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4,753 results for “SHAPE”
Data from: A heritable symbiont and host-associated factors shape fungal endophyte communities across spatial scales
1. Although microbial ecologists are intensely interested in the processes governing microbial community assembly, progress has been limited by a lack of studies that span multiple geographical scales and levels of biological organization. 2. We used high throughput sequencing to characterize foliar fungal endophyte communities and host plant genetic structure both within, and among, 24 populations of spotted locoweed (Astragalus lentiginosus) across the Great Basin Desert. 3. Across the Great Basin, both within, and among populations of the host plant, fungal endophyte richness was predicted by plant size and variation in the seed-borne, heritable fungus, Alternaria fulva, which produces the bioactive alkaloid swainsonine. 4. The degree of between-plant turnover in the endophyte community was inversely related to host plant inbreeding and average plant size, and positively related to the relative abundance of A. fulva. Plant size was inversely related to endophyte community richness, both among, and within populations. The genetic and physical distance between host populations was not predictive of differences in fungal community structure. 5. Synthesis: Through pairing intensive local- and regional sampling, we uncovered a primacy of deterministic forces imposed by a heritable symbiont on the community structure of locoweed endophytes.
Data from: Developmental constraints and resource environment shape early emergence and investment in spines in saplings
Abstract <p> Background and Aims </p><p>Herbivory by large mammals imposes a critical recruitment bottleneck on plants in many systems. Spines defend plants against large herbivores and how early they emerge in saplings may be one of the strongest predictors of sapling survival in herbivore-rich environments. Yet little effort has been directed at understanding the variability in spine emergence across saplings.</p> Methods <p>We present a multi-species study examining whether and how sapling size,spine type and species' environmental niche (light and precipitation environment) influence early emergence and biomass investment in spines. A phylogenetically diverse pool of 45 species possessing different spine types (spines, prickles and thorns; that are derived from distinct plant organs: leaf, epidermis or cortex, and branch, respectively), were grown under common garden conditions, and patterns of spine emergence and biomass allocation to spines at 5 and 15 weeks after transplanting were characterized.</p> Key Results <p>Spine type and species' resource niche were the main factors driving early emergence and investment patterns. Spines emerged earliest in leaf spine-bearing species, and latest in thorn-bearing species. The probability of early spine emergence increased with decreasing precipitation, and was greater in species from open than closed habitats. Sapling investment in spines changed with plant mass but was contingent on spine type and habitat type.</p> Conclusions <p>Different spine types have strikingly different timing of expression, suggesting that developmental origins of spines play a critical role in sapling defences. Furthermore, species from different precipitation and light environments (open vs. closed habitats) showed contrasting patterns of early spine expression suggesting that resource limitation in their native range may have driven divergent evolution of early defence expression.</p> <p></p>
Data from: Behavioral syndromes shape evolutionary trajectories via conserved genetic architecture
Behaviors are often correlated within broader syndromes, creating the potential for evolution in one behavior to drive evolutionary changes in other behaviors. Despite demonstrations that behavioral syndromes are common, this potential for evolutionary effects has not been demonstrated. Here we show that populations of field crickets (Gryllus integer) exhibit a genetically conserved behavioral syndrome structure, despite differences in average behaviors. We found that the distribution of genetic variation and genetic covariance among behavioral traits was consistent with genes and cellular mechanisms underpinning behavioral syndromes rather than correlated selection. Moreover, divergence among populations' average behaviors was constrained by the genetically conserved behavioral syndrome. Our results demonstrate that a conserved genetic architecture linking behaviors has shaped the evolutionary trajectories of populations in disparate environments—illustrating an important way for behavioral syndromes to result in shared evolutionary fates.
