Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (239)
- Postprint (14)
- Review (13)
- Other (6)
- Conference Proceeding (2)
- Doctoral Thesis (2)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (276)
Keywords
- evolution (5)
- ancient DNA (4)
- conservation (4)
- global change (4)
- home range (4)
- population dynamics (4)
- Chlamydomonas (3)
- Land-use intensity (3)
- MADS-domain transcription factor (3)
- Microtus arvalis (3)
- allometry (3)
- animal movement (3)
- cis-regulatory evolution (3)
- climate change (3)
- connectivity (3)
- dispersal (3)
- kernel density estimation (3)
- plant development (3)
- range dynamics (3)
- Aphid host (2)
- Aphidius ervi (2)
- Biodiversity (2)
- CCM (2)
- Chemosensory genes (2)
- Crotalus (2)
- DNA methylation loss (2)
- European Multi Lake Survey (2)
- Felidae (2)
- GC content (2)
- Lysiphlebus fabarum (2)
- Microsatellites (2)
- Mojave toxin (2)
- MtDNA (2)
- Nitrogen (2)
- Parasitoid wasp (2)
- Pipistrellus nathusii (2)
- Southeast Asia (2)
- Species loss (2)
- Toll and Imd pathways (2)
- Venom proteins (2)
- acidophile (2)
- acoustic communication (2)
- adaptation (2)
- anatoxin (2)
- animal migration (2)
- animal personality (2)
- area-based conservation (2)
- artificial intelligence (2)
- autocorrelation (2)
- automated radio telemetry (2)
- bats (2)
- behavioral type (2)
- biodiversity (2)
- biogeography (2)
- biomass (2)
- conservation genetics (2)
- cylindrospermopsin (2)
- de novo genome assembly (2)
- direct effects (2)
- eavesdropping (2)
- echolocation (2)
- ecosystem services (2)
- extremophile (2)
- fitness (2)
- food webs (2)
- forest management (2)
- functional traits (2)
- hierarchy-of-hypotheses approach (2)
- hybridization (2)
- indirect effects (2)
- inorganic carbon uptake kinetics (2)
- introgression (2)
- last glacial maximum (2)
- machine learning (2)
- meta-analysis (2)
- microcystin (2)
- microsatellites (2)
- molecular evolution (2)
- multidiversity (2)
- next generation sequencing (2)
- nutrient limitation (2)
- parentage (2)
- phonotaxis (2)
- phytoplankton (2)
- playback (2)
- reproductive success (2)
- reserve design (2)
- scaling (2)
- soil aggregation (2)
- spatial distribution (2)
- sphingosine-1-phosphate (2)
- synthesis (2)
- systematic review (2)
- temperature (2)
- venom (2)
- 16S rRNA (1)
- 2-deoxy-D-ribose-5-phosphate aldolase (1)
- AAP bacteria (1)
- AFLP (1)
- AMSTAR (1)
- AMSTAR 2 (1)
- Access and Benefit Sharing ABS (1)
- Acinetobacter baumannii (1)
- Aeridinae (1)
- Africa (1)
- Agri-environmental schemes (1)
- Agricultural intensification (1)
- Agricultural landscape (1)
- Agro-ecosystems (1)
- AgroScapeLabs (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Alectrurus risora (1)
- Allometry (1)
- Amphibia (1)
- Annual plant communities (1)
- Annuals (1)
- Anthropocene (1)
- Anura (1)
- Aquatic fungi (1)
- Aquifers (1)
- Arabidopsis thaliana (1)
- Architecture (1)
- Ascocentrum (1)
- Assembly pattern (1)
- Asteraceae (1)
- Atelerix albiventris (1)
- Atelerix algirus (1)
- B12-dependent 1,2-propanediol degradation (1)
- Bat rabies (1)
- Berlin (1)
- Bioclimatic envelope modelling (1)
- Biodiversity Exploratories (1)
- Biodiversity exploratories (1)
- Biodiversity indicators (1)
- Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (1)
- Biomass nutrient concentrations (1)
- Body mass-abundance (1)
- Body size (1)
- Bottom-up effect (1)
- Bottom-up effects (1)
- Broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy (1)
- CD spectroscopy (1)
- CDOM (1)
- CO2 concentrating mechanism (1)
- CO2 conditions (1)
