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Williams PJ, Zipkin EF, Brodie JF. Deep biogeographic barriers explain divergent global vertebrate communities. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2457. [PMID: 38548741 PMCID: PMC10978928 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46757-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Biogeographic history can lead to variation in biodiversity across regions, but it remains unclear how the degree of biogeographic isolation among communities may lead to differences in biodiversity. Biogeographic analyses generally treat regions as discrete units, but species assemblages differ in how much biogeographic history they share, just as species differ in how much evolutionary history they share. Here, we use a continuous measure of biogeographic distance, phylobetadiversity, to analyze the influence of biogeographic isolation on the taxonomic and functional diversity of global mammal and bird assemblages. On average, biodiversity is better predicted by environment than by isolation, especially for birds. However, mammals in deeply isolated regions are strongly influenced by isolation; mammal assemblages in Australia and Madagascar, for example, are much less diverse than predicted by environment alone and contain unique combinations of functional traits compared to other regions. Neotropical bat assemblages are far more functionally diverse than Paleotropical assemblages, reflecting the different trajectories of bat communities that have developed in isolation over tens of millions of years. Our results elucidate how long-lasting biogeographic barriers can lead to divergent diversity patterns, against the backdrop of environmental determinism that predominantly structures diversity across most of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Williams
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA.
| | - Elise F Zipkin
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Jedediah F Brodie
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
- Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
- Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
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Qian H, Kessler M, Zhang J, Jin Y, Soltis DE, Qian S, Zhou Y, Soltis PS. Angiosperm phylogenetic diversity is lower in Africa than South America. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadj1022. [PMID: 37967173 PMCID: PMC10651126 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj1022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Although originating from a common Gondwanan flora, the diversity and composition of the floras of Africa and South America have greatly diverged since continental breakup of Africa from South America now having much higher plant species richness. However, the phylogenetic diversity of the floras and what this tells us about their evolution remained unexplored. We show that for a given species richness and considering land surface area, topography, and present-day climate, angiosperm phylogenetic diversity in South America is higher than in Africa. This relationship holds regardless of whether all climatically matched areas or only matched areas in tropical climates are considered. Phylogenetic diversity is high relative to species richness in refugial areas in Africa and in northwestern South America, once the gateway for immigration from the north. While species richness is strongly influenced by massive plant radiations in South America, we detect a pervasive influence of historical processes on the phylogenetic diversity of both the South American and African floras.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Qian
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- Research and Collections Center, Illinois State Museum, 1011 East Ash Street, Springfield, IL 62703, USA
| | - Michael Kessler
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jian Zhang
- Center for Global Change and Complex Ecosystems, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yi Jin
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Douglas E. Soltis
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Shenhua Qian
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
- College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
| | - Yadong Zhou
- School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, Jiangxi, China
| | - Pamela S. Soltis
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Qian H, Kessler M, Zhang J, Jin Y, Jiang M. Global patterns and climatic determinants of phylogenetic structure of regional fern floras. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 239:415-428. [PMID: 36994609 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of relationships between phylogenetic structure of a biological assemblage and ecological factors that drive the variation of phylogenetic structure among regions is crucial for understanding the causes of variation in taxonomic composition and richness among regions, but this knowledge is lacking for the global flora of ferns. Here, we fill this critical knowledge gap. We divided the globe into 392 geographic units on land, collated species lists of ferns for each geographic unit, and used different phylogenetic metrics (tip- vs basal-weighted) reflecting different evolutionary depths to quantify phylogenetic structure. We then related taxonomic and phylogenetic structure metrics to six climatic variables for ferns as a whole and for two groups of ferns (old clades vs polypods) reflecting different evolutionary histories across the globe and within each continental region. We found that when old clades and polypods were considered separately, temperature-related variables explained more variation in these metrics than did precipitation-related variables in both groups. When analyses were conducted for continental regions separately, this pattern holds in most cases. Climate extremes have a stronger relationship with phylogenetic structure of ferns than does climate seasonality. Climatic variables explained more variation in phylogenetic structure at deeper evolutionary depths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Qian
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- Research and Collections Center, Illinois State Museum, 1011 East Ash Street, Springfield, IL, 62703, USA
| | - Michael Kessler
- Department of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8008, Switzerland
