Amphibian Diversity In Fujian Junzifeng National Nature Reserve

Understanding the key driving mechanisms of biodiversity distribution is an important research topic in macroecology and conservation biogeography.Environmental change strongly affects many aspects of biodiversity,where seasonality,rainfall,available resources,and predictability of temperature cycles are important components of environmental variables and play an important role in determining the spatial and temporal distribution of species.Sophisticated habitats enhance species diversity by providing a broad range of ecological niches and diversified environmental conditions for resource use.Mountainous areas,maintaining variety and intensity of endemic and threatened species,are priority areas for conservation,since mountain habitats have steep altitudinal gradients,interaction effects of elevation and multiple environmental factors(e.g.,temperature,humidity,and human disturbance)play a prominent role in shaping the vertical distribution patterns of species.The distribution,genotype,and phenotype of organisms are also influenced by geography and climate.Hence,geographic patterns of genetic and phenotypic variation in species reflect a variety of evolutionary drivers triggered by environmental fluctuations,including climate-related fluctuations.Amphibians,linking the transition from aquatic to terrestrial vertebrates,is an important taxon of vertebrates and occupies a pivotal position in biological evolution.It is also one of the well-studied taxa for the investigation of animal genetic variation and differentiation pattern formation.Due to their constrained dispersal capabilities,they exhibit a particularly high level of population genetic structure compared to other faunal groups.Furthermore,as metazoans,they are sensitive to climatic conditions and their correspondingly poor migratory ability makes them an ideal taxon to study the evolution of ecological adaptations.This thesis is a systematic analysis based on field survey data of amphibians in Junzifeng National Natural Reserve in Fujian,incorporating historical literature data.The primary research objectives are: 1).to update the fundamental data of amphibian diversity in Fujian Junzifeng National Nature Reserve;2).to master the amphibian diversity and elevation distribution pattern in Fujian Junzi Feng National Nature Reserve;3).to investigate the influences of climate and geographic factors on the genetic diversity and morphological characteristics of two sympatric species(Microhyla fissipes and M.heymonsi).The results are as follows:(1)A total of 2,124 amphibian individuals were recorded by the sampled line method,belonging to 22 species in 17 genera and 7 families in 1 order;the distribution of amphibians differed in temporal and spatial scales,and the superior species in paddy fields and artificial water channels in April,June,and August were Fejervarya multistriata,M.heymonsi,and Nidirana adenopleura,respectively;Pearson correlation analyses showed that air temperature,water temperature,and humidity were significantly and positively correlated with the abundance,relative abundance and Shannon-Wiener index of amphibians;the analyses of inter-month variation of amphibian diversity indices in different habitat types showed that the species richness,relative abundance,Shannon-Wiener index,Margalef index,F index,and G index were significantly higher in June than those in April;only the species richness,relative abundance,and G index were significantly greater in August than those in April;all diversity indices were not affected by habitat type;the G-F index was not affected by habitat type and observation time.(2)Analyses on the effects of elevation on amphibian distribution patterns using taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity approaches showed that: Correlations were found between most taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity indices;neither taxonomic diversity indices(C,H’,E,DMG,and S)nor phylogenetic diversity indices(PD,NRI,and NTI)were significantly different among different regions;taxonomic diversity indices and phylogenetic diversity indices were significantly different at different elevations(all P < 0.05).Elevation patterns showed that: the four taxonomic diversity indices had similar hump-shaped patterns except for E;PD values also showed a hump-shaped relationship with altitude;NRI first gradually decreased with increasing elevation but then sharply increased at 900-1,000 m;NTI increased with elevation;after excluding Pachytriton brevipes and Boulenophrys sanmingensis,the species range size of amphibians and the corresponding of midpoints were strongly influenced by phylogenetic signals,which supported the law of elevation Rapoport.(3)Intraspecific morphological and genetic diversity of the two sympatric species of the genus Microhyla were mainly influenced by geographic factors.In terms of genetic diversity,geographic factors significantly influenced the genetic characteristics of the two species,while bioclimatic factors only influenced the genetic characteristics of M.heymonsi.As for morphological characteristics,the interaction between bioclimatic factors and geographic information significantly influenced the morphological characteristics of M.fissipes.Furthermore,the interaction between genetic factors and bioclimatic factors also influenced the morphological characteristics of M.fissipes.The interaction between genetic factors and bioclimatic factors also influenced the morphological characteristics of M.heymonsi.In sum,this research showed that: amphibian diversity varied at temporal and spatial scales;the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of amphibians displayed different elevational distribution patterns;geographic factors and climate,as well as their interactions,had certain influential effects on the genetics and morphology of two sympatric species of the genus Microhyla in the region.The results of this study not only provide a clearer understanding of the status of amphibian species,their distribution and abundance,as well as seasonal population dynamics and structure,but also provide a scientific basis for the development and improvement of local amphibian conservation and management strategies by a better comprehension of the role of spatial and temporal changes of amphibians in community composition processes under diverse habitat types.