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Faulkner KT, Hulme PE, Wilson JRU. Harder, better, faster, stronger? Dispersal in the Anthropocene. Trends Ecol Evol 2024:S0169-5347(24)00203-9. [PMID: 39271414 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Revised: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024]
Abstract
The dispersal of organisms in the Anthropocene has been profoundly altered by human activities, with far-reaching consequences for humans, biodiversity, and ecosystems. Managing such dispersal effectively is critical to achieve the 2030 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Here, we bring together insights from invasion science, movement ecology, and conservation biology, and extend a widely used classification framework for the introduction pathways of alien species to encompass other forms of dispersal. We develop a simple, global scheme for classifying the movement of organisms into the types of dispersal that characterise the Anthropocene. The scheme can be used to improve our understanding of dispersal, provide policy relevant advice, inform conservation and biosecurity actions, and enable monitoring and reporting towards conservation targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn T Faulkner
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Cape Town, 7735, South Africa; Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa.
| | - Philip E Hulme
- Bioprotection Aotearoa, Lincoln University, Canterbury, 7647, New Zealand
| | - John R U Wilson
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Cape Town, 7735, South Africa; Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa
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2
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Araújo MB, Alagador D. Expanding European protected areas through rewilding. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3931-3940.e5. [PMID: 39151433 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.045] [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: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Rewilding seeks to address biodiversity loss by restoring trophic interactions and fostering self-regulating ecosystems. Although gaining traction in Europe and North America, the extent to which rewilding can meet post-2020 protected-area targets remains uncertain. We formulated criteria to map suitable areas for rewilding by identifying large tracts of land with minimal human disturbances and the presence of key mammal species. We find that one-quarter of Europe, approximately 117 million hectares (ha), is compatible with our rewilding criteria. Of these, 70% are in cooler climates. Passive rewilding opportunities, focused on managing existing wilderness, are predominant in Scandinavia, Scotland, the Iberian Peninsula, and notably in the Baltic states, Ireland, and southeastern Europe. Active rewilding opportunities, marked by reintroduction of absent trophic guilds, are identified in Corsica, Sardinia, southern France, and parts of the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Our mapping supports European nations in leveraging land abandonment to expand areas for nature conservation, aligning with the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Nevertheless, countries with limited potential for rewilding should consider alternative conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel B Araújo
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences, CSIC, Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28806 Madrid, Spain; Rui Nabeiro Biodiversity Chair, MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, University of Évora, Largo dos Colegiais, 2, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal.
| | - Diogo Alagador
- Rui Nabeiro Biodiversity Chair, MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, University of Évora, Largo dos Colegiais, 2, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal
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3
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Frietsch M, Pacheco-Romero M, Temperton VM, Kaplin BA, Fischer J. The social-ecological ladder of restoration ambition. AMBIO 2024; 53:1251-1261. [PMID: 38652237 PMCID: PMC11300751 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-02021-8] [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: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Expanding in both scope and scale, ecosystem restoration needs to embrace complex social-ecological dynamics. To help scientists and practitioners navigate ever new demands on restoration, we propose the "social-ecological ladder of restoration ambition" as a conceptual model to approach dynamically shifting social and ecological restoration goals. The model focuses on three dynamic aspects of restoration, namely degrading processes, restoration goals and remedial actions. As these three change through time, new reinforcing and balancing feedback mechanisms characterize the restoration process. We illustrate our model through case studies in which restoration has become increasingly ambitious through time, namely forest landscape restoration in Rwanda and grassland restoration in Germany. The ladder of restoration ambition offers a new way of applying social-ecological systems thinking to ecosystem restoration. Additionally, it raises awareness of social-ecological trade-offs, power imbalances and conflicting goals in restoration projects, thereby laying an important foundation for finding more practicable and fairer solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Frietsch
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute, School of Sustainability, Leuphana University, Lueneburg, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany.
- Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
| | - Manuel Pacheco-Romero
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute, School of Sustainability, Leuphana University, Lueneburg, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany
- Department of Biology and Geology, Andalusian Center for the Assessment and Monitoring of Global Change (CAESCG), University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Vicky M Temperton
- Institute of Ecology, School of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lüneburg, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Beth A Kaplin
- Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joern Fischer
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute, School of Sustainability, Leuphana University, Lueneburg, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany
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Faure E, Levrel H, Quétier F. Economics of rewilding. AMBIO 2024; 53:1367-1382. [PMID: 38850468 PMCID: PMC11300785 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-02019-2] [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: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Rewilding, a concept often defined as an open-ended approach to ecological restoration that aims to establish self-sustaining ecosystems, has gained much interest in recent conservation science and practice. The economic dimensions of rewilding remain understudied, despite repeated calls for research, and we find that synthetic or programmatic contributions to the scientific literature are still missing. Here, we mined Scopus and Web of Science databases through a systematic review, looking for "rewilding" with various economic terms in the peer-reviewed literature, in the English language. We then screened out a 257 references-rich corpus with 14 variables, including the position of rewilding regarding positive and negative economic effects in specific sectors, and geographical or ecological foci. Our corpus amounts to ca. 40% of recent rewilding literature, with a clear emphasis on European study sites and the economic consequences of rewilding initiatives. Rewilding studies often refer to positive economic impacts on tourism and hunting, e.g., through higher income and employment rates, although very few studies properly quantify these. Conversely, most authors find rewilding harms farming, which is threatened by abandonment and damages by wildlife, raising interest in potential EU subsidy regimes. We highlight the surprising paucity of rewilding literature truly focusing on economics and/or providing detailed quantification-with remarkable exceptions. While rewilding's ecological relevance is no longer in question, demonstrating its economic benefits and sustainability will undoubtedly help scaling up. Thus, we advise rewilders to systematically measure and report investments and outcomes of rewilding initiatives, and to adopt common standards for cost and benefit assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Faure
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, CNRS - Univ. Grenoble Alpes - Univ. Savoie Mont-Blanc, Grenoble, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement, AgroParisTech - Cirad - CNRS - EHESS - Ecole des PontsParisTech, Nogent-sur-Marne, France
| | - Harold Levrel
- Université Paris-Saclay, Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement, AgroParisTech - Cirad - CNRS - EHESS - Ecole des PontsParisTech, Nogent-sur-Marne, France.
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Brown C, Prestele R, Rounsevell M. An assessment of future rewilding potential in the United Kingdom. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024; 38:e14276. [PMID: 38721859 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14276] [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: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Restoring ecosystems is an imperative for addressing biodiversity loss and climate change, and achieving the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. One form of restoration, rewilding, may have particular promise but may also be precluded by requirements for other forms of land use now or in the future. This opportunity space is critical but challenging to assess. We explored the potential area available for rewilding in Great Britain until the year 2080 with a multisectoral land-use model with several distinct climatic and socioeconomic scenarios. By 2080, areas from 5000 to 7000 km2 were either unmanaged or managed in ways that could be consistent with rewilding across scenarios without conflicting with the provision of ecosystem services. Beyond these areas, another 24,000-42,000 km2 of extensive upland management could provide additional areas for rewilding if current patterns of implementation hold in the future. None of these areas, however, coincided reliably with ecosystems of priority for conservation: peatlands, ancient woodlands, or wetlands. Repeatedly, these ecosystems were found to be vulnerable to conversion. Our results are not based on an assumption of support for or benefits from rewilding and do not account for disadvantages, such as potential losses of cultural landscapes or traditional forms of management, that were beyond the modeled ecosystem services. Nevertheless, potential areas for rewilding emerge in a variety of ways, from intensification elsewhere having a substantial but inadvertent land-sparing effect, popular demand for environmental restoration, or a desire for exclusive recreation among the wealthy elite. Our findings therefore imply substantial opportunities for rewilding in the United Kingdom but also a need for interventions to shape the nature and extent of that rewilding to maintain priority conservation areas and societal objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Brown
- Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
- Highlands Rewilding Limited, The Old School House, Drumnadrochit, UK
| | - R Prestele
- Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
| | - M Rounsevell
- Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
- Institute of Geography and Geo-ecology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Cantarello E, Jacobsen JB, Lloret F, Lindner M. Shaping and enhancing resilient forests for a resilient society. AMBIO 2024; 53:1095-1108. [PMID: 38580897 PMCID: PMC11183019 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-02006-7] [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: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
The world is currently facing uncertainty caused by environmental, social, and economic changes and by political shocks. Fostering social-ecological resilience by enhancing forests' ability to provide a range of ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, habitat provision, and sustainable livelihoods, is key to addressing such uncertainty. However, policy makers and managers currently lack a clear understanding of how to operationalise the shaping of resilience through the combined challenges of climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and changes in societal demand. Based on a scientific literature review, we identified a set of actions related to ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, and disturbance and pressure impacts that forest managers and policy makers should attend to enhance the resilience of European forest systems. We conclude that the resilience shaping of forests should (1) adopt an operational approach, which is currently lacking, (2) identify and address existing and future trade-offs while reinforcing win-wins and (3) attend to local particularities through an adaptive management approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Cantarello
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK.
