En las últimas décadas, el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas de muestreo nos ha permitido recolectar ... more En las últimas décadas, el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas de muestreo nos ha permitido recolectar con mayor facilidad novedosas muestras que enriquecen el conocimiento de los especímenes que estudiamos. En este sentido, las muestras audiovisuales, sobre todo las grabaciones de señales acústicas, se han convertido en parte esencial de la investigación herpetológica. El correcto almacenamiento de estos especímenes es clave para fortalecer la investigación científica. Sin embargo, la gran mayoría de repositorios audiovisuales de acceso público se encuentran en países del Norte Global, lo cual restringe la labor científica en países latinos. El uso de repositorios locales o regionales abre la posibilidad de almacenar la diversidad de muestras científicas generadas en la región, haciéndolas fácilmente accesibles a los investigadores regionales y a la divulgación de la ciencia local. Esta carta es un llamado urgente a la comunidad herpetológica en Latinoamérica para que se tomen tres accio...
Taxon names are at the core of communication related to biodiversity. Thus, systems that regulate... more Taxon names are at the core of communication related to biodiversity. Thus, systems that regulate such names should prevent unnecessary changes. Unfortunately, the current regulatory codes have some articles that produce confusion or, even, generate name instability. To promote nomenclatural stability, while maintaining a system that effectively conveys information about biological diversity and its evolution, we argue in favor of emendations to the current International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). We propose that taxon names should be created within an evolutionary framework; ideally, this would mean including a phylogenetic tree or, at the very least, formulating a hypothesis in words based on explicit arguments (homologous traits) for the evolutionary relatedness of taxa, avoiding subjective perceptions. Additionally, we consider that some relatively minor changes of the ICZN would greatly increase name stability; the most relevant modifications that would facilitate ...
Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, but faces severe pressures and thre... more Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, but faces severe pressures and threats to its natural ecosystems. Numerous species have declined and require to be objectively evaluated and quantified, as a step towards the development of conservation strategies. Herein, we present an updated National Red List Assessment for amphibian species of Ecuador, with one of the most detailed and complete coverages for any Ecuadorian taxonomic group to date. Based on standardized methodologies that integrate taxonomic work, spatial analyses, and ecological niche modeling, we assessed the extinction risk and identified the main threats for all Ecuadorian native amphibians (635 species), using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Our evaluation reveals that 57% (363 species) are categorized as Threatened, 12% (78 species) as Near Threatened, 4% (26 species) as Data Deficient, and 27% (168 species) as Least Concern. Our assessment almost doubles the number of threatened speci...
Shark fishing, driven by the fin trade, is the primary cause of global shark population declines.... more Shark fishing, driven by the fin trade, is the primary cause of global shark population declines. Here, we present a case study that exemplifies how industrial fisheries are likely depleting shark populations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. In August 2017, the vessel Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, of Chinese flag, was detained while crossing through the Galápagos Marine Reserve without authorization. This vessel contained 7639 sharks, representing one of the largest seizures recorded to date. Based on a sample of 929 individuals (12%), we found 12 shark species: 9 considered as Vulnerable or higher risk by the IUCN and 8 listed in CITES. Four species showed a higher proportion of immature than mature individuals, whereas size-distribution hints that at least some of the fishing ships associated with the operation may have been using purse-seine gear fishing equipment, which, for some species, goes against international conventions. Our data expose the magnitude of the threat that fishi...
Lambert et al . question our retrospective and holistic epidemiological assessment of the role of... more Lambert et al . question our retrospective and holistic epidemiological assessment of the role of chytridiomycosis in amphibian declines. Their alternative assessment is narrow and provides an incomplete evaluation of evidence. Adopting this approach limits understanding of infectious disease impacts and hampers conservation efforts. We reaffirm that our study provides unambiguous evidence that chytridiomycosis has affected at least 501 amphibian species.
A fundamental gap in climate change vulnerability research is an understanding of the relative th... more A fundamental gap in climate change vulnerability research is an understanding of the relative thermal sensitivity of tropical and temperate organisms. Aquatic insects are vital to stream ecosystem function and biodiversity. With global temperatures rising at an unprecedented rate, it is imperative that we understand how sensitive aquatic insects are to increasing temperature and whether sensitivities vary among taxa across latitude and elevation. We measured thermal sensitivity of standard metabolic rate in stream-dwelling mayflies and stoneflies across a ∼2,000 m elevation gradient in the temperate Rocky Mountains in Colorado, U.S.A., and the tropical Andes in Napo, Ecuador. Mayflies generally adhered to the predictions of the Climate Variability Hypothesis, such that tropical species exhibited greater thermal sensitivity than did temperate species. For stoneflies, by contrast, there was no evidence in support of our predictions; temperate stoneflies showed greater thermal sensiti...
