Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Santosh Kumar Rana, Hum Kala Rana, Dong Luo, Hang Sun
Summary: This study used a species distribution model under climate change to explore the adaptability range changes of Incarvillea species in the Himalayas, showing larger ecological differentiation within the genus and subgenera by climatic rather than environmental variables. The model predicted an expansion of the species range in the Hengduan Mountains under future climate warming, but did not fully support the "Nowhere to go" hypothesis.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Guanghua Zhao, Xinyue Cui, Jiejie Sun, Tingting Li, Qi Wang, Xingzhuang Ye, Baoguo Fan
Summary: This study utilized mathematical models and environmental data analysis to study the geographic distribution changes of Ziziphus jujuba and its response to climate anomalies. The results indicate that as climate warms, the suitable growing areas for Z. jujuba will shift to higher latitudes, showing a noticeable response to climate change.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Debojyoti Chakraborty, Norbert Moricz, Ervin Rasztovits, Laura Dobor, Silvio Schueler
Summary: This study developed a dataset using an ensemble approach to describe the potential distribution of seven important tree species in Europe, while accounting for uncertainty due to model algorithms. The maps generated are input data for the decision support tool SusSelect, which predicts forest tree vulnerability in climate change and recommends adapted planting materials. The dataset can be accessed at the provided link.
ANNALS OF FOREST SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Santosh Kumar Rana, Hum Kala Rana, Juerg Stoecklin, Sailesh Ranjitkar, Hang Sun, Bo Song
Summary: Global warming is pushing alpine plants towards mountaintops, increasing the risk of extinction. Two alpine 'glasshouse' species have shown significant range shifts in response to climate change, mainly driven by precipitation. This study highlights the importance of conservation efforts for these species.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Francisco Javier Urcadiz-Cazares, Victor Hugo Cruz-Escalona, Mark S. Peterson, Adrian Felipe Gonzalez-Acosta, Emigdio Marin-Enriquez, Jose Manuel Borges-Souza, Arturo Del-Pino-Machado, Alfredo Ortega-Rubio
Summary: Protected species play an important role in decision-making for environmental authorization of development projects. In Mexico, an environmental impact statement (EIS) is required to evaluate potential impacts and document the presence or absence of protected species within the project area. However, the in situ detection of certain faunal groups, such as protected fish species (PFS), can be challenging. This study revealed that 74% of EIS examined did not declare PFS in areas where ecological niche models predicted their presence.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tri Retnaningsih Soeprobowati, Sutrisno Anggoro, Sri Puryono, Hartuti Purnaweni, Raden Bambang Sularto, Rohidin Mersyah
Summary: Most of the cities in Bengkulu are coastal areas under substantial pressure from infrastructure development, which has affected the mangrove ecosystems. This study analyzed the composition and distribution of mangrove species and determined the water quality in Bengkulu. The findings revealed a diverse vegetation species and relatively good water quality, except for the nitrite concentration that exceeded national standards.
Article
Plant Sciences
Daniele Bonsanto, Nello Biscotti, Robert Philipp Wagensommer
Summary: This paper presents the results of a research conducted on Scabiosa garganica, a species with limited herbarium records and outdated morphological descriptions. The study found multiple populations in the Gargano Promontory area, providing insight into distribution and ecological conditions related to S. garganica. Morphological analysis of a large sample confirmed the species autonomy and clarified its relationship with S. holosericea and S. taygetea. Additionally, the conservation status of the species was assessed using IUCN criteria.
