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opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

Short-term effects of wildfire on high elevation stream-riparian food webs

Understanding how wildfires affect food web structure and function remains an important challenge, especially at high elevations that historically have burned infrequently. In particular, fires may alter the magnitude of reciprocal cross-ecosystem subsidies, leading to indirect effects on aquatic and terrestrial consumers. We quantified characteristics of high-elevation (2500 to 3000 m) stream-riparian food webs at 10 locations in the southern Rocky Mountains less than one year following high-intensity, stand-replacing wildfires. Using a paired 'burned-unburned' stream survey design, we assessed benthic periphyton, aquatic macroinvertebrate community structure, trout population characteristics, trout stomach contents, inputs and emergence of insects to and from streams, and abundance of predatory riparian spiders that consume aquatic insects. Benthic macroinvertebrate density, flux of emerging aquatic insects, and riparian spider abundances were lower at burned sites. Fluxes of insect inputs entering the stream did not differ with burn status, despite the loss of riparian vegetation due to fire. Trout were somewhat less abundant, but larger on average at burned sites and did not differ in body condition. These results suggest mortality of smaller trout from fire disturbance and/or recolonization of burned sites by larger individuals. Trout showed subtle changes in diet composition with burn status, but no change in biomass or number of prey consumed. In general, burned sites showed greater variation in community characteristics than unburned sites, which may reflect differences in the timing and magnitude of post-fire flooding, erosion, and scouring of the stream bed. Taken together, our results suggest that short-term effects of fire disturbance strongly altered some food web responses, but others appeared relatively resilient, which is notable given the high severity of the wildfires in the study area.

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

Data from: Brood size, food availability, and body size affects male care decisions and offspring performance

Parental care strategies do not only vary greatly across species, but also within species, there can be substantial between- and within-individual variation in parental care behaviour. To better understand the evolution of care strategies, it is crucial to determine how and when parents modify their behaviour in response to internal as well as environmental factors. Here, we investigated the effect of brood size, resource size and an individual's quality on care strategies of uniparental males and examined the downstream consequences on offspring performance in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. Burying beetles breed on small vertebrate cadavers and, on average, males invest much less in care than females. Nevertheless, we found that uniparentally caring males were responsive to their social and non-social environment and adjusted the amount as well as the type of care to the size of the brood, the size of the cadaver and their own body size. Additionally, we show that the care strategies affected offspring performance. Specifically, males that cared longer had larger and more surviving larvae. Our results add to our understanding of plastic parenting strategies by showing that even the sex that provides less care can evolve a very flexible care behaviour.

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

Nestling growth rate and food consumption increases under experimentally prolonged day length in a New World Sparrow

When evaluating avian reproduction, life history theory examines the trade-offs between parental effort, the number and size of offspring, and the rate of nestling development. The growth rates and body sizes of developing birds vary geographically and can diverge with both latitude and migratory strategies. In terms of offspring size, growth rate can deviate in nestlings of the same or similar species due to the correlated influences of weather events, predation pressure, food availability, number of nestmates, and parental provisioning. Furthermore, a longer photoperiod for species nesting at higher latitudes increases the duration over which a nestling can be fed each day, and increased nestling provisioning has been positively correlated with growth rate. Whether the amount of time in which a bird is fed during development drives this variation in growth rate and morphology is unknown. By removing supplemental environmental stressors (e.g., food availability, weather, predation pressure) and standardizing feeding rate and environment, we explored the influence of daily duration of nestling provisioning on dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) nestlings. We hand-reared 65 chicks of a sedentary junco subspecies (J. h. carolinensis) under both their natural photoperiod and the longer photoperiod of a closely related migratory subspecies (J. h. hyemalis) and compared growth rate, mass, morphology, and the amount of food consumed. Average growth rate, fasted mass, wing length, and total daily food consumption were all greater in birds hand-reared under the longer, more northern photoperiod treatment. These findings suggest that increased daily photoperiod at higher latitudes may allow for greater total food provisioning and thus may play a role in the ability of parents in compressed breeding seasons to produce high-quality offspring. This points to a trade-off between provisioning effort and nestling growth rate in lower latitude (shorter photoperiod) populations and points to an important role of developmental plasticity on growth rate and morphology.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2023View details →

