Bionomia will be offline 2025-02-09 13:00 UTC for 1 hr to refresh data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Science Enabled by Specimen Data

MOLINO, S., G. SANTOS, R. VÁZQUEZ, R. MEDINA, and J. M. G. Y. GALÁN. 2024. Monograph of the genera Struthiopteris Scop. and Spicantopsis Nakai (Blechnaceae, Polypodiopsida). Phytotaxa 677: 1–48. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.677.1.1

The Blechnaceae fern family, comprising approximately 250 species, exhibits a subcosmopolitan distribution but showcases notable diversity in South America and the Austropacific region. Recent taxonomic revisions expanded the generic treatment within the family, Resulting, among other things, in the resurrection of the genus Spicantopsis. This genus, segregated from Struthiopteris, now encompasses three species endemic to East Asia. Struthiopteris, on the other hand, has three species distributed in Japan, Europe, North of Africa, and western North America. Molecular evidence, coupled with morphoanatomical traits, supported this taxonomic distinction. Despite subsequent studies on palynological and morphoanatomical characteristics, a comprehensive global monograph of Struthiopteris and Spicantopsis is lacking. This paper aims to fill this gap by synthesizing available information, providing identification keys, full descriptions, taxonomic notes, and some necessary type designation for all species within both genera. The study, based on the examination of 1,649 herbarium specimens and digital materials, underscores the importance of anatomical and morphological characters in fern taxonomy. Mapping distribution data further enhances understanding of the geographic ranges of these ferns. This comprehensive synthesis contributes to the ongoing elucidation of fern diversity and taxonomy.

Uehira, K., and Y. Shimono. 2024. Evaluation of climate conditions and ecological traits that limit the distribution expansion of alien Lolium rigidum in Japan. NeoBiota 96: 89–104. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.96.122752

AbstractInvasive alien plants cause severe global problems; therefore, determining the factors that lead to the success or failure of invasion is a critical question in the field of invasion ecology. In this study, we aimed to determine the factors underlying differences in the distribution range of alien plants in Japan by investigating why Loliummultiflorum thrives in a wide range of habitats while L.rigidum is mainly distributed on sandy beaches. We initially evaluated environmental niche suitability through species distribution modelling and subsequently examined whether species traits influence the differences in range expansion between the two species. We used MaxEnt modelling to identify potential environmental niches for both species. The analysis revealed that L.rigidum was considerably less suited to the Japanese climate compared to L.multiflorum, with high summer precipitation in Japan identified as one of the climatic factors limiting the distribution of L.rigidum. Given that these winter annual plants remain dormant as seeds during summer, in subsequent experiments, we buried seeds in paddy field soil and sandy beach sand during summer and evaluated their survival rate in autumn. The survival rate of L.rigidum seeds was significantly lower than that of L.multiflorum, particularly in paddy soil. Factors contributing to seed mortality may include the decay or early germination of L.rigidum seeds under Japan’s high rainfall conditions. This study emphasises the importance of considering local environmental factors alongside climate niche modelling in the risk assessment of invasive species. Moreover, the integration of species distribution modelling for large-scale evaluations and manipulation experiments for fine-scale assessments proved effective in identifying climatic conditions and species traits influencing the success or failure of alien species invasion.

Lu, K., M. Liu, K. Hu, Y. Liu, Y. He, H. Bai, Z. Du, and Y. Duan. 2024. Potential Global Distribution and Habitat Shift of Prunus subg. Amygdalus Under Current and Future Climate Change. Forests 15: 1848. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15111848

