Search

Island ecological restoration presents challenges in establishing historical frames and reference ecosystems. Our study takes place in the Galapagos Islands and focuses on North Seymour (NS), recognized as a reference ecosystem for Baltra Island, which has suffered significant degradation. We assessed NS's arid plant community, comparing it with early twentieth‐century records. A first survey identified that dominant woody species on NS include native Bursera graveolens, Cordia lutea, Castela galapageia, Parkinsonia aculeata, and Opuntia echios, while Cleome viscosa is the only exotic species registered. A second survey divided both islands into evenly distributed plots, recording adults and juveniles of the five dominant species from the first survey. NS showed a structured community with higher species richness and density compared to Baltra. Castela galapageia prevailed in disturbed areas on Baltra. Juvenile regeneration was scarce on both islands. NS exhibited high species richness throughout, while Baltra had only two areas with similar high richness. Co‐occurrence analysis revealed significant associations between P. aculeata and B. graveolens on both islands. However, Baltra's network displayed missing links, indicating the need for restoration efforts. In conclusion, the structured plant community of NS can serve as one of the reference ecosystems needed for framing a restoration model for Baltra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of the ecological characteristics of cyanobacteria of the Svalbard Archipelago was carried out. Two groups of habitats (aquatic and terrestrial ones) were identified. The degree of water saturation was the main factor determining the development of cyanobacteria. The variability of habitats can be represented as a gradient of moisture from typically aquatic to subaerophytic and dry terrestrial habitats. Based on the number of finds and species richness, the most favorable habitats for cyanobacteria in Svalbard were as follows: (1) rocky communities under conditions of sufficient moisture, (2) exposed soil surfaces on which biological soil crusts were formed, (3) well-warmed slow streams, and (4) specific waterlogged habitats, such as seepages. Using the example of the analysis of the ecological characteristics of species growing on the archipelago, the concept of eurybiont properties of cyanobacteria was shown to be inconsistent. The greatest plasticity was exhibited by Nostoc commune Vauch. ex Born. et Flah., Microcoleus autumnalis (Trev. ex Gom.) Strunecky et al.,Calothrix parietina Thur. ex Born. et Flah., Oscillatoria tenuis C. Ag. ex Gom., and Pseudanabaena frigida (Fritsch) Anagn. All species, including those mentioned above, had obvious ecological preferences. An analysis of the substrate specificity of cyanprokaryotes indicated that the greatest number of their species was found in soil, rocky substrates, and moss-like environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Canary Islands is a Macaronesian volcanic archipelago with a depauperate community of three species of Kalotermitidae, including Kalotermes dispar. A total of 54 Kalotermes colonies were collected from Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro islands. Soldiers and imagos were morphologically examined and sequenced for four mitochondrial markers. Although morphological differences could not be detected, phylogenetic analysis of both cox1 / tRNA / cox2 and rrnL markers revealed two distinct clades of K. dispar , suggesting cryptic diversity. The diversification within the Canary Kalotermes lineage most likely occurred around 7.5 Mya, while the divergence within the two clades was reconstructed at about 3.6 Mya and 1.9 Mya. Kalotermes approximatus from the southeastern Nearctic constitutes a sister to the Canary Kalotermes , while the Palearctic K. flavicollis , K. italicus , and K. phoenicae form a separate clade. It is hypothesized that a faunal exchange of Kalotermes from the Nearctic to the Canary Islands occurred via transoceanic rafting during the mid-Miocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological invasions are among the threats to global biodiversity and social sustainability, especially on islands. Identifying the threshold of area at which non-native species begin to increase abruptly is crucial for early prevention strategies. The small-island effect (SIE) was proposed to quantify the nonlinear relationship between native species richness and area but has not yet been applied to non-native species and thus to predict the key breakpoints at which established non-native species start to increase rapidly. Based on an extensive global dataset, including 769 species of non-native birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles established on 4277 islands across 54 archipelagos, we detected a high prevalence of SIEs across 66.7% of archipelagos. Approximately 50% of islands have reached the threshold area and thus may be undergoing a rapid increase in biological invasions. SIEs were more likely to occur in those archipelagos with more non-native species introduction events, more established historical non-native species, lower habitat diversity and larger archipelago area range. Our findings may have important implications not only for targeted surveillance of biological invasions on global islands but also for predicting the responses of both non-native and native species to ongoing habitat fragmentation under sustained land-use modification and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic barriers can come and go depending on natural conditions. These fluctuations cause population cycles of expansion and contraction, introducing intermittent migrations that may not hinder speciation but rather promote diversification. Here, we study a neutral 2-island speciation model with intermittent migration driven by sea-level fluctuations. Seabed depth modulates isolation and connection periods between the islands, with migration occurring during connection periods with a certain probability. Mating is restricted to genetically compatible individuals on the same island and offspring inherit genomes from both parents through recombination. We observe speciation pulses that would not occur under strict isolation or continuous migration, with infrequent, temporary increases in species richness happening at different times depending on the combination of geographic settings and migration probability. The resulting dynamic patterns of richness exhibit contrasting behavior between connected and isolated scenarios, often including species that do not persist. Prolonged isolation can reduce richness to 1 species per island, resembling patterns commonly associated with archipelagos under sea-level fluctuations. Together with other studies, our results in out-of-equilibrium populations support the relevance of investigating the impact of variable migration on diversification, particularly in regions of high diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: A pervasive negative relationship between the species richness of an assemblage and the mean global range size of the species it contains has recently been identified. Here, we test for an effect of habitat patch size on the mean landscape‐scale incidence (estimating local range size) of constituent species independent of variation in richness. Location: Global. Time Period: Contemporary. Major Taxa Studied: Various. Methods: We devised a new standardized patch‐scale metric, Mean Species Landscape‐scale Incidences per Patch (MSLIP). Positive values indicate a patch contains more widespread (high‐incidence) species than expected relative to their frequency in the landscape; negative values indicate the presence of more narrow‐range (low‐incidence) species. For 202 metacommunity datasets (archipelagos, habitat islands and fragments) we regressed MSLIP on patch size, testing four hypotheses: (i) no effect (zero slope), (ii) more widespread species in smaller patches (negative slope), (iii) more narrow‐range species in smaller patches (positive slope), (iv) a composite effect (curvilinear/unimodal). Results: There was a generally negative curvilinear relationship between MSLIP and patch size, consistent with smaller and larger patches respectively containing more high‐ and low‐incidence species than expected. At intermediate patch sizes, mean species incidence approximates that of the overall landscape. Relative richness mediated this relationship; species‐rich sites of any size increasingly favoured low‐incidence species, species‐poor sites high‐incidence species. Results were consistent for taxonomic groups, and metacommunity types, except aquatic habitat islands. Main Conclusions: The dependence of mean species incidence on both patch size and relative richness has implications for biodiversity and community assembly theory, or when seeking to understand ecological processes sensitive to species composition (e.g., ecosystem functioning, trophic web structures). We propose the 'patch size where the MSLIP regression intersects zero' as a benchmark distinguishing smaller from larger patches, with the expectation small patches preferentially support more high‐incidence and large patches more low‐incidence species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the impact of human activity on freshwater ecosystems and the decline in biodiversity, focusing on the zooplankton communities in Lake Bannoe and Lake Kholmovskoe in Russia. The study compares the ecological characteristics and taxonomic composition of the zooplankton species in these lakes. It finds that Lake Bannoe has a lower species composition and weaker quantitative development compared to Lake Kholmovskoe, which has a higher number of species and diversity indices. Cladoceran crustaceans are the dominant group in both lakes, with a prevalence of filter feeders. Lake Kholmovskoe has higher zooplankton productivity and is considered conditionally clean, while Lake Bannoe is slightly polluted. The study was funded by the Federal Research Center for Integrated Study of the Arctic and the Russian Science Foundation. [Extracted from the article]

