Our preprint where we test what drives the magnitude of relationships between traits and ecological responses within populations of animal species is out! 🐟🐍🐿️🐦🦞🕷️🦌
You can read it here:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.26.634944v1
If you're busy, just hear the audio summary there:
https://sciencecast.org/casts/8xko765i30dq
#ecology #traits #intraspecific #animals
Behavior Outpaces Form when Linking Traits to Ecological Responses within Populations: A Meta-Analysis
Intraspecific trait variability (ITV) is an important aspect of community ecology, but we still have a poor understanding of what drives the magnitude of relationships between ITV and ecological dynamics. In order to guide ecologists interested in unravelling the ecological implications of ITV, we asked whether relationships magnitudes differ (i) between intraspecific levels (among- vs. within- populations), (ii) among ecological responses spanning levels of biological organization (from individual performances to ecosystem functioning), and (iii) among trait categories (morphology, physiology and behavior). We performed a meta-analysis synthesizing a thousand effect sizes from nearly two-hundred studies, encompassing relationships between traits measured among individuals or populations of animals and a broad range of ecological responses. The average effect size was |r| = 0.24 \[0.20 - 0.27\] (95% confidence intervals). Within populations, relationships magnitudes were higher for ecological performance (foraging, diet), community and ecosystem responses than for fitness (reproduction). Relationships were 28% stronger for physiological and behavioral traits than for morphological traits. Our meta-analysis confirms the central aspect of ITV within populations of animals to drive ecological dynamics, and emphasizes physiological and behavioral traits to enhance the integration between the individual component of diversity and processes at community and ecosystem-levels.
### Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Individual trait variation within a population of dragonfly predators can affect prey community and ecosystem processes within a forested stream! In OA in Freshwater Biology
🍂🏞️
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/fwb.14242
#ecology #diversity #CommunityEcology #ecosystem #intraspecific
Now in issue !
#Intraspecific Variation in the Placement of Campaniform Sensilla on the Wings of the #Hawkmoth Manduca Sexta
by K E Stanchak, T Deora, A I Weber, M K Hickner, A Moalin, L Abdalla, T L Daniel, B W Brunton
https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obae007
#insects #biology #moth #scientists
Intraspecific Variation in the Placement of Campaniform Sensilla on the Wings of the Hawkmoth Manduca Sexta
Synopsis. Flight control requires active sensory feedback, and insects have many sensors that help them estimate their current locomotor state, including c
Editorial: Microbial volatiles and communication
When it comes to methods, Bruisson et al. developed a bioassay designed to inves�gate vola�le-mediated interac�ons allowing for unidirec�onal exposure of a "receiver" microorganism to the vola�les of an "emi�ng" microorganism. Among their findings, the authors highlight that when the "receiver" Trichoderma simmonsii was exposed to vola�les emited by the fungal pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum, two and seven vola�le compounds, respec�vely, were no longer detected in the complex blend emited by the receiver prior to exposure to vola�les of the fungal pathogens. In addi�on, there were other vola�les for which a species-specific increase in abundance was observed. Haertl et al. developed an interdisciplinary methodological pla�orm to characterise both the skin microbiome and vola�lome. Because the skin microbiome produces many of the vola�les released from the human skin, it is important to understand the rela�onship between these two and how the applied vola�le and bacterial analysis may influence the results. For example, the co-occurrence of certain skin bacteria and vola�les released by the skin depended on the method used and was only significant for one of the four methods tested. The authors give several sugges�ons on how to improve sampling techniques and consequently the results.Recent studies shed light on the role of microbial vola�les as signalling molecules in microbial communi�es and suggest that diversity and compe��on may influence intra-and in...
Li used
#plant traits (plant height, leaf thickness,
#SLA ,
#LDMC ) from 26 species in a
#globalchange #grassland #experiment to disentangle
#intraspecific and
#interspecific components of
#dominance and
#complementarity and their impact on productivity. We studied how
#warming and
#nitrogen fertilization impact community functional
#composition and
#diversity at intra- and interspecific level and how this in turn affects aboveground
#productivity. (2/3)
Thibaut Rota
SICB journals(ICB & IOB)
NIOO-KNAW
Seraina L Cappelli