The Niche Exploitation Pattern of the Blue‐Gray Gnatcatcher

Root, Richard B.

doi:10.2307/1942327

Cited by 1,572 publications

(893 citation statements)

References 69 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

806

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Guilds are defined as multiple species that exploit a similar resource in a similar way (Root, 1967). The monitor lizards (Family: Varanidae) of northern Australia form closely related top‐predator guilds (Wilson & Swan, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Claw morphometrics in monitor lizards: Variable substrate and habitat use correlate to shape diversity within a predator guild

D’Amore

Clulow

Doody

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Numerous studies investigate morphology in the context of habitat, and lizards have received particular attention. Substrate usage is often reflected in the morphology of characters associated with locomotion, and, as a result, claws have become well‐studied ecomorphological traits linking the two. The Kimberley predator guild of Western Australia consists of 10 sympatric varanid species. The purpose of this study was to quantify claw size and shape in the guild using geometric morphometrics, and determine whether these features correlated with substrate use and habitat. Each species was assigned a Habitat/substrate group based on the substrate their claws interact with in their respective habitat. Claw morphometrics were derived for both wild caught and preserved specimens from museum collections, using a 2D semilandmark analysis. Claw shape significantly separated based on Habitat/substrate group. Varanus gouldii and Varanus panoptes claws were associated with sprinting and extensive digging. Varanus mertensi claws were for shallow excavation. The remaining species’ claws reflected specialization for some form of climbing, and differed based on substrate compliance. Varanus glauerti was best adapted for climbing rough sandstone, whereas Varanus scalaris and Varanus tristis had claws ideal for puncturing wood. Phylogenetic signal also significantly influenced claw shape, with Habitat/substrate group limited to certain clades. Positive size allometry allowed for claws to cope with mass increases, and shape allometry reflected a potential size limit on climbing. Claw morphology may facilitate niche separation within this trophic guild, especially when considered with body size. As these varanids are generalist predators, morphological traits associated with locomotion may be more reliable candidates for detecting niche partitioning than those associated directly with diet.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Claw morphometrics in monitor lizards: Variable substrate and habitat use correlate to shape diversity within a predator guild

D’Amore

Clulow

Doody

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For Root (1967), extending this to ecology, the term guild defines a group of species that explore the same class of environmental resources, showing similar exploration patterns of those resources. The description of functional groups or guilds has shown to be a valuable tool allowing making comparisons among environments under different conditions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Epigean ant communities in Atlantic Forest remnants of São Paulo: a comparative study using the guild concept

Macedo¹,

Filho²,

Delabie³

2011

Rev. Bras. entomol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The process inferred as the underlying cause of the observed patterns is interspecifi c competition within a guild, functional group or taxonomic group more than among species of different groups (Root 1967, Simberloff & Dayan 1991, Blondell 2003. These groups would be structured through the principle of competitive exclusion due to the strong repulsion between pairs of species, thus generating negatively-associated distributions in a pattern known as "checkerboarding" (Diamond 1975).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assembly rules in Muscid Fly assemblages in the grasslands Biome of Southern Brazil

Krüger¹,

Carvalho²,

Ribeiro³

2010

Neotrop. entomol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-The distribution of muscid species (Diptera) in grasslands fragments of southern Brazil was assessed using null models according to three assembly rules: (a) negatively-associated distributions; (b) guild proportionality; and (c) constant body-size ratios. We built presence/absence matrices and calculated the C-score index to test negatively-associated distributions and guild proportionality based on the following algorithms: total number of fi xed lines (F L ), total number of fi xed columns (F C ), and the effect of the average size of the populations along lines (W) for 5000 randomizations. We used null models to generate random communities that were not structured by competition and evaluated the patterns generated using three models: general, trophic guilds, and taxonomic guilds.All three assembly rules were tested in each model. The null hypothesis was corroborated in all F L X F C co-occurrence analyses. In addition, 11 analyses of the models using the W algorithm showed the same pattern observed previously. Three analyses using the W algorithm indicated that species cooccurred more frequently than expected by chance. According to analyses of co-occurrence and guild proportionality, the coexistence of muscid species is not regulated by constant body size ratios. In fl ies of the grasslands, no rule was identifi ed. Yet, a consensus did emerge from our analyses: species co-occur more frequently than expected by chance, indicating that aggregation is a recurring phenomenon among fl ies with saprophagous adults and predatory larvae. Therefore, competition does not seem to play an important role in the determination of muscid assemblages in the grasslands in Southern Brazil.

show abstract

The Niche Exploitation Pattern of the Blue‐Gray Gnatcatcher

Cited by 1,572 publications

References 69 publications

Claw morphometrics in monitor lizards: Variable substrate and habitat use correlate to shape diversity within a predator guild

Claw morphometrics in monitor lizards: Variable substrate and habitat use correlate to shape diversity within a predator guild

Epigean ant communities in Atlantic Forest remnants of São Paulo: a comparative study using the guild concept

Assembly rules in Muscid Fly assemblages in the grasslands Biome of Southern Brazil

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About