ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9634-2763
Current Organisations
IT University of Copenhagen
,
Lancaster University
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Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 11-05-2016
Abstract: Coral spawning times have been linked to multiple environmental factors however, to what extent these factors act as generalized cues across multiple species and large spatial scales is unknown. We used a unique dataset of coral spawning from 34 reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans to test if month of spawning and peak spawning month in assemblages of Acropora spp. can be predicted by sea surface temperature (SST), photosynthetically available radiation, wind speed, current speed, rainfall or sunset time. Contrary to the classic view that high mean SST initiates coral spawning, we found rapid increases in SST to be the best predictor in both cases (month of spawning: R 2 = 0.73, peak: R 2 = 0.62). Our findings suggest that a rapid increase in SST provides the dominant proximate cue for coral mass spawning over large geographical scales. We hypothesize that coral spawning is ultimately timed to ensure optimal fertilization success.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12132
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2016.01.003
Abstract: Dispersal is one of the key processes in shaping distributional ranges and community assemblages, but we know little about animal dispersal at the in idual, population, or community levels, or about how dispersal correlates with the establishment and colonization of new areas. This is largely due to difficulties in studying in idual movements at the relevant spatiotemporal scale, leading to a gap between the direct study of dispersal and our understanding of the build-up of larger-scale bio ersity. Recent advances in tracking technology make it possible to bridge this gap. We propose a way to link movement, dispersal, ecology, and biogeography. In particular, we offer a framework to scale-up from processes at the in idual level to global patterns of bio ersity.
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2009
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-05-2023
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13701
Abstract: Ecological refuges buffer organisms against stressors and mediate a range of species interactions. However, their role in the context of biological invasions has yet to be synthesized, despite the increasing prevalence and impact of non‐native species. To address this, we conducted a systematic review aiming to determine the extent to which refuges are considered explicitly in the invasion literature and to synthesize their function. Global. Present day. All. Our search of the literature was conducted using the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases and followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses (PRISMA) protocol. We obtained 315 records of refuge use in biological invasions from 300 studies. From each record, we extracted information relating to the experimental design, species characteristics and refuge type, where available. Refuges and refuge‐mediated processes are widely reported in the invasion literature. Native species commonly use refuges to avoid non‐native predation and competition, with spatial complexity and habitat heterogeneity key factors in facilitating their coexistence. Records show that artificial structures safeguard non‐natives in their introduced range. However, there were key differences in the use of such structures in marine and terrestrial environments. Moreover, the enhanced structural complexity created by non‐native plants and bivalves is often reported to act as a predation refuge for other species. The ubiquity of refuge‐based processes suggests that refuges can play an important role in affecting the persistence, spread and impacts of non‐native species, either through previously described mechanisms (i.e. refuge‐mediated apparent competition and the persistent pressure scenario) or through a mechanism we describe (i.e. when non‐native species use existing refuges), or both.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-04-2018
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.13242
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2019
DOI: 10.1002/ECS2.2645
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 13-04-2015
DOI: 10.3354/AB00627
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-08-2022
Abstract: The direct and indirect effects of climate change can affect, and are mediated by, changes in animal behaviour. However, we often lack sufficient empirical data to assess how large‐scale disturbances affect the behaviour of in iduals, which scales up to influence communities. Here, we investigate these patterns by focusing on the foraging behaviour of butterflyfishes, prominent coral‐feeding fishes on coral reefs, before and after a mass coral bleaching event in Iriomote, Japan. In response to 65% coral mortality, coral‐feeding fishes broadened their diets, showing a significant weakening of dietary preferences across species. Multiple species reduced their consumption of bleaching‐sensitive Acropora corals, while expanding their diets to consume a variety of other coral genera. This resulted in decreased dietary overlap among butterflyfishes. Behavioural changes in response to bleaching may increase resilience of coral reef fishes in the short term. However, coral mortality has reduced populations of coral‐feeders world‐wide, indicating the changes in feeding behaviour we document here may not be sufficient to ensure long‐term resilience of butterflyfishes on coral reefs.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-09-2016
