1
|
Dixit NM, Guicking D. Exploring the evolutionary dynamics of myrmecophytism: Perspectives from the Southeast Asian Macaranga ant-plant symbiosis. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2024; 194:108028. [PMID: 38342161 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108028] [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: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Myrmecophytic plants utilise defensive services offered by obligate ant partners nesting in their domatia in a novel means of survival in tropical habitats. Although much is known about the ecology of myrmecophytism, there aren't enough empirical examples to demonstrate whether it substantially influences evolutionary patterns in host plant lineages. In this study, we make use of the species-rich Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae) ant-plant symbiosis distributed in the Southeast Asian Sundaland to delve into the evolutionary dynamics of myrmecophytism in host plants. We generated the most comprehensive dated phylogeny of myrmecophytic Macaranga till date using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). With this in hand, we traced the evolutionary history of myrmecophytism in Macaranga using parametric biogeography and ancestral state reconstruction. Diversification rate analysis methods were employed to determine if myrmecophytism enhanced diversification rates in the genus. Our results demonstrate that myrmecophytism is labile and easily lost. Ancestral state reconstruction supported a single origin of myrmecophytism in Macaranga ∼18 mya on Borneo followed by multiple losses. Diversification rate analysis methods did not yield sufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that myrmecophytism enhanced diversification rates in Macaranga; we found that topographical features on Borneo may have played a more direct role in the divergence of clades instead. Our study provides evidence that while the acquisition of domatia clearly functions as a key innovation that has enabled host plants to exploit the environment in novel ways, it may not necessarily enhance diversification rates. In fact, we hypothesise that overly specialised cases of myrmecophytism may even be an evolutionary dead end.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nadi M Dixit
- Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Strasse 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany.
| | - Daniela Guicking
- Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Strasse 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Di Marco M, Santini L, Corcos D, Tschorsnig HP, Cerretti P. Elevational homogenization of mountain parasitoids across six decades. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308273120. [PMID: 37931098 PMCID: PMC10655582 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308273120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Elevational gradients are characterized by strong environmental changes within small geographical distances, providing important insights on the response of biological communities to climate change. Mountain biodiversity is particularly sensitive to climate change, given the limited capacity to colonize new areas and the competition from upshifting lowland species. Knowledge on the impact of climate change on mountain insect communities is patchy, but elevation is known to influence parasitic interactions which control insect communities and functions within ecosystems. We analyzed a European dataset of bristle flies, a parasitoid group which regulates insect herbivory in both managed and natural ecosystems. Our dataset spans six decades and multiple elevational bands, and we found marked elevational homogenization in the host specialization of bristle fly species through time. The proportion of specialized parasitoids has increased by ca. 70% at low elevations, from 17 to 29%, and has decreased by ca. 20% at high elevations, from 48 to 37%. As a result, the strong elevational gradient in bristle fly specialization observed in the 1960s has become much flatter over time. As climate warming is predicted to accelerate, the disappearance of specialized parasitoids from high elevations might become even faster. This parasitoid homogenization can reshape the ecological function of mountain insect communities, increasing the risk of herbivory outbreak at high elevations. Our results add to the mounting evidence that symbiotic species might be especially at risk from climate change: Monitoring the effects of these changes is urgently needed to define effective conservation strategies for mountain biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moreno Di Marco
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeI-00185, Italy
- Museo di Zoologia, Polo Museale Sapienza, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeI-00162, Italy
| | - Luca Santini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeI-00185, Italy
- Museo di Zoologia, Polo Museale Sapienza, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeI-00162, Italy
| | - Daria Corcos
- Istituto Comprensivo Solitati Tiburzi, Rome00149, Italy
| | | | - Pierfilippo Cerretti
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeI-00185, Italy
- Museo di Zoologia, Polo Museale Sapienza, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeI-00162, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rojas‐González RI, Lemos‐Espinal JA, Smith GR. Individual growth of the Flathead Knob‐scaled Lizard,
Xenosaurus platyceps
, from tropical and temperate populations. Biotropica 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Isaac Rojas‐González
- Dirección de Investigación Pesquera en el Atlántico Instituto Nacional de Pesca y Acuacultura Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Julio A. Lemos‐Espinal
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Laboratorio de Ecología, Unidad de Biología, Tecnología y Prototipos Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Tlalnepantla Mexico
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Alpha and beta phylogenetic diversities jointly reveal ant community assembly mechanisms along a tropical elevational gradient. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7728. [PMID: 35546343 PMCID: PMC9095595 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11739-y] [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: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the long-standing interest in the organization of ant communities across elevational gradients, few studies have incorporated the evolutionary information to understand the historical processes that underlay such patterns. Through the evaluation of phylogenetic α and β-diversity, we analyzed the structure of leaf-litter ant communities along the Cofre de Perote mountain in Mexico and evaluated whether deterministic- (i.e., habitat filtering, interspecific competition) or stochastic-driven processes (i.e., dispersal limitation) were driving the observed patterns. Lowland and some highland sites showed phylogenetic clustering, whereas intermediate elevations and the highest site presented phylogenetic overdispersion. We infer that strong environmental constraints found at the bottom and the top elevations are favoring closely-related species to prevail at those elevations. Conversely, less stressful climatic conditions at intermediate elevations suggest interspecific interactions are more important in these environments. Total phylogenetic dissimilarity was driven by the turnover component, indicating that the turnover of ant species along the mountain is actually shifts of lineages adapted to particular locations resembling their ancestral niche. The greater phylogenetic dissimilarity between communities was related to greater temperature differences probably due to narrow thermal tolerances inherent to several ant lineages that evolved in more stable conditions. Our results suggest that the interplay between environmental filtering, interspecific competition and habitat specialization plays an important role in the assembly of leaf-litter ant communities along elevational gradients.
