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Journal articles on the topic 'Species niche'
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1
Liu, Chunlong, Christian Wolter, Weiwei Xian, and Jonathan M. Jeschke. "Most invasive species largely conserve their climatic niche." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 38 (September 3, 2020): 23643–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004289117.
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The ecological niche is a key concept for elucidating patterns of species distributions and developing strategies for conserving biodiversity. However, recent times are seeing a widespread debate whether species niches are conserved across space and time (niche conservatism hypothesis). Biological invasions represent a unique opportunity to test this hypothesis in a short time frame at the global scale. We synthesized empirical findings for 434 invasive species from 86 studies to assess whether invasive species conserve their climatic niche between native and introduced ranges. Although the niche conservatism hypothesis was rejected in most studies, highly contrasting conclusions for the same species between and within studies suggest that the dichotomous conclusions of these studies were sensitive to techniques, assessment criteria, or author preferences. We performed a consistent quantitative analysis of the dynamics between native and introduced climatic niches reported by previous studies. Our results show there is very limited niche expansion between native and introduced ranges, and introduced niches occupy a position similar to native niches in the environmental space. These findings support the niche conservatism hypothesis overall. In particular, introduced niches were narrower for terrestrial animals, species introduced more recently, or species with more native occurrences. Niche similarity was lower for aquatic species, species introduced only intentionally or more recently, or species with fewer introduced occurrences. Climatic niche conservatism for invasive species not only increases our confidence in transferring ecological niche models to new ranges but also supports the use of niche models for forecasting species responses to changing climates.
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Sillero, Neftalí, Elena Argaña, Cátia Matos, Marc Franch, Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, and Miguel A. Carretero. "Local Segregation of Realised Niches in Lizards." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 9, no. 12 (December 21, 2020): 764. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9120764.
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Species can occupy different realised niches when sharing the space with other congeneric species or when living in allopatry. Ecological niche models are powerful tools to analyse species niches and their changes over time and space. Analysing how species’ realised niches shift is paramount in ecology. Here, we examine the ecological realised niche of three species of wall lizards in six study areas: three areas where each species occurs alone; and three areas where they occur together in pairs. We compared the species’ realised niches and how they vary depending on species’ coexistence, by quantifying niche overlap between pairs of species or populations with the R package ecospat. For this, we considered three environmental variables (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) recorded at each lizard re-sighting location. Realised niches were very similar when comparing syntopic species occurring in the same study area. However, realised niches differed when comparing conspecific populations across areas. In each of the three areas of syntopy, the less abundant species shift its realised niche. Our study demonstrates that sympatry may shift species’ realised niche.
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Figueiredo, Giovanna Corrêa e., Karina Bohrer do Amaral, and Marcos César de Oliveira Santos. "Cetaceans along the southeastern Brazilian coast: occurrence, distribution and niche inference at local scale." PeerJ 8 (October 5, 2020): e10000. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10000.
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It is deemed important to understand cetacean occurrence and distribution to comprehend their ecological roles. The geographical occurrence of species’ niche can be used to better describe their potential distribution. The niche can be defined using environmental variables. Those variables are considered static and not affected by biological activities. The present study goal was to assess the occurrence and distribution of cetaceans along the southeastern Brazilian coast, as well as to define the fundamental and realized niche of each species and to investigate niche overlap at local scale. The environmental requirements for each species were also investigated throughout statistical tests. Sighting data were obtained through oceanographic surveys conducted between 2012 and 2015. The environmental variables available on MARSPEC and the software NicheA were used for the ecological niche modeling. A total of twelve cetacean species were identified and the potential distribution areas of the six commonest ones were defined. Even though the species presented different environmental preferences, most of them had partial overlap among niches and potential distribution areas. The environmental heterogeneity of the study area might support the co-occurrence of different species with different environmental requirements.
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Srivastava, Vivek, Wanwan Liang, Melody A. Keena, Amanda D. Roe, Richard C. Hamelin, and Verena C. Griess. "Assessing Niche Shifts and Conservatism by Comparing the Native and Post-Invasion Niches of Major Forest Invasive Species." Insects 11, no. 8 (July 29, 2020): 479. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects11080479.
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Invasive species experience biotic and abiotic conditions that may (or may not) resemble their native environment. We explored the methodology of determining climatic niches and compared the native and post-invasion niches of four invasive forest pests to determine if these species experienced shifts or changes in their new climatic niches. We used environmental principle components analysis (PCA-env) method to quantify climatic niche shifts, expansions, and temporal changes. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of variable selection in the delineation and comparison of niche space. We found that variable selection influenced the delineation and overlap of each niche, whereas the subset of climatic variables selected from the first two PCA-env axes explained more variance in environmental conditions than the complete set of climatic variables for all four species. Most focal species showed climatic niche shifts in their invasive range and had not yet fully occupied the available niche within the invaded range. Our species varied the proportion of niche overlap between the native and invasive ranges. By comparing native and invasive niches, we can help predict a species’ potential range expansion and invasion potential. Our results can guide monitoring and help inform management of these and other invasive species.
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Allgeier, Jacob E., Thomas C. Adam, and Deron E. Burkepile. "The importance of individual and species-level traits for trophic niches among herbivorous coral reef fishes." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 284, no. 1856 (June 14, 2017): 20170307. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.0307.
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Resolving how species compete and coexist within ecological communities represents a long-standing challenge in ecology. Research efforts have focused on two predominant mechanisms of species coexistence: complementarity and redundancy. But findings also support an alternative hypothesis that within-species variation may be critical for coexistence. Our study focuses on nine closely related and ecologically similar coral reef fish species to test the importance of individual- versus species-level traits in determining the size of dietary, foraging substrate, and behavioural interaction niches. Specifically, we asked: (i) what level of biological organization best describes individual-level niches? and (ii) how are herbivore community niches partitioned among species, and are niche widths driven by species- or individual-level traits? Dietary and foraging substrate niche widths were best described by species identity, but no level of taxonomy explained behavioural interactions. All three niches were dominated by only a few species, contrasting expectations of niche complementarity. Species- and individual-level traits strongly drove foraging substrate and behavioural niches, respectively, whereas the dietary niche was described by both. Our findings underscored the importance of species-level traits for community-level niches, but highlight that individual-level trait variation within a select few species may be a key driver of the overall size of niches.
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Pagel, Jörn, Martina Treurnicht, William J. Bond, Tineke Kraaij, Henning Nottebrock, AnneLise Schutte-Vlok, Jeanne Tonnabel, Karen J. Esler, and Frank M. Schurr. "Mismatches between demographic niches and geographic distributions are strongest in poorly dispersed and highly persistent plant species." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 7 (February 6, 2020): 3663–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1908684117.
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The ecological niche of a species describes the variation in population growth rates along environmental gradients that drives geographic range dynamics. Niches are thus central for understanding and forecasting species’ geographic distributions. However, theory predicts that migration limitation, source–sink dynamics, and time-lagged local extinction can cause mismatches between niches and geographic distributions. It is still unclear how relevant these niche–distribution mismatches are for biodiversity dynamics and how they depend on species life-history traits. This is mainly due to a lack of the comprehensive, range-wide demographic data needed to directly infer ecological niches for multiple species. Here we quantify niches from extensive demographic measurements along environmental gradients across the geographic ranges of 26 plant species (Proteaceae; South Africa). We then test whether life history explains variation in species’ niches and niche–distribution mismatches. Niches are generally wider for species with high seed dispersal or persistence abilities. Life-history traits also explain the considerable interspecific variation in niche–distribution mismatches: poorer dispersers are absent from larger parts of their potential geographic ranges, whereas species with higher persistence ability more frequently occupy environments outside their ecological niche. Our study thus identifies major demographic and functional determinants of species’ niches and geographic distributions. It highlights that the inference of ecological niches from geographical distributions is most problematic for poorly dispersed and highly persistent species. We conclude that the direct quantification of ecological niches from demographic responses to environmental variation is a crucial step toward a better predictive understanding of biodiversity dynamics under environmental change.
