BMC ecology and evolution最新文献

{"title":"Effects of temperature gradient on functional fruit traits: an elevation-for-temperature approach.","authors":"Laura Gómez-Devia, Omer Nevo","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02271-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-024-02271-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fruit traits mediate animal-plant interactions and have to a large degree evolved to match the sensory capacities and morphology of their respective dispersers. At the same time, fruit traits are affected by local environmental factors, which may affect frugivore-plant trait match. Temperature has been identified as a major factor with a strong effect on the development of fruits, which is of serious concern because of the rising threat of global warming. Nonetheless, this primarily originates from studies on domesticated cultivars in often controlled environments. Little is known on the effect of rising temperatures on fruit traits of wild species and the implications this could have to seed dispersal networks, including downstream consequences to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In a case study of five plant species from eastern Madagascar, we addressed this using the elevation-for-temperature approach and examined whether a temperature gradient is systematically associated with variation in fruit traits relevant for animal foraging and fruit selection. We sampled across a gradient representing a temperature gradient of 1.5-2.6 °C, corresponding to IPCC projections. The results showed that in most cases there was no significant effect of temperature on the traits evaluated, although some species showed different effects, particularly fruit chemical profiles. This suggests that in these species warming within this range alone is not likely to drive substantial changes in dispersal networks. While no systemic effects were found, the results also indicate that the effect of temperature on fruit traits differs across species and may lead to mismatches in specific animal-plant interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"94"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11232184/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141565349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing climate niche similarity between persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) areas in Iran.","authors":"Ehsan Rahimi, Pinliang Dong, Faraham Ahmadzadeh","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02281-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-024-02281-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Persian fallow deer or Mesopotamian fallow Deer (Dama mesopotamica, Brook 1875), a species of significant ecological importance, had faced the threat of extinction in Iran. One conservation strategy involved the translocation of Persian deer to enclosed areas across Iran, where they were afforded protection from external threats and provided with essential care by human caretakers. While human caretakers diligently attend to their needs and mitigate external threats, climate variables may now become critical factors affecting population dynamics in enclosed areas. This study aims to assess the similarity in climate niches between the original area (Dez and Karkheh) of the Persian deer species and 11 newly enclosed areas. To achieve this, we employed climate data and ecological niche modeling (ENM) techniques to assess the variations in climate among 12 areas. We utilized the environmental equivalency test to determine whether the environmental spaces of area pairs exhibit significant differences and whether these spaces are interchangeable. Extrapolation analyses were also constructed in the next steps to explore climatic conditions in original fallow deer habitats that are non-analogous to those in other parts of Iran. Our results reveal significant disparities in climate conditions between the original and all translocated areas. Based on observations of population growth in specific enclosed areas where translocated deer populations have thrived, we hypothesize that the species may demonstrate a non-equilibrium distribution in Iran. Consequently, these new areas could potentially be regarded as part of the species' potential climate niche. Extrapolation analysis showed that for a significant portion of Iran, extrapolation predictions are highly uncertain and potentially unreliable for the translocation of Persian fallow deer. However, the primary objective of translocation efforts remains the establishment of self-sustaining populations of Persian deer capable of thriving in natural areas beyond enclosed areas, thus ensuring their long-term survival and contributing to preservation efforts. Evaluating the success of newly translocated species requires additional time, with varying levels of success observed. In cases where the growth rate of the species in certain enclosed areas falls below expectations, it is prudent to consider climate variables that may contribute to population declines. Furthermore, for future translocations, we recommend selecting areas with climate similarities to regions where the species has demonstrated growth rates.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"93"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11227166/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141539064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thyasirid species composition (Bivalvia: Thyasiridae) and genetic connectivity of Parathyasira equalis (A. E. Verrill & K. J. Bush, 1898) in deep basins of sub-Arctic fjords.","authors":"Valentin Kokarev, Suzanne C Dufour, Joost A M Raeymaekers, Amalia A Mailli, Henning Reiss","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02278-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-024-02278-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Thyasirid bivalves are often recorded as a dominant component of macrobenthic infaunal communities in depositional environments such as fjord basins. Fjord basins comprise patchy soft-bottom habitats bounded by steep walls and sills; however, little is known how this semi-isolated nature of fjords affects benthic populations. Accordingly, data on the composition and population connectivity of thyasirids can provide valuable information on the ecology of these ecosystems.