scholarly journals Geographic Pattern of Bryophyte Species Richness in China: The Influence of Environment and Evolutionary History

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaotong Song ◽  
Wenzhuo Fang ◽  
Xiulian Chi ◽  
Xiaoming Shao ◽  
Qinggang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Geographic Pattern ◽  
Geographical Pattern ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Path Analyses ◽  
Elevational Range

How contemporary environment interacts with macroevolutionary processes to generate the geographic pattern of bryophyte species is still unresolved. China is very rich in bryophytes, with more than 3,000 bryophytes covering 70% of the families in the world. In this study, we assessed the effects of the contemporary environment (average temperature of the coldest season TCQ, precipitation of the warmest season PWQ, and elevational range) and the recent diversification rates (estimated as mean species number per genus, MSG) on the geographical pattern of species richness for bryophytes and two groups (i.e., liverworts and mosses) in China. We compiled the provincial level distribution of bryophyte species and estimated the geographic pattern of the recent diversification rate by MSG for species in China. Univariate, multivariate regressions and path model analyses were used to assess the relationships between species richness, MSG, and their potential environmental drivers. Species richness of all bryophytes and liverworts significantly increased with the increase of MSG, either in regressions or path analyses, indicating that provinces with high bryophyte richness were mainly inhabited by species (especially liverworts) from lineages with particularly high MSG. In contrast, the species richness of mosses was insignificantly decreased with MSG in univariate regression or insignificantly increased with MSG in path analysis. Both species richness and MSG of all bryophytes and liverworts increased with the increase in energy and water availability. In contrast, for mosses, the species richness significantly increased with the increase of energy and water availability, while MSG decreased with the increase of energy and water availability. The MSG of liverworts increase with the increase of elevational range but the MSG of mosses decrease with the increase of elevational range. Our study suggests that the humid tropical and subtropical mountains in China are not only diversity hotspots for bryophytes, but also cradles for high recent diversification of liverworts, and refuges for mosses to hold many monotypic and oligotypic genera.

scholarly journals A Sequential Path Model Testing: Emotional Intelligence, Resilient Coping and Self-Esteem as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms during Unemployment

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 697
Author(s):  
María Angeles Peláez-Fernández ◽  
Lourdes Rey ◽  
Natalio Extremera
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Path Analyses ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

The unemployment rate has dramatically increased in southern Europe in the last decade. Although it is well-known that unemployment impairs mental health, the specific roles of personal resources like emotional intelligence (EI) and potential underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Prior studies have shown that resilience and self-esteem are mediators in the link between EI and mental health. The present study aims to bridge these gaps by testing a sequential path model. Specifically, we propose that EI is associated with lower depressive symptoms, which is explained by higher resilient coping strategies and a resulting increased self-esteem among unemployed individuals. A sample of Spanish unemployed persons completed measures of EI, resilience, self-esteem and depression. The results showed that higher levels of EI were positively associated with resilience and self-esteem and negatively related to depressive symptoms. Path analyses showed that resilience and self-esteem mediated the relation between EI and depression in sequence. These findings suggest that EI plays a key role in promoting mental health and provide preliminary evidence regarding potential mechanisms through which EI contributes to mental health during unemployment. Implications for assessing the absence of these positive resources in developing effective job search programs geared toward promoting mental health and re-employment are discussed.

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 Anurans of the Parque Estadual do Mirador, a remnant of Cerrado in the state of Maranhão, Northeastern Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Etielle Barroso de Andrade ◽  
Luiz Norberto Weber ◽  
José Roberto de Souza Almeida Leite
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Central Region ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
The State ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
The South ◽  
Cerrado Biome ◽  
South Central

