| 1. |
- Angeler, David, et al.
(författare)
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Discontinuity Analysis Reveals Alternative Community Regimes During Phytoplankton Succession
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is well-recognized in plankton ecology that phytoplankton development can lead to distinct peaks (i.e., blooms) during spring and summer. We used a 5-year (2007-2011) phytoplankton data set and utilized discontinuity analysis to assess resilience attributes of spring and summer blooms based on the cross-scale resilience model. Using the size structure (i.e., cross-scale structure as an indicator of resilience) in the sampled plankton data, we assessed whether spring and summer blooms differ substantially between but not within blooms; that is, whether they comprise alternative community regimes. Our exploratory study supported this expectation and more broadly resilience theory, which posits that ecological systems can manifest in and change between alternative regimes. The dynamics of regimes receives increased attention because rapid environmental change potentially irreversibly alters ecosystems. Model organisms are needed that allow revealing patterns and processes of various aspects of regime dynamics at tractable time scales. Our preliminary findings suggest that phytoplankton can be suitable models for assessing the intricacies of regimes and regime changes.
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| 2. |
- Arnemo, Jon
(författare)
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Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Scandinavian Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) to Dog Hunts and Human Encounters
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Innovations in biologging have offered new possibilities to better understand animals in their natural environment. Biologgers can be used by researchers to measure the impact of human disturbances on wildlife and guide conservation decisions. In this study, the behavioral and physiological responses of brown bears (Ursus arctos) to hunts using dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and human encounters were assessed to better understand the impact of human outdoor activities on brown bears. In Scandinavia, brown bear hunting and the use of dogs during hunts is increasing in popularity. Nonetheless, not every hunt leads to a killed bear. This means that for each bear that is shot, multiple bears may be chased but not killed. In addition, bears can also be disturbed when encountering non-hunting humans. Heart rates, body temperatures, GPS coordinates and dual-axis activity data were collected from 52 simulated hunts (a simulated hunt using dogs with the bear allowed to flee at the end) and 70 human encounters (humans intentionally approaching the bear) that were carried out on 28 free-ranging female brown bears in two study areas in Sweden. The results showed that: (1) simulated hunts had a greater impact and induced a greater energy cost than human encounters; (2) the amount of time bears rested the day after the simulated hunts increased linearly with the duration of the simulated hunts, implying a lasting behavioral impact relative to the intensity of the disturbance. Although not tested in this study, brown bears that are repeatedly disturbed by dog hunts and human encounters may be unable to compensate the disturbances' energy cost, and their fitness may, therefore, be altered. If it is the case, this effect should be accounted for by managers.
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| 3. |
- Capo, Eric, et al.
(författare)
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How Does Environmental Inter-annual Variability Shape Aquatic Microbial Communities? : A 40-Year Annual Record of Sedimentary DNA From a Boreal Lake (Nylandssjon, Sweden)
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To assess the sensitivity of lakes to anthropogenically-driven environmental changes (e.g., nutrient supply, climate change), it is necessary to first isolate the effects of between-year variability in weather conditions. This variability can strongly impact a lake's biological community especially in boreal and arctic areas where snow phenology play an important role in controlling the input of terrestrial matter to the lake. Identifying the importance of this inherent variability is difficult without time series that span at least several decades. Here, we applied a molecular approach (metabarcoding on eukaryotic 18S rRNA genes and qPCR on cyanobacterial 16S rRNA genes) to sedimentary DNA (sed-DNA) to unravel the annual variability of microbial community in 40 years' sediment record from the boreal lake Nylandssjon which preserve annually-laminated sediments. Our comparison between seasonal meteorological data, sediment inorganic geochemistry (X-ray fluorescence analyses) and organic biomarkers (pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses), demonstrated that inter-annual variability strongly influence the sediment composition in Nylandssjon. Spring temperature, snow and ice phenology (e.g., the percentage of snow loss in spring, the timing of lake ice-off) were identified as important drivers for the inputs of terrestrial material to the lake, and were therefore also important for shaping the aquatic biological community. Main changes were detected in the late-80s/mid-90s and mid-2000s associated with increases in algal productivity, in total richness of the protistan community and in relative abundances of Chlorophyta, Dinophyceae as well as Cyanobacteria abundance. These changes could be linked to a decline in terrestrial inputs to the lake during the snow melt and run-off period, which in turn was driven by warmer winter temperatures. Even if our data shows that meteorological factors do affect the sediment composition and microbial communities, they only explain part of the variability. This is most likely a consequence of the high inter-annual variability in abiotic and biotic parameters highlighting the difficulty to draw firm conclusions concerning drivers of biological changes at an annual or sub-annual resolution even with the 40-year varved sediment record from Nylandssjon. Hence, it is necessary to have an even longer time perspective in order to reveal the full implications of climate change.
