Understanding the spatial and temporal evolution of biota in the tropical Andes is a major challenge, given the region's topographic complexity and high beta diversity. We used a network approach to find biogeographic regions (bioregions) based on high-resolution species distribution models for 151 endemic bird taxa. Then, we used dated molecular phylogenies of 14 genera to reconstruct the area history through a sequence of allopatric speciation processes. We identified 15 biogeographical regions and found 26 events of isolation and diversification within their boundaries that are independently confirmed with disjunct distributions of sister taxa. Furthermore, these events are spatially congruent with six geographical barriers related to warm and/or dry river valleys, discontinuities in elevation, and high peaks separating fauna from different range slopes. The most important barrier is the Marañon River Valley, which limits the boundaries of four bioregions and is congruent with eight phylogenetic distribution breaks, separating the Central and Northern Andes, where the most bioregions are found. We also show that many bioregions have diffuse and overlapping structures, with contact and transition zones that challenge previous conceptions of biogeographical regions as spatially simple in structure. This study found evidence that the drivers of our identified bioregions were processes of Andean uplift and mountain dispersal facilitated by temperature oscillations of the Pleistocene. Therefore, Andean bioregions were not formed from one simple biogeographical event in a certain time frame, but from a combination of vicariance and dispersal events, which occurred in different time periods.

Analysis of plant-frugivore interactions provides a quantitative framework for integrating community structure and ecosystem function in terms of how the roles and attributes of individual species contribute to network structure and resilience. In this study, we used centrality metrics to rank and detect the most important species in a mutualistic network of fruit-eating birds and plants in a cloud forest in the Colombian Andes. We identified a central core of ten bird and seven plant species in a network of 135 species that perform dual roles as local hubs and connectors. The birds were mostly large forest frugivores, such as cracids, cotingas, and toucans, which consume fruits of all sizes. The plants were species of intermediate successional stages with small- to medium-sized seeds that persist in mature forest or forest borders (e.g., Miconia, Cecropia, Ficus). We found the resilience of our network depends on super-generalist species, because their elimination makes the network more prone to disassemble than random extinctions, potentially disrupting seed-dispersal processes. At our study site, extirpation of large frugivores has already been documented, and if this continues, the network might collapse despite its high diversity. Our results suggest that generalist species play critical roles in ecosystem function and should be incorporated into conservation and monitoring programs. © 2016 The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation

Long-term studies to understand biodiversity changes remain scarce-especially so for tropical mountains. We examined changes from 1911 to 2016 in the bird community of the cloud forest of San Antonio, a mountain ridge in the Colombian Andes. We evaluated the effects of past land-use change and assessed species vulnerability to climate disruption. Forest cover decreased from 95% to 50% by 1959, and 33 forest species were extirpated. From 1959 to 1990, forest cover remained stable, and an additional 15 species were lost-a total of 29% of the forest bird community. Thereafter, forest cover increased by 26% and 17 species recolonized the area. The main cause of extirpations was the loss of connections to adjacent forests. Of the 31 (19%) extirpated birds, 25 have ranges peripheral to San Antonio, mostly in the lowlands. Most still occurred regionally, but broken forest connections limited their recolonization. Other causes of extirpation were hunting, wildlife trade, and water diversion. Bird community changes included a shift from predominantly common species to rare species; forest generalists replaced forest specialists that require old growth, and functional groups, such as large-body frugivores and nectarivores, declined disproportionally. All water-dependent birds were extirpated. Of the remaining 122 forest species, 19 are vulnerable to climate disruption, 10 have declined in abundance, and 4 are threatened. Our results show unequivocal species losses and changes in community structure and abundance at the local scale. We found species were extirpated after habitat loss and fragmentation, but forest recovery stopped extirpations and helped species repopulate. Land-use changes increased species vulnerability to climate change, and we suggest reversing landscape transformation may restore biodiversity and improve resistance to future threats.

Aim Species distribution maps are essential for assessing extinction risk and guiding conservation efforts. However, most come sourced as expert‐drawn range maps with known issues of accuracy or are developed with overly complex modelling procedures. Thus, data‐driven alternatives that are accessible and reliable are a welcome addition to the spatial conservation toolkit. Here, we developed a geospatial workflow to refine the distribution of a species from its extent of occurrence (EOO) to area of habitat (AOH) within the species range map. The range maps are produced with an inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation procedure using presence and absence points derived from primary biodiversity data. Location The Americas (North, South, Central America and the Caribbean). Methods As a case study, we mapped the distribution of 723 resident forest birds in the Americas and assessed their performance in comparison with expert‐drawn range maps. We evaluated differences in accuracy, spatial overlap, range map size and derived AOH. Results The geospatial workflow generated IDW range maps with a higher overall accuracy (87% versus 62%) and fewer errors of omission (<1%) and commission (14%) than the expert range maps (28% both errors). The spatial overlap between both datasets was low (35%), but the agreement increased in areas of high probability of occurrence (68%). We did not find significant differences in range size, but the AOH derived from the expert‐drawn range maps was consistently smaller than the estimates from the IDW range maps. Main Conclusions Our geospatial workflow provides a straightforward approach to accurately map species ranges and the estimation of area of habitat (AOH) for conservation planning and decision‐making. Conversely, procedures that refine expert‐drawn range maps to obtain AOH risk producing biased estimates for local‐scale applications.

