Modelling the value of external networks for knowledge realisation, innovation, organisational development and efficiency in SMEs

<p>Source publication: Hassall, C., Watts, P.C., Sherratt, T.N., Thompson, D.J. (2015) Live fast, die old: no evidence of reproductive senescence or costs of mating in a damselfly (Odonata: Zygoptera), Jounal of Animal Ecology.</p> <p>These R scripts contain the backbone of the code used in the analysis for the paper. The data are presented in a simplified form elsewhere on Figshare, and so the code cannot be run directly. However, linking the methods in the paper with the code here and the data on Figshare will enable the reader to replicate the analysis. There are four groups of analysis, as outlined in the published paper:</p> <p>1) The first deals with a simplified "cohort" analysis, where capture histories are pooled for animals of particular ages. We then calculate the numbers mating or not mating on each day and use a binomial mixed effects model to investigate age-related patterns. The data for this analysis are available ready for analysis in R from Figshare.<br>2) A simple analysis using RMark to look for an effect of breeding stratum on survival, resighting, and transition probability. This can be seen below. As with 1), some data processing is required to obtain the chdata format required by RMark. Details can be found on the RMark website: http://www.phidot.org/software/mark/rmark/.<br>3) An extension of 2) demonstrating the best fit of time, age, and stratum in each of the models.<br>4) An extention of 3) adding climate (as time-varying covariates) and mites (as individual covariates) to the models.</p> <p> </p> <p>Associated data are also available (see link in manuscript).</p

Variation in the wingspot size and asymmetry of Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens (Harris, 1792)

<p>Wing pigmentation of calopterygid damselflies has received considerable attention due to its role as an honest signal of male quality. We describe a quantitative analysis of this trait in two populations of the Banded Demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens (Harris 1780) in England. One population, sampled close to the northern limit of its range in Northumberland, exhibited substantially smaller wing spots than in a population sampled in Hampshire. Wing asymmetry (in terms of length and area) did not vary between the two populations, nor did it co-vary with the size of the wing spots. We propose that the decline in wing spot size is the result of variation in climate between the two sites. Such variation in immunocompetence could contribute to the determination of range margins in this species.</p

Study design and mark-recapture estimates of dispersal: a case study with the endangered damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale

<p>Accurate data on dispersal ability are vital to the understanding of how species are affected by fragmented landscapes. However, three factors may limit the ability of field studies to detect a representative sample of dispersal events: (1) the number of individuals monitored, (2) the area over which the study is conducted and (3) the time over which the study is conducted. Using sub-sampling of mark-release-recapture data from a study on the endangered damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale (Charpentier), we show that maximum dispersal distance is strongly related to the number of recaptured individuals in the mark-release-recapture study and the length of time over which the study is conducted. Median dispersal distance is only related significantly to the length of the study. Spatial extent is not associated with either dispersal measure in our analysis. Previously consideration has been given to the spatial scale of dispersal experiments but we demonstrated conclusively that temporal scale and the number of marked individuals also have the potential to affect the measurement of dispersal. Based on quadratic relationships between the maximum dispersal distance, recapture number and length of study, we conclude that a previous study was of sufficient scale to characterise the dispersal kernel of C. mercuriale. Our method of analysis could be used to ensure that the results of mark-release-recapture studies are independent of levels of spatial and temporal investment. Improved confidence in dispersal estimates will enable better management decisions to be made for endangered species.</p

The effects of environmental warming on Odonata: a review

<p>Climate change brings with it unprecedented rates of increase in environmental temperature, which will have major consequences for the earth's flora and fauna. The Odonata represent a taxon that has many strong links to this abiotic factor due to its tropical evolutionary history and adaptations to temperate climates. Temperature is known to affect odonate physiology including life-history traits such as developmental rate, phenology and seasonal regulation as well as immune function and the production of pigment for thermoregulation. A range of behaviours are likely to be affected which will, in turn, influence other parts of the aquatic ecosystem, primarily through trophic interactions. Temperature may influence changes in geographical distributions, through a shifting of species' fundamental niches, changes in the distribution of suitable habitat and variation in the dispersal ability of species. Finally, such a rapid change in the environment results in a strong selective pressure towards adaptation to cope and the inevitable loss of some populations and, potentially, species. Where data are lacking for odonates, studies on other invertebrate groups will be considered. Finally, directions for research are suggested, particularly laboratory studies that investigate underlying causes of climate-driven macroecological patterns.</p

