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opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Data from: Landscape composition and life-history traits influence bat movement and space use: analysis of 30 years of published telemetry data

Aim: Animal movement determines home range patterns, which in turn affect individual fitness, population dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Using temperate bats, a group of particular conservation concern, we investigated how morphological traits, habitat specialization and environmental variables affect home range sizes and daily foraging movements, using a compilation of 30 years of published bat telemetry data. Location: Northern America and Europe. Time period: 1988 – 2016. Major taxa studied: Bats. Methods: We compiled data on home range size and mean daily distance between roosts and foraging areas at both colony and individual levels from 166 studies of 3,129 radiotracked individuals of 49 bat species. We calculated multi-scale habitat composition and configuration in the surrounding landscapes of the 165 studied roosts. Using mixed models, we examined the effects of habitat availability and spatial arrangement on bat movements, while accounting for body mass, aspect ratio, wing loading and habitat specialization. Results: We found a significant effect of landscape composition on home range size and mean daily distance at both colony and individual levels. On average, home ranges were up to 42% smaller in the most habitat-diversified landscapes while mean daily distances were up to 30% shorter in the most forested landscapes. Bat home range size significantly increased with body mass, wing aspect ratio and wing loading, and decreased with habitat specialization. Main conclusions: Promoting bat movements through the landscape surrounding roosts at large spatial scales is crucial for bat conservation. Forest loss and overall landscape homogenization lead temperate bats to fly farther to meet their ecological requirements, by increasing home range sizes and daily foraging distances. Both processes might be more detrimental for smaller, habitat-specialized bats, less able to travel increasingly longer distances to meet their diverse needs.

opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

Breeding in the pandemic: Short-term lockdown restrictions in a European capital city did not alter the life-history traits of two urban adapters

Humans are transforming natural habitats into managed urban green areas and impervious surfaces at an unprecedented pace. Yet the effects of human presence per se on animal life-history traits are rarely tested. This is particularly true in cities, where human presence is often indissociable from urbanisation itself. The onset of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, along with the resulting lockdown restrictions, offered a unique, "natural experiment" context to investigate wildlife responses to a sudden reduction of human activities. We analysed four years of avian breeding data collected in a European capital city to test whether lockdown measures altered nestbox occupancy and life-history traits in terms of egg-laying date, incubation duration, and clutch size in two urban adapters: great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). Lockdown measures, which modulated human presence, did not influence any of the life-history traits investigated. In contrast, tree cover, a distinct ecological attribute of the urban space, was positively associated with clutch size, a key avian life-history, and reproductive trait. This highlights the importance of habitat quality/ inter-year variation over human activity on the reproduction of urban wildlife. We discuss our results in light of other urban wildlife studies carried out during the pandemic, inviting the scientific community to carefully interpret all lockdown-associated shifts in biological traits.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Maternally-transferred thyroid hormones and life-history variation in birds

1. In vertebrates, thyroid hormones (THs) play an important role in the regulation of growth, development, metabolism, photoperiodic responses and migration. Maternally transferred THs are important for normal early-phase embryonic development when embryos are not able to produce endogenous THs. Previous studies have shown that variation in maternal THs within the physiological range can influence offspring phenotype. 2. Given the essential functions of maternal THs in development and metabolism, THs may be a mediator of life-history variation across species. 3. We tested the hypothesis that differences in life histories are associated with differences in maternal TH transfer across species. Using birds as a model, we specifically tested whether maternally transferred yolk THs co-vary with migratory status, developmental mode, and traits related to pace-of-life (e.g. basal metabolic rate, maximum lifespan). 4. We collected un-incubated eggs (n = 1-21 eggs per species, median = 7) from 34 wild and captive bird species across 17 families and 6 orders to measure yolk THs (both triiodothyronine, T3 and thyroxine, T4), compiled life-history trait data from the literature, and used Bayesian phylogenetic mixed models to test our hypotheses. 5. Our models indicated that both concentrations and total amounts of the two main forms of THs (T3 and T4) were higher in the eggs of migratory species compared to resident species, and total amounts were higher in the eggs of precocial species, which have longer prenatal developmental periods, than in those of altricial species. However, maternal yolk THs did not show clear associations with pace-of-life related traits, such as fecundity, basal metabolic rate, or maximum lifespan. 6. We quantified interspecific variation in maternal yolk THs in birds and our findings suggest higher maternal TH transfer is associated with the precocial mode of development and migratory status. Whether maternal THs represent a part of the mechanism underlying the evolution of precocial development and migration or a consequence of such life histories is currently unclear. We therefore encourage further studies to explore the physiological mechanisms and evolutionary processes underlying these patterns.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Chipmunk body mass variations and life-histories in a pulsed resource ecosystem

