Biogeographic Studies Research Articles

Integrative Taxonomy Revealed High Diversity of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and the Description of Three New Species from Yunnan Province, China.

The karst landform in Yunnan Province, China, represents one of the most biodiverse regions for Hemiphyllodactylus. Previous research has revealed that the karst forests in this province host a greater diversity of Hemiphyllodactylus than previously acknowledged. However, substantial fundamental data essential for taxonomic and biogeographical studies are lacking. We conducted extensive surveys for Hemiphyllodactylus in the Yunnan Province that led to the discovery of three new species from Menglian Dai, Lahu, and Wa Autonomous County and Jinghong City based on morphological and genetic data. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on the ND2 gene (1038 bp) placed the three new species into clade 3 and clade 4 of Agung et al. The uncorrected genetic pairwise distance of the Menglian specimens were greater than 5.7%, and those of the Jinghong City specimens were greater than 5.2% and 8.5%, respectively. They could be distinguished from their congeners by body size, chin scales, internasal scales, ventral scales, dorsal scales, and the total number of femoral and precloacal pores. Furthermore, we update the distributional knowledge of the known species.

A Pleistocene Biogeography in Miniature: The Small‐Scale Evolutionary History of Podarcis lusitanicus (Squamata, Lacertidae)

ABSTRACTAimRecent literature is unveiling more complex responses of biodiversity to Pleistocenic climatic oscillations than those derived from initial models based solely on southern glacial macrorefugia. Here, we zoom in to delve into the genetic diversity and population structure of Podarcis lusitanicus, a lizard species native to the north‐western Iberian Peninsula.LocationNorth‐western Iberian Peninsula.TaxonPodarcis lusitanicus.MethodsUtilising a comprehensive multilocus approach, we explored the species' phylogeography and demographic history at a very fine spatial scale and timeframe. Concurrently, we evaluated both current and historical habitat suitability for the species, linking it to the observed demographic trends. We examined DNA sequences from two mitochondrial (cytb and ND4) and three nuclear genes (ACM4, MC1R and PDC) in 230 specimens collected from 21 populations spanning most of the species' distribution range.ResultsOur findings corroborate cytonuclear discordances in Podarcis, with nuclear genes failing to identify the mitochondrial clades in P. lusitanicus. Despite its separation from other Podarcis species approximately 4 million years ago, its diversification occurred much more recently, around 0.4 million years ago, resulting in three monophyletic lineages that are geographically coherent. This pattern suggests that some lineages of P. lusitanicus might have gone extinct after the split from the common ancestor. Pleistocene climatic oscillations profoundly influenced the demographic history of the species. During warmer periods, such as the Last Interglacial, populations expanded and came into secondary contact, whereas during the Last Glacial Maximum, populations contracted and became isolated in multiple micro‐refugia. The subsequent Mid‐Holocene warming facilitated population recovery, range expansion and lineage admixture.Main ConclusionsThis study underscores the intricate interplay between isolation and dispersal at a microscale, driven by Pleistocene climatic fluctuations, which have profoundly shaped the genetic structure and diversity of Iberian terrestrial biodiversity and may remain overlooked by biogeographic studies at coarser scales.

Citizen Science for Invertebrate Biodiversity: Mobilizing Spider Occurrence Data through Facebook in India

