Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maria Juliana Bedoya-Duran, Oscar E. Murillo-Garcia, Lyn C. Branch
Summary: This study evaluated the regional diversity of medium and large mammals in privately protected areas in the western Andes of Colombia, finding that forests in this reserve network retain a diverse mammal assemblage. However, certain species show high vulnerability, and larger sites with more forest had higher occupancy rates for forest-restricted and large species. Landscape-level connectivity and human disturbance were identified as strong predictors of mammal occupancy.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Mark A. Ditmer, Fabiola Iannarilli, Andrew N. Tri, David L. Garshelis, Neil H. Carter
Summary: The integration of citizen scientists in ecological research is changing data collection methods, educating participants, and increasing acceptance of conservation actions. However, data collection is often biased and influenced by opportunistic surveys, with areas illuminated by ALAN playing a crucial role. Consideration of ALAN radiance is important in analyzing citizen-scientist-collected data.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Roberto Salom-Perez, Daniel Corrales-Gutierrez, Daniela Araya-Gamboa, Deiver Espinoza-Munoz, Bryan Finegan, Lisanne S. Petracca
Summary: Connectivity of natural areas through biological corridors is crucial for ecosystem resilience and biodiversity conservation, but assessing biodiversity in corridor areas is often hindered by logistical constraints and statistical challenges. This study used a Bayesian framework to evaluate the status of medium and large-sized mammals in a critical link of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor in Costa Rica, revealing that forest cover is the most important driver of mammal habitat use and certain species like jaguars and pumas are strongly associated with high forest cover.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Justin P. Suraci, Kaitlyn M. Gaynor, Maximilian L. Allen, Peter Alexander, Justin S. Brashares, Sara Cendejas-Zarelli, Kevin Crooks, L. Mark Elbroch, Tavis Forrester, Austin M. Green, Jeffrey Haight, Nyeema C. Harris, Mark Hebblewhite, Forest Isbell, Barbara Johnston, Roland Kays, Patrick E. Lendrum, Jesse S. Lewis, Alex McInturff, William McShea, Thomas W. Murphy, Meredith S. Palmer, Arielle Parsons, Mitchell A. Parsons, Mary E. Pendergast, Charles Pekins, Laura R. Prugh, Kimberly A. Sager-Fradkin, Stephanie Schuttler, Cagan H. Sekercioglu, Brenda Shepherd, Laura Whipple, Jesse Whittington, George Wittemyer, Christopher C. Wilmers
Summary: A study on 24 mammal species in North America found that 33% of species showed reduced occurrence or activity in response to increasing human presence and footprint, while 58% of species were positively associated with increasing disturbance. The study also revealed that species traits such as size, diet, and reproductive rate were strong predictors of their responses to human footprint, with smaller, less carnivorous, and faster-reproducing species being favored. Differential responses to human presence and footprint highlight the importance of considering these two forms of human disturbance separately when estimating anthropogenic impacts on wildlife.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Ross L. Goldingay, Jonathan L. Parkyn, Darren McHugh
Summary: As droughts are expected to increase with climate change, understanding their impact on species is crucial for conservation actions. This study investigates the influence of an extreme drought in eastern Australia on the occupancy and abundance of the yellow-bellied glider, a threatened exudate feeding mammal. The results show a decline in occupancy and abundance after the drought, suggesting sensitivity to drought conditions. It is important to study other exudate feeding mammals and identify drought refuges for their conservation.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Valerie A. Steen, Adam Duarte, James T. Peterson
Summary: Detecting spatiotemporal changes in organism abundances is crucial for species conservation. Traditional occupancy models and N-mixture models have limitations, but multistate occupancy models have the potential to overcome these limitations by differentiating between high and low abundance sites and detecting population declines.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jiawei Feng, Yifei Sun, Hailong Li, Yuqi Xiao, Dandan Zhang, James L. D. Smith, Jianping Ge, Tianming Wang
Summary: In temperate forests of Northeast Asia, both natural and anthropogenic factors have varying influences on mammalian species richness and occupancy, with livestock grazing being the primary human disturbance negatively impacting species occupancy and richness. Multispecies occupancy models help identify drivers of biodiversity declines and guide conservation strategies in human-dominated landscapes.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Davy Fonteyn, Cedric Vermeulen, Nicolas Deflandre, Daniel Cornelis, Simon Lhoest, Fructueux G. A. Houngbegnon, Jean-Louis Doucet, Adeline Fayolle
Summary: Camera traps are increasingly used for wildlife monitoring worldwide. A study in Gabon compared systematically placed and wildlife-trail-oriented CTs to investigate their impact on mammal diversity, finding that both types of placements provided similar results in depicting species richness and composition of the mammal community. The study shows that despite potential biases, both systematic and trail-based CT placements can be used in combination for multi-site analyses.