Supplementary Material to the Publication: Clonal relation between Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Dublin strains of bovine and food origin in Germany

OHEJP Project: BeOne Salmonella enterica serovar Dublin (S. Dublin) is a host-adapted serovar that causes enteritis and/or systemic diseases in cattle. Because the serovar is not host-specific, it can infect other species, including human beings, causing severe disease and a higher mortality rate than other non-typhoidal serovars. Given that human illnesses are primarily caused by contaminated milk, milk products, and beef, data on the genetic connection between S. Dublin strains from livestock and food should be analyzed.  Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 144 S. Dublin strains from cattle and 30 strains from food. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) found that the majority of livestock and food isolates were of the sequence type ST-10. As discovered by core-genome Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Typing and core-genome MLST, 14 of 30 strains from food origin were clonally related to at least one strain from cattle. Without outliers, the remaining 16 food-borne strains fit into the genomic structure of S. Dublin in Germany. WGS demonstrated to be an effective method not only for learning about the epidemiology of Salmonella strains, but also for detecting clonal relationships between organisms isolated at different stages of production. This study discovered a strong genetic link between S. Dublin strains from cattle and food, and thus the potential to cause human infections. S. Dublin strains from both origins have a nearly comparable collection of virulence factors, emphasizing their ability to produce severe clinical symptoms in animals as well as humans, emphasizing the importance of effective S. Dublin management in a farm to fork strategy.

Data from: Experimentally simulating the evolution-to-ecology connection: Divergent predator morphologies alter natural food webs

The idea that changing environmental conditions drive adaptive evolution is a pillar of evolutionary ecology. But, the opposite—that adaptive evolution alters ecological processes—has received far less attention yet is critical for eco-evolutionary dynamics. We assessed the ecological impact of divergent values in a key adaptive trait using 16 populations of the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei). Mirroring natural variation, we established islands with short- or long-limbed lizards at both low and high densities. We then monitored changes in lower trophic levels, finding that on islands with short-limbed lizards at high-density, web spiders decreased and plants grew more via an indirect positive effect, likely through an herbivore-mediated trophic cascade. Our experiment provides strong support for evolution-to-ecology connections in nature, likely closing an otherwise well-characterized eco-evolutionary feedback loop.

Data for: Variable food alters responses of larval crown-of-thorns starfish to ocean warming but not acidification

We examined whether warming, acidification, and different food availability regimes interacted to affect the survival, development, and growth of larval crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster sp. (CoTS). Larvae were reared in all combinations of two temperatures (26, 30 °C), two pH levels (pH 8.0, 7.6), and three food regimes ('low' ration: 1,000 cells mL-1; 'switch' ration: 1,000 cells mL-1 until day 11, followed by 50,000 cells mL-1; and 'high' ration: 50 000 cells mL-1).

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2023View details →

Comparing effects of food mechanical properties on oral processing behaviors in two sympatric lemur species - Dataset

Dataset for maximal random slope mixed models from manuscript "Comparing effects of food mechanical properties on oral processing behaviors in two sympatric lemur species". Column headers are described in the article and the key tab of the excel.

Data for: Visualization of the hidden food sources of bass (Micropterus salmoides), crucian carp (Carassius carassius), and minnow (Zacco platypus) using 18S rRNA V9 primers on urban Singal Reservoir in Korea

Fish are the most important consumers in aquatic ecosystems, and the analysis of fish prey is very important for understanding their short-term feeding characteristics and the connectivity of food webs. In this study, DNA metabarcoding was used to identify the prey of the native fish species, Zacco platypus (the pale chub) and Carassius carassius, and an introduced species, Micropterus salmoides, in domestic lentic ecosystems. Prey community composition, selectivity index, prey diversity, and trophic level analyses were performed. The prey composition ratio analysis showed that in August 2020, 85.8% of M. salmoides' prey was fish from the orders Cypriniformes and Perciformes, and in July 2021, 100% of M. salmoides' prey was zooplankton from the orders Anomopoda and Calanoida. Zooplankton was the main prey of Z. platypus collected in August 2020 (69.5%) and C. carassius collected in July 2021 (88.9%). The selectivity index analysis showed that the preferred prey of M. salmoides was fish from the order Cypriniformes, the preferred prey of Z. platypus was phytoplankton from the division Bacillariophyta, and the preferred prey of C. carassius was zooplankton from the order Cladocera. For the prey width analysis, C. carassius had the highest BI index value (0.8), followed by Z. platypus (0.29), while M. salmoides had BI index values of 0.09, 0.19, and 0.001, indicating low prey width. These results provide fundamental data on the utility of DNA metabarcoding for dietary studies of major fish species in lentic ecosystems and for analyzing food web connectivity based on major prey items.

