Dissimilarity In Species Composition Research Articles

Patterns of Grewia (Malvaceae) diversity across geographical scales in Africa and Madagascar.

Quantifying spatial species richness is useful to describe biodiversity patterns across broad geographical areas, especially in large, poorly known plant groups. We explore patterns and predictors of species richness across Africa in one such group, the palaeotropical genus Grewia L. (Malvaceae). Grewia species richness was quantified by extracting herbarium records from GBIF and Tropicos and creating geographical grids at varying spatial scales. We assessed predictors of species richness using spatial regression models with 30 environmental variables. We explored species co-occurrence in Madagascar at finer resolutions using Schoener's index and compared species range sizes and International Union for Conservation of Nature status among ecoregions. Lastly, we derived a trait matrix for a subset of species found in Madagascar to characterize morphological diversity across space. Grewia species occur in 50 countries in Africa, with the highest number of species in Madagascar (93, with 80 species endemic). Species richness is highest in Madagascar, with ≤23 Grewia species in a grid cell, followed by coastal Tanzania/Kenya (≤13 species) and northern South Africa and central Angola (11 species each). Across Africa, higher species richness was predicted by variables related to aridity. In Madagascar, a greater range in environmental variables best predicted species richness, consistent with geographical grid cells of highest species richness occurring near biome/ecoregion transitions. In Madagascar, we also observe increasing dissimilarity in species composition with increasing geographical distance. The spatial patterns and underlying environmental predictors that we uncover in Grewia represent an important step in our understanding of plant distribution and diversity patterns across Africa. Madagascar boasts nearly twice the Grewia species richness of the second most species-rich country in Africa, which might be explained by complex topography and environmental conditions across small spatial scales.

Seeking a Hideout: Caves as Refuges for Various Functional Groups of Bryophytes from Terceira Island (Azores, Portugal)

Caves represent sites of great geological and biological interest. For most taxonomic groups, caves represent one of the most challenging ecosystems due to their extreme conditions. However, these places are rich in biodiversity, and some groups, such as bryophytes, can take advantage of these conditions. Bryophytes from twelve caves on Terceira Island (Azores archipelago) were sampled and compared in terms of species richness, abundance, and composition. The results revealed a high species richness of bryophytes, with one-fifth of the species being threatened and one-third endemic. Moreover, the dominance of bryophyte species, as determined by different functional groups, varies depending on the sampled cave and, consequently, the environmental variables. This is evident from the high β-diversity values obtained, demonstrating significant dissimilarities in species composition among the surveyed caves. Both macro- and microclimatic variables significantly influenced the richness and abundance of bryophyte species in different ways, depending on the functional group studied. Highlighting bryophyte diversity in cave environments, this study points to the need for effective management strategies to preserve and protect these unique and ecologically significant communities. These places can serve as refuges for some species, even for bryophytes, a taxonomic group with a long-distance dispersal strategy.

Effect of agricultural activity on diet in an assemblage of lizards from Monte, Argentina

AbstractEven though the encroachment of agriculture is the main cause for biodiversity loss, studies have focused in tropical and temperate environment, mainly in birds, mammals and beneficial and/or pests' invertebrates. However, little is known about the impact in poor environment or lizards communities. Our aim was to compare food use and availability in trophic resources in two assemblages of seven lizard (Liolaemus darwinii, L. riojanus, L. cuyanus, L. wiegmannii, Aurivela longicauda, Homonota underwoodi and Teius teyou) at a cultivated and a non‐cultivated site in a desert area of San Juan, Argentina. We analysed lizard food preferences, taxonomic and functional diversity, dissimilarity and the relationship between morphological variables and prey item frequency. We found that the diet of six species, at both sites, was focused on Hymenoptera (< 80%), whereas secondary and accessory items varied widely between species and sites, with 40% dissimilarity. Prey at the cultivated site were more abundant, rich and diverse than in the non‐cultivated site, with 20% dissimilarity in species composition. Functional diversity showed redundancy when comparing morphological and dietary traits. Results suggest that the greater variation in the diet of species at the cultivated site is likely due to a higher diversity of prey available. We determined that diet could be a limiting factor for L. cuyanus, because there are no native plants at the cultivated site, whereas the remaining species opted for increasing their intake of Hymenoptera.

