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Baltensperger AP, Lanier HC, Olson LE. Extralimital terrestrials: A reassessment of range limits in Alaska's land mammals. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0294376. [PMID: 38739612 PMCID: PMC11090306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding and mitigating the effects of anthropogenic climate change on species distributions requires the ability to track range shifts over time. This is particularly true for species occupying high-latitude regions, which are experiencing more extreme climate change than the rest of the world. In North America, the geographic ranges of many mammals reach their northernmost extent in Alaska, positioning this region at the leading edge of climate-induced distribution change. Over a decade has elapsed since the publication of the last spatial assessments of terrestrial mammals in the state. We compared public occurrence records against commonly referenced range maps to evaluate potential extralimital records and develop repeatable baseline range maps. We compared occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility for 61 terrestrial mammal species native to mainland Alaska against a variety of range estimates (International Union for Conservation of Nature, Alaska Gap Analysis Project, and the published literature). We mapped extralimital records and calculated proportions of occurrences encompassed by range extents, measured mean direction and distance to prior range margins, evaluated predictive accuracy of published species models, and highlighted observations on federal lands in Alaska. Range comparisons identified 6,848 extralimital records for 39 of 61 (63.9%) terrestrial mainland Alaskan species. On average, 95.5% of Alaska Gap Analysis Project occurrence records and ranges were deemed accurate (i.e., > 90.0% correct) for 31 of 37 species, but overestimated extents for 13 species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature range maps encompassed 68.1% of occurrence records and were > 90% accurate for 17 of 39 species. Extralimital records represent either improved sampling and digitization or actual geographic range expansions. Here we provide new data-driven range maps, update standards for the archiving of museum-quality locational records and offer recommendations for mapping range changes for monitoring and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Baltensperger
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States of America
- International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Eastern Oregon University, La Grande, OR, United States of America
| | - Hayley C. Lanier
- Sam Noble Museum, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States of America
| | - Link E. Olson
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States of America
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2
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Wilkinson BH, Ivany LC, Drummond CN. Estimating vertebrate biodiversity using the tempo of taxonomy – a view from Hubbert’s peak. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Reservoirs of natural resources are finite and, with increasing exploitation, production typically increases, reaches a maximum (Hubbert’s peak) and then declines. Similarly, species are the currency of biodiversity, and recognized numbers are dependent upon successful discovery. Since 1758, taxonomists have exploited a shrinking reservoir of as-yet-unnamed vertebrate taxa such that rates of species description at first rose, reached a peak and then declined. Since about 1950, increases in research funding and technological advances have fostered a renewed increase in rates of discovery that continues today. Many attempts to estimate global biodiversity are forecasts from data on past rates of description. Here we show that rates of discovery of new vertebrate taxa have been dependent upon the size (richness) of the taxonomic pool under consideration and the intensity of ‘sampling’ effected by taxonomists in their efforts to discover new forms. Because neither the current number of as-yet-to-be-described taxa nor future amounts of taxonomic efforts can be known a priori, attempts to produce an accurate estimate of total global biodiversity based on past rates of discovery are largely unconstrained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce H Wilkinson
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Linda C Ivany
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Carl N Drummond
- Department of Physics, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN, USA
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3
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Moura MR, Jetz W. Shortfalls and opportunities in terrestrial vertebrate species discovery. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:631-639. [PMID: 33753900 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01411-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Much of biodiversity remains undiscovered, causing species and their functions to remain unrealized and potentially lost in ignorance. Here we use extensive species-level data in a time-to-event model framework to identify taxonomic and geographic discovery gaps in terrestrial vertebrates. Biological, environmental and sociological factors all affect discovery probability and together provide strong predictive ability for species discovery. Our model identifies distinct taxonomic and geographic unevenness in future discovery potential, with greatest opportunities for amphibians and reptiles, and for Neotropical and Indo-Malayan forests. Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar and Colombia emerge as holding greatest discovery opportunities, with a quarter of potential discoveries estimated. These findings highlight the importance of international policy support for basic taxonomic research and the potential of quantitative models to aid species discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario R Moura
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia, Brazil.
