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| Open AccessDissimilarity measures affected by richness differences yield biased delimitations of biogeographic realms
- Adrián Castro-Insua
- , Carola Gómez-Rodríguez
- & Andrés Baselga
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Correspondence
| Open AccessReply to ‘Dissimilarity measures affected by richness differences yield biased delimitations of biogeographic realms’
- Mark J. Costello
- , Peter Tsai
- & Chhaya Chaudhary
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Article
| Open AccessOpposite macroevolutionary responses to environmental changes in grasses and insects during the Neogene grassland expansion
The expansion of grassland plant diversity is thought to have facilitated diversification of herbivorous insects. Here, the authors show opposing evolutionary dynamics in a clade of African grasses and associated stemborers, opposing the hypothesis about grasslands as a 'cradle' of herbivore diversity.
- Gael J. Kergoat
- , Fabien L. Condamine
- & Bruno Le Ru
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Article
| Open AccessTradeoffs in demographic mechanisms underlie differences in species abundance and stability
Protection of rare species requires advanced understanding of the reasons for their rarity. Here, Hallett et al. show that potential growth rate and density dependence together predict rarity vs. abundance, and that the stability of species of similar sizes depends on the relative strength of these two mechanisms.
- Lauren M. Hallett
- , Emily C. Farrer
- & Richard J. Hobbs
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Comment
| Open AccessCross-species interference of gene expression
- Irene de Bruijn
- & Koen J. F. Verhoeven
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Article
| Open AccessCanopy mortality has doubled in Europe’s temperate forests over the last three decades
Increases in tree mortality can signal changes in forest health, but large-scale tree mortality is difficult to quantify. Here Senf et al. show large-scale increases in forest mortality in Central Europe over the past 30 years, which were related to increasing growing stocks and temperature.
- Cornelius Senf
- , Dirk Pflugmacher
- & Rupert Seidl
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Article
| Open AccessSystematic review of indoor residual spray efficacy and effectiveness against Plasmodium falciparum in Africa
Indoor residual spraying is a commonly used method for mosquito, and malaria, control and there are a number of available insecticides that are available for this. Here, the authors evaluate the efficacy of widely-used and novel insecticides against pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes.
- Ellie Sherrard-Smith
- , Jamie T. Griffin
- & Thomas S. Churcher
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Article
| Open AccessCharacterisation of the British honey bee metagenome
Numerous microbial symbionts, both commensal and pathogenic, are associated with honey bees. Here, the authors genomically characterize this ‘metagenome’ of the British honey bee, identifying a diversity of commensal microbes as well as known and putative pathogens
- Tim Regan
- , Mark W. Barnett
- & Tom C. Freeman
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Article
| Open AccessCoral-associated bacteria demonstrate phylosymbiosis and cophylogeny
Associations between corals and symbiotic microorganisms could be driven by the environment or shared evolutionary history. Here, the authors examine relationships between coral phylogenies and associated microbiomes, finding evidence of phylosymbiosis in microbes from coral skeleton and tissue, but not mucus.
- F. Joseph Pollock
- , Ryan McMinds
- & Jesse R. Zaneveld
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Article
| Open AccessThe structure and function of the global citrus rhizosphere microbiome
Research on plant root-associated microbial communities may help develop more efficient or sustainable crop production methods. Here the authors analyse the citrus rhizosphere microbiome, using both amplicon and deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing of samples collected across six continents.
- Jin Xu
- , Yunzeng Zhang
- & Nian Wang
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Review Article
| Open AccessEcology and evolution of facilitation among symbionts
Facilitation is a well-known ecological interaction among free-living species, but symbionts residing in or on a host can also positively affect other symbiont species. Here, the authors review examples of facilitation among symbionts, revealing how facilitation theory can improve understanding of these interactions.
- Flore Zélé
- , Sara Magalhães
- & Alison B. Duncan
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Article
| Open AccessMultiple forest attributes underpin the supply of multiple ecosystem services
Managing forests for the supply of multiple ecosystem services (ES) is key given potential trade-offs among services. Here, the authors analyse how forest stand attributes generate trade-offs among ES and the relative contribution of forest attributes and environmental factors to predict services.
- María R. Felipe-Lucia
- , Santiago Soliveres
- & Eric Allan
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Article
| Open AccessCross-ecosystem carbon flows connecting ecosystems worldwide
Material flows between ecosystems, though the degree to which ecosystems are coupled is under investigation. Here Gounand et al. analyze cross-ecosystem carbon flows and relate them to in situ functions, and report different dependencies on spatial flows across numerous ecosystems.
- Isabelle Gounand
- , Chelsea J. Little
- & Florian Altermatt
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Article
| Open AccessReward regulation in plant–frugivore networks requires only weak cues
A challenge for mutualists is that partner cue reliability is often low. Here, the authors show that though fruit brightness is weakly predictive of nutritional content, the diets of birds (e.g. migrants vs. residents) are structured by fruit brightness in alignment with expected nutritional needs.
