Ecogeographic Zones Research Articles

Spatial and temporal variation in normalized difference vegetation index of vegetation in Liaoning Province from the perspective of ecogeographic zoning

Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is an important indicator reflecting vegetation cover and growth status. It is of significance for regional ecological conservation and natural resource management to investigate its spatial and temporal variation trends and response to ecological factors. We divided Liaoning Province into three ecological geographical regions, including northwest agro-pastoral zone, central agricultural zone, and eastern agroforestry zone. Based on remote sensing, vegetation, climate, topography and human activities, we used trend analysis and geographic probe model to examine the spatial and temporal trends of NDVI in Liaoning Province, and analyzed the intensity and interaction mechanism of each driver on the spatial distribution pattern of NDVI. The results showed that the annual average NDVI in Liaoning Province from 2001 to 2020 was 0-0.92, showing a distribution pattern of high in the east and low in the west, high in the inland and low in the coastal land. The overall trend of vegetation cover was increasing, and the NDVI increasing areas were mainly concentrated in the northwest agro-pastoral zone and the eastern agroforestry zone, the NDVI reduction areas were mainly concentrated at the border between the central agricultural zone and the eastern agroforestry zone, as well as in the coastal area of the eastern agroforestry zone. The annual average NDVI change varied among the three ecological-geographic zones. The NDVI of the northwest agro-pastoral zone from 2001 to 2020 were generally low, but showed a fluctuating trend of slow increase. The NDVI of the eastern agroforestry zone was high overall, and the interannual variation of NDVI was generally stable. The distribution of high and low NDVI in the central agricultural zone was staggered, and the interannual variation of NDVI showed a decreasing trend. Natural factors were the key drivers of NDVI changes in the three ecogeographic zones, with cumulative temperature and precipitation having the greatest influence. The interactions between the factors were all mutually and nonlinearly enhanced.

Morpho-Ecological Study of Wild Onobrychis altissima Grossh. and Onobrychis cyri Grossh. (Onobrychis MILL.) in Azerbaijan

Abstract Knowing the distribution and eco-geography of native Onobrychis altissima and O. cyri in Azerbaijan is critical for the implementation of strategies for their conservation and sustainable use. This study includes 27 specimens from nine wild populations of O. altissima and O. cyri collected from their natural habitats in Azerbaijan. The aims of this study are to provide a detailed morphological and eco-geographic characterization of O. altissima and O. cyri, to determine the distribution and environmental variables that define the eco-geographic zones native to Azerbaijan, and also to determine the priority areas for in situ conservation of native Onobrychis germplasm in Azerbaijan. Besides, research work was carried out for the purpose of clarifying the distribution areas, discovering more resistant species for selection, as well as enriching the genetic resources and Her-barium Fund. The specimens were biometrically assessed using 34 quantitative and 10 qualitative morphological characters. At each site, we recorded eco-geographic data regarding longitude, latitude, altitude, slope inclination, slope orientation, maximum and minimum temperatures, annual precipitation, relief, as well as soil traits including texture, humus, organic carbon, total nitrogen, pH, phosphorus pentoxide, potassium oxide, and magnesium. Cluster analysis of morphological characters showed that the nine populations could be divided into three main groups. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) of eco-geographic data is discussed. The article presents tables and phenograms reflecting some eco-geographic information and a distribution map of the species.

Early contact between late farming and pastoralist societies in southeastern Europe.

Archaeogenetic studies have described two main genetic turnover events in prehistoric western Eurasia: one associated with the spread of farming and a sedentary lifestyle starting around 7000-6000 BC (refs. 1-3) and a second with the expansion of pastoralist groups from the Eurasian steppes starting around 3300 BC (refs. 4,5). The period between these events saw new economies emerging on the basis of key innovations, including metallurgy, wheel and wagon and horse domestication6-9. However, what happened between the demise of the Copper Age settlements around 4250 BC and the expansion of pastoralists remains poorly understood. To address this question, we analysed genome-wide data from 135 ancient individuals from the contact zone between southeastern Europe and the northwestern Black Sea region spanning this critical time period. While we observe genetic continuity between Neolithic and Copper Age groups from major sites in the same region, from around 4500 BC on, groups from the northwestern Black Sea region carried varying amounts of mixed ancestries derived from Copper Age groups and those from the forest/steppe zones, indicating genetic and cultural contact over a period of around 1,000 years earlier than anticipated. We propose that the transfer of critical innovations between farmers and transitional foragers/herders from different ecogeographic zones during this early contact was integral to the formation, rise and expansion of pastoralist groups around 3300 BC.

