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opencc-zeroSep 2020View details →

Data from: Historical contingency, niche conservatism and the tendency for some taxa to be more diverse towards the poles

Aim We test the ability of the biotic exchange across the Bering land-bridge coupled to niche conservatism to explain current day mammalian diversity gradients. Location the Holarctic Taxon mammals Methods We compared the diversity within clades that participated in the exchange (colonizers), whose ancestors withstood the Beringian cold temperatures, with that within clades that did not participate (sedentaries). We contrasted biogeographical patterns, tested the ability of environmental models to predict species richness of colonizers and sedentaries across continents and, compared richness-climate relationships between colonizers and sedentaries controlling for phylogenetic effects. Results We find that assemblages of colonizers are more diverse towards higher latitudes, opposing the traditional latitudinal diversity gradient which is followed by sedentaries. Despite the long passage of time since this major dispersal event, we find that the geographic distribution of colonizers is more strongly correlated to the distributions of other colonizers inhabiting a different continent than to the distribution of sedentary species. Main conclusions Our results highlight the importance of historical migrations and dispersal in configuring present-day diversity gradients. We also suggest that colonizers may be particularly vulnerable to future climate change because of the predicted disproportionate decrease in climate space in the extra-tropical realm where they are currently most diverse.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Niche conservatism and the invasive potential of the wild boar

1.Niche conservatism, i.e. the retention of a species' fundamental niche through evolutionary time, is cornerstone for biological invasion assessments. The fact that species tend to maintain their original climate niche allows predictive maps of invasion risk to anticipate potential invadable areas. Unraveling the mechanisms driving niche shifts can shed light on the management of invasive species. 2.Here, we assessed niche shifts in one of the world's worst invasive species: the wild boar Sus scrofa. We also predicted potential invadable areas based on an ensemble of three ecological niche modeling methods, and evaluated the performance of models calibrated with native vs pooled (native plus invaded) species records. By disentangling the drivers of change on the exotic wild boar population's niches, we found strong evidence for niche conservatism during biological invasion. 3.Ecological niche models calibrated with both native and pooled range records predicted convergent areas. Also, observed niche shifts are mostly explained by niche unfilling, i.e. there are unoccupied areas in the exotic range where climate is analogous to the native range. 4.Niche unfilling is expected as result of recent colonization and ongoing dispersal, and was potentially stronger for the Neotropics, where a recent wave of introductions for pig-farming and game-hunting has led to high wild boar population growth rates. The invasive potential of wild boar in the Neotropics is probably higher than in other regions, which has profound management implications if we are to prevent their invasion into species-rich areas, such as Amazonia, coupled with expansion of African swine fever and possibly great economic losses. 5.Although the originally Eurasian-wide distribution suggests a pre-adaptation to a wide array of climates, the wild boar worldwide invasion does not exhibit evidence of niche evolution. The invasive potential of the wild boar therefore probably lies on the reproductive, dietary and morphological characteristics of this species, coupled with behavioral thermoregulation.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Global test of Eltonian niche conservatism of nonnative freshwater fish species between their native and introduced ranges

Despite growing evidence that biotic interactions limit the distribution of species and their potential redistribution under climate change, the recent surge of interest in niche conservatism has predominantly focused on the Grinellian (abiotic) niche, whereas few studies have attempted to quantify potential lability in the Eltonian (biotic or trophic) niche. Here, we test for conservatism in the Eltonian niche of 32 freshwater fish species between their introduced and native ranges from 435 populations across the globe. We used stable isotope data to quantify niche shifts along the horizontal (δ13C: indicating the origin of the resources consumed) and vertical (δ15N: describing the trophic position) dimensions of the isotopic niche, as well as shifts in overall isotopic niche breadth. Using an assemblage centroid standardized isotope vector analysis and controlling for phylogenetic relatedness among species, we demonstrated that introduced freshwater fishes exhibited flexibility in both resource use and trophic position that was beyond levels of natural variability observed in their native ranges. By contrast, niche breadth showed variability only within the limits recorded in native populations and varied independently from shifts in mean isotopic niche positions. Across all species and introduction histories, we found a consistent shift towards more balanced acquisition of resources with mixed origins and at intermediate trophic positions, suggesting a general mechanism by which fish species successfully establish into recipient communities. The mechanisms that promote or inhibit species from shifting their Eltonian niche remains unknown, but trophic flexibility is likely to contribute to both the success and the ecological impacts of invasive species and range shifts of native species under future global change.

opennotspecifiedDec 2008View details →

FIGURE 2 in When starvation challenges the tradition of niche conservatism: On a new species of the saxicolous genus Phymaturus from Patagonia Argentina with pseudoarboreal foraging behaviour (Iguania, Liolaemidae)

