BioSciencePub Date : 2024-09-11DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae071
Simon Eckerström Liedholm, Luke Hecht, Vittoria Elliott
{"title":"Improving wild animal welfare through contraception","authors":"Simon Eckerström Liedholm, Luke Hecht, Vittoria Elliott","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae071","url":null,"abstract":"To date, research on the welfare impacts of wildlife contraceptives has mostly been focused on the potential harms of contraceptives. However, there are compelling theoretical reasons to expect direct and indirect welfare benefits of wildlife contraceptives. These positive welfare effects would be experienced by more than just the treated individuals, because per capita resource availability will increase with decreasing numbers of individuals sharing a resource. In the present article, we discuss the potential for wildlife contraceptives to alleviate resource competition and their associated negative welfare effects at different scales. These effects are expected to vary across contexts and would presumably be stronger when wildlife contraceptives are used with the explicit purpose of improving wild animal welfare. The potential for considerable welfare gains for wildlife through the targeted use of contraceptives highlights the importance of both species-specific studies on the welfare benefits of wildlife contraceptives and further research on the links between population dynamics and wild animal welfare.","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142195778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BioSciencePub Date : 2024-09-10DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae083
Katherine B Lininger, Rebecca Lave
{"title":"River restoration can increase carbon storage but is not yet a suitable basis for carbon credits","authors":"Katherine B Lininger, Rebecca Lave","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae083","url":null,"abstract":"Increasing organic carbon storage in river corridors (channels and floodplains) is a potential cobenefit of some river restoration approaches, raising the possibility of using restoration to produce carbon credits and, therefore, increase restoration funding. However, the uncertainty already associated with existing carbon credits is compounded in river corridors, which are dynamic on daily, seasonal, annual, and longer timescales. We currently do not know how much river restoration approaches could increase carbon storage or how significant increased organic carbon storage from restoration would be compared with other forms of climate mitigation. We also do not know whether river corridor carbon credits could meet market needs for quickly established, stable, and simple credits. Therefore, we argue that biophysical and political economic uncertainties make river corridor restoration carbon credits currently unfeasible but that research on river restoration projects would demonstrate whether restoration carbon credits could be feasible in the future.","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142195777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BioSciencePub Date : 2024-08-28DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae081
Henry H Hansen, Claudio Comoglio, Jelger Elings, Philip Ericsson, Peter Goethals, Marie-Pierre Gosselin, Franz Hölker, Christos Katopodis, Paul Kemp, Lovisa Lind, Rachel Mawer, Gloria Mozzi, John M Nestler, John Piccolo, Johannes Radinger, Matthias Schneider, Velizara Stoilova, Bernhard Wegscheider, Eva Bergman
{"title":"Fish habitat models for a future of novel riverscapes","authors":"Henry H Hansen, Claudio Comoglio, Jelger Elings, Philip Ericsson, Peter Goethals, Marie-Pierre Gosselin, Franz Hölker, Christos Katopodis, Paul Kemp, Lovisa Lind, Rachel Mawer, Gloria Mozzi, John M Nestler, John Piccolo, Johannes Radinger, Matthias Schneider, Velizara Stoilova, Bernhard Wegscheider, Eva Bergman","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae081","url":null,"abstract":"Multiple anthropogenic forces have pushed river ecosystems into undesirable states with no clear understanding of how they should be best managed. The advancement of riverine fish habitat models intended to provide management insights has slowed. Investigations into theoretical and empirical gaps to define habitat more comprehensively across different scales and ecological organizations are crucial in managing the freshwater biodiversity crisis. We introduce the concept of novel riverscapes to reconcile anthropogenic forcing, fish habitat, limitations of current fish habitat models, and opportunities for new models. We outline three priority data-driven opportunities that incorporate the novel riverscape concept: fish movement, river behavior, and drivers of novelty that all are integrated into a scale-based framework to guide the development of new models. Last, we present a case study showing how researchers, model developers, and practitioners can work collaboratively to implement the novel riverscape concept.","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142195749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BioSciencePub Date : 2024-08-26eCollection Date: 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae062
M Jake Vander Zanden, Adrianna Gorsky, Gretchen J A Hansen, Pieter T J Johnson, Alexander W Latzka, Alison Mikulyuk, Robin R Rohwer, Michael J Spear, Jake R Walsh
