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Figure 4 in Stabilizing selection to maintain the two male forms of the jumping spider Maevia inclemens (Araneae: Salticidae: Marpissina)

Figure 4. Four sequential positions of a male (1-4) during the successful courtship of a female Paraphidippus aurantius (Lucas 1833) on a plant in the laboratory. Males were placed on plants with three recently molted females, all from Greenville County, South Carolina. In each case the female stopped moving soon after she sighted the male, and the male advanced to mate successfully when she did not turn to face him as he stepped from side to side. In this example the female stopped moving at a distance of about 10 cm from the approaching male. The subsequent mating included insertion of each pedipalp on the respective side of the epigynum, and occupied more than 20 minutes. P. aurantius males will cohabit with and defend penultimate females (Thurlow 2016), and their large chelicerae are associated with the ritual male-male combat (agonistic behavior) that may ensue. This represents a pattern seen in many other salticids (e.g., Lyssomanes viridis, Tedore & Johnsen 2012, 2013, 2015), in which male-male contests account for most sexual selection. At the other end of the spectrum of sexual selection lie the highly ornamented salticids of the genus Maratus, for which male-male contests are virtually unknown (save one species), and a female may examine the details of male ornamentation up-close before acceptance (Otto & Hill 2021). Most salticids appear to fall somewhere between these two extremes, relying to some extent on both male-male combat and active selection by females.

Figure 1. Adult female Maevia inclemens. 1-2, 6 in Stabilizing selection to maintain the two male forms of the jumping spider Maevia inclemens (Araneae: Salticidae: Marpissina)

Figure 1. Adult female Maevia inclemens. 1-2, 6, Feeding on a small fly (Diptera: Brachycera). 3-4, Feeding on a small robber fly (Diptera: Ascilidae). With the exception of Figure 5:8, only three M. inclemens individuals, two males and one female, all photographed on plants in the laboratory, are shown in this paper. All were collected in Massachusetts, June 2020.

Figure 7 in Stabilizing selection to maintain the two male forms of the jumping spider Maevia inclemens (Araneae: Salticidae: Marpissina)

Figure 7. Sequential positions (1-10) of the tufted male Maevia inclemens as he advanced toward the female in a later mating attempt (after Figure 6).

Figure 10 in Stabilizing selection to maintain the two male forms of the jumping spider Maevia inclemens (Araneae: Salticidae: Marpissina)

Figure 10. Attempted mating by the grey male Maevia inclemens. This sequence shows how the male jumped the female while she was suspended from her dragline, just after capturing a fly (1), and attempted to mate with her (2). The female promptly released her prey, and the male then fed on it for many minutes (3-4), still in a suspended position [23 JUNE 2020 14:09- 14:13]. Three days later this male approached and mated successfully with the female for a second time (Figures 5:1-7, 9:7).

Figure 5 in Stabilizing selection to maintain the two male forms of the jumping spider Maevia inclemens (Araneae: Salticidae: Marpissina)

Figure 5. Display by grey males, Maevia inclemens. 1-7, Successive (low crawl) positions of the grey male male from Massachusetts, advancing to successfully mate with the female. When close, this male jumped and captured the female (Figure 9:7). 8, Display by a grey male from Sherburne County, Minnesota, recorded in 1982.

Figure 2 in Stabilizing selection to maintain the two male forms of the jumping spider Maevia inclemens (Araneae: Salticidae: Marpissina)

Figure 2. Adult male Maevia inclemens, grey (striped) form. Note the stripes on the prolateral surface of each femur.

Figure 11 in Stabilizing selection to maintain the two male forms of the jumping spider Maevia inclemens (Araneae: Salticidae: Marpissina)

Figure 11. Sequential (1-2) views of encounter between the two male forms of Maevia inclemens. Apart from a brief defensive reaction by the grey male (2), no ritual combat ensued and the males did not appear to recognize that they were conspecific.

opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

Stabilized morphological evolution of spiders despite mosaic changes in foraging ecology

