Ecological niche differentiation between Acanthodactylus micropholis and A. khamirensis (Sauria: Lacertidae) in southern Iran

Acanthodactylusmicropholis Heidari, Rastegar-Pouyani, Rastegar-Pouyani & Rajabizadeh, 2013 and A.khamirensis Blanford, 1874 are genetically and morphologically distinct, but their ecological differentiation has not previously been evaluated. The ecological niche models of these two sister species Acanthodactylus were reconstructed using climate and geographical data. Species distribution modeling for A.micropholis and A.khamirensis was used to make predictions and showed that most parts of southern and southeastern Iran are suitable for the distribution of both species. Habitat suitability was mostly dependent upon minimum temperature of the coldest month and seasonal precipitation for A.micropholis and A.khamirensis, respectively. Niche similarity tests (niche overlap and identity tests) were performed to evaluate species differentiation based on the ecological species criterion. Our results indicate that both species have different ecological niches and are significantly separated from each other. Therefore, our study corroborates previous analyses based on molecular and morphological evidences that suggested that A.micropholis and A.khamirensis were valid species.

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Niches and Distributions in Practice: Overview

Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49) ◽

10.23943/princeton/9780691136868.003.0004 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

A. Townsend Peterson ◽

Jorge Soberón ◽

Richard G. Pearson ◽

Robert P. Anderson ◽

Enrique Martínez-Meyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Variables ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Ecological Niche Modeling ◽

Species Distribution Modeling ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Environmental Predictors ◽

Ecological Requirements ◽

Process Error ◽

Error Check ◽

Niche Models

This chapter considers the practice of modeling ecological niches and estimating geographic distributions. It first introduces the general principles and definitions underlying ecological niche modeling and species distribution modeling, focusing on model calibration and evaluation, before discussing the principal steps to be followed in building niche models. The first task in building a niche model is to collate, process, error-check, and format the data that are necessary as input. Two types of data are required: primary occurrence data documenting known presences (and sometimes absences) of the species, and environmental predictors in the form of raster-format GIS layers summarizing scenopoetic variables that may (or may not) be involved in delineating the ecological requirements of the species. The next step is to use a modeling algorithm to characterize the species’ ecological niche as a function of the environmental variables, followed by model projection and evaluation and finally, model transferability.

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Cross-scale monitoring of habitat suitability changes using satellite time series and ecological niche models

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147172 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 147172

Author(s):

Salvador Arenas-Castro ◽

Neftalí Sillero

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Habitat Suitability ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Ecological Niche Models ◽

Niche Models

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Local Segregation of Realised Niches in Lizards

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information ◽

10.3390/ijgi9120764 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 764

Author(s):

Neftalí Sillero ◽

Elena Argaña ◽

Cátia Matos ◽

Marc Franch ◽

Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Variables ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Species Coexistence ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

R Package ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Ecological Niche Models ◽

Changes Over Time ◽

Local Segregation ◽

Niche Models

Species can occupy different realised niches when sharing the space with other congeneric species or when living in allopatry. Ecological niche models are powerful tools to analyse species niches and their changes over time and space. Analysing how species’ realised niches shift is paramount in ecology. Here, we examine the ecological realised niche of three species of wall lizards in six study areas: three areas where each species occurs alone; and three areas where they occur together in pairs. We compared the species’ realised niches and how they vary depending on species’ coexistence, by quantifying niche overlap between pairs of species or populations with the R package ecospat. For this, we considered three environmental variables (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) recorded at each lizard re-sighting location. Realised niches were very similar when comparing syntopic species occurring in the same study area. However, realised niches differed when comparing conspecific populations across areas. In each of the three areas of syntopy, the less abundant species shift its realised niche. Our study demonstrates that sympatry may shift species’ realised niche.

