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Data from: Habitat choice meets thermal specialization: competition with specialists may drive suboptimal habitat preferences in generalists
Limited dispersal is classically considered as a prerequisite for ecological specialization to evolve, such that generalists are expected to show greater dispersal propensity compared with specialists. However, when individuals choose habitats that maximize their performance instead of dispersing randomly, theory predicts dispersal with habitat choice to evolve in specialists, while generalists should disperse more randomly. We tested whether habitat choice is associated with thermal niche specialization using microcosms of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, a species that performs active dispersal and habitat choice. We found that thermal specialists preferred optimal habitats as predicted by theory, a link that should make specialists more likely to track suitable conditions under environmental changes than expected under the random dispersal assumption. Surprisingly, generalists also performed habitat choice but with a preference for suboptimal habitats. Since this result challenges current theory, we developed a simple metapopulation model to understand under which circumstances such a preference for suboptimal habitats should evolve. We showed that competition between generalists and specialists may favor a preference for niche margins in generalists under environmental variability. Our results demonstrate that the behavioral dimension of dispersal—here, habitat choice—fundamentally alters our predictions of how dispersal evolve with niche specialization, making dispersal behaviors crucial for ecological forecasting facing environmental changes.
Data from: Genomic comparisons reveal biogeographic and anthropogenic impacts in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus); a dietary-specialist species distributed across heterogeneous environments
The Australian koala is an iconic marsupial with specific dietary requirements distributed across heterogeneous environments, over a large geographic range. The distribution and genetic structure of koala populations has been heavily influenced by human actions, specifically habitat modification, hunting and translocation of koalas. There is currently limited information on population diversity and gene-flow at a species-wide scale, or with consideration to the potential impacts of local adaptation. Using species-wide sampling across heterogeneous environments, and high-density genome-wide markers (SNPs and PAVs), we show that most koala populations display levels of diversity comparable to other outbred species, except for those populations impacted by population reductions. Genetic clustering analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction reveals a lack of support for taxonomic classification of three koala sub-species, with only a single evolutionary significant unit supported. Furthermore, ~70% of genetic variance is accounted for at the individual level. The Sydney Basin region is highlighted as a unique reservoir of genetic diversity, having higher diversity levels (ie. Blue Mountains region; AvHecorr=0.20, PL%=68.6). Broad-scale population differentiation is primarily driven by an Isolation by Distance genetic structure model (49% of genetic variance), with clinal local adaptation corresponding to habitat bioregions. Signatures of selection were detected between bioregions, with no single region returning evidence of strong selection. The results of this study show that although the koala is widely considered to be a dietary-specialist species, this apparent specialisation has not limited the koala's ability to maintain gene-flow and adapt across divergent environments as long as the required food source is available.
Data from: Hierarchical analysis of genetic structure in the habitat-specialist Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pellucida)
Quantifying spatial genetic structure can reveal the relative influences of contemporary and historic factors underlying localized and regional patterns of genetic diversity and gene flow – important considerations for the development of effective conservation efforts. Using 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci, we characterize genetic variation among populations across the range of the Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pellucida), a small riverine percid that is highly dependent on sandy substrate microhabitats. We tested for fine scale, regional, and historic patterns of genetic structure. As expected, significant differentiation was detected among rivers within drainages and among drainages. At finer scales, an unexpected lack of within-river genetic structure among fragmented sandy microhabitats suggests that stratified dispersal resulting from unstable sand bar habitat degradation (natural and anthropogenic) may preclude substantial genetic differentiation within rivers. Among-drainage genetic structure indicates that postglacial (14 kya) drainage connectivity continues to influence contemporary genetic structure among Eastern Sand Darter populations in southern Ontario. These results provide an unexpected contrast to other benthic riverine fish in the Great Lakes drainage and suggest that habitat-specific fishes, such as the Eastern Sand Darter, can evolve dispersal strategies that overcome fragmented and temporally unstable habitats.
