scholarly journals Phylogenetic structure is determined by patch size in rock outcrop vegetation on an inselberg in the northern Amazon region

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Manuel VILLA ◽  
Markus GASTAUER ◽  
Sebastião Venâncio MARTINS ◽  
Juan Fernando CARRIÓN ◽  
Prímula Viana CAMPOS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patch Size ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Amazon Region ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Rock Outcrop ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Rock Outcrops ◽  
Community Assemblage ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

ABSTRACT Although inselbergs from around the world are iconic ecosystems, little is known on the underlying mechanisms of community assembly, especially in their characteristic patchy outcrop vegetation. Environmental constraints are expected to cause phylogenetic clustering when ecological niches are conserved within evolutionary lineages. We tested whether vegetation patches from rock outcrops of the Piedra La Tortuga Natural Monument, in the northern Amazon region, are phylogenetically clustered, indicating that environmental filtering is the dominant driver of community assemblage therein. We classified all patches according to their size as very small (< 1 m2), small (1-4 m2), medium-sized (4-8 m2), and large patches (8-15 m2). From each class, we randomly selected 10 patches, totalizing 40 patches covering 226 m2. All individuals found in the 40 isolated patches were identified to the species level. We also correlated measurements of phylogenetic community structure with patch size. We found that species from patches are restricted to the clades monocots, fabids, malvids, and lamiids. We conclude that vegetation in this rock outcrop is phylogenetically clustered. Furthermore, we found that phylogenetic turnover between pairs of patches increases with patch size, which is consistent with a scenario of higher environmental stress in smaller patches. Further research is necessary to identify nurse species in inselberg vegetation, which is pivotal for conservation and restoration of this particular ecosystem.

scholarly journals Source range phylogenetic community structure can predict the outcome of avian introductions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian S. Maitner ◽  
Daniel S Park ◽  
Brian J Enquist ◽  
Katrina M Dlugosch
Keyword(s):  
Propagule Pressure ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Relatedness ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Hypotheses ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Consistent Support ◽  
Phylogenetic Models

Competing phylogenetic models have been proposed to explain the success of species introduced to other communities. Here, we present a study predicting the establishment success of birds introduced to Florida, Hawaii, and New Zealand using several alternative models, considering species' phylogenetic relatedness to source and recipient range taxa, propagule pressure, and traits. We find consistent support for the predictive ability of source region phylogenetic structure. However, we find that the effects of recipient region phylogenetic structure vary in sign and magnitude depending on inclusion of source region phylogenetic structure, delineation of the recipient species pool, and the use of phylogenetic correction in the models. We argue that tests of alternative phylogenetic hypotheses including the both source and recipient community phylogenetic structure, as well as important covariates such as propagule pressure, are likely to be critical for identifying general phylogenetic patterns in introduction success, predicting future invasions, and for stimulating further exploration of the underlying mechanisms of invasibility.

scholarly journals Yes, a non‐random distribution, but why do dragonflies and damselflies not follow latitudinal gradient rules?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Rocha ◽  
Freddy Palacino ◽  
Pilar Rodríguez ◽  
Alex Córdoba-Aguilar
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Latitudinal Diversity Gradient ◽  
Diversity Gradient ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Different Origins

1. Latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is the increase in species richness towards the equator and is one of the most consistent patterns in biogeography, where current and historical processes contribute to shape the pattern. 2. Despite that LDG patterns have been described for some insects, the underlying mechanisms associated with community assembly and diversification along modern latitudinal diversity gradient pattern remain unknowledge for many groups. 3. Odonata is an old order of insects that originated during the Carboniferous and has diversified through different eras. Here, we defined co-occurrence based on the presence in ecoregions and 1°×1° grid cells of Odonata species in North America NA, to address their species richness, phylogenetic structure, and species diversification rate along the latitudinal gradient. 4. For the whole order, we found the highest species richness at mid-latitudes, while phylogenetic diversity showed a linear positive pattern along the gradient. Our results showed dragonfly assemblages were clustered along all the gradient, suggesting that environmental filtering sorted the assemblages. Whereas damselfly species assemblages were clustered at mid-latitude and overdispersed into both extremes of gradient, probably community assembly is driving by thermal gradients at mid-latitude, by competitive exclusion at south extreme, and by different origins of the biota at the boreal zone. Our results show that apparently most ancestral lineages of Odonata inhabit tropical zones, where diversified and dispersed to the temperate region, although likely also have been diversified into regions of NA, which might be linked with the highest species richness at mid-latitude for both suborders.

scholarly journals Spatial analysis of phylogenetic community structure: New version of a classical method

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Ricotta ◽  
Eszter EA Ari ◽  
Giuliano Bonanomi ◽  
Francesco Giannino ◽  
Duncan Heathfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Point Pattern ◽  
Maximum Deviation ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Phylogenetic Distance ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Point Patterns ◽  
Wide Range

