Global Ecology and Conservation最新文献

{"title":"Half a century of wetland degradation: the present state and trends of changes in Western Polesie - Long-term wetland degradation","authors":"Mariusz Kulik ,&nbsp;Danuta Urban ,&nbsp;Grzegorz Grzywaczewski ,&nbsp;Andrzej Bochniak ,&nbsp;Antoni Grzywna ,&nbsp;Joanna Sender","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03324","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03324","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study analysed three wetlands located in eastern Poland which have been subjected to varying levels of anthropogenic pressure, and conservation measures over the years (Bagno Bubnów, Krowie Bagno and Ostoja Poleska). They are the remnants of the primaeval wetlands, of Western Polesie. The objectives of this study were to: analyse the long-term changes in the frequency of occurrence of plant communities and rare plant and bird species from 1950 to 1970 (before protective measures were implemented) to 2000–2020 (when protection was in place); assess the changes of the climatic and edaphic habitat conditions during the half-century of transformation processes, using ecological indicators; and indicate the least and most transformed among the analysed areas. The wetlands of western Polesie constitute a sanctuary of great habitat and species diversity. The degree of deformation and the forms of protective activities significantly influenced the biodiversity of the analysed sites. The greatest changes in the occurrence of the plant communities and rare plant species during the half-century took place in Krowie Bagno, while the smallest in Bagno Bubnów. In all areas, the fertility of habitats increased and their humidity decreased. The downward trend is most pronounced in the declining bird populations observed across the studied areas. Strong anthropopressure (drainage) and late protection (Krowie Bagno) contributed to lower biodiversity. Our results confirm that low anthropogenic pressure and early protective measures mean an increase in the diversity of plant species and communities. Preserving the biodiversity of these naturally priceless areas is the priority. The results show that the necessary condition is to stop water loss from these areas. The observed trends in plant communities and rare plant species indicate a high threat to the least transformed wetlands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03324"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142744899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ensemble species distribution models reveal Javan leopard’s preference for areas with high prey species diversity","authors":"Andhika C. Ariyanto ,&nbsp;Tiejun Wang ,&nbsp;Andrew K. Skidmore ,&nbsp;Anton Ario ,&nbsp;Muhammad A. Imron ,&nbsp;Hariyawan A. Wahyudi","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03335","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03335","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Like many other large carnivores worldwide, the Javan leopard (<em>Panthera pardus melas</em>) faces significant threats from prey depletion due to human disturbance and habitat loss, yet the distribution of its prey across Java and the relationship between prey diversity and leopard presence remain poorly understood at broad spatial scales. This study predicted the distribution of eight prey species for the Javan leopard across Java using an ensemble species distribution model and identified key factors influencing prey distribution. A prey diversity map was generated to evaluate the relationship between prey diversity and Javan leopard occurrence. The results showed that model accuracy for each prey species, as measured by the True Skill Statistic (TSS) and continuous Boyce index (BCI), ranged from 0.609 to 0.951 and 0.628 to 0.965, respectively, with distance to primary and secondary forests as the most influential predictor. The results also showed that areas with high prey diversity were primarily concentrated in western and eastern Java, and approximately 94.3 % of leopard occurrence points were found in regions with five or more prey species. This is the first comprehensive spatial prediction of prey diversity for Javan leopards, emphasizing the predator’s preference for habitats with high prey diversity. These findings suggest that in landscapes harboring large carnivores as apex predators, areas with elevated prey diversity may serve as key indicators of potential core habitats for these carnivores.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03335"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142759504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inappropriate use of statistical methods leads to unsupported conclusions about risk of plague to an imperiled chipmunk: A critique of Goldberg et al. (2022)","authors":"Jennifer K. Frey,&nbsp;Fiona E. McKibben ,&nbsp;Matthew E. Gompper ,&nbsp;Fitsum Abadi","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03307","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03307","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plague is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium <em>Yersinia pestis</em> that can cause endangerment or extinction of wildlife populations. A recent study by Goldberg et al. (2022) sought to determine if plague was circulating within the small mammal communities associated with the Peñasco least chipmunk, which has been proposed for listing as endangered on the Endangered Species Act. We identified substantial problems with the