Nok Ting Lam, Vladislav Ivanov, Leonardo Dapporto, Roger Vila, Marko Mutanen, Vlad Dincă
A good knowledge of the evolutionary history of organisms and an accurate taxonomic framework are keys for efficient biodiversity conservation measures. This is particularly relevant for European butterflies, which are often used as bioindicator organisms and umbrella species for conservation.The Holarctic butterfly genus Agriades includes seven European arctic‐alpine species of which several have a debated taxonomic status. They are localized and allopatric, and at least two of them are of high conservation concern, namely A. aquilo (in Europe, restricted to northern Scandinavia) and A. zullichi (endemic to southern Spain). Despite high conservation value and taxonomic uncertainty, molecular studies on these taxa are limited to DNA barcodes.We investigated the evolutionary history and species delimitation of West Palearctic Agriades using double‐digest RAD sequencing (ddRADseq).Various analyses using genomic data suggested the presence of one species in the glandon species group and one or two in the pyrenaicus species group. The differentiation within the former group (i.e., glandon, aquilo, zullichi) appears to be relatively recent, although the main allopatric populations represent evolutionary significant units (ESUs). Notable geographic structure was found within the pyrenaicus species group, with four allopatric ESUs detected.Wolbachia screening highlighted the presence of several allele combinations, some associated with particular Agriades populations.Genomic data revealed the evolutionary trajectory of European Agriades and a tendency for taxonomic oversplitting within this genus. These findings aid conservation by providing genetic background for region or population prioritization (including ESUs), and for the management of potential population reinforcement or reintroductions.
对生物进化历史的充分了解和准确的分类框架是高效生物多样性保护措施的关键。这一点对欧洲蝴蝶尤为重要,因为欧洲蝴蝶通常被用作生物指示生物和保护伞物种。全北区蝴蝶属包括七个欧洲北极-高山物种,其中几个物种的分类地位尚有争议。它们是本地化和异地分布的,其中至少有两个物种具有很高的保护价值,即 A. aquilo(在欧洲,仅限于斯堪的纳维亚半岛北部)和 A. zullichi(西班牙南部特有)。尽管这些类群具有很高的保护价值且分类不确定,但对它们的分子研究仅限于 DNA 条形码。我们利用双位 RAD 测序(ddRADseq)研究了西古北界 Agriades 的进化史和物种划分。利用基因组数据进行的各种分析表明,glandon种群中有一个物种,pyrenaicus种群中有一个或两个物种。尽管主要的同域种群代表了重要的进化单元(ESUs),但前一物种组(即:glandon、aquilo、zullichi)的分化似乎相对较晚。在pyrenaicus物种组中发现了明显的地理结构,发现了四个同域ESU。沃尔巴克氏体筛选突出显示了几个等位基因组合的存在,其中一些与特定的 Agriades 种群有关。基因组数据揭示了欧洲 Agriades 的进化轨迹以及该属内分类过度分裂的趋势。这些发现为确定区域或种群(包括 ESUs)的优先次序以及管理潜在的种群强化或重新引入提供了遗传背景,从而有助于保护工作。
{"title":"Conservation implications of a genomic‐based taxonomy for threatened allopatric Agriades butterflies","authors":"Nok Ting Lam, Vladislav Ivanov, Leonardo Dapporto, Roger Vila, Marko Mutanen, Vlad Dincă","doi":"10.1111/icad.12771","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12771","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>A good knowledge of the evolutionary history of organisms and an accurate taxonomic framework are keys for efficient biodiversity conservation measures. This is particularly relevant for European butterflies, which are often used as bioindicator organisms and umbrella species for conservation.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>The Holarctic butterfly genus <jats:italic>Agriades</jats:italic> includes seven European arctic‐alpine species of which several have a debated taxonomic status. They are localized and allopatric, and at least two of them are of high conservation concern, namely <jats:italic>A. aquilo</jats:italic> (in Europe, restricted to northern Scandinavia) and <jats:italic>A. zullichi</jats:italic> (endemic to southern Spain). Despite high conservation value and taxonomic uncertainty, molecular studies on these taxa are limited to DNA barcodes.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We investigated the evolutionary history and species delimitation of West Palearctic <jats:italic>Agriades</jats:italic> using double‐digest RAD sequencing (ddRADseq).</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Various analyses using genomic data suggested the presence of one species in the <jats:italic>glandon</jats:italic> species group and one or two in the <jats:italic>pyrenaicus</jats:italic> species group<jats:italic>.</jats:italic> The differentiation within the former group (i.e., <jats:italic>glandon</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>aquilo</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>zullichi</jats:italic>) appears to be relatively recent, although the main allopatric populations represent evolutionary significant units (ESUs). Notable geographic structure was found within the <jats:italic>pyrenaicus</jats:italic> species group, with four allopatric ESUs detected.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item><jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> screening highlighted the presence of several allele combinations, some associated with particular <jats:italic>Agriades</jats:italic> populations.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Genomic data revealed the evolutionary trajectory of European <jats:italic>Agriades</jats:italic> and a tendency for taxonomic oversplitting within this genus. These findings aid conservation by providing genetic background for region or population prioritization (including ESUs), and for the management of potential population reinforcement or reintroductions.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141930219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiaping Mao, Xiaoming Jiang, Wenjia Tang, J. Heino, J. Alahuhta, Xiaolei Huang