- CO2 limitation (1)
- CO2 supply (1)
- CSF (1)
- CWSI (1)
- Caenorhabditis elegans (1)
- Carbon cycling (1)
- Cellular phosphorus (1)
- Childhood traits and disorders (1)
- Chlorella (1)
- Chromatin Accessibility (1)
- Chronic exposure (1)
- Climate change manipulations (1)
- Climate-change ecology (1)
- Coating (1)
- Coexistence mechanisms (1)
- Cold (1)
- Collection (1)
- Collection date (1)
- Collembolans (1)
- Common vole (1)
- Community assembly (1)
- Community composition (1)
- Connectance (1)
- Consortium (1)
- Convention on Biological Diversity CBD (1)
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES (1)
- Country of origin (1)
- Culicivora caudacuta (1)
- Cutting frequency (1)
- Cyanobacteria (1)
- DOC (1)
- Dactylis glomerata (1)
- Daphnia (1)
- Delta F508 mutation (1)
- Dispersal limitation (1)
- Dynamic modeling (1)
- Ecological network (1)
- Ecological stoichiometry (1)
- Ecological synthesis (1)
- Ecosystem processes (1)
- Environmental risk (1)
- Euanthe (1)
- European Union EU (1)
- European bat species (1)
- European bats (1)
- Exotic bird species (1)
- Experimental evidence (1)
- Export (1)
- Extinction cascades (1)
- Extinction risk (1)
- FRUITFULL (1)
- FT-ICR MS (1)
- Fatty acids (1)
- Fertilization (1)
- Festuca brevipila (1)
- Flat-headed cat (1)
- Floral Meristem (1)
- Floral Organ (1)
- Flower Development (1)
- Fluctuating asymmetry (1)
- Fluorescence microscopy (1)
- Fodder quality (1)
- Food web robustness (1)
- Forest edge (1)
- Freshwater microalgae (1)
- Functional bat group (1)
- Generality (1)
- Genetic structure (1)
- Genetic variability (1)
- Genetics (1)
- Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) (1)
- Grassland (1)
- Grassland diversity (1)
- Grassland management (1)
- Grasslands (1)
- Groundwater (1)
- Growth Regulate Factor (1)
- Gubernatrix cristata (1)
- Gutmicrobiota (1)
- Habitat gradients (1)
- Habitat specialist (1)
- Harmful algal blooms (1)
- Hedgerow (1)
- Heterocarpy (1)
- High-throughput next-generation sequencing (1)
- Hill exponent (1)
- Hill numbers (1)
- Human used-drugs (1)
- Humic acids (1)
- Hund (1)
- Hybrid capture (1)
- Hybrids (1)
- Hydrogen peroxide (1)
- Iberia (1)
- Import (1)
- Individual size (1)
- Influenza A virus (1)
- Javan leopard (1)
- Jena experiment (1)
- Kalzium (1)
- Keystone species (1)
- Kriging (1)
- Land-use impacts (1)
- Langmuir-Schaefer (1)
- Leber congenital amaurosis (1)
- Legislation (1)
- Lesion formation (1)
- Limnology (1)
- Livestock density (1)
- Local plant-abundance (1)
- Longitudinal (1)
- MADS-box transcription factor (1)
- MHC diversity (1)
- Management intensity (1)
- Management units (1)
- Meadows (1)
- Methodological quality (1)
- Microarrays (1)
- Microbiota (1)
- Microcystins (1)
- Microcystis aeruginosa (1)
- Microplastics (1)
- Migration (1)
- Military areas (1)
- Mitogenome (1)
- NRPS (1)
- Natura 2000 (1)
- Neofinetia (1)
- Niche partitioning (1)
- Nitrogen cycling (1)
- Ntn hydrolases (1)
- Null model (1)
- Nutrient availability (1)
- Nyquist-shannon sampling theorem (1)
- One Plan Approach (1)
- Organic farming (1)
- PEG model (1)
- PHS2 (1)
- PIF (1)
- PKS (1)
- Paraechinus aethiopicus (1)
- Partial Little Square (1)
- Pastures (1)
- Permits (1)
- Phosphorus (1)
- Phylogeny (1)
- Plant community ecology (1)
- Plant functional groups (1)
- Plant soil feedbacks (1)
- Plant-soil feedback (1)
- Plastic surfaces (1)
- Pleistocene (1)
- Pollution (1)
- Polyurie/ Polydipsie (1)
- Pond (1)
- Population cycle (1)
- Population structure (1)
- Precipitation gradient (1)
