Effects of stream acidification on fungal biomass in decaying beech leaves and leaf palatability

We examined the effect of surface water acidification on rates of decomposition, ergosterol concentrations (as a measure of fungal biomass), and palatability to shredders of common beech leaves (Fagus sylvatica L.) in five mountain streams (pH 4.7-7.1). Leaf decomposition was significantly faster in the circumneutral streams (pH 6.4-7.1; k > or = 0.00175 d(-1)), when compared to acidic streams (pH 4.7-4.9; k < or = 0.00100 d(-1)). Fungal biomass showed no particular trend along the acidification gradient except that it peaked earlier in the stream closest to neutrality. Leaf palatability, measured as the feeding activity of the leaf-shredding amphipod Gammarus fossarum Koch, varied with the exposure time in the streams. Except for the higher palatability of leaves exposed during 6 weeks at the highest pH, patterns among streams were mostly similar. These results suggest that reduced processing rates in the most acidic streams were not related to differences in fungal biomass associated with decomposing leaves and that microbial conditioning was only slightly delayed by acidification. Possible effects of low pH and related variables (Ca, Al) on microbial decomposition and detritivorous macroinvertebrates are discussed to clarify the inhibition of beech leaf decomposition in the studied systems

Facilitation among plants in alpine environments in the face of climate change

While there is a large consensus that plant&#8211;plant interactions are a crucial component of the response of plant communities to the effects of climate change, available data remain scarce, particularly in alpine systems. This represents an important obstacle to making consistent predictions about the future of plant communities. Here, we review current knowledge on the effects of climate change on facilitation among alpine plant communities and propose directions for future research. In established alpine communities, while warming seemingly generates a net facilitation release, earlier snowmelt may increase facilitation. Some nurse plants are able to buffer microenvironmental changes in the long term and may ensure the persistence of other alpine plants through local migration events. For communities migrating to higher elevations, facilitation should play an important role in their reorganization because of the harsher environmental conditions. In particular, the absence of efficient nurse plants might slow down upward migration, possibly generating chains of extinction. Facilitation-climate change relationships are expected to shift along latitudinal gradients because (1) the magnitude of warming is predicted to vary along these gradients, and (2) alpine environments are significantly different at low vs. high latitudes. Data on these expected patterns are preliminary and thus need to be tested with further studies on facilitation among plants in alpine environments that have thus far not been considered. From a methodological standpoint, future studies will benefit from the spatial representation of the microclimatic environment of plants to predict their response to climate change. Moreover, the acquisition of long-term data on the dynamics of plant-plant interactions, either through permanent plots or chronosequences of glacial recession, may represent powerful approaches to clarify the relationship between plant interactions and climate change

Microclimate Data Improve Predictions of Insect Abundance Models Based on Calibrated Spatiotemporal Temperatures

International audienceSpecialty section: This article was submitted to Invertebrate Physiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Physiology A large body of literature has recently recognized the role of microclimates in controlling the physiology and ecology of species, yet the relevance of fine-scale climatic data for modeling species performance and distribution remains a matter of debate. Using a 6-year monitoring of three potato moth species, major crop pests in the tropical Andes, we asked whether the spatiotemporal resolution of temperature data affect the predictions of models of moth performance and distribution. For this, we used three different climatic data sets: (i) the WorldClim dataset (global dataset), (ii) air temperature recorded using data loggers (weather station dataset), and (iii) air crop canopy temperature (microclimate dataset). We developed a statistical procedure to calibrate all datasets to monthly and yearly variation in temperatures, while keeping both spatial and temporal variances (air monthly temperature at 1 km² for the WorldClim dataset, air hourly temperature for the weather station, and air minute temperature over 250 m radius disks for the microclimate dataset). Then, we computed pest performances based on these three datasets. Results for temperature ranging from 9 to 11 • C revealed discrepancies in the simulation outputs in both survival and development rates depending on the spatiotemporal resolution of the temperature dataset. Temperature and simulated pest performances were then combined into multiple linear regression models to compare predicted vs. field data. We used an additional set of study sites to test the ability of the results of our model to be extrapolated over larger scales. Results showed that the model implemented with microclimatic data best predicted observed pest abundances for our study sites, but was less accurate than the global dataset model when performed at larger scales. Our simulations therefore stress the importance to consider different temperature datasets depending on the issue to be solved in order to accurately predict species abundances. In conclusion, keeping in mind that the mismatch between the size of organisms and the scale at which climate data are collected and modeled remains a key issue, temperature dataset selection should be balanced by the desired output spatiotemporal scale for better predicting pest dynamics and developing efficient pest management strategies

The Aerodynamic Signature of Running Spiders

Many predators display two foraging modes, an ambush strategy and a cruising mode. These foraging strategies have been classically studied in energetic, biomechanical and ecological terms, without considering the role of signals produced by predators and perceived by prey. Wolf spiders are a typical example; they hunt in leaf litter either using an ambush strategy or by moving at high speed, taking over unwary prey. Air flow upstream of running spiders is a source of information for escaping prey, such as crickets and cockroaches. However, air displacement by running arthropods has not been previously examined. Here we show, using digital particle image velocimetry, that running spiders are highly conspicuous aerodynamically, due to substantial air displacement detectable up to several centimetres in front of them. This study explains the bimodal distribution of spider's foraging modes in terms of sensory ecology and is consistent with the escape distances and speeds of cricket prey. These findings may be relevant to the large and diverse array of arthropod prey-predator interactions in leaf litter

