Pub Date : 2020-11-18DOI: 10.17161/eurojecol.v6i2.14586
Amnon Hahn, R. Yosef
The Common Swift, in spite of being considered to be of Least Concern, is declining in many areas of its breeding range. In several countries nest-box programs have been initiated to counter these declines. In most cases, when nestlings fall out of their nests, they are taken to rehabilitation centres. Raising and caring for Common Swift nestlings is not easy, cheap and usually results in low survival rates. We experimented with introducing the rescued young into existing nests and found that they were readily accepted and all five of the young fledged successfully. We recommend alloparenting as the preferred option when precocial nestlings are rescued and active nests of other pairs are available.
{"title":"Induced alloparental care in Common Swifts (Apus apus)","authors":"Amnon Hahn, R. Yosef","doi":"10.17161/eurojecol.v6i2.14586","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i2.14586","url":null,"abstract":"The Common Swift, in spite of being considered to be of Least Concern, is declining in many areas of its breeding range. In several countries nest-box programs have been initiated to counter these declines. In most cases, when nestlings fall out of their nests, they are taken to rehabilitation centres. Raising and caring for Common Swift nestlings is not easy, cheap and usually results in low survival rates. We experimented with introducing the rescued young into existing nests and found that they were readily accepted and all five of the young fledged successfully. We recommend alloparenting as the preferred option when precocial nestlings are rescued and active nests of other pairs are available.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47385491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-09-07DOI: 10.17161/eurojecol.v6i2.13792
L. Luiselli, M. Behangana, Raymond Katumba, D. Ochanda, S. Kigoolo, Samuel Mutebi, D. Dendi, Daniel H. Hughes, Richard Magala
1. The area of the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta is among the most important for conservation in East Africa dueto the high species richness, and the presence of several endemic species of conservation concern.2. Here, we report a study on the diversity patterns and community structure of the herpetofauna of this area.3. Field studies were conducted in the Albert Nile Delta Ramsar site between 1st October 2017 and 9th September2018. The data collection relied on Visual Encounter Surveys (VES), pitfall trapping, and dip netting. Descriptive statistics, i.e. species numbers in each transect were used as a measure of the present biodiversity, whereasChao1 and Chao species estimator algorithms were used to predict the potential number of species found ineach site/habitat.4. A total of 898 individuals representing 25 reptile species belonging to four orders, 15 families, and 20 generawere recorded during the 12 months of surveys.5. The data shows some non-random spatial and temporal patterns whereby there is a cyclic reptilian diversitypeaking during the December-March and again towards June-August-September which are peaks of the dryseason.6. The most frequently encountered species were Varanus niloticus, Crocodylus niloticus, Agama agama, Trachylepis maculilabris, and Lygodactylus guttularis, which accounted for almost 90% of all recorded individuals.7. A total of 27 amphibian species, belonging to nine families and 10 genera were recorded during the periodof the survey. The diversity and abundance graphs would indicate amphibians having bimodal peaks (September-December, and March-May). The diversity seemed to dip during the dry season months – which is theopposite case for reptiles.
