Both nymphal development and adult fertility of M. pygmaeus were significantly affected by prey food type, but not survival. Duration of nymphal stage was higher when M. pygmaeus fed on T. absoluta eggs compared to the other prey. Mean fertility of M. pygmaeus females was greatest when fed with B. tabaci nymphs, and was greater when offered M. euphorbiae aphids and E. kuehniella eggs than when offered T. absoluta eggs. Given the low quality of T. absoluta eggs, the efficacy of M. pygmaeus to control T. absoluta may be limited in the absence of other food sources. Experiments for assessing effectiveness of generalist predators should involve the possible impact of prey preference as well as a possible prey switching.
Data from: Nurse species and indirect facilitation through grazing drive plant community functional traits in tropical alpine peatlands
Facilitation among plants mediated by grazers occurs when an unpalatable plant extends its protection against grazing to another plant. This type of indirect facilitation impacts species coexistence and ecosystem functioning in a large array of ecosystems worldwide. It has nonetheless generally been understudied so far in comparison with the role played by direct facilitation among plants. We aimed at providing original data on indirect facilitation at the community scale to determine the extent to which indirect facilitation mediated by grazers can shape plant communities. Such experimental data are expected to contribute to refining the conceptual framework on plant–plant–herbivore interactions in stressful environments. We set up a 2-year grazing exclusion experiment in tropical alpine peatlands in Bolivia. Those ecosystems depend entirely on a few, structuring cushion-forming plants (hereafter referred to as "nurse" species), in which associated plant communities develop. Fences have been set over two nurse species with different strategies to cope with grazing (direct vs. indirect defenses), which are expected to lead to different intensities of indirect facilitation for the associated communities. We collected functional traits which are known to vary according to grazing pressure (LDMC, leaf thickness, and maximum height), on both the nurse and their associated plant communities in grazed (and therefore indirect facilitation as well) and ungrazed conditions. We found that the effect of indirectly facilitated on the associated plant communities depended on the functional trait considered. Indirect facilitation decreased the effects of grazing on species relative abundance, mean LDMC, and the convergence of the maximum height distribution of the associated communities, but did not affect mean height or cover. The identity of the nurse species and grazing jointly affected the structure of the associated plant community through indirect facilitation. Our results together with the existing literature suggest that the "grazer–nurse–beneficiary" interaction module can be more complex than expected when evaluated in the field.
Data from: Ontogenetic stage-specific quantitative trait loci contribute to divergence in developmental trajectories of sexually dimorphic fins between medaka populations
Sexual dimorphism can evolve when males and females differ in phenotypic optima. Genetic constraints can, however, limit the evolution of sexual dimorphism. One possible constraint is derived from alleles expressed in both sexes. Because males and females share most of their genome, shared alleles with different fitness effects between sexes are faced with intralocus sexual conflict. Another potential constraint is derived from genetic correlations between developmental stages. Sexually dimorphic traits are often favoured at adult stages, but selected against as juvenile, so developmental decoupling of traits between ontogenetic stages may be necessary for the evolution of sexual dimorphism in adults. Resolving intralocus conflicts between sexes and ages is therefore a key to the evolution of age-specific expression of sexual dimorphism. We investigated the genetic architecture of divergence in the ontogeny of sexual dimorphism between two populations of the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) that differ in the magnitude of dimorphism in anal and dorsal fin length. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping revealed that few QTL had consistent effects throughout ontogenetic stages and the majority of QTL change the sizes and directions of effects on fin growth rates during ontogeny. We also found that most QTL were sex-specific, suggesting that intralocus sexual conflict is almost resolved. Our results indicate that sex- and age-specific QTL enable the populations to achieve optimal developmental trajectories of sexually dimorphic traits in response to complex natural and sexual selection.