A prominent question in animal research is how the evolution of morphology and ecology interact in the generation of phenotypic diversity. Spiders are some of the most abundant arthropod predators in terrestrial ecosystems and exhibit a diversity of foraging styles. It remains unclear how spider body size and proportions relate to foraging style, and if the use of webs as prey capture devices correlates with changes in body characteristics. Here we present the most extensive dataset to date of morphometric and ecological traits in spiders. We used this dataset to estimate the change in spider body sizes and shapes over deep time and to test if and how spider phenotypes are correlated with their behavioural ecology. We found that phylogenetic variation of most traits best fitted an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model, which is a model of stabilizing selection. A prominent exception was body length, whose evolutionary dynamics were best explained with a Brownian Motion (free trait diffusion) model. This was most expressed in the araneoid clade (ecribellate orb-weaving spiders and allies) that showed bimodal trends towards either miniaturization or gigantism. Only few traits differed significantly between ecological guilds, most prominently leg length and thickness, and although a multivariate framework found general differences in traits among ecological guilds, it was not possible to unequivocally associate a set of morphometric traits with the relative ecological mode. Long, thin legs have often evolved with aerial webs and a hanging (suspended) locomotion style, but this trend is not general. Eye size and fang length did not differ between ecological guilds, rejecting the hypothesis that webs reduce the need for visual cue recognition and prey immobilization. For the inference of the ecology of species with unknown behaviours, we propose not to use morphometric traits, but rather consult (micro-)morphological characters, such as the presence of certain podal structures. These results suggest that, in contrast to insects, the evolution of body proportions in spiders is unusually stabilized, and ecological adaptations are dominantly realized by behavioural traits and extended phenotypes in this group of predators. This work demonstrates the power of combining recent advances in phylogenomics with trait-based approaches to better understand global functional diversity patterns through space and time.

opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

A comparative study on the stability of the furfural molecule on the low index Ni, Pd and Pt surfaces

We present a comparative density functional theory investigation of the furfural (Ff ) molecule on the low index Ni, Pd and Pt surfaces to understand its geometrical and electronic properties to gain mechanistic insights into the experimentally measured catalytic reactivities of these metal catalysts. We show that the number of metal d-states, which hybridize with the nearest C and O p-orbitals of the Ff molecule, can be used to explain the stability of the Ff molecule on these surfaces. We find that the hybridization between atoms with higher electronegativity and the metal d-states plays a crucial role in determining the stability of these systems. Furthermore, we also find electron transfer from metal to the Ff molecule on the Ni and Pd surfaces, with a reverse process occurring on the Pt surface.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2021View details →

Evaluation of Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Stabilization of Cohesionless Sandy Soil for Transportation Infrastructure

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is generally used to stabilize cohesionless sandy soils that are often found in coastal areas. Due to its high carbon footprint, many studies are being conducted to identify a suitable green alternative for stabilizing cohesionless soils. Previous studies have shown that partially replacing OPC with waste materials such as nano-silica and coal waste reduces the overall carbon footprint without significantly impacting the performance. Geopolymer (GP) received a lot of attention in the past few decades owing to its similar properties to that of OPC yet with a lower carbon footprint. This study investigated the feasibility of stabilizing cohesionless sandy soils with metakaolin-based GP. Engineering and characterization tests such as shrinkage, strength, pH, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were performed to evaluate various characteristics of the stabilized mixes with different dosages of geopolymer and relate them to microstructural changes. Notably, GP-treated soils did not deteriorate during the durability tests, whereas the OPC-treated soil only retained about 75% of its strength. This is an indication that GP could be a better choice than OPC in coastal areas where cohesionless soils often experience heavy rainfall and flooding. Overall, an optimum dosage of GP improved both the mechanical properties and durability of cohesionless soils.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2022View details →

Insights into the stability of engineered mini-proteins from their dynamic electronic properties

Coordinates and partial charges from GFN2-xTB and wPBEh/cc-pvdz for 20 ps x 20 replicas for two variants of Trp-cage (TC5b and TC10b) as supporting information.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Data from: Towards a better ecological understanding of metacommunity stability: A multiscale framework to disentangle population variability and synchrony effects

