Geographical Distribution Of Species Research Articles

Coprinellus deminutus (Psathyrellaceae, Agaricomycetes), A Rare Fungus Newly Recorded from Russia

AbstractCoprinellus deminutus is a very rare species that is known only from three localities in Europe. This paper presents new records of the species in Russia (two new localities in the protected areas of Orenburg Region, the European part of Russia). It expands this species geographic distribution to the Urals. A description of the species and its habitats is provided.

Incorporating time into the traditional correlational distributional modelling framework: A proof‐of‐concept using the Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina

Abstract Detailed spatio‐temporal information about geographic distributions of species is critical for biodiversity analyses in conservation and planning. Traditional correlative modelling approaches use species observational data in model calibration and testing in a time‐averaged framework. This method averages environmental values through time to yield a single environmental value for each location. Although valuable for exploring distributions of species at a broad level, this averaging is one of myriad factors impacting model quality and reliability. We sought to optimize traditional correlative niche model performance in distributional ecology contexts by incorporating time specificity into the existing modelling framework. We modified the existing framework to account for temporal dynamics in species' distributions to produce more robust, temporally explicit models. Using the Wood Thrush Hylostichla mustelina as our study species, we introduce a method of (a) deriving a temporally explicit pseudo‐absence dataset using kernel density estimates to replicate relative sampling of sites through time, and (b) incorporating temporally explicit covariates in model calibration. By accounting for location, and month and year of primary data collection, the time‐specific models successfully yielded dynamic predictions reflecting known distributional shifts in Hylocichla mustelina's annual movement pattern. The modified data preparation steps that we present incorporate temporal dimensions into traditional correlational modelling approaches improving predictive capacity and overall utility of these models for highly mobile, short‐lived or behaviourally complex species. With the ability to estimate species' niches in greater detail, time‐specific models will be able to address specific concerns of species‐level management and policy development for highly mobile and/or migratory species, as well as disease vectors of public health interest.

Biodiversity Climate Shifts: shaping data transformation and evaluation

Ecosystem services provided by biodiversity are associated with supporting life on the planet. Climate change has negatively impacted biodiversity, altering the phenology and geographical distribution of species and the interaction between them. In megadiverse areas, such as tropical forests, studies of species interactions that consider all the species of flora and fauna are not feasible due to our limited knowledge of biodiversity and the necessity of extensive and costly fieldwork. Instead, Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) techniques can be used, together with other species information (e.g., pollination syndrome) as a proxy for these interactions to estimate spatial patterns of potential distribution dynamics. In this study, we modeled our process steps to obtain the estimated future climate shifts and identification of climatically stable areas over time. These areas may represent climatic refuges and future actions to increase the connectivity between them are strategies that could help mitigate potential future damage for biodiversity conservation. Our resulting evaluation data processing flow originated from our group process analysis applied to the Carajás region (Brazil) in which we identified the probable losses of nectarivorous bat species (pollinators), on the order of 66% (Costa et al. 2018); nectarivorous birds, on the order of 60% (Miranda et al. 2019); and bees, on the order of 85% (Giannini et al. 2020) until 2050. Our process, described using the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is represented in Fig. 1. Our group is preparing a data paper with all of our generated data and programs/libraries to be released as soon as possible.

At the end of the world? Settlement in the Šumava mountains and foothills in later prehistory

Abstract The aim of this paper is to explore and define the boundary of the zone of inland, mainly agricultural settlement in southern and western Bohemia, Czech Republic in the later prehistory, and to try to determine why such settlement appears not to have spread further into the Šumava foothills and mountains. With the help of predictive MaxEnt modelling – used in ecology to determine the degree of uncertainty in the geographic distribution of species – and using a comparison with data on soil productivity, we explore whether in later prehistory the agricultural settlement was limited by unsuitable natural conditions or by other factors. The boundaries of the territory suitable for agropastoral farming most probably moved in time with technological advances, increases in population density, and the changing preferences of inhabitants of the Bronze and Iron Ages. The margin of agricultural settlement in the foothills describes a line beyond which agriculture had become unprofitable; a similar boundary existed throughout the Early Middle Ages. At the same time, there was a good deal of contact across the mountains with Bavaria and Upper Austria, as is shown by archaeology both in the form of similarities between the prehistoric typo-chronological complexes and by finds of bronze and iron items along presumed routes of access. There were also montane sites (whose function is still unknown) situated beyond the margin of the agricultural zone, such as the recently discovered settlements on the Křemelná river. Apart from prospection, a wide range of other activities could have taken place, including those connected with communication and routes of access to Bavaria and Upper Austria, with which Šumava formed a common typo-chronological group.

