Investigating factors that set the lower elevational limit of Canada jays (Perisoreus canadensis) on Vancouver Island

The biotic and abiotic factors responsible for determining ranges of most species are poorly understood. The Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis Linnaeus, 1766) relies on perishable cached food for over-winter survival and late-winter breeding and the persistence of cached food could be a driver of range limits. We confirmed that the Canada jay’s lower elevational limit on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, matches that of the subalpine zone (900 m) and then conducted simulated caching experiments to examine the influence of antimicrobial properties of subalpine tree species (biotic) and of temperature (abiotic) on the preservation of cached food. We found that two high-elevation species, Yellow cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis D. Don, D.P. Little) and Amabilis fir (Abies amabilis Douglas ex J. Forbes) preserved cached blueberries and chicken flesh better than other trees but they also occurred well below the lower limit of Canada jays. The effect of temperature was similarly unclear; while food cached at 1150 m retained 17 % more mass than food cached at 550 m, there was no difference in percent mass remaining of food placed 70 m above, versus 120 m below, the Jay lower elevational limit. Thus we were unable to provide definitive evidence that either of the proposed abiotic or biotic factors was responsible for setting the Canada jay lower elevational limit of resident Canada jays.

Elevational distribution ranges of vascular plant species in the Baekdudaegan mountain range, South Korea

The climate is changing rapidly, and this may pose a major threat to global biodiversity. One of the most distinctive consequences of climate change is the poleward and/or upward shift of species distribution ranges associated with increasing temperatures, resulting in a change of species composition and community structure in the forest ecosystems. The Baekdudaegan mountain range connects most forests from the lowland to the subalpine zone in South Korea and is therefore recognized as one of the most important biodiversity hotspots. This study was conducted to understand the distribution range of vascular plants along elevational gradients through field surveys in the six national parks of the Baekdudaegan mountain range. We identified the upper and lower distribution limits of a total of 873 taxa of vascular plants with 117 families, 418 genera, 793 species, 14 subspecies, 62 varieties, two forms, and two hybrids. A total of 12 conifers were recorded along the elevational gradient. The distribution ranges of Abies koreana, Picea jezoensis, Pinus pumila, and Thuja koraiensis were limited to over 1000 m above sea level. We also identified 21 broad-leaved trees in the subalpine zone. A total of 45 Korean endemic plant species were observed, and of these, 15 taxa (including Aconitum chiisanense and Hanabusaya asiatica) showed a narrow distribution range in the subalpine zone. Our study provides valuable information on the current elevational distribution ranges of vascular plants in the six national parks of South Korea, which could serve as a baseline for vertical shifts under future climate change.

Altitude and biotope distribution of species of a number of Neuroptera fauna of the Ukrainian Carpathians and the Transcarpathian lowlands

The species composition of the net-winged insects fauna, as well as the biotope distribution within the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians have been studied. For the first time, an altitude-band analysis of the distribution of net-winged insects in the Ukrainian Carpathians was conducted, which showed that the highest species diversity is characterized by the belt of oak forests, for which 50 species of reticulated net-winged insects are listed. Seven were found to be original for the belt: Chrysopa hummeli, Chrysopa dorsalis, Chrysopa hungarica, Chrysopa nigricostata, Sisyra nigra, Distoleon tetragrammicus, Libelloides macaronius. These species occur only in this zone and are very rare. It was found that the highest species diversity is characterized by mixed forests and forest edges, for which 39 species were identified, which is 78% of the total number of species that occur in the belt of oak forests. The highest Magralef index for mixed oak forests (Quercus, Tilia, Acer, Fraxinus, Ulmus, etc.). For the belt of beech forests, there are 43 species. It was found that the greatest species diversity is characterized by forest edges, there are 32 species, which is 74% of the total number of species of beech belt of the Ukrainian Carpathians, 31 species (72%) in beech forest with admixtures of other deciduous trees. 29 on the edges and in the old beech forests (virgin forests). The highest index of species richness according to Margalef falls on the edges. As part of the spruce forest belt, 24 species were noted, ten of which, namely Wesmaelius mortoni, Wesmaelius nervosus, Wesmaelius ravus, Wesmaelius tjederi, Wesmaelius concinnus, Wesmaelius quadrifasciatus, Hemerobius contumax, Hemerobius feumax, Hemerobius fenestih only within the belt of spruce forests. Margalef's highest index characterizes young spruce forests. In the subalpine zone, only four species of reticulated net-winged insects were found – Myrmeleon formicarius, Wesmaelius nervosus, Wesmaelius ravus and Chrysoperla carnea, in the alpine zone – none.

