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249 results on '"PARR, CATHERINE L."'

1. The global distribution of known and undiscovered ant biodiversity

Author

Kass, Jamie M, Guénard, Benoit, Dudley, Kenneth L, Jenkins, Clinton N, Azuma, Fumika, Fisher, Brian L, Parr, Catherine L, Gibb, Heloise, Longino, John T, Ward, Philip S, Chao, Anne, Lubertazzi, David, Weiser, Michael, Jetz, Walter, Guralnick, Robert, Blatrix, Rumsaïs, Lauriers, James Des, Donoso, David A, Georgiadis, Christos, Gomez, Kiko, Hawkes, Peter G, Johnson, Robert A, Lattke, John E, MacGown, Joe A, Mackay, William, Robson, Simon, Sanders, Nathan J, Dunn, Robert R, and Economo, Evan P

Subjects
Life Below Water, Animals, Ants, Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Invertebrates, Phylogeny, Vertebrates
Abstract

Invertebrates constitute the majority of animal species and are critical for ecosystem functioning and services. Nonetheless, global invertebrate biodiversity patterns and their congruences with vertebrates remain largely unknown. We resolve the first high-resolution (~20-km) global diversity map for a major invertebrate clade, ants, using biodiversity informatics, range modeling, and machine learning to synthesize existing knowledge and predict the distribution of undiscovered diversity. We find that ants and different vertebrate groups have distinct features in their patterns of richness and rarity, underscoring the need to consider a diversity of taxa in conservation. However, despite their phylogenetic and physiological divergence, ant distributions are not highly anomalous relative to variation among vertebrate clades. Furthermore, our models predict that rarity centers largely overlap (78%), suggesting that general forces shape endemism patterns across taxa. This raises confidence that conservation of areas important for small-ranged vertebrates will benefit invertebrates while providing a "treasure map" to guide future discovery.

Published
2022

2. Carbon flux and forest dynamics: Increased deadwood decomposition in tropical rainforest tree‐fall canopy gaps

Author

Griffiths, Hannah M, Eggleton, Paul, Hemming‐Schroeder, Nicole, Swinfield, Tom, Woon, Joel S, Allison, Steven D, Coomes, David A, Ashton, Louise A, and Parr, Catherine L

Subjects
Biological Sciences, Ecology, Life on Land, Carbon, Carbon Cycle, Ecosystem, Forests, Rainforest, Trees, Tropical Climate, carbon cycling, carbon modelling, disturbance, global change, invertebrates, termites, tree mortality, Environmental Sciences, Biological sciences, Earth sciences, Environmental sciences
Abstract

Tree mortality rates are increasing within tropical rainforests as a result of global environmental change. When trees die, gaps are created in forest canopies and carbon is transferred from the living to deadwood pools. However, little is known about the effect of tree-fall canopy gaps on the activity of decomposer communities and the rate of deadwood decay in forests. This means that the accuracy of regional and global carbon budgets is uncertain, especially given ongoing changes to the structure of rainforest ecosystems. Therefore, to determine the effect of canopy openings on wood decay rates and regional carbon flux, we carried out the first assessment of deadwood mass loss within canopy gaps in old-growth rainforest. We used replicated canopy gaps paired with closed canopy sites in combination with macroinvertebrate accessible and inaccessible woodblocks to experimentally partition the relative contribution of microbes vs. termites to decomposition within contrasting understorey conditions. We show that over a 12 month period, wood mass loss increased by 63% in canopy gaps compared with closed canopy sites and that this increase was driven by termites. Using LiDAR data to quantify the proportion of canopy openings in the study region, we modelled the effect of observed changes in decomposition within gaps on regional carbon flux. Overall, we estimate that this accelerated decomposition increases regional wood decay rate by up to 18.2%, corresponding to a flux increase of 0.27 Mg C ha-1  year-1 that is not currently accounted for in regional carbon budgets. These results provide the first insights into how small-scale disturbances in rainforests can generate hotspots for decomposer activity and carbon fluxes. In doing so, we show that including canopy gap dynamics and their impacts on wood decomposition in forest ecosystems can help improve the predictive accuracy of the carbon cycle in land surface models.

Published
2021

4. Scavenging in two mountain ecosystems: Distinctive contribution of ants in grassland and non‐ant invertebrates in forest.

Author

Fernandes, Tiago Vinícius, Parr, Catherine L., Campos, Ricardo Ildefonso, Neves, Frederico de Siqueira, and Solar, Ricardo

Subjects
*MOUNTAIN ecology, *INSECT larvae, *NUTRIENT cycles, *HABITATS, *ECOSYSTEMS
Abstract

Scavenging is a key process for the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems, yet it is still neglected in the ecological literature. Apart from the importance of specific groups of animals in scavenging, there have been few ecological studies that compare them. Furthermore, the ecological studies on scavenging have mainly focused on vertebrates despite the crucial importance of invertebrates in this process. Here, we performed a large‐scale ant suppression and vertebrate exclusion experiment to quantify the relative contribution of ants, non‐ant invertebrates and vertebrates in scavenging nitrogen‐rich (insect carcasses) and carbon‐rich (seeds) baits in two contrasting mountainous habitats in Brazil (grasslands and forests). Overall, bait removal was 23.2% higher in forests than in grasslands. Ants were the primary scavengers in grasslands, responsible for more than 57% of dead insect larvae and seed removal, while, in forests, non‐ant invertebrates dominated, removing nearly 65% of all baits. Vertebrates had a minor role in scavenging dead insect larvae and seeds in both habitats, with <4% of removals. Furthermore, our results show that animal‐based baits were more consumed in forests than seeds, and both resources were equally consumed in grasslands. Therefore, we demonstrate the superiority of invertebrates in this process, with a particular emphasis on the irreplaceable role of ants, especially in this grassland ecosystem. As such, we further advance our knowledge of a key ecosystem process, showing the relative importance of three major groups in scavenging and the differences in ecosystems functioning between two contrasting tropical habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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6. A global database of ant species abundances

