Find research datasets worth reusing

opennotspecifiedNov 2020View details →

FIGURES 14–16. 14–15. Metasiphonella magnifica female terminalia. Scale bar 0.1 in A revision of the Neotropical genus Metasiphonella Duda, 1930 (Diptera Chloropidae)

FIGURES 14–16. 14–15. Metasiphonella magnifica female terminalia. Scale bar 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: cer, cercus; epi, epiproct; hypo, hypoproct; st, sternite; t, tergite. 16. Metasiphonella magnifica egg. One apical pole is highlighted, showing a pair of hook-like structures (arrow). Scale bar 0.1 mm.

opencc-zeroNov 2020View details →

An invasive grass species has both local and broad-scale impacts on diversity: Potential mechanisms and implications

Questions The impact of invasive plant species on native diversity varies with spatial scale, with some invaders leading to broad-scale diversity declines and others only local declines. These discrepancies may reflect the invaders capacity to reduce niche opportunities across spatial scales which can be associated with their functional traits. We investigated impact-scale relationships and trait-based mechanisms, in areas invaded by the exotic perennial grass species, Bothriochloa pertusa. We examine root traits specifically, as belowground competition was considered particularly important to the success of this species. Location Grassy 'ironbark' woodlands of eastern Queensland, Australia Methods We examined plots with varying degrees of invasion by B. pertusa, at multiple spatial scales (up to 1000 m2) and analysed changes to the species area relationships (SARs) with increasing invader cover. Changes to SARs were assessed in relation to the invaders effect on rare (low-patch-occupancy) and common species in the community. In a separate analysis within the same habitat we collected root cores across a gradient of invader cover and analysed changes to community root traits that were considered important correlates of competition for space and nutrients. Results Invasion-induced reductions in diversity were pervasive at all scales investigated, and this was associated with a proportionally greater effect on rare species in the community. In the separate root analysis, changes in community root traits with increasing invader cover were potentially indicative of more intense competition for resources rather than space. Conclusions The observed regional-scale dominance of B. pertusa and associated declines in diversity warrant serious concern for the conservation of native plant communities and species in a region already at risk from other anthropogenic threats. Intense competition for belowground resources is likely a contributing mechanism to the success of B. pertusa in this study system. Experimental examination of this and other mechanisms would help to validate these findings.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2020View details →

Data-driven subgrid-scale modeling of forced Burgers turbulence using deep learning with generalization to higher Reynolds numbers via transfer learning

These are the data files for use with the codes in https://github.com/envfluids/Burgers_DDP_and_TL.

opennotspecifiedOct 2020View details →

← Fig. 16. Liscocephala gen.n. and Triunfus gen.n. ♀: L. fumosa: A, C: female terminalia. T. carvalhoi: B, D: female terminalia; E, F: female receptaculum seminis and ausenwand. T. incarnatus: G: female receptaculum seminis and ausenwand. Scale bars = 0.5 mm. in Systematics of the Mecocephala group (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) based on a phylogenetic perspective: Inclusion of Hypanthracos, description of three new genera, and redescription of Ogmocoris

← Fig. 16. Liscocephala gen.n. and Triunfus gen.n. ♀: L. fumosa: A, C: female terminalia. T. carvalhoi: B, D: female terminalia; E, F: female receptaculum seminis and ausenwand. T. incarnatus: G: female receptaculum seminis and ausenwand. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

opennotspecifiedOct 2020View details →

→ Fig. 5. Hypanthracos meridionalis Grazia & Campos, 1996: A–F: male terminalia: A – D: dorsal; B – E: posterior: C – F: ventral; G – I: male genitalia: G: dorsal; H: lateral; I: ventral; J: female terminalia; K: female receptaculum seminis and ausenwand. Scale bars: A – F = 1.0 mm; G – I: 0.01 mm; J – K = 0.5 mm. in Systematics of the Mecocephala group (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) based on a phylogenetic perspective: Inclusion of Hypanthracos, description of three new genera, and redescription of Ogmocoris

→ Fig. 5. Hypanthracos meridionalis Grazia & Campos, 1996: A–F: male terminalia: A – D: dorsal; B – E: posterior: C – F: ventral; G – I: male genitalia: G: dorsal; H: lateral; I: ventral; J: female terminalia; K: female receptaculum seminis and ausenwand. Scale bars: A – F = 1.0 mm; G – I: 0.01 mm; J – K = 0.5 mm.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

