Search Results (211)

Solanum aculeatissimum is a herbaceous to semi-woody perennial plant native to the Brazilian ecosystem. It has naturalized extensively in southwestern China, posing significant threats to local biodiversity. This study systematically screened and integrated 100 distribution records from authoritative databases, including the Chinese Virtual Plant Specimen Database, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and Chinese Natural Museums. Additionally, 23 environmental variables were incorporated, comprising 19 bioclimatic factors from the World Climate Dataset, 3 topographic indicators, and the Human Footprint Index. The objectives of this research are as follows: (1) to simulate the plant’s current and future distribution (2050s/2070s) under CMIP6 scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5); (2) to quantify changes in the distribution range; and (3) to determine the migration trajectory using MaxEnt 3.4.4 software. The findings reveal that human pressure (contributing 79.7%) and isothermality (bioclimatic factor 3: 10.1%) are the primary driving forces shaping its distribution. The core suitable habitats are predominantly concentrated in the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan. By 2070, the distribution center shifts northeastward to Qujing City. Under the SSP5-8.5 scenario, the invasion front extends into southern Tibet, while retreat occurs in the lowlands of Honghe Prefecture. This study underscores the synergistic effects of socioeconomic development pathways and bioclimatic thresholds on invasive species’ biogeographical patterns, providing a robust predictive framework for adaptive management strategies. Full article

Land use composition, water level fluctuations (WLFs), and biogeographical factors are recognized as key drivers of phytoplankton dynamics in reservoir ecosystems. This two-year study presents the first assessment of the combined effects of catchment land use, WLFs, and geographical distance on phytoplankton biomass and community composition across twelve Mediterranean reservoirs in Cyprus, which serve primarily for drinking water supply and irrigation. The results show that higher phytoplankton biomass was recorded in reservoirs whose catchments had >30% coverage by developed land (urban and agricultural), suggesting that increased anthropogenic pressures may lead to nutrient enrichment and elevated productivity. However, despite elevated biomass, no consistent spatial patterns were observed in phytoplankton community composition. The geographical distance between reservoirs had only a minor effect on species distribution, implying that other factors—such as water residence time or hydrological variability—play a more prominent role in shaping community structure. Phytoplankton biomass maxima were most often recorded during periods of elevated water levels and were typically dominated by Chlorophyta, Dinoflagellata, Bacillariophyta, and Charophyta. The pronounced temporal variability in species composition across all reservoirs points to a highly dynamic system, where environmental fluctuations strongly influence community assembly. This study provides the first comprehensive data on phytoplankton in Cyprus reservoirs, highlighting the importance of land use and hydrological regulation for water quality management in similar settings. Importantly, this baseline dataset can support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) by contributing to the definition of ecological status classes, establishing reference conditions, and guiding future monitoring and assessment efforts. Expanding such datasets through coordinated, basin-wide monitoring initiatives is essential to improve our understanding of phytoplankton dynamics and their role in ecosystem functioning under the pressures of climate change and intensified land use in this Mediterranean “hot spot”. Full article

Many life history traits show predictable patterns at broad biogeographical scales, yet much less is known about how behavioural traits vary across such gradients. In this study, I investigated global variation in foraging group size within a large, cosmopolitan avian family—the pigeons—and assessed the roles of climate and predation in shaping these patterns. I compiled data from the literature for species occurring across a range of latitudes, altitudes, and habitats (islands v. continents) and analyzed the data within a phylogenetic framework that accounted for both biogeographical and ecological drivers of group size. Foraging group size increased with latitude among continental species but did not follow these trends on islands, where groups were generally smaller. Group size also increased at higher elevations. Among the climatic variables examined, annual temperature variation emerged as the strongest latitudinal predictor: greater temperature variability was associated with larger group sizes in continental species, but not in island species. The number of predators within a species’ breeding range showed no significant relationship with group size. These findings suggest that climatic variability, rather than number of predators, is a key driver of foraging group size in pigeons at the biogeographical scale. Full article

Cantabrian mixed forests, located in areas of Spain, Portugal, and France, serve as an essential biogeographic transition region, noted for its extraordinary plant diversity and ecological intricacy. To aid conservation and research initiatives, a uniform checklist of vascular plants was created, incorporating information from citizen science platforms, scientific databases, herbarium records, and local floras. The outcome is a carefully selected collection of more than 8000 taxa, with over 76% recognized as native, highlighting the area’s importance as a reservoir of biodiversity and a climate refuge. Taxonomic discrepancies were resolved via expert verification and adherence to international naming standards, establishing a dependable basis for ecological research. The checklist demonstrates notable variations in organisms, ecological approaches, and evolutionary lineages, influenced by geographical diversity, climate variations, and past land use patterns. Importantly, the study emphasizes the drawbacks of unchecked biodiversity data and shows the benefits of expert-driven synthesis for addressing gaps and biases in species documentation. The floristic information presented here can act as a basis for transboundary conservation planning, ongoing biodiversity tracking, and the development of adaptive management approaches in response to climate change and ecological decline. This initiative represents an important move towards safeguarding the distinct natural heritage of this distinctive biogeographic region. Full article