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| 4. |
- Chapron, Guillaume, et al.
(författare)
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Unravelling the Scientific Debate on How to Address Wolf-Dog Hybridization in Europe
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anthropogenic hybridization is widely perceived as a threat to the conservation of biodiversity. Nevertheless, to date, relevant policy and management interventions are unresolved and highly convoluted. While this is due to the inherent complexity of the issue, we hereby hypothesize that a lack of agreement concerning management goals and approaches, within the scientific community, may explain the lack of social awareness on this phenomenon, and the absence of effective pressure on decision-makers. By focusing on wolf x dog hybridization in Europe, we hereby (a) assess the state of the art of issues on wolf x dog hybridization within the scientific community, (b) assess the conceptual bases for different viewpoints, and (c) provide a conceptual framework aiming at reducing the disagreements. We adopted the Delphi technique, involving a three-round iterative survey addressed to a selected sample of experts who published at Web of Science listed journals, in the last 10 years on wolf x dog hybridization and related topics. Consensus was reached that admixed individuals should always be defined according to their genetic profile, and that a reference threshold for admixture (i.e., q-value in assignment tests) should be formally adopted for their identification. Tomitigate hybridization, experts agreed on adopting preventive, proactive and, when concerning small and recovering wolf populations, reactive interventions. Overall, experts' consensus waned as the issues addressed became increasingly practical, including the adoption of lethal removal. We suggest three non-mutually exclusive explanations for this trend: (i) value-laden viewpoints increasingly emerge when addressing practical issues, and are particularly diverging between experts with different disciplinary backgrounds (e.g., ecologists, geneticists); (ii) some experts prefer avoiding the risk of potentially giving carte blanche to wolf opponents to (illegally) remove wolves, based on the wolf x dog hybridization issue; (iii) room for subjective interpretation and opinions result from the paucity of data on the effectiveness of different management interventions. These results have management implications and reveal gaps in the knowledge on a wide spectrum of issues related not only to the management of anthropogenic hybridization, but also to the role of ethical values and real-world management concerns in the scientific debate.
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| 5. |
- Frayssinet, Marie, et al.
(författare)
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Western European Populations of the Ichneumonid Wasp Hyposoter didymator Belong to a Single Taxon
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hyposoter didymator (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) is a generalist solitary endoparasitoid of noctuid larvae. In the present work, we tested whether populations of H. didymator were divided in several genetically distinct taxa as described for many other generalist parasitoid species, and whether differences in H. didymator parasitism rates were explained by the insect host species and/or by the plant on which these hosts were feeding on. The genetic analysis of natural populations collected in different regions in France and Spain on seven different insect hosts and seven different host plants (775 individuals) showed that H. didymator populations belong to a unique single taxon. However, H. didymator seems to be somewhat specialized. Indeed, in the fields it more often parasitized Helicoverpa armigera compared to the other host species collected in the present work. Also, H. didymator parasitism rates in field conditions and semi-field experimental studies were dependent on the host plants on which H. armigera larvae are feeding. Still, H. didymator can occur occasionally on non-preferred noctuid species. One hypothesis explaining the ability of H. didymator to switch hosts in natura could be related to fluctuating densities of the preferred host over the year; this strategy would allow the parasitoid to avoid seasonal population collapses.
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| 6. |
- Green, Andy J., et al.
