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1,549 results for “invertebrate”
Data from: Unusual but consistent latitudinal patterns in macroalgal habitats and their invertebrate communities across two countries
<p><b>Aim: </b>The physical characteristics of biogenic habitats and environmental conditions are important determinants of biodiversity, yet their relative importance can change across spatial scales. We aimed to understand how relationships between the physical characteristics of macroalgal habitats and their invertebrate communities varied across spatial scales and whether general ecological patterns occurred across two countries.</p> <p><b>Location: </b>18 sites across the temperate east coasts of Australia (over 1,300 km) and New Zealand (over 1,000 km), with the latitudinal gradient in the two countries overlapping by 6.73 decimal degrees.</p> <p><b>Time period:</b> January to early April 2012.</p> <p><b>Major taxa studied:</b> Three intertidal macroalgal habitats in each country and the invertebrate communities within them.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> We measured variation in patch- and individual-level characteristics of macroalgal habitats and their invertebrate communities. Patterns in macroalgal characteristics and communities were compared across latitude, and at smaller spatial scales, and correlated with 26 abiotic environmental variables using multiple multivariate analyses.</p> <p><b>Results: </b>Separately, macroalgal habitat characteristics and communities showed unusual but consistent non-linear latitudinal patterns, with greater similarity among sites at the edges of the sampled distribution (i.e. north and south) than at centrally-located sites. Macroalgal characteristics did not correlate with a particular set of environmental variables, however, communities were structured by sea surface temperature at the country scale, and by macroalgal habitat type and biomass within countries. Anthropogenic variables were also important and may have contributed to the unusual non-linear patterns observed between macroalgal characteristics and communities across latitude.</p> <p><b>Main conclusions</b>: Our results support other studies showing that large-scale patterns can emerge from systems where there is high local-scale variability. The results show that communities within macroalgal habitats respond to both the physical characteristics of the habitat and external environmental conditions (e.g. temperature). Suggesting that local-scale environmental factors, including anthropogenic stressors may modulate environmental gradients over larger scales.</p>
Temporal and spatial changes in benthic invertebrate trophic networks along a salinity gradient
<p>Species interactions underlie all ecosystem goods and services and are important for understanding ecosystem changes. Representing one type of species interaction, trophic networks are able to be constructed from biodiversity monitoring data and known trophic links to understand how ecosystems have changed over time. The Baltic Sea is subject to high anthropogenic pressures, and its low species diversity makes it an ideal candidate for understanding how pressures change food webs. In this study, we used benthic monitoring data from 20 years (1980-1989 and 2010-2019) from the Swedish coast of the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak to investigate changes in benthic invertebrate trophic interactions. We constructed food webs and calculated traditional food web metrics that we compared over space and time. Our results show that the west coast of Sweden (Skagerrak) showed a reduction in benthic invertebrate biodiversity by 40% between the 1980's and 2010's, and that the number of links, linkage diversity, generality of predators, and vulnerability of prey have been significantly reduced. However, connectance has not significantly changed in the Skagerrak. The other basins (Bothnian Sea, Baltic Proper and Bornholm Basin) do not show any consistent significant trends in any food web metrics investigated, demonstrating resilience at a lower species diversity. The decreased complexity of the Skagerrak food webs indicates vulnerability to further perturbations and pressures should be limited as much as possible to ensure continued ecosystem functions.</p>
The Resilience of Tropical Forest Invertebrates to Microclimate Change
<b>Description: </b><p>This dataset examines the thermal physiology of ants accross the SAFE project, with the goal of understanding how changing microclimates affect communities of invertebrates in disturbed landscapes. Tropical invertebrates are expected to already live close to their upper thermal tolerances, and so the rapid changes to microclimate brought about by logging may be a powerful determinant of the emergent communites in disturbed forests. The worksheet contains the upper critical temperature (CTmax) of individual ants identified to genus level. Ants were collected from the ground or soil layer unless specified as arboreal. CTmax was determined using a ramping procedure whereby temeprature was increased from 32 degrees upwards at a rate of 0.2 degrees per minuted until individuals lost motor control. Ants were found by searching opportunistically throughout entire blocks, therefore for locations we have simply inputted one large fractal order from each sampling block used.