Article
Ecology
Anderson A. Eduardo, Alexandre Liparini, Pablo A. Martinez, Sidney F. Gouveia, Pablo Riul
Summary: Species distribution models (SDMs) rely on assumptions of equilibrium distribution with the environment and conserved climatic niche over geological time. Multitemporal calibration improves the temporal transferability of SDMs, allowing for integration of fossil and recent occurrence data.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Yadong Xu, Yi Huang, Huiru Zhao, Meiling Yang, Yuqi Zhuang, Xinping Ye
Summary: The study found that with climate change, the suitable habitat of C. japonicum will slightly increase and shift northwestward, but highly suitable areas will be severely lost. Under future climatic conditions, the highly suitable habitats in Zhejiang and Anhui will almost disappear. The problem of climate change may be more urgent than it is believed.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Justin J. Van Ee, Jacob S. Ivan, Mevin B. Hooten
Summary: Joint species distribution models are commonly used to study species-environment relationships and species dependence. This study introduces a method for measuring community confounding and demonstrates how to orthogonalize the environmental and random species effects in joint species distribution models. The results show that community confounding can lead to computational difficulties, but orthogonalizing the effects can alleviate these difficulties. The implications of community confounding and orthogonalization are discussed through a case study on mammalian responses to a bark beetle epidemic.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Josee S. Rousseau, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: The transferability of species distribution models (SDMs) plays a crucial role in predicting accuracy and can be affected by factors such as geographical distance, degree of extrapolation, and distance from a species' core range. Species with large distributions, located in areas with low topographic relief, and with short lifespans are more likely to exhibit low transferability. Transferability between modeled regions also decreases with geographical distance and degree of extrapolation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Peter A. Vesk, William K. Morris, Will C. Neal, Karel Mokany, Laura J. Pollock
Summary: The study examined the predictive capacity of trait-species distribution models by fitting models in a reference region and applying them to a larger set of target areas, finding median predictive performance and the impact of model reliability on predictions. Transfer testing identified trait-environment relationships that did not transfer, highlighting the potential usefulness of traits and transfer testing in predicting environmental responses.
Article
Agronomy
Xuanye Wen, Guanghua Zhao, Xiaotian Cheng, Guobin Chang, Xiaobo Dong, Xiao Lin
Summary: This study combined multiple ecological niche models to evaluate the distribution of suitable habitats for Rhombomys opimus and predict the impact of future climate change. The results indicate that the suitable habitat of R. opimus will shift towards higher latitude regions and decrease in some countries while increasing in others.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Iosu Paradinas, Janine Illian, Sophie Smout, Judi Hewitt
Summary: Species Distribution Models often include spatial effects that improve predictions and reduce errors. However, interpreting spatial patterns becomes difficult due to the presence of unidentified drivers. This study demonstrates that spatial effects can smooth out the effects of multiple unaccounted drivers.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Harsh Yadav, Shyam S. Phartyal, Yuki Iwachido, Takehiro Sasaki
Summary: This study summarizes the diversity and distributions of native tree species in South Asia, highlighting the importance of certain biodiversity hotspots and families. It also emphasizes the need for conservation measures and the use of native tree species in urban greening.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Javier Juste, Laura Torrent, Aline Mendez-Rodriguez, Kelli Howard, Juan Luis Garcia-Mudarra, Jesus Nogueras, Carlos Ibanez
Summary: We identify a new species of pipistrelle-like bats from Principe Island in Western Central Africa based on molecular and morphological characteristics. The inclusion of molecular techniques and appropriate species sampling has allowed for a clearer understanding of the systematic classification of the whole pipistrelle group. This new species has been placed within the dark-winged group of the recently described genus Pseudoromicia, exhibiting distinct morphological traits and being the smallest recognized species within the genus. Urgent field studies are needed to assess the ecology and conservation status of this endemic island species.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alessandro Mondanaro, Mirko Di Febbraro, Silvia Castiglione, Marina Melchionna, Carmela Serio, Giorgia Girardi, Arianna Morena Belfiore, Pasquale Raia
Summary: Species distribution models (SDMs) are useful tools to understand the impact of environmental variation on species distribution. However, they often lose accuracy when applied to rare species, creating a paradox. In this study, we introduce a new algorithm, ENphylo, that combines Environmental Niche Factor Analysis and phylogenetic imputation to model the distribution of rare species. Using the fossil record of 31 late Pleistocene large mammals, we demonstrate that ENphylo provides accurate predictions with just 10 randomly sampled occurrences.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michele Innangi, Flavio Marzialetti, Mirko Di Febbraro, Alicia Teresa Rosario Acosta, Walter De Simone, Ludovico Frate, Michele Finizio, Priscila Villalobos Perna, Maria Laura Carranza
Summary: Coastal dune ecosystems are threatened by invasive alien plants, and using remote sensing techniques, particularly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), can be effective for mapping these species. In this study, UAV images were used to map a dune invader (Carpobrotus sp. pl.) using image segmentation and machine learning classification. The results showed that using both RGB and multispectral data improved the prediction of Carpobrotus, mapping the whole plant or its vegetative parts produced the best results, and a training area corresponding to 20% of the total area was sufficient for model building.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Luca Francesco Russo, Angel Fernandez-Gonzalez, Vincenzo Penteriani, Maria del Mar Delgado, Santiago Palazon, Anna Loy, Mirko Di Febbraro
Summary: In the last century, climate and land use change have led to the extinction or decline of hundreds of species. This study focuses on the effects of these changes on two semi-aquatic mammals, the Pyrenean desman and the Eurasian otter, and how it may impact their interaction. The results show that the otters will benefit from the environmental alterations, while the desmans will lose suitable habitats and face increased predation risk. Climate and land use change can have different effects on biodiversity and it is important to understand their impacts on specific species.