A graphical null model for scaling biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships

1. Global biodiversity is declining at rates faster than at any other point in human history. Experimental manipulations at small spatial scales have demonstrated that communities with fewer species consistently produce less biomass than higher diversity communities. Understanding how the global extinction crisis is likely to impact global ecosystem functioning requires applying these local experimental results at substantially larger spatial and temporal scales. 2. Here we propose a null model for scaling biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships using observed macroecological patterns. We use species-area and biomass-area curves to predict species richness – biomass relationships at multiple scales and validate these predictions with data from a Minnesota grassland and a Panamanian tropical dry forest. 3. Our null model accurately predicts species richness-biomass relationships across scales from these species-area and biomass-area relationships. However, we note two important caveats that will increase our ability to apply experimentally collected data to the global scale problem of species loss. First when ecosystem functioning is measured as per unit area (e.g., biomass m-2), as is common in biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments, the slope of the biodiversity ecosystem functioning relationship should decrease with increasing scale. Alternatively, when ecosystem functioning is not measured per unit area (e.g., summed total biomass), as is common in scaling studies, the slope of the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship should increase with increasing spatial scale. Second, the underlying macroecological patterns of biodiversity experiments are predictably different from some naturally assembled systems. For example, in non-successional naturally assembled ecosystem, biomass is unlikely to change directionally through time. Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments, however, often start from bare ground and biomass increases through time. From these underlying patterns, we would predict that the slope of the biodiversity-productivity relationship in a naturally assembled system not undergoing succession would decrease with increasing time. Alternatively, in an experiment we would predict an increase over time. 4. This paper provides a simple but novel null hypothesis for scaling any relationship between biodiversity and any ecosystem function in space and time. These predictions provide crucial insights into how and when we can extend results from small scale biodiversity experiments to naturally assembled regional and global ecosystems.

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2020View details →

MicroCT data to 'Maximum CO2 diffusion inside leaves is limited by the scaling of cell size and genome size'

This dataset is presented in the following publication. Please cite this publication if you use the dataset. Théroux-Rancourt Guillaume, Roddy Adam B., Earles J. Mason, Gilbert Matthew E., Zwieniecki Maciej A., Boyce C. Kevin, Tholen Danny, McElrone Andrew J., Simonin Kevin A. and Brodersen Craig R. 2021. Maximum CO2 diffusion inside leaves is limited by the scaling of cell size and genome size. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 288: 20203145. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.3145">10.1098/rspb.2020.3145</a> We collected leaf samples from botanical gardens, greenhouses, and field sites,  which were then transported to one of three synchrotron-based microCT beamlines for imaging. To- and three-dimensional data were then extracted from the microCT images to characterize the structural anatomy of the different study species. Those data were then analyzed and correlated with genome size data available from the Kew Plant DNA C-values database (https://cvalues.science.kew.org) or newly collected by us. From the botanical garden collections we selected representative species from across the vascular plant phylogeny, aiming to capture as much variation in anatomical/physiological/ecological traits as possible while also sampling species that represented important divergences in the phylogeny.  Within clades, we also sampled species that spanned ecological breadth (e.g. xerophytic ferns). We focused solely on C3 terrestrial vascular plants, meaning that we did not sample C4 or CAM species, which have different photosynthetic biochemistry and associated anatomy. In most cases, single microCT scans were used per species. This constraint was primarily due to the extremely limited amount of time available at the microCT facility, as well as the labor intensive process of producing the final volume renderings and data analysis. MicroCT scans were collected by GTR, JME, ABR, CRB, AJM, CKB, MJZ, and DT at one of the three microCT beamlines from fresh leaf material. Leaves were cut at the base of the petiole or short stem segment, the cut end was wrapped in wet paper towels, and the entire shoot immediately put in a plastic bag before being transported to the synchrotron and scanned within 36 h of excision.  Samples were prepared before each scan (less than 30 min) by excising a small sample that was then enclosed between two pieces of Kapton (polyimide) tape to prevent desiccation while allowing high X-ray transmittance. All microCT data were collected at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) tomography beamline 8.3.2, the Swiss Light Source (SLS) TOMCAT Tomography beamline of the Paul Scherrer Institute, or the Advanced Photon Source  tomography beamline 2-BM-A,B of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).  MicroCT datasets were reconstructed from the raw projection images obtained using TomoPy, an open-source Python-based framework for reconstructing tomographic data (LBNL), or using the in-house reconstruction platform of the beamline (SLS, ANL). LBNL and SLS data can be reconstruction using TomoPy, and this software is available at the following link: <a href="http://microct.lbl.gov/software">http://microct.lbl.gov/software</a> Image stacks were segmented using the open-source software ImageJ either manually or using an automated machine learning algorithm (Théroux-Rancourt et al., 2020: doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/aps3.11380">10.1002/aps3.11380</a>).  Traits were extracted from the segmented image stacks using ImageJ, the BoneJ plugin of ImageJ, or with an open-source Python-program available at: <a href="https://github.com/plant-microct-tools/leaf-traits-microct">https://github.com/plant-microct-tools/leaf-traits-microct</a>. Because of the multiple synchrotron and multiple sessions involved in acquiring this dataset, and because the analysis process lasted several years and was carried out by several persons, the size of each image stack and the details in each stack vary. What is present in each stack is the airspace and the whole mesophyll (i.e. the leaf without the epidermis), and in the majority of the cases, the vasculature is also segmented.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

