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37 results for “trait-mediated”
Relyea, R. A., and K. L. Yurewicz. 2002. Predicting community outcomes from pairwise interactions: Integrating density- and trait-mediated effects. Oecologia 131:569-579.
Understanding how species interactions shape the structure of ecological communities based on pairwise comparisons has been a difficult undertaking for ecologists because effects in reassembled communities can be different than simple density-mediated interactions would suggest. Part of this complexity occurs because many species change their behavior and morphology with different predators and competitors and, thus, change their per-capita interaction rates (i.e. trait-mediated interactions). Our objective was to use a simple experimental community of two predators (larval dragonflies, Anax longipes, and larval salamanders, Ambystoma tigrinum), two prey (larval green frogs, Rana clamitans, and larval bullfrogs, R. catesbeiana), and a shared prey resource to determine whether we can predict interactions in a reassembled community by combining our knowledge of density- and trait-mediated interactions,. We combined pairwise laboratory experiments on predation rates and predator-induced behaviors with a mesocosm experiment to examine density- and trait-mediated effects. We used a factorial combination of no predators, caged Anax (to induce anti-predator traits without changing prey density), and lethal Anax crossed with no predators, caged Ambystoma, and lethal Ambystoma. The species interactions in the reassembled community were qualitatively predictable based on the pairwise experiments. Lethal Anax preyed upon Ambystoma and green frogs while lethal Ambystoma only preyed upon green frogs. Anax also reduced the activity of the green frogs; this caused a decrease in salamander predation on green frogs, a decrease in green frog acquisition of resources, and an increase in bullfrog acquisition of resources. Ambystoma had no effect on green frog activity, no effect on resource acquisition by green frogs, and no effect on resource acquisition by bullfrogs. These results suggest that we can better understand how species interact in natural communities if we have a more deta
Relyea, R. A. 2000. Trait-mediated indirect effects in larval anurans: Reversing competition with the threat of predation. Ecology 81:2278-2289.
Ecologists recently have been focusing on the role that trait-mediated indirect effects can have on community structure and composition. To date, this work has primarily focused on the effects of predator-induced behavioral plasticity on communities. However, predator-induced morphological plasticity, which has been documented in many taxa, might also lead to trait-mediated indirect effects. Here, I examined how predators altered the behavior and morphology of larval wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and leopard frogs (R. pipiens) and how these phenotypic changes altered the outcome of competition between the two species. Competition in the absence of caged predators was asymmetric; when reared separately, leopard frogs grew more than wood frogs, but when competing (without predators), wood frogs grew faster than leopard frogs. The presence of caged predators reversed the outcome of competition between the two anuran prey. In the presence of larval dragonflies (Anax spp.) or caged mudminnows (Umbra limi), leopard frogs grew faster than wood frogs while total tadpole biomass production remained unchanged. Thus, there was a predator-mediated indirect effect. Because predators alter both the behavior and morphology of larval anurans and both of these traits are known to affect resource consumption and growth, both are potential mechanisms to explain the change in competitive outcome. Changes in behavior were not related to changes in growth, but changes in morphology (specifically mouth width and tail length) were related to changes in growth. When competitors were added (without predators), wood frogs increased their mouth width by 10% and their tail length by 3%, while leopard frogs increased their mouth width by 5% and did not change their tail length. The greater increase in mouth width for wood frogs should increase their forage intake, since tadpoles feed by scraping periphyton; the importance of a 3% longer tail in competitive ability is unknown. The presence of the p
The trait-mediated trade-off between growth and survival depends on tree sizes and environmental conditions
