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Riva F, Koper N, Fahrig L. Overcoming confusion and stigma in habitat fragmentation research. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1411-1424. [PMID: 38477434 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13073] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic habitat loss is widely recognized as a primary environmental concern. By contrast, debates on the effects of habitat fragmentation persist. To facilitate overcoming these debates, here we: (i) review the state of the literature on habitat fragmentation, finding widespread confusion and stigma; (ii) identify consequences of this for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management; and (iii) suggest ways in which research can move forward to resolve these problems. Confusion is evident from the 25 most-cited fragmentation articles published between 2017 and 2021. These articles use five distinct concepts of habitat fragmentation, only one of which clearly distinguishes habitat fragmentation from habitat area and other factors ('fragmentation per se'). Stigmatization is evident from our new findings that fragmentation papers are more charged with negative sentiments when compared to papers from other subfields in the environmental sciences, and that fragmentation papers with more negative sentiments are cited more. While most empirical studies of habitat fragmentation per se find neutral or positive effects on species and biodiversity outcomes, which implies that small habitat patches have a high cumulative value, confusion and stigma in reporting and discussing such results have led to suboptimal habitat protection policy. For example, government agencies, conservation organizations, and land trusts impose minimum habitat patch sizes on habitat protection. Given the high cumulative value of small patches, such policies mean that many opportunities for conservation are being missed. Our review highlights the importance of reducing confusion and stigma in habitat fragmentation research. To this end, we propose implementing study designs in which multiple sample landscapes are selected across independent gradients of habitat amount and fragmentation, measured as patch density. We show that such designs are possible for forest habitat across Earth's biomes. As such study designs are adopted, and as language becomes more precise, we expect that confusion and stigma in habitat fragmentation research will dissipate. We also expect important breakthroughs in understanding the situations where effects of habitat fragmentation per se are neutral, positive, or negative, and the reasons for these differences. Ultimately this will improve efficacy of area-based conservation policies, to the benefit of biodiversity and people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Riva
- Environmental Geography Department, Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1111, 1081, HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nicola Koper
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Lenore Fahrig
- Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
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2
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Gonçalves F, Farooq H, Harfoot M, Pires MM, Villar N, Sales L, Carvalho C, Bello C, Emer C, Bovendorp RS, Mendes C, Beca G, Lautenschlager L, Souza Y, Pedrosa F, Paz C, Zipparro VB, Akkawi P, Bercê W, Farah F, Freitas AVL, Silveira LF, Olmos F, Geldmann J, Dalsgaard B, Galetti M. A global map of species at risk of extinction due to natural hazards. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321068121. [PMID: 38885390 PMCID: PMC11214083 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321068121] [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: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
An often-overlooked question of the biodiversity crisis is how natural hazards contribute to species extinction risk. To address this issue, we explored how four natural hazards, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, overlapped with the distribution ranges of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles that have either narrow distributions or populations with few mature individuals. To assess which species are at risk from these natural hazards, we combined the frequency and magnitude of each natural hazard to estimate their impact. We considered species at risk if they overlapped with regions where any of the four natural hazards historically occurred (n = 3,722). Those species with at least a quarter of their range subjected to a high relative impact were considered at high risk (n = 2,001) of extinction due to natural hazards. In total, 834 reptiles, 617 amphibians, 302 birds, and 248 mammals were at high risk and they were mainly distributed on islands and in the tropics. Hurricanes (n = 983) and earthquakes (n = 868) affected most species, while tsunamis (n = 272), and volcanoes (n = 171) affected considerably fewer. The region with the highest number of species at high risk was the Pacific Ring of Fire, especially due to volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, while hurricane-related high-risk species were concentrated in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and northwestern Pacific Ocean. Our study provides important information regarding the species at risk due to natural hazards and can help guide conservation attention and efforts to safeguard their survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Gonçalves
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen1350, Denmark
| | - Harith Farooq
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen1350, Denmark
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lúrio University, Pemba3200, Mozambique
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg41319, Sweden
| | - Mike Harfoot
- Vizzuality, Calle de Fuencarral, Madrid28010, Spain
| | - Mathias M. Pires
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo13083-862, Brazil
| | - Nacho Villar
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, PB6708, The Netherlands
| | - Lilian Sales
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Irving K. Barber, Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BCV1V 1V8, Canada
| | - Carolina Carvalho
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Belém, Pará66055-090, Brazil
| | - Carolina Bello
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich8092, Switzerland
| | - Carine Emer
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro22460-030, Brazil
| | - Ricardo S. Bovendorp
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Applied Ecology and Conservation Lab, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Bahia45662-900, Brazil
| | - Calebe Mendes
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Asean School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gabrielle Beca
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Subiaco, WA6008, Australia
| | - Laís Lautenschlager
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL33124
| | - Yuri Souza
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL33124
| | - Felipe Pedrosa
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
| | - Claudia Paz
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
| | - Valesca B. Zipparro
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
| | - Paula Akkawi
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
| | - William Bercê
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
| | - Fabiano Farah
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
| | - André V. L. Freitas
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo13083-862, Brazil
- Museu de Diversidade Biológica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo13083-862, Brazil
| | - Luís Fábio Silveira
- Museu de Zoologia de São Paulo, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo04263-000, Brazil
| | - Fábio Olmos
- Permian Global, LondonW1G 0LB, United Kingdom
| | - Jonas Geldmann
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen1350, Denmark
| | - Bo Dalsgaard
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen1350, Denmark
| | - Mauro Galetti
- Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo13506-900, Brazil
- Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL33199
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3
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Riva F, Haddad N, Fahrig L, Banks-Leite C. Principles for area-based biodiversity conservation. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14459. [PMID: 38877751 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14459] [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: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Recent international agreements have strengthened and expanded commitments to protect and restore native habitats for biodiversity protection ("area-based biodiversity conservation"). Nevertheless, biodiversity conservation is hindered because how such commitments should be implemented has been strongly debated, which can lead to suboptimal habitat protection decisions. We argue that, despite the debates, there are three essential principles for area-based biodiversity conservation. These principles are related to habitat geographic coverage, amount, and connectivity. They emerge from evidence that, while large areas of nature are important and must be protected, conservation or restoration of multiple small habitat patches is also critical for global conservation, particularly in regions with high land use. We contend that the many area-based conservation initiatives expected in the coming decades should follow the principles we identify, regardless of ongoing debates. Considering the importance of biodiversity for maintenance of ecosystem services, we suggest that this would bring widespread societal benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Riva
- Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nick Haddad
- Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan, USA
| | - Lenore Fahrig
- Geomatic and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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4
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Conceição TA, Santos AS, Fernandes AKC, Meireles GN, de Oliveira FA, Barbosa RM, Gaiotto FA. Guiding seed movement: environmental heterogeneity drives genetic differentiation in Plathymenia reticulata, providing insights for restoration. AOB PLANTS 2024; 16:plae032. [PMID: 38883565 PMCID: PMC11176975 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plae032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Forest and landscape restoration is one of the main strategies for overcoming the environmental crisis. This activity is particularly relevant for biodiversity-rich areas threatened by deforestation, such as tropical forests. Efficient long-term restoration requires understanding the composition and genetic structure of native populations, as well as the factors that influence these genetic components. This is because these populations serve as the seed sources and, therefore, the gene reservoirs for areas under restoration. In the present study, we investigated the influence of environmental, climatic and spatial distance factors on the genetic patterns of Plathymenia reticulata, aiming to support seed translocation strategies for restoration areas. We collected plant samples from nine populations of P. reticulata in the state of Bahia, Brazil, located in areas of Atlantic Forest and Savanna, across four climatic types, and genotyped them using nine nuclear and three chloroplast microsatellite markers. The populations of P. reticulata evaluated generally showed low to moderate genotypic variability and low haplotypic diversity. The populations within the Savanna phytophysiognomy showed values above average for six of the eight evaluated genetic diversity parameters. Using this classification based on phytophysiognomy demonstrated a high predictive power for genetic differentiation in P. reticulata. Furthermore, the interplay of climate, soil and geographic distance influenced the spread of alleles across the landscape. Based on our findings, we propose seed translocation, taking into account the biome, with restricted use of seed sources acquired or collected from the same environment as the areas to be restored (Savanna or Atlantic Forest).
