Biogeographical patterns of Chinese spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) based on a parsimony analysis of endemicity

Aim  The distributions of Chinese spiders are used to form biotic regions and to infer biogeographical patterns.
Location  China.
Methods  China was initially divided into 294 quadrats of 2° latitude by 2° longitude. The distributions of 958 species of spiders were summarized for each quadrat. Subsequently, these quadrats were pooled into 28 areas based on topographical characteristics and to a lesser extent on the distributions of spiders. Parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) was used to classify the 28 areas based on the shared distributional patterns of spiders.
Results  China was found to have seven major biogeographical regions based on the distributional patterns of spiders: Western Northern region (clade B₂: Tibetan Plateau and Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang subregions), Central Northern region (clade B₃), Eastern Northern region (clade B₄), Central region (clade C₂), Eastern Southern region (clade C₃), Western Southern region (clade C₄), and Central Southern region (clade C₅).
Main conclusions  The distributional patterns of Chinese spiders correspond broadly to geological provinces. A comparison of the geological provinces and the distributional patterns of spiders reveals that the spiders occur south of the geological provinces. Furthermore, a general biogeographical classification with five natural areas is suggested as follows: Tibetan Plateau, Central Northern, Eastern Northern, Western Northern (excluding Tibetan Plateau), and Southern regions.     

Surveying the Rubble: The Transition from State Socialism in Europe

The Curtain Rises: Rethinking Culture, Ideology and the State in Eastern Europe . Hermine G. DeSoto and David G. Anderson , eds.
Symbols, Conflict and Identity: Essays in Political Anthropology . Zdzislaw Mach .     

Late Pleistocene beetle faunas of Beringia: where east met west

Aim   To examine the issue of Beringian steppe-tundra from an entomological standpoint, using fossil beetle data collected from late Pleistocene sites.
Location   North-eastern Siberia (Western Beringia), the Bering Land Bridge (Central Beringia), and Alaska and the Yukon Territory (Eastern Beringia).
Methods   Analysis of habitat preferences of beetle species found in fossil assemblages, leading to classification of major habitat types characterized by the faunal assemblages.
Results   Fossil beetle assemblages indicative of steppe-tundra are found mainly in the interior regions of Eastern Beringia, whereas these assemblages dominate nearly all late Pleistocene fossil sites in Western Beringia. Eastern Beringian faunas contain a much larger proportion of mesic to hygrophilous species and very few arid-habitat species. In contrast to this, the habitat requirements of the Western Beringian faunas are more evenly spread across the moisture spectrum.
Main conclusions   The taxonomic patterns of the two sets of fossil assemblages are remarkably different. Eastern Beringian faunal assemblages contain substantial numbers of mesic tundra and riparian rove beetles (Staphylinidae); this element is almost entirely lacking in the Western Beringian fossil assemblages. Taphonomic bias tends to overemphasize moisture-loving species at the expense of dry, upland species in the fossil record. Both Western and Eastern Beringian landscapes undoubtedly contained mosaics of habitats ranging from dry uplands (steppe-tundra) through mesic tundra to bogs and riparian corridors.     

REVIEWS

Review in this article:
Drawings of British Plants. Part XIV. Adoxaceae-Dipsacaceae . By S tella R oss -C raig .
Darwin's Biological Work: Some Aspects Reconsidered . Edited by P. R. B ell .
Flora of the British Isles, Illustrations, Part II, Rosaceae-Polemoniaceae . By A. R. C lapham , T. G. T utin and E. F. W arburg . Drawings by S ybil J. R oles .
Protoplasmic Streaming. Protoplasmatologia. Handbuch der Protoplasmaforschung . Edited by L. V. H eilbrunn and F. W eber .
The Ecology of Soil Fungi. An International Symposium . Edited by D. P arkinson and J. S. W aid .
Marine Algae of the Eastern Tropical and Subtropical Coasts of the Americas . By W illiam R andolph T aylor .
Introduction to Plant Geography . By N icholas P olunin .
Frost, Drought and Heat Resistance . By J. L evitt .     

Tokenism

Before Writing, Volume 1: From Counting to Cuneiform . Denise Schmandt-Besserat. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992. 288 pp.
Before Writing, Volume 2: A Catalog of Near Eastern Tokens . Denise Schmandt-Besserat. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992. 452 pp.     