India accommodates a huge diversity of plant and animal life across a variety of biomes. However, the degree of research, funding, and attention is asymmetric, largely focused on its charismatic vertebrates. Invertebrates, despite their megadiversity, are generally overlooked with some exceptions (for example, lepidoterans). One species-rich group, spiders, exemplifies this knowledge gap. More than 1,800 species from 63 families have been reported in the country (Mondal et al. 2020), even though the true number may be much higher, in part, owing to the need for taxonomic revisions. Several spider systematics and biogeographic studies have pointed out that spatial distribution, seasonality, and natural history data are lacking from India. The lack of foundational biodiversity information has led to poor opportunities to share knowledge between researchers and community scientists. Mining occurrences through scientific publications or databases (in some cases behind paywalls) may require specialized training. This restricted access inhibits more people from using the abundance of information. The prevalence of social media posts showcasing photographs of species in biodiversity contexts has experienced a significant increase, with a multitude of users sharing wildlife photographs on social media sites such as Instagram®, Facebook®, and Flickr®. These observations on social media are a potential source of primary biodiversity data when curated and validated (Barman and Barve 2022, Barman et al. 2022a). Such data can enhance biodiversity monitoring by expanding spatial and temporal coverage and involving a global network of citizen scientists in conservation research (Barve et al. 2023, Roy 2022, Kulkarni 2023). The India Biodiversity Portal (IBP, Vattakaven et al. 2016) has been cataloguing species diversity and spider data through citizen science. Meanwhile, major social media sites report many more species sightings than citizen science platforms. SpiderIndia, a popular Facebook group, has collected over 20,000 observations from 8,500 spider enthusiasts. However, these data remain unorganised and inaccessible to academic researchers and the public. In order to tackle these problems, we implemented a methodical process to enhance the occurrence data on spiders from well-known social media platforms, such as the SpiderIndia project. The procedure involved retrieving the relevant data, and ingesting it through a custom pipeline to parse and extract, scientific names, spatial and temporal data to generate occurrence records on the IBP. The data was then presented on a curation interface, enabling taxonomic experts to verify the records, and finally publishing the verified records on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (Global Biodiversity Information Facility 2022, Barman et al. 2022b) to improve the records of spider species occurrence in India. This project showcases the capacity of citizen science via social media to involve citizen scientists in generating extensive datasets that make a significant contribution to scientific knowledge and improve our comprehension of invertebrate biodiversity. The final dataset encompasses over 15,000 observations, providing valuable insights into spider diversity and distribution across India (Fig. 1). This data is publicly available on GBIF, facilitating further research on Indian spider populations.

Life History Strategies Drive Meso-Scale Distribution Patterns in Coastal Benthic Macroinvertebrates.

The environment shapes the spatial distribution of species, but species also comprise suites of traits which may indicate their adaptability to a specific environment. This forms the basis of trait biogeography studies. We thus examined how a species distribution is not only influenced by its environment and traits, but by interactions among its traits. Trait information was collected for 150 intertidal macroinvertebrates along a 3000 km environmental and biogeographic gradient on the South African coast. This information was analysed, as functional entities (FEs) were species performing similar functions that have the same trait values and were further condensed into two trait domains (Reproduction and Lifestyle). We then defined Life History Strategies (LHS) as specific combinations of Lifestyle and Reproduction FEs. Seven combinations of Lifestyle and Reproduction formed LHS that dominated total biomass. Some of these LHS were ubiquitous, while others showed geographic patterns across our west-east environmental gradient. For Lifestyle, filter-feeders exhibited high abundances on the East (subtropical, oligotrophic) and West (cool-temperate, eutrophic) extremes of the biogeographic gradient, but differed between the two in size at reproductive maturity and larval development type. This similarity in functionality of feeding mechanism and mobility with different reproductive strategies suggests a trait trade-off (investment in one trait reduces resources for others) between the Reproduction and Lifestyle domains. Within the Reproduction domain, gonochoristic, annual planktotrophic reproduction was common across bioregions, reflecting spin-offs (investment in one trait facilitates another trait) among these traits. Gonochoristic investment in less frequent episodic reproduction is another trade-off, with investment in large size and delayed maturation being a trade-off for many reproductive cycles. Overall, although our data supports the habitat templet model (i.e., the importance of environmental drivers), it further indicates that species distribution patterns observed along the South African coast reflect strong trait interactions and biomass patterns related to their LHS.

