scholarly journals Decline of parasitic and habitat-specialist species drives taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional homogenization of sub-alpine bumblebee communities

Oecologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoan Fourcade ◽  
Sandra Åström ◽  
Erik Öckinger
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Specialist ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Functional Homogenization ◽  
Habitat Specialist Species

The age of island-like habitats impacts habitat specialist species richness

Ecology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 1106-1114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Horsák ◽  
Michal Hájek ◽  
Daniel Spitale ◽  
Petra Hájková ◽  
Daniel Dítě ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Specialist ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Habitat Specialist Species

scholarly journals A rapid survey of herpetofaunal diversity in Nijhum Dwip National Park, Bangladesh

2022 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Md. Fazle Rabbe ◽  
Nur Mohammad ◽  
Dipongkor Roy ◽  
M. Firoj Jaman ◽  
M Niamul Naser
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Habitat Specialist ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Human Habitation ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Habitat Specialist Species ◽  
Riparian Landscapes ◽  
Forest Habitats

The ecological effects of habitat use by herpetofaunal species vary widely and recognizing relative habitat value will help to improve conservation theory and practice in a particular landscape. To understand how different habitat uses influence diversity in riparian landscapes, we studied reptile and amphibian assemblages across major habitats (agricultural land, forest, human habitation, and waterbodies) in Nijhum Dwip National Park, Bangladesh. A total of 35 herpetofaunal species were found; among them, 17 were directly observed and 18 were reported from a questionnaire survey. Among the observed species, the Asian Common Toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus was the most commonly seen (relative abundance 0.32). We found that forest habitat contained a greater diversity of herpetofauna than other habitats followed by agricultural land, human habitation, and waterbodies. We also found 8 habitat specialist species and 9 generalist species in this study. Our results show that different habitats support different species assemblages in Nijhum Dwip National Park, signifying the importance of diversified habitats for the herpetofaunal population. Understanding this importance is crucial for identifying matrix environments that can complement the forest habitats of sensitive as well as specialist herpetofaunal species.

scholarly journals Seed dispersal by dispersing juvenile animals: a source of functional connectivity in fragmented landscapes

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 20190264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan P. González-Varo ◽  
Sarah Díaz-García ◽  
Juan M. Arroyo ◽  
Pedro Jordano
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
Habitat Specialist ◽  
Fragmented Landscapes ◽  
Plant Dispersal ◽  
Link Functions ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Mobile Link ◽  
Habitat Specialist Species

Juvenile animals generally disperse from their birthplace to their future breeding territories. In fragmented landscapes, habitat-specialist species must disperse through the anthropogenic matrix where remnant habitats are embedded. Here, we test the hypothesis that dispersing juvenile frugivores leave a footprint in the form of seed deposition through the matrix of fragmented landscapes. We focused on the Sardinian warbler ( Sylvia melanocephala ), a resident frugivorous passerine. We used data from field sampling of bird-dispersed seeds in the forest and matrix of a fragmented landscape, subsequent disperser identification through DNA-barcoding analysis, and data from a national bird-ringing programme. Seed dispersal by Sardinian warblers was confined to the forest most of the year, but warblers contributed a peak of seed-dispersal events in the matrix between July and October, mainly attributable to dispersing juveniles. Our study uniquely connects animal and plant dispersal, demonstrating that juveniles of habitat-specialist frugivores can provide mobile-link functions transiently, but in a seasonally predictable way.

scholarly journals Balloniscus glaber (Crustacea, Isopoda, Balloniscidae), a habitat specialist species in a disturbed area of Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Costa Kenne ◽  
Paula Beatriz Araujo
Keyword(s):  
Urban Area ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Human Influence ◽  
Habitat Specialist ◽  
Human Interference ◽  
Disturbed Forest ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Habitat Specialist Species ◽  
Favorable Conditions

ABSTRACT Balloniscus glaber Araujo & Zardo, 1995 (Balloniscidae), a Neotropical Oniscidea, has been recorded historically in environments with low or no human interference. In one of these areas, it was determined as aK-strategist. Recently, however, this species was documented in a disturbed forest within urban limits. The present work revealed that the population in the urban area has high density, high number of ovigerous females and mancae in the population, a long reproductive period, and early sexual maturity. These results suggest that modified environments may provide favorable conditions and that the species is not negatively affected by human influence.

scholarly journals Taxonomy, habitat choice and distribution of Kimunpsocus flavonimbatus (Rostock, 1879) comb. n. (Psocodea: ‘Psocoptera’: Psocidae)

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gergely Várkonyi ◽  
Charles Lienhard
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Biology ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Habitat Choice ◽  
The Other ◽  
Habitat Specialist ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Habitat Specialist Species ◽  
First Time ◽  
Bark Lice ◽  
A New Species

The bark lice Psocus flavonimbatus Rostock, 1879 and Ptycta chubsugulensis Günther, 1982 are assigned to the genus Kimunpsocus Yoshizawa, 2009. The male terminalia of K. flavonimbatus are described for the first time and compared to the corresponding structures of the other known species of the genus. Previously only known from the type locality in Estonia and the municipality of Kuhmo in Finland, K. flavonimbatus is now reported from 13 new sites and as a new species for four municipalities in eastern Central Finland. Analyses of an extensive material strongly suggest that K. flavonimbatus is a habitat-specialist species, confining its occurrence to pristine and semi-natural spruce-dominated forests. Nonetheless, its occurrence seems to be sporadic even in the old-growth forests. Forest structure of a subset of occupied and unoccupied sites is described and the conservation biology of K. flavonimbatus discussed.

Worldwide decline of specialist species: toward a global functional homogenization?