</p><p><b>Project: </b>This dataset was collected as part of the following SAFE research project: <a href="https://www.safeproject.net/projects/project_view/135"><b>The Resilience of Tropical Forest Invertebrates to Microclimate Change</b></a></p><p><b>XML metadata: </b>GEMINI compliant metadata for this dataset is available <a href="https://www.safeproject.net/datasets/xml_metadata?id=4297673">here</a></p><p><b>Files: </b>This consists of 1 file: MJWB_SAFE_CTmax_Upload.xlsx</p><p><b>MJWB_SAFE_CTmax_Upload.xlsx</b></p><p>This file contains dataset metadata and 1 data tables:</p><ol><li><p><b>Ant.CTmax</b> (described in worksheet Ant.CTmax)</p><p>Description: The worksheet contains the upper critical temperature (CTmax in degrees centigrade) of individual ants identified to genus level. Ants were collected from the ground or soil layer unless specified as arboreal. CTmax was determined using a ramping procedure whereby temeprature was increased from 32 degrees upwards at a rate of 0.2 degrees per minuted until individuals lost motor control. Ants were found by searching opportunistically throughout entire blocks, therefore for locations we have simply inputted one large fractal order from each sampling block used.</p><p>Number of fields: 4</p><p>Number of data rows: 2359</p><p>Fields: </p><ul><li><b>CTmax</b>: Critical upper thermal tolerance in degrees centigrade (Field type: numeric)</li><li><b>Genus</b>: Genus name of ant (Field type: taxa)</li><li><b>Location</b>: SAFE Project sampling block (Field type: location)</li><li><b>Arboreal</b>: Comment on if the ant was sampled from the ground or arboreal layer (Field type: comments)</li></ul></li></ol><p><b>Date range: </b>2015-10-01 to 2019-10-01</p><p><b>Latitudinal extent: </b>4.6380 to 4.7412</p><p><b>Longitudinal extent: </b>116.9568 to 117.6245</p><p><b>Taxonomic coverage: </b><br> All taxon names are validated against the GBIF backbone taxonomy. If a dataset uses a synonym, the accepted usage is shown followed by the dataset usage in brackets. Taxa that cannot be validated, including new species and other unknown taxa, morphospecies, functional groups and taxonomic levels not used in the GBIF backbone are shown in square brackets.</p><div> -  Animalia <br> -  -  Arthropoda <br> -  -  -  Insecta <br> -  -  -  -  Hymenoptera <br> -  -  -  -  -  Formicidae <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Acanthomyrmex</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Aenictus</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Bothriomyrmex</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Camponotus</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Cardiocondyla</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Carebara</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Cataulacus</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Centromyrmex</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Crematogaster</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Cryptopone</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Diacamma</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Dolichoderus</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Echinopla</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Euprenolepis</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Hypoponera</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Iridomyrmex</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Lepisiota</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Leptogenys</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Lophomyrmex</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Lordomyrma</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Monomorium</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Myrmecina</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Myrmicaria</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Nylanderia</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Ochetellus</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Odontomachus</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Odontoponera</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Oecophylla</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Pachycondyla</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Paraparatrechina</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Paratopula</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Paratrechina</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Pheidole</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Pheidologeton</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Philidris</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Plagiolepis</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Polyrhachis</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Ponera</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Prenolepis</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Prionopelta</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Pristomyrmex</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Pseudolasius</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Rhoptromyrmex</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Rhytidoponera</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Tapinoma</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Technomyrmex</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Tetramorium</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Tetraponera</i> <br> -  -  -  -  -  -  <i>Vollenhovia</i> <br></div><p></p>
