Predicting the spread of an invasive plant: combining experiments and ecological niche model

Rapid evolutionary adjustments to novel environments may contribute to the successful spread of invasive species, and can lead to niche shifts making range dynamics unpredictable. These effects might be intensified by artificial selection in the course of breeding efforts, since many successful plant invaders were deliberately introduced and cultivated as ornamentals. We hypothesized that the invasion success of Buddleja davidii, the ornamental butterfly bush, is facilitated by local adaptation to minimum temperatures and thus, exhibits unpredictable range dynamics. To assess the potential effects of adaptive evolution and artificial selection on the spread of B. davidii, we combined a common garden experiment investigating local adaptation to frost, with ecological niche modelling of the species’ native and invasive ranges. We expected that populations naturalized in sub‐continental climate are less susceptible to frost than populations from oceanic climate, and that the invasive range does not match predictions based on climatic data from the native range. Indeed, we revealed significant variation among invasive B. davidii populations in frost resistance. However, frost hardiness was not related to geographic location or climatic variables of the populations’ home site, suggesting that invasive B. davidii populations are not locally adapted to minimum temperatures. This is in line with results of our ecological niche model that did not detect a niche shift between the species’ native range in China, and its invasive range in Europe and North America. Furthermore, our niche model showed that the potential invasive range of B. davidii is still not completely occupied. Together with the frost resistance data obtained in our experiment, the results indicate that climatic conditions are currently not limiting the further spread of the species in Europe and North America.     

基于MaxEnt模型的入侵植物白花鬼针草的分布预测及适生性分析

【背景】白花鬼针草为农区恶性杂草,原产于美洲,现已广泛分布于世界热带及亚热带地区,但其在全球和中国的适生区域及适生等级还不明确。【方法】利用MaxEnt生态位模型对白花鬼针草在全球以及中国的潜在适生区进行预测。【结果】白花鬼针草在全球的分布更多受到温度因素的影响。白花鬼针草的适生区主要集中在北半球和南半球15°~30°之间的热带和亚热带地区。其中,北美南部、南美中南部、非洲南部、东南亚北部以及大洋洲中南部沿海地区为白花鬼针草中、高度适生区。白花鬼针草在中国的适生区主要位于广东、广西、海南、云南、福建、台湾。到2070年,白花鬼针草在全球的适生区面积与当前相似,但在中国的适生区有所增大。【结论】白花鬼针草在我国有进一步扩张的风险。     

Conservation and historical distribution of two bumblebee species from the Atlantic Forest

In this study, we analysed the processes resulting in the origin of two endemic sister species of bumblebees in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We studied the historical distribution pattern of Bombus bahiensis, which is restricted to small fragments in eastern Brazil and the phylogeographic pattern and historical demography of B. brasiliensis, which is widely distributed in southern and south-eastern Brazil and neighbouring regions of Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina. We used ecological niche models, niche analyses, and genetic and distribution data (i) to test the role of niche differentiation on the divergence between the two species, (ii) to find potential distribution areas for the most restricted B. bahiensis, and (iii) to evaluate the conservation status of both species. Our results showed that B. brasiliensis populations are able to disperse across mosaics of anthropogenic and preserved areas and exhibit low levels of spatial genetic structure. Otherwise, B. bahiensis presented a restricted distribution range and likely a lower diversity, where it is suffering with an increasing habitat loss. The climatic oscillations of the Pleistocene influenced the population structure of both species in different ways, probably due to differences in their effective population sizes, physiology and past demographic fluctuations. Specifically, while B. brasiliensis expanded its distribution range in the last 500,?000?years throughout most of the Atlantic Forest, B. bahiensis remained restricted to a small rainforest area between southern Bahia and northern Espírito Santo states in Brazil. In its southern distribution, in the state of Espírito Santo, B. bahiensis is currently very rare or extinct. Currently, the adjacent ranges of Bombus brasiliensis and B. bahiensis do not overlap and our results indicate that these species may have further diversified through a reinforcement process associated to niche specialization and differentiation.     