The Palearctic region is characterised by high endemism in the west and east, and a low endemism centre. The endemic lineages occurring at the two ends are largely distinct, and eastern endemics are typically associated with humid climates and forests, representing the start of a continuum from temperate to tropical forest groups and leading to Indo-Malay endemics. In contrast, western Palearctic endemics are typically associated with arid or seasonally dry (Mediterranean) climates and vegetation. Those lineages occurring in the central Palearctic are typically of western origin. Here, we use phylogenetic age (older than 34 million years (My)) to define a list of tetrapod and vascular plant lineages endemic to the western and central Palearctic, map their distributions at the ecoregion scale, and combine these maps to illustrate and understand lineage richness and endemism patterns. Sixty-three ancient lineages were recovered, approximately half of them reptiles, with several herbaceous and shrubby angiosperms, amphibians, and rodents, and single lineages of woody conifers, insectivores, and birds. Overall, we show high lineage richness in the western Mediterranean, eastern Mediterranean, and Iran, with the highest endemism values recorded in the western Mediterranean (southern Iberian Peninsula, southern France). This paints a picture of ancient lineage survival in areas of consistently dry climate since the Eocene, but also in association with persistent water availability (amphibians in the western Mediterranean). The almost complete absence of ancient endemic bird lineages is unusual and perhaps unique among the world’s biogeographic regions. The factors accounting for these patterns include climate since the end of the Eocene, micro-habitats and micro-climates (of mountain terrain), refugia, and patchiness and isolation (of forests). Despite their aridity adaptations, some of the lineages listed here may be tested under anthropogenic climatic change, although some may extend into the eastern Palearctic. We recommend using these lineages as flagships for conservation in the study region, where their uniqueness and antiquity deserve greater recognition. Full article

Türkiye represents an important biogeographic region connecting Southeast Europe with Southwest Asia, where pig domestication began in the western Palearctic. We studied the phylogenetic relationships and spatial distribution of new and published mitochondrial D-loop sequences of wild boars from Türkiye, other parts of the Middle East, and from around the world to understand migration patterns within Asia Minor and other parts of the Middle East as well as across the Bosphorus/Sea of Marmara/Dardanelles, a current migration barrier to Southwest Europe. Our phylogenetic (ML, BI) and spatial (Geneland) analyses revealed haplotypes both endemic to Anatolia and with a wider distribution in the Middle East as well as European (E1) lineages. The latter suggested possible rare immigration into Anatolia at present times and prehistorical/historical anthropogenic translocations of wild boars or pigs, such as during the pre-Hellenic, Roman, and Byzantine periods or during the European crusades, and subsequent introgression into Anatolian wild boars. Import of pigs with E1 haplotypes and introgression into wild boars during the medieval Empire of Trebizond particularly by Italian merchants or settlers, is also suggested. Anatolian lineages that may have formed the basis of the archaic domestication process of pigs in the western Palearctic are discussed. Full article

The Portuguese coast forms a key biogeographic transition zone where co-occurring kelp species show limited vertical overlap. This study aimed to understand whether temperature and light responses help explain the vertical niche differentiation of Laminaria ochroleuca, Saccorhiza polyschides, and Phyllariopsis brevipes. Results revealed that P. brevipes, despite occupying the southernmost range, showed a low thermal tolerance: 27 °C significantly increased respiration rates, indicating metabolic stress, and exposition at 30 °C caused physiological stress. In contrast, L. ochroleuca and S. polyschides exhibited a greater thermal resilience but displayed high light requirements, with evident stress at 30 °C. These results suggest that light availability may play a key role in shaping vertical zonation in a climate warming scenario, with species adapted to low light occupying deeper subtidal zones. S. polyschides, a high light-requiring species, dominates the shallow subtidal region, while L. ochroleuca, also high light-requiring and temperature-tolerant, is abundant in both intertidal pools and shallow subtidal habitats. These findings raise new hypotheses regarding future distribution patterns under climate change: while L. ochroleuca may continue expanding polewards and potentially replace other Laminaria spp. at shallow depths, low-light-adapted, cold-water species may retain a competitive advantage in deeper zones. Full article