Egg-induced changes to sperm phenotypes shape patterns of multivariate selection on ejaculates
<p class="MsoPlainText">Ejaculates exhibit extraordinary phenotypic diversity and rapid rates of evolution, yet the adaptive value of most sperm traits remains equivocal. Recent findings suggest that to understand how selection targets ejaculates we must recognize that female-imposed physiological conditions often alter ejaculate phenotypes. These phenotypic changes to ejaculates may influence the relationships among sperm traits and their association with fitness. Here, we show that chemical substances released by eggs (known to modify sperm physiology and behavior) alter patterns of selection on a suite of sperm traits in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. We use multivariate selection analyses to characterize linear and nonlinear selection acting on sperm traits in (a) seawater alone, and (b) seawater containing egg-derived chemicals (egg water). Our analyses revealed that nonlinear selection on canonical axes of multiple traits (notably sperm velocity, sperm linearity and percentage of motile sperm) was the most important form of selection overall, but importantly these patterns were only evident when sperm phenotypes were measured in egg water. These findings reveal the subtle way that females can alter patterns of selection, with the implication that overlooking environmentally-moderated changes to ejaculate phenotypes may result in erroneous interpretations of how selection targets phenotypic (co)variation in ejaculate traits.</p>
Data from: Between-year changes in community composition shape species' roles in an Arctic plant-pollinator network
Inter-annual turnover in community composition can affect the richness and functioning of ecological communities. If incoming and outgoing species do not interact with the same partners, ecological functions such as pollination may be disrupted. Here, we explore the extent to which turnover affects species' roles --as defined based on their participation in different motifs positions-- in a series of temporally replicated plant-pollinator networks from high-Arctic Zackenberg, Greenland. We observed substantial turnover in the plant and pollinator assemblages, combined with significant variation in species' roles between networks. Variation in the roles of plants and pollinators tended to increase with the amount of community turnover, although a negative interaction between turnover in the plant and pollinator assemblages complicated this trend for the roles of pollinators. This suggests that increasing turnover in the future will result in changes to the roles of plants and likely those of pollinators. These changing roles may in turn affect the functioning or stability of this pollination network.
Universal metabolic constraints shape the evolutionary ecology of diving in animals
<p>Diving as a lifestyle has evolved on multiple occasions when air-breathing terrestrial animals invaded the aquatic realm, and diving performance shapes the ecology and behaviour of all air-breathing aquatic taxa, from small insects to great whales. Using the largest dataset yet assembled, we show that maximum dive duration increases predictably with body mass in both ectotherms and endotherms. Compared to endotherms, ectotherms can remain submerged for longer, but the mass scaling relationship for dive duration is much steeper in endotherms than in ectotherms. These differences in diving allometry can be fully explained by inherent differences between the two groups in their metabolic rate and how metabolism scales with body mass and temperature. Therefore, we suggest that similar constraints on oxygen storage and usage have shaped the evolutionary ecology of diving in all air-breathing animals, irrespective of their evolutionary history and metabolic mode. The steeper scaling relationship between body mass and dive duration in endotherms not only helps explain why the largest extant vertebrate divers are endothermic rather than ectothermic, but also fits well with the emerging consensus that large extinct tetrapod divers (e.g. plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs) were endothermic.</p>
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: Pollen limitation and autonomous selfing ability interact to shape variation in outcrossing rate across a species range
Premise of the study: Hermaphroditic plants commonly reproduce through a mixture of selfing and outcrossing. The degree to which outcrossing rates reflect the availability of outcross pollen, genetic differentiation in the ability to autonomously self-fertilize, or both is often unclear. Despite the potential for autonomy and the pollination environment to jointly influence outcrossing, this interaction is rarely studied. Methods: We reviewed literature testing whether the pollination environment or floral traits causing autonomous selfing predict outcrossing rate variation among populations. We also measured outcrossing rates in 23 populations of Campanula americana and examined associations with the pollination environment, autonomy, and their interaction. Key Results: Our review revealed that traits facilitating selfing were often negatively associated with outcrossing rates while most aspects of the pollination environment poorly predicted outcrossing. Populations of C. americana varied from mixed mating to highly outcrossing but variation was unrelated to population size, density, pollen limitation, or autonomous selfing ability. Outcrossing rate was significantly influenced by an interaction between autonomous selfing ability and pollen limitation. In highly autonomous populations, elevated pollen limitation was associated with reduced outcrossing, while there was no relationship for less autonomous populations. Conclusions: Both the ability to self autonomously and pollen limitation interact to shape outcrossing rates in C. americana. This work suggests autonomy affords mating system flexibility, though it is not ubiquitous in all populations across the species range. Interactions between traits influencing autonomy and pollen limitation are likely to explain variation in outcrossing rates among populations of flowering plants.
