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Hydrology influences breeding time in the white-throated dipper BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Anna L. K. Nilsson, Thomas Skaugen, Trond Reitan, Jan Henning L’Abée-Lund, Marlène Gamelon, Kurt Jerstad, Ole Wiggo Røstad, Tore Slagsvold, Nils C. Stenseth, L. Asbjørn Vøllestad, Bjørn Walseng
Earlier breeding is one of the strongest responses to global change in birds and is a key factor determining reproductive success. In most studies of climate effects, the focus has been on large-scale environmental indices or temperature averaged over large geographical areas, neglecting that animals are affected by the local conditions in their home ranges. In riverine ecosystems, climate change is
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Effects of habitat edges on vegetation structure and the vulnerable golden-brown mouse lemur (Microcebus ravelobensis) in northwestern Madagascar BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Bertrand Andriatsitohaina, Daniel Romero-Mujalli, Malcolm S. Ramsay, Frederik Kiene, Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona, Romule Rakotondravony, Shawn M. Lehman, Ute Radespiel
Edge effects can influence species composition and community structure as a result of changes in microenvironment and edaphic variables. We investigated effects of habitat edges on vegetation structure, abundance and body mass of one vulnerable Microcebus species in northwestern Madagascar. We trapped mouse lemurs along four 1000-m transects (total of 2424 trap nights) that ran perpendicular to the
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Invasive raccoon management systems and challenges in regions with active control BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-12-11 Takaaki Suzuki, Tohru Ikeda
The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is an invasive, non-native species in Japan. Throughout the country, it causes significant agricultural damage and negatively affects native biodiversity. Most of the responsibility for raccoon management lies with local government, and there are still many challenges to be overcome. Although raccoon populations have not been eradicated, intensive control campaigns such
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Effects of tree species and topography on soil and microbial biomass stoichiometry in Funiu Mountain, China BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-12-09 Yaowu Tian, Dong Qiao, Shaojun Xu, Ning Wang
Soil and microbial biomass stoichiometry plays an important role in understanding nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, studies on soil and microbial biomass stoichiometry in forests are rare. This study investigated the effect of tree species and topographic factors on the ecological stoichiometry of soil and soil microbial biomass. Three types of forest stands (Quercus variabilis,
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Bioclimatic zonation and potential distribution of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in South Kivu Province, DR Congo BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-30 Marcellin C. Cokola, Yannick Mugumaarhahama, Grégoire Noël, Espoir B. Bisimwa, David M. Bugeme, Géant B. Chuma, Adrien B. Ndeko, Frédéric Francis
The fall Armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith), is currently a devastating pest throughout the world due to its dispersal capacity and voracious feeding behaviour on several crops. A MaxEnt species distributions model (SDM) was developed based on collected FAW occurrence and environmental data’s. Bioclimatic zones were identified and the potential distribution of FAW in South Kivu, eastern
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Identifying the vegetation type in Google Earth images using a convolutional neural network: a case study for Japanese bamboo forests BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-27 Shuntaro Watanabe, Kazuaki Sumi, Takeshi Ise
Classifying and mapping vegetation are crucial tasks in environmental science and natural resource management. However, these tasks are difficult because conventional methods such as field surveys are highly labor-intensive. Identification of target objects from visual data using computer techniques is one of the most promising techniques to reduce the costs and labor for vegetation mapping. Although
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Diversity of entomopathogenic fungi associated with Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)) in Moroccan Argan forests and nearby area: impact of soil factors on their distribution BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-24 Ayoub Hallouti, Mohamed Ait Hamza, Abdelaziz Zahidi, Rachid Ait Hammou, Rachid Bouharroud, Abdellah Ait Ben Aoumar, Hassan Boubaker
Studying the ecology of biocontrol-agents is a prerequisite to effectively control medfly (Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)) with entomopathogenic fungi. In this context, factors affecting the occurrence and distribution of medfly-associated entomopathogenic-fungi were studied. Soil samples (22) were collected from natural and cultivated areas of Souss-region Morocco. A total of 260 fungal
