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Item Biodiversity in mountain soils above the treeline(John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society, 2025-05-14) Praeg N; Steinwandter M; Urbach D; Snethlage MA; Alves RP; Apple ME; Bilovitz P; Britton AJ; Bruni EP; Chen T-W; Dumack K; Fernandez-Mendoza F; Freppaz M; Frey B; Fromin N; Geisen S; Grube M; Guariento E; Guisan A; Ji Q-Q; Jiménez JJ; Maier S; Malard LA; Minor MA; Mc Lean CC; Mitchell EAD; Peham T; Pizzolotto R; Taylor AFS; Vernon P; van Tol JJ; Wu D; Wu Y; Xie Z; Weber B; Illmer P; Seeber JBiological diversity in mountain ecosystems has been increasingly studied over the last decade. This is also the case for mountain soils, but no study to date has provided an overall synthesis of the current state of knowledge. Here we fill this gap with a first global analysis of published research on cryptogams, microorganisms, and fauna in mountain soils above the treeline, and a structured synthesis of current knowledge. Based on a corpus of almost 1400 publications and the expertise of 37 mountain soil scientists worldwide, we summarise what is known about the diversity and distribution patterns of each of these organismal groups, specifically along elevation, and provide an overview of available knowledge on the drivers explaining these patterns and their changes. In particular, we document an elevation-dependent decrease in faunal diversity above the treeline, while for cryptogams there is an initial increase above the treeline, followed by a decrease towards the nival belt. Thus, our data confirm the key role that elevation plays in shaping the biodiversity and distribution of these organisms in mountain soils. The response of prokaryote diversity to elevation, in turn, was more diverse, whereas fungal diversity appeared to be substantially influenced by plants. As far as available, we describe key characteristics, adaptations, and functions of mountain soil species, and despite a lack of ecological information about the uncultivated majority of prokaryotes, fungi, and protists, we illustrate the remarkable and unique diversity of life forms and life histories encountered in alpine mountain soils. By applying rule- as well as pattern-based literature-mining approaches and semi-quantitative analyses, we identified hotspots of mountain soil research in the European Alps and Central Asia and revealed significant gaps in taxonomic coverage, particularly among biocrusts, soil protists, and soil fauna. We further report thematic priorities for research on mountain soil biodiversity above the treeline and identify unanswered research questions. Building upon the outcomes of this synthesis, we conclude with a set of research opportunities for mountain soil biodiversity research worldwide. Soils in mountain ecosystems above the treeline fulfil critical functions and make essential contributions to life on land. Accordingly, seizing these opportunities and closing knowledge gaps appears crucial to enable science-based decision making in mountain regions and formulating laws and guidelines in support of mountain soil biodiversity conservation targets.Item Global warming responses within the New Zealand alpine radiation of acridid grasshoppers : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024-07-20) Meza-Joya, Fabio LeonardoWe are living in the Anthropocene, where humans are directly and indirectly altering climatic regimes, leading to warmer conditions with multifarious effects on the biosphere. Well-documented ecological responses to planetary heating include distributional, phenological, and/or phenotypical shifts. Anthropogenic global warming is predicted to significantly impact alpine ecosystems, yet our current understanding of alpine species responses to both ongoing and future global warming is limited. My thesis bridges this gap by investigating the influence of past and future climates on New Zealand’s endemic alpine short-horn grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae), as representatives of New Zealand’s alpine fauna. As one of the most ubiquitous herbivores in alpine areas worldwide, grasshoppers provide a marvellous lens to examine responses of native systems to increasing temperatures and explore the mechanisms behind such responses. For this, I used an integrative approach combining phylogeographic tools, demographic statistics, phenotypic data (size and shape), niche models and niche metrics, and genotype–phenotype–environment associations. My findings indicate that (1) distinct climatic, biological, and geophysical factors controlled population structuring of grasshopper species during the Pleistocene with a legacy of spatially separate intraspecific lineages; (2) departures from current climatic conditions are projected to vary with geography, and so species exposure and vulnerability to climate change will vary; (3) habitat loss predicted over the next 50 years of warming will lead to smaller and more-fragmented populations with reduced adaptive potential; (4) differences in niche features between diverging intraspecific lineages may lead to lineage-specific responses; (5) distinct climatic factors influence body size clines, and this might strongly influence potential phenotypic responses. An unexpected and important result is that closely related species are predicted to respond in different ways to climate change, suggesting such responses are more evolutionarily labile than conserved. Collectively, this body of research offers valuable insights into the eco-evolutionary responses of alpine organisms to global warming with broad implications for alpine biota everywhere in the world. The thermal environment is a powerful abiotic driver of evolution, and as we face unparalleled rates of warming, understanding how temperature hinder or foster evolution is critical for assisting management decisions that embrace evolutionary resilience.Item Spatial Variation of Acanthophlebia cruentata (Ephemeroptera), a Mayfly Endemic to Te