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135 results for “invasion ecology”
Data from: Mismatches between the resources for adult herbivores and their offspring suggest invasive Spartina alterniflora is an ecological trap
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Even obligate symbioses show signs of ecological contingency: impacts of symbiosis for an invasive stinkbug are mediated by host plant context
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Datafile - In situ adaptation and ecological release facilitate the occupied niche expansion of an invasive Madagascan day gecko in Florida
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Density dependence mediates the ecological impact of an invasive fish
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Supplementary material 1 from: Dickey JWE, Cuthbert RN, South J, Britton JR, Caffrey J, Chang X, Crane K, Coughlan NE, Fadaei E, Farnsworth KD, Ismar-Rebitz SMH, Joyce PWS, Julius M, Laverty C, Lucy FE, MacIsaac HJ, McCard M, McGlade CLO, Reid N, Ricciardi A, Wasserman RJ, Weyl OLF, Dick JTA (2020) On the RIP: using Relative Impact Potential to assess the ecological impacts of invasive alien species. NeoBiota 55: 27-60. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.55.49547
Table S1. Outline of different numerical response proxies available, guidance for their use and the advantages and disadvantages of each
Palma et al 2021 Plant functional traits reflect different dimensions of species invasiveness. Ecology. DATASET
<p>Dataset used in publication <em>Palma et al 2021 Plant functional traits reflect different dimensions of species invasiveness. Ecology.</em> It includes:</p> <p>(1) records of Vegetative height and Specific leaf area for 82 exotic species measured in to Victoria, Australia. The location where the plant samples were collected is also described. See tab 'Trait_field_collection'.</p> <p>(2) traits and other variables collected from the literature, including Seed mass, Longevity, Reproduction type, Seed morphology, Dispersion vector, Likely introduction pathway, Management. See tab 'Traits_literature'.</p> <p> </p>
Field-based ecological studies to assess prospective biological control agents for invasive alien plants: an example from giant rat's tail grass
<p>1. Biological control (biocontrol) of invasive alien plants is a widely utilised weed management tool. Prospective biocontrol agents are typically assessed through host-specificity testing and pre-release efficacy studies performed in quarantine. However, rearing of the potential biocontrol agents and/or test plants is often difficult or impossible under quarantine conditions. Moreover, practitioners may attain laboratory-artefacts in quarantine, which may result in the potential agent being needlessly rejected. Field-based studies in the weed's indigenous distribution could overcome these issues.</p> <p>2. Sporobolus pyramidalis and Sporobolus natalensis (giant rat's tail grass; Poaceae) are indigenous in Africa but have become problematic invasive alien plants in Australia. A previous biocontrol programme was terminated because the candidate agent could not be reared and tested in quarantine. We performed field-based host-specificity and efficacy studies for prospective biocontrol agents in South Africa (indigenous distribution). Forty-seven non-target grass species were sampled during host-specificity assessments. Candidate agent efficacy was estimated based on damage to the target weeds, for each host-specific candidate individually and in combination with other host-specific candidates.</p> <p>3. Three species of endophagous wasps were deemed host-specific. Efficacy assessments identified an undescribed stem-boring wasp (Tetramesa sp.) species as the most damaging candidate. A second Tetramesa species was much less damaging alone but had a cumulative impact on the plant in combination with the more damaging Tetramesa species. Both Tetramesa species are recommended for importation into quarantine in Australia for confirmatory host-specificity testing with a significantly reduced test plant list.</p> <p>4. Synthesis and applications: Similar field-based assessments in the indigenous distribution of weeds targeted for biocontrol could be included in future programmes. Where rearing of potential agents and/or test plants is difficult or impossible under quarantine conditions, our field-based method provides an alternative. Where quarantine-based testing is feasible, this method ensures that only candidates that have passed an ecologically realistic host-specificity and potential efficacy screening are imported into quarantine. This may reduce the number of agents that are imported and the length of time each agent is kept in quarantine. This is advantageous because quarantine space is highly valuable and is usually a limiting factor in pre-release assessments of biocontrol agents.</p>
Data from: Finding the best management policy to eradicate invasive species from spatial ecological networks with simultaneous actions
1. Spatial management of invasive species is more likely to be successful when multiple locations are treated simultaneously. However, selecting the best locations to act is difficult due to the many options available at any time. 2. We design a near-optimal policy for applying multiple actions simultaneously for faster invasive species control within a network. Our method uses a recent optimisation tool, the Graph-based Markov decision process (GMDP). Since the policy can be difficult to interpret, we extracted a simpler policy using classification trees. We applied our approach to the eradication of invasive mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) from the habitat of the red-finned blue-eye (Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis), a critically endangered fish with a global population that is restricted to seven artesian springs in Queensland, Australia. 3. The policy returned by the GMDP was to manage springs occupied by mosquitofish and their connected neighbours, unless the neighbours were occupied by red-finned blue-eyes. 4. Simultaneous management resulted in rapid declines in simulated mosquitofish occupancy even if eradication effectiveness was low; however the cost of simultaneous eradication was high and sustained eradication effort was necessary to maintain low mosquitofish occupancy. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our paper finds a near-optimal, multi-action control policy to remove an invasive species from a multi-species spatial network. We introduce the Graph-based Markov decision process (GMDP) and apply it to a real case study – eradication of invasive mosquitofish from the habitat of the red-finned blue-eye. We find that the GMDP can generate policies for networks with extremely large state spaces, however it works best when nodes have fewer than five neighbours. We conclude that simultaneous eradications are effective for rapid control of invasive species; however, managers should consider the cost and time required for an effective eradication program.
