Article
Entomology
Silvana Laura Abbate, Filipe Madeira, Oscar Bentancur, Nora Altier, Xavier Pons
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of non-Bt refuge areas on the abundance and richness of predator species in Bt soybean and non-Bt fields. The results showed that the abundance and richness of predators in Bt soybean were positively associated with the values recorded in refuge areas, regardless of landscape diversity. This highlights the importance of refuge areas not only for resistance management, but also as preservation areas for beneficial fauna in agroecosystems.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jeannie M. Beadle, Joseph Holden, Lee E. Brown
Summary: Peatlands in the northern hemisphere have been drained but restoration efforts have been made to raise water tables and enhance biodiversity. This study analyzed the response of aquatic invertebrates to peatland restoration through several approaches. Invertebrate communities established quickly after pond creation, but their diversity and abundance peaked at around 5 years before declining. The environmental conditions and biodiversity of older ponds were similar to natural ponds, indicating restoration success for aquatic biodiversity gains.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Noelle Klein, Felix Herzog, Philippe Jeanneret, Sonja Kay
Summary: This study validated an LCA tool in predicting bird/butterfly richness at the field/landscape scale and tested the improvement of prediction by considering the spatial context. The results showed that adding specific landscape metrics improved the landscape model for birds but not for butterflies.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ian J. Radford, Ben Corey, Karin Carnes, Erica Shedley, Lachie McCaw, Leigh-Ann Woolley
Summary: Northern Australia has seen declines in threatened small and medium-sized mammals, with feral cats believed to be the main driver. This study found that habitat cover and disturbance factors at the site-scale are more important for mammals than broader fire mosaic attributes. Measures such as maintaining unburnt vegetation patches, controlling feral cats, and reducing the impact of feral livestock are critical for mammal conservation in these landscapes.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andrey L. D. Augustynczik, Laura Dobor, Tomas Hlasny
Summary: The study proposed a novel management framework aiming at salvaging a limited number of windfelled stands with the highest leverage for outbreak risk in a spatially optimized way, which can better balance multiple management objectives than the broadly applied uniform treatment, including the reduction of secondary disturbance from bark beetles, deadwood retention, and economic goals.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sandra D. Williamson, Richard van Dongen, Lewis Trotter, Russell Palmer, Todd P. Robinson
Summary: Feral cats are highly damaging predators that have caused the decline and extinction of many native species in Australia. By studying the movement data of collared feral cats, researchers have estimated home range sizes by gender and created species distribution models in the Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia. The study found that male cats have larger home ranges compared to females, prefer riparian habitats with productive vegetation cover, and tend to avoid newly burnt areas and topographically complex landscapes. Conservation efforts can benefit by targeting control measures in these preferential habitats.
Article
Biology
Mary K. Donovan, Chelsie W. W. Counsell, Megan J. Donahue, Joey Lecky, Laura Gajdzik, Stacia D. Marcoux, Russell Sparks, Christopher Teague
Summary: Herbivore management is crucial for resilience-based coral reef conservation. This study analyzed data from multiple monitoring programs in Hawai'i and found that herbivore biomass varied significantly throughout the region. Both human and biophysical drivers explained the variation in herbivore biomass, and fishing and land-based pollution had negative effects on biomass. The study also revealed a strong link between herbivore biomass and benthic condition.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Russell Palmer, Hannah Anderson, Brooke Richards, Michael D. Craig, Lesley Gibson
Summary: The study demonstrated the positive effect of feral cat baiting on protecting northern quoll populations, with evidence of range expansion in a relatively short-term project. Strategic long-term feral cat management approaches are likely needed to maximize control program efficacy and improve conservation outlook for vulnerable threatened fauna.
Article
Forestry
Emilie Champagne, Alejandro A. Royo, Jean-Pierre Tremblay, Patricia Raymond
Summary: Assisted migration is a forest management tool in response to climate change, but may face pressure from mammalian herbivores, highlighting the importance of selecting tree species with low susceptibility to herbivores. This study uses seedling chemical content to predict susceptibility to mammalian herbivores and proposes a chemical profiling approach as a screening tool.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
David A. Roshier, Andrew Carter
Summary: Introduced mammalian predators, such as the European red fox and feral cat in Australia, play a significant role in species decline and extinction. Understanding the spatial distribution and interactions between these predators is crucial for effective management. Studies show that feral cats tend to roam independently while red foxes establish defined territories, leading to different patterns of distribution and interaction in the landscape.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Isabel M. Rojas, Megan K. Jennings, Erin Conlisk, Alexandra D. Syphard, Jack Mikesell, Alicia M. Kinoshita, Krista West, Doug Stow, Emanuel Storey, Mark E. De Guzman, Diane Foote, Alexandria Warneke, Amber Pairis, Sherry Ryan, Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, Rebecca L. Lewison
Summary: This study emphasizes the importance of considering not only climate refugia, but also other stressors such as human-induced changes in fire and hydrology, for conservation efforts. The authors introduced a new conceptual approach called "domains of refugia" to assess refugial capacity and identify areas with low exposure to multiple stressors. Results suggest that areas with high refugial capacity may be underrepresented in existing protected area networks, highlighting the need for expanding conservation efforts.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Helen Moor, Ariel Bergamini, Christoph Vorburger, Rolf Holderegger, Christoph Buehler, Simon Egger, Benedikt R. Schmidt
Summary: This study evaluates the effects of a major pond-construction program on amphibian communities and finds that it can effectively mitigate population decline and increase population size.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cheryl A. Lohr, Kristen Nilsson, Ashleigh Johnson, Bethany Pittway, Neil Hamilton, Mike Onus, Dave Algar
Summary: The study reveals a significant weakness in current feral cat survey methods and emphasizes the importance of cat detectability for accurate estimates of feral cat abundance or occupancy.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Chadwick D. Rittenhouse, John M. Tirpak, Frank R. Thompson
Summary: Public-private partnerships are crucial for landscape conservation design (LCD), which aims to guide conservation efforts and foster collaboration among partners. However, variation in approach among LCD projects poses challenges to project coordination and integration, especially when few species or ecosystems are targeted by multiple projects.
Article
Ecology
James Ryan, Peter J. Prentis, Susan Fuller
Summary: This study conducted a landscape genetic analysis of feral pig populations in the Herbert region of Australia to determine management units and provide recommendations for population control strategies. It found weak genetic structure among the sampling sites, with major waterways acting as a minor barrier to gene flow. Highways were found to facilitate gene flow, potentially acting as movement corridors or indicating translocation of feral pigs. Incorporating a second spatial scale enhanced the analysis. Three management units were identified based on natural barriers to gene flow.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