Connectivity and short‐term flood interactively affect fish community composition in drainage ditches of paddy fields in an agricultural landscape

AbstractCommunity assembly can change over time following variations in connectivity among habitats. Previous studies have demonstrated the influence of seasonal pulse floods on community structures by facilitating species dispersal, but the effects of short‐term flash floods have been poorly investigated. We investigated fish community structures before and after a short‐term flood in drainage ditches of paddy fields in the Kita River basin, Japan. The study sites were classified into three connectivity types, “Transient” (connected only during the flood, with a temporally disappearing vertical gap between drainage ditches and downstream rivers), “Connected” (always connected, without the vertical gap), and “Disconnected” (always not connected, with the vertical gap). The abundance of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, the only species that dispersed from paddy fields to drainage ditches, increased after the flood irrespective of the connectivity types, although the total abundance of the other species significantly increased after the flood only in the “Transient” sites. The dissimilarity of species composition between the (n − 1)‐th and n‐th surveys at each site was consistently low in the “Connected” and “Disconnected” sites, whereas it rose just after the flood and gradually declined in the “Transient” sites. Species composition was significantly different among the connectivity types, indicating that some fish species need stable connectivity even during the non‐flood period. The results showed that the short‐term flood facilitated fish dispersal from paddy fields by the increased water discharge and that from downstream rivers by the temporary removal of vertical gap, emphasizing the importance of hydrological connectivity for biodiversity conservation in an agricultural landscape.

Effects of land use types and environmental factors on woody species diversity in agricultural landscapes of Jimma Ganati District, Western Oromia, Ethiopia

Nowadays agricultural expansion and the concurrent climate variability jointly jeopardized global biodiversity in general and plant species diversity in particular. Assessing current diversity status of different land uses is a proxy for anticipating their individualistic resilience against future climatic variability. Here we explored woody species composition, diversity, distribution, and indicator species across five agricultural land uses. For this we employed a systematic sampling design to collect phytosociological attributes of woody plant species from 103 plots in four landscapes at a regular distance following transect lines. For comparative diversity analysis, we used linear mixed effects model using the lmer function and subsequently, post hoc pairwise comparisons with the emmeans function of R software. To visualize species composition dissimilarities between the land uses, we applied NMDS ordination based on Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index and subsequently, adonis2 () function (R software) was used for testing its significance and pair-wise PERMANOVA analysis. Linear regression model and multiple regression model by Envfit function was used to test the effect of environmental topographic variables on the species distribution. The result indicated that, 104 woody plant species belonging to 52 families were collected, in which significant differences in species richness and composition among the five land use types were showed. The result reveal that, forest is with the most diversified species assemblage followed by home gardens. However, grazing land is the least in species diversity. Among topographic variables, elevation gradient shows significant influence on diversity and species compositional dissimilarity among the five agricultural land uses in which 38 species were significantly contributed to the dissimilarity of species composition. Species richness and woody stem abundance declines with increasing elevation. However, slope and aspect does not show significant effect on these attributes analysis. Indicator species assessment (IndVal.) showed that, 20 species were significantly (P ≤ 0.001) associated with at least one of the five land use classes in agricultural landscape. In sum, this study highlights that, changes in woody species diversity, composition and spatial patterns are the responses to types of land uses of varying disturbance intensities and topographic elevation as a proxy to different environmental factors.

