A5066414731- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Plant and animal studies
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Urban Agriculture and Sustainability
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Urban Green Space and Health
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Diverse Educational Innovations Studies
- Ecology and Conservation Studies
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy
- Sustainable Urban and Rural Development
- Magnesium in Health and Disease
University of St. Thomas - Minnesota
2013-2023
John Wiley & Sons (United States)
2017
Ecological Society of America
2017
Hudson Institute
2017
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
2011
University of Minnesota
2004-2007
St. Olaf College
2007
The Ohio State University
2005
University of Utah
2002-2004
University of Minnesota, Duluth
2003
For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that hump-shaped, with first rising then declining increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned generality of hump-shaped patterns, these syntheses have been criticized for failing to account methodological differences among studies. We...
Abstract The Thermal Adaptation Hypothesis posits that the warmer, aseasonal tropics generates populations with higher and narrower thermal limits. It has largely been tested among across latitudes. However, considerable heterogeneity exists within ecosystems: 31 trees in a Panama rainforest, surfaces exposed to sun were 8 °C warmer varied more temperature than litter below. Tiny ectotherms are confined variously submerged these superheated boundary layer environments. We quantified surface...
Predicting the outcome of competitive interactions is a fundamental goal in ecology. Ecological stoichiometry, which relates nutrient balance to ecological processes, provides framework for identifying mechanistic links among macronutrient availability, nutritional physiology and performance. Because carbohydrates serve as principal metabolic fuel, carbohydrate scarcity may impinge upon behaviours affecting dominance (e.g. aggression, activity) greater extent than deficiencies protein or...
Abstract Exotic species dominate many communities; however the functional significance of species’ biogeographic origin remains highly contentious. This debate is fuelled in part by lack globally replicated, systematic data assessing relationship between provenance, function and response to perturbations. We examined abundance native exotic plant at 64 grasslands 13 countries, a subset sites we experimentally tested responses two fundamental drivers invasion, mineral nutrient supplies...
Twenty species of freshwater fishes were collected from Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan their whole‐body carbon, nitrogen phosphorus contents the respective C:N:P ratios determined. Patterns examined in intra‐ interspecific variation, allometry variation caused by habitat trophic level whole fish while controlling for role phylogeny. Stoichiometric was greater across than within species, species‐specific, nutrient content a somewhat habitat‐specific P concentration showed strong phylogenetic...
Many ecosystems worldwide are dominated by introduced plant species, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. A common but rarely tested assumption is that these plants more abundant in vs. native communities, because ecological or evolutionary-based shifts populations underlie invasion success. Here, data for 26 herbaceous species at 39 sites, within eight countries, revealed abundances were similar (home) (away) sites - grass generally home away, while forbs low abundance,...
Invasions have increased the size of regional species pools, but are typically assumed to reduce native diversity. However, global-scale tests this assumption been elusive because focus on exotic richness, rather than relative abundance. This is problematic low invader richness can indicate invasion resistance by community or, alternatively, dominance a single species. Here, we used globally replicated study quantify relationships between and abundance in grass-dominated ecosystems 13...
Ecological stoichiometry, the study of balance energy and materials in living systems, may serve as a useful synthetic framework for evolutionary biology. Here, we review recent work that illustrates power stoichiometric approach to evolution across multiple scales, then point important open questions chart way forward this new field. At molecular level, stoichiometry links hereditary changes composition organisms key phenotypic functions. level ecology, simultaneous focus on energetic...
Food availability often influences competitive outcomes through effects on consumer growth. Although it has received less attention, food may also affect competition nutritional behavior. One hypothesis linking nutrition and in ants posits that increased access to carbohydrates favors greater investment worker traits underlie behavioral dominance. We tested this by varying dietary protein : carbohydrate (P:C) ratios levels of interspecific interference for Argentine ( Linepithema humile ), a...
Key processes such as trophic interactions and nutrient cycling are often influenced by the element content of organisms. Previous analyses have led to some preliminary understanding relative importance evolutionary ecological factors determining animal stoichiometry. However, date, patterns underlying mechanisms consumer stoichiometry at interspecific intraspecific levels within natural ecosystems remain poorly investigated. Here, we examine association between phylogeny, level, body size,...
Social insect societies dominate many terrestrial ecosystems across the planet. Colony members cooperate to capture and use resources maximize survival reproduction. Yet, when compared with solitary organisms, we understand relatively little about factors responsible for differences in rates of survival, growth reproduction among colonies. To explain these differences, present a mathematical model that predicts three ant colonies based on body sizes metabolic colony members. Specifically,...
