Article
Ecology
Hong Qian, Michael Kessler, Tao Deng, Yi Jin
Summary: The phylogenetic structures of more recently evolved and diversified clades of pteridophytes are consistent with the tropical niche conservatism hypothesis, suggesting that the age of the taxon, its physiological adaptations, and global climatic changes during its evolutionary history are reflected in current plant assemblages.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hong Qian, Michael Kessler, Jian Zhang, Yi Jin, Meichen Jiang
Summary: This study fills a critical knowledge gap by examining the relationships between the phylogenetic structure of ferns and climatic factors. The findings show that temperature-related variables explain more variation in phylogenetic structure than precipitation-related variables, and climate extremes have a stronger relationship than climate seasonality.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hong Qian, Michael Kessler, Yi Jin
Summary: The composition of fern assemblages along the Himalayan elevational gradient in Nepal shows strong signatures of evolutionary processes. Variables related to temperature and climatic extremes tend to play a more important role than precipitation- and seasonality-related variables in driving fern phylogenetic structure.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chad M. Eliason, Jacob C. Cooper, Shannon J. Hackett, Erica Zahnle, Tatiana Z. Pequeno Saco, Joseph Dylan Maddox, Taylor Hains, Mark E. Hauber, John M. Bates
Summary: Hybridization is a significant factor contributing to the diversity of morphological and communicative signals in organisms. Through genetic, electron microscopy and spectrophotometry analysis of a distinct Heliodoxa hummingbird from Peru, it is found that this individual possesses genetic and nanostructural differences compared to other Heliodoxa hummingbirds. These findings suggest that hybridization plays a role in the structural color diversity observed in hummingbirds.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hong Qian, Marcel Rejmanek, Shenhua Qian
Summary: The study found that invasive species are phylogenetically clustered subsets of naturalized species, and more harmful invasive species show stronger phylogenetic clustering in their naturalized species pools. These findings have significant implications for predicting and controlling invasive species based on phylogenetic relatedness.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hong Qian, Brody Sandel
Summary: Understanding the causes and consequences of biological invasions is a challenge in ecology and conservation biology. Predicting which naturalized species become invasive is crucial for invasion management. This study examined the phylogenetic relatedness of invasive angiosperms compared to naturalized species in North America, finding that invasive species tend to be phylogenetically clustered and this clustering is more pronounced in regions with lower temperature and precipitation. This pattern may reflect the evolutionary conservatism of invasive traits and the greater invasiveness of species with novel trait combinations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emma C. Hughes, David P. Edwards, Gavin H. Thomas
Summary: Biodiversity is under threat from global extinction, leading to a reduction in ecological trait diversity, evolutionary history, and ecosystem functioning and services. This study examines the impact of species losses on morphological and phylogenetic diversity in the global avian class and finds evidence of morphological homogenization but not phylogenetic homogenization. The loss of morphological diversity is expected to occur at a higher rate than predicted by species loss alone.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Adrian Garcia-Rodriguez, Bernd Lenzner, Clara Marino, Chunlong Liu, Julian A. Velasco, Celine Bellard, Jonathan M. Jeschke, Hanno Seebens, Franz Essl
Summary: Shifts between native and alien climatic niches pose challenges for predicting biological invasions, especially for insular species. This study analyzed alien occurrences of endemic insular amphibians, reptiles, and birds and found that climatic mismatches were common in invasions of birds and reptiles, but less common in amphibians. Several predictors were identified for climatic mismatches, which varied among taxonomic groups.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Suneeti K. Jog, Jason T. Bried
