Biology subjects

Cabral, J. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Cabral, J. S..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Climatic niche conservatism in non-native plants depends on introduction history and biogeographic context

Many tools informing preventive invasion management build on the assumption that introduced species will conserve their climatic niches outside their native ranges. Previous research testing the validity of this assumption found contradictory results regarding niche conservatism vs. niche switching for non-native species. An open question is in how far these contradictions reflect context dependency, yet only few studies compared the niche dynamics of species introduced to multiple regions. Here, we used an ordination-based approach to quantify the climatic niche changes (stability, unfilling, expansion) of 316 plant species introduced to eight different regions across the world, including the Pacific region with extreme isolation between island groups. We then performed multiple phylogenetic regressions to assess how the regional context and species characteristics affect niche dynamics. Niche conservatism varied across regions, even within species. While niche expansion into previously unoccupied climates was generally low, niche unfilling varied strongly between regions. Generally, region-specific introduction history and species biogeographic attributes were more important for explaining niche changes than ecological traits. Niche expansion was consistently higher for species with small native range sizes, and niche stability increased. In contrast, niche unfilling decreased with time since introduction which could suggest that the lack of niche conservatism observed in many regions might be transient and potentially related to dispersal limitations. Overall, our results shed light on the context dependency of climatic niche changes when species are introduced to new regions, highlighting that the species and region-specific context should be accounted for when assessing the potential for niche changes. Significance StatementAs non-native species are introduced to new regions by humans, they may occupy the same climatic conditions as in their native ranges, leave parts of their native niche unfilled or expanding into previously unoccupied conditions. Knowing to which extent these niche dynamics generally occur is essential for understanding and managing biological invasions. Here, we evaluate regional differences in the climatic niche dynamics of non-native plants that were introduced to multiple regions across the world. We found marked variation across regions, influenced by factors such as the time that has passed since species were introduced, or biogeographic attributes of both the native and non-native ranges. These findings indicate that a lack of apparent niche changes is likely a temporary phenomenon.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Recreating coronary vascularization and sympathetic innervation of myocardium on a human pluripotent stem cell-derived heart organoid

Coronary vascularization and sympathetic innervation of the myocardium is a concomitant event during embryonic heart development and both systems are crucial to ensure normal adult heart function. Here we describe a self-organized hiPSC-derived heart organoid that recreates both the coronary vascular plexus and the sympathetic neuronal network of the ventricle myocardium, with a physiologically relevant in-vivo-like structural organization and function. Through modulation of PDGF-{beta} and VEGF signalling pathways, we attained a heart organoid that incorporates 1) an external epicardial layer (mesothelium) of DACH1, NR2F2 and WT1 positive cells, 2) a sub-epicardial space from where a functional primary coronary vascular plexus of CD31+/DACH1+ cells emerge, 3) a compact myocardial region adjacent to the epicardium, enriched in proliferative cardiomyocytes and ECM deposition, and 4) a sympathetic neuronal network that controls heart organoid contraction. Therefore, the human heart organoid described herein, is a unique model to study new regenerative medicine-based approaches to restore innervation and promote re-vascularization in adult heart after ischemic events and to perform adult and developmental cardiotoxicity studies.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Uncertainty in blacklisting potential Pacific plant invaders using species distribution models

O_LIInvasive alien species pose a growing threat to global biodiversity, underscoring the need for evidence-based prevention strategies. Species distribution models (SDMs) are a widely used tool to estimate the potential distribution of alien species and to inform blacklists based on establishment risk. Yet, data limitations and modelling decisions can introduce uncertainty in these predictions. Here, we aim to quantify the contribution of four key sources of uncertainty in SDM-based blacklists: species occurrence data, environmental predictors, SDM algorithms, and thresholding methods for binarising predictions. C_LIO_LIFocusing on 82 of the most invasive plant species on the Hawaiian Islands, we built SDMs to quantify their establishment potential in the Pacific region. To assess uncertainty, we systematically varied four modelling components: species occurrence data (native vs. global), environmental predictors (climatic vs. edapho-climatic), four SDM algorithms, and three thresholding methods. From these models, we derived blacklists using three alternative blacklisting definitions and quantified the variance in establishment risk scores and resulting species rankings attributable to each source of uncertainty. C_LIO_LISDMs showed fair predictive performance overall. Among the sources of uncertainty, thresholding method had the strongest and most consistent influence on risk scores across all three blacklist definitions but resulted in only minor changes in blacklist rankings. In contrast, algorithm choice had the most pronounced effect on blacklist rankings, followed by smaller but important effects of species occurrence data and environmental predictors. Notably, models based only on native occurrences often underestimated establishment potential. C_LIO_LISDMs can provide valuable support for planning the preventive management of alien species. However, our findings show that blacklist outcomes are highly sensitive to modelling decisions. While ensemble modelling across multiple algorithms is a recommended best practice, our results reinforce the importance of incorporating global occurrence data when available and carefully evaluating the trade-offs of including additional environmental predictors. Given the strong influence of thresholding on risk scores, we emphasise the need for transparent, context-specific threshold selection. More broadly, explicitly assessing uncertainty in SDM outputs can improve the robustness of blacklists and support scientifically informed, precautionary decision-making, particularly in data-limited situations where pragmatic modelling choices must be taken. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2016

Extinction rate has a complex and non-linear relationship with area

Aim.Biodiversity loss, measured as count of extinction events, is a key component of biodiversity change, and can significantly impact ecosystem services. However, estimation of the loss has focused mostly on per-species extinction rates measured over limited numbers of spatial scales, with no theory linking small-scale extirpations with global extinctions. Here we provide such link by introducing the relationship between area and per-species probability of extinction (PxAR) and between area and count of realized extinction events in that area (NxAR). We show theoretical and empirical forms of these relationships, and we discuss their role in perception and estimation of the current extinction crisis.\n\nLocationUSA, Europe, Czech Republic, Barro Colorado Island\n\nMethodsWe derived the expected forms of PxAR and NxAR from a range of theoretical frameworks based on theory of island biogeography, neutral models, and species-area relationships. We constructed PxAR and NxAR in five empirical datasets on butterflies, plants, trees and birds, collected over range of spatial scales.\n\nResultsBoth the theoretical arguments and empirical data support monotonically decreasing PxAR, i.e. per-species extinction probability decreasing with increasing area; however, we also report a rare theoretical possibility of locally increasing PxAR. In contrast, both theory and data revealed complex NxAR, i.e. counts of extinction events follow variety of relationships with area, including nonlinear unimodal, multimodal and U-shaped relationships, depending on region and taxon.\n\nMain conclusionsThe uncovered wealth of forms of NxAR can explain why biodiversity change (the net outcome of losses and gains) also appears scale-dependent. Furthermore, the complex scale dependence of PxAR and NxAR means that global extinctions indicate little about local extirpations, and vice versa. Hence, effort should be made to understand and report extinction crisis as a scale-dependent problem. In this effort, estimation of scaling relationships such as PxAR and NxAR should be central.

ecology↗