mountain habitats
Recently Published Documents


TOTAL DOCUMENTS

69
(FIVE YEARS 24)

H-INDEX

12
(FIVE YEARS 2)

Author(s):  
A. A. Kuzemko

Using the big dataset (17,687 vegetation plots), a comparative analysis of grassland habitats of Ukraine in terms of species richness, Shannon and Simpson diversity indices and Pielou and Smith-Wilson evenness indices was performed. Leading positions of thermophilous forest fringe and hay meadows, especially mountain ones, in almost all indices were revealed. Instead, halophytic habitats show the lowest rates in the vast majority of analyzes. In addition to these general patterns, the analysis revealed the following trends: in almost all analyzes (except for the values of the Smith- Wilson index) habitats formed on carbonate rocks had greater richness and diversity than those formed on rocks of silicates; in almost all cases (except the Pielou index) oligotrophic wet grasslands were characterized by higher values of richness and diversity than eutrophic ones; in all analyzes, mountain habitats were characterized by higher values of richness and diversity than similar lowland habitats.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feifei Wu ◽  
Shangxiong Zhang ◽  
Qiu Gao ◽  
Fang Liu ◽  
Jianli Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractVicia amoena is a high-nutritional quality forage similar to alfalfa. However, studies on the genetic background of V. amoena are scarce. In the present study, the genetic variation of 24 V. amoena populations was assessed with newly developed simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. A total of 8799 SSRs were identified in the V. amoena genomic-enriched sequences, and the most abundant repeat number was four. A total of 569 sampled individuals were assayed to evaluate the genetic diversity of the V. amoena populations based on 21 polymorphic SSR primers. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.896 to 0.968, with an average of 0.931, which indicated that the markers were highly informative. Based on analysis of molecular variance, 88% of the variance occurred within populations, and the remaining 12% of the variance occurred among populations. The high degree of gene flow (Nm= 4.958) also showed slight differentiation among the V. amoena populations. The V. amoena populations were mainly clustered by steppe and mountain habitats based on principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and STRUCTURE analysis. This indicated that the elevation and special habitat of geographical origins may be important factors affecting the clustered pattern of V. amoena populations. Neighbour-joining (NJ) analysis did not separate the populations well by geographical origin, which indicated that the genetic structure of V. amoena was complex and needs further study. Overall, our results showed that the newly developed SSR markers could benefit the V. amoena research community by providing genetic background information to help establish a foundation for breeding improvement and germplasm resource conservation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erich Kucs ◽  
Peter Schönswetter ◽  
Gerald M. Schneeweiss

AbstractDraba (Brassicaeae), a model group for diversification and evolution in Arctic and mountain habitats, is taxonomically challenging and many of its species are insufficiently investigated. One such species is D. pacheri, an endemic of the eastern European Alps and the western Carpathians (here presumably extinct). Several hypotheses exist with respect to the phylogenetic position and the taxonomy of this species, but none of these has ever been tested using molecular data. In this article we examine (i) DNA sequence data to assess the phylogenetic position of D. pacheri within the genus and (ii) AFLP fingerprint data as well as morphometric data to address whether this species can be divided taxonomically into species or subspecies. DNA sequence data firmly place D. pacheri within the Core Draba Group III, whose internal relationships are, however, insufficiently resolved to precisely identify the closest relative of D. pacheri. AFLP data identify several genetically divergent lineages corresponding to geographically distinct regions. Although these lineages are congruent with hypotheses distinguishing either two species (D. pacheri s. str., D. norica) or one species with several subspecies, the lack of clear morphological separation, both with respect to the entire set of traits and single presumably diagnostic characters such as trichome morphology, renders recognition of a single species D. pacheri, as suggested previously, the best taxonomic solution. The deep and geographically strongly structured splits of D. pacheri likely are the result of isolation in several Pleistocene refugia and warrant that conservation efforts should involve populations from each of the main geographic subgroups.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. e01799
Author(s):  
Kathy Martin ◽  
Tomás A. Altamirano ◽  
Devin R. de Zwaan ◽  
Kristina G. Hick ◽  
Anneka Vanderpas ◽  
...  

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 466
Author(s):  
Alessandro Bricca ◽  
Maria Laura Carranza ◽  
Marco Varricchione ◽  
Maurizio Cutini ◽  
Angela Stanisci

We analyzed plant functional diversity (FD) and redundancy (FR) in Mediterranean high-mountain communities to explore plant functional patterns and assembly rules. We focused on three above-ground plant traits: plant height (H), a good surrogate of competition for light strategies, and specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC), useful indicators of resource exploitation functional schemes. We used the georeferenced vegetation plots and field-measured plant functional traits of four widely spread vegetation types growing on screes, steep slopes, snowbeds and ridges, respectively. We calculated Rao’s FD and FR followed by analysis of standardized effect size, and compared FD and FR community values using ANOVA and the Tukey post hoc test. Assemblage rules varied across plant communities and traits. The High FRH registered on snowbeds and ridges is probably linked to climatic filtering processes, while the high FDH and low FDSLA and FDLDMC on steep slopes could be related with underlying competition mechanisms. The absence of FD patterns in scree vegetation pinpoint random assembly processes which are typical of highly unstable or disturbed ecosystems. Improved knowledge about the deterministic/stochastic processes shaping species coexistence on high mountain ecosystems should help researchers to understand and predict vegetation vulnerability to environmental changes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-472
Author(s):  
Marco Varricchione ◽  
Valter Di Cecco ◽  
Lucia A. Santoianni ◽  
Angela Stanisci ◽  
Mirko Di Febbraro ◽  
...  