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.02481
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 10-2022
DOI: 10.1136/BMJPO-2022-001657
Abstract: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric populations varied between high-income countries (HICs) versus low-income to middle-income countries (LMICs). We sought to investigate differences in paediatric clinical outcomes and identify factors contributing to disparity between countries. The International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium (ISARIC) COVID-19 database was queried to include children under 19 years of age admitted to hospital from January 2020 to April 2021 with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. Univariate and multivariable analysis of contributing factors for mortality were assessed by country group (HICs vs LMICs) as defined by the World Bank criteria. A total of 12 860 children (3819 from 21 HICs and 9041 from 15 LMICs) participated in this study. Of these, 8961 were laboratory-confirmed and 3899 suspected COVID-19 cases. About 52% of LMICs children were black, and more than 40% were infants and adolescent. Overall in-hospital mortality rate (95% CI) was 3.3% [=(3.0% to 3.6%), higher in LMICs than HICs (4.0% (3.6% to 4.4%) and 1.7% (1.3% to 2.1%), respectively). There were significant differences between country income groups in intervention profile, with higher use of antibiotics, antivirals, corticosteroids, prone positioning, high flow nasal cannula, non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation in HICs. Out of the 439 mechanically ventilated children, mortality occurred in 106 (24.1%) subjects, which was higher in LMICs than HICs (89 (43.6%) vs 17 (7.2%) respectively). Pre-existing infectious comorbidities (tuberculosis and HIV) and some complications (bacterial pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and myocarditis) were significantly higher in LMICs compared with HICs. On multivariable analysis, LMIC as country income group was associated with increased risk of mortality (adjusted HR 4.73 (3.16 to 7.10)). Mortality and morbidities were higher in LMICs than HICs, and it may be attributable to differences in patient demographics, complications and access to supportive and treatment modalities.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 21-04-2021
Abstract: A key goal of conservation is to protect bio ersity by supporting the long-term persistence of viable, natural populations of wild species. Conservation practice has long been guided by genetic, ecological and demographic indicators of risk. Emerging evidence of animal culture across erse taxa and its role as a driver of evolutionary ersification, population structure and demographic processes may be essential for augmenting these conventional conservation approaches and decision-making. Animal culture was the focus of a ground-breaking resolution under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an international treaty operating under the UN Environment Programme. Here, we synthesize existing evidence to demonstrate how social learning and animal culture interact with processes important to conservation management. Specifically, we explore how social learning might influence population viability and be an important resource in response to anthropogenic change, and provide ex les of how it can result in phenotypically distinct units with different, socially learnt behavioural strategies. While identifying culture and social learning can be challenging, indirect identification and parsimonious inferences may be informative. Finally, we identify relevant methodologies and provide a framework for viewing behavioural data through a cultural lens which might provide new insights for conservation management.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-03-2015
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.01437
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-12-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-03-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.7398
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-12-2011
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-09-2017
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12644
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2009
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-07-2009