Range and niche shifts in response to past climate change in the desert horned lizard Phrynosoma platyrhinos

During climate change, species are often assumed to shift their geographic distributions (geographic ranges) in order to track environmental conditions – niches – to which they are adapted. Recent work, however, suggests that the niches do not always remain conserved during climate change but shift instead, allowing populations to persist in place or expand into new areas. We assessed the extent of range and niche shifts in response to the warming climate after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the desert horned lizard Phrynosoma platyrhinos, a species occupying the western deserts of North America. We used a phylogeographic approach with mitochondrial DNA sequences to approximate the species range during the LGM by identifying populations that exhibit a genetic signal of population stability versus those that exhibit a signal of a recent (likely post‐LGM) geographic expansion. We then compared the climatic niche that the species occupies today with the niche it occupied during the LGM using two models of simulated LGM climate. The genetic analyses indicated that P. platyrhinos persisted within the southern Mojave and Sonoran deserts throughout the latest glacial period and expanded from these deserts northwards, into the western and eastern Great Basin, after the LGM. The climatic niche comparisons revealed that P. platyrhinos expanded its climatic niche after the LGM towards novel, warmer and drier climates that allowed it to persist within the southern deserts. Simultaneously, the species shifted its climatic niche towards greater temperature and precipitation fluctuations after the LGM. We concluded that climatic changes at the end of the LGM promoted both range and niche shifts in this lizard. The mechanism that allowed the species to shift its niche remains unknown, but phenotypic plasticity likely contributes to the species ability to adjust to climate change.     

The Invasive <Emphasis Type="Italic">Buddleja davidii</Emphasis> (Butterfly Bush)

Buddleja davidii Franchet (Synonym. Buddleia davidii; common name butterfly bush) is a perennial, semi-deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub that is resident in gardens and disturbed areas. Since its introduction to the United Kingdom from China in the late 1800s, B. davidii has become an important component in horticulture and human culture. Despite its popularity as a landscape plant, B. davidii is considered problematic because of its ability to naturalize outside of gardens and rapidly invade and dominate disturbed natural areas across a wide range of physical conditions. The primary goal of this paper is to synthesize what is known about B. davidii in order to understand the impacts caused by the continued presence of B. davidii in gardens and natural landscapes. We also address management of B. davidii and discuss the repercussions of management strategies and policies currently implemented to protect or remove B. davidii from natural ecosystems.

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Zusammenfassung   Buddleja davidii Franchet (Synonym Buddleia davidii, umgangsprachlich “Schmetterlingsflieder”) ist ein ausdauernder, halb-immergruener, mehrstaemmiger Busch welcher in Gaerten und auf Umbruchflaechen gedeiht. Seit seiner Einfuehrung in die UK aus China im spaeten 19. Jahrhundert hat B. davidii in Pflanzenzucht und Kultivierung stark an Bedeutung gewonnen. Unabhaengig von seiner Beliebtheit in der Landschaftsgestaltung stellt B. davidii wegen seiner Faehigkeit, sich ueber Gartengrenzen hinaus unter einer Vielzahl von Wachstumsbedingungen in gestoerten Naturgebieten schnell auszubreiten und dort die einheimische Flora zu dominieren, ein grosses Problem dar. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Rezension ist es eine Synopsis zu erstellen, welche die Auswirkungen und Gefahren der konstanten Praesenz von B. davidii in Gaerten und der Naturlandschaft verdeutlicht. Management Optionen und -Fehlschlaege sowie aktuelle Regulationen zu dem Zwecke B. davidii aus natuerlichen Ecosystemen zu entfernen oder sein vordringen zu verhindern, werden ebenfalls diskutiert.

     

Phylogeography and ecological niche modelling of the New Zealand stick insect Clitarchus hookeri (White) support survival in multiple coastal refugia

Aim Increasing our understanding of the effects of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and determining the location of refugia requires studies on widely distributed species with dense sampling of populations. We have reconstructed the biogeographic history of Clitarchus hookeri (White), a widespread species of New Zealand stick insect that exhibits geographic parthenogenesis, using phylogeographic analysis and ecological niche modelling. Location New Zealand. Methods We used DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among haplotypes from C. hookeri and two undescribed Clitarchus species. We also used distribution data from our own field surveys and museum records to reconstruct the geographic distribution of C. hookeri during the present and the LGM, using ecological niche modelling. Results The ecological niche models showed that the geographic distribution of C. hookeri has expanded dramatically since the LGM. Our model predicted large areas of suitable LGM habitat in upper North Island, and small patches along the east coast of South Island. The phylogeographic analysis shows that populations in the northern half of North Island contain much higher levels of genetic variation than those from southern North Island and South Island, and is congruent with the ecological niche model. The distribution of bisexual populations is also non-random, with males completely absent from South Island and very rare in southern North Island. Main conclusions During the LGM C. hookeri was most likely restricted to several refugia in upper North Island and one or more smaller refugia along the east coast of South Island. The unisexual populations predominate in post-glacial landscapes and are clearly favoured in the recolonization of such areas. Our study exemplifies the utility of integrating ecological niche modelling and phylogeographic analysis.     

