Biogeography: an Ecosystems Approach (Geography 338)
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Biogeography, Community Structure and Biological Habitat Types of Subtidal Reefs on the South Island West Coast, New Zealand
Biogeography, community structure and biological habitat types of subtidal reefs on the South Island West Coast, New Zealand SCIENCE FOR CONSERVATION 281 Biogeography, community structure and biological habitat types of subtidal reefs on the South Island West Coast, New Zealand Nick T. Shears SCIENCE FOR CONSERVATION 281 Published by Science & Technical Publishing Department of Conservation PO Box 10420, The Terrace Wellington 6143, New Zealand Cover: Shallow mixed turfing algal assemblage near Moeraki River, South Westland (2 m depth). Dominant species include Plocamium spp. (yellow-red), Echinothamnium sp. (dark brown), Lophurella hookeriana (green), and Glossophora kunthii (top right). Photo: N.T. Shears Science for Conservation is a scientific monograph series presenting research funded by New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC). Manuscripts are internally and externally peer-reviewed; resulting publications are considered part of the formal international scientific literature. Individual copies are printed, and are also available from the departmental website in pdf form. Titles are listed in our catalogue on the website, refer www.doc.govt.nz under Publications, then Science & technical. © Copyright December 2007, New Zealand Department of Conservation ISSN 1173–2946 (hardcopy) ISSN 1177–9241 (web PDF) ISBN 978–0–478–14354–6 (hardcopy) ISBN 978–0–478–14355–3 (web PDF) This report was prepared for publication by Science & Technical Publishing; editing and layout by Lynette Clelland. Publication was approved by the Chief Scientist (Research, Development & Improvement Division), Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand. In the interest of forest conservation, we support paperless electronic publishing. When printing, recycled paper is used wherever possible. CONTENTS Abstract 5 1. Introduction 6 2. -
Energy Economics in Ecosystems By: J
Energy Economics in Ecosystems By: J. Michael Beman (School of Natural Sciences, University of California at Merced) © 2010 Nature Education Citation: Beman, J. (2010) Energy Economics in Ecosystems. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):13 What powers life? In most ecosystems, sunlight is absorbed and converted into usable forms of energy via photosynthesis. These usable forms of energy are carbonbased. The laws of physics describe the interactions between energy and mass: the energy in a closed system is conserved, and matter can neither be created nor destroyed. Modern physics has shown that reality is more 2 complex at very large and very small scales (e.g., Einstein’s famous equation, E = mc demonstrated that mass can be converted to energy in the sun or nuclear reactors), but in the context of Earth’s ecosystems, energy is conserved and matter can neither be created nor destroyed. This seemingly simplistic statement has profound consequences when we study how ecosystems function. In particular, the energy present within an ecosystem is collected and shared by organisms in many different ways; this "sharing" takes place through ecological interactions, such as predatorprey dynamics and symbioses. When we move to the ecosystem level, however, we consider interactions among organisms, populations, communities, and their physical and chemical environment. These interactions have an important bearing on the structure of organisms, ecosystems, and, over geologic time, the planet itself. A primary example of this involves the energy currency in ecosystems, which is carbon. The amount and form of carbon present in different ecosystem pools — such as plants, animals, air, soil, and water — is controlled by organisms, and ultimately affects their ecological success. -
The Political Biogeography of Migratory Marine Predators
1 The political biogeography of migratory marine predators 2 Authors: Autumn-Lynn Harrison1, 2*, Daniel P. Costa1, Arliss J. Winship3,4, Scott R. Benson5,6, 3 Steven J. Bograd7, Michelle Antolos1, Aaron B. Carlisle8,9, Heidi Dewar10, Peter H. Dutton11, Sal 4 J. Jorgensen12, Suzanne Kohin10, Bruce R. Mate13, Patrick W. Robinson1, Kurt M. Schaefer14, 5 Scott A. Shaffer15, George L. Shillinger16,17,8, Samantha E. Simmons18, Kevin C. Weng19, 6 Kristina M. Gjerde20, Barbara A. Block8 7 1University of California, Santa Cruz, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Long 8 Marine Laboratory, Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA. 9 2 Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 10 Washington, D.C. 20008, USA. 11 3NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/Marine Spatial Ecology Division/Biogeography Branch, 1305 East 12 West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910, USA. 13 4CSS Inc., 10301 Democracy Lane, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. 14 5Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine 15 Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Moss Landing, 16 California 95039, USA. 17 6Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA 95039 USA 18 7Environmental Research Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine 19 Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 99 Pacific Street, 20 Monterey, California 93940, USA. 21 8Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, 120 Oceanview 22 Boulevard, Pacific Grove, California 93950 USA. 23 9University of Delaware, School of Marine Science and Policy, 700 Pilottown Rd, Lewes, 24 Delaware, 19958 USA. 25 10Fisheries Resources Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine 26 Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, 27 USA. -
