Frugivory and seed dispersal contribute to the maintenance and regeneration of plant communities through transportation of seeds and enhancing germination through seed processing mechanisms. The effects of mammalian frugivore seed processing mechanisms on seed germination are generally well studied and the potential benefits include disinhibition (pulp removal), scarification (gut passage) and fertilisation

Grasslands are essential for life processes. They have been researched by ecologists for decades, leading to numerous theories and debates underpinning the dynamics and sustainability of these natural resources. Due to the scarcity of data/information on specific indices that could elucidate their attributes, the contribution of the 341,800.82 km2 area of savannas in Nigeria to the global scientific

Rapid changes in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, a key driver of global climate change, have been shown to affect ecologically important traits in plants. Characterizing the effects of novel genetic variation on quantitative variation, phenotypic integration (multivariate associations among traits), and plasticity to elevated carbon dioxide can shed light on short-term plant responses

Seasonally dry tropical forests are amongst the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to severe and long-lasting anthropic disturbances. In this study, the spatial variation in plant diversity for the seasonally dry tropical region in central Veracruz was assessed at three different scales: among forested vegetation types, within each vegetation type and within forested patches. This region is

Parasitoids contribute to controlling phytophagous insect populations. Their action on a host is often measured by numbers of emerging adult parasitoids. However, parasitoid oviposition attempts may lead to host mortality and sometimes both host and parasitoid die during larval development. Therefore, establishing the effect of parasitoids on host populations requires estimating total effect of parasitoids

Green roofs can support pollinator communities in cities. However, little is known about the influence of green roof characteristics such as substrate and vegetation type on the abundance and diversity of attracted pollinators. Here we aimed to assess how green roof design impacts their attractiveness to pollinators. Using mesocosms on a rooftop in Paris (France), we studied the impact of two substrate

With 2000 species currently recorded in Europe, bees are a highly diversified and efficient group of pollinating insects. Their decline could therefore lead to a risk for ecosystems functioning and crop yields. The drivers of this decline have been well documented in Europe and involve multiple factors such as pesticides, pathogens, poor nutrition, climate change, and their respective interactions

The species-area relationship (SAR) is one of the main topics debated in ecology. Amphibians are highly sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation, due to their traits and reproductive requirements. In the present study, we developed a meta-analysis to address a mean effect size to SAR regarding forest amphibians in man-made fragmented landscapes, and tested the influence of seven in-study and landscape

Bee hotels are increasingly set up by land managers in public parks to promote wild bee populations. However, we have very little evidence of the usefulness of bee hotels as tools to help the conservation of wild bees within cities. In this study, we installed 96 bee hotels in public parks of Marseille (France) for a year and followed their use as a nesting substrate by the local fauna. The most abundant

Seed quality is an important bottom-up factor driving life-history traits of seed beetles (Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae). However, information on how seed traits change spatiotemporally and affect herbivores' survival is incipient in Neotropics. We evaluated how the spatio-temporal variation in seed weight, hardness, size, and water content of Mimosa setosa var. paludosa (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) affects

We analysed the population characteristics of African spurred tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata) kept in captivity in cities in Burkina Faso (West Africa), a country where the species occurs naturally. We focused on two cities - Ouagadougou, the capital and the largest city in the country and Fada N'Gourma in the East of the country. We identified 50 households in Ouagadougou and 14 in Fada that kept

There is an emerging controversy among bee biologists, land managers and beekeepers about the legitimacy of high-density beekeeping in natural protected areas due to the risks of detrimental interactions with local wild bees. The conflicting needs of wild bee conservation and productive beekeeping requires the adoption of inclusive conservation measures. The distance-based beekeeping regulation is

Flower odor is often essential for attracting pollinators, and this is especially true for species-specific mutualism such as the one between Ficus species and their pollinating wasps. Receptive figs emit a stage and species specific odor composed of a mix of volatile organic compounds (VOC) that is attractive to their pollinators. Histological studies suggest that the ostiolar bracts are the main

Invasion of Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) into riparian areas of headwater streams creates strong potential for alterations of terrestrial subsidies that may drive bottom-up effects on aquatic biota. In this study, we analyzed effects of L. maackii on terrestrial subsidies in stream sites that represented a gradient of invasion intensity in temperate deciduous forests of southwestern Ohio (USA)