Collapse
|
5
|
Schäfer M, Neira-Salamea K, Sandberger-Loua L, Doumbia J, Rödel MO. Genus-specific and Habitat-dependent Plant Ingestion in West African Sabre-toothed Frogs (Anura, Odontobatrachidae: Odontobatrachus). HERPETOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS 2022. [DOI: 10.1655/0733-1347-36.1.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marvin Schäfer
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Karla Neira-Salamea
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Laura Sandberger-Loua
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Joseph Doumbia
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mark-Oliver Rödel
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Contreras-Díaz RG, Falconi M, Osorio-Olvera L, Cobos ME, Soberón J, Townsend Peterson A, Lira-Noriega A, Álvarez-Loayza P, Luis Gonçalves A, Hurtado-Astaiza J, Gonzáles RDPR, Zubileta IS, Spironello WR, Vásquez-Martínez R. On the relationship between environmental suitability and habitat use for three neotropical mammals. J Mammal 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Recent studies have used occupancy models (OM) and ecological niche models (ENM) to provide a better understanding of species’ distributions at different scales. One of the main ideas underlying the theoretical foundations of both OM and ENM is that they are positively related to abundance: higher occupancy implies higher density and more suitable areas are likely to have more abundant populations. Here, we analyze the relationship between habitat use measured in terms of occupancy probabilities from OM and environmental suitability derived from ENM in three different Neotropical mammal species: Leopardus wiedii, Cuniculus paca, and Dasypus novemcinctus. For ENM, we used climatic and vegetation cover variables and implemented a model calibration and selection protocol to select the most competitive models. For OM, we used a single-species, single-season model with site covariates for camera-trap data from six different sites throughout the Neotropical realm. Covariates included vegetation percentage, normalized difference vegetation index, normalized difference water index, and elevation. For each site, we fit OM using all possible combinations of variables and selected the most competitive (ΔAICc < 2) to build an average OM. We explored relationships between estimated suitability and occupancy values using Spearman correlation analysis. Relationships between ENM and OM tended to be positive for the three Neotropical mammals, but the strength varied among sites, which could be explained by local factors such as site characteristics and conservation status of areas. We conjecture that ENM are suitable to understand spatial patterns at coarser geographic scales because the concept of the niche is about the species as a whole, whereas OM are more relevant to explain the distribution locally, likely reflecting transient dynamics of populations resulting from many local factors such as community composition and biotic processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rusby G Contreras-Díaz
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio A, 1° Piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
- Departamento de Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Manuel Falconi
- Departamento de Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Luis Osorio-Olvera
- Departamento de Ecología de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n anexo al Jardín Botánico, 04500 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Marlon E Cobos
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Jorge Soberón
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - A Townsend Peterson
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Andrés Lira-Noriega
- CONACyT Research Fellow, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Carretera antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, 91073, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Patricia Álvarez-Loayza
- Center for Tropical Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA
- Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network, Science and Knowledge Division, Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, VA 22202, USA
| | - André Luis Gonçalves
- Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network, Science and Knowledge Division, Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, VA 22202, USA
- Grupo de Pesquisa de Mamíferos Amazônicos, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Av. André Araújo 2936, Petrópolis, CEP 69067-375, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Johanna Hurtado-Astaiza
- Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network, Science and Knowledge Division, Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, VA 22202, USA
| | - Rocío del Pilar Rojas Gonzáles
- Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network, Science and Knowledge Division, Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, VA 22202, USA
- Estación Biológica del Jardín Botánico de Missouri c/o Herbario HOXA, Prolongación Bolognesi Mz. E-6, Oxapampa 19230, Pasco, Peru
| | - Ingrid Serrano Zubileta
- Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network, Science and Knowledge Division, Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, VA 22202, USA
| | - Wilson Roberto Spironello
- Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network, Science and Knowledge Division, Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, VA 22202, USA
- Grupo de Pesquisa de Mamíferos Amazônicos, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Av. André Araújo 2936, Petrópolis, CEP 69067-375, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo Vásquez-Martínez
- Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network, Science and Knowledge Division, Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, VA 22202, USA
- Estación Biológica del Jardín Botánico de Missouri c/o Herbario HOXA, Prolongación Bolognesi Mz. E-6, Oxapampa 19230, Pasco, Peru
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Moses J, Fayle TM, Novotny V, Klimes P. Elevation and leaf litter interact in determining the structure of ant communities on a tropical mountain. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy Moses
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Tom M. Fayle
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation Universiti Malaysia Sabah Kota Kinabalu Malaysia
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Petr Klimes
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Diversity and Distribution of the Dominant Ant Genus Anonychomyrma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Australian Wet Tropics. DIVERSITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/d12120474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Anonychomyrma is a dolichoderine ant genus of cool-temperate Gondwanan origin with a current distribution that extends from the north of southern Australia into the Australasian tropics. Despite its abundance and ecological dominance, little is known of its species diversity and distribution throughout its range. Here, we describe the diversity and distribution of Anonychomyrma in the Australian Wet Tropics bioregion, where only two of the many putative species are described. We hypothesise that the genus in tropical Australia retains a preference for cool wet rainforests reminiscent of the Gondwanan forests that once dominated Australia, but now only exist in upland habitats of the Wet Tropics. Our study was based on extensive recent surveys across five subregions and along elevation and vertical (arboreal) gradients. We integrated genetic (CO1) data with morphology to recognise 22 species among our samples, 20 of which appeared to be undescribed. As predicted, diversity and endemism were concentrated in uplands above 900 m a.s.l. Distribution modelling of the nine commonest species identified maximum temperature of the warmest month, rainfall seasonality, and rainfall of the wettest month as correlates of distributional patterns across subregions. Our study supported the notion that Anonychomyrma radiated from a southern temperate origin into the tropical zone, with a preference for areas of montane rainforest that were stably cool and wet over the late quaternary.
