BMC ecology and evolution最新文献

{"title":"Exploring the effects of climatic and environmental heterogeneity on the spatial activity of Patagonian bats.","authors":"Analía Laura Giménez, Marta Gladys Grech, Óscar De Paz","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02430-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02430-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Patagonian region hosts endemic bat species and represents the southernmost distribution limit for several vespertilionids and molossids species. In cold temperate regions, insectivorous bats are more active during summer. However, during this period, the activity of bats can also vary spatially, depending on climatic and environmental factors (e.g., temperature, humidity, vegetation cover, productivity, elevation, proximity to water). The objective of this study was to analyze how the spatial activity of phonic groups is affected by climatic and environmental variables in a large, heterogeneous area of ​​Patagonia, Argentina, using bioacoustic methods. Acoustic monitoring was conducted during the austral summer of 2020, at 100 points located at ten sites, in three ecoregions of Chubut Province (Patagonian Forest, Patagonian Steppe and Low Monte). Bat passes were classified into four phonic groups (PGs), each representing species with similar echolocation call structures. This classification was based on foraging habits and bioacoustic characteristics of species commonly recorded in the study area (PG1 = Myotis chiloensis, M. levis; PG2 = Lasiurus varius, L. villosissimus, Histiotus magellanicus; PG3 = H. macrotus, H. montanus; PG4 = Tadarida brasiliensis). The values of eleven variables were obtained for each point (e.g., temperature, relative humidity, vegetation cover, productivity, elevation, and proximity to water). Using generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs), we analyzed how climatic and environmental variables influenced the spatial activity of Patagonian bat phonic groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our results showed that spatial activity of four phonic groups analyzed in summer is driven by environmental (vegetation cover, elevation and proximity to water) and climatic variables (temperature and relative humidity). Nevertheless, the spatial activity of each specific phonic group was mainly influenced by vegetation cover variables and by their preference for each ecoregion, reflecting the habitat structure in which they forage.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The spatial activity of four phonic groups from Central Patagonia in summer is governed jointly by climatic and environmental variables, with vegetation structure being the dominant driver. In the context of climate change, habitat loss and reduced water availability (especially in arid and semi-arid environments) could impact the populations of Patagonian bats, considering the importance of these factors in influencing their spatial activity.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"83"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12359993/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144877269","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":"2025 joint BMC ecology and evolution and BMC zoology image competition: the winning images.","authors":"Jennifer Harman, Brock Fenton, David Ferrier, Christy A Hipsley, David A Liberles, Carmel McDougall, Edward Narayan","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02423-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02423-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In 2025, researchers from around the world entered the joint BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology image competition. Their images capture the beauty, struggles, and remarkable strategies life on Earth uses in the fight to survive and thrive. This Editorial announces the winning images, selected by the Editor and senior members of the journal's Editorial boards.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"80"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12355838/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144857227","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":"Increased heat tolerance of geothermal plants at the cost of reduced performance under cooler conditions.","authors":"Jan-Niklas Nuppenau, Johan Ehrlén, Aelys M Humphreys","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02422-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02422-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>All plants are influenced by the temperatures they are exposed to and fascinating adaptations to extreme temperatures have been described for many of them. However, the extent to which adaptation to thermal extremes is associated with costs, in terms of reduced performance at less or other stressful temperatures, is poorly known, especially for plants. In Iceland, there are two lineages of Agrostis stolonifera, one that occurs exclusively on geothermally heated soils (> 50 °C) and one that is only found on non-thermal soils. Since Iceland is a subarctic island, non-thermal areas surrounding the geothermal areas can get bitterly cold. This stark contrast in temperatures over short geographic distances provides an excellent system for studying adaptations to thermal extremes and potentially associated trade-offs. To test whether the geothermal lineage is more heat tolerant and whether this heat tolerance is associated with reduced performance under cooler conditions, we compared the heat and cold stress responses of the two lineages experimentally.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No plants survived the hottest treatment (56 °C), only geothermal plants survived the second hottest treatment (49 °C) and geothermal plants also outperformed the non-thermal plants following the 46 °C treatment. In contrast, there were no differences in survival between geothermal and non-thermal plants under intermediate and cold conditions (41 °C, 21 °C and - 4 °C), but non-thermal plants outperformed geothermal plants under these conditions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results suggest that there is a trade-off between tolerating extreme heat and performance under cooler conditions, possibly indicating that geothermal A. stolonifera represents a specialised thermophilic lineage in Iceland. Our findings provide new empirical data on whole-plant responses to different thermal conditions, further understanding of the consequences of adapting to high and low temperature extremes, and raise new questions about the mechanisms, benefits and costs of thermal specialisation under different climatic conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"81"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12351892/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144857229","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":"Effect of pre-germination temperature conditions on germination characteristics of temperate grassland