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1,213 results for “biodiversity hotspot”
FIGURES 3–6 in Myopa nebulosa sp. nov. and Myopa bozinovici sp. nov. (Diptera: Conopidae): New thick-headed flies from a threatened biodiversity hotspot in central Chile
FIGURES 3–6. Myopa nebulosa sp. nov. (3) Lateral view of head (Rio Teno, Curicó, male). (4) Lateral view of thorax (Rio Teno, Curicó, male). (5) Dorsal view (Rio Teno, Curicó, male). (6) Color variability (Rio Teno, Curicó, male). Scale bars = 1 mm.
Data from: Tectonic evolution of the Tethyan region created the Eurasian extratropical biodiversity hotspots: tracing Pireneitega spiders' diversification history
The withdrawal of the Tethys Sea and the formation of the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt profoundly impacted the distribution and composition of terrestrial biota in Eurasia. However, studies that have explicitly addressed the potential links between the series of tectonic activities in the Tethyan region and the formation of extratropical biodiversity hotspots in the Alpine-Himalayan belt are rare. The Pireneitega spiders (Agelenidae) are found throughout Eurasia and show high species richness in these hotspots. Thus, using Pireneitega spiders as a model group, we can shed light on how past tectonic events shaped Eurasian hotspots. To reconstruct the spatial and temporal evolution of Pireneitega spp., an integrative historical biogeographical analysis has been conducted using thousands of novel DNA sequences and five novel transcriptome sequences from different species. Species distribution modelling based on complete geographical distribution information was used to assess the ecological preferences and the potential ecological interchangeability of Pireneitega species. Our study suggests that the rapid expansion of Pireneitega in Eurasia benefitted from the Tethys Sea regression in the early Oligocene. Most Pireneitega species are distributed allopatrically, but in similar niches. The diversification of Pireneitega species relied on invading numerous new isolated habitats created by the uplift of Alpine-Himalayan mountains during the Miocene (wet valley model). These results imply that the formation of Alpine-Himalayan hotspots was driven by the series of tectonic events in the Tethyan region during the Oligocene–Miocene.
Aligned DNA sequence matrix for phylogenetic analyses in the article "Fifty years after: a taxonomic revision of the amphibian species from the Ecuadorian biodiversity hotspot Abra de Zamora, with description of two new Pristimantis species"
<p>The aligned matrices are in fasta format. Genes are arranged as follows:</p> <p>Subgenus Huicundomantis (Huicundomantis.fas):</p> <p>12S = 1–905</p> <p>16S = 906–1820</p> <p>RAG-1 = 1821–2463</p> <p> </p> <p>Genus Lynchius (Lynchius.fas):</p> <p>12S = 1–1028</p> <p>16S = 1029–2313</p> <p>RAG-1 = 2314–2925</p> <p> </p> <p>Pristimantis orestes group (Pristimantis_orestes.fas):</p> <p>12S = 1–964</p> <p>16S = 965–2041</p> <p>RAG-1 = 2042–2683</p>
Data from: Modelling the current and future biodiversity distribution in the Chilean Mediterranean Hotspot. The role of protected areas network in a warmer future
Aim: Mediterranean Chile is part of the five recognized Mediterranean-type climates in the world and harbors a very rich floral diversity. Climate change has been reported as a significant threat to its biodiversity. We used the flora of Mediterranean Chile to analyze how biodiversity patterns, as measured by Phylogenetic Diversity, genus and species richness will respond to climate change scenarios and identify the areas that will harbor the greatest evolutionary potential and biodiversity richness. We also evaluated how these spatial patterns are depicted within the current network of protected areas. Location: Chilean Mediterranean climate-type Region, South America. Methods: Biodiversity metrics were evaluated for current and future climatic scenarios. Species distribution models were done using Maxent for 1.727 species and 571 genera. Relationships between species/genera gain, loss and turnover were evaluated. For Mediterranean endemic species, loss and gain was also related to life form. Finally, variation in species gain, loss and turnover was evaluated in future climate change scenarios within and outside Mediterranean Chile state protected areas. Results: We found a general decrease in species richness in the entire Region toward future climate change scenarios. Phylogenetic Diversity is predicted to be higher than expected by richness in the north and south of the area, and lower than expected by richness in the Andes mountain. The highest average species and genus loss is predicted to occur outside the protected areas, meanwhile species and genus gain is higher within them. Main conclusions: Future biodiversity patterns are reported here for the first time in the Chilean Mediterranean Region. Our findings enhance the importance of the current protected areas to harbor this future variation, despite their reduced number and size along the region.
