Nuno Mouta, Leonor Orge, Joana Vicente, João Alexandre Cabral, José Aranha, João Carvalho, Rita Tinoco Torres, Jorge Pereira, Renata Carvalho, Maria Anjos Pires, Madalena Vieira-Pinto
Abstract. Spatial epidemiology tools play a critical role in effectively allocating resources to curb the spread of animal diseases. This study focuses on classical scrapie (CS), an animal prion disease identified in Portugal, which infects small ruminant flocks and has been shown to be experimentally transmissible to wild cervids. Utilising remote sensing technologies and semi-automatic classification models, we aimed to evaluate the risk of interspecies prion transmission from domestic small ruminants to wild cervids (hosts). To achieve this, we gathered data related to hosts and infected small ruminant flocks. Furthermore, we collected and processed freely available, medium-resolution satellite imagery to derive vegetative and biophysical spectral indices capable of representing the primary habitat features. By employing a pixel-based species distribution model, we integrated the compiled geographical distribution data and spectral data with five supervised classification algorithms (random forest, classification tree analysis, artificial neural network, generalised linear model, and generalised additive model). The consensus map allowed accurate predictions of spatialised regions exhibiting spectral characteristics similar to where CS and its hosts were initially identified. By overlapping suitable territories for disease and host occurrence, we created a spatially explicit tool that assesses the risk of prion spill-over from domestic small ruminants to wild cervids. The described methodology is highly replicable and freely accessible, thus emphasising its practical utility. This study underscores the substantial contribution of model-based spatial analysis to disease monitoring and lays the groundwork for defining populations at risk and implementing targeted control and prevention strategies, thus safeguarding both animal and public health.
{"title":"Towards spatial predictions of disease transmission risk: classical scrapie spill-over from domestic small ruminants to wild cervids","authors":"Nuno Mouta, Leonor Orge, Joana Vicente, João Alexandre Cabral, José Aranha, João Carvalho, Rita Tinoco Torres, Jorge Pereira, Renata Carvalho, Maria Anjos Pires, Madalena Vieira-Pinto","doi":"10.5194/we-24-47-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-24-47-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Spatial epidemiology tools play a critical role in effectively allocating resources to curb the spread of animal diseases. This study focuses on classical scrapie (CS), an animal prion disease identified in Portugal, which infects small ruminant flocks and has been shown to be experimentally transmissible to wild cervids. Utilising remote sensing technologies and semi-automatic classification models, we aimed to evaluate the risk of interspecies prion transmission from domestic small ruminants to wild cervids (hosts). To achieve this, we gathered data related to hosts and infected small ruminant flocks. Furthermore, we collected and processed freely available, medium-resolution satellite imagery to derive vegetative and biophysical spectral indices capable of representing the primary habitat features. By employing a pixel-based species distribution model, we integrated the compiled geographical distribution data and spectral data with five supervised classification algorithms (random forest, classification tree analysis, artificial neural network, generalised linear model, and generalised additive model). The consensus map allowed accurate predictions of spatialised regions exhibiting spectral characteristics similar to where CS and its hosts were initially identified. By overlapping suitable territories for disease and host occurrence, we created a spatially explicit tool that assesses the risk of prion spill-over from domestic small ruminants to wild cervids. The described methodology is highly replicable and freely accessible, thus emphasising its practical utility. This study underscores the substantial contribution of model-based spatial analysis to disease monitoring and lays the groundwork for defining populations at risk and implementing targeted control and prevention strategies, thus safeguarding both animal and public health.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141548615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Florian Heigl, Susanne Lutter, Irene Hoppe, Johann G. Zaller, Daniel Dörler
Abstract. An important factor in the decline of global animal diversity is road traffic, where many animals are killed. This study aimed to collect data on vertebrate roadkill in the city of Vienna, Austria, between 2017 and 2022 using three different approaches: citizen science, systematic monitoring by bicycle along a 15 km route, and systematic monitoring on foot along a 3 km route. During 359 monitoring events, only four roadkill incidences (three Erinaceus sp., one Rattus sp.) were found by bicycle or on foot. At the same time citizen scientists reported 1 roadkill squirrel on the bicycle route and 84 roadkill incidences for the entire city area. Hedgehogs and urban birds were commonly reported species by citizen scientists. Although no amphibian or reptile roadkill was found during systematic monitoring, they were reported by citizen scientists. The low number of roadkill incidences found suggests a potentially low population density that makes the impact of roadkill even more severe – a hypothesis that should be further investigated amidst the global decline in biodiversity.