Drivers of large-scale geographical variation in sexual systems of woody plants

Aim: Sexual systems strongly influence angiosperm evolution, and play important roles in community assembly and species responses to climate change. However, geographical variation in proportions of different sexual systems (dioecy, monoecy, and hermaphroditism) in response to changes in climate, life-history traits and evolutionary age remains poorly understood. Here, we map the geographical variation in proportions of different sexual systems and hypothesize that the prevalence of hermaphrodites increases with aridity due to their advantages in colonizing harsh environment, whereas dioecy is most successful in humid regions with tall-canopy vegetation and old floras. Location: China Time period: Current Major taxa studied: Woody angiosperms Methods: Using data on sexual systems and distributions of 10,449 woody species in China, we estimated the proportions of different sexual systems in local floras (50 × 50 km grid cells). Spatial linear models, phylogenetic general linear models and structural equation models were used to compare the relative influences of climate, plant height and evolutionary age on geographical variation in proportions of different sexual systems. Results: We found contrasting geographical patterns in the proportions of different sexual systems. The proportions of dioecy and monoecy increased with plant height and were highest in humid regions with older floras, while that of hermaphroditism decreased with plant height and was highest in arid regions with younger floras. Plant height was the strongest correlate of sexual system frequency. Climate influenced sexual system frequency both directly and indirectly via its effects on plant height. Main conclusions: Our study provides the first continuous map of sexual system composition in woody floras over a large spatial scale. Our findings suggest that mature plant height, reflecting plant longevity, dominates geographical variation in sexual systems and that the proportions of different sexual systems in local floras may reflect their correlated evolution with traits in response to climate changes.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

Data from: Functional diversity of phyllostomid bats in an urban-rural landscape: a scale-dependent analysis

Urbanization is one of the most pervasive landscape transformational processes responsible for novel selection agents promoting functional community homogenization. Bats may persist in those human environments, but the mechanisms responsible for their adaptability and the spatial scales in which landscape imposes environmental filtering remain poorly studied in the Neotropics. We tested the hypothesis that landscape composition interacts with the spatial scale to affect the functional diversity of phyllostomids in an urban-rural gradient. Based on functional traits, we calculated indices of functional richness, divergence, evenness, community-weighted means of morphological traits, and classified species into functional groups. We evaluated the changes of those variables in response to forest, grassland, and urbanized areas at 0.5, 1.25 and, 2 km scales. The number of functional groups, functional richness, and functional evenness tended to be higher in areas far from cities and with higher forest cover, whereas functional divergence increased in more urbanized areas. Our results show that the mean value of wing loading in the assemblage was negatively associated to landscape transformation at several spatial scales. However, environmental filtering driven by grass cover was particularly robust at the 500 m scale, affecting big-sized species with long pointed wings. Retaining natural forest in cattle ranging systems at ~12 km2 appears to favor bat abundance evenness among functional types in the urban-rural landscape. Recognizing the scale of the effect on phyllostomid functional responses appears to be a fundamental issue for elucidating the spatial extent to which phyllostomid conservation planning in urban-rural landscapes should be addressed.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2020View details →

