Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Molecular And Morphological Data Reveal Three New Cryptic Species Of Chiasmocleis (Mehely 1904) (Anura, Microhylidae) Endemic To The Atlantic Forest, Brazil, Mauricio C. Forlani, João F. R. Tonini, Carlos A. G. Cruz, Hussam Zaher, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Three new cryptic species of Chiasmocleis from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil are described. Two of these species occur in the northeastern states of Sergipe and Bahia, whereas the third species is found in the southeastern state of São Paulo. The new species can be distinguished from other congeneric species by the molecular data, as evidenced in the phylogeny, and by a combination of morphological characters including: size, foot webbing, dermal spines, and coloration patterns. Chiasmocleis species differ in osteological traits, therefore we also provide an osteological description of each new species and comparisons with data reported for other species …

Effect Of Seed Position On Parental Plant On Proportion Of Seeds Produced With Nondeep And Intermediate Physiological Dormancy, Juan J. Lu, Dun Y. Tan, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin

Biology Faculty Publications

The position in which seeds develop on the parental plant can have an effect on dormancy-break and germination. We tested the hypothesis that the proportion of seeds with intermediate physiological dormancy (PD) produced in the proximal position on a raceme of Isatis violascens plants is higher than that produced in the distal position, and further that this difference is related to temperature during seed development. Plants were watered at 3-day intervals, and silicles and seeds from the proximal (early) and distal (late) positions of racemes on the same plants were collected separately and tested for germination. After 0 and 6 …

Oviposition Traits Generate Extrinsic Postzygotic Isolation Between Two Pine Sawfly Species, Emily E. Bendall, Kim L. Vertacnik, Catherine R. Linnen

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Although empirical data indicate that ecological speciation is prevalent in nature, the relative importance of different forms of reproductive isolation and the traits generating reproductive isolation remain unclear. To address these questions, we examined a pair of ecologically divergent pine-sawfly species: while Neodiprion pinetum specializes on a thin-needled pine (Pinus strobus), N. lecontei utilizes thicker-needled pines. We hypothesized that extrinsic postzygotic isolation is generated by oviposition traits. To test this hypothesis, we assayed ovipositor morphology, oviposition behavior, and host-dependent oviposition success in both species and in F1 and backcross females.

Results: Compared to N. lecontei, N. …

Effect Of Seed Morph And Light Level On Growth And Reproduction Of The Amphicarpic Plant Amphicarpaea Edgeworthii (Fabaceae), Keliang Zhang, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Xuejun Yang, Zhenying Huang

Biology Faculty Publications

Amphicarpic plants produce aerial and subterranean fruits on an individual plant, and these heteromorphic diaspores give rise to plants that differ in growth and ecology. Amphicarpaea edgeworthii is a summer annual amphicarpic species that grows over a range of light levels. We aimed to compare the response to shading intensity of plants of A. edgeworthii grown throughout their life cycle from aerial seeds (ASP) and from subterranean seeds (SSP). We hypothesized that vegetative and reproductive growth of plants from ASP and SSP respond differently to light. Plants were grown from ASP and SSP under 0, 46, 71 and 90% shading …

Patch-Occupancy Survey Of Elephant (Loxodonta Africana) Surrounding Livingstone, Zambia, David Youldon, Jackie Abell, Joanne Briffitt, Bruce A. Schulte

Biology Faculty Publications

Wild elephants represent the biggest human–wildlife conflict issue in Livingstone, Zambia. However, little is known about their movements. This survey investigated elephants’ habitat use outside a core protected and fenced zone that forms part of Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia. Using ‘patch-occupancy’ methodology, indications of elephant presence (feeding behaviour, dung and tracks) were surveyed. The survey aimed to assist proposed future monitoring exercises by defining the geographical extent that should be considered to improve accuracy in species abundance estimates. Results were supplemented using collected indications of elephant presence from prior monitoring exercises, and during this survey. Elephant presence was confirmed up …

Photography-Based Taxonomy Is Inadequate, Unnecessary, And Potentially Harmful For Biological Sciences, Luis M. P. Ceríaco, Eliécer E. Gutiérrez, Alain Dubois, Rafael O. De Sá, Et Al.

