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225 results for “synchrony”
Dataset for: Synchrony and symmetry-breaking in active flagellar coordination
<p><strong>We upload video files accompanying the article <em>Synchrony and symmetry-breaking in active flagellar coordination</em> – all scalebars are 10 µm. Files are in uncompressed .avi format. </strong></p> <ol> <li>V1 – A quadriflagellate gait transition from a spinning gait to a trotting gait. </li> <li>V2 – A quadriflagellate symmetry breaking gait.</li> <li>V3 – Another quadriflagellate symmetry breaking gait. </li> <li>V4 – A quadriflagellate resetting its forward-swimming gait after a shock response.</li> <li>V5 – A quadriflagellate gait with two of four flagella active. </li> <li>V6 – A quadriflagellate being caught by micropipette aspiration.</li> <li>V7 – Demonstrating gait-mechanosensitivity in a micropipette-fixed quadriflagellate.</li> <li>V8 – The axial rotation of an octoflagellate during swimming.</li> <li>V9 – The rotary breaststroke of an octoflagellate during swimming.</li> <li>V10 – The octoflagellate search gait in which one flagellum is extended. </li> <li>SV1 – A quadriflagellate gait with 1 out of 4 flagella active.</li> <li>SV2 – A quadriflagellate gait with 2 out of 4 flagella active.</li> <li>SV3 – A quadriflagellate gait with 3 out of 4 flagella active.</li> <li>SV4 – A quadriflagellate gait with 4 out of 4 flagella active.</li> <li>SV5 – A quadriflagellate being caught by micropipette aspiration (top view).</li> <li>SV6 – An octoflagellate "phase slip".</li> <li>SV7 – Another example of the octoflagellate search gait (one flagellum is extended). </li> </ol>
Data from: Phenological synchrony shapes pathology in host–parasite systems
<p>A key challenge surrounding ongoing climate shifts is to identify how they alter species interactions, including those between hosts and parasites. Because transmission often occurs during critical time windows, shifts in the phenology of either taxa can alter the likelihood of interaction or the resulting pathology. We quantified how phenological synchrony between vulnerable stages of an amphibian host (<i>Pseudacris regilla</i>) and infection by a pathogenic trematode (<i>Ribeiroia ondatrae</i>), determined infection prevalence, parasite load, and host pathology. By tracking hosts and parasite infection throughout development between low- and high-elevation regions (San Francisco Bay Area and the Southern Cascades [Mt. Lassen]), we found that when phenological synchrony was high (Bay Area), each established parasite incurred a 33% higher probability of causing severe limb malformations relative to areas with less synchrony (Mt. Lassen). As a result, hosts in the Bay Area had up to a 50% higher risk of pathology even while controlling for mean infection load. Our results indicate that host-parasite interactions and the resulting pathology were the joint product of infection load and phenological synchrony, highlighting the sensitivity of disease outcomes to forecasted shifts in climate.</p>
During hippocampal inactivation, grid cells maintain synchrony, even when the grid pattern is lost
<p>The grid cell network in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) has been subject to thorough testing and analysis, and many theories for their formation have been suggested. To test some of these theories, we re-analyzed data from Bonnevie et al., 2013, in which the hippocampus was inactivated and grid cells were recorded in the rat MEC. We investigated whether the firing associations of grid cells depend on hippocampal inputs. Specifically, we examined temporal and spatial correlations in the firing times of simultaneously recorded grid cells before and during hippocampal inactivation. Our analysis revealed evidence of network coherence in grid cells even in the absence of hippocampal input to the MEC, both in regular grid cells and in those that became head-direction cells after hippocampal inactivation. This favors models, which suggest that phase relations between grid cells in the MEC are dependent on intrinsic connectivity within the MEC.</p>
Data from: The geography of spatial synchrony
Spatial synchrony, defined as correlated temporal fluctuations among populations, is a fundamental feature of population dynamics, but many aspects of synchrony remain poorly understood. Few studies have examined detailed geographical patterns of synchrony; instead most focus on how synchrony declines with increasing linear distance between locations, making the simplifying assumption that distance decay is isotropic. By synthesising and extending prior work, we show how geography of synchrony, a term which we use to refer to detailed spatial variation in patterns of synchrony, can be leveraged to understand ecological processes including identification of drivers of synchrony, a long-standing challenge. We focus on three main objectives: (1) showing conceptually and theoretically four mechanisms that can generate geographies of synchrony; (2) documenting complex and pronounced geographies of synchrony in two important study systems; and (3) demonstrating a variety of methods capable of revealing the geography of synchrony and, through it, underlying organism ecology. For example, we introduce a new type of network, the synchrony network, the structure of which provides ecological insight. By documenting the importance of geographies of synchrony, advancing conceptual frameworks, and demonstrating powerful methods, we aim to help elevate the geography of synchrony into a mainstream area of study and application.
