Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David Gutierrez-Rial, Benedicto Soto Gonzalez, David Garcia Vazquez, Gonzalo Mendez-Martinez, Manuel Angel Pombal Diego, Josefina Garrido Gonzalez
Summary: This study evaluated water quality indices for six rivers in the Minho River international basin and found that the IBMWP index was the most suitable for assessing water quality in this area. However, other more sensitive indices like EPT and PT should also be used to identify potential pressures. The study also found that Louro River had the worst water quality, while Barxas, Deva, and Furnia rivers had the best water quality in the area.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fausto Machado-Silva, Vinicius Neres-Lima, Andrea Franco Oliveira, Timothy Peter Moulton
Summary: Deforestation has negative impacts on the ecological integrity of rivers and streams, causing threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide. This study examines the effects of forest cover changes on tropical streams using stable isotopic ratios. The results show significant variations in isotopic ratios and highlight the importance of using stable isotopes to monitor and assess the impacts of deforestation on stream ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
John Beale, Robert C. Grabowski, Pauline Long'or Lokidor, Kim Vercruysse, Daniel M. Simms
Summary: This study examines the changes in geomorphology and vegetation in the lower Beas and Sutlej Rivers, and finds that human alterations have had a significant impact on the river system and riparian vegetation. The increasing vegetation cover has led to changes in river morphology and poses risks to human communities and infrastructure.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Rabia Mazhar, Hossein Azadi, Steven Van Passel, Rando Varnik, Marcin Pietrzykowski, Rytis Skominas, Zou Wei, Bi Xuehao
Summary: Land-tenure security is crucial for socioeconomic development in local communities. This study examines the impact of different contract-farming regimes on land-improvement investment, productivity, and technical efficiency of farmers in Punjab, Pakistan. The findings suggest that long-term contracts lead to higher yields, income, and profit for farmers, as well as greater investment in land-improvement measures and improved technical efficiency.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Pasquale Borrelli, Christine Alewell, Pablo Alvarez, Jamil Alexandre Ayach Anache, Jantiene Baartman, Cristiano Ballabio, Nejc Bezak, Marcella Biddoccu, Artemi Cerda, Devraj Chalise, Songchao Chen, Walter Chen, Anna Maria De Girolamo, Gizaw Desta Gessesse, Detlef Deumlich, Nazzareno Diodato, Nikolaos Efthimiou, Gunay Erpul, Peter Fiener, Michele Freppaz, Francesco Gentile, Andreas Gericke, Nigussie Haregeweyn, Bifeng Hu, Amelie Jeanneau, Konstantinos Kaffas, Mahboobeh Kiani-Harchegani, Ivan Lizaga Villuendas, Changjia Li, Luigi Lombardo, Manuel Lopez-Vicente, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Michael Marker, Francis Matthews, Chiyuan Miao, Matjaz Mikos, Sirio Modugno, Markus Moeller, Victoria Naipal, Mark Nearing, Stephen Owusu, Dinesh Panday, Edouard Patault, Cristian Valeriu Patriche, Laura Poggio, Raquel Portes, Laura Quijano, Mohammad Reza Rahdari, Mohammed Renima, Giovanni Francesco Ricci, Jesus Rodrigo-Comino, Sergio Saia, Aliakbar Nazari Samani, Calogero Schillaci, Vasileios Syrris, Hyuck Soo Kim, Diogo Noses Spinola, Paulo Tarso Oliveira, Hongfen Teng, Resham Thapa, Konstantinos Vantas, Diana Vieira, Jae E. Yang, Shuiqing Yin, Demetrio Antonio Zema, Guangju Zhao, Panos Panagos
Summary: This study reviewed global literature published between 1994 and 2017 to establish the Global Applications of Soil Erosion Modelling Tracker (GASEMT) database, which includes 3030 modeling records from 126 countries. The database provides comprehensive insights into the state-of-the-art of soil erosion models and applications worldwide.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Yisa Ginath Yuh, Wiktor Tracz, Damon Matthews, Sarah E. Turner
Summary: Machine learning (ML) models, including k-nearest neighbour (kNN), support vector machines (SVM), artificial neural networks (ANN), and random forests (RF), have been effectively applied to classify land use and land cover (LULC) types at various scales. However, their application in African tropical regions has been limited due to methodological challenges arising from the use of coarse-resolution satellite images. In this study, four ML algorithms were compared for LULC monitoring in northern Cameroon, and the random forests model showed the highest classification accuracy. Forest loss was observed in approximately 7% of the study area, with an expansion of croplands and built-up areas being the main factors. This research represents a novel application of ML approaches using coarse-resolution satellite images in an African tropical forest and savanna setting, providing important baseline data for policy development, conservation planning, and monitoring.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Parviz Azizi, Ali Soltani, Farokh Bagheri, Shahrzad Sharifi, Mehdi Mikaeili
