When is a parasite species a species?

Regrettably, 140 years after the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species, we face the grotesque situation that we still do not know what is a species whose origin Darwin wanted to explain. A generally applicable species definition is not available. Is there a basic unit of biodiversity above the level of individuals? Do we try to define something that does not exist in reality? The strong potential for the evolution of genetic variability in parasites together with the importance of species diagnosis for applied fields of parasite research make biodiversity research a key role in parasitology. Frequent occurrence of sympatric speciation, clonal reproduction, selfing, sib mating or parthenogenesis imply exceptional conditions for the evolution of gene pool diversities in parasites.     

How do species interactions affect species distribution models?

One of the most promising recent advances in biogeography has been the increased interest and understanding of species distribution models – estimates of the probability that a species is present given environmental data. Unfortunately, such analyses ignore many aspects of ecology, and so are difficult to interpret. In particular, we know that species interactions have a profound influence on distributions, but it is not usually possible to incorporate this knowledge into species distribution models. What is needed is a rigorous understanding of how unmeasured biotic interactions affect the inferences generated by species distribution models. To fill this gap, we develop a general mathematical approach that uses probability theory to determine how unmeasured biotic interactions affect inferences from species distribution models. Using this approach, we reanalyze one of the most important classes of mechanistic models of competition: models of consumer resource dynamics. We determine how measurements of one aspect of the environment – a single environmental variable – can be used to estimate the probability that an environment is suitable with species distribution models. We show that species distribution models, which ignore numerous facets of consumer resource dynamics such as the presence of a competitor or the dynamics of depletable resources, can furnish useful predictions for the probability that an environment is suitable in some circumstances. These results provide a rigorous link between complex mechanistic models of species interactions and species distribution models. In so doing they demonstrate that unmeasured biotic interactions can have strong and counterintuitive consequences on species distribution models.     

Are hybrid species more fit than ancestral parent species in the current hybrid species habitats?

Hybrid speciation is thought to be facilitated by escape of early generation hybrids into new habitats, subsequent environmental selection and adaptation. Here, we ask whether two homoploid hybrid plant species (Helianthus anomalus, H. deserticola) diverged sufficiently from their ancestral parent species (H. annuus, H. petiolaris) during hybrid speciation so that they are more fit than the parent species in hybrid species habitats. Hybrid and parental species were reciprocally transplanted into hybrid and parental habitats. Helianthus anomalus was more fit than parental species in the H. anomalus actively moving desert dune habitat. The abilities to tolerate burial and excavation and to obtain nutrients appear to be important for success in the H. anomalus habitat. In contrast, H. deserticola failed to outperform the parental species in the H. deserticola stabilized desert dune habitat, and several possible explanations are discussed. The home site advantage of H. anomalus is consistent with environmental selection having been a mechanism for adaptive divergence and hybrid speciation and supports the use of H. anomalus as a valuable system for further assessment of environmental selection and adaptive traits.     

The relative of species pools in determining plant species richness: an alternative explanation of species coexistence?

Explanations of the pattern of species have traditionally relied on small-scale, local processes occurring in ecological time. Differences in species richness have associated with different mechanisms avoiding competition, such as spatiotemporal heterogeneity (weaker competitors may find a more favourable place or time) or environmental stress (competition is assumed to be less intensive under difficult conditions). More recently, large-scale process have been taken into account, raising such questions as: which plant species may potentially grow in a certain community? Are evolutionary processes and species dispersal responsible for the differences between communities? The species-pool theory attempts to answer these general questions, and information about species pools is needed for the design of experiments where the number of species in a community is manipulated.     

Do artificial substrates favor nonindigenous fouling species over native species?

Exotic species are prominent constituents of fouling communities. If exotic fouling organisms colonize or compete better on a wider range of substrate types than native species, this may partially account for their high abundance in estuaries and bays. We used four artificial and four naturally occurring substrate types to compare initial settlement and percent cover of native and exotic fouling species through six months of community development. Both the identity of common taxa and the total number of species colonizing artificial versus natural substrate types were similar. Despite the similarities in species richness, relative abundance patterns between natural and artificial substrate types varied, particularly as the communities developed. Native species were initially in equal abundance on natural and artificial substrate types. Initially, the two most common exotic species, the colonial tunicates, Botrylloides violaceus Ritter and Forsyth and Botryllus schlosseri (Pallas), were also in similar, but low, abundance on artificial and natural substrates. As the communities developed, there was little change in abundance of exotic or native species on natural substrates. However, on artificial substrates the exotic tunicates increased dramatically and native species declined in abundance. Artificial surfaces may provide a novel context for competitive interactions giving exotic species a more “level playing field” in an environment for which they otherwise might not be as well adapted compared to long-resident native species. Additions of artificial substrates to nearshore environments may disproportionately favor exotic species by increasing local sources of exotic propagules to colonize all types of substrates.     

β-D-galactosidase ofLactobacillus species

The activity of β-D-galactosidase was studied in 13 strains of lactobacilli (groupsStreptobacterium, Thermobacterium andBetabacterium). Using 2-nitrophenyl galactopyranoside as substrate, the enzyme activity varied with the strain. The values found in theThermobacterium group were superior to those in theStreptobacterium group. The optimum pH for the species belonging to theThermobacterium group was uniform, in contrast to the ph for those from theStreptobacterium which varied according to the species. The optimum temperature was quite uniform within each group and higher in theStreptobacterium. Lactose acted as a competitive inhibitor. MgCl₂ protected the enzyme from thermal denaturation. The calcium ions inhibited the activity in all cases. The behaviour of the protectors of the SH groups varied according to the strain. 6-Phospho-β-D-galactosidase activity was also determined, levels lower than β-D-galactosidase were found, except inLactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 and 14917.     

