BMC Ecology - Latest articles via MedWorm.com

Plant and animal endemism in the eastern Andean slope: Challenges to conservation

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Areas of high endemic species concentrations in the Andes-Amazon basin are in need of greater protection at the national level, as revealed by accurate species distribution maps that combine climate, topography, vegetation and biodiversity data. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Ecological Niche Modelling of the Bacillus anthracis A1.a sub-lineage in Kazakhstan

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our analysis supports careful consideration of the taxonomic resolution of data used to create ecological niche models. Further investigations into the environmental affinities of individual lineages and sub-lineages of B. anthracis will be useful in understanding the ecology of the disease at large and small scales. With model based predictions serving as approximations of disease risk, these efforts will improve the efficacy of public health interventions for anthrax prevention and control. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Ecological transcriptomics of lake-type and riverine sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka).

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: This study provides a framework for understanding sockeye life history from a transcriptomic perspective and a starting point for more extensive, targeted studies determining the ecological context of genes. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Acquisition of chemical recognition cues facilitates integration into ant societies

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

The parasitic silverfish, Malayatelura ponerophila, evades recognition as alien when exploiting ant nests by acquiring the right chemical cues from the hosts by direct contact, allowing the silverfish to be socially accepted by the ants. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Forgotten forests - issues and prospects in biome mapping using Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests as a case study

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Current biome maps of South America perform poorly in depicting seasonally dry tropical forest distribution due to poor spatial resolution and biome delimitation and may be improved by the use of georeferenced herbarium data in conjunction with bioclimatic data. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Invasive Acer negundo outperforms native species in non-limiting resource environments due to its higher phenotypic plasticity

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

The invasive maple, Acer negundo, displays greater plasticity in foliage allocation compared to other native species, which permits better growth in non-limiting resource environments and contributes to their spread in European resource-rich riparian forests. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Forest restoration, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Olivier Honnay and Raf Aerts discuss forest restoration from a biodiversity-ecosystem functioning perspective and identify knowledge gaps, such as understanding the role of species richness and genetic diversity in this functioning, that require further research. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Group decision-making in chacma baboons: leadership, order and communication during movement.

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The emergence of a leadership biased towards male group members might be related to their dominance rank and to the fact that they have the highest nutrient requirements in the group. Loud calls are probably not used as recruitment signals but more as a cue concerning the motivation to move, therefore enhancing coordination between group members. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Can snow depth be used to predict the distribution of the high Arctic aphid Acyrthosiphon svalbardicum (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on Spitsbergen?

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Snow depth alone, and hence date of snow clearance, cannot precisely define species distribution at landscape scale, as this cannot explain why are they unoccupied patches under shallow snow depths with advanced plant phenology. We nonetheless present a model Arctic system that could form the basis for long term monitoring for climate- driven species shifts. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Expression plasticity of Phlebotomus papatasi salivary gland genes in distinct ecotopes through the sand fly season

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Expression plasticity of genes involved with vectorial capacity in disease vectors may play an important epidemiological role in the establishment of diseases in natural habitats. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

The costs of infection and resistance as determinants of West Nile virus susceptibility in Culex mosquitoes

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The identification of species-specific differences provides an evolutionary explanation for variability in vector susceptibility to arboviruses and suggests that understanding the costs of infection and resistance are important factors in determining the potential competence of vector populations for arboviruses. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Incongruence between morphotypes and genetically delimited species in the coral genus Stylophora: phenotypic plasticity, morphological convergence, morphological stasis or interspecific hybridization?

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Genetic analysis of the coral genus Stylophora reveals species boundaries that are not congruent with morphological traits. Of the four hypotheses that may explain such discrepancy (phenotypic plasticity, morphological stasis, morphological convergence, and interspecific hybridization), the first two appear likely to play a role but the fourth one is rejected since mitochondrial and nuclear markers yield congruent species delimitations. The position of the root in our molecular phylogenies suggests that the center of origin of Stylophora is located in the western Indian Ocean, which probably explains why this genus presents a higher biodiversity in the westernmost part of its area of distribution than in the "Coral Triangle". (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Queen dominance and worker policing control reproduction in a threatened ant

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Queen ants, from Leptothorax acervorum, establish their position in the reproductive hierarchy by aggressive behavior towards other queens while worker ants reinforce these hierarchies by preferentially feeding and grooming high-ranking queens and attacking those ranked lower. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Population distribution models: Species distributions are better modeled using biologically relevant data partitions

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Because the AUC values failed to describe the differences in the predictability of the three modeling strategies, we suggest using omission curves in addition to AUC values to assess model performance. Dividing the data of a widespread species into biologically relevant partitions greatly increased the performance of our distribution model; therefore, this approach may prove to be quite practical and informative for a wide range of modeling applications. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Differential regulation of the foraging gene associated with task behaviors in harvester ants

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100

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The dynamics of social networks among female Asian elephants

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Contrary to popular belief, female Asian elephants can form strong associations with multiple companions in large groups, especially in dry seasons when resources are scarce, however, individuals in smaller groups frequently change their day-to-day associations. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Ancient feeding ecology inferred from stable isotopic evidence from fossil horses in South America over the past 3 Ma

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The data for Hippidion indicate a preference varying from C3 plants to mixed C3-C4 plants in their diet. Equus (Amerhippus) shows three different patterns of dietary partitioning Equus (A.) neogeus from the province of Buenos Aires indicate a preference for C3 plants in the diet. Equus (A.) andium from Ecuador and Equus (A.) insulatus from Bolivia show a preference for to a diet of mixed C3-C4 plants, while Equus (A.) santaeelenae from La Carolina (sea level of Ecuador) and Brazil are mostly C4 feeders. These results confirm that ancient feeding ecology cannot always be inferred from dental morphology. While the carbon isotope composition of horses skeletal material decreased as latitude increased, we found evidence of boundary between a mixed C3/C4 diet signal and a pure C4 s...

