Maternal investment evolves with larger body size and higher diversification rate in sharks and rays

Across vertebrates, live-bearing has evolved at least 150 times from the ancestral state of egg-laying into a diverse array of forms and degrees of prepartum maternal investment. A key question is how this diversity of reproductive modes arose and whether reproductive diversification underlies species diversification? To test these questions, we evaluate the most basal jawed vertebrates, Chondrichthyans, which have one of the greatest ranges of reproductive and ecological diversity among vertebrates. We reconstructed the sequence of reproductive mode evolution across a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of 610 chondrichthyans. We find that egg-laying is ancestral, and that live-bearing evolved at least seven times. Matrotrophy (i.e. additional maternal contributions) evolved at least 15 times, with evidence of one reversal. In sharks, transitions to live-bearing and matrotrophy are more prevalent in larger-bodied species in the tropics. Further, the evolution of live-bearing is associated with a near-doubling of the diversification rate, but, there is only a small increase in diversification associated with the appearance of matrotrophy. The chondrichthyan diversification and radiation, particularly throughout the shallow tropical shelf seas and oceanic pelagic habitats, appears to be associated with the evolution of live-bearing and the proliferation of a wide range of maternal investment in their developing offspring.

Syntaxonomical and ecological diversity of the class Polygono-Poetea annuae in Bulgaria

Class Polygono-Poetea annuae Rivas-Mart. 1975 includes therophyte-rich vegetation on trampled habitats. The study presents the first analysis of the syntaxonomy of this class and its ecology in Bulgaria. One hundred seventy-five relevés from this class were collected and stored in the Balkan Vegetation Database during 2017–2020. Numerical classification (hierarchical divisive) and ordination were performed by JUICE and CANOCO software packages. Diagnostic species were determined by calculating the Phi-coefficient. Four associations, Sclerochloo durae-Polygonetum arenastri, Polygonetum arenastri, Lolio-Polygonetum arenastri and Poëtum annuae, were recognized. Their floristic composition has been shaped mainly by climatic and soil conditions. Sclerochloo durae-Polygonetum arenastri association has been found at lower altitudes, occurring in fully lighted habitats with high radiation, whereas Poëtum annuae has been found at higher altitudes in wetter and cooler areas. On the other hand, stands of Polygonetum arenastri have been found on nutrient-rich soils, whereas communities of Lolio-Polygonetum arenastri were distributed in warmer and nutrient-poor areas. The Polygono-Poetea annuae class is still poorly studied in Bulgaria and much more information from all regions of the country needs to be collected and analyzed.

The vascular flora ecological diversity in the mid-field woodlots situated on the agricultural outskirts of Wrocław

The paper presents an analysis of the ecological requirements and sociological-ecological relations of 403 species of vascular plants recorded in 82 mid-field woodlots located among crop fields in the agricultural outskirts of Wrocław. The aim of the research and analyses was to determine what is the species composition of these woodlots and whether they are ecologically more similar to those situated in environment of farmlands or urban wastelands. The authors assumed the latter. It was found that the mid-­ -field woodlots occupied less than 1% of arable land and were located exclusively in close proximity to the city’s administrative borders, and more than half of them were related to the hydrographic network of the area. Their flora, in general assessment, shows a great variety in terms of water requirements and has the features of woodlots described from typically agricultural areas. This applies to the dominance of forest, shrub and meadow species with a constant, usually not exceeding 20%, share of ruderal plants and a small number of weeds in crops. Thus, the assumption that the flora of the studied woodlots will show signs of ruderalization to a large extent has not been confirmed. 72% of species occurred in no more than 10 objects, which shows that the described ecological diversity of the flora studied is based on single or few locations. The most frequent species were nitrophilic and in over 50% they represented a group of shrub communities. The list of the species recorded with estimation of their frequency is provided.

CORREDORES ECOLÓGICOS URBANOS: UM ESTUDO PARA CONECTAR PLANTAS, ANIMAIS E PESSOAS NA CIDADE DE VITÓRIA – ES

Ecological corridors are territorial strips that aim to reduce the impacts of fragmentation of ecosystems, restoring the interconnection between them, in order to facilitate the movement of species, enabling seed dispersal and gene exchange between isolated populations. The relevance of the theme lies in the contribution to sustainable urbanism, aligning with biophilia, with benefits for living beings, including humans, with better walking conditions, thermal and psychological comfort. The general objective of the work was to delineate an urban ecological corridor in the continental portion of the city of Vitória/ES, in order to connect three isolated Environmental Protection Zones and benefit their essential occupants: the human species, the flora and the fauna. Exploratory studies and field visits were conducted, supported by Urbanism and Ecology literature, based on the definition of the connection axes and the recomposition of road profiles. The result achieved is an ecological corridor adapted to the existing roads, from the intensification of forestation and the implementation of gantries and elevated walkways for animal crossings. The insertion of aerial crossings and biodiversity corridors will bring a differential to the quality of life and ecological diversity for the local population.

Dental Macrowear Reveals Ecological Diversity of Gorilla Spp.

Size and shape variation of molar crowns in primates plays an important role in understanding how species adapted to their environment. Gorillas are commonly considered to be folivorous primates because they possess sharp cusped molars which are adapted to process fibrous leafy foods. However, the proportion of fruit in their diet can vary significantly depending on their habitats. While tooth morphology can tell us what a tooth is capable of processing, tooth wear can help us to understand how teeth have been used during mastication. The objective of this study is to explore if differences in diet at the subspecies level can be detected by the analysis of molar macrowear. We analysed a large sample of second lower molars of Grauer’s, mountain and western lowland gorilla by combining the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method with other dental measurements. We found that Grauer’s and western lowland gorillas are characterised by a macrowear pattern indicating a larger intake of fruit in their diet, while mountain gorilla’s macrowear is associated with the consumption of more folivorous foods. We also found that the consumption of herbaceous foods is generally associated with an increase in dentine and enamel wear, confirming the results of previous studies.