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Differences in growth-economics of fast vs. slow growing grass species in response to temperature and nitrogen limitation individually, and in combination BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-24 Claudia Colesie, Zsofia Reka Stangl, Vaughan Hurry
Fast growing invasive alien species are highly efficient with little investment in their tissues. They often outcompete slower growing species with severe consequences for diversity and community composition. The plant economics trait-based approach provides a theoretical framework, allowing the classification of plants with different performance characteristics. However, in multifaceted background
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Transgenerational effect of drug-mediated inhibition of LSD1 on eye pigment expression in Drosophila BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-23 Sigrid Hoyer-Fender
The Drosophila melanogaster mutant white-mottled is a well-established model for position-effect variegation (PEV). Transposition of the euchromatic white gene into the vicinity of the pericentric heterochromatin caused variegated expression of white due to heterochromatin spreading. The establishment of the euchromatin-heterochromatin boundary and spreading of silencing is regulated by mutually exclusive
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Composition, uniqueness and connectivity across tropical coastal lagoon habitats in the Red Sea BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-23 Zahra Alsaffar, João Cúrdia, Xabier Irigoien, Susana Carvalho
Tropical habitats and their associated environmental characteristics play a critical role in shaping macroinvertebrate communities. Assessing patterns of diversity over space and time and investigating the factors that control and generate those patterns is critical for conservation efforts. However, these factors are still poorly understood in sub-tropical and tropical regions. The present study applied
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Larval habitats and species diversity of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in West Azerbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-19 Mojtaba Amini, Ahmad Ali Hanafi-Bojd, Ali Ahmad Aghapour, Ali Reza Chavshin
The characteristics of a larval habitat is an important factor which affects the breeding pattern and population growth of mosquitoes Information about the larval habitat characteristics and pupal productivity can be utilized for the surveillance of the level of population growth, species diversity, and preferred breeding sites of mosquitoes, which are important aspects of integrated vector control
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Effects of a spatially heterogeneous nutrient distribution on the growth of clonal wetland plants BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-13 Hongwei Yu, Ligong Wang, Chunhua Liu, Dan Yu, Jiuhui Qu
Clonal plants are important in maintaining wetland ecosystems. The main growth types of clonal plants are the guerrilla and phalanx types. However, little is known about the effects of these different clonal growth types on plant plasticity in response to heterogeneous resource distribution. We compared the growth performance of clonal wetland plants exhibiting the two growth forms (guerrilla growth
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Family matters: skin microbiome reflects the social group and spatial proximity in wild zebra finches BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-13 Kathrin Engel, Helga Pankoke, Sebastian Jünemann, Hanja B. Brandl, Jan Sauer, Simon C. Griffith, Jörn Kalinowski, Barbara A. Caspers
So far, large numbers of studies investigating the microbiome have focused on gut microbiota and less have addressed the microbiome of the skin. Especially in avian taxa our understanding of the ecology and function of these bacteria remains incomplete. The involvement of skin bacteria in intra-specific communication has recently received attention, and has highlighted the need to understand what information
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An essay on ecosystem availability of Nicotiana glauca graham alkaloids: the honeybees case study BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-11-06 Konstantinos M. Kasiotis, Epameinondas Evergetis, Dimitrios Papachristos, Olympia Vangelatou, Spyridon Antonatos, Panagiotis Milonas, Serkos A. Haroutounian, Kyriaki Machera
Invasive plant species pose a significant threat for fragile isolated ecosystems, occupying space, and consuming scarce local resources. Recently though, an additional adverse effect was recognized in the form of its secondary metabolites entering the food chain. The present study is elaborating on this subject with a specific focus on the Nicotiana glauca Graham (Solanaceae) alkaloids and their occurrence
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How do genes flow? Identifying potential dispersal mode for the semi-aquatic lichen Dermatocarpon luridum using spatial modelling and photobiont markers BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-10-15 Jennifer A. Doering, Tom Booth, Yolanda F. Wiersma, Michele D. Piercey-Normore