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The species composition of thyasirid bivalves has been studied in the basins of three sub-Arctic fjords (Nordland, Northern Norway). Overall, six thyasirid species were recorded: Parathyasira equalis, Parathyasira dunbari, Mendicula ferruginosa, Genaxinus eumyarius, Thyasira sarsii, and Thyasira obsoleta. The species composition remained stable within the basins during the sampling period (2013-2020) and suggested the importance of local reproduction over advection of individuals for population dynamics. Only one species, Parathyasira equalis, was common in all fjords. We have further investigated the population genetics of this species by combining two types of genetic markers: a 579 bp fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and 4043 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated by genotyping-by-sequencing. The latter provided a more in-depth resolution on the population genetics of this species and revealed a weak but significant differentiation of populations within fjords, further indicating limited connectivity between basins.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Based on our findings, we conclude that limited dispersal between the basin communities results in weakly connected populations and might be an important structuring factor for macrobenthic communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"91"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11223403/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141536233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drought intensity and duration effects on morphological root traits vary across trait type and plant functional groups: a meta-analysis.","authors":"Yu Sun, Christelle Am Robert, Madhav P Thakur","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02275-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-024-02275-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The increasing severity and frequency of drought pose serious threats to plant species worldwide. Yet, we lack a general understanding of how various intensities of droughts affect plant traits, in particular root traits. Here, using a meta-analysis of drought experiments (997 effect sizes from 76 papers), we investigate the effects of various intensities of droughts on some of the key morphological root traits. Our results show that root length, root mean diameter, and root area decline when drought is of severe or extreme intensity, whereas severe drought increases root tissue density. These patterns are most pronounced in trees compared to other plant functional groups. Moreover, the long duration of severe drought decreases root length in grasses and root mean diameter in legumes. The decline in root length and root diameter due to severe drought in trees was independent of drought duration. Our results suggest that morphological root traits respond strongly to increasing intensity of drought, which further depends on drought duration and may vary among plant functional groups. Our meta-analysis highlights the need for future studies to consider the interactive effects of drought intensity and drought duration for a better understanding of variable plant responses to drought.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"92"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11223356/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141536352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insights on long-term ecosystem changes from stable isotopes in historical squid beaks.","authors":"Alexey V Golikov, José C Xavier, Filipe R Ceia, José P Queirós, Paco Bustamante, Bram Couperus, Gaël Guillou, Anna M Larionova, Rushan M Sabirov, Christopher J Somes, Henk-Jan Hoving","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02274-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-024-02274-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Assessing the historical dynamics of key food web components is crucial to understand how climate change impacts the structure of Arctic marine ecosystems. Most retrospective stable isotopic studies to date assessed potential ecosystem shifts in the Arctic using vertebrate top predators and filter-feeding invertebrates as proxies. However, due to long life histories and specific ecologies, ecosystem shifts are not always detectable when using these taxa. Moreover, there are currently no retrospective stable isotopic studies on various other ecological and taxonomic groups of Arctic biota. To test whether climate-driven shifts in marine ecosystems are reflected in the ecology of short-living mesopredators, ontogenetic changes in stable isotope signatures in chitinous hard body structures were analysed in two abundant squids (Gonatus fabricii and Todarodes sagittatus) from the low latitude Arctic and adjacent waters, collected between 1844 and 2023.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We detected a temporal increase in diet and habitat-use generalism (= opportunistic choice rather than specialization), trophic position and niche width in G. fabricii from the low latitude Arctic waters. These shifts in trophic ecology matched with the Atlantification of the Arctic ecosystems, which includes increased generalization of food webs and higher primary production, and the influx of boreal species from the North Atlantic as a result of climate change. The Atlantification is especially marked since the late 1990s/early 2000s. The temporal patterns we found in G. fabricii's trophic ecology were largely unreported in previous Arctic retrospective isotopic ecology studies. Accordingly, T. sagittatus that occur nowadays in the high latitude North Atlantic have a more generalist diet than in the XIX^th century.