Biological Conservation最新文献

Vultures thrive on more than livestock: small wild vertebrate carcasses are key for nestling growth 秃鹫不仅靠牲畜繁衍生息：小型野生脊椎动物的尸体是雏鸟生长的关键

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-12-06 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111643

Sara M. Gómez-Otero , Iñigo Donázar-Aramendía , Olga Ceballos , Eneko Arrondo , Alejandro Urmeneta , Ainara Cortés-Avizanda , José A. Donázar

Scavenging represents one of the least comprehensively understood ecological processes, despite growing research attention. Available knowledge is constrained by methodological limitations that frequently neglect the nutritional heterogeneity provided by carcasses of different species and tissue types. Carrion selection may thus depend not only on environmental factors but also on species-specific life-history traits. Here, we examine how carrion use by the globally endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) varies throughout the breeding season, across a gradient of prey types ranging from livestock to small wild vertebrates. We analyzed bulk stable isotope values (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) in growing feathers of nestlings at the nest and assessed the influence of individual variables such as sex, age, and hatching order. Our results show that the consumption of small wild vertebrates is highest during early nestling development, likely driven by demand for micronutrients such as calcium during rapid skeletal growth. As nestlings mature, their diet shifts toward livestock carrion, particularly pig remains, likely supporting energy accumulation for fledging and post-reproductive migration. The trophic niche is broader early in development and narrows with age. These findings highlight a previously unrecognized temporal shift in diet that challenges conservation strategies relying solely on livestock carcass provisioning. Moreover, they may be relevant to other avian scavengers with similar ecological requirements. Overall, our study underscores the ecological importance of carrion diversity in shaping scavenger feeding strategies and has significant implications for conservation planning and ecosystem functioning.

尽管越来越多的研究关注，食腐是最不全面了解的生态过程之一。现有的知识受到方法学的限制，常常忽略了不同物种和组织类型的尸体所提供的营养异质性。因此，腐肉的选择可能不仅取决于环境因素，还取决于物种特有的生活史特征。在这里，我们研究了全球濒危的埃及秃鹫（Neophron percnopterus）在整个繁殖季节对腐肉的使用是如何变化的，从牲畜到小型野生脊椎动物的猎物类型梯度。分析了巢内雏鸟生长羽毛的总体稳定同位素值（δ13C和δ15N），并评估了性别、年龄和孵化顺序等个体变量对其的影响。我们的研究结果表明，小型野生脊椎动物在雏鸟早期发育期间的消耗最高，可能是由于骨骼快速生长期间对钙等微量营养素的需求所致。随着雏鸟的成熟，它们的饮食转向牲畜的腐肉，尤其是猪的尸体，这可能为雏鸟羽化和繁殖后的迁徙提供能量积累。营养生态位在发育早期较宽，随着年龄的增长逐渐缩小。这些发现强调了以前未被认识到的饮食的时间变化，这对仅依靠牲畜胴体供应的保护策略提出了挑战。此外，它们可能与其他具有类似生态需求的鸟类食腐动物有关。总的来说，我们的研究强调了腐肉多样性在形成食腐动物摄食策略方面的生态重要性，并对保护规划和生态系统功能具有重要意义。

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引用次数: 0

Dimming streetlights in urban areas reduces insect attraction but pipistrelle bats forage more in darkness 城市地区的路灯变暗会减少昆虫的吸引力，但pipistrelle蝙蝠更喜欢在黑暗中觅食

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-12-04 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111638

Sander W.J. Buddendorf , Hannah D. Broeckx , Jona van Delft , Astrid T. Groot , Marcel E. Visser , Emily R. Burdfield-Steel , Kamiel Spoelstra

Artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts the activity patterns of a wide range of organisms. Nocturnal animals are particularly vulnerable to this disruption, which can be especially severe in strongly illuminated urban environments. Reducing light intensity has been proposed as a mitigation measure, but the effectiveness of this strategy remains unclear. Here we studied how dimming urban streetlights affects pipistrelle bats and their prey, flying insects.

We measured bat and insect activity around dimmable streetlights, with night-to-night alternating high and low light intensity, and at a dark control site nearby. We applied interval photography to assess insect arrival on sticky sheets with a high temporal resolution, and continuously recorded bat activity.