Abstract: Taxonomic homogenization (TH) is the increasing similarity of the species composition of ecological communities over time. Such homogenization represents a form of bio ersity loss and can result from local species turnover. Evidence for TH is limited, reflecting a lack of suitable historical datasets, and previous analyses have generated contrasting conclusions. We present an analysis of woodland patches across a southern English county (Dorset) in which we quantified 70 years of change in the composition of vascular plant communities. We tested the hypotheses that over this time patches decreased in species richness, homogenized, or shifted towards novel communities. Although mean species richness at the patch scale did not change, we found increased similarity in species composition among woodlands over time. We concluded that the woodlands have undergone TH without experiencing declines in local ersity or shifts towards novel communities. Analysis of species characteristics suggested that these changes were not driven by non-native species invasions or climate change, but instead reflected reorganization of the native plant communities in response to eutrophication and increasingly shaded conditions. These analyses provide, to our knowledge, the first direct evidence of TH in the UK and highlight the potential importance of this phenomenon as a contributor to bio ersity loss.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2013
DOI: 10.1890/13-0361.1
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-08-2019
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.14109
Abstract: In this study, the inverted trophic hypothesis was tested in the freshwater fish communities of a reservoir. The distribution of fish species in three freshwater habitats in the Jurumirim Reservoir, Brazil, was examined using both species richness and the relative proportions of different trophic groups. These groups were used as a proxy for functional structure in an attempt to test the ability of these measures to assess fish ersity. Assemblage structures were first described using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). The influence of environmental conditions for multiple fish assemblage response variables (richness, total abundance and abundance per trophic group) was tested using generalised linear mixed models (GLMM). The metric typically employed to describe ersity that is, species richness, was not related to environmental conditions. However, absolute species abundance was relatively well explained with up to 54% of the variation in the observed data accounted for. Differences in the dominance of trophic groups were most apparent in response to the presence of introduced fish species: the iliophagous and piscivorous trophic groups were positively associated, while detritivores and herbivores were negatively associated, with the alien species. This suggests that monitoring functional ersity might be more valuable than species ersity for assessing effects of disturbances and managements policies on the fish community.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-03-2018
Abstract: How climate affects species distributions is a longstanding question receiving renewed interest owing to the need to predict the impacts of global warming on bio ersity. Is climate change forcing species to live near their critical thermal limits? Are these limits likely to change through natural selection? These and other important questions can be addressed with models relating geographical distributions of species with climate data, but inferences made with these models are highly contingent on non-climatic factors such as biotic interactions. Improved understanding of climate change effects on species will require extensive analysis of thermal physiological traits, but such data are both scarce and scattered. To overcome current limitations, we created the GlobTherm database. The database contains experimentally derived species’ thermal tolerance data currently comprising over 2,000 species of terrestrial, freshwater, intertidal and marine multicellular algae, plants, fungi, and animals. The GlobTherm database will be maintained and curated by iDiv with the aim to keep expanding it, and enable further investigations on the effects of climate on the distribution of life on Earth.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 04-01-2023
Abstract: Avoiding costly fights can help conserve energy needed to survive rapid environmental change. Competitor recognition processes help resolve contests without escalating to attack, yet we have limited understanding of how they are affected by resource depletion and potential effects on species coexistence. Using a mass coral mortality event as a natural experiment and 3770 field observations of butterflyfish encounters, we test how rapid resource depletion could disrupt recognition processes in butterflyfishes. Following resource loss, heterospecifics approached each other more closely before initiating aggression, fewer contests were resolved by signalling, and the energy invested in attacks was greater. By contrast, behaviour towards conspecifics did not change. As predicted by theory, conspecifics approached one another more closely and were more consistent in attack intensity yet, contrary to expectations, resolution of contests via signalling was more common among heterospecifics. Phylogenetic relatedness or body size did not predict these outcomes. Our results suggest that competitor recognition processes for heterospecifics became less accurate after mass coral mortality, which we hypothesize is due to altered resource overlaps following dietary shifts. Our work implies that competitor recognition is common among heterospecifics, and disruption of this system could lead to suboptimal decision-making, exacerbating sublethal impacts of food scarcity.
