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75 results for “latitudinal variation”
Data from: Climatic drivers of latitudinal variation in Late Triassic tetrapod diversity
<p>The latitudinal biodiversity gradient (LBG), the increase in biodiversity from the poles to the equator, is one of the most widely recognised global macroecological patterns, yet its deep time evolution and drivers remain uncertain. The Late Triassic (237–201 million years ago), a critical interval for the early evolution and radiation of modern tetrapod groups (e.g. crocodylomorphs, dinosaurs, mammaliamorphs), offers a unique opportunity to explore the palaeolatitudinal patterns of tetrapod diversity since it is extensively sampled spatially when compared with other pre-Cenozoic intervals, particularly at lower palaeolatitudes. Here, we explore palaeolatitudinal patterns of Late Triassic tetrapod diversity by applying sampling standardisation to comprehensive occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database. We then use palaeoclimatic model simulations to explore the palaeoclimatic ranges occupied by major tetrapod groups, allowing insight into the influence of palaeoclimate on the palaeolatitudinal distribution of these groups. Our results show that Late Triassic tetrapods generally do not conform to a modern-type LBG; instead, sampling-standardised species richness is highest at mid-palaeolatitudes. In contrast, the richness of pseudosuchians (crocodylians and their relatives) is highest at the palaeoequator, a pattern that is retained throughout their subsequent evolutionary history. Pseudosuchians generally occupied a more restricted range of palaeoclimatic conditions than other tetrapod groups, a condition analogous to modern day reptilian ectotherms, while avemetatarsalians (the archosaur group containing dinosaurs and pterosaurs) exhibit comparatively wider ranges, which is more similar to modern endotherms, such as birds and mammals, suggesting important implications for the evolution of thermal physiology in dinosaurs.</p>
Variation in successional dynamics shape biodiversity patterns over a tropical-temperate latitudinal gradient
<p>Successional dynamics can vary due to a range of ecological and environmental factors, but our understanding of biogeographic variation in succession, and the processes contributing to community development across ecosystems, is limited. The pattern and rate of recruitment of dispersive propagules likely differs over large spatial scales and can be an important predictor of successional trajectory. Over a 20-degree tropical-temperate latitudinal gradient, we measured sessile invertebrates over 12 months of community development and successive 3-month recruitment windows to understand succession and how it is influenced by recruitment. Succession and recruitment patterns varied over latitude. In the tropics, fast temporal turnover, fluctuating abundances, and lack of successional progression suggest that the contribution of stochastic processes was high. As latitude increased, successional progression became more apparent, characterized by increasing species richness and community cover, and a shift to more competitive taxa over time. At temperate locations, species identities were similar between older communities and recruiting assemblages, however community composition became more variable across space over time. Such divergence suggests an important role of early colonisers and species interactions on community structure. These findings demonstrate differences in the processes contributing to community development and biodiversity patterns over latitude. Understanding such biogeographic variation in community dynamics and identifying the prevalence of different processes can provide insights into how communities assemble and persist in response to environmental variability.</p>
Variation in successional dynamics shape biodiversity patterns over a tropical-temperate latitudinal gradient
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Data from: Climatic drivers of latitudinal variation in Late Triassic tetrapod diversity
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Explaining global variation in the latitudinal diversity gradient: Meta-analysis confirms known patterns and uncovers new one
This dataset is also available on the Dryad Digital Repository (link: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rg5rd). The code is also available on GitHub (link: https://github.com/nlkinlock/LDGmeta-analysis). This dataset was created to explore patterns in biodiversity across latitude. The pattern of increasing biological diversity from high latitudes to the equator [latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG)] has been recognized for greater than 200 years. Empirical studies have documented this pattern across many different organisms and locations. In order to quantify the evidence for the global LDG and the associated spatial, taxonomic and environmental factors, a systematic review, followed by a meta-analysis of the resulting dataset, were carried out. This dataset contains a large number of individual LDGs that have been published in the 14 years since Hillebrand's ground‐breaking meta‐analysis of the LDG.