- Protein-lipid interaction (1)
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1)
- Quantitative Trait Locus (1)
- Quantitative Trait Locus analysis (1)
- ROBIS (1)
- Rainfall niche (1)
- Rank-abundance (1)
- Rarity (1)
- Research samples (1)
- Risk of bias (1)
- SAUR (1)
- SPR (1)
- Sahara-Sahel (1)
- Scenedesmus (1)
- Schimmelpilzinfektion (1)
- Seasonality (1)
- Secondary extinctions (1)
- Selection (1)
- Senior-LOken syndrome (1)
- Size structure (1)
- Soil (1)
- Somateria mollissima (1)
- Species richness (1)
- Specimens (1)
- Sphingosine (1)
- Stability (1)
- Stable isotopes (1)
- Staphylococcus aureus (1)
- Sturnus (1)
- Systematic review (1)
- Systems biology (1)
- Tadpoles (1)
- Toba eruption (1)
- Toba volcanic eruption (1)
- Top-down effect (1)
- Transport (1)
- Trophic interactions (1)
- Tyrannidae (1)
- Ursus arctos (1)
- Ursus spelaeus (1)
- Variance partitioning (1)
- Vegetation continuum (1)
- Ventilation (1)
- Ventilator-induced lung injury (1)
- Virus assembly (1)
- Vulnerability (1)
- Water resources (1)
- Wind turbines (1)
- ZooMS (1)
- actuation (1)
- acute lung injury (1)
- admixture (1)
- agricultural grasslands (1)
- amino acids (1)
- amyloid precursor protein (1)
- amyloid precursor-like protein (1)
- anatomy (1)
- ancestral state reconstruction (1)
- anhydrase CAH3 (1)
- apple (1)
- arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (1)
- aridity gradient (1)
- atomic force microscopy (1)
- auxin (1)
- baps (1)
- benzimidazoles (1)
- beta diversity (1)
- beta-diversity (1)
- bio-optical modeling (1)
- biodiversity conservation (1)
- biodiversity exploratories (1)
- biodiversity loss (1)
- bioenergetic model (1)
- biomarker (1)
- biomass allocation (1)
- biomaterials (1)
- bird community (1)
- branching (1)
- calcium (1)
- calcium binding (1)
- captive populations (1)
- carbon (1)
- carbon acquisition (1)
- carbon concentrating mechanism (1)
- carbon uptake kinetics (1)
- chlorophyll fluorescence (1)
- chromatin accessibility (1)
- classification (1)
- climate variability (1)
- cloud (1)
- co2 concentrating mechanism (1)
- co2 concentration (1)
- coexistence (1)
- community assembly rules (1)
- community phylogenetics (1)
- community structure (1)
- complex food webs (1)
- computer tomography (1)
- conservation biology (1)
- conservation evaluation (1)
- correlation (1)
- corrinoid-containing enzymes (1)
- cryptic diversity (1)
- cystic fibrosis (1)
- dark diversity (1)
- density (1)
- development goals (1)
- dispersal mortality (1)
- distribution (1)
- disulfide bridges (1)
- diversification (1)
- diyabc (1)
- dog (1)
- drought (1)
- eco-evolutionary experience (1)
- ecological stoichiometry (1)
- ecosystem engineering (1)
- ecosystem functioning (1)
- ecosystem productivity (1)
- eider duck (1)
- empirical dynamic modelling (1)
- endangered species (1)
- endophytes (1)
- environmental genomics (1)
- enzyme activities (1)
- enzyme immobilization (1)
- epidemiology (1)
- evolutionary history (1)
- exposure time (1)
- expression (1)
- extinction (1)
- extinctions (1)
- extreme events (1)
- facilitation (1)
- feature selection (1)
- fertilization (1)
- fish (1)
- floral meristem (1)
- floral organ (1)
- flower development (1)
- food quality (1)
- food web (1)
- forecasting (1)
- forest specialists (1)
- freshwater (1)
- freshwater lakes (1)
- functional morphology (1)
- gamma diversity (1)
- gene flow (1)
- generalists (1)
- genomics (1)
- grain size (1)
- grassland management (1)
- grazing (1)
- green algae (1)
- green-green dilemma (1)
- gross primary production (1)
