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1,074 results for “invasive species”
Data and R-Scripts: Predicting hotspots for invasive species introduction in Europe
<p>The .rar file comprises all data and R-scripts needed to replicate our study entitled "<em>Predicting Hotspots for Invasive Species Introduction in Europe</em>" published in <em>Environmental Research Letters</em>. The folder <em>data </em>holds all input data as well as the final datasets used for training the algorithms, in the subfolder <em>A_ML_ready_datasets</em>. The folder <em>descriptives </em>provides tables with descriptive statistics<em>. </em>The folder<em> figures </em>provides files for all figures displayed in the manuscript and the supplementary material as well as visualizations of descriptive statistics for all background approaches in the corresponding subfolders. The folder <em>results </em>holds all generated results. The folder <em>scripts</em> provides all R-scripts used for intermediate computations. The <em>master </em>and <em>master_results</em> scripts coordinate all computations and the generation of results, respectively.</p> <p>Notably, various spatial layers were used to extract point-values of features which subsequently were used to estimate the models and generate the predictions. Here, we only upload the extracted point-values in the <em>data </em>folder. If you are interested in using any of the raw spatial layers, please refer to section 2.1.3. of our publication to find the corresponding references. Alternatively, feel free to reach out to me and I will direct you to the original databases and/or send you the raw spatial layers.</p>
The soundscape of swarming: Proof of concept for a non-invasive acoustic species identification of swarming Myotis bats
<p>Bats emit echolocation calls to orientate in their predominantly dark environment. Recording of species-specific calls can facilitate species identification, especially when mist-netting is not feasible. However, some taxa, such as Myotis bats are hard to distinguish acoustically. In crowded situations where calls of many individuals overlap the subtle differences between species are additionally attenuated. Here we sought to non-invasively study the phenology of <em>Myotis</em> bats during autumn swarming at a prominent hibernaculum. To do so we recorded sequences of overlapping echolocation calls (N=564) during nights of high swarming activity and extracted spectral parameters (peak frequency, start frequency, spectral centroid) and Linear Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (LFCCs) which additionally encompass the timbre (vocal 'colour') of calls. We used this parameter combination in a stepwise discriminant function analysis (DFA) to classify the call sequences to species level. A set of previously identified call sequences of single flying <em>Myotis</em> <em>daubentonii</em> and <em>Myotis</em> <em>nattereri</em>, the most common species at our study site, functioned as a training set for the DFA. 90.2% of the call sequences could be assigned to either <em>M</em>. <em>daubentonii</em> or <em>M</em>. <em>nattereri</em>, indicating the predominantly swarming species at the time of recording. We verified our results by correctly classifying a second set of previously identified call sequences with an accuracy of 100%. In addition, our acoustic species classification corresponds well to the existing knowledge on swarming phenology at the hibernaculum. Moreover, we successfully classified call sequences from a different hibernaculum to species level and verified our classification results by capturing swarming bats while we recorded them. Our findings provide the basis for a new non-invasive acoustic monitoring technique that analyses "swarming soundscapes" by combining classical acoustic parameters and LFCCs, instead of analysing single calls. Our approach for species identification is especially beneficial in situations with multiple calling individuals, such as autumn swarming.</p>
Resource competition drives an invasion-replacement event among shrew species on an island
<p>Invasive mammals are responsible for the majority of native species' extinctions on islands. While most of these extinction events will be due to novel interactions between species (e.g. exotic predators and naive prey), it is more unusual to find incidences where a newly invasive species cause the decline/extinction of a native species on an island when they normally coexist elsewhere in their overlapping mainland ranges.</p> <p>We investigated if resource competition between two insectivorous small mammals was playing a significant role in the rapid replacement of the native pygmy shrew (<em>Sorex minutus</em>) in the presence of the recently invading greater white-toothed shrew (<em>Crocidura russula</em>) on the island of Ireland.</p> <p>We used DNA metabarcoding of gut contents from >300 individuals of both species to determine each species' diet and measured the body size (weight and length) during different stages of the invasion in Ireland (before, during, and after the species come into contact with one another) and on a French island where both species have long coexisted (acting as a natural 'control' site). Dietary composition, niche width, and overlap, and body size were compared in these different stages.