Category: evolutionary ecology

evolutionary ecology

Fitness effects of symbiotic relationships between arthropod predators: synergy in a three-way spider symbiosis

Po Peng, Devi Stuart-Fox, Yong-Chao Su, Yuki G. Baba, Mark A. Elgar This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Symbioses, where individuals of different species live together, are among the more intriguing relationships between organisms. Much of our understanding of symbioses comes from studies of symbiotic relationships between two species, but symbioses frequently involve multiple … Continue reading Fitness effects of symbiotic relationships between arthropod predators: synergy in a three-way spider symbiosis

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evolutionary ecology

Does urban warming constrain spider’s body size?

Valentin Cabon, Hervé Quénol, Benoît Deletre, Louis Copin, Vincent Dubreuil, Benjamin Bergerot This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. In cities, the climate varies from the countryside to the centre, with temperature inside the city often higher on average, a phenomenon called the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Temperature variations at the scale of an … Continue reading Does urban warming constrain spider’s body size?

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evolutionary ecology

Acclimating to warm temperatures is costly for reproduction in copepods with high thermal limits

Samuel N Bogan, Olivia I Porat, Michael J Meneses, and Gretchen E Hofmann This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Cold-blooded animals (ectotherms) can withstand stressfully warm temperatures by possessing either (i) a high thermal limit below which they can maintain normal biological functions or (ii) an ability to increase that limit by acclimating to … Continue reading Acclimating to warm temperatures is costly for reproduction in copepods with high thermal limits

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evolutionary ecology

High temperatures increase the nutrient demands for a small aquatic plant

Graydon J. Gillies, Amy L. Angert, Takuji Usui This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. To persist, species must confront competitors that require the same resources. When two competitors are growing in an environment where a certain resource is scarce, the competitor that is able to maintain a growing population with less of that limiting … Continue reading High temperatures increase the nutrient demands for a small aquatic plant

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evolutionary ecology

Fish consider their own age and sex when integrating maternal, paternal, caring parent and own environmental experience for the adjustment of their defenses

Denis Meuthen, Douglas P. Chivers, Maud C. O. Ferrari This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Through an ability called phenotypic plasticity, individuals can adjust their physical composition to match their environment. In this context, it has long been known that they can also consider the parental environment for their adjustment. However, environments can vary … Continue reading Fish consider their own age and sex when integrating maternal, paternal, caring parent and own environmental experience for the adjustment of their defenses

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evolutionary ecology

Head and body shape differ according to the soil type the lizards dig in.

Vinicius Anelli, Melissa Bars-Closel, Anthony Herrel, Tiana Kohlsdorf This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Lizards inhabit a wide array of environments around the globe, from the high canopy of rainforests to dunes in dry sunny deserts. Many lizards exhibit remarkable adaptations to their preferred habitat, and some species even became specialized in living in … Continue reading Head and body shape differ according to the soil type the lizards dig in.

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evolutionary ecology

The evolution of positive allometry and exaggerated traits in a diverse beetle clade

Christina J. Painting, Matthew R. E. Symonds, Gregory I. Holwell This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here Animal weapons such as horns and spines capture our attention as exaggerated, bizarre and often unwieldy-looking structures. A common feature of animal weapons is that they scale disproportionately with body size, such that larger-bodied individuals have relatively larger … Continue reading The evolution of positive allometry and exaggerated traits in a diverse beetle clade

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evolutionary ecology, Reviews

Vertebrate bone content and its impact on ecosystems

Emily M. May, Rana W. El-Sabaawi This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here.   Bone is an important part of the vertebrate body, serving fundamental roles in structure, support, locomotion, and mineral storage as well as more specialized roles in reproduction (e.g. antlers) and defence (e.g. bony spines). In addition to these within-organism roles, bone can … Continue reading Vertebrate bone content and its impact on ecosystems

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evolutionary ecology

Blessing or a Curse?

Paternal Intergenerational Plasticity in the Plant Species Paeonia ostii  Keliang Zhang, Yusong Ji, Linjun Yao, Huina Liu, Yin Zhang, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Lei Zhang, Chaohan Xu, Jun Tao, Andreas Prinzing This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here.   Inter- or transgenerational plasticity (ITGP) is a phenomenon in which the environment experienced by parents influences … Continue reading Blessing or a Curse?

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evolutionary ecology, Translated Summaries

Evolution of Flower Colour on Islands (including Spanish version)

Cristina Rodríguez-Sambruno, Eduardo Narbona, José Carlos del Valle, Alfredo Valido This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here.   Many insular plants have flower traits to attract birds (e.g., red-orange petals), but these islands are not inhabited (now or in the past) by specialised nectarivorous birds such as hummingbirds and sunbirds (i.e., specialist pollinators). On the contrary, … Continue reading Evolution of Flower Colour on Islands (including Spanish version)

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