Vigna nakashimae is a wild species closely related to the azuki bean (V. angularis), with salt-tolerance abili‐ ties. The present study aimed to explore the genetic and salt tolerance diversity within the species, by evaluat‐ ing the phylogenetic relationships of 55 accessions of V. nakashimae including 25 newly collected from the Gotō Islands and Iki in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. We conducted salt-tolerance analysis for 48 of the acces‐ sions, including 18 of the newly collected accessions. Phylogenetic analysis based on single-nucleotide poly‐ morphisms obtained from MIGseq and RADseq analyses revealed the genetic diversity of V. nakashimae to reflect the geographic arrangement of the habitat islands. Korean accessions formed one clade, while Japanese accessions predominantly grouped into Uku Island and Fukue Island subclades. Within this popula‐ tion, we identified “G4-2” (JP248291) as the most salt tolerant, surpassing even the previously reported “Ukushima” accession. Both accessions collected from Uku Island, with accessions belonging to the Uku Island subclade exhibiting a strong trend of salt tolerance. Our results strongly suggest the occurrence of genetic mutations conferring enhanced salt tolerance in specific clade and region. This study highlights the potential of genetic analyses for identifying regions suitable for collecting valuable genetic resources for stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency of endemism in the flora of Mediterranean Islands does not follow a straightforward species–area relationship, and the determinants of endemism are several and complex. The aim of this study was to estimate the explanatory power of a small number of variables on the species richness of vascular plants on selected Mediterranean islands and archipelagos, and on the proportion of narrow endemism in each. We used a novel approach whereby the topographic complexity and isolation of an island were estimated through more detailed methods than those utilised previously. These parameters, along with island area and human population density, were used in a number of regression models with the number of taxa or proportion of endemics as the dependent variables. The results demonstrated that 'topography', a factor that was not specifically included in previous models for Mediterranean islands, exerted a consistent, statistically significant effect on both the number of taxa as well as the proportion of endemic taxa, in all models tested. The 'isolation' factor was not a significant predictor of the number of taxa in any of the models but was a statistically significant predictor of the proportion of endemic taxa in two of the models. The results can be used to make broad predictions about the expected number of taxa and endemics on an island, enabling the categorisation of islands as 'species-poor' or 'species-rich', potentially aiding conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Echinoderms are dominant in terms of abundance and diversity; particularly asteroids play an important role in Antarctic benthic communities. Objective: The aim of the present work was to review the bathymetric distribution, specific composition, occurrence and species richness of asteroid species inhabiting South Orkney, South Shetland and Palmer Archipelago, located in the Antarctic Peninsula. Aspects of the developmental patterns of the species found are also included. Methods: We used data acquired during the 2012 and 2013 Antarctic Summer Campaigns aboard the Oceanographic Vessel "Puerto Deseado". Sampling stations were located in three archipelagos located in the Antarctic Peninsula: South Orkney (SO), South Shetland (SS) and Palmer Archipelago (PA). A total of 28 fishing hauls were made and 436 individuals were photographed and processed. The maximum radius (mm) of each individual, the macroscopic characteristics of the gonads and the presence of embryos were registered. A review of the taxonomic status, bathymetric and geographical distribution area of the sampled species was carried out based on bibliographic records and databases. A hierarchical grouping was used to analyze species composition among the different areas. Results: Asteroids were obtained in all sampling stations (occurrence: 100 %) between 52.7 and 987 m depth. 21 species were recorded, the bathymetric distribution was not broadened in any of them, and the geographical distribution area of six species was expanded. Species richness was equal in SS and PA and higher than in SO, coinciding with the presence of two regional groups with a similar faunal composition. Seventy-two percent of the recorded species present pelagic development (planktotrophic larvae = 17 %, and lecithotrophic larvae = 55 %) and 28 % non-pelagic development (retained larvae = 17 %, and direct development = 11 %). Conclusions: In the three archipelagos, the majority development pattern was pelagic with lecithotrophic nutrition. All the species found in this study are shared with the sub-Antarctic region, highlighting the importance of the Malvinas Current in the dispersal of species from Antarctica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although most members of the freshwater leech family Glossiphoniidae have mid-body somites divided into three annuli, the genus Torix Blanchard, 1893 is distinguished by two-annuli somites. Torix has high species richness in Far East Asia, and three nominal species have been recognised in the Japanese Archipelago and adjacent regions that can be distinguished by a combination of both internal and external morphological characteristics. However, recent studies have shown that these diagnostic features are ontogenetically variable and this has resulted in taxonomic confusion among Torix species endemic to the Japanese Archipelago. In this study, we revisit the taxonomic accounts of T. orientalis (Oka, 1925) and T. tagoi (Oka, 1925), in addition to that of the recently redescribed T. tukubana (Oka, 1935) to clarify the diagnostic characteristics for each of the three species. Our morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the three Torix species in Japan are indistinguishable. We therefore conclude that these species should be synonymised and treated as a single species. The specific names orientalis and tagoi were simultaneously established under the genus Oligobdella Moore, 1918, therefore we acted as First Reviser and gave precedence to the name O. tagoi, thus the valid name for the Far East Asian Torix species is T. tagoi unless T. orientalis and T. tagoi are treated as distinct species. There are several type localities for T. tagoi and the name-bearing types have been lost, therefore we designate a neotype for this species to obviate zoological and nomenclatural issues. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E2DBF999-3B51-456F-AB04-A7D138E0AF2D [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological pulses, marked by rapid environmental shifts, shape species dynamics such as speciation. Princepe et al. 2024 explore how intermittent migration, seabed depth, and sea-level changes influence species richness in islands. Their model, revealing nuanced richness patterns and migration impacts, contributes to understanding island evolution and offers insights into real-world cases. Examining the Philippines Archipelago, known for rich biodiversity, parallels emerge, showcasing the complex interplay of isolation, land bridges, and sea-level shifts in shaping genetic diversity. Overall, the findings enhance our understanding of population evolution in dynamic island environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuban biodiversity is characterized by high species richness and endemism; however, free-living flatworms have been neglected in studies of the fauna of the archipelago. These animals constitute an essential component of marine and freshwater ecosystems as top predators and secondary producers. In this contribution, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of turbellarian diversity in Cuba based on a long-term sampling effort in marine, brackish, freshwater and terrestrial environments. We used observed and estimated species richness as indicators of alpha diversity. As a result, we have collected, for the first time, 279 species in Cuba, including 189 species of rhabdocoels, 33 species of polyclads, 21 species of macrostomorphs, 14 species of proseriates, 12 species of prolecithophorans, seven species of triclads and one representative each of Prorhynchida, Gnosonesimida and Bothrioplanida. At least 184 species (67%) are new to science. Fifty of these species have been recorded in published journal contributions. The remainder are pending formal identification and/or description. We demonstrate the turbellarian fauna of Cuba to be one of high diversity and endemism. Estimated species richness is much higher than that observed, exemplifying the taxonomic impediments and stressing the need for more intense sampling campaigns in the archipelago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Adaptation to local environments has been considered a driving force of ecological speciation. Previous phylogenetic studies at higher taxonomic levels have strongly suggested that herbivore diversification occurs through local adaptation to host plants. However, whether similar mechanisms contribute to within‐species diversification remains poorly understood. We reconstructed species expansion processes using the phylogenetic relationships between two Luehdorfia butterflies and their host plants and tested the local adaptation hypothesis during species diversification. Location: Japanese archipelago. Taxa: Luehdorfia japonica and L. puziloi. Methods: We analysed mitochondrial DNA and single‐nucleotide polymorphisms to trace the expansion processes of two species in the Japanese archipelago. We analysed data collected during trans‐host plant feeding experiments to test for local host plant adaptation in L. japonica. Results: Luehdorfia japonica differentiated 17.0 million years ago (MYA) from a group of four Luehdorfia species in East Asia, and L. puziloi differentiated 13.3 MYA from the remaining three species. We observed several genetic groups in both species, reflecting geographical differences among populations. Some host plants had detrimental effects on the pupation rates of L. japonica, demonstrating the presence of genetic barriers between populations of this species. Main Conclusions: Although these two sibling species were influenced by the geological formation of the Japanese archipelago, their present population structures differ greatly: L. japonica expanded its distribution and adapted to local host plants along at least four expansion routes independent of host plant phylogeny, and L. puziloi exhibited a more isolated population structure and was less strongly influenced by gene flow among populations. These results suggest that both isolation by distance and isolation by adaptation have been important drivers resulting in the present‐day population structure of L. japonica. Unidirectional gene flow through local adaptation to the host plant may have played a role in initial speciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Range