Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Dorothy Hok Yau Tang, Piero Visconti
Summary: Dragonflies and damselflies, important ecological indicators, are not well-protected under the EU Habitats Directive despite facing threats and declining populations. More systematic research and monitoring are needed to address conservation gaps.
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Juan Carlos Moreno-Saiz, Belen Albertos, Elena Ruiz-Molero, Ruben G. Mateo
Summary: The Natura 2000 network is important for conservation in Europe, but there is a need to review and update species lists to further enhance biodiversity protection.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrea Flack, Ellen O. Aikens, Andrea Kolzsch, Elham Nourani, Katherine R. S. Snell, Wolfgang Fiedler, Nils Linek, Hans-Gunther Bauer, Kasper Thorup, Jesko Partecke, Martin Wikelski, Hannah J. Williams
Summary: Bird migration is a complex phenomenon that requires balancing costs and maximizing fitness. Research on bird migration has made significant progress in understanding the behavioral, cognitive, physiological, and evolutionary mechanisms involved. However, there are still gaps in knowledge and conflicting evidence in fields such as navigation, social learning, individual development, energetics, and conservation.
Article
Ecology
Elizabeth R. Ellwood, Amanda S. Gallinat, Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie, Tara Miller, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, Caroline Polgar, Richard B. Primack
Summary: Concord, Massachusetts, USA has been an active site for phenological observations since 1851, with a time series of data spanning 118 years. These data have been invaluable for addressing issues such as climate change, conservation, and ecology.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Simonetta Bagella
Summary: Mediterranean Temporary Ponds (MTPs) are valuable habitats for rare organisms, yet they are at risk of disappearing. This study examines the focus and gaps in research on MTPs, as well as the distribution and components of the ecosystem. The results show a strong scientific interest in MTPs, but also reveal problems such as lack of attention to certain aspects and geographical gaps. Practical conservation actions should be improved for long-term preservation of this habitat.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Nela Vlahinic Lenz, Barbara Fajdetic
Summary: This paper examines the impact of economic globalisation on climate in EU countries and provides empirical evidence. It finds that trade globalisation has a detrimental effect on climate, while financial globalisation has a weaker impact. Passenger transport reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and foreign direct investment is beneficial for climate in high-income countries. Environmental taxes significantly reduce emissions in lower-income countries, and total energy consumption increases greenhouse gas emissions.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ian J. Burfield, Claire A. Rutherford, Eresha Fernando, Hannah Grice, Alexa Piggott, Rob W. Martin, Mark Balman, Michael I. Evans, Anna Staneva
Summary: This study is the fourth comprehensive assessment of the population status of all wild bird species in Europe. It identifies Species of European Conservation Concern (SPECs) and categorizes them according to global extinction risk, size and trend of European population and range, and Europe's global responsibility. Out of 546 assessed species, 207 (38%) are SPECs, with 74 (14%) being of global concern, 32 (6%) of European concern and concentrated in Europe, and 101 (18%) of European concern but not concentrated in Europe. The proportion of SPECs has remained similar across all assessments since 1994, but the number of SPEC 1 species has increased.
BIRD CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Economics
Ignacio del Rosal
Summary: This paper contributes to the literature on dieselization by analyzing EU international trade flows in passenger cars. The research finds that most diesel trade flows occur between EU countries, but diesel imports from non-EU countries are also significant. The competitiveness of the EU car industry is based on petrol cars. The analysis also reveals an increase in car size. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of demand policies in addition to efficiency gains for decarbonization strategies. The phenomenon of dieselization raises awareness of the inertia that road transport policies can have and the need for coordination with other relevant countries in the international car market.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hankyu Kim, Brenda C. McComb, Sarah J. K. Frey, David M. Bell, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: Complex forest structure and vegetation diversity in old-growth forests can provide microclimatic advantages to some animal populations, helping to mitigate the negative effects of climate warming. Conservation of old-growth forests or their characteristics in managed forests is important for the protection of breeding bird populations.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Benjamin M. Van Doren, David E. Willard, Mary Hennen, Kyle G. Horton, Erica F. Stuber, Daniel Sheldon, Ashwin H. Sivakumar, Julia Wang, Andrew Farnsworth, Benjamin M. Winger