Author

Gibb, Heloise, Dunn, Rob R, Sanders, Nathan J, Grossman, Blair F, Photakis, Manoli, Abril, Silvia, Agosti, Donat, Andersen, Alan N, Angulo, Elena, Armbrecht, Inge, Arnan, Xavier, Baccaro, Fabricio B, Bishop, Tom R, Boulay, Raphaël, Brühl, Carsten, Castracani, Cristina, Cerda, Xim, Del Toro, Israel, Delsinne, Thibaut, Diaz, Mireia, Donoso, David A, Ellison, Aaron M, Enriquez, Martha L, Fayle, Tom M, Feener, Donald H, Fisher, Brian L, Fisher, Robert N, Fitzpatrick, Matthew C, Gómez, Crisanto, Gotelli, Nicholas J, Gove, Aaron, Grasso, Donato A, Groc, Sarah, Guenard, Benoit, Gunawardene, Nihara, Heterick, Brian, Hoffmann, Benjamin, Janda, Milan, Jenkins, Clinton, Kaspari, Michael, Klimes, Petr, Lach, Lori, Laeger, Thomas, Lattke, John, Leponce, Maurice, Lessard, Jean‐Philippe, Longino, John, Lucky, Andrea, Luke, Sarah H, Majer, Jonathan, McGlynn, Terrence P, Menke, Sean, Mezger, Dirk, Mori, Alessandra, Moses, Jimmy, Munyai, Thinandavha Caswell, Pacheco, Renata, Paknia, Omid, Pearce‐Duvet, Jessica, Pfeiffer, Martin, Philpott, Stacy M, Resasco, Julian, Retana, Javier, Silva, Rogerio R, Sorger, Magdalena D, Souza, Jorge, Suarez, Andrew, Tista, Melanie, Vasconcelos, Heraldo L, Vonshak, Merav, Weiser, Michael D, Yates, Michelle, and Parr, Catherine L

Subjects
Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, Biological Sciences, Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Animals, Ants, Databases, Factual, Ecosystem, abundance, ants, database, disturbance, Formicidae, geo-referenced, habitat, local assemblage, ccurrence, pitfall trap, Winkler trap, occurrence, Ecological Applications, Evolutionary Biology, Zoology, Ecological applications
Abstract

What forces structure ecological assemblages? A key limitation to general insights about assemblage structure is the availability of data that are collected at a small spatial grain (local assemblages) and a large spatial extent (global coverage). Here, we present published and unpublished data from 51 ,388 ant abundance and occurrence records of more than 2,693 species and 7,953 morphospecies from local assemblages collected at 4,212 locations around the world. Ants were selected because they are diverse and abundant globally, comprise a large fraction of animal biomass in most terrestrial communities, and are key contributors to a range of ecosystem functions. Data were collected between 1949 and 2014, and include, for each geo-referenced sampling site, both the identity of the ants collected and details of sampling design, habitat type, and degree of disturbance. The aim of compiling this data set was to provide comprehensive species abundance data in order to test relationships between assemblage structure and environmental and biogeographic factors. Data were collected using a variety of standardized methods, such as pitfall and Winkler traps, and will be valuable for studies investigating large-scale forces structuring local assemblages. Understanding such relationships is particularly critical under current rates of global change. We encourage authors holding additional data on systematically collected ant assemblages, especially those in dry and cold, and remote areas, to contact us and contribute their data to this growing data set.

Published
2017

8. Climate mediates the effects of disturbance on ant assemblage structure

Author

Gibb, Heloise, Sanders, Nathan J, Dunn, Robert R, Watson, Simon, Photakis, Manoli, Abril, Silvia, Andersen, Alan N, Angulo, Elena, Armbrecht, Inge, Arnan, Xavier, Baccaro, Fabricio B, Bishop, Tom R, Boulay, Raphael, Castracani, Cristina, Del Toro, Israel, Delsinne, Thibaut, Diaz, Mireia, Donoso, David A, Enríquez, Martha L, Fayle, Tom M, Feener, Donald H, Fitzpatrick, Matthew C, Gómez, Crisanto, Grasso, Donato A, Groc, Sarah, Heterick, Brian, Hoffmann, Benjamin D, Lach, Lori, Lattke, John, Leponce, Maurice, Lessard, Jean-Philippe, Longino, John, Lucky, Andrea, Majer, Jonathan, Menke, Sean B, Mezger, Dirk, Mori, Alessandra, Munyai, Thinandavha C, Paknia, Omid, Pearce-Duvet, Jessica, Pfeiffer, Martin, Philpott, Stacy M, de Souza, Jorge LP, Tista, Melanie, Vasconcelos, Heraldo L, Vonshak, Merav, and Parr, Catherine L

Subjects
Life Below Water, Animals, Ants, Biodiversity, Climate, Climate Change, Temperature, assemblage structure, dominance, global warming, probability of interspecific encounter, species evenness, Biological Sciences, Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences
Abstract

Many studies have focused on the impacts of climate change on biological assemblages, yet little is known about how climate interacts with other major anthropogenic influences on biodiversity, such as habitat disturbance. Using a unique global database of 1128 local ant assemblages, we examined whether climate mediates the effects of habitat disturbance on assemblage structure at a global scale. Species richness and evenness were associated positively with temperature, and negatively with disturbance. However, the interaction among temperature, precipitation and disturbance shaped species richness and evenness. The effect was manifested through a failure of species richness to increase substantially with temperature in transformed habitats at low precipitation. At low precipitation levels, evenness increased with temperature in undisturbed sites, peaked at medium temperatures in disturbed sites and remained low in transformed sites. In warmer climates with lower rainfall, the effects of increasing disturbance on species richness and evenness were akin to decreases in temperature of up to 9°C. Anthropogenic disturbance and ongoing climate change may interact in complicated ways to shape the structure of assemblages, with hot, arid environments likely to be at greatest risk.

Published
2015

12. Ant assemblages have darker and larger members in cold environments

Author

Bishop, Tom R., Robertson, Mark P., Gibb, Heloise, van Rensburg, Berndt J., Braschler, Brigitte, Chown, Steven L., Foord, Stefan H., Munyai, Thinandavha C., Okey, Iona, Tshivhandekano, Pfarelo G., Werenkraut, Victoria, and Parr, Catherine L.

Published
2016

14. Interspecific competition between ants and African honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) may undermine the effectiveness of elephant beehive–deterrents in Africa.

