{"title":"Lithium Ore Tailings May Increase the Invasion Potential of Melinis minutiflora in Native Areas Around to Mining Sites","authors":"Nayara Magry Jesus Melo, João Paulo Souza","doi":"10.1111/aec.70034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70034","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The growing demand for lithium has led to an increased focus on understanding the impact of mining waste on ecosystems in the surrounding area. This study aimed to investigate the effect of con the growth and establishment of an invasive C<sub>4</sub> herbaceous species (<i>Melinis minutiflora</i>) and a native C<sub>3</sub> herbaceous species (<i>Stylosanthes capitata</i>) from native areas of Brazil. We grow plants in three substrates: soil without LOT, a mixture of 50% soil and 50% LOT (soil + LOT) and only LOT. <i>Melinis minutiflora</i> plants grown in the soil + LOT treatment showed higher growth and vegetative biomass production than <i>S</i>. <i>capitata</i> plants in the same treatment. Also, <i>M</i>. <i>minutiflora</i> plants grown in soil + LOT and LOT had a higher chlorophyll <i>b</i> index than <i>S. capitata</i> plants. The findings suggest that invasive <i>M</i>. <i>minutiflora</i> plants may benefit from soils contaminated with LOT. In areas surrounding LOT, <i>M</i>. <i>minutiflora</i> could establish, grow and spread faster, potentially affecting ecosystem processes. Understanding the impact of environmental disturbances on native areas and their consequences for the growth of invasive and native species is crucial for ecosystem management and preservation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143362597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Bird Diversity of the Dry Chaco: Impacts of Land Use Change on Communities and Soundscapes","authors":"Romina Cardozo, Ricardo B. Machado","doi":"10.1111/aec.70032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Agricultural expansion has had negative impacts on biodiversity worldwide. Regions with high human pressure, such as the Dry Chaco in South America, require rapid studies to understand the environmental impacts and potential biodiversity loss. Ecoacoustics has been proposed as an efficient method for promoting rapid assessment of threatened regions. Using a unique field-based bird community dataset, we evaluated the performance of two commonly used acoustic indices (acoustic diversity index and acoustic complexity index) on representing avian richness in continuous forest and forest corridors of the Paraguayan Dry Chaco. Our results from manual identification of recordings showed a higher species richness in continuous forest sites (40–61 species) than in forest corridors (22–36 species). In contrast, we found no difference in acoustic indices between sites in continuous forest or corridors. Contrary to our initial expectation, there was not a significant association between acoustic indices and bird species richness when considered across all sites. However, we found a partial and weak correlation between species richness and index values for forest corridors. We argue that habitat fragmentation and edge effects might have altered the soundscape of forest corridors, favouring bird activity rather than richness, which affects the acoustic indices response. Our study suggests that acoustic indices must be considered cautiously because other variables, besides species richness, are involved in soundscape characterisation (e.g., species vocal activity).</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143248392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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}
Lauren K. Common, Paul S. Kotz, Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer
{"title":"Ordinal-Level Resilience of Invertebrates After Fire Events in Eucalypt Woodlands of South-Eastern Australia","authors":"Lauren K. Common, Paul S. Kotz, Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer","doi":"10.1111/aec.70024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70024","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Fire disturbance is an integral part of many ecosystems. However, some taxa may not be resilient to the increasing size, intensity, and frequency of fire events due to climate change. We investigated how terrestrial invertebrate Ordinal-level community structure and the abundance of six Orders (Acarina, Araneae, Coleoptera, Collembola, Diptera, Hymenoptera: Formicidae) changed following three natural fire events over two decades (2007–2022) in Kangaroo Island and mainland South Australia. We collected invertebrates using two methods (pitfall traps and sweep nets) at four sites (two burnt and two unburnt) every 6 months, before and after three fire events (2007, 2019, 2021). Ordinal-level community structure generally showed signs of recovery nearing pre-fire conditions within 20–22 months post-fire. The pitfall samples showed increased abundance in Coleoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera (Formicidae) following fire, and no change in Acarina abundance. The sweep net samples showed no recovery to pre-fire conditions on mainland South Australia, but recovery to baseline after 20–22 months on Kangaroo Island. There were significant shifts in invertebrate community structure across time-since-fire with a return to pre-fire conditions at burnt sites after 20–22 months. These findings demonstrate the apparent ordinal-level resilience of invertebrates in South Australian eucalypt woodlands, particularly of ground-dwelling species, but also point to Order specific differences that warrant future study.