1. Despite great progress in our understanding of the mechanisms governing ecosystem stability in local communities, we still lack knowledge at a larger spatial scale. Studying the stability of metacommunities requires assessing the temporal stability and synchrony of populations across space and organizational levels. Previous attempts to disentangle these effects have provided limited ecological interpretations, and conceptual improvements are needed to identify the underlying ecological processes. 2. We propose an extended framework aiming at disentangling simultaneously the relative effects of population stability and different types of synchronies on metacommunity stability. We adapted previous methods of decomposing stability into a new set of indices associated with clearer ecological hypotheses. Particularly, we provide synchrony indices that are not affected by statistical properties of the metacommunity but focus on species responses to environment, demography, and interactions. We applied this framework to a unique dataset describing the sorted biomass of individual plant populations, across 12 communities of a species-rich meadow, and for 16 years. The communities were sampled in different treatments of fertilization and dominant removal to evaluate the effect of environmental heterogeneity on stability. 3. We found higher stability at a larger spatial scale, mainly due to statistical averaging (portfolio effect). The variability of individual populations was an important determinant of the stability of the whole metacommunity. Consistent with the hypothesis of a common response to environmental conditions, we found that the fluctuations of populations were mostly synchronized (within and between species) at a large spatial scale and tended to destabilize the metacommunity. On the other hand, opposite fluctuations (anti-synchrony) between populations occurred at the local scale, probably due to local species interactions. 4. Synthesis Our framework appears as a powerful tool to test how ecological processes occurring simultaneously at different spatial and organizational scales affect the stability of metacommunities. This study advances our ecological understanding of the processes underlying the stability of species-rich environments. --

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Intra- and interspecific variability of specific leaf area mitigate the reduction of community stability in response to warming and nitrogen addition

Global environmental changes are reducing the diversity and affecting the functioning of natural ecosystems as well as their ability to reliably provide ecosystem functions and services to mankind. Many studies have shown that a greater plant diversity can stabilize community productivity against environmental fluctuations. However, most of these studies focused on plant species richness, thus overlooking the potential role of functional traits in stabilizing community productivity against environmental fluctuations. Whether and how functional trait mean and variability influence community stability in response to environmental changes and their relative contributions to community stability are largely unknown. Here, we used a 10-year experiment to investigate the role of species richness, as well as functional mean and intra- and interspecific variability of specific leaf area (SLA) of plants within- and among communities in driving community stability in response to nitrogen (N) addition and warming. We found that both N addition and warming reduced the temporal stability of community productivity by reducing species richness and its contribution to species asynchrony and species stability. In contrast, changes in the mean and variability of SLA in response to N addition and warming mitigated the reduction of community stability. Specifically, N addition reduced variation in SLA both by reducing interspecific differences in SLA within communities and differences in mean values of SLA among communities. Warming increased intraspecific differences in SLA among communities, leading to higher species stability that partly buffered the reduction of community stability. Our study demonstrates the role of trait mean and variability in mitigating the reduction of community stability in response to two pervasive global environmental changes. Gaining a deeper understanding of the processes linking global changes and the stability of our ecosystems requires integrating both trait mean values and trait variability.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2022View details →

Datasets and models for "No general stability conditions for marine ice-sheet grounding lines in the presence of feedbacks"

This repository contains datasets shown in figures  (figs.tar.gz) of the manuscript "No general stability conditions for marine ice-sheet grounding lines in the presence of feedbacks" (doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29892-3) and COMSOLTM models (model.tar.gz) used in the study. A folder “figures” contains data displayed on the corresponding figures. The data sets in folders “Fig1a’” and “Fig1b” are from  Kittel et al. (2021) for Antarctica and Fettweis et al. (2017) for Greenland. All other data are outputs of numerical simulations with COMSOL models contained in a folder “model”. The models have been created with COMSOL Multiphysics version 5.6.0.401 and Optimization Module.   Kittel, C., Amory, C., Agosta, C., Jourdain, N. C., Hofer, S., Delhasse, A., Doutreloup, S., Huot, P.-V., Lang, C., Fichefet, T., and Fettweis, X.: Diverging future surface mass balance between the Antarctic ice shelves and grounded ice sheet, The Cryosphere, 15, 1215–1236, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1215-2021, 2021. Model output was downloaded from https://zenodo.org/record/4459259 Fettweis, X., Box, J. E., Agosta, C., Amory, C., Kittel, C., Lang, C., van As, D., Machguth, H., and Gallée, H.: Reconstructions of the 1900–2015 Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance using the regional climate MAR model, The Cryosphere, 11, 1015–1033, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1015-2017, 2017. Model output was downloaded from ftp://ftp.climato.be/fettweis/MARv3.5/Greenland/

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2022View details →

Data accompanying the paper "Stability properties of the constant coefficients semi-implicit time schemes solving equation system with controlled nonhydrostatism".