Understanding variation in assemblage composition (i.e., beta diversity) along geographic and environmental gradients is a central topic in biogeography and ecology. We compared relationships between hemipteran beta diversity (overall dissimilarity: βtotal, Sorensen dissimilarity; turnover component: βsim, the replacement of species between assemblages; nestedness‐resultant component: βsne, the nested difference in richness between assemblages) and geographic, climatic and land cover distances among four ecoregions (Northeast Ecoregion; Northern Ecoregion; Tibet Ecoregion; Southern Ecoregion) across China. The hemipteran assemblage composition differed markedly among ecoregions. In general, βtotal and βsim both significantly increased with increasing geographic, climatic and land cover distances. Intercepts and slopes of dissimilarity‐distance relationships all varied significantly among different ecoregions, suggesting different levels of within‐ecoregion assemblage heterogeneity and change rate in assemblage composition. Moreover, the slopes of βtotal and βsim were highest in Northeast Ecoregion but lowest in Northern Ecoregion, exhibiting latitudinal and longitudinal dissimilarity pattern. According to variation partitioning analysis, although the overall explained variance was relatively low, spatial variables explained a much greater proportion of variance compared to climate and land cover variables. To conclude, our results showed significant regional differences in assemblage composition and biodiversity among ecoregions. Both dispersal‐related and niche‐related processes affect hemipteran assemblage structure, while the low overall explained variance indicates that high dissimilarity in hemipteran composition is affected by multiple factors and processes that remained undetected in this study. Our results may be relevant for wider insect groups because hemipterans constitute a highly diverse group in terms of phylogenetic origins and functional significance.
{"title":"Context‐dependent effects of geographic, climate and land cover factors on hemipteran assemblages in different ecoregions of China","authors":"Jiaping Mao, Xiaoming Jiang, Wenjia Tang, J. Heino, J. Alahuhta, Xiaolei Huang","doi":"10.1111/icad.12774","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12774","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Understanding variation in assemblage composition (i.e., beta diversity) along geographic and environmental gradients is a central topic in biogeography and ecology.\u0000We compared relationships between hemipteran beta diversity (overall dissimilarity: βtotal, Sorensen dissimilarity; turnover component: βsim, the replacement of species between assemblages; nestedness‐resultant component: βsne, the nested difference in richness between assemblages) and geographic, climatic and land cover distances among four ecoregions (Northeast Ecoregion; Northern Ecoregion; Tibet Ecoregion; Southern Ecoregion) across China.\u0000The hemipteran assemblage composition differed markedly among ecoregions. In general, βtotal and βsim both significantly increased with increasing geographic, climatic and land cover distances.\u0000Intercepts and slopes of dissimilarity‐distance relationships all varied significantly among different ecoregions, suggesting different levels of within‐ecoregion assemblage heterogeneity and change rate in assemblage composition. Moreover, the slopes of βtotal and βsim were highest in Northeast Ecoregion but lowest in Northern Ecoregion, exhibiting latitudinal and longitudinal dissimilarity pattern.\u0000According to variation partitioning analysis, although the overall explained variance was relatively low, spatial variables explained a much greater proportion of variance compared to climate and land cover variables.\u0000To conclude, our results showed significant regional differences in assemblage composition and biodiversity among ecoregions. Both dispersal‐related and niche‐related processes affect hemipteran assemblage structure, while the low overall explained variance indicates that high dissimilarity in hemipteran composition is affected by multiple factors and processes that remained undetected in this study.\u0000Our results may be relevant for wider insect groups because hemipterans constitute a highly diverse group in terms of phylogenetic origins and functional significance.\u0000","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141921230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Filtering processes across environmental gradients can structure patterns of trait variation within communities. The community‐weighted mean (CWM) is a metric that is commonly used to indicate the directionality of such filtering processes and the optimal adaptive strategy of taxa within community. Proximity to the CWM indicates higher fitness, and deviations from this optimal value result in changes in the relative abundances of coexisting species.We investigated patterns of intraspecific trait variation in four coexisting carrion beetle species (Coleoptera: Silphidae) across elevational gradients. The study was conducted in temperate forest ecosystems with distinct natural vegetation zones ranging from 950 m to 1700 m above sea level.Of the 12 traits measured, we found that intraspecific