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Affiliation(s)
- Taise Almeida Conceição
- Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Alesandro Souza Santos
- Laboratório de Marcadores Moleculares, Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662-900, Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aplicada à Conservação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Ane Karoline Campos Fernandes
- Laboratório de Marcadores Moleculares, Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Nascimento Meireles
- Laboratório de Marcadores Moleculares, Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Ancelmo de Oliveira
- Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética (CBMEG), Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo 13083-875, Brazil
| | - Rafael Marani Barbosa
- Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Amato Gaiotto
- Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13418-900, Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aplicada à Conservação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662-900, Brazil
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5
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Burton AC, Beirne C, Gaynor KM, Sun C, Granados A, Allen ML, Alston JM, Alvarenga GC, Calderón FSÁ, Amir Z, Anhalt-Depies C, Appel C, Arroyo-Arce S, Balme G, Bar-Massada A, Barcelos D, Barr E, Barthelmess EL, Baruzzi C, Basak SM, Beenaerts N, Belmaker J, Belova O, Bezarević B, Bird T, Bogan DA, Bogdanović N, Boyce A, Boyce M, Brandt L, Brodie JF, Brooke J, Bubnicki JW, Cagnacci F, Carr BS, Carvalho J, Casaer J, Černe R, Chen R, Chow E, Churski M, Cincotta C, Ćirović D, Coates TD, Compton J, Coon C, Cove MV, Crupi AP, Farra SD, Darracq AK, Davis M, Dawe K, De Waele V, Descalzo E, Diserens TA, Drimaj J, Duľa M, Ellis-Felege S, Ellison C, Ertürk A, Fantle-Lepczyk J, Favreau J, Fennell M, Ferreras P, Ferretti F, Fiderer C, Finnegan L, Fisher JT, Fisher-Reid MC, Flaherty EA, Fležar U, Flousek J, Foca JM, Ford A, Franzetti B, Frey S, Fritts S, Frýbová Š, Furnas B, Gerber B, Geyle HM, Giménez DG, Giordano AJ, Gomercic T, Gompper ME, Gräbin DM, Gray M, Green A, Hagen R, Hagen RB, Hammerich S, Hanekom C, Hansen C, Hasstedt S, Hebblewhite M, Heurich M, Hofmeester TR, Hubbard T, Jachowski D, Jansen PA, Jaspers KJ, Jensen A, Jordan M, Kaizer MC, Kelly MJ, Kohl MT, Kramer-Schadt S, Krofel M, Krug A, Kuhn KM, Kuijper DPJ, Kuprewicz EK, Kusak J, Kutal M, Lafferty DJR, LaRose S, Lashley M, Lathrop R, Lee TE, Lepczyk C, Lesmeister DB, Licoppe A, Linnell M, Loch J, Long R, Lonsinger RC, Louvrier J, Luskin MS, MacKay P, Maher S, Manet B, Mann GKH, Marshall AJ, Mason D, McDonald Z, McKay T, McShea WJ, Mechler M, Miaud C, Millspaugh JJ, Monteza-Moreno CM, Moreira-Arce D, Mullen K, Nagy C, Naidoo R, Namir I, Nelson C, O'Neill B, O'Mara MT, Oberosler V, Osorio C, Ossi F, Palencia P, Pearson K, Pedrotti L, Pekins CE, Pendergast M, Pinho FF, Plhal R, Pocasangre-Orellana X, Price M, Procko M, Proctor MD, Ramalho EE, Ranc N, Reljic S, Remine K, Rentz M, Revord R, Reyna-Hurtado R, Risch D, Ritchie EG, Romero A, Rota C, Rovero F, Rowe H, Rutz C, Salvatori M, Sandow D, Schalk CM, Scherger J, Schipper J, Scognamillo DG, Şekercioğlu ÇH, Semenzato P, Sevin J, Shamon H, Shier C, Silva-Rodríguez EA, Sindicic M, Smyth LK, Soyumert A, Sprague T, St Clair CC, Stenglein J, Stephens PA, Stępniak KM, Stevens M, Stevenson C, Ternyik B, Thomson I, Torres RT, Tremblay J, Urrutia T, Vacher JP, Visscher D, Webb SL, Weber J, Weiss KCB, Whipple LS, Whittier CA, Whittington J, Wierzbowska I, Wikelski M, Williamson J, Wilmers CC, Windle T, Wittmer HU, Zharikov Y, Zorn A, Kays R. Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:924-935. [PMID: 38499871 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02363-2] [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: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely. Under higher human activity, mammals were less active in undeveloped areas but unexpectedly more active in developed areas while exhibiting greater nocturnality. Carnivores were most sensitive, showing the strongest decreases in activity and greatest increases in nocturnality. Wildlife managers must consider how habituation and uneven sensitivity across species may cause fundamental differences in human-wildlife interactions along gradients of human influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cole Burton
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Christopher Beirne
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Sun
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alys Granados
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maximilian L Allen
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Jesse M Alston
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | | | - Zachary Amir
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Cara Appel
- College of Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | | | | | - Avi Bar-Massada
- Department of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa at Oranim, Kiryat Tivon, Israel
| | | | - Evan Barr
- Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
| | | | - Carolina Baruzzi
- School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sayantani M Basak
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Natalie Beenaerts
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Jonathan Belmaker
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Olgirda Belova
- Institute of Forestry, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Kėdainių, Lithuania
| | | | | | | | - Neda Bogdanović
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Andy Boyce
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Mark Boyce
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Jedediah F Brodie
- Division of Biological Sciences & Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
| | | | - Jakub W Bubnicki
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Benjamin Scott Carr
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - João Carvalho
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Jim Casaer
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Rok Černe
- Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ron Chen
- Hamaarag, Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Emily Chow
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | | | - Duško Ćirović
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - T D Coates
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | - Michael V Cove
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | - Simone Dal Farra
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
| | - Andrea K Darracq
- Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
| | | | - Kimberly Dawe
- Quest University Canada, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Esther Descalzo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Tom A Diserens
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Drimaj
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Duľa
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, Carnivore Conservation Programme, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Alper Ertürk
- Hunting and Wildlife Program, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey
| | - Jean Fantle-Lepczyk
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | | | - Mitch Fennell
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Pablo Ferreras
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Francesco Ferretti
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Christian Fiderer
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- University of Freiburg, Breisgau, Germany
| | | | - Jason T Fisher
- University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Urša Fležar
- Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jiří Flousek
- Krkonoše Mountains National Park, Vrchlabí, Czech Republic
| | - Jennifer M Foca
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Adam Ford
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Barbara Franzetti
- Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Rome, Italy
| | - Sandra Frey
- University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Šárka Frýbová
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Brett Furnas
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | | | - Hayley M Geyle
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Diego G Giménez
- Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study (S.P.E.C.I.E.S.), Ventura, CA, USA
| | - Anthony J Giordano
- Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study (S.P.E.C.I.E.S.), Ventura, CA, USA
| | - Tomislav Gomercic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | | | | | | | - Robert Hagen
- Agricultural Center for Cattle, Grassland, Dairy, Game and Fisheries of Baden-Württemberg, Aulendorf, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Division of Biological Sciences & Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Marco Heurich
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- University of Freiburg, Breisgau, Germany
- Inland Norway University, Hamar, Norway
| | - Tim R Hofmeester
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Tru Hubbard
- Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
| | | | - Patrick A Jansen
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Michel T Kohl
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miha Krofel
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | | | - Dries P J Kuijper
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | | | - Josip Kusak
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Miroslav Kutal
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, Carnivore Conservation Programme, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Marcus Lashley
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | | | - Christopher Lepczyk
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Damon B Lesmeister
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | | | - Marco Linnell
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Jan Loch
- Scientific Laboratory of Gorce National Park, Niedźwiedź, Poland
| | | | | | - Julie Louvrier
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Sean Maher
- Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, USA
| | | | | | | | - David Mason
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | | | - William J McShea
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Claude Miaud
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Dario Moreira-Arce
- Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH) and Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Santiago, Chile
| | | | | | | | - Itai Namir
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Carrie Nelson
- Effigy Mounds National Monument, Harper's Ferry, WV, USA
| | - Brian O'Neill
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, USA
| | | | | | | | - Federico Ossi
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Pablo Palencia
- University of Castilla-La Mancha Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Kimberly Pearson
- Parks Canada-Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Park, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | - Radim Plhal
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Michael Procko
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Nathan Ranc
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Slaven Reljic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | | | | | | | - Derek Risch
- University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Euan G Ritchie
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrea Romero
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, USA
| | | | - Francesco Rovero
- Museo delle Scienze (MUSE), Trento, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Helen Rowe
- McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Christian Rutz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Marco Salvatori
- Museo delle Scienze (MUSE), Trento, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Derek Sandow
- Northern and Yorke Landscape Board, Clare, South Australia, Australia
| | - Christopher M Schalk
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - Jenna Scherger
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jan Schipper
- Arizona State University, West, Glendale, AZ, USA
| | | | | | - Paola Semenzato
- Research, Ecology and Environment Dimension (D.R.E.A.M.), Pistoia, Italy
| | | | - Hila Shamon
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Catherine Shier
- Planning and Environmental Services, City of Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Eduardo A Silva-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Conservación, Biodiversidad y Territorio & Programa Austral Patagonia, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Magda Sindicic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lucy K Smyth
- Panthera, New York, NY, USA
- iCWild, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Anil Soyumert
- Hunting and Wildlife Program, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey
| | | | | | | | - Philip A Stephens
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Kinga Magdalena Stępniak
- Department of Ecology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Cassondra Stevenson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bálint Ternyik
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Ian Thomson
- Coastal Jaguar Conservation, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Rita T Torres
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | | | | | - Jean-Pierre Vacher
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Stephen L Webb
- Natural Resources Institute and Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Julian Weber
- Oeko-Log Freilandforschung, Friedrichswalde, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Izabela Wierzbowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Christopher C Wilmers
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Todd Windle
- Parks Canada, Alberni-Clayoquot, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Adam Zorn
- University of Mount Union, Alliance, OH, USA
| | - Roland Kays
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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6
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Luther DA, Wolfe JD, Johnson E, Stouffer PC, Batchelor J, Tarwater CE. Habitat use of Amazonian birds varies by age and foraging guild along a disturbance gradient. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240866. [PMID: 38808444 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0866] [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: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Patterns of habitat use directly influence a species' fitness, yet for many species an individual's age can influence patterns of habitat use. However, in tropical rainforests, which host the greatest terrestrial species diversity, little is known about how age classes of different species use different adjacent habitats of varying quality. We use long-term mist net data from the Amazon rainforest to assess patterns of habitat use among adult, adolescent (teenage) and young understory birds in forest fragments, primary and secondary forest at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project in Brazil. Insectivore adults were most common in primary forest, adolescents were equally likely in primary and secondary forest, and all ages were the least common in forest fragments. In contrast to insectivores, frugivores and omnivores showed no differences among all three habitat types. Our results illustrate potential ideal despotic distributions among breeding populations of some guilds of understory birds where adult insectivores may competitively exclude adolescent individuals from primary forest. Secondary forest recovery appears to hold promise as a breeding habitat for frugivore and omnivore species but only as a pre-breeding habitat for insectivores, but as the forest ages, the demographic structure of bird populations should match that of primary forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Luther
- Biology Department, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA
| | - Jared D Wolfe
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
| | | | - Philip C Stouffer
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University and Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Jacquelyn Batchelor
- Biology Department, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA
| | - Corey E Tarwater
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
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7