Anthropology, History, and Indonesia

Book reviewed in this article:
The World of Maluku: Eastern Indonesia in the Early Modern Period . Leonard Y. Andaya. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1993. 306 pp. Constituting the Minangkabau: Peasants, Culture, and Modernity in Colonial Indonesia . Joel S. Kahn. Providence: Berg Publishers, 1993. 314 pp.     

REVIEWS

Atlas of Mapped Distributions of Dominance and Modern Pollen Percentages for Important Tree Taxa of Eastern North America . By P. A. D elcourt , H. R. D elcourt and T. W ebb III.
New Manual of Bryology. Volume 1. Edited by R. M. S chuster .
The Ecology and Physiology of the Fungal Mycelium. Edited by D. H. J ennings and A. D. M. R ayner .
Isotopes and Radiation in Agricultural Sciences. Edited by M. E. L'A nnunziata and J. O. L egg .
The Physiology of Flowering Plants : their growth and development . Third edition. By H. E. S treet and H. Ö pik .
Reconstructing Quaternary Environments. By J. J. L owe and M. J. C. W alker .
European Mires. Edited by P. M oore .
Compartments in Algal Cells and Their Interaction. (Proceedings in Life Sciences Series.) Edited by W. W iessner , D. G. R obinson and R. C. S tarr .
Chloroplast Metabolism. By B arry H alliwell .
Flooding and Plant Growth. Ed. by T. T. K ozlowski .
Mode of Action of Antifungal Agents. Ed. by A. P. J. T rinci and J. F. R yley .
Disease Resistance in Plants. By J. E. V anderplank .     

REVIEWS

Review in this article:
The Grass, Fern and Savannah Lands of Ceylon, their Nature and Ecological Significance. By C. H. H olmes .
Guide to the National Pinetum and Forest Plots at Bedgebury. By W. D allimore , R. F. W ood and others. Edited for H.M. Forestry Commission by J. M acdonald and H. J. E dlin .
Elementary Genetics. By W ilma G eorge .
The Stipitate Hydnums of the Eastern United States. By W illiam C hambers C oker and A lma H olland B eere .
Leaf Analysis. By H. L undegårdh , translated by R. L. M itchell .
Trace Elements in Plant Physiology (Lotsya, Vol. 3, I.U.B.S. Colloquia, Series B., No. 1).
Respiration et Métabolisme Azoté ( Etude de physiologie foliaire ) By A lexis M oyse .
Manual of Phycology. An Introduction to the Algae and their Biology. Edited by G ilbert M. S mith .
Recent Advances in the Study of Plant Viruses. By K enneth M. S mith .
An Introduction to the Anatomy of Seed Plants. By E. L. S tover .
Drawings of British Plants. Part V. Caryophyllaceae. By S tella R oss -C raig .
Zur Lebensgeschichte des Schilfs an den Ufern der Schweizer Seen. Beiträge zur geobotanischen Landesaufnahme der Schweiz. Heft 30. By H ans H ürlimann .
Vegetationskarte der Schweiz. In four sheets, I-IV. Scale 1: 200,000. By E mil S chmid .
Native Orchids of North America. By D. S. C orrell .
Advances in Genetics. Vol. IV. Edited by M. D emerec .
Flora of the British Isles. By A. R. C lapham , T. G. T utin and E. F. W arburg .
Introduction to Mycology. By J. A. M acdonald .     

DNA ploidy-level variation in native and invasive populations of Lythrum salicaria at a large geographical scale

