Article
Ecology
Thomas P. Sullivan, Druscilla S. Sullivan
Summary: The study found that the abundance, reproduction, and body mass of American red squirrels and northern flying squirrels did not differ significantly between large and small patches of retention forest on new clearcuts. Despite the different patch sizes, the population numbers of both squirrel species were generally similar.
Article
Ecology
Paul Savary, Jean-Christophe Foltete, Maarten J. van Strien, Herve Moal, Gilles Vuidel, Stephane Garnier
Summary: This study examined the influence of habitat quantity and spatial configuration on genetic structure, showing that measuring the amount of reachable habitat (ARH) can effectively describe habitat patterns and predict genetic structure. ARH metrics were found to be relevant predictors of genetic structure components, demonstrating significant impact on allelic richness and genetic differentiation.
Article
Environmental Studies
Isra Hyka, Artan Hysa, Sokol Dervishi, Marijana Kapovic Solomun, Alban Kuriqi, Dinesh Kumar Vishwakarma, Paul Sestras
Summary: The study highlights the landscape changes in developing metropolitan regions, where human activities have led to landscape fragmentation, primarily due to the increase in artificial surfaces. It underscores the importance of taking measures to reduce the adverse impacts of inappropriate urban development on natural ecosystems.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Malcolm S. S. Ramsay, Gabriele M. M. Sgarlata, Christopher D. D. Barratt, Jordi Salmona, Bertrand Andriatsitohaina, Frederik Kiene, Sophie Manzi, Miarisoa L. L. Ramilison, Romule Rakotondravony, Lounes Chikhi, Shawn M. M. Lehman, Ute Radespiel
Summary: Habitat loss and fragmentation are global concerns for conservation biologists. This study examined the effects of living in fragmented habitats on rodents in Madagascar, finding higher inbreeding and lower genetic diversity in the endemic species compared to the invasive species.
Article
Ecology
Robert J. Fletcher Jr, Maria E. Iezzi, Robert Guralnick, Andrew J. Marx, Sadie J. Ryan, Denis Valle
Summary: Dispersal typically consists of three components-departure, transience and settlement, each of which is influenced by the landscape. However, models of landscape connectivity often do not generate dispersal kernels nor explicitly capture the three components of dispersal.
Article
Ecology
Paul Savary, Jean-Christophe Foltete, Herve Moal, Stephane Garnier
Summary: This article discusses the potential benefits of integrating landscape graphs and genetic graphs in landscape genetics. By comparing different features and partitions of these graphs, the influence of intra-patch features and inter-patch connectivity on genetic structure can be examined, as well as the sensitivity of genetic diversity and differentiation to landscape factors. Additionally, the integration of these graphs through gravity models can enhance their joint use for various theoretical and applied objectives.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Fabio Leoncini, Paola Semenzato, Mirko Di Febbraro, Anna Loy, Caterina Ferrari
Summary: Assessing landscape connectivity is crucial for the survival of species, especially in the context of climate change and biodiversity crisis. By applying electrical circuit theory, this study analyzed the factors affecting connectivity and identified gaps in corridors for conservation. The results showed that the orography of the landscape and human activities significantly influenced animal movement. Therefore, expanding protected areas is important to ensure the recolonization of species like the Eurasian otter in the western Alps.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Irena A. Koelemeijer, Ayco J. M. Tack, Beyene Zewdie, Sileshi Nemomissa, Kristoffer Hylander
Summary: This study identified drivers behind woody plant regeneration in coffee agroforestry, showing that local management intensity negatively impacted species richness, diversity, density, and height, while sites adjacent to continuous forests had higher species richness and diversity. Transfer limitation was detrimental for the regeneration of late successional species in agroforestry systems with reduced woody plant diversity.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Cendrine Mony, Lea Uroy, Fadwa Khalfallah, Nick Haddad, Philippe Vandenkoornhuyse
Summary: Land use changes have led to a decrease in global biodiversity, and increasing landscape connectivity is proposed as a key strategy to counterbalance the negative effects of habitat fragmentation. However, the existing framework on connectivity has overlooked microorganisms, which represent a significant proportion of Earth's biodiversity. This review explores the influence of connectivity on microorganisms and highlights the need for further research to understand their response to connectivity and its implications for microbial communities and ecosystem services.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana Filipa Palmeirim, Carine Emer, Maira Benchimol, Danielle Storck-Tonon, Anderson S. Bueno, Carlos A. Peres
Summary: Deforestation and fragmentation have negative impacts on biodiversity. This study investigates the effects of insular fragmentation on species-habitat networks in the Central Amazonia. The results show that forest fragmentation leads to simplified networks and different taxa have different persistence to habitat loss.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Javan M. Bauder, William E. Peterman, Stephen F. Spear, Christopher L. Jenkins, Andrew R. Whiteley, Kevin McGarigal
Summary: The study focuses on the importance of landscape features and their scale effects on gene flow, using genetic algorithms to optimize landscape resistance surfaces. Results suggest that multisurface multiscale LRS outperformed other approaches, especially large-scale LRS had the greatest impact on eastern indigo snake connectivity.
