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opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Data from: Species boundaries in the messy middle – testing the hypothesis of micro-endemism in a recently diverged lineage of coastal fog desert lichen fungi

Species delimitation among closely related species is challenging because traditional phenotype-based approaches, e.g., morphology, ecological, or chemical characteristics, often produce conflicting results. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing, it has become increasingly cost-effective to acquire genome-scale data which can resolve previously ambiguous species boundaries. As the availability of genome-scale data has increased, numerous species delimitation analyses, such as BPP and SNAPP+Bayes factor delimitation (BFD*), have been developed to delimit species boundaries. However, even empirical molecular species delimitation approaches can be biased by confounding evolutionary factors, e.g., hybridization/introgression and incomplete lineage sorting, and computational limitations. Here we investigate species boundaries and the potential for micro-endemism in a lineage of lichen-forming fungi, Niebla Rundel & Bowler in the family Ramalinaceae. The species delimitation models tend to support more specious groupings, but were unable to infer robust, consistent species delimitations. The results of our study highlight the problem of delimiting species, particularly in groups such as Niebla, with complex, recent phylogeographic histories.

opencc-zeroSep 2022View details →

Body size and digestive system shape resource selection by ungulates: a cross-taxa test of the Forage Maturation Hypothesis

The Forage Maturation Hypothesis (FMH) states that energy intake for ungulates is maximized when forage biomass is at intermediate levels. Nevertheless, metabolic allometry and different digestive systems suggest that resource selection should vary across ungulate species. By combining GPS relocations with remotely-sensed data on forage characteristics and surface water, we quantified the effect of body size and digestive system in determining movements of 30 populations of hindgut fermenters (equids) and ruminants across biomes. Selection for intermediate forage biomass was negatively related to body size, regardless of the digestive system. Selection for proximity to surface water was stronger for equids relative to ruminants, regardless of body size. To be more generalizable, we suggest that the FMH explicitly incorporate contingencies in body size and digestive system, with small-bodied ruminants selecting more strongly for potential energy intake, and hindgut fermenters selecting more strongly for surface water.

opencc-by-4.0May 2021View details →

Data for article "Why do red/purple young leaves suffer less insect herbivory: tests of the warning signal hypothesis and the undermining of insect camouflage hypothesis"

This data is associated with the manuscript titled “Why do red/purple young leaves suffer less insect herbivory: tests of the warning signal hypothesis and the undermining of insect camouflage hypothesis”. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-022-09924-x

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2019View details →

Supporting data for "A global test of the subsidized island biogeography hypothesis".

Dataset for: Menegotto A., Rangel T.F., Schrader J., Weigelt P., Kreft H. 2019. A global test of the subsidized island biogeography hypothesis. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 29, 320-330.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Testing the assumptions of the pyrodiversity begets biodiversity hypothesis for termites in semi-arid Australia

Fire shapes the composition and functioning of ecosystems globally. In many regions, fire is actively managed to create diverse patch mosaics of fire-ages under the assumption that a diversity of post-fire age classes will provide a greater variety of habitats, thereby enabling species with differing habitat requirements to coexist, and enhancing species diversity (the pyrodiversity begets biodiversity hypothesis). However, studies provide mixed support for this hypothesis. Here, using termite communities in a semi-arid region of southeast Australia, we test four key assumptions of the pyrodiversity begets biodiversity hypothesis (1) that fire shapes vegetation structure over sufficient time frames to influence species' occurrence, 2) that animal species are linked to resources that are themselves shaped by fire and that differ at different times since fire, 3) that species' probability of occurrence of abundance peaks at varying times since fire, and 4) that providing a diverse set of fire-ages boost species diversity at the landscape scale. Termite species and habitat elements were sampled in 100 sites across a range of fire ages, nested within 20 landscapes chosen to represent a gradient of low to high pyrodiversity. We used regression modeling to explore relationships between termites, habitat and fire. Fire affected two habitat elements (coarse woody debris and the cover of woody vegetation) that were associated with the probability of occurrence of three termite species and overall species richness, thus supporting the first two assumptions of the pyrodiversity hypothesis. However, this did not result in those species or species richness being affected by fire history per se. Consequently, landscapes with a low diversity of fire histories had similar numbers of termite species as landscapes with high pyrodiversity. Our work suggests that encouraging a diversity of fire ages for enhancing termite species richness in this study region is not necessary.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Trophic niche width increases with bill size variation in a generalist passerine: a test of the niche variation hypothesis

