Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
601
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
601 results for “habitat diversity”
Data from: Cryptic diversity hides host and habitat specialization In a gorgonian-algal symbiosis
Shallow water anthozoans, the major builders of modern coral reefs, enhance their metabolic and calcification rates with algal symbionts. Controversy exists over whether these anthozoan-algae associations are flexible over the lifetimes of individual hosts, promoting acclimative plasticity, or are closely linked, such that hosts and symbionts coevolve across generations. Given the diversity of algal symbionts and the morphological plasticity of many host species, cryptic variation within either partner could potentially confound studies of anthozoan-algal associations. Here, we used ribosomal, organelle, and nuclear sequences, along with microsatellite variation, to study the relationship between lineages of a common Caribbean gorgonian and its algal symbionts. The gorgonian Eunicea flexuosa is a broadcast spawner, composed of two recently diverged, genetically distinct lineages largely segregated by depth. We sampled colonies of the two lineages across depth gradients at three Caribbean locations. We find that each host lineage is associated with a unique Symbiodinium B1/184 phylotype. This relationship between host and symbiont is maintained when host colonies are reciprocally transplanted, although cases of within phylotype switching were also observed. Even when the phylotypes of both partners are present at intermediate depths, the specificity between host and symbiont lineages remained absolute. Unrecognized cryptic diversity may mask host-symbiont specificity and change the inference of evolutionary processes in mutualistic associations. Symbiotic specificity thus likely contributes to the ecological divergence of the two partners, generating species diversity within coral reefs.
Data from: Low genetic diversity and strong population structure shaped by anthropogenic habitat fragmentation in a critically endangered primate, Trachypithecus leucocephalus
Habitat fragmentation may strongly impact population genetic structure and reduce the genetic diversity and viability of small and isolated populations. The white-headed langur (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) is a critically endangered primate species living in a highly fragmented and human-modified habitat in southern China. We examined the population genetic structure and genetic diversity of the species and investigated the environmental and anthropogenic factors that may have shaped its population structure. We used 214 unique multi-locus genotypes from 41 social groups across the main distribution area of T. leucocephalus, and found strong genetic structure and significant genetic differentiation among local populations. Our landscape genetic analyses using a causal modelling framework suggest that a large habitat gap and geographical distance represent the primary landscape elements shaping genetic structure, yet high levels of genetic differentiation also exist between patches separated by a small habitat gap or road. This is the first comprehensive study that has evaluated the population genetic structure and diversity of T. leucocephalus using nuclear markers. Our results indicate strong negative impacts of anthropogenic land modifications and habitat fragmentation on primate genetic connectivity between forest patches. Our analyses suggest that two management units of the species could be defined, and indicate that habitat continuity should be enforced and restored to reduce genetic isolation and enhance population viability.
Data from: Global analysis reveals that cryptic diversity is linked with habitat but not mode of life
The ubiquity of genetically distinct, cryptic species is limiting any attempt to estimate local or global biodiversity as well as impeding efforts to conserve species or control pests and diseases. Environmental factors or biological traits promoting rapid diversification into morphologically similar species remain unclear. Here, using a meta-analysis of 1230 studies using DNA sequences to search for cryptic diversity in metazoan taxa, we test two hypotheses regarding the frequency of cryptic taxa based on mode of life and habitat. First, after correcting for study effort and accounting for higher taxonomic affinities and biogeographical region of origins, our results do not support the hypothesis that cryptic taxa are more frequent among parasitic than free-living taxa. Second, in contrast the results support the hypothesis that cryptic taxa are more common in certain habitats than others: for a given study effort, more cryptic taxa are found in freshwater than in terrestrial or marine taxa. These findings suggest that the greater heterogeneity and fragmentation of freshwater habitats may promote higher rates of genetic differentiation among its inhabitants, a general pattern with serious implications for freshwater conservation biology.
