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Guevara Andino JE, Pitman NCA, Ter Steege H, Mogollón H, Ceron C, Palacios W, Oleas N, Fine PVA. Incorporating phylogenetic information for the definition of floristic districts in hyperdiverse Amazon forests: Implications for conservation. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:9639-9650. [PMID: 29187996 PMCID: PMC5696432 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Using complementary metrics to evaluate phylogenetic diversity can facilitate the delimitation of floristic units and conservation priority areas. In this study, we describe the spatial patterns of phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity, phylogenetic endemism, and evolutionary distinctiveness of the hyperdiverse Ecuador Amazon forests and define priority areas for conservation. We established a network of 62 one-hectare plots in terra firme forests of Ecuadorian Amazon. In these plots, we tagged, collected, and identified every single adult tree with dbh ≥10 cm. These data were combined with a regional community phylogenetic tree to calculate different phylogenetic diversity (PD) metrics in order to create spatial models. We used Loess regression to estimate the spatial variation of taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity as well as phylogenetic endemism and evolutionary distinctiveness. We found evidence for the definition of three floristic districts in the Ecuadorian Amazon, supported by both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity data. Areas with high levels of phylogenetic endemism and evolutionary distinctiveness in Ecuadorian Amazon forests are unprotected. Furthermore, these areas are severely threatened by proposed plans of oil and mining extraction at large scales and should be prioritized in conservation planning for this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Ernesto Guevara Andino
- Department of Integrative Biology University of California Berkeley CA USA.,Yachay Tech School of Biological Sciences and Engineering Urcuqui Ecuador
| | | | - Hans Ter Steege
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center Leiden The Netherlands.,The Netherlands & Systems Ecology Free University Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Hugo Mogollón
- Endangered Species Coalition Silver Spring Washington DC USA
| | - Carlos Ceron
- Universidad Central Escuela de Biología Herbario Alfredo Paredes Quito Ecuador
| | | | - Nora Oleas
- Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica Herbario UTI Quito Ecuador
| | - Paul V A Fine
- Department of Integrative Biology University of California Berkeley CA USA
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Pos E, Guevara Andino JE, Sabatier D, Molino J, Pitman N, Mogollón H, Neill D, Cerón C, Rivas‐Torres G, Di Fiore A, Thomas R, Tirado M, Young KR, Wang O, Sierra R, García‐Villacorta R, Zagt R, Palacios Cuenca W, Aulestia M, ter Steege H. Estimating and interpreting migration of Amazonian forests using spatially implicit and semi-explicit neutral models. Ecol Evol 2017. [PMID: 28649338 PMCID: PMC5478059 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
With many sophisticated methods available for estimating migration, ecologists face the difficult decision of choosing for their specific line of work. Here we test and compare several methods, performing sanity and robustness tests, applying to large‐scale data and discussing the results and interpretation. Five methods were selected to compare for their ability to estimate migration from spatially implicit and semi‐explicit simulations based on three large‐scale field datasets from South America (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Ecuador). Space was incorporated semi‐explicitly by a discrete probability mass function for local recruitment, migration from adjacent plots or from a metacommunity. Most methods were able to accurately estimate migration from spatially implicit simulations. For spatially semi‐explicit simulations, estimation was shown to be the additive effect of migration from adjacent plots and the metacommunity. It was only accurate when migration from the metacommunity outweighed that of adjacent plots, discrimination, however, proved to be impossible. We show that migration should be considered more an approximation of the resemblance between communities and the summed regional species pool. Application of migration estimates to simulate field datasets did show reasonably good fits and indicated consistent differences between sets in comparison with earlier studies. We conclude that estimates of migration using these methods are more an approximation of the homogenization among local communities over time rather than a direct measurement of migration and hence have a direct relationship with beta diversity. As betadiversity is the result of many (non)‐neutral processes, we have to admit that migration as estimated in a spatial explicit world encompasses not only direct migration but is an ecological aggregate of these processes. The parameter m of neutral models then appears more as an emerging property revealed by neutral theory instead of being an effective mechanistic parameter and spatially implicit models should be rejected as an approximation of forest dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Pos
- Ecology and Biodiversity GroupUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
- Group of Dynamic BiodiversityNaturalis Biodiversity CenterLeidenThe Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Nigel Pitman
- The Field MuseumChicagoILUSA
- Center for Tropical ConservationNicholas School of the EnvironmentDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | | | | | - Carlos Cerón
- Escuela de Biología Herbario Alfredo ParedesUniversidad Central Herbario Alfredo ParedesQuitoEcuador
| | - Gonzalo Rivas‐Torres
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales and GalápagosAcademic Institute for the Arts and SciencesUniversidad San Francisco de QuitoQuitoEcuador
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation110 Newins‐Ziegler HallUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFL32611