Converging seasonal prevalence dynamics in experimental epidemics

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 16 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our study shows that the time needed to approach the seasonal changes in prevalence depends strongly on the initial prevalence. Because individual D. magna populations in this rock pool metapopulation are mostly short lived, only few populations might ever reach a point where the initial conditions are not visible anymore. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Sun, 08 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Extended phenotypes in ants induced by fungal infections are a complex example of behavioral manipulation requiring coordinated changes of host behavior and morphology. Future work should address the genetic basis of such extended phenotypes. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Current models broadly neglect specific needs of biodiversity conservation in protected areas under climate change

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The general impression that emerges is that biodiversity conservation in protected areas could benefit from the application of modern modeling approaches to a greater extent than is currently reflected in the scientific literature. It is particularly true that existing models have been underutilized in testing different management options under climate change. Based on these findings we suggest a strategic framework for more effectively incorporating the impact of climate change in models exploring the effectiveness of protected areas. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Mitochondrial Genome Sequences Illuminate Maternal Lineages of Conservation Concern in a Rare Carnivore

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our study has two important implications. First, inferred genealogical reconstructions based on the fisher D-loop region contradict inferences based on the entire mitogenome to the point that the populations of greatest conservation concern cannot be accurately resolved. Whole-genome analysis identifies Californian haplotypes from the northern-most populations as highly distinctive, with a significant excess of amino acid changes that may be indicative of molecular adaptation; D-loop sequences fail to identify this unique mitochondrial lineage. Second, the impact of recurrent mutation appears most acute in closely related haplotypes, due to the low level of evolutionary signal (unique mutations that mark lineages) relative to evolutionary noise (recurrent, shared mutation in u...

Spatial structure and nest demography reveal the influence of competition, parasitism and habitat quality on slavemaking ants and their hosts

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The three communities are differently affected by biotic and abiotic factors. Some of the differences can be attributed to habitat differences and some to differences between the two slavemaking-host ecosystems. The strong effect of competition in the Bavarian community points to the scarcity of resources in this uniform habitat compared to the other more diverse sites. The decrease in colony aggregation with scale indicates fine-scale resource hotspots: colonies are locally aggregated in small groups. Our study demonstrates that species relationships vary across scales and spatial patterns can provide important insights into species interactions. These results could not have been obtained with analyses based on local densities alone. Previous studies focused on social parasit...

Management effect on bird and arthropod interaction in suburban woodlands

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our data provide experimental evidence to support the idea that bird predation on arthropods can be affected by forest management. We suggest that the mechanism is twofold: reduction of bird abundance and shift of foraging behaviour. In urban woodlands, there may be a management trade-off between enhancing recreational values and promoting bird predation rates on arthropods. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Behavioural and chemical evidence for multiple colonisation of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, in the Western Cape, South Africa

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The presence of these two distinct supercolonies is suggestive of at least two independent introductions of this ant within the Western Cape. Moreover, the pattern of colonisation observed in this study, with the two colonies interspersed, is in agreement with global patterns of Argentine ant invasions. Our findings are of interest because recent studies show that Argentine ants from South Africa are different from those identified in other introduced ranges and therefore provide an opportunity to further understand factors that determine the distributional and spread patterns of Argentine ant supercolonies. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Wildlife translocation: the conservation implications of pathogen exposure and genetic heterozygosity

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Although genetic theory predicts otherwise, increased heterozygosity was not associated with increased fitness (survival) among translocated animals. While heterosis or genetic rescue effects may occur in F1 and later generations as the two source populations interbreed, we conclude that previous pathogen exposure was a more important marker than genetic heterozygosity for predicting survival of translocated animals. Every wildlife translocation is an experiment, and whenever possible, translocations should be designed and evaluated to test hypotheses that will further improve our understanding of how pathogen exposure and genetic variability influence fitness. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Genetic structure of Leptopilina boulardi populations from different climatic zones of Iran

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The Iranian populations of L. boulardi showed clear genetic structure in AFLP profiles, but not in COI sequence data. The transfer of fruits containing Drosophila larvae parasitized by L. boulardi appears to have caused some unexpected gene flow and changed the genetic composition of populations, particularly in urban areas. Nevertheless, our results suggest that climate, geographic distance and physical barriers may all have contributed to the formation of genetically distinct populations of L. boulardi. Inevitably, there will be overlap between the portions of variance explained by these variables. Disentangling the relative contributions of climate and geography to the genetic structure of this species will require additional sampling. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

The effect of hunger on the acoustic individuality in begging calls of a colonially breeding weaver bird

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The results indicate that individual recognition processes can be based on static, hunger-independent call parameters, but also on dynamic hunger-related parameters that show high individuality. Furthermore, these signal properties suggest that the assessment of signals of need can be improved if the signal value is referenced to a chick's vocal spectrum. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Oxygen limitation and tissue metabolic potential of the African fish Barbus neumayeri: roles of native habitat and acclimatization

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our results suggest that the influence of site of origin and hypoxic acclimatization in determining enzyme activity differs among enzymes and tissues, but both factors contribute to higher glycolytic capacity and lower aerobic capacity in B. neumayeri under naturally-occurring conditions of oxygen limitation. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Cytochrome P450 diversity and induction by gorgonian allelochemicals in the marine gastropod Cyphoma gibbosum

