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Konsumenci nasion jako waĆŒny element hipotezy biotycznej odpornoĆci w ograniczaniu rozprzestrzeniania siÄ obcych i inwazyjnych gatunkĂłw roĆlin
City layers: Vertical stratification of wild bees and the structure of urban ecological resilience
Leveraging social media and other online data to study animal behavior
The widespread sharing of information on the Internet has given rise to ecological studies that use data from digital sources including digitized museum records and social media posts. Most of these studies have focused on understanding species occurrences and distributions. In this essay, we argue that data from digital sources also offer many opportunities to study animal behavior including long-term and large-scale comparisons within and between species. Following Nikko Tinbergenâs classical roadmap for behavioral investigation, we show how using videos, photos, text, and audio posted on social media and other digital platforms can shed new light on known behaviors, particularly in a changing world, and lead to the discovery of new ones.
Age, brood fate, and territory quality affect nest-site fidelity in white stork Ciconia ciconia
Abstract Background A particular type of site fidelity is faithfulness to the nest site, where birds are not only reoccupying breeding territories but also reusing nests built in previous breeding seasons. Staying faithful to the nest site is believed to be an adaptive strategy, and based on the ability to predict an individual's own breeding success, a hypothesis of âwin-stay:loose-switchâ was proposed. In this study, we aimed to resolve which factors affect the nest-site fidelity of white stork Ciconia ciconia, species known for reusing nests available in the breeding sites. Basing on ring recoveries from 31 years of studies in Western and Southern Poland, we analysed the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on nest-site fidelity. Results We found that increasing age and breeding success (i.e. producing any fledglings or not) increased the probability of reusing the nest, but in the oldest individuals, the probability decreased. In turn, the probability of breeding success increased with age, the increasing number of reproductive events on the particular nest, and the presence on the nest in the previous year. However, the oldest individuals had lower probability of success, as the relationship was curvilinear. The number of fledglings, however, was influenced only by an individual's age. The number of reproductive events on the nest was, in turn, affected by age, with the youngest and oldest individuals using the current nest for the least number of years. Conclusions Our study shows that the decision process of whether to stay faithful to the nest or switch is based on the experience from the previous breeding event, consistently with the âwin-stay:loose-switchâ hypothesis. Our results also show that site fidelity benefits white storks, as the probability of breeding success increases if the nest is reused. Results also show the senescence effect that lowers breeding success and site fidelity probabilities.
European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum) will expand its geographic range as a result of climate warming
Abstract Climate change is an important driver of the spread of apiary pests and honeybee predators. These impact on one of the economically most important pollinators and thus pose serious threats to the functioning of both natural ecosystems and crops. We investigated the impact of the predicted climate change in the periods 2040â2060 and 2060â2080 on the potential distribution of the European beewolf Philanthus triangulum, a specialized honeybee predator. We modelled its potential distribution using the MaxEnt method based on contemporary occurrence data and bioclimatic variables. Our model had an overall good performance (AUCâ=â0.864) and the threshold of occurrence probability, assessed as the point with the highest sum of sensitivity and specificity, was at 0.533. Annual temperature range (69.5%), mean temperature in the warmest quarter (12.4%), and precipitation in the warmest quarter (7.9%) were the principal bioclimatic variables significantly affecting the potential distribution of the European beewolf. We predicted the potential distribution shifts within two scenarios (optimistic RPC4.5 and pessimistic RCP8.5) and three Global Circulation Models (HadGEM2-ES, IPSL-CM5A-LR, and MPI-SM-LR). Both optimistic and pessimistic scenarios showed that climate change will significantly increase the availability of European beewolf potential niches. Losses of potential niches will only affect small areas in southern Europe. Most of the anticipated changes for the period 2060â2080 will already have occurred in 2040â2060. The predicted range expansion of European beewolf suggests that occurrence and abundance of this species should be monitored.
