Effects of Livestock Grazing on Spatiotemporal Interactions Between Snow Leopards and Ungulate Prey.

Spatiotemporal interactions between predators and prey are central to maintaining sustainable functioning ecosystems and community stability. For wild ungulates and their predators, livestock grazing is an important anthropogenic disturbance causing population declines and modifying their interactions over time and space. However, it is poorly understood how fine-scale grazing affects the spatiotemporal responses of predators, prey, and their interactions.

Chromosome-level genome of Osmia excavata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) provides insights into low-temperature tolerance of Osmia pollinator.

The solitary bee Osmia excavata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) is a key pollinator managed on a large scale. It has been widely used for commercial pollination of fruit trees, vegetables, and other crops with high efficiency in increasing the crop seeding rate, yield, and seed quality in Northern hemisphere. Here, a high-quality chromosome-level genome of O.

Temporal niche partitioning among sympatric wild and domestic ungulates between warm and cold seasons.

The coexistence of sympatric species with similar ecological niches has been a central issue in ecology. Clarifying the daily activity patterns of sympatric wild ungulates can help understand their temporal niche differentiation and the mechanisms of coexistence, providing information for their conservation. The Baotianman National Nature Reserve in northern China is rich in wild ungulates, but little is known about the daily activity patterns of wild ungulates in the area, making it difficult to develop effective conservation strategies.

Stability and Assembly Mechanisms of Butterfly Communities across Environmental Gradients of a Subtropical Mountain.

Mountain ecosystems harbor evolutionarily unique and exceptionally rich biodiversity, particularly in insects. In this study, we characterized the diversity, community stability, and assembly mechanisms of butterflies on a subtropical mountain in the Chebaling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, China, using grid-based monitoring across the entire region for two years. The results showed that species richness, abundance, and Faith's phylogenetic diversity decreased with increasing elevation; taxonomic diversity played a considerable role in mediating the effects of environmental changes on stability.

Disentangling spatiotemporal dynamics in metacommunities through a species-patch network approach.

Colonization and extinction at local and regional scales, and gains and losses of patches are important processes in the spatiotemporal dynamics of metacommunities. However, analytical challenges remain in quantifying such spatiotemporal dynamics when species extinction-colonization and patch gain and loss processes act simultaneously. Recent advances in network analysis show great potential in disentangling the roles of colonization, extinction, and patch dynamics in metacommunities.

Fine-Scale Interactions between Leopard Cats and Their Potential Prey with Contrasting Diel Activities in a Livestock-Dominated Nature Reserve.

Habitat use and the temporal activities of wildlife can be largely modified by livestock encroachment. Therefore, identifying the potential impacts of livestock on the predator-prey interactions could provide essential information for wildlife conservation and management. From May to October 2017, we used camera trapping technology to investigate fine-scale spatiotemporal interactions in a predator-prey system with the leopard cat () as a common mesopredator, and its prey with contrasting activity patterns (i.

Identification of bovine coronavirus in a Daurian ground squirrel expands the host range of Betacoronavirus 1.

• BCoV DTA28 was identified in a Daurian ground squirrel () in China. • BCoV DTA28 might have emerged through a spillover event from cattle to the rodent. • This is the first report of BCoV in rodents, highlighting the complexity of animal reservoirs for betacoronaviruses.

Dual ecological functions of scatter-hoarding rodents: pollinators and seed dispersers of Mucuna sempervirens (Fabaceae).

Double mutualism, that is, pollination and seed dispersal of the same plant species mediated by the same animal partners, is important but remains elusive in nature. Recently, rodent species were found as key pollinators (i.e.

An intercontinental comparison of insect seed predation between introduced and native oaks.

Novel interactions between introduced oaks and their natural enemies across different continents provide an opportunity to test the enemy release hypothesis (ERH) at local and global scales. Based on the ERH, we assessed the impacts of native seed-feeding insects on introduced and native oaks within and among continents. We combined a common-garden experiment in China and biogeographic literature surveys to measure seed predation by insects and the proportion of acorn embryos surviving after insect infestation among 4 oak species with different geographical origins: Quercus mongolica origin from China, Q.