| | - Jian Zhang
- Center for Global Change and Complex Ecosystems, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yi Jin
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Meichen Jiang
- Center for Global Change and Complex Ecosystems, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
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Lyu L, Leugger F, Hagen O, Fopp F, Boschman LM, Strijk JS, Albouy C, Karger DN, Brun P, Wang Z, Zimmermann NE, Pellissier L. An integrated high-resolution mapping shows congruent biodiversity patterns of Fagales and Pinales. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:759-772. [PMID: 35429166 PMCID: PMC9323436 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The documentation of biodiversity distribution through species range identification is crucial for macroecology, biogeography, conservation, and restoration. However, for plants, species range maps remain scarce and often inaccurate. We present a novel approach to map species ranges at a global scale, integrating polygon mapping and species distribution modelling (SDM). We develop a polygon mapping algorithm by considering distances and nestedness of occurrences. We further apply an SDM approach considering multiple modelling algorithms, complexity levels, and pseudo-absence selections to map the species at a high spatial resolution and intersect it with the generated polygons. We use this approach to construct range maps for all 1957 species of Fagales and Pinales with data compilated from multiple sources. We construct high-resolution global species richness maps of these important plant clades, and document diversity hotspots for both clades in southern and south-western China, Central America, and Borneo. We validate the approach with two representative genera, Quercus and Pinus, using previously published coarser range maps, and find good agreement. By efficiently producing high-resolution range maps, our mapping approach offers a new tool in the field of macroecology for studying global species distribution patterns and supporting ongoing conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisha Lyu
- Department of Environmental System ScienceETH ZürichUniversitätstrasse 168092ZürichSwitzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLZürcherstrasse 1118903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Flurin Leugger
- Department of Environmental System ScienceETH ZürichUniversitätstrasse 168092ZürichSwitzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLZürcherstrasse 1118903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Oskar Hagen
- Department of Environmental System ScienceETH ZürichUniversitätstrasse 168092ZürichSwitzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLZürcherstrasse 1118903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Fabian Fopp
- Department of Environmental System ScienceETH ZürichUniversitätstrasse 168092ZürichSwitzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLZürcherstrasse 1118903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Lydian M. Boschman
- Department of Environmental System ScienceETH ZürichUniversitätstrasse 168092ZürichSwitzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLZürcherstrasse 1118903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Joeri Sergej Strijk
- Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental ResearchUniversiti Brunei DarussalamJalan Tungku LinkGadongBE1410Brunei Darussalam
- Alliance for Conservation Tree GenomicsPha Tad Ke Botanical Garden, PO Box 95906000Luang PrabangLao PDR
| | - Camille Albouy
- IFREMERUnité Écologie et Modèles pour l’Hallieutiquerue I’lle d’YeauBP21105, 44311Nantes Cedex 3France
| | - Dirk N. Karger
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLZürcherstrasse 1118903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Philipp Brun
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLZürcherstrasse 1118903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Zhiheng Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of EducationCollege of Urban and Environmental SciencesPeking University100871BeijingChina
| | - Niklaus E. Zimmermann
- Department of Environmental System ScienceETH ZürichUniversitätstrasse 168092ZürichSwitzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLZürcherstrasse 1118903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Loïc Pellissier
- Department of Environmental System ScienceETH ZürichUniversitätstrasse 168092ZürichSwitzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLZürcherstrasse 1118903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
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Fan D, Lei S, Liang H, Yao Q, Kou Y, Cheng S, Yang Y, Qiu Y, Zhang Z. More opportunities more species: Pleistocene differentiation and northward expansion of an evergreen broad-leaved tree species Machilus thunbergii (Lauraceae) in Southeast China. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 22:35. [PMID: 35038992 PMCID: PMC8762935 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-03420-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The broad continuum between tropical and temperate floras in Eastern Asia (EAS) are thought to be one of the main factors responsible for a prominent species diversity anomaly of temperate plants between EAS and eastern North America (ENS). However, how the broad continuum and niche evolution between tropical and temperate floras in EAS contributes to lineage divergence and species diversity remains largely unknown. RESULTS Population genetic structure, demography, and determinants of genetic structure [i.e., isolation-by-distance (IBD), isolation-by-resistance (IBR), and isolation-by-environment (IBE)] of Machilus thunbergii Sieb. et Zucc. (Lauraceae) were evaluated by examining sequence variation of ten low-copy nuclear genes across 43 populations in southeast China. Climatic niche difference and potential distributions across four periods (Current, mid-Holocene, the last glacial maximum, the last interglacial) of two genetic clusters were determined by niche modelling. North and south clusters of populations in M. thunbergii were revealed and their demarcation line corresponds well with the northern boundary of tropical zone in China of Zhu & Wan. The divergence time between the clusters and demographic expansion of M. thunbergii occurred after the mid-Pleistocene climate transition (MPT, 0.8-1.2 