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Accompanying the climate crisis is the more enigmatic biodiversity crisis. Rapid reorganization of biodiversity due to global environmental change has defied prediction and tested the basic tenets of conservation and restoration. Conceptual and practical innovation is needed to support decision making in the face of these unprecedented shifts. Critical questions include: How can we generalize biodiversity change at the community level? When are systems able to reorganize and maintain integrity, and when does abiotic change result in collapse or restructuring? How does this understanding provide a template to guide when and how to intervene in conservation and restoration? To this end, we frame changes in community organization as the modulation of external abiotic drivers on the internal topology of species interactions, using plant-plant interactions in terrestrial communities as a starting point. We then explore how this framing can help translate available data on species abundance and trait distributions to corresponding decisions in management. Given the expectation that community response and reorganization are highly complex, the external-driver internal-topology (EDIT) framework offers a way to capture general patterns of biodiversity that can help guide resilience and adaptation in changing environments.

Tree plantations are considered as a solution to reduce the impacts of climate change and can enhance biodiversity. Consequently, many tree planting schemes around the world have been started to achieve these dual objectives. However, many of these tree plantations are being implemented without proper design or post‐plantation management, often overlooking potential long‐term effects on biodiversity. Therefore, it is essential to identify which aspects of tree plantations can negatively impact biodiversity. Such knowledge is vital to design new plantations and manage existing ones, such that they do not pose threats or additional costs to the conservation of natural ecosystems. To this end, we conducted an observational study in the Mediterranean heathland habitat of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. This treeless habitat, locally known as herriza, has been planted with pine trees until the onset of the 21st century. This historical tree plantation presents a unique natural experiment to assess the long‐term effect of tree cover, measured as canopy openness, on several community properties of plant, pollinators and their network of interactions. Our results reveal a strong positive relationship between canopy openness and floristic diversity and abundance. This means that, as we increase tree cover, plant diversity is reduced. We found this has consequences for pollinator diversity and plant–pollinator networks, the latter exhibiting declines in stability. Furthermore, we reveal the importance of woody blooming plants in comparison to non‐woody ones which, despite their greater importance for pollinators, they are the most impacted. These findings underscore the importance of tree cover for severely affecting multiple properties of plant–pollinator networks at different levels of organization. Overall, this knowledge indicates that high tree cover in plantations conducted 50 years ago is incompatible with maintaining and conserving plant–pollinator networks in natural treeless habitats, at least in the herriza. Actions that want to avoid negative long‐term effects of tree plantations on plant–pollinator communities should consider existing biodiversity before planting and refrain from achieving high tree cover values. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species interactions shape biodiversity patterns, community assemblage, and the dynamics of wildlife populations. Ecological theory posits that the strength of interspecific interactions is fundamentally underpinned by the population sizes of the involved species. Nonetheless, prevalent approaches for modeling species interactions predominantly center around occupancy states. Here, we use simulations to illuminate the inadequacies of modeling species interactions solely as a function of occupancy, as is common practice in ecology. We demonstrate erroneous inference into species interactions due to error in parameter estimates when considering species occupancy alone. To address this critical issue, we propose, develop, and demonstrate an abundance‐mediated interaction framework designed explicitly for modeling species interactions involving two or more species from detection/non‐detection data. We present Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) samplers tailored for diverse ecological scenarios, including intraguild predation, disease‐ or predator‐mediated competition, and trophic cascades. Illustrating the practical implications of our approach, we compare inference from modeling the interactions in a three‐species network involving coyotes (Canis latrans), fishers (Pekania pennanti), and American marten (Martes americana) in North America as a function of occupancy states and as a function of abundance. When modeling interactions as a function of abundance rather than occupancy, we uncover previously unidentified interactions. Our study emphasizes that accounting for abundance‐mediated interactions rather than simple co‐occurrence patterns can fundamentally alter our comprehension of system dynamics. Through an empirical case study and comprehensive simulations, we demonstrate the importance of accounting for abundance when modeling species interactions, and we present a statistical framework equipped with MCMC samplers to achieve this paradigm shift in ecological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous‐space population models can yield significantly different results from their panmictic counterparts when assessing evolutionary, ecological or population genetic processes. However, the computational burden of spatial models is typically much greater than that of panmictic models due to the overhead of determining which individuals interact with one another and how strongly they interact. While these calculations are necessary to model local competition that regulates the population density, they can lead to prohibitively long runtimes.Here, we present a novel modelling method in which the resources available to a population are abstractly represented as an additional layer of the simulation. Instead of interacting directly with one another, individuals interact indirectly via this resource layer.We find that this method closely matches other spatial models, yet can dramatically increase the speed of the model, allowing the simulation of much larger populations.In addition to improved runtimes, models structured in this manner exhibit other desirable characteristics, including more explicit control over population density near the edge of the simulated area, and an efficient route for modelling complex heterogeneous landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aim Location Taxon Methods Results Main Conclusions The influence of mutualists on plant distributions is only beginning to be understood. Orchids depend on orchid mycorrhizal (OrM) fungi to germinate, yet the distribution of OrM fungi and how they vary according to both abiotic and biotic factors is unclear. We investigated the abundance and diversity of OrM fungal communities associated with the Mediterranean orchid Orchis italica and quantified how they vary according to both geographical and ecological factors.Mediterranean basin.Orchis italica Poir. (Orchidaceae).We used metabarcoding of the ITS2 region to identify OrM fungi associated with adult individuals in 23 populations of O. italica across latitudinal and longitudinal gradients in the Mediterranean region. We used both multivariate analyses and Joint Species Distribution Models (JSDMs) based on geographical, climate, and soil variables to test how both common OrM fungi and their communities vary according to geographical and ecological factors.Eighty OrM fungal Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were found associating with O. italica. However, five Tulasnellaceae OTUs and one Ceratobasidiaceae OTU were found in every population. Abundance of these taxa, as measured by number of reads, increased from west to east and decreased from South to North, indicating OrM fungal abundance may be determined by geographical gradients. OrM fungal community composition varied according to precipitation, annual mean temperature, and soil phosphorous content. JSDMs revealed there were both positive and negative co‐occurrences among these ubiquitous OrM fungal OTUs.Despite associating with many OrM fungi across its range, only six OTUs were widespread, indicating that O. italica may be an apparent generalist in its association with OrM fungi. Abundance of OrM fungi is determined by geographical gradients and their community composition determined by ecological factors. This highlights the importance of quantifying the distribution of belowground mutualists in understanding the limits to plant distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In urban areas, wildlife has to adapt to human presence and novel predators such as pet species, including the altered conditions of the environment. In such novel settings, the timing of activity is crucial to minimize the risk of mortality. To do so, species may reduce total activity time by increasing activity peaks at specific moments or shifting activity times. We analyzed camera trap data from a citizen science project over four project phases, including spring and autumn before and during the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown, to understand the effects of human, pet (cat, dog), and predator (marten) presence on the activity patterns of urban red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris ; hereafter 'squirrel'). We examined squirrel activity at seasonal and hourly resolutions in relation to human, garden, urban, and predator factors. We considered human presence as both a direct effect of lockdown and an indirect disturbance measured through urban variables. Results show that direct human presence during lockdown increased squirrel activity intensity in both seasonal and hourly patterns without reducing total activity time. Predator presence affected timing of activity, decreasing total daily activity. Pets, like cats, decreased activity at both resolutions, while