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- Correction to: Prediction of the minimum effective size of a population
viable in the long term
- Ghana ecological risks: a space law and science education approach to the
management frameworks
Abstract: Abstract This article discusses what Ghana needs for the development of legal and scientific education programmes to manage framework of biodiversity and the ecosystem. The first part of the article examines literature produced on this topic, which offers many clues about the challenges and opportunities facing Ghana, as well as the lessons that can be learned from both other space nations and actors in this field. When looking at perceptions, the second part explores material taken from ethically approved interviews which were conducted with experts in this field, whilst the third section provides an analysis of data taken from a survey in which respondents were asked targeted questions about Ghana’s space and science education programmes, before summarising the key findings. The findings help to better understand the effect of biodiversity and the ecosystem. Finally, it is recommended that future work is required in the areas of: preserving, sustaining and maintaining biodiversity and the ecosystems; management frameworks for invasive species and biosecurity; management frameworks for environmental degradation and climate change; a management framework that focuses on the fair and equitable access to and sharing of the benefits of biodiversity resources with all communities in Ghana; and assessing and including biodiversity and ecosystem in the development process of space law and science education.
PubDate: 2023-10-01
- Dietary and habitat specialization, eye size, clutch size, and aerial
lifestyle predict avian fragmentation sensitivity in an Andean
biodiversity hotpot
Abstract: Abstract The fragmentation of tropical forests remains a major driver of avian biodiversity loss, particularly for insectivores, yet the mechanisms underlying area sensitivity remain poorly understood. Studies in lowland systems suggest that loss of food resources, changes to light microenvironments, increased nest predation, and dispersal limitation are possible mechanisms, but these are untested for montane tropical bird communities. In this study, we related avian functional traits to area sensitivity (quantified using beta estimates from a multi-species occupancy model) to test the above four hypotheses for a cloud forest bird community (both resident species and just resident insectivores) in the Colombian Western Andes. We found that species with more specialized diets and those that use the canopy and subcanopy (loss of food hypothesis), larger relative eye sizes (light microhabitat hypothesis), and larger clutch sizes (nest predation hypothesis) were significantly more area sensitive. By contrast, there was no support for the dispersal limitation hypothesis; instead, we found that insectivores with more pointed wing shapes, and more aerial lifestyles, were significantly more fragmentation sensitive. These results suggest that reduced vegetation structure, loss of late-successional plant species, and loss of epiphytic plants may reduce food availability in fragments. Similarly, the ability to tolerate higher light intensity near fragment edges, or when traversing matrix habitat, may be important for persistence in fragments and suggests that habitat configuration may be of special importance in fragmented Andean landscapes. Overall, a lack of information on foraging, movement, and breeding ecology complicates avian conservation in the Andes.
PubDate: 2023-10-01
- Enhancing semi-aquatic species representativeness beyond protected areas:
dragonflies in networks of conservation corridors
Abstract: Abstract Complementarity is crucial when prioritizing sites for biodiversity conservation. Networks of conservation corridors (CCs) can contribute to regional representativeness by complementing biodiversity features included in existing protected areas (PAs). We ask whether criteria important for CC management and design are effective at prioritizing complementary sites, and how the consideration of species represented in PAs influence criteria performance. We focused on species turnover of generalist and specialist dragonflies across 88 riverine sites. Criteria assessed included site-level estimates of dragonfly species richness, estimates of local habitat quality and corridor width. Measures of local habitat quality were based on either dragonfly indicator species or proportion of alien vegetation. Results showed that CCs complement dragonfly diversity in PAs by contributing unrepresented generalist species. Of the criteria, corridor width was the most efficient at prioritizing complementary sites, while prioritization based on dragonfly indicator species or species richness underperformed. When aiming to prioritize CC sites that also complement sites situated in established PAs, wide corridors with low levels of alien vegetation should be favoured.