Landscape genetics is an interdisciplinary field that combines tools and techniques from population genetics with the spatially explicit principles from landscape ecology. Spatial variation in genotypes is used to test hypotheses about how landscape pattern affects dispersal in a wide range of taxa. Lichens, symbiotic associations between mycobionts and photobionts, are an entity for which little is
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Dynamics of forage and land cover changes in Teltele district of Borana rangelands, southern Ethiopia: using geospatial and field survey data BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-10-07 Yeneayehu Fenetahun, Wang Yong-dong, Yuan You, Xu Xinwen
The gradual conversion of rangelands into other land use types is one of the main challenges affecting the sustainable management of rangelands in Teltele. This study aimed to examine the changes, drivers, trends in land use and land cover (LULC), to determine the link between the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and forage biomass and the associated impacts of forage biomass production
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Floral traits are associated with the quality but not quantity of heterospecific stigmatic pollen loads BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-10-06 Manon A. Peuker, Hannah Burger, Sabrina Krausch, Ulrich Neumüller, Manfred Ayasse, Jonas Kuppler
In flowering communities, plant species commonly share pollinators and therefore plant individuals receive heterospecific pollen (HP). However, the patterns of HP transfers can deviate from patterns of plant-pollinator visitations. Although flower-visitor interactions are known to be mediated by floral traits, e.g. floral size or nectar tube depth, the explanatory power of these traits for HP transfer
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Meta-analysis reveals severe pollen limitation for the flowering plants growing in East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-09-29 Xianfeng Jiang, Yanping Xie
Pollen limitation occurs widely and has an important effect on flowering plants. The East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region is a global biodiversity hotspot. However, to our knowledge, no study has synthetically assessed the degree of pollen limitation in this area. The present study aims to reveal the degree of pollen limitation for the flowering plants growing on East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains
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Hydrogen isotopes reveal evidence of migration of Miniopterus schreibersii in Europe BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-09-29 Patrick G. R. Wright, Jason Newton, Paolo Agnelli, Ivana Budinski, Ivy Di Salvo, Carles Flaquer, Antonio Fulco, Panagiotis Georgiakakis, Adriano Martinoli, Maria Mas, Mirna Mazija, Mauro Mucedda, Eleni Papadatou, Boyan Petrov, Luisa Rodrigues, Fiona Mathews, Danilo Russo
The Schreiber’s bat, Miniopterus schreibersii, is adapted to long-distance flight, yet long distance movements have only been recorded sporadically using capture-mark-recapture. In this study, we used the hydrogen isotopic composition of 208 wing and 335 fur specimens from across the species' European range to test the hypothesis that the species migrates over long distances. After obtaining the hydrogen
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Coexistence between human and wildlife: the nature, causes and mitigations of human wildlife conflict around Bale Mountains National Park, Southeast Ethiopia. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-09-14 Sefi Mekonen
Human–wildlife conflict occurs when the needs and behavior of wildlife impact negatively on humans or when humans negatively affect the needs of wildlife. To explore the nature, causes and mitigations of human wildlife conflict, the coexistence between human and wildlife assessment was conducted around Bale Mountains National Park. Data were collected by means of household questionnaires, focus group
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Stagewise resolution of temperature-dependent embryonic and postembryonic development in the cowpea seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (F.). BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-09-11 Dmitry Kutcherov
The thermal plasticity of life-history traits receives wide attention in the recent biological literature. Of all the temperature-dependent traits studied, developmental rates of ectotherms are especially often addressed, and yet surprisingly little is known about embryonic responses to temperature, including changes in the thermal thresholds and thermal sensitivity during early development. Even postembryonic
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Endozoochorous dispersal by herbivores and omnivores is mediated by germination conditions. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-08-31 Sorour Karimi,Mahmoud-Reza Hemami,Mostafa Tarkesh Esfahani,Christophe Baltzinger
Vertebrate-mediated seed dispersal is probably the main long distance dispersal mode. Through endozoochory, large mammals act as mobile links between habitats within and among forest patches. Along with other factors, their feeding regimes do affect their contribution as dispersal vectors. We conducted a cross-species comparative experiment involving two herbivores, red deer and roe deer; and two opportunistic
