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Radon as a possible link between peak spring tides and lemming cycles Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-10 Vidar Selås
There is still no consensus regarding the ultimate cause of the famous 3–4-year population cycles of lemmings. According to the plant stress hypothesis, herbivore population peaks are caused by stress factors that force plants to reallocate stored defensive proteins to transportable and easily digestible N-compounds. One possible plant stress factor is ionization caused by exhalation of the radioactive
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Sympatric munias in tropical areas segregate spatially through different nest site selections to achieve coexistence Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Chen-Wei Guo, Li-Li Li, Chen-Yang Liu, Ru-Chuan He, Rui-Chang Quan
Competition for nest site resources among sympatric bird species leads to differences in occupying superior resources, which can directly influence their breeding performance. However, how sympatric congeneric bird species alleviate interspecific competition in nest site selection and achieve coexistence remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted a long-term investigation on the nest site selection and
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Unraveling the effects of climate change on the Patagonian genus Onuris (Brassicaceae: Eudemeae) at different phylogenetic scales Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Diego L. Salariato, Fernando O. Zuloaga
Anthropogenic climate change has been identified as one of the main threats to current biodiversity, particularly for mountain species, which are especially sensitive to reductions of suitable habitat. Climate change impact assessments through correlative models have become a widely used tool for evaluating vulnerability of species to global warming. However, interpreting these results in an evolutionary
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The role of nutrients, light, and litter in species loss in an alpine meadow community Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Zhengwei Ren, Wei Zhao, Shaohao Bang, Xiaolong Zhou, Defei Liang, Wanwan Yao
The decline in species diversity within nutrient-enriched grasslands is commonly explained by a single hypothesis that often overlooks the potential interconnected roles of soil nutrients, light, and plant productivity. In a 2-year field experiment involving multiple nutrient additions (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; NPK) conducted in an alpine meadow on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, we
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Strategies in growth and reproduction of the native endangered plant species Scripus mariqueter and the driving factors in a coastal salt marsh wetland, eastern China Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Lingling Li, Dezhi Li, Rongpei Kong, Zixing Ren, Lu Liu, Yingyang Zhu, Yuming Sun, Nana Peng, Jing He, Yangqing Ji, Xiao Wang, Ying Wang, Jing Chen
is a native endangered plant species with both sexual and asexual reproduction in a coastal salt marsh wetland, eastern China. Understanding the patterns of growth and reproduction of . populations in different tidal flats and the main driving factors is necessary and urgent for the effective restoration of this species. The characteristics of growth and reproduction of populations were investigated
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Relative contribution of phylogeny on fruit type divergence decreases along latitudinal gradients Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Yingqun Feng, Bo Wang
Many plant functional traits exhibit variations along spatial gradients, and exploring such geographical variations is of great reference value for understanding the evolutionary process of plant distribution and response mechanisms to biotic and abiotic factors. Fruit type (fleshy vs. dry fruits), a key reproductive characteristic of plants, plays an important role in seed dispersal processes. Environmental
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Thermal tolerance of monomorphic ants: The importance of body size Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Mateusz Okrutniak, Irena M. Grześ, Julia Musiał
The foraging behavior of ants may be linked to the body size of workers, which serves as an adaptation to suboptimal external temperatures. The relationship between foraging behavior and body size is especially noticeable in polymorphic species, which display a broad range of variation in worker body size. An increasing number of studies have found that body size plays an important role in the division
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Morphological and physiological adaptation of a desert shrub, Encelia farinosa, under drought stress Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-12 Ghadeer Mohammed Alkhedir, Takeshi Taniguchi
Water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions affects ecosystem development. Therefore, elucidation of the mechanisms by which plant species in a given region respond to drought conditions may allow us to improve global vegetation. species are drought-tolerant and an important component of shrub communities in the arid and semi-arid regions of southern California, U.S.A.; these species are widely used
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Facilitation in Brazilian semiarid zone: remnant trees show a positive effect on caatinga regeneration Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-10 Givanildo Bernadino de Araújo, Marcos V. Carneiro Vital, João Vitor Campos-Silva, Micheline Maria de Lima, Gilberto Costa Justino, Flávia Moura