Genetic Diversity, Population Structure, and Effective Population Size in Two Yellow Bat Species in South Texas
Genetic diversity, population structure, and effective population size in two yellow bat species in south Texas Austin S. Chipps1, Amanda M. Hale1, Sara P. Weaver2,3 and Dean A. Williams1 1 Department of Biology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, United States of America 2 Biology Department, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, United States of America 3 Bowman Consulting Group, San Marcos, TX, United States of America ABSTRACT There are increasing concerns regarding bat mortality at wind energy facilities, especially as installed capacity continues to grow. In North America, wind energy development has recently expanded into the Lower Rio Grande Valley in south Texas where bat species had not previously been exposed to wind turbines. Our study sought to characterize genetic diversity, population structure, and effective population size in Dasypterus ega and D. intermedius, two tree-roosting yellow bats native to this region and for which little is known about their population biology and seasonal movements. There was no evidence of population substructure in either species. Genetic diversity at mitochondrial and microsatellite loci was lower in these yellow bat taxa than in previously studied migratory tree bat species in North America, which may be due to the non-migratory nature of these species at our study site, the fact that our study site is located at a geographic range end for both taxa, and possibly weak ascertainment bias at microsatellite loci. Historical effective population size (NEF) was large for both species, while current estimates of Ne had upper 95% confidence limits that encompassed infinity. We found evidence of strong mitochondrial differentiation between the two putative subspecies of D. -
Multilocus Estimation of Divergence Times and Ancestral Effective Population Sizes of Oryza Species and Implications for the Rapid Diversification of the Genus
Research Multilocus estimation of divergence times and ancestral effective population sizes of Oryza species and implications for the rapid diversification of the genus Xin-Hui Zou1, Ziheng Yang2,3, Jeff J. Doyle4 and Song Ge1 1State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China; 2Center for Computational and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; 3Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK; 4Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, 412 Mann Library Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA Summary Author for correspondence: Despite substantial investigations into Oryza phylogeny and evolution, reliable estimates of Song Ge the divergence times and ancestral effective population sizes of major lineages in Oryza are Tel: +86 10 62836097 challenging. Email: [email protected] We sampled sequences of 106 single-copy nuclear genes from all six diploid genomes of Received: 2 January 2013 Oryza to investigate the divergence times through extensive relaxed molecular clock analyses Accepted: 8 February 2013 and estimated the ancestral effective population sizes using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. New Phytologist (2013) 198: 1155–1164 We estimated that Oryza originated in the middle Miocene (c.13–15 million years ago; doi: 10.1111/nph.12230 Ma) and obtained an explicit time frame for two rapid diversifications in this genus. The first diversification involving the extant F-/G-genomes and possibly the extinct H-/J-/K-genomes Key words: divergence time, Oryza, popula- occurred in the middle Miocene immediately after (within < 1 Myr) the origin of Oryza. -
Meta-Ecosystems: a Theoretical Framework for a Spatial Ecosystem Ecology
Ecology Letters, (2003) 6: 673–679 doi: 10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00483.x IDEAS AND PERSPECTIVES Meta-ecosystems: a theoretical framework for a spatial ecosystem ecology Abstract Michel Loreau1*, Nicolas This contribution proposes the meta-ecosystem concept as a natural extension of the Mouquet2,4 and Robert D. Holt3 metapopulation and metacommunity concepts. A meta-ecosystem is defined as a set of 1Laboratoire d’Ecologie, UMR ecosystems connected by spatial flows of energy, materials and organisms across 7625, Ecole Normale Supe´rieure, ecosystem boundaries. This concept provides a powerful theoretical tool to understand 46 rue d’Ulm, F–75230 Paris the emergent properties that arise from spatial coupling of local ecosystems, such as Cedex 05, France global source–sink constraints, diversity–productivity patterns, stabilization of ecosystem 2Department of Biological processes and indirect interactions at landscape or regional scales. The meta-ecosystem Science and School of perspective thereby has the potential to integrate the perspectives of community and Computational Science and Information Technology, Florida landscape ecology, to provide novel fundamental insights into the dynamics and State University, Tallahassee, FL functioning of ecosystems from local to global scales, and to increase our ability to 32306-1100, USA predict the consequences of land-use changes on biodiversity and the provision of 3Department of Zoology, ecosystem services to human societies. University of Florida, 111 Bartram Hall, Gainesville, FL Keywords 32611-8525, -
Can More K-Selected Species Be Better Invaders?