Computing a correlation length scale from MFLL-OCO2 CO2 differences, and accounting for correlated errors when assimilating OCO-2 data

This dataset contains code and data used in  'A new exponentially-decaying error correlation model for assimilating OCO-2 column-average CO2 data, using a length scale computed from airborne lidar measurements'  by David F. Baker, Emily Bell, Kenneth J. Davis, Joel F. Campbell, Bing Lin, and Jeremy Dobler, submitted to Geoscientific Model Development. In particular, the MATLAB script used to compute the autocorrelation spectrum of  Multi-functional Fiber Laser LiDAR (MFLL) and Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) column CO2 differences (in Section 2.2 of the paper) is given here as file comp_MFLL_OCO2_autocorrl_spectrum.m along with the needed MFLL and OCO-2 CO2 data for each of the six flights analyzed (as described in Section 2.1 of the paper) in files: 20160727_mfll_averaged_L1_RA_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20160805_mfll_averaged_L1_RA_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20170215_mfll_averaged_L1_RA_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20170308_mfll_averaged_L1_RA_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20171022_mfll_averaged_L1_RA_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20171027_mfll_averaged_L1_RA_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20160727_oco_averaged_B9_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20160805_oco_averaged_B9_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20170215_oco_averaged_B9_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20170308_oco_averaged_B9_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20171022_oco_averaged_B9_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 20171027_oco_averaged_B9_GMAO_ACTadj.h5 The MFLL data given here was downloaded in late 2018 in the form of L1b files (calibrated radiances), as described in Bell et al (2020). In the second part of the paper, different error correlation models are presented and applied to the averaging of OCO-2 column CO2 data.  The original bias-corrected OCO-2 data, in the form of daily OCO-2 version 10 "Lite" files, have been from obtained from NASA's GES DISC data repository, here: https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/datasets/OCO2_L2_Lite_FP_10r/summary?keywords=OCO2_L2_Lite_FP The bias-corrected column CO2 retrievals, their uncertainties, and other parameters needed for this analysis were extracted from these "Lite" files and saved to daily files, which have been packaged up in the following compressed tarball: OCO2_XCO2_2014_2020.tar.gz These daily files are read in and averaged across 2-second and 10-second spans (as described in Section 3.5 of the paper), using the different error correlation models outlined in the paper.  The code that implements these averages is given in the following two FORTRAN programs: Make_OCO2_2sec_averages.f90 Make_OCO2_10sec_averages.f90 which need the following list of days having good OCO-2 data: OCO2_dates.txt Program "Make_OCO2_2sec_averages.f90" averages the OCO-2 data across a 2-second (~13.5 km long) span along the groundtrack, collapsing the relatively thin data swath into a one-dimensional data record, upon which the one-dimensional averaging models describe in Sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the paper may be applied.  Program "Make_OCO2_10sec_averages.f90" implements these averaging models, which average the 2-second averages across longer, 10-second (~67.5 km) spans.  Please see the manuscript for more information on the data and methods provided here.

opennotspecifiedAug 2020View details →

FIGURES 1–10. Ypsolopha spp. males. Scale bar 0.5 in Ypsolopha admirandella sp. n. (Lepidoptera: Ypsolophidae), a new European species from the steppes of Russia

FIGURES 1–10. Ypsolopha spp. males. Scale bar 0.5 cm. 1. Y. colleaguella, imago paratype (ZMHUB); 2. Y. admirandella, imago holotype (LSU); 3, 4. Y. colleaguella, genitalia and top of gnathos enlarged (4); 5–7. Y. admirandella, holotype genitalia (5), top of gnathos (6) and uncus branches (7) enlarged; 8. Y. colleaguella, aedeagus and anellus scobination enlarged; 9. Y. admirandella, holotype aedeagus; 10. Y. admirandella, labels of the holotype; orig. and after Baraniak, 2007 (1, 3, 4, 8).

