Montane Areas Research Articles

Spatiotemporal Diversification of the True Frogs (Genus Rana): A Historical Framework for a Widely Studied Group of Model Organisms.

True frogs of the genus Rana are widely used as model organisms in studies of development, genetics, physiology, ecology, behavior, and evolution. Comparative studies among the more than 100 species of Rana rely on an understanding of the evolutionary history and patterns of diversification of the group. We estimate a well-resolved, time-calibrated phylogeny from sequences of six nuclear and three mitochondrial loci sampled from most species of Rana, and use that phylogeny to clarify the group's diversification and global biogeography. Our analyses consistently support an "Out of Asia" pattern with two independent dispersals of Rana from East Asia to North America via Beringian land bridges. The more species-rich lineage of New World Rana appears to have experienced a rapid radiation following its colonization of the New World, especially with its expansion into montane and tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, and South America. In contrast, Old World Rana exhibit different trajectories of diversification; diversification in the Old World began very slowly and later underwent a distinct increase in speciation rate around 29-18 Ma. Net diversification is associated with environmental changes and especially intensive tectonic movements along the Asian margin from the Oligocene to early Miocene. Our phylogeny further suggests that previous classifications were misled by morphological homoplasy and plesiomorphic color patterns, as well as a reliance primarily on mitochondrial genes. We provide a phylogenetic taxonomy based on analyses of multiple nuclear and mitochondrial gene loci. [Amphibians; biogeography; diversification rate; Holarctic; transcontinental dispersal.

Are mountain habitats becoming more suitable for generalist than cold-adapted lizards thermoregulation?

Mountain lizards are highly vulnerable to climate change, and the continuous warming of their habitats could be seriously threatening their survival. We aim to compare the thermal ecology and microhabitat selection of a mountain lizard, Iberolacerta galani, and a widely distributed lizard, Podarcis bocagei, in a montane area. Both species are currently in close syntopy in the study area, at 1,400 m above the sea level. We determined the precision, accuracy and effectiveness of thermoregulation, and the thermal quality of habitat for both species. We also compared the selection of thermal microhabitats between both species. Results show that I. galani is a cold-adapted thermal specialist with a preferred temperature range of 27.9–29.7 °C, while P. bocagei would be a thermal generalist, with a broader and higher preferred temperature range (30.1–34.5 °C). In addition, I. galani selects rocky substrates while P. bocagei selects warmer soil and leaf litter substrates. The thermal quality of the habitat is higher for P. bocagei than for I. galani. Finally, P. bocagei achieves a significantly higher effectiveness of thermoregulation (0.87) than I. galani (0.80). Therefore, these mountain habitat conditions seem currently more suitable for performance of thermophilic generalist lizards than for cold-specialist lizards.

<i>Schistostephium crataegifolium</i> (Compositae: Anthemideae), a new generic record for Angola

Background: The African genus Schistostephium has eight species in southern and south tropical Africa. The most widely distributed species, Schistostephium crataegifolium, occurs in upland or montane areas towards the eastern side of the continent.Objectives: The objective of this study was to document a new geographic distribution record of this species from the Bié Plateau of central Angola.Method: Specimens of S. crataegifolium were collected near Chitembo, Bié Province, during fieldwork for the Future Okavango Project grant 01LL0912A, task SP05, a project aimed at providing scientific support for sustainable land and resource management of the Okavango basin of Angola, Namibia and Botswana. The specimen was identified at the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.Results: The collection represents a new generic record for Angola, which is disjunct from the nearest population in Katanga by approximately 1000 km.Conclusion: New generic records such as this underline the need for basic botanical inventories in the large, ecologically diverse but poorly documented country of Angola.

Species delimitation, phylogeny and evolutionary demography of co-distributed, montane frogs in the southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF) is recognized as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, with even more species per unit of area than the Amazon, however the mechanisms that led to such astonishing diversity are yet to be fully understood. In this study, we investigate the diversification of two co-distributed frog genera associated with montane areas of southern BAF: Melanophryniscus (Bufonidae) and Brachycephalus (Brachycephalidae). Species delimitation methods using mitochondrial and nuclear loci supported the existence of a remarkable number of highly endemic species in each genus, most of which occupy only one or a few adjacent mountaintops. Their timing of diversification was highly congruent, supporting recent speciation events within the past 600 thousand years. Extended Bayesian skyline plots indicate that most populations have remained relatively stable in size across the evolutionary past, with recent growth after 0.15My, suggesting that the drastic changes found in previous studies on lowland frog species were not shared by these montane taxa. These results are consistent with the existence of a montane refugium in southern BAF, allowing species persistence through the climatic shifts experienced along the BAF during the Quaternary.