Data from: Taxonomic and functional assessment of mesopredator diversity across an estuarine habitat mosaic
A long-standing rule in ecology is that structural complexity increases abundance and diversity of organisms, but this paradigm glosses over potential trait-specific benefits of habitat structure across different regional species pools. We tested this idea using multiple response variables emphasizing taxonomic and functional diversity in seagrass-vegetated, edge, and unvegetated habitats across three estuaries in Washington State (USA). We also used these variables in tandem to evaluate functional redundancy as a proxy for ecosystem resistance and resilience. The estuaries spanned a two-fold range in richness of mesopredatory fishes and decapods. Increases in per-sample abundance with habitat structure were confined to three of seven functional groups, specifically those occupying the water column or directly associated with seagrass shoots. Consequently, seagrass reduced mesopredator diversity by reducing evenness. Habitats differed in mesopredator assemblages despite their spatial proximity (ca. 3 m), supported by multivariate analyses performed at functional and taxonomic resolutions, but site differences were less apparent functionally than taxonomically. Functional redundancy did not differ by habitat, but increased with the richness of the regional species pool. Edge habitats were generally intermediate in community structure, per-sample abundance, and diversity between seagrass and unvegetated habitats. Structural complexity provided a trait-specific enhancement of abundance, and this pattern applied across species pools. Because seagrass benefits species with certain traits, management focused on the low-intertidal estuarine habitat mosaic, rather than a particular habitat type, and on places where redundancy is already low, best supports mesopredator diversity and function.
Data from: Abiotic and habitat drivers of tick vector abundance, diversity, phenology and human encounter risk in southern California
The distribution, abundance and seasonal activity of vector species, such as ticks and mosquitoes, are key determinants of vector-borne disease risk, and are strongly influenced by abiotic and habitat conditions. Despite the numerous species of tick vectors in the heavily populated North American West Coast, all but Ixodes pacificus, the primary vector of the Lyme disease spirochete, is poorly characterized with regard to seasonal activity patterns and fine scale drivers of distribution and abundance, particularly in heavily populated regions of southern California. This lack of knowledge inhibits both scientific understanding and public health efforts to minimize vector exposure and risk of pathogen transmission to humans. Here we address this gap by characterizing the abiotic and habitat drivers of the distribution, abundance, and diversity of the vector tick community using fine scale temporal surveys over two seasons (2014 and 2015) across coastal and inland regions of Santa Barbara County, CA. We also characterize patterns of seasonal activity of the more common vector species to understand seasonality in risk of vector exposure, and specifically focus on human encounter risk using standardized tick drags as our method of collection. Leveraging plot-level habitat and abiotic variables in partial least squares regression analysis, we find the seven different vector species collected in this study have divergent drivers of activity and abundance. For example, I. pacificus is strongly associated with dense forest habitats and cool and moist microclimates, while Dermacentor occidentalis and Dermacentor variabilis, competent vectors of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, were found to be more tolerant of higher average temperatures and more open habitats. These results suggest that I. pacificus may be expected to experience reductions in geographic distribution and seasonal activity under projected land cover and climate change in coastal southern California, while D. occidentalis may experience more limited effects. We discuss implications for changing tick-borne disease risk associated with pathogens transmitted by Ixodes as well as Dermacentor species ticks in the western US, and contrast these predictions with eastern North America.
Data from: Explaining high-diversity death assemblages: undersampling of the living community, out-of-habitat transport, time-averaging of rare taxa, and local extinction
Molluscan benthic assemblages provide unique opportunities for understanding both spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity. Species richness in the shell remains found at a site (i.e. the death assemblage) is typically several times higher than in the counterpart living assemblage, reflecting a complex history of settlement, dissemination and decomposition post-mortem. We used high-density temporal and spatial sampling (>37'000 individuals representing 196 taxa) of a shallow (5-8 m) nearshore sandy habitat off the coast of south-east Sardinia (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) to study the factors responsible for differences in the relative diversity of living and death assemblages. We found that death assemblages at all sites were considerably more diverse than living communities (1.5-3.5x more dead than living taxa after sample-size standardization), with 78% of all taxa solely recovered as empty shells, resulting in low live-dead agreement. By carefully filtering the raw data and combining them with habitat information extracted from the literature, we disentangled the major causes of this discordance and quantified their individual effects. Increased dead diversities could not be attributed to undersampling of the living community, but instead resulted from three phenomena of decreasing importance: the post-mortem, out-of-habitat transport of non-indigenous taxa (57% of dead-only taxa were allochthonous), the time-averaged presence of rare indigenous taxa (40% of dead-only taxa), and the likely local extirpation of a small number of species (3% of dead-only taxa). Our approach demonstrates how ecological inferences based on death assemblages can be improved by restricting analyses to demonstrably indigenous taxa, and highlights how mollusc shell remains can be used to provide information over both ecological and evolutionary timescales.
