Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Janaki Paudel, Laxman Khanal, Naresh Pandey, Laxmi Prasad Upadhyaya, Chandra Bahadur Sunar, Bina Thapa, Chet Raj Bhatta, Ramesh Raj Pant, Randall C. C. Kyes
Summary: Wetlands in mid-hills and lesser Himalaya of Nepal are threatened by climate change and human encroachment. This study examined the change in water coverage of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex in western Nepal over the past three decades and investigated the diversity and environmental factors of resident herpetofauna. The wetland complex has experienced a net loss of 16% in water coverage. Low diversity of herpetofauna indicates poor ecosystem health. Immediate conservation and restoration initiatives are recommended for ensuring the sustainability of the wetland.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ashutosh Verma, LaRoy Brandt, Samantha Runser, Karen Gruszynski, Kenneth Gallatin, Joey Morgan, Hanna Barnhart, Conner Duke, Scott Brovarney, Allison Geer, Emily Willems, Raeshelle Strobel, Christian Bryant, Emma Pawlowski, Ashana Thaker
Summary: This study investigated the presence of Leptospira spp. infection in reptiles and amphibians in the Cumberland Gap Region of the Central Appalachia. It found that 15 out of 116 tested animals were positive for Leptospira spp. The results suggest that while reptiles and amphibians may have a lower proportion of infection compared to rodents, they still play a role in maintaining baseline infection in the environment.
ZOONOSES AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Milad Badri, Meysam Olfatifar, Amir KarimiPourSaryazdi, Leila Zaki, Luis Manuel Madeira de Carvalho, Majid Fasihi Harandi, Fatemeh Barikbin, Parisa Madani, Aida Vafae Eslahi
Summary: This study aimed to estimate the global prevalence of Spirometra species in snakes, frogs, dogs, and cats. The results showed that the pooled prevalence of infection in intermediate hosts and definitive hosts was 0.313% and 0.089%, respectively. The highest prevalence rates in snakes and frogs were found in Asia, while Africa and Oceania had the highest prevalence rates in dogs and cats, respectively. Morphological method had the highest prevalence rate in studies on snakes, frogs, and cats, while molecular technique had the highest prevalence rate in studies on dogs.
VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Tania Marisol Gonzalez, Juan David Gonzalez-Trujillo, Alberto Munoz, Dolors Armenteras
Summary: Fire plays a key role in ecosystem functioning and biodiversity maintenance, but its impact on animal communities varies depending on severity, history, and frequency. Research suggests that fire history is a significant modulator of animal richness and abundance, highlighting the need for long-term studies to inform fire management strategies.
ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Martina Ferraguti, Sergio Magallanes, Marcela Suarez-Rubio, Paul J. J. Bates, Alfonso Marzal, Swen C. Renner
Summary: Global change has been linked to increased vector-borne diseases. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the impact of land-use on disease transmission. The study found that land-use intensity and host-vector species significantly affect disease prevalence.
Review
Environmental Studies
Andrew Allan, Ali Soltani, Mohammad Hamed Abdi, Melika Zarei
Summary: Based on a literature review of drivers of land use and land cover change (LULCC) in urban areas over the past 10 years, this paper combines quantitative and qualitative keyword analysis to develop a three-level structural categorization of these drivers. The study finds that transportation availability is the most frequently mentioned factor in LULCC.
Article
Ecology
Jason M. M. Gleditsch, Jocelyn E. E. Behm, Jacintha Ellers, Wendy A. M. Jesse, Matthew R. R. Helmus
Summary: Island biogeography theory is updated to incorporate the effects of land development and economic trade on species richness patterns in the Caribbean. The study built a database of native and introduced reptiles and amphibians for Caribbean islands and evaluated the relationships between species richness and habitat diversity and isolation. The contemporized theory explains the current patterns of biodiversity and will continue to predict the island biogeography of the Anthropocene.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Elena Syromyatnikova, Serdar Mayda, Alexey Tesakov
Summary: The late Miocene herpetofauna in Turkey is poorly known, with only one known anguine assemblage from Suleymanli. However, new findings from three early late Miocene localities in Anatolia have revealed a variety of amphibians and reptiles, providing the first insights into the late Miocene herpetofauna in Turkey. The oldest records of Naja and Varanus in Anatolia are currently from the Altintas locality.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Lotte de Jong, Sophie de Bruin, Joost Knoop, Jasper van Vliet
Summary: The increasing demand for food, water, and shelter has changed the way land is used, resulting in conflicts. Research has shown that population growth, overlapping land rights, ethnic fragmentation, and economic inequality are the root causes of conflict related to land-use change, while rises in land prices are the most frequently reported immediate cause. Reported institutional causes indicate that governance mechanisms are not fully equipped to handle the complexity of observed land-use changes.
