Largest Species Richness Research Articles

Quantifying species biases among multidata sources on illegal wildlife trade and its implications for conservation.

Unsustainable wildlife consumption and illegal wildlife trade (IWT) threaten biodiversity worldwide. Although publicly accessible data sets are increasingly used to generate insights into IWT, little is known about their potential bias. We compared three typical and temporally corresponding data sets (4204 court verdicts, 926 seizure news reports, and 219 bird market surveys) on traded birds native to China and evaluated their possible species biases. Specifically, we evaluated bias and completeness of sampling for species richness, phylogeny, conservation status, spatial distribution, and life-history characteristics among the three data sets when determining patterns of illegal trade. Court verdicts contained the largest species richness. In bird market surveys and seizure news reports, phylogenetic clustering was greater than that in court verdicts, where songbird species (i.e., Passeriformes) were detected in higher proportions in market surveys. The seizure news data set contained the highest proportion of species of high conservation priority but the lowest species coverage. Across the country, all data sets consistently reported relatively high species richness in south and southwest regions, but markets revealed a northern geographic bias. The species composition in court verdicts and markets also exhibited distinct geographical patterns. There was significant ecological trait bias when we modeled whether a bird species is traded in the market. Our regression model suggested that species with small body masses, large geographical ranges, and a preference for anthropogenic habitats and those that are not nationally protected were more likely to be traded illegally. The species biases we found emphasize the need to know the constraints of each data set so that they can optimally inform strategies to combat IWT.

Integrating irrigation management for improved grain yield of winter wheat and rhizosphere AM fungal diversity in a semi-arid cropping system

Irrigation of farmland is a popular agricultural practice in semi-arid areas in China. However, little is known about the impacts of different irrigation strategies on grain yield and soil microbial communities, particularly economically-important arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. The aim of this study was to optimize irrigation strategies to integrate maximized grain yield, AM fungal diversity and water productivity (defined here as grain yield per unit water supplied). Six irrigation strategies consisting of different amounts of water supplied and time of supply were imposed for field-grown winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) in a typical cropping system in northern China. Results showed that all irrigation strategies significantly increased grain yield compared with the non-irrigation practice (P < 0.01). Irrigation strategy (treatment WJF180) with a total of 180-mm water supplied at Wintering, Jointing, and Grain filling stages (60 mm each) achieved maximal grain yield and water productivity than other treatments. Irrigation strategies also significantly influenced mycorrhizal colonization on roots, fungal species and spore abundance in rhizosphere soil. A total of 17 AM fungal species belonging to Glomus, Acaulopora, Scutellospora and Entrophospora were detected in the soil. The relative abundance of Glomus was the highest and Entrophospora the lowest among the four fungal genera. WJF180-treated plots had the largest species richness and spore abundance in various sampling times with plant growth. Fungal diversity differed greatly among different plant phenological stages. There were significant interactions between irrigation treatments and plant growth stages on both grain yield and AM fungi (species diversity and spore abundance). Irrigation strategies in terms of water amount and watering time integrated with biological, environmental and crop management could have potential for improved grain yield and mycorrhizal diversity leading to maximized farmers' economic productivity and water-use efficiency.

Diversidad y distribución de acridios (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) en pastizales del sur de la región pampeana, Argentina

In Argentina, the grasslands of Pampas region comprise approximately 15% of the country. As in other grasslands of the world, grasshoppers are among the most important native herbivores. Their economic importance has been recognized in Argentina since the mid to late nineteenth century, since outbreaks of different species have become recurrent phenomena. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to study their diversity and distribution in grasslands of the Southern Pampas region (Laprida county, Buenos Aires province), as one of the most affected areas. The study was conducted during five seasons (2005-10). Sampling sites were represented by the most common plant communities in this area, classified in four categories: native grasslands, disturbed grasslands, implanted pastures and halophilous grasslands. The samplings were conducted from mid-spring to early autumn, with five or six samples per season. We estimated the following population descriptors: species richness (S), eveness (E), dominance (J), and diversity index (H'). In order to evaluate the similitude of the grasshopper communities present in the different plant communities, we used qualitative and quantitative coefficients of similitude. A total of 22 species of grasshoppers were collected, of which 21 belong to the family Acrididae. The subfamily Melanoplinae was the most diverse with eight species. The largest species richness was recorded in native grasslands (18). The different communities of grasshoppers had similar indices of evenness and dominance (p>0.05). Considering all plant communities, the average value of Shannon-Wiener index was 1.58+/-0.075. There was a positive correlation between evenness index and species richness (p<0.05). The diversity index H' was different between plants communities (p<0.05), and it was higher in the disturbed grassland (1.75+/-0.096, p<0.05) than in the halophilous grasslands (1.34+/-0.12). Native and disturbed grasslands had a higher plant richness than halophilous grasslands and implanted pastures (p<0.05). There was a positive relationship between plant richness and grasshoppers species richness, and diversity of grasshoppers. According to the qualitative indices applied, the similitude between different grasshopper communities was higher than 60%. In general, the species that had a higher frequency of occurrence showed greater abundance and distribution. Covasacris pallidinota, Dichroplus elongatus, D. maculipennis, Borellia bruneri and B. pallida were the most widely distributed species, most of them (12) showed a restricted distribution and few (five) an intermediate distribution.

