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Wei M, Feng T, Lin Y, He S, Yan H, Qiao R, Chen Q. Elevation-associated pathways mediate aquatic biodiversity at multi-trophic levels along a plateau inland river. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 258:121779. [PMID: 38772321 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Aquatic biodiversity plays a significant role in maintaining the ecological balance and the overall health of riverine ecosystems. Elevation is an important factor influencing biodiversity patterns. However, it is still unclear through which pathway elevation influences riverine biodiversity at different trophic levels. In this study, the elevation-associated pathways affecting aquatic biodiversity at different trophic levels were explored using structural equation modeling (SEM) and taking the Bayin River, China as the case. The results showed that the elevational patterns were different among aquatic organisms at different trophic levels. For macroinvertebrates and bacteria, the pattern was hump-shaped; while for phytoplankton and zooplankton, it was U-shaped. Building upon these observed elevational patterns, our investigation delved into the direct and indirect pathways through which elevation influences aquatic biodiversity. We found that elevation exerts an impact on aquatic biodiversity via indirect pathways. For all aquatic organisms investigated, the major pathway through which elevation influences biodiversity is mediated by water temperature and water quality. For aquatic organisms at higher trophic levels, like macroinvertebrates and zooplankton, the crucial pathway is also mediated by the landscape. The results of this study contributed to understanding the effects of elevation on aquatic organisms at different trophic levels and provided an important basis for the assessment of riverine biodiversity at large scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengru Wei
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Nanjing 210098, China; Center for Eco-Environment Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China; College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Tao Feng
- Center for Eco-Environment Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China.
| | - Yuqing Lin
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Nanjing 210098, China; Center for Eco-Environment Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Shufeng He
- Center for Eco-Environment Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Hanlu Yan
- Center for Eco-Environment Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Ruxia Qiao
- Center for Eco-Environment Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Qiuwen Chen
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Nanjing 210098, China; Center for Eco-Environment Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China; College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China.
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Ausprey IJ, Newell FL, Robinson SK. Sensitivity of tropical montane birds to anthropogenic disturbance and management strategies for their conservation in agricultural landscapes. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e14136. [PMID: 37377175 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Tropical montane bird communities are hypothesized to be highly sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance because species are adapted to a narrow range of environmental conditions and display high rates of endemism. We assessed avian sensitivity at regional and continental scales for a global epicenter of montane bird biodiversity, the tropical Andes. Using data from an intensive field study of cloud forest bird communities across 7 landscapes undergoing agricultural conversion in northern Peru (1800-3100 m, 2016-2017) and a pan-Andean synthesis of forest bird sensitivity, we developed management strategies for maintaining avian biodiversity in tropical countrysides and examined how environmental specialization predicts species-specific sensitivity to disturbance. In Peru, bird communities occupying countryside habitats contained 29-93% fewer species compared with those in forests and were compositionally distinct due to high levels of species turnover. Fragments of mature forest acted as reservoirs for forest bird diversity, especially when large or surrounded by mixed successional vegetation. In high-intensity agricultural plots, an addition of 10 silvopasture trees or 10% more fencerows per hectare increased species richness by 18-20%. Insectivores and frugivores were most sensitive to disturbance: abundance of 40-70% of species declined in early successional vegetation and silvopasture. These results were supported by our synthesis of 816 montane bird species studied across the Andes. At least 25% of the species declined due to all forms of disturbance, and the percentage rose to 60% in agricultural landscapes. The most sensitive species were those with narrow elevational ranges and small global range sizes, insectivores and carnivores, and species with specialized trophic niches. We recommend protecting forest fragments, especially large ones, and increasing connectivity through the maintenance of early successional vegetation and silvopastoral trees that increase avian diversity in pastures. We provide lists of species-specific sensitivities to anthropogenic disturbance to inform conservation status assessments of Andean birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Ausprey
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Division of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology & Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Felicity L Newell
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Division of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology & Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Scott K Robinson
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Barbosa Fontana R, Both C, Hartz SM. Direct development in Atlantic Forest anurans: What can environmental and biotic influences explain about its evolution and occurrence? PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291644. [PMID: 38032887 PMCID: PMC10688756 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Different environmental and biological factors can originate and support different alternative life histories in different taxonomic groups. Likewise, these factors are important for the processes that assemble and structure communities. Amphibians, besides being highly susceptible to environmental conditions, have various reproductive strategies, such as the direct development of individuals. Several hypotheses have been raised about possible selective pressures related to the emergence of direct development in anurans, as well as the relationship between environmental characteristics and the occurrence of these species. Such investigations, however, have mainly focused on specific clades and/or regions. Here, we use structural equation modelling to investigate the relationships between different abiotic (temperature, precipitation, humidity, and terrain slope) and biotic (phylogenetic composition and functional diversity) factors and the proportion of species with direct development in 766 anuran communities of the Atlantic Forest, a biome with a vast diversity of anuran species and high environmental complexity. Anuran communities with higher proportions of direct developing species were found to be mainly influenced by low potential evapotranspiration, low temperature seasonality, and high functional diversity. Phylogenetic composition and terrain slope were also found to be important in determining the occurrence of these species in Atlantic Forest communities. These results show the importance of these factors in the structuring of these communities and provide important contributions to the knowledge of direct development in anurans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Barbosa Fontana
- Instituto de Biociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Camila Both
- Departamento Interdisciplinar, Centro de Estudos Limnológicos e Marinhos, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Imbé, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Sandra Maria Hartz
- Instituto de Biociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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4
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Precipitation and potential evapotranspiration determine the distribution patterns of threatened plant species in Sichuan Province, China. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22418. [PMID: 36575208 PMCID: PMC9794706 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26171-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental goal of ecologists is to determine the large-scale gradients in species richness. The threatened plants are the priority of such studies because of their narrow distribution and confinement to a specific habitat. Studying the distribution patterns of threatened plants is crucial for identifying global conservation prioritization. In this study, the richness pattern of threatened plant species along spatial and elevation gradients in Sichuan Province of China was investigated, considering climatic, habitat-heterogeneity (HHET), geometric constraint and human-induced factors. The species richness pattern was analyzed, and the predictor variables, including mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP), potential evapotranspiration (PET), HHET, and disturbance (DIST), to species richness were linked using the geographical distribution data of threatened species compiled at a spatial resolution of 20 km × 20 km. Generalized linear models and structural equation modelling were used to determine the individual and combined effects of each variable on species richness patterns. Results showed a total of 137 threatened plant species were distributed between 200 and 4800 m.a.s.l. The central region of the province harbors the highest species diversity. MAP and PET profoundly explained the richness pattern. Moreover, the significant role of DIST in the richness patterns of threatened plants was elucidated. These findings could help determine the richness pattern of threatened plant species in other mountainous regions of the world, with consideration of the impact of climate change.
