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90 results for “Ecological correlates”
Eye size and investment in frogs and toads correlate with adult habitat, activity pattern and breeding ecology
<p></p><p>Frogs and toads (Amphibia: Anura) display diverse ecologies and behaviours, which are often correlated with visual capacity in other vertebrates. Additionally, anurans exhibit a broad range of relative eye sizes, which have not previously been linked to ecological factors in this group. We measured relative investment in eye size and corneal size for 220 species of anurans representing all 55 currently recognized families and tested whether they were correlated with six natural history traits hypothesized to be associated with the evolution of eye size. Anuran eye size was significantly correlated with habitat, with notable decreases in eye investment among fossorial, subfossorial and aquatic species. Relative eye size was also associated with mating habitat and activity pattern. Compared to other vertebrates, anurans have relatively large eyes for their body size, indicating that vision is probably of high importance. Our study reveals the role that ecology and behaviour may have played in the evolution of anuran visual systems and highlights the usefulness of museum specimens, and importance of broad taxonomic sampling, for interpreting macroecological patterns.</p><p></p>
Data from: Temporal scale of environmental correlations affects ecological synchrony
Population densities of a species, measured in different locations are often correlated over time, a phenomenon referred to as synchrony. Synchrony results from dispersal of individuals among locations and spatially correlated environmental variation, among other causes. Synchrony is often measured by a correlation coefficient. However, synchrony can vary with timescale. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that the timescale-specificity of environmental correlation affects the overall magnitude and timescale-specificity of synchrony, and that these effects are modified by population dispersal. Our laboratory experiments linked populations of flour beetles by changes in habitat size and dispersal. Linear filter theory, applied to a metapopulation model for the experimental system, predicted the observed timescale-specific effects. The timescales at which environmental covariation occurs can affect the population dynamics of species in fragmented habitats.
Data from: Is there a correlation between abundance and environmental suitability derived from ecological niche modelling? A meta-analysis
It is thought that species abundance is correlated with environmental suitability and that environmental variables, scale, and type of model fitting can confound this relationship. We performed a meta-analysis to (i) test whether species abundance is positively correlated with environmental suitability derived from correlative ecological niche models (ENM), (ii) test whether studies encompassing large areas within a species range (>50%) exhibited higher AS correlations than studies encompassing small areas within a species range (<50%), (iii) assess which modelling method provided higher AS correlation, and (iv) compare strength of the AS relationship between studies using only climatic variables and those that used both climatic and other environmental variables to derive suitability. We used correlation coefficients to measure the relationship between abundance and environmental suitability derived from ENM. Each correlation coefficient was considered an effect size in a random-effects multivariate meta-analysis. In all cases we found a significantly positive relationship between abundance and suitability. This relationship was consistent regardless of scale of study, ENM method, or set of variables used to derive suitability. There was no difference in strength of correlation between studies focusing on large or small areas within a species' range or among ENM methods. Studies using other variables in combination with climate exhibited higher AS correlations than studies using only climatic variables. We conclude that occurrence data can be a reasonable proxy for abundance, especially for vertebrates, and the use of local variables increases the strength of the AS relationship. Use of ENMs can significantly decrease survey costs and allow the study of large-scale abundance patterns using less information. Including only climatic variables in ENM may confound the relationship between abundance and suitability when compared to studies including variables taken locally. However, modelers and conservationists must be aware that high environmental suitability does not always indicate high abundance.
Data from: Keeping an eye on coloration: ecological correlates of the evolution of pitcher traits in the genus Nepenthes (Caryophyllales)
Nepenthes is a genus of carnivorous pitcher plants with high intra- and interspecific morphological diversity. Many species produce dimorphic pitchers, and the relative production rate of the two morphs varies interspecifically. Despite their likely ecological importance to the plants, little is known about the selective context under which various pitcher traits have evolved. This is especially true of color-related traits, which have not been examined in a phylogenetic context. Using field observations of one polymorphic species (N. gracilis) and phylogenetic comparative analysis of 85 species across the genus, we investigate correlations between color polymorphism and ecological factors including altitude, light environment, and herbivory. In N. gracilis, color does not correlate to amount of prey-capture, but red pitchers experience less herbivory. Throughout the genus, color polymorphism with redder lower pitchers appears to be evolutionarily favored. We found a lack of phylogenetic signal for most traits, either suggesting that most traits are labile or reflecting the uncertainty regarding the underlying tree topology. This work highlights ecological correlates of the vast phenotypic diversity of this group of tropical plants. We point to a need for future work examining herbivores of Nepenthes and experimental investigations on color polymorphism.