Data and code info for: Reducing single-use cutlery with green nudges: Evidence from China's food delivery industry

The rising consumer demand for online food delivery has significantly increased the consumption of disposable cutlery, leading to much greater plastic pollution worldwide. This study investigates the impact of green nudges on single-use cutlery consumption in China. Collaborating with Alibaba's food delivery platform Eleme (similar to Uber Eats and DoorDash), we analyzed detailed customer-level data and found that the green nudges — changing the default to "No Cutlery" and rewarding consumers with "green points" — increased the share of "No Cutlery" orders by 648%. The aggregate environmental benefits are significant: if the green nudges were applied to all of China, more than 21.75 billion sets of single-use cutlery could be saved every year, equivalent to a 20.4% of plastic waste reduction in the food delivery industry or a 6.12% reduction in China's total municipal plastic waste.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2023View details →

Data for: Food Anticipatory Behaviour on European Seabass in Sea Cages: Activity-, Positioning- and Density-based approaches

Telemetry and sensory data data for: Food Anticipatory Behaviour on European Seabass in Sea Cages: Activity-, Positioning- and Density-based approaches Please read the README.txt file before working with the data.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2023View details →

Data for "Upward migration of calanoid copepods is driven by high food quality in surface waters in an alpine lake"

In this study, we explored why zooplankton migrated to surface waters at night from the perspective of their physiological characteristics and adaptability to the environment. The calanoid Arctodiaptomus sp. accumulated large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and astaxanthin, which relieved oxidative stress to fatty acids. The concentrations of lutein, a precursor of astaxanthin synthesis, were highest in surface water, indicating the enhancement of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) to precursor synthesis, which was confirmed by our indoor experiment. The calanoids migrated to surface water at night to obtain high concentrations of lutein and PUFAs from their diets. Relevant data for this study include: the vertical distribution of Arctodiaptomus sp. during the day and at night; concentrations of total astaxanthin, free astaxanthin, astaxanthin esters in Arctodiaptomus sp. at night and during the day; fatty acid concentration and the ratio of SAFAs (saturated fatty acids), MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids), and PUFAs in Arctodiaptomus sp. during the day and at night; the carotenoid concentrations  in seston at different depth of Lake Heihai during the day and at night; the lutein concentration in seston under UVR and dark treatment; main characteristics of Lake Heihai; fatty acid concentrations and the ratio of SAFAs , MUFAs, and PUFAs of seston in Lake Heihai; the relative abundance of Chlorophytes with the size of greater than 5 μm and 0.2-5 μm in different layers of Lake Heihai; fatty acid concentrations of the calanoids in Fuxian Lake.

Food retail in remote Australia

This dataset documents food retail stores that service remote Indigenous communities in Australia. A seed list created by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) was extended and validated, including reviews by experts and stakeholders, during 2022. Store location, contact information, management, and ownership/legal registration were identified along with the size of the community the store serves. A final dataset of 233 remote or very remote stores was created.

The impact of information disclosure on consumer acceptance of genome-edited foods in Japan

Genome editing is promising to accelerate the rate of genetic progress by enabling the replacement of the germ cell lineage of commercial breeding animals with cells derived from genetically elite lines. This is an efficient way to produce foods and reduce food waste. However, foods using genome editing are not very familiar in Japan. The purpose of this study is to investigate consumer acceptance of genome-edited foods and the impact of information disclosure on it. We constructed an acceptance model for genome-edited foods and investigate the amount of willingness to pay for the level of information disclosure. Genome-edited food acceptance model illustrated that information credibility and perceived usefulness were significantly related to the consumer acceptance of genome-edited foods. WTP of functional information label is 76 JPY (approx. 0.69USD), and that of genome-edited food label is 11 JPY (approx. 0.1USD). For genome editing technology description, it was 38 JPY (approx. 0.345USD). The most important factor is functional information. Since this study is an early study in the genome-edited food acceptance model, we believe that there is room for various discussions in the future.