Data from: Laying sequence interacts with incubation temperature to influence rate of embryonic development and hatching synchrony in a precocial bird
Incubation starts during egg laying for many bird species and causes developmental asynchrony within clutches. Faster development of late-laid eggs can help reduce developmental differences and synchronize hatching, which is important for precocial species whose young must leave the nest soon after hatching. In this study, we examined the effect of egg laying sequence on length of the incubation period in Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa). Because incubation temperature strongly influences embryonic development rates, we tested the interactive effects of laying sequence and incubation temperature on the ability of late-laid eggs to accelerate development and synchronize hatching. We also examined the potential cost of faster development on duckling body condition. Fresh eggs were collected and incubated at three biologically relevant temperatures (Low: 34.9°C, Medium: 35.8°C, and High: 37.6°C), and egg laying sequences from 1 to 12 were used. Length of the incubation period declined linearly as laying sequence advanced, but the relationship was strongest at medium temperatures followed by low temperatures and high temperatures. There was little support for including fresh egg mass in models of incubation period. Estimated differences in length of the incubation period between eggs 1 and 12 were 2.7 d, 1.2 d, and 0.7 d at medium, low and high temperatures, respectively. Only at intermediate incubation temperatures did development rates of late-laid eggs increase sufficiently to completely compensate for natural levels of developmental asynchrony that have been reported in Wood Duck clutches at the start of full incubation. Body condition of ducklings was strongly affected by fresh egg mass and incubation temperature but declined only slightly as laying sequence progressed. Our findings show that laying sequence and incubation temperature play important roles in helping to shape embryo development and hatching synchrony in a precocial bird.
Data from: Shifts in phenological mean and synchrony interact to shape competitive outcomes
Climate change-induced phenological shifts are ubiquitous and have the potential to disrupt natural communities by changing the timing of species interactions. Shifts in first and/or mean phenological date are well documented, but recent studies indicate that shifts in synchrony (individual variation around these metrics) can be just as common. However, we know little about how both types of phenological shifts interact to affect species interactions and natural communities. Here, we experimentally manipulated the hatching phenologies of two competing species of larval amphibians to address this conceptual gap. Specifically, we manipulated the relative mean hatching time (early, same, or late relative to competitor) and population synchrony (high, medium, or low levels of variation around the mean) in a full 3x3 factorial design to measure independent and interactive effects of phenological mean and population phenological synchrony on competitive outcomes. Our results indicate that phenological synchrony within a population strongly influences intraspecific competition by changing the density of individuals and relative strength of early vs. late arriving individuals. Individuals from high synchrony populations competed symmetrically while individuals from low synchrony populations competed asymmetrically. At the community scale, shifts in population phenological synchrony interact with shifts in phenological mean to strongly affect key demographic rates (survival, biomass export, per capita mass, and emergence timing). Furthermore, changes in mean timing of species interactions altered phenological synchrony within a population at the next life stage, and phenological synchrony at one life stage altered the mean timing of the next life stage. Thus, shifts in phenological synchrony within populations can not only alter species interactions but species interactions in turn can also drive shifts in phenology.