variation ranged from 34% (body length) to 100% (ratio of elytra length, head length and head width to body length) and accounted for a larger proportion of variation than interspecific variation in 7 traits. For most traits, trait range, which indicates the niche breadth of species at a given elevation, was positively correlated with relative abundance. The CWMs of traits associated with long‐distance dispersal decreased with elevation, whereas those associated with microhabitat use showed the opposite trend. Soil temperature influenced tibia length after controlling for the effects of species identity, but soil water content had no effect on trait variation. Patterns of variation in body width and thorax width of two beetle species supported the CWM‐optimality hypothesis; however, patterns of trait variation in body width and thorax length of another species showed an opposite trend.Our study identifies several traits that can be highly variable within carrion beetle species. Such high levels of intraspecific trait variation may enable populations to adapt across a wide range of elevations and vegetation types.
{"title":"Intraspecific trait variation of carrion beetle species and communities across elevations","authors":"Qiao‐Qiao Ji, Zhijing Xie, Yunga Wu, Zhuoma Wan, Caiyi Xu, Donghui Wu, Ting‐Wen Chen, Alejandro Ordonez","doi":"10.1111/icad.12772","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12772","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Filtering processes across environmental gradients can structure patterns of trait variation within communities. The community‐weighted mean (CWM) is a metric that is commonly used to indicate the directionality of such filtering processes and the optimal adaptive strategy of taxa within community. Proximity to the CWM indicates higher fitness, and deviations from this optimal value result in changes in the relative abundances of coexisting species.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We investigated patterns of intraspecific trait variation in four coexisting carrion beetle species (Coleoptera: Silphidae) across elevational gradients. The study was conducted in temperate forest ecosystems with distinct natural vegetation zones ranging from 950 m to 1700 m above sea level.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Of the 12 traits measured, we found that intraspecific variation ranged from 34% (body length) to 100% (ratio of elytra length, head length and head width to body length) and accounted for a larger proportion of variation than interspecific variation in 7 traits. For most traits, trait range, which indicates the niche breadth of species at a given elevation, was positively correlated with relative abundance. The CWMs of traits associated with long‐distance dispersal decreased with elevation, whereas those associated with microhabitat use showed the opposite trend. Soil temperature influenced tibia length after controlling for the effects of species identity, but soil water content had no effect on trait variation. Patterns of variation in body width and thorax width of two beetle species supported the CWM‐optimality hypothesis; however, patterns of trait variation in body width and thorax length of another species showed an opposite trend.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our study identifies several traits that can be highly variable within carrion beetle species. Such high levels of intraspecific trait variation may enable populations to adapt across a wide range of elevations and vegetation types.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141930240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elena M. Gratton, Darin J. McNeil, Ren Sawyer, Anna Martinello, Christina M. Grozinger, Heather M. Hines
Pathogens and parasites are drivers of declines in bumble bees. Their levels can be influenced by numerous abiotic and biotic factors, thus managing disease in these bees requires understanding the relative impact of these factors on pathogen loads.We evaluated loads of black queen cell virus (BQCV) and deformed wing virus in bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) and honey bees (Apis mellifera), and loads of parasites Vairimorpha bombi and Crithidia bombi in B. impatiens, from sites varying in habitat type and quality across North Carolina, USA. Pathogen loads were assessed against metrics for land cover, floral quality, bee diversity and weather. Results were compared against similar data from Pennsylvania, USA, and other landscape studies on bumble bees in North America.Spatial variation in pathogen loads was lower in bumble bees in North Carolina than in Pennsylvania, which reduced the power to detect landscape effects. For example, Crithidia was fairly ubiquitous and Vairimorpha was not detected.Data from both states revealed that developed land and honey bees were most consistently positively correlated with viral loads, especially for BQCV, whereas forest and nesting habitat availability were often negatively correlated with loads. Multivariate models only supported a positive relationship between summer floral resources and BQCV loads in North Carolina bumble bees.Together with the broader literature, these data indicate that levels of developed land and honey bees are most associated with increased pathogen loads while floral availability and bee community composition show more context‐dependent effects.