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Martínez-Ruiz M, Arroyo-Rodríguez V, Arasa-Gisbert R, Hernández-Ruedas MA, San-José M. Maintenance of different life stages of old-growth forest trees in deforested tropical landscapes. Ecology 2024; 105:e4273. [PMID: 38361224 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Tropical tree species are increasingly being pushed to inhabit deforested landscapes. The habitat amount hypothesis posits that, in remaining forest patches, species diversity in equal-sized samples decreases with decreasing forest cover in the surrounding landscape. We tested this prediction by taking into account three important factors that can affect species responses to forest loss. First, forest loss effects can be linear (proportional) or nonlinear, as there can be threshold values of forest loss beyond which species extirpation may be accelerated. Second, such effects are usually scale dependent and may go unnoticed if assessed at suboptimal scales. Finally, species extirpation may take decades to become evident, so the effects of forest loss can be undetected when assessing long-lived organisms, like adult old-growth forest trees. Here, we evaluated the linear and nonlinear effects of landscape forest loss across different spatial scales on site-scale abundance and diversity of old-growth forest trees, separately for four plant-life stages (seeds, saplings, juveniles, and adults) in two rainforest regions with different levels of deforestation. We expected stronger (and negative) forest loss effects on early plant-life stages, especially in the region with the highest deforestation. Surprisingly, in 13 of 16 study cases (2 responses × 4 life stages × 2 regions), null models showed higher empirical support than linear and nonlinear models at any scale. Therefore, the species richness and abundance of local tree assemblages seem to be weakly affected by landscape-scale forest loss independently of the spatial scale, life stage, and region. Yet, as expected, the predictive power of forest cover was relatively lower in the least deforested region. Our findings suggest that landscape-scale forest loss is poorly related to site-scale processes, such as seed dispersal and seedling recruitment, or, at least, such effects are too small to shape the abundance and diversity of tree assemblages within forest patches. Therefore, our findings do not support the most important prediction of the habitat amount hypothesis but imply that, on a per-area basis, a unit of habitat (forest) in a highly deforested landscape has a conservation value similar to that of a more forested one, particularly in moderately deforested rainforests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisela Martínez-Ruiz
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida, Mexico
| | - Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida, Mexico
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Mexico
| | - Ricard Arasa-Gisbert
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Miriam San-José
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Galápagos, Ecuador
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8
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Zheng S, Yu M, Webber BL, Didham RK. Intraspecific leaf trait variation mediates edge effects on litter decomposition rate in fragmented forests. Ecology 2024; 105:e4260. [PMID: 38353290 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
There is strong trait dependence in species-level responses to environmental change and their cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. However, there is little understanding of whether intraspecific trait variation (ITV) can also be an important mechanism mediating environmental effects on ecosystem functioning. This is surprising, given that global change processes such as habitat fragmentation and the creation of forest edges drive strong trait shifts within species. On 20 islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China, we quantified intraspecific leaf trait shifts of a widely distributed shrub species, Vaccinium carlesii, in response to habitat fragmentation. Using a reciprocal transplant decomposition experiment between forest edge and interior on 11 islands with varying areas, we disentangled the relative effects of intraspecific leaf trait variation versus altered environmental conditions on leaf decomposition rates in forest fragments. We found strong intraspecific variation in leaf traits in response to edge effects, with a shift toward recalcitrant leaves with low specific leaf area and high leaf dry matter content from forest interior to the edge. Using structural equation modeling, we showed that such intraspecific leaf trait response to habitat fragmentation had translated into significant plant afterlife effects on leaf decomposition, leading to decreased leaf decomposition rates from the forest interior to the edge. Importantly, the effects of intraspecific leaf trait variation were additive to and stronger than the effects from local environmental changes due to edge effects and habitat loss. Our experiment provides the first quantitative study showing that intraspecific leaf trait response to edge effects is an important driver of the decrease in leaf decomposition rate in fragmented forests. By extending the trait-based response-effect framework toward the individual level, intraspecific variation in leaf economics traits can provide the missing functional link between environmental change and ecological processes. These findings suggest an important area for future research on incorporating ITV to understand and predict changes in ecosystem functioning in the context of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilu Zheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Mingjian Yu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Bruce L Webber
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
- Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Raphael K Didham
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
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9
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Fuzessy L, Pavoine S, Cardador L, Maspons J, Sol D. Loss of species and functions in a deforested megadiverse tropical forest. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14250. [PMID: 38477227 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Tropical species richness is threatened by habitat degradation associated with land-use conversion, yet the consequences for functional diversity remain little understood. Progress has been hindered by difficulties in obtaining comprehensive species-level trait information to characterize entire assemblages and insufficient appreciation that increasing land-cover heterogeneity potentially compensates for species loss. We examined the impacts of tropical deforestation associated with land-use heterogeneity on bird species richness, functional redundancy, functional diversity, and associated components (i.e., alpha diversity, species dissimilarity, and interaction strength of the relationship between abundance and functional dissimilarity). We analyzed over 200 georeferenced bird assemblages in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. We characterized the functional role of the species of each assemblage and modeled biodiversity metrics as a function of forest cover and land-cover heterogeneity. Replacement of native Atlantic Forest with a mosaic of land uses (e.g., agriculture, pastures, and urbanization) reduced bird species richness in a nonrandom way. Core forest species, or species considered sensitive to edges, tended to be absent in communities in heterogenous environments. Overall, functional diversity and functional redundancy of bird species were not affected by forest loss. However, birds in highly heterogenous habitats were functionally distinct from birds in forest, suggesting a shift in community composition toward mosaic-exclusive species led by land-cover heterogeneity. Threatened species of the Atlantic Forest did not seem to tolerate degraded and heterogeneous environments; they remained primarily in areas with large forest tracts. Our results shed light on the complex effects of native forest transformation to mosaics of anthropogenic landscapes and emphasize the importance of considering the effects of deforestation and land-use heterogeneity when assessing deforestation effects on Neotropical biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisieux Fuzessy
- CREAF, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain
- Bioscience Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
| | - Sandrine Pavoine
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Laura Cardador
- CREAF, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Maspons
- CREAF, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Sol
- CREAF, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain
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10
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Lee SXT, Amir Z, Moore JH, Gaynor KM, Luskin MS. Effects of human disturbances on wildlife behaviour and consequences for predator-prey overlap in Southeast Asia. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1521. [PMID: 38374248 PMCID: PMC10876642 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45905-9] [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: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Some animal species shift their activity towards increased nocturnality in disturbed habitats to avoid predominantly diurnal humans. This may alter diel overlap among species, a precondition to most predation and competition interactions that structure food webs. Here, using camera trap data from 10 tropical forest landscapes, we find that hyperdiverse Southeast Asian wildlife communities shift their peak activity from early mornings in intact habitats towards dawn and dusk in disturbed habitats (increased crepuscularity). Our results indicate that anthropogenic disturbances drive opposing behavioural adaptations based on rarity, size and feeding guild, with more nocturnality among the 59 rarer specialists' species, more diurnality for medium-sized generalists, and less diurnality for larger hunted species. Species turnover also played a role in underpinning community- and guild-level responses, with disturbances associated with markedly more detections of diurnal generalists and their medium-sized diurnal predators. However, overlap among predator-prey or competitor guilds does not vary with disturbance, suggesting that net species interactions may be conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Xin Tham Lee
- School of the Environment, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Zachary Amir
- School of the Environment, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jonathan H Moore
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
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11
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Hua F, Wang W, Nakagawa S, Liu S, Miao X, Yu L, Du Z, Abrahamczyk S, Arias-Sosa LA, Buda K, Budka M, Carrière SM, Chandler RB, Chiatante G, Chiawo DO, Cresswell W, Echeverri A, Goodale E, Huang G, Hulme MF, Hutto RL, Imboma TS, Jarrett C, Jiang Z, Kati VI, King DI, Kmecl P, Li N, Lövei GL, Macchi L, MacGregor-Fors I, Martin EA, Mira A, Morelli F, Ortega-Álvarez R, Quan RC, Salgueiro PA, Santos SM, Shahabuddin G, Socolar JB, Soh MCK, Sreekar R, Srinivasan U, Wilcove DS, Yamaura Y, Zhou L, Elsen PR. Ecological filtering shapes the impacts of agricultural deforestation on biodiversity. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:251-266. [PMID: 38182682 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02280-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
The biodiversity impacts of agricultural deforestation vary widely across regions. Previous efforts to explain this variation have focused exclusively on the landscape features and management regimes of agricultural systems, neglecting the potentially critical role of ecological filtering in shaping deforestation tolerance of extant species assemblages at large geographical scales via selection for functional traits. Here we provide a large-scale test of this role using a global database of species abundance ratios between matched agricultural and native forest sites that comprises 71 avian assemblages reported in 44 primary studies, and a companion database of 10 functional traits for all 2,647 species involved. Using meta-analytic, phylogenetic and multivariate methods, we show that beyond agricultural features, filtering by the extent of natural environmental variability and the severity of historical anthropogenic deforestation shapes the varying deforestation impacts across species assemblages. For assemblages under greater environmental variability-proxied by drier and more seasonal climates under a greater disturbance regime-and longer deforestation histories, filtering has attenuated the negative impacts of current deforestation by selecting for functional traits linked to stronger deforestation tolerance. Our study provides a previously largely missing piece of knowledge in understanding and managing the biodiversity consequences of deforestation by agricultural deforestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangyuan Hua
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
| | - Weiyi Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Shuangqi Liu
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinran Miao
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Le Yu
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Ministry of Education Ecological Field Station for East Asia Migratory Birds, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua University (Department of Earth System Science)-Xi'an Institute of Surveying and Mapping Joint Research Center for Next-Generation Smart Mapping, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenrong Du
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Stefan Abrahamczyk
- Department of Botany, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Luis Alejandro Arias-Sosa
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Organismos (GEO-UPTC), Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia
| | - Kinga Buda
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Michał Budka
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Stéphanie M Carrière
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR SENS, IRD, CIRAD, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Richard B Chandler
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | | | - David O Chiawo
- Centre for Biodiversity Information Development, Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Will Cresswell
- Centre of Biological Diversity, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland
| | - Alejandra Echeverri
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Eben Goodale
- Department of Health and Environmental Science, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Guohualing Huang
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mark F Hulme
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
- British Trust for Ornithology, Norfolk, UK
| | - Richard L Hutto
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Titus S Imboma
- Ornithology Section, Zoology Department, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Crinan Jarrett
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Zhigang Jiang
- Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Vassiliki I Kati
- Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - David I King
- Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Primož Kmecl
- Group for Conservation Biology, DOPPS BirdLife Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Na Li
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Gábor L Lövei
- Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian University of Agriculture and Forestry, Fuzhou, China
- HUN-REN-DE Anthropocene Ecology Research Group, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Leandro Macchi
- Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Ian MacGregor-Fors
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Lahti, Finland
| | - Emily A Martin
- Institute of Animal Ecology and Systematic Zoology, Justus Liebig University of Gießen, Giessen, Germany
| | - António Mira
- MED (Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development), CHANGE (Global Change and Sustainability Institute) and UBC (Conservation Biology Lab), Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Technology, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Federico Morelli
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
| | - Rubén Ortega-Álvarez
- Investigadoras e Investigadores por México del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Dirección Regional Occidente, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rui-Chang Quan
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, China
| | - Pedro A Salgueiro
- MED (Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development), CHANGE (Global Change and Sustainability Institute), Institute for Advanced Studies and Research and UBC (Conservation Biology Lab), University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Sara M Santos
- MED (Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development), CHANGE (Global Change and Sustainability Institute), Institute for Advanced Studies and Research and UBC (Conservation Biology Lab), University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | | | | | | | - Rachakonda Sreekar
- Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Umesh Srinivasan
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - David S Wilcove
- School of Public and International Affairs and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Yuichi Yamaura
- Shikoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Kochi, Japan
| | - Liping Zhou
- Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Paul R Elsen
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA
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12
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Neate-Clegg MHC. Bird vulnerability to forest loss. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:188-189. [PMID: 38182681 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02259-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
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13