size is a universal characteristic of every biological species, and is often assumed to affect diversification rate. There are strong theoretical arguments that large-ranged species should have higher rates of diversification. On the other hand, the observation that small-ranged species are often phylogenetically clustered might indicate high diversification of small-ranged species. This discrepancy between theory and the data may be caused by the fact that typical methods of data analysis do not account for range size changes during speciation. Here we use a cladogenetic state-dependent diversification model applied to mammals to show that range size changes during speciation are ubiquitous and small-ranged species indeed diversify generally slower, as theoretically expected. However, both range size and diversification are strongly influenced by idiosyncratic and spatially localized events, such as colonization of an archipelago or a mountain system, which often override the general pattern of range size evolution. Do species with large ranges diversify faster? While there have been some studies suggesting the opposite pattern, this study indicates that large-ranged mammals indeed diversify faster in general, but that there are important geographic domains deviating from this pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corfu Island (Greece) is located in the northern Ionian Sea and exhibits unique and diverse marine coastal habitats suitable for high-diversity assemblages such as shallow-water foraminifera. The island also lies near the current range expansion front of the invasive species Amphisteginalobifera. We analyzed the foraminiferal assemblages of 51 samples from 25 sites around the island, calculated diversity indices, and analyzed the community structures of foraminiferal assemblages in comparison to local environmental variables. In addition to that, using the spatial structure or relative abundances, we evaluated the effect of A. lobifera on the species richness of all benthic foraminifera and habitat-specific groups. With 200 benthic foraminiferal species found, the high species richness and other diversity indices indicate Corfu as an area of high diversity. The main ecological drivers for the assemblage compositions were water depth, sediment texture, and habitat (especially vegetation), resulting in three main assemblage clusters around the island: (1) sandy or rocky, shallow-water areas from the south and west; (2) deeper areas from the west; and (3) rocky, vegetated areas of variable depths from the northwest and northeastern parts of the island. Our analyses suggest that the invasive species A. lobifera affects local diversity of the foraminiferal assemblage and that these effects become apparent when the invasive species accounts for more than 10 %–20 % of the total abundance. We also observed significant negative correlations with sessile epiphytes and smaller miliolids. Both groups share similar microhabitats with A. lobifera and might be outcompeted, which is probably further facilitated by ongoing ocean warming. However, other warm-affiliated taxa (e.g., other symbiont-bearing species) initially show a positive correlation with the increasing presence of A. lobifera until the latter exceeds 20 %. We expect that A. lobifera and other warm-adapted species will play an increasing role in shaping future biodiversity and assemblage composition in this area, a feature that supports the prognosed tropicalization of the Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The relationship between native and naturalized alien species has been widely studied, particularly across large geographic scales. However, our knowledge of the spatial and temporal variations of their relationships is still limited, particularly for remote oceanic islands such as those of the south-east Pacific and across islands and archipelagos. In this study, we aim to assess the relationships between native and naturalized alien species by analyzing their current patterns of species-area relationships at different spatial scales, in addition to temporal variations in species richness, over the last 200 years. Area: One island (Rapa Nui) and two archipelagos (Juan Fernandez and Desventuradas Islands) comprising a total of 11 oceanic islands of the south-east Pacific (OISEP). Methods: We assembled the most comprehensive dataset of the vascular flora of the OISEP from currently available island flora checklists and updated with recent publications. Each plant species was classified as being native or naturalized alien. We examined temporal changes by estimating species richness, naturalization rates and naturalized-to-native ratios over time based on the first collection year of each naturalized alien species. Then, we determined the best shape of naturalized alien species richness accumulation over time by contrasting the fit of lineal, exponential, sigmoidal and Weibull regressions. Finally, we analyzed the relationships between native and naturalized species firstly at the inter-archipelagic scale by fitting island species-area relationship models and secondly at the island scale by performing ranged major axis regression analysis on residual values. Results: The OISEP flora dataset contained 674 species of which 282 were native and 392 were naturalized alien. Native island species-area relationships were similar to those of the naturalized alien species. Naturalized alien species richness increased notably through time with two clear peaks in 1950 and 2000. A Weibull regression and an exponential shape over time were the most appropriate fits for naturalized alien species richness accumulations at the inter-archipelagic scale, which further emphasizes the notable increase in naturalized alien species richness experienced in the timeframe examined here. Main conclusions: The relationship between naturalized alien species richness and native species richness was found to be independent of the geographic scale. The number of naturalized alien species clearly exceeded the number of native species on most islands but also for the whole OISEP. The accumulation of newly detected naturalized alien species does not show any sign of saturation and it is likely that new species will arrive in the future. Increased efforts on monitoring, prevention and biosecurity are needed to halt biological invasions on these unique island ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and new species of Trechina (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae: Trechini), Ryukyuaphaenops pulcherrimus gen. & sp. nov. is described from the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. This is the first troglomorphic Carabidae in the Ryukyus and probably the most cave-adapted beetle in Japan. Interestingly, our observations suggest that this new trechine beetle is not similar to any genera of Trechina distributed in Kyushu and Taiwan, which are geographically close to the Ryukyu Archipelago, but is more similar to several aphaenopsian genera distributed in the inland of China. The genetic diversity of the new species is discussed based on mitochondrial DNA (COI-5', COI-3', 16S). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White‐eyes are an iconic avian radiation of small passerines that are mainly distributed across the eastern hemisphere tropics and subtropics. Species diversity of white‐eyes is particularly high on oceanic islands, and many species are restricted to single islands or island groups. The high rate of species diversification of white‐eyes ranks them among the fastest radiations known in birds, but whether their accelerated diversification was the result of repeatedly colonizing islands remains unexplored. We used a newly estimated timetree for nearly all zosteropids and phylogenetic comparative methods to estimate and compare diversification rates between island and continental lineages. We show that island white‐eyes have similar extinction rates, yet higher speciation rates compared with continental white‐eyes. In addition, we find higher rates of transitions from islands to continents. Our results show the importance of islands, such as Wallacean and Melanesian archipelagos of the Indo‐Pacific, in facilitating high rates of speciation within this remarkable clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We re-evaluated the diversity of Lobophora using an integrative taxonomic approach based on a broad sampling across French Polynesian archipelagos. Our results show that French Polynesia supports at least 37 Lobophora species of which ~57% (21) are endemic. This level of endemicity is comparable to that presently known in the Caribbean and the western Indian Ocean, while French Polynesian coastlines cover a much smaller length. With a third of the species in common, French Polynesia shares considerable biogeographic affinities with the Melanesian Islands, situated over 4000 km to the west. Distribution ranges of a few species reach the western Indian Ocean, and two species also occur in the Atlantic. We hypothesize that Lobophora species in French Polynesia have mainly evolved into endemic species from colonizers originating from the Central Indo-Pacific. These rare dispersal events to ocean archipelagos followed by a long period of isolation and speciation represent an important process responsible for the high level of endemism in remote archipelagos. While south-eastern Pacific Islands could be considered an 'evolutionary graveyard' for the genus Lobophora as little local radiation occurred, this may simply be due to recent evolutionary history. Based on these new data, the diversity of Lobophora represents ~10% of French Polynesian seaweed diversity. Eighteen new species of Lobophora are here described from French Polynesia. Lobophora species diversity and biogeography in French Polynesia were investigated. Twenty-three species of Lobophora were newly identified, and 18 new species were described. This is the first inter-archipelago diversity and biogeographic study for a macroalgal genus in the French Polynesian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Little effort has been made to conserve cetaceans in the Miaodao Archipelago, which is hindered by a lack of baseline data on their species and distribution patterns. Using a passive acoustic monitoring technique, we found a decrease in cetacean diversity; the East Asian finless porpoise is the sole cetacean species that can be reliability detected in this area, and their distribution exhibits seasonally patterns. Further research and conservation measures are needed to protect cetaceans in this area. Once an important cetacean habitat, the Miaodao Archipelago has