Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lei Han, Zhi Wang, Mengmeng Wei, Muyang Wang, Hui Shi, Kathreen Ruckstuhl, Weikang Yang, Joana Alves
Summary: This study assesses the role of small patches in landscape connectivity and identifies critical and important patches for conservation in the Kalajun-Kuerdening forest in Xinjiang, China. It also highlights the importance of small patches in maintaining overall connectivity and providing habitat and protection for species with small home ranges and short dispersal distances.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaoyu Guo, Zhenxing Bian, Jun Zhou, Shuai Wang, Wei Zhou
Summary: Semi-natural habitats have a significant impact on the diversity and activity-density of epigaeic arthropods. This study found differences in epigaeic arthropod communities among different types of semi-natural habitats, with isolate habitats and linear herbaceous habitats having higher activity-density and diversity.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Jaime Ojeda, Anne K. Salomon, James K. Rowe, Natalie C. Ban
Summary: The article proposes the concept of reciprocal contributions as an alternative to the commonly used notion of ecosystem services, highlighting the importance of reciprocity between people and nature for sustainability transformation. It suggests that ethical principles and practices from Indigenous and local communities can inform global policy approaches and interventions.
Article
Ecology
Louise Mair, Leon A. Bennun, Thomas M. Brooks, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Friederike C. Bolam, Neil D. Burgess, Jonathan M. M. Ekstrom, E. J. Milner-Gulland, Michael Hoffmann, Keping Ma, Nicholas B. W. Macfarlane, Domitilla C. Raimondo, Ana S. L. Rodrigues, Xiaoli Shen, Bernardo B. N. Strassburg, Craig R. Beatty, Carla Gomez-Creutzberg, Alvaro Iribarrem, Meizani Irmadhiany, Eduardo Lacerda, Bianca C. Mattos, Karmila Parakkasi, Marcelo F. Tognelli, Elizabeth L. Bennett, Catherine Bryan, Giulia Carbone, Abhishek Chaudhary, Maxime Eiselin, Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca, Russell Galt, Arne Geschke, Louise Glew, Romie Goedicke, Jonathan M. H. Green, Richard D. Gregory, Samantha L. L. Hill, David G. Hole, Jonathan Hughes, Jonathan Hutton, Marco P. W. Keijzer, Laetitia M. Navarro, Eimear Nic Lughadha, Andrew J. Plumptre, Philippe Puydarrieux, Hugh P. Possingham, Aleksandar Rankovic, Eugenie C. Regan, Carlo Rondinini, Joshua D. Schneck, Juha Siikamaki, Cyriaque Sendashonga, Gilles Seutin, Sam Sinclair, Andrew L. Skowno, Carolina A. Soto-Navarro, Simon N. Stuart, Helen J. Temple, Antoine Vallier, Francesca Verones, Leonardo R. Viana, James Watson, Simeon Bezeng, Monika Bohm, Ian J. Burfield, Viola Clausnitzer, Colin Clubbe, Neil A. Cox, Joerg Freyhof, Leah R. Gerber, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Richard Jenkins, Ackbar Joolia, Lucas N. Joppa, Lian Pin Koh, Thomas E. Lacher, Penny F. Langhammer, Barney Long, David Mallon, Michela Pacifici, Beth A. Polidoro, Caroline M. Pollock, Malin C. Rivers, Nicolette S. Roach, Jon Paul Rodriguez, Jane Smart, Bruce E. Young, Frank Hawkins, Philip J. K. McGowan
Summary: The STAR metric quantifies contributions from abating threats and restoring habitats to reducing species' extinction risk in specific locations. Sustainable crop production and forestry dominate in contributing to total STAR values for amphibians, birds, and mammals, while Key Biodiversity Areas cover 9% of the terrestrial surface but capture 47% of STAR values.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Review
Mycology
Allen Grace T. Niego, Sylvie Rapior, Naritsada Thongklang, Olivier Raspe, Kevin D. Hyde, Peter Mortimer
Summary: Macrofungi are essential components of forest ecosystems, playing crucial roles in nutrient cycling, species diversity maintenance, soil formation, and environmental pollution remediation. However, their contributions are often overlooked in planning and policymaking processes.