martens had a limited effect detected only at the hourly resolution. During lockdown, squirrels may have increased their activity in gardens due to more anthropogenic resources (food or nesting material), but constant threats from pets force them to avoid certain areas despite the benefits. This highlights the delicate balance squirrels must maintain in adapting to human-altered environments while managing predation risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large collections of freely available food webs are commonly reused by researchers to infer how biological or environmental factors influence the structure of ecological communities. Although reusing food webs expands sample sizes for community analysis, this practice also has significant drawbacks. As food webs are meticulously crafted by researchers for their own specific research endeavors and resulting publications (i.e., books and scientific articles), the structure of these webs inherently reflects the unique methodologies and protocols of their source publications. Consequently, combining food webs sourced from different publications without accounting for discrepancies that influence network structure may be problematic. Here, we investigate the determinants of structure in freely available food webs sourced from different publications, examining potential disparities that could hinder their effective comparison. Specifically, we quantify structural similarity across 274 commonly reused webs sourced from 105 publications using a subgraph technique. Surprisingly, we found no increased structural similarity between webs from the same ecosystem nor webs built using similar network construction methodologies. Yet, webs sourced from the same publication were very structurally similar with this degree of similarity increasing over time. As webs sourced from the same publication are typically sampled, constructed, and/or exposed to similar biological and environmental factors, publications likely holistically drive their own webs' structure to be similar. Our findings demonstrate the large effect that publications have on the structure of their own webs, which stymies inference when comparing the structure of webs sourced from different publications. We conclude by proposing different approaches that may be useful for reducing these publication‐related structural issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the climate is changing, species respond by changing their distributions and abundances. The effects of climate are not only direct, but also occur via changes in biotic interactions, such as competition. Yet, the role of competition in mediating the effects of climate is still largely unclear. To examine how climate influences species performance, directly and via competition with other species, we transplanted two moss species differing in climate niches, alone and together at 59 sites along a climate gradient. Growth was monitored over three growing seasons. In the absence of competition, both species performed better under warmer conditions. Yet, when transplanted together, a warmer climate had negative effects on the northern moss, while the effects remained positive for the southern species. The negative effect of a cold climate on the southern species was larger when both species were transplanted together. Over three growing seasons, the southern species almost outcompeted the northern in warmer climates. Our results illustrate how competitive interactions can modify, and even reverse, the direct effects of climate on organism performance. A broader implication of our results is that species interactions can have important effects on how environmental and climate change influence performance and abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glaciers are retreating worldwide at an ever‐increasing rate, exposing new ice‐free areas to ecological succession. This process leads to changes in biodiversity and potentially to novel species interactions. However, we still have a limited understanding of how glacier retreat influences species interaction networks, particularly the structure and robustness of mutualistic networks. After reconstructing plant–pollinator networks along a 140‐years chronosequence on a glacier foreland, we address the effects of glacier retreat on network structure and robustness. Our results show that the prevalence of different network motifs changes over spacetime, leading to a decrease of network robustness. With glacier retreat, mutualistic networks shift from highly connected with diverse specialist interactions to loosely connected with few generalist interactions. Furthermore, despite the turnover of plant species, we find that species structural roles remain constant over spacetime while depending on species identity. Our findings suggest that glacier retreat reshuffles mutualistic networks with motifs posing low robustness, leading to increased fragility. Understanding the assembly and breaking down of species interaction networks provides novel insights into the development and stability of novel, post‐glacial ecological systems facing glacier extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interspecific competition can significantly impact marine ecosystems by affecting species distributions and abundances. Understanding how sympatric species utilize available food helps identify potential competition and its effects when resources are limited. Here, we applied a suite of analytical methods (diet analysis, stable isotopes, and biomass estimates) to identify potential competitive interactions among North Pacific pelagic predators. Samples were collected in the Gulf of Alaska during the winter of 2019. Environmental conditions and food web structure (prey consumption, species biomass, and isotopic niche overlap) varied across the region. Several squid and myctophid species occupied similar trophic positions and had high isotopic nice overlap with Pacific salmon. The intensity of these interactions differed between the northwest and southeast Gulf of Alaska. For example, there was a substantial isotopic niche overlap between sockeye salmon and the squid Onychyoteuthis borealijaponica in the southeast, while chum salmon exhibited considerable niche overlap with various species in both areas. Our results demonstrate that, as the biomass of non‐salmonid competitors may exceed that of Pacific salmon, these interactions must be considered when assessing salmon production on the high seas. Regional differences in trophic interactions demonstrate that the open ocean northeast Pacific is more dynamic than previously proposed, and knowledge of salmon rearing locations could improve production estimates. Further research on regional ocean properties and their effects on trophic ecology is needed to understand how salmon will respond to climate‐driven changes in ocean conditions. This study provides the first analysis of pelagic food webs in the North Pacific high seas during winter, highlighting significant intra‐guild competition among meso‐predators. The effects of this competition on production are difficult to assess using empirical approaches due to the inaccessibility of the region. We propose the application of the trophic interactions identified here to explore these effects using food web models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree cavities offer protected shelters and resources for arboreal vertebrates worldwide. In general, cavities with larger openings are better accessible for predators and are avoided by smaller species for breeding, but can still be attractive for occasional use. The current study explores the diversity of functional use types and species interactions at the largest available tree cavities (entrance width ≥ 10 cm) in a temperate European forest with a low number of large cavity‐breeding species. Year‐round camera observations at 9 cavities (range 0.7–3.5 years) revealed 34 visiting species of birds and mammals, including non‐cavity‐breeding species. The top predator threatening other large‐cavity users was European pine marten (Martes martes), which regularly visited each cavity year‐round, on average every 0.7 months. Tawny owl (Strix aluco) was the only species successfully breeding in cavities, arguably because of its ability to defend the nests. However, other species visited cavities at an average rate of 1.5 visits per day, making predominantly short visits (less than 30 s) interpreted as exploration, searching for food, or inspecting for the presence of owls (mobbing). Making short visits and time segregation with predators was a behavioural strategy to exploit cavities for most species. These results confirm that, similarly to other keystone structures (large arboreal nests, ground burrows, etc.), large tree cavities attract a significant part of the arboreal vertebrate community and enrich their habitats. To sustain these functions in wooded ecosystems, management should provide a surplus of available cavities and diversity of their characteristics even when the apparent number of breeding species is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat fragmentation is often assumed to negatively impact species diversity because smaller, more isolated populations on smaller habitat patches are at a higher extinction risk. However, some empirical and theoretical studies suggest that landscapes with numerous small habitat patches may support higher species richness, although the circumstances remain elusive. We used an agent-based metacommunity model to investigate this and simulate landscapes of the same total area but diverse patch sizes. Our model, as generic and unbiased by specific assumptions as possible, aimed to explore which circumstances may be more conducive to supporting higher biodiversity. To this end, most parameters and behaviors were random. The model included generalized species traits, dispersal, and interactions to explore species richness dynamics in fragmented landscapes of distinct patch sizes. Our results show that landscapes with many small patches maintain higher species richness than those with fewer large patches. Moreover, the relationship between patch connectivity and species richness is more pronounced in landscapes with smaller patches. High connectivity in these landscapes may support species diversity by preventing local extinctions and facilitating recolonization. In contrast, connectivity is less significant in large-patch