Effects of diversity on thermal niche variation in bird communities under climate change.

Climate change alters ecological communities by affecting individual species and interactions between species. However, the impacts of climate change may be buffered by community diversity: diverse communities may be more resistant to climate-driven perturbations than simple communities. Here, we assess how diversity influences long-term thermal niche variation in communities under climate change.

Modeled distribution shifts of North American birds over four decades based on suitable climate alone do not predict observed shifts.

As climate change alters the global environment, it is critical to understand the relationship between shifting climate suitability and species distributions. Key questions include whether observed changes in population abundance are aligned with the velocity and direction of shifts predicted by climate suitability models and if the responses are consistent among species with similar ecological traits. We examined the direction and velocity of the observed abundance-based distribution centroids compared with the model-predicted bioclimatic distribution centroids of 250 bird species across the United States from 1969 to 2011.

Integrating data types to estimate spatial patterns of avian migration across the Western Hemisphere.

For many avian species, spatial migration patterns remain largely undescribed, especially across hemispheric extents. Recent advancements in tracking technologies and high-resolution species distribution models (i.e.

Unraveling a century of global change impacts on winter bird distributions in the eastern United States.

One of the most pressing questions in ecology and conservation centers on disentangling the relative impacts of concurrent global change drivers, climate and land-use/land-cover (LULC), on biodiversity. Yet studies that evaluate the effects of both drivers on species' winter distributions remain scarce, hampering our ability to develop full-annual-cycle conservation strategies. Additionally, understanding how groups of species differentially respond to climate versus LULC change is vital for efforts to enhance bird community resilience to future environmental change.

Interrelated impacts of climate and land-use change on a widespread waterbird.

Together climate and land-use change play a crucial role in determining species distribution and abundance, but measuring the simultaneous impacts of these processes on current and future population trajectories is challenging due to time lags, interactive effects and data limitations. Most approaches that relate multiple global change drivers to population changes have been based on occurrence or count data alone. We leveraged three long-term (1995-2019) datasets to develop a coupled integrated population model-Bayesian population viability analysis (IPM-BPVA) to project future survival and reproductive success for common loons Gavia immer in northern Wisconsin, USA, by explicitly linking vital rates to changes in climate and land use.

Wintering bird communities are tracking climate change faster than breeding communities.

Global climate change is driving species' distributions towards the poles and mountain tops during both non-breeding and breeding seasons, leading to changes in the composition of natural communities. However, the degree of season differences in climate-driven community shifts has not been thoroughly investigated at large spatial scales. We compared the rates of change in the community composition during both winter (non-breeding season) and summer (breeding) and their relation to temperature changes.

Effects of stewardship on protected area effectiveness for coastal birds.

Evaluation of protected area effectiveness is critical for conservation of biodiversity. Protected areas that prioritize biodiversity conservation are, optimally, located and managed in ways that support relatively large and stable or increasing wildlife populations. Yet evaluating conservation efficacy remains a challenging endeavor.

Lianas maintain insectivorous bird abundance and diversity in a neotropical forest.

The spatial habitat heterogeneity hypothesis posits that habitat complexity increases the abundance and diversity of species. In tropical forests, lianas add substantial habitat heterogeneity and complexity throughout the vertical forest profile, which may maintain animal abundance and diversity. The effects of lianas on tropical animal communities, however, remain poorly understood.

Community science validates climate suitability projections from ecological niche modeling.

Climate change poses an intensifying threat to many bird species and projections of future climate suitability provide insight into how species may shift their distributions in response. Climate suitability is characterized using ecological niche models (ENMs), which correlate species occurrence data with current environmental covariates and project future distributions using the modeled relationships together with climate predictions. Despite their widespread adoption, ENMs rely on several assumptions that are rarely validated in situ and can be highly sensitive to modeling decisions, precluding their reliability in conservation decision-making.

Spatio-temporal trends in crop damage inform recent climate-mediated expansion of a large boreal herbivore into an agro-ecosystem.

Large-scale climatic fluctuations have caused species range shifts. Moose (Alces alces) have expanded their range southward into agricultural areas previously not considered moose habitat. We found that moose expansion into agro-ecosystems is mediated by broad-scale climatic factors and access to high-quality forage (i.

Complex object motion represented by context-dependent correlated activity of visual interneurones.

Accurate and adaptive encoding of complex, dynamic visual information is critical for the survival of many animals. Studies across a range of taxa have investigated behavioral and neuronal responses to objects that represent a threat, such as a looming object approaching along a direct collision course. By investigating neural mechanisms of avoidance behaviors through recording multineuronal activity, it is possible to better understand how complex visual information is represented in circuits that ultimately drive behaviors.

GhERF-IIb3 regulates the accumulation of jasmonate and leads to enhanced cotton resistance to blight disease.

The phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivatives, collectively referred to as jasmonates, regulate many developmental processes, but are also involved in the response to numerous abiotic/biotic stresses. Thus far, powerful reverse genetic strategies employing perception, signalling or biosynthesis mutants have broadly contributed to our understanding of the role of JA in the plant stress response and development, as has the chemical gain-of-function approach based on exogenous application of the hormone. However, there is currently no method that allows for tightly controlled JA production in planta.

