Biogeography and species delimitation of the rheophilic suckermouth catfish genus Pseudolithoxus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), with the description of a new species from the Brazilian Amazon

The rapids-dwelling suckermouth catfish genus Pseudolithoxus was previously only known from the Guiana-Shield-draining Orinoco and Casiquiare river systems of Colombia and Venezuela, but new records have expanded this range considerably further into the Amazon basin of Brazil, and include occurrences from rivers draining the northern Brazilian Shield. These highly disjunct records are now placed in an evolutionary and phylogeographic context using a dated species tree constructed from mitochondrial (Cytb) and nuclear (RAG1) gene sequence data. Due to mito-nuclear discordance, we also delimit the putative species using statistical coalescent models and a range of additional metrics. We infer that at least two species of Pseudolithoxus are present in the Amazon basin: P. nicoi, previously only recorded from the río Casiquiare, but now also reported from the upper rio Negro, and a new species, which we describe herein from south-draining Guiana Shield and north-draining Brazilian Shield. Our data reject a simple model of Miocene vicariance in the group following uplift of the Uaupés Arch separating the Orinoco and Amazon systems, and instead suggest more complex dispersal scenarios through palaeo-connections in the Pliocene and also via the contemporary rio Negro and rio Madeira in the late Pleistocene.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:46A6BEC1-1A1B-4244-80-A6-FD9CF8DA0384.     

Evolutionary distinctiveness and conservation priority of the endangered Najas ancistrocarpa (Hydrocharitaceae)

Phylogeny is vitally important to evaluate evolutionary distinctiveness and conservation priorities of species. Najas ancistrocarpa is one of the rarest and least known East Asian species of the c. 30–40 species of the aquatic plant genus Najas (Hydrocharitaceae). We used a recently discovered collection of this nationally and regionally endangered species in Japan and East Asia to assess whether N. ancistrocarpa is a distinct species or an untypical form of other Najas species and to evaluate its conservation priority in a phylogenetic context. The sample set of our previous study, exploring worldwide phylogeny of the genus was used with N. ancistrocarpa to delimit species boundaries in Najas and obtain conservation priority scores, calculated by multiplying evolutionary distinctiveness and global extinction risks converted from Red List categories. We performed molecular phylogenetic analyses of plastid (ptDNA) and nuclear (ITS) DNA datasets, STACEY species delimitation analysis using the multilocus dataset and a measurement of conservation priority with Tuatara. Najas ancistrocarpa was consistently placed in ptDNA and ITS trees. Species delimitation analysis objectively assessed that N. ancistrocarpa is phylogenetically distinct. Phylogenetic conservation prioritization ranked N. ancistrocarpa the second highest priority species of the genus Najas. Overall, in terms of biodiversity conservation, N. ancistrocarpa represents an important Najas species in Japan and probably the world.     

The Nexus of Carbon,Nitrogen, and Biodiversity Impacts from Urban Metabolism

Methodology is developed for linking the urban metabolism (UM) to global environmental stresses on the carbon (C) cycle, nitrogen (N) cycle, and biodiversity loss. UM variables are systematically mapped to the drivers of carbon, nitrogen, and biodiversity impacts. Change in mean species abundance is used as metric of biodiversity loss, by adopting the dose‐response relationships from the GLOBIO model. The main biodiversity drivers related to UM included here are land‐use change (LUC) and atmospheric N deposition. The methodology is demonstrated by studying the nexus for Shanghai in 2006, based on energy and soybean consumption. Results for Shanghai show a strong nexus between C, N, and biodiversity impact due to electricity consumption and energy used in manufacturing industries and construction. Prioritization of the shift away from coal energy will therefore lead to lowering the urban growth impact on all three dimensions. Road transportation, domestic aviation, and the metal industry impact only the C footprint highly, whereas district energy impacts only biodiversity loss highly, showing a weak nexus. Among the global impacts of soybean consumption in Shanghai on biodiversity loss (due to LUC only), the highest impact occurs in Uruguay (0.52%) followed by Brazil (0.05%) and Argentina (0.02%). The local impact on biodiversity loss (i.e., within China) of soybean consumption in Shanghai is 1.03%. However, the methodology and results are limited due to the partial inclusion of drivers, a carbon footprint based on carbon dioxide emissions only, and limitations of biodiversity loss models. Potential to overcome methodological limitations is discussed.     

