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  1. Synthetic Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics in Simple Molecular Environment

    This article has 6 authors:
    1. Luca Casiraghi
    2. Francesco Mambretti
    3. Anna Tovo
    4. Elvezia Maria Paraboschi
    5. Samir Suweis
    6. Tommaso Bellini
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      In this important study, the authors develop a promising experimental approach to a central question in ecology: What are the contributions of resource use and interactions in the shaping of an ecosystem? For this, they develop a synthetic ecosystem set-up, a variant of SELEX that allows very detailed control over ecological variables. The evidence is convincing, and the work should be of broad interest to the ecology community, leading to further quantitative studies.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 4 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  2. Effects of blood meal source and seasonality on reproductive traits of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

    This article has 3 authors:
    1. Kevin Alen Rucci
    2. Mariana Pueta
    3. Adrián Díaz
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This useful study presents convincing evidence that blood meal source and season affect Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito reproduction. Its unique focus on the interactive effects of both factors on mosquito fitness is of considerable relevance for the field, but the work suffers from inadequate experimental design - no replication, a population mismatch with the hypothesis region, and small sample sizes, limitations that were not sufficiently acknowledged in the discussion. The work will be of interest to those studying malaria and vector-borne diseases.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 8 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  3. How small deviations in kinematics and body form dictate muscle performances in the finely tuned avian downstroke

    This article has 5 authors:
    1. Marc E. Deetjen
    2. Diana D. Chin
    3. Ashley M. Heers
    4. Bret W. Tobalske
    5. David Lentink
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This important study combines experiments and mathematical modelling to enhance our understanding of the interplay between the two flight muscles in birds during slow flight. The evidence for the findings is compelling, deriving from a combination of novel methods for measuring wing shape and force production, and validated methods in muscle physiology. This work will be of broad interest to comparative biomechanists.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 3 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  4. Unprecedented yet gradual nature of first millennium CE intercontinental crop plant dispersal revealed in ancient Negev desert refuse

    This article has 7 authors:
    1. Daniel Fuks
    2. Yoel Melamed
    3. Dafna Langgut
    4. Tali Erickson-Gini
    5. Yotam Tepper
    6. Guy Bar-Oz
    7. Ehud Weiss
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      The study presents important findings on the timing and movement of crops in the Near East. The authors provide convincing data supporting a predominant contribution of Roman Agricultural Diffusion to the spread of a number of cultigens in the region. The work will be of interest to those thinking about the timing and movement of the diffusion of agricultural crops post-domestication.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 4 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  5. Investigating macroecological patterns in coarse-grained microbial communities using the stochastic logistic model of growth

    This article has 2 authors:
    1. William Randolph Shoemaker
    2. Jacopo Grilli
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      How macro-ecological patterns of microbiomes depend on the taxonomic level across a wide range of taxa and ecosystems, and that correlations in richness across taxonomic scales are largely created by variation in sample size, are valuable findings. The authors present convincing evidence that a stochastic logistic growth model is a more appropriate choice as null model than one that is based on the neutral theory of biodiversity. The work will be of interest to microbial ecologists and those interested in general ecological patterns.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 3 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  6. Drivers of species knowledge across the Tree of Life

    This article has 18 authors:
    1. Stefano Mammola
    2. Martino Adamo
    3. Dragan Antic
    4. Jacopo Calevo
    5. Tommaso Cancellario
    6. Pedro Cardoso
    7. Dan Chamberlain
    8. Matteo Chialva
    9. Furkan Durucan
    10. Diego Fontaneto
    11. Duarte Goncalves
    12. Alejandro Martinez
    13. Luca Santini
    14. Inigo Rubio-Lopez
    15. Ronaldo Sousa
    16. David Villegas-Rios
    17. Aida Verdes
    18. Ricardo A Correia
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      With a carefully collected dataset and compelling analyses, this fundamental manuscript demonstrates detailed links between societal and academic interest and natural species across the globe. In doing so, the authors reveal biases that may be diminishing our abilities to care for the species on our planet that may need our care the most. While some parts of this manuscript reflect previously published work, the authors are commended for putting all the puzzle pieces together for the first time. Their work highlights our uneven knowledge of biodiversity and its potential causes.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 7 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  7. Deciphering deep-sea chemosynthetic symbiosis by single-nucleus RNA- sequencing

