棘蛙亚科多样性格局与生态位进化研究

Many wild organisms are consistently shifting their geographical distribution in response to decreasing environmental suitability as a consequence of rapid climate change. Some of these responses may drive species vulnerable to decline and extinction, playing as one of the main threats to global biodiversity. Therefore, a good understanding of the spatial biodiversity patterns and their environmental determinants as well as robust inferring about their dynamics under the impacts of climate change can provide critical theoretical basis and essential practical guidance for global biodiversity conservation. Amphibians, a group of organisms with weak dispersal capabilities and being sensitive to environmental changes, are facing serious threats arising from climate change. We will focus on the subfamily Painae, i.e. spiny frogs, an endemic group to Asia with high degree of species diversity. The project attempts to uncover the spatial biodiversity patterns of spiny frogs and will shed light on the underlying evolutionary mechanisms at the temporal and spatial scales. We will integrate multi-disciplinary theories of macro-ecology, conservation biology, evolutionary biology and biogeography and apply a combination of approaches of the field surveys, molecular phylogenetics, ecological modeling and geostatistics. Based on the reconstructed phylogenetic tree, these will ensure a solid basis allowing us to explore the patterns of species diversity and phylogenetic diversity and their potential determinants in spiny frogs. Importantly, this project will further assist predictions of the patterns of species diversity and phylogenetic diversity under the impacts of climate changes, along with tendencies of niche evolution. Therefore, it will not only develop a comprehensive analytical framework to capture the impacts of climate change on biodiversity but also extend our knowledge on global climate change through understanding biodiversity patterns and evolutionary response across a group of amphibian species. Meanwhile, it will provide new insights into developing the management strategies for long-term conservation of amphibians in China.

气候变化会造成物种的环境适宜性下降，导致物种分布格局变化，是威胁生物多样性的主要因素之一。因此，揭示生物多样性格局及成因、推断其在气候变化影响下的演变趋势能为全球生物多样性保护提供重要的理论依据和实践指导。两栖动物扩散能力弱，对环境变化高度敏感，其物种生态适应性易受气候变化的影响。本项目以亚洲特有、多样化程度高的棘蛙亚科（Painae）为指示类群，整合宏观生态学、保护生物学、进化生物学和生物地理学理论，从时间和空间尺度揭示生物多样性格局及其进化机制。将借助野外生态调查、分子系统学、生态建模和地统计学等多种研究手段，重建系统进化树，探讨物种多样性和系统发育多样性格局及其成因，预测气候变化对物种多样性和系统发育多样性分布格局的影响并解析物种生态位进化趋势。本项目将建立气候变化对生物多样性影响的综合性分析体系，旨在提高全球气候变化背景下的科学认知水平，为国家制定两栖动物保护策略提供新的思路。

棘蛙亚科物种水平分布范围广、垂直分布幅度宽；各物种已适应多样的生存环境，在体型、第二性征等产生分化。本项目以棘蛙亚科为研究对象，在广泛查阅文献和整理原有研究基础上，借助野外生态调查、分子系统学、形态学、生态建模、地统计学和Micro-CT等多种研究手段，系统研究多样性格局，揭示气候变化的影响，探讨物种生态位的分化。结果表明：1）棘蛙亚科现共45种，在横断山区-云贵高原-中南半岛北部区域的物种多样性最高；各支系共同祖先可能位于横断山区和中南半岛。2）棘蛙亚科物种体型及皮肤棘存在丰富的多样性。指、趾长度和前臂宽、手腕宽是影响形态多样性的主要因素；物种间皮肤棘有差异；物种内棘的大小和密度存在渐变。隆肛蛙与太行隆肛蛙资源利用相关的特征（头体长、头长）在同域分布时趋异，与视觉相关的特征（眼径、眼间距）在同域分布时趋同。3）气候变化会改变动物在时间尺度上的共存格局影响群落集合；并可能已经导致比通常估计更少的物候耦合，即使在同步的物候变化下，类群之间时间维度重叠程度的改变可能持续。第四纪冰期气候波动会严重影响高山蛙的种群动态和遗传多样性。4）双团棘蛙属各支系对的生态位一致性零模型都被拒绝；各支系对无显著的生态位分化，而在环境空间表现出生态位保守性特征。隆肛蛙与太行隆肛蛙之间的生态位比预期更相似，但并不等价；重叠分布区没有发现急剧的环境突变。本项目结果能为两栖动物多样性研究及保护管理策略的制定和实施提供切实有效的科学依据。. 整体而言，该项目进展顺利，我们按照计划完成了项目的各项研究内容，达到了预先设计的研究目标。项目执行期间已发表SCI论文9篇，另有4篇文章已完成待发表。还有部分数据正在整理分析当中，未来两三年可能有更多文章发表。本项目培养了1名博士毕业生、2名硕士毕业生。