Evolutionary fingerprint, phylogenetic and forest structure of tropical montane Atlantic cloud forests along an elevation gradient

Environmental conditions can change markedly over geographical distances along elevation gradients,making them natural laboratories to study the processes that structure communities.This work aimed to assess the influences of elevation on Tropical Montane Cloud Forest plant communities in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest,a historically neglected ecoregion.We evaluated the phylogenetic structure,forest structure(tree basal area and tree density)and species richness along an elevation gradient,as well as the evolutionary fingerprints of elevation-success on phylogenetic lineages from the tree communities.To do so,we assessed nine communities along an elevation gradient from 1210 to 2310 m a.s.l.without large elevation gaps.The relationships between elevation and phylogenetic structure,forest structure and species richness were investigated through Linear Models.The occurrence of evolutionary fingerprint on phylogenetic lineages was investigated by quantifying the extent of phylogenetic signal of elevation-success using a genus-level molecular phylogeny.Our results showed decreased species richness at higher elevations and independence between forest structure,phylogenetic structure and elevation.We also verified that there is a phylogenetic signal associated with elevation-success by lineages.We concluded that the elevation is associated with species richness and the occurrence of phylogenetic lineages in the tree communities evaluated in Mantiqueira Range.On the other hand,elevation is not associated with forest structure or phylogenetic structure.Furthermore,closely related taxa tend to have their higher ecological success in similar elevations.Finally,we highlight the fragility of the tropical montane cloud forests in the Mantiqueira Range in face of environmental changes(i.e.global warming)due to the occurrence of exclusive phylogenetic lineages evolutionarily adapted to environmental conditions(i.e.minimum temperature)associated with each elevation range.

Spatial phylogenetics of two topographic extremes of the Hengduan Mountains in southwestern China and its implications for biodiversity conservation

Previous attempts to elucidate the drivers of speciation mechanisms and spatial distribution patterns of biodiversity in mountain regions have treated different floras within a single geological region as one flora,ignoring the potential contributions of high habitat/ecosystem heterogeneity.Furthermore,current conservation strategies largely focus on forest ecosystems and/or specific flagship species,ignoring marginal ecosystems,leaving species in these ecosystems at risk.Here,we compared the spatial patterns of biodiversity and the potential drivers of these patterns in the river valley and subnival ecosystems of the Hengduan Mountains region(HDM)in southwestern China.Specifically,we compared spatial patterns of diversity,endemism,and threatened species in these ecosystems based on both traditional measurements and recent phylogenetic approaches.We then examined how those patterns were related to environmental factors and human activity in these same regions.We found that the middle-southern HDM supports the highest diversity and endemism for the river valley and subnival ecosystems;however,the distribution patterns of neo-and paleo-endemism in these two ecosystems differ.Regression models indicate that habitat diversity and paleo-climatic fluctuation are important drivers of diversity and endemism for these two ecosystems.Temperature and precipitation,however,showed different influences on the spatial patterns in different ecosystems.Categorical analysis of neo-and paleoendemism(CANAPE)indicated that most endemism centers are not covered by current nature reserves.Moreover,the intensity of human activity is highest in the southern and southeastern HDM,which coincides with the distribution patterns of diversity,mixed-endemism and high-priority(and threatened)species.These findings suggest that different floras within a single geographic/floristic region respond differently to environmental factors and show different spatial phylogenetic patterns.We,therefore,recommend that future research into the drivers of biodiversity consider the contributions of various ecosystem types within a single geological region.This study also provides a theoretical basis for protecting habitat diversity.Our work confirms that current conservation efforts are insufficient to protect ecosystem diversity in the river valley and subnival ecosystems of the Hengduan Mountains.Therefore,we recommend the establishment of nature reserves in the regions identified in this study;furthermore,we strongly recommend improving current and establishing new management policies for biodiversity conservation in this region.

Inference of Fish Community Assembly in Intermittent Rivers Using Joint Species Distribution Models and Trophic Guilds

Mechanisms that drive species co-occurrence are poorly documented for intermittent rivers of semiarid regions. Here, we investigated fish community assembly in response to habitat types and physicochemical conditions in intermittent rivers of the lower Okavango Delta, Botswana. Using Joint Species Distribution Models, we inferred relative influences of environmental filtering and species interactions on patterns of species co-occurrence. Fishes were surveyed from multiple locations during drought and flood phases of the annual hydrological cycle. Species were classified into trophic guilds to facilitate inference about the types of species interactions that influence community structure. Water physicochemistry (depth, temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration) was significantly associated with species distributions, whereas habitat type (ephemeral vs. permanent) was not significantly associated with species distribution. Controlling for the influence of environmental covariates resulted in three negative residual correlations, of which two involved non-predatory fishes from different trophic guilds, suggesting a behavioral selection of, or enhanced survival within, habitats with different environmental conditions. There was a negative residual correlation between a predator and a potential prey species, suggesting a role for predation mortality or threat in species segregation. Our results demonstrate that using trophic guilds in conjunction with JSDMs can enhance inferences about mechanisms of community assembly.

