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Lucas PM, Di Marco M, Cazalis V, Luedtke J, Neam K, Brown MH, Langhammer PF, Mancini G, Santini L. Using comparative extinction risk analysis to prioritize the IUCN Red List reassessments of amphibians. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14316. [PMID: 38946355 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Assessing the extinction risk of species based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (RL) is key to guiding conservation policies and reducing biodiversity loss. This process is resource demanding, however, and requires continuous updating, which becomes increasingly difficult as new species are added to the RL. Automatic methods, such as comparative analyses used to predict species RL category, can be an efficient alternative to keep assessments up to date. Using amphibians as a study group, we predicted which species are more likely to change their RL category and thus should be prioritized for reassessment. We used species biological traits, environmental variables, and proxies of climate and land-use change as predictors of RL category. We produced an ensemble prediction of IUCN RL category for each species by combining 4 different model algorithms: cumulative link models, phylogenetic generalized least squares, random forests, and neural networks. By comparing RL categories with the ensemble prediction and accounting for uncertainty among model algorithms, we identified species that should be prioritized for future reassessment based on the mismatch between predicted and observed values. The most important predicting variables across models were species' range size and spatial configuration of the range, biological traits, climate change, and land-use change. We compared our proposed prioritization index and the predicted RL changes with independent IUCN RL reassessments and found high performance of both the prioritization and the predicted directionality of changes in RL categories. Ensemble modeling of RL category is a promising tool for prioritizing species for reassessment while accounting for models' uncertainty. This approach is broadly applicable to all taxa on the IUCN RL and to regional and national assessments and may improve allocation of the limited human and economic resources available to maintain an up-to-date IUCN RL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Miguel Lucas
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Victor Cazalis
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jennifer Luedtke
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Re:wild, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Kelsey Neam
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Re:wild, Austin, Texas, USA
| | | | | | - Giordano Mancini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Santini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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2
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Ewers RM, Orme CDL, Pearse WD, Zulkifli N, Yvon-Durocher G, Yusah KM, Yoh N, Yeo DCJ, Wong A, Williamson J, Wilkinson CL, Wiederkehr F, Webber BL, Wearn OR, Wai L, Vollans M, Twining JP, Turner EC, Tobias JA, Thorley J, Telford EM, Teh YA, Tan HH, Swinfield T, Svátek M, Struebig M, Stork N, Sleutel J, Slade EM, Sharp A, Shabrani A, Sethi SS, Seaman DJI, Sawang A, Roxby GB, Rowcliffe JM, Rossiter SJ, Riutta T, Rahman H, Qie L, Psomas E, Prairie A, Poznansky F, Pillay R, Picinali L, Pianzin A, Pfeifer M, Parrett JM, Noble CD, Nilus R, Mustaffa N, Mullin KE, Mitchell S, Mckinlay AR, Maunsell S, Matula R, Massam M, Martin S, Malhi Y, Majalap N, Maclean CS, Mackintosh E, Luke SH, Lewis OT, Layfield HJ, Lane-Shaw I, Kueh BH, Kratina P, Konopik O, Kitching R, Kinneen L, Kemp VA, Jotan P, Jones N, Jebrail EW, Hroneš M, Heon SP, Hemprich-Bennett DR, Haysom JK, Harianja MF, Hardwick J, Gregory N, Gray R, Gray REJ, Granville N, Gill R, Fraser A, Foster WA, Folkard-Tapp H, Fletcher RJ, Fikri AH, Fayle TM, Faruk A, Eggleton P, Edwards DP, Drinkwater R, Dow RA, Döbert TF, Didham RK, Dickinson KJM, Deere NJ, de Lorm T, Dawood MM, Davison CW, Davies ZG, Davies RG, Dančák M, Cusack J, Clare EL, Chung A, Chey VK, Chapman PM, Cator L, Carpenter D, Carbone C, Calloway K, Bush ER, Burslem DFRP, Brown KD, Brooks SJ, Brasington E, Brant H, Boyle MJW, Both S, Blackman J, Bishop TR, Bicknell JE, Bernard H, Basrur S, Barclay MVL, Barclay H, Atton G, Ancrenaz M, Aldridge DC, Daniel OZ, Reynolds G, Banks-Leite C. Thresholds for adding degraded tropical forest to the conservation estate. Nature 2024; 631:808-813. [PMID: 39020163 PMCID: PMC11269177 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07657-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Logged and disturbed forests are often viewed as degraded and depauperate environments compared with primary forest. However, they are dynamic ecosystems1 that provide refugia for large amounts of biodiversity2,3, so we cannot afford to underestimate their conservation value4. Here we present empirically defined thresholds for categorizing the conservation value of logged forests, using one of the most comprehensive assessments of taxon responses to habitat degradation in any tropical forest environment. We analysed the impact of logging intensity on the individual occurrence patterns of 1,681 taxa belonging to 86 taxonomic orders and 126 functional groups in Sabah, Malaysia. Our results demonstrate the existence of two conservation-relevant thresholds. First, lightly logged forests (<29% biomass removal) retain high conservation value and a largely intact functional composition, and are therefore likely to recover their pre-logging values if allowed to undergo natural regeneration. Second, the most extreme impacts occur in heavily degraded forests with more than two-thirds (>68%) of their biomass removed, and these are likely to require more expensive measures to recover their biodiversity value. Overall, our data confirm that primary forests are irreplaceable5, but they also reinforce the message that logged forests retain considerable conservation value that should not be overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Ewers
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.
