A review of Turkish saproxylic beetles from the European Red List

The conservation of beetles that depend on dying or dead wood (i.e. saproxylic), has received a great deal of attention in many parts of the world in recent years. Human activities such as urbanization and logging, and their results, e.g. global warming, destroy natural ecosystems and threaten unusual species such as Lucanus cervus (L. 1758), Rosalia alpina (L. 1758), Limoniscus violaceus (Müller 1821) and Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli 1763). Attempts have been made to conserve the habitats upon which these species depend. Although represented by a large number of species, saproxylic beetles in Turkey have not received much attention. Although some Turkish studies have acknowledged their value, comprehensive investigations of these species are very limited. The aim of this study is to make a list, from the literature, of the species that are endangered in Europe and found in Turkey, to highlight the importance of these species. The research includes 151 saproxylic beetle species belonging to the families Bostrichidae, Cerambycidae, Elateridae, Eucnemidae, Scarabaeidae, Euchiridae, Lucanidae and Mycetophagidae. The list of Turkish saproxylic beetles was prepared using the European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles. Information is provided about the IUCN Red List category in Europe, the locations of the species in Turkey, and their global geographic range. We gathered all data about these species from the international literature. Furthermore, we also include in the list certain species whose locations are not specified, but which inhabit Turkey. We obtained their records from some catalogs in Turkey. In addition to the list, we prepared three distribution maps for Turkey. The maps show distribution in Turkey of some species in the Endangered, Vulnerable and Near Threatened categories in the European Red List. It is expected that this study will lead to comprehensive studies on saproxylic beetles from Turkey.     

Sinopaninae and Arfianinae (Hyaenodontida,Mammalia) from the Early Eocene of Europe and Asia; evidence for dispersal in Laurasia around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary and for an unnoticed faunal turnover in Europe

Hyaenodontida are represented in Europe by three subfamilies: Proviverrinae, Arfianinae and Sinopaninae. Here, we review all the specimens of Arfianinae and Sinopaninae known to date in Europe and Asia. A new Galecyon species is erected: Galecyon gallus nov. sp. We discuss the taxonomic position of the two Asian hyaenodontidans Anthracoxyaena palustris and Arfia langebadreae; the genus Anthracoxyaena is synonymized with Arfia. The analysis of the European and Asian arfianines and sinopanines provides new data concerning the dispersals and faunal events that occurred during the Early Eocene in Laurasia. The Arfianinae and Sinopaninae appeared in Europe around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary (reference-level MP7). The sinopanines are widespread in Europe; they are known in Dormaal (Belgium, reference-locality of the level MP7), Rians, Soissons, Pourcy, Try, Le Quesnoy (France), and Abbey Wood (England). The analysis of the paleogeographic distribution of all Oxyaenodonta and Hyaenodontida at and after the MP7 supports the existence of two European provinces: the North Province and Mesogean Province. We show that the Arfianinae and Sinopaninae rapidly disappeared from Europe; they are unknown in Avenay (reference-locality of the level MP8+9) and younger localities. Their disappearance from Europe is synchronous with that of the Oxyaenodonta. These observations support the existence of a faunal turnover, which occurred between the reference-levels MP7 (Dormaal) and MP8+9 (Avenay). The hypothesis of a dispersal from Europe to North America during the Paleocene-Eocene transition for the Arfianinae and Sinopaninae is supported. Moreover, the study of Arfianinae supports a dispersal from Europe to Asia around the P/E boundary, followed by a short period of endemic evolution. However, our study does not support a close relationship between Arfia and the “Arfia-like South Asian Proviverrinae” (Kyawdawia, Indohyaenodon, Paratritemnodon and Yarshea).     

Cryptic introductions and the interpretation of island biodiversity

Species with cryptic origins (i.e. those that cannot be reliably classed as native or non‐native) present a particular challenge to our understanding of the generation and maintenance of biodiversity. Such species may be especially common on islands given that some islands have had a relatively recent history of human settlement. It is likely that select island species considered native might have achieved their current distributions via direct or indirect human actions. As an example, we explore the origins of eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis bermudensis) on the island of Bermuda. Considered native to the island and a distinct subspecies, this population has diverged in morphology relative to mainland North America. Using microsatellite markers and simulation of island colonization, we show that the Bermuda population of bluebirds is the likely result of a single colonization event that occurred during the 1600s, making this a cryptic invader. To our knowledge, this is one of the youngest examples of a terrestrial vertebrate cryptic invader. We suggest that the eastern bluebird is not an isolated case of cryptic invader on either Bermuda or elsewhere and that caution be exercised when studying present‐day distributions of organisms.     

