BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

Compressed file containing 7 archives: environmental and biological data from invaded and non-invaded areas (original dataset); environmental and biological data from invaded area (to be used for data analysis along with the R script); environmental and biological data from non-invaded area (to be used for data analysis along with the R script); physiological and biological traits of corixids and their categories (to be used for data analysis along with the R script); affinity values of species for each trait category (to be used for data analysis along with the R script), physiological and biological traits of corixids and their categories (original dataset); document with detailed archives description., Biological invasions have become one of the most important drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem change world-wide. However, it is still unclear how invasions may interact with local abiotic stressors, which are expected to increase as global change intensifies. Furthermore, we know little about the response to biological invasions of insects, despite their disproportionate contribution to global animal biodiversity. The aim of the present work is to investigate the impact of an invasive aquatic insect on the co-occurrence patterns of native species of insects along a salinity gradient, and determine which assembly rules are driving these patterns. First, we characterised the habitat specialisation and functional niches of each species from physiological and biological traits, respectively, and their degree of overlap. Second, we used field data to compare the co-occurrence patterns of native and invasive species in invaded and non-invaded areas of southern Iberia and northern Morocco. Finally, we tested if habitat filtering or niche differentiation assembly rules mediate their co-occurrence. In non-invaded areas, habitat filtering drives habitat segregation of species along the salinity gradient, with a lower contribution of niche differentiation. The presence of the invasive insect modifies the distribution and co-occurrence patterns of native species. In invaded areas, niche differentiation seems to be the main mechanism to avoid competition among the invasive and native species, enabling coexistence and resource partitioning. The combined study of functional niche similarity and abiotic stressor tolerance of invasive and native species can improve our understanding of the effects of invasive species along abiotic stress gradients. This approach may increase our capacity to predict the outcomes of biological invasion in a global change context., Peer reviewed

Raw data on intact seeds in shorebirds This file contains data of the faecal samples collected from the field in different locations with date, faeces sample mass, plant species name, and the number of seeds per taxon. This file was made with Microsoft Excel 2016 shorebird.xlsx, Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) undergo rapid migrations with potential for long-distance dispersal (LDD) of plants. We studied the frequency of endozoochory by shorebirds in different parts of Europe covering a broad latitudinal range and different seasons. We assessed whether plants dispersed conformed to morphological dispersal syndromes. A total of 409 excreta samples (271 faeces and 138 pellets) were collected from redshank (Tringa totanus), black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata) and black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) in south-west Spain, north-west England, southern Ireland and Iceland in 2005 and 2016, and intact seeds were extracted and identified. Godwits were sampled just before or after migratory movements between England and Iceland. The germinability of seeds was tested. Intact diaspores were recovered from all bird species and study areas, and were present in 13% of samples overall. Thirteen plant families were represented, including Charophyceae and 26 angiosperm taxa. Only four species had an "endozoochory syndrome". Four alien species were recorded. Ellenberg values classified three species as aquatic and 20 as terrestrial. Overall, 89% of seeds were from terrestrial plants, and 11% from aquatic plants. Average seed length was higher in redshank pellets than in their faeces. Six species were germinated, none of which had an endozoochory syndrome. Seeds were recorded during spring and autumn migration. Plant species recorded have broad latitudinal ranges consistent with LDD via shorebirds. Crucially, morphological syndromes do not adequately predict LDD potential, and more empirical work is required to identify which plants are dispersed by shorebirds. Incorporating endozoochory by shorebirds and other migratory waterbirds into plant distribution models would allow us to better understand the natural processes that facilitated colonization of oceanic islands, or to improve predictions of how plants will respond to climate change, or how alien species spread., Peer reviewed