Abstract. Previous molecular analyses of the frog genus Stefania have shown that species boundaries in that group are often difficult to delineate when solely based on morphology. As a consequence, “taxonomically cryptic” species are not uncommon in the genus. Several highland Stefania species remain to be described, some potentially critically endangered due to their highly restricted geographic ranges. One case is the microendemic Stefania population from the summit of Murisipán-tepui, a poorly explored table-top mountain in the Los Testigos Massif, a small tepui mountain range located north to the much larger Chimantá Massif in southern Venezuela. That population, mistaken as S. satelles for two decades, was later reported as Stefania sp. 2 and belongs to the S. ginesi clade. The new species is phylogenetically distinct but phenotypically similar to S. satelles, a taxon restricted to its type-locality, i.e. the summit of Aprada-tepui in Venezuela. The new species is described based on morphology and cranial osteology. Molecular divergences with S. satelles are high (> 8%) in the barcoding fragment of 16S rRNA. Amended definitions for the two other described species in the S. ginesi clade (S. ginesi and S. satelles) are also provided. The new species should be listed as critically endangered according to IUCN criteria.
{"title":"Out of sight, but not out of mind: a name for the Stefania (Anura: Hemiphractidae) from the summit of Murisipán-tepui (Bolívar State, Venezuela)","authors":"Philippe J. R. Kok","doi":"10.25225/jvb.23024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Previous molecular analyses of the frog genus Stefania have shown that species boundaries in that group are often difficult to delineate when solely based on morphology. As a consequence, “taxonomically cryptic” species are not uncommon in the genus. Several highland Stefania species remain to be described, some potentially critically endangered due to their highly restricted geographic ranges. One case is the microendemic Stefania population from the summit of Murisipán-tepui, a poorly explored table-top mountain in the Los Testigos Massif, a small tepui mountain range located north to the much larger Chimantá Massif in southern Venezuela. That population, mistaken as S. satelles for two decades, was later reported as Stefania sp. 2 and belongs to the S. ginesi clade. The new species is phylogenetically distinct but phenotypically similar to S. satelles, a taxon restricted to its type-locality, i.e. the summit of Aprada-tepui in Venezuela. The new species is described based on morphology and cranial osteology. Molecular divergences with S. satelles are high (> 8%) in the barcoding fragment of 16S rRNA. Amended definitions for the two other described species in the S. ginesi clade (S. ginesi and S. satelles) are also provided. The new species should be listed as critically endangered according to IUCN criteria.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"72 1","pages":"23024.1 - 16"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47072049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Allan S. Gilles, Dale Anthony To, R. Pavia, L. Vilizzi, G. Copp
Abstract. In the Philippines, trade in non-native aquatic organisms for ornamental purposes and food consumption has been responsible for their large-scale importation since the 1940s. These non-native organisms, and especially invasive fishes, represent one of the major threats to global biodiversity. However, little is known of the potential threats they pose to native species and ecosystems in the Philippines, where a sound risk analysis strategy is needed to control and manage non-native species. As a case study, nonnative freshwater fish species, both extant and horizon, were screened with the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK) for their risk of being or becoming invasive in Lake Taal – a volcanic crater lake of conservation value. Of the 45 species (13 extant and 32 horizon), 68.9% and 91.1% were ranked as high or very high risk, respectively under current and future climate conditions. This study, which provided evidence that led the Philippines government to adopt the AS-ISK decision-support tool for identifying potentially invasive aquatic species in other water bodies of the country, highlights the need for a comprehensive management strategy to avoid future non-native species introductions and mitigate adverse impacts from extant non-native species.