Abstract The Cerrado is one of the most threatened biomes in Brazil. It is estimated that much of its original vegetation has been replaced by some type of human use. This is quite worrying, mainly in the northern part where the number of wildlife inventories is insufficient and creates the false impression of low diversity in the region. The Parque Estadual do Mirador-PEM, located in the south-central region of the state of Maranhão, presents vegetation typical of the Cerrado biome and corresponds to one of 46 priority areas for conservation in the state. Herein, we describe the species richness and composition of the anurofauna from the PEM and analyze the influence of different types of vegetation in its formation. Our inventory was conducted from December 2013 to February 2015, using the active search and auditory census methods on breeding sites in different water bodies of the park. We recorded 31 anuran species belonging to five families (species number in parentheses): Leptodactylidae (14), Hylidae (12), Bufonidae (3), Microhylidae (1) and Phyllomedusidae (1). The rarefaction curve and species richness estimators indicated that the sampling effort was enough to record most of the species in the region. The richness of anurans in the PEM was higher than reported by other authors for several areas of Cerrado. Most species have a wide distribution in Brazil or are strongly associated with the Caatinga or Amazon biomes. Only about 19% are endemic to the Cerrado biome. This study is the first to inventory the anurans species of the south-central region of state of Maranhão and provides important data on amphibian communities from the northern part of the Brazilian Cerrado.

scholarly journals Biodiversity and conservation of terricolous lichens and bryophytes in continental lowlands of northern Italy: the role of different dry habitat types

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (13) ◽  
pp. 3533-3550
Author(s):  
Gabriele Gheza ◽  
Silvia Assini ◽  
Chiara Lelli ◽  
Lorenzo Marini ◽  
Helmut Mayrhofer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Dynamics ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Dry Grasslands ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
Terricolous Lichens ◽  
Landscape Scales

Abstract In dry habitats of European lowlands terricolous lichens and bryophytes are almost neglected in conservation practises, even if they may strongly contribute to biodiversity. This study aims at (a) testing the role of heathlands, acidic and calcareous dry grasslands for lichen and bryophyte diversity and conservation in lowland areas of northern Italy characterized by high human impact and habitat fragmentation; (b) detecting the effect of environmental drivers and vegetation dynamics on species richness and composition. Lichens, bryophytes, vascular plants, and environmental variables were recorded in 287 circular plots for 75 sites. Our results indicate that heathlands, acidic and calcareous dry grasslands host peculiar terricolous lichen and bryophyte communities that include several species of conservation concern. Thus, each habitat provides a complementary contribution to lichen and bryophyte diversity in continental lowland landscapes. Furthermore, in each habitat different factors drive species richness and composition with contrasting patterns between lichens and bryophytes. In terms of conservation, our results indicate that management of lowland dry habitats should act at both local and landscape scales. At local scale, vegetation dynamics should be controlled in order to avoid biodiversity loss due to vegetation dynamics and wood encroachment. At the landscape scale, patches of all the three habitats should be maintained to maximize regional diversity.

scholarly journals Mapping landscape connectivity as a driver of species richness under tectonic and climatic forcing

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 895-910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Salles ◽  
Patrice Rey ◽  
Enrico Bertuzzo
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Landscape Connectivity ◽  
Tectonic Activity ◽  
Climatic Forcing ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Local Species Richness ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Elevational Range ◽  
A Site

Abstract. Species distribution and richness ultimately result from complex interactions between biological, physical, and environmental factors. It has been recently shown for a static natural landscape that the elevational connectivity, which measures the proximity of a site to others with similar habitats, is a key physical driver of local species richness. Here we examine changes in elevational connectivity during mountain building using a landscape evolution model. We find that under uniform tectonic and variable climatic forcing, connectivity peaks at mid-elevations when the landscape reaches its geomorphic steady state and that the orographic effect on geomorphic evolution tends to favour lower connectivity on leeward-facing catchments. Statistical comparisons between connectivity distribution and results from a metacommunity model confirm that to the 1st order, landscape elevation connectivity explains species richness in simulated mountainous regions. Our results also predict that low-connectivity areas which favour isolation, a driver for in situ speciation, are distributed across the entire elevational range for simulated orogenic cycles. Adjustments of catchment morphology after the cessation of tectonic activity should reduce speciation by decreasing the number of isolated regions.

scholarly journals Superhost Plants Alter the Structure of Plant–Galling Insect Networks in Neotropical Savannas

