Incorporating individual perspectives into community ecology and biodiversity research

Population & community ecology have traditionally considered that species are homogeneous comprising identical individuals with invariant traits. In contrast to the assumption, however, intraspecific variation is ubiquitous in nature and critical for ecological dynamics due to factors such as plasticity, genotype, ontogeny, and sex. We study the mechanisms by which individual variations mediate population dynamics and community structure to better understand biodiversity and ecosystems.

1. Plasticity and genetic variation

2. Ontogenetic variation

3. Sex difference

1. Plasticity and genetic variation

Many organisms can quickly change behaviors (e.g., foraging, defense, and breeding) depending on the ecological context (e.g., resource availability and predation risk), which can in turn affect population dynamics and community structure.

Keywords: adaptation, behavioral flexibility, eco-evolutionary feedback phenotypic plasticity, rapid evolution

Nakazawa T*, Huang CG (2016) Two-species metacommunity dynamics mediated by habitat preference. Oikos 125: 1334-1341.
Kuwamura M*, Nakazawa T (2011) Dormancy of predators dependent on the rate of variation in prey density. SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics 71: 169-179.
Nakazawa T* (2011) Ontogenetic niche shift, food-web coupling, and alternative stable states. Theoretical Ecology 4: 479-492.
Nakazawa T* (2011) The ontogenetic stoichiometric bottleneck stabilizes herbivore-autotroph dynamics. Ecological Research 26: 209-216.
Nakazawa T*, Miki T, Namba T (2010) Influence of predator-specific defense adaptation on intraguild predation. Oikos 119: 418-427.
Nakazawa T*, Ohgushi T, Yamamura N (2009) Resource-dependent reproductive adjustment and the stability of consumer-resource dynamics. Population Ecology 51: 105-113.
Kuwamura M*, Nakazawa T, Ogawa T (2009) A minimum model of prey-predator system with dormancy of predators and the paradox of enrichment. Journal of Mathematical Biology 58: 459-479.
Nakazawa T*, Yamamura N (2009) Theoretical considerations for the maintenance of interspecific brood care by a Nicaraguan cichlid fish: behavioral plasticity and spatial structure. Journal of Ethology 27: 67-73.
Nakazawa T*, Kuwamura M, Shimoda M (2007) A mathematical model of prey-predator system with dormancy of predator. Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences Kokyuroku 1556: 123-130.
Nakazawa T*, Ishida N, Kato M, Yamamura N (2007) Larger body size with higher predation rate. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 16: 362-372.
Nakazawa T*, Yamamura N (2007) Breeding migration and population stability. Population Ecology 49: 101-113.

2. Ontogenetic variation

Many organisms are multicellular and change ecological niches (e.g., diets, habitats, and predators) during individual development. Ontogenetic niche shifts critically affect population dynamics by changing the topology of community structure.

Keywrods: ontogenetic niche shift, predator-prey mass ratio, life history stage, size dependence

