scholarly journals Comment on “Information arms race explains plant-herbivore chemical communication in ecological communities”

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan Bass ◽  
André Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Communication ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Arms Race ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Plant Herbivore

Zu et al (Science, 19 Jun 2020, p. 1377) propose that an ‘information arms-race’ between plants and herbivores explains plant-herbivore communication at the community level. However, our analysis shows that key assumptions of the proposed model either a) conflict with standard evolutionary theory or b) are not supported by the available evidence. We also show that the presented statistical patterns can be explained more parsimoniously (e.g. through a null model) without invoking an unlikely process of community selection.

scholarly journals Information arms race explains plant-herbivore chemical communication in ecological communities

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 368 (6497) ◽  
pp. 1377-1381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengjuan Zu ◽  
Karina Boege ◽  
Ek del-Val ◽  
Meredith C. Schuman ◽  
Philip C. Stevenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Communication ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Information Structure ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Arms Race ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Conflicting Information ◽  
Plant Herbivore

Plants emit an extraordinary diversity of chemicals that provide information about their identity and mediate their interactions with insects. However, most studies of this have focused on a few model species in controlled environments, limiting our capacity to understand plant-insect chemical communication in ecological communities. Here, by integrating information theory with ecological and evolutionary theories, we show that a stable information structure of plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can emerge from a conflicting information process between plants and herbivores. We corroborate this information “arms race” theory with field data recording plant-VOC associations and plant-herbivore interactions in a tropical dry forest. We reveal that plant VOC redundancy and herbivore specialization can be explained by a conflicting information transfer. Information-based communication approaches can increase our understanding of species interactions across trophic levels.

scholarly journals Response to Comment on “Information arms race explains plant-herbivore chemical communication in ecological communities"

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengjuan Zu ◽  
Karina Boege ◽  
Ek del Val ◽  
Meredith Christine Schuman ◽  
Phil Stevenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arms Race ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Neutral Model ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Circular Reasoning ◽  
Plant Volatile ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Plant Herbivore ◽  
Herbivore Communities ◽  
Simple Parameter

Zu et al. 2020 (1) proposed a simple, parameter-free, information-arms-race theory to explain the distributions of plant-herbivore interactions and plant-volatile associations observed in plant-herbivore communities. We received a comment by Bass and Kessler (Oct. 2020) questioning this theory and suggesting that a simpler neutral model can explain the observed distributions. This, with our response, went to peer review and was not published (Oct. 29, 2020). The authors have decided to publish their comment on EcoEvoRxiv (2) and so here, we are posting our reply. In sum, we present arguments to show that the comment from Bass and Kessler is based on an incorrect understanding of our study and furthermore suffers from circular reasoning, and that therefore their conclusions are not supported.

scholarly journals Response to Comment on “Information arms race explains plant-herbivore chemical communication in ecological communities”

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengjuan Zu ◽  
Serguei ◽  
Karina Boege ◽  
Ek del Val ◽  
Meredith Christine Schuman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arms Race ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Neutral Model ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Circular Reasoning ◽  
Plant Volatile ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Plant Herbivore ◽  
Herbivore Communities ◽  
Simple Parameter

Zu et al. 2020 (1) proposed a simple, parameter-free, information-arms-race theory to explain the distributions of plant-herbivore interactions and plant-volatile associations observed in plant-herbivore communities. We received a comment by Bass and Kessler (Oct. 2020) questioning this theory and suggesting that a simpler neutral model can explain the observed distributions. This, with our response, went to peer review and was not published (Oct. 29, 2020). The authors have decided to publish their comment on EcoEvoRxiv (2) and so here, we are posting our reply. In sum, we present arguments to show that the comment from Bass and Kessler is based on an incorrect understanding of our study and furthermore suffers from circular reasoning, and that therefore their conclusions are not supported.

scholarly journals Plant-insect chemical communication in ecological communities: an information theory perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengjuan Zu ◽  
Reinaldo García-García ◽  
Meredith Schuman ◽  
Serguei Saavedra ◽  
Carlos J. Melián
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Chemical Communication ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Form Complex ◽  
Level Information ◽  
Information Patterns ◽  
Interdisciplinary Framework ◽  
Specific Species