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70024","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143111414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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}
André Nogueira Thomas, André Victor Lucci Freitas, Augusto Henrique Batista Rosa, Bárbara Letícia Botura Schunemann, Eduardo Tarnowski Siemionko, Milton de Souza Mendonça Jr., Thamara Zacca, Cristiano Agra Iserhard
{"title":"‘I Am Going Hungry': Natural History Notes of Adult Butterflies Exploiting Unusual Food Sources","authors":"André Nogueira Thomas, André Victor Lucci Freitas, Augusto Henrique Batista Rosa, Bárbara Letícia Botura Schunemann, Eduardo Tarnowski Siemionko, Milton de Souza Mendonça Jr., Thamara Zacca, Cristiano Agra Iserhard","doi":"10.1111/aec.70028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) are among the most well-studied organisms, with a vast literature covering their ecology, evolution, and natural history. However, many aspects of their biology continue to be discovered and rediscovered, including their wild feeding behaviours, preferences, causes and consequences. Here, we present and describe photographic and video records of adult butterflies exploiting unusual sources, including previously undocumented feeding behaviours for some species, and supporting natural history note novelties in already known feeding behaviours for others. We gathered a total of 23 records of primarily nectar- and fruit-feeding butterfly species exploiting diverse sources, including fungi, flowering plants, withered plant parts, and a dead caterpillar. All records were made in different regions of Brazil, during field expeditions and naturalist walks, and were classified according to the butterfly species/groups involved, the type of resource exploited, and the location of the record. These records reinforce that butterflies can exhibit various feeding behaviours and may be involved in interspecific interactions and/or respond to food availability due to anthropogenic actions. Furthermore, this compilation of records reinforces the importance of publishing and sharing natural history observations to support and enhance the quality of ecological and taxonomic studies.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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}
S. Taylor, F. Alves, J. Potts, L. Rayner, D. Stojanovic
{"title":"Stress-Testing Monitoring Design to Lock in Conservation Success","authors":"S. Taylor, F. Alves, J. Potts, L. Rayner, D. Stojanovic","doi":"10.1111/aec.70025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70025","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Effective monitoring of threatened species is key to identifying trends in populations and informing conservation management decisions. However, clearly defined monitoring questions that are informed by local circumstances and species traits are commonly neglected. We propose a decision framework as a guide to prioritise what data to collect and methods to use for population monitoring. We applied our decision framework to trial monitoring of Gang-gang Cockatoos (<i>Callocephalon fimbriatum</i>), a threatened, iconic species in Southeast Australia. To meet our program objectives, we trailed distance sampling surveys to estimate population abundance across the urban landscape in the Australian Capital Territory. Despite consistently high reporting rates in the study area, detection rates were too low to estimate the abundance of Gang-gang Cockatoos. As part of assessing the appropriateness of distance sampling as an approach, we simulated surveys under a hypothetically inflated survey effort and population size. Simulations show that even if our field survey effort was doubled or if the population size of Gang-gang Cockatoos was improbably high, detections would remain too low for distance sampling to be a practical approach. We then revisit our decision framework to make new recommendations for future monitoring of Gang-gang Cockatoos and demonstrate the importance of a clear monitoring framework when evaluating how best to achieve conservation goals in the context of methodological uncertainty. The first steps of designing and implementing a monitoring program are crucial—our decision framework offers practitioners a clear, reasoned approach to deciding which methods are needed to address their conservation objectives, along with contingencies for when plans go awry.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70025","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143120998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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}