</p> <p>The body size of the invasive <em>C. russula</em> and the composition of its diet change between when it first invades an area and after it becomes established. During the initial stages of the invasion, individual shrews are larger and consume larger-sized invertebrate prey species. During the later stages of the invasion, <em>C. russula</em> switch to consuming smaller prey taxa that are more essential for the native species. As a result, the level of interspecific dietary overlap increases from between 11–14% when they first come into contact with each other to between 39–46% after the invasion.</p> <p>Here we show that an invasive species can quickly alter its dietary niche in a new environment, ultimately causing the replacement of a native species. In addition, the invasive shrew could also be potentially exhausting the local resources of larger invertebrate species. These subsequent changes in terrestrial invertebrate communities could have severe impacts further downstream on ecosystem functioning and services.</p>
Data for: Invasion by an exotic grass species homogenises native freshwater plant communities
<p>A growing body of evidence has shown that biological invasions cause shifts in species composition of communities in space and time. Although biological invasions are considered a major driver of biotic homogenisation worldwide, most previous studies are conducted at small spatial scales and over short time periods, which may have underestimated the impacts of exotic species on native communities.</p> <p>Using a unique dataset of aquatic plants sampled in 235 sites over 12 years (2007–2010 and 2015–2019) in a large reservoir (Itaipu Reservoir; 1,350 km²), we analyzed how the invasion of a non-native grass (<em>Urochloa arrecta</em>) affects the species richness, ecological uniqueness (i.e., local contribution to beta diversity – LCBD) and temporal β–diversity of native plant communities.</p> <p>From 3,934 surveyed plant communities, <em>U. arrecta</em> was recorded in 2,888 samples and it was absent from 1,046 samples. Overall, species richness and ecological uniqueness of native plant communities were markedly lower in sites invaded than non-invaded by <em>U. arrecta</em>. From 2007 to 2019, the ecological uniqueness of native plants was 60% lower in the invaded than non-invaded sites. Whereas in invaded sites the species loss was the dominant mechanism driving native communities over time, in non–invaded sites the gain of new native species was the primary mechanism underlying community trajectories. Moreover, comparing native plant communities before and after the invasion of <em>U. arrecta</em>, species richness, ecological uniqueness and species gains of native plant communities decreased, whereas species losses increased after the invasion of <em>U. arrecta</em>. Finally, the positive relationship between native biodiversity and precipitation was stronger in sites non-invaded than invaded by <em>U. arrecta</em>.</p> <p>Synthesis: Our findings provide comprehensive evidence that an invasive plant is decreasing the spatial and temporal β–diversity of native plant communities through declining species richness, rather than simply correlating with them. This suggests that<em> U. arrecta</em> is driving native plants to become less diverse and homogeneous after the invasion, both spatially and temporally. Our findings illustrate that at broad scales, aquatic plant communities may become increasingly homogeneous with the increasing number of biological invasion events taking place worldwide. </p>
Data and R scripts for: Ant invasions is associated with lower root density and different root distribution of a foundational savanna tree species
<p>Some invasive ants have worldwide distributions and impose substantial impacts on human society and native biodiversity. Yet we know little about how ants impact soil ecosystems in general, much less how soil ecosystems shift when invasive ants move in. We excavated the coarse roots of a monodominant savanna tree in invaded and uninvaded areas to test the hypothesis that the presence of invasive ants would be associated with changes in root distribution and biomass across the landscape. We found that in the presence of invasive ants, trees had a shifted distribution of lateral coarse roots, with proportionally less root biomass near the surface and far from tree stems. In addition, the density of lateral coarse-root biomass was ~20% lower for trees within invaded landscapes. Our results suggest that soil-nesting invasive ants can drive important changes in rooting strategy for a tree species that serves a foundational role in the biogeochemical cycles of vertisol savannas.</p>
DATA FOR NON-INVASIVE (PHOTO) INDIVIDUAL FISH IDENTIFICATION OF MULTIPLE SPECIES