{"title":"Herpetofaunal diversity and community structure in the Murchison Falls - Albert Delta Ramsar site, Uganda","authors":"L. Luiselli, M. Behangana, Raymond Katumba, D. Ochanda, S. Kigoolo, Samuel Mutebi, D. Dendi, Daniel H. Hughes, Richard Magala","doi":"10.17161/eurojecol.v6i2.13792","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i2.13792","url":null,"abstract":"1. The area of the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta is among the most important for conservation in East Africa dueto the high species richness, and the presence of several endemic species of conservation concern.2. Here, we report a study on the diversity patterns and community structure of the herpetofauna of this area.3. Field studies were conducted in the Albert Nile Delta Ramsar site between 1st October 2017 and 9th September2018. The data collection relied on Visual Encounter Surveys (VES), pitfall trapping, and dip netting. Descriptive statistics, i.e. species numbers in each transect were used as a measure of the present biodiversity, whereasChao1 and Chao species estimator algorithms were used to predict the potential number of species found ineach site/habitat.4. A total of 898 individuals representing 25 reptile species belonging to four orders, 15 families, and 20 generawere recorded during the 12 months of surveys.5. The data shows some non-random spatial and temporal patterns whereby there is a cyclic reptilian diversitypeaking during the December-March and again towards June-August-September which are peaks of the dryseason.6. The most frequently encountered species were Varanus niloticus, Crocodylus niloticus, Agama agama, Trachylepis maculilabris, and Lygodactylus guttularis, which accounted for almost 90% of all recorded individuals.7. A total of 27 amphibian species, belonging to nine families and 10 genera were recorded during the periodof the survey. The diversity and abundance graphs would indicate amphibians having bimodal peaks (September-December, and March-May). The diversity seemed to dip during the dry season months – which is theopposite case for reptiles.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44217461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-24DOI: 10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13520
H. Katuwal, Hari Basent, H. P. Sharma, S. Koirala, B. Khanal, Kaustuv Raj Neupane, K. Thapa, Dibas Babu Panta, Kanchan Parajuli, Sandesh Lamichhane, Mangkal Rai, Tejab Pun, S. Shakya, Suraj Baral
Wildlife assessments can provide crucial information regarding species richness, relative abundance and spatial, temporal, and ecological information on wildlife habitat associations. The assessment’s information can in turn be used for developing management policies including for establishing touristic zones. We investigated wildlife occurrences in the Chandragiri Hills, Kathmandu Nepal from 2015-2019 to provide baseline data to inform the potential sites for ecotourism. During the study period, we recorded 30 mammal species, 199 bird species, 34 herpetofauna species and 77 butterfly species. The area harbors three globally and six nationally threatened mammal species, two globally and seven nationally threatened with one endemic bird species, one globally and nationally threatened herpetofauna, and one nationally threatened butterfly species. We also explored four potential hiking routes for observing wildlife and providing scenic views of the Himalayan range and Kathmandu city. Therefore, we expect Chandragiri Hills can become one of the hot spot for tourists to observe both common and threatened wildlife species in Nepal.
{"title":"Wildlife assessment of the Chandragiri hills, Kathmandu: Potentiality for ecotourism","authors":"H. Katuwal, Hari Basent, H. P. Sharma, S. Koirala, B. Khanal, Kaustuv Raj Neupane, K. Thapa, Dibas Babu Panta, Kanchan Parajuli, Sandesh Lamichhane, Mangkal Rai, Tejab Pun, S. Shakya, Suraj Baral","doi":"10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13520","url":null,"abstract":"Wildlife assessments can provide crucial information regarding species richness, relative abundance and spatial, temporal, and ecological information on wildlife habitat associations. The assessment’s information can in turn be used for developing management policies including for establishing touristic zones. We investigated wildlife occurrences in the Chandragiri Hills, Kathmandu Nepal from 2015-2019 to provide baseline data to inform the potential sites for ecotourism. During the study period, we recorded 30 mammal species, 199 bird species, 34 herpetofauna species and 77 butterfly species. The area harbors three globally and six nationally threatened mammal species, two globally and seven nationally threatened with one endemic bird species, one globally and nationally threatened herpetofauna, and one nationally threatened butterfly species. We also explored four potential hiking routes for observing wildlife and providing scenic views of the Himalayan range and Kathmandu city. Therefore, we expect Chandragiri Hills can become one of the hot spot for tourists to observe both common and threatened wildlife species in Nepal.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13520","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47746001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-21DOI: 10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13693
P. Paul, R. Karmakar, G. Aditya
The spread of freshwater invasive species through aquarium trade poses a threat to the ecosystem, economy and human health. The availability of the exotic freshwater gastropod mollusc, Planorbarius corneus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae), in pet shops in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, raises concern for its potential establishment as an invasive species. Assuming the role of the native predators as a potential biotic barrier for invasion, observations on the predation pattern of the malacophagous leech, Glossiphonia weberi (Blanchard, 1897) (Clitellata: Glossiphoniidae) against P. corneus was made in single as well as in combination with the native snail Indoplanorbis exustus (Deshayes, 1834) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae). Using varying size classes and densities of P. corneus, the predation potential of G. weberi was estimated after a 24 hour period. In another set of experiments, the predation of G. weberi against the snail P. corneus was observed in the presence of I. exustus under four different habitat conditions. The purpose was to justify - (1) the effect of conspecific and heterospecific conditions of the prey availability and (2) the effect of habitat complexity on the predatory efficacy of G. weberi. The results indicated that G. weberi consumed varied numbers of P. corneus, depending on the size and the densities of the prey and predator. Although the prey heterogeneity and complex habitats caused significant reduction of predation on both of the prey species, G. weberi significantly preferred P. corneus over I. exustus in open (P < 0.0001), macrophyte (P = 0.002) and pebbles and macrophyte containing habitats (P < 0.0001). Apparently, G. weberi preferred the exotic snail P. corneus in presence of alternative prey snail I. exustus, under different habitat conditions. Therefore, G. weberi may act as a significant biotic resistance against the colonization and establishment of P. corneus in the Indian context. However, further studies including the multiple prey and predators are required to ascertain the food web level impact of the exotic snail P. corneus in invaded freshwater ecosystems.