FUNGAL BIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kevin A. Vega, Christoph Kuffer
Summary: The study found that small patches in public spaces in Zurich contribute more than expected to the overall wildflower species richness in the city, especially for less common species. Connecting these small patches to larger green spaces is essential for unlocking their potential as habitats for wildflowers and associated fauna, especially in highly urbanized areas.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pierre-Louis Rey, Pascal Vittoz, Blaise Petitpierre, Antoine Adde, Antoine Guisan
Summary: Since the late 1990s, Nature's Contributions to People (NCPs; i.e. ecosystem services) have been used to promote nature preservation. However, mapping NCPs based on individual species data is rare. This study fills this gap by establishing the relationships between 1816 tracheophyte and 250 vertebrate species with 17 NCPs in the Swiss Alps, highlighting the importance of such a table in building spatial predictions of NCPs for conservation planning.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Friederike C. Bolam, Jorge Ahumada, H. Resit Akcakaya, Thomas M. Brooks, Wendy Elliott, Sean Hoban, Louise Mair, David Mallon, Philip J. K. McGowan, Domitilla Raimondo, Jon Paul Rodriguez, Dilys Roe, Mary B. Seddon, Xiaoli Shen, Simon N. Stuart, James E. M. Watson, Stuart H. M. Butchart
Summary: Preventing human-induced extinctions requires policy commitments to implement targeted recovery actions for threatened species, in addition to comprehensive efforts to mitigate threats to species.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rocco Labadessa, Leonardo Ancillotto
Summary: The decline of biodiversity due to urban development has raised the need to identify areas most relevant to the conservation of native species. In this study, the multiple role of local geomorphological features in shaping plant diversity patterns and dynamics in an urban area of Italy was assessed. The results showed that landscape remnants played a crucial role in the conservation of native, rare, and specialised species, as well as in maintaining floristic continuity and potential connectivity throughout the urban landscape.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hongzhuo Zhao, Dianfeng Liu, Fuxiang Li, Xiaojing Liu, Jiqiang Niu, Jianhua He, Yaolin Liu
Summary: Habitat fragmentation has greatly reduced biodiversity in urban fringe areas. Prioritizing individual habitat patches offers spatially explicit guidance for ecological conservation and restoration. Using spatio-temporal connectivity metrics can be effective in assessing conservation priorities at a dynamic landscape level.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yongzhi Yan, Scott Jarvie, Qing Zhang, Shuangshuang Zhang, Peng Han, Qingfu Liu, Pengtao Liu
Summary: Research in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China shows that small remaining grassland patches are hotspots for regional biodiversity conservation in fragmented landscapes, with local precipitation heterogeneity playing a key role in influencing ecological uniqueness.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Yunyu Ge, Hongyu Chen, Mengdi Zhang, Xiong Li
Summary: The study has shown that urban forests play a crucial role in protecting urban biodiversity and providing recreation services, and both are highly related to the size of urban forest patches. The research conducted in six central urban districts in Beijing provides a scientific foundation for urban forest planning and management in the future, facilitating the synergistic growth of the two services and supporting the improvement of ecosystem services and the ecological welfare of people.
News Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sara Phillips
Summary: By assessing the unique traits of traded animals and their role in ecosystems, researchers can evaluate the potential impact of losses.
