Among anthropogenic environmental risks, air pollution has the potential to impact animal and plant physiology, as well as their interactions and the long-term survival of populations, which could threaten the functioning of ecosystems. What is especially alarming is that the concentration of tropospheric ozone (O3) has dramatically increased since pre-industrial times. However, the direct effects of O3 on the behavior of pollinators themselves have not been investigated so far even though insect behavior is key to their ecological interactions, which underpin the stability of ecological networks responsible for species biodiversity in ecosystems. In this study, we aim to determine the potential effects of O3 episodes at different field-realistic concentrations (0, 40, 80, 120, and 200 ppb for 60 min) on the behavior of the fig wasp Blastophaga psenes by monitoring exposed individuals hourly for 5 h after exposure. We found that ozone episodes induced major changes in insect behavior, which were already significant at 80 ppb with individuals displaying abnormal motility. The tracking over time clearly showed that exposed individuals might only have a reduced chance of recovery, with a decreasing proportion of active fig wasps despite the cessation of an O3 episode. These findings illustrate that O3 episodes can affect pollinator behavior, which may have detrimental implications for pollination systems. It is, therefore, of importance to assess the effects of O3 on insect behavior in order to predict how it could modify ecological interactions and species biodiversity in ecosystems.
<p>Saprophagous macroarthropods are important actors in litter decomposition as they process large amounts of litter and transform it into fecal pellets that differ in&#160; chemical and physical properties compared to ingested litter. When having a choice among several litter types, saprophagous macroarthropods exhibit feeding preferences depending on their nutritional requirements and body size. However, how these preferences affect feces properties is not well known. We compared the feeding preferences, production of fecal pellets and their properties for six widespread saprophagous macroarthropods species feeding on a litter mix of four common tree species from Mediterranean forests. The six animal species showed different feeding preferences that were not correlated to litter nutritional quality. Instead, we suggest that the use as microhabitat of the leaves of one litter species with tubular shape by macroarthropods&#160; induced its higher consumption despite having the lowest nutritional value. Larger species consumed less litter per unit of body mass and had a more diverse diet composition. Furthermore, feces properties could not be linked to the diet composition, but always had higher nutritional value and water holding capacity compared to the leaf litter. The three woodlice species consistently produced feces with higher tannin concentration, higher specific area, and lower water holding capacity than that of the three millipede species. Our study calls for the consideration of other leaf litter properties than the generally studied physical and chemical ones, as well as quantifying the difference between millipede and woodlice faeces properties that may have functional implication for nutrient cycling.</p>
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