Find research datasets worth reusing

Fig. 10 in Endemism on a threatened sky island: new and rare species of herpetofauna from Cerro Chucantí, Eastern Panama

Fig. 10. Relative abundance of the reptiles found during surveys from 2012–2016 in the Premontane Wet Forest (PWF) on Cerro Chucantí. 1 indicates provisional identification; * Species observed in PWF and PMF on Cerrro Chucanti, but outside a transect; ** Species of likely occurrence that have been found in similar habitat and elevations in adjacent peaks of Majé Mountains.

Fig. 8 in Endemism on a threatened sky island: new and rare species of herpetofauna from Cerro Chucantí, Eastern Panama

Fig. 8. Relative abundance of amphibians found during surveys from 2012–2016 in the Premontane Wet Forest (PWF) on Cerro Chucantí. * Species observed in PWF and PMF on Cerrro Chucanti, but outside a transect.

Fig. 7 in Endemism on a threatened sky island: new and rare species of herpetofauna from Cerro Chucantí, Eastern Panama

Fig. 7. Relative abundance of amphibians found during surveys from 2012–2016 in the Premontane Moist Forest (PMF) on Cerro Chucantí. * Species observed in PWF and PMF on Cerrro Chucanti, but outside a transect; ** Species of likely occurrence that have been found in similar habitat and elevations in adjacent peaks of Majé Mountains.

Fig. 3. Selected amphibian species found during the 2012–2016 in Endemism on a threatened sky island: new and rare species of herpetofauna from Cerro Chucantí, Eastern Panama

Fig. 3. Selected amphibian species found during the 2012–2016 surveys on Cerro Chucantí. (A) Dermophis aff. glandulosus; (B) second known specimen of Bolitoglossa chucantiensis, recently described and endemic (Batista et al. 2014a); (C) Bolitoglossa aff. biseriata; (D) Oedipina aff. complex; (E) Strabomantis bufoniformis; (F) Diasporus majeensis, recently described and endemic (Batista et al. 2016a); (G) Pristimantis gaigei; (H) Pristimantis moro.

Fig. 4. Selected amphibian species found during the 2012–2016 in Endemism on a threatened sky island: new and rare species of herpetofauna from Cerro Chucantí, Eastern Panama

Fig. 4. Selected amphibian species found during the 2012–2016 surveys on Cerro Chucantí that await formal description or clarification of relationships. (A) Colostethus aff. pratti; (B) Silverstoneia sp.; (C) Pristimantis aff. latidiscus; (D) Pristimantis aff. ridens.

opencc-by-3.0Oct 2016View details →

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Fig. 14 in New narrow-range endemic land snails from the sky islands of northern South Africa (Gastropoda: Streptaxidae and Urocyclidae)

Fig. 14. Sheldonia wolkbergensis sp. nov., holotype, shell diameter 7.7 mm (NMSA P0156/T4074).

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →

Data from: Climate change, extinction, and Sky Island biogeography in a montane lizard

Around the world, many species are confined to "Sky Islands," with different populations in isolated patches of montane habitat. How does this pattern arise? One scenario is that montane species were widespread in lowlands when climates were cooler, and were isolated by local extinction caused by warming conditions. This scenario implies that many montane species may be highly susceptible to anthropogenic warming. Here, we test this scenario in a montane lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) from the Madrean Sky Islands of southeastern Arizona. We combined data from field surveys, climate, population genomics, and physiology. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that this species' current distribution is explained by local extinction caused by past climate change. However, our results for this species differ from simple expectations in several ways: (1) their absence at lower elevations is related to warm winter temperatures, not hot summer temperatures; (2) they appear to exclude a low-elevation congener from higher elevations, not the converse; (3) they are apparently absent from many climatically suitable but low mountain ranges, seemingly "pushed off the top" by climates even warmer than those today; (4) despite the potential for dispersal among ranges during recent glacial periods (~18,000 years ago), populations in different ranges diverged ~4.5–0.5 million years ago and remained largely distinct; and (5) body temperatures are inversely related to climatic temperatures among sites. These results may have implications for many other Sky Island systems. More broadly, we suggest that Sky Island species may be relevant for predicting responses to future warming.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Long-term in situ persistence of biodiversity in tropical sky-islands revealed by landscape genomics

