Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive

Airflows redefine the cost of aerial transport in the wild

Fuel economy matters to both animals and machines, as the cost of transport can determine where, when, and how far locomotion is possible. However, established estimates of these values for animal flight come from laboratories and treat the atmosphere as constant, even though fre...

Change in the demographic dynamics of a spatially structured population of a colonial waterbird after a perturbation affecting a large colony

Localized perturbations may affect spatially structured populations (SSPs) as a whole by altering dispersal between patches. Yet, such large-scale consequences remain poorly understood and may depend on the proportion of the SSP affected by the perturbation. Here, we used correla...

Seabirds and native vegetation drive ecosystem processes that support atoll island resilience

Ecosystem restoration is expected to enhance ecosystem resilience to climate change, but few empirical and mechanistic demonstrations of such assertions exist. Here, we explore this topic for tropical atoll systems, combining science on nutrient subsidies and geo-ecological funct...

Human pressure, habitat heterogeneity and species traits jointly determine the level of dark diversity in coastal fish communities

Understanding how anthropogenic pressures and environmental gradients shape coastal fish communities is a central question in biogeography and marine conservation. Yet, the set of species expected to occur at a site given ecological conditions but being absent – the so‐called dar...

Paler within the city: Carotenoid‐based colouration covaries negatively with the proportion of impervious surface in great tit ( Parus major ) territories across Europe

Urbanisation alters resource availability and exposes wildlife to novel environmental stressors, potentially driving phenotypic divergence. Carotenoid-based plumage colouration is a condition-dependent trait linked to dietary carotenoid acquisition and physiological allocation tr...

Photovoltaic panels affect arthropod and plant communities: a systematic review

Due to climate change, photovoltaic facilities are being rapidly scaled up. However, such a development can come at a cost for biodiversity. We conducted a systematic review, including a critical appraisal, and meta-analyses to better understand the effects of photovoltaic panels...

DRY_NAM: A multifaceted annual drought feature dataset for the North American Monsoon region during 1960–2024 based on a daily soil water content model

The DRY_NAM dataset provides a comprehensive characterization of annual drought facets across the North American Monsoon (NAM) region from 1960 to 2024. The dataset is based on a new methodological analytical framework applied to daily soil water content time series. It includes...

Hydraulic function of medullary bundles in a tropical root climber

Abstract Premise Medullary bundles, which are vascular bundles in the pith, have evolved multiple times. However, their functional significance remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated how medullary bundles are involved in the vascular architecture and hydraulic function...

Local Trade‐Offs Shape Flower Size Evolution Across Arabidopsis thaliana Distribution

The remarkable variation in floral form and size is thought to have driven the evolutionary radiation of angiosperms and has traditionally been attributed to pollinator-mediated selection on floral displays, yet emerging evidence indicates that abiotic environmental factors can a...

Environmental drivers of litter- and soil-dwelling springtail communities across European forests, assessed by morphotaxonomy and soil DNA metabarcoding

Springtails are abundant in forest litter and soils, where they play a crucial role in the transformation and decomposition of organic matter. However, most data on springtail communities originates from studies at the local and regional levels, while larger-scale studies are lac...

Anticancer and Cardioprotective Properties of Medicinal Mushrooms: Current Evidence and Future Prospects

Introduction: Cardiotoxicity is an undesirable side effect of chemotherapy that limits the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Almost all cardiotoxic agents cause cardiovascular complications, leading to oxidative stress and other pathological conditions. The search for bioactive...

Genetic distance and pollinator sharing shape divergence in floral volatiles in closely related dioecious Ficus species

Abstract Premise Floral scent is central to host recognition in the fig–fig wasp mutualism, yet how scent divergence relates to pollinator sharing among closely related dioecious Ficus species remains unclear. Methods We analyzed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from four pairs...

Dietary behaviour of Sepedon (Parasepedon) ruficeps and Sepedon (Sepedomyia) nasuta (Diptera: Sciomyzidae) and the distribution of their snail prey in Benin (West Africa)

Sciomyzidae (Diptera) larvae live as predators and/or parasitoids of snails. They have potential economic importance as biological control agents against gastropods that are vectors of parasitic diseases. In the present study, the use of Sepedon larvae in schistosomiasis control...

Imperfect detection and sampling effort shape ground beetle (Carabidae) diversity indicators in large-scale monitoring

Soil biodiversity indicators are increasingly used to inform environmental assessment and policy, yet their robustness is often constrained by heterogeneous sampling designs and imperfect species detection. Surface-active arthropods, such as ground beetles (Carabidae), are widely...