Data from: Host plant associations and geography interact to shape diversification in a specialist insect herbivore
Disentangling the processes underlying geographic and environmental patterns of biodiversity challenges biologists as such patterns emerge from eco-evolutionary processes confounded by spatial autocorrelation among sample units. The herbivorous insect, Belonocnema treatae (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), exhibits regional specialization on three plant species whose geographic distributions range from sympatry through allopatry across the southern USA. Using range-wide sampling spanning the geographic ranges of the three host plants and genotyping-by-sequencing of 1,217 individuals, we tested whether this insect herbivore exhibited host-plant-associated genomic differentiation while controlling for spatial autocorrelation among the 58 sample sites. Population genomic structure based on 40,699 SNPs was evaluated using the hierarchical Bayesian model ENTROPY to assign individuals to genetic clusters and estimate admixture proportions. To control for spatial autocorrelation, distance-based Moran's eigenvector mapping was used to construct regression variables summarizing spatial structure inherent among sample sites. Distance based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) incorporating the spatial variables was then applied to partition host-plant-associated differentiation (HAD) from spatial autocorrelation. By combining ENTROPY and dbRDA to analyze SNP data we unveiled a complex mosaic of highly structured differentiation within and among gall former populations finding evidence that geography, HAD and spatial autocorrelation all play significant roles in explaining patterns of genomic differentiation in B. treatae. While dbRDA confirmed host association as a significant predictor of patterns of genomic variation, spatial autocorrelation among sites explained the largest proportion of variation. Our results demonstrate the value of combining dbRDA with hierarchical structural analyses to partition spatial/environmental patterns of genomic variation.
Contrasting impacts of a novel specialist vector on multi-host viral pathogen epidemiology in wild and managed bees
<p>Typically pathogens infect multiple host species. Such multi-host pathogens can show considerable variation in their degree of infection and transmission specificity, which has important implications for potential disease emergence. Transmission of multi-host pathogens can be driven by key host species and changes in such transmission networks can lead to disease emergence. We study two viruses that show contrasting patterns of prevalence and specificity in managed honeybees and wild bumblebees, black queen cell virus (BQCV) and slow bee paralysis virus (SBPV), in the context of the novel transmission route provided by the virus-vectoring <i>Varroa destructor</i>. Our key result is that viral communities and RNA virus genetic variation are structured by location, not host species or <i>V. destructor</i> presence. Interspecific transmission is pervasive with the same viral variants circulating between pollinator hosts in each location; yet, we find virus-specific host differences in prevalence and viral load. Importantly, <i>V. destructor </i>presence increases the prevalence in honeybees and, indirectly, in wild bumblebees, but in contrast to its impact on deformed wing virus (DWV), BQCV and SBPV viral loads are not increased by <i>Varroa </i>presence, and do not show genetic evidence of recent emergence. Effective control of <i>Varroa</i> in managed honeybee colonies is necessary to mitigate further disease emergence, and alleviate disease pressure on our vital wild bee populations. More generally, our results highlight the over-riding importance of geographical location to the epidemiological outcome despite the complexity of multi-host-parasite interactions.</p>
Data from: Spatiotemporal variation in local adaptation of a specialist insect herbivore to its long-lived host plant
Local adaptation of interacting species to one another indicates geographically variable reciprocal selection. This process of adaptation is central in the organization and maintenance of genetic variation across populations. Given that the strength of selection and responses to it often vary in time and space, the strength of local adaptation should in theory vary between generations and among populations. However, such spatiotemporal variation has rarely been explicitly demonstrated in nature and local adaptation is commonly considered to be relatively static. We report persistent local adaptation of the short-lived herbivore Abrostola asclepiadis to its long-lived host plant Vincetoxicum hirundinaria over three successive generations in two studied populations and considerable temporal variation in local adaptation in six populations supporting the geographic mosaic theory. The observed variation in local adaptation among populations was best explained by geographic distance and population isolation, suggesting that gene flow reduces local adaptation. Changes in herbivore population size did not conclusively explain temporal variation in local adaptation. Our results also imply that short-term studies are likely to capture only a part of the existing variation in local adaptation.
