scholarly journals Species range expansion constrains the ecological niches of resident butterflies

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène Audusseau ◽  
Maryline Le Vaillant ◽  
Niklas Janz ◽  
Sören Nylin ◽  
Bengt Karlsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Range Expansion ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Resident Species ◽  
Over Time

ABSTRACTAimChanges in community composition resulting from environmental changes modify biotic interactions and affect the distribution and density of local populations. Such changes are currently occurring in nettle-feeding butterflies in Sweden whereAraschnia levanahas recently expanded its range northward and is now likely to interact with the resident species (Aglais urticaeandAglais io). Butterfly occurrence data collected over years and across regions enabled us to investigate how a recent range expansion ofA. levanamay have affected the environmental niche of resident species.LocationWe focused on two regions of Sweden (Skåne and Norrström) whereA. levanahas and has not established, and two time-periods (2001-2006, 2009-2012) during its establishment in Skåne.MethodsWe performed two distinct analyses in each region using the PCA-env and the framework described in Broennimannet al. (2012). First, we described the main sources of variation in the environment. Second, in each time-period and region, we characterized the realized niches of our focal species across topographic and land use gradients. Third, we quantified overlaps and differences in realized niches between and within species over time.ResultsIn Skåne,A. levanahas stabilized its distribution over time while the distribution of the native species has shifted. These shifts depicted a consistent pattern of avoiding overlap between the native species and the environmental space occupied byA. levana, and it was stronger forA. urticaethan forA. io. In both regions, we also found evidence of niche partitioning between native species.Main conclusionsInterspecific interactions are likely to affect local species distributions. It appears that the ongoing establishment ofA. levanahas modified local biotic interactions, and induced shifts in resident species’ distributions. Among the mechanisms that can explain such patterns of niche partitioning, parasitoid-driven apparent competition may play an important role in this community.

scholarly journals Long-Term Environmental Monitoring in an Arctic Lake Polluted by Metals under Climate Change

Environments ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena M. Zubova ◽  
Nikolay A. Kashulin ◽  
Vladimir A. Dauvalter ◽  
Dmitry B. Denisov ◽  
Svetlana A. Valkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Murmansk Region ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Lake Kuetsjarvi (in the lower reaches of the Pasvik River, Murmansk Region, Russia) in the border area between Russia and Norway, is one of the most polluted water reservoirs in the European Arctic. The operation of the Pechenganikel Smelter located on its shores has led to the extremely high concentrations of heavy metals observed in the waters and sediments of the lake. Long-term comprehensive studies of the ecosystem of Lake Kuetsjarvi have made it possible to identify the response of its components to the global and regional change in the environment and climate as a whole, resulting in increased water toxicity and eutrophication, reduction in the number of stenobiont species of aquatic organisms against the background of an increase in the number of eurybiontic and invasive species. Modern communities of Lake Kuetsjarvi are the result of a combination of long-term changes in the abiotic environment and biotic interactions. Heavy-metal pollution of Lake Kuetsjarvi, observed since the 1930s, has led to the formation of a community that is resistant to this type of impact and supports large populations of adapted species. Adaptations of communities to the dynamics of the environmental conditions that their members are exposed to include changes in the species composition, quantitative indicators, ratios between individual taxonomic groups, and the population structure. The development of sympatric forms that differ in the ecological niches they occupy, morphology, and life cycle strategies, including the transition to a short-cycle survival strategy, allows whitefish to remain the dominant species and maintain high population numbers. Unlike the organismal level, responses to medium-term environmental changes on the population and community level are less specific and characterized by stronger inertia.

Allelopathic disruptions of biotic interactions due to non-native plants.

2020 ◽  
pp. 270-280
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Smith-Ramesh
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Resident Species ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Native Invasive

Abstract Allelopathy, or the process by which plants influence the growth and performance of their neighbours through the release of chemicals, may play a key role in mediating the impacts of non-native invasive species on their neighbours. The Novel Weapons Hypothesis purports that non-native invasive species are in part successful because they produce harmful allelochemicals to which resident species are particularly susceptible because residents lack a shared evolutionary history with the invader. While allelopathic non-native invaders may reduce the growth and performance of neighbours through direct phytotoxicity, they may more often exert negative impacts through disruption of biotic interactions among resident species. Allelopathy by non-native plants may disrupt mutualisms between resident plants and microbes, plant-herbivore interactions or existing competitive and facilitative interactions among resident plants. For example, several non-native plants are known to disrupt the mutualism between resident plants and mycorrhizal fungi, reducing resident plant fitness to the benefit of the invader. Allelopathic non-natives may also disrupt interactions among resident plants and their herbivores when allelochemicals also influence herbivore behaviour or fitness. Alternatively, biotic interactions can also be protective for resident species, which may be less susceptible to the impacts of non-native species when their mutualisms are intact. As we advance our understanding of allelopathy and its role in mediating the impacts of invasive plant species, we may gain new insights by viewing invasions within a network context rather than focusing on pairwise interactions.

