Global Ecology and Conservation最新文献

{"title":"Phylogenetic diversity and structure above the tree line in the central Chilean Andes in the light of competing macroecological hypotheses","authors":"Ítalo Tamburrino ,&nbsp;Mary T.K. Arroyo ,&nbsp;Paola Jara-Arancio","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03537","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03537","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The “Tropical Niche Conservatism” (TNC) and “Out of the Tropics” (OTT) hypotheses were developed originally in relation to latitudinal species richness gradient. To determine whether the predictions of these theories play out across elevational gradients in the central Chilean Andes, we determined species richness (SR), Relative Phylogenetic Diversity (PD_SES), Mean Pairwise Distance (MPD_SES) and Mean Nearest Taxon Distance (MNTD_SES) at 100 m elevational intervals for five plot sizes over two above tree line gradients embedded in the same regional flora. We assessed the effect of phylogenetic resolution using two species-level phylogenies resolved to different degrees. After an initial gradual increase followed by a gradual decline, both SR and PD decreased with elevation. MNTD_SES transitioned from phylogenetic overdispersion in the subalpine to clustering in the upper alpine with unclear elevational trends at the smaller spatial scales. Results for MPD_SES were equivocal. Although results for the two phylogenies were closely correlated, lower phylogenetic resolution favored decreased site-level PD at all spatial scales and a trend in the direction of phylogenetic overdispersion for PD_SES and MNTD_SES at the smaller spatial scales. Overall, TNC provides a more coherent explanation for our results in the Chilean Andes than OTT. Lower SR and lack of phylogenetic clustering at lower elevations on the two gradients are attributed to contingencies of the Miocene uplift of the Andes leading to a more arid climate and depressed treeline. Spatial scaling effects call for well resolved species-level phylogenies in studies seeking to relate phylogenetic structure to local ecological effects. However, the degree of phylogenetic resolution becomes less critical when the focus is on broad macroecological trends.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03537"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143644583","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":"Defaunation disrupts the behavior of large terrestrial vertebrates, impacting ecological functions in the Amazon","authors":"Gabriela da Silva Batista ,&nbsp;Carlos R. Brocardo ,&nbsp;Arlison B. Castro ,&nbsp;Emiliano F. Fogliatti ,&nbsp;Mauro Galetti ,&nbsp;Mathias M. Pires ,&nbsp;Rodrigo F. Fadini","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03522","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03522","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildlife defaunation in tropical forests disrupts critical ecological functions such as predation, seed dispersal, and nutrient cycling. While exclusion experiments are commonly used to investigate the effects of wildlife loss on plant diversity and vegetation structure, their potential impact on broader ecosystem functions remains underexplored. Here we investigate how defaunation could affect ecosystem functions in the Amazon rainforest by quantifying the changes in the occurrence and frequency of behaviors exhibited by terrestrial mammals induced by experimental defaunation. Using camera traps, we recorded vertebrate behaviors across exclusion and control plots, categorizing them into feeding, excretion/defecation, bioturbation, and trampling. We then calculated weighted standardized indices, integrating behavior frequency and body mass, to assess the potential local impacts of vertebrates across plots. We found that all behaviors were drastically reduced (&gt;95 % reduction) under severe defaunation conditions, primarily due to the absence of medium- and large-bodied mammals and birds. In defaunated plots, small mammals partially performed some behaviors, but they were unable to compensate for the loss of larger species. These results highlight the substantial reduction in critical vertebrate behaviors and suggest that such changes can significantly disrupt ecosystem functions in defaunated tropical forests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03522"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143611116","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":"Distribution of African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana), African forest elephants (L. cyclotis), and their hybrids across Africa based on genetic evidence","authors":"Mary K. Kuhner,&nbsp;Kathleen S. Gobush,&nbsp;Zofia A. Kaliszewska,&nbsp;Ryan Horwitz,&nbsp;Samuel K. Wasser","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It has recently been recognized that African forest and savanna elephants represent separate species. We analyzed 2445 known-origin elephant samples from across Africa for presence of the two species and hybrids between them, and augmented this with hybrid detection in 4883 samples from ivory seized as contraband. Hybrids were rare overall (6.6 % of reference samples, 1.5 % of contraband samples), occurring only in areas in or near forest-savanna ecotones. Of our known-location hybrids, 117/167 (70 %) were in the Albertine Rift major hybrid zone in eastern DRC and southwestern Uganda, confirming previous reports; in some Albertine sites hybrids outnumbered pure species. Hybrids inferred to be F1 (the product of a forest/savanna mating) were particularly rare, with only 4 found in reference samples and 5 in contraband, suggesting that most hybridization occurred two or more generations ago. We discuss the distribution of the two African elephant species and their hybrids, forces driving hybridization, implications for conservation and management, and areas that need additional sampling effort.