{"title":"Choosing exotic over the familiar taste: habitat-specific preferences of a malacophagous leech for freshwater snails as prey gastropod establishment?","authors":"P. Paul, R. Karmakar, G. Aditya","doi":"10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13693","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13693","url":null,"abstract":"The spread of freshwater invasive species through aquarium trade poses a threat to the ecosystem, economy and human health. The availability of the exotic freshwater gastropod mollusc, Planorbarius corneus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae), in pet shops in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, raises concern for its potential establishment as an invasive species. Assuming the role of the native predators as a potential biotic barrier for invasion, observations on the predation pattern of the malacophagous leech, Glossiphonia weberi (Blanchard, 1897) (Clitellata: Glossiphoniidae) against P. corneus was made in single as well as in combination with the native snail Indoplanorbis exustus (Deshayes, 1834) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae). Using varying size classes and densities of P. corneus, the predation potential of G. weberi was estimated after a 24 hour period. In another set of experiments, the predation of G. weberi against the snail P. corneus was observed in the presence of I. exustus under four different habitat conditions. The purpose was to justify - (1) the effect of conspecific and heterospecific conditions of the prey availability and (2) the effect of habitat complexity on the predatory efficacy of G. weberi. The results indicated that G. weberi consumed varied numbers of P. corneus, depending on the size and the densities of the prey and predator. Although the prey heterogeneity and complex habitats caused significant reduction of predation on both of the prey species, G. weberi significantly preferred P. corneus over I. exustus in open (P < 0.0001), macrophyte (P = 0.002) and pebbles and macrophyte containing habitats (P < 0.0001). Apparently, G. weberi preferred the exotic snail P. corneus in presence of alternative prey snail I. exustus, under different habitat conditions. Therefore, G. weberi may act as a significant biotic resistance against the colonization and establishment of P. corneus in the Indian context. However, further studies including the multiple prey and predators are required to ascertain the food web level impact of the exotic snail P. corneus in invaded freshwater ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":"6 1","pages":"121-136"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46628119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-21DOI: 10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13629
V. Hukov, O. Timofieieva, A. Prylutska, O. Rodenko, M. Moiseienko, Valeria Bohodist, Anastasia Domanska, A. Vlaschenko
Urbanization is one of the main drivers of ecological change in the modern world. In most cases, species diversity in urban landscapes is lower than in natural ones; however, some groups of animals are able to exploit and benefit from urban habitat. Pipistrellus kuhlii s.l. is (P. k. lepidus according to recent taxonomic review), a common European urban bat, whose range has expanded on a wide scale in the last 40 years. Thought to originate in Central Asia, this species has extended its range throughout Eastern and Central and Europe (a distance of more than 2,500 km2) in part by using human settlements as a habitat. This study examines the ecological features of P. k. lepidus in wintertime in the Eastern part of Ukraine, where this species has been living for 20 years. Thirty-nine winter records of P. k. lepidus(1,301 individuals totally) were selected from the database of the Bat Rehabilitation Center of Feldman Ecopark, 19 of which were groups from 2 to 641 individuals. Pipistrellus k. lepidus was found in various types of structures, but most often in administrative buildings (school buildings - 69%). Records were usually obtained during renovation works (85%), and the roosting sites were cavities between the wooden planks of window frames and a wall (75%). The records were obtained in 26 settlements, from a village (0,293 kmand 252 people) to the biggest cities in the country (Kharkiv and Odessa). The sex ratio in winter aggregation in adults varied from 47% to 61% of females and for this-year individuals from 48% to 58%, respectively. The body mass at the end of the hibernation period (February/March) decreases for 17–20% compared to the beginning of the period (December). Adult females have bigger body size (body mass and forearm length) (p-value < 0.05). Our results showed that P. k. lepidus is capable of forming homogeneous, sedentary populations in all types of settlements in Ukraine for these twenty years. However, this choice of habitat means that the species faces a high mortality risk from humans during building renovation and insulation works or pest control actions.