PubDate: 2023-10-01
- Sea level rise adaptation pushes an insular endemic rodent closer to
extinction
Abstract: Abstract Understanding how species will respond to a rapidly changing global climate is requisite to conserving biodiversity. Though habitat losses from human development and land use change remain the most critical threats to biodiversity globally, some regions, such as low-lying islands, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Despite this vulnerability, there may be opportunities for imperiled species on islands to adapt to the effects of climate-induced sea level rise. To understand how the response to rising seas may influence the amount of future habitat, we investigated shifts in the elevational range of the endangered silver rice rat (Oryzomys palustris natator; hereafter “rice rat”), a species endemic to tidal environments of the Lower Florida Keys, USA. We quantified fine-scale habitat use using radio telemetry of collared animals, first in 2004, and again in 2021, thus spanning a 17-year period during which the local sea level rose by 0.142 m. We observed a shift in the elevational range limits of rice rats which closely mirrored the rise in sea level, and that this apparent ability to adapt to rising sea level decreased the extent of habitat loss in subsequent decades. However, over longer time scales (~ 100 yrs), the extent of habitat loss from sea level rise outpaced rice rats’ ability to adapt. As such, the conservation of biodiversity on low-lying islands hinges on the ability of the global community to decrease anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the associated consequences for the global climate. Otherwise, conservation practitioners will be increasingly forced to make difficult decisions about how to conserve imperiled species on low-lying islands.
PubDate: 2023-10-01
- Bat mortality in wind farms of southern Europe: temporal patterns and
implications in the current context of climate change
Abstract: Abstract The expansion of renewable energy production, especially wind power, is one of the cornerstones of our strategy for mitigating climate change. However, there is growing concern about the impacts of this energy source on biodiversity. In particular, very little is known about the impact on groups of fauna such as bats, which are especially sensitive to environmental changes. We investigated the temporal patterns of bat fatalities in wind farms in the province of Cádiz, in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. An eleven-year data set (2009–2019) from a surveillance program of bird and bat mortality in wind farms was analysed. A total of 2,858 fatalities concerning 10 bat genera were reported, although more than 90% of the affected animals were individuals of the genera Pipistrellus, Eptesicus and Nyctalus. Bat mortality occurred mainly during the summer and autumn, especially in August. However, species such as the genus Pipistrellus, present collisions throughout the year, including all winter months in the case of the genus Pipistrellus. The probability of mortality was positively correlated with the maximum daily temperature. According to the model prediction, the probability of fatality begins to increase slightly from 20 °C and then rises sharply when the temperature exceeds 30 °C, that can be interpreted as a consequence of increasing bat activity at local scale. According to the regional projections of global climate models, an increase in maximum temperatures and the arrival of milder winters may lead to an increase in the annual mortality of bats in wind farms in the coming decades.
PubDate: 2023-10-01
- Cavity-breeding birds create specific microhabitats for diverse arthropod
communities in boreal forests
Abstract: Abstract The nests of secondary cavity-nesters located in tree cavities may form specific microhabitats of conservation importance due to their limited accessibility and availability. Species-specific nesting materials in nests of different secondary cavity-nesters may furthermore provide very different microhabitats for arthropods. The potential differences in arthropod communities inhabiting nests of different bird species in excavated cavities or nest boxes have, however, rarely been studied despite their relevance for conservation. Here we investigated the diversity and composition of arthropod communities in these different cavity types and bird species’ nests in managed boreal forests. We identified morphologically and by DNA-metabarcoding arthropods in nest materials that were collected in and compared between (i) woodpecker-size cavities from seven different combinations of cavity type (nest box or excavated cavity), tree species (aspen or pine) and accumulation history of nest materials (single-season cleaned or uncleaned nest boxes that accumulated nests of passerines or an owl species); and (ii) nests of two different passerine species in small nest boxes. We identified 64 arthropod taxa in ten orders, from which Diptera, Coleoptera, Siphonaptera, and Lepidoptera were the most abundant. Shannon diversity index was similar among the cavity-nest-type combinations, but taxa richness was the highest in the owl nests. The arthropod communities (especially Histeridae beetles) deviated most from the other types of nests in owl and aspen cavity nests with more advanced decomposition of nest material (soil or wet environment related taxa). The differences in arthropod communities between the different nest types point out the importance of the ecological chain “tree cavities—bird nests—arthropod communities”.