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Seed germination prediction of Salvia limbata under ecological stresses in protected areas: an artificial intelligence modeling approach. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-08-29 Maryam Saffariha,Ali Jahani,Daniel Potter
Salvia is a large, diverse, and polymorphous genus of the family Lamiaceae, comprising about 900 ornamentals, medicinal species with almost cosmopolitan distribution in the world. The success of Salvia limbata seed germination depends on a numerous ecological factors and stresses. We aimed to analyze Salvia limbata seed germination under four ecological stresses of salinity, drought, temperature and
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Effects of forest structure on the interaction between avian hosts, dipteran vectors and haemosporidian parasites. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-08-19 Willem van Hoesel,Diego Santiago-Alarcon,Alfonso Marzal,Swen C Renner
Forest habitats are important biodiversity refuges for a wide variety of bird species. Parasitism may modulate host species presence and abundance, and parasite effects can change according to forest management practices. Such processes are not well studied in vector-borne avian haemosporidians. We analyzed the effects of forest management on bird-dipteran-haemosporidian interactions, using seven common
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Predicting distribution of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. in China. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-08-11 Zhihang Zhuo,Danping Xu,Biao Pu,Rulin Wang,Meng Ye
With the growth of economic benefits brought by Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. and the increasing market demand, this species has been widely introduced and cultivated in China. It is important to scientifically select suitable areas for artificial planting and promotion, and to understand the status and potential of Z. bungeanum resources. The maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model and ArcGIS technologies were
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Seventh BMC ecology image competition: the winning images. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-08-07 Alison L Cuff,Michel Baguette,Simon Blanchet,Luke M Jacobus,Dominique Mazzi,Josef Settele
The seventh BMC Ecology competition attracted entries from talented ecologists from around the world. Together, they showcase the beauty and diversity of life on our planet as well as providing an insight into the biological interactions found in nature. This editorial celebrates the winning images as selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and senior members of the journal’s editorial board. Enjoy!
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The allelopathic, adhesive, hydrophobic and toxic latex of Euphorbia species is the cause of fairy circles investigated at several locations in Namibia. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 J J Marion Meyer,Christiaan E Schutte,Jan W Hurter,Nicole S Galt,Petunia Degashu,Greg Breetzke,Denis Baranenko,Nicole L Meyer
In this multidisciplinary study we present soil chemical, phytochemical and GIS spatial patterning evidence that fairy circles studied in three separate locations of Namibia may be caused by Euphorbia species. We show that matrix sand coated with E. damarana latex resulted in faster water-infiltration rates. GC-MS analyses revealed that soil from fairy circles and from under decomposing E. damarana
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Response of reindeer mating time to climatic variability. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-07-29 Amélie Paoli,Robert B Weladji,Øystein Holand,Jouko Kumpula
The breeding time of many species has changed over the past 2–3 decades in response to climate change. Yet it is a key reproductive trait that affects individual's parturition time and reproductive success, and thereby population dynamics. In order to predict how climate change will affect species’ viability, it is crucial to understand how species base their reproductive efforts on environmental cues
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Plant species richness increases with light availability, but not variability, in temperate forests understorey. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-07-29 Carsten F Dormann,Maurizio Bagnara,Steffen Boch,Judith Hinderling,Andrea Janeiro-Otero,Deborah Schäfer,Peter Schall,Florian Hartig
Temperate forest understorey vegetation poses an excellent study system to investigate whether increases in resource availability lead to an increase in plant species richness. Most sunlight is absorbed by the species-poor tree canopy, making the much more species-rich understorey species inhabit a severely resource-limited habitat. Additionally, the heterogeneity of light availability, resulting from
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Risk assessment in the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae): intensity of behavioral response differs with predator species. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-07-17 Wanrong Wei,Qiaoyan Zhen,Zhongmin Tang,Maria K Oosthuizen
