Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Scott B. Maresh Nelson, Christine A. Ribic, Neal D. Niemuth, Jacy Bernath-Plaisted, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: Grassland birds in North America have experienced significant decline due to the loss and degradation of grassland habitats. Climate change, which is occurring more rapidly in grasslands, may have impacts on the ecology and demographics of these bird species. This systematic review examines the relationship between temperature, precipitation, and demographic responses in grassland birds. The findings indicate that grassland birds show both positive and negative effects in response to higher temperatures and altered precipitation. Moderate increases in temperature and precipitation can benefit some species, but extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and heavy rainfall often reduce abundance and nest success. The effects vary across different climate regions, temporal scales, and taxa. The sensitivity of grassland bird populations to extreme weather and climate variability is influenced by regional climates, interaction with other stressors, species' life-history strategies, and tolerance to novel climate conditions.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Qinqin Du, Yunfan Sun, Qingyu Guan, Ninghui Pan, Qingzheng Wang, Yunrui Ma, Huichun Li, Lushuang Liang
Summary: By evaluating the vulnerability of grassland ecosystems to short-term climate variability in the Qilian Mountains, this study found that vulnerability is mainly determined by exposure, with alpine meadow and alpine steppe being more vulnerable. Climate and topography gradients together affect the degree of grassland vulnerability, and higher vulnerability is associated with lower water use efficiency (WUE) of the grasslands.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paramita Roy, Subodh Chandra Pal, Rabin Chakrabortty, Indrajit Chowdhuri, Asish Saha, Manisa Shit
Summary: The research aims to estimate the potential impact of climate change on sea level rise and its vulnerability to coastal habitat. The findings show an increasing trend of sea level rise from the base period to the projected period, particularly in the major port city of India. By quantitatively estimating physical environmental characteristics including geomorphology, sea level change, coastal slope, relative sea-level change, mean wave height, mean tide range, shoreline change rate, land use and human activities, and population, a qualitative coastal vulnerability index (CVI) is developed. The projected sea level rise is increasing at the highest rate under the higher Representative Concentrations Pathways (RCP) scenario. This information is valuable for decision-makers in formulating appropriate development strategies for sustainable coastal ecology in India.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Wei Deng, Minjian Chen, Yong Zhao, Long Yan, Yong Wang, Fei Zhou
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between NDVI and groundwater depth in grasslands, revealing a significant impact of groundwater depth on vegetation structure and diversity. Increasing groundwater depth leads to changes in grassland structure, highlighting the importance of controlling groundwater exploitation for maintaining vegetation diversity and climate resilience.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Juan David Gonzalez-Trujillo, Rosa M. Roman-Cuesta, Aaron Israel Muniz-Castillo, Cibele H. Amaral, Miguel B. Araujo
Summary: Climate change is a multidimensional phenomenon and cannot be captured by a single metric. Existing metrics tend to focus on central tendencies and overlook the multidimensionality of extreme weather events. This article reviews existing metrics and proposes a framework for classifying and interpreting them in relation to their impacts on biodiversity.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Niall P. Hanan, Anthony M. Swemmer
Summary: An analysis of carbon stored in plants and soil in an African savannah suggests that frequent fires may have less impact on atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and global warming than previously thought.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
John W. G. Addy, Richard H. Ellis, Chloe MacLaren, Andy J. Macdonald, Mikhail A. Semenov, Andrew Mead
Summary: Research conducted at a long-term experiment site in southern England indicates that as the climate warms and becomes drier, grassland productivity decreases. The model forecasts a further decline in spring hay yields at Park Grass in the coming decades.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maxence Gerard, Leon Marshall, Baptiste Martinet, Denis Michez
Summary: Body size is a key factor in organism fitness, influenced by both climate change and landscape fragmentation. By studying these factors in four European regions and five bumblebee species, it was found that queen body size increased with landscape fragmentation in certain regions like Belgium and England, while also being impacted by both climate change and landscape fragmentation at the local level. Larger species may be positively selected for in the face of landscape fragmentation.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Moriaki Yasuhara, Curtis A. Deutsch
Summary: The increase in species diversity towards the tropics is a remarkable global phenomenon that has not been fully explained yet. Evidence from ocean microfossils suggests that this pattern emerged due to ancient climate cooling and polar-climate dynamics.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nikki Forrester, Andrea Fischer
Summary: Glaciologist Andrea Fischer shares her firsthand experience of studying the constantly changing ice masses.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zeljko Zgrablic
Summary: This sentence briefly introduces the work of field mycologist Zeljko Zgrablic and his dog in tracking how climate change affects truffles.