    This article has 14 authors:
    1. Hao Wang
    2. Kai He
    3. Huan Zhang
    4. Quanyong Zhang
    5. Lei Cao
    6. Jing Li
    7. Zhaoshan Zhong
    8. Hao Chen
    9. Li Zhou
    10. Chao Lian
    11. Minxiao Wang
    12. Kai Chen
    13. Pei-Yuan Qian
    14. Chaolun Li
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This study provides an important cell atlas of the gill of the mussel Gigantidas platifrons using a single nucleus RNA-seq dataset, a resource for the community of scientists studying deep sea physiology and metabolism and intracellular host-symbiont relationships. The work, which offers solid insights into cellular responses to starvation stress and molecular mechanisms behind deep-sea chemosymbiosis, is of relevance to scientists interested in host-symbiont relationships across ecosystems.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 4 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  8. Molecular mechanisms of microbiome modulation by the eukaryotic secondary metabolite azelaic acid

    This article has 11 authors:
    1. Ahmed A. Shibl
    2. Michael A. Ochsenkühn
    3. Amin R. Mohamed
    4. Ashley Isaac
    5. Lisa S. Y. Coe
    6. Yejie Yun
    7. Grzegorz Skrzypek
    8. Jean-Baptiste Raina
    9. Justin R. Seymour
    10. Ahmed J. Afzal
    11. Shady A. Amin
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This study presents valuable findings showing the contrasting responses of two bacteria to the phytoplankton-derived compound azelaic acid. Metabolomic and transcriptomic data provide convincing evidence for activation of the assimilation pathway in one marine bacterial species and a stress response in another species. There is also solid evidence for azelaic acid altering marine microbial community structure in mesocosm experiments, but the underlying community-level mechanisms are not investigated in this study.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 3 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  9. Landscape drives zoonotic malaria prevalence in non-human primates

    This article has 13 authors:
    1. Emilia Johnson
    2. Reuben Sunil Kumar Sharma
    3. Pablo Ruiz Cuenca
    4. Isabel Byrne
    5. Milena Salgado-Lynn
    6. Zarith Suraya Shahar
    7. Lee Col Lin
    8. Norhadila Zulkifli
    9. Nor Dilaila Mohd Saidi
    10. Chris Drakeley
    11. Jason Matthiopoulos
    12. Luca Nelli
    13. Kimberly Fornace
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This study presents useful findings regarding the impact of forest cover and fragmentation on the prevalence of malaria in non-human primates. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is, however, incomplete, as the sampling design cannot adequately address the geospatial issues that this study focuses on.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 3 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  10. Delayed postglacial colonization of Betula in Iceland and the circum North Atlantic

    This article has 10 authors:
    1. David J. Harning
    2. Samuel Sacco
    3. Kesara Anamthawat-Jónsson
    4. Nicolò Ardenghi
    5. Thor Thordarson
    6. Jonathan H. Raberg
    7. Julio Sepúlveda
    8. Áslaug Geirsdóttir
    9. Beth Shapiro
    10. Gifford H. Miller
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This valuable study Iceland's paleovegetation history has implications for the field of paleoecology, as well as shrubification in the Arctic. It presents solid evidence that postglacial colonisation by birch was later than willow in Iceland and nearby areas, based on a new analysis with multiple lines of existing evidence, including one new site with sedimentary ancient DNA. The study would benefit from a clearer description of key methods and results, and more critical reflection on the assessment of colonisation lags and the predictive use of paleo datasets; publishing the data is an important step to ensure the study's scientific impact.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 3 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  11. Intra and interspecific diversity in a tropical plant clade alter herbivory and ecosystem resilience