{"title":"The role of landscape factors in shaping bumble bee pathogen loads across regions of the eastern Nearctic","authors":"Elena M. Gratton, Darin J. McNeil, Ren Sawyer, Anna Martinello, Christina M. Grozinger, Heather M. Hines","doi":"10.1111/icad.12773","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12773","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Pathogens and parasites are drivers of declines in bumble bees. Their levels can be influenced by numerous abiotic and biotic factors, thus managing disease in these bees requires understanding the relative impact of these factors on pathogen loads.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We evaluated loads of black queen cell virus (BQCV) and deformed wing virus in bumble bees (<jats:italic>Bombus impatiens</jats:italic>) and honey bees (<jats:italic>Apis mellifera</jats:italic>), and loads of parasites <jats:italic>Vairimorpha bombi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Crithidia bombi</jats:italic> in <jats:italic>B. impatiens</jats:italic>, from sites varying in habitat type and quality across North Carolina, USA. Pathogen loads were assessed against metrics for land cover, floral quality, bee diversity and weather. Results were compared against similar data from Pennsylvania, USA, and other landscape studies on bumble bees in North America.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Spatial variation in pathogen loads was lower in bumble bees in North Carolina than in Pennsylvania, which reduced the power to detect landscape effects. For example, <jats:italic>Crithidia</jats:italic> was fairly ubiquitous and <jats:italic>Vairimorpha</jats:italic> was not detected.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Data from both states revealed that developed land and honey bees were most consistently positively correlated with viral loads, especially for BQCV, whereas forest and nesting habitat availability were often negatively correlated with loads. Multivariate models only supported a positive relationship between summer floral resources and BQCV loads in North Carolina bumble bees.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Together with the broader literature, these data indicate that levels of developed land and honey bees are most associated with increased pathogen loads while floral availability and bee community composition show more context‐dependent effects.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141930239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kathryn E. Powell, Daniel Garrett, David B. Roy, Tom H. Oliver, Maxim Larrivée, Marc Bélisle
Insect biodiversity and abundance declines have been reported widely and are expected to alter ecosystem functions and processes. Land use change has been recognised as a major cause of such declines.However, variation in local environmental drivers and the scale of available monitoring data have left large knowledge gaps in which taxa are declining, where declines are the greatest, and how these declines will impact ecosystems.We used 11 years (2006–2016) of monitoring data on 40 farms distributed over ~10,000 km2 in southern Québec, Canada, to quantify the impact of agricultural intensity on temporal trends in abundance and biomass of Diptera (true flies).There was a large difference in temporal trends between farms, which we found to be driven by agricultural landcover.Contrary to expectation, increases in Diptera abundance over time were greater in areas with higher agricultural intensity, especially with an increase in cereal crops. In contrast, declines in biomass were steeper in areas of higher agricultural intensity, although only with greater maize and soy production rather than cereals such as wheat.Variation in forest cover around farms had the least effect on trends.We found steeper declines in biomass per total number of Diptera with increasing agricultural intensive cover, suggesting the presence of community turnover towards smaller bodied flies with lower individual biomass.Our results imply that land use may not only alter abundance and species composition of insect species assemblages but also the distribution of key functional traits such as body size.