The genus of Prunus subg. Amygdalus are endangered Tertiary-relict plants that are an essential source of woody plant oil. In order to provide a theoretical basis for better protection and utilization of species in the Prunus subg. Amygdalus. This study collected global distribution information for six species within the Prunus subg. Amygdalus, along with data on 29 environmental and climatic factors. The Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model was used to simulate the globally suitable distribution areas for these species within the subgenus. The suitable results showed that the area under the test curve (AUC) values of the simulation results were more than 0.8, indicating that the simulation results have high accuracy. Temperature, precipitation, UV-B, and altitude were critical environmental factors affecting the distribution of each species in Prunus subg. Amygdalus. Currently, the distribution area of six species in this genus, from largest to smallest, is Prunus triloba (Lindl.) Ricker, Prunus tenella Batsch, Prunus amygdalus Batsch, Prunus pedunculata Maxim, Prunus mongolica Maxim and Prunus tangutica (Batal.) Korsh. The simulation results of distribution areas showed that under the ssp2.45 and ssp5.85 scenarios, the potential distribution areas of P. amygdalus, P. tangutica, and P. pedunculata all show a decreasing trend, while the distribution areas of P. mongolica and P. tenella, and P. triloba exhibit an increasing trend. The general distribution of P. amygdalus, P. mongolica, and P. tenella will trend to transfer in a northwest direction. P. tangutica and P. pedunculata were affected by other environmental factors (such as slope, altitude, and soil pH), and the distribution area has a tendency to move northeastward. The P. triloba moved to the southwest. The spatiotemporal distribution patterns of Prunus subg. Amygdalus can be used as a reference for forest management and to formulate species conservation strategies.

Marchuk, E. A., A. K. Kvitchenko, L. A. Kameneva, A. A. Yuferova, and D. E. Kislov. 2024. East Asian forest-steppe outpost in the Khanka Lowland (Russia) and its conservation. Journal of Plant Research 137: 997–1018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-024-01570-z

The Khanka Lowland forest-steppe is the most eastern outpost of the Eurasian steppe biome. It includes unique grassland plant communities with rare steppe species. These coenosis have changed under the influence of anthropogenic activity, especially during the last 100 years and included both typical steppe species and nemoral mesophytic species. To distinguish these ecological groups of plants the random forest method with three datasets of environmental variables was applied. Specifically, a model of classification with the most important bioindices to predict a mesophytic ecological group of plants with a sensitivity greater than 80% was constructed. The data demonstrated the presence of steppe species that arrived at different times in the Primorye Territory. Most of these species are associated with the Mongolian-Daurian relict steppe complex and habit in the Khanka Lowland. Other species occur only in mountains in Primorye Territory and do not persist in the Khanka Lowland. These findings emphasize the presence of relict steppe communities with a complex of true steppe species in the Khanka Lowland. Steppe communities exhibit features of anthropogenic influence definitely through the long land use period but are not anthropogenic in origin. The most steppe species are located at the eastern border of distribution in the Khanka Lowlands and are valuable in terms of conservation and sources of information about steppe species origin and the emergence of the steppe biome as a whole.

Fedorov, N., A. Muldashev, O. Mikhaylenko, S. Zhigunova, E. Baisheva, P. Shirokikh, I. Bikbaev, and V. Martynenko. 2024. Forecast the Habitat Sustainability of Schoenus ferrugineus L. (Cyperaceae) in the Southern Urals under Climate Change. Plants 13: 1563. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111563

An analysis of the current potential range of the Pleistocene relict plant species Schoenus ferrugineus and modeling of changes in its future range under moderate (RCP4.5) and strong (RCP8.5) climate change in the middle and second half of the 21st century were carried out. The MaxEnt program was used for modeling. Climate variables from CHELSA Bioclim, the global digital soil mapping system SoilGrids, and a digital elevation model were used as predictors. Modeling has shown that climate change will lead to a significant reduction in the suitability of S. ferrugineus habitat conditions by the mid-21st century. The predicted changes in the distribution of habitats of S. ferrugineus, a diagnostic species of calcareous mires and an indicator of their ecological state, indicate a possible strong transformation of wetland complexes in the Southern Urals region even under moderate climate change. A reduction in the distribution of S. ferrugineus at the eastern limit of its range will also be facilitated by more frequent extreme droughts. To maintain the distribution of S. ferrugineus on the eastern border of its range, a number of measures are proposed to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change, contributing to the preservation of the hydrological regime of calcareous mires.

