滇龙胆草野生资源的地理分布与生物气候特征

利用国家标本资源共享平台提供的物种分布数据,结合野外实地调查和MaxEnt模型对滇龙胆草适宜分布区进行模拟和验证,分析滇龙胆草地理分布与气候因子间的关系.结果表明:模型训练集和验证集曲线下面积(area under curve,AUC)值均>0.90,表明模型预测精度高,预测结果较准确.滇龙胆草分布区地理坐标范围:22.2°-28.75°N,98.48°-110.59°E.适宜的海拔范围为1830^1959 m.适生区总面积约63.92×10^4 km^2;其中,高度适生区4.33×10^4 km^2,中度适生区21.42×10^4 km^2.云南、四川、贵州3省适生区面积合计约59.10×10^4 km^2,占全国适生区面积的92.46%.影响滇龙胆草地理分布的主要气候因子有3、6和8月太阳辐射,温度年较差,最暖季均温,10月和11月平均降水量及最干季降水量.偏最小二乘回归(partial least squares regression,PLSR)分析表明,分布区以北和以东的太阳辐射(3月、6月和8月)、温度年较差、10-11月平均降水量、最干季降水量是主要的限制因子;分布区以南主要限制因子是6月太阳辐射、最暖季均温、10月和11月平均降水量.限制滇龙胆草向四川盆地、广西盆地分布的主要气候因子是太阳辐射、温度年较差、最暖季均温、年生物温度和年可能蒸散量.综合分析认为,滇龙胆草的适生区主要位于云贵高原,上述地区的亚热带湿润气候最适宜滇龙胆草生长.     

养猪微生物发酵床芽胞杆菌空间生态位特性

研究养猪微生物发酵床芽胞杆菌空间生态位特性,理解养殖粪污形成的环境生态位与芽胞杆菌种类的相互关系,为阐明微生物发酵床猪粪降解、臭味消除、猪病防控机理和资源化利用等提供科学数据。采用随机采样法获得微生物发酵床的上层垫料(0—20 cm)和下层垫料(40—60 cm)样本共14个。利用营养条件检测和宏基因组测序的方法,分析垫料样本的营养特性(有机质、全氮、腐殖酸、粗纤维)和生长条件(水分、pH),鉴定芽胞杆菌种类和测定相对丰度(reads);利用聚类分析、相关性分析、空间分布型分析、生态位宽度和重叠,揭示芽胞杆菌空间生态位特性及其因子间相互关系。研究结果表明,从空间生态位样本中共鉴定出芽胞杆菌目8个科中的6个科24个属种类(其中2个属具有芽胞杆菌种名形式,不属于芽胞杆菌),发现微生物发酵床垫料空间生态位中Ammoniibacillus(氨芽胞杆菌属,类芽胞杆菌科)、Desulfuribacillus(脱硫芽胞杆菌属,芽胞杆菌待建立新科)、Tuberibacillus(肿块芽胞杆菌属,芽胞乳杆菌科),国内未见报道,为中国新记录属。在被测生态位中相对含量(reads)最高的前3个属为芽胞杆菌属(Bacillus)(reads=8020)、乳杆菌属(Lactobacillus)(reads=4565)、肿块芽胞杆菌属(Tuberibacillus)(reads=1418);发酵床上层垫料生态位芽胞杆菌属总量与下层相比无显著差异(P0.05),但属种类和数量结构、亚群落分化差异显著,上层生态位前5位高含量芽胞杆菌优势属(数量平均值)分别为Bacillus(532.86)、Lactobacillus(480.43)、Geobacillus(88.86)、Gracilibacillus(70.00)、Paenibacillus(40.86),而下层为Bacillus(612.86)、Tuberibacillus(188.57)、Lactobacillus(171.71)、Paucisalibacillus(60.00)、Ureibacillus(46.71)。分析表明5个生态位最宽的芽胞杆菌分别为:Bacillus(10.5159)、Ornithinibacillus(8.6094)、Paenibacillus(7.8463)、Oceanobacillus(6.9927)、Rummeliibacillus(5.7417),对发酵床环境条件适应范围较宽、对营养条件要求较低的芽胞杆菌,空间生态位宽度较宽,可利用的资源数较多,反之亦然;分析表明芽胞杆菌各属之间空间生态位重叠Pianka测度范围为0.00—0.99,有些属之间生态位重叠很高,如Gracilibacillus和Ammoniibacillus,有些几乎不重叠,如Desulfuribacillus和Aneurinibacillus;芽胞杆菌空间生态位宽度与生态位重叠存在着相互关系,生态位较宽的属,如芽胞杆菌属(Bacillus),与其他属之间的空间生态位重叠集中在0.20—0.80之间,空间生态位较窄的属,如Geobacillus,与其他属之间的空间生态位重叠主要分布在0.20或0.80。     