Data from: Causes and consequences of failed adaptation to biological invasions: the role of ecological constraints
Biological invasions are a major challenge to native communities and have the potential to exert strong selection on native populations. As a result, native taxa may adapt to the presence of invaders through increased competitive ability, increased antipredator defences or altered morphologies that may limit encounters with toxic prey. Yet, in some cases, species may fail to adapt to biological invasions. Many challenges to adaptation arise because biological invasions occur in complex species-rich communities in spatially and temporally variable environments. Here, we review these 'ecological' constraints on adaptation, focusing on the complications that arise from the need to simultaneously adapt to multiple biotic agents and from temporal and spatial variation in both selection and demography. Throughout, we illustrate cases where these constraints might be especially important in native populations faced with biological invasions. Our goal was to highlight additional complexities empiricists should consider when studying adaptation to biological invasions and to begin to identify conditions when adaptation may fail to be an effective response to invasion.
Data from: De novo assembly of the transcriptome of an invasive snail and its multiple ecological applications
Studying how invasive species respond to environmental stress at the molecular level can help us assess their impact and predict their range expansion. Development of markers of genetic polymorphism can help us reconstruct their invasive route. However, to conduct such studies requires the presence of substantial amount of genomic resources. This study aimed to generate and characterize genomic resources using high throughput transcriptome sequencing for Pomacea canaliculata, a non-model gastropod indigenous to Argentina that has invaded Asia, Hawaii and southern United States. De novo assembly of the transcriptome resulted in 128,436 unigenes with an average length of 419 bp (range: 150 to 8,556 bp). Many of the unigenes (2,439) contained transposable elements, showing the existence of a source of genetic variability in response to stressful conditions. A total of 3,196 microsatellites were detected in the transcriptome; among 20 of the randomly tested microsatellites, 10 were validated to exhibit polymorphism. A total of 15,412 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the ORFs. LC-MS/MS analysis of the proteome of juveniles revealed 878 proteins, of which many are stress-related. This study has demonstrated the great potential of high throughput DNA sequencing for rapid development of genomic resources for a non-model organism. Such resources can facilitate various molecular ecological studies, such as stress physiology and range expansion.
Data from: Molecular ecology of the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis): non-invasive sampling yields insights into local population dynamics
Non-invasive genetic analysis has been frequently employed to estimate ecological and population parameters for many secretive and/or threatened species. However, Neotropical carnivores have so far been scarcely targeted by such studies. The Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) is a poorly-known species for which local levels of genetic diversity and demographic parameters are virtually absent. We employed non-invasive sampling and amplification of microsatellite loci to investigate population size and density, spatial organization, and relatedness of a wild Neotropical otter population in an Atlantic forest area in southern Brazil. We directly identified 28 individuals and estimate a rather high population density at the study site. Spatial organization analysis indicated that male cumulative displacement was higher than that of females, with the latter sex showing evidence of philopatric behaviour. Also, the reconstruction of genealogical relationships suggests that spatial organization in this otter appears to be influenced by relatedness. By allowing the testing of specific hypothesis targeting these issues, our results provided important glimpses into the Neotropical otter's population biology. Moreover, the findings of the present study reaffirm the power of non-invasive genetics to investigate the biology of this elusive species, and open up new avenues for ecological and demographic studies of other Neotropical carnivores.