Collapse
|
9
|
Fichaux M, Vleminckx J, Courtois EA, Delabie J, Galli J, Tao S, Labrière N, Chave J, Baraloto C, Orivel J. Environmental determinants of leaf litter ant community composition along an elevational gradient. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Fichaux
- CNRS UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG) AgroParisTech CIRAD INRA Université de Guyane Université des Antilles Kourou cedex France
| | - Jason Vleminckx
- CNRS UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG) AgroParisTech CIRAD INRA Université de Guyane Université des Antilles Kourou cedex France
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University Miami FL USA
| | - Elodie A. Courtois
- Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA) CNRS IFREMER Université de Guyane Cayenne France
- Department of Biology Centre of Excellence PLECO (Plant and Vegetation Ecology) University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Jacques Delabie
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia CEPEC CEPLAC Itabuna Brazil
- Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Ilheus Brazil
| | - Jordan Galli
- CNRS UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG) AgroParisTech CIRAD INRA Université de Guyane Université des Antilles Kourou cedex France
- Naturalia Environnement Site Agroparc Avignon Cedex 9 France
| | - Shengli Tao
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique UMR 5174 CNRS IRD Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse France
| | - Nicolas Labrière
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique UMR 5174 CNRS IRD Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse France
| | - Jérôme Chave
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique UMR 5174 CNRS IRD Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse France
| | - Christopher Baraloto
- CNRS UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG) AgroParisTech CIRAD INRA Université de Guyane Université des Antilles Kourou cedex France
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University Miami FL USA
| | - Jérôme Orivel
- CNRS UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG) AgroParisTech CIRAD INRA Université de Guyane Université des Antilles Kourou cedex France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Supriya K, Price TD, Moreau CS. Competition with insectivorous ants as a contributor to low songbird diversity at low elevations in the eastern Himalaya. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:4280-4290. [PMID: 32489596 PMCID: PMC7246197 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Competitive interactions between distantly related clades could cause complementary diversity patterns of these clades over large spatial scales. One such example might be ants and birds in the eastern Himalaya; ants are very common at low elevations but almost absent at mid-elevations where the abundance of other arthropods and insectivorous bird diversity peaks. Here, we ask if ants at low elevations could compete with birds for arthropod prey. Specifically, we studied the impact of the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina), a common aggressive ant at low elevations. Diet analysis using molecular methods demonstrate extensive diet overlap between weaver ants and songbirds at both low and mid-elevations. Trees without weaver ants have greater non-ant arthropod abundance and leaf damage. Experimental removal of weaver ants results in an increase in the abundance of non-ant arthropods. Notably, numbers of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera were most affected by removal experiments and were prominent components of both bird and weaver ant diets. Our results suggest that songbirds and weaver ants might potentially compete with each other for arthropod prey at low elevations, thereby contributing to lower insectivorous bird diversity at low elevations in eastern Himalaya. Competition with ants may shape vertebrate diversity patterns across broad biodiversity gradients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K. Supriya
- School of Life SciencesArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
- Committee on Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ChicagoChicagoILUSA
| | - Trevor D. Price
- Committee on Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ChicagoChicagoILUSA
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of ChicagoChicagoILUSA
| | - Corrie S. Moreau
- Committee on Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ChicagoChicagoILUSA
- Departments of Entomology and Ecology & Evolutionary BiologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Hethcoat MG, King BJ, Castiblanco FF, Ortiz-Sepúlveda CM, Achiardi FCP, Edwards FA, Medina C, Gilroy JJ, Haugaasen T, Edwards DP. The impact of secondary forest regeneration on ground-dwelling ant communities in the Tropical Andes. Oecologia 2019; 191:475-482. [PMID: 31485850 PMCID: PMC6763530 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04497-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Natural regeneration of abandoned farmland provides an important opportunity to contribute to global reforestation targets, including the Bonn Challenge. Of particular importance are the montane tropics, where a long history of farming, frequently on marginal soils, has rendered many ecosystems highly degraded and hotspots of extinction risk. Ants play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning, and a key question is how time since abandonment and elevation (and inherent temperature gradients therein) affect patterns of ant recovery within secondary forest systems. Focusing on the Colombian Andes across a 1300 m altitudinal gradient and secondary forest (2-30 years) recovering on abandoned cattle pastures, we find that over time ant community composition and species richness recovered towards that of primary forest. However, these relationships are strongly dependent on elevation with the more open and warmer pasturelands supporting more ants than either primary or secondary forest at a particular elevation. The loss of species richness and change in species composition with elevation is less severe in pasture than forests, suggesting that conditions within pasture and its remaining scattered trees, hedgerows and forest fragments, are more favourable for some species, which are likely in or near thermal debt. Promoting and protecting natural regenerating forests over the long term in the montane tropics will likely offer significant potential for returning ant communities towards primary forest levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Hethcoat