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Jardim de Queiroz L, Doenz CJ, Altermatt F, Alther R, Borko Š, Brodersen J, Gossner MM, Graham C, Matthews B, McFadden IR, Pellissier L, Schmitt T, Selz OM, Villalba S, Rüber L, Zimmermann NE, Seehausen O. Climate, immigration and speciation shape terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity in the European Alps. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221020. [PMID: 35946161 PMCID: PMC9363983 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Quaternary climate fluctuations can affect speciation in regional biodiversity assembly in two non-mutually exclusive ways: a glacial species pump, where isolation in glacial refugia accelerates allopatric speciation, and adaptive radiation in underused adaptive zones during ice-free periods. We detected biogeographic and genetic signatures associated with both mechanisms in the assembly of the biota of the European Alps. Age distributions of endemic and widespread species within aquatic and terrestrial taxa (amphipods, fishes, amphibians, butterflies and flowering plants) revealed that endemic fish evolved only in lakes, are highly sympatric, and mainly of Holocene age, consistent with adaptive radiation. Endemic amphipods are ancient, suggesting preglacial radiation with limited range expansion and local Pleistocene survival, perhaps facilitated by a groundwater-dwelling lifestyle. Terrestrial endemics are mostly of Pleistocene age and are thus more consistent with the glacial species pump. The lack of evidence for Holocene adaptive radiation in the terrestrial biome is consistent with faster recolonization through range expansion of these taxa after glacial retreats. More stable and less seasonal ecological conditions in lakes during the Holocene may also have contributed to Holocene speciation in lakes. The high proportion of young, endemic species makes the Alpine biota vulnerable to climate change, but the mechanisms and consequences of species loss will likely differ between biomes because of their distinct evolutionary histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Jardim de Queiroz
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum/8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Carmela J Doenz
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum/8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum/8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Roman Alther
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum/8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Špela Borko
- SubBio Lab, Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jakob Brodersen
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum/8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Martin M Gossner
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Graham
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Blake Matthews
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum/8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ian R McFadden
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Loïc Pellissier
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Senckenberg German Entomological Institute, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany.,Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Oliver M Selz
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum/8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Soraya Villalba
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum/8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Rüber
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, 3005 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Niklaus E Zimmermann
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum/8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Wang J, Hu A, Meng F, Zhao W, Yang Y, Soininen J, Shen J, Zhou J. Embracing mountain microbiome and ecosystem functions under global change. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 234:1987-2002. [PMID: 35211983 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Mountains are pivotal to maintaining habitat heterogeneity, global biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services to humans. They have provided classic model natural systems for plant and animal diversity gradient studies for over 250 years. In the recent decade, the exploration of microorganisms on mountainsides has also achieved substantial progress. Here, we review the literature on microbial diversity across taxonomic groups and ecosystem types on global mountains. Microbial community shows climatic zonation with orderly successions along elevational gradients, which are largely consistent with traditional climatic hypotheses. However, elevational patterns are complicated for species richness without general rules in terrestrial and aquatic environments and are driven mainly by deterministic processes caused by abiotic and biotic factors. We see a major shift from documenting patterns of biodiversity towards identifying the mechanisms that shape microbial biogeographical patterns and how these patterns vary under global change by the inclusion of novel ecological theories, frameworks and approaches. We thus propose key questions and cutting-edge perspectives to advance future research in mountain microbial biogeography by focusing on biodiversity hypotheses, incorporating meta-ecosystem framework and novel key drivers, adapting recently developed approaches in trait-based ecology and manipulative field experiments, disentangling biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships and finally modelling and predicting their global change responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianjun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academic of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ang Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academic of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
- College of Resources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Fanfan Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academic of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Wenqian Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academic of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yunfeng Yang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Janne Soininen
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FIN-00014, Finland
| | - Ji Shen
- School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jizhong Zhou
- Institute for Environmental Genomics and Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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7
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Li C, Lou H, Yang S, Li X, Zhang J, Pan Z, Zhang Y, Yi Y, Gong J. Effect of human disturbances and hydrologic elements on the distribution of plant diversity within the Shamu watershed, Mt. Yuntai Nature Reserve, China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 311:114833. [PMID: 35287080 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This paper explores how human disturbance and hydrologic elements affect the spatial distribution pattern of plant diversity in the watershed, taking Shamu watershed in the World Natural Heritage Site as a case study. Spatial analysis of multisource remote sensing and plant diversity plots data were conducted using linear mixed effects models and structural equation models. Results revealed that the distribution of plant diversity in the watershed is mainly affected by human disturbance. However, under similar human disturbance levels, hydrologic elements also affect the plant diversity within the watershed. The topographic undulation and surface runoff significantly promote plant diversity, while the river network density, the watershed shape factor, the river longitudinal gradient do not. The influence of topographic undulation is more obvious than that of runoff on plant diversity, but the effect of topographic undulation and runoff on plant diversity is getting weaker from upstream to downstream within the watershed. In addition, the impact of hydrologic elements on plant diversity is mainly regulated by environmental factors Pre and Tem. The findings clarify how human disturbance and hydrologic elements affect plant diversity distribution within the watershed, optimizing the conservation theory of plant diversity resources and scientifically guiding the region's sustainable development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaojun Li
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Hezhen Lou
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Shengtian Yang
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China.
| | - Xi Li
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Zihao Pan
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yujia Zhang
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yin Yi
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
| | - Jiyi Gong
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
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Liu S, Li X, Tan L, Fornacca D, Fang Y, Zhu L, Rao C, Cao Y, Huang J, Ren G, Cai Q, Xiao W. The ecological niche and terrestrial environment jointly influence the altitudinal pattern of aquatic biodiversity. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 800:149404. [PMID: 34399334 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The altitudinal distribution of biodiversity in alpine ecosystems has captured academic attention, especially in streams because of their sensitivity to climate change. In the past years, research mainly focused on understanding the role played by alpine streams' internal factors such as aquatic environmental variables, as well as physical and hydrological conditions, on the shaping of benthic macroinvertebrate communities. More recently, external factors such as terrestrial environments were included in analyses worldwide. In particular, the inherent properties constituting the ecological niche of specific species were considered as factors regulating dispersal and influencing community construction. The objective of this study was to reveal the distribution pattern and the driving factors regulating aquatic biodiversity in alpine streams. We hypothesized that the altitudinal distribution of aquatic macroinvertebrates could be explained by the interaction of the aquatic environment with both species' ecological niche and the terrestrial environment surrounding their habitat, and that rare species display a more pronounced pattern than widespread dominant species. To test these hypotheses, samples were collected from two alpine streams situated on opposite slopes of Biluo Snow Mountain in Yunnan Province, China. Results of statistical analyses showed poor explanatory power from aquatic environmental factors, while the differences in vegetation type and the ecological niche of the species played an important role in determining the distribution pattern of aquatic biodiversity. Furthermore, we found that the altitudinal distribution pattern of aquatic biodiversity exhibits a bimodal type, with rare species fitting the bimodal peaks. These findings call for a better inclusion and further investigation on the effects of the terrestrial environment on aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuoran Liu
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Xianfu Li
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Lu Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Davide Fornacca
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Yihao Fang
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Lin Zhu
- Fu-gong Administration Bureau, Gao-li-gong Mountain National Nature Reserve, Nujiang 673400, China
| | - Caihong Rao
- Fu-gong Administration Bureau, Gao-li-gong Mountain National Nature Reserve, Nujiang 673400, China
| | - Yindi Cao
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Jimin Huang
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Guopeng Ren
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Qinghua Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
| | - Wen Xiao
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China.
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Farooq M, Li X, Tan L, Fornacca D, Li Y, Cili N, Tian Z, Yang L, Deng X, Liu S, Xiao W. Ephemeroptera (Mayflies) Assemblages and Environmental Variation along Three Streams Located in the Dry-Hot Valleys of Baima Snow Mountain, Yunnan, Southwest China. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12090775. [PMID: 34564217 PMCID: PMC8466216 DOI: 10.3390/insects12090775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Mayflies are among the most susceptible insect groups in mountain freshwater bodies, where they are facing different environmental threats, resulting in loss of species assemblage and diversity. In this study, we described the structure of the community of mayflies in three different streams in the dry-hot valley of Baima Snow Mountain, China, and assessed the potential effect of environmental variation over this specific group of insects. The results showed clear shifts in the community structure of mayflies between the streams. From the study area, 18 taxa were identified, with Baetis sp. and Baetiella marginata being the most prevalent. Overall, the Yeri stream hosted suitable habitats for several taxa of mayflies than the other two streams, as demonstrated by the highest species richness and diversity. Moreover, there was high environmental heterogeneity between the streams, in turn influencing the species of mayflies, particularly in the Sharong stream. As expected, the results also showed that some of the environmental factors such as altitude, conductivity, total dissolved solids, water temperature, dissolved silicon, and pH explained most of the variation in species composition. Abstract Mountain freshwater ecosystems are threatened all over the world by a range of human-induced stresses, ensuing in a rapid loss of habitats and species diversity. Many macroinvertebrates are reactive to habitat disturbance, and mayflies (Ephemeroptera) are amongst the most sensitive groups. Despite they are susceptible to environmental deviation, knowledge concerning their species richness and diversity is still unknown in remote areas. The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate the mayfly species assemblage and community composition along different mountain streams and assess potential differences, and (2) identify the environmental variation and its influence on the structure of mayfly communities within such freshwater systems. We collected biological and environmental data from 35 sites situated along elevation gradients in the Baima Snow Mountain, northwest Yunnan, China. Multivariate analyses were performed on the environmental variables and the mayfly species composition, as well as on richness and diversity indices. We found that the community composition of mayflies was different across all three watercourses. Among the 18 Ephemeroptera taxa identified, Baetis sp. and Baetiella marginata were highly dominant, accounting for over 50% of the dissimilarity of each stream. In terms of species assemblages, almost all sites in the Yeri stream hosted good-quality habitats for several mayfly species, as reflected by the highest species richness. The Benzilan stream followed, whereas the Sharong stream showed relatively low mayfly assemblage. This variation was explained by the high environmental heterogeneity between the three watercourses. In particular, the RDA model revealed that among the different environmental factors analyzed, altitude, conductivity, total dissolved solids, water temperature, dissolved silicon, and pH explained most of the variation in species composition. Moreover, the altitude alone explained 17.74% of the variation, and in-depth analysis confirmed its significant effect on diversity indices. Further research should focus on evaluating the scale of threats to this important group of insects in the mountain freshwater ecosystem, particularly the impact of human-induced disturbances such as land use/landcover alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Farooq
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; (M.F.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.T.); (L.Y.); (X.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Xianfu Li
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; (M.F.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.T.); (L.Y.); (X.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Lu Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China;
| | - Davide Fornacca
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; (M.F.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.T.); (L.Y.); (X.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Yanpeng Li
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; (M.F.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.T.); (L.Y.); (X.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Nima Cili
- Deqin Administration Bureau, Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve, Diqing 674501, China;
| | - Zhen Tian
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; (M.F.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.T.); (L.Y.); (X.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Lu Yang
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; (M.F.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.T.); (L.Y.); (X.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Xiaoling Deng
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; (M.F.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.T.); (L.Y.); (X.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
| | - Shuoran Liu
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; (M.F.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.T.); (L.Y.); (X.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
- Correspondence: (S.L.); (W.X.)