城市化是现代世界生态变化的主要驱动力之一。在大多数情况下，城市景观的物种多样性低于自然景观;然而，一些动物群体能够利用城市栖息地并从中受益。kuhlii Pipistrellus s.l. is (p.k. lepidus)是一种常见的欧洲城市蝙蝠，其分布范围在近40年有了较大的扩展。该物种被认为起源于中亚，其活动范围已扩展到整个东欧、中欧和欧洲(距离超过2500平方公里)，部分原因是利用人类住区作为栖息地。本研究考察了在乌克兰东部地区生活了20年的鳞翅目疏叶虎的冬季生态特征。从费尔德曼生态园蝙蝠康复中心的数据库中，选取鳞翅目黑蛉冬季记录39条(共1301只)，其中19条为2 ~ 641只的群体记录。鳞翅目Pipistrellus k. lepidus在各种类型的建筑物中都有发现，但最常见于行政建筑(学校建筑- 69%)。记录通常在翻新工程期间获得(85%)，而栖息地点是窗框木板与墙壁之间的空腔(75%)。这些记录是在26个定居点获得的，从一个村庄(0293人，252人)到该国最大的城市(哈尔科夫和敖德萨)。在冬季聚集的成年个体中，雌性的性别比例从47%到61%不等，而今年的个体的性别比例从48%到58%不等。冬眠结束时(2月/ 3月)的体重比冬眠开始时(12月)减少17-20%。成年女性的体型(体质量和前臂长度)较大(p值< 0.05)。我们的研究结果表明，在这二十年中，鳞翅目直立猿类能够在乌克兰所有类型的聚落中形成同质的定居种群。然而，这种栖息地的选择意味着，在建筑翻新和隔热工程或虫害防治行动期间，该物种面临着来自人类的高死亡率风险。
{"title":"Wintering of an urban bat (Pipistrellus kuhlii lepidus) in recently occupied areas","authors":"V. Hukov, O. Timofieieva, A. Prylutska, O. Rodenko, M. Moiseienko, Valeria Bohodist, Anastasia Domanska, A. Vlaschenko","doi":"10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13629","url":null,"abstract":"Urbanization is one of the main drivers of ecological change in the modern world. In most cases, species diversity in urban landscapes is lower than in natural ones; however, some groups of animals are able to exploit and benefit from urban habitat. Pipistrellus kuhlii s.l. is (P. k. lepidus according to recent taxonomic review), a common European urban bat, whose range has expanded on a wide scale in the last 40 years. Thought to originate in Central Asia, this species has extended its range throughout Eastern and Central and Europe (a distance of more than 2,500 km2) in part by using human settlements as a habitat. This study examines the ecological features of P. k. lepidus in wintertime in the Eastern part of Ukraine, where this species has been living for 20 years. Thirty-nine winter records of P. k. lepidus(1,301 individuals totally) were selected from the database of the Bat Rehabilitation Center of Feldman Ecopark, 19 of which were groups from 2 to 641 individuals. Pipistrellus k. lepidus was found in various types of structures, but most often in administrative buildings (school buildings - 69%). Records were usually obtained during renovation works (85%), and the roosting sites were cavities between the wooden planks of window frames and a wall (75%). The records were obtained in 26 settlements, from a village (0,293 kmand 252 people) to the biggest cities in the country (Kharkiv and Odessa). The sex ratio in winter aggregation in adults varied from 47% to 61% of females and for this-year individuals from 48% to 58%, respectively. The body mass at the end of the hibernation period (February/March) decreases for 17–20% compared to the beginning of the period (December). Adult females have bigger body size (body mass and forearm length) (p-value < 0.05). Our results showed that P. k. lepidus is capable of forming homogeneous, sedentary populations in all types of settlements in Ukraine for these twenty years. However, this choice of habitat means that the species faces a high mortality risk from humans during building renovation and insulation works or pest control actions.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":"6 1","pages":"102-120"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13629","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48238816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-19DOI: 10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13855
E. Török, A. Hochkirch, Z. Soltész, T. Tscharntke, P. Batáry
Intensive mosquito control programs are likely to contribute to insect diversity loss, but these effects are both underestimated and understudied. We recommend to conduct direct biodiversity monitoring programs to understand the effects of both chemical and biological control.