Article
Ecology
Laurane Winandy, Felix Pellerin, Lucie Di Gesu, Delphine Legrand, Julien Cote
Summary: Using a semi-natural experiment, this study investigated the potential synergetic effects of climate warming and habitat connectivity on a single amphibian species. The results showed that warmer climates decreased the abundance of adult newts and altered the phenotypic composition of populations, but connectivity between climates cancelled out these effects. Additionally, the study found that population isolation disrupted the relationship between emigration propensity and certain morphological traits. These findings highlight the importance of microclimatic refuges and their accessibility in buffering the impacts of climate change on amphibian populations.
Review
Ecology
Lea Uroy, Audrey Alignier, Cendrine Mony, Jean-Christophe Foltete, Aude Ernoult
Summary: This article provides an overview of existing methods for assessing the temporal dynamics of connectivity, highlighting two main approaches based on spatial dispersal and spatio-temporal dispersal. These methods offer indicators to advance understanding of biodiversity patterns and implement measures to conserve and restore connectivity.
Article
Ecology
L. J. Heintzman, N. E. McIntyre
Summary: The study found that the playa network was highly fragmented from a structural perspective, with coalescence distances greater than amphibian dispersal capabilities. However, functional connectivity would require spanning scales from daily movements to inter-generational dispersal in this landscape.
Article
Environmental Studies
Juan Von Thaden, Robert H. Manson, G. Congalton, Fabiola Lopez-Barrera, Kelly W. Jones
Summary: Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are effective in reducing deforestation, but have limitations in achieving higher additionality due to enrolling mostly areas of lower deforestation risk. Research suggests that the effectiveness of PES programs is closely linked to payment density, with higher density areas resulting in significantly greater reductions in deforestation.
Article
Ecology
Scott H. Harris, Urs G. Kormann, Thomas D. Stokely, Jake Verschuyl, Andrew J. Kroll, Matthew G. Betts
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Thomas D. Stokely, Matthew G. Betts
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Felipe Torres-Vanegas, Adam S. Hadley, Urs G. Kormann, F. Andrew Jones, Matthew G. Betts, Helene H. Wagner
Summary: Deforestation can have direct and indirect impacts on plant mating quality. Functional shifts in the pollinator community due to deforestation can reduce genetic diversity in pollen loads and affect the success of plant mating.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Matthew G. Betts, Benjamin T. Phalan, Christopher Wolf, Susan C. Baker, Christian Messier, Klaus J. Puettmann, Rhys Green, Scott H. Harris, David P. Edwards, David B. Lindenmayer, Andrew Balmford
Summary: Forest loss and degradation pose the greatest threats to global biodiversity, and finding a balance between conservation and wood production remains a challenge. Expanding high-yielding tree plantations could provide more forest land for protection, but leads to reduced biodiversity, while adopting extensive ecological management may better simulate natural forest structures with compromised wood yields.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Scott H. Harris, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: A study on the impact of tree plantations on native bird biodiversity found that bird abundance changes dynamically during early plantation development, with many species peaking in abundance either very early in development or at canopy closure, then declining by the end of a 30-year period. Broadleaf cover only increased habitat longevity for one bird species (Wilson's warbler), contrary to the hypothesis.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Christopher Wolf, Taal Levi, William J. Ripple, Diego A. Zarrate-Charry, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: Global analysis reveals that only 6.5% of the world's forests are protected, well below the Aichi Target of 17%. Protected areas reduce deforestation rates by 41%, with the lowest rates seen in small reserves with low background deforestation rates.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Jonathon J. Valente, S. Kim Nelson, James W. Rivers, Daniel D. Roby, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: By experimentally broadcasting murrelet calls at potential breeding sites, it was found that simulating conspecific presence can attract potential prospectors and lead them to occupy the site in the following year. This suggests that social information influences site selection for murrelet breeding.