摘要在菲律宾，自20世纪40年代以来，用于观赏和食用目的的非本地水生生物贸易一直是其大规模进口的原因。这些非本地生物，特别是入侵鱼类，是全球生物多样性的主要威胁之一。然而，人们对它们对菲律宾本地物种和生态系统构成的潜在威胁知之甚少，需要一个健全的风险分析策略来控制和管理非本地物种。以具有保护价值的火山湖Taal湖为研究对象，利用As - isk水生物种入侵性筛查试剂盒(Aquatic species invasive Screening Kit, As - isk)对现存和地平线上的外来淡水鱼进行了入侵风险筛查。在当前和未来气候条件下，45种(现存13种，地平32种)中，68.9%和91.1%被列为高风险和极高风险。该研究为菲律宾政府采用AS-ISK决策支持工具识别该国其他水体中的潜在入侵水生物种提供了证据，并强调需要制定综合管理策略，以避免未来引入非本土物种并减轻现有非本土物种的不利影响。
{"title":"Risk of invasiveness of non-native fishes can dramatically increase in a changing climate: The case of a tropical caldera lake of conservation value (Lake Taal, Philippines)","authors":"Allan S. Gilles, Dale Anthony To, R. Pavia, L. Vilizzi, G. Copp","doi":"10.25225/jvb.23032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23032","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. In the Philippines, trade in non-native aquatic organisms for ornamental purposes and food consumption has been responsible for their large-scale importation since the 1940s. These non-native organisms, and especially invasive fishes, represent one of the major threats to global biodiversity. However, little is known of the potential threats they pose to native species and ecosystems in the Philippines, where a sound risk analysis strategy is needed to control and manage non-native species. As a case study, nonnative freshwater fish species, both extant and horizon, were screened with the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK) for their risk of being or becoming invasive in Lake Taal – a volcanic crater lake of conservation value. Of the 45 species (13 extant and 32 horizon), 68.9% and 91.1% were ranked as high or very high risk, respectively under current and future climate conditions. This study, which provided evidence that led the Philippines government to adopt the AS-ISK decision-support tool for identifying potentially invasive aquatic species in other water bodies of the country, highlights the need for a comprehensive management strategy to avoid future non-native species introductions and mitigate adverse impacts from extant non-native species.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"73 1","pages":"23032.1 - 15"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46967421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. To understand and sustain carnivore communities and ecosystems, it is important to determine the mechanisms of coexistence and potential competitive interactions among carnivores. This study examined how carnivores coexist and how climatic environmental shifts affect the potential competitive interactions among medium-sized carnivores. The seasonal trophic niche overlap of red foxes, Japanese martens, and raccoon dogs in the cool-temperate zone in Japan was evaluated, where there are distinct seasonal changes, especially from heavy snowfall. Faecal analysis of red foxes (n = 107), Japanese martens (n = 125), and raccoon dogs (n = 100) from 2019 to 2021 showed that carnivores share the main food items and their annual dietary overlap is relatively high despite the co-occurrence of carnivores. These results have indicated that the carnivores have potentially strong competitive interactions, and various competition avoidance mechanisms besides niche partitioning may facilitate the coexistence of carnivores in Japan. The study also found that the degree of trophic niche overlap varied by season, indicating that shifts in environmental conditions, particularly food abundance and snowfall, may affect potential competitive interactions among carnivore guilds.
{"title":"Seasonal variation in dietary patterns and trophic niche overlap among three sympatric medium-sized carnivores in a cool-temperate zone","authors":"T. Enomoto, Ryoga Watabe, Masayuki U. Saito","doi":"10.25225/jvb.23021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23021","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. To understand and sustain carnivore communities and ecosystems, it is important to determine the mechanisms of coexistence and potential competitive interactions among carnivores. This study examined how carnivores coexist and how climatic environmental shifts affect the potential competitive interactions among medium-sized carnivores. The seasonal trophic niche overlap of red foxes, Japanese martens, and raccoon dogs in the cool-temperate zone in Japan was evaluated, where there are distinct seasonal changes, especially from heavy snowfall. Faecal analysis of red foxes (n = 107), Japanese martens (n = 125), and raccoon dogs (n = 100) from 2019 to 2021 showed that carnivores share the main food items and their annual dietary overlap is relatively high despite the co-occurrence of carnivores. These results have indicated that the carnivores have potentially strong competitive interactions, and various competition avoidance mechanisms besides niche partitioning may facilitate the coexistence of carnivores in Japan. The study also found that the degree of trophic niche overlap varied by season, indicating that shifts in environmental conditions, particularly food abundance and snowfall, may affect potential competitive interactions among carnivore guilds.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"72 1","pages":"23021.1 - 13"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47160485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. A melanistic forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula was recorded among 125 individuals marked in a small isolated local population in central Lithuania. Until now, a totally black individual of D. nitedula was captured only in western Ukraine. A review of the literature on colour anomalies in European dormouse species has shown that this phenomenon is rare in dormice. Several black hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius were recorded in the same locality in northern Germany in 1972 and 2015, and one such dormouse was captured in the UK. Partial albino M. avellanarius was recorded in Germany. Two melanistic garden dormice Eliomys quercinus were collected in the Czech Republic, an albino specimen in France and a flavistic specimen in Germany. In the edible dormouse Glis glis, melanistic, albino, isabelline and flavistic individuals were recorded, all from Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Among aberrant-coloured European dormice, melanistic individuals were documented most often. Tail-tip albinism is more frequent among M. avellanarius, and this trait was recorded in several countries.
