Geographic Range Research Articles

The evolution of transposable elements in Brachypodium distachyon is governed by purifying selection, while neutral and adaptive processes play a minor role

Understanding how plants adapt to changing environments and the potential contribution of transposable elements (TEs) to this process is a key question in evolutionary genomics. While TEs have recently been put forward as active players in the context of adaptation, few studies have thoroughly investigated their precise role in plant evolution. Here, we used the wild Mediterranean grass Brachypodium distachyon as a model species to identify and quantify the forces acting on TEs during the adaptation of this species to various conditions, across its entire geographic range. Using sequencing data from more than 320 natural B. distachyon accessions and a suite of population genomics approaches, we reveal that putatively adaptive TE polymorphisms are rare in wild B. distachyon populations. After accounting for changes in past TE activity, we show that only a small proportion of TE polymorphisms evolved neutrally (<10%), while the vast majority of them are under moderate purifying selection regardless of their distance to genes. TE polymorphisms should not be ignored when conducting evolutionary studies, as they can be linked to adaptation. However, our study clearly shows that while they have a large potential to cause phenotypic variation in B. distachyon, they are not favored during evolution and adaptation over other types of mutations (such as point mutations) in this species.

Hiding in plain sight: a widespread native perennial harbors diverse haplotypes of 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' and its potato psyllid vector.

The unculturable bacterium 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' (CLso) is responsible for a growing number of emerging crop diseases. However, we know little about the diversity and ecology of CLso and its psyllid vectors outside of agricultural systems, which limits our ability to manage crop disease and understand the impacts this pathogen may have on wild plants in natural ecosystems. In North America, CLso is transmitted to crops by the native potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli). But the geographic and host plant range of the potato psyllid and CLso beyond the borders of agriculture are not well understood. A recent study of historic herbarium specimens revealed that a unique haplotype of CLso was present infecting populations of the native perennial Solanum umbelliferum in California decades before CLso was first detected in crops. We hypothesized that this haplotype, and other potentially novel CLso variants, are still present in S. umbelliferum populations. To test this, we surveyed populations of S. umbelliferum in Southern California for CLso and potato psyllid vectors. We found multiple haplotypes of CLso and the potato psyllid associated with these populations, with none of these genetic variants having been previously reported in California crops. These results suggest that CLso and its psyllid vectors are much more widespread and diverse in North American natural plant communities than suggested by data collected solely from crops and weeds in agricultural fields. Further characterization of these apparently asymptomatic haplotypes will facilitate comparison with disease-causing variants and provide insights into the continued emergence and spread of CLso.

The southern geographic range of Micronycteris sanborni (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae)

Abstract The southern distribution of Micronycteris sanborni became controversial after the description of Micronycteris yatesi based on specimens formerly reported as M. sanborni in Bolivia. It raised doubts on the identity of the southernmost specimen of M. sanborni reported from Serra da Bodoquena, Brazil. We rechecked the identification of this specimen and report four new records of M. sanborni from Serra da Bodoquena. External and craniodental features of all five examined specimens fit the current M. sanborni diagnosis, supporting this region as the southern boundary of its geographic range in South America.

New occurrences of the bone-eating worm Osedax from Late Cretaceous marine reptiles and implications for its biogeography and diversification.

The bone-eating worm Osedax is a speciose and globally distributed clade, primarily found on whale carcasses in marine environments. The earliest fossil evidence for Osedax borings was previously described in plesiosaur and sea turtle bones from the mid-Cretaceous of the United Kingdom, representing the only unequivocal pre-Oligocene occurrences. Confirming through CT scanning, we present new evidence of Osedax borings in three plesiosaur specimens and, for the first time, identify borings in two mosasaur specimens. All specimens are from the Late Cretaceous: one from the Cenomanian of the United Kingdom, two from the Campanian of the southeastern United States, and two from the Maastrichtian of Belgium. This extends the geographic range of Osedax in the Cretaceous to both sides of the northern Atlantic Ocean. The bones contain five borehole morphotypes, potentially created by different species of Osedax, with the Cenomanian specimen containing three morphotypes within a single tooth. This combined evidence of heightened species diversity by the Cenomanian and broad geographic range by the Campanian potentially indicates an earlier origin and diversification for this clade than previously hypothesized. Preservational biases indicate that Osedax was probably even more widely distributed and speciose in the Cretaceous than apparent in the fossil record.