| | - Wen Xiao
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali 671003, China; (M.F.); (X.L.); (D.F.); (Y.L.); (Z.T.); (L.Y.); (X.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali 671003, China
- Correspondence: (S.L.); (W.X.)
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10
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Pandey B, Pan K, Dakhil MA, Liao Z, Timilsina A, Khanal M, Zhang L. Contrasting Gymnosperm Diversity Across an Elevation Gradient in the Ecoregion of China: The Role of Temperature and Productivity. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.679439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The species richness–climate relationship is a significant concept in determining the richness patterns and predicting the cause of its distribution. The distribution range of species and climatic variables along elevation have been used in evaluating the elevational diversity gradients (EDG). However, the species richness of gymnosperms along elevation and its driving factors in large geographic areas are still unknown. Here, we aimed at evaluating the EDG of gymnosperms in the ecoregions of China. We divided the geographical region of China into 34 ecoregions and determine the richness pattern of gymnosperm taxa along elevation gradients. We demonstrated the richness patterns of the 237-gymnosperm (219 threatened, 112 endemic, 189 trees, and 48 shrubs) taxa, roughly distributed between 0 and 5,300 m (above sea level) in China. As possible determinants of richness patterns, annual mean temperature (TEMP), annual precipitation (PPT), potential evapotranspiration (PET), net primary productivity (SNPP), aridity index (AI), temperature seasonality (TS), and precipitation seasonality (PS) are the major predictor variables driving the EDG in plants. We used the species interpolation method to determine the species richness at each elevation band. To evaluate the richness pattern of gymnosperms in an ecoregion, generalized additive modeling and structural equation modeling were performed. The ecoregions in the southern part of China are rich in gymnosperm species, where three distinct richness patterns—(i) hump-shaped, (ii) monotonic increase, and (iii) monotonic decline—were noticed in China. All climatic variables have a significant effect on the richness pattern of gymnosperms; however, TEMP, SNPP, TS, and PS explained the highest deviance in diversity-rich ecoregions of China. Our results suggests that the highest number of gymnosperms species was found in the southwestern and Taiwan regions of China distributed at the 1,600- and 2,800-m elevation bands. These regions could be under severe stress in the near future due to expected changes in precipitation pattern and increase of temperature due to climate change. Thus, our study provided evidence of the species–climate relationship that can support the understanding of future conservation planning of gymnosperms.
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11
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Scavo NA, Barrera R, Reyes-Torres LJ, Yee DA. Lower socioeconomic status neighborhoods in Puerto Rico have more diverse mosquito communities and higher Aedes aegypti abundance. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juab009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Mosquito community dynamics in urban areas are influenced by an array of both social and ecological factors. Human socioeconomic factors (SEF) can be related to mosquito abundance and diversity as urban mosquito development sites are modified by varying human activity, e.g., level of abandoned structures or amount of accumulated trash. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships among mosquito diversity, populations of Aedes aegypti, and SEF in a tropical urban setting. Mosquitoes were collected using BG Sentinel 2 traps and CDC light traps during three periods between late 2018 and early 2019 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and were identified to species. SEFs (i.e. median household income, population density, college-level educational attainment, unemployment, health insurance coverage, percentage of households below the poverty line, amount of trash and level of abandoned homes) were measured using foot surveys and U.S. Census data. We found 19 species with the two most abundant species being Culex quinquefasciatus (n = 10 641, 87.6%) and Ae. aegypti (n = 1558, 12.8%). We found a positive association between Ae. aegypti abundance and mosquito diversity, which were both negatively related to SES and ecological factors. Specifically, lower socioeconomic status neighborhoods had both more Ae. aegypti and more diverse communities, due to more favorable development habitat, indicating that control efforts should be focused in these areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A Scavo
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Roberto Barrera
- Dengue Branch, Division of Vector-Borne and Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Limarie J Reyes-Torres
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Donald A Yee
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
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12
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Biogeographical patterns and mechanisms of microbial community assembly that underlie successional biocrusts across northern China. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2021; 7:15. [PMID: 33547284 PMCID: PMC7864921 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-021-00188-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Biocrusts play critical eco-functions in many drylands, however it is challenging to explore their community assembly, particularly within patched successional types and across climate zones. Here, different successional biocrusts (alga, lichen, and moss-dominated biocrusts) were collected across the northern China, and assembly of biocrust microbial communities was investigated by high-throughput sequencing combined with measurements of soil properties and microclimate environments. Bacterial and eukaryotic communities showed that the maximum and minimum community variation occurred across longitude and latitude, respectively. In the regions where all three stages of biocrusts were involved, the highest community difference existed between successional stages, and decreased with distance. The community assembly was generally driven by dispersal limitation, although neutral processes have controlled the eukaryotic community assembly in hyperarid areas. Along the succession, bacterial community had no obvious patterns, but eukaryotic community showed increasing homogeneity, with increased species sorting and decreased dispersal limitation for community assembly. Compared to early successional biocrusts, there were higher microbial mutual exclusions and more complex networks at later stages, with distinct topological features. Correlation analysis further indicated that the balance between deterministic and stochastic processes might be mediated by aridity, salinity, and total phosphorus, although the mediations were opposite for bacteria and eukaryotes.
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13
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Hopper SD. Out of the OCBILs: new hypotheses for the evolution, ecology and conservation of the eucalypts. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
OCBIL theory is a multi-hypothesis formulation aimed towards an understanding of the evolution, ecology and conservation of biological and cultural diversity on old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes (OCBILs). OCBILs have been in existence contemporaneously with rainforest since Gondwanan times. Such landscapes are common in areas of eucalypt species richness embraced by Australia’s two Global Biodiversity Hotspots, the Southwest Australian Floristic Region and the Forests of East Australia. Here, I summarize evidence pertaining to the eucalypts in the context of a recent reformulation of OCBIL theory into 12 evolutionary, ecological and cultural hypotheses and ten conservation management hypotheses. A compelling argument emerges for a new interpretation of the eucalypts evolving out of the OCBILs, rather than out of the rainforests as traditionally interpreted. This calls for a significant reinterpretation of best conservation management of the eucalypts. For example, traditional ideas on application of fire in eucalypt communities regarded as well adapted to this disturbance need to give way to a more nuanced and cautious view. This review of eucalypts seen as evolving out of the OCBILs helps in understanding the group from several new perspectives. Interpretation of other sedentary plant and animal groups as out of the OCBILs is commended for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen D Hopper
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture & Environment, The University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
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14
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Liang J, Ding Z, Lie G, Zhou Z, Singh PB, Zhang Z, Hu H. Species richness patterns of vascular plants and their drivers along an elevational gradient in the central Himalayas. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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15
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Chiu MC, Ao S, He F, Resh VH, Cai Q. Elevation shapes biodiversity patterns through metacommunity-structuring processes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 743:140548. [PMID: 32758813 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Stochastic (e.g., via species dispersal and ecological drift) and deterministic (e.g., via environmental and biotic filtering) processes can produce diversity patterns related to changes in elevation. However, existing studies have not generally examined these processes within a compressive framework. Stream macroinvertebrates are an important and diverse component of freshwater environments in high-mountain systems. By considering metacommunity-structuring processes using Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC), we investigated changes in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates along elevational gradients in streams of the Cangshan mountain range in Southwest China. We found that increasing taxon richness along the elevation gradient until the optimum was reached could be modeled using the integrated actions of full structuring processes within the metacommunity modeling. Consistent increases in taxon-richness along the elevation gradient were able to be modeled considering environmental filtering alone. In addition, the importance of structuring processes on shaping communities decreased along spatial hierarchical-scales (from local habitat to mountain-aspect levels). These results suggest that stochastic and biotic-filtering processes can confound environmental filtering in shaping macroinvertebrate communities in high-mountain streams. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying elevational biodiversity patterns of riverine communities can be improved through quantitative frameworks (e.g., HMSC) linking metacommunity theory to the real-world systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Chih Chiu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Sicheng Ao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fengzhi He
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vincent H Resh
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Qinghua Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
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16
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Neupane J, Khanal L, Gyawali B, Chalise MK. Elevational pattern and seasonality of avian diversity in Kaligandaki River Basin, central Himalaya. JOURNAL OF THREATENED TAXA 2020. [DOI: 10.11609/jott.5815.12.14.16927-16943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
This study explored bird diversity, seasonal variation, and associated factors along an elevational gradient in an important biodiversity area (IBA) of central Nepal: the Kaligandaki River basin of Annapurna Conservation Area. The field survey was carried out in 2019 over two seasons, winter (January and February) and summer (May and June) using the point count method. A total of 90 sampling plots were set up from elevations of 800m (Beni) to 3,800m (Muktinath). Data for variables including the number of fruiting trees (indicator of resource availability) and distance to the road (indicator of disturbance) were collected, and their influence on avian diversity were assessed. The results revealed a diverse assemblage of avian fauna in the study area with consistent species richness over the two seasons. A decline in species richness and diversity with increasing elevation was observed. Of the different habitat types within the study area, forest and shrubland habitats showed the strongest association with bird species distribution and richness. We emphasize the need for long-term monitoring programs with standardized sampling approaches to better understand the avifauna in the central Himalaya.
