Geographical differentiation in floral traits across the distribution range of the Patagonian oil-secreting Calceolaria polyrhiza: do pollinators matter?

Background and Aims

The underlying evolutionary processes of pollinator-driven floral diversification are still poorly understood. According to the Grant–Stebbins model speciation begins with adaptive local differentiation in the response to spatial heterogeneity in pollinators. Although this crucial process links the micro- and macroevolution of floral adaptation, it has received little attention. In this study geographical phenotypic variation was investigated in Patagonian Calceolaria polyrhiza and its pollinators, two oil-collecting bee species that differ in body size and geographical distribution.

Methods

Patterns of phenotypic variation were examined together with their relationships with pollinators and abiotic factors. Six floral and seven vegetative traits were measured in 45 populations distributed across the entire species range. Climatic and edaphic parameters were determined for 25 selected sites, 2–16 bees per site of the most frequent pollinator species were captured, and a critical flower–bee mechanical fitting trait involved in effective pollination was measured. Geographical patterns of phenotypic and environmental variation were examined using uni- and multivariate analyses. Decoupled geographical variation between corolla area and floral traits related to the mechanical fit of pollinators was explored using a Mantel test.

Key Results

The body length of pollinators and the floral traits related to mechanical fit were strongly correlated with each other. Geographical variation of the mechanical-fit-related traits was decoupled from variation in corolla size; the latter had a geographical pattern consistent with that of the vegetative traits and was mainly affected by climatic gradients.

Conclusions

The results are consistent with pollinators playing a key role in shaping floral phenotype at a geographical scale and promoting the differentiation of two floral ecotypes. The relationship between the critical floral-fit-related trait and bee length remained significant even in models that included various environmental variables and an allometric predictor (corolla area). The abiotic environment also has an important role, mainly affecting floral size. Decoupled geographical variation between floral mechanical-fit-related traits and floral size would represent a strategy to maintain plant–pollinator phenotypic matching in this environmentally heterogeneous area.     

Why does phenology drive species distribution?

Despite the numerous studies which have been conducted during the past decade on species ranges and their relationship to the environment, our understanding of how environmental conditions shape species distribution is still far from complete. Yet, some process-based species distribution models have been able to simulate plants and insects distribution at a global scale. These models strongly rely on the completion of the annual cycle of the species and therefore on their accomplished phenology. In particular, they have shown that the northern limit of species'' ranges appears to be caused mainly by the inability to undergo full fruit maturation, while the southern limit appears to be caused by the inability to flower or unfold leaves owing to a lack of chilling temperatures that are necessary to break bud dormancy. I discuss here why phenology is a key adaptive trait in shaping species distribution using mostly examples from plant species, which have been the most documented. After discussing how phenology is involved in fitness and why it is an adaptive trait susceptible to evolve quickly in changing climate conditions, I describe how phenology is related to fitness in species distribution process-based models and discuss the fate of species under climate change scenarios using model projections and experimental or field studies from the literature.     

Deconstructing latitudinal species richness patterns in the ocean: does larval development hold the clue?

The consistent decrease in species richness with latitude shows several exceptions among marine organisms. We hypothesize that contrasting latitudinal diversity gradients can be explained by differences in critical life-history attributes, such as mode of larval development (MLD). We deconstructed latitudinal species richness patterns of marine benthic invertebrates according to MLD to elucidate differences in patterns of species richness and to reveal underlying processes. The patterns of species richness were remarkably similar across taxa within MLD but differed between MLD. Species richness decreased polewards in planktotrophic species and increased in direct developers. Temperature explained most of the variation in species richness. Low temperature at high latitudes may generally favour direct developing species, but, together with low chlorophyll- a concentration, limit the distribution of planktotrophic species. The contrasting influence of temperature on different MLDs might be explained by its effect on the length of planktonic life and on brooding costs.     

Invasion success of alien plants: do habitat affinities in the native distribution range matter?