| | - Jette Bredahl Jacobsen
- Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Francisco Lloret
- Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marcus Lindner
- European Forest Institute, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 7, 53113, Bonn, Germany
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He F, Svenning JC, Chen X, Tockner K, Kuemmerle T, le Roux E, Moleón M, Gessner J, Jähnig SC. Freshwater megafauna shape ecosystems and facilitate restoration. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1141-1163. [PMID: 38411930 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Freshwater megafauna, such as sturgeons, giant catfishes, river dolphins, hippopotami, crocodylians, large turtles, and giant salamanders, have experienced severe population declines and range contractions worldwide. Although there is an increasing number of studies investigating the causes of megafauna losses in fresh waters, little attention has been paid to synthesising the impacts of megafauna on the abiotic environment and other organisms in freshwater ecosystems, and hence the consequences of losing these species. This limited understanding may impede the development of policies and actions for their conservation and restoration. In this review, we synthesise how megafauna shape ecological processes in freshwater ecosystems and discuss their potential for enhancing ecosystem restoration. Through activities such as movement, burrowing, and dam and nest building, megafauna have a profound influence on the extent of water bodies, flow dynamics, and the physical structure of shorelines and substrata, increasing habitat heterogeneity. They enhance nutrient cycling within fresh waters, and cross-ecosystem flows of material, through foraging and reproduction activities. Freshwater megafauna are highly connected to other freshwater organisms via direct consumption of species at different trophic levels, indirect trophic cascades, and through their influence on habitat structure. The literature documenting the ecological impacts of freshwater megafauna is not evenly distributed among species, regions, and types of ecological impacts, with a lack of quantitative evidence for large fish, crocodylians, and turtles in the Global South and their impacts on nutrient flows and food-web structure. In addition, population decline, range contraction, and the loss of large individuals have reduced the extent and magnitude of megafaunal impacts in freshwater ecosystems, rendering a posteriori evaluation more difficult. We propose that reinstating freshwater megafauna populations holds the potential for restoring key ecological processes such as disturbances, trophic cascades, and species dispersal, which will, in turn, promote overall biodiversity and enhance nature's contributions to people. Challenges for restoration actions include the shifting baseline syndrome, potential human-megafauna competition for habitats and resources, damage to property, and risk to human life. The current lack of historical baselines for natural distributions and population sizes of freshwater megafauna, their life history, trophic interactions with other freshwater species, and interactions with humans necessitates further investigation. Addressing these knowledge gaps will improve our understanding of the ecological roles of freshwater megafauna and support their full potential for facilitating the development of effective conservation and restoration strategies to achieve the coexistence of humans and megafauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengzhi He
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengbei Street 4888, Changchun, 130102, China
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin, 10099, Germany
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Xing Chen
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Klement Tockner
- Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany
- Faculty for Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin, 10099, Germany
| | - Elizabeth le Roux
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Marcos Moleón
- Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Avenida de Fuente Nueva S/N, Granada, 18071, Spain
| | - Jörn Gessner
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
| | - Sonja C Jähnig
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin, 10099, Germany
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Campos JC, Alírio J, Arenas-Castro S, Duarte L, Garcia N, Regos A, Pôças I, Teodoro AC, Sillero N. Dynamic shifts of functional diversity through climate-resilient strategies and farmland restoration in a mountain protected area. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 366:121622. [PMID: 38972185 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121622] [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: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Land-use land-cover (LULC) change contributes to major ecological impacts, particularly in areas undergoing land abandonment, inducing modifications on habitat structure and species distributions. Alternative land-use policies are potential solutions to alleviate the negative impacts of contemporary tendencies of LULC change on biodiversity. This work analyzes these tendencies in the Montesinho Natural Park (Portugal), an area representative of European abandoned mountain rural areas. We built ecological niche models for 226 species of vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) and vascular plants, using a consensus modelling approach available in the R package 'biomod2'. We projected the models to contemporary (2018) and future (2050) LULC scenarios, under four scenarios aiming to secure relevant ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation for 2050: an afforestation and a rewilding scenario, focused on climate-smart management strategies, and a farmland and an agroforestry recovery scenario, based on re-establishing human traditional activities. We quantified the influences of these scenarios on biodiversity through species habitat suitability changes for 2018-2050. We analyzed how these management strategies could influence indices of functional diversity (functional richness, functional evenness and functional dispersion) within the park. Habitat suitability changes revealed complementary patterns among scenarios. Afforestation and rewilding scenarios benefited more species adapted to habitats with low human influence, such as forests and open woodlands. The highest functional richness and dispersion was predicted for rewilding scenarios, which could improve landscape restoration and provide opportunities for the expansion and recolonization of forest areas by native species. The recovery of traditional farming and agroforestry activities results in the lowest values of functional richness, but these strategies contribute to complex landscape matrices with diversified habitats and resources. Moreover, this strategy could offer opportunities for fire suppression and increase landscape fire resistance. An integrative approach reconciling rewilding initiatives with the recovery of extensive agricultural and agroforestry activities is potentially an harmonious strategy for supporting the provision of ecosystem services while securing biodiversity conservation and functional diversity within the natural park.
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Affiliation(s)
- João C Campos
- CICGE - Centro de Investigação em Ciências Geo-Espaciais, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Alameda do Monte da Virgem, 4430-146, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
| | - João Alírio
- Department of Geosciences, Environment and Land Planning, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal; Earth Sciences Institute (ICT), Pole of the FCUP, University of Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Salvador Arenas-Castro
- Área de Ecología, Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba. Campus de Rabanales, 14014, Córdoba, Spain.
| | - Lia Duarte
- Department of Geosciences, Environment and Land Planning, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal; Earth Sciences Institute (ICT), Pole of the FCUP, University of Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Nuno Garcia
- Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1111, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Adrián Regos
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Zooloxía, Xenética e Antropoloxía Física, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Centre Tecnològic i Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC). Ctra. St. Llorenç de Morunys km 2. 25280, Solsona, Spain.
| | - Isabel Pôças
- CoLAB ForestWISE - Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest & Fire Management, Quinta de Prados, Campus da UTAD, 5001-801, Vila Real, Portugal.
| | - Ana C Teodoro
- Department of Geosciences, Environment and Land Planning, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal; Earth Sciences Institute (ICT), Pole of the FCUP, University of Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Neftalí Sillero
- CICGE - Centro de Investigação em Ciências Geo-Espaciais, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Alameda do Monte da Virgem, 4430-146, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
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Bonthoux S, Chollet S. Wilding cities for biodiversity and people: a transdisciplinary framework. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1458-1480. [PMID: 38514244 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13076] [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: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Accelerating urbanisation and associated lifestyle changes result in loss of biodiversity and diminished wellbeing of people through fewer direct interactions and experiences with nature. In this review, we propose the notion of urban wilding (the promotion of autonomous ecological processes that are independent of historical land-use conditions, with minimal direct human maintenance and planting interventions) and investigate its propensity to improve biodiversity and people-nature connections in cities. Through a large interdisciplinary synthesis, we explore the ecological mechanisms through which urban wilding can promote biodiversity in cities, investigate the attitudes and relations of city dwellers towards urban wild spaces, and discuss the integration of urban wilding into the fabric of cities and its governance. We show that favouring assembly spontaneity by reducing planting interventions, and functional spontaneity by limiting maintenance practices, can promote plant diversity and provide ecological resources for numerous organisms at habitat and city scales. These processes could reverse biotic homogenisation, but further studies are needed to understand the effects of wilding on invasive species and their consequences. From a socio-ecological perspective, the attitudes of city dwellers towards spontaneous vegetation are modulated by successional stages, with grassland and woodland stages preferred, but dense shrubby vegetation stages disliked. Wild spaces can diversify physical interactions with nature, and enrich multi-sensory, affective and cognitive experiences of nature in cities. However, some aspects of wild spaces can cause anxiety, feeling unsafe, and the perception of abandonment. These negative attitudes could be mitigated by subtle design and maintenance interventions. While nature has long been thought of as ornamental and instrumental in cities, urban wilding could help to develop relational and intrinsic values of nature in the fabric of cities. Wildness and its singular aesthetics should be combined with cultural norms, resident uses and urban functions to plan and design urban spatial configurations promoting human-non-human cohabitation. For urban wilding to be socially just and adapted to the needs of residents, its implementation should be backed by inclusive governance opening up discussion forums to residents and urban workers. Scientists can support these changes by collaborating with urban actors to design and experiment with new wild spaces promoting biodiversity and wellbeing of people in cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Bonthoux
- Ecole de la Nature et du Paysage - INSA CVL, CNRS UMR 7324 CITERES, 3 rue de la Chocolaterie, CS, Blois, 23410 41034, France
- LTSER, Zone Atelier Loire, UMR 7324 - CITERES, BP 60449, 37204, TOURS, 03, France
| | - Simon Chollet
- Université de Rennes, CNRS UMR 6553 ECOBIO [Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution], Campus de Beaulieu - Bat 14A, 263 Av Gal Leclerc, Rennes, 35700, France
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10
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Alagador D. Dependence of Europe's most threatened mammals on movement to adapt to climate change. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14315. [PMID: 38973578 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Current rates of climate change and gloomy climate projections confront managers and conservation planners with the need to integrate climate change into already complex decision-making processes. Predicting and prioritizing climatically stable areas and the areas likely to facilitate adaptive species' range adjustments are important stages in maximizing conservation outcomes and rationalizing future land management. I determined, for the most threatened European terrestrial mammal species, the spatial adaptive trajectories (SATs) of highest expected persistence up to 2080. I devised simple spatial network indices for evaluation of species in those SATs: total persistence; proportion of SATs that offer in situ adaptation (i.e., stable refugia); number of SATs converging in a site; and relationship between SAT convergence and persistence and protected areas, the Natura 2000 and Emerald networks, and areas of low human disturbance. I compared the performance of high-persistence SATs with a scenario in which each species remained in the areas with the best climatic conditions in the baseline period. The 1000 most persistence SATs for each of the 39 species covered one fifth of Europe. The areas with the largest adaptive potential (i.e., high persistence, stability, and SAT convergence) did not always overlap for all the species. Predominantly, these regions were located in southwestern Europe, Central Europe, and Scandinavia, with some occurrences in Eastern Europe. For most species, persistence in the most climatically suitable areas during the baseline period was lower than within SATs, underscoring their reliance on adaptive movements. Importantly, conservation areas (particularly protected areas) covered only minor fractions of species persistence among SATs, and hubs of spatial climate adaptation (i.e., areas of high SAT convergence) were seriously underrepresented in most conservation areas. These results highlight the need to perform analyses on spatial species' dynamics under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diogo Alagador
- Biodiversity Chair, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED) & Institute for Global Change and Sustainability (CHANGE), University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
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Glentworth J, Gilchrist A, Avery R. The place for people in rewilding. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14318. [PMID: 38949045 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Rewilding, although controversial, is increasingly presented as humanity's best hope of addressing the global biodiversity crisis, but it remains unclear how restoring nonhuman autonomy affects people's relationships with nature. We conceptualized 3 human-nature relationships (HNRs) that could occur when restoring nonhuman autonomy: human-nature dichotomy, human-nature compromise, and human-nature mutualism. Through 51 interviews, we then empirically tested the occurrence of these HNRs across diverse actors living and working in 2 longstanding British rewilding initiatives to better understand the place for people in rewilding. Actors' HNRs aligned with the 3 conceptual framings, but these relationships were complex. Individuals often demonstrated multiple perspectives that transcended conventional actor categorization. The tripartite framing also revealed conflicting values across and within individuals, resulting in pluralistic HNRs. Our work adds to the theory and practice surrounding the place for people in rewilding by cautioning against a single preferred HNR when restoring nonhuman autonomy and advocating that a diversity of human interactions with nature should be integrated into the global rewilding movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Glentworth
- Department of Planning, Property and Environmental Management, School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Department of Natural and Built Environment, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Howard Street, Sheffield, UK
| | - Anna Gilchrist
- Department of Planning, Property and Environmental Management, School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Rowan Avery
- Department of Planning, Property and Environmental Management, School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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12
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Luxton SJ, Smith GS, Williams KJ, Ferrier S, Bond AJ, Prober SM. An introduction to key ecological concepts, financial opportunities, and risks underpinning aspirations for nature positive. Bioscience 2024; 74:450-466. [PMID: 39156612 PMCID: PMC11328145 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae040] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Global biodiversity is in decline, and businesses and society are being required to urgently create new operating models to ameliorate the crisis. Among the strategies proposed to do this, implementing the concept of nature positive has captured worldwide attention. Critical to its success will be effective collaboration between ecologists and businesspeople, driven by a shared understanding of key nature positive terminology, concepts, and risks. To this end, we introduce three core aspects: the ecological concepts in the definition of nature positive (health, abundance, diversity, and resilience), a typology of financial instruments that may be applied to achieving nature positive, and an overview of risks to biodiversity and society. The pivotal findings include that ecological complexity and uncertainty belie the simplicity of the definition of nature positive and that managing risk requires embedding aspirations into existing and emerging biodiversity conservation and restoration science and policy. Although it is challenging, nature positive deserves pursuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Luxton
- Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, ACT and Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Greg S Smith
- Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, ACT and Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Kristen J Williams
- Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, ACT and Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Simon Ferrier
- Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, ACT and Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Anthelia J Bond
- School of Economics and Public Policy, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Suzanne M Prober
- Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, ACT and Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
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13
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Lu J, Cheng Y, Qi X, Chen H, Lin X. Rethinking urban wilderness: Status, hotspots, and prospects of ecosystem services. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 364:121366. [PMID: 38870786 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
An urban wilderness (UW) portrays a coupled relationship between natural dominance and human management in urban spaces. Superior ecosystem services support sustainable urban development. Systematic assessments of the status, changes, and trends of urban wilderness ecosystem services (UWESs) are a debated and complex issue in the field of ecology despite their importance as key components for ensuring the sustainable development of human society. We aimed to analyze the scientific literature on UWESs published between 2000 and 2022. Hence, we used bibliometric methods to comprehensively understand the research lineages, hotspots, and trends in UWESs. We found that the research has roughly encompassed two phases: initial exploration (2000-2011)and rapid growth (2012-2022). The number of publications has shown a continuous growth trend; the research hotspots include UWs compared with urban greenfield ecosystems, the spatio-temporal dynamics of UWs, ecosystem services and value assessments, and the coupling and linkage between ecosystem maintenance and human health. We summarized relevant trends for the concept of harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature, focusing on spatio-temporal dynamics and multidisciplinary integration as well as reinforcing the link with human health. This study can serve as a reference for demonstrating the value of UWESs and their practical application in a UW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianbin Lu
- Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350108, China; School of Geographical Sciences, School of Carbon Neutrality Future Technology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
| | - Yu Cheng
- Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350108, China; School of Geographical Sciences, School of Carbon Neutrality Future Technology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
| | - Xinhua Qi
- Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350108, China; School of Geographical Sciences, School of Carbon Neutrality Future Technology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
| | - Huayang Chen
- Fujian Institute of Education, Fuzhou 350025, China.
