Community dynamics of insular biotas in space and time

The various features determining species distributions remain enigmatic in ecology. This thesis deals with the spatial and temporal dynamics of land birds on the islands of the Dahlak archipelago, the Red Sea, and of mammals, birds and reptiles among the forest fragments of the archipelago-like east African coastal forest. The bird species richness on the islands of the Dahlak archipelago depended on area, isolation and extent of habitat. Similarly, species richness of the east African forest fragments was related to area, habitat diversity and isolation but the importance of each factor varied among taxa as well as among generalists and specialists. For example, area influenced species richness of most categories except specialist mammals and reptiles, habitat diversity was more important for forest specialists than generalists, and isolation was important only for birds. In both study areas, similarity in bird species composition decreased with increasing distances among isolates suggesting that dispersal from source pools and among isolates facilitate re-colonization. The nested community structure, i.e. species composition of species−poor communities are a subset of species−rich communities, of birds in the Dahlak archipelago depended on area and the distribution of a few habitats. Similarities in community patterns and cooccurrence patterns, at both community and species levels, were mainly related to habitat preferences and corresponding distributions of habitats as well as inter-island distances. Also, the distributional patterns suggest that predator-prey interactions can be a determinant of the spatial distribution of, at least, the prey. There was no evidence of competitive exclusion. The nested structure on the islands of the Dahlak archipelago remained fairly stable over a period of 35 years even in this arid region. The turnover dynamics were broadly predictable from the nested pattern but not always consistent with other expectations from nested community structure. Taken together my results show that mechanisms on varying spatial and temporal scales act on species distributions, and that the influence may vary among taxa mainly depending on dispersal ability. In the case of conservation, comprehensive strategies accounting for these variations are needed

Newly created ponds complement natural waterbodies for restoration of macroinvertebrate assemblages

Ecological restoration is becoming increasingly widespread to compensate for wetland loss worldwide. However, most post-restoration studies fail to establish whether the restored wetlands replace or complement natural wetlands for communities of aquatic organisms such as macroinvertebrates. During two consecutive hydroperiods (ca 6 months each), we studied the macroinvertebrate communities in 32 new temporary ponds created during a restoration 6–7 years previously in Doñana, SW Spain, and compared them with ten natural temporary sites nearby. We compared results for two dominant groups of active dispersers (Coleoptera and Hemiptera) and for the whole aquatic macroinvertebrate community (a mix of active and passive dispersers) to shed light on the role of dispersal constraints during ecosystem recovery. We also compared the ranks of new ponds and reference sites in nested matrices to assess whether communities in new ponds are impoverished subsets of communities in reference sites. Because of their young age, newly created ponds were predicted to have less stable communities over the two study years than reference sites, and to have lower species diversity for the whole community but not for active dispersers. On the other hand, communities in new ponds were predicted to approach the taxonomic composition of reference sites as time went on. New ponds differed in environmental conditions (particularly less emergent vegetation cover and lower chlorophyll concentration) from reference sites, but their invertebrate richness and diversity matched those in reference sites and invertebrate abundance was even higher. Richness and diversity increased in the second hydroperiod in new ponds, but not in reference sites. Significant differences in community composition occurred between new ponds and reference sites, but were largely explained by their environmental differences. As succession progressed within a hydroperiod, communities in new ponds were first dominated by large branchiopods, then by active dispersers such as Chironomidae and Coleoptera, then finally by halotolerant taxa such as the beetle Ochthebius viridis fallaciosus. Communities in new ponds were not impoverished subsets of those in reference sites, and communities in new and reference ponds diverged towards the end of the hydroperiods. We conclude that new temporary ponds can provide diverse and complementary habitats important for maintaining macroinvertebrate diversity at the regional scale.Peer Reviewe

Maintaining ecosystem resilience: functional responses of tree cavity nesters to logging in temperate forests of the Americas

Logging often reduces taxonomic diversity in forest communities, but little is known about how this biodiversity loss affects the resilience of ecosystem functions. We examined how partial logging and clearcutting of temperate forests influenced functional diversity of birds that nest in tree cavities. We used point-counts in a before-after-control-impact design to examine the effects of logging on the value, range, and density of functional traits in bird communities in Canada (21 species) and Chile (16 species). Clearcutting, but not partial logging, reduced diversity in both systems. The effect was much more pronounced in Chile, where logging operations removed critical nesting resources (large decaying trees), than in Canada, where decaying aspen Populus tremuloides were retained on site. In Chile, logging was accompanied by declines in species richness, functional richness (amount of functional niche occupied by species), community-weighted body mass (average mass, weighted by species densities), and functional divergence (degree of maximization of divergence in occupied functional niche). In Canada, clearcutting did not affect species richness but nevertheless reduced functional richness and community-weighted body mass. Although some cavity-nesting birds can persist under intensive logging operations, their ecosystem functions may be severely compromised unless future nest trees can be retained on logged sites.Fil: Ibarra, José Tomás. University of British Columbia; Canadá. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Martin, Michaela. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Cockle, Kristina Louise. University of British Columbia; Canadá. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Martin, Kathy. University of British Columbia; Canad

Turnover of passerine birds on islands in the Aegean Sea (Greece)

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73442/1/j.1365-2699.2007.01695.x.pd

Vanishing refuge? Testing the forest refuge hypothesis in coastal East Africa using genome-wide sequence data for seven amphibians