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 222-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Clavel ◽  
Romain Julliard ◽  
Vincent Devictor
Keyword(s):  
Specialist Species ◽  
Functional Homogenization

scholarly journals Forest-type specialization strongly predicts avian responses to tropical agriculture

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1913) ◽  
pp. 20191724
Author(s):  
Jacob B. Socolar ◽  
David S. Wilcove
Keyword(s):  
Forest Type ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Predictive Performance ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Habitat Specialization ◽  
Habitat Features ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Habitat Specialist Species ◽  
Poor Soil

Species’ traits influence how populations respond to land-use change. However, even in well-characterized groups such as birds, widely studied traits explain only a modest proportion of the variance in response across species. Here, we show that associations with particular forest types strongly predict the sensitivity of forest-dwelling Amazonian birds to agriculture. Incorporating these fine-scale habitat associations into models of population response dramatically improves predictive performance and markedly outperforms the functional traits that commonly appear in similar analyses. Moreover, by identifying habitat features that support assemblages of unusually sensitive habitat-specialist species, our model furnishes straightforward conservation recommendations. In Amazonia, species that specialize on forests along a soil–nutrient gradient (i.e. both rich-soil specialists and poor-soil specialists) are exceptionally sensitive to agriculture, whereas species that specialize on floodplain forests are unusually insensitive. Thus, habitat specialization per se does not predict disturbance sensitivity, but particular habitat associations do. A focus on conserving specific habitats that harbour highly sensitive avifaunas (e.g. poor-soil forest) would protect a critically threatened component of regional biodiversity. We present a conceptual model to explain the divergent responses of habitat specialists in the different habitats, and we suggest that similar patterns and conservation opportunities probably exist for other taxa and regions.

Age-dependent colonization of urban habitats: a diachronic approach using carabid beetles and spiders

2013 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Varet ◽  
Françoise Burel ◽  
Denis Lafage ◽  
Julien Pétillon
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Life History Trait ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
High Dispersal ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Habitat Generalist ◽  
Habitat Specialist Species

Urbanization creates human disturbance that plays an important role in ecosystem dynamics. Most of the time, there is a time lag between disturbance and colonization. Opportunistic species with high dispersal power colonize first, while habitat specialist species with a lower power of dispersal colonize later; the communities change with time after disturbance. We hypothesize that, following the establishment of a new neighbourhood, arthropod communities will change from habitat generalists to specialists, and will be more similar to those of the adjacent countryside. We selected two groups of invertebrates often used as bioindicators, spiders and carabid beetles. The following parameters were estimated: assemblage composition, species richness, activity-density total and per life history trait (broad habitat preference). The field data were collected in 2010 within 3 towns located in France. Neighbourhoods of 10 and 30 years old were pair-matched in these towns and sampled using pitfall traps set randomly in hedgerows (120 traps in total). 2101 adult spiders belonging to 89 species were collected, whereas the 643 captured carabid beetles belonged to 24 species. We found no evidence of any significant change in carabid beetle and spider communities according to neighbourhood age. The assemblages were mainly composed of habitat generalist species. These results suggest that urban areas can be seen to be in continual state of disruption, and colonization of these areas is assumed to be relatively rapid (i.e., less than 10 years in our case study), although incomplete.

scholarly journals Snakes on an African plain: the radiation of Crotaphopeltis and Philothamnus into open habitat (Serpentes: Colubridae)

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11728
Author(s):  
Hanlie M. Engelbrecht ◽  
William R. Branch ◽  
Krystal A. Tolley
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Type ◽  
Evolutionary Analysis ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Vegetation Shifts ◽  
Species Association ◽  
Open Habitat ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Habitat Generalist ◽  
Habitat Specialist Species ◽  
Lineage Diversification

Background The African continent is comprised of several different biomes, although savanna is the most prevalent. The current heterogeneous landscape was formed through long-term vegetation shifts as a result of the global cooling trend since the Oligocene epoch. The overwhelming trend was a shift from primarily forest, to primarily savanna. As such, faunal groups that emerged during the Paleogene/Neogene period and have species distributed in both forest and savanna habitat should show a genetic signature of the possible evolutionary impact of these biome developments. Crotaphopeltis and Philothamnus (Colubridae) are excellent taxa to investigate the evolutionary impact of these biome developments on widespread African colubrid snakes, and whether timing and patterns of radiation are synchronous with biome reorganisation. Methods A phylogenetic framework was used to investigate timing of lineage diversification. Phylogenetic analysis included both genera as well as other Colubridae to construct a temporal framework in order to estimate radiation times for Crotaphopeltis and Philothamnus. Lineage diversification was estimated in Bayesian Evolutionary Analysis Sampling Trees (BEAST), using two mitochondrial markers (cyt–b, ND4), one nuclear marker (c–mos), and incorporating one fossil and two biogeographical calibration points. Vegetation layers were used to classify and confirm species association with broad biome types (‘closed’ = forest, ‘open’ = savanna/other), and the ancestral habitat state for each genus was estimated. Results Philothamnus showed an ancestral state of closed habitat, but the ancestral habitat type for Crotaphopeltis was equivocal. Both genera showed similar timing of lineage diversification diverging from their sister genera during the Oligocene/Miocene transition (ca. 25 Mya), with subsequent species radiation in the Mid-Miocene. Philothamnus appeared to have undergone allopatric speciation during Mid-Miocene forest fragmentation. Habitat generalist and open habitat specialist species emerged as savanna became more prevalent, while at least two forest associated lineages within Crotaphopeltis moved into Afromontane forest habitat secondarily and independently. Discussion With similar diversification times, but contrasting ancestral habitat reconstructions, we show that these genera have responded very differently to the same broad biome shifts. Differences in biogeographical patterns for the two African colubrid genera is likely an effect of distinct life-history traits, such as the arboreous habits of Philothamnus compared to the terrestrial lifestyle of Crotaphopeltis.

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