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He H, Li Y, Peng K, Zhang Y, Rutter RP, Jyväsjärvi J, Hämäläinen H, Kelly D, Chase JM, Ntislidou C, Loskutova O, Alcocer J, Jovem-Azevêdo D, Molozzi J, Wang J, Zhang M, Li K, Liu Z, Johansson LS, Søndergaard M, Cai Y, Wang H, Jeppesen E. Climate-associated variation in the drivers of benthic macroinvertebrate species-area relationships across shallow freshwater lakes. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:57-70. [PMID: 37975479 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The island species-area relationship (ISAR) describes how species richness increases with increasing area of a given island or island-like habitat, such as freshwater lakes. While the ISAR is one of the most common phenomena observed in ecology, there is variation in both the form of the relationship and its underlying mechanisms. We compiled a global data set of benthic macroinvertebrates from 524 shallow freshwater lakes, ranging from 1 to 293,300 ha in area. We used individual-based rarefaction to determine the degree to which ISAR was influenced by mechanisms other than passive sampling (larger islands passively sample more individuals from the regional pool and, therefore, have more species than smaller islands), which would bias results away from expected relationships between rarefied species richness (and other measures that capture relative abundances) and lake area. We also examined how climate may alter the shape of the ISARs. We found that both rarefied species richness (the number of species standardized by area or number of individuals) and a measure of evenness emphasizing common species exhibit shallow slopes in relationships with lake area, suggesting that the expected ISARs in these lakes most likely result from passive sampling. While there was considerable variation among ISARs across the investigated lakes, we found an overall positive rarefied ISAR for lakes in warm (i.e. tropical/subtropical) regions (n = 195), and in contrast, an overall negative rarefied ISAR in cool (i.e. north temperate) lakes (n = 329). This suggested that mechanisms beyond passive sampling (e.g. colonization-extinction dynamics and/or heterogeneity) were more likely to operate in warm lakes. One possible reason for this difference is that the area-dependent intensity of fish predation, which can lead to flatter ISARs, is weaker in warmer relative to cooler lakes. Our study illustrates the importance of understanding both the pattern and potential processes underlying the ISARs of freshwater lakes in different climatic regions. Furthermore, it provides a baseline for understanding how further changes to the ecosystem (i.e. in lake area or climate) might influence biodiversity patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu He
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
- School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, China
| | - Yan Li
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Kai Peng
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - You Zhang
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Robert P Rutter
- Macroinvertebrate Identification Services, Port Charlotte, Florida, USA
| | - Jussi Jyväsjärvi
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Heikki Hämäläinen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | | | - Jonathan M Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Chrysoula Ntislidou
- Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Olga Loskutova
- Komi Scientific Center, Institute of Biology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Russian Federation
| | - Javier Alcocer
- Grupo de Investigación en Limnología Tropical, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, Mexico
| | | | - Joseline Molozzi
- Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil
| | - Jianjun Wang
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Kuanyi Li
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhengwen Liu
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
- Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Ecology and Institute of Hydrobiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liselotte S Johansson
- Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Martin Søndergaard
- Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Yongjiu Cai
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Haijun Wang
- Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Erik Jeppesen
- Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Limnology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Ecosystem Research and Implementation, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye
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14
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Tourani M, Sollmann R, Kays R, Ahumada J, Fegraus E, Karp DS. Maximum temperatures determine the habitat affiliations of North American mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2304411120. [PMID: 38048469 PMCID: PMC10723132 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304411120] [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: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Addressing the ongoing biodiversity crisis requires identifying the winners and losers of global change. Species are often categorized based on how they respond to habitat loss; for example, species restricted to natural environments, those that most often occur in anthropogenic habitats, and generalists that do well in both. However, species might switch habitat affiliations across time and space: an organism may venture into human-modified areas in benign regions but retreat into thermally buffered forested habitats in areas with high temperatures. Here, we apply community occupancy models to a large-scale camera trapping dataset with 29 mammal species distributed over 2,485 sites across the continental United States, to ask three questions. First, are species' responses to forest and anthropogenic habitats consistent across continental scales? Second, do macroclimatic conditions explain spatial variation in species responses to land use? Third, can species traits elucidate which taxa are most likely to show climate-dependent habitat associations? We found that all species exhibited significant spatial variation in how they respond to land-use, tending to avoid anthropogenic areas and increasingly use forests in hotter regions. In the hottest regions, species occupancy was 50% higher in forested compared to open habitats, whereas in the coldest regions, the trend reversed. Larger species with larger ranges, herbivores, and primary predators were more likely to change their habitat affiliations than top predators, which consistently affiliated with high forest cover. Our findings suggest that climatic conditions influence species' space-use and that maintaining forest cover can help protect mammals from warming climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahdieh Tourani
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT59812
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Rahel Sollmann
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin10315, Germany
| | - Roland Kays
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC27607
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC27601
| | - Jorge Ahumada
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, VA22202
- Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Julia Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85281
| | - Eric Fegraus
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, VA22202
| | - Daniel S. Karp
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
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15
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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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16
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Valente JJ, Rivers JW, Yang Z, Nelson SK, Northrup JM, Roby DD, Meyer CB, Betts MG. Fragmentation effects on an endangered species across a gradient from the interior to edge of its range. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e14091. [PMID: 37021393 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14091] [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: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how habitat fragmentation affects individual species is complicated by challenges associated with quantifying species-specific habitat and spatial variability in fragmentation effects within a species' range. We aggregated a 29-year breeding survey data set for the endangered marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) from >42,000 forest sites throughout the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and northern California) of the United States. We built a species distribution model (SDM) in which occupied sites were linked with Landsat imagery to quantify murrelet-specific habitat and then used occupancy models to test the hypotheses that fragmentation negatively affects murrelet breeding distribution and that these effects are amplified with distance from the marine foraging habitat toward the edge of the species' nesting range. Murrelet habitat declined in the Pacific Northwest by 20% since 1988, whereas the proportion of habitat comprising edges increased by 17%, indicating increased fragmentation. Furthermore, fragmentation of murrelet habitat at landscape scales (within 2 km of survey stations) negatively affected occupancy of potential breeding sites, and these effects were amplified near the range edge. On the coast, the odds of occupancy decreased by 37% (95% confidence interval [CI] -54 to 12) for each 10% increase in edge habitat (i.e., fragmentation), but at the range edge (88 km inland) these odds decreased by 99% (95% CI 98 to 99). Conversely, odds of murrelet occupancy increased by 31% (95% CI 14 to 52) for each 10% increase in local edge habitat (within 100 m of survey stations). Avoidance of fragmentation at broad scales but use of locally fragmented habitat with reduced quality may help explain the lack of murrelet population recovery. Further, our results emphasize that fragmentation effects can be nuanced, scale dependent, and geographically variable. Awareness of these nuances is critical for developing landscape-level conservation strategies for species experiencing broad-scale habitat loss and fragmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathon J Valente
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - James W Rivers
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Yang
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Ogden, Utah, USA
| | - S Kim Nelson
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Joseph M Northrup
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, and Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel D Roby
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | | | - Matthew G Betts
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
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17
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Liu J. Warming amplifies urbanization effects on mammals. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1585-1586. [PMID: 37666999 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02164-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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18
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Cerullo G, Barlow J, Betts M, Edwards D, Eyres A, França F, Garrett R, Swinfield T, Tew E, White T, Balmford A. The global impact of EU forest protection policies. Science 2023; 381:740. [PMID: 37590364 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj0728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Cerullo
- Department of Zoology and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK
| | - Matthew Betts
- Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - David Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Alison Eyres
- Department of Zoology and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Filipe França
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
| | - Rachael Garrett
- Department of Geography and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Thomas Swinfield
- Department of Zoology and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Eleanor Tew
- Department of Zoology and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Thomas White
- Department of Biology, Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK
- The Biodiversity Consultancy, Cambridge CB2 1SJ, UK
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Department of Zoology and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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19
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Antunes B, Figueiredo-Vázquez C, Dudek K, Liana M, Pabijan M, Zieliński P, Babik W. Landscape genetics reveals contrasting patterns of connectivity in two newt species (Lissotriton montandoni and L. vulgaris). Mol Ecol 2023; 32:4515-4530. [PMID: 35593303 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16543] [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: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ecologically distinct species may respond to landscape changes in different ways. In addition to basic ecological data, the extent of the geographic range has been successfully used as an indicator of species sensitivity to anthropogenic landscapes, with widespread species usually found to be less sensitive compared to range-restricted species. In this study, we investigate connectivity patterns of two closely related but ecologically distinct newt species - the range-restricted, Lissotriton montandoni and the widespread, L. vulgaris - using genomic data, a highly replicated setting (six geographic regions per species), and tools from landscape genetics. Our results show the importance of forest for connectivity in both species, but at the same time suggest differential use of forested habitat, with L. montandoni and L. vulgaris showing the highest connectivity at forest-core and forest-edges, respectively. Anthropogenic landscapes (i.e., higher crop- or urban-cover) increased resistance in both species, but the effect was one to three orders of magnitude stronger in L. montandoni than in L. vulgaris. This result is consistent with a view of L. vulgaris as an ecological generalist. Even so, currently, the negative impact of anthropogenic landscapes is mainly seen in connectivity among L. vulgaris populations, which show significantly stronger isolation and lower effective sizes relative to L. montandoni. Overall, this study emphasizes how habitat destruction is compromising genetic connectivity not only in endemic, range-restricted species of conservation concern but also in widespread generalist species, despite their comparatively lower sensitivity to anthropogenic landscape changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo Antunes
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Clara Figueiredo-Vázquez
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Katarzyna Dudek
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Maciej Pabijan
- Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Piotr Zieliński
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Wiesław Babik
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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20
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Weeks TL, Betts MG, Pfeifer M, Wolf C, Banks-Leite C, Barbaro L, Barlow J, Cerezo A, Kennedy CM, Kormann UG, Marsh CJ, Olivier PI, Phalan BT, Possingham HP, Wood EM, Tobias JA. Climate-driven variation in dispersal ability predicts responses to forest fragmentation in birds. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1079-1091. [PMID: 37248334 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02077-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Species sensitivity to forest fragmentation varies latitudinally, peaking in the tropics. A prominent explanation for this pattern is that historical landscape disturbance at higher latitudes has removed fragmentation-sensitive species or promoted the evolution of more resilient survivors. However, it is unclear whether this so-called extinction filter is the dominant driver of geographic variation in fragmentation sensitivity, particularly because climatic factors may also cause latitudinal gradients in dispersal ability, a key trait mediating sensitivity to habitat fragmentation. Here we combine field survey data with a morphological proxy for avian dispersal ability (hand-wing index) to assess responses to forest fragmentation in 1,034 bird species worldwide. We find that fragmentation sensitivity is strongly predicted by dispersal limitation and that other factors-latitude, body mass and historical disturbance events-have relatively limited explanatory power after accounting for species differences in dispersal. We also show that variation in dispersal ability is only weakly predicted by historical disturbance and more strongly associated with intra-annual temperature fluctuations (seasonality). Our results suggest that climatic factors play a dominant role in driving global variation in the impacts of forest fragmentation, emphasizing the need for more nuanced environmental policies that take into account local context and associated species traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas L Weeks
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum London, London, UK.