Unused railway lines as a contributor to bird abundance, species richness and diversity in intensively managed farmland
Maternal cafeteria diet adversely affects the reproductive parameters of rat offspring in a sex-specific manner
Among the trees: shade promotes the growth and higher survival of juvenile toads
getation, including trees, significantly shapes microhabitats for amphibians due to the leaf litter input, providing stable shelter, creating a microclimate or indirectly through trophic interactions. It is known that some species can survive in a highly modified urban environment. Species associated with open space can find stable habitats in urban and human-transformed areas, but is the impact of shading (presence of canopy cover) significant in their case? We focus on the effect of solar exposure on the growth rate of juvenile green toads Bufotes viridis in fruit and canopy manipulation treatments. The main aim of the study was to examine the selected habitat traits promoting post-metamorphic growth of the green toad in semi-open enclosures. We investigated differences between exposure/land cover variants, i.e., sunny site (open area with direct solar exposure) and shadow site (shady site with a tree canopy cover). Using imitation fruits and real cherry plum Prunus cerasifera fruits (non-native tree species), we checked whethÂer amphibian growth is related to the additional structure that fruit lying on the ground created (a more heterogeneous surface structure) or to a trophic character (additional food source due to attracting inverÂtebrates). We conducted a 40-day rearing experiment in three variants with two replications in semi-open enclosures with 20 juvenile toads each. We found differences in snout-vent length and body mass index inÂvestigated due to site exposure during post-metamorphic growth. The survival rate of juvenile toads in the shaded site was higher than in sunny sites. We demonstrated a positive effect of the treeâs shade, regardless of the fleshy fruitâs presence on the ground. Toads benefit from developing at sites with reduced solar exÂposure (i.e., with a tree canopy), resulting in intensive growth and higher survival rate. Thus, there is an opportunity for planners and urban authorities to manage habitats for amphibian conservation purposes by creating a shaded zone, even for open habitat species, especially in transformed areas such as cities. Our results indicate that the beneficial effect of the lying fruit on the growth of juveniles is limited to specific conditions, and understanding this requires further research.
Sown wildflower meadows: Can they replace natural meadows in urban spaces for bees, butterflies and hoverflies?
Abstract The decline in pollinator populations is partly due to human practices that have contributed to the loss of wild and flowerârich habitats. In cities, especially city centres, urban green spaces, which are usually small, are often sown with wildflower meadows. The study compared the number and species richness of three main groups of pollinating insects (wild bees, butterflies and hoverflies) for two types of meadows in Warsaw: sown wildflower meadows and the natural meadows. The research results showed that there was no difference in the composition of insectâpollinated plants between the meadow types. There was also no difference between the meadow types concerning the species richness of butterflies, bees and hoverflies. However, it was confirmed that the number of butterflies was twice as high in natural meadows than it was in sown floral meadows, while in the case of wild bees and hoverflies, no such differences were found. The study confirmed that areas sown with wildflowers, usually of small area, concentrate pollinating insects and have a similar value for pollinators as larger areas of natural meadow. Sown wildflower meadows, if properly cared for, can ensure the richness of melliferous plant species and thus positively affect the diversity and number of pollinators. Sown meadows can compensate insects for the absence of large, natural meadows, especially in the fragmented spaces in cities.
Loranthus europaeus - A New Challenge for Silviculture and Protection of Deciduous Stands in Poland?
Applying Bipartite Network Analysis and Ordination Technique to Evaluate Long-Term Data from VeterinaryâSanitary Examination of Slaughtered Pigs
Animal and meat inspections in abattoirs are important in the surveillance of zoonotic diseases. Veterinary inspections in abattoirs can provide useful data for the management of health and welfare issues of humans and animals. Using the network analysis and ordination technique, in this study, we analyzed the data from 11 years of veterinary inspections in pig slaughterhouses from 16 regions in Poland. Based on the huge data set of 80,187,639 cases of diseases and welfare issues of pigs, the most frequent livestock diseases were identified to be abscesses, soiling, faecal or other contaminations, and congestions, which together accounted for 77.6% of the total condemnations. Spatial and temporal differences in swine diseases between the Polish regions were recognized using the above-mentioned statistical approaches. Moreover, with the use of a quite novel method, not used yet in preventive veterinary medicine, called a heatmap, the most problematic disease and welfare issues in each region in Poland were identified. The use of statistical approaches such as network analysis and ordination technique allow for identification of the health and welfare issues in slaughterhouses when dealing with long-term inspection data based on a very large number of cases, and then have to be adopted in current veterinary medicine.
