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Sunny A, Manjarrez J, Caballero-Viñas C, Bolom-Huet R, Gómez-Ortiz Y, Domínguez-Vega H, Heredia-Bobadilla RL, Torres-Romero EJ, González-Fernández A. Modelling the effects of climate and land-cover changes on the potential distribution and landscape connectivity of three earth snakes (Genus Conopsis, Günther 1858) in central Mexico. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:52. [PMID: 37889338 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01880-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic land use and climate change are the greatest threats to biodiversity, especially for many globally endangered reptile species. Earth snakes (Conopsis spp.) are a poorly studied group endemic to Mexico. They have limited dispersal abilities and specialized niches, making them particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic threats. Species distribution models (SDMs) were used to assess how future climate and land-cover change scenarios might influence the distribution and habitat connectivity of three earth snakes: Conopsis biserialis (Taylor and Smith), C. lineata (Kennicott), and C. nasus (Günther). Two climate models, CNRM-CM5 (CN) and MPI-ESM-LR (MP) (Representative Concentration Pathway 85), were explored with ENMeval Maxent modelling. Important SDM environmental variables and environmental niche overlap between species were also examined. We found that C. biserialis and C. lineata were restricted by maximum temperatures whereas C. nasus was restricted by minimum ones and was more tolerant to arid vegetation. C. biserialis and C. lineata were primarily distributed in the valleys and mountains of the highlands of the TMBV, while C. nasus was mainly distributed in the Altiplano Sur (Zacatecano-Potosino). C. lineata had the smallest potential distribution and suffered the greatest contraction in the future whereas C. nasus was the least affected species in future scenarios. The Sierra de las Cruces and the Sierra Chichinautzin were identified as very important areas for connectivity. Our results suggest that C. lineata may be the most vulnerable of the three species to anthropogenic and climate changes whereas C. nasus seems to be less affected by global warming than the other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armando Sunny
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Javier Manjarrez
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Carmen Caballero-Viñas
- Instituto de Geología, Departamento de Paleontología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - René Bolom-Huet
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Yuriana Gómez-Ortiz
- División de Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México, Libramiento Francisco Villa SN, 50640, San Felipe del Progreso, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Hublester Domínguez-Vega
- División de Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México, Libramiento Francisco Villa SN, 50640, San Felipe del Progreso, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Rosa Laura Heredia-Bobadilla
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Erik Joaquín Torres-Romero
- Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Universidad Politécnica de Puebla, San Mateo Cuanalá, Juan C. Bonilla, 72640, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Andrea González-Fernández
- Laboratorio de Análisis Geo-Espacial (LAGE), Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Circuito Exterior S/N, Coyoacán, Cd. Universitaria, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
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Biogeography of terrestrial vertebrates and its conservation implications in a transitional region in western Mexico. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267589. [PMID: 35930545 PMCID: PMC9355201 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Conservation biogeography, which applies principles, theories, and analyses of biodiversity distribution patterns to address conservation challenges, can provide valuable insight and guidance to policy making for protection of biodiversity at multiple scales. The temperate and tropical ecosystems of the Nearctic-Neotropical transition in the small western state of Colima, Mexico, support a mosaic of remarkably diverse fauna and flora and provide a rare opportunity to determine spatial distribution patterns of terrestrial vertebrate species, assess human-induced threats, and identify potential conservation strategies. We analyzed the spatial distribution patterns and correlated them with the current land cover and extent of the protected areas. Despite its limited geographic extension, 29% (866) of all vertebrates, and almost a quarter of both endemic and threatened species in Mexico, live in Colima. Our analysis identified clear high-richness concentration sites (i.e., “hotspots”) coincident for all groups and that elevation and both temperate and tropical ecosystems composition exert significant influence on richness patterns. Furthermore, current species´ distribution also showed significant correlation with natural and disturbed landcover. Significant hotspots for all species groups coincided poorly with the limited protected areas in the state (only 3.8%). The current state of natural land cover (less than 16%) in the state, coupled with its remarkable biological importance, highlights the need for further complementary conservation efforts including expansion and creation of new protected areas, significant restoration efforts and other conservation measures to maintain this uniquely biogeographic and biological diverse region of the country.