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: These results are the first to demonstrate differential regulation of CYP transcripts in a marine consumer feeding on an allelochemical-rich diet, and significantly advance our understanding of both the adaptive molecular mechanisms that marine consumers use to cope with environmental chemical pressures and the evolutionary history of allelochemical-metabolizing enzymes in the CYP superfamily. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Constitutive emission of the aphid alarm pheromone, (E)-beta-farnesene, from plants does not serve as a direct defense against aphids

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The lack of any defensive effect of EBF in this study might be due to the fact that natural enemy attack on individual aphids leads to a pulsed emission, but the transgenic lines tested continuously produce EBF to which aphids may become habituated. Thus our results provide no support for the hypothesis that plant emission of the aphid alarm pheromone EBF is a direct defense against aphids. However, there is scattered evidence elsewhere in the literature suggesting that EBF emission might serve as an indirect defense by attracting aphid predators. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

radR: an open-source platform for acquiring and analysing data on biological targets observed by surveillance radar

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Program radR provides a convenient, open source platform for the acquisition and analysis of radar data of biological targets. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Genetic structure of the oak wilt vector beetle Platypus quercivorus: inferences toward the process of damaged area expansion

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Because the genetic boundaries coincide, we suggest that the geographical structuring of the beetle was formed by co-evolution with the host species. Our findings indicate the oak wilt expansion process. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Selenium hyperaccumulation offers protection from cell disruptor herbivores

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: This is the first reported study investigating the protective effect of hyperaccumulated Se against cell-disrupting herbivores. The finding that Se protected the two hyperaccumulator species from both cell disruptors lends further support to the elemental defense hypothesis and increases the number of herbivores and feeding modes against which Se has shown a protective effect. Because western flower thrips and two-spotted spider mites are widespread and economically important herbivores, the results from this study also have potential applications in agriculture or horticulture, and implications for the management of Se-rich crops. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Cross-taxon congruence and environmental conditions

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Our study corroborates the main role of environmental conditions on diversity patterns, but suggests that other important mechanisms, which have not been properly evaluated, are involved in the observed cross-taxon congruence. The approaches introduced here indicate that the prevalence of a significant association among taxa, after considering the environmental determinant, could indicate both the need to incorporate additional processes (e.g. biogeographic and evolutionary history or trophic interactions) and/or the existence of a shared trend in detection biases among taxa and regions. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

The role of gaping behaviour in habitat partitioning between coexisting intertidal mussels

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Gaping affects tolerance to desiccation, thus influencing the vertical zonation of the two species. Valve closure exposes the invasive species to higher stress and associated energy demands, but it minimizes water loss, allowing this species to dominate the upper mussel zone, where the gaping indigenous P. perna cannot survive. Thus even very simple behaviour can influence the outcome of interactions between indigenous and invasive species. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

BMC Ecology embraces biodiversity research

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

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Conservation genetics of a rare Gerbil species: a comparison of the population genetic structures and demographic histories of the locally rare Pygmy Gerbil and the common Anderson's Gerbil

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Comparing the two species, the populations of G. a. allenbyi are more isolated from each other, likely due to the high habitat specificity characterizing this species. The bottleneck pattern found in G. henleyi may be the result of competition with larger gerbil species. This result, together with the broad habitat use and high turnover rate characterizing G. henleyi, may explain the low level of differentiation among its populations. The evidence for a recent population expansion of G. a. allenbyi fits well with known geomorphological data about the formation of the Negev sand dunes and paleontological data about this species' expansion throughout the Levant. In conclusion, we suggest that adopting a comparative approach as presented here can markedly improve our understandin...

The carotenoid-continuum: carotenoid-based plumage ranges from conspicuous to cryptic and back again

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 25 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Increasing carotenoid-deposition in the integument does not always lead to more conspicuous colours. In some cases, such as in blue or great tits, carotenoid deposition may be selected through enhanced background-matching, which in turn suggests that producing cryptic plumage may entail costs. We stress however, that our data do not rule out a signalling function of carotenoid-based plumage in tits. Rather, it shows that alternative functions are plausible and that assuming a signalling function based solely on the deposition of carotenoids in the integument may not be warranted. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

The world's richest tadpole communities show functional redundancy and low functional diversity: ecological data on Madagascar's stream-dwelling amphibian larvae

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 11 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We found functional redundancy being a feature of communities also in primary habitat, what has not been shown before using such a continuous measure. The observed species richness dependent pattern of low functional diversity indicates that communities with low species richness accumulate functional traits randomly, whereas species in species-rich communities are more similar to each other than predicted by random assemblages and therefore exhibit an accumulation of stream-specific functional traits. Beyond a certain species richness level, therefore, stream-specific environmental filters exert influence whereas interspecific competition between species does not influence trait assemblage at any species richness level. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Differential expression of the heat shock protein Hsp70 in natural populations of the tilapia, Sarotherodon melanotheron, acclimatised to a range of environmental salinities

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: These results indicate that, although S. melanotheron can colonise extremely saline environments, the overexpression of Hsp70 combined with the higher Naka mRNA expression reveals that this represents a chronic stress. The induction of Hsp70 was, therefore, a biomarker of chronic hyper-osmotic stress which presumably can be linked to the impaired growth performance and precocious reproduction that have been demonstrated in the populations at the extremely saline sites. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

What the hyena's laugh tells: Sex, age, dominance and individual signature in the giggling call of Crocuta crocuta

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The range of messages encoded in the hyena's laugh is likely to play a role during social interactions. This call, together with other vocalizations and other sensory channels, should ensure an array of communication signals that support the complex social system of the spotted hyena. Experimental studies are now needed to decipher precisely the communication network of this species. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