异质生境对荒漠草原植物群落组成和种群生态位的影响

为揭示荒漠草原不同植物种群生态位特征以及对有限资源的利用状况,以围栏内外不同土壤类型下植物群落为研究对象,运用经典生态位理论,探讨其群落组成和种群生态位特征。结果表明：在调查样方中共记录到15科36属42种植物,以豆科、禾本科、菊科和藜科的草本植物为主。风沙土生境中的植被生物量和密度最高,一年生植物生态位宽度值往往较高,以猪毛蒿的重要值最大。灰钙土生境中植被盖度较高,多年生植物生态位宽度值相对较高,以牛枝子和针茅的重要值最大。放牧会减少多年生草本的种类和数量,而一年生草本有所增加,对半灌木数量则影响不大。在不同生境下猪毛蒿生态位宽度和总宽度值均居首,是该区域主要优势种和典型的泛化种。在放牧和短期围栏内猪毛蒿与其他物种的生态位重叠指数均较高,但在长期围封样地中,特别是灰钙土生境下,重叠指数比重有所降低。基岩风化沉积土中物种间的重叠程度最大,而风沙土中则最小。猪毛蒿分布在生态位重叠指数DCA排序图的中心,说明其在群落中占有重要地位,对有限资源的竞争能力和对环境的适应能力较强。综上,生境的异质性是导致群落组成及生态位不同的关键因子,因此在荒漠草原进行植被恢复建设和保护措施时,应考虑不同土壤类型条件下各物种生态适应性,避免生态位功能冲突。     

How to survive a glaciation: the challenge of estimating biologically realistic potential distributions under freezing conditions

Correlative ecological niche models are increasingly used to estimate potential distributions during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) for biogeographical research. In the case of presence‐background/pseudoabsences techniques, cold environments that are poorly represented in existing geography can complicate the process of model calibration and transfer into more extreme cold environments that were very common during the LGM (non‐analog conditions). This may lead to biologically unrealistic estimations. Using one cold‐adapted North American mammal, we explore a real scenario to better understand the effect of restricting the range of environmental conditions over which niche models are calibrated and then transferred to LGM conditions. We performed two sets of experiments in Maxent: 1) we calibrated models in the context of only present‐day climate conditions, which is the most common practice, and compared predictions under LGM conditions based on two extrapolation methods (clamping versus unconstrained); 2) we calibrated single models using both present‐day and LGM conditions as part of the same background in order to include more extreme environments in the model calibration. Our experiments led to dramatically different estimates of species’ potential distributions, showing notable differences with respect to latitudinal and elevational shifts during the LGM. Models calibrated using present‐day climates yielded biologically unrealistic estimations, suggesting that species survived in the glaciers during the LGM. Even more unrealistic estimations were achieved when clamping was enforced as the method to extrapolate. Models calibrated in the context of both modern and past climates reduced the required degree of extrapolation and allowed more realistic potential distributions, suggesting that the species avoided extremely cold conditions during the LGM. This study alerts to the possibility of obtaining implausible potential distributions during the LGM due to restricted background datasets and offers recommendations that should promote better strategies to estimate distributional changes during glaciations.     

