Conservation Biogeography of Mountain Vipers: A Phylogenetic Niche Modelling Approach

IF 4.6 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Diversity and Distributions Pub Date : 2024-12-26 DOI:10.1111/ddi.13955

Mohsen Ahmadi, Mahmoud-Reza Hemami, Mohammad Kaboli, Somayeh Ghane-Ameleh, Mansoureh Malekian

{"title":"Conservation Biogeography of Mountain Vipers: A Phylogenetic Niche Modelling Approach","authors":"Mohsen Ahmadi, Mahmoud-Reza Hemami, Mohammad Kaboli, Somayeh Ghane-Ameleh, Mansoureh Malekian","doi":"10.1111/ddi.13955","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Aim</h3>\n \n <p>Mountain vipers belonging to the <i>Montivipera</i> genus represent a fascinating example of neo-endemism found in the high plateaus of Iran, Anatolia and the Caucasus. Given the conservation challenges faced by these species, it is crucial to understand their phylogenetic relationships and suitable habitats in order to implement effective conservation strategies. In this study, we integrated phylogeny and Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) techniques to investigate the conservation biogeography of mountain vipers.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Location</h3>\n \n <p>Irano-Anatolian, Caucasus and Levant.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>We first reconstructed phylogenetic tree of the species, and then, by using a set of occurrence records of the identified clades and environmental variables we modelled ecological niche of the species using the MaxEnt model and PCA-env analysis. Finally, we conducted a gap analysis to assess the conservation status of the species, taking into account their representation within Protected Areas (PAs) in the region.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>The results revealed a well-resolved phylogenetic divergence of the species into three main clades and 12 lineages, which corresponded to their geographic distribution. Results of the MaxEnt model showed excellent predictive performance (AUC > 0.9 and TSS > 0.8) for all species. Both ENM analyses demonstrated varying levels of ecological niche conservatism, divergence and convergence across environmental gradients. The gap analysis showed a better representation of mountain vipers within Iran's PAs (20.3% overlap), particularly compared to those in Turkey (2.9%).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Main Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>We designate mountain vipers as phylogeographic focal species due to their isolated distribution in the region's mountains and the significant overlap of their suitable habitats with paleontological refugia. We emphasise their significance in promoting PAs and prioritising conservation efforts for the region's biota.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":51018,"journal":{"name":"Diversity and Distributions","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ddi.13955","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Diversity and Distributions","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ddi.13955","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim

Mountain vipers belonging to the Montivipera genus represent a fascinating example of neo-endemism found in the high plateaus of Iran, Anatolia and the Caucasus. Given the conservation challenges faced by these species, it is crucial to understand their phylogenetic relationships and suitable habitats in order to implement effective conservation strategies. In this study, we integrated phylogeny and Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) techniques to investigate the conservation biogeography of mountain vipers.

Location

Irano-Anatolian, Caucasus and Levant.

Methods

We first reconstructed phylogenetic tree of the species, and then, by using a set of occurrence records of the identified clades and environmental variables we modelled ecological niche of the species using the MaxEnt model and PCA-env analysis. Finally, we conducted a gap analysis to assess the conservation status of the species, taking into account their representation within Protected Areas (PAs) in the region.

Results

The results revealed a well-resolved phylogenetic divergence of the species into three main clades and 12 lineages, which corresponded to their geographic distribution. Results of the MaxEnt model showed excellent predictive performance (AUC > 0.9 and TSS > 0.8) for all species. Both ENM analyses demonstrated varying levels of ecological niche conservatism, divergence and convergence across environmental gradients. The gap analysis showed a better representation of mountain vipers within Iran's PAs (20.3% overlap), particularly compared to those in Turkey (2.9%).

Main Conclusions

We designate mountain vipers as phylogeographic focal species due to their isolated distribution in the region's mountains and the significant overlap of their suitable habitats with paleontological refugia. We emphasise their significance in promoting PAs and prioritising conservation efforts for the region's biota.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

山地蝰蛇的保护生物地理学：系统发育生态位建模方法

Aim山蝰蛇属于Montivipera属，是伊朗、安纳托利亚和高加索的高原上发现的新地方主义的一个迷人的例子。考虑到这些物种面临的保护挑战，了解它们的系统发育关系和适宜的栖息地对于实施有效的保护策略至关重要。本文采用系统发育和生态位模型（ENM）相结合的方法对山地蝰蛇的保护生物地理学进行了研究。地理位置伊朗-安纳托利亚，高加索和黎凡特。方法首先重建该物种的系统发育树，然后利用已鉴定支系的发生记录和环境变量，利用MaxEnt模型和PCA-env分析建立该物种的生态位模型。最后，考虑到该物种在保护区的代表性，我们进行了差距分析，以评估该物种的保护状况。结果该物种可划分为3个主枝和12个谱系，与地理分布一致。结果表明，MaxEnt模型对所有物种均具有良好的预测性能（AUC >； 0.9和TSS >； 0.8）。两种ENM分析均显示出不同程度的生态位保守性、差异性和收敛性。差距分析显示，与土耳其的山地毒蛇（2.9%）相比，伊朗的山地毒蛇有更好的代表性（20.3%重叠）。结论山地蝰蛇在该地区的山地分布较为孤立，其适宜生境与古生物保护区有明显重叠，是该地区系统地理上的焦点种。我们强调它们在促进保护区建设和优先保护本地区生物群方面的重要意义。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Diversity and Distributions 环境科学-生态学

CiteScore

8.90

自引率

4.30%

发文量

195

审稿时长

8-16 weeks

期刊介绍： Diversity and Distributions is a journal of conservation biogeography. We publish papers that deal with the application of biogeographical principles, theories, and analyses (being those concerned with the distributional dynamics of taxa and assemblages) to problems concerning the conservation of biodiversity. We no longer consider papers the sole aim of which is to describe or analyze patterns of biodiversity or to elucidate processes that generate biodiversity.