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Fan, Yan Rong, Shuang Lin Chen, Hua Lin, Qing Ping Yang, Yi Cong Hong, and Zi Wu Guo. "Niches of Major Associated Species in Natural Mixed Moso Bamboo Forests." Advanced Materials Research 726-731 (August 2013): 4298–302. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.726-731.4298.
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Niche characteristics of nineteen main associated tree populations in moso bamboo mixed forests in Luoboyan Natural Reserve were investigated. The results show that associated populations ofSarcandra glabra,Ilex purpureaandEurya japonica, with high important values have great capacity of adapting to environment and also have broader niche breadths.Liquidamba formosanaseldom appear as associated trees and have narrow niche breadth.Castanopsis fargesii,Engelhardia fenzelii,Castanopsis kawakamii,Schima superba,Nyssa aquaticandCarpinus turczaninowiihave close niche breadth and similar distribution range within the community.Ilex purpurea-Castanopsis fargesii,Ilex purpurea-Engelhardia fenzelii,Engelhardia fenzelii-Liquidamba formosana,Castanopsis kawakamii-Dendropanax dentiger,Rhododendron pulchrum-Schima superba,Dendropanax dentiger-Castanopsis lamontiiandCastanopsis lamontii-Carpinus turczaninowiihave high niche overlaps which prove that species having similar or same circumstances demands high niche overlap indexes. Species with broader niches have more chances for niche overlap with other species.Sarcandra glabradistributes widely and has broad niche breadth but low overlap index with other species, which indicates that species with broad niche breadth is not inevitable to have broad niche overlap with other species.
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Gómez, Camila, Elkin A. Tenorio, Paola Montoya, and Carlos Daniel Cadena. "Niche-tracking migrants and niche-switching residents: evolution of climatic niches in New World warblers (Parulidae)." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 283, no. 1824 (February 10, 2016): 20152458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.2458.
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Differences in life-history traits between tropical and temperate lineages are often attributed to differences in their climatic niche dynamics. For example, the more frequent appearance of migratory behaviour in temperate-breeding species than in species originally breeding in the tropics is believed to have resulted partly from tropical climatic stability and niche conservatism constraining tropical species from shifting their ranges. However, little is known about the patterns and processes underlying climatic niche evolution in migrant and resident animals. We evaluated the evolution of overlap in climatic niches between seasons and its relationship to migratory behaviour in the Parulidae, a family of New World passerine birds. We used ordination methods to measure seasonal niche overlap and niche breadth of 54 resident and 49 migrant species and used phylogenetic comparative methods to assess patterns of climatic niche evolution. We found that despite travelling thousands of kilometres, migrants tracked climatic conditions across the year to a greater extent than tropical residents. Migrant species had wider niches than resident species, although residents as a group occupied a wider climatic space and niches of migrants and residents overlapped extensively. Neither breeding latitude nor migratory distance explained variation among species in climatic niche overlap between seasons. Our findings support the notion that tropical species have narrower niches than temperate-breeders, but does not necessarily constrain their ability to shift or expand their geographical ranges and become migratory. Overall, the tropics may have been historically less likely to experience the suite of components that generate strong selection pressures for the evolution of migratory behaviour.
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Bar-Massada, Avi. "Complex relationships between species niches and environmental heterogeneity affect species co-occurrence patterns in modelled and real communities." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282, no. 1813 (August 22, 2015): 20150927. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0927.
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Species co-occurrence analysis is commonly used to assess how interspecific interactions dictate community assembly. Non-random co-occurrences, however, may also emerge from niche differences as well as environmental heterogeneity. The relationships between species co-occurrence patterns, environmental heterogeneity and species niches are not fully understood, due to complex interactions among them. To analyse the relationships among these patterns and processes, I developed synthetic community models and analysed a large dataset of tree species across the conterminous United States. Niche overlap and environmental heterogeneity had significant and contrasting effects on species co-occurrence patterns, in both modelled and real communities. Niche breadth, in turn, affected the effect sizes of both variables on species co-occurrence patterns. The effect of niche breadth on the relationship between co-occurrence and niche overlap was markedly consistent between modelled and real communities, while its effect on the relationship between co-occurrence and environmental heterogeneity was mostly consistent between real and modelled data. The results of this analysis highlight the complex and interactive effects of species niche overlap, niche breadth and environmental heterogeneity on species co-occurrence patterns. Therefore, inferring ecological processes from co-occurrence patterns without accounting for these fundamental characteristics of species and environments may lead to biased conclusions.
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Lavergne, Sébastien, Margaret E. K. Evans, Ian J. Burfield, Frederic Jiguet, and Wilfried Thuiller. "Are species' responses to global change predicted by past niche evolution?" Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 368, no. 1610 (January 19, 2013): 20120091. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2012.0091.
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Predicting how and when adaptive evolution might rescue species from global change, and integrating this process into tools of biodiversity forecasting, has now become an urgent task. Here, we explored whether recent population trends of species can be explained by their past rate of niche evolution, which can be inferred from increasingly available phylogenetic and niche data. We examined the assemblage of 409 European bird species for which estimates of demographic trends between 1970 and 2000 are available, along with a species-level phylogeny and data on climatic, habitat and trophic niches. We found that species' proneness to demographic decline is associated with slow evolution of the habitat niche in the past, in addition to certain current-day life-history and ecological traits. A similar result was found at a higher taxonomic level, where families prone to decline have had a history of slower evolution of climatic and habitat niches. Our results support the view that niche conservatism can prevent some species from coping with environmental change. Thus, linking patterns of past niche evolution and contemporary species dynamics for large species samples may provide insights into how niche evolution may rescue certain lineages in the face of global change.
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Cooper, Natalie, Rob P. Freckleton, and Walter Jetz. "Phylogenetic conservatism of environmental niches in mammals." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 278, no. 1716 (January 5, 2011): 2384–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.2207.
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Phylogenetic niche conservatism is the pattern where close relatives occupy similar niches, whereas distant relatives are more dissimilar. We suggest that niche conservatism will vary across clades in relation to their characteristics. Specifically, we investigate how conservatism of environmental niches varies among mammals according to their latitude, range size, body size and specialization. We use the Brownian rate parameter, σ 2 , to measure the rate of evolution in key variables related to the ecological niche and define the more conserved group as the one with the slower rate of evolution. We find that tropical, small-ranged and specialized mammals have more conserved thermal niches than temperate, large-ranged or generalized mammals. Partitioning niche conservatism into its spatial and phylogenetic components, we find that spatial effects on niche variables are generally greater than phylogenetic effects. This suggests that recent evolution and dispersal have more influence on species' niches than more distant evolutionary events. These results have implications for our understanding of the role of niche conservatism in species richness patterns and for gauging the potential for species to adapt to global change.
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Wiens, John J. "The niche, biogeography and species interactions." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 366, no. 1576 (August 27, 2011): 2336–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2011.0059.
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In this paper, I review the relevance of the niche to biogeography, and what biogeography may tell us about the niche. The niche is defined as the combination of abiotic and biotic conditions where a species can persist. I argue that most biogeographic patterns are created by niche differences over space, and that even ‘geographic barriers’ must have an ecological basis. However, we know little about specific ecological factors underlying most biogeographic patterns. Some evidence supports the importance of abiotic factors, whereas few examples exist of large-scale patterns created by biotic interactions. I also show how incorporating biogeography may offer new perspectives on resource-related niches and species interactions. Several examples demonstrate that even after a major evolutionary radiation within a region, the region can still be invaded by ecologically similar species from another clade, countering the long-standing idea that communities and regions are generally ‘saturated’ with species. I also describe the somewhat paradoxical situation where competition seems to limit trait evolution in a group, but does not prevent co-occurrence of species with similar values for that trait (called here the ‘competition–divergence–co-occurrence conundrum’). In general, the interface of biogeography and ecology could be a major area for research in both fields.
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Larose, Chloé, Darren J. Parker, and Tanja Schwander. "Fundamental and realized feeding niche breadths of sexual and asexual stick insects." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285, no. 1892 (November 28, 2018): 20181805. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.1805.