A new species of Curimatopsis Steindachner (Characiformes: Curimatidae) from the Rio Nhamundá, Amazon basin

A new species of Curimatopsis is described from the Rio Nhamundá, Amazon basin in northern Brazil. The new species is distinguished from congeners by the presence of a distinctive concentration of dark pigmentation over the entire lower lobe of the caudal fin, reticulate pattern of body pigmentation, lower jaw longer than and overlapping the anterior portion of the upper jaw, crescent‐shaped posterior nostril and by morphometric and meristic data. Comments on the phylogenetic position of the new species within Curimatopsis are also provided.     

Trait means,trait plasticity and trait differences to other species jointly explain species performances in grasslands of varying diversity

Functional traits may help to explain the great variety of species performances in plant communities, but it is not clear whether the magnitude of trait values of a focal species or trait differences to co‐occurring species are key for trait‐based predictions. In addition, trait expression within species is often plastic, but this variation has been widely neglected in trait‐based analyses. We studied functional traits and plant biomass of 59 species in 66 experimental grassland mixtures of varying species richness (Jena Experiment). We related mean species performances (species biomass and relative yield RY) and their plasticities along the diversity gradient to trait‐based pedictors involving mean species traits (T_mean), trait plasticities along the diversity gradient (T_slope), extents of trait variation across communities (T_CV; coefficient of variation) and hierarchical differences (T_diff) and trait distances (absolute values of trait differences T_dist) between focal and co‐occurring species. T_mean (30–55%) and T_diff (30–33%) explained most variation in mean species performances and their plasticities, but T_slope (20–25%) was also important in explaining mean species performances. The mean species traits and the trait differences between focal species and neighbors with the greatest explanatory power were related to plant size and stature (shoot length, mass:height ratios) and leaf photosynthetic capacity (specific leaf area, stable carbon isotopes and leaf nitrogen concentration). The contribution of trait plasticities in explaining species performances varied in direction (positive or negative) and involved traits related to photosynthetic capacity, nitrogen acquisition (nitrogen concentrations and stable isotopes) as well as structural stability (shoot carbon concentrations). Our results suggest that incorporating plasticity in trait expression as well as trait differences to co‐occurring species is critical for extending trait‐based analyses to understand the assembly of plant communities and the contribution of individual species in structuring plant communities.     

Inventaire des moustiques (Diptera : Culicidae) des îles du sud-ouest de l’océan Indien,Madagascar excepté — Une revue critique

Inventory of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of the islands of southwestern Indian Ocean, Madagascar excluded – A Critical Review. The biodiversity of mosquitoes in the islands of southwestern Indian Ocean is the concern of numerous publications. Here, we propose a synthetic inventory and the analysis of the mosquito diversity, based on the available literature. A comprehensive annotated checklist of mosquito species has been recently published on Madagascar; this is the reason why this land is excluded from our work. Studied area encompasses 28 tropical islands in the southern hemisphere: 4 islands in the Comoros archipelago, 5 Scattered Islands (îles Éparses), 5 in Mascarene, 11 in the Seychelles and 3 in the Chagos archipelago. In total, the mosquito list presents 73 valid species, of which 10 are Anophelinae and 63 Culicinae. The number of species that are distributed in these islands only is 19, i.e. 26%, which is a remarkable level for endemism. The richness in mosquito species in these islands is analysed through several aspects including geography, local speciation and natural or human dissemination. This updated inventory increases by 33% the number of known species by regard to the previous inventory published by Julvez & Mouchet in 1994. The historical responsibility of humans in the introduction of new mosquito species in these islands is strongly documented. For instance, the species with the highest distribution among islands are Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus. The islands belong to the afrotropical biogeographic area and, logically, the majority (63%) of mosquito species present phylogenetic affinities with continental Africa and/or Madagascar; interestingly, the number of species present in these islands and in Madagascar but absent in continental Africa is higher than the number of species present in these islands and in continental Africa but absent in Madagascar (respectively 12 and 2 species). Thanks to valuable increase in the sampling effort, our knowledge of the culicidian fauna is increasing in these islands that constitute indisputably hotspots of biodiversity.     