Summary: Long-term sustainable development in developing countries requires researching and projecting urban physical growth and land use/land cover change. This study explores the issues of modelling coupled LUCC and urban growth, their causes, and the role of policymakers, using the Tabriz metropolitan area in Iran as a case study. The research uses four well-established methods to design an integrated framework and examines the temporal and spatial dynamics of LUCC and urban growth.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Valentin Bar, Felicia O. Akinyemi, Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
Summary: Land degradation affects most terrestrial biomes globally, and many countries, including Switzerland, have set the goal of achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). However, the lack of annual land use-land cover maps with sufficient resolution hinders the assessment of LDN at national and local levels. This study presents an enhanced workflow for annual land cover mapping in Switzerland and adapts the land cover change criteria to fit the Swiss context.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
L. Vilar, S. Herrera, E. Tafur-Garcia, M. Yebra, J. Martinez-Vega, P. Echavarria, M. P. Martin
Summary: This study used a statistically based regression model to estimate the future probability of wildfire occurrence in four regions of Spain over a 20-year period. The results showed regional differences in the increased probability of wildfires, providing valuable information for planning and management actions in the future.
ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Azher Ibrahim Al-Taei, Ali Asghar Alesheikh, Ali Darvishi Boloorani
Summary: Multi-temporal land use/land cover (LULC) change analysis is crucial for environmental planning and resources management. However, existing global LULC datasets lack consistency on a regional scale and have limited time coverage. This study developed a high-quality multi-temporal LULC mapping approach using Landsat imagery and a random forest classifier. The results showed accurate performance and identified the most important features for LULC mapping. Severe LULC changes were observed in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers basin, particularly in certain areas where land degradation and dust storms emission are pressing issues.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ayse Cagliyan, Dundar Dagli
Summary: This study investigates land use and land cover change using GIS and RS techniques. The results indicate that natural and semi-natural areas are disappearing due to urban growth, while built-up areas are increasing.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Miguel Canibe, Nicolas Titeux, Jesus Dominguez, Adrian Regos
Summary: Habitat loss and degradation pose a major threat to global biodiversity. This study examines the impact of land-use/land-cover mapping procedures on species distribution models using remote sensing data. The results highlight the significant influence of these mapping procedures on the spatial and temporal predictions of the models.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
George Xian, Hua Shi, Qiang Zhou, Roger Auch, Kevin Gallo, Zhuoting Wu, Michael Kolian
Summary: Urban development and associated land cover and land use change alter the thermal, hydrological, and physical properties of the land surface. This study developed a novel approach to characterize landscape thermal conditions, quantifying the urban heat island (UHI) intensity and its spatiotemporal variation using time series of Landsat data. The results showed that UHI intensities had averages of 3.4 degrees C and 3.3 degrees C in the Atlanta and Minneapolis metropolitan areas, respectively. The dominant land cover type in rural areas and urban imperviousness cover determines the UHI intensity. The findings highlight the importance of urban land cover dynamics in controlling UHI and the UHI hotspots.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alan T. Herlihy, Robert M. Hughes, William J. Gerth
Summary: This study investigated the variations in fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages in seven rivers in the Pacific Northwest region based on water quality, habitat structure, and river distance. The results showed that differences among rivers were greater than within-river differences for both fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages. Water quality and river distance had a significant impact on fish assemblages, while habitat structure had a weaker influence.
