scholarly journals Forbidden islands. The absence of endemics among the insular non-volant terrestrial mammalian fauna of the Red Sea

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Masseti ◽  
Giuseppe De Marchi ◽  
Giorgio Chiozzi
Keyword(s):  
Red Sea ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Mammalian Fauna ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Terrestrial Biodiversity ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

The Red Sea is a land-locked sea that is globally significant in terms of the unique biodiversity and endemism of its marine species. In contrast, the terrestrial biodiversity on its islands is poor and mainly composed of species present also on the mainland. To profile the non-volant terrestrial mammalian fauna, we reviewed all available records in the literature and report some recent captures; in particular, we point out two additional species from the Dahlak archipelago: the Northeast African spiny mouse (<em>Acomys cahirinus</em>) and a still undetermined shrew (<em>Crocidura</em> sp.). As far as we know, the only endemic vertebrates are three species of snake (Squamata, Serpentes) and perhaps one gazelle (<em>Gazella arabica</em>). The composition of the insular mammalian fauna of the Red Sea is olygotypic, consisting of only a few taxa, mostly anthropochorous, that are shared with the mainland of eastern Africa and/or western Arabia, and which are repeated monotonously on the few islands inhabited by mammals. A lack of endemic mammals can be explained as the result of the only recent connection of almost all the islands with the mainland during the Last Glacial Maximum and by the harsh climatic conditions that allow the survival of only a few xeric specialists.

scholarly journals High-Resolution Marine Record of Climatic Change in Mid-latitude Chile during the Last 28,000 Years Based on Terrigenous Sediment Parameters

1999 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Lamy ◽  
Dierk Hebbeln ◽  
Gerold Wefer
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Terrigenous Sediment ◽  
Latitudinal Position ◽  
Grain Size Distributions ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Southern Westerlies ◽  
The Last Glacial

AbstractMarine sediment cores from the continental slope off mid-latitude Chile (33°S) were studied with regard to grain-size distributions and clay mineral composition. The data provide a 28,000-yr14C accelerator mass spectrometry-dated record of variations in the terrigenous sediment supply reflecting modifications of weathering conditions and sediment source areas in the continental hinterland. These variations can be interpreted in terms of the paleoclimatic evolution of mid-latitude Chile and are compared to existing terrestrial records. Glacial climates (28,000–18,000 cal yr B.P.) were generally cold–humid with a cold–semiarid interval between 26,000 and 22,000 cal yr B.P. The deglaciation was characterized by a trend toward more arid conditions. During the middle Holocene (8000–4000 cal yr B.P.), comparatively stable climatic conditions prevailed with increased aridity in the Coastal Range. The late Holocene (4000–0 cal yr B.P.) was marked by more variable paleoclimates with generally more humid conditions. Variations of rainfall in mid-latitude Chile are most likely controlled by shifts of the latitudinal position of the Southern Westerlies. Compared to the Holocene, the southern westerly wind belt was located significantly farther north during the last glacial maximum. Less important variations of the latitudinal position of the Southern Westerlies also occurred on shorter time scales.

scholarly journals Collapse of the endemic lizard Podarcis pityusensis on the island of Ibiza mediated by an invasive snake

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elba Montes ◽  
Fred Kraus ◽  
Brahim Chergui ◽  
Juan M Pleguezuelos
Keyword(s):  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Balearic Islands ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Threat Level ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Olive Trees ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

