Floristic Diversity and Distribution Patterns Along an Elevational Gradient in the Northern Part of the Ardabil Province Rangelands, Iran

We quantified the distribution and abundance of larvae of two species of caddisfly, Parapsyche elsis and Arctopsyche grandis (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae), at 8 sites along a 560-m elevational gradient and a 36-km longitudinal gradient in a pristine mountain stream. Both species are widely distributed throughout the northern Rocky Mountains and have similar 2-year life-spans, similar catch-nets, and similar microhabitat requirements. However, the reach-scale distribution patterns were distinctly dissimilar. Parapsyche elsis larvae were most abundant in the upper reaches of the study stream, while A. grandis larvae were found only in lower stream segments. We examined the correlation between the stream gradient and the environmental variables that likely influence the distributions of these insects: temperature, food quantity and quality, current velocity, and substratum cobble size. Only those variables relating to temperature (i.e., annual degree-days, summer maximum) correlated with stream elevational and longitudinal gradients. Laboratory examination revealed a relationship between zones of temperature independence in the metabolism-temperature response of both species, maximum summer temperatures in the stream, and distribution of the two species. We propose that the physiological response of these species to stream temperature, with resulting bioenergetics, is the probable mechanism structuring the stream distribution and abundance patterns of these species.

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Distributional Patterns of Aquatic Empididae (Diptera) along an Elevational Diversity Gradient in a Low Mountain Range: An Example from Central Europe

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12020165 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 165

Author(s):

Iwona Słowińska ◽

Radomir Jaskuła

Keyword(s):

Central Europe ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Mountain Range ◽

Diversity Pattern ◽

Diversity Gradient ◽

Mean Width ◽

Low Mountain Range ◽

Predatory Insects

The two subfamilies Hemerodromiinae and Clinocerinae, also known as aquatic dance flies, are a group of small predatory insects occurring mainly in mountainous areas and the northern temperate. However, very little is known about distribution patterns for most of the species. Habitat preferences for 40 aquatic empidid species were analysed in the Pieniny Mts., Poland. Forty-six sampling sites from a major part of this relatively low mountain massif (400–770 m) were chosen, for which 17 micro and macrohabitat environmental variables were measured including both abiotic (altitude, stream mean width and depth, and shading) and biotic factors (13 dominant plant communities). Here we show that numerous studied aquatic Empididae were characterized by unique habitat preferences and were restricted to the foothills or the lower montane zone with only a few species characterized by wider elevational distribution. Chelifera pectinicauda, C. flavella, C. subangusta and Phyllodromia melanocephala (Hemerodromiinae), and Clinocera appendiculata, C. fontinalis, C. wesmaeli, Dolichocephala guttata, D. oblongoguttata, Kowarzia plectrum, Wiedemannia jazdzewskii, and W. thienemanni (Clinocerinae) were clearly associated with the highest altitudes and shaded areas while W. bistigma, W. lamellata, W. phantasma, and W. tricuspidata (Clinocerinae) were clearly associated with the lower elevated, wider stream valleys overgrown by willow brakes. Species richness and diversity decreased along elevational gradient with the hump-shaped diversity pattern noted for the subfamily Clinocerinae. The altitude, size of river/stream as well as the type of plant community were found as the most important factors in the distribution of the studied aquatic empidid species. The present study is the first one focused on elevational diversity gradient and habitat preferences of Hemerodromiinae and Clinocerinae of central Europe, and one of only a few in the world.

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Myco- and photobiont associations in crustose lichens in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) reveal high differentiation along an elevational gradient

10.1101/718262 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Monika Wagner ◽

Arne C. Bathke ◽

Craig Cary ◽

Robert R. Junker ◽

Wolfgang Trutschnig ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Water Availability ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Mcmurdo Dry Valleys ◽

Bipartite Network ◽

Dry Valleys ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Crustose Lichens

