Understanding the local drivers of beta‐diversity patterns under climate change: The case of seaweed communities in Galicia, North West of the Iberian Peninsula

Assessing the Potential Distribution of Pseudoechthistatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in China Under Climate Change Using Species Distribution Models

Climate change will lead to changes in biological ecosystems, which may affect the geographic distribution of Pseudoechthistatus and thus alter the extent and spatial pattern of its habitat. Pseudoechthistatus plays an important role in biodiversity and has significant ecological value. This study utilized an optimized MaxEnt model to predict the predicted distribution of Pseudoechthistatus in China for the current and future (2050s and 2070s). The results show that the MaxEnt model has high prediction accuracy with AUC values higher than 0.97 for both training and testing. The most influential factors contributing to the distribution of Pseudoechthistatus were temperature seasonality (Bio4) and isothermality (Bio3), accounting for 38.8% and 28.2%, respectively. Furthermore, southern China remains a region of high suitability for Pseudoechthistatus species diversity. However, the Beijing climate center climate system model (BCC-CSM2-MR) predicts a decrease in suitable areas for Pseudoechthistatus, while the model for interdisciplinary research on climate (MIROC6) predicts an increase in medium and low suitable areas for Pseudoechthistatus. Additionally, future climate change will significantly alter its distribution pattern, with Pseudoechthistatus predicted to decrease its suitable area by 6.64%-28.01% under the BCC-CSM2-MR model and increase its suitable area by 6.14%-18.61% under the MIROC6 model. The results show that the MaxEnt model can improve the understanding of the geographical distribution of Pseudoechthistatus in the context of climate change and provide a scientific basis for the identification of potentially suitable habitats and the development of stable suitable areas for conservation.

Using ecological niches to determine potential habitat suitability for Psacothea hilaris (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and its natural enemies in China under future climates

Climate change impacts the distribution of pests and its natural enemies, prompting this study to investigate the dynamics and shifts in distribution under current and future climate conditions. The spatial pattern of Psacothea hilaris (Pascoe) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in China was analyzed, and the MaxEnt model was optimized to predict the potential geographic distribution of P. hilaris and its two natural enemies (Dastarcus helophoroides (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) and Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus) (Piciformes: Picidae)) in China, to further analyze the key environmental factors affecting the survival of P. hilaris and its natural enemies, and to determine the potential of using D. helophoroides and D. major as natural enemies to control P. hilaris. The results showed that the suitable ranges of P. hilaris and natural enemies are expanding under the influence of climate change, and both have migrated to higher latitudes. The potential ranges of D. helophoroides, D. major, and P. hilaris are highly similar. It is noteworthy that the potential range of D. helophoroides completely covers the potential range of P. hilaris. This indicates that D. helophoroides and D. major can be employed as biological control agents to manage P. hilaris populations. This study provides a theoretical framework and empirical evidence for the development of early warning and green control strategies for P. hilaris.

What if the upwelling weakens? Effects of rising temperature and nutrient depletion on coastal assemblages

Surface temperature of the oceans has increased globally over the past decades. In coastal areas influenced by eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUS), winds push seawater offshore and deep, cold and nutrient-rich seawater rise towards the surface, partially buffering global warming. On the North coast of Portugal, the NW Iberian upwelling system allows extensive kelp forests to thrive in these "boreal-like" conditions, fostering highly diverse and productive communities. However, the warming of the upper layer of the ocean may weaken this upwelling, leading to higher sea surface temperature and lower nutrient input in the coastal areas. The effects of these changes on the structure and function of coastal ecosystems remain unexplored. The present study aimed to examine the combined effects of elevated temperature and nutrient depletion on semi-naturally structured assemblages. The eco-physiological responses investigated included growth, chlorophyll fluorescence and metabolic rates at the levels of individual species and whole assemblages. Our findings showed interactive effects of the combination of elevated temperature with nutrient depletion on the large canopy-forming species (i.e., kelp). As main contributor to community response, those effects drove the whole assemblage responses to significant losses in productivity levels. We also found an additive effect of elevated temperature and reduced nutrients on sub-canopy species (i.e., Chondrus crispus), while turfs were only affected by temperature. Our results suggest that under weakening upwelling scenarios, the ability of the macroalgal assemblages to maintain high productivity rates could be seriously affected and predict a shift in community composition with the loss of marine forests.

The north-south divide? Macroalgal functional trait diversity and redundancy varies with intertidal aspect

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Marine macroalgae ('seaweeds') are critical to coastal ecosystem structure and function, but also vulnerable to the many environmental changes associated with anthropogenic climate change (ACC). The local habitat conditions underpinning observed and predicted ACC-driven changes in intertidal macroalgal communities are complex and probably site-specific and operate in addition to more commonly reported regional factors such as sea surface temperatures.

METHODS

We examined how the composition and functional trait expression of macroalgal communities in SW England varied with aspect (i.e. north-south orientation) at four sites with opposing Equator- (EF) and Pole-facing (PF) surfaces. Previous work at these sites had established that average annual (low tide) temperatures vary by 1.6 °C and that EF-surfaces experience six-fold more frequent extremes (i.e. >30 °C).

KEY RESULTS

PF macroalgal communities were consistently more taxon rich; 11 taxa were unique to PF habitats, with only one restricted to EF. Likewise, functional richness and dispersion were greater on PF-surfaces (dominated by algae with traits linked to rapid resource capture and utilization, but low desiccation tolerance), although differences in both taxon and functional richness were probably driven by the fact that less diverse EF-surfaces were dominated by desiccation-tolerant fucoids.

CONCLUSIONS

Although we cannot disentangle the influence of temperature variation on algal ecophysiology from the indirect effects of aspect on species interactions (niche pre-emption, competition, grazing, etc.), our study system provides an excellent model for understanding how environmental variation at local scales affects community composition and functioning. By virtue of enhanced taxonomic diversity, PF-aspects supported higher functional diversity and, consequently, greater effective functional redundancy. These differences may imbue PF-aspects with resilience against environmental perturbation, but if predicted increases in global temperatures are realized, some PF-sites may shift to a depauperate, desiccation-tolerant seaweed community with a concomitant loss of functional diversity and redundancy.

The impact of anthropogenic pollutants on the distribution of a marine top predator within a coastal estuarine system

Due to anthropogenic pressures, estuarine systems are among the most broadly impacted areas for marine top predator species. Given this, it is crucial to study the interaction between the vulnerable marine species that inhabit these regions with environmental and anthropogenic variables. This study aims to determine whether nutrient pollution is related to the presence of bottlenose dolphins in a coastal environment. Using a multi-year dataset and GAMs, we studied the relationship between marine pollutants and the presence of bottlenose dolphins in this highly impacted coastal marine environment. We observed that urban fertilizers were linked to the spatial distribution of bottlenose dolphins. There was a higher presence of bottlenose dolphins in areas with high levels of phosphoric acid. In contrast, at higher concentrations of nitrate, the presence of bottlenose dolphins decreased.