Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christoph Von Beeren, Nico Bluthgen, Philipp O. Hoenle, Sebastian Pohl, Adrian Bruckner, Alexey K. Tishechkin, Munetoshi Maruyama, Brian Brown, John M. Hash, W. E. Hall, Daniel J. C. Kronauer
Summary: Tropical rainforests are one of the most diverse biomes on Earth. This study conducted a quantitative community survey of myrmecophiles parasitizing six sympatric Eciton army ant species in a Costa Rican rainforest, discovering 62 species including 14 new ones. Ecological network analysis revealed a clear signal of host partitioning, with each Eciton species hosting both specialists and generalists.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhe Zhao, Wei Li, Philippe Ciais, Maurizio Santoro, Oliver Cartus, Shushi Peng, Yi Yin, Chao Yue, Hui Yang, Le Yu, Lei Zhu, Jingmeng Wang
Summary: African forests are severely fragmented, with unclear impact of fires on forest edge effects, leading to increased carbon deficit at forest edges. Continued slash-and-burn practices may result in significant carbon loss from edge effects due to increased fragmentation by 2100.
Review
Ornithology
Adrian J. F. K. Craig
Summary: Ant-following birds in the Afrotropics are not as well-studied as in the Neotropics. However, there are 168 African bird species from 37 families that have been observed foraging with driver ants. Among the 52 bird species identified as regular ant-followers, Muscicapidae, Pycnonotidae, and Turdidae are disproportionately represented. The dependence of these birds on ants throughout their annual cycle is still unknown, but conservation assessments suggest that both driver ants and ant-following birds are sensitive to forest cover loss in African forest habitats.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Chaim J. Lasmar, Antonio C. M. Queiroz, Clarissa Rosa, Nathalia S. Carvalho, Fernando A. Schmidt, Ricardo R. C. Solar, Lucas N. Paolucci, Rafael G. Cuissi, Carla R. Ribas
Summary: The study found that ecological drivers have different effects on ant diversity at different spatial scales, with local diversity increasing with closer proximity to the matrix and in fragments with high vegetation density, while fragment-scale total species richness increased with decreasing circularity. However, at the mesoscale, total species richness decreased with increasing pasture matrix in the landscape.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Julia Emi de Faria Oshima, Maria Luisa S. P. Jorge, Thadeu Sobral-Souza, Luca Borger, Alexine Keuroghlian, Carlos A. Peres, Mauricio Humberto Vancine, Ben Collen, Milton Cezar Ribeiro
Summary: Mammals are significantly affected by climate change, habitat loss, and human activities. Habitat suitability models can provide insights into optimizing conservation efforts for key species and addressing the current biodiversity crisis.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Rodrigo M. Barahona-Segovia, Alberto J. Alaniz, Vanessa Duran-Sanzana, Edgardo Flores Flores, Jose Gerstle, Roque Montecinos-Ibarra, Jorge Perez-Schultheiss, Felipe E. Rabanal, Diego Reyes, Varbara Ramos, Carola Venegas-Diaz, Michael Weymann, Cecilia Smith-Ramirez, Juan Francisco Araya, Pablo M. Vergara
Summary: This study combined citizen science with species distribution models to analyze the ecology and conservation status of the endemic leech Americobdella valdiviana in the Valdivian evergreen forest in southern Chile. The research found high levels of habitat loss and fragmentation in the north and central zones of the species range, leading to its classification as endangered under IUCN Red List criteria. The results highlight the importance of utilizing citizen science, SDM, and spatial analysis to inform conservation actions for poorly known and threatened species.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Henri Decoeur, Zachary Amir, Calebe P. Mendes, Jonathan H. Moore, Matthew Scott Luskin
Summary: Deforestation and poaching have greatly reduced the population of apex predators like tigers and leopards in Southeast Asia, while some small felids thrive in human-modified landscapes. It is important to understand how medium-sized felids cope with anthropogenic disturbances in order to conserve threatened felids and maintain diverse food webs. This study focuses on two cryptic felids, the Asiatic golden cat and the bay cat, and finds that both species have poor tolerance to habitat degradation.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Lissette Cortes, Jaime Hernandez
Summary: The coastal zone of the Region of Maule in Chile, dominated by Monterey pine plantations, is managed using intensive silvicultural schemes, including clearcutting. However, Chile currently lacks explicit restrictions on clearcutting. This study analyzed forest area trends and identified the spatiotemporal scales of clearcutting clustering from 1999 to 2017. The results showed that clearcutting areas exhibited oscillatory behavior, with an average size of 46.8 km(2) and an active period of 2 years.