Author

Thornley, Reece, Cook, Robin, Spencer, Matthew, Parr, Catherine L., and Henley, Michelle

Subjects
HONEYBEES, ANTS, BEE colonies, BEES, ELEPHANTS, RATIONING, COMPETITION (Biology)
Abstract

Beehive deterrents are commonly used to mitigate human–elephant conflict and protect woody vegetation. To ensure hive activity, reduce abscondment risks, and maintain deterrent effectiveness, resident bee colonies require supplementary feeding during periods of low resource availability. However, our study found that ants frequently consume the supplementary feed in open feeders intended for bees. Anoplolepis custodiens was the most numerically dominant species that excluded bees from the feeders, followed by Camponotus and Crematogaster spp. With higher ant abundance, the predicted probability of zero bees being present at feeders increased up to 82%. This competition may undermine the efficacy of beehive deterrents as a conflict mitigation tool. We developed a simple and effective ant exclusion method that raised the overall predicted probability of bees' presence at supplementary feeding stations from 32% to 68%. Our findings suggest that innovative solutions to exclude ants from supplementary feed may improve the implementation and success of this conflict mitigation method across Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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15. The future of hyperdiverse tropical ecosystems

Author

Barlow, Jos, França, Filipe, Gardner, Toby A., Hicks, Christina C., Lennox, Gareth D., Berenguer, Erika, Castello, Leandro, Economo, Evan P., Ferreira, Joice, Guénard, Benoit, Gontijo Leal, Cecília, Isaac, Victoria, Lees, Alexander C., Parr, Catherine L., Wilson, Shaun K., Young, Paul J., and Graham, Nicholas A. J.

Published
2018
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18. The biogeography of Gabonese savannas:Evidence from termite community richness and composition

Author

Evouna Ondo, Fidèle, Jeffery, Kathryn J., Whytock, Robin, Abernethy, Katharine A., Couteron, Pierre, Eggleton, Paul, Griffin, Claire, Ostle, Nicolas J., Koumba Pambo, Aurelie‐Flore, Ngomanda, Alfred, Edzang Ndong, Josué, Parr, Catherine L., Evouna Ondo, Fidèle, Jeffery, Kathryn J., Whytock, Robin, Abernethy, Katharine A., Couteron, Pierre, Eggleton, Paul, Griffin, Claire, Ostle, Nicolas J., Koumba Pambo, Aurelie‐Flore, Ngomanda, Alfred, Edzang Ndong, Josué, and Parr, Catherine L.

Abstract

AimThe mosaic of savannas that persists in the forest‐dominant Congo Basin is thought to be palaeoclimatic relics, but past biogeographical processes that have formed and maintained these systems are poorly understood. Here, we explored the post‐Pleistocene biogeography of Gabon's savannas using termites as biological indicators to understand historical and mechanistic factors influencing present‐day termite communities in the country's extant savannas.LocationGabon, Central Africa.TaxonBlattodea: Termitoidae.MethodsUsing standardised transect methods, we sampled termite communities in four disjunct modern savanna areas of Gabon: the centre (Lopé), the southeast (Batéké) and the south (Mayombe North and South). Termites at Lopé were collected in three habitats (annually burned savannas, savannas with a depressed fire regime and forest). We used DNA barcoding of the COII region to identify termite species and compared abundance, species richness and community composition across areas and habitats.ResultsCommunity composition differed greatly between Lopé and both Batéké and Mayombe savannas with Lopé being exceptionally depauperate and lacking characteristic savanna species. Within Lopé, termite abundance and diversity was highest in forests and lowest in annually burned savannas, with a gradual change in species composition across the forest–savanna gradient associated with fire history.Main ConclusionsThe absence of savanna typical species in Lopé savannas challenges current assumptions that these savannas were linked to the south/southeastern savannas during the Pleistocene and suggests a different evolutionary history. Lopé savannas may instead have opened as an isolated grassland and never have been contiguous with neighbouring savannas, or were isolated soon after forest expansion began and have now lost savanna‐typical species. Furthermore, the patterns of termite community composition in fire suppressed savannas support a hypothesis of rapid change dr

Published
2023

19. Ecological strategies of (pl)ants:Towards a world-wide worker economic spectrum for ants

Author

Gibb, Heloise, Bishop, Tom R., Leahy, Lily, Parr, Catherine L, Lessard, Jean-Philippe, Sanders, Nathan J., Shik, Jonathan Z., Ibarra-Isassi, Javier, Narendra, Ajay, Dunn, Robert R., Wright, Ian J., Gibb, Heloise, Bishop, Tom R., Leahy, Lily, Parr, Catherine L, Lessard, Jean-Philippe, Sanders, Nathan J., Shik, Jonathan Z., Ibarra-Isassi, Javier, Narendra, Ajay, Dunn, Robert R., and Wright, Ian J.

Abstract

Current global challenges call for a rigorously predictive ecology. Our understanding of ecological strategies, imputed through suites of measurable functional traits, comes from decades of work that largely focussed on plants. However, a key question is whether plant ecological strategies resemble those of other organisms. Among animals, ants have long been recognised to possess similarities with plants: as (largely) central place foragers. For example, individual ant workers play similar foraging roles to plant leaves and roots and are similarly expendable. Frameworks that aim to understand plant ecological strategies through key functional traits, such as the ‘leaf economics spectrum’, offer the potential for significant parallels with ant ecological strategies. Here, we explore these parallels across several proposed ecological strategy dimensions, including an ‘economic spectrum’, propagule size-number trade-offs, apparency-defence trade-offs, resource acquisition trade-offs and stress-tolerance trade-offs. We also highlight where ecological strategies may differ between plants and ants. Furthermore, we consider how these strategies play out among the different modules of eusocial organisms, where selective forces act on the worker and reproductive castes, as well as the colony. Finally, we suggest future directions for ecological strategy research, including highlighting the availability of data and traits that may be more difficult to measure, but should receive more attention in future to better understand the ecological strategies of ants. The unique biology of eusocial organisms provides an unrivalled opportunity to bridge the gap in our understanding of ecological strategies in plants and animals and we hope that this perspective will ignite further interest. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Published
2023

