Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Robert D. Cooper, H. Bradley Shaffer
Summary: This study confirms the importance of hydroperiod management in controlling invasive species and suggests that shortening the breeding pond hydroperiod can limit the productivity of hybrids.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melissa B. Youngquist, Michelle D. Boone
Summary: The destruction of freshwater habitat is a major threat to aquatic biodiversity. However, created wetlands in agricultural landscapes can provide suitable habitat for some pond-breeding amphibians regardless of adjacent terrestrial habitats. Phytoplankton abundance plays a key role in determining tadpole growth and survival in these wetlands.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chao Li, Jingxiao Zhang, Simon P. Philbin, Xu Yang, Zhanfeng Dong, Jingke Hong, Pablo Ballesteros-Perez
Summary: This research proposes a landscape ecological risk analysis model for high-altitude plateaus and applies it to a highway project in the Chinese Tibet autonomous region. The study reveals the spatial heterogeneity of ecological risks and explores mitigation strategies. This research is important for construction practitioners and future empirical studies in environmental engineering.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Antonello Monsu Scolaro, Cheren Cappello
Summary: This contribution focuses on the prospects of eco-oriented territorial rebalancing involving inland areas' settlement networks, highlighting the contrast of socio-territorial disadvantage issues and opportunities to reuse physical resources within the framework of territorial regeneration and the revitalization of local identities. The region of Sardinia in Italy, with its dominant natural environment and intact cultural identity, provides an ideal context for studying this relationship. The study proposes an initial platform of indicators to describe the effects of land abandonment, identifying potentials and weaknesses in the natural, urban, and socio-cultural heritage. By creating integrated maps, this study aims to design redevelopment strategies based on the specific vocations of territories and urban settlements.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Margot Neyret, Sophie Peter, Gaetane Le Provost, Steffen Boch, Andrea Larissa Boesing, James M. Bullock, Norbert Hoelzel, Valentin H. Klaus, Till Kleinebecker, Jochen Krauss, Joerg Mueller, Sandra Mueller, Christian Ammer, Francois Buscot, Martin Ehbrecht, Markus Fischer, Kezia Goldmann, Kirsten Jung, Marion Mehring, Thomas Mueller, Swen C. Renner, Peter Schall, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Catrin Westphal, Tesfaye Wubet, Peter Manning
Summary: This study provides a tool to quantify the social impact of land-use changes by combining broad ecological data with information on the ecosystem service priorities of multiple stakeholder groups. The research shows that most major land-use changes proposed for Europe could lead to social conflicts and reduced multifunctionality. However, moderate gains in multifunctionality and equity can be achieved by expanding and diversifying forests and de-intensifying grasslands.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jedediah F. Brodie, Jayasilan Mohd-Azlan, Cheng Chen, Oliver R. Wearn, Mairin C. M. Deith, James G. C. Ball, Eleanor M. Slade, David F. R. P. Burslem, Shu Woan Teoh, Peter J. Williams, An Nguyen, Jonathan H. Moore, Scott J. Goetz, Patrick Burns, Patrick Jantz, Christopher R. Hakkenberg, Zaneta M. Kaszta, Sam Cushman, David Coomes, Olga E. Helmy, Glen Reynolds, Jon Paul Rodriguez, Walter Jetz, Matthew Scott Luskin
Summary: The United Nations has agreed to expand global protected areas (PAs) to slow biodiversity loss. However, the effectiveness of reserves in preserving animal diversity and their impact on surrounding unprotected areas are still unclear. This study found that PAs in Southeast Asia contribute to vertebrate conservation both inside and outside their boundaries, providing support for the UN's goal of achieving 30% PA coverage by 2030.