1. The niche variation hypothesis (NVH) predicts that populations with wider niches are phenotypically more variable than populations with narrower niches, which is frequently used to explain diversifying processes such as ecological release. However, not all empirical evidence supports the NVH. Furthermore, a relationship between population phenotypic variation and niche width can be caused by sexual selection or environmental gradients, which should be carefully considered along with competition in explaining niche variation. 2. In this study we used eight populations of a generalist passerine species, Paradoxornis webbianus (vinous-throated parrotbill), to test the NVH. We assessed evidence of ecological sexual dimorphism and environmental gradients in bill morphology of P. webbianus. A total of 170 P. webbianus from eight sites ranging 24-2,668 m in altitude were included in this study. We used two principal components to quantify bill morphology, one describes bill size and the other describe bill slenderness. We used stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of bird feathers to quantify trophic positions, and we estimated population trophic niche width using Bayesian standardized ellipse area. 3. Paradoxornis webbianus with larger and more slender bills fed at higher trophic levels and population trophic niche width tended to increase with bill size variation, supporting the NVH. The males had larger bills and marginally higher nitrogen isotope values than the females, suggesting ecological sexual dimorphism. Despite a positive correlation between bill size and wing length indicating sexual selection for larger male size, only three of the eight populations showed both male-biased bill size and male-biased wing length. Sexual dimorphism explained 13%-64% of bill size variation across sites, suggesting its role in niche variation could vary greatly among populations. The variation in bill slenderness in P. webbianus increased with elevation. However, neither bill size variation nor trophic niche width changed with elevation. Therefore, environmental gradients that could be reflected in the elevation are not likely to drive the observed morphological and niche variation. 4. This study provides an empirical case for the NVH and highlights the importance to investigate sexual dimorphism and environmental gradients in the studies of niche dynamics.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Is sex advantageous in adverse environments? A test of the abandon-ship hypothesis

Understanding the evolution and maintenance of sexual reproduction remains a long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. Stress often induces sexual reproduction in facultatively sexual species (those species capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction). The abandon-ship hypothesis predicts higher allocation to sex under stress to allow low-fitness individuals to recombine their genotype, potentially increasing offspring fitness. However, effective tests of the abandon-ship hypothesis, particularly in multicellular organisms, are lacking. Here we test the abandon-ship hypothesis, using cyanogenic and acyanogenic defense phenotypes of the short-lived perennial herb Trifolium repens. Cyanogenesis provides an effective defense against herbivores and is under relatively simple genetic control (plants dominant for cyanogenesis at two alleles express the defended phenotype). Thus, maladapted individuals can acquire adaptive defense alleles for their offspring in a single episode of sexual reproduction. Plants were grown under high- and low-herbivory treatments (plants were exposed to herbivorous snails) and a control treatment (no herbivory). Herbivores reduced growth and fitness in all treated plants, but herbivory induced higher sexual allocation only in maladapted (acyanogenic) individuals. Overall, our results support the abandon-ship hypothesis.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Testing the depth-differentiation hypothesis in a deepwater octocoral

The depth-differentiation hypothesis proposes that the bathyal region is a source of genetic diversity and an area where there is a high rate of species formation. Genetic differentiation should thus occur over relatively small vertical distances, particularly along the upper continental slope (200–1000 m) where oceanography varies greatly over small differences in depth. To test whether genetic differentiation within deepwater octocorals is greater over vertical rather than geographical distances, Callogorgia delta was targeted. This species commonly occurs throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico at depths ranging from 400 to 900 m. We found significant genetic differentiation (FST = 0.042) across seven sites spanning 400 km of distance and 400 m of depth. A pattern of isolation by depth emerged, but geographical distance between sites may further limit gene flow. Water mass boundaries may serve to isolate populations across depth; however, adaptive divergence with depth is also a possible scenario. Microsatellite markers also revealed significant genetic differentiation (FST = 0.434) between C. delta and a closely related species, Callogorgia americana, demonstrating the utility of microsatellites in species delimitation of octocorals. Results provided support for the depth-differentiation hypothesis, strengthening the notion that factors covarying with depth serve as isolation mechanisms in deep-sea populations.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →

Data from: Testing an hypothesis of hybrid zone movement for toads in France

Hybrid zone movement may result in substantial unidirectional introgression of selectively neutral material from the local to the advancing species, leaving a genetic footprint. This genetic footprint is represented by a trail of asymmetric tails and displaced cline centres in the wake of the moving hybrid zone. A peak of admixture linkage disequilibrium is predicted to exist ahead of the centre of the moving hybrid zone. We test these predictions of the movement hypothesis in a hybrid zone between common (Bufo bufo) and spined toads (B. spinosus), using 31 nuclear and one mtDNA SNPs along a transect in the northwest of France. Average effective selection in Bufo hybrids is low and clines vary in shape and centre. A weak pattern of asymmetric introgression is inferred from cline discordance of seven nuclear markers. The dominant direction of gene flow is from B. spinosus to B. bufo and is in support of southward movement of the hybrid zone. Conversely, a peak of admixture linkage disequilibrium north of the hybrid zone suggests northward movement. These contrasting results can be explained by reproductive isolation of the B. spinosus and B. bufo gene pools at the southern (B. spinosus) side of the hybrid zone. The joint occurrence of asymmetric introgression and admixture linkage disequilibrium can also be explained by the combination of low dispersal and random genetic drift due to low effective population sizes.

