Fungal community composition and function after long‐term exposure of northern forests to elevated atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3

The long‐term effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and tropospheric O₃ concentrations on fungal communities in soil are not well understood. Here, we examine fungal community composition and the activities of cellobiohydrolase and N‐acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) after 10 years of exposure to 1.5 times ambient levels of CO₂ and O₃ in aspen and aspen–birch forest ecosystems, and compare these results to earlier studies in the same long‐term experiment. The forest floor community was dominated by saprotrophic fungi, and differed slightly between plant community types, as did NAG activity. Elevated CO₂ and O₃ had small but significant effects on the distribution of fungal genotypes in this horizon, and elevated CO₂ also lead to an increase in the proportion of Sistotrema spp. within the community. Yet, although cellobiohydrolase activity was lower in the forest floor under elevated O₃, it was not affected by elevated CO₂. NAG was also unaffected. The soil community was dominated by ectomycorrhizal species. Both CO₂ and O₃ had a minor effect on the distribution of genotypes; however, phylogenetic analysis indicated that under elevated O₃Cortinarius and Inocybe spp. increased in abundance and Laccaria and Tomentella spp. declined. Although cellobiohydrolase activity in soil was unaffected by either CO₂ or O₃, NAG was higher (～29%) under CO₂ in aspen–birch, but lower (～18%) under aspen. Time series analysis indicated that CO₂ increased cellulolytic enzyme activity during the first 5 years of the experiment, but that the magnitude of this effect diminished over time. NAG activity also showed strong early stimulation by elevated CO₂, but after 10 years this effect is no longer evident. Elevated O₃ appears to have variable stimulatory and repressive effects depending on the soil horizon and time point examined.     

Morphological and enzyme electrophoretic studies on the relationships of the European Epeorus species (Ephemeroptera, Heptageniidae)

Abstract. Forty-two enzyme-substrate systems were tested on starch gels in order to characterize the Ephemeroptera biochemically. Of these, twelve systems were useful and enabled the evaluation of sixteen loci. This biochemical method correlated well with the results of the morphological characterization of the four European Epeorus taxa, which are subdivided into two groups: E.sylvicola-E.torrentium and E.alpicola-E.yougoslavicus. Our biochemical comparison with the type species of Iron (I.longimanus) from North America clearly shows that all four European taxa belong to the genus Epeorus and that Iron is a distinct genus. Keys to larvae and imagines are provided.     

Why are birds' eggs colourful? Eggshell pigments co‐vary with life‐history and nesting ecology among British breeding non‐passerine birds

The colourful appearance of bird eggshells has long fascinated biologists and considerable research effort has focused on the structure and biochemistry of the avian eggshell matrix. The presence of tetrapyrrole pigments was identified nearly a century ago. Surprisingly, how the concentrations of avian eggshell pigments vary among related species, and whether this variability is associated with either eggshell appearance and/or species life‐history traits, remains poorly understood. We quantified the concentrations of the two key eggshell pigments, protoporphyrin IX and biliverdin, from a diverse sample of eggshells stored at the Natural History Museum, Tring, UK. We explicitly tested how these two pigments are associated with physical measures of eggshell coloration and whether the pigment concentrations and colour diversity co‐vary with phylogenetic affiliations among species. We also tested a series of comparative hypotheses regarding the association between the concentrations of the two pigments and specific life‐history and breeding ecology traits. Across species, the average concentrations of protoporphyrin and biliverdin were positively correlated, and both strongly co‐varied with phylogenetic relatedness. Controlling for phylogeny, protoporphyrin concentration was associated with a higher likelihood of cavity nesting and ground nesting, whereas biliverdin concentration was associated with a higher likelihood of non‐cavity nesting habit and bi‐parental provisioning. Although unlikely to be explained by a single function, the breeding ecology and life history‐dependence of eggshell pigment concentrations in these comparative analyses implies that related species share pigment strategies, and that those strategies relate to broad adaptive roles in the evolution of variation in avian eggshell coloration and its underlying mechanisms. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 106 , 657–672.     

The interplay of dispersal limitation,rivers, and historical events shapes the genetic structure of an Amazonian frog

Disentangling the impact of landscape features such as rivers and historical events on dispersal is a challenging but necessary task to gain a comprehensive picture of the evolution of diverse biota such as that found in Amazonia. Adenomera andreae, a small, territorial, terrestrial frog species of the Amazonian forest represents a good model for such studies. We combined cytochrome b sequences with 12 microsatellites to investigate the genetic structure at two contrasted spatial scales in French Guiana: along a ～6‐km transect, to evaluate dispersal ability, and between paired bank populations along a ～65‐km stretch of the Approuague river, to test the effect of rivers as barriers to dispersal. We observed significant spatial genetic structure between individuals at a remarkably small geographical scale, and conclude that the species has a restricted dispersal ability that is probably tied to its life‐history traits. Mitochondrial and microsatellite data also indicate a high level of differentiation among populations on opposite banks of the river, and, in some cases, among populations on the same riverbank. These results suggest that the observed population structure in A. andreae is the result of restricted dispersal abilities combined with the action of rivers and Quaternary population isolation. Given that Amazonia hosts a great portion of anurans, as well as other small vertebrates, that display life‐history traits comparable with A. andreae, we argue that our analyses provide new insights into the complex interactions among evolutionary processes shaping Amazonian biodiversity. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 106 , 356–373.     

Piscivory and diet overlap between two non‐native fishes in southern Chilean streams

Trophic relations among introduced species may induce highly variable and complex effects in communities and ecosystems. However, studies that identify the potential impacts for invaded systems and illuminate mechanisms of coexistence with native species are scarce. Here, we examined trophic relations between two introduced fishes in streams of NW Patagonia, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout (Salmo trutta). These species originate from different regions of the Northern Hemisphere but they now coexist as invading species over the world. We used gastric contents and stable isotopes analysis to compare the diets of two size‐classes of these two invaders in three localities of southern Chile. Both species displayed similar ontogenic diet shifts with smaller trout consuming mostly invertebrates and larger trout being more piscivorous and epibenthic feeders. However, piscivory was more prevalent in brown trout than in rainbow trout and highest at the site with the greatest density of native fishes suggesting that the availability of native fishes as trout prey may limit the occurrence of trout piscivory. We found an elevated dietary overlap between the two trout species at larger sizes while at smaller size a higher intraspecific dietary overlap occurred suggesting a potential interference competition among the two fish invaders especially at larger sizes. Our results highlight that the impacts of invading species on non‐native fishes are context specific (i.e. species and ontogenic stages) and thus, difficult to generalize.     

Threatened species, a re-evaluation of the status of eight endemic plants of the Gala´pagos

Although still in relatively good condition, the Gala´pagos Archipelago suffers from increasing human pressures. Apart from direct actions like hunting and logging, endemic plants and animals are threatened by introduced species, and in many cases the present status of the populations is not known. The conservation status of eight plant species considered endangered was studied from literature and field surveys and the main threats were determined. Each of the eight species is endemic to only one island but in some cases is also present on nearby islets. Of these eight species, one is considered extinct, one critically endangered, and the others suffer various levels of threat. As in all island systems of the world, the main threats are introduced organisms, both plants and animals. The extinct species probably disappeared owing to invasion by Lantana camara, one of the most aggressively invasive plants of the islands, and the most endangered species is threatened by goats. The remaining species seem to be regenerating well and we can expect positive results from protection efforts. Today, only one of the eight species benefits from a direct protection action.