Biogeography and ecological niche evolution in Diapensiaceae inferred from phylogenetic analysis

Linking ecological niche, community ecology and biogeography: insights from a mechanistic niche model

Methods Stage-structured populations of species differing in traits and habitat requirements competed for space in a grid-based model. Demographic processes (recruitment, reproduction, mortality, dispersal) and resource competition were explicitly simulated. Demographic rates and carrying capacity followed metabolic constraints. We simulated 50 species pools until reaching stable communities. S...

Advances and Limitations of Disease Biogeography Using Ecological Niche Modeling

Mapping disease transmission risk is crucial in public and animal health for evidence based decision-making. Ecology and epidemiology are highly related disciplines that may contribute to improvements in mapping disease, which can be used to answer health related questions. Ecological niche modeling is increasingly used for understanding the biogeography of diseases in plants, animals, and huma...

Evolution of the Ecological Niche

Evolution of climatic niche specialization: a phylogenetic analysis in amphibians.

The evolution of climatic niche specialization has important implications for many topics in ecology, evolution and conservation. The climatic niche reflects the set of temperature and precipitation conditions where a species can occur. Thus, specialization to a limited set of climatic conditions can be important for understanding patterns of biogeography, species richness, community structure,...

Phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of xantusiid lizards, inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences.

Portions of two mitochondrial genes (12S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome b) were sequenced in seven species to examine phylogenetic relationships within the lizard family Xantusiidae. Phylogenies derived from these sequences (709 total bp) are concordant and indicate that the Cuban species Cricosaura typica is the sister group to all other xantusiids. The Middle American genus Lepidophyma is the c...