Individual fitness is decoupled from coarse‐scale probability of occurrence in North American trees

Habitat suitability estimated with probability of occurrence in species distribution models (SDMs) is used in conservation to identify geographic areas that are most likely to harbor individuals of interest. In theory, probability of occurrence is coupled with individual fitness so that individuals have higher fitness at the centre of their species environmental niche than at the edges, which we here define as 'fitness‐centre' hypothesis. However, such relationship is uncertain and has been rarely tested across multiple species. Here, we quantified the relationship between coarse‐scale probability of occurrence projected with SDMs and individual fitness in 66 tree species native of North America. We used 1) field data of individuals' growth rate (height and diameter standardized by age) available from the United States Forest Inventory Analysis plots; and 2) common garden data collected from 23 studies reporting individual growth rate, survival, height and diameter of individuals originated from different provenances in United States and Canada. We show 'fitness–centre' relationships are rare, with only 12% and 11% of cases showing a significant positive correlation for field and common garden data, respectively. Furthermore, we found the 'fitness–centre' relationship is not affected by the precision of the SDMs and it does not depend upon dispersal ability and climatic breath of the species. Thus, although the 'fitness–centre' relationship is supported by theory, it does not hold true in nearly any species. Because individual fitness plays a relevant role in buffering local extinction and range contraction following climatic changes and biotic invasions, our results encourage conservationists not to assume the 'fitness–centre' relationship when modelling species distribution

Genetic diversity in the parthenogenetic reproducing tardigrade <i>Echiniscus testudo</i> (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscoidea)

Little is known about the genetic structure of microscopic animals from mosses and lichens. A few studies have investigated the geographic variation in tardigrades from mosses, but so far no study has investigated the intra-population or local clonal lineage variation. Echiniscus testudo (Echiniscoidea: Echiniscidae) belongs to a large cosmopolitan genus of terrestrial tardigrades comprising more than 150 species. It is a common tardigrade in mosses in the temperate part of the Northern hemisphere, and is highly tolerant of desiccation and freezing. In a previous study, we reported a maximum of 1.28% sequence variation (uncorrected p-distance) in cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) haplotypes between clonal lineages covering a large geographical area. However, in this previous study we used pooled specimens to constitute a sample, and the genetic diversity from single specimens within a locality therefore remains unknown. Accordingly, the present study investigates the COI sequence variation and haplotype diversity between single specimens of E. testudo collected at three Danish localities, separated by 80 m and 186 km. A total of 10 COI haplotypes were found in the present study (Et2, Et3, Et9, Et12-Et18); only three of these were previously reported (Et2, Et3 and Et9). The uncorrected COI sequence diversity ranged between 0-2.07%, with haplotype Et18 having the highest genetic difference. The second most variable haplotypes (Et14, Et15, and Et17) all showed a maximum diversity of 1.19% compared to the other haplotypes. No general pattern of haplotype distribution was evident. Our data suggest that E. testudo has dispersed across the Baltic sea as haplotypes Et3, Et13 and Et14 are present at all three localities. The most likely dispersal mode is passive wind dispersal in the cryptobiotic tun stage. The current study emphasises that numerous sequences from single specimens are needed to describe the genetic diversity within single moss cushions

Apparent effect of range size and fruit colour on palm diversification may be spurious

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate Strategic Research Area at the University of Gothenburg. C.C.S. was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP; 2020-09164-0). S.F. was supported by the Swedish Research Council (2017-03862); C.D.B. and M.F.T.J. were supported by the Swedish Research Council (2017-04980). The computation was enabled by resources provided by the National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputing in Sweden (NAISS) and the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at PDC and HPC2N, respectively, partially funded by the Swedish Research Council through grant agreements no. 2022-06725 and no. 2018-05973. There were no permits required for this work. Research Funding Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate Strategic Research Area Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior VetenskapsrådetPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Mammal species composition reveals new insights into Earth’s remaining wilderness

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156493/8/fee2192-sup-0004-FigS4.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156493/7/fee2192-sup-0005-FigS5.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156493/6/fee2192-sup-0006-FigS6.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156493/5/fee2192.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156493/4/fee2192-sup-0003-FigS3.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156493/3/fee2192-sup-0002-FigS2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156493/2/fee2192-sup-0001-FigS1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156493/1/fee2192_am.pd

Science for a wilder Anthropocene: synthesis and future directions for trophic rewilding research

Trophic rewilding is an ecological restoration strategy that uses species introductions to restore top-down trophic interactions and associated trophic cascades to promote self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems. Given the importance of large animals in trophic cascades and their widespread losses and resulting trophic downgrading, it often focuses on restoring functional megafaunas. Trophic rewilding is increasingly being implemented for conservation, but remains controversial. Here, we provide a synthesis of its current scientific basis, highlighting trophic cascades as the key conceptual framework, discussing the main lessons learned from ongoing rewilding projects, systematically reviewing the current literature, and highlighting unintentional rewilding and spontaneous wildlife comebacks as underused sources of information. Together, these lines of evidence show that trophic cascades may be restored via species reintroductions and ecological replacements. It is clear, however, that megafauna effects may be affected by poorly understood trophic complexity effects and interactions with landscape settings, human activities, and other factors. Unfortunately, empirical research on trophic rewilding is still rare, fragmented, and geographically biased, with the literature dominated by essays and opinion pieces. We highlight the need for applied programs to include hypothesis testing and science-based monitoring, and outline priorities for future research, notably assessing the role of trophic complexity, interplay with landscape settings, land use, and climate change, as well as developing the global scope for rewilding and tools to optimize benefits and reduce human–wildlife conflicts. Finally, we recommend developing a decision framework for species selection, building on functional and phylogenetic information and with attention to the potential contribution from synthetic biology

