Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853;
Published: December 2018
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Species richness is greatest in the tropics, and much of this diversity is concentrated in mountains. Janzen proposed that reduced seasonal temperature variation selects for narrower thermal tolerances and limited dispersal along tropical elevation gradients [Janzen DH (1967) 101:233-249]. These locally adapted traits should, in turn, promote reproductive isolation and higher speciation rates in tropical mountains compared with temperate ones. Here, we show that tropical and temperate montane stream insects have diverged in thermal tolerance and dispersal capacity, two key traits that are drivers of isolation in montane populations. Tropical species in each of three insect clades have markedly narrower thermal tolerances and lower dispersal than temperate species, resulting in significantly greater population divergence, higher cryptic diversity, higher tropical speciation rates, and greater accumulation of species over time. Our study also indicates that tropical montane species, with narrower thermal tolerance and reduced dispersal ability, will be especially vulnerable to rapid climate change.
Interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) employed for seawater desalination and wastewater purification shows great promise to alleviate global freshwater scarcity. However, simultaneous optimization of water transfer direction in a cost-effective and reliable ISSG to balance thermal localization, salt accumulation, and resistance to oilfouling represents a rare feat. Herein, inspired by seabird beaks for unidirectional water transfer, eco-friendly and cost-effective plant extracts, sodium alginate, and tannic acid, are selected for crafting an innovative Sodium Alginate-Tannic Acid Hemispheric Evaporator (STHE).
In the 1970s Hawthorne reported an electrochemical dehydrocoupling reaction of the -carborane anion [HCBH] to form the biscarborane [CBH] . In this Communication we show that the said "Hawthorne Reaction" can be achieved thermally and that it tolerates C-butylation. The new compound was fully characterized by B, H, and C NMR spectroscopies, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
Coral populations across the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) could rapidly adapt to the warming climate if they have standing genetic variation for thermal tolerance. Here, we describe a locus likely involved in latitudinal adaptation of Acropora millepora. This locus shows a steep latitudinal gradient of derived allele frequency increasing at higher latitudes, and harbours a cluster of eight tandemly repeated Δ9-desaturase genes adjacent to a region in the genome where a hard selective sweep likely occurred.
Increasing frequencies of heatwaves threaten marine ectotherm species but not all alike. In exposed habitats, some species rely on a higher capacity for passive tolerance at higher temperatures, thereby extending time-dependent survival limits. Here we assess how the involvement of the cardiovascular system in extended tolerance at the margins of the thermal performance curve is dependent on warming rate.
Tsetse flies and trypanosomosis significantly impact bovine production and human health in sub-Saharan Africa, exacerbating underdevelopment, malnutrition, and poverty. Despite various control strategies, long-term success has been limited. This study evaluates the combined use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) and the sterile insect technique (SIT) to combat tsetse flies.
