A new species of Ischnocnema (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from the mountainous region of Atlantic Forest, southeastern Brazil, with a new phylogeny and diagnose for Ischnocnema parva series

We describe a new species of Rain Frog from Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, which harbors high richness, endemism and threatened species of anurans. Ischnocnema crassa sp. nov. is a leaf litter breeder from the montane rainforest of Santa Teresa, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil. Remarkably, the new species is so far unique amongst Ischnocnema for having moderate hand webbing between fingers. Ischnocnema crassa sp. nov. is the third species belonging to I. parva series and we present a new phylogeny based on molecular data and propose a new diagnosis for the series. We provide field and laboratory observations regarding amplexus, antipredator mechanisms, microhabitat preferences and conservation remarks. Although Santa Teresa is one of the most sampled areas in Brazil, new species are often discovered. Santa Teresa is a priority for amphibian conservation because it harbors 109 species of anurans (9% of Brazil’s species).

Mikrischyrum musicum, a new katydid species from montane rainforest in southern Ecuador with complex pure-tone calling song (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Pseudophyllinae: Platyphyllini)

The katydid Mikrischyrum musicum sp. nov. is described as third species of the genus, along with the remarkable low-ultrasound musical calling song of the male. It is the first species of the genus with known females, which are considerably larger than males and lack the conspicuous white spots on the pronotum. Pure-tone songs among pseudophyllines and development of pronotum markings of Platyphyllini are briefly discussed.

Effects of Nitrogen Additions on Soil Respiration in an Asian Tropical Montane Rainforest

Understanding the impacts of nitrogen (N) addition on soil respiration (RS) and its temperature sensitivity (Q10) in tropical forests is very important for the global carbon cycle in a changing environment. Here, we investigated how RS respond to N addition in a tropical montane rainforest in Southern China. Four levels of N treatments (0, 25, 50, and 100 kg N ha−1 a−1 as control (CK), low N (N25), moderate N (N50), and high N (N100), respectively) were established in September 2010. Based on a static chamber-gas chromatography method, RS was measured from January 2015 to December 2018. RS exhibited significant seasonal variability, with low RS rates appeared in the dry season and high rates appeared in the wet season regardless of treatment. RS was significantly related to the measured soil temperature and moisture. Our results showed that soil RS increased after N additions, the mean annual RS was 7% higher in N25 plots, 8% higher in N50 plots, and 11% higher in N100 plots than that in the CK plots. However, the overall impacts of N additions on RS were statistically insignificant. For the entire study period, the CK, N25, N50, and N100 treatments yielded Q10 values of 2.27, 3.45, 4.11, and 2.94, respectively. N addition increased the temperature sensitivity (Q10) of RS. Our results suggest that increasing atmospheric N deposition may have a large impact on the stimulation of soil CO2 emissions from tropical rainforests in China.

Diversity of trees and structure of forest habitat types in Mt. Tago Range, Mindanao, Philippines

Mt. Tago Range in Bukidnon has been subjected to deforestation and forest fragmentation due to logging ca. 35–40 years ago or as direct result of land conversion for agriculture, human settlements and wildlife product harvesting. It is currently not a protected area. This study aimed to provide data on the tree species diversity, structure, composition, conservation status and threats of the forest habitats in the site. Tree survey in the range was conducted in 2018–2019 using thirty-nine 20 x 20 m sampling plots and six one-kilometer transect lines. A total of 1,032 tree individuals from 54 families, 85 genera and 121 species were documented. The site is composed of four tropical forest habitat types namely: lower montane rainforest, upper montane rainforest, mossy-pygmy and forest over ultramafic rocks. These forest habitats also differed in species composition, elevation, substrate, dominance and structure in terms of height and diameter at breast height. The highest diversity index was observed in the mid-elevation and decreasing toward the peak. The diversity pattern herein is attributed to elevation, forest degradation due to anthropogenic activities and nature of habitat. The most abundant families were the Myrtaceae (23%), Podocarpaceae (12.8%) and Fagaceae (12.6%). At the family level the most dominant taxa included the Moraceae (8.7%), Rubiaceae (6.5%) and Myrtaceae (5.8%). Highest importance value index (IVI) in all forest types fell within the range of IVI’s for tropical forests. Assessment of conservation and ecological status revealed that 11 species (8%) are threatened, 28 (22%) Least Concern (LC) and 16 (12%) are Philippine endemics. Threats to tree diversity in Mt. Tago Range included land conversion for agriculture and settlement, illegal logging and lack of legislative protection. The implementation of conservation strategies by stakeholders is recommended to protect the tree species communities and population across the forest habitat types in the site. KEYWORDS: biodiversity, flora, Shannon-Weiner Index, Importance Value Index, non-Protected Area