The ability of a prey species to assess the risk that a predator poses can have important fitness advantages for the prey species. To better understand predator–prey interactions, more species need to be observed to determine how prey behavioral responses differ in intensity when approached by different types of predators. The plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) is preyed upon by all predators occurring
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Using long-term ranging patterns to assess within-group and between-group competition in wild mountain gorillas. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-07-16 Nicole Seiler,Martha M Robbins
Competition within and between social groups determines access to resources and can be inferred from space use parameters that reflect depletion of food resources and competitive abilities of groups. Using location data from 1998 to 2017, we investigated within- and between-group competition in 12 groups of wild mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). As within-group feeding competition is expected
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Soil nematode community and crop productivity in response to 5-year biochar and manure addition to yellow cinnamon soil. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-07-16 Xiaodan Liu,Dengxiao Zhang,Huixin Li,Xiuxiu Qi,Ya Gao,Yibo Zhang,Yanlai Han,Ying Jiang,Hui Li
Manure and biochar soil amendments have shown many benefits to soil quality and crop productivity. This study aimed to reveal the effects of biochar and manure applications on soil fertility improvement and crop productivity in yellow cinnamon soil. This study based on a 5-year field experiment. Four treatments were designed, included the control (CK), biochar amendment, manure amendment, and both
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Correction to: Phylogeography of higher Diptera in glacial and postglacial grasslands in western North America. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-07-09 Anna M Solecki,Jeffrey H Skevington,Christopher M Buddle,Terry A Wheeler
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
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Co-occurrence patterns and the large-scale spatial structure of benthic communities in seagrass meadows and bare sand. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-07-08 Casper Kraan,Simon F Thrush,Carsten F Dormann
Species distribution models are commonly used tools to describe diversity patterns and support conservation measures. There is a wide range of approaches to developing SDMs, each highlighting different characteristics of both the data and the ecology of the species or assemblages represented by the data. Yet, signals of species co-occurrences in community data are usually ignored, due to the assumption
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A quasi-experimental approach using telemetry to assess migration-strategy-specific differences in the decision-making processes at stopover. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-07-08 Heiko Schmaljohann,Thomas Klinner
Migrant birds travel between their breeding areas and wintering grounds by alternating energetically and physiologically demanding flights with periods of rest and fuelling, so-called stopovers. An important intrinsic factor influencing the decision to resume migration is the amount of energy stores available for the next flight. Correlative studies with free-flying birds and experimental studies with
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Spatial conservation prioritisation in data-poor countries: a quantitative sensitivity analysis using multiple taxa. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-06-26 Ahmed El-Gabbas,Francis Gilbert,Carsten F Dormann
Spatial conservation prioritisation (SCP) is a set of computational tools designed to support the efficient spatial allocation of priority areas for conservation actions, but it is subject to many sources of uncertainty which should be accounted for during the prioritisation process. We quantified the sensitivity of an SCP application (using software Zonation) to possible sources of uncertainty in
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State-dependent mortality can enhance behavioral unpredictability. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-06-25 Toshinori Okuyama
Although behavioral unpredictability is widely described within-individual variability in behavior, its adaptive significance is little understood. Using a dynamic state variable model, this study investigated the conditions under which behavioral unpredictability (a component of within-individual variability) in foraging behavior is advantageous. The model considers a situation in which a forager
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Prevalence of monarch (Danaus plexippus) and queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies in West Texas during the fall of 2018. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-06-12 Matthew Z Brym,Cassandra Henry,Shannon P Lukashow-Moore,Brett J Henry,Natasja van Gestel,Ronald J Kendall