{"title":"Nine Lessons about Aquatic Invasive Species from the North Temperate Lakes Long-Term Ecological Research (NTL-LTER) Program.","authors":"M Jake Vander Zanden, Adrianna Gorsky, Gretchen J A Hansen, Pieter T J Johnson, Alexander W Latzka, Alison Mikulyuk, Robin R Rohwer, Michael J Spear, Jake R Walsh","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae062","DOIUrl":"10.1093/biosci/biae062","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Freshwater ecosystems can serve as model systems that reveal insights into biological invasions. In this article, we summarize nine lessons about aquatic invasive species from the North Temperate Lakes Long-Term Ecological Research program and affiliated projects. The lessons about aquatic invasive species are as follows: Invasive species are more widespread than has been documented; they are usually at low abundance; they can irrupt from low-density populations in response to environmental triggers; they can occasionally have enormous and far-reaching impacts; they can affect microbial communities; reservoirs act as invasive species hotspots; ecosystem vulnerability to invasion can be estimated; invasive species removal can produce long-term benefits; and the impacts of invasive species control may be greater than the impacts of the invasive species. This synthesis highlights how long-term research on a freshwater landscape can advance our understanding of invasions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"74 8","pages":"509-523"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11367673/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142124745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BioSciencePub Date : 2024-08-23DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae068
Masashi Soga, Kevin J Gaston
{"title":"Global synthesis indicates widespread occurrence of shifting baseline syndrome","authors":"Masashi Soga, Kevin J Gaston","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae068","url":null,"abstract":"As environmental degradation continues at local, regional, and global levels, people's accepted norms for natural environmental conditions are likely to decline. This phenomenon, known as shifting baseline syndrome (SBS), is increasingly recognized as a likely major obstacle to addressing global environmental challenges. However, the prevalence of SBS remains uncertain. We conducted an extensive systematic review, synthesizing existing research on people's perceived environmental baselines. Our analysis, based on 73 case studies, suggests that SBS is a widespread global phenomenon, occurring across diverse socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural settings. We observed that younger individuals tend to hold lower environmental baselines across various environmental contexts, including climate change, natural resource depletion, biodiversity loss, and pollution. An upward shift in perceived environmental baselines among younger generations was rarely observed. These results underscore the challenge that SBS poses when policy and management responses to environmental degradation are influenced by perceived natural environmental norms.","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142195779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BioSciencePub Date : 2024-08-10DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae064
Gabriel J Rossi, J Ryan Bellmore, Jonathan B Armstrong, Carson Jeffres, Sean M Naman, Stephanie M Carlson, Theodore E Grantham, Matthew J Kaylor, Seth White, Jacob Katz, Mary E Power
{"title":"Foodscapes for salmon and other mobile consumers in river networks","authors":"Gabriel J Rossi, J Ryan Bellmore, Jonathan B Armstrong, Carson Jeffres, Sean M Naman, Stephanie M Carlson, Theodore E Grantham, Matthew J Kaylor, Seth White, Jacob Katz, Mary E Power","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae064","url":null,"abstract":"Mobile consumers track fluctuating resources across heterogeneous landscapes to grow and survive. In river networks, the abundance and accessibility of food and the energetic consequences of foraging vary among habitats and through time, providing a shifting mosaic of growth opportunities for mobile consumers. However, a framework integrating the spatiotemporal dynamics of growth potential within riverscapes has been lacking. We present the concept of foodscapes to depict the dynamic changes in food abundance, food accessibility, and consumer physiology that contribute to spatial and temporal variation of fish growth in rivers. Drawing on case studies of salmonid fishes from Alaska to California, we illustrate how foodscapes can provide a plethora of foraging, growth, and life history opportunities that potentially contribute to population resilience. We identify knowledge gaps in understanding foodscapes and approaches for stewardship that focus on restoring diverse foraging and growth opportunities for fish and other mobile consumers in river networks.","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141940098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BioSciencePub Date : 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae059
Helena Slater, Janet Fisher, George Holmes, Chris Sandbrook, Aidan Keane
{"title":"Assessing the breadth and multidisciplinarity of the conservation curriculum in the United Kingdom and Australia","authors":"Helena Slater, Janet Fisher, George Holmes, Chris Sandbrook, Aidan Keane","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae059","url":null,"abstract":"There have been repeated calls to train conservationists capable of transcending disciplinary boundaries. However, little empirical work has been done to document conservation teaching. We investigate the content taught in conservation higher education across the United Kingdom and Australia. Using data from an online survey and content analysis of module descriptions, we assess the prevalence of subject areas in 146 conservation modules and topics in 368 conservation modules and 62 conservation degrees. Biological sciences subject areas were represented in 92% of the modules, whereas social sciences subject areas only featured in 60% and humanities in 24%. Of the modules teaching biological sciences subject areas, 84% included biological sciences faculty but only 31% of the modules covering social sciences subject areas included faculty from the social sciences. Who teaches matters. The disciplinary expertise in conservation education needs to diversify to train conservationists capable of addressing conservation challenges. This requires institutional changes and support from prominent societies to promote interdisciplinary education.","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141882297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BioSciencePub Date : 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae052