The contribution of the edaphic factor as a driver of recent plant diversification in a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot
<p>1. The high diversification rates of plant lineages in the Mediterranean Basin hotspot have been linked to a complex interaction of climatic stressors, geographic isolation and soil type, but the question remains as to which of these factors has been the most significant environmental driver of recent speciation.</p> <p>2. Here, we draw on distributional data for the entire endemic flora of the Iberian Peninsula, together with DNA-based phylogenies and spatial phylogenetic methods, to explore patterns of relative phylogenetic endemism at different spatial resolutions and phylogenetic scales (superclades) and assess how environmental factors contribute to explain these patterns.</p> <p>3. We found that recent diversification of angiosperms as a whole, and particularly of eudicots, has been boosted by environmental stressors including high values of soil pH and dry-seasonal climatic conditions, while diversification of monocots has not been associated with soil conditions but with high elevation and less seasonal climate.</p> <p>4. Synthesis. These results provide robust insights into the environmental factors driving recent plant diversification in the Mediterranean Basin, including a role of soil properties that had not been quantified before. The contrasting environmental drivers of diversification in Eudicots and Monocots highlight the importance of analyzing spatial phylogenetic patterns at multiple phylogenetic scales to get a better understanding of the processes that shape biodiversity.</p>
Biodiversity Hotspots Map (English labels)
<p>This map displays the global <a href="https://zenodo.org/record/3261807#.X8_HgNhKg2x">Biodiversity Hotspots 2016.1 dataset</a>. The colors assigned to the hotspots are only used to distinguish adjacent hotspots and have no other meaning. The biodiversity hotspots represent terrestrial biodiversity only. The offshore lines are a cartographic device to group and highlight islands that are part of the same hotspots (e.g. Polynesia-Micronesia, Indo-Burma). The background image is from Natural Earth. This map is labelled with hotspot names in English; a version without text is also available: 10.5281/zenodo.4311831. </p> <p>There are currently <a href="https://www.cepf.net/node/1996">36 recognized biodiversity hotspots</a>. These are Earth’s most biologically rich—yet threatened—terrestrial regions.</p> <p>To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, an area must meet two strict criteria:</p> <ul> <li>Contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else on Earth (known as "endemic" species).</li> <li>Have lost at least 70 percent of its primary native vegetation.</li> </ul> <p>Many of the biodiversity hotspots exceed the two criteria. For example, both the Sundaland Hotspot in Southeast Asia and the Tropical Andes Hotspot in South America have about <strong>15,000</strong> endemic plant species. The loss of vegetation in some hotspots has reached a startling <strong>95</strong> percent.</p>
Multi-dimensional biodiversity hotspots and the future of taxonomic, ecological, and phylogenetic diversity: a case study of North American rodents
<p>Aim: We investigate geographic patterns across taxonomic, ecological, and phylogenetic diversity to test for spatial (in)congruency and identify aggregate diversity hotspots in relation to present land-use and future climate. Simulating extinctions of imperiled species, we demonstrate where losses across diversity dimensions and geography are predicted.</p> <p>Location: North America</p> <p>Time period: Present-day, future</p> <p>Major taxa studied: Rodentia</p> <p>Methods: Using geographic range maps for rodent species, we quantified spatial patterns for eleven dimensions of diversity: taxonomic (species, range-weighted), ecological (body size, diet, habitat), phylogenetic (mean, variance, and nearest-neighbor patristic distances, phylogenetic distance, genus-to-species ratio) and phyloendemism. We tested for correlations across dimensions and used spatial residual analyses to illustrate regions of pronounced diversity. We aggregated diversity hotspots in relation to land-use and climate-change predictions and recalculated metrics following extinctions of IUCN-listed imperiled species.