Selective logging intensity in an East African rain forest predicts reductions in ant diversity

As natural forest ecosystems increasingly face pressure from deforestation, it is ever more important to understand the impacts of habitat fragmentation and degradation on biodiversity. Most studies of anthropogenic change in the tropics come from Southeast Asia and South America, and impacts of habitat modification are often taxon‐specific. Here we empirically assessed the impact of habitat fragmentation and recent (within 25 yr) and historic (>25 yr ago) selective logging on the diversity of ants in the Kakamega rain forest in western Kenya, and asked whether these forms of degradation interact as multiple stressors. We found that the severity of recent selective logging was negatively related to overall species richness and abundance as well as the richness and abundance of forest specialists, but found no detrimental effect of past selective logging or habitat fragmentation on ant diversity, although habitat fragment size was correlated with estimated species richness. There was also no effect of any form of habitat degradation on the richness or abundance of open habitat specialists, even though these species often exploit niches created in disturbed environments. Ultimately, this study reveals the detrimental impact of even moderate forms of habitat degradation on insect biodiversity in the understudied African rain forests.     

Filling gaps in species distributions through the study of biological collections: 415 new distribution records for Neotropical Cryptinae (Hymenoptera,Ichneumonidae)

Filling gaps in species distributions is instrumental to increase our understanding of natural environments and underpin efficient conservation policies. For many hyperdiverse groups, this knowledge is hampered by insufficient taxonomic information. Herein we provide 415 new distribution records for the parasitic wasp subfamily Cryptinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) in the Neotropical region, based on examination of material from 20 biological collections worldwide. Records span across 227 sites in 24 countries and territories, and represent 175 species from 53 genera. Of these, 102 represent new country records for 74 species. A distinct “road pattern” was detected in the records, at least within Brazil, where 50.2% of the records fall within 10 km of federal roads, an area that occupies only 11.9% of the surface of the country. The results help to identify priority areas that remain poorly sampled and should be targeted for future collecting efforts, and highlight the importance of biological collections in yielding new information about species distributions that is orders of magnitude above what is provided in most individual studies.     

Characteristic glycopeptides associated with extreme human longevity identified through plasma glycoproteomics

Background

Glycosylation is highly susceptible to changes of the physiological conditions, and accordingly, is a potential biomarker associated with several diseases and/or longevity. Semi-supercentenarians (SSCs; older than 105?years) are thought to be a model of human longevity. Thus, we performed glycoproteomics using plasma samples of SSCs, and identified proteins and conjugated N-glycans that are characteristic of extreme human longevity.

中国香港新记录的十个分类单元

中国香港位于热带北缘,其植被在历史上曾遭到大规模破坏,近几十年来逐渐恢复。香港植物标本采集有很长的历史,迄今为止已记录的维管植物超过2 170种,然而新种和新分布仍在不断增加。在最近的野外工作中,作者发现10种在香港新记录到的维管植物,分别是唇边书带蕨[Haplopteris elongata (Swartz) E. H.Crane]、雷公连[Amydrium sinense (Engl.) H. Li]、百足藤[Pothos repens (Lour.) Druce]、四川轮环藤(Cycleasutchuenensis Gagnep.)、山黑豆(Dumasia truncata SieboldZucc.)、倒心叶珊瑚[Aucuba obcordata (Rehder) Fu ex W. K. Hu et Soong]、竹叶榕(Ficus stenophylla Hemsl.)、长叶冠毛榕[F. gasparriniana var. esquirolii (H. Lév.Vaniot) Corner]、硬叶冬青(Ilex ficifolia C. J. Tseng ex S. K. Chen et Y. X. Feng)、假福王草[Paraprenanthes sororia(Miq.) C. Shih.]。雷公连属(Amydrium Schott)、山黑豆属(Dumasia DC.)和假福王草属(Paraprenanthes C. C.Chang ex C. Shih)为香港的新记录属。以上的发现不仅丰富了香港的植物区系,而且表明保护残存植被非常重要,且极小种群的保护也值得特别关注。