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The factors contributing to the maintenance of sex over asexuality in natural populations remain unclear. Ecological divergences between sexual and asexual lineages could help to maintain reproductive polymorphisms, at least transiently, but the consequences of asexuality for the evolution of ecological niches are unknown. Here, we investigated how niche breadths change in transitions from sexual reproduction to asexuality. We used host plant ranges as a proxy to compare the realized feeding niche breadths of five independently derived asexual Timema stick insect species and their sexual relatives at both the species and population levels. Asexual species had systematically narrower realized niches than sexual species, though this pattern was not apparent at the population level. To investigate how the narrower realized niches of asexual species arise, we performed feeding experiments to estimate fundamental niche breadths but found no systematic differences between reproductive modes. The narrow realized niches found in asexual species are therefore probably a consequence of biotic interactions such as predation or competition, that constrain realized niche size in asexuals more strongly than in sexuals.
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Namyatova, Anna A. "Climatic niche comparison between closely related trans-Palearctic species of the genus Orthocephalus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae)." PeerJ 8 (December 15, 2020): e10517. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10517.
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Previously climatic niche modelling had been studied for only a few trans-Palearctic species. It is unclear whether and to what extent those niches are different, and which climatic variables influence such a wide distribution. Here, environmental niche modelling is performed based on the Worldclim variables using Maxent for eight species of the genus Orthocephalus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae). This group belongs to one of the largest insect families and it is distributed across Palearctic. Orthocephalus bivittatus, O. brevis, O. saltator and O. vittipennis are distributed across Europe and Asia; O. coriaceus, O. fulvipes, O. funestus, O. proserpinae have more limited distribution. Niche comparison using ENMTools was also undertaken to compare the niches of these species, and to test whether the niches of closely related species with trans-Palearctic distributions are more similar to each other, than to other congeners. It has been found that climatic niche models of all trans-Palearctic species under study are similar but are not identical to each other. This has been supported by niche geographic projections, climatic variables contributing to the models and variable ranges. Climatic niche models of all the trans-Palearctic Orthocephalus species are also very similar to two species having more restricted distribution (O. coriaceus, O. funestus). Results of this study suggest that trans-Palearctic distributions can have different geographic ranges and be shaped by different climatic factors.
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Medina, Anderson Matos, and Mário Almeida-Neto. "Grinnelian and Eltonian niche conservatism of the European honeybee (Apis mellifera) in its exotic distribution." Sociobiology 67, no. 2 (June 30, 2020): 239. http://dx.doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v67i2.4901.
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The understanding of how niche-related traits change during species invasion have prompted what is now known as the niche conservatism principle. Most studies that have tested the niche conservatism principle have focused on the extent to which the species’ climatic niches remain stable in their exotic distribution. However, it is equality important to address how biotic specialization, i.e. resource use, changes during exotic species invasions. Here, we use the widespread European honeybee (Apis mellifera) to understand whether its Grinnelian and Eltonian niches changed in its exotic distribution using tests of abiotic and biotic niche conservatism. We found that both niche domains of the European honeybee remained stable in its exotic distribution, which means that neither the climatic niche nor the biotic specialization showed significant differences between the native and the exotic ranges. Our findings that climatic and resource use are coupled can be explained by A. mellifera’s long history of domestication and the possibility that life history traits (e.g., polyandry) may have shaped this species’ large niche over the course of evolution and therefore facilitated exotic ranges colonization.
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Zhao, Qing, Hufang Zhang, and Jiufeng Wei. "Climatic niche comparison across a cryptic species complex." PeerJ 7 (May 31, 2019): e7042. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7042.
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According to current molecular evidence, the Chionaspis pinifoliae heterophyllae species complex has been recognized as 10 cryptic species. In this study, we construct potential distribution maps for seven cryptic species based on climatic variables. This was done to assess the main environmental factors that have contributed to the distribution map and test the degree of niche overlap across the seven cryptic species. We used MaxEnt to build the climatic niche models under climatic variables. For these models, the similarities and differences of the niches across the cryptic species were estimated. By comparing the potential distribution model of each cryptic species, our results suggested parapatric, sympatric and allopatry populations for this cryptic species complex. Our results showed high variability in niche overlap, and more often niche conservatism than niche divergence. The current species delimitation of the Chionaspis pinifoliae heterophyllae complex by molecular information and the hypothesis that the niche overlap in the sympatric population is higher than that of the allopatry population were supported based on the findings. This study will provide baseline data and a distribution range to facilitate the further control of these insects and formulate quarantine measures.
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Shenbrot, G., and B. Kryštufek. "Relation between the habitat niche breadth and the geographic range size: A case study on palearctic voles (Mammalia: Rodentia: Arvicolinae)." Povolzhskiy Journal of Ecology, no. 1 (May 18, 2021): 79–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.35885/1684-7318-2021-1-79-88.
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Habitat niche breadth for Palearctic Arvicolinae species was estimated at both local (α- niche) and global (the entire geographic range, γ-niche) scales using occurrence records of species and environmental (climate, topography, and vegetation) data. Niche breadth was estimated in the space of the first two principal components of environmental variables using kernel smoothing of the densities of species occurrence points. The breadth of α-niches was estimated for a set of random points inside the geographic range in a series of buffers of increasing size around these points. Within each buffer, we calculated the overlap between the distribution of environment values for the kernel smoothed densities of species occurrence points and the distribution of environment values in the background environment. The α-niche breadth was calculated as the slope of the linear regression of the niche breadth for buffers of different size by the ln area of these buffers with a zero intercept. The γ-niche breadth was calculated as the overlap between the distributions of environmental values for the kernel smoothed densities of species occurrence points over the whole geographic range and the distribution of environmental values in the background environment and also approximated by linear regression of the species’ average α-niche to the geographic range area of this species. The results demonstrated that the geographic range size was significantly related with the α- and γ-niche breadth. The γ-niche breadth was significantly positively correlated with the α-niche breadth. Finally, the differences between the γ-niche breadth values that were directly estimated and extrapolated from the α-niche breadth (Δ) values were positively correlated with the geographic range size. Thus, we conclude that the species occupy larger geographic ranges because they have broader niches. Our estimations of the γ-niche breadth increase with the geographic range size not due to a parallel increase of the environmental diversity (spatial autocorrelation in the environment).
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Suárez-Mota, Mario Ernesto, and José Luis Villaseñor. "Ecological niche overlap among species of the genus Zaluzania (Asteraceae) from the dry regions of Mexico." Plant Ecology and Evolution 153, no. 3 (November 23, 2020): 337–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2020.1633.
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Background and aims – The hypothesis of ecological niche conservatism postulates that closely related species share ecologically similar environments; that is, they tend to maintain the characteristics of their fundamental niche over time. The objective of this study is to evaluate the similarity and equivalence of the ecological niches among species of the genus Zaluzania (Asteraceae), characteristic of the Mexican arid and semi-arid regions, to infer their potential niche conservatism. Methods – Based on critically reviewed herbarium occurrence data, potential distribution models for eight species of Zaluzania were generated using the Maxent algorithm. The overlap between potential distribution areas was then evaluated using equivalence and ecological niche parameters implemented in the ENMTools software; for this we quantified the degree of overlap and similarity between the niches using the equivalence (D) and similarity (I) parameters.Key results – The resulting models show that species display areas of high suitability along the Mexican dry regions, as well as overlapping heterogeneous values. All models showed high AUC (Area Under the Curve) values (> 0.8). The D and I values between each pair of species showed low values of overlap.Conclusions – Each species of the genus shows a fundamental niche distinct from their sister species. The genus thus offers an example of niche divergence among species, with each one adapting to different environmental pressures. Our results do not support the hypothesis of niche conservatism in the genus, suggesting that the species evolved in divergent environments.
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Suárez-Mota, Mario Ernesto, and José Luis Villaseñor. "Ecological niche overlap among species of the genus Zaluzania (Asteraceae) from the dry regions of Mexico." Plant Ecology and Evolution 153, no. 3 (November 23, 2020): 337–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2020.1663.