The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a conspicuous insect that has experienced a drastic population decline over the past two decades. While there are several factors contributing to dwindling monarch populations, habitat loss is considered the most significant threat to monarchs. In the United States, loss of milkweed, particularly in the Midwest, has greatly reduced the available breeding
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Leopard seal diets in a rapidly warming polar region vary by year, season, sex, and body size. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-06-03 Douglas J Krause,Michael E Goebel,Carolyn M Kurle
Resolving the preferred prey items and dietary proportions of leopard seals is central to understanding food-web dynamics in the rapidly-warming Antarctic Peninsula region. Previous studies have identified a wide range of prey items; however, due to anecdotal or otherwise limited information, leopard seal diets remain unresolved by seal sex, individual, body size, region, and season. Over the 2013
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Year-round spatiotemporal distribution pattern of a threatened sea duck species breeding on Kolguev Island, south-eastern Barents Sea. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-05-25 Thiemo Karwinkel,Ingrid L Pollet,Sandra Vardeh,Helmut Kruckenberg,Petr Glazov,Julia Loshchagina,Alexander Kondratyev,Benjamin Merkel,Jochen Bellebaum,Petra Quillfeldt
The long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) was categorized as ´Vulnerable` by the IUCN after a study revealed a rapid wintering population decline of 65% between 1992–1993 and 2007–2009 in the Baltic Sea. As knowledge about the European long-tailed duck’s life cycle and movement ecology is limited, we investigate its year-round spatiotemporal distribution patterns. Specifically, we aimed to identify
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Seed dispersal of wild radishes and its association with within-population spatial distribution. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-05-11 J Ziffer-Berger,Y Waitz,E Behar,O Ben Joseph,L Bezalel,H Wasserstrom,P K Bajpai,S Bhattacharya,F Przesdzink,E Westberg,K Mummenhoff,O Barazani
BACKGROUND The wild radishes, Raphanus raphanistrum and R. pugioniformis (Brassicaceae) are native to the East Mediterranean region. However, whereas R. raphanistrum is widely distributed worldwide, the endemic R. pugioniformis is limited to specific habitats. In R. raphanistrum the diaspores of the indehiscent fruits comprise glabrous, light, single-seeded segments, whereas the intact fruits of R
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The trinity of ecological contrasts: a case study on rich insect assemblages by means of species, functional and phylogenetic diversity measures. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-05-10 Elia Guariento,Patrick Strutzenberger,Christine Truxa,Konrad Fiedler
BACKGROUND The 'classical' concept of species diversity was extended in the last decades into other dimensions focusing on the functional and phylogenetic diversity of communities. These measures are often argued to allow a deeper understanding of the mechanisms shaping community assembly along environmental gradients. Because of practical impediments, thus far only very few studies evaluated the performance
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Predicting the potential distribution of the parasitic Cuscuta chinensis under global warming. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-05-09 Zichun Ren,Lyuben Zagortchev,Junxia Ma,Ming Yan,Junmin Li
BACKGROUND The climate is the dominant factor that affects the distribution of plants. Cuscuta chinensis is a stem holoparasitic plant without leaves or roots, which develops a haustorium and sucks nutrients from host plants. The potential distribution of the parasitic plant C. chinensis has not been predicted to date. This study used Maxent modeling to predict the potential global distribution of
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Soil properties changes earthworm diversity indices in different agro-ecosystem. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-05-07 Sharanpreet Singh,Ayushi Sharma,Kiran Khajuria,Jaswinder Singh,Adarsh Pal Vig
BACKGROUND Earthworm communities are generally very sensitive to physico-chemical properties of the soil in different agro-ecosystem i.e. cultivated or non-cultivated which directly or indirectly influence the earthworm survival. The difference in physico-chemical properties of soil at different sites contributed to the formation of population patches for earthworm species. Understanding the physico-chemical
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Effects of reproductive resource allocation and pollen density on fertilization success in plants. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-05-02 Elizabeth M Gillet,Hans-Rolf Gregorius
BACKGROUND Declining resources due to climate change may endanger the persistence of populations by reducing fecundity and thus population fitness via effects on gamete production. The optimal mode of generative reproduction allocates the limited resources to ovule and pollen production in proportions that maximize the number of fertilized ovules in the population. In order to locate this optimum and