| | - C David L Orme
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - William D Pearse
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Nursyamin Zulkifli
- Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia
| | | | - Kalsum M Yusah
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, London, UK
| | - Natalie Yoh
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Darren C J Yeo
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anna Wong
- Malaysian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Joseph Williamson
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Clare L Wilkinson
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Fabienne Wiederkehr
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Institute of Microbiology, Department of Biology, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bruce L Webber
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Oliver R Wearn
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Fauna & Flora International, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Leona Wai
- Danau Girang Field Centre, Kinabatangan, Malaysia
| | - Maisie Vollans
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Joshua P Twining
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Edgar C Turner
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Zoology, The David Attenborough Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Jack Thorley
- Department of Zoology, The David Attenborough Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Yit Arn Teh
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Heok Hui Tan
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tom Swinfield
- Department of Zoology, The David Attenborough Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Martin Svátek
- Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Matthew Struebig
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Nigel Stork
- Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jani Sleutel
- Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Eleanor M Slade
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Adam Sharp
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Conservation & Fisheries Directorate, Ascension Island Government, Georgetown, St Helena Island
| | - Adi Shabrani
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- WWF-Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Sarab S Sethi
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dave J I Seaman
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Anati Sawang
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, Danum Valley Field Centre, Lahad Datu, Malaysia
- Sabah State Museum, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Gabrielle Briana Roxby
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | | | - Stephen J Rossiter
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Terhi Riutta
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Geography, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Homathevi Rahman
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Lan Qie
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
| | - Elizabeth Psomas
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Oxitec, Abingdon, UK
| | - Aaron Prairie
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Frederica Poznansky
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Rajeev Pillay
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lorenzo Picinali
- Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Annabel Pianzin
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Marion Pfeifer
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | | | - Ciar D Noble
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Reuben Nilus
- Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forestry Department, Sandakan, Malaysia
| | - Nazirah Mustaffa
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Katherine E Mullin
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Simon Mitchell
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Amelia R Mckinlay
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Sarah Maunsell
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Radim Matula
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michael Massam
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Stephanie Martin
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Field Programmes Department, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, La Profonde Rue, Jersey
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Noreen Majalap
- Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forestry Department, Sandakan, Malaysia
| | - Catherine S Maclean
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Emma Mackintosh
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sarah H Luke
- Department of Zoology, The David Attenborough Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Owen T Lewis
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Harry J Layfield
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Isolde Lane-Shaw
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Wood and Forest Science, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
| | - Boon Hee Kueh
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Oliver Konopik
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Roger Kitching
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Lois Kinneen
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Sustainable Land Management, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Victoria A Kemp
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Palasiah Jotan
- Department of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Nick Jones
- Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Evyen W Jebrail
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Michal Hroneš
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Sui Peng Heon
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, Danum Valley Field Centre, Lahad Datu, Malaysia
| | - David R Hemprich-Bennett
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jessica K Haysom
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Martina F Harianja
- Department of Zoology, The David Attenborough Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jane Hardwick
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Marine Resources Unit, Department of Environment, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
| | - Nichar Gregory
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ryan Gray
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, Danum Valley Field Centre, Lahad Datu, Malaysia
| | - Ross E J Gray
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Natasha Granville
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Richard Gill
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Adam Fraser
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - William A Foster
- Department of Zoology, The David Attenborough Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hollie Folkard-Tapp
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Robert J Fletcher
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Arman Hadi Fikri
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Tom M Fayle
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Aisyah Faruk
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Haywards Heath, UK
| | - Paul Eggleton
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum London, London, UK
| | - David P Edwards
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Rosie Drinkwater
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Rory A Dow
- Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
- Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Timm F Döbert
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
- Faculty of Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Raphael K Didham
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Nicolas J Deere
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Tijmen de Lorm
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Mahadimenakbar M Dawood
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Charles W Davison
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Zoe G Davies
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Richard G Davies
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Martin Dančák
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jeremy Cusack
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Okala, London, UK
| | - Elizabeth L Clare
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Arthur Chung
- Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forestry Department, Sandakan, Malaysia
| | - Vun Khen Chey
- Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forestry Department, Sandakan, Malaysia
| | - Philip M Chapman
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- BSG Ecology, Witney, UK
| | - Lauren Cator
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Daniel Carpenter
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum London, London, UK
| | - Chris Carbone
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - Kerry Calloway
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum London, London, UK
| | - Emma R Bush
- Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Keiron D Brown
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum London, London, UK
| | - Stephen J Brooks
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum London, London, UK
| | - Ella Brasington
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Hayley Brant
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Michael J W Boyle
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Sabine Both
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Joshua Blackman
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Tom R Bishop
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jake E Bicknell
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Henry Bernard
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Saloni Basrur
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | | | - Holly Barclay
- School of Science, Monash University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Georgina Atton
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Marc Ancrenaz
