Ecology and Evolution最新文献

Sea pens (Octocorallia: Scleralcyonacea: Pennatuloidea) are widespread but remain under-documented in the Northwest Pacific. Using a combined molecular (MutS-ND2-28S rRNA) and morphological approach, we analysed sea pen samples collected from Hong Kong's urban waters. MutS sequences at a 0.3% divergence threshold and ASAP automatic delimitation resolved nine species across three families and four genera for Hong Kong specimens, consistent with phylogenies inferred from concatenated datasets (MutS-ND2-28S rRNA), which recovered nine species in three well-supported clades within Pennatuloidea. Morphological examinations (colony form, zooid arrangement, axis shape, sclerite shape and size) corroborated species boundaries. We described three new species (Cavernularia solaris sp. nov., Lituaria triscleromorpha sp. nov., and Virgularia exilis sp. nov.) and updated the morphological descriptions of four previously known species. Additionally, we compared these species with sea pens reported from other regions, particularly Japan and Palau. By discovering new species and new distribution ranges, providing new DNA sequences, and clarifying phylogenetic placements for Hong Kong's sea pens, this work augments species inventories and contributes to ongoing revisions of Pennatuloidea systematics and biogeography in the Northwest Pacific.

Global environmental change affects organisms, including their physiology. In freshwater ecosystems, where migration is limited, populations often rely on phenotypic plasticity to respond. While transcriptomics has been widely used to study stress responses at the molecular level, less is known about the proteome, which reflects post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation that shapes the resulting phenotype. We conducted the first proteome-level study on the endangered Mira chub, Squalius torgalensis, which inhabits unstable habitats, enduring harsh summers with high temperatures and frequent droughts. We assessed the effect of warming and acidification, independently and combined, on protein expression and phosphorylation in gills and muscle using tandem mass tags labelling proteomics. While both tissues exhibited similar numbers of differentially expressed proteins, the muscle showed more differentially phosphorylated proteins, particularly under warming. We observed four protein differential expression patterns: consistent regulation across all scenarios, opposite response in one scenario, stress prioritisation in response to dominant stressor (warming), and reduced expression in combined compared to single stressors. The latter suggests a buffering mechanism that limits protein-level changes under simultaneous stressors, possibly as an energy-saving mechanism or a consequence of stress overload. A gene set enrichment-like analysis revealed that, despite the presence of distinct regulatory patterns in each tissue and condition, key biological functions like metabolism, gene/protein expression, and immunity were affected by all stressors. Gene/protein expression was the most affected at the phosphoproteome level. Our findings highlight the importance of proteomics and phosphoproteomics studies to understand species' molecular responses to climate change. By identifying key proteins involved in resilience, we pinpointed candidate stress markers for the Mira chub that can be used to assess the impact of environmental changes. Integrating these tools with genomics and ecological modelling could help improve predictive models for climate adaptation and species conservation.

Lilium tsingtauense Gilg is a rare and endangered wild plant, but there is insufficient research on the environmental drivers of intraspecific variation in its seed and fruit traits. To investigate the responses of variations in seed and fruit traits to geographical and soil factors across different habitats, 37 sample plots were selected for investigation and statistics within an elevation range of 200-1000 m in Laoshan, China. Mature fruit and soil samples were brought back to measure soil nutrient content, fruit size, seed number and seed germination rate. The results showed that: (a) There are differences in geographical and soil factors among the habitats of different L. tsingtauense populations. There were significant differences in elevation, aspect, light intensity, soil water content, soil electrical conductivity, soil organic matter content and soil total nitrogen content among different populations. (b) Fruiting ability responds more readily to environmental changes than fruit and seed traits do. Fruit length, width and thousand-grain weight were more stable than number of plump seeds per fruit and germination percentage. (c) Significant positive correlations were observed between longitude, elevation, light intensity, soil water content, soil electrical conductivity and fruit and seed traits, while soil total phosphorus content showed a significant negative correlation with fruit and seed traits. Among these, elevation was identified as a potential key environmental factor driving variations in fruit and seed traits of L. tsingtauense. Individuals growing at higher elevations exhibited greater fruit production and higher seed germination rates. These findings reveal the environmental variability in fruit and seed traits of L. tsingtauense and its influencing factors, providing important insights for identifying core conservation areas and guiding habitat restoration for this wild resource.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1002/ece3.73061.].

Orientallactaga sibirica (O. sibirica), a member of the family Dipodidae, is widely distributed across Central Asia and plays a significant role in grassland ecosystems. Although substantial ecological data exist for this species in China, research on intraspecific cranial variation is limited, and no comprehensive surveys have been conducted across its distribution range in China. This study aims to address this gap by collecting specimens of O. sibirica from various geographic regions in China, conducting geometric morphometric analyses of their skulls, and examining the influence of current climatic conditions on cranial morphology. Our results show that significant cranial variation in O. sibirica is observed in the nasal, parietal, and maxillary regions near the nasal end, as well as the zygomatic arch and preorbital bridge. These differences cause skulls from northeastern China to cluster distinctly from those from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Regression analyses indicated that skull size is primarily associated with annual precipitation, whereas skull shape is significantly associated with altitude. Our findings reveal a distinct morphological pattern in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau population, suggesting a high degree of geographic differentiation that warrants further investigation. Characterizing environment-associated intraspecific variation provides a baseline for understanding morphological diversity in O. sibirica across China.

