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Bonanno G, Veneziano V. Seed dormancy, climate changes, desertification and soil use transformation threaten the Mediterranean endemic monospecific plant Petagnaea gussonei. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8235. [PMID: 38589665 PMCID: PMC11001949 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58948-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the germination capacity (endogenous factor) of Petagnaea gussonei (Spreng.) Rauschert, an endemic monospecific plant considered as a relict species of the ancient Mediterranean Tertiary flora. This investigation focused also on the temporal trends of soil-use, climate and desertification (exogenous factors) across the natural range of P. gussonei. The final germination percentage showed low values between 14 and 32%, the latter obtained with GA3 and agar at 10 °C. The rising temperatures in the study area will further increase the dormancy of P. gussonei, whose germination capacity was lower and slower at temperatures higher than 10 °C. A further limiting factor of P. gussonei is its dormancy, which seems to be morpho-physiological. Regarding climate trends, in the period 1931-2020, the average temperature increased by 0.5 °C, from 15.4 to 15.9 °C, in line with the projected climate changes throughout the twenty-first century across the Mediterranean region. The average annual rainfall showed a relatively constant value of c. 900 mm, but extreme events grew considerably in the period 1991-2020. Similarly, the land affected by desertification expanded in an alarming way, by increasing from 21.2% in 2000 to 47.3% in 2020. Soil-use changes created also a complex impacting mosaic where c. 40% are agricultural areas. The effective conservation of P. gussonei should be multilateral by relying on germplasm banks, improving landscape connectivity and vegetation cover, and promoting climate policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Bonanno
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via Antonino Longo 19, 95125, Catania, Italy.
| | - Vincenzo Veneziano
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via Antonino Longo 19, 95125, Catania, Italy
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Suraweera C, Gallo J, Vacek Z, Cukor J, Vacek S, Baláš M. Silvicultural Practices for Diversity Conservation and Invasive Species Suppression in Forest Ecosystems of the Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:121. [PMID: 38202429 PMCID: PMC10780521 DOI: 10.3390/plants13010121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Forest ecosystems in Sri Lanka are under pressure from intensive human activity and climate change. Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to autochthonous species and ecosystems. In Bundala National Park of Sri Lanka, there are efforts to control and limit the spreading of unwanted invasive Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. and Opuntia dillenii (Ker-Gawl.) Haw., which poses a significant risk to natural ecosystem conservation. Nine different treatment variants (four replications) were used to test which management approach provides the control of Prosopis juliflora. This research is based on nine repeated measurements from 2017 to 2021 on 36 permanent research plots (each 625 m2) with 27 observed plant species and a total of 90,651 recorded plant individuals. The results confirmed that the dynamics of species richness, heterogeneity, and evenness showed significant differences between treatments during the five years of dynamics. The lowest species diversity was found in the control variant, followed by treatments based on the hard pruning and thinning of Prosopis juliflora trees. In contrast, strategies emphasizing the complete uprooting of Prosopis juliflora trees, replanting, and support of the natural regeneration of native species showed high species diversity and a high overall number of plant species. Generally, treatments had a significant effect on species diversity and the number of individuals of Prosopis juliflora, while changes in the overall number of plant species were more affected by time and succession. Silvicultural treatments including pruning, uprooting, and thinning have proven to be essential tools for nature conservation across various sites, aimed at enhancing habitat diversity in the face of ongoing climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Channa Suraweera
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (C.S.); (Z.V.); (J.C.); (S.V.); (M.B.)
| | - Josef Gallo
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (C.S.); (Z.V.); (J.C.); (S.V.); (M.B.)
| | - Zdeněk Vacek
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (C.S.); (Z.V.); (J.C.); (S.V.); (M.B.)
| | - Jan Cukor
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (C.S.); (Z.V.); (J.C.); (S.V.); (M.B.)
- Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, v.v.i., Strnady 136, 252 02 Jíloviště, Czech Republic
| | - Stanislav Vacek
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (C.S.); (Z.V.); (J.C.); (S.V.); (M.B.)
| | - Martin Baláš
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (C.S.); (Z.V.); (J.C.); (S.V.); (M.B.)
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Morgan D, Strindberg S, McElmurray P, Zambarda A, Singono I, Huskisson S, Musgrave S, Ayina CE, Funkhouser J, Hellmuth H, Joshi P, Cassidy R, Sanz C. Extending the conservation impact of great ape research: Flagship species sites facilitate biodiversity assessments and land preservation. Primates 2023:10.1007/s10329-023-01080-x. [PMID: 37682371 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-023-01080-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
To inform regional conservation planning, we assessed mammalian and avian biodiversity in the Djéké Triangle, which is an intact forest with long-term research and tourism focused on western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). This critical region serves as a conservation conduit between the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) in the Republic of Congo and the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in Central African Republic. Wildlife inventories were conducted to determine if biodiversity in the Djéké Triangle (initially part of a logging concession) was equivalent to the NNNP. Camera traps (CTs) were deployed to estimate species richness, relative abundance, naïve occupancy, and activity patterns of medium-to-large species in mixed species and monodominant Gilbertiodendron forests that comprise the majority of regional terra firma. Species inventories were collected from CTs positioned on a grid and at termite nests throughout the Djéké Triangle and compared to CTs placed in the Goualougo Triangle located within the NNNP. From 10,534 camera days at 65 locations, we identified 34 mammal and 16 bird species. Allaying concerns of wildlife depletion, metrics of species richness in the Djéké Triangle surpassed those of the Goualougo Triangle. Many species were observed to occur across habitats, while others showed habitat specificity, with termite mounds indicated as an important microhabitat feature. Our comparisons of animal activity budgets in different habitat types provide important reference information for other populations and contexts. In conclusion, this study provided empirical evidence of the high conservation value of this region that contributed to increasing the protected status of the Djéké Triangle.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Morgan
- Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA.