Diversity and Distributions, (Diversity Distrib.) (2007) 13, 535–543 Blackwell Publishing Ltd BIODIVERSITY Can more K-selected species be better RESEARCH invaders? A case study of fruit flies in La Réunion Pierre-François Duyck1*, Patrice David2 and Serge Quilici1 1UMR 53 Ӷ Peuplements Végétaux et ABSTRACT Bio-agresseurs en Milieu Tropical ӷ CIRAD Invasive species are often said to be r-selected. However, invaders must sometimes Pôle de Protection des Plantes (3P), 7 chemin de l’IRAT, 97410 St Pierre, La Réunion, France, compete with related resident species. In this case invaders should present combina- 2UMR 5175, CNRS Centre d’Ecologie tions of life-history traits that give them higher competitive ability than residents, Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), 1919 route de even at the expense of lower colonization ability. We test this prediction by compar- Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex, France ing life-history traits among four fruit fly species, one endemic and three successive invaders, in La Réunion Island. Recent invaders tend to produce fewer, but larger, juveniles, delay the onset but increase the duration of reproduction, survive longer, and senesce more slowly than earlier ones. These traits are associated with higher ranks in a competitive hierarchy established in a previous study. However, the endemic species, now nearly extinct in the island, is inferior to the other three with respect to both competition and colonization traits, violating the trade-off assumption. Our results overall suggest that the key traits for invasion in this system were those that *Correspondence: Pierre-François Duyck, favoured competition rather than colonization. CIRAD 3P, 7, chemin de l’IRAT, 97410, Keywords St Pierre, La Réunion Island, France. -
Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography: a Review
Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography: A Review Angela D. Yu Simon A. Lei Abstract—The topography, climatic pattern, location, and origin of relationship, dispersal mechanisms and their response to islands generate unique patterns of species distribution. The equi- isolation, and species turnover. Additionally, conservation librium theory of island biogeography creates a general framework of oceanic and continental (habitat) islands is examined in in which the study of taxon distribution and broad island trends relation to minimum viable populations and areas, may be conducted. Critical components of the equilibrium theory metapopulation dynamics, and continental reserve design. include the species-area relationship, island-mainland relation- Finally, adverse anthropogenic impacts on island ecosys- ship, dispersal mechanisms, and species turnover. Because of the tems are investigated, including overexploitation of re- theoretical similarities between islands and fragmented mainland sources, habitat destruction, and introduction of exotic spe- landscapes, reserve conservation efforts have attempted to apply cies and diseases (biological invasions). Throughout this the theory of island biogeography to improve continental reserve article, theories of many researchers are re-introduced and designs, and to provide insight into metapopulation dynamics and utilized in an analytical manner. The objective of this article the SLOSS debate. However, due to extensive negative anthropo- is to review previously published data, and to reveal if any genic activities, overexploitation of resources, habitat destruction, classical and emergent theories may be brought into the as well as introduction of exotic species and associated foreign study of island biogeography and its relevance to mainland diseases (biological invasions), island conservation has recently ecosystem patterns. become a pressing issue itself. -
Plant Species Traits Are the Predominant Control on Litter Decomposition Rates Within Biomes Worldwide
Ecology Letters, (2008) 11: 1065–1071 doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01219.x LETTER Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rates within biomes worldwide Abstract William K. Cornwell,1* Johannes Worldwide decomposition rates depend both on climate and the legacy of plant functional H. C. Cornelissen,1 Kathryn traits as litter quality. To quantify the degree to which functional differentiation among Amatangelo,2 Ellen Dorrepaal,1 species affects their litter decomposition rates, we brought together leaf trait and litter mass 3 4 Valerie T. Eviner, Oscar Godoy, loss data for 818 species from 66 decomposition experiments on six continents. We show Sarah E. Hobbie,5 Bart Hoorens,1 6,7 that: (i) the magnitude of species-driven differences is much larger than previously thought Hiroko Kurokawa, Natalia and greater than climate-driven variation; (ii) the decomposability of a speciesÕ litter is Pe´ rez-Harguindeguy,8 Helen M. consistently correlated with that speciesÕ ecological strategy within different ecosystems Quested,9 Louis S. Santiago,10 David A. Wardle,11,12 Ian J. globally, representing a new connection between whole plant carbon strategy and Wright,13 Rien Aerts,1 Steven D. biogeochemical cycling. This connection between plant strategies and decomposability is Allison,14 Peter van Bodegom,1 crucial for both understanding vegetation–soil feedbacks, and for improving forecasts of Victor Brovkin,15 Alex Chatain,16 the global carbon cycle. Terry V. Callaghan,17,18 Sandra Dı´az,7 Eric Garnier,19 Diego E. Keywords Gurvich,8 Elena Kazakou,19 Julia Carbon cycling, decomposition, leaf economic spectrum, leaf traits, meta-analysis. -
Biogeographically Distinct Controls on C3 and C4 Grass Distributions: Merging