Phenotypic plasticity is the most immediate mechanism of adaptative response to environmental change. Studying plastic changes in response to fluctuating environments provides insights into how such adjustments may impact life-history traits. Here, we used a 14-year dataset of repeated body mass measurements in male eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) to assess the extent of plastic changes for this trait in a resource pulse ecosystem. We first determined the magnitude of variation in body mass at the population level in response to the drastic change in food resource availability from American beech tree seeds (Fagus grandifolia). Males that emerged in the spring from winter torpor following a non-mast year had a lower body mass than males emerging after a mast year, but they tended to recover this loss by mid-June. We found significant among-individual variation in spring body mass plasticity (i.e., individual by environment interaction, I x E). We then investigated the relationships between individual spring body mass plasticity, longevity and lifetime reproductive success. Interestingly, heavier males lived longer than lighter males, but more plastic males had a lower longevity and lower lifetime reproductive success than less plastic males. The report of such plastic response in a stochastic resource system provides valuable insights into the interplay between the costs and benefits of phenotypic plasticity as an adaptation to environmental fluctuations.

opencc-zeroMay 2022View details →

Life-history traits modulate the influence of environmental stressors on biodiversity: the case of fireflies, climate, and artificial light at night

Aim Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an unprecedented stressor recently introduced in the abiotic milieu of natural landscapes. As such, understanding how ALAN and other natural stressors act in concert to shape the spatial distribution of biodiversity is a core goal in conservation ecology. Here, we aim at understanding how ALAN and climate interact with life-history traits and courtship signalling systems to dictate the composition of firefly communities in a global biodiversity hotspot. Location An extensive elevational gradient in the Atlantic Rainforest (Brazil) currently known as the hottest hotspot of fireflies on Earth. Methods We used multivariate species distribution models to understand how species traits and courtship signalling systems interact with climate and ALAN to determine species abundances within firefly communities. We also investigated how species-specific responses to climate and ALAN scale up to determine compositional changes in firefly communities along the elevational gradient. Results We found that climate shapes communities by filtering species according to their body size and trophic position. ALAN dictates the dominant courtship signalling system within communities by affecting the abundance of species that use bioluminescence or a combination of bioluminescence and pheromones in courtship. We also found that associations between beta-diversity and ALAN were non-stationary, being higher in regions under low levels of light pollution. This suggests that even incipient increases in ALAN within protected areas can yield fast changes in the composition of firefly communities. Main Conclusions Firefly responses to climate and ALAN are modulated by traits associated with different facets of their life histories. Given the alarming changes in both stressors predicted for the foreseeable future, our findings indicate that firefly communities are vulnerable to compositional changes even within protected areas. --

opencc-zeroSep 2022View details →

Connectivity among thermal habitats buffers the effects of warm climate on life-history traits and population dynamics

1. Contemporary climate change affects population dynamics, but its influence varies with landscape structure. It is still unclear whether landscape fragmentation buffers or enhances the effects of climate on population size and on the age and body size of individuals composing these populations. 2. This study aims to investigate the impacts of warm climates on lizard life-history traits and population dynamics in habitats varying in their connectivity. 3. We monitored common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) populations for three years in an experimental system in which both climatic conditions and connectivity among habitats were simultaneously manipulated. We considered two climatic treatments (i.e., present-day climate and warm climate (+1.4°C than present-day climate)) and two connectivity treatments (i.e., a connected treatment in which individuals could move from one climate to the other and an isolated treatment in which movement between climates was not possible). We monitored survival, reproduction, growth, dispersal, age and body size of each individual in the system as well as population density through time. 4. We found that the influence of warm climates on the life-history traits and population dynamics depended on the connectivity among thermal habitats. Populations in warm climates were i) composed of younger individuals only when isolated; ii) larger in population size only in connected habitats; and iii) composed of larger age-specific individuals independently of the landscape configuration. The connectivity among habitats altered population responses to climate warming likely through asymmetries in the flow and phenotype of dispersers between thermal habitats. 5. Our results demonstrate that landscape fragmentation can drastically change the dynamics and persistence of populations facing climate change.

