Article
Environmental Sciences
Priscila Lemes, Fabiana G. Barbosa, Babak Naimi, Miguel B. Araujo
Summary: Scientists examined how animal-plant interactions and dispersal limitations might impact the responses of Brazil nut-dependent frogs to climate change. Their findings suggest that suitable habitats for these frogs are projected to decrease, which could have implications for their survival. However, it is crucial that these species maintain their own dispersal abilities in order to preserve ecological and evolutionary processes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Ceara K. Q. Purcell, Alycia L. Stigall
Summary: This study examined the ecological niche dynamics and stability of eastern Laurentian brachiopod genera during the Late Ordovician Epoch. The results showed significant variations in niche expansion and stability of brachiopod genera across different time intervals.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jake M. Alexander, Daniel Z. Atwater, Robert Colautti, Anna L. Hargreaves
Summary: Species' ranges are constrained by ecological and evolutionary factors. The role of biotic interactions in shaping adaptation and range limits is not well understood. This study investigates how biotic interactions influence adaptation and proposes a model to illustrate the potential for range expansion and niche evolution.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Nuria Galiana, Miguel Lurgi, Jose M. Montoya, Miguel B. Araujo, Eric D. Galbraith
Summary: Species geographical range sizes are influenced by both biotic interactions and climatic tolerance, with diet breadth appearing to more strongly limit range size. This study provides new insights into the importance of biotic interactions in determining species distributions.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Henry G. Fell, Owen G. Osborne, Matthew D. Jones, Steve Atkinson, Simon Tarr, Suzanne H. Keddie, Adam C. Algar
Summary: This study investigates the distribution and transmission of Yersinia pestis, the pathogen that causes plague in humans. The findings suggest that the current climatic niche of Y. pestis differs between its native range and the invaded range, and that considering host species distributions improves the accuracy of predictive models for disease distribution.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Temitope Emmanuel Arotolu, HaoNing Wang, JiaNing Lv, Kun Shi, Hein van Gils, LiYa Huang, XiaoLong Wang
Summary: This study identifies the environmental conditions and areas in the Qinghai Lake basin that are suitable for the distribution of Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax. Through mapping environmental variables and anthrax occurrence data, the study finds that a relatively high annual mean temperature, specific soil types, and a high human population density contribute the most to the distribution of B. anthracis. The resulting distribution map provides valuable information for nature reserve managers and animal health authorities to devise surveillance and control strategies in the suitable regions.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jocelyn M. Velazquez-Hernandez, Jose Ariel Ruiz-Corral, Noe Duran-Puga, Diego R. Gonzalez-Eguiarte, Fernando Santacruz-Ruvalcaba, Giovanni Emmanuel Garcia-Romero, Jesus German de la Mora-Castaneda, Carlos Felix Barrera-Sanchez, Agustin Gallegos-Rodriguez
Summary: This research focused on characterizing the eco-geography of Dioscorea composita and predicting its potential geographic distribution under climate change scenarios in Mexico-Central America. The findings showed that D. composita adapts to warm and humid agro-climates and the most contributing variables for its presence are moisture availability indices, photoperiod, thermal range, and specific bioclimatic variables. The results provide valuable information for the effective utilization and conservation of this plant.
Article
Plant Sciences
Mario R. Moura, Fellipe A. O. do Nascimento, Lucas N. Paolucci, Daniel P. Silva, Braulio A. Santos
Summary: Climate emergency poses a significant threat to biodiversity, particularly in dryland plant assemblages. This study modeled the current and future distribution of plant species in a tropical dry forest, and projected a decrease in species richness and changes in woodiness patterns due to climate change. The findings emphasize the importance of long-term conservation planning for maintaining tropical dry forests.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Jiming Liu, Yuanyuan Xu, Caowen Sun, Xin Wang, Yulin Zheng, Shuanglong Shi, Zhong Chen, Qiuyang He, Xuehuang Weng, Liming Jia
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the habitat distribution of the important tree species Sapindus and its response to climate change in Asia. The study found that precipitation played a key role in shaping the distribution of Sapindus habitats. Under future climate change scenarios, the habitats of Sapindus were predicted to expand or contract depending on the species and location. Additionally, different species of Sapindus exhibited distinct ecological habits in East and Southeast Asia.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Christian Korner
Summary: The alpine life zone is a unique biome where mountains are high enough to host small stature plants with varying morphology, anatomy, and physiology. This article summarizes several principles that govern life in this cold and hostile environment, including the role of aerodynamic decoupling, the concepts of limitation and stress in an evolutionary context, and the importance of developmental flexibility and functional diversity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Diego Centeno-Alvarado, Jessica Luiza S. Silva, Oswaldo Cruz-Neto, Ariadna Valentina Lopes
Summary: This study focused on the endemic species Tacinga palmadora in the dry forest of Brazil and tested the hypothesis that biotic interactions do not affect species distribution at large geographical scales. The results showed that climate change could reduce suitable habitats for T. palmadora, supporting the hypothesis.
REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhixiong Deng, Xiuping Zhang, Justyna Wolinska, David Blair, Wei Hu, Mingbo Yin
Summary: Climate is a key factor driving the evolution and distribution of species. This study investigated the genomic variation of waterfleas in different climate regimes and found significant divergence between European and Chinese populations. Certain alleles associated with specific temperature regimes were identified, suggesting the functional role of molecular variation in shaping population structure.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yu-Qun Du, Alexander Jueterbock, Muhammad Firdaus, Anicia Q. Hurtado, Delin Duan
Summary: This study investigated the niche differences between two species of Kappaphycus seaweed using ecological niche modeling, ordination, and hypervolume approaches. The results showed significant niche differences in both geographical and environmental space between the two species. The models predicted that rising sea surface temperature will lead to different range shifts for the two species, with one species suffering contraction while the other species expanding its distribution. This study enhances our understanding of Kappaphycus aquaculture and highlights the importance of conservation and investigation under climate change.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Review
Agronomy
Felipe E. Albornoz, Suzanne M. Prober, Megan H. Ryan, Rachel J. Standish
Summary: This review critically examines microbe-microbe interactions among functional guilds within the plant-soil system. The review confirms that the nature of microbial interactions is explained by niche theory, where competitive relationships are likely when benefits to plants and nutrient scavenging mechanisms overlap, while neutral-to-facilitative relationships are likely when these microbial traits differ or complement each other.
Review
Zoology
Luara Tourinho, Mariana M. Vale
Summary: Researchers compared different models for estimating species' niche and distribution, finding that mechanistic and correlative models have different strengths and limitations. Hybrid models combining both approaches were considered promising. However, the best approach depends on the specific context and research objectives.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Serban Proches, Syd Ramdhani
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lea Joffrin, Steven M. Goodman, David A. Wilkinson, Beza Ramasindrazana, Erwan Lagadec, Yann Gomard, Gildas Le Minter, Andrea Dos Santos, M. Corrie Schoeman, Rajendraprasad Sookhareea, Pablo Tortosa, Simon Julienne, Eduardo S. Gudo, Patrick Mavingui, Camille Lebarbenchon
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Minoli Appalasamy, Syd Ramdhani, Sershen
Article
Ecology
Gisele M. Mendes, Fernando A. O. Silveira, Carolina Oliveira, Wesley Dattilo, Roger Guevara, Betsabe Ruiz-Guerra, Maria Gabriela Boaventura, Sershen, Syd Ramdhani, Shyam S. Phartyal, Servio P. Ribeiro, Victor Diniz Pinto, Heraldo L. Vasconcelos, Richard Tito, Cassio Cardoso Pereira, Barbara Carvalho, Gabriel M. Carvalho, Ek Del-Val, Elise Buisson, Andre J. Arruda, Jean-Baptiste Toth, Fabio de O. Roque, Allan Henrique Souza, Fabio Bolzan, Frederico Neves, Juliana Kuchenbecker, Guilherme Ramos Demetrio, Luziene Seixas, Gustavo Q. Romero, Paula M. de Omena, Jhonathan O. Silva, Lucas Paolucci, Elenir Queiroz, Mark K. J. Ooi, Charlotte H. Mills, Pille Gerhold, Anne Merzin, Jhonny C. Massante, Ramiro Aguilar, Lucas M. Carbone, Ricardo Campos, Inacio Gomes, Gabriela Zorzal, Ricardo Solar, Leticia Ramos, Tathiana Sobrinho, Pedro Sanders, Tatiana Cornelissen
Summary: Herbivory is a crucial factor in plant distribution and performance, yet remains largely undocumented. This study introduced a collaborative network to update and expand data on insect herbivory in tropical and temperate plant species.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Calvin Mehl, M. Corrie Schoeman, Tomasz J. Sanko, Carlos Bezuidenhout, Charlotte M. S. Mienie, Wolfgang Preiser, Dalene Vosloo
Summary: Mammals are born with a near-sterile intestinal tract and acquire their mothers' microbiome during birth. Various factors shape the intestinal microbe assemblage, and studies have found bats near wastewater treatment works exhibit greater microbial diversity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sandun J. Perera, David G. Herbert, Serban Proches, Syd Ramdhani
Summary: In this study, the zoogeography of terrestrial malacofauna from south-eastern Africa was analyzed, proposing a numerical regionalisation based on molluscs. The results identified five centres of molluscan endemism and confirmed six areas of endemism, supporting the importance of the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany (MPA) biodiversity hotspot for conservation. The study also suggested further extensions of the MPA region of land snail endemism, providing a more robustly defined region of conservation concern.
