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opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Demographic rates and stature of tree species in 13 sub-tropical forests: annual growth, annual survival, annual recruitment >( 1 cm dbh), stature (max dbh)

Organisms of all species must balance their allocation to growth, survival and recruitment. Among tree species, evolution has resulted in different life-history strategies for partitioning resources to these key demographic processes. Life-history strategies in tropical forests have often been shown to align along a trade-off between fast growth and high survival, i.e. the well-known fast-slow continuum. In addition, an orthogonal trade-off has been proposed between tall stature – resulting from fast growth and high survival – and recruitment success, i.e. a stature−recruitment trade-off. However, it is not clear if these two independent dimensions of life-history variation structure tropical forests worldwide. We used data from 13 large-scale and long-term tropical forest monitoring plots in three continents to explore the principal trade-offs in annual growth, survival and recruitment as well as tree stature. These forests included relatively undisturbed forests as well as typhoon-disturbed forests. Life-history variation in twelve forests was structured by two orthogonal trade-offs, the growth−survival trade-off and the stature−recruitment trade-off. Pairwise Procrustes analysis revealed a high similarity of demographic relationships among forests. The small deviations were related to differences between African and Asian plots. Synthesis. The fast-slow continuum and tree stature are two independent dimensions structuring many, but not all tropical tree communities. Our discovery of the consistency of demographic trade-offs and life-history strategies across different forest types from three continents substantially improves our ability to predict tropical forest dynamics worldwide.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Pinniped comparative survival data

Survival rates are a central component of life-history strategies of large vertebrate species. However, comparative studies seldom investigate interspecific variation in survival rates with respect to other life-history traits, especially for males. The lack of such studies could be due to the challenges associated with obtaining reliable datasets, incorporating information on the 0-1 probability scale, or dealing with several types of measurement error in life-history traits, which can be a computationally intensive process that is often absent in comparative studies. We present a quantitative approach using Bayesian phylogenetically controlled regression with the flexibility to incorporate uncertainty in estimated survival rates and quantitative life-history traits while considering genetic similarity among species and uncertainty in relatedness. As with any comparative analysis, our approach makes several assumptions regarding the generalizability and comparability of empirical data from separate studies. Our model is versatile in that it can be applied to any species group of interest and include any life-history traits as covariates. We used an unbiased simulation framework to provide "proof of concept" for our model and applied a slightly richer model to a real-data example for pinnipeds. Pinnipeds are an excellent taxonomic group for comparative analysis, but survival rate data are scarce. Our work elucidates the challenges associated with addressing important questions related to broader ecological life-history patterns and how survival-reproduction tradeoffs might shape evolutionary histories of extant taxa. Specifically, we underscore the importance of having high-quality estimates of age-specific survival rates and information on other life-history traits that reasonably characterize a species for accurately comparing across species.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Natal dispersal does not entail survival costs but is linked to breeding dispersal in a migratory shorebird, the southern dunlin Calidris alpina schinzii

The costs and benefits of dispersal are often assessed by comparing fitness between dispersing and non-dispersing individuals. Importantly, individuals that disperse between their natal and first breeding site may subsequently be more likely to disperse between breeding sites compared to those that remained philopatric to their natal site. Such within-individual consistency in dispersal behaviour can bias local survival estimation, and thus the survival comparison between dispersing and non-dispersing individuals, if breeding dispersal leads to permanent emigration from the study area. We examined whether adult survival correlates with natal dispersal in a migratory shorebird, the southern dunlin (Calidris alpina schinzii), in two isolated patchy populations where permanent emigration is expected to be extremely rare. To assess whether local adult survival could be biased by non-random breeding dispersal, we analysed between-patch breeding dispersal probability and quantified within-individual consistency in dispersal. Among females, natal dispersers were more likely to disperse again as adults compared to non-dispersers, while no difference was observed in males which were always highly site faithful. Yet, adult survival did not differ between natal dispersing and non-dispersing individuals in either sex. Breeding dispersal probability was higher in failed compared to successful breeders. Breeding dispersal often resulted in dispersal back to the natal patch, i.e. delayed natal philopatry. Our results suggest no survival costs of dispersal after first reproduction. Despite individual consistency, survival estimates of dispersing individuals were not biased because nearly all available breeding habitat was covered. We show that consistency in dispersal can occur even in site faithful species like the southern dunlin. Studies of the effects of dispersal on survival should therefore account for within-individual consistency in dispersal if not all available breeding habitat is monitored in open populations. In particular, delayed natal philopatry may lead to biased local survival estimates for immigrants when compared with philopatric individuals.