Palatability and profitability of co-occurring seeds alter indirect interactions among rodent-dispersed trees.

Beyond direct species interactions, seed dispersal is potentially affected by indirect seed-seed interactions among co-occurring nut-bearing trees which are mediated by scatter-hoarding animals as shared seed dispersers. A relevant question in such systems is to what extent different functional traits related to food palatability and profitability affect the kinds of indirect interactions that occur among co-occurring seeds, and the consequences for seed dispersal. We used field experiments to track seed dispersal with individually tagged seeds in both monospecific and mixed seed communities.

The functional roles of species in metacommunities, as revealed by metanetwork analyses of bird-plant frugivory networks.

Understanding how biodiversity and interaction networks change across environmental gradients is a major challenge in ecology. We integrated metacommunity and metanetwork perspectives to test species' functional roles in bird-plant frugivory interactions in a fragmented forest landscape in Southwest China, with consequences for seed dispersal. Availability of fruit resources both on and under trees created vertical feeding stratification for frugivorous birds.

Activity Rhythms of Coexisting Red Serow and Chinese Serow at Mt. Gaoligong as Identified by Camera Traps.

Surveying the activity rhythms of sympatric herbivorous mammals is essential for understanding their niche ecology, especially for how they partition resources and their mechanisms of coexistence. Over a five-year period, we conducted infrared camera-trapping to monitor the activity rhythms of coexisting red serow ( ) and Chinese serow ( ) in the remote mountainous region of Pianma, Mt. Gaoligong, Yunnan, China.

How seed defense and seed abundance predict dispersal and survival patterns in Camellia.

Little is known about how seed defense and seed abundance interact with behavioral responses of seed dispersers to predict dispersal and survival dynamics in animal-dispersed plants. By tracking the fate of individual seeds in Camellia stands with high and low seed abundance in Southwest China in 2007, we investigated the dispersal and survival of 2 high-saponin Camellia species (Camellia oleifera and Camellia sinensis and 1 non-saponin species (peanut Arachis hypogaea) as a control. Saponins in Camellia seeds are chemical compounds that act as seed defense.

Endozoochory of frugivorous birds as potential dispersal of seed parasites from Pistacia chinesis: experimental evidence.

The plant-disperser-fruit pest triads involve 3 interacting animals or groups (plants, vertebrates and seed parasites), and the dispersal of both seeds and seed parasites, which can both benefit from endozoochory via defecation or regurgitation by frugivorous vertebrates. However, we have very limited knowledge about the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these plant-disperser-fruit pest triads. Across central Northern China, several seed wasps (mainly Eurytoma plotnikov attack Pistacia chinensis fruits, and seed wasp larvae can develop, diapause and finally emerge as adults inside a seed during the following 1-3 years.

Gut region influences the diversity and interactions of bacterial communities in pikas (Ochotona curzoniae and Ochotona daurica).

The mammalian microbial communities in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) play important roles in host nutrition and health. However, we still lack an understanding of how these communities are organized across GIT in natural environments. Here, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we analyzed the bacterial community diversity, network interactions and ecosystem stability across five gut regions (mouth, stomach, small intestine, cecum and colon) emanating from two common pika species in China, including Plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) inhabiting high-altitude regions, as well as Daurian pikas (O.

Seed-predator satiation and Janzen-Connell effects vary with spatial scales for seed-feeding insects.

Background And Aims: The Janzen-Connell model predicts that common species suffer high seed predation from specialized natural enemies as a function of distance from parent trees, and consequently as a function of conspecific density, whereas the predator satiation hypothesis predicts that seed attack is reduced due to predator satiation at high seed densities. Pre-dispersal predation by insects was studied while seeds are still on parent trees, which represents a frequently overlooked stage in which seed predation occurs.

Methods: Reproductive tree density and seed production were investigated from ten Quercus serrata populations located in south-west China, quantifying density-dependent pre-dispersal seed predation over two years by three insect groups.