- growth (1)
- growth regulate factor (1)
- heat (1)
- heterogeneity (1)
- heterosis (1)
- high density (1)
- high-frequency sensors (1)
- homing (1)
- homology (1)
- hormones (1)
- human-wildlife conflict (1)
- hunting (1)
- hybrid capture (1)
- hyper spectral (1)
- hyperspectral measurements (1)
- immunonutrition (1)
- in-situ (1)
- incubation (1)
- indirect fitness (1)
- information theory (1)
- inland water (1)
- inorganic phosphorus limitation (1)
- interaction modification (1)
- intermediate disturbance hypothesis (1)
- intestine (1)
- intraspecific brood parasitism (1)
- inversion (1)
- invertebrates (1)
- island biogeography (1)
- islands as model systems (1)
- lake monitoring (1)
- land use (1)
- land use change (1)
- land-use (1)
- land-use change (1)
- land-use intensity (1)
- landscape structure (1)
- latitude (1)
- latitudinal gradients (1)
- leucine amino peptidases (1)
- lifetime (1)
- light response (1)
- light signaling (1)
- lipid profiling (1)
- lipoproteins (1)
- local convex hull (1)
- low light stress conditions (1)
- lyssavirus (1)
- machinelearning (1)
- macrophytes (1)
- management zone (1)
- marine mammal (1)
- matK (1)
- maternal effects (1)
- mesocosm (1)
- metabolism (1)
- metabolite profiling (1)
- metacommunity dynamics (1)
- metagenomics 2.0 (1)
- microbes (1)
- microparticles (1)
- microplastics (1)
- minimum convex polygon (1)
- mitochondrial DNA (1)
- morphological analysis (1)
- morphology (1)
- mould fungus (1)
- movement barrier (1)
- mowing (1)
- multi-lake snapshot surveys (1)
- multi-species hierarchical modelling (1)
- multifunctionality (1)
- multitrophic interactions (1)
- nephrocystins (1)
- nephronophthisis (1)
- neurodegeneration (1)
- neuronal adhesion (1)
- neutral theory (1)
- nitrogen (1)
- non-trophic interactions (1)
- nonlinear dynamics (1)
- novel ecosystems (1)
- number and brightness (1)
- nutrient stoichiometry (1)
- nutrient-stress (1)
- nutrition (1)
- omega-3 (1)
- orthorhombic form (1)
- pH-drift (1)
- palaeogenome (1)
- palaeogenomics (1)
- paleogenetics (1)
- parchment (1)
- patch occupancy (1)
- permafrost (1)
- permutation entropy (1)
- petrous bone (1)
- phosphorus limitation (1)
- phosphorylase (1)
- photoheterotrophy (1)
- photosynthesis response (1)
- phytochrome (1)
- phytoplankton ecology (1)
- plant architecture (1)
- plant breeding (1)
- plant functional traits (1)
- plant yield (1)
- plant-soil (belowground) interactions (1)
- plasma (1)
- pneumococcal pneumonia (1)
- poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (1)
- polymeric thin film (1)
- polyunsaturated fatty acids (1)
- polyuria/polydipsia (1)
- precision agriculture (1)
- profiling buoys (1)
- protein (1)
- proteomics (1)
- psbA-trnH (1)
- pufM gene (1)
- random forest (1)
- range distribution (1)
- recombinant inbred line (1)
- reductive dehalogenase (1)
- relatedness (1)
- remote sensing (1)
- respiration stratified lakes (1)
- rhizosphere (1)
- rivers (1)
- salinity (1)
- salmonella typhimurium (1)
- saprobic fungi (1)
- saproxylic beetles (1)
- seed nitrogen (1)
- seed predation (1)
- seed provisioning (1)
- seedlings (1)
- senescence (1)
- sexual reproduction (1)
- shape-memory polymers (1)
- sheep (1)
- shifting baselines (1)
- silviculture (1)
- size structure (1)
- skull (1)
- snake evolution (1)
- sociality (1)
- soil (1)
- soil microbiome (1)
- soluble heteroglycans (1)
- source-sink dynamics (1)
- space use (1)
- space-for-time substitution (1)
- spatial grain (1)
- specialisation (1)
- specialists (1)
- speciation (1)