High‐throughput sequencing data have greatly improved our ability to understand the processes that contribute to current biodiversity patterns. The “vanishing refuge” diversification model is speculated for the coastal forests of eastern Africa, whereby some taxa have persisted and diversified between forest refugia, while others have switched to becoming generalists also present in non‐forest habitats. Complex arrangements of geographical barriers (hydrology and topography) and ecological gradients between forest and non‐forest habitats may have further influenced the region's biodiversity, but elucidation of general diversification processes has been limited by lack of suitable data. Here, we explicitly test alternative diversification modes in the coastal forests using genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphisms, mtDNA, spatial and environmental data for three forest (Arthroleptis xenodactyloides, Leptopelis flavomaculatus and Afrixalus sylvaticus) and four generalist (Afrixalus fornasini, A. delicatus, Leptopelis concolor, L. argenteus) amphibians. Multiple analyses provide insight about divergence times, spatial population structure, dispersal barriers, environmental stability and demographic history. We reveal highly congruent intra‐specific diversity and population structure across taxa, with most divergences occurring during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene. Although stability models support the existence of some forest refugia, dispersal barriers and demographic models point toward idiosyncratic diversification modes across taxa. We identify a consistent role for riverine barriers in the diversification of generalist taxa, but mechanisms of diversification are more complex for forest taxa and potentially include topographical barriers, forest refugia and ecological gradients. Our work demonstrates the complexity of diversification processes in this region, which vary between forest and generalist taxa, but also for ecologically similar species with shared population boundaries

Pengaruh Bimbingan Konseling Dan Peran Orang Tua Terhadap Kecerdasan Spiritual Peserta Didik Kelas Xii Smks Korpri Duri

Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh rendahnya kecerdesan spiritual anak yang mengakibatkan kurangnya kedisiplinan dalam diri anak dan kurangnya akhlak anak. Untuk meningkatkan kecerdasan spiritual yang dimiliki anak diperlukan bimbingan konseling dari guru di sekolah dibarengi dengan peran orang tua di rumah. Dengan demikian guru serta orang tua dapat memantau perkembangan kecerdasan spiritual anak, agar anak pada masa remaja ini dapat memilih dan memilah perbuatan-perbuatan yang dilakukan oleh anak, baik itu perbuatan yang benar ataupun yang salah. Dalam Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia No. 20 Th 2003 dikatakan bahwa pendidik adalah konselor yang mengembangkan dirinya secara aktif menyelenggarakan pendidikan. Dalam penelitian ini rumusan masalah adalah Adakah Pengaruh Bimbingan Konseling dan Peran Orang Tua Terhadap Kecerdasan Spiritual Peserta Didik dan tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui Pengaruh Bimbingan Konseling dan Peran Orang Tua Terhadap Kecerdasan Spiritual Peserta Didik Kelas XII SMKS Korpri Duri. Manfaat dari penelitian ini adalah menambah pengetahuan dan dapat meningkatkan kecerdasan spiritual menjadi kecerdasan tertinggi. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian korelasi yang bertujuan untuk mengetahui seberapa besar pengaruh bimbingan konseling dan peran orang tua terhadap kecerdasan spiritual peserta didik kelas XII SMKS Korpri Duri. Pengambilan sampel menggunakan metode sampling jenuh yaitu mengambil seluruh anggota populasi untuk dijadikan sampel penelitian karena populasi kurang dari 100 yaitu 94 orang siswa. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan angket dan dokumentasi. Teknik analisis data menggunakan analisis regresi linear berganda. Berdasarkan hasil dari pengelolaan dan analisis data yang penulis lakukan, maka disimpulkan bahwa adanya pengaruh antara bimbingan konseling dan peran orang tua terhadap kecerdasan spiritual sebesar 18% dan di pengaruhi oleh variabel lainnya yang tidak dimasukkan dalam penelitian ini sebesar 82%. Kata Kunci : Bimbingan Konseling, Peran Orang Tua, Kecerdasan Spiritual

Soil environmental heterogeneity allows spatial co-occurrence of competitor earthworm species in a gallery forest of the Colombian ‘Llanos’

42 páginas, 4 tablas y 3 figuras + 1 apéndice de 7 pàginas[EN] Disentangling how communities of soil organisms are deterministically structured by abiotic and biotic factors is of utmost relevance, and few data sets on co-occurrence patterns exist in soil ecology compared to other disciplines. In this study, we assessed species spatial co-occurrence and niche overlap together with the heterogeneity of selected soil properties in a gallery forest (GF) of the Colombian Llanos. We used null-model analysis to test for non-random patterns of species co-occurrence and body size in assemblages of earthworms and whether the pattern observed was the result of environmental heterogeneity or biotic processes structuring the community at small scales by means of co-inertia analysis (CoIA). The results showed that earthworm species co-occurred more frequently than expected by chance at short distances, and CoIA highlighted a significant specific relationship between earthworm species and soil variables. The effect of soil environmental heterogeneity on one litter-feeding species but also the impact of soil-feeding species on soil physical properties was revealed. Correlogram analysis on the first axis extracted in the CoIA showed the scale of the common structure shared by the fauna and soil variable tables. The earthworm community was not deterministically structured by competition and co-occurrence of competing species was facilitated by soil environmental heterogeneity at small scales in the GF. Our results agreed with the coexistence aggregation model which suggests that spatial aggregation of competitors at patchily distributed resources (environment) can facilitate species coexistence.Local names for tree species of the gallery forest are those specifi cally used in the region. h anks are extended to Richard J. h omas, Idupulapati Rao and Edgar Am é zquita (CIAT) and Patrick Lavelle (IRD) for fi nancial and logistic support during fi eld work. We thank fi eld assistants Jose Garc í a, Salvador Rojas and Guillermo Murcia for sharing their knowledge and research assistant Jaumer Ricaute for root analysis at CIAT lab.Peer reviewe