SNAPSHOT USA 2021: A third coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States.

SNAPSHOT USA is a multicontributor, long-term camera trap survey designed to survey mammals across the United States. Participants are recruited through community networks and directly through a website application (https://www.snapshot-usa.

Fission-fusion dynamics in the social networks of a North American pitviper.

Many animal species exist in fission-fusion societies, where the size and composition of conspecific groups change spatially and temporally. To help investigate such phenomena, social network analysis (SNA) has emerged as a powerful conceptual and analytical framework for assessing patterns of interconnectedness and quantifying group-level interactions. We leveraged behavioral observations via radiotelemetry and genotypic data from a long-term (>10 years) study on the pitviper (western diamondback rattlesnake) and used SNA to quantify the first robust demonstration of social network structures for any free-living snake.

Mechanisms underlying interaction frequencies and robustness in a novel seed dispersal network: lessons for restoration.

As human-caused extinctions and invasions accumulate across the planet, understanding the processes governing ecological functions mediated by species interactions, and anticipating the effect of species loss on such functions become increasingly urgent. In seed dispersal networks, the mechanisms that influence interaction frequencies may also influence the capacity of a species to switch to alternative partners (rewiring), influencing network robustness. Studying seed dispersal interactions in novel ecosystems on O'ahu island, Hawai'i, we test whether the same mechanisms defining interaction frequencies can regulate rewiring and increase network robustness to simulated species extinctions.

Camera traps are an effective tool for monitoring insect-plant interactions.

Insect and pollinator populations are vitally important to the health of ecosystems, food production, and economic stability, but are declining worldwide. New, cheap, and simple monitoring methods are necessary to inform management actions and should be available to researchers around the world. Here, we evaluate the efficacy of a commercially available, close-focus automated camera trap to monitor insect-plant interactions and insect behavior.

SNAPSHOT USA 2020: A second coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Managing wildlife populations in the face of global change requires regular data on the abundance and distribution of wild animals, but acquiring these over appropriate spatial scales in a sustainable way has proven challenging. Here we present the data from Snapshot USA 2020, a second annual national mammal survey of the USA. This project involved 152 scientists setting camera traps in a standardized protocol at 1485 locations across 103 arrays in 43 states for a total of 52,710 trap-nights of survey effort.

SNAPSHOT USA 2019: a coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States.

With the accelerating pace of global change, it is imperative that we obtain rapid inventories of the status and distribution of wildlife for ecological inferences and conservation planning. To address this challenge, we launched the SNAPSHOT USA project, a collaborative survey of terrestrial wildlife populations using camera traps across the United States. For our first annual survey, we compiled data across all 50 states during a 14-week period (17 August-24 November of 2019).

Ecological correlates of species' roles in highly invaded seed dispersal networks.

Ecosystems with a mix of native and introduced species are increasing globally as extinction and introduction rates rise, resulting in novel species interactions. While species interactions are highly vulnerable to disturbance, little is known about the roles that introduced species play in novel interaction networks and what processes underlie such roles. Studying one of the most extreme cases of human-modified ecosystems, the island of O'ahu, Hawaii, we show that introduced species there shape the structure of seed dispersal networks to a greater extent than native species.

A review of conspecific attraction for habitat selection across taxa.

Many species across taxa select habitat based on conspecific presence, known as conspecific attraction. Studies that document conspecific attraction typically provide social information (i.e.

Ecomorphological relationships and invasion history of non-native terrestrial bird species on O'ahu, Hawai'i, suggest ecological fitting during novel community assembly.

The widespread introduction of species has created novel communities in many areas of the world. Since introduced species tend to have generalized ecologies and often lack shared evolutionary history with other species in their communities, it would be expected that the relationship between form and function (i.e.

Identification of Factors Affecting Predation Risk for Juvenile Turtles using 3D Printed Models.

Although it is widely accepted that juvenile turtles experience high levels of predation, such events are rarely observed, providing limited evidence regarding predator identities and how juvenile habitat selection and availability of sensory cues to predators affects predation risk. We placed three-dimensional printed models resembling juvenile box turtles ( ) across habitats commonly utilized by the species at three sites within their geographical range and monitored models with motion-triggered cameras. To explore how the presence or absence of visual and olfactory cues affected predator interactions with models, we employed a factorial design where models were either exposed or concealed and either did or did not have juvenile box turtle scent applied on them.

Rapid morphological change of nonnative frugivores on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu.

