Large-scale habitat loss and degradation have triggered a global biodiversity crisis with ecological-specialist species at increased risk of extinction. The Rattlesnake-Master Borer ( Papaipema eryngii ) is a small noctuid moth whose larvae feed exclusively on rattlesnake master ( Eryngium yuccifolium ), a native grassland plant ranging throughout the eastern United States. Widespread loss of grassland habitats has resulted in...

Aim The aim was to examine the links between past biome stability, vegetation dynamics and biodiversity patterns. Location South America. Time period Last 30,000 years. Major taxa studied Plants. Methods We classified South America into major biomes according to their dominant plant functional groups (grasses, trees and shrubs) and ran a random forest (RF) classification with data on current climate. We then fitted the algorit...

Aim The Interior Highlands (Ouachita Mountains and Ozark Plateau) are major physiographical regions of eastern North America and harbour many endemic species. Despite their close proximity, the Ozarks and Ouachitas have different geological histories and relatively distinct species pools. Few studies have tested the biogeographical origins of this region's fauna, and most researchers have treated the Interior Highlands as a si...

Life is defined by a capacity for reproduction, yet the ways in which animals reproduce vary tremendously among species. Reproductive life histories are complex phenomena influenced by a variety of factors, such as physical condition of individuals, food supply, bauplan, and phylogenetic history, which are often correlated. Understanding life histories is crucial in evolutionary ecology because they represent different strateg...

Climatic changes associated with Pleistocene glacial cycles profoundly affected species distributions, patterns of interpopulation gene flow, and demography. In species restricted to montane habitats, ranges may expand and contract along an elevational gradients in response to environmental fluctuations and create high levels of genetic variation among populations on different mountains. The salamander Plethodon fourchensis is...

Sky islands provide ideal opportunities for understanding how climatic changes associated with Pleistocene glacial cycles influenced species distributions, genetic diversification, and demography. The salamander Plethodon ouachitae is largely restricted to high‐elevation, mesic forest on six major mountains in the Ouachita Mountains. Because these mountains are separated by more xeric, low‐elevation valleys, the salamanders ap...

Aim To investigate the influence of climate variables in shaping species distributions across a steep longitudinal environmental gradient. Location The state of Oklahoma, south‐central United States. Methods We used Geographical Information Systems (GIS) niche‐based models to predict the geographic distributions of six pairs of closely related amphibian and reptile species across a steep longitudinal environmental gradient. We...

It is unlikely, given the often-contentious history of the national forests, that incremental change in their administration can resolve fundamental differences in values. So concludes a task force appointed by the Society of American Foresters (SAF) to review federal forest management; its analysis and recommendations have been published in Forest of Discord: Options for Governing Our National Forests and Federal Public Lands...