scholarly journals Spatially mismatched trophic dynamics: cyclically outbreaking geometrids and their larval parasitoids

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 566-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Snorre B. Hagen ◽  
Jane U. Jepsen ◽  
Tino Schott ◽  
Rolf A. Ims
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Interactions ◽  
Travelling Waves ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Population Cycles ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Trophic Dynamics ◽  
Spatial Mismatch ◽  
Larval Parasitoids ◽  
Spatio Temporal

For trophic interactions to generate population cycles and complex spatio-temporal patterns, like travelling waves, the spatial dynamics must be matched across trophic levels. Here, we propose a spatial methodological approach for detecting such spatial match–mismatch and apply it to geometrid moths and their larval parasitoids in northern Norway, where outbreak cycles and travelling waves occur. We found clear evidence of spatial mismatch, suggesting that the spatially patterned moth cycles in this system are probably ruled by trophic interactions involving other agents than larval parasitoids.

scholarly journals Spatial Dynamics Regarding Geographical Concentration of Economic Activities. Italian NUTS-3 Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano De Falco
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Agglomeration Economies ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Production Sector ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
Geographical Concentration ◽  
Italian Regions

AbstractFor several years, the themes concerning agglomeration economies have been approached from different perspectives in the scientific debate, as capable of triggering various positive features. The present research starts precisely where many others arrive, that is, given the value of these externalities, analyzing the spatial distribution of the geographical concentration of economic activities and the related influencing factors. To this end, in this contribution an explanatory investigation is carried out into the spatial dynamics deriving from main productive sectors’ concentration in some Italian regions. The proposed methodological approach is based respectively on the LISA spatial autocorrelation models and on the analysis of non-neighboring clusters to understand if the geographical area of reference and / or the particular production sector are influencing variables. The empirical investigation confirms the presence of a parametric interaction between factors related in some cases on the geographical context and in others on the productive sector.

scholarly journals Fine-scale structures as spots of increased fish concentration in the open ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Baudena ◽  
Enrico Ser-Giacomi ◽  
Donatella D’Onofrio ◽  
Xavier Capet ◽  
Cedric Cotté ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coherent Structures ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Fish Distribution ◽  
Lagrangian Coherent Structures ◽  
Mesopelagic Fish ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
Frontal Zones ◽  
Spatio Temporal

AbstractOceanic frontal zones have been shown to deeply influence the distribution of primary producers and, at the other extreme of the trophic web, top predators. However, the relationship between these structures and intermediate trophic levels is much more obscure. In this paper we address this knowledge gap by comparing acoustic measurements of mesopelagic fish concentrations to satellite-derived fine-scale Lagrangian Coherent Structures in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. First, we demonstrate that higher fish concentrations occur more frequently in correspondence with strong Lagrangian Coherent Structures. Secondly, we illustrate that, while increased fish densities are more likely to be observed over these structures, the presence of a fine-scale feature does not imply a concomitant fish accumulation, as other factors affect fish distribution. Thirdly, we show that, when only chlorophyll-rich waters are considered, front intensity modulates significantly more the local fish concentration. Finally, we discuss a model representing fish movement along Lagrangian features, specifically built for mid-trophic levels. Its results, obtained with realistic parameters, are qualitatively consistent with the observations and the spatio-temporal scales analysed. Overall, these findings may help to integrate intermediate trophic levels in trophic models, which can ultimately support management and conservation policies.

scholarly journals ‘Taking Fishers’ Knowledge to the Lab’: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understand Fish Trophic Relationships in the Brazilian Amazon

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Evelyn Rubira Pereyra ◽  
Gustavo Hallwass ◽  
Mark Poesch ◽  
Renato Azevedo Matias Silvano
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Trophic Interactions ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Data Limitations ◽  
Combining Data