FIGURE 2. (a) Adult female paratype of Phymaturus agilis in life from Terra Typica, Río Negro, ventral view. Photo: F.O. Tappari, 11-10-2007. (b) Adult of Phymaturus agilis foraging and feeding on a Lycium gillesianum shrub. Photo: Cynthia González, 26-11-2006.

opennotspecifiedDec 2008View details →

FIGURE 1 in When starvation challenges the tradition of niche conservatism: On a new species of the saxicolous genus Phymaturus from Patagonia Argentina with pseudoarboreal foraging behaviour (Iguania, Liolaemidae)

FIGURE 1. (a) Adult male holotype of Phymaturus agilis in life from Terra Typica, Río Negro, dorsal view. Photo: J.A. Scolaro, 10-03-2006. (b) Adult female paratype of Phymaturus agilis in life from Terra Typica, Río Negro, dorsal view. Photo: J.A. Scolaro, 10-03-2006.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2023View details →

Supplementary - Testing the Tropical Niche Conservatism Hypothesis: Climatic niche evolution of Escallonia Mutis ex L. F. (Escalloniaceae)

Supplementary material of the article Testing the Tropical Niche Conservatism Hypothesis: Climatic niche evolution of Escallonia Mutis ex L. F. (Escalloniaceae)

opennotspecifiedJan 2023View details →

Fig. 2 in Climatic Niche Conservatism and Ecological Diversification in the Holarctic Cold-Dwelling Butterfly Genus Erebia

Fig. 2. Illustrative figures of European and Asian mountains (panels A, B) and ancestral reconstruction of climatic traits (panels C–G) for species-specific average values of WorldClim variables.The ancestral reconstructions are based on OU model of evolution in the butterfly genus Erebia.

opennotspecifiedJan 2023View details →

Fig. 3 in Climatic Niche Conservatism and Ecological Diversification in the Holarctic Cold-Dwelling Butterfly Genus Erebia

Fig. 3. The relationships between climatic and elevation niche widths and niche position along the gradient of conditions occupied by the butterfly genus Erebia. The points correspond to the niche width (y-axis) and average value of a climate variable or elevation for individual species (x-axis).The best fit of generalized additive models (GAM) is shown by lines (separately for species of the European and the Asian clade). Statistical significance of the model fit is also shown. edf denotes the estimated degrees of freedom, which indicates the complexity of the nonlinear relationship (edf = 1 corresponds to a linear relationship).

opennotspecifiedJan 2023View details →

Fig. 1 in Climatic Niche Conservatism and Ecological Diversification in the Holarctic Cold-Dwelling Butterfly Genus Erebia

Fig. 1. Phylogenetic relationships and divergence time estimates for the butterfly genus Erebia. The European clade diversified mainly in Europe, the Asian clade in Asia, although the geographic distribution of several species is not restricted to a single region (see Supp Fig. 3 [online only]). The full biogeographic reconstruction is shown in the Supp Figs. 3–5 (online only). Climatic PCA displays the distribution-based climatic data for all species of the European and the Asian clades.The polygons show the full extent of the conditions occupied by each clade (dotted lines) and the core 50% of the climatic niche (solid lines). The inset shows the correlation of individual bioclimatic variables with the first and second PCA axes.The bioclimatic variables (bio1, bio4, bio12, and bio15) displayed significant phylogenetic signal (Table 3).The European clade inhabits warmer, more humid, and less seasonal climate compared to the Asian clade.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Data from: Climatic niche lability but growth form conservatism in the African woody flora

Climatic niche evolution during the diversification of tropical plants has received little attention in Africa. To address this, we characterized the climatic niche of >4000 tropical African woody species, distinguishing two broad bioclimatic groups (forest vs. savanna) and six subgroups. We quantified niche conservatism versus lability at the genus level and for higher clades, using a molecular phylogeny of >800 genera. Although niche stasis at speciation is prevalent, numerous clades individually cover vast climatic spaces suggesting a general ease in transcending ecological limits, especially across bioclimatic subgroups. The forest biome was the main source of diversity, providing many lineages to savanna, but reverse shifts also occurred. We identified clades that diversified in savanna after shifts from forest. The forest-savanna transition was not consistently associated with a growth form change, though we found evolutionarily labile clades whose presence in forest or savanna is associated respectively with climbing or shrubby species diversification.

Fig. 2 a–c in Non-ecological speciation, niche conservatism and thermal adaptation: how are they connected?