PubDate: 2023-10-01
- DNA barcode-based survey documents underestimated diversity and intricate
phylogeographic patterns of aquatic Heteroptera in an endangered Balkan
biodiversity hotspot: ancient Lake Skadar basin
Abstract: Abstract Lake Skadar with its surrounding springs, wetlands and larger affluents is among the most diverse freshwater ecosystems in the Mediterranean region and a key biodiversity/endemism hotspot in Europe. It is also highly endangered due to climate change and rapid tourism development in the area. Being abundant, diverse and mostly predatory, true aquatic bugs play an important role in the functioning of freshwater ecosystems and are used as indicators of aquatic habitat quality. Nevertheless, this taxonomic group has been scarcely studied in the area. Our survey provides the first comprehensive DNA barcode library for 24 out of 25 species of aquatic Heteroptera collected in the Skadar Lake basin and adjacent regions. By this, we extend the list of species known from the area by 60%. In the case of three species, Notonecta maculata, Hydrometra stagnorum and Nepa cinerea, we detected multiple highly divergent, and also new BINs indicating possible taxonomic inconsistencies, the potential for (pseudo)cryptic diversity and intricate phylogeographic patterns. We show that presumably well-known hotspots, such as Lake Skadar region, are heavily understudied regarding even the prominent insect taxa and, thus, particularly vulnerable to undocumented biodiversity loss. Finally, we underline the value of simple DNA-barcoding-based surveys for providing reference barcode libraries for effective biomonitoring and signalling taxonomic and biogeographic issues.
PubDate: 2023-10-01
- Leaf litter arthropods show little response to structural retention in a
Central European forest
Abstract: Abstract Decomposition of leaf litter is a central process of energy and nutrient cycling in forests, in which arthropods hold important roles. Thus, safeguarding the diversity of organisms including arthropods is increasingly being considered in contemporary forestry, not least to facilitate continued ecosystem functioning. Retention forestry tries to achieve biodiversity conservation by preservation of tree structural elements such as deadwood and tree microhabitats to provide more heterogeneous habitat. Leaf litter arthropods are, however, only indirectly connected with tree structure, which raises the question if and how the currently practised retention forestry influences the leaf litter arthropod community. As the leaf litter arthropod community includes a very diverse range of taxa that is challenging to identify morphologically, we sampled environmental DNA from leaf litter on 66 plots in the Black Forest in southern Germany that were distributed over gradients of forest and landscape features and differed in forest management intensity. We found that the richness of operational taxonomic units, a surrogate for species, was not related to forest structure but tended to increase with recent harvest intensity (which did not exceed a medium harvest intensity on our plots). Community composition was related to the share of coniferous trees present on a plot, and to a lesser extend to elevation and leaf litter coverage. Our results indicate that the leaf litter arthropod community is not responsive towards different degrees of forest structural changes introduced by management as long as the forest type is retained.
PubDate: 2023-10-01
- Traditional prescribed burning of coastal heathland provides niches for
xerophilous and sun-loving beetles
Abstract: Abstract In Western Norway, farmers have traditionally used fire as a management tool in coastal heathlands to enhance the fodder quality for livestock. Rotational prescribed burning increases landscape heterogeneity by creating a mosaic of different regeneration stages of heather. Ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) responses to fire in traditionally managed coastal heathland have already been studied, but less is known about other beetle groups in this system. We compared the beetle activity between patches of mature and recently burnt heath, by looking at diversity indices, species composition and ecological preferences and traits. Contrary to previous studies, we did not find an increase in beta diversity after disturbance, but we found that prescribed burning offers micro-environmental conditions which enhanced the activity of sun-loving and xerophilous species. We also identified new indicator species for both mature and pioneer heath in five beetle families: Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Curculionidae, Leiodidae, and Scirtidae. Rotational prescribed burning was confirmed to be an efficient conservation tool for specialists without affecting the overall diversity of the site. We recommend the use of several taxa, ecological preferences and traits to assess the impact of prescribed burning and to monitor the condition of traditionally managed coastal heathlands.