Article
Ecology
Franklin Alongi, Jana H. Ruethers, Justyna Giejsztowt, Katrina LaPaglia, Anke Jentsch
Summary: Medium-to-high elevation grasslands play a critical role in agriculture and ecosystem stabilization through high biodiversity and food provision for wildlife. However, these ecosystems are at risk due to predicted soil and climate changes. This study experimentally examined the responses of model grassland communities to climatic variations along an elevational gradient in the European Alps, and found that species showed some stability under climatic variation.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bramka Arga Jafino, Stephane Hallegatte, Julie Rozenberg
Summary: Focusing solely on reducing climate impacts when assessing adaptation benefits may provide misleading policy advice. It is important to consider how policies influence the absolute level of metrics of interest in scenarios with climate change. Evaluating climate adaptation policies should also take into account development factors, rather than solely focusing on climate change impacts.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Vojtech Kubelka, Brett K. Sandercock, Tamas Szekely, Robert P. Freckleton
Summary: Many wild animals undertake long-distance migration to breed in the north each year, taking advantage of seasonal food supply and lower predation pressure. However, climate change, the spread of novel pathogens, and increased nest predation have negatively impacted their reproductive success and survival.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Mathilde Borg Dahl, Andrea Sollinger, Paul Siguros, Josep Penueas, Ivan Janssens, Bjarni D. Sigurdsson, Andreas Richter, Alexander Tveit, Tim Urich
Summary: Soil warming significantly affects soil microbiota and can lead to a trophic downgrading in the soil microbial food web. This shift could have important implications for soil carbon sequestration and nutrient dynamics in a warming world.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Neil A. Gilbert, John D. J. Clare, Jennifer L. Stenglein, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: The rapid improvement of camera traps has revolutionized biodiversity monitoring in recent decades. Despite clear applications in conservation science, camera traps have seldom been used to model the abundance of unmarked animal populations. The challenges of estimating abundance of unmarked animal populations persist, and while multiple methods exist, no one method is optimal for camera-trap data under all circumstances.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Christopher E. Latimer, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: Research suggests that wintering bird populations are more dynamic in landscapes with higher forest cover during extreme cold, while urban areas can also provide refuge. Differences in thermal tolerances among species strongly influence occupancy dynamics.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Philip A. Townsend, John D. J. Clare, Nanfeng Liu, Jennifer L. Stenglein, Christine Anhalt-Depies, Timothy R. Van Deelen, Neil A. Gilbert, Aditya Singh, Karl J. Martin, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: Biological data collection is evolving with the use of community science, satellite remote sensing, and local forms of remote sensing. Snapshot Wisconsin is an example of a jurisdictional observation network that links environmental data from SRS with biodiversity observations to support management decision-making. This network improves spatial, temporal, and biological resolution for management support, contributing novel lines of evidence useful for corroboration.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Evan C. Wilson, Benjamin Zuckerberg, M. Zachariah Peery, Jonathan N. Pauli
Summary: Climate change has complex effects on interspecific interactions, with some species benefitting from warming winters while others face increased predation risks due to changes in indirect interactions. The disappearance of snowshoe hares has disrupted species interactions in this community, potentially leading to altered communities along trailing edge distributions.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sean M. Sultaire, John M. Humphreys, Benjamin Zuckerberg, Jonathan N. Pauli, Gary J. Roloff
Summary: The research explores spatially varying environmental relationships in a geographically isolated population of snowshoe hares, showing that temperature and snow cover duration have different effects on hare occurrence across space, with temperature exhibiting a positive influence in northern regions but a negative relationship along the southern range boundary. This indicates that the distribution of the winter-adapted species is strongly influenced by snow cover, while temperature modulates this relationship across space.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Amy A. Shipley, Michael J. Sheriff, Jonathan N. Pauli, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: Research on ruffed grouse in high-latitude environments shows that they seek refuge in thermally stable microhabitats under deep snow during winter to buffer against the negative effects of cold temperatures on physiological stress levels. Despite variability in snow depth, snow density, and temperature, areas with elevated stress levels were consistently identified across the landscape, highlighting the importance of stress-scapes in understanding the indirect effects of stressors.