Data from: Insects on plants: explaining the paradox of low diversity within specialist herbivore guilds
Classical niche theory explains the coexistence of species through their exploitation of different resources. Assemblages of herbivores coexisting on a particular plant species are thus expected to be dominated by species from host-specific guilds with narrow, coexistence-facilitating niches, rather than by species from generalist guilds. Exactly the opposite pattern is observed for folivores feeding on trees in New Guinea. The least specialized mobile chewers were most species-rich, followed by the moderately specialized semi-concealed and exposed chewers. The highly specialized miners and mesophyll suckers were the least species-rich guilds. The Poisson distribution of herbivore species richness among plant species in specialized guilds and the absence of a negative correlation between species richness in different guilds on the same plant species suggest that these guilds are not saturated with species. We show that herbivore assemblages are enriched with generalists because they are more completely sampled from regional species pools. The herbivore diversity increases as a power function of plant diversity, and the rate of increase is inversely related to their host-specificity. The relative species diversity among guilds is thus scale-dependent, as the importance of specialized guilds increases with plant diversity. Specialized insect guilds may therefore comprise a larger component of overall diversity in the tropics (where they are also poorly known taxonomically) than in the temperate zone, which has lower plant diversity.
Data from: No evidence for larger leaf trait plasticity in ecological generalists compared to specialists
Aim: Phenotypic plasticity is hypothesized to contribute to a species' capacity to occupy broader ranges of conditions and to optimally exploit resource-rich environments. Although this is supported by case studies of individual species, we do not know whether larger plasticity in functional traits is generally associated with ecological characteristics of species such as their niche breadth or niche position. Here, we test whether there is such a relationship for plasticity in leaf functional traits. Location: Central Europe. Methods: We surveyed 110–132 grassland plant species for plasticity in five leaf traits [leaf thickness, leaf greenness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and plant height] and for biomass changes in response to experimental fertilization, shading and waterlogging. Trait plasticity and changes in biomass were compared with species niche characteristics along three environmental axes (light, nutrient and soil moisture) derived from a vegetation-plot database. Results: Although response of several traits to experimental treatments correlated with niche position and breadth (change in leaf thickness, greenness and biomass in response to fertilization; change in LDMC due to shading; and change in plant height and biomass due to waterlogging), we did not find evidence that species with broader niches or species from resource-rich environments are more plastic. Ecological generalists even turned out to be less plastic in some traits, including leaf thickness after fertilization and waterlogging. Generalists also displayed smaller plastic response averaged across all five traits ('composite plasticity'), though the relationship was not statistically significant. This composite plasticity was positively related to absolute change in biomass in all experimental treatments. Main conclusions: Our results suggest that larger species-level plasticity in leaf traits is not necessarily associated with a capacity to occupy a broader range of environments or with growth in resource-rich habitats; rather, it may indicate species' sensitivity to environmental changes.
DATASET - Climate heterogeneity shapes the diversity of specialist beetle species across mountains in Malaysia
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Intraspecific interaction of host plants leads to concentrated distribution of a specialist herbivore through metabolic alterations in the leaves
<p>1. Recent studies suggest that changes in leaf traits due to interactions between plants affect resource utilisation by and the distribution of herbivores. However, this has not yet been confirmed experimentally. Here, we investigated the effects of phenotypic plasticity in leaf traits of <i>Rumex obtusifolius</i> (host plant) in response to intra- and interspecific interaction on the distribution of two leaf beetles, <i>Gastrophysa atrocyanea</i> (specialist herbivore) and <i>Galerucella grisescens</i> (generalist herbivore).</p> <p>2. We investigated the local population density of <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants and the presence of leaf beetles on the plants at five study sites. Leaf chemicals (condensed tannins and total phenolics) were compared between aggregated and solitary <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants. To clarify the effects of the interaction environment of <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants on their leaf traits and on resource utilisation by the leaf beetles, we compared leaf chemicals and preferences of adult leaf beetles among treatments where <i>R. obtusifolius</i> experienced intraspecific interaction, interspecific interaction, or no interaction in cultivation experiments. Finally, we evaluated the independent and combined effects of patch size and intraspecific interaction on leaf beetle distribution in mesocosm experiments.