Microhabitat and adhesive toepads shape gecko limb morphology.

Different substrates pose varied biomechanical challenges that select specific morphologies, such as long limbs for faster running and short limbs for balanced posture while climbing narrow substrates. We tested how gecko locomotion is affected by the microhabitat they occupy and by a key adaptation-adhesive toepads-through analyzing how those are related to limb morphology. We collected microhabitat and toepads data for over 90% of limbed gecko species, and limb measurements for 403 species from 83 of the 121 limbed gecko genera, which we then used in phylogenetic comparative analyses. Our data highlight the association of adhesive toepads with arboreality, but a phylogenetic analysis shows that this relationship is not significant, suggesting that these traits are phylogenetically constrained. Comparative analyses reveal that pad-bearing species possess shorter hindlimbs and feet, more even limb lengths, and lower crus: thigh ratios, than padless geckos, across microhabitats. Saxicolous geckos have the longest limbs and limb segments. This is probably influenced by selection for long strides, increased takeoff velocity, and static stability on inclined surfaces. Terrestrial geckos have more even hind- and forelimbs than arboreal geckos, unlike patterns found in other lizards. Our findings underline the difficulty to infer on microhabitat-morphology relationships from one taxon to another, given their differing ecologies and evolutionary pathways. We emphasize the importance of key innovation traits, such as adhesive toepads, in shaping limb morphology in geckos and, accordingly, their locomotion within their immediate environment.

Global evaluation of current and future threats to drylands and their vertebrate biodiversity.

Drylands are often overlooked in broad conservation frameworks and development priorities and face increasing threats from human activities. Here we evaluated the formal degree of protection of global drylands, their land vertebrate biodiversity and current threats, and projected human-induced land-use changes to drylands under different future climate change and socioeconomic scenarios. Overall, drylands have lower protected-area coverage (12%) compared to non-drylands (21%). Consequently, most dryland vertebrates including many endemic and narrow-ranging species are inadequately protected (0-2% range coverage). Dryland vertebrates are threatened by varied anthropogenic factors-including agricultural and infrastructure development (that is, artificial structures, surfaces, roads and industrial sites). Alarmingly, by 2100 drylands are projected to experience some degree of land conversion in 95-100% of their current natural habitat due to urban, agricultural and alternative energy expansion. This loss of undisturbed dryland regions is expected across different socioeconomic pathways, even under optimistic scenarios characterized by progressive climate policies and moderate socioeconomic trends.

A protocol for harvesting biodiversity data from Facebook.

The expanding use of community science platforms has led to an exponential increase in biodiversity data in global repositories. Yet, understanding of species distributions remains patchy. Biodiversity data from social media can potentially reduce the global biodiversity knowledge gap. However, practical guidelines and standardized methods for harvesting such data are nonexistent. Following data privacy and protection safeguards, we devised a standardized method for extracting species distribution records from Facebook groups that allow access to their data. It involves 3 steps: group selection, data extraction, and georeferencing the record location. We present how to structure keywords, search for species photographs, and georeference localities for such records. We further highlight some challenges users might face when extracting species distribution data from Facebook and suggest solutions. Following our proposed framework, we present a case study on Bangladesh's biodiversity-a tropical megadiverse South Asian country. We scraped nearly 45,000 unique georeferenced records across 967 species and found a median of 27 records per species. About 12% of the distribution data were for threatened species, representing 27% of all species. We also obtained data for 56 DataDeficient species for Bangladesh. If carefully harvested, social media data can significantly reduce global biodiversity knowledge gaps. Consequently, developing an automated tool to extract and interpret social media biodiversity data is a research priority.

Un protocolo para recolectar datos sobre biodiversidad en Facebook Resumen El uso creciente de plataformas de ciencia comunitaria ha causado un incremento exponencial de los datos sobre biodiversidad en los repositorios mundiales. Sin embargo, el conocimiento sobre la distribución de las especies todavía está incompleto. Los datos sobre biodiversidad obtenidos de las redes sociales tienen el potencial para disminuir el vacío de conocimiento sobre la biodiversidad mundial. No obstante, no existe una guía práctica o un método estandarizado para recolectar dichos datos. Seguimos los protocolos de privacidad y protección de datos para diseñar un método estandarizado para extraer registros de la distribución de especies de grupos en Facebook que permiten el acceso a sus datos. El método consta de tres pasos: selección del grupo, extracción de datos y georreferenciación de la localidad registrada. También planteamos cómo estructurar las palabras clave, buscar fotografías de especies y georreferenciar las localidades de dichos registros. Además, resaltamos algunos retos que los usuarios pueden enfrentar al extraer los datos de distribución de Facebook y sugerimos algunas soluciones. Aplicamos nuestro marco de trabajo propuesto a un estudio de caso de la biodiversidad en Bangladesh, un país tropical megadiverso en el sureste de Asia. Reunimos casi 45,000 registros georreferenciados únicos para 967 especies y encontramos una media de 27 registros por especie. Casi el 12% de los datos de distribución correspondió a especies amenazadas, que representaban el 27% de todas las especies. También obtuvimos datos para 56 especies deficientes de datos en Bangladesh. Si los datos de las redes sociales se recolectan con cuidado, éstos pueden reducir de forma significativa el vacío de conocimiento para la biodiversidad mundial. Como consecuencia, es una prioridad para la investigación el desarrollo de una herramienta automatizada para extraer e interpretar los datos sobre biodiversidad de las redes sociales.

The phylogeography of Middle Eastern tree frogs in Israel.

Western Palearctic treefrogs of the genus Hyla provide an example of a morphologically and ecologically cryptic group. Up to three distinct Hyla species have been proposed as resident in Israel and this number has consistently been subject to taxonomical debates. Here, we analyzed 16S rRNA and COI gene fragments of 658 individuals sampled at 47 pools in nine regions across Israel and the West Bank in order to resolve the taxonomic status of Hyla frogs. We generated both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood phylogenies, and constructed time-calibrated trees to provide an evolutionary and historical context of sequence variations. We further applied SAMOVA as well as Monmonier's maximum-difference algorithm to study the genetic structure among populations and to identify potential zones acting as barriers to gene flow across locations. Our results revealed two distinct haplogroups for each gene fragment, with 95% CI divergence times dated from 8.9-17.1 Mya (16S) and 7.1-23.6 Mya (COI), respectively. SAMOVA and barrier analyses partitioned the populations into three groups. Our results highlight that, while there are probably only two Hyla species in Israel, one population of one of the species might qualify as a separate evolutionarily significant unit. Our findings elucidate the taxonomic status of Hyla frogs in Israel and provide the basis for determining appropriate management and conservation priorities.