- Borneo Futures, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
- Kinabatangan Orang-Utan Conservation Programme, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - David C Aldridge
- Department of Zoology, The David Attenborough Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Olivia Z Daniel
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Glen Reynolds
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, Danum Valley Field Centre, Lahad Datu, Malaysia
| | - Cristina Banks-Leite
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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3
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McClain CR, Webb TJ, Heim NA, Knope ML, Monarrez PM, Payne JL. Navigating uncertainty in maximum body size in marine metazoans. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11506. [PMID: 38840585 PMCID: PMC11151150 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Body size is a fundamental biological trait shaping ecological interactions, evolutionary processes, and our understanding of the structure and dynamics of marine communities on a global scale. Accurately defining a species' body size, despite the ease of measurement, poses significant challenges due to varied methodologies, tool usage, and subjectivity among researchers, resulting in multiple, often discrepant size estimates. These discrepancies, stemming from diverse measurement approaches and inherent variability, could substantially impact the reliability and precision of ecological and evolutionary studies reliant on body size data across extensive species datasets. This study examines the variation in reported maximum body sizes across 69,570 individual measurements of maximum size, ranging from <0.2 μm to >45 m, for 27,271 species of marine metazoans. The research aims to investigate how reported maximum size variations within species relate to organism size, taxonomy, habitat, and the presence of skeletal structures. The investigation particularly focuses on understanding why discrepancies in maximum size estimates arise and their potential implications for broader ecological and evolutionary studies relying on body size data. Variation in reported maximum sizes is zero for 38% of species, and low for most species, although it exceeds two orders of magnitude for some species. The likelihood of zero variation in maximum size decreased with more measurements and increased in larger species, though this varied across phyla and habitats. Pelagic organisms consistently had low maximum size range values, while small species with unspecified habitats had the highest variation. Variations in maximum size within a species were notably smaller than interspecific variation at higher taxonomic levels. Significant variation in maximum size estimates exists within marine species, and partially explained by organism size, taxonomic group, and habitat. Variation in maximum size could be reduced by standardized measurement protocols and improved meta-data. Despite the variation, egregious errors in published maximum size measurements are rare, and their impact on comparative macroecological and macroevolutionary research is likely minimal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig R. McClain
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Louisiana at LafayetteLafayetteLouisianaUSA
| | - Thomas J. Webb
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Noel A. Heim
- Department of Earth and Climate SciencesTufts UniversityMedfordMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Pedro M. Monarrez
- Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space SciencesUniversity of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jonathan L. Payne
- Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
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4
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Wang S, Li W, Zhang J, Luo Z, Li Y. Alien range size, habitat breadth, origin location, and domestication of alien species matter to their impact risks. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 38757559 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Invasive alien species are a major driver of biodiversity loss. Currently, the process of biological invasions is experiencing a constant acceleration, foreshadowing a future increase in the threat posed by invasive alien species to global biodiversity. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the impact risks of invasive alien species and related factors. Here, we constructed a dataset of negative environmental impact events to evaluate the impact risks of alien species. We collected information on 1071 established alien terrestrial vertebrates and then gathered negative environmental impacts for 108 of those species. Generalized linear mixed-effects model and phylogenetic generalized least-squares regression model were used to examine the characteristic (including life-history traits, characteristics related to distribution, and introduction event characteristics) correlates of species' impact risks at the global scale for 108 established alien terrestrial vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians). Our results showed that a total of 3158 negative environmental impacts were reported for 108 harmful species across 71 countries worldwide. Factors associated with impact risks varied slightly among taxa, but alien range size, habitat breadth, origin location, and domestication were significantly correlated with impact risks. Our study aims to identify the characteristics of alien species with high-impact risks to facilitate urgent assessment of alien species and to protect the local ecological environment and biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenhao Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zexu Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yiming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, China
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5
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Mingo V, Foudoulakis M, Wheeler JR. Mechanistic modelling of amphibian body burdens after dermal uptake of pesticides from soil. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 346:123614. [PMID: 38387548 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123614] [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: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Amphibians are currently considered to be covered by pesticide Environmental Risk Assessment schemes by surrogacy assumptions of exposure and susceptibility based on typical laboratory test species such as fish, mammals, and birds. While multiple reviews have shown for this approach to be adequate in the case of aquatic stages, the same cannot be definitively stated for terrestrial stages. Concerns have risen that exposure of amphibians is likely to be highly influenced by dermal absorption, primarily due to the high permeability of their skin and the lack of a protective layer, such as fur or feathers. It is thus hypothesized that dermal uptake could be a significant route of exposure. Consequently, it is necessary to determine the relative importance of different exposure routes that might affect the integrated toxicity outcome for terrestrial amphibian life-stages. Here, a one-compartment Toxicokinetic model was derived and tested using a publicly available dataset containing relevant exposure and uptake information for juvenile anurans exposed to 13 different pesticides. Modelled body burdens were then compared to measured burdens for a total of 815 individuals. Overall, a good concordance between modelled and measured values was observed, with the predicted and measured body burdens differing by a factor of 2 on average (overall R2 of 0.80 and correlation coefficient of 0.89), suggesting good predictivity of the model. Accordingly, the model predicts realistic body burdens for a variety of frog and toad species, and overall, for anurans. As the model includes rehydration (implicit in the evaluated studies) but currently does not account for metabolism, it can be seen as a worst-case assessment. We suggest toxicokinetic models, such as the one here presented, could be used to characterize dermal exposure in amphibians, screen for pesticides of concern, and prioritize risk assessment efforts, whilst reducing the need for de novo vertebrate testing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - James R Wheeler
- Corteva Agriscience, Bergen op Zoom, North Brabant, the Netherlands
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6
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Horn K, Shidemantle G, Velasquez I, Ronan E, Blackwood J, Reinke BA, Hua J. Evaluating the interactive effects of artificial light at night and background color on tadpole crypsis, background adaptation efficacy, and growth. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 333:122056. [PMID: 37343910 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122056] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a global pollutant of rising concern. While alterations to natural day-night cycles caused by ALAN can affect a variety of traits, the broader fitness and ecological implications of these ALAN-induced shifts remain unclear. This study evaluated the interactive effects of ALAN and background color on traits that have important implications for predator-prey interactions and fitness: crypsis, background adaptation efficacy, and growth. Using three amphibian species as our models, we discovered that: (1) Exposure to ALAN reduced the ability for some species to match their backgrounds (background adaptation efficacy), (2) Crypsis and background adaptation efficacy were enhanced when tadpoles were exposed to dark backgrounds only, emphasizing the importance of environmental context when evaluating the effects of ALAN, (3) ALAN and background color have a combined effect on a common metric of fitness (growth), and (4) Effects of ALAN were not generalizable across amphibian species, supporting calls for more studies that utilize a diversity of species. Notably, to our knowledge, we found the first evidence that ALAN can diminish background adaptation efficacy in an amphibian species (American toad tadpoles). Collectively, our study joins others in highlighting the complex effects of ALAN on wildlife and underscores the challenges of generalizing ALAN's effect across species, emphasizing the need for a greater diversity of species and approaches used in ALAN research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Horn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
