Desert ants avoid ambush predator pits depending on position, visual landmarks and trapped nestmates DOI Creative Commons

Adi Bar,

Eden Raveh-Pal,

Aziz Subach

et al.

Royal Society Open Science, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 11(12)

Published: Dec. 1, 2024

Central-place foragers face high predation risk when repeatedly using routes near their nest, as predators can learn to ambush them there. We investigated the factors influencing likelihood of desert ant falling into pitfall traps, simulating common such antlions or spiders. varied spatial configuration presence trapped nestmates and availability visual landmarks study workers’ susceptibility pits foraging success. Our results showed that a zigzag led fewest workers reaching food reward, compared with straight-line right-angled-triangle configurations. Over successive runs, became more efficient, fewer falls faster discovery, suggesting they either learned locations cautious. In any case, ants about important landscape features close nest best way navigating around it. Additionally, we examined impact landmarks. found marked resulted in falls. However, containing attracted ants, impaired discovery increased rates pits, thereby imposing twofold cost on foragers.

Language: Английский

Keystone individuals – linking predator traits to community ecology DOI Creative Commons
Laura R. LaBarge, Miha Krofel, Maximilian L. Allen

et al.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 39(11), P. 983 - 994

Published: July 26, 2024

Individual behavioral plasticity enables animals to adjust different scenarios. Yet, personality traits limit this flexibility, leading consistent interindividual differences in behavior. These individual have the potential govern community interactions, although testing is difficult complex natural systems. For large predators who often exert strong effects on ecosystem functioning, diversity may be especially important and lead individualized roles. We present a framework for quantifying of wild predators, revealing extent which certain behaviors are governed by these latent traits. The outcomes will reveal how innate characteristics wildlife can scale up affect interactions.

Language: Английский

Citations

4
Understanding and predicting animal movements and distributions in the Anthropocene DOI Creative Commons
Sara Gómez, Holly M. English, Vanesa Bejarano Alegre

et al.

Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 4, 2025

Predicting animal movements and spatial distributions is crucial for our comprehension of ecological processes provides key evidence conserving managing populations, species ecosystems. Notwithstanding considerable progress in movement ecology recent decades, developing robust predictions rapidly changing environments remains challenging. To accurately predict the effects anthropogenic change, it important to first identify defining features human-modified their consequences on drivers movement. We review discuss these within framework, describing relationships between external environment, internal state, navigation motion capacity. Developing under novel situations requires models moving beyond purely correlative approaches a dynamical systems perspective. This increased mechanistic modelling, using functional parameters derived from principles decision-making. Theory empirical observations should be better integrated by experimental approaches. Models fitted new historic data gathered across wide range contrasting environmental conditions. need therefore targeted supervised approach collection, increasing studied taxa carefully considering issues scale bias, modelling. Thus, we caution against indiscriminate non-supervised use citizen science data, AI machine learning models. highlight challenges opportunities incorporating into management actions policy. Rewilding translocation schemes offer exciting collect environments, enabling tests model varied contexts scales. Adaptive frameworks particular, based stepwise iterative process, including refinements, provide mutual benefit conservation. In conclusion, verge transforming descriptive predictive science. timely progression, given that conditions are now more urgently needed than ever evidence-based policy decisions. Our aim not describe existing as well possible, but rather understand underlying mechanisms develop with reliable ability situations.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Wolves alter the trajectory of forests by shaping the central place foraging behaviour of an ecosystem engineer DOI Creative Commons
Thomas D. Gable, Sean Johnson‐Bice, Austin T. Homkes

et al.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 290(2010)

Published: Nov. 8, 2023

Predators can directly and indirectly alter the foraging behaviour of prey through direct predation risk predation, in doing so, initiate indirect effects that influence myriad species ecological processes. We describe how wolves trajectory forests by constraining distance beavers, a central place forager prolific ecosystem engineer, forage from water. Specifically, we demonstrate wait ambush kill beavers on longer feeding trails than would be expected based spatio-temporal availability beavers. This pattern is driven temporal dynamics beaver foraging: make more trips spend time land per trip extend farther As result, are vulnerable shorter ones. Wolf appears to selective evolutionary pressure propelled consumptive non-consumptive mechanisms constrain water forage, which turn limits area forest around wetlands, lakes rivers foraging. Thus, appear intricately linked boreal shaping behaviour, form natural disturbance alters successional states forests.

Language: Английский

Citations

8
Landscape characteristics govern the impacts of beaver ponds on surface water methylmercury concentrations in boreal watersheds DOI Creative Commons
Wai Ying Lam, Robert Mackereth, Carl P. J. Mitchell

et al.

Environmental Research Ecology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 3(2), P. 025004 - 025004

Published: May 23, 2024

Abstract Studies in boreal regions concerning the bioaccumulative neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) natural wetlands and experimental reservoirs have shown that these waterbodies contribute to high MeHg levels underlying sediments, inundated vegetation, aquatic organisms. Beaver ponds are ubiquitous Canadian region been reported increase downstream concentrations. However, impacts of beaver on stream vary widely across a limited number studies, factors influencing this variation not well understood. To quantify effect mercury concentrations, water samples were taken upstream 10 in-channel impoundments northwestern Ontario, Canada. The downstream:upstream concentration ratios related pond landscape characteristics examine potential play role determining Overall, concentrations 1.6 times greater ponds, though was consistent; up 12 5 less also observed. Landscape can be readily obtained from existing spatial datasets or quantified using remote sensing techniques emerged as better predictors than site-specific chemistry parameters more difficult ascertain, with drier landscapes indicative lower background export being likely exhibit increases pond. These results suggest effects surface generally small but highly variable, magnitude pond’s influence lessened already conducive higher

Language: Английский

Citations

1
A national scale floodplain model revealing channel gradient as a key determinant of beaver dam occurrence and inundation potential can anticipate land-use based opportunities and conflicts for river restoration DOI Creative Commons
Matthew Dennis,

Christof Angst,

Joshua Larsen

et al.

Global Ecology and Conservation, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 56, P. e03304 - e03304

Published: Nov. 15, 2024

Language: Английский

Citations

1
Rapid foraging risk assessments in the Jamaican fruit bat, Artibeus jamaicensis DOI
Briana A. Sealey, Logan S. James, Gregg Cohen

et al.

Animal Behaviour, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 216, P. 45 - 53

Published: Aug. 23, 2024

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Can beavers canopy alterations affect managed forests more than natural forests? DOI
Adrian Zwolicki

Forest Ecology and Management, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 577, P. 122407 - 122407

Published: Nov. 23, 2024

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Desert ants avoid ambush predator pits depending on position, visual landmarks and trapped nestmates DOI Creative Commons

Adi Bar,

Eden Raveh-Pal,

Aziz Subach

et al.

Royal Society Open Science, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 11(12)

Published: Dec. 1, 2024

Central-place foragers face high predation risk when repeatedly using routes near their nest, as predators can learn to ambush them there. We investigated the factors influencing likelihood of desert ant falling into pitfall traps, simulating common such antlions or spiders. varied spatial configuration presence trapped nestmates and availability visual landmarks study workers’ susceptibility pits foraging success. Our results showed that a zigzag led fewest workers reaching food reward, compared with straight-line right-angled-triangle configurations. Over successive runs, became more efficient, fewer falls faster discovery, suggesting they either learned locations cautious. In any case, ants about important landscape features close nest best way navigating around it. Additionally, we examined impact landmarks. found marked resulted in falls. However, containing attracted ants, impaired discovery increased rates pits, thereby imposing twofold cost on foragers.

Language: Английский

Citations

0