Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Philipp Andesner, Stephanie Vallant, Thomas Seeber, Reinhard Lentner, Wolfgang Arthofer, Florian M. Steiner, Birgit C. Schlick-Steiner
Summary: The rapid climate change and habitat degradation by human activities are recognized as the top threats to biodiversity. Employing umbrella species like Western Capercaillie and Black Grouse for ecosystem health monitoring is popular and cost-effective, with regional population surveys based on genetic data being conducted for conservation management. Standardization is necessary to ensure reliable comparability among laboratories in genetic analysis.
CONSERVATION GENETICS RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Rajmund Sokol, Patrycja Pluta
Summary: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of endoparasites in fecal samples collected from Galliformes kept in different types of aviaries. The study found that birds housed in permanent aviaries had a higher prevalence of parasitic infections compared to birds in seminatural free-flight aviaries. This suggests that Galliformes reared in seminatural aviaries may be better suited for reintroduction to their natural habitats.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
William Richardson, Tamzen K. Stringham, Andrew B. Nuss, Brian Morra, Keirith A. Snyder
Summary: Groundwater dependent systems in the Great Basin of North America are crucial habitats for various species. The impacts of grazing on these habitats result in shifts in resources and changes in species composition. The abundance of arthropods in these ecosystems responded differently to grazing management and environmental variables, with an increase of approximately 50% in Coleoptera abundance in some meadows with higher grazing intensity.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuanyuan Yang, Qianqian Chen, Yin Zhou, Wu Yu, Zhou Shi
Summary: This study explored the biogeographic patterns and mechanisms of soil bacterial communities in maintaining soil carbon balance in an alpine timberline ecosystem in Southeast Tibet. The results showed significant differences in soil bacterial community composition and functions between shrubland and coniferous forest, which were related to soil temperature and C:N ratio. These differences can improve the predictive power of the carbon feedback process in terrestrial ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pallieter De Smedt, Willem Proesmans, Lander Baeten
Summary: The study found a high temporal complementarity between woodlice and millipedes, with millipede activity peaking in spring and woodlice showing a peak in summer. The timing of activity also depended on habitat openness, with millipedes peaking first in open habitat and later in closed habitat, while woodlice showed the opposite pattern.
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jordann G. Foster, Chantalle A. Gervan, Matthew G. Coghill, Lauchlan H. Fraser
Summary: Invasive plant spotted knapweed can alter plant community composition, ground litter, and ground temperature, impacting arthropod functional groups in grassland habitats. Increasing knapweed density may lead to decreased herbivore and detritivore biomass, with varying effects on different arthropod functional groups. This suggests that knapweed invasion does not uniformly affect arthropod functional group diversity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shuren Wang, Congcong Jiao, Dayong Zhao, Jin Zeng, Peng Xing, Yongqin Liu, Qinglong L. Wu
Summary: This study reveals that rhizosphere bacterial communities in both alpine meadows and steppes exhibit higher alpha-diversity but lower beta-diversity compared to bacterial communities in sediments and bulk soils. The relationships between bacterial communities in different habitats weaken from meadows to steppes, and the drivers for the phylogenetic turnover of bacterial communities differ between meadows and steppes. These findings provide important insights into the differences in microbial communities between meadows and steppes in the grassland transition zone on the Tibetan Plateau.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
A. C. Young, T. E. Katzner, D. J. Shinneman, T. N. Johnson
Summary: Shrublands worldwide have been altered by plant invasions, including the expansion of native trees. The removal of native conifer trees, such as juniper, in the western U.S. has been implemented to support declining sagebrush habitats and associated wildlife species. However, the relationship between conifer expansion and predator distributions has not been explicitly evaluated. This study found that habitat use by common ravens and red-tailed hawks was influenced by structural characteristics of the habitat, but not by prey abundance.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rentao Liu, Zhixia Guo, Yosef Steinberger
Summary: Shrub afforestation is an effective method for restoring soil communities and controlling desertification. This study found that soil textural heterogeneity significantly influenced the abundance of ground-active arthropods, but not their biodiversity distribution and trophic relationship.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Xufang Chen, Lishen Qian, Yazhou Zhang, Honghua Shi, Hang Sun, Jianguo Chen
Summary: The research found that soil seed assemblages varied between different alpine habitat types, along with differences in seed richness, diversity, and density, influenced by study sites. Bare ground had the lowest seed diversity and density, but may undergo greater changes under global warming compared to grassland and rock bed.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Liam M. Crowley, Katharine Ivison, Abigail Enston, Dion Garrett, Jon P. Sadler, Jeremy Pritchard, A. Robert MacKenzie, Scott A. L. Hayward
Summary: This paper presents a study on arthropod diversity and abundance, and how to assess their response to climate change using diverse sampling methods and temporal resolution. The results show that temperature is the best predictor of arthropod abundance, while precipitation is not correlated with trap data. These data provide an important baseline for evaluating the future impacts of CO2 increase on arthropods.
ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
John H. Armstrong, Andy J. Kulikowski, Stacy M. Philpott
Summary: The study found that there is a substantial abundance and diversity of arthropods underneath ground-mounted solar arrays in urban area parking lots, and arrays integrated with vegetation have significantly greater arthropod abundance and more detritivores, parasitoids, and family richness.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Salar Ali, Junfeng Gao, Atta Rasool, Giri Raj Kattel, Shaukat Ali
Summary: This study examines the spatial and temporal patterns of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in relation to altitudinal and channel stability gradients using the ARISE classification approach. The results show significant differences in physicochemical habitat structure and benthic macroinvertebrate communities among ARISE categories. The study highlights the strong correlation between physicochemical and biological parameters, indicating the increased applicability of the ARISE classification approach.
GEOMICROBIOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Grace E. P. Murphy, Jillian C. Dunic, Emily M. Adamczyk, Sarah J. Bittick, Isabelle M. Cote, John Cristiani, Emilie A. Geissinger, Robert S. Gregory, Heike K. Lotze, Mary O'Connor, Carlos A. S. Araujo, Emily M. Rubidge, Nadine D. Templeman, Melisa C. Wong
Summary: Seagrass meadows, particularly eelgrass, are highly productive and diverse marine ecosystems in Canada, but face varying environmental conditions and human impacts across different regions. Despite similarities in eelgrass life history, significant differences exist in environmental conditions and human activities, highlighting the need for tailored management and conservation efforts.
Article
Soil Science
M. I. Makarov, M. S. Kadulin, T. I. Malysheva
Summary: The isotopic composition of nitrogen in soil microbial biomass is influenced by nitrogen transformations, carbon and nitrogen availability, and N-mineralization. The accumulation of N-15 in microbial biomass is closely related to N-mineralization (positively) and nitrogen use efficiency (negatively), indicating the important role of microbial nitrogen dissimilation in controlling the isotopic composition of soil microbial biomass nitrogen.