Anaclara Guido, Luis López-Mársico, Claudia Rodríguez, Federico Gallego, Felipe Lezama, Santiago Baeza, Pedro Pañella, Cecilia Ríos, Beatriz Costa, Fabiana Pezzani, Silvina García, Gervasio Piñeiro, Gastón Fernández, Andrea Tommasino, Ana Laura Mello, Alice Altesor, José Paruelo
{"title":"Uruguayan Grasslands: A Threatened Natural Asset","authors":"Anaclara Guido, Luis López-Mársico, Claudia Rodríguez, Federico Gallego, Felipe Lezama, Santiago Baeza, Pedro Pañella, Cecilia Ríos, Beatriz Costa, Fabiana Pezzani, Silvina García, Gervasio Piñeiro, Gastón Fernández, Andrea Tommasino, Ana Laura Mello, Alice Altesor, José Paruelo","doi":"10.1111/aec.70031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70031","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Grasslands are often mis-defined, mainly due to the legacy of colonial narratives in several regions, which have described them as deforested, unproductive or wastelands. They have been largely ignored in global conservation and protection policies, leading to increased exploitation. Although there is much accumulated evidence on the ecosystem services that grasslands provide, in Uruguay, this ecosystem is still neglected in parts of society and for most sustainability policies. Twenty percent of Uruguayan grasslands have been replaced by other land uses (crops and forestry) in recent decades. Nevertheless, large areas of natural grasslands still remain and their preservation is crucial. The aim of this work was to show the value of Uruguayan grasslands through a brief review of their natural history and their multiple natural assets (i.e., biodiversity, ecosystem services, cultural identity and economic activities). We also outline some of the advances in public policy initiatives, but emphasise that such policies are critically underdeveloped in terms of conservation, threatening the existence of grasslands in Uruguay for future generations.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143120996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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}
Diego Almendras, Jaime A. Villafana, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira
{"title":"The Juan Fernández Wrasse Malapterus reticulatus in the Continental Shelf of Chile","authors":"Diego Almendras, Jaime A. Villafana, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira","doi":"10.1111/aec.70027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70027","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The Juan Fernández Wrasse, <i>Malapterus reticulatus</i>, previously considered endemic to the Desventuradas and Juan Fernández Islands, is reported for the first time on the continental shelf of Chile. Observations were gathered from reports shared by divers and spearfishers on social media platforms. A machine learning model confirmed these records, providing evidence of the species presence along the coast of central Chile. Therefore, these records expand the known range of the fish.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143119884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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}
David Soares, Isabelly G. Martins, Raidel Reis dos Santos, Síria Ribeiro, Alfredo P. Santos-Jr
{"title":"First Record of the Green Thorny-Tail Iguana Uracentron azureum guentheri (Squamata: Tropiduridae) in the Tapajós/Xingú Interfluve Brazilian Amazonia","authors":"David Soares, Isabelly G. Martins, Raidel Reis dos Santos, Síria Ribeiro, Alfredo P. Santos-Jr","doi":"10.1111/aec.70029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70029","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The lizard genus <i>Uracentron</i>, family Tropiduridae, is composed of the species <i>Uracentron flaviceps</i> (Guichenot, 1855) and <i>Uracentron azureum</i> (Linnaeus, 1758). Both species have arboreal habits and are endemic to the Amazon. Here we report a new geographical record of <i>Uracentron azureum guentheri</i> from western Pará State, Brazil, and the first record for the species in the Tapajós/Xingú interfluve. Two specimens were recorded in a fragment of secondary forest on the right bank of the Curuá-Una River, downstream of the Curuá-Una Hydroelectric Power Plant dam, in Santarém, Pará, Brazil. The specimen has colour and morphological features that fit <i>guentheri</i> subspecies. With this new record, <i>Uracentron azureum guentheri</i> is now known in 15 locations in Peru (Loreto department) and Brazil (Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, and Rondônia States), expanding its distribution approximately 209 km southeast of the nearest previously known location (Oriximiná Municipality). Recording and reporting such new geographical records is essential since it allows distribution gaps to be filled and is important for understanding biodiversity patterns, speciation processes and phenotypic variations, as well as contributing to conservation planning. The identification of priority areas for protection can be improved with such data, helping to reduce environmental impacts and preserve local biodiversity.