Article
Ecology
Xiujuan Qiao, Jiaxin Zhang, Zhong Wang, Yaozhan Xu, Tianyang Zhou, Xiangcheng Mi, Min Cao, Wanhui Ye, Guangze Jin, Zhanqing Hao, Xugao Wang, Xihua Wang, Songyan Tian, Xiankun Li, Wusheng Xiang, Yankun Liu, Yingnan Shao, Kun Xu, Weiguo Sang, Fuping Zeng, Haibao Ren, Mingxi Jiang, Aaron M. Ellison
Summary: The study identified candidate foundation woody plant species in Chinese forests using statistical criteria, revealing that such species are more common in temperate forests. The research also found that the species diversity of co-occurring woody species had different associations with the basal area of candidate foundation species at different spatial scales.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Emanuel M. Fonseca, Tara A. Pelletier, Sydney K. Decker, Danielle J. Parsons, Bryan C. Carstens
Summary: This study demonstrated that tropical species have higher levels of intraspecific genetic diversity compared to non-tropical species. Additionally, the data suggests that non-tropical species show deviations from neutral expectations, indicating historical population fluctuations possibly associated with Pleistocene glacial cycles. These findings suggest that Quaternary climate perturbations may play a more significant role in driving the latitudinal gradient in species richness than previously thought.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Leying Zhang, Jiuwei Zhao, Jong-Seong Kug, Xin Geng, Haiming Xu, Jingjia Luo, Jae-Heung Park, Ruifen Zhan
Summary: The study identified two distinct sea surface temperature warming patterns, La Nina-like and El Nino-like, in CMIP5 models, which are influenced by the tropical Indo-Pacific SST gradient. The PW pattern in individual models is nonstationary and may change in the future.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Dylan G. Jones, Julia Kobelt, Jenna M. Ross, Thomas H. Q. Powell, Kirsten M. Prior
Summary: This study investigated the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) of oak gall wasp communities and the potential weaker interactions in polar regions for a range-expanding community member. The results showed a lower diversity of oak gall wasps at higher latitudes, particularly in detachable leaf gall morphotypes. Co-occurrence of gall wasps on trees in the northern expanded region was weak, and the abundances of Neuroterus saltatorius and detachable/ integral leaf galls were negatively related, indicating antagonistic interactions. Therefore, LDGs create communities with weaker associations at the poles, facilitating ecological release for range-expanding species.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Benjamin G. Freeman, Thomas Weeks, Dolph Schluter, Joseph A. Tobias
Summary: This study analyzed the rates of beak evolution in avian sister species and found that the rates of beak size evolution were similar across latitudes, while beak shape evolved faster in the temperate zone.
Article
Biology
Ke Cao, Richard Condit, Xiangcheng Mi, Lei Chen, Haibao Ren, Wubing Xu, David F. R. P. Burslem, Chunrong Cai, Min Cao, Li-Wan Chang, Chengjin Chu, Fuxin Cui, Hu Du, Sisira Ediriweera, C. S. Gunatilleke, I. U. A. N. Gunatilleke, Zhanqing Hao, Guangze Jin, Jinbo Li, Buhang Li, Yide Li, Yankun Liu, Hongwei Ni, Michael J. O'Brien, Xiujuan Qiao, Guochun Shen, Songyan Tian, Xihua Wang, Han Xu, Yaozhan Xu, Libing Yang, Sandra L. Yap, Juyu Lian, Wanhui Ye, Mingjian Yu, Sheng-Hsin Su, Chia-Hao Chang-Yang, Yili Guo, Xiankun Li, Fuping Zeng, Daoguang Zhu, Li Zhu, I-Fang Sun, Keping Ma, Jens-Christian Svenning
Summary: The study demonstrates that tropical forests exhibit higher beta-diversity compared to temperate forests, even after correcting for environmental gradients. Additionally, both niche specialization and niche marginality increase towards the equator, independent of topographical heterogeneity. This suggests that tighter species packing and larger niche space contribute to the latitudinal species richness gradient, emphasizing the importance of local processes in controlling beta-diversity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Lewis A. Jones, Christopher D. Dean, Philip D. Mannion, Alexander Farnsworth, Peter A. Allison
Summary: The latitudinal biodiversity gradient is a pervasive pattern of the modern biosphere, but it is influenced by geological and anthropogenic biases. Spatial sampling heterogeneity impacts the detectability of genuine gradients, with sampling-standardization aiding in the reconstruction of relative gradients but unable to address artefactual absences introduced by biases.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Filipa C. Soares, Ricardo F. Lima, Jorge M. Palmeirim, Pedro Cardoso, Ana S. L. Rodrigues
Summary: This study analyzes the impacts of species extinctions and introductions on the functional diversity and composition of island bird assemblages. The results show that introduced species compensate for the loss of species richness and increase the prevalence of functional traits, but they do not compensate for the loss of functional richness due to extinctions. The current island bird assemblages are becoming functionally poorer.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mariana Grossmann, Sven N. Nielsen, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira, Nelson Valdivia
Summary: Understanding latitudinal variations in biodiversity is essential for biogeography. In the coast of the Southeast Pacific, it is observed that several taxa exhibit increasing species numbers from lower to higher latitudes. This phenomenon can be explained by the presence of fjords formed during glaciations, which increased the diversity of available biotopes and allowed higher diversity in high latitudes. This research focuses on analyzing latitudinal patterns of functional diversity in the fossil record before the formation of fjords in order to assess this hypothesis.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kuiling Zu, Cancan Zhang, Fusheng Chen, Zhiyong Zhang, Shahid Ahmad, Ghulam Nabi