{"title":"Urban roadkill assessment in Vienna reveals low incidence rates","authors":"Florian Heigl, Susanne Lutter, Irene Hoppe, Johann G. Zaller, Daniel Dörler","doi":"10.5194/we-24-41-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-24-41-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. An important factor in the decline of global animal diversity is road traffic, where many animals are killed. This study aimed to collect data on vertebrate roadkill in the city of Vienna, Austria, between 2017 and 2022 using three different approaches: citizen science, systematic monitoring by bicycle along a 15 km route, and systematic monitoring on foot along a 3 km route. During 359 monitoring events, only four roadkill incidences (three Erinaceus sp., one Rattus sp.) were found by bicycle or on foot. At the same time citizen scientists reported 1 roadkill squirrel on the bicycle route and 84 roadkill incidences for the entire city area. Hedgehogs and urban birds were commonly reported species by citizen scientists. Although no amphibian or reptile roadkill was found during systematic monitoring, they were reported by citizen scientists. The low number of roadkill incidences found suggests a potentially low population density that makes the impact of roadkill even more severe – a hypothesis that should be further investigated amidst the global decline in biodiversity.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140578197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Teresita N. Ulate Gómez, Antonia E. Welch, Winfried S. Peters
Abstract. Prey noticing predators may turn immobile to avert detection. Such “freezing” is generally thought to precede direct predator–prey contact and thus appears distinct from so-called “post-contact immobility”, or thanatosis. This distinction, however, may be inapplicable if predators lack long-distance senses or monitor their surroundings incompletely. The predatory sandy beach gastropod Agaronia propatula (Olividae) detects its prey, Pachyoliva semistriata of the same family, only when located within centimetres in front of the predator. Pachyoliva therefore reduces its risks by active flight when directly approached by an Agaronia, whereas it freezes to remain undetected when contacting Agaronia from the side. This unexpected “post-contact freezing” suggests that physical contact between prey and predator as such does not always help to distinguish freezing from other types of predator-induced prey immobility and highlights how our interpretations of predator–prey interactions depend critically on our understanding of the sensory capabilities involved.
{"title":"Short communication: Problems of classifying predator-induced prey immobility – an unexpected case of post-contact freezing","authors":"Teresita N. Ulate Gómez, Antonia E. Welch, Winfried S. Peters","doi":"10.5194/we-24-35-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-24-35-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Prey noticing predators may turn immobile to avert detection. Such “freezing” is generally thought to precede direct predator–prey contact and thus appears distinct from so-called “post-contact immobility”, or thanatosis. This distinction, however, may be inapplicable if predators lack long-distance senses or monitor their surroundings incompletely. The predatory sandy beach gastropod Agaronia propatula (Olividae) detects its prey, Pachyoliva semistriata of the same family, only when located within centimetres in front of the predator. Pachyoliva therefore reduces its risks by active flight when directly approached by an Agaronia, whereas it freezes to remain undetected when contacting Agaronia from the side. This unexpected “post-contact freezing” suggests that physical contact between prey and predator as such does not always help to distinguish freezing from other types of predator-induced prey immobility and highlights how our interpretations of predator–prey interactions depend critically on our understanding of the sensory capabilities involved.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140166664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juliane Röder, Tim Appelhans, Marcell K. Peters, Thomas Nauss, Roland Brandl
Abstract. Deforestation and land-use change affect ecosystem processes such as carbon cycling. Here, we present results from a litter decomposition experiment in six natural and six disturbed vegetation types along an elevation gradient of 3600 m on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We exposed litter bags with a standard material for up to 12 weeks each in two seasons. In the cold wet season we sampled the full elevation gradient and in the warm wet season we repeated the sampling in the lower part of the elevation gradient. Though we found significantly negative effects of disturbance in forest ecosystems, this was only due to differences between natural and burned Podocarpus forests. Disturbance characterized by a more open vegetation structure in many of the studied vegetation types had no general effect when we studied the full elevation gradient; this also included non-forest vegetation types. Land-use intensity had a significant negative effect on decomposition rates but only in the warm wet season, not in the cold wet season. Temperature and humidity were the most important drivers of decomposition overall and for all subsets of vegetation types and seasons. Our study shows that negative effects of disturbance or land-use intensity on decomposition depended on the severity of disturbance and on the season. Nevertheless, climate was generally the most relevant driver of decomposition. Therefore, vegetation types with moderate levels of disturbance can retain high functionality in regards to carbon cycling over short periods of time. More and longer decomposition studies are necessary to better predict consequences of land-use change for carbon cycling in the Afrotropics.