The small and inconspicuous majority: Revealing the megadiversity and historical biogeography of the Pristimantis unistrigatus species group (Anura, Strabomantidae)

With more than 600 recognized species, the genus Pristimantis is already the most diverse among vertebrates, but described species only represent a fraction of the actual diversity in this clade. This genus is widely distributed throughout the Neotropics and represents an interesting model for biogeographic studies because Pristimantis spp. are direct developing and generally have narrow ecological niches and low dispersal abilities. The P. unistrigatus species group is one of the most important components in the genus (ca. 200 recognized species) and has been supported by morphological but not by molecular evidence. We assessed the species boundaries and distribution in the P. unistrigatus species group and infer spatiotemporal patterns of diversification related to historical landscape changes in the Neotropics. We gathered three mitochondrial, and two nuclear DNA loci from 416 specimens throughout the range of the group, and including 68 nominal species. We redefine the group based on the obtained phylogeny and found 151 candidate species that composes it, with 83 of these remaining undescribed. We recovered 11 major clades within the group that diverged before 13 Ma. The diversification of the group started during the early Miocene most likely in northwestern South America, currently corresponding to western Amazonia and northern Andes. The other neotropical areas subsequently acted as sinks, receiving lineages mostly during the last 10 Ma, after the demise of the Pebas System and the setup of the modern Amazonian hydrographic system.

Community structure and assembly of myxomycetes in northern Chinese forests under geographic barriers

ABSTRACT The study of myxomycete biogeography has a long-standing history and has consistently drawn scholarly interest. Nevertheless, studies focusing specifically on the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of myxomycete diversity are relatively limited, with even fewer investigating the mechanisms driving the generation and maintenance of myxomycete diversity. Therefore, this study selected two geographically distant sampling sites within northern Chinese forests to investigate myxomycete species composition, community structure, environmental drivers, and assembly patterns under geographic barriers. We established plots in the Altai Mountains (ALE) and the Greater Khingan Mountains (GKM), gathered bark and litter, and conducted 80-day moist chamber cultures of myxomycetes. Additionally, myxomycete specimens were collected in the field simultaneously to supplement the data set. This study collected 541 myxomycete specimens belonging to 73 species from 28 genera, spanning 12 families and eight orders. The ALE and the GKM had 20 identical species, accounting for 27% of the total species. Myxomycetes from both regions exhibited abundant occurrence 18 days after cultivation, with the quantity on bark substrates notably higher than on litter. Arcyria pomiformis and Comatricha elegans were the most common species in moist chamber cultures. Mantel test outcomes revealed that environmental factors had no significant impact on myxomycete community similarity between the two areas, aligning with findings from the neutral community model analysis, indicating a predominant influence of stochastic processes on myxomycete community structure in moist chamber cultures. This study represents the first application of a quantitative framework to analyze myxomycete community assembly cultivated in moist chambers.

Ten new species and notes on the genus Psoralea L. (Psoraleeae, Fabaceae) from South Africa

Background and aims – Following detailed phylogenetic and biogeographic studies of the tribe Psoraleeae, the genus Psoralea L. was shown to have been derived out of Otholobium C.H.Stirt. As Psoralea has nomenclatural priority, Otholobium has been subsumed into Psoralea, whereby two broad subgeneric groups are aligned with the previous descriptions of the separate genera, but some problems of placement of a few species remain unresolved. Work is ongoing to study and describe the nearly 20 undescribed species that will have to be considered before sectional groups can be established. In this paper we describe ten new species, including several putative taxa already recognized in regional floras, based on historic specimens and more recent field collections. Material and methods – Standard practices of herbarium and field taxonomy have been applied to study herbarium material available at B, BLFU, BM, BOL, BR, E, GRA, J, JRAU, K, KEI, L, LE, LINN, M, MO, NBG, NH, NU, NY, OXF, P, PRA, PRC, PRE, PRU, S, SAM, SCHG, SRGH, TCD, Z, ZT, and US. Additional material was provided from fieldwork by the authors and collaborators. Key results – Ten new species of Psoralea from southern Africa are described: Psoralea crista C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. fulva C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. luteovirens C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. nubicola C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. oreopola C.H.Stirt., P. pallescens C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. papillosa C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. prompta C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, P. schutteae C.H.Stirt. & Muasya, and P. vlokii C.H.Stirt. & Muasya. Conclusion – The newly described species, all restricted to South Africa, increases the number of Psoralea species to 129. These species arise from expanded fieldwork into previously under-collected areas, as well as from better refinement in species delimitations in the leafless ‘aphylla’ and pinnately-leaved species complexes.