The role of environmental vs. biotic filtering in the structure of European ant communities: a matter of trait type and spatial scale
<p>Functional trait-based approaches are increasingly used for studying the processes underlying community assembly. The relative influence of different assembly rules might depend on the spatial scale of analysis, the environmental context and the type of functional traits considered. By using a functional trait-based approach, we aim to disentangle the relative role of environmental filtering and interspecific competition on the structure of European ant communities according to the spatial scale and the type of trait considered. We used a large database on ant species composition that encompasses 361 ant communities distributed across the five biogeographic regions of Europe; these communities were composed of 155 ant species, which were characterized by 6 functional traits. We then analysed the relationship between functional divergence and co-occurrence between species pairs across different spatial scales (European, biogeographic region and local) and considering different types of traits (ecological tolerance and niche traits). Three different patterns emerged: negative, positive and non-significant regression coefficients suggest that environmental filtering, competition and neutrality are at work, respectively. We found that environmental filtering is important for structuring European ant communities at large spatial scales, particularly at the scale of Europe and most biogeographic regions. Competition could play a certain role at intermediate spatial scales where temperatures are more favourable for ant productivity (i.e. the Mediterranean region), while neutrality might be especially relevant in spatially discontinuous regions (i.e. the Alpine region). We found that no ecological mechanism (environmental filtering or competition) prevails at the local scale. The type of trait is especially important when looking for different assembly rules, and multi-trait grouping works well for traits associated with environmental responses (tolerance traits), but not for traits related to resource exploitation (niche traits). The spatial scale of analysis, the environmental context and the chosen traits merit special attention in trait-based analyses of community assembly mechanisms.</p>
Construction of genetic linkage map based on SNP markers, QTL mapping and detection of candidate genes of growth-related traits in Pacific abalone using genotyping-by-sequencing
<p><a name="_Hlk72585736"><span>Pacific abalone (<i>Haliotis discus hannai</i>) is a commercially important high valued molluscan species. Its wild population has decreased in recent years. Pacific abalone is widely cultured in Korea. Traditional breeding programs have been implemented for hatchery production of abalone seeds. To obtain more genetic information for the molecular breeding program, a high-density linkage map and quantitative trait locus (QTL) for three growth-related traits was constructed for Pacific abalone. F1 cross population with two parents were sampled to construct the linkage map using genotyping by sequencing (GBS). A total of 664,630,534 clean reads and 56,686 SNPs were generated. In sum, 3,345 segregating SNPs were used to construct a consensus linkage map. The map spanned 1,747.023 cM with 18 linkage groups and an average interval of 0.55 cM. QTL analysis revealed two significant QTL in LG10 on the consensus linkage map in each growth-related trait. Both the QTLs are located in the telomere region of the chromosome. Moreover, four potential candidate genes for growth-related traits were identified in the QTL region. Expression analysis revealed that identified genes are involved in growth regulation of abalone. The newly constructed genetic linkage map, growth-related QTLs and potential candidate genes identified in the present study can be used as valuable genetic resources and will be useful for marker-assisted selection (MAS) of Pacific abalone in molecular breeding program.</span></a></p>
Data from: Bee and floral traits affect the characteristics of the vibrations experienced by flowers during buzz-pollination
During buzz pollination, bees use their indirect flight muscles to produce vibrations that are transmitted to the flowers and result in pollen release. Although buzz pollination has been known for >100 years, we are still in the early stages of understanding how bee and floral characteristics affect the production and transmission of floral vibrations. Here we analysed floral vibrations produced by four closely related bumblebee taxa (Bombus spp.) on two buzz-pollinated plants species (Solanum spp.). We measured floral vibrations transmitted to the flower to establish the extent to which the mechanical properties of floral vibrations depend on bee and plant characteristics. By comparing four bee taxa visiting the same plant species, we found that peak acceleration (PA), root mean-squared acceleration (RMS) and frequency varies between bee taxa, but that neither bee size (intertegular distance) or flower biomass (dry weight) affect PA, RMS or frequency. A comparison of floral vibrations of two bee taxa visiting flowers of two plant species, showed that, while bee species affects PA, RMS and frequency, plant species affects acceleration (PA and RMS) but not frequency. When accounting for differences in the transmission of vibrations across the two types of flowers, using a species-specific 'coupling factor', we found that RMS acceleration and peak displacement does not differ between plant species. This suggests that bees produce the same initial acceleration in different plants but that transmission of these vibrations through the flower is affected by floral characteristics.
Data from: Wind dispersal is predicted by tree, not diaspore, traits in comparisons of neotropical species
1. The seed shadow created by wind dispersal around parent trees may be affected by functional traits, as well as wind conditions and surrounding vegetation. 2. This study of one mature tree each of 12 Neotropical species determined the extent to which species variation in diaspore traits vs. tree height and crop size explains (1) rate of diaspore descent in still air, (2) distributions of diaspores dispersed from a 40-m tower in the forest, and (3) natural seed shadows around the parent tree. 3. A model of diaspore wing-loading to a fitted power explained 66.9% of the variation among species in the geometric mean rate of descent in still air. For a subset of four species, expected dispersal distance was not correlated with actual dispersal distance from the forest tower. For a subset of seven species, variation in wing-loading1/2 of individual diaspores explained ≤4.3% of the dispersal distance from the parent tree. 4. Measured seed shadows, particularly their distribution edges and area, differed significantly among the 12 species (range in maximum tree height 19–42 m), and were best fit by 12 separate anisotropic dispersal kernels and surveyed fecundities. Measured mean distance was highly correlated with simulated distances from the kernels. 5. The best models, explaining 57.6% of the variation among species in shadow area, and 59.6, 61.6, and 61.7% of variation in mean, median and maximum distances, included maximum tree height, either alone or in combination with crop size, and not diaspore rate of descent. 6. Among 10 species, seed shadow area was not related to rank of seedling shade tolerance. In their highly skewed distributions, most seeds were much closer than the distance of greatest seedling recruitment and in very high density, thus enhancing later density- and/or distance-related seedling mortality. 7. Tree functional traits, rather than the historically emphasized diaspore traits, explain distance distributions of these wind-dispersed species. Additional exploration of diaspore abscission in relation to wind and the influence of wind patterns after release are needed.
