A simulation model of the Devils Hole pupfish population using monthly length-frequency distributions

The Devils Hole pupfish, Cyprinodon diabolis, is a federally-endangered fish that is endemic to Devils Hole, a discontiguous part of Death Valley National Park in Nye County, Nevada. Due to its status, Devils Hole pupfish monitoring must be non-obtrusive and thereby exclude techniques that require handling fish. Due to a recent decline in pupfish abundance, Devils Hole pupfish managers have expressed a need for a model that describes population dynamics. This population model would be used to identify vulnerable life history stage(s) and inform management actions. We constructed a set of individual-based simulation models designed to explore effects of population processes and evaluate assumptions. We developed a baseline model, whose output best resembled both observed length-frequency data and predicted intra-annual abundance patterns. We then ran simulations with 5 % increases in egg-larval, juvenile, and adult survival rates to better understand Devils Hole pupfish life history, thereby helping identify vulnerable life history stages that should become the target of management actions. Simulation models with temporally constant adult, juvenile, and egg-larval survival rates were able to reproduce observed length-frequency distributions and predicted intra-annual population patterns. In particular, models with monthly adult and juvenile survival rates of 80 % and an egg-larval survival rate of 4.7 % replicated patterns in observed data. Population growth was most affected by 5 % increases in egg-larval survival, whereas adult and juvenile survival rates had similar but lesser effects on population growth. Outputs from the model were used to assess factors suspected of influencing Devils Hole pupfish population decline.     

Limited niche differentiation within remarkable co‐occurrences of congeneric species: Monomorium ants in the Australian seasonal tropics

Niche theory predicts that few closely related species can co‐occur because such species tend to be ecologically similar and niche differentiation is required to avoid competitive exclusion. We analyse the co‐occurrence of a remarkable 10–15 species of the ant genus Monomorium occurring within single 10 × 10 m plots in a tropical savanna of northern Australia. Most of the species are undescribed, so we use genetic analysis to validate our species demarcations. We document nest dispersion patterns, and investigate differentiation in the three primary niche dimensions: space, time and food. We also examine species differences in competitive abilities, by describing rates of foraging activity, foraging ranges, worker aggression, and levels of behavioural dominance. Analyses of nest and forager distributions showed very limited evidence of spatial segregation within plots. The great majority of species foraged either exclusively or primarily during daylight hours. Body size and isotopic analyses indicated very limited dietary differentiation. Such limited niche partitioning occurred despite the species differing markedly in their competitive abilities as measured by rates of resource discovery, recruitment and monopolization. Our findings defy the traditional assumption that multiple closely related and ecologically similar species of highly interactive taxa cannot co‐occur. It seems very likely that species coexistence in our study system is determined to a very large degree by stochastic processes relating to dispersal and establishment, as predicted by neutral theory. However, neutral theory assumes competitive equivalence, whereas we found very marked differences in the competitive abilities of our co‐occurring species. We suggest that competitive exclusion is prevented by the modular nature of ant colonies, with competition limiting colony performance but not preventing occurrence. We conclude that other factors that allow species persistence, and not just competitive equivalence, can allow dispersal and establishment processes to drive species coexistence.     

No evidence for rapid evolution of seed dispersal ability in range edge populations of the invasive species Senecio madagascariensis

Theory suggests that range edge populations of invading plants and animals may experience runaway selection for increased dispersal ability. This theory has been supported by field data for cane toads in Australia, and for Senecio inaequidens in Europe. In this study, we asked whether range edge populations of Senecio madagascariensis (Asteraceae), an invasive plant in eastern Australia, displayed higher dispersal ability that did populations from the established range. We measured 1363 diaspores from 33 populations. There was no significant difference in dispersal potential between populations from the range edge, and those from the established range (P = 0.19). We also used a glasshouse study to determine whether the range edge populations differed from populations in the established range in three critical life history traits: germination success, plant size and time to first reproduction. The only significant difference was for higher germination in range edge populations. The null result for dispersal ability is excellent news for land managers, as this is the first published evidence that selection for ever‐increasing dispersal rates is not ubiquitous in invading populations.     

Beta‐diversity in temperate and tropical forests reflects dissimilar mechanisms of community assembly

Site‐to‐site variation in species composition (β‐diversity) generally increases from low‐ to high‐diversity regions. Although biogeographical differences in community assembly mechanisms may explain this pattern, random sampling effects can create this pattern through differences in regional species pools. Here, we compared assembly mechanisms between spatially extensive networks of temperate and tropical forest plots with highly divergent species pools (46 vs. 607 species). After controlling for sampling effects, β‐diversity of woody plants was similar and higher than expected by chance in both forests, reflecting strong intraspecific aggregation. However, different mechanisms appeared to explain aggregation in the two forests. In the temperate forest, aggregation reflected stronger environmental correlations, suggesting an important role for species‐sorting (e.g. environmental filtering) processes, whereas in the tropics, aggregation reflected stronger spatial correlations, more likely reflecting dispersal limitation. We suggest that biogeographical differences in the relative importance of different community assembly mechanisms contribute to these striking gradients in global biodiversity.     

Individual dispersal,landscape connectivity and ecological networks

Connectivity is classically considered an emergent property of landscapes encapsulating individuals' flows across space. However, its operational use requires a precise understanding of why and how organisms disperse. Such movements, and hence landscape connectivity, will obviously vary according to both organism properties and landscape features. We review whether landscape connectivity estimates could gain in both precision and generality by incorporating three fundamental outcomes of dispersal theory. Firstly, dispersal is a multi‐causal process; its restriction to an ‘escape reaction’ to environmental unsuitability is an oversimplification, as dispersing individuals can leave excellent quality habitat patches or stay in poor‐quality habitats according to the relative costs and benefits of dispersal and philopatry. Secondly, species, populations and individuals do not always react similarly to those cues that trigger dispersal, which sometimes results in contrasting dispersal strategies. Finally, dispersal is a major component of fitness and is thus under strong selective pressures, which could generate rapid adaptations of dispersal strategies. Such evolutionary responses will entail spatiotemporal variation in landscape connectivity. We thus strongly recommend the use of genetic tools to: (i) assess gene flow intensity and direction among populations in a given landscape; and (ii) accurately estimate landscape features impacting gene flow, and hence landscape connectivity. Such approaches will provide the basic data for planning corridors or stepping stones aiming at (re)connecting local populations of a given species in a given landscape. This strategy is clearly species‐ and landscape‐specific. But we suggest that the ecological network in a given landscape could be designed by stacking up such linkages designed for several species living in different ecosystems. This procedure relies on the use of umbrella species that are representative of other species living in the same ecosystem.