Novel ecosystems have become widespread created, in part, by the global spread of species. The nonnative species in these environments can be under intense evolutionary pressures that cause rapid morphological change, which can then influence species interactions. In Hawaii, much of the native frugivore community is extinct, replaced by nonnative bird species.

Structure, spatial dynamics, and stability of novel seed dispersal mutualistic networks in Hawaii.

Increasing rates of human-caused species invasions and extinctions may reshape communities and modify the structure, dynamics, and stability of species interactions. To investigate how such changes affect communities, we performed multiscale analyses of seed dispersal networks on O'ahu, Hawai'i. Networks consisted exclusively of novel interactions, were largely dominated by introduced species, and exhibited specialized and modular structure at local and regional scales, despite high interaction dissimilarity across communities.

Variation in individual temperature preferences, not behavioural fever, affects susceptibility to chytridiomycosis in amphibians.

The ability of wildlife populations to mount rapid responses to novel pathogens will be critical for mitigating the impacts of disease outbreaks in a changing climate. Field studies have documented that amphibians preferring warmer temperatures are less likely to be infected with the fungal pathogen (). However, it is unclear whether this phenomenon is driven by behavioural fever or natural variation in thermal preference.

An efficient and inexpensive method for measuring long-term thermoregulatory behavior.

Thermoregulatory ability and behavior influence organismal responses to their environment. By measuring thermal preferences, researchers can better understand the effects that temperature tolerances have on ecological and physiological responses to both biotic and abiotic stressors. However, because of funding limitations and confounders, measuring thermoregulation can often be difficult.

Do seasonal patterns of rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) and black racer (Coluber constrictor) activity predict avian nest predation?

Avian nest success often varies seasonally and because predation is the primary cause of nest failure, seasonal variation in predator activity has been hypothesized to explain seasonal variation in nest success. Despite the fact that nest predator communities are often diverse, recent evidence from studies of snakes that are nest predators has lent some support to the link between snake activity and nest predation. However, the strength of the relationship has varied among studies.

Use of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index as an Assessment Tool for Reptiles and Amphibians: Lessons Learned.

Climate change threatens biodiversity globally, yet it can be challenging to predict which species may be most vulnerable. Given the scope of the problem, it is imperative to rapidly assess vulnerability and identify actions to decrease risk. Although a variety of tools have been developed to assess climate change vulnerability, few have been evaluated with regard to their suitability for certain taxonomic groups.

Power lines, roads, and avian nest survival: effects on predator identity and predation intensity.

1 Anthropogenic alteration of landscapes can affect avian nest success by influencing the abundance, distribution, and behavior of predators. Understanding avian nest predation risk necessitates understanding how landscapes affect predator distribution and behavior. 2 From a sample of 463 nests of 17 songbird species, we evaluated how landscape features (distance to forest edge, unpaved roads, and power lines) influenced daily nest survival.

Latitudinal variation in seasonal activity and mortality in ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta).

The ecology of ectotherms should be particularly affected by latitude because so much of their biology is temperature dependent. Current latitudinal patterns should also be informative about how ectotherms will have to modify their behavior in response to climate change. We used data from a total of 175 adult black ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) radio-tracked in Ontario, Illinois, and Texas, a latitudinal distance of >1500 km, to test predictions about how seasonal patterns of activity and mortality should vary with latitude.

Linking snake behavior to nest predation in a Midwestern bird community.

Nest predators can adversely affect the viability of songbird populations, and their impact is exacerbated in fragmented habitats. Despite substantial research on this predator-prey interaction, however, almost all of the focus has been on the birds rather than their nest predators, thereby limiting our understanding of the factors that bring predators and nests into contact. We used radiotelemetry to document the activity of two snake species (rat snakes, Elaphe obsoleta; racers, Coluber constrictor) known to prey on nests in Midwestern bird communities and simultaneously monitored 300 songbird nests and tested the hypothesis that predation risk should increase for nests when snakes were more active and in edge habitat preferred by both snake species.

Prey-mediated effects of drought on condition and survival of a terrestrial snake.

Drought can have severe ecological effects and global climate-change theory predicts that droughts are likely to increase in frequency and severity. Therefore, it is important that we broaden our understanding of how drought affects not only individual species, but also multitrophic interactions. Here we document vegetation and small-mammal abundance and associated patterns of Texas ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta) body condition and survival before, during, and after a drought in central Texas, USA.