AbstractThe climate conditions of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (78° S) are characterized by low temperatures and low precipitation. The annual temperatures at the valley bottoms have a mean range from −30 °C to −15 °C and decrease with elevation. Precipitation occurs mostly in form of snow (3-50 mm a−1 water equivalent) and, liquid water is rare across much of the landscape for most of the year and represents the primary limitation to biological activity. Snow delivered off the polar plateau by drainage winds, dew and humidity provided by clouds and fog are important water sources for rock inhibiting crustose lichens. In addition, the combination of the extremely low humidity and drying caused by foehn winds, confined to lower areas of the valleys, with colder and moister air at higher altitudes creates a strongly improving water availability gradient with elevation.We investigated the diversity and interaction specificity of myco-/photobiont associations of a total of 232 crustose lichen specimens, collected along an elevational gradient (171-959 m a.s.l.) within the McMurdo Dry Valleys with regard to the spatial distribution caused by climatological and geographical factors. For the identification of the mycobiont and photobiont species three markers each were amplified (nrITS, mtSSU, RPB1 and nrITS, psbJ-L, COX2, respectivley). Elevation, associated with a water availability gradient, turned out to be the key factor explaining most of the distribution patterns of the mycobionts. Pairwise comparisons showed Lecidea cancriformis and Rhizoplaca macleanii to be significantly more common at higher, and Carbonea vorticosa and Lecidea polypycnidophora at lower, elevations. Lichen photobionts were dominated by the globally distributed Trebouxia OTU, Tr_A02 which occurred at all habitats. Network specialization resulting from mycobiont-photobiont bipartite network structure varied with elevation and associated abiotic factors.Along an elevational gradient, the spatial distribution, diversity and genetic variability of the lichen symbionts appear to be mainly influenced by improved water relations at higher altitudes.

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Deciphering belowground nitrifier assemblages with elevational soil sampling in a subtropical forest ecosystem (Mount Lu, China)

FEMS Microbiology Ecology ◽

10.1093/femsec/fiz197 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 96 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Shun Han ◽

Shuang Tan ◽

Achen Wang ◽

Wenli Chen ◽

Qiaoyun Huang

Keyword(s):

Forest Ecosystem ◽

Ammonia Oxidation ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Variance Partitioning ◽

Subtropical Forest ◽

Elevational Gradients ◽

Oxidation Activity ◽

Soil Variables

ABSTRACT The elevational distribution patterns of microbial functional groups have long been attracting scientific interest. Ammonia-oxidizers (ammonia-oxidizing archaea [AOA] and bacteria [AOB]), complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) Nitrospira and nitrite-oxidizers (e.g. Nitrobacter and Nitrospira) play crucial roles in the nitrogen cycle, yet their activities and abundances in response to elevational gradients in a subtropical forest ecosystem remain unclear. Here, we investigated the distribution of potential functions and abundances of these nitrifiers in forest soils along elevational gradients on Mount Lu, China. Our results showed that AOA and Nitrospira abundance was higher than that of their counterparts. Only AOA, Nitrobacter and comammox Nitrospira abundances followed a hump-backed-model with altitude. Soil potential ammonia-oxidation activity (PAO) and nitrite-oxidation activity (PNO) ranged from 0.003 to 0.084 and 0.34 to 0.53 μg NO2−-N g−1 dry soil h−1, respectively. The biotic (AOA, Nitrobacter, Nitrospira and comammox Nitrospira abundances) and abiotic factors (soil variables) jointly affected PAO, whereas the abiotic factors were mainly responsible for PNO. Variance partitioning analysis showed that contemporary environmental disturbance is the most important driver for the biogeography of nitrifier assemblages. Overall, our findings indicate that forest soil nitrifier assemblages exhibit a biogeographic pattern largely shaped by soil chemistry along an elevational gradient.

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Myco- and photobiont associations in crustose lichens in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) reveal high differentiation along an elevational gradient

Polar Biology ◽

10.1007/s00300-020-02754-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (12) ◽

pp. 1967-1983

Author(s):

Monika Wagner ◽

Arne C. Bathke ◽

S. Craig Cary ◽

T. G. Allan Green ◽

Robert R. Junker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Factors ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Mcmurdo Dry Valleys ◽

Bipartite Network ◽

Dry Valleys ◽

Continental Antarctica ◽

Key Factor ◽

Crustose Lichens ◽

Globally Distributed

AbstractClimatically extreme regions such as the polar deserts of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (78° S) in Continental Antarctica are key areas for a better understanding of changes in ecosystems. Therefore, it is particularly important to analyze and communicate current patterns of biodiversity in these sensitive areas, where precipitation mostly occurs in form of snow and liquid water is rare. Humidity provided by dew, clouds, and fog are the main water sources, especially for rock-dwelling crustose lichens as one of the most common vegetation-forming organisms. We investigated the diversity and interaction specificity of myco-/photobiont associations of 232 crustose lichen specimens, collected along an elevational gradient (171–959 m a.s.l.) within the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The mycobiont species and photobiont OTUs were identified by using three markers each (nrITS, mtSSU, RPB1, and nrITS, psbJ-L, COX2). Elevation, positively associated with water availability, turned out to be the key factor explaining most of the distribution patterns of the mycobionts. Pairwise comparisons showed Lecidea cancriformis and Rhizoplaca macleanii to be significantly more common at higher elevations and Carbonea vorticosa and Lecidea polypycnidophora at lower elevations. Lichen photobionts were dominated by the globally distributed Trebouxia OTU, Tr_A02 which occurred at all habitats. Network specialization resulting from myco-/photobiont bipartite network structure varied with elevation and associated abiotic factors. Along an elevational gradient, the spatial distribution, diversity, and genetic variability of the lichen symbionts appear to be mainly influenced by improved water relations at higher altitudes.