    This article has 18 authors:
    1. Ari J. Grele
    2. Tara J. Massad
    3. Kathryn A. Uckele
    4. Lee A. Dyer
    5. Yasmine Antonini
    6. Laura Braga
    7. Matthew L. Forister
    8. Lidia Sulca Garro
    9. Massuo J. Kato
    10. Humberto G. Lopez
    11. Andre R. Nascimento
    12. Thomas L. Parchman
    13. Wilmer R. Simbaña
    14. Angela M. Smilanich
    15. John O. Stireman
    16. Eric J. Tepe
    17. Thomas R. Walla
    18. Lora A. Richards
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This valuable study presents a large experimental study to examine the effects of plant species richness, plant genotypic richness, and soil water availability on herbivory patterns on Piper species in several tropical sites. The authors find that water availability and both intra- and interspecific plant diversity influence herbivory and herbivore diversity, but that the effects differ in significant ways across sites. The major weakness lies in findings that can be better presented in a less complicated fashion. The major claims are currently supported by a combination of solid and incomplete evidence, and the manuscript would benefit from better organization.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 3 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  12. Conserving bird populations in the Anthropocene: the significance of non-breeding movements

    This article has 7 authors:
    1. Ivan Pokrovsky
    2. Teja Curk
    3. Andreas Dietz
    4. Ivan Fufachev
    5. Olga Kulikova
    6. Sebastian Rößler
    7. Martin Wikelski
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This work presents valuable findings on the non-breeding itinerant behavior of a migratory raptor. With its extensive dataset and solid analytical framework, this work will be of broad interest to researchers investigating the ecological drivers of bird migration. However, the main claim on a novel migration pattern (so-called 'fox-trot migration') is incomplete in light of current knowledge on bird migratory behavior.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 4 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  13. Mosquito community composition shapes virus prevalence patterns along anthropogenic disturbance gradients

    This article has 6 authors:
    1. Kyra Hermanns
    2. Marco Marklewitz
    3. Florian Zirkel
    4. Anne Kopp
    5. Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
    6. Sandra Junglen
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This paper will be of interest to scientists in the fields of virology, entomology, ecology and epidemiology as the paper explores the drivers of viral and host composition in natural and disturbed ecosystems. The data are of high quality and have been rigorously assessed.However, important additional information on the transmission ecology of these viruses and their relationship with the environment is lacking, making it difficult to interpret the results from a disease ecology perspective.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 4 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  14. Multiplexed microfluidic screening of bacterial chemotaxis

    This article has 4 authors:
    1. Michael R. Stehnach
    2. Richard J. Henshaw
    3. Sheri A. Floge
    4. Jeffrey S. Guasto
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This manuscript presents a valuable new microfluidic tool that will allow researchers from different fields to rapidly quantify the chemotactic response of microbes to chemical gradients that have different strengths. Using planktonic bacteria, this paper convincingly shows that a multiplexed microfluidic device produces similar results to previously described microfluidic devices that generate only one gradient at a time. By performing on-chip dilutions, this device allows data for six different gradient strengths to be generated simultaneously, potentially reducing both experimental effort and biological variability.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 3 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  15. 100 years of anthropogenic impact causes changes in freshwater functional biodiversity

    This article has 13 authors:
    1. Niamh Eastwood
    2. Jiarui Zhou
    3. Romain Derelle
    4. Mohamed Abou-Elwafa Abdallah
    5. William A. Stubbings
    6. Yunlu Jia
    7. Sarah E. Crawford
    8. Thomas A. Davidson
    9. John K. Colbourne
    10. Simon Creer
    11. Holly Bik
    12. Henner Hollert
    13. Luisa Orsini
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This fundamental study advances the analytic toolset and understanding of long-term series of biological (freshwater) communities, and the impact of humans on these. The authors highlight the value of including not only spatiotemporal scales in biodiversity assessments but also some of the possible drivers of biodiversity loss. Analyzing their joint contribution as environmental stressors, the authors provide compelling evidence that ecosystem assessment methods currently used by environmental regulators throughout Europe are not fit-for-purpose, and they identify several alternatives, more robust indicators of freshwater ecosystem health. The work is timely and will be of interest to ecologists, modelers and global warming scientists in general.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 6 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  16. Do glucocorticoids indicate stress? Meta-analysis reveals a tight association between glucocorticoids and metabolic rate