PubDate: 2023-10-01
- New Australian frontier in freshwater fish invasion via Torres Strait
Islands
Abstract: Abstract All continents, excluding Antarctica and the Artic, have been affected by incursion from alien freshwater fish species. Australia has not been spared. Four hundred and fifty species have now been declared on the ornamental importation list, making management a real challenge. With approximately 25 non-native species documented, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has likely some problems with invasive freshwater fish. Many of these species have been intentionally introduced to increase access to food as a protein source for remote communities or have spread naturally from western parts of Java and Indonesia, and now constitute a large biomass on some floodplain areas in PNG. The Torres Strait is located between PNG and northern Queensland and was previously a land bridge, though now under higher sea levels the region exists as a series of approximately 300 islands. The threat of further range extension of freshwater fish from PNG into northern Queensland via the Torres Strait Islands is significant, with two invasive fish species already recorded on northern islands of the Torres Strait (climbing perch, Anabas testudineus which has been continually recorded for the past decade; and recently the GIFT tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus). Here we present a case to control further spread of invasive freshwater fish species towards Australia, using a Land and Sea Ranger program, where Rangers are trained to be confident in the identification of pest fish species and to implement strategies to protect their borders from potential future incursions. The success of this program relies on Rangers to continue partaking in surveillance monitoring of coastal waters, checking and controlling for any new invasive species moving from PNG into Australian waters. We outline the biosecurity obligation under Article 14 of the Treaty between the two nations, which identifies the importance of conservation and protection of coastal floodplains from invasive species, and the spread between both nations.
PubDate: 2023-09-26
- Insect diversity in heterogeneous agro-environments of Central Europe
Abstract: Abstract Insect diversity has been decreasing significantly during the past decades. A main driver causing this negative trend is agricultural intensification, which causes habitat destruction and a deterioration of habitat quality. We caught flying arthropods with 28 Malaise traps and two light traps across a heterogeneous Central European agro-environment in southern Germany over a period of four years. The arthropods captured with Malaise traps were assigned to barcode index numbers (BINs) based on metabarcoding. Lepidopterans caught with light traps and light towers were identified based on morphological characters. Within the four years study, a total of 11,984 insect operational taxonomic units (OTUs) related to unique BINs on BOLD (> 95% similarity) were recorded across this agro-environment. 7835 of them could be assigned to insect order and the vast majority of them represent different species. Different estimates of the total species richness ranged between 8188 and 11,512 OTUs (a proxy for species). This number corresponds to about 26–36% of the total German insect fauna. Light trapping also yielded a high species diversity and returned 502 Lepidoptera species (compared to 784 species captured with Malaise traps). The overlap between light and Malaise traps was less than 45%. The Malaise trap catches showed that insects are more diverse along forest edges than in the centre of meadows. Our findings underline the high value of heterogeneous agro-environments for biodiversity, and the high value when combining data collected with different sampling techniques.
PubDate: 2023-09-26
- Potential individual and interactive effects of climate and land-cover
changes on bats and implications for conservation planning: a case study
in Vietnam
Abstract: Abstract Climate and land-cover changes are among major threats to biodiversity. However, the interactive effects of the two threats are often overlooked in conservation planning. Using 81 bat species occurring in Vietnam as a case, we investigated the individual and interactive effects of climate and land-cover changes, highlighting the importance of this information for conservation efforts. By using species distribution models, we predicted the potential changes in range size among species and in species richness across Vietnam by the 2050s, considering projected climate and land-cover changes under two emission scenarios. Our results revealed that both threats individually would have predominantly negative effects on bats in Vietnam. Moreover, when these threats occur simultaneously, their interactions would generally intensify the impacts by mitigating individual positive effects and/or enhancing negative effects. However, we also found large interspecific and geographic variations in the direction and magnitude of these effects. Forest specialists, insectivores and cave-roosting species were predicted to be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects, with northern and southern Vietnam being more affected. These results underscore the urgent need to incorporate both climate and land-cover changes, as well as their interactions, into conservation planning for bats in Vietnam and biodiversity in general. The species-specific and spatially-explicit information regarding the impacts of the two threats can guide conservation actions, allowing us to target more manageable and less uncertain threats, as well as prioritize the protection of more vulnerable species.