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03530"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143611113","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":"Overgrazing impacts plant species diversity in alpine wetlands indirectly by altering its environmental dependency","authors":"Kun Ye ,&nbsp;Jie Li ,&nbsp;Zhenghong Liang ,&nbsp;Xuyan Zhao ,&nbsp;Huaixiu Luo ,&nbsp;Zhiming Chen ,&nbsp;Pengbo Du ,&nbsp;Kai Wu ,&nbsp;Ruijing Qiao ,&nbsp;Jinming Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03532","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03532","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Grazing is a significant disturbance in alpine wetlands that affects plant species diversity directly through livestock activity and indirectly by altering environmental factors. Although the direct effects of grazing are well understood, indirect pathways remain underexplored. We conducted a comparative study of plant species diversity and their environmental dependencies in the ungrazed and overgrazed areas of a typical alpine wetland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to address this. Our results showed that the average Q value (representing the explanatory power of environmental factors on plant species diversity) for hydrological regimes was 0.29 in ungrazed areas and 0.47 in overgrazed areas. The proportion of the Q value attributed to hydrological regimes relative to the total Q value of environmental variables increased from 11.6 % in the ungrazed areas to 26.3 % in the overgrazed areas. Furthermore, the interaction Q values (representing the extent to which the interaction between two environmental factors explains plant species diversity) among the environmental variables in both regions were significantly higher than those of individual variables. The average interaction Q value exceeded 0.5 in the ungrazed areas, whereas it fell below 0.5 in the overgrazed areas. Overgrazing also shifted the impact of hydrological regimes on plant species diversity to a significantly positive effect (β = 0.64, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), with soil factors indirectly influencing plant species diversity through hydrological pathways. Our study demonstrated that overgrazing modifies the environmental dependencies of plant species diversity in alpine wetlands. Specifically, it amplified the role of hydrological regimes, which have emerged as critical mediators influencing the effects of both biotic and abiotic soil factors on plant species diversity. Additionally, the direct relationship between soil factors and plant species diversity was significantly weakened, and the overall environmental interactions were suppressed. Both environmental interactions and plant species diversity should be considered key indicators to better assess the health of alpine wetland ecosystems. Our findings underscored the substantial impact of overgrazing on alpine wetland ecosystems, with important implications for biodiversity management and conservation in fragile environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03532"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143611114","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":"Experimental translocation of Primulina species provides insights into the conservation of threatened karst cave plants","authors":"Mengling Li ,&nbsp;Rong Liu ,&nbsp;Dongmei Li ,&nbsp;Shupeng Dong ,&nbsp;Hui Liu ,&nbsp;Zulin Ning","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03531","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03531","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Karst caves are hotspots of biodiversity and endemism, but threatened by human unsustainable activities. Many cave plants are site-endemic restricted in isolated caves and are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss. To explore the adaptability of cave plants to different karst cave habitats and confirm whether there are alternative habitats for conservation translocation, seedlings of <em>Primulina huaijiensis</em>, <em>P. rubella</em> and <em>P. fengkaiensis</em> were transplanted to four different sites. Comparative analysis of the environmental variables at four different sites, as well as survival rates (SR), phenotypic, photosynthetic and biochemical traits of these species showed that the three species can adapt to twilight zone of alternative caves with similar climatic conditions, but transplanting them outside caves was not conducive to their growth. This was confirmed by lower SR, poor growth status, decreased photosynthetic efficiency and increased antioxidant enzymes activities of plants outside caves. Light intensity was negatively correlated with the growth of the three species, while relative humidity was positively correlated with the growth of <em>P. rubella</em> and <em>P. fengkaiensis</em>. Moreover, soil microbial biomass carbon content and soil available Na content were correlated with the growth of <em>P. rubella</em> and <em>P. fengkaiensis</em>, respectively. The present study furthers our understanding of the physiological and ecological adaptability of <em>Primulina</em> species, and lays foundations for the conservation of threatened karst cave plants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03531"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143593415","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 drivers shaping the structure of bird-plant pollination and seed dispersal mutualistic networks in a subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest","authors":"Praeploy Nonsri ,&nbsp;Xuelian He ,&nbsp;Luxiang Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Animal and plant mutualistic interactions can be shaped by various simultaneous processes, including neutral-based processes that emphasize species relative abundance, as well as forbidden links that reflect