American pika in a low‐elevation lava landscape: expanding the known distribution of a temperature‐sensitive species

In 2010, the American pika (Ochotona princeps fenisex) was denied federal protection based on limited evidence of persistence in low‐elevation environments. Studies in nonalpine areas have been limited to relatively few environments, and it is unclear whether patterns observed elsewhere (e.g., Bodie, CA) represent other nonalpine habitats. This study was designed to establish pika presence in a new location, determine distribution within the surveyed area, and evaluate influences of elevation, vegetation, lava complexity, and distance to habitat edge on pika site occupancy. In 2011 and 2012, we conducted surveys for American pika on four distinct subalpine lava flows of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Oregon, USA. Field surveys were conducted at predetermined locations within lava flows via silent observation and active searching for pika sign. Site habitat characteristics were included as predictors of occupancy in multinomial regression models. Above and belowground temperatures were recorded at a subsample of pika detection sites. Pika were detected in 26% (2011) and 19% (2012) of survey plots. Seventy‐four pika were detected outside survey plot boundaries. Lava complexity was the strongest predictor of pika occurrence, where pika were up to seven times more likely to occur in the most complicated lava formations. Pika were two times more likely to occur with increasing elevation, although they were found at all elevations in the study area. This study expands the known distribution of the species and provides additional evidence for persistence in nonalpine habitats. Results partially support the predictive occupancy model developed for pika at Craters of the Moon National Monument, another lava environment. Characteristics of the lava environment clearly influence pika site occupancy, but habitat variables reported as important in other studies were inconclusive here. Further work is needed to gain a better understanding of the species’ current distribution and ability to persist under future climate conditions.     

Discharge,legacy effects and nutrient availability as determinants of temporal patterns in biofilm metabolism and accrual in an arctic river

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A global assessment of forest surface albedo and its relationships with climate and atmospheric nitrogen deposition

We present a global assessment of the relationships between the short‐wave surface albedo of forests, derived from the MODIS satellite instrument product at 0.5° spatial resolution, with simulated atmospheric nitrogen deposition rates (N_dep), and climatic variables (mean annual temperature T_m and total annual precipitation P), compiled at the same spatial resolution. The analysis was performed on the following five forest plant functional types (PFTs): evergreen needle‐leaf forests (ENF); evergreen broad‐leaf forests (EBF); deciduous needle‐leaf forests (DNF); deciduous broad‐leaf forests (DBF); and mixed‐forests (MF). Generalized additive models (GAMs) were applied in the exploratory analysis to assess the functional nature of short‐wave surface albedo relations to environmental variables. The analysis showed evident correlations of albedo with environmental predictors when data were pooled across PFTs: T_m and N_dep displayed a positive relationship with forest albedo, while a negative relationship was detected with P. These correlations are primarily due to surface albedo differences between conifer and broad‐leaf species, and different species geographical distributions. However, the analysis performed within individual PFTs, strengthened by attempts to select ‘pure’ pixels in terms of species composition, showed significant correlations with annual precipitation and nitrogen deposition, pointing toward the potential effect of environmental variables on forest surface albedo at the ecosystem level. Overall, our global assessment emphasizes the importance of elucidating the ecological mechanisms that link environmental conditions and forest canopy properties for an improved parameterization of surface albedo in climate models.     

Rapid adjustment of bird community compositions to local climatic variations and its functional consequences

The local spatial congruence between climate changes and community changes has rarely been studied over large areas. We proposed one of the first comprehensive frameworks tracking local changes in community composition related to climate changes. First, we investigated whether and how 12 years of changes in the local composition of bird communities were related to local climate variations. Then, we tested the consequences of this climate‐induced adjustment of communities on Grinnellian (habitat‐related) and Eltonian (function‐related) homogenization. A standardized protocol monitoring spatial and temporal trends of birds over France from 2001 to 2012 was used. For each plot and each year, we used the spring temperature and the spring precipitations and calculated three indices reflecting the thermal niche, the habitat specialization, and the functional originality of the species within a community. We then used a moving‐window approach to estimate the spatial distribution of the temporal trends in each of these indices and their congruency with local climatic variations. Temperature fluctuations and community dynamics were found to be highly variable in space, but their variations were finely congruent. More interestingly, the community adjustment to temperature variations was nonmonotonous. Instead, unexplained fluctuations in community composition were observed up to a certain threshold of climate change intensity, above which a change in community composition was observed. This shift corresponded to a significant decrease in the relative abundance of habitat specialists and functionally original species within communities, regardless of the direction of temperature change. The investigation of variations in climate and community responses appears to be a central step toward a better understanding of climate change effects on biodiversity. Our results suggest a fine‐scale and short‐term adjustment of community composition to temperature changes. Moreover, significant temperature variations seem to be responsible for both the Grinnellian and Eltonian aspects of functional homogenization.     

The type of competition modulates the ecophysiological response of grassland species to elevated CO2 and drought

The effects of elevated CO₂ and drought on ecophysiological parameters in grassland species have been examined, but few studies have investigated the effect of competition on those parameters under climate change conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of elevated CO₂ and drought on the response of plant water relations, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence and aboveground biomass in four grassland species, as well as to assess whether the type of competition modulates that response. Elevated CO₂ in well‐watered conditions increased aboveground biomass by augmenting CO₂ assimilation. Drought reduced biomass by reducing CO₂ assimilation rate via stomatal limitation and, when drought was more severe, also non‐stomatal limitation. When plants were grown under the combined conditions of elevated CO₂ and drought, drought limitation observed under ambient CO₂ was reduced, permitting higher CO₂ assimilation and consequently reducing the observed decrease in aboveground biomass. The response to climate change was species‐specific and dependent on the type of competition. Thus, the response to elevated CO₂ in well‐watered grasses was higher in monoculture than in mixture, while it was higher in mixture compared to monoculture for forbs. On the other hand, forbs were more affected than grasses by drought in monoculture, while in mixture the negative effect of drought was higher in grasses than in forbs, due to a lower capacity to acquire water and mineral nutrients. These differences in species‐level growth responses to CO₂ and drought may lead to changes in the composition and biodiversity of the grassland plant community in future climate conditions.     

