Do Shapes of Elevational Gradients of Species Richness Depend on the Vertical Range Studied? The Case of the Himalayas

We retrieved shapes of elevational species richness gradients (unimodal, decreasing, increasing) from 64 publications, studying Himalayan elevation patterns. We covered both plants and animals, and tested the hypothesis that unimodal gradients, explicable by the geometric mid-domain effect, prevail in the mountains, whereas decreasing or increasing gradients result from studying only short sections of entire altitudinal ranges. Multivariate canonical correspondence analysis was used to relate gradient shapes to their altitude ranges, geography positions, and taxa studied. Across taxa, most of the Himalayan altitudinal gradient display a unimodal shape, with a peak of diversity situated at ca 2500 m a.s.l. for plants, and 2200 m a.s.l. for animals. The gradient shapes were attributable to three intercorrelated predictors: vertical range, maximum elevation, and mean elevation of the gradients. Studies covering sufficiently broad altitudinal range returned unimodal gradients. Studies from the Earth’s highest mountain range reveal that surveys covering substantial parts of the elevational range of the mountains result in unimodal elevational gradients, whereas declining or increasing species richness gradients result from incomplete elevation range sampling.

A validation standard for Area of Habitat maps for terrestrial birds and mammals

Area of Habitat (AOH) is a deductive model which maps the distribution of suitable habitat at suitable altitudes for a species inside its broad geographical range. AOH maps have been validated using presence-only data for small subsets of species for different taxonomic groups, but no standard validation method exists when absence data are not available. We develop a novel two-step validation protocol for AOH which includes first a model-based evaluation of model prevalence (i.e, the proportion of suitable habitat within a species’ range), and second a validation using species point localities (presence-only) data. We applied the protocol to AOH maps of terrestrial birds and mammals. In the first step we built logistic regression models to predict expected model prevalence (the proportion of the range retained as AOH) as a function of each species’ elevation range, mid-point of elevation range, number of habitats, realm and, for birds, seasonality. AOH maps with large difference between observed and predicted model prevalence were identified as outliers and used to identify a number of sources of systematic error which were then corrected when possible. For the corrected AOH, only 1.7 % of AOH maps for birds and 2.3 % of AOH maps for mammals were flagged as outliers in terms of the difference between their observed and predicted model prevalence. In the second step we calculated point prevalence, the proportion of point localities of a species falling in pixels coded as suitable in the AOH map. We used 48,336,141 point localities for 4889 bird species and 107,061 point localities for 420 mammals. Where point prevalence exceeded model prevalence, the AOH was a better reflection of species’ distribution than random. We also found that 4689 out of 4889 (95.9 %) AOH maps for birds, and 399 out of 420 (95.0 %) AOH maps for mammals were better than random. Possible reasons for the poor performance of a small proportion of AOH maps are discussed.

Morphological revision of the Palaearctic species of the nominate subgenus Meloe Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera, Meloidae), with description of ten new species

A morphological revision of the Meloe (Meloe) species from the Palaearctic Region, including the Transitional Chinese area is published. Groups and subgroups of species from the Palaearctic Region are defined for the first time and relationships with Afrotropical and Nearctic groups of species are discussed. Twenty-five species are considered, mostly after the examination of the types, with brief descriptions and figures of diagnostic characters. Ten species, from China and the Himalayan region, are described: Meloe chinensis n. sp., M. distincticornis n. sp., M. himalayensis n. sp., M. kashmirensis n. sp., M. kaszabi n. sp., M. lateantennatus n. sp., M. orientalis n. sp., M. poggii n. sp., M. shapovalovi n. sp., and M. xuhaoi n. sp. Both Meloe aegyptius and M. rathjensi are referred to M. proscarabaeus as subspecies. Four new synonymies are pointed out: M. sapporensis Kôno, 1936 and M. tenuipes Jakowlew, 1897 = M. proscarabaeus exaratus Faldermann, 1832; M. medogensis Tan, 1981 = M. arunachalae Saha, 1979; M. patellicornis Fairmaire, 1887 = M. lobatus Gebler, 1832. Lectotype of M. subcordicollis is designated. M. formosensis is tentatively maintained as distinct species, with the suggestion that it could be a subspecies of M. gracilior. Meloe menoko is tentatively included in the intraspecific variability of M. auriculatus, a formal synonymy will be made by other authors. Meloe poteli is not considered in this revision, being the type is unavailable; other species (M. modestus, M. longipennis, M. elegantulus), previously considered in the nominate subgenus are excluded. A key to both sexes of the species is carried out and a catalogue of localities is recorded as Appendix 1. Ecological information about phenology, elevation range, host plants, is summarized in a table, and some biogeographical remarks are proposed.

Diversity and distribution of the large centipedes (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha) in the Phia Oac - Phia Den National Park, Vietnam

The scolopendromorph fauna of the Phia Oac - Phia Den National Park, northernmost Vietnam has been studied. As a result, a total of 17 species in eight genera and three families have been recorded in five different types of habitats (wood forest, bamboo forest, wood-bamboo mixed forest, pine forest, and grassland-shrubs) and from three elevation range (<1,000 m, 1,000–1,600 m, and >1,600 m). Scolopendridae is the most diverse family with nine recorded species. Of the five habitats, most species have been found in wood forests and wood-bamboo mixed forests (11 species each habitat), and at the elevation range of 1,000–1,600 m (15 species). The research also recommended that this number does not reflect the true biodiversity of this region; more intensive surveys are needed to have a better understanding of the scolopendromorph diversity in the Phia Oac - Phia Den National Park.