{"title":"A record of a melanistic forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula in Lithuania, with a review of colour anomalies in dormice (Gliridae)","authors":"R. Juškaitis","doi":"10.25225/jvb.23030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23030","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. A melanistic forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula was recorded among 125 individuals marked in a small isolated local population in central Lithuania. Until now, a totally black individual of D. nitedula was captured only in western Ukraine. A review of the literature on colour anomalies in European dormouse species has shown that this phenomenon is rare in dormice. Several black hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius were recorded in the same locality in northern Germany in 1972 and 2015, and one such dormouse was captured in the UK. Partial albino M. avellanarius was recorded in Germany. Two melanistic garden dormice Eliomys quercinus were collected in the Czech Republic, an albino specimen in France and a flavistic specimen in Germany. In the edible dormouse Glis glis, melanistic, albino, isabelline and flavistic individuals were recorded, all from Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Among aberrant-coloured European dormice, melanistic individuals were documented most often. Tail-tip albinism is more frequent among M. avellanarius, and this trait was recorded in several countries.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"72 1","pages":"23030.1 - 5"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41956837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
O. Říčan, Anežka Pangrácová, Cecilia E. Rodriguez Haro, Š. Říčanová
Abstract. Based on recent discoveries, Bujurquina appears to be the most widely distributed and species-rich cichlid genus in the western Amazon of South America. In this study, using a large representative sample of Bujurquina covering its whole distribution area, we use morphological and molecular data to test the hypothesis that each major western Amazon basin includes multiple endemic Bujurquina species arranged along an elevational river gradient and that these species are upland- and lowland-adapted in their ecomorphology. The hypothesis derives from two lines of evidence, i.e. observations of distribution patterns in Bujurquina and paleogeographic reorganisation of western Amazon drainage patterns. Body shape morphometrics and a biogeographic reconstruction of molecular phylogeny supported our hypothesis, confirming that upland and lowland Bujurquina show consistent differences in body shape and proportions that can be explained as repeated adaptations to local aquatic conditions within each main river basin. Ecomorphological divergence in relation to lentic and lotic waters (lowland and upland habitats) was repeated in all five basins studied, i.e. the Madre de Dios, upper Ucayali, central western Amazon-Huallaga, Marañón and Napo-Putumayo basins.
