ABSTRACT
Background: Habitat fragmentation and consequent population isolation in urban areas can impose significant selection pressures on individuals and species confined to urban islands, such as parks. Despite many comparative studies on the diversity and structure of ant community living in urban areas, studies on ants' responses to these highly variable ecosystems are often based on assemblage composition and interspecific mean trait values, which ignore the potential for high intraspecific functional trait variation among individuals. Methods: Here, we examined differences in functional traits among populations of the generalist ant Pheidole nodus fragmented between urban parks. We used pitfall trapping, which is more random and objective than sampling colonies directly, despite a trade-off against sample size. We then tested whether trait-filtering could explain phenotypic differences among urban park ant populations, and whether ant populations in different parks exhibited different phenotypic optima, leading to positional shifts in anatomical morphospace through the regional ant meta-population. Results: Intraspecific morphological differentiation was evident across this urban region. Populations had different convex hull volumes, positioned differently over the morphospace. Conclusions: Fragmentation and habitat degradation reduced phenotypic diversity and, ultimately, changed the morphological optima of populations in this urban landscape. Considering ants' broad taxonomic and functional diversity and their important role in ecosystems, further work over a variety of ant taxa is necessary to ascertain those varied morphological response pathways operating in response to population segregation in urban environments.
Subject(s)
Ants , Ecosystem , Humans , Animals , Ants/anatomy & histology , Parks, Recreational , Urban Population , PhenotypeABSTRACT
Aphaenogaster japonica (Forel, 1911) is an omnivorous ant that is widely distributed in eastern Asia. The mitochondrial genome of A. japonica reported here was 18,607 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a control region. The base composition was AT biased (the GC ratio is 18.9%). With A. japonica added, we obtain weak evidence that the sister group of the Stenammini group, including Aphaenogaster, is the Myrmicini group. Therefore, the Stenammini and Myrmicini groups may be not a robust monophyletic group, unlike the previous results based on the complete mitochondrial genome.
ABSTRACT
In a precautionary response to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, China's Ministries permanently banned eating and trading in terrestrial wild (non-livestock) animals on 24 February 2020, and extensively updated the list of Fauna under Special State Protection (LFSSP) in 2020 and 2021, in which pangolins (Manidae spp.) were upgraded to the highest protection level. Examining 509 pangolin prosecution records from China Judgements online prior to these changes (01/01/14-31/12/19), we identified that Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan Provinces were hotspots for trade in whole pangolins and their scales. Interrupting trade in these three principal southern provinces would substantially fragment the pangolin trade network and reduce supply of imports from other south-east Asian countries. In the context of the revised legislation and strategies intended to prevent wildlife trade, we conclude that targeting interventions at key trade nodes could significantly reduce illegal trade in pangolins, and that this approach could also be effective with other taxa.