Habitat selection as a source of biological diversity

Summary Question: What are the conditions required for natural selection to produce phenotypes specially adapted to the various habitats available in nature? Model: Assume there are two habitat types and one or two phenotypes of the same or different species. The phenotypes do not recognize any spatial differences among patches of the same habitat type. Possible evolutionary winners can do better in one habitat only by relinquishing some ability in the other. Results: If only one phenotype is present, it will be an intermediate (unless one of the two habitat types is so rare and unproductive that its effects can be ignored by natural selection). Even if two phenotypes are introduced, natural selection should generally restore monomorphism if habitat selection is not ever favored (e.g. if search costs are high). But if search costs and environmental variation are zero, dimorphism can be expected. And if they are small, then although monomorphism is stable, its basin of attraction is small, and invasion by a second form (such as a sibling species) can provide the discontinuous jump needed to put the system in the other basin of attraction. Once there, dimorphic extremism coevolves. Each successful morph is as specialized as possible on one of the habitats. Competition between the morphs is eliminated. Environmental variation may constrict the basin, but once a point is captured by it, the system approaches dimorphic extremism anyway. In general, whatever promotes the behavior of habitat selection also promotes the evolution of extreme morphologies and physiologies.     

Habitat selection as a source of inter‐specific differences in recruitment of two diadromous fish species

• 1 For aquatic species with highly dispersive offspring, the addition of new individuals into an area (recruitment) is a key process in determining local population size so understanding the causes of recruitment variability is critical. While three general causative mechanisms have been identified (the supply of individuals, habitat selection and mortality), we have a limited understanding of how variation in each is generated, and the consequences this may have for the spatial and temporal distribution of recruits.
• 2 We examined whether active habitat selection during settlement could be the cause of variability in populations of two diadromous fish species using a field survey and laboratory‐based choice experiments. If larval behaviour is important, we predicted there would be inter‐specific differences in abundance between sites during the survey, and that larvae would prefer water collected from sites with higher conspecific abundances during the experiments.
• 3 During the field survey, significant differences were detected between two rivers (the Cumberland and Grey), with one species (Galaxias maculatus) found in higher abundances at one site (the Cumberland River) while comparable numbers of a closely related species (Galaxias brevipinnis) were caught at both sites. Laboratory choice experiments were conducted to determine whether larval preferences during settlement could be the cause of these differences. G. maculatus larvae showed a preference for freshwater over saltwater, indicating that the fish may be responding to reduced salinities around river mouths during settlement. The results of a second experiment were consistent with the notion that larval preferences could be the mechanism driving differences in the populations of the two rivers, with G. maculatus preferring water collected from the Cumberland River while G. brevipinnis did not prefer water from either river.
• 4 These results demonstrate that active habitat selection may be important in establishing spatial patterns of larvae at settlement, and that multiple cues are likely to be involved. This study also demonstrates that the behaviours exhibited by individuals can strongly influence the structure and dynamics of populations of aquatic species with complex life cycles.

     

Engineered maize as a source of astaxanthin: processing and application as fish feed

Astaxanthin from a transgenic maize line was evaluated as feed supplement source conferring effective pigmentation of rainbow trout flesh. An extraction procedure using ethanol together with the addition of vegetal oil was established. This resulted in an oily astaxanthin preparation which was not sufficiently concentrated for direct application to the feed. Therefore, a concentration process involving multiple phase partitioning steps was implemented to remove 90 % of the oil. The resulting astaxanthin raw material contained non-esterified astaxanthin with 12 % 4-keto zeaxanthin and 2 % zeaxanthin as additional carotenoids. Isomeric analysis confirmed the exclusive presence of the 3S, 3′S astaxanthin enantiomer. The geometrical isomers were 89 % all-E, 8 % 13-Z and 3 % 9-Z. The incorporation of the oily astaxanthin preparation into trout feed was performed to deliver 7 mg/kg astaxanthin in the final feed formulation for the first 3.5 weeks and 72 mg/kg for the final 3.5 weeks of the feeding trial. The resulting pigmentation of the trout fillets was determined by hue values with a colour meter and further confirmed by astaxanthin quantification. Pigmentation properties of the maize-produced natural astaxanthin incorporated to 3.5 µg/g dw in the trout fillet resembles that of chemically synthesized astaxanthin. By comparing the relative carotenoid compositions in feed, flesh and feces, a preferential uptake of zeaxanthin and 4-keto zeaxanthin over astaxanthin was observed.     