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Background and aims – The hypothesis of ecological niche conservatism postulates that closely related species share ecologically similar environments; that is, they tend to maintain the characteristics of their fundamental niche over time. The objective of this study is to evaluate the similarity and equivalence of the ecological niches among species of the genus Zaluzania (Asteraceae), characteristic of the Mexican arid and semi-arid regions, to infer their potential niche conservatism. Methods – Based on critically reviewed herbarium occurrence data, potential distribution models for eight species of Zaluzania were generated using the Maxent algorithm. The overlap between potential distribution areas was then evaluated using equivalence and ecological niche parameters implemented in the ENMTools software; for this we quantified the degree of overlap and similarity between the niches using the equivalence (D) and similarity (I) parameters.Key results – The resulting models show that species display areas of high suitability along the Mexican dry regions, as well as overlapping heterogeneous values. All models showed high AUC (Area Under the Curve) values (> 0.8). The D and I values between each pair of species showed low values of overlap.Conclusions – Each species of the genus shows a fundamental niche distinct from their sister species. The genus thus offers an example of niche divergence among species, with each one adapting to different environmental pressures. Our results do not support the hypothesis of niche conservatism in the genus, suggesting that the species evolved in divergent environments.
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Johnston, T. A., A. D. Ehrman, G. L. Hamilton, B. K. Nugent, P. A. Cott, and J. M. Gunn. "Plenty of room at the bottom: niche variation and segregation in large-bodied benthivores of boreal lakes." Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 76, no. 8 (August 2019): 1411–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0180.
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Realized trophic niches of aquatic consumers are expected to reflect the particular abiotic and biotic conditions of the ecosystems they occupy. We examined patterns in the position, size, and shape of trophic niches of two common benthivorous fishes, white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), across boreal lakes using a stable isotope approach. In sympatry, white sucker niche positions reflected greater benthic reliance (higher δ13C) and lower trophic elevation (lower δ15N) compared with lake whitefish, and white sucker niche sizes (dispersion in δ13C–δ15N space) were also larger. Niche sizes of both species increased with maximum depth of lakes. Separation of trophic niche positions of the two species increased with increasing water clarity, but their niche sizes did not increase with increasing separation in their niche positions. White sucker occupied a niche position with slightly greater pelagic reliance and trophic elevation and had smaller trophic niches in the absence than in the presence of lake whitefish. Trophic niches of these benthivores appear to be shaped by both environmental factors and interspecific interactions.
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Bonetti, Maria Fernanda, and John J. Wiens. "Evolution of climatic niche specialization: a phylogenetic analysis in amphibians." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281, no. 1795 (November 22, 2014): 20133229. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.3229.
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The evolution of climatic niche specialization has important implications for many topics in ecology, evolution and conservation. The climatic niche reflects the set of temperature and precipitation conditions where a species can occur. Thus, specialization to a limited set of climatic conditions can be important for understanding patterns of biogeography, species richness, community structure, allopatric speciation, spread of invasive species and responses to climate change. Nevertheless, the factors that determine climatic niche width (level of specialization) remain poorly explored. Here, we test whether species that occur in more extreme climates are more highly specialized for those conditions, and whether there are trade-offs between niche widths on different climatic niche axes (e.g. do species that tolerate a broad range of temperatures tolerate only a limited range of precipitation regimes?). We test these hypotheses in amphibians, using phylogenetic comparative methods and global-scale datasets, including 2712 species with both climatic and phylogenetic data. Our results do not support either hypothesis. Rather than finding narrower niches in more extreme environments, niches tend to be narrower on one end of a climatic gradient but wider on the other. We also find that temperature and precipitation niche breadths are positively related, rather than showing trade-offs. Finally, our results suggest that most amphibian species occur in relatively warm and dry environments and have relatively narrow climatic niche widths on both of these axes. Thus, they may be especially imperilled by anthropogenic climate change.
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Escoriza, Daniel, and Félix Amat. "Habitat Partitioning and Overlap by Large Lacertid Lizards in Southern Europe." Diversity 13, no. 4 (April 4, 2021): 155. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d13040155.
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South-western Europe has a rich diversity of lacertid lizards. In this study, we evaluated the occupancy patterns and niche segregation of five species of lacertids, focusing on large-bodied species (i.e., adults having >75 mm snout-vent length) that occur in south-western Europe (Italian to the Iberian Peninsula). We characterized the niches occupied by these species based on climate and vegetation cover properties. We expected some commonality among phylogenetically related species, but also patterns of habitat segregation mitigating competition between ecologically equivalent species. We used multivariate ordination and probabilistic methods to describe the occupancy patterns and evaluated niche evolution through phylogenetic analyses. Our results showed climate niche partitioning, but with a wide overlap in transitional zones, where segregation is maintained by species-specific responses to the vegetation cover. The analyses also showed that phylogenetically related species tend to share large parts of their habitat niches. The occurrence of independent evolutionary lineages contributed to the regional species richness favored by a long history of niche divergence.
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Ramírez-Albores, Jorge E., Gustavo Bizama, Ramiro O. Bustamante, and Ernesto I. Badano. "Niche conservatism in a plant with long invasion history: the case of the Peruvian peppertree (Schinus molle, Anacardiaceae) in Mexico." Plant Ecology and Evolution 153, no. 1 (March 26, 2020): 3–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2020.1562.
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Background and aim – Invasive plants should only colonize habitats meeting the environmental conditions included in their native niches. However, if they invade habitats with novel environmental conditions, this can induce shifts in their niches. This may occur in plants with long invasion histories because they interacted with the environmental conditions of invaded regions over long periods of time. We focused on this issue and evaluated whether the niche of the oldest plant invader reported in Mexico, the Peruvian peppertree, is still conserved after almost 500 years of invasion history. Methods – We compared climatic niches of the species between the native and invaded region. We later used species distribution models (SDM) to visualize the geographical expression of both niches in Mexico. Results – The invasive niche of the Peruvian peppertree is fully nested within the native niche. Although this suggests that the niche is conserved, this also indicates that a large fraction of the native niche is empty in the invaded region. The SDM from the native region indicated that Mexico contains habitats meeting the conditions included in this empty fraction of the native niche and, thus, this invasion should continue expanding. Nevertheless, the SDM calibrated with data from the invaded region indicated that peppertrees have colonized all suitable habitats indicated by its invasive niche and, thus, their populations should no longer expand. Conclusion – Our results suggests that the niche of the Peruvian peppertree is partially conserved in Mexico. This may have occurred because individuals introduced into Mexico constituted a small, nonrepresentative sample of the full niche of the species.
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Alexandre, Hermine, Julie Faure, Steven Ginzbarg, John Clark, and Simon Joly. "Bioclimatic niches are conserved and unrelated to pollination syndromes in Antillean Gesneriaceae." Royal Society Open Science 4, no. 11 (November 2017): 170293. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.170293.
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The study of the evolution of abiotic niches can be informative regarding the speciation drivers in a given group. Yet, two factors that could potentially affect niche evolution have seldom been addressed concomitantly, which are biotic interactions and geographical isolation. In this study, we used as a model group the Antillean plant genera Gesneria and Rhytidophyllum (Gesneriaceae) to evaluate the effect of pollinators and geographical isolation on the bioclimatic niche. These genera possess species characterized by interspecific geographical isolation in different islands and are pollinated by different pollinators. Some species are pollinated by hummingbirds, other by bats, while some are more generalists and are pollinated by pollinators from both functional groups. After describing the bioclimatic niches of plant species, we measured niche overlap for species pairs and we fitted Brownian motion and Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) evolution models with multiple evolutionary regimes to test for an effect of pollination strategy or geographical isolation on bioclimatic niche evolution of these plants. The analysis of niche overlap between plant species, which could not be corrected for phylogenetic relationships, showed that it was significantly influenced by pollination mode and island distribution. By contrast, the best fitting evolutionary model on niche optima and tolerance was always an OU model with a unique selective regime, suggesting that neither pollination strategy nor island isolation had an important effect on bioclimatic niches at a macroevolutionary scale. Instead, we conclude that bioclimatic niches of Antillean Gesneriaceae evolved under phylogenetic conservatism and hypothesize that this macroevolutionary pattern could result from adaptation to temporally variable climates in the Antilles.