{"title":"Disturbance can slow down litter decomposition, depending on severity of disturbance and season: an example from Mount Kilimanjaro","authors":"Juliane Röder, Tim Appelhans, Marcell K. Peters, Thomas Nauss, Roland Brandl","doi":"10.5194/we-24-11-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-24-11-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Deforestation and land-use change affect ecosystem processes such as carbon cycling. Here, we present results from a litter decomposition experiment in six natural and six disturbed vegetation types along an elevation gradient of 3600 m on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We exposed litter bags with a standard material for up to 12 weeks each in two seasons. In the cold wet season we sampled the full elevation gradient and in the warm wet season we repeated the sampling in the lower part of the elevation gradient. Though we found significantly negative effects of disturbance in forest ecosystems, this was only due to differences between natural and burned Podocarpus forests. Disturbance characterized by a more open vegetation structure in many of the studied vegetation types had no general effect when we studied the full elevation gradient; this also included non-forest vegetation types. Land-use intensity had a significant negative effect on decomposition rates but only in the warm wet season, not in the cold wet season. Temperature and humidity were the most important drivers of decomposition overall and for all subsets of vegetation types and seasons. Our study shows that negative effects of disturbance or land-use intensity on decomposition depended on the severity of disturbance and on the season. Nevertheless, climate was generally the most relevant driver of decomposition. Therefore, vegetation types with moderate levels of disturbance can retain high functionality in regards to carbon cycling over short periods of time. More and longer decomposition studies are necessary to better predict consequences of land-use change for carbon cycling in the Afrotropics.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139945818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. Recently, studies have shown that highly urbanized areas are numerically dominated by birds with grey plumage, probably favoring camouflage with impervious grey surfaces. However, patterns of bird color diversity in urban green areas remain unexplored. In urban parks, sites surrounded by highly urbanized areas may be dominated by grey bird species, whereas urban parks with pedestrians that feed birds may favor commensal birds which also have grey plumage. Thus, we explore the relationship between environmental variables and bird taxonomic and color diversity in urban parks. Bird surveys were conducted twice by fixed points in urban parks of six cities in central Argentina. Bird color diversity was assessed by characterizing bird plumage coloration in different parts of the bird body and the presence of plumage sexual dimorphism, polymorphism, and iridescence. Then, color richness and color diversity (abundance-based) were calculated with species mean pairwise distance. Null models were used to quantify richness-corrected color diversity. Bird species richness and diversity increased with green-area size, and bird diversity decreased with increasing pedestrian traffic. Color richness decreased with increasing car traffic, whereas color diversity was positively related to green-area size and negatively related to car and pedestrian traffic. Richness-corrected color diversity related negatively to car and pedestrian traffic. The abundance of grey birds increased in parks near the urban centers and related positively to pedestrian and car traffic. The abundance of yellow birds increased in parks near rural areas or small cities. Color diversity increased with green-area size, but richness-corrected color diversity ceased to be related to area size. Therefore, the increase in color diversity with area size was mediated by increases in species richness. Color diversity was clustered in parks with the highest human disturbance, favoring the abundance of grey species which probably took advantage of food discarded by humans.