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“Farming with alternative pollinators” provides benefits also in large-scale fields Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-10 Youssef Bencharki, Denis Michez, Oumayma Ihsane, Sara Reverté, Aden Aw-Hassan, Moulay Chrif Smaili, Axel Ssymank, Pierre Rasmont, Stefanie Christmann
Insect pollinators are declining worldwide due to many challenges and several approaches have been implemented to mitigate their loss. Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP) uses marketable habitat enhancement plants (MHEP) that yield substantial benefits for farmers from the first year. Studies with small-scale farmers have shown that FAP sustains high diversity and abundance of flower visitors
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A new player in the Panamanian fig tree – fig wasp mutualism; a study on the effect of gall midges on Ficus citrifolia Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 H. Roberta Hedberg, Lovisa Dück, K. Charlotte Jandér, Lisette van Kolfschoten
The mutualism between the fig tree and the pollinating fig wasps is a keystone interaction in tropical forests. However, many antagonistic interactions also occur in the system, taking advantage of the fig trees and the pollinator. One such example is an antagonistic gall midge (Cecidomyiidae) that develops inside figs. Gall midges inside figs have been documented in a few species around the world
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Management practices of Cereus jamacaru DC in the Caatinga dry forest differentially affect its reproductive phenology, fruit set and nectar availability Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-20 Ailza Maria de Lima-Nascimento, Jéssica Luiza S. Silva, Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque, Ariadna Valentina Lopes
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Multiple mating does not benefit females of a polyandrous pollinating fig wasp Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-17 Jaco M. Greeff, Duncan V.K. Newman
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Mammal functional diversity increases with forest patch complexity in tropical mining areas Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-15 Juliana Teixeira-Santos, Diego Simeone
Enhanced mammal functional diversity is crucial for forest ecological functioning. However, this group is affected by habitat degradation, such as mineral exploitation, which is a major threat worldwide. In these habitats, the maintenance of forest patches is important to support species diversity. Here, we addressed this knowledge gap by examining the functional diversity of medium-sized mammals among
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Plant vegetative propagation plays a considerable role in the regeneration following slash-and-burn agriculture in Caatinga dry forest Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-07 Ana Beatriz Silva Gomes, Maria Fabíola Barros, Renato Soares Vanderlei, Marcelo Tabarelli, Pavel Dodonov
Slash-and-burn agriculture is a common practice in dry forests worldwide. Understanding the relative importance of different regeneration mechanisms following this disturbance provides insights into forest regeneration dynamics and resilience. We assessed differences in structural components, the relative contribution of vegetative and sexual reproduction, and the taxonomic composition of woody assemblages
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Influence of geographic predictors on beta diversity of insular snakes communities Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-27 Fátima Barboza Penayo, Eloize Ferreira do Nascimento, Michel Varajão Garey
Islands biogeography theory establishes that species richness and composition in islands result from ecological and evolutionary processes, such as immigration/emigration rate and the balance between speciation and extinction. Islands' geographic distribution, area, and distance from the mainland are important features in structuring communities of different taxonomic groups. Here, we aimed to evaluate
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Plant richness and vegetation structure drive the topology of plant-herbivore networks in Neotropical savannas Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-15 Érica Vanessa Duraes de Freitas, Leandro Maracahipes, Walter Santos de Araújo
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Spillover of avian seed dispersers between secondary forests and degraded areas in a tropical island Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-10 Rodrigo Béllo Carvalho, Kaizer J.F. Alves, Marco A. Pizo
Seed arrival to degraded areas often represents a limiting factor to forest regeneration, but seed-dispersing birds able to move into such areas may help to overcome such constraint. As the number of degraded areas prone to regeneration is increasing in the tropics, it is important to know which bird species and associated traits make such spillover movements. We studied the interactions between frugivorous
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How many seeds can birds disperse?: Determining the pattern of seed deposition by frugivorous birds Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-11 Kyohsuke Ohkawara, Kazuya Kimura, Fumio Satoh
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More is not always better: Impact of nutrient-addition on floral traits important for buzz pollination Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-08 Upasana Sengupta, Shivani Krishna
Nutrient addition can affect plant fitness by altering resource allocation to reproduction or modifying floral traits. Alterations in floral attributes, particularly in species that exhibit specialization in specific ecological niches, can disrupt or augment the dynamics of interactions between plants and their pollinators. However, very little is known about how soil enrichment affects the floral