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S3 7RH, UK.,Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Bethany J King
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | | | | | | | - Felicity A Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Claudia Medina
- Instituto de Investigacion de Recursos Biologicos Alexander von Humboldt, Calle 28A#15-09, Bogota, Colombia
| | - James J Gilroy
- School of Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Torbjørn Haugaasen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - David P Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Camacho LF, Avilés L. Decreasing Predator Density and Activity Explains Declining Predation of Insect Prey along Elevational Gradients. Am Nat 2019; 194:334-343. [DOI: 10.1086/704279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
|
13
|
Mottl O, Plowman NS, Novotny V, Gewa B, Rimandai M, Klimes P. Secondary succession has surprisingly low impact on arboreal ant communities in tropical montane rainforest. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ondrej Mottl
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Branisovska 1160/31 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branisovska 1760 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
| | - Nichola S. Plowman
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Branisovska 1160/31 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branisovska 1760 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Branisovska 1160/31 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branisovska 1760 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
| | - Bradley Gewa
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Maling Rimandai
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Petr Klimes
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Branisovska 1160/31 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Longino JT, Branstetter MG, Ward PS. Ant diversity patterns across tropical elevation gradients: effects of sampling method and subcommunity. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John T. Longino
- Department of Biology The University of Utah Salt Lake City Utah 84112 USA
| | | | - Philip S. Ward
- Department of Entomology and Nematology University of California Davis California 95616 USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Hargreaves AL, Suárez E, Mehltreter K, Myers-Smith I, Vanderplank SE, Slinn HL, Vargas-Rodriguez YL, Haeussler S, David S, Muñoz J, Carlos Almazán-Núñez R, Loughnan D, Benning JW, Moeller DA, Brodie JF, Thomas HJ, Morales M. PA. Seed predation increases from the Arctic to the Equator and from high to low elevations. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaau4403. [PMID: 30801010 PMCID: PMC6382403 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau4403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Species interactions have long been predicted to increase in intensity toward the tropics and low elevations because of gradients in climate, productivity, or biodiversity. Despite their importance for understanding global ecological and evolutionary processes, plant-animal interaction gradients are particularly difficult to test systematically across large geographic gradients, and evidence from smaller, disparate studies is inconclusive. By systematically measuring postdispersal seed predation using 6995 standardized seed depots along 18 mountains in the Pacific cordillera, we found that seed predation increases by 17% from the Arctic to the Equator and by 17% from 4000 meters above sea level to sea level. Clines in total predation, likely driven by invertebrates, were consistent across treeline ecotones and within continuous forest and were better explained by climate seasonality than by productivity, biodiversity, or latitude. These results suggest that species interactions play predictably greater ecological and evolutionary roles in tropical, lowland, and other less seasonal ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A. L. Hargreaves
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Ave., Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Esteban Suárez
- Instituto Biósfera & Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador
| | - Klaus Mehltreter
- Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., carretera antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, Xalapa, 91070 Veracruz, México
| | - Isla Myers-Smith
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Sula E. Vanderplank
- Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Carr Tijuana-Ensenada 3918, Fraccionamiento Zona Playitas, 22860 Ensenada, México
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas, 1700 University Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA
| | - Heather L. Slinn
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno, 1664 N Virginia street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Yalma L. Vargas-Rodriguez
- National Council of Science and Technology & University of Guadalajara, Apdo. Postal 4-014, Col. La Loma, Guadalajara, 44421 Jalisco, México
| | - Sybille Haeussler
- Bulkley Valley Research Centre and University of Northern British Columbia, Smithers, BC, Canada
| | - Santiago David
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jenny Muñoz
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - R. Carlos Almazán-Núñez
- Laboratorio Integral de Fauna Silvestre, Facultad de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Av. Lázaro Cárdenas s/n, Chilpancingo, 39000 Guerrero, México
| | - Deirdre Loughnan
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - John W. Benning
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - David A. Moeller
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Jedediah F. Brodie
- Division of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Haydn J.D. Thomas
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - P. A. Morales M.