Se presenta un listado de las especies de aves con registros históricos y actuales en el área de Santiago de Cali, el municipio de mayor importancia en la cordillera Occidental de Colombia, con una superficie total de 561,7 km² y elevaciones desde 950 hasta 4070 m s.n.m. Mediante una recopilación y revisión de referencias bibliográficas, bases de datos de las colecciones ornitológicas del municipio y la base de datos ciudadana de eBird, se obtuvo un listado de 561 especies, que incluye 487 aves residentes, 72 migratorias neártico-neotropicales y dos especies introducidas que se han establecido. Otras 25 especies tienen registros pero requieren de más evidencias para su inclusión, y existen vacíos de información en el PNN Farallones de Cali, la ribera del río Cauca y humedales. En el listado se registran siete especies endémicas de Colombia, 52 casi-endémicas, 22 amenazadas a nivel nacional y 26 a nivel global. A nivel regional en el Valle del Cauca 86 se encuentran amenazadas y seis están presuntamente extintas. Nuestros resultados ubican al municipio de Santiago de Cali como un área de alto valor ornitológico en Colombia y se identifican prioridades de investigación y oportunidades de conservación para garantizar la permanencia de la avifauna municipal y regional.

Los anfibios y reptiles son animales asombrosos y su biología es mucho más Fascinante y variada de lo que originalmente se consideraba. Esta afirmación se soporta fácilmente en múltiples aspectos, entre los cuales sobresale, su reproducción (Duellman & Trueb 1994; Wells 2007; Balshine 2012; Gómez-Mestre et al. 2012; Vitt & Caldwell 2014; Pough et al. 2016). En los anfibios, por ejemplo, muchas especies no dejan sus huevos en charcas y lagunas, como tradicionalmente ha creído el común de las personas, sino que las hembras los depositan en ambientes terrestres, tales como la superficie de hojas o en ambientes húmedos que se dan a nivel del suelo entre hojarasca y bajo troncos caídos, piedras o raíces de árboles (Duellman & Trueb 1994; Crump 2015). Más aún, hay especies cuya reproducción es tan especializada que los padres o madres transportan a los renacuajos en diferentes partes de su cuerpo , ya sea, por pocas horas o días, mientras los depositan en ambientes específicos, o hasta que las crías terminan su ciclo de metamorfosis y se desarrollen como un adulto, pero en miniatura (Noble 1927; Mendelson et al. 2000; Castroviejo-Fisher et al. 2015). Con respecto a los reptiles, hay ejemplos de especies, donde, - las hembras no requieren que un gameto masculino fertilice sus óvulos para producir crías, o especies, donde el sexo de la progenie no está determinado genéticamente, sino por la temperatura ambiental, lo cual, permiten la incubación de huevos (Tinkle & Gibbons 1977; Shine 1995; Vitt & Caldwell 2014). Los factores o procesos asociados a la evolución de este último aspecto en la reproducción de reptiles, es todo un enigma para los científicos (BlacNburn 2006; Shine 2015). Estos y muchos más ejemplos, que se encuentran a lo largo de este libro, contradicen la imagen que durante décadas se tuvo de los anfibios y reptiles, incluso, por científicos y naturalistas tan prestigiosos como, Carlos Linneo, quien afirmó que estos vertebrados eran animales repulsivos, en los cuales el creador no había ejercido toda su sabiduría y poder (Halliday & Adler 1986).

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The Yellow-headed Manakin (Chloropipo flavicapilla) is a rare and threatened species that is thought to occur between the Andes of Colombia and  northeastern Ecuador. However, only three records support the presence of C. flavicapilla in Ecuador: a 19th-century specimen from Hacienda Mapoto, Tungurahua province, and two undocumented field observations from the early 1990s — one from Cordillera de Guacamayos and one from Volcán  Sumaco. I investigated these records and found that the Mapoto specimen is a Green Manakin (Cryptopipo holochlora) deposited in the Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences (MIZ 22050). The correct specimen identity was reported by Hellmayr (1929), but his notes were overlooked. The two undocumented sightings occurred in well-surveyed areas populated with eBird hotspots that are frequently visited by birders.  Furthermore, there are no publicly available records of C. flavicapilla for these locations or anywhere else in Ecuador. Lastly, I analyzed the species distributional limits in southern Colombia. Two biogeographical barriers limit its distribution to northern Ecuador: (1) The Patía Valley in the western Andes and (2) the Colombian Massif in the central and eastern Andes. In conclusion, there is no tangible evidence that C. flavicapilla has been recorded in Ecuador,  and based on its current distribution, it should be considered endemic to Colombia.