Integrative taxonomic reassessment of Odontophrynus populations in Argentina and phylogenetic relationships within Odontophrynidae (Anura)

10.7287/peerj.preprints.27273v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Adolfo Ludovico Martino ◽

Jonas Maximilian Dehling ◽

Ulrich Sinsch

Keyword(s):

Conservation Management ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Red List ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Advertisement Call ◽

Cryptic Diversity ◽

Call Structure ◽

16S Gene ◽

Centre Of Diversity ◽

Taxonomic Methods

Amphibians are the most vulnerable vertebrates to biodiversity loss mediated by habitat destruction, climate change and diseases. Informed conservation management requires to improve the taxonomy of anurans to assess reliably the species´ geographic range. In this study, we applied robust integrative taxonomic methods combining genetic (allozymes, mitochondrial 16S gene), morphological and behavioural data (advertisement call structure) to delimit species of the genus Odontophrynus sampled from throughout their centre of diversity in Argentina. The combined evidence used to assess the validity of the nominal taxa demonstrates one case of cryptic diversity and another of overestimation of species richness. The tetraploid populations referred to as O. americanus comprise at least two species. In contrast, O. achalensis and O. barrioi represent junior synonyms of the phenotypically plastic species O. occidentalis. We conclude that each of the four species occurring in Argentina possesses networks of populations in medium to large areas. Red list classification is currently “least concern”. We also propose a phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus and associated genera Macrogenioglottus and Proceratophrys (Odontophrynidae) and discuss its implications on advertisement call evolution.

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Integrative taxonomic reassessment ofOdontophrynuspopulations in Argentina and phylogenetic relationships within Odontophrynidae (Anura)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.6480 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e6480

Author(s):

Adolfo Ludovico Martino ◽

Jonas Maximilian Dehling ◽

Ulrich Sinsch

Keyword(s):

Conservation Management ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Red List ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Nominal Species ◽

Cryptic Diversity ◽

Taxonomic Assignment ◽

Geographic Ranges ◽

16S Gene ◽

Taxonomic Methods

Amphibians are the most vulnerable vertebrates to biodiversity loss mediated by habitat destruction, climate change and diseases. Informed conservation management requires improving the taxonomy of anurans to assess reliably the species’ geographic range. The genusOdontophrynusthat is geographically refined to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay includes currently 12 nominal species with many populations of uncertain taxonomic assignment and subsequently unclear geographic ranges. In this study, we applied integrative taxonomic methods combining molecular (mitochondrial 16S gene), allozyme, morphological and bioacoustic data to delimit species of the genusOdontophrynussampled from throughout Argentina where most species occur. The combined evidence demonstrates one case of cryptic diversity and another of overestimation of species richness. The populations referred to asO. americanuscomprise at least three species. In contrast,O. achalensisandO. barrioirepresent junior synonyms of the phenotypically plastic speciesO. occidentalis. We conclude that each of the four species occurring in Argentina inhabits medium to large areas. The Red List classification is currently “Least Concern”. We also propose a phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus and associated generaMacrogenioglottusandProceratophrys(Odontophrynidae).

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EVALUATING CONSERVATION STATUS, THREATS AND POPULATION TRENDS OF LEUCADENDRON, A PLANT GENUS ENDEMIC TO THE CAPE REGION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Contribuţii Botanice ◽

10.24193/contrib.bot.56.4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 56 ◽

pp. 45-52

Author(s):

Samuel O BAMIGBOYE ◽

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

Endemic Species ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Red List ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Current Conservation ◽

Risk Of Extinction ◽

Global Extinction

Declines in endemic species have significant impact on global biodiversity loss. More efforts need to be harnessed to further protect endemic species from the current global extinction crisis. This study evaluated the current conservation status, factors responsible for risk of extinction and the trends in populations of Leucadendron, a plant genus endemic to the Cape region in South Africa. The SANBI (South African National Biodiversity Institute) Red List was employed in this study. The results revealed that over 50% of taxa in this genus are threatened and most of the species are exposed to habitat destruction and the presence of invasive species. It was also discovered that two species of this genus are currently extinct, which implies this genus is facing a high risk of extinction. More efforts, such as designing effective methods of controlling forces responsible for the risk of extinction of taxa in this genus, should be put in place to prevent their complete extirpation in future.