Homogenization of understory vegetation by an overabundance of deer (Cervus nippon) in a temperate forest in central Japan

ABSTRACT Deer browsing is a form of selective disturbance that homogenizes plant community composition and structure. In mountainous regions, disturbance intensity, together with topographical factors, affect plant communities. However, studies on the multiple effects of deer browsing and topographical factors on plant communities are limited. Here, we investigated the effects of deer exclusion on understory vegetation across the upper and lower slopes of a temperate deciduous forest in a mountainous area of Japan. We established six pairs of exclosure and control quadrats, with three pairs at each topographical position. We assessed changes in vegetation and plant structure (coverage and height), species composition, numbers of flowering/fruiting species, and damage to the plant species caused by deer browsing between 2009–2016. Vegetation coverage and the number of flowering/fruiting plant species increased in the exclosure quadrats during the study period, indicating that browsing prevents herb-layer species from reaching the flowering and fruiting stages in this site. Moreover, dissimilarity in species composition between the exclosure and control quadrats increased on the upper slope. However, the dissimilarity between upper and lower slopes in the control quadrats tended to decrease. Large herbs, which mainly include forbs and perennial species, were characteristically abundant on the lower slopes and decreased in the control quadrats on the lower slope. Our results indicate that the exclusion of deer had different effects on the understory vegetation of upper and lower slopes, suggesting that deer overbrowsing weakens the correlation between plant functional traits and topographic factors, resulting in homogenized plant communities.

Macrofauna-sized foraminifera in epibenthic sledge samples from five areas in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone (equatorial Pacific)

Benthic foraminifera cannot be sampled adequately using a single device. Smaller taxa are best collected using multicorers, the larger with box corers, but towed devices (dredges, trawls and epibenthic sledges) also retain many larger species. Here, we describe macrofaunal (>300 µm) foraminiferal assemblages obtained using an epibenthic sledge (EBS) in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (eastern equatorial Pacific), a region hosting seafloor deposits of polymetallic nodules. Twelve EBS samples were collected in four areas licenced for exploration by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to German, IOM, Belgium and French contractors, and to APEI-3, one of the protected Areas of Special Scientific Interest designated by the ISA. We recognised 280 morphospecies among 1954 specimens, with between 74 (IOM) and 121 (Belgium) in particular areas. Most (92.7%) were single-chambered monothalamids, of which 75 species (26.8%) belonged to the Komokioidea (‘komoki’), 47 (16.8%) to branched and unbranched tubes, 33 (11.8%) to chain-like and 32 (11.4%) to various ‘komoki-like’ forms. Fragments of megafaunal xenophyophores represented 21 species (7.50%), including Spiculammina delicata, previously reported only from the Russian area. Rarefaction curves and sample coverage completeness curves suggest that only a fraction of the macrofaunal foraminiferal diversity had been sampled. The occurrence of 71.8% of species in 1-2 of the 12 samples and 84.9% in 1-3 of the samples was a likely result of substantial undersampling. Dissimilarity in species composition between areas was very high: 64.2% (German vs IOM area) to 86.9% (German area vs APEI-3). Similarity within a single area was quite low: 29.1% (German) to 45.1% (IOM). In multidimensional scaling (MDS) plots, the APEI-3 area was clearly distinct in terms of faunal composition from all other areas, the French area somewhat separated from the German, IOM and Belgium areas, with the German and IOM samples being the most similar. These patterns may reflect the geographical separation of the French and APEI-3 areas and their location in deeper, more oligotrophic waters. Our study demonstrates that EBS samples from the eastern CCZ are a rich source of novel foraminiferal taxa, particularly light, easily resuspended komoki, providing a valuable perspective on foraminiferal biodiversity.

Ecological drivers of dissimilarity in multidimensional plant composition of early‐stage plantations in a loess hilly‐gully region

