Latitudinal patterns in stabilizing density dependence of forest communities

Numerous studies have shown reduced performance in plants that are surrounded by neighbours of the same species1,2, a phenomenon known as conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD)3. A long-held ecological hypothesis posits that CNDD is more pronounced in tropical than in temperate forests4,5, which increases community stabilization, species coexistence and the diversity of local tree species6,7. Previous analyses supporting such a latitudinal gradient in CNDD8,9 have suffered from methodological limitations related to the use of static data10,11,12. Here we present a comprehensive assessment of latitudinal CNDD patterns using dynamic mortality data to estimate species-site-specific CNDD across 23 sites. Averaged across species, we found that stabilizing CNDD was present at all except one site, but that average stabilizing CNDD was not stronger toward the tropics. However, in tropical tree communities, rare and intermediate abundant species experienced stronger stabilizing CNDD than did common species. This pattern was absent in temperate forests, which suggests that CNDD influences species abundances more strongly in tropical forests than it does in temperate ones13. We also found that interspecific variation in CNDD, which might attenuate its stabilizing effect on species diversity14,15, was high but not significantly different across latitudes. Although the consequences of these patterns for latitudinal diversity gradients are difficult to evaluate, we speculate that a more effective regulation of population abundances could translate into greater stabilization of tropical tree communities and thus contribute to the high local diversity of tropical forests

Functional diversity along a stress gradient: a case study in sand coastal vegetation

Entender os processos que definem a montagem de comunidades é uma das questões centrais na ecologia. A influência de processos como o filtro ambiental e a competição pode ser observada na diversidade funcional das comunidades vegetais. A competição, através da exclusão competitiva, limita a similaridade de estratégias presentes na comunidade. O filtro ambiental, por outro lado, restringe as espécies que estão aptas a se estabelecer no local, diminuindo a diversidade funcional. É razoável pressupor que a influência desses processos varia em gradientes ambientais, onde o filtro ambiental exercerá maior influência em locais mais estressantes, e a competição, em locais menos estressantes. O objetivo deste trabalho é compreender a influência do filtro ambiental e da competição na diversidade funcional numa comunidade vegetal em um gradiente de estresse. Esperamos uma relação inversa entre diversidade funcional e estresse. O gradiente de estresse estudado ocorre na restinga do Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso (Cananéia - SP). Amostramos 41 parcelas, com 104 espécies de plantas vasculares. Focamos a diversidade funcional em três dimensões: forma de vida, área foliar e atributos associados ao espectro de economia foliar (LES). Representamos o filtro ambiental utilizando variáveis edáficas associadas às restrições na restinga. Utilizamos a classificação de estratégias de Grime (CSR) para extrair o componente associado à competitividade de cada espécie, e a partir dela calculamos a média ponderada de cada parcela (CWM), para representar a competição. Construímos modelos lineares mistos (LMM) representando diferentes hipóteses relativas à diversidade funcional e selecionamos os melhores modelos pelo critério de Akaike (AIC). Avaliamos a diversidade funcional através das métricas: riqueza funcional (FRic), dispersão funcional (FDis) e CWM, que foram incluídas separadamente como respostas nos modelos. Na seleção de modelos o CWM de cada atributo, FRic das formas de vida e FRic para todos os atributos foram preditos pelo filtro ambiental. O FRic do LES, FRic da área foliar e todas FDis tiveram como modelo mais plausível o nulo, descartando a influência da competição e do filtro ambiental nesses componentes da diversidade funcional. A concentração em determinadas estratégias ao longo do gradiente explica a ausência de diferença na dispersão funcional. Inferimos que o filtro ambiental restringe certas estratégias, diminuindo a riqueza funcional ou deslocando o espaço funcional das comunidades. A ausência da competição afetando a diversidade funcional sugere que a limitação de similaridade exerce pouca influência na comunidade estudada, ou que a consequência da limitação de similaridade é compensada por outros processosUnderstanding processes underlying community assembly is one of the main questions in community ecology. The influence of processes such as environmental filtering and competition can be observed in patterns of functional diversity patterns in plant communities. Competition, through competitive exclusion, limits similarities in ecological strategies in a given community. Environmental filtering, on the other hand, constrains the species that can be established in a given community, restricting the functional diversity. One can reasonably predict that the influence of such processes changes across environmental gradients, where the environmental filtering will exert more influence in more stressful environments, whereas competition will exert more influence in less stressful places. This study aimed to understand the influence of environmental filtering and competition on functional diversity in a plant community across a stress gradient. We expected an inverse relationship between functional diversity and stress. The stress gradient studied occurs in the restinga of the Cardoso Island State Park (Cananeia, SP). We sampled 41 sites, in which we found 104 species of vascular plants. We measured three traits: life form, leaf area and leaf economic spectrum (LES). We represented the environmental filter using edaphic variables that represent restinga environmental restrictions. We used Grime\'s strategies classification (CSR), to extract the component related to competitiveness of each species, and therefore, calculated the competition community weighted mean (CWM) of each plot as proxy of competition. We built linear mixed models (LMM) to represent different hypothesis related to functional diversity and selected the best models by Akaike Criterion (AIC). We evaluated functional diversity through three response variables in the models: functional richness (FRic), functional dispersion (FDis) and CWM. In the model selection of CWM for each trait, FRic for life form and FRic for all traits were predicted by the environmental filtering. The FRic of LES, FRic of leaf area and all models of FDis had the null model as the most plausible, discarding the influence of competition and environmental filter in functional diversity. The fact that there is a concentration of abundance around certain strategies explains why there is no difference in functional dispersion. We infer that environmental filter restricts some strategies, reducing functional richness or displacing functional space of the communities. The absence of competition affecting functional diversity suggests that limiting similarity exerts little influence on community assembly in the studied gradient, or that the consequences of similarity limitation is compensated by other proces