Comparing biodiversity databases: Greater Caribbean reef fishes as a case study

AbstractThere is a widespread need for reliable biodiversity databases for science and conservation. Among the many public databases available, we lack guidance as to how their data quality varies. Here, we compare species distribution data for a well known regional reef fish fauna extracted from five global online databases that supply “as is” data (GBIF, OBIS, IDigBio, FishNet2 and FishBase) and our own curated regional database (STRI, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute) using quantitative criteria, and assess how they affect biogeographical analyses. We first describe the databases and quantify overlap between them. We then describe variation in the geographical distributions of species records and species richness and in the completeness of local species lists. Finally, we assess the consequences of using these different databases in biogeographical analyses by comparing patterns of species turnover (beta diversity) and bioregionalization. The databases vary considerably in size and show high overlap in species lists, but low overlap in georeferenced species records. Levels of completeness of local inventories are spatially heterogeneous and low in most databases. Spatial biases produced artefactual variation in patterns of species turnover and delineation of bioregions in all databases. Although not the largest, STRI database has the most complete geographic coverage of data, showed relatively low turnover and the clearest biogeographic regionality. Incorporating data from a wide range of other sources, curating data to reduce errors, and assessing effects of spatial biases in data is critical to obtaining an accurate picture of the geography of biodiversity and its change.

Incipient genetic divergence or cryptic speciation? Procamallanus (Nematoda) in freshwater fishes (Astyanax)

AbstractHosts provide the main environmental traits parasites have to deal with, resulting in covariation between both associates at both micro‐ and macro‐evolutionary scales; phylogenetic analyses of highly host‐specific parasites have shown that parasite and host phylogeny might be highly congruent, and adaptation of a host species to new environments may lead to concordant changes of their parasites. Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) neocaballeroi is a highly host‐specific parasitic nematode of the Neotropical freshwater fish genus Astyanax in Mexico. One of the host species of the nematode is the emblematic Mexican tetra, A. mexicanus, which exhibits two contrasting phenotypes, a cave‐dwelling morph (with troglomorphic features), and the surface‐dwelling morph; other congeneric species inhabit rivers and lakes, and some of them occur in sympatry, displaying trophic specializations. Here, we explored the hypothesis that contrasting environments (surface rivers vs cave rivers), and host morphological divergence (sympatric ecomorphs in a lacustrine environment) might result in the divergence of their parasites, even though the hosts maintain a cohesive genetic structure as the same species. To test the hypothesis, several populations of Astyanax spp. were sampled to search for P. (S.) neocaballeroi. The nematode was found in 10 of the 52 sampled sites; two localities corresponded to cave populations. The phylogenetic analysis based on COI sequences yielded three major lineages for P. (S.) neocaballeroi. We found no concordance between the three lineages and the habitat where they occur in Astyanax mexicanus, even considering those living in drastic environmental conditions (caves), or between these lineages and lacustrine ecomorphs of Astyanax aeneus and A. caballeroi occurring in sympatry. Instead, genetic lineages of the nematode exhibit a clearer pattern of host species association and geographical distribution; our results showed that P. (S.) neocaballeroi is experiencing an incipient divergence although the morphological study of lineages shows no conspicuous differences.

Global biodiversity and biogeography of mangrove crabs: Temperature, the key driver of latitudinal gradients of species richness.