Diet Diversity Is Associated with Beta but not Alpha Diversity of Pika Gut Microbiota.

Wild mammals often consume different food sources as they become geographical available. This change in diet composition is likely to influence the gut microbial community, yet it remains unclear what the relationship looks like-particularly in small herbivores-under natural conditions. We used DNA sequencing approaches to characterize the diet composition and gut microbial community of wild plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) collected from three altitudes.

Evemphyron sinense, a new genus and species infesting legume seedpods in China (Coleoptera, Attelabidae, Rhynchitinae).

A new genus Evemphyron Alonso-Zarazaga, Lv & Wang, gen. n., belonging to Attelabidae Rhynchitinae, is described.

Contrasting patterns of short-term indirect seed-seed interactions mediated by scatter-hoarding rodents.

It is well known that direct effects of seed predators or dispersers can have strong effects on seedling establishment. However, we have limited knowledge about the indirect species interactions between seeds of different species that are mediated by shared seed predators and/or dispersers and their consequences for plant demography and diversity. Because scatter-hoarding rodents as seed dispersers may leave some hoarded seeds uneaten, scatter hoarding may serve to increase seed survival and dispersal.

Trait-mediated seed predation, dispersal and survival among frugivore-dispersed plants in a fragmented subtropical forest, Southwest China.

By tracking the fate of individual seeds from 6 frugivore-dispersed plants with contrasting seed traits in a fragmented subtropical forest in Southwest China, we explored how rodent seed predation and hoarding were influenced by seed traits such as seed size, seed coat hardness and seed profitability. Post-dispersal seed fates varied significantly among the 6 seed species and 3 patterns were witnessed: large-seeded species with a hard seed coat (i.e.

Scatter-hoarding rodents as secondary seed dispersers of a frugivore-dispersed tree Scleropyrum wallichianum in a defaunated Xishuangbanna tropical forest, China.

Local extinction or population decline of large frugivorous vertebrates as primary seed dispersers, caused by human disturbance and habitat change, might lead to dispersal limitation of many large-seeded fruit trees. However, it is not known whether or not scatter-hoarding rodents as secondary seed dispersers can help maintain natural regeneration (e.g.

High regeneration capacity helps tropical seeds to counter rodent predation.

Rapid germination of non-dormant seeds is one adaptation plants have evolved to counter seed predation by rodents. Some rodent species have evolved behaviors that prevent or slow the seed germination process through seed embryo removal or seed pruning; however, no plant species is known to have successfully escaped embryo removal or seed pruning by rodents. Here, we report that the non-dormant seeds of Pittosporopsis kerrii Craib in tropical rain forests in China have a high regeneration capacity to counter seed pruning by rodents.

Effects of burrow condition and seed handling time on hoarding strategies of Edward's long-tailed rat (Leopoldamys edwardsi).

Many hoarding rodents use burrows not only for dwelling and protection from natural enemies, but also for food storage. However, little is known how burrows used by scatter-hoarding animals influence their foraging behaviors. In addition, handling time for a given food item has a fundamental impact on hoarding strategies of these hoarding animals: food items with longer handling time are more likely to be hoarded due to increasing predation risk because the animals spend more time outside their burrows if they consumed such food.

Hoarding decisions by Edward's long-tailed rats (Leopoldamys edwardsi) and South China field mice (Apodemus draco): the responses to seed size and germination schedule in acorns.

Co-varying traits in acorns such as seed size and germination schedule are important to influence the behavioural decisions of hoarding rodents. Using acorn pairs from cork oak (Quercus variabilis) (large size and short germination schedules) serrate oak (Q. serrata) (small size and short germination schedule) and qinggang (Cyclobalanopsis glauca) (small size and long germination schedule) with contrasting seed size and germination schedule, we conducted a series of experiments to investigate hoarding preferences in response to seed size and germination schedule by Edward's long-tailed rats (Leopoldamys edwardsi) and South China field mice (Apodemus draco) in semi-natural enclosures.