Rodríguez-Merino, A. 2023. Identifying and Managing Areas under Threat in the Iberian Peninsula: An Invasion Risk Atlas for Non-Native Aquatic Plant Species as a Potential Tool. Plants 12: 3069. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173069

Predicting the likelihood that non-native species will be introduced into new areas remains one of conservation’s greatest challenges and, consequently, it is necessary to adopt adequate management measures to mitigate the effects of future biological invasions. At present, not much information is available on the areas in which non-native aquatic plant species could establish themselves in the Iberian Peninsula. Species distribution models were used to predict the potential invasion risk of (1) non-native aquatic plant species already established in the peninsula (32 species) and (2) those with the potential to invade the peninsula (40 species). The results revealed that the Iberian Peninsula contains a number of areas capable of hosting non-native aquatic plant species. Areas under anthropogenic pressure are at the greatest risk of invasion, and the variable most related to invasion risk is temperature. The results of this work were used to create the Invasion Risk Atlas for Alien Aquatic Plants in the Iberian Peninsula, a novel online resource that provides information about the potential distribution of non-native aquatic plant species. The atlas and this article are intended to serve as reference tools for the development of public policies, management regimes, and control strategies aimed at the prevention, mitigation, and eradication of non-native aquatic plant species.

Cousins-Westerberg, R., N. Dakin, L. Schat, G. Kadereit, and A. M. Humphreys. 2023. Evolution of cold tolerance in the highly stress-tolerant samphires and relatives (Salicornieae: Amaranthaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boad009

Low temperature constitutes one of the main barriers to plant distributions, confining many clades to their ancestrally tropical biome. However, recent evidence suggests that transitions from tropical to temperate biomes may be more frequent than previously thought. Here, we study the evolution of cold and frost tolerance in the globally distributed and highly stress-tolerant Salicornieae (Salicornioideae, Amaranthaceae s.l.). We first generate a phylogenetic tree comprising almost all known species (85-90%), using newly generated (n = 106) and published nuclear-ribosomal and plastid sequences. Next, we use geographical occurrence data to document in which clades and geographical regions cold-tolerant species occur and reconstruct how cold tolerance evolved. Finally, we test for correlated evolution between frost tolerance and the annual life form. We find that frost tolerance has evolved independently in up to four Northern Hemisphere lineages but that annuals are no more likely to evolve frost tolerance than perennials, indicating the presence of different strategies for adapting to cold environments. Our findings add to mounting evidence for multiple independent out-of-the-tropics transitions among close relatives of flowering plants and raise new questions about the ecological and physiological mechanism(s) of adaptation to low temperatures in Salicornieae.

Clemente, K. J. E., and M. S. Thomsen. 2023. High temperature frequently increases facilitation between aquatic foundation species: a global meta‐analysis of interaction experiments between angiosperms, seaweeds, and bivalves. Journal of Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14101

Many studies have quantified ecological impacts of individual foundation species (FS). However, emerging data suggest that FS often co‐occur, potentially inhibiting or facilitating one another, thereby causing indirect, cascading effects on surrounding communities. Furthermore, global warming is accelerating, but little is known about how interactions between co‐occurring FS vary with temperature.Shallow aquatic sedimentary systems are often dominated by three types of FS: slower‐growing clonal angiosperms, faster‐growing solitary seaweeds, and shell‐forming filter‐ and deposit‐feeding bivalves. Here, we tested the impacts of one FS on another by analyzing manipulative interaction experiments from 148 papers with a global meta‐analysis.We calculated 1,942 (non‐independent) Hedges’ g effect sizes, from 11,652 extracted values over performance responses, such as abundances, growths or survival of FS, and their associated standard deviations and replication levels. Standard aggregation procedures generated 511 independent Hedges’ g that was classified into six types of reciprocal impacts between FS.We found that (i) seaweeds had consistent negative impacts on angiosperms across performance responses, organismal sizes, experimental approaches, and ecosystem types; (ii) angiosperms and bivalves generally had positive impacts on each other (e.g., positive effects of angiosperms on bivalves were consistent across organismal sizes and experimental approaches, but angiosperm effect on bivalve growth and bivalve effect on angiosperm abundance were not significant); (iii) bivalves positively affected seaweeds (particularly on growth responses); (iv) there were generally no net effects of seaweeds on bivalves (except for positive effect on growth) or angiosperms on seaweeds (except for positive effect on ‘other processes’); and (v) bivalve interactions with other FS were typically more positive at higher temperatures, but angiosperm‐seaweed interactions were not moderated by temperature.Synthesis: Despite variations in experimental and spatiotemporal conditions, the stronger positive interactions at higher temperatures suggest that facilitation, particularly involving bivalves, may become more important in a future warmer world. Importantly, addressing research gaps, such as the scarcity of FS interaction experiments from tropical and freshwater systems and for less studied species, as well as testing for density‐dependent effects, could better inform aquatic ecosystem conservation and restoration efforts and broaden our knowledge of FS interactions in the Anthropocene.