phenotypic complementarity in terms of species phenology, geographic distribution, or morphology. A thorough comprehension of various factors that shape the architecture of different mutualistic networks is essential for understanding ecological stability of natural communities. However, the variation in the relative importance of underlying processes across different types of mutualistic networks within the same research system remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the relative importance of species relative abundance, phenological overlap, and morphological constraint/matching in explaining the architecture of both nectarivorous bird-plant (pollination) and frugivorous bird-plant (seed dispersal) mutualistic networks within a subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest. Furthermore, we assessed the relationship between fruit nutrients (water, lipid, protein, fiber, carbohydrate, and energy) and species degree, pairwise interaction frequency, interaction strength, and Z-score (species contribution to nestedness) in the seed dispersal networks. Among processes shaping the two mutualistic network structures, phenological overlap was most important in explaining the frequency of pairwise interactions in the pollination network, while a combination of morphological constraint and species relative abundance best explained the frequency of pairwise interactions in the seed dispersal network. Furthermore, morphological constraint among species within the pollination network predicted nestedness. In addition, the combination of species relative abundance, phenological overlap and morphological constraint could explain the nestedness of the seed dispersal network. Our results showed that the water and fiber content of fruits influences both the species degree and interaction strength within the seed dispersal network. Overall, our findings provide evidence regarding the difference of underlying processes that shape the structure of two types of mutualistic networks within a research system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03523"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143593414","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":"Ecosystem services thresholds and interconnected feedback loops in the vulnerable Tarim River Basin: Confronting climate and vegetation transformations","authors":"Chun Luo ,&nbsp;Xiaofei Ma ,&nbsp;Yonghui Wang ,&nbsp;Wei Yan ,&nbsp;Yonglong Han ,&nbsp;Wei Yu ,&nbsp;Binbin Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03529","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03529","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ecological thresholds play a key role in understanding ecosystem stability and vulnerability, and in predicting the impacts of future environmental changes. This study focused on the Tarim River Basin (TRB), using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model to evaluate key ecosystem services (ESs), including carbon storage (CS), water yield (WY), and habitat quality (HQ). Through cubic polynomial fitting, we analyzed the responses of these ESs to climate change and fractional vegetation cover (FVC), identifying critical threshold points. Between 2000 and 2020, the TRB experienced slight increases in temperature (+0.028°C per decade) and precipitation (+2.9 mm per decade), while FVC showed significant spatial heterogeneity, with notable declines in the northern mountainous areas. Specific thresholds for ESs were identified: 1.57°C for temperature, 60.3 mm for precipitation, and 16 % for FVC. Exceeding these thresholds triggered varying degrees of functional changes in ESs. Identifying these thresholds is essential for assessing the vulnerability of ESs and improving our understanding of the complex relationships between ESs and environmental changes in the arid area.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03529"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143579431","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":"Using innovative guidance facilities to reduce roadkill rates during land crab breeding season in Green Island, Taiwan","authors":"Rung-Tsung Chen ,&nbsp;Wea-Lin Lin ,&nbsp;Sin Chen ,&nbsp;Yu-Ta Chuang","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03527","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03527","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the breeding seasons from May to September of 2022 and 2023, a study on land crabs and hermit crabs (hereinafter referred to as land crabs) was conducted in a roadkill hotspot located along the circular road from Shilang to Guiban on the west side of Green Island, Taiwan. Two sets of culverts connecting the mountain side to the sea side under the road were utilized to install guidance facilities, directing land crabs into the culverts to safely cross the road and release their juveniles by the sea. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of these guidance facilities in reducing land crab roadkill rates. The study was divided into control and experimental groups, comprising a total of 54 surveys, with 29 conducted in 2022 and 25 in 2023. Surveys were carried out 26 times in the morning and 28 times at night. A total of nine species of land crabs were recorded, with the highest numbers observed for <em>Metasesarma aubryi</em>, followed by <em>Coenobita brevimanus</em>. The total number of recorded individuals in 2023 was 1258, significantly higher than the 575 recorded in 2022, with peak numbers observed in June, July, August, and September. The utilization rate of the guidance facilities for <em>M. aubryi</em> was significantly higher than that of the control group (P = 0.005), and similarly, the utilization rate for <em>C. brevimanus</em> was significantly higher than the control group (P = 0.038).