Data from: Latitudinal variation in norms of reaction of phenology in the greater duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza
<p>Variable environments may result in the evolution of adaptive phenotypic plasticity when cues reliably indicate an appropriate phenotype-environment match. Although adaptive plasticity is well established for phenological traits expressed across environments, local differentiation in norms of reaction is less well studied. The switch from the production of regular fronds to overwintering "turions" in the greater duckweed <i>Spirodela polyrhiza</i> is vital to fitness and is expressed as a norm of reaction induced by falling temperatures associated with the onset of winter. However, the optimal norm of reaction to temperature is expected to differ across latitudes. Here, we test the hypothesis that a gradient in the length and predictability of growing seasons across latitudes results in the evolution of reaction norms characterized by earlier turion production at higher latitudes. We test this by collecting <i>S. polyrhiza</i> from replicate populations across seven latitudes from Ontario to Florida, and then assessing differentiation in thermal reaction norms of turion production along a common temperature gradient. As predicted, northern populations produce turions at lower birth order and earlier; a significant latitude-by-temperature interaction suggests that reaction norm differentiation has occurred. Our results provide evidence of differentiation in reaction norms across latitudes in a phenological trait, and we discuss how the adaptive significance of this plasticity might be further tested.</p>
Data from: Drivers of bromeliad leaf and floral bract variation across a latitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Forest
<p>Aim: Understanding the complex interaction and relative contributions of factors involved in species and trait diversification is crucial to gain insights into the evolution of Neotropical biodiversity. Here, we investigated the drivers of morphological variation in bromeliads along a latitudinal gradient in a biodiversity hotspot.</p> <p>Location: Atlantic Forest, Brazil.</p> <p>Taxon: A species complex in the genus Vriesea (Bromeliaceae).</p> <p>Methods: We measured shape and size variation for 208 floral bracts and 176 leaves in individuals from 14 localities using geometric morphometrics. We compiled data for two chloroplast regions (matK and trnL-F) from 89 individuals to assess genetic diversity, population structure and phylogenetic relationships. We tested the influence of climate, altitude and genetic distance on morphological traits using linear statistical models.</p> <p>Results: Temperature seasonality is a main driver of floral bract shape. Together with precipitation, it also explains changes in leaf size across the latitudinal gradient. Shifts in morphological traits are correlated with genetic structure and partly support the recent taxonomic delimitation proposed for the species complex. The species started to diversify in the Pliocene ca. 5 Mya. We detected a phylogeographic break in species distribution into northern and southern clades between the Bocaina region and the southern portion of the Atlantic Forest.</p> <p>Main conclusions: We identify how geography and environmental changes through time shape floral bracts and leaves in similar ways. At highly seasonal sites with lower annual precipitation (in the southern subtropical portion of the Atlantic Forest), leaves are larger and floral bracts are wide-elliptic, making them better suited for increased water accumulation. In contrast, at less seasonal sites (in the tropical north, where rainfall is more abundant and temperatures are higher), leaves are narrower and floral bracts are lanceolate-shaped, facilitating water drainage. The biogeographical break we identified suggests a role of tectonic activity and climatic oscillations in promoting species divergence and diversification.</p>
Data from: Large scale variation in birth timing and synchrony of a large herbivore along the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients
<p>1. Hopkins' Bioclimatic Law predicts geographic patterns in phenological timing by establishing a correspondence between latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. First proposed for key phenological events of plants, such as leaf sprouting or flowering dates, this law has rarely been used to assess the geographical equivalence of key life history traits of mammals.</p> <p>2. We hypothesize that (H1) parturition dates of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are delayed and more synchronized at higher latitudes and altitudes, (H2) parturition timing varies along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients in a way that matches the Hopkins' Bioclimatic Law, and (H3) females adjust parturition timing to match the period of high energy demand with peak resource availability.