scholarly journals The Role of Monk Parakeets as Nest-Site Facilitators in Their Native and Invaded Areas

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 683
Author(s):  
Dailos Hernández-Brito ◽  
Martina Carrete ◽  
Guillermo Blanco ◽  
Pedro Romero-Vidal ◽  
Juan Carlos Senar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus

While most of the knowledge on invasive species focuses on their impacts, little is known about their potential positive effects on other species. Invasive ecosystem engineers can disrupt recipient environments; however, they may also facilitate access to novel resources for native species. The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a worldwide invader and the only parrot that builds its own communal nests, which can be used by other species. However, the ecological effects of these interspecific interactions are barely known. We compared the role of the monk parakeet as a nest-site facilitator in different rural and urban areas, both invaded and native, across three continents and eight breeding seasons. A total of 2690 nests from 42 tenant species, mostly cavity-nesting birds, were recorded in 26% of 2595 monk parakeet nests. Rural and invaded areas showed the highest abundance and richness of tenant species. Multispecies communal nests triggered interspecific aggression between the monk parakeet host and its tenants, but also a cooperative defense against predators. Despite the positive effects for native species, monk parakeets also facilitate nesting opportunities to other non-native species and may also transmit diseases to tenants, highlighting the complexity of biotic interactions in biological invasions.

Allelopathic disruptions of biotic interactions due to non-native plants.

2020 ◽  
pp. 270-280
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Smith-Ramesh ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Resident Species ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Native Invasive

Allelopathy, or the process by which plants influence the growth and performance of their neighbours through the release of chemicals, may play a key role in mediating the impacts of non-native invasive species on their neighbours. The Novel Weapons Hypothesis purports that non-native invasive species are in part successful because they produce harmful allelochemicals to which resident species are particularly susceptible because residents lack a shared evolutionary history with the invader. While allelopathic non-native invaders may reduce the growth and performance of neighbours through direct phytotoxicity, they may more often exert negative impacts through disruption of biotic interactions among resident species. Allelopathy by non-native plants may disrupt mutualisms between resident plants and microbes, plant-herbivore interactions or existing competitive and facilitative interactions among resident plants. For example, several non-native plants are known to disrupt the mutualism between resident plants and mycorrhizal fungi, reducing resident plant fitness to the benefit of the invader. Allelopathic non-natives may also disrupt interactions among resident plants and their herbivores when allelochemicals also influence herbivore behaviour or fitness. Alternatively, biotic interactions can also be protective for resident species, which may be less susceptible to the impacts of non-native species when their mutualisms are intact. As we advance our understanding of allelopathy and its role in mediating the impacts of invasive plant species, we may gain new insights by viewing invasions within a network context rather than focusing on pairwise interactions.

scholarly journals Functional diversity changes in native and alien urban flora over three centuries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Milanović ◽  
Ingolf Kühn ◽  
Petr Pyšek ◽  
Sonja Knapp
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Alien Species ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Over Time

AbstractAlien species in urban areas have a large effect on overall species diversity. A suitable metric of flora’s response to environmental change is functional diversity (FD) that refers to the multivariate space of species’ trait compositions, reflecting their ecological niches. We studied how FD changed over 320 years of urbanization in the city of Halle (Saale), Germany. Selected functional traits (related to stress-tolerance, reproduction, competitiveness and phenology) were examined for the difference in FD between native and alien plant species, the latter specifically for archaeophytes, neophytes and invasive species. Functional diversity for each trait was calculated using Rao’s Q index followed by a linear model to test for changes in Rao’s Q over time between the groups. Over the 320 years, overall FD remained constant despite species turnover, but FD significantly increased for neophytes and invasive species compared to native species. Plant height was the only trait showing increase in FD as main effect, while for the other traits examined FD decreased over time. Considering invasive species separately, the majority of traits exhibit a significant increase in FD except for seed mass where it decreased. Finally, FD of multiple functional traits combined decreased over time. This can be due to homogenization of functional trait between native and alien species, as a consequence of habitats becoming more similar and subsequent habitat filtering. Our results demonstrate that during the last three centuries, urbanization influenced plant FD in various ways and may contribute to future uniformity of urban floras and greater invasiveness.

