From patterns to emerging processes in mechanistic urban ecology

Shochat, Eyal; Warren, Paige S.; Faeth, Stanley H.; McIntyre, Nancy E.; Hope, Diane

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2005.11.019

Cited by 1,008 publications

(913 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Urban areas are often characterized by reduced numbers of native vertebrate predators (McKinney 2002;Shochat 2004), an increased abundance of some urban-adapted species, which can potentially lead to increased competition and displacement (Hostetler and McIntyre 2001), altered behavior and phenology (Connor et al 2002;Neil and Wu 2006), high densities of herbivorous arthropods (Dreistadt et al 1990;Hanks and Denno 1993;Tooker and Hanks 2000), lower numbers of arthropod predators (Turrini et al 2016) and lower numbers of parasitoids (Denys and Schmidt 1998;Bennett and Gratton 2012;Burks and Philpott 2017). All these changes can potentially lead to altered trophic structure, and we must recognize that trophic dynamics cannot be understood based only on our knowledge of species composition (Shochat et al 2006). This way, evaluating empirically how trophic dynamics behave in urban environments may help us to make some broad and useful predictions regarding the effects that urbanization could have on multi-trophic interactions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does urbanization explain differences in interactions between an insect herbivore and its natural enemies and mutualists?

Rocha

Fellowes

2018

Urban Ecosyst

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Urbanization can alter the composition of arthropod communities. However, little is known about how urbanization affects ecological interactions. Using experimental colonies of the black bean aphid Aphis fabae Scopoli reared on Vicia faba L, we asked if patterns of predator-prey, host-parasitoid and ant-aphid mutualisms varied along an urbanization gradient across a large town in southern England. We recorded the presence of naturally occurring predators, parasitoid wasps and mutualistic ants together with aphid abundance. We examined how biotic (green areas and plant richness) and abiotic features (impervious surfaces and distance to town center) affected (1) aphid colony size, (2) the likelihood of finding predators, mutualistic ants and aphid mummies (indicating the presence of parasitoids), and (3) how the interplay among these factors affected patterns of parasitoid attack, predator abundance, mutualistic interactions and aphid abundance. Aphid abundance was best explained by the number of mutualistic ants attending the colonies. Aphid predators responded negatively to both the proportion of impervious surfaces and to the number of mutualistic ants farming the colonies, and positively to aphid population size, whereas parasitized aphids were found in colonies with higher numbers of aphids and ants. The number of mutualistic ants attending was positively associated with aphid colony size and negatively with the number of aphid predators. Our findings suggest that for insect-natural enemy interactions, urbanization may affect some groups, while not influencing others, and that local effects (mutualists, host plant presence) will also be key determinants of how urban ecological communities are formed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does urbanization explain differences in interactions between an insect herbivore and its natural enemies and mutualists?

Rocha

Fellowes

2018

Urban Ecosyst

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“…Whether or not learning is relevant to the later stages of invasion will depend upon the temporal and spatial variability, complexity and levels of resource competition of urban areas (Dridi and Lehmann 2016;Smolla et al 2015;Stephens 1991). Unfortunately, we know little about these environmental variables at scales that can be linked to the behaviour of individuals (Shochat et al 2006). It will also be important to consider whether learning facilitates or inhibits genetic adaptation to changing environments (Brown 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal cognition in a human-dominated world

2016

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“…Together, the combined associations among aggression at garbage, injury, and disease suggest that augmented food resources, a common feature of human‐modified habitats (Shochat et al. 2006), may cause changes in mongoose behavior in ways that might indirectly affect TB dynamics. Although experimental manipulations are needed to confirm causation, our results suggest that increased aggression at garbage may result in injuries that allow an environmentally associated pathogen to invade the mongoose host.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do not feed the wildlife: associations between garbage use, aggression, and disease in banded mongooses (Mungos mungo)

Flint

Hawley

Alexander

2016

Ecology and Evolution

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SummaryUrbanization and other human modifications of the landscape may indirectly affect disease dynamics by altering host behavior in ways that influence pathogen transmission. Few opportunities arise to investigate behaviorally mediated effects of human habitat modification in natural host–pathogen systems, but we provide a potential example of this phenomenon in banded mongooses (Mungos mungo), a social mammal. Our banded mongoose study population in Botswana is endemically infected with a novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex pathogen, M. mungi, that primarily invades the mongoose host through the nasal planum and breaks in the skin. In this system, several study troops have access to human garbage sites and other modified landscapes for foraging. Banded mongooses in our study site (N = 4 troops, ~130 individuals) had significantly higher within‐troop aggression levels when foraging in garbage compared to other foraging habitats. Second, monthly rates of aggression were a significant predictor of monthly number of injuries in troops. Finally, injured individuals had a 75% incidence of clinical tuberculosis (TB) compared to a 0% incidence in visibly uninjured mongooses during the study period. Our data suggest that mongoose troops that forage in garbage may be at greater risk of acquiring TB by incurring injuries that may allow for pathogen invasion. Our study suggests the need to consider the indirect effects of garbage on behavior and wildlife health when developing waste management approaches in human‐modified areas.

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From patterns to emerging processes in mechanistic urban ecology

Cited by 1,008 publications

References 45 publications

Does urbanization explain differences in interactions between an insect herbivore and its natural enemies and mutualists?

Does urbanization explain differences in interactions between an insect herbivore and its natural enemies and mutualists?

Animal cognition in a human-dominated world

Do not feed the wildlife: associations between garbage use, aggression, and disease in banded mongooses (Mungos mungo)

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