BMC ecology and evolution最新文献

{"title":"Predicting the habitat suitability and hotspot regions of the near threatened Socotra bluet on the Socotra Archipelago using an integrated modelling approach.","authors":"Kartik Omanakuttan, Taniya Pandey, Sandeep Kumar","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02594-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02594-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Socotra bluet (Azuragrion granti) is an endemic, Near Threatened damselfly restricted to the Socotra Archipelago whose persistence depends on scarce freshwater refugia under a changing climate. We used an integrated modelling framework, MaxEnt species distribution models coupled with spatial hotspot statistics (Getis-Ord Gi* and Local Moran's I) and landscape metrics, to map current and future habitat suitability (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370 for 2021-2040 and 2041-2060) and to identify priority conservation zones. Model performance was robust (AUCs 0.752-0.763; TSS 0.601-0.696). Contrary to expectations of wholesale range contraction, projections indicate a marked redistribution with net increases in Moderate to Very High suitability classes (Very High suitability expanding from 2.3% presently to as much as 16-19% of the island under several future scenarios) alongside spatially clustered increases in unsuitable habitat. Decadal hotspot analysis and cluster detection revealed persistent and intensifying suitability hotspots concentrated in eastern Socotra, notably the Hagher/Hajhir highlands, while persistent coldspots and widespread clustering of unsuitable areas flagged emerging threat zones. Spatially explicit results (persistent coldspots = 2,247.75 km²; intensifying hotspots = 1,296 km²; consecutive hotspots = 850.5 km²) highlight both refugia and areas of rapid degradation. We identify a contiguous corridor of priority sites in the eastern highlands and recommend community-co-managed protection of their hydrological features as the primary conservation action, alongside field verification of a single isolated priority site detected in western Socotra. These results provide a spatially explicit blueprint for safeguarding A. granti and associated freshwater biodiversity on Socotra under multiple climate futures.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13651073/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149149694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Do osteohistology, microanatomy or life history traits show patterns linked to neotenic lifestyles in extant Caudata and the Permian temnospondyl Apateon?","authors":"Nicole Klein, Dorota Konietzko-Meier, Rainer R Schoch, Eva M Griebeler","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02577-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-026-02577-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neoteny is widespread in extant Caudata and has also been inferred in extinct temnospondyls. Here, we compare osteohistology, microanatomy, and life history traits of the Permian branchiosaurid Apateon spp. with those of modern obligate and facultative neotenic and not neotenic caudates to possibly identify common patterns separating groups. The osteohistology of these modern caudates is studied for the first time based on petrographic ground sections, which yield a better comparability between modern and fossilized bones than microtomized thin sections. We found in all adult individuals' avascular lamellar matrix, except for Necturus maculosus, which grew with avascular parallel-fibered bone. The presence of osteoblasts indicates prolonged bone mineralization process in caudates. Medullary cavity size varies widely in humeri of Ambystoma mexicanum and in humeri and femora of Apateon spp., whereas in all other taxa it is more uniform and tendentially compacter which, however, might be the result of lower sample sizes. Apateon spp. had numerous lines of arrested growth indicating strong seasonal growth as was described in detail before and which is in accordance with the inferred environmental conditions. The markedness of growth marks is well pronounced in Necturus maculosus, Amphiuma means, Triturus cristatus, Lissotriton vulgaris and Salamandra salamandra but not in others. Poor expression of growth marks might be related to constant climatic conditions (e.g., Ambystoma mexicanum, Proteus anguinus) or due to an early ontogenetic stage and a yet low mineralized matrix of some individuals in our sample (Ichthyosaura alpestris, Calotriton asper). Growth mark counts of captive A. mexicanum of known age considerably underestimated their actual age. The analysis of adult body mass, age at maturation and maximum longevity of a large dataset on obligate neotenic and non-obligate neotenic caudates indicated a high variability in the two latter traits and associations among each other and to adult body mass. Due to this large variability, we did not find any pattern that can be used to unequivocally infer whether a taxon is obligate neotenic or not. Overall, our results suggest that no shared pattern in osteohistology, microanatomy or life history traits exists among extant obligate neotenic, non-obligate neotenic and extinct neotenic Apateon.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13654229/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149170223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"BATSY4-PRO: an open-source multichannel ultrasound recorder for field bioacoustics.","authors":"Ravi Umadi","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02592-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02592-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A variety of behavioural studies of echolocation and acoustic communication in free-flying bats depend on multichannel ultrasonic recordings. However, access to these methods remains geographically uneven: tropical and subtropical regions harbour much of the world's bat diversity yet remain underrepresented in experimental behavioural bioacoustics. Conventional systems often depend on costly audio interfaces, laptops, and specialist expertise. Although instrumentation is only one contributor to this disparity, a compact, affordable, openly documented platform can reduce a practical barrier to field research, ecological monitoring, and conservation efforts. Here, I present BATSY4-PRO, an open-source four-channel recorder designed for behavioural and ecological field studies. Built around a