{"title":"Converting farmlands to forests or forests to farmlands?","authors":"Hai Ren, Lei Gao, Dafeng Hui, Q. Guo","doi":"10.1002/bod2.12015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bod2.12015","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":517909,"journal":{"name":"Biological Diversity","volume":" 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141675743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hongxin Xie, Jing Yang, Guoshuai Tang, Yao Zeng, Shuyi Luo, Baojun Sun, Yonggang Nie, Zhenyu Du, Wei‐Guo Du
Animals are known for their self‐medicating behavior, and food composition also contributes to animal fitness. In this study, we investigated the dietary habits of endangered Chinese crocodile lizards and found that, compared to adult lizards, juvenile lizards consumed more centipedes, a trend validated through controlled feeding experiments. Juvenile lizards fed with centipedes demonstrated faster growth rates and better body conditions than those fed an earthworm‐only diet, despite no increase in food intake. The centipede‐added group showed lower species richness in the gut microbiome and had more abundant fermentative bacteria, such as Bacteroides, Paraclostridium, and Enterococcus, whereas the earthworm‐only group had more abundant non‐fermentative opportunistic pathogens. Higher concentrations of short‐chain fatty acids, which are mainly derived from bacterial fermentation in the gut, were found in the feces of the centipede‐added group. Therefore, consumption of centipedes promoted the growth and gut microbiota homeostasis of juvenile lizards. This study emphasizes the significance of preserving food diversity in natural environments and increasing dietary diversity in captive populations.
{"title":"Consumption of centipedes promotes growth and gut microbiome homeostasis in a lizard","authors":"Hongxin Xie, Jing Yang, Guoshuai Tang, Yao Zeng, Shuyi Luo, Baojun Sun, Yonggang Nie, Zhenyu Du, Wei‐Guo Du","doi":"10.1002/bod2.12006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bod2.12006","url":null,"abstract":"Animals are known for their self‐medicating behavior, and food composition also contributes to animal fitness. In this study, we investigated the dietary habits of endangered Chinese crocodile lizards and found that, compared to adult lizards, juvenile lizards consumed more centipedes, a trend validated through controlled feeding experiments. Juvenile lizards fed with centipedes demonstrated faster growth rates and better body conditions than those fed an earthworm‐only diet, despite no increase in food intake. The centipede‐added group showed lower species richness in the gut microbiome and had more abundant fermentative bacteria, such as Bacteroides, Paraclostridium, and Enterococcus, whereas the earthworm‐only group had more abundant non‐fermentative opportunistic pathogens. Higher concentrations of short‐chain fatty acids, which are mainly derived from bacterial fermentation in the gut, were found in the feces of the centipede‐added group. Therefore, consumption of centipedes promoted the growth and gut microbiota homeostasis of juvenile lizards. This study emphasizes the significance of preserving food diversity in natural environments and increasing dietary diversity in captive populations.","PeriodicalId":517909,"journal":{"name":"Biological Diversity","volume":"345 9‐10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140698071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hui Liu, Deyi Yin, Pengcheng He, M. Cadotte, Qing Ye
Understanding the mechanisms underpinning the origins, patterns and dynamics of biodiversity is fundamental in biology and ecology. Trait‐based ecology emphasizes the importance of functional traits in community assembly and ecosystem properties, however, functional traits can also provide links with biodiversity at broader temporal and spatial scales. Here, we proposed a perspective of using functional traits to analyze and predict biodiversity from different ecological dimensions, along with the influences of evolution and environment. We summarized current research progress on roles of plant functional traits in species adaptation and coexistence, biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning, species distribution and global biodiversity, in order to integrate a functional approach to investigate biodiversity, and then discussed future trends of biodiversity studies under environmental change.
