Environment and density-dependency explain the fine-scale aggregation of tree recruits before and after thinning in a mixed forest of Southern Europe.

Thinning in forest management primarily reduces the density of trees and alters the patchiness and spatial complexity of environmental factors and individual interactions between plant recruits. At fine spatial scales, little is known about the relative weight of ecological processes affecting tree regeneration before and after thinning events. Here we studied the density and aggregation of tree recruits in fully-mapped plots located in mixed forests in Northern Iberian Peninsula (Southern Europe) for over four years, which comprises one year before and three years after a thinning event. We applied spatial point-pattern analyses to examine (a) the aggregation of recruits, and their association with trees and (b) the relative effect of both environmental (i.e., the patchiness of the local environment) and density-dependent factors (i.e., the aggregation of trees and/or recruits) to predict the density, aggregation, and survival of recruits. We found, in thinning plots, that recruits were less dense, their aggregation pattern was more heterogeneous, were distributed randomly in respect of trees and their survival was almost unaffected by the tree proximity. By contrast, recruits in control plots were denser, were only aggregated at distances lower than 1.0 m, were closer to trees, and such closer distance to trees affected negatively in their survival. Independently of the treatment, the aggregation of recruits was chiefly determined by the density-dependent factors at less than 1.0 m and environmental factors at distances beyond that proximity. Overall, our results suggest that thinning affected the aggregation of recruits at two spatial scales: (a) by favoring the tree-recruit and recruit-recruit facilitation at less than 1.0 m and (b) by modifying spatial heterogeneity of the environment at distances beyond that proximity.

A food web approach reveals the vulnerability of biocontrol services by birds and bats to landscape modification at regional scale.

Pest control services provided by naturally occurring species (the so-called biocontrol services) are widely recognized to provide key incentives for biodiversity conservation. This is particularly relevant for vertebrate-mediated biocontrol services as many vertebrate species are of conservation concern, with most of their decline associated to landscape modification for agricultural purposes. Yet, we still lack rigorous approaches evaluating landscape-level correlates of biocontrol potential by vertebrates over broad spatial extents to better inform land-use and management decisions. We performed a spatially-explicit interaction-based assessment of potential biocontrol services in Portugal, using 1853 pairwise trophic interactions between 78 flying vertebrate species (birds and bats) and 53 insect pests associated to two widespread and economically valuable crops in the Euro-Mediterranean region, olive groves (Olea europaea subsp. europaea) and vineyards (Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera). The study area was framed using 1004 square cells, each 10 × 10 km in size. Potential biocontrol services were determined at all those 10 × 10 km grid-cells in which each crop was present as the proportion of the realized out of all potential pairwise interactions between vertebrates and pests. Landscape correlates of biocontrol potential were also explored. Our work suggests that both birds and bats can effectively provide biocontrol services in olive groves and vineyards as they prey many insect pest species associated to both crops. Moreover, it demonstrates that these potential services are impacted by landscape-scale features and that this impact is consistent when evaluated over broad spatial extents. Thus, biocontrol potential by vertebrates significantly increases with increasing amount of natural area, while decreases with increasing area devoted to target crops, particularly olive groves. Overall, our study highlights the suitability of our interaction-based approach to perform spatially-explicit assessments of potential biocontrol services by vertebrates at local spatial scales and suggest its utility for integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services in conservation planning over broad spatial extents.

Detecting Technical Anomalies in High-Frequency Water-Quality Data Using Artificial Neural Networks.

Anomaly detection (AD) in high-volume environmental data requires one to tackle a series of challenges associated with the typical low frequency of anomalous events, the broad-range of possible anomaly types, and local nonstationary environmental conditions, suggesting the need for flexible statistical methods that are able to cope with unbalanced high-volume data problems. Here, we aimed to detect anomalies caused by technical errors in water-quality (turbidity and conductivity) data collected by automated in situ sensors deployed in contrasting riverine and estuarine environments. We first applied a range of artificial neural networks that differed in both learning method and hyperparameter values, then calibrated models using a Bayesian multiobjective optimization procedure, and selected and evaluated the "best" model for each water-quality variable, environment, and anomaly type. We found that semi-supervised classification was better able to detect sudden spikes, sudden shifts, and small sudden spikes, whereas supervised classification had higher accuracy for predicting long-term anomalies associated with drifts and periods of otherwise unexplained high variability.

Forest fragmentation modifies the composition of bumblebee communities and modulates their trophic and competitive interactions for pollination.

