Moving ecological tree-ring big data forwards: Limitations, data integration, and multidisciplinarity.

In recent years, tree-ring databases have emerged as a remarkable resource for ecological research, allowing us to address ecological questions at unprecedented temporal and spatial scales. However, concerns regarding big tree-ring data limitations and risks have also surfaced, leading to questions about their potential to be representative of long-term forest responses. Here, we highlight three paths of action to improve on tree-ring databases in ecology: 1) Implementing consistent bias analyses in large dendroecological databases and promoting community-driven data to address data limitations, 2) Encouraging the integration of tree-ring data with other ecological datasets, and 3) Promoting theory-driven, mechanistic dendroecological research.

An early cladoxylopsid with complex vascular architecture: Paracladoxylon kespekianum gen. et sp. nov. from the Lower Devonian (Emsian) of Quebec, Canada.

Premise: Cladoxylopsids, one of the first lineages with complex organization to rise from the plexus of structurally simple plants that comprised the earliest euphyllophyte floras, are moniliformopsid euphyllophytes. They formed Earth's earliest forests by the Middle Devonian and are thought to have given rise to the equisetopsids and probably some fern lineages. The Lower Devonian (Emsian) Battery Point Formation (Quebec, Canada) contains previously unrecognized cladoxylopsids preserved anatomically.

Skeletal labyrinth morphology of four species of living elasmobranchs.

Despite detailed descriptions of cranial anatomy in representatives of most major chondrichthyan groups, the inner ear has been described infrequently and most often from the soft tissue of the membranous labyrinth. However, skeletal labyrinth morphology has been linked with ecology in several groups of vertebrates, and shark skeletal labyrinths bear several specializations for detecting low frequency sounds. Without description of these structures across a broad sample of taxa, future exploration of the ecomorphology of ear shape is not possible.

The effect of forward postural lean on running economy, kinematics, and muscle activation.

Background: Running economy, commonly defined as the metabolic energy demand for a given submaximal running speed, is strongly associated with distance running performance. It is commonly believed among running coaches and runners that running with increased forward postural lean either from the ankle or waist improves running economy. However, recent biomechanical research suggests using a large forward postural lean during running may impair running economy due to increased demand on the leg muscles.

Incumbency and self-uncertainty: when prototypical leaders lose their advantage.

Research on how uncertainty affects the preference for prototypical over non-prototypical leaders has produced mixed results. To understand these discrepancies, two studies explored leader status (prospective versus incumbent) as a potential moderator. Participants reported levels of self-uncertainty (Study 1) or were primed with high versus low self-uncertainty (Study 2) before evaluating a prototypical or non-prototypical leadership candidate who was incumbent or prospective.

Plant periderm as a continuum in structural organisation: a tracheophyte-wide survey and hypotheses on evolution.

Periderm is a well-known structural feature with vital roles in protection of inner plant tissues and wound healing. Despite its importance to plant survival, knowledge of periderm occurrences outside the seed plants is limited and the evolutionary origins of periderm remain poorly explored. Here, we review the current knowledge of the taxonomic distribution of periderm in its two main forms - canonical periderm (periderm formed as a typical ontogenetic stage) and wound periderm (periderm produced as a self-repair mechanism) - with a focus on major plant lineages, living and extinct.

Evolution of secondary growth: have pattern, got process? A commentary on 'Molecular phylogeny of Urvillea (Paullinieae, Sapindaceae) and its implications in stem vascular diversity'.

This article comments on: Israel L. Cunha Neto, Yanã C. Rizzieri, Pablo A.

Macrophage phenotype transitions in a stochastic gene-regulatory network model.

Polarization is the process by which a macrophage cell commits to a phenotype based on external signal stimulation. To know how this process is affected by random fluctuations and events within a cell is of utmost importance to better understand the underlying dynamics and predict possible phenotype transitions. For this purpose, we develop a stochastic modeling approach for the macrophage polarization process.

Dating the evolution of the complex thalloid liverworts (Marchantiopsida): total-evidence dating analysis supports a Late Silurian-Early Devonian origin and post-Mesozoic morphological stasis.

Divergence times based on molecular clock analyses often differ from those derived from total-evidence dating (TED) approaches. For bryophytes, fossils have been excluded from previous assessments of divergence times, and thus, their utility in dating analyses remains unexplored. Here, we conduct the first TED analyses of the complex thalloid liverworts (Marchantiopsida) that include fossils and evaluate macroevolutionary trends in morphological 'diversity' (disparity) and rates.

Mosaic assembly of regulatory programs for vascular cambial growth: a view from the Early Devonian.