Nakazawa T* (2020) Incorporating ontogenetic niche shifts into hybrid community dynamics. In: Mougi A (ed) Diversity of functional traits and interactions: perspectives on community dynamics. Springer Nature. pp. xx-xx.
Nakazawa T* (2020) Species interaction: revisiting its terminology and concept. Ecological Research, in press [Open Access]
Nakazawa T* (2020) A perspective on stage-structured mutualism and its community consequences. Oikos 129: 297–310. [Selected as Editor's Choice]
Ke PJ, Nakazawa T* (2018) Ontogenetic antagonism–mutualism coupling: perspectives on resilience of stage-structured communities. Oikos 127: 353–363.
. Nakazawa T, Liu SYV*, Sakai, Y, Araki KS, Tsai HT, Okuda N (2018) Spatial genetic structure and body size divergence in endangered Gymnogobius isaza in ancient Lake Biwa. Mitochondrial DNA Part A 29: 756-764.
Nakazawa T* (2017) Individual interaction data are required in community ecology: A conceptual review of the predator–prey mass ratio and more. Ecological Research 32: 5–12. [Invited review for 20th Miyadi Award, Ecological Society of Japan, recommended by F1000]
Tsai CH, Hsieh CH, Nakazawa T* (2016) Predator–prey mass ratio revisited: Does preference of relative prey body size depend on predator body size? Functional Ecology 30: 1979-1987. [Nominated for the British Ecological Society's Haldane Prize]
Tsai C-H, Lin Y-C, Wiegand T, Nakazawa T, Su S-H, Hsieh C-H, Ding T-S* (2015) Individual species-area relationship of woody plant communities in a heterogeneous subtropical monsoon rainforest. PLoS ONE 10: e0124539.
Nakazawa T* (2015) Introducing stage-specific spatial distribution into the Levins metapopulation model. Scientific Reports 5: 7871.
28. Nakazawa T* (2015) Ontogenetic niche shifts matter in community ecology: a review and future perspectives. Population Ecology 57: 347-354. [Invited review for Young Scholar Award, The Society of Population Ecology]
Nakazawa T* (2014) A dynamic resilience perspective toward integrated ecosystem management: biodiversity, landscape, and climate. In: (Okuda N ed) Springer Briefs in Biology: Biodiversity in Aquatic Systems and Environments: Lake Biwa. Springer Japan, Tokyo, Japan, pp69-91.
Nakazawa T*, Ohba S, Ushio M (2013) Predator-prey body size relationships when predators can consume prey larger than themselves. Biology Letters 9: 20121193.
Briones JC, Tsai CH, Nakazawa T*, Sakai Y, Papa RD, Hsieh CH, Okuda N (2012) Long-term changes in the diet of Gymnogobius isaza from Lake Biwa, Japan: effects of body size and environmental prey availability. PLoS ONE 7: e53167.
Nakazawa T, Ushio M, Kondoh M* (2011) Scale dependence of predator–prey mass ratio: determinants and applications. Advances in Ecological Research 45: 269-302.
Nakazawa T*, Tsai CH, Ishida N, Kato M (2011) Annual variations in length-weight relationships of Gymnogobius isaza (Tanaka 1916) from Lake Biwa, Japan. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 27: 1135-1136.
Nakazawa T* (2011) Alternative stable states generated by ontogenetic habitat coupling in the presence of multiple resource use. PLoS ONE 6: e14667.
Nakazawa T* (2011) Ontogenetic niche shift, food-web coupling, and alternative stable states. Theoretical Ecology 4: 479-492.
Nakazawa T* (2011) The ontogenetic stoichiometric bottleneck stabilizes herbivore-autotroph dynamics. Ecological Research 26: 209-216.
Nakazawa T*, Sakai Y, Hsieh CH, Koitabashi T, Tayasu I, Yamamura N, Okuda N (2010) Is the relationship between body size and trophic niche position time-invariant in a predatory fish? First stable isotope evidence. PLoS ONE 5: e9120.
Hsieh CH*, Yamauchi A, Nakazawa T, Wang WF (2010) Fishing effects on age and spatial structures undermine population stability of fishes. Aquatic Sciences 72: 165-178.

3. Sex difference

Males and females often exhibit different behaviors (e.g., foraging, defense, breeding) and ecological niches (e.g., diets, habitats, and predators) ultimately due to different reproductive strategies. Sexual population dynamics have been largely understudied in ecology.

Keywrods: Allee effect, mating system, reproductive interference, sexual dimorphim, sexual selection, sex ratio

Chou C-C, Nakazawa T* (2020) Idea Paper: Incorporating sexual differences in dispersal decision making into metapopulation theory. Ecological Research, in press [Invited for Special Feature]
Chou C-C, Iwasa Y, Nakazawa T* (2016) Incorporating an ontogenetic perspective into evolutionary theory of sexual size dimorphism. Evolution 70: 369-384.
Morehouse NI*, Nakazawa T, Booher CM, Jeyasingh PD, Hall MD (2010) Sex in a material world: Why the study of sexual reproduction and sex-specific traits should become more nutritionally-explicit. Oikos 119: 766-778.

