Different Prey Resources Suggest Little Competition Between Non-Native Frogs and Insectivorous Birds Despite Isotopic Niche Overlap

Non-native amphibians often compete with native amphibians in their introduced range, but their competitive effects on other vertebrates are less well known. The Puerto Rican coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) has colonized the island of Hawaii, and has been hypothesized to compete with insectivorous birds and bats. To address if the coqui could compete with these vertebrates, we used stable isotope analyses to compare the trophic position and isotopic niche overlap between the coqui, three insectivorous bird species, and the Hawaiian hoary bat. Coquis shared similar trophic position to Hawaii amakihi, Japanese white-eye, and red-billed leiothrix. Coquis were about 3 ‰ less enriched in δ15N than the Hawaiian hoary bat, suggesting the bats feed at a higher trophic level than coquis. Analyses of potential diet sources between coquis and each of the three bird species indicate that there was more dietary overlap between bird species than any of the birds and the coqui. Results suggest that Acari, Amphipoda, and Blattodea made up \u3e90% of coqui diet, while Araneae made up only 2% of coqui diet, but approximately 25% of amakihi and white-eye diet. The three bird species shared similar proportions of Lepidoptera larvae, which were ~25% of their diet. Results suggest that coquis share few food resources with insectivorous birds, but occupy a similar trophic position, which could indicate weak competition. However, resource competition may not be the only way coquis impact insectivorous birds, and future research should examine whether coqui invasions are associated with changes in bird abundance

Título: Guide en Espagne et Portugal

Tít. del lomo: Guide en Espagne et PortugalChemins de fer de l'Espagne et du Portugal [Material cartográfico] : Guide du touriste en Espagne et Portugal. Escala indeterminad

Roswag_etal_sequences

The file contains sequences from feces of M. bechsteinii, M. nattereri and P. auritus. The study was conducted in a deciduous forest in Central Germany (Hesse) where all three species coexist on a small spatial scale

Data from: Isotopic and dietary niches as indicators for resource partitioning in the gleaner bats M. bechsteinii, M. nattereri, and P. auritus

The n-dimensional ecological niche summarizes all living requirements of a species. According to the competition and niche theory, co-occurring species have to differ in at least one dimension to live in stable coexistence. Measuring the overall ecological niche within natural ecosystems is probably impossible but methods that describe several dimensions at once like the isotopic niche are good approximations. However, the impact of each factor contributing to the isotopic niche might be difficult to estimate. The dietary niche, as one part of the isotopic niche, can be examined with high resolution using molecular techniques. In this study we aimed to improve our understanding of species coexistence. We outlined the importance of the isotopic and dietary niches in the context of resource partitioning using the bat species M. bechsteinii, M. nattereri, and P. auritus of the gleaner guild as examples. The dietary and isotopic niches were estimated with stable isotope analysis and molecular fecal analysis. We tested (i) how distinct the occupied dietary niches of members of the same guild are and (ii) how similar the dietary and isotopic niches are to each other. While the inter-specific overlap was high for the dietary niche, no overlap could be observed for the isotopic niche. In general, the isotopic niche can describe a more complete picture of the ecological niche, while the dietary niche provides highly detailed information. The combination of both niches might advance our understanding of stable species coexistences.Roswag_etal_sequencesThe file contains sequences from feces of M. bechsteinii, M. nattereri and P. auritus. The study was conducted in a deciduous forest in Central Germany (Hesse) where all three species coexist on a small spatial scale

Data from: Isotopic and dietary niches as indicators for resource partitioning in the gleaner bats M. bechsteinii, M. nattereri, and P. auritus