| | - Xijie Lin
- Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350108, China; School of Geographical Sciences, School of Carbon Neutrality Future Technology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
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14
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Peng J, Xu D, Xu Z, Tang H, Jiang H, Dong J, Liu Y. Ten key issues for ecological restoration of territorial space. Natl Sci Rev 2024; 11:nwae176. [PMID: 38883299 PMCID: PMC11173174 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwae176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
This study innovatively puts forward the three-stage restoration goals and cutting-edge key scientific issues of ecological restoration, as well as their relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Peng
- Technology Innovation Center for Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Sustainable Utilization, Ministry of Natural Resources, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, China
| | - Dongmei Xu
- Technology Innovation Center for Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Sustainable Utilization, Ministry of Natural Resources, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, China
| | - Zihan Xu
- School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, China
| | - Hui Tang
- Key Laboratory for Environmental and Urban Sciences, School of Urban Planning and Design, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, China
| | - Hong Jiang
- Technology Innovation Center for Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Sustainable Utilization, Ministry of Natural Resources, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, China
| | - Jianquan Dong
- School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, China
| | - Yanxu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, China
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15
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Belant JL, Bennett A, Kellner KF, Mancha-Cisneros MDM. Ecosystem services from wildlife harvests. Bioscience 2024; 74:352-354. [PMID: 39055370 PMCID: PMC11266979 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jerrold L Belant
- Wild Foods Institute, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
| | - Abigail Bennett
- Wild Foods Institute, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
| | - Kenneth F Kellner
- Wild Foods Institute, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
| | - Maria del Mar Mancha-Cisneros
- Wild Foods Institute, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
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16
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Mutillod C, Buisson É, Mahy G, Jaunatre R, Bullock JM, Tatin L, Dutoit T. Ecological restoration and rewilding: two approaches with complementary goals? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:820-836. [PMID: 38346335 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13046] [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: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
As we enter the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) and address the urgent need to protect and restore ecosystems and their ecological functions at large scales, rewilding has been brought into the limelight. Interest in this discipline is thus increasing, with a large number of conceptual scientific papers published in recent years. Increasing enthusiasm has led to discussions and debates in the scientific community about the differences between ecological restoration and rewilding. The main goal of this review is to compare and clarify the position of each field. Our results show that despite some differences (e.g. top-down versus bottom-up and functional versus taxonomic approaches) and notably with distinct goals - recovery of a defined historically determined target ecosystem versus recovery of natural processes with often no target endpoint - ecological restoration and rewilding have a common scope: the recovery of ecosystems following anthropogenic degradation. The goals of ecological restoration and rewilding have expanded with the progress of each field. However, it is unclear whether there is a paradigm shift with ecological restoration moving towards rewilding or vice versa. We underline the complementarity in time and in space of ecological restoration and rewilding. To conclude, we argue that reconciliation of these two fields of nature conservation to ensure complementarity could create a synergy to achieve their common scope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémentine Mutillod
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
| | - Élise Buisson
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
| | - Gregory Mahy
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
- Université de Liège, Biodiversité et Paysage, 27 Avenue Maréchal Juin, Gembloux, 5030, Belgique
| | - Renaud Jaunatre
- Université Grenoble Alpes, INRAE, UR LESSEM, St-Martin-d'Hères, F-38402, France
| | - James M Bullock
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, OX10 8BB, Wallingford, UK
| | - Laurent Tatin
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
| | - Thierry Dutoit
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
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17
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Svenning JC, McGeoch MA, Normand S, Ordonez A, Riede F. Navigating ecological novelty towards planetary stewardship: challenges and opportunities in biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230008. [PMID: 38583480 PMCID: PMC10999270 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Human-induced global changes, including anthropogenic climate change, biotic globalization, trophic downgrading and pervasive land-use intensification, are transforming Earth's biosphere, placing biodiversity and ecosystems at the forefront of unprecedented challenges. The Anthropocene, characterized by the importance of Homo sapiens in shaping the Earth system, necessitates a re-evaluation of our understanding and stewardship of ecosystems. This theme issue delves into the multifaceted challenges posed by the ongoing ecological planetary transformation and explores potential solutions across four key subthemes. Firstly, it investigates the functioning and stewardship of emerging novel ecosystems, emphasizing the urgent need to comprehend the dynamics of ecosystems under uncharted conditions. The second subtheme focuses on biodiversity projections under global change, recognizing the necessity of predicting ecological shifts in the Anthropocene. Importantly, the inherent uncertainties and the complexity of ecological responses to environmental stressors pose challenges for societal responses and for accurate projections of ecological change. The RAD framework (resist-accept-direct) is highlighted as a flexible yet nuanced decision-making tool that recognizes the need for adaptive approaches, providing insights for directing and adapting to Anthropocene dynamics while minimizing negative impacts. The imperative to extend our temporal perspective beyond 2100 is emphasized, given the irreversible changes already set in motion. Advancing methods to study ecosystem dynamics under rising biosphere novelty is the subject of the third subtheme. The fourth subtheme emphasizes the importance of integrating human perspectives into understanding, forecasting and managing novel ecosystems. Cultural diversity and biological diversity are intertwined, and the evolving relationship between humans and ecosystems offers lessons for future stewardship. Achieving planetary stewardship in the Anthropocene demands collaboration across scales and integration of ecological and societal perspectives, scalable approaches fit to changing, novel ecological conditions, as well as cultural innovation. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Sustainable Landscapes under Global Change (SustainScapes), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Melodie A. McGeoch
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, 3800 Victoria, Australia
| | - Signe Normand
- Center for Sustainable Landscapes under Global Change (SustainScapes), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Landscape Research in Sustainable Agricultural Futures (Land-CRAFT), Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Ordonez
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Sustainable Landscapes under Global Change (SustainScapes), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Felix Riede
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark
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18
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Svenning JC, Buitenwerf R, Le Roux E. Trophic rewilding as a restoration approach under emerging novel biosphere conditions. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R435-R451. [PMID: 38714176 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Rewilding is a restoration approach that aims to promote self-regulating complex ecosystems by restoring non-human ecological processes while reducing human control and pressures. Rewilding is forward-looking in that it aims to enhance functionality for biodiversity, accepting and indeed promoting the dynamic nature of ecosystems, rather than fixating on static composition or structure. Rewilding is thus especially relevant in our epoch of increasingly novel biosphere conditions, driven by strong human-induced global change. Here, we explore this hypothesis in the context of trophic rewilding - the restoration of trophic complexity mediated by wild, large-bodied animals, known as 'megafauna'. This focus reflects the strong ecological impacts of large-bodied animals, their widespread loss during the last 50,000 years and their high diversity and ubiquity in the preceding 50 million years. Restoring abundant, diverse, wild-living megafauna is expected to promote vegetation heterogeneity, seed dispersal, nutrient cycling and biotic microhabitats. These are fundamental drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem function and are likely to gain importance for maintaining a biodiverse biosphere under increasingly novel ecological conditions. Non-native megafauna species may contribute to these effects as ecological surrogates of extinct species or by promoting ecological functionality within novel assemblages. Trophic rewilding has strong upscaling potential via population growth and expansion of wild fauna. It is likely to facilitate biotic adaptation to changing climatic conditions and resilience to ecosystem collapse, and to curb some negative impacts of globalization, notably the dominance of invasive alien plants. Finally, we discuss the complexities of realizing the biodiversity benefits that trophic rewilding offers under novel biosphere conditions in a heavily populated world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Robert Buitenwerf
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Elizabeth Le Roux
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
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19
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Wang H, Zhang D, Zhang X, Gao C, Wang Z, Wu J. Does settlement land expansion necessarily induce the decrease of cultivated land? Differences in national scale and local counties of China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 358:120948. [PMID: 38663081 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120948] [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: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
With the extensive industrialization and urbanization taking place in China during the recent decades, land use throughout the country has experienced profound changes influenced not only by the demand for population growth and living standard improvement but also by the constraints of series of land use policies. However, whether the conflict between the expansion of settlement land (SL) and the loss of cultivated land (CL) have been resolved at the national scale or transferred between the local regions remains unclear. Based on yearly ESA CCI land use and land cover products from 1992 to 2020, the long-term trends of quantity and spatial pattern of SL expansion and CL change in China from national and local views were investigated using trend statistic methods, and finally a comprehensive zoning framework was proposed to recognize the trade-off and synergies relationships between SL expansion and CL change. There are a continuous expansion of SL with global linear trends showing three breakpoints in 2000, 2005, and 2012, and a fluctuation decline of CL presented with four breakpoints in 1997, 2002, 2006, and 2013. Aggregation and dispersion tendencies with linear characteristics of SL expansion and CL change were found with breakpoints in 2001, 2008, 2012, and 2016 and breakpoints in 2001 and 2010, respectively. A spotty spatial pattern of SL was shown spatially coincident with urban agglomerations in China while the planar continuous characteristic was found for CL. Local counties were classified into five tradeoff and synergies zones (TSZs), where general synergies (G-S) and decoupling (D) of SL expansion and CL change were rare cases and the different change in quantity and trend of SL expansion and CL change in local counties was concealed by the national trend. A few scattered counties were belonging to G-S and D TSZs, while most of the counties in the central-east and western China were in General-Tradeoff (G-T) and Superior-Tradeoff (S-T) TSZs. Counties in south and north China with higher percentages of CL were more prevalent in Superior-Synergy (S-S) TSZ. Our findings explicated the complex relationships between SL expansion and CL change of China at the national scale and in local counties, which pointed out the differences of unified land use management activities across scales and could provide insights for future policy-making and management measures of land use to both ensure the national food security and promote regional sustainable development more synchronously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wang
- Key Laboratory for Urban Habitat Environmental Science and Technology, School of Urban Planning and Design, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Danni Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Urban Habitat Environmental Science and Technology, School of Urban Planning and Design, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Ecological Remediation and Carbon Sequestration, Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Xiwen Zhang
- School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510062, China.