Our results show that dimming streetlights did not affect pipistrelle bat activity, but reduced insect attraction. The presence of light, either dimmed or undimmed, did alter the predator-prey relationship in unexpected ways. Even though insects clustered around the lights, urban pipistrelle bats were more active and displayed higher relative foraging activity (‘buzz ratio’) in the relatively dark sites nearby. Nightly activity patterns of pipistrelles were not affected by dimming or light in general, whereas insect activity in the second half of the night was earlier around streetlights compared to in darkness.

Limiting insect attraction by dimming urban streetlights will likely benefit insect populations, which in turn is beneficial for bats in the long term. Our findings show that darkness is not only essential for bats and insects in natural areas, but in urban habitats as well.

夜间人造光（ALAN）会扰乱多种生物的活动模式。夜行动物特别容易受到这种干扰，在光照强烈的城市环境中尤其严重。降低光照强度已被提议作为一种缓解措施，但这一策略的有效性尚不清楚。在这里，我们研究了变暗的城市路灯如何影响pipistrelle蝙蝠和它们的猎物飞虫。我们测量了蝙蝠和昆虫在可调光路灯周围的活动，夜间交替高低光强度，以及附近的黑暗控制点。我们采用间隔摄影技术，以高时间分辨率评估粘片上昆虫的到达，并连续记录蝙蝠的活动。结果表明，调暗的路灯不会影响蝙蝠的活动，但会降低昆虫的吸引力。光的存在，无论是暗的还是不暗的，都以意想不到的方式改变了捕食者与猎物的关系。即使昆虫聚集在灯光周围，城市pipistrelle蝙蝠更活跃，在附近相对黑暗的地方表现出更高的相对觅食活动（“嗡嗡比”）。一般来说，pipistrelles的夜间活动模式不受调暗或光线的影响，而昆虫在下半夜的活动在路灯周围比在黑暗中更早。通过调暗城市路灯来限制昆虫的吸引力，可能有利于昆虫种群，从长远来看，这反过来对蝙蝠有益。我们的研究结果表明，黑暗不仅对自然地区的蝙蝠和昆虫至关重要，对城市栖息地也是如此。

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引用次数: 0

Expanding protected areas to conserve habitat connectivity for giant panda 扩大保护区，保护大熊猫栖息地的连通性

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-12-03 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111651

Hu Zhang , Zongkun Shi , Thomas Connor , Yujun Wang , Desheng Li , Dunwu Qi , Hongbo Yang , Xiaodong Gu , Weihua Xu , Zhenhua Zang , Jindong Zhang , Zejun Zhang

Habitat connectivity is crucial for species persistence. Although China has established numerous protected areas (PAs) for giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) conservation, their contribution to habitat connectivity remains unclear. To address this, we delineated important habitat connectivity areas (IHCAs) across its entire distribution range and assessed the degree of protection afforded to these areas by the PA network, measured by protection extent and ratio. Furthermore, we identified priority areas for habitat connectivity conservation by analyzing the extent of human modification within IHCAs. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted by varying the IHCA delineation threshold to evaluate the robustness of the protection metrics (extent and ratio). In total, we delineated 17,199 km² of IHCAs, with the protection ratio increasing from 49 % under traditional nature reserves to 72 % under the Giant Panda National Park and 76 % when both were combined. Among mountain ranges, Minshan had the largest IHCA protection extent, Qinling had the highest protection ratio, and Liangshan the lowest in both metrics. Approximately 26 % of IHCAs are affected by moderate-to-high human modification, with three-quarters of this affected area located in Qionglai and Minshan. Although IHCA protection ratios were robust, the absolute protection extent varied substantially, with coefficients of variation exceeding 50 % in Xiaoxiangling and Liangshan. Overall, we recommend expanding PAs in Qionglai and Minshan while prioritizing connectivity restoration in Liangshan. These findings highlight shortcomings in the panda PA network, provide insights for improving connectivity, and offer a generalizable framework for other species threatened by habitat fragmentation.

