scholarly journals DarkCideS  1.0, a global database for  bats in karsts and caves

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krizler C. Tanalgo ◽  
John Aries G. Tabora ◽  
Hernani Fernandes Magalhães Oliveira ◽  
Danny Haelewaters ◽  
Chad T. Beranek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Histories ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Global Database ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Cave Ecosystems ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Terrestrial Biomes

Understanding biodiversity patterns as well as drivers of population declines, and range losses provides crucial baselines for monitoring and conservation. However, the information needed to evaluate such trends remains unstandardised and sparsely available for many taxonomic groups and habitats, including the cave-dwelling bats and cave ecosystems. Here, we present the DarkCideS 1.0, a global database of bat caves and bat species based on curated data from the literature, personal collections, and existing datasets. The database contains information for geographical distribution, ecological status, species traits, and parasites and hyperparasites for 679 bat species known to occur in caves or use caves in their life-histories. The database contains 6746 georeferenced occurrences for 402 cave-dwelling bat species from 2002 cave sites in 46 countries and 12 terrestrial biomes. The database has been developed to be a collaborative, open-access, and user-friendly platform, allowing continuous data-sharing among the community of bat researchers and conservation biologists. The database has a range of potential applications in bat research and enables comparative monitoring and prioritisation for conservation.

scholarly journals A global database for metacommunity ecology, integrating species, traits, environment and space

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alienor Jeliazkov ◽  
Darko Mijatovic ◽  
Stéphane Chantepie ◽  
Nigel Andrew ◽  
Raphaël Arlettaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Global Database ◽  
Metacommunity Ecology ◽  
Species Trait ◽  
Spatial Coordinates ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Case Basis

AbstractThe use of functional information in the form of species traits plays an important role in explaining biodiversity patterns and responses to environmental changes. Although relationships between species composition, their traits, and the environment have been extensively studied on a case-by-case basis, results are variable, and it remains unclear how generalizable these relationships are across ecosystems, taxa and spatial scales. To address this gap, we collated 80 datasets from trait-based studies into a global database for metaCommunity Ecology: Species, Traits, Environment and Space; “CESTES”. Each dataset includes four matrices: species community abundances or presences/absences across multiple sites, species trait information, environmental variables and spatial coordinates of the sampling sites. The CESTES database is a live database: it will be maintained and expanded in the future as new datasets become available. By its harmonized structure, and the diversity of ecosystem types, taxonomic groups, and spatial scales it covers, the CESTES database provides an important opportunity for synthetic trait-based research in community ecology.

scholarly journals Reproductive phenology of the American Bullfrog in subtropical Brazil: photoperiod as a main determinant of seasonal activity

2016 ◽  
Vol 88 (3 suppl) ◽  
pp. 1909-1921 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAMILA I. MEDEIROS ◽  
CAMILA BOTH ◽  
IGOR L. KAEFER ◽  
SONIA Z. CECHIN
Keyword(s):  
Life Histories ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Reproductive Phenology ◽  
High Fertility ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
American Bullfrog ◽  
The North

ABSTRACT The North American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus continues to invade ecosystems worldwide, potentially causing population declines and even extinctions. Within its native distribution, bullfrogs show prolonged reproductive seasons and high fertility. However, data on breeding biology of bullfrogs ex-situ in invaded localities mainly comes from anecdotal reports. Understanding how invasive species are adjusting their life histories to new colonized environments is important for conservation purposes. Here we describe temporal and spatial abundance, calling activity, spawning and tadpole distribution of bullfrogs in southern Brazil. Eighteen samplings occurred during one year. The abundance of individuals was positively related to longer photoperiods and higher temperatures. Reproductive activity was also positively associated with longer photoperiods. Calling sites, spawning and tadpoles were associated with microhabitats presenting hydrophytes, which may provide shelter and thermal stability to bullfrogs. The reproductive seasonal activity of bullfrogs can be highly variable across its growing geographical range, but in subtropical Brazil it is associated with photoperiod, a highly predictable abiotic determinant. In our study area, bullfrogs presented a breeding season twice as long as that observed in some native localities. We suggest that management strategies directed to bullfrog populations must consider the habitat structures and seasonal regimes determined by each invaded environment.

scholarly journals Demographic inference provides insights into the extirpation and ecological dominance of eusocial snapping shrimps

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon T. C. Chak ◽  
Stephen E. Harris ◽  
Kristin M. Hultgren ◽  
J. Emmett Duffy ◽  
Dustin R. Rubenstein
Keyword(s):  
Life Histories ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Social Traits ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Demographic Inference ◽  
Ecological Dominance ◽  
Snapping Shrimps ◽  
Eusocial Species