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Huang, Li-Qin, Xian-Guo Guo, Dian Wu, and Dong-Hui Zhou. "Distribution and Ecological Niches of Gamasid Mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) on Small Mammals in Southwest China." Psyche: A Journal of Entomology 2010 (2010): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/934508.
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The ectoparasitic gamasid mites found on small mammals are important arthropods in the field of medical entomology. This paper studied the distribution and ecological niches of ectoparasitic gamasid mites on small mammal hosts in Yunnan Province of southwest China. Levins' niche breadth and Colwell-Futuyma's method were used to quantitatively evaluate host-specificity and similarity of host selection, and hierarchical analysis was used to illustrate niche overlap among gamasid mite species. Species diversity of both small mammals and gamasid mites was lower in indoor habitats than that in outdoor habitats. Most gamasid mite species were found on the body surface of the host species and niche breadths varied from species to species. A species with low niche breadth indicates high host specificity and most gamasid mites showed a relatively low niche overlap. The results suggest that a coevolutionary relationship may exist between some species of gamasid mites and their small mammal hosts.
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Yañez, Carlos, Gerardo Martín, Luis Osorio-Olvera, Jazmín Escobar-Luján, Sandra Castaño-Quintero, Xavier Chiappa-Carrara, and Enrique Martínez-Meyer. "The Abundant Niche-centroid Hypothesis: Key Points About Unfilled Niches and the Potential Use of Supraspecfic Modeling Units." Biodiversity Informatics 15, no. 3 (November 13, 2020): 92–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/bi.v15i2.13218.
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Correlative estimates of fundamental niches are gaining momentum as an alternative to predict species’ abundances, particularly via the abundant niche-centroid hypothesis (an expected inverse relationship between species’ abundance variation across its range and the distance to the geometric centroid of its multidimensional ecological niche). The main goal of this review is to recapitulate what has been done, where we are now, and where should we move towards in regards to this hypothesis. Despite evidence in support of the abundance-distance to niche centroid relationship, its usefulness has been highly debated, although with little consideration of the underlying theory regarding the circumstances that might break down the relationship. We address some key points about the conditions needed to test the hypothesis in correlative studies, specifically in relation to nichecharacterization and configurations of the Biotic-Abiotic-Mobility (BAM) framework to illustrate the problem of unfilled niches. Using a created supraspecific modeling unit, we show that species for which only a portion of their fundamental niche is represented in their area of historical accessibility (M)—i.e., when the environmental equilibrium condition is violated—it is impossible to characterize their true niche centroid. Therefore, we strongly recommend to analyze this assumption prior toassess the abundant niche-centroid hypothesis. Finally, we discuss the potential of using modeling units above the species level for cases in which environmental conditions associated with species’ occurrences may not be sufficient to fully characterize their fundamental niches.
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Pahad, Govan, Claudine Montgelard, and Bettine Jansen van Vuuren. "Phylogeography and niche modelling: reciprocal enlightenment." Mammalia 84, no. 1 (December 18, 2019): 10–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2018-0191.
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Abstract Phylogeography examines the spatial genetic structure of species. Environmental niche modelling (or ecological niche modelling; ENM) examines the environmental limits of a species’ ecological niche. These two fields have great potential to be used together. ENM can shed light on how phylogeographical patterns develop and help identify possible drivers of spatial structure that need to be further investigated. Specifically, ENM can be used to test for niche differentiation among clades, identify factors limiting individual clades and identify barriers and contact zones. It can also be used to test hypotheses regarding the effects of historical and future climate change on spatial genetic patterns by projecting niches using palaeoclimate or future climate data. Conversely, phylogeographical information can populate ENM with within-species genetic diversity. Where adaptive variation exists among clades within a species, modelling their niches separately can improve predictions of historical distribution patterns and future responses to climate change. Awareness of patterns of genetic diversity in niche modelling can also alert conservationists to the potential loss of genetically diverse areas in a species’ range. Here, we provide a simplistic overview of both fields, and focus on their potential for integration, encouraging researchers on both sides to take advantage of the opportunities available.
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Verhoeven, Michael R., Wesley J. Glisson, and Daniel J. Larkin. "Niche Models Differentiate Potential Impacts of Two Aquatic Invasive Plant Species on Native Macrophytes." Diversity 12, no. 4 (April 23, 2020): 162. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d12040162.
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Potamogeton crispus (curlyleaf pondweed) and Myriophyllum spicatum (Eurasian watermilfoil) are widely thought to competitively displace native macrophytes in North America. However, their perceived competitive superiority has not been comprehensively evaluated. Coexistence theory suggests that invader displacement of native species through competitive exclusion is most likely where high niche overlap results in competition for limiting resources. Thus, evaluation of niche similarity can serve as a starting point for predicting the likelihood of invaders having direct competitive impacts on resident species. Across two environmental gradients structuring macrophyte communities—water depth and light availability—both P. crispus and M. spicatum are thought to occupy broad niches. For a third dimension, phenology, the annual growth cycle of M. spicatum is typical of other species, whereas the winter-ephemeral phenology of P. crispus may impart greater niche differentiation and thus lower risk of native species being competitively excluded. Using an unprecedented dataset comprising 3404 plant surveys from Minnesota collected using a common protocol, we modeled niches of 34 species using a probabilistic niche framework. Across each niche dimension, P. crispus had lower overlap with native species than did M. spicatum; this was driven in particular by its distinct phenology. These results suggest that patterns of dominance seen in P. crispus and M. spicatum have likely arisen through different mechanisms, and that direct competition with native species is less likely for P. crispus than M. spicatum. This research highlights the utility of fine-scale, abundance-based niche models for predicting invader impacts.
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Codron, Jacqueline, Kevin J. Duffy, Nico L. Avenant, Matt Sponheimer, Jennifer Leichliter, Oliver Paine, Paul Sandberg, and Daryl Codron. "Stable isotope evidence for trophic niche partitioning in a South African savanna rodent community." Current Zoology 61, no. 3 (June 1, 2015): 397–411. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/61.3.397.
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Abstract Species’ partitioning of resources remains one of the most integral components for understanding community assembly. Analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in animal tissues has the potential to help resolve patterns of partitioning because these proxies represent the individual’s diet and trophic niche, respectively. Using free-ranging rodents in a southern African savanna as a model community, we find that syntopic species within habitats occupy distinct isotope niches. Moreover, species with strongly overlapping isotope niches did not overlap in their spatial distribution patterns, suggesting an underlying effect of competitive exclusion. Niche conservatism appears to characterize the behaviour of most species in our sample - with little or no observed changes across habitats - with the exception of one species, Mastomys coucha. This species displayed a generalist distribution, being found in similar abundances across a variety of habitats. This spatial pattern was coupled with a generalist isotope niche that shifted across habitats, likely in response to changes in species composition over the same spatial gradient. The case for M. coucha supports contentions that past competition effects played a significant evolutionary role in shaping community structures of today, including the absence of strong interspecific niche overlaps within particular habitats. Our study highlights the value of stable isotope approaches to help resolve key questions in community ecology, and moreover introduces novel analytical approaches to quantifying isotope niche breadths and niche overlaps that are easily comparable with traditional metrices.
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Philippsen, Juliana S., Marília Hauser, and Evanilde Benedito. "Isotopic niches of sympatric native and exotic fish species in a Neotropical floodplain." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 87, no. 2 (June 9, 2015): 825–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201520140266.
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This study investigated the isotopic niches of two fish species, one exotic and one native. It was hypothesized that these species would show little or no isotopic niche overlap. This hypothesis was tested with the isotopic niche concept and the trophic Layman's metrics. A considerable isotopic niche overlap was observed between the species, mainly for the exotic that showed the greater percentage of overlapping, indicating an interspecific competition for food resources. Layman's metrics also showed this species probably exploits a more specific array of food resources when compared with the native species. The native species probably has the ability to exploit a wider array of resources, highlighted by the higher values given for the Layman's metrics. The juveniles and adults of native species showed minor overlapping between the isotopic niches. This indicates that they have probably adopted different foraging strategies, minimizing intraspecific competition. Evidences that the exotic species explores a narrower range of resources and that the native species has a greater isotopic niche and possibly suffer less intraspecific competition, indicates that the native species can tolerate the presence of the exotic species and promote survival and maintenance of its population even under possible competition effects imposed by the exotic species.
