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177 results for “ecological interactions”
Data from: Ecological interactions and coexistence are predicted by gene expression similarity in freshwater green algae
Phenotypic variation controls the species interactions which determine whether or not species coexist. Long-standing hypotheses in ecology and evolution posit that phenotypic differentiation enables coexistence by increasing the size of niche differentiation. This hypothesis has only been tested using macroscopic traits to date, but niche differentiation, particularly of microscopic organisms, also occurs at the molecular and metabolic level. We examined how phenotypic variation that arises at the level of gene expression over evolutionary time affects phytoplankton species interactions and coexistence. We predicted that similarity in gene expression among species would decline with phylogenetic distance, and that reduced similarity in gene expression would weaken competition, increase facilitation and promote coexistence. To test this, we grew eight species of freshwater green algae in monocultures and bicultures for 46 days in a laboratory microcosm experiment. We quantified the strength of species interactions by: (i) fitting Lotka–Volterra models to time-series densities and estimating interaction coefficients, and (ii) calculating relative densities that compare species' steady-state densities in biculture to those in monoculture. We used Illumina high throughput sequencing to quantify the expression of 1253 families of homologous genes, including a set of 17 candidate genes that we hypothesized a priori to be involved in competition or facilitation. Synthesis. We found that closely related species had greater similarity in gene expression than did distantly related species, but as gene expression became more similar, species experienced weaker competition or greater facilitation, and were more likely to coexist. We identified gene functional categories that were uniquely differentially regulated in association with particular species interaction types. Contrary to common thinking in ecology and evolution, similarity in gene expression, and not differentiation, was associated with weaker competition, facilitation and coexistence.
Data from: Linking niche theory to ecological impacts of successful invaders: insights from resource fluctuation-specialist herbivore interactions
1. Theories of species coexistence and invasion ecology are fundamentally connected and provide a common theoretical framework for studying the mechanisms underlying successful invasions and their ecological impacts. Temporal fluctuations in resource availability and differences in life-history traits between invasive and resident species are considered as likely drivers of the dynamics of invaded communities. Current critical issues in invasion ecology thus relate to the extent to which such mechanisms influence coexistence between invasive and resident species, and to the ability of resident species to persist in an invasive-dominated ecosystem. 2. We tested how a fluctuating resource and species traits differences may explain and help predict long-term impacts of biological invasions in forest specialist insect communities. We used a simple invasion system comprising closely related invasive and resident seed-specialized wasps (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) competing for a well-known fluctuating resource, and displaying divergent diapause, reproductive and phenological traits. 3. Based on extensive long-term field observations (1977-2010), we developed a combination of mechanistic and statistical models aiming to (i) obtain a realistic description of the population dynamics of these interacting species over time, and (ii) clarify the respective contributions of fluctuation-dependent and fluctuation-independent mechanisms to long-term impact of invasion on the population dynamics of the resident wasp species. 4. We showed that a fluctuation-dependent mechanism was unable to promote coexistence of the resident and invasive species. Earlier phenology of the invasive species was the main driver of invasion success, enabling the invader to exploit an empty niche. Phenology also had the greatest power to explain the long-term negative impact of the invasive on the resident species, through resource preemption. 5. This study provides strong support for the critical role of species differences in interspecific competition outcomes within animal communities. Our mechanisticstatistical approach allows disentangling the critical drivers of the dynamics of coexistence and exclusion within novel species assemblages, following both intentional and non-intentional species introductions.
Multilevel modeling of time-series cross-sectional data reveals the dynamic interaction between ecological threats and democratic development
<p>What is the relationship between environment and democracy? The framework of cultural evolution suggests that societal development is an adaptation to ecological threats. Pertinent theories assume that democracy emerges as societies adapt to ecological factors such as higher economic wealth, lower pathogen threats, less demanding climates, and fewer natural disasters. However, previous research confused within-country processes with between-country processes and erroneously interpreted between-country findings as if they generalize to within-country mechanisms. In this article, we analyze a time-series cross-sectional dataset to study the dynamic relationship between environment and democracy (1949-2016), accounting for previous misconceptions in levels of analysis. By separating within-country processes from between-country processes, we find that the relationship between environment and democracy not only differs by countries but also depends on the level of analysis. Economic wealth predicts increasing levels of democracy in between-country comparisons, but within-country comparisons show that democracy declines as countries become wealthier over time. This relationship is only prevalent among historically wealthy countries but not among historically poor countries, whose wealth also increased over time. By contrast, pathogen prevalence predicts lower levels of democracy in both between-country and within-country comparisons. Our longitudinal analyses identifying temporal precedence reveal that not only reductions in pathogen prevalence drive future democracy, but also democracy reduces future pathogen prevalence and increases future wealth. These nuanced results contrast with previous analyses using narrow, cross-sectional data. As a whole, our findings illuminate the dynamic process by which environment and democracy shape each other.</p>
Data from: Contemporary ecological interactions improve models of past trait evolution
Despite the fact that natural selection underlies both traits and interactions, evolutionary models often neglect that ecological interactions may, and in many cases do, influence the evolution of traits. Here, we explore the interdependence of ecological interactions and functional traits in the pollination associations of hawkmoths and flowering plants. Specifically, we develop an adaptation of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model of trait evolution that allows us to study the influence of plant corolla depth and observed hawkmoth-plant interactions on the evolution of hawkmoth proboscis length. Across diverse modelling scenarios, we find that the inclusion of contemporary interactions can provide a better description of trait evolution than the null expectation. Moreover, we show that the pollination interactions provide more-likely models of hawkmoth trait evolution when interactions are considered at increasingly fine-scale groups of hawkmoths. Finally, we demonstrate how the results of best-fit modelling approaches can implicitly support the association between interactions and trait evolution that our method explicitly examines. In showing that contemporary interactions can provide insight into the historical evolution of hawkmoth proboscis length, we demonstrate the clear utility of incorporating additional ecological information to models designed to study past trait evolution.