Biogeographically distinct controls on C₃ and C₄ grass distributions: merging community and physiological ecology Griffith, D. M., Anderson, T. M., Osborne, C. P., Strömberg, C. A. E., Forrestel, E. J., & Still, C. J. (2015). Biogeographically distinct controls on C₃ and C₄ grass distributions: merging community and physiological ecology. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 24(3), 304–313. doi:10.1111/geb.12265 10.1111/geb.12265 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Accepted Manuscript http://cdss.library.oregonstate.edu/sa-termsofuse 1 1 Article Title: Biogeographically distinct controls on C3 and C4 grass distributions: merging 2 community and physiological ecology 3 Authors: 4 Daniel M. Griffith; Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 5 27109, USA; [email protected] 6 T. Michael Anderson; Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 7 27109, USA; [email protected] 8 Colin P. Osborne; Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western 9 Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK; [email protected] 10 Caroline A.E. Strömberg; Department of Biology & Burke Museum of Natural History and 11 Culture, University of Washington, WA, 98195, USA; [email protected] 12 Elisabeth J. Forrestel; Department of Ecology and Evolution, Yale University, New Haven, 13 CT, 06520, USA; [email protected] 14 Christopher J. Still; Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 15 97331, USA; [email protected] 16 Short running title (45): Climate disequilibrium in C4 grass distributions 17 Keywords: Biogeography, C3, C4, crossover temperature, tree cover, invasive, fire 18 Type: Research Paper 19 Number of words in the abstract including key words (10): 300 of 300 20 Main text, including Biosketch (32): 5632 of 5000 21 Number of references: 50 of 50 22 Number of figures: 4 of 6 23 Tables: 1 2 24 Corresponding author: 25 Daniel M. -
A General Model of Litter Decomposition in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert
Ecological Modelling, 56 (1991) 197-219 197 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam A general model of litter decomposition in the northern Chihuahuan Desert Daryl L. Moorhead Ecology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-3131, USA James F. Reynolds Systems Ecology Research Group, College of Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-0401, USA (Accepted 13 November 1990) ABSTRACT Moorhead, D.L. and Reynolds, J.F., 1991. A general model of litter decomposition in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Ecol. Modelling, 56: 197-219. Numerous empirical studies have described the pathways of mass, C and N flows during decomposition, but there remains a paucity of data on underlying mechanisms in arid ecosystems. In the northern Chihuahuan Desert, termites remove large quantities of litter and act as carbon and nitrogen sinks, contributing to low soil fertility. In their absence, decomposition at the soil surface is primarily driven by abiotic weathering, but studies suggest buried litter decay occurs through microbiological activities. We develop a general, synthetic model to examine the interactions between buried litter, decomposer microorgan- isms, and C and N pools in this ecosystem. Our goal is to explore the mechanisms underlying observed patterns of decomposition in arid systems using a modeling approach that balances simplicity with enough detail to suggest the reasons for system behavior. To this end, we utilize elements of existing models, interfacing microbial physiology and population dynamics with empirical observations of C and N pool dynamics, litter mass loss and changing C:N ratios. Good agreement was achieved between simulated and observed patterns of mass loss and nitrogen concentrations once a time lag describing the microbial colonization of litter was included. -
COULD R SELECTION ACCOUNT for the AFRICAN PERSONALITY and LIFE CYCLE?
Person. individ.Diff. Vol. 15, No. 6, pp. 665-675, 1993 0191-8869/93 S6.OOf0.00 Printedin Great Britain.All rightsreserved Copyright0 1993Pergamon Press Ltd COULD r SELECTION ACCOUNT FOR THE AFRICAN PERSONALITY AND LIFE CYCLE? EDWARD M. MILLER Department of Economics and Finance, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148, U.S.A. (Received I7 November 1992; received for publication 27 April 1993) Summary-Rushton has shown that Negroids exhibit many characteristics that biologists argue result from r selection. However, the area of their origin, the African Savanna, while a highly variable environment, would not select for r characteristics. Savanna humans have not adopted the dispersal and colonization strategy to which r characteristics are suited. While r characteristics may be selected for when adult mortality is highly variable, biologists argue that where juvenile mortality is variable, K character- istics are selected for. Human variable birth rates are mathematically similar to variable juvenile birth rates. Food shortage caused by African drought induce competition, just as food shortages caused by high population. Both should select for K characteristics, which by definition contribute to success at competition. Occasional long term droughts are likely to select for long lives, late menopause, high paternal investment, high anxiety, and intelligence. These appear to be the opposite to Rushton’s r characteristics, and opposite to the traits he attributes to Negroids. Rushton (1985, 1987, 1988) has argued that Negroids (i.e. Negroes) were r selected. This idea has produced considerable scientific (Flynn, 1989; Leslie, 1990; Lynn, 1989; Roberts & Gabor, 1990; Silverman, 1990) and popular controversy (Gross, 1990; Pearson, 1991, Chapter 5), which Rushton (1989a, 1990, 1991) has responded to.