Data from: Large scale variation in birth timing and synchrony of a large herbivore along the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients
<p>1. Hopkins' Bioclimatic Law predicts geographic patterns in phenological timing by establishing a correspondence between latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. First proposed for key phenological events of plants, such as leaf sprouting or flowering dates, this law has rarely been used to assess the geographical equivalence of key life history traits of mammals.</p> <p>2. We hypothesize that (H1) parturition dates of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are delayed and more synchronized at higher latitudes and altitudes, (H2) parturition timing varies along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients in a way that matches the Hopkins' Bioclimatic Law, and (H3) females adjust parturition timing to match the period of high energy demand with peak resource availability.</p> <p>3. We used parturition dates of 7,444 European roe deer from Switzerland to assess altitudinal variation in birth timing and synchrony from 288 to 2,366 m a.s.l. We then performed a literature survey to compare altitudinal results with those from different populations along the species' latitudinal range of distribution. Finally, we performed spatial analysis combining our highly resolved altitudinal data on parturition dates with plant phenology data.</p> <p>4. As expected, parturition dates were delayed with increasing latitude and altitude. This delay matched the Bioclimatic Law, as the effect of 1º increase in latitude was similar to 120 m increase in altitude. However, while parturitions were more synchronized with increasing altitude, we did not detect any trend along the latitudinal gradient. Finally, plant phenology explained altitudinal variation in parturition timing better than a linear effect of altitude.</p> <p>5. Our findings clearly demonstrate the ability of a large herbivore to match parturition timing with phenological conditions across the altitudinal gradient, even at the smallest spatial scales. </p>
Data from: Climatic effects on the synchrony and stability of temperate headwater invertebrates over four decades
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Important clues about the ecological effects of climate change can arise from understanding the influence of other Earth-system processes on ecosystem dynamics but few studies span the inter-decadal timescales required. We, therefore, examined how variation in annual weather patterns associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) over four decades was linked to synchrony and stability in a metacommunity of stream invertebrates across multiple, contrasting headwaters in central Wales (UK).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Prolonged warmer and wetter conditions during positive NAO winters appeared to synchronise variations in population and community composition among and within streams thereby reducing stability across levels of ecological organisation. This climatically-mediated synchronisation occurred in all streams irrespective of acid-base status and land use, but was weaker where invertebrate communities were more functionally diverse. Wavelet linear models indicated that variation in the NAO explained up to 50% of overall synchrony in species abundances at a timescale of<span> 4-6 years. The NAO </span>appeared to affect ecological dynamics through local variations in temperature, precipitation and discharge, but increasing hydrochemical variability across sites during wetter winters might have contributed. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Our findings illustrate how large-scale climatic fluctuations generated over the North Atlantic can affect population persistence and dynamics in inland freshwater ecosystems in ways that transcend local catchment character. Protecting and restoring functional diversity in stream communities might increase their stability against warmer, wetter conditions that are analogues of ongoing climate change. Catchment management could also dampen impacts and provide options for climate change adaptation.</span></p>
Among-individual variation in flowering phenology affects flowering synchrony and mating opportunity
<p><strong>Premise of the study:</strong> The timing and pattern of a plant's flowering can have important consequences for reproductive success. Variation in flowering phenology may influence the number of prospective mates, the risk of mating with lower quality individuals, and the likelihood of self-pollination. Here we use a common garden experiment to explore within- and among-population variation in phenology. Our work provides new insights into how flowering phenology shapes mating opportunity and flowering synchrony in a self-compatible perennial.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> To quantify variation in flowering phenology we raised progeny from nine populations of<em> Mimulus ringens</em> in a common garden. For each individual, we measured phenological traits including age at flowering onset, daily floral display size, total flower number, and flowering synchrony with other members of the population, and related these traits to mating opportunity. We also tested how individual flowering schedules influence the magnitude of synchrony.</p> <p><strong>Key Results: </strong>Flowering phenology and synchrony varied substantially within and among populations. From day to day, plants often oscillated between large and small daily floral displays. Additionally, flowering schedules of individual plants strongly influenced flowering synchrony and, along with the number of flowering days, markedly affected plants' mating opportunity.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Phenological traits such as flowering synchrony can affect the quantity of mating opportunities and may be important targets of natural selection. Our results highlight the need for studies that quantify flowering patterns of individuals as well as populations.</p>
