scholarly journals Climatic drivers of dry grassland phylogenetic diversity in the Republic of Macedonia

2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-34
Author(s):  
Marco Antonio Batalha ◽  
Renata Ćušterevska ◽  
Vlado Matevski

Abstract Climatic gradients can be used to predict the extent to which climate drives biodiversity and to which biodiversity may be affected by global climate changes. Climate and evolutionary history are linked by the ecological adaptations of species and the history of Earth’s climate. If so, phylogenetic diversity may be a good metric to estimate biodiversity. We aimed to test whether the phylogenetic diversity of Macedonian dry grasslands was related to climatic variables. We sampled 575 plots, identifying the species and building a phylogenetic tree for them. We calculated two metrics of phylogenetic diversity and regressed them against climatic variables. We also tested whether there were nodes in the tree responsible for the main observed spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity. We found a strong signature of evolutionary history in species sorting across a gradient driven by climate in Macedonian dry grasslands. First, the amount of evolutionary history decreased towards drier and more seasonal climates, suggesting a phylogenetic niche conservatism. Second, there was an air temperature filter and a temperature seasonality filter, acting in opposite directions and leading to phylogenetic clustering. Third, there were few nodes in the phylogenetic tree with high degrees of allopatry, associated with clades that differed not only in their geographic distribution, but also in their climatic preferences. Macedonian dry grassland communities developed over centuries of traditional land use but are threatened nowadays by human activities. The use of phylogenetic approaches may lead to more effective conservation policies and help us preserve this highly diverse vegetation.

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8683
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Lazzaro ◽  
Lorenzo Lastrucci ◽  
Daniele Viciani ◽  
Renato Benesperi ◽  
Vincenzo Gonnelli ◽  
...  

We studied the secondary succession in semi-natural grasslands (dry grasslands and hay meadows) located in the eastern side of the Tuscan Apennines (Tuscany, Central Italy). We compared these habitats, investigating: (i) the changes in species richness, composition and phylogenetic diversity during the succession; (ii) whether the trends in species loss and species turnover in taxonomic diversity matched those in phylogenetic diversity. We performed a stratified random sampling, in a full factorial design between habitat type and succession stage (60 sampled plots, 10 × 2 types of habitat × 3 stages of succession). We constructed a phylogenetic tree of the plant communities and compared the differences in taxonomic/phylogenetic α- and β-diversity between these two habitats and during their succession. We identified indicator species for each succession stage and habitat. Looking at α-diversity, both habitats displayed a decrease in species richness, with a random process of species selection in the earlier succession stages from the species regional pool. Nevertheless, in the latter stage of dry grasslands we recorded a shift towards phylogenetic overdispersion at the higher-level groups in the phylogenetic tree. In both habitats, while the richness decreased with succession stage, most species were replaced during the succession. However, the hay meadows were characterized by a higher rate of new species’ ingression whereas the dry grasslands became dominated with Juniperus communis. Accordingly, the two habitats showed similar features in phylogenetic β-diversity. The main component was true phylogenetic turnover, due to replacement of unique lineages along the succession. Nevertheless, in dry grasslands this trend is slightly higher than expected considering the major importance of difference in species richness of dry grasslands sites and this is due to the presence of a phylogenetically very distant species (J. communis).


Author(s):  
Andreas Fleischmann

Systematics and evolution of Genlisea (corkscrew plants) (Lentibulariaceae) are treated. Vegetative and generative morphology of the plants, and anatomy of their rhizophylls (‘root-leaves’) that function as sophisticated eel traps are explained and illustrated. A simplified phylogenetic tree and a detailed distribution map are provided, and the evolutionary history, including genome and karyotype evolution, and phylobiogeography of the 30 currently known species of Genlisea are discussed.


Author(s):  
Andreas Fleischmann ◽  
Aymeric Roccia

Systematics and evolution of Pinguicula (butterworts) (Lentibulariaceae) are treated. Vegetative and generative morphology of the genus are illustrated and interpreted in the light of available phylogenetic evidence. A new infrageneric classification is proposed for Pinguicula; a simplified phylogenetic tree and detailed distribution maps are provided. Evolutionary history and phylobiogeography are briefly discussed together with the habitats, ecology, and conservation of the genus.


Author(s):  
Pontus Lurcock ◽  
Fabio Florindo

Antarctic climate changes have been reconstructed from ice and sediment cores and numerical models (which also predict future changes). Major ice sheets first appeared 34 million years ago (Ma) and fluctuated throughout the Oligocene, with an overall cooling trend. Ice volume more than doubled at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary. Fluctuating Miocene temperatures peaked at 17–14 Ma, followed by dramatic cooling. Cooling continued through the Pliocene and Pleistocene, with another major glacial expansion at 3–2 Ma. Several interacting drivers control Antarctic climate. On timescales of 10,000–100,000 years, insolation varies with orbital cycles, causing periodic climate variations. Opening of Southern Ocean gateways produced a circumpolar current that thermally isolated Antarctica. Declining atmospheric CO2 triggered Cenozoic glaciation. Antarctic glaciations affect global climate by lowering sea level, intensifying atmospheric circulation, and increasing planetary albedo. Ice sheets interact with ocean water, forming water masses that play a key role in global ocean circulation.