(författare)
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Beyond scatter-hoarding and frugivory : European corvids as overlooked vectors for a broad range of plants
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is well-known that some members of the crow family (Corvidae) are important for seed dispersal either via frugivory (e.g., when feeding on berries) or by scatter hoarding (e.g., of nuts). Dispersal via gut passage of seeds within a fleshy fruit can be considered "classical endozoochory." However, corvids are rarely recognized as vectors of plants lacking a fleshy fruit, or a large nut (such as plants with a dry achene, capsule or caryopsis). Dispersal of such seeds via gut passage can be considered "non-classical endozoochory." A century ago, Heintze (1917a,b); Heintze (1918) reported on extensive field studies of seed dispersal by 11 species of European Corvidae. His work is overlooked in contemporary reviews of corvid biology. We resurrect his work, which suggests that contemporary views about seed dispersal by corvids are too narrow. Heintze identified 157 plant taxa from 42 families which were dispersed by corvids by endozoochory, as well as another nine taxa only dispersed by synzoochory (which includes scatter-hoarding). Most (54%) of the plant species dispersed by endozoochory lack a fleshy fruit and have previously been assigned to other dispersal syndromes, mainly associated with wind (10%), self-dispersal (22%) or epizoochory (18%). Plants lacking a fleshy fruit were particularly well-represented from the Caryophyllaceae (12 species), Poaceae (14 species), and Polygonaceae (8 species). Of 27 taxa germinated by Heintze from seeds extracted from corvid pellets or feces (71% of those tested), 20 lack a fleshy fruit. Similarly, of 32 taxa he recorded as seedlings having germinated from pellets in the field, 11 lacked a fleshy fruit. However, Heintze's quantitative data show that classical endozoochory is dominant in Magpies Pica pica and Hooded Crows Corvus cornix, for which 97% of seeds dispersed were fleshy-fruited. Corvids overlap with waterfowl as vectors of terrestrial plants dispersed by non-classical endozoochory, and 56 species are dispersed by both corvids and dabbling ducks according to the lists of Heintze and Soons et al. (2016). Finally, Heintze's data show that corvids were already dispersing alien plants in Europe a century ago, such as the North American Dwarf Serviceberry Amelanchier spicata.
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| 7. |
- Green, Andy J., et al.
(författare)
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Beyond scatter-hoarding and frugivory : European corvids as overlooked vectors for a broad range of plants
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is well-known that some members of the crow family (Corvidae) are important for seed dispersal either via frugivory (e.g., when feeding on berries) or by scatter hoarding (e.g., of nuts). Dispersal via gut passage of seeds within a fleshy fruit can be considered "classical endozoochory." However, corvids are rarely recognized as vectors of plants lacking a fleshy fruit, or a large nut (such as plants with a dry achene, capsule or caryopsis). Dispersal of such seeds via gut passage can be considered "non-classical endozoochory." A century ago, Heintze (1917a,b); Heintze (1918) reported on extensive field studies of seed dispersal by 11 species of European Corvidae. His work is overlooked in contemporary reviews of corvid biology. We resurrect his work, which suggests that contemporary views about seed dispersal by corvids are too narrow. Heintze identified 157 plant taxa from 42 families which were dispersed by corvids by endozoochory, as well as another nine taxa only dispersed by synzoochory (which includes scatter-hoarding). Most (54%) of the plant species dispersed by endozoochory lack a fleshy fruit and have previously been assigned to other dispersal syndromes, mainly associated with wind (10%), self-dispersal (22%) or epizoochory (18%). Plants lacking a fleshy fruit were particularly well-represented from the Caryophyllaceae (12 species), Poaceae (14 species), and Polygonaceae (8 species). Of 27 taxa germinated by Heintze from seeds extracted from corvid pellets or feces (71% of those tested), 20 lack a fleshy fruit. Similarly, of 32 taxa he recorded as seedlings having germinated from pellets in the field, 11 lacked a fleshy fruit. However, Heintze's quantitative data show that classical endozoochory is dominant in Magpies Pica pica and Hooded Crows Corvus cornix, for which 97% of seeds dispersed were fleshy-fruited. Corvids overlap with waterfowl as vectors of terrestrial plants dispersed by non-classical endozoochory, and 56 species are dispersed by both corvids and dabbling ducks according to the lists of Heintze and Soons et al. (2016). Finally, Heintze's data show that corvids were already dispersing alien plants in Europe a century ago, such as the North American Dwarf Serviceberry Amelanchier spicata.
