scholarly journals Enhancing georeferenced biodiversity inventories: automated information extraction from literature records reveal the gaps

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjørn Tore Kopperud ◽  
Scott Lidgard ◽  
Lee Hsiang Liow
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Concerted Effort ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Diversity Gradient ◽  
Biodiversity Inventories ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
First Time ◽  
Promising Avenue

AbstractWe use natural language processing (NLP) to retrieve location data for cheilostome bryozoan species (text-mined occurrences [TMO]) in an automated procedure. We compare these results with data from the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). Using OBIS and TMO data separately and in combination, we present latitudinal species richness curves using standard estimators (Chao2 and the Jackknife) and range-through approaches. Our combined OBIS and TMO species richness curves quantitatively document a bimodal global latitudinal diversity gradient for cheilostomes for the first time, with peaks in the temperate zones. 79% of the georeferenced species we retrieved from TMO (N = 1780) and OBIS (N = 2453) are non-overlapping and underestimate known species richness, even in combination. Despite clear indications that global location data compiled for cheilostomes should be improved with concerted effort, our study supports the view that latitudinal species richness patterns deviate from the canonical LDG. Moreover, combining online biodiversity databases with automated information retrieval from the published literature is a promising avenue for expanding taxon-location datasets.

scholarly journals Lichen Distribution Patterns in the Ecoregions of Italy

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Martellos ◽  
Marco d’Agostino ◽  
Alessandro Chiarucci ◽  
Pier Luigi Nimis ◽  
Juri Nascimbene
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Environmental Features ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Surface Climate ◽  
Lichen Biota ◽  
Topographic Heterogeneity ◽  
First Time

An outline of the main distribution patterns of lichens in the ecoregions of Italy, accounting for their climatic, geographic, and environmental features, is still missing. On the basis of a GIS-based analysis, we summarized: (1) the main features (e.g., surface, climate, landscape, topographic heterogeneity, bedrock, eutrophication) of the 9 ecoregions adopted in ITALIC, the information system on Italian lichens, and (2) the patterns of richness, functional traits, and ecological requirements of lichens in the ecoregions. Our GIS-based analysis describes for the first time the main features of the 9 ecoregions adopted in ITALIC, highlighting differences which could explain the main lichen patterns. Overall, the exploration of the Italian lichen biota is still a work in progress, some regions being still underexplored, especially in the South, with new taxa being reported every year. Our research could provide a baseline for further advancements in the understanding of species richness and community composition of Italian lichens, at a regional scale.

scholarly journals Unprecedented ichneumonid parasitoid wasp diversity in tropical forests

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1748) ◽  
pp. 4694-4698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anu Veijalainen ◽  
Niklas Wahlberg ◽  
Gavin R. Broad ◽  
Terry L. Erwin ◽  
John T. Longino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Species Accumulation Curves ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Diversity Gradient ◽  
Richness Patterns

The megadiverse parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) is classically considered an exception to the extensively studied latitudinal diversity gradient: the majority of ichneumonid species are described from temperate regions. The gradient has been hypothesized to be dependent on the biology of the wasps, but recently questions of sampling and description biases have been raised. Here, we show with primary data that the species richness of Ichneumonidae is markedly underestimated in tropical areas and that latitudinal diversity patterns in the family remain uncharacterized. We discovered a startling 177 likely undescribed orthocentrine species with relatively low sampling effort in the forests of Central America and Amazonian Ecuador, over three times the previously known orthocentrine diversity in the world's tropics. Species accumulation curves reveal that we are just beginning to unveil the true extent of tropical orthocentrine diversity. We also found evidence for cryptic species; our DNA analysis revealed additional species not easily distinguishable using morphological characteristics. The difficulty in establishing species richness patterns of Ichneumonidae probably follows from the relative lack of taxonomic expertise and the low density of ichneumonid species throughout the landscape.

scholarly journals The Effect of Climate and Human Pressures on Functional Diversity and Species Richness Patterns of Amphibians, Reptiles and Mammals in Europe

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Mariana A. Tsianou ◽  
Maria Lazarina ◽  
Danai-Eleni Michailidou ◽  
Aristi Andrikou-Charitidou ◽  
Stefanos P. Sgardelis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Climatic Variables ◽  
Quadratic Entropy ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality ◽  
Rao’S Quadratic Entropy ◽  
Richness Patterns

The ongoing biodiversity crisis reinforces the urgent need to unravel diversity patterns and the underlying processes shaping them. Although taxonomic diversity has been extensively studied and is considered the common currency, simultaneously conserving other facets of diversity (e.g., functional diversity) is critical to ensure ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Here, we explored the effect of key climatic factors (temperature, precipitation, temperature seasonality, and precipitation seasonality) and factors reflecting human pressures (agricultural land, urban land, land-cover diversity, and human population density) on the functional diversity (functional richness and Rao’s quadratic entropy) and species richness of amphibians (68 species), reptiles (107 species), and mammals (176 species) in Europe. We explored the relationship between different predictors and diversity metrics using generalized additive mixed model analysis, to capture non-linear relationships and to account for spatial autocorrelation. We found that at this broad continental spatial scale, climatic variables exerted a significant effect on the functional diversity and species richness of all taxa. On the other hand, variables reflecting human pressures contributed significantly in the models even though their explanatory power was lower compared to climatic variables. In most cases, functional richness and Rao’s quadratic entropy responded similarly to climate and human pressures. In conclusion, climate is the most influential factor in shaping both the functional diversity and species richness patterns of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals in Europe. However, incorporating factors reflecting human pressures complementary to climate could be conducive to us understanding the drivers of functional diversity and richness patterns.