</p> <p>3. We used parturition dates of 7,444 European roe deer from Switzerland to assess altitudinal variation in birth timing and synchrony from 288 to 2,366 m a.s.l. We then performed a literature survey to compare altitudinal results with those from different populations along the species' latitudinal range of distribution. Finally, we performed spatial analysis combining our highly resolved altitudinal data on parturition dates with plant phenology data.</p> <p>4. As expected, parturition dates were delayed with increasing latitude and altitude. This delay matched the Bioclimatic Law, as the effect of 1º increase in latitude was similar to 120 m increase in altitude. However, while parturitions were more synchronized with increasing altitude, we did not detect any trend along the latitudinal gradient. Finally, plant phenology explained altitudinal variation in parturition timing better than a linear effect of altitude.</p> <p>5. Our findings clearly demonstrate the ability of a large herbivore to match parturition timing with phenological conditions across the altitudinal gradient, even at the smallest spatial scales. </p>
Latitudinal gradient in the intensity of biotic interactions in terrestrial ecosystems: Sources of variation and differences from the diversity gradient revealed by meta-analysis
<p>The Latitudinal Biotic Interaction Hypothesis (LBIH) states that the intensity of biotic interactions increases from high to low latitudes. This hypothesis, which may partly explain latitudinal gradients in biodiversity, remains hotly debated, largely due to variable outcomes of published studies. We used meta-analysis to identify the scope of the LBIH in terrestrial ecosystems. For this purpose, we explored the sources of variation in the strength of latitudinal changes in herbivory, carnivory, and parasitism (119 publications) and compared these gradients with gradients in the diversity of the respective groups of animals (102 publications). Overall, both herbivory and carnivory decreased towards the poles, while parasitism increased. The latitudinal gradient in herbivory and carnivory was threefold stronger above 50–60º than at lower latitudes and was significant due to interactions involving ectothermic consumers, studies using standardized prey (i.e. prey lacking local anti-predator adaptations) and studies aimed at testing LBIH. The poleward decrease in biodiversity did not differ between ectothermic and endothermic animals or among climate zones and was four-fold stronger than decrease in herbivory and carnivory. The discovered differences between the gradients in biotic interactions and biodiversity suggest that these two global macroecological patterns are likely shaped by different factors.</p>
Data from: Explaining global variation in the latitudinal diversity gradient: meta-analysis confirms known patterns and uncovers new ones
Aim: The pattern of increasing biological diversity from high latitudes to the equator [latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG)] has been recognized for > 200 years. Empirical studies have documented this pattern across many different organisms and locations. Our goal was to quantify the evidence for the global LDG and the associated spatial, taxonomic and environmental factors. We performed a meta-analysis on a large number of individual LDGs that have been published in the 14 years since Hillebrand's ground-breaking meta-analysis of the LDG, using meta-analysis and meta-regression approaches largely new to the fields of ecology and biogeography. Location: Global. Time period: January 2003–September 2015. Major taxa studied: Bacteria, protists, plants, fungi and animals. Methods: We synthesized the outcomes of 389 individual cases of LDGs from 199 papers published since 2003, using hierarchical mixed-effects meta-analysis and multiple meta-regression. Additionally, we re-analysed Hillebrand's original dataset using modern methods. Results: We confirmed the generality of the LDG, but found the pattern to be weaker than was found in Hillebrand's study. We identified previously unreported variation in LDG strength and slope across longitude, with evidence that the LDG is strongest in the Western Hemisphere. Locational characteristics, such as habitat and latitude range, contributed significantly to LDG strength, whereas organismal characteristics, including taxonomic group and trophic level, did not. Modern meta-analytical models that incorporate hierarchical structure led to more conservative and sometimes contrasting effect size estimates relative to Hillebrand's initial analysis, whereas meta-regression revealed underlying patterns in Hillebrand's dataset that were not apparent with a traditional analysis. Main conclusions: We present evidence of global latitudinal, longitudinal and habitat-based patterns in the LDG, which are apparent across both marine and terrestrial realms and over a broad taxonomic range of organisms, from bacteria to plants and vertebrates.
