Effects of species traits and ecosystem characteristics on species detection by eDNA metabarcoding in lake fish communities

AbstractAlthough environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is acknowledged to be an exceptionally useful and powerful tool for monitoring surveys, it has limited applicability, particularly for nationwide surveys. To evaluate the performance of eDNA metabarcoding in broad-scale monitoring, we examined the effects of species ecological/biological traits and ecosystem characteristics on species detection rates and the consequences for community analysis. We conducted eDNA metabarcoding on fish communities in 18 Japanese lakes on a country-wide scale. By comparing species records, we found that certain species traits, including body size, body shape, saltwater tolerance, and habitat preferences, influenced eDNA detection. We also found that the proportion of species detected decreased significantly with an increase in lake surface area, owing to an ecosystem-size effect on species detection. We conclude that species traits, including habitat preferences and body size, and ecosystem size should be taken into consideration when assessing the performance of eDNA metabarcoding in broad-scale monitoring.

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Body size information in large-scale acoustic bat databases

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.5370 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e5370 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Caterina Penone ◽

Christian Kerbiriou ◽

Jean-François Julien ◽

Julie Marmet ◽

Isabelle Le Viol

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Large Scale ◽

Principal Component ◽

Acoustic Signals ◽

Species Traits ◽

Climatic Variables ◽

Characteristic Frequencies ◽

Acoustic Data ◽

Forearm Length ◽

Broad Scale

Background Citizen monitoring programs using acoustic data have been useful for detecting population and community patterns. However, they have rarely been used to study broad scale patterns of species traits. We assessed the potential of acoustic data to detect broad scale patterns in body size. We compared geographical patterns in body size with acoustic signals in the bat species Pipistrellus pipistrellus. Given the correlation between body size and acoustic characteristics, we expected to see similar results when analyzing the relationships of body size and acoustic signals with climatic variables. Methods We assessed body size using forearm length measurements of 1,359 bats, captured by mist nets in France. For acoustic analyses, we used an extensive dataset collected through the French citizen bat survey. We isolated each bat echolocation call (n = 4,783) and performed automatic measures of signals, including the frequency of the flattest part of the calls (characteristic frequency). We then examined the relationship between forearm length, characteristic frequencies, and two components resulting from principal component analysis for geographic (latitude, longitude) and climatic variables. Results Forearm length was positively correlated with higher precipitation, lower seasonality, and lower temperatures. Lower characteristic frequencies (i.e., larger body size) were mostly related to lower temperatures and northern latitudes. While conducted on different datasets, the two analyses provided congruent results. Discussion Acoustic data from citizen science programs can thus be useful for the detection of large-scale patterns in body size. This first analysis offers a new perspective for the use of large acoustic databases to explore biological patterns and to address both theoretical and applied questions.

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Broad-scale assumptions on available pasture resources and reindeer’s habitat preferences shown to be decoupled from ecological reality of arctic-alpine landscapes

Erdkunde ◽

10.3112/erdkunde.2016.02.05 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 169-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roland Pape ◽

Jörg Löffler

Keyword(s):

Habitat Preferences ◽

Broad Scale

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Biological and extrinsic correlates of extinction risk in Chinese lizards

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/cz/zoab040 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yuxi Zhong ◽

Chuanwu Chen ◽

Yanping Wang

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Species Traits ◽

Geographic Range ◽

Range Size ◽

Habitat Specialization ◽

Mean Annual Precipitation ◽

Mean Annual Temperature ◽

Small Range ◽

Extrinsic Factors

Abstract China is a country with one of the most species rich reptile faunas in the world. However, nearly a quarter of Chinese lizard species assessed by the China Biodiversity Red List are threatened. Nevertheless, to date, no study has explicitly examined the pattern and processes of extinction and threat in Chinese lizards. In this study, we conducted the first comparative phylogenetic analysis of extinction risk in Chinese lizards. We addressed the following three questions: 1) What is the pattern of extinction and threat in Chinese lizards? 2) Which species traits and extrinsic factors are related to their extinction risk? 3) How can we protect Chinese lizards based on our results? We collected data on ten species traits (body size, clutch size, geographic range size, activity time, reproductive mode, habitat specialization, habitat use, leg development, maximum elevation, and elevation range) and seven extrinsic factors (mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, mean annual solar insolation, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), human footprint, human population density, and human exploitation). After phylogenetic correction, these variables were used separately and in combination to assess their associations with extinction risk. We found that Chinese lizards with small geographic range, large body size, high habitat specialization, and living in high precipitation areas were vulnerable to extinction. Conservation priority should thus be given to species with the above extinction-prone traits so as to effectively protect Chinese lizards. Preventing future habitat destruction should also be a primary focus of management efforts because species with small range size and high habitat specialization are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss.

