TY - JOUR TI - Reproductive biology of a narrowly endemic swallow, Tachycineta swallow in dry, seasonal forest in coastal Peru AU - Stager, M. AU - Lopresti, E. AU - Angulo Pratalungo, F. AU - Ardia, D.R. AU - Caceres, D. AU - Cooper, C.B. AU - Iñigo-Elias, E. AU - Molina, J. AU - Taylor, N. AU - Winkler, D.W. T2 - Ornitologia Neotropical DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// VL - 23 SP - 95–112 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Links and Distinctions Among Citizenship, Science, and Citizen Science. A Reponse to "The Future of Citizen Science." AU - Cooper, C.B. T2 - Democracy & Education DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// VL - 20 IS - 2 SP - 13 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Data AU - Cooper, C.B. T2 - Scientific American DA - 2012/7/3/ PY - 2012/7/3/ PB - Scientific American UR - https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-data/ ER - TY - BLOG TI - Retro Science, part 1 AU - Cooper, C.B. T2 - Scientific American DA - 2012/8/23/ PY - 2012/8/23/ UR - https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/retro-science-part-1/ ER - TY - BLOG TI - Stone Soup for Thanksgiving: Understanding bird disease through citizen science AU - Cooper, C.B. T2 - Scientific American DA - 2012/11/21/ PY - 2012/11/21/ PB - Scientific American UR - https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/stone-soup-for-thanksgiving-understanding-bird-disease-through-citizen-science/ ER - TY - BLOG TI - Ho: Ho: Ho:, Merry Hypotheses! The gift of creativity in citizen science AU - Cooper, C.B. T2 - PLOS CitizenSci blog DA - 2012/12/24/ PY - 2012/12/24/ PB - PLOS UR - https://web.archive.org/web/20170909100905/http://blogs.plos.org/citizensci/2012/12/24/ho-ho-ho-merry-hypotheses-the-gift-of-creativity-in-citizen-science/ ER - TY - BLOG TI - Researcher’s Perspective: A Citizen Science fix for data junkies AU - Cooper, C.B. T2 - PLOS Citizen Sci blog DA - 2012/12/12/ PY - 2012/12/12/ UR - https://web.archive.org/web/20160309183433/http://blogs.plos.org/citizensci/2012/12/12/researchers-perspective-a-citizen-science-fix-for-data-junkies/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Data validation in citizen science: a case study from Project FeederWatch AU - Bonter, David N AU - Cooper, Caren B T2 - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment AB - To become more widely accepted as a valuable research tool, citizen‐science projects must find ways to ensure that data gathered by large numbers of people with varying levels of expertise are of consistently high quality. Here, we describe a data validation protocol developed for Project FeederWatch, a continent‐wide bird monitoring program, that is designed to increase researchers' and participants' confidence in the data being collected. DA - 2012/8// PY - 2012/8// DO - 10.1890/110273 VL - 10 IS - 6 SP - 305-307 J2 - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment LA - en OP - SN - 1540-9295 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/110273 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Clock gene variation in Tachycineta swallows AU - Dor, Roi AU - Cooper, Caren B. AU - Lovette, Irby J. AU - Massoni, Viviana AU - Bulit, Flor AU - Liljesthrom, Marcela AU - Winkler, David W. T2 - Ecology and Evolution AB - Many animals use photoperiod cues to synchronize reproduction with environmental conditions and thereby improve their reproductive success. The circadian clock, which creates endogenous behavioral and physiological rhythms typically entrained to photoperiod, is well characterized at the molecular level. Recent work provided evidence for an association between Clock poly-Q length polymorphism and latitude and, within a population, an association with the date of laying and the length of the incubation period. Despite relatively high overall breeding synchrony, the timing of clutch initiation has a large impact on the fitness of swallows in the genus Tachycineta. We compared length polymorphism in the Clock poly-Q region among five populations from five different Tachycineta species that breed across a hemisphere-wide latitudinal gradient (Fig. 1). Clock poly-Q variation was not associated with latitude; however, there was an association between Clock poly-Q allele diversity and the degree of clutch size decline within breeding seasons. We did not find evidence for an association between Clock poly-Q variation and date of clutch initiation in for any of the five Tachycineta species, nor did we found a relationship between incubation duration and Clock genotype. Thus, there is no general association between latitude, breeding phenology, and Clock polymorphism in this clade of closely related birds.Figure 1Photos of Tachycineta swallows that were used in this study: A) T. bicolor from Ithaca, New York, B) T. leucorrhoa from Chascomús, Argentina, C) T. albilinea from Hill Bank, Belize, D) T. meyeni from Puerto Varas, Chile, and E) T. thalassina from Mono Lake, California, Photographers: B: Valentina Ferretti; A, C-E: David Winkler. DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// DO - 10.1002/ece3.73 VL - 2 IS - 1 SP - 95–105 SN - 2045-7758 