Aim  This study aimed to document precisely the patterns of DNA ploidy variation in the native and secondary ranges of Lythrum salicaria distribution. The hypothesis that species invasiveness had been induced by a switch in ploidy level was addressed.
Location  Europe, Middle East, North America.
Methods  DNA ploidy levels of 1884 progenies of 578+ plants collected at 124 localities were determined by DAPI flow cytometry.
Results  Large cytotype variation (2 x , 3 x , 4 x and 6 x ) was found across the native area of distribution (64 populations covering 12 European and two Middle Eastern countries). DNA hexaploids were detected for the first time, and rare DNA triploids were reliably confirmed. DNA tetraploids largely prevailed across the native range studied, while DNA diploids and DNA hexaploids were recorded only in Israel and Turkey, respectively. DNA triploid progenies occurred in one population from Hungary (together with DNA tetraploids). Sympatric growth of DNA tetraploids and DNA hexaploids was repeatedly encountered in Turkey. In contrast, cytotype uniformity was a typical feature of the invasive North American plants. Sixty populations, covering 13 states of the USA and provinces of Canada, were characterized by the presence of only DNA tetraploids.
Main conclusions  Several L. salicaria cytotypes (2 x , 3 x , 4 x , 6 x ) occur in the native range of distribution, with much variation concentrated in the Middle Eastern countries, whereas only DNA tetraploids appeared to occur in North America. Our data show that the invasive spread of North American populations was not triggered by differences in ploidy level. Alternative explanations should be sought.     

Ecological traits influence the current distribution and range of an island endemic bird

Aim  The aim of this paper is to investigate the causes of the current restricted distribution of a narrow-range endemic bird species, the Canary Islands stonechat, Saxicola dacotiae .
Location  Eastern islands of the Canary Islands archipelago.
Methods  We compared climatic patterns (temperature and rainfall), habitat and microhabitat structure, food availability during a full annual cycle, and the abundance of native avian competitors and predators inside and outside the species' range. Three study areas, located in similar habitats on nearby islands, were studied: northern Fuerteventura, close to the northern border of the species' range; southern Lanzarote, 22 km from the nearest site occupied by stonechats; and the Lobos islet, 10 km from the nearest occupied site and 2 km from the coast of Fuerteventura.
Results  The cover of suitable habitats (slopes with high cover of large shrubs, stony fields and ravines) and microhabitats (shrubs and boulders) and the abundance of arthropods during the breeding period of Canary Islands stonechats were lower outside than inside the species' range. Temperature, rainfall and the abundance of competitors and predators inside and outside the species' range did not differ significantly.
Main conclusions  Ecological requirements explaining the distribution of the Canary Islands stonechat within its range seem to be the main factor hindering its settlement on nearby islands. Geological and palaeoclimatic processes, as well as past and current human impact, could also have constrained the distribution of this narrow-range endemic bird species.     

Patterns in species richness and endemism of European freshwater fish

Aim  To analyse the patterns in species richness and endemism of the native European riverine fish fauna, in the light of the Messinian salinity crisis and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM).
Location  European continent.
Methods  After gathering native fish faunistic lists of 406 hydrographical networks, we defined large biogeographical regions with homogenous fish fauna, based on a hierarchical cluster analysis. Then we analysed and compared the patterns in species richness and endemism among these regions, as well as species–area relationships.
Results  Among the 233 native species present in the data set, the Cyprinidae family was strongly dominant (> 50% of the total number of species). Seven biogeographical regions were defined: Western Peri-Mediterranea, Central Peri-Mediterranea, Eastern Peri-Mediterranea, Ponto-Caspian Europe, Northern Europe, Central Europe and Western Europe. The highest regional species richness was observed for Central Peri-Mediterranea and Ponto-Caspian Europe. The highest endemic richness was found in Central Peri-Mediterranea. Species–area relationships were characterized by high slope values for Peri-Mediterranean Europe and low values for Central and Western Europe.
Main conclusions  The results were in agreement with the 'Lago Mare' hypothesis explaining the specificity of Peri-Mediterranean fish fauna, as well as with the history of recolonization of Central and Western Europe from Ponto-Caspian Europe following the LGM. The results also agreed with the mechanisms of speciation and extinction influencing fish diversity in hydrographical networks. We advise the use of the seven biogeographical regions for further studies, and suggest considering Peri-Mediterranean Europe and Ponto-Caspian Europe as 'biodiversity hotspots' for European riverine fish.     