Data accompanying the paper "Stability properties of the constant coefficients semi-implicit time schemes solving equation system with controlled nonhydrostatism", submitted to Monthly Weather Review. Each vertical slice experiment has its own ASCII file containing grid point number, vertical height [km], vertical velocity [m/s] and named exp+3000_w_NH.gmt for the non-linear non-hydrostatic flow over a hill with grid spacing of 80m and the time step of 2s, and containing grid point number, vertical height [km], potential temperature [K] and named exp+rng_theta.gmt for the Straka density current experiments with grid spacing of 25m and time step of 1s (with rng=0300, 0600, 0900). The names of experiments and their descriptions are as follows: <table align="left"> <caption>NLNH flow over a hill</caption> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Experiment</th> <th scope="col">Description</th> <th scope="col">Time scheme</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>NL50</td> <td>nonhydrostatic</td> <td>PC</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NK66</td> <td>pabe(5,1)</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NK50</td> <td>hydrostatic</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NL59</td> <td>pad(0.1,0.1)</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NK58</td> <td>pad(0.01,0.01)</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NK59</td> <td>pad(0.001,0.001)  </td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>               <table align="left"> <caption> Straka test </caption> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Experiment</th> <th scope="col">Description</th> <th scope="col">Time scheme</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>SH81</td> <td>nonhydrostatic  </td> <td>PC</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SH71</td> <td>pabe(5,1)</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SH72</td> <td>pad(0.1,0.1)</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SH73</td> <td>pad(0.01,0.01)</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SH74</td> <td>pad(0.01,0.01)</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SH75</td> <td>hydrostatic</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>                         For the vertical cross sections from 3D simulations each experiment has its own ASCII file named exp+rng_vv.gmt containing point number, pressure[hPa], vertical velocity [m/s]. The names of experiments and their descriptions are as follows: <table align="left"> <caption> 3D simulations, vertical cross sections </caption> <tbody> <tr> <td> </td> <td>Experiment</td> <td>Description</td> <td>Time scheme</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Lee waves</td> <td>K801</td> <td>nonhydrostatic</td> <td>PC</td> </tr> <tr> <td>time step=90s    </td> <td>K842</td> <td>pad[0.2,0.2]</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>rng=0011</td> <td>K826</td> <td>pad[2,1]</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td>K800</td> <td>hydrostatic</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Occitania</td> <td>B003</td> <td>nonhydrostatic, gamma*=3.5 </td> <td>PC</td> </tr> <tr> <td>time step=15s</td> <td>B249</td> <td>pad[0.5,0.5], gamma*=5.5</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td>rng=0012</td> <td>B256</td> <td>pad[0.1,0.1], gamma*=3.5</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td>B303</td> <td>hydrostatic</td> <td>SETTLS</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

opencc-zeroMay 2022View details →

Male song stability shows cross-year repeatability but does not affect reproductive success in a wild passerine bird

Predictable behaviour (or "behavioural stability") might be favoured in certain ecological contexts, e.g. when representing a quality signal. Costs associated with producing stable phenotypes imply selection should favour plasticity in stability when beneficial. Repeatable among-individual differences in degree of stability are simultaneously expected if individuals differ in ability to pay these costs, or in how they resolve cost-benefit trade-offs. Bird song represents a prime example, where stability may be costly yet beneficial when stable singing is a quality signal favoured by sexual selection. Assuming energetic costs, ecological variation (e.g. in food availability) should result in both within- and among-individual variation in stability. If song stability represents a quality signal, we expect directional selection favouring stable singers. For a three-year period, we monitored 12 nest box plots of great tits Parus major during breeding. We recorded male songs during simulated territory intrusions, twice during their mate's laying stage, and twice during incubation. Each preceding winter, we manipulated food availability. Assuming that stability is costly, we expected food-supplemented males to sing more stable songs. We also expected males to sing more stable songs early in the breeding season (when paternity is not decided), and stable singers to have increased reproductive success. We found strong support for plasticity in stability for two key song characteristics: minimum frequency and phrase length. Males were plastic because they became more stable over the season, contrary to expectations. Food-supplementation did not affect body condition but increased stability in minimum frequency. This treatment effect occurred only in one year, implying that food supplementation affected stability only in interaction with (unknown) year-specific ecological factors. We found no support for directional, correlational, or fluctuating selection on the stability in minimum frequency (i.e., the song trait whose stability exhibited cross-year repeatability): stable singers did not have higher reproductive success. Our findings imply that stability in minimum frequency is not a fitness quality indicator unless males enjoy fitness benefits via pathways not studied here. Future studies should thus address the mechanisms shaping and maintaining individual repeatability of song stability in the wild.