been altered by human-induced disturbances over several decades. While cetacean diversity is known to have decreased, no recent data on species diversity around Miaodao are known to exist. Capitalizing on the high vocal activity of cetaceans, three passive acoustic surveys, including towed and stationary types, were undertaken to detect the presence of species-specific vocalizations in May 2021, October 2021, and July 2022, as most cetacean sightings occurred during May and August in recent years. The results revealed that the East Asian finless porpoise is the sole cetacean species that can be reliably observed around the archipelago, as no other species were detected. The acoustic data also revealed potentially clumped distributions of finless porpoises with some seasonal variation. While not acoustically detected during any of the surveys, humpback whales, minke whales, and killer whales have been visually sighted in the region. The lack of acoustic detection of these species suggests that they are likely to be temporary visitors to the region, or at least exhibit strong seasonality in their presence within the region. These new data provide the latest snapshot of cetacean presence around the Miaodao Archipelago that can help inform future research and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The data we present are part of the CUARENTAGRI project, which involves all archipelagos of the Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands and Cabo Verde). The project aims to: i) identify and evaluate the risks associated with the introduction of new arthropod pests; ii) study the population dynamics of selected arthropod pest species currently responsible for the damage of key target crops and iii) develop monitoring systems, based on prediction and/or population dynamics of the crop pests, creating warnings and a phytosanitary prevention system. In this contribution, we compile data for three Azorean Islands (Terceira, São Jorge and São Miguel Islands), where pheromonebaited traps were placed in pastures, potato fields and several orchards' types (apples, banana, chestnuts, olives, orange and strawberry), during three consecutive years (2020, 2021 and 2022). New information: A total of 114,827 specimens of insects (Arthropoda, Insecta) were collected, belonging to four orders, six families and ten recorded pest species. A total of eight species are considered introduced (Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar, 1824), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931), Bactrocera oleae (Rossi, 1790), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824), Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller, 1873), Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus, 1758), Cydia splendana (Hübner, 1799) and Grapholita molesta (Busck, 1916); n = 84,986 specimens) and two native non-endemic (Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth, 1809) and Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval, 1833); n = 17,465 specimens). This study intended to contribute to a better knowledge of the arthropods pests that can affect the Azorean crops and will serve as a baseline for future monitoring actions, pest risk assessments and prevention systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a long time, Dolichopoda palpata was the only species of this genus thought to live in the cave habitats of the Calabrian region. The results of our study, based on morphological and molecular data, highlight the existence of three species in the Calabria region. In particular, our data demonstrate the occurrence of two well-separated species, one in the northern Tyrrhenian area and one in the Calabrian Ionian area, attesting to the validity of D. calabra Galvagni 1968, and the discovery of a new species, D. apollinea sp. nov. Both species appear to be geographically very limited. Dolichopoda calabra occurs in the mountain region between Scalone Pass in the north and the Savuto Valley in the south (a district called 'Catena Costiera'), whereas D. apollinea sp. nov. appears to be distributed on the eastern slope of Pollino Massif. On the other hand, D. palpata shows a vast distribution, occurring in caves from La Sila in the north to the Aspromonte Massif in the extreme south of Calabria. About 1/3 of the Italian Dolichopoda species are present in this relatively small geographical area, supporting the importance of Calabria as a geographical region characterised by a high level of biodiversity. It shows the maximum values of genetic diversity and species richness in comparison with the rest of the Italian peninsula. This fact could be related to the palaeogeological and palaeoclimatic history of the region, as it was affected by glaciation events and eustatic movements. The combination of these two conditions that occurred during the Pliocene and Pleistocene transformed the Calabria into a vast archipelago of little islands, favouring the isolation of populations and the consequent speciation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The species diversity of lamellicorn beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) on the 20 islands of Peter the Great Gulf was considered and analyzed for the first time, where 83 species from 38 genera were identified. There are 60 species (72.3%) and 20 genera (52.6%) are new for the fauna of the islands, with reference to the literature data. The total fauna with Russky Island (21 islands) includes 87 species from 38 genera of 13 subfamilies and four families of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. The diversity and degree of study of the group on individual islands is very uneven. Russky Island with 80 species (92% of the total fauna of 21 islands), Popov Island with 42 species (48.3%) and Putyatin Island with 39 species (44.8%) have the most species-rich fauna. On the islands of Kozlov, Rikord, Zheltukhin, and Durnovo, one species was recorded (1.1%). The Scarabaeidae Latreille, 1802 is dominates the fauna of 21 islands—77 species (88.5%), other families are represented by a single species: Trogidae Macleay, 1819—5 species (5.7%), Lucanidae Latreille, 1804—3 species (3.5%), Geotrupidae Latreille, 1802—2 species (2.3%). Scarabaeinae with 15 species (19.5%), Aphodiinae Leach, 1815 with 14 species (18.2%), and Rhizotroginae with 13 species (16.9%) are dominant in the Scarabaeidae fauna. The article deals with the annotated list of species and the studied material, discusses the ecological and zoogeographical features of the local faunas of Scarabaeoidea and features of the faunagenesis of the study area. The local Scarabaeoidea faunas of the islands are characterized by a significant depletion and mosaic composition of the species composition in comparison with the continental fauna. Despite the peculiarity of the climatic conditions of the islands and their significant isolation from the continental coast, the insular faunas of Scarabaeoidea demonstrate a high degree of similarity to the area, and have a logical structure with the continental fauna of lamellicorn beetles due to the geological youth of the island. The islands appeared during the post-Pleistocene transgression of the sea 11 to 8.5 thousand years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the aims of island biogeography theory is to explain the number of species in an archipelago. Traditionally, the variables used to explain the species richness on an island are its area and distance to the mainland. However, increasing evidence suggests that accounting for other variables is essential for better estimates. In particular, the distance between islands should play a role in determining species richness. This work uses a Bayesian framework using Gaussian processes to assess whether distance to neighbouring islands (spatial autocorrelation) can better explain arthropod species richness patterns in the Azores Archipelago and in the Canary Islands. This method is flexible and allows the inclusion of other variables, such as maximum altitude above sea level (elevation). The results show that accounting for spatial autocorrelation provides the best results for both archipelagos, but overall, spatial autocorrelation seems to be more important in the Canary archipelago. Similarly, elevation plays a more important role in determining species richness in the Canary Islands. We recommend that spatial autocorrelation should always be considered when modelling an archipelago's species richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography postulates that larger and closer islands support higher biodiversity through the dynamic balance of colonization and extinction processes. The negative diversity–isolation (i.e. the distance to the mainland) relationship is derived based on the assumption that the mainland is the only source pool for island biotas. However, nearby islands could also act as species sources for focal islands via a source effect. In this study, we move a further step and hypothesize that nearby islands may reduce bird colonizers of the focal island and diminish its biodiversity, resulting in a negative target effect.To test our hypothesis, we assessed the effects of island area and isolation (metrics considering both the mainland and nearby islands) on taxonomic (i.e. species richness), functional and phylogenetic diversity of terrestrial breeding birds on 42 islands in the largest archipelago of China, the Zhoushan Archipelago. Furthermore, we compared the predictive power of the distance to the large island under a set of relative area thresholds and the relative area of nearby islands on species richness under a set of distance thresholds to explore the role of nearby islands as a source and/or target island.We found that island area had a positive effect on species richness, phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity, while the distance to the mainland had a negative effect only on species richness. Species richness on the focal island increased with increasing distance to the nearest larger island, indicating the negative target effect. Furthermore, the negative target effect depended on the area of nearby islands relative to the area of the focal island.Our finding of the negative target effect suggests islands located between the mainland and the focal island can be not only sources or stepping stones, but also colonization targets. This result demonstrates the importance of considering multiple geographical attributes of islands in island biogeographic studies, especially the characteristics related to source and/or target effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first comprehensive review of marine mammal records from the Haswell archipelago (Davis Sea, East Antarctica), collected in 1912-2016. The goal of the review is to provide baseline ecological and faunal information on the marine mammals during the historical period (species diversity and status). Eight marine mammal species were recorded within the survey area. Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossii) and sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) were seen very rarely. Killer whales (Orcinus orca), southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) and leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) appeared rarely and few in numbers. Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) were rare in general but common during the rare seasons of early fast ice breaking. Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) were common year-round. Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) were seasonally common. Weddell seals and Antarctic minke whales were recorded annually. Only Weddell seals were found year-round. Leopard seals were seasonal residents, the remaining species were seasonal visitors in the area. The archipelago is an annual breeding site for Weddell seals (up to 10 pups per breeding season). Rare breeding of crabeater seals is possible. The information presented in this paper was obtained mostly through random observations and few historical records. During the long-term monitoring, a single agreed-upon data collection protocol was not used. As a result, the status of each marine mammal species in this paper should be regarded as preliminary. The review represents a basis for the development of further research programs. A unified protocol for the year-round registration of marine mammals under the conditions of the Mirny Station for the program for monitoring the biota of the Haswell archipelago is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed phytoplankton biodiversity trends in a 52 year (1967–2018) monitoring time-series from the archipelago of Helsinki, Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea. The community ordination revealed strong ordering of samples along the time axis (generalized additive model—gam fit: R 2 = 0.9). Species richness increased in time and was the most influential alpha diversity descriptor related to the community structure (gam fit: R 2 = 0.56–0.70). Changes in species richness accounted for 35–36% of the mean between-sample beta diversity. The remaining 64–65% was due to species turnover—the dominant component of the biodiversity trend. The temporal beta diversity trend reflected the eutrophication history of the geographically confined region, with a turning point in mid-1990s demarking the adaptation and recovery phases of the phytoplankton community. Trends in spatial beta diversity revealed homogenization of the communities in the outer archipelago zone, but not in the inner bays. The temporal decay of community similarity revealed high turnover rate, with 23.6 years halving time in the outer archipelago and 11.3 years in the inner bays, revealing the differences in eutrophication strength. The observed phytoplankton trends manifest the regional eutrophication history, and dispersal of new species to the unsaturated brackish species pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we present evidence of an ongoing speciation event in the Japanese Archipelago. The Kisaura nozakii species complex (Philopotamidae) is a group of a small trichopteran insects, and it has been reported that this species has large differences between populations in the copulatory organs (genitalia) of males. Therefore, we conducted molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the mtDNA COI region (658 bp) and genome-wide nDNA single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (16 254 loci) using the K. nozakii species complex and a sister-species, K. borealis. We also conducted principal component analyses (PCA) based on the forewing length and seven morphological characteristics of the male genitalia. It was revealed that the K. nozakii species complex is composed of multiple allopatrically differentiated genetic lineages. However, two genetic lineages were distributed sympatrically/parapatrically in the western area of the Japanese Archipelago, and the occurrence of 'character displacement' in the male genitalia was detected in this area. We consider that the evolutionary event in this species complex has high potential to become a model case for elucidating the processes of speciation and species diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many shark species display predictable and seasonal aggregations related to breeding activities, few studies have reported direct evidence of reproductive interactions of large sharks. In this context, the present study reports the first evidence of mating scars in female tiger sharks Galeocerdo cuvier at the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (FEN), an oceanic remote insular system in the South Atlantic Ocean. Results from the records of seven wounded females suggest that mating activity may occur between February and August. These females measured between 267 and 372 cm in total length, which is aligned with previous studies reporting size at sexual maturity for Atlantic tiger sharks. Although some females exhibited healed wounds, three of them had fresh, open wounds. One of the females also had a swollen and red cloaca. We also report the first presumably gravid female tiger shark for the region. Although sporadic, the observations herein reported indicate the importance of FEN for tiger shark reproduction in western equatorial Atlantic waters. This finding is especially relevant as FEN has been identified as an important genetic hotspot for tiger sharks, with the largest global genetic diversity for the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The passive sampling hypothesis is one of the most important hypotheses used to explain the mechanism of species–area relationships (SAR) formation. This hypothesis has not yet been experimentally validated due to the confusion between passive sampling (a larger area may support more colonists when fully sampled) and sampling effects (more sampling effort will result in increased species richness when sampling is partial). In this study, we created an open microcosm system with homogeneous habitat, consistent total resources, and biodiversity background using Chinese paocai soup, a fermented vegetable, as a substrate. We made efforts to entirely exclude the influence of sampling effects and to exclusively obtain microorganisms from dispersal using microcosm and high‐throughput sequencing techniques. However, in this study, passive sampling based on dispersal failed to shape SAR, and community differences were predominantly caused by species replacement, with only minor contributions from richness differences. Ecological processes including extinction and competitive exclusion, as well as underlying factors like temporal scales and the small island effects, are very likely to have been involved in the studied system. To elucidate the mechanism of SAR development, future studies should design experiments to validate the involvement of dispersal independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptic species diversity is known to be common in bats but remains challenging to study in these mammals, whose natural history traits render their sampling and monitoring challenging. For these animals, indirect genetic approaches provide a powerful tool to gain insight into the evolutionary history and ecology of cryptic bat species. The speciation history of the polyphyletic Chaerephon pumilus species group (Molossidae) is poorly understood, including those found on western Indian Ocean islands. Two species in this complex have been identified in the Comoros: C. pusillus and C. leucogaster. Here, we aim to genetically characterize these two species and investigate their spatial population genetic structure. Analyzing five nuclear microsatellite markers from 200 individuals and one mitochondrial DNA gene (Cyt‐b) from 161 (out of the 200) individuals sampled on Madagascar and the Comoros, our findings indicated that these species are genetically differentiated. We observed mitonuclear discordance in numerous individuals (33% of the 161 mtDNA‐sequenced individuals). Based on ABC analyses, we found that this pattern could potentially be the result of asymmetric introgressive hybridization from C. leucogaster to C. pusillus and calls for further studies on the demographic history of these species. Moreover, at the intra‐specific level, analyses of the microsatellite loci suggested the evidence of a more pronounced, although weak, geographically based genetic structure in C. pusillus than in C. leucogaster. Altogether, our findings provide preliminary insights into the eco‐evolutionary aspects of this species complex and warrant further research to understand hybridization dynamics and mechanisms responsible for mitonuclear discordance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porifera are considered key components of benthic communities, being typical inhabitants of both shallow and deep waters, from the mesolittoral to the bathyal zone. Although sponges are one of the most common organisms in Western Mediterranean ecosystems, in many areas the knowledge on this taxon is still very limited. In the current study, we aim to analyse and compare the sponge communities characterising the hard bottoms of two islands, Montecristo and Giglio, belonging to the Tuscan Archipelago National Park (TANP, Italy), in relation to a bathymetric gradient. A total of 340 samples were collected, 13 orders and 48 species (46 Demospongiae and 2 Calcarea) identified, with Chondrosia reniformis representing the most recorded species, being found at all sites at almost all depths. Depth was the only significant factor in the observed pattern, while the sponge community is shared between the two Islands. In addition, our data were analysed together with data available in the literature on sponges of the Tuscan Archipelago, to assess the sampling effort. Among all the Islands of the Archipelago, Giglio and Montecristo showed the higher mean species diversity. Nonetheless, the sampling effort resulted not sufficient for each Island and future studies targeting Porifera are needed. Our work is the first summarising the sponge diversity of the entire Tuscan Archipelago, and one of the few focussing entirely on the sponge fauna. These results provide new important information on the area of the TANP, aimed to become a future Marine Protected Area, adding new records, and highlighting the high diversity of a poorly