Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Miriam Vlachovicova, Jana Spulerova
Summary: This study analyzed bird assemblages in vineyards in Slovakia and found that bird communities were influenced by both environmental and spatial factors. The results showed that tree coverage had a greater impact on bird species richness than vineyard abandonment rate, while shrub density was a key explanatory factor for habitat specialist abundance.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Oscar Johnson, Camila C. C. Ribas, Alexandre Aleixo, Luciano N. N. Naka, Michael G. G. Harvey, Robb T. T. Brumfield
Summary: Understanding the factors that influence genetic structure across species is essential for studying speciation and population genetics. This study examined population genetic data from bird species specialized in different Amazonian habitat types. The results showed that habitat type significantly affects population genetic structure, with species in more dynamic habitats having higher levels of gene flow. These differences in genetic variation across taxa specialized in distinct habitats could lead to divergent responses to environmental change and habitat-specific diversification dynamics over time.
Article
Biology
Johanna Henke-von der Malsburg, Peter M. Kappeler, Claudia Fichtel
Summary: The study revealed that habitat generalists like grey mouse lemurs have cognitive advantages in innovation and spatial learning, while more specialized species like Madame Berthe's mouse lemurs excel in learning associative reward contingencies, providing relative advantages in stable environmental conditions. This may help explain why specialists face a greater extinction risk in the context of current environmental changes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Loic Chalmandrier, Florian Hartig, Daniel C. Laughlin, Heike Lischke, Maximilian Pichler, Daniel B. Stouffer, Loic Pellissier
Summary: The paper introduces a new method that links empirical functional traits with demographic parameters of a process-based model through inverse modeling. It is applied to a highly diverse mountain grassland, showing that the calibrated trait-demography relationships fit well with the observed community structure. The authors propose a new Bayesian framework to calibrate community models via functional traits in species-rich ecosystems.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Adam Korosi, Matthias Dolek, Andreas Nunner, Andreas Lang, Florian Theves
Summary: Agricultural intensification leads to biotic homogenization of diurnal Lepidoptera, and this is determined by landscape diversity and proportion of arable fields. Functional traits such as mobility, voltinism, and overwintering stage are significantly correlated with these environmental factors. Butterflies with high mobility, high voltinism, and non-larval overwintering stage are most abundant in landscapes with high proportion of arable fields and low landscape diversity.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Javier Rivas-Salvador, Martin Strobl, Tomas Kadlec, Pavel Saska, Jiri Reif
Summary: Agricultural intensification poses a serious threat to European biodiversity, and improving farmland habitat suitability is crucial for mitigating this threat. The invasive black locust negatively impacts bird species richness in mid-field woodlots in Central European farmland, particularly affecting habitat specialists and habitat generalists.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Enya O'Reilly, Richard D. Gregory, Ainars Aunins, Lluis Brotons, Tomasz Chodkiewicz, Virginia Escandell, Ruud P. B. Foppen, Anna Gamero, Sergi Herrando, Frederic Jiguet, John A. Kalas, Johannes Kamp, Alena Klvanova, Aleksi Lehikoinen, Ake Lindstrom, Dario Massimino, Ingar Jostein Oien, Jiri Reif, Eva Silarova, Norbert Teufelbauer, Sven Trautmann, Chris van Turnhout, Thomas Vikstrom, Petr Vorisek, Simon J. Butler
Summary: In order to understand the sensitivity of species to habitat change, it is important to determine the level of association and specialization a species has with a particular habitat. Traditional categorical classifications may not account for temporal and spatial differences, while quantitative metrics can provide a more detailed evaluation. This study explores relative habitat use (RHU) as a metric for quantifying species' association and specialization for different habitats, finding that RHU scores align well with traditional classifications and show temporal variation based on association and specialization levels.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rodrigo Barbosa Fontana, Raissa Furtado, Noeli Zanella, Vanderlei Julio Debastiani, Sandra Maria Hartz
Summary: Understanding how ecological traits influence extinction risk in Neotropical anuran species is crucial for conservation policies. Habitat preference and reproductive mode are strongly linked to extinction risk and population decline, especially for terrestrial breeders. The degree of threat is independent of evolutionary history, and data-deficient species are particularly important for informing conservation efforts.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura E. D'Acunto, Leonard Pearlstine, Stephanie S. Romanach
Summary: The restoration of the Florida Everglades is one of the largest ongoing ecosystem restoration projects in the world, with decision-makers relying on ecological models to predict wildlife response to changes in water management. By using a joint species distribution model, researchers were able to improve the accuracy and applicability of wading bird distribution models in the Everglades, considering the impact of annual hydrologic conditions and landscape characteristics on multiple species simultaneously.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Nayara Ferreira Carvalho, Raquel Costa e Silva, Jose Souto Rosa Filho, Giuliano Buza Jacobucci