The Condor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natália Stefanini Da Silveira ◽  
Maurício Humberto Vancine ◽  
Alex E Jahn ◽  
Marco Aurélio Pizo ◽  
Thadeu Sobral-Souza

Abstract Bird migration patterns are changing worldwide due to current global climate changes. Addressing the effects of such changes on the migration of birds in South America is particularly challenging because the details about how birds migrate within the Neotropics are generally not well understood. Here, we aim to infer the potential effects of future climate change on breeding and wintering areas of birds that migrate within South America by estimating the size and elevations of their future breeding and wintering areas. We used occurrence data from species distribution databases (VertNet and GBIF), published studies, and eBird for 3 thrush species (Turdidae; Turdus nigriceps, T. subalaris, and T. flavipes) that breed and winter in different regions of South America and built ecological niche models using ensemble forecasting approaches to infer current and future potential distributions throughout the breeding and wintering periods of each species. Our findings point to future shifts in wintering and breeding areas, mainly through elevational and longitudinal changes. Future breeding areas for T. nigriceps, which migrates along the Andes Mountains, will be displaced to the west, while breeding displacements to the east are expected for the other 2 species. An overall loss in the size of future wintering areas was also supported for 2 of the species, especially for T. subalaris, but an increase is anticipated for T. flavipes. Our results suggest that future climate change in South America will require that species shift their breeding and wintering areas to higher elevations in addition to changes in their latitudes and longitude. Our findings are the first to show how future climate change may affect migratory birds in South America throughout the year and suggest that even closely related migratory birds in South America will be affected in different ways, depending on the regions where they breed and overwinter.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 500
Author(s):  
Lianwei Li ◽  
Yangfeng Xu ◽  
Cunjin Xue ◽  
Yuxuan Fu ◽  
Yuanyu Zhang

It is important to consider where, when, and how the evolution of sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) plays significant roles in regional or global climate changes. In the comparison of where and when, there is a great challenge in clearly describing how SSTA evolves in space and time. In light of the evolution from generation, through development, and to the dissipation of SSTA, this paper proposes a novel approach to identifying an evolution of SSTA in space and time from a time-series of a raster dataset. This method, called PoAIES, includes three key steps. Firstly, a cluster-based method is enhanced to explore spatiotemporal clusters of SSTA, and each cluster of SSTA at a time snapshot is taken as a snapshot object of SSTA. Secondly, the spatiotemporal topologies of snapshot objects of SSTA at successive time snapshots are used to link snapshot objects of SSTA into an evolution object of SSTA, which is called a process object. Here, a linking threshold is automatically determined according to the overlapped areas of the snapshot objects, and only those snapshot objects that meet the specified linking threshold are linked together into a process object. Thirdly, we use a graph-based model to represent a process object of SSTA. A node represents a snapshot object of SSTA, and an edge represents an evolution between two snapshot objects. Using a number of child nodes from an edge’s parent node and a number of parent nodes from the edge’s child node, a type of edge (an evolution relationship) is identified, which shows its development, splitting, merging, or splitting/merging. Finally, an experiment on a simulated dataset is used to demonstrate the effectiveness and the advantages of PoAIES, and a real dataset of satellite-SSTA is used to verify the rationality of PoAIES with the help of ENSO’s relevant knowledge, which may provide new references for global change research.


2006 ◽  
Vol 411 (2) ◽  
pp. 1485-1488 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. I. Mokhov ◽  
A. V. Chernokulsky ◽  
I. M. Shkolnik

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
Leonid N. Vladimirov ◽  
Grigory N. Machakhtyrov ◽  
Varvara A. Machakhtyrova ◽  
Albertus S. Louw ◽  
Netrananda Sahu ◽  
...  

Climate change is affecting human health worldwide. In particular, changes to local and global climate parameters influence vector and water-borne diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and tick-borne encephalitis. The Republic of Sakha in northern Russia is no exception. Long-term trends of increasing annual temperatures and thawing permafrost have corresponded with the northward range expansion of tick-species in the Republic. Indigenous communities living in these remote areas may be severely affected by human and livestock diseases introduced by disease vectors like ticks. To better understand the risk of vector-borne diseases in Sakha, we aimed to describe the increase and spatial spread of tick-bite cases in the Republic. Between 2000 and 2018, the frequency of tick bite cases increased 40-fold. At the start of the period, only isolated cases were reported in southern districts, but by 2018, tick bites had been reported in 21 districts in the Republic. This trend coincides with a noticeable increase in the average annual temperature in the region since the 2000s by an average of 1 °C. Maps illustrate the northward spread of tick-bite cases. A negative binomial regression model was used to correlate the increase in cases with a number of climate parameters. Tick bite case frequency per district was significantly explained by average annual temperature, average temperature in the coldest month of the year, the observation year, as well as Selyaninov’s hydrothermal coefficient. These findings contribute to the growing literature that describe the relationship between tick abundance and spread in Northern Latitudes and changes in temperatures and moisture. Future studies might use these and similar results to map and identify areas at risk of infestation by ticks, as climates continue to change in Sakha.


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