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73 KW - Circadian KW - Clock KW - polyglutamine KW - Tachycineta KW - time of breeding KW - tree swallow ER - TY - JOUR TI - Clutch Investment in the Chilean Swallow (Tachycineta meyeni) Shifts with Time of Breeding and Position in the Sequence of Laying AU - Liljesthröm, M. AU - Cooper, C. AU - Reboreda, J.C. T2 - The Condor AB - Within a population, the sizes of eggs and clutches vary, and the combination of both determines a female's reproductive investment. We investigated females' investment in clutches of the Chilean Swallow (Tachycineta meyeni) at the southern limit of its range, where it breeds in an extreme climate. We analyzed variation in clutch, egg and yolk size in relation to the female's condition, date of laying, and position in the sequence of laying. As predicted by energy/nutrient constraints, clutch size and yolk size decreased over the breeding season, though egg mass increased. Females' investment strategy differed with clutch size: their investment in eggs increased with each successive egg in clutches of 4 and 5 eggs but decreased with each successive egg in clutches of 3 eggs. Eggs that were heavier for their size were more likely to hatch than eggs light for their size. Females may make a strategic decision, with high investment in eggs laid early resulting in a short sequence (small clutch) and delayed investment resulting in a long sequence (large clutch). Alternatively, the shift in clutch investment may simply be a consequence of physiology. Better estimates of female body condition are needed for these options to be distinguished. DA - 2012/5// PY - 2012/5// DO - 10.1525/cond.2012.110142 VL - 114 IS - 2 SP - 377–384 SN - 0010-5422 1938-5129 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/cond.2012.110142 KW - egg size KW - laying order KW - clutch size KW - reproductive investment KW - Tachycineta meyeni ER - TY - JOUR TI - Natural History Traits Associated with Detecting Mortality Within Residential Bird Communities: Can Citizen Science Provide Insights? AU - Cooper, Caren Beth AU - Loyd, Kerrie Anne Therese AU - Murante, Tessa AU - Savoca, Matthew AU - Dickinson, Janis T2 - Environmental Management DA - 2012/5/9/ PY - 2012/5/9/ DO - 10.1007/s00267-012-9866-x VL - 50 IS - 1 SP - 11-20 J2 - Environmental Management LA - en OP - SN - 0364-152X 1432-1009 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9866-x DB - Crossref KW - Domestic cat KW - Predator-prey interactions KW - Urbanization KW - Birdfeeders KW - "My Yard Counts" KW - "PredatorWatch" ER - TY - CONF TI - Between Scientists & Citizens: Assessing Expertise In Policy Controversies T2 - 2nd Iowa State University Summer Symposium on Science Communication A2 - Goodwin, Jean C2 - 2012/// CY - Iowa State University, Ames, IA DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/6/1/ PB - Great Plains Society for the Study of Argumentation and the Science Communication at Iowa State University Project ER - TY - JOUR TI - Why an old foe simply won't go away AU - Dunn, Rob T2 - New Scientist DA - 2012/7// PY - 2012/7// DO - 10.1016/S0262-4079(12)61897-1 VL - 215 IS - 2874 SP - 52 J2 - New Scientist LA - en OP - SN - 0262-4079 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0262-4079(12)61897-1 DB - Crossref ER - TY - BLOG TI - Dragging Humanity Up the Shining Hills of a GIS Map to Create a Virtuous Planetary Superorganism: A Review of The Neighborhood Project AU - Katti, Madhusudan T2 - Scientific American Blog DA - 2012/8/17/ PY - 2012/8/17/ PB - Scientific American UR - https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/dragging-humanity-up-the-shining-hills-of-a-gis-map-to-create-a-virtuous-planetary-superorganism-a-review-of-the-neighborhood-project/ ER - TY - CONF TI - Human influences on species interactions in urban communities: Insights from the LTER and ULTRA-Ex networks AU - Warren, Paige S. AU - Lerman, Susannah B. AU - Nilon, Charles H. AU - Katti, Madhusudan AU - Strohbach, Michael AU - Danford, Rachel AU - Adler, Lynn S. AU - Irwin, Rebecca E. T2 - 97th ESA Annual Convention 2012 C2 - 2012/8// DA - 2012/8// ER - TY - CHAP TI - The Opportunities and Challenges of Citizen Science as a Tool for Ecological Research AU - Cooper, Caren B. AU - Hochachka, Wesley M. AU - Dhondt, André A. T2 - Citizen Science AB - This chapter discusses the opportunities and challenges of citizen science as a tool for undertaking ecological research. Before assessing the potential for large-scale citizen science to advance our understanding of ecological systems, the chapter considers the types of ecological research questions for which the scale (extent and resolution) of data from citizen science is particularly suitable. It then provides examples that illustrate how citizen science data can elucidate some of the processes relating to ecology, such as the underlying patterns of an organism's distribution and abundance as well as its life history and behavior. It also outlines research considerations that must be taken into account when designing (or continuing) citizen science projects. PY - 2012/3/16/ DO - 10.7591/cornell/9780801449116.003.0007 SP - 99-113 OP - PB - Cornell University Press SN - 9780801449116 