Ma). Migration rates between clusters were asymmetrical, being much greater from north to south than the reverse. Significant effects of IBE, but non-significant effects of IBD and IBR on population genetic divergence were detected. The two clusters have different ecological niches and require different temperature regimes. CONCLUSIONS The north-south genetic differentiation may be common across the temperate-tropical boundary in southeast China. Divergent selection under different temperature regimes (possibly above and below freezing temperature in winter) could account for this divergence pattern. The broad continuum between tropical and temperate floras in EAS may have provided ample opportunities for tropical plant lineages to acquire freezing tolerance and to colonize the temperate regions during the late-Cenozoic global cooling. Our findings shed deeper insights into the high temperate plant species diversity in EAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengmei Fan
- Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Shuqing Lei
- Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Hua Liang
- Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Qi Yao
- Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yixuan Kou
- Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
| | - Shanmei Cheng
- Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yingxiong Qiu
- Systematic & Evolutionary Botany and Biodiversity Group, MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhiyong Zhang
- Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
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Song H, Ordonez A, Svenning JC, Qian H, Yin X, Mao L, Deng T, Zhang J. Regional disparity in extinction risk: Comparison of disjunct plant genera between eastern Asia and eastern North America. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:1904-1914. [PMID: 33474767 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate and land cover changes are increasing threats to biodiversity globally. However, potentially varying biotic sensitivity is a major source of uncertainty for translating environmental changes to extinction risks. To reduce this uncertainty, we assessed how extinction risks will be affected by future human-driven environmental changes, focusing on 554 species from 52 disjunct plant genera between eastern Asia (EAS) and eastern North America (ENA) to control for differences in environmental sensitivity at the genus level. Species distribution models were used to estimate and compare the vulnerability of species in disjunct genera between the two regions under two climate and land cover change scenarios (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5) in the 2070s, allowing to assess the effects of differences in climate and land cover pressures. Compared with ENA, stronger pressures from climate and land cover changes along with smaller range sizes in EAS translate into a larger number and proportion of species in disjunct genera becoming threatened by the 2070s. These regional differences are more pronounced under a best-case climate scenario (RCP2.6), illustrating that strong climate change (RCP8.5) may override any regional buffer capacities. The main variables determining extinction risks differed between the two continental regions, with annual temperature range and cropland expansion being important in EAS, and annual precipitation being important in ENA. These results suggest that disparities in regional exposure to anthropogenic environmental changes may cause congeneric species with relatively similar sensitivity to have different future risks of extinction. Moreover, the findings highlight the context-specific nature of anthropogenic effects on biodiversity and the importance of making region-specific policies for conservation and restoration in response to the intensifying global changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houjuan Song
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Research Center for Global Change and Ecological Forecasting, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Ordonez
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Hong Qian
- Research and Collections Center, Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL, USA
| | - Xue Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lingfeng Mao
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tao Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Research Center for Global Change and Ecological Forecasting, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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Phylogenetic diversity anomaly in angiosperms between eastern Asia and eastern North America. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:11452-11457. [PMID: 29073071 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1703985114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although eastern Asia (EAS) and eastern North America (ENA) have similar climates, plant species richness in EAS greatly exceeds that in ENA. The degree to which this diversity difference reflects the ages of the floras or their rates of evolutionary diversification has not been quantified. Measures of species diversity that do not incorporate the ages of lineages disregard the evolutionary distinctiveness of species. In contrast, phylogenetic diversity integrates both the number of species and their history of evolutionary diversification. Here we compared species diversity and phylogenetic diversity in a large number of flowering plant (angiosperm) floras distributed across EAS and ENA, two regions with similar contemporary environments and broadly shared floristic history. After accounting for climate and sample area, we found both species diversity and phylogenetic diversity to be significantly higher in EAS than in ENA. When we controlled the number of species statistically, we found that phylogenetic diversity remained substantially higher in EAS than in ENA, although it tended to converge at high latitude. This pattern held independently for herbs, shrubs, and trees. The anomaly in species and phylogenetic diversity likely resulted from differences in regional processes, related in part to high climatic and topographic heterogeneity, and a strong monsoon climate, in EAS. The broad connection between tropical and temperate floras in southern Asia also might have played a role in creating the phylogenetic diversity anomaly.