RIVER RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Siming Gong, James Ball, Nicholas Surawski
Summary: This study introduces novel methods integrating deep learning neural networks and clustering algorithms to generate pixel-based LULC semantic segmentation results from high-resolution satellite imagery, specifically for the Alexandria Canal catchment in Sydney, Australia. The methods achieved excellent classification performance, with MeanShift+U-net showing the highest accuracy and consistency on test imagery. The suitability assessment suggests that all three methods are more suitable for semi-distributed modeling systems, with MeanShift+U-net being the best for image-based impervious area extraction in urban catchments.
JOURNAL OF HYDROINFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rosemary J. Moorhouse-Gann, Ian P. Vaughan, Nik C. Cole, Martine Goder, Vikash Tatayah, Carl G. Jones, Daevid Mike, Richard P. Young, Michael W. Bruford, Malin C. Rivers, Helen Hipperson, Isa-Rita M. Russo, David W. G. Stanton, William O. C. Symondson
Summary: The research found a high level of dietary overlap between tortoises and skinks, but a negative correlation in herbivory preferences and minimal overlap in the most frequently consumed plants. The presence of tortoises is unlikely to have detrimental impacts on skinks, and could even benefit them in the long term by expanding palm-rich habitat. Tortoises may help control invasive plants, but further interventions may be needed to restore certain plant communities on the islet.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sarah R. Davies, Ian P. Vaughan, Robert J. Thomas, Lorna E. Drake, Angela Marchbank, William O. C. Symondson
Summary: The diet of an individual animal can change over time, with age having a significant influence on overall diet composition. Metabarcoding data enhances studies of insectivores in dynamic environments.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ankita Sinha, Nilanjan Chatterjee, Ramesh Krishnamurthy, Steve J. Ormerod
Summary: Heterogeneity in riverine habitats serves as a template for species evolution and influences river communities. This study surveyed multiple headwaters in the Himalayan Mountains and found that elevation had a significant impact on bird traits and community composition, with phylogeny playing a strong role in trait patterns at higher elevations.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
M. J. Whelan, C. Linstead, F. Worrall, S. J. Ormerod, I Durance, A. C. Johnson, D. Johnson, M. Owen, E. Wiik, N. J. K. Howden, T. P. Burt, A. Boxall, C. D. Brown, D. M. Oliver, D. Tickner
Summary: The study explored the claim that river water quality in Great Britain is better now than at any time since the Industrial Revolution. Data and evidence were reviewed for seven categories of water pollutants. The findings suggest that water quality in many rivers downstream of urban centers has improved in sanitary terms, but emerging contaminants and intensive agriculture remain significant challenges. Better identification and prioritization of multiple stressors are needed to enable continued recovery.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Marian C. Pye, Ian P. Vaughan, Steve J. Ormerod, Isabelle Durance
Summary: Climate change may have an impact on the distribution of organic matter and macronutrients in freshwater ecosystems, which could affect stream organisms. However, the vegetation along the riverbanks can help mitigate the effects of climate change by controlling the dynamics of litter. This study assessed how riparian land cover and climatic variability affected the supply, retention, and transport of particulate organic matter in headwaters.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jordan P. Cuff, Fredric M. Windsor, Maximillian P. T. G. Tercel, James R. Bell, William O. C. Symondson, Ian P. Vaughan
Summary: This study investigates the effect of weather on spider trophic interactions, prey community structure, web characteristics, and prey choice. The results show that spider trophic interactions change over time and with weather conditions, primarily due to changes in prey communities. Spiders appear to mitigate the effects of structural changes in prey communities by altering their prey preferences based on prevailing weather conditions, possibly through adaptive web construction. These findings can be used to refine inter-annual predictions of spider trophic interactions and improve our understanding of the relationship between trophic interactions and weather.
