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Camilleri L, Debono K, Grech F, Bellia AF, Pace G, Lanfranco S. Topographic Complexity Is a Principal Driver of Plant Endemism in Mediterranean Islands. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:546. [PMID: 38498566 PMCID: PMC10892890 DOI: 10.3390/plants13040546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
The frequency of endemism in the flora of Mediterranean Islands does not follow a straightforward species-area relationship, and the determinants of endemism are several and complex. The aim of this study was to estimate the explanatory power of a small number of variables on the species richness of vascular plants on selected Mediterranean islands and archipelagos, and on the proportion of narrow endemism in each. We used a novel approach whereby the topographic complexity and isolation of an island were estimated through more detailed methods than those utilised previously. These parameters, along with island area and human population density, were used in a number of regression models with the number of taxa or proportion of endemics as the dependent variables. The results demonstrated that 'topography', a factor that was not specifically included in previous models for Mediterranean islands, exerted a consistent, statistically significant effect on both the number of taxa as well as the proportion of endemic taxa, in all models tested. The 'isolation' factor was not a significant predictor of the number of taxa in any of the models but was a statistically significant predictor of the proportion of endemic taxa in two of the models. The results can be used to make broad predictions about the expected number of taxa and endemics on an island, enabling the categorisation of islands as 'species-poor' or 'species-rich', potentially aiding conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Sandro Lanfranco
- Department of Biology, University of Malta, MSD2080 Msida, Malta; (L.C.); (K.D.); (F.G.); (A.F.B.); (G.P.)
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2
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Wu ZY, Milne RI, Liu J, Nathan R, Corlett RT, Li DZ. The establishment of plants following long-distance dispersal. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:289-300. [PMID: 36456382 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.11.003] [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: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Long-distance dispersal (LDD) beyond the range of a species is an important driver of ecological and evolutionary patterns, but insufficient attention has been given to postdispersal establishment. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the post-LDD establishment phase in plant colonization, identify six key determinants of establishment success, develop a general quantitative framework for post-LDD establishment, and address the major challenges and opportunities in future research. These include improving detection and understanding of LDD using novel approaches, investigating mechanisms determining post-LDD establishment success using mechanistic modeling and inference, and comparison of establishment between past and present. By addressing current knowledge gaps, we aim to further our understanding of how LDD affects plant distributions, and the long-term consequences of LDD events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng-Yuan Wu
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Richard I Milne
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JH, UK
| | - Jie Liu
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China; Key Laboratory for Plant and Biodiversity of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
| | - Richard T Corlett
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - De-Zhu Li
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China.
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3
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Wu HR, Peng C, Chen M. Rethinking the complexity and uncertainty of spatial networks applied to forest ecology. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15917. [PMID: 36151102 PMCID: PMC9508254 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16485-9] [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: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterizing tree spatial patterns and interactions are helpful to reveal underlying processes assembling forest communities. Spatial networks, despite their complexity, are powerful to examine spatial interactions at an individual level using well-defined patterns. However, complex forestation networks introduce uncertainties. Validation methods are needed to assess whether network-based metrics can identify different processes. Here, we constructed three types of networks, which reflect various aspects of tree competition. Based on five spatial null models and 199 Monte-Carlo simulations, we were able to select network-based metrics that exhibited well performance in distinguishing different processes. This technique was then applied to a tropical forest dataset in Costa Rica. We found that the average node degree and the clustering coefficient are good metrics like the paired correlation function. In addition, the network approach can identify fine-scale spatial variations of tree competition and its underlying causes. Our analyzes also indicate that a bit of caution is needed when defining the network structure as well as designing network-based metrics. We suggested that validation techniques using corresponding spatial null models are critically important to reduce the negative effects caused by uncertainties of the network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Ran Wu
- Department of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Chen Peng
- Department of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Ming Chen
- Department of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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4
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Seed Mucilage Promotes Dispersal of Plantago asiatica Seeds by Facilitating Attachment to Shoes. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14116909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms underlying seed dispersal is a fundamental issue in plant ecology and vegetation management. Several species demonstrate myxospermy, a phenomenon where the seeds form mucilage after absorbing water. Mucilage is thought to act as a glue, enabling seeds to attach to the external surfaces of dispersing agents. However, there have been no quantitative investigations of the efficacy of this function of seed mucilage. We performed a trampling and walking experiment to investigate the seed dispersal of a perennial herb, Asian plantain (Plantago asiatica L.), which forms polysaccharide mucilage upon hydration. Our experiment showed that: (1) after trampling, more seeds of P. asiatica attached to shoes in wet conditions (after rainfall), in which seed mucilage was created, than in dry conditions (no rainfall); and (2) after walking for 1000 m, more seeds remained attached to shoes in wet conditions than in dry conditions. Our results indicate that mucilage promotes the adherence of seeds to the surface of vectors. We therefore provide the first empirical evidence that seed mucilage facilitates epizoochory and human-mediated dispersal.
