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Le Roux R, Colmonero-Costeira I, Deikumah JP, Thompson LJ, Russo IRM, Jansen van Vuuren B, Willows-Munro S. High conservation importance of range-edge populations of Hooded Vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus). Sci Rep 2024; 14:18040. [PMID: 39098950 PMCID: PMC11298522 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68756-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Critically endangered Hooded Vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus Temminck, 1823), like many vulture species globally, are experiencing rapid population declines due to anthropogenic factors such as poisonings, human persecution, trading for belief-based use, and habitat loss/degradation. The Hooded Vulture is widespread across sub-Saharan Africa. Although it is considered one of the most abundant vultures in West Africa, this vulture species is less common in East and southern Africa, with the population at the southern-most edge of the distribution (in South Africa and Eswatini) estimated at only 100-200 mature individuals. The distribution of Hooded Vultures has contracted dramatically in southern Africa, with breeding populations largely confined to protected areas such as the Greater Kruger National Park. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of the southern African range-edge population and assess if the recent contraction in the distribution has resulted in the population experiencing a genetic bottleneck. Sixteen microsatellite loci were amplified for samples collected along the Olifants River in the Greater Kruger National Park (n = 30). The genetic diversity in the South African population was compared to samples (n = 30) collected in Ghana, where Hooded Vultures are more abundant. Contrary to expectations, the South African peripheral Hooded Vulture population showed higher levels of heterozygosity (HO = 0.495) than the Ghanaian population (HO = 0.315). Neither population showed signs of recent bottleneck events when tested using demographic modelling and Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC). However, both populations showed high levels of inbreeding and relatedness. Our results suggest that despite being a small peripheral population, the South African Hooded Vulture population showed a similar level of genetic diversity as individuals sampled from a core population within the species distribution (in Ghana). This study supports the need for Hooded Vulture conservation efforts in the southern African region and highlights the evolutionary importance of range-edge populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rynhardt Le Roux
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Science, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Ivo Colmonero-Costeira
- ONE, Organisms and Environment Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Sir Martin Evans Building, The Museum Ave, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, CIAS, University of Coimbra, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Justus P Deikumah
- Department of Conservation Biology and Entomology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Lindy J Thompson
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Science, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
- Southern African Wildlife College, Private Bag X3015, Hoedspruit, 1380, South Africa
| | - Isa-Rita M Russo
- ONE, Organisms and Environment Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Sir Martin Evans Building, The Museum Ave, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Bettine Jansen van Vuuren
- Department of Zoology, Centre for Ecological and Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa
| | - Sandi Willows-Munro
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Science, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
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Oro D, Freixas L, Bartrina C, Míguez S, Torre I. Direct and indirect effects of climate and seed dynamics on the breeding performance of a seed predator at the distribution edge. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70104. [PMID: 39157667 PMCID: PMC11327614 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Marginal populations usually have low densities and are considered to be particularly vulnerable to environmental stochasticity. Using data collected in nest boxes, we analyzed the breeding performance of the edible dormouse (Glis glis), an obligate hibernating rodent and a seed predator in deciduous forests, in two populations at the distribution range's edge. Despite being only 20 km apart from each other, Montseny is a large patch of mixed deciduous forests (oaks and beech), whereas Montnegre would be the harshest habitat, that is, a small, isolated patch with only oaks. First, we studied the differences in climate and tree cover change in the two populations. Second, we analyzed the direct and indirect roles of local climate conditions and seed availability on breeding performance over 10 years in each population. Finally, we explored the influence of tree cover change on the occupancy dynamics in the two populations. Our results showed contrasting responses between populations: in Montseny, asynchronous seed production between oaks and beech precluded skip breeding, and breeding performance increased with seed availability. Furthermore, dormice in Montseny may use pollen production to anticipate the amount of beech nut resources and adjust their breeding effort. Boxes showed higher occupancy and colonization and fewer extinctions in Montseny than in Montnegre, where seed availability did not drive breeding performance. Results from Montnegre suggest that skip breeding was an adaptive response to a more pulsed, harsher environment. Here, females produced a similar number of pups than at Montseny. Long-term studies dealing with population responses in marginal habitats can lead to a deeper understanding of the capacities of organisms to adapt to harsh environments. Although local adaptation is frequently documented across various taxa, studies at the distribution edge may shed light on our still limited comprehension of the underlying mechanisms responsible for its occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Oro
- Ecology and Complexity DepartmentCenter of Advanced Studies (CEAB‐CSIC)BlanesSpain
| | - Lídia Freixas
- BiBio Research GroupNatural Sciences Museum of GranollersGranollersSpain
| | - Carme Bartrina
- BiBio Research GroupNatural Sciences Museum of GranollersGranollersSpain
| | | | - Ignasi Torre
- BiBio Research GroupNatural Sciences Museum of GranollersGranollersSpain
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Montalvo LD, Kimball RT, Austin JD, Robinson SK. Unraveling the genomic landscape of Campylorhynchus wrens along western Ecuador's precipitation gradient: Insights into hybridization, isolation by distance, and isolation by the environment. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11661. [PMID: 38994212 PMCID: PMC11237350 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Environmental gradients have the potential to influence genetic differentiation among populations ultimately leading to allopatric speciation. However, environmental gradients can also facilitate hybridization between closely related taxa. We investigated a putative hybrid zone in western Ecuador, involving two polytypic wren species (Aves: Troglodytidae), Campylorhynchus zonatus and C. fasciatus. Our study addressed two primary questions: (1) Is there evidence of population structure and genetic admixture between these taxa in western Ecuador? and (2) What are the relative contributions of isolation by distance and isolation by the environment to the observed genetic differentiation along the environmental gradient in this region? We analyzed 4409 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 112 blood samples sequenced using ddRadSeq and a de novo assembly. The optimum number of genetic clusters ranged from 2 to 4, aligning with geographic origins, known phylogenetics, and physical or ecological constraints. We observed notable transitions in admixture proportions along the environmental gradient in western Ecuador between C. z. brevirostris and the northern and southern genetic clusters of C. f. pallescens. Genetic differentiation between the two C. f. pallescens populations could be attributed to an unreported potential physical barrier in central western Ecuador, where the proximity of the Andes to the coastline restricts lowland habitats, limiting dispersal and gene flow, especially among dry-habitat specialists. The observed admixture in C. f. pallescens suggests that this subspecies may be a hybrid between C. z. brevirostris and C. fasciatus, with varying degrees of admixture in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. We found evidence of isolation by distance, while isolation by the environment was less pronounced but still significant for annual mean precipitation and precipitation seasonality. This study enhances our understanding of avian population genomics in tropical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Daniel Montalvo
- Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
- Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | | | - James D Austin
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Scott K Robinson
- Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
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Vanrell MA, Novaes LR, Afonso A, Arroyo J, Simón-Porcar V. Ecological correlates of population genetics in Linum suffruticosum, an heterostylous polyploid and taxonomic complex endemic to the Western Mediterranean Basin. AOB PLANTS 2024; 16:plae027. [PMID: 39005727 PMCID: PMC11244263 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plae027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Linum suffruticosum s.l. is a taxonomic complex widespread in the Western Mediterranean basin. The complex is characterized by a high phenotypic and cytogenetic diversity, and by a unique three-dimensional heterostyly system that makes it an obligate outcrosser. We studied the patterns of genetic diversity and structure of populations throughout the entire distribution of L. suffruticosum s.l. with microsatellite markers. We analysed their relationships with various biological and ecological variables, including the morph ratio and sex organ reciprocity of populations measured with a novel multi-dimensional method. Populations consistently showed an approximate 1:1 morph ratio with high sex organ reciprocity and high genetic diversity. We found high genetic differentiation of populations, showing a pattern of isolation by distance. The Rif mountains in NW Africa were the most important genetic barrier. The taxonomic treatment within the group was not related to the genetic differentiation of populations, but to their environmental differentiation. Genetic diversity was unrelated to latitude, elevation, population size, niche suitability or breeding system. However, there was a clear influence of ploidy level on the genetic diversity of populations, and a seeming centre-periphery pattern in its distribution. Our results suggest that polyploidization events, high outcrossing rates, isolation by distance and important geographical barriers to gene flow have played major roles in the microevolutionary history of this species complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Antònia Vanrell
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, 41012 Seville, Spain
| | - Letícia R Novaes
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, 41012 Seville, Spain
| | - Ana Afonso
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Juan Arroyo
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, 41012 Seville, Spain
| | - Violeta Simón-Porcar
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, 41012 Seville, Spain
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Sexton JP, Clemens M, Bell N, Hall J, Fyfe V, Hoffmann AA. Patterns and effects of gene flow on adaptation across spatial scales: implications for management. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:732-745. [PMID: 38888218 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voae064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Gene flow can have rapid effects on adaptation and is an important evolutionary tool available when undertaking biological conservation and restoration. This tool is underused partly because of the perceived risk of outbreeding depression and loss of mean fitness when different populations are crossed. In this article, we briefly review some theory and empirical findings on how genetic variation is distributed across species ranges, describe known patterns of gene flow in nature with respect to environmental gradients, and highlight the effects of gene flow on adaptation in small or stressed populations in challenging environments (e.g., at species range limits). We then present a case study involving crosses at varying spatial scales among mountain populations of a trigger plant (Stylidium armeria: Stylidiaceae) in the Australian Alps to highlight how some issues around gene flow effects can be evaluated. We found evidence of outbreeding depression in seed production at greater geographic distances. Nevertheless, we found no evidence of maladaptive gene flow effects in likelihood of germination, plant performance (size), and performance variance, suggesting that gene flow at all spatial scales produces offspring with high adaptive potential. This case study demonstrates a path to evaluating how increasing sources of gene flow in managed wild and restored populations could identify some offspring with high fitness that could bolster the ability of populations to adapt to future environmental changes. We suggest further ways in which managers and researchers can act to understand and consider adaptive gene flow in natural and conservation contexts under rapidly changing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason P Sexton
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, United States