landscapes, where generalist species dominate. The findings highlight the complex interplay between patch size quality, connectivity, species traits, and diverse interactions among species in determining species richness. We suggest the patterns produced by the model represent null predictions and may be useful as a reference for a diversity of more specialized questions and predictions. These insights may also have specific implications for conservation strategies, suggesting that maintaining a mosaic of small, well-connected patches could enhance biodiversity in fragmented landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major challenge in biodiversity research is the incorporation of species interactions into frameworks describing population and community response to global edfnmental change (GEC). Mutualisms are a type of species interaction especially sensitive to changing environmental conditions, and the breakdown of facilitative species interactions could amplify the negative impacts of novel climate regimes on focal species.Here, we investigate how reciprocal interactions between two coastal foundation species, the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and eelgrass (Zostera marina) shift in sign and magnitude in response to ocean warming (+1.5°C) and acidification (−0.4 pH) via a manipulative co‐culture experiment in mesocosms.Under ambient environmental conditions, oysters facilitated eelgrass leaf growth and clonal reproduction by 35% and 38%, respectively. Simultaneously, eelgrass decreased the oyster condition index (the ratio of tissue to shell biomass) by 35%, indicating greater allocation of energy to shell growth instead of soft tissues at ambient conditions. Varying sensitivities of each species to ocean warming and/or acidification treatments led to complex shifts in species interactions that were trait dependent. As such, community outcomes under future conditions were influenced by species interactions that amplified and mitigated species response to environmental change.Synthesis: Given that species interaction effect sizes were similar in magnitude to effect sizes of warming or pH treatments, our results underscore the need to identify key species and interaction types that strongly influence community response to GEC. Specifically, for macrophyte‐bivalve interactions, understanding how physiological limitations on growth are impacted by environmental heterogeneity and co‐culture will support the successful restoration of natural populations and the rapid expansion of aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productive grasslands in temperate regions have relied strongly on low plant diversity with high management intensity and fertiliser inputs. Increasing plant diversity can provide high yields of digestible forage for livestock production with lower environmental impacts, and thus represents a diversity‐dependent nature‐based solution that can deliver multiple ecosystem functions.Sharing lessons from the design of managed, productive grassland communities, we address the following questions: how can we identify combinations of plant species that best deliver a selected function or multiple functions? and; when is community composition more important than species richness?We describe approaches that separate plant diversity into its underlying components: species richness, composition and relative abundance. Disentangling these three components facilitates a more nuanced understanding of how diversity can contribute to the design of diversity‐dependent nature‐based solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why nonnative invasive plant species commonly co‐occur, despite their competitive superiority and propensity to displace native species, remains a paradox in invasion biology. Negative interactions among competitively dominant invaders are potentially alleviated by two understudied mechanisms: seasonal priority effects, where phenological separation weakens the effect of competition on species with early phenology; and indirect facilitation, where competition between two species is mitigated by a third species. Although phenological separation has been speculated as a mechanism for explaining co‐occurrence patterns of invasive plants, it has never been directly tested. In a greenhouse experiment, we tested the effect of phenological separation on direct and indirect interactions between three co‐occurring invasive plant species found in the riparian forests of North America. These species have distinct natural phenological separation with reproduction in early spring (Ficaria verna), mid‐spring (Alliaria petiolata), and late summer (Microstegium vimineum). When phenology was experimentally synchronized, direct pairwise interactions among invasive species were overwhelmingly negative, asymmetric, and unlikely to promote co‐occurrence. However, increasing phenological separation generated seasonal priority effects, which weakened the effect of competition on species with early phenology. Furthermore, the addition of a third species generated indirect facilitative effects, which balanced competitive outcomes among the two weakest competitors. Based on these findings, we conclude that phenological separation modulates the strength of both seasonal priority effects and indirect facilitation within species interaction networks and may promote the co‐occurrence of three common invasive species within this study system. We articulate how future studies can test the external validity of these findings in more complex environmental conditions and with a larger range of invasive plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological forecasting models play an increasingly important role for managing natural resources and assessing our fundamental knowledge of processes driving ecological dynamics. As global environmental change pushes ecosystems beyond their historical conditions, the utility of these models may depend on their transferability to novel conditions. Because species interactions can alter resource use, timing of reproduction, and other aspects of a species' realized niche, changes in biotic conditions, which can arise from community reorganization events in response to environmental change, have the potential to impact model transferability. Using a long‐term experiment on desert rodents, we assessed model transferability under novel biotic conditions to better understand the limitations of ecological forecasting. We show that ecological forecasts can be less accurate when the models generating them are transferred to novel biotic conditions and that the extent of model transferability can depend on the species being forecast. We also demonstrate the importance of incorporating uncertainty into forecast evaluation with transferred models generating less accurate and more uncertain forecasts. These results suggest that how a species perceives its competitive landscape can influence model transferability and that when uncertainties are properly accounted for, transferred models may still be appropriate for decision making. Assessing the extent of the transferability of forecasting models is a crucial step to increase our understanding of the limitations of ecological forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect assessments of metals are mostly based on single‐metal, single‐species tests, thereby ignoring metal‐mixture effects and indirect effects through species interactions. We tested the combined effects of metal and species interactions in two‐trophic algal–daphnid microcosms. Metal‐mixture effects on daphnid communities may propagate from effects on the generally more sensitive algal communities. Four different algal communities (three species each), with and without addition of the same daphnid community (three species) were exposed to single metals and one metal mixture (17:17:51 µg/L Ni:Cu:Zn). Daphnid densities were negatively affected by metals in the two‐trophic test, the magnitude of which depended on the algal community composition. Algal densities were overall positively affected by the metals in the two‐trophic test but negatively in the single‐trophic test, illustrating an indirect positive effect in the two‐trophic system due to a reduced grazing pressure. Metal effects on daphnid communities in the two‐trophic test (day 21) were correlated with metal effects on the single‐trophic–level algal communities during exponential growth (R2 = 0.55, p = 0.0011). This finding suggests that metal effects propagate across trophic levels due to a reduced food quantity. However, the indirect positive effects on algal densities, resulting in abundant food quantity, suggests that metal effects can also propagate to daphnids due to a reduced food quality (not measured directly). Metal‐mixture interactions on daphnid densities varied during exposure, but were additive or antagonistic relative to independent action when final daphnid densities were considered (day 56). This suggests stronger indirect effects of the mixture compared with the single metals. Overall, our study highlights the dynamic aspect of community‐level effects, which empirical reference models such as independent action or concentration addition cannot predict. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:2350–2364. © 2024 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Although huge progress has been made over the past 200 years in identifying the diversity of pollinators of angiosperms and other plants, new discoveries continue to be made each year, especially in tropical areas and in the fossil record. In this perspective article I address the following questions: Just how diverse are the pollinators and what are the phylogenetic limits to that diversity? Which other groups of animals, not currently known to regularly engage with flowers, might be found to be pollinators in the future? Can we predict, from the fossil record and from discoveries in under‐researched parts of the world, which animal groups might turn out in the future to contain pollinators? I also discuss why adding to our knowledge of plant–pollinator interactions is important, but also stress that an incomplete knowledge may not be a bad thing if it means that remote, inaccessible and relatively pristine parts of the world remain that way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blue shark (Prionace glauca) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are two large apex predators sharing the same pelagic environment and exhibiting partial dietary overlap, which collectively lead to interactions that might include conflicts. This paper presents the first verified case of a blue shark surviving an impalement by a swordfish, marking the first incident of its kind in the Adriatic Sea. On February 17, 2023, an adult blue shark captured in Vlorë (southern Albania) was found with an 18.6 cm fragment of swordfish bill embedded in its suborbital shelf of the neurocranium, extending through the stapedial fenestra. Despite this injury, no major internal damage was observed and the shark exhibited active feeding behaviour. The paper further provides a detailed overview of all known incidents of blue shark impalements by swordfish to date. The findings presented herein highlight the need for further observations to understand the nature of these conflicts and the interactions between swordfish and sharks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to global warming, the worldwide retreat of glaciers is causing changes in species diversity, community composition, and species interactions. However, the impact of glacier retreat on interaction diversity and ecological networks remains poorly understood. An integrative understanding of network dynamics may inform conservation actions that support biodiversity and ecosystem functioning after glacier extinction. Here, we address how glacier retreat affects the frequency, diversity, and complexity of plant–pollinator interactions, both directly and indirectly through biodiversity change. We surveyed flower visitors (pollinators) and analyzed pollination networks across a gradient of 170 years of glacier retreat (Mont Miné glacier, Valais, Switzerland) which ranges from patchy grasslands to closed forests. We reported a strong impact of glacier retreat on both plant and pollinator communities. Notably, the diversity of plant–pollinator interactions was sharply affected by glacier retreat: interaction diversity increased few years after glacier retreat, but it ultimately decreased in late stages dominated by forests. In contrast, we found that plant–pollinator network complexity did not change with glacier retreat. Our results indicate that the development of plant–pollinator networks is a two-phases process. In the first phase, glacier retreat makes space to plant colonization. This initial increase in plant diversity drives the increase in pollinator and interaction diversity. The second phase is characterized by turnover as woody species encroaches and dominates the community, decreasing the diversity of plant species in ultimate instance. The local decrease of plant diversity leads to a local decrease in pollinator and interaction diversity. Slowing down woody encroachment and enhancing flower diversity, which is initially supported by the glacial landscape, may be key strategies for halting the erosion of ecological networks while increasing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Our research thus can help resolve the overarching question of how to conserve ecosystems once glaciers are extinct, pointing toward a composite role of both habitat structure and biological functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Continuous‐space population models can yield significantly different results from their panmictic counterparts when assessing evolutionary, ecological or population genetic processes. However, the computational burden of spatial models is typically much greater than that of panmictic models due to the overhead of determining which individuals interact with one another and how strongly they interact. While these calculations are necessary to model local competition that regulates the population density, they can lead to prohibitively long runtimes. Here, we present a novel modelling method in which the resources available to a population are abstractly represented as an additional layer of the simulation. Instead of interacting directly with one another, individuals interact indirectly via this resource layer. We find that this method closely matches other spatial models, yet can dramatically increase the speed of the model, allowing the simulation of much larger populations. In addition to improved runtimes, models structured in this manner exhibit other desirable characteristics, including more explicit control over population density near the edge of the simulated area, and an efficient route for modelling complex heterogeneous landscapes.

Since Bakers attempt to characterize the ideal weed over 50 years ago, ecologists have sought to identify features of species that predict invasiveness. Several of Bakers ideal weed traits are well studied, and we now understand that many traits can facilitate different components of the invasion process, such as dispersal traits promoting transport or selfing enabling establishment. However, the effects of traits on invasion are context dependent. The traits promoting invasion in one community or at one invasion stage may inhibit invasion of other communities or success at other invasion stages, and the benefits of any given trait may depend on the other traits possessed by the species. Furthermore, variation in traits among populations or species is the result of evolution. Accordingly, evolution both prior to and after invasion may determine invasion outcomes. Here, we review how our understanding of the ecology and evolution of traits in invasive plants has developed since Bakers original efforts, resulting from empirical studies and the emergence of new frameworks and ideas such as community assembly theory, functional ecology, and rapid adaptation. Looking forward, we consider how trait-based approaches might inform our understanding of less-explored aspects of invasion biology ranging from invasive species responses to climate change to coevolution of invaded communities.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), the most common vaginal infection worldwide, is characterized by the development of a polymicrobial biofilm on the vaginal epithelium. While Gardnerella spp. have been shown to have a prominent role in BV, little is known regarding how other species can influence BV development. Thus, we aimed to study the transcriptome of Gardnerella vaginalis, Fannyhessea vaginae, and Prevotella bivia, when growing in triple-species biofilms. Single and triple-species biofilms were formed in vitro, and RNA was extracted and sent for sequencing. cDNA libraries were prepared and sequenced. Quantitative PCR analysis (qPCR) was performed on the triple-species biofilms to evaluate the biofilm composition. The qPCR results revealed that the triple-species biofilms were mainly composed by G. vaginalis and P. bivia was the species with the lowest percentage. The RNA-sequencing analysis revealed a total of 432, 126, and 39 differentially expressed genes for G. vaginalis, F. vaginae, and P. bivia, respectively, when growing together. Gene ontology enrichment of G. vaginalis downregulated genes revealed several functions associated with metabolism, indicating a low metabolic activity of G. vaginalis when growing in polymicrobial biofilms. This work highlighted that the presence of 3 different BV-associated bacteria in the biofilm influenced each other's transcriptome and provided insight into the molecular mechanisms that enhanced the virulence potential of polymicrobial consortia. These findings will contribute to understand the development of incident BV and the interactions occurring within the biofilm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Changes to flowering phenology are a key response of plants to climate change. However, we know little about how these changes alter temporal patterns of reproductive overlap (i.e. phenological reassembly).We combined long‐term field (1937–2012) and herbarium records (1850–2017) of 68 species in a flowering plant community in central North America and used a novel application of Bayesian quantile regression to estimate changes to flowering season length, altered richness and composition of co‐flowering assemblages, and whether phenological shifts exhibit seasonal trends.Across the past century, phenological shifts increased species' flowering durations by 11.5 d on average, which resulted in 94% of species experiencing greater flowering overlap at the community level. Increases to co‐flowering were particularly pronounced in autumn, driven by a greater tendency of late season species to shift the ending of flowering later and to increase flowering duration.Our results demonstrate that species‐level phenological shifts can result in considerable phenological reassembly and highlight changes to flowering duration as a prominent, yet underappreciated, effect of climate change. The emergence of an autumn co‐flowering mode emphasizes that these effects may be season‐dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global change stressors can modify ecological niches of species, thereby altering ecological interactions within communities and food webs. Yet, some species might take advantage of a fast‐changing environment, allowing species with high niche plasticity to thrive under climate change.We used natural CO2 vents to test the effects of ocean acidification on niche modifications of a temperate rocky reef fish assemblage. We quantified three ecological niche traits (overlap, shift and breadth) across three key niche dimensions (trophic, habitat and behavioural).Only one species increased its niche width along multiple niche dimensions (trophic and behavioural), shifted its niche in the remaining (habitat) was the only species to experience a highly increased density (i.e. doubling) at vents. The other three species that showed slightly increased or declining densities at vents only displayed a niche width increase in one (habitat niche) out of seven niche metrics considered. This niche modification was likely in response to habitat simplification (transition to a system dominated by turf algae) under ocean acidification.We further showed that, at the vents, the less abundant fishes had a negligible competitive impact on the most abundant and common species. This species appeared to expand its niche space, overlapping with other species, which likely led to lower abundances of the latter under elevated CO2.We conclude that niche plasticity across multiple dimensions could be a potential adaptation in fishes to benefit from a changing environment in a high‐CO2 