Subpopulation contributions to a breeding metapopulation of migratory Arctic herbivores: Survival, fecundity, and asymmetric dispersal

Estimates of demographic parameters for lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) have become critical to understand ecosystem change in northern Canada. Exponential increase in abundance has produced hyperdensities of these herbivores that can affect Arctic ecosystem stability through intense foraging. Increased and sustained marking of individually-identifiable lesser snow geese over their breeding distribution now permits joint estimation of local vital rates and movement probabilities among widely scattered subpopulations. We used multi-state models, including an unobservable state, with live captures from 5 subpopulations and dead recoveries to estimate annual probabilities of (i) survival, (ii) capture, (iii) reported mortality and (iv) movement to other subpopulations, as well as derived estimates for probabilities of site fidelity and harvest. Our dataset included 144,754 captures of 139,177 lesser snow geese marked with metal legbands, from 2006 to 2015, of which 5,542 were recaptured near breeding sites and 9,709 were recovered dead in North America. The best model supported variation in survival by subpopulation and age, with additive effects of subpopulation, age and sex on movement probability. Male breeding dispersal was greater than by females, and juvenile geese were more likely to move than adults. Strong northeastward geographic asymmetry in the probability of breeding movement was consistent with an eastward shift in wintering distribution observed in hunter recoveries. Mean annual survival ranged from 0.79-0.94 for adults, and 0.16-0.47 for juvenile geese, with a strong negative relationship between regional adult and juvenile survival. Harvest probabilities were all ≤ 0.03 for adult and ≤ 0.06 for juvenile geese, suggesting little influence from direct anthropogenic exploitation. Metrics for subpopulation persistence and contributions of each to the metapopulation suggested declines in all but one subpopulation, and a declining midcontinent population overall. Our study highlights the importance of all subpopulation demographic parameters as modulators of persistence at both local and range-wide population dynamics.

Eggs survive through avian guts—A possible mechanism for transoceanic dispersal of flightless weevils

How flightless animals disperse to remote oceanic islands is a key unresolved question in biogeography. The flightless Pachyrhynchus weevils represent repetitive colonization history in West Pacific islands, which attracted our interests about how some weevils have successfully dispersed in the reverse direction against the sea current. Here, we propose endozoochory as a possible mechanism that the eggs of the weevils might be carried by embedded in the fruits as the food of frugivorous birds. In this study, Pachyrhynchus eggs were embedded in small pieces of persimmon fruits (Diospyros kaki) and fed to captive frugivorous birds. After digestion, 83%–100% eggs were retrieved from the feces of a bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus) and two thrushes (Turdus chrysolaus). The retrieved eggs had hatching rates higher than 84%, which were not different from the control. In contrast, no egg was retrieved from the feces of the frugivorous pigeon (Treron sieboldii), which took a longer retention time in the guts. Our study identified that the eggs of Pachyrhynchus weevils are possible to be transported by internal digesting in some bird species.

Data from: Simulated winter warming negatively impacts survival of Antarctica's only endemic insect