Data from: Lunar synchrony, geography, and individual clocks shape autumn migration timing in an avian migrant
<p>Timing programs in animal migrants have been selected to synchronize movements that coincide with predictable resources on the breeding and nonbreeding grounds. Migrants face potential temporal conflicts if their migration schedules benefit from synchrony to conflicting rhythms associated with annual biogeographical (circannual) cues, lunar (circalunar) cues, or individually-repeatable internal clocks. We repeat-tracked individuals of an avian lunaphilic species, Eastern Whip-poor-will (<em>Antrostomus vociferus</em>), for 2–3 successive autumn migrations to determine the influence of the lunar cycle, breeding location, and individual repeatability on migration timing. Almost all birds avoided departing for migration during a full moon, likely to take advantage of the bright moonlight to facilitate visual foraging and enhance pre-migration fattening. However, groups from two latitudinally-distant sampling areas adjusted their autumn departure timing differently relative to the timing of the September full moon, presumably due to differences in seasonal prey availability. Individual repeatability increased throughout autumn migration, suggesting that the factors responsible for shaping migration timing may differ for different migration stages. Our results, that lunar synchrony, local climate, and individual internal clocks appeared to account for much of the variation in migration timing in whip-poor-wills, underscore the value of measuring potentially interacting factors that shape migratory behavior at species, group, and individual levels. It remains unclear if, or how, maintaining individually-repeatable annual migration schedules provides an adaptive benefit for whip-poor-wills or other lunaphilic migrants. Further clarifying the reasons for phenotypic variation in whip-poor-will migration timing will improve predictions of their abilities to adjust migratory movements under changing environmental conditions.</p>
Climate warming changes synchrony of plants and pollinators
<p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Climate warming changes the phenology of many species. When interacting organisms respond differently, climate change may disrupt their interactions and affect the stability of ecosystems. Here, we used GBIF occurrence records to examine phenology trends in plants and their associated insect pollinators in Germany since the 1980s. We found strong phenological advances in plants, but differences in the extent of shifts among pollinator groups. The temporal trends in plant and insect phenologies were generally associated with interannual temperature variation, and thus likely driven by climate change. When examining the synchrony of species-level plant-pollinator interactions, their temporal trends differed among pollinator groups. Overall, plant-pollinator interactions become more synchronized, mainly because the phenology of plants, which historically lagged behind that of the pollinators, responded more strongly to climate change. However, if the observed trends continue, many interactions may become more asynchronous again in the future. Our study suggests that climate change affects the phenologies of both plants and insects, and that it also influences the synchrony of plant-pollinator interactions.</span></p>
Data from: Towards a better ecological understanding of metacommunity stability: A multiscale framework to disentangle population variability and synchrony effects
<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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. --</p>
Dispersal increases spatial synchrony of populations but has weak effects on population variability: a meta-analysis
<p><span>The effects of dispersal on spatial synchrony and population variability have been well documented in theoretical research, and a growing number of empirical tests have been performed. Yet a synthesis is still lacking. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of relevant experiments and examined how dispersal affected spatial synchrony and temporal population variability across scales. Our analyses showed that dispersal generally promoted spatial synchrony, and such effects </span><span>increased with dispersal rate and decreased with environmental correlation among patches. The synchronizing effect of dispersal, however, was only detected when spatial synchrony was measured using the correlation-based index, but not for the covariance-based index. In contrast to theoretical predictions, the effect of dispersal on local population variability was generally non-significant, except when environment correlation among patch was negative and/or experimental period was long. At the regional scale, while low dispersal stabilized metapopulation dynamics, high dispersal led to destabilization. </span><span>Overall, the sign and strength of dispersal effects on spatial synchrony and population variability were modulated by taxa, environmental heterogeneity, </span><span><span>type of perturbations, patch number, and experimental length. </span>Our synthesis demonstrates that dispersal can substantially affect the dynamics of spatially distributed populations, but its effects are context dependent on abiotic and biotic factors. </span></p>
Timing and synchrony of birth in Eurasian lynx across Europe