- species accumulation curve (1)
- species richness (1)
- species turnover (1)
- specific root length (1)
- sphingolipids (1)
- sphingosine kinase 1 (1)
- sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (1)
- stable carbon isotope discrimination (1)
- stoichiometry (1)
- stress-gradient hypothesis (1)
- structure (1)
- subsurface chlorophyll maximum (1)
- succession (1)
- surface reflection (1)
- surveillance (1)
- sustainable (1)
- synthetic biology (1)
- telemetry (1)
- temperate forests (1)
- tetragonal form (1)
- thermostability (1)
- thiolactone (1)
- time series analysis (1)
- tracking data (1)
- trade-offs (1)
- trait phylogenetic conservatism (1)
- traits (1)
- transcript profiling (1)
- transcriptomics (1)
- trnL (1)
- trnL-F (1)
- trophic ecology (1)
- trophic interactions (1)
- untargeted metabolomics (1)
- urban ecology (1)
- vitamin B-12 (1)
- vulgaris (1)
- water resources (1)
- water-stable aggregates (1)
- wetlands (1)
- wildlife casualties (1)
- wind energy bat conflict (1)
- wood anemone (1)
- yedoma (1)
- zinc (1)
- zooplankton (1)
Institute
- Institut für Biochemie und Biologie (276) (remove)
In late summer, migratory bats of the temperate zone face the challenge of accomplishing two energy-demanding tasks almost at the same time: migration and mating. Both require information and involve search efforts, such as localizing prey or finding potential mates. In non-migrating bat species, playback studies showed that listening to vocalizations of other bats, both con-and heterospecifics, may help a recipient bat to find foraging patches and mating sites. However, we are still unaware of the degree to which migrating bats depend on con-or heterospecific vocalizations for identifying potential feeding or mating opportunities during nightly transit flights. Here, we investigated the vocal responses of Nathusius’ pipistrelle bats, Pipistrellus nathusii, to simulated feeding and courtship aggregations at a coastal migration corridor. We presented migrating bats either feeding buzzes or courtship calls of their own or a heterospecific migratory species, the common noctule, Nyctalus noctula. We expected that during migratory transit flights, simulated feeding opportunities would be particularly attractive to bats, as well as simulated mating opportunities which may indicate suitable roosts for a stopover. However, we found that when compared to the natural silence of both pre-and post-playback phases, bats called indifferently during the playback of conspecific feeding sounds, whereas P. nathusii echolocation call activity increased during simulated feeding of N. noctula. In contrast, the call activity of P. nathusii decreased during the playback of conspecific courtship calls, while no response could be detected when heterospecific call types were broadcasted. Our results suggest that while on migratory transits, P. nathusii circumnavigate conspecific mating aggregations, possibly to save time or to reduce the risks associated with social interactions where aggression due to territoriality might be expected. This avoidance behavior could be a result of optimization strategies by P. nathusii when performing long-distance migratory flights, and it could also explain the lack of a response to simulated conspecific feeding. However, the observed increase of activity in response to simulated feeding of N. noctula, suggests that P. nathusii individuals may be eavesdropping on other aerial hawking insectivorous species during migration, especially if these occupy a slightly different foraging niche.