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17
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Floren A, von Rintelen T, Hebert PDN, de Araujo BC, Schmidt S, Balke M, Narakusumo RP, Peggie D, Ubaidillah R, von Rintelen K, Müller T. Integrative ecological and molecular analysis indicate high diversity and strict elevational separation of canopy beetles in tropical mountain forests. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16677. [PMID: 33028881 PMCID: PMC7541450 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73519-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical mountain forests contribute disproportionately to terrestrial biodiversity but little is known about insect diversity in the canopy and how it is distributed between tree species. We sampled tree-specific arthropod communities from 28 trees by canopy fogging and analysed beetle communities which were first morphotyped and then identified by their DNA barcodes. Our results show that communities from forests at 1100 and 1700 m a.s.l. are almost completely distinct. Diversity was much lower in the upper forest while community structure changed from many rare, less abundant species to communities with a pronounced dominance structure. We also found significantly higher beta-diversity between trees at the lower than higher elevation forest where community similarity was high. Comparisons on tree species found at both elevations reinforced these results. There was little species overlap between sites indicating limited elevational ranges. Furthermore, we exploited the advantage of DNA barcodes to patterns of haplotype diversity in some of the commoner species. Our results support the advantage of fogging and DNA barcodes for community studies and underline the need for comprehensive research aimed at the preservation of these last remaining pristine forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Floren
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Hans-Martin-Weg 5, 97074, Würzburg, Germany. .,Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247, Munich, Germany. .,Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Thomas von Rintelen
- Museum für Naturkunde-Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul D N Hebert
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | | | - Stefan Schmidt
- Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Balke
- Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247, Munich, Germany
| | - Raden Pramesa Narakusumo
- Zoology Division (Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense), Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, Indonesia.,Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe, Erbprinzenstr. 13, 76133, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Djunijanti Peggie
- Zoology Division (Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense), Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, Indonesia
| | - Rosichon Ubaidillah
- Zoology Division (Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense), Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, Indonesia
| | - Kristina von Rintelen
- Museum für Naturkunde-Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tobias Müller
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
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18
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Carraro L, Bertuzzo E, Fronhofer EA, Furrer R, Gounand I, Rinaldo A, Altermatt F. Generation and application of river network analogues for use in ecology and evolution. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7537-7550. [PMID: 32760547 PMCID: PMC7391543 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Several key processes in freshwater ecology are governed by the connectivity inherent to dendritic river networks. These have extensively been analyzed from a geomorphological and hydrological viewpoint, yet structures classically used in ecological modeling have been poorly representative of the structure of real river basins, often failing to capture well-known scaling features of natural rivers. Pioneering work identified optimal channel networks (OCNs) as spanning trees reproducing all scaling features characteristic of natural stream networks worldwide. While OCNs have been used to create landscapes for studies on metapopulations, biodiversity, and epidemiology, their generation has not been generally accessible.Given the increasing interest in dendritic riverine networks by ecologists and evolutionary biologists, we here present a method to generate OCNs and, to facilitate its application, we provide the R-package OCNet. Owing to the stochastic process generating OCNs, multiple network replicas spanning the same surface can be built; this allows performing computational experiments whose results are irrespective of the particular shape of a single river network. The OCN construct also enables the generation of elevational gradients derived from the optimal network configuration, which can constitute three-dimensional landscapes for spatial studies in both terrestrial and freshwater realms. Moreover, the package provides functions that aggregate OCNs into an arbitrary number of nodes, calculate several descriptors of river networks, and draw relevant network features.We describe the main functionalities of the package and its integration with other R-packages commonly used in spatial ecology. Moreover, we exemplify the generation of OCNs and discuss an application to a metapopulation model for an invasive riverine species.In conclusion, OCNet provides a powerful tool to generate realistic river network analogues for various applications. It thereby allows the design of spatially realistic studies in increasingly impacted ecosystems and enhances our knowledge on spatial processes in freshwater ecology in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Carraro
- Department of Aquatic EcologySwiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag)DübendorfSwitzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Enrico Bertuzzo
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and StatisticsUniversity of Venice Ca' FoscariVeniceItaly
| | | | - Reinhard Furrer
- Department of Mathematics and Department of Computational ScienceUniversity of ZurichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Isabelle Gounand
- Department of Aquatic EcologySwiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag)DübendorfSwitzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZürichSwitzerland
- CNRSUPECCNRSIRDINRA, Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l'environnement, IEESSorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Andrea Rinaldo
- Laboratory of EcohydrologySwiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural EngineeringUniversity of PaduaPadovaItaly
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Aquatic EcologySwiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag)DübendorfSwitzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZürichSwitzerland
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19
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Giezendanner J, Pasetto D, Perez-Saez J, Cerrato C, Viterbi R, Terzago S, Palazzi E, Rinaldo A. Earth and field observations underpin metapopulation dynamics in complex landscapes: Near-term study on carabids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:12877-12884. [PMID: 32461358 PMCID: PMC7293626 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1919580117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding risks to biodiversity requires predictions of the spatial distribution of species adapting to changing ecosystems and, to that end, Earth observations integrating field surveys prove essential as they provide key numbers for assessing landscape-wide biodiversity scenarios. Here, we develop, and apply to a relevant case study, a method suited to merge Earth/field observations with spatially explicit stochastic metapopulation models to study the near-term ecological dynamics of target species in complex terrains. Our framework incorporates the use of species distribution models for a reasoned estimation of the initial presence of the target species and accounts for imperfect and incomplete detection of the species presence in the study area. It also uses a metapopulation fitness function derived from Earth observation data subsuming the ecological niche of the target species. This framework is applied to contrast occupancy of two species of carabids (Pterostichus flavofemoratus, Carabus depressus) observed in the context of a large ecological monitoring program carried out within the Gran Paradiso National Park (GPNP, Italy). Results suggest that the proposed framework may indeed exploit the hallmarks of spatially explicit ecological approaches and of remote Earth observations. The model reproduces well the observed in situ data. Moreover, it projects in the near term the two species' presence both in space and in time, highlighting the features of the metapopulation dynamics of colonization and extinction, and their expected trends within verifiable timeframes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Giezendanner
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Damiano Pasetto
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Javier Perez-Saez
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Silvia Terzago
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, 10133 Torino, Italy
| | - Elisa Palazzi
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, 10133 Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Rinaldo
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland;
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile Edile e Ambientale (DICEA), Università di Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
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20
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Distribution Pattern of Gymnosperms' Richness in Nepal: Effect of Environmental Constrains along Elevational Gradients. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9050625. [PMID: 32422935 PMCID: PMC7285339 DOI: 10.3390/plants9050625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the pattern of species distribution and the underlying mechanism is essential for conservation planning. Several climatic variables determine the species diversity, and the dependency of species on climate motivates ecologists and bio-geographers to explain the richness patterns along with elevation and environmental correlates. We used interpolated elevational distribution data to examine the relative importance of climatic variables in determining the species richness pattern of 26 species of gymnosperms in the longest elevation gradients in the world. Thirteen environmental variables were divided into three predictors set representing each hypothesis model (energy-water, physical-tolerance, and climatic-seasonality); to explain the species richness pattern of gymnosperms along the elevational gradient. We performed generalized linear models and variation partitioning to evaluate the relevant role of environmental variables on species richness patterns. Our findings showed that the gymnosperms’ richness formed a hump-shaped distribution pattern. The individual effect of energy-water predictor set was identified as the primary determinant of species richness. While, the joint effects of energy-water and physical-tolerance predictors have explained highest variations in gymnosperm distribution. The multiple environmental indicators are essential drivers of species distribution and have direct implications in understanding the effect of climate change on the species richness pattern.