Data from: Parallels between two geographically and ecologically disparate cave invasions by the same species, Asellus aquaticus (Isopoda, Crustacea)
Caves are long-known examples of evolutionary replications where similar morphologies (troglomorphies) evolve independently as the result of strong natural selection of the extreme environment. Recently, this paradigm has been challenged based on observations that troglomorphies are inconsistent across taxa and different subterranean habitats. We investigated the degree of replicated phenotypic change in two independent cave invasions by the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus; the first in a sulphidic aquifer in Romania, the second in a sinking river in the Dinaric Karst in Slovenia. Both ancestral surface populations still live alongside the subterranean ones. Phylogenetic analyses show independence of the two colonization events, and microsatellite analysis shows no evidence of ongoing genetic exchange between surface and subterranean ecomorphs. The overall morphology has changed dramatically at both sites (50 of 62 morphometric traits). The amount of phenotypic change did not reflect differences in genetic diversity between the two ancestral populations. Multivariate analyses revealed divergent evolution in caves, not parallel or convergent as predicted by the current paradigm. Still, 18 traits changed in a parallel fashion, including eye and pigment loss and antennal elongation. These changes might be a consequence of darkness as the only common ecological feature, because Romanian caves are chemoautotrophic and rich in food, whereas Slovenian caves are not. Overall, these results show that morphologically alike surface populations can diverge after invading different subterranean habitats, and that only about one-third of all changing traits behave as troglomorphies in the traditional sense.
Data from: Ecological immunization: In situ training of free-ranging predatory lizards reduces their vulnerability to invasive toxic prey
In Australia, large native predators are fatally poisoned when they ingest invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina). As a result, the spread of cane toads has caused catastrophic population declines in these predators. Immediately prior to the arrival of toads at a floodplain in the Kimberley region, we induced conditioned taste aversion in free-ranging varanid lizards (Varanus panoptes), by offering them small cane toads. By the end of the 18-month study, only one of 31 untrained lizards had survived longer than 110 days, compared to more than half (nine of 16) of trained lizards; the maximum known survival of a trained lizard in the presence of toads was 482 days. In situ aversion training (releasing small toads in advance of the main invasion front) offers a logistically simple and feasible way to buffer the impact of invasive toads on apex predators.
Data from: The ecological implications of rubber-based agroforest: insect conservation and invasion control
<p>1. Protected areas are increasingly threatened by biological invasions, especially in Tropical Asia where extensive areas of natural habitats have been converted to monoculture plantations. Such disturbance provides a gateway for exotic species invasions, highlighting an urgent need for cross-boundary solutions to mitigate invasion impacts. 2. Agroforests, with multi-storied trees and crops resembling the complex structure of natural forest, are well-known to promote native species compared to monoculture plantations. Yet our knowledge on their roles in controlling exotic species is limited to plant invaders, with effects on animal invaders still unknown. Given that protected areas are increasingly threatened by invaders from surrounding plantations, with a majority of them represented by insects, it is important to evaluate the effect of agroforestry practice, and mechanisms of associated management to control invasions. 3. By using both taxonomic and functional trait-based approaches, we studied leaf litter ant communities in 12 rubber monoculture (mono-rubber), 9 rubber plantation with understory crops (agro-rubber), 16 secondary, and 12 old-growth secondary forest plots in and around protected areas in Hainan, China. Sampled ants were further classified into groups based on their invasive potential (tramp vs non-tramp) to determine the ecological values of agro-rubber. 4. We found that despite mono-rubber and agro-rubber presenting similar species richness, the latter 1) supports species composition and functional diversity more similar to secondary forests, and 2) reduces tramp ant species occurrence, a novel management incentive. Nonetheless, agro-rubber is not comparable to secondary forest in terms of non-tramp ant species composition. 5. Synthesis and applications. If it is not feasible to preserve natural forests in human-dominated landscapes against the growing threat of biological invasion, proactive mitigation through increasing the area of agro-rubber at the periphery of protected areas can reduce invasive species' establishment and spread. Plantation-based agroforestry has emerged as a potential management avenue and incentive for transforming monoculture plantations into a less "harmful" alternative.</p>
Data from: Invasion of two tick-borne diseases across New England: harnessing human surveillance data to capture underlying ecological invasion processes
Modelling the spatial spread of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens maintained in enzootic transmission cycles remains a major challenge. The best available spatio-temporal data on pathogen spread often take the form of human disease surveillance data. By applying a classic ecological approach—occupancy modelling—to an epidemiological question of disease spread, we used surveillance data to examine the latent ecological invasion of tick-borne pathogens. Over the last half-century, previously undescribed tick-borne pathogens including the agents of Lyme disease and human babesiosis have rapidly spread across the northeast United States. Despite their epidemiological importance, the mechanisms of tick-borne pathogen invasion and drivers underlying the distinct invasion trajectories of the co-vectored pathogens remain unresolved. Our approach allowed us to estimate the unobserved ecological processes underlying pathogen spread while accounting for imperfect detection of human cases. Our model predicts that tick-borne diseases spread in a diffusion-like manner with occasional long-distance dispersal and that babesiosis spread exhibits strong dependence on Lyme disease.