Understanding the effects of landscape fragmentation on global bumblebee declines requires going beyond estimates of abundance and richness and evaluating changes in community composition and trophic and competitive interactions. We studied the effects of forest fragmentation in a Scandinavian landscape that combines temperate forests and croplands. For that, we evaluated how forest fragmentation features (patch size, isolation and shape complexity, percentage of forest in the surroundings) as well as local flowering communities influenced bumblebee abundance, richness and community composition in 24 forest patches along a fragmentation gradient. In addition, we assessed the effect of fragmentation on bumblebee-plant network specialization (H2'), and potential inter- and intraspecific competition via shared plants. Patch isolation was associated with lower bumblebee abundance, whereas flower density was positively related to both bumblebee abundance and richness. Overall, forest fragmentation reduced the abundance of forest-specialists while increasing the abundance of open-habitat species. Patches with complex shapes and few flowers showed more generalized bumblebee-plant networks (i.e., fewer specific interactions). Patch shape complexity and the percentage of forest also modified inter- and intraspecific competitive interactions, with habitat generalists outcompeting forest specialists in fragmented areas. Understanding these mechanisms is necessary to anticipate to the impact of forest fragmentation on bumblebee decline.

Frugivore species maintain their structural role in the trophic and spatial networks of seed dispersal interactions.

Trophic relationships have inherent spatial dimensions associated with the sites where species interactions, or their delayed effects, occur. Trophic networks among interacting species may thus be coupled with spatial networks linking species and habitats whereby animals connect patches across the landscape thanks to their high mobility. This trophic and spatial duality is especially inherent in processes like seed dispersal by animals, where frugivores consume fruit species and deposit seeds across habitats. We analysed the frugivore-plant interactions and seed deposition patterns of a diverse assemblage of frugivores in a heterogeneous landscape in order to determine whether the roles of frugivores in network topology are correlated across trophic and spatial networks of seed dispersal. We recorded fruit consumption and seed deposition by birds and mammals during 2 years in the Cantabrian Range (N Spain). We then constructed two networks of trophic (i.e. frugivore-plant) and spatial (i.e. frugivore-seed deposition habitat) interactions and estimated the contributions of each frugivore species to the network structure in terms of nestedness, modularity and complementary specialization. We tested whether the structural role of frugivore species was correlated across the trophic and spatial networks, and evaluated the influence of each frugivore abundance and body mass in that relationship. Both the trophic and the spatial networks were modular and specialized. Trophic modules matched medium-sized birds with fleshy-fruited trees, and small bird and mammals with small-fruit trees and shrubs. Spatial modules associated birds with woody canopies, and mammals with open habitats. Frugivore species maintained their structural role across the trophic and spatial networks of seed dispersal, even after accounting for frugivore abundance and body mass. The modularity found in our system points to complementarity between birds and mammals in the seed dispersal process, a fact that may trigger landscape-scale secondary succession. Our results open up the possibility of predicting the consumption pattern of a diverse frugivore community, and its ecological consequences, from the uneven distribution of fleshy-fruit resources in the landscape.

RESUMEN Las relaciones tróficas tienen una dimensión espacial asociada a los sitios donde ocurren o tienen lugar sus efectos. Las redes tróficas entre especies pueden, por tanto, emparejarse con las redes espaciales que vinculan a las especies con sus hábitats, y donde los animales conectan parches gracias a su alta movilidad. Esta dualidad trófica y espacial es especialmente inherente a procesos como la dispersión de semillas, donde los animales frugívoros consumen distintas especies de plantas con fruto carnoso y depositan sus semillas en distintos hábitats. Aquí analizamos las interacciones frugívoro-planta y los patrones de deposición de semillas de un conjunto diverso de frugívoros en un paisaje heterogéneo, con el fin de determinar si el papel topológico de los frugívoros en la red trófica de dispersión de semillas se correlaciona con dicho papel en la red espacial de deposición. Para ello, registramos el consumo de frutos y la deposición de semillas por aves y mamíferos durante dos años en la Cordillera Cantábrica (N España). Construimos dos redes de interacciones, una trófica (frugívoro-planta) y otra espacial (frugívoro-hábitat de deposición de semillas), y estimamos la contribución de las especies animales a la estructura de cada red, en términos de anidamiento, modularidad y especialización. Analizamos si el papel estructural de los distintos frugívoros se correlacionaba a través de ambas redes, y evaluamos la influencia de la abundancia relativa y la masa corporal de los frugívoros en dicha relación. Encontramos un patrón general de modularidad y especialización tanto en la red trófica como en la espacial. Los módulos tróficos agruparon principalmente a aves de mediano tamaño con árboles con frutos carnosos, y a aves de pequeño tamaño y mamíferos con arbustos de fruto carnoso. Los módulos espaciales asociaron en general a las aves con hábitats arbolados y a los mamíferos con hábitats abiertos. Las especies de frugívoros mantuvieron su papel estructural tanto en la red trófica como en la espacial, incluso después de tener en cuenta la abundancia relativa y la masa corporal de los frugívoros. El patrón de modularidad detectado en el sistema apunta a una importante complementariedad funcional entre aves y mamíferos en el proceso de dispersión de semillas, de modo que puede favorecer la sucesión secundaria de la vegetación a escala de paisaje. Nuestros resultados abren la posibilidad de predecir el patrón de consumo de una comunidad diversa de frugívoros así como sus consecuencias ecológicas a partir de la distribución desigual de los recursos tróficos en el paisaje.