Mangroves are ideal habitat for a variety of marine species especially brachyuran crabs as the dominant macrofauna. However, the global distribution, endemicity, and latitudinal gradients of species richness in mangrove crabs remains poorly understood. Here, we assessed whether species richness of mangrove crabs decreases towards the higher latitudes and tested the importance of environmental factors such as Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in creating the latitudinal gradients in species richness of mangrove crabs. A total of 8262 distribution records of 481 species belonging to six families of mangrove crabs including Camptandriidae, Dotillidae, Macrophthalmidae, Ocypodidae, Sesarmidae, and Oziidae were extracted from open-access databases or collected by the authors, quality controlled, cleaned, and analyzed. Species richness was plotted against 5° latitudinal bands in relation to environmental factors. The R software and ArcGIS 10.6.1 were used to analyze the species latitudinal range and richness as well as to map the distribution of mangrove forest, endemic species, species geographical distribution records, and biogeographic regions. The Indo-West Pacific showed the highest species richness of mangrove crabs where more than 65% of species were found in the Indian Ocean and along the western Pacific Ocean. Our results showed that there are 11 significantly different biogeographic regions of mangrove crabs. The highest endemicity rate was observed in the NW Pacific Ocean (29%). Latitudinal patterns of species richness in Macrophthalmidae, Ocypodidae, and Sesarmidae showed an increasing trend from the poles toward the intermediate latitudes including one dip near the equator. However, latitudinal gradients in Camptandriidae, Dotillidae, and Oziidae were unimodal increasing from the higher latitudes towards the equator. Species richness per 5° latitudinal bands significantly increased following mean SST mean (°C), calcite, euphotic depth (m), and mangrove area (km2) across all latitudes, and tide average within each hemisphere. Species richness significantly decreased with dissolved O2 (ml l-1) and nitrate (μmol l-1) over all latitudes and in the southern hemisphere. The climax of global latitudinal species richness for some mangrove was observed along latitudes 20° N and 15°-25° S, not at the equator. This can suggest that temperature is probably the key driver of latitudinal gradients of mangrove crabs' species richness. Species richness and mangrove area were also highly correlated.

The biogeography of the megadiverse genusAnthurium(Araceae)

AbstractThe tropics of the New World are a biodiversity hotspot, the genus Anthurium being an example of a megadiverse taxon with currently > 1000 described species. In this study, we provide detailed information on species distributions and analyse patterns of diversity and endemism, with a particular focus on the comparison of epiphytic and terrestrial congenerics. Using a dataset of occurrence records for 1041 Anthurium spp. (c. 98% of the genus), we modelled geographical species distributions using climate-based species distribution models or buffered convex hulls depending on the number of occurrences available. We identified nine bioregions using cluster analysis. The Andean slopes, Central America, the Chocó and the Atlantic Forest in eastern Brazil are the most important centres of diversity for Anthurium, whereas endemism is highest in the central Andes. These macroecological patterns agree largely with diversity centres for other Neotropical plant groups. Epiphytes, accounting for about two-thirds of all species, have much larger range sizes than terrestrials, but do not differ in elevational ranges. Almost 40% of all Anthurium spp. are restricted to the lowlands, but a few species grow at elevations of almost 4000 m. Although individual species have an average elevation range of just c. 1000 m, there are taxa that cover > 3500 m of elevation.

New species and records of the subterranean amphipod genus Pseudocrangonyx Akatsuka and Komai (Crustacea: Pseudocrangonyctidae), representing the northernmost distribution of the group

ABSTRACT Four new species of the family Pseudocrangonyctidae from the Russian Far East are described and illustrated – Pseudocrangonyx spangsbergi sp. nov. and P. setosus sp. nov., both in Sakhalinskaya Oblast; P. myaochanicus sp. nov., in Khabarovsky Kray; and P. borealis sp. nov., in Magadanskaya Oblast. The affinities of the new species are discussed. New morphological data and DNA barcode data are also provided for Pseudocrangonyx camtschaticus Birstein, 1955, from a population adjacent to the type locality. The overall morphology of the genus Pseudocrangonyx was revisited using scanning electron microscopy, which revealed cellular (hexagonal) cuticular microsculpture of the body surface. The species diversity and geographic distribution of the East Asian stygobiotic pseudocrangonyctid amphipods are briefly reviewed. An identification key to the genus Pseudocrangonyx, with 31 species, is provided. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EB2A6400-0333-496B-8345-68C1ECEF06A4

The effect of climate change on the richness distribution pattern of oaks (Quercus L.) in China

Increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the air is acknowledged as one of the main reason for observed global climatic change. This phenomenon significantly affects the species geographical distribution, and changes their richness distribution pattern. Oak (Quercus L.) is an important component of forests in China, and it has significant ecological value. Based on the distribution data of 35 species and 19 bioclimatic variables, the potential richness distribution of Quercus L. in China was predicted using the MaxEnt model under present climatic conditions and three different emission scenarios in the years 2050 and 2070 with six General Circulation Models (GCMs). The results revealed that Quercus L. at present was primarily distributed in the mountainous areas of southwestern China. The simulations indicated that climate change could affect the spatial pattern of the richness distribution, and if climate change intensified, its impact would gradually increase. As temperatures rise, the distribution of Quercus L. was predicted to be concentrated, and suitable areas of certain species would contract. These species may migrate to high altitudes or high latitudes. The high percentage of species lost is the reason for the higher turnover values in the mountainous areas, while other regions are mostly be influenced by the high percentage of species gained associated with the northward shift of species. Predicting changes in the richness distribution pattern of Quercus L. as a result of climate change can help us understand the biogeography of Quercus L. and enact conservation strategies to minimize the impacts of climate change.

Charles Darwin did not mislead Joseph Hooker in their 1881 Correspondence about Leopold von Buch and Karl Ernst von Baer

ABSTRACT While Joseph Hooker was considering his upcoming presentation on the geographical distribution of species, he asked Charles Darwin for help with some references. During the ensuing exchange of correspondence, Darwin seems to have contradicted himself, regarding his being aware of Leopold von Buch’s observation that distributed varieties become species, prior to writing On the Origin of Species. Literalists and conspiracists have interpreted this apparent self-contradiction as a sign of duplicity and fraud. However, when the correspondence and Hooker’s address are analysed in context, there is a more compelling explanation. Simply that, in response to direct questioning by Hooker, Darwin conflated the two names of Von Baer and Von Buch, and made an honest mistake.

Cercopithifilaria species in dogs and ticks from Greece.

Filarioids of the genus Cercopithifilaria (Spirurida, Onchocercidae) are parasites of wild and domestic animals in tropical and subtropical regions being transmitted by ixodid ticks. Though this filarioid species have been studied in canine and tick populations in Europe, data on their species diversity and geographical distribution in Greece is scant. Thus, the aims of this study were to investigate the presence of Cercopithifilaria spp. in dogs and ticks across Greece and to assess the possible risk factors. A total of 500 skin biopsies were collected from dogs, while 508 ticks were collected from 180 infested animals and examined. Sediments from skin biopsies were microscopically screened for detection of dermal microfilaria (mfs). Skin samples (n = 115) and tick specimens (n = 153) were molecularly subjected by PCR. Overall, 70 samples (14%) scored positive for mfs. Specifically, 68 samples (13.6%) were positive for Cercopithifilaria bainae and two (0.4%) were co-infected with C. bainae and Cercopithifilaria sp. II. Molecular analyses revealed that all sequences obtained belong to C. bainae. Haplotype I was the most frequent (92.6%), followed by haplotype XVIII (3%) and haplotypes II and IX (1.5%). Three new haplotypes of C. bainae, named XIX, XX, and XXI, were also identified. Among the risk factors examined, habitat, dog use, body weight, tick infestation history, and the use of acaricides were associated with the presence of C. bainae. The estimated prevalence of Cercopithifilaria spp. demonstrates that these filarioids are common in dogs and ticks in Greece. Finally, the identification of 7 haplotypes for C. bainae confirms their genetic variability.

Distribution and conservation of species is misestimated if biotic interactions are ignored: the case of the orchid Laelia speciosa

The geographic distribution of species depends on their relationships with climate and on the biotic interactions of the species. Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) mainly consider climatic variables only and may tend to overestimate these distributions, especially for species strongly restricted by biotic interactions. We identified the preference of Laelia speciosa for different host tree species and include this information in an ENM. The effect of habitat loss and climate change on the distribution of these species was also estimated. Although L. speciosa was recorded as epiphyte at six tree species, 96% of the individuals were registered at one single species (Quercus deserticola), which indicated a strong biotic interaction. We included the distribution of this host tree as a biotic variable in the ENM of L. speciosa. The contemporary distribution of L. speciosa is 52,892 km2, which represent 4% of Mexican territory and only 0.6% of the distribution falls within protected areas. Habitat loss rate for L. speciosa during the study period was 0.6% per year. Projections for 2050 and 2070 under optimistic and pessimistic climate change scenarios indicated a severe reduction in its distribution. Climaticaly suitable areas will also shift upwards (200–400 m higher). When estimating the distribution of a species, including its interactions can improve the performance of the ENMs, allowing for more accurate estimates of the actual distribution of the species, which in turn allows for better conservation strategies.