{"title":"Bird color and taxonomic diversity are negatively related to human disturbance in urban parks","authors":"Lucas M. Leveau, Juan Kopp","doi":"10.5194/we-24-1-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-24-1-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Recently, studies have shown that highly urbanized areas are numerically dominated by birds with grey plumage, probably favoring camouflage with impervious grey surfaces. However, patterns of bird color diversity in urban green areas remain unexplored. In urban parks, sites surrounded by highly urbanized areas may be dominated by grey bird species, whereas urban parks with pedestrians that feed birds may favor commensal birds which also have grey plumage. Thus, we explore the relationship between environmental variables and bird taxonomic and color diversity in urban parks. Bird surveys were conducted twice by fixed points in urban parks of six cities in central Argentina. Bird color diversity was assessed by characterizing bird plumage coloration in different parts of the bird body and the presence of plumage sexual dimorphism, polymorphism, and iridescence. Then, color richness and color diversity (abundance-based) were calculated with species mean pairwise distance. Null models were used to quantify richness-corrected color diversity. Bird species richness and diversity increased with green-area size, and bird diversity decreased with increasing pedestrian traffic. Color richness decreased with increasing car traffic, whereas color diversity was positively related to green-area size and negatively related to car and pedestrian traffic. Richness-corrected color diversity related negatively to car and pedestrian traffic. The abundance of grey birds increased in parks near the urban centers and related positively to pedestrian and car traffic. The abundance of yellow birds increased in parks near rural areas or small cities. Color diversity increased with green-area size, but richness-corrected color diversity ceased to be related to area size. Therefore, the increase in color diversity with area size was mediated by increases in species richness. Color diversity was clustered in parks with the highest human disturbance, favoring the abundance of grey species which probably took advantage of food discarded by humans.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139769671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Diego Sousa Campos, Rafael Ferreira de Oliveira, Lucas de Oliveira Vieira, Pedro Henrique Negreiros de Bragança, Jorge Luiz Silva Nunes, Erick Cristofore Guimarães, Felipe Polivanov Ottoni
Abstract. This study examines the risks associated with relying solely on images for documenting new species records, rediscoveries, taxonomic descriptions, and distribution expansions. We highlight concerns regarding image authenticity, especially in cases where images may be altered, adulterated, or AI (artificial intelligence)-generated, potentially leading to inaccuracies in biodiversity documentation. To illustrate the evolving challenges, we conducted an experiment with 621 participants who assessed nine AI-generated images. Surprisingly, six were deemed authentic, while three raised doubts, highlighting the difficulty in discerning AI-generated content. Our main message emphasizes the critical role of trust in biodiversity documentation, particularly for taxonomy and conservation, and how eroded trust can hinder conservation efforts. Improved communication and collaboration between taxonomists and conservationists are needed, emphasizing scientific integrity. We urge a reevaluation of journal policies concerning data validation, especially in articles relying on images as primary evidence, to preserve the credibility of scientific research amidst technological advancements.
{"title":"Revisiting the debate: documenting biodiversity in the age of digital and artificially generated images","authors":"Diego Sousa Campos, Rafael Ferreira de Oliveira, Lucas de Oliveira Vieira, Pedro Henrique Negreiros de Bragança, Jorge Luiz Silva Nunes, Erick Cristofore Guimarães, Felipe Polivanov Ottoni","doi":"10.5194/we-23-135-2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-23-135-2023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. This study examines the risks associated with relying solely on images for documenting new species records, rediscoveries, taxonomic descriptions, and distribution expansions. We highlight concerns regarding image authenticity, especially in cases where images may be altered, adulterated, or AI (artificial intelligence)-generated, potentially leading to inaccuracies in biodiversity documentation. To illustrate the evolving challenges, we conducted an experiment with 621 participants who assessed nine AI-generated images. Surprisingly, six were deemed authentic, while three raised doubts, highlighting the difficulty in discerning AI-generated content. Our main message emphasizes the critical role of trust in biodiversity documentation, particularly for taxonomy and conservation, and how eroded trust can hinder conservation efforts. Improved communication and collaboration between taxonomists and conservationists are needed, emphasizing scientific integrity. We urge a reevaluation of journal policies concerning data validation, especially in articles relying on images as primary evidence, to preserve the credibility of scientific research amidst technological advancements.