Habitat heterogeneity as a driver of ungulate diversity and distribution patterns: interaction of body mass and digestive strategy

Aim Classic island biogeographical theory predicts that reserves have to be large to conserve high biodiversity. Recent literature, however, suggests that habitat heterogeneity can counterbalance the effect of small reserve size. For savanna ungulates, body mass is said to drive habitat selection and facilitate species coexistence, where large species use a higher proportion of the landscape than smaller species, because a wider food quality tolerance allows them to use a higher diversity of habitat types. In this case, high habitat heterogeneity would facilitate diverse assemblages of different‐sized ungulates. Digestive physiology should further modify this relationship, because non‐ruminants have a wider diet tolerance than ruminants. We tested this hypothesis with an empirical dataset on distribution and habitat preference of different‐sized African grazers. Location Hluhluwe‐iMfolozi Park, Republic of South Africa. Methods We recorded herbivore dung and habitat type on 24 line transects varying between 4 and 11 km with a total length of 190 km to determine habitat selection and landscape distribution of six grazer species, three ruminants and three non‐ruminants. Results Larger ruminant grazers were more evenly distributed than smaller ruminants, had a more diverse use of habitats and used more low quality habitat. In contrast, non‐ruminant grazers were more evenly distributed than similar‐sized ruminants and body mass did not clearly influence diversity of habitat use and use of low quality habitat. Main conclusions We confirm that body mass influences diversity of habitat use of large herbivores but digestive strategy potentially modifies this relationship. Hence, habitat heterogeneity might facilitate herbivore diversity in savanna ecosystems and high heterogeneity might counterbalance the effects of fragmentation and declining reserve size. Concluding, processes that homogenize the landscape, such as fire (mis)management and artificial waterholes, might be as threatening to biodiversity as landscape fragmentation, especially for smaller ruminant herbivores.     

Self-disturbance as a source of spatiotemporal heterogeneity: the case of the tallgrass prairie

Tallgrass prairies are characterized by high levels of litter production, which has a profound effect on live biomass. Litter introduces a delayed inhibition of biomass growth, generating nonlinear dynamics and chaos. In this paper, we study a model of biomass-litter interaction, and focus on the litter persistence rate. The observed dynamics depends largely on this rate of year-to-year persistence. Different scenarios are explored and discussed. A spatially extended counterpart of such a model is later on introduced to account for the effects of space. Temporal chaos introduces spatial heterogeneity in terms of gaps where the current year biomass is almost zero. Such gaps can be colonized by fugitive species. The inhibitory effect of litter on biomass is thus an important source of intrinsic, small-scale heterogeneities that may promote diversity. On the other hand, the huge amounts of litter produced by the competitive dominants in tallgrass prairies enhance the probability of fires. Fires benefit, rather than depress, the superior competitive species. This fact explains why the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) stating that the highest diversity levels should be observed at intermediate disturbance frequencies, does not work in these communities. We define self-disturbances as small-scale disturbances affecting the growth and survival of the individuals that have generated them (e.g. due to the effects of the litter mass they produce). In the absence of other disturbances, self-disturbances can induce high heterogeneity and diversity levels in tallgrass prairies. We discuss the general implications of self-generated disturbances for landscape heterogeneity and diversity of communities in which the main external perturbations benefit the dominant species.     

The costs and benefits of resource sharing: reciprocity requires resource heterogeneity

The evolution of resource sharing requires that the fitness benefits to the recipients be much higher than the costs to the giver, which requires heterogeneity among individuals in the fitness value of acquiring additional resources. We develop four models of the evolution of resource sharing by either direct or indirect reciprocity, with equal or unequal partners. Evolution of resource sharing by reciprocity requires differences between interacting individuals in the fitness value of the resource, and these differences must reverse although previous acts of giving are remembered and both participants survive. Moreover, inequality in the expected reproductive value of the interacting individuals makes reciprocity more difficult to evolve, but may still allow evolution of sharing by kin selection. These constraints suggest that resource sharing should evolve much more frequently by kin selection than by reciprocity, a prediction that is well supported by observations in the natural world.     

The role of sex ratios and resource availability on the pre-mating behavior of a monogamous fish

Convict cichlid fish (Archocentrus nigrofasciatus) are one of the few monogamous species where the female appears more colorful than the male. We examined whether this sexual dimorphism was reflected in a female-biased actual sex ratio (ASR) and whether convict cichlid females would exhibit behavioral traits typified in monogamous males when they possessed the extravagant colors and/or morphology. Our field observations revealed that females are marginally, but not significantly, more abundant than males but they did initiate more intersexual social interactions (i.e. approach behavior) than males. They also showed more intrasexual aggression. Furthermore, males more commonly chased females rather than vice versa. Our laboratory experiment also indicated that differences in intrasexual aggression were not related to differences in the ASR but did appear with the addition of a breeding site. Thus, while intrasexual competition was more frequently observed between females in the field it was probably related to the availability of breeding sites rather than our estimates of the ASR.     

