scholarly journals Beyond range size: drivers of species’ geographic range structure in European plants

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Csergő ◽  
Olivier Broennimann ◽  
Antoine Guisan ◽  
Yvonne M. Buckley
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Patch Shape ◽  
Shape Complexity ◽  
Structure Metrics

AbstractAimTo assess if and how species’ range size relates to range structure, if the observed geographic range properties can be retrieved from predicted maps based on species distribution modeling, and whether range properties are predictable from biogeophysical factors.LocationEuropeTime periodCurrentMajor taxa studied813 vascular plant species endemic to EuropeMethodsWe quantified the size and spatial structure of species’ geographic ranges and compared ranges currently occupied with those predicted by species distribution models (SDMs). SDMs were constructed using complete occurrence data from the Atlas Florae Europaeae and climatic, soil and topographic predictors. We used landscape metrics to characterize range size, range division and patch shape structure, and analysed the phylogenetic, geographic and ecological drivers of species’ range size and structure using phylogenetic generalized least squares (pGLS).ResultsRange structure metrics were mostly decoupled from species’ range size. We found large differences in range metrics between observed and predicted ranges, in particular for species with intermediate observed range size and occupied area, and species with low and high observed patch size distribution, geographic range filling, patch shape complexity and geographic range fractality. Elevation heterogeneity, proximity to continental coasts, Southerly or Easterly geographic range positions and narrow ecological niche breadth constrained species’ observed range size and range structure to different extents. The strength and direction of the relationships differed between observed and predicted ranges.Main conclusionsSeveral range structure metrics, in addition to range size, are needed to adequately describe and understand species’ ranges. Species’ range structure can be well explained by geophysical factors and species niche width, albeit not consistently for observed and predicted ranges. As range structure can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences, we highlight the need to develop better predictive models of range structure than provided by current SDMs, and we identify the kinds of species for which this is most necessary.

scholarly journals Genome size versus geographic range size in birds

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10868
Author(s):  
Beata Grzywacz ◽  
Piotr Skórka
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Chromosome Number ◽  
Genome Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Brain Mass ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates

Why do some species occur in small, restricted areas, while others are distributed globally? Environmental heterogeneity increases with area and so does the number of species. Hence, diverse biotic and abiotic conditions across large ranges may lead to specific adaptations that are often linked to a species’ genome size and chromosome number. Therefore, a positive association between genome size and geographic range is anticipated. Moreover, high cognitive ability in organisms would be favored by natural selection to cope with the dynamic conditions within large geographic ranges. Here, we tested these hypotheses in birds—the most mobile terrestrial vertebrates—and accounted for the effects of various confounding variables, such as body mass, relative brain mass, and geographic latitude. Using phylogenetic generalized least squares and phylogenetic confirmatory path analysis, we demonstrated that range size is positively associated with bird genome size but probably not with chromosome number. Moreover, relative brain mass had no effect on range size, whereas body mass had a possible weak and negative effect, and range size was larger at higher geographic latitudes. However, our models did not fully explain the overall variation in range size. Hence, natural selection may impose larger genomes in birds with larger geographic ranges, although there may be additional explanations for this phenomenon.

Intermediate geographic range facilitates speciation in European tree species

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-28
Author(s):  
Julián Simón López-Villalta
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Allopatric Speciation ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Simple Explanation

The possible influence of geographic range size on speciation remains a controversial subject in evolutionary ecology, with theory and data supporting positive, negative and bell-shaped relationships between speciation probability and ancestor range size. In this study, a surrogate of the speciation-range size relationship of extant European tree species (22 genera, 11 families) is obtained by comparing the range-size distribution of candidate ancestors (i.e.species which are thought to have originated new species) with that of relatives, controlling phylogenetic inertia and macroecological sampling bias. In this comparison, species range size is measured qualitatively using six categories. The candidate ancestors included seem to have speciated mainly through allopatric speciation, with fewer instances of hybridogenesis by allopolyploidy. The results show that speciation is significantly facilitated for species with intermediate range size. In the European tree flora, this pattern could be the result of multiple causes, including intermediate dispersal ability at these ranges. Descendant tree species tend to have narrow geographic ranges, a trend which arguably comes from limited dispersal ability in this case. Low dispersal ability could be common in new species as a consequence of widespread adaptation to stable habitats isolated by geographic barriers (“island habitats”) during allopatric speciation. This mechanism could be widespread among regional biotas and would facilitate narrow ranges in new species. This would provide a simple explanation to the observed abundance of narrow ranges in most macroecological species-range size distributions.

scholarly journals Seed traits and phylogeny explain plant distribution at large geographic scale