<p><span>Interspecific relationships between growth and survival are critical determinants of tree species diversity maintenance in forests. The trade-offs between growth and survival in co-occurring tree species are believed to arise along a continuum of life-history strategies. For example, co-occurring species range from those that grow slowly and survive well in resource-poor environments to those that grow quickly but have low survival rates in resource-rich environments. However, uncertainties remain regarding how growth-survival trade-offs are related to species traits, tree sizes, or environmental conditions.</span></p> <p><span>We examined how the relationships between species traits and growth–survival relationships shift in response to changes in stem sizes and across census periods with different climate conditions (frequency of strong winds, drought intensity) across 45 co-occurring tree species based on 23 years of growth and survival records in a warm temperate rain forest on Yakushima Island, Japan. We developed hierarchical Bayesian models of relative growth and survival rates, including leaf traits, wood density, and 95-percentile maximum stem diameter as explanatory variables. We tested the relationships between estimated trait-mediated growth–survival relationships and the intensities of climate events during five census periods.</span></p> <p><span>Each trait's effects on growth–survival relationships differed across the five census periods in response to climate conditions. Interspecific growth–survival relationships affected by a single trait axis for leaves or wood tended to be negative. In contrast, those affected by the maximum stem diameter tended to be positive. Such trends </span><span>increased with more frequent </span><span>strong winds or more intense droughts. The single-trait effects on growth–survival relationships were stronger for smaller sizes than for larger sizes. For all traits combined, we found a significant growth–survival trade-off only for small-sized stems in three of five census periods.</span></p> <p><span>Synthesis: Our results indicate that the effect of species traits on the growth–survival relationships depended on tree sizes, the census periods, or both in response to the frequency or intensity of climate events. We argue the importance of incorporating spatial and temporal variations in environmental conditions into long-term data from tree census to predict forest dynamics.</span></p>
The trait-mediated trade-off between growth and survival depends on tree sizes and environmental conditions
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Local adaptation in trait-mediated trophic cascades dataset
<p>Predator-induced changes in prey foraging can indirectly influence community dynamics by increasing the abundance of basal resources via a trait-mediated trophic cascade. The strength of these cascades may be altered by eco-evolutionary relationships between predators and prey, but the role of basal resources has received limited attention. We hypothesized that the strength of trait-mediated trophic cascades may be shaped by selection from trophic levels above and below prey. Our field and laboratory experiments utilized snails (<em>Nucella lapillus</em>)<em> </em>from two regions in the Gulf of Maine (GoM) that vary substantially in basal resource (e.g., barnacles, mussels) availability and invasion history with the predatory green crab, <em>Carcinus maenas</em>. <em>Nucella</em> from both regions were provided with mussels as a basal resource and exposed to the presence or absence of green crab risk cues. In both experiments, <em>Nucella</em> from the northern GoM, where basal resources are scarce, displayed weaker responses to risk cues than southern <em>Nucella</em>. In the lab, however, northern <em>Nucella</em> foraged more than southern snails under risk, but foraging rates among the two regions did not differ without risk. Our results suggest that adaptation to basal resource availability may contribute to geographic variation in the strength of trait-mediated trophic cascades.</p>
Experimental data on trait-mediated interactions in temperate forests of northeastern China
