Distribution In Northern Hemisphere Research Articles

A comparison of migrant and resident bird population changes in South Africa using citizen science data: trends in relation to Northern Hemisphere distribution

Many species of migratory birds have been declining on the Palearctic-African flyways in recent decades due to human population pressure and land-use intensification. Models predict that the declining trends of migratory birds will continue into the foreseeable future across much of Africa, likely exacerbated by climate change. While sub-Saharan Africa is viewed as less important for these migrants than the Sahel, the region still receives many migrant species. We use the citizen science Southern African Bird Atlas Project data sets (SABAP1 and SABAP2) to determine relative change between atlas periods (1987–1991; 2007–2021). Firstly, we validate our metrics of population change on a dataset of 581 species that occur frequently in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini by examining change in relation to migratory status (Palearctic, Intra-Africa or Resident) and other species’ traits. We found greatest declines in migrants but with magnitudes not as great as expected, with largest relative decreases for Palearctic migrants, and little difference between Intra-Africa migrants and residents. Declines were best described by size independent of migratory status, even when controlling for phylogeny. For the set of Palearctic migrants, we then examine if change is related to Northern Hemisphere distribution. We found greater decreases for birds with breeding grounds in southern Asia (India and south-eastern Asia) relative to Europe. These results are useful for conservation agencies wishing to extend ties to relevant researchers and conservationists in these regions, and highlights potential challenge areas for this set of birds on their breeding grounds.

Estimation of Lower-Stratosphere-to-Troposphere Ozone Profile Using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)

Climate change and air pollution are emerging topics due to their possible enormous implications for health and social perspectives. In recent years, tropospheric ozone has been recognized as an important greenhouse gas and pollutant that is detrimental to human health, agriculture, and natural ecosystems, and has shown a trend of increasing interest. Machine-learning-based approaches have been widely applied to the estimation of tropospheric ozone concentrations, but few studies have included tropospheric ozone profiles. This study aimed to predict the Northern Hemisphere distribution of Lower-Stratosphere-to-Troposphere (LST) ozone at a pressure of 100 hPa to the near surface by employing a deep learning Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model. We referred to a history of all the observed parameters (meteorological data of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis v5 (ERA5), satellite data, and the ozone profiles of the World Ozone and Ultraviolet Data Center (WOUDC)) between 2014 and 2018 for training the predictive models. Model–measurement comparisons for the monitoring sites of WOUDC for the period 2019–2020 show that the mean correlation coefficients (R2) in the Northern Hemisphere at high latitude (NH), Northern Hemisphere at middle latitude (NM), and Northern Hemisphere at low latitude (NL) are 0.928, 0.885, and 0.590, respectively, indicating reasonable performance for the LSTM forecasting model. To improve the performance of the model, we applied the LSTM migration models to the Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container (CARIBIC) flights in the Northern Hemisphere from 2018 to 2019 and three urban agglomerations (the Sichuan Basin (SCB), North China Plain (NCP), and Yangtze River Delta region (YRD)) between 2018 and 2019. The results show that our models performed well on the CARIBIC data set, with a high R2 equal to 0.754. The daily and monthly surface ozone concentrations for 2018–2019 in the three urban agglomerations were estimated from meteorological and ancillary variables. Our results suggest that the LSTM models can accurately estimate the monthly surface ozone concentrations in the three clusters, with relatively high coefficients of 0.815–0.889, root mean square errors (RMSEs) of 7.769–8.729 ppb, and mean absolute errors (MAEs) of 6.111–6.930 ppb. The daily scale performance was not as high as the monthly scale performance, with the accuracy of R2 = 0.636~0.737, RMSE = 14.543–16.916 ppb, MAE = 11.130–12.687 ppb. In general, the trained module based on LSTM is robust and can capture the variation of the atmospheric ozone distribution. Moreover, it also contributes to our understanding of the mechanism of air pollution, especially increasing our comprehension of pollutant areas.