Climate change and the outbreak ranges of two North American bark beetles

Abstract

• 1 One expected effect of global climate change on insect populations is a shift in geographical distributions toward higher latitudes and higher elevations. Southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis and mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae undergo regional outbreaks that result in large‐scale disturbances to pine forests in the south‐eastern and western United States, respectively.
• 2 Our objective was to investigate potential range shifts under climate change of outbreak areas for both bark beetle species and the areas of occurrence of the forest types susceptible to them.
• 3 To project range changes, we used discriminant function models that incorporated climatic variables. Models to project bark beetle ranges employed changed forest distributions as well as changes in climatic variables.
• 4 Projected outbreak areas for southern pine beetle increased with higher temperatures and generally shifted northward, as did the distributions of the southern pine forests.
• 5 Projected outbreak areas for mountain pine beetle decreased with increasing temperature and shifted toward higher elevation. That trend was mirrored in the projected distributions of pine forests in the region of the western U.S. encompassed by the study.
• 6 Projected outbreak areas for the two bark beetle species and the area of occurrence of western pine forests increased with more precipitation and decreased with less precipitation, whereas the area of occurrence of southern pine forests decreased slightly with increasing precipitation.
• 7 Predicted shifts of outbreak ranges for both bark beetle species followed general expectations for the effects of global climate change and reflected the underlying long‐term distributional shifts of their host forests.

     

Ice age distributions of European small mammals: insights from species distribution modelling

Aim In addition to the traditionally recognized Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21 ka) refuge areas in the Mediterranean region, more northerly LGM distributions for temperate and boreal taxa in central and eastern Europe are increasingly being discussed based on palaeoecological and phylogeographical evidence. Our aim was to investigate the potential refuge locations using species distribution modelling to estimate the geographical distribution of suitable climatic conditions for selected rodent species during the LGM. Location Eurasia. Methods Presence/absence data for seven rodent species with range limits corresponding to the limits of temperate or boreal forest or arctic tundra were used in the analysis. We developed predictive distribution models based on the species present‐day European distributions and validated these against their present‐day Siberian ranges. The models with the best predictors of the species distributions across Siberia were projected onto LGM climate simulations to assess the distribution of climatically suitable areas. Results The best distribution models provided good predictions of the present‐day Siberian ranges of the study species. Their LGM projections showed that areas with a suitable LGM climate for the three temperate species (Apodemus flavicollis, Apodemus sylvaticus and Microtus arvalis) were largely restricted to the traditionally recognized southern refuge areas, i.e. mainly in the Mediterranean region, but also southernmost France and southern parts of the Russian Plain. In contrast, suitable climatic conditions for the two boreal species (Clethrionomys glareous and Microtus agrestis) were predicted as far north as southern England and across southern parts of central and eastern Europe eastwards into the Russian Plain. For the two arctic species (Lemmus lemmus and Microtus oeconomus), suitable climate was predicted from the Atlantic coast eastward across central Europe and into Russia. Main conclusions Our results support the idea of more northerly refuge areas in Europe, indicating that boreal species would have found suitable living conditions over much of southern central and eastern Europe and the Russian Plain. Temperate species would have primarily found suitable conditions in the traditional southern refuge areas, but interestingly also in much of the southern Russian Plain.     

The Environment,Not Space,Dominantly Structures the Landscape Patterns of the Richness and Composition of the Tropical Understory Vegetation

The mechanisms driving the spatial patterns of species richness and composition are essential to the understanding of biodiversity. Numerous studies separately identify the contributions of the environment (niche process) and space (neutral process) to the species richness or composition at different scales, but few studies have investigated the contributions of both types of processes in the two types of data at the landscape scale. In this study, we partitioned the spatial variations in all, exotic and native understory plant species richness and composition constrained by environmental variables and space in 134 plots that were spread across 10 counties in Hainan Island in southern China. The 134 plots included 70 rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantation plots, 50 eucalyptus (Eucalyptus urophylla) plantation plots, and 14 secondary forest plots. RDA based variation partitioning was run to assess the contribution of environment and space to species richness and composition. The results showed that the environmental variables alone explained a large proportion of the variations in both the species richness and composition of all, native, and exotic species. The RDA results indicated that overstory composition (forest type here) plays a leading role in determining species richness and composition patterns. The alpha and beta diversities of the secondary forest plots were markedly higher than that of the two plantations. In conclusion, niche differentiation processes are the principal mechanisms that shape the alpha and beta diversities of understory plant species in Hainan Island.     