In late summer, migratory bats of the temperate zone face the challenge of accomplishing two energy-demanding tasks almost at the same time: migration and mating. Both require information and involve search efforts, such as localizing prey or finding potential mates. In non-migrating bat species, playback studies showed that listening to vocalizations of other bats, both con-and heterospecifics, may help a recipient bat to find foraging patches and mating sites. However, we are still unaware of the degree to which migrating bats depend on con-or heterospecific vocalizations for identifying potential feeding or mating opportunities during nightly transit flights. Here, we investigated the vocal responses of Nathusius’ pipistrelle bats, Pipistrellus nathusii, to simulated feeding and courtship aggregations at a coastal migration corridor. We presented migrating bats either feeding buzzes or courtship calls of their own or a heterospecific migratory species, the common noctule, Nyctalus noctula. We expected that during migratory transit flights, simulated feeding opportunities would be particularly attractive to bats, as well as simulated mating opportunities which may indicate suitable roosts for a stopover. However, we found that when compared to the natural silence of both pre-and post-playback phases, bats called indifferently during the playback of conspecific feeding sounds, whereas P. nathusii echolocation call activity increased during simulated feeding of N. noctula. In contrast, the call activity of P. nathusii decreased during the playback of conspecific courtship calls, while no response could be detected when heterospecific call types were broadcasted. Our results suggest that while on migratory transits, P. nathusii circumnavigate conspecific mating aggregations, possibly to save time or to reduce the risks associated with social interactions where aggression due to territoriality might be expected. This avoidance behavior could be a result of optimization strategies by P. nathusii when performing long-distance migratory flights, and it could also explain the lack of a response to simulated conspecific feeding. However, the observed increase of activity in response to simulated feeding of N. noctula, suggests that P. nathusii individuals may be eavesdropping on other aerial hawking insectivorous species during migration, especially if these occupy a slightly different foraging niche.
Fluctuating asymmetries (FA) are small stress-induced random deviations from perfect symmetry that arise during the development of bilaterally symmetrical traits. One of the factors that can reduce developmental stability of the individuals and cause FA at a population level is the loss of genetic variation. Populations of founding colonists frequently have lower genetic variation than their ancestral populations that could be reflected in a higher level of FA. The European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is native to Eurasia and was introduced successfully in the USA in 1890 and Argentina in 1983. In this study, we documented the genetic diversity and FA of starlings from England (ancestral population), USA (primary introduction) and Argentina (secondary introduction). We predicted the Argentinean starlings would have the highest level of FA and lowest genetic diversity of the three populations. We captured wild adult European starlings in England, USA, and Argentina, measured their mtDNA diversity and allowed them to molt under standardized conditions to evaluate their FA of primary feathers. For genetic analyses, we extracted DNA from blood samples of individuals from Argentina and USA and from feather samples from individuals from England and sequenced the mitochondrial control region. Starlings in Argentina showed the highest composite FA and exhibited the lowest haplotype and nucleotide diversity. The USA population showed a level of FA and genetic diversity similar to the native population. Therefore, the level of asymmetry and genetic diversity found among these populations was consistent with our predictions based on their invasion history.
Fitness, risk taking, and spatial behavior covary with boldness in experimental vole populations
(2022)
Individuals of a population may vary along a pace-of-life syndrome from highly fecund, short-lived, bold, dispersive “fast” types at one end of the spectrum to less fecund, long-lived, shy, plastic “slow” types at the other end. Risk-taking behavior might mediate the underlying life history trade-off, but empirical evidence supporting this hypothesis is still ambiguous. Using experimentally created populations of common voles (Microtus arvalis)—a species with distinct seasonal life history trajectories—we aimed to test whether individual differences in boldness behavior covary with risk taking, space use, and fitness. We quantified risk taking, space use (via automated tracking), survival, and reproductive success (via genetic parentage analysis) in 8 to 14 experimental, mixed-sex populations of 113 common voles of known boldness type in large grassland enclosures over a significant part of their adult life span and two reproductive events. Populations were assorted to contain extreme boldness types (bold or shy) of both sexes. Bolder individuals took more risks than shyer ones, which did not affect survival. Bolder males but not females produced more offspring than shy conspecifics. Daily home range and core area sizes, based on 95% and 50% Kernel density estimates (20 ± 10 per individual, n = 54 individuals), were highly repeatable over time. Individual space use unfolded differently for sex-boldness type combinations over the course of the experiment. While day ranges decreased for shy females, they increased for bold females and all males. Space use trajectories may, hence, indicate differences in coping styles when confronted with a novel social and physical environment. Thus, interindividual differences in boldness predict risk taking under near-natural conditions and have consequences for fitness in males, which have a higher reproductive potential than females. Given extreme inter- and intra-annual fluctuations in population density in the study species and its short life span, density-dependent fluctuating selection operating differently on the sexes might maintain (co)variation in boldness, risk taking, and pace-of-life.
