Middle Miocene evolution of East Asian summer monsoon precipitation in the northeast part of the Tibetan Plateau based on a quantitative analysis of p…
Seeds of the species Acacia retinodes, A. provincialis, and A. tenuissima) from different growing locations were analysed for their mineral composition, free and bound polyphenols, and flavonoids. Previous research has studied these compounds in only a limited number of Acacia species, and only one …
The Sailfin Catfish (Pterygoplichthys spp.) as a non-native aquarium pet: assessment of the potential distribution and public perception
The Sailfin Catfish of the genus Pterygoplichthys is a popular aquarium pet distributed and sold globally through the ornamental pet trade. Pterygoplichthys spp. have established stable populations in various freshwater ecosystems following aquarium pet owners’ deliberate introduction in the regions…
Unveiling global species abundance distributions
Whether most species are rare or have some intermediate abundance is a long-standing question in ecology. Here, we use more than one billion observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to assess global species abundance distributions (gSADs) of 39 taxonomic classes of eukaryotic o…
Biogeographic barriers and historic climate shape the phylogeography and demography of the common gartersnake
Aim Current distributions of widespread North American (NA) species have been shaped by Pleistocene glacial cycles, latitudinal temperature gradients, sharp longitudinal habitat transitions and the vicariant effects of major mountain and river systems that subdivide the continent. Within these trans…
Comment on “The global ecological niche of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) and predicted range shifts under climate change”
Rodríguez-Rey and Whittaker (Hydrobiologia 850:2089–2100, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-023-05220-8 ) recently investigated the ecological niche of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) in the Atlantic Ocean using species distribution models. They utilise occurrence records of lumpfish from the Globa…
A new multi-metric approach for quantifying global biodiscovery and conservation priorities reveals overlooked hotspots for amphibians
Undocumented species represent one of the largest hurdles for conservation efforts due to the uncertainty they introduce into conservation planning. Until the distribution of earth’s biodiversity is better understood, substantial conjecture will continue to be required for protecting species from an…
A global review of pyrosomes: Shedding light on the ocean's elusive gelatinous “fire-bodies”
Pyrosomes are colonial tunicates that form gelatinous tubes and occasionally produce bioluminescent swarms. The rapid “bloom‐bust” dynamics of pyrosomes have the potential to outcompete other zooplankton, restructure marine food webs, enhance carbon export, and interfere with human activities. Pyros…
The prevalence and implications of non-native wild boar Sus scrofa in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Humans’ introduction of species into areas where they do not naturally occur has led to ecological and economic havoc. Introduced species can become invasive, exerting negative pressures on native species and the environment. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is distributed worldwide except for Antarctica. The…
Eocene origin of anemone-carrying behaviour in polydectine crabs (Brachyura: Xanthidae)
The crabs in the subfamily Polydectinae (family Xanthidae) have adapted a defence behaviour in which living invertebrates are used as protection from predators. The polydectine crabs carry a living invertebrate, a sea anemone or nudibranch, in each claw, which is positioned in front of the body and …
Mapping global zoonotic niche and interregional transmission risk of monkeypox: a retrospective observational study
Background Outbreaks of monkeypox have been ongoing in non-endemic countries since May 2022. A thorough assessment of its global zoonotic niche and potential transmission risk is lacking. Methods We established an integrated database on global monkeypox virus (MPXV) occurrence during 1958 − 2022. Ph…
Are Pacific Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris regilla) Resistant to Tetrodotoxin (TTX)? Characterizing Potential TTX Exposure and Resistance in an Ecological A…
Animals that frequently encounter toxins often develop mechanisms of toxin resistance over evolutionary time. Both predators that consume toxic prey and organisms in physical contact with a toxin in their environment may experience natural selection for resistance. Based on observations that Pacific…
Predicting species distributions in the open oceans with convolutional neural networks.