<p>The study area was a 30-ha (500 600 m) permanent forest plot (43°57.928′–43°58.214′N; 127°45.287′–127°45.790′E) in Jilin Province, China. Two species, <em>Pinus koraiensis</em> and <em>Ulmus laciniata</em>, were selected as focal trees at the neighborhood scale. In 2010, all healthy adult individuals of <em>P. koraiensis </em>and<em> U. laciniata </em>were selected as focal trees, covering a wide range of DBH (diameter at breast height, 1.3m) classes (10 cm<DBH<80 cm). We obtained a dataset containing measurements for 74 trees of <em>P. koraiensis </em>and 70 trees of <em>U. laciniata</em>. There were 2,109 neighboring trees sampled for the focal trees of <em>P. koraiensis</em> and 1,400 neighboring trees were neighbors for the focal trees of <em>U. laciniata</em>. We determined soil properties and topographic features as abiotic variables influencing the interactions between trees. The 30-ha plot was divided into 20 ×20 m grid cells. Soils samples were collected from evenly distributed cells at a depth of 10 cm at the four corners of these cells. Four soil properties (soil pH, soil water content, soil organic matter content, and soil nutrients) were measured. The topographic variables, including elevation, convexity, slope steepness, and aspect were calculated for each sample cell</p>
Quantifying within-species trait variation in space and time reveals limits to trait-mediated drought response
<p>Climate change is stressing many forests around the globe, yet some tree species may be able to persist through acclimation and adaptation to new environmental conditions. The ability of a tree to acclimate during its lifetime through changes in physiology and functional traits, defined here as its acclimation potential, is not well known. We investigated the acclimation potential of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) trees by examining within-species variation in drought response functional traits across both space and time, and how trait variation influences drought-induced tree mortality. We measured xylem tension, morphological traits, and physiological traits on mature trees in southwestern Colorado, USA across a climate gradient that spanned the distribution limits of each species and three years with large differences in climate. Trembling aspen functional traits showed high within-species variation, and osmotic adjustment and carbon isotope discrimination were key determinants for increased drought tolerance in dry sites and in dry years. However, trembling aspen trees at low elevation were pushed past their drought tolerance limit during the severe 2018 drought year, as elevated mortality occurred. Higher specific leaf area during drought was correlated with higher percentages of canopy dieback the following year. Ponderosa pine functional traits showed less within-species variation, though osmotic adjustment was also a key mechanism for increased drought tolerance. Remarkably, almost all traits varied more year-to-year than across elevation in both species. Our results shed light on the scope and limits of intraspecific trait variation for mediating drought responses in key southwestern US tree species and will help improve our ability to model and predict forest responses to climate change. </p>
Trait-mediated competition drives an ant invasion and alters functional diversity
The assumption that differences in species' traits reflect their different niches has long influenced how ecologists infer processes from assemblage patterns. For instance, many assess the importance of environmental filtering versus classical limiting-similarity competition in driving biological invasions by examining whether invaders' traits are similar or dissimilar to those of residents, respectively. However, mounting evidence suggests that hierarchical differences between species' trait values can distinguish their competitive abilities (e.g., for the same resource) instead of their niches. Whether such trait-mediated hierarchical competition explains invasions and structures assemblages is less explored. We integrate morphological, dietary, physiological and behavioural trait analyses to test whether environmental filtering, limiting-similarity competition, or hierarchical competition explain invasions by fire ants on ant assemblages. We detect both competition mechanisms; invasion success is not only explained by limiting similarity in body size and thermal tolerance (presumably allowing the invader to exploit different niches from residents), but also by the invader's superior position in trait hierarchies reflecting competition for common trophic resources. We find that the two mechanisms generate complex assemblage-level functional diversity patterns (overdispersion in some traits, clustering in others) suggesting their effects are likely missed by analyses restricted to a few traits and composite trait diversity measures.