| | - Chang Gao
- Key Laboratory for Urban Habitat Environmental Science and Technology, School of Urban Planning and Design, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- School of Land Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Jiansheng Wu
- Key Laboratory for Urban Habitat Environmental Science and Technology, School of Urban Planning and Design, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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20
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Conradi T, Eggli U, Kreft H, Schweiger AH, Weigelt P, Higgins SI. Reassessment of the risks of climate change for terrestrial ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:888-900. [PMID: 38409318 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02333-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Forecasting the risks of climate change for species and ecosystems is necessary for developing targeted conservation strategies. Previous risk assessments mapped the exposure of the global land surface to changes in climate. However, this procedure is unlikely to robustly identify priority areas for conservation actions because nonlinear physiological responses and colimitation processes ensure that ecological changes will not map perfectly to the forecast climatic changes. Here, we combine ecophysiological growth models of 135,153 vascular plant species and plant growth-form information to transform ambient and future climatologies into phytoclimates, which describe the ability of climates to support the plant growth forms that characterize terrestrial ecosystems. We forecast that 33% to 68% of the global land surface will experience a significant change in phytoclimate by 2070 under representative concentration pathways RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5, respectively. Phytoclimates without present-day analogue are forecast to emerge on 0.3-2.2% of the land surface and 0.1-1.3% of currently realized phytoclimates are forecast to disappear. Notably, the geographic pattern of change, disappearance and novelty of phytoclimates differs markedly from the pattern of analogous trends in climates detected by previous studies, thereby defining new priorities for conservation actions and highlighting the limits of using untransformed climate change exposure indices in ecological risk assessments. Our findings suggest that a profound transformation of the biosphere is underway and emphasize the need for a timely adaptation of biodiversity management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Conradi
- Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Urs Eggli
- Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich, Grün Stadt Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Campus-Institute Data Science, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andreas H Schweiger
- Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, Department of Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Patrick Weigelt
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Campus-Institute Data Science, Göttingen, Germany
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21
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Ye J, Xiao C, Feng Z, Qiao T. A review of global wilderness area identification since the 21st century. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 358:120946. [PMID: 38652991 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120946] [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: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Wilderness areas are natural landscape elements that are relatively undisrupted by human activity and play a critical role in maintaining ecological equilibrium, preserving naturalness, and ensuring ecosystem resilience. Since 2000, monitoring of global wilderness areas has increased owing to the availability of spatial map data and remote sensing imagery related to human activity and/or human footprint. Progress has been made in the remote sensing of wilderness areas by relying on available historical literature (e.g., published papers, books, and reports). However, to our knowledge, a synthesis of wilderness area research from a remote sensing perspective has not yet been performed. In this preliminary review, we discuss the concept of wilderness in different historical eras and systematically summarize dynamic wilderness monitoring at local, national, and global scales, available remotely sensed indicators, disparities and commonalities in identification methods, and mapping uncertainties. Finally, since this field remains in its initial stage owing to a lack of unified standards and vertical/horizontal comparisons, we present insights into future research directions, particularly with regard to remote sensing. The findings of this review may help to improve the overall understanding of current wilderness patterns (i.e., increases/decreases) and the mechanisms by which they change, as well as provide guidance for global nature conservation programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junzhi Ye
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Address: 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Address: 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, 100049, Beijing, China.
| | - Chiwei Xiao
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Address: 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Address: 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, 100049, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhiming Feng
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Address: 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Address: 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, 100049, Beijing, China.
| | - Tian Qiao
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Address: 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Address: 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, 100049, Beijing, China.
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Mata JC, Davison CW, Frøslev TG, Buitenwerf R, Svenning JC. Resource partitioning in a novel herbivore assemblage in South America. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:606-618. [PMID: 38414265 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Human-induced species declines and extinctions have led to the downsizing of large-herbivore assemblages, with implications for many ecosystem processes. Active reintroduction of extirpated large herbivores or their functional equivalents may help to reverse this trend and restore diverse ecosystems and their processes. However, it is unclear whether resource competition between native and non-native herbivores could threaten restoration initiatives, or to what extent (re)introduced species may influence local vegetation dynamics. To answer these questions, we investigated the diets of a novel South American herbivore assemblage that includes resident native species, reintroduced native species and introduced non-native species. We examined plant composition, diet breadth and the overlap between species to describe the local herbivory profile and the potential for resource competition. Using DNA metabarcoding on faecal samples (n = 465), we analysed the diets of the herbivore assemblage in the Rincón del Socorro rewilding area of Iberá National Park, Argentina. We compared the species richness of faecal samples, the occurrence of plant families/growth forms and the compositional similarity of samples (inter- and intraspecifically). Our results indicate species-level taxonomic partitioning of plant resources by herbivores in this system. Differences in sample richness, composition and diet breadth reflected a diverse range of herbivory strategies, from grazers (capybara) to mixed feeders/browsers (brocket deer, lowland tapir). Differences in diet compositional similarity (Jaccard) revealed strong taxonomic resource partitioning. The two herbivores with the most similar diets (Pampas deer and brocket deer) still differed by more than 80%. Furthermore, all but one species (axis deer) had more similar diet composition intraspecifically than compared to the others. Overall, we found little evidence for resource competition between herbivore species. Instead, recently reintroduced native species and historically introduced non-natives are likely expanding the range of herbivory dynamics in the ecosystem. Further research will be needed to determine the full ecological impacts of these (re)introduced herbivores. In conclusion, we show clear differences in diet breadth and composition among native, reintroduced and non-native herbivore species that may be key to promoting resource partitioning, species coexistence and the restoration of ecological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia C Mata
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Charles W Davison
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | | | - Robert Buitenwerf
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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23
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Bornbusch SL, Power ML, Schulkin J, Drea CM, Maslanka MT, Muletz-Wolz CR. Integrating microbiome science and evolutionary medicine into animal health and conservation. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:458-477. [PMID: 37956701 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Microbiome science has provided groundbreaking insights into human and animal health. Similarly, evolutionary medicine - the incorporation of eco-evolutionary concepts into primarily human medical theory and practice - is increasingly recognised for its novel perspectives on modern diseases. Studies of host-microbe relationships have been expanded beyond humans to include a wide range of animal taxa, adding new facets to our understanding of animal ecology, evolution, behaviour, and health. In this review, we propose that a broader application of evolutionary medicine, combined with microbiome science, can provide valuable and innovative perspectives on animal care and conservation. First, we draw on classic ecological principles, such as alternative stable states, to propose an eco-evolutionary framework for understanding variation in animal microbiomes and their role in animal health and wellbeing. With a focus on mammalian gut microbiomes, we apply this framework to populations of animals under human care, with particular relevance to the many animal species that suffer diseases linked to gut microbial dysfunction (e.g. gut distress and infection, autoimmune disorders, obesity). We discuss diet and microbial landscapes (i.e. the microbes in the animal's external environment), as two factors that are (i) proposed to represent evolutionary mismatches for captive animals, (ii) linked to gut microbiome structure and function, and (iii) potentially best understood from an evolutionary medicine perspective. Keeping within our evolutionary framework, we highlight the potential benefits - and pitfalls - of modern microbial therapies, such as pre- and probiotics, faecal microbiota transplants, and microbial rewilding. We discuss the limited, yet growing, empirical evidence for the use of microbial therapies to modulate animal gut microbiomes beneficially. Interspersed throughout, we propose 12 actionable steps, grounded in evolutionary medicine, that can be applied to practical animal care and management. We encourage that these actionable steps be paired with integration of eco-evolutionary perspectives into our definitions of appropriate animal care standards. The evolutionary perspectives proposed herein may be best appreciated when applied to the broad diversity of species under human care, rather than when solely focused on humans. We urge animal care professionals, veterinarians, nutritionists, scientists, and others to collaborate on these efforts, allowing for simultaneous care of animal patients and the generation of valuable empirical data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally L Bornbusch
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20008, USA
- Department of Nutrition Science, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20008, USA
| | - Michael L Power
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20008, USA
| | - Jay Schulkin
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1959 NE Pacific St., Box 356460, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Christine M Drea
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, 104 Biological Sciences, Campus Box 90383, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Michael T Maslanka
- Department of Nutrition Science, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20008, USA
| | - Carly R Muletz-Wolz
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20008, USA
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24
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Qiu J, Zhang Y, Ma J. Wetland habitats supporting waterbird diversity: Conservation perspective on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 357:120663. [PMID: 38552509 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120663] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Wetlands, as core habitats for supporting waterbird diversity, provide a variety of ecosystem services through diverse ecosystem functioning. Wetland degradation and wetland-habitat loss undermine the relationship between biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF), affecting the diversity of habitats and waterbirds. The conservation of waterbird diversity is closely linked to the proper functioning of wetland ecosystems (nutrient cycling, energy storage, and productivity). Waterbirds have complex habitat preferences and sensitivities, which affect biotic interactions. By highlighting the importance of temporal and spatial scales guided by BEF, a habitat-waterbird conservation framework is presented (BEF relationships are described at three levels: habitat, primary producers, and waterbird diversity). We present a novel perspective on habitat conservation for waterbirds by incorporating research on the effects of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning to address the crucial challenges in global waterbird diversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and habitat conservation. Last, it is imperative to prioritize strategies of habitat protection with the incorporation of BEF for future waterbird conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Qiu
- Department of Landscape Architecture, Gold Mantis School of Architecture, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
| | - Yixin Zhang
- Department of Landscape Architecture, Gold Mantis School of Architecture, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China; Sino-Portugal Joint Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Conservation Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
| | - Jianwu Ma
- Department of Landscape Architecture, Gold Mantis School of Architecture, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
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25