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results suggest that abundant opportunistic mesopredators with short life cycles (such as squids) are good candidates for retrospective ecology studies in the marine ecosystems, and to identify ecosystem shifts driven by climate change. Enhanced generalization of Arctic food webs is reflected in increased diet generalism and niche width in squids, while increased abundance of boreal piscivorous fishes is reflected in squids' increased trophic position. These findings support opportunism and adaptability in squids, which renders them as potential winners of short-term shifts in Arctic ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"90"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11221165/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141494615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of remote sensing to understand the role of Galician feral horses in the biomass reduction of a shrub-grassland-dominated landscape.","authors":"Andrea Janeiro-Otero, Xana Álvarez, Carsten F Dormann","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02276-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-024-02276-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Galician forests in northwestern Spain are subject to frequent wildfires with high environmental and economic costs. In addition, due to the consequences of climate change, these fires are becoming more virulent, occurring throughout the year, and taking place in populated areas, in some cases involving the loss of human life. Therefore, forest fire prevention is even more relevant than mitigating its consequences. Given the costs involved in forestry work, alternative measures to reduce fuel load and create vegetation gaps are needed. One involves grazing by an endemic species of feral horses (Equus ferus atlanticus) that feed on thicket-forming gorse (Ulex europaeus). In a 100-ha forest fenced study area stocked with 11 horses, four 50 m² enclosed plots prevented the access of these wild animals to the vegetation, with the aim of manipulating their impact on the reduction of forest biomass. The measurement of biomass volumes is an important method that can describe the assessment of wildfire risks, unfortunately, high-resolution data collection at the regional scale is very time-consuming. The best result can be using drones (unmanned aerial vehicles - UAVs) as a method of collecting remotely sensed data at low cost. From September 2018 to November 2020, we collected information about aboveground biomass from these four enclosed plots and their surrounding areas available for horses to forage, via UAV. These data, together with environmental variables from the study site, were used as input for a fire model to assess the differences in the surface rate of spread (SROS) among grazed and ungrazed areas. Our results indicated a consistent but small reduction in the SROS between 0.55 and 3.10 m/min in the ungrazed enclosured plots in comparison to their grazed surrounding areas (which have an SROS between 15 and 25 m/min). The research showed that radar remote sensing (UAV) can be used to map forest aboveground biomass, and emphasized the importance and role of feral horses in Galicia as a prevention tool against wildfires in gorse-dominated landscapes.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"89"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11218180/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141494614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic and phenotypic diversification in a widespread fish, the Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna).","authors":"Ralph Tiedemann, Rüdiger Riesch, Maxi Tomowski, Katja Havenstein, Jan Schlupp, Waldir Miron Berbel-Filho, Ingo Schlupp","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02270-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-024-02270-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Widespread species often experience significant environmental clines over the area they naturally occupy. We investigated a widespread livebearing fish, the Sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) combining genetic, life-history, and environmental data, asking how structured populations are. Sailfin mollies can be found in coastal freshwater and brackish habitats from roughly Tampico, Veracruz in Mexico to Wilmington, North Carolina, in the USA. In addition, they are found inland on the Florida peninsula. Using microsatellite DNA, we genotyped 168 individuals from 18 populations covering most of the natural range of the Sailfin molly. We further determined standard life-history parameters for both males and females for these populations. Finally, we measured biotic and abiotic parameters in the field. We found six distinct genetic clusters based on microsatellite data, with very strong indication of isolation by distance. However, we also found significant numbers of migrants between adjacent populations. Despite genetic structuring we did not find evidence of cryptic speciation. The genetic clusters and the migration patterns do not match paleodrainages. Life histories vary between populations but not in a way that is easy to interpret. We suggest a role of humans in migration in the sailfin molly, for example in the form of a ship channel that connects southern Texas with Louisiana which might be a conduit for fish migration.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"87"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11218414/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141478191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leach's storm-petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous), a long-lived seabird shows flexible, condition-dependent, feeding strategies in response to poor chick condition.","authors":"Benjamin D Haussmann, Kayla E Lichtner, Robert A Mauck, Mark F Haussmann","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02273-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-024-02273-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Parent-offspring conflict represents the sensitive balance of resource allocation between self-maintenance and reproduction. Two strategies have been proposed to better understand how species manage this conflict. In fixed-level feeding behavior, parents feed offspring consistent quantities of food; while flexible feeding shows plasticity in parental allocation based on offspring need. Life-history theory predicts that parents of long-lived species prioritize their survival and may favor the fixed-level hypothesis to maximize lifetime reproductive success. In this study, we highlight the natural variation of parent-offspring allocation strategies within a unique population of Leach's storm-petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous), and through month-long food supplementation and restriction manipulations, we investigate how chick condition affects parental provisioning during the chick-rearing period of reproduction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We show that the parents upregulated chick feeding frequency of nutritionally deprived chicks, resulting in a larger total amount of food delivered during the study period. Additionally, the proportion of nights when both parents fed was highest in restricted chicks, and the proportion of nights when neither parents fed was lowest in restricted chicks, suggesting that storm-petrel parents shorten their foraging bouts to deliver food more often when their chicks are in relatively poor condition.