Paleoaltingia gen. nov., a new genus of Altingiaceae from the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey

Altingiaceae is a small family with a bimodal Northern Hemisphere distribution in eastern North America and eastern Asia, and a rich Cenozoic fossil record. The charcoalified fossil infructescence Paleoaltingia gen. nov. from Turonian (Late Cretaceous) deposits of New Jersey, provides new evidence of early Altingiaceae reproductive structures and has biogeographical implications in understanding modern distribution. Fossils were prepared using standard methods for obtaining and processing mesofossils. The fossils were examined with light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy for observing structural and anatomical details. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using a combined matrix of molecular and morphological data. Based on morphological features of the fossil and the phylogenetic analyses, the new genus, Paleoaltingia, with two species (Paleoaltingia ovum-dinosauri and P. polyodonta) is erected. The phylogenetic position of Paleoaltingia confirms affinities with living Altingiaceae. The combination of characters-simple capitate infructescence, syncarpous bicarpellate, and bilocular ovary, unique sterile phyllome structures-indicates that the fossil taxa have close affinities to modern Altingiaceae. The unique characters of the phyllomes provide new information on the floral diversity of Altingiaceae. The emergence of Paleoaltingia in Late Cretaceous sediments of Northeastern North America represents the earliest fossil record of Altingiaceae and provides new insights into its biogeography.

Temporal Distribution of Solar Cycle 24 Sunspot Groups: Comparison to Cycles 12-23

Abstract We analyze the temporal distribution of sunspot groups for even and odd cycles in the range SC12-SC24. It seems that cycle 24 is a characteristic even cycle, although with low amplitude. The number of large sunspot groups for cycle 24 is relatively smaller than for the average of both even and odd cycles SC12-SC23, and there is a deep decline of the large groups in the middle of the cycle. Temporal evolution of the sunspot groups of the even cycles is non-synchronous such that the northern hemisphere distribution of groups maximizes earlier that the southern hemisphere groups. This leads to a double-peak structure for the average even cycle. On the other hand, the distributions of the sunspot groups of odd cycles maximize simultaneously. We show that this double-peak structure intensifies the Gnevyshev gap (GG) for the even cycles, but is not its primary cause. On the contrary, we show that the GG exists for even and odd cycles, and separately on both hemispheres. We resample all cycles to have equal number of 3945 days and study the difference in the evolution of average total group area and average group area of the even and odd cycles separately. The analysis shows that there is a decline in both total area and average area in the even cycles 1445 days (about four years) after the beginning of the cycle, which is at least 99 % significant for both total and average area. The odd cycles do not have such a clear decline.

Modeling Pluto’s minimum pressure: Implications for haze production

Pluto has a heterogeneous surface, despite a global haze deposition rate of ∼1μm per orbit (Cheng et al., 2017; Grundy et al., 2018). While there could be spatial variation in the deposition rate, this has not yet been rigorously quantified, and naively the haze should coat the surface more uniformly than was observed. One way (among many) to explain this contradiction is for the atmospheric pressure at the surface to drop low enough to interrupt haze production and stop the deposition of particles onto part of the surface, driving heterogeneity. If the surface pressure drops to less than 10−3 - 10−4μbar and the CH4 mixing ratio remains nearly constant at the observed 2015 value, the atmosphere becomes transparent to ultraviolet radiation (Young et al., 2018), which would shut off haze production at its source. If the surface pressure falls below 0.06 μbar, the atmosphere ceases to be global, and instead is localized over only the warmest part of the surface, restricting the location of deposition (Spencer et al., 1997). In Pluto’s current atmosphere, haze monomers collect together into aggregate particles at beginning at 0.5 μbar; if the surface pressure falls below this limit, the appearance of particles deposited at different times of year and in different locations could be different. We use VT3D, an energy balance model (Young, 2017), to model the surface pressure on Pluto in current and past orbital configurations for four possible static N2 ice distributions: the observed northern hemisphere distribution with (1) a bare southern hemisphere, (2) a south polar cap, (3) a southern zonal band, and finally (4) a distribution that is bare everywhere except inside the boundary of Sputnik Planitia. We also present a sensitivity study showing the effect of mobile N2 ice. By comparing the minima of the modeled pressures to the three haze-disruption pressures, we can determine if or when haze production is disrupted. We find that Pluto’s minimum surface pressure in its current orbit is predicted to be between 0.01 and 3 μbar, and that over the past 10 million years the surface pressure has not fallen below 0.004 μbar. According to our model, southern N2 ice is required for haze aggregation to be interrupted, and southern N2 with very low thermal inertia is required for the possibility of a local atmosphere.