AbstractPlant diversity is an important link between forest ecosystems' structural composition and functional processes. The simple composition of young plantations is weakening the ecological function of restored forest ecosystems in arid regions. The ecological drivers of the plant composition and dissimilarity in plantations remain unclear, especially in the early restoration stage. To fill the gap in knowledge of the differences in species composition in early restored ecosystems, and to reveal the influencing factors of similar species numbers with different compositional structures, based on species' presence‐absence, abundance, and conspicuousness, we explored dissimilarity in the plant composition of young plantations in the loess hilly‐gully region. Our results showed that differences in alpha diversity among plantations were minimal, while the differences in beta diversity were significant. Even if the species diversity of a plantation was low, communities with similar species richness used to have large dissimilarities in their species composition. Turnover components and balanced variation often contributed significantly to species compositional dissimilarity. Co‐inertia analysis results showed species conspicuousness had the greatest consistency with observed environmental variables (RV = 0.65). The redundancy analysis and generalized diversity modeling results showed differences between the drivers of species diversity and dissimilarity. The primary influencing factors for alpha diversity were: soil water content, soil texture, soil total phosphorus, and soil organic carbon. Primary influencing factors for dissimilarity (beta diversity) were: soil nitrogen to phosphorus ratio, breast‐height diameter, soil water content, and stand density. Collectively, plant taxa dissimilarity was influenced by soil nutrient ratio and community structure and plant taxa abundance was influenced by soil nutrient content. Our findings improve the understanding of the plantation species composition and facilitate the prediction of ecological functions.

Effects of Edaphic Factors at Different Depths on β-Diversity Patterns for Subtropical Plant Communities Based on MS-GDM in Southern China

Previous research on the relationship between edaphic factors and species diversity patterns has mostly focused on topsoil between 0 and 30 cm, with less attention paid to deeper layers where many plant root systems are concentrated. Since considering deeper edaphic layers might help to unravel the maintenance mechanisms of plant diversity, in the present study we explored the relationship between vegetation β-diversity and a comprehensive set of soil chemical attributes at different depths. Based on vegetation and soil data from subtropical broad-leaved forest plots in the Nanling Mountains, China, we analyzed the driving factors of β-diversity patterns of trees, shrubs, and herbs using multi-site generalized dissimilarity modeling (MS-GDM). We found that the species composition dissimilarity of trees, shrubs, and herbs layers in the study area was highly diversified and dominated by species turnover components. Topsoil chemical properties were the best explainers for the β-diversity of trees (52.5%), followed by herbs (40.3%) and shrubs (21.8%). With the increase of soil depth, especially for depth >60 cm, soil chemical elements gradually lost explanatory power. Regarding the β-diversity of trees, it was mainly affected by altitude and available nitrogen (AN), total iron (Fe), and nickel (Ni) content in the soil of 0–60 cm depth. Concerning shrubs, the best β-diversity explainers were altitude, geographical distance, and nutrient elements of the soil above 40 cm. The main factors driving the β-diversity of herbs were altitude, total boron (B), total cadmium (Cd), and total nickel (Ni) of 0–40 cm soil. Overall, our results suggest that the environmental filtration process driven by altitude and soil factors, and dispersal limitations represented by geographical distance, affected the β-diversity patterns of Nanling forest communities.

Drivers of community assembly change during succession in wood-decomposing beetle communities.

The patterns of successional change of decomposer communities is unique in that resource availability predictably decreases as decomposition proceeds. Saproxylic (i.e. deadwood-dependent) beetles are a highly diverse and functionally important decomposer group, and their community composition is affected by both deadwood characteristics and other environmental factors. Understanding how communities change with faunal succession through the decomposition process is important as this process influences terrestrial carbon dynamics. Here, we evaluate how beta-diversity of saproxylic beetle communities change with succession, as well as the effects of different major drivers of beta-diversity, such as deadwood tree species, spatial distance between locations, climate and forest structure. We studied spatial beta-diversity (i.e. dissimilarity of species composition between deadwood logs in the same year) of saproxylic beetle communities over 8 years of wood decomposition. Our study included 379 experimental deadwood logs comprising 13 different tree species in 30 forest stands in Germany. We hypothesized that the effects of tree species dissimilarity, measured by phylogenetic distance, and climate on beta-diversity decrease over time, while the effects of spatial distance between logs and forest structure increase. Observed beta-diversity of saproxylic beetle communities increased over time, whereas standardized effects sizes (SES; based on null models) of beta-diversity decreased indicating higher beta-diversity than expected during early years. Beta-diversity increased with increasing phylogenetic distance between tree species and spatial distance among regions, and to a lesser extent with spatial distance within regions and differences in climate and forest structure. Whereas effects of space, climate and forest structure were constant over time, the effect of phylogenetic distance decreased. Our results show that the strength of the different drivers of saproxylic beetle community beta-diversity changes along deadwood succession. Beta-diversity of early decay communities was strongly associated with differences among tree species. Although this effect decreased over time, beta-diversity remained high throughout succession. Possible explanations for this pattern include differences in decomposition rates and fungal communities between logs or the priority effect of early successional communities. Our results suggest that saproxylic beetle diversity can be enhanced by promoting forests with diverse tree communities and structures.

