Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valeria A. Komarova, Danila S. Kostin, Josef Bryja, Ondrej Mikula, Anna Bryjova, Dagmar Cizkova, Radim Sumbera, Yonas Meheretu, Leonid A. Lavrenchenko
Summary: The Ethiopian highlands are a remarkable biodiversity 'hot spot' with high numbers of endemic species, including the speckled brush-furred rats. Analysis reveals significant incongruence between mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies, likely due to multiple interspecific introgression events.
Article
Ecology
Jan C. Habel, Werner Ulrich, Marco Rieckmann, Halimu Shauri, Joslyn M. Nzau
Summary: Successful forest conservation in the tropics depends on addressing weaknesses in environmental governance, implementing locally informed conservation measures, and ensuring benefits for local people. Our study in the Taita Hills of Kenya highlights the lack of knowledge about biodiversity and ecosystem functions among local people, and the bias towards protecting plant species rather than wild animals due to conflicts and tourism. Resolving human-wildlife conflicts and sharing tourism benefits are crucial for promoting a positive attitude towards conservation.
ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wondimagegn Mengist, Teshome Soromessa, Gudina Legese Feyisa
Summary: The investigation of soil and water-related ecosystem services and land-use and land cover changes is crucial for conservation strategies. This study conducted research in the Kaffa Forest Biosphere Reserve in Ethiopia using the InVEST and RUSLE models. The findings show the temporal and spatial fluctuations of sediment retention, soil erosion, and water yield due to land-use modifications. The results provide important insights for decision-makers to enhance the ecological integrity of the reserve.
Article
Ecology
Lluvia Flores-Renteria, Paul D. Rymer, Niveditha Ramadoss, Markus Riegler
Summary: Our study investigated the impact of recognized biogeographic barriers on the genetic differentiation of Eucalyptus moluccana in eastern Australian woodlands. Analyses using chloroplast DNA and microsatellites revealed a relationship between genetic structure and biogeographic barriers, as well as supported the recognition of some but not all previously proposed subspecies.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lijuan Li, Xiaoting Xu, Hong Qian, Xianhan Huang, Pengju Liu, Jacob B. Landis, Quansheng Fu, Lu Sun, Hengchang Wang, Hang Sun, Tao Deng
Summary: The study on Mount Namjagbarwa revealed a typical hump-shaped pattern of species richness along the elevational gradient, while the phylogenetic structure showed a zig-zag pattern with three elevation segments, each with different formation mechanisms. Temperature tolerance played a key role in species richness and phylogenetic structure across the entire elevational gradient.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiongfeng Du, Ye Deng, Shuzhen Li, Arthur Escalas, Kai Feng, Qing He, Zhujun Wang, Yueni Wu, Danrui Wang, Xi Peng, Shang Wang
Summary: The study investigated the spatial scaling of prokaryotic biodiversity in different strata of a grassland, revealing significant biogeographic patterns in each layer with taxonomic turnover rates higher than phylogenetic ones. The prokaryotic community in grassland soils assembled mainly according to deterministic mechanisms, showing an increasing deterministic proportion with depth.
Article
Microbiology
Dan Sun, Gajaba Ellepola, Jayampathi Herath, Madhava Meegaskumbura
Summary: The study reveals the absence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) in amphibian species in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GAR), China, but suggests potential suitable habitats for Bsal based on niche models. Climate-related factors are found to have the greatest significance in determining Bsal distribution. The study provides valuable insights into the ecological niche of Bsal and aids conservation efforts for amphibian populations affected by chytrid pathogens.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jie Wang, Chengzhi Ding, Jani Heino, Liuyong Ding, Jinnan Chen, Dekui He, Juan Tao
Summary: This study analysed the spatio-temporal patterns and dynamics of non-native fishes in Yunnan, China, highlighting the importance of considering receiving ecosystems and intra-regional species translocations when developing management strategies against invasions of alien species.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Marco T. Neiber, Frank Walther, Pavel V. Kijashko, Levan Mumladze, Bernhard Hausdorf
Summary: Species distributed in the Caucasus and/or the adjacent Pontic Mountains are also found in the East Mediterranean region, potentially due to long-distance dispersal. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses reveal species pairs with deep splits predating the aridification of the Anatolian Plateau, suggesting more continuous distributions before this event.
