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FIGURE 3 in A trilobite cluster from the Silurian Rochester Shale of New York: predation patterns and possible defensive behavior

FIGURE 3. Specimens of Arctinurus boltoni with injuries to the pygidium, under plain and UV light (with brighter areas indicating parts of reconstructed exoskeleton). Arrows point to injuries described in the text. Scale bar = 1 mm. A–B, AMNH-FI-101521. C–D, AMNH-FI-101527.

FIGURE 2 in A trilobite cluster from the Silurian Rochester Shale of New York: predation patterns and possible defensive behavior

FIGURE 2. Diagram of 12 landmarks selected to describe the overall shape of the exoskeleton of Arctinurus boltoni.

FIGURE 7 in A trilobite cluster from the Silurian Rochester Shale of New York: predation patterns and possible defensive behavior

FIGURE 7. Principal components analysis of landmark data, with 49.5% variance in the data explained by the first two PCs (PC1=29.7%, PC2=19.8%). PC1 describes the variation in the intersection of the occipital furrow and anterior-posterior axis and junction points between posterior margin of the 11th tergite. PC2 mostly describes variation in cephalic width.

FIGURE 6 in A trilobite cluster from the Silurian Rochester Shale of New York: predation patterns and possible defensive behavior

FIGURE 6. Arctinurus boltoni specimen AMNH-FI-101520 with injuries to the thorax and pygidium, under A, plain and B, UV light. Arrows point to injuries described in the text. Scale bar = 1 mm.

opencc-by-4.0Feb 2024View details →

Insecticide resistance triggers a reduction of virulence to host-plant defenses in the brown planthopper

This dataset contains R scripts to analyze the virulence of resistance rice cultivars and to draw figures. Data contains the LD50 values of imidacloprid, virulence test and figure data. This study was supported by grants-in-aid from Japan's National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) project 315 and the NARO Innovation Project 2017 for the NARO.

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2023View details →

Arthropod food webs predicted from body length ratios are improved by incorporating prey defensive properties

This dataset was used to run for Van de Walle et al. (2023). Arthropod food webs predicted from body length ratios are improved by incorporating prey defensive properties. Journal of Animal Ecology, 92(4), 913-924. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13905">https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13905</a> "Arthropod_feeding_trials.csv" contains the results of the experimental feeding trials. Each row contains information on species taxonomy, body size and hunting strategy within a single trial. Abstract Trophic interactions are often deduced from body size differences between predators and potential prey, assuming predators prefer prey smaller than themselves because larger prey are more difficult to subdue. This hypothesis has mainly been confirmed in aquatic ecosystems, but rarely in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in arthropods. Our goal was to validate whether body size ratios can accurately predict trophic interactions in a terrestrial, plant-associated arthropod community. Additionally, we tested whether predator hunting strategy and prey taxonomy could explain possible deviations from this general rule. We collected arthropods from marram grass in coastal dunes and conducted pairwise feeding trials to explicitly test whether two individuals, of the same or different species, would predate each other. From the trial results, we constructed one of the most complete, empirically derived food webs for terrestrial arthropods associated with a single plant species. We contrasted this empirical food web with a theoretical web based on body size ratios, literature and expert knowledge. In our feeding trials, predator-prey interactions were indeed largely size-based. Moreover, the theoretical food web based on body size, activity period, microhabitat and expert knowledge converged quite well with the food web based on experimental feeding trials for both predator and prey species. However, predator hunting strategy, but mainly prey taxonomy improved predictions of predation events. Well-defended taxa, such as hard-bodied beetles, were less frequently consumed than expected based on their body size. Body size ratios predict trophic interactions among plant-associated arthropods fairly well. However, traits such as hunting strategy and anti-predator defences can explain why certain trophic interactions do not adhere to size-based rules. Feeding trials can generate insights into multiple traits underlying real-life trophic interactions among arthropods. Such insights are much needed as the dramatic global decline in arthropod species richness and abundance is knocking out many trophic interactions on which services such as pest control and nutrient cycling depend.