栖息地的连通性对物种的持久性至关重要。尽管中国已经建立了许多大熊猫保护区，但它们对栖息地连通性的贡献尚不清楚。为了解决这个问题，我们在其整个分布范围内划定了重要的栖息地连通性区域（ihca），并评估了PA网络对这些区域的保护程度，以保护程度和保护比率来衡量。此外，我们通过分析人类活动对IHCAs的影响程度，确定了栖息地连通性保护的优先区域。最后，通过改变IHCA划定阈值进行敏感性分析，以评估保护指标（范围和比率）的稳健性。共圈定ihca 17199 km2，保护率由传统自然保护区的49%提高到大熊猫国家公园的72%，两者结合后达到76%。在山区中，岷山的IHCA保护程度最大，秦岭的IHCA保护比例最高，梁山的IHCA保护比例最低。大约26%的ihca受到中度至高度人为修改的影响，其中四分之三的受影响地区位于邛崃和岷山。虽然IHCA保护比率较高，但绝对保护程度差异较大，小香岭和凉山的变异系数超过50%。总的来说，我们建议在琼莱和岷山扩大保护区，同时优先恢复凉山的连通性。这些发现突出了大熊猫保护区网络的不足，为改善连通性提供了见解，并为其他受栖息地碎片化威胁的物种提供了一个可推广的框架。

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引用次数: 0

Trafficking in silence: The overlooked illegal trade of small felids in Colombia 无声的贩卖：哥伦比亚被忽视的小块田地非法交易

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-12-03 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111639

Natalia Muñoz Cassolis , Francisco Perera Rieder , Johana Herrera Montoya , Douglas MacMillan , Melissa Arias

Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a major driver of global biodiversity loss, supplying domestic and international markets with animals and their derivatives for food, medicine, luxury goods, and pets. While most felid trade studies have focused on big cats (Pantherinae) and their use in Asian traditional medicine and luxury markets, the trade in smaller species—particularly for the pet market—has been largely overlooked. In Colombia, research on felid threats and trafficking remains limited. This study addresses that gap by analysing law enforcement data on felid Seizures, Confiscations, Rescues, and Voluntary Surrenders from 2015 to 2021. We recorded 643 law enforcement events involving 708 individuals, the majority of which were live felids (80.1 %), particularly Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) (57.1 %). Voluntary Surrenders, where an individual relinquishes wildlife possession, were the most frequent event type (60.1 %), concentrated in Antioquia (23.3 %) and Córdoba (7.9 %). Law enforcement events increased significantly over time (β = 10.79, p < 0.05). These findings raise concerns about the legal status of Voluntary Surrenders and their potential to mask trafficking, underscoring the urgent need to address the underestimated trade in small felids in Colombia.

非法野生动物贸易（IWT）是全球生物多样性丧失的主要驱动因素，为国内和国际市场提供动物及其食品、药品、奢侈品和宠物的衍生物。虽然大多数猫科动物的贸易研究都集中在大型猫科动物（豹科）及其在亚洲传统医药和奢侈品市场上的用途上，但小型物种的贸易——尤其是宠物市场——在很大程度上被忽视了。在哥伦比亚，关于猫科动物威胁和贩运的研究仍然有限。本研究通过分析2015年至2021年实地缉获、没收、救援和自愿自首的执法数据，解决了这一差距。我们记录了643起执法事件，涉及708只个体，其中大多数是活的猫科动物（80.1%），特别是豹猫（Leopardus pardalis）（57.1%）。自愿投降，即个人放弃野生动物所有权，是最常见的事件类型（60.1%），集中在安蒂奥基亚（23.3%）和Córdoba（7.9%）。随着时间的推移，执法事件显著增加（β = 10.79, p < 0.05）。这些调查结果引起了人们对自愿投降者的法律地位及其掩盖贩运的可能性的关注，强调迫切需要解决哥伦比亚小块土地上被低估的贸易问题。

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引用次数: 0

Insects are underrepresented across red lists of threatened biodiversity in the Neotropics 在新热带地区受威胁的生物多样性红色名单中，昆虫的代表性不足

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-12-02 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111649