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Elphick A, Ockendon N, Aliácar S, Crowson M, Pettorelli N. Long-term vegetation trajectories to inform nature recovery strategies: The Greater Côa Valley as a case study. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 355:120413. [PMID: 38442655 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120413] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Active and passive approaches to rewilding and ecological restoration are increasingly considered to promote nature recovery at scale. However, historical data on vegetation trajectories have rarely been used to inform decisions on whether active or passive management is most appropriate to aid recovery of a specific ecosystem, which can lead to sub-optimal approaches being deployed and reduced biodiversity benefits. To demonstrate how understanding past changes can inform future management strategies, this study used satellite remote sensing data to analyse the changes in land cover and primary productivity within the Greater Côa Valley in Portugal, which has experienced wide-scale land abandonment. Results show that some areas in the Valley regenerated well following land abandonment in the region, leading to a more heterogeneous landscape of habitats for wildlife, whereas in other areas passive recovery was slow. As Rewilding Portugal intensifies its nature recovery efforts in the region, this study calls for strategic deployment of passive and active approaches to maximise conservation benefits. More broadly, our results highlight how baseline vegetational trajectories and contextual information can help inform whether active or passive management approaches may be suitable on a site-by-site basis for both rewilding and restoration projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Elphick
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY London, UK; UCL Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Nancy Ockendon
- Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme, Cambridge Conservation Initiative, The David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Sara Aliácar
- Rewilding Portugal, Quinta da Maunça SN, 6300-035, Arrifana, Guarda, Portugal
| | - Merry Crowson
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY London, UK
| | - Nathalie Pettorelli
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY London, UK; UCL Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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26
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McLellan EL, Suttles KM, Bouska KL, Ellis JH, Flotemersch JE, Goff M, Golden HE, Hill RA, Hohman TR, Keerthi S, Keim RF, Kleiss BA, Lark TJ, Piazza BP, Renfro AA, Robertson DM, Schilling KE, Schmidt TS, Waite IR. Improving ecosystem health in highly altered river basins: a generalized framework and its application to the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin. FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 2024; 12:1-19. [PMID: 38516348 PMCID: PMC10953731 DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1332934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Continued large-scale public investment in declining ecosystems depends on demonstrations of "success". While the public conception of "success" often focuses on restoration to a pre-disturbance condition, the scientific community is more likely to measure success in terms of improved ecosystem health. Using a combination of literature review, workshops and expert solicitation we propose a generalized framework to improve ecosystem health in highly altered river basins by reducing ecosystem stressors, enhancing ecosystem processes and increasing ecosystem resilience. We illustrate the use of this framework in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) of the central United States (U.S.), by (i) identifying key stressors related to human activities, and (ii) creating a conceptual ecosystem model relating those stressors to effects on ecosystem structure and processes. As a result of our analysis, we identify a set of landscape-level indicators of ecosystem health, emphasizing leading indicators of stressor removal (e.g., reduced anthropogenic nutrient inputs), increased ecosystem function (e.g., increased water storage in the landscape) and increased resilience (e.g., changes in the percentage of perennial vegetative cover). We suggest that by including these indicators, along with lagging indicators such as direct measurements of water quality, stakeholders will be better able to assess the effectiveness of management actions. For example, if both leading and lagging indicators show improvement over time, then management actions are on track to attain desired ecosystem condition. If, however, leading indicators are not improving or even declining, then fundamental challenges to ecosystem health remain to be addressed and failure to address these will ultimately lead to declines in lagging indicators such as water quality. Although our model and indicators are specific to the MARB, we believe that the generalized framework and the process of model and indicator development will be valuable in an array of altered river basins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kristen L. Bouska
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI, United States
| | - Jamelle H. Ellis
- Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Joseph E. Flotemersch
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Madison Goff
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Heather E. Golden
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Ryan A. Hill
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Tara R. Hohman
- Audubon Upper Mississippi River, Audubon Center at Riverlands, West Alton, MO, United States
| | | | - Richard F. Keim
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Barbara A. Kleiss
- Department of River Coastal Science and Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Tyler J. Lark
- Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | | | | | - Dale M. Robertson
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Keith E. Schilling
- IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Travis S. Schmidt
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Helena, MT, United States
| | - Ian R. Waite
- U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Water Science Center, Portland, OR, United States
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27
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Ferguson-Gow H, Nicholas O, Outhwaite C, Green R, Scheelbeek P, Eustachio Colombo P, Wheeler A, Taylor A, Dangour AD, Mace G, Pearson RG. Potential for positive biodiversity outcomes under diet-driven land use change in Great Britain. Wellcome Open Res 2024; 7:147. [PMID: 38504774 PMCID: PMC10948972 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17698.2] [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] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Background A shift toward human diets that include more fruit and vegetables, and less meat is a potential pathway to improve public health and reduce food system-related greenhouse gas emissions. Associated changes in land use could include conversion of grazing land into horticulture, which makes more efficient use of land per unit of dietary energy and frees-up land for other uses. Methods Here we use Great Britain as a case study to estimate potential impacts on biodiversity from converting grazing land to a mixture of horticulture and natural land covers by fitting species distribution models for over 800 species, including pollinating insects and species of conservation priority. Results Across several land use scenarios that consider the current ratio of domestic fruit and vegetable production to imports, our statistical models suggest a potential for gains to biodiversity, including a tendency for more species to gain habitable area than to lose habitable area. Moreover, the models suggest that climate change impacts on biodiversity could be mitigated to a degree by land use changes associated with dietary shifts. Conclusions Our analysis demonstrates that options exist for changing agricultural land uses in a way that can generate win-win-win outcomes for biodiversity, adaptation to climate change and public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Ferguson-Gow
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, Greater London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Owen Nicholas
- Department of Statistical Science, University College London, London, Greater London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Charlotte Outhwaite
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, Greater London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Rosie Green
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, Greater London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Pauline Scheelbeek
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, Greater London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Patricia Eustachio Colombo
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, Greater London, WC1E 7HT, UK
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Amber Wheeler
- The Food Foundation, London, Greater London, SW9 7QD, UK
| | - Anna Taylor
- The Food Foundation, London, Greater London, SW9 7QD, UK
| | - Alan D Dangour
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, Greater London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Georgina Mace
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, Greater London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Richard G Pearson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, Greater London, WC1E 6BT, UK
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28
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Passoni G, Coulson T, Cagnacci F. Celebrating wildlife population recovery through education. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:101-105. [PMID: 38065709 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Large mammal populations are rapidly recovering across Europe, yet people have not readapted to living with wild animals, resulting in human-wildlife conflict. We believe that society should unite to make the most of the instances of nature recovery, and propose science and education as the key to success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioele Passoni
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Rd, Oxford OX1 3SZ, United Kingdom; Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Edmund Mach 1, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, Trento, Italy.
| | - Tim Coulson
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Rd, Oxford OX1 3SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Edmund Mach 1, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, Trento, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo 90133, Italy
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29
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Deng N, Caixia L, Ma F, Song Q, Tian Y. Understory vegetation diversity patterns of Platycladus orientalis and Pinus elliottii communities in Central and Southern China. Open Life Sci 2023; 18:20220791. [PMID: 38152580 PMCID: PMC10752000 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2022-0791] [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: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
As a vital component of arbor forests, understory vegetation serves as an essential buffer zone for storing carbon due to its strong capacity for community regeneration. This study aimed to identify the diversity pattern and construction mechanism of Platycladus orientalis and Pinus elliottii understory vegetation based on large-scale sample surveys. The Bayesian Information Criterion value of species abundance distribution (SAD) indicated that the Zipf and Zipf-Mandelbrot models were the best-fitting models. The SAD and gambin fitting results suggested that the Pi. elliottii community had a more balanced structure, with most species being relatively abundant. The multiple regression tree model detected four and six indicator species in P. orientalis and Pi. elliottii communities, respectively. The α-diversity index increased with a rise in altitude and showed a wavy curve with latitude. Linear regression between the β diversity and environmental and geographic distance indicated that the P. orientalis and Pi. elliottii understory communities tended to be dominated by different ecological processes. The partition of β diversity indicated that both communities were dominated by turnover processes, which were caused by environmental classification or spatial constraints. This study helped to understand the diversity maintenance in the P. orientalis and Pi. elliottii understory vegetation communities, and will benefit for diversity restoration and conservation of pure conifer forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Deng
- Hunan Academy of Forestry, No. 658 Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
- Hunan Cili Forest Ecosystem State Research Station, Cili, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Liu Caixia
- Hunan Academy of Forestry, No. 658 Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
- Hunan Cili Forest Ecosystem State Research Station, Cili, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Fengfeng Ma
- Hunan Academy of Forestry, No. 658 Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
- Hunan Cili Forest Ecosystem State Research Station, Cili, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Qingan Song
- Hunan Academy of Forestry, No. 658 Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
- Hunan Cili Forest Ecosystem State Research Station, Cili, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Yuxin Tian
- Hunan Academy of Forestry, No. 658 Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
- Hunan Cili Forest Ecosystem State Research Station, Cili, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
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30
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Li C, Chen J, Liao X, Ramus AP, Angelini C, Liu L, Silliman BR, Bertness MD, He Q. Shorebirds-driven trophic cascade helps restore coastal wetland multifunctionality. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8076. [PMID: 38057308 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43951-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecosystem restoration has traditionally focused on re-establishing vegetation and other foundation species at basal trophic levels, with mixed outcomes. Here, we show that threatened shorebirds could be important to restoring coastal wetland multifunctionality. We carried out surveys and manipulative field experiments in a region along the Yellow Sea affected by the invasive cordgrass Spartina alterniflora. We found that planting native plants alone failed to restore wetland multifunctionality in a field restoration experiment. Shorebird exclusion weakened wetland multifunctionality, whereas mimicking higher predation before shorebird population declines by excluding their key prey - crab grazers - enhanced wetland multifunctionality. The mechanism underlying these effects is a simple trophic cascade, whereby shorebirds control crab grazers that otherwise suppress native vegetation recovery and destabilize sediments (via bioturbation). Our findings suggest that harnessing the top-down effects of shorebirds - through habitat conservation, rewilding, or temporary simulation of consumptive or non-consumptive effects - should be explored as a nature-based solution to restoring the multifunctionality of degraded coastal wetlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunming Li
- Coastal Ecology Lab, MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jianshe Chen
- Coastal Ecology Lab, MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Xiaolin Liao
- College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210037, China
| | - Aaron P Ramus
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - Christine Angelini
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lingli Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Brian R Silliman
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC, 28516, USA
| | - Mark D Bertness
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Qiang He
- Coastal Ecology Lab, MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai, 200438, China.