| | - Samantha Strindberg
- Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx, New York, NY, 10460, USA
| | - Philip McElmurray
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA
| | - Alice Zambarda
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Igor Singono
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Sarah Huskisson
- Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA
| | - Stephanie Musgrave
- Department of Anthropology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33124, USA
| | - Crepin Eyana Ayina
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Jake Funkhouser
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA
| | | | - Priyanka Joshi
- Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA
| | - Rod Cassidy
- Sangha Lodge, Bayanga, Central African Republic
| | - Crickette Sanz
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
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Rolls RJ, Deane DC, Johnson SE, Heino J, Anderson MJ, Ellingsen KE. Biotic homogenisation and differentiation as directional change in beta diversity: synthesising driver-response relationships to develop conceptual models across ecosystems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1388-1423. [PMID: 37072381 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Biotic homogenisation is defined as decreasing dissimilarity among ecological assemblages sampled within a given spatial area over time. Biotic differentiation, in turn, is defined as increasing dissimilarity over time. Overall, changes in the spatial dissimilarities among assemblages (termed 'beta diversity') is an increasingly recognised feature of broader biodiversity change in the Anthropocene. Empirical evidence of biotic homogenisation and biotic differentiation remains scattered across different ecosystems. Most meta-analyses quantify the prevalence and direction of change in beta diversity, rather than attempting to identify underlying ecological drivers of such changes. By conceptualising the mechanisms that contribute to decreasing or increasing dissimilarity in the composition of ecological assemblages across space, environmental managers and conservation practitioners can make informed decisions about what interventions may be required to sustain biodiversity and can predict potential biodiversity outcomes of future disturbances. We systematically reviewed and synthesised published empirical evidence for ecological drivers of biotic homogenisation and differentiation across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater realms to derive conceptual models that explain changes in spatial beta diversity. We pursued five key themes in our review: (i) temporal environmental change; (ii) disturbance regime; (iii) connectivity alteration and species redistribution; (iv) habitat change; and (v) biotic and trophic interactions. Our first conceptual model highlights how biotic homogenisation and differentiation can occur as a function of changes in local (alpha) diversity or regional (gamma) diversity, independently of species invasions and losses due to changes in species occurrence among assemblages. Second, the direction and magnitude of change in beta diversity depends on the interaction between spatial variation (patchiness) and temporal variation (synchronicity) of disturbance events. Third, in the context of connectivity and species redistribution, divergent beta diversity outcomes occur as different species have different dispersal characteristics, and the magnitude of beta diversity change associated with species invasions also depends strongly on alpha and gamma diversity prior to species invasion. Fourth, beta diversity is positively linked with spatial environmental variability, such that biotic homogenisation and differentiation occur when environmental heterogeneity decreases or increases, respectively. Fifth, species interactions can influence beta diversity via habitat modification, disease, consumption (trophic dynamics), competition, and by altering ecosystem productivity. Our synthesis highlights the multitude of mechanisms that cause assemblages to be more or less spatially similar in composition (taxonomically, functionally, phylogenetically) through time. We consider that future studies should aim to enhance our collective understanding of ecological systems by clarifying the underlying mechanisms driving homogenisation or differentiation, rather than focusing only on reporting the prevalence and direction of change in beta diversity, per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Rolls
- School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - David C Deane
- School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Sarah E Johnson
- Natural Resources Department, Northland College, Ashland, WI, 54891, USA
| | - Jani Heino
- Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Marti J Anderson
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS), Massey University, Albany Campus, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kari E Ellingsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, P.O. Box 6606 Langnes, Tromsø, 9296, Norway
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Syahrullah FN, Maddus U, Mustari AH, Gursky S, Indrawan M. Distribution and abundance of Peleng Tarsier (Tarsius pelengensis) in Banggai Island group, Indonesia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11445. [PMID: 37454197 PMCID: PMC10349819 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30049-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The Peleng tarsier (Tarsius pelengensis) is poorly known primate, with a range limited to Banggai island-group, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was classified as "Endangered" by IUCN in 2017 based on extremely limited demographic and distributional data. The aim of this study was to collect and analyze data on the population and distribution of Peleng tarsiers. Surveys were conducted over approximately 5 months in 2017 and 2018 across Peleng and the neighboring islands of Banggai, Labobo, and Bangkurung. We determined that tarsiers only occur on Peleng and Banggai Island. The average population density in Peleng and Banggai was estimated to be 234 individuals/km2. This is comparable to the broad ranges of tarsier densities throughout Sulawesi and offshore islands. Peleng tarsiers were found in all elevations (0-937 m above sea level) and nearly all vegetated habitats in Peleng island. Using the IUCN criteria for determining conservation status, in conjunction with our new data, we believe that the Peleng tarsier population should be classified as "Vulnerable".
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Affiliation(s)
- Fakhri Naufal Syahrullah
- Department of Conservation of Forest Resources and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University, Bogor, 16680, Indonesia
| | - Un Maddus
- Togong Tanga Indigenous People's Community, Banggai Island District, Central Sulawesi, 94881, Indonesia
| | - Abdul Haris Mustari
- Department of Conservation of Forest Resources and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University, Bogor, 16680, Indonesia
| | - Sharon Gursky
- Department of Anthropology, MS 4352, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77845, USA
| | - Mochamad Indrawan
- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 16424, Indonesia.
