bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
100 years of ecology: what are our concepts and are they useful?
Authors: Reiners William A. , Lockwood Jeffrey A. , Reiners Derek S. , Prager Steven D. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractOn the occasion of the Ecological Society of America's centennial, we sought to learn which ecological concepts members value in terms of their utility. This required defining “concept,” and selecting concepts from current ecology textbooks that might arguably belong to a normative set. AllESAmembers were invited to participate in an online survey in October 2014 in which they rated 70, randomly selected concepts (out of a total set of 131) in terms of utility. Alternative to rating, respondents could mark the concept as unfamiliar. Respondents were also able list concepts that were important to them that were not encountered in the survey. Fifteen percent (1324) of theESAmembership participated in the survey. Of these, 89% were addressed in North America, 62% were male, 77% held Ph.D. degrees, 67% were involved in academia through employment or as students, and about one‐half of the total were divided between community and ecosystem ecology domains of interest. The 10 highest ranked concepts (in descending order) for utility were scales (small, local, regional, global, etc.), ecosystem, habitat, species, disturbance/perturbation, organism, population, community, competition, and species life history. The 10 lowest ranked concepts (in descending order) for utility were Lotka‐Volterra predator–prey/competition models, Allee effect, nutrient spiraling, character displacement, doubling time, climax, Hardy‐Weinberg equation, red queen hypothesis, chemoautotroph/chemoautotrophy, and mimicry. Respondents entered 2800 terms not encountered in the survey. After parsing for concepts missed due to the survey's random presentation process, for semantic redundancy and for terms deemed non‐concepts, 119 candidate concepts emerged. Many of these deserve consideration for inclusion in a normative set and introduction in textbooks. This research provides a well‐considered definition of “concept,” a basis for defining a normative set of concepts expected to be known to all ecologists, and a measure of familiarity but, more importantly, a measure of usage by contemporary ecologists who were members ofESA. These results help us to understand ourselves and our science, to better teach ecology, to guide the initiatives of the collective ecological community, and to further explore the extent and intellectual structure of the principal concepts by which ecologists pursue their work.
Geographic variation in apparent competition between native and invasive Phragmites australis
Authors: Bhattarai Ganesh P. , Meyerson Laura A. , Cronin James T. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractApparent competition, the negative interaction between species mediated by shared natural enemies, is thought to play an important role in shaping the structure and dynamics of natural communities. However, its importance in driving species invasions, and whether the strength of this indirect interaction varies across the latitudinal range of the invasion, has not been fully explored. We performed replicated field experiments at four sites spanning 900 km along the Atlantic Coast of the United States to assess the presence and strength of apparent competition between sympatric native and invasive lineages of Phragmites australis. Four herbivore guilds were considered: stem‐feeders, leaf‐miners, leaf‐chewers and aphids. We also tested the hypothesis that the strength of this interaction declines with increasing latitude. Within each site, native and invasive plants of P. australis were cross‐transplanted between co‐occurring native and invasive patches in the same marsh habitat and herbivore damage was evaluated at the end of the growing season. Apparent competition was evident for both lineages and involved all but the leaf‐chewer guild. For native plants, total aphids per plant was 296% higher and the incidence of stem‐feeding and leaf‐mining herbivores was 34% and 221% higher, respectively, when transplanted into invasive than native patches. These data suggest that invasive P. australis has a negative effect on native P. australis via apparent competition. Averaged among herbivore types, the indirect effects of the invasive lineage on the native lineage was 57% higher than the reverse situation, suggesting that apparent competition was asymmetric. We also found that the strength of apparent competition acting against the native lineage was comparable to the benefits to the invasive lineage from enemy release (i.e., proportionately lower mean herbivory of the invasive relative to the native taxa). Finally, we found the first evidence that the strength of apparent competition acting against the native lineage (from stem‐feeders only) decreased with increasing latitude. These results suggest that not only could apparent competition be of tantamount importance to enemy release in enhancing the establishment and spread of invasive taxa, but also that these indirect and direct herbivore effects could vary over the invasion range.