- Herbario Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 67 No. 53-108, Medellín, Colombia
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Klunk CL, Giehl ELH, Lopes BC, Marcineiro FR, Rosumek FB. Simple does not mean poor: grasslands and forests harbor similar ant species richness and distinct composition in highlands of southern Brazil. BIOTA NEOTROPICA 2018. [DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2017-0507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract: Several studies addressed ant communities in the dense Atlantic Forest that runs along the Brazilian coast. However, comparatively little is known about the mixed forests and grasslands that occur in the southern range of the Atlantic Forest domain. In this study we performed the first standardized assessment of ants in the forest-grassland mosaic found in the highlands of the state of Santa Catarina. We aimed to investigate and compare ant richness and composition between mixed forests and grasslands in the main mountain range of south Brazil. Ants were collected in two years with ground pitfalls, tree pitfalls and litter samples. Sixty ant species were recorded, resulting in 22 new records for "Planalto Serrano" region and three for the state of Santa Catarina: Eurhopalothrix depressa, Pheidole radoszkowskii and Wasmannia williamsoni. There was significant dissimilarity in ant species composition between grasslands and forests, but no difference in ant species richness, even considering the higher number of strata in mixed forests. Similar richness and low number of arboreal species suggest that this ant community is structured similarly to temperate ones. Both habitats presented a large proportion of exclusive species. The fact that species composition between grassland and forest areas differed, coupled with the similarity in species richness between habitats and the record of new ant species for the region, calls for strong conservation efforts in grasslands of southern Brazil, which still are little protected by conservation areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Luan Klunk
- Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brasil; Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brasil
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Orivel J, Klimes P, Novotny V, Leponce M. Resource use and food preferences in understory ant communities along a complete elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea. Biotropica 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Orivel
- CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane; AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA; Université de Guyane; Université des Antilles; Campus Agronomique, BP316 97379 Kourou cedex France
| | - Petr Klimes
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre; Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; Branisovska 31 370 05 Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- The New Binatang Research Center; Nagada Harbour, P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre; Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; Branisovska 31 370 05 Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- The New Binatang Research Center; Nagada Harbour, P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Maurice Leponce
- Biodiversity Monitoring & Assessment Unit; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences; 29 rue Vautier 1000 Brussels Belgium
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology; Université Libre de Bruxelles; CP 160/12, 50 av. F.D. Roosevelt 1050 Brussels Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Gutiérrez-Valencia J, Chomicki G, Renner SS. Recurrent breakdowns of mutualisms with ants in the neotropical ant-plant genus Cecropia (Urticaceae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2017; 111:196-205. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Revised: 04/02/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
19
|
Partner abundance controls mutualism stability and the pace of morphological change over geologic time. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:3951-3956. [PMID: 28341706 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1616837114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutualisms that involve symbioses among specialized partners may be more stable than mutualisms among generalists, and theoretical models predict that in many mutualisms, partners exert reciprocal stabilizing selection on traits directly involved in the interaction. A corollary is that mutualism breakdown should increase morphological rates of evolution. We here use the largest ant-plant clade (Hydnophytinae), with different levels of specialization for mutualistic ant symbionts, to study the ecological context of mutualism breakdown and the response of a key symbiosis-related trait, domatium entrance hole size, which filters symbionts by size. Our analyses support three predictions from mutualism theory. First, all 12 losses apparently only occur from a generalist symbiotic state. Second, mutualism losses occurred where symbionts are scarce, in our system at high altitudes. Third, domatium entrance hole size barely changes in specialized symbiotic species, but evolves rapidly once symbiosis with ants has broken down, with a "morphorate map" revealing that hotspots of entrance hole evolution are clustered in high-altitude areas. Our study reveals that mutualistic strategy profoundly affects the pace of morphological change in traits involved in the interaction and suggests that shifts in partners' relative abundances may frequently drive reversions of generalist mutualisms to autonomy.