Article
Ecology
D. Ionescu, M. Bizic, R. Karnatak, C. L. Musseau, G. Onandia, M. Kasada, S. A. Berger, J. C. Nejstgaard, M. Ryo, G. Lischeid, M. O. Gessner, S. Wollrab, H. -P. Grossart
Summary: Local biodiversity patterns are influenced by topography, land use, nutrient supplies, and other factors. However, long-term intensive industrial agriculture can lead to a homogenization effect on biodiversity. This study used deep amplicon sequencing of environmental DNA to investigate the impact of land use on biodiversity levels and community composition in kettle holes. The results showed that land use intensification and landscape wide nutrient enrichment resulted in a homogenization of aquatic biodiversity.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Aireona B. Raschke, Jeny Davis, Annia Quiroz
Summary: Social media and smartphone apps have the potential to support key activities related to habitat restoration, awareness-raising for policy changes, and increased community resilience for land managers and surrounding communities. Through case studies, the positive impact of technology such as social media and smartphone apps on land management can be realized.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elspeth Sage, Willem Bouten, Walter van Dijk, Kees C. J. Camphuysen, Judy Shamoun-Baranes
Summary: The exchange of energy between the Earth's surface and atmosphere creates a dynamic habitat for birds, who can utilize thermal uplift to save energy during flight. In landscapes with different land uses, thermal uplift is distributed heterogeneously, and birds may selectively choose areas with the best thermal soaring opportunities for flight. Lesser black-backed gulls are able to engage in thermal soaring in various geographical environments, and they preferentially make use of thermal uplift hotspots found in built-up areas, such as towns and cities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anne Jungandreas, Stephanie Roilo, Michael Strauch, Tomas Vaclavik, Martin Volk, Anna F. Cord
Summary: Land-use intensification in agroecosystems has led to population declines in many taxonomic groups, especially farmland birds. Two contrasting conservation strategies have therefore been proposed: land sharing and land sparing. This study modeled the effects of these strategies on the habitat area of endangered bird species in Germany and found that land sharing provided the largest breeding habitat area, making it a promising strategy for bird conservation in agricultural landscapes.
REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shuang Song, Shaohan Wang, Mengxi Shi, Shanshan Hu, Dawei Xu
Summary: This study constructed an assessment framework for urban blue-green space Landscape Ecological Health (LEH) and conducted an empirical analysis in Harbin. The results showed that the spatial changes in landscape ecological pattern, process, function, and sustainability were not coordinated. The overall condition of blue-green space LEH improved but still at an unhealthy level, with increasing spatial differences.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Leah G. G. Burgess, Shane A. A. Richards, Michael M. M. Driessen, Vicky Wilkinson, Rahil J. J. Amin, Scott Carver
Summary: The occurrence of sarcoptic mange in bare-nosed wombats is influenced by environmental factors, with wombats more likely to be affected in areas with minimal vegetation and low-lying pans. Wombat density and active burrow density do not significantly impact the prevalence of the disease.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Giulia F. Curatola Fernandez, Sandro Makowski Giannoni, Ellen Delgado Florian, Piero Rengifo, Jesus Rascon, Elder Chichipe Vela, Carolina Butrich, Rolando Salas Lopez, Manuel Oliva-Cruz, Christel Scheske
Summary: The wetlands in the jalca ecoregion of northern Peru play a significant role in the hydrological ecosystem services and carbon sequestration. This study successfully mapped the peatlands using GIS, remote sensing, and participatory mapping techniques, providing valuable information for conservation planning and future efforts in other tropical mountain areas.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Naixin Cui, Tong Wu, Yi-Chen Wang, Huiting Zou, Jan Christoph Axmacher, Weiguo Sang, Luo Guo
Summary: This study focuses on the influence of Buddhist monasteries on land use/cover change (LUCC) in the Sanjiangyuan region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The findings show that the presence of monasteries is highly correlated with the preservation of natural ecosystems, particularly grasslands and forests. These results strongly support the role of Buddhist culture and its physical institutions in achieving desired landscape conservation outcomes.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaolong Jin, Penghui Jiang, Manchun Li, Yu Gao, Lin Yang