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21
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Topography and human pressure in mountain ranges alter expected species responses to climate change. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1974. [PMID: 32332913 PMCID: PMC7181879 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15881-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is leading to widespread elevational shifts thought to increase species extinction risk in mountains. We integrate digital elevation models with a metric of human pressure to examine changes in the amount of intact land area available for species undergoing elevational range shifts in all major mountain ranges globally (n = 1010). Nearly 60% of mountainous area is under intense human pressure, predominantly at low elevations and mountain bases. Consequently, upslope range shifts generally resulted in modeled species at lower elevations expanding into areas of lower human pressure and, due to complex topography, encountering more intact land area relative to their starting position. Such gains were often attenuated at high elevations as land-use constraints diminished and topographic constraints increased. Integrating patterns of topography and human pressure is essential for accurate species vulnerability assessments under climate change, as priorities for protecting, connecting, and restoring mountain landscapes may otherwise be misguided. It is often assumed that many species will move upslope in mountainous regions as the climate warms. However, the authors show here that as many species move to higher elevations they will enter areas of lower human footprint but potentially more constraining topography.
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22
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Woldu G, Solomon N, Hishe H, Gebrewahid H, Gebremedhin MA, Birhane E. Topographic variables to determine the diversity of woody species in the exclosure of Northern Ethiopia. Heliyon 2019; 6:e03121. [PMID: 31909280 PMCID: PMC6940625 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e03121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Exclosures are established with the objective of rehabilitating degraded lands and restoring of woody vegetation. Various studies have been conducted to evaluate the success of exclosure on restoring woody species diversity. However, works focusing on the effect of topographic factors on woody species diversity are scarce. Understanding the factors that determine woody species diversity is important for management purposes. Therefore, this paper analyzes the effect of altitude, slope, and aspect as topographic variables on woody species diversity in Dawsura exclosure in northern Ethiopia. Data on species identity, abundance, slope, elevation and aspect were recorded from 58 sampling plots. Different diversity indices were used to analyze the data and one-way ANOVA and linear regression was conducted. There were a total of 34 woody species represented 15 families, of which 62% and 38% were trees and shrubs respectively. Altitude (r2 = 0.63, p = 0.000 and r = 0.794, p < 0.01) and slope (r2 = 0.57, p = 0.002 and r = 0.68, p < 0.01) correlated significantly and positively with Shannon diversity, whereas aspect (r2 = 0.12, p = 0.378 and r = 0.27, p > 0.05) did not correlate significantly with Shannon diversity. Woody species diversity at moderate (1.44) and high (1.85) altitudes was significantly different from that of low (0.86) altitude areas (p = 0.0013). Furthermore, significantly higher woody species diversity was recorded at steep slope (1.88) and moderately steep slope (1.62) areas as compared to the gentle slope (0.95) areas. No significant variation was observed in woody species diversity among the aspect categories (p > 0.05). The study concludes that woody species diversity is largely regulated by slope and altitude than aspect in the exclosure. We suggest other environmental and anthropogenic variables should be taken into consideration in future studies on woody species diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goiteom Woldu
- Institute of Geo-Information and Earth Observation Science, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia
| | - Negasi Solomon
- Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia.,Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana, Ghana
| | - Hadgu Hishe
- Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia
| | - Hailemariam Gebrewahid
- Institute of Geo-Information and Earth Observation Science, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia
| | - Mewcha Amha Gebremedhin
- Institute of Geo-Information and Earth Observation Science, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia
| | - Emiru Birhane
- Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia.,University of Leuven, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division Forest, Nature, Landscape, Celestijnenlaan 200E, P.O. Box 2411, Leuven, 3001, Belgium
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23
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Mbenoun Masse PS, Makon SD. Effects of human disturbance and altitudinal gradient on myriapod species richness and abundance at Mount Kala, central Cameroon. AFRICAN ZOOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2019.1677496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- PS Mbenoun Masse
- Laboratoire de Zoologie, Université de Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - SD Makon
- Laboratoire de Zoologie, Université de Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
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24
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Hein N, Löffler J, Feilhauer H. Mapping of arthropod alpha and beta diversity in heterogeneous arctic-alpine ecosystems. ECOL INFORM 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2019.101007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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25
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Roberts TE, Keith SA, Rahbek C, Bridge TCL, Caley MJ, Baird AH. Testing biodiversity theory using species richness of reef-building corals across a depth gradient. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190493. [PMID: 31662067 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural environmental gradients encompass systematic variation in abiotic factors that can be exploited to test competing explanations of biodiversity patterns. The species-energy (SE) hypothesis attempts to explain species richness gradients as a function of energy availability. However, limited empirical support for SE is often attributed to idiosyncratic, local-scale processes distorting the underlying SE relationship. Meanwhile, studies are also often confounded by factors such as sampling biases, dispersal boundaries and unclear definitions of energy availability. Here, we used spatially structured observations of 8460 colonies of photo-symbiotic reef-building corals and a null-model to test whether energy can explain observed coral species richness over depth. Species richness was left-skewed, hump-shaped and unrelated to energy availability. While local-scale processes were evident, their influence on species richness was insufficient to reconcile observations with model predictions. Therefore, energy availability, either in isolation or in combination with local deterministic processes, was unable to explain coral species richness across depth. Our results demonstrate that local-scale processes do not necessarily explain deviations in species richness from theoretical models, and that the use of idiosyncratic small-scale factors to explain large-scale ecological patterns requires the utmost caution.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Edward Roberts
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, Australia
| | - Sally A Keith
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Carsten Rahbek
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Tom C L Bridge
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.,Queensland Museum Network, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia
| | - M Julian Caley
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS), James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andrew H Baird
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
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26
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Jiang J, Wang X, Lai YC. Optimizing biologically inspired transport networks by control. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:032309. [PMID: 31640064 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.032309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Transportation networks with intrinsic flow dynamics governed by the Kirchhoff's current law are ubiquitous in natural and engineering systems. There has been recent work on designing optimal transportation networks based on biological principles with the goal to minimize the total dissipation associated with the flow. Despite being biologically inspired, e.g., adaptive network design based on slime mold Physarum polycephalum, such methods generally lead to suboptimal networks due to the difficulty in finding a global or nearly global optimum of the nonconvex optimization function. Here we articulate a design paradigm that combines engineering control and biological principles to realize optimal transportation networks. In particular, we show how small control signals applied only to a fraction of edges in an adaptive network can lead to solutions that are far more optimal than those based solely on biological principles. We also demonstrate that control signals, if not properly designed, can lead to networks that are less optimal. Incorporating control principle into biology-based optimal network design has broad applications not only in biomedical science and engineering but also in other disciplines such as civil engineering for designing resilient infrastructure systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Jiang
- School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
| | - Xingang Wang
- School of Physics and Information Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Ying-Cheng Lai
- School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.,Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
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27
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Relationship between area size and elevational distribution pattern of cryptic pheasant species in Mts. Gaoligong, China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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28
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Tovo A, Formentin M, Suweis S, Stivanello S, Azaele S, Maritan A. Inferring macro‐ecological patterns from local presence/absence data. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Tovo