Elevation gradient of soil bacterial communities in bamboo plantations.

BackgroundElevation trends of macro organisms have long been well studied. However, whether microbes also exhibit such patterns of elevation change is unknown. Here, we investigated the changes in bamboo forest soil bacterial communities along six elevation gradients, from 600 to 1800 m a.s.l. in Mt. Da-an, a subtropical montane area in Nantou county at central Taiwan.ResultsData from 16S rRNA gene clone libraries revealed that more than 70 % of the six communities contained Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria, although the relative abundance differed. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis of the distribution of operational taxonomic units showed differences in bamboo soil bacterial communities across gradients. The bacterial communities at 1000 and 1200 m showed greater diversity than the communities at both lower (600 and 800 m) and higher (1400 and 1800 m) elevations. In contrast to the bacterial community trend, soil C and N and microbial biomass properties increased linearly with elevation.ConclusionThe bamboo soil bacterial community could interact with multiple factors such as soil organic matter content and temperature, for differences in composition and diversity with change in elevation.

Abundance-area relationships in bird assemblages along an Afrotropical elevational gradient: space limitation in montane forest selects for higher population densities.

The usual positive inter-specific relationship between range size and abundance of local populations can have notable exceptions in Afrotropical montane areas, where range-restricted bird species are unusually abundant. We tested how the area occupied locally by passerines and their geographic range size relate to local abundances along a tropical elevational gradient of Mt Cameroon, West-Central Africa. Data on bird assemblages were collected at six forested elevations (350, 650, 1100, 1500, 1850 m, 2200 m a.s.l.) using a standardised point count at 16 locations per elevation. Elevational ranges of birds were compiled from published sources and their geographic range sizes were determined as the occupancy of 1° x 1° grid cells. The observed relationship between local abundance and geographic range size within the entire passerine assemblage on Mt Cameroon disagrees with the most frequently reported positive pattern. However, the patterns differ among elevations, with positive trends of the abundance-range size relationship in lowland changing to negative trends towards higher elevations. Interestingly, the total assemblage abundances do not differ much among elevations and population size estimates of species occupying different parts of the gradient remain relatively constant. These patterns are caused by relatively high abundances of montane species, which might be a result of long-term ecological specialization and/or competitive release in species-poor montane locations and possibly facilitated by an extinction filter. Our data suggest that montane species' abilities to maintain dense populations might compensate for less area available near mountain tops and help these populations to circumvent extinction.

Photosynthetic response of Bromus inermis in grasslands of different altitudes

In Greece, grasslands constitute an important component of montane areas. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the photosynthetic responses of the forage species Bromus inermis at two montane grasslands (Filippaioi, Grammatiko) and a lowland grassland under differential irradiation and CO2 concentration levels. In each area, gas exchange parameters were calculated under: a) ambient conditions along with the measurement of variable to maximal fluorescence, b) low (300 µmol m-2 s-1) and high (1400 µmol m-2 s-1) radiation, and c) ambient (380 µmol mol-1) and high (800 µmol mol-1) CO2 concentrations. In addition, assimilation response curves to different levels of irradiation and intercellular CO2 partial pressure were recorded. The photosynthetic machinery of B. inermis responded better to changes in irradiation in the montane area of Filippaioi, while it was more sensitive to changes in CO2 concentration in the lowland area. Photosynthesis in the montane area of Grammatiko could be subject to novel ecological pressures shaped by lower grazing intensity. No effect of altitude on physiological responses of B. inermis was found. Instead, plants from each area may use different adaptive mechanisms to persist and thrive in the environmental conditions of each area.

Natural Water Quality and Its Suitability for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes In the Jungar Basin, Central Asia

This study evaluates the natural water suitability for drinking and agricultural purposes in the Jungar Basin in Central Asia. The ionic chemistry of natural waters from the basin changes considerably on a regional scale. The waters are neutral to alkaline and most of them are soft-fresh waters. The total dissolved solid (TDS) varies over two orders of magnitude. Much of the solutes and physicochemical parameters in water are under the highest desirable limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking purpose and a relationship between sodium adsorption ratio versus EC shows that most waters are of good water quality for irrigation. The effects of local pollution are minimal in the montane and piedmont areas of these watersheds but are significant in the oases and central areas of the drainage basins.