Figures 136–143 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figures 136–143. Female genitalia and associated characters, ventral view: 136, Telchin atymnius (Dalman, 1824); 137, Synpalamides amycus (Cramer [1779]) comb. nov.; 138, Geyeria decussata (Godart, [1824]); 139, Athis superba (Strand, 1913) incertae sedis; 140, Corybantes pylades (Stoll, 1872); 141, Yagra dalmannii (Gray, 1838); 142, Imara satrapes (Kollar, 1839); 143, Synpalamides hegemon (Kollar, 1839) comb. nov. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figures 81–86 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figures 81–86. Genital capsule and associated characters, lateral view: 81, Yagra dalmannii (Gray, 1838); 82, Imara therapon (Kollar, 1839); 83, Eupalamides cyparissias (Fabricius, 1776); 84, Telchin cacica (Herrich-Schäffer, [1854]) comb. nov.; 85, Athis inca (Walker, 1854); 86, Ircila hecate (Herrich-Schäffer, [1854]). Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figures 117–122 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figures 117–122. Structures of the female genitalia: 117, Prometheus heliconioides (Herrich-Schäffer, [1853]) comb. nov., spiral portion of ductus bursae; 118, Telchin licus (Drury, 1773), spiral portion of ductus bursae, with the covering membrane removed to show the internal ornamentation; 119, Telchin licus (Drury, 1773), detail of one spiral and the microsclerotized plates; 120, Telchin licus (Drury, 1773), detail of the sclerotized plate on the posterior end of the spiral portion of ductus bursae; 121, Imara pallasia (Eschscholtz, 1821), inner surface of the bulla seminalis covered with micropapillae; 122, Yagra fonscolombe (Godart, [1824]), sclerotized plate on the anterior portion of antrum.

Figures 105–110 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figures 105–110. Saccus, juxta, and associated characters. 105–108, saccus, ventral view: 105, Corybantes pylades (Stoll, 1872); 106, Athis inca (Walker, 1854); 107, Athis hechtiae (Dyar, 1910); 108, Telchin syphax (Fabricius, 1775). 109–110, juxta, posterior view: 109, Imara pallasia (Eschscholtz, 1821); 110, Eupalamides cyparissias (Fabricius, 1776). Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 52 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figure 52. Diagram with the colour bands used to code the characters of the wing pattern. Scale bar: 1 cm.

Figures 96–104. Gnathos and associated characters. 96–101 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figures 96–104. Gnathos and associated characters. 96–101, lateral view: 96, Imara therapon (Kollar, 1839) comb. nov.; 97, Geyeria galinthias (Hopffer, 1856) comb. nov.; 98, Yagra fonscolombe (Godart, [1824]); 99, Telchin licus (Drury, 1773); 100, Corybantes pylades (Stoll, 1782); 101, Prometheus cochrus (Fabricius, 1787). 102–104, posterior view: 102, Telchin syphax (Fabricius, 1775); 103, Synpalamides phalaris (Fabricius, 1793); 104, Corybantes pylades (Stoll, 1872). Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figures 123–127 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figures 123–127. Detail of the inner surface of bulla seminalis: 123, Castnia invaria Walker, 1854, without micropapillae; 124, Prometheus cochrus (Fabricius, 1787), small and flattened micropapillae present in low density; 125, Yagra fonscolombe (Godart, [1824]), micropapillae present in moderate density; 126, Prometheus heliconioides (Herrich-Schäffer, [1853]) comb. nov., cylindrical micropapillae present in high density; 127, Prometheus heliconioides (Herrich-Schäffer, [1853]) comb. nov., detail of the micropapillae.

Figures 46–48 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figures 46–48. Wing venation and associated characters: 46, Geyeria decussata (Godart, [1824]); 47, Imara pallasia (Eschscholtz, 1821); 48, Yagra fonscolombe (Godart, [1824]). Scale bars: 1 cm.

Figures 40–45 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figures 40–45. Antennae: 40, Morpheis clenchi Donahue, 1980; 41, Ceretes marcelserres (Godart, [1824]); 42, Synemon parthenoides R. Felder, 1874; 43, Castnia invaria Walker, 1854; 44, Geyeria decussata (Godart, [1824]); 45, Prometheus heliconioides (Herrich-Schäffer, [1853]) comb. nov. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 39 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figure 39. Cladogram obtained from analysis using weighting (k = 20), including Tascina metallica Pagenstecher, 1890. Filled circles represent synapomorphies; open circles represent homoplasies. The numbers represent the values of Bremer support for the branches. Clades with heavier lines represent the new genera proposed. Coloured branches represent the appearance of a mimetic pattern. Asterisks next to taxa names represent species of uncertain position.

Figure 38 in Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera

Figure 38. Cladogram obtained from analysis using weighting (k = 20), not including Tascina metallica Pagenstecher, 1890. Filled circles represent synapomorphies; open circles represent homoplasies. Asterisks next to taxa names represent species of uncertain position.