Functional diversity along a stress gradient: a case study in sand coastal vegetation

Entender os processos que definem a montagem de comunidades é uma das questões centrais na ecologia. A influência de processos como o filtro ambiental e a competição pode ser observada na diversidade funcional das comunidades vegetais. A competição, através da exclusão competitiva, limita a similaridade de estratégias presentes na comunidade. O filtro ambiental, por outro lado, restringe as espécies que estão aptas a se estabelecer no local, diminuindo a diversidade funcional. É razoável pressupor que a influência desses processos varia em gradientes ambientais, onde o filtro ambiental exercerá maior influência em locais mais estressantes, e a competição, em locais menos estressantes. O objetivo deste trabalho é compreender a influência do filtro ambiental e da competição na diversidade funcional numa comunidade vegetal em um gradiente de estresse. Esperamos uma relação inversa entre diversidade funcional e estresse. O gradiente de estresse estudado ocorre na restinga do Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso (Cananéia - SP). Amostramos 41 parcelas, com 104 espécies de plantas vasculares. Focamos a diversidade funcional em três dimensões: forma de vida, área foliar e atributos associados ao espectro de economia foliar (LES). Representamos o filtro ambiental utilizando variáveis edáficas associadas às restrições na restinga. Utilizamos a classificação de estratégias de Grime (CSR) para extrair o componente associado à competitividade de cada espécie, e a partir dela calculamos a média ponderada de cada parcela (CWM), para representar a competição. Construímos modelos lineares mistos (LMM) representando diferentes hipóteses relativas à diversidade funcional e selecionamos os melhores modelos pelo critério de Akaike (AIC). Avaliamos a diversidade funcional através das métricas: riqueza funcional (FRic), dispersão funcional (FDis) e CWM, que foram incluídas separadamente como respostas nos modelos. Na seleção de modelos o CWM de cada atributo, FRic das formas de vida e FRic para todos os atributos foram preditos pelo filtro ambiental. O FRic do LES, FRic da área foliar e todas FDis tiveram como modelo mais plausível o nulo, descartando a influência da competição e do filtro ambiental nesses componentes da diversidade funcional. A concentração em determinadas estratégias ao longo do gradiente explica a ausência de diferença na dispersão funcional. Inferimos que o filtro ambiental restringe certas estratégias, diminuindo a riqueza funcional ou deslocando o espaço funcional das comunidades. A ausência da competição afetando a diversidade funcional sugere que a limitação de similaridade exerce pouca influência na comunidade estudada, ou que a consequência da limitação de similaridade é compensada por outros processosUnderstanding processes underlying community assembly is one of the main questions in community ecology. The influence of processes such as environmental filtering and competition can be observed in patterns of functional diversity patterns in plant communities. Competition, through competitive exclusion, limits similarities in ecological strategies in a given community. Environmental filtering, on the other hand, constrains the species that can be established in a given community, restricting the functional diversity. One can reasonably predict that the influence of such processes changes across environmental gradients, where the environmental filtering will exert more influence in more stressful environments, whereas competition will exert more influence in less stressful places. This study aimed to understand the influence of environmental filtering and competition on functional diversity in a plant community across a stress gradient. We expected an inverse relationship between functional diversity and stress. The stress gradient studied occurs in the restinga of the Cardoso Island State Park (Cananeia, SP). We sampled 41 sites, in which we found 104 species of vascular plants. We measured three traits: life form, leaf area and leaf economic spectrum (LES). We represented the environmental filter using edaphic variables that represent restinga environmental restrictions. We used Grime\'s strategies classification (CSR), to extract the component related to competitiveness of each species, and therefore, calculated the competition community weighted mean (CWM) of each plot as proxy of competition. We built linear mixed models (LMM) to represent different hypothesis related to functional diversity and selected the best models by Akaike Criterion (AIC). We evaluated functional diversity through three response variables in the models: functional richness (FRic), functional dispersion (FDis) and CWM. In the model selection of CWM for each trait, FRic for life form and FRic for all traits were predicted by the environmental filtering. The FRic of LES, FRic of leaf area and all models of FDis had the null model as the most plausible, discarding the influence of competition and environmental filter in functional diversity. The fact that there is a concentration of abundance around certain strategies explains why there is no difference in functional dispersion. We infer that environmental filter restricts some strategies, reducing functional richness or displacing functional space of the communities. The absence of competition affecting functional diversity suggests that limiting similarity exerts little influence on community assembly in the studied gradient, or that the consequences of similarity limitation is compensated by other proces

Enoxacin induces oxidative metabolism and mitigates obesity by regulating adipose tissue miRNA expression

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in oxidative metabolism and brown/beige adipocyte identity. Here, we tested whether widespread changes in miRNA expression promoted by treatment with the small-molecule enoxacin cause browning and prevent obesity. Enoxacin mitigated diet-induced obesity in mice, and this was associated with increased energy expenditure. Consistently, subcutaneous white and brown adipose tissues and skeletal muscle of enoxacin-treated mice had higher levels of markers associated with thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism. These effects were cell autonomous since they were recapitulated in vitro in m urine and human cell models. In preadipocytes, enoxacin led to a reduction of miR-34a-5p expression and up-regulation of its target genes (e.g., Fgfr1, Klb, and Sirt1), thus increasing FGF21 signaling and promoting beige adipogenesis. Our data demonstrate that enoxacin counteracts obesity by promoting thermogenic signaling and inducing oxidative metabolism in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in a mechanism that involves, at least in part, miRNA-mediated regulation