Anthropogenic threat maps are commonly used as a surrogate for the ecological integrity of rivers... more Anthropogenic threat maps are commonly used as a surrogate for the ecological integrity of rivers in freshwater conservation, but a clearer understanding of their relationships is required to develop proper management plans at large scales. Here, we developed and validated empirical models that link the ecological integrity of rivers to threat maps in a large, heterogeneous and biodiverse Andean–Amazon watershed. Through fieldwork, we recorded data on aquatic invertebrate community composition, habitat quality, and physical-chemical parameters to calculate the ecological integrity of 140 streams/rivers across the basin. Simultaneously, we generated maps that describe the location, extent, and magnitude of impact of nine anthropogenic threats to freshwater systems in the basin. Through seven-fold cross-validation procedure, we found that regression models based on anthropogenic threats alone have limited power for predicting the ecological integrity of rivers. However, the prediction...
The demise of amphibians? Rapid spread of disease is a hazard in our interconnected world. The ch... more The demise of amphibians? Rapid spread of disease is a hazard in our interconnected world. The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was identified in amphibian populations about 20 years ago and has caused death and species extinction at a global scale. Scheele et al. found that the fungus has caused declines in amphibian populations everywhere except at its origin in Asia (see the Perspective by Greenberg and Palen). A majority of species and populations are still experiencing decline, but there is evidence of limited recovery in some species. The analysis also suggests some conditions that predict resilience. Science , this issue p. 1459 ; see also p. 1386
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018
Significance Over 50 years ago, Dan Janzen proposed an integrative framework relating latitudinal... more Significance Over 50 years ago, Dan Janzen proposed an integrative framework relating latitudinal differences in climate variability to elevational trends in species diversity. We show that tropical species in three independent insect clades have ( i ) narrower thermal breadths, ( ii ) decreased dispersal and higher population structure, and ( iii ) higher cryptic diversity and speciation rates. This research tests all of the key predictions of Janzen’s hypothesis in related taxa. Our work advances the understanding of how climate variability shapes global diversity patterns, moving beyond simple correlations, to mechanistic links between climate, local adaptation, dispersal, and montane species richness.
En las últimas décadas, el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas de muestreo nos ha permitido recolectar ... more En las últimas décadas, el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas de muestreo nos ha permitido recolectar con mayor facilidad novedosas muestras que enriquecen el conocimiento de los especímenes que estudiamos. En este sentido, las muestras audiovisuales, sobre todo las grabaciones de señales acústicas, se han convertido en parte esencial de la investigación herpetológica. El correcto almacenamiento de estos especímenes es clave para fortalecer la investigación científica. Sin embargo, la gran mayoría de repositorios audiovisuales de acceso público se encuentran en países del Norte Global, lo cual restringe la labor científica en países latinos. El uso de repositorios locales o regionales abre la posibilidad de almacenar la diversidad de muestras científicas generadas en la región, haciéndolas fácilmente accesibles a los investigadores regionales y a la divulgación de la ciencia local. Esta carta es un llamado urgente a la comunidad herpetológica en Latinoamérica para que se tomen tres accio...
Taxon names are at the core of communication related to biodiversity. Thus, systems that regulate... more Taxon names are at the core of communication related to biodiversity. Thus, systems that regulate such names should prevent unnecessary changes. Unfortunately, the current regulatory codes have some articles that produce confusion or, even, generate name instability. To promote nomenclatural stability, while maintaining a system that effectively conveys information about biological diversity and its evolution, we argue in favor of emendations to the current International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). We propose that taxon names should be created within an evolutionary framework; ideally, this would mean including a phylogenetic tree or, at the very least, formulating a hypothesis in words based on explicit arguments (homologous traits) for the evolutionary relatedness of taxa, avoiding subjective perceptions. Additionally, we consider that some relatively minor changes of the ICZN would greatly increase name stability; the most relevant modifications that would facilitate ...
Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, but faces severe pressures and thre... more Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, but faces severe pressures and threats to its natural ecosystems. Numerous species have declined and require to be objectively evaluated and quantified, as a step towards the development of conservation strategies. Herein, we present an updated National Red List Assessment for amphibian species of Ecuador, with one of the most detailed and complete coverages for any Ecuadorian taxonomic group to date. Based on standardized methodologies that integrate taxonomic work, spatial analyses, and ecological niche modeling, we assessed the extinction risk and identified the main threats for all Ecuadorian native amphibians (635 species), using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Our evaluation reveals that 57% (363 species) are categorized as Threatened, 12% (78 species) as Near Threatened, 4% (26 species) as Data Deficient, and 27% (168 species) as Least Concern. Our assessment almost doubles the number of threatened speci...