</p> <p>Results: Topographically-complex western North America hosts high diversity across multiple dimensions: phyloendemism and ecological diversity exceed predictions based on taxonomic richness and phylogenetic variance patterns indicate steep gradients in phylogenetic turnover. While an aggregate diversity hotspot emerges in the west, spatial incongruence exists across diversity dimensions at the continental scale. Notably, phylogenetic metrics are uncorrelated with ecological diversity. Diversity hotspots overlap with land-use and climate change, and extinctions predicted by IUCN status are unevenly distributed across space, phylogeny, or ecological groups.</p> <p>Main conclusions: Comparison of taxonomic, ecological, and phylogenetic diversity patterns for North American rodents clearly shows the multifaceted nature of biodiversity. Testing for geographic patterns and (in)congruency across dimensions of diversity facilitates investigation into underlying ecological and evolutionary processes. The geographic scope of this analysis suggests that several explicit regional challenges face North American rodent fauna in the future. Simultaneous consideration of multidimensional biodiversity allows us to assess what critical functions or evolutionary history we might lose with future extinctions and maximize the potential of our conservation efforts.</p>
Impact of Pleistocene eustatic fluctuations on evolutionary dynamics in Southeast Asian biodiversity hotspots
Pleistocene Climatic Fluctuations (PCF) are frequently highlighted as important evolutionary engines that triggered cycles of biome expansion and contraction. While there is ample evidence of the impact of PCF on biodiversity for continental biomes, the consequences in insular systems depend on the geology of the islands and the ecology of the taxa inhabiting them. The idiosyncratic aspects of insular systems are exemplified by the islands of the Sunda Shelf in Southeast Asia (Sundaland), where PCF-induced eustatic fluctuations had complex interactions with the geology of the region, resulting in high species diversity and endemism. Emergent land in Southeast Asia varied drastically with sea level fluctuations during the Pleistocene. Climate-induced fluctuations in sea level caused temporary connections between insular and continental biodiversity hotspots in Southeast Asia. These exposed lands likely had freshwater drainage systems that extended between modern islands: the Paleoriver Hypothesis. Built upon the assumption that aquatic organisms are among the most suitable models to trace ancient river boundaries and fluctuations of landmass coverage, the present study aims to examine the evolutionary consequences of PCF on the dispersal of freshwater biodiversity in Southeast Asia. Time-calibrated phylogenies of DNA-delimited species were inferred for six species-rich freshwater fish genera in Southeast Asia (Clarias, Channa, Glyptothorax, Hemirhamphodon, Dermogenys, Nomorhamphus). The results highlight rampant cryptic diversity and the temporal localization of most speciation events during the Pleistocene, with 88% of speciation events occurring during this period. Diversification analyses indicate that sea level-dependent diversification models poorly account for species proliferation patterns for all clades excepting Channa. Ancestral area estimations point to Borneo as the most likely origin for most lineages, with two waves of dispersal to Sumatra and Java during the last 5 Myrs. Speciation events are more frequently associated with boundaries of the paleoriver watersheds, with 60%, than islands boundaries, with 40%. In total, one-third of speciation events are inferred to have occured within paleorivers on a single island, suggesting that habitat heterogeneity and factors other than allopatry between islands substantially affected diversification of Sundaland fishes. Our results suggest that species proliferation in Sundaland is not wholly reliant on Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations isolating populations on different islands.