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Bedoya-Roqueme E, Tizo-Pedroso E. How Can Climate Change Limit the Distribution of Cooperative Pseudoscorpions in Brazil? NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:24-35. [PMID: 36447114 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-022-01006-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Pseudoscorpions are arachnids that inhabit all terrestrial ecosystems, and are distributed in the tropical, subtropical, and even circumpolar regions. Paratemnoides nidificator (Balzan, 1888) was originally distributed in the continental zone of South America, but subsequently dispersed to Central and North America and the Caribbean. This species was also recorded in coastal marine environments and forest areas in continental and insular regions. Paratemnoides nidificator is the only cooperatively social pseudoscorpion species recorded in South American. However, its distribution limitations are poorly understood. In this study, we used ecological niche models to investigate this species' current and future distribution potential. Similarly, we defined range limits and demonstrated the potential species distribution towards the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes in the Brazilian territory in future scenarios of climate change, and land use and land cover changes. The annual mean temperature was the most important variable, suggesting that a physiological limitation prevents P. nidificator from occupying areas with extreme mean temperatures. Furthermore, the loss of vegetation cover and the expansion of agricultural frontiers may reduce the occurrence of P. nidificator in environmentally unstable areas because P. nidificator is sensitive to anthropogenic activities. Therefore, the biological response is the relationship between the tolerance limit of P. nidificator and the predicted amplitude of the factor, which appears to lie in its maximum tolerance range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Bedoya-Roqueme
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais do Cerrado, Lab de Ecologia Comportamental de Aracnídeos, Univ Estadual de Goiás, Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Everton Tizo-Pedroso
- Lab de Ecologia Comportamental de Aracnídeos, Centro de Ensino e Aprendizagem em Rede, Univ Estadual de Goiás, Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil.
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Ferrante M, Lövei GL, Nunes R, Monjardino P, Lamelas-López L, Möller D, Soares AO, Borges PA. Gains and losses in ecosystem services and disservices after converting native forest to agricultural land on an oceanic island. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Phillips H, Cameron E, Eisenhauer N. Illuminating biodiversity changes in the ‘Black Box’. RESEARCH IDEAS AND OUTCOMES 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/rio.8.e87143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil is often described as a ‘black box’, as surprisingly little is known about the high levels of biodiversity that reside there. For aboveground organisms, we have good knowledge of the distribution of the species and how they might change under future human impacts. Yet despite the fact that soil organisms provide a wide variety of ecosystem functions, we have very limited knowledge of their distribution and how their diversity might change in the future. In order to create accurate and generalisable models of biodiversity, the underlying data need to be representative of the entire globe. Yet even with our recently compiled global earthworm dataset of over 11000 sites, there are gaps across large regions. These gaps are consistent across many other datasets of both above- and belowground diversity. In order to fill the gaps we propose a sampling network (SoilFaUNa), to create a comprehensive database of soil macrofauna diversity and soil functions (e.g. decomposition rates). Building on the existing dataset of earthworm diversity and early data from the SoilFaUNa project, we will investigate changes in earthworm diversity. From our current work, we know that both climate and land use are main drivers in predicting earthworm diversity, but both will change under future scenarios and may alter ecosystem functions. We will, using space-for-time substitution models, estimate how earthworm diversity and their functions might change in the future, modelling earthworm diversity as a function of climate, land use and soil properties and predicting based on future scenarios. Previous studies of aboveground diversity changes over time using time-series analysis have found no-net-loss in richness, but analyses have criticisms. We aim to use time-series data on earthworms to move this debate forward, by using data and statistical methods that would address the criticisms, whilst increasing our knowledge on this understudied soil group. Field experiments and micro-/mesocosm experiments have been used to investigate the link between a number of soil organisms and ecosystem functions under few environmental conditions. Meta-analyses, which can produce generalisable results can only answer questions for which there are data. Thus, we have been lacking on information on the link between the entire community of soil fauna and ecosystem functions and impact of changes to the soil fauna community across environmental contexts. Using data collected from the SoilFaUNa project, we will, for the first time, synthesise globally distributed specifically-sampled data to model how changes in the community composition of soil macrofauna (due to changes in land use, climate or soil properties) impact the ecosystem functions in the soil.
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Jung M. Predictability and transferability of local biodiversity environment relationships. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13872. [PMID: 36032939 PMCID: PMC9415358 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Biodiversity varies in space and time, and often in response to environmental heterogeneity. Indicators in the form of local biodiversity measures-such as species richness or abundance-are common tools to capture this variation. The rise of readily available remote sensing data has enabled the characterization of environmental heterogeneity in a globally robust and replicable manner. Based on the assumption that differences in biodiversity measures are generally related to differences in environmental heterogeneity, these data have enabled projections and extrapolations of biodiversity in space and time. However so far little work has been done on quantitatively evaluating if and how accurately local biodiversity measures can be predicted. Methods Here I combine estimates of biodiversity measures from terrestrial local biodiversity surveys with remotely-sensed data on environmental heterogeneity globally. I then determine through a cross-validation framework how accurately local biodiversity measures can be predicted within ("predictability") and across similar ("transferability") biodiversity surveys. Results I found that prediction errors can be substantial, with error magnitudes varying between different biodiversity measures, taxonomic groups, sampling techniques and types of environmental heterogeneity characterizations. And although errors associated with model predictability were in many cases relatively low, these results question-particular for transferability-our capability to accurately predict and project local biodiversity measures based on environmental heterogeneity. I make the case that future predictions should be evaluated based on their accuracy and inherent uncertainty, and ecological theories be tested against whether we are able to make accurate predictions from local biodiversity data.