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2020View details →

metaGEM: genome scale metabolic models

Genome scale models reconstructed from metagenomes. Please consider citing the original metaGEM <a href="https://academic.oup.com/nar/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nar/gkab815/6382386">publication</a> if you use these models in your research.

opencc-zeroJul 2021View details →

Data from: Large-scale connectivity, cryptic population structure, and relatedness in Eastern Pacific olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Endangered species are grouped into genetically discrete populations to direct conservation efforts. Mitochondrial Control Region (mtCR) haplotypes are used to elucidate deep divergences between populations, as compared to nuclear microsatellites that can detect recent structuring. When prior populations are unknown, it is useful to subject microsatellite data to clustering and/or ordination population inference. Olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are the most abundant sea turtle, yet few studies have characterized olive ridley population structure. Recently, clustering results of olive ridleys in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean suggested weak structuring (FST=0.02) between Mexico and Central America. We analyzed mtCR haplotypes, new microsatellite genotypes from Costa Rica, and pre-existing microsatellite genotypes from olive ridleys across the Eastern Tropical Pacific, to further explore population structuring in this region. We subjected inferred populations to multiple analyses to explore the mechanisms behind their structuring. We found 10 mtCR haplotypes from 60 turtles nesting at three sites in Costa Rica, but did not detect divergence between Costa Rican sites, or between Central America and Mexico. In Costa Rica, clustering suggested one population with no structuring, but ordination suggested four cryptic clusters with moderate structuring (FST=0.08, p<0.001). Across the Eastern Tropical Pacific, ordination suggested nine cryptic clusters with moderate structuring (FST=0.103, p<0.001) that largely corresponded to Mexican and Central American populations. All ordination clusters displayed significant internal relatedness relative to global relatedness (p<0.001) and contained numerous sibling pairs. This suggests that broadly dispersed family lineages have proliferated in Eastern Tropical Pacific olive ridleys and corroborates previous work showing basin-wide connectivity and shallow population structure in this region. The existence of broadly dispersed kin in Eastern Tropical Pacific olive ridleys has implications for management of olive ridleys in this region, and adds to our understanding of sea turtle ecology and life-history, particularly in light of the natal-homing paradigm.

opennotspecifiedNov 2020View details →

FIGURES 73–76. Brontostoma infensum Wygodzinsky, 1951, male paratype. 73–74, scale bars 5.0 in New synonymies among species of Brontostoma (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae)

FIGURES 73–76. Brontostoma infensum Wygodzinsky, 1951, male paratype. 73–74, scale bars 5.0 mm, 73, dorsal view, 74, ventral view; 75, apex of abdomen, ventral view, scale bar 2.0 mm; 76, labels.

A multi-tiered sequence capture strategy spanning broad evolutionary scales: application for phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies of orchids

With over 25,000 species, the drivers of diversity in the Orchidaceae remain to be fully understood. Here we outline a multi-tiered sequence capture strategy aimed at capturing 100's of loci to enable phylogenetic resolution from subtribe to subspecific levels in orchids of the tribe Diurideae. For the probe design, we mined subsets of 18 transcriptomes, to give five target sequence sets aimed at the tribe (Sets 1 & 2), subtribe (Set 3), and within subtribe levels (Sets 4 & 5). Analysis included alternative de novo and reference-guided assembly, before target sequence extraction, annotation and alignment, and application of a homology-aware k-mer block phylogenomic approach, prior to phylogenetic inference using maximum-likelihood. Our evaluation considered 87 taxa in two test datasets: 67 samples spanning the tribe, and 72samples involving 24 closely related Caladenia species. The tiered design achieved high target loci recovery (>89%), with the median number of recovered loci in Sets 1–5 as follows: 212, 219, 816, 1024, and 1009, respectively. Interestingly, as a first test of the homologous k-mer approach for targeted sequence capture data, our study revealed its potential for enabling robust phylogenetic species tree inferences. Specifically, we found matching, and in one case improved phylogenetic resolution within species complexes, compared to conventional phylogenetic analysis involving target gene extraction. Our findings indicate that a customised multi-tiered sequence capture strategy, in combination with promising yet under-utilized phylogenomic approaches, will be effective for groups where interspecific divergence is recent, but information on deeper phylogenetic relationships is also required.

