Ian Montgomery - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ian Montgomery

The data file contains percentage cover of grass, sedge and forb species from surveys carried out... more The data file contains percentage cover of grass, sedge and forb species from surveys carried out in the Western Isles of Scotland at three nested quadrat scales. Quadrats at each scale were arranged in a 5x5 grid indicated by the columns Refno and Refletter

The accumulation of biodiversity in space and time has been modelled extensively using the specie... more The accumulation of biodiversity in space and time has been modelled extensively using the species-area relationship and the species-time relationship, respectively. Recently, these models have been combined into time-area curves in order to investigate spatiotemporal scaling of species richness. This study expands on previous research by applying these spatiotemporal models to functional diversity. Understanding spatiotemporal dynamics of ecological traits is important due to their crucial role in ecosystem functioning and mediating species responses to environmental change. We present a new function based on the semi-logarithmic species-area relationship, which was applied with a power function to vegetation survey data from Scottish machair grassland for both species richness and two measures of functional diversity. When taking a whole-study approach using non-linear mixed effects models, the semi-logarithmic function used here shows a positive time-area interaction for species richness, contrasting with the negative interaction of the power law found in previous investigations. Although there was a negative time-area interaction for functional diversity measures at the whole-study scale, parameter estimates were inconsistent at the individual site level. Overall, the results reveal differing spatiotemporal dynamics of species and their traits and suggest that the appropriate scale for space-for-time substitutions depends on the aspect of biodiversity being investigated. The new model developed in this study, and the novel application to functional diversity, opens up future possible research into spatiotemporal dynamics of biodiversity

1. Energy availability and energy use directly influence an organism’s life history, fitness and ... more 1. Energy availability and energy use directly influence an organism’s life history, fitness and ecological function. In wild animals, abiotic factors such as ambient temperature, season and rainfall, and biotic factors such as body mass, age, social group size and disease status, all potentially influence energy balance. 2. Relatively few studies have examined the effects of disease on the energy expenditure of wild animals. Such studies could further our understanding of factors influencing the transmission of zoonotic diseases. The European badger (Meles meles) is a medium-sized carnivore that occurs in mixed-sex, familial groups across much of its range. In the UK they are a protected species but are also involved in the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle. 3. We measured the daily energy expenditure (DEE) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) of wild badgers and related this to their TB infection status and a range of other interacting factors including season, group size, disease status, sex, age, body mass and body fat. 4. Individuals were larger and fatter when they were older and fatter during the winter. Males were also heavier than females during the summer. In addition, individuals from smaller groups that were exposed to TB tended to have lower body mass. 5. There were no direct effects of disease status on DEE or RMR, however, there was a significant interaction whereby DEE increased with body mass in small groups but decreased with body mass in large groups. 6. Results are consistent with the costs of TB infection being met by compensatory mechanisms enabling badgers to survive for extended periods without exhibiting measurable energetic consequences

Journal of Applied Ecology, 2020

Data citation 2: Raw assembly of RNA-sequencing reads from mountain hares (sampled in Ireland and... more Data citation 2: Raw assembly of RNA-sequencing reads from mountain hares (sampled in Ireland and in the Alps).