On the setting of environmental noise and the performance of population dynamical models

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Our results suggested that the way environmental noise is incorporated into a population dynamical model may profoundly affect its performance. Overall, we found that including noise in one or/and another parameter does not matter as long as the mean intrinsic growth rate, r, is low. As r increased, however, the three models performed differently. Models 1 and 3 broadly outperformed Model 2, the first having the advantage of being simple and more computationally tractable. A comforting result emerging from our analysis is the broad positive correlation between MSEs and DICs, suggesting that the latter may also be informative about the predictive performance of a model. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Differential responses of the mosquito Aedes albopictus from the Indian Ocean region to two chikungunya isolates

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: We demonstrated that CHIKV only reduces the survival of Ae. albopictus from the Reunion Island. By laying eggs just before death, reproduction of Ae. albopictus from the Reunion Island is not reduced since other parameters characterizing oviposition and hatching were not affected. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Prevalence of the pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in an endangered population of northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The BC population of R. pipiens appears to have evolved a level of resistance that allows it to co-exist with Bd. However, this small population of R. pipiens remains vulnerable to extinction. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Inter-annual variation in prevalence and intensity of mite parasitism relates to appearance and expression of damselfly resistance

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Resistance in host damselflies was weakly and variably expressed over the study period. Factors such as temperature, which have been identified in laboratory studies as contributing to resistance by similar hosts, can be irrelevant in natural populations. This lack of temperature effect may be due to the narrow range in temperatures observed at host emergence among years. Degree of mite parasitism predicted both the appearance and continued expression of resistance among parasitized damselflies. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Bayesian salamanders: analysing the demography of an underground population of the European plethodontid Speleomantes strinatii with state-space modelling

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: This analysis demonstrates how an understanding of population demography can be gained from structured population data even in a case where following marked individuals over their whole lifespan is not practical. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Changes in gene expression linked with adult reproductive diapause in a northern malt fly species: a candidate gene microarray study

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: A candidate gene microarray proved to offer a practical and cost-effective way to trace genes that are likely to play an important role in photoperiodic reproductive diapause and further in adaptation to seasonally varying environmental conditions. The present study revealed two genes, Dca and cpo, whose role in photoperiodic diapause in D. montana is worth of studying in more details. Also, further studies using the candidate gene microarray with more specific experimental designs and target tissues may reveal additional genes with more restricted expression patterns. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Tracing the origins of rescued chimpanzees reveals widespread chimpanzee hunting in Cameroon

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that chimpanzee hunting is widespread across Cameroon. Live animal smuggling appears to occur locally within Cameroon, despite the existence of local wildlife cartels that operate internationally. This pattern varies from the illegal wildlife trade patterns observed in other commercially valuable species, such as elephants, where specific populations are targeted for exploitation. A broader sample of rescued chimpanzees compared against a more comprehensive grid of georeferenced samples may reveal 'hotspots' of chimpanzee hunting and live animal transport routes in Cameroon. These results illustrate also that clarifying the origins of refuge chimpanzees is an important tool for designing reintroduction programs. Finally, chimpanzees at refuges are frequent...

Winter body mass and over-ocean flocking as components of danger management by Pacific dunlins

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Pacific dunlins appear to manage danger in a complex manner that involves adjustments both in fat reserves and roosting behavior. We discuss reasons why over-ocean flocking has apparently become more common on the Fraser estuary than at other dunlin wintering sites. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Environmental DNA sequencing primers for eutardigrades and bdelloid rotifers

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The development of clade-specific primers for characterizing eutardigrades and bdelloid rotifers from environmental samples should greatly increase our ability to characterize the composition of these taxa in environmental samples. Environmental sequencing as shown here differs from other molecular survey methods in that there is no need to pre-isolate the organisms of interest from soil in order to amplify their DNA. The DNA sequences obtained from methods that do not require culturing can be identified post-hoc and placed phylogenetically as additional closely related sequences are obtained from morphologically identified conspecifics. Our non-cultured environmental sequence based approach will be able to provide a rapid and large-scale screening of the presence, absence and ...

Temporal development and collapse of an Arctic plant-pollinator network

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We have shown that the temporal dynamics of an Arctic plant-pollinator network can be described by a simple mathematical model and that the model allows us to draw biologically interesting conclusions. Our model makes it possible to investigate how the network topology changes with changes in parameter values and might provide means to study the effect of climate on plant-pollinator networks. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Spurious and functional correlates of the isotopic composition of a generalist across a tropical rainforest landscape

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Across a 500 ha. landscape, soil phosphorus accounted for spatial variation in baseline nitrogen isotope ratios. The delta15N discrimination factor of a higher order consumer in this food web was structured by bottom-up influences - the quantity and decomposition rate of leaf litter. Stable isotope studies on the trophic biology of consumers may benefit from explicit spatial design to account for edaphic properties that alter the baseline at fine spatial grains. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Impacts of feral horses on a desert environment

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Adverse impacts, such as soil compaction and increased erosion potential, were limited to established horse trails. In contrast, increased native plant diversity near trails and feces could be viewed as positive outcomes. Extensive trailing can result in a surprisingly large impact area: we estimate that < 30 horses used > 25 km2 of trails in our study area. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Generalist dinoflagellate endosymbionts and host genotype diversity detected from mesophotic (67-100m depths) coral Leptoseris