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Photosynthetic performance and growth responses of Liriope muscari (Decne.) L.H. Bailey (Asparagaceae) planted within poplar forests having different canopy densities. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-04-30 J J Zhang,L Zhu,X Zhang,J Zhou
BACKGROUND Liriope muscari (Decne.) L.H. Bailey is a valuable horticultural and medicinal plant that grows under a range of light intensities, from high to low, in the understories of shrubs. To understand how this species adapts to these various environments, we selected two groups of lilyturf growing under poplar trees at two different spacings. Each group was divided into three types, open field
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How to recover from a bad start: size at metamorphosis affects growth and survival in a tropical amphibian. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-04-21 Diana Székely,Dan Cogălniceanu,Paul Székely,Diego Armijos-Ojeda,Valentina Espinosa-Mogrovejo,Mathieu Denoël
BACKGROUND In species with complex life cycles, size at metamorphosis is a key life-history trait which reflects the complex interactions between costs and benefits of life in the aquatic and terrestrial environments. Whereas the effects of a deteriorating larval habitat (e.g. pond desiccation) on triggering an early metamorphosis have been extensively investigated in amphibians, the consequences of
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Alpine ecology, plant biodiversity and photosynthetic performance of marker plants in a nitrogen gradient induced by Alnus bushes. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-04-20 Rexha Kaltrina,Bego Kristi,Zyruku Dea,Shuka Lulezim,Husi René,Schneller Jakob,Bachofen Reinhard
BACKGROUND Alpine alder vegetation acts upon the nearby grass and dwarf shrub vegetation by the nitrogen supply from the symbiotic bacteria Frankia alni of Alnus viridis. This has been studied in two transects concerning plant distribution, plant diversity, nitrate concentration in soil and photosynthetic performance of specific marker plants. RESULTS Away from the alder stand, a band of some meters
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Genetic diversity and differentiation of populations of Chlorops oryzae (Diptera, Chloropidae). BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-04-15 Ailin Zhou,Ping Tian,Zhongcai Li,Xinwen Li,Xiaoping Tan,Zhengbing Zhang,Lin Qiu,Hualiang He,Wenbing Ding,Youzhi Li
BACKGROUND Chlorops oryzae is an important pest of rice crops. There have been frequent outbreaks of this pest in recent years and it has become the main rice pest in some regions. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of frequent C. oryzae outbreaks, we estimated the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of 20 geographical populations based on a dataset of ISSR markers and COI sequences. RESULTS
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Compound-specific stable isotope analyses in Falkland Islands seabirds reveal seasonal changes in trophic positions. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-04-15 Petra Quillfeldt,Juan F Masello
BACKGROUND While nitrogen and carbon stable isotope values can reflect ecological segregation, prey choice and spatial distribution in seabirds, the interpretation of bulk stable isotope values is frequently hampered by a lack of isotopic baseline data. In this study, we used compound-specific isotope analyses of amino acids (CSIA-AA) to overcome this constraint and to study interspecific differences
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Investigating carbon dioxide absorption by urban trees in a new park of Bangkok, Thailand. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-04-13 Pantana Tor-Ngern,Nisa Leksungnoen
BACKGROUND Trees remove atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, hereafter CO2 absorption (A). Despite growing urban green areas, only a few studies have quantified A of urban trees and assessed their dynamical changes with varying atmospheric conditions. Hence, we investigated A in nine dominant tree species in a new park of Bangkok. RESULTS Results revealed that A of two tree species (Millingtonia
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Potential suitable habitat of Eleusine coracana (L) gaertn (Finger millet) under the climate change scenarios in Nepal. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-04-06 Dol Raj Luitel,Mohan Siwakoti,Mohan D Joshi,Muniappan Rangaswami,Pramod K Jha
Finger millet is the fourth major crop in Nepal and is cultivated in a traditional integrated subsistence system. Timely rain and appropriate temperature predominately affects crop distribution and yield. Climate change is evident in Nepal and it is imperative to understand how it affects habitat suitability of finger millet. Main objective of this study was to map the current suitable habitat and
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Daily fluctuating temperatures decrease growth and reproduction rate of a lethal amphibian fungal pathogen in culture. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-04-03 Alexa L Lindauer,Paul A Maier,Jamie Voyles