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31
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Tanentzap AJ, Kolmakova O. Global change ecology: Science to heal a damaged planet. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002455. [PMID: 38079446 PMCID: PMC10914387 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Humanity has drastically altered the biophysical systems that sustain life on Earth. We summarize progress and chart future directions in the emerging field of global change ecology, which studies interactions between organisms and their changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Tanentzap
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Olesya Kolmakova
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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32
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Pearce EA, Mazier F, Normand S, Fyfe R, Andrieu V, Bakels C, Balwierz Z, Bińka K, Boreham S, Borisova OK, Brostrom A, de Beaulieu JL, Gao C, González-Sampériz P, Granoszewski W, Hrynowiecka A, Kołaczek P, Kuneš P, Magri D, Malkiewicz M, Mighall T, Milner AM, Möller P, Nita M, Noryśkiewicz B, Pidek IA, Reille M, Robertsson AM, Salonen JS, Schläfli P, Schokker J, Scussolini P, Šeirienė V, Strahl J, Urban B, Winter H, Svenning JC. Substantial light woodland and open vegetation characterized the temperate forest biome before Homo sapiens. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi9135. [PMID: 37948521 PMCID: PMC10637746 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi9135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The extent of vegetation openness in past European landscapes is widely debated. In particular, the temperate forest biome has traditionally been defined as dense, closed-canopy forest; however, some argue that large herbivores maintained greater openness or even wood-pasture conditions. Here, we address this question for the Last Interglacial period (129,000-116,000 years ago), before Homo sapiens-linked megafauna declines and anthropogenic landscape transformation. We applied the vegetation reconstruction method REVEALS to 96 Last Interglacial pollen records. We found that light woodland and open vegetation represented, on average, more than 50% cover during this period. The degree of openness was highly variable and only partially linked to climatic factors, indicating the importance of natural disturbance regimes. Our results show that the temperate forest biome was historically heterogeneous rather than uniformly dense, which is consistent with the dependency of much of contemporary European biodiversity on open vegetation and light woodland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena A. Pearce
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Florence Mazier
- Department of Environmental Geography, CNRS UMR GEODE 5602, University Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
| | - Signe Normand
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Sustainable Landscapes under Global Change (SustainScapes), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Landscape Research in Sustainable Agricultural Futures, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Ralph Fyfe
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Valérie Andrieu
- CEREGE, CNRS, IRD, Europôle de l'Arbois, BP 80, F-13545 Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Corrie Bakels
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Zofia Balwierz
- Department of Geology and Geomorphology, University of Łódź, Narutowicza 88, 90-139 Łódź, Poland
| | | | - Steve Boreham
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EN, UK
| | - Olga K. Borisova
- Independent researcher, Soloviny str. 4-1-224, 117593, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna Brostrom
- Department of Geology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
- Gymnasieskolan Knut Hahn, Blasius Königsgatan 27, 37232 Ronneby, Sweden
| | - Jacques-Louis de Beaulieu
- Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity and Ecology, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Cunhai Gao
- Ontario Geological Survey, 933 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON P3E 6B5, Canada
| | | | - Wojciech Granoszewski
- Polish Geological Institute, National Research Institute, Carpathian Branch, Skrzatów 1, 31-560 Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Hrynowiecka
- Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute, Marine Geology Branch, ul. Kościerska 5, 80-328 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Piotr Kołaczek
- Climate Change Ecology Research Unit, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań, Bogumiła Krygowskiego 10, Poznań 61-680, Poland
| | - Petr Kuneš
- Department of Botany, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Donatella Magri
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, Rome, Italy
| | - Małgorzata Malkiewicz
- Laboratory of Paleobotany, Department of Stratigraphical Geology, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Wroclaw, Cybulskiego 34, 50-205 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Tim Mighall
- Department of Geography and Environment, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
| | - Alice M. Milner
- Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Per Möller
- Department of Geology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Małgorzata Nita
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Bożena Noryśkiewicz
- Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Irena Agnieszka Pidek
- Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Al. Krasnicka 2 d, 20-718 Lublin, Poland
| | - Maurice Reille
- Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity and Ecology, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Ann-Marie Robertsson
- Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J. Sakari Salonen
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Patrick Schläfli
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Oechger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jeroen Schokker
- TNO, Geological Survey of the Netherlands, Postbus 80015, 3508 TA, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Faculty of Science, Department of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Paolo Scussolini
- Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Vaida Šeirienė
- Nature Research Centre, Institute of Geology and Geography, Akademijos 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Jaqueline Strahl
- Landesamt für Bergbau, Geologie und Rohstoffe, Inselstraße 26, 03046 Cottbus, Germany
| | - Brigitte Urban
- Leuphana University Lüneburg, Institute of Ecology, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Hanna Winter
- Polish Geological Institute, 00-975 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Sustainable Landscapes under Global Change (SustainScapes), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Arya AK. Rewilding: a requirement for a sustainable future. BMC ZOOL 2023; 8:26. [PMID: 37924104 PMCID: PMC10623769 DOI: 10.1186/s40850-023-00187-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Nowadays rewilding has received an increasing focus as a sustainable conservation tool for restoring damaged or disturbed habitats. Many types of rewilding initiatives have been implemented all over the globe with the goal of reinstalling the extinct or lost fauna as well as restoring ecological relationships and natural processes. The effectiveness of rewilding initiatives depends on a comprehensive understanding of the ecological functions, habitat needs, social behaviour, and interrelation among various animal species. This Collection invites contributions that portray different aspects and the importance of rewilding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish Kumar Arya
- Department of Environmental Science, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, India.
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Walker RH, Hutchinson MC, Becker JA, Daskin JH, Gaynor KM, Palmer MS, Gonçalves DD, Stalmans ME, Denlinger J, Bouley P, Angela M, Paulo A, Potter AB, Arumoogum N, Parrini F, Marshal JP, Pringle RM, Long RA. Trait-based sensitivity of large mammals to a catastrophic tropical cyclone. Nature 2023; 623:757-764. [PMID: 37968390 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06722-0] [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: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Extreme weather events perturb ecosystems and increasingly threaten biodiversity1. Ecologists emphasize the need to forecast and mitigate the impacts of these events, which requires knowledge of how risk is distributed among species and environments. However, the scale and unpredictability of extreme events complicate risk assessment1-4-especially for large animals (megafauna), which are ecologically important and disproportionately threatened but are wide-ranging and difficult to monitor5. Traits such as body size, dispersal ability and habitat affiliation are hypothesized to determine the vulnerability of animals to natural hazards1,6,7. Yet it has rarely been possible to test these hypotheses or, more generally, to link the short-term and long-term ecological effects of weather-related disturbance8,9. Here we show how large herbivores and carnivores in Mozambique responded to Intense Tropical Cyclone Idai, the deadliest storm on record in Africa, across scales ranging from individual decisions in the hours after landfall to changes in community composition nearly 2 years later. Animals responded behaviourally to rising floodwaters by moving upslope and shifting their diets. Body size and habitat association independently predicted population-level impacts: five of the smallest and most lowland-affiliated herbivore species declined by an average of 28% in the 20 months after landfall, while four of the largest and most upland-affiliated species increased by an average of 26%. We attribute the sensitivity of small-bodied species to their limited mobility and physiological constraints, which restricted their ability to avoid the flood and endure subsequent reductions in the quantity and quality of food. Our results identify general traits that govern animal responses to severe weather, which may help to inform wildlife conservation in a volatile climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reena H Walker
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Matthew C Hutchinson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Justine A Becker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Joshua H Daskin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Meredith S Palmer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Dominique D Gonçalves
- Department of Scientific Services, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Marc E Stalmans
- Department of Scientific Services, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
| | - Jason Denlinger
- Department of Scientific Services, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
| | - Paola Bouley
- Department of Conservation, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
- Associação Azul Moçambique, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Mercia Angela
- Department of Conservation, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
| | - Antonio Paulo
- Department of Conservation, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
| | - Arjun B Potter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Nikhail Arumoogum
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Francesca Parrini
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jason P Marshal
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Ryan A Long
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
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Oswald JA, Smith BT, Allen JM, Guralnick RP, Steadman DW, LeFebvre MJ. Changes in parrot diversity after human arrival to the Caribbean. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2301128120. [PMID: 37748079 PMCID: PMC10576146 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2301128120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans did not arrive on most of the world's islands until relatively recently, making islands favorable places for disentangling the timing and magnitude of natural and anthropogenic impacts on species diversity and distributions. Here, we focus on Amazona parrots in the Caribbean, which have close relationships with humans (e.g., as pets as well as sources of meat and colorful feathers). Caribbean parrots also have substantial fossil and archaeological records that span the Holocene. We leverage this exemplary record to showcase how combining ancient and modern DNA, along with radiometric dating, can shed light on diversification and extinction dynamics and answer long-standing questions about the magnitude of human impacts in the region. Our results reveal a striking loss of parrot diversity, much of which took place during human occupation of the islands. The most widespread species, the Cuban Parrot, exhibits interisland divergences throughout the Pleistocene. Within this radiation, we identified an extinct, genetically distinct lineage that survived on the Turks and Caicos until Indigenous human settlement of the islands. We also found that the narrowly distributed Hispaniolan Parrot had a natural range that once included The Bahamas; it thus became "endemic" to Hispaniola during the late Holocene. The Hispaniolan Parrot also likely was introduced by Indigenous people to Grand Turk and Montserrat, two islands where it is now also extirpated. Our research demonstrates that genetic information spanning paleontological, archaeological, and modern contexts is essential to understand the role of humans in altering the diversity and distribution of biota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A. Oswald
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Ashland, OR97520
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV89557
| | - Brian Tilston Smith
- Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY10024
| | - Julie M. Allen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA24061
| | - Robert P. Guralnick
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL32611
| | - David W. Steadman
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL32611
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36