Biology Faculty Publications

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per …

A Review On The Invasion Ecology Of Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii, Caprifoliaceae), A Case Study Of Ecological Impacts At Multiple Scales, Rachel E. Mcneish, Ryan W. Mcewan

Biology Faculty Publications

Invasive species are of global importance because of their impacts on ecological communities, habitat structure, native community dynamics, and ecosystem processes and function. Scientists and conservation managers are increasingly focusing on the biological impacts of invasive species and on devising management practices that emphasize the health of ecosystems based on measured biological processes. Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii (Rupr.) Herder) is a highly successful invasive shrub in forests of eastern North America. The scientific literature surrounding this species has grown in the past several decades as researchers have investigated L. maackii impacts across multiple ecological scales. In this review we …

Thirty Years Of Compositional Change In An Old-Growth Temperate Forest: The Role Of Topographic Gradients In Oak-Maple Dynamics, Julia I. Chapman, Ryan W. Mcewan

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecological communities are structured in response to spatial and temporal variation of numerous factors, including edaphic conditions, biotic interactions, climatic patterns and disturbance regimes. Widespread anthropogenic factors such as timber harvesting can create long-lasting impacts, obscuring the relationship between community structure and environmental conditions. Minimally impacted systems such as old-growth forests can serve as a useful ecological baseline for predicting long-term compositional shifts. We utilized decadal tree species sampling data (1979–2010) divided into three strata (understory, midstory, overstory) to examine temporal changes in relative abundances and spatial distributions of dominant taxa, as well as overall shifts in community composition, in …

Endless Symbioses Most Intricate, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

Orchids, such as our Wildflower of the Year for 2016, Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens) (Fig. 1), exemplify the interconnectedness of life on Earth. As would be the case for many kinds of plants, pollination comes readily to mind as a prominent example of mutualistic symbiosis. Downy Rattlesnake Plantain is pollinated by bumblebees and other native bees. The bees gain nectar and the orchid gets an efficient means to move pollen from one flower to another; each organism gains benefit from the interaction, the very definition of mutualism. Pollination by bees is widespread among the orchids, but there …

Population Dynamics And Community Composition Of Ammonia Oxidizers In Salt Marshes After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Anne E. Bernhard, Roberta Sheffer, Anne E. Giblin, John M. Marton, Brian J. Roberts

Biology Faculty Publications

The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had significant effects on microbial communities in the Gulf, but impacts on nitrifying communities in adjacent salt marshes have not been investigated. We studied persistent effects of oil on ammonia-oxidizing archaeal (AOA) and bacterial (AOB) communities and their relationship to nitrification rates and soil properties in Louisiana marshes impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Soils were collected at oiled and unoiled sites from Louisiana coastal marshes in July 2012, 2 years after the spill, and analyzed for community differences based on ammonia monooxygenase genes (amoA). Terminal Restriction Fragment …

Beyond The Urban Stream Syndrome: Organic Matter Budget For Diagnostics And Restoration Of An Impaired Urban River, Dave M. Epstein, Julia E. Kelso, Michelle A. Baker

Biology Faculty Publications

In response to water quality standard violations linked to excessive organic matter (OM) and a lack of sampling data informing the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), an organic matter budget was created to quantify and identify sources of OM in the lower Jordan River (Salt Lake City, UT). By sampling dissolved, fine and coarse particulate OM, as well as measuring ecosystem metabolism at seven different sites, the researchers aimed to identify the origin of excess OM, and understand pathways by which different size classes of the OM pool are generated. The dissolved fraction (DOM; 94 %) was found to be …

Phylogeny Of The Oniticellini And Onthophagini Dung Beetles (Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) From Morphological Evidence, T. Keith Philips

Biology Faculty Publications

A phylogenetic study was conducted to hypothesize relationships of most of the genera of the Oniticellini and Onthophagini for the first time using morphological characters from a diverse array of external and internal sclerites. The monophyly and sister relationship of both tribes was found using Bayesian and parsimony analyses with heavily to moderately weighted data. An alternative hypothesis based on parsimony analyses of unweighted or slightly weighted data show a paraphyletic Oniticellini without the Onthophagini, although recognition of the subtribe Helictopleurina as a tribe would eliminate non-monophyly.