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138547322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial: Pay to criticise? Rebuttal articles in open-access journals should be published for free","authors":"Daniel Montesinos","doi":"10.5194/we-23-131-2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-23-131-2023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract not available","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138536490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Angel Giménez-García, Alfonso Allen-Perkins, Ignasi Bartomeus, Stefano Balbi, Jessica L. Knapp, Violeta Hevia, Ben Alex Woodcock, Guy Smagghe, Marcos Miñarro, Maxime Eeraerts, Jonathan F. Colville, Juliana Hipólito, Pablo Cavigliasso, Guiomar Nates-Parra, José M. Herrera, Sarah Cusser, Benno I. Simmons, Volkmar Wolters, Shalene Jha, Breno M. Freitas, Finbarr G. Horgan, Derek R. Artz, C. Sheena Sidhu, Mark Otieno, Virginie Boreux, David J. Biddinger, Alexandra-Maria Klein, Neelendra K. Joshi, Rebecca I. A. Stewart, Matthias Albrecht, Charlie C. Nicholson, Alison D. O'Reilly, David William Crowder, Katherine L. W. Burns, Diego Nicolás Nabaes Jodar, Lucas Alejandro Garibaldi, Louis Sutter, Yoko L. Dupont, Bo Dalsgaard, Jeferson Gabriel da Encarnação Coutinho, Amparo Lázaro, Georg K. S. Andersson, Nigel E. Raine, Smitha Krishnan, Matteo Dainese, Wopke van der Werf, Henrik G. Smith, Ainhoa Magrach
Abstract. Ecological intensification has been embraced with great interest by the academic sector but is still rarely taken up by farmers because monitoring the state of different ecological functions is not straightforward. Modelling tools can represent a more accessible alternative of measuring ecological functions, which could help promote their use amongst farmers and other decision-makers. In the case of crop pollination, modelling has traditionally followed either a mechanistic or a data-driven approach. Mechanistic models simulate the habitat preferences and foraging behaviour of pollinators, while data-driven models associate georeferenced variables with real observations. Here, we test these two approaches to predict pollination supply and validate these predictions using data from a newly released global dataset on pollinator visitation rates to different crops. We use one of the most extensively used models for the mechanistic approach, while for the data-driven approach, we select from among a comprehensive set of state-of-the-art machine-learning models. Moreover, we explore a mixed approach, where data-derived inputs, rather than expert assessment, inform the mechanistic model. We find that, at a global scale, machine-learning models work best, offering a rank correlation coefficient between predictions and observations of pollinator visitation rates of 0.56. In turn, the mechanistic model works moderately well at a global scale for wild bees other than bumblebees. Biomes characterized by temperate or Mediterranean forests show a better agreement between mechanistic model predictions and observations, probably due to more comprehensive ecological knowledge and therefore better parameterization of input variables for these biomes. This study highlights the challenges of transferring input variables across multiple biomes, as expected given the different composition of species in different biomes. Our results provide clear guidance on which pollination supply models perform best at different spatial scales – the first step towards bridging the stakeholder–academia gap in modelling ecosystem service delivery under ecological intensification.
{"title":"Pollination supply models from a local to global scale","authors":"Angel Giménez-García, Alfonso Allen-Perkins, Ignasi Bartomeus, Stefano Balbi, Jessica L. Knapp, Violeta Hevia, Ben Alex Woodcock, Guy Smagghe, Marcos Miñarro, Maxime Eeraerts, Jonathan F. Colville, Juliana Hipólito, Pablo Cavigliasso, Guiomar Nates-Parra, José M. Herrera, Sarah Cusser, Benno I. Simmons, Volkmar Wolters, Shalene Jha, Breno M. Freitas, Finbarr G. Horgan, Derek R. Artz, C. Sheena Sidhu, Mark Otieno, Virginie Boreux, David J. Biddinger, Alexandra-Maria Klein, Neelendra K. Joshi, Rebecca I. A. Stewart, Matthias Albrecht, Charlie C. Nicholson, Alison D. O'Reilly, David William Crowder, Katherine L. W. Burns, Diego Nicolás Nabaes Jodar, Lucas Alejandro Garibaldi, Louis Sutter, Yoko L. Dupont, Bo Dalsgaard, Jeferson Gabriel da Encarnação Coutinho, Amparo Lázaro, Georg K. S. Andersson, Nigel E. Raine, Smitha Krishnan, Matteo Dainese, Wopke van der Werf, Henrik G. Smith, Ainhoa Magrach","doi":"10.5194/we-23-99-2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-23-99-2023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Ecological intensification has been embraced with great interest by the academic sector but is still rarely taken up by farmers because monitoring the state of different ecological functions is not straightforward. Modelling tools can represent a more accessible alternative of measuring ecological functions, which could help promote their use amongst farmers and other decision-makers. In the case of crop pollination, modelling has traditionally followed either a mechanistic or a data-driven approach. Mechanistic models simulate the habitat preferences and foraging behaviour of pollinators, while data-driven models associate