Here, the biogeographic patterns of abundant and rare bacterial taxa in lemon farmlands with different cultivation modes were examined using the dataset obtained from high-throughput sequencing. The abundant sub-communities exhibited a lower richness, a similar abundance proportion, and lower compositional variations than rare taxa. With regard to different cultivation modes, a lower richness but higher beta-diversity distance was observed in abundant bacterial taxa from greenhouse soils compared to other open field farmlands. In addition, some potential indicators, including Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidota, were found to be enriched in the abundant sub-communities in greenhouse soils. Moreover, a stronger environmental-related distance–decay of similarity was observed in abundant taxa from greenhouse soils, but in hilly-converted farmlands for rare taxa. The abundant sub-communities were more sensitive to environmental changes and more tightly phylogenetically clustered. In contrast, homogeneous selection dominated the assembly of rare taxa, which was insensitive to dispersal limitations. Soil pH was identified as the key factor to driving the assembly of soil bacterial communities, with a more deterministic and stochastic assembly for abundant and rare taxa, respectively, at the neutral environments. Full article

Forests harbor most of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity; however, traditional conservation frameworks prioritize species richness over evolutionary diversity. Phylogenetic diversity (PD) reflects the complete evolutionary history contained within a community, offering a more comprehensive understanding of biodiversity. This review examines the theoretical foundations of PD, highlights methodological advancements in its assessment, and discusses its conservation applications in forest ecosystems. We discuss key metrics, including Faith’s PD, mean pairwise distance (MPD), mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD), and indices, including the net relatedness index (NRI) and nearest taxon index (NTI), as well as analytical tools (Picante, Phylocom, Biodiverse) and frameworks like the categorical analysis of neo- and paleo-endemism (CANAPE) and the evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) index, evaluating their effectiveness in identifying evolutionarily significant conservation areas. We examine global and regional forest PD patterns, including elevational and latitudinal gradients, using case studies from the Pan-Himalayan region, Tibetan Plateau, and northern Pakistan, along with the environmental and anthropogenic drivers, e.g., soil pH, precipitation, land-use change, and invasive species, and historical biogeographic forces that shape lineage diversification. We emphasize the need for data standardization, regional research expansion, and the inclusion of PD in national biodiversity strategies and global policy frameworks. This review highlights the transformative potential of shifting from species-centric to evolutionarily informed conservation, and provides a critical framework for enhancing the long-term resilience and adaptive capacity of forest ecosystems. Full article

Tephritidae is an economically important family among Diptera that also exhibits high diversity, biogeographical distribution, and different lifestyles. Despite the recent release of genomes and mitochondrial genome sequences of various species of the family, the evolutionary history of the group and the origin of host adaptation within it remain poorly understood. We undertook a whole-mitochondrial-genome study covering molecular variation at the mitochondrial level by analyzing 10 new mitochondrial genomes obtained from genomic data reported and downloaded from the SRA database from NCBI, analyzed in FastQC and assembled through MITGARD, and 44 mitogenomes available in the Organelle—Refseq database, in total representing 4 subfamilies, 9 tribes, 13 genera, and 54 species. We determined compositional asymmetry and codon usage patterns across the different subfamilies analyzed by using DNASp6 and CAICal. We found high evolutionary rates in the NADH genes, which could play an important role in the adaptation of species to different hosts and environmental variation. By using maximum likelihood phylogenetic reconstruction obtained by IQTREE and ModelFinder, and lifestyle and distribution data of the included species, we considered a generalist feature, explained as possible predominant adaptation in some members of the family. This study in Tephritidae tries to demonstrate possible patterns among molecular variability in mitogenomes, adaptations, and lifestyles. Our findings suggest that selection pressures on certain NADH genes may be linked to host specificity in some Tephritidae species, providing evolutionary insights into how molecular evolution drives ecological adaptation or biogeographical diversity, probably in response to changing environmental conditions and host–parasite co-evolution across taxa. Full article

Bryophytes’ adaptability and stress resistance make them excellent colonizers. Moreover, bryophytes are key components of almost all terrestrial ecosystems from aquatic to arid to freezing cold. Bryophytes are also unique models to study adaptation and stress resistance in plants. Bryological studies in the Mediterranean area are mainly floristic-oriented, and consequently, the knowledge of the autoecology of the species inhabiting Mediterranean islands and islets is very scarce. The aim of this study is to evaluate bryophyte diversity in a number of islands and islets surrounding the Italian peninsula, Sicily and Sardinia. Moreover, based on the geographical and environmental features available for the studied islands, we analyze the role of different ecological variables (such as the islands’ area, insularity degree, altitude, and substratum type) in shaping bryophytic species richness and diversity. In the present study, ecological indicators adapted to Mediterranean bryophytes were also used to describe from an ecological and functional viewpoint the species inhabiting the studied islands and to explore to what extent the islands’ features have had a role in shaping the ecological features of the bryophytic floras inhabiting them. Within this study, an updated overview on the floristic richness and diversity of the small islands surrounding the Italian peninsula, Sicily and Sardinia was presented. The subject of the discussion was the island-related floristic and ecological differences as well as the drivers of these differences. Full article