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| 8. |
- Hill, Sharon, et al.
(författare)
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Blood Meal Induced Regulation of Gene Expression in the Maxillary Palps, a Chemosensory Organ of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Aedes aegypti is a prominent and highly competent vector of several arboviral diseases, including dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. Behaviors associated with reproductive feeding, both pre- and post-blood meal, directly influence disease transmission capacity. Odors mediate host seeking pre-blood meal, while post-blood meal females are refractory to host odors for at least 24 h. During this time, flight activity is substantially reduced. Two key host odors, carbon dioxide and (R)-1 -octen-3-ol, are detected by the maxillary palps in mosquitoes. In the search for future vector control tools, the identification of genes that are regulated in the maxillary palps between host seeking and 24 h post-blood meal may provide an informative pool of targets.Results: The blood meal-induced regulation of chemosensory, neuromodulatory, and other signal transduction genes was investigated in the maxillary palps of 24 h post-blood fed Ae. aegypti females, 6 days after emergence, and compared to host-seeking females of the same age using a transcriptomic approach. Genes-of-interest implicated in the behavioral switch from host seeking to post-blood meal quiescence were identified from multiple gene families investigated: odorant receptors, ionotropic receptors, pickpocket receptors, transient receptor potential receptors, odorant binding proteins, chemosensory proteins, neuromodulators, and their receptors, as well as constituents of second messenger signaling pathways. Reflecting the change in transcript abundance of families involved in CO2 signaling, the neural sensitivity to this key kairomone compound was found to decrease in blood fed mosquitoes compare with their on-blood fed counter parts.Conclusions: Sensory-associated gene expression is regulated in the maxillary palps of Ae. aegypti females in response to blood feeding. The concerted regulation of multiple genes within the sensory pathways of the maxillary palps likely play a key role in modulating the behavioral changes observed post-blood meal. Future functional characterization of the proteins generated by the genes-of-interest identified in this study may provide both a better understanding of the regulation of gonotrophic feeding and a pool of potential targets for vector control strategies.
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| 9. |
- Johansson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Communication interventions and fear of brown bears: Considerations of content and format
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Communication interventions are commonly proposed as a way to address people's fear and negative attitudes to build tolerance in shared landscapes between humans and large carnivores. Therefore, managing authorities sometimes respond to people's fear of brown bears (Ursus arctos) by organizing an information meeting. This study increases the understanding of the information meeting to address fear of encountering brown bears. Using a mixed-method approach the study analyzes the explicit meta-communication, i.e., verbal interactions to coordinate communication between presenter and participants, the effects of the meeting on fear and fear-related variables over time, and how these effects compare with the effects of a visit to a permanent brown bear exhibition, and the effects of a guided walk with exposure to brown bears and their habitat as two alternative communication interventions. Participation in information meetings contributed to reduce self-reported fear and the effect lasted over at least 6 months. The information meetings were, as assessed immediately after participation, less efficient than participation in a guided walk, but more efficient than a visit to a permanent brown bear exhibition in reducing fear. The content and format of the meeting was in line with the expectations of an information meeting, e.g., the presenter dominated the initiative in the explicit meta-communication, but still allowing for misconceptions and misunderstandings to be addressed and solved. In the development of communication strategies to address fear of large carnivores, managing authorities should pay attention to details in information content and format as well as to trade-offs between the number of people reached by the intervention and the strength of the effects on fear and fear-related variables among participants.
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| 10. |
- Junghanns, Anja, et al.