Pyrophilous fungi detected after wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park expand known species ranges and biodiversity estimates

ABSTRACT Following a late fall wildfire in 2016 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, pyrophilous fungi in burn zones were documented over a 2-y period with respect to burn severity and phenology. Nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS) barcodes were obtained to confirm morphological evaluations. Forty-one taxa of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were identified from burn sites and categorized as fruiting only in response to fire or fruiting enhanced by fire. Twenty-two species of Pezizales (Ascomycota) were among the earliest to form ascomata in severe burn zones, only one of which had previously been documented in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Nineteen species of Basidiomycota, primarily Agaricales, were also documented. Among these, only five species (Coprinellus angulatus, Gymnopilus decipiens, Lyophyllum anthracophilum, Pholiota carbonicola, and Psathyrella pennata) were considered to be obligate pyrophilous taxa, but fruiting of two additional taxa (Hygrocybe conica and Mycena galericulata) was clearly enhanced by fire. Laccaria trichodermophora was an early colonizer of severe burn sites and persisted through the winter of 2017 and into spring and summer of 2018, often appearing in close association with Pinus pungens seedlings. Fruiting of pyrophilous fungi peaked 4–6 mo post fire then diminished, but some continued to fruit up to 2.5 y after the fire. In all, a total of 27 previously unrecorded taxa were added to the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) database (~0.9%). Most pyrophilous fungi identified in this study are either cosmopolitan or have a Northern Hemisphere distribution, but cryptic endemic lineages were detected in Anthracobia and Sphaerosporella. One new combination, Hygrocybe spadicea var. spadicea f. odora, is proposed.

The genus Platanthera (Orchidaceae) in New Guinea with description of Platanthera valkenburgii sp. nov.

ABSTRACT Platanthera Rich. is a genus of ca. 125 species with a predominantly Northern Hemisphere distribution. A recent monograph of the genus did not cite important material from New Guinea. On the island the genus is represented by species from the tropical section Mecosa (Blume) Kraenzl. of subgenus Platanthera, which are not widely represented in herbaria and each specimen has a high value for taxonomic research. Studied materials not cited in the revision of the genus are cited as additional examined specimens here. A list of species with taxonomic and nomenclatural decisions is provided as a summary of knowledge about the genus on the island. Five taxa of Platanthera are recorded in this work for the region of New Guinea. One new taxon, Platanthera valkenburgii S.Nowak, Efimov, Szlach. & Kolan., is described. illustrated, and a photograph of the holotype is provided. The new species is readily distinguished by its strongly thickened to keel-like mid vein of the floral bract and dorsal sepal, petals at least as wide or wider than they are long, and its distinctly dilated lip. A key to the New Guinea taxa is provided. Two lectotypes are designated and taxonomic problems within Platanthera klossii (Ridl.) Efimov are discussed; one new combination is made.