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to examine genetic diversity in corals and their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates sampled at the limits of the depth and light gradients for hermatypic corals. The results reveal that these corals associate with generalist endosymbiont types commonly found in shallow water corals and implies that the composition of the Symbiodinium community (based on ITS2) alone is not responsible for the dominance and broad depth distribution of Leptoseris spp. The level of genetic diversity detected in the coral NAD5 suggests that there is undescribed taxonomic diversity in the genus Leptoseris from Hawaii. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Geographical patterning of sixteen goat breeds from Italy, Albania and Greece assessed by Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Our data point out that the use of SNP markers to analyze a wider breed sample could help in understanding the recent evolutionary history of domestic goats. We found correlation between genetic diversity and geographic distance. Also PCA analysis shows that the breeds are well differentiated, with good correspondence to geographical locations, thus confirming the correlation between geographical and genetic distances. This suggests that migration history of the species played a pivotal role in the present-day structure of the breeds and a scenario in which coastal routes were easier for migrating in comparison with inland routes. A westward coastal route to Italy through Greece could have led to gene flow along the Northern Mediterranean. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles...

The effects of spatial and temporal heterogeneity on the population dynamics of four animal species in a Danish landscape

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our analyses estimated the traditional parameters of carrying capacities and return rates, but these are now seen as varying continuously over the landscape depending on habitat quality and the mechanisms of density dependence. The importance of our results lies in our demonstration that the effects of spatial and temporal heterogeneity must be accounted for if we are to have accurate predictive models for use in management and conservation. This is an area which until now has lacked an adequate theoretical framework and methodology. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Living at the edge: biogeographic patterns of habitat segregation conform to speciation by niche expansion in Anopheles gambiae

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Ecological segregation between M and S is consistent with niche expansion into marginal habitats by chromosomal inversion variants during early lineage divergence; presumably, this process is promoted by inter-karyotype competition in the higher-quality core habitat. We propose that the appearance of favourable allelic combinations in other regions of suppressed recombination (e.g. pericentromeric portions defining speciation islands in An. gambiae) fosters development of reproductive isolation to protect linkage between separate chromosomal regions. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Ecological niche partitioning between Anopheles gambiae molecular forms in Cameroon: the ecological side of speciation

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our data suggest that inversions on the second chromosome of An. gambiae are not causal to the evolution of reproductive isolation between the M and S forms. Rather, they are involved in ecological specialization to a similar extent in both genetic backgrounds, and most probably predated lineage splitting between molecular forms. However, because chromosome-2 inversions promote ecological divergence, resulting in spatial and/or temporal isolation between ecotypes, they might favour mutations in other ecologically significant genes to accumulate in unlinked chromosomal regions. When such mutations occur in portions of the genome where recombination is suppressed, such as the pericentromeric regions known as speciation islands in An. gambiae, they would contribute further to the...

Life cycle and population growth rate of Caenorhabditis elegans studied by a new method

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We found no evidence that adaptation to the laboratory altered the life history traits of C. elegans strain N2. Our results, discussed in the light of earlier studies on C. elegans, demonstrate certain advantages of the hanging drop method in investigations of nematode life cycles. Assuming that its reproducibility is validated in further studies, the method will reduce the inter-laboratory variability of life-history estimates and may ultimately prove to be more convenient than the current standard methods used by C. elegans researchers. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Life cycle and population growth rate of Caenorhabditis elegansstudied by a new method

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: We found no evidence that adaptation to the laboratory altered the life history traits of C. elegans strain N2. Our results, discussed in the light of earlier studies on C. elegans, demonstrate certain advantages of the hanging drop method in investigations of nematode life cycles. Assuming that its reproducibility is validated in further studies, the method will reduce the inter-laboratory variability of life-history estimates and may ultimately prove to be more convenient than the current standard methods used by C. elegans researchers. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Tracking the global dispersal of a cosmopolitan insect pest, the peach potato aphid.

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The study revealed important genetic variation among the aphid populations we examined and this was partitioned according to region and host-plant. Clonal selection and gene flow between sexual and asexual lineages are important factors shaping the genetic structure of the aphid populations. In addition, the results reflected the globalization of two subspecies of M. persicae with successful clones being spread at various scales throughout the world. A subspecies appears to result from direct selection on tobacco plants. This information highlights the ultimate ability of a polyphagous aphid species to generate and maintain ecologically successful gene combinations through clonal propagation and the role of human transportation and global commerce for expanding their range. (S...

Frequency-dependent selection by wild birds promotes polymorphism in model salamanders

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: This experiment demonstrates that frequency-dependent foraging by wild birds can maintain color polymorphism in cryptic prey. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Within-host competitive exclusion among species of the anther smut pathogen

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We show evidence that competitive exclusion during infection can be greater among closely related pathogen species than among genotypes within species. This pattern follows from prior studies demonstrating that genetic distance and antagonistic interactions are positively correlated in Microbotryum. Fungal vegetative incompatibility is a likely mechanism of direct competitive interference, and has been shown in some fungi to be effective both within and across species boundaries. For systems where related pathogen species frequently co-occur in the same host populations, these competitive dynamics may substantially impact the spatial segregation of pathogen species. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Predation and fragmentation portrayed in the statistical structure of prey time Series

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We conclude that statistical second-order autoregressive time series analyses are capable of deciphering intra- and intraspecific interactions and their effect on direct and delayed density dependence. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Do pseudo-absence selection strategies influence species distribution models and their predictions? An information-theoretic approach based on simulated data

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: If ecologists wish to build parsimonious GLM models that will allow them to make robust predictions, a reasonable approach is to use a large number of randomly selected pseudo-absences, and perform model selection based on an information theoretic approach. However, the resulting models can be expected to have limited explanatory power. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Resource heterogeneity and foraging behaviour of cattle across spatial scales