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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4
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New avatars for Myriapods: Complete 3D morphology of type specimens transcends conventional species description (Myriapoda, Chilopoda). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200158. [PMID: 29969504 PMCID: PMC6029791 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
We present high-resolution X-ray microtomography (microCT) to enhance the standard morphological description of a recently described centipede, Eupolybothrus liburnicus Akkari, Komerički, Weigand, Edgecombe and Stoev, 2017. The 3D images of the holotype and paratype specimens are considered here as cybertypes for the species–a universal and virtual representation of the type material. This ‘avatar’ of the holotype is the first published male centipede cybertype. The microtomographic data of both types revealed further characters of systematic value and allowed us to hypothesise on the function of some of the male secondary structures and the mating behaviour of the species. Additionally, we compared part of the female reproductive system of E. liburnicus to species from the same genus, including E. cavernicolus Stoev & Komerički 2013, its closest congener. The high-resolution 3D image data have been uploaded to an open repository (MorphoSource.org) to serve in any subsequent study on the species and genus, as we believe this would catalyse biosystematic research on this and other arthropod groups.
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Costello MJ. Parasite Rates of Discovery, Global Species Richness and Host Specificity. Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:588-99. [PMID: 27400977 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
If every metazoan species has at least one host-specific parasite, as several local scale studies have suggested, then half of all species could be parasites. However, host specificity varies significantly depending on host phylogeny, body size, habitat, and geographic distribution. The best studied hosts tend to be vertebrates, larger animals, and/or widespread, and thus have a higher number of parasites and host-specific parasites. Thus, host specificity for these well-known taxa cannot be simply extrapolated to other taxa, notably invertebrates, small sized, and more endemic species, which comprise the major portion of yet to be discovered species. At present, parasites of animals comprise about 5% of named species. This article analyzed the rate of description of several largely parasitic taxa within crustaceans (copepods, amphipods, isopods, pentastomids, cirripeds), marine helminths (nematodes, acanthocephalans, flukes), gastropod molluscs, insects (ticks, fleas, biting flies, strepispterans), and microsporidia. The period of highest discovery has been most recent for the marine helminths and microsporids. The number of people describing parasites has been increasing since the 1960s, as it has for all other taxa. However, the number of species being described per decade relative to the number of authors has been decreasing except for the helminths. The results indicate that more than half of all parasites have been described, and two-thirds of host taxa, although the proportion varies between taxa. It is highly unlikely that the number of named species of parasites will ever approach that of their hosts. This contrast between the proportion that parasites comprise of local and global faunas suggests that parasites are less host specific and more widespread than local scale studies suggest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark John Costello
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
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6
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Geiger MF, Astrin JJ, Borsch T, Burkhardt U, Grobe P, Hand R, Hausmann A, Hohberg K, Krogmann L, Lutz M, Monje C, Misof B, Morinière J, Müller K, Pietsch S, Quandt D, Rulik B, Scholler M, Traunspurger W, Haszprunar G, Wägele W. How to tackle the molecular species inventory for an industrialized nation-lessons from the first phase of the German Barcode of Life initiative GBOL (2012-2015). Genome 2016; 59:661-70. [PMID: 27314158 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2015-0185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity loss is mainly driven by human activity. While concern grows over the fate of hot spots of biodiversity, contemporary species losses still prevail in industrialized nations. Therefore, strategies were formulated to halt or reverse the loss, driven by evidence for its value for ecosystem services. Maintenance of the latter through conservation depends on correctly identified species. To this aim, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the GBOL project, a consortium of natural history collections, botanic gardens, and universities working on a barcode reference database for the country's fauna and flora. Several noticeable findings could be useful for future campaigns: (i) validating taxon lists to serve as a taxonomic backbone is time-consuming, but without alternative; (ii) offering financial incentives to taxonomic experts, often citizen scientists, is indispensable; (iii) completion of the libraries for widespread species enables analyses of environmental samples, but the process may not hold pace with technological advancements; (iv) discoveries of new species are among the best stories for the media; (v) a commitment to common data standards and repositories is needed, as well as transboundary cooperation between nations; (vi) after validation, all data should be published online via the BOLD to make them searchable for external users and to allow cross-checking with data from other countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F Geiger
- a Stiftung Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - J J Astrin
- a Stiftung Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - T Borsch
- b Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - U Burkhardt
- d Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz, Am Museum 1, 02826 Görlitz, Germany
| | - P Grobe
- a Stiftung Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - R Hand
- b Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - A Hausmann
- c SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstraße 21, 81247 München, Germany
| | - K Hohberg
- d Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz, Am Museum 1, 02826 Görlitz, Germany
| | - L Krogmann
- e Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - M Lutz
- j Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - C Monje
- e Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - B Misof
- a Stiftung Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - J Morinière
