Using modern coexistence theory, we show how biotic interactions change over time. As a result of higher-order interactions, species rapidly switch between facilitation and competition. Majer, A., Skoracka, A., Spaak, J. & Kuczyński, L. (2024) Higher-order species interactions cause time-dependent niche and fitness differences: Experimental evidence in plant-feeding arthropods. Ecology Letters, 27, e14428. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14428 […]
Our review paper explaining the evolutionary and ecological relationships between dispersal and host specialisation has been published in Biological Reviews. Ravigné, V., Rodrigues, L.R., Charlery de la Masselière, M., Facon, B., Kuczyński, L., Radwan, J., Skoracka, A. and Magalhães, S., 2023., Understanding the joint evolution of dispersal and host specialisation using phytophagous arthropods as a […]
The journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution has published our paper presenting a new method for generating a virtual species. This is the first article of Kasia Malinowska’s doctoral dissertation. Congratulations! The research was funded by the National Science Center (grant no. 2018/29/B/NZ8/00066). Malinowska, K., Markowska, K., & Kuczyński, L. (2023). Making virtual species less […]
The journal Scientific Reports published a paper by Kasia Malinowska from our team presenting the results of her Master’s thesis. The paper experimentally investigated whether the level of nest illumination affects the degree of pigmentation of Great tit eggshells. Malinowska, K., Szala, K., Podkowa, P. Surmacki A. 2023. Effect of light intensity in the nest […]
The paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is the result of a collaboration between scientists from 28 countries. They analysed abundance indices of 170 bird species that have been consistently monitored over 37 years in more than 20,000 study plots. The authors linked the bird indices to publicly available […]
In this study, based on comprehensive sampling and evaluation of infestation parameters, we found a great diversity of mites that inhabit wood warbler nests. We showed that this ephemeral, single-season microhabitat, provides a space for survival of numerous mite species, and may play a role in mites’ dispersal. Alicja Laska, Ewa Puchalska, Martyna Mikołajczyk, Dariusz […]
In this article, based on a comprehensive literature review, we explain the relationships between the ability to disperse and the feeding strategy in mites. Alicja Laska, Brian G Rector, Anna Przychodzka, Agnieszka Majer, Kamila Zalewska, Lechosław Kuczynski, Anna Skoracka, Do mites eat and run? A systematic review of feeding and dispersal strategies, Zoological Journal of […]
We showed that in addition to the spatial attributes of woodlots (that is, their area, isolation, and shape), local habitat is an important predictor of woodlot bird species richness. The overall richness of bird species increased with vegetation height and the richness of woody plant species and decreased with the cover of an invasive tree, […]
In this article, we explain how environmental heterogeneity influences niche breadth evolution, which may in turn affect the ability of pests to persist in agricultural systems. The study was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland, research projects no. 2016/21/B/NZ8/00786 and 2017/27/N/NZ8/00305. Skoracka A., Laska A., Radwan J., Konczal. M., Lewandowski M., Puchalska E., […]
In this article, we explain what mechanisms influence the effective colonisation of plants by parastic mites. The paper is part of Alicja’s PhD thesis. Congratulations! The study was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland, research grant no. 2017/27/N/NZ8/00305 and the Dean Faculty of Biology grant no. GDWB-07/2018. Laska, A., Przychodzka, A., Puchalska, E., Lewandowski, […]