Valene Smith, tourism, and the remapping of anthropological terrain

This article argues that Valene Smith’s contributions were fundamental for mapping out the terrain for what was envisioned as an ‘anthropology of tourism.’ As the first major collection of anthropological research on the topic of tourism, Smith’s 1977 volume Hosts and Guests offered a wide geographical range of ethnographically grounded studies of tourism, charted typologies, and chronicled tourism impacts, much as one would map a ‘field of ethnological study’. This article addresses the role of Smiths’s volume in legitimizing what had previously been an off-the-radar realm of anthropological study. It also traces one of the many legacies of Smith’s landmark volume: the blossoming of a realm of tourism studies oriented toward examining the politics, performance, and negotiation of identities (including ethnicity, gender, nationalism, and heritage) in and beyond encounters between ‘hosts’ and ‘guests.’ Finally, the article addresses Smith’s 2001 revised edition of the volume, Hosts and Guests Revisited, arguing that her essays in that volume presciently identified 21st-century realms of interest for tourism scholars, including space tourism, voluntourism, terrorism and tourism, and cyberspace.

Genotype-by-environment interactions and local adaptation shape selection in the US National Chip Processing Trial

Key messageWe find evidence of selection for local adaptation and extensive genotype-by-environment interaction in the potato National Chip Processing Trial (NCPT).We present a novel method for dissecting the interplay between selection, local adaptation and environmental response in plant breeding schemes. Balancing local adaptation and the desire for widely adapted cultivars is challenging for plant breeders and makes genotype-by-environment interactions (GxE) an important target of selection. Selecting for GxE requires plant breeders to evaluate plants across multiple environments. One way breeders have accomplished this is to test advanced materials across many locations. Public potato breeders test advanced breeding material in the National Chip Processing Trial (NCPT), a public–private partnership where breeders from ten institutions submit advanced chip lines to be evaluated in up to ten locations across the country. These clones are genotyped and phenotyped for important agronomic traits. We used these data to interrogate the NCPT for GxE. Further, because breeders submitting clones to the NCPT select in a relatively small geographic range for the first 3 years of selection, we examined these data for evidence of incidental selection for local adaptation, and the alleles underlying it, using an environmental genome-wide association study (envGWAS). We found genomic regions associated with continuous environmental variables and discrete breeding programs, as well as regions of the genome potentially underlying GxE for yield.

Will Dalbergia species survive climate change? Predicting the potential future distribution of threatened species in Madagascar

Many species of Dalbergia, the source of highly prized rosewood, are threatened with extinction, a situation compounded by climate change. Accurate estimates of how suitable habitat will be impacted by global change are needed to inform their sustainable management. We selected five commercially exploited species endemic to humid eastern Madagascar (D. baronii, D. louvelii, D. maritima, D. normandii, and D. orientalis) to explore the potential value of species distribution modeling for understanding factors influencing their current distributions and estimating future patterns of suitable habitat, using MaxEnt and locality information for 715 taxonomically and spatially validated occurrences. Eight bioclimatic variables were used for modeling; projections were made under three scenarios for climate change and two for CO2 emissions. The distribution of each of the five species is primarily influenced by precipitation seasonality. Their potential geographical range is predicted to decrease by 2100 (-5% to -33%) under the optimistic CO2 scenario (RCP 2.6) except for a slight expansion of D. normandii (+2%), and by -14% to -58% under the pessimistic scenario (RCP 8.5). Our results show that suitable habitat will likely decrease with climate change, even within protected areas. They provide valuable information for future application of IUCN Red List criterion A to exploited species with fragmented distributions, targeting ex-situ conservation and management, and guiding restoration, reforestation, and other actions to establish and reinforce Dalbergia populations in areas where they are more likely to persist during climate change over the present century and beyond.

Amphibians at risk: Effects of climate change in the southwestern North American drylands

Climate change can affect species' geographical range in several ways, leading to species' geographical range expansion and contraction. Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class, and deterioration is due, in part, to the loss of suitable habitat. This taxonomic group is especially sensitive because of their biphasic life cycles (aquatic and terrestrial) and microhabitat requirements. Herein, we propose a combined approach, which uses biological and life history information to understand species' sensitivity to climate change. The goals of our study were to (1) identify the contribution of environmental variables to the broad-scale distribution of amphibians in drylands of the southwestern United States and Mexico, (2) describe how the habitat suitability of amphibians can potentially respond to a range of climate change scenarios across drylands, and (3) identify amphibian traits related to increased vulnerability and adaptation to the specific pressures and mechanisms of climate change projected for the dryland areas. Results show that climate strongly influences the geographic distribution of amphibian diversity in drylands and that most amphibians are expected to lose habitat in the upcoming decades. This study also shows that areas with the greatest loss of high habitat suitability are related to temperature increases and precipitation reductions. Our results build a framework that will significantly improve the current state of knowledge on the drylands' biogeography while providing comprehensive information and analyses for decision-makers to conserve and protect endangered and threatened amphibian species and their habitats.