Tropical fish community does not recover 45 years after predator introduction
Authors: Sharpe D. M. T. , De León L. F. , González R. , Torchin M. E. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractPredation is considered to be an important factor structuring natural communities. However, it is often difficult to determine how it may influence long‐term, broad‐scale, diversity patterns, particularly in diverse tropical systems. Biological introductions can provide powerful insight to test the sustained consequences of predation in natural communities, if pre‐introduction data are available. Half a century ago, Zaret and Paine demonstrated strong and immediate community‐level effects following the introduction of a novel apex predator (peacock bass,Cichla monoculus) into Lake Gatun, Panama. To test for long‐term changes associated with this predator introduction, we followed up on their classic study by replicating historical sampling methods and examining changes in the littoral fish community at two sites in Lake Gatun 45 years post‐introduction. To broaden our inference, we complemented this temporal comparison with a spatial analysis, wherein we compared the fish communities from two lakes with and one lake without peacock bass. Comparisons with historical data revealed that the peacock bass remains the most abundant predator in Lake Gatun. Furthermore, the collapse of the littoral prey community observed immediately following the invasion has been sustained over the past 45 years. The mean abundance of native littoral fish is now 96% lower than it was prior to the introduction. Diversity (rarefied species richness) declined by 64% post‐introduction, and some native species appear to have been locally extirpated. We observed a similar pattern across invaded and uninvaded lakes: the mean abundance of native fishes was 5–40 times lower in lakes with (Gatun, Alajuela) relative to the lake without peacock bass (Bayano). In particular, small‐bodied native fishes (Characidae, Peociliidae), which are common prey of the peacock bass, were more than two orders of magnitude (307 times) less abundant in Gatun and one order of magnitude (28 times) less abundant in Alajuela than in Bayano. However, total native fish diversity did not differ significantly across lakes, suggesting that while many native species have declined in abundance, few have been completely extirpated. Introduced predators can have strong effects on community structure and functional diversity, even in highly diverse tropical communities, and these effects can persist over multiple decades.
Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from 15N isotope tracing
Authors: Nervo Beatrice , Caprio Enrico , Celi Luisella , Lonati Michele , Lombardi Giampiero , Falsone Gloria , Iussig Gabriele , Palestrini Claudia , Said‐Pullicino Daniel , Rolando Antonio 
Published: November 2016

AbstractMaintaining multiple ecological functions (“multifunctionality”) is crucial to sustain viable ecosystems. To date most studies on biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning (BEF) have focused on single or few ecological functions and services. However, there is a critical need to evaluate how species and species assemblages affect multiple processes at the same time, and how these functions are interconnected. Dung beetles represent excellent model organisms because they are key contributors to several ecosystem functions. Using a novel method based on the application of 15N‐enriched dung in a mesocosm field experiment, we assessed the role of dung beetles in regulating multiple aspects of nutrient cycling in alpine pastures over appropriate spatial (up to a soil depth of 20 cm) and temporal (up to 1 yr after dung application) scales. 15N isotope tracing allowed the evaluation of multiple interrelated ecosystem functions responsible for the cycling of dung‐derived nitrogen (DDN) in the soil and vegetation. We also resolved the role of functional group identity and the importance of interactions among co‐occurring species for sustaining multiple functions by focusing on two different dung beetle nesting strategies (tunnelers and dwellers). Species interactions were studied by contrasting mixed‐species to single‐species assemblages, and asking whether the former performed multiple functions better than the latter. Dung beetles influenced at least seven ecological functions by facilitating dung removal, transport of DDN into the soil, microbial ammonification and nitrification processes, uptake of DDN by plants, herbage growth, and changes in botanical composition. Tunnelers and dwellers were found to be similarly efficient for most functions, with differences based on the spatial and temporal scales over which the functions operated. Although mixed‐species assemblages seemed to perform better than single‐species, this outcome may be dependent on the context. Most importantly though, the different functions were found to be interconnected sequentially as reveled by analyzing 15N content in dung, soil and vegetation. Taken together, our current findings offer strong support for the contention that the link between biodiversity and ecosystem functions should be examined not function by function, but in terms of understanding multiple functions and how they interact with each other.