Summary: This study examined the distribution patterns of species richness and phylogenetic diversity along the latitudinal gradients in Chinese Nature Reserves. The results showed that both species richness and phylogenetic diversity increased with latitude in China. Temperature was found to be strongly correlated with species diversity and phylogenetic structure. These findings contribute to our understanding of species diversity and provide support for biodiversity conservation in China.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Stefan Pinkert, Vijay Barve, Rob Guralnick, Walter Jetz
Summary: This study presents a comprehensive data product of the geographic distributions of extant butterflies, based on literature sources and occurrence records. The database provides insights into the richness and latitudinal gradients of butterfly diversity, highlighting the importance of leveraging multiple distribution information for ecological and conservation analysis.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Jedediah F. Brodie, Philip D. Mannion
Summary: Explanations for the latitudinal concentration of Earth's biodiversity fail to explain variations in the gradient over time. A hierarchy of factors driving latitudinal diversity distribution is proposed: climate is the main predictor over long time spans, habitat area is important when climatic gradients are shallow, and historical contingencies have a short-term influence at most due to niche conservatism. Therefore, although variable, latitudinal diversity gradients are largely predictable on Earth and potentially on other planets.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Afroditi Grigoropoulou, Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber, Cesc Murria
Summary: This study assesses the contributions of local and regional processes and historical and contemporary factors in establishing macroecological patterns. The results reveal that regional environmental filtering plays a crucial role in limiting species range and shaping the regional species pool. The study also indicates that there are differences in diversity patterns between northern and southern regions, with northern species pools exhibiting phylogenetic clustering and southern ones showing overdispersion.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tia L. Harrison, Zoe A. Parshuram, Megan E. Frederickson, John R. Stinchcombe
Summary: Mutualism is believed to be more common in the tropics, but the impact of mutualism on latitudinal diversity gradients is still uncertain. This study focuses on the symbiotic microbial community associated with the legume Chamaecrista nictitans and finds that non-rhizobial species richness increases towards lower latitudes in the nodules, but not in the rhizobial community. Host selection plays an important role in structuring non-rhizobia communities, and the non-rhizobia strains have a marginal effect on nodule number and no effect on plant growth.
Article
Ecology
Filipa C. Soares, Jorge M. Palmeirim, Ana S. L. Rodrigues, Pedro Cardoso, Ricardo F. de Lima
Summary: Humans are quickly reshaping species assemblages on oceanic islands through extinctions and introductions, leading to taxonomic and functional homogenization. Bird extinctions and introductions have promoted taxonomic and functional homogenization on most oceanic islands. While the loss of species with similar traits has led to functional differentiation across archipelagos, this effect is offset by the homogenizing effect of introductions.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Regina L. Cunha, Adjany Costa, Filipa Godinho, Carmen Santos, Rita Castilho
Summary: The olive ridley sea turtle is widely distributed but vulnerable due to threats in nesting sites. Genetic data from Angola indicates low diversity but connectivity with other Atlantic populations.
CONSERVATION GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Jose Ramon Pardos-Blas, Manuel J. Tenorio, Juan Carlos G. Galindo, Rafael Zardoya
Summary: The venom duct transcriptomes and proteomes of cryptic cone snail species Virroconus ebraeus and Virroconus judaeus were compared, revealing differences in conotoxin precursor superfamilies and hormones expression, possibly reflecting adaptations to different diets. Additionally, machine learning algorithms were used to predict the 3D structures of selected venom proteins, providing insights into their potential functions.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Zakaria Moutaoukil, Emmanuel Serrano-Diez, Isidro G. Collado, Manuel Jimenez-Tenorio, Jose Manuel Botubol-Ares
Summary: An efficient ruthenium-catalyzed N-alkylation method has been developed for amines, amides, and sulfonamides using novel pentamethylcyclopentadienylruthenium(II) complexes. The method shows high functional group tolerance and can achieve up to 99% yield even on gram-scale reactions. This is the first example of N-alkylation of sulfonamides using transition-metal complexes with NHC ligands.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joana Pereira, Catia Monteiro, Rui Seabra, Fernando P. Lima
Summary: This study provides a detailed description of the occurrence of intertidal macroalgae species in the rocky shores of the north-western Iberian coast. The new data can be used to quantify and map biodiversity change in the region, as well as help understanding the mechanisms constraining species distributions.