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143119885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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}
Roberto Munguía-Steyer, Renato Portela Salomão, Glenda Vanessa Bernardino, Cíntia Cornelius
{"title":"Urbanisation Does Not Affect Allometric Relationships in a Widespread Amazonian Dung Beetle Species","authors":"Roberto Munguía-Steyer, Renato Portela Salomão, Glenda Vanessa Bernardino, Cíntia Cornelius","doi":"10.1111/aec.70026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70026","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The environmental pressures promoted by urban ecosystems can play a pivotal role in the sexual attributes of native species that persist in cities. Dung beetles' body size and cephalic appendages are determinant for mating success and couple acceptance, directly affecting individual fitness. The objective of this study was to test how different levels of urbanisation affect tubercle length–body size allometry of <i>Dichotomius boreus</i> individuals. Dung beetles were sampled in three habitats: city core, city outskirts and rural sites. Individuals had their body and tubercle lengths measured to assess their allometric relationships. There was a hyperallometric relationship between body size and tubercle length, which did not differ between sexes according to their habitat type. Moreover, there were no differences in allometric slopes between habitats in neither sex. The results of our study could suggest that the sexual selective force for the expression of different tubercle lengths in males and females is similar and responded similarly in the different studied habitats of the urban landscape of this study. Future studies encompassing <i>Dichotomius</i> dung beetles would be necessary to establish the evolution of allometric relationships in this clade and its relation to the intra- and interspecific interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70026","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143119524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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":"Carbon Storage Variation of Plantation Forest and Their Management Practices in Amhara, Ethiopia","authors":"Yishak Adgo Kassie, Yirdaw Meride Teshome","doi":"10.1111/aec.70019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and its potential to alter the climate are currently major global concerns. Forest plants and soil may absorb and retain carbon from the atmosphere, forming significant terrestrial carbon storage. The aims of this study were to estimate the carbon storage variance of <i>Eucalyptus globulus</i> and <i>Cupressus lusitanica</i> species in community and small-scale plantation forests under different management practices in the study area. A systematic sampling technique was used to collect field data. The transect line and the sample plot were positioned at 100 and 50 m, respectively, between them. The diameter at breast height (DBH) and total tree height were measured using a total of 60 plots (10 m × 10 m) from community plantation forests and 30 plots from small-scale plantation forests. The total mean carbon storage of <i>C. lusitanica</i> was 312.2 ± 97.9 t C/ha, and that of <i>E. globulus</i> was 356.1 ± 117.6 t C/ha. This was equivalent to 1146.4 ± 359.2 t C/ha CO2 (g) of <i>C. lusitanica</i> and 1306.9 ± 431.8 t C/ha CO2 (g) of <i>E. globulus</i>. The total mean carbon storage of <i>E. globulus</i> was higher than that of <i>C. lusitanica</i> in all carbon pools, except for litterfall biomass. From the management practices in small-scale plantations, the total mean carbon storage of <i>C. lusitanica</i> and <i>E. globulus</i> was 120.5 ± 37.5 t C/ha and 130.5 ± 40.8 t C/ha, respectively. This was equivalent to 442.2 ± 137.5 and 478.9 ± 149.7 t C/ha of CO2 (g), <i>C. lusitanica</i> and <i>E. globulus</i>, respectively. The results of this study will identify research gaps for future investigations and assist in addressing knowledge gaps for forest managers and organisations committed to providing enough attention to forest conservation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143117374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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}