| | - Molly Clemens
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicholas Bell
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Joseph Hall
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Verity Fyfe
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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Evans MEK, Dey SMN, Heilman KA, Tipton JR, DeRose RJ, Klesse S, Schultz EL, Shaw JD. Tree rings reveal the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2315700121. [PMID: 38830099 PMCID: PMC11181036 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315700121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Given the importance of climate in shaping species' geographic distributions, climate change poses an existential threat to biodiversity. Climate envelope modeling, the predominant approach used to quantify this threat, presumes that individuals in populations respond to climate variability and change according to species-level responses inferred from spatial occurrence data-such that individuals at the cool edge of a species' distribution should benefit from warming (the "leading edge"), whereas individuals at the warm edge should suffer (the "trailing edge"). Using 1,558 tree-ring time series of an aridland pine (Pinus edulis) collected at 977 locations across the species' distribution, we found that trees everywhere grow less in warmer-than-average and drier-than-average years. Ubiquitous negative temperature sensitivity indicates that individuals across the entire distribution should suffer with warming-the entire distribution is a trailing edge. Species-level responses to spatial climate variation are opposite in sign to individual-scale responses to time-varying climate for approximately half the species' distribution with respect to temperature and the majority of the species' distribution with respect to precipitation. These findings, added to evidence from the literature for scale-dependent climate responses in hundreds of species, suggest that correlative, equilibrium-based range forecasts may fail to accurately represent how individuals in populations will be impacted by changing climate. A scale-dependent view of the impact of climate change on biodiversity highlights the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts and the importance of evolution in rescuing species from extinction whenever local climate variability and change exceeds individual-scale climate tolerances.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharmila M. N. Dey
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Kelly A. Heilman
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ85721
| | - John R. Tipton
- Statistical Sciences Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM87545
| | - R. Justin DeRose
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT84322
| | - Stefan Klesse
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research WSL, BirmensdorfCH-8903, Switzerland
| | - Emily L. Schultz
- Department of Biology, Colorado Mountain College, Breckenridge, CO80424
| | - John D. Shaw
- Riverdale Forestry Sciences Lab, Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Forest Service, Riverdale, UT84405
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Daco L, Colling G, Matthies D. Clinal variation in quantitative traits but not in evolutionary potential along elevational and latitudinal gradients in the widespread Anthyllis vulneraria. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2024; 111:e16360. [PMID: 38888183 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
PREMISE Strong elevational and latitudinal gradients allow the study of genetic differentiation in response to similar environmental changes. However, it is uncertain whether the environmental changes along the two types of gradients result in similar genetically based changes in quantitative traits. Peripheral arctic and alpine populations are thought to have less evolutionary potential than more central populations do. METHODS We studied quantitative traits of the widespread Anthyllis vulneraria in a common garden. Plants originated from 20 populations along a 2000-m elevational gradient from the lowlands to the elevational limit of the species in the Alps, and from 20 populations along a 2400-km latitudinal gradient from the center of the distribution of the species in Central Europe to its northern distributional margin. RESULTS Most traits showed similar clinal variations with elevation and latitude of origin, and the magnitude of all measured traits in relation to mean annual temperature was similar. Higher QST values than FST values in several traits indicated diversifying selection, but for others QST was smaller than FST. Genetic diversity of quantitative traits and neutral molecular markers was not correlated. Plasticity in response to favorable conditions declined with elevation and less strongly with latitude of origin, but the evolvability of traits did not. CONCLUSIONS The clinal variation suggests adaptive differentiation of quantitative traits along the two gradients. The evolutionary potential of peripheral populations is not necessarily reduced, but lower plasticity may threaten their survival under rapidly changing climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Daco
- Musée national d'histoire naturelle, 25 rue Münster, Luxembourg, L-2160, Luxembourg
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
- Fondation faune-flore, 24 rue Münster, Luxembourg, L-2160, Luxembourg
| | - Guy Colling
- Musée national d'histoire naturelle, 25 rue Münster, Luxembourg, L-2160, Luxembourg
| | - Diethart Matthies
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
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de la Mata R, Mollá-Morales A, Méndez-Vigo B, Torres-Pérez R, Oliveros JC, Gómez R, Marcer A, Castilla AR, Nordborg M, Alonso-Blanco C, Picó FX. Variation and plasticity in life-history traits and fitness of wild Arabidopsis thaliana populations are not related to their genotypic and ecological diversity. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:56. [PMID: 38702598 PMCID: PMC11067129 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02246-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite its implications for population dynamics and evolution, the relationship between genetic and phenotypic variation in wild populations remains unclear. Here, we estimated variation and plasticity in life-history traits and fitness of the annual plant Arabidopsis thaliana in two common garden experiments that differed in environmental conditions. We used up to 306 maternal inbred lines from six Iberian populations characterized by low and high genotypic (based on whole-genome sequences) and ecological (vegetation type) diversity. RESULTS Low and high genotypic and ecological diversity was found in edge and core Iberian environments, respectively. Given that selection is expected to be stronger in edge environments and that ecological diversity may enhance both phenotypic variation and plasticity, we expected genotypic diversity to be positively associated with phenotypic variation and plasticity. However, maternal lines, irrespective of the genotypic and ecological diversity of their population of origin, exhibited a substantial amount of phenotypic variation and plasticity for all traits. Furthermore, all populations harbored maternal lines with canalization (robustness) or sensitivity in response to harsher environmental conditions in one of the two experiments. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we conclude that the environmental attributes of each population probably determine their genotypic diversity, but all populations maintain substantial phenotypic variation and plasticity for all traits, which represents an asset to endure in changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul de la Mata
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, 41092, Spain
- Faculty of Forestry, Institute of Dehesa Research (INDEHESA), Universidad de Extremadura, 10600, Plasencia, Spain
| | | | - Belén Méndez-Vigo
- Departamento de Genética Molecular de Plantas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Torres-Pérez
- Departamento de Genética Molecular de Plantas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Oliveros
- Departamento de Genética Molecular de Plantas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rocío Gómez
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, 41092, Spain
| | - Arnald Marcer
- CREAF, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193, Catalonia, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Antonio R Castilla
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, College of Arts and Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078-3031, USA
| | - Magnus Nordborg
- Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Carlos Alonso-Blanco
- Departamento de Genética Molecular de Plantas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - F Xavier Picó
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sevilla, 41092, Spain.
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Sopniewski J, Catullo R, Ward M, Mitchell N, Scheele BC. Niche-based approach to explore the impacts of environmental disturbances on biodiversity. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14277. [PMID: 38660923 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Globally, species are increasingly at risk from compounding threatening processes, an increasingly prominent driver of which is environmental disturbances. To facilitate effective conservation efforts following such events, methods that evaluate potential impacts across multiple species and provide landscape-scale information are needed to guide targeted responses. Often, the geographic overlap between a disturbance and species' distribution is calculated and then used as a proxy for potential impact. However, such methods do not account for the important influence of environmental heterogeneity throughout species' ranges. To address this shortcoming, we quantified the effects of environmental disturbances on species' environmental niche space. Using the Australian 2019 and 2020 Black Summer fires as a case study, we applied a niche-centric approach to examine the potential impacts of these fires on 387 vertebrate species. We examined the utility of established and novel niche metrics to assess the potential impacts of large-scale disturbance events on species by comparing the potential effects of the fires as determined by our various niche measures to those derived from geographic-based measures of impact. We examined the quality of environmental space affected by the disturbance by quantifying the position in niche space where the disturbance occurred (center or margin), the uniqueness of the environmental space that was burned, and the degree to which the remaining, unburned portion of the niche differed from a species' original prefire niche. There was limited congruence between the proportion of geographic and niche space affected, which showed that geographic-based approaches in isolation may have underestimated the impact of the fires for 56% of modeled species. For each species, when combined, these metrics provided a greater indication of postdisturbance recovery potential than geographic-based measures alone. Accordingly, the integration of niche-based analyses into conservation assessments following large-scale disturbance events will lead to a more nuanced understanding of potential impacts and guide more informed and effective conservation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrod Sopniewski
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Renee Catullo
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Michelle Ward
- WWF-Aus, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Nicola Mitchell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Ben C Scheele
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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Harvey Sky N, Britnell J, Antwis R, Kartzinel T, Rubenstein D, Toye P, Karani B, Njeru R, Hinchcliffe D, Gaymer J, Mutisya S, Shultz S. Linking diet switching to reproductive performance across populations of two critically endangered mammalian herbivores. Commun Biol 2024; 7:333. [PMID: 38491117 PMCID: PMC10943211 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05983-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Optimal foraging theory predicts that animals maximise energy intake by consuming the most valuable foods available. When resources are limited, they may include lower-quality fallback foods in their diets. As seasonal herbivore diet switching is understudied, we evaluate its extent and effects across three Kenyan reserves each for Critically Endangered eastern black rhino (Diceros bicornis michaeli) and Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi), and its associations with habitat quality, microbiome variation, and reproductive performance. Black rhino diet breadth increases with vegetation productivity (NDVI), whereas zebra diet breadth peaks at intermediate NDVI. Black rhino diets associated with higher vegetation productivity have less acacia (Fabaceae: Vachellia and Senegalia spp.) and more grass suggesting that acacia are fallback foods, upending conventional assumptions. Larger dietary shifts are associated with longer calving intervals. Grevy's zebra diets in high rainfall areas are consistently grass-dominated, whereas in arid areas they primarily consume legumes during low vegetation productivity periods. Whilst microbiome composition between individuals is affected by the environment, and diet composition in black rhino, seasonal dietary shifts do not drive commensurate microbiome shifts. Documenting diet shifts across ecological gradients can increase the effectiveness of conservation by informing habitat suitability models and improving understanding of responses to resource limitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Harvey Sky
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9NT, UK.
- North of England Zoological Society, Chester Zoo, Upton-by-Chester, CH2 1LH, UK.
