Find research datasets worth reusing

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2021View details →

Data from: Spatiotemporal variation in the role of floral traits in shaping tropical plant-pollinator interactions

Supplementary datasets for Klomberg et al. 2021 Spatiotemporal variation in the role of floral traits in shaping tropical plant-pollinator interactions. Ecology Letters. All related information can be found in the cited paper. When using the dataset for anything, cite the Klomberg et al. paper. For additional information, refer to the paper or write to robert.tropek@gmail.com

opencc-zeroOct 2021View details →

Early queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces long-term disease protection in incipient ant colonies

Infections early in life can have enduring effects on an organism's development and immunity. In this study, we show that this equally applies to developing "superorganisms" – incipient social insect colonies. When we exposed newly mated Lasius niger ant queens to a low pathogen dose, their colonies grew more slowly than controls before winter, but reached similar sizes afterwards. Independent of exposure, queen hibernation survival improved when the ratio of pupae to workers was small. Queens that reared fewer pupae before worker emergence exhibited lower pathogen levels, indicating that high brood rearing efforts interfere with the ability of the queen's immune system to suppress pathogen proliferation. Early-life queen pathogen-exposure also improved the immunocompetence of her worker offspring, as demonstrated by challenging the workers to the same pathogen a year later. Transgenerational transfer of the queen's pathogen experience to her workforce can hence durably reduce the disease susceptibility of the whole superorganism.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2024View details →

Supplementary files for Doré et al., 2025 - Evolutionary history of ponerine ants highlights how the timing of dispersal events shapes modern biodiversity. Nature Communications, 16(1), 8297.

### Research Article ### This repository contains Supplementary files associated with this research paper: Doré et al., 2025 - Evolutionary history of ponerine ants highlights how the timing of dispersal events shapes modern biodiversity. Nature Communications, 16(1), 8297. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/XXXX">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63709-3</a> ### Research abstract ###      Disentangling the drivers of global biodiversity patterns is a cornerstone of biogeography that remains elusive for many diverse biological groups. Here we present a complete species-level phylogeny of the ant subfamily Ponerinae based on new phylogenomic sequencing and taxonomic grafting. We combine results with a large-scale geographic database to explore the contribution of three main mechanisms in shaping global ponerine biodiversity patterns: time for accumulation, differences in diversification rate, and asymmetric dispersal. We show that extant ponerine ants originated in Gondwana, spread eastward across tropical bioregions, and more recently colonized temperate areas. The relative timing of colonization events was identified as the prominent driver of present-day biodiversity patterns, supporting the time for accumulation hypothesis. Conversely, differences in diversification rates and asymmetrical dispersal histories mitigated the heterogeneity in biodiversity by fueling accumulation of lineages in the least diverse bioregions. These findings suggest that tropical niche conservatism played a major role in shaping the biogeographic and evolutionary history of Ponerinae. Overall, we emphasize the importance of considering the relative timing of past dispersal events and variations in diversification rates over evolutionary time to gain a deeper understanding of Earth’s biodiversity patterns.    ### Contents ### This repository contains five sub-archives:  - 01_Supplementary_Data: Supplementary Data S1-S8 of the article including metadata for voucher specimens, fossil calibrations, grafting information, geolocalized occurrences, biogeographic membership, bioregion adjacency matrices, and ready-to-use phylogenies.  - 02_Supplementary_Movie: Supplementary Movie 1 - Ponerinae Biogeographic History: Time-lapsed animation of ponerine ant biogeographic and diversification history.  - 03_Phylogenetic_inferences: Scripts and files used to carry out phylogenetic inferences.  - 04_Divergence_dating: Scripts and files used to carry out divergence dating analyses.  - 05_Other_analyses: Script and files used to carry out data curation, tree grafting, and biogeographic and diversification analyses. This is a release of an associated GitHub repository available at <a href="https://github.com/MaelDore/Ponerinae_Historical_Biogeography">https://github.com/MaelDore/Ponerinae_Historical_Biogeography</a>.   ### How to cite ### Please cite this research article as:    > Doré, M., Borowiec, M.L., Branstetter, M.G., Camacho, G.P., Fisher, B.L., Longino, J.T., Ward, P.S., & Blaimer, B.B., 2025. Evolutionary history of ponerine ants highlights how the timing of dispersal events shapes modern biodiversity. Nature Communications, 16(1), 8297. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63709-3.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2018View details →