23. Termite sensitivity to temperature affects global wood decay rates

Author

Zanne, Amy E, Flores-Moreno, Habacuc, Powell, Jeff R, Cornwell, William K, Dalling, James W, Austin, Amy T, Classen, Aimée T, Eggleton, Paul, Okada, Kei-Ichi, Parr, Catherine L, Adair, E Carol, Adu-Bredu, Stephen, Alam, Md Azharul, Alvarez-Garzón, Carolina, Apgaua, Deborah, Aragón, Roxana, Ardon, Marcelo, Arndt, Stefan K, Ashton, Louise A, Barber, Nicholas A, Beauchêne, Jacques, Berg, Matty P, Beringer, Jason, Boer, Matthias M, Bonet, José Antonio, Bunney, Katherine, Burkhardt, Tynan J, Carvalho, Dulcinéia, Castillo-Figueroa, Dennis, Cernusak, Lucas A, Cheesman, Alexander W, Cirne-Silva, Tainá M, Cleverly, Jamie R, Cornelissen, Johannes H C, Curran, Timothy J, D'Angioli, André M, Dallstream, Caroline, Eisenhauer, Nico, Evouna Ondo, Fidele, Fajardo, Alex, Fernandez, Romina D, Ferrer, Astrid, Fontes, Marco A L, Galatowitsch, Mark L, González, Grizelle, Gottschall, Felix, Grace, Peter R, Granda, Elena, Griffiths, Hannah M, Guerra Lara, Mariana, Hasegawa, Motohiro, Hefting, Mariet M, Hinko-Najera, Nina, Hutley, Lindsay B, Jones, Jennifer, Kahl, Anja, Karan, Mirko, Keuskamp, Joost A, Lardner, Tim, Liddell, Michael, Macfarlane, Craig, Macinnis-Ng, Cate, Mariano, Ravi F, Méndez, M Soledad, Meyer, Wayne S, Mori, Akira S, Moura, Aloysio S, Northwood, Matthew, Ogaya, Romà, Oliveira, Rafael S, Orgiazzi, Alberto, Pardo, Juliana, Peguero, Guille, Penuelas, Josep, Perez, Luis I, Posada, Juan M, Prada, Cecilia M, Přívětivý, Tomáš, Prober, Suzanne M, Prunier, Jonathan, Quansah, Gabriel W, Resco de Dios, Víctor, Richter, Ronny, Robertson, Mark P, Rocha, Lucas F, Rúa, Megan A, Sarmiento, Carolina, Silberstein, Richard P, Silva, Mateus C, Siqueira, Flávia Freire, Stillwagon, Matthew Glenn, Stol, Jacqui, Taylor, Melanie K, Teste, François P, Tng, David Y P, Tucker, David, Türke, Manfred, Ulyshen, Michael D, Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J, van den Berg, Eduardo, van Logtestijn, Richard S P, Veen, G F Ciska, Vogel, Jason G, Wardlaw, Timothy J, Wiehl, Georg, Wirth, Christian, Woods, Michaela J, Zalamea, Paul-Camilo, Ecology and Biodiversity, Sub Ecology and Biodiversity, Ecology and Biodiversity, Sub Ecology and Biodiversity, Conservation Ecology Group, Animal Ecology, Systems Ecology, and Terrestrial Ecology (TE)

Subjects
Tropical Climate, Multidisciplinary, Temperature, Isoptera, Forests, Wood, Global Warming, Carbon Cycle, Tròpics--Clima, Explotació forestal, Cicle del carboni, Animals, Wood/microbiology, General
Abstract

Deadwood is a large global carbon store with its store size partially determined by biotic decay. Microbial wood decay rates are known to respond to changing temperature and precipitation. Termites are also important decomposers in the tropics but are less well studied. An understanding of their climate sensitivities is needed to estimate climate change effects on wood carbon pools. Using data from 133 sites spanning six continents, we found that termite wood discovery and consumption were highly sensitive to temperature (with decay increasing >6.8 times per 10°C increase in temperature)—even more so than microbes. Termite decay effects were greatest in tropical seasonal forests, tropical savannas, and subtropical deserts. With tropicalization (i.e., warming shifts to tropical climates), termite wood decay will likely increase as termites access more of Earth’s surface. This study received support from the following sources: US National Science Foundation (NSF) DEB-1655759 (A.E.Z.); US NSF DEB-2149151 (A.E.Z.); US NSF DEB-1713502 (M.A.); US NSF DEB-1713435 (M.A.); US NSF DEB-1647502 (N.A.B.); US NSF DEB-1546686 (G.G.); US NSF DEB-1831952 (G.G.); George Washington University (A.E.Z.); USDA Forest Service (G.G.); Centre College Faculty Development Funds (M.L.G.); Australia Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (P.R.G., M.K., M.L., M.M.B., R.P.S., J.S., L.B.H., M.N., S.M.P., T.J.W., and S.K.A.); Royal Society-FCDO Africa Capacity Building Initiative (C.L.P., G.W.Q., S.A.-B., K.B., F.E.O., and M.P.R.); New Phytologist Foundation (A.T.A.); Fondecyt grant 1160329 (C.D.); Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brasil (CAPES) (E.v.d.B., A.S.Mou., R.F.M., F.F.S., T.M.C.-S., R.S.O., and A.M.D.); Department of Ecology and Conservation of the Federal University of Lavras (T.M.C.-S.); CNPq (E.v.d.B. and R.S.O.); FAPEMIG (E.v.d.B.); Australian Academy of Science 2017 Thomas Davies Research Grant (J.R.P.); Australian Research Council DP160103765 (W.K.C., J.R.P., and A.E.Z.); UK National Environment Research Council NE/L000016/1 (L.A.A.); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil NERC - FAPESP 19/07773-1 (R.S.O. and A.M.D.); Environment Research and Technology Development Fund ERTDF, JPMEERF15S11420 of the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan (A.S.Mor. and K.O.); COLCIENCIAS no. FP44842-046-2017 (J.M.P.); Spanish government PID2019-110521GB-I00 (J.Pe., G.P., and R.O.); Catalan government grant SGR 2017-1005 (J.Pe., G.P., and R.O.); Fundación Ramón Areces ELEMENTAL-CLIMATE (J.Pe., G.P., and R.O.); National Agency for the Promotion of Research, Technological Development and Innovation, Scientific and Technological Research Project 2018-01561 PICT 2018-01561 (F.P.T.); ANID PIA/BASAL FB210006 (A.Fa.); Millennium Science Initiative Program NCN2021-050 (A.Fa.); iDiv German Research Foundation DFG–FZT 118, 202548816 (N.E.); and European Research Council Horizon 2020 research and innovation program no. 677232 (N.E.).

Published
2022

24. The generality of cryptic dietary niche differences in diverse large-herbivore assemblages

Author

Pansu, Johan, Hutchinson, Matthew C., Anderson, T. Michael, te Beest, Mariska, Begg, Colleen M., Begg, Keith S., Bonin, Aurelie, Chama, Lackson, Chamaillé-Jammes, Simon, Coissac, Eric, Cromsigt, Joris P. G. M., Demmel, Margaret Y., Donaldson, Jason E., Guyton, Jennifer A., Hansen, Christina B., Imakando, Christopher I., Iqbal, Azwad, Kalima, Davis F., Kerley, Graham I. H., Kurukura, Samson, Landman, Marietjie, Long, Ryan A., Munuo, Isaack Norbert, Nutter, Ciara M., Parr, Catherine L., Potter, Arjun B., Siachoono, Stanford, Taberlet, Pierre, Waiti, Eusebio, Kartzinel, Tyler R., Pringle, Robert M., Spatial Ecology and Global Change, Environmental Sciences, Princeton University, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (UMR ISEM), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR226-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Wake Forest University, Utrecht University [Utrecht], Nelson Mandela University [Port Elizabeth], Niassa Carnivore Project, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA ), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Copperbelt University, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Montpellier, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Université de Montpellier (UM), University of Pretoria [South Africa], Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), department of National Parks and Wildlife, Mpala Research Centre, University of Idaho [Moscow, USA], Serengeti Wildlife Research Institute, University of Liverpool, University of the Witwatersrand [Johannesburg] (WITS), The Arctic University of Norway [Tromsø, Norway] (UiT), Brown University, Spatial Ecology and Global Change, and Environmental Sciences