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English, Matthew D., Gregory J. Robertson, Nelson J. O’Driscoll, Sara J. Klapstein, Liam E. Peck, and Mark L. Mallory. "Variation in isotopic niche, digestive tract morphology, and mercury concentrations in two sympatric waterfowl species wintering in Atlantic Canada." FACETS 5, no. 1 (January 1, 2020): 393–408. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0056.
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Sympatric communities of organisms may exploit different ecological niches to avoid intra- and interspecific competition. We examined the isotopic niches of American black ducks ( Anas rubripes) and mallards ( A. platyrhynchos) wintering in coastal and urban areas of Atlantic Canada and compared isotopic niche with digestive tract morphologies and blood mercury (Hg) concentrations. Isotopic niche width (for δ13C and δ15N) varied between the three groups of ducks studied, with coastally foraging black ducks exhibiting the widest isotopic niche, followed by coastal mallards, while urban feeding black ducks had a narrow isotopic niche. These niche differences had physical and chemical consequences: coastal black ducks had longer digestive tracts, a larger range in gizzard sizes, and higher and more variable Hg concentrations than urban black ducks and coastal mallards. This plasticity in ecological niche may reduce competition among and within species, and subsequently explain why winter numbers of black ducks and mallards have increased in Atlantic Canada.
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Cicala, Davide, Gianluca Polgar, Jordi René Mor, Roberta Piscia, Stefano Brignone, Silvia Zaupa, and Pietro Volta. "Trophic Niches, Trophic Positions, and Niche Overlaps between Non-Native and Native Fish Species in a Subalpine Lake." Water 12, no. 12 (December 10, 2020): 3475. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w12123475.
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In the last century, Italian freshwater ecosystems have been invaded by several non-native fish species. In the subalpine Lake Mergozzo (northern Italy), several recently introduced non-native species dramatically expanded their populations. We used carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes to describe the isotopic niches and trophic positions of native and non-native fish species in Lake Mergozzo. We evaluated their trophic niches, trophic diversity, trophic redundancy and trophic evenness utilizing isotopic niche metrics, and estimated asymmetrical niche overlaps. The trophic traits of non-native fish species and Perca fluviatilis clearly define them as trophic generalists, in terms of among-individual variability of their isotopic niches. The historical increase in abundance of fish non-native species in this lake, their dominance by numbers and biomass within the assemblage, and their broad asymmetrical niche overlaps suggest that their higher degree of trophic generalism might have been one of the key factors that have promoted the invasion of the recipient community.
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Costa-Pereira, Raul, Márcio S. Araújo, Franco L. Souza, and Travis Ingram. "Competition and resource breadth shape niche variation and overlap in multiple trophic dimensions." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 286, no. 1902 (May 2019): 20190369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.0369.
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Competition plays a central role in the maintenance of biodiversity. A backbone of classic niche theory is that local coexistence of competitors is favoured by the contraction or divergence of species' niches. However, this effect should depend on the diversity of resources available in the local environment, particularly when resources vary in multiple ecological dimensions. Here, we investigated how available resource breadth (i.e. prey diversity) and competition together shape multidimensional niche variation (between and within individuals) and interspecific niche overlap in 42 populations of congeneric tropical frog species. We modelled realized niches in two key trophic dimensions (prey size and carbon stable isotopes) and sampled available food resources to quantify two-dimensional resource breadth. We found a 14-fold variation in multidimensional population niche width across populations, most of which was accounted for by within-individual diet variation. This striking variation was predicted by an interaction whereby individual niche breadth increased with resource breadth and decreased with the number of congeneric competitors. These ecological gradients also interact to influence the degree of niche overlap between species, which surprisingly decreased with population total niche width, providing novel insights on how similar species can coexist in local communities. Together, our results emphasize that patterns of exploitation of resources in multiple dimensions are driven by both competitive interactions and extrinsic factors such as local resource breadth.
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Peers, Michael J. L., Daniel H. Thornton, and Dennis L. Murray. "Evidence for large-scale effects of competition: niche displacement in Canada lynx and bobcat." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280, no. 1773 (December 22, 2013): 20132495. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2495.
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Determining the patterns, causes and consequences of character displacement is central to our understanding of competition in ecological communities. However, the majority of competition research has occurred over small spatial extents or focused on fine-scale differences in morphology or behaviour. The effects of competition on broad-scale distribution and niche characteristics of species remain poorly understood but critically important. Using range-wide species distribution models, we evaluated whether Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis ) or bobcat ( Lynx rufus ) were displaced in regions of sympatry. Consistent with our prediction, we found that lynx niches were less similar to those of bobcat in areas of sympatry versus allopatry, with a stronger reliance on snow cover driving lynx niche divergence in the sympatric zone. By contrast, bobcat increased niche breadth in zones of sympatry, and bobcat niches were equally similar to those of lynx in zones of sympatry and allopatry. These findings suggest that competitively disadvantaged species avoid competition at large scales by restricting their niche to highly suitable conditions, while superior competitors expand the diversity of environments used. Our results indicate that competition can manifest within climatic niche space across species’ ranges, highlighting the importance of biotic interactions occurring at large spatial scales on niche dynamics.
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Evans, Alexandra, and Hans Jacquemyn. "Impact of mating system on range size and niche breadth in Epipactis (Orchidaceae)." Annals of Botany 126, no. 7 (July 29, 2020): 1203–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaa142.
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Abstract Background and Aims The geographical distribution of plant species is linked fundamentally not only to environmental variables, but also to key traits that affect the dispersal, establishment and evolutionary potential of a species. One of the key plant traits that can be expected to affect standing genetic variation, speed of adaptation and the capacity to colonize and establish in new habitats, and therefore niche breadth and range size, is the plant mating system. However, the precise role of the mating system in shaping range size and niche breadth of plant species remains unclear, and different studies have provided contrasting results. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that range size and niche breadth differed with mating system in the orchid genus Epipactis. Methods We modelled the ecological niches of 14 Epipactis species in Europe using occurrence records and environmental satellite data in Maxent. Niche breadth and niche overlap in both geographic and environmental space were calculated from the resulting habitat suitability maps using ENMTools, and geographic range was estimated using α-hull range definition. Habitat suitability, environmental variable contributions and niche metrics were compared among species with different mating systems. Key Results We did not detect significant differences in niche breadth, occurrence probability or geographical range between autogamous and allogamous Epipactis species, although autogamous species demonstrated notably low variation in niche parameters. We also found no significant differences in niche overlap between species with the same mating system or different mating systems. For all Epipactis species, occurrence was strongly associated with land cover, particularly broad-leafed and coniferous forests, and with limestone bedrock. Conclusions These results suggest that the mating system does not necessarily contribute to niche breadth and differentiation, and that other factors (e.g. mycorrhizal specificity) may be more important drivers of range size and niche breadth in Epipactis and orchids in general.
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Litsios, Glenn, Loïc Pellissier, Félix Forest, Christian Lexer, Peter B. Pearman, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, and Nicolas Salamin. "Trophic specialization influences the rate of environmental niche evolution in damselfishes (Pomacentridae)." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 279, no. 1743 (June 20, 2012): 3662–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1140.