Diversity and distribution models of horse flies (Diptera : Tabanidae) from Ecuador

Worldwide information about Tabanidae is biased toward taxonomical research, which has been the main source of diversity data for this group of flies. In Ecuador, studies on horse flies have been irregular since the first descriptions of three Andean specimens in 1848. Catalogues, checklists and collections in national museums demonstrate that despite its size, Ecuador is at present the richest country in number of tabanids species in the Neotropics after Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, and has one of the highest numbers of species per unit area. The tabanofauna is predominantly shared with Colombia (62.6%), Peru (47%), Brazil (35.9%), Panama (35.4%), and Venezuela (30.3%) that have biogeographic areas in common with Ecuador. Endemism rate of this group is around 12.6%, with Diachlorus, Dicladocera, Esenbeckia, Eristalotabanus (monotypic), and Leucotabanus genera as the most representatives. We add new records of Tabanidae for the country. The genus Hemichrysops was recorded for first time. The number of species in Ecuador now totals 198. A catalogue of all Ecuadorian species is compiled with a localities-gazetteer. We also present and discuss for the first time, the distribution of well known horse flies species (Chrysops varians var. tardus, Dicladocera macula and Fidena rhinophora) using georeferenced localities and niche modelling analyses

Agent-Based Modeling of Human-Induced Spread of Invasive Species in Agricultural Landscapes: Insights from the Potato Moth in Ecuador

Agent-based models (ABM) are ideal tools to deal with the complexity of pest invasion throughout agricultural socio-ecological systems, yet very few studies have applied them in such context. In this work we developed an ABM that simulates interactions between farmers and an invasive insect pest in an agricultural landscape of the tropical Andes. Our specific aims were to use the model 1) to assess the importance of farmers\' mobility and pest control knowledge on pest expansion and 2) to use it as an educational tool to train farmer communities facing pest risks. Our model combined an ecological sub-model, simulating pest population dynamics driven by a cellular automaton including environmental factors of the landscape, with a social model in which we incorporated agents (farmers) potentially transporting and spreading the pest through displacements among villages. Results of model simulation revealed that both agents\' movements and knowledge had a significant, non-linear, impact on invasion spread, confirming previous works on disease expansion by epidemiologists. However, heterogeneity in knowledge among agents had a low effect on invasion dynamics except at high levels of knowledge. Evaluations of the training sessions using ABM suggest that farmers would be able to better manage their crop after our implementation. Moreover, by providing farmers with evidence that pests propagated through their community not as the result of isolated decisions but rather as the result of repeated interactions between multiple individuals over time, our ABM allowed introducing them with social and psychological issues which are usually neglected in integrated pest management programs.Socio-Ecological Systems, Farmers, Invasive Pest, Long Distance Dispersion, Teaching

Impacts of stream acidification on litter breakdown: implications for assessing ecosystem functioning

1. Scientific understanding of acidification in aquatic ecosystems relies on effective assessment, which at present is mostly limited to chemical and sometimes structural biological variables. Effects on ecosystem functioning are, in contrast, largely neglected. Litter breakdown is a potentially useful, highly integrative and crucial process that could enhance such assessment programmes. 2. Breakdown rates of beech Fagus sylvatica leaves were determined in 25 woodland headwater streams along an acidification gradient in the Vosges Mountains, France. Additional data relating to micro-organisms (microbial respiration, fungal biomass and degree of conditioning measured as leaf palatability) and macroinvertebrates (shredder diversity, abundance and biomass) associated with decomposing leaves were collected to elucidate the mechanisms underlying leaf breakdown. 3. Breakdown rates varied more than 20-fold between the most acidified and circum- neutral sites (k = 0·0002–0·0055 day−1). Stream water alkalinity and total Al concen- tration together accounted for 88% of the variation in litter breakdown rates among streams. Microbial factors associated with decaying leaves, particularly microbial respiration, declined with increasing stream acidity and were significantly related to Ca2+ and total Al concentrations. 4. Total abundance, biomass and richness of leaf-shredding invertebrates associated with decomposing leaves were not related to stream acidity. However, the abundance and biomass of the amphipod Gammarus fossarum, an acid-sensitive and particularly efficient leaf-shredder, showed a strong positive relationship with leaf breakdown rate. Gammarus abundance and microbial respiration together accounted for 85% of the variation in litter breakdown rates among streams. 5. Synthesis and applications. These results indicate that leaf-litter breakdown responds strongly to stream acidification, with both microbial decomposers and invertebrate detritivores markedly affected. Measuring leaf breakdown rate may be developed into a simple, powerful and low-cost tool for assessing a critical component of ecosystem functioning. We advocate further investigation of this approach for the routine bio- monitoring of freshwaters affected by, or recovering from, other anthropogenic stresses

Coupling reactions between flavylium ions and catechin

[EN] In order to model natural polymeric pigments present in old red wines, new covalent adducts have been synthesized upon condensation of synthetic flavylium ions (models of anthocyanins) with catechin (model of tannins) in the presence and in the absence of acetaldehyde. These new pigments have been investigated by 1D and 2D NMR, HPLC, FAB-mass and UV-visible spectroscopies and molecular modelling. The two flavylium salts used in this work (3,4'-dimethoxy-7-hydroxyflavylium chloride and 5,7-dihydroxy-3,4'-dimethoxyflavylium chloride) display quite different reactivities toward catechin. The electronic donating effect of the catechin moiety and the formation of noncovalent dimers in acidic aqueous or methanolic solution should be mainly responsible for the improved stability of the flavylium chromophore in the new pigments