Data from: Seed traits are pleiotropically regulated by the flowering time gene PERPETUAL FLOWERING 1 (PEP1) in the perennial Arabis alpina
The life cycles of plants are characterized by two major life history transitions—germination and the initiation of flowering—the timing of which are important determinants of fitness. Unlike annuals, which make the transition from the vegetative to reproductive phase only once, perennials iterate reproduction in successive years. The floral repressor PERPETUAL FLOWERING 1 (PEP1), an orthologue of FLOWERING LOCUS C, in the alpine perennial Arabis alpina ensures the continuation of vegetative growth after flowering and thereby restricts the duration of the flowering episode. We performed greenhouse and garden experiments to compare flowering phenology, fecundity, and seed traits between A. alpina accessions that have a functional PEP1 allele and flower seasonally and pep1 mutants and accessions that carry lesions in PEP1 and flower perpetually. In the garden, perpetual genotypes flower asynchronously and show higher winter mortality than seasonal ones. PEP1 also pleiotropically regulates seed dormancy and longevity. Seeds from perpetual genotypes have shallow dormancy and reduced longevity regardless of whether they afterripened in plants grown in the greenhouse or in the experimental garden. These results suggest that perpetual genotypes have higher mortality during winter, but compensate by showing higher seedling establishment. Differences in seed traits between seasonal and perpetual genotypes are also coupled with differences in hormone sensitivity and expression of genes involved in hormonal pathways. Our study highlights the existence of pleiotropic regulation of seed traits by hub developmental regulators such as PEP1, suggesting that seed and flowering traits in perennial plants might be optimized in a coordinated fashion.
Data from: Metabolic traits of westslope cutthroat, introduced rainbow trout and their hybrids in an ecotonal hybrid zone along an elevation gradient
In the Upper Oldman River, Alberta, introduced non-native hatchery rainbow trout hybridize with native westslope cutthroat trout, resulting in a hybrid swarm. Rainbow trout dominate at low elevations (<1250 m) in the river mainstem, cutthroat in high elevation tributaries (>1400 m), and hybrids are numerically dominant in the mid-elevation range. We hypothesized that metabolism of rainbow trout would exceed that of cutthroat trout, and that the elevation gradient in genetic makeup would be mirrored by a gradient in metabolic traits, with intermediate traits in the hybrid dominated ecotone. Metabolic traits were measured and regressed against the genetic makeup of individuals and elevation. Rainbow trout had higher oxygen consumption rates (OCR), higher white muscle lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and citrate synthase (CS) activity, and higher plasma acetylcholinesterase (AchE) than cutthroat trout. Hybrids had intermediate OCR and AchE, but LDH activity as high as rainbow trout. While hybrid zones are usually modeled as a balance between cross species mating and selection against hybrids, ecotonal hybrid zones, where hybrids proliferate in intermediate habitats and have traits that appear well suited to ecotonal conditions, have been proposed for some plants and animals, and may have important implications for resource management and conservation.