Dataset for 3D shape factor between two cylinders

Dataset of shape factor between two cylinders randomly oriented in three-dimensional space computed using finite element method.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Limited seed dispersal shapes fine-scale spatial genetic structure in a Neotropical dioecious large-seeded palm

Seed and pollen dispersal contribute to gene flow and shape the genetic patterns of plants over fine spatial scales. We inferred fine-scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS) and estimated realized dispersal distances in Phytelephas aequatorialis, a Neotropical dioecious large-seeded palm. We aimed to explore how seed and pollen dispersal shape this genetic pattern in a focal population. For this purpose, we genotyped 138 seedlings and 99 adults with 20 newly developed microsatellite markers. We tested if rodent-mediated seed dispersal has a stronger influence than insect-mediated pollen dispersal in shaping FSGS. We also tested if pollen dispersal was influenced by the density of male palms around mother palms in order to further explore this ecological process in large-seeded plants. Rodent-mediated dispersal of these large seeds occurred mostly over short distances (mean 34.76 ± 34.06 m) while pollen dispersal distances were two times higher (mean 67.91 ± 38.29 m). The spatial extent of FSGS up to 35 m and the fact that seed dispersal did not increase the distance at which male alleles disperse suggest that spatially limited seed dispersal is the main factor shaping FSGS and contributes only marginally to gene flow within the population. Pollen dispersal distances depended on the density of male palms, decreasing when individuals show a clumped distribution and increasing when they are scattered. Our results show that limited seed dispersal mediated by rodents shapes FSGS in P. aequatorialis, while more extensive pollen dispersal accounts for a larger contribution to gene flow and may maintain high genetic diversity.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Evolutionary history and precipitation seasonality shape niche overlap in Neotropical bat-plant pollination networks

Species interactions are one dimension of the niche, and niche overlap arises when two species share an interaction partner. In pollination systems, environmental and biotic factors impact the niche overlap. Here we explored the effects of climate seasonality, plant and bat richness, morphological traits, and phylogenetic distance in shaping the niche overlap of Neotropical bat-plant pollination networks. For that, we used a dataset of 22 bat-plant pollination networks in the Neotropical region. We measured niche overlap in bats and plants with the Morisita-Horn index, ĈH, and then, we used a SAR model to test the relationships between niche overlap and the abiotic and biotic factors. We found a lower niche overlap among bats in communities composed of phylogenetically distant bat species. Moreover, plant and bat overlap were lower in regions with higher precipitation seasonality. Our results indicate that climate seasonality and bat evolutionary history drive niche overlap in Neotropical bat-plant pollination interactions. These findings suggest that a higher precipitation seasonality may promote the emergence of temporal modules reducing niche overlap, probably as a consequence of seasonal species phenologies. Furthermore, the method used to record the interactions impacts the degree of niche overlap. Interactions recorded with pollen samples tend to have higher niche overlap than direct observations. The uncoupled responses of morphological traits and phylogenetic distances in bat niche overlap suggest an effect of historical processes independently of the morphological traits. Our study reinforced the importance of evolutionary history and ecological processes in imprinting patterns of interaction niche overlap.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Parasitism shapes selection by drastically reducing host fitness and increasing host fitness variation

Determining the effects of parasites on host reproduction is key to understanding how parasites affect the underpinnings of selection on hosts. Although infection is expected to be costly, reducing mean fitness, infection could also increase variation in fitness costs among hosts, both of which determine the potential for selection on hosts. To test these ideas, we used a phylogenetically informed meta-analysis of 118 studies to examine how changes in the mean and variance in the outcome of reproduction differed between parasitized and non-parasitized hosts. We found that parasites had severe negative effects on mean fitness, with parasitized hosts suffering reductions in fecundity, viability, and mating success. Parasite infection also increased variance in reproduction, particularly fecundity and offspring viability. Surprisingly, parasites had similar effects on viability when either the male or female was parasitized. These results not only provide the first synthetic, comparative, and quantitative summary of the strong deleterious effects of parasites on host reproductive fitness, but also reveal a consistent role for parasites in shaping the opportunity for selection.