The increasing availability of phylogenetic information facilitates the use of evolutionary methods in community ecology to reveal the importance of evolution in the species assembly process. However, while several methods have been applied to a wide range of communities across different spatial scales with the purpose of detecting non-random phylogenetic patterns, the spatial aspects of phylogenetic community structure have received far less attention. Accordingly, the question for this study is: can point pattern analysis be used for revealing the phylogenetic structure of multi-species assemblages? We introduce a new individual-centered procedure for analyzing the scale-dependent phylogenetic structure of multi-species point patterns based on digitized field data. The method uses nested circular plots with increasing radii drawn around each individual plant and calculates the mean phylogenetic distance between the focal individual and all individuals located in the circular ring delimited by two successive radii. This scale-dependent value is then averaged over all individuals of the same species and the observed mean is compared to a null expectation with permutation procedures. The method detects particular radius values at which the point pattern of a single species exhibits maximum deviation from the expectation towards either phylogenetic aggregation or segregation. Its performance is illustrated using data from a grassland community in Hungary and simulated point patterns. The proposed method can be extended to virtually any distance function for species pairs, such as functional distances.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic overdispersion of plant species in southern Brazilian savannas

2009 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 843-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
IA. Silva ◽  
MA. Batalha
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
History Of ◽  
Phylogenetic Overdispersion

Ecological communities are the result of not only present ecological processes, such as competition among species and environmental filtering, but also past and continuing evolutionary processes. Based on these assumptions, we may infer mechanisms of contemporary coexistence from the phylogenetic relationships of the species in a community. We studied the phylogenetic structure of plant communities in four cerrado sites, in southeastern Brazil. We calculated two raw phylogenetic distances among the species sampled. We estimated the phylogenetic structure by comparing the observed phylogenetic distances to the distribution of phylogenetic distances in null communities. We obtained null communities by randomizing the phylogenetic relationships of the regional pool of species. We found a phylogenetic overdispersion of the cerrado species. Phylogenetic overdispersion has several explanations, depending on the phylogenetic history of traits and contemporary ecological interactions. However, based on coexistence models between grasses and trees, density-dependent ecological forces, and the evolutionary history of the cerrado flora, we argue that the phylogenetic overdispersion of cerrado species is predominantly due to competitive interactions, herbivores and pathogen attacks, and ecological speciation. Future studies will need to include information on the phylogenetic history of plant traits.

scholarly journals Spatial swarm segregation and reproductive isolation between the molecular forms of Anopheles gambiae

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1676) ◽  
pp. 4215-4222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdoulaye Diabaté ◽  
Adama Dao ◽  
Alpha S. Yaro ◽  
Abdoulaye Adamou ◽  
Rodrigo Gonzalez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Anopheles Gambiae ◽  
Assortative Mating ◽  
Molecular Form ◽  
Mate Recognition ◽  
Spatial Segregation ◽  
Molecular Forms ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Ecological Criteria ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Anopheles gambiae , the major malaria vector in Africa, can be divided into two subgroups based on genetic and ecological criteria. These two subgroups, termed the M and S molecular forms, are believed to be incipient species. Although they display differences in the ecological niches they occupy in the field, they are often sympatric and readily hybridize in the laboratory to produce viable and fertile offspring. Evidence for assortative mating in the field was recently reported, but the underlying mechanisms awaited discovery. We studied swarming behaviour of the molecular forms and investigated the role of swarm segregation in mediating assortative mating. Molecular identification of 1145 males collected from 68 swarms in Donéguébougou, Mali, over 2 years revealed a strict pattern of spatial segregation, resulting in almost exclusively monotypic swarms with respect to molecular form. We found evidence of clustering of swarms composed of individuals of a single molecular form within the village. Tethered M and S females were introduced into natural swarms of the M form to verify the existence of possible mate recognition operating within-swarm. Both M and S females were inseminated regardless of their form under these conditions, suggesting no within-mate recognition. We argue that our results provide evidence that swarm spatial segregation strongly contributes to reproductive isolation between the molecular forms in Mali. However this does not exclude the possibility of additional mate recognition operating across the range distribution of the forms. We discuss the importance of spatial segregation in the context of possible geographic variation in mechanisms of reproductive isolation.

scholarly journals Effects of logging and recruitment on community phylogenetic structure in 32 permanent forest plots of Kampong Thom, Cambodia

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1662) ◽  
pp. 20140008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hironori Toyama ◽  
Tsuyoshi Kajisa ◽  
Shuichiro Tagane ◽  
Keiko Mase ◽  
Phourin Chhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Tropical Rainforest ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Illegal Logging ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Evergreen Forests ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Made In