Effects of catchment perturbations by logging and wildfires on zooplankton species richness and composition in Boreal Shield lakes

SUMMARY 1. Forest logging and wildfires are important perturbations of the boreal forest, but their effects on lake biota remain largely unknown. Here, we test whether zooplankton species richness and species assemblages differed among three groups of lakes in Eastern Canada characterised by different catchment conditions: logged in 1995 ( n =9); burnt in 1995 ( n =9); unperturbed ( n =20). Lakes were sampled in June, July and September 1 year after catchment perturbations.
2. Cumulative species richness in reference lakes averaged 46 (33–60) of which 63% were rotifers. Mean cumulative species richness and mean diversity in logged and burnt lakes did not differ from those in reference lakes.
3. Lake species assemblages were described by the density of 62 species (41 rotifers and 21 crustaceans). Among-group differences in species assemblages were not significant. Eighteen per cent of the total variability in species assemblages could be explained by 13 environmental factors, among which dissolved oxygen concentration and cyanobacteria biovolume were the most important. About 5% of species assemblage variability was attributed to covariation between environmental factors and time of sampling, while 4.1% was attributed to temporal variation.
4. Variations in zooplankton species richness and assemblages in Boreal Shield lakes are important, both among lakes and among sampling dates. They seem to depend on environmental factors unrelated to catchment-based perturbations, at least on the short-term of 1 year.     

Determining biogeographical patterns of dispersal and diversification in oscine passerine birds in Australia, Southeast Asia and Africa

Aim  Several independent studies suggest that oscine passerine birds originated in Eastern Gondwana/Australia and from there spread to Southeast Asia and then to Africa. A recently constructed supertree including 1724 oscine taxa forms the basis for this study, in which we present a more detailed hypothesis of this out-of-Australia scenario.
Location  Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia, western Pacific, Indian Ocean.
Methods  We used the computer program DIVA to identify putative ancestral areas for each node. We also applied a molecular clock calibrated with three recently conducted studies of passerines to estimate the ages of basal nodes. Although these time estimates are rough they give some indication that, together with the putative ancestral areas, they can be compared with known events of plate tectonic movements in the Australian, Southeast Asian and western Pacific regions.
Results  The DIVA analysis shows that Basal Corvida and Crown Corvida originated in Australia. Ancestral nodes for Picathartes / Chaetops and Passerida originated in Africa, and the basal nodes of Sylvioidea also originated in Africa. For Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea we were unable to establish ancestral patterns. The molecular clock showed that Crown Corvida radiated between 20 and 30 Ma whereas Basal Corvida and the Passerida clade radiated from c . 45 to 50 Ma.
Main conclusions  Both approaches agree that: (1) Crown Corvida spread from Australia to Southeast Asia, with several dispersal events around the time when the terranes of Australian and Indomalayan origin came close together some 15 Ma, and (2) a single dispersal event went from Australia across the Indian Ocean to Africa c . 45–50 Ma, leading to the very large radiation of the parvorder Passerida. The latter hypothesis is novel, and contrary to the general view that oscines spread exclusively via Southeast Asia.     

Toll-Like Receptor 4 +3725 G/C Polymorphism, Helicobacter pylori Seropositivity, and the Risk of Gastric Atrophy and Gastric Cancer in Japanese

Background:  Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms were reported to be a risk factor of gastric carcinoma or its precursors in Caucasian and Indian population, but these polymorphisms are absent in Japanese. We investigated the associations of TLR4 +3725 G/C polymorphism, another functional polymorphism of TLR4 , with risk of gastric cancer and gastric atrophy in Japanese.
Materials and Methods:  Study subjects were 583 histologically diagnosed gastric cancer patients and age- and sex-matched 1592 control outpatients, who visited Aichi Cancer Center Hospital from 2001 to 2005. Serum anti- H. pylori IgG antibody and pepsinogens were measured to evaluate H. pylori infection and gastric atrophy, respectively. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by a logistic model.
Results:  Among the seropositive subjects, the age- and sex-adjusted OR of gastric atrophy was 1.17 (95%CI: 0.91–1.50) for G/C , 1.20 (95%CI: 0.76–1.89) for C/C , and 1.18 (95%CI: 0.93–1.49) for G/C + C/C relative to G/G genotype. The age- and sex-adjusted OR of severe gastric atrophy among H. pylori seropositive subjects was 1.43 (95%CI: 0.99–2.06) for G/C , 1.47 (95%CI: 0.76–2.88) for C/C , and 1.43 (95%CI: 1.01–2.04) for G/C + C/C . The OR of gastric cancer compared with gastric atrophy controls was not statistically significant.
Conclusion:  Our study found that TLR4 +3725 G/C polymorphism was a risk factor of severe gastric atrophy in H. pylori seropositive Japanese. Our results underscored the significance of the variations in host innate immunity due to TLR4 polymorphism as genetic predispositions to gastric precancerous lesions in Eastern Asian populations with the same backgrounds.     