Summary: This study explored the relationship between taxonomic diversity and evolutionary structure in vascular plant assemblages, finding positive correlations between ecological conservatism and native richness with average taxonomic distinctness, and a negative correlation with exotic species. However, the ambiguity and nonlinear relationship of richness suggest that it may not be a suitable bioindicator for wetlands. Further research is needed to understand how evolutionary structure plays a role in bioassessment.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Diego F. Beltran, Allison J. Shultz, Juan L. Parra
Summary: The uneven distribution of biodiversity among different clades in nature shows that communication signals, such as plumage coloration in hummingbirds, play a crucial role in speciation. The study on 237 hummingbird species reveals that color evolution rates are associated with speciation rates, particularly in male plumage patches, suggesting an interplay between natural and sexual selection in driving speciation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hong Qian
Summary: The study aims to examine the phylogenetic relatedness of invasive angiosperm species at global, continental, and regional scales, and its relationship with climate conditions. The findings show that invasive angiosperm assemblages are phylogenetically clustered subsets of their naturalized species pools, with greater clustering in regions with lower temperature and precipitation. These results have significant implications for predicting and controlling invasive species based on phylogenetic relatedness among naturalized species.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Austin R. Spence, Erin E. Wilson Rankin, Morgan W. Tingley
Summary: Hummingbirds show high dietary overlap in both invertebrate and plant resources, with few common families across individuals. Anna's Hummingbirds exhibit significantly higher invertebrate diet diversity compared to Black-chinned Hummingbirds in the same sites, but no differences were found in plant diet diversity among the 3 species. Urban hummingbirds have higher plant diet diversity than rural hummingbirds, with no effect of elevation on dietary richness.
Article
Plant Sciences
Aiying Zhang, Zhongjie Yang, Yu Zuo, Liang Ma, Hanyu Zhang
Summary: This study examines the distribution patterns of C-4 species in China and their relationship with climatic gradients. The findings indicate that the distribution of C-4 species in China is influenced by temperature and precipitation, with higher species richness and phylogenetic clustering in the southern region.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Flavien Collart, Jian Wang, Jairo Patino, Anders Hagborg, Lars Soderstrom, Bernard Goffinet, Nicolas Magain, Olivier J. Hardy, Alain Vanderpoorten
Summary: The study reveals that changes in the phylogenetic composition among liverwort floras across the globe are primarily shaped by macroclimatic variation, rather than geographic distance. Macroclimatic niche conservatism plays a significant role in constraining the distribution of liverworts over evolutionary time scales.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Li Qiu, Hans Jacquemyn, Kevin S. Burgess, Li-Guo Zhang, Ya-Dong Zhou, Bo-Yun Yang, Shao-Lin Tan
Summary: Climate change has impacted the distribution and abundance of plant and animal species, including the threatened Orchidaceae family. The response of orchids to climate change remains largely unknown. A study on Habenaria and Calanthe species in China found that most Habenaria species will expand their ranges, while most Calanthe species will shrink their ranges dramatically. These findings emphasize the importance of considering climate-adaptive traits in orchid conservation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ian R. McFadden, Susanne A. Fritz, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Loic Pellissier, W. Daniel Kissling, Joseph A. Tobias, Matthias Schleuning, Catherine H. Graham
Summary: This study evaluates trait relationships between frugivorous birds and palms at a global scale and identifies factors such as assemblage richness, climate, and biogeographic history that influence these relationships. The results show that trophic interactions have consistent influences on trait structure, but abiotic, biogeographic, and richness effects also play important roles in shaping the functional biogeography of mutualisms.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Babak Naimi, Cesar Capinha, Joana Ribeiro, Carsten Rahbek, Diederik Strubbe, Luis Reino, Miguel B. Araujo
