Inferring the sources of postglacial range expansion in two large European land snails

Exact locations of glacial refugia are relevant for the study of contemporary biodiversity, not only as places less disturbed during the climatic changes but also as sources of rapid expansion of the biota after the Last Glacial cycle. If continuously inhabited over several of the Quaternary glacial cycles, the refugia are readily identifiable by the accumulated genetic diversity. However, the sources of the Holocene range expansion, particularly important for the emergence of present-day bio- and phylogeographic patterns and for realistic estimation of species’ expansion rates, might have been located at the fringes of the glacial species ranges and lack unique lineages. This problem is pertinent when the variation is explored at slowly evolving genetic markers. We suggest that the location of such source refugia may be approximated by reconstructing the geographic location as a continuous trait evolving along the branches of a phylogenetic tree. We applied this approach, using the BEAST software, on two large southeast European land snail species: Caucasotachea vindobonensis and Helix thessalica. We found evidence for C. vindobonensis refugia in the western Balkans; notable is an apparently old refugium in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The plausible sources of the species’ Holocene range expansion, however, were located around the south-western end of the Carpathians. Although the source areas were likely similar in H. thessalica, some expansion sources suggested by the analyses (e.g., Podolia, Ukraine) appeared implausible and driven by sampling clustered in that area. The applied approach allows for additional exploitation of the mitochondrial data gathered during the past two decades of animal phylogeography studies.     

基于地统计学和GIS的苜蓿斑蚜种群空间结构分析和分布模拟

运用地理信息系统(GIS)和地统计学方法对宁夏南部固原市原州区不同时期苜蓿斑蚜(Therioaphis trifolii)种群的空间结构进行了分析,并采用普通克立格插值法模拟了苜蓿斑蚜种群空间分布.结果表明:不同时期苜蓿斑蚜种群存在空间相关性,其半变异函数曲线均为指数型,空间格局呈聚集分布,空间变异成分的变化范围为34.13%~48.77%,空间相关范围为8.751~12.049km,聚集程度和方向有从西南向东北方向聚集的趋势.空间分布模拟图能较好地从时间、空间两个角度直观地分析不同时期苜蓿斑蚜种群的动态变化,易于确定同一时期苜蓿斑蚜的发生位置和发生程度.     

遥感数据支持下不同地表覆盖的区域蒸散

将地表能量平衡系统(SEBS)扩展成遥感日蒸散估算模型,利用MODIS遥感数据估算了黄淮海地区的区域蒸散,并在地理信息系统的支持下分析了不同地表覆盖下的区域蒸散统计分布特征.在缺乏各地表覆盖类型相应蒸散量实测值进行对比的情况下,以2001年4月17日估算的日蒸散量为例,通过各地表覆盖类型日蒸散量间的相互对比分析表明,SEBS估算的区域日蒸散量具有一定的合理性.分析结果表明：在黄淮海地区,荒地具有最低的蒸散量;森林、灌木、草地等地表覆盖类型具有中等的蒸散量;而水体、湿地以及耕地具有较高的蒸散量.可能由于包含绿地和水面,城镇用地的蒸散量也较高.土壤含水量的空间差异性导致森林、灌木、草地和耕地等地表覆盖类型的蒸散量具有明显的空间差异性.耕地蒸散量的空间差异性可以为制定合理、高效的农田灌溉计划提供指示作用.SEBS遥感日蒸散模型的局限性在于有可能低估水体和湿地等地表覆盖类型的蒸散量.     

The role of landscape change and paleoclimatic events in shaping the evolutionary history of the Polioptila gnatcatchers (Passeriformes,Polioptilidae) with emphasis on species associated with open habitats

We conducted a large‐scale phylogenetic and biogeographical inference of the Poliptila gnatcatchers and investigated the evolutionary history of two closely related neotropical bird species linked to open habitats, Polioptila dumicola and Polioptila plumbea. A Bayesian inference was employed based on the NADH subunit 2 gene to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationship of the gnatcatchers, and ancestral area reconstructions were estimated using BioGeoBEARS. For the phylogeographic analysis, we analyzed two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome b and ND2, of 102 individuals from P. dumicola and P. plumbea distributed throughout the complete range of both species. To reconstruct the dates related to the splitting events, we included a subset of sequences from the nuclear gene beta‐fibrinogen intron‐7. A striking result was the recovery of the sister relationship between the lineages of P. dumicola /plumbea and the paraphyly among the subspecies of P. plumbea: the first group was formed by P. dumicola, P. p. plumbea, P. p. parvirostris, P. p. atricapilla and P. lactea, occurring mainly on the Brazilian shield; while the second group consisted of lineages from north of the Amazon, west of the Andes, and Central America, and included P. maior, P. p. cinericia, P. p. bilineata and P. p. innotata. Significant phylogeographic structure was evident within lineages attributed to P. plumbea, with high levels of differentiation in the well‐defined clades according to all phylogenetic analyses. Our biogeographic analyses support distinct evolutionary histories related to founder events and vicariance, occurring during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Several dispersal episodes between North/Central America and South America led to the establishment of populations which became differentiated due to landscape changes, such as the establishment of riverine barriers, the uplift of the Andes and the formation of the Panama Isthmus.     