Data from: The return of the frogs: the importance of habitat refugia in maintaining diversity during a disease outbreak
Recent decades have seen the emergence and spread of numerous infectious diseases, often with severe negative consequences for wildlife populations. Nevertheless, many populations survive the initial outbreaks, and even undergo recoveries. Unfortunately, the long-term effects of these outbreaks on host population genetics are poorly understood; to increase this understanding, we examined the population genetics of two species of rainforest frogs (Litoria nannotis and Litoria serrata) that have largely recovered from a chytridiomycosis outbreak at two national parks in the Wet Tropics of northern Australia. At the wetter, northern park there was little evidence of decreased genetic diversity in either species, and all of the sampled sites had high minor allele frequencies (mean MAF = 0.230–0.235), high heterozygosity (0.318–0.325), and few monomorphic markers (1.4–4.0%); however, some recovered L. nannotis populations had low Ne values (59.3–683.8) compared to populations that did not decline during the outbreak (1537.4–1756.5). At the drier, southern park, both species exhibited lower diversity (mean MAF = 0.084–0.180; heterozygosity = 0.126–0.257; monomorphic markers = 3.7–43.5%; Ne = 18.4–676.1). The diversity patterns in this park matched habitat patterns, with both species having higher diversity levels and fewer closely related individuals at sites with higher quality habitat. These patterns were more pronounced for L. nannotis, which has lower dispersal rates than L. serrata. These results suggest that refugia with high quality habitat are important for retaining genetic diversity during disease outbreaks, and that gene flow following disease outbreaks is important for restabilising diversity in populations where it was reduced.
Data from: Species richness and patterns of overdispersion, clustering and randomness shape phylogenetic and functional diversity-area relationships in habitat islands
<p><b>Aim:</b> To evaluate how the area of habitat island systems influences multiple facets of diversity. </p> <p><b>Location:</b> Southern Brazil. </p> <p><b>Taxon:</b> Birds. </p> <p><b>Methods:</b> Using an Information Theoretic approach, we compared the fit of 20 diversity–area relationship (DARs) models in three habitat island systems. We tested for the best-fit model, model-family, shape, and presence/absence of an asymptote. We used species richness (SR), Faith's phylogenetic diversity (PD) and Faith's functional diversity (FD) to assess species–area (SARs), phylogenetic (PDARs) and functional diversity–area relationships (FDARs). We controlled for the effect of SR in PD and FD via null models to assess PDARs and FDARs independently of SR and to explore the influence of phylogenetic and functional randomness, clustering and overdispersion. </p> <p><b>Results:</b> PDARs and FDARs built with PD and FD resembled SARs and were all best fitted by convex or sigmoidal, upwards oriented, non-asymptotic models. Controlling for SR in diversity indices produced flat or downwards-oriented, weak PDARs and FDARs, which were best fitted by convex, non-asymptotic models or the linear model. Taxonomic diversity accumulated faster with area than functional diversity, which accumulated faster than phylogenetic diversity. Randomness and clustering patterns prevailed in shaping PDARs and FDARs relative to overdispersion. </p> <p><b>Main conclusions: </b>Controlling for SR in PD and FD affects DARs patterns and the strength of the relationships. Irrespective of this influence of SR, a few simple models of the power and exponential model-families best fit DARs. Model parameters reveal differences in the response of each facet of diversity to increases in area, highlighting the complementary nature of DARs. When considered independently of SR, both PDAR and FDAR patterns largely reflect the broad variation of phylogenetic and functional diversity in small islands. It is therefore likely that the ecological processes that promote phylogenetic and functional overdispersion and clustering operate at contrasting spatial scales.</p>