Data from: Phylogenetic, ecological, and allometric correlates of cranial shape in Malagasy lemuriforms
Adaptive radiations provide important insights into many aspects of evolution, including the relationship between ecology and morphological diversification as well as between ecology and speciation. Many such radiations include divergence along a dietary axis, although other ecological variables may also drive diversification, including differences in diel activity patterns. This study examines the role of two key ecological variables, diet and activity patterns, in shaping the radiation of a diverse clade of primates, the Malagasy lemurs. When phylogeny is ignored, activity pattern and several dietary variables predicted a significant proportion of cranial shape variation. However, when phylogeny was taken into account, only typical diet accounted for a significant proportion of shape variation. One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that this radiation was characterized by a relatively small number of dietary shifts (and possibly changes in body size) that occurred in conjunction with the divergence of major clades. This pattern may be difficult to detect with the phylogenetic comparative methods used here, but may characterize not just lemurs but other mammals.
Data from: Ecological correlates of extinction risk in Chinese birds
China is one of the countries with the richest bird biodiversity in the world. Among the 1372 Chinese birds, 146 species are considered threatened and three species are regionally extinct according to the officially released China Biodiversity Red List in 2015. Here, we conducted the first extensive analysis to systematically investigate the patterns and processes of extinction and threat in Chinese birds. We addressed the following four questions. First, is extinction risk randomly distributed among avian families in Chinese birds? Second, which families contain more threatened species than would be expected by chance? Third, which species traits are important in determining the extinction risk in Chinese birds using a multivariate phylogenetic comparative approach? Finally, is the form of the relationship between traits additive or nonadditive (synergistic)? We found that the extinction risk of Chinese birds was not randomly distributed among taxonomic families. The families that contained significantly more threatened species than expected were the hornbills, cranes, pittas, pheasants and hawks and eagles. We obtained eleven species traits that are commonly hypothesized to influence extinction risk from the literature: body size, clutch size, trophic level, mobility, habitat specificity, geographical range size, nest type, nest site, flocking tendency, migrant status and hunting vulnerability. After phylogenetic correction, model selection based on Akaike's information criterion identified the synergistic interaction between body size and hunting vulnerability as the single best correlate of extinction risk in Chinese birds. Our results suggest that, in order to be effective, priority management efforts should be given both to certain extinction-prone families, particularly the hornbills, pelicans, cranes, pittas, pheasants and hawks and eagles, and to bird species with large body size and high hunting vulnerability.
Data from: The causes and ecological correlates of head scale asymmetry and fragmentation in a tropical snake
The challenge of identifying the proximate causes and ecological consequences of phenotypic variation can be facilitated by studying traits that are usually but not always bilaterally symmetrical; deviations from symmetry likely reflect disrupted embryogenesis. Based on a 19-year mark-recapture study of >1300 slatey-grey snakes (Stegonotus cucullatus) in tropical Australia, and incubation of >700 eggs, we document developmental and ecological correlates of two morphological traits: asymmetry and fragmentation of head scales. Asymmetry was directional (more scales on the left side) and was higher in individuals with lower heterozygosity, but was not heritable. In contrast, fragmentation was heritable and was higher in females than males. Both scale asymmetry and fragmentation were increased by rapid embryogenesis but were not affected by hydric conditions during incubation. Snakes with asymmetry and fragmentation exhibited slightly lower survival and increased (sex-specific) movements, and females with more scale fragmentation produced smaller eggs. Counterintuitively, snakes with more asymmetry had higher growth rates (possibly reflecting trade-offs with other traits), and snakes with more fragmentation had fewer parasites (possibly due to lower feeding rates). Our data paint an unusually detailed picture of the complex genetic and environmental factors that, by disrupting early embryonic development, generate variations in morphology that have detectable correlations with ecological performance.
Data from: Ecological correlates of Himalayan musk deer Moschus leucogaster
Himalayan musk deer (Moschus leucogaster; hereafter musk deer) are endangered as a result of poaching and habitat loss. The species is nocturnal, crepuscular and elusive, making direct observation of habitat use and behavior difficult. However, musk deer establish and repeatedly use the same latrines for defecation. To quantify musk deer habitat correlates, we used observational spatial data based on presence-absence of musk deer latrines, as well as a range of fine spatial-scale ecological covariates. To determine presence-absence of musk deer, we exhaustively searched randomly selected forest trails using a 20-m belt transect in different study sites within the Neshyang Valley in the Annapurna Conservation Area. Subsequently, study sites were classified as habitat or non-habitat for musk deer. A total of 252 plots, 20×20 m were systematically established every 100 m along 51 transects (each ~0.5km long) laid out at different elevations to record a range of ecological habitat variables. We used mixed-effect models and principal component analysis to characterize relationships between deer presence-absence data and habitat variables. We confirmed musk deer use latrines in forests located at higher elevations (3200 - 4200 m) throughout multiple seasons and years. Himalayan birch (Betula utilis) dominated forest, mixed Himalayan fir (Abies spectabilis) and birch forest were preferred over pure Himalayan fir and blue pine (Pinus wallichiana) forest. Greater crown cover and shrub diversity were associated with the presence of musk deer whereas tree height, diameter and diversity were weakly correlated. Topographical attributes including aspect, elevation, distance to water source, and slope were also discriminated by musk deer. Over- and under-story forest management can be used to protect forests likely to have musk deer as predicted by the models to ensure long-term conservation of this rare deer.