| | - Grascen Shidemantle
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
| | - Isabela Velasquez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA; Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Emily Ronan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
| | - Jurnee Blackwood
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
| | - Beth A Reinke
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL 60625, USA
| | - Jessica Hua
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA; Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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7
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Liang T, Dai W, Zhang Z, Bempah G, Shi L, Lu C. Altitudinal gradients and body size variation among Chinese lizards in different terrains. J Zool (1987) 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- T. Liang
- Wildlife Conservation and Utilization Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu China
| | - W. Dai
- Wildlife Conservation and Utilization Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu China
| | - Z. Zhang
- Wildlife Conservation and Utilization Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu China
| | - G. Bempah
- Wildlife Conservation and Utilization Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu China
| | - L. Shi
- College of Life Sciences Xinjiang Agricultural University Urumqi Xinjiang China
| | - C. Lu
- Wildlife Conservation and Utilization Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu China
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8
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Landler L, Burgstaller S, Spießberger M, Horvath A, Zhelev Z, Mollov I, Sinsch U, Nepita J, Schwabel F, Kuhn W, Köbele C, Sedlmeier H, Amon C, Mazgajska J, Mazgajski TD, Sistani A, Schluckebier R, Andrä E, Ott M, Gollmann G. A Unified Approach to Analysis of Body Condition in Green Toads. DIVERSITY 2022; 15:43. [PMID: 36999161 PMCID: PMC7614385 DOI: 10.3390/d15010043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Body condition is increasingly used to assess the status of populations and as a proxy for individual fitness. A common, quick and non-invasive approach is to estimate condition from the relation between body length and mass. Among the methods developed for this purpose, the Scaled Mass Index (SMI) appears best suited for comparisons among populations. We assembled data from 17 populations of European green toads (Bufotes viridis) with the aim of devising a standard formula applicable for monitoring this species. The mean value of the exponents describing length–mass allometry in these samples was 3.0047. Hence, we propose using 3 as a scaling coefficient for calculating the SMI in green toads. From the contrast of SMI values for both sexes within populations, estimated with either the population-specific or the standard coefficient, we conclude that applying the standard formula not only facilitates comparisons among populations but may also help to avoid misinterpretation of variation within populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Landler
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephan Burgstaller
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Magdalena Spießberger
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Andras Horvath
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Zhivko Zhelev
- Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”, 24 Tzar Assen Str., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Ivelin Mollov
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”, 24 Tzar Assen Str., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Ulrich Sinsch
- Department of Biology, AG Zoology, Institute of Integrated Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, 56070 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Johannes Nepita
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Schwabel
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Kuhn
- Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan für Ernährung, Landnutzung und Umwelt der Technischen Universität München, Alte Akademie 8, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Christian Köbele
- Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V. (LBV), Kreisgruppe München, Klenzestr. 37, 80469 München, Germany
| | - Heinz Sedlmeier
- Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V. (LBV), Kreisgruppe München, Klenzestr. 37, 80469 München, Germany
| | - Cornelia Amon
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Joanna Mazgajska
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Tomasz D. Mazgajski
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Amir Sistani
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rieke Schluckebier
- NABU—Naturschutzstation Leverkusen-Köln, Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 49, 50996 Köln, Germany
| | - Eberhard Andrä
- Independent Researcher, Ebenreuth 47, 94169 Thurmansbang, Germany
| | - Moritz Ott
- Landschaftserhaltungsverband Landkreis Ravensburg e.V., Frauenstr. 4, 88212 Ravensburg, Germany
| | - Günter Gollmann
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Correspondence:
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9
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de Jonge MMJ, Gallego‐Zamorano J, Huijbregts MAJ, Schipper AM, Benítez‐López A. The impacts of linear infrastructure on terrestrial vertebrate populations: A trait-based approach. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:7217-7233. [PMID: 36166319 PMCID: PMC9827953 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
While linear infrastructures, such as roads and power lines, are vital to human development, they may also have negative impacts on wildlife populations up to several kilometres into the surrounding environment (infrastructure-effect zones, IEZs). However, species-specific IEZs are not available for the vast majority of species, hampering global assessments of infrastructure impacts on wildlife. Here, we synthesized 253 studies worldwide to quantify the magnitude and spatial extent of infrastructure impacts on the abundance of 792 vertebrate species. We also identified the extent to which species traits, infrastructure type and habitat modulate IEZs for vertebrate species. Our results reveal contrasting responses across taxa based on the local context and species traits. Carnivorous mammals were generally more abundant in the proximity of infrastructure. In turn, medium- to large-sized non-carnivorous mammals (>1 kg) were less abundant near infrastructure across habitats, while their smaller counterparts were more abundant close to infrastructure in open habitats. Bird abundance was reduced near infrastructure with larger IEZs for non-carnivorous than for carnivorous species. Furthermore, birds experienced larger IEZs in closed (carnivores: ≈130 m, non-carnivores: >1 km) compared to open habitats (carnivores: ≈70 m, non-carnivores: ≈470 m). Reptiles were more abundant near infrastructure in closed habitats but not in open habitats where abundances were reduced within an IEZ of ≈90 m. Finally, IEZs were relatively small in amphibians (<30 m). These results indicate that infrastructure impact assessments should differentiate IEZs across species and local contexts in order to capture the variety of responses to infrastructure. Our trait-based synthetic approach can be applied in large-scale assessments of the impacts of current and future infrastructure developments across multiple species, including those for which infrastructure responses are not known from empirical data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda M. J. de Jonge
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES)Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Juan Gallego‐Zamorano
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES)Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Mark A. J. Huijbregts
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES)Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Aafke M. Schipper
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES)Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment AgencyThe HagueThe Netherlands
| | - Ana Benítez‐López
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES)Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de DoñanaConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EBD‐CSIC)SevillaSpain
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of SciencesUniversity of GranadaGranadaSpain
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10
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Morphometrics of Xenopus laevis Kept as Laboratory Animals. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12212986. [PMID: 36359110 PMCID: PMC9653714 DOI: 10.3390/ani12212986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Morphometric data that provide information on body conditions can be used to monitor the health and well-being of animals. In laboratory animals, they can help to evaluate the stress due to experiments or treatments, following the 3R principles. The aim of the present study was to obtain morphometric data of male and female African clawed frogs, Xenopus laevis, as the bases for body condition evaluations. Adult frogs (n = 198) were weighed and standardized photographs were taken. The photographs were used to determine several measurements (length, cranial width, caudal width, thigh width). In addition, a triangle was drawn to outline each frog’s simplified body form, and the triangle surface was calculated. In conclusion, the triangle surface drawn on the dorsal plane of each frog correlated with the body weight of the females. There were significant differences between the body weights and sizes of male and female frogs, with males being smaller (p < 0.001). Based on the morphometric data, females could be assigned to five groups in which an assessment of the animal’s well-being is feasible.