| | - Matthew G Betts
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Marion Pfeifer
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Christopher Wolf
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | | | - Luc Barbaro
- Dynafor, University of Toulouse, INRAE, Castanet-Tolosan, France
- CESCO, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne-University, Paris, France
| | - Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environmental Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Alexis Cerezo
- Foundation for Ecodevelopment and Conservation (FUNDAECO), Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
| | - Christina M Kennedy
- Global Protect Oceans, Lands and Waters Program, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Urs G Kormann
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Charles J Marsh
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, and Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Pieter I Olivier
- M.A.P Scientific Services, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Benjamin T Phalan
- Centre for Conservation of Atlantic Forest Birds, Parque das Aves, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Eric M Wood
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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21
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Zhou L, Wang S. The bright side of ecological stressors. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:568-578. [PMID: 36906435 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Ecological stressors are considered to negatively affect biological systems; however, corresponding responses to stressors can be complex, depending on the ecological functions and the number and duration of the stressors. Mounting evidence indicates potential benefits of stressors. Here, we develop an integrative framework to understand stressor-induced benefits by clarifying three categories of mechanisms: seesaw effects, cross-tolerance, and memory effects. These mechanisms operate across various organizational levels (e.g., individual, population, community) and can be extended to an evolutionary context. One remaining challenge is to develop scaling approaches for linking stressor-induced benefits across organizational levels. Our framework provides a novel platform for predicting the consequences of global environmental changes and informing management strategies in conservation and restoration practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libin Zhou
- Institute of Ecology, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China.
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22
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Gilbert NA, McGinn KA, Nunes LA, Shipley AA, Bernath-Plaisted J, Clare JDJ, Murphy PW, Keyser SR, Thompson KL, Maresh Nelson SB, Cohen JM, Widick IV, Bartel SL, Orrock JL, Zuckerberg B. Daily activity timing in the Anthropocene. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:324-336. [PMID: 36402653 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Animals are facing novel 'timescapes' in which the stimuli entraining their daily activity patterns no longer match historical conditions due to anthropogenic disturbance. However, the ecological effects (e.g., altered physiology, species interactions) of novel activity timing are virtually unknown. We reviewed 1328 studies and found relatively few focusing on anthropogenic effects on activity timing. We suggest three hypotheses to stimulate future research: (i) activity-timing mismatches determine ecological effects, (ii) duration and timing of timescape modification influence effects, and (iii) consequences of altered activity timing vary biogeographically due to broad-scale variation in factors compressing timescapes. The continued growth of sampling technologies promises to facilitate the study of the consequences of altered activity timing, with emerging applications for biodiversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil A Gilbert
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Kate A McGinn
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Laura A Nunes
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Amy A Shipley
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Jacy Bernath-Plaisted
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - John D J Clare
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Penelope W Murphy
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Spencer R Keyser
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Kimberly L Thompson
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103 Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany
| | - Scott B Maresh Nelson
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jeremy M Cohen
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Ivy V Widick
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Savannah L Bartel
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - John L Orrock
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Benjamin Zuckerberg
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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23
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Lindenmayer DB, Blanchard W, Evans MJ, Beggs R, Lavery T, Florance D, Crane C, Smith D, Siegrist A, Lang E, Scheele BC. Context dependency in interference competition among birds in an endangered woodland ecosystem. DIVERS DISTRIB 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- D. B. Lindenmayer
- Sustainable Farms, Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - W. Blanchard
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - M. J. Evans
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - R. Beggs
- Sustainable Farms, Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - T. Lavery
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - D. Florance
- Sustainable Farms, Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - C. Crane
- Sustainable Farms, Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - D. Smith
- Sustainable Farms, Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - A. Siegrist
- Sustainable Farms, Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - E. Lang
- Sustainable Farms, Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - B. C. Scheele
- Sustainable Farms, Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
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24
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Coddington CPJ, Cooper WJ, Mokross K, Luther DA. Forest structure predicts species richness and functional diversity in Amazonian mixed‐species bird flocks. Biotropica 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Charles P. J. Coddington
- Biology Department George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus Brazil
| | - W. Justin Cooper
- Biology Department George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus Brazil
| | - Karl Mokross
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus Brazil
- Departamento de Ecologia Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’ Rio Claro Brazil
- School of Renewable Natural Resources Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
| | - David A. Luther
- Biology Department George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus Brazil
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25
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Perrin A, Khimoun A, Ollivier A, Richard Y, Pérez-Rodríguez A, Faivre B, Garnier S. Habitat fragmentation matters more than habitat loss: The case of host-parasite interactions. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:951-969. [PMID: 36461661 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16807] [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: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
While ecologists agree that habitat loss has a substantial negative effect on biodiversity it is still very much a matter of debate whether habitat fragmentation has a lesser effect and whether this effect is positive or negative for biodiversity. Here, we assess the relative influence of tropical forest loss and fragmentation on the prevalence of vector-borne blood parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus in six forest bird species. We also determine whether habitat loss and fragmentation are associated with a rise or fall in prevalence. We sample more than 4000 individual birds from 58 forest sites in Guadeloupe and Martinique. Considering 34 host-parasite combinations independently and a fine characterization of the amount and spatial configuration of habitat, we use partial least square regressions to disentangle the relative effects of forest loss, forest fragmentation, landscape heterogeneity, and local weather conditions on spatial variability of parasite prevalence. Then we test for the magnitude and the sign of the effect of each environmental descriptor. Strikingly, we show that forest fragmentation explains twice as much of the variance in prevalence as habitat loss or landscape heterogeneity. In addition, habitat fragmentation leads to an overall rise in prevalence in Guadeloupe, but its effect is variable in Martinique. Both habitat loss and landscape heterogeneity exhibit taxon-specific effects. Our results suggest that habitat loss and fragmentation may have contrasting effects between tropical and temperate regions and that inter-specific interactions may not respond in the same way as more commonly used biodiversity metrics such as abundance and diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Perrin
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France.,Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aurélie Khimoun
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Anthony Ollivier
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Yves Richard
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | | | - Bruno Faivre
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Stéphane Garnier
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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26
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Li S, Wang Z, Zhu Z, Tao Y, Xiang J. Predicting the potential suitable distribution area of Emeia pseudosauteri in Zhejiang Province based on the MaxEnt model. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1806. [PMID: 36721021 PMCID: PMC9889780 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29009-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Human activities, including urbanization, industrialization, agricultural pollution, and land use, have contributed to the increased fragmentation of natural habitats and decreased biodiversity in Zhejiang Province as a result of socioeconomic development. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the protection of ecologically significant species can play a crucial role in restoring biodiversity. Emeia pseudosauteri is regarded as an excellent environmental indicator, umbrella and flagship species because of its unique ecological attributes and strong public appeal. Assessing and predicting the potential suitable distribution area of this species in Zhejiang Province can help in the widespread conservation of biodiversity. We used the MaxEnt ecological niche model to evaluate the habitat suitability of E. pseudosauteri in Zhejiang Province to understand the potential distribution pattern and environmental characteristics of suitable habitats for this species, and used the AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) and TSS (true skill statistics) to evaluate the model performance. The results showed that the mean AUC value was 0.985, the standard deviation was 0.011, the TSS average value was 0.81, and the model prediction results were excellent. Among the 11 environmental variables used for modeling, temperature seasonality (Bio_4), altitude (Alt) and distance to rivers (Riv_dis) were the key variables affecting the distribution area of E. pseudosauteri, with contributions of 33.5%, 30% and 15.9%, respectively. Its main suitable distribution area is in southern Zhejiang Province and near rivers, at an altitude of 50-300 m, with a seasonal variation in temperature of 7.7-8 °C. Examples include the Ou River, Nanxi River, Wuxi River, and their tributary watersheds. This study can provide a theoretical basis for determining the scope of E. pseudosauteri habitat protection, population restoration, resource management and industrial development in local areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Li
- College of Landscape Architecture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Zesheng Wang
- College of Landscape Architecture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China
| | - Zhixin Zhu
- China Celadon College, Lishui University, Lishui, 323000, China
| | - Yizhou Tao
- College of Landscape Architecture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China
| | - Jie Xiang
- Zhejiang A&F University Landscape Design Institute Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, 311300, China
