Functional connectivity and genetic diversity of Eulaema atleticana (Apidae,Euglossina) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Corridor: assessment of gene flow

The mobility and dispersal of organisms affect population genetics and dynamics, and consequently affect persistence and the risk of extinction. Thus, it is important to understand how organisms move in the fragmented landscapes in order to manage populations and predict the effects of habitat changes on species persistence. This study evaluated the functional connectivity of an orchid bee (Eulaema atleticana Nemésio, 2009) with a high fidelity to forest habitats in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Corridor by analyzing genetic diversity, spatial genetic structure, and gene flow estimated from microsatellite and mitochondrial markers. Genetic diversity was not correlated with area of the forest fragments, or with forest isolation. At the mosaic scale, Eulaema atleticana showed no significant or low genetic differentiation, indicating genetic homogeneity among forest fragments. A previous field study indicated that Eulaema atleticana was one of the most sensitive Euglossina bees to forest fragmentation but the present molecular analyses demonstrates that current gene flow is sufficient to maintain genetic variability at the mosaic scale.     

Generalist Species Have a Central Role In a Highly Diverse Plant–Frugivore Network

Analysis of plant–frugivore interactions provides a quantitative framework for integrating community structure and ecosystem function in terms of how the roles and attributes of individual species contribute to network structure and resilience. In this study, we used centrality metrics to rank and detect the most important species in a mutualistic network of fruit‐eating birds and plants in a cloud forest in the Colombian Andes. We identified a central core of ten bird and seven plant species in a network of 135 species that perform dual roles as local hubs and connectors. The birds were mostly large forest frugivores, such as cracids, cotingas, and toucans, which consume fruits of all sizes. The plants were species of intermediate successional stages with small‐ to medium‐sized seeds that persist in mature forest or forest borders (e.g., Miconia, Cecropia, Ficus). We found the resilience of our network depends on super‐generalist species, because their elimination makes the network more prone to disassemble than random extinctions, potentially disrupting seed‐dispersal processes. At our study site, extirpation of large frugivores has already been documented, and if this continues, the network might collapse despite its high diversity. Our results suggest that generalist species play critical roles in ecosystem function and should be incorporated into conservation and monitoring programs.     

Extrafloral nectar increases seed removal by ants in Turnera ulmifolia

To investigate whether extrafloral nectar (EFN) increases seed dispersal in Turnera ulmifolia, we measured seed removal on plants with and without EFN. Plants producing EFN had more seeds removed than control plants, suggesting that EFN does play a role in seed dispersal. This is a novel function of EFN.     

Is it really you,Orthotrichum acuminatum? Ascertaining a new case of intercontinental disjunction in mosses

Intercontinental disjunct distributions are a main issue in current biogeography. Bryophytes usually have broad distribution ranges and therefore constitute an interesting subject of study in this context. During recent fieldwork in western North America and eastern Africa, we found new populations of a moss morphologically similar to Orthotrichum acuminatum. So far this species has been considered to be one of the most typical epiphytic mosses of the Mediterranean Basin. The new findings raise some puzzling questions. Do these new populations belong to cryptic species or do they belong to O. acuminatum, a species which then has a multiple‐continent disjunct range? In the latter case, how could such an intercontinental disjunction be explained? To answer these questions, an integrative study involving morphological and molecular approaches was conducted. Morphological results reveal that Californian and Ethiopian samples fall within the variability of those from the Mediterranean Basin. Similarly, phylogenetic analyses confirm the monophyly of these populations, showing that O. acuminatum is one of the few moss species with a distribution comprising the western Nearctic, the western Palaearctic and Palaeotropical eastern Africa. Pending a further genetic and phylogeographical study to support or reject the hypothesis, a process of long‐distance dispersal (LDD) is hypothesized to explain this distribution and the origin of the species is suggested to be the Mediterranean Basin, from where diaspores of the species may have migrated to California and Ethiopia. The spore release process in O. acuminatum is revisited to support the LDD hypothesis, © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016, 180 , 30–49.     