EURASIAN SOIL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Arnaud G. Barras, Carole A. Niffenegger, Ivan Candolfi, Yannick A. Hunziker, Raphael Arlettaz
Summary: This study focused on the breeding ecology of the Alpine ring ouzel, indicating that local weather conditions have a significant impact on parental provisioning behavior, with higher temperatures reducing prey provisioning rates and biomass delivered to chicks, while rainfall has a positive effect on the delivered biomass. The research also found that as the breeding season progresses, both prey item biomass and the proportion of earthworms in nestlings' diet decrease.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Steffen Boch, Yasemin Kurtogullari, Eric Allan, Malie Lessard-Therrien, Nora Simone Rieder, Markus Fischer, Gerard Martinez De Leon, Raphael Arlettaz, Jean-Yves Humbert
Summary: The study found that fertilization has significant effects on vascular plant species richness and functional composition of mountain grasslands. In contrast, irrigation had minimal impact on plant community composition. The research suggests that maintaining non-intensive land use and reducing fertilizer inputs can help preserve the high plant diversity of mountain grasslands.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Veronika Braunisch, Sergio Vignali, Pierre-Alain Oggier, Raphael Arlettaz
Summary: The distribution of red-billed choughs in the Alpine arch is limited by habitat suitability and nesting site preferences, with south-exposed dry meadows and extensively-grazed pastures being preferred for foraging while availability and distance to suitable habitats influencing nest site selection. Factors such as topography and vegetation play a significant role in shaping the habitat requirements of the species.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Jeremy Gremion, Gabriel Marcacci, Julien Mazenauer, Tolera Sori, Fanuel Kebede, Mihret Ewnetu, Philippe Christe, Raphael Arlettaz, Alain Jacot
Summary: Agricultural intensification and land-use changes are impacting farmland biodiversity, with the Ortolan Bunting facing a dramatic decline. Traditional agroecosystems in the Ethiopian Highlands play a vital role in preserving the species' wintering grounds and the majority of its global population. Maintaining traditional agriculture will be crucial in preventing further decline in the Ortolan Bunting population.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gabriel Marcacci, Jeremy Gremion, Julien Mazenauer, Tolera Sori, Fanuel Kebede, Mihret Ewnetu, Philippe Christe, Raphael Arlettaz, Alain Jacot
Summary: Intensification of farming practices has detrimental effects on biodiversity, with a focus on declines in species richness at local scales. Biotic homogenization exacerbates species loss at larger scales, yet this is poorly studied in tropical areas. This study in the Ethiopian Highlands found that landscape complexity has a stronger influence on avian communities than farming intensity, emphasizing the importance of semi-natural vegetation and landscape heterogeneity for maintaining diverse bird communities and promoting biodiversity.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sergio Vignali, Franziska Loercher, Daniel Hegglin, Raphael Arlettaz, Veronika Braunisch
Summary: The deployment of wind turbines in the Swiss Alps may pose a collision risk to large birds, such as bearded vultures. By using GPS data from tagged vultures, a spatially explicit model was developed to predict potential conflict areas with future wind turbine installations. The model identified south-exposed mountainsides and areas with a high occurrence of ibex carcasses as critical zones of collision risk. This model provides a decision-making tool for authorities and energy companies to proactively plan wind farm deployments and reduce risks to Alpine wildlife.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Mattia Brambilla, Chiara Bettega, Maria M. Delgado, Miguel De Gabriel-Hernando, Martin Paeckert, Raphael Arlettaz, Sebastian Dirren, Philippe Fontanilles, Juan Antonio Gil, Mylene Herrmann, Sabine Hille, Franzi Korner-Nievergelt, Paolo Pedrini, Jaime Resano-Mayor, Christian Schano, Davide Scridel
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Nino Maag, Malcolm D. Burgess, Marta Maziarz, Shannon Luepold, John W. Mallord, Richard K. Broughton, Andrew Cristinacce, Raphael Arlettaz, Sandro Carlotti, Joan Castello, Tony Davis, Michael Gerber, Alex Grendelmeier, Christopher J. Orsman, Michael Riess, Pablo Stelbrink, Tomasz Wesolowski, Zephyr Zuest, Gilberto Pasinelli
Summary: This study investigated the reproductive success and its relationship with population trends of the wood warbler in different regions of Europe. The results showed that nest survival and the dominant nest predator class varied across regions and strongly influenced reproductive success. However, there was no consistency between reproductive success and population trends in different regions.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Arnaud G. Barras, Ivan Candolfi, Raphael Arlettaz
Summary: This study in the Swiss Alps area aimed to characterize spatio-temporal patterns of food availability for the Ring Ouzel by sampling earthworms over a breeding season. The study found that ground vegetation cover and soil moisture were suitable predictors for the number of earthworms in the soil profile at each sampling time. It also provided evidence of a seasonal peak in earthworm availability, with differences between open grasslands and forested areas depending on snowmelt stages.