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Almeida-Maués PCR, Bueno AS, Palmeirim AF, Peres CA, Mendes-Oliveira AC. Assessing assemblage-wide mammal responses to different types of habitat modification in Amazonian forests. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1797. [PMID: 35110574 PMCID: PMC8810785 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05450-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical forests are being heavily modified by varying intensities of land use ranging from structural degradation to complete conversion. While ecological responses of vertebrate assemblages to habitat modification are variable, such understanding is critical to appropriate conservation planning of anthropogenic landscapes. We assessed the responses of medium/large-bodied mammal assemblages to the ecological impacts of reduced impact logging, secondary regrowth, and eucalyptus and oil palm plantations in Eastern Brazilian Amazonia. We used within-landscape paired baseline-treatment comparisons to examine the impact of different types of habitat modification in relation to adjacent primary forest. We examined assemblage-wide metrics including the total number of species, number of primary forest species retained in modified habitats, abundance, species composition, and community integrity. We ranked all types of habitat modification along a gradient of assemblage-wide impact intensity, with oil palm and eucalyptus plantations exerting the greatest impact, followed by secondary regrowth, and selectively logging. Selectively-logged and secondary forests did not experience discernible biodiversity loss, except for the total number of primary forest species retained. Secondary forests further experienced pronounced species turnover, with loss of community integrity. Considering the biodiversity retention capacity of anthropogenic habitats, this study reinforces the landscape-scale importance of setting aside large preserved areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula C R Almeida-Maués
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas - LABEV, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil.,Faculdade Estácio de Castanhal, Castanhal, PA, Brazil.,Unama Parque Shopping, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Anderson S Bueno
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Farroupilha, Júlio de Castilhos, RS, Brazil
| | - Ana Filipa Palmeirim
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK.,CIBIO-InBIO, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Carlos A Peres
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - Ana Cristina Mendes-Oliveira
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas - LABEV, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil. .,School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK.
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Santos D, Ribeiro GC. Areas of endemism in the Afrotropical region based on the geographical distribution of Tipulomorpha (Insecta: Diptera). AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daubian Santos
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas Universidade Federal do ABC Rua Santa Adélia, 166, Bairro Bangu Santo André SP 09210‐170 Brazil
| | - Guilherme Cunha Ribeiro
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas Universidade Federal do ABC Rua Santa Adélia, 166, Bairro Bangu Santo André SP 09210‐170 Brazil
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Gene Flow and Genetic Structure Reveal Reduced Diversity between Generations of a Tropical Tree, Manilkara multifida Penn., in Atlantic Forest Fragments. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12122025. [PMID: 34946973 PMCID: PMC8701937 DOI: 10.3390/genes12122025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Atlantic Forest remnants in southern Bahia, Brazil, contain large tree species that have suffered disturbances in recent decades. Anthropogenic activities have led to a decrease in the population of many tree species and a loss of alleles that can maintain the evolutionary fitness of their populations. This study assessed patterns of genetic diversity, spatial genetic structure, and genetic structure among Manilkara multifida Penn. populations, comparing the genetic parameters of adult and juvenile trees. In particular, we collected leaves from adults and juveniles of M. multifida in two protected areas, the Veracel Station (EVC) and the Una Biological Reserve (UBR), located in threatened Atlantic Forest fragments. We observed a substantial decay in genetic variability between generations in both areas i.e., adults’ HO values were higher (EVC = 0.720, UBR = 0.736) than juveniles’ (EVC = 0.463 and UBR = 0.560). Both juveniles and adults showed genetic structure between the two areas (θ = 0.017 for adults and θ = 0.109 for juveniles). Additionally, forest fragments indicated an unexpectedly short gene flow. Our results, therefore, highlight the pervasive effects of historical deforestation and other human disturbances on the genetic diversity of M. multifida populations within a key conservation region of the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot.
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De Palma A, Hoskins A, Gonzalez RE, Börger L, Newbold T, Sanchez-Ortiz K, Ferrier S, Purvis A. Annual changes in the Biodiversity Intactness Index in tropical and subtropical forest biomes, 2001-2012. Sci Rep 2021; 11:20249. [PMID: 34642362 PMCID: PMC8511124 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98811-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Few biodiversity indicators are available that reflect the state of broad-sense biodiversity—rather than of particular taxa—at fine spatial and temporal resolution. One such indicator, the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII), estimates how the average abundance of the native terrestrial species in a region compares with their abundances in the absence of pronounced human impacts. We produced annual maps of modelled BII at 30-arc-second resolution (roughly 1 km at the equator) across tropical and subtropical forested biomes, by combining annual data on land use, human population density and road networks, and statistical models of how these variables affect overall abundance and compositional similarity of plants, fungi, invertebrates and vertebrates. Across tropical and subtropical biomes, BII fell by an average of 1.9 percentage points between 2001 and 2012, with 81 countries seeing an average reduction and 43 an average increase; the extent of primary forest fell by 3.9% over the same period. We did not find strong relationships between changes in BII and countries’ rates of economic growth over the same period; however, limitations in mapping BII in plantation forests may hinder our ability to identify these relationships. This is the first time temporal change in BII has been estimated across such a large region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana De Palma
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
| | - Andrew Hoskins
- CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - Ricardo E Gonzalez
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences, University of Swansea, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Tim Newbold
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Katia Sanchez-Ortiz
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | | | - Andy Purvis
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
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14
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Rurangwa ML, Aguirre‐Gutiérrez J, Matthews TJ, Niyigaba P, Wayman JP, Tobias JA, Whittaker RJ. Effects of land‐use change on avian taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity in a tropical montane rainforest. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesús Aguirre‐Gutiérrez
- School of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Biodiversity Dynamics Naturalis Biodiversity Center Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Thomas J. Matthews
- GEES (School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences) and Birmingham Institute of Forest Research University of Birmingham Birmingham UK
- CE3C – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group Universidade dos Açores – Depto de Ciências Agráriase Engenharia do Ambiente Açores Portugal
| | | | - Joseph P. Wayman
- GEES (School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences) and Birmingham Institute of Forest Research University of Birmingham Birmingham UK
| | | | - Robert J. Whittaker
- School of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate GLOBE Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
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15
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Pereira-Moura L, de Sena WS, Neiss UG, Couceiro SRM. Environmental integrity as a modeler of the composition of the Odonata community. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:160. [PMID: 33661407 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-08957-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Human actions often alter natural environments, causing homogenization of micro-habitats and, consequently, the loss or replacement of species. Our research evaluates how the effects of environmental integrity and the physical and chemical characteristics of streams influence the adult Odonata community in a region of the Amazon, in western Pará. The data were obtained in 15 streams of first and second order in the municipality of Santarém, Pará, between October and December 2014 (dry season) and between March and May 2015 (rainy season). A total of 544 specimens were collected, distributed in 23 genera, 35 species. Significant differences were observed in the composition of Odonata based on the integrity of streams, and species are replaced as the habitat integrity gradient is reduced, with species that need more preserved conditions extinct locally, making room for generalist species. However, only Psaironeura tenuissima was an indicator of more preserved sites, while Argia sp.1 and Mnesarete smaragdina were indicative of altered sites. None of the variables had any influence on the richness or abundance of Odonata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Pereira-Moura
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências E Tecnologia das Águas, Laboratório de Ecologia E Taxonomia de Invertebrados Aquáticos, Universidade Federal Do Oeste Do Pará, Campus Tapajós Rua Vera Paz, sn, bloco 11, sala 03, Salé, Santarem, Para, 68035-110, Brazil.
