scholarly journals Diet composition of the lizard Podarcis lilfordi (Lacertidae) on 2 small islands: an individual-resource network approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Santamaría ◽  
Camilla Aviaaja Enoksen ◽  
Jens M Olesen ◽  
Giacomo Tavecchia ◽  
Andreu Rotger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Resource Network ◽  
Intrapopulation Variation ◽  
Podarcis Lilfordi ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Despite it is widely accepted that intrapopulation variation is fundamental to ecological and evolutionary processes, this level of information has only recently been included into network analysis of species/population interactions. When done, it has revealed non-random patterns in the distribution of trophic resources. Nestedness in resource use among individuals is the most recurrent observed pattern, often accompanied by an absence of modularity, but no previous studies examine bipartite modularity. We use network analysis to describe the diet composition of the Balearic endemic lizard Podarcis lilfordi in 2 islets at population and individual levels, based on the occurrence of food items in fecal samples. Our objectives are to 1) compare niche structure at both levels, 2) characterize niche partition using nestedness and modularity, and 3) assess how size, sex, season, and spatial location influence niche structure. At population-level niche width was wide, but narrow at the level of the individual. Both islet networks were nested, indicating similar ranking of the food preferences among individuals, but also modular, which was partially explained by seasonality. Sex and body size did not notably affect diet composition. Large niche overlap and therefore possibly relaxed competition were observed among females in one of the islets and during spring on both islets. Likewise, higher modularity in autumn suggests that higher competition could lead to specialization in both populations, because resources are usually scarce in this season. The absence of spatial location influence on niche might respond to fine-grained spatio-temporally distribution of food resources. Behavioral traits, not included in this study, could also influence resource partitioning.

scholarly journals The individual, place, and wellbeing – a network analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eoin McElroy ◽  
Mathew Ashton ◽  
Anne Marie Bagnall ◽  
Terence Comerford ◽  
Mick McKeown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Subjective Wellbeing ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Strongly Connected ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Background Previous research has examined individual-level and place characteristics as correlates of subjective wellbeing, with many studies concluding that individual factors (e.g. health, finances) are more strongly related to wellbeing. However, this ‘dualistic’ approach has been challenged, with some arguing that it is impossible to disentangle the effects of the two domains, and that wellbeing should be considered as part of a network of mutually reinforcing relationships between individual, community and place characteristics. We used network analysis to explore these complex associations. Methods Data were from a large sample of adults from a socioeconomically disadvantaged region of the United Kingdom (N = 4319). Wellbeing was assessed using the 7-item version of the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Mixed graphical networks were estimated including wellbeing, place and individual-characteristic variables as nodes. Results We found a densely connected network in which wellbeing was associated, both directly and indirectly, with all of the individual, community and place characteristics assessed. Wellbeing was most strongly connected with individual characteristics, in particular financial difficulty and subjective physical health. However, controlling for all other variables in the network model, wellbeing was positively associated with local greenspace usage, civic agency, and neighbourhood cohesion, and negatively associated with housing disrepair. Greater specificity in these associations was observed when the wellbeing construct was broken down into its constituent parts. Conclusions These findings highlight the complex relationships that exist between individual, community and place characteristics in the context of subjective wellbeing, and that all domains need to be considered when developing population-level strategies to improve wellbeing. Further consideration needs to be given to how this might happen in practice, for example through a combination of consistent use of community engagement methodologies alongside Health in All Policy (HiAP) approaches.

scholarly journals A methodological framework to predict the individual and population‐level distributions from tracking data

Ecography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippine Chambault ◽  
Tarek Hattab ◽  
Pascal Mouquet ◽  
Touria Bajjouk ◽  
Claire Jean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Level ◽  
Tracking Data ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
The Individual

scholarly journals Oral Sensitivity to Flowability and Food Neophobia Drive Food Preferences and Choice

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1024
Author(s):  
Sharon Puleo ◽  
Paolo Masi ◽  
Silvana Cavella ◽  
Rossella Di Monaco
Keyword(s):  
Food Choice ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Neophobia ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Choice Preference ◽  
Food Liking ◽  
Texture Sensitivity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Oral Sensitivity

The study aimed to investigate the role of sensitivity to flowability on food liking and choice, the relationship between sensitivity to flowability and food neophobia, and its role in food liking. Five chocolate creams were prepared with different levels of flowability, and rheological measurements were performed to characterise them. One hundred seventy-six subjects filled in the Food Neophobia Scale and a food choice questionnaire (FCq). The FCq was developed to evaluate preferences within a pair of food items similar in flavour but different in texture. Secondly, the subjects evaluated their liking for creams (labelled affective magnitude (LAM) scale) and the flowability intensity (generalised labelled magnitude (gLM) scale). The subjects were clustered into three groups of sensitivity and two groups of choice preference. The effect of individual flowability sensitivity on food choice was investigated. Finally, the subjects were clustered into two groups according to their food neophobia level. The sensitivity to flowability significantly affected the liking of chocolate creams and the solid food choice. The liking of chocolate creams was also affected by the individual level of neophobia (p = 0.01), which, in turn, was not correlated to flowability sensitivity. These results confirm that texture sensitivity and food neophobia affect what a person likes and drives what a person chooses to eat.