{"title":"Complex temporal trends in biomass and abundance of Diptera communities driven by the impact of agricultural intensity","authors":"Kathryn E. Powell, Daniel Garrett, David B. Roy, Tom H. Oliver, Maxim Larrivée, Marc Bélisle","doi":"10.1111/icad.12770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12770","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Insect biodiversity and abundance declines have been reported widely and are expected to alter ecosystem functions and processes. Land use change has been recognised as a major cause of such declines.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>However, variation in local environmental drivers and the scale of available monitoring data have left large knowledge gaps in which taxa are declining, where declines are the greatest, and how these declines will impact ecosystems.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We used 11 years (2006–2016) of monitoring data on 40 farms distributed over ~10,000 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> in southern Québec, Canada, to quantify the impact of agricultural intensity on temporal trends in abundance and biomass of Diptera (true flies).</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>There was a large difference in temporal trends between farms, which we found to be driven by agricultural landcover.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Contrary to expectation, increases in Diptera abundance over time were greater in areas with higher agricultural intensity, especially with an increase in cereal crops. In contrast, declines in biomass were steeper in areas of higher agricultural intensity, although only with greater maize and soy production rather than cereals such as wheat.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Variation in forest cover around farms had the least effect on trends.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We found steeper declines in biomass per total number of Diptera with increasing agricultural intensive cover, suggesting the presence of community turnover towards smaller bodied flies with lower individual biomass.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our results imply that land use may not only alter abundance and species composition of insect species assemblages but also the distribution of key functional traits such as body size.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141742823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhiqiang Fang, Chang‐Ti Tang, Frazer Sinclair, György L. Csóka, J. Hearn, Koorosh McCormack, G. Melika, Katarzyna M. Mikołajczak, James A. Nicholls, J. Nieves‐Aldrey, D. Notton, Sara Radosevic, R. A. Bailey, Alex Reiss, Yuanmeng M. Zhang, Ying Zhu, Shengguo Fang, K. Schönrogge, Graham N. Stone
A key question in insect community ecology is whether parasitoid assemblages are structured by the food plants of their herbivore hosts. Tritrophic communities centred on oak‐feeding cynipid gallwasps are one of the best‐studied tritrophic insect communities. Previous work suggests that host plant identity is a much stronger predictor of oak–cynipid interactions than of cynipid–parasitoid interactions. However, these relationships have not been formally quantified. We reason that the potential for ‘bottom‐up’ effects should increase with host plant phylogenetic diversity. We, therefore, generated quantified interaction network data for previously unstudied tritrophic cynipid communities in Sichuan, China, where, in addition to Quercus, cynipid host plants include Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus. We characterise these communities taxonomically and compare the extent to which host plant taxonomy predicts plant–herbivore and plant–parasitoid associations. We sampled 42,620 cynipid galls of 176 morphotypes from 23 host plant species, yielding over 4500 specimens of 64 parasitoid morphospecies. Many parasitoids were identifiable to chalcidoid taxa present in other Holarctic oak cynipid communities, with the addition of Cynipencyrtus (Cynipencyrtidae). As elsewhere, Sichuan parasitoid assemblages were dominated by generalists. Gallwasp–plant interaction networks were significantly more modular than parasitoid–plant association networks. Gallwasps were significantly more specialised to host plants (i.e. had higher mean d' values) than parasitoids. Parasitoid assemblages nevertheless showed significant plant‐associated beta diversity, with a dominant turnover component. We summarise parallels between our study and other Fagaceae‐associated cynipid communities and discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on endophytic insect herbivores.
