Can initial intraspecific spatial aggregation increase multi-year coexistence by creating temporal priority?

Both intraspecific spatial aggregation and temporal priority effects have the potential to increase long-term species coexistence. Theory and models suggest that intraspecific aggregation can facilitate coexistence via limited dispersal or asymmetric interaction distances. During community assembly, intraspecific aggregation may also delay interactions between more and less competitive species, thus creating opportunities for priority effects to facilitate longer-term coexistence. Few empirical studies have tested predictions about aggregation and coexistence, especially in the context of community assembly or ecological restoration. We investigated (1) impacts of intraspecific aggregation on the assembly of eight-species communities over three years, (2) the scale dependence of these impacts, and (3) implications for California prairie restoration. We planted eight native species in each of 19, 5 m wide, octagonal plots. Species were either interspersed throughout the plot or aggregated into eight, 2.2-m(2), wedge-shaped, monospecific sectors. Over three years, species diversity declined more quickly in interspersed plots than in aggregated plots. Two species had higher cover or increased more in interspersed than aggregated plots and were identified as "aggressives." Four species had higher cover or increased more in aggregated than interspersed plots and were identified as "subordinates." Within aggregated plots, aggressive species expanded beyond the sector in which they were originally seeded. Cover of aggressive species increased faster and reached higher values in sectors that were adjacent to the originally planted sector, compared to nonadjacent sectors. Cover of aggressive species also increased more and faster near plot centers, compared to plot edges. Areas near plot centers were representative of smaller aggregation patches since species were planted closer to heterospecific neighbors. Two subordinate species maintained higher cover near plot edges than near plot centers. Moreover, two subordinate species maintained higher cover when seeded in sectors farther away from aggressive species. These results suggest that initial intraspecific aggregation can facilitate species coexistence for at least three years, and larger aggregation patches may be more effective than smaller ones in the face of dispersing dominants. The creation of temporal priority effects may represent an underappreciated pathway by which intraspecific aggregation can increase coexistence. Restorationists may be able to maintain more diverse communities by planting in a mosaic of monospecific patches.     

Forced copulation as a conditional alternative strategy in camel crickets

In the animal kingdom, males typically acquire reproductive access to females through courtship, nuptial gifts, or combat. In many species, small or poor-condition males that are unable to produce an attractive display, proffer an adequate mating gift, or dominate in male–male competition may resort to forced copulation. Forced copulation has been previously demonstrated in the camel cricket Pristoceuthophilus marmoratus and is uniquely facilitated by male hind leg weaponry that functions in both intrasexual competition and sexual coercion. Because male leg armaments are positively allometric, the largest males would seem best equipped to force-copulate, although they might be the most attractive to females, and so least likely to adopt a forced copulation strategy. In order to resolve this potential paradox and determine which males are in fact most likely to force-copulate, we manipulated male body size using diet and performed mating trials. Results showed that (1) male size increased with diet quality, (2) females appear to prefer larger males, and (3) smaller males were more likely to attempt forced copulation. Our results thus suggest that forced copulation is a condition-dependent alternative mating tactic used by small males unattractive to females.     

Prostaglandin F2α facilitates female mating behavior based on male performance

Hormones play an important role in the regulation of reproductive behavior. Here, we examined the effects of the fatty acid derivative prostaglandin F2α (PGF2) on female sexual behavior as well as the interaction between PGF2-induced mating behavior with male courtship display in the lek-breeding African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni. In a two-way choice paradigm, we found that nonreproductive females preferred to associate with smaller, less aggressive males over larger, more aggressive males. However, PGF2-treated females dramatically reversed their preference to larger males. In a second experiment, PGF2 treatment dramatically increased sexual behavior in nonreproductive females as measured by time spent in the bower of the stimulus male, even when the female and the stimulus male were separated by a transparent divider. This effect was even more pronounced when the stimulus males were exposed to the putative female pheromone 17α,20β-progesterone (17α,20β-P). Under full-contact conditions, only PGF2-treated females visited a stimulus male’s bower, where they even displayed circling behavior usually only seen during spawning. Interestingly, male performance prior to PGF2 treatment predicted female sexual response. Our study demonstrates the importance of PGF2 in the control of female reproductive behavior in interaction with male performance.     

Kinship,nomadism, and humanitarian aid among Somalis in Ethiopia

This paper draws on extended ethnographic and health policy research in eastern Ethiopia to reconsider kinship and nomadism among Somalis, as both of these cultural features transform in the contexts of recurrent humanitarian crises and episodic relief operations. The emergence and importance of new patterns of travel and migration among Somalis in Ethiopia reveal significant changes in the configurations and enactments of Somali kinship, on which many Somalis' mobility depends. Conversely, an analysis of Somalis' dynamic sub‐clan groupings and geographically dispersed kinship networks also highlights emergent patterns of mobility and migration that enable access to training opportunities and employment with relief organisations, as well as to distributions of humanitarian aid. Based on these findings, this paper argues that kinship and nomadism—both long central to Somalis' identities in Ethiopia—remain interdependent, coevolved, and key to their resilience and livelihoods in the face of recurrent crises and intermittent humanitarian responses.