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Cisneros-Bernal AY, Rodríguez-Gómez F, Flores-Villela O, Fujita MK, Velasco JA, Fernández JA. Phylogeography supports lineage divergence for an endemic rattlesnake ( Crotalus ravus) of the Neotropical montane forest in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blac066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The formation of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) and Pleistocene climatic fluctuations have been shown to influence the diversification of lineages and species distributed throughout central Mexico. In some taxa, however, evidence of lineage diversification is not easily recognized, as often is the case in reptiles. Here we present a phylogeographic study on a Mexican endemic rattlesnake species (Crotalus ravus), with the aim of understanding how distinct lineages are distributed across the TMVB. Genetic (mtDNA) and genomic (ddRADseq) data were generated from samples across the species’ range to evaluate phylogeographic structure, estimate phylogenetic relationships and divergence times, and perform environmental niche modeling (ENM). Both datasets recover strong phylogeographic structuring of two distinct lineages on an east-west axis, with an estimated Pleistocene divergence (~1.47 Myr). The ENM suggest that the distribution of the two lineages experienced expansion and reduction events throughout recent evolutionary time. We attribute the diversification of C. ravus lineages to geological events associated with the formation of the TMVB, as well as Quaternary climate changes, both of which have been previously recognized in co-distributed taxa in the TMVB. This work emphasizes the existence of cryptic diversification processes in a morphologically conserved species distributed in a region of complex climatic and orogenic heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Yolocalli Cisneros-Bernal
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Circuito de los Posgrados S/N, coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City , Mexico
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City , Circuito exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510 Mexico
- Totlok, A.C., Cerro del Agua, Integración Latinoamericana , Coyoacán, 04350, Mexico City , Mexico
| | - Flor Rodríguez-Gómez
- Departamento de Ingeniería Traslacional, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara , Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán 44430, Gadalajara, Jalisco , Mexico
| | - Oscar Flores-Villela
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City , Circuito exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510 Mexico
| | - Matthew K Fujita
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at Arlington , 501 S. Nedderman Drive 337 Life Science, Arlington, TX 76010-0498 , USA
| | - Julián A Velasco
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y Cambio Climático, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Investigación Científica s/n, Ciudad Universitaria , Coyoacán, 04510 Mexico City , Mexico
| | - Jesús A Fernández
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua , Periférico Francisco R. Almada km 1, Zootecnia 31415 Chihuahua , Mexico
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León‐Tapia MÁ, Rico Y, Fernández JA, Arellano E, Espinosa de los Monteros A. Role of Pleistocene climatic oscillations on genetic differentiation and evolutionary history of the Transvolcanic deer mouse
Peromyscus hylocetes
(Rodentia: Cricetidae) throughout the Mexican central highlands. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Ángel León‐Tapia
- Laboratorio de Sistemática Filogenética, Biología Evolutiva Instituto de Ecología A.C Xalapa Mexico
| | - Yessica Rico
- Red de Diversidad Biológica del Occidente Mexicano Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Pátzcuaro Mexico
| | - Jesús A. Fernández
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua Chihuahua Mexico
| | - Elizabeth Arellano
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Cuernavaca Morelos Mexico
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Systematics and the Unexpected High Mitochondrial Genetic Divergence of Nelsonia goldmani (Rodentia: Cricetidae) from Mexican Highlands. J MAMM EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-020-09532-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Sunny A, Gandarilla-Aizpuro FJ, Monroy-Vilchis O, Zarco-Gonzalez MM. Potential distribution and habitat connectivity of Crotalus triseriatus in Central Mexico. HERPETOZOA 2019. [DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.32.e36361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The dusky rattlesnake, Crotalustriseriatus, used to be very abundant in many parts of the highlands of central Mexico, but with the increasing human population and associated activities, the rattlesnake habitats and populations have suffered drastic reductions and fragmentation. At the moment, the most important habitat features, associated with the presence of C.triseriatus, the current potential distribution and the landscape connectivity amongst the populations of the State of Mexico and Mexico City, are unknown. Therefore, we used the maximum entropy modelling software (MAXENT) to analyse the current potential distribution and most important habitat features, associated with the presence of the species. The variables with the highest contribution to the model were: proportion of Abies forest, minimum temperature of coldest month, maximum temperature of the warmest month, proportion of Pinus forest and annual precipitation. Furthermore, we found connectivity corridors only within mountain chains. Our results highlight the necessity for conserving the patches of Abies forest and preserving the populations of C.triseriatus and the connectivity of the landscape.
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Sunny A, Duarte-deJesus L, Aguilera-Hernández A, Ramírez-Corona F, Suárez-Atilano M, Percino-Daniel R, Manjarrez J, Monroy-Vilchis O, González-Fernández A. Genetic diversity and demography of the critically endangered Roberts' false brook salamander (Pseudoeurycea robertsi) in Central Mexico. Genetica 2019; 147:149-164. [PMID: 30879155 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-019-00058-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Land use changes are threatening the maintenance of biodiversity. Genetic diversity is one of the main indicators of biological diversity and is highly important as it shapes the capability of populations to respond to environmental changes. We studied eleven populations of Pseudoeurycea robertsi, a micro-endemic and critically endangered species from the Nevado de Toluca Volcano, a mountain that is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Mexico. We sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from 71 individuals and genotyped 9 microsatellites from 150 individuals. Our results based on the cytochrome b showed two divergent lineages, with moderate levels of genetic diversity and a recently historical demographic expansion. Microsatellite-based results indicated low levels of heterozygosity for all populations and few alleles per locus, as compared with other mole salamander species. We identified two genetically differentiated subpopulations with a significant level of genetic structure. These results provide fundamental data for the development of management plans and conservation efforts for this critically endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armando Sunny
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario #100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Mexico State, Mexico.
| | - Luis Duarte-deJesus
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario #100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Mexico State, Mexico
| | - Arlene Aguilera-Hernández
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario #100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Mexico State, Mexico
| | - Fabiola Ramírez-Corona
- Taller de Sistemática y Biogeografía, Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Marco Suárez-Atilano
- Departamento de Ecología de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ruth Percino-Daniel
- Departamento de Ecología de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Javier Manjarrez
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario #100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Mexico State, Mexico
| | - Octavio Monroy-Vilchis
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario #100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Mexico State, Mexico
| | - Andrea González-Fernández
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario #100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Mexico State, Mexico
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