Production of mobile invertebrate communities on shallow reefs from temperate to tropical seas
<p>Primary productivity of marine ecosystems is largely driven by broad gradients in environmental and ecological properties. In contrast, secondary productivity tends to be more variable, influenced by bottom-up (resource driven) and top-down (predatory) processes, other environmental drivers, and mediation by the physical structure of habitats. Here, we use a continental-scale dataset on small mobile invertebrates ('epifauna'), common on surfaces in all marine ecosystems, to test influences of potential drivers of temperature-standardised secondary production across biogeographic scales. We found epifaunal production to be remarkably consistent along a temperate to tropical Australian latitudinal gradient of 28.6°, spanning kelp forests to coral reefs (~3500 km). Using a model selection procedure, epifaunal production was primarily a function of biogenic habitat group, which explained up to 45% of total variability. Production was otherwise invariant to predictors capturing primary productivity, the local biomass of fishes (proxy for predation pressure), and environmental, geographic, and human impacts. Highly predictable levels of epifaunal productivity associated with distinct habitat groups across continental scales should allow accurate modelling of the contributions of these ubiquitous invertebrates to coastal food webs, to ultimately improve understanding of altered energy transfer throughout food webs in the face of ocean warming and other anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems.</p>
Size-selective exclusion of mammals and invertebrates differently affects grassland plant communities depending on vegetation type
<p>Human-caused loss of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, defaunation, is increasing, and potentially affects plant community structure of diverse grassland ecosystems worldwide. We experimentally simulated defaunation using size-selective fences to progressively exclude large-, medium- and small-sized mammals, and invertebrates from two subalpine vegetation types in the Swiss National Park (SNP): intensively grazed short-grass and moderately grazed tall-grass vegetation. We assessed plant community properties yearly from 2009 to 2013, and examined treatment effects on plant community structure in the two grassland types. In the short-grass vegetation, the exclusion of large mammals increased total plant biomass, while the exclusion of large and medium-sized mammals increased total, grass and forb biomass compared to when all animals had access. These increases became stronger when also invertebrates were excluded. The exclusion of all mammals and invertebrates increased biomass of grasses by 205%, forbs by 100% and total plant biomass by 118% compared to when all animals had access, hence enhancing relative biomass of grasses from 43.6% to 60%, changing plant species composition and lowering richness of forbs by 16%, the number of plant families by 13% and family-level Shannon diversity by 23%. In contrast to these significant community-level responses found in the short-grass vegetation, there was no evidence that the size-selective exclusion of animals altered the plant community structure of the tall-grass vegetation. The contrasting results were due to the difference in plant community composition prior to our experiment, which were related to differences in quantity and quality of forage and in grazing intensities of herbivores between the two grassland types. Synthesis. Our results showed that different-sized animals, in particular large mammals and invertebrates, contributed to maintain the plant community structure in the short-grass vegetation, highlighting the importance of multiple, functionally different animal groups for ecosystem functioning and stability. In contrast to the short-grass vegetation, we could not detect such a top-down control by animals in the tall-grass vegetation. Our results suggest that potential defaunation effects on grassland plant community structure depend on the degree of grazing pressure release and grassland vegetation type.</p>
Evaluation of the silkworm lemon mutant as an invertebrate animal model for human sepiapterin reductase deficiency
Human sepiapterin reductase deficiency is an inherited disease caused by SPR gene mutations and is a monoamine neurotransmitter disorder. Here, we investigated whether the silkworm lemon mutant could serve as a model of sepiapterin reductase deficiency. A point mutation in the BmSPR gene led to a five amino acid deletion at the carboxyl terminus in the lemon mutant. In addition, classical phenotypes seen in sepiapterin reductase deficient patients were observed in the lemon mutant, including a normal phenylalanine level, a decreased dopamine and serotonin content, and an increased neopterin level. A recovery test showed that replenishment of L-dopa significantly increased the dopamine level in the lemon mutant. The silkworm lemon mutant also showed negative behavioral abilities. These results suggest that the silkworm lemon mutant has an appropriate genetic basis and meets the biochemical requirements to be a model of sepiapterin reductase deficiency. Thus, the silkworm lemon mutant can serve as a candidate animal model of sepiapterin reductase deficiency, which may be helpful in facilitating accurate diagnosis and effective treatment options of sepiapterin reductase deficiency.
