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Santana-Cordero AM, Szabó P, Bürgi M, Armstrong CG. The practice of historical ecology: What, when, where, how and what for. AMBIO 2024; 53:664-677. [PMID: 38441861 PMCID: PMC10992833 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-01981-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
In recent decades, there has been a growing number of studies exploring the historical dimensions of the interconnectedness of human societies and the environment. A core approach in this field is historical ecology. We analyzed 544 historical-ecological papers to assess patterns and trends in the field. We found a high degree of interdisciplinarity with a focus on local case studies, of periods of fewer than 500 years, analyzing archival sources through quantitative approaches. The proportion of papers containing management recommendations has increased over time. To make historical ecology globally relevant, more effort should be made to utilize studies across languages, borders and worldviews. We call for high standards regarding the use of social scientific methodologies. Lastly, we argue that fostering longer-term studies and assessing the real-life impact of policy recommendations emerging from historical ecology can help the discipline better contribute solutions to the challenges facing humanity in an uncertain future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarón Moisés Santana-Cordero
- Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Salamanca, Calle Cervantes s/n, 37001, Salamanca, Spain.
- Grupo Geografía, Medio Ambiente y Tecnologías de la Información Geográfica, Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, IOCAG, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, ULPGC, Parque Científico Tecnológico, Taliarte, 35214, Telde, Spain.
| | - Péter Szabó
- Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, 60200, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Joštova 10, 60200, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Matthias Bürgi
- Research Unit Land Change Science, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Geography, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Chelsey Geralda Armstrong
- Indigenous Studies, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
- Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
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2
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Evcin Ö. Can highway tunnel constructıon change the habitat selection of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758)? ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:1410. [PMID: 37922036 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12003-0] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
One of the main things wildlife does for survival is movement. Wild animals need movement to meet their needs, such as reproduction, breeding, foraging, and dispersal. Although wildlife species use roads for various purposes, they also use them when moving from one habitat to another. In recent years, especially when it comes to habitat fragmentation brought about by urbanization, wild animals frequently use highways. Highways have a wide range of effects on factors such as biodiversity, wildlife, and ecology. Roads can cause habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and habitat degradation; alter the composition of vegetation; act as barriers to the flow of genes and movement; increase human access to pristine areas; and even increase the risk of extinction for many threatened species. Species belonging to the family Cervidae also include the species most affected by road networks. Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758) is the smallest of the 3 Cervid species living in Turkey. Roe deer are often injured or die in road accidents, and they are one of the most important species affected by the adverse effects of roads in Turkey. For this reason, it was investigated whether the road tunnel construction affected the distribution of roe deer in the region. In the study, the general distribution of roe deer in the Ilgaz Mountain, and the factors affecting their possible distribution were determined by ecological niche modeling. Data were taken between before (2012-2015) and after the highway tunnel built (2020-2022) in Ilgaz Mountain, which connects the Western Black Sea and Central Anatolia and is located in the middle of Kastamonu and Çankırı provinces. As a result of the modeling, it was found that before the construction of the tunnel, the most influential factor in the distribution of the deer was road density. After the tunnel construction, roads ceased to be the main factor affecting the distribution of the species. This study showed that roe deer are disturbed by the density of vehicles on the road passing through the middle of their habitat. With the decrease in the number of vehicles, they are more willing to cross the road and tend to use the areas close to the road as they are less disturbed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özkan Evcin
- Dept. of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, Kastamonu University, 37150, Kuzeykent, Kastamonu, Turkey.