Shark fishing, driven by the fin trade, is the primary cause of global shark population declines.... more Shark fishing, driven by the fin trade, is the primary cause of global shark population declines. Here, we present a case study that exemplifies how industrial fisheries are likely depleting shark populations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. In August 2017, the vessel Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, of Chinese flag, was detained while crossing through the Galápagos Marine Reserve without authorization. This vessel contained 7639 sharks, representing one of the largest seizures recorded to date. Based on a sample of 929 individuals (12%), we found 12 shark species: 9 considered as Vulnerable or higher risk by the IUCN and 8 listed in CITES. Four species showed a higher proportion of immature than mature individuals, whereas size-distribution hints that at least some of the fishing ships associated with the operation may have been using purse-seine gear fishing equipment, which, for some species, goes against international conventions. Our data expose the magnitude of the threat that fishi...
Lambert et al . question our retrospective and holistic epidemiological assessment of the role of... more Lambert et al . question our retrospective and holistic epidemiological assessment of the role of chytridiomycosis in amphibian declines. Their alternative assessment is narrow and provides an incomplete evaluation of evidence. Adopting this approach limits understanding of infectious disease impacts and hampers conservation efforts. We reaffirm that our study provides unambiguous evidence that chytridiomycosis has affected at least 501 amphibian species.
A fundamental gap in climate change vulnerability research is an understanding of the relative th... more A fundamental gap in climate change vulnerability research is an understanding of the relative thermal sensitivity of tropical and temperate organisms. Aquatic insects are vital to stream ecosystem function and biodiversity. With global temperatures rising at an unprecedented rate, it is imperative that we understand how sensitive aquatic insects are to increasing temperature and whether sensitivities vary among taxa across latitude and elevation. We measured thermal sensitivity of standard metabolic rate in stream-dwelling mayflies and stoneflies across a ∼2,000 m elevation gradient in the temperate Rocky Mountains in Colorado, U.S.A., and the tropical Andes in Napo, Ecuador. Mayflies generally adhered to the predictions of the Climate Variability Hypothesis, such that tropical species exhibited greater thermal sensitivity than did temperate species. For stoneflies, by contrast, there was no evidence in support of our predictions; temperate stoneflies showed greater thermal sensiti...
Anthropogenic threat maps are commonly used as a surrogate for the ecological integrity of rivers... more Anthropogenic threat maps are commonly used as a surrogate for the ecological integrity of rivers in freshwater conservation, but a clearer understanding of their relationships is required to develop proper management plans at large scales. Here, we developed and validated empirical models that link the ecological integrity of rivers to threat maps in a large, heterogeneous and biodiverse Andean–Amazon watershed. Through fieldwork, we recorded data on aquatic invertebrate community composition, habitat quality, and physical-chemical parameters to calculate the ecological integrity of 140 streams/rivers across the basin. Simultaneously, we generated maps that describe the location, extent, and magnitude of impact of nine anthropogenic threats to freshwater systems in the basin. Through seven-fold cross-validation procedure, we found that regression models based on anthropogenic threats alone have limited power for predicting the ecological integrity of rivers. However, the prediction...
The demise of amphibians? Rapid spread of disease is a hazard in our interconnected world. The ch... more The demise of amphibians? Rapid spread of disease is a hazard in our interconnected world. The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was identified in amphibian populations about 20 years ago and has caused death and species extinction at a global scale. Scheele et al. found that the fungus has caused declines in amphibian populations everywhere except at its origin in Asia (see the Perspective by Greenberg and Palen). A majority of species and populations are still experiencing decline, but there is evidence of limited recovery in some species. The analysis also suggests some conditions that predict resilience. Science , this issue p. 1459 ; see also p. 1386
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018
Significance Over 50 years ago, Dan Janzen proposed an integrative framework relating latitudinal... more Significance Over 50 years ago, Dan Janzen proposed an integrative framework relating latitudinal differences in climate variability to elevational trends in species diversity. We show that tropical species in three independent insect clades have ( i ) narrower thermal breadths, ( ii ) decreased dispersal and higher population structure, and ( iii ) higher cryptic diversity and speciation rates. This research tests all of the key predictions of Janzen’s hypothesis in related taxa. Our work advances the understanding of how climate variability shapes global diversity patterns, moving beyond simple correlations, to mechanistic links between climate, local adaptation, dispersal, and montane species richness.
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