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5
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Sonntag S, Fourcade Y. Where will species on the move go? Insights from climate connectivity modelling across European terrestrial habitats. J Nat Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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6
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Briscoe AG, Nichols S, Hartikainen H, Knipe H, Foster R, Green AJ, Okamura B, Bass D. High-Throughput Sequencing of faeces provides evidence for dispersal of parasites and pathogens by migratory waterbirds. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 22:1303-1318. [PMID: 34758191 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Examination of faecal material has demonstrated how a broad range of organisms are distributed by bird movements. Such research has largely focused on dispersal of plant seeds by frugivores and of freshwater organisms by waterbirds. However, with few exceptions (e.g. avian influenza, Ebola virus), there is a dearth of evidence for transport of parasites and pathogens. High-throughput sequencing methods now provide a powerful means of addressing this knowledge gap by elucidating faecal contents in unprecedented detail. We collected faeces excreted by a range of migratory waterbirds in south-west Spain and pooled faecal DNA to create libraries reflective of feeding behavior. We created sets of libraries using high-throughput metagenomic and amplicon sequencing. For the latter we employed two sets of primers to broadly target the V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene (one set amplifying the region across all eukaryotes, the other excluding amplification of metazoans). Libraries revealed a wide diversity of eukaryotes, including parasites of the faecal producers themselves, parasites of food items, or those incidentally ingested. We also detected novel microbial eukaryotic taxa and found that parasite assemblage profiles were relatively distinct. Comparing the performance of the methods used supports their joint use for future studies of diversity and abundance. Because viable stages of many parasites are likely to be present in faeces, our results suggest significant levels of bird-mediated dispersal of parasites (both from avian and other hosts). Our methods revealed much hidden biodiversity, and allowed identification of the individuals who produced the faecal samples to species level, facilitating the study of interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G Briscoe
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.,Core Research Laboratories, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Nichols
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hanna Hartikainen
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.,Eawag and Institute for Integrative Biology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hazel Knipe
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Foster
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andy J Green
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Beth Okamura
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Bass
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.,Centre for Environment, Aquaculture and Fisheries Science (Cefas), Weymouth, UK
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González-Varo JP, Rumeu B, Albrecht J, Arroyo JM, Bueno RS, Burgos T, da Silva LP, Escribano-Ávila G, Farwig N, García D, Heleno RH, Illera JC, Jordano P, Kurek P, Simmons BI, Virgós E, Sutherland WJ, Traveset A. Limited potential for bird migration to disperse plants to cooler latitudes. Nature 2021; 595:75-79. [PMID: 34163068 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03665-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is forcing the redistribution of life on Earth at an unprecedented velocity1,2. Migratory birds are thought to help plants to track climate change through long-distance seed dispersal3,4. However, seeds may be consistently dispersed towards cooler or warmer latitudes depending on whether the fruiting period of a plant species coincides with northward or southward migrations. Here we assess the potential of plant communities to keep pace with climate change through long-distance seed dispersal by migratory birds. To do so, we combine phenological and migration information with data on 949 seed-dispersal interactions between 46 bird and 81 plant species from 13 woodland communities across Europe. Most of the plant species (86%) in these communities are dispersed by birds migrating south, whereas only 35% are dispersed by birds migrating north; the latter subset is phylogenetically clustered in lineages that have fruiting periods that overlap with the spring migration. Moreover, the majority of this critical dispersal service northwards is provided by only a few Palaearctic migrant species. The potential of migratory birds to assist a small, non-random sample of plants to track climate change latitudinally is expected to strongly influence the formation of novel plant communities, and thus affect their ecosystem functions and community assembly at higher trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beatriz Rumeu
- Departamento de Biología, IVAGRO, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain
| | - Jörg Albrecht
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Juan M Arroyo
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Rafael S Bueno
- Dipartimento Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali e Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Tamara Burgos
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Luís P da Silva
- CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Gema Escribano-Ávila
- Global Change Research Group, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain
| | - Nina Farwig
- Conservation Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Daniel García
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University, Mieres, Spain
| | - Ruben H Heleno
- CFE - Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Juan C Illera
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University, Mieres, Spain