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11
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Keeffe R, Blackburn DC. Diversity and function of the fused anuran radioulna. J Anat 2022; 241:1026-1038. [PMID: 35962544 PMCID: PMC9482697 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In tetrapods, fusion between elements of the appendicular skeleton is thought to facilitate rapid movements during running, flying, and jumping. Although such fusion is widespread, frogs stand out because adults of all living species exhibit fusion of the zeugopod elements (radius and ulna, tibia and fibula), regardless of jumping ability or locomotor mode. To better understand what drives the maintenance of limb bone fusion in frogs, we use finite element modeling methods to assess the functional consequences of fusion in the anuran radioulna, the forearm bone of frogs that is important to both locomotion and mating behavior (amplexus). Using CT scans of museum specimens, measurement tools, and mesh‐editing software, we evaluated how different degrees of fusion between the radius and ulna affect the von Mises stress and bending resistance of the radioulna in three loading scenarios: landing, amplexus, and long‐axis loading conditions. We find that the semi‐fused state observed in the radioulna exhibits less von Mises stress and more resistance to bending than unfused or completely fused models in all three scenarios. Our results suggest that radioulna morphology is optimized to minimize von Mises stress across different loading regimes while also minimizing volume. We contextualize our findings in an evaluation of the diversity of anuran radioulnae, which reveals unique, permanent pronation of the radioulna in frogs and substantial variation in wall thickness. This work provides new insight into the functional consequences of limb bone fusion in anuran evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Keeffe
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - David C Blackburn
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.,Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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12
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Bensakhri Z, Bensouilah S, Zebsa R, Youcefi A, Amari H, Zouaimia A, Lazli A, Houhamdi M, Khelifa R. Trends to adaptation of the Sahara frog (Pelophylax saharicus) larvae across an environmental gradient. Biologia (Bratisl) 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-022-01151-2] [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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13
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Currie J, Burant JB, Marconi V, Blain SA, Emry S, Hébert K, Xie G, Moore NA, Wang X, Brown A, Grevstad L, McRae L, Mezzini S, Pata P, Freeman R. Assessing the representation of species included within the Canadian Living Planet Index. Facets (Ott) 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2022-0063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
To effectively combat the biodiversity crisis, we need ambitious targets and reliable indicators to accurately track trends and measure conservation impact. In Canada, the Living Planet Index (LPI) has been adapted to produce a national indicator by both World Wildlife Fund-Canada (Canadian Living Planet Index; C-LPI) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Species Index) to provide insight into the status of Canadian wildlife, by evaluating temporal trends in vertebrate population abundance. The indicator includes data for just over 50% of Canadian vertebrate species. To assess whether the current dataset is representative of the distribution of life history characteristics of Canadian wildlife, we analyzed the representation of species-specific biotic variables (i.e., body size, trophic level, lifespan) for vertebrates within the C-LPI compared to native vertebrates lacking LPI data. Generally, there was considerable overlap in the distribution of biotic variables for species in the C-LPI compared to native Canadian vertebrate species lacking LPI data. Nevertheless, some differences among distributions were found, driven in large part by discrepancy in the representation of fishes—where the C-LPI included larger-bodied and longer-lived species. We provide recommendations for targeted data collection and additional analyses to further strengthen the applicability, accuracy, and representativity of biodiversity indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Currie
- World Wildlife Fund Canada, 410 Adelaide Street West, Toronto ON M5V 1S8, Canada
| | - Joseph B. Burant
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield Avenue, Montreal QC H3A 1B1, Canada
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, 1375 Avenue Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal QC H2V 0B3, Canada
- Living Data Project, Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Vancouver BC V6T 124, Canada
| | - Valentina Marconi
- Indicators and Assessments Unit, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
- Department of Life Sciences (Silwood Park), Imperial College London, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie A. Blain
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Sandra Emry
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Katherine Hébert
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l’Université, Sherbrooke QC J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Garland Xie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Nikki A. Moore
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield Avenue, Montreal QC H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Xueqi Wang
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Andrea Brown
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield Avenue, Montreal QC H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Lara Grevstad
- Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, 2329 West Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Louise McRae
- Indicators and Assessments Unit, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Stefano Mezzini
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Patrick Pata
- Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2207 Main Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Robin Freeman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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14
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Jochum M, Barnes AD, Brose U, Gauzens B, Sünnemann M, Amyntas A, Eisenhauer N. For flux's sake: General considerations for energy-flux calculations in ecological communities. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:12948-12969. [PMID: 34646445 PMCID: PMC8495806 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Global change alters ecological communities with consequences for ecosystem processes. Such processes and functions are a central aspect of ecological research and vital to understanding and mitigating the consequences of global change, but also those of other drivers of change in organism communities. In this context, the concept of energy flux through trophic networks integrates food-web theory and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning theory and connects biodiversity to multitrophic ecosystem functioning. As such, the energy-flux approach is a strikingly effective tool to answer central questions in ecology and global-change research. This might seem straight forward, given that the theoretical background and software to efficiently calculate energy flux are readily available. However, the implementation of such calculations is not always straight forward, especially for those who are new to the topic and not familiar with concepts central to this line of research, such as food-web theory or metabolic theory. To facilitate wider use of energy flux in ecological research, we thus provide a guide to adopting energy-flux calculations for people new to the method, struggling with its implementation, or simply looking for background reading, important resources, and standard solutions to the problems everyone faces when starting to quantify energy fluxes for their community data. First, we introduce energy flux and its use in community and ecosystem ecology. Then, we provide a comprehensive explanation of the single steps towards calculating energy flux for community data. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges and exciting research frontiers for future energy-flux research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Jochum