As biodiversity plummets due to anthropogenic disturbances, the conservation of oceanic species is made harder by limited knowledge of their distributions and migrations. Indeed, tracking species distributions in the open ocean is particularly challenging due to scarce observations, and the complex …
Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeselii
Background The discovery of cryptic species complexes within morphologically established species comes with challenges in the classification and handling of these species. We hardly know to what extent species within a species complex differ ecologically. Such knowledge is essential to assess the vu…
A global review of the American mink (Neovison vison) removal techniques–Patagonia as a case study for their potential application 🇨🇱🇦🇷
American mink (Neovison vison) represents a threat to both biodiversity and economy in various regions of the world, including Patagonia. This invasive species has been successfully removed from many areas of Europe. In Chile and Argentina there have been only patchily distributed attempts of local …
Harnessing machine learning for landscape character management in a shallow relief region of China
Due to China’s rapid human activity expansion, landscapes have lost their distinctive and typical characteristics. This paper addresses this issue by proposing a landscape character management framework for the Beijing shallow relief area. The framework utilises machine learning techniques to assess…
Clownfish Hosting Anemone Location Data from GBIF
This is a location dataset derived from GBIF location data for the 10 Clownfish hosting anemones. The data was downloaded, filtered, and used to create range maps in R. The species included are: Cryptodendrum adhaesivum Entacmaea quadricolor Heteractis aurora Heteractis crispa Heteractis magnifica H…
Analysing ecological dynamics with relational event models: The case of biological invasions
ims Spatio-temporal processes play a key role in ecology, from genes to large-scale macroecological and biogeographical processes. Existing methods studying such spatio-temporally structured data either simplify the dynamic structure or the complex interactions of ecological drivers. The aim of thi…
Multisource data reveals relevant trends in a Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis population at an important coastal wetland of Southern Brazil:…
The Lagoa do Peixe National Park is one of the most important wetlands in southern Brazil, serving as a contranuptial or breeding site for several species of birds, including the Chilean Flamingo. Despite being the only area where Chilean Flamingo can be seen all year round, the population dynamics …
Interacting effects of latitudinal and elevational gradients on the distribution of Iberian inland fish
Unraveling the effects of latitudinal and elevational gradients on species distribution has been a central topic in biogeography for decades. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of the interaction between both gradients on species distributions. The main goal of this study was to evaluat…
Ecological Network Resilience & Extinction Proxies - Updating Projections of Ecological Networks
Forecasting biodiversity and functioning changes to ecosystem composition and functioning under climate change requires using multi-species approaches that explicitly consider ecological interactions. Here, we propose a framework with which to incorporate considerations of (1) localised extinction r…
Global Status of Non-Native Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides, Centrachidae) and Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus Dolomieu, Centrarchidae): Disparate…
Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides, LMB) and Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu, SMB) are among the most highly invasive species across the globe, but are simultaneously among the most highly sought-after game fish. To explain these disparate views, data on invasive status and angling partici…
Global seed dormancy patterns are driven by macroclimate but not fire regime
Summary Seed dormancy maximizes plant recruitment in habitats with variation in environmental suitability for seedling establishment. Yet, we still lack a comprehensive synthesis of the macroecological drivers of nondormancy and the different classes of seed dormancy: physiological dormancy, morphop…
Trait-based and phylogenetic approaches to understanding community assembly processes in eelgrass beds
The field of community ecology is fundamentally concerned with the assembly and maintenance of diversity across space and time. Two of the most fundamental questions in the field, then, are 1) why do we see variation in composition and diversity across space and time, and 2) how are diversity and as…
Shedding light on conservation strategies for the invasive species Potamopyrgus antipodarum under changing climate
Climate change and invasive species are two major global environmental challenges affecting freshwater ecosystems. This study investigates the preferences and potential distribution of Potamopyrgus antipodarum, an invasive species, in relation to climate zones and habitat types. It highlights the im…
Current patterns of non-native vertebrate introductions in Brazil: introduction pathways and the contribution of niche dynamics in understanding the i…
Correlative niche models are commonly used in the prevention and management of invasive species. The climatic similarity between non-native and native environments is a necessary assumption for the maintenance of species niches, influencing ecological processes in the persistence of non-native speci…