Health Assessment of Adult Male Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) from Western Kentucky, USA.

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are an important game species throughout the geographic range. Populations throughout multiple regions of the US have been declining, including in Kentucky, US, raising concerns among managers and resource users. To better understand the overall population health, we performed postmortem examinations and targeted pathogen, mineral, and toxicant testing on 36 adult male, apparently healthy, wild turkeys that were hunter harvested in western Kentucky during April 2018. We found that birds were in fair to good nutritional condition with no significant gross or microscopic lesions. Ticks (Amblyomma spp.) and lice (three species) were present on 94 and 31% of birds, respectively. We commonly detected intestinal nematodes and cestodes and found coccidian oocysts in 39% and capillarid eggs in 6% of birds. The prevalences of lymphoproliferative disease virus and reticuloendotheliosis virus were 39 and 11%, respectively. Spleen samples tested with PCR were positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, Haemoproteus sp., and Leucocytozoon sp. in 11, 83, and 3%, respectively. Based on a subjective histologic assessment of testis tissues, most birds had widespread and abundant sperm present. Mineral analysis and broad toxicant screening on liver samples from 32 turkeys were unremarkable. Further work is needed to assess potential population risk factors and to determine individual- and population-level impacts of pathogens on adults and poults.

Gene expression variation in geographically diverse populations of two North American songbird species

The range distributions of many bird species cover extensive geographic distances, exposing each local population to unique ecological challenges. Understanding the molecular basis of how species adapt to diverse habitats across their geographic range is crucial for identifying populations at risk and implementing effective conservation strategies. In this study, we employed two passerine species, the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) and the American goldfinch (Spinus tristis), which are widely distributed across North America. This study focused on examining changes in gene expression within their distinct populations inhabiting diverse habitats across various geographical locations. A comparative transcriptomic study was conducted on wild-caught birds from two geographically separate locations, Boston, Massachusetts, and Kent, Ohio, characterized by considerable annual variability in winter severity. We tested the hypothesis that populations of both species in Kent and Boston would show differential gene expression patterns in their brains in response to unique local environmental conditions. Analyzing the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in black-capped chickadees revealed associations with neural processes such as the generation and maintenance of neurons, activity-dependent plasticity, and cognitive ability. Many of these genes were linked to brain variation in chickadee populations related to spatial cognition associated with food caching. We also compared changes in gene expression levels with coding sequence variability to explore the underlying basis of differential gene expression patterns. We tested the hypothesis that expression differences are driven by underlying genetic variation. A population genetic analysis on transcriptome data from both species revealed no highly divergent genetic variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) in the coding regions of genes identified as differentially expressed. However, some of the DEGs themselves were transcription factors or regulatory molecules, as were some of the genes with highly divergent SNPs. These findings suggest that the genetic architecture underlying the differential gene expression patterns is mostly regulatory rather than protein-coding changes.

Scaling approaches and macroecology provide a foundation for assessing ecological resilience in the Anthropocene.

In the Anthropocene, intensifying ecological disturbances pose significant challenges to our predictive capabilities for ecosystem responses. Macroecology-which focuses on emergent statistical patterns in ecological systems-unveils consistent regularities in the organization of biodiversity and ecosystems. These regularities appear in terms of abundance, body size, geographical range, species interaction networks, or the flux of matter and energy. This paper argues for moving beyond qualitative resilience metaphors, such as the 'ball and cup', towards a more quantitative macroecological framework. We suggest a conceptual and theoretical basis for ecological resilience that integrates macroecology with a stochastic diffusion approximation constrained by principles of biological symmetry. This approach provides an alternative novel framework for studying ecological resilience in the Anthropocene. We demonstrate how our framework can effectively quantify the impacts of major disturbances and their extensive ecological ramifications. We further show how biological scaling insights can help quantify the consequences of major disturbances, emphasizing their cascading ecological impacts. The nature of these impacts prompts a re-evaluation of our understanding of resilience. Emphasis on regularities of ecological assemblages can help illuminate resilience dynamics and offer a novel basis to predict and manage the impacts of disturbance in the Anthropocene more efficiently. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.