Aim To assess how habitat affinities in the native distribution range influence the invasion success of 282 central European neophytes (alien plants introduced after ad 1500). Location Czech Republic. Methods Classification trees were used to determine which native habitats donate the most alien species, the correspondence between habitats occupied by species in their native and invaded distribution ranges, and invasion success of species originating from different habitats. Results The species most likely to naturalize in Central Europe are those associated with thermophile woodland fringes in their native range (81%), cultivated areas of gardens and parks (75%) and broad‐leaved deciduous woodlands (72%). The largest proportions of invasive species recruit from those that occur on riverine terraces and eroded slopes, or grow in both deciduous woodland and riverine scrub. When the relative role of habitats in the native range is assessed as a determinant of the probability that a species will become invasive in concert with other factors (the species’ residence time, life history, region of origin), the direct effect of habitat is negligible. However, the effect of native habitats on patterns of invasions observed in central Europe is manifested by large differences in the numbers of species they supply to the invaded region. More than 50 neophytes were recruited from each of the following habitats: dry grasslands, ruderal habitats, deciduous woodland, inland cliffs, rock pavements and outcrops, and tall‐herb fringes and meadows. Main conclusions Casual species recruit from a wider range of habitats in their native range than they occupy in the invaded range; naturalized but not invasive species inhabit a comparable spectrum of habitats in both ranges, and successful invaders occupy a wider range of habitats in the invaded than in the native range. This supports the idea that the invasive phase of the process is associated with changes in biological features that allow for extension of the spectrum of habitats invaded.     

Understanding global patterns in amphibian geographic range size: does Rapoport rule?

Aim Species geographic ranges are the ‘fundamental units’ of macroecology. Range size is a major correlate of extinction risk in many groups, and is also critical in studies of biotic responses to climate change. Despite this, there is a lack of studies exploring the role of environmental, historical and anthropogenic processes in determining large‐scale patterns in range size. We perform the first global analysis of putative drivers of range size variation in any group, choosing amphibians as our study taxon. Our aims are to disentangle the many hypothesized causes of range size variation and evaluate support for ‘Rapoport's rule’, the observation that range size correlates with latitude. Location Global. Methods We develop a global map of gridded median range size using the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) distribution maps. From this we perform spatial and non‐spatial regressions to explore relationships between range size and nine hypothesized variables in six biogeographic realms. We use information‐theoretic model selection to compare multiple competing variables, simultaneously evaluating the relative support for each one. Results Current climate – environmental water and energy, and temperature seasonality – is consistently highly ranked in spatial and non‐spatial analyses. Human impacts and other environmental measures (topographic and landscape complexity, effective area, climate extremes) show mixed support, and glacial history is consistently unimportant. Our findings add further evidence to the view that Rapoport's rule is a regional, not global, phenomenon. Main conclusions The primary importance of temperature seasonality may explain why Rapoport's rule is largely restricted to northern latitudes, as this is where seasonality is most pronounced. More generally, the dominance of contemporary climate in our analyses (even when accounting for space) has stark implications for the future status of amphibians. Changes in climate will almost certainly interact with the anthropogenic processes already threatening a third of amphibians globally, with the effects being most keenly felt by species with a restricted range.     

Identifying the demographic processes relevant for species conservation in human-impacted areas: does the model matter?

The identification of the demographic processes responsible for the decline in population growth rate (λ) in disturbed areas would allow conservation efforts to be efficiently directed. Integral projection models (IPMs) are used for this purpose, but it is unclear whether the conclusions drawn from their analysis are sensitive to how functional structures (the functions that describe how survival, growth and fecundity vary with individual size) are selected. We constructed 12 IPMs that differed in their functional structure by combining two reproduction models and three functional expressions (generalized linear, cubic and additive models), each with and without simplification. Models were parameterized with data from two populations of two endangered cacti subject to different disturbance intensities. For each model, we identified the demographic processes that most affected λ in the presence of disturbance. Simulations were performed on artificial data and analyzed as above to assess the generality of the results. In both empirical and simulated data, the same processes were identified as making the largest contribution to changes in λ regardless of the functional structure. The major differences in the results were due to misspecification of the fecundity functions, whilst functional expression and model simplification had lesser effects. Therefore, as long as the demographic attributes of the species are well known and incorporated into the model, IPMs will robustly identify the processes that most affect the growth of populations subject to disturbance, making them a reliable tool for developing conservation strategies.     