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyLeipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | | | - Ulrich Brose
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiodiversityUniversity of JenaJenaGermany
| | - Benoit Gauzens
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiodiversityUniversity of JenaJenaGermany
| | - Marie Sünnemann
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyLeipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | - Angelos Amyntas
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiodiversityUniversity of JenaJenaGermany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyLeipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
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15
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Pie MR, Caron FS, Divieso R. The evolution of species abundances in terrestrial vertebrates. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12526] [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)
- Marcio R. Pie
- Departamento de Zoologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Brazil
| | - Fernanda S. Caron
- Departamento de Zoologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Brazil
| | - Raquel Divieso
- Departamento de Zoologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Brazil
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16
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Hirt MR, Barnes AD, Gentile A, Pollock LJ, Rosenbaum B, Thuiller W, Tucker MA, Brose U. Environmental and anthropogenic constraints on animal space use drive extinction risk worldwide. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2576-2585. [PMID: 34476879 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Animals require a certain amount of habitat to persist and thrive, and habitat loss is one of the most critical drivers of global biodiversity decline. While habitat requirements have been predicted by relationships between species traits and home-range size, little is known about constraints imposed by environmental conditions and human impacts on a global scale. Our meta-analysis of 395 vertebrate species shows that global climate gradients in temperature and precipitation exert indirect effects via primary productivity, generally reducing space requirements. Human pressure, however, reduces realised space use due to ensuing limitations in available habitat, particularly for large carnivores. We show that human pressure drives extinction risk by increasing the mismatch between space requirements and availability. We use large-scale climate gradients to predict current species extinction risk across global regions, which also offers an important tool for predicting future extinction risk due to ongoing space loss and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam R Hirt
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Andrew D Barnes
- School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Alessandro Gentile
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Laura J Pollock
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Benjamin Rosenbaum
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Wilfried Thuiller
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Grenoble, France
| | - Marlee A Tucker
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ulrich Brose
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Gual‐Suárez
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vertebrados Terrestres Instituto de Ecología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria04510Mexico City Mexico
| | - Rodrigo A. Medellín
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vertebrados Terrestres Instituto de Ecología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria04510Mexico City Mexico
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18
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Liang T, Zhang Z, Dai W, Shi L, Lu C. Spatial patterns in the size of Chinese lizards are driven by multiple factors. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9621-9630. [PMID: 34306648 PMCID: PMC8293706 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND For almost two centuries, ecologists have examined geographical patterns in the evolution of body size and the associated determinants. During that time, one of the most common patterns to have emerged is the increase in body size with increasing latitude (referred to as Bergmann's rule). Typically, this pattern is explained in terms of an evolutionary response that serves to minimize heat loss in colder climates, mostly in endotherms. In contrast, however, this rule rarely explains geographical patterns in the evolution of body size among ectotherms (e.g., reptiles). LOCATION China. AIM In this study, we assembled a dataset comprising the maximum sizes of 211 lizard species in China and examined the geographical patterns in body size evolution and its determinants. Specifically, we assessed the relationship between body size and climate among all lizard species and within four major groups at both assemblage and interspecific levels. RESULTS Although we found that the body size of Chinese lizards was larger in warmer regions, we established that at the assemblage level, size was correlated with multiple climatic factors, and that body size-climate correlations differed within the four major groups. Phylogenetic analysis at the species level revealed that no single climatic factor was associated with body size, with the exception of agamids, for which size was found to be positively correlated with temperature. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Geographical patterns in Chinese lizard body size are driven by multiple factors, and overall patterns are probably influenced by those of the major groups. We suggest that our analyses at two different levels may have contributed to the inconsistent results obtained in this study. Further studies investigating the effects of altitude and ecological factors are needed to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution of ectotherm body size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Liang
- Wildlife conservation and utilizationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Zi Zhang
- Wildlife conservation and utilizationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Wen‐ya Dai
- Wildlife conservation and utilizationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Lei Shi
- College of Animal ScienceXinjiang Agricultural UniversityUrumqiChina
| | - Chang‐hu Lu
- Wildlife conservation and utilizationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
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19
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Benítez-López A, Santini L, Gallego-Zamorano J, Milá B, Walkden P, Huijbregts MAJ, Tobias JA. The island rule explains consistent patterns of body size evolution in terrestrial vertebrates. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:768-786. [PMID: 33859376 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01426-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Island faunas can be characterized by gigantism in small animals and dwarfism in large animals, but the extent to which this so-called 'island rule' provides a general explanation for evolutionary trajectories on islands remains contentious. Here we use a phylogenetic meta-analysis to assess patterns and drivers of body size evolution across a global sample of paired island-mainland populations of terrestrial vertebrates. We show that 'island rule' effects are widespread in mammals, birds and reptiles, but less evident in amphibians, which mostly tend towards gigantism. We also found that the magnitude of insular dwarfism and gigantism is mediated by climate as well as island size and isolation, with more pronounced effects in smaller, more remote islands for mammals and reptiles. We conclude that the island rule is pervasive across vertebrates, but that the implications for body size evolution are nuanced and depend on an array of context-dependent ecological pressures and environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Benítez-López
