Distributions and ecology of rain forest vertebrates in the Australian Wet Tropics

Contextual data for the FNQ Rainforest Supersite.

The purpose of this data set
(https://research.jcu.edu.au/researchdata/default/detail/10da1ccac69a13c5d5628b7510b26cf5/) was to compile distributional, general life-history characteristics and phylogenies for Australian tropical rain forest vertebrates to inform a wide range of comparative studies on the determinants of biodiversity patterns and to assess the impacts of global climate change. We provide three distinct data sets: (1) a table of species-specific distributional and life-history traits for 242 vertebrate species found in the rain forests of the Australian Wet Tropics; (2) species distribution maps (GIS raster files) for 202 of the species displaying both the realized and potential distributions; and (3) phylogenies for these species. These species represent 93 birds, 31 amphibians, 31 mammals (including one monotreme), and 47 reptiles. Where information exists, the distributional and life-history data compiled here present information on: indices of environmental specialization (ENFA), habitat specialization, average body mass and size, sexual dimorphism, reproductive characteristics such as age at first reproduction, clutch/litter size, number of reproductive bouts per year and breeding seasonality, longevity, time of day when most active, and dispersal ability; distributional characteristics such as range size (potential and realized for both total and core ranges) and observed ranges in temperature, precipitation, and elevation; and niche attributes such as environmental marginality and specialization. The distribution maps provided represent a combination of presence-only ecological niche modeling (using MaxEnt) to estimate the potential distribution of a species followed by biogeographic clipping by expert opinion based on extensive field data and a subregional classification relevant to the topography and biogeographic history of the region to produce best-possible estimates of the realized distribution. Our assemblage contains many species with a shared evolutionary history, and thus many analyses of these data will need to account for phylogeny. Although a comprehensive phylogeny with branch length information does not exist for this diverse group of species, we present a best-estimate composite phylogeny constructed primarily from recently published molecular phylogenies of included groups.

FNQ雨林超级站点（FNQ Rainforest Supersite）相关情境数据集。
本数据集（链接：https://research.jcu.edu.au/researchdata/default/detail/10da1ccac69a13c5d5628b7510b26cf5/）的构建目标为整理澳大利亚热带雨林脊椎动物的分布信息、通用生活史特征与系统发育数据，以期为探究生物多样性格局决定因素的各类比较研究提供支撑，并用于评估全球气候变化的影响。
本次发布包含三类独立数据集：(1) 针对澳大利亚湿热带雨林中242种脊椎动物的物种特异性分布与生活史特征表；(2) 其中202个物种的分布地图（GIS栅格文件），同时展示其实际分布区与潜在分布区；(3) 上述物种的系统发育数据。
该物种类群包含93种鸟类、31种两栖动物、31种哺乳动物（含1种单孔目动物）以及47种爬行动物。
若存在对应数据，本次整理的分布与生活史信息涵盖以下内容：环境特化指数（ENFA，Ecological Niche Factor Analysis）、栖息地特化程度、平均体重与体长、性二态性；繁殖特征，包括初次繁殖年龄、窝卵数/胎仔数、年繁殖次数与繁殖季节律；寿命、每日活动高峰时段以及扩散能力；分布特征，包括分布区面积（总分布区与核心分布区的潜在、实际面积）以及观测到的温度、降水与海拔分布范围；还有生态位属性，如环境边缘性与特化程度。
本次提供的分布地图整合了两类方法：首先采用仅存在数据的生态位建模（使用最大熵模型（MaxEnt））估算物种的潜在分布区，随后基于大量野外调查数据结合该区域地形与生物地理历史的亚区域分类标准，由专家进行生物地理裁剪，最终得到尽可能精准的实际分布区估算结果。
本次收录的物种类群存在大量共享演化历史的物种，因此基于本数据集开展的多数分析需要纳入系统发育校正。尽管针对该多样物种类群尚无带分支长度信息的完整系统发育树，我们仍基于已发表的各类群分子系统发育研究，构建了可信度最高的复合系统发育树。