Biology subjects

Soto-Centeno, J. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Soto-Centeno, J. A..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Environmental and geographic drivers of global bat phylogenetic diversity

AimUnderstanding the patterns and factors that shape biodiversity is vital to conserving species. We combined open-source genetic, environmental, and geographic information to analyze bat phylogenetic diversity (PD) patterns in continuous ecoregions across the globe. This information is important for developing bat conservation strategies, and our methodology can work for any taxa with sufficient georeferenced genetic data available. LocationGlobal. MethodsAfter curating a global dataset containing 14,037 COI DNA sequences from 343 described species of bats, we calculated PD for continuous ecoregions at different spatial scales. To avoid the difficulties of using current species names, we used genetic OTUs identified by a single-locus species delimitation method to reconstruct and date a phylogeny. We then calculated PD, estimated a lineage through time plot, and used random forest predictive modeling to identify environmental and geographic predictors of PD. ResultsIn addition to current temperature, temperature during the last glacial maximum and temperature changes between the last glacial maximum and last interglacial were most closely associated with PD. However, at different spatial scales, the top variables differed slightly. When using smaller ecoregions, latitude and population density were also identified as important, though not significant. Southeast Asia and South America had the highest levels of PD, along with parts of Africa and the Himalayas. We demonstrate that, regardless of spatial scale and uneven sampling across the globe, single-locus genetic data can reflect species diversity gradients and identify predictors of PD. Main conclusionsWe show that publicly-available, single-locus data can be used to analyze large-scale evolutionary patterns and inform conservation efforts. Additionally, choice of biodiversity measure and spatial scale matter when assessing species patterns. When looking at bats, temperature variables with a historical component are most important for predicting PD broadly, but latitude and population density could also be important on smaller scales.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Biogeography and Validation of species limits in Caribbean Red Bats (Vespertilionidae: Lasiurus)

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWDefining species limits using an integrative framework is crucial for biodiversity assessments and to maintain taxonomic stability. These approaches are robust and can be useful to also validate the status of species that are uncommon and underrepresented in biological collections. We examined the species limits and validated the taxonomic status of the Minor Red Bat (Lasiurus minor), an uncommon species originally described from four specimens. Our approach consisted of three independent lines of evidence combining genetic and phenotypic data. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the uniqueness of L. minor compared to three other geographically and closely related Red Bat species. Furthermore, coalescent species delimitation supported the four Red Bat species hypothesis. Linear phenotypic analyses demonstrated that L. minor is distinct from other Red Bats despite a morphological continuum. Finally, we reassessed the diagnosability of characters used to describe L. minor using an objective shape analysis approach, which emphasized the support for this taxon. Based on our findings, while identification in the field could still pose a challenge, there is strong support to recognize L. minor. This study settles a longstanding taxonomic question and provides evidence to better understand Caribbean biodiversity.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2020

Effect of land use, habitat suitability, and hurricanes on the population connectivity of an endemic insular bat

Habitat loss and fragmentation are a leading cause of vertebrate population declines and extinction. Urbanization and natural disasters disrupt landscape connectivity, effectively isolating populations and increasing the risk of local extirpation particularly in island systems. Puerto Rico, one of the most isolated islands in the Caribbean, is home to 13 bat species that have been differentially affected by disturbance during the Anthropocene. We used circuit theory to model the landscape connectivity within Puerto Rico with the goal of understanding how fragmentation affects corridors among forested areas. Models combined species occurrences, land use, habitat suitability, and vegetation cover data to examine connectivity in the endemic bat Stenoderma rufum, and also at the bat community level across the island. Urbanization in Puerto Rico affected bat connectivity overall from east to west and underscored protected and rustic areas for the maintenance of forest corridors. Suitable habitat provided a reliable measure of connectivity among potential movement corridors that connected more isolated areas. We found that intense hurricanes can disrupt forest integrity and affect connectivity of suitable habitat. Some of the largest protected areas in the east of Puerto Rico are at an increasing risk of becoming disconnected from more continuous forest patches. The disruption of corridors that maintain connectivity on the island could explain previous findings of the slow post-hurricane population recovery of S. rufum. Given the increasing rate of urbanization, this pattern could also apply to other vertebrates not analyzed in this study. Our findings show the importance of maintaining forest integrity, emphasizing the considerable conservation value of rustic areas for the preservation of local biodiversity.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

The role of humans on Antillean land vertebrate extinctions: new insights from Cuba

The Caribbean archipelago is a hotspot of biodiversity characterized by a high rate of extinction. Recent studies have examined these losses, but the causes of the Antillean Late Quaternary vertebrate extinctions, and especially the role of humans, are still unclear. Current results provide support for climate-related and human-induced extinctions, but often downplaying other complex bio-ecological factors that are difficult to model or to detect from the fossil and archaeological record. Here, we discuss Caribbean vertebrate extinctions and the potential role of humans derived from new and existing fossil and archaeological data from Cuba. Our results indicate that losses of Cubas native fauna occurred in three waves: one during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, a second during the middle Holocene, and a third one during the last 2 ka, coinciding with the arrival of agroceramists and the early Europeans. The coexistence of now-extinct species with multiple cultural groups in Cuba for over 4 ka implies that Cuban indigenous non-ceramic cultures exerted far fewer extinction pressures to native fauna than the later agroceramists and Europeans that followed. This suggests a determinant value to increased technological sophistication and demographics as the most plausible effective extinction drivers.

paleontology↗