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27
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Coddington CPJ, Cooper WJ, Luther DA. Effects of forest fragmentation on avian breeding activity. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023:e14063. [PMID: 36704892 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity declines and ecosystem decay follow forest fragmentation; initially, abundant species may become rare or be extirpated. Underlying mechanisms behind delayed extirpation of certain species following forest fragmentation are unknown. Species declines may be attributed to an inadequate number of breeding adults required to replace the population or decreased juvenile survival rate due to reduced recruitment or increased nest predation pressures. We used 10 years of avian banding data, 5 years before and 4 years after fragment isolation, from the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, carried out near Manaus, Brazil, to investigate the breeding activity hypothesis that there is less breeding activity and fewer young after relative to before fragment isolation. We compared the capture rates of active breeding and young birds in 3 forest types (primary forest, fragment before isolation, and fragment after isolation) and the proportion of active breeding and young birds with all birds in each unique fragment type before and after isolation. We grouped all bird species by diet (insectivore or frugivore) and nesting strategy (open cup, cavity, or enclosed) to allow further comparisons among forest types. We found support for the breeding activity hypothesis in insectivorous and frugivorous birds (effect sizes 0.45 and 0.53, respectively) and in birds with open-cup and enclosed nesting strategies (effect sizes 0.56 and 0.44, respectively) such that on average there were more breeding birds in fragments before isolation relative to after isolation. A larger proportion of birds in the community were actively breeding before fragment isolation (72%) than after fragment isolation (11%). Unexpectedly, there was no significant decrease in the number of young birds after fragment isolation, although sample sizes for young were small (n = 43). This may have been due to sustained immigration of young birds to fragments after isolation. Together, our results provide some of the strongest evidence to date that avian breeding activity decreases in response to fragment isolation, which could be a fundamental mechanism contributing to ecosystem decay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles P J Coddington
- Biology Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - W Justin Cooper
- Biology Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
| | - David A Luther
- Biology Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
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28
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Martin AE, Lockhart JK, Fahrig L. Are weak dispersers more vulnerable than strong dispersers to land use intensification? Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20220909. [PMID: 36629096 PMCID: PMC9832560 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0909] [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] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecologists often state that weak dispersers are particularly at risk from land use intensification, and that they therefore should be prioritized for conservation. We reviewed the empirical evidence, to evaluate whether this idea should be used as a general rule in conservation. While 89% of authors predicted that weak dispersers are more vulnerable to land use intensification (80 out of 90 papers), only 56% of reported tests (235 out of 422) were consistent with this prediction. Thirty per cent of tests (128 out of 422) were consistent with the opposite prediction, that strong dispersers are more vulnerable to intensification, and 60% of articles (45 out of 75) had at least one test where strong dispersers were most vulnerable. The likelihood of finding that weak dispersers are more vulnerable to intensification than strong dispersers varied with latitude, taxonomic group and type of land use intensification. Notably, the odds of finding that weak dispersers are more vulnerable to intensification than strong dispersers was higher if the study was nearer to the equator. Taken together, our results show that the prediction that weak dispersers are more vulnerable than strong dispersers to intensification is not sufficiently supported to justify using weak dispersal as a general indicator of species risk in human-modified landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda E. Martin
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre and Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Jessica K. Lockhart
- Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Laboratory, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Lenore Fahrig
- Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Laboratory, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
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29
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Mills SC, Socolar JB, Edwards FA, Parra E, Martínez-Revelo DE, Ochoa Quintero JM, Haugaasen T, Freckleton RP, Barlow J, Edwards DP. High sensitivity of tropical forest birds to deforestation at lower altitudes. Ecology 2023; 104:e3867. [PMID: 36082832 PMCID: PMC10078351 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Habitat conversion is a major driver of tropical biodiversity loss, but its effects are poorly understood in montane environments. While community-level responses to habitat loss display strong elevational dependencies, it is unclear whether these arise via elevational turnover in community composition and interspecific differences in sensitivity or elevational variation in environmental conditions and proximity to thermal thresholds. Here we assess the relative importance of inter- and intraspecific variation across the elevational gradient by quantifying how 243 forest-dependent bird species vary in sensitivity to landscape-scale forest loss across a 3000-m elevational gradient in the Colombian Andes. We find that species that live at lower elevations are strongly affected by loss of forest in the nearby landscape, while those at higher elevations appear relatively unperturbed, an effect that is independent of phylogeny. Conversely, we find limited evidence of intraspecific elevational gradients in sensitivity, with populations displaying similar sensitivities to forest loss, regardless of where they exist in a species' elevational range. Gradients in biodiversity response to habitat loss thus appear to arise via interspecific gradients in sensitivity rather than proximity to climatically limiting conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon C Mills
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jacob B Socolar
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.,Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Felicity A Edwards
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.,RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, Cambridge, UK
| | - Edicson Parra
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | | | - Torbjørn Haugaasen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Robert P Freckleton
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - David P Edwards
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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30
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de Angeli Dutra D, Salloum PM, Poulin R. Vector microbiome: will global climate change affect vector competence and pathogen transmission? Parasitol Res 2023; 122:11-17. [PMID: 36401142 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07734-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases are among the greatest causes of human suffering globally. Several studies have linked climate change and increasing temperature with rises in vector abundance, and in the incidence and geographical distribution of diseases. The microbiome of vectors can have profound effects on how efficiently a vector sustains pathogen development and transmission. Growing evidence indicates that the composition of vectors' gut microbiome might change with shifts in temperature. Nonetheless, due to a lack of studies on vector microbiome turnover under a changing climate, the consequences for vector-borne disease incidence are still unknown. Here, we argue that climate change effects on vector competence are still poorly understood and the expected increase in vector-borne disease transmission might not follow a relationship as simple and straightforward as past research has suggested. Furthermore, we pose questions that are yet to be answered to enhance our current understanding of the effect of climate change on vector microbiomes, competence, and, ultimately, vector-borne diseases transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Robert Poulin
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
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31
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Yang Q, Chen W, Qian L, Yang D, Liu X, Wang M. The Effect of Environmental Factors on the Diversity of Crane Flies (Tipulidae) in Mountainous and Non-Mountainous Regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Surrounding Areas. INSECTS 2022; 13:1054. [PMID: 36421956 PMCID: PMC9695074 DOI: 10.3390/insects13111054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Tipulidae, one of the most diverse families of Diptera, is widely distributed in the world. The adults have weak flight ability, making it an ideal model for studying the formation of insect diversity. This study aims to explore the species diversity and endemism of Tipulidae in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the surrounding areas, as well as analyze the relationships between the diversity pattern and 25 environmental factors in mountainous and non-mountainous regions. To this end, we collected 2589 datasets for the distribution of 1219 Tipulidae species, and found three areas with high diversities of Tipulidae around the QTP, including the Sikkim-Yadong area, Kamen River Basin, and Gongga Mountain. Further R, generalized additive model (GAM), and stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that the richness and endemism of Tipulidae is mainly influenced by the warmest quarter precipitation and topographic heterogeneity in mountainous regions, but in non-mountainous regions, the richness is mostly affected by the precipitation seasonality, while there is no regularity in the relationship between endemism and environmental factors. In addition, the richness model in mountainous regions was in conformity with the results of GAM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qicheng Yang
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science & Technology, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science & Technology, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Lishan Qian
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Ding Yang
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xiaoyan Liu
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science & Technology, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Manqun Wang
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science & Technology, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan 430070, China
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32
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Plant-frugivore network simplification under habitat fragmentation leaves a small core of interacting generalists. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1214. [PMID: 36357489 PMCID: PMC9649668 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04198-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation impacts seed dispersal processes that are important in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. However, it is still unclear how habitat fragmentation affects frugivorous interactions due to the lack of high-quality data on plant-frugivore networks. Here we recorded 10,117 plant-frugivore interactions from 22 reservoir islands and six nearby mainland sites using the technology of arboreal camera trapping to assess the effects of island area and isolation on the diversity, structure, and stability of plant-frugivore networks. We found that network simplification under habitat fragmentation reduces the number of interactions involving specialized species and large-bodied frugivores. Small islands had more connected, less modular, and more nested networks that consisted mainly of small-bodied birds and abundant plants, as well as showed evidence of interaction release (i.e., dietary expansion of frugivores). Our results reveal the importance of preserving large forest remnants to support plant-frugivore interaction diversity and forest functionality. Smaller communities, such as those on islands, under ecological network simplification reduce interactions between specialist organisms.