- Jörg Albrecht
- , Jonas Hagge
- & Nina Farwig
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Article
| Open AccessDemographic histories and genetic diversity across pinnipeds are shaped by human exploitation, ecology and life-history
Historical hunting has caused documented declines in pinnipeds, but the extent to which hunting caused genetic bottlenecks among species was unknown. Here, the authors show evidence of severe bottlenecks in several pinniped species, particularly those that breed on land.
- M. A. Stoffel
- , E. Humble
- & J. I. Hoffman
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Article
| Open AccessCYP6AE gene cluster knockout in Helicoverpa armigera reveals role in detoxification of phytochemicals and insecticides
Cotton bollworm is an important agricultural pest with widespread resistance to insecticides. Here Wang et al. identifies CYP6AEs from cotton bollworm involved in detoxifying plant toxins and chemical insecticides through the CRISPR-Cas9-based reverse genetics approach in conjunction with in vitro metabolism.
- Huidong Wang
- , Yu Shi
- & Yidong Wu
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Correspondence
| Open AccessReply to 'Flawed assumptions compromise water yield assessment'
- Ping Zhou
- , Qiang Li
- & Yongxian Su
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Article
| Open AccessExperimental heatwaves compromise sperm function and cause transgenerational damage in a model insect
Animal physiology, including reproduction, could respond to climate change in complex ways. Here, the authors use experiments with an insect model system to show that simulated heatwaves harm male reproductive potential by reducing sperm number and viability, an effect which persisted into the next generation
- Kris Sales
- , Ramakrishnan Vasudeva
- & Matthew J. G. Gage
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Article
| Open AccessMapping knowledge gaps in marine diversity reveals a latitudinal gradient of missing species richness
Accurate understanding of species biogeographic patterns is contingent upon adequate sampling effort across space. Here, the authors analyse the distribution records for 35,000 marine species, highlighting data gaps caused by undersampling in the tropics.
- André Menegotto
- & Thiago F. Rangel
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Article
| Open AccessPlant defences mediate interactions between herbivory and the direct foliar uptake of atmospheric reactive nitrogen
Reactive nitrogen oxides can be assimilated by leaves, though the trophic and nitrogen cycling impacts of this are unclear. Here Campbell and Vallano show foliar uptake of NO2 increases defensive metabolites, reduces herbivore consumption and growth, and herbivory reduces foliar NO2 uptake.
- Stuart A. Campbell
- & Dena M. Vallano
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Article
| Open AccessDivergent trends in functional and phylogenetic structure in reptile communities across Africa
The biogeographic drivers of reptile diversity are poorly understood relative to other animal groups. Here, using a dataset of distributions of African squamates, the authors show that environmental filtering explains diversity in stressful habitats while competition explains diversity in benign habitats.
- Till Ramm
- , Juan L. Cantalapiedra
- & Johannes Müller
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Article
| Open AccessAdaptation to sub-optimal hosts is a driver of viral diversification in the ocean
Marine cyanophages infect oceanic cyanobacteria that are important contributors to global primary production. By using an experimental evolution approach, here the authors show that adaptation to sub-optimal cyanobacterial hosts result in genomic diversification of cyanophage populations.
- Hagay Enav
- , Shay Kirzner
- & Oded Béjà
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Article
| Open AccessA diverse suite of pharmaceuticals contaminates stream and riparian food webs
Pharmaceuticals are widespread contaminants in surface waters. Here, Richmond and colleagues show that dozens of pharmaceuticals accumulate in food chains of streams, including in predators in adjacent terrestrial ecosystems.
- Erinn K. Richmond
- , Emma J. Rosi
- & Michael R. Grace
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Article
| Open AccessSimilarity of introduced plant species to native ones facilitates naturalization, but differences enhance invasion success
Plant functional traits may help distinguish introduced species that will become invasive from those that do not. Here, Divíšek et al. show that functional profiles of naturalized plant species are similar to natives, while those of invasive plant species exist at the edge of the functional trait space.
- Jan Divíšek
- , Milan Chytrý
- & Jane Molofsky
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Article
| Open AccessChanges in human footprint drive changes in species extinction risk
Species extinction risk is difficult to measure and often lags behind the pace of increasing threats. Here, the authors demonstrate how monitoring changes in cumulative human pressures could be used to rapidly assess potential change in species’ conservation status.
- Moreno Di Marco
- , Oscar Venter
- & James E. M. Watson
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Article
| Open AccessBaleen whale cortisol levels reveal a physiological response to 20th century whaling
It has recently been found that stress hormones accumulate in the earwax of whales. Here, the authors use these signatures of stress along with time series of ocean warming and whaling pressure to demonstrate that both stressors were correlated with baleen whale stress over several decades.