| | - Waldilene Silva de Sena
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Recursos Aquáticos Continentais Amazônicos, Instituto de Ciências E Tecnologia das Águas, Universidade Federal Do Oeste Do Pará, Campus Tapajós Rua Vera Paz, sn, bloco 11, sala 03, Salé, Santarem, Para, 68035-110, Brazil
| | - Ulisses Gaspar Neiss
- Polícia Civil Do Estado Do Amazonas, Instituto de Criminalística - IC, Avenida Noel Nutels, 300, Cidade Nova, Manaus, AM, 69090000, Brazil
| | - Sheyla Regina Marques Couceiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências E Tecnologia das Águas, Laboratório de Ecologia E Taxonomia de Invertebrados Aquáticos, Universidade Federal Do Oeste Do Pará, Campus Tapajós Rua Vera Paz, sn, bloco 11, sala 03, Salé, Santarem, Para, 68035-110, Brazil
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16
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17
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Synergistic Use of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 to Map Natural Forest and Acacia Plantation and Stand Ages in North-Central Vietnam. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13020185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Many remote sensing studies do not distinguish between natural and planted forests. We combine C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sentinel-1, S-1) and optical satellite imagery (Sentinel-2, S-2) and examine Random Forest (RF) classification of acacia plantations and natural forest in North-Central Vietnam. We demonstrate an ability to distinguish plantation from natural forest, with overall classification accuracies of 87% for S-1, and 92.5% and 92.3% for S-2 and for S-1 and S-2 combined respectively. We found that the ratio of the Short-Wave Infrared Band to the Red Band proved most effective in distinguishing acacia from natural forest. We used RF on S-2 imagery to classify acacia plantations into 6 age classes with an overall accuracy of 70%, with young plantation consistently separated from older. However, accuracy was lower at distinguishing between the older age classes. For both distinguishing plantation and natural forest, and determining plantation age, a combination of radar and optical imagery did nothing to improve classification accuracy.
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18
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Sánchez-Ortiz K, Taylor KJM, De Palma A, Essl F, Dawson W, Kreft H, Pergl J, Pyšek P, van Kleunen M, Weigelt P, Purvis A. Effects of land-use change and related pressures on alien and native subsets of island communities. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227169. [PMID: 33270641 PMCID: PMC7714193 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Island species and habitats are particularly vulnerable to human disturbances, and anthropogenic changes are increasingly overwriting natural island biogeographic patterns. However, quantitative comparisons of how native and alien assemblages respond to human disturbances are scarce. Using data from 6,242 species of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants, from 7,718 sites on 81 islands, we model how land-use change, human population density and distance to the nearest road affect local assemblages of alien and native species on islands. We found that land-use change reduces both richness and abundance of native species, whereas the number and abundance of alien species are high in plantation forests and agricultural or urban sites. In contrast to the long-established pattern for native species (i.e., decline in species number with island isolation), more isolated islands have more alien species across most land uses than do less isolated islands. We show that alien species play a major role in the turnover of island assemblages: our models show that aliens outnumber natives among the species present at disturbed sites but absent from minimally-disturbed primary vegetation. Finally, we found a homogenization pattern for both native and alien assemblages across sites within most land uses. The declines of native species on islands in the face of human pressures, and the particular proneness to invasions of the more remote islands, highlight the need to reduce the intensity of human pressures on islands and to prevent the introduction and establishment of alien species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia Sánchez-Ortiz
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdoms
| | - Kara J. M. Taylor
- Food Animal Health Research Program, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Adriana De Palma
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Franz Essl
- BioInvasions, Global Change, Macroecology-Group, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wayne Dawson
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jan Pergl
- Department of Invasion Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Pyšek
- Department of Invasion Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Charles Department of Ecology, University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Mark van Kleunen
- Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
| | - Patrick Weigelt
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andy Purvis
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdoms
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19
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Stouffer PC, Jirinec V, Rutt CL, Bierregaard RO, Hernández-Palma A, Johnson EI, Midway SR, Powell LL, Wolfe JD, Lovejoy TE. Long-term change in the avifauna of undisturbed Amazonian rainforest: ground-foraging birds disappear and the baseline shifts. Ecol Lett 2020; 24:186-195. [PMID: 33103837 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