Summary: This study presents an integrated land system classification based on multisource datasets to represent the regional human-environment system (HES) in China. The self-organizing map (SOM) algorithm is used to identify 40 land system types (LSTs) in China. The results reveal significant east-west differentiation in land use intensity, with high-intensive LSTs mostly occurring in eastern provinces and natural and seminatural LSTs dominating in central and western regions. The multifunctional LSTs, which host food production, biodiversity conservation, and cultural heritage, cover approximately 32% of China's terrestrial area.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
David Cunillera-Montcusi, Matias Arim, Stephanie Gascon, Irene Tornero, Jordi Sala, Dani Boix, Ana Ines Borthagaray
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
David Cunillera-Montcusi, Dani Boix, Jordi Sala, Jordi Compte, Irene Tornero, Xavier D. Quintana, Stephanie Gascon
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Maria Bas-Silvestre, Xavier D. Quintana, Jordi Compte, Stephanie Gascon, Dani Boix, Maria Anton-Pardo, Biel Obrador
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David Cunillera-Montcusi, Ana Ines Borthagaray, Dani Boix, Stephanie Gascon, Jordi Sala, Irene Tornero, Xavier D. Quintana, Matias Arim
Summary: Disturbances, such as wildfires, are key drivers of biodiversity dynamics, impacting landscape structure and metacommunity networks. Communities show high resilience to disturbances, with recovery linked to dispersal abilities. However, increased disturbance regimes may threaten this resilience, with disturbance size and intensity playing crucial roles in determining community recovery rates.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xavier D. Quintana, Maria Anton-Pardo, Maria Bas-Silvestre, Dani Boix, Xavier Casamitjana, Jordi Compte, David Cunilllera-Montcusi, Stephanie Gascon, Anna Mencio, Biel Obrador, Irene Tornero, Jordi Sala
Summary: The study found that zooplankton assemblages in the confined coastal lagoons of La Pletera salt marshes in Girona, Spain are influenced by factors such as temperature and oxygen concentration during seasonal shifts between dominant species. The transitions between species dominances are sudden and may be driven by thresholds in environmental variables. There is a certain resistance to change, with gradual changes having little effect until a tipping point is reached for a reverse change.
Article
Limnology
Oscar Belmar, David Mateu, Dani Boix, Jordi Sala
Summary: The rare Dolomedes plantarius has been observed in a permanent pond in the Ebro Delta, marking the most southern record in the Iberian Peninsula and possibly in western Europe. This finding challenges our assumptions about its rarity and highlights the importance of aquatic environments, particularly ponds, for biodiversity conservation.
Article
Limnology
David Cunillera-Montcusi, Dani Boix, Irene Tornero, Xavier D. Quintana, Jordi Sala, Stephanie Gascon
Summary: Wildfires have the potential to impact the alpha and beta diversity of Mediterranean temporary ponds, with a focus on changes in beta diversity related to species abundance. Post-fire ponds showed differences in beta diversity, with species contributing more to it mostly present in unburned ponds.
Article
Ecology
Laura Melissa Guzman, Patrick L. Thompson, Duarte S. Viana, Bram Vanschoenwinkel, Zsofia Horvath, Robert Ptacnik, Alienor Jeliazkov, Stephanie Gascon, Pieter Lemmens, Maria Anton-Pardo, Silke Langenheder, Luc De Meester, Jonathan M. Chase
Summary: In metacommunity ecology, the role of critical assembly processes in community dynamics over time has been largely ignored. This study developed a virtual ecologist approach to evaluate assembly processes in metacommunities by simulating variations in density-independent responses to abiotic conditions, density-dependent biotic interactions, and dispersal. The findings showed that both spatial and temporal data are necessary to understand metacommunity processes, and including statistics measured through time significantly improves the explanatory power.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Luis B. Epele, Marta G. Grech, Emilio A. Williams-Subiza, Cristina Stenert, Kyle McLean, Hamish S. Greig, Leonardo Maltchik, Mateus Marques Pires, Matthew S. Bird, Aurelie Boissezon, Dani Boix, Eliane Demierre, Patricia E. Garcia, Stephanie Gascon, Michael Jeffries, Jamie M. Kneitel, Olga Loskutova, Luz M. Manzo, Gabriela Mataloni, Musa C. Mlambo, Beat Oertli, Jordi Sala, Erica E. Scheibler, Haitao Wu, Scott A. Wissinger, Darold P. Batzer
Summary: Climate change has multiple effects on wetland macroinvertebrate diversity, mainly through increasing maximum temperature and changing precipitation patterns. Wetlands located in warm-dry regions are the most vulnerable, while montane and high-latitude wetlands are also susceptible but not expected to experience complete extirpation at the family level.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Yasmina Djitli, Dani Boix, Amel Milla, Faiza Marniche, Irene Tornero, David Cunillera-Montcusi, Jordi Sala, Stephanie Gascon, Xavier D. Quintana, Samia Daoudi-Hacini
Summary: The Reghaia wetland is an ecologically important site threatened by pollution, with seasonal variations in physical and chemical parameters of water quality. Despite this, the macroinvertebrate communities in the wetland showed relatively small changes throughout the year.