Browsing Ecology and Evolutionary Biology by Title
Now showing items 1-55 of 55
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Above and below ground impacts of terrestrial mammals and birds in a tropical forest
(Blackwell Publishing, 2008)Understanding the impact of losing trophic diversity has global significance for managing ecosystems as well as important theoretical implications for community and ecosystem ecology. In several tropical forest ecosystems, ... -
Adaptation of Enterococcus faecalis to Daptomycin Reveals an Ordered Progression to Resistance
(2013)With increasing numbers of hospital-acquired antibiotic resistant infections each year and staggering health care costs, there is a clear need for new antimicrobial agents, as well as novel strategies to extend their ... -
Amino Acid Repeats Cause Extraordinary Coding Sequence Variation in the Social Amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum
(2012-09)Protein sequences are normally the most conserved elements of genomes owing to purifying selection to maintain their functions. We document an extraordinary amount of within-species protein sequence variation in the model ... -
Battle of the sexes: Cost asymmetry explains female dominance in lemurs
(Elsevier, 2008) -
Biodiversity maintenance in food webs with regulatory environmental feedbacks
(Elsevier, 2007)Although the food web is one of the most fundamental and oldest concepts in ecology, elucidating the strategies and structures by which natural communities of species persist remains a challenge to empirical and theoretical ... -
Chinese Tallow Trees (Triadica sebifera) from the Invasive Range Outperform Those from the Native Range with an Active Soil Community or Phosphorus Fertilization
(2013-09-02)Two mechanisms that have been proposed to explain success of invasive plants are unusual biotic interactions, such as enemy release or enhanced mutualisms, and increased resource availability. However, while these mechanisms ... -
Climate warming increases biological control agent impact on a non-target species
(2015)Climate change may shift interactions of invasive plants, herbivorous insects and native plants, potentially affecting biological control efficacy and non-target effects on native species. Here, we show how climate warming ... -
Co-pollinators and specialization in the pollinating seed-consumer mutualism between senita cacti and senita moths
(Springer-Verlag, 2002)Specialization of a plant on a particular pollinator may not evolve if co-pollinators are effective and abundant. This is particularly evident if fruit set is resource limited and cannot be increased above the ... -
Computational approaches to species phylogeny inference and gene tree reconciliation
(2013)An intricate relationship exists between gene trees and species phylogenies, due to evolutionary processes that act on the genes within and across the branches of the species phylogeny. From an analytical perspective, gene ... -
Confronting climate change in the Gulf region: prospects for sustaining our ecological heritage
(Union of Concerned Scientists, 2001-10)From Texas to Florida, the Gulf coast region is rich with ecological resources that support the region’s economic wealth. Over time, human activities from dam construction to shoreline development have dramatically altered ... -
Consequences of sex-selective harvesting and harvest refuges in experimental meta-populations
(2013)Harvesting for food or sport is often non-random with respect to demographic state, such as size or life stage. The population- level consequences of such selective harvesting depend upon which states are harvested and ... -
Conspecific Plasticity and Invasion: Invasive Populations of Chinese Tallow (Triadica sebifera) Have Performance Advantage over Native Populations Only in Low Soil Salinity
(2013-09-05)Global climate change may increase biological invasions in part because invasive species may have greater phenotypic plasticity than native species. This may be especially important for abiotic stresses such as salt ... -
Daptomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis Diverts the Antibiotic Molecule from the Division Septum and Remodels Cell Membrane Phospholipids
(2013)Treatment of multidrug-resistant enterococci has become a challenging clinical problem in hospitals around the world due to the lack of reliable therapeutic options. Daptomycin (DAP), a cell membrane-targeting cationic ... -
Decomposition of Phragmites australis litter retarded by invasive Solidago canadensis in mixtures: an antagonistic non-additive effect
(2014)Solidago canadensis is an aggressive invader in China. Solidago invasion success is partially attributed to allelopathic compounds release and more benefits fromAMfungi, which potentially makes the properties of Solidago ... -
Disturbance Driven Colony Fragmentation as a Driver of a Coral Disease Outbreak
(2013-02-20)In September of 2010, Brewer’s Bay reef, located in St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands), was simultaneously affected by abnormally high temperatures and the passage of a hurricane that resulted in the mass bleaching and ... -
Does phylogeny matter? Assessing the impact of phylogenetic information in ecological meta-analysis
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS, 2012) -
The Effect of Diet and Opponent Size on Aggressive Interactions Involving Caribbean Crazy Ants (Nylanderia fulva)
(2013-06-11)Biotic interactions are often important in the establishment and spread of invasive species. In particular, competition between introduced and native species can strongly influence the distribution and spread of exotic ... -
Effects of above-ground herbivory on soil microbial biomass in conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems
(Elsevier, 1995)The effects of above-ground herbivory on soil microbial biomass associated with maize (Zea muys) roots were measured in field experiments. Different grazing intensities were established by placing grasshoppers (0, 5, 10 ... -
Evaluating effects of habitat loss, hunting, and El Niño on a threatened lemur
(Elsevier Science, 2008)Madagascar ranks as one of the world’s top extinction hotspots because of its high endemism and high rate of habitat degradation. Global climate phenomena such as El Nin˜ o Southern Oscillations may have confounding ... -
Evolution After Whole-genome Duplication: A Network Perspective
(2013-09-18)Gene duplication plays an important role in the evolution of genomes and interactomes. Elucidating how evolution after gene duplication interplays at the sequence and network level is of great interest. In this paper, ... -
The evolution of obligate pollination mutualisms: senita cactus and senita moth
(Springer-Verlag, 1998)We report a new obligate pollination mu- tualism involving the senita cactus, Lophocereus schottii (Cactaceae, Pachyceereae), and the senita moth, Upiga virescens (Pyralidae, Glaphyriinae) in the Sonoran De- sert and ... -
Experimental evidence that both parties benefit in a facultative plant-spider mutualism
(Ecological Society of America, 2004-06)Spiders are known to influence plant fitness, and vice versa. Yet, it has not been appreciated that these facultative relationships can be mutualistic. I examined the interaction between Phryganoporus candidus, a subsocial ... -
The First Myriapod Genome Sequence Reveals Conservative Arthropod Gene Content and Genome Organisation in the Centipede Strigamia maritima
(2014)Myriapods (e.g., centipedes and millipedes) display a simple homonomous body plan relative to other arthropods. All members of the class are terrestrial, but they attained terrestriality independently of insects. Myriapoda ... -
Fungal Symbionts as Manipulators of Plant Reproductive Biology
(2013-04)Symbioses have shaped the evolution of life, most notably through the fixation of heritable symbionts into organelles. The inheritance of symbionts promotes mutualism and fixation by coupling partner fitness. However, ... -
Genetic variation in anti-herbivore chemical defences in an invasive plant
(British Ecological Society, 2012) -
Geographic and population variation in pollinating seed-consuming interactions between senita cacti (Lophocereus schottii) and senita moths (Upiga virescens)
(springer-Verlag, 1999)Interspecific interactions can vary within and among populations and geographic locations. This variation can subsequently influence the evolution and coevolution of species interactions. We investigated population and ... -
Ghosts of Habitats Past: Environmental Carry-Over Effects Drive Population Dynamics in Novel Habitat
(2013-05)The phenotype of adults can be strongly influenced by the environmental conditions experienced during development. Consequently, variation in habitat quality across space and through time also leads to differences in ... -
Global climate cycles and cyclones: consequences for rainfall patterns and lemur reproduction in southeastern Madagascar
(Global Change Biology, 2010) -
Habitat use and resource tracking by African Ceratogymna hornbills: implications for seed dispersal and forest conservation
(Blackwell Publishing, 1998)Conservation of tropical forests requires an understanding of the seasonal patterns of abundance and distribution of important seed dispersers. In the forests of Central Africa, three species of hornbills in the genus ... -
Herbivore-induced changes in plant carbon allocation: Assessment of below-ground C fluxes using carbon-14
(Springer-Verlag, 1996-03)Effects of above-ground herbivory on shortterm plant carbon allocation were studied using maize (Zea mays) and a generalist lubber grasshopper (Romalea guttata). We hypothesized that above-ground herbivory stimulates ... -
An HMM-Based Comparative Genomic Framework for Detecting Introgression in Eukaryotes
(2014-06-12)One outcome of interspecific hybridization and subsequent effects of evolutionary forces is introgression, which is the integration of genetic material from one species into the genome of an individual in another species. ... -
Insect seed predators as novel agents of selection on fruit color
(Ecological Society of America, 2004-08)The ecological and evolutionary dynamics of fruit color polymorphisms remain poorly known because patterns and agents of selection have rarely been identified. Here, we examine Acacia ligulata, a shrub of the Australian ... -
Joint assembly and genetic mapping of the Atlantic horseshoe crab genome reveals ancient whole genome duplication
(2014)Horseshoe crabs are marine arthropods with a fossil record extending back approximately 450 million years. They exhibit remarkable morphological stability over their long evolutionary history, retaining a number of ancestral ... -
Linking phenological shifts to species interactions through size-mediated priority effects
(2014)Interannual variation in seasonal weather patterns causes shifts in the relative timing of phenological events of species within communities, but we currently lack a mechanistic understanding of how these phenological ... -
Mitochondrial DNA Phylogeography of the Norway Rat
(2014-02-28)Central Eastern Asia, foremost the area bordering northern China and Mongolia, has been thought to be the geographic region where Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) have originated. However recent fossil analyses pointed to ... -
Mutualistic interactions between Upiga virescens (Pyralidae), a pollinating seed-consumer, and Lophocereus schottii (Cactaceae)