opencc-zeroMay 2022View details →

Data for: Spatial structure within root systems moderates stability of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal mutualism and plant-soil feedbacks

The persistence of mutualisms is paradoxical, as there are fitness incentives for exploitation. This is particularly true for plant-microbe mutualisms like arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), which are promiscuously horizontally-transmitted. Preferential allocation by hosts to the best mutualist can stabilize horizontal mutualisms, however, preferential allocation is imperfect, with its fidelity likely depending upon the spatial structure of symbionts in plant roots. In this study, we tested AM mutualisms' dependence on two dimensions of spatial structure: the initial spatial association of fungi and the ease of fungal dispersal, through three complementary experiments. We found that fitness of the beneficial AM fungus increased when fungi were initially separate, while initial spatial mixing benefited the fitness of the non-beneficial fungus. These effects were strongest when dispersal was limited, and hosts could discriminate. Additionally, we found that changes in AM fungal proportional abundance induced by spatial structure in roots of a preferentially allocating host produced positive feedbacks on plant growth, showing that interactions between spatial structure and host choice can determine the direction of plant-soil feedbacks. Our results suggest that symbiont spatial structure within plant roots may act as an important modifier of plant preferential allocation and the dynamics of mycorrhizal mutualisms, with potentially cascading effects on plant-plant interactions.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Six-month stability of individual differences in sports coaches' burnout, self-compassion and social support

Using a three-wave prospective cross-lagged panel design, the study examined the six-month stability of burnout, self-compassion, and social support among sports coaches in terms of measurement invariance, mean-level change, rank-order stability, and structural stability. The participating coaches (N = 422; Mage = 44.48, SD = 11.03) completed an online questionnaire measuring self-compassion, social support, coach burnout, and demographics at baseline and two follow-ups at three months and six months. The various forms of stability were assessed using structural equation modeling. There was no significant mean-level change in burnout, self-compassion, or social support, and all three constructs exhibited measurement invariance. Rank-order stability remained relatively high, ranging from 0.78 to 0.94 across the three time points. For all three constructs, covariances between latent factors were invariant over time, indicating high structural stability. While self-compassion and social support were positively related, both were negatively related to coach burnout. These results confirm the importance of preventing and addressing symptoms of burnout, low self-compassion, and poor social support in sports settings.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Multiple global changes drive grassland productivity and stability: A meta-analysis

Temporal stability of primary productivity is the key to stable provisioning of ecosystem services to human beings. Yet, the effects of various global changes on grassland stability remain ambiguous. Here, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis based on 1,070 multi-year paired observations from 173 studies, to examine the impacts of various global changes on productivity, community stability and plant diversity of grasslands on a global scale. The global change drivers include nitrogen (N) addition, phosphorus (P) addition, N & P addition, precipitation increase, precipitation decrease, elevated CO2, and warming. Global change drivers generally had stronger impacts on grassland productivity than on temporal stability, except for precipitation changes. Community temporal stability was reduced by N addition, N & P addition, and precipitation decrease, but was increased by precipitation increase and remained unchanged under P addition, elevated CO2, and warming. In addition, species richness decreased under N addition, N & P addition, and precipitation decrease. At the plant functional group level, N & P addition reduced grasses' stability and precipitation increase enhanced forbs' stability. Nutrient additions decreased community stability via increasing the inter-annual variation more than the mean of primary productivity, while precipitation changes mainly affected community temporal stability via changing mean productivity. The negative impacts of global change drivers (i.e. N & P addition, warming) on community temporal stability increased with the degree of species loss, but decreased with increasing stability of grasses. Moreover, the negative impacts of nutrient addition and precipitation decrease on community stability was lessened while the positive effect of precipitation increase on community stability was enhanced in grasslands with higher historical precipitation variability, greater soil fertility, and longer experimental duration. Synthesis. Our findings demonstrate that N-based nutrient additions and drought destabilise grassland productivity, while precipitation increase enhances community stability. Impacts of global changes on community productivity and stability are mediated by species richness, plant functional group, site-specific environmental conditions (i.e. climate, soil), and experimental duration, which deserve more attention in grassland management practices under future global change scenarios.