Ecological communities including tropical rainforest are rapidly changing under various disturbances caused by increasing human activities. Recently in Cambodia, illegal logging and clear-felling for agriculture have been increasing. Here, we study the effects of logging, mortality and recruitment of plot trees on phylogenetic community structure in 32 plots in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. Each plot was 0.25 ha; 28 plots were established in primary evergreen forests and four were established in secondary dry deciduous forests. Measurements were made in 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2010, and logging, recruitment and mortality of each tree were recorded. We estimated phylogeny using rbcL and matK gene sequences and quantified phylogenetic α and β diversity. Within communities, logging decreased phylogenetic diversity, and increased overall phylogenetic clustering and terminal phylogenetic evenness. Between communities, logging increased phylogenetic similarity between evergreen and deciduous plots. On the other hand, recruitment had opposite effects both within and between communities. The observed patterns can be explained by environmental homogenization under logging. Logging is biased to particular species and larger diameter at breast height, and forest patrol has been effective in decreasing logging.

scholarly journals Roads as conduits of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic degradation in caatinga vegetation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayara Mesquita Mota ◽  
Markus Gastauer ◽  
Juan Fernando Carrión ◽  
João Augusto Alves Meira-Neto
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Maximum Diameter ◽  
Maximum Height ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Caatinga Vegetation ◽  
Phylogenetic Lineages ◽  
Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity

AbstractRoad networks cause disturbances that can alter the biodiversity and the functioning of the Caatinga ecosystems. We tested the hypotheses that (i) Caatinga vegetation near roads is less taxonomically, functionally and phylogenetically diverse, (ii) phylogenetically and functionally more clustered than vegetation further from roads, (iii) plant traits associated with herbivory deterrence are conserved within the phylogenetic lineages, and (iv) Caatinga vegetation near roads selects for disturbance-related traits. We sampled herbaceous and woody component of vegetation in four plots near roads and four plots further from roads to test these hypothesis. Sampled species were classified according to their resprouting capacity, nitrogen fixation, succulence/spines, urticancy/toxicity, lifeform, endozoochory, maximum height and maximum diameter, before we calculated the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of plant communities. Species richness, taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversities were lower in plots close to the roads, confirming roads as sources of disturbances. The phylogenetic structure of the Caatinga vegetation near roads was clustered, indicating environmental filtering by herbivory as the main pervasive disturbance in Caatinga ecosystems, since traits related to herbivory deterrence were conserved within phylogenetic lineages and were filtered in near roads. Thus, roads should be considered degradation conduits causing taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional impoverishment of Caatinga vegetation.

scholarly journals Ecological theory applied to environmental metabolomes reveals compositional divergence despite conserved molecular properties

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Danczak ◽  
Amy E. Goldman ◽  
Rosalie K. Chu ◽  
Jason G. Toyoda ◽  
Vanessa A. Garayburu-Caruso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Molecular Properties ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystem ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Ecological Concept ◽  
Metacommunity Ecology ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Dom Composition

AbstractStream and river systems transport and process substantial amounts of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from terrestrial and aquatic sources to the ocean, with global biogeochemical implications. However, the underlying mechanisms affecting the spatiotemporal organization of DOM composition are under-investigated. To understand the principles governing DOM composition, we leverage the recently proposed synthesis of metacommunity ecology and metabolomics, termed ‘meta-metabolome ecology.’ Applying this novel approach to a freshwater ecosystem, we demonstrated that despite similar molecular properties across metabolomes, metabolite identity significantly diverged due to environmental filtering. We refer to this phenomenon as ‘thermodynamic redundancy,’ which is analogous to the ecological concept of functional redundancy. We suggest that under thermodynamic redundancy, divergent metabolomes can support equivalent biogeochemical function just as divergent ecological communities can support equivalent ecosystem function. As these analyses are performed in additional ecosystems, potentially generalizable principles, like thermodynamic redundancy, can be revealed and provide insight into DOM dynamics.

scholarly journals Modelling Animal Interactive Rhythms in Communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 117693431882355
Author(s):  
Andrea Ravignani ◽  
Koen de Reus
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Animal Experiments ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Time is one crucial dimension conveying information in animal communication. Evolution has shaped animals’ nervous systems to produce signals with temporal properties fitting their socio-ecological niches. Many quantitative models of mechanisms underlying rhythmic behaviour exist, spanning insects, crustaceans, birds, amphibians, and mammals. However, these computational and mathematical models are often presented in isolation. Here, we provide an overview of the main mathematical models employed in the study of animal rhythmic communication among conspecifics. After presenting basic definitions and mathematical formalisms, we discuss each individual model. These computational models are then compared using simulated data to uncover similarities and key differences in the underlying mechanisms found across species. Our review of the empirical literature is admittedly limited. We stress the need of using comparative computer simulations – both before and after animal experiments – to better understand animal timing in interaction. We hope this article will serve as a potential first step towards a common computational framework to describe temporal interactions in animals, including humans.

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