Where do adaptive shifts occur during invasion? A multidisciplinary approach to unravelling cold adaptation in a tropical ant species invading the Mediterranean area

Evolution may improve the invasiveness of populations, but it often remains unclear whether key adaptation events occur after introduction into the recipient habitat (i.e. post‐introduction adaptation scenario), or before introduction within the native range (i.e. prior‐adaptation scenario) or at a primary site of invasion (i.e. bridgehead scenario). We used a multidisciplinary approach to determine which of these three scenarios underlies the invasion of the tropical ant Wasmannia auropunctata in a Mediterranean region (i.e. Israel). Species distribution models (SDM), phylogeographical analyses at a broad geographical scale and laboratory experiments on appropriate native and invasive populations indicated that Israeli populations followed an invasion scenario in which adaptation to cold occurred at the southern limit of the native range before dispersal to Israel. We discuss the usefulness of combining SDM, genetic and experimental approaches for unambiguous determination of eco‐evolutionary invasion scenarios.     

Modelling relationships between species spatial abundance patterns and climate

Aim To move towards modelling spatial abundance patterns and to evaluate the relative impacts of climatic change upon species abundances as opposed to range extents. Location Southern Africa, including Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Methods Quantitative response surface models were fitted for 78 bird species, mostly endemic (68) or near‐endemic to the region, to model relationships between species reporting rates (i.e. the proportion of checklists reporting a species for a particular grid cell), as recorded by the Southern African Bird Atlas Project, and four bioclimatic variables derived from climatic data for the period 1961–90. With caution, reporting rates can be used as a proxy for abundance. Models were used to project potential impacts of a series of projected climatic change scenarios upon species abundance patterns and range extents. Results Most models obtained were robust with good predictive power. Projections of potential future abundance patterns indicate that the magnitude of impacts upon a proxy for abundance are greater than those upon range extent for the majority of species (82% by 2071–2100). For most species (74%) both abundance and range extent are projected to decrease by 2100. Impacts are especially severe if species are unable to realize projected range changes; when only the area of a species' simulated present range is considered, overall abundance decreases of more than 80% are projected for 19 (24%) of species examined. Main conclusions Our results indicate that projected climatic changes are likely to elicit greater relative changes in species abundances than range extents. For most species examined changes were decreases, suggesting the impacts upon biodiversity are likely generally to be negative. These results also suggest that previous estimates of the proportion of species at increased risk of extinction as a result of climatic change may, in some cases, be under‐estimates.     

Allelic diversity associated with aridity gradient in wild emmer wheat populations

The association between allelic diversity and ecogeographical variables was studied in natural populations of wild emmer wheat [ Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides (Körn.) Thell.], the tetraploid progenitor of cultivated wheat. Patterns of allelic diversity in 54 microsatellite loci were analyzed in a collection of 145 wild emmer wheat accessions representing 25 populations that were sampled across naturally occurring aridity gradient in Israel and surrounding regions. The obtained results revealed that 56% of the genetic variation resided among accessions within populations, while only 44% of the variation resided between populations. An unweighted pair-group method analysis (UPGMA) tree constructed based on the microsatellite allelic diversity divided the 25 populations into six major groups. Several groups were comprised of populations that were collected in ecologically similar but geographically remote habitats. Furthermore, genetic differentiation between populations was independent of the geographical distances. An interesting evolutionary phenomenon is highlighted by the unimodal relationship between allelic diversity and annual rainfall ( r  = 0.74, P  < 0.0002), indicating higher allelic diversity in populations originated from habitats with intermediate environmental stress (i.e. rainfall 350–550 mm year⁻¹). These results show for the first time that the 'intermediate-disturbance hypothesis', explaining biological diversity at the ecosystem level, also dominates the genetic diversity within a single species, the lowest hierarchical element of the biological diversity.     

