Towards unravelling Wolbachia global exchange: a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics

Background Phylogenetically closely related strains of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria are often found in phylogenetically divergent, and geographically distant insect host species. The interspecies transfer of the symbiont Wolbachia has been thought to have occurred repeatedly, facilitating its observed global pandemic. Few ecological interactions have been proposed as potential routes for the horizontal transfer of Wolbachia within natural insect communities. These routes are however likely to act only at the local scale, but how they may support the global distribution of some Wolbachia strains remains unclear. Results Here, we characterize the Wolbachia diversity in butterflies from the tropical forest regions of central Africa to discuss transfer at both local and global scales. We show that numerous species from both the Mylothris (family Pieridae) and Bicyclus (family Nymphalidae) butterfly genera are infected with similar Wolbachia strains, despite only minor interclade contacts across the life cycles of the species within their partially overlapping ecological niches. The phylogenetic distance and differences in resource use between these genera rule out the role of ancestry, hybridization, and shared host-plants in the interspecies transfer of the symbiont. Furthermore, we could not identify any shared ecological factors to explain the presence of the strains in other arthropod species from other habitats, or even ecoregions. Conclusion Only the systematic surveys of the Wolbachia strains from entire species communities may offer the material currently lacking for understanding how Wolbachia may transfer between highly different and unrelated hosts, as well as across environmental scales.Peer reviewe

Floral Resources Partitioning by Two Co-occurring Eusocial Bees in an Afromontane Landscape

Floral preferences of generalist foragers such as eusocial bees influence the success of pollination of many flowering plants, as well as competition with many other bee species in tropical communities. Eusocial bees are important for the pollination success of many flowering plants, as well as for food resources availability for many other species. However, their foraging preferences are still unknown in many tropical areas, especially in the Afrotropics. We studied the foraging activity of two syntopic eusocial bees with large colonies, the honeybee Apis mellifera Linnaeus and the stingless bee Meliplebeia ogouensis (Vachal), on seven plant species in the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon, in two consecutive years. Simultaneously, we quantified intra- and inter-annual changes in the food resources. We observed resource partitioning among the two bee species. Although both species are considered as generalists, their short-term food niches overlap was very low. Their preferences to the most often visited plants differed even more strongly interannually. Our results bring the first evidence on such relatively strong resource partitioning among two dominant eusocial bee species from West/Central Africa

Towards unravelling Wolbachia global exchange: a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics

Background Phylogenetically closely related strains of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria are often found in phylogenetically divergent, and geographically distant insect host species. The interspecies transfer of the symbiont Wolbachia has been thought to have occurred repeatedly, facilitating its observed global pandemic. Few ecological interactions have been proposed as potential routes for the horizontal transfer of Wolbachia within natural insect communities. These routes are however likely to act only at the local scale, but how they may support the global distribution of some Wolbachia strains remains unclear. Results Here, we characterize the Wolbachia diversity in butterflies from the tropical forest regions of central Africa to discuss transfer at both local and global scales. We show that numerous species from both the Mylothris (family Pieridae) and Bicyclus (family Nymphalidae) butterfly genera are infected with similar Wolbachia strains, despite only minor interclade contacts across the life cycles of the species within their partially overlapping ecological niches. The phylogenetic distance and differences in resource use between these genera rule out the role of ancestry, hybridization, and shared host-plants in the interspecies transfer of the symbiont. Furthermore, we could not identify any shared ecological factors to explain the presence of the strains in other arthropod species from other habitats, or even ecoregions. Conclusion Only the systematic surveys of the Wolbachia strains from entire species communities may offer the material currently lacking for understanding how Wolbachia may transfer between highly different and unrelated hosts, as well as across environmental scales.Peer reviewe

Flying between raindrops : strong seasonal turnover of several Lepidoptera groups in lowland rainforests of Mount Cameroon