Predation shapes invertebrate diversity in tropical but not temperate seagrass communities
<p>1. The hypothesis that biotic interactions are stronger at lower relative to higher latitudes has a rich history, drawing from ecological and evolutionary theory. While this hypothesis suggests that stronger interactions at lower latitudes may contribute to the maintenance of contemporary patterns of diversity, there remain few standardized biogeographic comparisons of community effects of species interactions. 2. Using marine seagrasses as a focal ecosystem of conservation importance and sessile marine invertebrates as model prey, we tested the hypothesis that predation is stronger at lower latitudes and can shape contemporary patterns of prey diversity. To further advance understanding beyond prior studies, we also explored mechanisms that likely underlie a change in interaction outcomes with latitude. 3. Multiple observational and experimental approaches were employed to test for effects of predators, and the mechanisms that may underlie these effects, in seagrass ecosystems of the western Atlantic Ocean spanning 30 degrees of latitude from the temperate zone to the tropics. 4. In predator exclusion experiments conducted in a temperate and a tropical region, predation decreased sessile invertebrate abundance, richness, and diversity on both natural and standardized artificial seagrass at tropical but not temperate sites. Further, predation reduced invertebrate richness at both local and regional scales in the tropics. Additional experiments demonstrated that predation reduced invertebrate recruitment in the tropics but not the temperate zone. Finally, direct observations of predators showed higher but variable consumption rates on invertebrates at subtropical and tropical relative to temperate latitudes. 5. Together, these results demonstrate that strong predation in the tropics can have consequential impacts on prey communities through discrete effects on early life stages as well as longer-term cumulative effects on community structure and diversity. Our detailed experiments also provide some of the first data linking large-scale biogeographic patterns, community-scale interaction outcomes, and direct observation of predators in the temperate zone and tropics. Therefore, our results support the hypothesis that predation is stronger in the tropics, but also elucidate some of the causes and consequences of this variation in shaping contemporary patterns of diversity. 16-Sep-2019</p>
Data from: Regional surveys of macrobenthic shelf invertebrate communities in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Despite its importance for quantifying ecosystem responses to environmental and anthropogenic drivers, our understanding of spatial heterogeneity in marine communities remains inadequate. Studies in coastal marine benthic habitats are sparse, and predominantly target single higher taxonomic groups. Here we describe macrobenthic marine invertebrate community surveys from 52 localities in Onslow Bay (Beaufort, North Carolina, U.S.A.), over an extensive geographic area (~200 km2). The data consist of 11,467 individuals, 175 species, and 7 phyla. The data include species abundance data for each sample at all localities, and corresponding species lists and locality information. The metadata describe the sampling protocols and localities. The data provided here will facilitate examination of assemblage heterogeneity with regards to spatial and temporal patterns, and depth gradient analyses.
Data from: Decoupled responses of soil bacteria and their invertebrate consumer to warming, but not freeze-thaw cycles, in the Antarctic Dry Valleys
Altered temperature profiles resulting in increased warming and freeze–thaw cycle (FTC) frequency pose great ecological challenges to organisms in alpine and polar ecosystems. We performed a laboratory microcosm experiment to investigate how temperature variability affects soil bacterial cell numbers, and abundance and traits of soil microfauna (the microbivorous nematode Scottnema lindsayae) from McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. FTCs and constant freezing shifted nematode body size distribution towards large individuals, driven by higher mortality among smaller individuals. FTCs reduced both bacterial and nematode abundance, but bacterial cell numbers also declined under warming, demonstrating decoupled consumer–prey responses. We predict that higher occurrence of FTCs in cold ecosystems will select for large body size within soil microinvertebrates and overall reduce their abundance. In contrast, warm temperatures without FTCs could lead to divergent responses in soil bacteria and their microinvertebrate consumers, potentially affecting energy and nutrient transfer rates in soil food webs of cold ecosystems.