Data from: Population genomics of Sitka black-tailed deer supports invasive species management and ecological restoration on islands
<p>Invasive mammals represent a critical threat to island biodiversity; eradications can result in ecological restoration yet may fail in the absence of key population parameters. Over-browsing by invasive Sitka black-tailed deer (<em>Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis</em>) is causing severe ecological and cultural impacts across the Haida Gwaii archipelago (Canada). Previous eradication attempts demonstrate forest regeneration upon deer removal, but reinvasion reverses conservation gains. Here we use restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (12,947 SNPs) to investigate connectivity and gene flow of invasive deer (n=181) across 15 islands, revealing little structure throughout Haida Gwaii and identifying the large, central island of Moresby (>2,600 km2) as the greatest source of migrants. As a result, the archipelago itself should be considered the primary eradication unit, with the exception of geographically isolated islands like SGang Gwaay. Thus, limiting eradications to isolated islands combined with controlled culling and enhanced biosecurity may be the most effective strategies for achieving ecological restoration goals.</p>
Supplementary material 2 from: Dickey JWE, Cuthbert RN, Rea M, Laverty C, Crane K, South J, Briski E, Chang X, Coughlan NE, MacIsaac HJ, Ricciardi A, Riddell GE, Xu M, Dick JTA (2018) Assessing the relative potential ecological impacts and invasion risks of emerging and future invasive alien species. NeoBiota 40: 1-24. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.40.28519
Table S2. Summary of the GB online survey outlining which of the four species of turtle was being sold :
Data from: Genotyping-in-Thousands by sequencing (GT-seq) panel development and application to minimally-invasive DNA samples to support studies in molecular ecology
Minimally-invasive sampling (MIS) is widespread in wildlife studies; however, its utility for massively parallel DNA sequencing (MPS) is limited. Poor sample quality and contamination by exogenous DNA can make MIS challenging to use with modern genotyping-by-sequencing approaches, which have been traditionally developed for high-quality DNA sources. Given that MIS is often more appropriate in many contexts, there is a need to make such samples practical for harnessing MPS. Here, we test the ability for Genotyping-in-Thousands by sequencing (GT-seq), a multiplex amplicon sequencing approach, to effectively genotype minimally-invasive cloacal DNA samples collected from the Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus), a threatened species in British Columbia, Canada. As there was no previous genetic information for this species, an optimized panel of 362 SNPs was selected for use with GT-seq from a de novo restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) assembly. Comparisons of genotypes generated within and among RADseq and GT-seq for the same individuals found low rates of genotyping error (GT-seq: 0.50%; RADseq: 0.80%) and discordance (2.57%), the latter likely due to the different genotype calling models employed. GT-seq mean genotype discordance between blood and cloacal swab samples collected from the same individuals was also minimal (1.37%). Estimates of population diversity parameters were similar across GT-seq and RADseq datasets, as were inferred patterns of population structure. Overall, GT-seq can be effectively applied to low quality DNA samples, minimizing the inefficiencies presented by exogenous DNA typically found in minimally-invasive samples and continuing the expansion of molecular ecology and conservation genetics in the genomics era.
Figure 1 in New ecological insight on two invasive species: Craspedacusta sowerbii (Coelenterata: Limnomedusae) and Dreissenia polymorpha (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae)
Figure 1. Research area: sampling points are presented with numbers: 1, metal barrels; 2, twigs; 3, 8 m depth; 4, 16 m depth.
Figure 2 in New ecological insight on two invasive species: Craspedacusta sowerbii (Coelenterata: Limnomedusae) and Dreissenia polymorpha (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae)
Figure 2. Scheme of polyps of Craspedacusta and brown hydra with placement on the shell of Dreissena polymorpha.
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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.