Article
Ecology
Fausto E. Barbo, Cristiano de C. Nogueira, Ricardo J. Sawaya
Summary: The study aimed to test the predictions of the vicariance model in shaping biogeographical regions for endemic snakes in the Atlantic Forest using revised point locality data. The results indicated non-random biogeographical regions in the Atlantic Forest for snakes, congruent with previously identified areas based on other organisms, validating the central predictions of the vicariance model.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Wen-Jing Fang, Qiong Cai, Qing Zhao, Cheng-Jun Ji, Jiang-Ling Zhu, Zhi-Yao Tang, Jing-Yun Fang
Summary: Larch forests play a crucial role in species diversity, as well as soil and water conservation in mountainous regions. This study identified large-scale patterns of species richness in larch forests and determined the factors that drive these patterns, with climate and community structural factors being the most influential. The findings support the ambient energy hypothesis and the freezing tolerance hypothesis, highlighting the importance of energy availability and cold conditions in shaping species richness in China's larch forests.
Article
Plant Sciences
Judith Fehrer, Michaela Nagy Nejedla, C. Barre Hellquist, Alexander A. Bobrov, Zdenek Kaplan
Summary: Aquatic plant species, with their reduced morphology and high phenotypic plasticity, pose challenges to species delimitation and taxonomy. This study provides a worldwide analysis of the aquatic plant genus Stuckenia, finding different lineages and revealing patterns of interspecific hybridization and species origins. The study also highlights the underestimation of hybridization as a source of Stuckenia diversity in certain regions, leading to misidentification and misclassification.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alexia Dubuc, Juan Pablo Quimbayo, Juan Jose Alvarado, Tatiana Araya-Arce, Andrea Arriaga, Arturo Ayala-Bocos, Jose Julio Casas-Maldonado, Luis Chasqui, Jorge Cortes, Amilcar Cupul-Magana, Damien Olivier, Manuel Olan-Gonzalez, Alberto Gonzalez-Leiva, Hector Reyes-Bonilla, Franz Smith, Fernando Rivera, Fabian A. Rodriguez-Zaragoza, Jenny Carolina Rodriguez-Villalobos, Johanna Segovia, Fernando A. Zapata, Sonia Bejarano
Summary: This study investigates the distribution patterns of reef fish species richness and functional diversity in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) and reveals that species richness and functional richness peak towards the center of the ETP. Additionally, functional evenness is highest at higher latitudes whereas functional dispersion is homogeneous throughout the ETP. The study also shows that species richness is influenced by shelf area, distance from mainland, sea surface temperature (SST), and conservation status, while functional evenness is influenced by human population gravity and functional dispersion is influenced by shelf area.
Article
Plant Sciences
Po-Po Wu, Zi Wang, Ning-Xia Jia, Shao-Qiong Dong, Xiao-Yun Qu, Xian-Guo Qiao, Chang-Cheng Liu, Ke Guo
Summary: This study investigated the vertical vegetation belts in the south slope of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve. Through plot surveys and data analysis, a new scheme of vertical vegetation belts was proposed, and it was found that elevation is the main driving factor of vegetation distribution. The study also revealed a unimodal pattern in plant species diversity, with the middle montane semi-evergreen broadleaf forest belt having the highest species diversity.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Henna Rinne, Jean-Francois Blanc, Tiina Salo, Marie C. Nordstrom, Niilo Salmela, Sonja Salovius-Lauren
Summary: This study investigates the spatial variation in Fucus-associated invertebrate communities on rocky shores along the Baltic Sea. The results show that eutrophication affects the invertebrate communities, with lower species abundances in areas with good status. Fucus in poor status areas hosts high abundances of certain invertebrate taxa. The study also reveals that abundances of certain taxa are lower in areas where non-indigenous crab species have been observed.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
William J. Baker, Paul Bailey, Vanessa Barber, Abigail Barker, Sidonie Bellot, David Bishop, Laura R. Botigue, Grace Brewer, Tom Carruthers, James J. Clarkson, Jeffrey Cook, Robyn S. Cowan, Steven Dodsworth, Niroshini Epitawalage, Elaine Francoso, Berta Gallego, Matthew G. Johnson, Jan T. Kim, Kevin Leempoel, Olivier Maurin, Catherine Mcginnie, Lisa Pokorny, Shyamali Roy, Malcolm Stone, Eduardo Toledo, Norman J. Wickett, Alexandre R. Zuntini, Wolf L. Eiserhardt, Paul J. Kersey, Ilia J. Leitch, Felix Forest