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

Data from: Landscape variation in defense traits along gradients of multiple resources in a tropical savanna plant

Many plant species are widely distributed and consequently are exposed to multiple abiotic factors and diverse herbivores, each of which may distinctly affect the magnitude of different defense traits. Alternative theories for optimal allocation to plant defense traits predict both positive and negative associations between magnitude of defense and resource availability. These predictions may apply even within species. This suggests potential for a single species' patterns of association of defense traits and resources to vary with both the type of defense and identity of resource, but relatively few studies have explored intraspecific variation in multiple defense traits along several resource gradients simultaneously. In order to address this gap, especially in an ecosystem dominated by large mammalian herbivores, we assessed relationships between multiple resources (rainfall, soil N, and soil P) and plant defense traits (prickle density, phenolics, and lignin content) using a widely distributed tropical savanna herb, Solanum incanum, growing in naturally occurring resource gradients within the Serengeti National Park. We found substantial intraspecific variation in all three defense traits across sites (n =43). Variation in prickle density was positively associated with rainfall and soil P, but not soil N. In contrast to prickle density, phenolics and lignin were uncorrelated with all three resource gradients. This independent association of soil P with a carbon-based defense, prickle density, suggests potential for resources that are not components of defenses to influence allocation to defense traits. Such influence may reflect association between resource and herbivore abundance and/or preference. These varied patterns in resource-defense associations further emphasize the tremendous variation in anti-herbivore traits which may be influenced by different plant resources and highlight the need to consider multiple resource gradients in understanding evolution of plant traits.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2022View details →

Supplement: Extensive diversity and rapid turnover of phage defense repertoires in cheese-associated bacterial communities

Background Phages are key drivers of genomic diversity in bacterial populations as they impose strong selective pressure on the evolution of bacterial defense mechanisms across closely related strains. The pan-immunity model suggests that such diversity is maintained because the effective immune system of a bacterial species is the one distributed across all strains present in the community. However, only few studies have analyzed the distribution of bacterial defense systems at the community-level, mostly focusing on CRISPR and comparing samples from complex environments. Here, we studied 2778 bacterial genomes and 188 metagenomes from cheese-associated communities, which are dominated by a few bacterial taxa and occur in relatively stable environments. Results We corroborate previous laboratory findings that in cheese-associated communities nearly identical strains contain diverse and highly variable arsenals of innate and adaptive (i.e., CRISPR-Cas) immunity systems suggesting rapid turnover. CRISPR spacer abundance correlated with the abundance of matching target sequences across the metagenomes providing evidence that the identified defense repertoires are functional and under selection. While these characteristics align with the pan-immunity model, the detected CRISPR spacers only covered a subset of the phages previously identified in cheese, providing evidence that CRISPR does not enable complete immunity against all phages, and that the innate immune mechanisms may have complementary roles. Conclusions Our findings show that the evolution of bacterial defense mechanisms is a highly dynamic process and highlight that experimentally tractable, low complexity communities such as those found in cheese, can help to understand ecological and molecular processes underlying phage-defense system relationships. These findings can have implications for the design of robust synthetic communities used in biotechnology and the food industry.

opencc-zeroJun 2023View details →

Data from: Predator response to the coloured eyespots and defensive posture of Colombian four-eyed frogs

Deimatic displays, where sudden changes in prey appearance elicit aversive predator reactions, have been suggested to occur in many taxa. These (often only putative) displays frequently involve different components that may also serve antipredator functions via other mechanisms (e.g. mimicry, warning signalling, body inflation). The Colombian four-eyed frog, Pleurodema brachyops, has been suggested to gain protection against predation through putative deimatic displays where they inflate and elevate the posterior part of their body revealing eye-like colour markings. We exposed stationary artificial frogs to wild predators to test whether the two components (eyespot/colour markings, defensive posture) of their putative deimatic display, and their combination, provide protection from predation without the sudden change in appearance. We did not detect any obvious additive effect of defensive posture and eyespots/colour markings on predation risk but found a marginally-significant trend for model frogs in the resting posture to be less attacked when displaying eyespots/colour markings than when they were not, suggesting that the presence of colour markings/eyespots may provide some protection on its own. Additionally, we found that models in a resting posture were overall more frequently attacked on the head than models in a defensive posture, indicating that a defensive posture alone could help redirect predator attacks to non-vital parts of the body. The trends found in our study suggest that the different components of P. brachyops' coloration may serve different functions during a deimatic display, but further research is needed to elucidate the role of each component when accompanied by sudden prey movement.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2023View details →