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>The ecology and evolution of reproductive timing and synchrony has been a topic of great interest in evolutionary ecology for decades. Originally motivated by questions related to behavioural and reproductive adaptation to environmental conditions, the topic has acquired new relevance in the face of climate change. However, there has been relatively little research on reproductive phenology in mammalian carnivores. The Eurasian lynx (<em>Lynx lynx</em>) occurs across the Eurasian continent, covering three of the four main climate regions of the world.</span><span> Thus their distribution </span><span>includes a large variation in climatic conditions, making it an ideal species to </span><span>explore reproductive phenology. </span><span>Here, we used data on multiple reproductive events from 169 lynx females </span><span>across Europe. M</span><span>ean birth date was May 28 (April 23 to July 1), but was ~10 days later in northern Europe than in central and southern Europe. Birth dates were relatively synchronised across Europe, but more so in the north than in the south. Timing of birth were delayed by colder May temperatures. Severe and cold weather may affect neonatal survival via hypothermia and avoiding inclement weather early in the season may select against early births, especially at northern latitudes. Overall, only about half of the kittens born survived until onset of winter but whether kittens were born relatively late or early did not affect kitten survival. Lynx are strict seasonal breeders but still show a degree of flexibility to adapt the timing of birth to surrounding environmental conditions. We argue that lynx give birth later when exposed to colder spring temperatures and have more synchronized births when the window of favourable conditions for raising kittens is shorter. This suggest that lynx are well adapted to different environmental conditions, from dry and warm climates to alpine, boreal and arctic climates. This variation in reproductive timing is favourable in times of climate change, as organisms with high plasticity are more likely to adjust to new environmental conditions. </span></p>
Timing and synchrony of migration in a freshwater fish: consequences for survival
<p>Animal migration is one of the most spectacular and visible behavioural phenomena in nature with profound implications for a range of ecological and evolutionary processes. Successful migration hinges on the ability to exploit temporary resources (e.g. food) and evade threats (e.g. predators) as they arise, and thus the timing of migration is often regarded as a dominant predictor of individual migratory success.</p> <p>However, with the exception of intensively studied taxa (mainly birds), relatively few studies have investigated inter-individual annual and seasonal variation in migratory timing and performance, or tested predictions on how migration across high and low predation-risk habitats may exert selection on migratory timing. In particular, studies that assess the survival consequences of variation in migratory timing remain rare, which is most likely due to the logistical challenges associated with monitoring survival success and population-level characteristics simultaneously.</p> <p>Here, we address the above-mentioned questions using roach Rutilus rutilus, a fish that migrates from lakes characterised by high-predation risk into low-risk streams during winter. Specifically, we used individual-based tracking of roach in two European lake systems over multiple migration periods (9 and 7 years, respectively), to obtain highly detailed (year-round scheduling, repeat journeys and the fate of individuals) data on the variability/synchrony of migratory timing in spring and autumn respectively.</p> <p>We report seasonal differences in the variability of migratory timing, with lower variance and higher migration synchrony in spring lake arrival timing as compared to autumn lake departure timing. Furthermore, the timing of autumn migration is more variable across years than the timing of spring migration. Secondly, we find that later arrival to the lake habitat is positively associated with apparent survival from one year to the next, whereas we found no effect of lake departure timing on survival probability.</p> <p>These findings represent rare evidence showing how intraspecific variation in timing in migratory fish differs across years and seasons, and how variation in timing can translate into survival consequences for prey in systems characterised by high predation risk. </p>
Data from: Paternal hatching care regulates the timing, synchrony, and success of hatching in a coral reef fish
<p>In oviparous species, the timing of hatching is a crucial decision, but for developing embryos, assessing cues that indicate the optimal time to hatch is challenging. In species with parental care, parents can assess environmental conditions and induce their offspring to hatch. We provide the first documentation of parental hatching regulation in a coral reef fish, demonstrating that male neon gobies (<em>Elacatinus colini</em>) directly regulate hatching by removing embryos from the clutch and spitting hatchlings into the water column. All male gobies synchronized hatching within 2h of sunrise, regardless of when eggs were laid. Paternally-incubated embryos hatched later in development, more synchronously, and had higher hatching success than artificially-incubated embryos that were shaken to simulate paternal hatching cues or not stimulated. Artificially-incubated embryos displayed substantial plasticity in hatching times (range: 88 – 244 hours post-fertilization), suggesting that males could respond to environmental heterogeneity by modifying the hatching time of their offspring. Finally, paternally-incubated embryos hatched with smaller yolk sacs and larger propulsive areas than artificially-incubated embryos, suggesting that paternal effects on hatchling phenotypes may influence larval dispersal and fitness. These findings highlight the complexity of fish parental care and may have important, and currently unstudied, consequences for fish population dynamics.</p>
Why signal if you are not attractive? Courtship synchrony in a fiddler crab