scholarly journals Competitive ability of native and alien plants: effects of residence time and invasion status

NeoBiota ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 47-69
Author(s):  
Christine S. Sheppard ◽  
Marco R. Brendel
Keyword(s):  
Residence Time ◽  
Intraspecific Competition ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Competitive Response ◽  
Competitive Effects ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Over Time

Competition is commonly thought to underlie the impact of plant invasions. However, competitive effects of aliens and competitive response of natives may also change over time. Indeed, as with time, the novelty of an invader decreases, the accumulated eco-evolutionary experience of resident species may eventually limit invasion success. We aimed to gain insights on whether directional changes in biotic interactions over time or more general differences between natives and aliens, for instance, resulting from an introduction bias, are relevant in determining competitive ability. We conducted a pairwise competition experiment in a target-neighbour design, using 47 Asteraceae species with residence times between 8 years-12,000 years in Germany. We first tested whether there are differences in performance in intraspecific competition amongst invasion status groups, that is casual and established neophytes, archaeophytes or native species. We then evaluated whether competitive response and effects depend on residence time or invasion status. Lastly, we assessed whether competitive effects influence range sizes. We found only limited evidence that native target species tolerate neighbours with longer potential co-existence times better, whereas differences in competitive ability were mostly better explained by invasion status than residence time. Although casual neophytes produced most biomass in intraspecific competition, they had the weakest per-capita competitive effects on natives. Notably, we did not find differences between established neophytes and natives, both of which ranked highest in interspecific competitive ability. This lack of differences might be explained by a biased selection of highly invasive or rare native species in previous studies or because invasion success may result from mechanisms other than interspecific competitive superiority. Accordingly, interspecific per-capita competitive effects did not influence range sizes. Further studies across a broader range of environmental conditions, involving other biotic interactions that indirectly influence plant-plant interactions, may clarify when eco-evolutionary adaptations to new invaders are a relevant mechanism.

scholarly journals Phylogenetically diverse native systems are more resistant to invasive plant species on Robben Island, South Africa

Genome ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-228
Author(s):  
Kowiyou Yessoufou ◽  
Bezeng S. Bezeng ◽  
Orou G. Gaoue ◽  
Thato Bengu ◽  
Michelle van der Bank
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Flowering Phenology ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Alien Invasive Species ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Robben Island

Alien invasive species are problematic both economically and ecologically, particularly on islands. As such, understanding how they interact with their environment is necessary to inform invasive species management. Here, we ask the following questions: What are the main functional traits that correlate with invasion success of alien plants on Robben Island? How does phylogenetic structure shape biotic interactions on the island? Using multiple approaches to explore these questions, we found that alien invasive species flower later during the year and for longer period, although flowering phenology was sensitive to alternative starting date. Additionally, we observed that alien invasive species are mostly abiotically pollinated and are generally hermaphroditic whilst their native counterparts rely on biotic pollinators, flower earlier, and are generally dioecious, suggesting that alien invasive and native species use different ecological niches. Furthermore, we found a facilitative interaction between an alien invasive legume and other invasive plants as predicted by the invasional meltdown hypothesis, but this does not influence the phylogenetic structure of plant communities. Finally, phylogenetically diverse set of native species are less receptive to alien invasive species. Collectively, our findings reveal how biotic interactions and phylogenetic relatedness structure alien invasive – native co-existence.

Effect of phenology on agonistic competitive interactions between invasive and native sheet-web spiders

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy D. Houser ◽  
Adam H. Porter ◽  
Howard S. Ginsberg ◽  
Elizabeth M. Jakob
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Resident Species ◽  
The Third ◽  
Linyphia Triangularis ◽  
Size Interaction ◽  
Very High