High mountain ecosystems are hotspots of biodiversity that are highly vulnerable to climate warming and land use change. In Europe, high mountain habitats are included in the EC Directive 92/43/EEC (Habitats Directive) and the identification of practices facilitating effective monitoring is crucial for meeting HD goals. We analyzed the temporal changes in species composition and diversity on high mountain EU habitats and explored if the subgroup of diagnostic species was able to summarize the comprehensive information on plant community variations. We performed a re-visitation study, using a set of 30 georeferenced historical plots newly collected after 20 years on two EU habitats (Galium magellense community growing on screes (8120 EU) and Trifolium thalii community of snowbeds (6170 EU)) in the Maiella National Park (MNP), which is one of the most threatened Mediterranean mountains in Europe. The presence of several endangered species and the availability of a botanical garden, a seed bank, and a nursery, make the MNP an excellent training ground to explore in situ and ex situ conservation strategies. We compared overall and diagnostic species richness patterns over time by rarefaction curves and described the singular aspects of species diversity (e.g., richness, Shannon index, Simpson index, and Berger–Parker index), by Rènyi’s diversity profiles. Diversity values consistently varied over time and across EU habitat types, with increasing values on scree communities and decreasing values on snowbeds. These changes could be associated with both land use change, through the increase of grazing pressure of Apennine chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata), which determined a rise of nitrophilous species in the scree community, and an increase of grasses at the expense of forbs in snowbeds, and to climate change, which promoted a general expansion of thermophilous species. Despite the two opposite, ongoing processes on the two plant communities studied, our results evidenced that diagnostic species and overall species followed the same trend of variation, demonstrating the potential of diagnostics for EU habitat monitoring. Our observations suggested that the re-visitation of historical plots and the implementation of frequent monitoring campaigns on diagnostic species can provide important data on species abundance and distribution patterns in these vulnerable ecosystems, supporting optimized in situ and ex situ conservation actions.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 516 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
ACHALA R. RATHNAYAKA ◽  
K.W. THILINI CHETHANA ◽  
DANUSHKA S. TENNAKOON ◽  
SAISAMORN LUMYONG ◽  
KEVIN D. HYDE

A novel taxon, Pseudorobillarda camelliae-sinensis (Pseudorobillardaceae) and new host records of pleosporalean taxa viz. Neopyrenochaeta triseptatispora (Neopyrenochaetaceae), Ramusculicola thailandica (Teichosporaceae) and Vaginatispora palmae (Lophiostomataceae) resulted from our investigation of plant-associated microfungi in Alishan and Fenghuang Mountain ranges in Taiwan. These taxa were isolated from dicotyledonous hosts of Bignoniaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Meliaceae and Moraceae. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses were performed using combined SSU, LSU, ITS, tef1-α and rpb2 sequence data to clarify the phylogenetic affinities of taxa. The newly described taxa of the current study are accompanied by comprehensive descriptions, micrographs and comparisons with similar species. In addition, the importance of exploiting fungi from mountain habitats in Taiwan is discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-62
Author(s):  
Chakir Ali ◽  
Muhammad Irfan

Abstract Hingol National Park (HNP), in Baluchistan, Pakistan, is rich in biodiversity and has a variety of eco-services and marine eco-services. It has dune and mountain habitats that provide a significant environment for wildlife, including amphibians, dolphins, green marine turtles, and migratory birds, but the number of species is declining. HNP faces many problems such as unregulated tourism and lack of a budget to protect and conserve precious wildlife. The study used a negative binomial regression model and a zero-truncated regression model to estimate the visitors’ travel demand and recreational value of the National Park by collecting a sample of 210 respondents.. The study estimated a consumer surplus of USD 270 per person per visit and thus a total annual recreational value of the park at USD 35.11 million. Since the elasticity of demand is low, the study suggests the imposition of an entrance fee of USD 0.86 (PKR 100) that would generate an annual revenue of USD 113,000. It is recommended that both provisional and federal governments should take the necessary steps to maintain and promote heritage tourism in the region by reshaping the national parks for the protection of scarce natural resources and the protection of biodiversity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Gian Barras ◽  
Felix Liechti ◽  
Raphaël Arlettaz

Abstract Mountains naturally offer very contrasting habitat conditions, but their biodiversity is nowadays facing the extra challenge of adapting to rapid environmental shifts that are much more pronounced than in the lowlands. Among the possible adaptive responses of wildlife, intra- and inter-seasonal movements represent an important coping strategy that remains largely unexplored. We investigated the seasonal and day-to-day movements of the ring ouzel Turdus torquatus, a European mountain bird species that is declining in many parts of its distribution. We tracked individuals breeding in the Swiss Alps using geolocators, multi-sensor loggers and GPS. Of the birds traced to their non-breeding quarters, two thirds reached the Atlas Mountains while one third stayed in Spain, a region potentially more significant for overwintering than previously thought. The birds remained mostly above 1000 m throughout the annual cycle, highlighting a strict association of ring ouzels with mountain habitats. We also evidenced flexible daily elevational movements, especially upon spring arrival on the breeding grounds, which suggest adaptive potential in response to environmental variation. This study shows how modern technology can deliver deeper insights into animal movements, paving the way for refined assessments of species vulnerability to ongoing global change while providing basic conservation guidance.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document