{"title":"Repeated ecomorphological divergence in Bujurquina (Teleostei: Cichlidae) body shape","authors":"O. Říčan, Anežka Pangrácová, Cecilia E. Rodriguez Haro, Š. Říčanová","doi":"10.25225/jvb.23004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23004","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Based on recent discoveries, Bujurquina appears to be the most widely distributed and species-rich cichlid genus in the western Amazon of South America. In this study, using a large representative sample of Bujurquina covering its whole distribution area, we use morphological and molecular data to test the hypothesis that each major western Amazon basin includes multiple endemic Bujurquina species arranged along an elevational river gradient and that these species are upland- and lowland-adapted in their ecomorphology. The hypothesis derives from two lines of evidence, i.e. observations of distribution patterns in Bujurquina and paleogeographic reorganisation of western Amazon drainage patterns. Body shape morphometrics and a biogeographic reconstruction of molecular phylogeny supported our hypothesis, confirming that upland and lowland Bujurquina show consistent differences in body shape and proportions that can be explained as repeated adaptations to local aquatic conditions within each main river basin. Ecomorphological divergence in relation to lentic and lotic waters (lowland and upland habitats) was repeated in all five basins studied, i.e. the Madre de Dios, upper Ucayali, central western Amazon-Huallaga, Marañón and Napo-Putumayo basins.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"72 1","pages":"23004.1 - 20"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46889294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Rymešová, D. Horal, H. Matušík, R. Raab, P. Spakovszky, I. Literák
Abstract. The first successful breeding of eastern imperial eagles (Aquila heliaca) in the Czech Republic, which lies at the north-western edge of its world breeding range, was confirmed in 1998. Here we summarise the dispersal, overwintering and expansion of the Czech population based on observational, ringing and telemetry data. The Czech breeding population had increased to at least 14 breeding pairs and 18 territorial pairs by 2022. Between 2017 and 2021, 19 nestlings were equipped with GPS/GSM devices. Two of the 16 surviving individuals (12.5%) spent their first winter in the Mediterranean (1,460 km and 1,671 km from natal nest), but did not repeat this migration pattern again. The other 14 tracked individuals wintered close to their natal areas. Maximal recorded distances from the natal nest and total area occupied (100% minimal convex polygons) were significantly lower in the first calendar year than the second. Signs of settlement prior to the first nesting attempt were already apparent by the third or fourth calendar year. Excluding exploratory trips during the floater period, final natal dispersals for two of the breeding males were 46 km and 92 km, respectively. Further spreading of the species' Czech breeding range is expected in the future.
{"title":"Dispersal of eastern imperial eagles from the Czech Republic","authors":"D. Rymešová, D. Horal, H. Matušík, R. Raab, P. Spakovszky, I. Literák","doi":"10.25225/jvb.23009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23009","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The first successful breeding of eastern imperial eagles (Aquila heliaca) in the Czech Republic, which lies at the north-western edge of its world breeding range, was confirmed in 1998. Here we summarise the dispersal, overwintering and expansion of the Czech population based on observational, ringing and telemetry data. The Czech breeding population had increased to at least 14 breeding pairs and 18 territorial pairs by 2022. Between 2017 and 2021, 19 nestlings were equipped with GPS/GSM devices. Two of the 16 surviving individuals (12.5%) spent their first winter in the Mediterranean (1,460 km and 1,671 km from natal nest), but did not repeat this migration pattern again. The other 14 tracked individuals wintered close to their natal areas. Maximal recorded distances from the natal nest and total area occupied (100% minimal convex polygons) were significantly lower in the first calendar year than the second. Signs of settlement prior to the first nesting attempt were already apparent by the third or fourth calendar year. Excluding exploratory trips during the floater period, final natal dispersals for two of the breeding males were 46 km and 92 km, respectively. Further spreading of the species' Czech breeding range is expected in the future.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"72 1","pages":"23009.1 - 19"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44649169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lenka Dvořáková, Jana Hernová, Ondřej Bušek, J. Reif
Abstract. Military areas often host extraordinary biodiversity compared to the typical agricultural landscape in Europe. It has been suggested that this is due to the high landscape heterogeneity caused by disturbances from military training. This study aimed to test this hypothesis using data from the military area Hradiště and nearby farmland in the Czech Republic (Central Europe). Here, we measured two facets of landscape heterogeneity – the number of woody vegetation patches and habitat diversity – and supplemented these measures with previously published data from bird point counts performed on the same sites. The number of woody vegetation patches was higher in the military area than in the farmland and was positively related to the species richness of birds of conservation concern. Habitat diversity did not differ between both regions. It showed, however, a hump-shaped relationship with total bird species richness. Our results indicate that open landscapes of military areas host a higher number of birds of conservation concern than the farmland due to a finer grain of woodland-grassland mosaic. To support more bird species, it is essential to keep habitat diversity high in open landscapes but at a level that does not harm bird populations by area limitation.