The phenologies of introduced relative to native species can greatly influence the degree and symmetry of competition between them. The European spider Linyphia triangularis (Clerck, 1757) (Linyphiidae) reaches very high densities in coastal Maine (USA). Previous studies suggest that L. triangularis negatively affects native linyphiid species, with competition for webs as one mechanism. We documented phenological differences between L. triangularis and three native species that illustrate the potential for the reversal of size-based competitive advantage over the course of the year. To test whether relative size influences interaction outcome, we allowed a resident spider to build a web and then introduced an intruder. We examined whether the outcomes of agonistic interactions over the webs were influenced by the species of the resident (invasive or native), the relative size of the contestants, and the species × size interaction. We found that the importance of relative size differed among species. In interactions between L. triangularis and each of two native species, size played a greater role than resident species on the outcome of interactions, suggesting that competitive advantage reverses over the season based on phenology-related size differences. Linyphia triangularis had a negative impact on the third species regardless of relative size.

scholarly journals Untargeted In Silico Compound Classification—A Novel Metabolomics Method to Assess the Chemodiversity in Bryophytes

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3251
Author(s):  
Kristian Peters ◽  
Gerd Balcke ◽  
Niklas Kleinenkuhnen ◽  
Hendrik Treutler ◽  
Steffen Neumann
Keyword(s):  
In Silico ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Classification Framework ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Compound Classification

In plant ecology, biochemical analyses of bryophytes and vascular plants are often conducted on dried herbarium specimen as species typically grow in distant and inaccessible locations. Here, we present an automated in silico compound classification framework to annotate metabolites using an untargeted data independent acquisition (DIA)–LC/MS–QToF-sequential windowed acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion mass spectra (SWATH) ecometabolomics analytical method. We perform a comparative investigation of the chemical diversity at the global level and the composition of metabolite families in ten different species of bryophytes using fresh samples collected on-site and dried specimen stored in a herbarium for half a year. Shannon and Pielou’s diversity indices, hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA), distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA), ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) test, and the Fisher’s exact test were used to determine differences in the richness and composition of metabolite families, with regard to herbarium conditions, ecological characteristics, and species. We functionally annotated metabolite families to biochemical processes related to the structural integrity of membranes and cell walls (proto-lignin, glycerophospholipids, carbohydrates), chemical defense (polyphenols, steroids), reactive oxygen species (ROS) protection (alkaloids, amino acids, flavonoids), nutrition (nitrogen- and phosphate-containing glycerophospholipids), and photosynthesis. Changes in the composition of metabolite families also explained variance related to ecological functioning like physiological adaptations of bryophytes to dry environments (proteins, peptides, flavonoids, terpenes), light availability (flavonoids, terpenes, carbohydrates), temperature (flavonoids), and biotic interactions (steroids, terpenes). The results from this study allow to construct chemical traits that can be attributed to biogeochemistry, habitat conditions, environmental changes and biotic interactions. Our classification framework accelerates the complex annotation process in metabolomics and can be used to simplify biochemical patterns. We show that compound classification is a powerful tool that allows to explore relationships in both molecular biology by “zooming in” and in ecology by “zooming out”. The insights revealed by our framework allow to construct new research hypotheses and to enable detailed follow-up studies.

scholarly journals Ancestors of domestic cats in Neolithic Central Europe: Isotopic evidence of a synanthropic diet

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (30) ◽  
pp. 17710-17719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Krajcarz ◽  
Maciej T. Krajcarz ◽  
Mateusz Baca ◽  
Chris Baumann ◽  
Wim Van Neer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Agricultural Activity ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Early Farmers

Cat remains from Poland dated to 4,200 to 2,300 y BCE are currently the earliest evidence for the migration of the Near Eastern cat (NE cat), the ancestor of domestic cats, into Central Europe. This early immigration preceded the known establishment of housecat populations in the region by around 3,000 y. One hypothesis assumed that NE cats followed the migration of early farmers as synanthropes. In this study, we analyze the stable isotopes in six samples of Late Neolithic NE cat bones and further 34 of the associated fauna, including the European wildcat. We approximate the diet and trophic ecology of Late Neolithic felids in a broad context of contemporary wild and domestic animals and humans. In addition, we compared the ecology of Late Neolithic NE cats with the earliest domestic cats known from the territory of Poland, dating to the Roman Period. Our results reveal that human agricultural activity during the Late Neolithic had already impacted the isotopic signature of rodents in the ecosystem. These synanthropic pests constituted a significant proportion of the NE cat’s diet. Our interpretation is that Late Neolithic NE cats were opportunistic synanthropes, most probably free-living individuals (i.e., not directly relying on a human food supply). We explore niche partitioning between studied NE cats and the contemporary native European wildcats. We find only minor differences between the isotopic ecology of both these taxa. We conclude that, after the appearance of the NE cat, both felid taxa shared the ecological niches.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document