- Dipto di Fisica e Astronomia ‘Galileo Galilei’, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Univ. di Padova Via Marzolo 8 IT‐35131 Padova Italy
| | - Marco Formentin
- Dipto di Matematica ‘Tullio Levi‐Civita’, Univ di Padova Padova Italy
| | - Samir Suweis
- Dipto di Fisica e Astronomia ‘Galileo Galilei’, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Univ. di Padova Via Marzolo 8 IT‐35131 Padova Italy
| | | | - Sandro Azaele
- Dept of Applied Mathematics, School of Mathematics, Univ of Leeds Leeds UK
| | - Amos Maritan
- Dipto di Fisica e Astronomia ‘Galileo Galilei’, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Univ. di Padova Via Marzolo 8 IT‐35131 Padova Italy
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29
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Mari L, Casagrandi R, Bertuzzo E, Rinaldo A, Gatto M. Conditions for transient epidemics of waterborne disease in spatially explicit systems. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181517. [PMID: 31218018 PMCID: PMC6549988 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Waterborne diseases are a diverse family of infections transmitted through ingestion of-or contact with-water infested with pathogens. Outbreaks of waterborne infections often show well-defined spatial signatures that are typically linked to local eco-epidemiological conditions, water-mediated pathogen transport and human mobility. In this work, we apply a spatially explicit network model describing the transmission cycle of waterborne pathogens to determine invasion conditions in metacommunities endowed with a realistic spatial structure. Specifically, we aim to define conditions under which pathogens can temporarily colonize a set of human communities, thus triggering a transient epidemic outbreak. To that end, we apply generalized reactivity analysis, a recently developed methodological framework for the study of transient dynamics in ecological systems subject to external perturbations. The study of pathogen invasion is complemented by the detection of the spatial signatures associated with the perturbations to a disease-free system that are expected to be amplified the most over different time scales. Understanding the drivers of waterborne disease dynamics over time scales that are relevant to epidemic and/or endemic transmission is a crucial, cross-disciplinary challenge, as large portions of the developing world still struggle to cope with the burden of these infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Mari
- Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Author for correspondence: Lorenzo Mari e-mail:
| | - Renato Casagrandi
- Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Enrico Bertuzzo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Informatica e Statistica, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, 30170 Venezia Mestre, Italy
| | - Andrea Rinaldo
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Dipartimento ICEA, Università di Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Marino Gatto
- Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
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30
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Giezendanner J, Bertuzzo E, Pasetto D, Guisan A, Rinaldo A. A minimalist model of extinction and range dynamics of virtual mountain species driven by warming temperatures. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213775. [PMID: 30883574 PMCID: PMC6422262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A longstanding question in ecology concerns the prediction of the fate of mountain species under climate change, where climatic and geomorphic factors but also endogenous species characteristics are jointly expected to control species distributions. A significant step forward would single out reliably landscape effects, given their constraining role and relative ease of theoretical manipulation. Here, we address population dynamics in ecosystems where the substrates for ecological interactions are mountain landscapes subject to climate warming. We use a minimalist model of metapopulation dynamics based on virtual species (i.e. a suitable assemblage of focus species) where dispersal processes interact with the spatial structure of the landscape. Climate warming is subsumed by an upward shift of species habitat altering the metapopulation capacity of the landscape and hence species viability. We find that the landscape structure is a powerful determinant of species survival, owing to the specific role of the predictably evolving connectivity of the various habitats. Range shifts and lags in tracking suitable habitat experienced by virtual species under warming conditions are singled out in different landscapes. The range of parameters is identified for which these virtual species (characterized by comparable viability thus restricting their possible fitnesses and niche widths) prove unable to cope with environmental change. The statistics of the proportion of species bound to survive is identified for each landscape, providing the temporal evolution of species range shifts and the related expected occupation patterns. A baseline dynamic model for predicting species fates in evolving habitats is thus provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Giezendanner
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Enrico Bertuzzo
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University of Venice Ca’ Foscari, 30123 Venezia Mestre, Italy
| | - Damiano Pasetto
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Guisan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Rinaldo
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Dipartimento ICEA, Università di Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
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31
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Cadena CD, Pérez-emán JL, Cuervo AM, Céspedes LN, Epperly KL, Klicka JT. Extreme genetic structure and dynamic range evolution in a montane passerine bird: implications for tropical diversification. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Daniel Cadena
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Jorge L Pérez-emán
- Instituto de Zoología y Ecología Tropical, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
- Colección Ornitológica Phelps, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Andrés M Cuervo
- Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Laura N Céspedes
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Kevin L Epperly
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John T Klicka
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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32
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Evolving biodiversity patterns in changing river networks. J Theor Biol 2019; 462:418-424. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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33
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Mwebi O, Nguta E, Onduso V, Nyakundi B, Jiang XL, Kioko EN. Small mammal diversity of Mt. Kenya based on carnivore fecal and surface bone remains. Zool Res 2018; 40:61-69. [PMID: 30348933 PMCID: PMC6350108 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2018.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological dynamics and faunal diversity documentation is normally conducted by direct observation and trapping of live animals. However, surveys of carnivore scat prey and surface bone remains, which are relatively inexpensive, can provide complementary data that expand carnivore diet breadth and may improve accuracy regarding inferences of the ecological dynamics of a given ecosystem. We used this inexpensive method to document species diversity variation with elevation on the leeward (Sirimon) and windward (Chogoria) areas of Mt. Kenya. Bone and fecal specimens were opportunistically collected by walking 2 km in opposite directions from transect points selected at 200-m intervals along the elevational gradient of the study areas. We collected a total of 220 carnivore fecal and owl pellet specimens from both study sites, which were mainly deposited by the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), leopard (Panthera pardus), serval (Leptailurus serval), genet (Genetta sp.), and Mackinder’s Cape owl (Bubo capensis mackinderi). Serval scats were the most common, followed by those of the spotted hyena. Scats and bones were found at the lowest density at the lowest elevations, peaked at mid-higher elevations, and then declined at the highest elevations. Based on skeletal analysis only, there were more species in Sirimon (19) than in Chogoria (12). Small fauna (rodents to duiker size bovids) formed the bulk of the identified remains, representing 87.9% of the Sirimon fauna and 90.9% of the Chogoria fauna. The genus Otomys was the dominant prey of the owl and serval in both sites. Three giraffe teeth were found at 3 500 m a.s.l. in Chogoria on the edge of Lake Ellis, suggesting that it is an occasional visitor to such high elevations. This study underscores the value of fecal and bone surveys in understanding the diet and diversity of mammals in ecological ecosystems, but such surveys should be complemented with analysis of hairs found in scats to obtain a more complete list of carnivore prey at Mt. Kenya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ogeto Mwebi
- Osteology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 40658-00100, Kenya; E-mail:;
| | - Esther Nguta
- Osteology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 40658-00100, Kenya; E-mail:;
| | - Veronica Onduso
- Osteology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 40658-00100, Kenya; E-mail:;
| | - Ben Nyakundi
- Osteology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 40658-00100, Kenya; E-mail:;
| | - Xue-Long Jiang
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650223, China.,Sino-African Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nairobi 62000-00200, Kenya
| | - Esther N. Kioko
- Osteology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 40658-00100, Kenya; E-mail:;
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34
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Abstract
We study tree structures termed optimal channel networks (OCNs) that minimize the total gravitational energy loss in the system, an exact property of steady-state landscape configurations that prove dynamically accessible and strikingly similar to natural forms. Here, we show that every OCN is a so-called natural river tree, in the sense that there exists a height function such that the flow directions are always directed along steepest descent. We also study the natural river trees in an arbitrary graph in terms of forbidden substructures, which we call k-path obstacles, and OCNs on a d-dimensional lattice, improving earlier results by determining the minimum energy up to a constant factor for every [Formula: see text] Results extend our capabilities in environmental statistical mechanics.
