| 1. |
- Ahlgren, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Fleeing towards death - leech-induced behavioural defences increase freshwater snail susceptibility to predatory fish
- 2012
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 1600-0706 .- 0030-1299. ; 121:9, s. 1501-1506
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prey species are often exposed to multiple predators, which presents several difficulties to prey species. This is especially true when the response to one predator influences the preys susceptibility to other predators. Predator-induced defences have evolved in a wide range of prey species, and experiments involving predators with different hunting strategies allow researchers to evaluate how prey respond to multiple threats. Freshwater snails are known to respond to a variety of predators with both morphological and behavioural defences. Here we studied how freshwater snails Radix balthica responded behaviourally to fish and leech predators, both separately and together. Our aim was to explore whether conflicting predator-induced responses existed and, if so, what effect they had on snail survival when both predatory fish and leeches were present. We found that although R. balthica increased refuge use when exposed to predatory fish, they decreased refuge use when exposed to predatory leeches. When both predators were present, snails showed a stronger response towards leech than fish and responded by leaving the refuge. This response made the snails more susceptible to fish predation, which increased snail mortality when exposed to both fish and leech compared to fish only. We show that predators that have a relatively low predation rate can substantially increase mortality rates by indirect effects. By forcing snails out of refuges such as rock and macrophyte habitats, leeches can indirectly increase predation from molluscivorous fish and may thus affect snail densities.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Petter, et al.
(författare)
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How insects sense olfactory patches : the spatial scaling of olfactory information
- 2013
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 0030-1299 .- 1600-0706. ; 122:7, s. 1009-1016
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When searching for resources in heterogeneous environments, animals must rely on their abilities to detect the resources via their sensory systems. However, variation in the strength of the sensory cue may be mediated by the physical size of the resource patch. Patch detection of insects are often predicted by the scaling of sensory cues to patch size, where visual cues has been proposed to scale proportional to the diameter of the patch. The scaling properties of olfactory cues are, however, virtually unknown. Here, we investigated scaling rules for olfactory information in a gradient of numbers of odour sources, relevant to odour-mediated attraction under field conditions. We recorded moth antennal responses to sex pheromones downwind from pheromone patches and estimated the slope in the scaling relationship between the effective length of the odour plumes and the number of odour sources. These measurements showed that the effective plume length increased proportional to the square root of the number of odour sources. The scaling relationship, as estimated in the field experiment, was then evaluated against field data of the slope in the relationship between trap catch and release rate of chemical attractants for a wide range of insects. This meta-analysis revealed an average slope largely consistent with the estimated scaling relationship between the effective plume length and the number of odour sources. This study is the first to estimate the scaling properties of olfactory cues empirically and has implications for understanding and predicting the spatial distributions of insects searching by means of olfactory cues in heterogeneous environments.
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| 3. |
- Birkhofer, Klaus, et al.
(författare)
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Density-dependent and -independent effects on the joint use of space by predators and prey in terrestrial arthropod food-webs
- 2011
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 1600-0706 .- 0030-1299. ; 120:11, s. 1705-1711
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The spatial distribution of predators and their prey is affected by their joint use of space. While the formation of such spatial patterns may be driven by density-dependent and -independent factors our knowledge on the contribution of different land-use activities on the formation of spatial patterns between predators and prey remains very limited. Agriculture is one of the most prevailing land-use activities with strong effects on invertebrate densities and structural habitat conditions. Here, we used replicated conventionally and organically managed winter wheat fields to investigate the effects of agricultural land-use on the spatial patterns of generalist predators and decomposer prey. We then identified the explanatory power of density-dependent (prey and predator activity density) and density-independent (vegetation structure) predictors for the observed spatial patterns. Generalist predators were regularly distributed only in conventionally managed fields and this pattern intensified with decreasing Collembola prey availability and increasing spider activity density. Segregation between carabid and spider predators was strongest in fields with lowest wheat plant height, suggesting more intense intraguild interactions in structurally less complex habitats. Collembola were aggregated independent of management and aggregation was strongest in fields with highest Collembola and carabid activity density. Spiders and Collembola prey were associated, but higher aphid densities under conventional management weakened or interrupted this spatial relationship. We conclude that active control of crop plant physiognomy by growth hormones and herbicides in conventionally managed fields promotes predator–predator segregation and that a high availability of aphid prey seems to decouple predator–Collembola prey associations. Our results emphasise the need for a more mechanistic understanding of the effects of land-use on the formation of spatial patterns and species interactions, especially under scenarios of environmental change and an ongoing loss of biodiversity.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Caplat, Paul, et al.