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Teng SN, Svenning JC, Xu C. Large mammals and trees in eastern monsoonal China: anthropogenic losses since the Late Pleistocene and restoration prospects in the Anthropocene. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1607-1632. [PMID: 37102332 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12968] [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: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Massive human-induced declines of large-sized animals and trees (megabiota) from the Late Pleistocene to the Anthropocene have resulted in downsized ecosystems across the globe, in which components and functions have been greatly simplified. In response, active restoration projects of extant large-sized species or functional substitutes are needed at large scales to promote ecological processes that are important for ecosystem self-regulation and biodiversity maintenance. Despite the desired global scope of such projects, they have received little attention in East Asia. Here, we synthesise the biogeographical and ecological knowledge of megabiota in ancient and modern China, with relevant data mostly located in eastern monsoonal China (EMC), aiming to assess its potential for restoring functionally intact ecosystems modulated by megabiota. We found that during the Late Pleistocene, 12 mammalian megafaunal (carnivores ≥15 kg and herbivores ≥500 kg) species disappeared from EMC: one carnivore Crocuta ultima (East Asian spotted hyena) and 11 herbivores including six megaherbivores (≥1000 kg). The relative importance of climate change and humans in driving these losses remains debated, despite accumulating evidence in favour of the latter. Later massive depletion of megafauna and large-sized (45-500 kg) herbivores has been closely associated with agricultural expansion and societal development, especially during the late Holocene. While forests rich in large timber trees (33 taxa in written records) were common in the region 2000-3000 years ago, millennial-long logging has resulted in considerable range contractions and at least 39 threatened species. The wide distribution of C. ultima, which likely favoured open or semi-open habitats (like extant spotted hyenas), suggests the existence of mosaic open and closed vegetation in the Late Pleistocene across EMC, in line with a few pollen-based vegetation reconstructions and potentially, or at least partially, reflecting herbivory by herbivorous megafauna. The widespread loss of megaherbivores may have strongly compromised seed dispersal for both megafruit (fleshy fruits with widths ≥40 mm) and non-megafruit plant species in EMC, especially in terms of extra-long-distance (>10 km) dispersal, which is critical for plant species that rely on effective biotic agents to track rapid climate change. The former occurrence of large mammals and trees have translated into rich material and non-material heritages passed down across generations. Several reintroduction projects have been implemented or are under consideration, with the case of Elaphurus davidianus a notable success in recovering wild populations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, although trophic interactions with native carnivorous megafauna have not yet been restored. Lessons of dealing with human-wildlife conflicts are key to public support for maintaining landscapes shared with megafauna and large herbivores in the human-dominated Anthropocene. Meanwhile, potential human-wildlife conflicts, e.g. public health risks, need to be scientifically informed and effectively reduced. The Chinese government's strong commitment to improved policies of ecological protection and restoration (e.g. ecological redlines and national parks) provides a solid foundation for a scaling-up contribution to the global scope needed for solving the crisis of biotic downsizing and ecosystem degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuqing N Teng
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) & Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Chi Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
- Key Laboratory of Restoration and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystems in northwestern China of Ministry of Education, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, 750021, China
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37
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March-Salas M, Lorite J, Bossdorf O, Scheepens JF. Cliffs as priority ecosystems. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e14166. [PMID: 37551743 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Martí March-Salas
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Juan Lorite
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada (UGR), Granada, Spain
| | - Oliver Bossdorf
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Evolution & Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - J F Scheepens
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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38
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Shackelford N, McDougall C. Ecosystem restoration, regeneration and rewilding. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:52. [PMID: 37710145 PMCID: PMC10500817 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02165-3] [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: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropomorphic activities have caused major damage to ecosystems worldwide. Although documenting this damage is important, implementing measures to halt and reverse ecosystem decline is critical and is now being prioritised globally. To support global goals to protect and restore nature, BMC Ecology and Evolution has launched a new article collection to encourage contributions from the multifaceted ecosystem restoration community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Shackelford
- Nancy Shackelford, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada.
| | - Carmel McDougall
- Carmel McDougall. Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland
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39
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van Leeuwen CHA, de Leeuw JJ, van Keeken OA, Volwater JJJ, Seljee F, van Aalderen R, van Emmerik WAM, Bakker ES. Multispecies fish tracking across newly created shallow and deep habitats in a forward-restored lake. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:43. [PMID: 37501192 PMCID: PMC10373381 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00405-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Freshwater fish communities typically thrive in heterogenous ecosystems that offer various abiotic conditions. However, human impact increasingly leads to loss of this natural heterogeneity and its associated rich fish communities. To reverse this trend, we need guidelines on how to effectively restore or recreate habitats for multiple fish species. Lake Markermeer in the Netherlands is a human-created 70,000-ha lake with a uniform 4 m-water depth, steep shorelines, high wind-induced turbidity, and a declining fish community. In 2016, a forward-looking restoration project newly created a 1000-ha five-island archipelago in this degrading lake, which offered new sheltered shallow waters and deep sand excavations to the fish community. METHODS In 2020, we assessed how omnivorous and piscivorous fish species used these new habitats by tracking 78 adult fish of five key species across local and lake-scales. We monitored spring arrival of adult fish and assessed local macro-invertebrate and young-of-the-year fish densities. RESULTS Adult omnivorous Cyprinidae and piscivorous Percidae arrived at the archipelago in early spring, corresponding with expected spawning movements. During the productive summer season, 12 species of young-of-the-year fish appeared along the sheltered shorelines, with particularly high densities of common roach (Rutilus rutilus) and European perch (Perca fluviatilis). This suggests the sheltered, shallow, vegetated waters formed new suitable spawning and recruitment habitat for the fish community. Despite highest food densities for adult fish in the shallowest habitats (< 2-m), adult fish preferred minimally 2-m deep water. After spawning most Cyprinidae left the archipelago and moved long distances through the lake system, while most Percidae remained resident. This may be related to (1) high densities of young-of-the-year fish as food for piscivores, (2) medium food densities for omnivores compared to elsewhere in the lake-system, or (3) the attractiveness of 30-m deep sand excavations that were newly created and frequently used by one-third of all tracked fish. CONCLUSIONS New littoral zones and a deep sand excavation constructed in a uniform shallow lake that lacked these habitat types attracted omnivorous and piscivorous fish species within four years. Both feeding guilds used the littoral zones for reproduction and nursery, and notably piscivorous fish became residents year-round.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper H A van Leeuwen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Joep J de Leeuw
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen UR, Haringkade 1, 1976 CP, IJmuiden, The Netherlands
| | - Olvin A van Keeken
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen UR, Haringkade 1, 1976 CP, IJmuiden, The Netherlands
| | - Joey J J Volwater
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen UR, Haringkade 1, 1976 CP, IJmuiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ferdi Seljee
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen University, Nijenborg 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Roland van Aalderen
- Royal Dutch Angling Association, Leyenseweg 115, 3721 BC, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | | | - Elisabeth S Bakker
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen UR, Droevendaalsesteeg 2, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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40
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Daskalova GN, Kamp J. Abandoned land: Overestimated potential-Response. Science 2023; 381:278. [PMID: 37471553 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj1595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gergana N Daskalova
- Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation Group, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Johannes Kamp
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
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41
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Pringle RM, Abraham JO, Anderson TM, Coverdale TC, Davies AB, Dutton CL, Gaylard A, Goheen JR, Holdo RM, Hutchinson MC, Kimuyu DM, Long RA, Subalusky AL, Veldhuis MP. Impacts of large herbivores on terrestrial ecosystems. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R584-R610. [PMID: 37279691 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Large herbivores play unique ecological roles and are disproportionately imperiled by human activity. As many wild populations dwindle towards extinction, and as interest grows in restoring lost biodiversity, research on large herbivores and their ecological impacts has intensified. Yet, results are often conflicting or contingent on local conditions, and new findings have challenged conventional wisdom, making it hard to discern general principles. Here, we review what is known about the ecosystem impacts of large herbivores globally, identify key uncertainties, and suggest priorities to guide research. Many findings are generalizable across ecosystems: large herbivores consistently exert top-down control of plant demography, species composition, and biomass, thereby suppressing fires and the abundance of smaller animals. Other general patterns do not have clearly defined impacts: large herbivores respond to predation risk but the strength of trophic cascades is variable; large herbivores move vast quantities of seeds and nutrients but with poorly understood effects on vegetation and biogeochemistry. Questions of the greatest relevance for conservation and management are among the least certain, including effects on carbon storage and other ecosystem functions and the ability to predict outcomes of extinctions and reintroductions. A unifying theme is the role of body size in regulating ecological impact. Small herbivores cannot fully substitute for large ones, and large-herbivore species are not functionally redundant - losing any, especially the largest, will alter net impact, helping to explain why livestock are poor surrogates for wild species. We advocate leveraging a broad spectrum of techniques to mechanistically explain how large-herbivore traits and environmental context interactively govern the ecological impacts of these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Joel O Abraham
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - T Michael Anderson
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Tyler C Coverdale
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Andrew B Davies
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | | | | | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82072, USA
| | - Ricardo M Holdo
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Matthew C Hutchinson
- Department of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Duncan M Kimuyu
- Department of Natural Resources, Karatina University, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Ryan A Long
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Amanda L Subalusky
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Michiel P Veldhuis
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
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Austin AT, Ballaré CL. Attackers gain the upper hand over plants in the face of rapid global change. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R611-R620. [PMID: 37279692 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Interactions among organisms in natural ecosystems are the foundational underpinnings of nearly all ecological studies. It has never been more important to increase our awareness of how these interactions are altered by human activity, threatening biodiversity and disrupting ecosystem functioning. Much of the historic focus of species conservation has been the preservation of endangered and endemic species at risk from hunting, over-exploitation, and habitat destruction. However, there is increasing evidence that differences between plants and their attacking organisms in the speed and direction of physiological, demographic, and genetic (adaptation) responses to global change are having devastating consequences, resulting in large-scale losses of dominant or abundant plant species, particularly in forest ecosystems. From the elimination in the wild of the American chestnut to the extensive regional damage caused by insect outbreaks in temperate forest ecosystems, these losses of dominant species change the ecological landscape and functioning, and represent important threats to biodiversity at all scales. Introductions due to human activity, range shifts due to climate change, and their combination are the principal drivers behind these profound ecosystem changes. In this Review, we argue that there is an urgent need to increase our recognition and hone our predictive power for how these imbalances may occur. Moreover, we should seek to minimize the consequences of these imbalances in order to ensure the preservation of the structure, function and biodiversity of entire ecosystems, not just rare or highly endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy T Austin
- IFEVA, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Carlos L Ballaré
- IFEVA, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina; IIB-INTECH, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, B1650HMP Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Abstract
Land abandonment is critical when assessing global biodiversity and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergana N Daskalova
- Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation Group, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Johannes Kamp
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Frigo G, Milchram C, Hillerbrand R. Designing for Care. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2023; 29:16. [PMID: 37097387 PMCID: PMC10129926 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-023-00434-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
This article introduces Designing for Care (D4C), a distinctive approach to project management and technological design informed by Care Ethics. We propose to conceptualize "care" as both the foundational value of D4C and as its guiding mid-level principle. As a value, care provides moral grounding. As a principle, it equips D4C with moral guidance to enact a caring process. The latter is made of a set of concrete, and often recursive, caring practices. One of the key assumption of D4C is a relational ontology of individual and group identities, which fosters the actualization of caring practices as essentially relational and (often) reciprocal. Moreover, D4C adopts the "ecological turn" in CE and stresses the ecological situatedness and impact of concrete projects, envisioning an extension of caring from intra-species to inter-species relations. We argue that care and caring can influence directly some of the phases and practices within the management of (energy) projects and the design of sociotechnical (energy) artefacts and systems. When issues related to "value change" emerge as problematic (e.g., values trade-offs, conflicts), the mid-level guiding principle of care helps evaluate and prioritize different values at stake within specific projects. Although there may be several actors and stakeholders involved in project management and technological design, here we will focus on the professionals in charge of imagining, designing, and carrying out these processes (i.e., project managers, designers, engineers). We suggest that adopting D4C would improve their ability to capture and assess stakeholders' values, critically reflect on and evaluate their own values, and judge which values prioritize. Although D4C may be adaptable to different fields and design contexts, we recommend its use especially within small and medium-scale (energy) projects. To show the benefits of adopting it, we envisage the application of D4C within the project management and the technological design of a community battery. The adoption of D4C can have multiple positive effects: transforming the mentality and practice of managing a project and designing technologies; enhancing caring relationships between managers, designers, and users as well as among users; achieving better communication, more inclusive participation, and more just decision-making. This is an initial attempt to articulate the structure and the procedural character of D4C. The application of D4C in a concrete project is needed to assess its actual impact, benefits, and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Frigo
- Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Christine Milchram
- Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Rafaela Hillerbrand
- Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
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Wang L, Wei F, Svenning JC. Accelerated cropland expansion into high integrity forests and protected areas globally in the 21st century. iScience 2023; 26:106450. [PMID: 37034983 PMCID: PMC10074200 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Intact forests and protected areas (PAs) are central to global biodiversity conservation and nature-based climate change mitigation. However, cropland encroachment threatens the ecological integrity and resilience of their functioning. Using satellite observations, we find that a large proportion of croplands in the remaining forests globally have been gained during 2003-2019, especially for high-integrity forests (62%) and non-forest biomes (60%) and tropical forests (47%). Cropland expansion during 2011-2019 in forests globally has even doubled (130% relative increase) than 2003-2011, with high medium-integrity (190%) and high-integrity (165%) categories and non-forest (182%) and tropical forest biomes (136%) showing higher acceleration. Unexpectedly, a quarter of croplands in PAs globally were gained during 2003-2019, again with a recent accelerated expansion (48%). These results suggest insufficient protection of these irreplaceable landscapes and a major challenge to global conservation. More effective local, national, and international coordination among sustainable development goals 15, 13, and 2 is urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanhui Wang
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Fangli Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) & Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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46
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Li X, Seymour CB, Mothersill C, Rollo CD. Investigation of presence and impact of radiation-induced bystander effect in Acheta domesticus. Int J Radiat Biol 2023; 99:1619-1630. [PMID: 36892482 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2023.2188977] [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: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE), a non-targeted effect of ionizing radiation in which non-irradiated individuals behave as if they have been irradiated after interactions with irradiated individuals, has been well documented in vertebrates. However, little research has been done investigating RIBE in terrestrial insects, this paucity of invertebrate RIBE leads to lack of knowledge on invertebrates living in fallout and exclusion zones. This paper aims to better understand the impacts of RIBE on terrestrial insects.Methods and materials: House crickets who have interacted with irradiated crickets were examined to investigate population effects of ionizing radiation exposure to better understand RIBE in insects. RESULTS The results demonstrated RIBE in crickets and found that cohabitated males had higher growth rate (mg/day) when compared to non-cohabitated males. Further, cohabitated males and females matured significantly faster with no significant difference in maturation weight than non-cohabitated populations. Experiment with adult irradiated crickets found saturability of bystander signals and similar shifts in maturation parameters. These results highlight that bystander signals can impacted development and maturation in crickets. CONCLUSION Given long-term impacts of RIBE in insects, these results may have significant implications for interactions between insects inhabiting fringe nuclear exclusion zones and those outside of it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobing Li
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Colin B Seymour
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Carmel Mothersill
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - C David Rollo
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Köhler CF, Holding ML, Sprong H, Jansen PA, Esser HJ. Biodiversity in the Lyme-light: ecological restoration and tick-borne diseases in Europe. Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:373-385. [PMID: 36890021 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity loss and the emergence of zoonotic diseases are two major global challenges. An urgent question is how ecosystems and wildlife communities can be restored whilst minimizing the risk of zoonotic diseases carried by wildlife. Here, we evaluate how current ambitions to restore Europe's natural ecosystems may affect the hazard of diseases vectored by the tick Ixodes ricinus at different scales. We find that effects of restoration efforts on tick abundance are relatively straightforward but that the interacting effects of vertebrate diversity and abundance on pathogen transmission are insufficiently known. Long-term integrated surveillance of wildlife communities, ticks, and their pathogens is needed to understand their interactions and to prevent nature restoration from increasing tick-borne disease (TBD) hazard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Florentine Köhler
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Maya Louise Holding
- Virology and Pathogenesis Group, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, UK; National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, Liverpool, UK
| | - Hein Sprong
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick A Jansen
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Helen J Esser
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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48
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Pérez-Barbería FJ, Gómez JA, Gordon IJ. Legislative hurdles to using traditional domestic livestock in rewilding programmes in Europe. AMBIO 2023; 52:585-597. [PMID: 36580270 PMCID: PMC9849629 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-022-01822-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Rewilding is a restoration strategy that aims to return anthropogenic ecosystems to a "self-organized" state, by reinstating trophic complexity through disturbance (e.g. predation, herbivory), dispersal and connectivity. In depopulated areas of Europe, lite versions of rewilding, that maintain but minimize the management of rewilding species (e.g. predators, large herbivores) is gaining support. Livestock rewilding (LR) is a form of rewilding-lite, that uses livestock landraces as keystone species in the restoration of herbivory (the functional integrity of ecosystems) offering ecosystem services, such as ecotourism and the sale of livestock population surpluses, that can mitigate the economic and social effects of rural depopulation. Many challenges remain to implementing LR, including (i) more empirical evidence is required of the feasibility of LR across a variety of habitats and conditions, and (ii) understanding the hurdles that legislation poses for LR, the latter being the aim of this study. To accomplish this, we reviewed the EU legislation on environmental protection, animal health and welfare, identification and traceability, and ownership and civil responsibility, to assess how this might apply to LR. Although there is no specific EU legislation prohibiting LR, the review indicates that it is not clear what legislation applies to LR, as LR's status lies between that of livestock and wild species. As such the existing legislation can be a serious impediment to the development of LR programmes. We highlight the needs for a legal definition, and status of LR species and their ownership. We propose ways to adapt this legislation to support the application of LR programmes in abandoned areas of EU, for example, by using legal exceptions intended for livestock under extensive animal farming systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Javier Pérez-Barbería
- Biodiversity Research Institute (University of Oviedo Spanish Research Council Principado de Asturias), 33600 Mieres, Asturias Spain
- Department of Agroforestry Science and Technology and Genetics, Institute of Regional Development, Game and Livestock Resources Unit, University of Castilla-La Mancha, IREC, 02071 Albacete, Spain
| | - J. Angel Gómez
- Consejería Agricultura, Agua y Desarrollo Rural Castilla-La Mancha, Oficina Comarcal Agraria, C/Brunete, 21, La Roda, 02630 Albacete, Spain
| | - Iain J. Gordon
- Australian National University | ANU Fenner School of Environment & Society, Canberra, ACT Australia
- 5 Lawson Street, Mysterton, QLD 4812 Australia
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Contos P, Murphy NP, Gibb H. Whole-of-community invertebrate rewilding: Leaf litter transplants rapidly increase beetle diversity during restoration. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2779. [PMID: 36398530 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Restoration of degraded areas is now a central tool in humanity's response to continued species-loss. However, restoration projects often report exceedingly slow or failed recolonization of fauna, especially dispersal-constrained groups such as invertebrates. Active interventions via reintroducing or "rewilding" invertebrates may assist recolonization and speed up restoration of communities toward a desired target. However, invertebrate rewilding is rarely implemented during ecological restoration. Here, we studied the efficacy of invertebrate rewilding as a means of reintroducing dispersal-constrained species and improving diversity and compositional similarities to remnant communities during restoration. Rewilding was conducted by transplanting leaf litter and soil, including associated communities of invertebrates from species rich remnant sites into species poor, and geographically isolated, revegetated farmland sites. We sampled pre- and post-rewilding invertebrate communities in remnant, rewilded revegetation, and control revegetation sites. We analyzed morphospecies richness, abundance, community composition, and modeled morphospecies traits (dispersal method/trophic guild) using a Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities approach to determine which biological properties facilitated establishment. Beetle (Coleoptera) morphospecies richness increased rapidly in rewilded sites and was indistinguishable from remnant communities as early as 7 months post-rewilding. Beetle community similarity in the rewilding sites significantly deviated from the control sites 27 months post-rewilding, however remnant communities remained distinct over the study timeframe. Establishment success varied as other taxa did not respond as consistently as beetles within the study timeframe. Furthermore, there were no discernible shifts in dispersal traits in rewilded sites. However, predatory morphospecies were more likely to establish post-rewilding than other trophic groups. Our results demonstrate that the relatively simple act of transplanting leaf litter can result in comparatively large increases in morphospecies richness during restoration in a short timeframe. We advocate methodologies such as ours should be adopted more frequently to address failed community restoration as they are cost-effective and can be easily applied by practitioners in various restoration settings. However, further efficacy tests (e.g., varying the number of rewilding events) and longer study timeframes are needed to ensure effectiveness for a broader range of invertebrate taxa and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Contos
- Department of Environment and Genetics, and Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nicholas P Murphy
- Department of Environment and Genetics, and Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Heloise Gibb
- Department of Environment and Genetics, and Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine, and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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50
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Deli S, Néstor F, Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Jens-Christian S. Addressing challenges for large-scale trophic rewilding. J Nat Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
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