Landscape forest impacts the potential activity time of an invasive lizard and its possibilities for range expansion in Taiwan under climate warming.

Climate warming may have an impact on invasive species and their ecological consequences. Invasive reptiles, which have temperature-dependent physiology, are expected to be greatly impacted by climate warming, though data supporting this is limited. We investigated the potential impact of a warmer climate on an invasive lizard, Eutropis multifasciata, in Taiwan. A mechanistic model, NicheMapR, was used to simulate the maximum activity time available at three elevations, with varying forest densities, under the current climate and a warmer scenario. The results show that climate warming will provide this species more time for activity in the currently occupied lowland region but not in the mountain areas, which are covered with dense forests. However, if the landscape becomes more open in mountain areas, it will become more suitable for this species and may enable an expansion upslope. Our results show that climate warming has a positive impact on this species, and that landscape's characteristics profoundly modulate its impact and the possibilities for elevational expansion in the future.

Thermal physiology explains the elevational range for a lizard, Eutropis longicaudata, in Taiwan.

1: The decrease of temperatures along an elevation gradient imposes physiological constraints on reptiles that ultimately determine their distribution ranges. Forest patterns are likely to interact with this process, but very few studies have examined their contribution in determining distribution limits. 2: We examined the role played by thermal physiology and forest cover in determining the elevational ranges of a lizard, Eutropis longicaudata. We integrated this species' thermal traits in simulating its maximum activity time under different conditions of forest cover and elevation using a NicheMapR model. In addition, we evaluated the influence of winter temperatures on the range limit by examining the simulated soil temperatures at the occurrence sites. 3: Laboratory experiments showed that E. longicaudata has a high preferred body temperature and low cold tolerance. The model predicts that maximum activity time decreases with elevation and forest cover. Although unforested areas may provide longer active time in all simulated elevations, mountain areas in Taiwan are heavily forested and are predicted to allow only a very short period of activity above 1000 m elevation. 4: All sightings were indeed located in areas below 1000 m elevation, in which the predicted average soil temperature is above 10 °C in January in cold years. 5: Our results show that reptile physiological response does respond strongly to the change of microclimate induced by forest cover and elevation. Overall, this suggests that forest cover is a major determinant of some reptiles' elevational range.

Temperature rise curtails activity period predicted for a winter-active forest lizard, Scincella formosensis, from subtropical areas in Taiwan.

1. Temperature rise due to climate change affects seasonal activity times, leading to a discordance of phenology among species and changing the strength of interaction between species. Understanding how temperature changes will affect the length of a species' activity period is essential in order to forecast its response to climate warming. 2. We investigated the thermal physiology and monthly activity of a skink from subtropical areas in Taiwan, Scincella formosensis. In addition, we predicted its response to climate warming and potential landscape vegetation changes using a mechanistic model, Niche MapperTM. We incorporated the animals' thermal traits and climatic data to simulate thermally suitable time for activity each month in two sites (open area, dense forest). 3. We found that this species restricts its activity to the cool months of the year, and that juveniles emerge in June. The thermally suitable period for activity is predicted to be longer in cool months than warm months. 4. Our model predicts that a 3 °C increase in temperature will curtail the thermally suitable time for activity in open areas in late spring and result in very minimal time for activity in the summer, even when dense forest is available. These results add to the growing body of literature indicating that a temperature rise will have a widespread impact on sub/tropical forest reptiles.

Low cold tolerance of the invasive lizard Eutropis multifasciata constrains its potential elevation distribution in Taiwan.

1. The invasive many-lined sun skink, Eutropis multifasciata, is established in much of southern Taiwan and is spreading northward. We investigated whether winter temperatures constrain further dispersion of this skink by comparing its cold tolerance to the spatial distribution of winter temperatures in Taiwan. 2. We measured the 28-day survival rate of this species at 4 constant temperatures (10-16 °C in 2 °C increments) and its critical thermal minimum (CTmin), i.e., the body temperature at which the righting reflex is lost during the cooling process. For comparison with the spatial distribution of temperatures over Taiwan, we used the biophysical model Niche Mapper™ in order to simulate the soil temperatures, where lizards are inactive in the winter, during the coldest month of the year, January, under three climatic scenarios (average temperature, average-3 °C, average+3 °C). 3. Our results indicate that this species has low tolerance to cold. Combining cold tolerance data with soil temperature data suggests that its upper elevation limit could range from 1000 m to 1500 m, above which the weather is lethal and precludes overwintering. The locations of sightings of E. multifasciata are consistent with this prediction, with no known locations above 500 m elevation. 4. This study highlights that the winter climate is a major factor in determining population establishment and hence in limiting this species' range. Future studies would benefit from accounting for low winter temperatures and their potential influence on range limits of invasive species.

The natural and human-mediated expansion of a human-commensal lizard into the fringes of Southeast Asia.

BACKGROUND: Human-commensal species often display deep ancestral genetic structure within their native range and founder-effects and/or evidence of multiple introductions and admixture in newly established areas. We investigated the phylogeography of Eutropis multifasciata, an abundant human-commensal scincid lizard that occurs across Southeast Asia, to determine the extent of its native range and to assess the sources and signatures of human introduction outside of the native range. We sequenced over 350 samples of E. multifasciata for the mitochondrial ND2 gene and reanalyzed a previous RADseq population genetic dataset in a phylogenetic framework. RESULTS: Nuclear and mitochondrial trees are concordant and show that E. multifasciata has retained high levels of genetic structure across Southeast Asia despite being frequently moved by humans. Lineage boundaries in the native range roughly correspond to several major biogeographic barriers, including Wallace's Line and the Isthmus of Kra. Islands at the outer fringe of the range show evidence of founder-effects and multiple introductions. CONCLUSIONS: Most of enormous range of E. multifasciata across Southeast Asia is native and it only displays signs of human-introduction or recent expansion along the eastern and northern fringe of its range. There were at least three events of human-introductions to Taiwan and offshore islands, and several oceanic islands in eastern Indonesia show a similar pattern. In Myanmar and Hainan, there is a founder-effect consistent with post-warming expansion after the last glacial maxima or human introduction.