statistical approaches used by Goldberg et al., including testing more models than the data can support and failing to recognize models with uninformative parameters. Contrary to their findings, our reexamination of their analyses and results suggests little evidence for plague in this system and that prophylactic measures to prevent plague do not warrant the risks that implementing such a program would have on the chipmunk. We recommend that future studies directly assess the presence of plague in both the associated rodent community and sentinel species. We also recommend that researchers carefully consider the goals of their study and collaborate with statistical/quantitative ecologists to ensure that the study design is appropriate and capable of generating the necessary sample sizes. We strongly emphasize the recommendations made by other researchers about the importance of adequately reporting methods and results in scientific studies. We also urge researchers to evaluate models for uninformative parameters to avoid erroneous conclusions that could potentially lead to wrong management decisions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03307"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142744900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A framework for large-scale risk assessment of road-related impacts, with application to mustelids","authors":"Fernando Ascensão ,&nbsp;Rafael Barrientos ,&nbsp;Marcello D’Amico","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03329","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03329","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Roads, while crucial for human development and economic growth, pose significant threats to biodiversity. Large-scale road risk assessments are essential for guiding infrastructure planning, particularly in identifying areas to avoid new construction or prioritizing regions for mitigation where road networks are already established. However, conducting comprehensive assessments is challenging in regions with limited data on species’ responses to roads. In this study, we propose a methodological approach for global and regional risk assessments of road-related impacts, utilizing data on road exposure and species-level susceptibility to road effects. We first derive species-specific susceptibility to road impacts using available trait data and expert knowledge. This information is spatialized through species range maps, creating a cross-taxa susceptibility layer. We then combine this layer with infrastructure density data to produce a bivariate map that highlights the co-occurrence of susceptibility and exposure. Through this approach, we identify priority mitigation areas—regions with high susceptibility and high exposure where mitigation efforts should be concentrated—and priority preservation areas—regions with high susceptibility but low exposure that should be protected from further road development. Our case-study focuses on mustelids, a globally distributed group with significant vulnerability to road impacts yet underrepresented in road ecology studies. The results reveal that the highest-risk areas are concentrated in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and scattered across sub-Saharan Africa, where high conservation value intersects with extensive road networks, marking these as priority mitigation areas. Priority preservation areas span mainly across South America, North America, and Siberia, with some areas across Africa and Borneo. This framework offers a foundation for preliminary assessments and proactive zoning, aiding in the identification of conservation management areas across different infrastructure types and taxa. Its adaptability makes it a valuable tool for researchers, wildlife managers, and transportation planners conducting large-scale assessments of infrastructure impacts on biodiversity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03329"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142744898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing conservation planning: An integrated approach to cost-effective biodiversity and carbon sequestration management in Yunnan Province, China","authors":"Jiacheng Shao ,&nbsp;Yu Diao ,&nbsp;Qingyu Zhang ,&nbsp;Jinnan Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03336","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03336","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces an innovative, integrated approach to optimizing conservation planning in Yunnan Province, China. By maximizing the synergistic benefits of threatened species protection and carbon sequestration while minimizing economic costs, the research identifies regions with the highest conservation cost-effectiveness. This is achieved by combining species distribution models (SDMs) for threatened species, carbon sequestration capacity estimates, and local economic data through an input-output (I-O) model at 1 kilometer resolution. The study highlights key regions within Yunnan—particularly in the northwestern areas of Shangri-la and Nujiang prefectures—as offering significant ecological benefits at relatively low opportunity costs. These findings provide a scalable framework for policymakers to prioritize regions for protected area (PA) expansion, thus enhancing conservation outcomes while minimizing financial expenditures. The proposed methodology improves conservation investments' cost-effectiveness and supports broader conservation and sustainable land management goals. This research underscores the necessity of integrating multiple ecological and economic factors to address the urgent challenges of biodiversity loss.