Scientists present the first set of global maps showing geographic patterns of beta-diversity in flowering plants
2023-10-16
(Press-News.org) Beta-diversity serves as a crucial metric for gauging shifts in species composition over spatial or temporal scales, bridging the spectrum between localized (alpha) and broader regional (gamma) diversity. In the fields of ecology, biogeography and conservation biology, to elucidate the origins and sustenance of geographic beta-diversity patterns, we need to explore both the taxonomic and phylogenetic beta-diversity at different evolutionary depths.
In an article published in the KeAi journal Plant Diversity, using a comprehensive database of plant distributions worldwide, Dr. Hong Qian of Illinois State Museum in the US and Dr. Shenhua Qian of Chongqing University in China explored and mapped geographic patterns of beta-diversity for flowering plant (angiosperm) genera in regional floras across the world.
They analyzed both taxonomic and phylogenetic beta-diversity, including their constituent elements. Moreover, they considered both tip-weighted and basal-weighted phylogenetic beta-diversity in relation to latitude.
Consequently, they showed that the global distribution of beta-diversity is highly heterogeneous. This is the case for taxonomic and phylogenetic beta-diversity, as well as for both tip-weighted and basal-weighted phylogenetic beta-diversity. They also showed that there are highly consistent geographic patterns among different metrics of beta-diversity. In most cases, metrics of beta-diversity are negatively associated with latitude, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.
Notably, different metrics of taxonomic beta-diversity are strongly and positively correlated with their counterparts of phylogenetic beta-diversity.
“It is well known that regions characterized by wet tropical climates tend to exhibit elevated levels of alpha- and gamma-diversity in both plant and animal species,” says Qian. “However, one of the interesting patterns that we found in this study is that regions of high beta-diversity are located in dry rather than wet tropical climates. For example, the Sahara Desert has the highest beta-diversity of flowering plants.”
###
Contact the author: Hong Qian, hong.qian@illinoisstatemuseum.org
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 100 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
END
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2023-10-16
Neurons, the main cells that make up our brain and spinal cord, are among the slowest cells to regenerate after an injury, and many neurons fail to regenerate entirely. While scientists have made progress in understanding neuronal regeneration, it remains unknown why some neurons regenerate and others do not.
Using single-cell RNA sequencing, a method that determines which genes are activated in individual cells, researchers from University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified a new biomarker that can be used to predict whether ...
2023-10-16
Imagine the life of a yeast cell, floating around the kitchen in a spore that eventually lands on a bowl of grapes. Life is good: food for days, at least until someone notices the rotting fruit and throws them out. But then the sun shines through a window, the section of the counter where the bowl is sitting heats up, and suddenly life gets uncomfortable for the humble yeast. When temperatures get too high, the cells shut down their normal processes to ride out the stressful conditions and live to feast on grapes on another, cooler day.
This “heat ...
2023-10-16
About The Study: The results of this study including 121,000 Singaporean children ages 1 through 4 suggest that completion of a primary mRNA vaccine series provided protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although incidence of hospitalization and severe illness is low in this age group, there is potential benefit of vaccination in preventing infection and potential sequelae.
Authors: Liang En Wee, M.R.C.P., M.P.H., of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore, is the corresponding author.
To access the ...
2023-10-16
About The Study: The findings of this study demonstrated that the incremental changes associated with dementia in regard to older adults’ long-term care and financial burden are substantial. Family care availability should be accounted for in a comprehensive assessment of predicting the effects of dementia.
Authors: Hwa Jung Choi, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.5482)
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions ...
2023-10-16
Mass General Brigham investigators tested their approach using specimens from multiple cancer types, including liver, brain, tongue, skin, breast, bone and soft tissue
Their visual and quantitative technique, which combines an injected FDA-approved drug with high-speed cameras to detect changes occurring in a billionth of a second, had an accuracy of 97% across tumor types
Removing a patient’s tumor while sparing healthy tissue requires exquisite precision, but often surgeons must rely on their eyes and hands to determine where to cut. A team led ...
2023-10-16
One of the building blocks of ocean life can adapt to cope with the effects of climate change, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
The discovery holds promises for biotechnology developments that could counter the negative effects of changing environmental conditions, such as ocean warming and even the reduction in the productivity of crops.
Looking at eukaryotic phytoplankton, also referred to as microalgae, found over large parts of the ocean, the international team led by UEA’s Prof Thomas Mock discovered the algae have found a way to cope with nutrient starvation, which is predicted to ...
2023-10-16
Despite steps toward decreasing deforestation, uncontrolled wildfires are threatening environmental gains in Brazilian Amazonia, one of the world’s most critical carbon sinks and a region of high biological and cultural diversity.
An international team of scientists are raising the alarm in a letter published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution. ‘Increasing wildfires threaten progress on halting deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia’ is co-authored by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of South Alabama, which led the study. Other contributors ...
2023-10-16
Most people think of dementia as something that affects a person’s brain. But a new study shows just how much damage it does to a person’s wallet and bank account too – as well as the higher demands it places on their family members.
In all, people diagnosed with dementia saw their out-of-pocket spending for health care more than double, and their net worth decline by more than 60%, within the first eight years of being diagnosed, the study finds.
Meanwhile, other people of similar ages and in similar health, ...
2023-10-16
CINCINNATI--A six-year study that analyzed data from a 25-question screening tool found alarming evidence of unhealthy behavioral trajectories starting as early as age 2 among families affected by low income and other social stressors.
Findings from the study led by Robert Ammerman, PhD, and colleagues at Cincinnati Children’s were published Oct. 16, 2023, in JAMA Pediatrics. (DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.4229)
Experts may not be surprised by another study reporting an association between family stress and child behavioral problems. However, the early ages of onset and severity of behavioral problems were unexpected. Importantly, ...
2023-10-16
16 October 2023
The Geological Society of America
Release No. 23-36
Contact: Justin Samuel
+1-303-357-1026
jsamuel@geosociety.org
For Immediate Release
Pittsburgh, Pa., USA: You’ve heard of the salmon run: upon reaching sexual maturity, wild Atlantic salmon, which are born in freshwater rivers but spend most of their adult life in the ocean, swim upstream all the way back to their birthplace to spawn. This remarkable migration—a journey thousands of miles long, against the current—is filled with obstacles, from dams to hop over to hungry bears to dodge.
Climate warming has brought about an additional hurdle for wild Atlantic salmon populations: rising water ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Scientists present the first set of global maps showing geographic patterns of beta-diversity in flowering plants