Collapse
|
20
|
Plowman NS, Hood ASC, Moses J, Redmond C, Novotny V, Klimes P, Fayle TM. Network reorganization and breakdown of an ant-plant protection mutualism with elevation. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:rspb.2016.2564. [PMID: 28298349 PMCID: PMC5360921 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Both the abiotic environment and the composition of animal and plant communities change with elevation. For mutualistic species, these changes are expected to result in altered partner availability, and shifts in context-dependent benefits for partners. To test these predictions, we assessed the network structure of terrestrial ant-plant mutualists and how the benefits to plants of ant inhabitation changed with elevation in tropical forest in Papua New Guinea. At higher elevations, ant-plants were rarer, species richness of both ants and plants decreased, and the average ant or plant species interacted with fewer partners. However, networks became increasingly connected and less specialized, more than could be accounted for by reductions in ant-plant abundance. On the most common ant-plant, ants recruited less and spent less time attacking a surrogate herbivore at higher elevations, and herbivory damage increased. These changes were driven by turnover of ant species rather than by within-species shifts in protective behaviour. We speculate that reduced partner availability at higher elevations results in less specialized networks, while lower temperatures mean that even for ant-inhabited plants, benefits are reduced. Under increased abiotic stress, mutualistic networks can break down, owing to a combination of lower population sizes, and a reduction in context-dependent mutualistic benefits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nichola S Plowman
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic .,Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Amelia S C Hood
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jimmy Moses
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea.,University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Conor Redmond
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Petr Klimes
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Tom M Fayle
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Borowiec ML. Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Zookeys 2016; 608:1-280. [PMID: 27559303 PMCID: PMC4982377 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.608.9427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 07/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The generic classification of the ant subfamily Dorylinae is revised, with the aim of facilitating identification of easily-diagnosable monophyletic genera. The new classification is based on recent molecular phylogenetic evidence and a critical reappraisal of doryline morphology. New keys and diagnoses based on workers and males are provided, along with reviews of natural history and phylogenetic relationships, distribution maps, and a list of valid species for each lineage. Twenty-eight genera (27 extant and 1 extinct) are recognized within the subfamily, an increase from 20 in the previous classification scheme. Species classified in the polyphyletic Cerapachys and Sphinctomyrmex prior to this publication are here distributed among 9 and 3 different genera, respectively. Amyrmex and Asphinctanilloides are synonymized under Leptanilloides and the currently recognized subgenera are synonymized for Dorylus. No tribal classification is proposed for the subfamily, but several apparently monophyletic genus-groups are discussed. Valid generic names recognized here include: Acanthostichus (= Ctenopyga), Aenictogiton, Aenictus (= Paraenictus, Typhlatta), Cerapachys (= Ceratopachys), Cheliomyrmex, Chrysapace gen. rev., Cylindromyrmex (= Holcoponera, Hypocylindromyrmex, Metacylindromyrmex), Dorylus (= Alaopone syn. n., Anomma syn. n., Cosmaecetes, Dichthadia syn. n., Rhogmus syn. n., Shuckardia, Sphecomyrmex, Sphegomyrmex, Typhlopone syn. n.), Eburopone gen. n., Eciton (= Camptognatha, Holopone, Mayromyrmex), Eusphinctus gen. rev., Labidus (= Nycteresia, Pseudodichthadia), Leptanilloides (= Amyrmex syn. n., Asphinctanilloides syn. n.), Lioponera gen. rev. (= Neophyracaces syn. n., Phyracaces syn. n.), Lividopone, Neivamyrmex (= Acamatus, Woitkowskia), Neocerapachys gen. n., Nomamyrmex, Ooceraea gen. rev. (= Cysias syn. n.), Parasyscia gen. rev., †Procerapachys, Simopone, Sphinctomyrmex, Syscia gen. rev., Tanipone, Vicinopone, Yunodorylus gen. rev., Zasphinctus gen. rev. (= Aethiopopone syn. n., Nothosphinctus syn. n.).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marek L. Borowiec
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, One Shields Avenue, University of California at Davis, Davis, California, 95616, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Lenoir A, Boulay R, Dejean A, Touchard A, Cuvillier-Hot V. Phthalate pollution in an Amazonian rainforest. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 23:16865-16872. [PMID: 27372101 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7141-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Phthalates are ubiquitous contaminants and endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can become trapped in the cuticles of insects, including ants which were recognized as good bioindicators for such pollution. Because phthalates have been noted in developed countries and because they also have been found in the Arctic, a region isolated from direct anthropogenic influence, we hypothesized that they are widespread. So, we looked for their presence on the cuticle of ants gathered from isolated areas of the Amazonian rainforest and along an anthropogenic gradient of pollution (rainforest vs. road sides vs. cities in French Guiana). Phthalate pollution (mainly di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)) was higher on ants gathered in cities and along road sides than on those collected in the pristine rainforest, indicating that it follows a human-mediated gradient of disturbance related to the use of plastics and many other products that contain phthalates in urban zones. Their presence varied with the ant species; the cuticle of Solenopsis saevissima traps higher amount of phthalates than that of compared species. However, the presence of phthalates in isolated areas of pristine rainforests suggests that they are associated both with atmospheric particles and in gaseous form and are transported over long distances by wind, resulting in a worldwide diffusion. These findings suggest that there is no such thing as a "pristine" zone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alain Lenoir
- IRBI, Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, CNRS UMR 7261, Université de Tours, Faculté des Sciences, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France.