How are rainforest birds faring in the Anthropocene? We use bird captures spanning > 35 years from 55 sites within a vast area of intact Amazonian rainforest to reveal reduced abundance of terrestrial and near-ground insectivores in the absence of deforestation, edge effects or other direct anthropogenic landscape change. Because undisturbed forest includes far fewer terrestrial and near-ground insectivores than it did historically, today's fragments and second growth are more impoverished than shown by comparisons with modern 'control' sites. Any goals for bird community recovery in Amazonian second growth should recognise that a modern bird community will inevitably differ from a baseline from > 35 years ago. Abundance patterns driven by landscape change may be the most conspicuous manifestation of human activity, but biodiversity declines in undisturbed forest represent hidden losses, possibly driven by climate change, that may be pervasive in intact Amazonian forests and other systems considered to be undisturbed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip C Stouffer
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.,Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, 69011, Brazil
| | - Vitek Jirinec
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.,Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, 69011, Brazil
| | - Cameron L Rutt
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.,Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, 69011, Brazil.,Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA
| | - Richard O Bierregaard
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, 69011, Brazil
| | - Angélica Hernández-Palma
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.,Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, 69011, Brazil.,Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Avenida Paseo Bolívar 16-20, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia
| | - Erik I Johnson
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.,Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, 69011, Brazil.,National Audubon Society, 5615 Corporate Blvd. #600b, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808, USA
| | - Stephen R Midway
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Luke L Powell
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.,Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, 69011, Brazil.,School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Jared D Wolfe
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.,Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, 69011, Brazil.,College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA
| | - Thomas E Lovejoy
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, 69011, Brazil.,Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030-4444, USA
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20
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Extent, intensity and drivers of mammal defaunation: a continental-scale analysis across the Neotropics. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14750. [PMID: 32934299 PMCID: PMC7492218 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72010-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neotropical mammal diversity is currently threatened by several chronic human-induced pressures. We compiled 1,029 contemporary mammal assemblages surveyed across the Neotropics to quantify the continental-scale extent and intensity of defaunation and understand their determinants based on environmental covariates. We calculated a local defaunation index for all assemblages—adjusted by a false-absence ratio—which was examined using structural equation models. We propose a hunting index based on socioenvironmental co-variables that either intensify or inhibit hunting, which we used as an additional predictor of defaunation. Mammal defaunation intensity across the Neotropics on average erased 56.5% of the local source fauna, with ungulates comprising the most ubiquitous losses. The extent of defaunation is widespread, but more incipient in hitherto relatively intact major biomes that are rapidly succumbing to encroaching deforestation frontiers. Assemblage-wide mammal body mass distribution was greatly reduced from a historical 95th-percentile of ~ 14 kg to only ~ 4 kg in modern assemblages. Defaunation and depletion of large-bodied species were primarily driven by hunting pressure and remaining habitat area. Our findings can inform guidelines to design transnational conservation policies to safeguard native vertebrates, and ensure that the “empty ecosystem” syndrome will be deterred from reaching much of the New World tropics.
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21
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Rare and common vertebrates span a wide spectrum of population trends. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4394. [PMID: 32879314 PMCID: PMC7468135 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17779-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The Earth’s biota is changing over time in complex ways. A critical challenge is to test whether specific biomes, taxa or types of species benefit or suffer in a time of accelerating global change. We analysed nearly 10,000 abundance time series from over 2000 vertebrate species part of the Living Planet Database. We integrated abundance data with information on geographic range, habitat preference, taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships, and IUCN Red List Categories and threats. We find that 15% of populations declined, 18% increased, and 67% showed no net changes over time. Against a backdrop of no biogeographic and phylogenetic patterning in population change, we uncover a distinct taxonomic signal. Amphibians were the only taxa that experienced net declines in the analysed data, while birds, mammals and reptiles experienced net increases. Population trends were poorly captured by species’ rarity and global-scale threats. Incorporation of the full spectrum of population change will improve conservation efforts to protect global biodiversity. Conservation biologists often assume that rare (or less abundant) species are more likely to be declining under anthropogenic change. Here, the authors synthesise population trend data for ~2000 animal species to show that population trends cover a wide spectrum of change from losses to gains, which are not related to species rarity.