(författare)
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Physiological Adaptations to Extreme Maternal and Allomaternal Care in Spiders
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Some semelparous species show terminal investment by suicidal offspring provisioning. This requires internal cellular disintegration for the production of regurgitated food and in preparation for the sacrifice of the female body to the offspring, however, we have limited insights into the extent and costs of such physiological modifications. Extreme provisioning is hypothesized to be limited to reproducing individuals because it requires physiological alterations triggered by reproduction. However, non-reproducing helpers-at-the-nest have been shown to engage in suicidal provisioning, prompting us to ask whether helpers undergo similar physiological alterations to brood provisioning as mothers, which would represent an adaptation to cooperative breeding. Using an experimental approach, we investigated the physiological consequences of extended maternal care in the solitary spider Stegodyphus lineatus and the cooperative breeder S. dumicola, and whether non-reproducing helpers (virgin allomothers) in S. dumicola show physiological adaptations to brood provisioning. To identify costs of offspring provisioning, we determined the energy expenditure (standard metabolic rate; SMR) and tissue disintegration over the course of brood care. In both species, brood care is associated with elevated SMR, which was highest in allomothers. Brood care results in progressive disintegration of midgut tissue, which also occurred in allomothers. On experimental offspring removal, these responses are reversible but only until the onset of regurgitation feeding, marking a physiological “point-of-no-return.” The mechanism underlying the onset of physiological responses is unknown, but based on our finding of mature eggs in mothers and allomothers, as opposed to the undeveloped eggs in virgins of the solitary species, we propose that oocyte maturation is a central adaptation in non-reproducing helpers to provide terminal allomaternal care.
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| 11. |
- Katti, Christiana, et al.
(författare)
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The Diversity and Adaptive Evolution of Visual Photopigments in Reptiles
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reptiles are a highly diverse class that consists of snakes, geckos, iguanid lizards, and chameleons among others. Given their unique phylogenetic position in relation to both birds and mammals, reptiles are interesting animal models with which to decipher the evolution of vertebrate photopigments (opsin protein plus a light-sensitive retinal chromophore) and their contribution to vision. Reptiles possess different types of retinae that are defined primarily by variations in photoreceptor morphology, which range from pure-cone to rod-dominated retinae with many species possessing duplex (rods and cones) retinae. In most cases, the type of retina is thought to reflect both the lifestyle and the behavior of the animal, which can vary between diurnal, nocturnal, or crepuscular behavioral activities. Reptiles, and in particular geckos and snakes, have been used as prime examples for the “transmutation” hypothesis proposed by Walls in the 1930s-1940s, which postulates that some reptilian species have migrated from diurnality to nocturnality, before subsequently returning to diurnal activities once again. This theory further states that these behavioral changes are reflected in subsequent changes in photoreceptor morphology and function from cones to rods, with a return to cone-like photoreceptors once again. Modern sequencing techniques have further investigated the “transmutation” hypothesis by using molecular biology to study the phototransduction cascades of rod- and cone-like photoreceptors in the reptilian retina. This review will discuss what is currently known about the evolution of opsin-based photopigments in reptiles, relating habitat to photoreceptor morphology, as well as opsin and phototransduction cascade gene expression.
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| 12. |
- Keck, Francois, et al.
(författare)
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Diatom DNA Metabarcoding for Biomonitoring: Strategies to Avoid Major Taxonomical and Bioinformatical Biases Limiting Molecular Indices Capacities
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent years provided intense progression in the implementation of molecular techniques in a wide variety of research fields in ecology. Biomonitoring and bioassessment can greatly benefit from DNA metabarcoding and High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) methods that potentially provide reliable, high quantity and quality standardized data in a cost- and time-efficient way. However, DNA metabarcoding has its drawbacks, introducing biases at all the steps of the process, particularly during bioinformatics treatments used to prepare HTS data for ecological analyses. The high diversity of bioinformatics methods (e.g., OTU clustering, chimera detection, taxonomic assignment) and parameters (e.g., percentage similarity threshold used to define OTUs) make inter-studies comparison difficult, limiting the development of standardized and easy-accessible bioassessment procedures for routine freshwater monitoring. In order to study and overcome these drawbacks, we constructed four de novo indices to assess river ecological status based on the same biological samples of diatoms analyzed with morphological and molecular methods. The biological inventories produced are (i) morphospecies identified by microscopy, (ii) OTUs provided via metabarcoding and hierarchical clustering of sequences using a 95% similarity threshold, (iii) individual sequence units (ISUs) via metabarcoding and only minimal bioinformatical quality filtering, and (iv) exact sequence variants (ESVs) using DADA2 denoising algorithm. The indices based on molecular data operated directly with ecological values estimated for OTUs/ISUs/ESVs. Our study used an approach of bypassing taxonomic assignment, so bias related to unclassified sequences missing from reference libraries could be handled and no information on ecology of sequences is lost. Additionally, we showed that the indices based on ISUs and ESVs were equivalent, outperforming the OTU-based one in terms of predictive power and accuracy by revealing the hidden ecological information of sequences that are otherwise clustered in the same OTU (intra-species/intra-population variability). Furthermore, ISUs, ESVs, and morphospecies indices provided similar estimation of site ecological status, validating that ISUs with limited bioinformatics treatments may be used for DNA freshwater monitoring. Our study is a proof of concept where taxonomy- and clustering-free approach is presented, that we believe is a step forward a standardized and comparable DNA bioassessment, complementary to morphological methods.