{"title":"Relationships between bird species richness and different facets of landscape heterogeneity – insights from a military area","authors":"Lenka Dvořáková, Jana Hernová, Ondřej Bušek, J. Reif","doi":"10.25225/jvb.23012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23012","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Military areas often host extraordinary biodiversity compared to the typical agricultural landscape in Europe. It has been suggested that this is due to the high landscape heterogeneity caused by disturbances from military training. This study aimed to test this hypothesis using data from the military area Hradiště and nearby farmland in the Czech Republic (Central Europe). Here, we measured two facets of landscape heterogeneity – the number of woody vegetation patches and habitat diversity – and supplemented these measures with previously published data from bird point counts performed on the same sites. The number of woody vegetation patches was higher in the military area than in the farmland and was positively related to the species richness of birds of conservation concern. Habitat diversity did not differ between both regions. It showed, however, a hump-shaped relationship with total bird species richness. Our results indicate that open landscapes of military areas host a higher number of birds of conservation concern than the farmland due to a finer grain of woodland-grassland mosaic. To support more bird species, it is essential to keep habitat diversity high in open landscapes but at a level that does not harm bird populations by area limitation.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"72 1","pages":"23012.1 - 14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47523848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. In the Monte region of Argentina, the local population is causing severe habitat degradation by extracting native vegetation and domestic animal grazing. To assess whether disturbed environments have higher levels of asymmetry than control environments, we examined morphological variation and fluctuating asymmetry in the cephalic region of the longtail whiptail lizard Aurivela longicauda (Teiidae) using a Procrustes analysis with geometric morphometry. This is the first study of asymmetry using geometric morphometry in a lizard from Argentina. While there was no difference in the size of the cephalic region between the two environments, there were differences in shape between the right and left side of the lizard's head (object symmetry), the differences being greater at disturbed sites (fluctuating asymmetry), suggesting that anthropogenic activities may act as stressors driving alterations in the fitness (reproduction) of reptile populations. Fluctuating asymmetry analysis is an excellent conservation biology and environmental monitoring tool for measuring stress in different organisms.
{"title":"Fluctuating asymmetry and environmental stress in a reptile under different levels of anthropogenic disturbance","authors":"G. Castillo, C. González-Rivas","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22073","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. In the Monte region of Argentina, the local population is causing severe habitat degradation by extracting native vegetation and domestic animal grazing. To assess whether disturbed environments have higher levels of asymmetry than control environments, we examined morphological variation and fluctuating asymmetry in the cephalic region of the longtail whiptail lizard Aurivela longicauda (Teiidae) using a Procrustes analysis with geometric morphometry. This is the first study of asymmetry using geometric morphometry in a lizard from Argentina. While there was no difference in the size of the cephalic region between the two environments, there were differences in shape between the right and left side of the lizard's head (object symmetry), the differences being greater at disturbed sites (fluctuating asymmetry), suggesting that anthropogenic activities may act as stressors driving alterations in the fitness (reproduction) of reptile populations. Fluctuating asymmetry analysis is an excellent conservation biology and environmental monitoring tool for measuring stress in different organisms.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"72 1","pages":"22073.1 - 9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46942989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dongmin Hou, Ting Jia, Yue Ren, Wan-long Zhu, P. Liu
Abstract. In many animals, changes in altitude drive adaptive variation in body size. However, how other phenotypic traits change when faced with different environments has been little studied in ectotherms. In this study, we selected the high Himalaya frog Nanorana parkeri as a model species for investigating the adaptive evolution of phenotypic traits that respond to altitude in both sexes. First, we found that body mass in populations at higher altitudes was lower than at lower altitudes in females, with no difference observed in males. Second, we found significant differences in fresh liver mass, fresh heart mass, and the ratio of liver mass to body mass with increasing altitude, while hindlimb length decreased with altitude in both sexes. Third, snout-urostyle length, hindlimb length, fresh heart mass and the ratio of heart mass to body mass showed significant negative correlations with increasing altitude in both sexes. In contrast, body mass showed a significant correlation with altitude in females but not males. On the other hand, the ratio of liver mass to body mass showed a significant correlation with altitude in males but not in females. Thus, the species displayed sex-specific organ-size variation along elevation gradients, which may trade-off in life history strategies among populations. We speculate that selection favours a larger heart and liver mass to maintain a higher respiratory rate and energy consumption as an adaptation to high-altitude environments.