Publisher: Springer New York
Date: 2009
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-01-2013
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12035
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-01-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00265-022-03132-6
Abstract: Marine environments are subject to increasing disturbance events, and coral reef ecosystems are particularly vulnerable. During periods of environmental change, organisms respond initially through rapid behavioural modifications. Whilst mean population level modifications to behaviour are well documented, how these shifts vary between in iduals, and the relative trade-offs that are induced, are unknown. We test whether the frequency and time invested in different behaviours varies both between and within in iduals with varying resource availability. To do this, we quantify differences in four key behavioural categories (aggression, exploration, feeding and sociability) at two sites of different resource availability, using an obligate corallivore butterflyfish species ( Chaetodon lunulatus ). In iduals on a low resource site held larger territories, investing more time in exploration, which was traded off with less time invested on aggression, feeding and sociability. Repeatability measures indicated that behavioural differences between sites could plausibly be driven by both plasticity of behaviour within in iduals and habitat patchiness within feeding territories. By combining population-level means, co-correlation of different behaviours and in idual-level analyses, we reveal potential mechanisms behind behavioural variation in C. lunulatus due to differences in resource availability. Using observational methods, we identify differences in the behaviour of an obligate corallivorous butterflyfish ( Chaetodon lunulatus ) between a high and a low resource site. We use a combination of density surveys, territory mapping and behavioural observation methods in a comparative analysis to relate behaviour directly to the environment in which it occurs. Bringing together insights from game theory and optimal foraging, we also use our results to highlight how understanding the correlations of different behaviours can inform our understanding of the extent to which behaviours are plastic or fixed. Furthermore, by considering how multiple behaviours are correlated, we move away from exploring in idual behaviours in isolation and provide an in-depth insight into how differences in behaviour both between in iduals and at the population level can affect responses to declining resource availability.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2017.08.011
Abstract: Macroecology has traditionally relied on descriptive characterization of large-scale ecological patterns to offer narrative explanations for the origin and maintenance of those patterns. Only recently have macroecologists begun to employ models termed 'process-based' and 'mechanistic', in contrast to other areas of ecology, where such models have a longer history. Here, we define and differentiate between process-based and mechanistic features of models, and we identify and discuss important advantages of working with models possessing such features. We describe some of the risks associated with process-based and mechanistic model-centered research programs, and we propose ways to mitigate these risks. Giving process-based and mechanistic models a more central role in research programs can reinvigorate macroecology by strengthening the link between theory and data.
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Date: 06-08-2009
DOI: 10.3368/ER.27.3.257
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-01-2023
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-022-01931-8
Abstract: Human-induced environmental changes, such as the introduction of invasive species, are driving declines in the movement of nutrients across ecosystems with negative consequences for ecosystem function. Declines in nutrient inputs could thus have knock-on effects at higher trophic levels and broader ecological scales, yet these interconnections remain relatively unknown. Here we show that a terrestrial invasive species (black rats, Rattus rattus ) disrupts a nutrient pathway provided by seabirds, ultimately altering the territorial behaviour of coral reef fish. In a replicated ecosystem-scale natural experiment, we found that reef fish territories were larger and the time invested in aggression lower on reefs adjacent to rat-infested islands compared with rat-free islands. This response reflected changes in the economic defendability of lower-quality resources, with reef fish obtaining less nutritional gain per unit foraging effort adjacent to rat-infested islands with low seabird populations. These results provide a novel insight into how the disruption of nutrient flows by invasive species can affect variation in territorial behaviour. Rat eradication as a conservation strategy therefore has the potential to restore species interactions via territoriality, which can scale up to influence populations and communities at higher ecological levels.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-07-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-022-01812-0