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. .,Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Luca Santini
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR-IRET), National Research Council, Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Juan Gallego-Zamorano
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Borja Milá
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Patrick Walkden
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Mark A J Huijbregts
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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20
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Anderson DM, Gillooly JF. Evaluating the tradeoff between offspring number and survivorship across fishes, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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21
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Babich Morrow C, Ernest SKM, Kerkhoff AJ. Macroevolution of dimensionless life-history metrics in tetrapods. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210200. [PMID: 33906402 PMCID: PMC8079996 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Life-history traits represent organisms' strategies to navigate the fitness trade-offs between survival and reproduction. Eric Charnov developed three dimensionless metrics to quantify fundamental life-history trade-offs. Lifetime reproductive effort (LRE), relative reproductive lifespan (RRL) and relative offspring size (ROS), together with body mass can be used to classify life-history strategies across the four major classes of tetrapods: amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. First, we investigate how the metrics have evolved in concert with body mass within tetrapod lineages. In most cases, we find evidence for correlated evolution among body mass and the three dimensionless metrics. Second, we compare life-history strategies across the four classes of tetrapods and find that LRE, RRL and ROS delineate a space in which the major tetrapod classes occupy mostly unique subspaces. These distinct combinations of life-history strategies provide us with a framework to understand the impact of major evolutionary transitions in energetics, physiology and ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecina Babich Morrow
- Spring Health, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biology, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA
| | - S. K. Morgan Ernest
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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22
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Jiménez-Vargas GM, Atehortua-Vallejo MA, Arcila-Pérez LF, Carvajal-Castro JD, Vargas-Salinas F. Does abiotic noise promote segregation of functional diversity in Neotropical anuran assemblages? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The abiotic noise of streams can mask the acoustic signals of anurans with a large body size calling at low frequencies, but not the signals emitted by anurans with a small body size calling at high frequencies. As a consequence, the body size of species in assemblages alongside streams is, on average, lower and less variable than that of assemblages away from streams. Given that the body size in anurans is frequently related to life-history traits, it is expected that functional diversity (FD) will be lower in anuran assemblages alongside streams than in assemblages away from streams. We calculated and compared FD, based on six functional traits, for anuran species in seven localities in different biogeographical regions in the Neotropics. In five lowland localities, FD was lower in assemblages alongside streams than in assemblages away from streams. However, the reverse trend was found in two Andean localities. Noise from streams, acting as an environmental filter, could promote low FD because taxa whose phenotype differs from an optimal type (high call frequency, small body size and associated traits) are excluded from riparian places. However, such habitat filtering could be stronger and affect more anurans in lowland assemblages than in those at medium elevation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Marcela Jiménez-Vargas
- Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Nuevas Tecnologías, Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Carrera 15 Calle 12N Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
| | - Michelle Andrea Atehortua-Vallejo
- Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Nuevas Tecnologías, Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Carrera 15 Calle 12N Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
| | - Luisa F Arcila-Pérez
- Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Nuevas Tecnologías, Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Carrera 15 Calle 12N Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
| | - Juan D Carvajal-Castro
- Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Nuevas Tecnologías, Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Carrera 15 Calle 12N Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
| | - Fernando Vargas-Salinas
- Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Nuevas Tecnologías, Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Carrera 15 Calle 12N Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
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23
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Phung TX, Nascimento JCS, Novarro AJ, Wiens JJ. Correlated and decoupled evolution of adult and larval body size in frogs. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201474. [PMID: 32811310 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of animal species have complex life cycles, in which larval stages may have very different morphologies and ecologies relative to adults. Anurans (frogs) provide a particularly striking example. However, the extent to which larval and adult morphologies (e.g. body size) are correlated among species has not been broadly tested in any major group. Recent studies have suggested that larval and adult morphology are evolutionarily decoupled in frogs, but focused within families and did not compare the evolution of body sizes. Here, we test for correlated evolution of adult and larval body size across 542 species from 42 families, including most families with a tadpole stage. We find strong phylogenetic signal in larval and adult body sizes, and find that both traits are significantly and positively related across frogs. However, this relationship varies dramatically among clades, from strongly positive to weakly negative. Furthermore, rates of evolution for both variables are largely decoupled among clades. Thus, some clades have high rates of adult body-size evolution but low rates in tadpole body size (and vice versa). Overall, we show for the first time that body sizes are generally related between adult and larval stages across a major group, even as evolutionary rates of larval and adult size are largely decoupled among species and clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tung X Phung
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, USA.,Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374-4095, USA
| | - João C S Nascimento
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, USA
| | - Alexander J Novarro
- The Nature Conservancy, Long Island Chapter, Mashomack Preserve, Shelter Island, NY 11964-0738, USA
| | - John J Wiens
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, USA
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24