known area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Many plants rely on interactions with frugivores for dispersal, suggesting that animal communities may affect plant occupancy and diversity. However, the contribution of these interaction‐led biotic variables on plant diversity is poorly understood, especially in archipelagic hotspots such as the Caribbean. In island ecosystems, biogeographic theories suggest that island configurations drive colonization‐extinction dynamics, while macroecology argues for the importance of climatic drivers of biodiversity. Within this context, we examine how frugivore‐driven biotic factors are associated with fruiting plant species richness in relation to abiotic (climatic and geologic) and island configuration characteristics. Location: Caribbean archipelagos. Methods: We compiled a review of the diversity and distributions of 6039 plants and 326 vertebrate frugivores across 105 islands within the Caribbean. We then identified characteristics related to plant‐frugivore interactions and assigned each species as having either abiotic (wind, water, etc.) or zoochoric (frugivory‐dependent) dispersal syndromes. We related plant richness and dispersal syndromes to the regional diversity and characteristics of frugivorous animals, abiotic environments and island configuration characteristics through stepwise multivariate regression with generalized linear models and model selection. Results: We found that 44.6% of Caribbean plants are dispersed through frugivory (endozoochory). Frugivore‐related characteristics, namely accumulated body mass of island bird assemblages, were the best predictors of the diversity of seed dispersal syndromes. To a lesser degree, reptile richness and soil variety were also considered important predictors for zoochoric plant distribution, while island areas affected abiotically‐dispersed plants. Main conclusion: We found that biotic characteristics of frugivore communities are important predictors of plant diversity in the Caribbean archipelagos. However, this may also be influenced by climate and colonization history. Given the importance of biotic metrics in explaining plant diversity, we suggest that fruit‐frugivore interactions are important components of island biogeography and that frugivorous communities should be accounted for plant biodiversity predictions and forecast models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nested subset pattern (nestedness) has been raised to explain the distribution of species on islands and habitat fragments for over 60 years. However, previous studies on nestedness focused on species richness and composition and overlooked the role of species traits and phylogeny in generating and explaining nestedness.To address this gap, we sampled amphibians on 37 land‐bridge islands in the largest archipelago of China, the Zhoushan Archipelago, to explore nestedness as well as the underlying causal processes through three facets of diversity, that is, taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. The taxonomic nestedness was measured through organizing the species incidence matrix to achieve a maximum value, while the functional and phylogenetic nestedness were quantified by incorporating the similarity of species in terms of their ecological traits and phylogeny. We also obtained six island characteristics and seven species traits as predictors of nestedness.Amphibian metacommunities were significantly nested in these three facets of diversity. When relating different predictors to nestedness, island area, habitat diversity and species traits were highly correlated with taxonomic nestedness. Moreover, island area and habitat diversity significantly influenced functional and phylogenetic nestedness. Therefore, the results support the selective extinction and habitat nestedness hypotheses.Interestingly, although we did not observe significant influences of island isolation on taxonomic nestedness, functional and phylogenetic diversities were significantly higher than expected when matrices were ordered by increasing distance to mainland. The result suggests that there are more functionally and phylogenetically diverse species on less‐isolated islands, reflecting a selective colonization process overlooked by the traditional analysis of taxonomic nestedness.Although the three facets of nestedness and underlying processes were largely congruent, we detected the distance‐related functional and phylogenetic nestedness for amphibian assemblages. Therefore, we highlight that a framework that simultaneously considers taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic nestedness can contribute to a complementary understanding of nestedness processes. In addition, it also improves our ability to conserve insular biodiversity from different perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been a century since the species-area relationship (SAR) was first proposed as a power law to explain how species richness scales with area. There have been many attempts to explain the origin of this predominant form. Apart from the power law, numerous empirical studies also report a semi-log form of the SAR, but very few have addressed its incidence. In this work, we test whether these relationships could emerge from the assembly of large random communities on island-like systems. The clustering of same-species individuals is central to our results, which we incorporate by modifying the self-interaction term in the generalized Lotka-Volterra equations. Our analysis demonstrates that the two most widely reported relationship forms can emerge due to differences in immigration rates and skewness towards weak interactions. We particularly highlight the incidence of the semi-log SAR for low immigration rates from a source pool, which is consistent with several previous empirical studies. The two SAR forms might show good fits to data over a large span of areas but a power-law overestimates species richness on smaller islands in remote archipelagoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tierra del Fuego Archipelago (TFA), situated at the southernmost tip of South America, represents a region of great biogeographical importance facing rapid environmental changes due to anthropic activities and climate change. In this context, the assessment of the sub-Antarctic biodiversity of the TFA is becoming increasingly important. Among invertebrates, insects are the most diverse group in the TFA, still they are largely unexplored. The order Coleoptera is particularly dominant in the TFA, with the Geadephaga group being a recognized natural group that plays key ecological roles in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Although the species richness of Geadephaga is lower in sub-Antarctic environments than in subtropical archipelagos, these beetles exhibit a remarkable degree of endemism, emphasizing their unique evolutionary significance in sub-Antarctic habitats. In this contribution, we present a comprehensive list of Geadephaga species in the TFA, along with a taxonomic key, illustrated images of adult specimens, and distribution maps, to improve the understanding of their biogeographic patterns. We report a total of 52 species (one Cicindelidae and 51 Carabidae), including ten newly recorded species and three new putative taxa. The species richness of the TFA surpasses that of the other sub-Antarctic islands. Our findings reveal distinct biogeographical patterns associated with Nothofagus forests, the Magellanic moorlands, and the Patagonian steppe, indicating the influence of climatic conditions on beetle diversity. Our outcomes underline the importance of studying the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape the biodiversity of this sub-Antarctic archipelago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Coptis belongs to the Ranunculaceae family, containing 15 recognized species highly diverse in morphology. It is a conspicuous taxon with special evolutionary position, distribution pattern and medicinal value, which makes it to be of great research and conservation significance. In order to better understand the evolutionary dynamics of Coptis and promote more practical conservation measures, we performed plastome sequencing and used the sequencing data in combination with worldwide occurrence data of Coptis to estimate genetic diversity and divergence times, rebuild biogeographic history and predict its potential suitable distribution area. The average nucleotide diversity of Coptis was 0.0067 and the hotspot regions with the highest hypermutation levels were located in the ycf1 gene. Coptis is most likely to have originated in North America and Japanese archipelago and has a typical Eastern Asian and North American disjunct distribution pattern, while the species diversity center is located in Mid-West China and Japan. The crown age of the genus is estimated at around 8.49 Mya. The most suitable climatic conditions for Coptis were as follows: precipitation of driest quarter > 25.5 mm, annual precipitation > 844.9 mm and annual mean temperature -3.1 to 19 °C. The global and China suitable area shows an upward trend in the future when emission of greenhouse gases is well controlled, but the area, especially in China, decreases significantly without greenhouse gas policy interventions. The results of this study provide a comprehensive insight into the Coptis evolutionary dynamics and will facilitate future conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquitoes are globally distributed and adapted to a broad range of environmental conditions. As obligatory hosts of many infectious pathogens, mosquito abundance and distribution are primarily determined by the presence and quality of larval habitats. To understand the dynamics and productivity of larval habitats in changing island environments, we conducted a four-month mosquito survey across ten inhabited islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago. Using fine-resolution larval habitat mapping, we recorded 7890 mosquitoes representing 13 species and 7 genera. Of these, four species comprised 95% of the total collections—Aedes albopictus (Stegomyia) was the dominant species followed by Armigeres subalbatus, Culex quinquefasciatus and Malaya genurostris. We found larval species richness was positively associated with the island area and mosquito larval richness (Chao1 estimator) was higher in artificial habitats than in natural habitats. Furthermore, mosquito species composition did not deteriorate with distance between islands. Mosquito abundance by species was associated with microclimatic variables—pH and temperature. We detected co-existence of multiple species