species.","authors":"Réka Kiss, Katalin Lukács, Ágnes Tóth, Benedek Tóth, Kenz Raouf Samraoui, Rita Engel, Balázs Deák, Orsolya Valkó","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02424-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02424-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding germination characteristics, including optimal stratification requirements of target species, is necessary for supporting grassland restoration yet poorly understood. This knowledge is essential for effective conservation, particularly with climate change altering germination conditions and thus germination capacity of plants. Here we studied the effect of three different durations of warm dry and cold wet stratification treatments, and their combinations in a full factorial design (in total 15 different pre-germination treatments), on the germination capacity of 48 grassland species native to Central Europe. Stratification treatments modelled present and forecasted summer (1-3 months warm period) and winter (1-3 months cold period) temperature conditions, while the study of the combined effect of these treatments is especially important in spring-germinating species. As response variables, we calculated relative response indexes and germination uncertainties of each species separately and applied general linear models to study the effect of treatments on these variables. We found clear effect of warm- or cold stratification on relative response indexes only in four species: strong positive response to warm stratification was found in Silene conica, while strong positive response to cold stratification was found in Agrimonia eupatoria, Echium vulgare, and Plantago lanceolata. The responses to treatment combinations were contradictory or lacked clear trends in most of the species. Germination uncertainty in general was high for all species, supporting the fact that Central European grassland species often rely on bet hedging as risk spreading strategy, to avoid unfavourable conditions during seedling establishment.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"82"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12351819/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144857228","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":"Plastome phylogenomics of the diverse neotropical orchid genus Lepanthes with emphasis on subgenus Marsipanthes (Pleurothallidinae: Orchidaceae).","authors":"Tatiana Arias, Juan Sebastian Moreno, Sebastian Reyes, Martin Llano Almario, Alejandra Serna-Sánchez, Gabriel A Iturralde, Janice Valencia, Luis Baquero, Alejandro Zuluaga","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02396-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02396-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Well-resolved phylogenetic relationships within the diverse Neotropical orchid genus Lepanthes are presented based on a genome skimming approach that yielded nine newly sequenced chloroplast genomes. We complemented this with 17-86 plastome coding genes for 26 species retrieved from GenBank, alongside amplified matK and rITS regions. The Lepanthes plastomes (157,185-158,260 bp, 37.15% GC content) contained 136 annotated genes, including 86 protein-coding, 42 tRNA, and 8 rRNA genes. We identified six hypervariable regions, including parts of the ycf1 gene, as potential DNA barcodes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Carl Luer's subgeneric classifications are non-monophyletic, a finding confirmed by PCA of continuous morphological traits, reflecting significant morphological homoplasy. Six major clades were identified, though resolution for the phylogenetic backbone remains unresolved at two nodes. Subgenus Marsipanthes is not monophyletic as currently circumscribed, with two subclades recovered in distinct positions within the phylogeny. An early-diverging lineage, comprising species restricted to the eastern Andean slopes from southern Colombia to Peru, includes members of both Marsipanthes and Lepanthes. A derived clade, consisting of species from both subgenera, confined to the Chocó biogeographic region, forms an unresolved polytomy. Although only a subset of Lepanthes diversity was sampled, this study captures significant taxonomic, geographic, and morphological variation. It provides foundational insights into the genu's evolutionary history, along with tools and hypotheses that can be expanded upon in future research to further refine our understanding of its biogeographic history.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"79"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12329981/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144801228","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":"The sandfish identity: phylogeographic reconstructions uncover a species complex within the Indo-Pacific distribution of Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra.","authors":"Kelly T Brown, Paul C Southgate, Nguyen D Q Duy, Lindon Havimana, Aviti J Mmochi, Rose K Basiita, Madjid Delghandi, Brian Stockwell, Monal M Lal","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02421-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02421-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sea cucumbers are a highly diverse, enigmatic, ecologically and economically important group of echinoderms, however understanding of their taxonomy is complicated by cryptic morphology, hidden diversity and the presence of species complexes. The sandfish Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra, is a high-value tropical sea cucumber exploited in multispecies fisheries across the Indo-Pacific with historically chaotic taxonomy, that has never been examined using molecular information. To evaluate its taxonomic identity, a phylogeographic approach was used to examine evolutionary relationships at 9 sites (n = 98) across the ~ 16,500 Km Indo-Pacific species distribution. Two genome-wide (1,500 PAV and 2,000 SNP) loci and one mitochondrial marker (cox1: 69 sequences) were employed in phylogenetic reconstructions, estimations of genetic distance, and assessments of species boundaries and evolutionary history.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both genome-wide and cox1 data indicate sandfish constitute a species complex containing a minimum of 7 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), with inter-ocean divergence patterns supporting non-conspecifity of Indian and Pacific Ocean specimens. Six OTUs were resolved in the Pacific Ocean across 3 broad lineages corresponding to putative subspecies, along with one OTU in the Indian Ocean. Analyses of evolutionary history estimate divergence of H. (Metriatyla) scabra in the early Pliocene ~ 4.36 MYa (95% HPD 3.3-5.42 MYa), from a germinate point likely in Southeast Asia within the Coral Triangle region, with subsequent diversification into the Indian and Pacific Ocean basins.