Data from: On the relative importance of CSR ecological strategies and integrative traits to explain species dominance at local scales
PLEASE NOTE, PART OF THESE DATA ARE ALSO REFERRED TO ANOTHER ARTICLE. PLEASE SEE http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2009.01119.x FOR MORE INFORMATION. 1. Identifying ecological strategies based on functional traits has been one of the main focuses of studies on plant community assembly. Recently, an important and timely tool, "StrateFy", has been proposed for detecting plant strategies across the globe according to the CSR scheme. The CSR scheme is undeniably efficient across scales, and distinct CSR strategies among species have been proposed to explain differing degrees of dominance among species. However, in a previous study we showed that dominance ranking of woody species in a resource-poor habitat (coastal sandy plain) was not explained by morphological traits commonly measured in functional approaches (such as those used to estimate CSR strategies), but by integrative traits (i.e. traits that are the result of different combinations of functional traits) more related to plant performance. 2. Here, we used CSR analysis and StrateFy on a dataset collected on a coastal sandy plain to test the hypothesis that the dominance ranking would be compatible with the CSR strategies; i.e., that dominant species would show a greater proportion of the stress-tolerance (S%) strategy than subordinate species. 3. Contrary to our hypothesis, all species exhibited an S/CS strategy, and the most-dominant species had neither similar values nor the highest S%. The inability of CSR analysis (as applied using StrateFy) to predict dominance ranking suggests that it can explain relative dominance when different strategies co-occur, but not in cases where dominant and subordinate plants share the same strategy. 4. We argue that the relative importance of CSR and integrative traits for describing dominance ranking may depend on how CSR strategies are filtered in each environment. In environments where only a narrow range of strategy classes are viable, integrative traits may be more important for explaining variation in degrees of dominance. Thus, the ability of a given species to achieve dominance may depend on integrative traits resulting from multiple trait arrays, not necessarily captured by the SLA, LDMC and LA measurements that are used to calculate the relative proportions of strategies in StrateFy.
Data from: Attracting mutualists and antagonists: plant trait variation explains the distribution of specialist floral herbivores and pollinators on crops and wild gourds
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Floral traits play important roles in pollinator attraction and defense against floral herbivory. However, plants may experience trade-offs between conspicuousness to pollinators and herbivore attraction. Comparative studies provide an excellent framework to examine the role of multiple traits shaping mutualist and antagonist interactions. METHODS: To assess whether putative defensive and attractive traits predict species interactions, we grew 20 different Cucurbitaceae species and varieties in the field to measure interactions with pollinators and herbivores and in the greenhouse to assess trait variation. Cucurbits are characterized by the production of cucurbitacins, bitter nonvolatile terpenoids that are effective against generalist herbivores but can attract specialist beetles. We determined whether plant traits such as cucurbitacins predict herbivore resistance and pollinator attraction using an information-theoretic approach. KEY RESULTS: Mutualists and floral antagonists were attracted to the same cucurbit varieties once they flowered. However, rather than cucurbitacin concentration, we found that the size of the flower and volatile emissions of floral sesquiterpenoids explained both pollinator and floral herbivore visitation preference across cucurbit taxa. This pattern held across cucurbit taxa and within the Cucurbita genus. CONCLUSIONS: Surprisingly, floral sesquiterpenoid volatiles, which are associated with direct defense, indirect defense, and attraction, rather than defense traits such as cucurbitacins, appeared to drive interactions with both pollinators and floral herbivores across cucurbit taxa. Identifying the relevant plant traits for attraction and deterrence is important in this economically valuable crop, particularly if pollinators and floral herbivores use the same plant traits as cues.
Data from: The role of species traits in mediating functional recovery during matrix restoration
Reversing anthropogenic impacts on habitat structure is frequently successful through restoration, but the mechanisms linking habitat change, community reassembly and recovery of ecosystem functioning remain unknown. We test for the influence of edge effects and matrix habitat restoration on the reassembly of dung beetle communities and consequent recovery of dung removal rates across tropical forest edges. Using path modelling, we disentangle the relative importance of community-weighted trait means and functional trait dispersion from total biomass effects on rates of dung removal. Community trait composition and biomass of dung beetle communities responded divergently to edge effects and matrix habitat restoration, yielding opposing effects on dung removal. However, functional dispersion—used in this study as a measure of niche complementarity—did not explain a significant amount of variation in dung removal rates across habitat edges. Instead, we demonstrate that the path to functional recovery of these altered ecosystems depends on the trait-mean composition of reassembling communities, over and above purely biomass-dependent processes that would be expected under neutral theory. These results suggest that any ability to manage functional recovery of ecosystems during habitat restoration will demand knowledge of species' roles in ecosystem processes.