Phenol and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons Are Stronger Drivers Than Host Plant Species in Shaping the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Component of the Mycorrhizosphere.

Changes in soil microbial communities in response to hydrocarbon pollution are critical indicators of disturbed ecosystem conditions. A core component of these communities that is functionally adjusted to the life-history traits of the host and environmental factors consists of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). AMF communities associated with Poa trivialis and Phragmites australis growing at a phenol and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated site and at an uncontaminated site were compared based on LSU rDNA sequencing. Dissimilarities in species composition and community structures indicated soil pollution as the main factor negatively affecting the AMF diversity. The AMF communities at the contaminated site were dominated by fungal generalists (Rhizophagus, Funneliformis, Claroideoglomus, Paraglomus) with wide ecological tolerance. At the control site, the AMF communities were characterized by higher taxonomic and functional diversity than those exposed to the contamination. The host plant identity was the main driver distinguishing the two AMF metacommunities. The AMF communities at the uncontaminated site were represented by Polonospora, Paraglomus, Oehlia, Nanoglomus, Rhizoglomus, Dominikia, and Microdominikia. Polonosporaceae and Paraglomeraceae were particularly dominant in the Ph. australis mycorrhizosphere. The high abundance of early diverging AMF could be due to the use of primers able to detect lineages such as Paraglomeracae that have not been recognized by previously used 18S rDNA primers.

Land-use intensification reduces multi-taxa diversity patterns of Small Woodlots Outside Forests in a Mediterranean area

Land-use intensification exacerbates landscape fragmentation, increasing the negative effects on biodiversity. In this context, the biodiversity value of Trees Outside Forests (TOF; scattered trees, tree lines and small woodlots) is often overlooked by landscape planning and conservation programs, which typically focus on protecting larger and more intact areas. More empirical studies on taxa inhabiting TOF are needed to support and promote their conservation in human-altered lands.However, we are not aware of any study focusing on multiple taxa living in small woodlots outside forests (SWOFs) in the Mediterranean basin. We investigated how diversity patterns of multiple taxa in SWOFs respond to a land-use intensification gradient, from natural areas to more disturbed ones (agricultural and urban areas), in a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot.We explored the influence of land-use types on species richness and composition of vascular plants and six ground-dwelling invertebrate groups (pseudoscorpions, spiders, darkling beetles, rove beetles, ground beetles, and ants). Species composition was more sensitive than species richness to land-use change, highlighting the need to consider a suitable measure for interpreting ecological processes. We observed a strong influence of land use embedding SWOFs on the mean composition and beta diversity of taxa: land-use intensification led to a general homogenization of diversity patterns, especially among agricultural and urban areas. In our study area, vascular plants responded more sensitively to land-use change than invertebrates. For most invertebrates: the higher the land-use intensity, the lower the species composition dissimilarity due to the dominance of good dispersers or disturbance-tolerant species. More vagile species and disturbance-tolerant species can move across open habitats and colonize new areas, reducing compositional differences and potentially boosting species pools. We demonstrated that SWOFs play a key role in supporting viable populations of invertebrates, also in human-altered lands, underlining the need to promote their conservation in this Mediterranean fragmented landscape to avoid homogenization from driving a generalized biodiversity loss.

