@article{ruzi_youngsteadt_cherveny_kettenbach_levenson_carley_collazo_irwin_2023, title={Bee species richness through time in an urbanizing landscape of the southeastern <scp>United States}, volume={30}, ISSN={1354-1013 1365-2486}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17060}, DOI={10.1111/gcb.17060}, abstractNote={AbstractCompared to non‐urban environments, cities host ecological communities with altered taxonomic diversity and functional trait composition. However, we know little about how these urban changes take shape over time. Using historical bee (Apoidea: Anthophila) museum specimens supplemented with online repositories and researcher collections, we investigated whether bee species richness tracked urban and human population growth over the past 118 years. We also determined which species were no longer collected, whether those species shared certain traits, and if collector behavior changed over time. We focused on Wake County, North Carolina, United States where human population size has increased over 16 times over the last century along with the urban area within its largest city, Raleigh, which has increased over four times. We estimated bee species richness with occupancy models, and rarefaction and extrapolation curves to account for imperfect detection and sample coverage. To determine if bee traits correlated with when species were collected, we compiled information on native status, nesting habits, diet breadth, and sociality. We used non‐metric multidimensional scaling to determine if individual collectors contributed different bee assemblages over time. In total, there were 328 species collected in Wake County. We found that although bee species richness varied, there was no clear trend in bee species richness over time. However, recent collections (since 2003) were missing 195 species, and there was a shift in trait composition, particularly lost species were below‐ground nesters. The top collectors in the dataset differed in how often they collected bee species, but this was not consistent between historic and contemporary time periods; some contemporary collectors grouped closer together than others, potentially due to focusing on urban habitats. Use of historical collections and complimentary analyses can fill knowledge gaps to help understand temporal patterns of species richness in taxonomic groups that may not have planned long‐term data.}, number={1}, journal={Global Change Biology}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Ruzi, Selina A. and Youngsteadt, Elsa and Cherveny, April Hamblin and Kettenbach, Jessica and Levenson, Hannah K. and Carley, Danesha Seth and Collazo, Jaime A. and Irwin, Rebecca E.}, year={2023}, month={Dec} }
 @article{drager_rivera_gibson_ruzi_hanisch_achury_suarez_2023, title={Testing the predictive value of functional traits in diverse ant communities}, volume={13}, ISSN={["2045-7758"]}, DOI={10.1002/ece3.10000}, abstractNote={AbstractAssociating morphological features with ecological traits is essential for understanding the connection between organisms and their roles in the environment. If applied successfully, functional trait approaches link form and function in an organism. However, functional trait data not associated with natural history information provide an incomplete picture of an organism's role in the ecosystem. Using data on the relative trophic position of 592 ant (Formicidae) samples comprising 393 species from 11 subfamilies and 19 widely distributed communities, we tested the extent to which commonly used functional proxies (i.e., morphometric traits) predict diet/trophic position as estimated from stable isotopes (δ15N). We chose ants as a group due to their ubiquity and abundance, as well as the wealth of available data on species traits and trophic levels. We measured 12 traits that have previously been identified as functionally significant, and corrected trait values for size and evolutionary history by using phylogenetically corrected trait residuals. Estimated trophic positions varied from 0.9 to 4.8 or roughly 4 trophic levels. Morphological data spanned nearly the entire size range seen in ants from the smallest (e.g., Strumigenys mitis total length 1.1 mm) to the largest species (e.g., Dinoponera australis total length 28.3 mm). We found overall body size, relative eye position, and scape length to be informative for predicting diet/trophic position in these communities, albeit with relatively weak predictive values. Specifically, trophic position was negatively correlated with body size and positively correlated with sensory traits (higher eye position and scape length). Our results suggest that functional trait‐based approaches can be informative but should be used with caution unless clear links between form and function have been established.}, number={4}, journal={ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION}, author={Drager, Kim I. and Rivera, Michael D. and Gibson, Joshua C. and Ruzi, Selina A. and Hanisch, Priscila E. and Achury, Rafael and Suarez, Andrew V.}, year={2023}, month={Apr} }