Morphological responses of Leymus chinensis (Poaceae) to the large-scale climatic gradient along the North-east China Transect (NECT)

A field experiment was conducted to examine the morphological variations of Leymus chinensis along the climatic gradient of the North‐east China Transect (NECT), from 115° to 125° E, in the vicinity of 43.5° N, in north‐eastern China. Ten sites selected for plant sampling along the gradient have approximately uniform theoretical radiation, but differ in precipitation and geographical elevation. The results of analyses showed that vegetative and reproductive shoot heights, flag leaf lengths and widths and seed numbers per inflorescence increased from the west to the east with precipitation, but decreased with aridity. Leaf lengths and widths for most leaf types from 115° to 124° E exhibited little variations. Significant correlations of plant heights, flag leaf lengths and widths and seed numbers per inflorescence with large‐scale climatic variables (e.g. annual precipitation, aridity) and geographical variation (longitude) found in this study indicated that climatic factors have significant effects on some morphological traits of L. chinensis along the NECT.     

Lake Patzcuaro (Mexico): a controversy about the ecosystem water regime approached by field references, climatic variables, and GIS

In this paper, a basic question is asked about a well-documented case study in Mexico: how well do we know Lake Patzcuaro? We address water balance as fundamental to the question. Past studies provide ambiguous explanations about the role of either underground infiltration and/or runoff, relative to the lake-level fluctuation. Thus, our suspicions over the database reliability led us to inspect historic records on water levels and climatic variables; check out the altitude of ground references, and analyze traces of runoff watercourses over the terrestrial basin by means of GIS. By making data re-arrangement and corrections, it became evident that the lake is subject to long-term cycles with ca. 40-year peaks, including short-term seasonal cycles within. Sensitivity to climatic conditions was determined, as well as the active influence of runoff as an important hydrologic component that contributes to cause serious damage to the land surface by erosion. Rearrangement of raw data highlights the occurrence of past misinterpretations founded on biased information.     

山东章丘上新世巴漏河组和更新统孢粉植物群

山东章丘巴漏河组和上覆更新统孢粉植物研究表明,当地上新世植物群的分布类型趋于单调,草本植物和部分广布型植物繁盛;更新世植物群的成分变得更加贫乏,其中,第三纪常见的喜暖类型已全部消失,而广布型植物类型得以进一步发展。植物群所反映的气候较中新世趋于干冷,与我国华北地区晚第三纪以来植物群的总体发展规律相一致。巴漏河组在层位上与临朐和昌乐等地的尧山组相对比,当前研究表明,以往报道的尧山组底部沉积夹层中的孢粉组合,其时代与山旺组相接近,而不同于巴漏河组;孢粉证据支持将其归于山旺组的划分意见。通过比较,建立巴漏河组与山东北部钻孔剖面明化镇组上段孢粉组合的对比比较。     

Chromosomal polymorphisms in subterranean mole rats: origins and evolutionary significance

Two distinct chromosomal polymorphisms, among others, characterize the short (p) and long (qh) arms of chromosome number 1 of the Spalax ehrenbergi complex in Israel. We have studied the geographic distributions of these two polymorphisms in 60 animals belonging to four chromosomal species (2 n = 52, 54, 58 and 60). These comprised 15 populations: 12 from continuously distributed populations, two from semi-isolates, and one isolate in the northern Negev Desert.
Our results indicate that: (i) the two polymorphisms are widespread not only within populations and species but most strikingly between different bone marrow cells within an individual; this may reflect a diversity generating mechanism; (ii) the two polymorphisms of p and qh, primarily of p, are correlated with climatic factors of water availability and temperature, as well as geographical distances; these correlations are significantly above those expected by chance, (iii) The semi-isolates and the isolate display high levels of polymorphism in both p and qh, but particularly in qh, despite the small size population effects.
We suggest that at least the polymorphism in p is involved in the adaptive radiation of mole rats into diverse climatic regimes. Furthermore, we speculate that the forces generating chromosomal polymorphisms relevant to speciation (i.e. Robertsonian mutations), coupled with the evolutionary forces operating in small peripherally isolated populations, may be appropriate for the origin of new chromosomal species through peripatric speciation.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Artemisia lerchiana</Emphasis> as a producer of essential oil