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Abiotic factors similarly shape the distribution of fruit, seed and leaf traits in tropical fleshy-fruited tree communities Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-03 Diana Carolina Acosta-Rojas, Maciej K. Barczyk, Carlos Iván Espinosa, Nina Farwig, Jürgen Homeier, Yvonne Tiede, Boris A. Tinoco, Andre Velescu, Wolfgang Wilcke, Eike Lena Neuschulz, Matthias Schleuning
The distribution of plant traits is related to abiotic and biotic factors, but it is unknown whether different types of plant traits respond similarly to these factors. We simultaneously studied seed, fruit and leaf traits and their associations with abiotic and biotic factors for tree communities in the tropical mountains of southern Ecuador. We measured seed, fruit, and leaf traits on 18–33 fleshy-fruited
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Habitat and food resource type, rather than sampling date, drive co-occurrence of dung beetle species in a tropical ecosystem mosaic Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 N.L. Reis, K.A. Santos, L. Vieira, J. Louzada
The species’ coexistence and distribution patterns are fundamental in community ecology research. Niche partitioning is used to evaluate co-occurrence patterns resulting from species interactions. Dung beetle communities are ideal models for understanding ecological patterns and processes. However, their co-occurrence patterns remain poorly understood. We tested if habitat type, sampling date, and
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Ants offset bottom-up control of spiders in Amazonian savanna trees Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-26 Pedro A.C.L. Pequeno, Ciro Campos, Reinaldo Imbrozio Barbosa
Community trophic structure is shaped by concurrent bottom-up (resources) and top-down effects (predators), but the extent to which they interact remains uncertain. The Exploitation Ecosystems Hypothesis predicts that predators should offset increases in herbivore abundance with plant productivity, which is supported by data. However, the extent to which interactions within trophic levels (e.g. competition
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Insect pest predation by arthropods and birds in different land use types with varying woody vegetation composition in agroecosystems of central Oromia, Ethiopia Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-21 Zerihun Tadesse, Sileshi Nemomissa, Debissa Lemessa
Biological control by predators of insect pests is an important benefit of biodiversity, having a contribution to agricultural production. By preying on crop infesting insect pests, predatory arthropods and birds can provide an important ecosystem service. They support agricultural productivity, boosting crop yield and reducing demand for pesticides expense. Habitat quality of land use types, i.e.
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Among us: How to find an optimal clutch sex ratio when the clutch sex ratios of co-foundress wasps are not known beforehand? Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-09 Daniel Tirapeli Felício, Rodrigo Augusto Santinelo Pereira
A female-biased clutch sex ratio is selected under local mate competition since it reduces competition between male sibs and provides extra mating opportunities for sons. Theoretical models predict that the brood sex ratio of fig wasps becomes less female-biased as the number of wasps laying eggs in the same fig increases. Empirical data have demonstrated that pollinator females lay most of their male
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Plants are the drivers of geographic variation of floral odours in brood site pollination mutualisms: A case study of Ficus hirta Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Xiaoxia Deng, Bruno Buatois, Yan-Qiong Peng, Hui Yu, Yufen Cheng, Xuejun Ge, Magali Proffit, Finn Kjellberg
Plant odours are central for pollinator attraction. This is particularly true in obligate brood site pollination mutualisms. However, we know little about the evolution of olfactory signalling in these mutualisms. Here, we investigate geographic variation of floral odour in the obligate host-specific brood site pollination mutualism between Ficus hirta and its specialised pollinators. Floral scent
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Nutrient cycling aspects as possible ecosystem functional indicators of successional stage in Semideciduous seasonal forest, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-29 Rodrigo Camara de Souza, Marcos Gervasio Pereira, Deivid Lopes Machado, Luciano de Oliveira Toledo, Carlos Eduardo Gabriel Menezes, Gilsonley Lopes dos Santos, Fernando Silva Coutinho, Roni Fernandes Guareschi, Victória Maria Monteiro Mendonça
Semideciduous Seasonal Forest is a phytophysiognomy of Atlantic Forest with high plant richness but low representativeness in few remnants areas in different successional stages. The assessment of the degree of conservation of those areas helps to indicate whether there is a need for taking strategies to favor forest succession. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify litterfall and its nutrient
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Coarse woody debris and litter layer exert differential roles in nursing soil fungal communities across a subalpine forest successional series Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-27 Zhihui Wang, Fei Li, Jianfeng Hou, Xuqing Li, Rui Cao, Yurui Jiang, Yuchen Lu, Shuning Ma, Wanqin Yang