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3
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Scheele BC, Heard GW, Cardillo M, Duncan RP, Gillespie GR, Hoskin CJ, Mahony M, Newell D, Rowley JJL, Sopniewski J. An invasive pathogen drives directional niche contractions in amphibians. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1682-1692. [PMID: 37550511 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02155-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Global change is causing an unprecedented restructuring of ecosystems, with the spread of invasive species being a key driver. While population declines of native species due to invasives are well documented, much less is known about whether new biotic interactions reshape niches of native species. Here we quantify geographic range and realized-niche contractions in Australian frog species following the introduction of amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a pathogen responsible for catastrophic amphibian declines worldwide. We show that chytrid-impacted species experienced proportionately greater contractions in niche breadth than geographic distribution following chytrid emergence. Furthermore, niche contractions were directional, with contemporary distributions of chytrid-impacted species characterized by higher temperatures, lower diurnal temperature range, higher precipitation and lower elevations. Areas with these conditions may enable host persistence with chytrid through lower pathogenicity of the fungus and/or greater demographic resilience. Nevertheless, contraction to a narrower subset of environmental conditions could increase host vulnerability to other threatening processes and should be considered in assessments of extinction risk and during conservation planning. More broadly, our results emphasize that biotic interactions can strongly shape species realized niches and that large-scale niche contractions due to new species interactions-particularly emerging pathogens-could be widespread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben C Scheele
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
- Macroevolution and Macroecology Group, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
| | - Geoffrey W Heard
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network and Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Marcel Cardillo
- Macroevolution and Macroecology Group, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Richard P Duncan
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Graeme R Gillespie
- Science, Economics and Insights Division, Department of Planning and Environment, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Conrad J Hoskin
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael Mahony
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David Newell
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jodi J L Rowley
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Ecosystem Science; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jarrod Sopniewski
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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4
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Boast AP, Wood JR, Bolstridge N, Perry GLW, Wilmshurst JM. Ancient and modern scats record broken ecological interactions and a decline in dietary breadth of the critically endangered kākāpō parrot (Strigops habroptilus). Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1058130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Threatened animal taxa are often absent from most of their original habitats, meaning their ecological niche cannot be fully captured by contemporary data alone. Although DNA metabarcoding of scats and coprolites (palaeofaeces) can identify the past and present species interactions of their depositors, the usefulness of coprolites in conservation biology is untested as few endangered taxa have known coprolite records. Here, we perform multilocus metabarcoding sequencing and palynological analysis of dietary plants of >100 coprolites (estimated to date from c. 400–1900 A.D.) and > 100 frozen scats (dating c. 1950 A.D. to present) of the critically endangered, flightless, herbivorous kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), a species that disappeared from its natural range in Aotearoa-New Zealand (NZ) after the 13th C. A.D. We identify 24 orders, 56 families and 67 native plant genera unrecorded in modern kākāpō diets (increases of 69, 108 and 75% respectively). We found that southern beeches (Nothofagaceae), which are important canopy-forming trees and not an important kākāpō food today, dominated kākāpō diets in upland (c. >900 m elevation) habitats. We also found that kākāpō frequently consumed hemiparasitic mistletoes (Loranthaceae) and the holoparasitic wood rose (Dactylanthus taylorii), taxa which are nutrient rich, and now threatened by mammalian herbivory and a paucity of dispersers and pollinators. No single dataset or gene identified all taxa in our dataset, demonstrating the value of multiproxy or multigene datasets in studies of animal diets. Our results highlight how contemporary data may considerably underestimate the full dietary breadth of threatened species and demonstrate the potential value of coprolite analysis in conservation biology.
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Ecological marginalization is widespread and increases extinction risk in mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2205315120. [PMID: 36623195 PMCID: PMC9934025 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205315120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Human land-use results in widespread range change across taxa. Anthropogenic pressures can result in species' realized niches expanding, shifting, or contracting. Marginalization occurs when contraction constrains species to the geographic or ecological extremes of their historic niche. Using 4,785 terrestrial mammal species, we show that range contraction results in niche space and habitat diversity loss. Additionally, ecological marginalization is a common consequence of range contraction caused by human land use change. Remnant populations become located in the climatic and topographic extremes of their historic niche that are more likely to be at the periphery of their historic niche at greater distances from historic niche centroids. This ecological marginalization is associated with poor performance and increased extinction risk independent of geographic range loss. Range loss and marginalization may create a "double whammy" in vulnerable groups, such as large-bodied species and species with small geographical range size. Our results reveal a hitherto unrecognized conservation threat that is vital to incorporate into conservation assessment and management.