{"title":"The Unmeasured ecological effect of mosquito control","authors":"E. Török, A. Hochkirch, Z. Soltész, T. Tscharntke, P. Batáry","doi":"10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13855","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13855","url":null,"abstract":"Intensive mosquito control programs are likely to contribute to insect diversity loss, but these effects are both \u0000underestimated and understudied. We recommend to conduct direct biodiversity monitoring programs to understand the effects of both chemical and biological control.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":"6 1","pages":"71-76"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13855","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43388829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-19DOI: 10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13824
Dennis Castillo-Figueroa
New World bats play a significant role in ecosystem functioning and are imperative for maintaining environmental services. Nevertheless, human-caused environmental changes are jeopardizing bat communities, which results in the loss of functional roles provided by them. It is important, therefore, to assess ecological processes performed by bats in the Neotropics to define priorities in further research for better conservation planning. In this systematic review, I identify general trends, advances, bias, and knowledge gaps in bat-mediated ecological processes across Neotropical ecosystems. I have conducted an extensive search on Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and Bat Eco–Interactions Database resulting in 538 references, of which 185 papers were included in the review. The papers were published in 76 peer-reviewed journals, with the highest peak between 2006-2010. From the six biomes recorded, Moist broadleaf tropical forest was the most researched, contrary to Montane biomes (>2000 m), where few studies have been conducted. Seed dispersal was the process with more studies (44%), followed by pollination (38%), nutrient cycling (10%), and arthropod suppression (8%). Seed dispersal and pollination displayed large bias on specific bat-plant systems (Artibeus-Ficus, Sturnira-Solanum, Carollia-Piper, Pachycereeae tribe-Leptonycteris) and ecoregions (Ithsmian-Atlantic moist forest, Cerrado, Tehuacan Valley matorral), thus being important to explore other bat and plant species as well as other ecosystems. Arthropod suppression and nutrient cycling were largely overlooked despite constituting essential functions in ecosystem resilience; particularly, more research is needed to know cascading effects on plant fitness in different agroforestry systems, but also is key the understanding of how bats can be pivotal mobile links in terrestrial ecosystems and cave environments. I highlight the importance to consider bats with multiple roles and functional trait-based approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of their functionality. Even though functional studies have increased in the last two decades, several aspects of bat roles are still obscured, and is necessary to keep evaluating their ecological and economic importance to provide useful information for major decision-makings in Neotropical ecosystems’ conservation. Bat extirpations are likely to affect their ecological roles, therefore, mitigating major threats of bats are urgently needed to sustain ecosystem integrity in the Neotropics.