| | - Jake Britnell
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9NT, UK
- North of England Zoological Society, Chester Zoo, Upton-by-Chester, CH2 1LH, UK
| | - Rachael Antwis
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WX, UK
| | - Tyler Kartzinel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, 85 Waterman Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, 85 Waterman Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Daniel Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544-2016, USA
| | - Phil Toye
- International Livestock Research Institute and Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, Nairobi, P.O. Box 30709-00100, Kenya
| | - Benedict Karani
- International Livestock Research Institute and Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, Nairobi, P.O. Box 30709-00100, Kenya
| | - Regina Njeru
- International Livestock Research Institute and Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, Nairobi, P.O. Box 30709-00100, Kenya
| | - Danielle Hinchcliffe
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
| | | | | | - Susanne Shultz
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9NT, UK
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Mora BB, Guisan A, Alexander JM. Uncovering Broad Macroecological Patterns by Comparing the Shape of Species' Distributions along Environmental Gradients. Am Nat 2024; 203:124-138. [PMID: 38207136 PMCID: PMC7616097 DOI: 10.1086/727518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
AbstractSpecies' distributions can take many different forms. For example, fat-tailed or skewed distributions are very common in nature, as these can naturally emerge as a result of individual variability and asymmetric environmental tolerances, respectively. Studying the basic shape of distributions can teach us a lot about the ways climatic processes and historical contingencies shape ecological communities. Yet we still lack a general understanding of how their shapes and properties compare to each other along gradients. Here, we use Bayesian nonlinear models to quantify range shape properties in empirical plant distributions. With this approach, we are able to distil the shape of plant distributions and compare them along gradients and across species. Studying the relationship between distribution properties, we revealed the existence of broad macroecological patterns along environmental gradients-such as those expected from Rapoport's rule and the abiotic stress limitation hypothesis. We also find that some aspects of the shape of observed ranges-such as kurtosis and skewness of the distributions-could be intrinsic properties of species or the result of their historical contexts. Overall, our modeling approach and results untangle the general shape of plant distributions and provide a mapping of how this changes along environmental gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antoine Guisan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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12
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Aihara T, Araki K, Onuma Y, Cai Y, Paing AMM, Goto S, Hisamoto Y, Tomaru N, Homma K, Takagi M, Yoshida T, Iio A, Nagamatsu D, Kobayashi H, Hirota M, Uchiyama K, Tsumura Y. Divergent mechanisms of reduced growth performance in Betula ermanii saplings from high-altitude and low-latitude range edges. Heredity (Edinb) 2023; 131:387-397. [PMID: 37940658 PMCID: PMC10673911 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-023-00655-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The reduced growth performance of individuals from range edges is a common phenomenon in various taxa, and considered to be an evolutionary factor that limits the species' range. However, most studies did not distinguish between two mechanisms that can lead to this reduction: genetic load and adaptive selection to harsh conditions. To address this lack of understanding, we investigated the climatic and genetic factors underlying the growth performance of Betula ermanii saplings transplanted from 11 populations including high-altitude edge and low-latitude edge population. We estimated the climatic position of the populations within the overall B. ermanii's distribution, and the genetic composition and diversity using restriction-site associated DNA sequencing, and measured survival, growth rates and individual size of the saplings. The high-altitude edge population (APW) was located below the 95% significance interval for the mean annual temperature range, but did not show any distinctive genetic characteristics. In contrast, the low-latitude edge population (SHK) exhibited a high level of linkage disequilibrium, low genetic diversity, a distinct genetic composition from the other populations, and a high relatedness coefficient. Both APW and SHK saplings displayed lower survival rates, heights and diameters, while SHK saplings also exhibited lower growth rates than the other populations' saplings. The low heights and diameters of APW saplings was likely the result of adaptive selection to harsh conditions, while the low survival and growth rates of SHK saplings was likely the result of genetic load. Our findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the reduced growth performance of range-edge populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaki Aihara
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Kyoko Araki
- Garden Division, Maintenance and Works Department, the Imperial Household Agency, 1-1, Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8111, Japan
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Yunosuke Onuma
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Yihan Cai
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan
| | - Aye Myat Myat Paing
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Susumu Goto
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Yoko Hisamoto
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Tomaru
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Cikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-0804, Japan
| | - Kosuke Homma
- Sado Island Center for Ecological Sustainability, Niigata University, 1101-1, Niibokatagami, Sado, Niigata, 952-0103, Japan
| | - Masahiro Takagi
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1, Gakuen kibanadai nishi, Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 889-2192, Japan
| | - Toshiya Yoshida
- Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan
| | - Atsuhiro Iio
- Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 836, Ohtani, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, 422-8017, Japan
| | - Dai Nagamatsu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, 4-101, Koyama-cho, Tottori, Tottori, 680-8553, Japan
| | - Hajime Kobayashi
- Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, 8304, Minamiminowa-mura, Kamiina-gun, Nagano, 399-4598, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Hirota
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Kentaro Uchiyama
- Department of Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1, Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Tsumura
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan.
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13
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Lima JS, Collevatti RG, de Oliveira LK, Chaves LJ, Naves RV, Soares TN, Filho JAFD, de Campos Telles MP. Forecasting effects of climate changes on the population genetic structure of Anacardium occidentale in the Cerrado biome, Brazil. Genetica 2023; 151:357-367. [PMID: 37922114 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-023-00199-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
There has been a continuous interest in understanding the patterns of genetic diversity in natural populations because of the role of intraspecific genetic diversity as the basis of all evolutionary change and thus, its potential effects on population persistence when facing environmental changes. Here, we provided the first description of genetic diversity distribution and population structure of Anacardium occidentale L. (cashew) from the Brazilian Cerrado, one of the most economically important tropical crops in the world. We applied Bayesian clustering approaches (STRUCTURE and POPS) that allow predicting the effects of future climatic changes on the population genetic structure of A. occidentale. We identified distinct genetic groups corresponding to the southwestern, central, and northern regions of the species' range. The characterized genetic clusters will disappear under future climate change scenarios, leading to a homogenization of genetic variability across the landscape. Our findings suggest a high likelihood for the loss of genetic diversity, which in turn will reduce the evolutionary potential of the species to cope with predicted future climatic changes. Results from this study may help develop management strategies to conserve the genetic diversity and structure of natural cashew populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rosane Garcia Collevatti
- Laboratório de Genética & Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Thannya Nascimento Soares
- Laboratório de Genética & Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | | | - Mariana Pires de Campos Telles
- Laboratório de Genética & Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, GO, Brazil
- Escola de Ciências Médicas E da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
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14
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Fletcher RA, Atwater DZ, Haak DC, Bagavathiannan MV, DiTommaso A, Lehnhoff E, Paterson AH, Auckland S, Govindasamy P, Lemke C, Morris E, Rainville L, Barney JN. Adaptive constraints at the range edge of a widespread and expanding invasive plant. AOB PLANTS 2023; 15:plad070. [PMID: 38028747 PMCID: PMC10651072 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Identifying the factors that facilitate and limit invasive species' range expansion has both practical and theoretical importance, especially at the range edges. Here, we used reciprocal common garden experiments spanning the North/South and East/West range that include the North American core, intermediate and range edges of the globally invasive plant, Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) to investigate the interplay of climate, biotic interactions (i.e. competition) and patterns of adaptation. Our results suggest that the rapid range expansion of Johnsongrass into diverse environments across wide geographies occurred largely without local adaptation, but that further range expansion may be restricted by a fitness trade-off that limits population growth at the range edge. Interestingly, plant competition strongly dampened Johnsongrass growth but did not change the rank order performance of populations within a garden, though this varied among gardens (climates). Our findings highlight the importance of including the range edge when studying the range dynamics of invasive species, especially as we try to understand how invasive species will respond to accelerating global changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Fletcher
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, 1015 Life Science Circle, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Daniel Z Atwater
- Department of Animal & Range Sciences, Montana State University, 103 Animal Biosciences Building, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - David C Haak
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, 1015 Life Science Circle, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Muthukumar V Bagavathiannan
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, 370 Olsen Boulevard, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Antonio DiTommaso
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Section of Soil and Crop Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Erik Lehnhoff
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science, New Mexico State University, MSC 3BE, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
| | - Andrew H Paterson
- Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia, 111 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Susan Auckland
- Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia, 111 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Prabhu Govindasamy
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, 370 Olsen Boulevard, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India
| | - Cornelia Lemke
- Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia, 111 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Edward Morris
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science, New Mexico State University, MSC 3BE, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
| | - Lisa Rainville
- Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia, 111 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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15
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Li Y, Wilson D, Grundel R, Campbell S, Knight J, Perry J, Hellmann JJ. Extinction risk modeling predicts range-wide differences of climate change impact on Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis). PLoS One 2023; 18:e0262382. [PMID: 37934780 PMCID: PMC10629659 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis, or Kbb), a federally endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in decline due to habitat loss, can be further threatened by climate change. Evaluating how climate shapes the population trend of the Kbb can help in the development of adaptive management plans. Current demographic models for the Kbb incorporate in either a density-dependent or density-independent manner. We instead created mixed density-dependent and -independent (hereafter "endo-exogenous") models for Kbbs based on long-term count data of five isolated populations in the upper Midwest, United States during two flight periods (May to June and July to August) to understand how the growth rates were related to previous population densities and abiotic environmental conditions, including various macro- and micro-climatic variables. Our endo-exogenous extinction risk models showed that both density-dependent and -independent components were vital drivers of the historical population trends. However, climate change impacts were not always detrimental to Kbbs. Despite the decrease of population growth rate with higher overwinter temperatures and spring precipitations in the first generation, the growth rate increased with higher summer temperatures and precipitations in the second generation. We concluded that finer spatiotemporally scaled models could be more rewarding in guiding the decision-making process of Kbb restoration under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudi Li
- Energy Graduate Group, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - David Wilson
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Grand Rapids, MN, United States of America
| | - Ralph Grundel
- US Geological Survey, Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station, Chesterton, IN, United States of America
| | - Steven Campbell
- Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, Albany Pine Bush, NY, United States of America
| | - Joseph Knight
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States of America
| | - Jim Perry
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States of America
| | - Jessica J. Hellmann
- Conservation Sciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States of America
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16
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Sultaire SM, Montgomery RA, Jackson PJ, Millspaugh JJ. Spatial patterns of reproduction suggest marginal habitat limits continued range expansion of black bears at a forest-desert ecotone. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10658. [PMID: 37915808 PMCID: PMC10616736 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigating spatial patterns of animal occupancy and reproduction in peripheral populations can provide insight into factors that form species range boundaries. Following historical extirpation, American black bears (Ursus americanus) recolonized the western Great Basin in Nevada from the Sierra Nevada during the late 1900s. This range expansion, however, has not continued further into the Great Basin despite the presence of additional habitat. We aimed to quantify whether reduced reproduction toward the range edge contributes to this range boundary. We analyzed black bear detections from 100 camera traps deployed across black bear distribution in western Nevada using a multistate occupancy model that quantified the probability of occupancy and reproduction (i.e., female bears with cubs occupancy) in relation to changes in habitat type and habitat amount toward the range boundary. We detected a strong effect of habitat amount and habitat type on the probability of black bear occupancy and reproduction. At similar levels of landscape-scale habitat amount (e.g., 50%), estimated probability of occupancy for adult bears in piñon-juniper woodlands near the range boundary was 0.39, compared to ~1.0 in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest (i.e., core habitat). Furthermore, estimated probability of cub occupancy, conditional on adult bear occupancy, in landscapes with 50% habitat was 0.32 in Great Basin piñon-juniper woodlands, compared to 0.92 in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest. Black bear range in the western Great Basin conforms to the center-periphery hypothesis, with piñon-juniper woodland at the range edge supporting ecologically marginal habitat for the species compared to habitat in the Sierra Nevada. Further geographic expansion of black bears in the Great Basin may be limited by lower occupancy of reproducing females in piñon-juniper woodland. Center-periphery range dynamics may be common in large carnivore species, as their dispersal ability allows them to colonize low-quality habitat near range edges.