Data from: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities shaped by host-plant affect the outcome of plant-soil feedback in dryland restoration

1. Plant inoculation with Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can be a useful tool to overcome challenges in dry forest restoration. However, advances are still needed to guide choices regarding soil origin and inoculum production methods, since outcomes can vary due to plant-soil feedbacks (PSF). We evaluate how soil origin and host plant used for inoculum production affect AMF community and therefore the plant biomass accumulation and functional traits. 2. In the conditioning phase, we investigated whether soils originating from a recovered area (Quarry) and a vegetation fragment (Caatinga) would have their AMF communities modified due to the growth of Sorghum bicolor (used for inoculum production) and Senna uniflora (used in Brazilian semiarid restoration). In the feedback phase, we compared the performance of four plants species growing on a degraded soil and inoculated or not by a mixture of AMF isolates in comparison to soil inoculum prepared from the conditioning phase. 3. The inoculum from Caatinga presented seven times more AMF species compared to that from the Quarry, which presented ruderal and stress tolerant species. The soil inoculum conditioned by S. uniflora, regardless of origin, presented greater evenness compared to the soil inoculum produced with S. bicolor and promoted 33% more plant biomass compared to the control without inoculation. Root colonization by AMF increased PSF and decreased plant investment in functional traits such as specific root length (SRL) and specific leaf area (SLA). 4. Our results demonstrate the importance of adopting strategies that preserve local adaptation of inoculants produced. The use of native plant for propagation of native AMF in the conditioning phase provided more positive responses for Mesosphaerum suaveolens and Rhaphiodon echinus than inoculated with introduced AMF isolates. This is probably due to the interaction of inoculated plants with responsive AMF present in the soil. 5. Synthesis and applications: Our study shows that conditioning field-collected soil with S. uniflora and using it for inoculation can be a simple technique to promote biomass accumulation for other native herbaceous species. This preserves the compatibility between the soil inoculum produced with native AMF and native plants, representing an important tool for restoration programs.

Climatic similarity and genomic background shape the extent of parallel adaptation in Timema stick insects

Evolution can repeat itself, resulting in parallel adaptations in independent lineages occupying similar environments. Moreover, parallel evolution sometimes, but not always, uses the same genes. Two main hypotheses have been put forth to explain the probability and extent of parallel evolution. First, parallel evolution is more likely when shared ecologies result in similar patterns of natural selection in different taxa. Second, parallelism is more likely when genomes are similar, because of shared standing variation and similar mutational effects in closely related genomes. Here we combine ecological, genomic, experimental, and phenotypic data with Bayesian modeling and randomization tests to quantify the degree of parallelism and its relationship with ecology and genetics. Our results show that the extent to which genomic regions associated with climate are parallel among species of Timema stick insects is shaped collectively by shared ecology and genomic background. Specifically, the extent of genomic parallelism decays with divergence in climatic conditions (i.e., habitat or ecological similarity) and genomic similarity. Moreover, we find that climate-associated loci are likely subject to selection in a field experiment, overlap with genetic regions associated with cuticular hydrocarbon traits, and are not strongly shaped by introgression between species. Our findings shed light on when evolution is most expected to repeat itself.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2022View details →

Dataset and R code: Prior exposure to B. pertussis shapes the mucosal antibody response to acellular pertussis booster vaccination

The R code and dataset for the figures created in the Nature communications manuscript titled "Prior exposure to B. pertussis shapes the mucosal antibody response to acellular pertussis booster vaccination". contains: - excel dataset including the parameters needed for the figures - R code document with the code used to produce the figures and statistical analyses

Temperature as a likely driver shaping global patterns in mineralogical composition in bryozoans: Implications for marine calcifiers under Global Change

The Southern Ocean is showing one of the most rapid responses to human-induced global change, thus acting as a sentinel of the effects on marine species and ecosystems. Ocean warming and acidification are already impacting benthic species with carbonate skeletons, but the magnitude of these changes to species and ecosystems remains largely unknown. Here we provide the largest carbonate mineralogical dataset to date for Southern Ocean bryozoans, which are diverse, abundant and important as carbonate producers, thus making them excellent for monitoring the effects of ocean warming and acidification. To improve our understanding of how bryozoans might respond to ocean warming and acidification, we assess latitudinal and seafloor temperature patterns of skeletal mineralogy using bryozoan species occurrences together with temperature data for the first time. Our findings, combining new mineralogical data with published data from warmer regions, show that the proportions of high-Mg calcite and bimineralic species increase significantly towards lower latitudes and with increasing seawater temperature. These patterns are consistent with the hypothesis that seawater temperature is likely a significant driver of variations in bryozoan mineralogy at a global scale.