Summary: This study found that there is a close relationship between caprellid assemblages and algal complexity in coastal marine ecosystems. Different algal architectures host communities with different structures, affecting caprellid density and diversity. Caprellids show a clear preference for specific algal traits, contributing to increased diversity in caprellid populations.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Cathryn H. Greenberg, Maria Whitehead, J. Drew Lanham, Joseph Tomcho
Summary: We compared forest structure and breeding bird communities between shelterwood harvests (SW; n = 15) and mature upland hardwood forests (M; n = 16) over 17 years (Y). The study found that rapid increases in small tree stem densities and shrub cover, primarily blackberry, occurred in SW after timber harvests. Breeding birds showed higher abundance, richness, and diversity in SW compared to M, especially in the first several years post-harvest.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jingjing Xi, Yizhen Shao, Zihao Li, Pengfei Zhao, Yongzhong Ye, Wang Li, Yun Chen, Zhiliang Yuan
Summary: The study revealed that the distribution of woody plants among forests with different disturbance regimes is specialized rather than random; shrubs show higher specialization than trees and have more distinct preferences for forests in different disturbance regimes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Axel Schwerk, Daniel Klich, Elzbieta Wojtowicz, Wanda Olech
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the impact of European bison grazing on carabid beetle assemblages, finding that high-intensity grazing may increase species numbers, and grazing activity has a greater influence on the ecological characteristics of the assemblages than on species composition.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gracie Liu, Jodi J. L. Rowley, Richard T. Kingsford, Corey T. Callaghan
Summary: Anthropogenic habitat modification is accelerating, posing a threat to global biodiversity. Research on Australian frogs revealed that most species are negatively affected by habitat modification, especially specialists and those with larger geographic ranges. Traits such as call dominant frequency, body size, clutch type, and calling position are related to tolerance levels towards habitat modification. A urgent need for improved anthropogenic impact consideration and conservation measures for long-term frog population persistence is highlighted, particularly focusing on intolerant species and specialists.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Etienne Lalechere, Laurent Berges
Summary: Using an innovative modeling framework that combines species distribution and connectivity models with climate and land use changes, this study predicted the effects of climate changes on the amount of reachable habitat for forest birds and analyzed the roles of direct and indirect effects.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Theodore B. Mayaka, Francis Guetse, Abel Chemura, Richard Tamungang, David Horak
Summary: The Mount Cameroon Francolin is an endangered bird species found exclusively in the undergrowth of Mount Cameroon's primary forest. A study conducted in the Mount Cameroon National Park revealed that the bird species is distributed across different altitudinal ranges and vegetation types. The abundance of the bird is influenced by latitude, ground vegetation height, presence of Prunus africana, and grass cover. The main conservation threats to the species include illegal hunting and land clearance.
BIRD CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Martin Salek, Karolina Kalinova, Jiri Reif
Summary: The study explores the conservation potential of semi-natural habitats for farmland birds and finds that both open scrubland and farmland hedges have large potential for bird conservation. However, the type and area of habitats have different impacts on species richness and abundance of birds.
JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Solange Mekuate Kamga, Simon Awafor Tamungang, Taku Awa, Francis Luma Ewome, Francis Njie Motombi, David Horak, Jan Riegert
Summary: This study compares the differences in bird community structure between areas affected by elephant activities and areas unaffected by elephant activities. The results show that elephant activities lead to decreased vegetation cover and increased bird species richness. Habitat type and vegetation layer height are important factors influencing bird community structure.
Article
Ecology
David Horak, Javier Rivas-Salvador, Jan Farkac, Jiri Reif
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between bird traits and population densities in both geographical and ecological spaces. The researchers found that habitat specialization has no effect on avian density in geographical space, but is positively correlated in ecological space. Additionally, birds with arboreal and hole-nesting strategies have higher densities in both geographical and ecological spaces.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Camille Sottas, Jiri Reif, Lubomir Pialek, Manon Poignet, Pavel Kverek, Pawel T. Dolata, Radka Reifova
Summary: Understanding reproductive isolation is important for evolutionary biology. Studying patterns of interspecific hybridization in hybrid zones can provide insight into this process. In this study, patterns of hybridization were examined in two closely related passerine species, the common nightingale and the thrush nightingale, revealing strong, yet incomplete, reproductive isolation between the species. The results suggest that nightingales are a useful model system for studying speciation with ongoing gene flow after secondary contact.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Marco Basile, Anton Kristin, Grzegorz Mikusinski, Simon Thorn, Michal Zmihorski, Gilberto Pasinelli, Eckehard G. Brockerhoff
Summary: Wildfires, wind storms, and pest outbreaks generate large amounts of deadwood in forests. Salvage logging, which removes deadwood following disturbance events, affects woodpeckers by reducing food availability and nest sites. A meta-analysis found that salvage logging significantly impacts woodpecker abundance and reproduction. Deadwood should be retained to conserve woodpeckers and forest biodiversity.