Intra- and interspecific pollen morphology variation of invasive Reynoutria taxa (Polygonaceae) in their response to different habitat conditions
Although understanding the relationship between the reproductive mode and mass-dispersal potential of plants is crucial for studying invasion phenomena, the morphological features of invasive speciesâ pollen are not well understood. This study examined the pollen morphology and variability of three Reynoutria (knotweed) taxa (R. japonica, R. sachalinensis, R. Ă bohemica) invasive in Europe, and their reaction to different habitat conditions within seven distinguished habitat types. The pollen was sourced from 95 sites from the taxaâs invasive range in Central Europe. In total, 2850 pollen grains were measured and analysed for 11 quantitative and qualitative features. The pollen of R. sachalinensis was distinguished from that of the other two taxa (reticulate perforate) based on its rugulate and fossulate perforate exine ornamentation. The pollenâs response to various habitat conditions, which was most marked in R. Ă bohemica, was reflected by pollen size and exine thickness. Our research indicates that pollen availability is not a limiting factor for the sexual reproduction of knotweeds in Central Europe, including Reynoutria japonica, long considered male sterile. The observed presence of male-fertile specimens of R. japonica may enhance the efficiency of generative reproduction in this species throughout its invaded ranges. This finding should be considered when planning actions to control the population of these transformer plant species.
The extended avian urban phenotype: anthropogenic solid waste pollution, nest design, and fitness
Seed mass and seed resources â testing the defense trade-off hypothesis in woody plants
Physical and chemical defenses of seeds are essential for plant survival and reproduction. By protecting their seeds from herbivores and other threats, plants can ensure that their offspring have a betÂter chance of surviving and growing into adult plants. Plant seed-size variation can affect their ability to allocate defense resources and nutrients. Smaller seeds tend to contain fewer resources and are likely to be more constrained in resource allocation to defense or to nutrient supply for the germinating seedling than larger seeds. In this study, we hypothesized that (1) the trade-off between physical and chemical defenses and reserve materials (in this study TNC content) in seeds is related to the allocation of those resources to seeds, 2) the direction of allocation of these resources is mediated by seed size. Based on seeds of 77 woody plant species collected in the KĂłrnik Arboretum located in western Poland, we measured several physical and chemical seed traits: seed mass, total phenols, tannin content, crude fiber, lignin content, and total non-structural carbohydrates. We revealed that chemical defense (phenol content) and total non-structural carbohydrates increased with seed mass, whereas physical defense (fiber content) had the opposite effect. We found that the trade-off between physical and chemical defense in plants was often mediated by seed size.
Unused railway lines for conservation of pollinators in the intensively managed agricultural landscape
Predicting parasitic plants Loranthus Europaeus range shifts in response to climate change
Abstract Climate change significantly influences the distribution of parasitic species, posing threats to ecosystems and economies. This study examines the potential range expansion of Loranthus europaeus, a parasitic plant impacting European forestry. We assessed the impact of predicted climate change for 2041â2060 and 2061â2080 using MaxEnt modeling based on current occurrence data of L. europaeus, and the main host plant genus oak Quercus, as well as bioclimatic variables. Our model demonstrated high predictive accuracy (AUCâ=â0.92). The most important variables for Europe range were range of Quercus genus. Key environmental factors included isothermality (bio3) and mean temperature of wettest quarter (bio8). Under SSP126 and SSP245 scenarios, our results predict significant range expansions into northern and eastern Europe, with increases of 43.5% and 53.9% by 2041â2060. Conversely, southern Europe may see contractions of 16.4â20.6%. Projections for 2061â2080 indicate further expansions up to 65.8% in northern Europe, alongside contractions up to 29.8% in southern regions, including Turkey and Greece.These shifts highlight the influence of climate change on L. europaeus distribution and underscore the need for adaptive management strategies to mitigate potential ecological and economic impacts.
