Research news from the Ecological Society of America
image: Research recently published in Ecosphere used motion-activated cameras like this one to understand how outdoor recreationists and wildlife mix.
Credit: Chloe Beaupre
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) presents a roundup of four research articles recently published across its esteemed journals. Widely recognized for fostering innovation and advancing ecological knowledge, ESA’s journals consistently feature illuminating and impactful studies. This compilation of papers explores the ripple effects of terrestrial nutrients on coral reefs, long-term biocontrol of an invasive wetland plant, how wild ungulates react to hiking trails and the key to invasive plants’ success.
From Ecological Monographs:
Gonna wash those nutrients right into the South Pacific
Author contact: Nyssa J. Silbiger (silbiger@hawaii.edu)
Nutrients from sewage waste, agricultural runoff, rock weathering and other terrestrial sources make their way to the ocean not only in rivers, but also via groundwater — with far-reaching effects on fringing coral reefs in the South Pacific Ocean. On the French Polynesian island of Moʻorea, where years of previous research and consultation with local residents revealed where the island’s groundwater was seeping onto the reef, researchers found that elevated nutrient levels rev up coral and algal productivity and metabolism, which alters the acidity of seawater. In turn, changes in seawater acidity influence how quickly corals (and other shell-building organisms) grow their skeletons — a fundamental step in reef building. Ultimately, groundwater nutrients are driving how much carbon is absorbed and released by the island’s reefs. The study reveals the reverberating impacts that nutrient influxes from shore have on water chemistry, marine carbon cycling and the metabolic processes of coral reef ecosystems.
Read the article: Terrestrial nutrient inputs restructure coral reef dissolved carbon fluxes via direct and indirect effects
From Ecological Applications:
Playing the long game pays off for biocontrol
Author contact: Bernd Blossey (bb22@cornell.edu)
Purple loosestrife, a plant native to Eurasia that has taken root in wetlands throughout North America, is now so widespread that removal via conventional mechanical and chemical treatments is all but impossible. Yet there may still be reason for hope: new research tracking 10 New York wetlands over several decades shows that, over time, four of the plant’s natural enemies — beetles brought over from purple loosestrife’s original homeland — have quietly managed to tame the unruly exotic. Released into wetlands across New York state in the 1990s, the leaf-eating and root-munching beetles have so effectively chomped their way through the sprawling buffet of purple loosestrife that many wetlands have bounced back to a near-original state. But recovery was not quick: rebounds in the number of native wetland plants took more than 18 years. Despite ongoing controversies over its use, the study confirms that targeted biocontrol can be an effective and low-impact tool for vanquishing recalcitrant invasives and restoring native biodiversity — if we are willing to wait.
Read the article: Return of diversity: Wetland plant community recovery following purple loosestrife biocontrol
From Ecosphere:
Elk, but not deer, take a hike when humans are around
Author contact: Chloe Beaupre (cbeaupre@esf.edu)
As outdoor recreation surges in popularity, understanding how wildlife responds to human presence is more important than ever. Comparing data from motion-activated cameras positioned directly on and near hiking trails, researchers in Colorado found that different wildlife species react in unique ways to the hordes of humans tromping through the woods. Elk give a wide berth to humans, avoiding areas near trails — even at distances exceeding 600 meters. Mule deer, on the other hand, are far less shy and may even be drawn to trails. These different responses may be because people (and their dogs and vehicles) scare away large predators like cougars, which pose a greater threat to mule deer than they do to elk. Whatever the reason, the study reinforces the importance of tailoring management strategies for recreation areas to the unique requirements of different animals.
Read the article: Recreational trail traffic counts and trail proximity as a driver of ungulate landscape utilization
From Ecology:
Invasives work hard to keep up with the Joneses
Author contact: Jason Fridley (fridley@clemson.edu)
Do invasive plants evolve to let down their guard when they leave their homeland’s natural enemies behind? That is the question researchers set out to answer by analyzing defense-related leaf traits (like the presence of toxins and fiber) of invasive plants in France, Japan and the United States. They hypothesized that reduced herbivore pressure in their introduced ranges would free invasive plants to go all-in on outcompeting their native neighbors. But the results tell a different story. Changes in leaf traits are not consistent across geographic locations; rather, invasive plants’ leaves evolve to resemble those of native plants in each location. Dropped into an unfamiliar world, the recent arrivals appear to “join the locals,” converging on many of the same solutions for coping with local conditions that the natives discovered long before. The study challenges the conventional view that freedom from herbivory drives the evolution of bigger and badder invasive plants, and instead suggests that environmental pressures largely determine how well newcomers adjust to the neighborhood.
Read the article: Joining the locals: Plant invaders shift leaf defenses to match native neighbors
###
The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 8,000 member Society publishes six journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach and education initiatives. The Society’s Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at https://www.esa.org
Follow ESA on social media:
Twitter/X – @esa_org
Bluesky – @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social
Instagram – @ecologicalsociety
Facebook – @esa.org