Changes in Plant Functional Groups during Secondary Succession in a Tropical Montane Rain Forest

Aggregating diverse plant species into a few functional groups based on functional traits provides new insights for promoting landscape planning and conserving biodiversity in species-diverse regions. Ecophysiological traits are the basis of the functioning of an ecosystem. However, studies related to the identification of functional groups based on plant ecophysiological traits in tropical forests are still scarce because of the inherent difficulties in measuring them. In this study, we measured five ecophysiological traits: net photosynthetic capacity (Amax), maximum stomatal conductance (gmax), water use efficiency (WUE), transpiration rate (Trmmol), and specific leaf areas (SLA) for 87 plant species dominant in a chronosequence of secondary succession, using four time periods (5 year-primary, 15 year-early, and 40 year-middle successional stages after clear cutting and old growth) in the tropical montane rainforest on Hainan Island, China. These species were grouped using hierarchical cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling. Finally, the changes in the composition of functional groups and species richness along the chronosequence were analyzed. Results showed that the plant species in the tropical montane rainforest could be classified into eight distinct functional groups. The richness of functional groups was low during the initial early stage and increased as the early and middle stages progressed, and then declined in the late successional stage. The dominant functional groups in the primary stages had the highest Amax, gmax, Trmmol, and SLA, as well as the lowest WUE, while those in the early and middle successional stages had functional traits at a moderate level, and at the late stage they had the lowest Amax, gmax, Trmmol, and SLA, and highest WUE. Our study showed that the diverse plant species in the tropical montane rainforest could be grouped into a few functional groups according to major ecophysiological traits, and the composition and relative abundance of different groups changed with the successional dynamics of the forest ecosystem.

Brazilian montane rainforest expansion induced by Heinrich Stadial 1 event

The origin of modern disjunct plant distributions in the Brazilian Highlands with strong floristic affinities to distant montane rainforests of isolated mountaintops in the northeast and northern Amazonia and the Guyana Shield remains unknown. We tested the hypothesis that these unexplained biogeographical patterns reflect former ecosystem rearrangements sustained by widespread plant migrations possibly due to climatic patterns that are very dissimilar from present-day conditions. To address this issue, we mapped the presence of the montane arboreal taxa Araucaria, Podocarpus, Drimys, Hedyosmum, Ilex, Myrsine, Symplocos, and Weinmannia, and cool-adapted plants in the families Myrtaceae, Ericaceae, and Arecaceae (palms) in 29 palynological records during Heinrich Stadial 1 Event, encompassing a latitudinal range of 30°S to 0°S. In addition, Principal Component Analysis and Species Distribution Modelling were used to represent past and modern habitat suitability for Podocarpus and Araucaria. The data reveals two long-distance patterns of plant migration connecting south/southeast to northeastern Brazil and Amazonia with a third short route extending from one of them. Their paleofloristic compositions suggest a climatic scenario of abundant rainfall and relative lower continental surface temperatures, possibly intensified by the effects of polar air incursions forming cold fronts into the Brazilian Highlands. Although these taxa are sensitive to changes in temperature, the combined pollen and speleothems proxy data indicate that this montane rainforest expansion during Heinrich Stadial 1 Event was triggered mainly by a less seasonal rainfall regime from the subtropics to the equatorial region.