Data from: Correlation between genetic diversity and environmental suitability: taking uncertainty from ecological niche models into account
The hindcast of shifts in the geographical ranges of species as estimated by ecological niche modelling (ENM) has been coupled with phylogeographical patterns, allowing the inference of past processes that drove population differentiation and genetic variability. However, more recently, some studies have suggested that maps of environmental suitability estimated by ENM may be correlated to species' abundance, raising the possibility of using environmental suitability to infer processes related to population demographic dynamics and genetic variability. In both cases, one of the main problems is that there is a wide variation in ENM development methods and climatic models. In this study, we analyse the relationship between heterozygosity (He) and environmental suitability from multiple ENMs for 25 population estimates for Dipteryx alata, a widely distributed, endemic tree species of the Cerrado region of central Brazil. We propose a new approach for generating a statistical distribution of correlations under randomly generated ENM. The confidence intervals from these distributions indicate how model selection with different properties affects the ability to detect a correlation of interest (e.g. the correlation between He and suitability). Additionally, our approach allows us to explore which particular ensemble of ENMs produces the better result for finding an association between environmental suitability and He. Caution is necessary when choosing a method or a climatic data set for modelling geographical distributions, but the new approach proposed here provides a conservative way to evaluate the ability of ensembles to detect patterns of interest.
FIGURE 9 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 9. Non-stationary associations between ecological diversity (ED) and standard deviation in altitude (ALTstd). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for ALTstd as predictor of ED, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors and species richness (TR), after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equalarea projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of the tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 5 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 5. Non-stationary associations between ecological diversity (ED) and net primary productivity (NPP). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for NPP as predictor of ED, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors and species richness (TR), after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equal-area projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of the tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 4 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 4. Non-stationary associations between ecological diversity (ED) and mean annual temperature (TEMP). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for TEMP as predictor of ED, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors and species richness (TR), after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equal-area projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 8 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 8. Non-stationary associations between ecological diversity (ED) and coefficient of variation in annual precipitation (PRECcv). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for PRECcv as predictor of ED, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors and species richness (TR), after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equal-area projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of the tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 7 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 7. Non-stationary associations between ecological diversity (ED) and annual range in temperature (TEMPr). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for TEMPr as predictor of ED, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors and species richness (TR), after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equalarea projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of the tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 1 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 1. Spatial patterns of variation in the ecological diversity (ED) of different mammal groups over the Americas. Maps are in Mollweide equal-area projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of the tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 14 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 14. Non-stationary associations between phylogenetic diversity (AvPD) and coefficient of variation in annual precipitation (PRECcv). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for PRECcv as predictor of AvPD, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors, after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equal-area projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of the tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 6 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 6. Non-stationary associations between ecological diversity (ED) and annual precipitation (PREC). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for PREC as predictor of ED, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors and species richness (TR), after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equal-area projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 13 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 13. Non-stationary associations between phylogenetic diversity (AvPD) and annual range in temperature (TEMPr). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for TEMPr as predictor of AvPD, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors, after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equal-area projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of the tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 12 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 12. Non-stationary associations between phylogenetic diversity (AvPD) and annual precipitation (PREC). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for PREC as predictor of AvPD, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors, after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equal-area projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of the tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
FIGURE 10 in Biogeographical affinity shapes relationships between ecological and phylogenetic mammal diversity and associations with their environmental correlates in the Americas
FIGURE 10. Non-stationary associations between phylogenetic diversity (AvPD) and mean annual temperature (TEMP). The maps show the spatial variation in local beta coefficients (b) for TEMP as predictor of AvPD, obtained from the full model, i.e., including all environmental predictors, after application of geographically weighted regression separately on data for each mammal group. Regions of (+) and negative (-) associations are indicated. Maps are in Mollweide equal-area projection. Dash lines on each map indicate the location of the tropics in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
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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.