Novel insights into the reproductive strategies of wild Chinese sturgeon(Acipenser sinensis)populations based on the kinship analysis

Understanding the reproductive strategy of an organism is important in conservation ecology as it directly affects the population performance under changing environmental conditions.Chinese sturgeon(Acipenser sinensis)are the largest anadromous fish in the Yangtze River,China.Currently,the species has only one spawning ground and has failed to spawn in recent years,leading it to the brink of extinction.To develop effective conservation measures,a further understanding of its reproductive strategy is needed.In our study,we conducted kinship analyses by using mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA data from 216 wild juveniles collected over nine years(2006
2013,2015)to understand the mating system,breeding interval,effective number of breeding adults,and reproductive success.The results from these analyses suggested polygynandry,with some parents contributing up to eight half-sibling juvenile genotypes.Although the spawning ground was restricted to a limited area,genetic diversity was maintained at a relatively high level(observed heterozygosity from 0.698 to 0.787 and expected heterozygosity from 0.763 to 0.787)and inbreeding coefficients in each year-class ranged from
1% to 9%(low to modest detrimental effects on offspring).A parental inference analysis revealed that Chinese sturgeon have a breeding interval of 2-6 years,indicating that it has the potential to feed,accumulate nutrition in the ocean,and then migrate back to the Yangtze River for iteroparous reproduction.The annual effective number of breeders in the Yangtze River ranged from 14 to 161 during the study period,and it decreased by 62.1%from the 2011
2014 year-classes.This sharp population decline likely contributes to the reproduction failure.However,the ratios of effective to census population size(Ne/Nc)were all larger than 0.20 after the 2010 year-class,indicating relatively even reproductive success.Based on these results,a suggested approach to protect this species is to restock parent fish to increase the reproductive stock size and optimize the discharge of the Three Gorges Dam to reduce the unsuitable hydrological conditions and rehabilitate spawning ground habitats.

Rainfall partitioning in young clonal plantations Eucalyptus species in a subtropical environment,and implications for water and forest management

Different canopy characteristics of industrial eucalyptus may lead to differences in water evaporation and availability to plants.This study aims to understand rainfall partitioning in a young clonal plantation(age of 2-4.5 years)of three eucalyptus species by relating tree parameters:diameter at breast height,total height,and leaf area index.We measured rainfall,throughfall,stemflow and litter interception,along with the tree parameters.The eucalyptus trees had rainfall interception varying between 22 mm(for 178 mm of rainfall)and 42 mm(for 87 mm of te rainfall),throughfall between 106 mm(for 186 mm of rainfall)and 44 mm(for 74 mm of rainfall),and stemflow between 0.5 mm(for 92 mm of rainfall)and 1.4 mm(for 24 mm of rainfall).For the three species,rainfall interception varied between 12 and 48%,throughfall between 57 and 90%,and stemflow between 0.3 and 5.4%.The coefficient of determination between interception and rainfall was 0.76,indicating interception depends on other variables,possibly including antecedent rainfall,rainfall intensity,and seasonality.Interception decreased with a reduction in leaf area index caused by eucalyptus defoliation.The E.benthamii had 0.75 mm of throughfall per 1 mm of rainfall,whereas in E.dunnii and E saligna,these ratios were 0.71 and 0.68,respectively.Stemflow in E.benthamii and E.dunii had a higher positive relationship with the diameter at breast height of the trees,whereas in E.saligna the highest relationship was with the rainfall.These results contribute to establishing management strategies,such as choosing suitable eucalyptus species to local climate,and to improve the synchronization of crop-demand versus soil-water-supply while maintaining streamflow to fulfill ecological and production needs.

Event-based hydrology and sedimentation in paired watersheds under commercial eucalyptus and grasslands in the Brazilian Pampa biome

Ecological and hydrological impacts are expected when watersheds are under commercial eucalyptus.In this study we evaluated event-based hydrology and sedimentation in paired watersheds under commercial eucalyptus and grasslands cover.Flow,suspended sediment concentration,and sediment production were measured and simulated with the Limburg Soil Erosion Model(LISEM)in paired hydrographic watersheds located in southern Brazil;one occupied with 7-years old Eucalyptus saligna plantation(forest watershed-FW;0.83 km^(2))and another Pampa biome with native and exotic grasses used for beef cattle production(grassland watershed-GW;1.10 km^(2)).The effect of rainfall on hydrological and sedimentological variables was more evident in GW compared with FW.The shape of the hydrograph was steepest in GW,with rapid,marked increase and decrease in flow during rainfall.The parameters changed for model calibration in FW and GW were soil saturated hydraulic conductivity,initial soil moisture,and Manning roughness coefficient,whereby the statistical performance was classified as good(NSE>0.75).Fourteen events different from those used in the calibration process were validated for FW and GW,with NSE index classified as“good”and“very good”for hydrology.Our study shows limitations of LISEM in calibrating and validating the sediment yield for individual events due to the spatial variability of factors controlling soil erosion.The validated modeling results of this study may be applied in simulating soil and crop scenarios in watersheds cultivated with commercial forest and grassland for grazing.

A new academic impact metric for evaluating geographic simulation models

Geographic simulation models can be used to explore and better understand the geographical environment. Recent advances in geographic and socio-environmental research have led to a dramatic increase in the number of models used for this purpose. Some model repositories provide opportunities for users to explore and apply models,but few provide a general evaluation method for assessing the applicability and recognition of models. In this study,an academic impact evaluation method for models is proposed. Five indices are designed based on their pertinence. The analytical hierarchy process is used to calculate the index weights,and the academic impacts of models are quantified with the weighted sum method. The time range is controlled to evaluate the life-term and annual academic impacts of the models. Some models that met the evaluation criteria from different domains are then evaluated. The results show that the academic impact of a model can be quantified with the proposed method,and the major research areas that models impact are identified.