Review
Ecology
Serban Proches, Syd Ramdhani, Alice C. Hughes, Lian Pin Koh
Summary: The region of Southeast Asia, despite often being overlooked in global conservation discussions, is highlighted as one of the primary macrorefugia of the world with rich ancient lineage diversity and cosmopolitan lineage diversity. It is considered a biodiversity museum and a source of global colonization, with its unique combination of top diversity values attributed to latitudinal diversity gradients and continental connectivity patterns. The availability of diverse climatic conditions, particularly in South China/North Indochina, has facilitated rapid recolonization within the region following past climatic changes, resulting in high survival values and exceptional relict lineage diversity.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lutendo Mugwedi, Mathieu Rouget, Benis Egoh, Sershen, Syd Ramdhani, Rob Slotow, Hloniphani P. Moyo
Summary: The study assessed the impact of the 2014-2016 El Nino event on reforestation in a subtropical forest in Durban, South Africa, finding that moist microhabitats were beneficial for seedling survival and growth. Millettia grandis, Vachellia natalitia, and Erythrina lysistemon were identified as good pioneer species for reforestation in areas prone to drought.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Axel O. G. Hoarau, Steven M. Goodman, Dana Al Halabi, Beza Ramasindrazana, Erwan Lagadec, Gildas Le Minter, Marie Koster, Andrea Dos Santos, M. Corrie Schoeman, Eduardo S. Gudo, Patrick Mavingui, Camille Lebarbenchon
Summary: Co-infections of astroviruses, coronaviruses, and paramyxoviruses were detected in bats from Madagascar and Mozambique, with significant variation in the proportion of co-infections among bat species. Certain combinations of co-infections were more common than others, indicating the complexity of virus transmission in wild reservoir hosts.
Article
Biology
Genevieve E. Marsden, M. Corrie Schoeman, Dalene Vosloo
Summary: This study investigated the rewarming rates of seven insectivorous bat species along an altitude gradient in South Africa and found no significant relationship with altitude. However, it did find that males rewarm more rapidly than females at low temperatures.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Nikhail Arumoogum, Jason P. P. Marshal, Francesca Parrini
Summary: This study investigated the distribution patterns and spatial niche overlap of large grazing herbivores in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique before and after a 15-year civil war. The findings showed significant changes in range size and spatial niche overlap of these species. The results demonstrate the importance of understanding how human activity can impact species distributions and spatial niche partitioning between coexisting species.
Article
Ecology
Genevieve E. E. Marsden, Dalene Vosloo, M. Corrie Schoeman
Summary: By collating data on urban presence, phylogenetic relationship, and ecological traits of 54 insectivorous bats in Africa, this study found that the response of African bats to urbanization is evolutionarily conserved and mediated by pre-adaptations. Traits such as high wing loading and aspect ratio, and flexible roosting strategies enable bats to occupy urban areas. This research identifies the predicted traits of bat species occurring in urban areas and highlights the vulnerable bat clades that conservation efforts should focus on to reduce loss of functional and phylogenetic diversity in Africa.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Letter
Immunology
Camille Lebarbenchon, Steven M. Goodman, Axel O. G. Hoarau, Gildas Le Minter, Andrea Dos Santos, M. Corrie Schoeman, Christophe Leculier, Herve Raoul, Eduardo S. Gudo, Patrick Mavingui
Summary: This study detected Bombali ebolavirus RNA in free-tailed bats in Mozambique and found that Mops condylurus bats may play a significant role in the transmission of this virus.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Astika Bhugeloo, Syd Ramdhani, Kabir Peerbhay, Olivier K. Kambaj, Sershen
Summary: This study compared the canopy gap floristics in three urban subtropical forests with different disturbance histories, revealing that alien and indigenous plant density were negatively correlated, species richness was positively correlated with gap size and soil moisture content, and negatively correlated with air temperature.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Astika Bhugeloo, Kabir Peerbhay, Syd Ramdhani, Sershen
REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS-SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
(2019)