| | - Raphaël Boulay
- IRBI, Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, CNRS UMR 7261, Université de Tours, Faculté des Sciences, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Alain Dejean
- Ecolab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
- CNRS, UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, France
| | - Axel Touchard
- CNRS, UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, France
| | - Virginie Cuvillier-Hot
- CNRS; UMR 8198, Unité Évolution, Écologie et Paléontologie, Université de Lille, Lille, France
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Colwell RK, Gotelli NJ, Ashton LA, Beck J, Brehm G, Fayle TM, Fiedler K, Forister ML, Kessler M, Kitching RL, Klimes P, Kluge J, Longino JT, Maunsell SC, McCain CM, Moses J, Noben S, Sam K, Sam L, Shapiro AM, Wang X, Novotny V. Midpoint attractors and species richness: Modelling the interaction between environmental drivers and geometric constraints. Ecol Lett 2016; 19:1009-22. [PMID: 27358193 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Revised: 02/28/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We introduce a novel framework for conceptualising, quantifying and unifying discordant patterns of species richness along geographical gradients. While not itself explicitly mechanistic, this approach offers a path towards understanding mechanisms. In this study, we focused on the diverse patterns of species richness on mountainsides. We conjectured that elevational range midpoints of species may be drawn towards a single midpoint attractor - a unimodal gradient of environmental favourability. The midpoint attractor interacts with geometric constraints imposed by sea level and the mountaintop to produce taxon-specific patterns of species richness. We developed a Bayesian simulation model to estimate the location and strength of the midpoint attractor from species occurrence data sampled along mountainsides. We also constructed midpoint predictor models to test whether environmental variables could directly account for the observed patterns of species range midpoints. We challenged these models with 16 elevational data sets, comprising 4500 species of insects, vertebrates and plants. The midpoint predictor models generally failed to predict the pattern of species midpoints. In contrast, the midpoint attractor model closely reproduced empirical spatial patterns of species richness and range midpoints. Gradients of environmental favourability, subject to geometric constraints, may parsimoniously account for elevational and other patterns of species richness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert K Colwell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.,Departmento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, CP 131, Goiânia, GO, 74.001-970, Brasil.,University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Nicholas J Gotelli
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
| | - Louise A Ashton
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld, 4111, Australia.,Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Jan Beck
- University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.,Department of Environmental Science (Biogeography), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gunnar Brehm
- Phyletisches Museum, Friedrich-Schiller Universität, Jena, 07743, Germany
| | - Tom M Fayle
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Forest Ecology and Conservation Group, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK.,Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Konrad Fiedler
- Department of Botany & Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthew L Forister
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Michael Kessler
- Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roger L Kitching
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld, 4111, Australia
| | - Petr Klimes
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jürgen Kluge
- Department of Geography, University of Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - John T Longino
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Sarah C Maunsell
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld, 4111, Australia
| | - Christy M McCain
- University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Jimmy Moses
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, P.O. Box 604, Madang, Papua New Guinea.,School of Natural and Physical Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, P.O. Box 320, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea
| | - Sarah Noben
- Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katerina Sam
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Legi Sam
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld, 4111, Australia.,Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Arthur M Shapiro
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Xiangping Wang
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,New Guinea Binatang Research Center, P.O. Box 604, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Nowrouzi S, Andersen AN, Macfadyen S, Staunton KM, VanDerWal J, Robson SKA. Ant Diversity and Distribution along Elevation Gradients in the Australian Wet Tropics: The Importance of Seasonal Moisture Stability. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153420. [PMID: 27073848 PMCID: PMC4830544 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The threat of anthropogenic climate change has seen a renewed focus on understanding contemporary patterns of species distribution. This is especially the case for the biota of tropical mountains, because tropical species often have particularly narrow elevational ranges and there are high levels of short-range endemism. Here we describe geographic patterns of ant diversity and distribution in the World Heritage-listed rainforests of the Australian Wet Tropics (AWT), revealing seasonal moisture stability to be an important environmental correlate of elevational patterns of species composition. We sampled ants in leaf litter, on the litter surface and on tree trunks at 26 sites from six subregions spanning five degrees of latitude and elevation ranges from 100–1,300 m. A total of 296 species from 63 genera were recorded. Species richness showed a slight peak at mid elevations, and did not vary significantly with latitude. Species composition varied substantially between subregions, and many species have highly localised distributions. There was very marked species turnover with elevation, with a particularly striking compositional disjunction between 600 m and 800 m at each subregion. This disjunction coincides with a strong environmental threshold of seasonal stability in moisture associated with cloud ‘stripping’. Our study therefore provides further support for climatic stability as a potential mechanism underlying patterns of diversity. The average height of orographic cloud layers is predicted to rise under global warming, and associated shifts in seasonal moisture stability may exacerbate biotic change caused by rising temperature alone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Somayeh Nowrouzi
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity & Climate Change, College of Marine and Ecosystem Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- CSIRO Land & Water Flagship, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
- * E-mail: ;
| | | | | | - Kyran M. Staunton
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity & Climate Change, College of Marine and Ecosystem Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Jeremy VanDerWal
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity & Climate Change, College of Marine and Ecosystem Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- eResearch Centre, Division of Research and Innovation, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Simon K. A. Robson
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity & Climate Change, College of Marine and Ecosystem Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Rodríguez-Castañeda G, Brehm G, Fiedler K, Dyer LA. Ant predation on herbivores through a multitrophic lens: how effects of ants on plant herbivore defense and natural enemies vary along temperature gradients. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 14:73-80. [PMID: 27436650 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Revised: 01/30/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Ants are keystone predators in terrestrial trophic cascades. Addressing ants' roles in multitrophic interactions across regional gradients is important for understanding mechanisms behind range limits of species. We present four hypotheses of trophic dynamics occurring when ants are rare: first, there is a shift in predator communities; second, plants decrease investments in ant attraction and increase production of secondary metabolites; third, lower herbivory at high elevations allows plants to tolerate herbivory; and fourth, distribution of ant-plants can be limited based on ant abundance. Conducting experiments on multitrophic effects of ants across elevational gradients, and incorporating these results to ecological niche modeling (ENM) will improve our knowledge of the impacts of global change on ants, trophic interactions, and biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G Rodríguez-Castañeda
- University of Texas in Austin, Section of Integrative Biology, 205 West 24th Street, Austin, TX 78712, United States.