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The species richness of nonvolant mammals in Shennongjia Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China: distribution patterns along elevational gradient

Biodiversity Science ◽

10.17520/biods.2003001 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Yiming Li ◽

MA Yong ◽

YANG Jin-Yuan ◽

YANG Yu-Hui ◽

XU Long ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Hubei Province

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Iron islands in the Amazon: investigating plant beta diversity of canga outcrops

PhytoKeys ◽

10.3897/phytokeys.165.54819 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 165 ◽

pp. 1-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Caroline Oliveira Andrino ◽

Rafael Gomes Barbosa-Silva ◽

Juliana Lovo ◽

Pedro Lage Viana ◽

Marcelo Freire Moro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vascular Plants ◽

Multivariate Analyses ◽

Species Turnover ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Amazon Rainforest ◽

Species Number ◽

Geographical Distance ◽

Floristic Diversity ◽

Large Subgroup ◽

Total Species

The world’s largest mineral iron province, Serra dos Carajás, is home to an open vegetation known as canga, found on top of isolated outcrops rising out of the Amazon rainforest. Over one thousand vascular plants species have been recorded in these canga sites, including 38 edaphic endemics. A new survey adds to our investigation of biogeographic relationships between sixteen canga outcrops and the effect of the distance between site pairs on the number of shared species, regional species turnover and species distribution patterns. Plant collecting expeditions to the westernmost site, the Serra de Campos of São Félix do Xingu (SFX), were carried out followed by the identification of all collected specimens and the creation of a species database, built to perform biogeographical analyses. Floristic relationships among the sites were investigated regarding their similarity, using multivariate analyses. The correlation between canga areas and species richness was tested, as well as the geographical distance between pairs of outcrops and their shared species. Vascular plants at SFX total 254 species including 17 edaphic endemics. All canga sites are grouped with 25% of minimum similarity, and the SFX falls within a large subgroup of outcrops. The total species number shared between site pairs does not change significantly with geographical distance but is positively correlated with the area of each outcrop. Meanwhile, shared endemic species numbers between site pairs decline when geographical distance increases, possibly imposed by the barrier of the rainforest. Our data suggest higher shared similarity between the largest and species-richest sites as opposed to geographically nearby sites, and provide useful insight for drafting conservation and compensation measures for canga locations. The size of the canga outcrops is associated to higher floristic diversity but connectivity among islands also plays a role in their similarity.

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Altitudinal gradients in Magellanic sub-Antarctic lagoons: the effect of elevation on freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and distribution

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.7128 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e7128 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Javier Rendoll Cárcamo ◽

Tamara Contador ◽

Melisa Gañán ◽

Carolina Pérez Troncoso ◽

Alan Maldonado Márquez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Group Structure ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Landscape Composition ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Watershed Scale ◽

Altitudinal Gradients ◽

Mountain Ranges

Background The study of altitudinal gradients provides insights about species diversity, distribution patterns and related drivers. The Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion has a steep elevational gradient, peaking at around 1,000 m a.s.l., and marked changes in temperature and landscape composition can be observed over relatively short distances. Methods This study assessed freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity associated with lakes and ponds along the altitudinal gradient of a Magellanic sub-Antarctic watershed. Results A monotonic decline in species richness was observed with increasing elevation, with simpler and more even community composition at higher altitude. This pattern differs from the mid-peak trend found in streams of the same watershed. Functional feeding group structure also diminished with increasing elevation. Discussion The study provides a descriptive baseline of macroinvertebrate community structure associated with lentic freshwater ecosystems in the Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion, and confirms that elevation has substantial effects on community structure, function and environmental features, even in these relatively low elevation mountain ranges. The harsh environmental conditions of this ecoregion increase freshwater macroinvertebrate development time, as well as decreasing habitat availability and food supply, supporting simple but well adapted communities. In conjunction with previous research, this study provides a watershed-scale platform of information underpinning future long-term research in the region.

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