Ecology and Evolution

The introduction of non-native species to new locations is a growing global phenomenon with major... more The introduction of non-native species to new locations is a growing global phenomenon with major negative effects on native species and biodiversity. Such introductions potentially bring competitors into contact leading to partial or total species replacements. This creates an opportunity to study novel species interactions as they occur, with the potential to address the strength of inter- and intraspecific interactions, most notably competition. Such potential has often not been realized, however, due to the difficulties inherent in detecting rapid and spatially expansive species interactions under natural field conditions. The invasive amphipod crustacean Gammarus pulex has replaced a native species, Gammarus duebeni celticus, in river and lake systems across Europe. This replacement process is at least partially driven by differential parasitism, cannibalism and intraguild predation, but the role of interspecific competition has yet to be resolved. Here, we examine how abundance of an invasive species may affect spatial niche breadth of a native congeneric species. We base our analyses of niche breadth on ordination and factor analysis of biological community and physical parameters, respectively, constituting a summative, multidimensional approach to niche breadth along environmental gradients. Results derived from biological and environmental niche criteria were consistent, although interspecific effects were stronger using the biological niche approach. We show that the niche breadth of the native species is constrained as abundance of the invader increases, but the converse effect does not occur. We conclude that the interaction between invasive G. pulex and native G. d. celticus under natural conditions is consistent with strong interspecific competition whereby a native, weaker competitor is replaced by a superior invasive competitor. This study indicates a strong role of interspecific competition, alongside other known interactions such as differential intraguild predation, in rapid and expansive spec [...]

Data citation 2: SNP inference VCF file.

Table S2. Full breakdown of behaviours of both squirrel species 2 days pre and post treatment of ... more Table S2. Full breakdown of behaviours of both squirrel species 2 days pre and post treatment of feeder with pine marten scent.

Table S1. Habitat, squirrel species present, and latitude and longitude of sites for behavioural ... more Table S1. Habitat, squirrel species present, and latitude and longitude of sites for behavioural study.

Data citation 2: Raw assembly of RNA-sequencing reads from mountain hares sampled in the Alps.

Standardised data and R scripts from the article Niche overlap of mountain hare subspecies and th... more Standardised data and R scripts from the article Niche overlap of mountain hare subspecies and the vulnerability of their ranges to invasion by the European hare; the (bad) luck of the Irish, published in Biological Invasions. Raw data including geo-references for hare occurrences are not included due to confidentiality agreements made with a number of data providers. The resultant outcomes can be found in: Caravaggi A, Leach K, Santilli F, Rintala J, Helle P, Tiainen J, Bisi F, Martinoli A, Montgomery WI, Reid N. 2017. Niche overlap of mountain hare subspecies and the vulnerability of their ranges to invasion by the European hare; the (bad) luck of the Irish. Biological Invasions. 19(2): 655–674. doi: 10.1007/s10530-016-1330-z

Climate change during the past five decades has impacted significantly on natural ecosys-tems, an... more Climate change during the past five decades has impacted significantly on natural ecosys-tems, and the rate of current climate change is of great concern among conservation biolo-gists. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) have been used widely to project changes in species ’ bioclimatic envelopes under future climate scenarios. Here, we aimed to advance this technique by assessing future changes in the bioclimatic envelopes of an entire mam-malian order, the Lagomorpha, using a novel framework for model validation based jointly on subjective expert evaluation and objective model evaluation statistics. SDMs were built using climatic, topographical, and habitat variables for all 87 lagomorph species under past and current climate scenarios. Expert evaluation and Kappa values were used to validate past and current models and only those deemed ‘modellable ’ within our framework were projected under future climate scenarios (58 species). Phylogenetically-controlled regres-sions were used ...

PeerJ, 2018

Endogenous circadian and seasonal activity patterns are adapted to facilitate effective utilisati... more Endogenous circadian and seasonal activity patterns are adapted to facilitate effective utilisation of environmental resources. Activity patterns are shaped by physiological constraints, evolutionary history, circadian and seasonal changes and may be influenced by other factors, including ecological competition and interspecific interactions. Remote-sensing camera traps allow the collection of species presence data throughout the 24 h period and for almost indefinite lengths of time. Here, we collate data from 10 separate camera trap surveys in order to describe circadian and seasonal activity patterns of 10 mammal species, and, in particular, to evaluate interspecific (dis)associations of five predator-prey pairs. We recorded 8,761 independent detections throughout Northern Ireland. Badgers, foxes, pine martens and wood mice were nocturnal; European and Irish hares and European rabbits were crepuscular; fallow deer and grey and red squirrels were diurnal. All species exhibited sign...