Genetic diversity of wild barley (<i>Hordeum spontaneum</i> K. Koch) in the context of resistance to toxic aluminum ions

Background. The problem of resistance to aluminum toxicity of soils is very relevant for the cultivated type of barley. The area of acidic soils in Russia is about forty percent of the total area of arable land, so the toxicity of aluminum is one of the main factors that reduce the yield of barley. The study of wild relatives of the main crops, including barley, is of considerable interest for the development of stress-resistant cultivars. Wild barley Hordeum spontaneum K. Koch has biological characteristics similar to the cultivated H. vulgare L., grows in various ecogeographic zones, and is well adapted to local soil and climate conditions. All this makes it possible to use it as a new donor of source material for breeding high-yielding cultivars adapted to certain environmental conditions. The objective of this work was to search for H. spontaneum genotypes highly resistant to ionic (Al3+) toxicity.Materials and methods. One hundred accessions of H. spontaneum from the collection of the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) were examined. The resistance of barley accessions to toxic aluminum ions was studied at the early stages of plant development by the root test method (185 mcМ Al3+, pH 4.0) with the calculation of root and sprout length indices.Results and conclusions. The studied fragment of the wild barley collection demonstrated broad genetic diversity in terms of resistance to phytotoxic aluminum ions. Laboratory assessment allowed us to identify barley genotypes differing in the reaction of their roots and sprouts at the early phases of ontogenesis. The identified genotypes with a high level of resistance to ion stress can be used as a valuable source of genetic material to improve existing cultivars and develop new ones by introgression of foreign resistance genes.

Landscape Pattern Consistency Assessment of 10 m Land Cover Products in Different Ecological Zoning Contexts of Sichuan Province, China

The research on land cover and its changing value to the ecology environment and ecosystem service is of great importance. Understanding the landscape patterns and accuracy in remote sensing land cover data from multiple sources under eco-regionalization is important for relevant research under eco-regionalization. Land cover and land use in different ecological regionalization contexts influence massive ecosystem processes on a global scale, and many ecosystem models are dependent on accurate land cover information. It is, therefore, important to assess the available global land cover products based on different ecological zoning contexts and to understand the differences between them so that different researchers can apply them in a rational way. This study took Sichuan Province as an experimental case. Based on the three methods of spatial superposition, landscape index, and validation sample, we discussed and then analyzed the consistency of landscape patterns for the three 10 m global land cover data under different ecogeographic zones. The results showed that the spatial consistency of FROM-GLC, ESA, and ESRI land cover data were high under the ecological zoning of Palearctic0518 (PA0518) and PA1017, while the spatial pattern was less consistent for the three land cover data under the ecological zoning of PA0509 and PA0437. The fully consistent areas for the three data were 44,420.9 km2 and 53,368.9 km2, respectively. The results of the quantitative analysis of the landscape index showed significant differences in the degree of landscape fragmentation, landscape shape complexity, and the connectivity among landscape patches of several land cover data were significantly different under different ecological zones. Based on the three kinds of independent validation samples to achieve the absolute accuracy of evaluation, the overall accuracy of the FROM-GLC, ESA, and ESRI land cover data was less than 60%, and future drawing still needs to further improve the regional land cover data mapping accuracy under different ecological zones in order to carry out ecological environment monitoring, land ecological security evaluation, and related research to provide a reference.

Effect of salinity on the physiology of peanut variety 73-33 (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea, L.) is an annual papilionaceous oilseed legume cultivated on nearly 25 million hectares in tropical and temperate zones due to its remarkable plasticity to temperature and water requirements. In Senegal, peanut is produced in rural areas where they are the main source of agricultural income. Variety 73-33 is cultivated in the river valley and the groundnut basin is subject to the influence of salinization affecting four of Senegal's ecogeographic zones. Studies conducted with randomized full-block experimental set-up in the laboratory and under semi-controlled greenhouse conditions have shown the effect of different concentrations of NaCl on the peanut variety 73-33: 0mM; 25mM; 50mM; 100mM; 200mM; 300mM; 400mM; 500mM for germination and 0mM; 25mM; 50mM; 100mM for growth growth and chlorophyll production. The parameters which were measured are: the germination rate (ten days after sowing), the number of nodules, the number of gynophores, the dry biomass and the production of chlorophyll at twenty, forty and seventy-five days after sowing. Germination is significantly negatively affected from 400mM. Twenty days after sowing there is a significant difference between the control and the other treatments for the production of chlorophyll a (Chla) only. Forty days after sowing, the production of chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll shows a very highly significant difference between all the treatments. The dry biomass only shows a significant difference from 100mM. Seventy-five days after sowing, the dry biomass and the number of gynophores are significantly reduced by the salinity from 25mM.

