Species simultaneously compete with and facilitate one another. Size can mediate transitions along this competition-facilitation continuum, but the consequences for demography are unclear. We orthogonally manipulated the size of a focal species, and the size and density of a heterospecific neighbour, in the field using a model marine system. We then parameterised a size-structured population model with our experimental data. We found that heterospecific size and density interactively altered the population dynamics of the focal species. Size determined whether heterospecifics facilitated (when small) or competed with (when large) the focal species, while density strengthened these interactions. Such size-mediated interactions also altered the pace of the focal's life history. We provide the first demonstration that size and density mediate competition and facilitation from a population dynamical perspective. We suspect such effects are ubiquitous, but currently underappreciated. We reiterate classic cautions against inferences about competitive hierarchies made in the absence of size-specific data.
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Sci Rep
January 2025
PV Unit, Solar and Space Research Department, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Helwan, Cairo, Egypt.
The inadequate thermal insulation of the building envelope contributes significantly to the high power consumption of air conditioners in houses. A crucial factor in raising a building's energy efficiency involves utilizing bricks with high thermal resistance. This issue is accompanied by another critical challenge: recycling and disposing of waste in a way that is both economically and environmentally beneficial, including using it to fuel industrial growth, in order to reduce the harmful effects of waste on the environment as waste generation in our societies grows.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2025
Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales SA2 8PP, United Kingdom.
Large herbivores are in decline in much of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa, and true apex carnivores like the lion () decline in parallel with their prey. As a consequence, competitively subordinate carnivores like the African wild dog () are simultaneously experiencing a costly reduction in resources and a beneficial reduction in dominant competitors. The net effect is not intuitively obvious, but wild dogs' density, survival, and reproduction are all low in areas that are strongly affected by prey depletion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources (Chongqing University), Chongqing 400044, China.
Investigating how the size of carbon support pores influences the three-phase interface of platinum (Pt) particles in fuel cells is essential for enhancing catalyst utilization. This study employed molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculation to examine the effects of mesoporous carbon support size, specifically its pore diameter, on Nafion ionomer distribution, as well as on proton and gas/liquid transport channels, and the utilization of Pt active sites. The findings show that when Pt particles are located within the pores of carbon support (Pt/PC), there is a significant enhancement in the spatial distribution of Nafion ionomer, along with a reduction in encapsulation around the Pt particles, compared to when Pt particles are positioned on the surface or in excessively large pores of the carbon support.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemphyschem
January 2025
Western University, Chemistry, 1151 Richmond St, N6A5B7, London, CANADA.
Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have emerged as promising materials for electrochemiluminescence (ECL) applications due to their unique optical and electronic properties. In this study, GQDs were synthesized via electrochemical exfoliation of graphite in a constant current density mode, enabling scalable production with controlled size and surface functionalization. GQDs-4 and GQDs-20, synthesized at applied current densities of 4 mA/cm2 and 20 mA/cm2 to the graphite electrode, respectively, were investigated on roles of surface states and exciplex dominated aggregation-induced emission (AIE) in their ECL performance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOecologia
January 2025
Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
Immigration and emigration are key demographic processes of animal population dynamics. However, we have limited knowledge on how fine-scale movement varies over space and time. We developed a Bayesian integrated population model using individual mark-recapture and count data to characterize fine-scale movement of stream fish at 20-m resolution in a 740-m study area every two months for 28 months.
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