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| 13. |
- Kleyheeg, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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A Comprehensive Model for the Quantitative Estimation of Seed Dispersal by Migratory Mallards
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 7, s. 1-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Long-distance seed dispersal is an important ecosystem service provided by migratory animals. Plants inhabiting discrete habitats, like lakes and wetlands, experience dispersal limitation, and rely heavily on zoochory for their spatial population dynamics. Granivorous waterbirds may disperse viable seeds of wetland plants over long distances during migration. The limited knowledge of waterbird migration has long hampered the evaluation of the importance of waterbirds in seed dispersal, requiring key metrics such as realistic dispersal distances. Using recent GPS tracking of mallards during spring migration, we built a mechanistic seed dispersal model to estimate realistic dispersal distances. Mallards are abundant, partially migratory ducks known to consume seeds of >300 European plant species. Based on the tracking data, we informed a mallard migration simulator to obtain a probabilistic spring migration model for the mallard population wintering at Lake Constance in Southern Germany. We combined the spring migration model with seed retention curves to develop seed dispersal kernels. We also assessed the effects of pre-migratory fasting and the availability of suitable deposition habitats for aquatic and wetland plants. Our results show that mallards at Lake Constance can disperse seeds in the northeastern direction over median distances of 293 and 413 km for seeds with short and long retention times, respectively, assuming a departure immediately after foraging. Pre-migratory fasting strongly affected the dispersal potential, with only 1-7% of ingested seeds left for dispersal after fasting for 12 h. Availability of a suitable deposition habitat was generally <5% along the migratory flyway. The high probability of seed deposition in a freshwater habitat during the first stopover, after the mallards completed the first migratory flight, makes successful dispersal most likely to happen at 204-322 km from Lake Constance. We concluded that the directed long-distance dispersal of plant seeds, realized by mallards on spring migration, may contribute significantly to large scale spatial plant population dynamics, including range expansion in response to shifting temperature and rainfall patterns under global warming. Our dispersal model is the first to incorporate detailed behavior of migratory waterbirds and can be readily adjusted to include other vector species when tracking data are available.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Mohun, Samantha Mila, et al.
(författare)
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The Evolution of Amphibian Photoreception
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- There have been a growing number of studies into the visual evolution of vertebrates. However, there remain few detailed integrative studies on the visual system of amphibians using morphological, molecular and physiological methods outside of a few model species. There are many examples of amphibian species that are closely related phylogenetically, but occupy vastly different ecological niches and so provide a substantial resource for the study of adaptive evolution. This review will examine the published literature on the three living orders of amphibians, the Anurans, Caudata, and Gymnophiona.