Global phylogeography and genetic diversity of the long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas, with new data from the southeastern Pacific

The matrilineal long-finned pilot whale presents an antitropical distribution and is divided into two subspecies, one in the temperate seas of the Southern Hemisphere and the other restricted to the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. Until now, population genetic and phylogeographic studies have included localities of most of its Northern Hemisphere distribution, while only the southwestern Pacific has been sampled in the Southern Hemisphere. We add new genetic data from the southeastern Pacific to the published sequences. Low mitochondrial and nuclear diversity was encountered in this new area, as previously reported for other localities. Four haplotypes were found with only one new for the species. Fifteen haplotypes were detected in the global dataset, underlining the species’ low diversity. As previously reported, the subspecies shared two haplotypes and presented a strong phylogeographic structure. The extant distribution of this species has been related to dispersal events during the Last Glacial Maximum. Using the genetic data and Approximate Bayesian Calculations, this study supports this historical biogeographic scenario. From a taxonomic perspective, even if genetic analyses do not support the subspecies category, this study endorses the incipient divergence process between hemispheres, thus maintaining their status and addressing them as Demographically Independent Populations is recommended.

The prevalence of Francisella spp. in different natural surface water samples collected from northwest of Iran

Francisella tularensis has a wide distribution in northern hemisphere of the world. Up to now, there was little information about the Francisella spp. situation in the environmental samples in Iran. In this study we aimed to determine the prevalence of Francisella spp. in the environmental samples in northwest of Iran. A total of 237 natural water samples from ponds, rivers, lakes, springs and other surface waters from north western provinces of Iran (Kurdistan and Western Azerbaijan) were collected from September to November 2015. All samples were cultured for Francisella and other bacterial species and Real Time TaqMan PCR was performed on the concentrated and DNA extracted samples. For detection of the presence of bacterial DNA in the samples, two different targets in the genome of Francisella, ISFtu2 and fopA were used. Among the tested surface water samples, 40 (17.09%; 95% CI: 12.67-22.33%) and 12 (5.13%; 95%CI: 2.81-8.56%) samples were positive for ISFtu2 and fopA respectively. None of them was positive in culture. The prevalence of Francisella spp. in the environmental samples in the west of Iran is high and it is comparable with Turkey, Iran's neighboring country. Use of higher copy number genes or IS like ISFtu2 could improve the detection of this organism in the environmental samples.

Genus delimitation, biogeography and diversification ofChoristoneuraLederer (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) based on molecular evidence

AbstractWidely known for pest species that include major modulators of temperate forests, the genusChoristoneurais part of the species‐rich tribe Archipini of leafroller moths (Tortricidae). Delimitation of the genus has remained unresolved because no phylogeny has included species endemic to Africa and studies have often omitted the type species of the genus. Further taxonomic confusion has been generated by the transfer ofArchips occidentalis(Walsingham) toChoristoneura, creating a homonym withChoristoneura occidentalisFreeman, an important defoliator of North American forests. To define the limits of the genus, we reconstructed a phylogeny using DNA sequences for mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I and nuclear ribosomal 28S genes. Our ingroup included 23Choristoneuraspecies‐level taxa, complemented by a large sample of outgroups comprising 82 species of Archipini and other Tortricidae. We generated a time‐calibrated tree using fossil and secondary calibrations and we inferred biogeographic and diversification processes inChoristoneura. Our analysis recovered the genus as polyphyletic, withArchips occidentalis,Choristoneura simonyiandChoristoneura evanidanaexcluded from the main clade. Based on the recovered phylogenies and a redefinition, we restrictChoristoneuraprimarily to species with a northern hemisphere distribution. Our analysis supportsA. occidentalisas the sister group ofCacoecimorpha pronubana,C. simonyias the sister of ‘Xenotemna’pallorana, andC. evanidanaas the sister ofArchips purpurana. A new combination is proposed:Archips evanidanacomb.n.; the availability of ‘Xenotemna’ as a valid name is discussed andA. occidentalisis considered as an orphaned name within the Archipini. We found support for a Holarctic origin ofChoristoneuraabout 23 Ma, followed by early divergence in the Palearctic region. The main divergence occurred at 16 Ma, with one clade in the Nearctic and another in the Palearctic. Subsequent cladogenetic events were synchronous and related to herbivorous specialization, with each clade divided into coniferophagous and polyphagous lineages. Their specialization as conifer feeders temporally matched the expansion of boreal forest during the Miocene.