Fig. 2 a–c. Strong sexual isolation between two congeneric species of demoiselles (Odonata: Calopteryx) in Europe. a These two species differ mainly in the male's secondary sexual character (amount of wing melanization, while females of both species are very similar. The banded demoiselle (C. splendens) has about 50 % of the wing covered with melanin, whereas the beautiful demoiselle (C. virgo) has almost the entire wing melanized. b At a sympatric locality in southern Sweden ("Klingavälsåns Naturreservat") these two species are strongly sexually isolated from each other and mate assortatively, although a few heterospecific pairs are found. c Experimental manipulation of

Fig. 5 a–c in Non-ecological speciation, niche conservatism and thermal adaptation: how are they connected?

Fig. 5 a–c. Mate preferences and species recognition is learned, rather than purely genetic among females of the banded demoiselle (C. splendens). a Female C. splendens discriminate between con- and hetero-specific males based on a visual cue: the amount of wing melanization (see also Fig. 2). Females (middle, below the two males) were allowed to choose and/or physically interact with either con- or hetero-specific males, and their mate responses were recorded (b, c). b Species discrimination is not present among sexually naïve C. splendens females that have been isolated since emergence from males of both species, but is present among sexually experienced females that have interacted with males in the field. Filled symbols Heterospecific

Fig. 4 a–c in Non-ecological speciation, niche conservatism and thermal adaptation: how are they connected?

Fig. 4 a–c. Sexual and natural selection on 12 morphological traits in the banded demoiselle (C. splendens), based on field observations of mating success of marked individuals. a Sexual selection is stronger than natural selection across all traits, irrespective over which time scale sexual selection is measured ("short" vs "long", referring to minutes and hours vs days). b Natural selection on the morphological

Fig. 3 a–c in Non-ecological speciation, niche conservatism and thermal adaptation: how are they connected?

Fig. 3 a–c. Weak interspecific thermal niche divergence between phenotypically and ecologically similar demoiselles (C. splendens and C. virgo). a Thermal images obtained from infrared (IR) photographs of demoiselles can be used to obtain accurate estimates of body temperatures, ambient temperatures and substrate temperatures. Here a copulating pair of C. virgo (pair in middle of figure). Note the white colour of the male, which reveals his substantially higher body temperature than the substrate (temperature scale on the right). b Interspecific niche divergence between C. splendens and C. virgo in minimum thorax temperature, substrate temperature, maximum substrate temperature and ambient temperature at a sympatric site ("Klingavälsåns Naturreservat" in southern Sweden). There is no

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

Data from: Niche conservatism over deep timescales and diverse niche axes in land vertebrates

Aim: There has been considerable interest in niche conservatism, the idea that ecological variables are similar among related species. Much research has focused on climatic niches of recently diverged species, rather than deeper timescales or non-climatic niche axes. Furthermore, it has been suggested that conservatism disappears over deeper timescales, and is greater in alpha niche traits (like diet and microhabitat) than beta niche variables (like climate). Here, we test these two ideas by comparing patterns of phylogenetic conservatism among 10 niche variables across major clades of land vertebrates. Location: Global. Time period: Present to 350 million years ago. Major taxa studied: Tetrapods, including amphibians, mammals, lepidosaurs (including lizards and snakes), turtles, crocodilians, and birds. Methods: The 10 niche variables included four alpha niche components (diet, diel activity, habitat, body temperature) and six beta niche components (related to climatic temperature and precipitation). We analyzed these variables on time-calibrated phylogenies with similar taxon sampling (~1700 species), using phylogenetic signal (lambda) to estimate conservatism, along with the D-statistic and estimates of evolutionary rates. Results: Phylogenetic signal was generally strong across all variables, with lambda generally >0.80 (with 1.0 representing maximum signal). Nevertheless, mean phylogenetic signal was lower in beta niche traits than alpha niche traits (based on lambda and especially the D-statistic), and alpha niche traits showed significantly slower rates of evolution. Main conclusions: We address two long-held views in the literature on niche conservatism, rejecting one but supporting the other. We show that phylogenetic signal does not disappear over deep timescales for many important niche variables, even over 350 million years. We also generally support greater conservatism in alpha niche traits than beta niche traits over hundreds over millions of years, a pattern that was previously suggested (but not explicitly tested) based on closely related species.

publicFeb 2010View details →

Data from: Lineage diversification in a widespread species: roles for niche divergence and conservatism in the Common Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula

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publicJun 2018View details →

Data from: Niche conservatism and the invasive potential of the wild boar

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publicMay 2016View details →

Data from: A comparative analysis reveals little evidence for niche conservatism in aquatic macrophytes among four areas on two continents

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