Summary: Globalization has accelerated the movement of species, particularly tropical birds, which are affected by climate change. As temperate regions become more tropical, the suitability for modelled invasive species increases with latitude. However, the tropics are becoming drier, limiting the potential for cross-continental invasion by tropical species. Forest loss around the tropics, where most traded birds reside, further compounds this trend. Conversely, the net gain in forest area in temperate regions may increase the potential for colonization by low-latitude birds. The combination of climate change, human transportation, and land-cover changes will likely accelerate the redistribution of species globally, leading to the emergence of non-analogue communities with unknown consequences.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Sean B. Reilly, Umilaela Arifin, Alexander L. Stubbs, Benjamin R. Karin, Hinrich Kaiser, Jeffrey H. Frederick, Evy Arida, Djoko T. Iskandar, Jimmy A. Mcguire
Summary: This study suggests that the Lesser Sundas may have served as a stepping-stone for colonization of the Sahul Shelf, and the species diversity of Papurana frogs is underestimated in that region.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryan R. Germain, Shaohong Feng, Lucas Buffan, Carlos P. Carmona, Guangii Chen, Gary R. Graves, Joseph A. Tobias, Carsten Rahbek, Fumin Lei, Jon Fjeldsa, Peter A. Hosner, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Guojie Zhang, David Nogues-Bravo
Summary: By combining morphological, ecological, and life-history trait data with genomic-based estimates of changing effective population size, this study explores the demographic-based shifts in avian functional diversity over the past million years and under pre-anthropogenic climate warming. The results show that functional diversity remained relatively stable over this period, but significant changes occurred in some key areas of trait space due to changing species abundances. Furthermore, the study identifies the vulnerability of different regions of functional space among taxa, enhancing our understanding of losses of biosphere integrity before human disturbances and contemporary biodiversity loss.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Carolina Bello, Matthias Schleuning, Catherine H. Graham
Summary: To quantify the vulnerability of ecosystems to global change, it is important to understand how trophic ecosystem functions emerge. This study proposes the interaction functional space (IFS) as a conceptual framework to integrate the perspectives of functional diversity and network ecology. By applying this framework to seed dispersal and wood decomposition, the study demonstrates the influence of species interactions on the relationship between functional trait diversity and trophic functions. The IFS has potential future applications to elucidate mechanisms driving trophic functions and understand functional changes in ecosystems amidst global change.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Hannah L. Owens, Carsten Rahbek
Summary: Ecological niche modelling in terrestrial systems has been developed, but for marine species, using only latitude and longitude coordinates to extract environmental data may result in inaccurate training and prediction of species' geographical distributions. To address this issue, the voluModel R package was developed to efficiently extract three-dimensional environmental data for training ENMs and provide tools for visualization and estimation of model extrapolation risk. The use of three-dimensional environmental data improves the accuracy of training ENMs and inference of species' ecological niches and potential geographic ranges.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Charles W. Davison, Jakob J. Assmann, Signe Normand, Carsten Rahbek, Naia Morueta-Holme
Summary: Classic ecological research highlighted the important role of 3D vegetation heterogeneity in determining biodiversity patterns. However, measuring vegetation structure across large areas has always been challenging. With the availability of new 3D vegetation data, we investigated the importance of habitat and vegetation heterogeneity in explaining bird species richness and composition patterns across Denmark.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Jimmy A. McGuire, Merly Escalona, Mohan P. A. Marimuthu, Oanh Nguyen, Samuel Sacco, Eric Beraut, Erin Toffelmier, Robert N. Fisher, Ian J. Wang, H. Bradley Shaffer
Summary: Genome assemblies are important for identifying adaptive genetic variation in protected species. In this study, a scaffold-level genome assembly for the Blainville's horned lizard was produced using advanced sequencing technologies. This genome assembly will contribute to the conservation efforts of the species by helping to maintain and restore local genetic diversity in fragmented habitats.