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results support that Leach's storm-petrels use a flexible-level feeding strategy, suggesting that parents can assess offspring condition, and respond by feeding chicks at higher frequencies. These data provide insight on how a long-lived seabird balances its own energetic demands with that of their offspring during the reproductive period.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"88"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11218238/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141478192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does female control and male mating system predict courtship investment and mating outcomes? A comparative study in five widow spider species (genus Latrodectus) tested under similar laboratory conditions.","authors":"Luciana Baruffaldi, Maydianne C B Andrade","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02272-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-024-02272-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Male courtship investment may evolve in response to the male's expectation of future mating opportunities or the degree of female control during mating interactions. We used a comparative approach to test this hypotheses by assessing the courtship and mating behaviors of five widow spider species (genus Latrodectus) under common laboratory conditions. We predicted male investment in courtship would be higher in species where males mate only once because of high cannibalism rates (monogyny, L. geometricus, L. hasselti, L. mirabilis), compared to species with rare cannibalism (L. mactans, L. hesperus) in which males should reserve energy for future mating opportunities. Increased male investment, measured as courtship duration, might also evolve with increased female control over mating outcomes if females prefer longer courtships. We tested this by assessing the frequency of copulations, timing of sexual cannibalism, and the degree of female-biased size dimorphism, which is expected to be negatively correlated with the energetic cost of rebuffing male mating attempts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Copulation frequency was consistently lower in species with extreme female-skewed size dimorphism, and where sexual cannibalism was more prevalent, suggesting the importance of female control for mating outcomes. We confirmed significant interspecific variation in average courtship duration, but contrary to predictions, it was not predicted by male mating system, and there was no consistent link between courtship duration and sexual size dimorphism.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We show that the degree of sexual dimorphism is not only correlated with sexual cannibalism, but also with mating success since restriction of male copulation frequency by female Latrodectus affects paternity. However, predictions about male mating system or female control affecting courtship duration were not supported. We propose that the form of female control over mating and cannibalism, and male responses, might be more informative for understanding the evolution of courtship duration. For example, male tactics to avoid female aggression may drive lower courtship duration in species like L. mirabilis. Nonetheless, our results differ from inferences based on published studies of each species in isolation, illuminating the need for standardized data collection for behavioural comparative studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"86"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11212240/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141473546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Livestock predation, crop raiding, and community attitudes towards sustainable wildlife conservation in and around Mankira Forest, Southwest Ethiopia.","authors":"Birhanu Asaye, Wondimagegnehu Tekalign, Taye Dobamo","doi":"10.1186/s12862-024-02279-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-024-02279-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Crop raiding and livestock predation negatively impact the views of the local community towards wildlife conservation. Farmers across the African continent, especially those in rural regions, incur financial losses as a result of crop raiding and livestock depredation. The sustainability of the forest relies heavily on comprehending the essential connection between a harmonious park-people relationship and the coexistence of humans and wildlife. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the predation of livestock, the raiding of crops, and the attitudes of the community towards wildlife in the Mankira Forest located in southwest Ethiopia. This particular area has been lacking in scientific research, making it crucial to conduct this assessment. The data were collected between November 2021 and September 2022 via a structured questionnaire. This study used a sample of 241 randomly selected respondents from the four villages, and responses were compared using chi-square tests. Pearson correlation was also used to test the relationship between the distance of farmland and the extent of crop raiding. The majority of the respondents (95%) reported the presence of crop raiding and livestock predation in the area. These losses were caused by the Papio anubis (39%), the Chlorocebus aethiops (24.1%), the Hystrix cristata (15.3%), the Canis aures (58.3%), and the Crocutacrocuta (29.5%). Maize stood out as the crop type most susceptible to crop raiders. Most of the respondents (56.7%) had a negative attitude towards wildlife conservation. There was a significant difference among age groups of respondents related to their attitude towards wildlife conservation (p < 0.05). The study highlights the need to address several gaps in understanding and managing human-wildlife conflict through research on predation, raiding, and community attitudes. Therefore, to fulfill the dual goals of community support and conservation of wildlife, rigorous management and planning are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"24 1","pages":"85"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11210007/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141473547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}