Sean Thomas Giery

Ohio University · Department of Biological Sciences

Evolution is rapidly gaining attention as an important driver of ecological process. Yet, evolution via sexual selection has generally been omitted from this emerging synthesis. Our goal in this paper is to illustrate causative links by which sexually selected traits affect fundamental ecological interactions and processes. We summarize evidence, p...

Understanding how genetic variation is maintained in a metapopulation is a longstanding problem in evolutionary biology. Historical resurveys of polymorphisms have offered efficient insights about evolutionary mechanisms, but are often conducted on single, large populations, neglecting the more comprehensive view afforded by considering all populat...

The Metabolic Theory of Ecology explains ecological variation spanning taxonomic organization, space, and time based on universal physiological relationships. The theory depends on two core parameters: the normalization constant, a mass‐independent measure of metabolic rate expected to be invariant among similar species, and the scaling coefficient...

The idea that changing environmental conditions drive adaptive evolution is a pillar of evolutionary ecology. But, the opposite-that adaptive evolution alters ecological processes-has received far less attention yet is critical for eco-evolutionary dynamics. We assessed the ecological impact of divergent values in a key adaptive trait using 16 popu...

An emerging consensus suggests that evolved intraspecific variation can be ecologically important. However, evidence that evolved trait variation within vertebrates can influence fundamental ecosystem-level processes remains sparse. In this study, we sought to assess the potential for evolved variation in the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum...

Ecological character displacement, whereby shifts in resource use in the presence of competing species leads to adaptive evolutionary divergence, is widely considered an important process in community assembly and adaptive radiation. However, most evidence for character displacement has been inferred from macro-scale geographic or phylogenetic patt...

Aim The assembly of species into communities and ecoregions is the result of interacting factors that affect plant and animal distribution and abundance at biogeographic scales. Here, we empirically derive ecoregions for mammals to test whether human disturbance has become more important than climate and habitat resources in structuring communities...

SNAPSHOT USA is a multicontributor, long‐term camera trap survey designed to survey mammals across the United States. Participants are recruited through community networks and directly through a website application (https://www.snapshot-usa.org/). The growing Snapshot dataset is useful, for example, for tracking wildlife population responses to lan...

Foraging decisions shape the structure of food webs. Therefore, a behavioural shift in a single species can potentially modify resource‐flow dynamics of entire ecosystems. To examine this, we conducted a field experiment to assess foraging niche dynamics of semi‐arboreal brown anole lizards in the presence/absence of predatory ground‐dwelling curly...

Ameliorating the impacts of climate change on communities requires understanding the mechanisms of change and applying them to predict future responses. One way to prioritize efforts is to identify biotic multipliers, which are species that are sensitive to climate change and disproportionately alter communities. We first evaluate the mechanisms un...

Variation in evolutionary rates among species is a defining characteristic of the tree of life and may be an important predictor of species' capacities to adapt to rapid environmental change. It is broadly assumed that generation length is an important determinant of microevolutionary rates, and body size is often used as a proxy for generation len...

An expansive and detailed review of the biology of Caribbean amphibians, considering their threats, conservation and outlook in a changing world. Amphibians are the group of vertebrates undergoing the fastest rate of extinction; it is urgent that we understand the causes of this and find means of protecting them. This landmark illustrated volume br...

Foraging decisions shape the structure of food webs. Therefore, a behavioral shift in a single species can potentially modify resource-flow dynamics of entire ecosystems. To examine this, we conducted a field experiment to assess foraging niche dynamics of semi-arboreal brown anole lizards in the presence/absence of predatory ground-dwelling curly...

Urbanization is one of the most dramatic forms of environmental change with the potential to alter trophic relationships among organisms in cities. In this study, we combine gut-content and stable isotope analyses of brown anole diets with field sampling of arthropods to assess whether and how urbanization-induced variation of basal resources influ...

Managing wildlife populations in the face of global change requires regular data on the abundance and distribution of wild animals, but acquiring these over appropriate spatial scales in a sustainable way has proven challenging. Here we present the data from Snapshot USA 2020, a second annual national mammal survey of the USA. This project involved...

Assemblages of co‐occurring closely related species tend to vary in one or more niche dimensions, but niche partitioning also occurs at levels of biological organization above and below the species level. Niche space occupied by a community may involve variation among groups of species, such as guilds or ecomorphs, and among sexes or individuals wi...