Article
Forestry
James W. Rivers, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: Postharvest Douglas-fir forests supported a range of wild bee species during the early seral period, with observed bee species richness and abundance strongly associated with floral resources. However, stands within three years of harvest harbored the most bees and greatest bee diversity, indicating their values to bees are limited to a short window of time during the early seral period. Actions that promote floral resources and maintain early seral conditions on the landscape are expected to have the greatest benefit to wild bees and other insect pollinators within managed forests.
Article
Ecology
Matthew G. Betts, Adam S. Hadley, David W. Frey, Sarah J. K. Frey, Dusty Gannon, Scott H. Harris, Hankyu Kim, Urs G. Kormann, Kara Leimberger, Katie Moriarty, Joseph M. Northrup, Ben Phalan, Josee S. Rousseau, Thomas D. Stokely, Jonathon J. Valente, Chris Wolf, Diego Zarrate-Charry
Summary: The use of research hypotheses in ecology and evolution is low, stable, and not correlated with grant success or citation rates, potentially disincentivizing hypothesis formulation.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Hankyu Kim, Yongwon Mo, Chang-Yong Choi, Brenda C. McComb, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: This article discusses the reasons behind the decline in terrestrial bird species in temperate regions around the world, focusing on population trends in South Korea. The study shows that 38% of species are declining, with seven species experiencing severe declines. Long-distance migrants and common species exhibit faster declines in numbers.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Christopher Wolf, David M. Bell, Hankyu Kim, Michael Paul Nelson, Mark Schulze, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: Microclimatic refugia are crucial for biodiversity conservation under climate change, with stable microclimate temperature offsets observed over time. However, broad-scale climatic variation can still significantly impact microclimate temperatures, emphasizing the importance of maintaining old-growth and complex forest habitats to protect these microclimatic refugia.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Urs G. Kormann, Thomas D. Stokely, Jake Verschuyl, Andrew J. Kroll, Scott Harris, Doug Maguire, Doug Mainwaring, James W. Rivers, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: Understanding how herbicides affect biodiversity, yield, and economic benefits is crucial for managing natural resources. This study found that herbicides reduced species richness and had varying effects on different trophic groups in forest ecosystems. Financial discounting also played a significant role in modifying biodiversity-revenue relationships caused by management intensity.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Thomas D. Stokely, Urs G. Kormann, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: Understanding the interaction between management practices and ecological processes on biodiversity structuring is a central challenge in ecology. Experimental results demonstrate complex effects of intensive forest management practices and herbivores on vegetation development and diversity, highlighting the importance of testing interactions between natural and anthropogenic agents on vegetation development.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Thomas D. Stokely, Urs G. Kormann, Jake Verschuyl, Andrew J. Kroll, David W. Frey, Scott H. Harris, Doug Mainwaring, Doug Maguire, Jeff A. Hatten, James W. Rivers, Stephen Fitzgerald, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: The research shows that increasing management intensity through herbicide use in forests may decrease biodiversity conservation and certain non-timber services, pointing to trade-offs between some services and timber production. However, some services appear to be compatible with timber production, suggesting that a balance may need to be struck for optimal ecosystem service provision across managed forest landscapes.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Marie Tosa, Emily H. Dziedzic, Cara L. Appel, Jenny Urbina, Aimee Massey, Joel Ruprecht, Charlotte E. Eriksson, Jane E. Dolliver, Damon B. Lesmeister, Matthew G. Betts, Carlos A. Peres, Taal Levi
Summary: Ecologists are seeing a renaissance in natural history, now characterized by technological advancements and statistical tools that enable systematic collection and analysis of detailed observations, providing a foundation for hypothetico-deductive research and conservation efforts. Next-generation natural history datasets have transformed anecdotal observations into robust scientific evidence, encouraging scientists to embrace detailed descriptions of nature and engaging both scientists and non-scientists in the wonders of the natural world.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)