Article
Entomology
Simone Fattorini
Summary: This study investigated the impact of climatic, geographical, and historical factors on earwig species richness and composition in Italy. The results showed that the richness of earwig species in Italy does not follow a clear geographical pattern, but is positively correlated with precipitation. Inter-regional similarities in species composition are more influenced by geographical proximity rather than climatic similarity. There is a decrease in similarity with central European fauna as we move southward, suggesting possible species exchanges between central Europe and Italy. The isolation of ancient earwig populations on Italian mountains has led to the development of a large number of endemic species, making the Italian earwig fauna one of the richest in Europe.
Article
Ecology
Barbara Valle, Mauro Gobbi, Mattia Brambilla, Marina Serena Borgatti, Marco Caccianiga
Summary: Springtails play a key role in glacial ecosystems and are important ecological indicators. However, an effective sampling protocol for springtail community in glacial lithosols is currently lacking. This study tested three sampling methods and found that a combination of pitfall trapping and flotation method had the best performance in terms of species and functional types recorded.
Article
Ecology
Lauren J. Kelly, Richard N. Mack, Stephen J. Novak
Summary: Genetic diversity within and among 42 native populations of Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) from the eastern and western Mediterranean regions was compared. The study found that populations from the eastern Mediterranean had higher genetic diversity, while populations from the western Mediterranean were influenced by the spread of agriculture during the Holocene, resulting in lower genetic diversity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ary A. Hoffmann, Moshe Jasper, Vanessa L. White, Hiromi Yagui, Michael R. Kearney
Summary: Low-vagility species can hold strong genetic signatures and face vulnerability due to habitat loss. The genetic variation of Vandiemenella viatica populations in Tasmania and Victoria was analyzed, revealing low genetic diversity associated with past biogeographical processes. This study highlights the importance of preserving genetic variation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Lian Liu, Xiaoting Xu, Lei Zhang, Yaoqi Li, Nawal Shrestha, Danilo M. Neves, Qinggang Wang, Hong Chang, Xiangyan Su, Yunpeng Liu, Jianyong Wu, Dimitar Dimitrov, Zhiheng Wang, Jianquan Liu
Summary: The effects of contemporary climate, habitat heterogeneity, and long-term climate change on species richness patterns of herbaceous plants in alpine-arctic ecosystems have been studied. Temperature was found to be the most important environmental factor influencing species richness patterns of all and wide-ranged species, while habitat heterogeneity and long-term climate change were the best predictors for narrow-ranged species richness variation. A combined model containing five predictors explained about 40%-50% of the variation in species richness.
JOURNAL OF PLANT ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tonya A. Lander, Etienne K. Klein, Anne Roig, Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio
Summary: This study examines the genetic and gene flow patterns of European beech populations during range expansion in Mont Ventoux, Southeastern France. Despite colonization signs, genetic diversity and structure of beech populations were not influenced by founder effects. Genetic diversity increased along the expansion front, while genetic differentiation from the entire pool decreased, indicating beech's ability to maintain high genetic diversity and adaptive potential under climate change.