Article
Ecology
Christopher D. Pollentier, Michael A. Hardy, R. Scott Lutz, Scott D. Hull, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: Through extensive surveys in northern and southeast Wisconsin, it was found that wild turkeys prefer moderate open land cover in the north, while large agricultural fields decrease occupancy probability in the southeast. These habitat-occupancy associations can be used for prioritizing conservation and management efforts.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
David Gudex-Cross, Likai Zhu, Spencer R. Keyser, Benjamin Zuckerberg, Jonathan N. Pauli, Volker C. Radeloff
Summary: The study demonstrates that the length of frozen ground winter is the strongest predictor of species richness, with a decline in species richness beyond 3 months of winter. Winter conditions explained much of the deviance in amphibian, mammal, and resident bird species richness in areas with ≥ 3 months of winter conditions. Migratory bird species richness peaks at around 5.5 months of winter, coinciding with low richness of resident birds.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Benjamin Zuckerberg, Jennifer D. McCabe, Neil A. Gilbert
Summary: Animal behaviors in urban settings are often influenced by changes in species assemblages and interactions. By engaging citizen scientists in a behavioral experiment, we found that backyard birds inhabiting urban landscapes largely maintained antipredator behaviors of increased vigilance and decreased foraging in response to predator cues.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Neil A. Gilbert, Jennifer L. Stenglein, Jonathan N. Pauli, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: Human disturbance can alter species interactions and increase co-occurrence within wildlife communities. A study in Wisconsin, USA, using camera traps, found that disturbed landscapes had shorter time intervals between species detections, indicating increased interactions. The compressed co-occurrence may intensify competition, predation, and infection, causing stress in individual animals and cascading effects in populations, communities, and ecosystems.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jacy S. Bernath-Plaisted, Christine A. Ribic, W. Beckett Hills, Philip A. Townsend, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: As climate change advances, there is a need to study climate conditions at ecologically relevant scales. This research focused on microclimates in temperate grasslands and found that they exhibit diversity and are influenced by primary productivity, canopy height, and topography. The heterogeneity of microclimates in grasslands is important for the management and conservation of biodiversity in the face of climate change.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Amy A. Shipley, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: Behavioural flexibility is crucial for animals to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Snow cover in winter provides protection and insulation for overwintering species, and the ability to roost under snow has been associated with increased survival. However, it is still unclear how species adjust their roosting behavior in response to changing snow conditions and landscape types. A study on Ruffed Grouse reveals that they are more likely to use snow burrows when the snow is deep and powdery, but the roosting behavior does not strongly vary across different land-cover types. Snow roosting may serve as a predator protection regardless of winter weather conditions. The loss of winter refugia due to warming winters and declining snow cover may limit the use of behavioral flexibility for winter-adapted species.
Article
Ecology
Ivy V. Widick, Matthew A. Young, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Courtenay Strong, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: The study found that boreal bird irruptions in eastern North America have experienced changes in range boundaries, with some species shifting their southern range and irruption boundaries northward. There have also been changes in the periodicity of irruptions, with superflight events becoming less structured in the 1980s but reforming in recent years.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Scott B. Maresh Nelson, Christine A. Ribic, Neal D. Niemuth, Jacy Bernath-Plaisted, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Summary: Grassland birds in North America have experienced significant decline due to the loss and degradation of grassland habitats. Climate change, which is occurring more rapidly in grasslands, may have impacts on the ecology and demographics of these bird species. This systematic review examines the relationship between temperature, precipitation, and demographic responses in grassland birds. The findings indicate that grassland birds show both positive and negative effects in response to higher temperatures and altered precipitation. Moderate increases in temperature and precipitation can benefit some species, but extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and heavy rainfall often reduce abundance and nest success. The effects vary across different climate regions, temporal scales, and taxa. The sensitivity of grassland bird populations to extreme weather and climate variability is influenced by regional climates, interaction with other stressors, species' life-history strategies, and tolerance to novel climate conditions.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Frank A. La Sorte, Benjamin Zuckerberg, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Myla F. J. Aronson, Kyle G. Horton
Summary: Nocturnally migrating bird species face unique risks from artificial light at night (ALAN) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions. A study found that biomass burning in the Neotropics exposes these birds to consistently elevated PM2.5 concentrations.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)