{"title":"Network structure and taxonomic composition of tritrophic communities of Fagaceae, cynipid gallwasps and parasitoids in Sichuan, China","authors":"Zhiqiang Fang, Chang‐Ti Tang, Frazer Sinclair, György L. Csóka, J. Hearn, Koorosh McCormack, G. Melika, Katarzyna M. Mikołajczak, James A. Nicholls, J. Nieves‐Aldrey, D. Notton, Sara Radosevic, R. A. Bailey, Alex Reiss, Yuanmeng M. Zhang, Ying Zhu, Shengguo Fang, K. Schönrogge, Graham N. Stone","doi":"10.1111/icad.12768","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12768","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000A key question in insect community ecology is whether parasitoid assemblages are structured by the food plants of their herbivore hosts.\u0000Tritrophic communities centred on oak‐feeding cynipid gallwasps are one of the best‐studied tritrophic insect communities. Previous work suggests that host plant identity is a much stronger predictor of oak–cynipid interactions than of cynipid–parasitoid interactions. However, these relationships have not been formally quantified.\u0000We reason that the potential for ‘bottom‐up’ effects should increase with host plant phylogenetic diversity. We, therefore, generated quantified interaction network data for previously unstudied tritrophic cynipid communities in Sichuan, China, where, in addition to Quercus, cynipid host plants include Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus. We characterise these communities taxonomically and compare the extent to which host plant taxonomy predicts plant–herbivore and plant–parasitoid associations.\u0000We sampled 42,620 cynipid galls of 176 morphotypes from 23 host plant species, yielding over 4500 specimens of 64 parasitoid morphospecies. Many parasitoids were identifiable to chalcidoid taxa present in other Holarctic oak cynipid communities, with the addition of Cynipencyrtus (Cynipencyrtidae). As elsewhere, Sichuan parasitoid assemblages were dominated by generalists.\u0000Gallwasp–plant interaction networks were significantly more modular than parasitoid–plant association networks. Gallwasps were significantly more specialised to host plants (i.e. had higher mean d' values) than parasitoids. Parasitoid assemblages nevertheless showed significant plant‐associated beta diversity, with a dominant turnover component.\u0000We summarise parallels between our study and other Fagaceae‐associated cynipid communities and discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on endophytic insect herbivores.\u0000","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141643277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Markus Franzén, Håkan Johansson, J. Askling, O. Kindvall, Victor Johansson, Anders Forsman, Johanna Sunde
This study investigates the ecology of three threatened butterfly species on a 60 km2 site in Gotland, Southeast Sweden, using mark–recapture methods from 2017 to 2020. Nearly 30,000 captures were recorded, with average lifespans of 6 days for Euphydryas aurinia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and Parnassius apollo (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) and 2 days for Phengaris arion (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Population size, density and maximum flight distances varied between species, with E. aurinia at 7.2 km, P. apollo at 6.4 km and P. arion at 2.5 km. Movement data showed the lognormal kernel fit better than gamma, negative exponential and half‐normal kernels for distance travelled per time unit across species and sexes. Generalised linear models revealed significant positive density‐dependent emigration and negative density‐dependent immigration in all three species. Despite available suitable habitats, these species face threats from limestone quarry expansions, agricultural intensification, modified forestry practices, natural succession and climate change, highlighting the need for proactive conservation and strategic habitat management.
{"title":"Long‐distance movements, large population sizes and density‐dependent dispersal in three threatened butterfly species","authors":"Markus Franzén, Håkan Johansson, J. Askling, O. Kindvall, Victor Johansson, Anders Forsman, Johanna Sunde","doi":"10.1111/icad.12766","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12766","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000This study investigates the ecology of three threatened butterfly species on a 60 km2 site in Gotland, Southeast Sweden, using mark–recapture methods from 2017 to 2020.\u0000Nearly 30,000 captures were recorded, with average lifespans of 6 days for Euphydryas aurinia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and Parnassius apollo (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) and 2 days for Phengaris arion (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae).\u0000Population size, density and maximum flight distances varied between species, with E. aurinia at 7.2 km, P. apollo at 6.4 km and P. arion at 2.5 km.\u0000Movement data showed the lognormal kernel fit better than gamma, negative exponential and half‐normal kernels for distance travelled per time unit across species and sexes.\u0000Generalised linear models revealed significant positive density‐dependent emigration and negative density‐dependent immigration in all three species.\u0000Despite available suitable habitats, these species face threats from limestone quarry expansions, agricultural intensification, modified forestry practices, natural succession and climate change, highlighting the need for proactive conservation and strategic habitat management.\u0000","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141650191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Müller et al. re‐analysed published data on temporal variation in insect biomass in Germany between 1989 and 2016, with a focus on modelling the effects of weather conditions on insect biomass.These upgraded analyses, using an external validation dataset, are a nice demonstration of the strong impact of climatic conditions on annual insect biomass. However, Müller et al.'s conclusion that temporal variation in weather conditions explained most of the temporal changes in insect biomass was overstated. We argue that their methodological approach was unsuitable to draw such conclusion, because of omitted variable bias.We re‐ran the analyses of Müller et al. but accounting for a remaining temporal trend in insect biomass due to missing drivers. Our results suggest that the main conclusion of Müller et al. was wrong: there is a significant temporal decline in insect biomass that is not explained by weather conditions.Our commentary recalls that not accounting for missing predictors is likely to produce highly biased results, especially when missing predictors are correlated with the available ones, which is likely to be the case for most of the anthropogenic pressures linked to global change. This highlights the difficult challenge of estimating the relative importance of the global change components in driving the observed biodiversity changes.