JOURNAL OF LAND USE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Development Studies
Elizabeth A. Mack, Laura Aileen Sauls, Brad D. Jokisch, Kerstin Nolte, Birgit Schmook, Yifan He, Claudia Radel, Ginger R. H. Allington, Lisa C. Kelley, Christian Kelly Scott, Stephen Leisz, Guangqing Chi, Lira Sagynbekova, Nicholas Cuba, Geoffrey M. Henebry
Summary: This paper conducts a systematic review to explore the linkages between remittances and land change. The findings suggest that the connections are commonly indirect and occur through various pathways, such as agricultural development and land purchases. Future research can focus on telecoupling, examining the impacts of shocks to remittance flows, studying the ripple effect of remittance uses on nearby land systems, and using spatially explicit modeling.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Oksana Nekrasova, Oleksii Marushchak
Summary: This dataset contains records of amphibian and reptile species in different regions of Ukraine, collected by Ukrainian herpetologist O. D. Nekrasova from 1996 to 2022. The selected species are not included in the latest edition of the Red Data Book of Ukraine (2009) or the 2019 species lists. Spatial distribution modeling (GIS modeling) using Maxent software shows that these species have a wide range and can be found in over 70% of the country's territory.
BIODIVERSITY DATA JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Mengxue Liu, Hejie Wei, Xiaobin Dong, Xue-Chao Wang, Bingyu Zhao, Ying Zhang
Summary: This paper examines the linkages among land use/land cover changes, ecosystem services, and human well-being, emphasizing their relationships, interactive ways, and applications, as well as outlining future research directions.
Article
Ecology
Ethan J. Royal, Chelsea S. Kross, John D. Willson
Summary: This study assessed the state of prairie-associated herpetofauna communities in intact prairie, as well in degraded and developed historic prairie throughout Western Arkansas. The results suggest that long-term land use filters, rather than present site-level conditions, are the driving forces dictating current distributions of prairie-associate herpetofauna in Western Arkansas.
Review
Environmental Studies
Catherine M. J. Fayet, Kate H. Reilly, Chantal Van Ham, Peter H. Verburg
Summary: The abandonment of agricultural land and its impact on landscape features is a prominent characteristic of many European rural areas in recent decades. While past research has identified the drivers and environmental impacts of abandonment, few have described the trajectories following agricultural abandonment. Examining the driving forces behind different post-agricultural abandonment trajectories is crucial for understanding how alternative land uses can address the environmental, economic, and social challenges in these areas.
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Zhongle Li, Qi Wang, Keping Sun, Jiang Feng
Summary: Chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) poses a consistent threat to amphibians worldwide from 2000 to 2021, with different prevalence rates influenced by factors such as region, disease dynamic, detection method, host, and climate. Bd prevalence was highest in Oceania and Venezuela, while Asia had the lowest rate. It is recommended to formulate corresponding control plans based on different habitats and geographical conditions to reduce the severity of such diseases.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Javier M. Cordier, Julian N. Lescano, Natalia E. Rios, Gerardo C. Leynaud, Javier Nori
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bruna E. Bolochio, Julian N. Lescano, Javier Maximiliano Cordier, Rafael Loyola, Javier Nori
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David L. Vergara-Tabares, Javier M. Cordier, Marcos A. Landi, George Olah, Javier Nori
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniela Miloch, Andrea Bonino, Gerardo C. Leynaud, Julian N. Lescano
AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Javier Maximiliano Cordier, Octavio Rojas-Soto, Romina Semhan, Cristian Simon Abdala, Javier Nori
Summary: The study reveals that species split from complexes generate new species more vulnerable to global climate change, as their climatic niche becomes more marginal and smaller over time. The exposure and vulnerability to climate change of these species are significantly more remarkable in the updated species compared to the originally described species. The lack of taxonomic and phylogenetic knowledge may mask the real vulnerability of biodiversity to global climate change.
PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David A. Prieto-Torres, Javier Nori, Octavio R. Rojas-Soto, Adolfo G. Navarro-Siguenza
Summary: The distribution and survival of Neotropical seasonally dry forests are negatively impacted by land-use modifications and global climate change. Protected areas in the region are inefficient and insufficient, and there is a high priority to research the long-term effectiveness of these areas. By combining species distribution modeling and conservation planning techniques, it was found that improving protection through increasing protected area coverage is crucial for the conservation of these forests, especially for threatened and Data Deficit species.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Octavio R. Rojas-Soto, Diego Baldo, Julian Lescano, Alondra Encarnacion-Luevano, Gerardo Leynaud, Javier Nori
Summary: The study explores how two populations of the fossorial frog adjust their activity patterns in different geographical areas to retain their ecological niche characteristics, indicating that seasonal activity is a strategy to conserve their climatic niche.
JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David A. Prieto-Torres, Sandra Diaz, Javier Maximiliano Cordier, Ricardo Torres, Mercedes Caron, Javier Nori
Summary: In the highly threatened deforestation hotspot of the South American Gran Chaco, the combination of climate change and agriculture-related activities has a significant impact on long-term conservation opportunities. Increasing protection coverage and strategically establishing protected areas are crucial for improving long-term protection and resilience to these threats.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Javier Nori, Fabricio Villalobos, Luis Osorio-Olvera, Rafael Loyola
Summary: The small size, degree of isolation, and particular evolutionary processes of islands make them highly diverse but also extremely vulnerable to human-mediated disturbances. This study analyzed the human threats, level of protection, and conservation importance of islands and found that a large number of islands face high human modification and have a low level of protection. Furthermore, the most threatened vertebrate species are found on large islands with low protection and high human modification. The study identified potential priority islands for conservation efforts.
PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Macarena Gonzalez, Nadia Kacevas, Javier Nori, Luis N. Piacentini, Leticia Bidegaray-Batista
Summary: Species are crucial for conservation efforts, and DNA and niche modeling are valuable tools for species delimitation. This study used gene trees, multispecies coalescent analyses, and ecological niche comparisons to identify and classify wolf spider species in Uruguay, revealing the existence of multiple lineages. The climatic requirements of these lineages differ, highlighting the importance of considering them in conservation efforts.
ORGANISMS DIVERSITY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andrea Bonino, Daniela Miloch, Javier Nori, Gerardo C. C. Leynaud, Julian N. Lescano
Summary: Amphibians inhabiting mountainous water bodies, particularly the endemic frog Boana cordobae, are significantly affected by the introduction of alien species, such as trout. However, co-occurrence between native amphibians and introduced trout has been observed in some streams. This study aimed to identify the landscape variables that explain the occurrence of B. cordobae in streams invaded by alien trout in central Argentina. The presence of tussock grasslands around streams was found to be the most significant variable influencing the co-occurrence of B. cordobae and trout.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Javier Nori, Romina Semhan, Cristian Simon Abdala, Octavio Rojas-Soto
Summary: The unique case of Argentinian reptiles, particularly the genus Liolaemus, is experiencing a significant increase in known species due to a high species description rate of 3.25 spp./year. This recent evolutionary radiation in Liolaemus has led to spatial changes in richness and endemism patterns, particularly in the Patagonian steppe and Monte ecoregions of Argentina. The decrease in average extent of occurrence (EOO) of Liolaemus species also poses an increased extinction risk, with 80% of species today having an EOO smaller than 20,000 km(2).
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)