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.7591/cornell/9780801449116.003.0007 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Mastering Natural Selection to Shape a Human Superorganism AU - Katti, Madhusudan T2 - BioScience DA - 2012/8// PY - 2012/8// DO - 10.1525/bio.2012.62.8.12 VL - 62 IS - 8 SP - 772-775 RI - The Neighborhood Project: Using Evolution to Improve My City, One Block at a Time LA - en OP - SN - 1525-3244 0006-3568 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/bio.2012.62.8.12 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Who likes it hot? A global analysis of the climatic, ecological, and evolutionary determinants of warming tolerance in ants AU - Diamond, S.E. AU - Sorger, D.M. AU - Hulcr, J. AU - Pelini, S.L. AU - Toro, I.D. AU - Hirsch, C. AU - Oberg, E. AU - Dunn, R.R. T2 - Global Change Biology AB - Abstract Effects of climate warming on wild populations of organisms are expected to be greatest at higher latitudes, paralleling greater anticipated increases in temperature in these regions. Yet, these expectations assume that populations in different regions are equally susceptible to the effects of warming. This is unlikely to be the case. Here, we develop a series of predictive models for physiological thermal tolerances in ants based on current and future climates. We found that tropical ants have lower warming tolerances, a metric of susceptibility to climate warming, than temperate ants despite greater increases in temperature at higher latitudes. Using climatic, ecological and phylogenetic data, we refine our predictions of which ants (across all regions) were most susceptible to climate warming. We found that ants occupying warmer and more mesic forested habitats at lower elevations are the most physiologically susceptible to deleterious effects of climate warming. Phylogenetic history was also a strong indicator of physiological susceptibility. In short, we find that ants that live in the canopies of hot, tropical forest are the most at risk, globally, from climate warming. Unfortunately this is where many, perhaps most, ant and other species on Earth live. DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02542.x VL - 18 IS - 2 SP - 448-456 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84855844354&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - biodiversity KW - Formicidae KW - global warming KW - insect KW - physiology KW - temperature ER - TY - JOUR TI - Of lice and men: a very intimate history AU - Dunn, Rob T2 - New Scientist AB - Scratch the surface of our long relationship with lice and you discover some unsavoury details of human evolution DA - 2012/11// PY - 2012/11// DO - 10.1016/S0262-4079(12)62837-1 VL - 216 IS - 2889 SP - 36-39 J2 - New Scientist LA - en OP - SN - 0262-4079 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0262-4079(12)62837-1 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Why haven't bald men gone extinct? AU - Dunn, Rob T2 - New Scientist AB - Even as we get to grips with the biology of baldness, the shiny pate remains a real evolutionary mystery DA - 2012/6// PY - 2012/6// DO - 10.1016/S0262-4079(12)61567-X VL - 214 IS - 2869 SP - 44-47 J2 - New Scientist LA - en OP - SN - 0262-4079 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0262-4079(12)61567-X DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Night shift: Labor and birth: It's all in the timing AU - Dunn, R. T2 - Natural History DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// VL - 120 IS - 3 SP - 10-13 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84861308626&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of Treefall Gap Disturbances on Ant Assemblages in a Tropical Montane Cloud Forest AU - Patrick, M. AU - Fowler, D. AU - Dunn, R.R. AU - Sanders, N.J. T2 - Biotropica AB - Abstract The study of gap dynamics and the effects of gaps on diversity has been at the center of tropical ecology for decades. While most studies have focused on the responses of plant species and communities to gap formation, in this study, we consider the effects of treefall gap disturbances on leaf litter ant assemblages in a N eotropical montane cloud forest. We sampled leaf litter ant assemblages and estimated a suite of abiotic parameters in 12 large (>80‐m 2 ) treefall gaps across a chronosequence and in 12 paired adjacent intact forest sites in the M onteverde C loud F orest P reserve in C osta R ica. No species were more common in gaps than in intact forests, and in fact, species that were common in gaps were also among the most common in forests. The C hao2 estimate of species richness, however, was higher in gap sites than in intact forest sites. In addition, ant assemblages in gap sites did not become more similar to those in adjacent intact sites as gaps aged. In contrast to other studies, our work demonstrates that ant assemblages in the M onteverde C loud F orest P reserve are weakly affected by the formation of treefall gaps. Together, these results indicate that treefall gap dynamics probably play little role in promoting ant diversity at more regional scales, or coexistence among species at more local scales. DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// DO - 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2012.00855.x VL - 44 IS - 4 SP - 472-478 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84863486228&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - ants KW - chronosequence KW - cloud forest KW - Costa Rica KW - disturbance KW - Monteverde KW - treefall gaps ER - TY - BOOK TI - Coextinction and persistence of dependent species in a changing world AU - Colwell, R.K. AU - Dunn, R.R. AU - Harris, N.C. AB - The extinction of a single species is rarely an isolated event. Instead, dependent parasites, commensals, and mutualist partners (affiliates) face the risk of coextinction as their hosts or partners decline and fail. Species interactions in ecological networks can transmit the effects of primary extinctions within and between trophic levels, causing secondary extinctions and extinction cascades. Documenting coextinctions is complicated by ignorance of host specificity, limitations of historical collections, incomplete systematics of affiliate taxa, and lack of experimental studies. Host shifts may reduce the rate of coextinctions, but they are poorly understood. In the absence of better empirical records of coextinctions, statistical models estimate the rates of past and future coextinctions, and based on primary extinctions and interactions among species, network models explore extinction cascades. Models predict and historical evidence reveals that the threat of coextinction is influenced by both host and affiliate traits and is exacerbated by other threats, including habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species. DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// DO - 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110411-160304 VL - 43 SE - 183-203 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84875064606&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - affiliate species KW - commensalism KW - extinction cascade KW - extinction vortex KW - food web KW - host switching KW - interaction network KW - mutualism KW - parasitism KW - pollination KW - secondary extinction ER - TY - JOUR TI - Detecting the redshifted 21 cm forest during reionization AU - Mack, Katherine J. AU - Wyithe, J. Stuart B. T2 - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society AB - The 21 cm forest – H i absorption features in the spectra of high-redshift radio sources – can potentially provide a unique probe of the largely neutral intergalactic medium (IGM) during the epoch of reionization. We present semi-analytical models of the 21 cm forest due to the large-scale structure of the reionization-era IGM, including a prescription for X-ray heating and the percolation of photoionization bubbles. We explore a range of signal-analysis methods to show that, if detected with future instruments such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the 21 cm forest can provide a significant constraint on the thermal history of the IGM. Detection will be aided by consideration of the sudden increase in signal variance at the onset of 21 cm absorption. If radio foregrounds and the intrinsic source spectra are well understood, the flux decrement over wide bandwidths can also improve detection prospects. Our analysis accounts for the possibility of narrow absorption lines from intervening dense regions, but, unlike previous studies, our results do not depend on their properties. Assuming X-ray heating corresponding to a local stellar population and a simple reionization model, we estimate that a statistically significant detection of 21 cm absorption could be made by the SKA in less than a year of observing against a Cygnus A-type source at z ∼ 9, as opposed to nearly a decade for a significant detection of the detailed forest features. We discuss observational challenges due to uncertainties regarding the abundance of background sources and the strength of the 21 cm absorption signal. DA - 2012/9/5/ PY - 2012/9/5/ DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21561.x VL - 425 IS - 4 SP - 2988-3001 J2 - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society LA - en OP - SN - 0035-8711 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21561.x DB - Crossref KW - galaxies: high-redshift KW - intergalactic medium KW - quasars: absorption lines KW - cosmology: theory KW - large-scale structure of Universe ER - TY - JOUR TI - Ants of North Carolina: An updated list (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) AU - Guénard, B. AU - McCaffrey, K.A. AU - Lucky, A. AU - Dunn, R.R. T2 - Zootaxa DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// IS - 3552 SP - 1-36 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84870014611&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - A checklist of the ants of China AU - Guénard, B. AU - Dunn, R.R. T2 - Zootaxa DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// IS - 3558 SP - 1-77 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84869760599&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - Simulating the effects of the southern pine beetle on regional dynamics 60 years into the future AU - Costanza, Jennifer K. AU - Hulcr, Jiri AU - Koch, Frank