Root mutualistic fungi tailor the induction of direct and indirect antiherbivore defense strategies to enhance plant resistance

GCMS raw data in netCDF format for the manuscript "Root mutualistic fungi tailor the induction of direct and indirect antiherbivore defense strategies to enhance plant resistance"   Mutualistic microbes can trigger plant defenses against herbivores. Little is known about how microbes orchestrate multiple induced defense strategies that may trade-off against each other. We investigated how two root mutualistic fungi trigger simultaneously direct and indirect antiherbivore-defenses, and the regulatory mechanisms involved

opencc-zeroJul 2023View details →

Evolutionary signatures of a trade-off in direct and indirect defenses across the wild grape genus Vitis

Evolutionary correlations between chemical defense and protection by mutualist bodyguards have been long predicted, but tests of these patterns remain rare. We use a phylogenetic framework to test for evolutionary correlations indicative of trade-offs or synergisms between direct defense in the form of plant secondary metabolism, and indirect defense in the form of leaf domatia, across 33 species in the wild grape genus, Vitis. We also performed a bioassay with a generalist herbivore to associate our chemical phenotypes with herbivore palatability. Finally, we tested whether defensive traits correlate with the average abiotic characteristics of each species' contemporary range and whether these correlations were consistent with plant defense theory. We found a negative evolutionary correlation between domatia size and the diversity of secondary metabolites in Vitis leaf tissue across the genus, and also that leaves with a higher diversity and richness of secondary metabolites were less palatable to a generalist herbivore, consistent with a trade-off in chemical and mutualistic defense investment. Predictions from plant defense theory were not supported by associations between investment in defense phenotypes and abiotic variables. Our work demonstrates an evolutionary pattern indicative of a trade-off between indirect and direct defense strategies across the Vitis genus.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2022View details →

Figure 1 in Inter-group conflicts involving adult female and male bearded capuchins, Sapajus libidinosus (Primates: Cebidae), in the context of provisioned resources: resource defense or sexual selection?

Figure 1. The study site is an isolated fragment of forest, surrounded by an urban matrix: Bosque Bougainville in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. Source: ArcGIS Data and Maps©.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2023View details →

Molecular, biochemical and metabolomics analyses reveal constitutive and pathogen-induced defense responses of two sugarcane contrasting genotypes against leaf scald disease

Leaf scald caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas albilineans is one of the major concerns to sugarcane production. To breed for resistance, mechanisms underlying plant-pathogen interaction need deeper investigations. Herein, we evaluated sugarcane defense responses against X. albilineans using molecular and biochemical approaches to assess pathogen-triggered ROS, phytohormones and metabolomics in two contrasting sugarcane genotypes from 0.5-144 h post-inoculation (hpi). In addition, the infection process was monitored using TaqMan-based quantification of X. albilineans and the disease symptoms were evaluated in both genotypes after 15 d post-inoculation (dpi) The susceptible genotype presented a response to the infection at 0.5 hpi, accumulating defense-related metabolites such as phenolics and flavonoids with no significant defense responses thereafter, resulting in typical symptoms of leaf scald at 15 dpi. The resistant genotype did not respond to the infection at 0.5 hpi but constitutively presented higher levels of salicylic acid and of the same metabolites induced by the infection in the susceptible genotype. Moreover, two subsequent pathogen-induced metabolic responses at 12 and 144 hpi were observed only in the resistant genotype in terms of amino acids, quinic acids, coumarins, polyamines, flavonoids, phenolics and phenylpropanoids together with an increase of hydrogen peroxide, ROS-related genes expression, indole-3-acetic-acid and salicylic acid. Multilevel approaches revealed that constitutive chemical composition and metabolic reprogramming hampers the development of leaf scald at 48 and 72 hpi, reducing the disease symptoms in the resistant genotype at 15 dpi. Phenylpropanoid pathway is suggested as a strong candidate marker for breeding sugarcane resistant to leaf scald.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2017View details →

Fig. 2 in Notes on the defensive behavior and activity of Ablepharus kitaibelii (Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833) in Bulgaria

Fig. 2. Spirally wound adult individual of A. kitaibelii from "Sinite Kamani" area, Sliven town. Photography: A. Dyugmedzhiev.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2017View details →