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35
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Laiolo P, Pato J, Obeso JR. Ecological and evolutionary drivers of the elevational gradient of diversity. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1022-1032. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Laiolo
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO, CSIC, PA); Oviedo University; 33600 Mieres Spain
| | - Joaquina Pato
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO, CSIC, PA); Oviedo University; 33600 Mieres Spain
| | - José Ramón Obeso
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO, CSIC, PA); Oviedo University; 33600 Mieres Spain
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36
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da Silva PG, Lobo JM, Hensen MC, Vaz-de-Mello FZ, Hernández MIM. Turnover and nestedness in subtropical dung beetle assemblages along an elevational gradient. DIVERS DISTRIB 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro G. da Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Florianópolis SC Brazil
| | - Jorge M. Lobo
- Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, C.S.I.C.; Madrid Spain
| | - Maristela C. Hensen
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Florianópolis SC Brazil
| | - Fernando Z. Vaz-de-Mello
- Departamento de Biologia e Zoologia; Instituto de Biociências; Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso; Cuiabá MT Brazil
| | - Malva I. M. Hernández
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Florianópolis SC Brazil
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37
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Abstract
Elevational diversity gradients are typically studied without considering the complex small-scale topography of large mountains, which generates habitats of strongly different environmental conditions within the same elevational zones. Here we analyzed the importance of small-scale topography for elevational diversity patterns of hyperdiverse tropical leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). We compared patterns of elevational diversity and species composition of beetles in two types of forests (on mountain ridges and in valleys) and analyzed whether differences in the rate of species turnover among forest habitats lead to shifts in patterns of elevational diversity when scaling up from the local study site to the elevational belt level. We sampled beetle assemblages at 36 sites in the Podocarpus National Park, Ecuador, which were equally distributed over two forest habitats and three elevational levels. DNA barcoding and Poisson tree processes modelling were used to delimitate putative species. On average, local leaf beetle diversity showed a clear hump-shaped pattern. However, only diversity in forests on mountain ridges peaked at mid-elevation, while beetle diversity in valleys was similarly high at low- and mid-elevation and only declined at highest elevations. A higher turnover of species assemblages at lower than at mid-elevations caused a shift from a hump-shaped diversity pattern found at the local level to a low-elevation plateau pattern (with similar species numbers at low and mid-elevation) at the elevational belt level. Our study reveals an important role of small-scale topography and spatial scale for the inference on gradients of elevational species diversity.
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38
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Orivel J, Klimes P, Novotny V, Leponce M. Resource use and food preferences in understory ant communities along a complete elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea. Biotropica 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Orivel
- CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane; AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA; Université de Guyane; Université des Antilles; Campus Agronomique, BP316 97379 Kourou cedex France
| | - Petr Klimes
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre; Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; Branisovska 31 370 05 Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- The New Binatang Research Center; Nagada Harbour, P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre; Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; Branisovska 31 370 05 Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- The New Binatang Research Center; Nagada Harbour, P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Maurice Leponce
- Biodiversity Monitoring & Assessment Unit; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences; 29 rue Vautier 1000 Brussels Belgium
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology; Université Libre de Bruxelles; CP 160/12, 50 av. F.D. Roosevelt 1050 Brussels Belgium
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39
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Rinaldo A, Gatto M, Rodriguez-Iturbe I. River networks as ecological corridors: A coherent ecohydrological perspective. ADVANCES IN WATER RESOURCES 2018; 112:27-58. [PMID: 29651194 PMCID: PMC5890385 DOI: 10.1016/j.advwatres.2017.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
This paper draws together several lines of argument to suggest that an ecohydrological framework, i.e. laboratory, field and theoretical approaches focused on hydrologic controls on biota, has contributed substantially to our understanding of the function of river networks as ecological corridors. Such function proves relevant to: the spatial ecology of species; population dynamics and biological invasions; the spread of waterborne disease. As examples, we describe metacommunity predictions of fish diversity patterns in the Mississippi-Missouri basin, geomorphic controls imposed by the fluvial landscape on elevational gradients of species' richness, the zebra mussel invasion of the same Mississippi-Missouri river system, and the spread of proliferative kidney disease in salmonid fish. We conclude that spatial descriptions of ecological processes in the fluvial landscape, constrained by their specific hydrologic and ecological dynamics and by the ecosystem matrix for interactions, i.e. the directional dispersal embedded in fluvial and host/pathogen mobility networks, have already produced a remarkably broad range of significant results. Notable scientific and practical perspectives are thus open, in the authors' view, to future developments in ecohydrologic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Rinaldo
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology ECHO/IIE/ENAC, École Polytechinque Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, CH, Switzerland
- Dipartimento ICEA, Università di Padova, Padova, IT, Italy
| | - Marino Gatto
- Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milano IT, Italy
| | - Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe
- Department of Ocean Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station (TX), USA
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Arnillas CA, Tovar C, Cadotte MW, Buytaert W. From patches to richness: assessing the potential impact of landscape transformation on biodiversity. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Alberto Arnillas
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences; University of Toronto, Scarborough; 1265 Military Trail Toronto Ontario M1C 1A4 Canada
- Centro de Datos para la Conservación; Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina; Apartado 12-056 Lima 12 Perú
| | - Carolina Tovar
- Department of Biodiversity Informatics and Spatial Analysis; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Kew Richmond Surrey TW8 3DS UK
| | - Marc W. Cadotte
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Toronto, Scarborough; 1265 Military Trail Toronto Ontario M1C 1A4 Canada
| | - Wouter Buytaert
- Civil and Environmental Engineering; Imperial College London; Skempton Building London SW7 2AZ UK
- Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment; Imperial College London; Exhibition Road, South Kensington London SW7 2AZ UK
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41
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Connolly SR, Keith SA, Colwell RK, Rahbek C. Process, Mechanism, and Modeling in Macroecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 32:835-844. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Tovo A, Suweis S, Formentin M, Favretti M, Volkov I, Banavar JR, Azaele S, Maritan A. Upscaling species richness and abundances in tropical forests. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1701438. [PMID: 29057324 PMCID: PMC5647133 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The quantification of tropical tree biodiversity worldwide remains an open and challenging problem. More than two-fifths of the number of worldwide trees can be found either in tropical or in subtropical forests, but only ≈0.000067% of species identities are known. We introduce an analytical framework that provides robust and accurate estimates of species richness and abundances in biodiversity-rich ecosystems, as confirmed by tests performed on both in silico-generated and real forests. Our analysis shows that the approach outperforms other methods. In particular, we find that upscaling methods based on the log-series species distribution systematically overestimate the number of species and abundances of the rare species. We finally apply our new framework on 15 empirical tropical forest plots and quantify the minimum percentage cover that should be sampled to achieve a given average confidence interval in the upscaled estimate of biodiversity. Our theoretical framework confirms that the forests studied are comprised of a large number of rare or hyper-rare species. This is a signature of critical-like behavior of species-rich ecosystems and can provide a buffer against extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Tovo
- Dipartimento di Matematica “Tullio Levi-Civita,” Università di Padova, Via Trieste 63, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Samir Suweis
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, “Galileo Galilei,” Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Formentin
- Dipartimento di Matematica “Tullio Levi-Civita,” Università di Padova, Via Trieste 63, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Favretti
- Dipartimento di Matematica “Tullio Levi-Civita,” Università di Padova, Via Trieste 63, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Igor Volkov
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Jayanth R. Banavar
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Sandro Azaele
- Department of Applied Mathematics, School of Mathematics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Amos Maritan
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, “Galileo Galilei,” Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
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Manish K, Pandit MK, Telwala Y, Nautiyal DC, Koh LP, Tiwari S. Elevational plant species richness patterns and their drivers across non-endemics, endemics and growth forms in the Eastern Himalaya. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2017; 130:829-844. [PMID: 28444520 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-017-0946-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite decades of research, ecologists continue to debate how spatial patterns of species richness arise across elevational gradients on the Earth. The equivocal results of these studies could emanate from variations in study design, sampling effort and data analysis. In this study, we demonstrate that the richness patterns of 2,781 (2,197 non-endemic and 584 endemic) angiosperm species along an elevational gradient of 300-5,300 m in the Eastern Himalaya are hump-shaped, spatial scale of extent (the proportion of elevational gradient studied) dependent and growth form specific. Endemics peaked at higher elevations than non-endemics across all growth forms (trees, shrubs, climbers, and herbs). Richness patterns were influenced by the proportional representation of the largest physiognomic group (herbs). We show that with increasing spatial scale of extent, the richness patterns change from a monotonic to a hump-shaped pattern and richness maxima shift toward higher elevations across all growth forms. Our investigations revealed that the combination of ambient energy (air temperature, solar radiation, and potential evapo-transpiration) and water availability (soil water content and precipitation) were the main drivers of elevational plant species richness patterns in the Himalaya. This study highlights the importance of factoring in endemism, growth forms, and spatial scale when investigating elevational gradients of plant species distributions and advances our understanding of how macroecological patterns arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumar Manish
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Mountain and Hill Environment, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Maharaj K Pandit
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India.