F I G U R E 2 in Review of the chemical ecology of homoterpenes in arthropod-plant interactions
F I G U R E 2 Major ecological functions of DMNT and TMTT production by foliage and flowers in insect–plant interactions. Effect on plant fitness indicated by + and symbols for each interaction. Weight of arrows indicates the relative importance of each benefit to the plant in terms of reported cases. Dashed arrows indicate the potential non-beneficial effects of production by flowers on natural enemies and by foliage on pollinators.
F I G U R E 1 in Review of the chemical ecology of homoterpenes in arthropod-plant interactions
F I G U R E 1 Chemical structures of homoterpenes central to arthropod–plant interactions: n = 1, 4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT); n = 2, 4,8,12-trimethyl-1,3,7,11-tridecatetraene (TMTT). R0, R00 = methyl
Data from: coexistence across space and time: social-ecological patterns within a decade of human-coyote interactions in San Francisco
<p><span>Global change is increasing the frequency and severity of human-wildlife interactions by pushing people and wildlife into increasingly resource-limited shared spaces. To understand the dynamics of human-wildlife interactions, and what may constitute human-wildlife coexistence in the Anthropocene, there is a critical need to explore the spatial, temporal, sociocultural, and ecological variables that contribute to human-wildlife conflicts in urban areas.</span></p> <p><span>Due to their opportunistic foraging and behavioral flexibility, coyotes (<em>Canis latrans</em>) frequently interact with people in urban environments. San Francisco, California, USA hosts a very high density of coyotes, making it an excellent region for analyzing urban human-coyote interactions and attitudes toward coyotes over time and space.</span></p> <p><span>We used a community-curated long-term data source from San Francisco Animal Care and Control to summarize a decade of coyote sightings and human-coyote interactions in San Francisco and to characterize spatiotemporal patterns of attitudes and interaction types in relation to housing density, socioeconomics, pollution and human vulnerability metrics, and green space availability.</span></p> <p><span>We found that human-coyote conflict reports have been significantly increasing over the past 5 years and that there were more conflicts during the coyote pup-rearing season (April-June), the dry season (June-September), and the COVID-19 pandemic. Conflict reports were also more likely to involve dogs and occur inside of parks, despite more overall sightings occurring outside of parks. Generalized linear mixed models revealed that conflicts were more likely to occur in places with higher vegetation greenness and median income. Meanwhile reported coyote boldness, hazing, and human attitudes toward coyotes were also correlated with pollution burden and human population vulnerability indices.</span></p> <p><span><em>Synthesis and applications</em>: </span><span>Our results provide compelling evidence suggesting that human-coyote conflicts are intimately associated with social-ecological heterogeneities and time, emphasizing that the road to coexistence will require socially-informed strategies. Additional long-term research articulating how the social-ecological drivers of conflict (e.g., human food subsidies, interactions with domestic species, climate-induced droughts, socioeconomic disparities, etc.) change over time will be essential in building adaptive management efforts that effectively mitigate future conflicts from occurring. </span></p>
Ecological interactions in breast cancer: Cell facilitation promotes growth and survival under drug pressure
<p>Spheroids of different composition (100% sensitive, 50% sensitive – 50% resistant, 100% resistant) were initiated from Venus-labeled CAMA-1 and mCherry-labeled CAMA-1_ribociclib_resistant cells and were subjected to 1 uM ribociclib treatment. After 11 days, speroids were harvested, washed and cell suspensions were viably frozen for single cell RNA-seq analysis. </p>
Data from: Not just females: the socio-ecology of social interactions between spider monkey males
