scholarly journals Diversity and associations between coastal habitats and anurans in southernmost Brazil

2013 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 575-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAURO C.L.M. OLIVEIRA ◽  
MAURICIO B. DOS SANTOS ◽  
DANIEL LOEBMANN ◽  
ALEXANDRE HARTMAN ◽  
ALEXANDRO M. TOZETTI
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Thermal Variation ◽  
Environmental Filter ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Drift Fence ◽  
Pampa Biome ◽  
The Relationship

This study aimed to verify the relationship between habitat and the composition of anuran species in dune and restinga habitats in southernmost Brazil. The habitats were sampled between April 2009 and March 2010 using pitfalls with drift fence. We have captured 13,508 individuals of 12 anuran species. Species richness was lower in the dunes and dominance was higher in the resting. Apparently the less complex plant cover, water availability, and wide daily thermal variation in dunes act as an environmental filter for frogs. This hypothesis is reinforced by the fact that the most abundant species (Physalaemus biligonigerus and Odonthoprynus maisuma) bury themselves in the sand, minimizing these environmental stresses. Despite being in the Pampa biome, the studied community was more similar to those of coastal restinga environment of southeast Brazil than with other of the Pampa biome. The number of recorded species is similar to those observed in other open habitats in Brazil, showing the importance of adjacent ones to the shoreline for the maintenance of the diversity of anurans in southernmost Brazil.

scholarly journals Plant structure predicts leaf litter capture in the tropical montane bromeliad Tillandsia turneri

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 686-691
Author(s):  
F. Ospina-Bautista ◽  
J. V. Estévez Varón
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Akaike Information Criterion ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Information Criterion ◽  
Plant Structure ◽  
Litter Accumulation ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Leaves intercepted by bromeliads become an important energy and matter resource for invertebrate communities, bacteria, fungi, and the plant itself. The relationship between bromeliad structure, defined as its size and complexity, and accumulated leaf litter was studied in 55 bromeliads of Tillandsia turneri through multiple regression and the Akaike information criterion. Leaf litter accumulation in bromeliads was best explained by size and complexity variables such as plant cover, sheath length, and leaf number. In conclusion, plant structure determines the amount of litter that enters bromeliads, and changes in its structure could affect important processes within ecosystem functioning or species richness.

DIVERSIDAD DE REPTILES DE LA LAGUNA EL QUELELE EN NAYARIT, MÉXICO

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juana Naggai Fuentes-Castrejón ◽  
Adrián Maldonado-Gasca
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Ecological Indices ◽  
Biological Value ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Total Species ◽  
Risk Categories

<p>Mexico is considered a megadiverse country, ranking second worldwide in reptile diversity. To determine the spatial and temporal variation of the reptile assemblage in El Quelele lagoon in Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit (20°43’N and 105° 17’W), we realized transects of 500 m<sup>2</sup> for three different types of vegetation (mangrove, marshes and thorn forest) during two seasons (Dry and Rainy), We calculate the ecological indices (Shannon, Simpson and Pielou) and the biological value index. We report 19 species, representing 21.5% of the total species reported in Nayarit. The most abundant species were <em>Anolis nebulosus</em>, <em>Holcosus undulata</em> and <em>Iguana iguana</em>. Four species (21%) are endemic to Mexico, and nine species (47%) are registered within at-risk categories. Mangroves had the highest species richness (13 spp.), followed by marshes (9 spp.) and finally the thorn forest (5 spp.). Diversity was highest during the dry season within mangroves (H’=2.93) and in the marshes (1-D=0.93), which may be related to water availability. This study provides a foundation for reptile conservation in this area.</p>

scholarly journals Diversity of Epibionts Associated with Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz 1829) Sea Turtles Nesting in the Mexican South Pacific

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1734
Author(s):  
Brenda Sarahí Ramos-Rivera ◽  
Himmer Castro-Mondragon ◽  
José Gabriel Kuk-Dzul ◽  
Pedro Flores-Rodríguez ◽  
Rafael Flores-Garza
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
First Record ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Interspecific Relationships ◽  
Lepidochelys Olivacea ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Head Neck