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Buttimer SM, Stepanova N, Womack MC. Evolution of the Unique Anuran Pelvic and Hind limb Skeleton in Relation to Microhabitat, Locomotor Mode, and Jump Performance. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:1330-1345. [PMID: 32437511 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Anurans (frogs and toads) have a unique pelvic and hind limb skeleton among tetrapods. Although their distinct body plan is primarily associated with saltation, anuran species vary in their primary locomotor mode (e.g., walkers, hoppers, jumpers, and swimmers) and are found in a wide array of microhabitats (e.g., burrowing, terrestrial, arboreal, and aquatic) with varying functional demands. Given their largely conserved body plan, morphological adaptation to these diverse niches likely results from more fine-scale morphological change. Our study determines how shape differences in Anura's unique pelvic and hind limb skeletal structures vary with microhabitat, locomotor mode, and jumping ability. Using microCT scans of preserved specimens from museum collections, we added 3D landmarks to the pelvic and hind limb skeleton of 230 anuran species. In addition, we compiled microhabitat and locomotor data from the literature for these species that span 52 of the 55 families of frogs and ∼210 million years of anuran evolution. Using this robust dataset, we examine the relationship between pelvic and hind limb morphology and phylogenetic history, allometry, microhabitat, and locomotor mode. We find pelvic and hind limb changes associated with shifts in microhabitat ("ecomorphs") and locomotor mode ("locomorphs") and directly relate those morphological changes to the jumping ability of individual species. We also reveal how individual bones vary in evolutionary rate and their association with phylogeny, body size, microhabitat, and locomotor mode. Our findings uncover previously undocumented morphological variation related to anuran ecological and locomotor diversification and link that variation to differences in jumping ability among species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Buttimer
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California at Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Natasha Stepanova
- Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085, USA
| | - Molly C Womack
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA.,Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
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25
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Currie J, Marconi V. An analysis of threats and factors that predict trends in Canadian vertebrates designated as at-risk. Facets (Ott) 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2019-0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The identification of factors that predict trends in population abundance is critical to formulate successful conservation strategies. Here, we explore population trends of Canadian vertebrates assessed as “at-risk” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and the threats affecting these trends using data from the Canadian Living Planet Index. We investigate how threat profiles—the combination of threats for a given species—vary among species and taxonomic groups. We then investigate threat profile as a predictor of temporal trends—both exclusively and in combination with additional biotic and abiotic factors. Species had 5.06 (±2.77) threats listed on average, and biological resource use (BRU) was the most frequently cited. Our analysis also revealed an association between taxonomic group and population trends, as measured by the proportion of annual increases (years with a positive interannual change). By contrast, the predictive power of threat profile was poor. This analysis yielded some useful insight for conservation action, particularly the prioritization of abating BRU. However, the predictive models were not as meaningful as originally anticipated. We provide recommendations on methodological improvements to advance the understanding of factors that predict trends in population abundance for prioritizing conservation action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Currie
- World Wildlife Fund Canada, 410 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 1S8, Canada
| | - Valentina Marconi
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY1S8, UK
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26
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Rollinson N, Nilsson-Örtman V, Rowe L. Density-dependent offspring interactions do not explain macroevolutionary scaling of adult size and offspring size. Evolution 2019; 73:2162-2174. [PMID: 31487043 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Most life forms exhibit a correlated evolution of adult size (AS) and size at independence (SI), giving rise to AS-SI scaling relationships. Theory suggests that scaling arises because relatively large adults have relatively high reproductive output, resulting in strong density-dependent competition in early life, where large size at independence provides a competitive advantage to juveniles. The primary goal of our study is to test this density hypothesis, using large datasets that span the vertebrate tree of life (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals). Our secondary goal is to motivate new hypotheses for AS-SI scaling by exploring how subtle variation in life-histories among closely related species is associated with variation in scaling. Our phylogenetically informed comparisons do not support the density hypothesis. Instead, exploration of AS-SI scaling among life-history variants suggests that steeper AS-SI scaling slopes are associated with evolutionary increases in size at independence. We suggest that a positive association between size at independence and juvenile growth rate may represent an important mechanism underlying AS-SI scaling, a mechanism that has been underappreciated by theorists. If faster juvenile growth is a consequence of evolutionary increases in size at independence, this may help offset the cost of delayed maturation, leading to steeper AS-SI scaling slopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Njal Rollinson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada.,School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E8, Canada
| | - Viktor Nilsson-Örtman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada.,Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Locke Rowe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada.,Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala, 752 38, Sweden
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27
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Escalona Sulbarán MD, Ivo Simões P, Gonzalez-Voyer A, Castroviejo-Fisher S. Neotropical frogs and mating songs: The evolution of advertisement calls in glassfrogs. J Evol Biol 2018; 32:163-176. [PMID: 30481406 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Anurans emit advertisement calls with the purpose of attracting mates and repelling conspecific competitors. The evolution of call traits is expected to be associated with the evolution of anatomical and behavioural traits due to the physics of call emission and transmission. The evolution of vocalizations might imply trade-offs with other energetically costly behaviours, such as parental care. Here, we investigated the association between body size, calling site, parental care and call properties (call duration, number of notes, peak frequency, frequency bandwidth and call structure) of the advertisement calls of glassfrogs (Centrolenidae)-a family of Neotropical, leaf-dwelling anurans-using phylogenetic comparative methods. We also explored the tempo and mode of evolution of these traits and compared them with those of three morphological traits associated with body size, locomotion and feeding. We generated and compiled acoustic data for 72 glassfrog species (46% of total species richness), including representatives of all genera. We found that almost all acoustic traits have significant, but generally modest, phylogenetic signal. Peak frequency of calls is significantly associated with body size, whereas call structure is significantly associated with calling site and paternal care. Thus, the evolution of body size, calling site and paternal care could constrain call evolution. The estimated disparity of acoustic traits was larger than that of morphological traits and the peak in disparity of acoustic traits generally occurred later in the evolution of glassfrogs, indicating a historically recent outset of the acoustic divergence in this clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moisés D Escalona Sulbarán
- Laboratório de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Pedro Ivo Simões
- Laboratório de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Alejandro Gonzalez-Voyer
- Instituto de Ecología, Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher
- Laboratório de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Herpetology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York
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