</div><div>In 2022, the overall roadkill rate for the experimental group was 8.5 %, compared to 26.8 % for the control group. Similarly, in 2023, the roadkill rate for the control group was 32.1 %, while the experimental group was only 12.1 %. For <em>M. aubryi</em>, the road kill rate in the control group was 41.7 % in 2022 and 45.8 % in 2023, while the experimental group had rates of only 19.4 % and 22.8 %, respectively (P = 0.001). For <em>C. brevimanus</em>, the roadkill rates for the control group in 2022 and 2023 were 4.5 % and 4.3 %, while the experimental group had rates of 0.9 % and 0.4 %, indicating that the experimental group had significantly lower roadkill rates than the control group (P = 0.024). Therefore, in both 2022 and 2023, the experimental group had a roadkill rate reduced by more than half compared to the control group, demonstrating the effectiveness of the guidance improvement measures implemented. Based on these findings, future designs could involve the installation of similar underground culverts and guidance facilities in other road kill hotspots to greatly reduce land crab roadkill rates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03527"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143593254","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":"Adaptability of ecological niches and interspecific relationships of grasshoppers in the desert steppe under different grazing intensities","authors":"Tingting Shen ,&nbsp;Xin Ju ,&nbsp;Qian Wu ,&nbsp;Yuehua Wang ,&nbsp;Aimin Zhu ,&nbsp;Yao Tan ,&nbsp;Guodong Han","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03528","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03528","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Orthopteran insects, which serve a wide range of biogeographic and ecological functions, play multiple roles in maintaining the health and stability of grassland ecosystems. Consequently, they are considered important indicators of ecological changes in grasslands. To assess and maintain ecosystem functionality, it is essential to understand the ecological niches of Orthopteran insects. This includes analyzing niche breadth, interspecific relationships, biological requirements, tolerances, and niche overlap among sympatric species. However, how these ecological dynamics respond to grazing in desert steppe ecosystems remains largely unexplored. Through a grazing experiment initiated in 2004 on desert steppes, with sampling conducted in 2021 and 2022, this study analyzed the response of grasshopper niche width, niche overlap, and interspecific connectivity under different grazing intensities, providing insights into the effects of long-term grazing on the dominant insect group. Results showed that the increase in grazing intensity significantly expanded the niche widths of <em>Myrmeleotettix palpalis</em> and <em>Oedaleus decorus asiaticus</em>, while significantly reducing the niche width of <em>Calliptamus abbreviates.</em> The overlap of grasshopper niches significantly decreased with increasing grazing intensities, suggesting a strategy to mitigate competition amidst reduced plant resources. Concurrently, interspecific associations shifted from non-significant to significantly positive, indicating a potential for ecological facilitation and increased species interdependence under higher grazing pressures. Increases in grazing intensities resulted in grasshoppers adapting their strategies for plant resource utilization in response to environmental changes, which helped to mitigate direct interspecific competition and may have contributed to the development of a more stable ecosystem state.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03528"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143621529","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":"The effect of season, topography, habitat quality, and gender on sexual and stress hormones in red deer (Cervus elaphus maral)","authors":"Ahmad Yousefpour Bisheh ,&nbsp;Seyed Mehdi Amininasab ,&nbsp;Zarbakht Ansari Pirsaraei ,&nbsp;Zeinab Jafarian","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03526","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03526","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stress and sexual hormones play a crucial role in the survival of wildlife. Understanding how these hormone levels are influenced by environmental and biological factors is essential for effective wildlife management. This study aims to investigate the impact of season, topography, habitat quality, and gender on the levels of the stress hormone cortisol and the sexual hormones testosterone and progesterone in the red deer (<em>Cervus elaphus maral</em>), a key wildlife species in northern Iran. In summer 2022 and winter 2023, 80 fecal samples were collected from the summer and winter ranges of red deer habitats. The levels of cortisol, testosterone, and progesterone were measured in the laboratory using enzyme immunoassay with specific kits and an ELISA device. Among habitat parameters, total percentage of vegetation was selected, and among topographic parameters, elevation was chosen. The influence of these factors, along with gender and season (winter and summer), on stress and sexual hormones was determined. The results showed that season significantly affected cortisol, testosterone, and progesterone levels, with red deer experiencing greater stress and higher testosterone and progesterone levels in summer compared to winter. Total percentage of vegetation and elevation did not have significant effects on these hormones. There was no significant correlation between cortisol and testosterone or progesterone in red deer. These findings can inform conservation and management plans by considering seasonal variations in stress and sexual hormones for red deer and other deer species worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"59 ","pages":"Article e03526"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143593252","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}