Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amir Ansari, Mansour Ghorbanpour, Ali Kazemi, Khalil Kariman
Summary: Man-made activities pose significant threats to terrestrial biomes and wildlife in Iran, especially in deserts and xeric shrublands and flooded grasslands and savannas. This study emphasizes the critical importance of conserving Iran's terrestrial biomes and wildlife.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Joshua B. Fisher, Munish Sikka, Gary L. Block, Christopher R. Schwalm, Nicholas C. Parazoo, Hannah R. Kolus, Malen Sok, Audrey Wang, Anna Gagne-Landmann, Shakirudeen Lawal, Alexandre Guillaume, Alyssa Poletti, Kevin M. Schaefer, Bassil Masri, Peter E. Levy, Yaxing Wei, Michael C. Dietze, Deborah N. Huntzinger
Summary: Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs) are crucial for understanding the land surface's response to climate change. Centralizing multiple models on a single supercomputing system has benefits such as simplified processing, reduced output variability, and novel analysis output. However, challenges include technological demands, model version lag, and the need for intellectual input from core model development teams.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN MODELING EARTH SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Guangdong Li, Chuanglin Fang, Yingjie Li, Zhenbo Wang, Siao Sun, Sanwei He, Wei Qi, Chao Bao, Haitao Ma, Yupeng Fan, Yuxue Feng, Xiaoping Liu
Summary: Urban expansion has significant negative impacts on global biodiversity, leading to habitat loss and fragmentation. The expansion of cities is projected to be higher in the current important biodiversity priority areas. This study highlights the urgent need for sustainable urban development to balance urban expansion and biodiversity conservation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Koen J. J. Kuipers, Jelle P. Hilbers, John Garcia-Ulloa, Bente J. Graae, Roel May, Francesca Verones, Mark A. J. Huijbregts, Aafke M. Schipper
Summary: This study presents a species-area model that integrates habitat size and connectivity to predict threats to non-volant mammal diversity from habitat loss and fragmentation across the world's ecoregions. On average, 10 mammal species are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and fragmentation, with 9% of the threat coming from fragmentation. The model can inform and evaluate strategies for minimizing biodiversity loss and optimizing habitat conservation and restoration on a large scale.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Houlang Duan, Xiubo Yu
Summary: This study evaluated the historical changes in habitat quality and connectivity for migratory shorebirds in the Yellow River Delta using various analyses. The results showed a significant decrease in habitat connectivity due to land reclamation, with high-quality areas being converted to industrial and mariculture sites. Additionally, important habitat patches were converted to non-habitat or low-importance habitat patches. The study recommends expanding the boundaries of the national nature reserve to protect these unprotected areas.
Article
Ecology
Adam Kimberley, Danny Hooftman, James M. Bullock, Olivier Honnay, Patricia Krickl, Jessica Lindgren, Jan Plue, Peter Poschlod, Anna Traveset, Sara A. O. Cousins
Summary: Increasing landscape connecting elements cannot compensate for large-scale grassland area loss, leading to significant declines in both structural and functional connectivity. Generalist species are negatively affected by connectivity, with structural connectivity having the strongest impact, while functional connectivity determines the presence of grassland specialist species in focal grasslands.
Article
Environmental Studies
Jana Plogmann, Oliver Musshoff, Martin Odening, Matthias Ritter
Summary: This study examines the relationship between land market concentration and farm size changes using data from Brandenburg, Germany. The findings indicate that although concentration rates did not increase over time, there are spatial differences. For farms that remained active during the study period, there is a negative correlation between farm size and relative growth.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yunrui Ji, Xuelei Wei, Diqiang Li, Jiacang Zhao, Jiahua Li, Siqin Feng
Summary: Habitat fragmentation poses a significant threat to global biodiversity, making the study of landscape connectivity and ecological networks essential. This research proposes a framework to assess variations in ecological networks and identify conservation priorities. By applying multi-methods and diverse approaches, the study examines the changes in ecological networks and human disturbance in Western Yunnan, China, focusing on the Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) as a case species. The findings reveal overall improvement in black bear habitats but escalating human disturbance, providing insights for conservation strategies.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
L. Claire Powers, Ashley E. Larsen, Bryan Leonard, Andrew J. Plantinga
Summary: The spatial distribution of public lands in the western U.S. is a result of 19th century land-disposal policies, providing opportunities for spatial reorganization of conservation lands. By strategically rearranging inaccessible public land in Montana, this study shows that it is possible to expand protected areas within budget constraints and achieve conservation targets while considering landscape connectivity.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Giambattista Bello, Nicoletta Santamaria, Aldo Corriero
Summary: Most fish undergo distinct growth phases during ontogenesis, with a crucial passage from juvenile to adult phase occurring at the onset of sexual maturity, leading to changes in body proportion and/or growth rate. These changes can be detected as change-points in biometric relationships.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Petteri Lehikoinen, Maria Tiusanen, Andrea Santangeli, Ari Rajasarkka, Kim Jaatinen, Jari Valkama, Raimo Virkkala, Aleksi Lehikoinen
Summary: Climate change has widespread impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity globally, with protected areas playing a crucial role in preserving species occurrences. Higher coverage of protected areas in northern and central Finland is associated with lower changes in community temperature index, indicating increased resilience to warming climate. However, the lower coverage in southern Finland may not effectively support community resilience against climate change.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Richard Pither, Paul O'Brien, Angela Brennan, Kristen Hirsh-Pearson, Jeff Bowman
Summary: Governments worldwide acknowledge the need for urgent action to conserve and restore ecological connectivity and reverse biodiversity decline. This study tested the hypothesis that functional connectivity for multiple species can be estimated using a single, upstream connectivity model in Canada. They developed a movement cost layer and conducted a connectivity analysis, resulting in a national connectivity map that can help prioritize land management decisions for conservation.
Article
Cell Biology
Xingdong Wang, Jie Pei, Shaoke Guo, Mengli Cao, Pengjia Bao, Lin Xiong, Xiaoyun Wu, Min Chu, Chunnian Liang, Ping Yan, Xian Guo
Summary: The study demonstrates that m(6)A methylation levels in yak testes increase after sexual maturation, with differential methylation peaks observed in different stages of maturity, primarily concentrated in the exon region. KEGG pathway analysis suggests involvement of homologous recombination, Notch signaling pathway, growth hormone synthesis, and other signaling pathways in testicular development and maturation in yaks.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Sun Kyeong Choi, Yun Hee Kang, Kyeonglim Moon, In-Soo Seo, Sanghee Kim, Sang Rul Park
Summary: This study investigated the size frequency structure, shell height, and gonadosomatic index of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki. The results showed that the growth rate of young individuals was low and the age of sexual maturity was delayed, which may have negative effects on population growth.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Su-Jin Park, Bong Seung Seo, Hung Sik Park, Bong-Joo Lee, Sang-Woo Hur, Taek-Jeong Nam, Kyeong-Jun Lee, Seunghyung Lee, Youn Hee Choi
Summary: The study investigated the physiological response of olive flounder to different fishmeal diets, finding that up to 30% fishmeal replacement does not affect growth but has a slight impact on sexual maturation.