world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing more equitable pedagogies to all students, including those who are traditionally underrepresented, is a high priority of science education. In this paper, we outline how we coupled Indigenous Ways of Knowing with investigations about plant phenology, or the timing of plant development, a trait that is expected to shift with a warming climate. We paired the investigations with lessons that allow secondary students the opportunity to explore the cultural significance of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), a host plant for the iconic and threatened monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). In our teaching, we specifically investigate the effect of milkweed phenology, or the timing of development, on species interactions. From teaching students in a variety of contexts about milkweed phenology and species interactions, we have learned that the topic is engaging and accessible to many students. We find that coupling inquiry with explorations of the cultural significance of milkweed deepens students learning and generates opportunities to compare Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Western Science and to learn how they can work together to assess the impacts of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding biotic interactions is a crucial goal in community ecology and species distribution modelling, and large strides have been made towards improving multivariate computational methods with the aim of quantifying biotic interactions and improving predictions of species occurrence. Yet, while considerable attention has been given to computational approaches and the interpretation of these quantitative tools, the importance of sampling design to reveal these biotic interactions has received little consideration. This study explores the influential role of priority effects, that is, the order of habitat colonisation, in shaping our ability to detect biotic interactions. Using a simple set of simulations, we demonstrate that commonly used cross‐sectional co‐occurrence data alone cannot be used to make reliable inferences on asymmetric biotic interactions, even if they perform well in predicting the occurrence of species. We then show how sampling designs that consider priority effects can recover the asymmetric effects that are lost when priority effects are ignored. Based on these findings, we urge for caution when drawing inferences on biotic interactions from cross‐sectional binary co‐occurrence data, and provide guidance on sampling designs that may provide the necessary data to tackle this longstanding challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conspecific density dependence (CDD) in plant populations is widespread, most likely caused by local‐scale biotic interactions, and has potentially important implications for biodiversity, community composition, and ecosystem processes. However, progress in this important area of ecology has been hindered by differing viewpoints on CDD across subfields in ecology, lack of synthesis across CDD‐related frameworks, and misunderstandings about how empirical measurements of local CDD fit within the context of broader ecological theories on community assembly and diversity maintenance. Here, we propose a conceptual synthesis of local‐scale CDD and its causes, including species‐specific antagonistic and mutualistic interactions. First, we compare and clarify different uses of CDD and related concepts across subfields within ecology. We suggest the use of local stabilizing/destabilizing CDD to refer to the scenario where local conspecific density effects are more negative/positive than heterospecific effects. Second, we discuss different mechanisms for local stabilizing and destabilizing CDD, how those mechanisms are interrelated, and how they cut across several fields of study within ecology. Third, we place local stabilizing/destabilizing CDD within the context of broader ecological theories and discuss implications and challenges related to scaling up the effects of local CDD on populations, communities, and metacommunities. The ultimate goal of this synthesis is to provide a conceptual roadmap for researchers studying local CDD and its implications for population and community dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is raising concerns about how forests will respond to extreme droughts, heat waves and their co-occurrence. In this greenhouse study, we tested how carbon and water relations relate to seedling growth and mortality of northeastern US trees during and after extreme drought, warming, and combined drought and warming. We compared the response of our focal species red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) with a common associate (paper birch, Betula papyrifera Marsh.) and a species expected to increase abundance in this region with climate change (northern red oak, Quercus rubra L.). We tracked growth and mortality, photosynthesis and water use of 216 seedlings of these species through a treatment and a recovery year. Each red spruce seedling was planted in containers either alone or with another seedling to simulate potential competition, and the seedlings were exposed to combinations of drought (irrigated, 15-d 'short' or 30-d 'long') and temperature (ambient or 16 days at +3.5 °C daily maximum) treatments. We found dominant effects of the drought reducing photosynthesis, midday water potential, and growth of spruce and birch, but that oak showed considerable resistance to drought stress. The effects of planting seedlings together were moderate and likely due to competition for limited water. Despite high temperatures reducing photosynthesis for all species, the warming imposed in this study minorly impacted growth only for oak in the recovery year. Overall, we found that the diverse water-use strategies employed by the species in our study related to their growth and recovery following drought stress. This study provides physiological evidence to support the prediction that native species to this region like red spruce and paper birch are susceptible to future climate extremes that may favor other species like northern red oak, leading to potential impacts on tree community dynamics under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing tree diversity is considered a key management option to adapt forests to climate change. However, the effect of species diversity on a forest's ability to cope with extreme drought remains elusive. In this study, we assessed drought tolerance (xylem vulnerability to cavitation) and water stress (water potential), and combined them into a metric of drought–mortality risk (hydraulic safety margin) during extreme 2021 or 2022 summer droughts in five European tree diversity experiments encompassing different biomes. Overall, we found that drought–mortality risk was primarily driven by species identity (56.7% of the total variability), while tree diversity had a much lower effect (8% of the total variability). This result remained valid at the local scale (i.e within experiment) and across the studied European biomes. Tree diversity effect on drought–mortality risk was mediated by changes in water stress intensity, not by changes in xylem vulnerability to cavitation. Significant diversity effects were observed in all experiments, but those effects often varied from positive to negative across mixtures for a given species. Indeed, we found that the composition of the mixtures (i.e., the identities of the species mixed), but not the species richness of the mixture per se, is a driver of tree drought–mortality risk. This calls for a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms before tree diversity can be considered an operational adaption tool to extreme drought. Forest diversification should be considered jointly with management strategies focussed on favouring drought‐tolerant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As climate change transforms marine environments globally, species distributions correspondingly shift to locations where conditions have become or remain favourable. The ability to model these distributional shifts has been facilitated by species distribution models (SDMs). However, current SDM approaches have largely ignored climate‐driven changes in species interactions, which ultimately can have an important influence on species distributions. In this study, we utilize a long‐term, large‐scale dataset spanning 48 years and approximately 30 degrees latitude across the Canadian Atlantic shelf. We examine how climate influences the distribution and predation patterns of two invertebrates, northern shrimp Pandalus borealis and snow crab Chionoecetes opilio, aiming to evaluate the impacts of climate change on prey distributions. We found that both invertebrate species have a pronounced predicted response to climate change, with a northern shift in the distribution of northern shrimp and an overall reduction in abundance of both snow crab and shrimp associated with warming temperatures. Including predatory interactions as predictors in the SDMs (either directly via predator densities or via estimated predation rates) improved prediction accuracy for northern shrimp but not for snow crab. This is consistent with the ecology of these two species, as northern shrimp is more vulnerable to predation than snow crab. We found that the projections of future northern shrimp distributions are sensitive to the predicted spatial distribution and abundance of predators, highlighting the inherent complexity of predicting species response to climate change. Collectively, these results contribute to a broader literature that seeks to improve the capabilities of models to predict the effects of species interactions on species distributions under changing ecological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Island biogeography theory has been extended to include various species interactions, but has yet to consider intraguild mutualisms. We compare species‐area relationships for mixed‐species flocks to those for the entire bird community and determine how 'nuclear' species, those important to flock formation or cohesion, which often have functional traits such as intraspecific gregariousness, influence flock species richness. We hypothesized that mixed flocks would only form on large islands where nuclear species are present. On the subset of larger islands, we expected flock species richness