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Ecological niche differentiation in Chiroxiphia and Antilophia manakins (Aves: Pipridae)

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0243760 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. e0243760

Author(s):

Mariana Villegas ◽

Bette A. Loiselle ◽

Rebecca T. Kimball ◽

John G. Blake

Keyword(s):

Ecological Niche ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Niche Conservatism ◽

Phylogenetic Distance ◽

Evolutionary Time ◽

Distribution Models ◽

Ecological Differentiation ◽

Niche Divergence

Species distribution models are useful for identifying the ecological characteristics that may limit a species’ geographic range and for inferring patterns of speciation. Here, we test a hypothesis of niche conservatism across evolutionary time in a group of manakins (Aves: Pipridae), with a focus on Chiroxiphia boliviana, and examine the degree of ecological differentiation with other Chiroxiphia and Antilophia manakins. We tested whether allopatric sister species were more or less similar in environmental space than expected given their phylogenetic distances, which would suggest, respectively, ecological niche conservatism over time or ecologically mediated selection (i.e. niche divergence). We modeled the distribution of nine manakin taxa (C. boliviana, C. caudata, C. lanceolata, C. linearis, C. p. pareola, C. p. regina, C. p. napensis, Antilophia galeata and A. bokermanni) using Maxent. We first performed models for each taxon and compared them. To test our hypothesis we followed three approaches: (1) we tested whether C. boliviana could predict the distribution of the other manakin taxa and vice versa; (2) we compared the ecological niches by using metrics of niche overlap, niche equivalency and niche similarity; and (3) lastly, we tested whether niche differentiation corresponded to phylogenetic distances calculated from two recent phylogenies. All models had high training and test AUC values. Mean AUC ratios were high (>0.8) for most taxa, indicating performance better than random. Results suggested niche conservatism, and high niche overlap and equivalency between C. boliviana and C. caudata, but we found very low values between C. boliviana and the rest of the taxa. We found a negative, but not significant, relationship between niche overlap and phylogenetic distance, suggesting an increase in ecological differentiation and niche divergence over evolutionary time. Overall, we give some insights into the evolution of C. boliviana, proposing that ecological selection may have influenced its speciation.

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Ecological niche modeling, niche overlap, and good old Rabinowitz’s rarities applied to the conservation of gymnosperms in a global biodiversity hotspot

10.21203/rs.3.rs-809204/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Paula Quiroga ◽

Cintia Souto

Keyword(s):

Habitat Suitability ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Ecological Niche Modeling ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Conservation Priorities ◽

Ecological Niche Models ◽

Endemic Plant ◽

Key Species ◽

Global Biodiversity

Abstract ContextBiodiversity hotspots harbor 77% of endemic plant species. Patagonian Temperate Forest (PTF) is a biodiversity hotspot, but over the past centuries, has been over-exploited, fragmented and replaced with exotic species plantations, lately plus the threat of climate change. ObjectivesOur aim is to better understand patterns of habitat suitability and niche overlap of nine endemic gymnosperm species, key elements of the PTF, complementing traditional approaches of biodiversity conservation. MethodsUsing R packages and 3024 occurrence data, we deployed ecological niche models (ENM) in MaxEnt via KuENM, and classified species according to Rabinowitz’s types of rarity. We then overlapped their niches calculating Schoener's D index, and considered types of rarity in a spatial ecological context. Finally, we overlay high species’ suitability and protected areas and detect conservation priorities using GapAnalysis. ResultsWe generated simplified ENMs for nine Patagonian gymnosperms and found that most niches overlap, and only one species displayed a unique niche. Surprisingly, we found that three species have divergent suitability of habitats across the landscape. We showed that the rarer a species is the smaller niche volume tend to have, that six out of nine studied species have high conservation priority, and that there are conservation gaps in the PTF. ConclusionOur approach showed that there are unprotected suitable areas for native key species at high risk in Patagonian forests. Suggesting that integrating habitat-suitability models of multiple species, types of rarity, and niche overlap, can be a handy tool to identify potential conservation areas in global biodiversity hotspots.

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