Contents 1. Introduction 2. Tropics: description, climate and ecosystems 3. Earth's biodiversity 4. Why are there so many different kinds of organisms in the Tropics? 5. Latitudinal gradients in species richness and their hypothesis 5.

In this contribution, I identify possible biotic elements of reptiles of China using biotic element analysis. I test whether the vicariance model could significantly shape reptilian current distribution patterns. My results show that dispersal is prevailing for reptiles in China. There are four major biotic elements in reptilian distribution, which are East Xizang, YunnanGuizhou Plateau, Taiwan...

(Mountain biodiversity in Brazil). The high species richness and diversity found in tropical montane habitats are often related to: 1) an effect of climatic and geological history on biotic evolution; 2) the various environmental impacts on species adaptation mechanisms; and 3) the continuous dispersal of fauna and flora in time. However, little is known about how these factors shaped species r...

Caucasian wingnut (Pterocarya fraxinifolia (Poiret) Spach) is a relict tree species having limited natural distribution in Turkey. In this study, a new distribution of this species in the Kahramanmaras region was explained. This distribution occurs in Onsenhopuru and Yavuzlar villages and Yesilyore town of Turkoglu district, at elevations between 600 and 640 m along Orcan stream, and continues ...

This study presents examples of successful restoration projects for biodiversity conservation. In West France, the Pinail National Nature Reserve is a protected wetland interspersed with more than 6000 ponds. inhabited by 50 species Odonata and thus key area damselflies dragonflies past, when limestone was exploited, streams plateau were artificially channeled rectilinearly, running to Vienne R...

Growing bioeconomy is increasing the pressure to clear-cut drained peatland forests. Yet, cumulative effects of drainage and clear-cutting on biodiversity recipient freshwater ecosystems are largely unknown. We studied isolated combined stream macroinvertebrate communities. further explored whether impact these forestry-driven catchment alterations benthic invertebrates related size. quantified...

The effect of stressors on biodiversity can vary in relation to the degree to which biological communities have adapted over evolutionary time. We compared the responses of functional features of stream insect communities along chronic stress gradients with contrasting time persistence. Water salinity and land use intensification were used as examples of natural (long-term persistent) and anthr...

Southern Appalachian forests are recognized as a biodiversity hot spot of global significance, particularly for endemic aquatic salamanders and mussels. The dominant driver of land-cover and land-use change in this region is surface mining, with an ever-increasing proportion occurring as mountaintop mining with valley fill operations (MTVF). In MTVF, seams of coal are exposed using explosives, ...

In this study, we review federal datasets to assess the impacts of once-through power plant cooling systems on summer freshwater temperatures in the United States from 1996 to 2005. We find that maximum reported temperature discharges averaged 37 C (1996–2005) and were 9.5 C (1996–2000) to 10 C (2001–2005) higher than maximum reported intake temperatures during the summer. More than half of all...

Assessing the status and monitoring the trends of land cover dynamics in and around protected areas is of utmost importance for park managers and decision makers. Moreover, to support the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s Strategic Action Plan including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, such efforts are necessary to set a framework to reach the agreed national, regional or global targets...