The present study contributes to the knowledge of epibionts recorded on sea turtles that nested on a beach in the South Pacific of Mexico. A total of 125 Lepidochelys olivacea turtles nested on Llano Real beach, Guerrero, Mexico, were examined. We collected 450 conspicuous organisms from 8 species from 43 turtles. The corresponding data analysis was carried out to obtain the relative abundance, the relationship between turtle sizes and the presence of organisms, the similarity of species between the sampling months, and the interspecific relationships between the epibionts and the turtles observed. Chelonibia testudinaria was the most abundant species, while Remora remora was the least abundant species. The turtles were divided into six body sections, with the greatest abundance of these organisms located in the head–neck section of turtles, and there was a significant difference in the size of the turtles that presented epibionts and those that did not. C. testudinaria showed greater similarity between sampling months, and the interspecific relationships recorded were commensalism, parasitism, amensalism, and protocooperation. This research contributes the first record of epibionts in L. olivacea nesting in Guerrero, Mexico.

scholarly journals Relationships between resource availability and elevation vary between metrics creating gradients of nutritional complexity

Oecologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 195 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-223
Author(s):  
Mark A. Lee ◽  
Grace Burger ◽  
Emma R. Green ◽  
Pepijn W. Kooij
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Mineral Contents ◽  
Nutritive Values ◽  
Animal Community ◽  
Nutritional Chemistry ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractPlant and animal community composition changes at higher elevations on mountains. Plant and animal species richness generally declines with elevation, but the shape of the relationship differs between taxa. There are several proposed mechanisms, including the productivity hypotheses; that declines in available plant biomass confers fewer resources to consumers, thus supporting fewer species. We investigated resource availability as we ascended three aspects of Helvellyn mountain, UK, measuring several plant nutritive metrics, plant species richness and biomass. We observed a linear decline in plant species richness as we ascended the mountain but there was a unimodal relationship between plant biomass and elevation. Generally, the highest biomass values at mid-elevations were associated with the lowest nutritive values, except mineral contents which declined with elevation. Intra-specific and inter-specific increases in nutritive values nearer the top and bottom of the mountain indicated that physiological, phenological and compositional mechanisms may have played a role. The shape of the relationship between resource availability and elevation was different depending on the metric. Many consumers actively select or avoid plants based on their nutritive values and the abundances of consumer taxa vary in their relationships with elevation. Consideration of multiple nutritive metrics and of the nutritional requirements of the consumer may provide a greater understanding of changes to plant and animal communities at higher elevations. We propose a novel hypothesis for explaining elevational diversity gradients, which warrants further study; the ‘nutritional complexity hypothesis’, where consumer species coexist due to greater variation in the nutritional chemistry of plants.

scholarly journals Sheep nemabiome diversity and its response to anthelmintic treatment in Swedish sheep herds

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Halvarsson ◽  
Johan Höglund
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Anthelmintic Treatment ◽  
Host Age ◽  
Larval Culture ◽  
Nematode Parasites ◽  
South Central ◽  
Nematode Diversity

Abstract Background A novel way to study the species composition and diversity of nematode parasites in livestock is to perform deep sequencing on composite samples containing a mixture of different species. Herein we describe for the first time the nematode community structures (nemabiomes) inhabiting Swedish sheep and how these are/were affected by host age and recent anthelmintic treatments. Methods A total of 158 fecal samples were collected (n = 35 in 2007 and n = 123 in 2013–2016) and cultured from groups of sheep on 61 commercial farms in the south-central part of the country where most animals are grazed. Among the samples, 2 × 44 (56%) were paired collections from the same groups pre- and post-treatment with anthelmintics such as macrocyclic lactones, benzimidazoles or levamisole. Samples were analyzed for their nemabiome using the PacBio platform followed by bioinformatic sequence analysis with SCATA. Species richness and diversity were calculated and analyzed in R. Results Nematode ITS2 sequences were found in all larval culture samples except two, even though the fecal egg counts were below the McMaster threshold in 20 samples. Sequencing yielded, on average, 1008 sequences per sample. In total, 16 operational taxonomical units (OTU), all with ≥ 98 % identity to sequences in the NCBI database, were recognized. The OTUs found represented nematode species of which ten are commonly associated with sheep. Multiple species were identified in all pre-anthelmintic treatment larval culture samples. No effects on nematode diversity were found in relation to host age. On the other hand, recent anthelmintic treatment lowered species richness, especially after use of ivermectin and albendazole. Interestingly, despite zero egg counts after use of levamisole, these samples still contained nematode DNA and especially H. contortus. Conclusions Our findings provide evidence that nemabiome analysis combined with diversity index analysis provides an objective methodology in the study of the efficacy of anthelmintic treatment as both high and low abundant species were detected.