to rise with island area, reflecting a larger pool of species. Location: Thirty‐one islands of varying area in the reservoir system of Thousand Island Lake, China. Taxon: The resident forest bird community and its subcomponent of flock participants. Similar to elsewhere in southern China, the primary nuclear species was Huet's Fulvetta (Alcippe hueti), which averaged 20 individuals per flock, and led the flocks when present. Methods: Birds were surveyed in the winter of 2017 and the autumn of 2021. Results: The probability for a flock to be present, and the species richness of birds per transect, increased with island area, but the species richness of flocks did not. Flocks with Huet's Fulvetta were only found on islands larger than 30 ha. Flocks on smaller islands formed around secondary nuclear species typical of northern Chinese flocks. Main Conclusion: Gregariousness as a functional trait may make nuclear species more susceptible to disappearing in small fragments, leading to flock collapse. The extreme gregariousness of fulvettas may also act to increase competition in the flocks they lead and limit the flocks' species richness. We encourage further comparisons of the species‐area curves of mixed‐species flocks and whole bird communities to better understand the influence of flocks on community assembly and species diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread and adaptation of fungal plant pathogens in agroecosystems are facilitated by environmental homogeneity. Metagenomic sequencing of infected tissues allowed us to monitor eco‐evolutionary dynamics and interactions between host, pathogen and plant microbiome. Exserohilum turcicum, the causal agent of northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) in maize, is distributed in multiple clonal lineages throughout Europe. To characterize regional pathogen diversity, we conducted metagenomic DNA sequencing on 241 infected leaf samples from the highly susceptible Swiss maize landrace Rheintaler Ribelmais, collected over 3 years (2016–2018) from an average of 14 agricultural farms within the Swiss Rhine Valley. All major European clonal lineages of E. turcicum were identified. Lineages differ by their mating types which indicates potential for sexual recombination and rapid evolution of new pathogen strains, although we found no evidence of recent recombination. The associated eukaryotic and prokaryotic leaf microbiome exhibited variation in taxonomic diversity between years and locations and is likely influenced by local weather conditions. A network analysis revealed distinct clusters of eukaryotic and prokaryotic taxa that correlates with the frequency of E. turcicum sequencing reads, suggesting causal interactions. Notably, the yeast genus Metschnikowia exhibited a strongly negative association with E. turcicum, supporting its known potential as biological control agent against fungal pathogens. Our findings show that metagenomic sequencing is a useful tool for analysing the role of environmental factors and potential pathogen–microbiome interactions in shaping pathogen dynamics and evolution, suggesting their potential for effective pathogen management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of highly biodiverse areas has become a crucial step in protecting species richness, especially considering the rapid collapse of biodiversity and the limited funds available to avert, far less to reverse, these trends. Therefore, we aimed to identify the most important areas for the conservation of specified mammalian groups in Southern Asia, a region rich in biodiversity hotspots threatened by increasing rates of habitat loss and other anthropogenic activities. To achieve this, we modelled the occupancy of ungulates and of small, medium and large carnivorans at 20 study sites across the region and identified hotspots of species richness. We analysed the variation of estimated space use between different species groups and ranked areas according to their predicted importance for mammalian species conservation. Our results reveal a significant positive correlation in the spatial utilization patterns of competitive carnivores, yet no correlation among carnivores and their prey species, suggesting that anthropogenic impacts in the region are constraining species to coexist in only the few remaining suitable areas, superseding interactions between species guilds. Although the rank of site importance varied amongst species groups, we were able to identify a consensus on sites that are crucial for the conservation of all groups considered. Most of these top-ranking sites were located in the peninsular region of Thailand. We argue that, of the areas assessed, these sites represent the most important refuges for species conservation in the region, and their protection is critical for the maintenance of the biodiversity in Southern Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functional response describes feeding rates of consumers as a function of resource density. While models for feeding on a single resource species are well studied and supported by a large body of empirical research, consumers feeding on multiple resource species are ubiquitous in nature. However, laboratory experiments designed for parameterizing multi‐species functional responses (MSFR) are extremely rare, mainly due to logistical challenges and the non‐trivial nature of their statistical analysis.Here, we describe how these models can be fitted to empirical data in a Bayesian framework. Specifically, we address the problem of prey depletion during experiments, which can be accounted for through dynamical modelling. In a comprehensive simulation study, we test the effects of experimental design, sample size and noise level on the identifiability of four distinct MSFR models. Additionally, we demonstrate the method's versatility by applying it to a list of empirical datasets.We identify experimental designs for feeding trials that produce the most accurate parameter estimates in two‐ and three‐prey scenarios. Although noise introduces systematic bias in parameter estimates, model selection performs surprisingly well for the four MSFRs, almost always identifying the correct model even for small datasets.This flexible framework allows the simultaneous analysis of feeding experiments from both single‐ and multi‐prey scenarios, either with or without prey depletion. This will help to elucidate mechanisms such as prey selectivity, prey switching and their implications for food web stability and biodiversity. Our approach equips researchers with the appropriate statistical tools to improve the understanding of feeding interactions in complex ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global migrations of diverse animal species often converge along the same routes, bringing together seasonal assemblages of animals that may compete, prey on each other, and share information or pathogens. These interspecific interactions, when energetic demands are high and the time to complete journeys is short, may influence survival, migratory success, stopover ecology, and migratory routes. Numerous accounts suggest that interspecific co-migrations are globally distributed in aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial systems, although the study of migration to date has rarely investigated species interactions among migrating animals. Here, we test the hypothesis that migrating animals are communities engaged in networks of ecological interactions. We leverage over half a million records of 50 bird species from five bird banding sites collected over 8 to 23 y to test for species associations using social network analyses. We find strong support for persistent species relationships across sites and between spring and fall migration. These relationships may be ecologically meaningful: They are often stronger among phylogenetically related species with similar foraging behaviors and nonbreeding ranges even after accounting for the nonsocial contributions to associations, including overlap in migration timing and habitat use. While interspecific interactions could result in costly competition or beneficial information exchange, we find that relationships are largely positive, suggesting limited competitive exclusion at the scale of a banding station during migratory stopovers. Our findings support an understanding of animal migrations that consist of networked communities rather than random assemblages of independently migrating species, encouraging future studies of the nature and consequences of co-migrant interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispersal is a well-recognized driver of ecological and evolutionary dynamics, and simultaneously an evolving trait. Dispersal evolution has traditionally been studied in single-species metapopulations so that it remains unclear how dispersal evolves in metacommunities and metafoodwebs, which are characterized by a multitude of species interactions. Since most natural systems are both species-rich and spatially structured, this knowledge gap should be bridged. Here, we discuss whether knowledge from dispersal evolutionary ecology established in single-species systems holds in metacommunities and metafoodwebs and we highlight generally valid and fundamental principles. Most biotic interactions form the backdrop to the ecological theatre for the evolutionary dispersal play because interactions mediate patterns of fitness expectations across space and time. While this allows for a simple transposition of certain known principles to a multispecies context, other drivers may require more complex transpositions, or might not be transferred. We discuss an important quantitative modulator of dispersal evolution—increased trait dimensionality of biodiverse meta-systems—and an additional driver: co-dispersal. We speculate that scale and selection pressure mismatches owing to co-dispersal, together with increased trait dimensionality, may lead to a slower and more 'diffuse' evolution in biodiverse meta-systems. Open questions and potential consequences in both ecological and evolutionary terms call for more investigation. This article is part of the theme issue 'Diversity-dependence of dispersal: interspecific interactions determine spatial dynamics'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory links dispersal and diversity, predicting the highest diversity at intermediate dispersal levels. However, the modulation of this relationship by