Subjects
Mammals, ecological network analysis, Competitive Behavior, Multidisciplinary, dietary niche partitioning, Rain, [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio], Fabaceae, Plants, Poaceae, Grassland, ungulate foraging behavior, Diet, Feces, Africa, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Animals, DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic, community assembly, Herbivory, General, modern coexistence theory
Abstract

International audience; Ecological niche differences are necessary for stable species coexistence but are often difficult to discern. Models of dietary niche differentiation in large mammalian herbivores invoke the quality, quantity, and spatiotemporal distribution of plant tissues and growth forms but are agnostic toward food plant species identity. Empirical support for these models is variable, suggesting that additional mechanisms of resource partitioning may be important in sustaining large-herbivore diversity in African savannas. We used DNA metabarcoding to conduct a taxonomically explicit analysis of large-herbivore diets across southeastern Africa, analyzing ∼4,000 fecal samples of 30 species from 10 sites in seven countries over 6 y. We detected 893 food plant taxa from 124 families, but just two families—grasses and legumes—accounted for the majority of herbivore diets. Nonetheless, herbivore species almost invariably partitioned food plant taxa; diet composition differed significantly in 97% of pairwise comparisons between sympatric species, and dissimilarity was pronounced even between the strictest grazers (grass eaters), strictest browsers (nongrass eaters), and closest relatives at each site. Niche differentiation was weakest in an ecosystem recovering from catastrophic defaunation, indicating that food plant partitioning is driven by species interactions, and was stronger at low rainfall, as expected if interspecific competition is a predominant driver. Diets differed more between browsers than grazers, which predictably shaped community organization: Grazer-dominated trophic networks had higher nestedness and lower modularity. That dietary differentiation is structured along taxonomic lines complements prior work on how herbivores partition plant parts and patches and suggests that common mechanisms govern herbivore coexistence and community assembly in savannas.

Published
2022

28. What do you mean, ‘megafire’?

Author

Linley, Grant D., primary, Jolly, Chris J., additional, Doherty, Tim S., additional, Geary, William L., additional, Armenteras, Dolors, additional, Belcher, Claire M., additional, Bliege Bird, Rebecca, additional, Duane, Andrea, additional, Fletcher, Michael‐Shawn, additional, Giorgis, Melisa A., additional, Haslem, Angie, additional, Jones, Gavin M., additional, Kelly, Luke T., additional, Lee, Calvin K. F., additional, Nolan, Rachael H., additional, Parr, Catherine L., additional, Pausas, Juli G., additional, Price, Jodi N., additional, Regos, Adrián, additional, Ritchie, Euan G., additional, Ruffault, Julien, additional, Williamson, Grant J., additional, Wu, Qianhan, additional, Nimmo, Dale G., additional, and Poulter, Benjamin, additional

Published
2022
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30. The generality of cryptic dietary niche differences in diverse large-herbivore assemblages

Author

Spatial Ecology and Global Change, Environmental Sciences, Pansu, Johan, Hutchinson, Matthew C., Anderson, T. Michael, te Beest, Mariska, Begg, Colleen M., Begg, Keith S., Bonin, Aurelie, Chama, Lackson, Chamaillé-Jammes, Simon, Coissac, Eric, Cromsigt, Joris P. G. M., Demmel, Margaret Y., Donaldson, Jason E., Guyton, Jennifer A., Hansen, Christina B., Imakando, Christopher I., Iqbal, Azwad, Kalima, Davis F., Kerley, Graham I. H., Kurukura, Samson, Landman, Marietjie, Long, Ryan A., Munuo, Isaack Norbert, Nutter, Ciara M., Parr, Catherine L., Potter, Arjun B., Siachoono, Stanford, Taberlet, Pierre, Waiti, Eusebio, Kartzinel, Tyler R., Pringle, Robert M., Spatial Ecology and Global Change, Environmental Sciences, Pansu, Johan, Hutchinson, Matthew C., Anderson, T. Michael, te Beest, Mariska, Begg, Colleen M., Begg, Keith S., Bonin, Aurelie, Chama, Lackson, Chamaillé-Jammes, Simon, Coissac, Eric, Cromsigt, Joris P. G. M., Demmel, Margaret Y., Donaldson, Jason E., Guyton, Jennifer A., Hansen, Christina B., Imakando, Christopher I., Iqbal, Azwad, Kalima, Davis F., Kerley, Graham I. H., Kurukura, Samson, Landman, Marietjie, Long, Ryan A., Munuo, Isaack Norbert, Nutter, Ciara M., Parr, Catherine L., Potter, Arjun B., Siachoono, Stanford, Taberlet, Pierre, Waiti, Eusebio, Kartzinel, Tyler R., and Pringle, Robert M.