</p> <p>3. In the field, the presence of the specialist leaf beetle <i>G. atrocyanea</i> was positively correlated with the local population density (rosette overlap ratio) of <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants; however, there was no correlation in the case of the generalist leaf beetle <i>G. grisescens</i>. In the cultivation experiments, plants in the intraspecific interaction treatment increased their leaf contents of condensed tannins and total phenolics, and <i>G. atrocyanea</i> consumed more of these leaves than leaves in other treatments. Similar results were observed in the field. In the mesocosm experiments, larger numbers of <i>G. atrocyanea</i> were distributed on <i>R. obtusifolius</i> plants exposed to below-ground intraspecific interaction than on plants not exposed to intraspecific interaction.</p> <p>4. Our results provide experimental evidence that leaf-trait changes in response to intraspecific interaction between host plants influence specialist herbivore distribution. This highlights the need to integrate plant–plant interactions into our understanding of plant–animal interactions. </p>
A specialist bee and its host plants experience phenological shifts at different rates in response to climate change
<p>Changes in climate can alter the phenology of organisms, potentially decoupling partners within mutualisms. Previous studies have shown that plant and pollinator phenologies are shifting over time, but these shifts have primarily been documented for generalists and within small geographic regions, and the specific climatic cues regulating these shifts are not well-understood. We examined phenological shifts in a specialist pollinator and its host plant species over a 117-year study period using a digitized dataset of over 4,000 unique collection records. We assess how climatic cues regulate these organisms' phenologies using PRISM weather data associated with each record. We tested the hypothesis that rates of phenological change would be greater at northern latitudes. We found that the phenology of the specialist bee pollinator Habropoda laboriosa is changing over time, but at different rates across its range. Specifically, phenology is advancing to a greater degree in more northern populations, with increasing phenological advances of 0.04 days/year with each degree of latitude, and with a delay in phenology in more southern populations. In contrast, only one species in the host plant genus Vaccinium is experiencing phenological change over time. For this plant, rates of change are also variable across latitudes, but in a pattern opposite that of the bee; while phenology is advancing across its range, rates of advance are highest in more southern populations, with decreasing phenological advances of 0.01 days/year with each degree of latitude. The phenologies of both the bee and three of four Vaccinium spp. were regulated primarily by spring temperature, with phenologies overall advancing with increasing temperature, and with the strongest responses shown by the bee in northern populations. Our study provides partial support for the hypothesis that phenologies advance most at northern latitudes, but demonstrates that pollinators and plants do not adhere similarly to this prediction. Additionally, we illustrate the potential for phenological mismatch between a specialist pollinator and its host plants by showing that plants and pollinators are advancing their phenologies at different rates across space and time and with differing responses to changing climatic cues.</p>
Nonlinear time series analysis of the interaction between the citrus whitefly and the whitefly-specialist ladybird
<p>A comprehensive understanding of the top-down effects of natural enemies on agricultural pests is essential for achieving effective biological control in integrated pest management. However, it is typically difficult to identify causal effects between the interacting species from time series data, which have often been monitored for pest forecasting purposes in agricultural ecosystems, as it is likely to involve nonlinear (state-dependent) population dynamics. In this study, we applied a recently developed framework of nonlinear time series analysis (empirical dynamic modeling) to determine top-down and bottom-up effects between the citrus whitefly <i>Dialeurodes citri</i> and the whitefly-specialist ladybird <i>Serangium japonicum</i>. We used weekly monitoring data for the two species collected over 4 years in pesticide-free citrus groves located in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan. Although we were able to identify time-delayed positive effects of <i>D. citri </i>abundance on <i>S. japonicum</i> abundance, we failed to detect any significant causal effects of <i>S. japonicum</i> abundance on <i>D. citri</i> abundance. Moreover, weather variables (temperature and rainfall) were found to have only a negligible effect on the population dynamics of the two species. Our findings indicate that bottom-up rather than top-down effects predominate in the weekly dynamics of this predator–prey system. On the basis of these observations, we discuss whether <i>S. japonicum</i> would be an effective agent for the biological control of <i>D. citri</i> in open field systems.</p>