Antarctic winters are challenging for terrestrial invertebrates, and species that live there have specialized adaptations to conserve energy and protect against cold injury in the winter. However, rapidly occurring climate change in these regions will increase the unpredictability of winter conditions, and there is currently a dearth of knowledge on how the highly adapted invertebrates of Antarctica will respond to changes in winter temperatures. We evaluated the response of larvae of the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica, to simulated winters at three ecologically relevant mean temperature scenarios: Warm (-1 °C), Normal (-3 °C) and Cold (-5 °C). Within each scenario, larvae were placed into three distinct habitat types in which they are commonly observed (decaying organic matter, living moss, and Prasiola crispa algae). Following the simulated overwintering period, a range of physiological outcomes were measured, namely survival, locomotor activity, tissue damage, energy store levels and molecular stress responses. Survival, energy stores and locomotor activity were significantly lower following the Warm overwintering environment than at lower temperatures, but tissue damage and heat shock protein expression (a proxy for protein damage) did not significantly differ between the three temperatures. Survival was also significantly lower in larvae overwintered in Prasiola crispa algae, although the underlying mechanism is unclear. Heat shock proteins were expressed least in larvae overwintering in living moss, suggesting it is less stressful to overwinter in this substrate, perhaps due to a more defined structure affording less direct contact with ice. Our results demonstrate that a realistic 2 °C increase in winter microhabitat temperature reduces survival and causes energy deficits that have implications for subsequent development and reproduction. While our Warm winter scenario was close to the range of observed overwintering temperatures for this species, warmer winters are expected to become more common in response to climate change. Conversely, if climate change reduces the length of winter, some of the negative consequences of winter warming may be attenuated, so it will be important to consider this factor in future studies. Nonetheless, our results indicate that winter warming could negatively impact cold-adapted insects like the Antarctic midge.

opencc-by-4.0May 2022View details →

Predicting diagnosis and survival of bone metastasis in breast cancer using machine learning: a SEER-based study

The data for this article: predicting diagnosis and survival of bone metastasis in breast cancer using machine learning: a SEER-based study.

Localized carry-over effects of pond drying on survival, growth, and pathogen defenses in amphibians

Climate change is increasing variability in precipitation patterns in many parts of the globe. Unpredictable changes in water availability can be particularly challenging for organisms that rely on precipitation-fed water sources for completing their life cycle, such as many amphibian species. Although developmental plasticity can mitigate the impacts of changing environments for some species, this strategy can come at a cost to other fitness-linked traits, such as immune function. We investigated localized variation in the capacity to respond to pond drying and evaluated whether developmental responses induced carry-over effects in disease susceptibility in three leopard frog species (Rana [Lithobates] pipiens and R. sphenocephala; two populations each, and one population of R. chiricahuensis). Using mesocosms located near the site of collection (<15 km away) in five regions spanning a latitudinal gradient, we raised tadpoles under simulated fast-drying, slow-drying, or constant water levels. After metamorphosis, we characterized several aspects of the skin microbiome, immune function, and response to exposure to the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Note that for R. chiricahuensis, the only carry-over effect measured was response to Bd exposure, for which we observed no effects of pond drying. We found that developmental plasticity in response to drying was rare, except in the southernmost population of R. sphenocephala. In this location, tadpoles responded by accelerating development, and frogs with shorter larval periods developed more severe infections following Bd exposure post-metamorphosis, suggesting a trade-off between surviving pond drying and pathogen defense investment. In the three other locations, a lack of accelerated metamorphosis in drying treatments was accompanied by increased mortality, decreased anti-Bd function of the microbiome, and/or greater Bd infection after exposure. Overall, results suggest that faster drying conditions will likely have negative impacts on amphibians with long larval periods, both directly and indirectly via carry-over effects. Because effects of drying exposure were not uniform within a species, our findings suggest local responses may not be generalizable to other regions of the range. These multifaceted effects of climate change on pathogen defenses are increasingly relevant as emerging infectious diseases threaten global biodiversity.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Survival of extreme heat related to circadian cycle and sex in bees

The pollination services provided by insects have been a crucial part of evolution and survival for many species, including humans. For bees to be efficient pollinators they must survive the environmental insults they face daily. Thus, looking into the short- and long-term effects of heat exposure on bee performance provides us with a foundation for investigating how stress can affect insect pollination. Solitary bees are a great model for investigating the effects of environmental stress on pollinators because the vast majority of insect pollinator species are solitary rather than social. One of the most pervasive environmental stressors to insects is temperature. Here we investigated how a one-hour heat shock affected multiple metrics of performance in the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata. We found that a short heat shock (1hr at 45ºC) can delay adult emergence in males but not females. Bee pupae were rather resilient to a range of high temperature exposures that larvae did not survive. Following heat shock (1hr at 50ºC), adult bees were drastically less active than untreated bees, and this reduction in activity was evident over several days. Heat shock also led to a decrease in bee survival and longevity. Additionally, we found a connection between starvation survival after heat shock and time of exposure, where bees exposed in the morning survived longer than those exposed in the afternoon, when they would normally experience heat shock in the field. These data suggest that there is an unexplored daily/circadian component to the stress response in bees likely similar to that seen in flies, nematodes, and plants which is constitutive or preemptive rather than restorative. Taken together our data indicates that single heat shock events have strong potential to negatively impact multiple life history traits correlated with reproduction and fitness.