Published
2022

31. Termite sensitivity to temperature affects global wood decay rates

Author

Ecology and Biodiversity, Sub Ecology and Biodiversity, Zanne, Amy E, Flores-Moreno, Habacuc, Powell, Jeff R, Cornwell, William K, Dalling, James W, Austin, Amy T, Classen, Aimée T, Eggleton, Paul, Okada, Kei-Ichi, Parr, Catherine L, Adair, E Carol, Adu-Bredu, Stephen, Alam, Md Azharul, Alvarez-Garzón, Carolina, Apgaua, Deborah, Aragón, Roxana, Ardon, Marcelo, Arndt, Stefan K, Ashton, Louise A, Barber, Nicholas A, Beauchêne, Jacques, Berg, Matty P, Beringer, Jason, Boer, Matthias M, Bonet, José Antonio, Bunney, Katherine, Burkhardt, Tynan J, Carvalho, Dulcinéia, Castillo-Figueroa, Dennis, Cernusak, Lucas A, Cheesman, Alexander W, Cirne-Silva, Tainá M, Cleverly, Jamie R, Cornelissen, Johannes H C, Curran, Timothy J, D'Angioli, André M, Dallstream, Caroline, Eisenhauer, Nico, Evouna Ondo, Fidele, Fajardo, Alex, Fernandez, Romina D, Ferrer, Astrid, Fontes, Marco A L, Galatowitsch, Mark L, González, Grizelle, Gottschall, Felix, Grace, Peter R, Granda, Elena, Griffiths, Hannah M, Guerra Lara, Mariana, Hasegawa, Motohiro, Hefting, Mariet M, Hinko-Najera, Nina, Hutley, Lindsay B, Jones, Jennifer, Kahl, Anja, Karan, Mirko, Keuskamp, Joost A, Lardner, Tim, Liddell, Michael, Macfarlane, Craig, Macinnis-Ng, Cate, Mariano, Ravi F, Méndez, M Soledad, Meyer, Wayne S, Mori, Akira S, Moura, Aloysio S, Northwood, Matthew, Ogaya, Romà, Oliveira, Rafael S, Orgiazzi, Alberto, Pardo, Juliana, Peguero, Guille, Penuelas, Josep, Perez, Luis I, Posada, Juan M, Prada, Cecilia M, Přívětivý, Tomáš, Prober, Suzanne M, Prunier, Jonathan, Quansah, Gabriel W, Resco de Dios, Víctor, Richter, Ronny, Robertson, Mark P, Rocha, Lucas F, Rúa, Megan A, Sarmiento, Carolina, Silberstein, Richard P, Silva, Mateus C, Siqueira, Flávia Freire, Stillwagon, Matthew Glenn, Stol, Jacqui, Taylor, Melanie K, Teste, François P, Tng, David Y P, Tucker, David, Türke, Manfred, Ulyshen, Michael D, Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J, van den Berg, Eduardo, van Logtestijn, Richard S P, Veen, G F Ciska, Vogel, Jason G, Wardlaw, Timothy J, Wiehl, Georg, Wirth, Christian, Woods, Michaela J, Zalamea, Paul-Camilo, Ecology and Biodiversity, Sub Ecology and Biodiversity, Zanne, Amy E, Flores-Moreno, Habacuc, Powell, Jeff R, Cornwell, William K, Dalling, James W, Austin, Amy T, Classen, Aimée T, Eggleton, Paul, Okada, Kei-Ichi, Parr, Catherine L, Adair, E Carol, Adu-Bredu, Stephen, Alam, Md Azharul, Alvarez-Garzón, Carolina, Apgaua, Deborah, Aragón, Roxana, Ardon, Marcelo, Arndt, Stefan K, Ashton, Louise A, Barber, Nicholas A, Beauchêne, Jacques, Berg, Matty P, Beringer, Jason, Boer, Matthias M, Bonet, José Antonio, Bunney, Katherine, Burkhardt, Tynan J, Carvalho, Dulcinéia, Castillo-Figueroa, Dennis, Cernusak, Lucas A, Cheesman, Alexander W, Cirne-Silva, Tainá M, Cleverly, Jamie R, Cornelissen, Johannes H C, Curran, Timothy J, D'Angioli, André M, Dallstream, Caroline, Eisenhauer, Nico, Evouna Ondo, Fidele, Fajardo, Alex, Fernandez, Romina D, Ferrer, Astrid, Fontes, Marco A L, Galatowitsch, Mark L, González, Grizelle, Gottschall, Felix, Grace, Peter R, Granda, Elena, Griffiths, Hannah M, Guerra Lara, Mariana, Hasegawa, Motohiro, Hefting, Mariet M, Hinko-Najera, Nina, Hutley, Lindsay B, Jones, Jennifer, Kahl, Anja, Karan, Mirko, Keuskamp, Joost A, Lardner, Tim, Liddell, Michael, Macfarlane, Craig, Macinnis-Ng, Cate, Mariano, Ravi F, Méndez, M Soledad, Meyer, Wayne S, Mori, Akira S, Moura, Aloysio S, Northwood, Matthew, Ogaya, Romà, Oliveira, Rafael S, Orgiazzi, Alberto, Pardo, Juliana, Peguero, Guille, Penuelas, Josep, Perez, Luis I, Posada, Juan M, Prada, Cecilia M, Přívětivý, Tomáš, Prober, Suzanne M, Prunier, Jonathan, Quansah, Gabriel W, Resco de Dios, Víctor, Richter, Ronny, Robertson, Mark P, Rocha, Lucas F, Rúa, Megan A, Sarmiento, Carolina, Silberstein, Richard P, Silva, Mateus C, Siqueira, Flávia Freire, Stillwagon, Matthew Glenn, Stol, Jacqui, Taylor, Melanie K, Teste, François P, Tng, David Y P, Tucker, David, Türke, Manfred, Ulyshen, Michael D, Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J, van den Berg, Eduardo, van Logtestijn, Richard S P, Veen, G F Ciska, Vogel, Jason G, Wardlaw, Timothy J, Wiehl, Georg, Wirth, Christian, Woods, Michaela J, and Zalamea, Paul-Camilo

Published
2022

32. What do you mean, ‘megafire’?

Author

Australian Wildlife Society, World Wildlife Fund, Linley, Grant D., Jolly, Chris J., Doherty, Tim S., Geary, William L., Armenteras, Dolors, Belcher, Claire M., Bliege Bird, Rebecca, Duane, Andrea, Fletcher, Michael-Shawn, Giorgis, Melisa A., Haslem, Angie, Jones, Gavin M., Kelly, Luke T., Lee, Calvin K. F., Nolan, Rachael H., Parr, Catherine L., Pausas, J. G., Price, Jodi N., Regos, Adrián, Ritchie, Euan G., Ruffault, Julien, Williamson, Grant J., Wu, Qianhan, Nimmo, Dale G., Australian Wildlife Society, World Wildlife Fund, Linley, Grant D., Jolly, Chris J., Doherty, Tim S., Geary, William L., Armenteras, Dolors, Belcher, Claire M., Bliege Bird, Rebecca, Duane, Andrea, Fletcher, Michael-Shawn, Giorgis, Melisa A., Haslem, Angie, Jones, Gavin M., Kelly, Luke T., Lee, Calvin K. F., Nolan, Rachael H., Parr, Catherine L., Pausas, J. G., Price, Jodi N., Regos, Adrián, Ritchie, Euan G., Ruffault, Julien, Williamson, Grant J., Wu, Qianhan, and Nimmo, Dale G.