PubDate: 2023-09-20
- Citizen science and diet analysis shed light on dog-wildlife interactions
in Italy
Abstract: Abstract Domestic dogs Canis familiaris may cause a range of impacts on wildlife through predation, competition, pathogen transmission, harassment and hybridisation with wolves and other wild canids, yet such effects are less known than those of other domestic species. In this work, we have combined citizen science data and information collected by scientists on the potential impact of free-ranging dogs on wildlife in Italy. Citizen science data, obtained through online surveys on social networks, consisted of pictures of wildlife killed or harassed by dogs from 2002 to 2022. Additional records were collected from articles in newspapers. We also provide the results of a diet analysis from domestic dog scats, collected in the countryside in central Italy in 1998–1999, for which we assessed prey selection by comparing consumption with availability. The citizen science survey provided 589 records: dogs attacked and killed 95 species, mostly mammals and birds, including small game species. Among species of conservation concern, dogs attacked/killed Mustela putorius and Hystrix cristata, both included in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive, and the Italian endemic Lepus corsicanus and Passer italiae. Over 90% of the attacks were caused by unleashed dogs in the presence of their owner in urban and periurban areas. The 148 dog scats analysed contained 30 prey species, mainly mammals, which made the staple of the dog diet, followed by amorphous material, most likely pet food. Remains of domestic sheep were frequent in the diet, as were hares Lepus europaeus and roe deer Capreolus capreolus among wild mammals. Wild boar Sus scrofa ranked first among the selected prey species, followed by hares, whereas roe deer and grey partridges Perdix perdix were negatively selected. The mitigation of the impact of domestic carnivores on wildlife strongly requires awareness raising to promote responsible pet ownership and strict avoidance of dogs’ free-ranging behaviour, especially where encounters with wildlife are most likely.
PubDate: 2023-09-20
- Spatial patterns of phylogenetic and species diversity of fennoscandian
vascular plants in protected areas
Abstract: Abstract Protected areas are one of the main strategic means for conserving biodiversity. Yet, the design of protected areas usually neglects phylogenetic diversity, an important diversity measure. In this paper we assess the phylogenetic diversity and species richness of vascular plants in Fennoscandian protected areas. We evaluate how much species richness and phylogenetic diversity is found within and outside protected areas, and the differences in plant diversity between different categories of protected areas. We also assess the differences in the diversity-area relationship of the different protected area categories in terms of both species richness and phylogenetic diversity. We build a multi-locus phylogeny of 1,519 native vascular plants of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. We estimate the phylogenetic diversity and species richness by combining the phylogeny with publicly available occurrence data and the currently protected area system of Fennoscandia. Our results indicate that protected areas in Fennoscandia hold more plant diversity when larger, and that phylogenetic diversity increases faster with area than species richness. We found evidence for more plant diversity outside of protected areas of the different countries of Fennoscandia than inside of protected areas, but no evidence for plant diversity differences between areas with different protection status. Hence, our results indicate that the current protected area system in Fennoscandia is no more effective in conserving phylogenetic diversity and species richness of vascular plants than a random selection of localities. Our results also indicate that planning conservation strategies around phylogenetic diversity, rather than species richness, might be a first step to protect vascular plant diversity more effectively.