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17
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Orive ME, Barfield M, Holt RD. Partial Clonality Expands the Opportunity for Spatial Adaptation. Am Nat 2023; 202:681-698. [PMID: 37963114 DOI: 10.1086/726335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
AbstractReproductive mode may strongly impact adaptation in spatially varying populations linked by dispersal, especially when sexual and clonal offspring differ in dispersal. We determined how spatial structure affects adaptation in populations with mixed clonal and sexual reproduction. In a source-sink quantitative genetic deterministic model (with stabilizing selection around different optima), greater clonal reproduction or parent-offspring association (a measure of the part of the parent's phenotype other than the additive genetic component inherited by clonal offspring) increased the selective difference (difference between phenotypic optima) allowing sink populations to adapt. Given dispersal differences between clonally and sexually produced juveniles, adaptation increased with an increasing fraction of clonal dispersers. When considering migrational meltdown, partially clonal reproduction reduced cases where dispersal caused habitat loss. Stochastic individual-based simulations support these results, although the effect of differential dispersal was reversed, with decreased clonal dispersal allowing greater adaptation. These results parallel earlier findings that for an instantaneous shift in phenotypic optimum, increasing clonality allowed population persistence for a greater shift; here, selective change is spatial rather than temporal. These results may help explain the success of many partially clonal organisms in invading new habitats, complementing traditional explanations based on avoiding Allee effects.
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18
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Turtureanu PD, Pușcaș M, Podar D, Balázs ZR, Hurdu BI, Novikov A, Renaud J, Saillard A, Bec S, Șuteu D, Băcilă I, Choler P. Extent of intraspecific trait variability in ecologically central and marginal populations of a dominant alpine plant across European mountains. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:335-347. [PMID: 37478315 PMCID: PMC10583199 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad105] [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: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Studying trait variability and restricted gene flow between populations of species can reveal species dynamics. Peripheral populations commonly exhibit lower genetic diversity and trait variability due to isolation and ecological marginality, unlike central populations experiencing gene flow and optimal conditions. This study focused on Carex curvula, the dominant species in alpine acidic meadows of European mountain regions. The species is sparser in dry areas such as the Pyrenees and Balkans, compared to the Central-Eastern Alps and Carpathians. We hypothesized that distinct population groups could be identified based on their mean functional trait values and their correlation with the environment; we predicted that ecologically marginal populations would have stronger trait correlations, lower within-population trait variability (intraspecific trait variability, ITV) and lower genetic diversity than populations of optimal habitats. METHODS Sampling was conducted in 34 populations that spanned the entire distribution range of C. curvula. We used hierarchical clustering to identify emergent functional groups of populations, defined by combinations of multiple traits associated with nutrient economy and drought tolerance (e.g. specific leaf area, anatomy). We contrasted the geographical distribution of these groups in relation to environment and genetic structure. We compared pairwise trait relationships, within-population trait variation (ITV) and neutral genetic diversity between groups. KEY RESULTS Our study identified emergent functional groups of populations. Those in the southernmost ranges, specifically the Pyrenees and Balkan region, showed drought-tolerant trait syndromes and correlated with indicators of limited water availability. While we noted a decline in population genetic diversity, we did not observe any significant changes in ITV in ecologically marginal (peripheral) populations. CONCLUSIONS Our research exemplifies the relationship between ecological marginality and geographical peripherality, which in this case study is linked to genetic depauperation but not to reduced ITV. Understanding these relationships is crucial for understanding the biogeographical factors shaping trait variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Dan Turtureanu
- A. Borza Botanic Garden, Babeș-Bolyai University, 42 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources (3B), Babeș-Bolyai University, 3-5 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Emil G. Racoviță Institute, Babeș-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Mihai Pușcaș
- A. Borza Botanic Garden, Babeș-Bolyai University, 42 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources (3B), Babeș-Bolyai University, 3-5 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Emil G. Racoviță Institute, Babeș-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, 44 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Dorina Podar
- Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources (3B), Babeș-Bolyai University, 3-5 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, 44 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Zoltán Robert Balázs
- Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources (3B), Babeș-Bolyai University, 3-5 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, 44 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Doctoral School of Integrative Biology, Babeș-Bolyai University, 1 Kogălniceanu Street, 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Bogdan-Iuliu Hurdu
- Institute of Biological Research, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, 48 Republicii Street, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Andriy Novikov
- Department of Biosystematics and Evolution, State Museum of Natural History of the NAS of Ukraine, 18 Teatralna Street, 79008 Lviv, Ukraine
| | - Julien Renaud
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Amélie Saillard
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Stéphane Bec
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Dana Șuteu
- Institute of Biological Research, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, 48 Republicii Street, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Ioan Băcilă
- Institute of Biological Research, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, 48 Republicii Street, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Philippe Choler
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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Brodie EG, Stewart JAE, Winsemius S, Miller JED, Latimer AM, Safford HD. Wildfire facilitates upslope advance in a shade-intolerant but not a shade-tolerant conifer. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2888. [PMID: 37212209 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires may facilitate climate tracking of forest species moving upslope or north in latitude. For subalpine tree species, for which higher elevation habitat is limited, accelerated replacement by lower elevation montane tree species following fire may hasten extinction risk. We used a dataset of postfire tree regeneration spanning a broad geographic range to ask whether the fire facilitated upslope movement of montane tree species at the montane-to-subalpine ecotone. We sampled tree seedling occurrence in 248 plots across a fire severity gradient (unburned to >90% basal area mortality) and spanning ~500 km of latitude in Mediterranean-type subalpine forest in California, USA. We used logistic regression to quantify differences in postfire regeneration between resident subalpine species and the seedling-only range (interpreted as climate-induced range extension) of montane species. We tested our assumption of increasing climatic suitability for montane species in subalpine forest using the predicted difference in habitat suitability at study plots between 1990 and 2030. We found that postfire regeneration of resident subalpine species was uncorrelated or weakly positively correlated with fire severity. Regeneration of montane species, however, was roughly four times greater in unburned relative to burned subalpine forest. Although our overall results contrast with theoretical predictions of disturbance-facilitated range shifts, we found opposing postfire regeneration responses for montane species with distinct regeneration niches. Recruitment of shade-tolerant red fir declined with fire severity and recruitment of shade-intolerant Jeffrey pine increased with fire severity. Predicted climatic suitability increased by 5% for red fir and 34% for Jeffrey pine. Differing postfire responses in newly climatically available habitats indicate that wildfire disturbance may only facilitate range extensions for species whose preferred regeneration conditions align with increased light and/or other postfire landscape characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily G Brodie
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Joseph A E Stewart
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sara Winsemius
- Department of Land Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Jesse E D Miller
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Andrew M Latimer
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Hugh D Safford
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
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20
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Cross RL, Thompson HC. Combined empirical techniques reveal key role for variation in plasticity in a novel environment. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 239:10-12. [PMID: 37097214 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Regan L Cross
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Hana C Thompson
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
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21
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Velasco N, Andrade N, Smit C, Bustamante R. Climatic niche convergence through space and time for a potential archaeophyte (Acacia caven) in South America. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9340. [PMID: 37291243 PMCID: PMC10250544 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35658-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on the niche conservatism hypothesis, i.e. the idea that niches remain unchanged over space and time, climatic niche modelling (CNM) is a useful tool for predicting the spread of introduced taxa. Recent advances have extended such predictions deeper in time for plant species dispersed by humans before the modern era. The latest CNMs successfully evaluate niche differentiation and estimate potential source areas for intriguing taxa such as archaeophytes (i.e., species introduced before 1492 AD). Here, we performed CNMs for Acacia caven, a common Fabaceae tree in South America, considered an archaeophyte west of the Andes, in Central Chile. Accounting for the infraspecific delimitation of the species, our results showed that even when climates are different, climatic spaces used by the species overlap largely between the eastern and western ranges. Despite slight variation, results were consistent when considering one, two, or even three-environmental dimensions, and in accordance with the niche conservatism hypothesis. Specific distribution models calibrated for each region (east vs west) and projected to the past, indicate a common area of occupancy available in southern Bolivia-northwest Argentina since the late Pleistocene, which could have acted as a source-area, and this signal becomes stronger through the Holocene. Then, in accordance with a taxon introduced in the past, and comparing regional vs continental distribution models calibrated at the infraspecific or species level, the western populations showed their spread status to be mostly in equilibrium with the environment. Our study thus indicates how niche and species distribution models are useful to improve our knowledge related to taxa introduced before the modern era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás Velasco
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Nicolás Andrade
- Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Christian Smit
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ramiro Bustamante
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Cape Horn International Centre, Cape Horn County, Chilean Antarctic Province, Chile
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Stiller J, Wilson NG, Rouse GW. Range-wide population genomics of common seadragons shows secondary contact over a former barrier and insights on illegal capture. BMC Biol 2023; 21:129. [PMID: 37248474 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01628-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Common seadragons (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, Syngnathidae) are an emblem of the diverse endemic fauna of Australia's southern rocky reefs, the newly recognized "Great Southern Reef." A lack of assessments spanning this global biodiversity hotspot in its entirety is currently hampering an understanding of the factors that have contributed to its diversity. The common seadragon has a wide range across Australia's entire temperate south and includes a geogenetic break over a former land bridge, which has called its status as a single species into question. As a popular aquarium display that sells for high prices, common seadragons are also vulnerable to illegal capture. RESULTS Here, we provide range-wide nuclear sequences (986 variable Ultraconserved Elements) for 198 individuals and mitochondrial genomes for 140 individuals to assess species status, identify genetic units and their diversity, and trace the source of two poached individuals. Using published data of the other two seadragon species, we found that lineages of common seadragons have diverged relatively recently (< 0.63 Ma). Within common seadragons, we found pronounced genetic structure, falling into three major groups in the western, central, and eastern parts of the range. While populations across the Bassian Isthmus were divergent, there is also evidence for secondary contact since the passage opened. We found a strong cline of genetic diversity from the range center tapering symmetrically towards the range peripheries. Based on their genetic similarities, the poached individuals were inferred to have originated from around Albany in southwestern Australia. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that common seadragons constitute a single species with strong geographic structure but coherence through gene flow. The low genetic diversity on the east and west coasts is concerning given that these areas are projected to face fast climate change. Our results suggest that in addition to their life history, geological events and demographic expansions have all played a role in shaping populations in the temperate south. These insights are an important step towards understanding the historical determinants of the diversity of species endemic to the Great Southern Reef.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefin Stiller
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 , USA.
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Nerida G Wilson
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 , USA
- Research & Collections, Western Australian Museum, Perth, Western Australia, 6106, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - Greg W Rouse
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 , USA.