Data from: Effective specialist or jack of all trades? Experimental evolution of a crop pest in fluctuating and stable environments
<p>Understanding pest evolution in agricultural systems is crucial for developing effective and innovative pest control strategies. Types of cultivation, such as crop monocultures versus polycultures or crop rotation, may act as a selective pressure on pests' capability to exploit the host's resources. In this study, we examined the herbivorous mite <em>Aceria tosichella</em> (commonly known as wheat curl mite), a widespread wheat pest, to understand how fluctuating versus stable environments influence its niche breadth and ability to utilize different host plant species. We subjected a wheat-bred mite population to replicated experimental evolution in a single-host environment (either wheat or barley), or in an alternation between these two plant species every three mite generations. Next, we tested the fitness of these evolving populations on wheat, barley, and on two other plant species not encountered during experimental evolution, namely rye and smooth brome. Our results revealed that the niche breadth of <em>A. tosichella</em> evolved in response to the level of environmental variability. The fluctuating environment expanded the niche breadth by increasing the mite's ability to utilize different plant species, including novel ones. Such an environment may thus promote flexible host-use generalist phenotypes. However, the niche expansion resulted in some costs expressed as reduced performances on both wheat and barley as compared to specialists. Stable host environments led to specialized phenotypes. The population that evolved in a constant environment consisting of barley increased its fitness on barley without the cost of utilizing wheat. However, the population evolving on wheat did not significantly increase its fitness on wheat, but decreased its performance on barley. Altogether, our results indicated that, depending on the degree of environmental heterogeneity, agricultural systems create different conditions that influence pests' niche breadth evolution, which may in turn affect the ability of pests to persist in such systems.</p>
Larval parasitism in a specialist herbivore is explained by phenological synchrony and host plant availability
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Parasitism is a key factor in the population dynamics of many herbivorous insects, although its impact on host populations varies widely, for instance, along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. Understanding the sources of geographical variation in host-parasitoid interactions is crucial for reliably predicting the future success of the interacting species under a context of global change.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Here, we examine larval parasitism in the butterfly <em>Aglais urticae</em> in south-west Europe, where it is a mountain specialist. Larval nests were sampled over two years along altitudinal gradients in three Iberian mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada, home to its southernmost European population. Additional data on nettle condition and adult butterflies were obtained in the study areas. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>These data sources were used to investigate whether or not differences in parasitism rates are related to the geographical position and phenology of the host, and to the availability of the host plants.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Phenological differences in the host populations between regions were related to the severity of summer drought and the corresponding differences in host plant availability. At the </span><span>trailing-edge </span><span>of its distribution, the butterfly's breeding season was restricted to the end of winter and spring, while in its northern Iberian range the season was prolonged until mid-summer. Although parasitism was an important source of mortality in all regions, parasitism rates and parasitoid richness were highest in the north and lowest in the south. Moreover, within a region, there was a notable increase in parasitism rates over time, which probably led to selection against an additional late-summer host generation in northern regions. Conversely, the shorter breeding season in Sierra Nevada resulted in a loss of synchrony between the host and one important late-season parasitoid, <em>Sturmia bella</em>, which may partly explain the high density of this butterfly species at the </span><span>trailing-edge </span><span>of its range.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Our results support the key role of host phenology in accounting for differences in parasitism rates between populations. They also provide insights into how climate through host plant availability affects host phenology and, ultimately, the impact of parasitism on host populations.</span></p>
Data from: The success of a habitat specialist biological control agent in the face of disturbance