at a micro-habitat level with no evidence of interactions like competition or predation. Our study analyzed and identified the most productive larval habitats –discarded plastic container and plastic drums contributing to high larval indices predicting dengue epidemic across the Lakshadweep islands. Our data highlight the need to devise vector control strategies by removal of human-induced plastic pollution (household waste) which is a critical driver of disease risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex island archipelagoes of Wallacea and Melanesia have provided empirical data behind integral theories in evolutionary biology, including allopatric speciation and island biogeography. Yet, questions regarding the relative impact of the layered biogeographic barriers, such as deep-water trenches and isolated island systems, on faunal diversification remain underexplored. One such barrier is Wallace's Line, a significant biogeographic boundary that largely separates Australian and Asian biodiversity. To assess the relative roles of biogeographic barriers—specifically isolated island systems and Wallace's Line—we investigated the tempo and mode of diversification in a diverse avian radiation, Corvides (Crows and Jays, Birds-of-paradise, Vangas, and allies). We combined a genus-level data set of thousands of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and a species-level, 12-gene Sanger sequence matrix to produce a well-resolved supermatrix tree that we leveraged to explore the group's historical biogeography and the effects of the biogeographic barriers on their macroevolutionary dynamics. The tree is well resolved and differs substantially from what has been used extensively for past comparative analyses within this group. We confirmed that Corvides, and its major constituent clades, arose in Australia and that a burst of dispersals west across Wallace's Line occurred after the uplift of Wallacea during the mid-Miocene. We found that dispersal across this biogeographic barrier was generally rare, though westward dispersals were two times more frequent than eastward dispersals. Wallacea's central position between Sundaland and Sahul no doubt acted as a bridge for island-hopping dispersal out of Australia, across Wallace's Line, to colonize the rest of Earth. In addition, we found that the complex island archipelagoes east of Wallace's Line harbor the highest rates of net diversification and are a substantial source of colonists to continental systems on both sides of this biogeographic barrier. Our results support emerging evidence that island systems, particularly the geologically complex archipelagoes of the Indo-pacific, are drivers of species diversification. [Historical biogeography; island biogeography; Melanesia; molecular phylogenetics; state-dependent diversification and extinction.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammals have experienced high levels of human‐mediated extirpations but have also been widely introduced to new locations, and some have recovered from historic persecution. Both of these processes—losses and gains—have resulted in concern about functional losses and changes in ecological communities as new ecological states develop. The question of whether species turnover inevitably leads to declines in functional and phylogenetic diversity depends, however, on the traits and phylogenetic distinctiveness of the species that are lost, gained, or regained. Comparing ~8000 years ago with the last century, we show that extirpations and range retractions have indeed reduced the functional and phylogenetic diversity of mammals in most European regions (countries and island groups), but species recoveries and the introduction of non‐native species have increased functional and phylogenetic diversity by equivalent or greater amounts in many regions. Overall, across Europe, species richness increased in 41 regions over the last 8000 years and declined in 1; phylogenetic diversity increased in 33 and declined in 12, while functional diversity results showed 20 increases and 25 decreases. The balance of losses (extirpations) and gains (introductions, range expansions) has, however, led to net increases in functional diversity on many islands, where the original diversity was low, and across most of western Europe. Historically extirpated mega‐ and mesofaunal species have recolonized or been reintroduced to many European regions, contributing to recent functional and phylogenetic diversity recovery. If conservation rewilding projects continue to reintroduce regionally extirpated species and domestic descendants of "extinct" species to provide replacement grazing, browsing, and predation, there is potential to generate net functional and phylogenetic diversity gains (relative to 8000 years ago) in most European regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We explore the idea that most pre‐glacial non‐endemic Canarian flora became endemic to the archipelago by the extinction of its mainland populations during the late Pleistocene glaciations, implying that the extant non‐endemic flora is mostly post‐glacial: the 'late Pleistocene endemicity increase hypothesis'. Taxon: The native flora of the Canarian archipelago. Methods: We statistically compare the distributions of 2087 Canarian endemic and native non‐endemic plants across islands. We also carry out connectivity analyses using their dispersal paths, obtained by connecting all the islands of occurrence for each taxon. Results: While the distribution of the endemic flora is strongly L‐shaped (with a much higher proportion of Single‐Island Endemics than Multiple‐Island Endemics), that of the native non‐endemics is U‐shaped (i.e. similar prevalence of single‐island taxa and taxa distributed on all islands). The native non‐endemics have a significantly lower proportion of single‐island taxa and a higher proportion of widespread taxa than the endemics. Most dispersal paths in the endemics connect the central and western islands, whereas they are extended across all islands in the native non‐endemics. Main conclusions The contrasting distributional patterns of the endemics and the native non‐endemics support an outstanding role of species diversification in the endemic flora, but a still negligible influence of the insular selective and stochastic pressures (including extinction) in the native non‐endemic flora, arguably due to its recent origin. Our results suggest that the high endemicity levels of the extant Canarian flora can be explained by two complementary processes: (i) high diversification rates throughout the ontogeny of the archipelago, often from colonisers that attained a widespread distribution prior to speciation, and (ii) an 'endemicity increase' during the late Pleistocene glaciations, whereby most of the pre‐glacial non‐endemic Canarian flora became endemic due to the extinction of its mainland conspecific populations, thus emphasising the role of the Canaries as climatic refugia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, we conducted, for the first time, an extensive climate change impact assessment of bee pollinators in the Aegean Islands, Greece, a regional bee hotspot in the Mediterranean. We located the current biodiversity and future extinction hotspots in the region and identified areas in urgent need for conservation prioritization, by undertaking an overlap analysis with the established protected areas network in Greece. Most bee species occurring in the archipelago are expected to face severe range contractions and there is evidence of an underlying extinction debt in the study area. Our work could serve as the baseline for the integration of a rather neglected, yet extremely economically and ecologically important taxonomic group, the bees, in the systematic conservation planning in the archipelago. Pollinators' climate change impact assessments focus mainly on mainland regions. Thus, we are unaware how island species might fare in a rapidly changing world. This is even more pressing in the Mediterranean Basin, a global biodiversity hotspot. In Greece, a regional pollinator hotspot, climate change research is in its infancy and the insect Wallacean shortfall still remains unaddressed. In a species distribution modelling framework, we used the most comprehensive occurrence database for bees in Greece to locate the bee species richness hotspots in the Aegean, and investigated whether these might shift in the future due to climate change and assessed the Natura 2000 protected areas network effectiveness. Range contractions are anticipated for most taxa, becoming more prominent over time. Species richness hotspots are currently located in the NE Aegean and in highly disturbed sites. They will shift both altitudinally and latitudinally in the future. A small proportion of these hotspots are currently included in the Natura 2000 protected areas network and this proportion is projected to decrease in the coming decades. There is likely an extinction debt present in the Aegean bee communities that could result to pollination network collapse. There is a substantial conservation gap in Greece regarding bees and a critical re-assessment of the established Greek protected areas network is needed, focusing on areas identified as bee diversity hotspots over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Digitization of herbarium specimens and DNA sequencing efforts in the past decade have enabled integrative analyses of patterns of diversity and endemism in a phylogenetic context. Here, we compare the best available floristic databases to a comprehensive specimen database to examine spatial patterns of moss phylogenetic assembly. We test the hypotheses that (1) mosses exhibit phylogenetic regionalization, (2) islands contain significantly high phylogenetic diversity and (3) that moss phylogenetic endemism is low on a global scale. Location: Global. Taxon Mosses. Methods: We developed a phylogeny of 3654 moss species using 25 markers and compiled a global specimen database from online repositories. We calculated floristic and phylogenetic measures of diversity and endemism and performed randomizations to test for significant deviations from expectations. We use rarefaction and extrapolation to alleviate substantial differences in sampling effort across the globe. We used both phylogenetic and floristic methods to test for spatial regionalization. We compare our specimen‐based results to those obtained using a floristic dataset. Results: Phylogenetic diversity is more robust to missing data than species richness. Mean phylogenetic distance was significantly higher than expected in areas with high species richness, indicating that reported