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We conclude that patch size and spacing affect components of intake rate and, to a lesser extent, the selectivity of livestock at lower hierarchies of the grazing process, particularly by enticing livestock to make more even use of the available species as patches are spaced further apart. Thus, modifications in the spatial pattern of plant patches along with reductions in the temporal and spatial allocation of grazing may offer opportunities to improve uniformity of grazing by livestock and help sustain biodiversity and stability of plant communities. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Burrow characteristics of the co-existing sibling species Mus booduga and Mus terricolor and the genetic basis of adaptation to hypoxic/hypercapnic stress

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The burrows of the chromosomal species M. terricolor I, II & III are the same everywhere which could be due to the recency of their evolutionary divergence and also because of lack of competition for the well-adapted 'microhabitats' as they are non-overlapping in distribution. However, the co-existing sibling species M .booduga and M. terricolor exhibit mutual "exclusion" of the 'microhabitats' for burrow construction. Thus, location, structure and depth of the burrows might have been the contributory factors for selection of alternative alleles at three loci Sod-1, Trf and Hbb, which reflect difference in probable adaptive strategy in M. booduga and M. terricolor. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Troublesome toxins: Time to re-think plant-herbivore interactions in vertebrate ecology

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Earlier models of plant-herbivore interactions relied on forms of functional response that related rates of ingestion by herbivores to mechanical or physical attributes such as bite size and rate. These models fail to predict a growing number of findings that implicate chemical toxins as important determinants of plant-herbivore dynamics. Specifically, considerable evidence suggests that toxins set upper limits on food intake for many species of herbivorous vertebrates. Herbivores feeding on toxin-containing plants must avoid saturating their detoxification systems, which often occurs before ingestion rates are limited by mechanical handling of food items. In light of the importance of plant toxins, a new approach is needed to link herbivores to their food base. We discuss necessary featur...

Livestock grazing intensity affects abundance of Common shrews (Sorex araneus) in two meadows in Denmark

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: No negative effects of low intensity grazing on Common shrew abundance were found compared to the ungrazed control. Low intensity grazing thus seems a suitable management regime for Common shrews, when grazing is needed as part of the meadow management scheme. High intensity grazing on the other hand is not a suitable management tool. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Fish communities in coastal freshwater ecosystems: the role of the physical and chemical setting

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The importance of total phosphorus loading and vegetation in structuring fish communities has implications for anthropogenic impacts to embayment fish communities through activities such as farming and residential development, reduction of cultural eutrophication, and shoreline development and maintenance. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Visual ecology of the Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri)

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The presence of a complex colour vision system based on multiple cone types and intracellular spectral filters in lungfishes suggests that many of the ocular characteristics seen in terrestrial or secondarily aquatic vertebrates, such as birds and turtles, may have evolved in shallow water prior to the transition onto land. Moreover, the benefits of spectral filters for colour discrimination apply equally to purely aquatic species as well as semi-aquatic and terrestrial animals. The visual system of the Australian lungfish resembles that of terrestrial vertebrates far more closely than that of other sarcopterygian fish. This supports the idea that lungfishes, and not the coelacanth, are the closest living relatives of the ancestors of tetrapods. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest ar...

Competition between the invasive macrophyte Caulerpa taxifolia and the seagrass Posidonia oceanica: contrasting strategies

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Plant defense strategy is usually a result of trade-offs between growth and differentiation (i.e. Optimal Defense Theory - ODT, Growth Differentiation Balance hypothesis - GDB, Plant Apparency Theory - PAT). Interaction between the introduced green alga Caulerpa taxifolia and the endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean Sea offers the opportunity to investigate the plausibility of these theories. We have accordingly investigated defense metabolite content and growth year-round, on the basis of an interaction gradient. When in competition with P. oceanica, C. taxifolia exhibits increased frond length and decreased Caulerpenyne - CYN content (major terpene compound). In contrast, the length of P. oceanica leaves decreases when in competition with C. taxifolia. However, the t...

Interactions between herbivory and warming in aboveground biomass production of arctic vegetation

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Although inconclusive, our results were likely constrained by the overwhelming influence of an unexpected caterpillar outbreak on aboveground biomass. It is likely that the role of large vertebrate herbivores in vegetation response to warming will become more evident as this experiment proceeds and the plant community recovers from the caterpillar outbreak. Due to the greater influence of invertebrate herbivory in this study, it is advisable to consider both the effect of invertebrate and vertebrate herbivores in studies investigating climate change effects on plant communities. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Genetic variation in the invasive avian parasite, Philornis downsi (Diptera, Muscidae) on the Galápagos archipelago

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Philornis downsi populations have high connectivity within and between islands, with low levels of genetic differentiation between Floreana and the other two islands examined. The genetic bottleneck found across islands suggests there was a small founding population or few introduction events of P. downsi. The high dispersal capacity and wide habitat use of P. downsi highlights the significant threat that this parasite poses to the Galápagos avifauna. Our findings are relevant for assessing the viability of methods to control P. downsi on Galápagos, such as the sterile insect technique. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

To what extent does Tobler's 1st law of geography apply to macroecology? A case study using American palms (Arecaceae)

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Species composition exhibited a strong geographic distance decay which agrees with Tobler's first law of geography. In contrast, species richness did not exhibit consistent similarity distance decay, especially not at larger scale. Therefore, the degree to which Tobler's first law of geography applies to community structure depends on which aspect hereof is considered - species composition or species richness. Environmentally complex or geographically fragmented regions exhibited strongest distance decays. We conclude that Tobler's law may be most applicable when dispersal is a strong determinant of spatial turnover and less so when environmental control predominates. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

The influence of weather conditions on the activity of high-arctic arthropods inferred from long-term observations

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Consistent with previous findings, air temperature best explained variation in the activity level of flying insects. An advancement of the phenology in this group due to earlier snowmelt will make individuals appear earlier in the season, but parallel temperature increases could mean that individuals are exposed to similar temperatures. Hence, the effect of climatic changes on the activity pattern in this group may be unchanged. In contrast, we found that solar radiation is a better proxy of activity levels than air temperature in surface-dwelling arthropods. An advancement of the phenology may expose surface-dwelling arthropods to higher levels of solar radiation, which suggest that their locomotory performance is enhanced and their contribution to ecological processes is inc...