A macroecological approach to evolutionary rescue and adaptation to climate change

Despite the widespread use of ecological niche models (ENMs) for predicting the responses of species to climate change, these models do not explicitly incorporate any population‐level mechanism. On the other hand, mechanistic models adding population processes (e.g. biotic interactions, dispersal and adaptive potential to abiotic conditions) are much more complex and difficult to parameterize, especially if the goal is to predict range shifts for many species simultaneously. In particular, the adaptive potential (based on genetic adaptations, phenotypic plasticity and behavioral adjustments for physiological responses) of local populations has been a less studied mechanism affecting species’ responses to climatic change so far. Here, we discuss and apply an alternative macroecological framework to evaluate the potential role of evolutionary rescue under climate change based on ENMs. We begin by reviewing eco‐evolutionary models that evaluate the maximum sustainable evolutionary rate under a scenario of environmental change, showing how they can be used to understand the impact of temperature change on a Neotropical anuran species, the Schneider's toad Rhinella diptycha. Then we show how to evaluate spatial patterns of species’ geographic range shift using such models, by estimating evolutionary rates at the trailing edge of species distribution estimated by ENMs and by recalculating the relative amount of total range loss under climate change. We show how different models can reduce the expected range loss predicted for the studied species by potential ecophysiological adaptations in some regions of the trailing edge predicted by ENMs. For general applications, we believe that parameters for large numbers of species and populations can be obtained from macroecological generalizations (e.g. allometric equations and ecogeographical rules), so our framework coupling ENMs with eco‐evolutionary models can be applied to achieve a more accurate picture of potential impacts from climate change and other threats to biodiversity.     

Do genetic structure and landscape heterogeneity impact color morph frequency in a polymorphic salamander?

Landscape heterogeneity plays an important role in population structure and divergence, particularly for species with limited vagility. Here, we used a landscape genetic approach to identify how landscape and environmental variables affect genetic structure and color morph frequency in a polymorphic salamander. The eastern red‐backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus, is widely distributed in northeastern North America and contains two common color morphs, striped and unstriped, that are divergent in ecology, behavior, and physiology. To quantify population structure, rates of gene flow, and genetic drift, we amplified 10 microsatellite loci from 648 individuals across 28 sampling localities. This study was conducted in northern Ohio, where populations of P. cinereus exhibit an unusually wide range of morph frequency variation. To test whether genetic distance was more correlated with morph frequency, elevation, canopy cover, waterways, ecological niche or geographic distance, we used resistance distance and least cost path analyses. We then examined whether landscape and environmental variables, genetic distance or geographic distance were correlated with variation in morph frequency. Tests for population structure revealed three genetic clusters across our sampling range, with one cluster monomorphic for the striped morph. Rates of gene flow and genetic drift were low to moderate across sites. Genetic distance was most correlated with ecological niche, elevation and a combination of landscape and environmental variables. In contrast, morph frequency variation was correlated with waterways and geographic distance. Thus, our results suggest that selection is also an important evolutionary force across our sites, and a balance between gene flow, genetic drift and selection interact to maintain the two color morphs.     

Questioning assumptions of trophic behavior in a broadly ranging marine predator guild