Data from: Dissecting biodiversity in a global hotspot: uneven dynamics of immigration and diversification within the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa
Aim: Fragmented distributions should show immigration and diversification dynamics consistent with the predictions of island biogeography theory. We test whether this applies to the fragmented Cape fynbos vegetation. Location: Southern Africa, Cape Floristic Region (CFR) Taxon: Angiosperms, Restionaceae (restios) Methods: We used a large occurrence dataset and environmental layers to characterize an existing regionalization and the intervals between the regions ecologically and spatially. We extended the available phylogeny for restios and inferred their historical biogeography using models implemented in BioGeoBEARS. We then measured the relative contribution of immigration and in situ speciation to the species richness of each region within the CFR. We used standard statistical methods to test the predictions of the island biogeography theory. Results: The area and environmental heterogeneity of the seven regions of the CFR are positively correlated with in situ speciation rate. Furthermore, more isolated areas, and areas colonized more recently, have proportionally higher immigration rates, and more central and older areas proportionally higher in situ speciation rates. Main Conclusions: The variation in immigration and diversification dynamics among the regions within the CFR is extensive and consistent with the archipelago model of island biography theory. This dynamic may contribute significantly to the diversity of the Cape flora. Such a model could be generally useful for understanding the generation and maintenance of diversity in biodiversity hotspots, and may even scale up to explain continental biodiversity.
Data from: Rapid diversification and time explain amphibian richness at different scales in the Tropical Andes, Earth's most biodiverse hotspot
The Tropical Andes are Earth's most species-rich biodiversity hotspot for both animals and plants. Nevertheless, the ecological and evolutionary processes underlying this extraordinary richness remain uncertain. Here, we examine the processes that generate high richness in the Andes relative to other regions in South America, and across different elevations within the Andes, using frogs as a model system. We combine distributional data, a newly generated time-calibrated phylogeny for 2318 frog species, and phylogenetic comparative methods to test the relative importance of diversification rates and colonization times for explaining Andean diversity at different scales. At larger scales (among regions and families), we find that faster diversification rates in Andean clades most likely explain high Andean richness. In contrast, at smaller temporal and spatial scales (within family-level clades, within the Andes), diversification rates rarely explain richness patterns. Instead, we show that colonization times are important for shaping elevational richness patterns within the Andes, with more species found in habitats colonized earlier. We suggest that these scale-dependent patterns might apply to many other richness gradients. Recognition of this scale-dependence may help to reconcile conflicting results among studies of richness patterns across habitats, regions, and organisms.
Data from: Evidence of extreme habitat stability in a Southeast Asian biodiversity hotspot based on the evolutionary analysis of neotenic net-winged beetles
The diversification of neotenic beetle lineages has not been studied, despite the potential for defining biodiversity hotspots and elucidating the history of regional faunas. Additionally, neotenics may provide insight into the process of speciation in small populations with extremely low dispersal ability and a limited range. Here, we used two rDNA and three mtDNA markers to investigate the phylogeny of Scarelus, a neotenic lineage endemic to Southeast Asian rainforests. Most genetic differentiation was associated with Palaeogene geographic divisions, which remain distinct despite temporary connections. Dispersal events were rare, with only two inferred for Scarelus: from Borneo to the Philippines 28.3 million years ago (mya) and from Sumatra to Java 13.9 mya. The reproductive isolation depended on allopatric range fragmentation, and Scarelus diversified readily when conditions were favorable; in this case, at different times in the eastern (19.3–39.1 mya) and western (3.5–13.9 mya) parts of Sundaland. The observed strong phenotypic similarity was preserved under speciation through complete allopatry. Neotenic Lycidae have survived for a long time in very stable habitats, and extremely low dispersal activity has not limited their existence; however, the long-term diversification rate of neotenics is low and diversification is nonexistent under stable conditions. The modern ranges of neotenic lineages are indicative of ancient rainforest refugia, and may be used in biodiversity conservation management. Most neotenics are at risk of extinction due to small ranges and a low dispersal potential.