| | - G Brehm
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Institut für spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Ebertstrasse 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - K Fiedler
- Universität Wien, Department of Botany & Biodiversity Research, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - L A Dyer
- University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno 89557, United States
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Brehm G, Hebert PDN, Colwell RK, Adams MO, Bodner F, Friedemann K, Möckel L, Fiedler K. Turning Up the Heat on a Hotspot: DNA Barcodes Reveal 80% More Species of Geometrid Moths along an Andean Elevational Gradient. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150327. [PMID: 26959368 PMCID: PMC4784734 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We sampled 14,603 geometrid moths along a forested elevational gradient from 1020-3021 m in the southern Ecuadorian Andes, and then employed DNA barcoding to refine decisions on species boundaries initially made by morphology. We compared the results with those from an earlier study on the same but slightly shorter gradient that relied solely on morphological criteria to discriminate species. The present analysis revealed 1857 putative species, an 80% increase in species richness from the earlier study that detected only 1010 species. Measures of species richness and diversity that are less dependent on sample size were more than twice as high as in the earlier study, even when analysis was restricted to an identical elevational range. The estimated total number of geometrid species (new dataset) in the sampled area is 2350. Species richness at single sites was 32-43% higher, and the beta diversity component rose by 43-51%. These impacts of DNA barcoding on measures of richness reflect its capacity to reveal cryptic species that were overlooked in the first study. The overall results confirmed unique diversity patterns reported in the first investigation. Species diversity was uniformly high along the gradient, declining only slightly above 2800 m. Species turnover also showed little variation along the gradient, reinforcing the lack of evidence for discrete faunal zones. By confirming these major biodiversity patterns, the present study establishes that incomplete species delineation does not necessarily conceal trends of biodiversity along ecological gradients, but it impedes determination of the true magnitude of diversity and species turnover.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Brehm
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Paul D. N. Hebert
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert K. Colwell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States of America
- Departmento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil
- University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Boulder, CO, 80309, United States of America
| | - Marc-Oliver Adams
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Bodner
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katrin Friedemann
- Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Abteilung Naturgeschichte–Zoologie, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Lars Möckel
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Konrad Fiedler
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Burwell CJ, Nakamura A. Can changes in ant diversity along elevational gradients in tropical and subtropical Australian rainforests be used to detect a signal of past lowland biotic attrition? AUSTRAL ECOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chris J. Burwell
- Natural Environments Program; Queensland Museum; South Brisbane Australia
- Environmental Futures Research Institute; Griffith University; Nathan Queensland Australia
| | - Akihiro Nakamura
- Natural Environments Program; Queensland Museum; South Brisbane Australia
- Environmental Futures Research Institute; Griffith University; Nathan Queensland Australia
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology; Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Mengla Yunnan 666303 China
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Gillette PN, Ennis KK, Domínguez Martínez G, Philpott SM. Changes in Species Richness, Abundance, and Composition of Arboreal Twig‐nesting Ants Along an Elevational Gradient in Coffee Landscapes. Biotropica 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Penelope N. Gillette
- Environmental Studies Department University of California 1156 High Street Santa Cruz CA 95064 U.S.A
| | - Katherine K. Ennis
- Environmental Studies Department University of California 1156 High Street Santa Cruz CA 95064 U.S.A
| | | | - Stacy M. Philpott
- Environmental Studies Department University of California 1156 High Street Santa Cruz CA 95064 U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Nakamura A, Burwell CJ, Ashton LA, Laidlaw MJ, Katabuchi M, Kitching RL. Identifying indicator species of elevation: Comparing the utility of woody plants, ants and moths for long-term monitoring. AUSTRAL ECOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Nakamura
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology; Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Mengla Yunnan 666303 China
- Environmental Futures Research Institute; Griffith University; Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Natural Environments Program; Queensland Museum; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Chris J. Burwell
- Environmental Futures Research Institute; Griffith University; Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Natural Environments Program; Queensland Museum; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Louise A. Ashton
- Environmental Futures Research Institute; Griffith University; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Melinda J. Laidlaw
- Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation; Queensland Herbarium; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Masatoshi Katabuchi
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology; Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Mengla Yunnan 666303 China
- Department of Biology; University of Florida; Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Roger L. Kitching
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology; Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Mengla Yunnan 666303 China
- Environmental Futures Research Institute; Griffith University; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| |
Collapse
|