georeferenced variables with real observations. Here, we test these two approaches to predict pollination supply and validate these predictions using data from a newly released global dataset on pollinator visitation rates to different crops. We use one of the most extensively used models for the mechanistic approach, while for the data-driven approach, we select from among a comprehensive set of state-of-the-art machine-learning models. Moreover, we explore a mixed approach, where data-derived inputs, rather than expert assessment, inform the mechanistic model. We find that, at a global scale, machine-learning models work best, offering a rank correlation coefficient between predictions and observations of pollinator visitation rates of 0.56. In turn, the mechanistic model works moderately well at a global scale for wild bees other than bumblebees. Biomes characterized by temperate or Mediterranean forests show a better agreement between mechanistic model predictions and observations, probably due to more comprehensive ecological knowledge and therefore better parameterization of input variables for these biomes. This study highlights the challenges of transferring input variables across multiple biomes, as expected given the different composition of species in different biomes. Our results provide clear guidance on which pollination supply models perform best at different spatial scales – the first step towards bridging the stakeholder–academia gap in modelling ecosystem service delivery under ecological intensification.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135591514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eva K Nóbrega, Nia Toshkova, A. Gonçalves, A. Reis, Elena J. Soto, Sergio Puertas Ruiz, Vanessa A. Mata, C. Rato, R. Rocha
Abstract. Around 60 % of all bat species occur in islands, and nearly one in four is an insular endemic. Bats are often the only native terrestrial mammals in oceanic islands, and despite increasing anthropogenic pressures, little is known about the distribution, natural history, and population status of most insular bat populations. The sub-tropical archipelago of Madeira is composed of the volcanic islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, and Desertas and is home to the Macaronesian endemic Pipistrellus maderensis, to the endemic subspecies Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus, and to Plecotus austriacus. Pipistrellus maderensis is known to both Madeira and Porto Santo, whereas the other two species have only been recorded in the former. However, no bats have been recorded in Porto Santo for over 15 years, raising fears that bats are probably extinct in the island. In July 2021, we conducted an island-wide acoustic survey using AudioMoth passive acoustic recorders, leading to the detection of Pipistrellus maderensis in 28 out of the 46 sampling sites (60 %). The species' activity was strongly associated with artificial water sources, and genetic samples from six captured individuals revealed that the populations of Pipistrellus maderensis in Porto Santo and Madeira have a close phylogenetic affinity. Furthermore, using DNA metabarcoding, we found that the species feeds on a wide variety of insects, including several economically important pest species and disease vectors. These findings emphasise the need to target more conservation and research efforts towards extant island bat populations and the potential ecosystem services they provide.
{"title":"Insights into the habitat associations, phylogeny, and diet of Pipistrellus maderensis in Porto Santo, northeastern Macaronesia","authors":"Eva K Nóbrega, Nia Toshkova, A. Gonçalves, A. Reis, Elena J. Soto, Sergio Puertas Ruiz, Vanessa A. Mata, C. Rato, R. Rocha","doi":"10.5194/we-23-87-2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-23-87-2023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Around 60 % of all bat species occur in islands, and nearly one in four is\u0000an insular endemic. Bats are often the only native terrestrial mammals in\u0000oceanic islands, and despite increasing anthropogenic pressures, little is\u0000known about the distribution, natural history, and population status of most\u0000insular bat populations. The sub-tropical archipelago of Madeira is composed\u0000of the volcanic islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, and Desertas and is\u0000home to the Macaronesian endemic Pipistrellus maderensis, to the endemic subspecies Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus, and to Plecotus austriacus. Pipistrellus maderensis is known\u0000to both Madeira and Porto Santo, whereas the other two species have only\u0000been recorded in the former. However, no bats have been recorded in Porto Santo\u0000for over 15 years, raising fears that bats are probably extinct in the\u0000island. In July 2021, we conducted an island-wide acoustic survey using\u0000AudioMoth passive acoustic recorders, leading to the detection of\u0000Pipistrellus maderensis in 28 out of the 46 sampling sites (60 %). The species' activity was\u0000strongly associated with artificial water sources, and genetic samples from\u0000six captured individuals revealed that the populations of Pipistrellus maderensis in Porto Santo and\u0000Madeira have a close phylogenetic affinity. Furthermore, using DNA\u0000metabarcoding, we found that the species feeds on a wide variety of insects,\u0000including several economically important pest species and disease vectors.\u0000These findings emphasise the need to target more conservation and research\u0000efforts towards extant island bat populations and the potential ecosystem\u0000services they provide.\u0000","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82519741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Weinmann, O. Koukousioura, M. Triantaphyllou, M. Langer