Article
Ecology
Rafael Achury, David A. Holway, Andrew Suarez
Summary: The study found that the invasion of Argentine ants has had long-term negative effects on native ant diversity and abundance. Over the past 21 years, the area occupied and relative abundance of Argentine ants have continued to increase, penetrating into native habitats and reducing refugia for native ants by eliminating sufficient interior area. Behaviorally and numerically dominant invasive species can suppress native diversity for extended periods, as evidenced by the results of the research.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yuhao Zhao, Nathan J. Sanders, Juan Liu, Tinghao Jin, Haonan Zhou, Ruisen Lu, Ping Ding, Xingfeng Si
Summary: The study assessed beta diversity of ant assemblages on island fragments in the Thousand Island Lake, China, finding that taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover components dominated overall beta diversity, while functional turnover and nestedness components contributed equally. Overall beta diversity increased with increasing isolation and inter-island distance, but abundance-weighted overall beta diversity decreased with increasing island size. These results suggest that dispersal limitation and functional redundancy may play a role in shaping beta diversity patterns in fragmented habitats.
Review
Ecology
Poliana Mendes, Ana Carolina Srbek-Araujo
Summary: A review of 53 studies on the effects of land-use changes on bats in Brazil from 1990 to 2018 found an increasing interest in bats and land-use changes over time, but no clear trend in academic impact factor. Gaps in the literature were identified, including the lack of acoustic surveys, rare telemetry studies, underrepresentation of certain biomes, and fewer landscape and fragment scale studies. The study also highlighted the positive relationship between bat diversity and forest cover, as well as the varying impacts of different land uses on bat populations.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Olinda Maira Alves Nogueira, Ana Filipa Palmeirim, Carlos A. Peres, Manoel Dos Santos-Filho
Summary: The study revealed that bird species diversity and abundance decreased with increasing disturbance, and the core fragments of native habitats are crucial for maintaining avian diversity. Retaining some trees in pastures or mature trees in plantations can increase bird diversity.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Guohualing Huang, Carla P. Catterall
Summary: The study found that rainforest specialist species decreased in number and diversity with increasing habitat simplification, while forest generalist species were relatively unaffected. Pastures were mainly dominated by bird species typical of grassland, wetland, and open eucalypt forest habitats, with pasture trees playing a modest role in enhancing local bird communities. Overall, even small scattered patches of mature and regrowth forest contributed significantly to local bird diversity in the landscape.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thadeu Sobral-Souza, Juliana Stropp, Jessie Pereira Santos, Victor Mateus Prasniewski, Neucir Szinwelski, Bruno Vilela, Andre Victor Lucci Freitas, Milton Cezar Ribeiro, Joaquin Hortal
Summary: The study assessed the sampling coverage and biases in biodiversity data on fruit-feeding butterflies in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, revealing a bias towards large and connected forest fragments and geographical aggregation of sampling sites. These biases impact the inference of the functional relationship between deforestation and biodiversity at a large scale.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jaime Hernandez-Flores, Alejandro Flores-Palacios, Miguel Vasquez-Bolanos, Victor Hugo Toledo-Hernandez, Ofelia Sotelo-Caro, Michelle Ramos-Robles
Summary: Ants play a dominant role in tropical forest canopies, with their alpha and beta diversities changing in response to forest disturbance. Research indicates that mature forests harbor higher alpha diversities and exclusive species, highlighting the importance of conserving these forests for maintaining canopy ant diversity.