Bird and bat predation services in tropical forests and agroforestry landscapes.

Understanding distribution patterns and multitrophic interactions is critical for managing bat- and bird-mediated ecosystem services such as the suppression of pest and non-pest arthropods. Despite the ecological and economic importance of bats and birds in tropical forests, agroforestry systems, and agricultural systems mixed with natural forest, a systematic review of their impact is still missing. A growing number of bird and bat exclosure experiments has improved our knowledge allowing new conclusions regarding their roles in food webs and associated ecosystem services.

The face of conservation responding to a dynamically changing world.

In its 40-year history, the science of conservation has faced unprecedented challenges in terms of environmental damage and rapid global change, and environmental problems are only increasing as greater demands are placed on limited natural resources. Conservation science has been adapting to keep pace with these changes. Here, we highlight contemporary and emerging trends and innovations in conservation science that we believe represent the most effective responses to biodiversity threats.

Ecological and Landscape Drivers of Neonicotinoid Insecticide Detections and Concentrations in Canada's Prairie Wetlands.

Neonicotinoids are commonly used seed treatments on Canada's major prairie crops. Transported via surface and subsurface runoff into wetlands, their ultimate aquatic fate remains largely unknown. Biotic and abiotic wetland characteristics likely affect neonicotinoid presence and environmental persistence, but concentrations vary widely between wetlands that appear ecologically (e.

Latent cognitive effects from low-level polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in juvenile European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).

Ecotoxicology research on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixtures has focused principally on short-term effects on reproduction, growth, and other physiological endpoints. Latent cognitive effects from early life exposure to low-level PCBs were examined in an avian model, the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Thirty-six birds, divided equally among 4 treatment groups (control = 0 µg, low = 0.

Developmental Exposure to Aroclor 1254 Alters Migratory Behavior in Juvenile European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).

Birds exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals during development could be susceptible to neurological and other physiological changes affecting migratory behaviors. We investigated the effects of ecologically relevant levels of Aroclor 1254, a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixture, on moult, fattening, migratory activity, and orientation in juvenile European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Birds were orally administered 0 (control), 0.

The Multi-Resistant Reaction of Drought-Tolerant Coffee 'Conilon Clone 14' to Meloidogyne spp. and Late Hypersensitive-Like Response in Coffea canephora.

Root-knot nematodes (RKN), Meloidogyne spp., have major economic impact on coffee production in Central and South America. Genetic control of RKN constitutes an essential part for integrated pest management strategy.

Widespread use and frequent detection of neonicotinoid insecticides in wetlands of Canada's Prairie Pothole Region.

Neonicotinoids currently dominate the insecticide market as seed treatments on Canada's major Prairie crops (e.g., canola).

Breaking dogmas: the plant vascular pathogen Xanthomonas albilineans is able to invade non-vascular tissues despite its reduced genome.

Xanthomonas albilineans, the causal agent of sugarcane leaf scald, is missing the Hrp type III secretion system that is used by many Gram-negative bacteria to colonize their host. Until now, this pathogen was considered as strictly limited to the xylem of sugarcane. We used confocal laser scanning microscopy, immunocytochemistry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to investigate the localization of X.

High-Quality Draft Genome Sequences of Two Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum Strains.

We report high-quality draft genome sequences of two strains (race 18 and 20) of Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum, the causal agent of bacterial blight of cotton. Comparative genomics will help to decipher mechanisms provoking disease and triggering defense responses and to develop new molecular tools for epidemiological surveillance.

Molecular diversity and gene expression of cotton ERF transcription factors reveal that group IXa members are responsive to jasmonate, ethylene and Xanthomonas.

Several ethylene-response factor (ERF) transcription factors are believed to play a crucial role in the activation of plant defence responses, but little is known about the relationships between the diversity of this family and the functions of groups or individual ERFs in this process. In this study, 200 ERF genes from the unigene cotton database were identified. Conserved amino acid residues and phylogeny reconstruction using the AP2 conserved domain suggest that the classification into 10 major groups used for Arabidopsis and rice is applicable to the cotton ERF family.

A novel patatin-like protein from cotton plant, GhPat1, is co-expressed with GhLox1 during Xanthomonas campestris-mediated hypersensitive cell death.

In cotton plant, Xanthomonas-induced hypersensitive response (HR) is accompanied by a lipid peroxidation process involving a 9-lipoxygenase (LOX), GhLox1. Initiation of this oxidative metabolism implies the release of the LOX substrates, or polyunsaturated fatty acids. Since patatin-like proteins (PLPs) are likely candidates for mediating the latter step, we searched for genes encoding such enzymes, identified and cloned one of them that we named GhPat1.

Functional analysis of the metallothionein gene cgMT1 isolated from the actinorhizal tree Casuarina glauca.

cgMT1 is a metallothionein (MT)-like gene that was isolated from a cDNA library of young nitrogen-fixing nodules resulting from the symbiotic interaction between Frankia spp. and the actinorhizal tree Casuarina glauca. cgMT1 is highly transcribed in the lateral roots and nitrogen-fixing cells of actinorhizal nodules; it encodes a class I type 1 MT.