Summary: Research has shown that the magnitude of nocturnal bird migration, building light output, and wind conditions are the most important predictors of fatal collisions. Reducing building light output, controlling weather conditions, and decreasing light pollution can reduce bird mortality rates.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Christoph Nolte, Ana Reboredo Segovia, Jose Manuel Ochoa-Quintero, Jaime Burbano-Giron
Summary: Accurate estimates of land protection costs are important for determining the most cost-effective locations for achieving biodiversity conservation goals. This study demonstrates a method for estimating land protection costs using original data, global predictor datasets, and machine-learning models. The research findings highlight the importance of urban proximity as a key driver of land protection costs in the Colombian Andes, and provide more accurate cost estimates compared to existing proxies.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Charlotte E. Blattner, Ana M. Vicedo-Cabrera, Thomas L. Froelicher, Karin Ingold, Christoph C. Raible, Judith Wyttenbach
Summary: A group of older women in Switzerland has sued the government over its inaction on climate change, and the process of preparing evidence for the case has provided six lessons for researchers.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Alexander C. Lees, Lucy Haskell, Tris Allinson, Simeon B. Bezeng, Ian J. Burfield, Luis Miguel Renjifo, Kenneth Rosenberg, Ashwin Viswanathan, Stuart H. M. Butchart
Summary: The article provides an overview of the global spatiotemporal distribution of avian biodiversity, changes in our knowledge of that biodiversity, and the threats driving changes in bird species richness and abundance. It also highlights the need for increased consideration of the social context of bird conservation interventions.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Dennis Engist, Robert Finger, Peter Knaus, Jerome Guelat, David Wuepper
Summary: Agricultural systems and policies in Switzerland, Germany, and France have different impacts on bird populations, leading to smaller and less diverse bird populations in Switzerland. The difference between the countries was more significant in the 1990s compared to the 2010s. Additional policy efforts, such as targeted agri-environmental payments, may be necessary to improve bird friendliness in Switzerland.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Karin Beland Lindahl, Charlotta Soderberg, Natalia Lukina, Daria Tebenkova, Mireia Pecurul, Helga Pulzl, Metodi Sotirov, Camilla Widmark
Summary: This paper compares the integration of forest ecosystem service-related policies in different European forest governance contexts. Efforts to achieve policy integration at the EU and national levels have been described as limited success. Through the analysis of different policies, the authors argue that integration outcomes depend on the degree and nature of policy integration, environmental policy integration, and multilevel coherence within the forest governance system. Failures to safeguard biodiversity and other ecosystem services during the integration process can have significant consequences.
Article
Ecology
Sian E. Green, Philip A. Stephens, Mark J. Whittingham, Russell A. Hill
Summary: Camera traps are commonly used in wildlife monitoring and citizen science, but concerns over video performance have led to the majority of studies collecting still images. However, a study conducted in the UK found no difference in ecological outputs between video and photo datasets. Additionally, citizen scientists were able to classify videos more accurately and provide more additional information compared to experts. This suggests that using video in camera-trapping projects, especially when combined with citizen science, can yield higher quality data.
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
F. J. Sanderson, J. D. Wilson, S. E. Franks, G. M. Buchanan
Summary: Protected areas are crucial for conservation, and the EU Natura 2000 network is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world. A study in Britain found that Natura 2000 protection has positive conservation benefits for birds of higher conservation concern and community specialisation. This highlights the importance of protected areas, especially those with the strictest protection, for maintaining biodiversity.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Peter S. Stewart, Philip A. Stephens, Russell A. Hill, Mark J. Whittingham, Wayne Dawson
Summary: Occupancy models are commonly used in ecology to study species occurrence, but selecting among models with different sets of covariates can lead to inaccurate parameter estimates. This study investigated the consequences of collider bias in occupancy and detection processes and explored the implications for model selection using information criteria. The results showed that information criteria can accurately select detection covariates regardless of the model's purpose, but caution is needed when selecting occupancy covariates for understanding environmental variables. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between parameter inference and prediction tasks in ecological modeling.
Article
Ornithology
Claire J. J. Branston, Mark J. J. Whittingham, Albert B. B. Phillimore, Dave Leech, Stephen G. G. Willis
Summary: The impacts of climate change on phenology and reproductive investment of birds in woodland habitats with different tree compositions were investigated. The study found that woodland composition did not have a significant effect on the first egg date and clutch size of Blue Tits. However, clutch size has decreased as spring temperatures have increased in recent decades.