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Development of 22 polymorphic microsatellite markers for Taipei grass frogs (Hylarana taipehensis)

Amphibia-Reptilia ◽

10.1163/15685381-00003027 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 117-120

Author(s):

Yi-Chun Chang ◽

Shou-Hsien Li ◽

Hsuan-You Lin ◽

Szu-Lung Chen ◽

Ming-Hsung Chang

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Conservation Management ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Cryptic Diversity ◽

Pesticide Pollution ◽

Polymorphic Microsatellites ◽

Population Crash ◽

Genetic Survey ◽

Polymorphic Microsatellite ◽

High Level

The Taipei grass frog, Hylarana taipehensis, is a slender frog widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia and thus is predicted to contain a high level of genetic diversity and undetected endemics. Habitat destruction and pesticide pollution have resulted in the population crash of some genetically distinct populations. To assign appropriate conservation measures, a genetic survey covering individuals from the entire species’ range is urgently required to reveal cryptic diversity and delineate these frogs into various management units. However, effective codominant markers are lacking for this species. Here, we reported 22 tetranucleotide microsatellite loci for H. taipehensis. Alleles ranged between 6 and 17 per locus. The observed heterozygosities and expected heterozygosities were 0.280-0.893 and 0.721-0.908, respectively. These polymorphic microsatellites should be useful in identifying the most important units for conservation management of the Taipei grass frogs.

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Notes on the threatened lowland forests of Mt Cameroon and their endemics including Drypetes burnleyae sp. nov., with a key to species of Drypetes sect. Stipulares (Putranjivaceae)

Kew Bulletin ◽

10.1007/s12225-021-09947-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Cheek ◽

Nouhou Ndam ◽

Andrew Budden

Keyword(s):

Conservation Management ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Central Africa ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Coastal Forests ◽

Key To Species ◽

International Union ◽

Species Discovery ◽

Mount Cameroon ◽

Lowland Forests

SummaryThis paper reports a further discovery of a new endemic threatened species to science in the context of botanical surveys in the lowland coastal forests of Mount Cameroon in the Cross River-Sanaga interval of west-central Africa. These studies now focus on species discovery and conservation through the Tropical Important Plant Areas programme. New species to science continue to be discovered from Mt Cameroon. Most of these species are rare, highly localised, and threatened by habitat destruction, increasing the justification for improved conservation management of surviving habitat. Drypetes burnleyae is placed in and keyed out in Drypetes sect. Stipulares, a group mostly confined to Lower Guinea, here adjusted to accommodate nine species. The conservation status of Drypetes burnleyae is assessed as Endangered (EN B1+2ab(iii)) according to the 2012 criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. An updated overview of the plant endemics of Mt Cameroon is presented.

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Conservation-Status Gaps for Marine Top-Fished Commercial Species

Fishes ◽

10.3390/fishes7010002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 2

Author(s):

Imanol Miqueleiz ◽

Rafael Miranda ◽

Arturo Hugo Ariño ◽

Elena Ojea

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Species Conservation ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Vulnerability Index ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Commercial Fish ◽

Commercial Species ◽

Marine Realm

Biodiversity loss is a global problem, accelerated by human-induced pressures. In the marine realm, one of the major threats to species conservation, together with climate change, is overfishing. In this context, having information on the conservation status of target commercial marine fish species becomes crucial for assuring safe standards. We put together fisheries statistics from the FAO, the IUCN Red List, FishBase, and RAM Legacy databases to understand to what extent top commercial species’ conservation status has been assessed. Levels of assessment for top-fished species were higher than those for general commercial or highly commercial species, but almost half of the species have outdated assessments. We found no relation between IUCN Red List traits and FishBase Vulnerability Index, depreciating the latter value as a guidance for extinction threat. The RAM database suggests good management of more-threatened species in recent decades, but more data are required to assess whether the trend has reverted in recent years. Outdated IUCN Red List assessments can benefit from reputed stock assessments for new reassessments. The future of IUCN Red List evaluations for commercial fish species relies on integrating new parameters from fisheries sources and improved collaboration with fisheries stakeholders and managers.

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Biodiversity reporting in India: a view from the top

Corporate Ownership and Control ◽

10.22495/cocv12i1c4p5 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 418-427

Author(s):

Mansi Mansi ◽

Rakesh Pandey ◽

Carolyn Stringer

Keyword(s):

Biological Diversity ◽

Indian Subcontinent ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Reporting Practices ◽

Monitoring Centre ◽

Rare And Endangered Species ◽

Rare And Endangered ◽

Impact On Biodiversity

The purpose of this study is to explore the biodiversity reporting practices inside Indian companies. Biodiversity reporting studies across Indian companies are important because India has a wealth of biodiversity assets, that is, wildlife, flora, fauna, natural habitats, rare and endangered species and biological resources, and accounts for 7.8% of the global recorded species (Biological Diversity Act, the Biodiversity Rules, Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board, 2009). There are approximately 45,500 species of plants, 91,200 species of animals and 5,550 microbial species documented in India (National Biodiversity Authority, 2014). The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed 132 species of animals and plants in the Critically Endangered Category (Sudhi, 2012). To date, the literature omits to explore the biodiversity reporting practices inside Indian companies. Another important reason to conduct is this study is that India has alarming population levels; thus there is a huge demand for land, energy, and resources, which leads to massive biodiversity loss, deforestation, and habitat destruction. It is very likely that with the limited land mass and increasing population in India, several ecosystems, wildlife, flora and fauna will be/have been exploited, disturbed, and endangered. Given the high potential impact on biodiversity by industries, we are concerned that there is a dearth of biodiversity reporting studies within the Indian subcontinent. We concentrate on the largest companies (based on market capitalisation) because similar to Van Liempd and Busch (2013), we also expect that the largest companies have the greatest impact on biodiversity; therefore, they are expected to show more accountability to their stakeholders. Therefore it is worth exploring how Indian companies are engaging in biodiversity reporting practices (e.g. biodiversity conservation, biodiversity protection, habitat and ecosystem conservation); and whether these organisations are disclosing their impact(s) (both in quantity and quality) on biodiversity (such as wildlife, flora and fauna). Moreover, India has also been classified as one of 17 mega-diversity countries by The World Conservation Monitoring Centre which account for more than 70% of the planet’s species (Williams, 2001). All these reasons make this study timely and important.