Fitness, risk taking, and spatial behavior covary with boldness in experimental vole populations
(2022)
Individuals of a population may vary along a pace-of-life syndrome from highly fecund, short-lived, bold, dispersive “fast” types at one end of the spectrum to less fecund, long-lived, shy, plastic “slow” types at the other end. Risk-taking behavior might mediate the underlying life history trade-off, but empirical evidence supporting this hypothesis is still ambiguous. Using experimentally created populations of common voles (Microtus arvalis)—a species with distinct seasonal life history trajectories—we aimed to test whether individual differences in boldness behavior covary with risk taking, space use, and fitness. We quantified risk taking, space use (via automated tracking), survival, and reproductive success (via genetic parentage analysis) in 8 to 14 experimental, mixed-sex populations of 113 common voles of known boldness type in large grassland enclosures over a significant part of their adult life span and two reproductive events. Populations were assorted to contain extreme boldness types (bold or shy) of both sexes. Bolder individuals took more risks than shyer ones, which did not affect survival. Bolder males but not females produced more offspring than shy conspecifics. Daily home range and core area sizes, based on 95% and 50% Kernel density estimates (20 ± 10 per individual, n = 54 individuals), were highly repeatable over time. Individual space use unfolded differently for sex-boldness type combinations over the course of the experiment. While day ranges decreased for shy females, they increased for bold females and all males. Space use trajectories may, hence, indicate differences in coping styles when confronted with a novel social and physical environment. Thus, interindividual differences in boldness predict risk taking under near-natural conditions and have consequences for fitness in males, which have a higher reproductive potential than females. Given extreme inter- and intra-annual fluctuations in population density in the study species and its short life span, density-dependent fluctuating selection operating differently on the sexes might maintain (co)variation in boldness, risk taking, and pace-of-life.
Review exploring the regulation of PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORS by light, their role in abiotic stress tolerance and plant architecture, and their influence on crop productivity.
Light is a key determinant for plant growth, development, and ultimately yield. Phytochromes, red/far-red photoreceptors, play an important role in plant architecture, stress tolerance, and productivity. In the model plant Arabidopsis, it has been shown that PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs; bHLH transcription factors) act as central hubs in the integration of external stimuli to regulate plant development. Recent studies have unveiled the importance of PIFs in crops. They are involved in the modulation of plant architecture and productivity through the regulation of cell division and elongation in response to different environmental cues. These studies show that different PIFs have overlapping but also distinct functions in the regulation of plant growth. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms by which PIFs regulate plant development is crucial to improve crop productivity under both optimal and adverse environmental conditions. In this review, we discuss current knowledge of PIFs acting as integrators of light and other signals in different crops, with particular focus on the role of PIFs in responding to different environmental conditions and how this can be used to improve crop productivity.
Wind turbines without curtailment produce large numbers of bat fatalities throughout their lifetime
(2022)
Bats are protected by national and international legislation in European countries, yet many species, particularly migratory aerial insectivores, collide with wind turbines which counteracts conservation efforts. Within the European Union it is legally required to curtail the operation of wind turbines at periods of high bat activity, yet this is not practiced at old wind turbines. Based on data from the national carcass repository in Germany and from our own carcass searches at a wind park with three turbines west of Berlin, we evaluated the magnitude of bat casualties at old, potentially poor-sited wind turbines operating without curtailment. We report 88 documented bat carcasses collected by various searchers over the 20-year operation period of this wind park from 2001 to 2021. Common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) and common pipistrelles (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) were most often found dead at these turbines. Our search campaign in August and September 2021 yielded a total of 18 carcasses. We estimated that at least 209 bats were likely killed during our field survey, yielding more than 70 casualties/wind turbine or 39 casualties/ MW in two months. Since our campaign covered only part of the migration season, we consider this value as an underestimate. The 20-year period of the wind park emphasises the substantial impact old turbines may have on bat individuals and populations when operating without curtailments. We call for reconsidering the operation procedures of old wind turbines to stop the continuous loss of bats in Germany and other countries where turbine curtailments are even less practiced than in Germany.