Complete chloroplast genome of Asarum chungbuensis (C.S. Yook & J.G. Kim) B.U. Oh 2005 (Aristolochiaceae), a Korean endemic species

Asarum chungbuensis, a species endemic to Korea, has a limited distribution across the Korean Peninsula and is used in traditional medicine. Despite its importance, the genome structure, genetic composition, and phylogenetic relationships based on its chloroplast genome have not been documented. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of A. chungbuensis was newly assembled. The chloroplast genome is 190,179 base pairs (bp) long, and the overall GC content (%) of the plastid was 36.8%. The chloroplast genome size of A. chungbuensis is longer than that of the normal chloroplast genome (160 kb) because of an inverted small single-copy (SSC) duplication that incorporates the SSC into an inverted repeat (IR) region. By extension, this duplication event causes this chloroplast genome to lack an SSC, unlike other formal structures. The chloroplast genome, with a tripartite structure, consisted of a single-copy region of 93,351 bp with a 34.6% GC content and two IR regions, each with a length of 48,414 bp and a 38.8% GC content. Additionally, it was found to have 113 genes, including 79 PCG genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that A. chungbuensis was grouped with A. heterotropoides var. seoulense, which diverged from the clade comprising A. koreanum and A. patens. The newly sequenced A. chungbuensis chloroplast genome could provide valuable genomic information for determining unique genome structures, especially for the assessment of genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationships, species conservation, and biogeographic studies of the genus Asarum.

Biogeography of oribatid mites (Acari) reflects their ancient origin and points to Southeast Asia as centre of radiation

AbstractAimUnderstanding the worldwide distribution of species has fascinated scientists at least since Alfred Russel Wallace. Global patterns of belowground biodiversity may fundamentally differ from those of aboveground organisms. Here, we examine the global pattern and potential mechanisms driving the endemism and overlap of a soil microarthropod taxon.LocationGlobal.TaxonOribatida, Acari.MethodsWe investigated the global distribution of oribatid mites in five biogeographic regions including North America, South America, Eurasia, Africa and Oceania using a world list on the distribution of ~11,400 described species (including subspecies) at species, genera and family levels.Results and Main ConclusionWe found that most “endemic” (i.e., only occurring in one of the regions) species (4297) and also genera (143) occurred in Eurasia indicating that this region was the centre of radiation of oribatid mites. Within Eurasia, oribatid mite diversity was highest in Southeast Asia (1975 species) likely reflecting the long tropical history of this region (at least 200 million years), and also high fluctuations in water levels and island formation on the Sunda Shield. On a family level, oribatid mite diversity did not differ between biogeographic regions indicating that oribatid mites are much older than the tropics and older than the existence of Pangaea supporting the view of their origin in the early Palaeozoic. Finally, among the 55 species that occurred in all biogeographic regions nearly 50% reproduce by thelytoky and colonize high latitude ecosystems, indicating that compared to sexual species a disproportionally high number of parthenogenetic species is distributed worldwide suggesting that they possess a general‐purpose genotype. The other ~50% sexuals predominantly occur in tropical/subtropical regions across biogeographic regions supporting the view that resource shortage in tropical regions favours sex. Our findings highlight the importance of biogeographical studies of soil animals to better understand their diversity, distribution and life history strategies.