<p>This paper describes data from five studies focused on the individual fish identification of the same species. The lateral images of five fish species are present in the dataset. The dataset's primary purpose is to provide a data to develop a non-invasive and remote method of individual fish identification using fish skin patterns, which can serve as a substitute for the common invasive fish tagging. The lateral images of the whole fish body on the homogenous background for Sumatra barb, Atlantic salmon, Sea bass, Common carp and Rainbow trout are available with automatically extracted parts of the fish with skin patterns. A different number of individuals (Sumatra barb – 43, Atlantic salmon – 330, Sea bass – 300, Common carp – 32, Rainbow trout - 1849) were photographed by the digital camera Nikon D60 under controlled conditions. The photographs of only one side of the fish with several (from 3 to 20) repetitions were taken. Common carp, Rainbow trout and Sea bass were photographed out of the water. Atlantic salmon was photographed underwater, out of the water, and the eye of the fish was photographed by the microscope camera. Sumatra barb was photographed under the water only. For all species, except Rainbow trout, the data collection was repeated after a different period (Sumatra barb – four months, Atlantic salmon – six months, Sea bass – one month, Common carp – four months) to collect the data for a study of skin patter changes (aging). The development of the method for photo-based individual fish identification was performed on all datasets. The identification accuracy for all species for all periods was 100% using the nearest neighbour classification. Different methods for skin pattern parametrization were used. </p> <p>The dataset can be used to develop remote and non-invasive individual fish identification methods. The studies focused on the discrimination power of the skin pattern can benefit from it. The changes of skin patterns due to fish aging can be explored from the dataset.</p>
Data from: How science communications can help build societal perceptions of invasive alien species and their impacts on the environment
<p>In this study, we investigated the reported beneficial aspects of the invasive alien plant species (IAPS) and argued that, over time and space, the detrimental impacts of the IAS might endanger sustainable livelihoods. The data set contains the following files:</p> <p>Data_S1.xlsx: The file contains details of 154 literature reports. From each paper, we extracted IAPS names (both as reported and standardized), taxonomic information (family and taxon rank), year, country, the scale of observation, and reported beneficial impacts. The beneficial impacts were further categorized into 13 use categories at TDWG (Taxonomic Databases Working Group) Level-1 states (in binary format - 1 indicates the IAPS use and 0 indicates not in use for the individual category).</p> <p>The Metadata_S1.pdf file contains detailed information on preparing literature records for data extraction, the data extraction process, and data organization. </p>
The data table of eleven invasive species in Hungary and Romania: Invasive species' cover, invasive species' traits, basic characteristics, trait composition, functional diversity indices and soil parameters of recipient plant communities
<p>We studied 11 widespread herbaceous invasive alien species of East-Central Europe and their 16 impact metrics (resident plant communities' ecological characteristics, trait composition, functional diversity, and soil parameters) by sampling invaded and similar, uninvaded sites (space-for-time substitution method). Our aim was to (1) investigate the detailed ecological impacts of invasive plants on native plant communities; (2) explore the type of cover-impact relationships across impact metrics and their consistency across species; (3) study whether the cover-impact relationship depends on functional traits of invasive species. We present the data table with the 11 invasive species: the status of the sites (invaded, uninvaded), the cover of invasive species at plot level, the invasive species traits (lifespan, height, SLA, seed mass, clonal spread, flowering duration), community characteristics (species richness and diversity, native vegetation cover and bare ground cover at plot level), trait composition of native plant communities (native vegetation height, CWM height, CWM SLA, CWM seed mass, CWM clonal spread), functional diversity (functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, functional distance, RaoQ) and soil properties (N, P, organic C, pH).</p>
Data for: Non-invasive measurements of respiration and heart rate across wildlife species using Eulerian Video Magnification of infrared thermal imagery