For animals which utilise vertically distributed habitat resources, home ranges quantified in two-dimensions (2D) likely misrepresent space use and constrain interpretations of species' ecology and behaviour. Three-dimensional (3D) home range estimation has proved useful for understanding space use over relatively large vertical ranges (e.g. 100's of meters), yet none have applied a 3D approach to

Soil aggregation and its effects on soil C storage have been addressed in thousands of research articles over the last 40 years. Research has been mostly focused on the resistance of aggregates to mechanical disruption and the role of organic matter in aggregate stabilization. On the other hand, relatively little attention has been paid to identifying the microbial, plant root and macro-invertebrate

To evaluate the effect of Japanese martens (Martes melampus) gutpassage on seed germination, a qualitative component of seed dispersal effectiveness, we fed the seeds of a liana, Actinidia arguta, to captive animals and compared the germination ratios between ingested seeds and seeds with their pulp removed artificially, and among seeds with pulp under different conditions. Field experiments were conducted

This study aimed to describe and evaluate the fruit phenology of zoochoric plants and the use of this resource by wild vertebrates in a seasonally dry tropical forest in the Furna Feia National Park, an area of Brazilian Caatinga. Specifically, we described the seasonal variation in fruiting of zoochoric species and evaluated the influence of rainfall intensity on the seasonal variation of fruiting

Most plant-pollinator networks are based on observations of contact between an insect and a flower in the field. Despite significant sampling efforts, some links are easier to report, while others remain unobserved. Therefore, visit-based networks represent a subsample of possible interactions in which the ignored part is variable. Pollen is a natural marker of insect visits to flowers. The identification

The diversity and biogeography of functional genes at a regional scale remains unclear. We hypothesize that plant community composition, nutrient availability, and spatial distance are driving factors for the functional gene diversity of soil microorganisms at a regional scale. We also hypothesize that different functional genes have different responses to environment. Using functional gene arrays

Implementing Mechanisms for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD +) requires knowledge of the carbon storage potential in different forest types and different key reservoirs. We investigated the relationship between tree diversity and carbon stock in two forest types in Cameroon, an evergreen forest (EGF) in the South and a semi-deciduous forest (SDF) in the East. We aimed

Migratory species often spend the non-breeding season in areas that differ in both distance from the breeding grounds and habitat quality, which can cause a segregation of the population. In sexually dimorphic species, differential energetic requirements and foraging strategies of each sex can lead to the use of different non-breeding grounds. However, because migratory birds use very distant and often

Species do not function as isolated entities, rather they are organized in complex networks of interactions. These networks develop the ecological processes that provide ecosystem services for human societies. Understanding the causes and consequences of changes in ecological networks due to landscape modification would allow us to understand the consequences of ecological processes. However, there

Pear trees require insect pollination among compatible cultivars to set fruit. However, pollen transfer limitation is the main cause of poor yields in this species, due to low visitation rates and few pollen transfer among compatible cultivars. Assisted pollination using “pollen dispensers” containing precollected compatible pollen fitted into the opening of a beehive could increase yield. We investigated

Urban environments have been shown to have profound, yet still poorly understood effects on key ecosystem processes such as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, as well as for key aspects of organism ecology, such as community assembly and network interactions. The study of natural abundances of C and N stable isotopes, 13C and 15N, can help infer mechanistic hypotheses on ecosystem processes at play

Vascular epiphytes were traditionally studied in pristine forests, and few studies were performed to understand their colonization in secondary forests, particularly in subtropical areas. Many secondary forests are invaded by exotic tree species that threaten biodiversity, and the impact of invaders on epiphytes remains unknown. The structure, diversity and composition of epiphytes were analyzed along

Plants frequently interrelate with their neighbors at different levels of genetic relatedness in close contiguity due to sessile in nature and limited seed dispersal. Niche differentiation may diminish competition among the neighboring plants, and the interactions among neighbors may also be influenced according to their identity or genetic relatedness. However, it is still unclear how interactions

Floral larceny is expected to impact negatively the female fitness of alien plant species; however, the effects of nectar robbers are context-dependent and sometimes neutral. In this study, the effect of nectar robbers on the female fitness of the ornamental and invasive yellow bells, Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth (Bignoniaceae), was tested in two typical exotic habitats in northeastern Brazil:

The status of most vertebrates in the African Sahel is not well known. Among these, the African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata), a charismatic but also one of most threatened vertebrates in the Sahel, is still poorly studied. We investigated the status of this species, its potential distribution, habitat selection (at multiple spatial scales) and activity patterns in Mali and Burkina Faso,