Dirk S Schmeller, James M Thornton, Davnah Urbach, Jake Alexander, Walter Jetz, Aino Kulonen, Robert T E Mills, Claudia Notornicola, Elisa Palazzi, Harald Pauli, Christophe Randin, Sergey Rosbakh, Roger Sayre, Nasrin Amini Tehrani, William W M Verbiest, Tom W N Walker, Sonja Wipf, Carolina Adler
{"title":"Toward a set of essential biodiversity variables for assessing change in mountains globally","authors":"Dirk S Schmeller, James M Thornton, Davnah Urbach, Jake Alexander, Walter Jetz, Aino Kulonen, Robert T E Mills, Claudia Notornicola, Elisa Palazzi, Harald Pauli, Christophe Randin, Sergey Rosbakh, Roger Sayre, Nasrin Amini Tehrani, William W M Verbiest, Tom W N Walker, Sonja Wipf, Carolina Adler","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae052","url":null,"abstract":"Mountain regions harbor unique and rich biodiversity, forming an important part of our global life support system. This rich biodiversity underpins the ecological intactness and functioning of mountain ecosystems, which are imperative for the provision of key ecosystem services. A considerable amount of data are required to assess ecological intactness and ecosystem functioning and, given the profound anthropogenic pressures many mountain regions are being subjected to, are urgently needed. However, data on mountain biodiversity remain lacking. The essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) framework can help focus efforts related to detecting, investigating, predicting, and managing global biodiversity change, but has not yet been considered in the context of mountains. Here, we review key biological processes and physical phenomena that strongly influence mountain biodiversity and ecosystems and elucidate their associations with potential mountain EBVs. We identify seven EBVs of highest relevance for tracking and understanding the most critical drivers and responses of mountain biodiversity change. If they are implemented, the selected EBVs will contribute useful information to inform management and policy interventions seeking to halt mountain biodiversity loss and maintain functional mountain ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141882296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BioSciencePub Date : 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae058
Mary Hagedorn, Lynne R Parenti, Robert A Craddock, Pierre Comizzoli, Paula Mabee, Bonnie Meinke, Susan M Wolf, John C Bischof, Rebecca D Sandlin, Shannon N Tessier, Mehmet Toner
{"title":"Safeguarding Earth's biodiversity by creating a lunar biorepository","authors":"Mary Hagedorn, Lynne R Parenti, Robert A Craddock, Pierre Comizzoli, Paula Mabee, Bonnie Meinke, Susan M Wolf, John C Bischof, Rebecca D Sandlin, Shannon N Tessier, Mehmet Toner","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae058","url":null,"abstract":"Earth's biodiversity is increasingly threatened and at risk. We propose a passive lunar biorepository for long-term storage of prioritized taxa of live cryopreserved samples to safeguard Earth's biodiversity and to support future space exploration and planet terraforming. Our initial focus will be on cryopreserving animal skin samples with fibroblast cells. An exemplar system has been developed using cryopreserved fish fins from the Starry Goby, Asterropteryx semipunctata. Samples will be expanded into fibroblast cells, recryopreserved, and then tested in an Earth-based laboratory for robust packaging and sensitivity to radiation. Two key factors for this biorepository are the needs to reduce damage from radiation and to maintain the samples near –196° Celsius. Certain lunar sites near the poles may meet these criteria. If possible, further testing would occur on the International Space Station prior to storage on the Moon. To secure a positive shared future, this is an open call to participate in this decades-long program.","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141882298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BioSciencePub Date : 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae040
Sarah J Luxton, Greg S Smith, Kristen J Williams, Simon Ferrier, Anthelia J Bond, Suzanne M Prober
{"title":"An introduction to key ecological concepts, financial opportunities, and risks underpinning aspirations for nature positive","authors":"Sarah J Luxton, Greg S Smith, Kristen J Williams, Simon Ferrier, Anthelia J Bond, Suzanne M Prober","doi":"10.1093/biosci/biae040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae040","url":null,"abstract":"Global biodiversity is in decline, and businesses and society are being required to urgently create new operating models to ameliorate the crisis. Among the strategies proposed to do this, implementing the concept of nature positive has captured worldwide attention. Critical to its success will be effective collaboration between ecologists and businesspeople, driven by a shared understanding of key nature positive terminology, concepts, and risks. To this end, we introduce three core aspects: the ecological concepts in the definition of nature positive (health, abundance, diversity, and resilience), a typology of financial instruments that may be applied to achieving nature positive, and an overview of risks to biodiversity and society. The pivotal findings include that ecological complexity and uncertainty belie the simplicity of the definition of nature positive and that managing risk requires embedding aspirations into existing and emerging biodiversity conservation and restoration science and policy. Although it is challenging, nature positive deserves pursuit.","PeriodicalId":9003,"journal":{"name":"BioScience","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141882304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}