Abstract: The bio ersity of marine and coastal habitats is experiencing unprecedented change. While there are well-known drivers of these changes, such as overexploitation, climate change and pollution, there are also relatively unknown emerging issues that are poorly understood or recognized that have potentially positive or negative impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems. In this inaugural Marine and Coastal Horizon Scan, we brought together 30 scientists, policymakers and practitioners with transdisciplinary expertise in marine and coastal systems to identify new issues that are likely to have a significant impact on the functioning and conservation of marine and coastal bio ersity over the next 5-10 years. Based on a modified Delphi voting process, the final 15 issues presented were distilled from a list of 75 submitted by participants at the start of the process. These issues are grouped into three categories: ecosystem impacts, for ex le the impact of wildfires and the effect of poleward migration on equatorial bio ersity resource exploitation, including an increase in the trade of fish swim bladders and increased exploitation of marine collagens and new technologies, such as soft robotics and new biodegradable products. Our early identification of these issues and their potential impacts on marine and coastal bio ersity will support scientists, conservationists, resource managers and policymakers to address the challenges facing marine ecosystems.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-08-2012
Abstract: The symposium ‘What is Macroecology?’ was held in London on 20 June 2012. The event was the inaugural meeting of the Macroecology Special Interest Group of the British Ecological Society and was attended by nearly 100 scientists from 11 countries. The meeting reviewed the recent development of the macroecological agenda. The key themes that emerged were a shift towards more explicit modelling of ecological processes, a growing synthesis across systems and scales, and new opportunities to apply macroecological concepts in other research fields.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-09-2021
DOI: 10.1111/OIK.08366
Abstract: Behavioural responses are often the first reaction of an organism to human‐induced rapid environmental change (HIREC), yet current empirical evidence provides no consensus about the main environmental features that animals respond to behaviourally or which behaviours are responsive to HIREC. To understand how changes in behaviour can be predicted by different forms of HIREC, we conducted a meta‐analysis of the existing empirical literature focusing on behavioural responses to five axes of environmental change (climate change, changes in CO 2 , direct human impact, changes in nutrients and biotic exchanges) in five behavioural domains (aggression, exploration, activity, boldness and sociability) across a range of taxa but with a focus on fish and bird species. Our meta‐analysis revealed a general absence of directional behavioural responses to HIREC. However, the absolute magnitude of the effect sizes was large. This means that animals have strong behavioural responses to HIREC, but the responses are not clearly in any particular direction. Moreover, the absolute magnitude of the effect sizes differed between different behaviours and different forms of HIREC: Exploration responded more strongly than activity, and climate change induced the strongest behavioural responses. Model heterogeneities identified that effect sizes varied primarily because of study design, and the specific s le of in iduals used in a study phylogeny also explains significant variation in our bird model. Based on these results, we make four recommendations to further our understanding: 1) a more balanced representation of laboratory and field studies, 2) consideration of context dependency, 3) standardisation of the methods and definitions used to quantify and study behaviours and 4) consideration of the role for in idual differences in behaviour.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-09-2019
Publisher: F1000 Research Ltd
Date: 12-03-2018
DOI: 10.12688/F1000RESEARCH.12660.2
Abstract: Coral bleaching can be induced by many different stressors, however, the most common cause of mass bleaching in the field is higher than average sea surface temperatures (SST). Here, we describe an unusual bleaching event that followed very calm sea conditions combined with higher than average SST. Patterns of mortality differed from typical bleaching in four ways: 1) mortality was very rapid 2) a different suite of species were most affected 3) tissue mortality in Acropora spp. was often restricted to the center of the colony 4) the event occurred early in summer. The two weeks prior to the event included 8 days where the average wind speed was less than 3 ms -1 . In addition, SSTs in the weeks preceding and during the event were 1.0-1.5°C higher than the mean for the last 30 years. We hypothesize that this unusual bleaching event was caused by anoxia resulting from a lack of water movement induced by low wind speeds combined with high SST.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-11-2012
Publisher: F1000 Research Ltd
Date: 22-09-2017
DOI: 10.12688/F1000RESEARCH.12660.1