BIODIVERSITY DATA JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Declan Morrissey, Jake Goodall, Rita Castilho, Tom C. Cameron, Michelle L. Taylor
Summary: This study used ddRADseq technology to investigate the genetic structure of Buccinum undatum. The results showed that B. undatum exhibits fine-scale genetic structure and has limited dispersal capabilities. A single genetic population was found with a trend of isolation-by-distance. Additionally, barriers of lower dispersal were discovered in the Thames estuary and across the English Channel.
FISHERIES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Regina L. Cunha, Katy R. Nicastro, Gerardo Zardi, Celine Madeira, Christopher D. McQuaid, Cymon J. Cox, Rita Castilho
Summary: This study sequenced three mitochondrial genomes of Brazilian brown mussels and compared them with a reference species. The results indicate that the previously proposed gene order for this species was incorrect, confirming the monophyly of the genus Perna.
Article
Biology
Lauren M. M. Schiebelhut, Melina Giakoumis, Rita Castilho, Paige J. J. Duffin, Jonathan B. B. Puritz, John P. P. Wares, Gary M. M. Wessel, Michael N. Dawson
Summary: Mass mortality events caused by human-induced change are increasing globally. These events have immediate and long-term effects on ecosystems. Genomic data can help understand the population-level changes associated with these events. This study used reduced-representation sequencing to identify short-term genetic impacts of a sea star wasting outbreak.
BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Biology
Lauren M. Schiebelhut, Melina Giakoumis, Rita Castilho, Valentina E. Garcia, John P. Wares, Gary M. Wessel, Michael N. Dawson
Summary: The explanation for variation in impacts of sea star wasting disease across asteroid species remains unknown. The study found no evidence for a phylogenetic association with sea star wasting impact, but did find a phylogenetic association for certain life-history traits. It also discovered that the species with the greatest sea star wasting impacts tend to have shallower minimum depth distributions, earlier median reproductive periods, and higher rugosities.
BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Regina L. Cunha, Abderraouf Ben Faleh, Sara Francisco, Radek Sanda, Jasna Vukic, Luana Corona, Mamadou Dia, Igor Glavicic, Abderrahmane Kassar, Rita Castilho, Joana Robalo
Summary: This study analyzed the connectivity of the marine species bogue Boops boops using mitochondrial sequence data, and identified three distinct clades. The study found that the northern subtropical gyre promotes closer connection between the Azores, southern Portugal, and Mediterranean B. boops populations. The widely recognized oceanographic barrier does not seem to affect the dispersal of this benthopelagic species.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Karolina M. Zarzyczny, Michael E. Hellberg, Elena B. Lugli, Moira MacLean, David A. Paz-Garcia, Marc Rius, Ethan G. Ross, Erick X. Trevino Balandra, James Vanstone, Suzanne T. Williams, Phillip B. Fenberg
Summary: This study investigates the consequences of tropicalisation in rocky shore gastropods using distributional and genetic data. The findings show range contraction in temperate species and range expansion in tropical species. Additionally, population subdivision and phylogeographic breaks are observed in temperate species.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Manuel J. Tenorio, Nicolas Puillandre
Summary: This study reviews the deep-water cone snail fauna of New Caledonia and its Economic Exclusive Zone, providing a detailed taxonomic account and phylogenetic analysis. The analysis reveals that about 20.3% of the deep-water cone snail species can be considered endemic to the New Caledonia EEZ.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TAXONOMY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Alex David Rogers, Hannah Appiah-Madson, Jeff A. Ardron, Nicholas J. Bax, Punyasloke Bhadury, Angelika Brandt, Pier-Luigi Buttigieg, Olivier De Clerck, Claudia Delgado, Daniel L. Distel, Adrian Glover, Judith Gobin, Maila Guilhon, Shannon Hampton, Harriet Harden-Davies, Paul Hebert, Lisa Hynes, Miranda Lowe, Sandy MacIntyre, Hawis Madduppa, Ana Carolina de Azevedo Mazzuco, Anna McCallum, Chris McOwen, Tim Wilhelm Nattkemper, Mika Odido, Tim O'Hara, Karen Osborn, Angelique Pouponneau, Pieter Provoost, Muriel Rabone, Eva Ramirez-Llodra, Lucy Scott, Kerry Jennifer Sink, Daniela Turk, Hiromi Kayama Watanabe, Lauren V. Weatherdon, Thomas Wernberg, Suzanne Williams, Lucy Woodall, Dawn J. Wright, Daniela Zeppilli, Oliver Steeds
Summary: Ocean Census is a strategic science mission aimed at accelerating the discovery and description of marine species. It addresses the knowledge gap of marine biodiversity and the need to protect marine life and ecosystems.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Remote Sensing
Jessica Carvalho, Marc O. Lammers, Katherine L. Indeck, Adam A. Pack, Rita Castilho
Summary: This study compares the non-song calls of humpback whales in different group compositions in the breeding grounds of Hawaii. The results show that there were no significant differences in the spectral features and temporal parameters of calls among the different groups. However, interesting patterns of calling behavior were observed, and the lack of statistical significance may be due to the small sample size of tag deployments.
FRONTIERS IN REMOTE SENSING
(2022)