Data from: Malagasy cichlids differentially limit impacts of body shape evolution on oral jaw functional morphology
Patterns of trait covariation, like integration and modularity, are vital factors that influence the evolution of vertebrate body plans. In functional systems, decoupling of morphological modules buffers functional change in one trait by reducing correlated variation with another. However, for complex morphologies with many-to-one mapping of form to function (MTOM), resistance to functional change may also be achieved by constraining morphological variation within a functionally stable region of morphospace. For this research, we used geometric morphometrics to evaluate the evolution of body shape and its relationship to jaw functional morphology in two independent radiations of endemic Malagasy cichlid (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Our results suggested that the two subfamilies used different strategies to mitigate impacts of body shape variation on a metric of jaw function, maxillary kinematic transmission (MKT): (1) modularity between cranial and postcranial morphologies, and (2) integration of body and jaw evolution, with jaw morphologies varying in a manner that limits change in MKT. This research shows that, unlike modularity, MTOM allows traits to retain strong evolutionary covariation while still reducing impacts on functionality. These results suggest that MTOM, and its influence on the evolution of correlated traits, is likely much more widespread than is currently understood.
Habitat transitions alter the adaptive landscape and shape phenotypic evolution in needlefishes (Belonidae)
<p class="Normal1">Habitat occupancy can have a profound influence on macroevolutionary dynamics, and a switch in major habitat type may alter the evolutionary trajectory of a lineage. In this study we investigate how evolutionary transitions between marine and freshwater habitats affect macroevolutionary adaptive landscapes, using needlefishes (Belonidae) as a model system. We examined the evolution of body shape and size in marine and freshwater needlefishes and tested for phenotypic change in response to transitions between habitats. Using micro-computed tomographic (µCT) scanning and geometric morphometrics, we quantified body shape, size, and vertebral counts of 31 belonid species. We then examined the pattern and tempo of body shape and size evolution using phylogenetic comparative methods. Our results show that transitions from marine to freshwater habitats have altered the adaptive landscape for needlefishes and expanded morphospace relative to marine taxa. We provide further evidence that freshwater taxa attain reduced sizes either through dwarfism (as inferred from axial skeletal reduction) or developmental truncation (as inferred from axial skeletal loss). We propose that transitions to freshwater habitats produce morphological novelty in response to novel prey resources and changes in locomotor demands. We find that repeated invasions of different habitats have prompted predictable changes in morphology.</p>
Get a grip - evolution of claw shape in relation to microhabitat use in intertidal arthropods (Acari, Oribatida)
<p>Claws may be the most common biological attachment devices in animals but relatively few studies have examined the ecological and evolutionary significance of their morphology. We performed the first geometric morphometric investigation of arthropod claws ever using 15 intertidal oribatid mite species from two different families living in three different habitat types to determine if claw shape is correlated with ecology. Our results show that species living on rocky shores show remarkably high and strongly curved claws while species from mangrove habitats show significantly lower and less curved claws. Euryoecious species being able to dwell in a wide range of habitats show an intermediate claw type. These results indicate a strong relationship between claw shape and microhabitat whereas the best predictors of microhabitat use seem to be claw height and curvature. Claw length varied to some degree between the species but without any noticeable ecological pattern. A comparison with terrestrial and freshwater aquatic oribatid mite species, on the other hand, confirms that their claws are only half as long as that of intertidal mites and it is suggested that tidal flooding and wave action strongly selects for long claws. The present results indicate that claw morphology may play an important role in niche separation and hence demonstrate the importance of ecomorphological studies, especially in the microarthropod group which occupies a vast array of microhabitats.</p>
Data from: Do lianas shape ant communities in an early successional tropical forest?
Almost half of lowland tropical forests are at various stages of regeneration following deforestation or fragmentation. Changes in tree communities along successional gradients have predictable bottom-up effects on consumers. Liana (woody vine) assemblages also change with succession, but their effects on animal succession remain unexplored. Here we used a large-scale liana removal experiment across a forest successional chronosequence (7-31 years) to determine the importance of lianas to ant community structure. We conducted 1088 surveys of ants foraging on and living in trees using tree trunk baiting and hand collecting techniques at 34 paired forest plots, half of which had all lianas removed. Ant species composition, β-diversity, and species richness were not affected by liana removal; however, ant species co-occurrence (the coexistence of two or more species in a single tree) was more frequent in control plots, where lianas were present, vs. removal plots. Forest stand age had a larger effect on ant community structure than the presence of lianas. Mean ant species richness in a forest plot increased by ca. 10% with increasing forest age across the 31-year chronosequence. Ant surveys from forest >20 years old included more canopy specialists and fewer ground-nesting ant species vs. those from forests <20 years old. Consequently, lianas had a minimal effect on arboreal ant communities in this early-successional forest, where rapidly changing tree community structure was more important to ant species richness and composition.