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2021)
Article
Biology
T. M. Brooks, A. Cuttelod, D. P. Faith, J. Garcia-Moreno, P. Langhammer, S. Perez-Espona
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2015)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
K. E. Jones, S. Perez-Espona, J. A. Reyes-Betancort, D. Pattinson, J. Caujape-Castells, S. J. Hiscock, M. A. Carine
BMC EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Entomology
S. Perez-Espona, W. P. Goodall-Copestake, S. M. Berghoff, K. J. Edwards, N. R. Franks
Article
Ecology
Stephanie L. Smith, Helen V. Senn, Silvia Perez-Espona, Megan T. Wyman, Elizabeth Heap, Josephine M. Pemberton
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2018)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sean Hoban, Jan W. Arntzen, Giorgio Bertorelle, Josef Bryja, Margarida Fernandes, Katie Frith, Oscar Gaggiotti, Peter Galbusera, Jose A. Godoy, Heidi C. Hauffe, A. Rus Hoelzel, Richard A. Nichols, Silvia Perez-Espona, Craig Primmer, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Gernot Segelbacher, Hans R. Siegismund, Marjatta Sihvonen, Per Sjogren-Gulve, Cristiano Vernesi, Carles Vila, Michael W. Bruford
JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
(2013)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Silvia Perez-Espona, Richard J. Hall, F. Javier Perez-Barberia, Belinda C. Glass, Jamie F. Ward, Josephine M. Pemberton
JOURNAL OF HEREDITY
(2013)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sean M. Hoban, Heidi C. Hauffe, Silvia Perez-Espona, Jan W. Arntzen, Giorgio Bertorelle, Josef Bryja, Katie Frith, Oscar E. Gaggiotti, Peter Galbusera, Jose A. Godoy, A. Rus Hoelzel, Richard A. Nichols, Craig R. Primmer, Isa-Rita Russo, Gernot Segelbacher, Hans R. Siegismund, Marjatta Sihvonen, Cristiano Vernesi, Carles Vila, Michael W. Bruford
CONSERVATION GENETICS RESOURCES
(2013)
Article
Ecology
Sean Hoban, Oscar Gaggiotti, Giorgio Bertorelle, Pim Arntzen, Josef Bryja, Margarida Fernandes, Katie Frith, Peter Galbusera, Jose A. Godoy, Heidi C. Hauffe, Russel Hoelzel, Richard Nichols, Silvia Perez-Espona, Craig Primmer, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Gernot Segelbacher, Hans R. Siegismund, Marjatta Sihvonen, Per Sjoegren-Gulve, Cristiano Vernesi, Carles Vila, Michael W. Bruford
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2013)
Article
Ecology
Silvia Perez-Espona, William Paul Goodall-Copestake, Anna Savirina, Jekaterina Bobovikova, Carles Molina-Rubio, F. Javier Perez-Barberia
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Alex Innes Thomson, Frederick I. Archer, Melinda A. Coleman, Gonzalo Gajardo, William P. Goodall-Copestake, Sean Hoban, Linda Laikre, Adam D. Miller, David O'Brien, Silvia Perez-Espona, Gernot Segelbacher, Ester A. Serrao, Kjersti Sjotun, Michele S. Stanley
Summary: The importance of ocean genetic diversity for adaptive capacity, evolutionary potential, community function, and resilience within populations is emphasized in this paper, alongside highlighting major threats to genetic diversity from human impacts and climate change. The significance of ocean genetic diversity to various socioeconomic factors in the marine environment is also discussed, with suggestions for better integration into biodiversity management practices for the successful realization of the 2030 vision for the Decade of Ocean Science.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sean Hoban, Catriona D. Campbell, Jessica M. da Silva, Robert Ekblom, W. Chris Funk, Brittany A. Garner, Jose A. Godoy, Francine Kershaw, Anna J. MacDonald, Joachim Mergeay, Melissa Minter, David O'Brien, Ivan Paz Vinas, Sarah K. Pearson, Silvia Perez-Espona, Kevin M. Potter, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Gernot Segelbacher, Cristiano Vernesi, Margaret E. Hunter
Summary: International agreements like the CBD are crucial for global conservation efforts, but often overlook genetic diversity, which is essential for adaptation to environmental changes. While most Parties to the CBD recognize the importance of genetic diversity, their actions mainly focus on variation within crops and livestock rather than monitoring and in situ conservation. Recommendations for future frameworks include improving awareness, assessment, and monitoring of genetic diversity for more consistent and comprehensive reporting.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Nina Vasiljevic, Nadja V. Morf, Josef Senn, Silvia Perez-Espona, Federica Mattucci, Nadia Mucci, Gaia Moore-Jones, Simone Roberto Rolando Pisano, Adelgunde Kratzer, Rob Ogden
Summary: This study investigates the recolonization of roe deer in Switzerland in the early 1800s and finds evidence of natural immigration from neighboring countries. The study also reveals weak genetic differentiation among different topographic regions in Switzerland. The genetic data support the recognition of a single roe deer management unit in Switzerland and the potential for geographic origin assignment using nuclear markers for law enforcement purposes.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Amy L. Robinson, Helen Williamson, Mariella E. Guere, Helene Tharaldsen, Karis Baker, Stephanie L. Smith, Silvia Perez-Espona, Jarmila Krojerova-Prokesova, Josephine M. Pemberton, Wilfred Goldmann, Fiona Houston
VETERINARY RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Silvia Perez-Espona
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2017)