Effects of flowering phenology and synchrony on the reproductive success of a long-flowering shrub.

Flowering phenology and synchrony with biotic and abiotic resources are crucial traits determining the reproductive success in insect-pollinated plants. In seasonal climates, plants flowering for long periods should assure reproductive success when resources are more predictable. In this work, we evaluated the relationship between flowering phenology and synchrony and reproductive success in Hypericum balearicum, a shrub flowering all year round but mainly during spring and summer. We studied two contrasting localities (differing mostly in rainfall) during 3 years, and at different biological scales spanning from localities to individual flowers and fruits. We first monitored (monthly) flowering phenology and reproductive success (fruit and seed set) of plants, and assessed whether in the locality with higher rainfall plants had longer flowering phenology and synchrony and relatively higher reproductive success within or outside the flowering peak. Secondly, we censused pollinators on H. balearicum individuals and measured reproductive success along the flowering peak of each locality to test for an association between (i) richness and abundance of pollinators and (ii) fruit and seed set, and seed weight. We found that most flowers (∼90 %) and the highest fruit set (∼70 %) were produced during the flowering peak of each locality. Contrary to expectations, plants in the locality with lower rainfall showed more relaxed flowering phenology and synchrony and set more fruits outside the flowering peak. During the flowering peak of each locality, the reproductive success of early-flowering individuals depended on a combination of both pollinator richness and abundance and rainfall; by contrast, reproductive success of late-flowering individuals was most dependent on rainfall. Plant species flowering for long periods in seasonal climates, thus, appear to be ideal organisms to understand how flowering phenology and synchrony match with biotic and abiotic resources, and how this ultimately influences plant reproductive success.

Frugivore behavioural details matter for seed dispersal: a multi-species model for cantabrian thrushes and trees.

Animal movement and behaviour is fundamental for ecosystem functioning. The process of seed dispersal by frugivorous animals is a showcase for this paradigm since their behaviour shapes the spatial patterns of the earliest stage of plant regeneration. However, we still lack a general understanding of how intrinsic (frugivore and plant species traits) and extrinsic (landscape features) factors interact to determine how seeds of a given species are more likely to be deposited in some places more than in others. We develop a multi-species mechanistic model of seed dispersal based on frugivore behavioural responses to landscape heterogeneity. The model was fitted to data from three-years of spatially-explicit field observations on the behaviour of six frugivorous thrushes and the fruiting patterns of three fleshy-fruited trees in a secondary forest of the Cantabrian range (N Spain). With such model we explore how seed rain patterns arise from the interaction between animal behaviour and landscape heterogeneity. We show that different species of thrushes respond differently to landscape heterogeneity even though they belong to the same genus, and that provide complementary seed dispersal functions. Simulated seed rain patterns are only realistic when at least some landscape heterogeneity (forest cover and fruit abundance) is taken into account. The common and simple approach of re-sampling movement data to quantify seed dispersal produces biases in both the distance and the habitat at which seeds arrive. Movement behaviour not only affects dispersal distance and seed rain patterns but also can affect frugivore diet composition even if there is no built-in preference for fruiting species. In summary, the fate of seeds produced by a given plant species is strongly affected by both the composition of the frugivore assemblage and the landscape-scale context of the plant location, including the presence of fruits from other plants (from the same or different species).

Effects of frugivore preferences and habitat heterogeneity on seed rain: a multi-scale analysis.