Neolithic Rice Cultivation and Consequent Landscape Changes at the Baodun Site, Southwestern China

Identifying when agricultural expansion has occurred and how it altered the landscape is critical for understanding human social survival strategies as well as current ecological diversity. In the present study, phytolith records of three profiles from the Baodun site area were dated to the period from 7,500 to 2,500 aBP by optically stimulated luminescence and 14C dating, providing the first evidence that the Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) progenitor was distributed in the Chengdu Plain as early as 7,500 aBP. The percentage of rice bulliform with ≥9 scales and the concentration of rice phytoliths sharply increased by approximately 4,200 aBP, suggesting that rice cultivation occupied a dominant position in survival strategy no later than approximately 4,200 aBP, which might be driven by climate deterioration in eastern China. The results further showed that the proportion of Bambusoideae phytoliths increased synchronously with the increase in the proportion of rice phytoliths, suggesting that the vegetation structure near the site was changed intentionally as a consequence of increasing rice agricultural activity since 4,200 aBP. The present study contributes to a deeper understanding of the distribution of wild rice and rice farming throughout the Baodun culture in the Chengdu Plain, and it also provides a glimpse of how humans intentionally changed the vegetation landscape on a local scale.

Ecological diversity of Pliocene to Pleistocene Palaearctic cercopithecids (Primates, Mammalia)

Ο σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας είναι η διερεύνηση της οικολογίας των κερκοπιθήκων του Πλειοκαίνου και Πλειστοκαίνου του Ευρωπαϊκού χώρου, αναλύοντας την διατροφική τους οικολογία, η οποία θα συμβάλει στη γνώηση της εξέλιξης των Cercopithecidae στην περιοχή της Ευρώπης κατά την χρονική περίοδο μελέτης. Αυτό επιτεύχθηκε με τη συνδυαστική χρήση δύο μεθοδολογιών: οδοντική τοπογραφία - ανάλυση πάχους αδαμαντίνης και ανάλυση υφής μικροτριβής (DMTA). Η μελέτη επικεντρώνεταί σε απολιθωμένο οδοντικό υλικό που βρίσκεται σε διάφορες συλλογές μουσείων και πανεπιστημιών της Ευρώπης, από το Mesopithecus monspessulanus που ανήκει στο απολιθωμένο γένος Mesopithecus, και απολιθωμένους αντιπροσώπους των γενών Dolichopithecus, Paradolichopithecus και Macaca. Τα αποτελέσματα της εν λόγω εργασίας αναμένεται να αυξήσουν την πληθώρα πληροφοριών όσων αφορά το οικολογικό υπόβαθρο των απολιθωμένων αντιπρόσωπων της οικογένειας Cercopithecidae του Ευρωπαϊκού χώρου. Επιπλέον, συμβάλλουν περαιτέρω στην καλύτερη κατανόηση του τρόπου με τον οποίο οικολογικές διαδικασίες, όπως ο ανταγωνισμός για χώρο και διατροφικούς πόρους, έχουν επηρεάσει την εξέλιξη αυτής της οικογένειας πρωτευόντων στην εν λόγω γεωγραφική περιοχή την χρονική περίοδο μελέτης. Όλα τα παραπάνω αναμένεται να τροφοδοτήσουν περισσότερους ερευνητές στο μέλλον να διερευνήσουν πιθανές επιπτώσεις αυτών των οικολογικών αλληλεπιδράσεων σε κοινωνίες πρωτευόντων σήμερα αλλά και στο παρελθόν.

Emergent phases of ecological diversity and dynamics mapped in microcosms

Natural ecological communities display striking features, such as high biodiversity and a wide range of dynamics, that have been difficult to explain in a unified framework. Using experimental bacterial microcosms, we perform the first direct test of recent complex systems theory predicting that simple aggregate parameters dictate emergent behaviors of the community. As either the number of species or the strength of species interactions is increased, we show that microbial ecosystems transition between distinct qualitative dynamical phases in the predicted order, from a stable equilibrium where all species coexist, to partial coexistence, to emergence of persistent fluctuations in species abundance. Under the same conditions, high biodiversity and fluctuations allow and require each other. Our results demonstrate predictable emergent diversity and dynamics in ecological communities.

Comprehensive Review of Tolypocladium and Description of a Novel Lineage from Southwest China

Tolypocladium, a diverse genus of fungicolous fungi belonging to Ophiocordycipitaceae, includes saprotrophic soil inhabitants, plant endophytes and pathogens of insects, nematodes, rotifers, and parasites of truffle-like fungi. Here, we review the research progress achieved for Tolypocladium regarding its taxonomy, species diversity, geographic distribution, host affiliations and ecological diversity. Furthermore, an undescribed taxon from China was established using morphology and multi-gene phylogeny. Tolypocladium inusitaticapitatum is introduced as a new species parasitizing ectomycorrhizal Elaphomyces species. It is diagnosed by its irregularly enlarged fertile heads and lemon, yellow-to-dark-brown, smooth and nearly cylindrical stipe. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU, LSU, ITS, TEF1-α and RPB2 sequence data showed T. inusitaticapitatum to be an independent lineage separated from T. flavonigrum in the clade comprising T. capitatum, T. fractum and T. longisegmentatum. A key for identifying the sexual Tolypocladium species is also provided.