Results of a biological survey of the San Francisco Mountain region and desert of the Little Colorado, Arizona

Merriam, C. Hart; Stejneger, Leonhard

doi:10.5962/bhl.title.86972

Cited by 107 publications

(49 citation statements)

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“…What are the ecological explanations for why elevation and topographic heterogeneity influence the richness and compositional pattern of butterflies in the Toquima Range? Elevational gradients affect the distributions of numerous taxa, including butterflies, in diverse geographic regions (e.g., Merriam 1890;Terborgh 1977;Baz 1987;Kremen 1994;Yu 1994;Fernández-Palacios & de Nicolás 1995;Lieberman et al 1996). Elevation is probably correlated with the species richness of butterflies in ranges throughout the Great Basin, although the functional relationship between the two variables seems to differ between mountain ranges (Fleishman et al 1998(Fleishman et al , 2000.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Topographic Determinants of Faunal Nestedness in Great Basin Butterfly Assemblages: Applications to Conservation Planning

Fleishman

Nally

2002

Conservation Biology

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: We examined factors possibly responsible for a nested distributional pattern of resident butterflies in the Toquima Range, a mountain range in the Great Basin of western North America. In related analyses, Poisson‐based modeling indicated that species richness is better explained as a function of elevation and local topographic heterogeneity than by area per se. Therefore, we explored whether area, elevation, and topographic heterogeneity affected relative degree of nestedness. Elevation and topographic heterogeneity not only explained a significant percentage of the total deviance in species richness but also may be responsible for generating nested species distributions. The species‐presence matrix ordered by the elevation‐heterogeneity model was significantly more nested than the matrix ordered by area. The matrix ordered by the elevation‐heterogeneity model also was significantly more nested than matrices ordered by three other environmental variables that did not explain significant variance in species richness, indicating that the model is unlikely to be an artifact. The influence of area on distribution patterns may be relatively slight because it was not significantly correlated with species richness or topographic heterogeneity in this system. Elevation covaried with both species richness and area, but the former correlation was positive and the latter was negative. Our results suggest that faunal richness and compositional patterns are related to independent variables that can be measured extensively—through satellite or airborne telemetry—thus reducing dependence on labor‐intensive measurements of habitat. Because nestedness analyses may help reveal causes, or at least correlates, of species composition, we believe they are a promising tool for conservation planning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Topographic Determinants of Faunal Nestedness in Great Basin Butterfly Assemblages: Applications to Conservation Planning

Fleishman

Nally

2002

Conservation Biology

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“…It has been recognized since before the turn of the century that many mammals in western North America are distributed along elevational gradients (Merriam, 1890;Grinnell & Storer, 1924;Hall, 1946). In addition, Simpson (1964) has shown that for North America, the mountainous regions are the centres of highest mammalian species diversity.…”

Section: Area Per Se and Habitat Diversity Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species-area relationship and its determinants for mammals in western North American national parks

Newmark

1986

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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The relationship between non‐volant mammalian species richness and area in 24 western North American national parks is examined. The exponential and the power function models are concluded to be the ‘best’ models and account for nearly an identical proportion of the total variance (˜ 69%). Two principal hypotheses, the urea per se and the habitat diversity hypotheses, have been proposed to explain the species‐area relationship. Support exists for both hypotheses based upon partial correlation analysis of non‐volant mammalian species richness with area, elevational range, latitude, number of vegetative cover types and index of vegetative cover diversity. I conclude that area per se and habitat diversity defined as environmental heterogeneity are the best predictors of non‐volant mammalian species richness in western North American national parks. I also conclude that vegetative cover diversity is a poor predictor of mammalian species richness in western North American national parks. Several problems with assessing the area per se and habitat diversity hypotheses are noted. These are: (1) the definition of the term ‘habitat’; (2) the predictions of these two hypotheses may not be mutually exclusive; and (3) area and habitat diversity tend to be intercorrelated. The slope (z) of the power function is equal to 0.12. The hypothesis that variation in the slope of the power function for nature reserves worldwide is a result of the comparative sizes of the nature reserves cannot be excluded. There has been considerable discussion in recent years about the conservation implications of the species‐area relationship. Much of this discussion has been concerned with whether a single large reserve contains more species than several small reserves (SLOSS). The answer to SLOSS is heavily dependent upon the objectives of a reserve, the autecology of the species, and the ecological independence of the reserves. It is suggested that particular attention be given to area and elevation when designing nature reserves.

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“…This alternative vicariance hypothesis for the American Southwest (Findley, 1969;Patterson, 1980;Frey et al, 2007) has yet to be empirically tested using phylogeographic methods. The sky islands of the North American Southwest are rich reservoirs of biologic diversity (Merriam, 1890), which long have been the focus of naturalists and served as the empirical foundation for various hypotheses on origins, diversification and biogeographic history of the biota of the region (Brown, 1971). This system is ideal for exploring population genetic variation within the context of paleoenvironmental fragmentation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The biogeographic legacy of an imperilled taxon provides a foundation for assessing lineage diversification, demography and conservation genetics

Malaney

Frey

Cook

2011

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim To test alternative biogeographic hypotheses related to the diversification of a montane mammal (Zapus hudsonius luteus) endemic to the American Southwest. Location South‐western United States. Methods We used statistical phylogeographic analyses of mitochondrial DNA (1512 bp; two genes) from 93 individuals from six geographic regions to test diversification hypotheses. Species distribution models of climate and fossil records were integrated to assess contemporary and historical distributions and barriers to gene flow. We calculated dates of divergence and examined historical demography using coalescent simulations. Results We documented monophyly of Z. h. luteus represented by 19 segregated haplotypes. Predicted current distribution generally coincided with known localities, while predicted paleodistributions suggested that this lineage was widespread throughout lower elevations of the American Southwest and on the Edwards Plateau (as documented by the fossil record). Population size did not change substantially during a westward shift in range that occurred in the last 100 k generations. Results supported fragmentation of a common ancestor during the Holocene as the most plausible explanation for genetic structure. Main conclusions Monophyletic Z. h. luteus reflects fragmentation of a common ancestor with recent (Holocene) upslope colonization of disjunct montane areas. We refute the hypotheses of in situ divergence or origins from a Colorado Piedmont ancestor. Instead, westward colonization from the Edwards Plateau during the Wisconsin followed by Holocene fragmentation, which serves as a generalized biogeographic hypothesis for species associated with mesic graminoid habitats in the American Southwest. Further exploration of these signatures using independent nuclear DNA is warranted. Key conservation implications are (1) Z. h. luteus is a monophyletic lineage on an independent evolutionary trajectory; (2) Z. h. luteus shared a recent common ancestor with Z. h. pallidus (not Z. h. preblei); (3) mtDNA does not reflect recent population declines; and (4) coalescent simulations and species distribution models reflect Holocene fragmentation.

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Results of a biological survey of the San Francisco Mountain region and desert of the Little Colorado, Arizona

Cited by 107 publications

References 0 publications

Topographic Determinants of Faunal Nestedness in Great Basin Butterfly Assemblages: Applications to Conservation Planning

Topographic Determinants of Faunal Nestedness in Great Basin Butterfly Assemblages: Applications to Conservation Planning

Species-area relationship and its determinants for mammals in western North American national parks

The biogeographic legacy of an imperilled taxon provides a foundation for assessing lineage diversification, demography and conservation genetics

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