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Male-male relationships are mostly characterized by competition. However, males also cooperate with one another if socio-ecological conditions are suitable. Due to their male philopatry, need for cooperation in home range defence and high degree of fission-fusion dynamics, spider monkeys provide an opportunity to investigate how male-male interactions are associated with socio-ecological factors, such as the presence of potentially receptive females, the degree of food availability and the likelihood of home range defence. We tested predictions about changes in social interactions between wild spider monkey males in relation to these factors. First, males did not change their interaction patterns when potentially receptive females were in the subgroup compared to when they were absent. Second, males tended to be less tolerant of one another when feeding, but spent more time grooming, in contact and proximity with one another when food availability was lower than when it was higher. Third, males exchanged fewer embraces, spent less time grooming, in proximity and in contact with one another, and spent more time vigilant at the home range boundary area than at other locations. Our findings contribute to the understanding of social flexibility and the importance of considering males in socio-ecological models of any group-living species.</span></p>
Managing Human-Wildlife Interactions: Ecological and Financial Assessment of Elk Feedground Closure in Teton County
<p>Teton County in Western Wyoming is home to large working landscapes, a national park, and the nation's largest elk herd, the Jackson herd. It is also one of the few places in the Western United States that still operates elk feedgrounds, where the artificial feeding of these large mammals has resulted in high density populations over small areas, leading to increased disease transmission and prevalence. A disease of primary concern is brucellosis (<em>Brucella abortus</em>) which can be transmitted from elk to cattle and result in financial burdens for ranchers through quarantine, depopulation, reduced milk production, or calf abortions. This project aimed to better understand the complex social and ecological dynamics of elk feedgrounds in order to assess the feasibility of implementing financial tools that would mitigate the effects of disease transmission and wildlife presence risks of a simulated feedground closure. Our goal is to help improve human-wildlife coexistence on Wyoming's private and public lands. To accomplish this, we completed a Public Comment Sentiment Analysis, a Jackson Herd Habitat Connectivity Model, a Brucellosis Transmission Risk Model, and an Analysis of Financial Repercussions of Feedground Closure. These methods resulted in the assessment of two financial tools, a brucellosis compensation fund and an elk rent program, which we recommend to be implemented in Teton County. This project will serve to better inform the Property and Environment Research Center on potential methods for improving human-wildlife interactions and coexistence in Teton County through the understanding of where elk move on private lands, transmission of disease from elk to cattle, and the impacts that the cessation of feeding could cause on subsequent stakeholders, specifically the financial implications for ranchers.</p>
Seasonal Variations of Microbial Communities and Viral Diversity in Fishery-Enhanced Marine Ranching Sediments: Insights into Metabolic Potentials and Ecological Interactions
<p>Sediment samples were collected in four seasons from May 2022 to January 2023 from the Tian coastal marine ranching (36°91′ N and 122°15′ E) located along Jinghai Bay in Weihai City, Shandong Province, China. We employed amplicon (16S and 18S) and metagenomic approaches aiming to reveal the seasonal patterns of microbial communities, bacterial-eukaryotic interactions, whole metabolic potential, and their coupling mechanisms with carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) cycling in marine ranching sediments. Additionally, the characterization and diversity of viral communities in different seasons were explored in marine ranching sediments. This dataset mainly includes amplicon sequencing (16S and 18S) generated ASV tables (after rarefied), corresponding taxonomic classification tables, metagenome assembly (Single assembly and Co-assembly), <span>metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs)</span> sequences, and <span>viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs)</span> sequences.</p>
Fig. 2 in Flowering phenology of co-occurring Asteraceae: a matter of climate, ecological interactions, plant attributes or of evolutionary relationships among species?
Fig. 2 Number of Asteraceae species growing in Chaco Serrano forests of La Serranita-Los Aromos that bear flowers during each month of the year; for calculation, see text in Material and methods Section
Fig. 1 in Flowering phenology of co-occurring Asteraceae: a matter of climate, ecological interactions, plant attributes or of evolutionary relationships among species?
Fig. 1 Diagram of phylogenetic relationships between Asteraceae taxa studied in this work (adapted from Panero and Crozier 2008; Panero and Funk 2008)
Fig. 4 in Flowering phenology of co-occurring Asteraceae: a matter of climate, ecological interactions, plant attributes or of evolutionary relationships among species?