Data from: Grow where you thrive, or where only you can survive? An analysis of performance curve evolution in a clade with diverse habitat affinities
Performance curves are valuable tools for quantifying the fundamental niches of organisms and testing hypotheses about evolution, life history trade-offs, and the drivers of variation in species' distribution patterns. Here, we present a novel Bayesian method for characterizing performance curves that facilitates comparisons among species. We then use this model to quantify and compare the hydrological performance curves of 14 different taxa in the genus Lasthenia, an ecologically diverse clade of plants that collectively occupy a variety of habitats with unique hydrological features, including seasonally flooded wetlands called vernal pools. We conducted a growth chamber experiment to measure each taxon's fitness across five hydrological treatments that ranged from severe drought to extended flooding, and identified differences in hydrological performance curves that explain their associations with vernal pool and terrestrial habitats. Our analysis revealed that the distribution of vernal pool taxa in the field do not reflect their optimal hydrological environments: all taxa, regardless of habitat affinity, have highest fitness under similar hydrological conditions of saturated soil without submergence. We also found that a taxon's relative position across flood gradients within vernal pools is best predicted by the height of its performance curve. These results demonstrate the utility of our approach for generating insights into when and how performance curves evolve among taxa as they diversify into distinct environments. To facilitate its use, the modeling framework has been developed into an R package (https://github.com/silastittes/performr).
Data from: Natural habitat loss and exotic plants reduce the functional diversity of flower visitors in a heterogeneous subtropical landscape
1. Functional diversity (FD) of pollinators can increase plant reproductive output and the stability of plant-pollinator communities. Yet, in times of worldwide pollinator declines, effects of global change on pollinator FD remain poorly understood. Loss of natural habitat and exotic plant invasions are two major drivers of global change that particularly threaten pollinator diversity. 2. In a subtropical South African landscape, we investigated changes in the FD of flower visitor assemblages on native and exotic plants along gradients of natural habitat loss and relative abundance of exotic plants. We used a dataset of 1434 flower visitor individuals sampled on 131 focal plants and calculated the FD in three flower visitor traits that are strongly related to plant-flower visitor interactions and pollination processes: proboscis length, proboscis diameter and body length. 3. Multivariate FD of flower visitors decreased with both increasing natural habitat loss and relative exotic abundance. Importantly, changes in FD went beyond those in flower visitor richness. Furthermore, flower visitor richness was not related to either natural habitat loss or relative exotic abundance. Loss in multivariate FD seemed to be mediated by complementary reductions of FD in proboscis length with natural habitat loss and of FD in body length with both global change drivers. Correspondingly, we recorded lower abundances of long-tongued flower visitors with natural habitat loss and reduced variance in body size with both drivers. In contrast, FD in proboscis diameter was unaffected by either driver. All effects of the two global change drivers were non-interactive. 4. Our results show that both natural habitat loss and exotic plants negatively affect flower visitor FD, which may imperil pollination of specialised plant species in degraded habitats. In contrast, flower visitor richness may not cover all facets of flower visitor FD that are relevant to pollination processes, and here future studies are needed. Distinct responses of visitor traits to the two drivers suggest limited options to infer relations of one trait to another. Finally, additive effects of natural habitat loss and exotic plant invasions highlight the need to consider multiple drivers of global change when investigating ecosystem processes at a community scale.