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Chen ◽  
Kevin S. Burgess ◽  
Fangliang He ◽  
Xiang-Yun Yang ◽  
Lian-Ming Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Seed Plants ◽  
Seed Traits ◽  
Geographic Scale ◽  
Dispersal Mode ◽  
Joint Effects

Abstract. Understanding the mechanisms that shape the geographic distribution of plant species is a central theme of biogeography. Although seed mass, seed dispersal mode and phylogeny have long been suspected to affect species distribution, the link between the sources of variation of these attributes and their joint effects to the distribution of seed plants remain poorly documented. This study aims to quantify the joint effects of key seed traits and phylogeny on the species' distribution. We collected seed mass and seed dispersal mode from 1,616 species of seed plants representing 554 genera of 130 families. We used 5,639,009 specimens to calculate species range size through ArcGIS10.2. Phylogenetic generalized least squares regression modeling and variation partitioning were performed to estimate the joint effects of seed mass, seed dispersal mode and phylogeny on species distribution. We found that species range size was constrained by seed dispersal mode and phylogeny. Seed mass and its intraspecific variation were also important in limiting species distribution, but their effects were different among species with different dispersal modes. Variation partitioning revealed that seed mass, seed mass variability, seed dispersal mode and phylogeny together explained 40.44 % of the variance in species range size. Seed traits are not typically used to model the geographic distributions of seed plants. This study provides direct evidence that seed mass, seed dispersal modes and phylogeny explain species distribution variation on a large geographic scale. Our findings underscore the necessity to include seed traits and the phylogenetic history of species, together with existing climate-based niche models, in predicting the response of plant geographic distribution to climate change.

scholarly journals Bayesian Skyline Plots disagree with range size changes based on Species Distribution Models for Holarctic birds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor F. Miller ◽  
Rhys E. Green ◽  
Andrew Balmford ◽  
Pierpaolo Maisano Delser ◽  
Robert Beyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution ◽  
Species Distribution Models ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Bayesian Skyline Plots

Testing climate-based species distribution models with recent field surveys of pond-breeding amphibians in eastern Missouri

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (11) ◽  
pp. 1074-1083 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.R. Trumbo ◽  
A.A. Burgett ◽  
J.H. Knouft
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution ◽  
Species Distribution Models ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Study Species

Species distribution models (SDMs) have become an important tool for ecologists by providing the ability to predict the distributions of organisms based on species niche parameters and available habitat across broad geographic areas. However, investigation of the appropriate extent of environmental data needed to make accurate predictions has received limited attention. We investigate whether SDMs developed with regional climate and species locality data (i.e., within Missouri, USA) produce more accurate predictions of species occurrences than models developed with data from across an entire species range. To test the accuracy of the model predictions, field surveys were performed in 2007 and 2008 at 103 study ponds for eight amphibian study species. Models developed using data from across the entire species range did not accurately predict the occurrences of any study species. However, models developed using data only from Missouri produced accurate predictions for four study species, all of which are near the edge of their geographic ranges within the study area. These results suggest that species distribution modeling with regionally focused data may be preferable for local ecological and conservation purposes, and that climate factors may be more important for determining species distributions at the edge of their geographic ranges.

scholarly journals Consistent replacement of small- by large-ranged plant species across habitats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingmar Staude ◽  
Henrique Pereira ◽  
Gergana N. Daskalova ◽  
Markus Bernhardt-Römermann ◽  
Martin Diekmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Geographic Range Size

The direction and magnitude of long-term changes in local plant species richness are highly variable among studies, while species turnover is ubiquitous. However, it is unknown whether the nature of species turnover is idiosyncratic or whether certain types of species are consistently gained or lost across different habitats. To address this question, we analyzed the trajectories of 1,827 vascular plant species over time intervals of up to 78 years at 141 sites in three habitats in Europe – mountain summits, forests, and lowland grasslands. Consistent across all habitats, we found that plant species with small geographic ranges tended to be replaced by species with large ranges, despite habitat-specific trends in species richness. Our results point to a predictable component of species turnover, likely explained by aspects of species’ niches correlated with geographic range size. Species with larger ranges tend to be associated with nutrient-rich sites and we found community composition shifts towards more nutrient-demanding species in all three habitats. Global changes involving increased resource availability are thus likely to favor large-ranged, nutrient-demanding species, which are typically strong competitors. Declines of small-ranged species could reflect not only abiotic drivers of global change, but also biotic pressure from increased competition. Our study highlights the need to consider the traits of species such as the geographic range size when predicting how ecological communities will respond to global change.

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