Journal highlights
Articles highlighted by the Editors or readers of the journal
(images are provided by Authors and under copyright)
Complexity of multitrophic interactions in a grassland ecosystem depends on plant species diversity
Authors: Michael Rzanny and Winfried Voigt
Published online: 31 JAN 2012, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2012.01951.x
Plants interact in multifaceted ways with the insect- and spider communities co-occurring with them. For example, plants offer food and shelter and may suppress or facilitate the abundance of animal species by providing a specific architectural vegetation structure and microclimate. Therefore, the loss of plant species from ecological communities may have important implications for the structure and functioning of the entire ecological community depending on these plants. Presuming that ecological communities should be defined by interactions between their species rather than by their species number we describe ecological communities as networks of interacting functional groups (groups of ecologically equivalent species). This reflects a simple and manageable image of an ecological community while retaining information on complex interactions.
We compared the interaction networks of experimental grassland communities differing in plant species richness and found that the interaction networks of less diverse plots had a simpler structure and less connected when compared to the more diverse plots. Simplified interaction structure has the potential to decrease and destabilise ecosystem processes. This will very likely change ecosystem properties such as community robustness or tolerance to disturbance.
Our results suggest that the functioning of the entire ecological community is critically linked to the diversity of its component plants species. Aerial image, courtesy Michael Rzanny showing the experimental grassland plots of "The Jena Experiment" located near Jena, Germany.
Response of butterflies to structural and resource boundaries
Authors: Cheryl Schultz, Aldina Franco and Elizabeth Crone
Published online: 24 JAN 2012, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01947.x
Animal movement often differs between "habitat" and "non-habitat", but delineation of habitat in behavioral studies is sometimes vague. In reality, suitable habitat is determined by combination of structural features and resource patches, and these do not necessarily co-occur on the landscape. The authors show that butterflies respond more strongly to resource patches than to structural barriers, and that responses differ among males and females. These differences are expected from a habitat-selection perspective but they are often ignored in movement studies. These results demonstrate the importance of linking ideas from behavioural and population ecology. Image is a female Fender's blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides fenderi) perched on a Kincaid's lupine inflorescence (Lupinus oreganus) taken by Matt Benotsch with the Nature Conservancy.
Authors: Marie-Andrée Giroux, Dominique Berteaux, Nicolas Lecomte1, Gilles Gauthier, Guillaume Szor and Joël Bêty
Published online: 23 JAN 2012, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01944.x
This is a study on demographic processes and population dynamics using stable isotope analysis and linking ecosystems. It shows how the input of energy due to the large-scale migration of prey (geese) affects the functional and reproductive responses of an opportunistic consumer, (the Arctic Fox). This study also led to the development of an innovative statistical routine that allows inclusion of isotopically-derived estimates of diet in a robust statistical framework. It clearly opens new avenues to quantify the interplay between resource use and various individual and environmental variables. Image is an adult arctic fox staring at a goose nest in Karrak Lake (Northwest Territories, Canada) provided by Nicolas Lecomte
Seasonal patterns of predation for gray wolves in the multi-prey system of Yellowstone National Park
Authors: Matthew Metz, Douglas Smith, John Vucetich, Daniel Stahler, Rolf Peterson
Published online: 19 JAN 2012, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01945.x
This long term study produced findings about predation rates that differed from previous assessments. Specifically, wolves in Yellowstone acquire prey biomass at the highest rate during late winter and spring when they primarily kill large, adult elk that are in poor nutritional condition. Conversely, when such prey are in better nutritional condition during summer and early winter, wolves most often kill young-of-the-year and deer, both of which were more abundant within the study area during these periods. Because young-of-the-year and deer are relatively small, the rate at which wolves acquire prey biomass is lowest during summer and early winter. Ultimately, the authors' findings offer significant insight into how and why characteristics of wolf predation vary among seasons. Image is of Yellowstone wolves feeding on a wolf-killed bull elk in late winter, and was taken by Douglas Smith NPS.
Wet season range fidelity in a tropical migratory ungulate
Authors: Thomas Morrison and Douglas Bolger
Published online: 18 JAN 2012, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01941.x
We examined whether migratory adult wildebeest return to the same wet-season ranges each year in Northern Tanzania. This is important for both ecological and conservation reasons because if animals always return to the same ranges, the population as a whole may lack an inherent flexibility to change their migration patterns in face of declining quality and loss of habitat in one or more of the ranges. Wildebeest exhibit high fidelity to wet season ranges. Most of the switching between ranges involved female wildebeest who were pregnant in the initial year. Even though animals from both migratory ranges mixed within the same herds during the dry season, they stayed faithful to their ranges in the following wet season. Understanding variation in fidelity and dispersal in migratory ungulates is central to developing effective conservation strategies in the face of habitat changes to seasonal ranges. The image if of a female wildebeest herd in the Simanjiro Plains. Individuals are identified using unique shoulder stripe patterns.