<p><strong>Background</strong>: An animal's metabolic rate, or energetic expenditure, both impacts and is impacted by interactions with its environment. However, techniques for obtaining measurements of metabolic rate are invasive, logistically difficult, and costly. Red-green-blue (RGB) imaging tools have been used in humans and select domestic mammals to accurately measure heart and respiration rate, as proxies of metabolic rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate if infrared thermography (IRT) coupled with Eulerian video magnification (EVM) would extend the applicability of imaging tools towards measuring vital rates in exotic wildlife species with different physical attributes.</p> <p><strong>Results</strong>: We collected IRT and RGB video of 52 total species (39 mammalian, 7 avian, 6 reptilian) from 36 taxonomic families at zoological institutions and used EVM to amplify subtle changes in temperature associated with blood flow for respiration and heart rate measurements. IRT-derived respiration and heart rates were compared to 'true' measurements determined simultaneously by expansion of the ribcage/nostrils and stethoscope readings, respectively. Sufficient temporal signals were extracted for measures of respiration rate in 36 species (85% success in mammals; 50% success in birds; 100% success in reptiles) and heart rate in 24 species (67% success in mammals; 33% success in birds; 0% success in reptiles) using IRT-EVM. Infrared-derived measurements were obtained with high accuracy (respiration rate, mean absolute error: 1.9 breaths per minute, average percent error: 4.4%; heart rate, mean absolute error: 2.6 beats per minute, average percent error: 1.3%). Thick integument and animal movement most significantly hindered successful validation.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion</strong>: The combination of IRT with EVM analysis provides a non-invasive method to assess individual animal health in zoos, with great potential to monitor wildlife metabolic indices in situ.</p>
Microsatellite alleles of two species of Tetramorium ants in their native and invasive ranges
<p>Microsatellite alleles at 16 loci, for 80 individuals of <em>Tetramorium immigrans</em> and 84 individuals of <em>T. tsushimae</em> from both their native and invasive ranges.</p>
A plea for scale, and why it matters for invasive species management, biodiversity, and conservation
<ol> <li>Invasive species are suspected to be major contributors to biodiversity declines worldwide. Counterintuitively, however, invasive species effects are likely scale-dependent, and are hypothesized to be positively related to biodiversity at large spatial scales. Past studies investigating the effect of invasion on biodiversity have been mostly conducted at small scales (<100 m<sup>2</sup>) that cannot represent large-dynamic landscapes by design. Therefore, replicated experimental evidence supporting a negative effect of invasive plants on biodiversity is lacking across many landscape types, including large grasslands.</li> <li>We collected data across eight large (333–809 ha) grassland landscapes managed with pyric herbivory—i.e., the recoupling of fire and grazing—to test how an invasive legume (<em>Lespedeza</em> <em>cuneata</em>) affected plant and bird communities at spatial grains ranging from 0.1 m<sup>2</sup> to >3,000,000 m<sup>2</sup>.</li> <li> <em>L</em>. <em>cuneata</em> invasion effects on grassland plant diversity and composition changed with scale; being negative at small spatial grains (0.1 m<sup>2</sup>) and neutral or positive at large spatial grains (>3,000,000 m<sup>2</sup>).</li> <li> <em>L</em>. <em>cuneata</em> abundance did not significantly affect bird diversity at any spatial grain measured.</li> <li> <em>L</em>. <em>cuneata</em> may negatively affect biodiversity if abundances are greater than those observed in this study. However, previous research suggests that <em>L</em>. <em>cuneata</em> may not be capable of exceeding 20% canopy cover across large landscapes (>400 ha). Control and eradication strategies can be costly and are fraught with risk. If data do not clearly support a negative <em>L. cuneata</em> abundance-biodiversity relationship, and if invasion is spatially limited across large landscapes, ongoing control and eradication efforts may be unwarranted and ineffective.</li> <li> <em>Synthesis and applications:</em> Invasive species effects gleaned from small-scale studies may not reliably predict their effects at larger scales. Although we recognize the importance of small-scale studies in potentially isolating individual mechanisms, management strategies based solely on results from small-scale studies of invasion are unlikely to increase or conserve biodiversity across large landscapes. Rather, processes that generate landscape heterogeneity—like pyric herbivory—are probably more important for promoting biodiversity across all scales. Scale is a central problem in ecology, and defining scale in management objectives is essential for effective biodiversity conservation.</li> </ol>
Chapter 29. Supplementary material. Remote sensing of invasive Australian Acacia species: State of the art and future perspectives
<p>This is online supplementary material for the Chapter "Remote sensing of invasive Australian Acacia species: State of the art and future perspectives" authored by A Große-Stoltenberg, I Lizarazo, G Brundu, VP Gonçalves, LP Osco, C Masemola, J Müllerová, C Werner, I Kotze, and J Oldeland, corresponding to Chapter 29 In: "Wattles: Australian Acacia species around the world". Eds: D.M. Richardson, J.J. Le Roux, and E. Marchante (CABI, UK, 2023).”</p>
A difference in larval mosquito size allows a biocontrol agent to target the invasive species