Of the three Oniticellini subtribes, the Helictopleurina and Drepanocerina are monophyletic. There is …

Seed Dispersal: A Tale Of Two Species, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

Orchids have minute, dustlike seeds. In this respect, Goodyera pubescens (Downy Rattlesnake Plantain), the 2016 VNPS Wildflower of the Year, is a typical orchid. Like all other orchids, Goodyera seeds contain little more than a few embryonic cells enclosed in a thin seed coat. There are two advantages to small seed size in orchids: minute seeds can be produced in prodigious quantities, and they can disperse over great distances by wind.

Recovery Of Forest Floor Diversity After Removal Of The Nonnative, Invasive Plant Euonymus Fortunei, Kali Z. Mattingly, Ryan W. Mcewan, Robert D. Paratley, Sarah R. Bray, James R. Lempke, Mary A. Arthur

Biology Faculty Publications

The vine Euonymus fortunei (Turcz.) Hand.-Mazz. is invading forests of the eastern United States; as a result, removal of E. fortunei has become a priority of resource managers. This study examined the effectiveness of five techniques for eliminating E. fortunei, restoring plant species richness, and enhancing recolonization by woody species. In 2003, the following five treatments were applied: burn with a propane torch, light exclusion by plastic tarp, burn and glyphosate application, cut (simulated grazing) and glyphosate application, mow and glyphosate application, plus an untreated control. Each treatment was replicated four times in a randomized block design located in …

Glyphosate Induces Neurotoxicity In Zebrafish, Nicole M. Roy, Bruno Carneiro, Jeremy Ochs

Biology Faculty Publications

Glyphosate based herbicides (GBH) like Roundup^® are used extensively in agriculture as well as in urban and rural settings as a broad spectrum herbicide. Its mechanism of action was thought to be specific only to plants and thus considered safe and non-toxic. However, mounting evidence suggests that GBHs may not be as safe as once thought as initial studies in frogs suggest that GBHs may be teratogenic. Here we utilize the zebrafish vertebrate model system to study early effects of glyphosate exposure using technical grade glyphosate and the Roundup^® Classic formulation. We find morphological abnormalities including cephalic and …

High Genetic Diversity But Low Population Structure In The Frog Pseudopaludicola Falcipes (Hensel, 1867) (Amphibia, Anura) From The Pampas Of South America, José A. Langone, Arley Camargo, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Relative to South America’s ecoregions, the temperate grasslands of the Pampas have been poorly studied from a phylogeographic perspective. Based on an intermediate biogeographic setting between subtropical forest (Atlantic Forest) and arid ecosystems (Chaco and Patagonia), Pampean species are expected to show unstable demographic histories due to the Quaternary climatic oscillations. Herein, we investigate the phylogenetic relatedness and phylogeographic history of Pseudopaludicola falcipes, a small and common frog that is widely distributed across the Pampean grasslands. First, we use molecular data to assess if P. falcipes represents a single or multiple, separately evolving cryptic lineages. Because P. falcipes is …

Wire Netting Reduces African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana) Impact To Selected Trees In South Africa, Kelly Derham, Michelle Henley, Bruce A. Schulte

Biology Faculty Publications

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are ecosystem engineers in that they substantially alter the environment through their unique foraging and feeding habits. At high densities, elephants potentially have negative impacts on the environment, specifically for large trees. Because of this, recent increases of elephants in the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa, have caused concern regarding the survival of several tree species. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of wrapping protective wire netting around the trunk of the tree for preventing and reducing bark stripping, branch breaking, …