Fig. 4 Plot of PCA scores for 43 co-occurring Asteraceae species in Chaco Serrano forests of La Serranita-Los Aromos, showing first two principal component axes from analysis of flowering phenology considering plant traits and taxonomic membership. Vectors corre-
Figure 7. Interactions between tarantulas and ants. A in An extensive review of mutualistic and similar ecological associations involving tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae), with a new hypothesis on the evolution of their hirsuteness
Figure 7. Interactions between tarantulas and ants. A. Avicularia purpurea (marked with an arrow) in its arboreal retreat, living with a colony of an unidentified species of Camponotus, Tena, Napo, Ecuador. B. Tapinauchenius cupreus living with Camponotus femoratus in a tree cavity, Río Momón, Loreto, Peru. C. Stichoplastoris cf. obelix, spiderlings, and Labidus coecus ants not being interested in the spiders, Reserva Biológica Tirimbina, Heredia Province, Costa Rica. D. Same, spiderlings gathered at the maternal burrow entrance, with ants moving close to the entrance. E. Avicularia hirschii displaying an escape strategy against Labidus ants, Madre de Dios, Peru. F. Tapinauchenius plumipes caught, killed and carved up by the army ants Eciton burchellii, Montsinéry-Tonnegrande Commune, French Guiana. D reproduced from Lapinski (2019). Photo credits: Rick C. West (A, B, F), Witold Lapinski (C, D), and Emanuele Biggi (E).
Supplementary material 1 from: Assmann T, Boutaud E, Buse J, Drees C, Friedman A-L, Harry I, Khoury F, Orbach E, Renan I, Schmidt C, Schmidt K, Wrase DW, Zumstein P (2021) The ground beetle tribe Platynini Bonelli, 1810 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in the southern Levant: dichotomous and interactive identification tools, ecological traits, and distribution. In: Spence J, Casale A, Assmann T, Liebherr JК, Penev L (Eds) Systematic Zoology and Biodiversity Science: A tribute to Terry Erwin (1940-2020). ZooKeys 1044: 449-478. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1044.62615
Material examined: Records of the Platynini from the southern Levant hosted in studied collections (see for abbreviation: Materials and methods)
Supplementary material 2 from: Assmann T, Boutaud E, Buse J, Drees C, Friedman A-L, Harry I, Khoury F, Orbach E, Renan I, Schmidt C, Schmidt K, Wrase DW, Zumstein P (2021) The ground beetle tribe Platynini Bonelli, 1810 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in the southern Levant: dichotomous and interactive identification tools, ecological traits, and distribution. In: Spence J, Casale A, Assmann T, Liebherr JК, Penev L (Eds) Systematic Zoology and Biodiversity Science: A tribute to Terry Erwin (1940-2020). ZooKeys 1044: 449-478. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1044.62615
Single access identification key generated by Xper3, using weights of the characters and prioritization of characters with few states
Data from: Experimental assemblage of novel plant-herbivore interactions: ecological host shifts after 40 million years of isolation
Geographic isolation is the first step in insect herbivore diet specialization. Such specialization is postulated to increase insect fitness, but may simultaneously reduce insect ability to colonize novel hosts. During the Paleocene-Eocene, plants from the order Zingiberales became isolated either in the Paleotropics or in the Neotropics. During the Cretaceous, rolled-leaf beetles diversified in the Neotropics concurrently with neotropical Zingiberales. Using a community of Costa Rican rolled-leaf beetles and their Zingiberales host plants as study system, we explored if previous geographic isolation precludes insects to expand their diets to exotic hosts. We recorded interactions between rolled-leaf beetles and native Zingiberales by combining DNA barcodes and field records for 7450 beetles feeding on 3202 host plants. To determine phylogenetic patterns of diet expansions, we set 20 field plots including five exotic Zingiberales, recording beetles feeding on these exotic hosts. In the laboratory, using both native and exotic host plants, we reared a subset of insect species that had expanded their diets to the exotic plants. The original plant-herbivore community comprised 24 beetle species feeding on 35 native hosts, representing 103 plant-herbivore interactions. After exotic host plant introduction, 20% of the beetle species expanded their diets to exotic Zingiberales. Insects only established on exotic hosts that belong to the same plant family as their native hosts. Laboratory experiments show that beetles are able to complete development on these novel hosts. In conclusion, rolled-leaf beetles are pre-adapted to expand their diets to novel host plants even after millions of years of geographic isolation.
Figure 4 in Review of the interactions of an ecological keystone species, Aechmea distichantha Lem. (Bromeliaceae), with the associated fauna
Figure 4. Bipartite nets showing the relative proportion of interactions of Aechmea distichantha with animals registered for the different taxonomic groups classified according to the (a) use of the plant, (b) trophic level and (c) type (resource involved) of herbivory and ordered following the 'as few crossings of interactions as possible' criteria. Boxes represent the number of morphospecies, and categories and paths represent the number of interactions.
Figure 3 in Review of the interactions of an ecological keystone species, Aechmea distichantha Lem. (Bromeliaceae), with the associated fauna
Figure 3. (a) Number of animal species associated with, and (b) number of interactions established with A. distichantha. In both graphs, the records are ordered taxonomically according to Hyman (1940).
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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.
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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
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