Article
Agronomy
Herminia Garcia-Mozo, Rocio Lopez-Orozco, Jose Oteros, Carmen Galan
Summary: This paper investigates an unusual phenomenon, the second flowering of holm oak in autumn, in the Mediterranean agroforestry ecosystems of South Europe. The study reveals that climate change, particularly dry summers and warm autumns, is the main cause of this phenomenon. The findings highlight the potential consequences for these important and endangered Mediterranean ecosystems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Raymond M. Buchheit, Charles R. Eldermire, Heather M. Wilson, Joel A. Schmutz
Summary: The study found that emperor geese are arriving at wintering areas earlier and staying longer than in the past. More emperor geese are now choosing to winter closer to breeding areas in western Alaska, likely due to increasing habitat availability from shifting environmental conditions. Additionally, fewer emperor geese are using the core area of their wintering range, indicating decreased habitat quality or a decrease in migration distance via alternative locations. The results highlight a rapid response to habitat change likely due to warming temperatures and reduced ice cover, underscoring the importance of understanding complex interactions among migration distance, the environment, and habitat selection.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Justine Bertram, Nathalie Kuerten, Coraline Bichet, Peter J. Schupp, Sandra Bouwhuis
Summary: The environmental presence of mercury has significantly increased over the past century, leading to higher uptake by top predators like seabirds. Using a tracking method, this study identified wintering areas of common terns and analyzed their feather mercury levels. Results showed differences in mercury levels among wintering areas and considerable inter-annual fluctuations. Further investigations are needed to determine the effects of these levels on individual survival and reproductive performance.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Zhijun Huang, Xiaoping Zhou, Wenzhen Fang, Hailong Zhang, Xiaolin Chen
Summary: The study reveals that juvenile Chinese Egrets migrate southward via coastal, oceanic, and inland routes mainly during the night, with an average migration duration of 5.08 days and flight speed of 57.27 km/h. They winter in coastal wetlands in Southeast Asia. Additionally, it was found that juvenile Chinese Egrets are able to fly over the Pacific Ocean without a stopover.
Article
Ecology
Boudjema Samraoui, Yves Kayser, Laid Touati, Farrah Samraoui, Abdennour Boucheker, Hamed A. El-Serehy, Kenz Raouf Samraoui
Summary: Understanding how environmental changes affect bird population dynamics is a challenging conservation issue. In this study, we investigated the diet of Eleonora's falcon and found that it correlated with the seasonal migration of birds, reflecting changes in prey abundance. We suggest that studying predator diets can provide insights into bird migration changes.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Federica Carucci, Giuseppe Gatta, Anna Gagliardi, Pasquale De Vita, Simone Bregaglio, Marcella Michela Giuliani
Summary: Organic farming systems are often limited by soil nitrogen availability. This study found that foliar applications can improve organic durum wheat yields, especially in modern varieties. The application of sulfur and nitrogen has a positive synergistic effect on nitrogen uptake, utilization efficiency, and grain yield of durum wheat. Additionally, selenium treatment improved post-anthesis nitrogen uptake and utilization efficiency, leading to increased yields in both traditional and modern varieties.
Article
Zoology
Hakan Karaardic
Summary: This study assessed the behaviour of European Robins in wintering seasons. By using capture-recapture methods, it was found that these birds show a high level of site fidelity in their wintering area.
ZOOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sander Lagerveld, Tony Wilkes, Marinka E. B. van Puijenbroek, Bart C. A. Noort, Steve C. V. Geelhoed
Summary: Seasonal movements between summer and winter areas are common in bats, but there is limited scientific knowledge on sea migration. This study used continuous ultrasonic acoustic monitoring to analyze the migration patterns of Nathusius' pipistrelle in the southern North Sea during autumn. The results showed clear spatiotemporal patterns, with peak migration occurring from mid-August to late October and most bats found near the Noord Holland coast. The study also identified wind direction, lunar phase, and offshore structures as factors influencing migration behavior.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Hongwei Chu, Qun Zhao, Yichu Shan, Shen Zhang, Zhigang Sui, Xiao Li, Fei Fang, Baofeng Zhao, Shijun Zhong, Zhen Liang, Lihua Zhang, Yukui Zhang
Summary: A novel pipeline using all-ion monitoring technology was developed for high-coverage quantification of low-abundance proteins, leading to the discovery of key differential proteins in the mechanism of HCC metastasis, such as CALB2.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Margaret R. Blake, Megan A. Fylling, Deborah S. Leick, Tricia M. Rodriguez, Katharine R. Stone
Summary: Detecting changes in abundance through time is important but limited. This study compared two monitoring tools for detecting relative abundance of migratory birds. Results showed mist netting performed better in characterizing species diversity. Increased detection of nocturnal flight calls was moderately correlated with mist-net captures the following day, indicating the two methods are not equivalent for tracking relative abundance.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Arielle W. Parsons, James S. Clark, Roland Kays
Summary: Small mammals play a crucial role in ecological communities and their abundance changes can reflect the impacts of environmental change. While capture-recapture estimates of absolute abundance are preferred, indices of abundance are still used in some cases. This study evaluated the reliability of abundance indices and index calibration methods using a large dataset from the US National Ecological Observatory Network. The results showed that neither raw abundance indices nor index calibrations were reliable approximations of absolute abundance. Counting individuals was found to be the best index to use, especially if it can be calibrated with capture probability. Hierarchical models that allow for sharing of capture probabilities may offer a better solution for large-scale small mammal sampling.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
L. Vergni, F. Todisco, B. Di Lena