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03336"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142758868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An emerging hazard to nesting sea turtles in the face of sea-level rise","authors":"Natalie E. Wildermann ,&nbsp;Hector Barrios-Garrido ,&nbsp;Khuld Jabby ,&nbsp;Royale S. Hardenstine ,&nbsp;Takahiro Shimada ,&nbsp;Ivor D. Williams ,&nbsp;Carlos M. Duarte","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03334","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03334","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change poses a significant threat to sea turtles. In particular, beach erosion due to sea-level rise endangers sea turtle nests and can hinder the inland movement of nesting females. This study highlights an overlooked indirect hazard in the context of sea-level rise, namely the risk of nesting turtles to lethal falls from rocky cliffs exposed by beach erosion. We provide evidence of mortality of nine nesting green turtles (<em>Chelonia mydas</em>) found upside-down on the base of cliff ledges in Breem Island (locally known as جزيرة بريم), located along the northern Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast. One additional turtle was found flipped over but still alive. Our observations suggest that in areas where there is a continuum from the beach to the rocky cliffs (contrary to very steep cliffs bordering beaches), these structures pose a substantial hazard to nesting sea turtles when they attempt to return to the sea. Moreover, mean daily air temperatures of 31 ˚C (max. 44 ˚C) in the northern Red Sea likely exacerbate heat exhaustion of turtles that fall off the cliffs, providing a very narrow window for the animals to be rescued. This study underscores the need to integrate these indirect effects of sea-level rise into sea turtle vulnerability assessments, as well as the importance of implementing timely mitigation measures. Such steps are essential to meet the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and support the survival of breeding sea turtles amidst climate change challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03334"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142758869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climate and soil explain contrasting intraspecific trait variability of widespread species over a large environmental gradient","authors":"Xia Chen,&nbsp;Jiangbo Xie,&nbsp;Qiqian Wu,&nbsp;Hui Zhang,&nbsp;Yan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03338","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03338","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Both climatic and edaphic conditions are currently undergoing significant changes on a global scale. Early studies have suggested that climate and soil together shape plant performance. However, establishing a precise theoretical framework to describe trait-environment relationships has proven challenging. Understanding and identifying the patterns and drivers of intraspecific trait variation is crucial for anticipating changes in plant distributions. This study aimed to examine the relative importance of various environmental drivers in explaining intraspecific trait variation for two widespread species, <em>Sophora japonica</em> and <em>Robinia pseudoacacia</em>, across a broad environmental scale spanning from the southeast to the northwest of China. Intraspecific variation in fourteen functional traits accounted for 23.4 % of <em>S. japonica</em> and 28.4 % of <em>R. pseudoacacia</em>, indicating that these species exhibit a degree of plasticity in response to changing environmental conditions. There were differences in the influence of climatic and edaphic factors on intraspecific trait variation. For both species, hydraulic trait variations were primarily driven by climate during the growth season and climatic seasonality. In comparison, soil chemical properties accounted for a substantial proportion of the variability in leaf economic traits. Our results show that <em>S. japonica</em> and <em>R. pseudoacacia</em> responded differently to variations in climatic factors. In contrast, the impact of soil factors on traits was more consistently observed between these two species. We conclude that soil conditions, like climate, are crucial factors in investigating geographic variation in functional traits and species distributions. Our analysis also highlights that species specificity must be considered when discussing plant adaptability to climate change. These findings provide valuable insights into how and to what extent climatic and edaphic factors influence species distributions by driving the intraspecific trait variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03338"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142758870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Why do open-farmland specialist birds prefer small fields? The evaluation of mechanisms using a cross-border study","authors":"Adriana Hološková ,&nbsp;Jakub Cíbik ,&nbsp;Jiří Reif","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03327","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03327","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>European farmland serves as a crucial habitat for many organisms, but the transition from extensive to intensive agriculture has led to a loss of biodiversity that also concerned farmland birds. Intensification