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Mountain and Hill Environment, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India.
| | - Yasmeen Telwala
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Mountain and Hill Environment, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Dinesh C Nautiyal
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Mountain and Hill Environment, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Lian Pin Koh
- Environment Institute, and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Sudha Tiwari
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Mountain and Hill Environment, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
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44
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Zhao K, Kong W, Khan A, Liu J, Guo G, Muhanmmad S, Zhang X, Dong X. Elevational diversity and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea community in meadow soils on the Tibetan Plateau. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 101:7065-7074. [PMID: 28776097 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-017-8435-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Unraveling elevational diversity patterns of plants and animals has long been attracting scientific interests. However, whether soil microorganisms exhibit similar elevational patterns remains largely less explored, especially for functional microbial communities, such as ammonia oxidizers. Here, we investigated the diversity and distribution pattern of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in meadow soils along an elevation gradient from 4400 m to the grassline at 5100 m on the Tibetan Plateau using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and sequencing methods by targeting amoA gene. Increasing elevations led to lower soil temperature and pH, but higher nutrients and water content. The results showed that AOA diversity and evenness monotonically increased with elevation, while richness was relatively stable. The increase of diversity and evenness was attributed to the growth inhibition of warm-adapted AOA phylotypes by lower temperature and the growth facilitation of cold-adapted AOA phylotypes by richer nutrients at higher elevations. Low temperature thus played an important role in the AOA growth and niche separation. The AOA community variation was explained by the combined effect of all soil properties (32.6%), and 8.1% of the total variation was individually explained by soil pH. The total AOA abundance decreased, whereas soil potential nitrification rate (PNR) increased with increasing elevations. Soil PNR positively correlated with the abundance of cold-adapted AOA phylotypes. Our findings suggest that low temperature plays an important role in AOA elevational diversity pattern and niche separation, rising the negative effects of warming on AOA diversity and soil nitrification process in the Tibetan region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Building 3, Courtyard 16, Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Weidong Kong
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Building 3, Courtyard 16, Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Ajmal Khan
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Building 3, Courtyard 16, Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Jinbo Liu
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Building 3, Courtyard 16, Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Guangxia Guo
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Building 3, Courtyard 16, Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Said Muhanmmad
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Building 3, Courtyard 16, Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xianzhou Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xiaobin Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
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45
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Crivellaro MS, Zimmermann BL, Bartholomei-Santos ML, Crandall KA, Pérez-Losada M, Bond-Buckup G, Santos S. Looks can be deceiving: species delimitation reveals hidden diversity in the freshwater crab Aegla longirostri (Decapoda: Anomura). Zool J Linn Soc 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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46
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Classen A, Steffan‐Dewenter I, Kindeketa WJ, Peters MK. Integrating intraspecific variation in community ecology unifies theories on body size shifts along climatic gradients. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Classen
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology Biocentre University of Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan‐Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology Biocentre University of Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - William J. Kindeketa
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology Biocentre University of Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
- Department of Life Sciences Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology Ally Hassan Mwinyi Road P.O. Box 4302 Dar es Salaam Tanzania
| | - Marcell K. Peters
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology Biocentre University of Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
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Gross K, Snyder-Beattie A. A General, Synthetic Model for Predicting Biodiversity Gradients from Environmental Geometry. Am Nat 2016; 188:E85-97. [DOI: 10.1086/688171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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48
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Sánchez-Reyes UJ, Niño-Maldonado S, Barrientos-Lozano L, Clark SM, Jones RW. Faunistic patterns of leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) within elevational and temporal gradients in Sierra de San Carlos, Mexico. Zookeys 2016:11-56. [PMID: 27594798 PMCID: PMC4992806 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.611.9608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of biodiversity of Chrysomelidae in Mexico and its variation within ecological gradients has increased recently, although important areas in the country remain to be explored. We conducted a faunistic inventory and analyzed the elevational and temporal variation of leaf beetle communities in the Sierra de San Carlos, in the state of Tamaulipas, in northeastern Mexico. This is an area with high to extreme priority for conservation, and due to its insular geographical position and to the vegetational communities present, it must be considered as a sky island. We selected seven sample sites distributed in different elevations within three localities, and comprising different vegetational communities. At each site, we randomly delimited 12 sample plots of 400 m2 where sampling was conducted by entomological sweep netting and collecting directly by hand. Sampling was conducted monthly at each plot, for a total of 1,008 samples between February 2013 and January 2014. By the end of the study, we had obtained a total of 3,081 specimens belonging to six subfamilies, 65 genera, and 113 species, with Trichalticascabricula (Crotch, 1873) being recorded for first time in Mexico. Species richness was less than the values observed at other studies conducted in the same region, which is attributed to differences in the number of plant species and to the insular location of Sierra de San Carlos; however, the higher diversity values suggest a higher quality of natural resources and vegetational communities. No consistent pattern of leaf beetle communities was correlated with elevation, although higher values of species richness and diversity were obtained at the highest elevation site. The seasonal gradient showed that the rainy season is most favorable for leaf beetle communities. We found that species composition was different between sites and months, and also that there exists a significant association between the abundance obtained at each site and particular months. These results highlight the importance of different microhabitats for species distribution, and suggest that each species of Chrysomelidae has a differential response to environmental factors that vary within the elevational gradient and according to seasons. Also, we confirm and emphasize the important status of Sierra de San Carlos as a key natural area for biological conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes
- División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación. Instituto Tecnológico de Cd. Victoria. Boulevard Emilio Portes Gil No.1301, C.P. 87010. Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, México
| | - Santiago Niño-Maldonado
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias. Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas. Centro Universitario Victoria. CP. 87149. Victoria, Tamaulipas, México
| | - Ludivina Barrientos-Lozano
- División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación. Instituto Tecnológico de Cd. Victoria. Boulevard Emilio Portes Gil No.1301, C.P. 87010. Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, México
| | - Shawn M Clark
- Brigham Young University, Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Provo, Utah 84602, U.S.A
| | - Robert W Jones
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Avenida de las Ciencias, s/n, 76230 Juriquilla, Querétaro, México
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Seasonal Changes in Bird Species and Feeding Guilds along Elevational Gradients of the Central Himalayas, Nepal. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158362. [PMID: 27367903 PMCID: PMC4930183 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Himalayas are a global hotspot for bird diversity with a large number of threatened species, but little is known about seasonal changes in bird communities along elevational gradients in this region. We studied the seasonality of bird diversity in six valleys of the Central Himalayas, Nepal. Using 318 plots with a 50 m radius, located from 2200 to 3800 m a.s.l., and repeated sampling during different seasons (mainly pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon), we analyzed 3642 occurrences of 178 species. Birds classified in the literature as resident were more species-rich than migratory birds (140 vs. 38 species). In all six valleys and within the studied elevation range, species richness of all birds showed a peak at mid-elevation levels of 2600 or 3000 m a.s.l. Similar patterns were found for the most species-rich feeding guilds of insectivores (96 species) and omnivores (24 species), whereas the species richness of herbivores (37 species including frugivores) increased towards higher elevations. Among these feeding guilds, only species richness of insectivores showed pronounced seasonal changes with higher species numbers during post-monsoon season. Similarly, individual bird species showed distinct spatio-temporal distribution patterns, with transitions from species dominated by elevational differences to those characterized by strong seasonal changes. In an era of climate change, the results demonstrate that individual bird species as well as feeding guilds might greatly differ in their responses to climate warming and changes in the seasonality of the precipitation regime, two aspects of climate change which should not be analyzed independently.
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Elevational Distribution of Flightless Ground Beetles in the Tropical Rainforests of North-Eastern Australia. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155826. [PMID: 27192085 PMCID: PMC4871570 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how the environment influences patterns of diversity is vital for effective conservation management, especially in a changing global climate. While assemblage structure and species richness patterns are often correlated with current environmental factors, historical influences may also be considerable, especially for taxa with poor dispersal abilities. Mountain-top regions throughout tropical rainforests can act as important refugia for taxa characterised by low dispersal capacities such as flightless ground beetles (Carabidae), an ecologically significant predatory group. We surveyed flightless ground beetles along elevational gradients in five different subregions within the Australian Wet Tropics World Heritage Area to investigate (1) whether the diversity and composition of flightless ground beetles are elevationally stratified, and, if so, (2) what environmental factors (other than elevation per se) are associated with these patterns. Generalised linear models and model averaging techniques were used to relate patterns of diversity to environmental factors. Unlike most taxonomic groups, flightless ground beetles increased in species richness and abundance with elevation. Additionally, each subregion consisted of relatively distinct assemblages containing a high level of regional endemic species. Species richness was most strongly and positively associated with historical and current climatic stabilities and negatively associated with severity of recent disturbance (treefalls). Assemblage composition was associated with latitude and historical and current climatic conditions. Although the results need to be interpreted carefully due to inter-correlation between historical and current climatic variables, our study is in agreement with the hypothesis that upland refugia provided stable climatic conditions since the last glacial maximum, and supported a diverse fauna of flightless beetle species. These findings are important for conservation management as upland habitats become increasingly threatened by climate change.
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