Fishermen's knowledge as background information in tropical fish ecology: a quantitative comparison with fish sampling results

An investigation of fishermen's knowledge of fish occurrence patterns on various spatio-temporal scales has been realized in the Fatala Estuary (Guinea, West Africa), accompanied by a one-year survey with standardized gill-net sets. Seventy one fishermen distributed in four zones corresponding to gill-net sampling sites were questioned about seasonal variations of species' relative abundances. Longitudinal and seasonal patterns of fish relative abundances were described with correspondence analysis and ANOVA for both approaches. Comparison of results showed a good coherence between fishermen's answers and gill-net sampling results. Thus, it is proposed that investigation of fishermen's ecological knowledge should be used as a preliminary study to help defining fish sampling designs in tropical rivers and estuaries.     

林地确权、政府管制与资源异质性农户林业管护行为——基于湖南省7年连续观测数据

新一轮集体林权制度变迁后农户成为集体林区商品林和公益林的经营管护主体,本研究基于林地资源属性差异将农户分为商品林农户与公益林农户,阐释了林地确权与政府管制作用于两类资源异质性农户林业管护行为的影响及差异。研究表明：林地确权能有效激励两类资源异质性农户林业管护意愿和管护强度;林木采伐管制对商品林农户林业管护行为没有产生消极影响,但对公益林农户林业管护行为有显著消极影响;林权抵押贷款管制消极影响公益林农户林业管护行为;生态补偿不能直接促进公益林农户林业管护行为,但其能有效弱化林木采伐管制和林权抵押贷款管制的消极影响,促进公益林农户林业管护行为。本研究对深化集体林权制度改革、进一步完善林改配套政策有重要意义。     

Motion parallax as a source of distance information in locusts and mantids

This review article is devoted to results on distance measurement in locusts (e.g., Wallace, 1959; Collett, 1978; Sobel, 1990) and mantids. Before locusts or mantids jump toward a stationary object, they perform characteristic pendulum movements with the head or body, called peering movements, in the direction of the object. The fact that the animals over- or underestimate the distance to the object when the object is moved with or against the peering movement, and so perform jumps that are too long or short, would seem to indicate that motion parallax is used in this distance measurement. The behavior of the peering parameters with different object distances also indicates that not only retinal image motion but also the animal’s own movement is used in calculating the distance.     

Metazoan parasites and resource heterogeneity: constraints and benefits

The usually narrow specificity of parasites still represents a puzzling question. We suggest that specialisation provokes aggregation of individuals at three levels (host species, hosts individuals, host microhabitats) and that one benefit for metazoan parasites lies in the frequency of genetic exchanges, in agreement with Rohde's hypothesis. We discuss two mechanisms that may maintain specificity after host speciation or host switching: alloxenic speciation by habitat preference and alloxenic speciation by assortative survival. We suggest that specialisation provokes aggregation, that aggregation increases genetic diversity, and that genetic diversity favours specialisation which is thus indefinitely restored.     

Plants as resource mosaics: a functional model for predicting patterns of within-plant resource heterogeneity to consumers based on vascular architecture and local environmental variability

Plant characteristics that determine food quantity and quality to consumers exhibit extensive within-plant heterogeneity, and this heterogeneity is an important influence on the interactions between plants and consumers (herbivores, pathogens, mutualists, soil-dwelling microorganisms). Here we present a functional model – based on plant vascular architecture and local environmental variability – that can be used to predict the patterns of within-plant resource heterogeneity. We argue that heterogeneity is generated largely by sectoriality, the restricted movement of resources along vascular traces within a plant. In essence, the combination of sectoriality and spatial variation in previous damage, nutrient, water, and light availability generates predictable patterns of within-plant heterogeneity in tissue quality. We point out that vascular architecture differs across taxa, growth habit and plant developmental stage, and suggest that certain attributes of the environment maximize the extent of heterogeneity.     