气候变化下矩镰荚苜蓿的地理分布格局及潜在适生区预测

该研究基于标本和文献信息,选取19个环境因子和1个海拔因子,利用ArcGIS软件和MaxEnt模型对矩镰荚苜蓿(Medicago archiducis nicolai)在5个气候情景(末次间冰期、末次盛冰期、全新世纪中期、当前和未来气候)下的地理分布进行空间重建,模拟预测了气候变化背景下的分布格局和潜在适生区变迁。预测结果显示：(1)当前气候下,矩镰荚苜蓿集中分布在青藏高原东缘与黄土高原的交汇地带,具体包括青海东部 南部、甘肃中部 西南部、四川西北部、宁夏南部、西藏东部和陕西西部边缘。(2)高海拔、寒冷和干燥是矩镰荚苜蓿适生区的主要环境特征。(3)不同气候下潜在适生区的总面积变化相对稳定,但高度适生区对气候变化较敏感,从末次间冰期到末次盛冰期,高度适生区从青海东部的河湟谷地向甘肃中部的洮河谷地东移,全新世纪中期又西移至河湟谷地,但始终没有迁离出陇中盆地。(4)未来气候(2070s)背景下,矩镰荚苜蓿的高度和中度适生区面积较当前气候有小幅增加,但潜在适生区面积和分布格局仍保持稳定。研究表明,在青藏高原东缘地带,由昆仑山、祁连山和秦岭三大山脉造就的高原盆谷,为矩镰荚苜蓿提供了安全的就地避难所,形成了其独特而稳定的狭域分布格局,未来气候变化(2070s)对该植物不会造成很大威胁。     

The Known Distribution and Ecological Preferences of the Tick Subgenus Boophilus (Acari: Ixodidae) in Africa and Latin America

A compilation of the known distribution of Boophilus ticks in Africa and Latin America is presented, together with details on climate preferences. B. annulatus is recorded mainly in the western part of a strip from the equator to parallel 20° N. It associates with woodlands and forests (lowland rain forest and secondary grassland). This species is also present in the Mediterranean region, associated to woodland and open areas. B. decoloratus extends southern to parallel 20° N, in woodland with montane vegetation and Zambezian miombo; some records have been collected in the highveld grassland. B. geigyi is mainly collected in the western range of a stripe extending between parallels 5° N and 18° N, associated with Sudanian woodland, lowland rain forest with secondary grassland and woodland. Confirmed records of microplus in Africa are restricted to Malagasy region and south and eastern Africa, being predominant in the Zambezian miombo, deciduous forest with secondary grassland, and woodland. In Latin America, microplus is abundant in the Mesoamerican corridor to Venezuela and Colombia, and southern in Brazil and Argentina. The tick is mainly associated to the biomes of Chaco and Pampas in Argentina, the North-central moist Andes, the Atlantic forest (southern range) and the moist Meso-American vegetation (northern range). Most collections of B. annulatus and B. geigyi came from areas where winter minimum temperature is above 15 °C, maximum temperatures remain between 33 and 36 °C and maximum rainfall is recorded between June and September. B. decoloratus and African B. microplus are recorded in sites with low temperatures in May–September. Minimum temperature requirements are similar for both B. decoloratus and African B. microplus, and both are around 4 °C less than the value recorded for collections of Latin-American B. microplus. The rainfall pattern observed for decoloratus shows a minimum in May and June. The requirements of total rainfall are highest for B. microplus in Latin America, while records of African B. microplus are concentrated in areas of low rainfall between May and October, and high rainfall between November and March (low rainfall in the same period for B. decoloratus). Statistical analysis revealed the existence of populations (demes) with ecologically different requirements within each tick species. Both B. annulatus and B. decoloratus showed many different demes clearly associated to defined areas. The collections of Latin American B. microplus are very homogeneous according climate preferences and well separated from the African counterpart.     