richness in these areas is likely a product of repeated colonization. Phylogenetic endemism is low globally. Phylogenetic regionalizations cluster into a Holarctic/Holantarctic temperate region, a pantropical region, and a region composed of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Main Conclusions: Future efforts for collecting, sequencing and databasing moss species should focus on the tropics, particularly Africa and Southeast Asia. We provide further evidence to support several important theories developed in moss biogeography, including the role of long‐distance dispersal in shaping floristic patterns, the dominance of anagenesis in driving patterns of island diversity, and the role of climatic instability in driving patterns of assembly in the Holarctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic isolation, a relatively low species richness and high endemism make oceanic islands excellent natural laboratories for ecological and evolutionary studies. Here we used Baited Remote Underwater stereo-Video systems (stereo-BRUVS) to investigate the taxonomic, trophic and size structures of fish assemblages from pelagic and mesophotic reef ecosystems in the smallest archipelago of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, the Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Archipelago (SPSPA). The occurrence of steep reef walls favors studies on the ecological connections between pelagic and reef ecosystems. We performed five pelagic stereo-BRUVS deployments and fourteen benthic stereo-BRUVS deployments, totaling 1440 min of footage. We recorded 14 species from eight families in the pelagic ecosystem, with Carangidae and Balistidae as the most diverse families. The most abundant species were Elagatis bipinnulata (Quoy and Gaimard, 1825), Melichthys niger (Bloch, 1786), and Caranx crysos (Mitchill, 1815), which together accounted for over 75% of the total relative abundance. The carnivores were the most diverse and abundant trophic group. On the mesophotic reefs, 41 taxa were recorded, with carnivores and planktivores being the most diverse, whereas omnivores were the most abundant. Here, the most abundant species were M. niger, Azurina multileneata, Chromis vanbebberae, Seriola rivoliana, Caranx lugubris and Stegastes sanctipauli. Nine species were recorded in both ecosystems, with Melichthys niger, Caranx lugubris and S. rivoliana being the main species linking them (i.e., occurring in both). These species are known to forage in both pelagic and mesophotic reef ecosystems, and thus represent potential ecological links between them. Such links combined with the endangered status of some species, suggest the need for an integrated management strategy in this remote archipelago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giant clams (subfamily: Tridacninae) are an important food and economic resource for the Republic of Palau and the greater Indo‐Pacific region. However, giant clam diversity and distribution data for Palau are out of date.This study reports the species diversity and distribution of giant clams across the Palauan archipelago (total survey area of 3,3002 m) from data collected between 2015–2017.This is the first documented finding of Tridacna noae in Palau, however, it was rare. Only four individuals were found at only two locations.Results show that Palau is home to a diverse and abundant population of giant clams. Tridacna crocea (an important food and economic resource) exhibited the highest abundance, with an average of 20.0 ± 2.9 individuals per 50 m2. Tridacna maxima and Tridacna squamosa were ranked next in abundance. In contrast, T. noae, Tridacna derasa, Tridacna gigas, and Hippopus hippopus were found in low numbers or only found in few locations.The density of all recruits, juveniles, and adult T. crocea and T. maxima did not differ significantly between conservation areas and open fishing sites, which suggests the possibility that ecological factors such as habitat loss, acute weather events, or changes in sea surface temperatures could be impacting replenishment or recruitment. However, one protected area was found to have a higher abundance of T. crocea recruits and adults, which suggests that protection from fishing may have increased recruitment rates and lowered mortality rates at this site.Taken as a whole, clam populations in Palau remain reasonably abundant and healthy. As demand for giant clams continues to rise in Palau and the region, local regulations should focus on sustainable fishing practices by establishing size limits, species bans, and long‐term monitoring plans to maintain the diverse populations of giant clams found there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How biotic and abiotic factors act together to shape biological diversity is a major question in evolutionary biology. The recent availability of large datasets and development of new methodological approaches provide new tools to evaluate the predicted effects of ecological interactions and geography on lineage diversification and phenotypic evolution. Here, we use a near complete phylogenomic‐scale phylogeny and a comprehensive morphological dataset comprising more than a thousand specimens to assess the role of biotic and abiotic processes in the diversification of monitor lizards (Varanidae). This charismatic group of lizards shows striking variation in species richness among its clades and multiple instances of endemic radiation in Indo‐Australasia (i.e., the Indo‐Australian Archipelago and Australia), one of Earth's most biogeographically complex regions. We found heterogeneity in diversification dynamics across the family. Idiosyncratic biotic and geographic conditions appear to have driven diversification and morphological evolution in three endemic Indo‐Australasian radiations. Furthermore, incumbency effects partially explain patterns in the biotic exchange between Australia and New Guinea. Our results offer insight into the dynamic history of Indo‐Australasia, the evolutionary significance of competition, and the long‐term consequences of incumbency effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-volant terrestrial fauna of the Ryukyu Archipelago is characterized by high endemism with island groups forming distinct biogeographical regions separated by straits. This endemism has resulted from complex histories of insularization caused by geological events and dispersal through land bridges or across the sea during a timeframe of several million years. However, little is known about the zoogeography of terrestrial invertebrates in this region. We presented the first study looking into the earthworm fauna between Taiwan and the Ryukyu Archipelago under a phylogeographical context, and investigated the systematics and phylogeography of the giant earthworms in the Metaphire formosae species group endemic to this region. We highlighted strong evidence supporting that giant earthworms collected from Yonagunijima, the westernmost island of the Ryukyus, represent a new member of the species group, and further described it as a new species, Metaphire dunan sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses and divergence time estimation rejected the hypothesis that the separation between M. dunan and its Taiwanese sister species, M. formosae, took place 8 Ma in late Miocene, when Taiwan and the Ryukyu region were supposedly first separated from each other and from the Eurasian continent. Instead, our results suggested that the speciation within the M. formosae species group occurred during the arc-continent collision in Taiwan after 5 Ma and M. dunan diverged from its sister species soon after the diversification of the species group had started. In Taiwan, the divergence of mountain-dwelling species followed a north-to-south pattern, consistent with the southward-propagating arc-continent collision on the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to determine the diversity of terrestrial mosses along the altitudinal gradient on a small ultrabasic outcrop, Mount Silam, Sabah, Malaysia. At 600 m, 700 m, and 800 m a.s.l, eight 1 m sq. quadrats were set along two line transects per plot, with a total of 24 m sq. sampling area. A total of 104 mosses was identified, consisting of 37 species and one variety from 15 genera and six families. Interesting species collected include Acroporium dicranoides M. Fleisch., a new record for Borneo, and Clastobryum epiphyllum (Renauld & Cardot) B. C. Tan & A. Touw is a second record for the island. Similarly, Papillidiopsis complanata W. R. Buck & B. C. Tan is a second record for Sabah. Sematophyllaceae has the highest number of species with 25 species, while Trichosteleum boschii (Dozy & Molk.) A. Jaeger, Trismegistia lancifolia (Harv.) Broth. and Syrrhopodon croceus Mitt. are the most abundant species across all elevations. The diversity of terrestrial mosses increased towards higher altitudes and is significantly affected by the elevation. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index was highest at plot 800 m (H’=1.75), while plots 700 m and 800 m had the highest similarity (54.5%). Mount Silam is relatively rich in terrestrial mosses considering the small area and low altitude, thus reflecting conservation priorities on this mountain widely known for exhibiting the Massenerhebung effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mexico concentrates around 11 % of the world’s bird species, of which 20 % are endemic to the country, with the highest number concentrated in the Western region. Objective: To analyze composition, diversity and avifaunal distribution along an elevation gradient in Western Mexico. Methods: The research was done in the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve. We recorded seen or heard bird species in 28 fixed count points along a 1 000 m elevation gradient. Comparative richness and sampling completeness were determined with interpolation and extrapolation curves. Belts were compared with NonParametric Multi-Response Permutation. Correlations and indirect ordinations were used to analyze changes in richness and abundance. Results: We recorded 129 species (estimate: 96 % completeness): 19 endemics to Mexico, 13 in some risk category, and 21 considered indicators. Elevation determined the distribution and abundance of species, and the lower elevational bands, had the highest richness and abundance values. Conclusion: The highest species richness and abundance were recorded at lower elevations, with a significant change in composition and type of indicator species by belt. The numbers of endemic and at-risk species remained constant with elevation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]