<p class="MsoNormal">A field study was conducted in alfalfa fields in the Arlington Agricultural Research Station, Dane County, Wisconsin, USA.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Three fields were studied. Each field was divided into three sections and in each section a one of three treatments was implemented:</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><span><span>1.<span> </span></span></span>Control – harvesting normally, once a month (medium disturbance)</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span><span>2.<span> </span></span></span>Insecticide – harvesting as in the control + implementing insecticide spray (permethrin insecticide Pounce 32 EC (8 oz/ac)) immediately after harvest (high disturbance)</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span><span>3.<span> </span></span></span>Strips – harvesting in strips (low disturbance)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In each field and each section insects were collected during the summer of 2001 (exact dates are in the files). Insects were collected with sweep nets, the number of sweeps changed in according to the number of aphids in the field, and is given in the files for each sample. Mummies of Apidius ervi were collected by visual searches of three minutes.</p>
Data from: Blood-red colour as a prey-choice cue for mosquito specialist predators
<p>Specialist predators are innately and distinctively proficient at targeting specific prey types. This is enabled by behavioural, perceptual, and cognitive mechanisms that can only be understood using carefully-designed experiments. <i>Evarcha culicivora </i>is<i> </i>an East African jumping spider that feeds on vertebrate blood acquired indirectly by actively targeting blood-carrying female mosquitoes as preferred prey. Here we asked whether these spiders use the colour red to locate this prey. In Objective 1, we used spectrophotometry to document the changing redness of mosquitoes in the 17 hours following blood meals. In Objective 2, we used vision-based choice tests to document how <i>E</i>. <i>culicivora</i>'s preference for blood-carrying mosquitoes changes over time (using an interval comparable to that in Objective 1). We found that <i>E. culicivora</i> exhibits the strongest preference for blood-carrying mosquitoes during the first 6 hours after those mosquitoes had fed on blood and that this time interval corresponded to when mosquitoes exhibit the reddest coloration. Based on this, we then took mosquitoes that had never fed on blood and manipulated their colour using a blend of red food dye to make them appear blood-fed (i.e., by matching their spectral properties to mosquitoes that had fed on blood within the previous 6 hours). We also created grey-dyed mosquitoes that matched the spectral properties of those that had never fed on blood. In Objective 3, we found that <i>E. culicivora</i> did not visually discriminate between our red-dyed mosquitoes and blood-carrying mosquitoes; this indicated that, to <i>E. culicivora</i>, our red-dyed mosquitoes appropriately resembled blood-carrying mosquitoes. Finally, in Objective 4, we showed that <i>E. culicivora</i> consistently preferred red-dyed mosquitoes over grey-dyed mosquitoes, supporting the hypothesis that <i>E. culicivora</i> uses some aspect of red coloration to locate their preferred prey. We discuss how these findings relate to cognitive processes, colour-based communication, and sensory exploitation. </p>
Microbial community from species rich meadow supports plant specialists during meadow restoration
<p>Soil properties and soil microbial communities can greatly affect plant communities, especially in disturbed ecosystems. However, their relative contribution to the final effect on plants has rarely been assessed.</p> <p>We manipulated the soil microbial community in microcosms by inoculating sterilized soils originating from preserved species-rich meadow and a restored meadow with a high and low diversity of microbial inoculum (manipulated by dilution of microbial community extract) from those soils in full factorial manner, yielding eight treatments (2 soil origins × 2 inoculum sources × 2 levels of inoculum diversity).</p> <p>In general, the biomass of plant meadow specialists (Filipendula vulgaris, Phleum phleoides, and Prunella grandiflora) was greater with the preserved meadow inoculum than with the restored meadow inoculum but tended to be greater in the restored meadow soil than in the preserved meadow soil. Two meadow generalists (Festuca rubra, and Centaurea jacea) were not significantly affected by soil origin, inoculum source, or inoculum diversity, but third generalist Plantago media produced greater biomass in the preserved meadow soil than in the restored meadow soil.</p> <p>Total aboveground biomass was not affected by the treatments, but total belowground biomass was greater with microbial inoculum from the preserved meadow than from the restored meadow, and this increase was greater in the restored meadow soil than in the preserved meadow soil.</p> <p>Our results indicate strong responses of the preserved meadow specialists to the soil microbial community, which may explain why they are rare in the meadows that were restored following agricultural use.</p>