(författare)
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Sophia Title
- 2013
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 1600-0706 .- 0030-1299. ; 122:9, s. 1265-1274
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Synthesis Prediction and management of species responses to climate change is an urgent but relatively young research field. Therefore, climate change ecology must by necessity borrow from other fields. Invasion ecology is particularly well-suited to informing climate change ecology because both invasion ecology and climate change ecology address the trajectories of rapidly changing novel systems. Here we outline the broad range of active research questions in climate change ecology where research from invasion ecology can stimulate advances. We present ideas for how concepts, case-studies and methodology from invasion ecology can be adapted to improve prediction and management of species responses to climate change. A major challenge in this era of rapid climate change is to predict changes in species distributions and their impacts on ecosystems, and, if necessary, to recommend management strategies for maintenance of biodiversity or ecosystem services. Biological invasions, studied in most biomes of the world, can provide useful analogs for some of the ecological consequences of species distribution shifts in response to climate change. Invasions illustrate the adaptive and interactive responses that can occur when species are confronted with new environmental conditions. Invasion ecology complements climate change research and provides insights into the following questions: 1) how will species distributions respond to climate change? 2) how will species movement affect recipient ecosystems? And 3) should we, and if so how can we, manage species and ecosystems in the face of climate change? Invasion ecology demonstrates that a trait-based approach can help to predict spread speeds and impacts on ecosystems, and has the potential to predict climate change impacts on species ranges and recipient ecosystems. However, there is a need to analyse traits in the context of life-history and demography, the stage in the colonisation process (e.g. spread, establishment or impact), the distribution of suitable habitats in the landscape, and the novel abiotic and biotic conditions under which those traits are expressed. As is the case with climate change, invasion ecology is embedded within complex societal goals. Both disciplines converge on similar questions of when to intervene? and what to do? which call for a better understanding of the ecological processes and social values associated with changing ecosystems.
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| 6. |
- Chapman, Ben, et al.
(författare)
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Partial migration: an introduction
- 2011
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 1600-0706 .- 0030-1299. ; 120:12, s. 1761-1763
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 7. |
- Chapman, Ben, et al.
(författare)
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The ecology and evolution of partial migration
- 2011
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 1600-0706 .- 0030-1299. ; 120:12, s. 1764-1775
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Partial migration, where populations of animals are composed of a mixture of resident and migratory individuals, is a widespread phenomenon in nature. It has been reported to occur in all major vertebrate groups, and can have significant ecological consequences. Here we give an overview of the ecology and evolution of partial migration in animals. We firstly review the different types of partial migration, and assess the ecological drivers responsible for driving individual differences in migratory tendency within populations. A variety of factors can be important in promoting the evolution of partial migration, including competition for resources or breeding opportunities, predation risk and intraspecific niche diversity. Often various factors act synergistically to create complex patterns of movement polymorphism within populations. The question of how partial migration is maintained over evolutionary timescales is also addressed. Whilst many theoretical considerations of partial migration utilise an evolutionary stable state (ESS) paradigm, empirical evidence for this is lacking. Rather the evidence suggests that partial migration is mostly condition dependent, and the optimum outcome for an individual is dependent upon its phenotype. What determines whether an individual follows a migratory or resident strategy is discussed in light of new theory and empirical data which supports the idea that environmentally responsive genetic thresholds are important across a range of species, from birds to fish, in proximately shaping migratory tendency. Finally we espouse our vision of how partial migration research will develop in the future, and suggest a number of exciting directions that studies into migratory dimorphism may take in the coming years.
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| 8. |
- Dänhardt, Juliana, et al.