Abstract The invasive snake Hemorrhois hippocrepis colonized the island of Ibiza (Balearic Islands) in 2003 as stowaways inside trunks of olive trees imported for gardening. It has quickly spread since 2010, posing a threat to the island’s only remaining endemic vertebrate, the Ibiza wall lizard Podarcis pityusensis. We map the yearly expansion rate of the snake and estimate via transect surveys how severely it affects the distribution and abundance of the endemic lizard. As well, we surveyed 9 of 30 small lizard populations on islets surrounding Ibiza that have been isolated since the Last Glacial Maximum. Snakes had invaded 49% of Ibiza’s land area by 2018, and censuses show a critical contrast in lizard abundance between areas with and without snakes; almost all censuses in areas without snakes show lizard presence whereas nearly all censuses in areas with H. hippocrepis lack lizard sightings. Moreover, at least one subspecies previously thriving on one of the offshore islets has become extinct, and there have been several snakes recorded swimming between Ibiza and the surrounding islets. Therefore, lizard populations have been dramatically reduced or have vanished within the range of the snake, and our results quantitatively support upgrading this species’ threat level for extinction. This study can inform to programs to manage invasive snake populations and to conservation actions to recover the endemic lizard.

The impact of climate changes during the Holocene on vegetation in northern French Guiana

2010 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Freycon ◽  
Marion Krencker ◽  
Dominique Schwartz ◽  
Robert Nasi ◽  
Damien Bonal
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
French Guiana ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Tropical Rainforests ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Vertical Variations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

The impact of climatic changes that occurred during the last glacial maximum and the Holocene on vegetation changes in the Amazon Basin and the Guiana Shield are still widely debated. The aim of our study was to investigate whether major changes in vegetation (i.e. transitions between rainforests and C4 savannas) occurred in northern French Guiana during the Holocene. We measured variations in the ä13C of soil organic matter at eight sites now occupied by forest or savannah. The forest sites were selected to cover two regions (forest refugia and peneplains) which are thought to have experienced different intensities of disturbance during the latest Pleistocene and the Holocene. We found that none of the forest sites underwent major disturbances during the Holocene, i.e. they were not replaced by C4 savannahs or C4 forest savannahs for long periods. Our results thus suggest that tropical rainforests in northern French Guiana were resilient to drier climatic conditions during the Holocene. Nevertheless, geographical and vertical variations in the 13C of SOM were compatible with minor changes in vegetation, variations in soil processes or in soil physical properties.

scholarly journals Standardised arthropod (Arthropoda) inventory across natural and anthropogenic impacted habitats in the Azores archipelago

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Marcelino ◽  
Paulo Borges ◽  
Isabel Borges ◽  
Enésima Pereira ◽  
Vasco Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Aphidius Ervi ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Aphidius Colemani ◽  
Aphidius Rhopalosiphi ◽  
Arboreal Habitat ◽  
Terrestrial Biodiversity ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Hymenopteran Parasitoids