Evidence for secondary growth extends into the Early Devonian, 407 million years ago, raising questions about tempo and mode of origination of this key developmental feature. To address such questions, we analyze anatomy in the four oldest fossil plants with well-characterized woody tissues; one of these represents a new genus, described here formally. The new fossil is documented using the cellulose acetate peel technique and associated methods.

Group size and mating system predict sex differences in vocal fundamental frequency in anthropoid primates.

Vocalizations differ substantially between the sexes in many primates, and low-frequency male vocalizations may be favored by sexual selection because they intimidate rivals and/or attract mates. Sexual dimorphism in fundamental frequency may be more pronounced in species with more intense male mating competition and in those with large group size, where social knowledge is limited and efficient judgment of potential mates and competitors is crucial. These non-mutually exclusive explanations have not been tested simultaneously across primate species.

Northern spotted owl nesting habitat under high potential wildfire threats along the California Coastal Redwood Forest.

Large and severe wildfires, exacerbated by climate change and human behavior, are occurring more frequently in many forests across the western United States. While wildfire is a natural part of most terrestrial ecosystems, rapidly changing fire regimes have the potential to alter habitat beyond the adaptive capabilities of species. Spatial assessments of wildfire risks to species habitat may allow managers to pinpoint locations for management activities.

Complex wound response mechanisms and phellogen evolution - insights from Early Devonian euphyllophytes.

We analyze the oldest fossil occurrences of wound-response periderm to characterize the development of wound responses in early tracheophytes. The origin of periderm production by a cambium (phellogen), an innovation with key roles in protection of inner plant tissues, is poorly explored; understanding periderm development in early tracheophytes can illuminate key aspects of this process. Anatomy of wound-response tissues is characterized in serial sections in a new Early Devonian (Emsian; c.

Genotype accounts for intraspecific variation in the timing and duration of multiple, sequential life-cycle events in a willow species.

Premise: Phenological variation among individuals within populations is common and has a variety of ecological and evolutionary consequences, including forming the basis for population-level responses to environmental change. Although the timing of life-cycle events has genetic underpinnings, whether intraspecific variation in the duration of life-cycle events reflects genetic differences among individuals is poorly understood.

Methods: We used a common garden experiment with 10 genotypes of Salix hookeriana (coastal willow) from northern California, United States to investigate the extent to which genetic variation explains intraspecific variation in the timing and duration of multiple, sequential life-cycle events: flowering, leaf budbreak, leaf expansion, fruiting, and fall leaf coloration.

A wicked environmental challenge: collaboration network for free-ranging dog management in an urban environment.

Invasive species possess wide-ranging social and ecological impacts globally. Although the ecological impacts are well studied, social aspects especially in developing countries are often poorly understood. Free-ranging dogs (FRDs) (Canis familiaris) are the most abundant carnivore on earth with a high level of invasion.

An early snapshot of plant-herbivore interactions: Psilophyton diakanthon sp. nov. from the Early Devonian of Gaspé (Quebec, Canada).

Premise: Trimerophytes are a plexus of early tracheophytes that form the base of the euphyllophyte clade and, thus, represent the link between the earliest land plants and modern-day ferns, sphenophytes, and seed plants. As the best-characterized trimerophyte, the genus Psilophyton occupies a key position in the euphyllophyte fossil record. We describe a new Psilophyton species that has implications for the evolution of plant-animal interactions.

Deep origin and gradual evolution of transporting tissues: Perspectives from across the land plants.

The evolution of transporting tissues was an important innovation in terrestrial plants that allowed them to adapt to almost all nonaquatic environments. These tissues consist of water-conducting cells and food-conducting cells and bridge plant-soil and plant-air interfaces over long distances. The largest group of land plants, representing about 95% of all known plant species, is associated with morphologically complex transporting tissue in plants with a range of additional traits.

A protoxylem pathway to evolution of pith? An hypothesis based on the Early Devonian euphyllophyte Leptocentroxyla.

Background And Aims: The Early Devonian (Emsian, 400-395 Ma) tracheophyte Leptocentroxyla tetrarcha Bickner et Tomescu emend. Tomescu et McQueen combines plesiomorphic Psilophyton-type tracheid thickenings with xylem architecture intermediate between the plesiomorphic basal euphyllophyte haplosteles and the complex actinosteles of Middle Devonian euphyllophytes. We document xylem development in Leptocentroxyla based on anatomy and explore its implications, which may provide a window into the evolution of pith.

The role of paleontological data in bryophyte systematics.

Systematics reconstructs tempo and mode in biological evolution by resolving the phylogenetic fabric of biodiversity. The staggering duration and complexity of evolution, coupled with loss of information (extinction), render exhaustive reconstruction of the evolutionary history of life unattainable. Instead, we sample its products-phenotypes and genotypes-to generate phylogenetic hypotheses, which we sequentially reassess and update against new data.