Habitat loss shapes the structure and species roles in tropical plant-frugivore networks

Habitat loss is a global threat to biodiversity with pervasive effects on species and populations. These impacts may generate cascading effects on ecological processes propagating across ecological networks. Thus, understanding how habitat loss affects ecological networks is fundamental for conservation. We used a database of 25 plant-frugivore networks distributed across the whole Brazilian Atlantic Forest to understand how landscape-scale habitat loss shapes network structure, robustness, species role and traits related to seed dispersal. We compared whether these network properties have linear or non-linear relationships and used centrality metrics and indirect effects to evaluate if habitat loss change the role of species in plant-frugivore networks. We found linear and non-linear relationships with negative effects of habitat loss on the network structure. As a consequence of shifts in species richness and number of links, the number of interactions and the proportion of possible interactions observed (connectance) were negatively associated with habitat loss. In contrast, nestedness increased with habitat loss. Network robustness, mean bill width and mean seed size were not significantly related to habitat loss. In addition to changes in interaction patterns at network level, habitat loss also favors changes in interaction among species, shifting the species playing central roles in network organization or contributing to indirect effects in the networks. In forested landscapes, obligate frugivores are the main central species in the network, and the ones potentially contributing to indirect effects, while in deforested landscapes these roles are fulfilled by occasional frugivores. Thus, our results emphasize the widespread effect of habitat loss on plant-frugivore systems, adding evidence that its pervasive effects on biodiversity also proliferate on mutualistic interactions with negative consequences for seed dispersal that potentially go beyond the direct pairs of interacting species.

Fluctuations in resource availability shape the competitive balance among non-native plant species

Fluctuating resource availability plays a critical role in determining non-native plant invasions by mediating the competitive balance between non-native and native species. However, the impact of fluctuating resource availability on interactions among non-native species remains largely unknown. This represents a barrier to understanding invasion mechanisms, particularly in habitats that harbor multiple non-native species with different responses to fluctuating resource availability. To examine the responses of non-native plant species to nutrient fluctuations, we compared the growth of each of 12 non-native species found to be common in local natural areas to nutrients supplied at a constant rate or supplied as a single large pulse in a pot experiment. We found that seven species produced more biomass with pulsed nutrients compared to constant nutrients (hereafter 'benefitting species'), while the other five species did not differ between nutrient enrichment treatments (hereafter 'non-benefitting species'). To investigate how nutrient fluctuations influence the interactions among non-native plant species, we established experimental non-native communities in the field with two benefitting and two non-benefitting non-native species. Compared with constant nutrient supply, the single large pulse of nutrients did not influence community biomass, but strongly increased the biomass and cover of the benefitting species and decreased those of the non-benefitting species. Furthermore, the benefitting species had higher leaf N content and greater plant height when nutrients were supplied as a single large pulse than at a constant rate, whereas the non-benefitting species showed no differences in leaf N content and were shorter when nutrients were supplied as a single large pulse than at a constant rate. Our results add to the growing evidence that the individual responses of non-native species to nutrient fluctuation are species-specific. More importantly, benefitting species were favored by nutrients coming in a pulse, while non-benefitting ones were favored by nutrients coming constantly when they grew together. This suggests that nutrient fluctuations can mediate the competitive balance among non-native plants and may thus determine their invasion success in a community harbouring multiple non-native plant species.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2022View details →

Models representative of the AGN spectral shapes (preliminary)

The Table gives the Models obtained that are representative of the AGN spectral shapes.