Data from: Snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) diversity and the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot
The collision of Indian and Eurasian landmasses in the Cenozoic was a decisive factor in shaping biodiversity patterns in Southern and Southeastern Asia. While most studies thus far have focused on the biotic interchange between India and Eurasia and evolutionary diversification on or around the Tibetan Plateau little attention has been paid to the biodiversity build-up in the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot (EHH) which harbours over 540 freshwater fish species with a high degree of endemicity. An important component of the regional ichthyofauna are snakeheads fishes of the family Channidae comprising throughout their African-Asian distribution 47 valid species, but a poorly known species-level diversity. In order to evaluate channid intrarelationships and biogeography a temporal and geographical framework of channid evolution in conjunction with a critical reevaluation of the channid fossil record is warranted. Based on molecular data, we provide a comprehensive species-level phylogeny based on 223 channid individuals belonging to 37 species and one additional currently undescribed species. The first split within channids separates the African genus Parachanna from the Asian genus Channa which can be divided into eight distinct species groups (C. micropeltes, C. lucius , C. asiatica, C. argus, C. marulius, C. striata, C. punctata and C. gachua species groups). Large intraspecific divergences were observed within several species and potentially indicate additional species-level diversity. Almost 40% of the channid species are narrow-range endemics belonging to the C. gachua species group. These are found in the EHH making this area an outstanding hotspot for endemic channid diversity. The large majority of the EHH endemics are restricted to the southern foothills of the Eastern Himalaya and the Shillong-Mikir Hills Plateau, areas west of the Indo-Burman Ranges. Our results reveal complex and difficult to interpret biogeographic patterns indicating that both vicariance and dispersal events have potentially been responsible in shaping current distribution patterns in Asian channids. We recognize †Parachanna fayumensis as the oldest reliable channid fossil, and argue that the three oldest so-called channid fossils (i.e., †Eochanna chlorakkiensis, †Anchichanna kuldanensis, and †Ophiocephalus lydekkeri) lack clear diagnostic features that would allow them to be unequivocally placed within Channidae.
Data from: Paleo-drainage basin connectivity predicts evolutionary relationships across three southeast Asian biodiversity hotspots
Understanding factors driving diversity across biodiversity hotspots is critical for formulating conservation priorities in the face of ongoing and escalating environmental deterioration. While biodiversity hotspots encompass a small fraction of Earth's land surface, more than half the world's plants and two-thirds of terrestrial vertebrate species are endemic to these hotspots. Tropical Southeast Asia displays extraordinary species richness, encompassing four biodiversity hotspots, though disentangling multiple potential drivers of species richness is confounded by the region's dynamic geological and climatic history. Here, we use multi-locus molecular genetic data from dense multi-species sampling of freshwater fishes across three biodiversity hotspots, to test the effect of Quaternary climate change and resulting drainage rearrangements on aquatic faunal diversification. While Cenozoic geological processes have clearly shaped evolutionary history in Southeast Asian halfbeak fishes, we show that paleo-drainage re-arrangements resulting from Quaternary climate change played a significant role in the spatiotemporal evolution of lowland aquatic taxa, and provides priorities for conservation efforts.
Data from: Deforestation and forest fragmentation in South Ecuador since the 1970s - losing a hotspot of biodiversity
Deforestation and fragmentation are major components of global change; both are contributing to the rapid loss of tropical forest area with important implications for ecosystem functioning and biodiversity conservation. The forests of South Ecuador are a biological 'hotspot' due to their high diversity and endemism levels. We examined the deforestation and fragmentation patterns in this area of high conservation value using aerial photographs and Aster satellite scenes. The registered annual deforestation rates of 0.75% (1976–1989) and 2.86% (1989–2008) for two consecutive survey periods, the decreasing mean patch size and the increasing isolation of the forest fragments show that the area is under severe threat. Approximately 46% of South Ecuador's original forest cover had been converted by 2008 into pastures and other anthropogenic land cover types. We found that deforestation is more intense at lower elevations (premontane evergreen forest and shrubland) and that the deforestation front currently moves in upslope direction. Improved awareness of the spatial extent, dynamics and patterns of deforestation and forest fragmentation is urgently needed in biologically diverse areas like South Ecuador.
Local and landscape scale variables shape insect diversity in an urban biodiversity hotspot.