Tropical mountains are areas of high species richness and endemism. Two historical phenomena may have contributed to this: (1) fragmentation and isolation of habitats may have promoted the genetic differentiation of populations and increased the possibility of allopatric divergence and speciation, and; (2) the mountain areas may have allowed long-term population persistence during global climate fluctuations. These two phenomena have been studied using either species occurrence data or estimating species divergence times. However, only few studies have used intraspecific genetic data to analyse the mechanisms by which endemism may emerge at the microevolutionary scale. Here, we use landscape analysis of genomic SNP data sampled from two high-elevation plant species from an archipelago of tropical sky-islands (the Transmexican Volcanic Belt) to test for population genetic differentiation, synchronous demographic changes and habitat persistence. We show that genetic differentiation can be explained by the degree of glacial habitat connectivity among mountains, and that mountains have facilitated the persistence of populations throughout glacial/interglacial cycles. Our results support the ongoing role of tropical mountains as cradles for biodiversity by uncovering cryptic differentiation and limits to gene flow.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Phylogeography of the tepui brush finch, Atlapetes personatus (Passeriformes: Passerellidae): Extensive differentiation on the sky islands of the Venezuelan Pantepui

The biogeography and genetic structure of species endemic to the high elevation sky islands (tepuis) of the Guiana Shield in eastern and southern Venezuela and adjacent areas of Brazil and Guyana are poorly known. We investigated the phylogeography and population structure of the tepui brush finch (Atlapetes personatus) as an exemplar of that biota. Mitochondrial DNA sequences revealed three monophyletic clades that correspond to major morphological subspecies groups occurring in eastern, southern, and northwestern regions of the Pantepui. Differentiation among the clades accounted for 95% of the total genetic variance. DNA sequences from three nuclear loci also showed marked divergence among those three regions. Estimates of gene flow between regions and sampled populations were all less than one individual per generation. Consequently, these subspecies groups ought to be recognized as species-level taxa. The results suggest there is more large-scale biogeographic structure within the Pantepui region than generally recognized. Additionally, within two of the three regions, genetic variance among tepuis was substantial at both mitochondrial and nuclear loci. Many of the sampled populations appear to be genetically independent units that are nearly cryptic morphologically. The sampled tepuis may be islands of habitat for this taxon and for conservation purposes.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Aquatic islands in the sky: 100 years of research on water-filled tree holes

Water-filled tree holes are unique ecosystems that may occur high up in tree crowns like aquatic islands in the sky. Insect larvae, mesofauna and other organisms colonize the waterbodies and feed on the accumulating detritus. Water-filled tree holes are not only important habitats for these species but have been used as model systems in ecology. Here we review more than 100 years of research on tree-hole inhabiting organisms and show that most studies focus on selected or even single species (most of which are mosquitoes) whereas only few studies examine groups other than insects, especially in the tropics. Using a vote counting of results and a meta-analysis of community studies, we show that the effects of tree-hole size and resources on abundance and richness were investigated most frequently. Both were found to have a positive effect, but effect sizes were modulated by site-specific environmental variables such as temperature or precipitation. We also show that parameters such as the height of the tree holes above ground, tree-hole density, predation and detritus type can be important drivers of organism abundance or richness but are less often tested. We identify several important research gaps and potential avenues for future research. Specifically, future studies should investigate the structure, functions and temporal dynamics of tree-hole food webs and their cross-system interactions, for example with terrestrial predators that act as a connection to their terrestrial surroundings in meta-ecosystems. Global observational or experimental tree-hole studies could contribute pivotal information on spatial variation of community structure and environmental drivers of community assembly. With a better understanding of these unique aquatic habitats in terrestrial ecosystems, natural and artificial tree holes can not only serve as model systems for addressing fundamental ecological questions but also as indicator systems of the impacts of environmental change on ecosystems.

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Fig. 11 in Endemism on a threatened sky island: new and rare species of herpetofauna from Cerro Chucantí, Eastern Panama

Fig. 11. Species richness across habitats, as average species per transect (#species/transect).

opencc-zeroJan 2023View details →

Geographic isolation alone does not explain divergence of a group of orchid species across Brazil's campos rupestres sky-islands

Mountains play a crucial role in the origin and maintenance of Neotropical biodiversity, but there are still unanswered questions about the diversification of the campos rupestres (CR), an herbaceous-shrubby sky-island vegetation in Eastern South America. For orchids distributed across this disjunct rock habitat, difficulties with distinguishing morphological taxa add an additional challenge to disentangling the history of divergence. Here, we combined the power of ddRAD genomic data with broad sampling of Bulbophyllum sect. Didactyle (Orchidaceae), across the CR and other Neotropical outcrops, to estimate evolutionary relationships and reconstruct the biogeography of the group's diversification. Although genetic lineages generally align with geographic disjunctions, we also observe distantly related lineages within some previously recognized species. For such taxa, their lack of monophyly and a shared regional divergence pattern suggests a complex history that may include unrecognized diversity. When viewed through the lens of morphological variability, our study raises intriguing questions about the persistence and permeability of species barriers among orchid populations. These results, in addition to the recency of the divergence history of B. sect. Didactyle, provide insights about hypothesized community level versus species-specific paths of diversification across the Neotropical sky-islands of the CR.