Making better use of tracking data can reveal the spatiotemporal and intraspecific variability of species distributions

Understanding geographic ranges and species distributions is crucial for effective conservation, especially in the light of climate and land use change. However, the spatial, temporal and intraspecific resolution of digital accessible information on species distributions is often limited. Here, we suggest to make better use of high‐resolution tracking data to address existing limitations of occurrence records such as spatial biases (e.g. lack of observations in parts of the geographic range), temporal biases (e.g. lack of observations during a certain period of the year), and insufficient information on intraspecific variability (e.g. lack of population‐ or individual‐level variation). Addressing these gaps can improve our knowledge on geographic ranges, intra‐annual changes in species distributions, and population‐level differences in habitat and space use. We demonstrate this with tracking data and species distribution models (SDMs) of the barnacle goose, a migratory bird species wintering in western Europe and breeding in the Arctic. Our analyses show that tracking data can 1) supplement occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) in remote areas such as the European and Russian Arctic, 2) improve information on the temporal use of wintering, staging and breeding areas of migratory species and 3) be used to reveal distribution patterns at the population level. We recommend a broader use of tracking data to address the Wallacean shortfall (i.e. the incomplete knowledge on the geographic distribution of species) and to improve forecasts of biodiversity responses to climate and land use change (e.g. species vulnerability assessments). To avoid common pitfalls, we provide six recommendations for consideration during the research cycle when using tracking data in species distribution modelling, including steps to assess biases and integrate information on intraspecific variability in modelling approaches.

Spatial and temporal variability in the structure of the multiple-herbivore community of horsenettle, and evidence for evolutionary responses in host-plant resistance

The geographic mosaic model of plant–herbivore coevolution asserts that interactions between a plant species and an herbivore species vary in intensity among populations across the plant’s geographic range. Despite this model’s intuitive appeal, data to investigate its implications for the type of complex, multiple-herbivore communities that occur in nature are scant. This paper reports on the results of 2 years of field surveys of damage by five leaf herbivores and one stem herbivore in four Solanum carolinense (horsenettle) populations, combined with results of a common-garden study quantifying the mean resistance levels of the plants from each field against each of the six herbivores. The relative amounts of damage caused by each species (representing the “herbivore-community structure”) differed significantly among the four fields. The plants were much more heavily damaged in the 2nd year than in the first, but the herbivore-community structure remained stable within each field between years. Overall, the amount of damage by species of herbivores in a field tended to be positively correlated with the plants’ levels of resistance that were measured in the common garden (r = 0.40, P = 0.05). Specifically, for five of the six herbivores, greater damage in the field was associated with greater plant resistance. This result suggests that horsenettle’s evolution of resistance against specific herbivores can occur rather quickly within fields, creating a local-scale mosaic of populations specifically adapted to the particular structure of the herbivore community that they are facing, but that herbivore-community structure is not strongly determined by plant resistance.

Predicting the effect of climate change on the geographic range of the Mediterranean relict tree Liquidambar orientalis Mill

Climate change is anticipated to pose a significant danger to the habitats and spatial distribution of species in the Mediterranean region throughout the present century. The primary objective of this study was to predict the future geographic range of Liquidambar orientalis, commonly known as the oriental sweetgum under different climate change scenarios. This species is a relict riparian Mediterranean plant originating from the southwestern Anatolia region and Rhodos Island in Greece. To gain insights into the potential effects of climate change on the range of L. orientalis in the future, I used an ensemble modeling approach of species distribution models based on the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP1‐2.6 and SSP5‐8.5 for the years 2035, 2055 and 2070). The models suggested that the level of precipitation during the wettest month has a crucial role in determining the occurrence of the oriental sweetgum tree. Future projections indicate that the oriental sweetgum will significantly contract its native distribution range due to warming and declining precipitation levels. The population of L. orientalis has previously undergone a decrease as a result of anthropogenic activity. Therefore, it is imperative to augment the degree of urgency in conservation endeavors for the oriental sweetgum species against the ramifications of human‐induced actions and the persistent effects of climate change.

