Developmental plasticity does not improve performance during a species interaction: Implications for species turnover

Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 106(1)

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Abstract Species interactions can contribute to species turnover when the outcomes of are context dependent (e.g., change along environmental gradients). Plasticity may this dynamic by altering tolerances interacting. Here, we explored how competitive interaction between two euryhaline fish, Poecilia reticulata and picta , is influenced acute developmental responses salinity. In Trinidad, P. confined freshwater despite being tolerant brackish water. fail occupy water because reduced tolerance salinity or competitively excludes them, developing in could alter dynamics either scenario. To test this, compared both absence competition, reared individuals water, tested consequences plasticity experiments which competed against conspecifics during exposure We found that (1) has a weaker than ; (2) developed perform best competing but poorly suggesting dependent; (3) did not benefit Our results suggest 's range limit part product lower leading decrease performance Adaptive been suggested be crucial colonization process, yet nonadaptive plastic as here expansion reinforce limits.

Language: Английский

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Conservation Mitonuclear Replacement: Facilitated mitochondrial adaptation for a changing world

Evolutionary Applications, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 17(3)

Published: March 1, 2024

Abstract Most species will not be able to migrate fast enough cope with climate change, nor evolve quickly current levels of genetic variation. Exacerbating the problem are anthropogenic influences on adaptive potential, including prevention gene flow through habitat fragmentation and erosion diversity in small, bottlenecked populations. Facilitated adaptation, or assisted evolution, offers a way augment variation via artificial selection, induced hybridization, engineering. One key source variation, particularly for climatic core metabolic genes encoded by mitochondrial genome. These influence environmental tolerance heat, drought, hypoxia, but must interact intimately co‐evolve suite important nuclear genes. coadapted mitonuclear form some reproductive barriers between species. Mitochondrial genomes can do introgress an manner, they may co‐introgress maintaining compatibility. Managers should consider relevance variability conservation decision‐making, as tool facilitating adaptation. I propose novel technique dubbed Conservation Mitonuclear Replacement (CmNR), which entails replacing machinery threatened species—the genome loci—with those from closely related divergent population, better‐adapted changes carry lower load. The most feasible route CmNR is combine CRISPR‐based editing replacement technologies. This method preserves much organism's phenotype could allow populations persist wild when no other suitable options exist. mountaintops, where rising temperatures threaten alarming number almost certain extinction next century.

Language: Английский

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Evidence for the Vacated Niche Hypothesis in Parasites of Invasive Mammals

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2025

ABSTRACT Species redistribution and invasion are becoming increasingly common due to climate change anthropogenic impacts. Understanding the resultant shifts in host–parasite associations is important for anticipating disruptions host communities, disease cycles, conservation efforts. In this paper, we bring together enemy release vacated niche hypotheses relate parasite acquisition retention, two distinct yet intertwined processes that play out during invasion. Using Global Mammal Parasite Database, test net based on differences species richness, develop a novel taxonomic null modeling approach demonstrate parasites fill niches. We find evidence of release, our models indicate replacement lost by taxonomically similar acquired ones, over above what might be expected chance. Our work suggests both provide valuable frameworks through which understand predict changing associations, may include insights how influences perturb reorganize communities ecosystems.

Language: Английский

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Species occupancy is inflated by sink populations in productive environments but not unproductive environments

Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 106(4)

Published: April 1, 2025

Abstract For decades, community ecologists have examined how diversity varies with ecosystem productivity. Despite this long history, tests of hypothesized mechanisms, namely the interplay between environmental filtering, biotic interactions, and dispersal, are lacking, largely due to intractability using traditional approaches. Across a productivity gradient in serpentine grassland (California, USA), for four annual plant species, we coupled local estimates, occupancy surveys, measures persistence tested on transplants under natural conditions when interactions neighbors were experimentally reduced. We found positive effect (i.e., proportion our focal species occupying location) despite strong competition limiting productive environments. Additionally, across community, mismatch versus persistence, dispersal excess causing sink populations negative growth rates. Our results suggest that diversity–productivity relationships can be driven by its interactive effects abiotic conditions.