Teensy 4.1 microcontroller and two WM8782 analogue-to-digital converters, it records synchronised 16-bit audio at 192 kHz directly to microSD storage. The recorder weighs under 150 g, operates from a 5 V supply, and, together with the four-microphone array, can be constructed for approximately 200 euros. It combines retrospective and buffer-prefilled forward recording with selectable real-time monitoring. While all four full-spectrum channels are recorded, users can monitor any individual microphone or a four-channel mix through tunable heterodyne conversion or direct passthrough. Field recordings showed consistently high signal-to-noise ratios comparable to recordings obtained with a commercially available multichannel soundcard and supported time-difference-of-arrival localisation of bat flight trajectories. Because the intended applications involve moving animals, I used grid-based Monte Carlo simulations to define the usable localisation field of the deployed array and evaluate how simulated source velocity affects localisation performance. The simulations identified a geometry-dependent near-array region of useful performance, followed by a sharp decline in accuracy with increasing range, and showed that localisation errors increased with simulated source velocity. BATSY4-PRO establishes an open, reproducible workflow from synchronised field recording and real-time monitoring to three-dimensional source localisation. Its configurable firmware logic and extensibility allow the same compact system to be adapted to distinct behavioural questions, species, and habitats without dependence on laboratory-bound or proprietary multichannel platforms. Wider adoption can expand the geographic and taxonomic scope of experimental bat bioacoustics, strengthen local capacity for ecological monitoring, and enable comparative investigation of echolocation behaviour under natural conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13644156/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149129560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Muscle architecture in mustelid mammals: anatomical proxies for muscle function and their relation to locomotor habit.","authors":"Brandon M Kilbourne, Luis A Riquelme Olivares, Tiit Maran, John R Hutchinson","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02576-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02576-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Though skeletal adaptations for locomotion in mammals are well documented, possible limb adaptations in terms of muscle architecture have received far less study. Examining mustelid mammals and sampling climbing, digging, and swimming specialists, as well as generalists, we here investigate whether differences in the architecture of limb muscles coincide with differing locomotor habits as is the case for limb skeletal morphology.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For 49 individuals across 19 mustelid species, we measured fascicle length, belly mass, and physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) for six forelimb and six hindlimb muscles. For fore- and hindlimbs separately, we performed a size-standardized principal components analysis for each of the three architectural traits to determine whether locomotor habits coincide with differences in muscle architecture. Digging mustelids are typified by shoulder flexors and elbow extensors that are long-fascicled and both strong and massive. Climbing mustelids are characterized by short-fascicled muscles, with shoulder and elbow flexors and knee and ankle extensors being relatively massive among the sampled muscles. Swimming mustelids tend to have relatively long-fascicled muscles, and their flexors and extensors of both the wrist and ankle are both strong and powerful; however, sea otters appear to have overall more massive muscles than other otters, likely due to their mode of swimming. In comparison to otters, the muscles of mink are also relatively long-fascicled, and like otters, mink tend to have massive and strong distal limb muscles, though to proportionally lesser degree among the limb's muscles in comparison to otters. Among generalists, the strength of forelimb muscles relative to one another is akin to the relative strengths among the forelimb muscles in digging mustelids.Our results show that the relative masses of muscle bellies within a limb largely distinguish mustelid locomotor habits, but whether this is the result of selection should be the subject of future study..</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results indicate that muscle architecture likely reflects limb usage in mustelids, though future studies must sample muscles and species more extensively. Studies investigating the evolution of the locomotion and locomotor adaptations should consider specializations in muscle architectural traits such as belly mass, fascicle length, and PCSA in addition to specializations in skeletal morphological traits.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13621698/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149083289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Behavioural, morphological and life-history adjustments in the early steps of colonising restricted semi-natural environments in wild house mice.","authors":"Ekaterina Gorshkova, Daniela E Winkler, Anja Guenther, Christine Böhmer","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02590-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02590-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Invasive species often exhibit rapid adjustment and establishment in novel environments. However, the mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly understood, particularly during the early stages of invasion. Understanding how behavioural, morphological, and life-history traits vary across generations under different environmental conditions is important for identifying the factors that contribute to invasion success. We investigated how different diet compositions influence these traits across multiple generations (F0-F3) of wild house mice in semi-natural enclosures, with one enclosure assigned to each dietary regime. By experimentally altering the composition of the diet, we aimed to determine the role of diet as one of the specific components of the Island syndrome, which is associated with rapid adjustment to a novel habitat.