Tail loss compromises immunity in the many-lined skink, Eutropis multifasciata.

Tail autotomy incurs energetic costs, and thus, a trade-off in resource allocation may lead to compromised immunity in lizards. We tested the hypothesis that tailless lizards will favor constitutive innate immunity responses over an energetically costly inflammatory response. The influence of fasting and colorful ornamentation was also investigated. We experimentally induced tail autotomy in the lizard Eutropis multifasciata and found that inflammation was suppressed by tail loss, but not further affected by fasting; the suppressive effect of colorful ornamentation was manifested only in males, but not in females. Constitutive innate immunity was not affected by any of these factors. As expected, only costly inflammation was compromised, and a less expensive constitutive innate immunity might be favored as a competent first-line defense during energetically demanding periods. After considering conventional trade-offs among tail regeneration and reproduction, further extending these studies to incorporate disease risk and how this influences escape responses to predators and future reproduction would make worthwhile studies.

Range map datasets for terrestrial vertebrates across Taiwan.

Accurate data describing the geographic distribution of specific species form the basis for effective conservation management policies. However, for most species the freely available distributional information is usually confined to either expert maps or purely theoretical maps constructed by using a variety of modeling frameworks. These maps usually do not provide enough resolution for conservation applications or do not accurately describe the current distribution status. In this study, we constructed a novel workflow designed to integrate data from various species distribution models and expert knowledge into a single unified modeling process. Under this workflow, we systematically constructed current distribution maps for a selection of terrestrial vertebrates found across Taiwan. We used species distribution modeling as the base and then aggregated multiple open datasets describing species occurrence and environmental factors as data sources. Thereafter, we estimated the primary broad-scale and high spatial resolution species range maps using the MaxEnt modeling algorithm, and then consulted experts on each taxa to refine these maps. This dataset provides up-to-date species distribution maps for 379 terrestrial vertebrates in Taiwan, with members from across four taxa (27 amphibians, 52 reptiles, 264 birds, and 36 mammals). This dataset helps to fill the spatial knowledge gaps for conservation concerns and improves our understanding of the geographic distribution of more than half (61%) of the vertebrate species of Taiwan. Furthermore, by stacking the range maps of multiple species, we can identify vertebrate diversity hotspots and identify priority areas for conservation.

Frequent detection of anticoagulant rodenticides in raptors sampled in Taiwan reflects government rodent control policy.

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are known to cause extensive secondary exposure in top predators in Europe and North America, but there remains a paucity of data in Asia. In this study, we collected 221 liver samples from 21 raptor species in Taiwan between 2010 and 2018. Most birds were recovered from rescue organizations, but some free-ranging individuals were obtained from bird-strike prevention measures at airports. ARs were detected in 10 species and more than half of the total samples. Common rodent-eating Black-winged Kites (Elanus caeruleus) had the highest prevalence (89.2%) and highest average sum concentration (0.211 ±â€¯0.219 mg/kg), which was similar between free-ranging birds at airports and injured birds from rescue organizations. Scavenging Black Kites (Milvus migrans) and snake-eating Crested Serpent-eagles (Spilornis cheela) had the second highest prevalence or sum concentration, respectively. Seven different AR compounds were detected, of which brodifacoum was the most common and had the highest average concentration, followed by flocoumafen and bromadiolone. The frequency of occurrence in the three most numerous species (Black-winged Kite, Crested Goshawk [Accipiter trivirgatus], and Collared Scops-owl [Otus lettia]) was significantly higher in autumn than summer, which is consistent with the timing of the Taiwanese government's supply of free ARs to farmers. Regional differences in the detection of individual compounds also tended to reflect differences in human population density and use patterns (in agriculture or urban-dominated environments). Clinical poisoning was confirmed in Black Kites with sum concentrations as low as 0.026 mg/kg; however, further study of interspecific differences in AR sensitivity and potential population effects are needed. In addition, continued monitoring remains important given the Taiwanese government has modified their farmland rodent control policy to gradually reduce free AR supplies since 2015.

Systematic revision of the Taiwanese genus Kurixalus members with a description of two new endemic species (Anura, Rhacophoridae).

Two new species of rhacophorid tree frog were identified in Taiwan. In both new taxa, derived reproductive characteristics of laying eggs in tree holes and oophagous tadpoles are shared with Kurixalus eiffingeri, but they are divergent from each other in molecular genetics, mating calls, and tadpole and adult morphology. The morphological characteristics and the molecular phylogenetic evidence support the hypothesis that the two new species, Kurixalus berylliniris sp. n. and Kurixalus wangi sp. n., are both monophyletic lineages.

Rabies Virus Infection in Ferret Badgers (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) in Taiwan: A Retrospective Study.

Fifteen ferret badgers (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca), collected 2010-13 and stored frozen, were submitted for rabies diagnosis by direct fluorescent antibody test and reverse transcription PCR. We detected seven positive animal samples, including some from 2010, which indicated that the ferret badger population in Taiwan had been affected by rabies prior to 2010.