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The presence of a species complex in the sandfish H. (Metriatyla) scabra is reported, providing clarity on its taxonomic identity, which prior to this study had been described exclusively on morphological characters. Given the degree of ambiguity associated with interspecific morphological descriptions of many Holothuroid taxa, data presented here describe intraspecific diversity of this valuable echinoderm.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"78"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12326710/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144796311","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":"Diversity and spatio-temporal distribution of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a transboundary river basin in the Caucasus region (Aras river, NE Türkiye).","authors":"Murat Özbek, Ayşe Taşdemir, Seray Yildiz, Esat T Topkara, Eylem Aydemir Çil","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02428-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02428-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluates the ecological status of the Aras River Basin (Türkiye) by analyzing benthic macroinvertebrate communities in relation to seasonal variations and anthropogenic pressures. During 2014-2015 sampling campaigns, we identified 126 taxa, of which 107 were identified at the species level and 19 at the genus level across 17 stations, with Insecta (87 taxa, 69%) showing the highest richness, followed by Clitellata (23 taxa, 18%). The dominant species Tubifex tubifex (15.87%), Chironomus riparius (15.60%), and Gammarus balcanicus (15.11%) served as key bioindicators, revealing significant organic pollution impacts, particularly in lentic habitats. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) for the summer period identified dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH as the primary environmental drivers, with pollution-tolerant taxa (e.g., Chironomus riparius) clustering in low-DO areas, while sensitive species (e.g., Baetis rhodani) were predominantly associated with well-oxygenated, alkaline conditions. Seasonal analyses demonstrated autumn as the most productive period (3,765 ind., 91 taxa), with Station 9 maintaining pristine conditions (BMWP score: 66, \"Good\") year-round. Conversely, spring showed the poorest water quality (BMWP < 25 at most stations), while summer exhibited intermediate conditions. Multivariate analyses (UPGMA, TWINSPAN) confirmed spatial clustering based on pollution gradients, with tolerant taxa (e.g., aquatic leeches, Chironomus spp.) dominating organically enriched sites and sensitive species (e.g., Plecoptera) restricted to high-quality habitats. Our findings highlight: (1) severe degradation at stations receiving agricultural/domestic waste (Stations 1-6), (2) the critical role of seasonal monitoring in detecting climate-driven stressors, and (3) the utility of macroinvertebrate-based indices (BMWP/ASPT) for basin-scale water quality assessment. The study provides a scientific basis for conserving transboundary freshwater ecosystems through targeted pollution control and habitat protection measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"77"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12323250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144791019","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":"Floristic composition, structure and regeneration status of trees as affected by agro-climatic variation in the Bale mountains national park, South-eastern Ethiopia.","authors":"Annissa Muhammed, Eyasu Elias","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02426-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02426-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP), situated in the southeast highlands of Ethiopia's Bale eco-region, is a globally recognized hotspot for biodiversity. The devastating rate of habitat degradation across various agro-climatic zones, in spite of its enormous ecological significance, puts many species' survival in jeopardy. This study aims to examine the effects of agro-climatic variation on floristic composition, structure, and explore human-induced factors driving the changes in ecosystem. To gather representative vegetation data, 144 sampling plots spanning 5.76 ha were set up along three altitudinal gradients with four replications. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the mean species composition and structure among agro-climatic zones, and significant differences were reported with p < 0.05. Results showed that mean DBH (49.63 ± 1.34 cm) and species richness (76) of the sub-moist mid highland were found to be significantly higher than in the cool moist mid highlands (44.50 ± 1.42 cm and 31, respectively) and in the cold humid afro-alpine zone (29). The sub-moist mid highland had a significantly higher density of seedlings, saplings, and mature trees than the cool moist mid highlands. Although the mean density and basal area of woody species did not differ significantly (p < 0.05) between the sub-moist mid highland and the cool moist mid highland, the sub-moist mid highland exhibited higher overall values, with 914 stems per hectare and 91.16 m² ha⁻¹, compared to 653 stems per hectare and 79.10 m² ha⁻¹ in the cool moist mid highland. The study concludes that the sub-moist mid highland supports a majority of species and contains trees with bigger space occupancy, and ecologically diverse communities which requires urgent protection measures. Because of the cold humid afro-alpine zone is ecologically delicate, it requires a comprehensive ecological approach to manage natural resource that incorporates ecosystem protection and restoration.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"76"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12323208/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144786123","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":"Local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae.","authors":"Lucie M Baltz, Julienne de Vastey, Hanna Gardein, Felix Klaus, Henri Greil, Robert J Paxton, Panagiotis Theodorou","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02416-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02416-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"75"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12312322/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144762674","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":"Predicting the potential habitats of two Lycium species and the quality suitability of Lycium chinense Mill. Cortex under climate change.","authors":"Yuting Liu, Zikang Lu, Xiangrui Fu, Chaohui Wang, Chao Feng, Yongxing Song, Xian Gu, Tianchuan Chai, Lin Pei, Donglai Ma","doi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02413-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-025-02413-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"25 1","pages":"74"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12309066/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144755420","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}