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33
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Amir Z, Moore JH, Negret PJ, Luskin MS. Megafauna extinctions produce idiosyncratic Anthropocene assemblages. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq2307. [PMID: 36269822 PMCID: PMC9586473 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq2307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The "trophic downgrading of planet Earth" refers to the systematic decline of the world's largest vertebrates. However, our understanding of why megafauna extinction risk varies through time and the importance of site- or species-specific factors remain unclear. Here, we unravel the unexpected variability in remaining terrestrial megafauna assemblages across 10 Southeast Asian tropical forests. Consistent with global trends, every landscape experienced Holocene and/or Anthropocene megafauna extirpations, and the four most disturbed landscapes experienced 2.5 times more extirpations than the six least disturbed landscapes. However, there were no consistent size- or guild-related trends, no two tropical forests had identical assemblages, and the abundance of four species showed positive relationships with forest degradation and humans. Our results suggest that the region's megafauna assemblages are the product of a convoluted geoclimatic legacy interacting with modern disturbances and that some megafauna may persist in degraded tropical forests near settlements with sufficient poaching controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Amir
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Jonathan H. Moore
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Pablo Jose Negret
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
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34
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Ulrich W, Kusumoto B, Shiono T, Fuji A, Kubota Y. Latitudinal gradients of reproductive traits in Japanese woody plants. Ecol Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Werner Ulrich
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography Nicolaus Copernicus University Toruń Poland
| | | | - Takayuki Shiono
- Faculty of Science University of the Ryukyus Nishihara Japan
| | - Akinori Fuji
- Faculty of Science University of the Ryukyus Nishihara Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kubota
- Faculty of Science University of the Ryukyus Nishihara Japan
- Marine and Terrestrial Field Ecology, Tropical Biosphere Research Center University of the Ryukyus Nishihara Japan
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35
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Krishnan A, Osuri AM, Krishnadas M. Small mammals reduce distance dependence and increase seed predation risk in tropical rainforest fragments. Biotropica 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aparna Krishnan
- Post‐Graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology and Conservation National Centre for Biological Sciences Bangalore Karnataka India
- Nature Conservation Foundation Mysore Karnataka India
| | | | - Meghna Krishnadas
- Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species CSIR – Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology Hyderabad Telangana India
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36
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Fire and flood: How the Pantanal ant communities respond to multiple disturbances? Perspect Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2022.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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37
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Niu L, Zou G, Guo Y, Li Y, Wang C, Hu Q, Zhang W, Wang L. Eutrophication dangers the ecological status of coastal wetlands: A quantitative assessment by composite microbial index of biotic integrity. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 816:151620. [PMID: 34780838 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The intertidal wetland ecosystem is vulnerable to environmental and anthropogenic stressors. Understanding how the ecological statuses of intertidal wetlands respond to influencing factors is crucial for the management and protection of intertidal wetland ecosystems. In this study, the community characteristics of bacteria, archaea and microeukaryote from Jiangsu coast areas (JCA), the longest muddy intertidal wetlands in the world, were detected to develop a composite microbial index of biotic integrity (CM-IBI) and to explore the influence mechanisms of stresses on the intertidal wetland ecological status. A total of 12 bacterial, archaea and microeukaryotic metrics were determined by range, responsiveness and redundancy tests for the development of ba-IBI, ar-IBI and eu-IBI. The CM-IBI was further developed via three sub-IBIs with weight coefficients 0.40, 0.33 and 0.27, respectively. The CM-IBI (R2 = 0.58) exhibited the highest goodness of fit with the CEI, followed by ba-IBI (R2 = 0.36), ar-IBI (R2 = 0.25) and eu-IBI (R2 = 0.21). Redundancy and random forest analyses revealed inorganic nitrogen (inorgN), total phosphorus (TP) and total organic carbon (TOC) to be key environmental variables influencing community compositions. A conditional reasoning tree model indicated the close associating between the ecological status and eutrophication conditions. The majority of sites with water inorgN<0.67 mg/L exhibited good statuses, while the poor ecological status was observed for inorgN>0.67 mg/L and TP > 0.11 mg/L. Microbial networks demonstrated the interactions of microbial taxonomic units among three kingdoms decreases with the ecological degradation, suggesting a reduced reliability and stability of microbial communities. Multi-level path analysis revealed fishery aquaculture and industrial development as the dominant anthropogenic activities effecting the eutrophication and ecological degradation of the JCA tidal wetlands. This study developed an efficient ecological assessment method of tidal wetlands based on microbial communities, and determined the influence of human activities and eutrophication on ecological status, providing guidance for management standards and coastal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihua Niu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China
| | - Guanhua Zou
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China
| | - Yuntong Guo
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China
| | - Yi Li
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China.
| | - Chao Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, PR China.
| | - Qing Hu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, PR China
| | - Wenlong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China
| | - Linqiong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China
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Bennett AF, Holland GJ, Haslem A, Stewart A, Radford JQ, Clarke RH. Restoration promotes recovery of woodland birds in agricultural environments: A comparison of ‘revegetation’ and ‘remnant’ landscapes. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F. Bennett
- Department of Environment & Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- School of Life & Environmental Sciences Deakin University Burwood Vic. Australia
| | - Greg J. Holland
- Department of Environment & Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- School of Life & Environmental Sciences Deakin University Burwood Vic. Australia
| | - Angie Haslem
- Department of Environment & Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
| | - Alistair Stewart
- Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security Alice Springs NT Australia
| | - James Q. Radford
- Department of Environment & Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- School of Life & Environmental Sciences Deakin University Burwood Vic. Australia
| | - Rohan H. Clarke
- School of Life & Environmental Sciences Deakin University Burwood Vic. Australia
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Vic. Australia
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Watling JI, Urbina‐Cardona JN. Virtual special issue: Insights from a landscape ecological perspective for tropical biology and conservation. Biotropica 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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40
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Liu J, Slik F, Zheng S, Lindenmayer DB. Undescribed species have higher extinction risk than known species. Conserv Lett 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences Fudan University Shanghai China
| | - Ferry Slik
- Environmental and Life Sciences Department Faculty of Science Universiti Brunei Darussalam Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Darussalam
| | - Shilu Zheng
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences Fudan University Shanghai China
| | - David B. Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra Australia
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41
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Global dynamics of a diffusive competition model with habitat degradation. J Math Biol 2022; 84:18. [PMID: 35146563 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-022-01720-8] [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: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a diffusive competition model with habitat degradation and homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions in a bounded domain that is partitioned into the healthy region (undisturbed habitat) and the degraded region (due to anthropogenic habitat disturbance). Species follow the Lotka-Volterra competition in the healthy region while in the degraded region species experience only exponential decay (not necessarily at the same rate). This setup is novel in that it requires no positivity assumption on the environmental heterogeneity, either absolute or on average, which would be far too restrictive for the study of the effects of habitat degradation. We rigorously show competitive exclusion and coexistence via global stability analysis. A remarkable finding is that the quality heterogeneity of landscapes can lead to the competitive exclusion of the slower species by the faster species. This result is robust as long as the degraded region has positive area, and moreover is at odds with classical results predicting the deterministic extinction of the stronger species. On the other hand, if the degraded region has intermediate negative effect on the faster competitor, species can coexist. Differing from comparable existing results, coexistence does not rely on a limit as the diffusion coefficients tend to zero or infinity. Together, these results imply that coexistence is always a possibility under this basic, yet general, configuration, providing insights into the varying impacts found through empirical study of habitat loss and fragmentation on species.
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42
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Banks-Leite C, Betts MG, Ewers RM, Orme CDL, Pigot AL. The macroecology of landscape ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:480-487. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Ramírez-Delgado JP, Di Marco M, Watson JEM, Johnson CJ, Rondinini C, Corredor Llano X, Arias M, Venter O. Matrix condition mediates the effects of habitat fragmentation on species extinction risk. Nat Commun 2022; 13:595. [PMID: 35105881 PMCID: PMC8807630 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28270-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat loss is the leading cause of the global decline in biodiversity, but the influence of human pressure within the matrix surrounding habitat fragments remains poorly understood. Here, we measure the relationship between fragmentation (the degree of fragmentation and the degree of patch isolation), matrix condition (measured as the extent of high human footprint levels), and the change in extinction risk of 4,426 terrestrial mammals. We find that the degree of fragmentation is strongly associated with changes in extinction risk, with higher predictive importance than life-history traits and human pressure variables. Importantly, we discover that fragmentation and the matrix condition are stronger predictors of risk than habitat loss and habitat amount. Moreover, the importance of fragmentation increases with an increasing deterioration of the matrix condition. These findings suggest that restoration of the habitat matrix may be an important conservation action for mitigating the negative effects of fragmentation on biodiversity. The influence of human pressure within the matrix surrounding habitat fragments remains poorly understood. This study measures the relationship between habitat fragmentation, matrix condition and the change in extinction risk of 4,426 terrestrial mammals, finding that fragmentation and matrix condition are stronger predictors of risk than habitat loss and habitat amount.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Pablo Ramírez-Delgado
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada.