Altitudinal Shifts Of The Native And Introduced Flora Of California In The Context Of 20th-Century Warming, A. Wolf, Naupaka B. Zimmerman, W. R. Anderegg, P. E. Busby, J. Christensen

Biology Faculty Publications

Aim: The differential responses of plant species to climate change are of great interest and grave concern for scientists and conservationists. One underexploited resource for better understanding these changes are the records held by herbaria. Using these records to assess the responses of different groups of species across the entire flora of California, we sought to quantify the magnitude of species elevational shifts, to measure differences in shifts among functional groups and between native and introduced species, and to evaluate whether these shifts were related to the conservation of thermal niches.

Location: California.

Methods: To characterize these shifts in California, …

Comparing Process-Based And Constraint-Based Approaches For Modeling Macroecological Patterns, Xiao Xiao

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecological patterns arise from the interplay of many different processes, and yet the emergence of consistent phenomena across a diverse range of ecological systems suggests that many patterns may in part be determined by statistical or numerical constraints. Differentiating the extent to which patterns in a given system are determined statistically, and where it requires explicit ecological processes, has been difficult. We tackled this challenge by directly comparing models from a constraint-based theory, the Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology (METE) and models from a process-based theory, the size-structured neutral theory (SSNT). Models from both theories were capable of characterizing the …

Ship-Induced Depression Wakes And Shoreline Erosion, Luca Zaggia, Giuliano Lorenzetti, Georgia Manfe, Gian Marco Scarpaf, K. E. Parnell, John Rapaglia, E. Molinaroli

Biology Faculty Publications

Shoreline retreat as an effect of ship wakes was studied in a navigation channel of the industrial port of Venice, Italy: the Malamocco -Marghera Channel. The investigation revealed unprecedented erosion rates, up to 4 m y , that determined a total loss of about 1.2 million of m of soil in the period 1970 -2015. This interaction between navigation and the channel margins must be considered in order to understand the past evolution of the central Venice Lagoon and for a sustainable management of the port traffic in the future sea -level rise scenario.

Constraints On The Evolution Of Phenotypic Plasticity: Limits And Costs Of Phenotype And Plasticity, C. J. Murren, Josh R. Auld, H. Callahan, C. K. Ghalambor, C. A. Handelsman, M. A. Heskel, J. G. Kingsolver, H. J. Maclean, J. Masel, H. Maughan, D. W. Pfennig, R. A. Relyea, S. Seiter, E. Snell-Rood, U. K. Steiner, C. D. Schlichting

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews, Robert D. Aldridge, Michael B. Thompson, Malorie M. Hayes, Rafael O. De Sá, Christopher G. Lowe

Biology Faculty Publications

Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Lizards and Tuatara. J. L. Rheubert, D. S. Siegel, and S. E. Trauth (Eds.). 2014. CRC Press. ISBN 9781466579866. 760 p. $143.96 (hardcover).—

According to the authors, this book was intended to summarize the current knowledge of phylo- geny and reproduction of the Lepidosauria. I believe the authors have achieved their goal. Many of the chapters in this book are derived from presentations that took place at the Symposium on Reproductive Biology of Lizards at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists held in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2014. Although the majority of the authors are …

Serpentine Ecosystem Responses To Varying Water Availability And Prescribed Fire In The U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region, Jessica Schedlbauer

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ecosystem Resistance In The Face Of Climate Change: A Case Study From The Freshwater Marshes Of The Florida Everglades, Sparkle L. Malone, Cynthia Keough, Christina L. Staudhammer, Michael G. Ryan, William J. Parton, Paulo Olivas, Steven F. Overbauer, Jessica L. Schedlbauer, Gregory Starr

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Seagrass Deterrence To Mesograzer Herbivory: Evidence From Mesocosm Experiments And Feeding Preference Trials, Latina Steele, John F. Valentine

