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Wu Y, Hipp AL, Fargo G, Stith N, Ricklefs RE. Improving species delimitation for effective conservation: a case study in the endemic maple-leaf oak (Quercus acerifolia). THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:1278-1293. [PMID: 36707920 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Species delimitation is challenging in lineages that exhibit both high plasticity and introgression. This challenge can be compounded by collection biases, which may downweight specimens morphologically intermediate between traditional species. Additionally, mismatch between named species and observable phenotypes can compromise species conservation. We studied the species boundaries of Quercus acerifolia, a tree endemic to Arkansas, U.S. We performed morphometric analyses of leaves and acorns from 527 field and 138 herbarium samples of Q. acerifolia and its close relatives, Q. shumardii and Q. rubra. We employed two novel approaches: sampling ex situ collections to detect phenotypic plasticity caused by environmental variation and comparing random field samples with historical herbarium samples to identify collection biases that might undermine species delimitation. To provide genetic evidence, we also performed molecular analyses on genome-wide SNPs. Quercus acerifolia shows distinctive morphological, ecological, and genomic characteristics, rejecting the hypothesis that Q. acerifolia is a phenotypic variant of Q. shumardii. We found mismatches between traditional taxonomy and phenotypic clusters. We detected underrepresentation of morphological intermediates in herbarium collections, which may bias species discovery and recognition. Rare species conservation requires considering and addressing taxonomic problems related to phenotypic plasticity, mismatch between taxonomy and morphological clusters, and collection biases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingtong Wu
- Biology Department, University of Missouri - St Louis, St Louis, MO, 63121, USA
- Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center, University of Missouri - St Louis, St Louis, MO, 63121, USA
| | - Andrew L Hipp
- The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL, 60532, USA
- The Field Museum, Integrative Research Center, 1400S Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Gregory Fargo
- Biology Department, University of Missouri - St Louis, St Louis, MO, 63121, USA
| | - Nora Stith
- Biology Department, University of Missouri - St Louis, St Louis, MO, 63121, USA
| | - Robert E Ricklefs
- Biology Department, University of Missouri - St Louis, St Louis, MO, 63121, USA
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Marcaigh FÓ, Kelly DJ, O’connell DP, Analuddin K, Karya A, Mccloughan J, Tolan E, Lawless N, Marples NM. Small islands and large biogeographic barriers have driven contrasting speciation patterns in Indo-Pacific sunbirds (Aves: Nectariniidae). Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Birds of the Indo-Pacific have provided biologists with many foundationalinsights. This study presents evidence for strong phylogeographic structure in two sunbird species from the heart of this region, the olive-backed sunbird, Cinnyris jugularis, and the black sunbird, Leptocoma aspasia. We assessed population divergence using morphological, plumage, bioacoustic and molecular data (mitochondrial ND2/ND3). Our findings indicate that the olive-backed sunbird should be recognized as multiple species, because birds from Sulawesi and the Sahul Shelf are closely related to each other, but widely separated from those in other regions. In addition, we provide evidence for an endemic species on the Wakatobi Islands, an archipelago of deep-sea islands off south-east Sulawesi. That a small bird could exhibit a range all the way from Sulawesi to Australia, while diverging on a small archipelago within this range, illustrates the complex interplay between dispersal and speciation. Our black sunbird genetic data also suggest unrecognized population structure, despite relatively weak plumage divergence. Black sunbirds in Sulawesi are likely to be a separate species from those in New Guinea, with a mean genetic distance of 9.1%. Current taxonomy suggests these sunbird species transcend classic biogeographic barriers, but our results suggest that these barriers are not easily bypassed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fionn Ó Marcaigh
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin , Dublin D02 CX56 , Ireland
| | - David J Kelly
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin , Dublin D02 CX56 , Ireland
| | - Darren P O’connell
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin , Dublin D04 N2E5 , Ireland
| | - Kangkuso Analuddin
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Universitas Halu Oleo , Kendari 93132, South-east Sulawesi , Indonesia
| | - Adi Karya
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Universitas Halu Oleo , Kendari 93132, South-east Sulawesi , Indonesia
| | - Jennifer Mccloughan
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin , Dublin D02 CX56 , Ireland
| | - Ellen Tolan
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin , Dublin D02 CX56 , Ireland
| | - Naomi Lawless
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin , Dublin D02 CX56 , Ireland
| | - Nicola M Marples
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin , Dublin D02 CX56 , Ireland
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Ó Marcaigh F, Kelly DJ, O'Connell DP, Dunleavy D, Clark A, Lawless N, Karya A, Analuddin K, Marples NM. Evolution in the understorey: The Sulawesi babbler Pellorneum celebense (Passeriformes: Pellorneidae) has diverged rapidly on land-bridge islands in the Wallacean biodiversity hotspot. ZOOL ANZ 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2021.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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