新大陆蝙蝠在生态系统功能中发挥着重要作用，对维持环境服务至关重要。然而，人类造成的环境变化正在危及蝙蝠群落，导致它们所提供的功能角色的丧失。因此，评估蝙蝠在新热带地区的生态过程，以确定进一步研究的优先事项，以更好地进行保护规划，是很重要的。在这篇系统综述中，我确定了整个新热带生态系统中蝙蝠介导的生态过程的总体趋势、进展、偏见和知识差距。我在谷歌Scholar、Scopus、Web of Science和Bat Eco-Interactions Database进行了广泛的检索，得到538篇参考文献，其中185篇论文被纳入综述。这些论文发表在76份同行评议期刊上，在2006年至2010年期间达到高峰。在记录的6个生物群系中，湿润阔叶热带森林是研究最多的，而山地生物群系(>2000 m)的研究很少。研究最多的是种子传播(44%)，其次是传粉(38%)、养分循环(10%)和节肢动物抑制(8%)。种子传播和授粉在特定的蝙蝠-植物系统(Artibeus-Ficus, sturnra - solanum, carolia - piper, Pachycereeae tribe-Leptonycteris)和生态区域(Ithsmian-Atlantic潮湿森林，Cerrado, Tehuacan Valley matorral)上显示出很大的偏见，因此对探索其他蝙蝠和植物物种以及其他生态系统具有重要意义。节肢动物抑制和养分循环是生态系统恢复的重要功能，但在很大程度上被忽视;特别是，需要更多的研究来了解不同农林复合系统中植物适应性的级联效应，但这也是理解蝙蝠如何成为陆地生态系统和洞穴环境中关键的移动环节的关键。我强调考虑蝙蝠的多重角色和基于功能特征的方法的重要性，以获得对其功能的全面理解。尽管在过去的二十年中，蝙蝠的功能研究有所增加，但蝙蝠的几个方面的作用仍然模糊不清，有必要继续评估它们的生态和经济重要性，为新热带生态系统保护的重大决策提供有用的信息。蝙蝠的灭绝可能会影响它们的生态作用，因此，迫切需要减轻蝙蝠的主要威胁，以维持新热带生态系统的完整性。
{"title":"Why bats matters: A critical assessment of Bat-Mediated Ecological Processes in the Neotropics","authors":"Dennis Castillo-Figueroa","doi":"10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13824","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13824","url":null,"abstract":"New World bats play a significant role in ecosystem functioning and are imperative for maintaining environmental services. Nevertheless, human-caused environmental changes are jeopardizing bat communities, which results in the loss of functional roles provided by them. It is important, therefore, to assess ecological processes performed by bats in the Neotropics to define priorities in further research for better conservation planning. In this systematic review, I identify general trends, advances, bias, and knowledge gaps in bat-mediated ecological processes across Neotropical ecosystems. I have conducted an extensive search on Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and Bat Eco–Interactions Database resulting in 538 references, of which 185 papers were included in the review. The papers were published in 76 peer-reviewed journals, with the highest peak between 2006-2010. From the six biomes recorded, Moist broadleaf tropical forest was the most researched, contrary to Montane biomes (>2000 m), where few studies have been conducted. Seed dispersal was the process with more studies (44%), followed by pollination (38%), nutrient cycling (10%), and arthropod suppression (8%). Seed dispersal and pollination displayed large bias on specific bat-plant systems (Artibeus-Ficus, Sturnira-Solanum, Carollia-Piper, Pachycereeae tribe-Leptonycteris) and ecoregions (Ithsmian-Atlantic moist forest, Cerrado, Tehuacan Valley matorral), thus being important to explore other bat and plant species as well as other ecosystems. Arthropod suppression and nutrient cycling were largely overlooked despite constituting essential functions in ecosystem resilience; particularly, more research is needed to know cascading effects on plant fitness in different agroforestry systems, but also is key the understanding of how bats can be pivotal mobile links in terrestrial ecosystems and cave environments. I highlight the importance to consider bats with multiple roles and functional trait-based approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of their functionality. Even though functional studies have increased in the last two decades, several aspects of bat roles are still obscured, and is necessary to keep evaluating their ecological and economic importance to provide useful information for major decision-makings in Neotropical ecosystems’ conservation. Bat extirpations are likely to affect their ecological roles, therefore, mitigating major threats of bats are urgently needed to sustain ecosystem integrity in the Neotropics.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":"6 1","pages":"77-101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13824","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42577255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-19DOI: 10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13675
R. Mariychuk, I. Kozeretska, S. Serga, P. Manko, J. Oboňa
Ukraine is on the invasion front of spotted-wing Drosophila suzuki (Matsumura, 1931) spreading in Europe. Despite this globally important pest was confirmed only on the southernmost tip of its territory, recently published species distribution models expect its occurrence also in other Ukrainian regions. Therefore, we conducted two-year monitoring (2018-2019) during the whole fruit ripening season; samples were collected on the whole Ukrainian territory; standard bait traps and active capture by an insect net were employed. Individuals of the species were recorded only at the end of the vegetation season (August–October) and only in the westernmost part of Ukraine (Transcarpathian region); in the region predicted by recent ecological niche modeling. The late occurrence of D. suzuki probably reflects the presence of suitable food/fruit for the larvae at the end of the growing season. Our results confirm the importance of monitoring of this pest, together with the investigation of factors that may affect its invasion.