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The rate of environmental niche evolution describes the capability of species to explore the available environmental space and is known to vary among species owing to lineage-specific factors. Trophic specialization is a main force driving species evolution and is responsible for classical examples of adaptive radiations in fishes. We investigate the effect of trophic specialization on the rate of environmental niche evolution in the damselfish, Pomacentridae, which is an important family of tropical reef fishes. First, phylogenetic niche conservatism is not detected in the family using a standard test of phylogenetic signal, and we demonstrate that the environmental niches of damselfishes that differ in trophic specialization are not equivalent while they still overlap at their mean values. Second, we estimate the relative rates of niche evolution on the phylogenetic tree and show the heterogeneity among rates of environmental niche evolution of the three trophic groups. We suggest that behavioural characteristics related to trophic specialization can constrain the evolution of the environmental niche and lead to conserved niches in specialist lineages. Our results show the extent of influence of several traits on the evolution of the environmental niche and shed new light on the evolution of damselfishes, which is a key lineage in current efforts to conserve biodiversity in coral reefs.
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Schirmer, Annika, Julia Hoffmann, Jana A. Eccard, and Melanie Dammhahn. "My niche: individual spatial niche specialization affects within- and between-species interactions." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287, no. 1918 (January 15, 2020): 20192211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2211.
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Intraspecific trait variation is an important determinant of fundamental ecological interactions. Many of these interactions are mediated by behaviour. Therefore, interindividual differences in behaviour should contribute to individual niche specialization. Comparable with variation in morphological traits, behavioural differentiation between individuals should limit similarity among competitors and thus act as a mechanism maintaining within-species variation in ecological niches and facilitating species coexistence. Here, we aimed to test whether interindividual differences in boldness covary with spatial interactions within and between two ecologically similar, co-occurring rodent species ( Myodes glareolus , Apodemus agrarius ). In five subpopulations in northeast Germany, we quantified individual differences in boldness via repeated standardized tests and spatial interaction patterns via capture–mark–recapture ( n = 126) and automated VHF telemetry ( n = 36). We found that boldness varied with space use in both species. Individuals of the same population occupied different spatial niches, which resulted in non-random patterns of within- and between-species spatial interactions. Behavioural types mainly differed in the relative importance of intra- versus interspecific competition. Within-species variation along this competition gradient could contribute to maintaining individual niche specialization. Moreover, behavioural differentiation between individuals limits similarity among competitors, which might facilitate the coexistence of functionally equivalent species and, thus, affect community dynamics and local biodiversity.
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Camillo, Evandro, and Carlos Alberto Garófalo. "Analysis of the niche of two sympatric species of Bombus (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in southeastern Brazil." Journal of Tropical Ecology 5, no. 1 (February 1989): 81–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467400003242.
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ABSTRACTThe sources of food and the width and overlap of the food niches of Bombus atratus and Bombus morio were determined by field observations and analysis of the pollen loads carried to the colonies by worker bees. The two species together utilized 50 flower species of which 26 were used by both. Solatium paniculatum (Solanaceae) and Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae) were the most frequently visited plants.The food niche width and niche evenness for both species were similar. The correlation between niche width and niche evenness was non-significant showing that evenness does not depend on niche width. In addition, there was no correlation between niche width and overlap, i.e. overlap varied independently of niche width. A high overlap of food sources utilized by the two species was observed in September, October and November. This may be explained in one of two ways: (a) if B. atratus and B. morio compete for resources, competition would be more intense during those three months; (b) the convergency of both species to the same plant species (Solatium paniculatum and Psidium guajava) would only result in more intensive competition if resources were limiting. However, at that period of the year resources are abundant, therefore although the values of overlap were high, competition need not have occurred.
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Acanski, Jelena, Marija Milicic, Laura Likov, Dubravka Milic, Snezana Radenkovic, and Ante Vujic. "Environmental niche divergence of species from Merodon ruficornis group (Diptera: Syrphidae)." Archives of Biological Sciences 69, no. 2 (2017): 247–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/abs160303095a.
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In this paper we analyzed environmental differentiation of closely related species from the Merodon ruficornis group. By applying principal component analysis (PCA) and environmental niche modelling (ENM)-based techniques, we estimated the level of niche divergence of closely related species. Our results indicate that ecology has an important role in the diversification process in related species from the M. ruficornis group. Distribution patterns of all analyzed species are mainly affected by the limiting effects of the temperature of the coldest quarter and month, as well as by the precipitation of the wettest and driest quarters. Our results demonstrated that among all related species, with the exception of M. ovaloides, overall or partial divergence in environmental space is present. Importantly, the results indicate that the environmental niches of all endemic species are restricted to smaller parts of the environmental space. In the case of niche overlap, the niches of endemic species are placed along the border of the realized niche of the widespread related species. For species in which distribution is not limited by geographical barriers, environmental preferences could be considered as limiting factors for further expansion, as in the case of M. alexandri, a lowland species with very strict climatic adaptations. Knowledge about the environmental factors that might influence the diversification process can provide an explanation for the high diversity in other Merodon species groups.
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Cloyed, Carl S., and Perri K. Eason. "Niche partitioning and the role of intraspecific niche variation in structuring a guild of generalist anurans." Royal Society Open Science 4, no. 3 (March 2017): 170060. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.170060.
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Intra-population niche differences in generalist foragers have captured the interest of ecologists, because such individuality can have important ecological and evolutionary implications. Few researchers have investigated how these differences affect the relationships among ecologically similar, sympatric species. Using stable isotopes, stomach contents, morphology and habitat preference, we examined niche partitioning within a group of five anurans and determined whether variation within species could facilitate resource partitioning. Species partitioned their niches by trophic level and by foraging habitat. However, there was considerable intraspecific variation in trophic level, with larger individuals generally feeding at higher trophic levels. For species at intermediate trophic levels, smaller individuals overlapped in trophic level with individuals of smaller species and larger individuals overlapped with the smallest individuals from larger species. Species varied in carbon isotopes; species with enriched carbon isotope ratios foraged farther from ponds, whereas species with depleted carbon isotope values foraged closer to ponds. Our study shows that these species partition their niches by feeding at different trophic levels and foraging at different distances from ponds. The intraspecific variation in trophic level decreased the number of individuals from each species that overlapped in trophic level with individuals from other species, which can facilitate species coexistence.
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Kolanowska, Marta, and Dariusz L. Szlachetko. "Niche conservatism of Eulophia alta, a trans-Atlantic orchid species." Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 83, no. 1 (2014): 51–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/asbp.2014.007.
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The genus <em>Eulophia</em> embraces over 230 species distributed through the tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas. In Neotropics it is represented by a sole species – <em>E. alta</em>. The aim of the presented study was to evaluate the difference between ecological niches occupied by American and African populations of this species based on the ecological niche modeling. The similarity between the glacial and present niches occupied by <em>E. alta</em> was calculated and the factors limiting the species occurrence were identified. Areas of seasonal tropical forest, tropical savanna and woodland served as refugia for the studied species during last glacial maximum and they were more widespread in Neotropics than in Africa. No significant niche shift after last glacial maximum was observed. The distribution of <em>E. alta</em> in its whole range is restricted mainly by temperature seasonality. The differences in the niches occupied by African and Neotropical populations of <em>E. alta</em> suggest preglacial disjunction of the species range and independent adaptation of both groups. Despite the significant range disjunction of <em>E. alta</em> the species is characterized by relatively high degree of niche conservatism.
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Gryz, Jakub, and Dagny Krauze-Gryz. "Food Niche Overlap of Avian Predators (Falconiformes, Strigiformes) in a Field and Forest Mosaic in Central Poland." Animals 11, no. 2 (February 11, 2021): 479. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11020479.
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Food niche overlap statistics are a common way to show competition for food resources in a group of animals. Niche breadths of various species are very variable and their diet composition changes reflecting prey availability. The aim of this study was to evidence the food niche overlap of the whole assemblage of avian predators (eight raptor and owl species, some of them reaching very high densities) in a field and forest mosaic of central Poland. The diet composition was assessed on the basis of pellet analyses and the identification of prey remains found under the nests in the breeding period. The extent of the niche overlap was calculated using a Pianka formula. The food niche overlap indices ranged from 0.02 to 0.93 (mostly below 0.5). The most separate food niche was that of the white-tailed eagle, who regularly preyed on fish. The highest niche overlap was recorded for the common buzzard and common kestrel, two species preying on field rodents, switching to soricomorphs when the former were scarce. Our results confirmed that the food niches of species coexisting in the same area were considerably separate, which is a result of preying on various prey species or searching for them in different habitats.