macro-eco-evolutionary mechanisms and competition within a landscape is still elusive. We examine the interplay between dispersal, competition and landscape structure in shaping biodiversity over 5 million years in a dynamic archipelago landscape. We model allopatric speciation, temperature niche, dispersal, competition, trait evolution and trade-offs between competitive and dispersal traits. Depending on dispersal abilities and their interaction with landscape structure, our archipelago exhibits two 'connectivity regimes', that foster speciation events among the same group of islands. Peaks of diversity (i.e. alpha, gamma and phylogenetic), occurred at intermediate dispersal; while competition shifted diversity peaks towards higher dispersal values for each connectivity regime. This shift demonstrates how competition can boost allopatric speciation events through the evolution of thermal specialists, ultimately limiting geographical ranges. Even in a simple landscape, multiple intermediate dispersal diversity relationships emerged, all shaped similarly and according to dispersal and competition strength. Our findings remain valid as dispersal- and competitive-related traits evolve and trade-off; potentially leaving identifiable biodiversity signatures, particularly when trade-offs are imposed. Overall, we scrutinize the convoluted relationships between dispersal, species interactions and landscape structure on macro-eco-evolutionary processes, with lasting imprints on biodiversity. This article is part of the theme issue 'Diversity-dependence of dispersal: interspecific interactions determine spatial dynamics'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispersal is a key process in ecology and evolution. While the effects of dispersal on diversity are broadly acknowledged, our understanding of the influence of diversity on dispersal remains limited. This arises from the dynamic, context-dependent, nonlinear and ubiquitous nature of dispersal. Diversity outcomes, such as competition, mutualism, parasitism and trophic interactions can feed back on dispersal, thereby influencing biodiversity patterns at several spatio-temporal scales. Here, we shed light on the dispersal–diversity causal links by discussing how dispersal–diversity ecological and evolutionary feedbacks can impact macroecological patterns. We highlight the importance of dispersal–diversity feedbacks for advancing our understanding of macro-eco-evolutionary patterns and their challenges, such as establishing a unified framework for dispersal terminology and methodologies across various disciplines and scales. This article is part of the theme issue 'Diversity-dependence of dispersal: interspecific interactions determine spatial dynamics'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothesis that species' ranges are limited by interspecific competition has motivated decades of debate, but a general answer remains elusive. Here we test this hypothesis for lowland tropical birds by examining species' precipitation niche breadths. We focus on precipitation because it—not temperature—is the dominant climate variable that shapes the biota of the lowland tropics. We used 3.6 million fine‐scale citizen science records from eBird to measure species' precipitation niche breadths in 19 different regions across the globe. Consistent with the predictions of the interspecific competition hypothesis, multiple lines of evidence show that species have narrower precipitation niches in regions with more species. This means species inhabit more specialized precipitation niches in species‐rich regions. We predict this niche specialization should make tropical species in high diversity regions disproportionately vulnerable to changes in precipitation regimes; preliminary empirical evidence is consistent with this prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly affected by rising annual mean temperatures and heatwaves. While heatwaves are expected to have more immediate effects than mean temperature increases on local communities, comparative experimental studies are largely lacking. We conducted a 1‐month mesocosm experiment to test the effect of different warming treatments, constantly raised temperatures (+3°C) and recurring heatwaves (+6°C), on plankton communities. We specifically tested how shifts in zooplankton trait composition and functional groups are reflected in ecosystem function (top‐down control on primary producers). We found that heatwaves had a stronger and more immediate effect on zooplankton trait composition (specifically on body length and body mass) and functional groups. Heatwaves led to the decrease of small‐bodied grazers (i.e., Rotifera) and the dominance of larger omnivorous Copepoda, and these shifts resulted in weaker top‐down control, leading to elevated phytoplankton biomass. Altogether, our results highlight the importance of the indirect effects of heatwaves via inducing shifts in zooplankton functional groups and trait composition, which may lead to algal blooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The host microbiome can be considered an ecological community of microbes present inside a complex and dynamic host environment. The host is under selective pressure to ensure that its microbiome remains beneficial. The host can impose a range of ecological filters including the immune response that can influence the assembly and composition of the microbial community. How the host immune response interacts with the within-microbiome community dynamics to affect the assembly of the microbiome has been largely unexplored. We present here a mathematical framework to elucidate the role of host immune response and its interaction with the balance of ecological interactions types within the microbiome community. We find that highly mutualistic microbial communities characteristic of high community density are most susceptible to changes in immune control and become invasion prone as host immune control strength is increased. Whereas highly competitive communities remain relatively stable in resisting invasion to changing host immune control. Our model reveals that the host immune control can interact in unexpected ways with a microbial community depending on the prevalent ecological interactions types for that community. We stress the need to incorporate the role of host-control mechanisms to better understand microbiome community assembly and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are ubiquitous alterations in all dimensions of biodiversity, including species distribution patterns and local abundances, and consequently the intensity of species interactions. The fitness of interacting species are often linked, which fuels reciprocal coevolutionary selection. Although our understanding of both the extent of biodiversity change and its drivers is rapidly increasing, we currently lack a framework for assessing how coevolutionary selection is concurrently being altered. Here, we harness ecological and evolutionary literature to propose the key pathways through which coevolutionary selection is expected to change to provide a blueprint for future research addressing this knowledge gap. Ignoring disruption of coevolutionary dynamics alongside ecological dynamics may significantly underestimate the extent of ongoing biodiversity change. Coevolutionary selection is a powerful process shaping species interactions and biodiversity. Anthropogenic global environmental change is reshaping planetary biodiversity, including by altering the structure and intensity of interspecific interactions. However, remarkably little is understood of how coevolutionary selection is changing in the process. Here, we outline three interrelated pathways – change in evolutionary potential, change in community composition, and shifts in interaction trait distributions – that are expected to redirect coevolutionary selection under biodiversity change. Assessing how both ecological and evolutionary rules governing species interactions are disrupted under anthropogenic global change is of paramount importance to understand the past, present, and future of Earth's biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature is a key driver in determining species distribution and abundance across climatic and geographical gradients. This occurs through direct physiological effects of temperature on performance, but may also result from temperature effects on species interactions.In the current study we experimentally test for temperature‐dependent competition between juvenile anadromous Atlantic salmon and brown trout and evaluate the role of temperature in shaping the relative abundance of these species across 88 Norwegian rivers.When the two species were reared in allopatry their somatic growth rates were similar across a range of temperatures (4–16°C).When reared in sympatry, the growth of salmon was greatly reduced at the coldest temperature relative to when reared in allopatry, whereas this was not the case for trout. The effect of interspecific competition on growth was more similar for the two species at warmer temperatures. Thus, interspecific competition effects were strongly asymmetric only at the lowest temperature, with trout outcompeting salmon.The results from the experiment were reflected in qualitative patterns of relative abundance of salmon and trout in natural populations, which shifted from being trout dominated in rivers with low summer temperatures to being salmon dominated in warmer rivers.These results provide an empirical example of how temperature effects on the relative abundance of species can only be understood in light of information about temperature‐dependent species interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem engineering is a ubiquitous process where species influence the physical environment and thereby structure ecological communities. However, there has been little effort to synthesize or predict how ecosystem engineering may impact the structure and stability of interaction networks.To assess current scientific understanding of ecosystem engineering impacts via habitat forming, habitat modification and bioturbation on interaction networks/food webs, we reviewed the literature covering marine, freshwater and terrestrial food webs, plant‐pollinator networks and theory.We provide a conceptual framework and identify three major pathways of engineering impact on networks through changes in resource availability and energy flow, habitat heterogeneity and environmental filtering. These three processes often work in concert and most studies report that engineering increases species richness. This is particularly marked for engineers that increase habitat heterogeneity and thereby the number of available niches.The response of network structure to ecosystem engineering varies, however some patterns emerge from this review. Engineered habitat heterogeneity leads to a higher number of links between species in the networks and increases link density. Connectance can be negatively or positively affected by ecosystem engineer impact, depending on the engineering pathway and the engineer impact of species richness.We discuss how ecosystem engineers can stabilize or destabilize communities through the changes in niche space, diversity, network structure and the dependency on the engineering impact. Theory and empirical evidence need to inform each other to better integrate ecosystem engineering and ecological networks. A mechanistic understanding how ecosystem engineering traits shape interactions networks and their stability will be important to predict species extinctions and can provide crucial information for conservation and ecosystem restoration. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant invasions are a widespread and recurring phenomenon that cause significant economic and environmental damage. Invasive alien conifers are weeds that are not only costly to manage, but consistently reinvade after management efforts. Understanding how many seeds survive to germinate is a key part in understanding the weed life cycle puzzle. Here we investigated the contribution that seed predators have on reducing invasive alien conifer seed survival across both invaded and uninvaded habitats in Aotearoa New Zealand. We combined quantitative and qualitative experiments to measure seed predation across invaded and uninvaded habitats, as well as to identify which fauna are the most prolific seed predators. We utilised ex-situ empirical evidence with in-situ observations to provide realistic impacts from different seed predator species. We found that introduced mammals, particularly rodents, were the primary seed predators of invasive conifers. Seed predation pressure was highest in herbicide treated invasive alien conifer forests, indigenous beech forests, and managed pasture containing grazing livestock. Indigenous tussock areas support fewer vertebrate seed predators and as a result are particularly vulnerable to conifer invasion. The majority of seed predation occurs within the first two weeks post-dispersal. These results suggest that introduced mammal control operations, which are essential to protect endemic New Zealand species, will likely result in increasing invasive conifer populations by reducing seed predation pressure. Seed predation varies greatly between habitats, suggesting invasion and reinvasion rates are higher in ungrazed areas of lower forest density that support fewer introduced mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of species interactions in setting species range limits is rarely empirically explored. Here, we quantify host and parasite densities in subtropical eastern Australia (26.65°–30.20°S) to examine whether parasitism might contribute to range limitation of Acropora corals at their cold-range boundary. 79% of Acropora corals had endolithic barnacles (family Pyrgomatidae), with higher parasite load in larger corals and up to 141 barnacles per coral. Parasite load increased poleward and closer to the mainland and was greater in cooler and high nutrient environments. Parasite burden was higher at sites with fewer Acropora corals, broadly consistent with the hypothesis that parasites can fragment host populations where host densities are low, and the parasite is a better disperser than the host. Whilst the mechanism is unclear, our findings suggest that at the high densities recorded here, coral-barnacles could influence range dynamics of Acropora corals at their poleward range limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollinator choices when selecting flowers for nectar or pollen collection are crucial in determining the effectiveness of pollination services provided to plants. From the plant's perspective, this effectiveness is a phenomenon shaped by factors at both the species‐ (e.g. pollinator density and flower morphology) and community‐level, including pollinator diversity and plant competition for pollinators. At the species level, individual pollinator effectiveness is influenced by foraging choices, plant identity, and the resulting pollen flow within and between plant species. In natural ecosystems, these species coexist within a complex community, where various interactions can modify foraging choices and alter pollen flows, giving rise to community‐level effectiveness, a less explored aspect of pollinator effectiveness. This study investigates the drivers of individual pollinator foraging choices across two study areas and two flowering seasons. It also assesses the community‐level effectiveness of pollination services received by different plant species, considering indirect interactions between plants through shared pollinators and evaluating their impact on plant reproductive success. Our results show that the determinants of pollinator foraging choices are consistent across different habitats, with floral constancy and flower abundance playing pivotal roles across all species and sites. Foraging choices can shift throughout the flowering season as plant and pollinator composition changes, significantly impacting pollination effectiveness. The overlap in pollination service use by individuals of the same plant species decreases their fruit set, whereas sharing pollinator services with individuals of other plant species increases fruit set. Our results support significant, positive biodiversity–ecosystem functioning associations driven by both plant and pollinator species richness, suggesting that the overlap in pollination service use by different plant species fosters facilitative interactions rather than competition. This is likely influenced by more stable pollination supplies under high plant species diversity conditions and the existence of mechanisms to mitigate the negative impacts of heterospecific pollen deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events, and may increase humidity levels, leading to coupled thermal and hydric stress. However, how humidity modulates the impacts of heat stress on species and their interactions is currently unknown. Using an insect host‐parasitoid interaction: the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, and its endoparasitoid wasp, Venturia canescens, we investigated how humidity interacted with heat stress duration, applied at different host developmental stages, to affect life history traits. Hosts parasitized as 4th instar larvae and unparasitized hosts were maintained in high‐ (60.8% RH) or low‐humidity (32.5% RH) at constant 28°C. They were then exposed to a 38°C thermal stress with a duration of 0 (no heat stress), 6 or 72 h in either the 4th or 5th host instar. Neither humidity nor heat stress duration affected emergence of unparasitized hosts, but increasing heat stress duration during the 4th instar decreased parasitoid emergence irrespective of humidity. When applied during the 5th instar, increasing heat duration decreased parasitoid emergence under low humidity, but no effect of heat stress was found under high humidity. Moreover, experiencing longer heat stress in the 4th instar increased host larval development time and decreased body size under high humidity, but this effect differed under low humidity; increasing heat duration in the 5th instar decreased parasitoid body sizes only under low humidity. Larval stage and heat stress duration directly affected parasitized host survival time, with a concomitant indirect reduction of parasitoid sizes. We show that humidity modifies key life history responses of hosts and parasitoids to heat stress in species‐specific ways, highlighting the potential importance of humidity in regulating host‐parasitoid interactions and their population dynamics. Finally, we emphasize that interactions between environmental stressors need to be considered in climate change research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camera traps have been widely used in wildlife research, offering significant potential for monitoring species interactions at ephemeral resources. However, raw data obtained from camera traps often face limitations due to observation censoring, where resource consumption by dominant animals may obscure potential resource use by less dominant animals. We extended time‐to‐detection occupancy modeling to quantify interspecific consumptive competition and redundancy of ecosystem functions through consumption between two species, while accounting for observation censoring. By treating resource use by rival species as censored data, we estimated the proportion of resources potentially used in the absence of rival species and calculated the loss caused by the rival species, which is defined as "Competition Intensity Index." We also defined the Unique Functional Contribution, which represents the net functional loss when a species is removed, calculated by excluding the contribution potentially substituted by the other species. We also considered resource degradation and computed the quantity of resources acquired by each species. This established framework was applied to predation data on bird nests by alien squirrels and other predators (Case 1) as well as scavenging on mammalian carcasses by two carnivores (Case 2). In Case 1, the introduction of squirrels significantly affected the breeding success of birds. Although nests were being preyed upon by native crows also, our model estimated that Unique Functional Contribution by the squirrels was 0.47. This means that, by eradicating the squirrels, the reproductive success of the birds could potentially increase by as much as 47%. In Case 2, the Competition Intensity Index for foxes was 0.17, whereas that for raccoon dogs was 0.46, suggesting an asymmetric effect of resource competition between the two species. The frequency distribution of wet mass available to the two species differed significantly. This approach will enable a more robust construction of resource–consumer interaction networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]