We evaluated whether existing assumptions regarding the trophic ecology of a poorly‐studied predator guild, northwest (NW) Atlantic skates (family: Rajidae), were supported across broad geographic scales. Four hypotheses were tested using carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) stable isotope values as a proxy for foraging behavior: 1) species exhibit ontogenetic shifts in habitat and thus display a shift in ¹³C with differential use of the continental shelf; 2) species exhibit ontogenetic prey shifts (i.e. from smaller to larger prey items) and become enriched in ¹⁵N; 3) individuals acquire energy from spatially confined local resource pools and exhibit limited displacement; and 4) species exhibit similarly sized and highly overlapping trophic niches. We found some evidence for ontogenetic shifts in habitat‐use (δ¹³C) for thorny and little skate and diet (δ¹⁵N) of thorny and winter skate and hypothesize that individuals exhibit gradual trophic niche transition, especially in δ¹⁵N space, rather than a clear and distinct shift in diet throughout ontogeny. Spatial isoscapes generated for little, thorny, and winter skate highlighted distinct spatial patterns in isotopic composition across the coastal shelf. For little and thorny skate, patterns mimicked expected spatial variability in the isotopic composition of phytoplankton/POM, suggesting limited displacement and utilization of spatially confined resource pools. Winter skate, however, exhibited a much narrower range of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values, suggesting individuals may use resources from a more confined latitudinal range. Although high total trophic niche overlap was observed between some species (e.g. little and thorny skate), sympatric species (e.g. little and winter skate) exhibited a degree of trophic niche separation. These findings offer new insight into the trophic dynamics of a poorly‐studied, vulnerable group of predators, and highlight a need to re‐examine assumptions pertaining to aspects of their ecology.     

Dietary partitioning promotes the coexistence of planktivorous species on coral reefs

Theories involving niche diversification to explain high levels of tropical diversity propose that species are more likely to co‐occur if they partition at least one dimension of their ecological niche space. Yet, numerous species appear to have widely overlapping niches based upon broad categorizations of resource use or functional traits. In particular, the extent to which food partitioning contributes to species coexistence in hyperdiverse tropical ecosystems remains unresolved. Here, we use a molecular approach to investigate inter‐ and intraspecific dietary partitioning between two species of damselfish (Dascyllus flavicaudus, Chromis viridis) that commonly co‐occur in branching corals. Species‐level identification of their diverse zooplankton prey revealed significant differences in diet composition between species despite their seemingly similar feeding strategies. Dascyllus exhibited a more diverse diet than Chromis, whereas Chromis tended to select larger prey items. A large calanoid copepod, Labidocera sp., found in low density and higher in the water column during the day, explained more than 19% of the variation in dietary composition between Dascyllus and Chromis. Dascyllus did not significantly shift its diet in the presence of Chromis, which suggests intrinsic differences in feeding behaviour. Finally, prey composition significantly shifted during the ontogeny of both fish species. Our findings show that levels of dietary specialization among coral reef associated species have likely been underestimated, and they underscore the importance of characterizing trophic webs in tropical ecosystems at higher levels of taxonomic resolution. They also suggest that niche redundancy may not be as common as previously thought.     

Elucidating the functional evolution of heat sensors among Xenopus species adapted to different thermal niches by ancestral sequence reconstruction

Ambient temperature fluctuations are detected via the thermosensory system which allows animals to seek preferable thermal conditions or escape from harmful temperatures. Evolutionary changes in thermal perception have thus potentially played crucial roles in niche selection. The genus Xenopus (clawed frog) is suitable for investigating the relationship between thermal perception and niche selection due to their diverse latitudinal and altitudinal distributions. Here we performed comparative analyses of the neuronal heat sensors TRPV1 and TRPA1 among closely related Xenopus species (X. borealis, X. muelleri, X. laevis, and X. tropicalis) to elucidate their functional evolution and to assess whether their functional differences correlate with thermal niche selection among the species. Comparison of TRPV1 among four extant Xenopus species and reconstruction of the ancestral TRPV1 revealed that TRPV1 responses to repeated heat stimulation were specifically altered in the lineage leading to X. tropicalis which inhabits warmer niches. Moreover, the thermal sensitivity of TRPA1 was lower in X. tropicalis than the other species, although the thermal sensitivity of TRPV1 and TRPA1 was not always lower in species that inhabit warmer niches than the species inhabit cooler niches. However, a clear correlation was found in species differences in TRPA1 activity. Heat‐evoked activity of TRPA1 in X. borealis and X. laevis, which are adapted to cooler niches, was significantly higher than in X. tropicalis and X. muelleri which are adapted to warmer niches. These findings suggest that the functional properties of heat sensors changed during Xenopus evolution, potentially altering the preferred temperature ranges among species.