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Nicol, Jason M., and George G. Ganf. "Water regimes, seedling recruitment and establishment in three wetland plant species." Marine and Freshwater Research 51, no. 4 (2000): 305. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf99147.
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The regeneration niche of three wetland species that co-occur at Bool Lagoon, South Australia, was investigated under nine hydrologic conditions. Typha domingensis grown from seed had the broadest niche requirements; seeds germinated and seedlings were established in all 9 hydrologic regimes, and asexual reproduction occurred in 5 of the 9 regimes. Whether asexual reproduction occurred was dependent upon an interaction between the rate of leaf elongation, the rate of drawdown and whether the leaf was able to broach the water surface. The buoyant nature of seeds and seedlings ofTriglochin procerum allowed it to avoid unfavourable regeneration niches. Melaleuca halmaturorum had a narrow regeneration niche that was confined to wet mud flats. The results are consistent with the changes in the floristic composition of the lagoon.
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Goodman, Brett A. "Microhabitat separation and niche overlap among five assemblages of tropical skinks." Australian Journal of Zoology 55, no. 1 (2007): 15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo06066.
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The niche axes of microhabitat use, activity and size for 21 skink species from five assemblages (Alligator Creek, Cairns, Chillagoe, Cooktown and Mt Bartle Frere) in the biodiverse tropics of north-east Queensland were examined. Species within the same assemblage separated predominantly along two structural microhabitat gradients; one that ranged from microhabitats dominated by large rocks to leaf litter and total ground cover, and a second defined by increasing leaf litter, ground cover, undergrowth, proximity to vegetation and increased canopy cover. All species used available microhabitats non-randomly, with species from the same ecotype (arboreal, generalist, litter-dwelling, rock-using) clustering in multivariate ecological space. Despite evidence of within-assemblage niche overlap, null-model comparisons revealed that only one assemblage (Chillagoe) had greater niche overlap than would be expected by chance. Assemblages with more species occupied smaller niche space, indicating species packing. However, species with more diverse niches were less evenly packed. While most species overlapped in activity time and body size, differences among species from the same ecotype were observed. Despite subtle differences in temporal activity and body size, differences in structural microhabitat use appears to be the dominant niche axis allowing the coexistence of species within these assemblages of tropical skinks.
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Di Beneditto, Ana Paula Madeira, and Leandro Rabello Monteiro. "Isotopic niche of two coastal dolphins in a tropical marine area: specific and age class comparisons." Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 96, no. 4 (July 20, 2015): 853–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315415001095.
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Niche differentiation is the process by which species evolve different forms of resource use, and is used to explain the co-occurrence in a variety of habitats. The Bayesian framework of isotopic niche through quantitative niche metrics was applied to estimate and compare the niche breadth of two sympatric coastal dolphinsPontoporia blainvilleiandSotalia guianensisin a tropical marine area. The standard ellipse areas (SEAs) based on species were quite similar, but the SEAs based on age class showed that the matures’ niche space is larger than the immatures’ for both dolphins. A probabilistic comparison of SEAs indicated that specific differences are negligible compared with age class differences. Trophic level measures (δ15N range) indicated that the dolphins are comparable as top predators, and that immature specimens have a lower range of trophic levels than mature ones. In terms of variability of food sources (δ13C range),S. guianensisshowed a larger value thanP. blainvilleiand mature specimens had larger δ13C range than immatures for both species. In general,P. blainvilleiandS. guianensiswere similar in the niche metrics, with SEAs overlap of 52.1 and 39.7%. The immature specimens showed reduced isotopic niche overlap between species (<3%). In conclusion,Pontoporia blainvilleiandS. guianensisspecimens have similar isotopic niches, but pronounced differences between immature and mature specimens, both intraspecific and interspecific. Isotopic niche and quantitative metrics along with previous data on stomach contents provide a strong representation of species niche and their relationships.
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Boone, Randall B. "Simulating Species Richness Using Agents with Evolving Niches, with an Example of Galápagos Plants." International Journal of Ecology 2010 (2010): 1–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/150606.
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I sought to evolve plant species richness patterns on 22 Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, as an exploration of the utility of evolutionary computation and an agent-based approach in biogeography research. The simulation was spatially explicit, where agents were plant monocultures defined by three niche dimensions, lava (yes or no), elevation, and slope. Niches were represented as standard normal curves subjected to selection pressure, where neighboring plants bred if their niches overlapped sufficiently, and were considered the same species, otherwise they were different species. Plants that bred produced seeds with mutated niches. Seeds dispersed locally and longer distances, and established if the habitat was appropriate given the seed's niche. From a single species colonizing a random location, hundreds of species evolved to fill the islands. Evolved plant species richness agreed very well with observed plant species richness. I review potential uses of an agent-based representation of evolving niches in biogeography research.
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Poorter, Lourens. "Are Species Adapted to Their Regeneration Niche, Adult Niche, or Both?" American Naturalist 169, no. 4 (April 2007): 433–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/512045.
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Poorter. "Are Species Adapted to Their Regeneration Niche, Adult Niche, or Both?" American Naturalist 169, no. 4 (2007): 433. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/4137007.
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Antell, Gwen S., Isabel S. Fenton, Paul J. Valdes, and Erin E. Saupe. "Thermal niches of planktonic foraminifera are static throughout glacial–interglacial climate change." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118, no. 18 (April 26, 2021): e2017105118. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2017105118.
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Abiotic niche lability reduces extinction risk by allowing species to adapt to changing environmental conditions in situ. In contrast, species with static niches must keep pace with the velocity of climate change as they track suitable habitat. The rate and frequency of niche lability have been studied on human timescales (months to decades) and geological timescales (millions of years), but lability on intermediate timescales (millennia) remains largely uninvestigated. Here, we quantified abiotic niche lability at 8-ka resolution across the last 700 ka of glacial–interglacial climate fluctuations, using the exceptionally well-known fossil record of planktonic foraminifera coupled with Atmosphere–Ocean Global Climate Model reconstructions of paleoclimate. We tracked foraminiferal niches through time along the univariate axis of mean annual temperature, measured both at the sea surface and at species’ depth habitats. Species’ temperature preferences were uncoupled from the global temperature regime, undermining a hypothesis of local adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Furthermore, intraspecific niches were equally similar through time, regardless of climate change magnitude on short timescales (8 ka) and across contrasts of glacial and interglacial extremes. Evolutionary trait models fitted to time series of occupied temperature values supported widespread niche stasis above randomly wandering or directional change. Ecotype explained little variation in species-level differences in niche lability after accounting for evolutionary relatedness. Together, these results suggest that warming and ocean acidification over the next hundreds to thousands of years could redistribute and reduce populations of foraminifera and other calcifying plankton, which are primary components of marine food webs and biogeochemical cycles.
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Castaño-Quintero, Sandra, Jazmín Escobar-Luján, Luis Osorio-Olvera, A. Townsend Peterson, Xavier Chiappa-Carrara, Enrique Martínez-Meyer, and Carlos Yañez-Arenas. "Supraspecific units in correlative niche modeling improves the prediction of geographic potential of biological invasions." PeerJ 8 (December 22, 2020): e10454. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10454.
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Background Biological invasions rank among the most significant threats to biodiversity and ecosystems. Correlative ecological niche modeling is among the most frequently used tools with which to estimate potential distributions of invasive species. However, when areas accessible to the species across its native distribution do not represent the full spectrum of environmental conditions that the species can tolerate, correlative studies often underestimate fundamental niches. Methods Here, we explore the utility of supraspecific modeling units to improve the predictive ability of models focused on biological invasions. Taking into account phylogenetic relationships in correlative ecological niche models, we studied the invasion patterns of three species (Aedes aegypti, Pterois volitans and Oreochromis mossambicus). Results Use of supraspecific modeling units improved the predictive ability of correlative niche models in anticipating potential distributions of three invasive species. We demonstrated that integrating data on closely related species allowed a more complete characterization of fundamental niches. This approach could be used to model species with invasive potential but that have not yet invaded new regions.