{"title":"Late seasonal occurrence of the spotted wing pest in new invaded area","authors":"R. Mariychuk, I. Kozeretska, S. Serga, P. Manko, J. Oboňa","doi":"10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13675","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13675","url":null,"abstract":"Ukraine is on the invasion front of spotted-wing Drosophila suzuki (Matsumura, 1931) spreading in Europe. Despite this globally important pest was confirmed only on the southernmost tip of its territory, recently published species distribution models expect its occurrence also in other Ukrainian regions. Therefore, we conducted two-year monitoring (2018-2019) during the whole fruit ripening season; samples were collected on the whole Ukrainian territory; standard bait traps and active capture by an insect net were employed. Individuals of the species were recorded only at the end of the vegetation season (August–October) and only in the westernmost part of Ukraine (Transcarpathian region); in the region predicted by recent ecological niche modeling. The late occurrence of D. suzuki probably reflects the presence of suitable food/fruit for the larvae at the end of the growing season. Our results confirm the importance of monitoring of this pest, together with the investigation of factors that may affect its invasion.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":"6 1","pages":"51-57"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49046097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-19DOI: 10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13688
Julián Arango Lozano, Dahian Patiño-Siro
The highway infrastructures are a source of multiple environmental problems; one of the worst effects on wildlife is roadkill. Most of the research on roadkill has focused on how certain aspects, such as seasons, traffic density, and location of roadways, among others affect wildlife mortality on roads. However, little attention has been paid to understanding how the geometric design of roads affects wildlife mortality. On a highway in the Central Andes of Colombia, we investigated if the geometric design, specifically horizontal alignment and vertical curves of the road, influence the mortality of vertebrate animals on roadways. We determined the number of the straight lines, circular, transition curves, and vertical convex curves along the entire route of the highway (13.9 km), and from April 2018 to December 2019, we made 336 surveys in search of wildlife roadkill. We then investigated the relation of animal deaths to different road shapes. Out of 95 roadkill, reptile deaths made up 47% of the total. We found no dependence on the distribution of deaths by class of animals on the road shape; the shape in which most deaths occurred was a straight line (58 deaths). However, when the proportion of mortality events per meter was analysed on the shape units on the road, we found that circular and transition curves presented two and three times (respectively) a higher proportion of mortality events per meter than the straight lines. Roadkill hotspots were found in curved segments and were not associated only with riparian forest. The curved sections present more dangerous geometric designs than the straight lines for wildlife, regardless of their length on the road. Our research indicates that the relationship of the geometric design of roads needs to be considered in the development of management and conservation plans of altered ecosystems with the road infrastructure.