Fig. 1. Juvenile A in Notes on the defensive behavior and activity of Ablepharus kitaibelii (Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833) in Bulgaria

Fig. 1. Juvenile A. kitaibelii from Pancharevo, Sofia with orange-reddish tail. Photography: N. Tzankov.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

Data from: Home is where the high-quality resources are: nursery characteristics and territory distribution suggest reproductive resource defense in golden rocket frogs

For externally fertilizing animals, the early stages of development are often the most precarious. In the face of multiple abiotic and biotic stressors, parents must assess and select rearing sites that maximize the probability of offspring survival. This is particularly true for Neotropical poison frogs, many of which transport tadpoles to small pools of water called phytotelmata that serve as larval-rearing sites. In these systems, pool choice can have a large effect on offspring growth and survival. Here, we studied the golden rocket frog (Anomaloglossus beebei, Aromobatidae), a territorial phytotelm-breeding frog that lives exclusively in giant tank bromeliads (Brocchinia micrantha), to examine phytotelm selection and reproductive resource defense. We first quantified the characteristics of phytotelmata and found that tadpoles were more likely to occur in pools with low levels of mucilage and in leaves at intermediate heights on the plant. We additionally found that low mucilage pools have significantly clearer water, have higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen, and are exposed to lower levels of photosynthetically active radiation. We then mapped the spatial distribution of pools with low levels of mucilage in relation to male territories and found that these "clear" pools are (1) more likely to be within male territories than outside of them, and (2) territory centroids are closer to clear pools than are random locations. Overall, our results show that male golden rocket frogs defend territories that include preferred tadpole deposition sites, suggesting a direct relationship between high-quality reproductive resources and territory defense.

Figure 4 in Natural noise affects conspecific signal detection and territorial defense behaviors in songbirds

Figure 4 Spotted towhee predictors from the AICc top model for PC1approach (a), PC2fly (b), and PC3song (c). (a) Towhees approach more slowly and maintain a greater distance from the speaker as sound level increases. Shading represents 95% CI and rug plot denotes sound level of individual trials. California spotted towhees fly more frequently on control trials (b) and display a weaker song response during treatment-off trials (c) than on all other trials, within and among populations (see [a] for color legend). (b–c) Violins denote kernel density probabilities differentiated by trial type (x axis) and population (color), with means (±1 SE) connected by dotted line; boxplots denote median and quartiles, and whiskers show 1.5 times the interquartile range; points represent individual trials; and asterisks denote significant contrasts corresponding to 95% CIs (see Supplementary Appendix Table A3 for values). Data displayed as untransformed components.

Figure 2 in Natural noise affects conspecific signal detection and territorial defense behaviors in songbirds

Figure 2 Site design schematic of Idaho and California study areas. Tripods represent loudspeaker setups. aAny trial with chorusing cicadas was counted as cicada treatment, regardless of the trial type (treatment-on, treatment-off, control). bControl sites had the same layout as treatment sites, but with mock loudspeaker setups. cWe excluded cicada trials from analysis for spotted towhees due to low sample size.

Figure 3 in Natural noise affects conspecific signal detection and territorial defense behaviors in songbirds

Figure 3 Lazuli bunting predictors from the AICc top model for PC1fly (a) and PC3approach (b) response variables. (a) Buntings fly more as sound level increases in the presence of cicada noise (dashed line) and fly less as sound level increases in the absence of cicada noise (solid line). Rug plot indicates sound level for individual trials differentiated by presence/absence of cicadas (see [b] for color legend). (b) As sound level increases, buntings approach the conspecific speaker more slowly and maintain a greater distance from it. (a & b) Shaded bands denote 95% CIs. Data displayed as untransformed components.

Figure 1 in Natural noise affects conspecific signal detection and territorial defense behaviors in songbirds

Figure 1 Spectrograms (a) of spotted towhee song (left) and lazuli bunting song (right) in quiet control conditions. (b) Power spectra of the three treatments are overlayed with bunting and towhee song power spectra. Power spectra are normalized to a relative peak amplitude of 70 dB (re 1 dimensionless sample units). Treatment noise and song spectra overlap substantially, suggesting high masking potential.