Biogeographical patterns in the seasonality of bird collisions with aircraft

Abstract Bird collisions with aircraft pose a serious threat to human safety. However, broad‐scale patterns in how bird strikes might vary through space and time have yet to be fully understood. Here, we conducted a biogeographical study of bird strikes to answer two questions: (1) Are bird strikes higher at certain times of the year in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres? and (2) Is seasonality in bird strikes more prominent in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere? To answer these questions, we collated data on monthly bird strikes from 122 airports across the globe and used circular statistics to test for hemispherical asymmetries in the circular mean and variance in bird strikes. Results showed that annual peaks in bird strikes occurred between late summer to autumn seasons, and as a result, they occurred at opposite times of year in the northern and southern hemispheres. Results also showed that bird strikes were more seasonal in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere, where strikes tended to occur more consistently throughout the year. Practical implication: Overall results indicate that avian collisions with aircraft show strong biogeographical patterning, concomitant with global patterns in bird breeding seasons and migration tendencies.

Detection of functional diversity gradients and their geoclimatic filters is sensitive to data types (occurrence vs. abundance) and spatial scales (sites vs. regions)

Functional diversity (FD) reflects within- and between-site variation of species traits (α- and β-FD, respectively). Understanding how much data types (occurrence-based vs. abundance-weighted) and spatial scales (sites vs. regions) change FD and ultimately interfere with the detection of underlying geoclimatic filters is still debated. To contribute to this debate, we explored the occurrence of 1690 species in 690 sites, abundances of 1198 species in 343 sites, and seven functional traits of the Atlantic Forest woody flora in South America. All FD indices were sensitive and dependent on the data type at both scales, with occurrence particularly increasing α richness and dispersion (occurrence > abundance in 80% of the sites) while abundance increased β total, β replacement, and α evenness (abundance > occurrence in 60% of the sites). Furthermore, detecting the effect of geoclimatic filters depended on the data type and was scale-dependent. At the site scale, precipitation seasonality and soil depth had weak effects on α- and β-FD (max. R2 = 0.11). However, regional-scale patterns of α richness, dispersion, and evenness strongly mirrored the variation in precipitation seasonality, soil depth, forest stability over the last 120 kyr, and cation exchange capacity (correlations > 0.80), suggesting that geoclimatic filters manifest stronger effects at the regional scale. Also, the role of edaphic gradients expands the idea of biogeographical filters beyond climate. Our findings caution functional biogeographic studies to consider the effect of data type and spatial scale before designing and reaching ecological conclusions about the complex nature of FD.

Biogeographic dynamics of graptolites during the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction in South China

Studying the temporal and spatial distributions and dynamics of fossils is crucial for understanding macroevolution processes in geological history. Biodiversity data provide an overview of faunal changes during extinction events, but it cannot differentiate the impact of extinction events on different species. Biogeographic study complements these data by offering more detailed insights into evolutionary patterns. A dataset of 704 graptolite occurrence records for the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME) was compiled from 60 localities in South China. The geographic distributions of 26 species across four graptolite biochrons (from late Katian to Hirnantian) were quantitatively reconstructed using ArcGIS. Two types of geographic range indexes, including convex hull areas and maximum distribution distances, were calculated for each species in each time slice. Based on the variations in the geographic ranges, the graptolites can be divided into three types. The geographic ranges of the first type shrank before the extinction, that of the second type expanded before the extinction but shrank during the extinction, and that of the third type expanded during the extinction. The first two types include Diplograptina species; and the third of Neograptina species. The study revealed that the extinction event affected all diplograptid graptolite species, as evidenced by the rate of decrease in geographic ranges. Interestingly, the impact of the major extinction appeared to be uniform across all graptolite species, irrespective of their initial geographic range size. The distribution centers of the graptolite species remained relatively stable and predominantly surrounded the center of the sea during the LOME. The substantial reduction in the geographic ranges of diplograptid species might be due to the global factors rather than local sea level decline.