Review
Environmental Studies
Priscila Villalobos Perna, Mirko Di Febbraro, Maria Laura Carranza, Flavio Marzialetti, Michele Innangi
Summary: Coastal environments face significant threats from invasive alien plants (IAP), and Remote Sensing (RS) can be a valuable tool for detecting and mapping IAP. This systematic literature review examined 68 research papers published between 2000 and 2021 that implemented, recommended, or discussed RS tools for IAP mapping in coastal environments. The review found that China and the USA had the most research on this topic, with Sporobolus being the most extensively studied genus. The number of studies increased rapidly from 2015, coinciding with a shift from RS for IAP detection to RS for invasion modeling. Aircraft were the most commonly used platform in the 2000s, followed by satellites from 2005 and unmanned aerial vehicles from 2014. Frequentist inference was the dominant classification approach in the 2000s, while machine learning gained popularity after 2009. RS applications varied across coastal ecosystem types and countries. The study highlights the huge potential of RS for improving IAP monitoring and emphasizes the need for advanced applications that incorporate current and future Earth observation data.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marion Dejosez, Arturo Marin, Graham M. Hughes, Ariadna E. Morales, Carlos Godoy-Parejo, Jonathan L. Gray, Yiren Qin, Arun A. Singh, Hui Xu, Javier Juste, Carlos Ibanez, Kris M. White, Romel Rosales, Nancy J. Francoeur, Robert P. Sebra, Dominic Alcock, Thomas L. Volkert, Sebastien J. Puechmaille, Andrzej Pastusiak, Simon D. W. Frost, Michael Hiller, Richard A. Young, Emma C. Teeling, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Thomas P. Zwaka
Summary: By creating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from bats, researchers have discovered that bats can tolerate a large load of viral sequences and may have a more intertwined relationship with viruses. Further study of bat iPSCs and their differentiated progeny will provide insights into bat biology, virus host relationships, and the molecular basis of bats' special traits.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Manuela D'Amen, Sonia Smeraldo, Ernesto Azzurro
Summary: This study reveals that besides a warming climate, salinity is a key factor in determining the distribution of Red Sea fishes in the Mediterranean Sea. Models based on surface variables perform better than those including bottom variables.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mauro Paolo Buonincontri, Luciano Bosso, Sonia Smeraldo, Maria Luisa Chiusano, Salvatore Pasta, Gaetano Di Pasquale
Summary: This study analyzed ancient charcoal and wood data and used spatial analysis to examine the impact of climate change and human activities on the distribution of Fagus sylvatica in the Mediterranean coastal and lowland areas. The results showed a significant decrease in the distribution area of Fagus sylvatica during the Late Holocene, particularly in the lowland areas and at higher altitudes. Climate change and human activities had a significant influence on the distribution in the lowland areas. These findings have important implications for forest management, conservation policies, and future research projects.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeremy S. P. Froidevaux, Nia Toshkova, Luc Barbaro, Ana Benitez-Lopez, Christian Kerbiriou, Isabelle Le Viol, Michela Pacifici, Luca Santini, Clare Stawski, Danilo Russo, Jasja Dekker, Antton Alberdi, Francisco Amorim, Leonardo Ancillotto, Kevin Barre, Yves Bas, Lisette Cantu-Salazar, Dina K. N. Dechmann, Tiphaine Devaux, Katrine Eldegard, Sasan Fereidouni, Joanna Furmankiewicz, Daniela Hamidovic, Davina L. Hill, Carlos Ibanez, Jean-Francois Julien, Javier Juste, Peter Kanuch, Carmi Korine, Alexis Laforge, Gaelle Legras, Camille Leroux, Grzegorz Lesinski, Lea Mariton, Julie Marmet, Vanessa A. Mata, Clare M. Mifsud, Victoria Nistreanu, Roberto Novella-Fernandez, Hugo Rebelo, Niamh Roche, Charlotte Roemer, Ireneusz Ruczynski, Rune Soras, Marcel Uhrin, Adriana Vella, Christian C. Voigt, Orly Razgour