Flora y vegetación del cerro El Águila, Michoacán, México

Con base en trabajo de campo realizado entre 2007 y 2010 en el cerro El Águila, la montaña más alta localizada en los municipios de Lagunillas y Morelia, Michoacán, se registraron 105 familias, 343 géneros, 633 especies y 42 taxa infraespecíficos. Las familias más diversas fueron Asteraceae (153 especies), Fabaceae (53) y Poaceae (34). Los géneros con mayor riqueza de especies fueron Salvia (17), Stevia (12) y Verbesina (11). Las especies de hierbas conforman el 72.4% del total de la flora. Se describe la fisonomía y las especies más abundantes de cinco tipos de vegetación. Los bosques de Pinus-Quercus y Quercus son los tipos de vegetación con mayor número de especies (286 y 383, respectivamente). De acuerdo con la NOM-059-ECOL-2010 se consideran cinco Especies Sujetas a Protección Especial ( Cedrela dugesii, Cupressus lusitanica, Dahlia scapigera, Gentiana spathacea y Laelia speciosa ) y una en Peligro de Extinción ( Tilia americana var. mexicana ). Se enfatiza la importancia de coordinar esfuerzos hacia la conservación del cerro El Águila, cuya flora y vegetación se encuentran amenazadas por los cambios de uso de suelo.

Ichthyofauna associated with Cymodocea nodosa meadows in the Canarian Archipelago (central eastern Atlantic): Community structure and nursery role

We carried out 84 trawls in 41 seagrass meadows composed of the phanerogam Cymodocea nodosa at three islands of the Canarian Archipelago, during June to September 2003, in order to describe the associated ichthyofauna (composition, richness, and abundance), to analyze the role that this habitat can play in fish recruitment, and to determine the potential relationship between the spatial structure of the seagrass meadow and the patterns of richness and abundance of the fish assemblage. A total of 8298 individuals were captured. The five most relevant species, in terms of abundance and frequency, were Spondyliosoma cantharus, Diplodus annularis, Syngnathus typhle, Mullus surmuletus, and Pagellus erythrinus. Gran Canaria had the largest species richness (36 species) and mean number of species per sample (8.69 ± 0.49; mean ± SE). Lanzarote had the largest number of individuals (64.83% of the total registered) and mean total abundance per sample (168.39 ± 30.91). High densities of individuals were registered (95.86 ± 13.5) and 92.91% of fishes were juveniles. Our data showed that the physical configuration of the seagrass meadows did not significantly affect the patterns of richness and abundance of the associated fish assemblage. In conclusion, the C. nodosa meadows exhibited a singular ichthyofauna and they contribute to the maintenance of the diversity of the coastal fish assemblages in the Canarian Archipelago. This habitat constitutes, during spring and summer, a nursery habitat for juvenile fishes of many species, several of them commercially targeted.

Flora y Vegetación de las zonas núcleo de la Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca, México

Se realizó un estudio florístico y fisonómico de la vegetación en las zonas núcleo de la Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca en los estados de México y Michoacán. Se efectuaron colectas botánicas durante un ciclo anual y se realizó una revisión de material previamente recolectado en la zona, depositado en los herbarios mexicanos IEB, EBUM y MEXU. El listado florístico incluye 423 especies que incluyen 32 taxa infraespecificos de plantas vasculares, agrupadas en 87 familias y 244 géneros. Las familias con mayor riqueza de especies fueron Asteraceae (103), Lamiaceae (21 ), Fabaceae ( 17) y Scrophulariaceae (17), en tanto que a nivel de género sobresalen Salvia ( 13), Stevia (8) y Ageratina (7). Un total de 135 especies (31.9%), que incluyen 13 taxa infraespecificos, son endémicas de México; 40 de estas especies pertenecen a Asteraceae. Las hierbas fueron la forma de crecimiento más frecuente (326 especies), seguidas por los arbustos (51) y los árboles (33). Se reconocen principalmente los siguientes tipos de vegetación: bosque de coniferas, bosque de Quercus, bosque mesófilo de montaña y pastizal antropogénico.