Coarse woody debris (CWD) and litter are important habitats and nutrient sources for soil fungi. However, the roles of CWD and litter in maintaining soil fungal community composition and function at different successional stages remain unknown. Therefore, we collected soils beneath the CWD and litter from a subalpine forest successional series: shrubs, deciduous broadleaf, broadleaf-conifer mixed,
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The sticky hemiparasitic plant Parentucellia viscosa catches hostplant seeds that may provision its descendants Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-27 Kazuo Yamazaki
In addition to physiological functions, sticky plant trichomes perform a variety of anti-herbivory functions, such as deterring invertebrate and mammalian herbivores, and attracting the natural predators of stuck arthropods by providing them with immobilized prey. However, since the adaptive value of sticky glands has only been studied in a small fraction of trichrome-bearing plant species, other functions
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Pollinator attraction in the Ficus deltoidea complex: Varietal specificity in a fig wasp that likes to stay close to home Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-12 Siti Khairiyah Mohd Hatta, Rupert J. Quinnell, Stephen G. Compton
Species boundaries are maintained by limitations on gene flow between taxa. In flowering plants pollinator specificity can strongly influence gene flow patterns and facilitate speciation. Fig trees are species rich and ecologically significant plants. It was once believed that each species had its own unique pollinator fig wasp, but numerous exceptions are now known. The dioecious Ficus deltoidea complex
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Vertical and altitudinal distribution patterns of hydrophilic saxicolous lichens across French streams Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-03 Clother Coste, Thierry Lamaze, Gaël Grenouillet, Eric Chauvet
We collected 252 samples in 53 French streams at 3 different heights (low-flow channel, upper limit of streambed, and intermediate zone) across a 190–2200 m altitudinal range, from which we identified and determined the abundance of freshwater lichens to test hypotheses of assemblage zonation. A total of 149 lichenic taxa, including 42 hydrophilic species together with 6 environmental parameters (relative
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A matter of scale: Local biotic differentiation and potential regional homogenization of understory plant communities in a highly fragmented tropical landscape Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Jean M. Freitag Kramer, Jhéssica L. Bald, Jaqueline de Lima Pessato, Fabiane Maziero Kupas, Carina Kozera, Victor P. Zwiener
Plant communities in highly fragmented tropical landscapes can undergo biotic homogenization and differentiation after land-use changes, such as forest fragmentation. Here we evaluated the beta diversity of understory plant communities in fragmented forest remnants and assessed species geographic distribution to infer potential local and regional scale dependency of homogenization and differentiation
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Floral nectar and insect flower handling time change over the flowering season: Results from an exploratory study Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-27 M. Barberis, G. Bogo, L. Bortolotti, S. Flaminio, E. Giordano, M. Nepi, M. Galloni
In recent decades, hundreds of secondary metabolites have been found in floral nectar and many studies have demonstrated that they can play various roles in modulating the behaviour of floral visitors. However, temporal variations in nectar chemistry over extended flowering seasons have never been substantiated. Moreover, the effects of nectar chemicals on insect behaviour are often studied under laboratory
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The effect of acid rain and fertilization on the performance of invasive Chromolaena odorata and two native plants Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-28 Yan-mei Liu, Wei-tao Li, Yu-long Zheng
Acid rain is one important factor of climate change, which may facilitate the invasion of alien plant by creating new niches. In this study, we compared the performance of invasive Chromolaena odorata (L.) R. M. King and H. Robinson and two native plants (Eupatorium chinense L. and Desmodium sequax Wall., common and sympatric distribution with C. odorata) under different acid rain and fertilization
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Decoupled functional and phylogenetic diversity provide complementary information about community assembly mechanisms: A case study of Greek forests Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-10 Anna Mastrogianni, Diogenis A. Kiziridis, Milan Chytrý, Athanasios S. Kallimanis, Ioannis Tsiripidis
Understanding the mechanisms of community assembly is of great importance to biogeography and ecology. Simultaneous investigation of the functional and phylogenetic facets of diversity has been proposed as a useful approach that allows inferences about such mechanisms. This study applies such an approach to explore diversity and structure within and among the main plant community types of mountainous
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Heavy metal pollution is more conducive to the independent invasion of Solidago canadensis L. than the co-invasion of two Asteraceae invasive plants Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-08 Zhongyi Xu, Jiajun Xu, Pibo Chen, Shanshan Zhong, Zhelun Xu, Youli Yu, Congyan Wang, Daolin Du
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Impact of the local environmental factors associated to plant-fungi communities on the conservation of Liparis loeselii (L.) Rich. In the French Rhône-Alpes region Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-29 Louise Maris, Rémi Petrolli, Marc-André Selosse, Thomas Legland, Gilles Pache, Chantal Griveau, Franck Torre, Dominique Lopez-Pinot, Roger Marciau, Véronique Bonnet