No strong evidence for increasing liana abundance in the Myristicaceae of a Neotropical aseasonal rain forest
Authors: Smith James R. , Queenborough Simon A. , Alvia Pablo , Romero‐Saltos Hugo , Valencia Renato 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe “liana dominance hypothesis” posits that lianas are increasing in abundance in tropical forests, thereby potentially reducing tree biomass due to competitive interactions between trees and lianas. This scenario has implications not only for forest ecosystem function and species composition, but also climate change given the mass of carbon stored in tropical trees. In 2003 and 2013, all Myristicaceae trees in the 50‐ha Yasuní Forest Dynamics Plot, Ecuador, were surveyed for liana presence and load in their crowns. We tested the hypothesis that the proportion of trees with lianas increased between 2003 and 2013 in line with the liana dominance hypothesis. Contrary to expectations, the total proportion of trees with lianas decreased from 35% to 32%, and when only trees ≥10 cm diameter at breast height were considered liana incidence increased 44–48%. Liana load was dynamic with a large proportion of trees losing or gaining lianas over the 10‐yr period; large trees with intermediate liana loads increased in proportion at the expense of those with low and high loads. Lianas also impacted performance: trees with 26–75% crown cover by lianas in 2003 had reduced growth rates of 80% compared to of liana‐free trees, and trees with >75% crown cover had 33% the growth rate and a log odds of mortality eight times that of liana‐free trees. We suggest that the lack of strong support found for the liana dominance hypothesis is likely due to the aseasonal climate of Yasuní, which limits the competitive advantage lianas maintain over trees during dry seasons due to their efficient capture and use of water. We propose further research of long‐term liana dynamics from aseasonal forests is required to determine the generality of the increasing liana dominance hypothesis in Neotropical forests.
Dynamics of cerebral blood flow in patients with mild non‐ischaemic heart failure
Authors: Erkelens Christian D. , van der Wal Haye H. , de Jong Bauke M. , Elting Jan‐Willem , Renken Remco , Gerritsen Marleen , van Laar Peter Jan , van Deursen Vincent M. , van der Meer Peter , van Veldhuisen Dirk J. , Voors Adriaan A. , Luijckx Gert‐Jan 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAimsHeart failure (HF) is associated with tissue hypoperfusion and congestion leading to organ dysfunction. Although cerebral blood flow (CBF) is preserved over a wide range of perfusion pressures in healthy subjects, it is impaired in end‐stage HF. We aimed to compare CBF, autoregulation, and cognitive function in patients with mild non‐ischaemic HF with healthy controls.Methods and resultsFifteen patients with mild idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and 15 matched healthy controls were studied. Co‐existing cerebrovascular disease was excluded. All subjects, except five patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, underwent magnetic resonance imaging for measurements of both CBF by arterial spin labelling and quantitative volume flow entering the brain. Cardiocerebral vascular function was assessed with Doppler techniques testing cerebral dynamic autoregulation and vasomotor reactivity. Cognitive analysis was performed by neuropsychological testing. Global and regional CBF did not differ between HF patients (44.3 mL/100 g.min) and controls (42.1 mL/100 g.min). Basilar but not carotid artery inflow was reduced in patients (1.95 mL/s vs. 2.51 mL/s, P = 0.009). Testing autoregulation revealed fewer dampened blood flow fluctuations in HF patients vs. controls (0.96% vs. 0.67%, P < 0.001). Vasomotor reactivity in HF patients showed a reduced CBF velocity (48.4% vs. 61.0%, P = 0.05) and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (18.3% vs. 23.8%, P = 0.02). Cognitive function overall was not affected.ConclusionAlthough global CBF was unaffected in patients with mild HF, significant changes in basilar inflow volume, cerebral autoregulation and vasomotor reactivity were observed. We describe a model of dynamic cerebral mechanisms required to compensate for the impaired haemodynamics in early‐stage HF.