Do aposematic species have larger range sizes? A case study with neotropical poison frogs

AbstractAimAposematic animals, i.e., those that are defended and warn potential predators through signals, are suggested to have resource‐gathering advantages against non‐aposematic ones. We here explore this in a biogeographic framework expecting that aposematic species are better dispersers, which translates into larger geographic range size.LocationSouth America.TaxonPoison frogs (Amphibia; Aromobatidae and Dendrobatidae).MethodsWe use 43 toxic and 26 non‐toxic poison frog species from the lowlands only as representatives of aposematic and non‐aposematic study organisms, respectively. Realised and potential geographic ranges are calculated using minimum convex polygon and species distribution modelling methods, respectively. Accounting for species body size and phylogeny, we test if both range and aposematism are correlated using linear mixed‐effects models.ResultsAposematic and non‐aposematic species neither differ in realised nor in potential geographic range size. There was no effect on body size.Main ConclusionsThe role of aposematism is not yet as clear as suggested and determinants of poison frog range sizes are multifaceted. A more integrative approach is needed using the information on behaviour, predation risk, and reproductive biology to assess the role of aposematism on observed species distributions. Such data are not yet available for most species, neither poison frogs nor other aposematic animals.

Climate change will likely facilitate invasion of Asian orchid Eulophia graminea into new areas

Climate change plays an increasing role in the global biodiversity crisis. Alteration in local climatic conditions not only can negatively affect native biodiversity but also can accelerate the introduction and spread of invasive species. In this study the ecological niche modelling approach was used to evaluate possible changes in the distribution of suitable niches of invasive orchid Eulophia graminea within its native (Asia) and non-native geographical range (America, Australia). We mapped the current potential range of this species and analysed three various projections of future climate (for 2100) each with four different climate change scenarios (SSPs). Calculated niche overlap indexes indicated low similarity of niches occupied by native and invasive populations of E. graminea and Australian populations seem to be the most unique, while American and Asian groups share partially similar niches. The occurrence of the American population of E. graminea was correlated especially with the temperature seasonality, while the Asian and Australian populations with annual precipitation and precipitation of the wettest quarter. As indicated in our analyses within Asia and America, E. graminea does not occupy all climatically suitable niches. On the other hand, in Australia the species studied already occupies all appropriate niche space. Climate change will likely be favorable for species studied to expand its range if the biotic components of its niche space (e.g., mycorrhizal fungi) will respond similarly. The most significant range expansion is predicted to occur in Australia which is interesting considering the marginally suitable habitats that E. graminea currently occupies.

The Neanderthal niche space of Western Eurasia 145 ka to 30 ka ago

Neanderthals occupied Western Eurasia between 350 ka and 40 ka ago, during the climatically volatile Pleistocene. A key issue is to what extent Neanderthal populations expanded into areas of Western Eurasia and what conditions facilitated such range expansions. The range extent of Neanderthals is generally based on the distribution of Neanderthal material, but the land-altering nature of glacial periods has erased much of the already sparse material evidence of Neanderthals, particularly in the northern latitudes. To overcome this obstacle species distribution models can estimate past distributions of Neanderthals, however, most implementations are generally constrained spatially and temporally and may be artificially truncating the Neanderthal niche space. Using dated contexts from Neanderthal sites from across Western Eurasia, millennial-scale paleoclimate reconstructions, and a spatiotemporal species distribution model, we infer the fundamental climatic niche space of Neanderthals and estimate the extent of Neanderthal occupation. We find that (a.) despite the long timeframe, Neanderthals occupy a relatively narrow fundamental climatic niche space, (b.) the estimated projected potential Neanderthal niche space suggests a larger geographic range than the material record suggests, and (c.) that there was a general decline in the size of the projected potential Neanderthal niche from 145 ka ago onward, possibly contributing to their extinction.

Projections of Aedes and Culex mosquitoes across North and South America in response to climate change