Data from: Genetic divergence along a climate gradient shapes chemical plasticity of a foundation tree species to both changing climate and herbivore damage

Climate change is threatening the persistence of many tree species via independent and interactive effects on abiotic and biotic conditions. In addition, changes in temperature, precipitation, and insect attacks can alter the traits of these trees, disrupting communities and ecosystems. For foundation species such as Populus, phytochemical traits are key mechanisms linking trees with their environment and are likely jointly determined by interactive effects of genetic divergence and variable environments throughout their geographic range. Using reciprocal Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) common gardens along a steep climatic gradient, we explored how environment (garden climate and simulated herbivore damage) and genetics (tree provenance and genotype) affect both foliar chemical traits and the plasticity of these traits. We found that: 1) Constitutive and plastic chemical responses to changes in garden climate and damage varied among defense compounds, structural compounds and nitrogen. 2) For both defense and structural compounds, plastic responses to garden climate depended on the climate in which a population or genotype evolved. Specifically, trees originating from cool provenances showed higher defense plasticity in response to climate changes than trees from hotter provenances. 3) Trees from cool provenances growing in cool conditions expressed the lowest constitutive defense levels but the strongest induced (plastic) defenses. 4) The combination of hot growing conditions and simulated herbivory switched the strategy used by these genotypes, increasing constitutive defenses but erasing the capacity for induction. Because Fremont cottonwood chemistry plays a major role in shaping riparian communities and ecosystems in the southwestern US, the effects of changes in phytochemical traits can be wide-reaching. As the southwestern US is confronted with warming temperatures and insect outbreaks, these results improve our capacity to predict ecosystem consequences of climate change and inform selection of tree genotypes for conservation and restoration purposes.

Data for: The role of landscape in shaping bird community and implications for landscape management at Nanjing Lukou International Airport

Understanding the patterns of bird diversity and its driving force is necessary for bird strike prevention. In this study, we investigated the effects of landscape attributes on phylogenetic and functional diversity of bird communities at Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NLIA). Bird identifications and counting of individuals were carried out from November 2017 to October 2019. Based on the land cover data, the landscape was divided into four main types, including farmlands, woodlands, wetlands and urban areas. Bird phylogenetic and functional diversity were strongly affected by landscape matrix types. Bird species, phylogenetic and functional richness were highest in woodlands, while phylogenetic and functional structure were most complex in wetlands. We found that related carnivorous birds occupied most niches at the NLIA. Moreover, bird assemblages exhibited phylogenetic and functional clustering in all landscape matrix types, which meant environmental filtering governed community assembly. Landscape attributes of different matrix types influenced phylogenetic and functional diversity of bird communities. Landscape diversity affected bird functional structure positively, and the mean of patch area in the landscape had the strongest explanatory effects. To prevent bird strikes, we suggest that more small-area woodlands with low levels of aggregation can be considered and farmlands should be patchier and more regular. At landscape level, the number of patches can be adjusted to reduce the frequency of bird activities.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2022View details →

Competition and co-association, but not phosphorous availability, shape the benefits of phosphate solubilising root bacteria for maize (Zea mays).

Predicting the conditions under which rhizobacteria benefit plant growth remains challenging. Here we tested the hypothesis that benefits from inoculation with phosphate-solubilising rhizobacteria will depend upon two environmental conditions: phosphate availability and competition between bacteria. Maize-associated rhizobacteria with varying phosphate solubilisation ability were used in experiments in soil, sterilised soil and gnotobiotic microcosms under conditions of varying orthophosphate availability, while  we manipulated intensity of competition by varying the number of isolates in plant inocula. Growth promotion by microbes did not depend on phosphate availability but was affected by interactions between inoculants: beneficial effects of one Serratia isolate were detectable only when plants were inoculated with a single strain and beneficial effects of a competition sensitive Rhizobium was only detectable in sterilised soil or in microcosms inoculated with single strains. Moreover, microcosm experiments suggested that facilitation of a parasitic isolate, not competitive interactions between bacteria, prevented plants from gaining benefits from a potential mutualist. Competition and facilitation affected colonization of plants in microcosms but growth promotion by Serratia was more affected by inoculation treatment than culturable densities on roots. Experimental manipulation of seed inocula can reveal whether plant growth stimulation is robust with respect to competition, as well as the ecological strategies of different rhizobacteria. From an applied perspective, phosphate solubilisation may not provide the mechanism for bacterial growth promotion but may indicate mutualistic potential due to phylogenetic associations. Importantly, benefits to plants are vulnerable to interactions between rhizobacteria and may not persist in mixed inoculations.