Summary: Knowledge of species' functional traits is crucial for understanding biodiversity patterns, predicting global environmental changes, and assessing conservation measures. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive data on the functional traits and ecological attributes of European bat species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mirko Di Febbraro, Luciano Bosso, Mauro Fasola, Francesca Santicchia, Gaetano Aloise, Simone Lioy, Elena Tricarico, Luciano Ruggieri, Stefano Bovero, Emiliano Mori, Sandro Bertolino
Summary: Citizen science initiatives are being used to model the distribution of alien species, but only a few studies have evaluated the contribution of integrating citizen science data with scientifically structured surveys. This study compared the ability of citizen science data and scientific surveys, as well as their integration, to capture the realized niche and predict future invasion risk of 13 invasive alien species in Italy. The findings showed that citizen science data can be valuable in predicting future spread of invasive alien species, but it may also affect the niche quantification and prediction for species poorly known to citizen scientists or in local contexts.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jaime Carrasco, Rodrigo Mahaluf, Fulgencio Lison, Cristobal Pais, Alejandro Miranda, Felipe de la Barra, David Palacios, Andres Weintraub
Summary: This study proposes a solution approach to optimize the selection of landscape cells for firebreaks by considering ecological values, ignition patterns, and fire spread behavior. A firebreak placement model is formulated to balance the tradeoff between biodiversity loss due to vegetation removal and protection against future forest fires. The optimal solution reduced expected biodiversity losses by 30% compared to an untreated landscape, and by 16% compared to a randomly chosen solution. These results suggest that the biodiversity loss from vegetation removal can be offset by the protective function of firebreaks.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michela Perrone, Mirko Di Febbraro, Luisa Conti, Jan Divisek, Milan Chytry, Petr Keil, Maria Laura Carranza, Duccio Rocchini, Michele Torresani, Vitezslav Moudry, Petra Simova, Dominika Prajzlerova, Jana Mullerova, Jan Wild, Marco Malavasi
Summary: Biodiversity monitoring is important for ecosystem conservation, and remote sensing provides a convenient approach for collecting frequent and near-real-time information. This study investigates the applicability of spectral diversity (SD) metrics for monitoring plant diversity by comparing different types of SD metrics. The results show that SD is positively related to species richness and functional diversity, but only explains a small fraction of the variance in the models, and the strength of the relationship depends on habitat type.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiaoyang Ruan, Axel Timmermann, Pasquale Raia, Kyung-Sook Yun, Elke Zeller, Alessandro Mondanaro, Mirko Di Febbraro, Danielle Lemmon, Silvia Castiglione, Marina Melchionna