气候变化对落叶松人工林在中国适生区分布的影响

落叶松(Larix)是我国的主要造林树种,其适生区的分布在很大程度上受气象要素等环境因子的影响。研究落叶松人工林适生区分布在气候变化下的变迁,可为应对气候变化的林业管理策略提供技术指导和科学依据。选取华北落叶松、日本落叶松、长白落叶松和兴安落叶松为研究对象,搜集整理了它们在中国地区的308条有效分布记录和22个环境因子变量,运用最大熵(MaxEnt)模型探测了制约落叶松人工林分布的主要环境因子及其适生区范围,模拟并分析了1931-2020年落叶松人工林适生区受气候变化影响的空间分布变化。结果表明:(1)研究选取的MaxEnt模型对落叶松适生区的模拟效果都达到了"极准确"的程度,受试者工作特征曲线面积(AUC值)在0.92-0.977之间。影响落叶松人工林分布的主要环境变量为最湿月降水量、海拔、最湿季度平均温度和温度季节变化方差,累计贡献率达到了73.8%。(2)当前(1991-2020年)气候条件下落叶松人工林适生区面积为182.34×10⁴km²。其中,高适生区面积为53.57×10⁴km²,占总适生面积的29.38%。高适生区集中分布在长白山脉、大兴安岭、燕山、小陇山、太行山脉以及秦岭-大巴山等地区。(3)1931-1960年期间落叶松的高适生区面积为28.33×10⁴km²,1961-1990年期间为33.10×10⁴km²,当前气候条件下进一步增至53.57×10⁴km²。落叶松适生区的范围在过去90年间整体呈现向北移动的趋势。其中,华北落叶松分布在整体上向北大约移动了3°,且分布面积显著增加。日本落叶松位于辽宁东部的高适生区向北移动,位于秦岭-大巴山地区的高适生区则没有明显的偏移,但是分布范围却向高海拔地区集中。长白落叶松的适生区范围向北移动了5°,且分布面积先减少后增加,增加的主要区域是长白山北部。兴安落叶松的适生区范围同样是向北移动,有部分适生区移出了我国北界, 这是其适生区面积在近些年减小的主要原因。     

林窗尺度对马尾松人工林林下灌草层优势种生态位的早期影响北大核心CSCD

马尾松作为中国广泛栽植的乡土树种,其人工林群落结构简单和生物多样性低下是普遍存在的生态学问题。探究不同林窗尺度对马尾松人工林林下植被群落的影响,可为马尾松人工林近自然经营提供理论依据。该研究在45 a生马尾松人工林中分别设置A(50 m^(2))、B(100 m^(2))、C(200 m^(2))和D(667 m^(2))4种不同尺度的林窗,以不做任何处理的马尾松人工林作为对照(CK),探究采伐开窗后林窗内自然更新1 a后的灌草层植物组成、优势种生态位宽度和生态位重叠度分布特征。结果显示:(1)除100 m^(2)林窗下灌木层物种数与对照无显著差异外,其余林窗灌草层物种数均显著高于对照(P<0.05),且200 m^(2)林窗下灌草层物种数均最多,分别为35种和20种;4种林窗下灌草层物种丰富度指数较对照均显著增加(P<0.05),最大值均出现在200 m^(2)林窗下,其值分别为对照的1.5倍和2.6倍。(2)林窗增加了灌草层喜光植物种类,且在200 m^(2)林窗下种类最多,灌木层喜光植物有13种,草本层喜光植物有5种。(3)4种林窗下灌草层优势种中,喜光植物生态位宽度均较大,200 m^(2)林窗下灌草层生态位宽度平均值最小,其对资源利用程度低,重要值与生态位宽度之间无显著相关性(P>0.05)。(4)4种林窗下灌草层优势种间生态位重叠度指数均较小。667 m^(2)林窗下,灌草层优势种平均生态位重叠度指数最小,分别为0.029和0.024,200 m^(2)林窗下灌草层优势种高生态位重叠度占总数比例最大,分别为20%和23.8%。研究表明,采伐开窗促进了马尾松人工林林下植被发育,丰富了林下植物多样性,有利于马尾松林稳定持续发展,对精准提升马尾松人工林质量具有重要意义。     