Summary: The study compared six meteorological drought indices and found that the level of agreement between them depended on the criteria of drought severity classification and the different indices' calculation method. Despite high correlation, Cohen's Kappa test was more effective in discriminating the actual strength of agreement or disagreement between drought indices.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alfio Marco Borzi, Vittorio Minio, Flavio Cannavo, Angelo Cavallaro, Sebastiano D'Amico, Adam Gauci, Raphael De Plaen, Thomas Lecocq, Gabriele Nardone, Arianna Orasi, Marco Picone, Andrea Cannata
Summary: This study analyzed the microseismic signal accompanying the extreme weather event caused by the Mediterranean small-scale tropical cyclone "Medicane Apollo" and investigated its relationship with sea conditions. Spectral and amplitude analyses showed the spatial-temporal variation of microseismic amplitudes, demonstrating the feasibility of extracting information on Mediterranean storms from microseisms.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ivan Braga Campos, Rachel Fewster, Anthony Truskinger, Michael Towsey, Paul Roe, Demival Vasques Filho, William Lee, Anne Gaskett
Summary: Monitoring of protected areas using passive acoustic monitoring and acoustic indices is a useful method for detecting differences in soundscapes between protected and non-protected areas. The study shows that acoustic indices can effectively capture changes in soundscapes and aid in monitoring biodiversity trends in protected areas.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexandra Tomaz, Maria Joao Costa, Joao Coutinho, Jose Dores, Adriana Catarino, Ines Martins, Clarisse Mourinha, Isabel Guerreiro, Maria Margarida Pereira, Marta Fabiao, Luis Boteta, Manuel Patanita, Patricia Palma
Summary: This study assessed the risk of salinization and sodification in a hydro-agricultural area in Southern Portugal, finding that most monitored crop fields presented the same risk classes. A risk management framework was outlined following a multi-scale perspective for mitigation actions in salt-sensitive areas.
Article
Ecology
Kilian J. Murphy, Simone Ciuti, Adam Kane
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2020)
Book Review
Ecology
Kilian J. Murphy, Simone Ciuti
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Book Review
Ecology
Kilian J. Murphy
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kilian J. Murphy, Virginia Morera-Pujol, Eoin Ryan, Andrew W. Byrne, Philip Breslin, Simone Ciuti
Summary: Human modification of landscapes and associated disturbances may increase the risk of zoonotic diseases. This study found a significant link between mechanised forestry operations and relative bovine tuberculosis (bTB) risk in cattle farms, with the relationship being dynamic in time and space. These findings have implications for policy-making and surveillance of wildlife hosts and bTB risk.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kilian J. Murphy, Laura L. Griffin, Grace Nolan, Amy Haigh, Tamara Hochstrasser, Simone Ciuti, Adam Kane
Summary: Applied research involves interactions between different organizations, which can be affected by communication breakdowns. Autoethnography provides a structured reflection using personal experiences to understand collaborative processes. The applied autoethnography protocol ensures adequate description of biases and context, and reflection on encountered problems and lessons learned.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Andrew W. Byrne, Damien Barrett, Philip Breslin, James O'Keeffe, Kilian J. Murphy, Kimberly Conteddu, Virginia Morera-Pujol, Eoin Ryan, Simone Ciuti
Summary: Disturbance ecology studies the impact of processes that disrupt the structure and dynamics of an ecosystem on wildlife and pathogen hosts. This study found an association between forest clearfelling and bovine tuberculosis risk.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Virginia Morera-Pujol, Philip S. Mostert, Kilian J. Murphy, Tim Burkitt, Barry Coad, Barry J. McMahon, Maarten Nieuwenhuis, Kevin Morelle, Alastair I. Ward, Simone Ciuti
Summary: Using geospatial data to predict species distribution is a common tool in management and conservation. However, high-quality data is expensive, so integrated species distribution models (ISDMs) have been developed to combine high-quality presence-absence data with low-quality presence-only data. This study demonstrates the applicability of spatially explicit ISDMs to empirical data in a Bayesian context.
Article
Ecology
Kilian J. Murphy, David R. Roberts, William F. Jensen, Scott E. Nielsen, Sandra K. Johnson, Brian M. Hosek, Bruce Stillings, Jesse Kolar, Mark S. Boyce, Simone Ciuti
Summary: Wildlife population dynamics are influenced by climate, resources, density, and predator-prey interactions. Understanding the impact of human disturbances on these processes is important for wildlife conservation. However, there is a lack of long-term data on wildlife populations and the interplay between human activity, climate, and predator density. In this study, a 50-year time series was used to investigate the effects of landscape-level disturbance on mule deer fawn fall recruitment. The study found that density-dependent effects and harsh weather were the main drivers of fawn fall recruitment in the North Dakota Badlands.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kilian J. Murphy, Simone Ciuti, Tim Burkitt, Virginia Morera-Pujol
Summary: Having spatial population data is crucial for designing adaptive management strategies and addressing challenges in conservation and human-wildlife conflict. Bayesian areal disaggregation regression offers a solution to convert low-resolution areal counts into high-resolution species distribution models, providing a new approach to collect and analyze data for wildlife populations.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Sarah Keenan, Dagmara Niedziela, Virginia Morera-Pujol, Danny Franklin, Kilian J. Murphy, Simone Ciuti, Barry J. Mcmahon
Summary: Classification systems are useful tools for aggregating and studying diseases in detail. However, the current systems mainly designed for healthcare fail to capture many details of zoonotic diseases. This study aims to develop a framework for the classification of zoonotic diseases that generates data useful for their study and assists policy-makers and wildlife managers. Using six wild deer species as an example, the framework is applied to examine the worldwide occurrence and prevalence of zoonoses in these species. A total of 120 zoonotic pathogens were found, with bacteria being the most prevalent pathogen type.