The fen orchid (Liparis loeselii (L.) Rich., 1817), specific to calcareous wetlands, is threatened by its habitat degradation and disappearance. It is thus categorised as endangered in the Rhône-Alpes red list and is nationally protected in France. Although many studies have been conducted about Liparis loeselii var. ovata ecology in the coastal zone, few have focused on the loeselii variety growing
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Difficult times for amphibians: Effects of land-use change at the local and landscape scales in the Iberá Wetlands Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-21 Facundo Schivo, Rafael Grimson, Diego Aquino, Rubén Darío Quintana
Land-use change and management practices have led to habitat loss, one of the greatest factors in biodiversity decline. Particularly, amphibians comprise the highest number of threatened vertebrate species at the global scale. In this work, amphibian communities were analysed in three differing landscapes: a protected wetland, a livestock-impaired rangeland and a pine afforestation. In each landscape
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Corrigendum to “How to be a fig nematode” [Acta Oecol. 119 (2023) 103916] Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-11 Justin Van Goor, Natsumi Kanzaki, Gavin Woodruff
Abstract not available
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Corrigendum to ‘Micro-scale patterns and drivers of bird visitation on street fig trees in Delhi, India’[Acta Oecol. 118 (2023) 103875] Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-07 Prakhar Rawal, Deepali Chatrath, Ghazala Shahabuddin
Abstract not available
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Small carnivores contribute surrogate seed dispersers for a megafaunal-fruited liana in subtropical Asia Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-09 Jifa Cui, Jinyu Guo, Yao Wang, Nan Wu, Youbing Zhou
The megafaunal seed dispersal hypothesis posits that mega-fruits co-evolved for seed dispersal by extremely large mammals, such as elephant-like gomphotheres, which became extinct during the Pleistocene. Nevertheless, various plants in subtropical Asia still produce oversized fruits as a seed dispersal syndrome anachronism. Here, we investigated how a mega-fruited perennial woody liana, Akebia trifoliata
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The effects of seasonal changes on the dynamics of a fig tree's pollination Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-05-27 J. Jauharlina, Rupert J. Quinnell, Hamish G. Robertson, Stephen G. Compton
Fig trees and their pollinating wasps are mutually dependent on each other. Both partners' reproductive success is regulated by the capacity of fig wasps to enter receptive figs at an appropriate time for pollination and oviposition. Oviposition is dependent on successful female pollinator dispersal from one tree to another and although fig wasps are slow flyers and short-lived they can be carried
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Correlation between body size and longevity: New analysis and data covering six taxonomic classes of vertebrates Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-05-10 Anna Kuparinen, Emily Yeung, Jeffrey A. Hutchings
Large bodied species are known to live longer than small bodied species. However, it is less clear whether the positive correlation varies across taxa. In this short communication, we combine data entries from literature and databases on body mass and maximum life span for 3722 species covering taxonomic Classes Chondrichthyes, Teleostei, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia. We then analyse the
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How to be a fig nematode Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-05-08 Justin Van Goor, Natsumi Kanzaki, Gavin Woodruff
Fig (Moraceae: Ficus) species host vast communities of organisms that are bound together by complicated ecological networks that have influenced community structure and dynamics over evolutionary timescales. Much attention has been paid to the mutualism between figs and their specialized pollinating fig wasps, as well as with often antagonistic non-pollinating fig wasps. Equally ubiquitous to fig systems
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The effects of river regulation on diet diversity, dietary niche overlap and foraging habitat preferences of two sympatric plover species Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-18 Włodzimierz Meissner, Radosław Kozik, Bartosz Listewnik, Jacek Nowicki, Robert Lasecki
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Environmental factors and non-chemical methods to suppress growth of the invasive plant Gutenbergia cordifolia Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-10 Sarah A. Mero, Issakwisa B. Ngondya, Anna C. Treydte
Little is known about preferred environmental conditions and non-chemical control of invasive Gutenbergia cordifolia. We assessed the effects of different A. annua crude extract concentrations, synthetic herbicide (glyphosate), fire regime and shade to G. cordifolia germination, shoot and root dry biomass, seedling height and leaf chlorophyll. High concentrations (75%) of A. annua crude extracts significantly
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Environmental predictors affect α- and β-diversity of tropical bromeliad macroinvertebrates Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-05 Túlio Paiva Chaves, Erminda da Conceição Guerreiro Couto, José Carlos Morante-Filho, Maíra Benchimol
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Where are my dragons? Replicating refugia to enhance the detection probability of an endangered cryptic reptile Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-05 George Madani, Rod Pietsch, Chad T. Beranek