1. Although seasonality in the tropics is often less pronounced than in temperate areas, tropical ecosystems show seasonal dynamics as well. Nevertheless, individual tropical insects’ phenological patterns are still poorly understood, especially in the Afrotropics. To fill this gap, we investigated biodiversity patterns of Lepidoptera communities at three rainforest localities in the foothills of Mount Cameroon, West Africa, one of the wettest places in the world. 2. Our multi-taxa approach covered six lepidopteran groups (fruit-feeding butterflies and moths, the families Sphingidae, Saturniidae, and Eupterotidae, and the subfamily Arctiinae of Erebidae) with diverse life strategies. We sampled adults of the focal groups in three distinct seasons. Our sampling included standardised bait-trapping (80 traps exposed for ten days per locality and season) and attraction by light (six full nights per locality and season). 3. Altogether, our dataset comprised 20,576 specimens belonging to 559 (morpho)species of the focal groups. The biodiversity of Lepidoptera generally increased in the high-dry season, and either increased (fruit-feeding moths, Arctiinae, Saturniidae) or decreased (butterflies, Sphingidae) in the transition to the wet season in particular groups. Simultaneously, we revealed a strong species turnover of fruit-feeding Lepidoptera and Arctiinae among the seasons, indicating relatively high specialisation of these communities for particular seasons. 4. Such temporal specialisation can make the local communities of butterflies and moths especially sensitive to the expected seasonal perturbations caused by the global change. Because of the key role of Lepidoptera across trophic levels, such changes in their communities could strengthen this impact on entire tropical ecosystems

Is small-scale agriculture really the main driver of deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon? Moving beyond the prevailing narrative

A key premise underlying discussion about deforestation in Amazonian Peru is that small-scale or so-called migratory agriculture is the main driver of deforestation. This premise has been expressed in government documents and public outreach events. How the Peruvian government understands drivers of deforestation in the Amazon has profound implications for how it will confront the problem. It is therefore important to critically revisit assumptions under-lying this narrative. We find that the narrative is based on remote sensing of deforestation patch sizes but not on field data, potentially conflating distinct drivers of deforestation under the umbrella of “migratory,” “small-scale,” or “subsistence” agriculture. In fact, small patches of deforested land may indicate any number of processes, including sustainable fallow management and agroforestry. Moreover, the data underlying the narrative tell us little about the actors driving these processes or their motivations. Different pro-cesses have distinct implications for environmental sustainability and require targeted policy responses. We unpack these diverse actors, geographies, and motivations of small-patch deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon and argue that differentiating among these drivers is necessary to develop appropriate policy responses. We call for researchers to revisit assumptions and critically assess the motivations of observed deforestation to appropriately target policy action

A newly discovered biodiversity hotspot of many-plumed moths in the Mount Cameroon area: first report on species diversity, with description of nine new species (Lepidoptera, Alucitidae)

Fifteen species of many-plumed moths are recorded from the Mount Cameroon area, SW Cameroon, West Africa. Nine species: Alucita longipenis Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n., A. lidiya Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n., A. ludmila Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n., A. escobari Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n., A. mischenini Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n., A. fokami Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n., A. janeceki Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n., A. besongi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n., and A. olga Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n., are described as new for science. Four species are recorded as new from Cameroon: A. acalyptra, A. chloracta, A. coffeina, and A. spicifera. By these records, the Mount Cameroon area has become the richest known Afrotropical locality for the Alucitidae, highlighting its tremendous value for biodiversity conservation

Faunistic Study on Spiders (Araneae) in the Špraněk National Nature Reserve with Suggestion to Conservation Management of the Locality

Spiders (Araneae) are a classic indicator taxon for evaluating the health of natural environments. Here, spiders from the forest ecosystems in Špraněk National Nature Reserve (Olomoucký Region) were investigated. A total of 1195 specimens were collected by pitfall traps, individual collection, sweeping herb vegetation, beating shrubs and trees, and shifting leaf litters. Currently, 126 species from 23 families from April to October 2013 were recorded. The species diversity in the Špraněk area is rather high, representing approximately 14 % of Czech araneofauna. The most abundant species were Pardosa alacris and Xerolycosa nemoralis from the family Lycosidae. Of the identified species, 15 species were found listed in the Red List of Threatened Species in the Czech Republic (EN - 1 species, VU - 5 species, LC - 9 species). Several findings represent the northernmost occurrences of rare thermophilic spiders in Moravia and even the Czech Republic. In addition, the author proposed management methods of the locality and suggests management efforts which can improve conditions for biodiversity within the studied area.O