Data from: Of puzzles and pavements: a quantitative exploration of leaf epidermal cell shape
Epidermal cells of leaves are diverse: tabular pavement cells, trichomes, and stomatal complexes. Pavement cells from the monocot Zea mays (maize) and the eudicot Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) have highly undulate anticlinal walls. The molecular basis for generating these undulating margins has been extensively investigated in these species. This has led to two assumptions: first, that particular plant lineages are characterized by particular pavement cell shapes; and second, that undulatory cell shapes are common enough to be model shapes. To test these assumptions, we quantified pavement cell shape in epidermides from the leaves of 278 vascular plant taxa. We found that monocot pavement cells tended to have weakly undulating margins, fern cells had strongly undulating margins, and eudicot cells showed no particular undulation degree. Cells with highly undulating margins, like those of Arabidopsis and maize, were in the minority. We also found a trend towards more undulating cell margins on abaxial leaf surfaces; and that highly elongated leaves in ferns, monocots and gymnosperms tended to have highly elongated cells. Our results reveal the diversity of pavement cell shapes, and lays the quantitative groundwork for testing hypotheses about pavement cell form and function within a phylogenetic context.
Data from: The role of climate, water and biotic interactions in shaping biodiversity patterns in arid environments across spatial scales
Aim: Desert ecosystems, with their harsh environmental conditions, hold the key to understanding the responses of biodiversity to climate change. As desert community structure is influenced by processes acting at different spatial scales, studies combining multiple scales are essential for understanding the conservation requirements of desert biota. We investigated the role of environmental variables and biotic interactions in shaping broad and fine-scale patterns of diversity and distribution of bats in arid environments to understand how the expansion of nondesert species can affect the long-term conservation of desert biodiversity. Location: Levant, Eastern Mediterranean. Methods: We combine species distribution modelling and niche overlap statistics with a statistical model selection approach to integrate interspecific interactions into broadscale distribution models and fine-scale analysis of ecological requirements. We focus on competition between desert bats and mesic species that recently expanded their distribution into arid environment following anthropogenic land-use changes. Results: We show that both climate and water availability limit bat distributions and diversity across spatial scales. The broadscale distribution of bats was determined by proximity to water and high temperatures, although the latter did not affect the distribution of mesic species. At the fine-scale, high levels of bat activity and diversity were associated with increased water availability and warmer periods. Desert species were strongly associated with warmer and drier desert types. Range and niche overlap were high among potential competitors, but coexistence was facilitated through fine-scale spatial partitioning of water resources. Main conclusions: Adaptations to drier and warmer conditions allow desert-obligate species to prevail in more arid environments. However, this competitive advantage may disappear as anthropogenic activities encroach further into desert habitats. We conclude that reduced water availability in arid environments under future climate change projections pose a major threat to desert wildlife because it can affect survival and reproductive success and may increase competition over remaining water resources.
Data from: Frequency-dependence shapes the adaptive landscape of imperfect Batesian mimicry
Despite more than a century of biological research on the evolution and maintenance of mimetic signals, the relative frequencies of models and mimics necessary to establish and maintain Batesian mimicry in natural populations remains understudied. Here we investigate the frequency-dependent dynamics of imperfect Batesian mimicry, using predation experiments involving artificial butterfly models. We use two geographically distinct populations of Adelpha butterflies that vary in their relative frequencies of a putatively defended model (Adelpha iphiclus) and Batesian mimic (Adelpha serpa). We found that in Costa Rica, where both species share similar abundances, Batesian mimicry breaks down, and predators more readily attack artificial butterfly models of the presumed mimic, A. serpa. In contrast, in Ecuador, where A. iphiclus (model) is significantly more abundant than A. serpa (mimic), both species are equally protected from predation. Our results provide compelling experimental evidence that imperfect Batesian mimicry is frequency-dependent on the relative abundance of models and mimics in natural populations, and contribute to the growing body of evidence that complex dynamics, such as seasonality or the availability of alternative prey, influence the evolution of mimetic traits.
Data from: Temperature shapes opposing latitudinal gradients of plant taxonomic and phylogenetic β diversity
Latitudinal and elevational richness gradients have received much attention from ecologists but there is little consensus on underlying causes. One possible proximate cause is increased levels of species turnover, or β diversity, in the tropics compared to temperate regions. Here, we leverage a large botanical dataset to map taxonomic and phylogenetic β diversity, as mean turnover between neighboring 100 × 100 km cells, across the Americas and determine key climatic drivers. We find taxonomic and tip‐weighted phylogenetic β diversity is higher in the tropics, but that basal‐weighted phylogenetic β diversity is highest in temperate regions. Supporting Janzen's 'mountain passes' hypothesis, tropical mountainous regions had higher β diversity than temperate regions for taxonomic and tip‐weighted metrics. The strongest climatic predictors of turnover were average temperature and temperature seasonality. Taken together, these results suggest β diversity is coupled to latitudinal richness gradients and that temperature is a major driver of plant community composition and change.