Reference intervals for selected haematological and biochemical parameters among apparently healthy adults in different eco-geographical zones in Ghana

BackgroundDue to the influence of gender, race/genetics, age, lifestyle habits and geography on the references intervals (RIs), the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recommends the determination of population-specific RIs. Ghana continues to depend on pre-established RIs from other countries which poses the risk of misdiagnoses and wrong treatment. This study presents the haemato-biochemical RIs from four eco-geographical zones in Ghana.MethodsIn this population-based cross-sectional study, a total of 1227 randomly selected healthy voluntary blood donors from the four eco-geographic zones (Coastal Savannah, Rain Forest, Savannah and Transitional) were enrolled and screened. Based on the CLSI Guidance Document C28A2992, the data of eligible participants were used to non-parametrically determine the RIs for the haemato-biochemical parameters at the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. Comparison of analytes by gender was done by Wilcoxon rank sum test and eco-geographic differences were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis with the Dunn post hoc multiple comparison tests.ResultsThere were statistically significant differences in most of the haematological parameters (RBC, Hb, HCT, MCV, PLT, WBC; p-values <0.0001 and MCH; p-value = 0.007), and biochemical analytes (Urea, Cr, Trig, HDL-C, AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, BID, BIT, Prot-T and Albumin; p-values <0.0001) based on gender. Significant inter eco-geographic (intra-population) variations and substantial differences between the established RI and the RIs accompanying the analyzers used were also observed.ConclusionThis study reports significant inter-sex and inter-geographical differences in haemato-biochemical RIs in Ghana as well as differences in RIs with both the RIs accompanying the analyzers and those of other countries. Determining RIs representative of populations and including them in the report systems of laboratories to ensure effective and efficient healthcare service delivery is thus recommended.

Potential of some autochthonous wild plants of Burundi for vegetable oil and valuable compounds production.

Twelve species of indigenous plants have been studied in order to valorize some natural resources of Burundi (Eastern Africa) to investigate possibilities of vegetable oil production. Physicochemical properties and oil contents were determined from seeds harvested through five ecogeographic zones. From oilcake extracts, total sugars contents, proteins (TPrC), polyphenolic (TPhC), and flavonoids were quantified using spectrophotometry. Furthermore, antioxidant activity of oilcake extracts was assessed by 2, 2-diphenyl-b-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. All oil contents obtained were found to be quite similar to those of common oleaginous seeds. The two highest were found in Parinari curatellifolia (61.44 ± 4.81% Dry Matter) and Myrianthus arboreus (48.26 ± 5.96% DM). More than half of the species have shown TPrC ranging from 10 to 24% dry matter of oilcake (DM). Brachystegia longifolia was revealed exceptionally stronger antioxidant potential: effectiveness antiradical of 163.06 ± 26.29 mL/μg.min (DPPH assay) and reducing power of 2618.21 ± 161.22 GAE/100 g DM (FRAP assay). TPhC were positively correlated (p < 0.05) to the antioxidant activity. This pioneering work on these wild species highlight the potential for producing vegetable oil and valuable biomolecule sources likely for food, cosmetics, pharmacy and industry.

Late Middle Paleolithic Technological Organization and Behavior at the Open-Air Site of Barozh 12 (Armenia)

Barozh 12 is a late Middle Paleolithic open-air locality in western Armenia dating from ~ 60,000 to 31,000 years ago. Stratified deposits with high densities of obsidian artifacts permit the analysis of diachronic trends in manufacture, reduction, discard, and toolstone provisioning as related to technological organization in the context of hunter-gatherer mobility and land use. Throughout much of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, the occupants of Barozh 12 employed consistent unidirectional-convergent and unidirectional Levallois and “para-Levallois” core reduction techniques. Site occupation intensity varied over time, with changing emphasis on local core reduction and tool discard. Obsidian artifact sourcing indicates predominantly local toolstone exploitation, while blanks bearing retouch were intermittently transported to Barozh 12 over distances up to ~ 190 linear km. As a repeatedly visited, persistent place in regional settlement systems, this site records a range of mobility strategies and differential use of diverse eco-geographic zones. This study—a detailed analysis of late Middle Paleolithic technological organization at an open-air site in the Armenian highlands—broadens the regional record of Late Pleistocene hominin technological behaviors and settlement dynamics during a crucial period of human evolution.