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23
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Boria RA, Blois JL. Phylogeography within the Peromyscus maniculatus species group: Understanding past distribution of genetic diversity and areas of refugia in western North America. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2023; 180:107701. [PMID: 36623612 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The effects of anthropogenic climate change on biodiversity have been recognized on every continent, ocean, and across different taxonomic groups. Here, we study the range dynamics and demography of a cosmopolitan species: the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus. We generated a multilocus SNP dataset using the ddRADseq protocol for 218 individuals across the geographic range within three western North American lineages of this species group. We evaluated population structure using several methods and explored the correlation between geographic and genetic distances. We modeled the demographic history using a site frequency spectrum approach and used a machine learning algorithm to infer current and past (Last Glacial Maximum; LGM) environmental suitability. Lastly, we explored the origin of population expansion for the identified lineages. The genome-wide SNP dataset was able to identify-three regionally distinct groups- 1) P. m. gambelii (southern California); 2) P. keeni (Pacific Northwest); 3) P. m. sonoriensis (a broad population spanning the Pacific Northwest through central California and across the Rocky Mountains into the Great Plains). Demographic analysis indicated the splits between the three populations occurred within the last 500 thousand years, with one very recent (late Holocene) split. Ecological niche models for each of these lineages predicted suitable environment present throughout their known ranges for current conditions, and a severe reduction of northern habitat in the past. The deer mouse has responded to past climate changes by expanding its range during interglacial periods and contracting its range during glacial periods leading to strong population differentiation. But lower magnitude climate change or other processes within the Holocene interglacial period led to population differentiation as well, which is likely still ongoing today given the substantial anthropogenic climate change and other landscape transformations caused by humans during the Anthropocene. By understanding the historical processes that led to the contemporary geographic distribution of biodiversity, we can determine the relative importance of different factors that shape biodiversity, now and into the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Boria
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California- Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA; Present address: Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Jessica L Blois
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California- Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA
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Varaldo L, Guerrina M, Dagnino D, Minuto L, Casazza G. Dealing with disjunct populations of vascular plants: implications for assessing the effect of climate change. Oecologia 2023; 201:421-434. [PMID: 36738314 PMCID: PMC9945546 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05323-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Species distribution models are the most widely used tool to predict species distributions for species conservation and assessment of climate change impact. However, they usually do not consider intraspecific ecological variation exhibited by many species. Overlooking the potential differentiation among groups of populations may lead to misplacing any conservation actions. This issue may be particularly relevant in species in which few populations with potential local adaptation occur, as in species with disjunct populations. Here, we used ecological niche modeling to analyze how the projections of current and future climatically suitable areas of 12 plant species can be affected using the whole taxa occurrences compared to occurrences from geographically disjunct populations. Niche analyses suggest that usually the disjunct group of populations selects the climatic conditions as similar as possible to the other according to climate availability. Integrating intraspecific variability only slightly increases models' ability to predict species occurrences. However, it results in different predictions of the magnitude of range change. In some species, integrating or not integrating intraspecific variability may lead to opposite trend in projected range change. Our results suggest that integrating intraspecific variability does not strongly improve overall models' accuracy, but it can result in considerably different conclusions about future range change. Consequently, accounting for intraspecific differentiation may enable the detection of potential local adaptations to new climate and so to design targeted conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Varaldo
- Università di Genova, Dipartimento di Scienze della terra, Ambiente e Vita, Corso Europa 26, I-16132, Genoa, Italy
| | - Maria Guerrina
- Università di Genova, Dipartimento di Scienze della terra, Ambiente e Vita, Corso Europa 26, I-16132, Genoa, Italy
| | - Davide Dagnino
- Università di Genova, Dipartimento di Scienze della terra, Ambiente e Vita, Corso Europa 26, I-16132, Genoa, Italy
| | - Luigi Minuto
- Università di Genova, Dipartimento di Scienze della terra, Ambiente e Vita, Corso Europa 26, I-16132, Genoa, Italy.
| | - Gabriele Casazza
- Università di Genova, Dipartimento di Scienze della terra, Ambiente e Vita, Corso Europa 26, I-16132, Genoa, Italy
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25
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Andreas M, Naďo L, Bendová B, Uhrin M, Maxinová E, Lučan R, Benda P. Trophic niche and diet composition of the northernmost population of the Mediterranean horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus euryale) with conservation implications. MAMMAL RES 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-023-00674-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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26
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Whole genome re-sequencing uncovers significant population structure and low genetic diversity in the endangered clouded apollo (Parnasssius mnemosyne) in Sweden. CONSERV GENET 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-023-01502-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe clouded apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) used to have a wide distribution in Fennoscandia. Recent population declines have, however, led to regional extinctions and in Sweden it is currently one of the most endangered butterflies, confined to three geographically separated metapopulations: Blekinge, Roslagen and Västernorrland. Especially the Blekinge population has declined dramatically and few imagines have been observed during recent census efforts (< 10 in some localities). The clouded apollo is subject to a species action plan which includes both habitat restorations and captive breeding to produce individuals for release and reintroductions. Here, we apply whole-genome resequencing of clouded apollo individuals collected in the three natural populations and the captive population in Sweden and apply population genomic approaches to get a better understanding of the genetic structure and levels of genetic diversity in the species. We find that the clouded apollo populations in the different geographic regions have similar, but comparatively low levels of genetic diversity and we find evidence for significant genetic differentiation between the northernmost population and the populations in southern Sweden. Additional analysis, including previously available mitochondrial data, unveil that a bi-directional re-colonization of Fennoscandia after the latest glacial maximum most likely is the explanation for the considerable differentiation between some Swedish populations. Finally, we find evidence for population sub-structure in one of the Swedish populations. The results provide insights into the genetic consequences of population size declines and fragmentation in general and provide important information for direct conservation actions for the clouded apollo in Sweden in particular.
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27
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Mamat M, Shan W, Dong P, Zhou S, Liu P, Meng Y, Nie W, Teng P, Zhang Y. Population genetics analysis of Tolai hares (Lepus tolai) in Xinjiang, China using genome-wide SNPs from SLAF-seq and mitochondrial markers. Front Genet 2022; 13:1018632. [PMID: 37006991 PMCID: PMC10064446 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1018632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The main topic of population genetics and evolutionary biology is the influence of the ecological environment, geographical isolation, and climatic factors on population structure and history. Here, we estimated the genetic diversity, genetic structure, and population history of two subspecies of Tolai hares (Lepus tolai Pallas, 1778), L. t. lehmanni inhabiting Northern and Northwest Xinjiang and L. t. centrasiaticus inhabiting Central and Eastern Xinjiang using SNP of specific-length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) and four mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Our results showed a relatively high degree of genetic diversity for Tolai hares, and the diversity of L. t. lehmanni was slightly higher than that of L. t. centrasiaticus, likely due to the more favorable ecological environment, such as woodlands and plains. Phylogenetic analysis from SNP and mtDNA indicated a rough phylogeographical distribution pattern among Tolai hares. Strong differentiation was found between the two subspecies and the two geographical groups in L. t. centrasiaticus, possibly due to the geographical isolation of mountains, basins, and deserts. However, gene flow was also detected between the two subspecies, which might be attributed to the Tianshan Corridor and the strong migration ability of hares. Tolai hare population differentiation occurred at approximately 1.2377 MYA. Population history analysis based on SNP and mtDNA showed that the Tolai hare population has a complex history and L. t. lehmanni was less affected by the glacial event, possibly because its geographic location and terrain conditions weaken the drastic climate fluctuations. In conclusion, our results indicated that the joint effect of ecological environment, geographic events, and climatic factors might play important roles in the evolutionary process of L. t. lehmanni and L. t. centrasiaticus, thus resulting in differentiation, gene exchange, and different population history.
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Recent speciation associated with range expansion and a shift to self-fertilization in North American Arabidopsis. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7564. [PMID: 36481740 PMCID: PMC9732334 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35368-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The main processes classically evoked for promoting reproductive isolation and speciation are geographic separation reducing gene flow among populations, divergent selection, and chance genomic change. In a case study, we present evidence that the additional factors of climate change, range expansion and a shift in mating towards inbreeding can initiate the processes leading to parapatric speciation. At the end of the last Pleistocene glaciation cycle, the North American plant Arabidopsis lyrata expanded its range and concomitantly lost its reproductive mode of outcrossing multiple times. We show that in one of the newly colonized areas, the self-fertilizing recolonization lineage of A. lyrata gave rise to selfing A. arenicola, which expanded its range to subarctic and arctic Canada and Greenland, while the parental species remained restricted to temperate North America. Despite the vast range expansion by the new species, mutational load did not increase, probably because of selfing and quasi-clonal selection. We conclude that such peripheral parapatric speciation combined with range expansion and inbreeding may be an important but so far overlooked mode of speciation.