Latitudinal resource gradient shapes multi-variate defense strategies in a long-lived shrub
<p>Herein lies the data and R code for the analyses for the manuscript titled, "Latitudinal resource gradient shapes multi-variate defense strategies in a long-lived shrub", published in <em>Ecology.</em></p>
Clinal variation in quantitative traits but not in evolutionary potential along elevational and latitudinal gradients in the widespread Anthyllis vulneraria
<p><strong>Premise of the study</strong></p> <p>Strong elevational and latitudinal gradients allow the study of genetic differentiation in response to similar environmental changes. However, it is uncertain whether the environmental changes along the two types of gradients result in similar genetically based changes in quantitative traits. Peripheral arctic and alpine populations are thought to have a lower evolutionary potential than more central ones. </p> <p><strong>Methods </strong></p> <p>We studied quantitative traits of the widespread <em>Anthyllis vulneraria</em> in a common garden. Plants originated from 20 populations along a 2000 m elevational gradient from the lowlands to the elevational limit of the species in the Alps, and from 20 populations along a 2400 km latitudinal gradient from the centre of the distribution of the species in Central Europe to its northern distributional margin.</p> <p><strong>Key results</strong></p> <p>Several traits showed similar clinal variation with elevation and latitude of origin. Higher Q<sub>ST</sub>-values than F<sub>ST</sub>-values in some traits indicated divergent selection. The same traits were subject to strongly diversifying selection among populations (high Q<sub>ST</sub>) and strong stabilising selection within populations (low evolvability). Genetic diversity of most quantitative traits and neutral molecular markers was only weakly correlated. Plasticity in response to benign conditions declined with both increasing elevation and latitude of origin, but the evolvability of most traits did not.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions </strong></p> <p>The clinal variation suggests adaptive differentiation of quantitative traits along the two gradients. Our results indicate that the evolutionary potential of peripheral populations is not necessarily reduced. However, lower plasticity may threaten their survival under rapidly changing climatic conditions.</p>
Data from: Latitudinal variation in thermal performance of the common coral Pocillopora spp.
<p>Understanding how tropical corals respond to temperatures is important to evaluating their capacity to persist in a warmer future. We studied the common Pacific coral <em>Pocillopora</em> over 44° of latitude, and used populations at three islands with different thermal regimes to compare their responses to temperature using thermal performance curves (TPCs) for respiration and gross photosynthesis. Corals were sampled in the local autumn from Moorea, Guam, and Okinawa where mean (± s.d.) annual seawater temperature is 28.0 ± 0.9°C, 28.9 ± 0.7°C, and 25.1 ± 3.4°C, respectively. TPCs for respiration were similar among latitudes, the thermal optimum (T<sub>opt</sub>) was above the local maximum temperature at all three islands, and maximum respiration was lowest at Okinawa. TPCs for gross photosynthesis were wider, implying greater thermal eurytopy, with a higher T<sub>opt</sub> in Moorea versus Guam and Okinawa. T<sub>opt </sub>was above the maximum temperature in Moorea, but was similar to daily temperatures over 13% of the year in Okinawa, and 53% of the year in Guam. There was greater annual variation in daily temperatures in Okinawa than Guam or Moorea, which translated to large variation in the supply of metabolic energy and photosynthetically fixed carbon at higher latitudes. Despite these trends, the differences in TPCs for <em>Pocillopora</em> were not profoundly different across latitudes, reducing the likelihood that populations of these corals could better match their phenotypes to future more extreme temperatures through migration. Any such response would place a premium on high metabolic plasticity and tolerance of large seasonal variations in energy budgets.</p>
Data accompanying "Latitudinal variation in the timing of nest predator activity is habitat specific"
<p>The aim of this work was to test the hypothesis that that activity patterns of bird nest predators transitions from nocturnal to diurnal with increasing latitude. We collected the identity of nest predators from published data of camera surveillance at nests on the global scale. We performed ordinal and logistic regressions to study the correlation between predator activity patterns and the latitude. This is the final data set, along with the R-scripts we used to perform the statistical analyses. Please read the "readme.txt" file before running the scripts. A list of references from which predation and activity pattern data was extracted is also provided.</p>
Effects of latitudinal, seasonal, and daily temperature variations on chytrid fungal infections in a North American frog
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Data from: Latitudinal variation in norms of reaction of phenology in the greater duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza
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Data from: Latitudinal variation in thermal performance of the common coral Pocillopora spp.
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Latitudinal variations in incubation behaviour among uniparental incubating birds
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The importance of nighttime length to latitudinal variation in avian incubation attentiveness
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Clinal variation in quantitative traits but not in evolutionary potential along elevational and latitudinal gradients in the widespread Anthyllis vulneraria
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OpenNeuro
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