Taxonomic Documentation and Statistical Analysis of Soil Mycoflora of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Maharashtra, India

Aims: The present paper deals with documentation of diversity and analysis of ecological aspects of soil microfungal flora of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).
 Study Design: The study area was divided into five zones, defined over span of three ranges and 10% peripheral area.
 Place and Duration of Study: SGNP, Maharashtra, India between September 2016 and September 2020.
 Methodology: A total of 43 soil samples were collected from 5 zones. Microscopic and molecular methods were used for identification of species. We examine dissimilarity in species composition by pairwise Jaccard Dissimilarity Index. We examine diversity of microfungi using diversity indices of Gini-Simpson’s and Shannon’s, true diversity (Shannon’s effective number of species) and equitability of species with Pielou’s evenness index.
 Results: The study resulted in a total of 77 isolates of 77 soil fungi obtained from 43 soil samples. A total of 36 species were documented under 15 genera. Aspergillus was dominant genus with 16 species, whereas Aspergillus niger was dominant species representing maximum 12 isolates. Pairwise Jaccard Dissimilarity Index was found to be above 66% in all cases, with only one species common in all the zones. In diversity indices, Gini-Simpson’s was 0.9347, and Shannon’s, was 3.1450. Pielou’s evenness index was 0.8776, causing true diversity, calculated as effective number of species (23), to be less than observed species richness (36).
 Conclusion: Thus, based on systematics and statistical analysis, it can be concluded that SGNP exhibits rich diversity of soil microfungi.

Large-scale variations of raptor communities in urban green spaces of neotropical cities

Urban areas are expanding continuously inducing changes in raptor communities. However, our knowledge about urbanization impacts on raptor communities at continental scales is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study is to relate geographical (city location) and environmental characteristics of cities with raptor species richness, taxonomic composition and functional composition in urban green spaces (UGS) of Neotropical cities. Data about raptor species present in UGS was compiled through search of scientific articles and thesis in databases. Raptor species richness increased in the tropics and decreased with increasing altitude. Species richness also increased with the increasing minimum UGS size of studies. Species composition dissimilarity was influenced by altitude and the geographic location of cities, and was dominated by species turnover. Scavengers were more frequent in cities of the east coast of Brazil, whereas semi-open habitat species were more frequent in southern South American cities. Raptor body size was related positively with UGS size. The results obtained confirmed the pattern of increasing raptor species richness in the tropics. However, anthropogenic factors such as green area loss in urban areas may influence the macrogeographical patterns of raptor species richness. The species composition dissimilarity between cities is dominated by a pattern of species replacements, related to species distributions in the Neotropics. Species functional traits were affected by macrogeographical factors and also by green area size, suggesting that urbanization may alter ecosystem processes provided by raptors. In short, the conservation and planning of large UGS is fundamental to maintain raptor communities in the Neotropical cities.

Urbanization causes biotic homogenization of woodland bird communities at multiple spatial scales.

Urbanization is a major contributor to biodiversity declines. However, studies assessing effects of urban landscapes per se (i.e., disentangled from focal habitat effects) on biodiversity across spatial scales are lacking. Understanding such scale-dependent effects is fundamental to preserve habitats along an urbanization gradient in a way that maximizes overall biodiversity. We investigated the impact of landscape urbanization on communities of woodland-breeding bird species in individual (local scale) and across multiple (regional scale) cities, while controlling for the quality of sampled habitats (woodlands). We conducted bird point counts and habitat quality mapping of trees, dead wood, and shrubs in 459 woodlands along an urban to rural urbanization gradient in 32 cities in Sweden. Responses to urbanization were measured as local and regional total diversity (γ), average site diversity (α), and diversity between sites (β). We also assessed effects on individual species and to what extent dissimilarities in species composition along the urbanization gradient were driven by species nestedness or turnover. We found that landscape urbanization had a negative impact on γ-, α-, and β-diversity irrespective of spatial scale, both regarding all woodland-breeding species and red-listed species. At the regional scale, dissimilarities in species composition between urbanization levels were due to nestedness, that is, species were lost with increased landscape urbanization without being replaced. In contrast, dissimilarities at the local scale were mostly due to species turnover. Because there was no difference in habitat quality among woodlands across the urbanization gradient, we conclude that landscape urbanization as such systematically causes poorer and more homogeneous bird communities in adjacent natural habitats. However, the high local turnover and the fact that several species benefited from urbanization demonstrates that natural habitats along the entire urbanization gradient are needed to maintain maximally diverse local bird communities.