Phylogeny and biogeography of East Asian evergreen oaks (Quercus section Cyclobalanopsis; Fagaceae): Insights into the Cenozoic history of evergreen broad-leaved forests in subtropical Asia

The evolutionary history of Quercus section Cyclobalanopsis, a dominant lineage in East Asian evergreen broadleaved forests (EBLFs), has not been comprehensively studied using molecular tools. In this study, we reconstruct the first comprehensive phylogeny of this lineage using a genomic approach (restriction-site associated DNA sequencing, RAD-seq), sampling 35 of the ca. 90 species currently recognized, representing all main morphological groups of section Cyclobalanopsis. In addition, 10 other species of Quercus and two outgroups were also sampled. Divergence times were estimated using a relaxed clock model and two fossil calibrations. Ancestral areas and dispersal routes were inferred using statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis and the dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis (DEC) model. The phylogeny of Quercus section Cyclobalanopsis demonstrates the section to be monophyletic, comprising two main lineages and six subclades that are well supported by anatomical traits. Biogeographical reconstructions indicate that the wide northern hemisphere distribution of Quercus was disrupted in the Late Eocene, leading to the main extant groups at about 33 Ma. The earliest divergences in section Cyclobalanopsis correspond to the phased uplift of the Himalayas and lateral extrusion of Indochina at the transition of the Oligocene and Miocene, where the highest rate of diversification occurred in the late Miocene. Dispersal from Sino-Himalaya and the Palaeotropics to Sino-Japan in the Miocene was facilitated by the increased intensity of East Asian summer monsoons and by the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum. Our results highlight the importance of climatic changes and Indo-Eurasian collision-induced tectonic activities from the Neogene onward to the spatial-temporal diversification patterns of Asian EBLF lineages.

Calls Produced by Ecotype C Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) Off the Eskström Iceshelf, Antarctica

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are highly social top predators distributed throughout the worldʼs oceans. They are divided into different ecotypes according to foraging specializations, phenotype, and social organization. For Northern Hemisphere killer whale ecotypes, acoustic behaviour has been shown to relate to foraging strategies and social organization. In contrast to the intensively studied Northern Hemisphere ecotypes, distribution patterns, social structures, and acoustic behaviour of the Southern Hemisphere killer whale ecotypes are poorly known. One of the Southern Hemisphere ecotypes, the Antarctic Ecotype C killer whale, is known to occur in regions with dense pack ice. The limited accessibility of these areas make passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) methods a very effective investigation tool to derive information on ecotype-specific abundance and distribution. During 2 d in February 2013, it was possible to collect concurrent visual and acoustic information of Ecotype C killer whales off the Antarctic continent. From these events, a call type catalogue was compiled. The 2,238 examined calls were subjectively classified into 26 discrete call types. Ten percent of the examined calls were re-classified by two additional independent observers to examine robustness of the classification. Mean classification accordance among observers was 68%. Most call types were composed of more than one call part. Sixty-five percent of all call types were monophonic, and 35% were biphonic. Almost two-third of all call types started with a short, broadband pulse. The variability within call types was relatively high. The Ecotype C vocal repertoire contained typical acoustic features such as biphonation, high call complexity, and generally high variability in frequency modulation. For future studies, the distinct characteristics of some of the call types described herein could potentially serve as acoustic markers for PAM-based differentiation of killer whale ecotypes in the Southern Ocean.

A roller-like bird (Coracii) from the Early Eocene of Denmark.

The fossil record of crown group birds (Neornithes) prior to the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary is scarce and fragmentary. Early Cenozoic bird fossils are more abundant, but are typically disarticulated and/or flattened. Here we report the oldest roller (Coracii), Septencoracias morsensis gen. et sp. nov. (Primobucconidae), based on a new specimen from the Early Eocene (about 54 million years ago) Fur Formation of Denmark. The new fossil is a nearly complete, three-dimensionally preserved and articulated skeleton. It lies at the lower end of the size range for extant rollers. Salient diagnostic features of Septencoracias relative to other Coracii include the proportionally larger skull and the small, ovoid and dorsally positioned narial openings. Our discovery adds to the evidence that the Coracii had a widespread northern hemisphere distribution in the Eocene. Septencoracias is the oldest substantial record of the Picocoraciae and provides a reliable calibration point for molecular phylogenetic studies.