In recent decades, anthropogenic and natural disturbances have increased in rate and intensity around the world, leaving few ecosystems unaffected. As a result of the interactions among these multiple disturbances, many biological communities now occur in a degraded state as collections of fragmented ecological pieces. Restoration strategies are tr...

International expenditures for scientific research are important for small island developing nations, especially for those local communities that directly support research activities. We used the Abaco Islands, The Bahamas, as a case study to quantify the direct monetary inputs to a local economy via internationally-funded scientific research. We f...

With the accelerating pace of global change, it is imperative that we obtain rapid inventories of the status and distribution of wildlife for ecological inferences and conservation planning. To address this challenge, we launched the SNAPSHOT USA project, a collaborative survey of terrestrial wildlife populations using camera traps across the Unite...

Understanding whether organisms will be able to adapt to human-induced stressors currently endangering their existence is an urgent priority. Globally, multiple species moult from a dark summer to white winter coat to maintain camouflage against snowy landscapes. Decreasing snow cover duration owing to climate change is increasing mismatch in seaso...

Historically, many biologists assumed that evolution and ecology acted independently because evolution occurred over distances too great to influence most ecological patterns. Today, evidence indicates that evolution can operate over a range of spatial scales, including fine spatial scales. Thus, evolutionary divergence across space might frequentl...

Character displacement may facilitate species coexistence through niche partitioning. However, the degree to which character displacement influences broader patterns of community assembly is unclear. Here, we capitalize on a natural experiment of community assembly on the oceanic island of Bermuda. Over the past century, three species of ecological...

Widespread human development has led to the proliferation of artificial light at night, an increasingly recognized but poorly understood component of anthropogenic global change. Animals specialized to diurnal activity are presented opportunities to use this night-light niche, but the ecological consequences are largely unknown. While published rec...

Here we analyze a large dataset of the diet of the brown anole (Anolis sagrei). We asked how the trophic niche varies among populations with the specific goal of testing a long-standing model of adaptive diversification – ecological release. Our results do not support the predicted inverse relationship between community richness and niche breadth....

Sphoeroides testudineus (Linnaeus, 1758), is a common, widely distributed fish in coastal ecosystems. To better understand the trophic niche of S. testudineus, we collected individuals from tidal creeks on Abaco Island, The Bahamas, and employed stomach content and stable isotope analysis. Examination of stomach contents showed that mollusks, such...

Bermuda is an isolated, oceanic island with only one endemic terrestrial vertebrate, the Critically Endangered Bermuda skink (Plestiodon longirostris; Squamata, Scincidae). Major declines in P. longirostris populations have been caused primarily by habitat loss and mortality via invasive species (e.g., predation from birds and cats) and human waste...

Introduced species can have diverse effects on recipient ecosystems. Here we share observations suggesting the formation of a reciprocally positive interaction, seed dispersal, between an introduced lizard and a native palm. We present evidence that the large arboreal lizard (Anolis equestris), native to The West Indies but well-established in sout...

Natural selection plays an important role in the evolution of sexual communication systems. Here, we assess the effect of two well-known selection agents, transmission environment and predation, on interpopulation variation in sexual signals. Our model system is a series of 21 populations of Bahamian mosquitofish subjected to independent variation...

The isolated islands of Bermuda, located ca. 1,000 km east of North Carolina, USA in the Atlantic Ocean, have a rich history of non-native species introductions. Although Bermuda supports only one endemic lizard, the Bermuda Skink (Plestiodon [Eumeces] longirostris), four species of non-native anoles have been introduced and become established over...

Male Bahamian mosquitofish (Gambusiaspp.) show marked interpopulation variation in dorsal fin coloration, as well as spotting on fins and flanks. Figure S2. Map of the upper Bahama Archipelago (inset) and its position in relation to the US and Greater Antilles. Figure S3. Differences in male coloration among Bahamian mosquitofish species. Figure S4...

In many models of sexual selection, conspicuous ornaments are preferred by mates because they indicate heritable signaler viability. To function as indicators, ornaments must exhibit a proportional relationship between expression and viability. In cases where the evolutionary interests of signaler and receiver diverge, selection favors exploitative...