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Lundgren EJ, Ramp D, Middleton OS, Wooster EIF, Kusch E, Balisi M, Ripple WJ, Hasselerharm CD, Sanchez JN, Mills M, Wallach AD. A novel trophic cascade between cougars and feral donkeys shapes desert wetlands. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:2348-2357. [PMID: 35871769 PMCID: PMC10087508 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Introduced large herbivores have partly filled ecological gaps formed in the late Pleistocene, when many of the Earth's megafauna were driven extinct. However, extant predators are generally considered incapable of exerting top-down influences on introduced megafauna, leading to unusually strong disturbance and herbivory relative to native herbivores. We report on the first documented predation of juvenile feral donkeys Equus africanus asinus by cougars Puma concolor in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of North America. We then investigated how cougar predation corresponds with differences in feral donkey behaviour and associated effects on desert wetlands. Focusing on a feral donkey population in the Death Valley National Park, we used camera traps and vegetation surveys to compare donkey activity patterns and impacts between wetlands with and without cougar predation. Donkeys were primarily diurnal at wetlands with cougar predation, thereby avoiding cougars. However, donkeys were active throughout the day and night at sites without predation. Donkeys were ~87% less active (measured as hours of activity a day) at wetlands with predation (p < 0.0001). Sites with predation had reduced donkey disturbance and herbivory, including ~46% fewer access trails, 43% less trampled bare ground and 192% more canopy cover (PERMANOVA, R2 = 0.22, p = 0.0003). Our study is the first to reveal a trophic cascade involving cougars, feral equids and vegetation. Cougar predation appears to rewire an ancient food web, with diverse implications for modern ecosystems. Our results suggest that protecting apex predators could have important implications for the ecological effects of introduced megafauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erick J Lundgren
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | | | - Eamonn I F Wooster
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Erik Kusch
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Mairin Balisi
- La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, Claremont, CA, USA
| | - William J Ripple
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Chris D Hasselerharm
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jessica N Sanchez
- One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Mystyn Mills
- Department of Botany & Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Arian D Wallach
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
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7
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Pimiento C, Antonelli A. Integrating deep-time palaeontology in conservation prioritisation. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.959364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Halting biodiversity loss under growing anthropogenic pressure is arguably the greatest environmental challenge we face. Given that not all species are equally threatened and that resources are always limited, establishing robust prioritisation schemes is critical for implementing effective conservation actions. To this end, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species has become a widely used source of information on species’ extinction risk. Various metrics have been proposed that combine IUCN status with different aspects of biodiversity to identify conservation priorities. However, current strategies do not take full advantage of palaeontological data, with conservation palaeobiology often focussing on the near-time fossil record (the last 2 million years). Here, we make a case for the value of the deep-time (over 2 million years ago), as it can offer tangible parallels with today’s biodiversity crisis and inform on the intrinsic traits that make species prone to extinction. As such, palaeontological data holds great predictive power, which could be harnessed to flag species likely to be threatened but that are currently too poorly known to be identified as such. Finally, we identify key IUCN-based prioritisation metrics and outline opportunities for integrating palaeontological data to validate their implementation. Although the human signal of the current extinction crisis makes direct comparisons with the geological past challenging, the deep-time fossil record has more to offer to conservation than is currently recognised.
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8
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Sales LP, Galetti M, Carnaval A, Monsarrat S, Svenning JC, Pires MM. The effect of past defaunation on ranges, niches, and future biodiversity forecasts. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:3683-3693. [PMID: 35246902 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Humans have reshaped the distribution of biodiversity across the globe, extirpating species from regions otherwise suitable and restricting populations to a subset of their original ranges. Here, we ask if anthropogenic range contractions since the Late Pleistocene led to an under-representation of the realized niches for megafauna, an emblematic group of taxa often targeted for restoration actions. Using reconstructions of past geographic distributions (i.e., natural ranges) for 146 extant terrestrial large-bodied (>44 kg) mammals, we estimate their climatic niches as if they had retained their original distributions and evaluate their observed niche dynamics. We found that range contractions led to a sizeable under-representation of the realized niches of several species (i.e., niche unfilling). For 29 species, more than 10% of the environmental space once seen in their natural ranges has been lost due to anthropogenic activity, with at least 12 species undergoing reductions of more than 50% of their realized niches. Eighteen species may now be confined to low-suitability locations, where fitness and abundance are likely diminished; we consider these taxa 'climatic refugees'. For those species, conservation strategies supported by current ranges risk being misguided if current, suboptimal habitats are considered baseline for future restoration actions. Because most climate-based biodiversity forecasts rely exclusively on current occurrence records, we went on to test the effect of neglecting historical information on estimates of species' potential distribution - as a proxy of sensitivity to climate change. We found that niche unfilling driven by past range contraction leads to an overestimation of sensitivity to future climatic change, resulting in 50% higher rates of global extinction, and underestimating the potential for megafauna conservation and restoration under future climate change. In conclusion, range contractions since the Late Pleistocene have also left imprints on megafauna realized climatic niches. Therefore, niche truncation driven by defaunation can directly affect climate and habitat-based conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilian P Sales
- Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mauro Galetti