Figure 4 in Life-History traits of Hollandichthys multifasciatus (Eigenmann & Norris, 1900) (Characiformes: Characidae) in coastal Atlantic Forest blackwater streams from

Figure 4. Frequency distribution of oocytes diameter (mm) of mature females of Hollandichthys multifasciatus sampled at the different coastal blackwater streams in the Baixada Santista and Northern Coast Basins, São Paulo state. P2 (N = 4); P3 (N = 3); P4 (N = 10); P5 (N = 4); P6 (N = 4).

Figure 3 in Life-History traits of Hollandichthys multifasciatus (Eigenmann & Norris, 1900) (Characiformes: Characidae) in coastal Atlantic Forest blackwater streams from

Figure 3. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) plot of environmental variables measured at 10 blackwater streams in the Baixada Santista and Northern Coast Basins, São Paulo state. Environmental variables are indicated by vectors. DOC = Dissolved Organic Carbon; Temp = Temperature; C = Conductivity; DO = Dissolved Oxygen; HC = High Canopy; S = Sand; SC = Silt/Clay; LB = Leaf Banks; OV = Overhanging vegetation. For stream acronyms see Table 1.

Figure 1 in Life-History traits of Hollandichthys multifasciatus (Eigenmann & Norris, 1900) (Characiformes: Characidae) in coastal Atlantic Forest blackwater streams from

Figure 1. Study area, coastal region of the State of São Paulo. Sampled streams (JP1, JP2 – Itapanhaú); (P1-P6 – Guaratuba); Itaguaré (MP) and Una (BB1 – Una). Adapted from Esteves et al. (2019).

Figure 2 in Life-History traits of Hollandichthys multifasciatus (Eigenmann & Norris, 1900) (Characiformes: Characidae) in coastal Atlantic Forest blackwater streams from

Figure 2. View of one of the sampling sites (JP1, Itapanhaú sub-basin), showing block nets at the 100 m sampled stretch.

opencc-zeroApr 2024View details →

Variation and plasticity in life-history traits and fitness of wild Arabidopsis thaliana populations are not related to their genotypic and ecological diversity

Despite its implications for population dynamics and evolution, the relationship between genetic and phenotypic variation in wild populations remains unclear. Here, we estimated variation and plasticity in life-history traits and fitness of the annual plant Arabidopsis thaliana in two common garden experiments that differed in environmental conditions. We used up to 306 maternal inbred lines from six Iberian populations characterized by low and high genotypic (based on whole-genome sequences) and ecological (vegetation type) diversity. Low and high genotypic and ecological diversity was found in edge and core Iberian environments, respectively. Given that selection is expected to be stronger in edge environments and that ecological diversity may enhance both phenotypic variation and plasticity, we expected genotypic diversity to be positively associated with phenotypic variation and plasticity. However, maternal lines, irrespective of the genotypic and ecological diversity of their population of origin, exhibited a substantial amount of phenotypic variation and plasticity for all traits. Furthermore, all populations harbored maternal lines with canalization (robustness) or sensitivity in response to harsher environmental conditions in one of the two experiments. Overall, we conclude that the environmental attributes of each population probably determine their genotypic diversity, but all populations maintain substantial phenotypic variation and plasticity for all traits, which represents an asset to endure in changing environments.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2024View details →

Data and code from "Temporal allele frequency changes in large-effect loci reveal potential fishing impacts on salmon life-history diversity" (Miettinen et al. 2024)

This archive contains code and data files to perform analyses detailed in Miettinen et al. (2024, Evolutionary Applications, https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13690).

opencc-zeroJun 2024View details →

Data from: Among-species variation in six decades of changing migration timings explained through ecology, life-history and abundance

