Facilitated migration could bolster migrant passage through anthropogenically altered ecosystems.

Anthropogenic habitat change frequently outpaces the adaptive capacity of migratory taxa, placing many species and populations at risk of extirpation or extinction due to the mismatch of natural migration phenology and suitable conditions. While dynamic protection can greatly benefit migratory species, it is contingent on the flexibility of relevant management actions. For regulated ecosystems where advanced management planning is required, we present a new framework-facilitated migration-for actively matching natural migration phenology with suitable conditions for successful migrant passage.

Evolutionary history influences the microbiomes of a female symbiotic reproductive organ in cephalopods.

Many female squids and cuttlefishes have a symbiotic reproductive organ called the accessory nidamental gland (ANG) that hosts a bacterial consortium involved with egg defense against pathogens and fouling organisms. While the ANG is found in multiple cephalopod families, little is known about the global microbial diversity of these ANG bacterial symbionts. We used 16S rRNA gene community analysis to characterize the ANG microbiome from different cephalopod species and assess the relationship between host and symbiont phylogenies.

Thermal optima in the hypoxia tolerance of marine ectotherms: Physiological causes and biogeographic consequences.

The minimum O2 needed to fuel the demand of aquatic animals is commonly observed to increase with temperature, driven by accelerating metabolism. However, recent measurements of critical O2 thresholds ("Pcrit") reveal more complex patterns, including those with a minimum at an intermediate thermal "optimum". To discern the prevalence, physiological drivers, and biogeographic manifestations of such curves, we analyze new experimental and biogeographic data using a general dynamic model of aquatic water breathers.

The limits of convergence in the collective behavior of competing marine taxa.

Collective behaviors in biological systems such as coordinated movements have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. While many studies examine within-species variation in collective behavior, explicit comparisons between functionally similar species from different taxonomic groups are rare. Therefore, a fundamental question remains: how do collective behaviors compare between taxa with morphological and physiological convergence, and how might this relate to functional ecology and niche partitioning? We examined the collective motion of two ecologically similar species from unrelated clades that have competed for pelagic predatory niches for over 500 million years-California market squid, (Mollusca) and Pacific sardine, (Chordata).

Rapid Range Expansion of a Marine Ectotherm Reveals the Demographic and Ecological Consequences of Short-Term Variability in Seawater Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen.

AbstractThe distributions of marine ectotherms are governed by physiological sensitivities to long-term trends in seawater temperature and dissolved oxygen. Short-term variability in these parameters has the potential to facilitate rapid range expansions, and the resulting ecological and socioeconomic consequences may portend those of future marine communities. Here, we combine physiological experiments with ecological and demographic surveys to assess the causes and consequences of sudden but temporary poleward range expansions of a marine ectotherm with considerable life history plasticity (California market squid, ).

Bioluminescent backlighting illuminates the complex visual signals of a social squid in the deep sea.

Visual signals rapidly relay information, facilitating behaviors and ecological interactions that shape ecosystems. However, most known signaling systems can be restricted by low light levels-a pervasive condition in the deep ocean, the largest inhabitable space on the planet. Resident visually cued animals have therefore been hypothesized to have simple signals with limited information-carrying capacity.

Pelagic shrimp play dead in deep oxygen minima.

Pelagic crustaceans are arguably the most abundant group of metazoans on Earth, yet little is known about their natural behavior. The deep pelagic shrimp Hymenopenaeus doris is a common decapod that thrives in low oxygen layers of the eastern Pacific Ocean. When first observed in situ using a remotely operated vehicle, most specimens of H.

Foraging behavior and locomotion of the invasive Argentine ant from winter aggregations.

The collective behavior of ant colonies, and locomotion of individuals within a colony, both respond to changing conditions. The invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) thrives in Mediterranean climates with hot, dry summers and colder, wet winters. However, its foraging behavior and locomotion has rarely been studied in the winter.