AbstractEusocial animals often achieve ecological dominance in the ecosystems where they occur, a process that may be linked to their demography. That is, reproductive division of labor and high reproductive skew in eusocial species is predicted to result in more stable effective population sizes that may make groups more competitive, but also lower effective population sizes that may make groups more susceptible to inbreeding and extinction. We examined the relationship between demography and social organization in one of the few animal lineages where eusociality has evolved recently and repeatedly among close relatives, the Synalpheus snapping shrimps. Although eusocial species often dominate the reefs where they occur by outcompeting their non-eusocial relatives for access to sponge hosts, many eusocial species have recently become extirpated across the Caribbean. Coalescent-based historical demographic inference in 12 species found that across nearly 100,000 generations, eusocial species tended to have lower but more stable effective population sizes through time. Our results are consistent with the idea that stable population sizes may enable eusocial shrimps to be more competitively dominant, but they also suggest that recent population declines are likely caused by eusocial shrimps’ heightened sensitivity to anthropogenically-driven environmental changes as a result of their low effective population sizes and localized dispersal, rather than to natural cycles of inbreeding and extinction. Thus, although the unique life histories and demography of eusocial shrimps has likely contributed to their persistence and ecological dominance over evolutionary timescales, these social traits may also make them vulnerable to contemporary environmental change.

scholarly journals The Composition and Seasonal Variation of Epigeic Arthropods in Different Types of Agricultural Crops and Their Ecotones

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2276
Author(s):  
Vladimír Langraf ◽  
Kornélia Petrovičová ◽  
Janka Schlarmannová
Keyword(s):  
Triticum Aestivum ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Brassica Napus L ◽  
Pisum Sativum L ◽  
New Information ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Number Of Individuals

Changes in the structures of epigeic arthropods reflect changes in the ecological status of their habitats. The aim of this research was to assess the influence of ecotones and environmental variables (pH soil, soil moisture, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen) on the abundance of epigeic arthropods. Between 2018 and 2020, an investigation of different types of crops (Brassica napus L., Pisum sativum L., Triticum aestivum L., T. spelta L., Zea mays L., grass mixture) recorded 31,315 individuals belonging to 14 taxonomic groups and their ecotones, using pitfall traps. The abundance of epigeic arthropods was affected by moisture, pH of soil, and levels of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. We observed a greater average number of individuals in the ecotones than in the fields in the months of September and October and in Triticum aestivum crops. During other months and for the remaining crops, we did not notice this difference. This contributed new information regarding the ecotone rule. Our results suggest that agricultural intensification affects epigeic arthropods in the crop Triticum aestivum, which is important for the production of biomass and also affects crop yields.

scholarly journals Bycatch mitigation could prevent strong changes in the ecological strategies of seabird communities across the globe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cerren Richards ◽  
Robert S. C. Cooke ◽  
Diana E. Bowler ◽  
Kristina Boerder ◽  
Amanda E. Bates
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Ecological Strategies ◽  
Mass Generation ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
Fisheries Bycatch

Fisheries bycatch, the incidental mortality of non-target species, is a major threat to seabirds worldwide. Mitigating bycatch is an important factor to reduce seabird population declines and consequent changes in ocean trophic dynamics and ecosystem functioning. However, it remains an open question how and where mitigating bycatch at a global scale may conserve seabird traits and the ecological strategies that traits represent. Here we combine a dataset of species traits and distribution ranges for 341 seabirds with spatially resolved fishing effort data for gillnet, longline, trawl, and purse seine gears to: (1) understand spatial variation in seabird community traits; and (2) test whether mitigating fisheries bycatch may prevent shifts in traits of seabird communities and loss of ecological strategies. We find distinct spatial variation in the community weighted mean of five seabird traits (clutch size, body mass, generation length, foraging guild, and diet guild). Furthermore, our analysis suggests that successful bycatch mitigation could prevent strong shifts in the traits of seabird communities across the globe particularly in the North Atlantic and Southern Oceans. Specifically, changes in dominant foraging and diet guilds, and shifts towards communities with faster reproductive speeds (larger clutch sizes and shorter generation lengths) and smaller body masses could be avoided. Therefore, bycatch mitigation may have important indirect benefits for sustaining ecosystem functioning, as mediated by species traits. Incorporating species traits into management actions will provide valuable tools for marine spatial planning and when evaluating the success of conservation initiatives.

scholarly journals Short-Lived Species Move Uphill Faster Under Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joséphine Couet ◽  
Emma-Liina Marjakangas ◽  
Andrea Santangeli ◽  
John Atle Kålås ◽  
Åke Lindström ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Range Shift ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
Altitudinal Range ◽  
Species Abundances