Article
Ecology
Ewan H. Stenhouse, Paul Bellamy, Will Kirby, Ian P. Vaughan, Lorna E. Drake, Angela Marchbank, Trudy Workman, William O. C. Symondson, Pablo Orozco-terWengel
Summary: The avian diet is influenced by specific site factors and intrinsic factors such as sex, leading to dietary niche separation and impacting adaptation to environmental variation. Limited knowledge of woodland bird diets hampers understanding of their declining populations. A study on UK Hawfinches using fecal metabarcoding revealed varied diet among individuals and sexes, indicating their ability to utilize multiple resources.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ewan H. Stenhouse, Paul Bellamy, Will Kirby, Ian P. Vaughan, William O. C. Symondson, Pablo Orozco-terWengel
Summary: Knowledge of diet and dietary selectivity is important for conserving declining species, but obtaining accurate information is challenging. Through high-throughput sequencing and comparison with tree occurrence data, we found that hawfinches selectively feed on certain tree genera disproportionately to availability. This study provides detailed information on hawfinch dietary choice and can be used to predict the effects of changing food resources on other declining bird populations in the future.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Abigail J. Lynch, Steven J. Cooke, Angela H. Arthington, Claudio Baigun, Lisa Bossenbroek, Chris Dickens, Ian Harrison, Ismael Kimirei, Simone D. Langhans, Karen J. Murchie, Julian D. Olden, Steve J. Ormerod, Margaret Owuor, Rajeev Raghavan, Michael J. Samways, Rafaela Schinegger, Subodh Sharma, Ram-Devi Tachamo-Shah, David Tickner, Denis Tweddle, Nathan Young, Sonja C. Jaehnig
Summary: Freshwater biodiversity provides a wide range of services to humans, including food, health and genetic resources, material goods, culture, education and science, recreation, catchment integrity, climate regulation, water purification, and nutrient cycling. Protecting and conserving freshwater biodiversity, as well as increasing human appreciation for it, can contribute to human well-being and a sustainable future.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-WATER
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Nicholas E. Tew, Katherine C. R. Baldock, Joanne M. Morten, Stephanie Bird, Ian P. Vaughan, Jane Memmott
Summary: Nectar and pollen are important food sources for insect pollinators, and quantifying their supplies can help us understand and mitigate declines in pollinators. This study collected floral nectar sugar data from 225 plant taxa in urban green spaces in the UK, with a focus on non-native species. The dataset includes information on daily nectar sugar production and concentration, which can be used to estimate nectar production in habitats and identify high-nectar plants of conservation importance.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2023)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Maximillian P. T. G. Tercel, Jordan P. Cuff, William O. C. Symondson, Ian P. Vaughan
Summary: This study conducted a meta-analysis on the effects of ant invasion on animal communities. The results showed that non-native ants significantly reduced animal diversity, with a decrease of 42.79% in species abundance and 53.56% in species richness. This highlights the role of non-native ants as drivers of significant reductions in animal community diversity.
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ian P. Vaughan
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Stefano Larsen, Fiona Joyce, Ian P. Vaughan, Isabelle Durance, Jonathan A. Walter, Steve J. Ormerod
Summary: This study explores the influence of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the synchrony and stability of stream invertebrates in central Wales. The results show that warmer and wetter conditions during positive NAO winters synchronize population and community variations in streams, reducing stability across ecological levels. The findings suggest that large-scale climatic fluctuations can affect inland freshwater ecosystems and highlight the importance of protecting and restoring functional diversity in stream communities to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)