Abstract

[Background]: ‘Megafire’ is an emerging concept commonly used to describe fires that are extreme in terms of size, behaviour, and/or impacts, but the term’s meaning remains ambiguous. [Approach]: We sought to resolve ambiguity surrounding the meaning of ‘megafire’ by conducting a structured review of the use and definition of the term in several languages in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. We collated definitions and descriptions of megafire and identified criteria frequently invoked to define megafire. We recorded the size and location of megafires and mapped them to reveal global variation in the size of fires described as megafires. [Results]: We identified 109 studies that define the term ‘megafire’ or identify a megafire, with the term first appearing in the peer-reviewed literature in 2005. Seventy-one (~65%) of these studies attempted to describe or define the term. There was considerable variability in the criteria used to define megafire, although definitions of megafire based on fire size were most common. Megafire size thresholds varied geographically from > 100–100,000 ha, with fires > 10,000 ha the most common size threshold (41%, 18/44 studies). Definitions of megafire were most common from studies led by authors from North America (52%, 37/71). We recorded 137 instances from 84 studies where fires were reported as megafires, the vast majority (94%, 129/137) of which exceed 10,000 ha in size. Megafires occurred in a range of biomes, but were most frequently described in forested biomes (112/137, 82%), and usually described single ignition fires (59% 81/137). [Conclusion]: As Earth’s climate and ecosystems change, it is important that scientists can communicate trends in the occurrence of larger and more extreme fires with clarity. To overcome ambiguity, we suggest a definition of megafire as fires > 10,000 ha arising from single or multiple related ignition events. We introduce two additional terms – gigafire (> 100,000 ha) and terafire (> 1,0

Published
2022

33. Termite sensitivity to temperature affects global wood decay rates

Author

Zanne, Amy E., Flores-Moreno, Habacuc, Powell, Jeff R., Cornwell, William K., Dalling, James W., Austin, Amy T., Classen, Aimée T., Eggleton, Paul, Okada, Kei Ichi, Parr, Catherine L., Carol Adair, E., Adu-Bredu, Stephen, Alam, Md Azharul, Alvarez-Garzón, Carolina, Apgaua, Deborah, Aragón, Roxana, Ardon, Marcelo, Arndt, Stefan K., Ashton, Louise A., Barber, Nicholas A., Beauchêne, Jacques, Berg, Matty P., Beringer, Jason, Boer, Matthias M., Bonet, José Antonio, Bunney, Katherine, Burkhardt, Tynan J., Carvalho, Dulcinéia, Castillo-Figueroa, Dennis, Cernusak, Lucas A., Cheesman, Alexander W., Cirne-Silva, Tainá M., Cleverly, Jamie R., Cornelissen, Johannes H.C., Curran, Timothy J., D’Angioli, André M., Dallstream, Caroline, Eisenhauer, Nico, Ondo, Fidele Evouna, Fajardo, Alex, Fernandez, Romina D., Ferrer, Astrid, Fontes, Marco A.L., Galatowitsch, Mark L., González, Grizelle, Gottschall, Felix, Grace, Peter R., Granda, Elena, Griffiths, Hannah M., Lara, Mariana Guerra, Hasegawa, Motohiro, Hefting, Mariet M., Hinko-Najera, Nina, Hutley, Lindsay B., Jones, Jennifer, Kahl, Anja, Karan, Mirko, Keuskamp, Joost A., Lardner, Tim, Liddell, Michael, Macfarlane, Craig, Macinnis-Ng, Cate, Mariano, Ravi F., Soledad Méndez, M., Meyer, Wayne S., Mori, Akira S., Moura, Aloysio S., Northwood, Matthew, Ogaya, Romà, Oliveira, Rafael S., Orgiazzi, Alberto, Pardo, Juliana, Peguero, Guille, Penuelas, Josep, Perez, Luis I., Posada, Juan M., Prada, Cecilia M., Přívětivý, Tomáš, Prober, Suzanne M., Prunier, Jonathan, Quansah, Gabriel W., de Dios, Víctor Resco, Richter, Ronny, Robertson, Mark P., Rocha, Lucas F., Rúa, Megan A., Sarmiento, Carolina, Silberstein, Richard P., Silva, Mateus C., Siqueira, Flávia Freire, Stillwagon, Matthew Glenn, Stol, Jacqui, Taylor, Melanie K., Teste, François P., Tng, David Y.P., Tucker, David, Türke, Manfred, Ulyshen, Michael D., Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J., van den Berg, Eduardo, van Logtestijn, Richard S.P., Ciska Veen, G. F., Vogel, Jason G., Wardlaw, Timothy J., Wiehl, Georg, Wirth, Christian, Woods, Michaela J., Zalamea, Paul Camilo, Zanne, Amy E., Flores-Moreno, Habacuc, Powell, Jeff R., Cornwell, William K., Dalling, James W., Austin, Amy T., Classen, Aimée T., Eggleton, Paul, Okada, Kei Ichi, Parr, Catherine L., Carol Adair, E., Adu-Bredu, Stephen, Alam, Md Azharul, Alvarez-Garzón, Carolina, Apgaua, Deborah, Aragón, Roxana, Ardon, Marcelo, Arndt, Stefan K., Ashton, Louise A., Barber, Nicholas A., Beauchêne, Jacques, Berg, Matty P., Beringer, Jason, Boer, Matthias M., Bonet, José Antonio, Bunney, Katherine, Burkhardt, Tynan J., Carvalho, Dulcinéia, Castillo-Figueroa, Dennis, Cernusak, Lucas A., Cheesman, Alexander W., Cirne-Silva, Tainá M., Cleverly, Jamie R., Cornelissen, Johannes H.C., Curran, Timothy J., D’Angioli, André M., Dallstream, Caroline, Eisenhauer, Nico, Ondo, Fidele Evouna, Fajardo, Alex, Fernandez, Romina D., Ferrer, Astrid, Fontes, Marco A.L., Galatowitsch, Mark L., González, Grizelle, Gottschall, Felix, Grace, Peter R., Granda, Elena, Griffiths, Hannah M., Lara, Mariana Guerra, Hasegawa, Motohiro, Hefting, Mariet M., Hinko-Najera, Nina, Hutley, Lindsay B., Jones, Jennifer, Kahl, Anja, Karan, Mirko, Keuskamp, Joost A., Lardner, Tim, Liddell, Michael, Macfarlane, Craig, Macinnis-Ng, Cate, Mariano, Ravi F., Soledad Méndez, M., Meyer, Wayne S., Mori, Akira S., Moura, Aloysio S., Northwood, Matthew, Ogaya, Romà, Oliveira, Rafael S., Orgiazzi, Alberto, Pardo, Juliana, Peguero, Guille, Penuelas, Josep, Perez, Luis I., Posada, Juan M., Prada, Cecilia M., Přívětivý, Tomáš, Prober, Suzanne M., Prunier, Jonathan, Quansah, Gabriel W., de Dios, Víctor Resco, Richter, Ronny, Robertson, Mark P., Rocha, Lucas F., Rúa, Megan A., Sarmiento, Carolina, Silberstein, Richard P., Silva, Mateus C., Siqueira, Flávia Freire, Stillwagon, Matthew Glenn, Stol, Jacqui, Taylor, Melanie K., Teste, François P., Tng, David Y.P., Tucker, David, Türke, Manfred, Ulyshen, Michael D., Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J., van den Berg, Eduardo, van Logtestijn, Richard S.P., Ciska Veen, G. F., Vogel, Jason G., Wardlaw, Timothy J., Wiehl, Georg, Wirth, Christian, Woods, Michaela J., and Zalamea, Paul Camilo