Genetic variation and cryptic lineage diversity of the Nigerian red-headed rock agama Agama agama associate with eco-geographic zones.

Nigeria is an Afrotropical region with considerable ecological heterogeneity and levels of biotic endemism. Among its vertebrate fauna, reptiles have broad distributions, thus, they constitute a compelling system for assessing the impact of ecological variation and geographic isolation on species diversification. The red-headed rock agama, Agama agama, lives in a wide range of habitats and, thus, it may show genetic structuring and diversification. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that ecology affects its genetic structure and population divergence. Bayesian inference phylogenetic analysis of a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene recovered four well-supported matrilines with strong evidence of genetic structuring consistent with eco-geographic regions. Genetic differences among populations based on the mtDNA also correlated with geographic distance. The ecological niche model for the matrilines had a good fit and robust performance. Population divergence along the environmental axes was associated with climatic conditions, and temperature ranked highest among all environmental variables for forest specialists, while precipitation ranked highest for the forest/derived savanna, and savanna specialists. Our results cannot reject the hypothesis that niche conservatism promotes geographic isolation of the western populations of Nigerian A. agama. Thus, ecological gradients and geographic isolation impact the genetic structure and population divergence of the lizards. This species might be facing threats due to recent habitat fragmentation, especially in western Nigeria. Conservation actions appear necessary.

Expression of Nonmetric Dental Traits in Western European Neanderthals

Neanderthals of Western Europe lived across distinct ecogeographic zones from Marine Iso-tope Stage 7 to 3. Differences in dental morphology from seven Western European sites are compared in terms of ecogeography and chronology.Neanderthals (n = 12) along a north-south gradient were examined. These included the Meuse River Basin of Belgium (Engis 2 and Scladina 1-4A ), Southwest France (Pech de l'Azé 1 and Roc de Marsal), the Pyrenees (Malarnaud and Montmaurin), and the Mediterranean (Hortus). Montmaurin is the oldest, followed by Scladina 1-4A and Malarnaud, whereas the others are younger.Dental casts were prepared from Neanderthal permanent and deciduous dentition. These were de-scribed and scored, according to the ASUDAS. Comparisons of dental traits with respect to ecogeo-graphic regions and chronological categories were constructed.Unusual dental features observed include the anterior fovea, entoconulid, metaconulid, and Cara-belli’s cusp. Dental traits that distinguish ecogeographic regions are the expression of the M1 hypocone and metaconule, whereas the hypoconulid and Carabelli’s cusp separate chronological categories. Dif-ferences are present for the entoconulid and metaconulid in both comparisons.Neither chronology nor ecogeography fully explains the results. Similarities in dental traits exist between Roc de Marsal, Pech de l’Azé 1 and Engis 2, and secondarily within the Hortus assemblage.

Pollutants and Insecticides Drive Local Adaptation in African Malaria Mosquitoes.

The Anopheles gambiae complex contains a number of highly anthropophilic mosquito species that have acquired exceptional ability to thrive in complex human habitats. Thus, examining the evolutionary history of this Afrotropical mosquito may yield vital information on the selective processes that occurred during the adaptation to human-dominated environments. We performed reduced representation sequencing on 941 mosquitoes of the Anopheles gambiae complex collected across four ecogeographic zones in Cameroon. We find evidence for genetic and geographic subdivision within An. coluzzii and An. gambiae sensu stricto—the two most significant malaria vectors in the region. Importantly, in both species, rural and urban populations are genetically differentiated. Genome scans reveal pervasive signatures of selection centered on genes involved in xenobiotic resistance. Notably, a selective sweep containing detoxification enzymes is prominent in urban mosquitoes that exploit polluted breeding sites. Overall, our study suggests that recent anthropogenic environmental modifications and widespread use of insecticides are driving population differentiation and local adaptation in vectors with potentially significant consequences for malaria epidemiology.