Molecular and quantitative trait variation across the native range of the invasive species Hypericum canariense: evidence for ancient patterns of colonization via pre‐adaptation?

To understand the success of invasive species, it is important to know whether colonization events are facilitated by adaptive evolution or are limited to sites where a species is pre-adapted to thrive. Studies of the ancient colonization patterns of an invader in its native range provide an opportunity to examine its natural history of adaptation and colonization. This study uses molecular (internal transcribed spacer sequence and amplified fragment length polymorphism) and common garden approaches to assess the ancient patterns of establishment and quantitative trait evolution in the invasive shrub Hypericum canariense. This species has an unusually small and discrete native range in the Canary Islands. Our data reveal two genetic varieties with divergent life histories and different colonization patterns across the islands. Although molecular divergence within each variety is large (pairwise FST from 0.18 to 0.32 between islands) and nearly as great as divergence between them, life-history traits show striking uniformity within varieties. The discrepancy between molecular and life-history trait divergence points to the action of stabilizing selection within varieties and the influence of pre-adaptation on patterns of colonization. The colonization history of H. canariense reflects how the relationship between selective environments in founding and source populations can dictate establishment by particular lineages and their subsequent evolutionary stasis or change.     

Conservation planning with irreplaceability: does the method matter?

A number of systematic conservation planning tools are available to aid in making land use decisions. Given the increasing worldwide use and application of reserve design tools, including measures of site irreplaceability, it is essential that methodological differences and their potential effect on conservation planning outcomes are understood. We compared the irreplaceability of sites for protecting ecosystems within the Brigalow Belt Bioregion, Queensland, Australia, using two alternative reserve system design tools, Marxan and C-Plan. We set Marxan to generate multiple reserve systems that met targets with minimal area; the first scenario ignored spatial objectives, while the second selected compact groups of areas. Marxan calculates the irreplaceability of each site as the proportion of solutions in which it occurs for each of these set scenarios. In contrast, C-Plan uses a statistical estimate of irreplaceability as the likelihood that each site is needed in all combinations of sites that satisfy the targets. We found that sites containing rare ecosystems are almost always irreplaceable regardless of the method. Importantly, Marxan and C-Plan gave similar outcomes when spatial objectives were ignored. Marxan with a compactness objective defined twice as much area as irreplaceable, including many sites with relatively common ecosystems. However, targets for all ecosystems were met using a similar amount of area in C-Plan and Marxan, even with compactness. The importance of differences in the outcomes of using the two methods will depend on the question being addressed; in general, the use of two or more complementary tools is beneficial.     

Can species distribution models be used to describe plant abundance patterns?

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in modelling of species abundance data in addition to presence data. In this study, we assessed the similarities and differences between presence‐absence distributions and abundance distributions along similar environmental gradients, derived, respectively, from presence‐absence and abundance data. Moreover, we examined the possibility of using presence‐absence distribution models to derive abundance distributions. For this purpose, we used Braun‐Blanquet abundance scores for 243 vascular species at 10 996 French forest sites. Species distribution models were used to analyse the link between the patterns of occurrence, low abundance and high abundance for each species with regard to mean annual temperature, June water balance, and soil pH. For each species, differences in the modelled distributions were characterised by the ecological optimum and ecological amplitude. A comparison of the presence‐absence and abundance distributions for all species revealed similar optima and different amplitudes along the three ecological factors. An abundant‐centre distribution was observed in environmental space, with species abundance being greatest at the optimal conditions and lower at less favourable conditions of the species occurrence response. Geographical habitat mapping also shows centred, high‐abundance suitability within the presence habitat of each species. We conclude that species distribution models derived from presence‐absence data provide useful information about the ecological optima of abundance distributions but overestimate the range of habitats suitable for high species abundance. This study demonstrates the utility of presence‐absence data for ecologist and conservation biologist when they are interested in the optimal conditions of high species abundance.     

