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Silva BL, Guterres APM, Santana SS, Cunha EJ, Juen L. The loss of riparian vegetation along streams causes morphological divergences in functional traits of semiaquatic insects (Heteropteran: Gerromorpha) in the eastern Amazon. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:914. [PMID: 39254814 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-13056-5] [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: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the effects of mining activities on Amazonian streams and their impact on aquatic communities is of paramount importance in the current context of resource overexploitation in society. In this study, we assessed the significance of the environment and interspecific interactions on the organization patterns of semiaquatic insect species in a mineral extraction region in the eastern Amazon. We utilized the morpho functional characteristics of 22 species from the suborder Gerromorpha (Heteropteran), considering both the abundance and sexual dimorphism of these species. Additionally, we quantified the density of riparian vegetation surrounding each stream to categorize sampling points and evaluate whether there are differences in species distribution patterns among categories. We sampled 16 sites, categorized into two treatments based on the percentage of riparian vegetation in forested and deforested areas located in the Capim River Basin. We did not find the action of environmental filters on the total assembly; however, we found significant morphological divergence for all the traits analyzed. On the other hand, the separation of streams into treatments with different portions of riparian vegetation showed that there are significant differences between them regarding species distribution patterns. Forested streams within a 500-m radius have species distributed over a larger area, indicating that these streams have greater resource availability or that species can use these resources more efficiently. Our results demonstrate the importance of riparian vegetation for the studied communities, as well as for mitigating the impacts caused by mining activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Luz Silva
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil.
| | | | - Sol Silva Santana
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | | | - Leandro Juen
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
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Cooke SJ, Madliger CL, Lennox RJ, Olden JD, Eliason EJ, Cramp RL, Fuller A, Franklin CE, Seebacher F. Biological mechanisms matter in contemporary wildlife conservation. iScience 2023; 26:106192. [PMID: 36895647 PMCID: PMC9988666 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Given limited resources for wildlife conservation paired with an urgency to halt declines and rebuild populations, it is imperative that management actions are tactical and effective. Mechanisms are about how a system works and can inform threat identification and mitigation such that conservation actions that work can be identified. Here, we call for a more mechanistic approach to wildlife conservation and management where behavioral and physiological tools and knowledge are used to characterize drivers of decline, identify environmental thresholds, reveal strategies that would restore populations, and prioritize conservation actions. With a growing toolbox for doing mechanistic conservation research as well as a suite of decision-support tools (e.g., mechanistic models), the time is now to fully embrace the concept that mechanisms matter in conservation ensuring that management actions are tactical and focus on actions that have the potential to directly benefit and restore wildlife populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
- Corresponding author
| | - Christine L. Madliger
- Department of Biology, Algoma University, 1520 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2G4, Canada
| | - Robert J. Lennox
- Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 5008 Bergen, Norway
| | - Julian D. Olden
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5020, USA
| | - Erika J. Eliason
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Rebecca L. Cramp
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Andrea Fuller
- Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, South Africa
| | - Craig E. Franklin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Frank Seebacher
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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