<p>Synchronised male courtship signals are puzzling because males generally compete with each other for females. Male <i>Austruca mjoebergi</i> fiddler crabs wave in synchrony to attract females, but, all else being equal, females have a strong preference for 'leader' males that can produce waves before other males ('followers'). So why do followers participate in synchrony? Here, we experimentally investigate three explanations for why followers might wave in synchrony: 1) followers obtain a small proportion of matings, 2) followers are more likely than a leader to attract females if they are positioned closer to her than is the leader, and 3) synchrony functions as a long-distance visual signal that attracts females so there is a net benefit to synchrony for all males. Using robotic male crabs, we found that females show a strong preference for leading males, but followers obtain a 'better-than-nothing' proportion of mates. We also showed that closer proximity of a follower to the female did not affect her preference for leaders, although being a leader increased a male's success when he was further from the female than were rival males. Finally, females were more likely to approach a distant group if there was a leader present, suggesting that followers do benefit from participating in synchrony.</p>
Codes: A new approach to interspecific synchrony in population ecology using tail association
<p>Standard methods for studying the association between two ecologically important variables provide only a small slice of the information content of the association, but statistical approaches are available that provide comprehensive information. In particular, available approaches can reveal<em> tail associations</em>, i.e., accentuated or reduced associations between the more extreme values of variables. We here study the nature and causes of tail associations between phenological or population-density variables of co-located species, and their ecological importance. We employ a simple method of measuring tail associations which we call the <em>partial Spearman correlation.</em> Using multidecadal, multi-species spatiotemporal datasets on aphid first flights and marine phytoplankton population densities, we assess the potential for tail association to illuminate two major topics of study in community ecology: the stability or instability of aggregate community measures such as total community biomass and its<br> relationship with the synchronous or compensatory dynamics of the community's constituent species; and the potential for fluctuations and trends in species phenology to result in trophic mismatches. We find that positively associated fluctuations in the population densities of co-located species commonly show asymmetric tail associations, i.e., it is common for two species' densities to be more correlated when large than when small, or vice versa. Ordinary measures of association such as correlation do not take this asymmetry into account. Likewise, positively associated fluctuations in the phenology of co-located species also commonly show asymmetric tail associations. We provide evidence that tail associations between two or more species' population density or phenology time series can be inherited from mutual tail associations of these quantities with an environmental driver. We argue that our understanding of community dynamics and stability, and of phenologies of interacting species, can be meaningfully improved in future work by taking into account tail associations.</p>
Dataset for: Spawning fish maintain trophic synchrony across time and space beyond thermal drivers
<p><span>Increasing ocean temperature will speed up physiological rates of ectotherms. In fish, this is suggested to cause earlier spawning, due to faster oocyte growth rates, causing spawning time to potentially become decoupled to the timing of the offspring's food resources. A phenomenom referred to as trophic asynchrony. We used biological data, including body length, otolith information, and gonad developmental stages collected from > 125,000 individual Northeast Arctic cod (<em>Gadus morhua</em>) sampled between 59 and 73 °N in 1980-2019. Combined with experimental data of oocyte growth rates, our analysis shows that cod spawned progressively earlier by about a week per decade, partly due to ocean warming. It also appears that spawning times vary by more than 40 days, depending on year and spawning location. The significant plasticity in spawning time seems to be fine-tuned to the local phytoplankton spring bloom phenology. This ability to partly overcome thermal drivers could allow individuals to phenologically modulate their spawning time to maximize fitness by closely tracking local environmental conditions important for offspring survival. This finding highlights a new dimension for trophic match-mismatch and should be an important consideration in models used to predict phenology dynamics in a warmer climate. </span></p>
Sexes in sync: phenotypic plasticity, sexual selection, and phenological synchrony between the sexes in a wild hibernator
<p>Desynchrony of phenological responses to climate change is a major concern in ecological communities. Potential uncoupling between one of the most fundamental divisions within populations, males and females, has not been well studied. To address this gap, we examined sex-specific plasticity in hibernation phenology in two populations of Columbian ground squirrels (<em>Urocitellus</em> <em>columbianus</em>). We find that both sexes display similar phenological plasticity to spring snowmelt dates in their timing of torpor termination and behavioural emergence from hibernation. As a result of this plasticity, the degree of protandry (i.e., males' emergences from hibernation preceding those of females) did not change significantly over the 27-year study. Earlier male behavioural emergence, relative to females, improved the likelihood of securing a breeding territory and increased annual reproductive success. Sexual selection favouring earlier male emergence from hibernation may maintain protandry in this population but did not contribute to further advances in male phenology. Older males also tended to emerge earlier and secure territories, and so it is unclear whether selection acts indirectly through age. Together, our results provide evidence that the sexes should remain synchronised, at least in response to the weather variation investigated here, and further support the role of sexual selection in the evolution of protandry in sexually reproducing organisms.</p>
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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.