COMPARATIVE INDICATORS OF THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF BOYS IN REPUBLIC OF DAGESTAN IN THE VARIOUS ECO-GEOGRAPHICAL ZONES

Purpose. The examination of the comparative aspect of the physical parameters of the boys in the pre - and puberty in different ecological zones (EZ) of the Republic of Dagestan (RD): mountain, foothills and plains of the taxiway. Materials and Methods. The study in 3 eco-geographic zones of the Republic of Dagestan in 2641 a boy aged 11 to 17 years. Inclusion criteria were: age of onset of puberty and the completion of 11-17 years, male gender and residence in the territory (extragenital diseases). We compared the following anthropometric indicators: height, weight, body mass index. Results and conclusions. The analysing of the physical parameters of development in different areas of extragenital diseases RD identifies the following pattern: the lowest height and weight were boys living in the foothills of the taxiway. Their peers living in highland and lowland extragenital diseases taxiway growth were similar and statistically significant differences were found statistically significant differences are particularly evident with 13-14 years in boys from foothills of RD, especially when compared with their peers plain COPIES. Thus, the overall physical development of boys RD closes to those boys Russia, although the tendency to reduce them was determined. Comparative physical development of boys in various extragenital diseases RD, the worst performance demonstrated teenagers from foothill extragenital diseases.

Eco-geographical diversity of cowpea bradyrhizobia in Senegal is marked by dominance of two genetic types

The genetic diversity of native cowpea rhizobia originating from 60 sites across four eco-geographic zones in Senegal was studied. More than 300 cowpea nodules were analyzed by PCR-RFLP of the 16S–23S rDNA InterGenic Spacer region (IGS). Alignments of IGS sequences indicated that all genotypes were grouping within the Bradyrhizobium genus. The geographical distribution showed that apart from five IGS types, the others were specifically found in only one region. The diversity was significantly higher in the Senegal River valley zone, which presents lower mean annual rainfalls and slightly alkaline soils. Interestingly, two IGS types dominated the Senegalese rhizobial collection, one IGS type (VI) was found on more than half of the nodules collected in the northern Senegal River valley while another IGS type (I) was recovered from the great majority of nodules in the three other regions sampled. Two representative strains from each of these two dominant types were isolated and further analyzed. Multi Locus Sequence Analyses using 6 housekeeping genes indicate that they belong to a new Bradyrhizobium species closely related to B. yuanmingense. Phylogenetic analyses of 2 symbiotic genes nodC and nifH show that they are clustered with B. arachidis. Physiological tests on these strains have shown that under laboratory conditions, the growth of the IGS type VI strains was slightly less affected by a higher osmotic strength in the medium and to alkaline pH, which corroborates the soil physico-chemical parameters.

Climate change affecting temperature and aridity zones: a case study in Eastern Inner Mongolia, China from 1960–2008

Recent climate change is substantially affecting the spatial pattern of geographical zones, and the temporal and spatial inconsistency of climatic warming and drying patterns contributes to the complexity of the shifting of temperature and aridity zones. Eastern Inner Mongolia, China, located in the interface region of different biomes and ecogeographic zones, has experienced dramatic drying and warming over the past several decades. In this study, the annual accumulated temperature above 10 A degrees C (AAT10) and the aridity index, two key indicators in geographical regionalization, are used to assess warming and drying processes and track the movements of temperature and aridity zones from 1960 to 2008. The results show a significant warming at the regional level from 1960 to 2008 with an AAT10 increase rate of 7.89 A degrees C center dot d/year (p < 0.001) in Eastern Inner Mongolia, while the drying trend was not significant during this period. Spatial heterogeneity of warming and drying distributions was also evident. Analysis of warming and drying via piecewise regression revealed two separate, specific trends between the first 31 years (1960-1990) and the subsequent 18 years (1991-2008). Generally, mild warming and very slight wetting occurred prior to 1990, while after 1991 both warming and drying were significant and enhanced. Continuous warming drove a northward shift of temperature zones from the 1960s to 2000s, while aridity zones displayed enhanced temporal and spatial variability. Climate change effects on temperature and aridity zones imply that the patterns of cropping systems, macro-ecosystems, and human land use modes are potentially undergoing migration and modification due to climate change.

Ecogeographic structure of phenotypic diversity in cultivated populations of quinoa from Northwest Argentina

AbstractA set of 34 quinoa populations from the Northwest Argentina region was characterised using quantitative and qualitative phenotypic traits in an experiment conducted in the province of Jujuy, Argentina. A selection of quinoa descriptors from the Bioversity International (former IBPGR) list was applied, and data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate techniques. Morphological and phenological traits variation was observed among accessions collected in contrasted ecogeographic zones of this Andean region. On the basis of quantitative traits, both the principal component analysis and the Cluster Analysis differentiated between accessions from the highlands, transition zone, central dry valleys and eastern valleys. On the other hand, the principal coordinates analysis based on qualitative traits only discriminated accessions from transition zone and eastern valleys. The correlation between both characterisations was fairly low suggesting that individual characterisations offer information that can be complementary. The accessions from the highlands and dry valleys presented the more advanced domesticated traits, while accessions from transition zone and eastern valleys showed traits more similar to wild‐type related Chenopods from the Andean region. These differences are discussed on the basis of previous hypotheses about the domestication and crop diffusion processes from the southern Andes suggested for this species.