Collaborations with empirical ecologists

We love collaborations with field and experimental ecologists who know the wonder of nature. Species identity (e.g., plants and animals) or ecosystem type (e.g., terrestrial and aquatic) does not matter. Any topics are welcome as long as new and interesting. We may model your systems or help your empirical research.

Kao MT, Liu JN, Cheng HC, Nakazawa T* (2019) Social signatures in echolocation calls of a leaf-roosting bat, Kerivoula furva. Bioacoustics 29: 461–480.
Wang YJ, Nakazawa T, Ho CK* (2017) Warming impact on herbivore population composition affects top-down control by predators. Scientific Reports 7: 941.
Tsai C-H, Lin Y-C, Wiegand T, Nakazawa T, Su S-H, Hsieh C-H, Ding T-S* (2015) Individual species-area relationship of woody plant communities in a heterogeneous subtropical monsoon rainforest. PLoS ONE 10: e0124539.
Kishi S*, Nakazawa T (2013) Analysis of species coexistence co-mediated by resource competition and reproductive interference. Population Ecology 55: 305–313.
Araki KS*, Nakazawa T, Kawakita A, Kudoh H, Okuda N (2012) Development of nine markers and characterization of the microsatellite loci in the endangered Gymnogobius isaza (Gobiidae). International Journal of Molecular Sciences 13: 5700-5705.
Nakazawa T*, Yamanaka T, Urano S (2012) Model analysis for plant disease dynamics co-mediated by herbivory and herbivore-borne phytopathogens.
Biology Letters 8: 685-688. 20.
Nakazawa T, Doi H* (2012) A perspective on match/mismatch of phenology in community contexts. Oikos 121: 489-495. [Cited by IPCC 5th Assessment Report 2014]
Morehouse NI*, Nakazawa T, Booher CM, Jeyasingh PD, Hall MD (2010) Sex in a material world: Why the study of sexual reproduction and sex-specific traits should become more nutritionally-explicit. Oikos 119: 766-778.
Miki T*, Nakazawa T, Yokokawa T, Nagata T (2008) Functional consequences of viral impacts on bacterial communities: a food-web model analysis. Freshwater Biology 53: 1142-115.

Long-term ecological research

Museum specimens tell us long-term changes in environments the organisms experienced in the past. A great collection of isaza goby from Lake Biwa is available at Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, since the mid-20th century.

Tsai CH, Hsieh CH, Nakazawa T* (2016) Predator–prey mass ratio revisited: Does preference of relative prey body size depend on predator body size? Functional Ecology 30: 1979-1987. [Nominated for the British Ecological Society's Haldane Prize]
仲澤剛史*、奥田昇 (2014) 生物標本を利用した湖沼生態系の復元．占部城太郎（編集）湖沼近過去調査法―より良い湖沼環境と保全目標設定のために―．共立出版、東京、日本、pp193-214.
Briones JC, Tsai CH, Nakazawa T*, Sakai Y, Papa RD, Hsieh CH, Okuda N (2012) Long-term changes in the diet of Gymnogobius isaza from Lake Biwa, Japan: effects of body size and environmental prey availability. PLoS ONE 7: e53167.
Araki KS*, Nakazawa T, Kawakita A, Kudoh H, Okuda N (2012) Development of nine markers and characterization of the microsatellite loci in the endangered Gymnogobius isaza (Gobiidae). International Journal of Molecular Sciences 13: 5700-5705.
Nakazawa T*, Tsai CH, Ishida N, Kato M (2011) Annual variations in length-weight relationships of Gymnogobius isaza (Tanaka 1916) from Lake Biwa, Japan. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 27: 1135-1136.
Nakazawa T*, Sakai Y, Hsieh CH, Koitabashi T, Tayasu I, Yamamura N, Okuda N (2010) Is the relationship between body size and trophic niche position time-invariant in a predatory fish? First stable isotope evidence. PLoS ONE 5: e9120.
Nakazawa T*, Ishida N, Kato M, Yamamura N (2007) Larger body size with higher predation rate. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 16: 362-372.

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