H. AU - Earnhardt, Todd AU - McKerrow, Alexa J. AU - Dunn, Rob R. AU - Collazo, Jaime A. T2 - ECOLOGICAL MODELLING AB - We developed a spatially explicit model that simulated future southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis, SPB) dynamics and pine forest management for a real landscape over 60 years to inform regional forest management. The SPB has a considerable effect on forest dynamics in the Southeastern United States, especially in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) stands that are managed for timber production. Regional outbreaks of SPB occur in bursts resulting in elimination of entire stands and major economic loss. These outbreaks are often interspersed with decades of inactivity, making long-term modeling of SPB dynamics challenging. Forest management techniques, including thinning, have proven effective and are often recommended as a way to prevent SPB attack, yet the robustness of current management practices to long-term SPB dynamics has not been examined. We used data from previously documented SPB infestations and forest inventory data to model four scenarios of SPB dynamics and pine forest management. We incorporated two levels of beetle pressure: a background low level, and a higher level in which SPB had the potential to spread among pine stands. For each level of beetle pressure, we modeled two scenarios of forest management: one assuming forests would be managed continuously via thinning, and one with a reduction in thinning. For our study area in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, we found that beetle pressure and forest management both influenced the landscape effects of SPB. Under increased SPB pressure, even with continuous management, the area of pine forests affected across the region was six times greater than under baseline SPB levels. However, under high SPB pressure, continuous management decreased the area affected by nearly half compared with reduced management. By incorporating a range of forest and SPB dynamics over long time scales, our results extend previous modeling studies, and inform forest managers and policy-makers about the potential future effects of SPB. Our model can also be used to investigate the effects of additional scenarios on SPB dynamics, such as alternative management or climate change. DA - 2012/10/10/ PY - 2012/10/10/ DO - 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.06.037 VL - 244 SP - 93-103 SN - 1872-7026 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84864401738&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - Forest thinning KW - Southern pine beetle prevention KW - Southern pine beetle risk KW - State-and-transition simulation model KW - TELSA KW - VDDT ER - TY - JOUR TI - Mycangia of Ambrosia Beetles Host Communities of Bacteria AU - Hulcr, J. AU - Rountree, N. R. AU - Diamond, S. E. AU - Stelinski, L. L. AU - Fierer, N. AU - Dunn, R. R. T2 - MICROBIAL ECOLOGY AB - The research field of animal and plant symbioses is advancing from studying interactions between two species to whole communities of associates. High-throughput sequencing of microbial communities supports multiplexed sampling for statistically robust tests of hypotheses about symbiotic associations. We focus on ambrosia beetles, the increasingly damaging insects primarily associated with fungal symbionts, which have also been reported to support bacteria. To analyze the diversity, composition, and specificity of the beetles' prokaryotic associates, we combine global sampling, insect anatomy, 454 sequencing of bacterial rDNA, and multivariate statistics to analyze prokaryotic communities in ambrosia beetle mycangia, organs mostly known for transporting symbiotic fungi. We analyze six beetle species that represent three types of mycangia and include several globally distributed species, some with major economic importance (Dendroctonus frontalis, Xyleborus affinis, Xyleborus bispinatus-ferrugineus, Xyleborus glabratus, Xylosandrus crassiusculus, and Xylosandrus germanus). Ninety-six beetle mycangia yielded 1,546 bacterial phylotypes. Several phylotypes appear to form the core microbiome of the mycangium. Three Mycoplasma (originally thought restricted to vertebrates), two Burkholderiales, and two Pseudomonadales are repeatedly present worldwide in multiple beetle species. However, no bacterial phylotypes were universally present, suggesting that ambrosia beetles are not obligately dependent on bacterial symbionts. The composition of bacterial communities is structured by the host beetle species more than by the locality of origin, which suggests that more bacteria are vertically transmitted than acquired from the environment. The invasive X. glabratus and the globally distributed X. crassiusculus have unique sets of bacteria, different from species native to North America. We conclude that the mycangium hosts in multiple vertically transmitted bacteria such as Mycoplasma, most of which are likely facultative commensals or parasites. DA - 2012/10// PY - 2012/10// DO - 10.1007/s00248-012-0055-5 VL - 64 IS - 3 SP - 784-793 SN - 1432-184X UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84866735178&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - Dig