<p>Local community structure is shaped by processes acting at local and landscape scales. The relative importance of drivers operating across different spatial scales are difficult to test without observations across regional or latitudinal gradients. Cities exhibit strong but predictable environmental gradients overlaying a mosaic of highly variable but repeated habitat types within a constrained area. Thus, cities present a unique opportunity to explore how both local and landscape factors influence local biotic communities. We used insect communities to examine the interactions among local environmental variables (such as temperature and relative humidity), local habitat characteristics (such as plant community composition), and broad-scale patterns of urbanization (including biophysical, human-built, and socio-economic variables) on local insect abundance, species richness, and species composition in Los Angeles, a hot, dry, near-desert city. After accounting for seasonal trends, insect species richness and abundance were highest in drier and hotter sites, but the magnitude of local environmental effects varied with the degree of urbanization. In contrast, insect species composition was best predicted by broad-scale urbanization trends, with the more native communities occurring in less urbanized sites and more cosmopolitan insects occurring in highly urbanized sites. However, insect species richness and abundance were >30% higher and insect composition was similar across sites that hosted either native or drought-tolerant plants, regardless of the degree of urbanization. These results demonstrate that urban insect biodiversity is a product of interacting mechanisms working at both local and landscape scales. However, local scale changes to urban habitats, such as cultivating plants that are adapted to the natural environment nearest the city, can positively impact urban biodiversity regardless of location.</p>
Data from: Trait convergence in photosynthetic nutrient-use efficiency along a 2-million year dune chronosequence in a global biodiversity hotspot
1. The Jurien Bay dune chronosequence in south-western Australia's biodiversity hotspot comprises sites differing in nutrient availability, with phosphorus (P) availability declining strongly with increasing soil age. We have explored the exceptionally high photosynthetic P-use efficiency (PPUE) of Proteaceae in this region, triggering the question what the PPUE of co-occurring species in other families might be along the Jurien Bay chronosequence. 2. We explored how traits associated with PPUE, photosynthetic nitrogen (N)-use efficiency (PNUE) and leaf respiration might converge along the chronosequence, and whether Proteaceae and non-Proteaceae species differ in leaf traits associated with nutrient use. 3. Seven to 10 species were sampled at three sites differing in nutrient availability (ranging from N- to P-limited). Measurements of leaf light-saturated photosynthesis and dark respiration were integrated with measurements of total N and P concentration in both mature and senesced leaves, and leaf mass per unit area (LMA). 4. Contrary to what is known for other chronosequences, rates of photosynthesis and respiration did not decrease with increasing soil age and LMA along the Jurien Bay chronosequence. However, they increased when expressed per unit leaf P. Both N and P were used much more efficiently for photosynthesis on nutrient-poor sites, in both Proteaceae and non-Proteaceae species. Proteaceae had the fastest rate of photosynthesis per unit leaf P, followed by species that preferentially allocate P to mesophyll cells, rather than epidermal cells. 5. Synthesis. Our results show that with declining soil P availability, PPUE of all investigated species from different families increased. Plants growing on the oldest, most nutrient-impoverished soils exhibited similar rates of CO2-exchange as plants growing on more nutrient-rich younger soils, and extraordinarily high PPUE. This indicates convergence in leaf traits related to photosynthetic nutrient use on severely P-impoverished sites.
Data from: Identifying patterns and drivers of coral diversity in the Central Indo-Pacific marine biodiversity hotspot
Biodiversity hotspots are increasingly recognized as areas of high taxonomic and functional diversity. These hotspots are dynamic and shift geographically over time in response to environmental change. To identify drivers of the origin, evolution, and persistence of diversity hotspots, we investigated the diversity patterns of reef-building corals (Scleractinia) in the Central Indo-Pacific, a marine biodiversity hotspot for the last 25 Myr. We used the scleractinian fossil record (based on literature and a newly acquired fossil collection) to examine the taxonomic and functional diversity of corals from the Eocene to Pliocene. Our data identify potential drivers of coral diversity through time (and space) in the Central Indo-Pacific by constraining the timing of taxonomic turnover events and correlating them with known environmental changes. Increases in taxonomic diversity, high origination rates, and changes in abundance of functional character states indicate that the origin of the Central Indo-Pacific hotspot occurred during the Oligocene, initially through proliferation of pre-existing taxa and then by origination of new taxa. In contrast to taxonomic diversity, overall functional diversity of Central Indo-Pacific reef-building corals remained constant from the Eocene to the Pliocene. Our results identify global sea level as a main driver of diversity increase that, together with local tectonics, regulates availability of suitable habitats. Moreover, marine biodiversity hotspots develop from both the accumulation of taxa from older biodiversity hotspots and origination of new taxa. Our study demonstrates the utility of a combined literature-based and new collection approach for gaining new insights into the timing, drivers, and development of tropical biodiversity hotspots.