A Ru(bipyridine)3[PF6]2 Complex with a Rhodamine Unit – Synthesis, Photophysical Properties, and Application in Acid‐Controllable Triplet–Triplet Annihilation Upconversion
Authors: Cui Xiaoneng , Zhao Jianzhang , Karatay Ahmet , Yaglioglu Halime Gul , Hayvali Mustafa , Küçüköz Betül 
Published: November 2016

AbstractInvited for the cover of this issue are the groups of Jianzhang Zhao from Dalian University of Technology, China, and Mustafa Hayvali from Ankara University, Turkey. The cover image shows switching of the 3MLCT states of a ruthenium(II) complex by rhodamine.
DBT desulfurization by decorating Rhodococcus erythropolis IGTS8 using magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles in a bioreactor
Authors: Karimi Elham , Jeffryes Clayton , Yazdian Fatemeh , Akhavan Sepahi Abbas , Hatamian Ash , Rasekh Behnam , Rashedi Hamid , Omidi Meisam , Ebrahim‐Habibi Mohammad‐Bagher , Ashrafi Seyed Jamal 
Published: November 2016

Today, crude oil is an important source of energy and environmental contamination due to the continued use of petroleum products is a matter or urgent concern. In this work, two technological platforms, namely, the use of a robust desulfurizing bacteria and the use of nanotechnology to decorate the surface of the bacteria with nanoparticles (NP), were combined to enhance biodesulfurization (BDS). BDS is an ecologically friendly method for desulfurizing petroleum products while avoiding damage to the hydrocarbons due to the high temperatures normally associated with physical desulfurization methods. First, a bacterium known to be a good organism for desulfurization (Rhodococcus erythropolis IGTS8) was employed in cell culture to remove a recalcitrant sulfur molecule from a common sulfur‐containing compound found in crude petroleum products (dibenzothiophene). 2‐Hydroxybiphenyl (2‐HBP) produced as a consequence of the BDS of dibenzothiophene was determined using Gibbs’ assay. The synthesized NP were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The field emission scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy images showed the size of the NP is 7–8 nm. The decorated cells had a long lag phase, but the growth continued until 148 h (at OD600 = 3.408) while the noncoated bacteria grow until 96 h before entering the stationary phase at OD600 = 2.547. Gibbs’ assay results showed that production of 2‐HBP by decorated cells was 0.210 mM at t = 148 h, while 2‐HBP production by nondecorated cells was 0.182 mM at t = 96 h. Finally, the experiments were repeated in a fermenter.
The Nature of Adsorbed Carbon Dioxide on Immobilized Amines during Carbon Dioxide Capture from Air and Simulated Flue Gas
Authors: Zhai Yuxin , Chuang Steven S. C. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe structure and nature of adsorbed species on solid amine sorbent under various CO2 concentrations from ambient air (0.04 vol %) to an CO2/air stream (15 vol %) have been studied by using in situ IR spectroscopy. The in situ IR study (i) provided evidence to support the zwitterion pathway for CO2 adsorption/desorption and (ii) allowed the determination of the nature of the adsorbed species. The IR‐observable zwitterion was deprotonated to ammonium carbamate and carbamic acid reversibly. CO2 adsorbs on the primary amine site as a strongly adsorbed species in the form of ammonium carbamate and on the secondary amine site as a weakly adsorbed species in the form of carbamic acid. Another form of weakly adsorbed species could be ammonium carbamate on the secondary amine. An increase of the concentration of CO2 in the stream increased the CO2 capture capacity, the fraction of strongly adsorbed CO2, and the binding energy of adsorbed species. A concentration of 400 ppm CO2 in air competes over 0.5 % of water vapor for adsorption on Class I amine sorbents.