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22
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Schulze K, Malek Ž, Verburg PH. The Impact of Accounting for Future Wood Production in Global Vertebrate Biodiversity Assessments. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 66:460-475. [PMID: 32627082 PMCID: PMC7434756 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-020-01322-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Forests are among the most species rich habitats and the way they are managed influences their capacity to protect biodiversity. To fulfill increasing wood demands in the future, planted and non-planted wood production will need to expand. While biodiversity assessments usually focus on the impacts of deforestation, the effects of wood harvest are mostly not considered, especially not in a spatially explicit manner. We present here a global approach to refine the representation of forest management through allocating future wood production to planted and non-planted forests. Wood production, following wood consumption projections of three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, was allocated using likelihood maps for planted and production forests. On a global scale, plantations for wood production were projected to increase by 45-65% and harvested area in non-planted forests by 1-17%. The biodiversity impacts of changes in wood production patterns were estimated by applying two commonly used indicators: (1) changes in species richness and (2) changes in habitat-suitable ranges of single species. The impact was analyzed using forest cover changes as reference. Our results show that, although forest cover changes have the largest impact on biodiversity, changes in wood production also have a significant effect. The magnitude of impacts caused by changes of wood production substantially differs by region and taxa. Given the importance of forest production changes in net negative emission pathways, more focus should be put on assessing the effects of future changes in wood production patterns as part of overall land use change impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Schulze
- Department of Environmental Geography, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1111, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Žiga Malek
- Department of Environmental Geography, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1111, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Peter H Verburg
- Department of Environmental Geography, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1111, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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23
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Moreira LFB, Castilhos HZ, Castroviejo‐Fisher S. Something is not quite right: Effects of two land uses on anuran diversity in subtropical grasslands. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Felipe Bairos Moreira
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências UFMT—Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiabá Brazil
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24
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Marian F, Ramírez Castillo P, Iñiguez Armijos C, Günter S, Maraun M, Scheu S. Conversion of Andean montane forests into plantations: Effects on soil characteristics, microorganisms, and microarthropods. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Franca Marian
- JFB Institute of Zoology and Anthropology University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Pablo Ramírez Castillo
- Laboratorio de Ecología Tropical y Servicios Ecosistémicos (EcoSs‐Lab) Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) Loja Ecuador
| | - Carlos Iñiguez Armijos
- Laboratorio de Ecología Tropical y Servicios Ecosistémicos (EcoSs‐Lab) Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) Loja Ecuador
| | - Sven Günter
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Sciences Institute of Silviculture TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan Technische Universität München Freising Germany
- Thünen Institute of International Forestry and Forest Economics Hamburg Germany
| | - Mark Maraun
- JFB Institute of Zoology and Anthropology University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- JFB Institute of Zoology and Anthropology University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
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25
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Torppa KA, Wirta H, Hanski I. Unexpectedly diverse forest dung beetle communities in degraded rain forest landscapes in Madagascar. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kaisa Anneli Torppa
- Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala Sweden
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Helena Wirta
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Ilkka Hanski
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
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26
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Van de Perre F, Leirs H, Cigar J, Gambalemoke Mbalitini S, Mukinzi Itoka JC, Verheyen E. Shrews (Soricidae) of the lowland forests around Kisangani (DR Congo). Biodivers Data J 2019; 7:e46948. [PMID: 31885462 PMCID: PMC6934628 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.7.e46948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Congo Basin rainforest is the second largest rainforest in the world and one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. Nevertheless, the Congo Basin biodiversity remains to be fully mapped, with many species awaiting discovery or official description. In recent years, much effort has been put into research on shrews (Soricidae), particularly in the region around Kisangani (D.R. Congo). Shrews are opportunistic feeders that are able to forage on a large diversity of invertebrate prey and therefore play an important role in the forest ecosystem. Furthermore, as they largely depend on forest habitats and have limited dispersal capacities, shrews form an interesting model group to study biogeographic patterns in the Congo Basin. NEW INFORMATION This paper collates the efforts on shrew research from the wider region around Kisangani, in the centre of the Congo Basin. Apart from sampling information, the dataset includes morphological measures, DNA sequences and photographs. This dataset is therefore critical in the study of the taxonomy and ecology of Soricidae in the Congo Basin lowland rainforests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederik Van de Perre
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology Group, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Herwig Leirs
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology Group, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Julien Cigar
- Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Brussels, BelgiumBelgian Biodiversity PlatformBrusselsBelgium
| | - Sylvestre Gambalemoke Mbalitini
- Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the CongoCentre de Surveillance de la BiodiversitéKisanganiDemocratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Jean-Claude Mukinzi Itoka
- Faculté des Sciences, UNIKIS, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the CongoFaculté des Sciences, UNIKISKisanganiDemocratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Erik Verheyen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology Group, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural SciencesBrusselsBelgium
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27
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Abstract
Global tree cover products are widely used in analyses of deforestation, fragmentation, and connectivity, but are rarely critically assessed. Inaccuracies in these products could have consequences for future decision making, especially in data-poor regions like the tropics. In this study, potential biases in global and regional tree cover products were assessed across a diverse tropical country, Costa Rica. Two global tree cover products and one regional national forest cover map were evaluated along biophysical gradients in elevation, precipitation, and agricultural land cover. To quantify product accuracy and bias, freely available high-resolution imagery was used to validate tree and land cover across these gradients. Although the regional forest cover map was comparable in accuracy to a widely-used global forest map (the Global Forest Change of Hansen et al., also known as the GFC), another global forest map (derived from a cropland dataset) had the highest accuracy. Both global and regional forest cover products showed small to severe biases along biophysical gradients. Unlike the regional map, the global GFC map strongly underestimated tree cover (>10% difference) below 189 mm of precipitation and at elevations above 2000 m, with a larger bias for precipitation. All map products misclassified agricultural fields as forest, but the GFC product particularly misclassified row crops and perennial erect crops (banana, oil palm, and coffee), with maximum tree cover in agricultural fields of 89%–100% across all crops. Our analysis calls into further question the utility of the GFC product for global forest monitoring outside humid regions, indicating that, in tropical regions, the GFC product is most accurate in areas with high, aseasonal rainfall, low relief, and low cropland area. Given that forest product errors are spatially distributed along biophysical gradients, researchers should account for these spatial biases when attempting to analyze or generate forest map products.
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Veras DS, Castro ER, Lustosa GS, de Azevêdo CAS, Juen L. Evaluating the habitat integrity index as a potential surrogate for monitoring the water quality of streams in the cerrado-caatinga ecotone in northern Brazil. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2019; 191:562. [PMID: 31410581 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7667-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Human activities have long been altering the natural conditions of streams, including the quality of their water, throughout most of Brazil. This problem is even worse in regions with low rainfall levels, such as the Brazilian Northeast, where water quality needs to be monitored more carefully. In this context, the present study investigated the effects of environmental integrity on the physicochemical characteristics of the streams of the basin of the Itapecuru River in northeastern Brazil. We tested the hypothesis that streams with lower habitat integrity would have higher conductivity, pH, and temperature, due to the reduced input of allochthonous organic matter and the greater washout of sediments to the stream bed. A total of 15 streams, of a sedimentary basin, were evaluated in the municipality of Caxias, in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, between June 2015, and July 2016; each stream was sampled once a month during the drought period in the region, where physicochemical measurements were taken to determine the environmental integrity of the stream through the application of a habitat integrity index. Streams with greater habitat integrity had lower conductivity, pH, and temperature and had higher discharge rates. The index proved to be not an effective tool for the evaluation of water quality, but was found to be important for the management of hydrographic basins by indicating important changes in environmental variables. In this case, the index can be used primarily for the management of hydrographic basins, given that it can be applied straightforwardly, it can be interpreted easily by decision-makers, and it can quantify alterations to the structure of the system with precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Silas Veras
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade, Ambiente e Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil.