Data from: Bottom-up trait-mediated indirect effects decrease pathogen transmission in a tritrophic system
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Quantifying within-species trait variation in space and time reveals limits to trait-mediated drought response
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Trait-mediated competition drives an ant invasion and alters functional diversity
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Risk of predation increases susceptibility to parasitism via trait-mediated indirect effects
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Local adaptation in trait-mediated trophic cascades dataset
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Herbivory of a biocontrol agent on a native plant causes an indirect trait-mediated non-target effect on a native insect
<p>Identifying food web linkages between biocontrol agents of invasive plants and native species is crucial for predicting indirect non-target effects. Biocontrol insects can integrate into food webs within recipient habitats and influence native insects through apparent competition (altering shared natural enemies) or density-mediated exploitation competition (changing density of native plants). However, whether and how trait-mediated exploitation competition (modifying native plant chemical defenses and volatiles profiles) can produce indirect non-target effects remains largely overlooked, despite plant phenotypic responses to insect herbivory being common and widely documented.</p> <p>The beetle <em>Agasicles hygrophila</em> was introduced into China for management of weedy <em>Alternanthera philoxeroides</em>, but it also attacks the native congener <em>A. sessilis</em>, which may have indirect non-target effects on the native beetle <em>Cassida piperata </em>that also feeds on <em>A. sessilis</em>. Here, we examined the relationships among the abundance of <em>A. hygrophila</em> and <em>C. piperata</em>, and <em>A. sessilis</em> coverage in the field. Then, we investigated the impact of <em>A. hygrophila</em> herbivory on <em>C. piperata</em> development and oviposition, as well as<em> A. sessilis</em> primary metabolites and leaf volatiles.</p> <p><em>Cassida piperata</em> abundance was not related to <em>A. sessilis</em> coverage, but <em>C. piperata</em> was less abundant on plants with more<em> A. hygrophila</em> in the field survey and on plants with more prior<em> A. hygrophila</em> damage in the field cage experiment. <em>Cassida piperata </em>development was inhibited by prior <em>A. hygrophila </em>herbivory in bioassays in enemy-free conditions and they preferred to oviposit on <em>A. sessilis </em>plants that had experienced little or no <em>A. hygrophila</em> damage. <em>Agasicles hygrophila</em> herbivory decreased <em>A. sessilis</em> foliar glucose and protein, and substantially changed its leaf volatile blend.</p> <p>Synthesis. Our results show that <em>A. hygrophila</em> has its major indirect non-target effects on <em>C. piperata </em>through trait-mediated exploitation competition, rather than apparent competition or density-mediated exploitation competition. Our results demonstrate a new mechanism for indirect non-target effects of biocontrol agents. Furthermore, our results indicate that minor and temporary negative impacts on non-target plants might propagate to higher trophic levels and such negative impacts can strengthen with increasing intensity of the direct non-target effect.</p>
Data from: Trait-mediated community assembly: distinguishing the signatures of biotic and abiotic filters
Conflicting hypotheses predict how traits mediate species establishment and community assembly. Traits of newly establishing individuals are predicted to converge, or be more similar to the resident, preexisting community, when the biotic or abiotic environment favors a single best phenotype, but are predicted to diverge when trait differences reduce competitive interactions. We tested these competing hypotheses using transplant seedlings in an old-field environment, and assessed the contribution of inter- and intra-specific transplant trait variation to community-level patterns. Using a soil moisture gradient and resident plant removals, we determined when traits of newly-establishing plants converge or diverge from the resident community by calculating community weighted mean traits for transplant and resident communities. We saw evidence of environmentally- and competitively-driven trait shifts that resulted in both trait convergence and divergence from the resident community, whose traits reflect the combined effects of both drivers. Leaf dry matter content (LDMC) of transplants diverged in the presence of competition, whereas plant height and stem-specific density (SSD) showed the opposite pattern, converging with the resident community in their presence. Specific leaf area (SLA) shifted with competition but did not reflect resident community SLA. All transplant traits were influenced by soil moisture, often in an interaction with competition, indicating that the strength of convergence or divergence is contingent on the abiotic environment. Intraspecific differences in transplant traits among treatments were evident in three of four traits; intraspecific height and SLA trends mirrored transplant community-level trends, whereas intraspecific shifts in SSD were distinct from community-level trends. Our study shows competition between plant species may cause traits of newly establishing plants to converge with the resident community, as frequently as it selects for trait divergence. These opposing effects of competition suggest that it plays a pervasive role in both intraspecific and species-level trait differences among communities.