JOURNAL OF HEREDITY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Elisa Barreto, Marisa C. W. Lim, Danny Rojas, Liliana M. Davalos, Rafael O. Wuest, Antonin Machac, Catherine H. Graham
Summary: We investigated the impact of traits on speciation in hummingbirds, a clade with diverse speciation rates, morphology, and niches. Two hypotheses were tested, suggesting that speciation rates are influenced by either trait conservatism or trait divergence. The findings showed that smaller hummingbirds with shorter bills, living at higher elevations and experiencing greater temperature ranges, exhibit faster speciation. Additionally, speciation was found to increase with rates of divergence in niche traits, but not in morphological traits.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Jimmy A. Mcguire, Xiaoting Huang, Sean B. Reilly, Djoko T. Iskandar, Cynthia Y. Wang-Claypool, Sarah Werning, Rebecca A. Chong, Shobi Z. S. Lawalata, Alexander L. Stubbs, Jeffrey H. Frederick, Rafe M. Brown, Ben J. Evans, Umilaela Arifin, Awal Riyanto, Amir Hamidy, Evy Arida, Michelle S. Koo, Jatna Supriatna, Noviar Andayani, Robert Hall
Summary: The biota of Sulawesi is known for its unique species and diversification. In this study, the diversification history of Sulawesi flying lizards, an endemic group to Sulawesi, was explored using a geological framework. The analysis revealed that there are more Draco species in Sulawesi than previously thought, with cryptic and arrested speciation events and ancient hybridization affecting the phylogenetic analyses. The colonization of Sulawesi by the common ancestor of the Draco lineatus Group occurred around 11 million years ago, followed by radiations and dynamic species interactions.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julia H. Heinen, F. B. Vincent Florens, Claudia Baider, Julian P. Hume, W. Daniel Kissling, Robert J. Whittaker, Carsten Rahbek, Michael K. Borregaard
Summary: Insular communities are highly susceptible to human-induced extinctions and introductions, which can affect seed dispersal and lead to ecological shifts and co-extinction cascades. In a study conducted in Mauritius, an oceanic island with a well-studied history of species introduction, researchers found that while there were losses of interaction partnerships due to native species extinctions, there were also gains of interactions with introduced species. However, closer examination revealed that these interactions were predominantly with seed predators, indicating that restoration of seed dispersal functionality in this novel plant-frugivore community is unlikely.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yunpeng Liu, Xiaoting Xu, Dimitar Dimitrov, Loic Pellissier, Michael K. Borregaard, Nawal Shrestha, Xiangyan Su, Ao Luo, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Carsten Rahbek, Zhiheng Wang
Summary: By integrating global distributions and a phylogeny of 12,664 angiosperm genera, the study updates global floristic regions and explores their temporal changes. Most floristic realms have formed since the Paleogene, primarily due to geographic isolation induced by plate tectonics.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diederik Strubbe, Laura Jimenez, A. Marcia Barbosa, Amy J. S. Davis, Luc Lens, Carsten Rahbek
Summary: This study demonstrates that mechanistic models based on functional traits can accurately identify areas at risk of invasion by non-native birds in Europe. Predicting potential invasive distribution ranges has significant uncertainties, but using ecophysiological mechanistic models can determine the true extent of the geographical area at risk. Mechanistic predictions, which can identify tolerable climates outside of species' current niches, are valuable for informing policy and management strategies to prevent the escalating impacts of invasive species.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julia Choi, Lilianne Lee, Aleksey Maro, Ammon Corl, Jimmy A. McGuire, Rauri C. K. Bowie, Robert Dudley
Summary: Some nectarivorous mammals prefer low-concentration ethanol solutions, but the behavioral responses of nectar-feeding birds to ethanol are unknown. In experiments with Anna's Hummingbirds, it was found that they did not discriminate between 0% and 1% ethanol solutions, but consumption rates significantly decreased with a 2% ethanol solution.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ryan R. Germain, Shaohong Feng, Guangji Chen, Gary R. Graves, Joseph A. Tobias, Carsten Rahbek, Fumin Lei, Jon Fjeldsa, Peter A. Hosner, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Guojie Zhang, David Nogues-Bravo
Summary: Using whole-genome sequence data, this study reconstructs the demographic histories of 263 bird species over the past million years and identifies networks of interacting morphological and life history traits associated with changes in effective population size (Ne) in response to climate warming and cooling. The results highlight the direct and indirect effects of key traits representing dispersal, reproduction, and survival on long-term demographic responses to climate change, thus identifying the traits most likely to influence population responses to ongoing climate warming.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