Systematics and biogeography of Berberis s.l. inferred from nuclear ITS and chloroplast ndhF gene sequences

AbstractBerberis is the largest genus in the Berberidaceae, comprising more than 500 species. It is now recognised to include all of the compound‐leaved species formally ascribed to Mahonia, as well as simple‐leaved species comprising Berberis s.str. Berberis s.l. has a mainly Northern Hemisphere distribution, with a centre of diversity in the Sino‐Himalaya region, while Berberis s.str. extends into South America where it has a secondary centre of diversity. We analyzed nuclear ITS and chloroplast ndhF sequence data from 68 accessions of Berberis s.l. The results support the monophyly of Berberis s.l., but compound‐leaved Berberis are shown to be paraphyletic. The analysis supports Berberis higginsae, a member of North American B. sect. Horridae, as sister to all other Berberis species. Our results, interpreted in the light of fossil evidence, suggest a North American origin of Berberis s.l., but the area of origin of the simple‐leaved group remains uncertain.

Parallel origins of apomixis in two diverged evolutionary lineages in tribe Potentilleae (Rosaceae)

We synthesized the results from a flow cytometric seed screen and the literature to infer the phylogenetic origin and the geographical and taxonomic distribution of apomixis in tribe Potentilleae (Rosaceae). We distinguished between regular sexuality and apomixis, the zygotic and parthenogenetic origin of the embryo, and the pseudogamous (i.e. sexual) versus autonomous origin of the endosperm. The combined evidence provides information on reproductive modes for 11 genera and 120 species. For the first time records on reproductive mode are provided for the genus Farinopsis, 29 species (from five genera), and seven series of Potentilla. Regular sexuality was observed in Aphanes, Argentina, Comarum, Dasiphora, Drymocallis, Farinopsis, Fragaria, Horkeliella, Potentilla, and Sibbaldia. Reliable evidence for apomixis is restricted to two evolutionary lineages of Potentilleae: the Potentilla core group and Alchemilla/Aphanes. Early evolutionary divergence of these lineages (approximately 50 Mya), characterized by pseudogamous and autonomous apomictic seed formation, respectively, suggests parallel origins of apomixis. Apomixis is shown to be taxonomically widespread in the whole Northern Hemisphere distribution range of Potentilla, a pattern that is explained by hybrid transfer and repeated intercontinental dispersals. Taxonomic and geographical coverage is discussed with reference to species diversity centres of genera. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 177, 214–229.

Interoceanic Sex‐Biased Migration in Bluefish

AbstractThe Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix is a highly migratory species that is composed of different stocks and populations along its nearly cosmopolitan distribution. The Bluefish is the only member of its genus and family, and high migration rates could prevent vicariant speciation across its wide geographical distribution. However, the extent of gene flow between distant populations is unknown. We employed two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome‐c oxidase subunit I and cytochrome b) and eight nuclear microsatellite loci to study population structure and infer dispersal of this important commercial and recreational fish across its Northern Hemisphere distribution. Higher gene flow estimates for nuclear loci (of biparental inheritance) than for mitochondrial loci (of maternal inheritance) suggested sex‐biased dispersal, which could be explained by greater female homing or fidelity to spawning sites and greater dispersal of males. Males could contribute more to transoceanic connectivity of Bluefish populations in the North Atlantic Ocean, thus shaping the observed pattern of spatial genetic structure of the Bluefish in its Northern Hemisphere distribution.Received February 1, 2014; accepted June 9, 2014

CorrigendumCombined phylogenetic analysis of a new North American fossil species confirms widespread Eocene distribution for stem rollers (Aves, Coracii)