AbstractCross-species communication, where signals are sent by one species and perceived by others, is one of the most intriguing types of communication that functionally links different species to form complex ecological networks. Yet, global changes and human activities can affect communication by increasing the fluctuations of species composition and phenology, altering signal profiles and intensity, and introducing noises. So far, most studies on cross-species communication have focused on a few specific species isolated from ecological communities. Scaling up investigations of cross-species communication to the community level is currently hampered by a lack of conceptual and practical methodologies. Here, we propose an interdisciplinary framework based on information theory to investigate mechanisms shaping cross-species communication at the community level. We use plants and insects, the cornerstones of most ecosystems, as a showcase; and focus on chemical communication as the key communication channel. We first introduce some basic concepts of information theory, then we illustrate information patterns in plant-insect chemical communication, followed by a further exploration of how to integrate information theory into ecological and evolutionary processes to form testable mechanistic hypotheses. We conclude by highlighting the importance of community-level information as a vehicle to better understand the maintenance of ecological systems, especially when facing rapid global changes.

Messages of Oscillatory Correlograms: A Spike Train Model

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1211-1238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaby Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Spike Train ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Joint Analysis ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Peak Asymmetry ◽  
Millisecond Range ◽  
Temporal Interactions ◽  
Underlying Processes

Oscillatory correlograms are widely used to study neuronal activity that shows a joint periodic rhythm. In most cases, the statistical analysis of cross-correlation histograms (CCH) features is based on the null model of independent processes, and the resulting conclusions about the underlying processes remain qualitative. Therefore, we propose a spike train model for synchronous oscillatory firing activity that directly links characteristics of the CCH to parameters of the underlying processes. The model focuses particularly on asymmetric central peaks, which differ in slope and width on the two sides. Asymmetric peaks can be associated with phase offsets in the (sub-) millisecond range. These spatiotemporal firing patterns can be highly consistent across units yet invisible in the underlying processes. The proposed model includes a single temporal parameter that accounts for this peak asymmetry. The model provides approaches for the analysis of oscillatory correlograms, taking into account dependencies and nonstationarities in the underlying processes. In particular, the auto- and the cross-correlogram can be investigated in a joint analysis because they depend on the same spike train parameters. Particular temporal interactions such as the degree to which different units synchronize in a common oscillatory rhythm can also be investigated. The analysis is demonstrated by application to a simulated data set.

Restoration of pollination interactions in communities invaded by non-native plants.

2020 ◽  
pp. 377-390
Author(s):  
Christopher N. Kaiser-Bunbury ◽  
◽  
Benno I. Simmons ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Restoration Ecology ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
And Function ◽  
Network Metrics ◽  
The Impact

Invasive plant species degrade and homogenize ecosystems worldwide, thereby altering ecosystem processes and function. To mitigate and reverse the impact of invasive plants on pollination, a key ecosystem function, conservation scientists and practitioners restore ecological communities and study the impact of such management interventions on plant-pollinator communities. Here, we describe opportunities and challenges associated with restoring pollination interactions as part of a holistic ecosystem-based restoration approach. We introduce a few general concepts in restoration ecology, and outline best planning and evaluation practices of restoring pollination interactions on the community level. Planning involves the selection of suitable plant species to support diverse pollinator communities, which includes considerations of the benefits and disadvantages of using native vs exotic, and bridge and framework plant species for restoration. We emphasize the central role of scientific- and community-level approaches for the planning phase of pollination restoration. For evaluation purposes, we argue that appropriate network indicators have the advantage of detecting changes in species behaviour with consequences for ecosystem processes and functions before these changes show up in altered species communities. Suitable network metrics may include interaction diversity and evenness, and network measures that describe the distribution of species, such as network and species-level specialization, modularity and motifs. Finally, we discuss the usefulness of the network approach in evaluating the benefits of restoration interventions for pollination interactions, and propose that applied network ecologists take a central role in transferring theory into practice.

scholarly journals Unmasking structural patterns in incidence matrices: an application to ecological data