Rare and cryptic species require effective monitoring methods in order to track populations over time. Monitoring surveys utilizing artificial refugia are an increasingly applied tool for detecting herpetofauna; yet for many species, limited information is available on the factors that influence optimal detectability. Most monitoring programs utilize only one type of artificial refuge. This approach
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Seed attachment by epizoochory depends on animal fur, body height, and plant phenology Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-05 Kanon Sato, Yusuke Goto, Shinsuke Koike
Various animal species potentially disperse varying amounts of seeds through epizoochory (seed dispersal on animals). However, few studies have compared the contributions of wild animals to epizoochory. Here, we compared the number of seeds of three plants—Achyranthes bidentata, Oplismenus undulatifolius, and Persicaria filiformis—attached to six mammal species: Meles anakuma, Mustela itatsi, Paguma
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Effects of road and woodland type on the invasibility of woodlands invaded by Lantana camara in southern Africa Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-03-27 Katherine Shiri, Donald Mlambo, Lloyd Mutungwazi
The susceptibility of a plant community to invasion is influenced by multiple factors including the characteristics of the invading species and the invaded environment but how road presence and woodland type affect invasibility in woodlands invaded by Lantana camara (hereafter, lantana) in southern Africa is not well known. We identified roads adjacent to miombo, Vachellia (hereafter, vachellia) and
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The effect of the temperature on local differences in the sex ratio of Mallards Anas platyrhynchos wintering in an urban habitat Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-03-07 Włodzimierz Meissner, Marta Witkowska
In Mallard, as in other ducks of the northern hemisphere, males outnumber females in wintering flocks and the temperature seems to be one of the most important factors shaping the sex ratio at a given site. In this study, we checked the influence of winter harshness on the sex ratio of Mallards overwintering in urban waterbodies with an emphasis on differences at the local scale within a single town
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Scattered trees as crucial elements in maintaining urban diversity: A case study with canopy ants in a biodiversity hotspot Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-02-15 Renata Grasiele Mendonça-Santos, Reuber Antoniazzi, Flávio Camarota, Yana Teixeira dos Reis, Arleu Barbosa Viana-Junior
Urban environments are characterized by profound differences in abiotic conditions compared to natural environments, which filter one part of the biotic communities that endure living in these environments. A conspicuous element in many cities are scattered trees, often included in urban planning around the world. These trees are key elements for urban ecological processes and services and act as habitat
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Factors affecting variability in fleshy cone production of Juniperus macrocarpa Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-02-17 José Carlos Muñoz-Reinoso
Juniperus macrocarpa woodlands represent the mature ecosystem on outer sandy dunes and cliffs of the Mediterranean coasts, and typically show little or no recruitment in degraded coastal habitats. Production of fleshy cones may have strong effects on its recruitment as well as on the populations of animal species that eat the cones and disperse the seeds. In this study, I explore the inter-annual variability
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Effects of anthropogenic disturbances on diaspore removal by ants: A meta-analysis Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-02-13 Ketlen Bona, Jacques H.C. Delabie, Eliana Cazetta
Anthropogenic changes in natural landscapes are identified as a major driver of biodiversity loss worldwide. Consequently, important ecosystem functions, such as seed dispersal by animals, can be lost, which threaten the stability of essential ecological processes. Given the current scenario of large seed disperser's loss, secondary dispersal by ants has been identified as an important alternative
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Mutualistic interaction network structure between bird and plant species in a semi-arid Neotropical environment Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-02-11 Tarcísio Dourado Santos, Adauto de Souza Ribeiro
Mutualistic interactions between animals and plants are essential for ecosystem functioning, providing ecosystem services such as pollination and seed dispersal. The temporal dynamics of plant phenology and animal abundance, induced by seasonal variation in precipitation and resource availability, may influence the structure of animal-plant interaction network. In this paper, we analyzed the mutualistic
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Urban grassland restorations have reduced plant fitness but not pollinator limitation Acta Oecol. (IF 1.8) Pub Date : 2023-02-08 Aaron N. Sexton, Kylea R. Garces, Marissa R. Huber, Sarah M. Emery
Native grasslands worldwide have been greatly reduced due to anthropogenic activities. Grassland restoration efforts strive to increase biodiversity and ecosystem services of these habitats, but often fall short of management goals. This is especially true for small-scale restoration efforts in urban areas, which face unique challenges including increased surface temperatures, increased pollution,