We report a nearly complete skeleton of a new species of stem roller (Aves, Coracii) from the early Eocene Green River Formation of North America. The new species is most closely related to two species-depauperate lineages, Coraciidae (rollers) and Brachypteraciidae (ground rollers), that form a monophyletic crown clade (Coracioidea) with an exclusively Old World extant distribution. Phylogenetic analysis utilizing a matrix of 133 morphological characters and sequence data from three genes (RAG-1, c-myc, and ND2) identifies the new species as a stem member of the Coracii more closely related to the crown clade than the only previously identified New World taxon, Primobucco mcgrewi. The phylogenetic placement of the new species and Primobucco mcgrewiindicates a widespread northern hemisphere distribution in the Eocene with subsequent restriction to Africa, Madagascar, Australia, and temperate to tropical parts of Europe and Asia. It provides evidence of further ecological diversity in early stem Coracii and convergence on crown morphologies. The new species contributes to mounting evidence that extant distributions for major avian subclades may be of comparatively recent origin. Further late Palaeogene sampling is needed to elucidate potential drivers for shifting avian distributions and disappearance of Coracii from North America. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 157, 586–611.

An evaluation of selected Neidium species from the Antarctic region

The presentation of three distinct Neidium taxa from the sub-Antarctic and Maritime Antarctic region after examining more than 1500 samples from a broad variety of aquatic and terrestrial (micro-)habitats suggests that taxa representing the genus Neidium Pfitzer are not only quite rare in these regions, but that the three species also represent well-defined biogeographical distributions. N. nyvltii sp. nov., N. antarcticum sp. nov. and N. aubertii Manguin are characterized by linear to linear–lanceolate valves with rostrate to capitate apices, a single prominent longitudinal canal along the valve margins and lacinia covering the distal raphe endings. Neidium nyvltii is a benthic alkalophile growing in the Maritime Antarctic region under high total phosphorus (TP) and moderately high chloride concentrations, while the closest taxa for comparison (N. kozlowii Mereschkowsky and its varieties) are also alkalophilic, growing under lower TP concentrations in northern temperate–Arctic regions. Neidium aubertii is an acidophile with a sub-Antarctic distribution, whereas the most comparable taxa are N. bisulcatum (Lagestedt) Cleve, and N. bergii (A. Cleve-Euler) Krammer & Lange-Bertalot both are alkalophiles with northern hemisphere distribution and commonly occurring in the Arctic. There is some evidence of parallel similarities in valve forms between the polar northern and southern hemispheres. The significance of this parallelism is yet to be determined.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Air Temperature in the Northern Hemisphere

In the present study, the spatial and temporal surface air temperature variability for the Northern Hemisphere has been examined, for the period 1900-1996. Factor Analysis has been applied to 5o Latitude x 10o Longitude grid box data covering the area from almost the equator to 70o N. These data are anomalies of the mean annual air temperature from the respective mean values of the period 1961- 1990. The analysis showed that, mainly 20 regions were determined in the Northern Hemisphere with significantly covariant air temperature time series. The comparison of the trends of the mean annual surface air temperature time series of these regions, revealed such common characteristics as the minimum of the first decade of the 20th century and the recent years warming. The results of this study are also compared to the respective results of a former study in which data for the last half of the century (1948-1996) have been analyzed. The findings extracted indicate the stability of climate distribution in Northern Hemisphere during the 20th century.