Pedigrees as a source of information in mtDNA studies of dogs and horses

The goal of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of pedigree data in studies of mitochondrial DNA diversity in dogs and horses. Pedigree information allows for precisely choosing animals with distinct haplotypes for analysis, makes it possible to find rare haplotypes present exclusively in single individuals and helps to evaluate haplotype frequencies at the present and in the past. Estimating founder contributions to gene pools enables evaluating the parts of gene pools observed with the help of mtDNA analysis. An important aspect is also the financial benefits: using pedigree data, researchers can save a significant amount of time and money needed for sample collection and laboratory analysis.     

Habitat selection as a mechanism of resource partitioning in two cryptic bat species Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus

Ecomorphological studies of bat communities often reveal the spatial and temporal coexistence of morphologically similar species, leading to suggestions that these communities are structured by non-deterministic processes. However, the diversification of echolocation call structure in bats allows for considerable morphological similarity while still permitting niche differentiation based on specialisation for prey type and habitat structure. The recent separation of a common Palaearctic bat, the pipistrelle, into Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus, which are sympatrically distributed throughout their range, raises the question as to whether these two morphologically similar species partition resources in time and space.
To test the hypothesis that the coexistence of these cryptic species is facilitated by differential habitat use, 14 P . pipistrellus , and 12 P. pygmaeus were radio-tracked from adjacent maternity roosts, in northeast Scotland, from May to September 2002/2003. The two species showed distinct habitat partitioning with P. pygmaeus foraging predominantly in riparian woodland and over water, and P. pipistrellus foraging along woodland edges and short isolated tree lines. Inter-specific overlap in habitat use was low and consequently foraging ranges were segregated spatially.
The degree of habitat partitioning revealed in these species, which show considerable overlap in echolocation call parameters and functional morphology, suggests that morphological features, whilst useful in separating chiropteran species into coarse-grained foraging guilds, may not predict fine-grained ecological segregation.     

Habitat preferences of a corallivorous reef fish: predation risk versus food quality

Many animals preferentially select a habitat from a range of those potentially available. However, the consequences of these preferences for distribution and abundance, and the underlying basis of habitat preferences are often unknown. The present study, conducted at Great Keppel Island, Australia, examined how distribution and abundance of an obligate corallivorous filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris, relates to coral architecture and diversity. The main drivers of the distribution and abundance of O. longirostris among reefs were coral species richness and availability of branching coral. Feeding territories had a higher percentage of Acropora coral than surrounding habitat. In addition, feeding territories had a higher percentage of the structurally important branching coral, Acropora nobilis, and a primary prey species, Acropora millepora. A series of pair-wise choice experiments in which both structural complexity and coral tissue quality were independently manipulated showed that habitat choice was primarily based on structural complexity and shelter characteristics. In addition, the choice for the preferred coral (A. nobilis) was stronger in the presence of a piscivorous fish. These results indicate that species-diverse coral habitats, which provide sufficient structural complexity along with nutritionally important prey, are essential for population persistence of this small, corallivorous reef fish.     

Habitat fragmentation and extinction rates within freshwater fish communities: a faunal relaxation approach

Aim To estimate population extinction rates within freshwater fish communities since the fragmentation of palaeo‐rivers due to sea level rise at the end of the Pleistocene; to combine this information with rates estimated by other approaches (population surveys, fossil records); and to build an empirical extinction–area relationship. Location Temperate rivers from the Northern Hemisphere, with a special focus on rivers discharging into the English Channel, in north‐western France. Methods (1) French rivers. We used a faunal relaxation approach to estimate extinction rates in coastal rivers after they became isolated by the sea level rise. Tributaries within the Seine were used to build a species–area relationship for a non‐fragmented river system to predict species richness in coastal rivers before their fragmentation. (2) Other rivers. Extinction rates obtained for four other Holarctic river systems fragmented at the end of the Pleistocene, the fragmented populations of one salmonid species (Japan) and the fossil records from the Mississippi Basin were included in the study. Results (1) French rivers. Within strictly freshwater fish species, rare and/or habitat specialist species were the most affected by fragmentation. In contrast, euryhaline species were not affected. A negative relationship between extinction rate and river basin size was observed. (2) Other rivers. Our study established a common scaling relationship for freshwater fish population extinction rates that spans seven orders of magnitude in river basin size. Main conclusions This study strongly suggests that extinctions of fish populations occurred within French coastal rivers after they became isolated 8000 years ago. The patterns observed at regional and inter‐continental scales are consistent with the expectation that large populations are less prone to extinction than small ones, resulting in a strong extinction–area relationship coherent over a large spatio‐temporal scale. Our study is the first multi‐scale quantitative assessment of background extinction patterns for freshwater fishes.