Species utilising seasonal environments must now alter timings of key life-history events in response to large-scale climatic changes, thereby maintaining trophic synchronies. Yet substantial among-species variation in cross-decadal phenological changes is observed. Transitioning from basic description of such variation towards prediction of future phenological responses now requires standardised studies that rigorously quantify and explain variation in the direction, magnitude and form of changing timings across diverse species in relation to key ecological and life-history variables. Accordingly, we fitted multi-quantile regressions to 59 years of high-quality multi-species data on spring and autumn bird migration timings through northern Scotland. We demonstrate substantial variation in cross-decadal changes in timings among 72 species, and quantify the degree to which variation can be explained through differences in species ecology, life-history and population trajectories. Consistent with predictions, species with seasonal diets, narrower breeding habitat breadths, shorter generation lengths and capability to produce multiple offspring broods per year advanced their migration timing in one or both seasons. In contrast, species with less seasonal diets, and that produce single annual offspring broods, showed no change. Meanwhile, contrary to prediction, long-distance migrants advanced their migration timings as much as short-distance migrants. Changes in migration timing also varied with changes in local migratory abundance, such that species with increasing seasonal abundance apparently altered their migration timing, whilst species with decreasing abundance did not. These patterns concur with expectation if changing migration timing is adaptive. However, we demonstrate that similar patterns can be generated through numerical sampling processes given changing abundances, implying that apparent phenology-abundance relationships should be carefully validated and interpreted. Overall, our results show that migrant bird species with differing ecologies and life-histories have shown systematically differing phenological changes over six decades contextualised by large-scale environmental changes, potentially facilitating future predictions and altering temporal dynamics of seasonal species co-occurrences.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Juvenile concentrations of IGF-1 predict life-history trade-offs in a wild mammal

Early postnatal development can have profound effects on life-history traits later in life. One mechanism hypothesized to mediate this relationship is the anabolic hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 contributes importantly to postnatal growth, and thus offers a means by which environmental and genetic variation might direct organismal development, reproduction and survival. We tested whether juvenile concentrations of IGF-1 can predict intraspecific variation in life-history traits later in life using longitudinal data from free-living female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). We found that juvenile concentrations of IGF-1 predicted heavier juvenile mass, which in turn predicted greater survival to reproductive maturity. However, independent of mass, higher juvenile concentrations of IGF-1 predicted earlier age at first parturition and reduced longevity in adulthood. Our results highlight the importance of early postnatal development as a determination period in mammals and suggest that concentrations of IGF-1 during this sensitive period can be used to predict important later-life trade-offs between growth, reproductive fitness and life span in wild, long-lived animals.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Selection for life-history traits to maximize population growth in an invasive marine species

Species establishing outside their natural range, negatively impacting local ecosystems, are of increasing global concern. They often display life-history features characteristic for r-selected populations with fast growth and high reproduction rates to achieve positive population growth rates (r) in invaded habitats. Here, we demonstrate substantially earlier maturation at a 2 orders of magnitude lower body mass at first reproduction in invasive compared to native populations of the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi. Empirical results are corroborated by a theoretical model for competing life-history traits that predicts maturation at the smallest possible size to optimize r, while individual lifetime reproductive success (R0), optimized in native populations, is near constant over a large range of intermediate maturation sizes. We suggest that high variability in reproductive tactics in native populations is an underappreciated determinant of invasiveness, acting as substrate upon which selection can act during the invasion process.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

Fast life-histories are associated with larger brain size in killifishes

The high energetic demands associated with the vertebrate brain are proposed to result in a trade-off between the pace of life-history and relative brain size. However, because both life-history and brain size also have a strong relationship with body size, any associations between the pace of life-history and relative brain size may be confounded by coevolution with body size. Studies on systems where contrasts in the pace of life-history occur without concordant contrasts in body size could therefore add to our understanding of the potential coevolution between relative brain size and life-history. Using one such system - 21 species of killifish - we employed a common garden design across two ontogenetic stages to investigate the association between relative brain size and the pace of life-history. Contrary to predictions, we found that relative brain size was larger in adult fast-living killifishes, compared to slow-living species. Although we found no differences in relative brain size between juvenile killifishes. Our results suggest that fast- and slow-living killifishes do not exhibit the predicted trade-off between brain size and life-history. Instead, fast and slow-living killifishes could differ in the ontogenetic timing of somatic vs. neural growth or inhabit environments that differ considerably in cognitive demands.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

Quantitative trait locus mapping reveals an independent genetic basis for joint divergence in leaf function, life-history, and floral traits between scarlet monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis) populations