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTXUSA
| | - Raquel Thomas
- Iwokrama International Programme for Rainforest ConservationGeorgetownGuyana
| | | | - Kenneth R. Young
- Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTXUSA
| | | | | | - Roosevelt García‐Villacorta
- Institute of Molecular Plant SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
- Royal Botanic Garden of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | | | | | | | - Hans ter Steege
- Group of Dynamic BiodiversityNaturalis Biodiversity CenterLeidenThe Netherlands
- Systems EcologyFree University AmsterdamThe Netherlands
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Pos E, Guevara Andino JE, Sabatier D, Molino JF, Pitman N, Mogollón H, Neill D, Cerón C, Rivas G, Di Fiore A, Thomas R, Tirado M, Young KR, Wang O, Sierra R, García-Villacorta R, Zagt R, Palacios W, Aulestia M, Ter Steege H. Are all species necessary to reveal ecologically important patterns? Ecol Evol 2014; 4:4626-36. [PMID: 25558357 PMCID: PMC4278815 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Revised: 08/05/2014] [Accepted: 08/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
While studying ecological patterns at large scales, ecologists are often unable to identify all collections, forcing them to either omit these unidentified records entirely, without knowing the effect of this, or pursue very costly and time-consuming efforts for identifying them. These “indets” may be of critical importance, but as yet, their impact on the reliability of ecological analyses is poorly known. We investigated the consequence of omitting the unidentified records and provide an explanation for the results. We used three large-scale independent datasets, (Guyana/ Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador) each consisting of records having been identified to a valid species name (identified morpho-species – IMS) and a number of unidentified records (unidentified morpho-species – UMS). A subset was created for each dataset containing only the IMS, which was compared with the complete dataset containing all morpho-species (AMS: = IMS + UMS) for the following analyses: species diversity (Fisher's alpha), similarity of species composition, Mantel test and ordination (NMDS). In addition, we also simulated an even larger number of unidentified records for all three datasets and analyzed the agreement between similarities again with these simulated datasets. For all analyses, results were extremely similar when using the complete datasets or the truncated subsets. IMS predicted ≥91% of the variation in AMS in all tests/analyses. Even when simulating a larger fraction of UMS, IMS predicted the results for AMS rather well. Using only IMS also out-performed using higher taxon data (genus-level identification) for similarity analyses. Finding a high congruence for all analyses when using IMS rather than AMS suggests that patterns of similarity and composition are very robust. In other words, having a large number of unidentified species in a dataset may not affect our conclusions as much as is often thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Pos
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Utrecht University Utrecht, the Netherlands ; Section Botany, Naturalis Biodiversity Center Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Nigel Pitman
- The Field Museum 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60605-2496 ; Center for Tropical Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Durham, North Carolina, 27708
| | - Hugo Mogollón
- Endangered Species Coalition 8530 Geren Rd., Silver Spring, Maryland, 20901
| | | | - Carlos Cerón
- Universidad Central Herbario Alfredo Paredes, Escuela de Biología Herbario Alfredo Paredes Ap. Postal 17.01.2177, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Gonzalo Rivas
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation & Quantitative Spatial Ecology, University of Florida 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, PO Box 110430, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin SAC 5.150, 2201 Speedway Stop C3200 Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Raquel Thomas
- Iwokrama International Programme for Rainforest Conservation Georgetown, Guyana
| | - Milton Tirado
- GeoIS El Día 369 y El Telégrafo, 3° Piso, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Kenneth R Young
- Geography and the Environment, University of Texas Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Ophelia Wang
- Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011
| | - Rodrigo Sierra
- GeoIS El Día 369 y El Telégrafo, 3° Piso, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Roosevelt García-Villacorta
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, University of Edinburgh Mayfield Rd, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, UK ; Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh 20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, UK
| | - Roderick Zagt
- Tropenbos International Lawickse Allee 11, PO Box 232, Wageningen, 6700 AE, the Netherlands
| | - Walter Palacios
- Universidad Técnica del Norte, Herbario Nacional del Euador Quito, Ecuador
| | - Milton Aulestia
- Herbario Nacional del Ecuador Casilla 17-21-1787, Avenida Río Coca E6-115, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Hans Ter Steege
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Utrecht University Utrecht, the Netherlands ; Section Botany, Naturalis Biodiversity Center Leiden, the Netherlands
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Pitman NCA, Mogollón H, Dávila N, Ríos M, García-Villacorta R, Guevara J, Baker TR, Monteagudo A, Phillips OL, Vásquez-Martínez R, Ahuite M, Aulestia M, Cardenas D, Cerón CE, Loizeau PA, Neill DA, Núñez V. P, Palacios WA, Spichiger R, Valderrama E. Tree Community Change across 700 km of Lowland Amazonian Forest from the Andean Foothills to Brazil. Biotropica 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2008.00424.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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