Ika-a-Māui-North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-06-23) Trewick SA; Henderson IM; Pohe SR; Morgan-Richards M; Borges PAVThe mayfly Acanthophlebia cruentata of Aotearoa, New Zealand, is widespread in Te Ika-a-Māui North Island streams, but has never been collected from South Island despite land connection during the last glacial maximum. Population structure of this mayfly might reflect re-colonisation after volcanic eruptions in North Island c1800 years ago, climate cycling or conceal older, cryptic diversity. We collected population samples from 33 locations to estimate levels of population genetic diversity and to document phenotypic variation. Relatively low intraspecific haplotype divergence was recorded among mitochondrial cytb sequences from 492 individuals, but these resolved three geographic-haplotype regions (north, west, east). We detected a signature of isolation by distance at low latitudes (north) but evidence of recent population growth in the west and east. We did not detect an effect of volcanic eruptions but infer range expansion into higher latitudes from a common ancestor during the last glacial period. As judged from wing length, both sexes of adult mayflies were larger at higher elevation and we found that haplotype region was also a significant predictor of Acanthophlebia cruentata size. This suggests that our mitochondrial marker is concordant with nuclear genetic differences that might be explained by founder effect during range expansion.Item Wildlife trade targets colorful birds and threatens the aesthetic value of nature(Elsevier Inc, 2022-10-10) Senior RA; Oliveira BF; Dale J; Scheffers BRA key component of nature's contribution to people is aesthetic value. Charismatic species rally public support and bolster conservation efforts. However, an insidious aspect to humanity's valuation of nature is that high value also drives wildlife trade, which can spearhead the demise of prized species. Here, we explore the antagonistic roles of aesthetic value in biodiversity conservation by using novel metrics of color to evaluate the aesthetics of the most speciose radiation of birds: passerines (i.e., the perching birds). We identify global color hotspots for passerines and highlight the breadth of color in the global bird trade. The tropics emerge as an epicentre of color, encompassing 91% and 65% of the world's most diverse and most uniquely colored passerine assemblages, respectively. We show that the pet trade, which currently affects 30% of passerines (1,408/5,266), traverses the avian phylogeny and targets clusters of related species that are uniquely colored. We identify an additional 478 species at risk of future trade based on their coloration and phylogenetic relationship to currently traded species-together totaling 1,886 species traded, a 34% increase. By modeling future extinctions based on species' current threat status, we predict localized losses of color diversity and uniqueness in many avian communities, undermining their aesthetic value and muting nature's color palette. Given the distribution of color and the association of unique colors with threat and trade, proactive regulation of the bird trade is crucial to conserving charismatic biodiversity, alongside recognition and celebration of color hotspots.Item Historical biogeography of marine ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) of the Southwest Pacific : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Evolutionary Ecology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand(Massey University, 2023) Samayoa, André PhilippeCurrent environmental and anthropogenic pressures are driving significant biodiversity loss and range shifts in marine environments. Understanding how biodiversity is generated and how it responded to past environmental changes is fundamental to inform future management strategies for marine resources. As the largest ubiquitous taxonomic group among marine vertebrates, ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) represent the best model to understand the generation of biodiversity and the processes that shaped contemporary geographic patterns in the sea. In this sense, centers of marine endemism are of evolutionary value as they translate evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that drive biodiversity dynamics. In the Pacific Ocean, endemism centers for marine fishes are mainly located in remote oceanic islands at the periphery of the tropical West Pacific which harbors the highest levels of biodiversity. Biogeographic research suggests that marine fish endemism in the oceanic islands of the Central Pacific originated via multiple independent jump-dispersal colonization events, and that the islands have acted as sources of new unique biodiversity. However, as the evolutionary setting starts to be revealed for marine fish endemism in the Pacific, processes that generate and maintain biodiversity in other peripheral islands remain unknown. My thesis aims to fill this gap by studying the origin, evolution, and processes that have shaped endemism and biodiversity of marine fishes in the Southwest Pacific. I examined the historical biogeography of the region´s marine fish fauna using open-access molecular data to infer evolutionary histories, and geographic distribution information to assess spatial patterns of endemism and biodiversity. Data were analyzed across three research projects based on time-calibrated phylogenies, probabilistic biogeographic modeling, and statistical analysis of phylogenetic measures of endemism and biodiversity. My results confirm the role of the subtropical islands of the Southwest Pacific as sources of new unique biodiversity, identify mainland Australia as the major source of endemic lineages, highlight the significance of jump-dispersal and vicariance in shaping endemism patterns, and reveal that the processes shaping patterns of endemism and biodiversity differ at local scales. My thesis contributes to the understanding of unique contemporary biogeographic patterns in the marine fish fauna of the Southwest Pacific.