Complex patterns shape immune genes diversity during invasion of common raccoon in Europe – selection in action despite genetic drift

Rapid adaptation is common in invasive populations and is crucial to their long-term success. The primary target of selection in the invasive species' new range is standing genetic variation. Therefore, genetic drift and natural selection acting on existing variation are key evolutionary processes through which invaders will evolve over a short timescale. In this study, we used the case of the raccoon Procyon lotor invasion in Europe to identify the forces shaping the diversity of immune genes during invasion. The genes involved in the defence against infection should be under intense selection pressure in the invasive range where novel pathogens are expected to occur. To disentangle the selective and demographic processes shaping the adaptive immune diversity of its invasive and expanding populations, we have developed species-specific SNP markers located in the coding regions of targeted immune-related genes. We characterised the genetic diversity of 110 functionally important immune genes in two invasive and one native raccoon genetic clusters, each presenting a different demographic history. Despite the strong effect of demographic processes in the invasive clusters, we detected a subset of genes exhibiting the diversity pattern suggestive of selection. The most likely process shaping the variation in those genes was balancing selection. The selected genes belong to toll-like receptors and cytokine-related genes. Our results suggest that the prevalence of selection depends on the level of diversity, i.e. – less genetically diverse invasive population from Czech Republic displayed fewer signs of selection. Our results highlight the role of standing genetic variation in adapting to a new environment. Understanding the evolutionary mechanisms behind invasion success would enable predicting how populations may respond to environmental change.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2022View details →

An experiment on how time scarcity shapes risk-taking behaviour

This is the dataset assciated to the paper "Of two minds: An experiment on how time scarcity shapes risk-taking behaviour". The dataset contains responses from the participants of the experiment. Key variables are the amount allocated to the risky asset ina portfolio allocation problem and the time treatment the subject was assigned to. The dataset also contains subjects' sociodemographic variables that were collected at the ned of the experiment.

Similar vegetation-geomorphic disturbance feedbacks shape unstable glacier forelands across mountain regions

Glacier forelands are among the most rapidly changing landscapes on Earth. Stable ground is rare as geomorphic processes move sediments across large areas of glacier forelands for decades to centuries following glacier retreat. Yet, most ecological studies sample exclusively on stable terrain to fulfil chronosequence criteria, thus missing potential feedbacks between geomorphic disturbances and vegetation colonization. By influencing vegetation and soil development, such vegetation-geomorphic disturbance feedbacks could be crucial to understand glacier foreland ecosystem development in a changing climate. We surveyed vegetation and environmental properties, including geomorphic disturbance intensities, in 105 plots located on both stable and unstable moraine terrain in two geomorphologically active glacier forelands in New Zealand and Switzerland. Our plot data showed that geomorphic disturbance intensities changed permanently from high/moderate to low/stable when vegetation reached cover values around 40%. Around this cover value, species with response and effect traits adapted to geomorphic disturbances dominated. This suggests that such species can act as 'biogeomorphic' ecosystem engineers that stabilize ground through positive feedback loops. Across floristic regions, biogeomorphic ecosystem engineer traits creating ground stabilization, such as mat growth and association with mycorrhiza, are remarkably similar. Non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed a linked sequence of decreasing geomorphic disturbance intensities and changing species composition from pioneer to late successional species. We interpret this linked geomorphic disturbance-vegetation succession sequence as 'biogeomorphic succession', a common successional pathway in unstable river and coastal ecosystems across the world. Soil and vegetation development were related to this sequence, and only advanced once biogeomorphic ecosystem engineer species covered 40–45% of a plot, indicating a crucial role of biogeomorphic ecosystem engineer stabilization. Different topoclimatic conditions could explain variance in biogeomorphic succession timescales and ecosystem engineer root traits between the glacier forelands. As glacier foreland ground is widely unstable, we propose to consider glacier forelands as 'biogeomorphic ecosystems' in which ecosystem structure and function are shaped by geomorphic disturbances and their feedbacks with adapted plant species, similar to rivers and coasts.