    This article has 2 authors:
    1. Blanca Jimeno
    2. Simon Verhulst
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This study presents a fundamental meta-analysis on the causes of glucocorticoid variation in birds and mammals. It provides convincing evidence that an increase in metabolic rates also increases glucocorticoid concentrations. As such, the work will be of broad interest to animal physiologists.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 3 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  17. Five years later, with double the demographic data, naked mole-rat mortality rates continue to defy Gompertzian laws by not increasing with age

    This article has 3 authors:
    1. J. Graham Ruby
    2. Megan Smith
    3. Rochelle Buffenstein
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This useful study aims to characterize patterns of demographic aging in naked mole rats by quantifying mortality rates in a captive colony, up to approximately the median age of death. The study system is a fascinating case of unusual longevity and physiology in mammals, but because of limited sampling at older ages and missing analyses, the evidence for the main conclusion – that naked mole rats do not experience actuarial senescence – is incomplete for younger animals and inadequate for older animals. The work nevertheless provides data of interest to biodemographers and biomedical researchers interested in naked mole rats as a model for aging.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 5 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  18. Detecting and validating influential organisms for rice growth: An ecological network approach

    This article has 4 authors:
    1. Masayuki Ushio
    2. Hiroki Saito
    3. Motoaki Tojo
    4. Atsushi J. Nagano
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      There is a tremendous need to increase agricultural productivity with means that are both practical and efficient. Drawing on data from variable field environments, this important study provides a theoretical framework for the identification of new factors with presumed relevance for crop growth. This framework can be applied in the context of both agricultural and ecological studies. There is solid evidence for several of the authors' claims, but the impact of the study is limited due to missing functional validation of candidate species in the field. Plant biologists and ecologists working in agricultural and natural environments will find the work interesting.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 8 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  19. Temperature sensitivity of the interspecific interaction strength of coastal marine fish communities

    This article has 7 authors:
    1. Masayuki Ushio
    2. Tetsuya Sado
    3. Takehiko Fukuchi
    4. Sachia Sasano
    5. Reiji Masuda
    6. Yutaka Osada
    7. Masaki Miya
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This study presents important findings regarding the quantification of dynamics in fish communities in changing ecosystems by combining a large-scale environmental DNA metabarcoding time series with novel statistical approaches. The methods are convincing, with controlled experiments, thorough statistical analyses, and a substantial dataset covering two years of detailed observation, which can provide sufficient power to detect fine-scale ecological interactions. This work is relevant for informing future research on assessing community stability under climate change.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 7 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity
  20. Metabolic consequences of various fruit-based diets in a generalist insect species

    This article has 7 authors:
    1. Laure Olazcuaga
    2. Raymonde Baltenweck
    3. Nicolas Leménager
    4. Alessandra Maia-Grondard
    5. Patricia Claudel
    6. Philippe Hugueney
    7. Julien Foucaud
    This article has been curated by 1 group:
    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This useful study uses untargeted metabolomics to help us understand how some herbivores are able to be generalists, rather than specializing in the metabolism of specific plant species. This is an important area, since little is known about how generalist insect species metabolize their food. In its current form, the study lacks ecological relevance due to the exclusive use of refined sampling procedures, and the metabolomic analysis is incomplete.

    Reviewed by eLife

    This article has 5 evaluationsAppears in 2 listsLatest version Latest activity