Global Ecology and Conservation最新文献

{"title":"Climate change drives range contraction and shapes species distribution in an alpine passerine: Caution required when comparing atlas data","authors":"Sandro López-Ramírez,&nbsp;Antonio-Román Muñoz","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03620","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03620","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The White-winged Snowfinch (<em>Montifringilla nivalis</em>), a specialist in alpine habitats, is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its reliance on high-elevation environments, which are experiencing accelerated warming, alterations in snow dynamics, and significant shifts in phenology, among other factors. These habitats, crucial for breeding and feeding, are often under-sampled due to their remoteness and difficult accessibility. Furthermore, they are shrinking, particularly at the species' range edges. Comparing data from the II and III Spanish bird atlases (1998–2002 and 2014–2018), we observed a significant decline in its breeding range, with the species disappearing from 17 grid cells (11 in the Cantabrian Mountains and 6 in the Pyrenees). However, direct comparison between the atlases is problematic because 30 grid cells surveyed in the II atlas were not sampled in the III, potentially leading to an overestimated decline. While eBird data from 2014–2018 partially mitigated the perceived decline, the same 30 grid cells have remained unsampled, further complicating a definitive assessment of the species’ status. Cool summer temperatures and low humidity, as indicated by the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), were identified as the most influential environmental factors affecting the species' breeding distribution, based on distribution data from both the III atlas and eBird, analyzed through a presence-absence distribution model. Interpreting atlas data requires caution, particularly for species inhabiting remote or inaccessible areas. Alternative data sources, such as eBird, can support ongoing monitoring programs by providing additional insights into species distribution. However, even with eBird, certain hard-to-reach areas remain under-sampled, causing them to still be presumed unoccupied. Increasing monitoring efforts in these highly favourable but under-sampled regions is crucial to enhance conservation strategies for this declining alpine species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03620"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144068101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The reduction in genetic quality of seeds resulting from self-pollination acts as a pivotal factor limiting the regeneration of the endangered plant Tetracentron sinense Oliv","authors":"Hongyan Han ,&nbsp;Yang Chen ,&nbsp;Zheng Yang ,&nbsp;Xuemei Zhang ,&nbsp;Yonghong Ma ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Gan","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03627","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03627","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Tetracentron sinense</em> Oliv., an endangered relict species from the Eocene, primarily relies on self-pollination in nature. However, the impacts of self-pollination on seed quality, seedling viability, and population renewal remain unclear. In this study, we applied four pollination treatments (self-pollination, geitonogamy, xenogamy, and natural pollination) to the inflorescences of <em>T. sinense</em>. Subsequently, seeds from each treatment were collected and evaluated for their phenotypic characteristics and germination traits. We then conducted a five-month continuous monitoring of seedling survival, assessed their initial growth, and established a dynamic life table to track their development progress. Our findings revealed that self-pollinated <em>T. sinense</em> seeds exhibited inferior phenotypic traits, including decreased length, width, thickness, and 1000-grain weight, as well as lower germination rates and germination indices compared to seeds from the other pollination treatments. Furthermore, self-pollinated seedlings displayed shorter stems, smaller cotyledons, and reduced dry weights, but had longer taproots than cross-pollinated seedlings. They also showed lower survival rates and higher mortality rates than cross-pollinated seedlings. Analysis of the mortality density and hazard rate functions revealed a significant mortality peak and the highest failure risk at the two-month stage in <em>T. sinense</em> seedlings, indicating potential challenges during this period. In conclusion, our results indicate that self-pollination poses a significant threat to the survival of <em>T. sinense</em> by reducing seed genetic quality and seedling viability. Consequently, enhancing the genetic quality of <em>T. sinense</em> seeds through artificial cross-pollination could be a crucial strategy for promoting population renewal and supporting conservation efforts in the future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03627"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143941780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Life after death: Hidden diversity of orchids across European cemeteries","authors":"Jenő Nagy ,&nbsp;Viktor Löki ,&nbsp;Zoltán Vitál ,&nbsp;Krisztina Nótári ,&nbsp;S. James Reynolds ,&nbsp;Tamás Malkócs ,&nbsp;Réka Fekete ,&nbsp;Kristóf Süveges ,&nbsp;Ádám Lovas-Kiss ,&nbsp;Attila Takács ,&nbsp;András Balázs Lukács ,&nbsp;Attila Molnár V.","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03613","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03613","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Habitats sensitive to anthropogenic pressures are growing in conservation importance in the protection and perpetuation of rare animal and plant species. Although natural habitats sensitive