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Chris J Johnson
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Carlo Rondinini
- Global Mammal Assessment Program, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Xavier Corredor Llano
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Miguel Arias
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, Canada
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Scott ER, Uriarte M, Bruna EM. Delayed effects of climate on vital rates lead to demographic divergence in Amazonian forest fragments. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:463-479. [PMID: 34697872 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15900] [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: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Deforestation often results in landscapes where remaining forest habitat is highly fragmented, with remnants of different sizes embedded in an often highly contrasting matrix. Local extinction of species from individual fragments is common, but the demographic mechanisms underlying these extinctions are poorly understood. It is often hypothesized that altered environmental conditions in fragments drive declines in reproduction, recruitment, or survivorship. The Amazon basin, in addition to experiencing continuing fragmentation, is experiencing climate change-related increases in the frequency and intensity of droughts and unusually wet periods. Whether plant populations in tropical forest fragments are particularly susceptible to extremes in precipitation remains unclear. Most studies of plants in fragments are relatively short (1-6 years), focus on a single life-history stage, and often do not compare to populations in continuous forest. Even fewer studies consider delayed effects of climate on demographic vital rates despite the importance of delayed effects in studies that consider them. Using a decade of demographic and climate data from an experimentally fragmented landscape in the Central Amazon, we assess the effects of climate on populations of an understory herb (Heliconia acuminata, Heliconiaceae). We used distributed lag nonlinear models to understand the delayed effects of climate (measured as standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index, SPEI) on survival, growth, and flowering. We detected delayed effects of climate up to 36 months. Extremes in SPEI in the previous year reduced survival, drought in the wet season 8-11 months prior to the February census increased growth, and drought two dry seasons prior increased flowering probability. Effects of extremes in precipitation on survival and growth were more pronounced in forest fragments compared to continuous forest. The complex delayed effects of climate and habitat fragmentation in our study point to the importance of long-term demography experiments in understanding the effects of anthropogenic change on plant populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric R Scott
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - María Uriarte
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Emilio M Bruna
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, INPA-PDBFF, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
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45
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Zárrate Charry DA, González-Maya JF, Arias-Alzate A, Jiménez-Alvarado JS, Reyes Arias JD, Armenteras D, Betts MG. Connectivity conservation at the crossroads: protected areas versus payments for ecosystem services in conserving connectivity for Colombian carnivores. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:201154. [PMID: 35242340 PMCID: PMC8753149 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Protected areas (PAs) constitute one of the main tools for global landscape conservation. Recently, payments for environmental services (PES) have attracted interest from national and regional governments and are becoming one of the leading conservation policy instruments in tropical countries. However, the degree to which areas designated for PES overlap with areas that are critical for maintaining species' landscape connectivity is rarely evaluated. We estimated habitat distributions and connectivity for 16 of the 22 mammalian carnivores occurring in the Caribbean region of Colombia, and identified the overlap between existing PAs and areas identified as being important for connectivity for these species. We also evaluated the potential impact of creation of new PAs versus new PES areas on conserving connectivity for carnivores. Our results show that PAs cover only a minor percentage of the total area that is important for maintaining connectivity ( x = 26.8 % ± 20.2 s . d . ). On the other hand, PES, if implemented extensively, could contribute substantially to mammalian carnivores' connectivity ( x = 45.4 % ± 12.8 s . d . ). However, in a more realistic scenario with limited conservation investment in which fewer areas are set aside, a strategy based on implementing new PAs seems superior to PES. We argue that prioritizing designation of new PAs will be the most efficient means through which to maintain connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego A. Zárrate Charry
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and society, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Proyecto de Conservación de Aguas y Tierras, ProCAT Colombia/Internacional, Calle 97ª #10-67, Of. 202, Bogotá, Colombia
- Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza WWF Colombia. Cra. 10a #69 A-44, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - José F. González-Maya
- Proyecto de Conservación de Aguas y Tierras, ProCAT Colombia/Internacional, Calle 97ª #10-67, Of. 202, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Andrés Arias-Alzate
- Facultad de Ciencias y Biotecnología, Universidad CES. Cl. 10a #22-04, Medellín, Colombia
| | - J. Sebastián Jiménez-Alvarado
- Proyecto de Conservación de Aguas y Tierras, ProCAT Colombia/Internacional, Calle 97ª #10-67, Of. 202, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Jessica Dayanh Reyes Arias
- Proyecto de Conservación de Aguas y Tierras, ProCAT Colombia/Internacional, Calle 97ª #10-67, Of. 202, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Dolors Armenteras
- Grupo de Ecología del Paisaje y Modelación de Ecosistemas ECOLMOD, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Matthew G. Betts
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and society, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
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Arce-Peña NP, Arroyo-Rodríguez V, Avila-Cabadilla LD, Moreno CE, Andresen E. Homogenization of terrestrial mammals in fragmented rainforests: the loss of species turnover and its landscape drivers. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e02476. [PMID: 34653282 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the factors and mechanisms shaping differences in species composition across space and time (β-diversity) in human-modified landscapes has key ecological and applied implications. This topic is, however, challenging because landscape disturbance can promote either decreases (biotic homogenization) or increases (biotic differentiation) in β-diversity. We assessed temporal differences in intersite β-diversity of medium-bodied and large-bodied mammals in the fragmented Lacandona rainforest, Mexico. We hypothesized that, given the relatively short history of land-use changes in the region, and the gain and loss of some species caused by landscape spatial changes, β-diversity would increase through time, especially its nestedness component. We estimated β-diversity between 24 forest sites (22 forest patches and two continuous forest sites) in 2011 and 2017 to assess whether β-diversity is decreasing or increasing in the region, and calculated its turnover and nestedness components to understand the mechanisms responsible for changes in β-diversity, separately assessing mammal groups with different body mass, feeding guild, and habitat specialization. We then related such temporal changes in β-diversity to temporal changes in five landscape variables (forest cover, matrix openness, number of patches, edge density and interpatch distance) to identify the landscape drivers of β-diversity. In contrast with our expectations, β-diversity decreased over time, suggesting an ongoing biotic homogenization process. This pattern was mostly driven by a decrease in species turnover in all mammal groups, especially in landscapes with decreasing forest cover and increasing forested matrices. Although the nestedness component showed a three-fold increase through time, species turnover was 22 and six times higher than nestedness in 2011 and 2017, respectively. The decreased turnover appears to be driven by an increase in dispersal (i.e., spillover) of native species among patches. The prevalence of species turnover over nestedness indicates that different forest sites have a fairly distinct subset of species (i.e., high complementarity in species composition). Therefore, conserving all remaining forest patches and increasing forest cover is of utmost importance to effectively maintain β-diversity and conserve the total diversity (γ) of mammal assemblages in this Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norma P Arce-Peña
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico
| | - Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida, Yucatán, 97357, Mexico
| | - Luis Daniel Avila-Cabadilla
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida, Yucatán, 97357, Mexico
| | - Claudia E Moreno
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas - Ciudad del Conocimiento, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, 42184, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Ellen Andresen
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico
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Magioli M, Villar N, Jorge ML, Biondo C, Keuroghlian A, Bradham J, Pedrosa F, Costa V, Moreira MZ, Ferraz KMPMDB, Galetti M. Dietary expansion facilitates the persistence of a large frugivore in fragmented tropical forests. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Magioli
- Instituto Pró‐Carnívoros Atibaia São Paulo Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros (CENAP) Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) Atibaia São Paulo Brazil
| | - Nacho Villar
- Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Biodiversidade Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Rio Claro São Paulo Brazil
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Maria Luisa Jorge
- Earth & Environmental Sciences Vanderbilt University Nashville TN USA
| | - Cibele Biondo
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH) Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC) São Bernardo do Campo São Paulo Brazil
| | - Alexine Keuroghlian
- Peccary Project/IUCN/SSC Peccary Specialist Group Fundação Neotrópica do Brasil Campo Grande Brazil
| | - Jennifer Bradham
- Department of Environmental Studies Wofford College Spartanburg SC USA
| | - Felipe Pedrosa
- Mão na Mata – Manejo e Soluções Ambientais São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
| | - Vladimir Costa
- Centro de Isótopos Estáveis Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista Botucatu São Paulo Brazil
| | - Marcelo Zacharias Moreira
- Laboratório de Ecologia Isotópica Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura Universidade de São Paulo Piracicaba São Paulo Brazil
| | - Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de Barros Ferraz
- Instituto Pró‐Carnívoros Atibaia São Paulo Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia Manejo e Conservação de Fauna Silvestre (LEMaC) Departamento de Ciências Florestais Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” (ESALQ) Universidade de São Paulo (USP) Piracicaba São Paulo Brazil
| | - Mauro Galetti
- Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Biodiversidade Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Rio Claro São Paulo Brazil
- Department of Biology University of Miami Coral Gables FL USA
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48
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Chiew LY, Hackett TD, Brodie JF, Teoh SW, Burslem DFRP, Reynolds G, Deere NJ, Vairappan CS, Slade EM. Tropical forest dung beetle-mammal dung interaction networks remain similar across an environmental disturbance gradient. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:604-617. [PMID: 34954816 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Conservation outcomes could be greatly enhanced if strategies addressing anthropogenic land-use change considered the impacts of these changes on entire communities as well as on individual species. Examining how species interactions change across gradients of habitat disturbance allows us to predict the cascading consequences of species extinctions and the response of ecological networks to environmental change. We conducted the first detailed study of changes in a commensalist network of mammals and dung beetles across an environmental disturbance gradient, from primary tropical forest to plantations, which varied in above-ground carbon density (ACD) and mammal communities. Mammal diversity changed only slightly across the gradient, remaining high even in oil palm plantations and fragmented forest. Dung beetle species richness, however, declined in response to lower ACD and was particularly low in plantations and the most disturbed forest sites. Three of the five network metrics (nestedness, network specialization, and functionality) were significantly affected by changes in dung beetle species richness and ACD, but mammal diversity was not an important predictor of network structure. Overall, the interaction networks remained structurally and functionally similar across the gradient, only becoming simplified (i.e., with fewer dung beetle species and fewer interactions) in the most disturbed sites. We suggest that the high diversity of mammals, even in disturbed forests, combined with the generalist feeding patterns of dung beetles, confer resilience to the commensalist dung beetle-mammal networks. This study highlights the importance of protecting logged and fragmented forests to maintain interaction networks and potentially prevent extinction cascades in human-modified systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Yuen Chiew
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, University Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.,South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Talya D Hackett
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Jedediah F Brodie
- Division of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana Missoula, MT, 59802, USA
| | - Shu Woan Teoh
- Division of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana Missoula, MT, 59802, USA
| | - David F R P Burslem
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK
| | - Glen Reynolds
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Nicolas J Deere
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Charles S Vairappan
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, University Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Eleanor M Slade
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.,Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Dr, 637459, Singapore
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49
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Gene Flow and Genetic Structure Reveal Reduced Diversity between Generations of a Tropical Tree, Manilkara multifida Penn., in Atlantic Forest Fragments. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12122025. [PMID: 34946973 PMCID: PMC8701937 DOI: 10.3390/genes12122025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Atlantic Forest remnants in southern Bahia, Brazil, contain large tree species that have suffered disturbances in recent decades. Anthropogenic activities have led to a decrease in the population of many tree species and a loss of alleles that can maintain the evolutionary fitness of their populations. This study assessed patterns of genetic diversity, spatial genetic structure, and genetic structure among Manilkara multifida Penn. populations, comparing the genetic parameters of adult and juvenile trees. In particular, we collected leaves from adults and juveniles of M. multifida in two protected areas, the Veracel Station (EVC) and the Una Biological Reserve (UBR), located in threatened Atlantic Forest fragments. We observed a substantial decay in genetic variability between generations in both areas i.e., adults’ HO values were higher (EVC = 0.720, UBR = 0.736) than juveniles’ (EVC = 0.463 and UBR = 0.560). Both juveniles and adults showed genetic structure between the two areas (θ = 0.017 for adults and θ = 0.109 for juveniles). Additionally, forest fragments indicated an unexpectedly short gene flow. Our results, therefore, highlight the pervasive effects of historical deforestation and other human disturbances on the genetic diversity of M. multifida populations within a key conservation region of the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot.
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Etard A, Pigot AL, Newbold T. Intensive human land uses negatively affect vertebrate functional diversity. Ecol Lett 2021; 25:330-343. [PMID: 34816566 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Land-use change is the leading driver of global biodiversity loss thus characterising its impacts on the functional structure of ecological communities is an urgent challenge. Using a database describing vertebrate assemblages in different land uses, we assess how the type and intensity of land use affect the functional diversity of vertebrates globally. We find that human land uses alter local functional structure by driving declines in functional diversity, with the strongest effects in the most disturbed land uses (intensely used urban sites, cropland and pastures), and among amphibians and birds. Both tropical and temperate areas experience important functional losses, which are only partially offset by functional gains. Tropical assemblages are more likely to show decreases in functional diversity that exceed those expected from species loss alone. Our results indicate that land-use change non-randomly reshapes the functional structure of vertebrate assemblages, raising concerns about the continuation of ecological processes sustained by vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne Etard
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alex L Pigot
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tim Newbold
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
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