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Mammalian body size is determined by interactions between climate, urbanization, and ecological traits

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-021-02505-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Maggie M. Hantak ◽

Bryan S. McLean ◽

Daijiang Li ◽

Robert P. Guralnick

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Resource Availability ◽

Critical Role ◽

Size Variation ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Species Traits ◽

Body Size Variation ◽

Resource Availability Hypothesis ◽

Urban Heat ◽

Thermal Buffering

AbstractAnthropogenically-driven climate warming is a hypothesized driver of animal body size reductions. Less understood are effects of other human-caused disturbances on body size, such as urbanization. We compiled 140,499 body size records of over 100 North American mammals to test how climate and human population density, a proxy for urbanization, and their interactions with species traits, impact body size. We tested three hypotheses of body size variation across urbanization gradients: urban heat island effects, habitat fragmentation, and resource availability. Our results demonstrate that both urbanization and temperature influence mammalian body size variation, most often leading to larger individuals, thus supporting the resource availability hypothesis. In addition, life history and other ecological factors play a critical role in mediating the effects of climate and urbanization on body size. Larger mammals and species that utilize thermal buffering are more sensitive to warmer temperatures, while flexibility in activity time appears to be advantageous in urbanized areas. This work highlights the value of using digitized, natural history data to track how human disturbance drives morphological variation.

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Environmental DNA metabarcoding uncovers environmental correlates of fish communities in spatially heterogeneous freshwater habitats

Ecological Indicators ◽

10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107698 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 126 ◽

pp. 107698

Author(s):

Petr Blabolil ◽

Lynsey R. Harper ◽

Štěpánka Říčanová ◽

Graham Sellers ◽

Cristina Di Muri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fish Communities ◽

Environmental Dna ◽

Environmental Correlates ◽

Dna Metabarcoding ◽

Freshwater Habitats

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Ovigeny strategy of the parasitic wasp Cosmocomoidea annulicornis (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae): effect of female age, feeding and host availability on reproductive traits

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485321000766 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Carolina Manzano ◽

Eduardo G. Virla ◽

Maria V. Coll Araoz ◽

Erica Luft-Albarracin

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Parasitic Wasp ◽

Reproductive Potential ◽

Reproductive Traits ◽

Egg Load ◽

Biological Traits ◽

Potential Fecundity ◽

Female Age ◽

Host Availability ◽

Egg Maturation

Abstract The reproductive traits of the mymarid wasp Cosmocomoidea annulicornis (Ogloblin) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) attacking eggs of the sharpshooter Tapajosa rubromarginata (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) were evaluated under laboratory conditions. Bioassays were carried out to estimate the realized fecundity and egg load of females. The ovigeny index was calculated and different biological traits, such as body size, oöcyte length, gaster length and wing length, were analysed to assess significant associations between these traits and the species fitness. In addition, the effect of host availability and feeding on longevity and potential fecundity throughout life and the effect of female age on egg maturation dynamics were assessed. The results showed that C. annulicornis is a strongly synovigenic species. A positive correlation was found between fecundity and longevity of the females and between body size and oöcyte length. Contrary to expected, body size was not related to fecundity and longevity. Females lived significantly longer in the presence of hosts and honey than when they were host-deprived and honey-fed or both host and honey deprived. Host availability had a significant effect on the amount of eggs laid by C. annulicornis females. Female age was negatively associated with oöcyte length. Furthermore, females were able to mature additional eggs as they aged, nevertheless, when host-deprived, senescent females presented significantly less mature eggs than younger ones, suggesting a possible egg oosorption. These results might contribute to a better understanding of the reproductive potential of this species as a biocontrol agent.

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Comparison of mayfly (Ephemeroptera) taxocenes of permanent and intermittent Central European small streams via species traits

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-010-0067-x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Pavla Řezníčková ◽

Tomáš Soldán ◽

Petr Pařil ◽

Světlana Zahrádková

Keyword(s):

Global Climate ◽

Extreme Temperature ◽

Oxygen Demand ◽

Hydrological Regime ◽

Species Traits ◽

Individual Species ◽

Biological Traits ◽

Small Streams ◽

High Oxygen Demand ◽

The Impact

AbstractThe recurrent drying out of small streams in past decades has shown an urgent need to pay attention to the impact of global climate change. The objectives of this study were to describe the effect of drying out on the composition of the mayfly taxocene and evaluate the relevance of individual species traits for survival of mayflies to drying out. The mayfly taxocenes of two model localities, one at an intermittent and one at a permanent brook, were investigated in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Compared with the permanent stream, the taxocene of the intermittent stream was short of nine species, foremost rheobionts and high oxygen demand species. To explain further differences between both stream types in survival and recolonisation ability, 15 species traits were evaluated. These included so-called “ecological traits” (e.g., habitat and substrate range, density, distribution, current velocity adaptation) and “biological traits” connected with life cycle and larval/adult adaptations. Species showing the highest number of advantageous traits (with only exception of Electrogena sp. cf. ujhelyii — species of taxonomically unclear status) were able to successfully survive under the unfavourable conditions of the intermittent brook. Biological traits considered more important in many respects seem to be good predictors for assessing sensitivity to extreme temperature changes, hydrological regime fluctuations and the survival/recolonisation ability of species in exposed habitats.

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