气候变化对柴胡与狭叶柴胡适生分布的影响

研究气候变化下物种适生区的分布格局与变迁,对于物种的保护和资源的可持续利用具有重要的理论和实践意义。选取柴胡(Bupleurum chinense)与狭叶柴胡(Bupleurum scorzonerifolium)在中国地域内的381个有效分布点和36个环境因子,利用MaxEnt模型模拟当前以及未来(2050和2070年)两种气候情景下(RCP4.5和RCP8.5)其适生区的分布格局,并分析了制约其适生区分布的主导环境因子。结果表明：(1)影响柴胡适生区分布的主导环境因子为最湿月份降水量、最干季度平均温度以及海拔。影响狭叶柴胡适生区分布的主导环境因子为最湿月份降水量、温度季节性变化标准差以及海拔;(2)当前气候条件下,柴胡适生区总面积为1.4755×10⁶km²,约占我国国土面积的15.37%,中、高度适生区主要分布在陕西南部、山西东部、甘肃东南部、山东中部、河北中西部等地;狭叶柴胡适生区总面积为1.8034×10⁶km²,约占我国国土面积的18.78%,中、高度适生区主要分布在黑龙江西部和东部、内...     

Litterfall and nutrient dynamics shift in tropical forest restoration sites after a decade of recovery

Multi‐year studies comparing changes in litterfall biomass and nutrient inputs in sites under different restoration practices are lacking. We evaluated litterfall dynamics and nutrient inputs at 5 yr and after a decade of recovery in four treatments (natural regeneration—no planting, plantation—entire area planted, tree islands—planting in patches, and reference forest) at multiple sites in an agricultural landscape in southern Costa Rica. We inter‐planted two native species (Terminalia amazonia and Vochysia guatemalensis) and two naturalized N‐fixing species (Inga edulis and Erythrina poeppigiana) in plantation and island treatments. Although litterfall N was higher in plantations in the first sampling period, litter production and overall inputs of C, N, Ca, Mg, P, Cu, Mn, and Fe did not differ between island, plantation, or reference forest after a decade; however, all were greater than in natural regeneration. Potassium inputs were lower in the natural regeneration, intermediate in island and plantation, and greater in reference forest. The percentage of litterfall comprised by the N‐fixing planted species declined by nearly two‐thirds in both plantations and islands between sampling periods, while the percentage of V. guatemalensis more than doubled, and the percentage from naturally regenerated species increased from 27 to 47 percent in islands. Island and plantation treatments were equally effective at restoring litterfall and nutrient inputs to levels similar to the reference system. The nutrient input changed substantially over the 7‐yr interval between measurements, reflecting shifts in vegetation composition and demonstrating how rapidly nutrient cycling dynamics can change in recovering forests.     

Forecasting cloud forest in eastern and southern Mexico: conservation insights under future climate change scenarios

Assuming that co-distributed species are exposed to similar environmental conditions, ecological niche models (ENMs) of cloud forest species were developed to study how climate change could affect the distribution of cloud forest in eastern and southern Mexico for the year 2050. Using ENM-based predictions and climatic data for IPCC climate change A2 and B2 scenarios, we observed 54–76% reduction of the cloud forest, mainly in the northern region of its current range (Sierra Madre Oriental) and the Pacific slope of Chiapas. With predicted 2050 climate change, cloud forest in the Los Tuxtlas region and El Cielo Biosphere Reserve may face a serious threat of extinction due to the observed upward migration to higher elevations. Our results add to recent studies detecting negative impacts of climate change in montane forests, but the negative impacts of climate change might be exacerbated by current environmental changes in the region. The integration of ecological-niche characteristics of cloud forest in conjunction with projections of extreme climate scenarios constitute a suitable tool to define appropriate areas in which proactive conservation and management strategies should be focused.     

Gene flow of the canker pathogen Botryosphaeria australis between Eucalyptus globulus plantations and native eucalypt forests in Western Australia

Abstract The eucalypt plantation industry in Western Australia provides a unique opportunity to study the movement of pathogens between closely related host taxa. Eucalyptus globulus, a native to Tasmania and south‐eastern Australia, is the predominant species in Western Australian plantations, often being planted adjacent to native forest containing Eucalyptus marginata and Eucalyptus diversicolor. Since the commencement of the plantation industry 20 years ago, several fungal species, previously known only to eastern Australia or overseas, have been reported on E. globulus in Western Australia. Botryosphaeria australis is a newly described species, recently found causing cankers on Acacia spp. in eastern Australia. However, during a routine survey, B. australis was found to be the predominant species associated with E. globulus plantations and native Eucalyptus spp. in Western Australia. In this study, six short simple repeat markers were used to evaluate genetic diversity and gene flow between collections of B. australis from native eucalypt forest and E. globulus plantations at two locations in south‐western Australia. In both cases, there was no restriction to gene flow between the plantations and the adjacent native forest. Botryosphaeria australis has now been isolated from a wide range of hosts across south‐western Australia and was not isolated from E. globulus in Tasmania or South Australia. This extensive distribution and host range suggests B. australis is native to Western Australia. This study demonstrates the ability of a pathogen to move between plantation and forests.     