A validation standard for Area of Habitat maps for terrestrial birds and mammals

Area of Habitat (AOH) is a deductive model which maps the distribution of suitable habitat at suitable altitudes for a species inside its broad geographical range. AOH maps have been validated using presence-only data for small subsets of species for different taxonomic groups, but no standard validation method exists when absence data are not available. We develop a novel two-step validation protocol for AOH which includes first a model-based evaluation of model prevalence (i.e, the proportion of suitable habitat within a species' range), and second a validation using species point localities (presence-only) data. We applied the protocol to AOH maps of terrestrial birds and mammals. In the first step we built logistic regression models to predict expected model prevalence (the proportion of the range retained as AOH) as a function of each species' elevation range, mid-point of elevation range, number of habitats, realm and, for birds, seasonality. AOH maps with large difference between observed and predicted model prevalence were identified as outliers and used to identify a number of sources of systematic error which were then corrected when possible. For the corrected AOH, only 1.7% of AOH maps for birds and 2.3% of AOH maps for mammals were flagged as outliers in terms of the difference between their observed and predicted model prevalence. In the second step we calculated point prevalence, the proportion of point localities of a species falling in pixels coded as suitable in the AOH map. We used 48,336,141 point localities for 4889 bird species and 107,061 point localities for 420 mammals. Where point prevalence exceeded model prevalence, the AOH was a better reflection of species' distribution than random. We also found that 4689 out of 4889 (95.9%) AOH maps for birds, and 399 out of 420 (95.0%) AOH maps for mammals were better than random. Possible reasons for the poor performance of a small proportion of AOH maps are discussed.

Identification of the most preferred topographic elevation characteristics for the wild olive trees in Al-Baha Region, Saudi Arabia

The aim of this research was to identify the topographical elevation characteristics most preferred by wild olive trees in the Al-Baha region. This study successfully identified the elevation preferred by wild olives. The results show that the majority (81.6%) of wild olives are located at an elevation range of 1,750–2,500m. However, in the Al-Mandaq sub-region, many wild olive trees can also be found at a lower elevation of 1,250–1,500m, while wild olive presence at a higher elevation of 2000–2,500m can be found in the Al-Baha sub-region. It was observed that at a lower elevation of 1500–1750m, most wild olive crown sizes are small, indicating that the wild olive prefers a higher elevation to grow well. These findings can be regarded as theoretically indicating landforms suitable for olive plantation. As a basis for the suitability of olive plantation sites, these topographical characteristics factors are the essential prerequisites. However, it is obvious that site suitability is subject to the temporal dynamics of environmental variables.

The Effects of Nest Location and Beach Environment on Hatching Success for Leatherback (Dermochelys Coriacea) and Green (Chelonia Mydas) Sea Turtles on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea

Hatching success in sea turtles is hindered by a variety of biotic and abiotic factors. This study of the nesting ecology of leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles, investigated how several environmental factors and beach characteristics on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea influence sea turtle reproductive success. Average clutch hatching success was 40.4% for green turtles and 41.73% for leatherback turtles. For leatherback turtles, clutch elevation relative to the high tide line (HTL) was found to be the most influential factor in determining hatching success, highlighting the sensitivity of this species to sea level rise (SLR). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that nest distance to vegetation and sand conductivity also played significant roles in leatherback clutch hatching success. For leatherback clutches, 33% percent of experimental nests were affected by inundation and 17% by predation. An optimum clutch elevation range for leatherback turtles was identified, where a distinct increase in hatching success was observed between -0.286 m to -0.0528 m above the HTL. For green sea turtles, 64% of experimental nests were affected by predation, confounding conclusions about the roles of environmental characteristics in green turtle hatching success. We propose further investigation into influential characteristics in green turtle nests and confirmation of the observed optimum elevation range on Bioko Island and other nesting grounds. Identified sensitivities of each species to SLR and beach characteristics will be used to encourage the government of Equatorial Guinea to consider the vulnerability of their resident turtle populations when planning for future coastal development.

Distribution, Growth and Biological production of Bamboos in lower and Mid hills of Himachal Pradesh

The present investigation was carried out in the low and mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh where bamboo occurs naturally and also raised by the farming community in abundance. The study revealed that only two genera viz., Dendrocalamus and Bambusa are present in the entire study area with a total of five species D. hamiltonii, D. hookeri var. parishii, D. strictus, Bambusa arundinacea and B. nutans from 300 m asl to 1700m asl. Culm and total biomass was highest at the 500-900 m asl elevation range for D. hamiltonii, D. strictus, D. hookeri var. parishii and B. nutans. However, in B. arundinacea, culm and total biomass was highest at 900-1300 m asl elevation range. All the species recorded their highest culm biomass at the 500-900 m asl elevation range.