CURRENT FORESTRY REPORTS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
David Horak, Vincent Ralph Clark, Kevin Y. Njabo, Jon Fjeldsa
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ondrej Sedlacek, Riccardo Pernice, Michal Ferenc, Karolina Mudrova, Francis Njie Motombi, Tomas Albrecht, David Horak
Summary: Two distinct diversity patterns are observed along tropical elevations: (a) decreasing number of species toward high elevations and (b) a hump-shaped pattern with the peak at mid-elevations. The study examined the abundances of different avian guilds along the elevational gradient on Mt. Cameroon to understand the richness patterns. The results showed that species richness and abundance patterns are influenced by different mechanisms and that ecological space is filled separately by bird species and individuals along elevation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David Storch, Jaroslav Kolecek, Petr Keil, Zdenek Vermouzek, Petr Vorisek, Jiri Reif
Summary: This study reveals that reducing the population change trajectory of bird populations to a linear trend may obscure the complex responses of bird populations to changing human activities. By using multivariate analysis, the study decomposes bird population dynamics into different driving factors and finds that climate change and species traits are crucial drivers of complex population dynamics of central European birds.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Benjamin Jarcuska, Anton Kristin, Peter Kanuch
Summary: Elevational gradients are important for assessing species' adjustments to climatic and environmental factors. Our study on dark bush-crickets found genetically-based differences between populations, but these differences were not associated with elevation. Instead, we observed environmentally-induced phenotypic plasticity in locomotor and body-size traits. The greater environmental heterogeneity in the wild compared to the lab environment may explain the lower repeatability in wild populations.
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Adriana Holoskova, Tomas Kadlec, Jiri Reif
Summary: This study evaluates the invertebrate food availability and vegetation structure of three widespread crops (wheat, maize, and rapeseed) during their breeding. The research found that wheat, although it had the most suitable vegetation structure for birds, had limited food supply due to frequent insecticide treatment. Maize and rapeseed provided higher invertebrate abundance and biomass, but their stands created unsuitable vegetation structures for farmland birds. Conservation measures should include reducing field size and insecticide application to improve the food supply and vegetation structure.
Article
Ecology
Vaclav Bystricky, Lenka Dvorakova, Jiri Reif
Summary: Ecological succession results in a sequence of habitat types after disturbance, with different species communities associated with each type. The conservation status of these communities informs about environmental pressures on the habitats. We focused on birds and compared their conservation status across different habitat types in Central Europe.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sona Nuhlickova, Jan Svetlik, Peter Kanuch, Anton Kristin, Benjamin Jarcuska
Summary: This study investigates the movement patterns of the critically endangered Bei-Bienko's Plump Bush-cricket and finds that it is a short-distance disperser. The authors recommend improving habitat quality to protect this species.
JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Peter Adamik, Joanna B. Wong, Steffen Hahn, Anton Kristin
Summary: By deploying loggers on birds from a declining Slovak breeding population, the study provides the first direct evidence for non-breeding grounds, loop migration, stopover sites and the timing of annual cycle events of the Lesser Grey Shrike. The tracked birds migrated in an anti-clockwise loop to South Africa, with autumn migration going through the Balkan Peninsula, Mediterranean Sea towards Libya and spring migration taking routes along East African countries. Flight altitudes were higher during barrier crossing and the last phase of spring migration, with the most extreme event recorded at 4530 m asl. Rating: 8/10.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Zoltan Kenyeres, Norbert Bauer, Thomas Zuna-kratky, Mate Magyari, Josip Skejo, Anton Kristin
Summary: The number of records of Acrida ungarica in novel habitats and places where it was considered extinct has increased, possibly due to warming climate. The presence of A. ungarica was unrelated to survey intensity, and significant increasing trends were found in summer heat accumulation. This suggests that A. ungarica distribution is expanding due to global warming.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)