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Climate change and anthropogenic alteration of landscapes negatively impact the abundance and species diversity of plant and animal communities worldwide. Much less is known about the effects on phylogenetic diversity and community functioning. Here we use long‐term butterfly data (1980–2022) from the Austrian Alps along an elevation gradient. We assessed how communities adjust structures and functionality to increasing temperatures, and how these changes are linked to trait expression and community functioning. Species diversity decreased at low and intermediate altitudes, and increased at high ones. Functional diversity was lower than expected by a random model at intermediate and high altitudes and increased with time at high, but not at intermediate and low altitudes. Phylogenetic diversity did not show significant temporal trends at low altitude, but increased with time at intermediate and high altitudes. Multifunctionality significantly decreased at intermediate and high altitudes and was not significantly correlated with functional diversity, but was negatively correlated with phylogenetic diversity. We argue that the ongoing homogenisation of Alpine butterfly communities strongly affects species, functional and phylogenetic diversity. The assessment of species richness and diversity alone, as provided by common species surveys, might give a false impression about the state and functional diversity of Alpine insect communities in the course of climate change. The directions of faunal changes heavily depend on altitude and therefore on specific climatic conditions. Higher altitudes face decreasing butterfly multifunctionality despite of increasing species richness due to climate induced altitudinal up‐hill shifts of many species. We conclude that studies on community time series should include phylogenetic and functional diversity besides of being focused on richness and endangerment. Red lists might be extended by categories on functional importance and phylogenetic distinctness.

During a citizen science project, four freshwater habitats in a riparian forest restoration area in Salzburg, Austria, were sampled. The primary aim was to obtain bacterial strains of the genus Aquirufa, a group of typical and widespread freshwater bacteria. Numerous pure cultures of Aquirufa strains could be obtained, three of them originating from the river Salzach, a newly created pond and the lake Ausee represented new species. Strain 1-SAACH-A3T was characterized by a genome size of 3.2 Mbp and a G + C value of 38.4 mol% and encoded genes predicted for nitrate uptake and nitrous oxide utilization. Strains BAHN-186BT and 2-AUSEE-184A6 were characterized by a genome size of 2.4 Mbp and a G + C value of 42.4 and 42.2 mol%, respectively, and encoded genes predicted for the light-harvesting rhodopsin system. Calculated whole-genome average nucleotide identity values with Aquirufa type strains resulted in a maximum value of 93.65% for comparison of strain 1-SAACHT with the type strain of Aquirufa ecclesiirivi, which is slightly under the proposed threshold of species demarcation. The calculated gANI value comparing strains BAHN-186BT and 2-AUSEE-184A6 revealed 95.76%, thus a value slightly above the threshold. Further analyses revealed that the three new strains represent two new species, proposed here as Aquirufa salirivi sp. nov. with type strain 1-SAACH-A3T (= DSM 117800 T = JCM 37097 T) and Aquirufa novilacunae sp. nov. with type strain BAHN-186BT (= DSM 118143 T = JCM 37099 T). Analyses of 123 publicly available metagenomes and a metagenome of the lake Ausee resulted in no detection of A. salirivi sp. nov. In contrast, A. novilacunae sp. nov. could be detected in 15 water samples of rivers, mainly from Asia, but also from North America and Australia. The analyses suggested that the species occurs in most of these samples in low relative abundance, detections derived from metagenomes of water samples from the river Yangtze in the subtropical zone could be interpreted as occurrence in higher abundances.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10123-025-00642-x.

ContextBiodiversity is severely decreasing at a global scale since several decades. There are significant changes in species community compositions, reductions of species richness and abundances of arthropods, as well as of arthropod biomass. Land use intensification and climate change are assumed to be main drivers causing biodiversity change and loss. However, proximate effects of land use, landscape configuration, topography and climate on species richness and species community composition were only rarely analysed.ObjectiveWe study the effects of current land cover, landscape structures and climate on butterfly and burnet moth species diversity and community composition across northern Austria (i.e. the federal state of Salzburg).MethodsWe compiled observation data of butterflies and burnet moths for the past 40 years. We divided faunal data, land cover data and data on climate into 5 × 5 km2 grid cells. We classified all lepidopterans assessed into groups according to their distribution, behaviour, ecology and life-history.ResultsWe found higher species richness and temporal community shifts in higher elevations, and where topographic heterogeneity is high. Habitat connectivity has a positive impact on ecologically specialised, sedentary, and endangered species. Mean temperature and precipitation positively influenced species richness. ConclusionsBoth, land-use and climate strongly shape biodiversity structures. In particular, landscape heterogeneity promotes the diversity of ecological niches, which subsequently accelerates species diversity, including specialist species. Agricultural intensification in higher elevations and at steep slopes is more difficult and therefore less attractive, and thus the level of biodiversity is still high. In addition, climate warming might lead to the accumulation of species in higher elevations. Our study further underlines the relevance of habitat conservation at lower elevations, where not all habitat types are conserved sufficiently.

TAXONVolume 61, Issue 4 p. 881-881 Proposals to Conserve Or Reject NamesFree Access (2080) Proposal to conserve the name Ornithogalum narbonense (Hyacinthaceae, Ornithogaloideae) with a conserved type Mario Martínez-Azorín, Corresponding Author Mario Martínez-Azorín mmartinez@ua.es CIBIO, Instituto de la Biodiversidad, Universidad de Alicante, P. O. Box 99, 03080 Alicante, SpainSearch for more papers by this authorHelmut Wittmann, Helmut Wittmann Haus der Natur, Museum für Naturkunde und Technik, Museumsplatz 5, 5020 Salzburg, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorManuel B. Crespo, Manuel B. Crespo CIBIO, Instituto de la Biodiversidad, Universidad de Alicante, P. O. Box 99, 03080 Alicante, SpainSearch for more papers by this author Mario Martínez-Azorín, Corresponding Author Mario Martínez-Azorín mmartinez@ua.es CIBIO, Instituto de la Biodiversidad, Universidad de Alicante, P. O. Box 99, 03080 Alicante, SpainSearch for more papers by this authorHelmut Wittmann, Helmut Wittmann Haus der Natur, Museum für Naturkunde und Technik, Museumsplatz 5, 5020 Salzburg, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorManuel B. Crespo, Manuel B. Crespo CIBIO, Instituto de la Biodiversidad, Universidad de Alicante, P. O. Box 99, 03080 Alicante, SpainSearch for more papers by this author First published: 27 December 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.614017AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume61, Issue4August 2012Pages 881-881 RelatedInformation