Summary: The tree of life is a fundamental roadmap for understanding the evolution and characteristics of life on Earth, but there is still much that is unknown. High-throughput sequencing is expected to deepen our understanding of evolutionary relationships. A comprehensive phylogenomic platform has been established to explore the angiosperm tree of life, including open tools and data.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emma B. Hodcroft, Moira Zuber, Sarah Nadeau, Timothy G. Vaughan, Katharine H. D. Crawford, Christian L. Althaus, Martina L. Reichmuth, John E. Bowen, Alexandra C. Walls, Davide Corti, Jesse D. Bloom, David Veesler, David Mateo, Alberto Hernando, Inaki Comas, Fernando Gonzalez Candelas, Tanja Stadler, Richard A. Neher
Summary: A variant of SARS-CoV-2, 20E (EU1), was identified in Spain in early summer 2020 and later spread across Europe. Despite not showing increased transmissibility, the variant's success can be attributed to rising incidence in Spain, resumption of travel, and lack of effective screening and containment measures. Travel played a significant role in introducing the variant multiple times to European countries during the summer, undermining local efforts to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Review
Ecology
Jan Hackel, Isabel Sanmartin
Summary: Lineage dispersal is a fundamental macroevolutionary process that shapes the distribution of biodiversity. Current modeling methods have advanced in explaining the variation of lineage dispersal over space, time, and phylogenetic branches, aiding in answering fundamental questions about the tempo and mode of lineage dispersal. Methodological improvements guided by a focus on model adequacy will lead to more realistic models that can further answer key questions about lineage dispersal.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Victoria Culshaw, Mario Mairal, Isabel Sanmartin
Summary: Geographic range shifts are a major response of organisms to climate change, and combining ecological niche models and biogeographic inferences can help reconstruct these shifts over deep evolutionary timescales. The study showed that disjunct patterns in extreme African distributions were related to Neogene aridification cycles.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Estefany Karen Lopez-Estrada, Isabel Sanmartin, Juan Esteban Uribe, Samuel Abalde, Yolanda Jimenez-Ruiz, Mario Garcia-Paris
Summary: This study examines the effects of changes in two life history traits, host-type and phoresy, in the hypermetamorphic blister beetles. The results show that transitions towards a phoretic bee-parasitoid and grasshopper parasitoidism occurred multiple times, contributing to the evolutionary success of the parasitoid meloidae. The use of state-dependent speciation and extinction models helps identify hidden traits coevolving with the focal trait in driving a lineage's diversification dynamics.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Mariana G. Lopez, Alvaro Chiner-Oms, Dario Garcia de Viedma, Paula Ruiz-Rodriguez, Maria Alma Bracho, Irving Cancino-Munoz, Giuseppe D'Auria, Griselda de Marco, Neris Garcia-Gonzalez, Galo Adrian Goig, Inmaculada Gomez-Navarro, Santiago Jimenez-Serrano, Llucia Martinez-Priego, Paula Ruiz-Hueso, Lidia Ruiz-Roldan, Manuela Torres-Puente, Juan Alberola, Eliseo Albert, Maitane Aranzamendi Zaldumbide, Maria Pilar Bea-Escudero, Jose Antonio Boga, Antoni E. Bordoy, Andres Canut-Blasco, Ana Carvajal, Gustavo Cilla Eguiluz, Maria Luz Cordon Rodriguez, Jose J. Costa-Alcalde, Maria de Toro, Inmaculada de Toro Peinado, Jose Luis del Pozo, Sebastian Duchene, Jovita Fernandez-Pinero, Begona Fuster Escriva, Concepcion Gimeno Cardona, Veronica Gonzalez Galan, Nieves Gonzalo Jimenez, Silvia Hernaez Crespo, Marta Herranz, Jose Antonio Lepe, Carla Lopez-Causape, Jose Luis Lopez-Hontangas, Vicente Martin, Elisa Martro, Ana Milagro Beamonte, Milagrosa Montes Ros, Rosario Moreno-Munoz, David Navarro, Jose Maria Navarro-Mari, Anna Not, Antonio Oliver, Begona Palop-Borras, Monica Parra Grande, Irene Pedrosa-Corral, Maria Carmen Perez Gonzalez, Laura Perez-Lago, Mercedes Perez-Ruiz, Luis Pineiro Vazquez, Nuria Rabella, Antonio Rezusta, Lorena Robles Fonseca, Sara Sanbonmatsu-Gamez, Jon Sicilia, Alex Soriano, Maria Dolores Tirado Balaguer, Ignacio Torres, Alexander Tristancho, Jose Maria Marimon, Mireia Coscolla, Fernando Gonzalez-Candelas, Inaki Comas
Summary: This study sequenced 2,170 samples from the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Spain, identifying at least 500 introductions of SARS-CoV-2 variants from multiple international sources and documenting the early rise of two dominant Spanish epidemic clades. The research shows that public health interventions effectively reduced the reproductive number of these clades, leading to the replacement of the dominant variants by a new variant over the summer of 2020.