Evaluation of the silkworm lemon mutant as an invertebrate animal model for human sepiapterin reductase deficiency
<p><span>Human sepiapterin reductase deficiency is an inherited disease caused by <i>SPR</i> gene mutations and is a monoamine neurotransmitter disorder. Here, we investigated whether the silkworm <i>lemon<sup> </sup></i>mutant could serve as a model of sepiapterin reductase deficiency. A point mutation in the<i> BmSPR</i> gene led to a five amino acid deletion at the carboxyl terminus in the <i>lemon</i> mutant. In addition, classical phenotypes seen in sepiapterin reductase deficient patients were observed in the <i>lemon</i> mutant, including a normal phenylalanine level, a decreased dopamine and serotonin content, and an increased neopterin level. A recovery test showed that replenishment of L-dopa significantly increased the dopamine level in the <i>lemon<sup> </sup></i>mutant. The silkworm <i>lemon</i> mutant also showed negative behavioral abilities. These results suggest that the silkworm <i>lemon</i> mutant has an appropriate genetic basis and meets the biochemical requirements to be a model of sepiapterin reductase deficiency. Thus, the silkworm <i>lemon</i> mutant can serve as a candidate animal model of sepiapterin reductase deficiency, which may be helpful in facilitating accurate diagnosis and effective treatment options of sepiapterin reductase deficiency.</span></p>
Ground-dwelling invertebrates and plants following the application of inverted soil mounding on seismic lines
<p><span>In northern Alberta, Canada, much of treed boreal peatlands are fragmented by seismic lines – linear disturbances where trees and shrubs are cleared for the exploration of fossil fuel reserves. Seismic lines have been shown to have slow tree regeneration, likely due to the loss of microtopography during the creation of seismic lines. Inverted soil mounding is one of the treatments commonly applied in Alberta to restore seismic lines and to mitigate the use of these corridors by wildlife and humans. In 2018, we assessed the effects of mounding on understory plants and arthropod assemblages, three years after treatment application. We sampled in five mounded and five untreated seismic lines, and in their adjacent treed fens (reference fens) within the <span>Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (CNRL) Kirby South in-situ steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) Plant, in the Athabasca oil sands (55°22'37.2" N, 111°10'3" W) of NW Alberta</span>. Here we provide the species composition at these sites.</span></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>
V2 - Space use of invertebrates in terrestrial habitats: phylogenetic, functional and environmental drivers of interspecific variations
<p>VERSION 2</p>
Trout and invertebrate assemblages in stream pools through wildfire and drought
<p>Climate change is increasing the frequency, severity, and extent of wildfires and drought in many parts of the world, with numerous repercussions for the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of streams. Yet information on how these perturbations affect top predators and their impacts on lower trophic levels in streams is limited.</p> <p>The top aquatic predator in southern California streams is native <em>Oncorhynchus mykiss</em>, the endangered southern California steelhead trout (trout). To examine relationships among the distribution of trout, environmental factors, and stream invertebrate resources and assemblages, we sampled pools in 25 stream reaches that differed in the presence (9 reaches) or absence (16 reaches) of trout over 12 years, including 8 reaches where trout were extirpated during the study period by drought or post-fire flood disturbances.</p> <p>Trout were present in deep pools with high water and habitat quality. Invertebrate communities in trout pools were dominated by a variety of medium-sized collector-gatherer and shredder invertebrate taxa with non-seasonal life cycles, whereas tadpoles and large, predatory invertebrates (Odonata, Coleoptera, Hemiptera (OCH)), often with atmospheric breather traits, were more abundant in troutless than trout pools.</p> <p>Structural equation modeling (SEM) of the algal-based food web indicated a trophic cascade from trout to predatory invertebrates to collector-gatherer taxa and weaker direct negative trout effects on grazers; however, both grazers and collector-gatherers also were positively related to macroalgal biomass. SEM also suggested that bottom-up interactions and abiotic factors drove the detritus-based food web, with shredder abundance being positively related to leaf litter (CPOM) levels, which, in turn, were positively related to canopy cover and negatively related to flow. When compared to the literature, these results emphasize the context dependency of trout effects on prey communities and the relative importance of top-down versus bottom-up interactions on food webs, contingent on environmental conditions (flow, light, nutrients, disturbances) and the abundances and traits of component taxa.