Trophic levels can be applied to describe the ecological role of organisms in food webs and assess changes in ecosystems. Stable isotopes analysis can assist in the understanding of trophic interactions and use of food resources by aquatic organisms. The local ecological knowledge (LEK) of fishers can be an alternative to advance understanding about fish trophic interactions and to construct aquatic food webs, especially in regions lacking research capacity. The objectives of this study are: to calculate the trophic levels of six fish species important to fishing by combining data from stable isotopes analysis and fishers’ LEK in two clear water rivers (Tapajós and Tocantins) in the Brazilian Amazon; to compare the trophic levels of these fish between the two methods (stable isotopes analysis and LEK) and the two rivers; and to develop diagrams representing the trophic webs of the main fish prey and predators based on fisher’s LEK. The fish species studied were Pescada (Plagioscion squamosissimus), Tucunaré (Cichla pinima), Piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus), Aracu (Leporinus fasciatus), Charuto (Hemiodus unimaculatus), and Jaraqui (Semaprochilodus spp.). A total of 98 interviews and 63 samples for stable isotopes analysis were carried out in both rivers. The average fish trophic levels did not differ between the stable isotopes analysis and the LEK in the Tapajós, nor in the Tocantins Rivers. The overall trophic level of the studied fish species obtained through the LEK did not differ from data obtained through the stable isotopes analysis in both rivers, except for the Aracu in the Tapajós River. The main food items consumed by the fish according to fishers’ LEK did agree with fish diets as described in the biological literature. Fishers provided useful information on fish predators and feeding habits of endangered species, such as river dolphin and river otter. Collaboration with fishers through LEK studies can be a viable approach to produce reliable data on fish trophic ecology to improve fisheries management and species conservation in tropical freshwater environments and other regions with data limitations.

Spatio-temporal regimes in Rayleigh–Bénard convection in a small rectangular cell

1989 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 309-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Rubio ◽  
P. Bigazzi ◽  
L. Albavetti ◽  
S. Ciliberto
Keyword(s):  
Travelling Waves ◽  
Rectangular Cell ◽  
Complex Behaviour ◽  
Temporal Behaviour ◽  
Bénard Convection ◽  
Benard Convection ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Roll Axis ◽  
Rayleigh Benard Convection ◽  
Rayleigh Benard

By means of an original optical technique we have studied the spatio-temporal behaviour in a Rayleigh–Bénard convection experiment of small rectangular geometry. The experimental technique allows complete reconstruction of the temperature field integrated along the roll axis. Two main spatiotemporal regimes have been found, corresponding to localized oscillations and travelling waves respectively. Several parameters are proposed for the quantitative characterization of this complex behaviour.

Soil microbial communities in microaggregates are less affected by top-down effects of collembolans than those in macroaggregates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amandine Erktan ◽  
MD Ekramul Haque ◽  
Jérôme Cortet ◽  
Paul Henning Krogh ◽  
Stefan Scheu
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Trophic Interactions ◽  
Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Soil Matrix ◽  
Fungal Abundance

<p>Trophic regulation of microbial communities is receiving growing interest in soil ecology. Most studies investigated the effect of higher trophic levels on microbial communities at the bulk soil level. However, microbes are not equally accessible to consumers. They may be hidden in small pores and thus protected from consumers, suggesting that trophic regulation may depend on the localization of microbes within the soil matrix. As microaggregates (< 250 µm) usually are more stable than macroaggregates (> 250 µm) and embedded in the latter, we posit that they will be less affected by trophic regulations than larger aggregates. We quantified the effect of four contrasting species of collembolans (Ceratophysella denticulata, Protaphorura fimata, Folsomia candida, Sinella curviseta) on the microbial community composition in macro- (250 µm – 2mm) and microaggregates (50 – 250 µm). To do so, we re-built consumer-prey systems comprising remaining microbial background (post-autoclaving), fungal prey (Chaetomium globosum), and collembolan species (added as single species or combined). After three months, we quantified microbial community composition using phospholipid fatty acid markers (PLFAs). We found that the microbial communities in macroaggregates were more affected by the addition of collembolans than the communities in microaggregates. In particular, the fungal-to-bacterial (F:B) ratio significantly decreased in soil macroaggregates in the presence of collembolans. In the microaggregates, the F:B ratio remained lower and unaffected by collembolan inoculation. Presumably, fungal hyphae were more abundant in macroaggregates because they offered more habitat space for them, and the collembolans reduced fungal abundance because they consumed them. On the contrary, microaggregates presumably contained microbial communities protected from consumers. In addition, collembolans increased the formation of macroaggregates but did not influence their stability, despite their negative effect on fungal abundance, a well-known stabilizing agent. Overall, we show that trophic interactions between microbial communities and collembolans depend on the aggregate size class considered and, in return, soil macroaggregation is affected by these trophic interactions.</p>