Molecular systematics ofAbrothrix longipilis(Rodentia: Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) in Chile

We evaluated systematic relationships among most of the subspecies of the long-haired sigmodontine mouse Abrothrix longipilis in Chile. We sequenced the complete cytochrome-b gene and 634 base pairs of intron 7 of the b-fibrinogen gene from specimens from 17 localities along the distributional range of A. longipilis. Phylogenetic analyses confirm Abrothrix sanborni, once considered a subspecies of A. longipilis, as a valid species. In the latter taxon we obtained a structured phylogenetic pattern that recovered most of the geographic races traditionally recognized for this mouse. However, strong differentiation was found between A. l. longipilis from Mediterranean Chile and subspecies from the Temperate and Patagonian Forests in the south, suggesting that the former could constitute a different species. We concluded that historical events (glaciations), coupled with local selection pressures (different ecogeographic zones), might account for the current geographic pattern of variation in A. longipilis. DOI: 10.1644/10-MAMM-A-031.1.

Physico‐Chemical Analysis, NMR Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatographic Studies of Jatrophacurcas L. Germplasm

AbstractA systematic collection of Jatropha curcas germplasm was carried out from five distinct ecogeographic zones of peninsular India in 2008. This involved recording passport data, documentation of important plant traits in situ, ecogeographic parameters and assessment of variability in 82 accessions. Extraction of oil was done by the Soxhlet method which gave an average yield of 38%. Oil content of collected accessions was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance and Soxhlet extraction. Oil variability ranged from 45.5% in JC‐8 to 11.5% in JC‐30. The level of unsaturated fatty acid ranged from 85% in JC‐57 to 75.5% in JC‐10. Saturated fatty acids ranged from 24% in JC‐43 to 15% in JC‐54, the oxidative stability index was highest at 2.1 in JC‐30 and lowest at 0.68 in JC‐17. The seed weight was greatest in JC‐8 and the lowest in JC‐30. This paper provides information that will facilitate the selection of promising accessions for genetic enhancement of Jatropha germplasm through conventional breeding.

Assessing Jatropha curcas L. germplasm in-situ—A case study

A systematic collection of Jatropha curcas germplasm has been carried out from four distinct ecogeographic zones of peninsular India in 2005. This involved recording of passport data, documentation of important plant traits in-situ, ecogeographic parameters and assessment of variability. By using the Soxhlet method, the oil content of 162 collected accessions was estimated, which ranged from 22% to 42%. A method has been developed for identification of superior lines by assessing the phenotypic traits of plants recorded in-situ. This method facilitates selection of promising accessions for multi-location evaluation and hastens the process of utilization of germplasm. The traits for the plus trees of Jatropha have been discussed.

Latitudinal gradients of species richness: a test of the geographic area hypothesis at two ecological scales

The geographic area hypothesis advances area as the primary cause of latitudinal gradients in diversity. The greater area of tropical zones, it suggests, stimulates speciation, inhibits extinction, and leads to increased species richness compared to the situation in smaller temperate and boreal zones. Because bats exhibit exceptionally strong latitudinal gradients of richness at multiple spatial scales in the New World, they are an appropriate system with which to test the geographic area hypothesis. We used range maps for 250 species of New World bats to estimate species richness in biogeographic zones at two hierarchical spatial scales: biome types and provinces. We then conducted a series of regression analyses to evaluate the ability of area to account for latitudinal gradients in species richness. However, spillover (zonal bleeding) of tropical species into extra‐tropical zones may mask the species‐area relationship and alter perceptions of the latitudinal gradient. To address this issue, we conducted additional analyses excluding tropical species, using a series of increasingly inclusive definitions of tropical ranges. Ecogeographic zones of the New World are not larger at tropical versus extra‐tropical latitudes. Moreover, spillover of tropical species into ecogeographic zones within extra‐tropical regions generally does not diminish the association between richness and area. Nonetheless, the latitudinal gradient of species richness is strong and significant at both ecogeographic scales. Clearly, area does not drive the latitudinal gradient of bat species richness in the New World. In fact, area represents a source of noise rather than a dominant signal at the focal scale of biome types and provinces in the Western Hemisphere.