Assessing meiofaunal variation among individuals utilising morphological and molecular approaches: an example using the Tardigrada

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Molecular results obtained from individuals, rather than pooled samples, are a prerequisite to enable levels of variation to be placed into context. In this study we have provided a proof of principle of this approach for meiofaunal tardigrades, an important group of soil biota previously not considered amenable to such studies, thereby paving the way for more comprehensive phylogenetic studies using multiple nuclear markers, and population genetic studies. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Effects of intraspecific competition on the life cycle of the stonefly, Nemurella pictetii (Plecoptera: Nemouridae)

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Differences in life cycle length of Nemurella pictetii may result from different larval densities in different microhabitats and resultant different degrees of interference competition. Although competition alone probably does not cause splitting of populations into cohorts with different life cycle duration differences in size and development caused by other factors are certainly enhanced by intraspecific competition. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Effects of simulated daily precipitation patterns on annual plant populations depend on life stage and climatic region

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: More rainstorms (greater DMR) increased the recharge of soil water reservoirs in more arid sites with consequences for germination, establishment, productivity, and population persistence. The order of magnitudes of DMR and MAP overlapped partially so that their combined effect is important for projections of climate change effects on annual vegetation. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Microsatellite data suggest significant population structure and differentiation within the malaria vector Anopheles darlingi in Central and South America

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We detected a large amount of population structure in Amazonia, with three population clusters within Brazil and one including the Peru populations. The considerable differences in Ne among the populations may have contributed to the observed genetic differentiation. All of the data suggest that the primary division within A. darlingi corresponds to two white gene genotypes between Amazonia (genotype 1) and Central America, parts of Colombia and Venezuela (genotype 2), and are in agreement with mitochondrial COI gene sequences interpreted as incipient species. Overall, it appears that two main factors have contributed to the genetic differentiation between the population clusters: physical distance between the populations and the differences in effective population sizes among...

Adaptive dynamic resource allocation in annual eusocial insects: Environmental variation will not necessarily promote graded control

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Up to now bet-hedging as an evolutionary response to variation in season length has been the main argument to explain field observations of graded resource allocation in annual eusocial insect species. However, our model shows that the effect of moderate fluctuations of environmental conditions does not select for deviation from the classical bang-bang strategy and that the evolution of graded allocation strategies can be triggered only by extreme fluctuations. Detailed quantitative observations on resource allocation in eusocial insects are needed to analyse the relevance of alternative explanations, e.g. logistic colony growth or reproductive conflict between queen and workers, for the evolution of graded allocation strategies. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Relative effects of mammal herbivory and plant spacing on seedling recruitment following fire and mining

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Herbivory, rather than seedling competition, was the limiting factor for plant performance among post-fire and post-mined reclamation areas. The post-fire seedlings were smaller and more water and nutrient limited, nevertheless browsing prevalence was equivalent at all locations with nearly all seedlings predated. Kangaroo density in the post-fire community declined from the beginning of the experiment, while those in the post-mined revegetation increased fourfold within one year. Differences in water and nutrient availability may explain why herbivores are more likely to be attracted to post-mined communities. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Adaptive behavioural syndromes due to strategic niche specialization

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our results suggest that the three behaviours we measured are part of behavioural syndromes. These may be adaptive, in that they reflect strategic specialization of helpers into one of two different life history strategies, namely (a) to stay and help in the home territory in order to inherit the breeding position or (b) to disperse early in order to breed independently. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

The odor of origin: kinship and geographical distance are reflected in the marking pheromone of male beewolves (Philanthus triangulum F., Hymenoptera, Crabronidae)

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our results show that male sex pheromones can contain information on both kinship and geographical origin that may be used by females to choose adaptively among potential mates on the basis of their genetic distance. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

A database of schemes that prioritize sites and species based on their conservation value: focusing business on biodiversity

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Companies can proceed by first avoiding, reducing, and mitigating impacts, and then using existing schemes to identify i) no-go areas and ii) appropriate offsets to compensate for any unavoidable loss in biodiversity. If existing schemes are inadequate, then companies should use integrated conservation planning techniques to define offset options within the region of their operations. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Spectral measures and mixed models as valuable tools for investigating controls on land surface phenology in high arctic Greenland

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We conclude that the uses of GAMMs are valuable for investigating growth dynamics in the Arctic. Contrary to several other studies in the Arctic we found a significant decreasing trend of the seasonally integrated NDVI-FR (SINDVI) in some vegetation types. This indicates that although greening might occur wide-spread in the Arctic there are variations on the local scale that might influence the regional trends on the longer term. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Feeding ecology of elasmobranch fishes in coastal waters of the Colombian Eastern Tropical Pacific

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Shrimps (Penaeidae and stomatopods) and benthic fishes were the most important food types in the diet of the elasmobranch species studied. Diet breadth and overlap were relatively low. Determination of food resource partitioning among the batoid species studied was not possible. However, we identified partitions in other niche axes (time of feeding activity and habitat utilization). It is possible to assume that diffuse competition could be exceeding the biunivocal competition among the studied species. Therefore, this assemblage would have a strong tendency to trophic guild formation. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