Bringing Back the Manchester Argus Coenonympha tullia ssp. davus (Fabricius 1777): Quantifying the habitat resource requirements to inform the successful reintroduction of a specialist peatland butterfly
<p>2021-30 has been designated the UN decade of ecosystem restoration. A landscape scale peatland restoration project is being undertaken on Chat Moss, Greater Manchester, UK, with conservation translocations an important component of this work. The Manchester Argus Coenonympha tullia ssp. davus, a specialist butterfly of lowland raised bogs in the northwest of England, UK is under threat due to severe habitat loss and degradation. A species reintroduction was planned for spring 2020. </p> <p>This study aimed to quantify the resource thresholds for C. tullia, in order to assess potential risks for the project. Thirteen peatland habitat patches with either recent historic or current C. tullia populations were surveyed for biotic and abiotic factors based on previous qualitative research on the species' requirements. </p> <p>Percentage cover of two habitat resources were found to be the strongest predictors in models of C. tullia presence: cross-leaved heath Erica tetralix and hair's-tail cotton-sedge Eriophorum vaginatum. </p> <p>Critical inflection points on logistic regression curves were used to make quantitative estimates of the minimum requirement of each resource for population survival and the near-optimum abundance of each resource. </p> <p>The results of this study improve our understanding of C. tullia's ecology and the restoration of peatlands for its reintroduction. Additionally, the method has wider utility for the quantitative assessment of habitat readiness before attempting species reintroductions.</p>
Data from: Is adaptation to climate change really constrained in niche specialists?
Species with restricted distributions make up the vast majority of biodiversity. Recent evidence suggests that Drosophila species with restricted tropical distributions lack genetic variation in the key trait of desiccation resistance. It has therefore been predicted that tropically restricted species will be limited in their evolutionary response to future climatic changes and will face higher risks of extinction. However, these assessments have been made using extreme levels of desiccation stress (less than 10% relative humidity (RH)) that extend well beyond the changes projected for the wet tropics under climate change scenarios over the next 30 years. Here, we show that significant evolutionary responses to less extreme (35% RH) but more ecologically realistic levels of climatic change and desiccation stress are in fact possible in two species of rainforest restricted Drosophila. Evolution may indeed be an important means by which sensitive rainforest-restricted species are able to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Recent population differentiation in the habitat specialist Glossy Antshrike (Aves: Thamnophilidae) across Amazonian seasonally flooded forests: Complete matrix
<p>We assessed population structure and the spatio-temporal pattern of diversification in the Glossy Antshrike <i>Sakesphorus luctuosus</i> (Aves, Thamnophilidae) to understand the processes shaping the evolutionary history of Amazonian floodplains and address unresolved taxonomic controversies surrounding its species limits. By targeting ultraconserved elements (UCEs) from 32 specimens of <i>S. luctuosus</i>, we identified independent lineages and estimated their differentiation, divergence times and migration rates. We also estimated current and past demographic histories for each recovered lineage. We found evidence confirming that <i>S. luctuosus</i> consists of a single species, comprising at least four populations, with some highly admixed individuals and overall similar levels of migration between populations. We confirmed the differentiation of the Araguaia River basin population (<i>S. l.</i> <i>araguayae</i>), and gathered circumstantial evidence indicating that the taxon <i>S. hagmanni</i> may represent a highly introgressed population between 3 distinct phylogroups of <i>S. luctuosus</i>. Divergence time estimates between populations seem to be recent, occurring during the last 183 kya. Signs of population expansions were detected for populations attributed to subspecies <i>S. l. luctuosus</i>, but the <i>S. l. araguayae </i>population had probably maintained its effective size through time. Our results support<b> </b>that <i>S. luctuosus</i> has had a complex population history, resulting from a high dependence on southeastern "clear-water" habitats and their availability through time. Spatial and demographic expansions towards the western "white water" flooded forests might still be ongoing. Our study reinforces the view that isolation due to absence of suitable habitat has been an important driver of population differentiation within Amazonian flooded forests, but also that differences between <i>várzeas</i> ("white water" floodplains, mostly in southwestern Amazonia) and <i>igapós</i> ("clear- water" floodplains, especially located in the east) should be further explored as powerful drivers of micro-evolution.</p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
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.