Increased potential for disease transmission among nest-mates means living in groups has inherent costs. This increased is predicted to select resistance mechanisms that are enhanced by cooperative exchanges group members, a phenomenon known as social immunity. One mediator of immunity diet nutritional balance because traits underlying can require different mixtures. Here, we show how dietary protein-carbohydrate affects ants. When challenged with parasitic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae,...
Theory predicts that consumers selecting among complementary resources will show stronger preferences for items become relatively less available. I tested this hypothesis in a field study compared the of ant colonies given simultaneous access to experimental foods differing carbohydrate and protein content. In first part study, examined effect nutrient supplementation on colony-level preference Dorymyrmex smithi. Colonies had received solution 24 h consumed proportionally more carbohydrates...
We studied the Thermal Performance Curves (TPCs) of 87 species rainforest ants and found support for both Adaptation Phosphorus-Tolerance hypotheses. TPCs relate a fitness proxy (here, worker speed) to environmental temperature. posits that thermal generalists (ants with flatter, broader TPCs) are favored in hotter, more variable tropical canopy compared cooler, less litter below. As predicted, nesting forest 1) had running speeds sensitive temperature; 2) ran over greater range...
Increases in nutrient availability and alterations to mammalian herbivore communities are a hallmark of the Anthropocene, with consequences for primary producer many ecosystems. While progress has advanced understanding plant community responses these perturbations, energy flow higher trophic levels form secondary production less well understood. We quantified arthropod biomass after manipulating soil wild herbivory, using identical methods across 13 temperate grasslands. Of experimental...
The functions and compositions of symbiotic bacterial communities often correlate with host ecology. Yet cause-effect relationships the order symbiont vs. change remain unclear in face ancient symbioses conserved Several groups ants exemplify this challenge, as their low-nitrogen diets specialized appear ancient. To address whether nitrogen-provisioning symbionts might be important early stages ant trophic shifts, we studied bacteria from Argentine ant, Linepithema humile - an invasive...
The use of compost in urban agriculture offers an opportunity to increase nutrient recycling ecosystems, but recent studies have shown that application often results phosphorus (P) being applied far excess crop demand, creating the potential for P loss through leachate and runoff. Management goals such as maximizing yields or mass nutrients recycled from may inadvertently result loss, a ecosystem disservice. Here, we report first two years experimental study which four different crops grown...
Although the availability of food resources affects a wide range ecological and evolutionary processes, its role in generating patterns natural systems remains largely unresolved. Elucidating importance resource should be made easier by development techniques that can measure amount are accessible to consumer, rather than simply abundance environment. In this study, I develop behavioral assay for inferring ratio nutrients available organisms field. The involves measuring responses foragers...
Nutritional ecology predicts consumer behavior based on the biochemistry of species and biogeochemistry environment. It is thus well suited as a tool for predicting effects specific nutrients activity, abundance, diversity across landscape. We tested hypotheses from nutritional in Neotropical litter ant community by supplementing forest plots with carbohydrates (CHOs) protein blocked factorial design. Compensation Hypothesis , which posits that consumers accumulate patches rarest food type...
Abstract Urban sustainability initiatives often encompass such goals as increasing local food production, closing nutrient loops through recycling organic waste, and reducing water pollution. However, there are potential tradeoffs among these desired outcomes that may constrain progress. For example, expansion of urban agriculture for production create hotspots pollution if is inefficient. We used gardener farmer survey data from the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minnesota, USA) to...
1 Organisms facing variation in food quality maintain elemental composition within limited bounds. Such stoichiometric homeostasis has often been considered a species-specific parameter, but stoichiometry can also vary intraspecifically across life stages, sexes and sizes. In colonial organisms with overlapping generations, among stages could lead to flexibility colony-level due changes internal demography. 2 We examine how the balance of energy (sucrose) nutrients (prey) affects growth rate...
Most ant colonies are comprised of workers that cooperate to harvest resources and feed developing larvae. Around 50 million years ago (MYA), ants the attine lineage adopted an alternative strategy, harvesting used as compost produce fungal gardens. While fungus cultivation is considered a major breakthrough in evolution, associated ecological consequences remain poorly understood. Here, we compare energetics colony-farms ancestral hunter-gatherer using metabolic scaling principles within...
Evolutionary and ecological factors that explain natural variation in ploidy level remain poorly understood. One intriguing possibility is nutrient costs associated with higher per-cell nucleic acid content could differentially influence the fitness of different levels. Here, we test this hypothesis by determining whether access to phosphorus (P), a main component acids, affects growth rate asexual freshwater snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) differ ploidy. As expected if larger genomes...