Variation in morphology between core and marginal populations of three British damselflies

<p>As selective pressures are altered by the changing climate, species have been shown to shift their distributions. Here we investigate morphological variation in dispersal-related traits between core and marginal populations in three species of Odonata, a taxon that is known to be expanding polewards. We sampled individuals of (i) Calopteryx splendens, a species with a rapidly expanding range, (ii)Erythromma najas, a species with a slowly expanding range, and (iii) Pyrrhosoma nymphula, a species that does not exhibit a range margin in the UK (as a control). Only C. splendens exhibited consistent trends within two dispersal-related traits (wing:abdomen length ratio and aspect ratio). This result suggests that proximity to range margin alone does not account for variations in damselfly morphology, but that the rate of range expansion may also be important in determining variation.</p

The impact of climate-induced distributional changes on the validity of biological water quality metrics

<p>We present data on the distributional changes within an order of macroinvertebrates used in biological water quality monitoring. The British Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) have been shown to be expanding their range northwards and this could potentially affect the use of water quality metrics. The results show that the families of Odonata that are used in monitoring are shifting their ranges poleward and that species richness is increasing through time at most UK latitudes. These past distributional shifts have had negligible effects on water quality indicators. However, variation in Odonata species richness (particularly in species-poor regions) has a significant effect on water quality metrics. We conclude with a brief review of current and predicted responses of aquatic macroinvertebrates to environmental warming and maintain that caution is warranted in the use of such dynamic biological indicators.</p

Wings of Coenagrion puella vary in shape at the northern range margin (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

<p>A previous study has shown that wing size in Coenagrion puella varied considerably along a latitudinal gradient in the UK. Using landmark data from wing images, patterns of shape variation were also determined along the same transect by geometric morphometric analysis of wing shape. Wing shape was uniform at all sites other than those closest to the range margin, which differed significantly. The potential mechanisms that might have generated such between-population variation are discussed.</p

Latitudinal gradient data

<p>The data presented in the following two sheets ("Coenagrion puella" and "Pyrrhosoma nymphula") relate to individuals of <em>Coenagrion puella</em> and <em>Pyrrhosoma nymphula</em> that were collected in 2007 at a variety of sites across the UK. Details of methods, etc, can be found in the linked publication. Also, all specimens have been preserved in 95% ethanol since the project and can be accessed if somebody is interested in the population genetics of the system.</p

Historical changes in the phenology of British Odonata are related to climate

<p>Responses of biota to climate change take a number of forms including distributional shifts, behavioural changes and life history changes. This study examined an extensive set of biological records to investigate changes in the timing of life history transitions (specifically emergence) in British Odonata between 1960 and 2004. The results show that there has been a significant, consistent advance in phenology in the taxon as a whole over the period of warming that is mediated by life history traits. British odonates significantly advanced the leading edge (first quartile date) of the flight period by a mean of 1.51 ±0.060 (SEM, n=17) days per decade or 3.08±1.16 (SEM, n=17) days per degree rise in temperature when phylogeny is controlled for. This study represents the first review of changes in odonate phenology in relation to climate change. The results suggest that the damped temperature oscillations experienced by aquatic organisms compared with terrestrial organisms are sufficient to evoke phenological responses similar to those of purely terrestrial taxa.</p

Bergmann's rule is maintained during a rapid range expansion in a damselfly

<p>Climate-induced range shifts result in the movement of a sample of genotypes from source populations to new regions. The phenotypic consequences of those shifts depend upon the sample characteristics of the dispersive genotypes, which may act to either constrain or promote phenotypic divergence, and the degree to which plasticity influences the genotype–environment interaction. We sampled populations of the damselfly Erythromma viridulum from northern Europe to quantify the phenotypic (latitude–body size relationship based on seven morphological traits) and genetic (variation at microsatellite loci) patterns that occur during a range expansion itself. We find a weak spatial genetic structure that is indicative of high gene flow during a rapid range expansion. Despite the potentially homogenizing effect of high gene flow, however, there is extensive phenotypic variation among samples along the invasion route that manifests as a strong, positive correlation between latitude and body size consistent with Bergmann's rule. This positive correlation cannot be explained by variation in the length of larval development (voltinism). While the adaptive significance of latitudinal variation in body size remains obscure, geographical patterns in body size in odonates are apparently underpinned by phenotypic plasticity and this permits a response to one or more environmental correlates of latitude during a range expansion.</p