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are contributing to species die-offs worldwide. We can better understand EIDs by using ecological approaches to study pathogen biology. For example, pathogens are exposed to variable temperatures across daily, seasonal, and annual scales. Exposure to temperature fluctuations may reduce pathogen growth and reproduction, which could affect pathogen virulence, transmission
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Increased soil moisture aggravated the competitive effects of the invasive tree Rhus typhina on the native tree Cotinus coggygria. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-03-30 Xiao Guo,Zhen-Wei Xu,Ming-Yan Li,Xiao-Huang Ren,Jian Liu,Wei-Hua Guo
Invasive exotic species have caused significant problems, and the effects of extreme precipitation and drought, which might occur more frequently under the global climate change scenarios, on interspecific relationship between invasive and native species remain unclear. We conducted a greenhouse experiment with three soil water levels (30–40%, 50–60%, and 70–80% of field capacity) and two cultivation
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Correction to: American foulbrood in a honeybee colony: spore-symptom relationship and feedbacks between disease and colony development. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-03-23 Jörg G Stephan,Joachim R de Miranda,Eva Forsgren
Unfortunately, the original version of the article [1] contained an error. The author has brought to our attention that the article title is truncated in the published version. The correct title is American foulbrood in a honeybee colony: spore-symptom relationship and feedbacks between disease and colony development. Instead, it was published inadvertently as American foulbrood in a honeybee colony:
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American foulbrood in a honeybee colony: spore-symptom relationship and feedbacks. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-03-06 Jörg G Stephan,Joachim R de Miranda,Eva Forsgren
BACKGROUND The most severe bacterial disease of honeybees is American foulbrood (AFB). The epidemiology of AFB is driven by the extreme spore resilience, the difficulty of bees to remove these spores, and the considerable incidence of undetected spore-producing colonies. The honeybee collective defence mechanisms and their feedback on colony development, which involves a division of labour at multiple
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Coexistence and cooperation in structured habitats. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-03-02 Lukas Geyrhofer,Naama Brenner
BACKGROUND Natural habitats are typically structured, imposing constraints on inhabiting populations and their interactions. Which conditions are important for coexistence of diverse communities, and how cooperative interaction stabilizes in such populations, have been important ecological and evolutionary questions. RESULTS We investigate a minimal ecological framework of microbial population dynamics
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The impact of conventional and organic farming on soil biodiversity conservation: a case study on termites in the long-term farming systems comparison trials in Kenya. BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-02-27 John J Anyango,David Bautze,Komi K M Fiaboe,Zipporah O Lagat,Anne W Muriuki,Sibylle Stöckli,Judith Riedel,Gladys K Onyambu,Martha W Musyoka,Edward N Karanja,Noah Adamtey
BACKGROUND A long-term experiment at two trial sites in Kenya has been on-going since 2007 to assess the effect of organic and conventional farming systems on productivity, profitability and sustainability. During these trials the presence of significant numbers of termites (Isoptera) was observed. Termites are major soil macrofauna and within literature they are either depict as 'pests' or as important
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Effect of food limitation and reproductive activity on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in banded mongooses BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-02-18 Pete N. Laver, André Ganswindt, Stefanie B. Ganswindt, Kathleen A. Alexander
Glucocorticoids mediate responses to perceived stressors, thereby restoring homeostasis. However, prolonged glucocorticoid elevation may cause homeostatic overload. Using extensive field investigations of banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) groups in northern Botswana, we assessed the influence of reproduction, predation risk, and food limitation on apparent homeostatic overload (n=13 groups, 1542 samples
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Prey-switching does not protect a generalist turtle from bioenergetic consequences when its preferred food is scarce BMC Ecol. (IF 3.368) Pub Date : 2020-02-18 Kristen Petrov, Ricky-John Spencer, Natasha Malkiewicz, Jessica Lewis, Claudia Keitel, James U. Van Dyke
Optimal foraging theory explains how animals make foraging decisions based on the availability, nutritional content, and handling times of different food types. Generalists solve this problem by consuming a variety of food types, and alter their diets with relative ease. Specialists eat few food types, and may starve if those food types are not available. We integrated stable isotope analyses with