Leaf litter breakdown rates in boreal streams: does shredder species richness matter?

1. Leaf litter breakdown rates were assessed in 23 boreal streams of varying size (first–seventh order) in central and northern Sweden. 2. Shredders were most abundant in small streams, while shredder species richness showed a hump-shaped relationship with stream order, with most species in fourth order streams. 3. In a partial least-squares regression analysis, year, water temperature, shredder species richness and shredder abundance were those factors correlating most strongly with leaf breakdown rates. Shredder species richness was more strongly correlated with leaf litter breakdown rates than shredder abundance, and shredder biomass showed no such correlation. 4. These data suggest that shredder species richness is an important variable in terms of leaf litter dynamics in streams.     

The Lutzomyia longipalpis species complex: does population sub-structure matter to Leishmania transmission?

Leishmania chagasi causes visceral leishmaniasis and, to a lesser extent, atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis in Central and South America. Its main sand fly vector, Lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. (Diptera: Psychodidae) displays a complex population structure that might contribute to the observed clinical pleomorphism and to recent major urban epidemics. This article summarises our understanding on reproductive barriers and hybridisation among this vector's sibling incipient species. Identifying genes important for sand fly ecological adaptability and sand fly-Leishmania genetic co-variation could be helpful for interrupting Leishmania transmission.     

Diversity in the Monogenea and Digenea: does lifestyle matter?

If the cestodes are excluded, then the parasitic platyhelminths of fishes divide neatly into the external and monoxenous Monogenea and the internal and heteroxenous Digenea. Both groups have apparently had long associations of coevolution, host switching and adaptation with fishes and have become highly successful in their respective habitats. Current estimates of species richness for the two groups suggest that they may be remarkably similar. Here we consider the nature of the diversity of the Monogenea and Digenea of fishes in terms of richness of species and higher taxa to determine what processes may be responsible for observed differences. The Monogenea includes at least two super-genera (Dactylogyrus and Gyrodactylus) each of which has hundreds of species; no comparable genera are found in the Digenea. Possible reasons for this difference include the higher host specificity of monogeneans and their shorter generation time. If allowance is made for the vagaries of taxonomic 'lumping' and 'splitting', then there are probably comparable numbers of families of monogeneans and digeneans in fishes. However, the nature of the families differ profoundly. Richness in higher taxa (families) in the Digenea is explicable in terms of processes that appear to have been unimportant in the Monogenea. Readily identifiable sources of diversity in the Digenea are: recolonisation of fishes by taxa that arose in association with tetrapods; adoption of new sites within hosts; adoption of new diets and feeding mechanisms; adaptations relating to the exploitation of ecologically similar groups of fishes and second intermediate hosts; and adaptations relating to the exploitation of phylogenetic lineages of molluscs. In contrast, most higher- level monogenean diversity (other than that associated with the subclasses) relates principally to morphological specialisation for attachment by the haptor.     

Testing the importance of nest concealment: does timing matter?

ABSTRACT.   Nest concealment by vegetation is considered an important factor affecting predation rates for many passerines and, therefore, is frequently measured in studies examining nest predation. However, the time when concealment measurements are made may affect the results of such studies, particularly in highly seasonal ecosystems where characteristics of the vegetation later in the breeding period may differ considerably from those at the time of nest-site selection. We used artificial nests baited with quail ( Coturnix sp.) eggs in a highly seasonal tropical dry forest in Jalisco, western Mexico, to test the effects of seasonal change in concealment on nest predation. We placed 40 open-cup, artificial nests in shrubs at the end of the dry season and again at the beginning of the rainy season in 2007, and monitored the fate of the nests and the degree of concealment by vegetation during both periods. Nest concealment was significantly greater during the wet season than during the dry season. The percentage of nests predated was marginally higher during the dry (100%) than the wet (72.5%) season, and daily nest survival was lower during the dry than the wet season. Our results suggest that, in highly seasonal environments such as tropical dry forests, delayed measurement of nest concealment after nest completion rather than during nesting may constitute a significant source of error.