Kompetenzzentrum für Biodiversität und integrative Taxonomie (KomBioTa)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hohpublica.uni-hohenheim.de/handle/123456789/79

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Browsing Kompetenzzentrum für Biodiversität und integrative Taxonomie (KomBioTa) by Classification "590"

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    Habitat requirements and home range use of the threatened garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) in a coniferous forest
    (2025) Erhardt, Stefanie; Pfister, Jan; Beier, Marieke; Vorderbrügge, Rieke; Förschler, Marc I.; Fietz, Joanna; Erhardt, Stefanie; Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Pfister, Jan; Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Beier, Marieke; Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Vorderbrügge, Rieke; Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Förschler, Marc I.; Black Forest National Park, Department for Ecological Monitoring, Research and Species Protection, Seebach, Germany; Fietz, Joanna; Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
    Understanding habitat use and requirements is essential for the conservation of endangered species, such as the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus). Therefore, we radio-tracked garden dormice (n = 39) in the Black Forest National Park (Germany) between 2019 and 2021, determined home range size by calculating autocorrelated kernel density estimates, located resting sites during the day, and analyzed their resting behavior. Furthermore, we investigated their crossing behavior across paths varying in width, in the degree of canopy closure, and understory. Median home range size was 3.8 ha (Q25 = 2.3 ha, Q75 = 6.6 ha) in adults and 1.9 ha in juveniles. Adult males increased their home range sizes during reproduction. In September, shortly before hibernation, adults used smaller home ranges, likely to save energy. During the day, garden dormice used nest boxes and natural nests under the ground as resting sites. Ground holes were an important resource as they were most frequently used by reproductive individuals and also at low ambient temperatures (0.1–14.7 °C). In contrast, nest boxes were used only at higher ambient temperatures (> 5.9 °C). Forest trails with tree cover and/or undergrowth were frequently crossed by adults, while 4 m wide forest paths without tree cover or undergrowth were rarely crossed. The results of our study show that the preservation of natural resting sites, the restoration of forest trails, or the installation of crossing structures are important conservation measures for the garden dormouse, facilitating migration and colonization of new habitats and reducing the risk to lose genetic variability.
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    Integrative description of Temnothorax siculus sp. n.: a new ant species from Sicily, Italy (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
    (2025) Schifani, Enrico; Alicata, Antonio; Prebus, Matthew M.; Csősz, Sándor; Schifani, Enrico; Department of Chemistry, Environmental Sustainability, and Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy; Alicata, Antonio; Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy;; Prebus, Matthew M.; Social Insect Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 550 E Orange St., Tempe, AZ 85281, USA;; Csősz, Sándor; HUN-REN-ELTE-MTM Integrative Ecology Research Group, Pázmány Péter ave 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary; Fernández, Fernando; Guerrero, Roberto José
    The mostly Holarctic genus Temnothorax (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) is the most diverse ant genus in temperate regions. The Mediterranean, a biodiversity hotspot of rare ant species, hosts over 150 Temnothorax taxa, including several short-range endemics. Over the last few years, phylogenomic reconstructions and integrative taxonomy have significantly improved the understanding of global Temnothorax diversity, but much taxonomic work is still needed in the Mediterranean region. Here, we present the integrative description of a new species of the genus, discovered in the central Mediterranean island of Sicily: Temnothorax siculus sp. n. is defined and compared to congeneric species integrating morphometrics and phylogenomics. It is a ground-nesting, lowland species, of which workers were regularly observed foraging on bushes and small trees. In the global phylogeny, covering all the main lineages of the region, it belongs to the Palearctic clade and is related to the tuberum and unifasciatus complexes. Morphological separation from other Sicilian Temnothorax species can generally be achieved on qualitative characters, but we also provide morphometric discriminant functions to separate it from T. apenninicus and especially T. unifasciatus . Temnothorax siculus has been rarely collected but appears to be widespread in Sicily, and may occur in neighboring regions.
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    Phylogenomic approach to integrative taxonomy resolves a century‐old taxonomic puzzle and the evolutionary history of the Acromyrmex octospinosus species complex
    (2024) Mera‐Rodríguez, Daniela; Fernández‐Marín, Hermógenes; Rabeling, Christian; Mera‐Rodríguez, Daniela; Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Fernández‐Marín, Hermógenes; Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología, INDICASAT AIP, Panama City, Panama; Rabeling, Christian; Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
    Accurately delimiting species boundaries is essential for understanding biodiversity. Here, we assessed the taxonomy of the leaf‐cutting ants in the Acromyrmex octospinosus (Reich) species complex using an integrative approach incorporating morphological, population genetic, phylogenetic and biogeographical data. We sampled populations across the biogeographic distribution of the species complex and reconstructed their evolutionary relationships using ultraconserved elements (UCEs) as molecular markers. We evaluated traditional morphological characters used to distinguish putative taxa and performed species delimitation analyses to investigate divergence between evolutionary lineages. Our results support the hypothesis that the A. octospinosus species complex consists of two species: the widely distributed and polymorphic species A. octospinosus and its inquiline social parasite A. insinuator Schultz et al. We consider A. echinatior (Forel) syn. nov . and A. volcanus Wheeler syn. nov . as well as the subspecies A. octospinosus cubanus Wheeler syn. nov ., A. octospinosus ekchuah Wheeler syn. nov . and A. octospinosus inti Wheeler syn. nov . as junior synonyms of A. octospinosus . We also investigated the biogeographic history of the species complex and the evolutionary origin of the social parasite A. insinuator . We inferred that A. octospinosus originated during the late Miocene approximately 6.9 Ma ago in the Neotropical rainforest. Acromyrmex insinuator shared a common ancestor with A. octospinosus approximately 3.4 Ma ago, with a crown‐group age of approximately 0.9 Ma. Our phylogeny supports the hypothesis that the inquiline social parasite speciated via the intra‐specific route of social parasite evolution in direct sympatry from its host. Our findings reshape our understanding of the A. octospinosus species complex and provide a foundation for future studies of Acromyrmex leaf‐cutting ants.