Community Structure, Conservation Status, and Functional Groups of Bird Species in Mbeya Range Forests, Tanzania

The Mbeya range forest reserves (MRFRs) of the southern highland of Tanzania are an important hotspot for biodiversity conservation. However, its avian biodiversity has hardly ever been studied. Thus, for the first time, this study presents the inventory of bird species from MRFRs, demonstrating community structure, functional group, and conservation status. The study was carried out in four forest areas (i.e., Idugumbi, Kawetire, Mount Loleza, and Muvwa) within the MRFRs. The bird survey was carried out monthly between March 2018 and June 2018. Standardised line and point counts, as well as mist netting, were used to collect data. A total of 1052 individual birds, representing 41 species and 22 families, were recorded. Relative abundance, Shannon and Simpson species diversity, and species richness were high in Idugumbi forest and lowest in Kawetire forest. Species diversity differed significantly between the four forest areas. Moreover, Idugumbi and Muvwa had relatively low species composition dissimilarity compared to other forest areas. Different bird functional groups, i.e., insectivores, granivores, nectarivores, carnivores, frugivores, or combinations of these, were recorded in MRFRs. The insectivores were twice as abundant as granivores and nectarivores. The multi–layered vegetation structure of native plants in the Idugumbi forest appears to benefit and contribute to bird communities. The study reveals that MRFRs are an important hotspot for bird species that require ecological monitoring and protection. As a result, appropriate land–use practices near MRFRs should be followed to ensure long–term avian conservation.

Drivers of Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, and Functional Beta Diversity of Himalayan Riverine Birds

Abiotic and biotic factors drive compositional differences among local species assemblages. Determining the influence of different drivers on beta diversity patterns can provide insights into processes governing community organization. Examining beta diversity patterns along taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional dimensions enables a nuanced understanding of underlying processes that govern community assembly and dynamics. The dynamic and complex riparian habitats in the Himalaya, and the hyper-diverse riverine bird community offer a fascinating setup to examine the role of environmental factors in influencing community structuring. Using a large dataset on river bird communities from field census across multiple drainages in the Indian Himalaya, we aimed at discerning processes that structure these communities through an understanding of pair-wise dissimilarities in species composition across sites. We determined the relative contributions of turnover and nestedness in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional beta diversity patterns in the Eastern and Western Himalaya that differ in species richness. Generalized Dissimilarity Modeling was used to examine the relative contributions of climatic, geographic, and anthropogenic factors toward explaining different metrics of beta diversity. The riverine bird communities in the drier and seasonal Western Himalaya were poorer in species richness, more phylogenetically and functionally clustered than that in the Eastern Himalaya. The contribution of the turnover component to the overall beta diversity was higher than the nestedness component in river bird communities, particularly in the Eastern Himalaya. Habitat and climatic factors differentially influenced the beta diversity patterns in both Eastern and Western Himalaya, with river width consistently explaining a large variation in beta diversity in the east and the west. The results show that environmental filtering plays a crucial role in structuring riverine bird communities in the Himalayan headwaters, highlighting the need to ameliorate the threats posed by the slew of hydroelectric projects and forest loss in the region.

Tradition vs. innovation: comparing bioacoustics and mist-net results to bat sampling

ABSTRACT Bats are a complex and diverse group, making their study remarkably challenging. Several methods allow the study of bats, e.g. mist-nets and acoustic monitoring (AM). We compare the use of AM and mist-nets to inventory bats in a mountainous region of São Paulo state, Brazil. We provide a species list for the study area based on species registered with both methodologies, comparing with a species list known for the state, obtained from the literature. We calculated beta diversity between methodologies to evaluate the dissimilarity in species composition sampled with these methods. We also performed a PCA to evaluate if the bat fauna sampled with AM showed species-habitat associations. We recorded 15 species/sonotypes through AM and 22 species through mist-nets. Beta diversity revealed 97% of dissimilarity in species composition. The turnover component explained 96% of this dissimilarity. PCA revealed that Vespertilionidae bats were associated with border/cluttered habitats, while Molossidae bats were present in all habitat types. The species list for the state comprises eighty species. Our inventory recorded more than 25% of this fauna. Mist-nets are efficient for sampling low-flying/low-intensity echolocating bats. AM is crucial for sampling high-flying/high-intensity echolocating bats. This is the second study to use AM to inventory bats in this state.