Raw data for predicting sample success for large-scale ancient DNA studies on marine mammals

In recent years, non-human ancient DNA studies have begun to focus on larger sample sizes and whole genomes, offering the potential to reveal exciting and hitherto unknown answers to ongoing biological and archaeological questions. However, one major limitation to the feasibility of such studies is the substantial financial and time investments still required during sample screening, due to uncertainty regarding successful sample selection. This study investigates the effect of a wide range of sample properties including latitude, sample age, skeletal element, collagen preservation, and context on endogenous content and DNA damage profiles for 317 ancient and historic pinniped samples collected from across the North Atlantic. Using generalised linear and mixed-effect models, we found that a range of factors affected DNA preservation within each of the species under consideration. The most important findings were that endogenous content varied significantly according to context, the type of skeletal element, the collagen content and collection year. There also appears to be an effect of the sample's geographic origin, with samples from the Arctic generally showing higher endogenous content and lower damage rates. Both latitude and sample age were found to have significant relationships with damage levels, but only for walrus samples. Sex, ontogenetic age and extraction material preparation were not found to have any significant relationship with DNA preservation. Overall, the skeletal element and sample context were found to be the most influential factors and should therefore be considered when selecting samples for large-scale ancient genome studies.

opennotspecifiedJan 2021View details →

FIGURES 10–12. Dorsal scales. 10–11 in Taxonomic revision of the genus Rhopalapion Schilsky, 1906 (Coleoptera Apionidae) with description of Rhopalapion celatum n. sp. from the Turanian Region

FIGURES 10–12. Dorsal scales. 10–11: Rhopalapion longirostre, 10: ♁, from Turkey: Istanbul; 11: ♁, from Afghanistan: Goudgé Konti—12: Rhopalapion celatum n. sp., ♁ paratype, from Iran: vic. tomb of Cyrus.

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2021View details →

Continental-scale genomic analysis suggests shared post-admixture adaptation in the Americas - Z scores tables

Zscores20Pop. 20pop dataset Z scores by SNP in the three ancestries (A. Africa B. Europe C. America). Zscores1090Ind. 1090Ind dataset Z scores by SNP in the three ancestries (A. Africa B. Europe C. America).

Data for: Pendulum-based measurements reveal impact dynamics at the scale of a trap-jaw ant

Small organisms can produce powerful, sub-millisecond impacts by moving tiny structures at high accelerations. We developed and validated a pendulum device to measure the impact energetics of microgram-sized trap-jaw ant mandibles accelerated against targets at 105 m s-2. Trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus brunneus; 19 individuals; 212 strikes) were suspended on one pendulum and struck swappable targets that were either attached to an opposing pendulum or fixed in place. Mean post-impact kinetic energy (energy from strike converted to pendulum motion) was higher with a stiff target (21.0-21.5 µJ) than a compliant target (6.4-6.5 µJ). Target mobility had relatively little influence. Mean contact duration of strikes against stiff targets was shorter (3.9-4.5 ms) than against compliant targets (6.2-7.9 ms). Shorter contact duration was correlated with higher post-impact kinetic energy. These findings contextualize and provide an energetic explanation for the diverse, natural uses of trap-jaw ant strikes such as impaling prey, launching away threats, and performing mandible-powered jumps. The strong effect of target material on energetic exchange suggests material interactions as an avenue for tuning performance of small, high acceleration impacts. Our device offers a foundation for novel research into the ecomechanics and evolution of tiny biological impacts and their application in synthetic systems.

Fine-scale genetic structure reflects limited and coordinated dispersal in the colonial monk parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus

The genetic structure of animal populations has considerable behavioural, ecological and evolutionary implications and may arise from various demographic traits. Here, we use observational field data and molecular genetics to determine the genetic structure of an invasive population of monk parakeets, Myiopsitta monachus, at a range of spatial scales, and investigate the demographic processes that generate the observed structure. Monk parakeets construct large nests that can house several pairs occupying separate chambers; these nests are often aggregated within nesting trees. We determined patterns of relatedness within compound nests, within nesting trees and between trees. Spatial autocorrelation analyses of pairwise genetic relatedness revealed fine-scale genetic structure with relatives of both sexes spatially clustered within, but not beyond, nesting trees. In addition, males were more related to males sharing their compound nests than to other males occupying the same nesting tree. By contrast, males and females within compound nests were not significantly more closely related than elsewhere in the same tree, and we found no evidence for inbreeding. Adults showed high breeding site fidelity between years despite considerable disturbance of nest sites. Natal dispersal was female-biased, but dispersal distances were relatively short with some natal philopatry observed in both sexes. Sibling coalitions, typically of males, were observed amongst both philopatric and dispersing birds. Our results show significant clustering of kin within compound nests and nesting trees resulting from limited and coordinated natal dispersal, with subsequent breeding site fidelity. The resulting genetic structure has implications for social behaviour in this unusual parrot species.