Review of the Paricanini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Tropiduchidae)

Abstract The genera of Tropiduchidae tribe Paricanini are discussed and their key to identification of the genera is given and key characters illustrated. The new genus Lukabales gen. nov. with a new species Lukabales ecarinatus sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected in montane areas of Cambodia and Thailand.

Salvia misella (Lamiaceae)—A new record for Asia from the southern Western Ghats of India

The mint family, Lamiaceae is generally regarded as being one of the most highly derived plant families from the viewpoint of floral structures (Hedge 1992). The family is best known for their essential oils common to many members of the family and are a major source of culinary herbs. Within the subfamily Nepetoideae tribe Mentheae, the subtribe Salviineae includes 8 genera with about 954 species in the world (Harley et al. 2004). The genus Salvia L. (1753: 23) alone account for over 900 species in the subtribe and is the largest genera in Labiatae (Mabberley 2008). It is a tropical and subtropical genus mostly found in montane areas with the major diversity in Mediterranean, Central Asia, the highlands of Mexico and the Andes in South America (Rodrigues-Hahn et al. 1992).

Leveraging trans-boundary conservation partnerships: Persistence of Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in the Iranian Caucasus

Ranging across montane areas of west Asia, the endangered Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor is a flagship species for biodiversity conservation in the Caucasus Eco-region. Despite recent reduction in occupancy and number within the range countries, the subspecies still exists in large areas within Iran, including the northwest which is considered the only promising source from which this leopard might recolonize its former range. In this context, we sought to elucidate the species' status and habitat requirements, and to evaluate the effectiveness of protected areas in safeguarding its long-term persistence. We report 150 locations where the Persian leopard was recorded across six provinces in the Iranian Caucasus Eco-region. These records informed a consensus species distribution modeling approach using 14 uncorrelated environmental variables (landcover, topographic, anthropogenic and climatic features) to explore the distribution of habitats suitable for the leopards. Using electrical-circuit theory we then explored connectivity between the usable habitats as revealed by this model. Unsurprisingly, our models confirmed that prey availability and the avoidance of humans were the primary influences on leopard distribution in the region. Two main landscapes were revealed to be suitable for the leopard but only 30% of their 20,026.9km2 area is officially protected. The Alborz landscape hosted the larger population nucleus and majority of breeding occurrences. Modeled connectivity revealed that persistence of the Persian leopard population in the boundary landscape and the broader Lesser Caucasus Mountains is dependent on trans-boundary movements through southern Azerbaijan. We conclude that it is a priority that international collaboration secures the Persian leopard's conservation in the wider landscape spanning the borders of Caucasian countries.

Water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) in three forest and landscape reserves in Roztocze

The materials of water mites collected in 1973–1974 in aquatic environments of three nature reserves in Roztocze were characterized. The collections comprised 995 Hydrachnidia belonging to 49 species. Twenty-eight species were collected in the Nad Tanwią Reserve, 30 species – in the Czartowe Pole Reserve, and 24 species – in the Szum Reserve. The analyzed reserves cover short river sections, therefore, the evaluated fauna can be regarded as relatively rich. The fauna of the examined reserves included widely distributed species as well as species typical of montane and submontane areas. In the analyzed reserves, the water mite fauna was dominated by rheobionts and rheophiles, and it was characteristic of upland rivers in the Lublin Region. One species new to Poland was identified: Atractides albaruthenicus Cich. et Bies. A comparison of the water mite fauna from the Nad Tanwią Reserve with the materials collected in 2001–2002 points to a significant reduction in the number of water mite species and considerable changes in the structure of synecological groups.

Seven new microendemic species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from southern Brazil.

Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) is a remarkable genus of miniaturized frogs of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Many of its species are highly endemic to cloud forests, being found only on one or a few mountaintops. Such level of microendemism might be caused by their climatic tolerance to a narrow set of environmental conditions found only in montane regions. This restriction severely limits the chance of discovery of new species, given the difficulty of exploring these inaccessible habitats. Following extensive fieldwork in montane areas of the southern portion of the Atlantic Rainforest, in this study we describe seven new species of Brachycephalus from the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. These species can be distinguished from one another based on coloration and the level of rugosity of the skin in different parts of their body. These discoveries increase considerably the number of described species of Brachycephalus in southern Brazil.

Climate change creates rapid species turnover in montane communities.

Recent decades have seen substantial changes in patterns of biodiversity worldwide. Simultaneously, climate change is producing a widespread pattern of species’ range shifts to higher latitudes and higher elevations, potentially creating novel assemblages as species shift at different rates. However, the direct link between species’ turnover as a result of climate-induced range shifts has not yet been empirically evaluated. We measured rates of species turnover associated with species’ range shifts in relatively undisturbed montane areas in Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and the Indo-Pacific. We show that species turnover is rapidly creating novel assemblages, and this can be explained by variable changes in species’ range limits following warming. Across all the areas we analyzed, mean species’ turnover was 12% per decade, which was nearly balanced between the loss of existing co-occurrences and the gain of novel co-occurrences. Turnover appears to be more rapid among ectothermic assemblages, and some evidence suggests tropical assemblages may be responding at more rapid rates than temperate assemblages.

The Long Term Response of Birds to Climate Change: New Results from a Cold Stage Avifauna in Northern England

The early MIS 3 (55–40 Kyr BP associated with Middle Palaeolithic archaeology) bird remains from Pin Hole, Creswell Crags, Derbyshire, England are analysed in the context of the new dating of the site’s stratigraphy. The analysis is restricted to the material from the early MIS 3 level of the cave because the upper fauna is now known to include Holocene material as well as that from the Late Glacial. The results of the analysis confirm the presence of the taxa, possibly unexpected for a Late Pleistocene glacial deposit including records such as Alpine swift, demoiselle crane and long-legged buzzard with southern and/or eastern distributions today. These taxa are accompanied by more expected ones such as willow ptarmigan /red grouse and rock ptarmigan living today in northern and montane areas. Finally, there are temperate taxa normally requiring trees for nesting such as wood pigeon and grey heron. Therefore, the result of the analysis is that the avifauna of early MIS 3 in England included taxa whose ranges today do not overlap making it a non-analogue community similar to the many steppe-tundra mammalian faunas of the time. The inclusion of more temperate and woodland taxa is discussed in the light that parts of northern Europe may have acted as cryptic northern refugia for some such taxa during the last glacial. These records showing former ranges of taxa are considered in the light of modern phylogeographic studies as these often assume former ranges without considering the fossil record of those taxa. In addition to the anomalous combination of taxa during MIS 3 living in Derbyshire, the individuals of a number of the taxa are different in size and shape to members of the species today probably due to the high carrying capacity of the steppe-tundra.

Association Between The Shapes of Hindlimb Bone Articular Faces And Locomotor Behaviors in Artiodactyls

Habitat plays a role in selection for successful predator‐escape behaviors. Mammals that live in open habitats can use long‐distance running to escape predators, but in more closed habitats they would encounter barriers that require them to trade off speed for maneuverability. We examined differences in limb proportions of 31 living species of artiodactyls from various habitats (n = 94)—including species from grasslands, forests, forest‐edge habitats, and montane areas—along with some Eocene‐age artiodactyls. We examined articular faces of hindlimb bones and compared them with these species' habitats. We interpreted differences in limb morphology to be related to each species' habitat, due to selection for divergent predator‐escape behaviors. Visual differences in the shape of the proximal end of the tibia were recognized to be distinct for each of the habitats studied, but the shape of the distal end of the femur was not noticeably related to habitat. Species that lived in more open habitats had a broader tibial tuberosity and a more rounded articular margin for the femoral condyles. In contrast, species in closed habitats tended to have more pointed tuberosities with a jagged condylar margin. Mountain species were variable in the shape of the tibial tuberosity with a distinctly posterior orientation to the condyles. Closed/edge habitats had the shortest tuberosities and the most rounded condyles. Our Eocene artiodactyls showed morphologies that reflected closed and closed‐edge habitats.