Abstrac  The composition of essential oil of Artemisia lerchiana Web. plants growing in Volgograd oblast was studied. Sampling was performed from plots contrasting in climatic and soil characteristics. Essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation. The content of essential oil in shoot biomass increased gradually during shoot formation, flower bud formation, and flowering beginning and then decreased. The highest content of essential oil varied from 1.1 to 1.5% of plant dry weight at the stage of flower bud formation. More than thirty compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The following major components were found: camphor, borneol, bornylacetate, camphene, and 1,8-cineole. Some of compounds (sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenoids) were identified for the first time. The time-course of accumulation of essential oil components strongly depended on habitat edaphic factors and climatic conditions during the year of sampling. The results permit a conclusion that A. lerchiana is a valuable producer of essential oils. Original Russian Text ? E.B. Kirichenko, Yu.V. Orlova, D.V. Kurilov, 2008, published in Fiziologiya Rastenii, 2008, Vol. 55, No. 6, pp. 934–941.     

A rapid altitudinal range expansion in the pine processionary moth produced by the 2003 climatic anomaly

Climatic anomalies may produce, or accelerate, geographic range expansions of species limited by temperature or other climatic variables. Most such expansions are only temporary, before the prevailing climatic conditions drive the founder populations extinct. In contrast, here, we report a recent rapid shift of the range limit during the record hot summer of 2003 in southern Europe that has the potential to be both permanent, and to have important implications on species range dynamics in general. The winter pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa), an important pine defoliator whose larvae feed in colonies during the winter, is limited in its distribution by winter temperatures. In the last three decades, warmer winters have led to a gradual but substantial expansion of its range both latitudinally and altitudinally. In the summer of 2003, T. pityocampa underwent an extraordinary expansion to high elevation pine stands in the Italian Alps; its altitudinal range limit increased by one third of the total altitudinal expansion over the previous three decades. In an experiment, we found flight activity of newly emerged females to increase with temperature. By determining a threshold temperature for flight take‐offs under controlled conditions, we calculated that the nights above the threshold temperature were over five times more frequent, and considerably warmer, at the range limit in 2003 than in an average year. We therefore attribute the colonization of extreme, high‐elevation sites to increased nocturnal dispersal of females during the unusually warm night temperatures in June – August 2003. Importantly, the colonies established at extreme sites survived the winter and produced offspring in 2004, although the range did not expand further because of low night temperatures that year. We discuss several life‐history characteristics of T. pityocampa that maximize the likelihood of population persistence at the new range limit. As global warming continues and climatic anomalies are predicted to become more frequent, our results draw attention to the importance of extreme climatic events in the range formation of phytophagous insects.     

Changes in wheat bulb fly (Delia coarctata) populations in East Anglia in relation to crop rotations, climatic data and damage forecasting

Records of wheat bulb fly egg (Delia coarctata) population densities in fields sampled throughout East Anglia in the autumns of 1953–1990 are presented. In descending order of risk, fallow, potato, pea (mainly vining), sugar beet and oilseed rape are the main crops preceding wheat or barley which attract oviposition. A declining trend of egg populations observed over the study period may be associated with climatic changes as well as with the elimination of fallow in the rotation and the dramatic increase in the use of insecticides against the pest. Negative correlations (P < 0.05) in mean annual egg numbers were found with departures from average of July temperature and January air or soil temperature; positive correlations (P<0.05) with departure from average of August raindays. Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the most important relationships of meteorological variables with mean annual egg numbers, or the proportion of fields sampled with egg numbers in excess of the action threshold of 2.5 million eggs/ha. Up to 59% of the variation in the annual proportion of fields above threshold was accounted for in a regression equation using departures from average of July temperature, August raindays and the percentage of average of October (preceding year) rainfall. Estimated mean annual egg populations and the proportion of fields above threshold showed a good fit with the observed values. The findings are discussed and compared with previous work. The forecasting model may be readily incorporated as a regional risk-prediction component of a knowledge-based system for the management of wheat bulb fly control. Regional forecasts of wheat bulb fly oviposition from this work should be tested and modified as necessary according to experience or changing climatic or agricultural factors.