How seed traits predict floating times: a biophysical process model for hydrochorous seed transport behaviour in fluvial systems

相似文献   

The altitudinal limit of Leptohyphes Eaton, 1882 and Lachlania Hagen, 1868 (Ephemeroptera: Leptohyphidae,Oligoneuriidae) in Ecuadorian Andes streams: searching for mechanisms

We explored mechanisms determining the upper altitudinal limit of ephemeropterans from two different genera: Leptohyphes Eaton, 1882 Eaton, A.E. (1882), ?An Announcement of New Genera of the Ephemeridae?, The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, 18, 207–208. [Google Scholar] (Leptohyphidae) and Lachlania Hagen, 1868 Hagen, H.A. (1868), ?On Lachlania Abnormis: A New Genus and Species from Cuba Belonging to the Ephemerina?, Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 11, 372–375. [Google Scholar] (Oligoneuriidae). For this, we (1) surveyed the two taxa in 165 stream sites along a wide altitudinal gradient; (2) sampled benthic fauna at short altitudinal intervals along a stream, from 2780 to 3150 m above sea level; (3) collected adults at the lowest and highest sites; and (4) transplanted nymphs from the lowest to the highest study site in our stream to determine survival over time. Densities of the two taxa declined gradually with altitude and both disappeared between 2950 and 3080 m a.s.l. The upper altitudinal limit in the stream seemed to be most closely related to mean oxygen saturation, temperature, and current velocity. Adults were collected where the nymphs were found, but not at the upstream site where the nymphs were absent, implying limited upstream dispersal of adults and some of the altitudinal constraint lying at the adult stage. Short-term survival of transplanted nymphs was lower than that of controls, suggesting that the distribution was limited at the juvenile stage, and that at least some of the altitudinal constraint is related to the abiotic stream environment.     

Reproductive biology of Syzygiella rubricaulis (Nees) Steph. (Adelanthaceae,Marchantiophyta), a liverwort disjunctly distributed in high‐altitude Neotropical mountains

Syzygiella rubricaulis is a dioecious leafy liverwort disjunctly distributed and restricted to high‐altitude mountains in the Neotropics and the Azores. This study is part of a larger project examining the phylogeography of S. rubricaulis in the Neotropics, and our main goals were to understand its reproductive biology, where sex expression occurs, if vegetative propagules are frequently found, how the sexes are distributed in populations, how frequently sporophytes are formed and what environmental conditions influence sexual expression. S. rubricaulis patches are mostly female, but all patches also contain non sex‐expressing shoots. Out of 42 patches examined, 29 (69%) were sex‐expressing: 25 were unisexual (21 female and four male) and four of mixed sex (two male‐biased and two unbiased). At shoot level, out of 4200 shoots 18% were female and 7% male; among sex‐expressing shoots, 73% were female, representing a sex ratio of 0.8 (female‐biased). We encountered a total of 33 sporophytes in six patches (in Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador). Leaf regenerants were found in one patch in Mexico. Low rates of sporophytes were likely related to low frequencies of male shoots and large distances between the sexes. As 25% of S. rubricaulis shoots expressed sex (occasionally producing sporophytes), we suggest that short‐distance (and rarely long‐distance) spore dispersal events occur in mountainous areas on a short‐term basis. On a long‐term basis, however, these events likely contribute to dynamic exchanges among populations in the Neotropics.     

Rubidium marking reveals different patterns of movement in four ground beetle species (Col., Carabidae) between adjacent alfalfa and maize

相似文献   

Olfactory navigation during spawning migrations: a review and introduction of the Hierarchical Navigation Hypothesis

Migrations are characterized by periods of movement that typically rely on orientation towards directional cues. Anadromous fish undergo several different forms of oriented movement during their spawning migration and provide some of the most well‐studied examples of migratory behaviour. During the freshwater phase of the migration, fish locate their spawning grounds via olfactory cues. In this review, we synthesize research that explores the role of olfaction during the spawning migration of anadromous fish, most of which focuses on two families: Salmonidae (salmonids) and Petromyzontidae (lampreys). We draw attention to limitations in this research, and highlight potential areas of investigation that will help fill in current knowledge gaps. We also use the information assembled from our review to formulate a new hypothesis for natal homing in salmonids. Our hypothesis posits that migrating adults rely on three types of cues in a hierarchical fashion: imprinted cues (primary), conspecific cues (secondary), and non‐olfactory environmental cues (tertiary). We provide evidence from previous studies that support this hypothesis. We also discuss future directions of research that can test the hypothesis and further our understanding of the spawning migration.