(författare)
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Farmland as stopover habitat for migrating birds - effects of organic farming and landscape structure
- 2010
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 1600-0706 .- 0030-1299. ; 119:7, s. 1114-1125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Agricultural intensification in Europe has affected farmland bird populations negatively, both during summer and winter. Although the migratory period poses separate challenges on birds than breeding and wintering, the consequences of farming practices for birds during migration remain poorly investigated. We monitored abundance and species richness of migratory birds in autumn at matched pairs of organic and conventional farms situated either in intensively farmed open plains (homogeneous landscapes) or in small-scale farming landscapes (heterogeneous landscapes) in southern Sweden. Total bird density did not differ between landscape types but was marginally higher on organic compared to conventional farms. When including taxonomic status in the model (passerines vs non-passerines), we found significantly more birds on organic farms, and more non-passerines in the homogeneous landscapes. The effect of farming practice and landscape type on density differed between functional groups. Omnivore density was higher in the homogeneous landscapes, and invertebrate feeders were marginally more abundant on organic farms. The effects of farming practice on the overall species richness and on the density of granivorous birds were landscape dependent. In the homogeneous landscapes, organic farms held a higher number of species and density of granivorous birds than conventional farms, but there was no such difference in the heterogeneous landscapes. Thus, organic farming can enhance abundance and species richness of farmland birds during migration, but the effect differs between landscape types and species. The effectiveness of organic farming was highest in the homogeneous landscape making it important to promote organic farming there. However, for some species during migration, increased heterogeneity in homogeneous landscapes may have negative effects. We propose that migratory bird diversity in homogeneous landscapes may be best preserved by keeping the landscape open, but that a reduced agricultural intensity, such as organic farming, should be encouraged.
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| 9. |
- Harris, Sanna, et al.
(författare)
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Picking personalities apart: estimating the influence of predation, sex and body size on boldness in the guppy Poecilia reticulata
- 2010
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 1600-0706 .- 0030-1299. ; 119:11, s. 1711-1718
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Predation is a strong selective force in most natural systems, potentially fueling evolutionary changes in prey morphology, life history and behaviour. Recent work has suggested that contrasting predation pressures may lead to population differentiation in personality traits. However, there are indications that these personality traits also differ between sexes and not necessarily in a consistent way between populations. We used an integrative approach to quantify boldness (latency to emerge from a shelter) in wild-caught guppies in relation to predation pressure, population origin, sex and size. In addition we quantified the repeatability of these personality traits. We show that predation regime had significant effects on emergence time. In general, fish from high predation localities emerged sooner from the shelter compared to those from low predation localities. We found strong sex differences; males were significantly bolder than females. The relationship between emergence time and body size was non-significant in all populations. We discuss what responses to expect from predator-nave versus predator-experienced individuals and how this can be linked to the shyness-boldness continuum.
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| 10. |
- Lankinen, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Allocation to pollen competitive ability versus seed production in Viola tricoloras an effect of plant size, soil nutrients and presence of a root competitor
- 2012
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0030-1299 .- 1600-0706. ; 122:5, s. 779-789
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In hermaphroditic plants, the effect of a social environment on sex allocation has not been studied to our knowledge, while in hermaphroditic animals such effects are known to be common. In recent years, studies on root competition beyond the effects of nutrients have shown that plants can respond to their conspecific root competitors (social environment), making it interesting to ask if these effects could also influence sex allocation in addition to more commonly studied factors, such as plant size or resources. In this study on hermaphroditic Viola tricolor, we investigated how plant size, soil nutrients and presence of a root competitor influenced allocation to pollen competitive ability versus seed production, i.e. male and female reproductive functions. We allowed plants to grow in pairs with partly intermingled or separate roots in the same amount of soil. In additional treatments with intermingled roots (as part of the same experiment) one of the two competitors was given combinations of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and micro nutrients. We found that pollen performance but not seed production increased when plants were in contact in the soil. Additionally, pollen performance was negatively correlated to plant size across fertilisation treatments. For seed production, the opposite relation to plant size was seen, indicating that large, fertilized plants invest relatively more in the female function. In conclusion, in violets, sex allocation appears to be size-dependent and influenced by both the presence of a root competitor and by nutrients. These results suggest that social environment can influence sex allocation in plants as well as in animals, indicating that such effects are important to consider in sex allocation studies across taxa.
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