Deconstructing the Gestalt
(2021)
Snakes-a subset of lizards-have traditionally been divided into two major groups based on feeding mechanics: "macrostomy," involving the ingestion of proportionally large prey items; and "microstomy," the lack of this ability. "Microstomy"-considered present in scolecophidian and early-diverging alethinophidian snakes-is generally viewed as a symplesiomorphy shared with non-snake lizards. However, this perspective of "microstomy" as plesiomorphic and morphologically homogenous fails to recognize the complexity of this condition and its evolution across "microstomatan" squamates. To challenge this problematic paradigm, we formalize a new framework for conceptualizing and testing the homology of overall character complexes, or "morphotypes," which underlies our re-assessment of "microstomy." Using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scans, we analyze the morphology of the jaws and suspensorium across purported "microstomatan" squamates (scolecophidians, early-diverging alethinophidians, and non-snake lizards) and demonstrate that key components of the jaw complex are not homologous at the level of primary character state identity across these taxa. Therefore, rather than treating "microstomy" as a uniform condition, we instead propose that non-snake lizards, early-diverging alethinophidians, anomalepidids, leptotyphlopids, and typhlopoids each exhibit a unique and nonhomologous jaw morphotype: "minimal-kinesis microstomy," "snout-shifting," "axle-brace maxillary raking," "mandibular raking," and "single-axle maxillary raking," respectively. The lack of synapomorphy among scolecophidians is inconsistent with the notion of scolecophidians representing an ancestral snake condition, and instead reflects a hypothesis of the independent evolution of fossoriality, miniaturization, and "microstomy" in each scolecophidian lineage. We ultimately emphasize that a rigorous approach to comparative anatomy is necessary in constructing evolutionary hypotheses that accurately reflect biological reality.
Reliably modelling the demographic and distributional responses of a species to environmental changes can be crucial for successful conservation and management planning. Process-based models have the potential to achieve this goal, but so far they remain underused for predictions of species' distributions. Individual-based models offer the additional capability to model inter-individual variation and evolutionary dynamics and thus capture adaptive responses to environmental change. We present RangeShiftR, an R implementation of a flexible individual-based modelling platform which simulates eco-evolutionary dynamics in a spatially explicit way. The package provides flexible and fast simulations by making the software RangeShifter available for the widely used statistical programming platform R. The package features additional auxiliary functions to support model specification and analysis of results. We provide an outline of the package's functionality, describe the underlying model structure with its main components and present a short example. RangeShiftR offers substantial model complexity, especially for the demographic and dispersal processes. It comes with elaborate tutorials and comprehensive documentation to facilitate learning the software and provide help at all levels. As the core code is implemented in C++, the computations are fast. The complete source code is published under a public licence, making adaptations and contributions feasible. The RangeShiftR package facilitates the application of individual-based and mechanistic modelling to eco-evolutionary questions by operating a flexible and powerful simulation model from R. It allows effortless interoperation with existing packages to create streamlined workflows that can include data preparation, integrated model specification and results analysis. Moreover, the implementation in R strengthens the potential for coupling RangeShiftR with other models.
Reliably modelling the demographic and distributional responses of a species to environmental changes can be crucial for successful conservation and management planning. Process-based models have the potential to achieve this goal, but so far they remain underused for predictions of species' distributions. Individual-based models offer the additional capability to model inter-individual variation and evolutionary dynamics and thus capture adaptive responses to environmental change. We present RangeShiftR, an R implementation of a flexible individual-based modelling platform which simulates eco-evolutionary dynamics in a spatially explicit way. The package provides flexible and fast simulations by making the software RangeShifter available for the widely used statistical programming platform R. The package features additional auxiliary functions to support model specification and analysis of results. We provide an outline of the package's functionality, describe the underlying model structure with its main components and present a short example. RangeShiftR offers substantial model complexity, especially for the demographic and dispersal processes. It comes with elaborate tutorials and comprehensive documentation to facilitate learning the software and provide help at all levels. As the core code is implemented in C++, the computations are fast. The complete source code is published under a public licence, making adaptations and contributions feasible. The RangeShiftR package facilitates the application of individual-based and mechanistic modelling to eco-evolutionary questions by operating a flexible and powerful simulation model from R. It allows effortless interoperation with existing packages to create streamlined workflows that can include data preparation, integrated model specification and results analysis. Moreover, the implementation in R strengthens the potential for coupling RangeShiftR with other models.