deep for health AU - Dunn, R. T2 - New Scientist DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// VL - 215 IS - 2876 SP - 28- ER - TY - JOUR TI - Tradeoffs in the Evolution of Caste and Body Size in the Hyperdiverse Ant Genus Pheidole AU - McGlynn, Terrence P. AU - Diamond, Sarah E. AU - Dunn, Robert R. T2 - PLOS ONE AB - The efficient investment of resources is often the route to ecological success, and the adaptability of resource investment may play a critical role in promoting biodiversity. The ants of the "hyperdiverse" genus Pheidole produce two discrete sterile castes, soldiers and minor workers. Within Pheidole, there is tremendous interspecific variation in proportion of soldiers. The causes and correlates of caste ratio variation among species of Pheidole remain enigmatic. Here we test whether a body size threshold model accounts for interspecific variation in caste ratio in Pheidole, such that species with larger body sizes produce relatively fewer soldiers within their colonies. We evaluated the caste ratio of 26 species of Pheidole and found that the body size of workers accounts for interspecific variation in the production of soldiers as we predicted. Twelve species sampled from one forest in Costa Rica yielded the same relationship as found in previously published data from many localities. We conclude that production of soldiers in the most species-rich group of ants is regulated by a body size threshold mechanism, and that the great variation in body size and caste ratio in Pheidole plays a role in niche divergence in this rapidly evolving taxon. DA - 2012/10/25/ PY - 2012/10/25/ DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0048202 VL - 7 IS - 10 SP - SN - 1932-6203 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84868108285&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - A physiological trait-based approach to predicting the responses of species to experimental climate warming AU - Diamond, Sarah E. AU - Nichols, Lauren M. AU - McCoy, Neil AU - Hirsch, Christopher AU - Pelini, Shannon L. AU - Sanders, Nathan J. AU - Ellison, Aaron M. AU - Gotelli, Nicholas J. AU - Dunn, Robert R. T2 - ECOLOGY AB - Physiological tolerance of environmental conditions can influence species-level responses to climate change. Here, we used species-specific thermal tolerances to predict the community responses of ant species to experimental forest-floor warming at the northern and southern boundaries of temperate hardwood forests in eastern North America. We then compared the predictive ability of thermal tolerance vs. correlative species distribution models (SDMs) which are popular forecasting tools for modeling the effects of climate change. Thermal tolerances predicted the responses of 19 ant species to experimental climate warming at the southern site, where environmental conditions are relatively close to the ants' upper thermal limits. In contrast, thermal tolerances did not predict the responses of the six species in the northern site, where environmental conditions are relatively far from the ants' upper thermal limits. Correlative SDMs were not predictive at either site. Our results suggest that, in environments close to a species' physiological limits, physiological trait-based measurements can successfully forecast the responses of species to future conditions. Although correlative SDMs may predict large-scale responses, such models may not be accurate for predicting site-level responses. DA - 2012/11// PY - 2012/11// DO - 10.1890/11-2296.1 VL - 93 IS - 11 SP - 2305-2312 SN - 1939-9170 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84869193184&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - critical thermal maximum KW - Duke Forest KW - North Carolina KW - USA KW - ectotherm responses to global warming KW - Formicidae KW - global change KW - Harvard Forest KW - Massachusetts KW - USA KW - maximum entropy KW - physiology KW - species distribution model KW - temperate hardwood forests KW - eastern North America KW - thermal tolerance ER - TY - JOUR TI - Intimately yours AU - Dunn, R. T2 - New Scientist DA - 2012/// PY - 2012/// VL - 216 IS - 2889 SP - 36-39 ER - TY - JOUR TI - A Jungle in There: Bacteria in Belly Buttons are Highly Diverse, but Predictable AU - Hulcr, Jiri AU - Latimer, Andrew M. AU - Henley, Jessica B. AU - Rountree, Nina R. AU - Fierer, Noah AU - Lucky, Andrea AU - Lowman, Margaret D. AU - Dunn, Robert R. T2 - PLoS ONE AB - The belly button is one of the habitats closest to us, and yet it remains relatively unexplored. We analyzed bacteria and arachaea from the belly buttons of humans from two different populations sampled within a nation-wide citizen science project. We examined bacterial and archaeal phylotypes present and their diversity using multiplex pyrosequencing of 16S rDNA libraries. We then tested the oligarchy hypothesis borrowed from tropical macroecology, namely that the frequency of phylotypes in one sample of humans predicts its frequency in another independent sample. We also tested the predictions that frequent phylotypes (the oligarchs) tend to be common when present, and tend to be more phylogenetically clustered than rare