Abstract

Deadwood is a large global carbon store with its store size partially determined by biotic decay. Microbial wood decay rates are known to respond to changing temperature and precipitation. Termites are also important decomposers in the tropics but are less well studied. An understanding of their climate sensitivities is needed to estimate climate change effects on wood carbon pools. Using data from 133 sites spanning six continents, we found that termite wood discovery and consumption were highly sensitive to temperature (with decay increasing >6.8 times per 10°C increase in temperature)—even more so than microbes. Termite decay effects were greatest in tropical seasonal forests, tropical savannas, and subtropical deserts. With tropicalization (i.e., warming shifts to tropical climates), termite wood decay will likely increase as termites access more of Earth’s surface.

Published
2022
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35. Global diversity in light of climate change: the case of ants

Author

Jenkins, Clinton N., Sanders, Nathan J., Andersen, Alan N., Arnan, Xavier, Brühl, Carsten A., Cerda, Xim, Ellison, Aaron M., Fisher, Brian L., Fitzpatrick, Matthew C., Gotelli, Nicholas J., Gove, Aaron D., Guénard, Benoit, Lattke, John E., Lessard, Jean-Philippe, McGlynn, Terrence P., Menke, Sean B., Parr, Catherine L., Philpott, Stacy M., Vasconcelos, Heraldo L., Weiser, Michael D., and Dunn, Robert R.

Published
2011
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41. Ecological strategies of (pl)ants: Towards a world‐wide worker economic spectrum for ants.

Author

Gibb, Heloise, Bishop, Tom R., Leahy, Lily, Parr, Catherine L., Lessard, Jean‐Philippe, Sanders, Nathan J., Shik, Jonathan Z., Ibarra‐Isassi, Javier, Narendra, Ajay, Dunn, Robert R., and Wright, Ian J.

Subjects
ANTS, FORAGE plants, PLANT roots, PERIODICAL articles
Abstract

Current global challenges call for a rigorously predictive ecology. Our understanding of ecological strategies, imputed through suites of measurable functional traits, comes from decades of work that largely focussed on plants. However, a key question is whether plant ecological strategies resemble those of other organisms.Among animals, ants have long been recognised to possess similarities with plants: as (largely) central place foragers. For example, individual ant workers play similar foraging roles to plant leaves and roots and are similarly expendable. Frameworks that aim to understand plant ecological strategies through key functional traits, such as the 'leaf economics spectrum', offer the potential for significant parallels with ant ecological strategies.Here, we explore these parallels across several proposed ecological strategy dimensions, including an 'economic spectrum', propagule size‐number trade‐offs, apparency‐defence trade‐offs, resource acquisition trade‐offs and stress‐tolerance trade‐offs. We also highlight where ecological strategies may differ between plants and ants. Furthermore, we consider how these strategies play out among the different modules of eusocial organisms, where selective forces act on the worker and reproductive castes, as well as the colony.Finally, we suggest future directions for ecological strategy research, including highlighting the availability of data and traits that may be more difficult to measure, but should receive more attention in future to better understand the ecological strategies of ants. The unique biology of eusocial organisms provides an unrivalled opportunity to bridge the gap in our understanding of ecological strategies in plants and animals and we hope that this perspective will ignite further interest. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2023
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47. Fire and biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Author

Centre Tecnològic Forestal de Catalunya, University of Melbourne, Australian Research Council, Xunta de Galicia, Foundation for Science and Technology, European Commission, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), Kelly, Luke T., Giljohann, Katherine M., Duane, Andrea, Aquilué, Núria, Archibald, Sally, Batllori, Enric, Bennett, Andrew F., Buckland, Stephen T., Canelles, Quim, Clarke, Michael F., Fortin, Marie-Josée, Hermoso, Virgilio, Herrando, Sergi, Keane, Robert E., Lake, Frank K., McCarthy, Michael A., Morán-Ordóñez, Alejandra, Parr, Catherine L., Pausas, J. G., Penman, Trent D., Regos, Adrián, Rumpff, Libby, Santos, Julianna L., Smith, Annabel L., Syphard, Alexandra D., Tingley, Morgan W., Brotons, Lluís, Centre Tecnològic Forestal de Catalunya, University of Melbourne, Australian Research Council, Xunta de Galicia, Foundation for Science and Technology, European Commission, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), Kelly, Luke T., Giljohann, Katherine M., Duane, Andrea, Aquilué, Núria, Archibald, Sally, Batllori, Enric, Bennett, Andrew F., Buckland, Stephen T., Canelles, Quim, Clarke, Michael F., Fortin, Marie-Josée, Hermoso, Virgilio, Herrando, Sergi, Keane, Robert E., Lake, Frank K., McCarthy, Michael A., Morán-Ordóñez, Alejandra, Parr, Catherine L., Pausas, J. G., Penman, Trent D., Regos, Adrián, Rumpff, Libby, Santos, Julianna L., Smith, Annabel L., Syphard, Alexandra D., Tingley, Morgan W., and Brotons, Lluís

Abstract

Fire has been a source of global biodiversity for millions of years. However, interactions with anthropogenic drivers such as climate change, land use, and invasive species are changing the nature of fire activity and its impacts. We review how such changes are threatening species with extinction and transforming terrestrial ecosystems. Conservation of Earth’s biological diversity will be achieved only by recognizing and responding to the critical role of fire. In the Anthropocene, this requires that conservation planning explicitly includes the combined effects of human activities and fire regimes. Improved forecasts for biodiversity must also integrate the connections among people, fire, and ecosystems. Such integration provides an opportunity for new actions that could revolutionize how society sustains biodiversity in a time of changing fire activity.

Published
2020

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