Indirect effects of grazing and nutrient addition on the hemipteran community of heather moorlands

Summary Moorlands dominated by heather Calluna vulgaris are of international conservation importance, but are declining as a result of increased grazing pressure and deposition of atmospheric pollutants. Grazing and nutrient deposition can alter the composition, structure and nutritional quality of the vegetation, which may affect the diversity of herbivorous insects. However, the drivers of insect community diversity in moorlands remain poorly understood. Here we quantify the changes in moorland vegetation caused by grazing and nutrient addition, together with the effects of these changes on the community structure of a major group of herbivorous insects on moorlands, the Hemiptera. Fencing and fertilizer treatments were used to test the hypotheses that: (1) hemipteran species richness is related to plant species richness; (2) fertilizer addition increases host plant quality and hence the abundance and diversity of Hemiptera; and (3) a reduction in grazing alters vegetation structure and hence the composition of the hemipteran community. Sites with more mineral soils had the most plant species and the largest species richness and abundance of Hemiptera, supporting hypothesis 1. Fertilizer increased the nitrogen content of both grasses and Calluna and significantly increased Hemiptera abundance and species richness (hypothesis 2), although the effect of fertilizer on diversity was smaller than that of site‐based factors such as plant species richness. Grazing altered vegetation structure (hypothesis 3): fenced plots increased Calluna ground cover, height and canopy occupancy but reduced grass cover. Four months after the fencing and fertilizer treatments, the level of grazing on Calluna was the prime factor influencing the composition of the hemipteran community. However, after 2 years of the treatments, soil organic content and prevalence of Nardus and new‐growth Calluna had become the greatest influence on community composition. Synthesis and applications. Grazing and nitrogen deposition alter the vegetation of moorland landscapes and this study shows that these factors also have significant effects on the abundance, species richness and species composition of moorland invertebrates. However, site‐based factors such as soil organic content and plant species richness had the greatest impact on the hemipteran community because plant diversity appears to be the most important driver of hemipteran diversity. Moorland managers may be able to maximize hemipteran species richness using a grazing regime that maintains a mosaic of dwarf shrub and grass cover. Site‐specific factors such as soil type need to be considered when managing moorlands for conservation.

Decadal changes in a polluted bay as seen from its seaweed flora: the case of Santos Bay in Brazil.

The first comprehensive seaweed flora of a Brazilian region was published by Joly in 1957, describing and illustrating 105 taxa. Twenty years later Oliveira and Berchez resurveyed the area and found only 69 taxa, with a strong reduction in the number of brown algae. In another survey, performed in 1991 at the 3 studied stations with the largest species richness, the same reduction trend was found and no brown algae were observed. This reduction in biodiversity was attributed to increased pollution. Here we present the results of a new survey made in 1998-1999. This shows the return of some species recorded in the 1950s, including 7 species of brown algae. This increase in species number is thought to be a consequence of the efforts made by the local government to reduce pollution and the building of a submarine sewage terminal.

Diversidade dos noctuídeos (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) em Salvador do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

Diversity of owlet-moth (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Salvador do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Noctuidae community in Salvador do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. Light traps captured the insects of this research. The quantitative data were collected through weekly sampling, during one year (1994-1995); the qualitative data were collected through non-systematic sampling, during four consecutive years. The community characterization was based on the richness, abundance, specific constancy, diversity indices and abundance distribution; also total richness estimates were calculated, by nonparametric statistical procedures. In the systematized collecting there were captured 4017 noctuids of 108 species, distributed in 14 subfamilies; in the non-systematized, another 189 additional species and two subfamilies. Amphipyrinae, Hadeninae and Ophiderinae had the largest species richness. The more constant species were noctuids of great economic importance; the accessories were related to specific vegetable groups; the accidentals have their host unknown. The accessories and accidental species were captured more in spring and summer; also in these periods were measured the highest values of richness, abundance and diversity. There was no fit between observed/calculated log normal and log series distribution models. The 2nd order Jackknife and Michaelis-Menten equation procedures estimated that the total richness values were close to the total number of the species in the studied area.