scholarly journals Bacterial cellulose spheroids as building blocks for 3D and patterned living materials and for regeneration

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joaquin Caro-Astorga ◽  
Kenneth T. Walker ◽  
Natalia Herrera ◽  
Koon-Yang Lee ◽  
Tom Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Cellulose ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Synthetic Materials ◽  
Chemical Inputs ◽  
First Time ◽  
3D Shapes ◽  
Promising Avenue ◽  
Living Materials

AbstractEngineered living materials (ELMs) based on bacterial cellulose (BC) offer a promising avenue for cheap-to-produce materials that can be programmed with genetically encoded functionalities. Here we explore how ELMs can be fabricated in a modular fashion from millimetre-scale biofilm spheroids grown from shaking cultures of Komagataeibacter rhaeticus. Here we define a reproducible protocol to produce BC spheroids with the high yield bacterial cellulose producer K. rhaeticus and demonstrate for the first time their potential for their use as building blocks to grow ELMs in 3D shapes. Using genetically engineered K. rhaeticus, we produce functionalized BC spheroids and use these to make and grow patterned BC-based ELMs that signal within a material and can sense and report on chemical inputs. We also investigate the use of BC spheroids as a method to regenerate damaged BC materials and as a way to fuse together smaller material sections of cellulose and synthetic materials into a larger piece. This work improves our understanding of BC spheroid formation and showcases their great potential for fabricating, patterning and repairing ELMs based on the promising biomaterial of bacterial cellulose.

scholarly journals Arthropod community structure in pastures of an island archipelago (Azores): looking for local–regional species richness patterns at fine-scales

2004 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.A.V. Borges ◽  
V.K. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Local Species Richness ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Arthropod Species ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Richness Patterns

AbstractThe arthropod species richness of pastures in three Azorean islands was used to examine the relationship between local and regional species richness over two years. Two groups of arthropods, spiders and sucking insects, representing two functionally different but common groups of pasture invertebrates were investigated. The local–regional species richness relationship was assessed over relatively fine scales: quadrats (= local scale) and within pastures (= regional scale). Mean plot species richness was used as a measure of local species richness (= α diversity) and regional species richness was estimated at the pasture level (= γ diversity) with the ‘first-order-Jackknife’ estimator. Three related issues were addressed: (i) the role of estimated regional species richness and variables operating at the local scale (vegetation structure and diversity) in determining local species richness; (ii) quantification of the relative contributions of α and β diversity to regional diversity using additive partitioning; and (iii) the occurrence of consistent patterns in different years by analysing independently between-year data. Species assemblages of spiders were saturated at the local scale (similar local species richness and increasing β-diversity in richer regions) and were more dependent on vegetational structure than regional species richness. Sucking insect herbivores, by contrast, exhibited a linear relationship between local and regional species richness, consistent with the proportional sampling model. The patterns were consistent between years. These results imply that for spiders local processes are important, with assemblages in a particular patch being constrained by habitat structure. In contrast, for sucking insects, local processes may be insignificant in structuring communities.

From Forest to Farmland: Species Richness Patterns of Trees and Understorey Plants along a Gradient of Forest Conversion in Southwestern Cameroon

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (13) ◽  
pp. 4097-4117 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Serge Bobo ◽  
Matthias Waltert ◽  
N. Moses Sainge ◽  
John Njokagbor ◽  
Heleen Fermon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Forest Conversion ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Understorey Plants

scholarly journals The pitfalls of biodiversity proxies: Differences in richness patterns of birds, trees and understudied diversity across Amazonia

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila D. Ritter ◽  
Søren Faurby ◽  
Dominic J. Bennett ◽  
Luciano N. Naka ◽  
Hans ter Steege ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Taxonomic Group ◽  
Diversity Gradients ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Micro Organisms

AbstractMost knowledge on biodiversity derives from the study of charismatic macro-organisms, such as birds and trees. However, the diversity of micro-organisms constitutes the majority of all life forms on Earth. Here, we ask if the patterns of richness inferred for macro-organisms are similar for micro-organisms. For this, we barcoded samples of soil, litter and insects from four localities on a west-to-east transect across Amazonia. We quantified richness as Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) in those samples using three molecular markers. We then compared OTU richness with species richness of two relatively well-studied organism groups in Amazonia: trees and birds. We find that OTU richness shows a declining west-to-east diversity gradient that is in agreement with the species richness patterns documented here and previously for birds and trees. These results suggest that most taxonomic groups respond to the same overall diversity gradients at large spatial scales. However, our results show a different pattern of richness in relation to habitat types, suggesting that the idiosyncrasies of each taxonomic group and peculiarities of the local environment frequently override large-scale diversity gradients. Our findings caution against using the diversity distribution of one taxonomic group as an indication of patterns of richness across all groups.

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