Macaca leonina has a wider niche breadth than sympatric M. mulatta in a fragmented tropical forest in southwest China

Niche differentiation has long been identified as an essential stabilizing mechanism for the coexistence of sympatric species. Using camera trapping data obtained during 2012–2016, we identified Macaca leonina and M. mulatta as the dominant macaque species in the Naban River Watershed National Nature Reserve (NRW-NNR), a tropical forest in southwestern China. In general, M. leonina exhibited a wider distribution and greater niche breadth than co-occurring M. mulatta. According to a fitted maximum entropy model (MaxEnt), M. leonina was predicted to predominantly occur in forest at higher elevation, whereas M. mulatta was predicted at lower elevation; the broadleaved evergreen forest was predicted as the most suitable vegetation for both species to inhabit, while the unsuitable area was bordered by rubber plantation, in which both food scarcity and human disturbance restricted the movement of macaques. Although the niches of these two species highly overlapped across space and time, we also found evidence for their spatiotemporal niche differentiation. When the two species inhabited independent areas with different elevations and vegetation, they maintained a similar activity pattern; however, in the zones of overlap, their activity patterns differed significantly. Further comparative field studies of these two macaques, considering other niche dimensions, are required to ensure their coexistence and long-term conservation.     

Evolutionary history of the scorpionfly Dicerapanorpa magna (Mecoptera,Panorpidae)

Climate changes can have fundamental impacts on the distributional patterns of montane species, and range shifts frequently lead to allopatric divergence followed by the establishment of secondary contact zones. Many European and North American organisms have retreated to southern refugia during glacial periods and colonized northward during postglacial periods, but little is known about the evolutionary response of cold‐adapted insects to Pleistocene climate changes in eastern Asia. The scorpionfly Dicerapanorpa magna (Chou), with cold temperate habitat preference and weak dispersal ability, provides a good model system to explore how climate changes have influenced the distribution and divergence of cold‐adapted insects in eastern Asia. This study reconstructed the demographic dynamics and evolutionary history of D. magna with phylogeographic approaches, and predicted the species’ suitable areas under the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and current scenarios with the ecological niche modelling analysis. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I resolved three phylogenetic lineages in D. magna dating back to Pleistocene, corresponding well with the geographically isolated Qinling, Bashan and Minshan Mountains. The ecological niche modelling recovered the suitable habitats for D. magna were the Qinling and Bashan Mountains under LGM and current conditions. The three lineages of D. magna might be in a process of incipient speciation, and likely derived their current distribution from separate glacial origins, followed by vicariance and divergence.     

北美刺龙葵在中国的适生区预测

【背景】北美刺龙葵是一种全球广泛分布的恶性杂草,已被列入我国进境检疫性有害生物名单。近年来北美刺龙葵不断随进口货物传入我国,明确其传入途径和适生区对控制其入侵具有重要意义。【方法】采用GIS、空间统计学、Maxent生态位模型等方法分析了北美刺龙葵的传入途径与潜在分布区,并通过ROC分析法对模型进行检验。【结果】跨区域农产品贸易是北美刺龙葵全球扩散的驱动力与传入我国的主要途径。生态模型预测结果表明,北美刺龙葵在我国具有广阔的适生区,除黑龙江、吉林、内蒙古、青海、甘肃、西藏、四川西北部以外的区域都是其在我国的适生区,其中高风险区主要集中在东部和南部沿海、西南边境和新疆的部分地区。AUC值为0.789,表明本研究建立的Maxent模型的预测能力较强,能够很好地拟合物种已知分布的环境生态位。【结论与意义】北美刺龙葵在我国的传入风险极高。基于北美刺龙葵在我国的主要传入途径与潜在扩散媒介的时空分布,划定了重点监测的区域,建议对适生区内极易传入的高风险区如港口、机场、物流中转站、加工厂等开展早期监测预警,以预防其再次入侵与进一步扩散蔓延。