opennotspecifiedMar 2013View details →

Distribution. EC Madagascar, known only from the type locality of Ambositra, north of Fianarantsoa; its continuing survival in the forest fragments of that region remains to be confirmed. Reports from the Bongolava Massif to the NW appear to be erroneous. in Cheirogaleidae

Distribution. EC Madagascar, known only from the type locality of Ambositra, north of Fianarantsoa; its continuing survival in the forest fragments of that region remains to be confirmed. Reports from the Bongolava Massif to the NW appear to be erroneous.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2022View details →

Raw Data Survival, Development and Reproduction of Gonipterus platensis on Eucalyptus genotypes

Data used in the paper "The survival, development, and reproduction of Gonipterus platensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on the main Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) genotypes planted in Brazil"

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Variations in immune parameters with age in a wild rodent population and links with survival

Recent findings suggest that immune functions do not unidirectionally deteriorate with age but that a potentially adaptive remodelling, where functions of the immune system get down regulated while others get upregulated with age could also occur. Scarce in wild populations, longitudinal studies are yet necessary to properly understand the patterns and consequences of age variations of the immune system in the wild. Meanwhile, it is challenging to understand if the observed variations in immune parameters with age are due to changes at the within-individual level or to selective (dis)appearance of individuals with peculiar immune phenotypes. Thanks to a long-term and longitudinal monitoring of a wild Alpine marmot population, we aimed to understand within- and between-individual variation in the immune phenotype with age, in order to improve our knowledge about the occurrence and the evolutionary consequences of such age-variations in the wild. To do so, we recorded the age-specific leukocyte concentration and leukocyte profile in repeatedly sampled dominant individuals. We then tested whether the potential changes with age were attributable to within-individual variations and/or selective (dis)appearance. Finally, we investigated if the leukocyte concentration and profiles were correlated to the probability of death at a given age. The leukocyte concentration was stable with age, but the relative number of lymphocytes decreased, while the relative number of neutrophils increased, over the course of an individual's life. Moreover, between individuals of the same age, individuals with fewer lymphocytes but more neutrophils were more likely to die. Therefore, selective disappearance seems to play a role in the age variations of the immune parameters in this population. Further investigations linking age variations in immune phenotype to individual fitness are needed to understand whether remodelling of the immune system with age could or could not be adaptive.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2022View details →

data for the manuscript entitled Survival probability of atmospheric new particles: closure between theory and measurements from 1.4 to 100 nm

data for figures. Please contact runlong.cai@helsinki.fi if needed

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2022View details →

Raw data - Macronutrient balance has opposing effects on cognition and survival in honey bees

This file contains the dataset used in the paper "Macronutrient balance has opposing effects on cognition and survival in honey bees"

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2022View details →

Effects of pH and light exposure on the survival of bacteria and their ability to biodegrade organic compounds in clouds: Implications for microbial activity in acidic cloud water

Our manuscript was submitted to ACP. Upon submission, all data must be accessible by anonymous access.

opencc-zeroAug 2022View details →

The abundance of small mammals is positively linked to survival from nest depredation but negatively linked to local recruitment of a ground nesting precocial bird

Generalist predators using small mammals as their primary prey are suggested to shift hunting alternative prey such as bird nests, when small mammals are in short supply (the alternative prey hypothesis, APH). Nest survival and survival of young individuals should be positively linked to small mammal abundance and negatively linked to predator abundance, but little information exists from survival of chicks, especially until recruitment. We test these predictions of the APH using 13 years (2002-2014) of life history data from a ground nesting shorebird breeding on coastal meadows. We use small mammal abundance in the previous autumn as a proxy for spring predator abundance, mainly of mammalian predators. We examine whether small mammal abundance in the spring and previous autumn explain annual variation in nest survival from depredation and local recruitment of the southern dunlin Calidris alpina schinzii. As predicted by the APH, survival from nest predation was positively linked to spring small mammal abundance and negatively linked to autumn small mammal abundance. Importantly, local recruitment showed opposite responses. This counterintuitive result may be explained by density dependent survival. When nest depredation rates are low, predators may show stronger numerical and functional responses to high shorebird chick abundance on coastal meadows, whereas in years of high nest depredation, few hatching chicks lure fewer predators. The opposite effects on nest and local recruitment demonstrate the diverse mechanisms by which population size variation in primary prey can affect dynamics of alternative prey populations.

