scholarly journals From Pavement to Population Genomics: Characterizing a Long-Established Non-native Ant in North America Through Citizen Science and ddRADseq

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanmeng Miles Zhang ◽  
Tyler R. Vitone ◽  
Caroline G. Storer ◽  
Adam C. Payton ◽  
Robert R. Dunn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Population Genomics

Citizen science monitoring demonstrates dramatic declines of monarch butterflies in western North America

2017 ◽  
Vol 214 ◽  
pp. 343-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl B. Schultz ◽  
Leone M. Brown ◽  
Emma Pelton ◽  
Elizabeth E. Crone
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Monarch Butterflies

scholarly journals Comparative and population genomics approaches reveal the basis of adaptation to deserts in a small rodent

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Tigano ◽  
Jocelyn P. Colella ◽  
Matthew D. MacManes
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Population Genomics ◽  
Protein Denaturation ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Small Rodent ◽  
Selective Sweeps ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Dietary Shift ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
Signature Of Selection

AbstractOrganisms that live in deserts offer the opportunity to investigate how species adapt to environmental conditions that are lethal to most plants and animals. In the hot deserts of North America, high temperatures and lack of water are conspicuous challenges for organisms living there. The cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus) displays several adaptations to these conditions, including low metabolic rate, heat tolerance, and the ability to maintain homeostasis under extreme dehydration. To investigate the genomic basis of desert adaptation in cactus mice, we built a chromosome-level genome assembly and resequenced 26 additional cactus mouse genomes from two locations in southern California (USA). Using these data, we integrated comparative, population, and functional genomic approaches. We identified 16 gene families exhibiting significant contractions or expansions in the cactus mouse compared to 17 other Myodontine rodent genomes, and found 232 sites across the genome associated with selective sweeps. Functional annotations of candidate gene families and selective sweeps revealed a pervasive signature of selection at genes involved in the synthesis and degradation of proteins, consistent with the evolution of cellular mechanisms to cope with protein denaturation caused by thermal and hyperosmotic stress. Other strong candidate genes included receptors for bitter taste, suggesting a dietary shift towards chemically defended desert plants and insects, and a growth factor involved in lipid metabolism, potentially involved in prevention of dehydration. Understanding how species adapted to the recent emergence of deserts in North America will provide an important foundation for predicting future evolutionary responses to increasing temperatures, droughts and desertification in the cactus mouse and other species.

scholarly journals Estimating the annual distribution of monarch butterflies in Canada over 16 years using citizen science data

FACETS ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 238-253
Author(s):  
D. T. Tyler Flockhart ◽  
Maxim Larrivée ◽  
Kathleen L. Prudic ◽  
D. Ryan Norris
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
The United States ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
Breeding Distribution

Monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus, Linnaeus, 1758) are comprised of two migratory populations separated by the Rocky Mountains and are renowned for their long-distance movements among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Both populations have declined over several decades across North America prompting all three countries to evaluate conservation efforts. Monitoring monarch distribution and abundance is a necessary aspect of ongoing management in Canada where they are a species at risk. We used presence-only data from two citizen science data sets to estimate the annual breeding distribution of monarch butterflies in Canada between 2000 and 2015. Monarch breeding distribution in Canada varied widely among years owing to natural variation, and when considering the upper 95% of the probability of occurrence, the annual mean breeding distribution in Canada was 484 943 km2 (min: 173 449 km2; max: 1 425 835 km2). The area of occurrence was approximately an order of magnitude larger in eastern Canada than in western Canada. Habitat restoration for monarch butterflies in Canada should prioritize productive habitats in southern Ontario where monarchs occur annually and, therefore, likely contribute most to the long-term viability of monarchs in eastern North America. Overall, our assessment sets the geographic context to develop successful management strategies for monarchs in Canada.

scholarly journals Integrating multiple sources of biodiversity information greatly expands the range of a rare species of Hymenoptera (Vanhorniidae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Hogan ◽  
Amber Bass ◽  
Y. Miles Zhang ◽  
Barbara Sharanowski
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
North America ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Biodiversity Information

Vanhorniaeucnemidarum Crawford is the only species of Vanhorniidae that occurs in North America. This species is rarely collected and thus the distribution is not well documented. Intending to uncover a more accurate range of this species, we assembled collection records from museums, personal collections and citizen science projects. Many of these records were non-digitised and had to be personally requested. Here we expand the known distribution of V.eucnemidarum to include nine new provinces and states: Manitoba, Connecticut, Oregon, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas and Wisconsin. Although Quebec has been listed as a previous locality, the recorded province was mislabelled, so Quebec is now also officially a provincial record.

scholarly journals Ptomaphagus thebeatles n. sp., a previously unrecognized beetle from Europe, with remarks on urban taxonomy and recent range expansion (Coleoptera: Leiodidae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Menno Schilthuizen ◽  
Wesley van Oostenbrugge ◽  
Stefan Visser ◽  
Marrit van der Meer ◽  
Richard Delval ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Collection Data ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
The Many

Abstract Anthropogenic environmental change is leading to changes in distribution for many organisms. While this is frequently discussed for prominent organisms of high conservation value, the same is true for the many cryptic species that rarely figure in debates on the human impact. One such cryptic taxon is the European Ptomaphagus sericatus (Chaudoir, 1845) and related forms. During a citizen science expedition in the Vondelpark, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we obtained two forms of this species complex. We placed the examination of these specimens in the context of a re-analysis of the species group, and, using DNA barcoding and genital study on material collected thoughout Europe, found that the P. sericatus species complex consists of three distinct, partly sympatric species, one of which was previously undescribed. On the basis of collection data, at least two species, P. medius and P. thebeatles sp. n., show signs of having recently undergone (possibly anthropogenic) range changes, with P. medius even reaching North America. We describe P. thebeatles sp. n.; we raise two subspecies, viz. P. sericatus sericatus (Chaudoir, 1854) and P. sericatus medius (Rey, 1889) to the level of species, and designate a neotype for the former; we identify P. dacicus Jeannel, 1934 and P. pyrenaeus Jeannel, 1934 as junior synonyms of P. sericatus, and P. compressitarsus (Rey, 1889) as a junior synonym of P. subvillosus Goeze, 1777; we identify P. septentrionalis Jeannel, 1934 and P. miser (Rey, 1889) as junior synonyms of P. medius; we designate lectotypes for P. medius and P. miser.

scholarly journals Population genomics of grey wolves and wolf-like canids in North America

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. e1007745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikkel-Holger S. Sinding ◽  
Shyam Gopalakrishan ◽  
Filipe G. Vieira ◽  
Jose A. Samaniego Castruita ◽  
Katrine Raundrup ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Population Genomics
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