Data from: Spatial variation in anuran richness, diversity, and abundance across montane wetland habitat in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
The spatial distribution of species has long sparked interest among ecologists and biogeographers, increasingly so in studies of species responses to climate change. However, field studies on spatial patterns of distribution, useful to inform conservation actions at local scales, are still lacking for many regions, especially the tropics. We studied elevational trends and species‐area relationships among anurans in wetland habitats within Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in Rwanda, part of the biodiverse Albertine Rift region. In VNP, wetlands are key sites for anuran reproduction, and anurans are likely threatened by wetland desiccation which has occurred for the last few decades. Between 2012 and 2017, we sampled anuran communities in ten VNP wetlands located along an elevational gradient of c. 600 m (from 2,546 to 3,188 m a.s.l.) and found at least eight species, including at least two Albertine Rift Endemics. We show that species richness, diversity, and abundance likely decline with a decrease in wetland size and with an increase in elevation, though additional sampling (e.g., at night) might be needed to derive definite conclusions. Larger wetlands at lower elevations contained most species and individuals, which indicates the potential threat of wetland size reduction (through desiccation) for anuran conservation. However, we also found that wetlands differed in species composition and that some species (e.g., Sclerophrys kisoloensis) were likely restricted in distribution to only a few of the smaller wetlands—suggesting that the conservation of each individual wetland should be prioritized, regardless of size. We propose that all wetlands in VNP require additional conservation measures, which should be based on knowledge gathered through long‐term monitoring of anuran communities and research on drivers of wetland decline. Only such extended research will allow us to understand the response of anurans in VNP to threats such as climate change and wetland desiccation.
Data from: Joint effects of habitat, zooplankton, host stage structure and diversity on amphibian chytrid
Why does the severity of parasite infection differ dramatically across habitats? This question remains challenging to answer because multiple correlated pathways drive disease. Here, we examined habitat–disease links through direct effects on parasites and indirect effects on parasite predators (zooplankton), host diversity and key life stages of hosts. We used a case study of amphibian hosts and the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in a set of permanent and ephemeral alpine ponds. A field experiment showed that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) killed the free-living infectious stage of the parasite. Yet, permanent ponds with more UVR exposure had higher infection prevalence. Two habitat-related indirect effects worked together to counteract parasite losses from UVR: (i) UVR reduced the density of parasite predators and (ii) permanent sites fostered multi-season host larvae that fuelled parasite production. Host diversity was unlinked to hydroperiod or UVR but counteracted parasite gains; sites with higher diversity of host species had lower prevalence of infection. Thus, while habitat structure explained considerable variation in infection prevalence through two indirect pathways, it could not account for everything. This study demonstrates the importance of creating mechanistic, food web-based links between multiple habitat dimensions and disease.
Data from: Mitochondrial DNA (COI) analyses reveal that amphipod diversity is associated with environmental heterogeneity in deep-sea habitats
The relationship between species diversity and environmental parameters is poorly understood for the mobile macrofauna of deep-sea habitats due to under-sampling and subsequent lack of accurate taxonomic information. To redress this, cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) DNA sequences were used to estimate species diversity and to compare phoxocephalid amphipod assemblages among 20 stations encompassing a range of environmental conditions. Two regions, east (Chatham Rise) and west (Challenger Plateau) of New Zealand were sampled to depths of 200 – 1200 m with an epibenthic sled. Using a comparison among identified morphospecies, we found a clear gap in sequence divergences between 6 and 13% and used a 6% threshold to designate molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), as a surrogate to putative species. DNA sequences (n=297) revealed high total diversity (n=49 MOTUs), as well as high beta diversity (28 MOTUs found at single location only). Novel phoxocephalid MOTUs were found at most stations, especially on Challenger Plateau and the flanks of Chatham Rise. Analyses of inter-station assemblages revealed a major split between regions, indicating minimal overlap in taxon distributions. A cluster of highly similar stations was identified, broadly distributed over the crest of Chatham Rise, in association with elevated food availability, probably resulting from higher surface productivity and relatively shallow depth. Accordingly, multivariate analysis revealed a strong correlation between phoxocephalid assemblages and food supply. This study highlights the value of molecular approaches, in particular COI sequences, for quantifying and comparing diversity in under-sampled and/or under-studied taxa.