PREMISE Across taxa, vegetative and floral traits that vary along a fast-slow life-history axis are often correlated with leaf functional traits arrayed along the leaf economics spectrum, suggesting a constrained set of adaptive trait combinations. Such broad-scale convergence may arise from genetic constraints imposed by pleiotropy (or tight linkage) within species, or from natural selection alone. Understanding the genetic basis of trait syndromes and their components is key to distinguishing these alternatives and predicting evolution in novel environments. METHODS We used a line-cross approach and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping to characterize the genetic basis of twenty leaf functional/physiological, life history, and floral traits in hybrids between annualized and perennial populations of scarlet monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis). RESULTS We mapped both single and multi-trait QTLs for life history, leaf function and reproductive traits, but found no evidence of genetic co-ordination across categories. A major QTL for three leaf functional traits (thickness, photosynthetic rate, and stomatal resistance) suggests that a simple shift in leaf anatomy may be key to adaptation to seasonally dry habitats. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the co-ordination of resource-acquisitive leaf physiological traits with a fast life history and more selfing mating system results from environmental selection rather than functional or genetic constraint. Independent assortment of distinct trait modules, as well as a simple genetic basis to leaf physiological traits associated with drought escape, may facilitate adaptation to changing climates.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: A test of genomic modularity among life-history adaptations promoting speciation with gene flow

Speciation with gene flow may require adaptive divergence of multiple traits to generate strong ecologically based reproductive isolation. Extensive negative pleiotropy or physical linkage of genes in the wrong phase affecting these diverging traits may therefore hinder speciation, while genetic independence or "modularity" among phenotypic traits may reduce constraints and facilitate divergence. Here, we test whether the genetics underlying two components of diapause life history, initial diapause intensity and diapause termination timing, constrain differentiation between sympatric hawthorn and apple-infesting host races of the fly Rhagoletis pomonella through analysis of 10,256 SNPs measured via genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Loci genetically associated with diapause termination timing were mainly observed for SNPs mapping to chromosomes 1–3 in the genome, most notably for SNPs displaying higher levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD), likely due to inversions. In contrast, selection on initial diapause intensity affected loci on all five major chromosomes of the genome, specifically those showing low levels of LD. This lack of overlap in genetically associated loci suggests that the two diapause phenotypes are largely modular. On chromosome 2, however, intermediate level LD loci and a subgroup of high LD loci displayed significant negative relationships between initial diapause intensity and diapause termination time. These gene regions on chromosome 2 therefore affected both traits, while most regions were largely independent. Moreover, loci associated with both measured traits also tended to exhibit highly divergent allele frequencies between the host races. Thus, the presence of nonoverlapping genetic modules likely facilitates simultaneous, adaptive divergence for the measured life-history components.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

Many roads to success: Different combinations of life-history traits provide accurate germination timing in seasonally dry environments

Germination timing is determined by several plant life-history traits. Seed dormancy regulates the time and place of early plant development and spreads recruitment risks over time. Dispersal phenology and syndrome can influence germination timing and buffer spatial heterogeneity. The ecological requirements for germination (the germination niche) can also influence when and where germination takes place. To date, the relative importance of each of these four traits to ensure the phenological adaptation of individual species in diverse communities remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the functional interactions among them and their relevance in heterogenous, seasonally dry environments. We collected seed dispersal phenology and syndrome for 82 species of the Brazilian savanna (cerrado) and evaluated the dormancy and germination behavior of the seeds of every taxon. Based on these data, we developed two new ecological indexes to estimate the likelihood of a non-dormant seed to germinate upon dispersal (∆G) and the overall variability of germination through time (σT). We then evaluated the influence of each trait on germination timing within a phylogenetically controlled framework. Our results show that even though germination is concentrated at the beginning of the rainy season, seed dispersal takes place year-round. Non-dormant seeds released during the dry season were characterized by high ∆G values that delayed their germination until the onset of the favorable season. Simultaneously, seed dormancy and spatial dispersal (i.e., the two risk-reduction mechanisms) were negatively correlated as dormancy and high σT values were only prevalent in seeds with reduced spatial dispersal ability. We conclude that the timing of seed germination is ultimately the net outcome of adaptive interactions among life-history traits, which can result in multiple functionally equivalent phenotypes. It is possible that this might contribute to community diversity by providing opportunities for the coexistence of different species.