海南霸王岭五唇兰两种生态型生态位特征

东亚特有种五唇兰自然状态下存在叶背红色和绿色两种生态型。对海南岛霸王岭地区的五唇兰群落中草本层生态位特征进行测定和分析,探讨两种生态型五唇兰在群落中的地位和作用以及彼此间的竞争关系。结果表明: 狭穗草、叶背红色型五唇兰和毛俭草在该层占据较大的重要值。叶背红色型五唇兰较叶背绿色型具有更广的生态位宽度; 拟金草和叶背红色型五唇兰以相似的生态位宽度值居该层物种生态位宽度的首位。两种生态型五唇兰均与该层其他大部分物种具有较大生态位重叠值,两者间的生态位重叠亦很大。这说明五唇兰对其生境有很好的适应性,两种生态型间可能存在较大的竞争。     

Environmental Suitability and Distribution of the Caucasian Rock Agama, Paralaudakia caucasia （Sauria： Agamidae） in Western and Central Asia

Predictive potential distribution modeling is crucial in outlining habitat usage and establishing conservation management priorities. In this paper we provide detailed data on the distribution of the Caucasian rock agama Para- laudakia caucasia, and use species distribution models （MAXENT） to evaluate environmental suitability and potential distribution at a broad spatial scale. Locality data on the distribution of P. caucasia have been gathered over nearly its entire range by various authors from field surveys. The distribution model ofP caucasia showed good performance （AUC = 0.887）, and predicted high suitability in regions mainly located in Tajikistan, north Pakistan, Afghanistan, southeast Turkmenistan, northeast Iran along the Elburz mountains, Transcaueasus （Azerbajan, Armenia, Georgia）, northeastern Turkey and northward along the Caspian Sea coast in Daghestan, Russia. The identification of suitable areas for this species will help to assess conservation status of the species, and to set up management programs.     

Resilience of a forest fragment exposed to long-term isolation in Singapore

Background: Fragmentation can fundamentally alter the structure of tropical forests. However, the impacts of fragmentation may vary significantly among regions and lead to different outcomes.

Aims: We examined the structure, composition and dynamics of a forest fragment in Singapore to investigate reasons for the apparent resilience of this forest to long-term isolation.

Methods: We conducted 5 censuses of 12,688 trees ≥1-cm dbh in a 2-ha plot on the edge of the fragment between 1993 and 2012.

Results: Stem density and basal area were not significantly different between 1993 and 2012 and were typical of other south-east Asian forests. However, there were short-term decreases in both variables after droughts in 1997 and 2009, both followed by recovery. Total mortality rate over the 19 years was 3.3% year^?1, considerably higher than other tropical forests in Asia, but it was balanced by high recruitment. The 10 most abundant species were primary forest species, pioneer species comprised <5% of all stems, and none of the 338 species in the plot was exotic. However, species abundances changed more than expected by chance for 86 species, and the rank order of the commonest species changed significantly. Species abundance changes were not related to known species traits.

Conclusions: Despite the long period of isolation, we found a surprising level of resilience of the Bukit Timah forest. While the forest may be more sensitive to the effects of climatic fluctuations at decadal time scales, there were very few signs of forest degradation in this diverse fragment of tropical forest.     

Major correlates of male height: A study of 105 countries

The purpose of this study is to explore the main correlates of male height in 105 countries in Europe & overseas, Asia, North Africa and Oceania. Actual data on male height are compared with the average consumption of 28 protein sources (FAOSTAT, 1993–2009) and seven socioeconomic indicators (according to the World Bank, the CIA World Factbook and the United Nations). This comparison identified three fundamental types of diets based on rice, wheat and milk, respectively. The consumption of rice dominates in tropical Asia, where it is accompanied by very low total protein and energy intake, and one of the shortest statures in the world (∼162–168 cm). Wheat prevails in Muslim countries in North Africa and the Near East, which is where we also observe the highest plant protein consumption in the world and moderately tall statures that do not exceed 174 cm. In taller nations, the intake of protein and energy no longer fundamentally rises, but the consumption of plant proteins markedly decreases at the expense of animal proteins, especially those from dairy. Their highest consumption rates can be found in Northern and Central Europe, with the global peak of male height in the Netherlands (184 cm). In general, when only the complete data from 72 countries were considered, the consumption of protein from the five most correlated foods (r = 0.85) and the human development index (r = 0.84) are most strongly associated with tall statures. A notable finding is the low consumption of the most correlated proteins in Muslim oil superpowers and highly developed countries of East Asia, which could explain their lagging behind Europe in terms of physical stature.     

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.     

Population estimates of the breeding birds of the Tinhosas islands (Gulf of Guinea), the only major seabird colony of the eastern tropical Atlantic

The Tinhosas islands, in São Tomé e Príncipe, host the most important seabird breeding colony in the Gulf of Guinea, but information on its conservation status was hitherto unpublished or anecdotal, the last assessment having been performed in 1997. A two-day expedition to the Tinhosas islands was undertaken to estimate the status of breeding seabirds in 2013. Four of the five seabird species known to breed in São Tomé e Príncipe, namely Brown Booby Sula leucogaster, Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus, Brown Noddy Anous stolidus and Black Noddy Anous minutus, occur on the Tinhosas. A decrease of 80% in Brown Booby numbers, possibly due to occasional exploitation, and a 30% increase in Sooty Tern and Black Noddy numbers, were found compared to 1997 data although survey methods differed. Breeding of Brown Noddy and Madeiran Storm-petrel Hydrobates castro remains unconfirmed. Our estimates confirmed that BirdLife International Important Bird and Biodiversity Area criteria are met for at least one species, the Sooty Tern. The islands are not legally protected, nonetheless, apart from moderate levels of disturbance by fishermen who land on Tinhosa Grande, no alien species were seen, and no immediate threats to the Tinhosas colony were detected. Multiple visits within and between years are recommended, to census breeders, monitor threats and establish breeding phenologies.