- Stephen J. Trumble
- , Stephanie A. Norman
- & Sascha Usenko
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Article
| Open AccessWeaker plant-enemy interactions decrease tree seedling diversity with edge-effects in a fragmented tropical forest
Tree diversity decreases at the edges of fragmented forests. Here, Krishnadas et al. find that weaker top-down regulation by insects and fungal pathogens during seedling recruitment contributes to reduced tree seedling diversity near forest edges in a human-modified landscape.
- Meghna Krishnadas
- , Robert Bagchi
- & Liza S. Comita
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Article
| Open AccessIdentifying long-term stable refugia for relict plant species in East Asia
East Asia contains “relict” plant species that persist under narrow climatic conditions after once having wider distributions. Here, using distribution records coupled with ecological niche models, the authors identify long-term stable refugia possessing past, current and future climatic suitability favoring ancient plant lineages.
- Cindy Q. Tang
- , Tetsuya Matsui
- & Jordi López-Pujol
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Article
| Open AccessSchedule and magnitude of reproductive investment under immune trade-offs explains sex differences in immunity
Females and males tend to emphasize different defenses against pathogens: pathogen detection and pathogen killing, respectively. Here, Metcalf and Graham show that these alternate strategies can be explained by immune trade-offs only because the sexes differ in reproductive life history.
- C. Jessica E. Metcalf
- & Andrea L. Graham
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Article
| Open AccessPatterns and drivers of recent disturbances across the temperate forest biome
Climate change may impact forest disturbances, though local variability is high. Here, Sommerfeld et al. show that disturbance patterns across the temperate biome vary with agents and tree traits, yet large disturbances are consistently linked to warmer and drier than average conditions.
- Andreas Sommerfeld
- , Cornelius Senf
- & Rupert Seidl
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Article
| Open AccessFuelling conditions at staging sites can mitigate Arctic warming effects in a migratory bird
Advancing phenological timing is a risk for migratory birds, particularly in the Arctic where change is most rapid. Here, the authors show that bar-tailed godwits can adjust for phenological shifts by fuelling faster at staging areas to arrive at breeding sites in time.
- Eldar Rakhimberdiev
- , Sjoerd Duijns
- & Theunis Piersma
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Article
| Open AccessThe dimensionality of niche space allows bounded and unbounded processes to jointly influence diversification
The degree to which species diversity is bounded by limited niche space is under debate. Here, Larcombe and colleagues show that bounded and unbounded processes contribute more-or-less equally to conifer diversification, and that it may be niche dimensionality that facilitates these opposing forces.
- Matthew J. Larcombe
- , Gregory J. Jordan
- & Steven I. Higgins
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Article
| Open AccessImmune-suppression by OsHV-1 viral infection causes fatal bacteraemia in Pacific oysters
Pacific oyster mortality syndrome is a poorly understood cause of mortality in commercially important oyster species. Here, the authors use multiple infection experiments to show that the syndrome is caused by sequential infection by herpesvirus and opportunistic bacteria.
- Julien de Lorgeril
- , Aude Lucasson
- & Guillaume Mitta
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Article
| Open AccessCombined impacts of deforestation and wildlife trade on tropical biodiversity are severely underestimated
Disentangling multiple drivers of species declines can be difficult yet is critical to species conservation. Here, the authors parse the relative contributions of deforestation and trapping to declines of native birds in Southeast Asia, finding that the extinction risk of trapped species may be underestimated.
- William S. Symes
- , David P. Edwards
- & L. Roman Carrasco
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Correspondence
| Open AccessPremature alarm on the impacts of climate change on Arctic Char in Lake Hazen
- Jean-Sébastien Moore
- , Jacqueline M. Chapman
- & Eric B. Taylor
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Article
| Open AccessA sustained change in the supply of parental care causes adaptive evolution of offspring morphology
The amount and predictability of parental care may influence the evolution of offspring traits. Here, the authors experimentally evolve burying beetles at different levels of parental care and find smaller mandibles and lower self-sufficiency in populations with more care.
- Benjamin J. M. Jarrett
- , Emma Evans
- & Rebecca M. Kilner
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Article
| Open AccessNitrogen availability regulates topsoil carbon dynamics after permafrost thaw by altering microbial metabolic efficiency
Soil nitrogen availability may alter carbon dynamics after permafrost thaw, but experimental evidence for this carbon-nitrogen interaction is still lacking. Here the authors show that elevated post-thaw nitrogen availability inhibits soil carbon release through its enhancement in microbial metabolic efficiency.