In this paper, we present an extensive checklist of selected arthropods and their distribution in five Islands of the Azores (Santa Maria. São Miguel, Terceira, Flores and Pico). Habitat surveys included five herbaceous and four arboreal habitat types, scaling up from native to anthropogenic managed habitats. We aimed to contribute to the ongoing effort to document the terrestrial biodiversity of the world, in particular the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, as islands harbour a significant portion of unique terrestrial biodiversity. Selection of Arthropoda groups for the current checklist was based on their known richness and abundance (Arachnida, Collembola, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera), in almost all terrestrial ecosystems, as well as their importance in current Integrated Pest Management and alternative Biocontrol protocols at large (i.e. hymenopteran parasitoids and beneficial Coleoptera). In addition, we include the list of Dermaptera, Orthoptera, Psocoptera and Thysanoptera species. These assembled groups represent part of the monitoring programme EDEN Azores (2008-2014), where all Arthropod fauna, at all strata, within nine representative habitats of the abovementioned five Islands of the Azores was recorded. In this study, a total of 116,523 specimens, belonging to 483 species and subspecies of selected groups of arthropods, are reported by order, family and, when possible, genus and species. Hymenopteran, mostly parasitoids, accounted for the most represented taxa across all the monitoring and sampling phase of EDEN Azores (193 species and mophospecies), followed by Coleoptera (95 species); Collembola (89 species); and Araneae (72 species). A total of 37 non-native species are reported for the first time in the Azores. Coleoptera: Asaphidion flavipes (Linnaeus, 1761) (Carabidae); Tachyporus dispar (Paykull, 1789) (Staphylinidae). Hemiptera: Acrosternum heegeri Fieber, 1861 (Pentatomidae). Collembola: Entomobrya regularis Stach, 1963 (Entomobryidae); Lepidocyrtus lusitanicus piezoensis (Simón-Benito, 2007) (Entomobryidae); Jordanathrix articulata (Ellis, 1974) (Sminthuridae); Sminthurinus quadrimaculatus (Ryder, 1879) (Katiannidae); Himalanura sp. (Entomobryidae); Protophorura sp. (Onychiuridae). Hymenoptera, parasitoids: Aphidius colemani Viereck, 1912 (Braconidae); Aphidius ervi Haliday, 1834 (Braconidae); Aphidius matricariae Viereck, 1912 (Braconidae); Aphidius rhopalosiphi Stefani-Perez, 1902 (Braconidae); Aphidius rosae (Haliday, 1834) (Braconidae); Aphidius urticae Haliday, 1834 (Braconidae); Centistidea ectoedemiae Rohwer, 1914 (Braconidae); Meteorus unicolor (Wesmael, 1835) (Braconidae); Meteorus collaris (Spin.) Hal. – Ruschka, Fulmek, 1915 (Braconidae); Orthostigma cratospilum (Thomson, 1895) (Braconidae); Orthostigma latriventris Ratzeburg, 1844 (Braconidae); two other species of Orthostigma sp.; Pseudopezomachus bituberculatus (Marshall, 1905) (Braconidae); Tanycarpa punctata (van Achterberg, 1976) (Braconidae); Gonatopus clavipes (Thunberg, 1827) (Dryinidae). New genera not previously recorded for the Azores include: Pycnetron sp. (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae); four species of Aspilota sp. (Braconidae: Alysiinae); four species of Chorebus sp. (Braconidae: Aphidiinae: Alysiinae); Microgaster sp. (Braconidae: Microgastrinae); Homolobus sp. (Braconidae: Homolobinae); Lodbrokia sp. (Braconidae: Alysiinae). These 37 taxa were found in several Islands and five are new species for Flores Island, 10 species are new for Pico Island, 12 species are new for Terceira Island, 19 species are new for S. Miguel Island and five species are new for S. Maria Island. Additional species records for the Islands included: Flores (5 Collembola, 9 Araneae; 2 Hemiptera; 8 Coleoptera, 8 Hymenoptera), Pico (4 Collembola; 7 Araneae; 4 Hemiptera; 11 Coleoptera; 9 Hymenoptera), Terceira (4 Collembola; 1 Araneae; 3 Hymenoptera), S. Miguel (1 Araneae; 2 Coleoptera; 3 Hymenoptera), S. Maria (5 Collembola; 3 Araneae; 2 Hemiptera; 2 Hymenoptera).

scholarly journals Reconstruction of past distribution for the Mongolian toad, Strauchbufo raddei (Anura: Bufonidae) using environmental modeling

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9216
Author(s):  
Spartak N. Litvinchuk ◽  
Natalya A. Schepina ◽  
Amaël Borzée
Keyword(s):  
Life Time ◽  
Environmental Modeling ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
The One ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Last Glacial

The use of ecological models enables determining the current distribution of species, but also their past distribution when matching climatic conditions are available. In specific cases, they can also be used to determine the likelihood of fossils to belong to the same species—under the hypothesis that all individuals of a species have the same ecological requirements. Here, using environmental modeling, we reconstructed the distribution of the Mongolian toad, Strauchbufo raddei, since the Last Glacial Maximum and thus covering the time period between the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. We found the range of the species to have shifted over time, with the LGM population clustered around the current southern range of the species, before expanding east and north during the Pleistocene, and reaching the current range since the mid-Holocene. Finally, we determined that the ecological conditions during the life-time of the mid-Pleistocene fossils attributed to the species in Europe were too different from the one of the extant species or fossils occurring at the same period in Asia to belong to the same species.

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