phylotypes. Once rarefied to four hundred reads per sample, bacterial communities from belly buttons proved to be at least as diverse as communities known from other skin studies (on average 67 bacterial phylotypes per belly button). However, the belly button communities were strongly dominated by a few taxa: only 6 phylotypes occurred on >80% humans. While these frequent bacterial phylotypes (the archaea were all rare) are a tiny part of the total diversity of bacteria in human navels (<0.3% of phylotypes), they constitute a major portion of individual reads (∼1/3), and are predictable among independent samples of humans, in terms of both the occurrence and evolutionary relatedness (more closely related than randomly drawn equal sets of phylotypes). Thus, the hypothesis that “oligarchs” dominate diverse assemblages appears to be supported by human-associated bacteria. Although it remains difficult to predict which species of bacteria might be found on a particular human, predicting which species are most frequent (or rare) seems more straightforward, at least for those species living in belly buttons. DA - 2012/11/7/ PY - 2012/11/7/ DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0047712 VL - 7 IS - 11 SP - e47712 J2 - PLoS ONE LA - en OP - SN - 1932-6203 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0047712 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Common garden experiments reveal uncommon responses across temperatures, locations, and species of ants AU - Pelini, Shannon L. AU - Diamond, Sarah E. AU - MacLean, Heidi AU - Ellison, Aaron M. AU - Gotelli, Nicholas J. AU - Sanders, Nathan J. AU - Dunn, Robert R. T2 - ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION AB - Population changes and shifts in geographic range boundaries induced by climate change have been documented for many insect species. On the basis of such studies, ecological forecasting models predict that, in the absence of dispersal and resource barriers, many species will exhibit large shifts in abundance and geographic range in response to warming. However, species are composed of individual populations, which may be subject to different selection pressures and therefore may be differentially responsive to environmental change. Asystematic responses across populations and species to warming will alter ecological communities differently across space. Common garden experiments can provide a more mechanistic understanding of the causes of compositional and spatial variation in responses to warming. Such experiments are useful for determining if geographically separated populations and co-occurring species respond differently to warming, and they provide the opportunity to compare effects of warming on fitness (survivorship and reproduction). We exposed colonies of two common ant species in the eastern United States, Aphaenogaster rudis and Temnothorax curvispinosus, collected along a latitudinal gradient from Massachusetts to North Carolina, to growth chamber treatments that simulated current and projected temperatures in central Massachusetts and central North Carolina within the next century. Regardless of source location, colonies of A. rudis, a keystone seed disperser, experienced high mortality and low brood production in the warmest temperature treatment. Colonies of T. curvispinosus from cooler locations experienced increased mortality in the warmest rearing temperatures, but colonies from the warmest locales did not. Our results suggest that populations of some common species may exhibit uniform declines in response to warming across their geographic ranges, whereas other species will respond differently to warming in different parts of their geographic ranges. Our results suggest that differential responses of populations and species must be incorporated into projections of range shifts in a changing climate. DA - 2012/12// PY - 2012/12// DO - 10.1002/ece3.407 VL - 2 IS - 12 SP - 3009-3015 SN - 2045-7758 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84880614573&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - Climate change KW - common garden KW - Formicidae KW - interspecies variation KW - intraspecies variation KW - warming experiment ER - TY - JOUR TI - Disruption of ant-seed dispersal mutualisms by the invasive Asian needle ant (Pachycondyla chinensis) AU - Rodriguez-Cabal, Mariano A. AU - Stuble, Katharine L. AU - Guenard, Benoit AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Sanders, Nathan J. T2 - BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS DA - 2012/3// PY - 2012/3// DO - 10.1007/s10530-011-0097-5 VL - 14 IS - 3 SP - 557-565 SN - 1573-1464 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84858002953&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - Aphaenogaster rudis KW - Exotic species KW - Hexastylis arifolia KW - Myrmecochory KW - Seed-dispersal mutualisms ER - TY - JOUR TI - Redispersal of seeds by a keystone ant augments the spread of common wildflowers AU - Canner, Judith E. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Giladi, Itamar AU - Gross, Kevin T2 - ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY AB - Myrmecochory (dispersal of seeds by ants) is an evolutionarily and ecologically common mutualism. Most of the research on the costs and benefits of myrmecochory in North America assumes that ant-dispersed seeds are taken to, and left in, the ant nest. Here, we use a novel seed-tracking technique to quantify secondary dispersal of seeds from the nest into the surrounding leaf litter by the keystone seed-dispersing ant, Aphaenogaster rudis. We found that A. rudis redispersed >90% of the seeds it took into its nest an average distance of 51.5 cm. A mathematical model shows redispersal increases the rate of population spread of the myrmecochores Hexastylis arifolia and Asarum canadense by 22.5%, and increases the expected cumulative dispersal distance away from the parent plant by 24%. Our results suggest myrmecochory benefits plants in eastern North American forests by increasing the distance between the seed and parent plant and reducing competition among siblings. DA - 2012/4// PY - 2012/4// DO - 10.1016/j.actao.2012.02.004 VL - 40 SP - 31-39 SN - 1873-6238 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84858731679&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - Redispersal KW - Myrmecochory KW - Aphaenogaster rudis KW - Population spread rate KW - Plant benefits KW - Temperate forest ER - TY - JOUR TI - Global models of ant diversity suggest regions where new discoveries are most likely are under disproportionate deforestation threat AU - Guenard, Benoit AU - Weiser, Michael D. AU - Dunn, Robert R. T2 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AB - Most of the described and probably undescribed species on Earth are insects. Global models of species diversity rarely focus on insects and none attempt to address unknown, undescribed diversity. We assembled a database representing about 13,000 records for ant generic distribution from over 350 regions that cover much of the globe. Based on two models of diversity and endemicity, we identified regions where our knowledge of ant diversity is most limited, regions we have called "hotspots of discovery." A priori, such regions might be expected to be remote and untouched. Instead, we found that the hotspots of discovery are also the regions in which biodiversity is the most threatened by habitat destruction. Our results not only highlight the immediate need for conservation of the remaining natural habitats in these regions, but also the extent to which, by focusing on well-known groups such as vertebrates, we may fail to conserve the far greater diversity of the smaller species yet to be found. DA - 2012/5/8/ PY - 2012/5/8/ DO - 10.1073/pnas.1113867109 VL - 109 IS - 19 SP - 7368-7373 SN - 0027-8424 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84860799321&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - biogeography KW - Formicidae ER - TY - JOUR TI - IN RETROSPECT Silent Spring AU - Dunn, Rob T2 - NATURE AB - On its 50th anniversary, an exposé of pesticide overuse still stands as a beacon of reason, finds Rob Dunn. DA - 2012/5/31/ PY - 2012/5/31/ DO - 10.1038/485578a VL - 485 IS - 7400 SP - 578-579 SN - 1476-4687 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Strong influence of regional species pools on continent-wide structuring of local communities AU - Lessard, Jean-Philippe AU - Borregaard, Michael K. AU - Fordyce, James A. AU - Rahbek, Carsten AU - Weiser, Michael D. AU - Dunn, Robert R. AU - Sanders, Nathan J. T2 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AB - There is a long tradition in ecology of evaluating the relative contribution of the regional species pool and local interactions on the structure of local communities. Similarly, a growing number of studies assess the phylogenetic structure of communities, relative to that in the regional species pool, to examine the interplay between broad-scale evolutionary and fine-scale ecological processes. Finally, a renewed interest in the influence of species source pools on communities has shown that the definition of the source pool influences interpretations of patterns of community structure. We use a continent-wide dataset of local ant communities and implement ecologically explicit source pool definitions to examine the relative importance of regional species pools and local interactions for shaping community structure. Then we assess which factors underlie systematic variation in the structure of communities along climatic gradients. We find that the average phylogenetic relatedness of species in ant communities decreases from tropical to temperate regions, but the strength of this relationship depends on the level of ecological realism in the definition of source pools. We conclude that the evolution of climatic niches influences the phylogenetic structure of regional source pools and that the influence of regional source pools on local community structure is strong. DA - 2012/1/22/ PY - 2012/1/22/ DO - 10.1098/rspb.2011.0552 VL - 279 IS - 1727 SP - 266-274 SN - 1471-2954 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-82955173065&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - regional species pool KW - community assembly KW - phylogenetics KW - tropical niche conservatism KW - diversity gradients KW - Formicidae ER -