40年岷山地区白河自然保护区川金丝猴的生境格局动态

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气候变化对黑龙江省水稻障碍型冷害的影响

明确气候变化对黑龙江省水稻孕穗期和抽穗期障碍型冷害的影响,可为水稻安全生产提供科学依据。基于黑龙江省70个台站1971—2012年的气象资料和10个台站1980—2011年水稻生育期数据,结合水稻障碍型冷害指标,分析了气候变化对黑龙江省水稻障碍型冷害的影响。结果表明:(1)水稻孕穗期障碍型冷害1990s发生频率最低,2000s发生频率最高;抽穗期障碍型冷害1970s和1980s发生频率高,1990s和2000s发生频率低。(2)抽穗期障碍型冷害发生程度大于孕穗期障碍型冷害。(3)不同熟型水稻品种可种植北界逐渐北移东扩,极早熟、早熟和中熟品种可种植范围分别缩小了5、21和11个县(市),中晚熟和晚熟品种可种植范围分别扩大了14和23个县(市)。(4)随着水稻种植格局的变化,不同熟型水稻障碍型冷害均在1990s发生频率最低,2000s发生频率最高。     

A genetically distinct hybrid zone occurs for two globally invasive mosquito fish species with striking phenotypic resemblance

Hybrid zones allow for the investigation of incipient speciation and related evolutionary processes of selection, gene flow, and migration. Interspecific dynamics, like competition, can impact the size, shape, and directional movement of species in hybrid zones. Hybrid zones contribute to a paradox for the biological species concept because interbreeding between species occurs while parental forms remain distinct. A long‐standing zone of intergradation or introgression exists for eastern and western mosquito fish (Gambusia holbrooki and G. affinis) around Mobile Bay, AL. The region has been studied episodically, over decades, making it perfect for addressing temporal dynamics and for providing a deeper understanding of the genetics of these periodically reclassified fishes (as species or subspecies). We used six microsatellite markers to assess the current population structure and gene flow patterns across 19 populations of mosquito fish and then compared our results with historical data. Genetic evidence demonstrates that the current hybrid zone is located in a similar geographic region as the historical one, even after three decades. Hybrid fish, however, demonstrate relatively low heterozygosity and are genetically distinct from western and eastern mosquito fish populations. Fin ray counts, sometimes used to distinguish the two species from one another, demonstrate more eastern (G. holbrooki) phenotype fish within the molecular genetic hybrid zone today. Mosquito fish are globally invasive, often found on the leading edge of flooded waters that they colonize, so the impact of hurricanes in the wake of climate change was also evaluated. An increase in the frequency and intensity of hurricanes in the hybrid region has occurred, and this point warrants further attention since hurricanes are known to move these aggressive, invasive species into novel territory. This work contributes to our classical understanding of hybrid zone temporal dynamics, refines our understanding of mosquito fish genetics in their native range, evaluates important genotype–phenotype relationships, and identifies a potential new impact of climate change.     

Species selection and random drift in macroevolution

Species selection resulting from trait‐dependent speciation and extinction is increasingly recognized as an important mechanism of phenotypic macroevolution. However, the recent bloom in statistical methods quantifying this process faces a scarcity of dynamical theory for their interpretation, notably regarding the relative contributions of deterministic versus stochastic evolutionary forces. I use simple diffusion approximations of birth‐death processes to investigate how the expected and random components of macroevolutionary change depend on phenotype‐dependent speciation and extinction rates, as can be estimated empirically. I show that the species selection coefficient for a binary trait, and selection differential for a quantitative trait, depend not only on differences in net diversification rates (speciation minus extinction), but also on differences in species turnover rates (speciation plus extinction), especially in small clades. The randomness in speciation and extinction events also produces a species‐level equivalent to random genetic drift, which is stronger for higher turnover rates. I then show how microevolutionary processes including mutation, organismic selection, and random genetic drift cause state transitions at the species level, allowing comparison of evolutionary forces across levels. A key parameter that would be needed to apply this theory is the distribution and rate of origination of new optimum phenotypes along a phylogeny.     

基于地形梯度的黄河流域中段植被覆盖时空分异特征——以延安市为例

植被恢复是黄河流域生态保护和高质量发展的关键,深入研究植被的时空分异特征具有重要的现实意义。本研究以4期Landsat TM/OLI为遥感数据源,采用像元二分模型估算植被覆盖度,运用转移矩阵、地学信息图谱和重心迁移模型分析1988—2018年黄河流域中段延安市植被覆盖的时空演变特征;并结合地形数据,利用地形分布指数分析高程、坡度上植被覆盖的空间响应规律。结果表明: 研究期间,延安市植被覆盖呈北低南高的空间分布特征,植被覆盖受政策影响而大幅增高;1988—2018年,延安市植被变化模式以持续向好和稳定不变为主导,有50%的区域植被覆盖情况改善,83%的高植被覆盖区域保持稳定。在各高程和坡度等级上,高植被覆盖的分布优势度随时间变化而增大;在各坡度等级上,植被增加百分比和植被稳定性随坡度增加而增大。延安不同等级植被覆盖的迁移方向与植被覆盖整体的迁移趋势基本一致,总体向北偏西转移。延安植被建设已取得显著成效,但北部植被覆盖状况仍待提高,优化植被类型和结构是未来植被建设的重要方向。