{"title":"Does the shape of the road influences wildlife roadkills? Evidence from a highway in Central Andes of Colombia","authors":"Julián Arango Lozano, Dahian Patiño-Siro","doi":"10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13688","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13688","url":null,"abstract":"The highway infrastructures are a source of multiple environmental problems; one of the worst effects on wildlife is roadkill. Most of the research on roadkill has focused on how certain aspects, such as seasons, traffic density, and location of roadways, among others affect wildlife mortality on roads. However, little attention has been paid to understanding how the geometric design of roads affects wildlife mortality. On a highway in the Central Andes of Colombia, we investigated if the geometric design, specifically horizontal alignment and vertical curves of the road, influence the mortality of vertebrate animals on roadways. We determined the number of the straight lines, circular, transition curves, and vertical convex curves along the entire route of the highway (13.9 km), and from April 2018 to December 2019, we made 336 surveys in search of wildlife roadkill. We then investigated the relation of animal deaths to different road shapes. Out of 95 roadkill, reptile deaths made up 47% of the total. We found no dependence on the distribution of deaths by class of animals on the road shape; the shape in which most deaths occurred was a straight line (58 deaths). However, when the proportion of mortality events per meter was analysed on the shape units on the road, we found that circular and transition curves presented two and three times (respectively) a higher proportion of mortality events per meter than the straight lines. Roadkill hotspots were found in curved segments and were not associated only with riparian forest. The curved sections present more dangerous geometric designs than the straight lines for wildlife, regardless of their length on the road. Our research indicates that the relationship of the geometric design of roads needs to be considered in the development of management and conservation plans of altered ecosystems with the road infrastructure.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":"6 1","pages":"58-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13688","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42265302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-05DOI: 10.20944/preprints202008.0124.v1
Jara Gutiérrez, Javier de Miguel
Animals living in the wild are exposed to numerous challenges, such as fires, that can lead to suffering. The impacts of fire have been studied in different branches of ecology, but studies of its effects on the welfare of individual animals remain scarce. The current review aims to synthesize a sample of relevant aspects regarding fire’s negative effects on wild animals. We mainly focus on the immediate impacts of fire on individuals. How animals respond to fire depends on many factors including their life history, evolutionary adaptations to fire, and individual stress coping styles, in addition to the characteristics of the fire. The fundamentals of carrying out future work for animal rescue and prevention of animal harms in fires were also explored. Fires may increase the risk of injury, disease, stress, and mortality for animals living in the wild, resulting in physiological and psychological harm, experiences of suffering, discomfort and pain, and long-term detrimental consequences. Wild animals can benefit from effective rescue, rehabilitation, and release during fires, and post-release monitoring must accurately evaluate their outcome success. The resulting information can be used to educate veterinarians, rehabilitators, and the public in the prevention of the suffering and deaths of as many animals as possible in future fire events, which ultimately benefits animal welfare. This review provides a better understanding of how fire compromises animal welfare, providing an example of how to use the knowledge gathered in animal ecology to examine the welfare of wild animals. It can help raise concern for the situation of wild animals as individuals, and to develop the field of welfare biology, by identifying promising future lines of research.
{"title":"Fires in nature: a review of the challenges for wild animals","authors":"Jara Gutiérrez, Javier de Miguel","doi":"10.20944/preprints202008.0124.v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202008.0124.v1","url":null,"abstract":"Animals living in the wild are exposed to numerous challenges, such as fires, that can lead to suffering. The impacts of fire have been studied in different branches of ecology, but studies of its effects on the welfare of individual animals remain scarce. The current review aims to synthesize a sample of relevant aspects regarding fire’s negative effects on wild animals. We mainly focus on the immediate impacts of fire on individuals. How animals respond to fire depends on many factors including their life history, evolutionary adaptations to fire, and individual stress coping styles, in addition to the characteristics of the fire. \u0000The fundamentals of carrying out future work for animal rescue and prevention of animal harms in fires were also explored. Fires may increase the risk of injury, disease, stress, and mortality for animals living in the wild, resulting in physiological and psychological harm, experiences of suffering, discomfort and pain, and long-term detrimental consequences. Wild animals can benefit from effective rescue, rehabilitation, and release during fires, and post-release monitoring must accurately evaluate their outcome success. The resulting information can be used to educate veterinarians, rehabilitators, and the public in the prevention of the suffering and deaths of as many animals as possible in future fire events, which ultimately benefits animal welfare. This review provides a better understanding of how fire compromises animal welfare, providing an example of how to use the knowledge gathered in animal ecology to examine the welfare of wild animals. It can help raise concern for the situation of wild animals as individuals, and to develop the field of welfare biology, by identifying promising future lines of research.","PeriodicalId":37280,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Ecology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49051174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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