to disturbance in urban areas have mostly declined in availability, patches offer conservation opportunities for wildlife that are fundamental to maintaining biodiversity. Human burial sites can contribute to this: they are more numerous and greater in extent in more urbanized areas, but their significance in the maintenance and promotion of biodiversity has not been considered across Europe and other continents. Because of their high sensitivity to even minor disturbance to natural habitats, orchid diversity is a key bioindicator of terrestrial ecosystem function. We evaluated orchid diversity in cemeteries of 13 European countries. Comprehensive field surveys of orchid flora in 2079 locations revealed that they occurred in every country visited and in high variability in both the number of taxa (n = 65) and individual plant counts (n = 44680). We propose that cemeteries are of major importance as refugia in conserving orchids in most of the visited European countries; however, one of the most urgent issues is to identify the many anthropogenic factors determining biodiversity of cemeteries, and to eliminate some newly emerged management practices in cemeteries that undermine biodiversity, including the orchid flora. Human burial grounds are therefore not just important in preserving the history of humankind; they are key in protecting biodiversity in this modern era of unprecedented anthropogenic changes to our terrestrial environments, especially as a result of rapid and unrelenting urbanization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03613"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143922309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Herbivory and fire influence soil and plant nutrient dynamics in Chitwan National Park, Nepal","authors":"Amar Kunwar ,&nbsp;Uriel Gélin ,&nbsp;Naresh Subedi ,&nbsp;Sandeep Regmi ,&nbsp;Kyle W. Tomlinson","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03610","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03610","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the context of global biodiversity loss and climate change, understanding how herbivores and fire shape plant-soil nutrient dynamics across vegetation types has become a global priority. In tropical Asia, the combined effects of herbivore assemblages, fire regimes, and plant community diversity on nutrients remain poorly understood. We investigated how herbivory and fire influence soil nutrients (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and cation exchange capacity (CEC)) and plant nutrients (N, P, K), across five vegetation types - two forests (riverine, Shorea) and three grasslands (tall, short, grazing lawn) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Across 50 plots (400 m² each), we quantified mammalian herbivory pressure using dung counts, fire frequency using satellite data, and analyzed 150 soil and 187 plant samples for nutrient concentrations. Herbivore dung and fire frequency varied markedly across habitats: herbivores were largely absent from tall grasslands while present in all other vegetation types, whereas fires were rare in short grassland and grazing lawns but frequent in tall grassland and forests. Overall, forests had higher soil and plant nutrient concentrations than grasslands. Soil N, K, and CEC increased with increasing dung counts across vegetation types, whereas plant K decreased with increasing dung counts only in Shorea forests and grazing lawns. Soil P and CEC increased, while plant N, P and K decreased with increasing fire frequency across vegetation types. For the two forest types, interactions between dung and fire counts decreased soil P, plant N and plant P in riverine forest but had no effect in Shorea forest. These findings highlight the additive and interactive impacts of herbivory and fire on nutrient cycling, emphasizing the need to manage disturbance regimes to sustain soil fertility, habitat quality, and biodiversity resilience in tropical landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03610"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Grassland diversity across an aridity gradient in northern Sumatra is strongly associated with shifts in disturbance regimes","authors":"Adek Adi Putra ,&nbsp;Nurainas ,&nbsp;Waraporn Phoncharoen ,&nbsp;Ade Prasetyo Agung ,&nbsp;Yiran Zhao ,&nbsp;Kyle W. Tomlinson","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03619","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03619","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Grassy vegetation is widely spread across Southeast Asia, yet very little data exists describing the diversity in these plant communities. Groundlayer diversity data is especially rare, with previous studies focussing on woody plants. Research in grassy ecosystems worldwide suggest that there are substantial differences in grassland community composition across climate aridity gradients, which are aligned with a switch from strong disturbance by fire in wetter sites to disturbance by mammalian herbivory in drier sites. The aim of this investigation was to record the groundlayer diversity of grasslands found in northern Sumatra Island, Indonesia, and to determine whether that diversity was structured fire and mammalian herbivory. We sampled ten 50 m x 50 m vegetation plots in grassy vegetation across an aridity gradient, with soil data and grazing pressure data collected on site, and climate and fire frequency data compiled from geographic resources. We classified all species according to two morphological characteristics that related to plant evolution under fire and herbivory, namely stem form and leaf placement. We recorded 89 groundlayer species across all plots, with an average of 29 species per plot. Our analysis confirmed that the strongest axis of community differentiation was with respect to the fire-grazing trade-off axis, which