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| 16. |
- Parducci, Laura, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Shotgun Environmental DNA, Pollen, and Macrofossil Analysis of Lateglacial Lake Sediments From Southern Sweden
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The lake sediments of Hasseldala Port in south-east Sweden provide an archive of local and regional environmental conditions similar to 14.5-9.5 ka BP (thousand years before present) and allow testing DNA sequencing techniques to reconstruct past vegetation changes. We combined shotgun sequencing with plant micro- and macrofossil analyses to investigate sediments dating to the Allerod (14.1-12.7 ka BP), Younger Dryas (12.7-11.7 ka BP), and Preboreal (<11.7 ka BP). Number of reads and taxa were not associated with sample age or organic content. This suggests that, beyond the initial rapid degradation, DNA is still present. The proportion of recovered plant DNA was low, but allowed identifying an important number of plant taxa, thus adding valid information on the composition of the local vegetation. Importantly, DNA provides a stronger signal of plant community changes than plant micro- and plant macrofossil analyses alone, since a larger number of new taxa were recorded in Younger Dryas samples. A comparison between the three proxies highlights differences and similarities and supports earlier findings that plants growing close to or within a lake are recorded by DNA. Plant macrofossil remains moreover show that tree birch was present close to the ancient lake since the Allerod; together with the DNA results, this indicates that boreal to subarctic climatic conditions also prevailed during the cold Younger Dryas interval. Increasing DNA reference libraries and enrichment strategies prior to sequencing are necessary to improve the potential and accuracy of plant identification using the shotgun metagenomic approach.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Tamario, Carl, et al.
(författare)
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Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Environmental Change and Management Actions for Migrating Fish
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 7, s. 1-24
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Migration strategies in fishes comprise a rich, ecologically important, and socioeconomically valuable example of biological diversity. The variation and flexibility in migration is evident between and within individuals, populations, and species, and thereby provides a useful model system that continues to inform how ecological and evolutionary processes mold biodiversity and how biological systems respond to environmental heterogeneity and change. Migrating fishes are targeted by commercial and recreational fishing and impact the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Sadly, many species of migrating fish are under increasing threat by exploitation, pollution, habitat destruction, dispersal barriers, overfishing, and ongoing climate change that brings modified, novel, more variable and extreme conditions and selection regimes. All this calls for protection, sustainable utilization and adaptive management. However, the situation for migrating fishes is complicated further by actions aimed at mitigating the devastating effects of such threats. Changes in river connectivity associated with removal of dispersal barriers such as dams and construction of fishways, together with compensatory breeding, and supplemental stocking can impact on gene flow and selection. How this in turn affects the dynamics, genetic structure, genetic diversity, evolutionary potential, and viability of spawning migrating fish populations remains largely unknown. In this narrative review we describe and discuss patterns, causes, and consequences of variation and flexibility in fish migration that are scientifically interesting and concern key issues within the framework of evolution and maintenance of biological diversity. We showcase how the evolutionary solutions to key questions that define migrating fish-whether or not to migrate, why to migrate, where to migrate, and when to migrate-may depend on individual characteristics and ecological conditions. We explore links between environmental change and migration strategies, and discuss whether and how threats associated with overexploitation, environmental makeovers, and management actions may differently influence vulnerability of individuals, populations, and species depending on the variation and flexibility of their migration strategies. Our goal is to provide a broad overview of knowledge in this emerging area, spur future research, and development of informed management, and ultimately promote sustainable utilization and protection of migrating fish and their ecosystems.
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| 19. |
- Unsworth, Richard K. F., et al.
(författare)
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Sowing the Seeds of Seagrass Recovery Using Hessian Bags
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Seagrass meadows are an important wetland habitat that have been degraded globally but have an important carbon storage role. In order to expand the restoration of these productive and biodiverse habitats methods are required that can be used for large scale habitat creation across a range of environmental conditions. The spreading of seagrass seeds has been proven to be a successful method for restoring seagrass around the world, however in places where tidal range is large such methods become limited by resultant water movements. Here we describe and test a method for deploying seagrass seeds of the species Zostera marina over large scales using a new, simple method Bags of Seagrass Seeds Line (BoSSLine). This method involved planting seeds and sediment using natural fiber hessian bags deployed along strings anchored onto the seabed. When deployed in a suitable environment 94% of bags developed mature seagrass shoots, unfortunately one site subjected to a large storm event resulted in sediment burial of the bags and no seed germination. Bags were filled with 100 seeds with each leading to the development of 2.37 +/- 2.41 mature shoots (206 +/- 87 mm in length) 10 months after planting. The method was proven successful however the experiments illustrated the need to ensure habitat suitability prior to their use. Low seed success rate was comparable to other restoration studies, however further trials are recommended to ensure ways to improve this rate. In conclusion, this study provides evidence for an effective, simple method Bags of Seagrass Seeds Line (BoSSLine) for deploying seeds of the seagrass Zostera marina over large scales.
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