scholarly journals Phenotypic plasticity of labile traits in the wild

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon E. Brommer
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Statistical Approach ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Quantitative Genetic ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Quantitative Genetic Parameters

Abstract Individual-based studies allow quantification of phenotypic plasticity in behavioural, life-history and other labile traits. The study of phenotypic plasticity in the wild can shed new light on the ultimate objectives (1) whether plasticity itself can evolve or is constrained by its genetic architecture, and (2) whether plasticity is associated to other traits, including fitness (selection). I describe the main statistical approach for how repeated records of individuals and a description of the environment (E) allow quantification of variation in plasticity across individuals (IxE) and genotypes (GxE) in wild populations. Based on a literature review of life-history and behavioural studies on plasticity in the wild, I discuss the present state of the two objectives listed above. Few studies have quantified GxE of labile traits in wild populations, and it is likely that power to detect statistically significant GxE is lacking. Apart from the issue of whether it is heritable, plasticity tends to correlate with average trait expression (not fully supported by the few genetic estimates available) and may thus be evolutionary constrained in this way. Individual-specific estimates of plasticity tend to be related to other traits of the individual (including fitness), but these analyses may be anti-conservative because they predominantly concern stats-on-stats. Despite the increased interest in plasticity in wild populations, the putative lack of power to detect GxE in such populations hinders achieving general insights. I discuss possible steps to invigorate the field by moving away from simply testing for presence of GxE to analyses that ‘scale up’ to population level processes and by the development of new behavioural theory to identify quantitative genetic parameters which can be estimated.

scholarly journals Healthy ageing, resilience and wellbeing

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 579-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. D. Cosco ◽  
K. Howse ◽  
C. Brayne
Keyword(s):  
Population Level ◽  
Healthy Ageing ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Environmental Resources ◽  
Great Achievement ◽  
Health Concept ◽  
Ageing Model ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level

The extension of life does not appear to be slowing, representing a great achievement for mankind as well as a challenge for ageing populations. As we move towards an increasingly older population we will need to find novel ways for individuals to make the best of the challenges they face, as the likelihood of encountering some form of adversity increases with age. Resilience theories share a common idea that individuals who manage to navigate adversity and maintain high levels of functioning demonstrate resilience. Traditional models of healthy ageing suggest that having a high level of functioning across a number of domains is a requirement. The addition of adversity to the healthy ageing model via resilience makes this concept much more accessible and more amenable to the ageing population. Through asset-based approaches, such as the invoking of individual, social and environmental resources, it is hoped that greater resilience can be fostered at a population level. Interventions aimed at fostering greater resilience may take many forms; however, there is great potential to increase social and environmental resources through public policy interventions. The wellbeing of the individual must be the focus of these efforts; quality of life is an integral component to the enjoyment of additional years and should not be overlooked. Therefore, it will become increasingly important to use resilience as a public health concept and to intervene through policy to foster greater resilience by increasing resources available to older people. Fostering wellbeing in the face of increasing adversity has significant implications for ageing individuals and society as a whole.

Investigating the use of metadata record graphs to analyze subject headings in the digital public library of America

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Edward Phillips ◽  
Hannah Tarver
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Metadata Record ◽  
Metadata Quality ◽  
Subject Headings ◽  
The Individual

Purpose This study furthers metadata quality research by providing complementary network-based metrics and insights to analyze metadata records and identify areas for improvement. Design/methodology/approach Metadata record graphs apply network analysis to metadata field values; this study evaluates the interconnectedness of subjects within each Hub aggregated into the Digital Public Library of America. It also reviews the effects of NACO normalization – simulating revision of values for consistency – and breaking up pre-coordinated subject headings – to simulate applying the Faceted Application of Subject Terminology to Library of Congress Subject Headings. Findings Network statistics complement count- or value-based metrics by providing context related to the number of records a user might actually find starting from one item and moving to others via shared subject values. Additionally, connectivity increases through the normalization of values to correct or adjust for formatting differences or by breaking pre-coordinated subject strings into separate topics. Research limitations/implications This analysis focuses on exact-string matches, which is the lowest-common denominator for searching, although many search engines and digital library indexes may use less stringent matching methods. In terms of practical implications for evaluating or improving subjects in metadata, the normalization components demonstrate where resources may be most effectively allocated for these activities (depending on a collection). Originality/value Although the individual components of this research are not particularly novel, network analysis has not generally been applied to metadata analysis. This research furthers previous studies related to metadata quality analysis of aggregations and digital collections in general.