IntroductionClimate and land use change may cause the geographical range of mosquitoes to expand, shift, or contract, ultimately changing what communities are at risk for contracting mosquito-borne diseases. Across North and South America, mosquitoes from the Aedes and Culex genera are vectors for numerous diseases, including chikungunya, dengue, various equine encephalitis viruses, Saint Louis encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, yellow fever virus, and Zika virus. The goal of our study was to project the geographical distributions of important mosquito vectors across North and South America in response to climate change, which is important to inform public health planning. MethodsWe used an ecological niche model and future projections of climate and land use to project the geographical ranges of two Aedes species (Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus) and seven Culex species (Cx. erraticus, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. pipiens, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. restuans, Cx. salinarius, Cx. tarsalis) over North and South America in response to both a high (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway [SSP] 5, Representative Concentration Pathway [RCP] 8.5) and moderate (SSP2 RCP4.5) climate warming scenario through years 2050 and 2090. ResultsFor SSP5 RCP8.5, six species (Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Cx. erraticus, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. restuans) are projected to expand in geographical range, two species (Cx. pipiens, Cx. tarsalis) are projected to shift in geographical range, and one species (Cx. salinarius) is projected to nearly remain the same. Five species (Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Cx. erraticus, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. quinquefasciatus) show the largest increase in high habitat suitability (>0.5 on a 0–1 scale) for SSP5 RCP8.5, three species (Cx. pipiens, Cx. restuans, Cx. tarsalis) show the largest increase for SSP2 RCP4.5, and one species (Cx. salinarius) shows a relatively small decrease in response to both scenarios. ConclusionsWe found that all nine species responded resiliently to climate change under both the high and moderate climate warming scenario, suggesting mosquito-borne disease is likely to be a continued threat in response to climate change. The projected geographical ranges can be used to inform disease risk analyses and mitigation strategies in response to climate change.

Endemic amphibians of the Cerrado and Caatinga: species richness, geographic range and conservation

The Cerrado and the Caatinga have few formally protected areas and encompass a high diversity of amphibians, which is still relatively unknown. In this study we present the list of amphibian species endemic to the Cerrado or Caatinga and their geographic range, highlighting current conservation status. We obtained the species list from the compilation of scientific publications (up to July 2022). We obtained the occurrence records from the databases SpeciesLink, GBIF, Portal da Biodiversidade and literature. We classified the species in the categories of threat according to the Brazilian list of threatened species and the global list of threatened species. We compiled 2,659 occurrences of amphibians, 1,335 from the SpeciesLink platform, 414 from GBIF, 371 from the Biodiversity Portal and 539 obtained from the literature. We recorded 100 endemic species, 82 from the Cerrado and 18 from the Caatinga. The Cerrado has three species Vulnerable (VU) (Boana buriti, Bokermannohyla napolii and Scinax pinimus), one Critically Endangered (CR) (Proceratophrys moratoi), 14 species Data Deficient (DD), 46 in the Least Concern (LC) category and 18 Not Evaluated (NE). The Caatinga has three species CR (Adelophryne maranguapensis, Proceratophrys ararype, Rhinella casconi), three DD, five LC and seven NE. Threatened, DD and NE species have few records within the protected areas of Cerrado and Caatinga. We consider that the Cerrado and Caatinga present a rich diversity of endemic amphibians, which have a geographic range relatively reduced, especially the threatened ones, DD and NE. Distribution and taxonomy data are essential, because the lack can hinder the assessment of conservation status, since threatened species, DD, NE, including LC, may be undervalued and at risk. Keywords: amphibia, distribution, endemism, species list, species protection

A comprehensive framework for the delimitation of species within the Bemisia tabaci cryptic complex, a global pest-species group.

Identifying cryptic species poses a substantial challenge to both biologists and naturalists due to morphological similarities. Bemisia tabaci is a cryptic species complex containing more than 44 putative species; several of which are currently among the world's most destructive crop pests. Interpreting and delimiting the evolution of this species complex has proved problematic. To develop a comprehensive framework for species delimitation and identification, we evaluated the performance of distinct data sources both individually and in combination among numerous samples of the B. tabaci species complex acquired worldwide. Distinct datasets include full mitogenomes, single-copy nuclear genes, restriction site-associated DNA sequencing, geographic range, host speciation, and reproductive compatibility datasets. Phylogenetically, our well-supported topologies generated from threedense molecular markers highlighted the evolutionary divergence of species of the B. tabaci complex and suggested that the nuclear markers serve as a more accurate representation of B. tabaci species diversity. Reproductive compatibility datasets facilitated the identification of at least 17 different cryptic species within our samples. Native geographic range information provides a complementary assessment of species recognition, while the host range datasets provide low rate of delimiting resolution. We further summarized different data performances in species classification when compared with reproductive compatibility, indicating that combination of mtCOI divergence, nuclear markers, geographic range provide a complementary assessment of species recognition. Finally, we represent a model for understanding and untangling the cryptic species complexes based on the evidence from this study and previously published articles.