has various aspects including landscape homogenisation, whereby large field blocks are created in once heterogeneous landscapes that traditionally consisted of small fields. However, some farmland specialists may indeed benefit from homogeneous landscapes, as they contain a greater share of preferred open habitats. To elucidate this paradox, we focused on a farmland specialist ground-nesting insectivorous bird, the Eurasian Skylark (<em>Alauda arvensis</em>), unravelling its abundance in different landscape structures. The contrasting landscape structures are found in a lowland region along the border between two countries: Slovakia with large fields and Austria with small fields. In this \"natural experiment\", bird censuses, food supply assessments, and vegetation structure analyses were carried out during the Skylark breeding season. Austria showed significantly higher local abundance of Skylark compared to Slovakia, which persisted whole season. The Skylark numbers were positively correlated with an increasing number of crop types. This positive effect of crop number was likely associated with higher food availability at sites with more crops, highlighting the role of diverse crop compositions in fostering a stable food supply for farmland birds. These results indicate that even open-habitat farmland specialists benefit from the landscape heterogeneity provided by small fields composed of different crops. Slovakia-Austria differences highlight the need for context-specific conservation that should also be a concern for agri-environmental measures within the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03327"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142721698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Species diversity assessment from camera traps in a hyper-arid desert ecosystem in central Saudi Arabia","authors":"Mariska Weijerman ,&nbsp;Rab Nawaz,&nbsp;Abdullatif AlAbdulwahab,&nbsp;Kawther AlShlash,&nbsp;Talal AlHarigi","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03331","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03331","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current biodiversity loss is alarming. Protected areas can be a key strategy to halt and reverse the downward trend. To evaluate their efficiency and to conduct global biodiversity assessments, the availability of reliable data on species occurrence, diversity, and abundance is critical. Camera traps provide these data and have been used extensively in areas with high species richness, such as, temperate and tropical ecosystems, and are currently becoming more prominent in hyper-arid regions. We augment the data from hyper-arid regions by providing one of the first studies on biodiversity of terrestrial mammals and birds using camera traps at sites in central Saudi Arabia. From the deployments at 64 locations in 1.5 years, we observed a total of 59 vertebrate species with 12 species categorized as threatened on the IUCN Red List and an additional 12 that are deemed to have a high conservation priority in Saudi Arabia. This information can contribute to global biodiversity assessments and confirms the importance of the study sites as regional places of refuge. Results from this study also provide information that can support conservation management. We show that water provision was especially important to the sand gazelle. Additionally, observations of newborns of reintroduced species and the presence of predators contribute to evaluating the effectiveness and suitability of reintroduction programs to restore native biodiversity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03331"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142721594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating habitat selection of François’ langur in the karst mountains of China: Implications for conservation strategies","authors":"Jialiang Han ,&nbsp;Xing Fan ,&nbsp;Guy Michael Williams ,&nbsp;Qixian Zou ,&nbsp;Bingnan Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03330","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03330","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The François’ langur is an endangered primate species endemic to Asia, found in the karst mountain regions of China and Vietnam. These langurs are distributed across isolated locations, where habitat loss and fragmentation pose significant threats to their survival. The Mayanghe National Nature Reserve (MNNR) is home to the largest population of wild François' langurs in the world, estimated at 500–600 individuals. To understand the habitat selection of François’ langurs in the MNNR, a survey was conducted from September 2017 to August 2019. Using species presence data and environmental variables, we analyzed habitat selection through a resource selection function (RSF). Significant habitat differences were found between distribution and control sites. The best model included slope, distance to river, distance to road, vegetation type, and tree height. The distribution of François’ langur is primarily influenced by its reliance on specific vegetation types, sensitivity to human disturbance, and geographical factors. This study clarifies the ecological requirements of wild François’ langurs by analyzing their habitat selection and highlights the importance of understanding these factors to inform conservation efforts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03330"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142721699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}