Summary: This study investigates the possibility of interbreeding between Neanderthals and Denisovans using species distribution models and simulations of global climate and biomes. The research reveals that climate-driven zonal shifts in central Eurasia influenced the timing and intensity of potential interbreeding events between these archaic humans. Glacial-interglacial climate swings played an important role in favoring gene flow between Neanderthals and Denisovans.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Michail Ragkousis, Argyro Zenetos, Jamila Ben Souissi, Razy Hoffman, Raouia Ghanem, Ergun Taskin, Mihaela Muresan, Evgeniia Karpova, Elena Slynko, Ertan Dagli, Ana Fortic, Victor Surugiu, Vesna Macic, Domen Trkov, Wafa Rjiba Bahri, Konstantinos Tsiamis, Alfonso A. Ramos-Espla, Slavica Petovic, Jasmine Ferrario, Agnese Marchini, Renato Sconfietti, Izdihar Ammar, Alaa Alo, Dori Edelist, Tatiana Begun, Adrian Teaca, Gokhan Tari, Mehmet Fatih Huseyinoglu, Paraskevi K. Karachle, Aikaterini Dogrammatzi, Giorgos A. Apostolopoulos, Fabio Crocetta, Eleni Kytinou, Markos Digenis, Grigorios Skouradakis, Fiona Tomas, Michel Bariche, Alexandros Kaminas, Kassiani Konida, Alan Deidun, Alessio Marrone, Simonetta Fraschetti, Vesselina Mihneva, Carlo Nike Bianchi, Carla Morri, Vasilis Gerovasileiou, Lovrenc Lipej, Maria Sini, Luisa Mangialajo, Maria Zotou, Marius Skolka, Ernesto Azzurro, Adriana Vella, Thanos Dailianis, Panos Grigoriou, Carlos Jimenez, Konstantinos Tsirintanis, Georgios Oikonomidis, Emanuele Mancini, Orestis Papadakis, Vincenzo Di Martino, Giorgos Chatzigeorgiou, Mohamed Mourad Ben Amor, Emmanouela Vernadou, Yaprak Arda, Vasileios Minasidis, Annalisa Azzola, Louis Hadjioannou, Monica Montefalcone, Yacopo Baldacchino, Bessy Stancanelli, Andrea Bonifazi, Anna Occhipinti-Ambrogi, Sonia Smeraldo, Julian Evans, Gerasimos Kondylatos, Manuela Falautano, Luca Castriota, Aggelos Lamprou, Jamila Rizgalla, Borut Mavric, Evangelos Papadimitriou, Diego K. Kersting, Patrick J. Schembri, Faten Khamassi, Athanasios Nikolaou, Enric Ballesteros, Charalampos Dimitriadis, Maria Garcia, Athanasios Anastasiadis, Stefanos Kalogirou, Melina Nalmpanti, Maria Altamirano, Daniele Grech, Dimitrios Mavrouleas, Noel Vella, Sandra Agius Darmanin, Branko Dragicevic, Dimitris Poursanidis, Alexandros Tsatiris, Maria Corsini-Foka, Martina Orlando-Bonaca, Gianni Insacco, Alexandros Tsalapatis, Danilo Scannella, Francesco Tiralongo, Jana Verdura, Sergio Vitale, Michail-Aggelos Valsamidis, Hocein Bazairi, Anna Maria Mannino, Riccardo Virgili, Fabio Collepardo Coccia, Radhouan El Zrelli, Savvas Nikolidakis, Lotfi Jilani Rabaoui, Sercan Yapici, Jeanne Zaouali, Bruno Zava, Neophytos Agrotis, Murat Bilecenoglu, Michele Luca Cinar, Manos L. Moraitis, Paolo G. Albano, Nassir Kaddouri, Ioanna Kosma, Fabio Falsone, Valentina Fossati, Michele Luca Geraci, Leon Lojze Zamuda, Francesco Paolo Mancuso, Antonis Petrou, Vasilis Resaikos, Ilker Aydin, Ioannis E. Batjakas, Arthur R. Bos, Najib El Ouamari, Giovanni Giallongo, Thodoros E. Kampouris, Khadija Ounifi-Ben Amor, Alper Dogan, Jakov Dulcic, Emine Sukran Okudan, Gil Rilov, Antonietta Rosso, Laura Royo, Mohamed Selfati, Martina Gaglioti, Sylvaine Giakoumi, Vasiliki Kousteni, Dragos Micu, Mircea Nicoara, Sotiris Orfanidis, Magdalene Papatheodoulou, Jonathan Tempesti, Maria Triantaphyllou, Theodora Tsourou, Ferhat Yalgin, Emanuel Baltag, Hasan Cerim, Halit Filiz, Constantinos G. Georgiadis, Paschalis Papadamakis, Dimitra Lida Rammou, Manuela Diana Samargiu, Francesco Sciuto, Mauro Sinopoli, Ali Turker, Antonia Chiarore, Laura Tamburello, Sahar Karray, Bilel Hassen, Stelios Katsanevakis
Summary: In order to enhance the understanding of the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collaborative effort involving 173 marine scientists was conducted. A dataset containing 12,649 records from 23 countries was collected and harmonized, providing valuable information to the scientific community. The most abundant taxonomic groups were Chordata, Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida, and the most numerous species included Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, and Caulerpa cylindracea.
BIOINVASIONS RECORDS
(2023)