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
- Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
| | - Ana Carnaval
- Department of Biology and Biology Ph.D. Program, The Graduate Center of CUNY, The City University of New York, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Sophie Monsarrat
- Department of Biology, Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Department of Biology, Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mathias M Pires
- Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
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9
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Kerley GIH, Monsarrat S. Shifted models cannot be used for predicting responses of biodiversity to global change: the African elephant as an example. AFRICAN ZOOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2022.2053883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Graham IH Kerley
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa
| | - Sophie Monsarrat
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) & Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus City, Denmark
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10
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Pomoim N, Hughes AC, Trisurat Y, Corlett RT. Vulnerability to climate change of species in protected areas in Thailand. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5705. [PMID: 35383264 PMCID: PMC8983663 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09767-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Although 23% of Thailand’s land is in protected areas, these are vulnerable to climate change. We used spatial distribution modelling for 866 vertebrate and 591 plant species to understand potential climate change impacts on species in protected areas. Most mammals, birds, and plants were projected to decline by 2070, but most amphibians and reptiles were projected to increase. By 2070 under RCP8.5, 54% of modeled species will be threatened and 11 nationally extinct. However, SDMs are sensitive to truncation of the climate space currently occupied by habitat loss and hunting, and apparent truncation by data limitations. In Thailand, lowland forest clearance has biased records for forest-dependent species to cooler uplands (> 250 m a.s.l.) and hunting has confined larger vertebrates to well-protected areas. In contrast, available data is biased towards lowland non-forest taxa for amphibians and reptiles. Niche truncation may therefore have resulted in overestimation of vulnerability for some mammal and plant species, while data limitations have likely led to underestimation of the threat to forest-dependent amphibians and reptiles. In view of the certainty of climate change but the many uncertainties regarding biological responses, we recommend regular, long-term monitoring of species and communities to detect early signals of climate change impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirunrut Pomoim
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Alice C Hughes
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, China.,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, China
| | | | - Richard T Corlett
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, China. .,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, China.
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11
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Charytanowicz M, Perzanowski K, Januszczak M, Wołoszyn-Gałęza A, Kulczycki P. Habitat suitability for wisents in the Carpathians – a model based on presence only data. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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12
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Sigler K, Warren D, Tracy B, Forrestel E, Hogue G, Dornburg A. Assessing temporal biases across aggregated historical spatial data: a case study of North Carolina’s freshwater fishes. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kyra Sigler
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh North Carolina 27601 USA
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695 USA
| | - Dan Warren
- Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Okinawa Japan
| | - Bryn Tracy
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh North Carolina 27601 USA
| | - Elisabeth Forrestel
- Department of Viticulture and Enology University of California Davis California 95616 USA
| | - Gabriela Hogue
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh North Carolina 27601 USA
| | - Alex Dornburg
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics University of North Carolina Charlotte Charlotte North Carolina 28223 USA
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13
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Andres SE, Powell JR, Emery NJ, Rymer PD, Gallagher RV. Does threatened species listing status predict climate change risk? A case study with Australian Persoonia (Proteaceae) species. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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14
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Barela I, Burger LM, Taylor J, Evans KO, Ogawa R, McClintic L, Wang G. Relationships between survival and habitat suitability of semi-aquatic mammals. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:4867-4875. [PMID: 32551067 PMCID: PMC7297760 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial distribution and habitat selection are integral to the study of animal ecology. Habitat selection may optimize the fitness of individuals. Hutchinsonian niche theory posits the fundamental niche of species would support the persistence or growth of populations. Although niche-based species distribution models (SDMs) and habitat suitability models (HSMs) such as maximum entropy (Maxent) have demonstrated fair to excellent predictive power, few studies have linked the prediction of HSMs to demographic rates. We aimed to test the prediction of Hutchinsonian niche theory that habitat suitability (i.e., likelihood of occurrence) would be positively related to survival of American beaver (Castor canadensis), a North American semi-aquatic, herbivorous, habitat generalist. We also tested the prediction of ideal free distribution that animal fitness, or its surrogate, is independent of habitat suitability at the equilibrium. We estimated beaver monthly survival probability using the Barker model and radio telemetry data collected in northern Alabama, United States from January 2011 to April 2012. A habitat suitability map was generated with Maxent for the entire study site using landscape variables derived from the 2011 National Land Cover Database (30-m resolution). We found an inverse relationship between habitat suitability index and beaver survival, contradicting the predictions of niche theory and ideal free distribution. Furthermore, four landscape variables selected by American beaver did not predict survival. The beaver population on our study site has been established for 20 or more years and, subsequently, may be approaching or have reached the carrying capacity. Maxent-predicted increases in habitat use and subsequent intraspecific competition may have reduced beaver survival. Habitat suitability-fitness relationships may be complex and, in part, contingent upon local animal abundance. Future studies of mechanistic SDMs incorporating local abundance and demographic rates are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isidro Barela