Data from: Effect of habitat fragmentation on the genetic diversity of peripheral populations of beech in Central Italy
Fragmentation can affect the demographic and genetic structure of populations near the boundary of their bio-geographic range. Higher genetic differentiation among populations coupled with lower level of within population variability is expected as a consequence of reduced population size and isolation. The effects of these two factors have been rarely disentangled. Given their high gene flow, anemophilous forest trees should be more affected, in terms of loss of genetic diversity, by small population size rather than geographic isolation alone. We studied the impact of distance from the main range (a measure of isolation) and reduced population size on the within and among population components of genetic variability. We assayed 11 isozyme loci in 27 marginal populations of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Central Italy. Populations were divided in three groups with an increasing level of fragmentation. In the most fragmented group the within population genetic variability was slightly smaller and the among population differentiation significantly larger than in the other two groups. These results support the role of random genetic drift having a larger impact on the most fragmented group, while gene flow seems to balance genetic drift in the two less fragmented ones. Given that average distance from the main range is not different between the intermediate and the most fragmented group, but average population size is smaller, we can conclude that gene flow is effective, even at relatively long distances, in balancing the effect of fragmentation if population size is not too small.
Data from: Habitat diversity associated with island size and environmental filtering control the species richness of rock-savanna plants in neotropical inselbergs
Disentangling the multiple factors controlling species diversity is a major challenge in ecology. Island biogeography and environmental filtering are two influential theories emphasizing respectively island size and isolation, and the abiotic environment, as key drivers of species richness. However, few attempts have been made to quantify their relative importance and investigate their mechanistic basis. Here, we applied structural equation modelling, a powerful method allowing test of complex hypotheses involving multiple and indirect effects, on an island-like system of 22 French Guianan neotropical inselbergs covered with rock-savanna. We separated the effects of size (rock-savanna area), isolation (density of surrounding inselbergs), environmental filtering (rainfall, altitude) and dispersal filtering (forest-matrix openness) on the species richness of all plants and of various ecological groups (terrestrial versus epiphytic, small-scale versus large-scale dispersal species). We showed that the species richness of all plants and terrestrial species was mainly explained by the size of rock-savanna vegetation patches, with increasing richness associated with higher rock-savanna area, while inselberg isolation and forest-matrix openness had no measurable effect. This size effect was mediated by an increase in terrestrial-habitat diversity, even after accounting for increased sampling effort. The richness of epiphytic species was mainly explained by environmental filtering, with a positive effect of rainfall and altitude, but also by a positive size effect mediated by enhanced woody-plant species richness. Inselberg size and environmental filtering both explained the richness of small-scale and large-scale dispersal species, but these ecological groups responded in opposite directions to altitude and rainfall, that is positively for large-scale and negatively for small-scale dispersal species. Our study revealed both habitat diversity associated with island size and environmental filtering as major drivers of neotropical inselberg plant diversity and showed the importance of plant species growth form and dispersal ability to explain the relative importance of each driver.