- Leiyi Chen
- , Li Liu
- & Yuanhe Yang
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Article
| Open AccessQuantifying climate sensitivity and climate-driven change in North American amphibian communities
Amphibians have seen large population declines, but the key drivers are hard to establish. Here, Miller et al. investigate trends of occupancy for 81 species of amphibians across North America and find greater sensitivity to water availability during breeding and winter conditions than mean climate.
- David A. W. Miller
- , Evan H. Campbell Grant
- & Brent H. Sigafus
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Article
| Open AccessMicroenvironmental niche divergence shapes BRCA1-dysregulated ovarian cancer morphological plasticity
Cancer cells can actively engage in overcoming microenvironmental constraints such as tissue stiffness through adapting their shapes; however it is unclear how microenvironmental cells shape cancer nuclear morphology in human tumors in situ. Here the authors merge machine learning, digital pathology and spatial statistics to study this issue; furthermore the authors identify decreased immune infiltration in the surrounding of diversified cancer cells in a subset of ovarian tumors.
- Andreas Heindl
- , Adnan Mujahid Khan
- & Yinyin Yuan
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Article
| Open AccessSex and species specific hearing mechanisms in mosquito flagellar ears
Auditory processing is an important component of mosquito behaviour including mating. Here the authors demonstrate substantial sex- and also species-specific variation in mosquito auditory transduction, amplification and gain control.
- Matthew P. Su
- , Marta Andrés
- & Joerg T. Albert
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Article
| Open AccessEstimating sources and sinks of malaria parasites in Madagascar
Understanding the source of malaria outbreaks in low-transmission areas is important for controlling the disease. Here, the authors use mobile phone data to map malaria transmission in Madagascar, and are able to show that primary sources of infection in the capital city are found along populated coastal areas.
- Felana Angella Ihantamalala
- , Vincent Herbreteau
- & Amy Wesolowski
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Article
| Open AccessPlant neighbor detection and allelochemical response are driven by root-secreted signaling chemicals
Plant growth and physiology respond to the presence of neighboring plants. Here the authors show that the chemicals (-)-loliolide and jasmonic acid, which were present in the root exudates of a range of plant species, can be detected by wheat and induce allelochemical production.
- Chui-Hua Kong
- , Song-Zhu Zhang
- & Peng Wang
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Article
| Open AccessBiologically driven DOC release from peatlands during recovery from acidification
Peatlands recovering from acidification release dissolved organic carbon (DOC), but no biological role has yet been identified in this process. Here, the authors show that pH increases enhance phenol oxidase activity, pore-water DOC concentrations and lead to greater abundances in Actinobacteria and fungi.
- Hojeong Kang
- , Min Jung Kwon
- & Chris Freeman
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Article
| Open AccessHigh niche diversity in Mesozoic pollinating lacewings
Kalligrammatid lacewings were among the largest Mesozoic insects. Here, Liu et al. present an assemblage of Mesozoic kalligrammatid lacewings from amber and compression fossils, highlighting diversity in traits associated with pollination, chemical communication and defense against predators.
- Qing Liu
- , Xiumei Lu
- & Bo Wang
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Article
| Open AccessNew suspension-feeding radiodont suggests evolution of microplanktivory in Cambrian macronekton
Planktonic life was well established by the Cambrian, but few nektonic filter feeders have been identified. Here, the authors provide fossil evidence that Pahvantia hastata was a suspension-feeder that likely captured much smaller plankton than any other known free-swimming animals of that time.
- Rudy Lerosey-Aubril
- & Stephen Pates
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Comment
| Open AccessEurope’s renewable energy directive poised to harm global forests
- Timothy D. Searchinger
- , Tim Beringer
- & Jean-Pascal van Ypersele
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Article
| Open AccessSize-dependent loss of aboveground animals differentially affects grassland ecosystem coupling and functions
Defaunation can have impacts on ecosystem functioning that are currently little understood. Using an exclusion experiment, Risch et al. show the impacts of vertebrate and invertebrate losses on ecosystem coupling, particularly emphasising the role of invertebrates in ecosystem functioning.
- A. C. Risch
- , R. Ochoa-Hueso
- & M. Schütz
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Article
| Open AccessTropical peatland carbon storage linked to global latitudinal trends in peat recalcitrance
Large peatlands exist at high latitudes because flooded conditions and cold temperatures slow decomposition, so the presence of (sub)tropical peat is enigmatic. Here the authors show that low-latitude peat is preserved due to lower carbohydrate and greater aromatic content resulting in chemical recalcitrance.
- Suzanne B. Hodgkins
- , Curtis J. Richardson
- & Jeffrey P. Chanton
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Article
| Open AccessA global meta-analysis of yield stability in organic and conservation agriculture
Yields vary between different cropping systems, though their temporal stability has not been quantified. Here, Knapp and van der Heijden present a meta-analysis showing that yields in organic agriculture have, per unit food produced, a lower temporal stability.
- Samuel Knapp
- & Marcel G. A. van der Heijden
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