- c SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstraße 21, 81247 München, Germany
| | - K Müller
- f Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Hüfferstrasse 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - S Pietsch
- a Stiftung Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - D Quandt
- g Nees-Institut für Biodiversität der Pflanzen, Meckenheimer Allee 170, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - B Rulik
- a Stiftung Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - M Scholler
- h Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Erbprinzenstr. 13, 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - W Traunspurger
- i Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - G Haszprunar
- c SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstraße 21, 81247 München, Germany
| | - W Wägele
- a Stiftung Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
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Abstract
How many species are there and how many have we lost? New estimates shed light on this question in the marine realm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Costello
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, P. Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
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8
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Costello MJ, Claus S, Dekeyzer S, Vandepitte L, Tuama ÉÓ, Lear D, Tyler-Walters H. Biological and ecological traits of marine species. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1201. [PMID: 26312188 PMCID: PMC4548538 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper reviews the utility and availability of biological and ecological traits for marine species so as to prioritise the development of a world database on marine species traits. In addition, the 'status' of species for conservation, that is, whether they are introduced or invasive, of fishery or aquaculture interest, harmful, or used as an ecological indicator, were reviewed because these attributes are of particular interest to society. Whereas traits are an enduring characteristic of a species and/or population, a species status may vary geographically and over time. Criteria for selecting traits were that they could be applied to most taxa, were easily available, and their inclusion would result in new research and/or management applications. Numerical traits were favoured over categorical. Habitat was excluded as it can be derived from a selection of these traits. Ten traits were prioritized for inclusion in the most comprehensive open access database on marine species (World Register of Marine Species), namely taxonomic classification, environment, geography, depth, substratum, mobility, skeleton, diet, body size and reproduction. These traits and statuses are being added to the database and new use cases may further subdivide and expand upon them.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Simon Claus
- Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee, VLIZ–InnovOcean site, Oostende, Belgium
| | - Stefanie Dekeyzer
- Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee, VLIZ–InnovOcean site, Oostende, Belgium
| | - Leen Vandepitte
- Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee, VLIZ–InnovOcean site, Oostende, Belgium
| | - Éamonn Ó Tuama
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Dan Lear
- Marine Biological Association, Plymouth, Devon, UK
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9
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Costello MJ, Vanhoorne B, Appeltans W. Conservation of biodiversity through taxonomy, data publication, and collaborative infrastructures. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2015; 29:1094-1099. [PMID: 25858475 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Taxonomy is the foundation of biodiversity science because it furthers discovery of new species. Globally, there have never been so many people involved in naming species new to science. The number of new marine species described per decade has never been greater. Nevertheless, it is estimated that tens of thousands of marine species, and hundreds of thousands of terrestrial species, are yet to be discovered; many of which may already be in specimen collections. However, naming species is only a first step in documenting knowledge about their biology, biogeography, and ecology. Considering the threats to biodiversity, new knowledge of existing species and discovery of undescribed species and their subsequent study are urgently required. To accelerate this research, we recommend, and cite examples of, more and better communication: use of collaborative online databases; easier access to knowledge and specimens; production of taxonomic revisions and species identification guides; engagement of nonspecialists; and international collaboration. "Data-sharing" should be abandoned in favor of mandated data publication by the conservation science community. Such a step requires support from peer reviewers, editors, journals, and conservation organizations. Online data publication infrastructures (e.g., Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Ocean Biogeographic Information System) illustrate gaps in biodiversity sampling and may provide common ground for long-term international collaboration between scientists and conservation organizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Costello
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Post Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Bart Vanhoorne
- Flanders Marine Institute, Wandelaarkaai 7, Ostend, 8400, Belgium
| | - Ward Appeltans
- Ocean Biogeographic Information System, IODE, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO, Wandelaarkaai 7/61, Ostend, 8400, Belgium
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10
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Costello MJ, Lane M, Wilson S, Houlding B. Factors influencing when species are first named and estimating global species richness. Glob Ecol Conserv 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2015.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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11
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Bebber DP, Polaszek A, Wood JRI, Barker C, Scotland RW. Taxonomic capacity and author inflation. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2014; 202:741-742. [PMID: 24716516 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Bebber
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Andrew Polaszek
- Division of Terrestrial Invertebrates, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - John R I Wood
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | | | - Robert W Scotland
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
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