Movement patterns and activity levels are shaped by the neonatal environment in Antarctic fur seal pups
<p>All data for the article "Movement patterns and activity levels are shaped by the neonatal environment in Antarctic fur seal pups", published in Scientific Reports.</p> <p>Both the raw data (csv files labelled with individual ID) and the collated data (allData.csv, data5min.csv, furSeals_finalData.csv) are provided. Please see the “README.txt” file for more information on what each raw data file contains. The RMarkddown.pdf includes all code used in the manuscript. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me (Rebecca Nagel) at renagel2@gmail.com.</p>
Data from: Nitrogen cycling and export in California chaparral: the role of climate in shaping ecosystem responses to fire
Climate change models predict that interannual rainfall variability will increase in California over the next several decades; these changes will likely influence how frequently California ecosystems burn and how they respond to fire. Fires uncouple N mobilization from uptake by destroying plant biomass and increasing nitrification. Following fire, autumn and winter rains can leach N into streams from slopes that have been denuded. The amount of N exported depends on how rapidly soil microbes metabolize it into mobile forms such as NO3-, and the rate that recovering plants take up available N. However, the long-term effects of a changing climate on postfire N dynamics remain unknown. We used the ecohydrologic model RHESSys (regional hydro-ecologic simulation system) to evaluate how interannual climate variability may affect the magnitude of N mineralization, nitrification, N export, and plant recovery following fire. N export was highest when fire was followed by drought; even though there was less water moving through the system, dry conditions prolonged the period during which N mobilization was decoupled from plant uptake. We also found that the effects of drought on N export were magnified in stands dominated by obligate seeders, which initially recovered more slowly than resprouters. These findings suggest that climate may regulate N balance most powerfully by influencing how quickly plants "turn on" and begin to immobilize N.
7,000 years of turnover: historical contingency and human niche construction shape the Caribbean's Anthropocene biota
The human-mediated movement of species across biogeographic boundaries—whether intentional or accidental—is dramatically reshaping the modern world. Conservation biologists are grappling with the present-day effects of these introductions, but humans have in fact been reshaping ecosystems and translocating species for millennia. Acknowledging the effects of human-mediated species introductions through time is important for understanding present-day biodiversity loss, ecosystem functioning, and management needs. Here, we present the first database of terrestrial vertebrate species introductions spanning the entire anthropogenic history of a system. This ~7,000 year Caribbean dataset allows us to assess the roles of historical contingency and priority effects in shaping present-day conservation outcomes. We analyzed the spatial and temporal dynamics of species introductions in the context of cultural practices and human population histories spanning Indigenous, colonial, and modern human societies. We highlight how serial human colonization contributed to habitat modifications and species extinctions that then shaped subsequent species introductions by other human groups, altering ecosystem processes dramatically. We quantify how the taxonomic and biogeographical diversity of species introductions increases over time, reflecting diversifying reasons for species introductions. Importantly, we use the record to highlight gaps in the archaeological record, ongoing management challenges, and research opportunities in today's Caribbean biota.
Offspring phenotype is shaped by the non-sperm fraction of semen
<p>In a large majority of animal species, the only contribution of males to the next generation has been assumed to be their genes (sperm). However, along with sperm, seminal plasma contains a wide array of extracellular factors that have many important functions in reproduction. Yet, the potential intergenerational effects of these factors are virtually unknown. We investigated these effects in European whitefish (<i>Coregonus lavaretus</i>) by experimentally manipulating the presence and identity of seminal plasma and by fertilizing the eggs of multiple females with the manipulated and unmanipulated semen of several males in a full-factorial breeding design. Presence of both own and foreign seminal plasma inhibited sperm motility and removal of own seminal plasma decreased embryo survival. Embryos hatched significantly earlier after both semen manipulations than in control fertilizations; foreign seminal plasma also increased offspring aerobic swimming performance. Given that our experimental design allowed us to control potentially confounding sperm-mediated (sire) effects and maternal effects, our results indicate that seminal plasma may have direct intergenerational consequences for offspring phenotype and performance. This novel source of offspring phenotypic variance may provide new insights into the evolution of polyandry and mechanisms that maintain heritable variation in fitness and associated female mating preferences.</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.