Geographic variation in population cycles of Canadian muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus)

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 1009-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Erb ◽  
Nils Chr. Stenseth ◽  
Mark S Boyce
Keyword(s):  
Density Dependence ◽  
Trophic Interactions ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Population Cycles ◽  
Period Length ◽  
Ondatra Zibethicus ◽  
Delayed Density Dependence ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
Harvest Data

We investigated the dynamic properties of population cycles in Canadian muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus). Ninety-one historic time series of muskrat-harvest data obtained from the Hudson's Bay Company Archives were analyzed. Most series were 25 years in length (1925–1949) and were distributed primarily throughout five ecozones. For each series, we estimated period length and coefficients for a second-order autoregressive model. Estimated period length varied between 3 and 13 years, with 3- to 5-year periods located in Subarctic-Arctic ecozones. We hypothesize that the 4-year cycles are largely a result of predation by red fox (Vulpes vulpes), which exhibit 4-year cycles in Arctic regions. The remaining ecozones generally averaged 8–9 years in period length. However, the relative contributions of direct and delayed density dependence varied along a latitudinal gradient. We hypothesize that both social and trophic interactions are necessary to produce the observed dynamics, but that shifts in the nature of mink predation were responsible for the changes in the relative contribution of direct and delayed density dependence. Essentially, there is a tension between population-intrinsic and trophic interactions that may bound the length of the cycle.

scholarly journals The biggest losers: habitat isolation deconstructs complex food webs from top to bottom

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1908) ◽  
pp. 20191177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remo Ryser ◽  
Johanna Häussler ◽  
Markus Stark ◽  
Ulrich Brose ◽  
Björn C. Rall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Habitat Isolation ◽  
Fragmented Landscapes ◽  
Energy Limitation ◽  
Species Specific

Habitat fragmentation threatens global biodiversity. To date, there is only limited understanding of how the different aspects of habitat fragmentation (habitat loss, number of fragments and isolation) affect species diversity within complex ecological networks such as food webs. Here, we present a dynamic and spatially explicit food web model which integrates complex food web dynamics at the local scale and species-specific dispersal dynamics at the landscape scale, allowing us to study the interplay of local and spatial processes in metacommunities. We here explore how the number of habitat patches, i.e. the number of fragments, and an increase of habitat isolation affect the species diversity patterns of complex food webs ( α -, β -, γ -diversities). We specifically test whether there is a trophic dependency in the effect of these two factors on species diversity. In our model, habitat isolation is the main driver causing species loss and diversity decline. Our results emphasize that large-bodied consumer species at high trophic positions go extinct faster than smaller species at lower trophic levels, despite being superior dispersers that connect fragmented landscapes better. We attribute the loss of top species to a combined effect of higher biomass loss during dispersal with increasing habitat isolation in general, and the associated energy limitation in highly fragmented landscapes, preventing higher trophic levels to persist. To maintain trophic-complex and species-rich communities calls for effective conservation planning which considers the interdependence of trophic and spatial dynamics as well as the spatial context of a landscape and its energy availability.

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