Variable species establishment in response to microhabitat indicates different likelihoods of climate‐driven range shifts

Climate change is causing geographic range shifts globally, and understanding the factors that influence species' range expansions is crucial for predicting future biodiversity changes. A common, yet untested, assumption in forecasting approaches is that species will shift beyond current range edges into new habitats as they become macroclimatically suitable, even though microhabitat variability could have overriding effects on local population dynamics. We aim to better understand the role of microhabitat in range shifts in plants through its impacts on establishment by 1) examining microhabitat variability along large macroclimatic (i.e. elevational) gradients, 2) testing which of these microhabitat variables explain plant recruitment and seedling survival, and 3) predicting microhabitat suitability beyond species range limits. We transplanted seeds of 25 common tree, shrub, forb and graminoid species across and beyond their current elevational ranges in the Washington Cascade Range, USA, along a large elevational gradient spanning a broad range of macroclimates. Over five years, we recorded recruitment, survival, and microhabitat (i.e. high resolution soil, air and light) characteristics rarely measured in biogeographic studies. We asked whether microhabitat variables correlate with elevation, which variables drive species establishment, and whether microhabitat variables important for establishment are already suitable beyond leading range limits. We found that only 30% of microhabitat parameters covaried with elevation. We further observed extremely low recruitment and moderate seedling survival, and these were generally only weakly explained by microhabitat. Moreover, species and life stages responded in contrasting ways to soil biota, soil moisture, temperature, and snow duration. Microhabitat suitability predictions suggest that distribution shifts are likely to be species‐specific, as different species have different suitability and availability of microhabitat beyond their present ranges, thus calling into question low‐resolution macroclimatic projections that will miss such complexities. We encourage further research on species responses to microhabitat and including microhabitat in range shift forecasts.

Biodiversity of testate amoebae in Sphagnum bogs: the dataset from forest-steppe ecotone (Middle Volga Territory, Russia).

Testate amoebae are a polyphyletic group of unicellular eukaryotic organisms that are characterised by a rigid shell and inhabit mostly freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. They are particularly abundant in peatlands, especially in Sphagnum-dominated biotopes. Peatland hydrology is the most important influence on testate amoebae communities. The good preservation of the shells in peat deposits and their response to hydrological regime changes are the principles for palaeohydrological reconstructions. Any changes in the water balance of mires should be expected to have far-reaching effects on biogeochemical cycles, productivity, carbon dioxide and methane exchange. This paper presents a dataset (Darwin Core Archive - DwC-A) on the distribution of Sphagnum-dwelling testate amoebae in nine mires located in the forest-steppe subzone of the East European Plane. The dataset includes information about 86 taxa belonging to 29 genera and contains 3,123 occurrences of 49,874 individuals. The following environmental variables are provided: microtopography, oxidising and reducing potential, total mineralisation, substrate temperature, acidity, substrate wetness and water table depth. These data might be used for biogeographical and palaeoecological studies, including quantitative reconstructions.

Complete phylogeny of Micrathena spiders suggests multiple dispersal events among Neotropical rainforests, islands and landmasses, and indicates that Andean orogeny promotes speciation.

The Neotropical region is the most diverse on the planet, largely owing to its mosaic of tropical rainforests. Multiple tectonic and climatic processes have been hypothesized to contribute to generating this diversity, including Andean orogeny, the closure of the Isthmus of Panama, the GAARlandia land bridge and historical connections among currently isolated forests. Micrathena spiders are diverse and widespread in the region, and thus a complete phylogeny of this genus allows the testing of hypotheses at multiple scales. We estimated a complete, dated phylogeny using morphological data for 117 Micrathena species and molecular data of up to five genes for a subset of 79 species. Employing event-based approaches and biogeographic stochastic mapping while considering phylogenetic uncertainty, we estimated ancestral distributions, the timing and direction of dispersal events and diversification rates among areas. The phylogeny is generally robust, with uncertainty in the position of some of the species lacking sequences. Micrathena started diversifying around 25 Ma. Andean cloud forests show the highest in-situ speciation, while the Amazon is the major dispersal source for adjacent areas. The Dry Diagonal generated few species and is a sink of diversity. Species exchange between Central and South America involved approximately 23 dispersal events and started ~20 Ma, which is consistent with a Miocene age for the Isthmus of Panama closure. We inferred four dispersal events from Central America to the Antilles in the last 20 Myr, indicating the spiders did not reach the islands through the GAARlandia land bridge. We identified important species exchange routes among the Amazon, Andean cloud forests and Atlantic forests during the Plio-Pleistocene. Sampling all species of the genus was fundamental to the conclusions above, especially in identifying the Andean forests as the area that generated the majority of species. This highlights the importance of complete taxonomic sampling in biogeographic studies.