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMSUSA
- Siskiyou County Department of AgricultureYrekaCAUSA
| | - Leslie M. Burger
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMSUSA
| | - Jimmy Taylor
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection ServiceOregon Field StationNational Wildlife Research CenterCorvallisORUSA
| | - Kristine O. Evans
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMSUSA
| | - Ryo Ogawa
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMSUSA
| | - Lance McClintic
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMSUSA
- Present address:
United States Department of AgricultureWest Virginia Farm Service AgencyRomneyWVUSA
| | - Guiming Wang
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMSUSA
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15
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Kerley GIH, Beest M, Cromsigt JPGM, Pauly D, Shultz S. The Protected Area Paradox and refugee species: The giant panda and baselines shifted towards conserving species in marginal habitats. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Graham I. H. Kerley
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela University Port Elizabeth South Africa
| | - Mariska Beest
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela University Port Elizabeth South Africa
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Joris P. G. M. Cromsigt
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela University Port Elizabeth South Africa
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
- Department of Wildlife, Fish & Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - Daniel Pauly
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries The University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Susanne Shultz
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Manchester Manchester UK
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Monsarrat S, Jarvie S, Svenning JC. Anthropocene refugia: integrating history and predictive modelling to assess the space available for biodiversity in a human-dominated world. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190219. [PMID: 31679484 PMCID: PMC6863493 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
During periods of strong environmental change, some areas may serve as refugia, where components of biodiversity can find protection, persist and potentially expand from should conditions again become favourable. The refugia concept has previously been used in the context of climatic change, to describe climatically stable areas in which taxa survived past Quaternary glacial-interglacial oscillations, or where they might persist in the future under anthropogenic climate change. However, with the recognition that Earth has entered the Anthropocene, an era in which human activities are the dominant driving force on ecosystems, it is critical to also consider human pressures on the environment as factors limiting species distributions. Here, we present a novel concept, Anthropocene refugia, to refer to areas that provide spatial and temporal protection from human activities and that will remain suitable for a given taxonomic unit in the long-term. It integrates a deep-time perspective on species biogeography that provides information on the natural rather than current-day relictual distribution of species, with spatial information on modern and future anthropogenic threats. We define the concept and propose a methodology to effectively identify and map realized and potential current and future refugia, using examples for two megafaunal species as a proof of concept. We argue that identifying Anthropocene refugia will improve biodiversity conservation and restoration by allowing better prediction of key areas for conservation and potential for re-expansions today and in the future. More generally, it forms a new conceptual framework to assess and manage the impact of anthropogenic activities on past, current and future patterns of species distributions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Monsarrat
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Scott Jarvie
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Marshall BM, Strine CT. Exploring snake occurrence records: Spatial biases and marginal gains from accessible social media. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8059. [PMID: 31871833 PMCID: PMC6924322 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A species' distribution provides fundamental information on: climatic niche, biogeography, and conservation status. Species distribution models often use occurrence records from biodiversity databases, subject to spatial and taxonomic biases. Deficiencies in occurrence data can lead to incomplete species distribution estimates. We can incorporate other data sources to supplement occurrence datasets. The general public is creating (via GPS-enabled cameras to photograph wildlife) incidental occurrence records that may present an opportunity to improve species distribution models. We investigated (1) occurrence data of a cryptic group of animals: non-marine snakes, in a biodiversity database (Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)) and determined (2) whether incidental occurrence records extracted from geo-tagged social media images (Flickr) could improve distribution models for 18 tropical snake species. We provide R code to search for and extract data from images using Flickr's API. We show the biodiversity database's 302,386 records disproportionately originate from North America, Europe and Oceania (250,063, 82.7%), with substantial gaps in tropical areas that host the highest snake diversity. North America, Europe and Oceania averaged several hundred records per species; whereas Asia, Africa and South America averaged less than 35 per species. Occurrence density showed similar patterns; Asia, Africa and South America have roughly ten-fold fewer records per 100 km2than other regions. Social media provided 44,687 potential records. However, including them in distribution models only marginally impacted niche estimations; niche overlap indices were consistently over 0.9. Similarly, we show negligible differences in Maxent model performance between models trained using GBIF-only and Flickr-supplemented datasets. Model performance appeared dependent on species, rather than number of occurrences or training dataset. We suggest that for tropical snakes, accessible social media currently fails to deliver appreciable benefits for estimating species distributions; but due to the variation between species and the rapid growth in social media data, may still be worth considering in future contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Marshall
- School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
| | - Colin T Strine
- School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
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Turvey ST, Saupe EE. Insights from the past: unique opportunity or foreign country? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190208. [PMID: 31679483 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel T Turvey
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Erin E Saupe
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
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