Walking back the cat: Unsupervised classification as an aid in “remote” fossil prospecting

Counterintelligence analysts use a technique called “walking back the cat'' to reveal “moles” or others passing on disinformation in which they compare what they now know as fact against what their agents or informers had told them to expect about certain persons or events. 1 Thus, “walking back the cat” is a perfect metaphor for working backwards; that is, retracing the complex development of an event and examining the “run up” to it in order to gain useful insights about how that event unfolded. Perhaps paleoanthropology can profit from such an approach.     

mtDNA and language support a common origin of Micronesians and Polynesians in Island Southeast Asia

The origins and relationships among Micronesians, Polynesians, and Melanesians were investigated. Five different mtDNA region V length polymorphisms from 873 individuals representing 24 Oceanic and Asian populations were analyzed. The frequency cline of a common deletion and the distributions of a rare expanded length polymorphism support the origin of both Micronesians and Polynesians in Island Southeast Asia. Genetic, linguistic, and geographic distances were compared to assess the relative importance of isolation and gene flow during the prehistory of 19 Austronesian-speaking populations subdivided into five potential spheres of interaction. We observed significant correlations (P < 0.05) between genetic and linguistic distances in four of five comparisons. These data indicate extensive gene flow throughout much of Micronesia, but substantial isolation in other Pacific regions. Although recent advancements in our understanding of intentional voyaging within Remote Oceania have challenged the existence of the “myth of the primitive isolate,” we caution against the adoption of panmictic alternatives. Am J Phys Anthropol 105:109–119, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Divergence in male mating tactics between two populations of the soapberry bug: I. Guarding versus nonguarding

I compared male allocation to prolonged mate guarding versusnot guarding between two populations of the soapberry bug (Jaderahaematoloma) that differ in adult sex ratio: Oklahoma, USA (mean± SD adult sex ratio, 2.70 ± 0.95 males per female),and Florida, USA (1.09 ± 0.26 males per female). To predictthe reproductive performance of each mating tactic in each population,I collected data on search time per mating, time required forguarding to be effective, sperm competition, female rematingpropensity, and female resistance to guarding. Search time alonediffered significantly between the populations, being much greaterin Oklahoma (estimated as 26.2 h per mate) than in Florida (estimatedas 9.6 h per mate). For males in each region, these data wereused to model the costs and benefits of guarding for differentnumbers of oviposition bouts versus not guarding. The reproductiverate of nonguarders in Oklahoma is exceeded by that of guarderswho remain with a female for more than one oviposition bout,but in Florida, the reproductive rate of nonguarders is onlyexceeded by that of guarders who remain with a female for atleast three ovipositions. Consistent with the model, Oklahomamales in field arenas guarded more frequently than did Floridamales. However, nonguarding was common in both populations,and guarding durations were highly variable.     

褐飞虱不同地理种群生物学特性的比较

在实验条件下比较了四个(龙州、九宫山、监利、新会)褐飞虱Nilaparvata lugens(Stal)地理种群的发育、繁殖、内禀增长能力等参数的异同。结果表明：1.北迁的迁入当代九宫山种群雌虫降落取食3.6d开始产卵,产卵量平均为522粒,低于其第二代居留型种群的714粒;2.四个种群在若虫l龄、5龄历期上有显著差异(a＝0.05).但决定翅型分化的2、3、4龄历期上无显著差异;成虫寿命、产卵历期无显著差异;新会种群产卵量高于其它三个种群;同龄期若虫的世代存活率,九宫山种群低于其它三个种群;综合反映发育、存活、繁殖等生命信息的内禀增长能力rm差异较小,在0.1874～0.1982间变化。本文还分析了产生上述异同的原因。     

基于人地关系视角的鄱阳湖水陆交错带范围划分

水陆交错带是典型的过渡性地理空间,是地理学研究的关键样带,承载着特殊且复杂的人地关系。根据鄱阳湖过水性、吞吐型、季节性特点,考虑行政区划完整性与尺度效应,基于高分辨率遥感影像和长时间序列水位变化数据,利用非监督分类、目视解译、调查验证等方法,从自然和行政区划两个维度划分了鄱阳湖水陆交错带的地域范围,阐述了其自然、经济和社会等基本特征,分析了其理论基础、现实意义及科学内涵。研究表明：(1)鄱阳湖水陆交错带最大自然范围约为2508.08 km~2,行政范围涉及11个县(市、区)78个乡镇单元,包含行政村974个;(2)其景观要素变化多样,经济发展主要以生态农业、生态旅游业为主,人口分布呈现带状特征,与交错带范围高度吻合;(3)自然基础、尺度效应和内涵特征是其范围划分的理论基础,探究其人与环境相互作用的过程、机理与规律是重要现实意义;(4)未来可以从景观格局变化、人地关系分解、社会生活变迁等方面开展进一步研究,以揭示该区域特殊人地关系变化。