Kanmaz, O., T. Şenel, and H. N. Dalfes. 2023. A Modeling Framework to Frame a Biological Invasion: Impatiens glandulifera in North America. Plants 12: 1433. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12071433

Biological invasions are a major component of global environmental change with severe ecological and economic consequences. Since eradicating biological invaders is costly and even futile in many cases, predicting the areas under risk to take preventive measures is crucial. Impatiens glandulifera is a very aggressive and prolific invasive species and has been expanding its invasive range all across the Northern hemisphere, primarily in Europe. Although it is currently spread in the east and west of North America (in Canada and USA), studies on its fate under climate change are quite limited compared to the vast literature in Europe. Hybrid models, which integrate multiple modeling approaches, are promising tools for making projections to identify the areas under invasion risk. We developed a hybrid and spatially explicit framework by utilizing MaxEnt, one of the most preferred species distribution modeling (SDM) methods, and we developed an agent-based model (ABM) with the statistical language R. We projected the I. glandulifera invasion in North America, for the 2020–2050 period, under the RCP 4.5 scenario. Our results showed a predominant northward progression of the invasive range alongside an aggressive expansion in both currently invaded areas and interior regions. Our projections will provide valuable insights for risk assessment before the potentially irreversible outcomes emerge, considering the severity of the current state of the invasion in Europe.

Denk, T., G. W. Grimm, A. L. Hipp, J. M. Bouchal, E.-D. Schulze, and M. C. Simeone. 2023. Niche evolution in a northern temperate tree lineage: biogeographic legacies in cork oaks (Quercus sect. Cerris). Annals of Botany. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcad032

Abstract Background and Aims Cork oaks (Quercus sect. Cerris) comprise 15 extant species in Eurasia. Despite being a small clade, they display a range of leaf morphologies comparable to the largest sections (>100 spp.) in Quercus. Their fossil record extends back to the Eocene. Here, we explore how cork oaks achieved their modern ranges and how legacy effects may explain niche evolution in modern species of section Cerris and its sister section Ilex, the holly oaks. Methods We inferred a dated phylogeny for cork and holly oaks using a reduced-representation next-generation sequencing method, restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) and used D-statistics to investigate gene flow hypotheses. We estimated divergence times using a fossilized birth-death (FBD) model calibrated with 47 fossils. We used Köppen profiles, selected bioclimatic parameters, and forest biomes occupied by modern species to infer ancestral climatic and biotic niches. Key Results East Asian and Western Eurasian cork oaks diverged initially in the Eocene. Subsequently, four Western Eurasian lineages (subsections) differentiated during the Oligocene and Miocene. Evolution of leaf size, form, and texture partly correlates with multiple transitions from ancestral humid temperate climates to Mediterranean, arid, and continental climates. Distantly related but ecologically similar species converged on similar leaf traits in the process. Conclusions Originating in temperate (frost-free) biomes, Eocene to Oligocene ranges of the primarily deciduous cork oaks were restricted to higher latitudes (Siberia to north of Paratethys). Members of the evergreen holly oaks (sect. Ilex) also originated in temperate biomes but migrated south- and south-westwards into then-(sub)tropical southern China and south-eastern Tibet during the Eocene, then westwards along existing pre-Himalayan mountain ranges. Divergent biogeographic histories and deep-time phylogenetic legacies—in cold and drought tolerance, nutrient storage, and fire resistance—thus account for the modern species mosaic of Western Eurasian oak communities, which comprise oaks belonging to four sections.