The black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla, hereafter 'kittiwake', conservation status 'Vulnerable') is a long-lived, highly motile and wide-ranging seabird. Breeding kittiwake colonies are abundant across the northern hemisphere. The kittiwake's life history and the spatial scale of its breeding distribution make understanding colony connectivity a challenge; current species management models kittiwake colonies as closed units. Here, we explored the use of Bayesian analysis of multilocus microsatellite genotypes in the program BayesAss (BA3) to infer dispersal and seasonal summer breeding movements (information-gathering behaviour; prospecting) (collectively 'connectivity') of kittiwakes around the North Atlantic. This approach uses the concept of inheritance by descent (IBD) (the formulation of genotypes within a population mediated by inheritance) and Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) resampling to quantify patterns of breeding movements among spatial aggregations of related individuals. Data comprised diploid microsatellites of the kittiwake and the common seabird tick (Ixodes uriae) sampled from the High Arctic to the lower southern boundary of the species between the years of 1992 and 2001. Kittiwake dispersal and summer breeding movements, the latter derived from tick microsatellites, were heterogenous among the sampled colonies. There was an east to west longitudinal trend in dispersal. Summer breeding movements were more localised, although still present at large spatial scales. Connectivity among kittiwake colonies was less likely across the Atlantic Ocean. This study supports the prevailing theory that geographic distance only weakly constrains connectivity among kittiwake colonies. Multimodal relationships between geographic distance and connectivity indicate that other factors, such as colony status and conspecific associations may be more important.

Estuaries are ecologically vital yet highly impacted ecosystems that serve as transitional zones between land and sea. Monitoring their biodiversity is essential but challenging due to their dynamic nature and the transient presence of many species. Traditionally, actinopterygian monitoring in these systems still relies on conventional and intrusive methods such as gill nets and trawls. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding offers a non-invasive, multi-taxa alternative that can complement these traditional approaches. Here, we applied an eDNA-based metabarcoding approach to characterize vertebrate diversity in the Rance Estuary, located in the Brittany Region of France. Water samples were collected from five stations spanning marine to freshwater environments. Special attention was given to two stations located upstream and downstream of the tidal power plant (TPP) dam to assess its potential impact on ecological continuity. We detected a total of 124 distinct vertebrate MOTUs, comprising actinopterygians, birds, mammals, and amphibians. Taxonomic composition followed the estuarine gradient, with Jaccard dissimilarity increasing with distance from the sea and largely driven by species turnover. While taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity remained relatively stable across the vertebrate community, functional diversity revealed an increasing terrestrial influence. For actinopterygians, taxonomic diversity decreased upstream, whereas phylogenetic and functional diversity indicated fine-scale structuring, even among nearby stations. This approach enabled the development of biodiversity metrics and facilitated comparisons with previous actinopterygian monitoring surveys in the same area based on conventional methods (scientific fishing using nets and dredges). Our results emphasize the potential of eDNA for holistic estuarine biomonitoring and establish a valuable baseline for future non-invasive assessments.

The Halavi guitarfish (Glaucostegus halavi) is a Critically Endangered but poorly studied batoid found in the northwestern Indian Ocean. Its trophic ecology, both as predator and prey, remains largely undescribed. This note reports evidence of osprey (Pandion haliaetus haliaetus) predation on early lifestage Halavi guitarfish in the northern Red Sea. The six predation records presented here suggest that sheltering in shallow water may increase exposure to avian predation even as it reduces exposure to predation by other fish. Of these records, one represents direct photographic evidence of a successful predation attempt, showcasing an osprey carrying a guitarfish in its talons, while the remaining observations provide indirect evidence consistent with predation. The remains of two individuals were discovered in osprey nests, and two more individuals were found desiccated above the shoreline with organs removed. Another Halavi guitarfish, captured alive, exhibited wounds consistent with talon marks from an avian predation attempt. These occurrences were documented across six islands in the Al Wajh lagoon from 2020 through 2024 and suggest that osprey-elasmobranch interactions remain largely undocumented in the scientific literature, with most evidence currently emerging from opportunistic citizen-science reports. Further investigation (potentially using biochemical markers such as stable isotopes) is needed to better understand the ecological implications of these events.

A new species Gigantochloa is described and illustrated from Southwest Yunnan, China. The new species is similar to G. verticillata and G. felix in general appearance, but differs by its taller culms, internodes without stripes, culm leaf sheath shoulders prominent upward forming ca. 1 cm long falcate appendage, culm blade erect, culm leaf auricle absent, and culm leaf ligule ca. 5 mm tall. Additionally, we constructed a phylogenetic tree based on plastome and ITS sequences, which revealed that the new species clusters within the Gigantochloa clade.

Antarctic fur seals are an important predator in the Southern Ocean, with > 95% of the population breeding at South Georgia. Female seals generally pup on open beaches, but many move into long tussac grass to suckle offspring, where their presence can be concealed by vegetation. This makes it difficult to assess population changes, introducing considerable uncertainty. Broad-scale, time-efficient monitoring capable of detecting fur seals in tussac is therefore required to better understand population trends throughout the island, especially given recent reports of declines associated with reduced food availability, as well as important negative impacts from HPAI. This study utilises a fixed-wing drone to provide both red/green/blue (RGB) imagery and thermal imagery for detecting fur seals in tussac grass as well as along beaches for assessing populations. Thermal sensors proved highly effective at detecting fur seals in tussac relative to RGB, with a much more efficient processing workflow. However, a combination of both is necessary to accurately identify seals across the range of coastal terrain in which they are found.