{"title":"Linking plant functional traits to biodiversity under environmental change","authors":"Hui Liu, Deyi Yin, Pengcheng He, M. Cadotte, Qing Ye","doi":"10.1002/bod2.12004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bod2.12004","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the mechanisms underpinning the origins, patterns and dynamics of biodiversity is fundamental in biology and ecology. Trait‐based ecology emphasizes the importance of functional traits in community assembly and ecosystem properties, however, functional traits can also provide links with biodiversity at broader temporal and spatial scales. Here, we proposed a perspective of using functional traits to analyze and predict biodiversity from different ecological dimensions, along with the influences of evolution and environment. We summarized current research progress on roles of plant functional traits in species adaptation and coexistence, biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning, species distribution and global biodiversity, in order to integrate a functional approach to investigate biodiversity, and then discussed future trends of biodiversity studies under environmental change.","PeriodicalId":517909,"journal":{"name":"Biological Diversity","volume":"1 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140716103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yingjie Xiong, Yujie Zhao, Yuanyu He, Lina Zhao, Haihua Hu, Russell L. Barrett, Zhiduan Chen, Limin Lu
Genetic diversity represents the fundamental basis of biological variation within species, and is therefore the ultimate representation of biodiversity. Despite that all forms of diversity being defined by genomic differences, genetic diversity has received relatively less attention compared with species and ecosystem diversity. Here, we review recent literature and conclude that progress in understanding genetic diversity of seed plants, is strongly associated with advances in sequencing technology. We here present case studies to illustrate the application of genetic diversity for tracing crop domestication and delimiting species boundaries. Understanding genetic diversity is particularly critical for the field of conservation biology, and there is a clear shift to population‐level genetic studies to understand rare species. We then document additional factors that potentially influence genetic diversity, including climate change, habitat fragmentation, and species invasion. Finally, we identify current research limitations and propose directions for future studies. We highlight the need to develop broad‐scale genetic diversity knowledge, combined with other aspects of diversity to improve biodiversity conservation outcomes. We conclude that populating global databases with genomic‐scale sequence data for all species is an urgent and achievable goal now.
{"title":"Current progress and future prospects for understanding genetic diversity of seed plants in China","authors":"Yingjie Xiong, Yujie Zhao, Yuanyu He, Lina Zhao, Haihua Hu, Russell L. Barrett, Zhiduan Chen, Limin Lu","doi":"10.1002/bod2.12005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bod2.12005","url":null,"abstract":"Genetic diversity represents the fundamental basis of biological variation within species, and is therefore the ultimate representation of biodiversity. Despite that all forms of diversity being defined by genomic differences, genetic diversity has received relatively less attention compared with species and ecosystem diversity. Here, we review recent literature and conclude that progress in understanding genetic diversity of seed plants, is strongly associated with advances in sequencing technology. We here present case studies to illustrate the application of genetic diversity for tracing crop domestication and delimiting species boundaries. Understanding genetic diversity is particularly critical for the field of conservation biology, and there is a clear shift to population‐level genetic studies to understand rare species. We then document additional factors that potentially influence genetic diversity, including climate change, habitat fragmentation, and species invasion. Finally, we identify current research limitations and propose directions for future studies. We highlight the need to develop broad‐scale genetic diversity knowledge, combined with other aspects of diversity to improve biodiversity conservation outcomes. We conclude that populating global databases with genomic‐scale sequence data for all species is an urgent and achievable goal now.","PeriodicalId":517909,"journal":{"name":"Biological Diversity","volume":"10 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140713324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
I have long promoted botanic gardens as a potent mix of nature, culture and science. Triggered by the COVID‐19 pandemic and the community's changing relationship with outdoor spaces, I want to add another vital element: the botanic garden as a reimagined physic garden. Not just a collection of medicinal plants, but a healing place. The value of nature, of gardens, and particularly of botanic gardens, for keeping us in “good health” is, if not self‐evident, then progressively confirmed by social research. The modern botanic garden as a physic garden embraces the creation and further development of botanic gardens in places where there are more people than “natural” diversity of plants; encourages a medical approach to addressing complex problems like climate change—targeting the root causes first, curing if possible, or if not, relieving symptoms and build resistance; favors a triaging approach to conservation for more effective use of resources; and provides plant rescue and restoration as the equivalent of a human Intensive Care Unit, with “plant ambulances” dispatched after natural (including human‐induced) disasters. Our landscapes and collections are for many their first contact with a complex plant environment—nature. That contact is also good for our health.
{"title":"A healing place: Reimagining the modern botanic garden as a physic garden","authors":"Tim Entwisle","doi":"10.1002/bod2.12001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bod2.12001","url":null,"abstract":"I have long promoted botanic gardens as a potent mix of nature, culture and science. Triggered by the COVID‐19 pandemic and the community's changing relationship with outdoor spaces, I want to add another vital element: the botanic garden as a reimagined physic garden. Not just a collection of medicinal plants, but a healing place. The value of nature, of gardens, and particularly of botanic gardens, for keeping us in “good health” is, if not self‐evident, then progressively confirmed by social research. The modern botanic garden as a physic garden embraces the creation and further development of botanic gardens in places where there are more people than “natural” diversity of plants; encourages a medical approach to addressing complex problems like climate change—targeting the root causes first, curing if possible, or if not, relieving symptoms and build resistance; favors a triaging approach to conservation for more effective use of resources; and provides plant rescue and restoration as the equivalent of a human Intensive Care Unit, with “plant ambulances” dispatched after natural (including human‐induced) disasters. Our landscapes and collections are for many their first contact with a complex plant environment—nature. That contact is also good for our health.","PeriodicalId":517909,"journal":{"name":"Biological Diversity","volume":" 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140389939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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