First steps in studying the origins of secondary woodiness inBegonia(Begoniaceae): combining anatomy, phylogenetics, and stem transcriptomics

Since Darwin's observation that secondary woodiness is common on islands, the evolution of woody plants from herbaceous ancestors has been documented in numerous angiosperm groups. However, the evolutionary processes that give rise to this phenomenon are poorly understood. To begin addressing this we have used a range of approaches to study the anatomical and genetic changes associated with the evolution and development of secondary woodiness in a tractable group. Begonia is a large, mainly herbaceous, pantropical genus that shows multiple shifts towards secondarily woody species inhabiting mainly tropical montane areas throughout the world. Molecular phylogenies, including only a sample of the woody species in Begonia, indicated at least eight instances of a herbaceous–woody transition within the genus. Wood anatomical observations of the five woody species studied revealed protracted juvenilism that further support the secondary derived origin of wood within Begonia. To identify potential genes involved in shifts towards secondary woodiness, stem transcriptomes of wood development in B. burbidgei were analysed and compared with available transcriptome datasets for the non-woody B. venustra, B. conchifolia, and Arabidopsis, and with transcriptome datasets for wood development in Populus. Results identified a number of potential regulatory genes as well as variation in expression of key biosynthetic enzymes. © 2015 The Authors. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, ●●, ●●–●●.

A new seed coat water-impermeability mechanism in Chaetostoma armatum (Melastomataceae): evolutionary and biogeographical implications of physiophysical dormancy

AbstractDetermining the phylogenetic and biogeographic distribution of physical dormancy remains a major challenge in germination ecology. Here, our goal was to describe a novel water-impermeable seed coat mechanism causing physical dormancy (PY) in the seeds of Chaetostoma armatum (Melastomataceae). Although seed coat permeability tests indicated a significant increase in seed weight after soaking in distilled water, anatomical and dye-tracking analyses showed that both water and dyes penetrated the seed coat but not the embryo, which remained in a dry state. The water and dye penetrated the lumen of the exotestal cells, which have a thin outer periclinal face and thickened secondary walls with U-shaped phenolic compounds. Because of this structure, water and dye do not penetrate the inner periclinal face of the exotestal cells, indicating PY. Puncturing the seeds increased germination more than tenfold compared to that of the control, but GA3 did not increase germination further. A significant fraction of the seeds did not germinate after puncturing, indicating that embryos are also physiologically dormant (PD). This paper constitutes the first report of the water-impermeable seed coat in the Myrtales and the first report of physiophysical (PD+PY) dormancy in a shrub from a tropical montane area.

Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil

The upper montane forests in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil have an unusual and discontinuous geographic distribution at the top of the Atlantic coastal mountain ranges. To describe the floristic composition and structure of the Atlantic Forest near its upper altitudinal limit in southeastern Brazil, 30 plots with 10 × 10 m were installed in three forest sites between 2,200 and 2,300 m.a.s.l. at Serra Fina. The floristic composition and phytosociological structure of this forest were compared with other montane and upper montane forests. In total, 704 individuals were included, belonging to 24 species, 15 families, and 19 genera. Myrsinaceae, Myrtaceae, Symplocaceae, and Cunoniaceae were the most important families, and Myrsine gardneriana, Myrceugenia alpigena, Weinmannia humilis, and Symplocos corymboclados were the most important species. The three forest sites revealed differences in the abundance of species, density, canopy height, and number of stems per individual. The upper montane forests showed structural similarities, such as lower richness, diversity, and effective number of species, and they tended to have higher total densities and total dominance per hectare to montane forests. The most important species in these upper montane forests belong to Austral-Antartic genera or neotropical and pantropical genera that are typical of montane areas. The high number of species shared by these forests suggests past connections between the vegetation in southern Brazilian high-altitude areas.

Novelties in <I>Croton</I> (Euphorbiaceae) from Goiás, Brazil

Abstract During a floristic survey of Croton in montane areas of the Cerrado biome of Central Brazil, a new species, Croton gracilirameus, was discovered and is herein described, illustrated, and compared to its putative closest relatives, C. agoensis and C. catariae. The new species most likely belongs to Croton section Geiseleria due to its stellate trichomes, leaves with glands at the apex of the petiole and margins, thyrses with a brief interruption between the pistillate and staminate flowers, and pistillate flowers with valvate sepals. A key to Croton gracilirameus and allied species, a synonymization of C. chaetocalyx under C. catariae, and new occurrence records of C. arirambae are also provided.