Review
Ecology
Dov F. Sax, Martin A. Schlaepfer, Julian D. Olden
Summary: This study provides a framework for considering the positive consequences of non-native species and emphasizes their importance for human well-being. The research suggests that biases against non-native species have hindered policy advances and public understanding, and calls for future research to consider both costs and benefits.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Mari Jonsson, Jan-Olov Weslien, Lena Gustafsson
Summary: Retaining trees in small patches at final harvest is a common forest conservation measure to maintain diversity. In this study, we found that most small retention patches did not experience severe tree mortality and had a consistent amount of coarse woody debris over time. Wetland and rocky areas had higher volumes of CWD compared to other patch types.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andy Dobson, Grant Hopcraft, Simon Mduma, Joseph O. Ogutu, John Fryxell, T. Michael Anderson, Sally Archibald, Caroline Lehmann, Joyce Poole, Tim Caro, Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, Robert D. Holt, Joel Berger, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Paula Kahumbu, Emmanuel N. Chidumayo, E. J. Milner-Gulland, Dolph Schluter, Sarah Otto, Andrew Balmford, David Wilcove, Stuart Pimm, Joseph W. Veldman, Han Olff, Reed Noss, Ricardo Holdo, Colin Beale, Gareth Hempson, Yustina Kiwango, David Lindenmayer, William Bond, Mark Ritchie, Anthony R. E. Sinclair
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jiajia Liu, Ferry Slik, Shilu Zheng, David B. Lindenmayer
Summary: The extinction risk of newly described species has significantly increased over time, with the proportion of threatened species rising from 11.9% to 30.0% in the past decade. Projections suggest that this percentage could further increase to 47.1% by 2050. This pattern is consistent across vertebrate taxonomic groups and biomes, indicating that current estimates of species extinction rates are likely to be underestimated. Intensive fieldwork to discover new species and immediate conservation action, particularly in tropical areas, is urgently needed.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Mari-Liis Viljur, Scott R. Abella, Martin Adamek, Janderson Batista Rodrigues Alencar, Nicholas A. Barber, Burkhard Beudert, Laura A. Burkle, Luciano Cagnolo, Brent R. Campos, Anne Chao, Brahim Chergui, Chang-Yong Choi, Daniel F. R. Cleary, Thomas Seth Davis, Yanus A. Dechnik-Vazquez, William M. Downing, Andres Fuentes-Ramirez, Kamal J. K. Gandhi, Catherine Gehring, Kostadin B. Georgiev, Mark Gimbutas, Konstantin B. Gongalsky, Anastasiya Y. Gorbunova, Cathryn H. Greenberg, Kristoffer Hylander, Erik S. Jules, Daniil I. Korobushkin, Kajar Koster, Valerie Kurth, Joseph Drew Lanham, Maria Lazarina, Alexandro B. Leverkus, David Lindenmayer, Daniel Magnabosco Marra, Pablo Martin-Pinto, Jorge A. Meave, Marco Moretti, Hyun-Young Nam, Martin K. Obrist, Theodora Petanidou, Pere Pons, Simon G. Potts, Irina B. Rapoport, Paul R. Rhoades, Clark Richter, Ruslan A. Saifutdinov, Nathan J. Sanders, Xavier Santos, Zachary Steel, Julia Tavella, Clara Wendenburg, Beat Wermelinger, Andrey S. Zaitsev, Simon Thorn
Summary: Disturbances alter biodiversity by their specific characteristics, including severity and extent, and their effects depend on community characteristics and habitat requirements. Knowledge of natural disturbances' impact on biodiversity has become increasingly important due to changes caused by human activities. Some taxonomic groups respond positively to disturbance, while others tend to respond negatively. Understanding these relationships is crucial for managing and conserving biodiversity in disturbed ecosystems.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
David Lindenmayer, Lachlan McBurney, Wade Blanchard
Summary: Large quantities of dead wood generated by disturbances like wildfires play critical ecological roles in forest ecosystems globally. A 10-year study in southeastern Australia revealed that 23% of measured trees collapsed between 2011 and 2021, with smaller diameter trees and trees in fragmented patches being more prone to collapse. The potential loss of dead trees by 2030 could have major negative effects on biodiversity conservation in ash-type forests.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Stephen G. Kearney, James E. M. Watson, April E. Reside, Diana O. Fisher, Martine Maron, Tim S. Doherty, Sarah M. Legge, John C. Z. Woinarski, Stephen T. Garnett, Brendan A. Wintle, Euan G. Ritchie, Don A. Driscoll, David Lindenmayer, Vanessa M. Adams, Michelle S. Ward, Josie Carwardine
Summary: Earth's extinction crisis is worsening and threat classification schemes are crucial for assessing the drivers and threats causing species declines. However, there is a lack of a complementary framework for evaluating the conservation responses needed to reduce these threats. In this study, an expert-driven threat-abatement framework was developed and applied to 1532 threatened species in Australia, highlighting the importance of retaining and restoring habitat, controlling invasive species and diseases, and improving fire management for species recovery. Integrated management responses are necessary for the survival and recovery of most species.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Forestry
David B. Lindenmayer, Marta Yebra, Geoffrey J. Cary