Data from: The origin and evolution of coral species richness in a marine biodiversity hotspot
The Coral Triangle region of the Indo-Pacific realm harbors an extraordinary number of species, with richness decreasing away from this biodiversity hotspot. Despite multiple competing hypotheses, the dynamics underlying this regional diversity pattern remain poorly understood. Here we use a time-calibrated evolutionary tree of living reef coral species, their current geographic ranges, and model-based estimates of regional rates of speciation, extinction, and geographic range shifts to show that origination rates within the Coral Triangle are lower than in surrounding regions, a result inconsistent with the long-standing center of origin hypothesis. Furthermore, endemism of coral species in the Coral Triangle is low, and the Coral Triangle endemics are older than relatives found outside this region. Overall, our model results suggest that the high diversity of reef corals in the Coral Triangle is largely due to range expansions into this region of species that evolved elsewhere. These findings strongly support the notion that geographic range shifts play a critical role in generating species diversity gradients. They also show that preserving the processes that gave rise to the striking diversity of corals in the Coral Triangle requires protecting not just reefs within the hotspot, but also those in the surrounding areas.
Data from: Fish functional traits correlated with environmental variables in a temperate biodiversity hotspot
The global biodiversity crisis has invigorated the search for generalized patterns in most disciplines within the natural sciences. Studies based on organismal functional traits attempt to broaden implications of results by identifying the response of functional traits, instead of taxonomic units, to environmental variables. Determining the functional trait responses enables more direct comparisons with, or predictions for, communities of different taxonomic composition. The North American freshwater fish fauna is both diverse and increasingly imperiled through human mediated disturbances, including climate change. The Tennessee River, USA, contains one of the most diverse assemblages of freshwater fish in North America and has more imperiled species than other rivers, but there has been no trait-based study of community structure in the system. We identified 211 localities in the upper Tennessee River that were sampled by the Tennessee Valley Authority between 2009 and 2011 and compiled fish functional traits for the observed species and environmental variables for each locality. Using fourth corner analysis, we identified significant correlations between many fish functional traits and environmental variables. Functional traits associated with an opportunistic life history strategy were correlated with localities subject to greater land use disturbance and less flow regulation, while functional traits associated with a periodic life history strategy were correlated with localities subject to regular disturbance and regulated flow. These are patterns observed at the continental scale highlighting the generalizability of trait-based methods. Contrary to studies that found no community structure differences when considering riparian buffer zones, we found that fish functional traits were correlated with different environmental variables between analyses with buffer zones vs. entire catchment area land cover proportions. Using existing databases and fourth corner analysis, our results support the broad application potential for trait-based methods and indicate trait-based methods can detect environmental filtering by riparian zone land cover.
Data from: Increases in local richness (α-diversity) following invasion are offset by biotic homogenization in a biodiversity hotspot
The world's ecosystems are experiencing unparalleled rates of biodiversity change with invasive species implicated as one of the drivers that restructure local assemblages. Here we focus on the processes leading to biodiversity change in a biodiversity hotspot, the Brazilian Cerrado. The null expectation that invasion leads to increase in local species richness is supported by our investigation of the grass layer in two key habitats (campo sujo and campo úmido). Our analysis uncovered a linear relationship between total richness and invasive richness at the plot level. However, because the invasive species – even though few in number - are widespread, their contribution to local richness (α-diversity) is offset by their homogenizing influence on composition (β-diversity). We thus identify a mechanism that can help explain the paradox that species richness is not declining in many local assemblages, yet compositional change is exceeding the predictions of ecological theory. As such, our results emphasize the importance of quantifying both α-diversity and β-diversity in assessments of biodiversity change in the contemporary world.
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.