The n-dimensional ecological niche summarizes all living requirements of a species. According to the competition and niche theory, co-occurring species have to differ in at least one dimension to live in stable coexistence. Measuring the overall ecological niche within natural ecosystems is probably impossible but methods that describe several dimensions at once like the isotopic niche are good approximations. However, the impact of each factor contributing to the isotopic niche might be difficult to estimate. The dietary niche, as one part of the isotopic niche, can be examined with high resolution using molecular techniques. In this study we aimed to improve our understanding of species coexistence. We outlined the importance of the isotopic and dietary niches in the context of resource partitioning using the bat species M. bechsteinii, M. nattereri, and P. auritus of the gleaner guild as examples. The dietary and isotopic niches were estimated with stable isotope analysis and molecular fecal analysis. We tested (i) how distinct the occupied dietary niches of members of the same guild are and (ii) how similar the dietary and isotopic niches are to each other. While the inter-specific overlap was high for the dietary niche, no overlap could be observed for the isotopic niche. In general, the isotopic niche can describe a more complete picture of the ecological niche, while the dietary niche provides highly detailed information. The combination of both niches might advance our understanding of stable species coexistences

Political Affiliation as a Moderator of the Relationship between Organizational Climate and COVID-19 Vaccine Readiness

Rationale: Organizations have a significant influence on their employees’ behavior and attitudes across a wide range of areas. A framework to bundle these effects is organizational climate. Here, we argue that in a highly polarized society, such as the United States, many types of organizational climate revolve around issues that are divided along partisan lines (e.g., diversity, sustainability, COVID-19). However, research on organizational climate has largely overlooked the idea that employees perceive these issues through a partisan lens. Objective: We aim to address this gap by arguing that political affiliation constitutes a boundary condition for those types of organizational climates addressing partisan cleavages. In particular, we focus on the interplay of organizational climate and the partisan gap in COVID-19. We predicted that the effect of organizational COVID-19 safety climate on employees’ COVID-19 vaccine readiness is moderated by political affiliation. Methods: We conducted a survey with 1,158 U.S. citizens. To strengthen the generalizability of our findings, we took care to ensure that the gender and ethnicity distribution of our sample reflected the distribution of both variables in the U.S. population. Results: As predicted, results showed that the effect of organizational COVID-19 safety climate on employees’ COVID-19 vaccine readiness was moderated by political affiliation. Specifically, the relationship between organizational COVID-19 safety climate and COVID-19 vaccine readiness was more pronounced among Republicans than Democrats. Conclusion: We provide a new perspective on the interactive effects of organizational climate and political partisanship on attitudes to vaccines. Our research suggests that, when it comes to vaccine readiness, it is precisely those who are most vaccine-hesitant who are most affected by the organizations for whom they work

Insectivorous bats digest chitin in the stomach using acidic mammalian chitinase.

The gastrointestinal tract of animals is adapted to their primary source of food to optimize resource use and energy intake. Temperate bat species mainly feed on arthropods. These contain the energy-rich carbohydrate chitin, which is indigestible for the endogenous enzymes of a typical mammalian gastrointestinal tract. However, the gastrointestinal tract of bat species should be adapted to their diet and be able to digest chitin. We hypothesized that (i) European vespertilionid bat species have the digestive enzyme chitinase and that (ii) the chitinolytic activity is located in the intestine, as has been found for North American bat species. The gastrointestinal tracts of seven bat species (Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Plecotus auritus, Myotis bechsteinii, Myotis nattereri, Myotis daubentonii, Myotis myotis, and Nyctalus leisleri) were tested for chitinolytic activity by diffusion assay. Gastrointestinal tracts of P. pipistrellus, P. auritus, M. nattereri, M. myotis, and N. leisleri were examined for acidic mammalian chitinase by western blot analysis. Tissue sections of the gastrointestinal tract of P. pipistrellus were immunohistochemically analyzed to locate the acidic mammalian chitinase. Chitinolytic activity was detected in the stomachs of all bat species. Western blot analysis confirmed the acidic mammalian chitinase in stomach samples. Immunohistochemistry of the P. pipistrellus gastrointestinal tract indicated that acidic mammalian chitinase is located in the stomach chief cells at the base of the gastric glands. In conclusion, European vespertilionid bat species have acidic mammalian chitinase that is produced in the gastric glands of the stomach. Therefore, the gastrointestinal tracts of insectivorous bat species evolved an enzymatic adaptation to their diet