Article
Biology
Richard D. Gregory, Mark A. Eaton, Ian J. Burfield, Philip V. Grice, Christine Howard, Alena Klvanova, David Noble, Eva Silarova, Anna Staneva, Philip A. Stephens, Stephen G. Willis, Ian D. Woodward, Fiona Burns
Summary: This article models temporal change in species' abundance and biomass by using extensive data describing the population sizes and trends of native breeding birds in the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU). It finds significant change in the bird assemblages of the UK and EU, with overall bird abundance decreasing and losses concentrated in abundant and smaller sized species. The study also highlights the correlation between abundance trends and species' traits, migration strategy, and niche associations linked to diet.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rachel Dobson, Andy J. J. Challinor, Robert A. A. Cheke, Stewart Jennings, Stephen G. G. Willis, Martin Dallimer
Summary: Species distribution models (SDM) are widely used to understand species distribution and abundance changes. However, existing SDM tools lack the ability to model species distributions driven by dynamic environmental conditions. dynamicSDM provides novel tools that consider the temporal dimension, allowing for more accurate and detailed modeling. It is flexible, compatible with other SDM tools, and has low computing power and storage needs.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carl Chalmers, Paul Fergus, Serge Wich, Steven. N. N. Longmore, Naomi Davies Walsh, Philip. A. A. Stephens, Chris Sutherland, Naomi Matthews, Jens Mudde, Amira Nuseibeh
Summary: Birds are crucial for monitoring biodiversity and habitat health, and they play a vital role in ecosystem management. Declining bird populations can lead to reduced ecosystem services such as seed dispersal, pollination, and pest control. While monitoring birds is important for ecologists, it is often time-consuming, expensive, and challenging to manage. This paper proposes using deep learning to overcome the challenges and automate bird monitoring in camera trap data.
Article
Ecology
Sarah E. Beatham, Philip A. Stephens, Julia Coats, John Phillips, Giovanna Massei
Summary: Effective wildlife population management requires understanding species abundance. In the United Kingdom, the increase of non-native invasive grey squirrels poses a threat to native red squirrels, tree health, and the forestry industry. A camera trap index was developed to estimate target densities of grey squirrels in woodlands to guide control measures. The index had a strong linear relationship with squirrels removed in trapping operations, and results could be obtained within 6 days.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Nicolas Fuentes-Allende, Philip A. Stephens, Lynne M. MacTavish, Dougal MacTavish, Stephen G. Willis
Summary: Large herbivores in highly seasonal savanna habitats often experience significant changes in body mass due to availability of critical resources and breeding events. However, documentation of this mass variation has been rarely explored. In this study, we developed a method using mineral-baited scales and camera traps to track body mass of three bovid species across wet and dry seasons in a South African savanna ecosystem. The method proved to be effective in monitoring and revealed significant changes in body mass, which were related to factors such as vegetation productivity and rainfall frequency. This non-lethal and non-invasive method has various potential applications, including informing management decisions and assessing ecological states. It may also be valuable for monitoring long-term body condition in animals affected by environmental change in arid systems.
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jamie E. T. McKaughan, Philip A. Stephens, Russell A. Hill
Summary: Mesocarnivores are important in wildlife management, but estimating their densities is challenging. This study used camera trapping to estimate the densities of four carnivores in commercial farmland in South Africa. The study highlights the importance of careful selection of parameters and suggests the need for more studies to increase confidence in accuracy.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Per Alstroem, Zeinolabedin Mohammadi, Paul F. Donald, Marianne Nymark, Erik D. Enbody, Martin Irestedt, Emmanuel Barde Elisha, Henry K. Ndithia, B. Irene Tieleman, Derek Engelbrecht, Urban Olsson, Lois Rancilhac, Martin Stervander
Summary: Comprehensive taxonomic analysis of the rufous-naped lark complex in sub-Saharan Africa reveals the need for reclassification, proposing the recognition of nine species instead of five.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Sarah E. Beatham, Julia Coats, Philip A. Stephens, Giovanna Massei
Summary: The study aimed to estimate the efficacy of delivering baits via feeders to grey squirrels and determine the most important factors for bait uptake. The findings showed that baits delivered via feeders can target the majority of grey squirrels in woodland environments. This implies that oral contraceptives could be a cost-effective tool to reduce the population of grey squirrels and mitigate their negative impacts on native wildlife and tree health.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tejas Bhagwat, Tobias Kuemmerle, Mahmood Soofi, Paul F. Donald, Norbert Hoelzel, Albert Salemgareev, Ingrid Stirnemann, Ruslan Urazaliyev, Matthias Baumann, Johannes Kamp
Summary: The increase in fire disturbance in post-Soviet Eurasian steppe has resulted in significant declines in bird abundance and changes in community assembly. Restoring wild herbivore populations and traditional domestic ungulate grazing systems are crucial for controlling wildfires and preventing further biodiversity loss.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