Seed rain mediated by frugivores is influenced by (1) the seed-deposition distances following fruit ingestion, (2) the disperser activity, as determined by its behaviour and habitat preferences, and (3) the structure of the habitat within the landscape. Here, we evaluated such components using the fleshy-fruited shrub Ephedra fragilis and the frugivorous Balearic lizard Podarcis lilfordi. We estimated seed-deposition patterns based on the displacements and habitat preferences of lizards, derived from visual surveys and telemetry data. The influence of variables potentially determining lizard habitat preference (i.e., height, slope, four measures of habitat abundance and four measures of habitat fragmentation) was evaluated at three spatial scales: 'home-range' (c. 2.5-10*10(3) m(2); telemetry data), 'within home-range' (c. 100 m(2); telemetry data) and 'microhabitat' (<100 m(2); visual survey). Cumulative lizard displacement (from each telemetric location to the initial capture point) saturated before the peak of seed defecation (seed-retention time), indicating that lizard home-range size and habitat preferences were the main determinants of the spread and shape of seed shadows. Shrub cover was positively correlated with habitat preference at the three scales of analysis, whereas slope was negatively correlated at the home-range scale. Model scenarios indicated that spatially-aggregated seed rain emerged when we incorporated the joint effect of habitat preference at the two largest (home-range and within home-range) scales. We conclude that, in order to predict seed rain in animal dispersed plants, it is important to consider the multi-scale effects of habitat preference by frugivores.

Interaction between ungulates and bruchid beetles and its effect on Acacia trees: modeling the costs and benefits of seed dispersal to plant demography.

Integrative studies of plant-animal interactions that incorporate the multiple effects of interactions are important for discerning the importance of each factor within the population dynamics of a plant species. The low regeneration capacity of many Acacia species in arid savannas is a consequence of a combination of reduction in seed dispersal and high seed predation. Here we studied how ungulates (acting as both seed dispersers and herbivores) and bruchid beetles (post-dispersal seed predators) modulate the population dynamics of A. raddiana, a keystone species in the Middle East. We developed two simulation models of plant demography: the first included seed ingestion by ungulates and seed predation by bruchids, whereas the second model additionally incorporated herbivory by ungulates. We also included the interacting effects of seed removal and body mass, because larger ungulates destroy proportionally fewer seeds and enhance seed germination. Simulations showed that the negative effect of seed predation on acacia population size was compensated for by the positive effect of seed ingestion at 50 and 30% seed removal under scenarios with and without herbivory, respectively. Smaller ungulates (e.g., <35 kg) must necessarily remove tenfold more seeds than larger ungulates (e.g., >250 kg) to compensate for the negative effect of seed predation. Seedling proportion increased with seed removal in the model with herbivory. Managing and restoring acacia seed dispersers is key to conserving acacia populations, because low-to-medium seed removal could quickly restore their regeneration capacity.

Influence of reproductive traits on pollination success in two Daphne species (Thymelaeaceae).

Taxonomically related species can differ in a number of reproductive traits, which may translate into a differential mating system and pollination success. Here we compare two hermaphroditic insect-pollinated Daphne species (D. rodriguezii and D. gnidium) which differ in distribution (island endemic vs. mediterranean) and floral traits (long- vs. short-tube corolla). We investigated their mating system and pollen limitation by means of hand-pollination experiments and quantified the diversity and abundance of flower visitors by direct observations. Plant size and five reproductive traits (flower production, proportion of viable anthers, pollen production, flower tube length and tepal area) were studied to assess how they contribute to reproductive success, measured as proportion of pollen grains germinated per stigma and fruit set. Selfing was very low and pollen limitation existed in both species, though was higher in D. rodriguezii probably due to the scarcity of flower visitors. The low fruit set in both species suggests that most of the pollen grains found on stigmas are self-pollen. Pollinators appeared to favour some floral traits (specifically, flower tube length or tepal area) in both species, although flower crop in D. rodriguezii was the only reproductive trait influencing fruit set. In both species, the highest variability in reproductive traits and pollination success was within individuals. Our findings suggest that despite both species showed similar mating system, dependency on outcrossing pollen and selection of floral traits, pollen limitation was higher in D. rodriguezii, probably as a higher proportion of self-pollen arrives to its stigmas.

Seed trait changes in dispersers' guts and consequences for germination and seedling growth.