The wildcat (Felis s. silvestris) in the Mediterranean forest: sighting through photo-trapping and non-invasive hair collection for genetic purposes

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) is a mesocarnivore species widely distributed in Europe, from Eastern Europe to Portugal and from Scotland to Italy. Recent biogeographical studies of wildcat populations have endeavoured to assess in detail the various issues that pose a threat to this species, including hybridization with domestic cats. The use of non-invasive sampling methods supported by photo-trapping and some attractants has made it possible to gather genetic material for the detection of native wildcats in locally threatened populations, some of which live in the Iberian Peninsula. Testimonies of naturalists, hunters and farm workers led our team to choose specific areas in two large territories of Mediterranean forests where the presence of wildcats has been historically attested: the Almonte River basin and the Sierra de San Pedro Mountains. Between 2014 and 2018, non-invasive hair sampling was performed using valerian (Valeriana officinalis) as an attractant and supported by photo-trapping to guarantee the collection of genuine biological material (hair samples). The hair samples were genetically assessed by sequencing the nuclear gene IRBP (interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein) and the mtDNA gene ND4 (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4). Despite the low density of wildcats, this combined protocol proved to be an applicable tool for detecting the presence of elusive wildcats and other mesocarnivore species in this remote region of southern Europe. In addition, non-invasive hair trapping contributes to the collection of genetic material from current wildcat populations. This procedure could enhance future management actions focused on collecting quality individualized biological material.

Historical biogeography of the Neotropical noctilionoid bats (Chiroptera: Noctilionoidea), revisited through a geographically explicit analysis.

Biogeographic studies have generally relied on methods that use a few, large predefined areas, which may overlook fine-scale patterns. Here we test previous hypotheses about the biogeographic history of a diverse bat clade regarding its association with major Neotropical geological formations, particularly the Antilles, the South American Dry Diagonal, the Andes and the Panamanian land bridge, by applying a recently available method that uses actual distributions instead of predefined areas. We compiled and curated spatially explicit, georeferenced data of 173 bat species (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Noctilionoidea) from the online database Global Biodiversity Information Facility. By taking a previous comprehensive phylogeny as an evolutionary framework, we performed computationally intensive analyses using the Geographically-explicit Event Model. This method uses the observed species distributions to reconstruct the ancestral areas and biogeographic events at each phylogeny node. We found that sympatric speciation was the most frequently reconstructed event, and involved mainly the Panamanian Isthmus and northern South America (SA), but all sympatry reconstructions were different and specific to each node. Allopatric events were important in the Andes; vicariance caused both west/east and north/south disjunctions that went unnoticed previously. Founder events indicated bidirectional dispersal between the mainland and the Antilles since the Miocene, and across the incomplete Panamanian bridge and the SA Dry Diagonal since the early Pliocene. Overall, we found support for previous hypotheses on the influence of major Neotropical paleogeographic events in the diversification of the group, but additionally revealed multi-scale patterns that are embedded within the mainland and were previously overlooked. Our results highlight a trans-isthmian centre of diversification in the biogeographic history of Noctilionoidea including the Panamanian Isthmus and Northern SA.

