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Accounting for the estimated number of undescribed species, Gelechioidea are thought to be among the most species-rich superfamilies of Lepidoptera, with 18,500 described species, including numerous pests of economically significant crops such as cotton, tomato and wheat. Family-level topology of the superfamily and the extent and the number of accepted families have received important revisions t
Nestling feeding in altricial birds is a physiologically demanding phase of the annual cycle. Accordingly, parental effort in breeding songbirds has been suggested to be limited by the maximum capacity to perform sustained aerobic work. However, the maximum capacity for exercise and plasticity thereof is understudied in free-living, breeding songbirds. We tested two predictions related to the plas
Bees often focus their foraging effort on a few or even a single flower species, even if other equally rewarding flower species are present. Although this phenomenon-called flower constancy-has been widely documented during single foraging trips, it is largely unknown if the behavior persists over longer time periods, especially under field conditions with large temporal variations of resources. W
Remediation of soil contaminated with cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) is critical for tobacco production. Silicon (Si) fertilizer can relieve heavy metal stress and promote plant growth, however, it remains unknown whether fertilization with Si can mitigate the effects of Cd and Pb on tobacco growth and alter microbial community composition in polluted soils. Here we assessed the effect of two organic
This paper discusses the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the long-standing human rights system of the United Nations. Thematically, these two modes of global governance strongly overlap. Several SDGs are in line with human rights obligations. At the same time, the SDGs and human rights are based on divergent logics and constructed very differently. After capturing
Temperature is a major determinant of biological process rates, and microorganisms are key regulators of ecosystem carbon (C) dynamics. Temperature controls microbial rates of decomposition, and thus warming can stimulate C loss, creating positive feedback to climate change. If trait distributions that define temperature relationships of microbial communities can adapt to altered temperatures, the
Extreme environmental conditions make soils of the hyper-arid Atacama Desert one of the most hostile habitats for life on the planet. During the short intervals of moisture availability that occur, it remains unresolved how soil microorganisms physiologically respond to such dramatic environmental changes. Therefore, we simulated a precipitation event – without (H2O) and with (H2O + C) labile carb
Soil microbes perceive drying and rewetting (DRW) events as more or less harsh depending on the previous soil moisture history. If a DRW event is not perceived as harsh, microbial growth recovers rapidly after rewetting (referred to as ‘type 1’ response), while a harsh DRW will be followed by a delayed growth recovery (‘type 2’ response). Predicting these responses based on pedoclimatic factors is
Introduction: Heterogeneity in composition and spatial configuration of landscape elements support diversity and abundance of flower-visiting insects, but this is likely dependent on taxonomic group, spatial scale, weather and climatic conditions, and is particularly impacted by agricultural intensification. Here, we analyzed the impacts of both aspects of landscape heterogeneity and the role of c
Soil microorganisms play an integral role in the regulation of carbon (C) cycling. In high-latitude ecosystems, climate warming is leading to higher plant productivity, shrub expansion and faster nutrient cycling; all of which increase resource availability to soil microorganisms. To understand how a legacy of enhanced resource availability affects the functional traits of microbial communities, a
Plant invaders often exhibit substantially higher productivity than the communities they replace. However, little is known about interactions among invaders and microbial decomposers responsible for converting organic nutrients into plant-available forms to fuel this productivity. We performed two laboratory incubations with soil and plant material collected from five-year-old experimental plantin
Soil microbial communities perform vital ecosystem functions, such as the decomposition of organic matter to provide plant nutrition. However, despite the functional importance of soil microorganisms, attribution of ecosystem function to particular constituents of the microbial community has been impeded by a lack of information linking microbial function to community composition and structure. He
Anthropogenic activities such as intensification of agriculture, animal husbandry and expansion of cities can negatively impact wildlife through its influence on the availability of high-quality food resources and pathogen transmission. The house sparrow (Passer domesticus), an urban exploiter, is undergoing a population decline. Nutritional constrains and infectious diseases has been highlighted
The opening of habitats associated with the emergence of C4 grasslands during the Neogene had a massive influence on the evolution of plant and animal communities. Strikingly, the impacts of grassland expansion on species diversification in Africa, where the largest surface of grasslands and savannas in the world is located, are not well understood. To explore the impact of habitat opening, we inv
Comparative analyses of gene birth–death dynamics have the potential to reveal gene families that played an important role in the evolution of morphological, behavioral, or physiological variation. Here, we used whole genomes of 30 species of butterflies and moths to identify gene birth–death dynamics among the Lepidoptera that are associated with specialist or generalist feeding strategies. Our w
Environmental variation can shape the gut microbiome, but broad/large-scale data on among and within-population heterogeneity in the gut microbiome and the associated environmental factors of wild populations is lacking. Furthermore, previous studies have limited taxonomical coverage, and knowledge about wild avian gut microbiomes is still scarce. We investigated large-scale environmental variatio