<p><span>As the global temperature rises in the coming decades, <em>Aedes</em> <em>albopictus</em> is expected to invade and establish in South East England, where <em>Culex</em> <em>pipiens</em> is currently the most common native mosquito species. Biocontrol measures that use local cyclopoid copepods against <em>Ae. albopictus</em> may be compromised if the copepods prefer alternate <em>Cx. pipiens</em> prey. In this study, I assessed the predation efficiency of <em>Megacyclops</em> <em>viridis</em> copepods against French <em>Ae. albopictus</em> larvae and larvae that hatched from egg rafts of <em>Cx. pipiens</em> collected in South East England. The experiments were conducted at 15°C and 25°C, which are representative of present and future summer temperatures in South East England. <em>Ae. albopictus</em> larvae that survived the course of the experiment in the predator-absent controls were significantly smaller than <em>Cx. pipiens</em> larvae that survived in the absence of predation. The background mortality of <em>Cx. pipiens</em> larvae increased with the ten-degree increase in temperature, and the smaller size of surviving <em>Cx. pipiens</em> larvae at 25°C, relative to survivors at 15°C, suggests that larger <em>Cx. pipiens</em> larvae were more likely to die at the higher temperature setting. Across all experimental treatments, the ratio of copepod body length to mean prey length, based on larval lengths of survivors from the corresponding predator-absent controls, was a significant predictor of the copepod's predation efficiency. Adding temperature setting to the predation efficiency model as a predictor did not improve model fit. Within the mixed prey treatments, the predation efficiency of <em>M. viridis</em> was 34.5 percentage points higher against <em>Ae. </em>albopictus prey than against <em>Cx. pipiens</em> prey. The higher predation efficiency that <em>M. viridis </em>exhibited against invasive <em>Ae. albopictus</em> prey, likely due to the smaller size of these larvae, supports the future use of <em>M</em>. <em>viridis</em> as a biocontrol agent in the UK.</span></p>
Shifting the focus from species to individuals in invasion biology: Individual differences in jumping behaviour
<p>Dataset associated with 'Shifting the focus from species to individuals in invasion biology: Individual differences in jumping behaviour' manuscript.</p>
The world's 100 worst invasive alien insect species
<ol> <li>While there has been great interest in species characteristics that promote invasiveness, still little is known about the characteristics that distinguish invasive from non-invasive insects. Using a database on the naturalized distributions of alien insects and expert opinions about their impacts, we identified the world's 100 worst invasive insect species.</li> <li>By comparing species characteristics reported in the literature using a meta-analysis, between the 100 worst invasive species and related non-invasive species, we found that invasive insects overall have more pathways of introduction, occur in more habitats, have higher fecundities, higher voltinism, more genes, shorted lifespans and faster development from egg to adult. Some of the differences in species characteristics are related to propagule pressures, life-histories and biotic interactions, conditional on whether the non-invasive species compared is known to be naturalized somewhere, whether the invasive species is globally distributed, and the climatic region of the species.</li> <li> <em>Synthesis and applications</em>: We show for the first time, using a multi-species comparative approach, that invasive insects differ in several characteristics from related non-invasive insects. Our results show that invasive species, such as Spodoptera frugiperda, typically are habitat generalists with a high fecundity, a short lifespan, and fast development, whereas the importance of female body size and number of enemies are context dependent. Our study can guide and improve existing screening tools for assessing the invasion potential of alien insects.</li> </ol>
Permits issued in respect of South Africa's National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act's Alien and Invasive Species Regulations over the period October 2014–December 2022
<p>Data based on records of permits issued by the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) to conduct activities on listed invasive species restricted under the NEM:BA A&IS Regulations of 2014<br> This is based on the file <Copy of Official AIS Permit Register (31 Aug 2019).xlsx> with updates to 2020 based on the updates in the file <AIS Permit Register Updated to 21 January 2021.xlsx> and updates to Dec 2022 based on the file <AIS Permit register updated up to 31 Decenber 2022.xlsx><br> Compiled for the purposes of the reporting process "The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa", see http://iasreport.sanbi.org.za/ for more details. Can access the latest report on Zenodo http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3947613 and the latest species list associated with the report via http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3947659<br> For details of how this was constructed see the relevant workflow in the status report process.