Ecology

Ocean acidification increases susceptibility to sub-zero air temperatures in ecosystem engineers and limits poleward range shifts

1. Jakob Thyrring
2. Colin D Macleod
3. Katie E Marshall
4. Jessica Kennedy
5. Réjean Tremblay
6. Christopher DG Harley

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This paper is of broad interest to biologists and climate modelers that study the impact of environmental stress (especially multiple stressors) on marine life. The authors show that exposure to low pH (ocean acidification) decreases the ability of two mussel species to survive freezing stress. The authors measure multiple biochemical parameters to try and identify the mechanisms underlying the change in freeze tolerance, but future work will be needed to resolve the underlying mechanism in detail.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Efficient decision-makers evaluate relative reward per effort

1. Jan Kubanek

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The paper describes an interesting, but very abstract extension of normative choice theories. By linking economic and foraging theory, the paper would potentially be of interest to a broad audience in behavioral economics and neuroscience. However, the results in their current form have several important limitations: the lack of a significant validation, such as an account for well-known behavioral or neural effects that would not be explained by alternative theories, a quantitative performance comparison between the proposed EDM and other models in realistic behavioral situations, and a specific link between the actual processes and limitations of real brains and the EDM.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Wide-ranging consequences of priority effects governed by an overarching factor

1. Callie R Chappell
2. Manpreet K Dhami
3. Mark C Bitter
4. Lucas Czech
5. Sur Herrera Paredes
6. Fatoumata Binta Barrie
7. Yadira Calderón
8. Katherine Eritano
9. Lexi-Ann Golden
10. Daria Hekmat-Scafe
11. Veronica Hsu
12. Clara Kieschnick
13. Shyamala Malladi
14. Nicole Rush
15. Tadashi Fukami

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This manuscript identifies pH as a common factor that underlies eco-evolutionary dynamics related to priority effects, which play an important role in community assembly. Using multiple lines of evidence, the data support the overall conclusions of the manuscript that pH-mediated priority effects in the nectar microbiome are the drivers of alternative community states. This manuscript will be of broad interest to readers in ecology and evolutionary biology.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building corals

1. Elena Bollati
2. Niclas H Lyndby
3. Cecilia D'Angelo
4. Michael Kühl
5. Jörg Wiedenmann
6. Daniel Wangpraseurt

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This paper will be of interest to marine biologists, and has particular relevance to those studying symbiotic corals. The use of compelling experimental optical measurements performed in situ allows testing of previous predictions on protein-based pigments that are found in many coral species. Specifically, the study analyzes the role of two classes of pigments, the Red Fluorescent Proteins (RFPs) and the Chromo proteins. It provides direct measurement data that suggest that RFPs can indeed provide additional light to the symbionts by converting the prevalent blue-green light at depth in orange-red light that penetrates more in the tissues of the polyps, thus increasing the number of photons available for photosynthesis. The authors also provide evidence based on light measurement for a possible photoprotective role of Chromoproteins, although the study does not yet provide any direct evidence for an ecological benefit of such light conversion/light protective functions.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Linking spatial self-organization to community assembly and biodiversity

1. Bidesh K Bera
2. Omer Tzuk
3. Jamie JR Bennett
4. Ehud Meron

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  In this paper, the authors use a mathematical model of plant and water dynamics in drylands to show that drylands adaptive capacity to respond to changes, via spatial self-organization in space, has also beneficial effects in preserving its biodiversity and ecosystem functions. The current study extends previous work by considering a trait diversity gradient that ranges from stress-tolerant to fast-growing plant species.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their names with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Effects of an IgE receptor polymorphism acting on immunity, susceptibility to infection, and reproduction in a wild rodent

1. Klara M Wanelik
2. Mike Begon
3. Janette E Bradley
4. Ida M Friberg
5. Joseph A Jackson
6. Christopher H Taylor
7. Steve Paterson

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the effects of polymorphism in an immune gene (the immunoglobulin E receptor Fcer1a) on immune responses, resistance to infection, and reproductive fitness in a wild rodent population. The authors claim to have found evidence for sex-specific effects of Fcer1a polymorphism, a result that would have broad implications for our understanding of the maintenance of genetic variation. The support for this claim is currently rather weak.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Bundling and segregation affect pheromone deposition, but not choice, in an ant

1. Massimo De Agrò
2. Chiara Matschunas
3. Tomer J Czaczkes

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This manuscript has the potential to be of interest to a broad range of behavioral scientists. It provides insights into how biases can affect value-based behavior in invertebrates, similar to what has been reported in humans. However, there are a number of potential confounders that need to be addressed before drawing robust conclusions from the data reported.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1, Reviewer #2 and Reviewer #4 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife, preLights

Tree species and genetic diversity increase productivity via functional diversity and trophic feedbacks

1. Ting Tang
2. Naili Zhang
3. Franca J Bongers
4. Michael Staab
5. Andreas Schuldt
6. Felix Fornoff
7. Hong Lin
8. Jeannine Cavender-Bares
9. Andrew L Hipp
10. Shan Li
11. Yu Liang
12. Baocai Han
13. Alexandra-Maria Klein
14. Helge Bruelheide
15. Walter Durka
16. Bernhard Schmid
17. Keping Ma
18. Xiaojuan Liu

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  Using an impressive experimental design, Tang et al. analyzed the effects of intraspecific (genetic) and interspecific (species) diversity in ecosystem processes carried out by forest communities. The results show that both species and genotype diversity influence productivity via changes in overall functional diversity, herbivory, and soil fungal diversity. This study will be important to ecologists and environmentalists interested in ecosystem processes and restoration efforts.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

A social media-based framework for quantifying temporal changes to wildlife viewing intensity: Case study of sea turtles before and during COVID-19

1. Kostas Papafitsoros
2. Lukáš Adam
3. Gail Schofield

Reviewed by ScreenIT

COVID-19 lockdown reveals fish density may be much higher in marine reserves

1. Manuel Olán-González
2. Héctor Reyes-Bonilla
3. Isabel Montserrat Arreola-Alarcon
4. Regina Valdovinos Uribe
5. Damien Olivier

Reviewed by ScreenIT