Summary: Plantations of trees are important for wood supply but also pose fire risks. Greater consideration of fire risks in planning is needed, including the choice of tree species and their placement based on climatic and environmental factors. Other factors like landscape configuration and new technologies for fire detection and suppression should also be considered. Better planning and management of wildfires in plantations is essential due to their significance and potential danger to human safety.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Elle J. Bowd, Lachlan McBurney, David B. Lindenmayer
Summary: Under the current trajectory of accelerated climatic and environmental change, many forests are at risk of regeneration failure and subsequent transition to alternate stable states. Detailed empirical understanding of these alternative states is limited. Using a manipulative experiment, we found that frequent stand-replacing disturbance can result in regeneration failure in ash-type eucalypt forests in Australia. These shifts to alternative stable states can have severe ecological implications and require management interventions to conserve forest integrity.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biology
David B. Lindenmayer, Elle J. Bowd, Philip Gibbons
Summary: Wildfires pose challenges to forest restoration due to their varied impacts on vegetation and biodiversity. Appropriate management interventions, such as prescribed burning, excluding activities that hinder post-fire recovery, and artificial seeding, should be selected to achieve favorable restoration outcomes in different ecosystems.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jiajia Liu, Xiaofeng Jin, Shenhao Yao, Yuan Wang, Yifei Lu, Qianyu Chen, Chuping Wu, Ferry Slik, David Lindenmayer
Summary: The discovery rates of new plant species should be accelerated to prevent extinction before formal description. Current studies have focused on the occurrence and characteristics of new species, but limited attention has been given to the taxonomists who discover and describe them. Using China as a case study, we found that recently described species are mostly endemic, and the proportion of species described by resident Chinese taxonomists has increased over time. In contrast, species discoveries by non-resident experts, often non-endemic, have shown signs of leveling off. This study highlights the need for training, support, and collaboration with resident taxonomists in megadiverse countries with high potential for discovering undescribed plant species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Shilu Zheng, Juntao Hu, Zhijun Ma, David Lindenmayer, Jiajia Liu
Summary: The authors used body size data from mammal and bird museum collections in North America to show that intraspecific variation in body size has increased over time, while mean body size has not changed. Previous studies have mainly focused on the declining average body size of animals, and less is known about long-term changes in intraspecific trait variation, which is crucial for understanding species' ability to cope with environmental challenges.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Jessica L. L. Williams, David Lindenmayer, Brett Mifsud
Summary: Large old trees in Australia, such as the Mountain Ash, play critical ecological roles. By collating information about the tallest and largest trees in the country, we can identify priority species and areas for conservation. Documenting the size, condition, and location of these trees will enable monitoring and potential preservation efforts.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
D. B. Lindenmayer, W. Blanchard, M. J. Evans, R. Beggs, T. Lavery, D. Florance, C. Crane, D. Smith, A. Siegrist, E. Lang, B. C. Scheele
Summary: This study found that the Noisy Miner bird species in Australia poses a threat to other bird species. The study also revealed that environmental factors such as tree cover and net primary productivity influence the impact of the Noisy Miner. Therefore, protecting refugia characterized by high net primary productivity and tree cover is crucial for the conservation of woodland bird communities in areas with deforestation.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jackie L. O'Sullivan, Claire N. Foster, Damian R. Michael, Wade Blanchard, David B. Lindenmayer
Summary: Understanding the factors that influence retreat-site selection by fauna is important for habitat management and species conservation. However, there is limited knowledge about the attributes of surface rocks that contribute to their use in agricultural landscapes, especially during the winter months when reptiles are brumating.
Article
Environmental Studies
David B. Lindenmayer
Summary: Tens of thousands of species are at risk of extinction globally, and forest degradation can profoundly affect biodiversity. This study presents a detailed case study of species declines associated with forest degradation in southeastern Australia's montane ash forests. The study highlights the key drivers of declines, including logging, wildfire, habitat loss, climate change, and policy failures. Lessons for better conservation and forest management efforts are discussed, emphasizing the need to address the conflicts between conservation and logging policies.
Article
Ecology
Tyrone H. Lavery, David B. Lindenmayer, Hugh Allan, Darren Southwell, John C. Z. Woinarski, Mark Lintermans
Summary: Monitoring is crucial for conservation, as it enables the tracking of threatened species, assessment of threat impacts, and informs management responses and prioritization. However, monitoring freshwater fish can be challenging due to aquatic conditions that make population trends difficult to detect and identify.
ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION
(2022)