 @article{ruzi_suarez_2022, title={Seed fate in ant-mediated dispersal: Seed dispersal effectiveness in the Ectatomma ruidum (Formicidae)-Zanthoxylum ekmanii (Rutaceae) system}, ISSN={["1744-7429"]}, DOI={10.1111/btp.13098}, abstractNote={AbstractPlants are often dispersal limited relying on passive or active agents to find suitable microhabitats for germination. Seeds of pioneer tree species, for example, require light gaps for growth but have short median dispersal distances and often do not provide a food reward to encourage animal dispersal. Zanthoxylum ekmanii seeds are frequently moved by ants but evaluating the effectiveness of ant‐mediated seed removal requires knowledge of the species moving the seeds, how far they are moved, and the deposition site. To assess the effectiveness of ants as seed dispersers of Z. ekmanii, we utilized the seed dispersal effectiveness framework. We tracked the movement of seeds from caches on the forest floor, revealing that foragers of Ectatomma ruidum moved 32.8% of seeds an average first distance of 99.8 cm with 68.3% of those seeds taken into a colony. The quality of deposition location was assessed using a seedling emergence study where freshly germinated seeds were buried at different depths. Seedlings were primarily able to emerge from the shallowest depths. Wax castings of E. ruidum colonies demonstrated that seeds brought into the colony were deposited in chambers that had larvae present and experienced more damage than seeds unhandled by ants. Foragers, however, did not have a strong enough bite force to rupture Z. ekmanii seeds likely because their muscle morphology is not structured to maximize force generation. Overall, E. ruidum may help fine tune deposition location, incorporating seeds into the topsoil, though few seeds will likely emerge if soil bioturbation is low.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material}, journal={BIOTROPICA}, author={Ruzi, Selina A. and Suarez, Andrew V}, year={2022}, month={Apr} }
 @article{ruzi_zalamea_roche_achury_dalling_suarez_2021, title={Can variation in seed removal patterns of Neotropical pioneer tree species be explained by local ant community composition?}, ISBN={1744-7429}, DOI={10.1111/btp.12904}, abstractNote={AbstractMany plants depend on animals for seed dispersal, and ants commonly fill this role. We examined whether heterogeneity in ant community composition among sites, between above‐ and belowground foraging guilds, or between seasons predicts observed variation in seed removal rates for 12 nonmyrmecochorous Neotropical pioneer tree species on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We also investigated whether ants associated with removing seeds differed in specific morphological characters from the larger ant community. We observed ant–seed interactions at caches to determine which ants removed seeds of 12 tree species. We also sampled ant community composition by placing 315 pitfall traps and 160 subterranean traps across the five sites where seed removal rates were quantified. Aboveground ant community composition varied by site but not season. Among‐site variation in ant composition did not predict seed removal patterns at these same sites. Belowground ant communities differed from aboveground ant communities but were not structured by either site or seed cache type. Finally, ants that removed seeds did not differ morphologically from the broader ant community. Overall, our results suggest ant communities vary over relatively small spatial scales but exhibit a high degree of functional redundancy in terms of seed removal services provided for Neotropical pioneer tree species.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.}, journal={BIOTROPICA}, author={Ruzi, Selina A. and Zalamea, Paul-Camilo and Roche, Daniel P. and Achury, Rafael and Dalling, James W. and Suarez, Andrew V.}, year={2021} }
 @article{ruzi_lee_smith_2021, title={Testing how different narrative perspectives achieve communication objectives and goals in online natural science videos}, volume={16}, ISSN={["1932-6203"]}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0257866}, abstractNote={Communication of science through online media has become a primary means of disseminating and connecting science with a public audience. However, online media can come in many forms and stories of scientific discovery can be told by many individuals. We tested whether the relationship of a spokesperson to the science story being told (i.e., the narrative perspective) influences how people react and respond to online science media. We created five video stimuli that fell into three treatments: a scientist presenting their own research (male or female), a third-party summarizing research (male or female), and an infographic-like video with no on-screen presenter. Each of these videos presented the same fabricated science story about the discovery of a new ant species (Formicidae). We used Qualtrics to administer and obtain survey responses from 515 participants (~100 per video). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the videos and after viewing the stimulus answered questions assessing their perceptions of the video (trustworthiness and enjoyment), the spokesperson (trustworthiness and competence), scientists in general (competence and warmth), and attitudes towards the research topic and funding. Participants were also asked to recall what they had seen and heard. We determined that when participants watched a video in which a scientist presented their own research, participants perceived the spokesperson as having more expertise than a third-party presenter, and as more trustworthy and having more expertise than the no-spokesperson stimuli. Viewing a scientist presenting their own work also humanized the research, with participants more often including a person in their answer to the recall question. Overall, manipulating the narrative perspective of the source of a single online video communication effort is effective at impacting immediate objective outcomes related to spokesperson perceptions, but whether those objectives can positively influence long-term goals requires more investigation.}, number={10}, journal={PLOS ONE}, author={Ruzi, Selina A. and Lee, Nicole M. and Smith, Adrian A.}, year={2021}, month={Oct} }