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Do Habitats Show a Different Invasibility Pattern by Alien Plant Species? A Test on a Wetland Protected Area

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d12070267 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 267 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francesco Liccari ◽

Miris Castello ◽

Livio Poldini ◽

Alfredo Altobelli ◽

Enrico Tordoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

Light Availability ◽

Null Model ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Environmental Characteristic ◽

Alien Plant ◽

Probabilistic Sampling ◽

Ne Italy ◽

Alien Flora

Biological invasions are deemed to be the second most important global driver of biodiversity loss, right behind habitat destruction and fragmentation. In this study, we aimed at testing if community invasibility, defined as the vulnerability to invasion of a community, could be associated with the characteristics of a given habitat, as described by the composition and structure of its native species. Based on a probabilistic sampling of the alien flora occurring in the temperate wetland Lake Doberdò (Friuli Venezia Giulia region, NE Italy) and using a null-model-based approach, the observed occurrence of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) within sampling units was randomized within habitats. While testing the degree of invasibility for each habitat within the wetland, our null hypothesis postulated that habitats are equally invaded by IAS, as IAS can spread homogeneously in the environment thanks to their plasticity in functional traits that makes them able to cope with different ecological conditions. The obtained results comparing observed IAS frequencies, abundance and richness to those obtained by the null model randomizations show that, for all habitats, invasion was selective. Specifically, a marked preference for habitats with an intermediate disturbance level, a high nutrients level and a medium-high light availability was observed, while an avoidance was detected for habitats characterized by lower levels of nutrients and light availability or extreme conditions caused by prolonged submersion. This method allows us to provide useful information using a simple-to-run simulation for the management of the IAS threat within protected areas. Moreover, the method allows us to infer important ecological characteristics leading to habitat invasion without sampling the environmental characteristic of the habitats, which is an expensive operation in terms of time and money.

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A new grass frog with rupicolous tadpoles from northern Zambia (Anura: Ptychadenidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4462.3.3 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4462 (3) ◽

pp. 349

Author(s):

ALAN CHANNING ◽

FRANK WILLEMS

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Population Size ◽

Dna Sequences ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Advertisement Call ◽

Limited Extent ◽

Iucn Red List Criteria ◽

A New Species ◽

Near Threatened

We describe a new species of Ptychadena from Mutinondo Wilderness in northern Zambia. It has rupicolous tadpoles that develop in a film of water. The species is distinguished on morphology, advertisement call and DNA sequences from other grass frogs and was found to be most closely related to P. broadleyi. It has no contrasting longitudinal bands on the posterior thigh, the foot is longer than half SVL, it has no light triangle on the snout, three phalanges of the fourth toe free of web and the snout has no skin folds. The species should be considered Near Threatened in terms of the IUCN Red List criteria given its limited extent of occurrence and population size.

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Predator recognition and responses in the endangered Macquarie perch (Macquaria australasica)

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf13258 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 127 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Culum Brown ◽

Jennifer Morgan

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Endangered Species ◽

Introduced Species ◽

Visual Cues ◽

Chemical Cues ◽

Conservation Management ◽

Perca Fluviatilis ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Perch Perca Fluviatilis ◽

Threatening Processes

Macquarie perch, Macquaria austalasica, is an endangered species endemic to southern Australia whose distribution is highly fragmented and continues to decline. Key threatening processes include habitat destruction, dams and weirs, overfishing and interactions with introduced species. Here, we examined the responses of small and large Macquarie perch to two native predators and to the introduced redfin perch, Perca fluviatilis. Our results showed that Macquarie perch generally avoided large-bodied native predators but was attracted to small-bodied native predators. Responses to large and small redfin perch lay between these two extremes, suggesting that the Macquarie perch does treat these foreign fish as potential threats. Macquarie perch relied on both visual and chemical cues to identify predators, although its response tended to be stronger when exposed to visual cues. The results suggest that Macquarie perch has the capacity to recognise and respond to invasive species in a threat-sensitive manner, which has positive implications for the conservation management of the species.

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