Abstract. Corfu Island (Greece) is located in the northern Ionian Sea and exhibits unique and diverse marine coastal habitats suitable for high-diversity assemblages such as shallow-water foraminifera. The island also lies near the current range expansion front of the invasive species Amphistegina lobifera. We analyzed the foraminiferal assemblages of 51 samples from 25 sites around the island, calculated diversity indices, and analyzed the community structures of foraminiferal assemblages in comparison to local environmental variables. In addition to that, using the spatial structure or relative abundances, we evaluated the effect of A. lobifera on the species richness of all benthic foraminifera and habitat-specific groups. With 200 benthic foraminiferal species found, the high species richness and other diversity indices indicate Corfu as an area of high diversity. The main ecological drivers for the assemblage compositions were water depth, sediment texture, and habitat (especially vegetation), resulting in three main assemblage clusters around the island: (1) sandy or rocky, shallow-water areas from the south and west; (2) deeper areas from the west; and (3) rocky, vegetated areas of variable depths from the northwest and northeastern parts of the island. Our analyses suggest that the invasive species A. lobifera affects local diversity of the foraminiferal assemblage and that these effects become apparent when the invasive species accounts for more than 10 %–20 % of the total abundance. We also observed significant negative correlations with sessile epiphytes and smaller miliolids. Both groups share similar microhabitats with A. lobifera and might be outcompeted, which is probably further facilitated by ongoing ocean warming. However, other warm-affiliated taxa (e.g., other symbiont-bearing species) initially show a positive correlation with the increasing presence of A. lobifera until the latter exceeds 20 %. We expect that A. lobifera and other warm-adapted species will play an increasing role in shaping future biodiversity and assemblage composition in this area, a feature that supports the prognosed tropicalization of the Mediterranean Sea.
{"title":"Invasive shallow-water foraminifera impacts local biodiversity mostly at densities above 20 %: the case of Corfu Island","authors":"A. Weinmann, O. Koukousioura, M. Triantaphyllou, M. Langer","doi":"10.5194/we-23-71-2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-23-71-2023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Corfu Island (Greece) is located in the northern Ionian Sea and\u0000exhibits unique and diverse marine coastal habitats suitable for high-diversity assemblages such as shallow-water foraminifera. The island also\u0000lies near the current range expansion front of the invasive species\u0000Amphistegina lobifera. We analyzed the foraminiferal assemblages of 51 samples from 25 sites around the island, calculated diversity indices, and analyzed the community structures of foraminiferal assemblages in comparison to local environmental variables. In addition to that, using the spatial structure or relative abundances, we evaluated the effect of A. lobifera on the species richness of all\u0000benthic foraminifera and habitat-specific groups. With 200 benthic foraminiferal species found, the high species richness and\u0000other diversity indices indicate Corfu as an area of high diversity. The\u0000main ecological drivers for the assemblage compositions were water depth,\u0000sediment texture, and habitat (especially vegetation), resulting in three main\u0000assemblage clusters around the island: (1) sandy or rocky, shallow-water\u0000areas from the south and west; (2) deeper areas from the west; and (3) rocky, vegetated areas of variable depths from the northwest and northeastern parts of the island. Our analyses suggest that the invasive species A. lobifera affects local diversity of the foraminiferal assemblage and that these effects become apparent when the invasive species accounts for more than 10 %–20 % of the total abundance. We\u0000also observed significant negative correlations with sessile epiphytes and\u0000smaller miliolids. Both groups share similar microhabitats with A. lobifera and might\u0000be outcompeted, which is probably further facilitated by ongoing ocean\u0000warming. However, other warm-affiliated taxa (e.g., other symbiont-bearing\u0000species) initially show a positive correlation with the increasing presence\u0000of A. lobifera until the latter exceeds 20 %. We expect that A. lobifera and other warm-adapted\u0000species will play an increasing role in shaping future biodiversity and\u0000assemblage composition in this area, a feature that supports the prognosed\u0000tropicalization of the Mediterranean Sea.\u0000","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82046365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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