Does climate limit species richness by limiting individual species’ ranges?

Broad-scale geographical variation in species richness is strongly correlated with climate, yet the mechanisms underlying this correlation are still unclear. We test two broad classes of hypotheses to explain this pattern. Bottom-up hypotheses propose that the environment determines individual species’ ranges. Ranges then sum up to yield species richness patterns. Top-down hypotheses propose that the environment limits the number of species that occur in a region, but not which ones. We test these two classes of hypotheses using a natural experiment: seasonal changes in environmental variables and seasonal range shifts of 625 migratory birds in the Americas. We show that richness seasonally tracks the environment. By contrast, individual species’ geographical distributions do not. Rather, species occupy different sets of environmental conditions in two seasons. Our results are inconsistent with extant bottom-up hypotheses. Instead, a top-down mechanism appears to constrain the number of species that can occur in a given region.     

Do species distribution models explain spatial structure within tree species ranges?

Aim To evaluate the ability of species distribution models (SDMs) to predict the spatial structure of tree species within their geographical ranges (how trees are distributed within their ranges). Location Continental Spain. Methods We used an extensive dataset consisting of c. 90,000 plots (1 plot km^?2) where presence/absence data for 23 common Mediterranean and Atlantic tree species had been surveyed. We first generated SDMs relating the presence or absence of each species to a set of 16 environmental predictors, following a stepwise modelling process based on maximum likelihood methods. Superimposing spatial correlograms generated from the predictions of the SDMs over those generated from the raw data allowed a model–observation comparison of the nature, scale and intensity (level of aggregation) of spatial structure with the species ranges. Results SDMs predicted accurately the nature and scale of the spatial structure of trees. However, for most species, the observed intensity of spatial structure (level of aggregation of species in space) was substantially greater than that predicted by the SDMs. On average, the intensity of spatial aggregation was twice that predicted by SDMs. In addition, we also found a negative correlation between intensity of aggregation and species range size. Main conclusions Standard SDM predictions of spatial structure patterns differ among species. SDMs are apparently able to reproduce both the scale and intensity of species spatial structure within their ranges. However, one or more missing processes not included in SDMs results in species being substantially more aggregated in space than can be captured by the SDMs. This result adds to recent calls for a new generation of more biologically realistic SDMs. In particular, future SDMs should incorporate ecological processes that are likely to increase the intensity of spatial aggregation, such as source–sink dynamics, fine‐scale environmental heterogeneity and disequilibrium.     

Invasion-resistance in experimental grassland communities: species richness or species identity?

The question as to why some communities are more invasible than others has pro-found implications for conservation biology and land management. The theoretical issues involved go right to the heart of our understanding of species coexistence and community assembly. The experiment reported here indicates that for productive, small-scale grassland plots, species identity matters more than species richness in determining both the number of invading species and the total biomass of invasives.     

Are all Mexican odonate species documented? An assessment of species richness

With the aim of protecting Mexican diversity, one current governmental task is to complete national biological inventories. In the case of odonate insects, several researchers have hypothesized that species richness is complete (205 dragonflies and 151 damselflies), but there has not been any formal exercise to test this. Thus, we have investigated whether odonate species richness (for Mexican endemics, dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera), damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) and total species) is complete using sample-based and coverage-based rarefaction curves. Along with this, we also showed how good distribution data are in the country. The rarefaction curves have indicated 100% completeness for all groups suggesting that the inventory is complete. However, species' distribution data is highly patchy regarding areas either well (e.g. central Mexico) or badly (e.g. coast of Guerrero and Oaxaca) collected. We encourage researchers to continue odonate sampling in order to support at least three conservation actions: (i) conservation assessment of endangered species; (ii) knowledge of range shifts given rising global temperatures; and (iii) increase public interest and awareness in protected, touristic areas.     

Do persistent rare species experience stronger negative frequency dependence than common species?

Understanding why so many species are rare yet persistent remains a significant challenge for both theoretical and empirical ecologists. Yenni et al. (2012, Ecology, 93, 456–461) proposed that strong negative frequency dependence causes species to be rare while simultaneously buffering them against extinction. This hypothesis predicts that, on average, rare species should experience stronger negative frequency dependence than common species. However, it is unknown if ecological communities generally show this theoretical pattern. We discuss the implications of this phenomenon for community dynamics, and develop a method to test for a non‐random relationship between negative frequency dependence and relative abundance using species abundance data from 90 communities across a broad range of environments and taxonomic groups. To account for biases introduced by measurement error, we compared the observed correlation between species relative abundance and the strength of frequency dependence against expectations from a randomization procedure. In approximately half of the analysed communities, we found increasingly strong negative frequency dependence with decreasing relative abundance: rare species experienced stronger frequency dependence than common species. The randomization test never detected stronger negative frequency dependence in more common species. Our results suggest that strong negative frequency dependence is a signature of persistent, rare species in many communities.     

quasispecies汉译小议

病毒比一般生物变异要快得多,所以病毒实际上是以大致相同,但略有不同的一群病毒粒子的形式存在的。这种存在方式叫做ｑｕａｓｉｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ。ｑｕａｓｉｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ一般被翻译为“准种”,但是这种译法不太清晰。“ｑｕａｓｉ”前缀是“带有……性质”的意思,如“ｑｕａｓｉｏｆｆｉｃｉａｌ”译作“带有官方性质的”,所以ｑｕａｓｉｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ应该译作“带有物种特性的群体”。这个概念最早由超循环理论创立人Ｅｉｇｅｎ在１９７１年提出的,指的是大致相同、但略有不同的一群个体的组合。对于生物学而言,这种组合…