REVIEWS

Panbiogeography . By L eon C roizat .
Evolution of Genetic Systems . By C. D. D arlington
Les Urédinées (ou Rouills des Végétaux) . Tome 3. Genre Uromyces. By A. L. G uyot
Comparative Morphology of Vascular Plants . By A driance S. F oster and E rnest M. G ifford , J r
Die Frühdiagnose in der Züchtung und Züchtungsforschung: Beitrage zur Methodik der Zuchtung langlebiger Pflanzen . Edited by H. S tubbe and W. S chmidt
On Jurassic Taxads and Conifers from North-Western Europe and Eastern Greenland . By R udolf F lorin
Nutrition of the Legumes . Proceedings of the University of Nottingham Fifth Easter School in Agricultural Science, 1958. Edited by E. G. H allsworth
Taschenbuch der Botanik (begrundet von Hugo Miehe). Vol. II, Systematik . By W alter M evius
Cytology and Cytogenetics . By C. P. S wanson
Lower Miocene Pollen Flora from the valley of Klodnica near Gliwice (Upper Silesia) . Published in Publications of the Scientific Society in Wroclaw, Series B, No. 88 (Prace Wroclawskiego Towarzystwa Naukowego). Wroclaw 1957, by S. M acro
Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology . Vol. XXII. Population Studies: Animal Ecology and Demography.
Handbuch der Pflanzenphysiologie . Edited by W. R uhland . Band VIII: Der Stick-stoffumsatz     

Transgressive aggression in Sceloporus hybrids confers fitness through advantages in male agonistic encounters

1.  We investigated agonistic behaviour and associated characteristics of Sceloporus woodi (Florida scrub lizard), Sceloporus undulatus (Eastern fence lizard) and their hybrids using staged territorial encounters.
2.  These Sceloporus hybrids exhibit transgressive aggression and transgressive head-girth relative to the parental species and the transgressive aggression was specifically associated with an advantage in agonistic encounters. Our results suggest a hybrid advantage in natural habitats when defending and invading territories against either parental species.
3.  We further analysed general advantages in agonistic encounters across the entire three-group system to elucidate characteristics that may be advantageous under specific circumstances. Individuals with larger body size (SVL) and greater aggression had an overall advantage in agonistic encounters; however, smaller individuals could win when slightly more aggressive and fatter, and less aggressive individuals could win when slightly larger, especially with greater head-girth.
4.  The extreme hybrid phenotypes likely occurred through transgressive segregation, which has been implicated as a process through which homoploid, hybrid speciation can occur. Some form of ecological divergence is necessary, however, to impede parental gene flow. Our data suggest that ecological divergence could manifest in territorial species through transgressive aggression.     

Differentiation between populations of a termite in eastern Africa: implications for biogeography

Aim  African forests are divided by an arid corridor which runs from the Horn of Africa to the Namib Desert. Several forest species occur in the forests of eastern Africa as well as in the Guineo-Congolian forest block. We evaluate the possibility that such species may have crossed the arid corridor along a route through the Kenyan Highlands and down the eastern drainages during climatologically favourable periods in the past.
Locations  Eastern Africa, Ivory Coast.
Methods  We used the termite species Schedorhinotermes lamanianus (Sjöstedt). This species occurs in lowland forests and woodland throughout Africa south of the Sahara. We sampled termites from 12 populations. We evaluated the differentiation between populations using amplified fragment length polymorphisms as well as morphometrical measurements.
Results  Genetic and morphometrical analysis demonstrated substantial differentiation between populations west and east of the arid corridor in Kenya. To the east of this corridor we found an increase of morphological distance with geographical distance. Schedorhinotermes lamanianus occurs not only along the coast but also at isolated locations (e.g. ground-water forests in foothills) within the arid hinterland.
Main conclusions  We interpret these populations as remnants of a wider distribution during wet climatic periods. At these times, populations of S. lamanianus were apparently able to establish along extensive gallery forests protruding into the arid belt of the Kenyan hinterland. There have been no connections between populations of this species east and west of the arid corridor across the Kenyan Highlands.     