selected for specific adaptive stem and leaf placement morphologies. The groundlayer diversity of grasslands in northern Sumatra is closely related to other monsoonal regions of Southeast Asia, likely reflecting grassland connectivity during the last ice age. The abundance of disturbance-adapted species suggests appropriate use of fire and herbivory will be necessary to sustain these communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03619"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143922313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of invasive plant species coverage on the occurrence of wild ungulates","authors":"Basudha Rawal ,&nbsp;Bharat Babu Shrestha ,&nbsp;Chandu Paneru ,&nbsp;Hari Prasad Sharma","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03623","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03623","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The spread of invasive plant species (IPS) is widely recognized as one of the major threats to biodiversity. However, the impact of IPS on wildlife habitat utilization remains poorly understood. This study investigated the impact of IPS on the habitat utilization of wild ungulates in Parsa National Park (PNP) of Nepal. We used camera traps and sign survey methods to detect wild ungulates between December 2022 and October 2023. In each survey plot, we also recorded the occurrence and coverage of IPS, tree canopy cover, and the distances to the nearest settlement, road, and water source. Twenty IPS were recorded in the PNP during this study. Our results revealed that the barking deer were more prevalent at sites with lower IPS coverage (β = −0.065; p = 0.009), while the sambar deer were more prevalent at sies with higher IPS coverage (β = 0.053; p = 0.019) and at low tree canopy cover (β = −0.078; p = 0.008). The habitat use of barking deer was found to be higher closer to roads (β = −0.641; p = 0.004), while the sambar deer were found far from settlements (β = 0.953; p = 0.021). These results highlight the importance of managing wild ungulate habitats by controlling IPS in the PNP to conserve wild ungulate species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03623"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Before and beyond the pandemic: Dynamics of illegal marine wildlife trade in Southern China amidst policy shifts and enforcement efforts","authors":"Wuying Lin ,&nbsp;KuoRay Mao ,&nbsp;Xinyi Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03622","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03622","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the illegal marine wildlife trade in Southern China, focusing on sea turtles, giant clams, and corals, to assess enforcement challenges, market dynamics, and consumer behaviors. Adopting a multi-method approach, it incorporates a comprehensive policy and regulatory review spanning 1979–2022, along with market and consumer surveys conducted before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Standardized training protocols were used for data collection, including consumer questionnaires and stakeholder interviews with a diverse range of actors. Market surveys reveal a 17.06 % decrease in the number of shops selling marine wildlife products but a 32.72 % increase in items available for sale, suggesting a concentration of trade activity. Consumer data indicate that the majority of potential buyers were aged 23–30 (38.93 %) and 31–45 (24.83 %), with 60 % identifying as female. Stakeholder interviews identify distinct supply chain nodes facilitating illegal trade across the region. Despite policy reforms and intensified enforcement at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the study finds that marine species remain vulnerable due to fragmented regulations and inconsistent enforcement across jurisdictions. Sellers continue to exploit short-term, top-down enforcement gaps, maintaining illicit trade flows and meeting persistent consumer demand. The findings underscore the resilience of illegal trade networks and the inadequacy of reactive enforcement strategies. A multi-stakeholder approach—grounded in inter-agency coordination and civic engagement—is essential. Without sustained, community-driven enforcement mechanisms, policy efforts will remain ineffective, exacerbating illegal trade and accelerating biodiversity loss in China and the wider Global South.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03622"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143917916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"African wild dog population status in the Selous-Nyerere landscape, southern Tanzania: Insights from camera trap surveys","authors":"Singira N. Parsais ,&nbsp;Charlotte E. Searle ,&nbsp;Paolo Strampelli ,&nbsp;Francis Moyo ,&nbsp;Richard A. Giliba ,&nbsp;Leonard Haule ,&nbsp;Kandey K. Olesyapa ,&nbsp;Nasri D. Salum ,&nbsp;Germanus Hape ,&nbsp;Manase Elisa ,&nbsp;Alex L. Lobora ,&nbsp;Alayne Cotterill ,&nbsp;Kathryn Doody ,&nbsp;Amy J. Dickman","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03621","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03621","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite being one of the world’s most endangered carnivore, there is a deficiency of recent information on the status of African wild dog (<em>Lycaon pictus</em>) in some of the few landscapes where viable populations are thought to still occur. One example is the Selous-Nyerere landscape in southern Tanzania, a critical stronghold for the species that has not been studied since the 1990s. We use data from seven camera trap surveys deployed over 4674 km² in Selous Game Reserve (GR) and Nyerere National Park (NP) from 2020 to 2022 to provide an update on wild dog status in the landscape. We identified a total of 222 wild dogs, of which 38 % were male, 38 % were female, and 24 % were of unknown sex. We applied spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) modelling to the data from 2565 km² of Selous GR to estimate an over-dispersion adjusted population density of 2.14 ± 0.45 adult and yearling wild dogs per 100 km² (95 % confidence interval: 1.42 – 3.21). This study demonstrates the ways in which camera trap data can be used to improve our understanding of wild dog populations in data-limited settings, but also highlights some limitations of this data type for the species. Our findings suggest that the Selous-Niassa ecosystem is one of the most important remaining populations of wild dogs in Africa. Although this study did not directly investigate mortality, we recommend long-term monitoring and a number of conservation actions to tackle the species’ apparent threats in the landscape, and help secure this stronghold into the future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03621"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrative population genomics and ecological niche modelling analyses illuminates the demographic history and inform conservation strategies of Calycanthus chinensis, a critically endangered shrub in subtropical China","authors":"Qiang Li ,&nbsp;Ran Wei ,&nbsp;Yuliang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03614","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03614","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate changes have profoundly influenced the evolutionary history of plants, particularly for endangered species with narrow habitat ranges, which renders them disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Elucidating the spatial distribution of genetic variation and demographic patterns within threatened species populations provides essential empirical evidence for designing biologically meaningful conservation interventions. Here, we integrated population genomics with species distribution modeling analyses to investigate the genetic diversity and changes in the suitability distribution of <em>Calycanthus chinensis</em>, an endangered shrub in subtropical China, ultimately informing evidence-based conservation strategies for this threatened species. We assembled 75 plastomes and obtained nuclear genome-wide SNP data to address evolutionary processes of <em>C. chinensis</em>. The plastome-based phylogeny revealed that <em>C. chinensis</em> lineage diversification started in the later Pliocene (2.75 Ma) and was concentrated in the Pleistocene. Analysis of genome-wide SNPs revealed that seven populations clustered into two lineages corresponding to the two main geographic distributions. The AMOVA analyses revealed that genetic variation occurred mainly within populations. Nucleotide diversity analyses suggested that low genetic diversity may be one of a threat to <em>C. chinensis</em>. Demographic analyses revealed a bottleneck event from 0.4–0.7 Ma, which was associated with the Wangkun glaciation. Ecological niche modelling analyses revealed that these two genetic groups are likely to face the loss of highly suitable habits in response to future climate change. Our findings provide novel insights into the evolutionary history of <em>C. chinensis</em> and inform evidence-based conservation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03614"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of canopy gap size on the recruitment of Shorea robusta Gaertn. F. seedlings in the Terai forests of Nepal","authors":"Prakash Timilsina,&nbsp;Ramesh Prasad Sapkota,&nbsp;Sumit Gautam,&nbsp;Sushanta Lamichhane,&nbsp;Chhatra Mani Sharma","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03617","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03617","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gap dynamics is a crucial ecological process in which canopy openings created by disturbances influence structure, regeneration and growth pattern in forest ecosystems. The canopy gaps (an area &gt; 25 m² opened by the removal of canopy trees) in the forests are usually caused by both anthropogenic and natural stressors, such as logging, treefalls, windstorms, and fires. Though the canopy gaps play an important role in shaping recruitment of the seedlings and hence the forest ecosystem assemblages, little is known about how the gaps have affected the vegetation establishment in the forest ecosystems, particularly in Terai, Nepal. The present study was carried out in core and buffer zone forests of two lowland national parks of Nepal, viz., Parsa National Park and Bardiya National Park, to assess the influence of gap size on the <em>Shorea robusta</em> seedlings’ recruitment and establishment. Altogether 120 gap sites were sampled ranging in size from 71 to 914.5 m², which were categorized into small gaps (&lt; 200 m²), medium gaps (200–400 m²), and large gaps (&gt; 400 m²). The mean density of <em>S. robusta</em> seedlings was significantly higher in small (1.98 ind. m⁻²) compared to the medium-sized (1.37 ind. m⁻²) and large-sized (0.54 ind. m⁻²) canopy gaps in both core areas and buffer zones. The small gaps provided the most favorable conditions for seedling recruitment in both locations, possibly due to optimum light and nutrient availability. Moreover, regression analysis showed a significant inverse relationship between seedling density and the size of the canopy gaps. These results indicate that the larger gaps are not favorable for the assemblage and recruitment of <em>S. robusta</em> seedlings, which might be due to the feeble seed dispersal ability of the species for longer distances. Forest managers, therefore, are suggested to maintain small gap sizes to foster the natural regeneration of <em>S. robusta</em> in the forest stands of Terai, Nepal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article e03617"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143903419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}