Recent literature on lichens—215

Akpinar, A. U., S. Ozturk & M. Sinirtas. 2009. Effects of some terricolous lichens [Cladonia rangiformis Hoffm., Peltigera neckeri Hepp ex Mull. Arg., Peltigera rufescens (Weiss) Humb.] on soil bacteria in natural conditions. Plant, Soil and Environment 55(4): 154–158. [Study in Turkey. ‘‘Besides, it was observed that Cladonia rangiformis Hoffm., which has many kinds of secondary metabolites, has the highest inhibition effect among the studied species.’’] Albert, S. & A. Arya. 2008. Anatomical studies on Roccella belangeriana—a lichen growing on Ceriops tagal. Journal of Mycology and Plant Pathology 38(3): 485–487. [Authors give a brief description which includes details and photographs of the thallus, apothecium and pycnidia. The presence of pycnidia is interpreted as ‘‘ ... a three membered symbiotic relationship, i.e. between one algal and two fungal components.’’] Aptroot, A. 2009. Lichens as an indicator of climate and global change. Pages 401–408. In T. M. Letcher (ed.), Climate Change: Observed Impacts on Plant Earth. Elsevier B. V., The Netherlands. 492 pp. [Literature review and synthesis. ‘‘Lichens are unequivocally responding to global change.’’ Effects so far most pronounced temperate regions as well as the Arctic areas. ‘‘The most severe effects of climate change, leading to probably extinctions, is expected (but has not been observed as yet) on high mountains in tropical regions.’’] ——— & L. Sparrius. 2009. Europese verspreiding en internationale betekenis van Nederlandse korstmossen. Buxbaumiella 83: 1–12. [Authors present a classification of the European and Northern Hemisphere distribution patterns of Dutch lichens, including Red List taxa. Catillaria nigroisidiata, Cladonia callosa, C. zopfii and Lecanora sinuosa are Dutch species of particular international importance. In Dutch with English abstract.] ——— & K. Yazici. 2009. Opegrapha pauciexcipulata, a new corticolous lichen from Turkey. Mycotaxon 108: 155–158. [New: O. pauciexcipulata sp. nov. from localities along the coast of the Black Sea.] Aragon, G., R. Belinchon & P. Izquierdo. 2008. Valoracion de la diversidad de liquenes epifitos en bosques de quercineas mediante un nuevo indice liquenico (IDLE). Aplicacion a la Red Natura 2000. Botanica Complutensis 32: 37–48. [Development of a new diversity index for epiphytic lichens (IDLE) based on richness, frequency and quality values from data from 346 sites in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain. ‘‘The results indicate that the lichen diversity is mainly related to the management intensity, cover and age of forests.’’ In Spanish with English abstract.] Archer, A. W. & J. A. Elix. 2009. New species and new reports in the lichen genus Pertusaria (Ascomycota: Pertusariaceae) from Australasia. Nova Hedwigia 88(1–2): 1–10. [New: P. labuensis sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea), P. mankiensis sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea), P. palumensis Elix & A. W. Archer sp. nov. (Queensland), P. simoneana sp. nov. (New Caledonia), P. wallamanensis Elix & A. W. Archer sp. nov. (Queensland) and P. wilsoneana sp. nov. (Vanuatu). Additional records are given for 6 spp.] ———, ———, E. Fischer, D. Killmann & E. Serusiaux. 2009. The lichen genus Pertusaria (Ascomycota) in Central Africa (Congo/Kivu, Rwanda and Burundi) and western Kenya. Nova Hedwigia 88(3–4): 309–333. [Treatment of 21 spp., 13 new to Africa; key. New: P. kinigiensis sp. nov. (on rocks in Rwanda and Burundi), P. krogiae sp. nov. (on bark in Rwanda and Kenya) and P. lambinonii sp. nov. (Congo, Rwanda and Burundi on rocks). Authors also include notes on 4 other African Pertusaria taxa.] Armstrong, R. A. 2009. Monthly fluctuations in radial growth of individual lobes of the lichen Parmelia conspersa (Ehrh. ex Ach.) Ach. Symbiosis 47: 9–15. [Study over 22 months in Wales. ‘‘Growth fluctuations were correlated with climatic variables in 31% of lobes, most commonly with either total * The cumulative database for this series is available in searchable form on the World Wide Web at http://www.nhm.uio.no/botanisk/bot-mus/ lav/sok_rll.htm. I owe special thanks to Bill Buck for providing copies of papers by other authors, which were otherwise unavailable to me, and to the cooperating authors who send reprints or electronic versions of their works to me for inclusion in this series.