{"title":"Weather explains inter‐annual variability, but not the temporal decline, in insect biomass","authors":"François Duchenne, Colin Fontaine","doi":"10.1111/icad.12769","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12769","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Müller et al. re‐analysed published data on temporal variation in insect biomass in Germany between 1989 and 2016, with a focus on modelling the effects of weather conditions on insect biomass.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>These upgraded analyses, using an external validation dataset, are a nice demonstration of the strong impact of climatic conditions on annual insect biomass. However, Müller et al.'s conclusion that temporal variation in weather conditions explained most of the temporal changes in insect biomass was overstated. We argue that their methodological approach was unsuitable to draw such conclusion, because of omitted variable bias.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We re‐ran the analyses of Müller et al. but accounting for a remaining temporal trend in insect biomass due to missing drivers. Our results suggest that the main conclusion of Müller et al. was wrong: there is a significant temporal decline in insect biomass that is not explained by weather conditions.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our commentary recalls that not accounting for missing predictors is likely to produce highly biased results, especially when missing predictors are correlated with the available ones, which is likely to be the case for most of the anthropogenic pressures linked to global change. This highlights the difficult challenge of estimating the relative importance of the global change components in driving the observed biodiversity changes.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141612506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Peer Bauspiess, Sebastian Kolb, Tanja J. Joschko, Ralf Schulz, Jens Schirmel
Floodplains along rivers and streams are characterised by a high habitat heterogeneity and a large biodiversity. However, floodplains are highly threatened by anthropogenic activities such as channelisation and bank enforcement of watercourses. While floodplains along rivers are well known for their importance for riparian biodiversity, the conservation value of floodplains along small streams is less understood.We studied carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and ground‐dwelling spiders (Arachnida: Aranea) along forested small streams (~ up to 5 m width) in Rhineland‐Palatinate (Germany). We investigated 16 pairs of floodplains (natural stream sites with shallow bank and regular flooding events) and controls (deeply cut stream sites without regular flooding), where we sampled carabid beetles and spiders at different distances to the stream bank (0, 5 and 10 m).We found that floodplains along small streams had contrasting value for carabid beetles and ground‐dwelling spiders. For carabid beetles, we observed several typical floodplain species and distinct species assemblages and 2.7 times more individuals across species of conservation concern in floodplain sites. Moreover, species richness and total number of individuals of carabid beetles were highest directly at the stream bank (0 m distance) of floodplains compared with the more distant locations, while the opposite was found for the control stream sites. The spider composition also differed between floodplains and control steam sites, but only one typical floodplain species was detected. Species richness and number of individuals in ground‐dwelling spiders were lower in floodplains than in control stream sites.We conclude that the conservation value of floodplains of small streams is taxa‐dependent and that they appear less relevant for ground‐dwelling spiders but provide important habitats for riparian carabid beetles.