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (151) ◽  
pp. 20180747
Author(s):  
Bernat Bramon Mora ◽  
Giulio V. Dalla Riva ◽  
Daniel B. Stouffer
Keyword(s):  
Community Ecology ◽  
Incidence Matrix ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Statistical Modelling ◽  
Null Models ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Incidence Matrices ◽  
Structural Patterns ◽  
The Impact

Null models have become a crucial tool for understanding structure within incidence matrices across multiple biological contexts. For example, they have been widely used for the study of ecological and biogeographic questions, testing hypotheses regarding patterns of community assembly, species co-occurrence and biodiversity. However, to our knowledge we remain without a general and flexible approach to study the mechanisms explaining such structures. Here, we provide a method for generating ‘correlation-informed’ null models, which combine the classic concept of null models and tools from community ecology, like joint statistical modelling. Generally, this model allows us to assess whether the information encoded within any given correlation matrix is predictive for explaining structural patterns observed within an incidence matrix. To demonstrate its utility, we apply our approach to two different case studies that represent examples of common scenarios encountered in community ecology. First, we use a phylogenetically informed null model to detect a strong evolutionary fingerprint within empirically observed food webs, reflecting key differences in the impact of shared evolutionary history when shaping the interactions of predators or prey. Second, we use multiple informed null models to identify which factors determine structural patterns of species assemblages, focusing in on the study of nestedness and the influence of site size, isolation, species range and species richness. In addition to offering a versatile way to study the mechanisms shaping the structure of any incidence matrix, including those describing ecological communities, our approach can also be adapted further to test even more sophisticated hypotheses.

scholarly journals LifeWebs: A (global) database of bipartite ecological interaction networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Butterill ◽  
Leonardo Jorge ◽  
Shuang Xing ◽  
Tom Fayle
Keyword(s):  
Interaction Network ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Interaction Networks ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Bipartite Networks ◽  
Data Types ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Global Database ◽  
Machine Readable

The structure and dynamics of ecological interactions are nowadays recognized as a crucial challenge to comprehend the assembly, functioning and maintenance of ecological communities, their processes and the services they provide. Nevertheless, while standards and databases for information on species occurrences, traits and phylogenies have been established, interaction networks have lagged behind on the development of these standards. Here, we discuss the challenges and our experiences in developing a global database of bipartite interaction networks. LifeWebs*1 is an effort to compile community-level interaction networks from both published and unpublished sources. We focus on bipartite networks that comprise one specific type of interaction between two groups of species (e.g., plants and herbivores, hosts and parasites, mammals and their microbiota), which are usually presented in a co-occurrence matrix format. However, with LifeWebs, we attempt to go beyond simple matrices by integrating relevant metadata from the studies, especially sampling effort, explicit species information (traits and taxonomy/phylogeny), and environmental/geographic information on the communities. Specifically, we explore 1) the unique aspects of community-level interaction networks when compared to data on single inter-specific interactions, occurrence data, and other biodiversity data and how to integrate these different data types. 2) The trade-off between user friendliness in data input/output vs. machine-readable formats, especially important when data contributors need to provide large amounts of data usually compiled in a non-machine-readable format. 3) How to have a single framework that is general enough to include disparate interaction types while retaining all the meaningful information. We envision LifeWebs to be in a good position to test a general standard for interaction network data, with a large variety of already compiled networks that encompass different types of interactions. We provide a framework for integration with other types of data, and formalization of the data necessary to represent networks into established biodiversity standards.

scholarly journals Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Desiree L. Narango ◽  
Douglas W. Tallamy ◽  
Kimberley J. Shropshire
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Functional Food ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Plant Herbivore

AbstractFunctional food webs are essential for the successful conservation of ecological communities, and in terrestrial systems, food webs are built on a foundation of coevolved interactions between plants and their consumers. Here, we collate published data on host plant ranges and associated host plant-Lepidoptera interactions from across the contiguous United States and demonstrate that among ecosystems, distributions of plant-herbivore interactions are consistently skewed, with a small percentage of plant genera supporting the majority of Lepidoptera. Plant identities critical for retaining interaction diversity are similar and independent of geography. Given the importance of Lepidoptera to food webs and ecosystem function, efficient and effective restoration of degraded landscapes depends on the inclusion of such ‘keystone’ plants.

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