Detecting areas of endemism with a taxonomically diverse data set: plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and insects from Argentina

Abstract

The idea of an area of endemism implies that different groups of plants and animals should have largely coincident distributions. This paper analyses an area of 1152 000 km2, between parallels 21 and 32°S and meridians 70 and 53°W to examine whether a large and taxonomically diverse data set actually displays areas supported by different groups. The data set includes the distribution of 805 species of plants (45 families), mammals (25 families), reptiles (six families), amphibians (five families), birds (18 families), and insects (30 families), and is analysed with the optimality criterion (based on the notion of endemism) implemented in the program NDM/VNDM. Almost 50% of the areas obtained are supported by three or more major groups; areas supported by fewer major groups generally contain species from different genera, families, or orders. © The Willi Hennig Society 2011.

The Chacoan bat fauna identity: Patterns of distributional congruence and conservation implications

“…Because distributional ranges of most bat species included in this analysis continue outside the study region (i.e., extending over other American countries), it seems reasonable to criticize the present study arguing that the study region is inadequate or not natural, or that the selected taxon (bats) is not appropriate for this kind of analysis. However, as stated by Szumik et al (2012), this would be equivalent to criticize phylogenetic analyses for dealing with possibly incomplete monophyletic groups. Our analysis aims to hypothesize relationships between cells in the study area and "nothing is stated or implied about cells that would occupy an extended grid" (Szumik et al 2012, p. 319) Besides, although all the eight species that characterize areas tightly related to the Chaco (Eptesicus brasiliensis, E. diminutus, Eumops dabbenei, Histiotus velatus, Promops centralis, P. nasutus, Pygoderma bilabiatum, and Tonatia bidens), have ranges that exceed to lesser or greater extent the Chacoan biogeographical province when the entire South American continent is considered the complete assemblage of species is characteristic only of areas closely related to the Chaco.…”

“…Accordingly, at regional scale, it is likely to find species with restricted ranges, which may determine AEs in strict sense (e.g., those included in the analysis of Díaz Gómez 2007), in coexistence with widespread species, whose ranges exceed that region, and which do not determine AEs in strict sense (e.g., some of those included in the analyses of Aagesen et al 2009, Navar ro et al 2009, Nori et al 2011, Sandoval 2012, and Szumik et al 2012. Mammals and par ticularly bats are good biogeographical indicators and they are important for defi ning faunal regions (Koopman 1976, 1981, 1982, Proches 2005.…”

“…Yet, all of the obtained areas are equally interesting. While areas of endemism in strict sense provide strong basis for biogeographical regionalization, regional patterns of distributional congruence provide first-step testable hypotheses of areas of endemism for future analyses of neighboring regions or analyses at more inclusive scales (Szumik et al 2012). As Aagesen et al (2009) highlighted, we use the optimality criterion to analyze species distribution in a regional context while relaxing the criterion of endemism.…”

“…Recently, in an attempt to recognize patterns of distributional congr uence in nor ther n Argentina (from 21º S to 32º S), Szumik et al (2012) applied the optimality criterion to analyze records of more than 800 species of plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. This analysis, the most complete made up to date, has allow the identifi cation of the Argentinean Chaco as a patter n of distributional congruence.…”

Eficiência dos métodos de codificação em análises de endemismo: um exemplo do Oceano Atlântico Sul-Ocidental

“…Áreas de endemismo são as menores unidades de análise da biogeografia histórica e, como tal, são a base para construção de hipóteses sobre os processos responsáveis pela formação da biota de uma região (Morrone, 2001). Portanto, áreas de endemismo são hipóteses testáveis e modificáveis com a inclusão de novos dados de distribuição (Carvalho, 2011 (Aagesen, et al, 2009;Navarro, et al, 2009;Szumik et al, 2012;Prado et al, 2014;Martínez-Hernández et al, 2015;NogueraUrbano & Escalante, 2015).…”