Data from: Moving beyond linear food chains: trait-mediated indirect interactions in a rocky intertidal food web
In simple, linear food chains, top predators can have positive indirect effects on basal resources by causing changes in the traits (e.g. behaviour, feeding rates) of intermediate consumers. Although less is known about trait-mediated indirect interactions (TMIIs) in more complex food webs, it has been suggested that such complexity dampens trophic cascades. We examined TMIIs between a predatory crab (Carcinus maenas) and two ecologically important basal resources, fucoid algae (Ascophyllum nodosum) and barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides), which are consumed by herbivorous (Littorina littorea) and carnivorous (Nucella lapillus) snails, respectively. Because crab predation risk suppresses snail feeding rates, we hypothesized that crabs would also shape direct and indirect interactions among the multiple consumers and resources. We found that the magnitude of TMIIs between the crab and each resource depended on the suite of intermediate consumers present in the food web. Carnivorous snails (Nucella) transmitted TMIIs between crabs and barnacles. However, crab–algae TMIIs were transmitted by both herbivorous (Littorina) and carnivorous (Nucella) snails, and these TMIIs were additive. By causing Nucella to consume fewer barnacles, crab predation risk allowed fucoids that had settled on or between barnacles to remain in the community. Hence, positive interactions between barnacles and algae caused crab–algae TMIIs to be strongest when both consumers were present. Studies of TMIIs in more realistic, reticulate food webs will be necessary for a more complete understanding of how predation risk shapes community dynamics.
Data from: Direct and plant trait-mediated effects of the local environmental context on butterfly oviposition patterns
Variation in the intensity of plant-animal interactions over different spatial scales is widespread and might strongly influence fitness and trait selection in plants. Differences in traits among plant individuals have been shown to influence variation in interaction intensities within populations, while differences in environmental factors and community composition are shown to be important for variation over larger scales. However, little is still known about the relative importance of the local environmental context vs. plant traits for the outcome of interactions within plant populations. We investigated how oviposition by the seed-predator butterfly Phengaris alcon on its host plant Gentiana pneumonanthe was related to host plant traits and to local environmental variation, as well as how oviposition patterns translated into effects on host plant fruit set. We considered the local environmental context in terms of height of the surrounding vegetation and abundance of the butterfly's second host, Myrmica ants. The probability of oviposition was higher in plants that were surrounded by lower vegetation, and both the probability of oviposition and the number of eggs increased in early-flowering and tall plants with many flowers in the three study populations. Flowering phenology, shoot height and flower production were, in turn, related to higher surrounding vegetation. Myrmica abundance was correlated with vegetation height, but had no effect on oviposition patterns. Oviposition and subsequent seed predation by the caterpillars strongly reduced host plant fruit set. Our results show that plant-animal interactions are context-dependent not only because the context influences the abundance or the behavior of the animal interactor, but also because it influences the expression of plant traits that affect the outcome of the interaction. The results also demonstrate that heterogeneity in environmental conditions at a very local scale can be important for the outcomes of interactions.
Environmental stress gradients regulate the relative importance of predator density- and trait-mediated indirect effects in oyster reef communities
<p>Predators affect community structure by influencing prey density and traits, but the importance of these effects often is difficult to predict. We measured the strength of blue crab predator effects on mud crab prey consumption of juvenile oysters across a flow gradient that inflicts both physical and sensory stress to determine how the relative importance of top predator density-mediated indirect effects (DMIEs) and trait-mediated indirect effects (TMIEs) change within systems. Overall, TMIEs dominated in relatively benign flow conditions where blue crab predator cues increased oyster survivorship by reducing mud crab oyster consumption. Blue crab DMIEs became more important in high sensory stress conditions, which impaired mud crab perception of blue crab chemical cues. At high physical stress, the environment benefitted oyster survival by physically constraining mud crabs. Thus, factors that structure communities may be predicted based on an understanding of how physical and sensory performances change across environmental stress gradients.</p>
Dataset for: Trait-mediated speciation and human-driven extinctions in proboscideans revealed by unsupervised Bayesian neural networks
<p>This repository contains the output of all birth-death neural network simulations and the empirical analyses of Proboscidean diversification. For details see the Readme of the individual directories.</p>
Data from: Moving beyond linear food chains: trait-mediated indirect interactions in a rocky intertidal food web
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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
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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
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