Author: Thomas Adam
Published online: 18 JAN 2012, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01943.x
The Associate Editor really liked this well executed study on butterfly fish behaviour to community level consequences in one of the best known marine mutualisms. It investigates whether trait-mediated interactions were present; that is if one type of partner in the interaction (the cleaner) influences its partner's (the client) behaviour, thus causing indirect effects on coral colonies in/near the cleaner's "territory". Image is of a cleaner station on the reefs of Moorea, French Polynesia; an ornate butterflyfish, Chaetodon ornatissimus (top-right), solicits cleaning from the cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, while a reticulated butterflyfish, Chaetodon reticulatus (bottom-left), feeds on coral. Image courtesy of Katy Muenter.
The impact of a pathogenic bacterium on a social carnivore population
Author: Oliver P. Höner, Bettina Wachter, Katja V. Goller, Heribert Hofer, Victor Runyoro, Dagmar Thierer, Robert D. Fyumagwa, Thomas Müller and Marion L. East
Published online: 09 DEC 2011, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01873.x
This study shows that infection and mortality were modulated by factors linked to low social status and poor nutrition. Image is a Spotted hyena with external signs of infection provided by Oliver Honer.
Sex recognition by odour and variation in the uropygial gland secretion in starlings
Author: Luisa Amo, Jesús Avilés, Deseada Parejo, Aránzazu Peña, Juan Rodriguez and Gustavo Tomás
In EarlyView: Published online: 06 DEC 2011, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01940.x
Despite the general belief that birds have a poor sense of smell, novel evidence suggests that birds can use odours in several contexts; for finding a suitable partner and to check out the competition. The authors found that birds were able to discriminate the sex of con-specifics by using only chemical cues. This study of a passerine bird concludes that the uropygial gland secretion may potentially function as a chemical signal used in mate choice and? or intra-sexual competition. Image is a female spotless starling provided by Gustavo Tomás.
Density dependence in group dynamics of a highly social mongoose, Suricata suricatta
Author: Andrew Bateman, Arpat Ozgul, Tim Coulson and Tim Clutton-Brock
In EarlyView: Published online: 24 NOV 2011, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01934.x
Prevalence of decline in small groups - an "Allee effect" - has been suggested for many social species. This study investigates the presence of an Allee effect in meerkats, cooperatively breeding mongooses native to Southern Africa. The authors find little support for Allee effects at the social group level. While mortality rates are elevated in small groups, reproduction and emigration dominate group dynamics and produce conventional density dependence. The findings highlight the importance of testing assumptions about demographic patterns and considering processes at the appropriate scale. Image courtesy Arpat Ozgul.
Author: Laura Prugh and Justin Brashares
In EarlyView: Published online: 18 NOV 2011, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01930.x
Ecosystem engineers are more than just engineers. Humans aren't the only species adept at engineering their surroundings: beavers, prairie dogs, and other species create and modify habitat, transforming the landscapes where they live. The engineering roles of ecosystem engineers are well known, but their non-engineering influences on communities (such as competing with or eating other species) have been generally overlooked, giving an incomplete picture of their total impact. For the first time, this study teased apart these engineering and non-engineering effects and found that both were important. The giant kangaroo rat, an endangered species in the San Joaquin valley, is an ecosystem engineer that creates large tunnel networks, and they also interact with other species as competitors, seed predators, and prey. By combining large scale multi-year surveys and smaller scale experiments, the authors found that engineering benefited the threatened San Joaquin antelope squirrel and increased plant diversity, whereas non-engineering interactions increased lizard and insect abundance. Engineering effects can last many years, but non-engineering effects disappear with the engineer. With a clearer understanding of the different ways that engineers affect ecosystems, we can better predict how the plants and animals that rely on engineers will respond to their extirpation or reintroduction.