Book Reviews

Book reviews in this article:
Wetzel, Th. Integrierter Pflanzenschutz und Agroökosysteme.
The Indian Experience
Nagarajan, S. and K. Muralidharan Dynamics of Plant Diseases.
70. Geburtstages von Herrn Prof. Dr. J. Kranz Biochemie des Bodens.
McIntosh R. A., C. R. Welling, and R. F. Park . Wheat rusts—an Alias of Resistance Genes.
Haider, K. Biochemie des Bodens.
Kimber, D., McGregor, D. I., (eds) Brassica Oilseeds: Production and Utilization.
Oropeza, C, F. W. Howard, and G. R. Ashlninier (Eds); Lethal Yellowing: Research and Practical Aspects.
Kreuzer, J Kreuzers Gartenpflanzenlexikon 'Kurz und bũndig'.
Spatz, G. , Freiflächenpflege.
W. Eschiich , Rezension: Funktionelle Pflanzenanatomie .
Iecraemer, W. The family Trichodoridae: Stubby Root and Virus Vector Nematodes.     

Integrating species life-history traits and patterns of deforestation in amphibian conservation planning

Aim  To identify priority areas for amphibian conservation in southeastern Brazil, by integrating species life-history traits and patterns of deforestation.
Location  State of São Paulo, Brazil.
Methods  We used the software M arxan to evaluate different scenarios of amphibian conservation planning. Our approach differs from previous methods by explicitly including two different landscape metrics; habitat split for species with aquatic larvae, and habitat loss for species with terrestrial development. We evaluated the effect of habitat requirements by classifying species breeding habitats in five categories (flowing water, still water permanent, still water temporary, bromeliad or bamboo, and terrestrial). We performed analyses using two scales, grid cells and watersheds and also considered nature preserves as protected areas.
Results  We found contrasting patterns of deforestation between coastal and inland regions. Seventy-six grid cells and 14 watersheds are capable of representing each species at least once. When accounting for grid cells already protected in state and national parks and considering species habitat requirements we found 16 high-priority grid cells for species with one or two reproductive habitats, and only one cell representing species with four habitat requirements. Key areas for the conservation of species breeding in flowing and permanent still waters are concentrated in southern state, while those for amphibians breeding in temporary ponds are concentrated in central to eastern zones. Eastern highland zones are key areas for preserving species breeding terrestrially by direct or indirect development. Species breeding in bromeliads and bamboos are already well represented in protected areas.
Main conclusions  Our results emphasize the need to integrate information on landscape configuration and species life-history traits to produce more ecologically relevant conservation strategies.     

Insect diversity in Cape fynbos and neighbouring South African vegetation

Aim  It has often been suggested that South Africa's Cape fynbos shrublands, although extremely rich in plant species, are poor in insects, thus representing a notable exception from the broad plant–insect diversity relationship. The aims of this study were to compare the diversity patterns of plant-inhabiting insects in fynbos and the vegetation of three neighbouring biomes (grassland, subtropical thicket, and Nama-karoo), and to test for a general relationship between plant diversity and insect diversity across these biomes.
Location  South-western to south-eastern South Africa.
Methods  We conducted seasonal plant surveys and sweep insect sampling in 10 × 10 m plots in the Baviaanskloof Conservation Area (Eastern Cape), where all four biomes occur. We also conducted once-only collections in the core area of each biome.
Results  Fynbos plots had insect diversity values similar to those of grassland and subtropical thicket (a dense, evergreen and spinescent shrubland with a high abundance of succulents and climbers), and significantly higher than Nama-karoo (an open, semiarid shrubland). A remarkably strong positive relationship was found between plant and insect species richness.
Main conclusions  Previous generalizations were based on a few insect groups (e.g. butterflies, under-represented in fynbos), but ignored published results on other groups (e.g. galling insects, which are in fact over-represented in this vegetation). We show that, overall, insect diversity in fynbos is comparable to that of neighbouring biomes. Fynbos vegetation does not represent a significant exception from the broad positive relationship between plant diversity and insect diversity.