scholarly journals Facilitation Effects of Haloxylon salicornicum Shrubs on Associated Understory Annuals, and a Modified “Stress-Gradient” Hypothesis for Droughty Times

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1726
Author(s):  
Nasr H. Gomaa ◽  
Ahmad K. Hegazy ◽  
Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Stress Gradient ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Annual Species ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Haloxylon Salicornicum

Perennial shrub-annual plant interactions play key roles in desert regions influencing the structure and dynamics of plant communities there. In the present study, carried out in northwestern Saudi Arabia, we examined the effect of Haloxylon salicornicum shrubs on their associated understory annual species across four consecutive growing seasons, along with a record of the seasonal rainfall patterns. We measured density and species richness of all the annual species in permanent quadrats located beneath individual shrubs, as well as in the spaces between shrubs. During wet growing season H. salicornicum shrubs significantly enhanced the density and species richness of sub-canopy species, whereas in the relatively dry seasons they exerted negative effects on the associated species. In all growing seasons, the presence of shrubs was associated with enhanced soil properties, including increased organic carbon content, silt + clay, and levels of nutrients (N, P and K). Shrubs improved soil moisture content beneath their canopies in the wet growing season, while in the dry seasons they had negative effects on water availability. Differences in effects of H. salicornicum on understory plants between growing seasons seem due to the temporal changes in the impact of shrubs on water availability. Our results suggest the facilitative effects of shrubs on sub-canopy annuals in arid ecosystems may switch to negative effects with increasing drought stress. We discuss the study in light of recent refinements of the well-known “stress-gradient hypothesis”.

scholarly journals Roles of Spatial Scale and Rarity on the Relationship between Butterfly Species Richness and Human Density in South Africa

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. e0124327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Mecenero ◽  
Res Altwegg ◽  
Jonathan F. Colville ◽  
Colin M. Beale
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Butterfly Species ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Human Density

scholarly journals Composition and diversity of anurans in the Restinga of the Conde municipality, northern coast of the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Augusto Trindade Gondim-Silva ◽  
Alessandra Rodrigues Santos Andrade ◽  
Rafael Oliveira Abreu ◽  
Jamile Santos Nascimento ◽  
Geovane Paixão Corrêa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
The State ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Freshwater Wetland ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Anuran Species

Abstract The Conde municipality is located in the northern coast of the state of Bahia (NC), northeastern Brazil, and is part of the Atlantic Tropical domain. The anuran fauna of the northern portion of the NC is still poorly known if compared to the southern portion. The Restinga is one of the predominant environments of the coastal plains of the NC and it is characterized essentially by presenting sandy soil covered by herbaceous and shrubby vegetation. The objective of this study was to determine the anuran species composition and diversity for the Restinga of the Conde municipality. Sampling was carried out at night by active search over four periods of five consecutive days each, two over the 'main rainy season' and two in a 'lesser rainy season', using 14 sample units (SUs) and five extra sample plots (EPs). We calculated dominance and species diversity using the Berger-Parker and Shannon-Wiener H' indices, respectively. We used accumulation curves and the Jackknife 1 estimator to estimate anuran species richness, considering only the data obtained from the SUs. We recorded 713 anuran specimens distributed within 33 species, 13 genera and five families (Bufonidae, Craugastoridae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae and Microhylidae). The Hylidae and Leptodactylidae families had the highest species richness. Considering only the SUs (Jackknife 1 estimator in brackets), we recorded 28 species in the study area (33.9 ± 2.3), 13 in Shrubby Vegetation Zones - SVZ (20.8 ± 2.9) and 25 in Freshwater Wetland Zones - FWZ (28.9 ± 1.9). The abundance and species diversity of the FWZ (n = 638 specimens; H'= 2.4) were higher than those recorded for the SVZ (n = 52 specimens; H' = 1.9). The SVZ and FWZ showed distinct dominant species, wherein Pristimantis paulodutrai was the dominant species in SVZ and Scinax fuscomarginatus in FWZ. The Restinga of the Conde municipality stands out as the one with the highest anuran species richness already recorded considering only SVZ and FWZ. Moreover, its anuran species composition represented 55% of the anuran species known for the NC and included taxa common to three different morphoclimatic domains (Tropical Atlantic, Cerrado and Caatinga).

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