Showing papers by "Pablo Vargas published in 2021"

Dimensions of invasiveness: Links between local abundance, geographic range size, and habitat breadth in Europe's alien and native floras

Abstract: Understanding drivers of success for alien species can inform on potential future invasions. Recent conceptual advances highlight that species may achieve invasiveness via performance along at least three distinct dimensions: 1) local abundance, 2) geographic range size, and 3) habitat breadth in naturalized distributions. Associations among these dimensions and the factors that determine success in each have yet to be assessed at large geographic scales. Here, we combine data from over one million vegetation plots covering the extent of Europe and its habitat diversity with databases on species' distributions, traits, and historical origins to provide a comprehensive assessment of invasiveness dimensions for the European alien seed plant flora. Invasiveness dimensions are linked in alien distributions, leading to a continuum from overall poor invaders to super invaders-abundant, widespread aliens that invade diverse habitats. This pattern echoes relationships among analogous dimensions measured for native European species. Success along invasiveness dimensions was associated with details of alien species' introduction histories: earlier introduction dates were positively associated with all three dimensions, and consistent with theory-based expectations, species originating from other continents, particularly acquisitive growth strategists, were among the most successful invaders in Europe. Despite general correlations among invasiveness dimensions, we identified habitats and traits associated with atypical patterns of success in only one or two dimensions-for example, the role of disturbed habitats in facilitating widespread specialists. We conclude that considering invasiveness within a multidimensional framework can provide insights into invasion processes while also informing general understanding of the dynamics of species distributions.

Phylogeographic sampling guided by species distribution modeling reveals the Quaternary history of the Mediterranean–Canarian Cistus monspeliensis (Cistaceae)

Abstract: Accurate inference in phylogeography requires appropriate sampling strategies. Complex questions demand a large sample size at both the population and genetic levels to obtain precise reconstructions. This is the case of the phylogeographic history of Cistus monspeliensis, a plant that displays low plastid (cpDNA) diversity in the Mediterranean Basin but high diversity in the Canary Islands. Here, we aimed to identify Mediterranean refugial areas and to accurately quantify inter‐island colonization events in the Canaries. Using a previous study as starting point, we increased sample size in two ways: (i) additional sampling of plastid genetic markers (from 1041 to 1899 bp); and (ii) additional sampling of populations (from 47 to 69) in long‐term persistence areas suggested by species distribution modeling (SDM). The synergy between SDM and extended population sampling helped find higher genetic diversity. Our deeper phylogeographic sampling of C. monspeliensis revealed the following: (i) potential refugia in long‐term persistence areas with high cpDNA diversity in western Europe and the Canary Islands; and (ii) a significant increase (from 7 to 12) in the number of inferred inter‐island colonization events across the archipelago. Our results stress the usefulness of SDM to identify the genetic signature associated with potential refugial areas. We herein propose a field sampling approach based on SDM that, in combination with a larger cpDNA sampling, can help answer a wide array of phylogeographic questions, such as the location of Quaternary refugia and number of colonizations across archipelagos.

Evolution in the Model Genus Antirrhinum Based on Phylogenomics of Topotypic Material

Abstract: Researchers in phylogenetic systematics typically choose a few individual representatives of every species for sequencing based on convenience (neighboring populations, herbarium specimens, samples provided by experts, garden plants). However, few studies are based on original material, type material or topotypic material (living specimens from the locality where the type material was collected). The use of type or topotypic material in phylogenetic studies is paramount particularly when taxonomy is complex, such as that of Antirrhinum (Plantaginaceae). In this paper, we used topotypic materials of Antirrhinum at the species level (34 species proposed by previous authors), 87 specimens representing the species distributions and >50,000 informative nucleotide characters (from ∼4,000 loci) generated by the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technique: (i) to test two explicit taxonomic hypotheses widely followed by local taxonomic treatments; (ii) to robustly estimate phylogenetic relationships; (iii) to investigate the evolution of key morphological characters and biogeographic centers of differentiation. Two GBS phylogenies based on two datasets (87 localities and 34 topotypic specimens) revealed that: (1) Sutton's (1988) taxonomic account is the most congruent with phylogenetic results, whereas division of Antirrhinum into three major clades disagrees with Rothmaler's (1956) infrageneric classification; (2) monophyly of populations currently included in the same species is primarily supported; (3) the historically recognized Antirrhinum majus group is not monophyletic; (4) sister-group relationships are robust for eight species pairs; (5) the evolutionary radiation of 26 species since the Pliocene is underpinned given a high rate of diversification (0.54 spp. Myr-1); (6) a geographic pattern of speciation is reconstructed, with northern Iberia as the center of early diversification followed by more recent speciation in southeastern Iberia; and (7) multiple acquisitions of key taxonomic characters in the course of Antirrhinum diversification are strongly supported, with no evidence of hybridization between major clades. Our results also suggest incipient speciation in some geographic areas and point to future avenues of research in evolution and systematics of Antirrhinum.

Sea dispersal potential and colonization of the Galápagos littoral flora

Abstract: The manuscript was edited by Guido Jones, currently funded by the Cabildo de Tenerife, under the TFinnova Programme supported by MEDI and FDCAN funds. We also thank the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid, where we conducted experiments for the seeds under investigation, especially for the guidance and continued assistance of Yurena Arjona during the whole process. This study was financed by the project (CGL2015-67865-P) funded by Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Spain). RHH was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the grant UID/BIA/04004/2020. All sampling was supervised by the GNP under permit PC-49-18.

Diet of the black rat (Rattus rattus) in a Canary laurel forest: species identification based on morphological markers and DNA sequences

Abstract: The black rat (Rattus rattus) is an alien species that causes severe impact on island ecosystems, floras and faunas. The main aim of this study was to determine the plant and animal contributions t...