Aim

In this study, we explored spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity (PD) and endemism in the flora of Norway and tested hypothesized post‐glacial environmental drivers of PD, including temperature, precipitation, edaphic factors and time since glacial retreat.

Location

Norway.

Taxon

Vascular plants (Trachaeophyta).

Methods

We produced a multi‐locus maximum‐likelihood (ML) phylogeny using a combination of newly produced DNA sequences from herbarium specimens and sequences available from public repositories. We combined the phylogeny with species occurrence data to estimate PD and phylogenetic endemism across Norway, using a spatial randomization to judge statistical significance. We used multiple‐model inference to identify environmental variables that contributed the most to the patterns of PD. Finally, we estimated phylogenetic turnover and used this to identify Norwegian plant assemblages in terms of composition and evolutionary history.

Results

Our ML phylogeny contained 87% of all currently described native Norwegian vascular plants. Assemblages were phylogenetically overdispersed in warmer and wetter regions of Norway, as well as in regions with a longer post‐glacial history. In cold and dry regions, plant assemblages were phylogenetically clustered, and characterized by neo‐endemism, while the mild and wet regions were characterized by both paleo‐ and neo‐endemism. PD was positively correlated with summer temperature and habitat heterogeneity, and peaked in the southeast of Norway.

Main conclusions

Both contemporary ecological factors (climate and habitat heterogeneity), and post‐glacial history seem to have shaped the phylogenetic structure of the flora of Norway. The flora in the far north of Norway appear to be a result of recent diversification while the coastal regions are assemblages of deeper lineages. Our results suggest that there is an evolutionary signal in the distribution of the Norwegian vascular flora.

The position of an author on the byline of a paper affects the inferences readers make about their contributions to the research. We examine gender differences in authorship in the ecology literature using two datasets: submissions to six journals between 2010 and 2015 (regardless of whether they were accepted), and manuscripts published by 151 journals between 2009 and 2015. Women were less likely to be last (i.e., ‘senior’) authors (averaging ~23% across journals, years and datasets) and sole authors (~24%), but more likely to be first author (~38%), relative to their overall frequency of authorship (~31%). However, the proportion of women in all authorship roles, except sole authorship, has increased year-on-year. Women were less likely to be authors on papers with male last authors, and all-male papers were more abundant than expected given the overall gender ratio. Women were equally-well represented on papers published in higher versus lower impact factor journals at all authorship positions. Female first authors were less likely to serve as corresponding author of their papers; this difference increased with the degree of gender inequality in the author’s home country, but did not depend on the gender of the last author. First authors from non-English speaking countries were less likely to serve as corresponding author of their papers, especially if the last author was from an English-speaking country. That women more often delegate corresponding authorship to one of their coauthors may increase the likelihood that readers undervalue their role in the research by shifting credit for their contributions to coauthors. We suggest that author contribution statements be more universally adopted and that these statements declare how and/or why the corresponding author was selected for this role.

Keiser et al 2016 - Data File for Proceedings BAll data associated with the manuscript by Keiser et al. published in Proceedings B regarding the transmission of cuticular bacteria between colony-mates in a social spider.

The age of digitally accessible datasets has transformed palaeontology, enabling previously impossible macroevolutionary insights. However, a substantial reservoir of generally inaccessible ‘dark data’ resides within museum collections, which may alter our understanding of ancient groups and their ecological and evolutionary history. We demonstrate how the addition of data held exclusively in museums impacts our macroevolutionary understanding of an entire taxonomic group, using a dataset of Palaeozoic echinoids containing the majority of museum occurrences for the clade. We find that museum ‘dark data’ shows clear differences in composition compared to data available in the published literature and strongly impacts biogeographic patterns, increasing the geographic range size of taxa by 35% on average. Global model results assessing drivers of diversity are also significantly affected by the addition of museum only data. Conversely, “dark data” has a more limited impact on the temporal ...

Aim: High repeatability among assemblages of closely related but ecologically distinct ecotypes implies predictability in evolution and assembly of communities. The conditions under which ecotype assemblages form predictably, and the reasons, have been little investigated. Here we test whether repeatability declines as the number of ecotypes builds. Location: Postglacial lakes with a circumboreal distribution. Time period: Data were extracted from studies published between 1982 and 2019. Major taxa studied: Ecotype assemblages from two Salmonid genera – Salvelinus and Coregonus. Fish in postglacial lakes commonly occur as pairs of ecotypes, typically with a pelagic and a littoral/benthic form, but in Salvelinus and Coregonus assemblages commonly contain multiple sympatric ecotypes. Methods: We used a meta-analysis of Salvelinus and Coregonus to empirically assess how repeatability varies across assemblages of two to seven ecotypes. We examined repeatability of use of broad niche categories as well as in underlying phenotypic traits. Results: Within Coregonus, repeatability across multi-ecotype assemblages did not break down with the addition of a third or fourth ecotype. However, in Salvelinus, repeatability was largely absent and independent of the number of ecotypes. Repeatability of trait frequency distributions was absent in both genera, yet associations between trait means and niche categories were evident especially in Coregonus. Main conclusions: These results show that repeatability can vary greatly between lineages; that repeatability needn’t break down as the number of ecotypes builds; and that high repeatability of broad niche categories may result despite marked differences in the underlying frequency distribution of trait means. These findings affirm the presence of repeatable ecotype assembly and early stages of divergence in postglacial fishes at a global scale, but also highlight variability among taxa and underlying phenotypic traits. Methods Data were collated from published and pre-printed studies following a systematic review. Code for data analysis and plotting are available here: https://github.com/stephblain/salmonids_repeatability