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Araújo ◽  
Moreira ◽  
Falcão ◽  
Borges ◽  
Fagundes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Neotropical Savannas ◽  
Galling Insects

Host plants may harbor a variable number of galling insect species, with some species being able to harbor a high diversity of these insects, being therefore called superhost plants. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the occurrence of superhost plant species of genus Qualea (Vochysiaceae) affects the structure of plant–galling insect ecological networks in Brazilian Cerrado. We sampled a total of 1882 plants grouped in 131 species and 43 families, of which 64 species and 31 families of host plants hosted 112 galling insect species. Our results showed that occurrence of superhosts of genus Qualea increased the linkage density of plant species, number of observed interactions, and the size of plant–galling insect networks and negatively affected the network connectance (but had no effect on the residual connectance). Although the occurrence of Qualea species did not affect the plant species richness, these superhosts increased the species richness and the number of interactions of galling insects. Our study represents a step forward in relation to previous studies that investigated the effects of plant diversity on the plant–insect networks, showing that few superhost plant species alter the structure of plant–herbivore networks, even without having a significant effect on plant diversity.

scholarly journals Bat Species Richness and Community Composition along a Mega-transect in the Okavango River Basin

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina M. Weier ◽  
Mark Keith ◽  
Götz G. Neef ◽  
Daniel M. Parker ◽  
Peter J. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Total Activity ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Miombo Woodlands ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Functional Community ◽  
Okavango River

The Okavango River Basin is a hotspot of bat diversity that requires urgent and adequate protection. To advise future conservation strategies, we investigated the relative importance of a range of potential environmental drivers of bat species richness and functional community composition in the Okavango River Basin. During annual canoe transects along the major rivers, originating in the central Angolan highlands, we recorded more than 25,000 bat echolocation calls from 2015 to 2018. We corrected for possible biases in sampling design and effort. Firstly, we conducted rarefaction analyses of each survey year and sampling appeared to be complete, apart from 2016. Secondly, we used total activity as a measure of sample effort in mixed models of species richness. Species richness was highest in the Angola Miombo Woodlands and at lower elevations, with higher minimum temperatures. In total, we identified 31 individual bat species. We show that even when acoustic surveys are conducted in remote areas and over multiple years, it is possible to correct for biases and obtain representative richness estimates. Changes in habitat heterogeneity will have detrimental effects on the high richness reported here and human land-use change, specifically agriculture, must be mediated in a system such as the Angolan Miombo Woodland.

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 Treeline ecotones shape the distribution of avian species richness and functional diversity in south temperate mountains

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás A. Altamirano ◽  
Devin R. de Zwaan ◽  
José Tomás Ibarra ◽  
Scott Wilson ◽  
Kathy Martin
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Habitat Structure ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Montane Forest ◽  
Avian Species ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
Mountain Habitats ◽  
Elevational Range

Abstract Mountains produce distinct environmental gradients that may constrain or facilitate both the presence of avian species and/or specific combinations of functional traits. We addressed species richness and functional diversity to understand the relative importance of habitat structure and elevation in shaping avian diversity patterns in the south temperate Andes, Chile. During 2010–2018, we conducted 2202 point-counts in four mountain habitats (successional montane forest, old-growth montane forest, subalpine, and alpine) from 211 to 1,768 m in elevation and assembled trait data associated with resource use for each species to estimate species richness and functional diversity and turnover. We detected 74 species. Alpine specialists included 16 species (22%) occurring only above treeline with a mean elevational range of 298 m, while bird communities below treeline (78%) occupied a mean elevational range of 1,081 m. Treeline was an inflection line, above which species composition changed by 91% and there was a greater turnover in functional traits (2–3 times greater than communities below treeline). Alpine birds were almost exclusively migratory, inhabiting a restricted elevational range, and breeding in rock cavities. We conclude that elevation and habitat heterogeneity structure avian trait distributions and community composition, with a diverse ecotonal sub-alpine and a distinct alpine community.

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