opencc-zeroSep 2022View details →

Size- and environment-driven seedling survival and growth are mediated by leaf functional traits

Ecologists usually find that plant demography (e.g., survival and growth) changes along with plant size and environmental gradients, which suggests the effects of ontogeny-related processes and abiotic filtering. However, the role of functional traits underlying the plant size- and environment-demography relationships is usually overlooked. By measuring the individual-level leaf traits of more than 2700 seedlings in a temperate forest, we evaluated how seedling functional traits mediated the size- and environment-demography relationships. First, we found leaves were larger for taller seedlings, leaf economics traits were more conservative in taller seedlings and under high light and low elevation conditions. Then, structural equation modeling showed that a higher survival probability for taller seedlings was indirectly driven by their larger leaf area. Although taller seedlings had lower growth rates, larger and more resource-conservative leaves could promote the growth rate of these tall seedlings. Environmental variables did not appear to influence seedling survival and growth directly but did influence growth indirectly by mediating trait variation. Finally, species-specific variation in traits along with size and environments was associated with the species-specific variation in seedling survival and growth. Our study suggests that, not only plant ontogeny- and environment-related ecological processes, functional traits are also important intermediary agents underlying the usually observed plant size- and environment-demography relationships.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Supporting data for: Planted conifer seedling survival in a post-wildfire landscape in New Mexico: From experimental planting to predictive probabilistic surfaces

Across the southwestern United States, high-severity wildfire is causing increasingly large patches of tree mortality, removing the seed sources required for the natural regeneration of these formerly conifer-dominated landscapes. Planting tree seedlings can accelerate succession and restore the ecosystem services that pre-wildfire forests provided, but in the semi-arid southwestern US, the survival of planted conifer seedlings is typically low. We present data on a seedling planting experiment within the footprint of the 2011 Las Conchas Fire in northern New Mexico, using microclimate variables and site-level topographic indices to determine which factors influence seedling survival of four conifer tree species. We then extrapolate these findings to the wider landscape for the most commonly planted species, producing a spatial projection of probabilistic seedling survival as a function of both site- and landscape-scale factors, using readily available topographic data. Both sets of analyses highlight the importance of landscape heterogeneity, quantifiable using topographic indices, in shaping microclimatic environments and affecting seedling survival in a predictable manner. Our results demonstrate that using these methods to guide future plantings may increase conifer tree seedling survival in high-severity post-wildfire landscapes.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Post-release survival and dispersal of translocated crest-tailed mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda

Initial translocations are inherently risky due to uncertainty around species-specific responses to novel environments. Incorporating a range of release protocols can minimise risks of translocation failure. We identified post-translocation hyperdispersal as a risk to the first translocation of the crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda), an Australian carnivorous marsupial, and tested temporary confinement and releasing females with pouch young as mitigation strategies. We released 16 females with pouch young and 3 males into unoccupied burrows within a 20 km2 feral animal exclosure, either within temporary confinement pens (n = 10) or without confinement (immediate release) (n = 9). Temporary confinement did not influence survival but did influence dispersal behaviour. Thirty-seven percent of translocated individuals (all 3 males, 4 of 16 females) hyperdispersed (3.0–11.6 km) outside the study exclosure after release, including 42% immediate release animals and 29% temporary confinement animals. No males remained in the exclosure at the study end. Confined females settled closer to their release site. Release of females with pouch young led to an increase in the translocated population from 9 to 58 individuals within 4 months. Releasing females with young from geographically distant sites may be important to offset male hyperdispersal. Our results suggest that temporary confinement and translocating breeding females are important release protocols for species with a propensity for hyperdispersal post-translocation.