(Ecological Society of America, 1999)Pollinating seed-consuming interactions are rare, but include fig–fig wasp and yucca–yucca moth interactions, both of which are thought to be coevolved. Conditions favoring such mutualisms are poorly known but likely ... -
A new social gene in Dictyostelium discoideum, chtB
(2013)Background: Competitive social interactions are ubiquitous in nature, but their genetic basis is difficult to determine. Much can be learned from single gene knockouts in a eukaryote microbe. The mutants can be competed ... -
Niche Differentiation in the Dynamics of Host-Symbiont Interactions: Symbiont Prevalence as a Coexistence Problem
(2014-04)Heritable symbioses can have important ecological effects and have triggered important evolutionary innovations. Current predictions for long-term symbiont prevalence are based on their fitness benefits and vertical ... -
Nitrogen, biochar, and mycorrhizae: Alteration of the symbiosis and oxidation of the char surface
(2014)In some cases amending soil with biochar improves fertility, although the exact mechanisms through which biochar alters soil processes are not well understood. In other cases, however, biochar amendment can have no effect ... -
Non-Native Plant Litter Enhances Soil Carbon Dioxide Emissions in an Invaded Annual Grassland
(2014-03-19)Litter decomposition is a fundamental ecosystem process in which breakdown and decay of plant detritus releases carbon and nutrients. Invasive exotic plants may produce litter that differs from native plant litter in quality ... -
Plant size and reproductive state affect the quantity and quality of rewards to animal mutualists
(2014)Many plants engage ants in defensive mutualisms by offering extrafloral nectar (EFN). Identifying sources of variation in EFN quantity (amount) and quality (composition) is important because they can affect ant visitation ... -
Population dynamics and the stability of obligate pollination mutualisms
(Springer-Verlag, 2001)Mutualistic interactions almost always produce both costs and benefits for each of the interacting species. It is the difference between gross benefits and costs that determines the net benefit and the per-capita effect ... -
Post-hibernation movement and foraging habitat of a male Indiana bat, Myotis sodalis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), in western Virginia
(1995-12)We investigated departure patterns of bats from a higernculum and use of tree roosts and foraging habitat by a male Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) in western Virginia with radio-telemetric techniques, cave populaiton surveys,and ... -
Resolving the roles of body size and species identity in driving functional diversity
(2014)Efforts to characterize food webs have generated two influential approaches that reduce the complexity of natural communities. The traditional approach groups individuals based on their species identity, while recently ... -
Revenge of the host: cannibalism, ontogenetic niche shifts, and the evolution of life-history strategies in host–parasitoid systems
(2012)Question: How does cannibalism in the host alter the evolution of a parasitoid’s oviposition strategy? Can differences in cannibalism risk between parasitized and healthy hosts alter the stage-specific foraging of parasitoids? ... -
Seed dispersal by Ceratogymna hornbills in the Dja Reserve, Cameroon
(Cambridge University Press, 1998-05)Seed dispersal is a process critical to the maintenance of tropical forests, yet little is known about the interactions of most dispersers with their communities. In the Dja Reserve, Cameroon, seed dispersal by the ... -
Sex and stochasticity affect range expansion of experimental invasions
(Blackwell Publishing, 2012) -
Sonoran Desert columnar cacti and the evolution of generalized pollination systems
(Ecological Society of America, 2001)We studied variation in flowering phenology, fruit and seed set, and the abundance of the pollinators of four species of night-blooming Sonoran Desert columnar cacti for up to eight years at one site in Mexico and one ... -
Species-specific defence responses facilitate conspecifics and inhibit heterospecifics in above-belowground herbivore interactions
(2014)Conspecific and heterospecific aboveground and belowground herbivores often occur together in nature and their interactions may determine community structure. Here we show how aboveground adults and belowground larvae of ... -
Timing of Favorable Conditions, Competition and Fertility Interact to Govern Recruitment of Invasive Chinese Tallow Tree in Stressful Environments
(2013-08-13)The rate of new exotic recruitment following removal of adult invaders (reinvasion pressure) influences restoration outcomes and costs but is highly variable and poorly understood. We hypothesize that broad variation in ... -
Total Synthesis of Viridicatumtoxin B and Analogues Thereof: Strategy Evolution, Structural Revision, and Biological Evaluation
(2014)The details of the total synthesis of viridicatumtoxin B (1) are described. Initial synthetic strategies toward this intriguing tetracycline antibiotic resulted in the development of key alkylation and Lewis acid-mediated ... -
Using scalar models for precautionary assessments of threatened species
(Blackwell Publishing, 2006-10)Scalar population models, commonly referred to as count-based models, are based on time-series data of population sizes and may be useful for screening-level ecological risk assessments when data for more complex models ... -
Whole Genome Sequencing of Mutation Accumulation Lines Reveals a Low Mutation Rate in the Social Amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum
(2012-10-08)Spontaneous mutations play a central role in evolution. Despite their importance, mutation rates are some of the most elusive parameters to measure in evolutionary biology. The combination of mutation accumulation (MA) ...