<br> Where appropriate the rationale for issuing a permit is as per the wording of the regulations and lists of 2020 (see below for the full citation)<br> Each row represents a permit for a particular species for a particular activity. Permit numbers can cover multiple taxa<br> The original data-set has details of the applicant and their contact numbers, who the permit was handled by, and the method by and date on which the permit was sent to the permit holder, these have been redacted<br> Note there can be multiple permits issued to the same permit holder for the same species for the same purposes with the same start and end date<br> In cases where two permits were issued to the same applicant and one of which was for research, both were deemed for research even if it was not specified as such</p> <p>For enquiries contact: invasives@sanbi.org.za or IAS.report.SANBI@gmail.com</p> <p>Suggested citation (noting that in most cases it will be more appropriate to reference the Department responsible itself): SANBI (2023) Permits issued in respect of South Africa's National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act's Alien and Invasive Species Regulations over the period October 2014 – December 2022. version 20230809. Zenodo. https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8229321</p>
High promiscuity among females of the invasive pest species Drosophila suzukii
<p><em><span>Drosophila suzukii</span></em> <span>(</span><span>Matsumura, </span><span>1931), </span><span>the spotted-wing drosophila, is a highly invasive fruit fly </span><span>that spread from</span><span> Southern Asia across most regions of Asia</span><span>,</span><span> and in the last </span><span>fifteen</span><span> years has invaded Europe and the Americas. </span><span>It is an economically important pest of small fruits such as berries</span><span> and </span><span>stone fruits</span><span>.</span><span> <em>Dro</em></span><em><span>sophila suzukii</span></em><span> speciated by adapting to cooler, mountainous and forest environments. In temperate regions, it evolved seasonal polyphenism traits which enhanced its survival during stressful winter population bottlenecks. Consequently, in these temperate regions, the populations undergo seasonal reproductive dynamics. </span><span>Despite its economic importance, no data are available on the behavioural reproductive strategies of this fly. The presence of polyandry, for example, has not been determined despite the important role it might play in the reproductive dynamics of the populations.</span></p> <p><span>We explored </span><span>the presence of polyandry </span><span>in an established population in </span><span>Trentino, a region in </span><span>North Italy</span><span>. In this area, <em>D. suzukii</em> overcomes the </span><span>winter </span><span>bottleneck and undergoes a seasonal reproductive fluctuation. We observed a high remating frequency in females during the late spring demographic explosion that led</span><span> to the abundant summer population. </span><span>The presence of </span><span>a high degree of polyandry and shared paternity</span><span> associated with the post-winter population increase raises the question of the possible</span><span> evolutionary adaptive </span><span>role</span><span> of </span><span>this reproductive behaviour in </span><em><span>D. suzukii.</span></em></p>
Herbivory and elevated levels of CO2 and nutrients separately, rather than synergistically, impacted biomass production and allocation in invasive and native plant species
<p><span>Large parts of the Earth are experiencing environmental change caused by alien plant invasions, rising atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), and nutrient enrichments. Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> and nutrient concentrations can separately favour growth of invasive plants over that of natives but how herbivory may modulate the magnitude and direction of net responses by the two groups of plants to simultaneous CO<sub>2</sub> and nutrient enrichments remains unknown. In line with the enemy release hypothesis, invasive plant species should reallocate metabolites from costly anti-herbivore defences into greater growth following escape from intense herbivory in the native range</span><span>. Therefore, invasive plants should have</span><span> greater growth than natives </span><span>under simultaneous CO<sub>2</sub> and nutrient enrichments in the absence of herbivory. To test this prediction, we grew nine congeneric pairs of invasive and native plant species that naturally co-occurred in grasslands in China under two levels each of nutrient enrichment (low-nutrient vs. high-nutrient), herbivory (with herbivory vs. without herbivory) and under ambient (412 ± 0.6 ppm) and elevated (790.1 ± 6.2 ppm) levels of CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations in open-top chambers in a common garden. Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> and nutrient enrichment separately increased total plant biomass, while herbivory reduced it regardless of the plant invasive status. High-nutrient treatment caused the plants to allocate a significantly lower proportion of total biomass to roots, while herbivory induced an opposite pattern. Herbivory suppressed total biomass production more strongly in native plants than invasive plants. The plants exhibited significant interspecific and intergeneric variation in their responses to the various treatment combinations. Overall, these results suggest that elevated CO2 and nutrients and herbivory may separately, rather than synergistically, impact productivity of the invasive and co-occurring native plant species in our study system. Moreover, interspecific variation in </span>resource-use strategies was more important than invasive status in determining plant responses to the various treatment combinations.</p>
Evaluating the use of non‐invasive hair sampling and ddRAD to characterize populations of endangered species: Application to a peripheral population of the European mink
<p>The application of next‐generation sequencing (NGS) to non‐invasive samples is one of the most promising methods in conservation genomics, but these types of samples present significant challenges for NGS. The European mink (<em>Mustela lutreola</em>) is critically endangered throughout its range. However, important aspects such as census size and inbreeding remain still unknown in many populations, so it is crucial to develop new methods to monitor this species. In this work, we placed hair tubes along riverbanks in a border area of the Iberian population, which allowed the genetic identification of 76 European mink hair samples. We then applied a reduced representation genomic sequencing (ddRAD) technique to a subset of these samples to test whether we could extract sufficient genomic information from them. We show that several problems with the DNA, including contamination, fragmentation, oxidation, and possibly sample mixing, affected the samples. Using various bioinformatic techniques to reduce these problems, we were able to unambiguously genotype 19 hair samples belonging to six individuals. This small number of individuals showed that the demographic status of the species in this peripheral population is worse than expected. The data obtained also allowed us to perform preliminary analyses of relatedness and inbreeding. Although further improvements in sampling and analysis are needed, the application of the ddRAD technique to non‐invasively obtained hairs represents a significant advance in the genomic study of endangered species.</p>
Dominant species establishment may influence invasion resistance more than phylogenetic or functional diversity
<ol> <li>Phylogenetic and functional diversity are theorized to increase invasion resistance. Experimentally testing whether plant communities higher in these components of diversity are less invasible is an important step for guiding restoration designs.</li> <li>To investigate how phylogenetic and functional diversity of vegetation affect invasion resistance in a restoration setting, we used experimental prairie restoration plots. The experiment crossed three levels of phylogenetic diversity with two levels of functional diversity while species richness was held constant. We allowed invaders to colonize plots; these included native species from neighboring plots and non-native invasive species from a surrounding old field. We tested if invader biomass was influenced by phylogenetic and functional diversity, and phylogenetic and hierarchical trait distances between invaders and planted species. We binned each invader into three categories: native species from neighboring experimental plots (site-specific invaders); native species not part of the experimental species pool (native invaders); or non-native species (non-native invaders).</li> <li>Counter to expectation, both non-native and native invaders became more abundant in more phylogenetically diverse plots. However, plots with higher abundance of planted Asteraceae, a dominant family of the tallgrass prairie, had lower invader biomass for both native and non-native invaders.</li> <li>We also found that hierarchical trait differences shaped invasion. The species that became most abundant were non-native invaders that were taller, and native invaders with low specific leaf area relative to planted species. Site-specific invaders were not influenced by any plot-level diversity metrics tested.</li> <li> <em>Synthesis and application</em>: Our results suggest greater phylogenetic diversity may lower resistance to invasion. This effect may be due to more even but sparser niche packing in high-diversity plots, associated with greater availability of unsaturated niche space for colonization. However, trait composition fostered invasion resistance in two ways in our study. First, establishment of native species with strongly dominant traits may confer invasion resistance. Second, species mixes that optimize trait differences between planted vegetation and likely invaders may enhance invasion-resistance.</li> </ol>
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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.