Status and perspective of soil fauna eco-geography in China

As regulators of the surface land processes, soil fauna communities are the vital foundations for healthy terrestrial ecosystems. Soil fauna have been studied in China for more than 70 years. Great progresses have been achieved in exploring soil fauna species composition and geographical distribution patterns. Soil fauna eco-geography, as a bridge between soil fauna geographic patterns and ecosystem services, has a new development opportunity with the deep recognition of soil fauna ecological functions. Soil fauna eco-geography research could be partitioned into four dimensions including the spatio-temporal patterns of: 1) the apparent characteristics of soil fauna community, such as species composition, richness and abundance; 2) the intrinsic characteristics of soil fauna community, such as dietary and habits; 3) soil fauna-related biotic and abiotic interactions especially those indicating drivers of soil fauna community structure or shaping the roles of soil fauna in ecosystems; and 4) soil fauna-related or -regulated key ecological processes. Current studies focus solely on soil fauna themselves and their geographical distributions. To link soil fauna geography more closely with ecosystem services, we suggested that: 1) converting the pure biogeography studies to those of revealing the spatio-temporal patterns of the soil fauna-related or regulated key relationships and ecological processes;2) expanding the temporal and spatial scales in soil fauna geographical research;3) exploring the integrated analysis approach for soil fauna-related data with multi-scales, multi-factors, and multi-processes;and 4) establishing standard reference systems for soil fauna eco-geographical researches. Hence, the change patterns of ecological niche of soil fauna communities could be illustrated, and precision mani-pulations of soil fauna communities and their ecological functions would become implementable, which finally contributes to ecosystem health and human well-being.

A Saharan fossil and the dawn of Neotropical armoured catfishes in Gondwana

Siluriformes are considered as primarily freshwater and have frequently been a model for the study of historical biogeography. Among catfishes, the most diverse clade is the Loricarioidei, a Neotropical group for which the fossil record extends back to the Palaeocene of Argentina. Here we describe a fossil from the early Late Cretaceous of Morocco, exhibiting typical morphological traits of the Loricariidae. A phylogenetic analysis integrating morphological characters with a multigene database for the main loricarioid lineages and outgroups highly supports inclusion of the fossil within the Loricariidae. A time-calibrated analysis corroborates the origin of loricarioids at about 112 MYA. The presence of this loricariid in Africa provides evidence that loricarioids have diversified before the separation of Africa and South America. The Moroccan loricariid shows an ancient evolutionary history that, in Africa, ended in the Late Cretaceous but persisted in South America, later surviving the K/Pg extinction.

Genome Assembly of Pyrocephalus nanus: A Step Toward the Genetic Conservation of the Endangered Little Vermilion Flycatcher of the Galapagos Islands.

Incredibly powerful whole genome studies of conservation genetics, evolution, and biogeography become possible for non-model organisms when reference genomes are available. Here, we report the sequence and assembly of the whole genome of the little vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus nanus; family Tyrannidae), which is an endemic, endangered, and declining species of the Galapagos Islands. Using PacBio HiFi reads to assemble long contigs and Hi-C reads for scaffolding, we assembled a genome of 1.07 Gb comprising 267 contigs in 152 scaffolds, scaffold N50 74 M, contig N50 17.8 M, with 98.9% assigned to candidate chromosomal sequences and 99.72% of the BUSCO passeriformes 10,844 single-copy orthologs present. In addition, we used the novel HiFiMiTie pipeline to fully assemble and verify all portions of the mitochondrial genome from HiFi reads, obtaining a mitogenome of 17,151 bases, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, two control regions, and a unique structure of control region duplication and repeats. These genomes will be a critical tool for much-needed studies of phylogenetics, population genetics, biogeography, and conservation genetics of Pyrocephalus and related genera. This genome and other studies that use it will be able to provide recommendations for conservation management, taxonomic improvement, and to understand the evolution and diversification of this genus within the Galapagos Islands.