The effectiveness of a frugivore as a disperser of a plant is greatly determined by how fruits and seeds are handled in its mouth and its digestive tract. Although a number of studies have investigated the effect of avian ingestion on germination, we still know very little about the modifications to seeds during ingestion and the specific consequences on plant fitness. Here we investigate for the first time the different mechanisms by which germination patterns of seeds are modified following ingestion by frugivores. Specifically, we examine changes in seed mass, water content, permeability, seed coat thickness, texture, and resistance in two common Mediterranean fleshy-fruited plants, Phillyrea angustifolia and Myrtus communis, after ingestion by Eurasian Blackbirds, Turdus merula. We found a number of differences between the plant species: Phillyrea seeds lost mass, mainly due to water loss, and had thinner coats after gut passage, but Myrtus seeds did not. Seeds of both species showed increased permeability, while Myrtus seeds in particular became less resistant to breakage. No quantifiable changes in seed coat texture were detected in either species, although this trait was partly associated with differences in germination rate in Phillyrea. High intraspecific plant variation was found for most seed traits measured. Seed passage through birds' guts sped up germination in both species, especially in Myrtus. Increased permeability in seeds of both species following ingestion resulted in a higher germination rate. Moreover, seeds with thick coats (and in the case of Phillyrea, harder coats) germinated at a slower rate and produced seedlings that also grew more slowly, indicating a cost of coat thickness and/or hardness for seedling emergence. Results obtained here contribute to explaining the great heterogeneity in germination responses among and within plant species and the large variety of factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the plants, that influence such responses.

Predicting spatial patterns of plant recruitment using animal-displacement kernels.

For plants dispersed by frugivores, spatial patterns of recruitment are primarily influenced by the spatial arrangement and characteristics of parent plants, the digestive characteristics, feeding behaviour and movement patterns of animal dispersers, and the structure of the habitat matrix. We used an individual-based, spatially-explicit framework to characterize seed dispersal and seedling fate in an endangered, insular plant-disperser system: the endemic shrub Daphne rodriguezii and its exclusive disperser, the endemic lizard Podarcis lilfordi. Plant recruitment kernels were chiefly determined by the disperser's patterns of space utilization (i.e. the lizard's displacement kernels), the position of the various plant individuals in relation to them, and habitat structure (vegetation cover vs. bare soil). In contrast to our expectations, seed gut-passage rate and its effects on germination, and lizard speed-of-movement, habitat choice and activity rhythm were of minor importance. Predicted plant recruitment kernels were strongly anisotropic and fine-grained, preventing their description using one-dimensional, frequency-distance curves. We found a general trade-off between recruitment probability and dispersal distance; however, optimal recruitment sites were not necessarily associated to sites of maximal adult-plant density. Conservation efforts aimed at enhancing the regeneration of endangered plant-disperser systems may gain in efficacy by manipulating the spatial distribution of dispersers (e.g. through the creation of refuges and feeding sites) to create areas favourable to plant recruitment.

Breeding system, flower visitors and seedling survival of two endangered species of Helianthemum (Cistaceae).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Helianthemum marifolium and H. caput-felis are two endangered plant species of the western Mediterranean. Several aspects of the reproduction of both species were examined to determine whether their rarity could be related to factors causing reproductive limitation. METHODS: The flowering and fruiting phenology of both species in two non-sympatric island populations (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean) were compared. Hand-pollination experiments were conducted to determine their fruit and seed production under different pollen sources. The composition of the pollinator assemblage and the effect of temporal variation and sun exposure on reproductive output and seedling survival were also investigated. KEY RESULTS: Flowering periods were longer for H. marifolium than for H. caput-felis in the populations studied. Helianthemum marifolium is mostly an outbreeder, i.e. fruit and seed set was three-fold higher when pollen came from other plants. In H. caput-felis, neither fruit nor seed set was affected by pollination treatments. Flower visitors were more diverse for H. caput-felis than for H. marifolium. In both species, most floral visits were made by hymenopterans. The total number of pollinator visits varied significantly between years, decreasing more than two-fold from 2001 to 2002, in both species. In agreement with its outbreeder character, variation in reproductive output between years was also observed in H. marifolium. It showed a 50 % decrease in fruit set in 2002, a pollinator-poor year. Finally, seedling survival increased three- to six-fold from 2001 to 2002. A correlation between seedling size and survival had also been detected. CONCLUSIONS: Reproductive limitations were detected for neither species (i.e. fruit and seed set, pollination service and seedling survival on natural populations). Hence, the increasing rarity of these two species is probably a direct result of the destruction of their habitat.