When confronted with similar environmental challenges, different organisms can exhibit dissimilar phenotypic responses. Therefore, understanding patterns of phenotypic divergence for closely related species requires considering distinct evolutionary histories. Here, we investigated how a common form of human-induced environmental alteration, habita...

Background/Question/Methods Allochthonous material flows generate trophic linkages between adjacent food webs, thereby affecting community structure and stability in recipient systems. We investigated cross-habitat trophic linkages between canopy and understory food webs in a terrestrial, wooded, ecosystem in Miami Florida, USA. The focal communi...

One consequence of human-driven habitat degradation in general, and habitat fragmentation in particular, is loss of biodiversity. An often-underappreciated aspect of habitat fragmentation relates to changes in the ecology of species that persist in altered habitats. In Bahamian wetlands, ecosystem fragmentation causes disruption of hydrological con...

The interactions between the evolutionary history of species and contemporary changes in their environment can result in both positive and negative outcomes for fitness and survival. Sharks are one the oldest groups of all extant vertebrates but, today, are among the most threatened globally, primarily because of destructive fishing practices. Hamm...

Stoichiometric mismatches between resources and consumers may drive a number of important ecological interactions, such as predation and herbivory. Such mismatches in nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) content between resources and consumers have furthered our understanding of consumer behavior and growth patterns in aquatic systems. However, stoichiom...

Habitat fragmentation represents one of the most important threats to biodiversity. Fragmentation of aquatic ecosystems is pervasive, fundamentally altering aquatic community structure and ecosystem function on a worldwide scale. Because of the many ecological changes associated with hydrologic fragmentation of coastal wetlands, there may be cascad...

1. Cross-system resource flux is a fundamental component of ecological systems. Allochthonous material flows generate trophic linkages between adjacent food webs, thereby affecting community structure and stability in recipient systems. 2. We investigated cross-habitat trophic linkages between canopy and understorey food webs in a terrestrial, wood...

Red Cornsnakes (Pantherophis guttata) were first recorded in The Bahamas in the mid-1990s on Grand Bahama Island (Buckner and Franz 1987), with subsequent reports elsewhere on Grand Bahama (Little Bahama Bank) and New Providence (Great Bahama Bank) (Knapp et al. 2011, Buckner et al. 2012). Here, I report the first observations of Red Cornsnakes on...

Anolis equestris is native to Cuba and has been introduced to Florida, USA (Kraus 2009. Alien Reptiles and Amphibians: A Scientific Compendium and Analysis. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands. 563 pp.; Krysko et al. 2003. Florida Sci. 66:74–79). This species consumes a wide variety of animals and plants including vertebrates, invertebrates, and fruit...

Background/Question/Methods Two prominent areas of food web research include the effect of species diversity on food web function, and allochthonous resource flux in spatially coupling food webs. Yet, few studies have examined how species diversity might affect food web coupling. For example, species-specific traits such as diet breadth and habit...

Changes in vertebrate populations in tropical ecosystems are often understood to occur at large spatial and temporal scales. Understanding these dynamics and developing management responses when they are affected by hunting and land-use change require research and monitoring at large spatial scales. Data collection at such scales can be accomplishe...

Introduction Mosquitofish from The Bahamas, Gambusia hubbsi , and south Florida, Gambusia rhyzophorae, were observed to exhibit yellow‐orange coloration in their dorsal fins. Extracts from dorsal fins were analyzed by HPLC and a number of the pigments have been identified as carotenoids or carotenoid derived species. Methods Dorsal fins were extra...

Hunting remains an important subsistence activity for many indigenous peoples of the Neotropics. This paper describes indigenous hunting patterns using a mixed-methods approach in southern Guyana from a space and place perspective that takes into account both biophysical and cultural/spiritual factors. Findings confirm those of others, that distanc...

Background/Question/Methods Conservation efforts inclusive of local communities have been widely implemented however, the effectiveness of this paradigm remains contentious. We investigate whether an Integrated Conservation and Development Project (ICDP), located in Guyana, has effectively translated into successful conservation at the village leve...

We examined the role of lizards in the ecology of Lyme disease in New York and Maryland. We collected data on vector tick infestations, measured lizard "realized" reservoir competence for the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, and estimated lizard population density. These data were incorporated into a model that predicts a host's abilit...