Cuscuta seeds: Diversity and evolution, value for systematics/identification and exploration of allometric relationships.

Cuscuta (dodders) is a group of parasitic plants with tremendous economic and ecological significance. Their seeds are often described as "simple" or "unspecialized" because they do not exhibit any classical dispersal syndrome traits. Previous studies of seed morphology and/or anatomy were conducted on relatively few species. We expanded research to 101 species; reconstructed ancestral character states; investigated correlations among seed characters and explored allometric relationships with breeding systems, the size of geographical distribution of species in North America, as well as the survival of seedlings. Seed morphological and anatomical characters permit the separation of subgenera, but not of sections. Identification of Cuscuta species using seed characteristics is difficult but not impossible if their geographical origin is known. Seeds of subg. Monogynella species, exhibit the likely ancestral epidermis type consisting of elongated and interlocked cells, which are morphologically invariant, uninfluenced by dryness/wetness. Subgenera Cuscuta, Pachystigma and Grammica have evolved a seed epidermis with isodiametric cells that can alternate their morphology between two states: pitted when seeds are dry, and papillose after seed imbibition. A seed coat with double palisade architecture throughout the entire seed has also apparently evolved in subgenera Cuscuta, Pachystigma and Grammica, but several species in two clades of the latter subgenus reverted to a single palisade layer outside the hilum area. The same latter species also evolved a peculiar, globose embryo, likely having a storage role, in contrast to the ancestral filiform and coiled embryo present throughout the remainder of the genus. Autogamous species had on average the highest number of seeds per capsule, whereas fully xenogamous taxa had the lowest. No correlation was revealed between the size of the seeds and the size of their geographical distribution in North America, but seedlings of species with larger seeds survived significantly longer than seedlings resulted from smaller seeds. Diversity and evolution of seed traits was discussed in relationship with their putative roles in dormancy, germination and dispersal.

Morphologically similar but not closely related: the long-spored species of Subulicystidium (Trechisporales, Basidiomycota)

Species boundaries and geographic distribution of corticioid fungi (resupinate Basidiomycota) are often poorly known. Our recent study on Subulicystidium showed that species diversity in this genus is at least twice as high as previously recognized. This re-estimation of the species diversity was based on a study of only a part of the genus. The present study sheds light on molecular and morphological diversity of three more species. We generated 27 ITS and 24 28S nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences from 49 specimens labelled as Subulicystidium cochleum, S. longisporum and S. perlongisporum and collected in distant geographic localities. We assessed pairwise dissimilarities and phylogenetic relationships of DNA sequences with Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods. We correlated phylogenetic information with morphological data on spores and cystidia. We found that the three species are not closely related, despite their similarity in spore shape and size. In one of the species, S. perlongisporum, we detected the presence of two sympatric lineages. These lineages are not morphologically distinct, except for a small difference in the mean length of cystidia. Our study provides a further example of transoceanic species distribution in Agaricomycetes.

Altitudinal, latitudinal and longitudinal responses of cloud forest species to Quaternary glaciations in the northern Neotropics

AbstractThe glaciations of the Quaternary caused changes in the geographical distributions of species associated with tropical montane cloud forests. The most obvious effect of the glacial conditions was the downward displacement of cloud forest species, thus giving opportunities for population connectivity in the lowlands. Considerable attention has been paid to these altitudinal changes, but latitudinal and longitudinal movements remain poorly understood in the northern Neotropics. Here, I use ecological niche modelling to generate palaeodistributions of small-eared shrews (Mammalia: Soricidae) closely associated with cloud forests in the mountain systems of Mexico and then retrodict their range shifts during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), one of the coldest periods of the Quaternary. The results suggest that cloud forest species not only migrated downwards in response to global cooling and dryness but also migrated latitudinally and longitudinally onto those slopes that maintained moist conditions (other slopes remained unsuitable during the LGM), thus revealing a hitherto unknown route for postglacial colonization of cloud forest species. This scenario of past distributional change probably had genetic and demographic implications and has repercussions for the identification of areas of refugia and postglacial colonization routes of cloud forest species.