Ballast water has become a significant vector for the global spread of non-indigenous aquatic species. These species may cause severe ecological disruption and economic losses when introduced into new environments. Traditional monitoring techniques often lack the sensitivity and efficiency required for early monitoring, hindering timely and effective management. In this study, we used environmental DNA (eDNA) technology to assess fish diversity and identify non-indigenous fish species in ballast water samples collected from 14 international vessels entering Dongjiakou Port, China. Genetic evidence of five non-indigenous fish species was monitored, including two recognized invasive species (Lates calcarifer and Anguilla anguilla). Among all groups, samples from Group B (V2, V3, V6, V8) exhibited the highest diversity of non-indigenous species, suggesting regional differences in species composition that may reflect source port biodiversity. These findings highlight the utility of eDNA-based monitoring not only for early detection of potentially non-indigenous taxa but also for capturing biogeographic patterns associated with global maritime traffic. By demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach at an international port, this study contributes a scientific foundation for both local biodiversity conservation and broader ecological surveillance, offering valuable insights for the ongoing development of ballast water management strategies worldwide. Full article

Understanding ecological niche evolution patterns is crucial for elucidating biogeographic history and guiding biodiversity conservation. Taxus is a Tertiary relict gymnosperm with 11 lineages mainly distributed across East Asia, spanning from tropical to subarctic regions. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of its ecological niche evolution and the roles of ecological and geographical factors in lineage diversification, remain unclear. Using occurrence records, environmental data, and reconstructed phylogenies, we employed ensemble ecological niche models (eENMs), environmental principle components analysis (PCA-env), and phyloclimatic modeling to analyze niche similarity and evolution among 11 Taxus lineages. Based on reconstructed Bayesian trees and geographical distribution characteristics, we classified the eleven lineages into four clades: Northern (T. cuspidata), Central (T. chinensis, T. qinlingensis, and the Emei type), Western (T. wallichiana, T. florinii, and T. contorta), and Southern (T. calcicola, T. phytonii, T. mairei, and the Huangshan type). Orogenic activities and climate changes in the Tibetan Plateau since the Late Miocene likely facilitated the local adaptation of ancestral populations in Central China, the Hengduan Mountains, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, driving their expansion and diversification towards the west and south. Key environmental variables, including extreme temperature, temperature and precipitation variability, light, and altitude, were identified as major drivers of current niche divergence. Both niche conservatism and divergence were observed, with early conservatism followed by recent divergence. The Southern clade exhibits high heat and moisture tolerance, suggesting an adaptive shift, while the Central and Western clades retain ancestral drought and cold tolerance, displaying significant phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC). We recommend prioritizing the conservation of T. qinlingensis, which exhibits the highest PNC level, particularly in the Qinling, Daba, and Taihang Mountains, which are highly degraded and vulnerable to future climate fluctuations. Full article

The aim of this paper is to describe and analyse the present Swedish fauna of freshwater snails, based on material in museum collections, the literature, records in conservation reports and in databases. The Swedish fauna comprises 50 species (42 indigenous and 8 introduced). Moreover, 31 out of 50 species belong to the superorder Hygrophila. The species’ zoogeography, ecology and conservation status are highlighted. The species distributions can roughly be classified according to four different geographical groups of patterns. 23 species have their northern limit within or close to the limes norrlandicus, an important biogeographical transition zone in Central Sweden. The history of the exploration of the fauna and groups/species with taxonomical/determination problems are discussed. The six species, which are present in the Swedish National Red List, are discussed in detail. Main threats include the exploitation of Swedish rivers and the changing of insolation in small water bodies due to vegetation alteration, eutrophication and drainage. The threat status of the species in the national Swedish list and the general European list are compared and show a high degree of agreement. Full article

For decades, thousands of scientific institutions worldwide have been digitizing collections documenting biodiversity. The advantages and benefits of this process are widely described. In this study, we test the hypothesis that digital data from local scientific institutions gain additional value once shared through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). We have closely examined the fate of over 2.2 million digital records deposited at the Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland (FBAMU), which have been available to the global community for over three years. The effectiveness of this effort is measured by the number of downloads (approximately 123,000), the number of records downloaded (45 billion), and most importantly, the number of scientific publications utilizing these data (an average of 3 publications per week). These publications appear both in the most prestigious scientific journals and regional sources. The thematic scope of papers utilizing FBAMU data shared through GBIF is very broad, covering 12 research areas, including fundamental biological fields (morphology, taxonomy and systematics, phylogeny and evolution, paleobiology, ecology, biogeography, biodiversity conservation, and biodiversity informatics), closely related applied research (agriculture and human health), and climate science and linguistic phylogeny. The most frequent uses of GBIF/FBAMU data have been in studies on processes and phenomena such as biodiversity loss, biological invasions, biogeographical patterns, changes in species ranges, climatic niche dynamics, interactions between organisms, and mechanisms of evolution. Full article