Https://asianjournalofmycology.org/pdf/AJOM_5_1_10-1.pdf

The present paper aims at studying the diversity of phyllospheric, rhizospheric soil and aquatic microfungal flora of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and its 10% peripheral area with statistical analysis of the diversity data to draw inferences about microfungal diversity. For analysis, the study area was divided into five zones, defined over a span of three ranges and a 10% peripheral area. Standard methods and keys were followed for the isolation and identification of fungi from different substrates, with routine microscopic work supplemented by scanning electron microscopy and molecular methods for some novel fungi. A total of 334 isolates obtained included 186 litter fungi (55.69%), 77 soil fungi (23.05%), 43 foliicolous fungi (12.87%), and 28 water fungi (8.38%). A total of 231 species in 121 genera were documented, of which 120 genera belong to Ascomycota and one to Basidiomycota. The study resulted in the publication of three new species, 13 new records for India, and two new records for Maharashtra. Aspergillus was dominant with 23 species, followed by Diatrype and Meliola (eight species each). In statistical analysis, we first examine differences in observed species richness across the zones using dummy variable regression and Kruskal-Wallis Test, with species count as the dependent variable. Both yielded similar statistically significant (p-value<0.01) differences in mean and median species counts, respectively. Dissimilarity in species composition, analysed by pairwise Jaccard Dissimilarity Index, was above 82% in all cases, with only one species common in all the zones. In diversity indices, Gini-Simpson’s was above 0.9 for all the zones, and Shannon’s was maximum (=4.4118) for Yeoor [South] and minimum (=2.7185) for Peripheral areas. Pielou’s evenness index was maximum (=0.9954) for Krishnagiri range and minimum (=0.9539) for Yeoor [South]. True diversity (based on Shannon’s Index) was highest (=82) for Yeoor [South] and lowest (=15) for Peripheral. Thus, based on systematics and statistical analysis, it can be concluded that SGNP exhibits a very rich diversity of microfungi.

Livestock‐exclusion duration required for restoring grassland in semiarid, loess region in China: Estimate based on species composition measured from small‐scale vegetation patterns

AbstractTo restore the degraded grassland in the Yunwushan Natural Reserve of Ningxia semiarid loess region, Ningxia Autonomous Region, China, managers have established grasslands with excluding livestock from one large area every 5 years since 1982. The annual precipitation at the site is around 400 mm, and heavy grazing by sheep/goats has been conducted in the past. In July 2009 in which vegetation surveys were conducted, seven grasslands with different exclusion durations such as 0, 2, 7, 12, 17, 22 or 27 years had already been established. The objectives of survey were to clarify the vegetation changes with exclusion duration, and to estimate the number of years required for recovering the vegetation. In each of these grasslands, 100 50 × 50 cm2 quadrats, each of which was further divided into four 25 × 25 cm2 sub‐quadrats, were set, and then each of the species occurring within each sub‐quadrat was recorded. Aboveground biomass and soil hardness within each quadrat were also measured as auxiliary variables. We used eco‐statistical survey and analysis methods of small‐scale spatial patterns of vegetation. The followings are results obtained: after 12–17 years of exclusion, (a) the soil had softened; (b) the aboveground biomass had increased to amounts >200 dw g m–2; (c) the spatial uniformity in biomass increased to a stationary state; and (d) the dissimilarity of species composition between two successive exclusion durations decreased to a stationary state. We conclude from these observations that the degraded grassland required 12–17 years of exclusion to restore vegetation and productivity. We also proposed candidates of plant species to be seeded or planted for recovering degraded grassland in this area.