</p> <p>Invertebrate assemblage structure changed from a trout to a troutless configuration within a year or two after trout were lost owing to post-fire scouring flows or drought. Increases in OCH abundance after trout were lost were much more variable after drought than after fire. The reappearance of trout in one stream where they were lost resulted in quick, severe reductions in OCH abundance.</p> <p>These results indicate that climate-change induced disturbances can result in the extirpation of a top predator, with cascading repercussions for stream communities and food webs. This study also emphasizes the importance of preserving or restoring refuge habitats, such as deep, shaded, perennial, cool stream pools with high habitat and water quality, to prevent the extirpation of sensitive species and preserve native biodiversity during a time of climate change. </p>
Urban scavenging: Vertebrates display greater sensitivity to land-cover and garden vegetation cover than invertebrates
<p>1. Scavenging removes carrion or littered food waste from the environment, providing ecosystem services including nutrient cycling, reduced pathogen spread, and reduced waste management costs. These services are particularly important in urban environments, where high human population densities result in increased littered food waste. It is unclear how the magnitude of scavenging across urban-rural gradients is influenced by agent (vertebrates and invertebrates), land-cover type and patch size.</p> <p>2. We investigated scavenging provision by vertebrates and invertebrates across a gradient of urbanisation in 37 woodlands and 35 domestic gardens across Liverpool, UK. Sites were selected using random stratification across a gradient of urbanisation based on impervious surface cover. At each site, four different bait types were deployed either within vertebrate exclusion cages or exposed to vertebrates and invertebrates. The percentage dry weight loss of bait after 48 hours was used to quantify scavenging provision.</p> <p>3. Data were analysed using general linear mixed effects models (Gaussian error distribution) and a full model approach to assess 1) the relative contributions of vertebrates and invertebrates across an urban-rural gradient; 2) variation in scavenging between woodlands and gardens; 3) the effects of semi-natural vegetation cover on scavenging provision. We also consider patch size as a preliminary assessment of how fragmentation influences scavenging.</p> <p>4. Vertebrates contributed substantially more to scavenging provision than invertebrates across the urbanisation gradient. Vertebrate scavenging was substantially greater in woodlands than gardens, invertebrate scavenging was similar in both land-cover types. Scavenging increased with patch size in gardens, but not woodlands. Vertebrate scavenging increased with patch size, while invertebrate scavenging decreased. Within gardens, vertebrate scavenging increased with semi-natural vegetation cover.</p> <p>5. Scavenging-mediated ecosystem services are important in urban areas where food littering is frequent, and efforts should be made to facilitate these services. Urban woodlands and gardens both make important contributions to scavenging-mediated ecosystem services in urban areas, but woodlands' contributions are much greater. There is a need to increase the cover of semi-natural vegetation in gardens to increase their contributions, and protect and expand woodlands, especially in areas with a high demand for ecosystem services reliant on scavenging.</p>
Data - Scavenging in two mountain ecosystems: distinctive contribution of ants in grassland and non-ant invertebrates in forest