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8
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Environmental correlates of plant diversity in Korean temperate forests. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2012.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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9
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Belmaker J, Jetz W. Regional Pools and Environmental Controls of Vertebrate Richness. Am Nat 2012; 179:512-23. [DOI: 10.1086/664610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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10
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Steinmann K, Eggenberg S, Wohlgemuth T, Linder H, Zimmermann N. Niches and noise—Disentangling habitat diversity and area effect on species diversity. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2011.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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11
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Lenoir J, Gégout JC, Guisan A, Vittoz P, Wohlgemuth T, Zimmermann NE, Dullinger S, Pauli H, Willner W, Grytnes JA, Virtanen R, Svenning JC. Cross-scale analysis of the region effect on vascular plant species diversity in southern and northern European mountain ranges. PLoS One 2010; 5:e15734. [PMID: 21203521 PMCID: PMC3008735 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2010] [Accepted: 11/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The divergent glacial histories of southern and northern Europe affect present-day species diversity at coarse-grained scales in these two regions, but do these effects also penetrate to the more fine-grained scales of local communities? METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We carried out a cross-scale analysis to address this question for vascular plants in two mountain regions, the Alps in southern Europe and the Scandes in northern Europe, using environmentally paired vegetation plots in the two regions (n = 403 in each region) to quantify four diversity components: (i) total number of species occurring in a region (total γ-diversity), (ii) number of species that could occur in a target plot after environmental filtering (habitat-specific γ-diversity), (iii) pair-wise species compositional turnover between plots (plot-to-plot β-diversity) and (iv) number of species present per plot (plot α-diversity). We found strong region effects on total γ-diversity, habitat-specific γ-diversity and plot-to-plot β-diversity, with a greater diversity in the Alps even towards distances smaller than 50 m between plots. In contrast, there was a slightly greater plot α-diversity in the Scandes, but with a tendency towards contrasting region effects on high and low soil-acidity plots. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE We conclude that there are strong regional differences between coarse-grained (landscape- to regional-scale) diversity components of the flora in the Alps and the Scandes mountain ranges, but that these differences do not necessarily penetrate to the finest-grained (plot-scale) diversity component, at least not on acidic soils. Our findings are consistent with the contrasting regional Quaternary histories, but we also consider alternative explanatory models. Notably, ecological sorting and habitat connectivity may play a role in the unexpected limited or reversed region effect on plot α-diversity, and may also affect the larger-scale diversity components. For instance, plot connectivity and/or selection for high dispersal ability may increase plot α-diversity and compensate for low total γ-diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Lenoir
- Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
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12
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Environment–richness relationships for mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians at global and regional scales. Ecol Res 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-010-0695-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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13
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White EP, Hurlbert AH. The Combined Influence of the Local Environment and Regional Enrichment on Bird Species Richness. Am Nat 2010; 175:E35-43. [PMID: 20028215 DOI: 10.1086/649578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ethan P White
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, USA.
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14
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Jetz W, Kreft H, Ceballos G, Mutke J. Global associations between terrestrial producer and vertebrate consumer diversity. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 276:269-78. [PMID: 18832059 PMCID: PMC2674345 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2008] [Accepted: 09/09/2008] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In both ecology and conservation, often a strong positive association is assumed between the diversity of plants as primary producers and that of animals, specifically primary consumers. Such a relationship has been observed at small spatial scales, and a begetting of diversity by diversity is expected under various scenarios of co-evolution and co-adaptation. But positive producer-consumer richness relationships may also arise from similar associations with past opportunities for diversification or contemporary environmental conditions, or from emerging properties of plant diversity such as vegetation complexity or productivity. Here we assess whether the producer-consumer richness relationship generalizes from plot to regional scale and provide a first global test of its strength for vascular plants and endothermic vertebrates. We find strong positive richness associations, but only limited congruence of the most diverse regions. The richness of both primary and higher-level consumers increases with plant richness at similar strength and rate. Environmental conditions emerge as much stronger predictors of consumer richness, and after accounting for environmental differences little variation is explained by plant diversity. We conclude that biotic interactions and strong local associations between plants and consumers only relatively weakly scale up to broad geographical scales and to functionally diverse taxa, for which environmental constraints on richness dominate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Jetz
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0116, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA.