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our results showed that stress-coping behaviour did not differ significantly across diets or generations. However, the F0 generation exhibited lower body weight than subsequent generations, sperm count was higher in this generation as well, suggesting an immediate physiological response to altered dietary conditions to help with population establishment. Survival rates remained stable across generations for mice on Hard and Soft but decreased for animals on Veggie diet.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Overall, the findings suggest that early responses to invasion are driven more by phenotypic plasticity and life-history shifts, albeit not necessarily in an adaptive way.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13602551/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149042654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"African buffalo in focus: population structure, habitat use, and systematic behaviour in Ethiopia (Gambella National Park).","authors":"Bol Puoch Deng, Serekebirehan Takele, Gatluak Gatkoth Rolkier, Simon Shibru, John Barnabas","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02589-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02589-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Information on African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) population dynamics and resource selection within Ethiopian protected areas remain limited. Grounded in optimal foraging theory and the risk-disturbance hypothesis, this study quantified buffalo population structure, abundance, habitat association, diet, and daytime activity budgets in Gambella National Park. Field monitoring spanned wet and dry seasons from 2022 to 2023. We deployed 35 line transects stratified across four distinct habitat types, processing encounter data through Distance 7.5 software. Spatial logistic regressions, micro-histological faecal analyses, feeding-track inspections, and instantaneous scan sampling were used to evaluate resource choice and behavioural rhythms. Fieldwork yielded 399 independent herd encounters. Population abundance estimates totalled 4,606 ± 3,335 individuals in 2022 and 4,584 ± 3,053 individuals in 2023, while a pooled model estimated 5,602 individuals (mean landscape density: 1.22 individuals/km²). The population showed a female-biased adult sex ratio (0.74:1.00 to 0.98:1.00) and steady calf-to-juvenile recruitment ratios (0.46:1.00 to 0.53:1.00). Seasonal fluctuations significantly shifted habitat selection (χ² (3) = 26.17, p < 0.001); herds crowded into permanent wetlands (~ 31%) and forestlands (26.16%) during dry periods. Logistic regression models indicated that buffalo occurrence correlated positively with forest canopy cover (OR = 1.036-1.038, p < 0.01), decreased with distance from water (p ≤ 0.03), and dropped near human settlements (OR = 0.78, p = 0.01). Diet selection comprised eleven grass species dominated by Urochloa mosambicensis, with no significant seasonal variation (χ² (10) = 4.87, p = 0.898). Diurnal activity budgets remained stable across seasons (χ² (8) = 6.22, p = 0.623), displaying a bimodal feeding pattern that accounted for roughly 30% of daytime activity. Although demographic parameters suggest short-term stability, intense herd compression into shrinking dry season refugia highlights underlying ecological vulnerability. Conservation frameworks must prioritize wetland protection, stricter enforcement of community-managed border buffer zones, and the preservation of transboundary migration corridors.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13587380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149003151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative gliding performance of Anolis lizards among three Caribbean ecomorphs.","authors":"Erik Andrew Sathe, Robert Dudley","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02586-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02586-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anole lizards (genus Anolis) have repeatedly and independently occupied arboreal niches, and in parallel have evolved associated morphologies and locomotor behaviors. In arboreal vertebrates more generally, parachuting and gliding have frequently evolved in response to selective pressure for targeting and controlled landings during either falls or intentional jumps. Here we describe morphological features and aerial performance among five anole species representing the trunk-ground, trunk-crown, and crown giant ecomorphs. Aerial behavior within a vertical wind tunnel was used to evaluate gliding performance, including body orientation, velocity, and glide angle. All study species exhibited controlled non-equilibrium aerial descent. When accounting for phylogenetic relatedness among species, heavier species exhibited greater downward velocities and glide angles. Interspecifically, glide angles were also inversely correlated with wing loading. By contrast, gliding performance did not differ significantly among the three Anolis ecomorphs. Overall, that all study species engaged in controlled aerial descent despite exhibiting substantial morphological variation and being phylogenetically distant within the genus. These results suggest that controlled aerial behaviors may be widespread within Anolis, and that morphological differentiation among species may derive in part from selection for locomotor performance in the air.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13576313/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148972736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Woody species diversity and dispersal dynamics in Biyo Forest, Central Ethiopia: a conservation perspective.","authors":"Lemessa Kumsa, Habte Telila","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02580-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02580-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Seed dispersal shapes species composition, regeneration, and long-term resilience of dry Afromontane forests. In Ethiopia, there is limited information on how woody species disperse and recruit. Biyo Forest, a protected exclosure in central Ethiopia, offers an opportunity to study how different dispersal methods shape forest structure and inform conservation efforts. This study looked at the types of woody species present, their population structure, regeneration status, and how they are dispersed to better understand what supports forest sustainability.