Image: A juvenile giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens) emerges from its burrow in the Carrizo Plain National Monument, California. Image kindly provided by John Roser
Author: Joshua Grinath, Brian Inouye, Nora Underwood and Ian Billick
In EarlyView: Published online: 18 NOV 2011, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01929.x
This is an interesting paper revealing the importance of positive interactions in an ecological web. The Associate Editor really liked the use of SEM which will become much more commonly adopted in studies of community structure. The image is of a red ant (Formica obscuripes) tending treehopper nymphs and an adult (Publilia modesta) known for their sweet excrement and provides the treehoppers with protection against predators and competitors. This mutualistic relationship is beneficial for both ants and treehoppers, but has negative consequences for rabbitbrush host plants (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) Image provided by Joshua Grinath
Author: Vincenzo Gervasi, Erlend Nilsen, Håkan Sand, Manuela Panzacchi, Geir Rauset, Hans Pedersen, Jonas Kindberg, Petter Wabakken, Barbara Zimmermann John Odden
In EarlyView: Published online: 11 NOV 2011, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01928.x
As large predators like wolves, lynx, and brown bears return to many parts of Europe there are concerns about the effect that the predators will have on wild deer populations. For the last 17 years a team of Scandinavian researchers have been studying the effects that lynx and red foxes have on roe deer and the effect that wolves and brown bears have on moose. Given all the popular controversy surrounding wolves, it was somewhat surprising that their research clearly showed that lynx have a far greater relative impact on roe deer compared to the impact that wolves have on moose. The explanation lies in the fact that while wolves mainly prey on moose calves, lynx tend to kill adult roe deer. Killing prime age reproductive animals clearly has a stronger impact on a prey population than killing juveniles. Image of European lynx with prey taken a few kilometres SW of Oslo by Torbjørn Martinsen
Author: Eric Wajnberg
In EarlyView: Published online: 8 NOV 2011, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01926.x
When faced with different selection pressures, animals should be able to maximize simultaneously different behavioural responses. This elegant experimental study by Wajnberg tests whether, through a simple behavioural rule, animals' behaviours matches optimal predictions in the contexts of foraging and sex allocation. The results of this study provide insights into how animals achieve different optimal goals. Image courtesy Eric Wajnberg
Survival and population size of a resident bird species are declining as temperature increases in EarlyView
Authors: Leonard Santisteban, Craig Benkman, Trevor Fetz, Julie Smith, Julie
Published online 19 OCT 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01918.x
Changes in the environment affect many species. This study of Red Crossbills, endemic to two small mountain ranges in southern Idaho, USA, found that declining adult annual survival accounts for the 60% decline in the population over five years (2003-2008); the population has continued its dramatic decline in the subsequent three years. The decline is best explained by increasing temperatures and how increasing temperatures affect the crossbill's food supply (seeds in serotinous lodgepole pine cones). Moreover, increasing temperatures will likely cause both increased tree mortality as found in studies of forest trees throughout western North America and appear to be causing a large decline in annual seed production. A male (left) and a female South Hills crossbill foraging on a lodgepole pine cone. Image courtesy of Craig Benkman
Migratory stopover in the long-distance migrant silver-haired bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans in EarlyView
Authors: Liam P. McGuire, Christopher G. Guglielmo, Stuart A. Mackenzie and Philip D. Taylor
Published online 28 September 2011, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01912.x
Migration is a critical component of the annual cycle in many bat species, yet it is perhaps the least studied component of bat biology. In this study silver-haired bats were caught during autumn migration along the north shore of Lake Erie. The authors assessed condition (fat and lean stores) and attached radio-transmitters to continuously track their movements. Bats generally only stayed for one day (longer in bad weather). Computer simulations suggested most bats had enough fuel to reach their winter destination without the need for extended refuelling stopovers. The results suggest that the ability to use torpor, saving energy by lowering body temperature when inactive, may be the key to the differences between the migration of bats and birds. Silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) preparing to fly from a branch, image courtesy Liam McGuire.
Trophic links between functional groups of arable plants and beetles are stable at a national scale
Authors: David R. Brooks, Jonathan Storkey, Suzanne J. Clark, Les G. Firbank, Sandrine Petit and Ian P. Woiwod
Published online 24 August 2011, J Anim Ecol Vol 81, Iss 1, pp (4-13) DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01897.x
Finding ways to accurately model the complexity of multiple, interacting species within ecosystems is a foremost challenge in modern ecology. The authors show in this article that trophic links between functional groups containing multiple species are stable at a national scale. They use a model system of trophically interacting arable weeds and carabid beetles to demonstrate this finding, but this conceptual approach may have wider use for assessing how perturbations affecting ecosystems are ramified between trophic levels. The image is courtesy of Rothamsted Research and shows the beetle Amara similata feeding on Groundsel seeds, one of a group of plants with which it has wide-scale functional links.
Synergistic effects of seasonal rainfall, parasites and demography on fluctuations in springbok body condition
Authors: Wendy C. Turner, Wilferd D. Versfeld, J. Werner Kilian and Wayne M. Getz
Published online 10 August 2011, J Anim Ecol Vol 81, Iss 1, pp (58-69) DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01892.x
In their study based in Namibia, Turner et al. investigated how parasitism and environmental variability affected the physical condition of springbok antelope. Male vertebrates often have higher rates of disease and parasite infection than females—but the energy requirements of lactation and seasonal differences in reproductive effort can reverse this pattern. Image is courtesy Yathin Krishnappa.
Litter sex composition affects life-history traits in yellow-bellied marmots
Authors: Raquel Monclús and Daniel T. Blumstein
Published online 29 July 2011, J Anim Ecol Vol 81, Iss 1, pp (80-86) DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01888.x
The study addresses, in natural conditions, the long-term effects of the presence of siblings on survival, dispersal and reproduction. It also raises concerns about the widespread use of endocrine disruptors and the effect on wild populations. Yellow-bellied marmot pup in the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (Colorado). Photo credit: Raquel Monclús
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