Article
Ecology
Nino Maag, John W. Mallord, Malcolm D. Burgess, Shannon Luepold, Andrew Cristinacce, Raphael Arlettaz, Sandro Carlotti, Tony M. Davis, Alex Grendelmeier, Christopher J. Orsman, Michael Riess, Pablo Stelbrink, Gilberto Pasinelli
Summary: Nest predation is the main cause of nest failure for ground-nesting bird species. The relationship between nest predation rate and habitat can vary depending on the specific predator involved, as different predators have different habitat requirements. Considering predator-specific nest predation rates and their relationships to habitat at different spatial scales is important for assessing the impact of habitat change on avian nesting success.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Carole A. Niffenegger, Christian Schano, Raphael Arlettaz, Franzi Korner-Nievergelt
Summary: Timing and location of reproduction are important for the reproductive success of birds, especially in mountain ecosystems with high spatiotemporal variability and climate shifts. The white-winged snowfinch prefers nest cavities facing the morning sun and located in areas with greater snow cover. The future climate change may lead to mismatches between foraging grounds and nest sites, impacting the demographic trajectories of the snowfinch.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Daniel Slodowicz, Cecile Auberson, Elizabete Ferreira De Carvalho, Romain Angeleri, Marzena Stanska, Izabela Hajdamowicz, Yasemin Kurtogullari, Roman Roth, Lucas Rossier, Gino Enz, Jean-Yves Humbert, Raphael Arlettaz
Summary: Active grassland restoration often involves soil disturbance through harrowing or plowing to enhance plant germination. However, the impact of these soil interventions on the local ground-dwelling invertebrate fauna is still uncertain. In this study, we examined how ground beetles and spiders, two important indicators of grassland biodiversity, respond to different grassland restoration methods in Swiss meadows. Our results showed that ground-beetle and spider communities recovered well after one year of restoration, suggesting that soil disturbance can be applied in restoring plant species-poor grasslands without significant negative effects on above ground-dwelling invertebrates.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Camilla Sandstrom, Irene Ring, Roland Olschewski, Riccardo Simoncini, Christian Albert, Sevil Acar, Malkhaz Adeishvili, Christina Allard, Yakov Anker, Raphael Arlettaz, Gyorgyi Bela, Luca Coscieme, Anke Fischer, Christine Fuerst, Bella Galil, Stephen Hynes, Ulan Kasymov, Cristina Marta-Pedroso, Ana Mendes, Ulf Molau, Jan Pergl
Summary: Recent assessments by IPBES indicate that Nature's Contributions to People (NCP) are at risk due to ongoing biodiversity loss, emphasizing the need for increased conservation efforts and sustainable use of biodiversity. Mainstreaming biodiversity into sectoral policies is seen as a strategy to achieve change. The review conducted for Europe and Central Asia highlights the potential of mainstreaming to improve biodiversity conservation and NCP provision, but also indicates the need for stronger implementation.
ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Laura Bosco, Valentin Moser, Mirkka M. M. Jones, Oystein Opedal, Otso Ovaskainen, Gerber Sonja, Roel Van Klink, Samuel A. A. Cushman, Raphael Arlettaz, Alain Jacot
Summary: Fragmentation of habitat caused by intensive agriculture can harm local biodiversity, but it is unclear whether this is due to loss of habitat area or increased fragmentation, as well as how habitat quality factors in. We found that increased ground vegetation density and larger habitat areas favor more diverse and abundant insect communities, while fragmentation effects vary and depend on the species. Therefore, implementing nature-friendly farming practices and maintaining high ground vegetation density in vineyards can promote diverse insect communities.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Gerard Martinez-De Leon, Lauriane Dani, Aline Hayoz-Andrey, Segolene Humann-Guilleminot, Raphael Arlettaz, Jean-Yves Humbert
Summary: Management intensification has mid- and long-term effects on land snail communities in mountain and subalpine hay meadows. It initially increases snail densities but decreases species richness in the long term. Drought-tolerant snails benefit from intensification, while mesophilous species are particularly sensitive and prone to species losses. Soil pH and plant diversity play important roles in land snail occurrence.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)