CellCharter reveals spatial cell niches associated with tissue remodeling and cell plasticity
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Abstract Individual variation is increasingly recognized as a central component of ecological processes, but its role in structuring environmental niche associations remains largely unknown. Species’ responses to environmental conditions are ultimately determined by the niches of single individuals, yet environmental associations are typically captured only at the level of species. Here, we develop scenarios for how individual variation may combine to define the compound environmental niche of populations, use extensive movement data to document individual environmental niche variation, test associated hypotheses of niche configuration, and examine the consistency of individual niches over time. For 45 individual white storks ( Ciconia ciconia; 116 individual-year combinations), we uncover high variability in individual environmental associations, consistency of individual niches over time, and moderate to strong niche specialization. Within populations, environmental niches follow a nested pattern, with individuals arranged along a specialist-to-generalist gradient. These results reject common assumptions of individual niche equivalency among conspecifics, as well as the separation of individual niches into disparate parts of environmental space. These findings underscore the need for a more thorough consideration of individualistic environmental responses in global change research.
Niche segregation
Niche differentiation
Environmental gradient
Environmental change
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Invasive species experience biotic and abiotic conditions that may (or may not) resemble their native environment. We explored the methodology of determining climatic niches and compared the native and post-invasion niches of four invasive forest pests to determine if these species experienced shifts or changes in their new climatic niches. We used environmental principle components analysis (PCA-env) method to quantify climatic niche shifts, expansions, and temporal changes. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of variable selection in the delineation and comparison of niche space. We found that variable selection influenced the delineation and overlap of each niche, whereas the subset of climatic variables selected from the first two PCA-env axes explained more variance in environmental conditions than the complete set of climatic variables for all four species. Most focal species showed climatic niche shifts in their invasive range and had not yet fully occupied the available niche within the invaded range. Our species varied the proportion of niche overlap between the native and invasive ranges. By comparing native and invasive niches, we can help predict a species’ potential range expansion and invasion potential. Our results can guide monitoring and help inform management of these and other invasive species.
Environmental niche modelling
Niche segregation
Species distribution
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The ecological niche is a key concept for elucidating patterns of species distributions and developing strategies for conserving biodiversity. However, recent times are seeing a widespread debate whether species niches are conserved across space and time (niche conservatism hypothesis). Biological invasions represent a unique opportunity to test this hypothesis in a short time frame at the global scale. We synthesized empirical findings for 434 invasive species from 86 studies to assess whether invasive species conserve their climatic niche between native and introduced ranges. Although the niche conservatism hypothesis was rejected in most studies, highly contrasting conclusions for the same species between and within studies suggest that the dichotomous conclusions of these studies were sensitive to techniques, assessment criteria, or author preferences. We performed a consistent quantitative analysis of the dynamics between native and introduced climatic niches reported by previous studies. Our results show there is very limited niche expansion between native and introduced ranges, and introduced niches occupy a position similar to native niches in the environmental space. These findings support the niche conservatism hypothesis overall. In particular, introduced niches were narrower for terrestrial animals, species introduced more recently, or species with more native occurrences. Niche similarity was lower for aquatic species, species introduced only intentionally or more recently, or species with fewer introduced occurrences. Climatic niche conservatism for invasive species not only increases our confidence in transferring ecological niche models to new ranges but also supports the use of niche models for forecasting species responses to changing climates.
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The niche breadth, the niche overlap, the proportional similarity of niche of Whitefly and its natural enemies were estimated by means of investigating their single dimensional temporal niches and spatial niches, basing on which the two dimensional niches of time and space niches were constructed, the occurrence law and mutual relation were analysed.
Whitefly
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The niches of species that are geographically separated can either be conserved or diverge. This dynamic has been studied over time through Species Distribution Modeling and quantification of niche metrics. Here I have conducted this study for South Asian Dolphins. The Ganges River Dolphin and the Indus Dolphins are considered sub-species but there has been debate on this classification. The niche overlap was found to be very low meaning Indus Dolphin which most likely separated through the process of drainage capture has diverged from its original niche. The niche equivalency test also showed that there is a niche divergence is statistically significant. These dolphins could well be two separate species given their difference in niches but further study especially genetic studies are needed to affirm this. But the study highlights deviations from niche conservatism for the taxa due to significant niche shifts.
Indus
Divergence (linguistics)
Environmental niche modelling
Niche segregation
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Species can occupy different realised niches when sharing the space with other congeneric species or when living in allopatry. Ecological niche models are powerful tools to analyse species niches and their changes over time and space. Analysing how species’ realised niches shift is paramount in ecology. Here, we examine the ecological realised niche of three species of wall lizards in six study areas: three areas where each species occurs alone; and three areas where they occur together in pairs. We compared the species’ realised niches and how they vary depending on species’ coexistence, by quantifying niche overlap between pairs of species or populations with the R package ecospat. For this, we considered three environmental variables (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) recorded at each lizard re-sighting location. Realised niches were very similar when comparing syntopic species occurring in the same study area. However, realised niches differed when comparing conspecific populations across areas. In each of the three areas of syntopy, the less abundant species shift its realised niche. Our study demonstrates that sympatry may shift species’ realised niche.
Niche segregation
Environmental niche modelling
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Niche segregation
Environmental niche modelling
Niche construction
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Adaptive radiations have played a key role in the evolution of biological diversity. The breadth of adaptive radiation in an invading lineage is likely to be influenced by the availability of ecological niches, which will be determined to some extent by the diversity of the resident community. High resident diversity may result in existing ecological niches being filled, inhibiting subsequent adaptive radiation. Conversely, high resident diversity could result in the creation of novel ecological niches or an increase in within niche competition driving niche partitioning, thus promoting subsequent diversification. We tested the role of resident diversity on adaptive radiations in experimental populations of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens that readily diversify into a range of niche specialists when grown in a heterogeneous environment. We allowed an undiversified strain to invade resident communities that varied in the number of niche specialists. The breadth of adaptive radiation attainable by an invading lineage decreased with increasing niche occupation of the resident community. Our results highlight the importance of niche occupation as a constraint on adaptive radiation.
Adaptive Radiation
Lineage (genetic)
Niche differentiation
Microcosm
Niche segregation
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Niche segregation
Guild
Niche differentiation
Environmental niche modelling
Isotope Analysis
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Abstract Niche expansion remains significantly understudied in sympatric scenarios where marginal and habitual niches are simultaneously available. Devoid of spatial constraints, such conditions impose selection to maintain fitness in habitual (high-productivity) niches while adapting to marginal (low-productivity) niches. Hence, habitual niche composition should constrain adaptation to marginal niches. This remains untested. Similarly, it is unknown if larger populations expand their niches better. We tested these hypotheses using experimental evolution with Escherichia coli and found that larger populations consistently adapted better to both marginal and habitual niches. Whereas the habitual niche composition (constant versus fluctuating environments; environmental fluctuations varying in both predictability and speed) significantly shaped fitness in habitual niches, surprisingly, it failed to constrain adaptation to the marginal niche. Curiously, two negatively correlated habitual niches can still each be positively correlated with the marginal niche. This allows the marginal niche to dilute trade-offs between habitual niches, thereby enabling costless niche expansion.
Niche segregation
Niche differentiation
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