ФІТОЦЕНОТИЧНА ПРИУРОЧЕНІСТЬ ТА КОНСОРТИВНІ ЗВ’ЯЗКИ ВИДІВ РОДУ GENTIANA L. В УКРАЇНСЬКИХ КАРПАТАХ

Peculiarities of phytocoenotic association and and consortium relations of rare species of Gentiana lutea L., Gentiana punctata L., Gentiana acaulis L. are analyzed. All habitats of G. lutea populations are spatially associated with the bottoms of glacial cauldrons, krummholz with the species of Duschekia viridis (Chaix) DC, as well as herbaceous highland cenoses. These groups are autochthonous in terms of phytocenotic association of G. lutea. Most often, populations of G. lutea are part of the associations Pulmonario–Duschekietum viridis, Soldanello–Nardetum, in particular two of its subassociations: S.–N. gentianetosum, S.–N. narcissetosum, as well as subassociations Vaccinietum gentianosum, Calamagrostidetum gentianosum. Heavy pastoral load on highland cenoses led to the transformation of subassociations S.–N. gentianetosum and S.–N. Narcissetosum. Diagnostic species, Narcissus poeticus ssp. angustifolius (Curtis) Asch. et Graebn., G. lutea, in particular, have been replaced by dense-grained cereal Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. The species of G. punctata tends to pine scrubs (Pinion mughi alliance), which are part of the alpine mat-grass (order Nardetalia), and also occur among subalpine shrub communities (Loiseleurio-Vaccinietea class), high-grass groups (Mulgedio-Aconitetea class) along the upper forest boundaries in riverbeds, descending into the forest belt (union Adenostylion alliariae). G. punctata is a diagnostic species of the endemic association Hyperico grisebachii – Calamagrostietum villosae and is a component part of the endemic associations Festucetum picturatae, Rhododendretum myrtifolii, a rare relict group of the ice age Centrario–Vaccinietum gaultherioides. The species composition of cenoses including G. punctata is also undergoing transformation affected by heavy pastoral load. In areas with heavy grazing, small clusters of G. punctata in the subalpine zone remain mostly in the gaps between the thickets of Pinus mugo Turra, D. viridis s and Juniperus communis subsp. nana. As in the case of G. lutea, the unfavourable species adjacent to G. punctata is D. saespitosa of high viability. Normal development of G. acaulis populations was found only in loosely coated cenoses comprised of Potentilla aurea L., Vaccinium myrtillus L., Festuca picturata Pils, Carex sempervirens Vill., Thymus sp., Anthoxanthum alpinum A. et D. Löve, as well as N. stricta and D. caespitosa (L.) Beauv. of low vitality. Adverse phytocenotic conditions for the growth of G. acaulis create species of D. viridis, Achillea submillefolium L., as well as N. stricta and D. caespitosa of high vitality. The consortia of the three species under study include 36 families of animals, with the varying degree of association: obligate (Apidae, Syrphidae, Formicidae, Diptera, Artropoda, Lumbricidae, Acariformes) and optional (Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Noridaidait, Gectuidae, Gectuidae, Chrysomelidae, Cantharididae, Alleculidae).

A pilot study of the Carpathian ichneumonine parasitoids (Hymenopera, Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae) reveals eighty-eight new records for Ukraine

Data on the subfamily Ichneumoninae Latreille, 1802 (Hymenopera: Ichneumonidae) from the Ukrainian Carpathians is summarized, with 196 species from eight tribes, of which 88 species are recorded from Ukraine for the first time. The new Ukrainian records belong to four tribes, Heresiarchini Ashmead, 1900, Ichneumonini Latreille, 1802, Phaeogenini Förster, 1869, and Platylabini Berthoumieu, 1904. Phaeogenini is the most poorly studied with 75% of species recorded for the country for the first time. High-altitude zone distribution is discussed: oak forest zone is the most species-rich (125 species), while the subalpine zone is the most poorly studied (57% of species found only in this zone are new records for Ukraine). The flying adults of Ichneumoninae were found from April until October, with a maximum number of species and genera collected in July, and with most specimens collected in May. Stenobarichneumon ridibitor Aubert, 1994 is transferred to the genus Baranisobas Heinrich, 1972 (comb. nov.)

Unique nesting biology of Osmia ( Melanosmia) uncinata, a Palaearctic osmiine bee specialized on thick-barked conifers (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae)

Osmia (Melanosmia) uncinata Gerstäcker is a Palaearctic megachilid bee distributed from temperate and northern Europe eastwards to the Russian Far East. The discovery of over 80 nests in Switzerland, southern Germany and Scotland enabled for the first time a closer investigation of its nesting biology and prompted the assessment of the species’ phenology, distribution and habitat. O. uncinata nested in self-excavated burrows inside the bark of both living trunks and dead stumps of Pinus sylvestris. The nests were excavated at a height of 10–220 cm above ground either on the underside of prominences of longitudinal bark ribs or inside beetle borings and extended more or less vertically upwards. They consisted of a single straight to slightly curved burrow with rarely one to three side burrows, had a total length of 1.2–12.0 cm and contained 1–6 brood cells. The brood cells, which faced downwards with the larval provisions being located in the upper cell half, were separated from each other by one-layered walls of chewed leaves (“leaf pulp”). The nests were sealed with a plug of 2–4 closely adjacent walls of leaf pulp. DNA metabarcoding of cell and plug walls revealed that Potentilla and Fragaria (Rosaceae) served as leaf pulp sources. Pre-imaginal mortality amounted to 77%, partly caused by brood parasites such as Sapyga similis (Sapygidae) and Cacoxenus indagator (Drosophilidae) or predators such as snakeflies (Raphidioptera). At low elevations, O. uncinata needs one year for its development and overwinters as imago inside the nest, whereas in the subalpine zone of the Alps it has a two-year cycle passing the first winter as prepupa and the second winter as imago. O. uncinata starts to emerge between the end of March at low elevations and the end of May at higher elevations qualifying as an early flying bee like the other European O. (Melanosmia) species. The distribution of O. uncinata in Central Europe and Scotland largely coincides with the occurrence of P. sylvestris. As in the pine, it extends over a wide altitudinal range from below 100 m up to 1900 m a.s.l. and encompasses dry and wet as well as warm and cold habitats including open pine forests, inner and outer forest edges dominated by pine and isolated pine groups. At a few locations in the subalpine zone of the Alps, O. uncinata occurs in the absence of P. sylvestris; here, the thick bark of Larix decidua serves as a substitute nesting substrate.