Biology Faculty Publications

Two laboratory experiments documented the effects of mesograzers (i.e. the gastropod Crepidula ustulatulina and the isopod Paracerceis caudata) on phenolic acid and condensed tannin production in 2 regionally abundant seagrasses—Thalassia testudinum (turtlegrass) and Halodule wrightii (shoalgrass). Subsequent paired choice experiments tested the hypothesis that phenolic acids and condensed tannins produced by these seagrasses deter mesograzer feeding. At the scale of the shoot, grazing by gastropods and isopods led to ~40 to 50% decreases in concentrations of some phenolic acids and ~20% decreases in condensed tannins in turtlegrass leaves. At a more refined spatial scale, concentrations of 2 of these compounds …

Ship-Induced Solitary Riemann Waves Of Depression In Venice Lagoon, Kevin E. Parnall, Tarmo Soomere, Luca Zaggia, Artem Rodin, Giuliano Lorenzetti, John Rapaglia, Gian Marco Scarpaf

Biology Faculty Publications

We demonstrate that ships of moderate size, sailing at low depth Froude numbers (0.37–0.5) in a navigation channel surrounded by shallow banks, produce depressions with depths up to 2.5 m. These depressions (Bernoulli wakes) propagate as long-living strongly nonlinear solitary Riemann waves of depression substantial distances into Venice Lagoon. They gradually become strongly asymmetric with the rear of the depression becoming extremely steep, similar to a bore. As they are dynamically similar, air pressure fluctuations moving over variable-depth coastal areas could generate meteorological tsunamis with a leading depression wave followed by a devastating bore-like feature.

Habituation To Auditory Stimuli By Captive African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Sarah Elizabeth Goodyear, Bruce A. Schulte

Biology Faculty Publications

Habituation is a major concern for the development of effective, long-term human-wildlife conflict mitigation and zoo enrichment programs. Elephants are cognitive species that exhibit many types of learning, such as associative, social, and insight learning. However, no study has examined the habituation process in elephants. Elephants possess a well-developed sensory system and may habituate to stimuli that could be used for enrichment and/or management. The aim of this study was to examine their habituation process in response to repeated presentations of two auditory stimuli: buzzing by a disturbed beehive and the sound created by banging on pots and pans, and …

Limited Role Of Functional Differentiation In Early Diversification Of Animals, Matthew L. Knope, N A. Heim, L O. Frishkoff, J L. Payne

Biology Faculty Publications

The origin of most animal phyla and classes during the Cambrian explosion has been hypothesized to represent an ‘early burst’ of evolutionary exploration of functional ecological possibilities. However, the ecological history of marine animals has yet to be fully quantified, preventing an assessment of the early-burst model for functional ecology. Here we use ecological assignments for 18,621 marine animal genera to assess the relative timing of functional differentiation versus taxonomic diversification from the Cambrian to the present day. We find that functional diversity increased more slowly than would be expected given the history of taxonomic diversity. Contrary to previous inferences …

The Next Generation Of Action Ecology: Novel Approaches Towards Global Ecological Research, R. L. White, A. E. Sutton, R. Salguero-Gómez, T. C. Bray, H. Campbell, E. Cieraad, N. Geekiyanage, L. Gherardi, A. C. Hughes, P. Søgaard Jørgensen, T. Poisot, Lucía Desoto, Naupaka B. Zimmerman

Biology Faculty Publications

Advances in the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge over the last decade have dramatically reshaped the way that ecological research is conducted. The advent of large, technology-based resources such as iNaturalist, Genbank, or the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) allow ecologists to work at spatio-temporal scales previously unimaginable. This has generated a new approach in ecological research: one that relies on large datasets and rapid synthesis for theory testing and development, and findings that provide specific recommendations to policymakers and managers. This new approach has been termed action ecology, and here we aim to expand on earlier definitions to …

Ecology Postdocs In Academia: Primary Concerns And Possible Solutions, A. K. Shaw, D. E. Stanton, S. R. Supp, A. Budden, S. Eby, P. L. Reynolds, R. Salguero-Gómez, D. R. Scholes, Naupaka B. Zimmerman

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.