Human activities have opposing effects on distributions of narrow-ranged and widespread plant species in China

Abstract

Human activities have shaped large-scale distributions of many species, driving both range contractions and expansions. Species differ naturally in range size, with small-range species concentrated in particular geographic areas and potentially deviating ecologically from widespread species. Hence, species’ responses to human activities may be influenced by their geographic range sizes, but if and how this happens are poorly understood. Here, we use a comprehensive distribution database and species distribution modeling to examine if and how human activities have affected the extent to which 9,701 vascular plants fill their climatic potential ranges in China. We find that narrow-ranged species have lower range filling and widespread species have higher range filling in the human-dominated southeastern part of China, compared with their counterparts distributed in the less human-influenced northwestern part. Variations in range filling across species and space are strongly associated with indicators of human activities (human population density, human footprint, and proportion of cropland) even after controlling for alternative drivers. Importantly, narrow-ranged and widespread species show negative and positive range-filling relationships to these human indicators, respectively. Our results illustrate that floras risk biotic homogenization as a consequence of anthropogenic activities, with narrow-ranged species becoming replaced by widespread species. Because narrow-ranged species are more numerous than widespread species in nature, negative impacts of human activities will be prevalent. Our findings highlight the importance of establishing more protected areas and zones of reduced human activities to safeguard the rich flora of China.

Urban foci of murine typhus involving cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis felis) collected from opossums in Mexico City

“…It has been proven that increased anthropic pressures, in particular those related to deforestation and reduction of wild areas, cause animals to leave their natural distributions either by displacement of exotic species or related to the search for resources (Xu et al., 2019). For this reason, it is imperative to establish measures to protect the populations of opossums and other medium‐sized wild mammals, to reduce close contact with companion animals that are introduced to these reserves, which promotes the exchange of fleas and microorganisms they carry.…”

“…In the present work, we did not collect blood samples from the hosts for Rickettsia detection, since this mammal species exhibits short bacteraemia and the opportunities to detect this agent in blood are very scarce; for this reason, they are not considered reservoirs of R. typhi (Nelson et al, 2018). It has been proven that increased anthropic pressures, in particular those related to deforestation and reduction of wild areas, cause animals to leave their natural distributions either by displacement of exotic species or related to the search for resources (Xu et al, 2019). This study demonstrates that R. typhi is circulating in the wild population of opossums of an urban natural reserve, so preventive measures through conservation management should be encouraged in the core areas of REPSA to avoid urban outbreaks of murine typhus in Mexico City.…”

Ethnobotany of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius: Morphology, folk classification, and habitat in area around Ciremai Mountain, Cimanuk Watershed Region, West Java, Indonesia

“…Hassan and Hassan (2019) states that human activities affect the distribution, composition, and diversity of plant species. Xu et al (2019) inform that human activities have shaped large-scale distributions of many plant species, driving both range contracts and expansions. Plants and humans have a very close relationship.…”

Habitat suitability modelling for Lagotis cashmeriana (ROYLE) RUPR., a threatened species endemic to Kashmir Himalayan alpines

“…Recently, numerous modelling techniques have been successfully applied in case of artificial introductions or selecting appropriate sites for their conservation and management (Elith & Leathwick, 2009;Gaston, 1996;Pecl et al, 2017;Watson et al, 2014). Recent developments in Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) have explored applications to diverse conservation issues, including suitable habitat and species range estimates (Bellard et al, 2012;Chefaoui et al, 2005;Gaubert et al, 2006;Gritti et al, 2013), protected area prioritization and network design (Huisman & Millar, 2013;Ishihama et al, 2019;Margules & Austin, 1994;Rondinini et al, 2005;Sanchez-Cordero et al, 2005;Solano & Feria, 2007;Thorn et al, 2009), effects of habitat disturbance on species distributions (Araújo & Peterson, 2012;Banks et al, 2005;Bing et al, 2019), to aid in IUCN categorization of species (Pena et al, 2014) and projecting future distributions under climate change (Bellard et al, 2012;Franco et al, 2018;Moraitis et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2018). ENM approach combines species occurrence data with ecological/environmental variables (temperature, precipitation, elevation, geology, and vegetation) to create a model representing species distributions compatible with the environment (Elith & Leathwick, 2009).…”