Data from: Supporting local diversity of habitats and species on farmland: a comparison of three wildlife-friendly schemes
Restoration and maintenance of habitat diversity have been suggested as conservation priorities in farmed landscapes, but how this should be achieved and at what scale are unclear. This study makes a novel comparison of the effectiveness of three wildlife-friendly farming schemes for supporting local habitat diversity and species richness on 12 farms in England. The schemes were: (i) Conservation Grade (Conservation Grade: a prescriptive, non-organic, biodiversity-focused scheme), (ii) organic agriculture and (iii) a baseline of Entry Level Stewardship (Entry Level Stewardship: a flexible widespread government scheme). Conservation Grade farms supported a quarter higher habitat diversity at the 100-m radius scale compared to Entry Level Stewardship farms. Conservation Grade and organic farms both supported a fifth higher habitat diversity at the 250-m radius scale compared to Entry Level Stewardship farms. Habitat diversity at the 100-m and 250-m scales significantly predicted species richness of butterflies and plants. Habitat diversity at the 100-m scale also significantly predicted species richness of birds in winter and solitary bees. There were no significant relationships between habitat diversity and species richness for bumblebees or birds in summer. Butterfly species richness was significantly higher on organic farms (50% higher) and marginally higher on Conservation Grade farms (20% higher), compared with farms in Entry Level Stewardship. Organic farms supported significantly more plant species than Entry Level Stewardship farms (70% higher) but Conservation Grade farms did not (10% higher). There were no significant differences between the three schemes for species richness of bumblebees, solitary bees or birds. Policy implications. The wildlife-friendly farming schemes which included compulsory changes in management, Conservation Grade and organic, were more effective at increasing local habitat diversity and species richness compared with the less prescriptive Entry Level Stewardship scheme. We recommend that wildlife-friendly farming schemes should aim to enhance and maintain high local habitat diversity, through mechanisms such as option packages, where farmers are required to deliver a combination of several habitats.
Data from: Designed habitat heterogeneity on green roofs increases seedling survival but not plant species diversity
Urban areas benefit from the ecosystem services provided by low input green roofs. However, limited substrate depth on these green roofs creates challenging conditions for plant establishment and survival, leading to industry reliance on non-native succulents. Through a green roof and glasshouse study, we assessed the impact of simple design modifications to the green roof surface, including redistribution of substrate and addition of logs and pebble piles, on both substrate temperature and moisture content. We added seeds of 26 native species and quantified seedling density, species richness and composition over a single growing season. Overall effects of microsite heterogeneity on species diversity were assessed using species accumulation curves. The modifications altered substrate temperature and moisture. Deep substrate (10-12 cm) and the presence of surface features reduced temperature by 14.6°C and, while surface features had mixed effects on substrate moisture on the green roof, pebble piles slowed moisture loss during a six-week drought in the glasshouse. Following drought conditions, seedling density and species richness was greatest, relative to seeded controls, where substrate was deep on the green roof and where pebbles were present in glasshouse modules, despite high mortality overall. Design modifications did not result in differentiation of seedling communities among different microsite types. Species accumulation curves showed no difference in species richness between aggregates of modified vs. unaltered microsites. Synthesis and applications. Redistribution of green roof substrate and the addition of logs and pebble piles altered microsite conditions and created habitat heterogeneity on a green roof. These design modifications represent a minimalist strategy to ameliorate growing conditions, improve seedling survival and decrease species loss on shallow substrate green roofs.
FIGURE 42 in Diversity of sponges (Porifera) from cryptic habitats on the Belize barrier reef near Carrie Bow Cay
FIGURE 42. Smenospongia cf. echina, fiber skeleton (light microscopy): a, ectosomal reticulation ending in a conule; b, choanosomal reticulation, including primary fiber containing sediment particles; c, primary fiber with pith; d, primary fiber containing foreign (sedimentary) sponge spicules. Abbreviation: pf=primary fiber.
FIGURE 43 in Diversity of sponges (Porifera) from cryptic habitats on the Belize barrier reef near Carrie Bow Cay
FIGURE 43. Aplysina sciophila, anatomy/histology (holotype USNM1191343, light and electron microscopy): a, lightmicroscope view of fiber skeleton; b. SEM view of fiber cross-section, showing bark and pith; c. TEM view of choanocyte chamber, mesohyle full of bacteria, and spherulous cell; d. TEM view of bacteriocyte, spherulous cell, and mesohyle containing free bacteria. Abbreviations: ba=bacteria in mesohyle; bc=bacteriocyte; cc=choanocyte; sc=spherulous cell.
FIGURE 40 in Diversity of sponges (Porifera) from cryptic habitats on the Belize barrier reef near Carrie Bow Cay
FIGURE 40. Siphonodictyon occultum, spicules (holotype USNM 1229127, SEM): a, oxeas, grading to strongyloxeas; b, malformations of oxeote points.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
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.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
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
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.