PLC performance evaluation with channel gain and additive noise over nonuniform background noise phase
Authors: Mathur Aashish , Bhatnagar Manav R. , Panigrahi Bijaya K. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractOwing to its huge potential to provide easy access to high‐speed video and data, power line communication (PLC) has recently grabbed the attention of the researchers. The PLC is an emerging field of communication for the home area network of smart grid. Because power lines were not initially designed for communication purposes, they offer a difficult communication environment in the form of impulsive noise and multiplicative noise, in addition to the background noise. This elucidates the need for evaluating the performance of PLC systems by taking into account all these factors. The performance of a PLC system under the influence of Rayleigh distributed channel gain, background noise (with nonuniform phase), and impulsive noise is comprehensively studied in this paper. We evaluate closed‐form expressions of the average bit error rate and outage probability for different cases depending on the presence or absence of impulsive noise and channel gain. We provide a further insight into the system by obtaining the diversity of the PLC system. Simulation results closely match with our analysis, thereby establishing the validity of the derived expressions.
Host‐guest complexes of estragole with β‐cyclodextrin: an experimental and theoretical investigation
Authors: Yang Zujin , Huang Liyun , Yao Xingdong , Ji Hongbing 
Published: November 2016

AbstractEstragole (ES) has multiple biological activities and is widely used in food preservation. However, the applications of ES are limited because of its low water solubility and high volatility nature. In this paper, the β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) inclusion complex of ES was prepared by a co‐precipitation method with the aim of enhancing its thermal stability and realize its controlled release. Solubility experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of β‐CD on ES aqueous solubility. Release experiments of ES from its inclusion complexes were carried out at different temperatures with a relative humidity (RH) and Avrami's equation was used to analyse the release data. The antimicrobial activity of the free and included ES was also examined. The results indicated that the host–guest interactions played a crucial role in enhancing the properties of ES. The inclusion complex was investigated using physico‐chemical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal analysis (TGA and DSC), 1H and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The inclusion processes between β‐CD and ES were simulated using the semi‐empirical PM3 and ONIOM [B3LYP/6‐31g(d):PM3] methods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MLPG_R method for modelling 2D flows of two immiscible fluids
Authors: Zhou Yan , Ma Q. W. , Yan S. 
Published: November 2016

SummaryThis is a first attempt to develop the Meshless Local Petrov–Galerkin method with Rankine source solution (MLPG_R method) to simulate multiphase flows. In this paper, we do not only further develop the MLPG_R method to model two‐phase flows but also propose two new techniques to tackle the associated challenges. The first technique is to form an equation for pressure on the explicitly identified interface between different phases by considering the continuity of the pressure and the discontinuity of the pressure gradient (i.e. the ratio of pressure gradient to fluid density), the latter reflecting the fact that the normal velocity is continuous across the interface. The second technique is about solving the algebraic equation for pressure, which gives reasonable solution not only for the cases with low density ratio but also for the cases with very high density ratio, such as more than 1000. The numerical tests show that the results of the newly developed two‐phase MLPG_R method agree well with analytical solutions and experimental data in the cases studied. The numerical results also demonstrate that the newly developed method has a second‐order convergent rate in the cases for sloshing motion with small amplitudes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New Evidence on the Ability of Asset Prices and Real Economic Activity Forecast Errors to Predict Inflation Forecast Errors
Authors: Apergis Nicholas 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThis paper investigates the impact of both asset and macroeconomic forecast errors on inflation forecast errors in the USA by making use of a two‐regime model. The findings document a significant contribution of both types of forecast errors to the explanation of inflation forecast errors, with the pass‐through being stronger when these errors move within the high‐volatility regime. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.