The importance of comparative phylogeography in diagnosing introduced species: A lesson from the seal salamander, Desmognathus monticola

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Background: In most regions of the world human influences on the distribution of flora and fauna predate complete biotic surveys. In some cases this challenges our ability to discriminate native from introduced species. This distinction is particularly critical for isolated populations, because relicts of native species may need to be conserved, whereas introduced species may require immediate eradication. Recently an isolated population of seal salamanders, Desmognathus monticola, was discovered on the Ozark Plateau, ~700 km west of its broad continuous distribution in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. Using Nested Clade Analysis (NCA) we test whether the Ozark isolate results from population fragmentation (a natural relict) or long distance dispersal (a human-mediated i...

Phenols content and 2-D electrophoresis protein pattern:a promising tool to monitor Posidonia meadows health state

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Posidonia showed phenols variations within the meadow, that probably reflect the heterogeneity of environmental pressures. In addition, comparison of the 2-D electrophoresis patterns allowed to highlight qualitative protein expression differences in response to these pressures. These differences may account for changes in metabolic/physiological pathways as adaptation to stress. A combined approach, based on phenols content determination and 2-D electrophoresis protein pattern, seems a promising tool to monitor Posidonia meadows health state. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Correspondence regarding 'Clouded leopards, the secretive top-carnivore of South-East Asian rainforests: their distribution, status and conservation needs in Sabah, Malaysia'

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Correspondence regarding Wilting A, Fischer F, Bakar SA, Linsenmair KE: Clouded leopards, the secretive top-carnivore of South-East Asian rainforests: their distribution, status and conservation needs in Sabah, Malaysia. BMC Ecol 2006, 6:16. Wilting et al. have provided their response to Gordon et al., directly following the correspondence. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Complex interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of long-term survival trends in southern elephant seals

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our analyses revealed that both the state of the environment and population density combine to modify juvenile survival, but that the degree to which these processes contributed to the variation observed was interactive and complex. This underlines the importance of evaluating the relative contribution of both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate animal populations because false conclusions regarding the importance of population regulation may be reached if they are examined in isolation. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Giant Galapagos tortoises; molecular genetic analyses identify a trans-island hybrid in a repatriation program of an endangered taxon

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Removal of E1465 as well as its father and possible (half-)siblings is warranted to prevent further contamination within this taxon of particular conservation significance. Despite this detected single contamination, it is highly noteworthy to emphasize the success of this repatriation program conducted over nearly 40 years and involving release of over 2000 captive-bred tortoises that now reproduce in situ. The incorporation of molecular genetic analysis of the program is providing guidance that will aid in monitoring the genetic integrity of this ambitious effort to restore a unique linage of a spectacular animal. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Giant Galápagos tortoises; molecular genetic analyses identify a trans-island hybrid in a repatriation program of an endangered taxon

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Removal of E1465 as well as its father and possible (half-)siblings is warranted to prevent further contamination within this taxon of particular conservation significance. Despite this detected single contamination, it is highly noteworthy to emphasize the success of this repatriation program conducted over nearly 40 years and involving release of over 2000 captive-bred tortoises that now reproduce in situ. The incorporation of molecular genetic analysis of the program is providing guidance that will aid in monitoring the genetic integrity of this ambitious effort to restore a unique linage of a spectacular animal. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Long-term feeding ecology and habitat use in harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena from Scandinavian waters inferred from trace elements and stable isotopes

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: As stable isotopes and Cd provide information in the medium and the long term respectively, the spatial variation found, shows that harbour porpoises experience different ecological regimes during the year along the Scandinavian coasts, adapting their feeding habits to local oceanographic conditions, without performing extensive migration. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Age-dependent induction of immunity and subsequent survival costs in males and females of a temperate damselfly

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Reduced longevity following induction of immunity was observed for reproductively mature damselflies, but not for newly emerged damselflies. Costs of resistance depend only partly on the immune trait induced and more on the age (but not sex) of the host. In four years, we often observed bouts of inclement weather following good days and these bouts occurred primarily during the emergence periods, but also during the flight periods, of E. boreale. The duration of these bouts appear sufficient to compromise survival of mature damselflies that responded immunologically to LPS challenge. We further suggest the environmental conditions likely experienced by different ages of damselflies, following resistance expression, has influenced optimal immune investment by individuals in diff...

Detecting local establishment strategies of wild cherry (Prunus avium L.)

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 06:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: This study provides useful guidelines for more comprehensive investigations, particularly on the interrelationships between degrees of cloning and capacity of sexual reproduction, amounts of multilocus gene associations, effects of heterozygosity on cloning success, and sustainability of different forest management types. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Trace metal concentrations in Posidonia oceanica of North Corsica (northwestern Mediterranean Sea): use as a biological monitor?

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 06:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Leaves of P. oceanica can give an indication of the metal concentration in the environment over a short time period (months) with good accuracy. On the contrary, sheaths, which gave an indication of changes over long time periods (decades), seem to be less sensitive to variations in the metal concentration in the environment. Changes in human consumption of metals (e.g., the reduction of Pb in fuel) are clearly reflected in both organs. These results confirm that P. oceanica is a good bioindicator of metals and a good biomonitor species for assessing Cu in the environment. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)

Phenology of marine turtle nesting revealed by statistical model of the nesting season

BMC Ecology - Latest articles — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 06:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The model proposed here offers a variety of uses for both marine turtles and also other taxa when individuals are observed in a particular location for only part of the year. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)