{"title":"Small stream floodplains have high conservation value for riparian carabid beetles but less for ground‐dwelling spiders","authors":"Peer Bauspiess, Sebastian Kolb, Tanja J. Joschko, Ralf Schulz, Jens Schirmel","doi":"10.1111/icad.12759","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12759","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Floodplains along rivers and streams are characterised by a high habitat heterogeneity and a large biodiversity. However, floodplains are highly threatened by anthropogenic activities such as channelisation and bank enforcement of watercourses. While floodplains along rivers are well known for their importance for riparian biodiversity, the conservation value of floodplains along small streams is less understood.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We studied carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and ground‐dwelling spiders (Arachnida: Aranea) along forested small streams (~ up to 5 m width) in Rhineland‐Palatinate (Germany). We investigated 16 pairs of floodplains (natural stream sites with shallow bank and regular flooding events) and controls (deeply cut stream sites without regular flooding), where we sampled carabid beetles and spiders at different distances to the stream bank (0, 5 and 10 m).</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We found that floodplains along small streams had contrasting value for carabid beetles and ground‐dwelling spiders. For carabid beetles, we observed several typical floodplain species and distinct species assemblages and 2.7 times more individuals across species of conservation concern in floodplain sites. Moreover, species richness and total number of individuals of carabid beetles were highest directly at the stream bank (0 m distance) of floodplains compared with the more distant locations, while the opposite was found for the control stream sites. The spider composition also differed between floodplains and control steam sites, but only one typical floodplain species was detected. Species richness and number of individuals in ground‐dwelling spiders were lower in floodplains than in control stream sites.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We conclude that the conservation value of floodplains of small streams is taxa‐dependent and that they appear less relevant for ground‐dwelling spiders but provide important habitats for riparian carabid beetles.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141566631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dirk Maes, Ward Langeraert, Thierry Onkelinx, Hans Van Calster, Wim Veraghtert, Thomas Merckx
Insect abundance and diversity appear to decline rapidly in recent decades, garnering significant media attention, and hence raising public awareness.Macro‐moths—a species‐rich and ecologically diverse insect group—face severe declines, particularly in urbanised and intensively farmed areas in NW Europe.Flanders is a highly anthropogenic region, serving as a case study where the impact on macro‐moths of stressors like intensive agriculture, industrialisation and urbanisation has been quantified through a recently compiled Red List. Here, for 717 macro‐moth species, we calculated relative changes in distribution area between a reference period (1980–2012) and the subsequent period (2013–2022). By correlating these species‐specific trends with 10 key ecological and life history traits, we calculated more general Multi‐Species Change Indices (MSCIs).These MSCIs showed that species associated with wet biotopes and heathlands declined on average by 20%–25%, while (sub)urban species increased by more than 60%. Species feeding on lichens or mosses increased by 31%, while grass‐feeding species decreased by 20%. Both very small (+34%) and very large species (+15%) increased, whereas medium‐sized species decreased by 5%. Monophagous (+17%), migrant (+88%) and colour‐invariable species (+5%) increased, while colour‐variable species decreased (−8%). Finally, Holarctic (−21%) and Palaearctic species (−5%) decreased, while Mediterranean (+27%) and Western‐Palaearctic species (+9%) increased.Our trait‐based approach identifies key threats and mitigation strategies for moths in anthropogenic regions, offering evidence‐based insights for crafting efficient management recommendations and informed conservation policies to safeguard moth communities.
{"title":"Species traits to guide moth conservation in anthropogenic regions: A multi‐species approach using distribution trends in Flanders (northern Belgium)","authors":"Dirk Maes, Ward Langeraert, Thierry Onkelinx, Hans Van Calster, Wim Veraghtert, Thomas Merckx","doi":"10.1111/icad.12767","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12767","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:list> <jats:list-item>Insect abundance and diversity appear to decline rapidly in recent decades, garnering significant media attention, and hence raising public awareness.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Macro‐moths—a species‐rich and ecologically diverse insect group—face severe declines, particularly in urbanised and intensively farmed areas in NW Europe.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Flanders is a highly anthropogenic region, serving as a case study where the impact on macro‐moths of stressors like intensive agriculture, industrialisation and urbanisation has been quantified through a recently compiled Red List. Here, for 717 macro‐moth species, we calculated relative changes in distribution area between a reference period (1980–2012) and the subsequent period (2013–2022). By correlating these species‐specific trends with 10 key ecological and life history traits, we calculated more general Multi‐Species Change Indices (MSCIs).</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>These MSCIs showed that species associated with wet biotopes and heathlands declined on average by 20%–25%, while (sub)urban species increased by more than 60%. Species feeding on lichens or mosses increased by 31%, while grass‐feeding species decreased by 20%. Both very small (+34%) and very large species (+15%) increased, whereas medium‐sized species decreased by 5%. Monophagous (+17%), migrant (+88%) and colour‐invariable species (+5%) increased, while colour‐variable species decreased (−8%). Finally, Holarctic (−21%) and Palaearctic species (−5%) decreased, while Mediterranean (+27%) and Western‐Palaearctic species (+9%) increased.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our trait‐based approach identifies key threats and mitigation strategies for moths in anthropogenic regions, offering evidence‐based insights for crafting efficient management recommendations and informed conservation policies to safeguard moth communities.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":13640,"journal":{"name":"Insect Conservation and Diversity","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141566632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}