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29
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Ilves A, Kaljund K, Sild E, Münzbergová Z. High genetic variation of Trifolium alpestre at the northern margin: but for how long? CONSERV GENET 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-022-01490-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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30
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Volis S, Ormanbekova D, Shulgina I. Are populations less genetically diverse and more differentiated at the species range edges? Analysis of the quantitative trait and molecular variation in wild oat Avena sterilis. Isr J Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/22244662-bja10039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Although understanding factors determining the genetic makeup of natural populations has long been an important goal of evolutionary biology, the effect of population position within the species range (i.e., interior vs. edge) on species genetic variation is still unclear. According to the ‘abundant center’ hypothesis, the range edge populations are expected to exhibit lower genetic variation and higher differentiation than core populations because of their greater spatial isolation and smaller size. We tested these predictions by comparing the extent and structure of neutral (SSR) and quantitative trait genetic variation in 20 populations of an annual grass Avena sterilis hierarchically sampled at the species range core and two opposite edges. Within-population genetic diversity was reduced at the desert range edge compared to the range core as assessed by six SSR markers but not by eight quantitative traits; no reduction was detected at the mountain edge. Genetic differentiation among populations was higher at the desert range edge than the range core in both molecular markers and quantitative traits, but not at the mountain edge. Our results imply that the pattern of population genetic variation at the species range edges largely depends on the steepness of the environmental cline that has a major effect on species fitness. The more gradual the environmental cline from the species interior towards the edge, the higher the probability of detecting reduced genetic diversity and increased differentiation of peripheral populations as predicted by the ‘abundant center’ hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei Volis
- Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, 100125, Uzbekistan
| | - Danara Ormanbekova
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Irina Shulgina
- Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, 100125, Uzbekistan
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31
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McLennan D, Auer SK, McKelvey S, McKelvey L, Anderson G, Boner W, Duprez JS, Metcalfe NB. Habitat restoration weakens negative environmental effects on telomere dynamics. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:6100-6113. [PMID: 33973299 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Habitat quality can have far-reaching effects on organismal fitness, an issue of concern given the current scale of habitat degradation. Many temperate upland streams have reduced nutrient levels due to human activity. Nutrient restoration confers benefits in terms of invertebrate food availability and subsequent fish growth rates. Here we test whether these mitigation measures also affect the rate of cellular ageing of the fish, measured in terms of the telomeres that cap the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. We equally distributed Atlantic salmon eggs from the same 30 focal families into 10 human-impacted oligotrophic streams in northern Scotland. Nutrient levels in five of the streams were restored by simulating the deposition of a small number of adult Atlantic salmon Salmo salar carcasses at the end of the spawning period, while five reference streams were left as controls. Telomere lengths and expression of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene that may act to lengthen telomeres were then measured in the young fish when 15 months old. While TERT expression was unrelated to any of the measured variables, telomere lengths were shorter in salmon living at higher densities and in areas with a lower availability of the preferred substrate (cobbles and boulders). However, the adverse effects of these habitat features were much reduced in the streams receiving nutrients. These results suggest that adverse environmental pressures are weakened when nutrients are restored, presumably because the resulting increase in food supply reduces levels of both competition and stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darryl McLennan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Sonya K Auer
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.,Department of Biology, Williams College, Williamstown, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Graeme Anderson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Winnie Boner
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jessica S Duprez
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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Gaytán Á, Abdelfattah A, Faticov M, Moreira X, Castagneyrol B, Van Halder I, De Frenne P, Meeussen C, Timmermans BGH, Ten Hoopen JPJG, Rasmussen PU, Bos N, Jaatinen R, Pulkkinen P, Söderlund S, Gotthard K, Pawlowski K, Tack AJM. Changes in the foliar fungal community between oak leaf flushes along a latitudinal gradient in Europe. JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY 2022; 49:2269-2280. [PMID: 36636040 PMCID: PMC9828548 DOI: 10.1111/jbi.14508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
AIM Leaves support a large diversity of fungi, which are known to cause plant diseases, induce plant defences or influence leaf senescence and decomposition. To advance our understanding of how foliar fungal communities are structured and assembled, we assessed to what extent leaf flush and latitude can explain the within- and among-tree variation in foliar fungal communities. LOCATION A latitudinal gradient spanning c. 20 degrees in latitude in Europe. TAXA The foliar fungal community associated with a foundation tree species, the pedunculate oak Quercus robur. METHODS We examined the main and interactive effects of leaf flush and latitude on the foliar fungal community by sampling 20 populations of the pedunculate oak Quercus robur across the tree's range. We used the ITS region as a target for characterization of fungal communities using DNA metabarcoding. RESULTS Species composition, but not species richness, differed between leaf flushes. Across the latitudinal gradient, species richness was highest in the central part of the oak's distributional range, and foliar fungal community composition shifted along the latitudinal gradient. Among fungal guilds, the relative abundance of plant pathogens and mycoparasites was lower on the first leaf flush, and the relative abundance of plant pathogens and saprotrophs decreased with latitude. CONCLUSIONS Changes in community composition between leaf flushes and along the latitudinal gradient were mostly a result of species turnover. Overall, our findings demonstrate that leaf flush and latitude explain 5%-22% of the small- and large-scale spatial variation in the foliar fungal community on a foundation tree within the temperate region. Using space-for-time substitution, we expect that foliar fungal community structure will change with climate warming, with an increase in the abundance of plant pathogens and mycoparasites at higher latitudes, with major consequences for plant health, species interactions and ecosystem dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Gaytán
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant SciencesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
- Bolin Center for Climate ResearchStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Ahmed Abdelfattah
- Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB)PotsdamGermany
| | - Maria Faticov
- Department of BiologySherbrooke UniversitySherbrookeQuebecCanada
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Pil U. Rasmussen
- The National Research Centre for the Working EnvironmentCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Nick Bos
- Section for Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Raimo Jaatinen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Haapastensyrjä Breeding StationLäyliäinenFinland
| | - Pertti Pulkkinen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Haapastensyrjä Breeding StationLäyliäinenFinland
| | - Sara Söderlund
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant SciencesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Karl Gotthard
- Bolin Center for Climate ResearchStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
- Department of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Katharina Pawlowski
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant SciencesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Ayco J. M. Tack
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant SciencesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
- Bolin Center for Climate ResearchStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
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Farhadi A, Jeffs AG, Lavery SD. Genome-wide SNPs in the spiny lobster Panulirus homarus reveal a hybrid origin for its subspecies. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:750. [DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08984-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Evolutionary divergence and speciation often occur at a slower rate in the marine realm due to the higher potential for long-distance reproductive interaction through larval dispersal. One common evolutionary pattern in the Indo-Pacific, is divergence of populations and species at the peripheries of widely-distributed organisms. However, the evolutionary and demographic histories of such divergence are yet to be well understood. Here we address these issues by coupling genome-wide SNP data with mitochondrial DNA sequences to test the patterns of genetic divergence and possible secondary contact among geographically distant populations of the highly valuable spiny lobster Panulirus homarus species complex, distributed widely through the Indo-Pacific, from South Africa to the Marquesas Islands.
Result
After stringent filtering, 2020 SNPs were used for population genetic and demographic analyses, revealing strong regional structure (FST = 0.148, P < 0001), superficially in accordance with previous analyses. However, detailed demographic analyses supported a much more complex evolutionary history of these populations, including a hybrid origin of a North-West Indian Ocean (NWIO) population, which has previously been discriminated morphologically, but not genetically. The best-supported demographic models suggested that the current genetic relationships among populations were due to a complex series of past divergences followed by asymmetric migration in more recent times.
Conclusion
Overall, this study suggests that alternating periods of marine divergence and gene flow have driven the current genetic patterns observed in this lobster and may help explain the observed wider patterns of marine species diversity in the Indo-Pacific.
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Latron M, Arnaud J, Schmitt E, Duputié A. Idiosyncratic shifts in life‐history traits at species' geographic range edges. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eric Schmitt
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 – Evo‐Eco‐Paleo Lille France
| | - Anne Duputié
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 – Evo‐Eco‐Paleo Lille France
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Sánchez-Castro D, Armbruster G, Willi Y. Reduced pollinator service in small populations of Arabidopsis lyrata at its southern range limit. Oecologia 2022; 200:107-117. [PMID: 36053350 PMCID: PMC9547784 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05237-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Even though a high fraction of angiosperm plants depends on animal pollinators for sexual reproduction, little is known how pollinator service changes across the ranges of plant species and whether it may contribute to range limits. Here, we tested for variation in pollinator service in the North American Arabidopsis lyrata from its southern to northern range edge and evaluated the driving mechanisms. We monitored insect pollinators using time-lapse cameras in 13 populations over two years and spotted 67 pollinating insect taxa, indicating the generalist nature of this plant-pollinator system. Pollinator service was highest at intermediate local flower densities and higher in large compared to small plant populations. Southern populations had generally smaller population sizes, and visitation rate and pollination ratio decreased with latitude. We also found that pollinator visitation was positively correlated with the richness of other flowering plants. This study indicates that plant populations at southern range edges receive only marginal pollinator service if they are small, and the effect of lower pollination is also detectable within populations across the range when the local flower density is low. Results, therefore, suggest the potential for an Allee effect in pollination that manifests itself across spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darío Sánchez-Castro
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Georg Armbruster
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yvonne Willi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
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36
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Mattsson BJ, Mateo-Tomás P, Aebischer A, Rösner S, Kunz F, Schöll EM, Åkesson S, De Rosa D, Orr-Ewing D, Bodega DDL, Ferrer M, Gelpke C, Katzenberger J, Maciorowski G, Mammen U, Kolbe M, Millon A, Mionnet A, Puente JDL, Raab R, Vyhnal S, Ceccolini G, Godino A, Crespo-Luengo G, Sanchez-Agudo JA, Martínez J, Iglesias-Lebrija JJ, Ginés E, Cortés M, Deán JI, Calmaestra RG, Dostál M, Steinborn E, Viñuela J. Enhancing monitoring and transboundary collaboration for conserving migratory species under global change: The priority case of the red kite. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 317:115345. [PMID: 35642814 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Calls for urgent action to conserve biodiversity under global change are increasing, and conservation of migratory species in this context poses special challenges. In the last two decades the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has provided a framework for several subsidiary instruments including action plans for migratory bird species, but the effectiveness and transferability of these plans remain unclear. Such laws and policies have been credited with positive outcomes for the conservation of migratory species, but the lack of international coordination and on-ground implementation pose major challenges. While research on migratory populations has received growing attention, considerably less emphasis has been given to integrating ecological information throughout the annual cycle for examining strategies to conserve migratory species at multiple scales in the face of global change. We fill this gap through a case study examining the ecological status and conservation of a migratory raptor and facultative scavenger, the red kite (Milvus milvus), whose current breeding range is limited to Europe and is associated with agricultural landscapes and restricted to the temperate zone. Based on our review, conservation actions have been successful at recovering red kite populations within certain regions. Populations however remain depleted along the southern-most edge of the geographic range where many migratory red kites from northern strongholds overwinter. This led us to a forward-looking and integrated strategy that emphasizes international coordination involving researchers and conservation practitioners to enhance the science-policy-action interface. We identify and explore key issues for conserving the red kite under global change, including enhancing conservation actions within and outside protected areas, recovering depleted populations, accounting for climate change, and transboundary coordination in adaptive conservation and management actions. The integrated conservation strategy is sufficiently general such that it can be adapted to inform conservation of other highly mobile species subject to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brady J Mattsson
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Austria.