Article
Plant Sciences
Andrea S. Meseguer, Ruben Carrillo, Sean W. Graham, Isabel Sanmartin
Summary: The relatively low diversity of aquatic angiosperms compared to their terrestrial relatives is caused by lower speciation and higher extinction rates, as well as infrequent transitions from land to water. The stressful conditions and limited space in aquatic habitats are hypothesized to explain this pattern.
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Roger Lopez-Manas, Joan Pere Pascual-Diaz, Aurora Garcia-Berro, Farid Bahleman, Megan S. Reich, Lisa Pokorny, Clement P. Bataille, Roger Vila, Cristina Domingo-Marimon, Gerard Talavera
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philipp Kirschner, Manolo F. Perez, Eliska Zaveska, Isabel Sanmartin, Laurent Marquer, Birgit C. Schlick-Steiner, Nadir Alvarez, Florian M. Steiner, Peter Schoenswetter
Summary: Quaternary climatic oscillations had a significant impact on European biogeography, particularly on the Eurasian steppe biome. Through the analysis of plant and insect species, consistent demographic responses of expansion during cold stages and contraction during warm stages were observed. Climate was identified as a driving force underlying genetic variance patterns at the biome level.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Juli Caujape-Castells, Carlos Garcia-Verdugo, Isabel Sanmartin, Javier Fuertes-Aguilar, Maria M. Romeiras, Nieves Zurita-Perez, Rafael Nebot
Summary: This study investigates the distribution patterns of native flora in the Canary Islands and finds distinct differences between endemic and non-endemic plants, suggesting a significant role of species diversification in endemics, and a negligible influence of insular selective and stochastic pressures in non-endemic native flora.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Luis Palazzesi, Jaume Pellicer, Viviana D. Barreda, Benoit Loeuille, Jennifer R. Mandel, Lisa Pokorny, Carolina M. Siniscalchi, M. Cristina Telleria, Ilia J. Leitch, Oriane Hidalgo
Summary: With a large number of species and diverse phenotypes, Asteraceae is an economically and ecologically important plant family. It is distributed worldwide in various habitats, making it an excellent model for studying eco-evolutionary questions. This review summarizes recent progress in understanding Asteraceae through collaborative efforts in paleobotany, cytogenetics, comparative genomics, and phylogenomics. The review also highlights how these developments open up new possibilities for integration and better understanding of evolution beyond Asteraceae.
BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pol Fernandez, Ilia J. Leitch, Andrew R. Leitch, Oriane Hidalgo, Maarten J. M. Christenhusz, Lisa Pokorny, Jaume Pellicer
Summary: Giant genomes are rare in the plant kingdom, with most research focusing on angiosperms and gymnosperms. However, a study on ferns reveals differences in genome organization and dynamics. The genus Tmesipteris has two species with giant genomes, which exhibit high repeat diversity compared to small-genome taxa.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Tamara Villaverde, Isabel Larridon, Toral Shah, Rachael M. Fowler, John H. Chau, Richard G. Olmstead, Isabel Sanmartin
Summary: We developed a specific probe kit for Scrophulariaceae, obtaining nuclear loci and plastid regions. Our study revealed the evolutionary relationships, diversification timing, and biogeographic patterns of the family. We identified ten tribes, including two new tribes, and uncovered the phylogenetic positions of Androya, Camptoloma, and Phygelius. Our results suggest a major diversification event 60 million years ago in Gondwanan landmasses, with a Southern African origin for most tribes.
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elliot M. Gardner, Aida Shafreena Ahmad Puad, Joan T. Pereira, Jugah Anak Tagi, Salang Anak Nyegang, Postar Miun, Jeisin Jumian, Lisa Pokorny, Nyree J. C. Zerega
Article
Mycology
Kare Liimatainen, Jan T. Kim, Lisa Pokorny, Paul M. Kirk, Bryn Dentinger, Tuula Niskanen
Summary: The family Cortinariaceae includes ten genera, with Cortinarius being the largest and most diverse genus. The new classification proposes seven new genera, ten new subgenera, and four new sections, along with five new combinations of species. This study is the first family revision in Agaricales based on genomics data.