Abstract: Coral bleaching can be induced by many different stressors, however, the most common cause of mass bleaching in the field is high sea temperatures (SST). Here, we describe an unusual bleaching event that followed very calm sea conditions combined with higher than average sea surface temperatures (SST). Patterns of mortality differed from typical thermal bleaching in four ways: 1) mortality was very rapid 2) the suite of species most affected was different 3) tissue mortality in Acropora spp. was often restricted to the center of the colony 4) the event occurred early in the summer. The two weeks prior to the event included 8 days where the average wind speed was less than 3 ms -1 . In addition, SSTs in the weeks preceding this event were 1.0-1.5°C higher than the mean for the last 30 years. We hypothesize that the lack of water movement induced by low wind speeds combined with high SST to cause colonies anoxic stress resulting in this unusual bleaching event.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-12-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.06301
Abstract: Assessing habitat loss effects on bio ersity is a major focus of ecological research. The relationship between habitat amount and bio ersity, postulated in the habitat amount hypothesis, is usually assessed at one point in time, which does not account for habitat loss as a temporal process. We examined habitat amount effects at two time periods, 1930s and 2010s, using plant data from three semi‐natural habitats: calcareous grassland, heathland and broadleaved woodland, across Dorset, southern England. Woodlands, which changed little in area over the time period, showed minimal effects of habitat amount on species occurrence in both time periods. For grassland and heathland, which had undergone severe losses over the study period, we found the expected positive relationship in the 2010s, but the relationship was negative for these habitats in the 1930s. We explored possible reasons for this result. Total perimeter‐to‐area ratio (TPAR) showed positive effects in the 1930s for grassland and heathland, suggesting effects of habitat configuration, specifically edge. However, TPAR was highly correlated with habitat amount so this finding is speculative. One possible explanation for the relationships with habitat amount, and the change between the two periods could be the quality of the surrounding matrix. In the 1930s, the landscape was less intensified and was dominated by semi‐natural habitats, whereas by the 2010s much had been converted to arable and intensive grasslands. We speculate that species could likely utilise the matrix to a greater degree in the 1930s compared with the 2010s when the matrix was more hostile, thereby decreasing the importance of habitat amount in the 1930s compared with the 2010s. These findings have important implications for conservation, as they show the importance of context (i.e. matrix quality) in determining the relationship between habitat amount and bio ersity.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-02-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-021-21263-8
Abstract: Understanding how species’ thermal limits have evolved across the tree of life is central to predicting species’ responses to climate change. Here, using experimentally-derived estimates of thermal tolerance limits for over 2000 terrestrial and aquatic species, we show that most of the variation in thermal tolerance can be attributed to a combination of adaptation to current climatic extremes, and the existence of evolutionary ‘attractors’ that reflect either boundaries or optima in thermal tolerance limits. Our results also reveal deep-time climate legacies in ectotherms, whereby orders that originated in cold paleoclimates have presently lower cold tolerance limits than those with warm thermal ancestry. Conversely, heat tolerance appears unrelated to climate ancestry. Cold tolerance has evolved more quickly than heat tolerance in endotherms and ectotherms. If the past tempo of evolution for upper thermal limits continues, adaptive responses in thermal limits will have limited potential to rescue the large majority of species given the unprecedented rate of contemporary climate change.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-03-2016
Abstract: Trait-based approaches advance ecological and evolutionary research because traits provide a strong link to an organism’s function and fitness. Trait-based research might lead to a deeper understanding of the functions of, and services provided by, ecosystems, thereby improving management, which is vital in the current era of rapid environmental change. Coral reef scientists have long collected trait data for corals however, these are difficult to access and often under-utilized in addressing large-scale questions. We present the Coral Trait Database initiative that aims to bring together physiological, morphological, ecological, phylogenetic and biogeographic trait information into a single repository. The database houses species- and in idual-level data from published field and experimental studies alongside contextual data that provide important framing for analyses. In this data descriptor, we release data for 56 traits for 1547 species, and present a collaborative platform on which other trait data are being actively federated. Our overall goal is for the Coral Trait Database to become an open-source, community-led data clearinghouse that accelerates coral reef research.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 08-03-2019
Abstract: Understanding the rich social lives of animals benefits international conservation efforts
Publisher: Figshare
Date: 2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-12-2019
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12861
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 10-2019