<p>Data set and analyse used in the manuscript title "Scavenging in two mountain ecosystems: distinctive contribution of ants in grassland and non-ant invertebrates in forest". In this study we <span>quantify the relative contribution of ants, non-ant invertebrates and vertebrates in scavenging nitrogen-rich (insect carcasses) and carbon-rich (seeds) baits in two contrasting mountainous habitats in Brazil (grasslands and forests). Testing the folowing predictions </span><span> (1) baits are more likely to be removed from the forest floor than grassland due to higher plant biomass in forest than in savannas <span>(Miranda et al. 2014)</span>, which could indicate a higher animal biomass in the forest. However, (2) ants would have higher relative importance in scavenging in open habitats (grasslands) than in closed (forests) because in open habitats, ants have higher activity <span>(Bucy and Breed 2006)</span>, richness <span>(Castro et al. 2020)</span>, and there are more dominant species <span>(Andersen 2019)</span>. (3) The role of ants in scavenging is not compensated for by other taxa when ants are absent. Finally, (4) the removal rates of animal-based baits on the ground are higher than seed baits in both environments, since animal resources are more limiting than plant resource in most habitats<span> (Kaspari and Yanoviak 2001, Bar-On et al. 2018)</span>.</span></p>
Data for: Rewilding soil and litter invertebrates and fungi increases decomposition rates and alters detritivore communities
<p>Habitat degradation and associated reductions in ecosystem functions can be reversed by reintroducing or 'rewilding' keystone species. Rewilding projects have historically targeted restoration of processes such as grazing regimes or top-down predation effects. Few projects focus on restoring decomposition efficiency, despite the pivotal role decomposition plays in global carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling. Here, we tested whether rewilding entire communities of detritivorous invertebrates and fungi can improve litter decomposition efficiency and restore detritivore communities during ecological restoration. Rewilding was conducted by transplanting leaf litter and soil, including associated invertebrate and fungal communities from species-rich remnant sites into species-poor, and geographically isolated, revegetated farmland sites in a temperate woodland region of southeastern Australia. We compared communities in sites under the following treatments: remnant (conservation area and source of litter transplant), rewilded revegetation (revegetated farmland site with litter transplant), and control revegetation (revegetated site, no transplant). In one 'before' and three 'after' sampling periods, we measured litter decomposition and the abundance and diversity of detritivorous invertebrates and fungi. We quantified the effect of detritivores on the rate of litter decomposition using piecewise Structural Equation Modelling. Decomposition was significantly faster in rewilding sites than in both control and remnant areas, and was largely driven by a greater abundance of invertebrate detritivores. Similarly, the abundance of invertebrate detritivores in rewilding revegetation sites exceeded the level of remnant communities, whereas there was little difference between control and remnant sites. In contrast, rewilding did not increase saprotrophic fungi relative abundance/diversity and there was no strong relationship between decomposition and fungal diversity. Our findings suggest the relatively simple act of transplanting leaf litter and soil can increase functional efficiency during restoration and alter community composition. Our methods may prove important across a range of contexts where other restoration methods have failed to restore ecosystem processes to pre-degradation levels.</p>
Data for: Shifts in plant-invertebrate interactions between wild and ex-situ conservation populations of a critically endangered tree
<p>Ex-situ conservation is an effective approach to prevent the extinction of endangered species. Biotic interactions (eg herbivory and pollination) are critical to ex-situ conservation success, including plant establishment, survival, and reproduction. However, shifts in biotic interactions between wild and ex-situ populations are still poorly understood. We compared herbivory and pollination characteristics between the only wild population (WP) and three ex-situ populations (LP, local population, nearby WP; NP, north population, ca. 850 km; and SP, south population, ca. 750 km) of a critically endangered tree species (<em>Sinojackia huangmeiensis</em>) to explore the latitudinal changes in plant-invertebrate interactions. Larvae of the Limacodidae family were the dominant herbivores in WP, LP, and NP, while the only herbivore observed in SP was a snail. Compared to WP, the leaf herbivory rate was unchanged in LP but decreased in NP and SP. Leaf defense traits (total phenols, tannins, leaf thickness, and leaf dry matter content) increased or remained unchanged in the three ex-situ populations. A pollinator (<em>Apis cerana</em>) of <em>S. huangmeiensis</em> was present in the four populations. NP and SP lacked some pollinators that were found in both WP and LP, but they shared one pollinator that was not observed in WP and LP. The pollinator visiting frequency increased in SP, while it did not change significantly in LP and NP. Synthesis and applications: Our results suggested that both herbivory and pollination of <em>S. huangmeiensis</em> changed in ex-situ populations, with complete or partial changes in herbivores, leaf herbivory rate, pollinators, pollinator visiting frequency, and fruit set in the two distant ex-situ populations. This work provides a unique empirical study of shifts in both antagonistic and mutualistic biotic interactions between wild and ex-situ populations. We emphasized that it is essential to integrate herbivore and pollinator management in future ex-situ conservation of plant species.</p>