| | - Patricia Mateo-Tomás
- Biodiversity Research Institute (University of Oviedo-CSIC-Principality of Asturias), Mieres, Spain, and Center for Functional Ecology (CFE), Coimbra University, Portugal
| | | | - Sascha Rösner
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Conservation Ecology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Florian Kunz
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva M Schöll
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Davide De Rosa
- ARDEA- Associazione per La Ricerca, La Divulgazione e L'Educazione Ambientale, Via Ventilabro 6, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Duncan Orr-Ewing
- Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Scotland, UK
| | | | - Miguel Ferrer
- Doñana Biological Station, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | | | | | - Grzegorz Maciorowski
- Department of Game Management and Forest Protection, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Ubbo Mammen
- ÖKOTOP Halle, MEROS (Monitoring of European Raptors and Owls), Halle, Germany
| | - Martin Kolbe
- Rotmilanzentrum am Museum Heineanum, Halberstadt, Germany
| | - Alexandre Millon
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS-IRD-Avignon Univ, Institut Méditerranean Biodiversité Ecologie Marine et Continentale (IMBE), Technopôle Arbois-Méditerranée, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Aymeric Mionnet
- Ligue pour La Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), Champagne-Ardenne, Outines, France
| | | | - Rainer Raab
- Technical Office for Biology, Deutsch-Wagram, Austria
| | | | | | | | - Gabriela Crespo-Luengo
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Diversidad Humana y Biología Animal, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain
| | - Jose Angel Sanchez-Agudo
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Diversidad Humana y Biología Animal, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain
| | - Juan Martínez
- GREFA (Grupo de Rehabilitación de La Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Ester Ginés
- Servicio Provincial de Agricultura, Ganadería y Medio Ambiente, Gobierno de Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Maria Cortés
- Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de La Alfranca, Gobierno de Aragón, Pastriz (Zaragoza), Spain
| | - Juan I Deán
- Sociedad de Ciencias Naturales Gorosti, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ricardo Gómez Calmaestra
- Subdirección General de Biodiversidad Terrestre y Marina, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Bosques y Desertificación, Ministerio para La Transición Ecológica y El Reto Demográfico, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marek Dostál
- University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Eike Steinborn
- Rotmilanzentrum am Museum Heineanum, Halberstadt, Germany
| | - Javier Viñuela
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC; CSIC-UCLM-JCCM). Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain
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37
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Singhal S, Wrath J, Rabosky DL. Genetic variability and the ecology of geographic range: A test of the central-marginal hypothesis in Australian scincid lizards. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4242-4253. [PMID: 35779002 PMCID: PMC9545263 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
For many species, both local abundance and regional occupancy are highest near the centre of their geographic distributions. One hypothesis for this pattern is that niche suitability declines with increasing distance from a species geographic centre, such that populations near range margins are characterized by reduced density and increased patchiness. In these smaller edge populations, genetic drift is more powerful, leading to the loss of genetic diversity. This simple verbal model has been formalized as the central-marginal hypothesis, which predicts that core populations should have greater genetic diversity than edge populations. Here, we tested the central-marginal hypothesis using a genomic data set of 25 species-level taxa of Australian scincid lizards in the genera Ctenotus and Lerista. A majority of taxa in our data set showed range-wide patterns of genetic variation consistent with central-marginal hypothesis, and eight of 25 taxa showed significantly greater genetic diversity in the centre of their range. We then explored biological, historical, and methodological factors that might predict which taxa support the central-marginal hypothesis. We found that taxa with the strongest evidence for range expansion were the least likely to follow predictions of the central-marginal hypothesis. The majority of these taxa had range expansions that originated at the range edge, which led to a gradient of decreasing genetic diversity from the range edge to the core, contrary to the central-marginal hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonal Singhal
- Department of BiologyCSU Dominguez HillsCarsonCaliforniaUSA
| | - John Wrath
- Department of BiologyCSU Dominguez HillsCarsonCaliforniaUSA
| | - Daniel L. Rabosky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Museum of ZoologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
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38
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Daco L, Matthies D, Hermant S, Colling G. Genetic diversity and differentiation of populations of
Anthyllis vulneraria
along elevational and latitudinal gradients. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9167. [PMID: 35949527 PMCID: PMC9351329 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The abundant centre model (ACM) predicts that the suitability of environmental conditions for a species decreases from the centre of its distribution toward its range periphery and, consequently, its populations will become scarcer, smaller and more isolated, resulting in lower genetic diversity and increased differentiation. However, little is known about whether genetic diversity shows similar patterns along elevational and latitudinal gradients with similar changes in important environmental conditions. Using microsatellite markers, we studied the genetic diversity and structure of 20 populations each of Anthyllis vulneraria along elevational gradients in the Alps from the valleys to the elevational limit (2500 m) and along a latitudinal gradient (2500 km) from Central Europe to the range margin in northern Scandinavia. Both types of gradients corresponded to an 11.5°C difference in mean annual temperature. Genetic diversity strongly declined and differentiation increased with latitude in line with the predictions of the ACM. However, as population size did not decline with latitude and genetic diversity was not related to population size in A. vulneraria, this pattern is not likely to be due to less favorable conditions in the North, but due to serial founder effects during the post‐glacial recolonization process. Genetic diversity was not related to elevation, but we found significant isolation by distance along both gradients, although the elevational gradient was shorter by orders of magnitude. Subarctic populations differed genetically from alpine populations indicating that the northern populations did not originate from high elevational Alpine ones. Our results support the notion that postglacial latitudinal colonization over large distances resulted in a larger loss of genetic diversity than elevational range shifts. The lack of genetic diversity in subarctic populations may threaten their long‐term persistence in the face of climate change, whereas alpine populations could benefit from gene flow from low‐elevation populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Daco
- Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg Luxembourg
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology Marburg Germany
- Fondation faune‐flore Luxembourg Luxembourg
| | | | - Sylvie Hermant
- Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg Luxembourg
| | - Guy Colling
- Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg Luxembourg
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39
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Clo J. Polyploidization: Consequences of genome doubling on the evolutionary potential of populations. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:1213-1220. [PMID: 35862788 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Whole-genome duplication is common in plants and is considered to have a broad range of effects on individuals' phenotypes and genomes and to be an important driver of plant adaptation and speciation. Despite their increased capacity to cope with challenging environments, polyploid lineages are generally as prone to extinction, and sometimes more prone, than their diploid progenitors. Although several explanations have been proposed to explain the short- and long-term disadvantages of polyploidy on the survival probability of populations, the consequences of whole-genome doubling on the heritable variance remain poorly studied. Whole-genome doubling can have major effects not only on the genetics, but also on the ecology and life history of the populations. Modifications of other properties of populations can reverse the effects of polyploidization per se on heritable variance. In this synthesis, I summarize the empirical and theoretical knowledge about the multifarious consequences of genome doubling on the heritable variance of quantitative traits and on the evolutionary potential of polyploid populations compared to their diploid progenitors. I propose several ways to decipher the consequences of whole-genome doubling on survival probability and to study the further consequences of shifting the ecological niche and life-history traits of a population. I also highlight some practical considerations for comparing the heritable variance of a trait among different cytotypes. Such investigations appear to be timely and necessary to understand more about the paradoxical aspects of polyploidization and to understand the evolutionary potential of polyploid lineages in a global warming context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josselin Clo
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Benátská 2, CZ-128 01, Prague, Czech Republic
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40
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Morente‐López J, Kass JM, Lara‐Romero C, Serra‐Diaz JM, Soto‐Correa JC, Anderson RP, Iriondo JM. Linking ecological niche models and common garden experiments to predict phenotypic differentiation in stressful environments: Assessing the adaptive value of marginal populations in an alpine plant. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:4143-4162. [PMID: 35359032 PMCID: PMC9325479 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Environmental variation within a species' range can create contrasting selective pressures, leading to divergent selection and novel adaptations. The conservation value of populations inhabiting environmentally marginal areas remains in debate and is closely related to the adaptive potential in changing environments. Strong selection caused by stressful conditions may generate novel adaptations, conferring these populations distinct evolutionary potential and high conservation value under climate change. On the other hand, environmentally marginal populations may be genetically depauperate, with little potential for new adaptations to emerge. Here, we explored the use of ecological niche models (ENMs) linked with common garden experiments to predict and test for genetically determined phenotypic differentiation related to contrasting environmental conditions. To do so, we built an ENM for the alpine plant Silene ciliata in central Spain and conducted common garden experiments, assessing flowering phenology changes and differences in leaf cell resistance to extreme temperatures. The suitability patterns and response curves of the ENM led to the predictions that: (1) the environmentally marginal populations experiencing less snowpack and higher minimum temperatures would have delayed flowering to avoid risks of late-spring frosts and (2) those with higher minimum temperatures and greater potential evapotranspiration would show enhanced cell resistance to high temperatures to deal with physiological stress related to desiccation and heat. The common garden experiments revealed the expected genetically based phenotypic differentiation in flowering phenology. In contrast, they did not show the expected differentiation for cell resistance, but these latter experiments had high variance and hence lower statistical power. The results highlight ENMs as useful tools to identify contrasting putative selective pressures across species ranges. Linking ENMs with common garden experiments provides a theoretically justified and practical way to study adaptive processes, including insights regarding the conservation value of populations inhabiting environmentally marginal areas under ongoing climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Morente‐López
- Área de Biodiversidad y ConservaciónDepto. de Biología, GeologíaFísica y Química InorgánicaESCETUniversidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC)MadridMóstolesSpain
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research GroupInstitute of Natural Products and Agrobiology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IPNA‐CSIC)San Cristóbal de La Laguna, TenerifeSpain
| | - Jamie M. Kass
- Department of BiologyCity College of New YorkCity University of New YorkNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Ph.D. Program in BiologyGraduate CenterCity University of New YorkNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Biodiversity and Biocomplexity UnitOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate UniversityKunigami‐gunOkinawaJapan
| | - Carlos Lara‐Romero
- Área de Biodiversidad y ConservaciónDepto. de Biología, GeologíaFísica y Química InorgánicaESCETUniversidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC)MadridMóstolesSpain
| | | | - José Carmen Soto‐Correa
- Facultad de Ciencias NaturalesUniversidad Autónoma de Querétaro (FCN‐UAQ)Santa Rosa Jáuregui, QuerétaroMexico
| | - Robert P. Anderson
- Department of BiologyCity College of New YorkCity University of New YorkNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Ph.D. Program in BiologyGraduate CenterCity University of New YorkNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Mammalogy)American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - José M. Iriondo
- Área de Biodiversidad y ConservaciónDepto. de Biología, GeologíaFísica y Química InorgánicaESCETUniversidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC)MadridMóstolesSpain
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41
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Ecology and Evolution of Plants in the Mediterranean Basin: Perspectives and Challenges. PLANTS 2022; 11:plants11121584. [PMID: 35736734 PMCID: PMC9229007 DOI: 10.3390/plants11121584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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42
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Kirillova IA, Kirillov DV. Reproductive Success of Marginal Populations of Dactylorhiza maculata (L.) Soó (Orchidaceae). RUSS J ECOL+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1067413622030055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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43
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Banerjee AK, Feng H, Guo W, Harms NE, Xie H, Liang X, Xing F, Lin Y, Shao H, Guo Z, Ng WL, Huang Y. Glacial vicariance and oceanic circulation shape population structure of the coastal legume Derris trifoliata in the Indo-West Pacific. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:1016-1034. [PMID: 35419829 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE The phylogeography of coastal plant species is shaped by contemporary and historical biogeographic processes. In this study, we aim to decipher the phylogeography of Derris trifoliata, a woody legume of relatively recent origin and wide distribution, in coastal areas in the Indo-West Pacific (IWP) region. METHODS Genetic diversity and population structure were assessed by analyzing six nuclear and three chloroplast DNA sequences from 30 populations across the species' range. Phylogeography was inferred by estimating gene flow, divergence time, historical population size changes, and historical habitat suitability using paleoclimatic niche modeling. RESULTS High genetic diversity was observed at the species level. The populations of three oceanic regions included in this study (i.e., Indian Ocean, South China Sea, and Pacific Ocean) formed distinct clades and likely diverged during the late Pleistocene. Potential barriers to gene flow were identified, including the Sunda and Sahul shelves, geographic distance, and current patterns of oceanic circulation. Analysis of changes in population size supported the bottleneck model, which was strengthened by estimates of habitat suitability across paleoclimatic conditions. CONCLUSIONS The once widespread distribution of D. trifoliata was fragmented by changes in climatic suitability and biogeographic barriers that arose following sea-level changes during the Pleistocene. In addition, contemporary patterns of oceanic circulation and geographic distance between populations appear to maintain genetic differentiation across its distribution in the IWP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achyut Kumar Banerjee
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Hui Feng
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Wuxia Guo
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
- Department of Bioengineering, Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, 519041 Guangdong, China
| | - Nathan E Harms
- US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Lewisville, TX 75057, USA
| | - Hongxian Xie
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Xinru Liang
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Fen Xing
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Yuting Lin
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Huiyu Shao
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Zixiao Guo
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Wei Lun Ng
- China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University, Malaysia, 43900 Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yelin Huang
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
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44
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Bergström K, Nordahl O, Söderling P, Koch-Schmidt P, Borger T, Tibblin P, Larsson P. Exceptional longevity in northern peripheral populations of Wels catfish (Siluris glanis). Sci Rep 2022; 12:8070. [PMID: 35577886 PMCID: PMC9110724 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12165-w] [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: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of life-history variation across a species range are crucial for ecological understanding and successful conservation. Here, we examined the growth and age of Wels catfish (Silurus glanis) in Sweden, which represent the northernmost populations in Europe. A total of 1183 individuals were captured, marked and released between 2006 and 2020. Mark-recapture data from 162 individuals (size range: 13–195 cm) were used to estimate von Bertalanffy growth curve parameters which revealed very slow growth rates compared to catfish within the core distribution area (central Europe). The fitted von Bertalanffy growth curve predicted a 150 cm catfish to be around 40 years old, while the largest recaptured individual (length 195 cm) was estimated to be 70 (95% CI 50–112) years old. This was substantially older than the previously documented maximum age of a catfish. The weight at length relationships in these northern peripheral populations were similar to those documented for catfish in central Europe indicating that resources did not constrain growth. This indicates that the slow growth and exceptional high age in the northern catfish populations are the result of lower temperatures and/or local adaptations.