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Abstract
The latitudinal biodiversity gradient remains one of the most widely recognized yet puzzling patterns in nature [1]. Presently, the high level of extinction of tropical species, referred to as the “tropical biodiversity crisis”, has the potential to erode this pattern. While the connection between species richness, extinction, and speciation has long intrigued biologists [2], [3], these interactions have experienced increased poignancy due to their relevancy to where we should concentrate our conservation efforts. Natural extinction is a phenomenon thought to have its own latitudinal gradient, with lower extinction rates in the tropics being reported in beetles, birds, mammals, and bivalves [4]–[7]. Processes that have buffered ecosystems from high extinction rates in the past may also buffer ecosystems against disturbance of anthropogenic origin. While potential parallels between historical and present-day extinction patterns have been acknowledged, they remain only superficially explored and plant extinction patterns have been particularly neglected. Studies on the disappearances of animal species have reached conflicting conclusions, with the rate of extinction appearing either higher [8] or lower [9] in species richness hotspots. Our global study of extinction risk in vascular plants finds disproportionately higher extinction risk in tropical countries, even when indicators of human pressure (GDP, population density, forest cover change) are taken into account. Our results are at odds with the notion that the tropics represent a museum of plant biodiversity (places of historically lowered extinction) and we discuss mechanisms that may reconcile this apparent contradiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana C Vamosi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
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16
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Bai Y, Wu J, Xing Q, Pan Q, Huang J, Yang D, Han X. Primary production and rain use efficiency across a precipitation gradient on the Mongolia Plateau. Ecology 2008; 89:2140-53. [PMID: 18724724 DOI: 10.1890/07-0992.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how the aboveground net primary production (ANPP) of arid and semiarid ecosystems of the world responds to variations in precipitation is crucial for assessing the impacts of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems. Rain-use efficiency (RUE) is an important measure for acquiring this understanding. However, little is known about the response pattern of RUE for the largest contiguous natural grassland region of the world, the Eurasian Steppe. Here we investigated the spatial and temporal patterns of ANPP and RUE and their key driving factors based on a long-term data set from 21 natural arid and semiarid ecosystem sites across the Inner Mongolia steppe region in northern China. Our results showed that, with increasing mean annual precipitation (MAP), (1) ANPP increased while the interannual variability of ANPP declined, (2) plant species richness increased and the relative abundance of key functional groups shifted predictably, and (3) RUE increased in space across different ecosystems but decreased with increasing annual precipitation within a given ecosystem. These results clearly indicate that the patterns of both ANPP and RUE are scale dependent, and the seemingly conflicting patterns of RUE in space vs. time suggest distinctive underlying mechanisms, involving interactions among precipitation, soil N, and biotic factors. Also, while our results supported the existence of a common maximum RUE, they also indicated that its value could be substantially increased by altering resource availability, such as adding nitrogen. Our findings have important implications for understanding and predicting ecological impacts of global climate change and for management practices in arid and semiarid ecosystems in the Inner Mongolia steppe region and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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17
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Harrison S, Cornell H. Toward a better understanding of the regional causes of local community richness. Ecol Lett 2008; 11:969-79. [PMID: 18513314 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01210.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Despite widespread acknowledgement that local ecological communities are profoundly shaped by regional-scale influences, including evolutionary and biogeographic processes, this perspective has yet to be widely incorporated into ecological research. Drawing on recent research, we propose four steps towards making regional influences a stronger part of research on the richness of local communities: (1) identifying the regional-scale causes of variation in species richness in the systems ecologists study; (2) testing for effects of regional richness on local richness, using improved observational and experimental analyses to overcome earlier problems; (3) simultaneously analysing environmental influences on regional and local species richness as well as the influence of regional richness on local richness and (4) considering the potential reciprocal effects of local processes on regional richness. In conclusion, we suggest some ways that similar approaches could be applied to other aspects of community structure beyond species richness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Harrison
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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18
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Differences in soil bacterial diversity: driven by contemporary disturbances or historical contingencies? ISME JOURNAL 2008; 2:254-64. [PMID: 18239609 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2008.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Contemporary environmental disturbances and historical contingencies are considered to be major factors driving current differences in microbial diversity. However, little was known about their relative importance. This study combines culture-independent molecular techniques and advanced statistical analyses to examine quantitatively the relative importance of contemporary disturbances and historical contingencies in influencing large-scale soil bacterial diversity using a large set of manipulated field-based molecular data (212 samples). Contemporary disturbances were represented by applications of different fertilizers N, P, K and organic manure (OM) and historical contingencies by distinct geographic sampling locations and soil profiles. Multivariate regression tree (MRT) analysis showed that diversity estimates were mainly distinguished by sampling locations, which explained 40.8% of the variation in bacterial diversity, followed by soil profiles (19.5%), sampling time (13.1%), OM (3.7%) and P (1.8%). Aggregated boosted tree (ABT) analysis showed that the relative importance of different categorical factors on soil bacterial diversity variation was ranked as sampling locations, soil profiles, sampling time, OM and P. Both MRT and ABT analyses showed that historical contingencies were the dominant factor driving variation in bacterial diversity across a regional scale (about 1000 km), whereas some contemporary disturbances also caused variation in bacterial diversity at a local scale. This study demonstrated that past events and contemporary disturbances had similar influence on soil bacterial diversity to that documented for macroorganisms, indicating that there might be some common aspects of biogeography to all organisms.
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