Trophic rewilding presents regionally specific opportunities for mitigating climate change

Large-bodied mammalian herbivores can influence processes that exacerbate or mitigate climate change. Herbivore impacts are, in turn, influenced by predators that place top-down forcing on prey species within a given body size range. Here, we explore how the functional composition of terrestrial large herbivore and carnivore guilds vary between three mammal distribution scenarios: Present-Natural, Current-Day, and Extant-Native Trophic (ENT) Rewilding. Considering the effects of herbivore species weakly influenced by top-down forcing, we quantify the relative influence keystone large herbivore guilds have on methane emissions, woody vegetation expansion, fire dynamics, large-seed dispersal, and nitrogen and phosphorous transport potential. We find strong regional differences in the number of herbivores under weak top-down regulation between our three scenarios with important implications for how they will influence climate change relevant processes. Under the Present-Natural non-ruminant, megaherbivore, browsers were a particularly important guild across much of the world. Megaherbivore extinction and range contraction and the arrival of livestock means large, ruminant, grazers have become more dominant. ENT Rewilding can restore the Afrotropics and Indo-Malay to the Present-Natural benchmark, but causes top-down forcing of the largest herbivores to become common place elsewhere. ENT Rewilding will reduce methane emissions, but does not maximise Natural Climate Solution potential

Loss of functional diversity through anthropogenic extinctions of island birds is not offset by biotic invasions

Human impacts reshape ecological communities through the extinction and introduction of species. The combined impact of these factors depends on whether non-native species fill the functional roles of extinct species, thus buffering the loss of functional diversity. This question has been difficult to address, because comprehensive information about past extinctions and their traits is generally lacking. We combine detailed information about extinct, extant, and established alien birds to quantify historical changes in functional diversity across nine oceanic archipelagos. We found that alien species often equal or exceed the number of anthropogenic extinctions yet apparently perform a narrower set of functional roles as current island assemblages have undergone a substantial and ubiquitous net loss in functional diversity and increased functional similarity among assemblages. Our results reveal that the introduction of alien species has not prevented anthropogenic extinctions from reducing and homogenizing the functional diversity of native bird assemblages on oceanic archipelagos

Museums and cradles of diversity are geographically coincident for narrowly distributed Neotropical snakes

Factors driving the spatial configuration of centres of endemism have long been a topic of broad interest and debate. Due to different eco-evolutionary processes, these highly biodiverse areas may harbour different amounts of ancient and recently diverged organisms (paleo- and neo-endemism, respectively). Patterns of endemism still need to be measured at distinct phylogenetic levels for most clades and, consequently, little is known about the distribution, the age and the causes of such patterns. Here we tested for the presence of centres with high phylogenetic endemism (PE) in the highly diverse Neotropical snakes, testing the age of these patterns (paleo- or neo-endemism), and the presence of PE centres with distinct phylogenetic composition. We then tested whether PE is predicted by topography, by climate (seasonality, stability, buffering and relictualness), or biome size. We found that most areas of high PE for Neotropical snakes present a combination of both ancient and recently diverged diversity, which is distributed mostly in the Caribbean region, Central America, the Andes, the Atlantic Forest and on scattered highlands in central Brazil. Turnover of lineages is higher across Central America, resulting in more phylogenetically distinct PE centres compared to South America, which presents a more phylogenetically uniform snake fauna. Finally, we found that elevational range (topographic roughness) is the main predictor of PE, especially for paleo-endemism, whereas low paleo-endemism levels coincide with areas of high climatic seasonality. Our study highlights the importance of mountain systems to both ancient and recent narrowly distributed diversity. Mountains are both museums and cradles of snake diversity in the Neotropics, which has important implications for conservation in this region.Fil: Azevedo, Josué Anderson Rêgo. University Goteborg; Suecia. Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre; SueciaFil: Guedes, Thaís B.. University Goteborg; Suecia. Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre; Suecia. Universidade Estadual do Maranhão. Centro de Estudos Superiores de Caxias. Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade, Ambiente e Saúde; PortugalFil: Nogueira, Cristiano de Campos. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Passos, Paulo. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Sawaya, Ricardo. Universidad Federal do Abc; BrasilFil: Prudente, Ana. Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi; BrasilFil: Barbo, Fausto Erritto. Governo do Estado de Sao Paulo. Secretaria da Saude. Instituto Butantan; BrasilFil: Strüssmann, Christine. Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul; BrasilFil: Franco, Francisco L.. Governo do Estado de Sao Paulo. Secretaria da Saude. Instituto Butantan; BrasilFil: Arzamendia, Vanesa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Giraudo, Alejandro Raul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Argolo, Antonio. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Jansen, Martin. Senckenberg Research Institute and Nature Museum; AlemaniaFil: Zaher, Hussam. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Tonini, Joao Filipe Riva. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Francia. Sorbonne University; Francia. Harvard University; Estados UnidosFil: Faurby, Søren. University Goteborg; SueciaFil: Antonelli, Alexandre. University Goteborg; Sueci