PubDate: 2023-09-15
- River benthic macroinvertebrates and environmental DNA metabarcoding: a
scoping review of eDNA sampling, extraction, amplification and sequencing
methods
Abstract: Abstract There is a growing body of literature on the use of molecular methods for the ecological assessment of rivers based on benthic macroinvertebrates. Previous research has established the benefits of the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess benthic macroinvertebrate communities as being more efficient, less subjective, and non-invasive compared to traditional methods. The aim of this review is to synthesize the existing knowledge on eDNA sampling, extraction, amplification and sequencing methods regarding river benthic macroinvertebrate metabarcoding studies. Literature searches were performed using two online databases, and following a screening process, 46 papers published between 2012 and 2022 met the eligibility criteria to be included in the review. Since the use of river macrobial eDNA in ecology is a fast-evolving field, the results showed that the methodologies used vary considerably among studies. A variety of filters are used for capturing eDNA from water or preservative ethanol and different sources of eDNA (i.e., sediment, biofilm) are also explored. This review identified 12 different extraction methods and 15 different primer pairs that were used more than once in benthic macroinvertebrate eDNA metabarcoding studies. Therefore, there is a need for standardization of some key steps of the eDNA metabarcoding process to increase the comparability of the results and the robustness of the methods for further implementation into large-scale monitoring programs.
PubDate: 2023-09-12
- Drivers, predictors, and probabilities of plant extinctions in South
Africa
Abstract: Abstract Understanding how and why plants are driven to extinction is important if future extinctions are to be prevented. Here we examined reasons for extinctions of plants using data from the South African Red List, which includes 33 Extinct taxa from 15 families and 24 genera including seven infraspecific taxa. We also compared Extinct taxa with those that are threatened and not-threatened, exploring predictors of extinction based on traits, distribution, and anthropogenic threats. Finally, we applied two structured approaches to estimate the probability of extinction—the first uses argument-maps based on threat information and the second is based on survey-effort. We found that most extinctions were recorded in the Cape Floristic Region and were of perennial shrubs. Most taxa recorded as Extinct were only known from one site and are assumed to have been range restricted. Range size was, therefore, unsurprisingly the strongest predictor of extinction. The next strongest predictor was habitat loss. Based on the argument-map approach only 36% of Extinct taxa met an assigned extinction threshold, with most taxa categorised as Critically Endangered Possibly Extinct (50%). Only two taxa had sufficient data to evaluate the survey-effort approach. We support the use of both the argument-map and the survey-effort approaches to evaluate evidence for extinction but caution against strictly applying these methods as the only assessment tools. These approaches provide an evidence-based, quantitative, and well-documented process to support Red List assessments. Furthermore, they highlight knowledge gaps, the value of surveys and the need to improve threat documentation and monitoring. Use of these approaches can improve understanding of species ecology, thereby providing an essential foundation for conservation efforts to prevent extinctions.
PubDate: 2023-09-08
- Correction: Innovation of argan (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels) products and
byproducts for sustainable development of rural communities in Morocco. A
systematic literature review
- Correction to: Prioritizing Colombian plant genetic resources for
investment in research using indicators about the geographic origin,
vulnerability status, economic benefits, and food security importance
- Red List for British seaweeds: evaluating the IUCN methodology for
non-standard marine organisms
Abstract: Abstract The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is an authoritative tool in biodiversity conservation. Whilst IUCN criteria have been applied successfully to groups such as birds and mammals, a Red List assessment of British seaweeds in 2021 revealed that the categories to which seaweed species were assigned were dependent on how the criteria were applied. Here, this seaweed assessment is used as a case study with which to evaluate the IUCN methodology for use with ‘non-standard’ groups of organisms. A data-driven assessment of red (Rhodophyta), green (Chlorophyta) and brown (Phaeophyceae) seaweeds, which applied three (A, B and D) of the five IUCN criteria (A–E), categorized 13% of 617 British species as threatened. Following peer review, only 7% of species were categorized as threatened (1% Critically Endangered—CR, 3% Endangered—EN, 3% Vulnerable—VU), and 55% as Data Deficient. This reduction in species categorized as threatened suggests that strict application of the IUCN criteria may, at least for the seaweeds, over-estimate threat. As a result of this assessment, recommendations include the need for a more unified monitoring system and a review of the suitability for/application of the IUCN assessment criteria to some types of organisms. For example, in clonal populations, it is not possible to count individuals, and complex life histories cause additional complications. IUCN criteria must be applicable to a wide range of organisms, including seaweeds.
PubDate: 2023-08-03
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