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ugyen Penjor, Sonam Wangdi, Tandin Tandin, David W. Macdonald
Summary: The research shows that human land-use and climate change have a negative impact on the terrestrial mammal community in the Bhutan Himalaya, with factors related to human land use (such as agriculture, roads, and settlements) being the main threats. By protecting extensive forest cover, biodiversity conservation in this area can be achieved.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Beatriz Bellon, Dominic A. W. Henry, Pierre-Cyril Renaud, Fabio de O. Roque, Cyntia Cavalcante Santos, Isabel Melo, Damien Arvor, Alta de Vos
Summary: Protected areas' effectiveness relies on the support from surrounding agricultural areas. Monitoring multi-use landscapes is crucial to identify characteristics that support wildlife communities. The study found that most species exist in both natural forest areas and croplands surrounding protected areas. Vegetation productivity and heterogeneity strongly influence habitat use patterns.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Juliana Masseloux, Quy Tan Le, Jessica Burr, Brian D. Gerber
Summary: Tropical biodiversity is threatened by human activities, particularly forest degradation and overhunting. This study focused on the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on mesomammals in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. The researchers found no negative effects of current anthropogenic factors on the mesomammal community, but highlighted the continued threat of hunting and snaring to native mesomammals.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kevin G. Kelly, Connor M. Wood, Kate McGinn, Anu Kramer, Sarah C. Sawyer, Sheila Whitmore, Dana Reid, Stefan Kahl, Aimee Reiss, Jonathan Eiseman, William Berigan, John J. Keane, Paula Shaklee, Lief Gallagher, Thomas E. Munton, Holger Klinck, R. J. Gutierrez, M. Zachariah Peery
Summary: Monitoring population size at ecosystem scales is challenging for most species of conservation concern. This study demonstrates a method for estimating population size using passive acoustic monitoring and local density monitoring for native California spotted owls and invasive barred owls.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ignasi Torre, Xavier Puig-Montserrat, Mario Diaz
Summary: Climate and land use change have significant impacts on the population dynamics and demography of the Algerian mouse. While a warmer and drier climate promotes its expansion, forest encroachment due to land abandonment leads to its retreat.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeffrey A. Hostetler, Julien Martin, Michael Kosempa, Holly H. Edwards, Kari A. Rood, Sheri L. Barton, Michael C. Runge
Summary: The study utilized an integrated population model to reconstruct the population dynamics of Florida manatees over the past 20 years, revealing slow and fluctuating growth. Precise estimates of abundance could be derived from key parameter estimates, potentially reducing the need for frequent costly surveys. Retrospective analyses were shown to be useful for understanding age distribution dynamics, assessing conservation status, and predicting environmental effects on population dynamics.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Adnan Ahmad, Shahid Ahmad, Ghulam Nabi, Qi-Jing Liu, Nazirul Islam, Xiaofeng Luan
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness of existing forest management regimes in controlling deforestation in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges. The results showed that management regimes that included conservation and community, stable rights, and high-ranking monitoring and law enforcement had the lowest deforestation rates. The inclusion of community and conservation, along with stable rights and strong enforcement, is suggested to improve forest conservation outcomes in existing management regimes.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)