Data from: Long-term climate and hydrologic regimes shape stream invertebrate community responses to a hurricane disturbance
<p>Disturbances can produce a spectrum of short- and long-term ecological consequences that depend on complex interactions of the characteristics of the event, antecedent environmental conditions, and the intrinsic properties of resistance and resilience of the affected biological system. We used Hurricane Harvey's impact on coastal rivers of Texas to examine the roles of storm-related changes in hydrology and long-term precipitation regime on the response of stream invertebrate communities to hurricane disturbance. We detected declines in richness, diversity, and total abundance following the storm, but responses were strongly tied to direct and indirect effects of long-term aridity and short-term changes in stream hydrology. The amount of rainfall a site received drove both flood duration and flood magnitude across sites, but lower annual rainfall amounts (i.e., aridity) increased flood magnitude and decreased flood duration. Across all sites, flood duration was positively related to the time it took for invertebrate communities to return to a long-term baseline and flood magnitude drove larger invertebrate community responses (i.e., changes in diversity and total abundance). However, invertebrate response per unit flood magnitude was lower in sub-humid sites, potentially because of differences in refuge availability or ecological-evolutionary interactions. Interestingly, sub-humid streams had temporary large peaks in invertebrate total abundance and diversity following recovery period that may be indicative of the larger organic matter pulses expected in these systems because of their comparatively well-developed riparian vegetation. Our findings show that hydrology and long-term precipitation regime predictably affected invertebrate community responses and, thus, our work underscores the important influence of local climate to ecosystem sensitivity to disturbances.</p>
Data from: Shooting area of infrared camera traps affects recorded taxonomic richness and abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrates
<p>Ground-dwelling invertebrates are vital for soil biodiversity and function maintenance. Contemporary biodiversity assessment necessitates novel and automatic monitoring methods because of the threat of sharp reductions in soil biodiversity in farmlands worldwide. Using infrared camera traps (ICTs) is an effective method for assessing richness and abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrates. However, the influence that the shooting area of ICTs has on the diversity of ground-dwelling invertebrates has not been strongly considered during survey design. In this study, data from 6 ICTs with two shooting areas (A1, 38.48 cm<sup>2</sup>; A2, 400 cm<sup>2</sup>) were used to investigate ground-dwelling invertebrates in a farm in a city on the Eastern Coast of China from 20:00 on July 31 to 00:00 on September 29, 2022. Over the course of 59 days and 1,420 h, invertebrates within 9 taxa, 2,447 individuals, and 112,909 ind./m<sup>2</sup> were observed from 222,912 images. Our results show that ICTs with relatively large shooting areas recorded relatively high taxonomic richness and abundance of total ground-dwelling invertebrates, relatively high abundance of the dominant taxon, and relatively high daily and hourly abundance of most taxa. The shooting areas of ICTs significantly affected the recorded taxonomic richness and abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrates throughout the experimental period and at fine temporal resolutions. Overall, these results suggest that the shooting areas of ICTs should be considered when designing experiments, and ICTs with relatively large shooting areas are more favorable for monitoring the diversity of ground-dwelling invertebrates. This study further provides an automatic tool and high-quality data for biodiversity monitoring and protection in farmlands.</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.