Abstract Climate change is pushing species ranges towards poles and mountain tops. Although many studies have documented local altitudinal shifts, knowledge of general patterns at a large spatial scale, such as a whole mountain range, is very limited. From a conservation perspective, studying altitudinal shifts is particularly important as mountain regions often represent biodiversity hotspots and are among the most vulnerable ecosystems. Here, we examine whether altitudinal shifts have occurred among birds in the Scandinavian mountains over 13 years and assess whether such shifts are related to species’ traits. Using abundance data, we show a clear pattern of uphill shifts in the mean altitudes of the bird species’ abundances across the Scandinavian mountains, with an average speed of 0.9 m per year. Out of 77 species, 54 shifted their ranges uphill. In general, the range shift was faster when the altitudinal range within the area was wider. Importantly, the altitudinal shift was strongly related to species’ longevity: short-lived species showed more pronounced altitudinal uphill shifts than long-lived species. Our results show that the altitudinal range shifts are not only driven by a small number of individuals at the range boundaries, but the overall bird abundances are on the move. This highlights the wide-ranging impact of climate change and the potential vulnerability of species with slow life-histories, as they appear unable to timely respond to rapidly changing climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Stk: An Extendable Python Framework for Automated Molecular and Supramolecular Structure Assembly and Discovery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Turcani ◽  
Andrew Tarzia ◽  
Filip Szczypiński ◽  
Kim Jelfs
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Space ◽  
General Structure ◽  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Structure Generation ◽  
Supramolecular Materials ◽  
Existing Structures ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Structure Assembly

<div>Computational software workflows are emerging as all-in-one solutions to speed up the discovery of new materials.</div><div>Many computational approaches require the generation of realistic structural models for property prediction and candidate screening. However, molecular and supramolecular materials represent classes of materials with many potential applications for which there is no go-to database of existing structures or general protocol for generating structures. Here, we report a new version of the supramolecular toolkit, <i>stk</i>, an open-source, extendable and modular Python framework for general structure generation of (supra)molecular structures. Our construction approach follows a bottom-up process and minimises the input required from the user, making <i>stk</i> user-friendly and applicable to many material classes. This version of <i>stk</i> includes metal-containing structures and rotaxanes as well as general implementation and interface improvements. Additionally, this version includes built-in tools for exploring chemical space with an evolutionary algorithm and tools for database generation and visualisation. The latest version of <i>stk</i> is freely available at github.com/lukasturcani/stk</div>

scholarly journals Data gaps and opportunities for comparative and conservation biology

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (19) ◽  
pp. 9658-9664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia A. Conde ◽  
Johanna Staerk ◽  
Fernando Colchero ◽  
Rita da Silva ◽  
Jonas Schöley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Histories ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Background Rate ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Data Gaps

Biodiversity loss is a major challenge. Over the past century, the average rate of vertebrate extinction has been about 100-fold higher than the estimated background rate and population declines continue to increase globally. Birth and death rates determine the pace of population increase or decline, thus driving the expansion or extinction of a species. Design of species conservation policies hence depends on demographic data (e.g., for extinction risk assessments or estimation of harvesting quotas). However, an overview of the accessible data, even for better known taxa, is lacking. Here, we present the Demographic Species Knowledge Index, which classifies the available information for 32,144 (97%) of extant described mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. We show that only 1.3% of the tetrapod species have comprehensive information on birth and death rates. We found no demographic measures, not even crude ones such as maximum life span or typical litter/clutch size, for 65% of threatened tetrapods. More field studies are needed; however, some progress can be made by digitalizing existing knowledge, by imputing data from related species with similar life histories, and by using information from captive populations. We show that data from zoos and aquariums in the Species360 network can significantly improve knowledge for an almost eightfold gain. Assessing the landscape of limited demographic knowledge is essential to prioritize ways to fill data gaps. Such information is urgently needed to implement management strategies to conserve at-risk taxa and to discover new unifying concepts and evolutionary relationships across thousands of tetrapod species.

scholarly journals Population declines of tuna and relatives depend on their speed of life

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1811) ◽  
pp. 20150322 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Juan-Jordá ◽  
I. Mosqueira ◽  
J. Freire ◽  
N. K. Dulvy
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Fishing Mortality ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Exploitation Status

Larger-bodied species in a wide range of taxonomic groups including mammals, fishes and birds tend to decline more steeply and are at greater risk of extinction. Yet, the diversity in life histories is governed not only by body size, but also by time-related traits. A key question is whether this size-dependency of vulnerability also holds, not just locally, but globally across a wider range of environments. We test the relative importance of size- and time-related life-history traits and fishing mortality in determining population declines and current exploitation status in tunas and their relatives. We use high-quality datasets of half a century of population trajectories combined with population-level fishing mortalities and life-history traits. Time-related traits (e.g. growth rate), rather than size-related traits (e.g. maximum size), better explain the extent and rate of declines and current exploitation status across tuna assemblages, after controlling for fishing mortality. Consequently, there is strong geographical patterning in population declines, such that populations with slower life histories (found at higher cooler latitudes) have declined most and more steeply and have a higher probability of being overfished than populations with faster life histories (found at tropical latitudes). Hence, the strong, temperature-driven, latitudinal gradients in life-history traits may underlie the global patterning of population declines, fisheries collapses and local extinctions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document