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Przemysław Kurek
- Department of Plant Ecology and Environmental Protection, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Benno I Simmons
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Emilio Virgós
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - William J Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anna Traveset
- Global Change Research Group, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain
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8
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Bhandari MS, Meena RK, Shamoon A, Saroj S, Kant R, Pandey S. First de novo genome specific development, characterization and validation of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers in Genus Salvadora. Mol Biol Rep 2020; 47:6997-7008. [PMID: 32930932 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-05758-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Salvadoraceae constitutes ecologically imperative desert families of 3 genera-Azima, Dobera and Salvadora. Under genus Salvadora of this family, S. oleoides is a keystone species of socio-economic and medicinal value. This species naturally grows in the arid zones but currently experiencing severe fragmentation due to land use change and reduced regeneration, which may have resulted in the depletion of genetic diversity. Hence, it is up-most important to develop genomic resources for studying the population genetics in S. oleoides. This study aims to develop robust microsatellites markers, which were not yet reported in genus Salvodora due to lack of genome sequence information. We developed novel microsatellites markers in S. oleoides using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology. In total, 14,552 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were successfully designed from 21,055 microsatellite repeats detected in the 13 Gb raw sequence data. Afterwards, a subset of 101 SSRs were randomly selected and validated, 94 primers were successfully amplified and 34 showed polymorphisms. These SSRs were used to estimate the measures of genetic diversity in three natural populations of state Rajasthan and Gujarat. Importantly, average number of alleles (Na), observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He), and polymorphism information content (PIC) were recorded as 2.4, 0.529, 0.357, and 0.326, respectively. Furthermore, 15 primers were evaluated in S. persica for cross-transferability, and all were successfully amplified but only eight showed polymorphisms. This study has been conducted first time for S. oleoides and pioneer among the native species of arid-zone in India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maneesh S Bhandari
- Division of Genetics & Tree Improvement, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248 195, India.
| | - Rajendra K Meena
- Division of Genetics & Tree Improvement, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248 195, India
| | - Arzoo Shamoon
- Division of Genetics & Tree Improvement, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248 195, India
| | - Shanti Saroj
- Division of Genetics & Tree Improvement, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248 195, India
| | - Rama Kant
- Division of Genetics & Tree Improvement, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248 195, India
| | - Shailesh Pandey
- Forest Pathology Discipline, Division of Forest Protection, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248 006, India
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9
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Yu W, Wu B, Wang X, Yao Z, Li Y, Liu Y. Scale-dependent effects of habitat fragmentation on the genetic diversity of Actinidia chinensis populations in China. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2020; 7:172. [PMID: 33082978 PMCID: PMC7553913 DOI: 10.1038/s41438-020-00401-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Spatial scale partly explains the differentiated effects of habitat fragmentation on plant biodiversity, but the mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate the effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic diversity at different scales, we sampled Actinidia chinensis Planch. at broad and fine scales, China. The broad-scale sampling included five mountain populations and one oceanic island population (Zhoushan Archipelago), and the fine-scale sampling covered 11 lake islands and three neighboring land populations in Thousand-Island Lake (TIL). These populations were genotyped at 30 microsatellite loci, and genetic diversity, gene flow, and genetic differentiation were evaluated. Genetic differentiation was positively related to geographical distance at the broad scale, indicating an isolation-by-distance effect of habitat fragmentation on genetic diversity. The oceanic population differed from the mainland populations and experienced recent bottleneck events, but it showed high gene flow with low genetic differentiation from a mountain population connected by the Yangtze River. At the fine scale, no negative genetic effects of habitat fragmentation were found because seed dispersal with water facilitates gene flow between islands. The population size of A. chinensis was positively correlated with the area of TIL islands, supporting island biogeography theory, but no correlation was found between genetic diversity and island area. Our results highlight the scale-dependent effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic diversity and the importance of connectivity between island-like isolated habitats at both the broad and fine scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, 100012 Beijing, China
| | - Baofeng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, 100012 Beijing, China
| | - Xinyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, 100012 Beijing, China
| | - Zhi Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, 100012 Beijing, China
| | - Yonghua Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, 100012 Beijing, China
| | - Yongbo Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, 100012 Beijing, China
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