Abstract: Natural environmental gradients encompass systematic variation in abiotic factors that can be exploited to test competing explanations of bio ersity patterns. The species–energy (SE) hypothesis attempts to explain species richness gradients as a function of energy availability. However, limited empirical support for SE is often attributed to idiosyncratic, local-scale processes distorting the underlying SE relationship. Meanwhile, studies are also often confounded by factors such as s ling biases, dispersal boundaries and unclear definitions of energy availability. Here, we used spatially structured observations of 8460 colonies of photo-symbiotic reef-building corals and a null-model to test whether energy can explain observed coral species richness over depth. Species richness was left-skewed, hump-shaped and unrelated to energy availability. While local-scale processes were evident, their influence on species richness was insufficient to reconcile observations with model predictions. Therefore, energy availability, either in isolation or in combination with local deterministic processes, was unable to explain coral species richness across depth. Our results demonstrate that local-scale processes do not necessarily explain deviations in species richness from theoretical models, and that the use of idiosyncratic small-scale factors to explain large-scale ecological patterns requires the utmost caution.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-07-2013
Abstract: Species richness gradients are ubiquitous in nature, but the mechanisms that generate and maintain these patterns at macroecological scales remain unresolved. We use a new approach that focuses on overlapping geographical ranges of species to reveal that Indo-Pacific corals are assembled within 11 distinct faunal provinces. Province limits are characterized by co-occurrence of multiple species range boundaries. Unexpectedly, these faunal breaks are poorly predicted by contemporary environmental conditions and the present-day distribution of habitat. Instead, faunal breaks show striking concordance with geological features (tectonic plates and mantle plume tracks). The depth range over which a species occurs, its larval development rate and genus age are important determinants of the likelihood that species will straddle faunal breaks. Our findings indicate that historical processes, habitat heterogeneity and species colonization ability account for more of the present-day biogeographical patterns of corals than explanations based on the contemporary distribution of reefs or environmental conditions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2016.02.012
Abstract: Coral reefs are biologically erse and ecologically complex ecosystems constructed by stony corals. Despite decades of research, basic coral population biology and community ecology questions remain. Quantifying trait variation among species can help resolve these questions, but progress has been h ered by a paucity of trait data for the many, often rare, species and by a reliance on nonquantitative approaches. Therefore, we propose filling data gaps by prioritizing traits that are easy to measure, estimating key traits for species with missing data, and identifying 'supertraits' that capture a large amount of variation for a range of biological and ecological processes. Such an approach can accelerate our understanding of coral ecology and our ability to protect critically threatened global ecosystems.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-09-2011
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-10-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-12-2016
Abstract: Scientific Data 3:160017 doi: 10.1038/sdata.2016.17 (2016) Published 29 March 2016 Updated 5 December 2017. The authors regret that Aaron Harmer was omitted in error from the author list of the original version of this Data Descriptor. This omission has now been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.05344
Abstract: The extinction debt, delayed species extinctions following landscape degradation, is a widely discussed concept. But a consensus about the prevalence of extinctions debts is hindered by a multiplicity of methods and a lack of comparisons among habitats. We applied three contrasting species–area relationship methods to test for plant community extinction debts in three habitats which had different degradation histories over the last century: calcareous grassland, heathland and woodland. These methods differ in their data requirements, with the first two using information on past and current habitat area alongside current species richness, whilst the last method also requires data on past species richness. The most data‐intensive, and hence arguably most reliable method, identified extinction debts across all habitats for specialist species, whilst the other methods did not. All methods detected an extinction debt in calcareous grassland, which had undergone the most severe degradation. We conclude that some methods failed to detect an extinction debt, particularly in habitats that have undergone moderate degradation. Data on past species numbers are required for the most reliable method as such data are rare, extinction debts may be under‐reported.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Start Date: 2015
End Date: 2018
Funder: Villum Fonden
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2019
End Date: 2022
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council
View Funded Activity