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Woody species were surveyed along seven transects, using 28 plots measuring 20 × 20 m, with nested 2 × 2 m subplots. GPS randomization made sure the transects were placed without bias. Plants were grouped as seedlings, saplings, or mature based on their height and diameter. Importance Value Index (IVI), Shannon diversity, basal area dominance (RDO), regeneration ratios, and species dominance were computed. Dispersal syndromes were assigned using fruit and seed features and regional plant guides. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, correlations, regression, and PCA to explore links between dispersal types, IVI, and regeneration.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>27 woody species from 15 families were recorded, with Fabaceae dominating. Species diversity was moderate (H' = 2.84). Endozoochory was the dominant dispersal mode (48.15%), followed by anemochory (22.22%) and autochory (18.52%). Species density strongly predicted IVI (r = 0.92), and PCA revealed that endozoochorous species clustered with high ecological importance. Basal area dominance and IVI-based clustering identified four species (e.g., Ficus sycomorus, Vachellia sieberiana) with regeneration failure, while pioneers such as Dodonaea angustifolia showed strong recruitment. Overall, Biyo Forest recorded 1288.4 seedlings/ha, 836.6 saplings/ha, and 1013.4 mature individuals.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Biyo Forest is dominated by animal-dispersed species, emphasizing frugivores' role in forest dynamics. Several species face regeneration bottlenecks, indicating the need for targeted conservation, protection of keystone species, and maintenance of frugivore networks to sustain ecological resilience.</p><p><strong>Clinical trial number: </strong>Not applicable.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13540906/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148889759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Abundance and distribution of waterbirds in Boyo wetland, Central Rift Valley region of Ethiopia: changes in abundance and distribution.","authors":"Hussen Yasin, Wondimagegnehu Tekalign, Serekebirhan Takele, Barry J McMahon, Abebayehu Desalegn","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02579-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02579-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Waterbirds depend on wetland ecosystems. The present study aimed to investigate the species abundance and composition of waterbird species in the Boyo wetland. A bird survey was conducted from September 2022 to February 2023. There is a significance seasonal variation in waterbird distribution (Mann-Whitney U tests, P < 0.05). The ANOSIM test shown a significant difference in species composition and abundance of waterbirds among the study microhabitats (R = 0.811, p < 0.001). Analysis of similarity percentages also reveals dissimilarity in waterbird communities among microhabitats. Relatively higher species richness (R = 19) and diversity (H' = 2.75, J' = 0.93) recorded in shallow habitat. Open water habitat supports higher waterbird belong to a carnivore feeding guild. A particular importance of the wetland is the presence of the two vulnerable species, the wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) and the black-crowned crane (Balearica pavonina), along with one globally threatened black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa). Some bird species such as Wattled crane showed preference for farmland environments. This shift suggests that the destruction of natural wetland habitats may be forcing this vulnerable species to seek alternative feeding grounds. Therefore, an immediate restoration action should be taken to maintain the role of this natural wetland to serve as a wintering site for waterbird species.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13528106/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148868525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant community responses to climate change in the Zayandeh-Rud Basin, Iran: Does woody plant encroachment follow global patterns?","authors":"Mahbobeh Hadinejad, Ali Asghar Naghipour, Ataollah Ebrahimi, Mostafa Tarkesh Esfahani, Babak Naimi","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02575-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02575-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Arid and semi-arid ecosystems are highly sensitive to climate warming and drying, yet community-level responses in the Middle East remain poorly quantified. This study assesses the potential impacts of climate change on plant community distributions in the Zayandeh-Rud basin, central Iran, and evaluates whether woody plant encroachment follows global patterns. Species distribution models were applied to project current and future (2050 and 2070) distributions of major vegetation communities, including Semi Steppe-Shrub, Semi Steppe-Perennial Herbaceous, Alpine Vegetation, Semi Desert-Salty Plants, Semi Desert-Shrub, Semi Steppe-Semi Shrub, and Steppe-Semi Shrub, under three climate scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5). Annual precipitation (Bio12) was identified as the primary driver shaping Semi Steppe-Shrub, Semi Steppe-Perennial Herbaceous, Semi Steppe-Semi Shrub, and Steppe-Semi Shrub communities, whereas maximum temperature of the warmest month (Bio5) and slope were influential predictors for Alpine Vegetation and semi-desert communities. In the study area, the mean (± SD) of GCMs and SSPs for the net change percentage of total woody plant communities (including Semi Steppe-Shrub, Semi Steppe-Semi Shrub, Steppe-Semi Shrub, and Semi Desert-Shrub) during the period 2050 to 2070 (over the next 60 years) was estimated at 26.86 ± 12.05%. The annual expansion rate of these woody communities was estimated at 0.45 ± 0.20%. These patterns suggest a potential trend of woody plant encroachment that may be associated with increasing temperatures and declining precipitation. Such structural changes may lead to increased dominance of woody species, shifts in community composition, biotic homogenization, and potential impacts on ecosystem functions, including carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, soil stability, and biodiversity conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13488282/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148803095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}