scholarly journals Migration, acculturation, and the maintenance of between-group cultural variation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Mesoudi
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Cultural Variation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Social Learning Processes

AbstractHow do migration and acculturation (i.e. psychological or behavioral change resulting from migration) affect within- and between-group cultural variation? Here I answer this question by drawing analogies between genetic and cultural evolution. Population genetic models show that migration rapidly breaks down between-group genetic structure. In cultural evolution, however, migrants or their descendants can acculturate to local behaviors via social learning processes such as conformity, potentially preventing migration from eliminating between-group cultural variation. An analysis of the empirical literature on migration suggests that acculturation is common, with second and subsequent migrant generations shifting, sometimes substantially, towards the cultural values of the adopted society. Yet there is little understanding of the individual-level dynamics that underlie these population-level shifts. To explore this formally, I present models quantifying the effect of migration and acculturation on between-group cultural variation, for both neutral and costly cooperative traits. In the models, between-group cultural variation, measured using F statistics, is eliminated by migration and maintained by conformist acculturation. The extent of acculturation is determined by the strength of conformist bias and the number of demonstrators from whom individuals learn. Acculturation is countered by assortation, the tendency for individuals to preferentially interact with culturally-similar others. Unlike neutral traits, cooperative traits can additionally be maintained by payoff-biased social learning, but only in the presence of strong sanctioning institutions. Overall, the models show that surprisingly little conformist acculturation is required to maintain realistic amounts of between-group cultural diversity. While these models provide insight into the potential dynamics of acculturation and migration in cultural evolution, they also highlight the need for more empirical research into the individual-level learning biases that underlie migrant acculturation.

scholarly journals Taxonomic Compositions and Co-occurrence Relationships of Protists in Bulk Soil and Rhizosphere of Soybean Fields in Different Regions of China

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Zhang ◽  
Pengcheng Xing ◽  
Mengyu Niu ◽  
Gehong Wei ◽  
Peng Shi
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Bulk Soil ◽  
Community Structures ◽  
Potential Predator ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Soybean Plants ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi ◽  
Potential Interactions

As the main consumers of bacteria and fungi in farmed soils, protists remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore protist community assembly and ecological roles in soybean fields. Here, we investigated differences in protist communities using high-throughput sequencing and their inferred potential interactions with bacteria and fungi between the bulk soil and rhizosphere compartments of three soybean cultivars collected from six ecological regions in China. Distinct protist community structures characterized the bulk soil and rhizosphere of soybean plants. A significantly higher relative abundance of phagotrophs was observed in the rhizosphere (25.1%) than in the bulk soil (11.3%). Spatial location (R2 = 0.37–0.51) explained more of the variation in protist community structures of soybean fields than either the compartment (R2 = 0.08–0.09) or cultivar type (R2 = 0.02–0.03). The rhizosphere protist network (76 nodes and 414 edges) was smaller and less complex than the bulk soil network (147 nodes and 880 edges), indicating a smaller potential of niche overlap and interactions in the rhizosphere due to the increased resources in the rhizosphere. Furthermore, more inferred potential predator-prey interactions occur in the rhizosphere. We conclude that protists have a crucial ecological role to play as an integral part of microbial co-occurrence networks in soybean fields.

scholarly journals Nonlinear visuoauditory integration in the mouse superior colliculus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinya Ito ◽  
Yufei Si ◽  
Alan M. Litke ◽  
David A. Feldheim
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Sensory Integration ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Object Identification ◽  
Response Properties ◽  
The Individual

AbstractSensory information from different modalities is processed in parallel, and then integrated in associative brain areas to improve object identification and the interpretation of sensory experiences. The Superior Colliculus (SC) is a midbrain structure that plays a critical role in integrating visual, auditory, and somatosensory input to assess saliency and promote action. Although the response properties of the individual SC neurons to visuoauditory stimuli have been characterized, little is known about the spatial and temporal dynamics of the integration at the population level. Here we recorded the response properties of SC neurons to spatially restricted visual and auditory stimuli using large-scale electrophysiology. We then created a general, population-level model that explains the spatial, temporal, and intensity requirements of stimuli needed for sensory integration. We found that the mouse SC contains topographically organized visual and auditory neurons that exhibit nonlinear multisensory integration. We show that nonlinear integration depends on properties of auditory but not visual stimuli. We also find that a heuristically derived nonlinear modulation function reveals conditions required for sensory integration that are consistent with previously proposed models of sensory integration such as spatial matching and the principle of inverse effectiveness.

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