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Comunidades e Limnologia, Instituto Federal do Maranhão, Campus Caxias, Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil.
| | - Elizete Ribeiro Castro
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade, Ambiente e Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil
- Laboratório de Entomologia Aquática, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Campus Caxias, Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Santana Lustosa
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Comunidades e Limnologia, Instituto Federal do Maranhão, Campus Caxias, Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Carlos Augusto Silva de Azevêdo
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade, Ambiente e Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil
- Laboratório de Entomologia Aquática, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Campus Caxias, Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Leandro Juen
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservacão, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
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Dietary resource overlap among three species of frugivorous bat in Costa Rica. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467419000129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe maintenance of biodiversity in tropical forests is thought to be dependent on fine-scale mechanisms of niche partitioning that allow species to coexist. This study examined whether three species of short-tailed fruit bat that co-occur at a lowland tropical forest site in Costa Rica (Carollia castanea, C. perspicillata, C. sowelli) avoid inter- and intraspecific competition through dietary specialization on species in the genus Piper. First, dietary composition was examined using faecal samples (N = 210), which yielded three main findings: (1) bat species and sexes vary in overall reliance on fruits of Piper, with a higher percentage of seeds of Piper detected in the diets of C. castanea (98.2%) and females (91.5%); (2) adults and juveniles partition species of Piper by habitat, with a lower percentage of mid- to late-successional species of Piper detected in adults (20.8%); and (3) overall, there is a strong dietary overlap among and within the three species of Carollia. Second, controlled choice experiments were conducted with individual bats (N = 123) to examine preferences for different species of Piper. These results indicated few differences in Piper preference based on bat species, sex, age class or reproductive status, suggesting preference is not the primary mechanism shaping the observed differences in dietary composition. Overall, the dietary composition and preference similarities suggest there is strong competition both among and within the three species of Carollia for food resources.
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30
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Climate and land-use change homogenise terrestrial biodiversity, with consequences for ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Emerg Top Life Sci 2019; 3:207-219. [DOI: 10.1042/etls20180135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Biodiversity continues to decline under the effect of multiple human pressures. We give a brief overview of the main pressures on biodiversity, before focusing on the two that have a predominant effect: land-use and climate change. We discuss how interactions between land-use and climate change in terrestrial systems are likely to have greater impacts than expected when only considering these pressures in isolation. Understanding biodiversity changes is complicated by the fact that such changes are likely to be uneven among different geographic regions and species. We review the evidence for variation in terrestrial biodiversity changes, relating differences among species to key ecological characteristics, and explaining how disproportionate impacts on certain species are leading to a spatial homogenisation of ecological communities. Finally, we explain how the overall losses and homogenisation of biodiversity, and the larger impacts upon certain types of species, are likely to lead to strong negative consequences for the functioning of ecosystems, and consequently for human well-being.
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31
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Newbold
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
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32
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Gutierrez BL, Almeyda Zambrano AM, Almeyda Zambrano SL, Quispe Gil CA, Bohlman S, Avellan Arias E, Mulder G, Ols C, Dirzo R, DeLuycker AM, Lewis K, Broadbent EN. An island of wildlife in a human-dominated landscape: The last fragment of primary forest on the Osa Peninsula's Golfo Dulce coastline, Costa Rica. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0214390. [PMID: 30913255 PMCID: PMC6435143 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat loss and fragmentation, together with related edge effects, are the primary cause of global biodiversity decline. Despite a large amount of research quantifying and demonstrating the degree of these effects, particularly in top predators and their prey, most fragmented patches are lost before their conservation value is recognized. This study evaluates terrestrial vertebrates in Playa Sandalo, in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, which represents the last patch of "primary" forest in the most developed part of this region. Our study indicates that the diversity of ground species detected within Playa Sandalo rival other areas under active conservation like Lapa Rios Ecolodge. Historical fragmentation, together with the maintenance of forest cover in isolated conditions, are potentially responsible for the species composition observed within Playa Sandalo; facilitating the development of a prey-predator system including ocelots, medium-size mammals, and birds at the top of the trophic chain. The high diversity of both habitat and vertebrates, its prime location and cultural value, as well as its unique marine importance represent the ideal conditions for conservation. Conservation of Playa Sandalo, and other small tropical forest remnants, might represent the only management option for wildlife conservation within ever growing human-dominated landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Lopez Gutierrez
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Angélica M. Almeyda Zambrano
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, Department of Tourism, Recreation & Sport Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Sandra L. Almeyda Zambrano
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Carlos A. Quispe Gil
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Stephanie Bohlman
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | | | | | - Clare Ols
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Anneke M. DeLuycker
- Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, George Mason University, Washington D.C., United States of America
| | - Karen Lewis
- Lapa Rios Ecolodge, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
| | - Eben N. Broadbent
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
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Purvis A, Newbold T, De Palma A, Contu S, Hill SL, Sanchez-Ortiz K, Phillips HR, Hudson LN, Lysenko I, Börger L, Scharlemann JP. Modelling and Projecting the Response of Local Terrestrial Biodiversity Worldwide to Land Use and Related Pressures: The PREDICTS Project. ADV ECOL RES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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