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45
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Kirschner P, Perez MF, Záveská E, Sanmartín I, Marquer L, Schlick-Steiner BC, Alvarez N, Steiner FM, Schönswetter P. Congruent evolutionary responses of European steppe biota to late Quaternary climate change. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1921. [PMID: 35396388 PMCID: PMC8993823 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29267-8] [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: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Quaternary climatic oscillations had a large impact on European biogeography. Alternation of cold and warm stages caused recurrent glaciations, massive vegetation shifts, and large-scale range alterations in many species. The Eurasian steppe biome and its grasslands are a noteworthy example; they underwent climate-driven, large-scale contractions during warm stages and expansions during cold stages. Here, we evaluate the impact of these range alterations on the late Quaternary demography of several phylogenetically distant plant and insect species, typical of the Eurasian steppes. We compare three explicit demographic hypotheses by applying an approach combining convolutional neural networks with approximate Bayesian computation. We identified congruent demographic responses of cold stage expansion and warm stage contraction across all species, but also species-specific effects. The demographic history of the Eurasian steppe biota reflects major paleoecological turning points in the late Quaternary and emphasizes the role of climate as a driving force underlying patterns of genetic variance on the biome level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Kirschner
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria. .,Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Manolo F Perez
- Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Genetica e Evolucao, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luis, km 235, 13565905, Sao Carlos, Brazil
| | - Eliška Záveská
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.,Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, 25243, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Isabel Sanmartín
- Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laurent Marquer
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Nadir Alvarez
- Geneva Natural History Museum of Geneva, Route de Malagnou 1, 1208, Genève, Switzerland.,Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Boulevard D'Yvoy 4, 1205, Genève, Switzerland
| | | | - Florian M Steiner
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Peter Schönswetter
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
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46
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DuBois K, Pollard KN, Kauffman BJ, Williams SL, Stachowicz JJ. Local adaptation in a marine foundation species: Implications for resilience to future global change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:2596-2610. [PMID: 35007376 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Environmental change is multidimensional, with local anthropogenic stressors and global climate change interacting to differentially impact populations throughout a species' geographic range. Within species, the spatial distribution of phenotypic variation and its causes (i.e., local adaptation or plasticity) will determine species' adaptive capacity to respond to a changing environment. However, comparatively less is known about the spatial scale of adaptive differentiation among populations and how patterns of local adaptation might drive vulnerability to global change stressors. To test whether fine-scale (2-12 km) mosaics of environmental stress can cause adaptive differentiation in a marine foundation species, eelgrass (Zostera marina), we conducted a three-way reciprocal transplant experiment spanning the length of Tomales Bay, CA. Our results revealed strong home-site advantage in growth and survival for all three populations. In subsequent common garden experiments and feeding assays, we showed that countergradients in temperature, light availability, and grazing pressure from an introduced herbivore contribute to differential performance among populations consistent with local adaptation. Our findings highlight how local-scale mosaics in environmental stressors can increase phenotypic variation among neighboring populations, potentially increasing species resilience to future global change. More specifically, we identified a range-center eelgrass population that is pre-adapted to extremely warm temperatures similar to those experienced by low-latitude range-edge populations of eelgrass, demonstrating how reservoirs of heat-tolerant phenotypes may already exist throughout a species range. Future work on predicting species resilience to global change should incorporate potential buffering effects of local-scale population differentiation and promote a phenotypic management approach to species conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine DuBois
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
- Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California Davis, Bodega Bay, California, USA
| | - Kenzie N Pollard
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Brian J Kauffman
- Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California Davis, Bodega Bay, California, USA
| | - Susan L Williams
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
- Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California Davis, Bodega Bay, California, USA
| | - John J Stachowicz
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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Fontaine N, Gauthier P, Casazza G, Thompson JD. Niche Variation in Endemic Lilium pomponium on a Wide Altitudinal Gradient in the Maritime Alps. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:833. [PMID: 35336714 PMCID: PMC8954139 DOI: 10.3390/plants11060833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between altitudinal and ecological gradients has long been a dominant theme in plant ecology; moreover, how species respond to climate change has renewed this interest. Mediterranean mountains are often hotspots of endemism, and some endemic species have local distributions that span different climatic belts; hence, local variations in topography and fine-scaled niche conditions may play crucial roles in their persistence along such gradients. Studies of the fine-scaled niche are, however, very rare; most studies involve broad-scale variations in climatic parameters. The Turban lily, Lilium pomponium L. is endemic to the Maritime and Ligurian Alps, where it occurs across a wide altitudinal gradient. Previous work has shown no link between climatic marginality and geographic range limits on morphological traits and genetic variability; however, possible variations of local topographic and ecological parameters have not yet been examined. The objective of this paper is to characterise local ecological niche conditions of L. pomponium populations in the different bioclimatic zones it occupies along the altitudinal gradient. The species occurs in four main types of microecological niches. One of these niche types, with a high mineral cover, is the most abundant—type 2: it was detected in 39% of sampled quadrats and occurs across the whole bioclimatic gradient. Other niche types are more limited to subsections of the gradient: type 3 (in 19% of sampled quadrats) is restricted to high-altitude sites (>1070 m.a.s.l.) and is characterised by high vegetation and litter cover; type 4 (26%) corresponds to more forested habitats on substrates with low water retention capacities, in more inland zones close to the centre of L. pomponium distribution and across a range of altitudes; and type 1 (16% of quadrat) only occurs in the Mediterranean part of the gradient, close to distribution limits in pockets of soil among large blocks of rocks, mainly found at mid-altitudes. Despite heterogeneity in the spatial locations of niche types, there is no correspondence between ecological gradients and the distribution limits of this species. Knowledge of the fine-scaled ecological conditions that determine niche types is thus essential for conservation management of the habitats of this species and for the exploration of its possible response to ongoing climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninon Fontaine
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34293 Montpellier, France; (P.G.); (J.D.T.)
| | - Perrine Gauthier
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34293 Montpellier, France; (P.G.); (J.D.T.)
| | - Gabriele Casazza
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy;
| | - John D. Thompson
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34293 Montpellier, France; (P.G.); (J.D.T.)
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48
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Perrier A, Sánchez-Castro D, Willi Y. Environment dependence of the expression of mutational load and species' range limits. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:731-741. [PMID: 35290676 PMCID: PMC9314787 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Theoretical and empirical research on the causes of species’ range limits suggest the contribution of several intrinsic and extrinsic factors, with potentially complex interactions among them. An intrinsic factor proposed by recent theory is mutational load increasing towards range edges because of genetic drift. Furthermore, environmental quality may decline towards range edges and enhance the expression of load. Here, we tested whether the expression of mutational load associated with range limits in the North American plant Arabidopsis lyrata was enhanced under stressful environmental conditions by comparing the performance of within‐ versus between‐population crosses at common garden sites across the species’ distribution and beyond. Heterosis, reflecting the expression of load, increased with heightened estimates of genomic load and with environmental stress caused by warming, but the interaction was not significant. We conclude that range‐edge populations suffer from a twofold genetic Allee effect caused by increased mutational load and stress‐dependent load linked to general heterozygote deficiency, but there is no synergistic effect between them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Perrier
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.,Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Yvonne Willi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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49
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Dawson-Glass E, Hargreaves AL. Does pollen limitation limit plant ranges? Evidence and implications. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210014. [PMID: 35067093 PMCID: PMC8784924 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual reproduction often declines towards range edges, reducing fitness, dispersal and adaptive potential. For plants, sexual reproduction is frequently limited by inadequate pollination. While case studies show that pollen limitation can limit plant distributions, the extent to which pollination commonly declines towards plant range edges is unknown. Here, we use global databases of pollen-supplementation experiments and plant occurrence data to test whether pollen limitation increases towards plant range edges, using a phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis. While there was significant pollen limitation across studies, we found little evidence that pollen limitation increases towards plant range edges. Pollen limitation was not stronger towards the tropics, nor at species' equatorward versus poleward range limits. Meta-analysis results are consistent with results from targeted experiments, in which pollen limitation increased significantly towards only 14% of 14 plant range edges, suggesting that pollination contributes to range limits less often than do other interactions. Together, these results suggest pollination is one of the rich variety of potential ecological factors that can contribute to range limits, rather than a generally important constraint on plant distributions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Species' ranges in the face of changing environments (part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Dawson-Glass
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr Penfield Avenue, Montreal H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Anna L. Hargreaves
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr Penfield Avenue, Montreal H3A 1B1, Canada
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50
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Pironon S, Gómez D, Font X, García MB. Living at the limit in the Pyrenees: Peripheral and endemic plants are rare but underrepresented in protection lists. DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Gómez
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE‐CSIC) Jaca Spain
| | - Xavier Font
- Plant Biodiversity Resource Centre University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
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