Data from: Tropical tree height and crown allometries for the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, Panama: a comparison of alternative hierarchical models incorporating interspecific variation in relation to life history traits
Tree allometric relationships are widely employed for estimating forest biomass and production and are basic building blocks of dynamic vegetation models. In tropical forests, allometric relationships are often modeled by fitting scale-invariant power functions to pooled data from multiple species, an approach that fails to capture changes in scaling during ontogeny and physical limits to maximum tree size and that ignores interspecific differences in allometry. Here, we analyzed allometric relationships of tree height (9884 individuals) and crown area (2425) with trunk diameter for 162 species from the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, Panama. We fit nonlinear, hierarchical models informed by species traits – wood density, mean sapling growth, or sapling mortality – and assessed the performance of three alternative functional forms: the scale-invariant power function and the saturating Weibull and generalized Michaelis–Menten (gMM) functions. The relationship of tree height with trunk diameter was best fit by a saturating gMM model in which variation in allometric parameters was related to interspecific differences in sapling growth rates, a measure of regeneration light demand. Light-demanding species attained taller heights at comparatively smaller diameters as juveniles and had shorter asymptotic heights at larger diameters as adults. The relationship of crown area with trunk diameter was best fit by a power function model incorporating a weak positive relationship between crown area and species-specific wood density. The use of saturating functional forms and the incorporation of functional traits in tree allometric models is a promising approach for improving estimates of forest biomass and productivity. Our results provide an improved basis for parameterizing tropical plant functional types in vegetation models.
Data from: Progressively excluding mammals of different body size affects community and trait structure of ground beetles
Mammalian grazing induces changes in vegetation properties in grasslands, which can affect a wide variety of other animals including many arthropods. However, the impacts may depend on the type and body size of these mammals. Furthermore, how mammals influence functional trait syndromes of arthropod communities is not well known. We progressively excluded large (e.g. red deer, chamois), medium (e.g. alpine marmot, mountain hare), and small (e.g. mice) mammals using size-selective fences in two vegetation types (short- and tall-grass vegetation) of subalpine grasslands. We then assessed how these exclusions affected the community composition and functional traits of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae), and which vegetation characteristic mediated the observed effects. Total carabid biomass, the activity densities of carabids with specific traits (i.e. small eyes, short wings), the richness of small-eyed species and the richness of herbivorous species were significantly higher when certain mammals were excluded compared to when all mammals had access, regardless of vegetation type. Excluding large and medium mammals increased the activity density of herbivorous carabid species, but only in short-grass vegetation. Similarly, excluding large mammals (ungulates) altered carabid species composition in the short-, but not in the tall-grass vegetation. All these responses were related to aboveground plant biomass, but not to plant Shannon diversity or vegetation structural heterogeneity. Our results indicate that changes in aboveground plant biomass are key drivers of mammalian grazers' influence on carabids, suggesting that bottom-up forces are important in subalpine grassland systems. The exclusion of ungulates provoked the strongest carabid response. Our results, however, also highlight the ecological significance of smaller herbivorous mammals. Our study furthermore shows that mammalian grazing not only altered carabid community composition, but also caused community-wide functional trait shifts, which could potentially have a wider impact on species interactions and ecosystem functioning.
Data from: Modeling effects of environmental change on wolf population dynamics, trait evolution, and life history
Environmental change has been observed to generate simultaneous responses in population dynamics, life history, gene frequencies, and morphology in a number of species. But how common are such eco-evolutionary responses to environmental change likely to be? Are they inevitable, or do they require a specific type of change? Can we accurately predict eco-evolutionary responses? We address these questions using theory and data from the study of Yellowstone wolves. We show that environmental change is expected to generate eco-evolutionary change, that changes in the average environment will affect wolves to a greater extent than changes in how variable it is, and that accurate prediction of the consequences of environmental change will probably prove elusive.
Data from: Morphometric traits capture the climatically driven species turnover of 10 spruce taxa across China
This study explored the relative roles of climate and phylogenetic background in driving morphometric trait variation in 10 spruce taxa in China. The study further addressed the hypothesis that these variations are consistent with species turnover on climatic gradients. Nine morphometric traits of leaves, seed cones, and seeds for the 10 studied spruce taxa were measured at 504 sites. These data were analyzed in combination with species DNA sequences from NCBI GenBank. We detected the effects of phylogeny and climate through trait-variation-based K statistics and phylogenetic eigenvector regression (PVR) analyses. Multivariate analyses were performed to detect trait variation along climatic gradients with species replacement. The estimated K-values for the nine studied morphometric traits ranged from 0.19 to 0.68, and the studied environmental variables explained 39–83% of the total trait variation. Trait variation tended to be determined largely by a temperature gradient varying from wet-cool climates to dry-warm summers and, additionally, by a moisture gradient. As the climate became wetter and cooler, spruce species tended to be replaced by other spruces with smaller needle leaves and seeds but larger cones and seed scales. A regression analysis showed that spruce species tended to be successively replaced by other species, along the gradient, although the trends observed within species were not necessarily consistent with the overall trend. The climatically driven replacement of the spruces in question could be well indicated by the between-species variation in morphometric traits that carry lower phylogenetic signal. Between-species variation in these traits is driven primarily by climatic factors. These species demonstrate a narrower ecological amplitude in temperature but wider ranges on the moisture gradient.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.