{"title":"Phenotypic trait variations in the frog Nanorana parkeri: differing adaptive strategies to altitude between sexes","authors":"Dongmin Hou, Ting Jia, Yue Ren, Wan-long Zhu, P. Liu","doi":"10.25225/jvb.23008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23008","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. In many animals, changes in altitude drive adaptive variation in body size. However, how other phenotypic traits change when faced with different environments has been little studied in ectotherms. In this study, we selected the high Himalaya frog Nanorana parkeri as a model species for investigating the adaptive evolution of phenotypic traits that respond to altitude in both sexes. First, we found that body mass in populations at higher altitudes was lower than at lower altitudes in females, with no difference observed in males. Second, we found significant differences in fresh liver mass, fresh heart mass, and the ratio of liver mass to body mass with increasing altitude, while hindlimb length decreased with altitude in both sexes. Third, snout-urostyle length, hindlimb length, fresh heart mass and the ratio of heart mass to body mass showed significant negative correlations with increasing altitude in both sexes. In contrast, body mass showed a significant correlation with altitude in females but not males. On the other hand, the ratio of liver mass to body mass showed a significant correlation with altitude in males but not in females. Thus, the species displayed sex-specific organ-size variation along elevation gradients, which may trade-off in life history strategies among populations. We speculate that selection favours a larger heart and liver mass to maintain a higher respiratory rate and energy consumption as an adaptation to high-altitude environments.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"72 1","pages":"23008.1 - 11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49374495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys are increasingly used to inform management decisions for non-native species, for example, by detecting the presence and plotting distributions of species that may be in too low abundance for easy detection by conventional means. A recently-developed nested PCR protocol was used to assess the distributions of three non-native fish species in two river basins of southern England (River Test, Hampshire; River Ouse, Sussex). These river basins were known to contain three non-native fishes, either in the recent past or currently: two invasive small-bodied fish species (topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva, sunbleak Leucaspius delineatus), as well as a currently non-invasive species predicted to become invasive under future climate conditions, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus. Water samples were collected at locations from headwater streams to estuary. Pumpkinseed and sunbleak were both detected downstream of an angling venue in the Sussex Ouse catchment known to contain those species, with an upstream expansion of sunbleak suggested by the detection of eDNA at a few upstream locations. Neither sunbleak nor topmouth gudgeon was detected in water samples from the River Test catchment, suggesting that neither species has persistent populations in that river catchment.
{"title":"A rapid assessment of non-native fish distributions in two English river basins using environmental DNA","authors":"P. I. Davison, G. Copp","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22068","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys are increasingly used to inform management decisions for non-native species, for example, by detecting the presence and plotting distributions of species that may be in too low abundance for easy detection by conventional means. A recently-developed nested PCR protocol was used to assess the distributions of three non-native fish species in two river basins of southern England (River Test, Hampshire; River Ouse, Sussex). These river basins were known to contain three non-native fishes, either in the recent past or currently: two invasive small-bodied fish species (topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva, sunbleak Leucaspius delineatus), as well as a currently non-invasive species predicted to become invasive under future climate conditions, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus. Water samples were collected at locations from headwater streams to estuary. Pumpkinseed and sunbleak were both detected downstream of an angling venue in the Sussex Ouse catchment known to contain those species, with an upstream expansion of sunbleak suggested by the detection of eDNA at a few upstream locations. Neither sunbleak nor topmouth gudgeon was detected in water samples from the River Test catchment, suggesting that neither species has persistent populations in that river catchment.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"72 1","pages":"22068.1 - 12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41875362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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