9 research outputs found

    Framing the future for taxonomic monography: Improving recognition, support, and access

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    Taxonomic monographs synthesize biodiversity knowledge and document biodiversity change through recent and geological time for a particular organismal group, sometimes also incorporating cultural and place-based knowledge. They are a vehicle through which broader questions about ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes can be generated and answered (e.g., Muñoz Rodríguez et al., 2019). Chiefly, monography represents the foundational research upon which all biological work is based (Hamilton et al., 2021). Moreover, monography can be a pathway to developing inclusive scientific practices, engaging diverse audiences in expanding and disseminating indigenous and local knowledge and significance of place. Apart from the scientific importance of monography, these comprehensive biodiversity treatments are also crucial for policy, conservation, human wellbeing, and the sustainable use of natural resources. Taxonomic, cultural and biodiversity data within monographs aid in the implementation of law and policy, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Nagoya Protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Buck & Hamilton, 2011), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (e.g., Neo et al., 2017). While vital as a knowledge resource and tool for conservation and research, monographs are not available for many groups of organisms. This is of particular concern for organisms that are threatened with extinction, of medical or economic importance, and those organisms that have the potential to provide insight into biodiversity change over time because they are most susceptible to global change. In discussing the future of collections-based systematics, researchers have highlighted the importance of updated monographic workflows, collaborative teams, and effective ways to educate and disseminate the results of monographs to the public and scientific community (e.g., Wen et al., 2015; Grace et al., 2021). Here, we discuss how improving recognition, support, and access can lead to greater inclusivity while promoting a more active, sustainable, and collaborative outlook for monographic research. </p

    Phylogenomics of Perityleae (Compositae) provides new insights into morphological and chromosomal evolution of the rock daisies

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    Rock daisies (Perityleae; Compositae) are a diverse clade of seven genera and ca. 84 minimum-rank taxa that mostly occur as narrow endemics on sheer rock cliffs throughout the southwest United States and northern Mexico. Taxonomy of Perityleae has traditionally been based on morphology and cytogenetics. To test taxonomic hypotheses and utility of characters emphasized in past treatments, we present the first densely sampled molecular phylogenies of Perityleae and reconstruct trait and chromosome evolution. We inferred phylogenetic trees from whole chloroplast genomes, nuclear ribosomal cistrons, and hundreds of low-copy nuclear genes using genome skimming and target capture. Discordance between sources of molecular data suggests an underappreciated history of hybridization in Perityleae. Phylogenies support the monophyly of subtribe Peritylinae, a distinctive group possessing a four-lobed disc corolla; however, all of the phylogenetic trees generated in this study reject the monophyly of the most species-rich genus, Perityle, as well as its sections: Perityle sect. Perityle, Perityle sect. Laphamia, and Perityle sect. Pappothrix. Using reversible jump MCMC, our results suggest that morphological characters traditionally used to classify members of Perityleae have evolved multiple times within the group. A base chromosome number x = 9 gave rise to higher base numbers in subtribe Peritylinae (x = 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, and 19) through polyploidization, followed by ascending or descending dysploidy. Most taxa constitute a monophyletic lineage with a base chromosome number of x = 17, with multiple neo-polyploidization events. These results demonstrate the advantages and obstacles of next-generation sequencing approaches in synantherology while laying the foundation for taxonomic revision and comparative study of the evolutionary ecology of Perityleae

    Data for analyses reported in article

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    This Excel file contains one page for each of the four SAS analyses performed. The Codebook page describes the meaning of the headings. Please consult the Methods section of the article for further information about analyses and data

    Herbivore diet breadth mediates the cascading effects of carnivores in food webs.

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    Predicting the impact of carnivores on plants has challenged community and food web ecologists for decades. At the same time, the role of predators in the evolution of herbivore dietary specialization has been an unresolved issue in evolutionary ecology. Here, we integrate these perspectives by testing the role of herbivore diet breadth as a predictor of top-down effects of avian predators on herbivores and plants in a forest food web. Using experimental bird exclosures to study a complex community of trees, caterpillars, and birds, we found a robust positive association between caterpillar diet breadth (phylodiversity of host plants used) and the strength of bird predation across 41 caterpillar and eight tree species. Dietary specialization was associated with increased enemy-free space for both camouflaged (n = 33) and warningly signaled (n = 8) caterpillar species. Furthermore, dietary specialization was associated with increased crypsis (camouflaged species only) and more stereotyped resting poses (camouflaged and warningly signaled species), but was unrelated to caterpillar body size. These dynamics in turn cascaded down to plants: a metaanalysis (n = 15 tree species) showed the beneficial effect of birds on trees (i.e., reduced leaf damage) decreased with the proportion of dietary specialist taxa composing a tree species' herbivore fauna. We conclude that herbivore diet breadth is a key functional trait underlying the trophic effects of carnivores on both herbivores and plants

    Herbivore diet breadth mediates the cascading effects of carnivores in food webs

    No full text
    Predicting the impact of carnivores on plants has challenged community and food web ecologists for decades. At the same time, the role of predators in the evolution of herbivore dietary specialization has been an unresolved issue in evolutionary ecology. Here, we integrate these perspectives by testing the role of herbivore diet breadth as a predictor of top-down effects of avian predators on herbivores and plants in a forest food web. Using experimental bird exclosures to study a complex community of trees, caterpillars, and birds, we found a robust positive association between caterpillar diet breadth (phylodiversity of host plants used) and the strength of bird predation across 41 caterpillar and eight tree species. Dietary specialization was associated with increased enemy-free space for both camouflaged (n = 33) and warningly signaled (n = 8) caterpillar species. Furthermore, dietary specialization was associated with increased crypsis (camouflaged species only) and more stereotyped resting poses (camouflaged and warningly signaled species), but was unrelated to caterpillar body size. These dynamics in turn cascaded down to plants: a metaanalysis (n = 15 tree species) showed the beneficial effect of birds on trees (i.e., reduced leaf damage) decreased with the proportion of dietary specialist taxa composing a tree species’ herbivore fauna. We conclude that herbivore diet breadth is a key functional trait underlying the trophic effects of carnivores on both herbivores and plants
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