Occurrence and ecological implication of a tropical anguillid eel, Anguilla marmorata, in Brunei Darussalam, Borneo Island

Tropical anguillid eels account for two-thirds of the 19 species in Anguilla Schrank, 1798. However, information on the species diversity, geographical distribution, and life histories of the tropical eels is very limited. Recent studies suggested that morphological species identification of the tropical anguillid eels should be validated by molecular analysis for accurate identification. After surveying for three years, two anguillid eels were found in Brunei Darussalam, Borneo Island. They were firstly identified as Anguilla marmorata Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 using morphological analysis and further gene analysis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) confirmed the species identification. This study is the first comprehensive description of A. marmorata in Brunei Darussalam, Borneo Island. Furthermore, it is also the first study to validate two anguillid eels collected from the tropical Bonin Islands of Japan as A. marmorata by means of morphological and COI analyses. The molecular phylogenetic tree and haplotype network analyses suggest that A. marmorata found in Brunei Darussalam would belong to the North Pacific population of the westernmost distribution.

Structuring the Discussion on the Multiple Threats of Climate Change to Fisheries around Impact Pathways and Adaptation Pathways

Climate change is threatening the fisheries on which communities depend. In this issue of One Earth, Ojea et al. describe the impacts of species range shifts and discuss possible adaptation pathways and policy solutions. However, climate change brings multiple threats to fisheries, so framing the discussion on adaptation options is critical.

Niche overlap between two sympatric frugivorous Neotropical primates: improving ecological niche models using closely-related taxa

Ecological niche models (ENMs) are widely used tools for predicting species geographic distribution as a function of environmental variables. The inclusion of biotic factors in the predictor suite can significantly increase the predictive power of such models, leading to a model closer to the realized niche for the species under investigation. In this study, we provide evidence of niche overlap between gray woolly monkeys (Lagothrix cana) and black-faced black spider monkeys (Ateles chamek) based on locality and ecological data covering their complete geographic range in the Amazon forests of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. We also estimate the potential distribution of L. cana using environmental predictors, and the distribution of A. chamek as a biotic factor. Finally, we quantified current and future habitat loss and areas under legal protection. We found that only 39% of the L. cana area of occupancy is under legal protection and that the species could potentially lose up to 58% of habitat in the next 30 years. We also show that the use of a closely-related species that has a more robust dataset can improve ENMs of poorly studied, rare and/or cryptic species. The framework developed here can be applied to a wide range of sympatric species if they share similar ecological requirements. Since our focal species are the most frugivorous primates in our study region and especially vulnerable to habitat loss, the identification of highly suitable areas for both taxa can help to protect other forest-dwelling species, reducing the rate of overall biodiversity loss.

Plant's-eye view of temperature governs elevational distributions.

Explaining species geographic distributions by macroclimate variables is the most common approach for getting mechanistic insights into large-scale diversity patterns and range shifts. However, species' traits influencing biophysical processes can produce a large decoupling from ambient air temperature, which can seriously undermine biogeographical inference. We combined stable oxygen isotope theory with a trait-based approach to assess leaf temperature during carbon assimilation (TL ) and its departure (ΔT) from daytime free air temperature during the growing season (Tgs ) for 158 plant species occurring from 3,400 to 6,150ma.s.l. in Western Himalayas. We uncovered a general extent of temperature decoupling in the region. The interspecific variation in ΔT was best explained by the combination of plant height and δ13 C, and leaf dry matter content partly captured the variation in TL . The combination of TL and ΔT, with ΔT contributing most, explained the interspecific difference in elevational distributions. Stable oxygen isotope theory appears promising for investigating how plants perceive temperatures, a pivotal information to species biogeographic distributions.