Language: Английский

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Shared sinks alter competitive outcomes via edge effects

Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 106(5)

Published: May 1, 2025

Abstract Most work on source‐sink dynamics in metacommunities assumes that species have minimal or no niche overlap and thus different sources sinks. We explore the alternative possibility: competing an overlapping set of Using both implicit‐space two‐patch (ordinary differential equations) explicit‐space reaction–diffusion (partial models, we find presence shared sinks (where neither can persist indefinitely) allows for a would otherwise be driven extinct to exclude its superior competitor, assuming benefits most source incurs greater cost than competitor sink. Competitive outcomes are altered when there is abrupt transition between sink (i.e., due edge effect) because more tolerant has lower net emigration rate at edge. discuss how relate previously described trade‐offs potential applications conservation restoration.

Language: Английский

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Is competitive ability the key adaptation to benign environments? Revisiting experiments on closely related species of tidal plants

Biology Letters, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 20(5)

Published: May 1, 2024

A central goal in biology is to understand which traits underlie adaptation different environments. Yet, few studies have examined the relative contribution of competitive ability towards adaptive divergence among species occupying distinct Here, we test importance as an relatively benign versus challenging environments, using previously published closely related pairs primarily tidal plants subjected reciprocal removal with transplant experiments nature. Subordinate typically occupy more environments and showed consistent evidence for conditions, no significant effect on non-local, dominant species. In contrast, performed significantly better than subordinate that faced competition from Surprisingly, when two were not allowed compete, well where do occur. These results suggest most important distinguishing The limited scope number suitable experimental encourage future work if these are generalizable across taxa

Language: Английский

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Unfamiliarity generates costly aggression in interspecific avian dominance hierarchies

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: Jan. 6, 2024

Dominance hierarchies often form between species, especially at common feeding locations. Yet, relative to work focused on the factors that maintain stable dominance within large-scale analyses of interspecific have been comparatively rare. Given behavioral interference mediates access resources, these likely play an important and understudied role in community assembly evolution. To test alternative hypotheses about formation maintenance hierarchies, we employ large, participatory science generated dataset displacements observed feeders North America non-breeding season. Consistent with hypothesis agonistic can be adaptive response exploitative competition, find species similar niches are more engage costly aggression over resources. Among interacting broad support for familiarity (measured as fine-scale habitat overlap) predicts adherence structure hierarchy reduces species. Our findings suggest previously documented American birds emerges from species-level adaptations learned behaviors result avoidance aggression.

Language: Английский

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Interspecific competition shapes bird species' distributions along tropical precipitation gradients

Ecology Letters, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 27(8)

Published: July 31, 2024

Abstract 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 for lowland tropical birds examining precipitation niche breadths. We focus on because it—not temperature—is the dominant climate variable shapes biota tropics. used 3.6 million fine‐scale citizen science records from eBird to measure breadths in 19 different regions across globe. Consistent with predictions hypothesis, multiple lines evidence show species have narrower niches more species. This means inhabit specialized species‐rich regions. predict specialization should make high diversity disproportionately vulnerable changes regimes; preliminary empirical is consistent prediction.

Language: Английский

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Hermit crabs of the genera Calcinus and Clibanarius show no evidence of competitive exclusion at a geographic scale

Hydrobiologia, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 851(14), P. 3355 - 3367

Published: April 1, 2024

Language: Английский

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It's about (taking up) space: Discreteness of individuals and the strength of spatial coexistence mechanisms

Ecology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 105(11)

Published: Oct. 6, 2024

Abstract One strand of modern coexistence theory (MCT) partitions invader growth rates (IGR) to quantify how different mechanisms contribute species coexistence, highlighting fluctuation‐dependent mechanisms. A general conclusion from the classical analytic MCT is that relying on temporal variation (such as storage effect) are generally less effective at promoting than spatial or spatiotemporal (primarily growth‐density covariance). However, assumes continuous population density, and IGRs calculated for infinitesimally rare invaders have infinite time find their preferred habitat regrow, without ever experiencing intraspecific competition. Here we ask if disparity between persists when individuals are, instead, discrete occupy finite amounts space. We present a simulation‐based approach quantifying in this situation, building our previous spatially non‐varying habitats. As expected, found weakened; unexpectedly, contribution IGR covariance could even become negative, opposing coexistence. also shifts which demographic parameters had largest effect strength Our substantive conclusions statements about one model, across parameter ranges subjectively considered realistic. Using methods developed here, effects individual discreteness should be explored theoretically broader range conditions, models parameterized empirical data real communities.

Language: Английский

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