Large mammalian herbivores affect arthropod food webs via changes in vegetation characteristics and microclimate

<ol> <li>Large mammalian herbivores are vital components of terrestrial ecosystems, influencing the plants they feed on, but also serving as ecosystem engineers that impact the occurrence and survival of many other organisms. Arthropods are the most abundant and diverse animal group on earth, filling all trophic levels in food webs and facilitating essential ecosystem services. However, the impacts of large herbivores on arthropod communities and the mechanisms via which these impacts are mediated are not fully understood. </li> <li>Here, we experimentally separated the mechanistic pathways whereby large herbivores affect arthropod food webs using a 24-year manipulative multi-site field experiment in the Netherlands. We analyzed the abundance, biomass, and community composition of arthropods in the plant canopy and on the soil surface, both in grazed sites or sites where large herbivores were excluded.</li> <li>We found that the presence of large herbivores resulted in considerable differences in vegetation properties and microclimate which influenced the abundance and biomass of arthropods to varying trophic levels. Large herbivore grazing enhanced the overall abundance and biomass of arthropod herbivores, pollinators, omnivores, and soil-dwelling predators, but reduced that of detritivores, scavengers, parasitoids, and canopy predators. Structural equation models revealed that different trophic groups are affected by grazing via different pathways. Specially, large herbivores facilitated herbivores via increasing plant quality and enhanced ground-dwelling predators via increasing plant diversity. In contrast, plant-dwelling predators were suppressed via decreased plant quantity, and parasitoids were mainly affected by changes in microclimate conditions. </li> <li> Synthesis. Our results show that large mammalian herbivores play a significant role in shaping grassland arthropod food webs and that these impacts were independently mediated by multiple aspects of vegetation properties, i.e., physical structure, plant diversity, standing crop biomass, and leaf nutrient content. Arthropods of different trophic groups responded differently to the large herbivores, and these functional group-specific responses in turn may have strong cascading effects on numerous ecosystem services.</li> </ol>

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2023View details →

Data and R code for: "Global meta-analysis shows reduced quality of food crops under inadequate animal pollination"

R code, data, and metadata for the study "Global meta-analysis shows reduced quality of food crops under inadequate animal pollination"

opencc-zeroJul 2023View details →

Towards a mechanistic understanding of variation in aquatic food chain length revealed by meta-analysis

Ecologists have long sought to understand the forces determining food chain lengths (FCLs). Multiple hypotheses have proposed a diverse array of potential environmental determinants of FCL, typically including ecosystem size, resource productivity, and disturbance. Yet, many empirical studies have found that FCL responses to these environmental variables can be positive as well as negative. To explain such mixed responses, we develop a simple yet comprehensive, site-occupancy dynamic framework for complex food webs by integrating multiple environmental drivers. With the competition-colonization tradeoff among basal species, our model shows that increasing ecosystem size results in a monotonic increase in FCL as a whole, while FCL displays a non-linear, oscillatory response to resource productivity or disturbance in benign environments. These predictions are generally supported by our meta-analysis of an empirical dataset compiled from diverse aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, this unifying framework offers a novel mechanistic explanation for observed variation in FCLs driven by multiple environmental factors.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2022View details →

Database containing Raw Data of Growth and Survival of Pathogens and Microbiota from Fate Studies in Artisanal Fermented Foods

Deliverable 5.5 is a spreadsheet containing metadata and raw data obtained from the fate studies conducted in Workpackage 5. In case of reutilisation of these data, the source should be properly cited.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2022View details →

Raw data of microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of artisanal food products

Raw data of the microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of the artisanal food products under investigation, which were sampled from survey studies in anonymised regional producers. The data are part of the results produced in Work package 2; and have been used to construct the monitoring quality charts of deliverable D7.3.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2023View details →

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Canadian Fast Food Packaging

Supporting information (open data) from Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Canadian Fast Food Packaging