A central focus of population ecology is understanding what factors explain the distribution and abundance of organisms within their range. This is a key issue in marine systems, where many organisms produce dispersive larvae that develop offshore before returning to settle on benthic habitat. We investigated the distribution of the neon goby, Elacatinus lori, on sponge habitat and evaluated whether variation in the persistence of recently settled individuals (i.e., settlers) among different sponge types can result in habitat preferences and establish their observed distribution. We found that E. lori settlers were more likely to occur on large yellow tube sponges (Aplysina fistularis) than on small yellow sponges or brown tube sponges (Agelas conifera). An experiment seeding settlers onto multiple species and sizes of sponge habitat revealed that settlers persist longer on large yellow sponges than on small yellow sponges or brown sponges. Habitat preference experiments also indicated that settlers prefer large yellow sponges over small yellow sponges or brown sponges. Settlers achieved these preference behaviors using visual, but not chemical, cues. Finally, new settlers arriving from the water column were more likely to occur on large yellow sponges than on small yellow sponges or brown sponges, indicating that the observed habitat preferences existed independent of prior experience. These results support the hypothesis that E. lori have evolved behavioral preferences for sponge habitats that will maximize their post-settlement persistence, and that decisions at settlement will shape the population level pattern of settler distribution on coral reefs.

Pollination by wild bees is a vital ecosystem process in natural and managed systems. Recent declines in wild bee populations have led to increases in conservation actions and monitoring of bee communities. Pan traps are a commonly used sampling method for monitoring bee populations due to their efficiency and low cost. However, potential biases inherent in different sampling techniques may result in misleading characterizations of bee communities across space and time.

In this paper, we examined how bee communities sampled using pan traps and aerial nets changed seasonally, and if they were affected by the availability of floral resources.

We found strong seasonal changes in the abundance, but not the richness, of bees captured in pan traps. Notably, we captured the fewest bees during weeks in spring when most flowering plant species were in bloom, suggesting that floral resource availability influences pan trap captures. We also compared patterns of bee abundance in pan traps to those captured by aerial netting. Bee richness in pans and nets was positively correlated, but relative abundances in pan and net samples were dominated by different bee genera. Furthermore, most genera decreased in pans with increasing floral richness, but patterns were mixed for nets. When using presence/absence data, rather than abundance, community composition was more similar between netted and pan trapped bee communities, and changed less substantially across the floral richness gradient.

Overall, these differences led to sampling substantially different bee community compositions in pan traps vs. nets. By examining multiple years of intensive seasonal sampling of plant and bee communities, we document potential pitfalls with methods commonly used to sample bee communities.

We suggest that pan trapping and aerial netting provide similar estimates of bee species richness and community composition when using presence/absence data, but that practitioners should interpret pan trapped bee abundance data with caution especially when comparing bee communities between sites where plant communities may differ.

Methods All data were collected by the authors and staff at MPG Ranch near Missoula, MT. All bees are curated at the U.S. National Pollinating Insects Collection at Logan, Utah, and the full database is maintained in the U.S. National Pollinating Insects Database. See the manuscript for additional details about the study location and data collection. This repository contains the data used in the publication. See metadata file for description of individual data files and variables.

Disclaimer:The raw data of this crosstabulation originates from the 2023 Medan City MSME survey undertaken by the Medan City administration. All MSMEs in this study possess a business registration or operating permit in Medan City. The researcher has received authorization from the Medan City Government to analyze and publish this data by permit number 000.9/1826 in 2023.Interpretation:This table presents a demographic breakdown of sampled entrepreneurial individuals across 21 districts in Medan City. The table categorises participants or business owners by gender (men and women) and provides a total count for each district.Key Insights:Overall Gender Distribution:Women (962 individuals) make up 67.8% of the sample.Men (458 individuals) account for 32.2%.The total sample size is 1,420 individuals.Districts with the Highest Women's Representation:Medan Helvetia: 143 women (77.3%).Medan Sunggal: 92 women (63.0%).Medan Barat: 56 women (73.7%).Districts with the Highest Men's Representation:Medan Sunggal: 54 men (37.0%).Medan Denai: 42 men (40.4%).Medan Helvetia: 42 men (22.7%).District with Lowest Sample Size:Medan Maimun: Only 20 individuals sampled (7 men and 13 women).Potential Research Implications:Gender-based entrepreneurial activity: Certain districts may have higher concentrations of women entrepreneurs, which can influence policy or support programs.Regional demographic disparities: The variation in sample sizes across districts may reflect differences in population density or business registration patterns.Further statistical modelling: Logistic regression or clustering analysis could reveal more profound insights into gender distribution patterns.