Gabriel Lopes Justino , Brooke Zanco , Laura Melissa Guzman , Alejandra Echeverri , Jorge Ari Noriega , Luis Fernando Fávaro , Juliano Morimoto

Insects are critical to the sustainability and productivity of ecosystems worldwide, yet up to 40 % of insects may face extinction in coming decades. Globally, Brazil is a major producer of agricultural commodities, but we lack robust studies to investigate policy gaps and biases that may threaten the sustainability of insect ecosystem services in this biodiversity-rich region. Our previous work in the UK and Ireland showed that conservation policies informed by species' red lists consistently underrepresent insect biodiversity. However, we still do not know whether similar patterns are present in biodiversity hotspots like Brazil, that rely proportionally more on insect ecosystem services for socioeconomic wealth. Here, we analyzed Brazil's three major red lists which influence national conservation policies: the IUCN Red List (2024), the Ministry of the Environment's official list (2022), and the Chico Mendes Institute's Red Book (2018). Nearly all insect orders are significantly underrepresented, except for Odonata. In contrast, vertebrate groups are consistently well-represented, underscoring a taxon-specific disparity rather than inherent limitations among all three lists. These findings highlight a key barrier to insect conservation in Brazil, where conservation biases threaten not only local biodiversity but also global food security. We argue for better methodologies and funding for more robust biodiversity assessments in underrepresented regions, such as Brazil. This is crucial for strengthening conservation policies to safeguard both ecological and socioeconomic systems against mounting anthropogenic pressures.

昆虫对全球生态系统的可持续性和生产力至关重要，但在未来几十年内，高达40%的昆虫可能面临灭绝。在全球范围内，巴西是一个主要的农产品生产国，但我们缺乏强有力的研究来调查可能威胁到这个生物多样性丰富地区昆虫生态系统服务可持续性的政策差距和偏见。我们之前在英国和爱尔兰的研究表明，根据物种红色名录制定的保护政策始终未能充分代表昆虫的生物多样性。然而，我们仍然不知道在巴西等生物多样性热点地区是否存在类似的模式，这些地区更多地依赖昆虫生态系统服务来获得社会经济财富。在这里，我们分析了影响巴西国家保护政策的三个主要红色名单：世界自然保护联盟红色名单（2024年），环境部官方名单（2022年）和奇科门德斯研究所的红皮书（2018年）。几乎所有的昆虫目都被严重低估了，除了蜻蜓目。相比之下，脊椎动物群体的代表性一直很好，这强调了分类群特定的差异，而不是所有三个列表中固有的局限性。这些发现突出了巴西昆虫保护的一个关键障碍，在巴西，保护偏见不仅威胁到当地的生物多样性，还威胁到全球粮食安全。我们主张在代表性不足的地区，如巴西，采用更好的方法和资金进行更有力的生物多样性评估。这对于加强保护政策以保护生态和社会经济系统免受日益增加的人为压力至关重要。

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引用次数: 0

The positive effects of canopy openness across post-disturbance management on insect diversity 冠层开度对昆虫多样性的正向影响

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-12-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111647

Mareike Kortmann , Rupert Seidl , Niklas Jaggy , Patrick Kacic , Jérôme Morinière , Jörg Müller

Forests across Europe are experiencing higher rates of tree mortality while many insect populations are declining, but the links between these two ecological changes are not well understood. While pulses of tree mortality from natural disturbances can enhance structural complexity through canopy openings and deadwood accumulation – both key elements for high value insect habitats – post-disturbance tree removal may reduce habitat quality. We systematically investigated the impact of natural disturbances and post-disturbance logging on total insect diversity across major European forest types, comparing triplets of undisturbed, disturbed, and cleared forest patches. Using metabarcoding and a newly developed phylogeny, we quantified taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity (standardized by sample coverage along Hill numbers) for 21,218 insect OTUs from 347 families and 19 orders. Disturbances and post-disturbance clearing increased taxonomic diversity by up to 12 % in disturbed and 26 % in cleared patches compared to undisturbed patches. However, phylogenetic diversity increased only for rare species. Spaceborne data identified canopy openness as the primary driver of this increase, but responses varied by feeding guilds, with parasitoids and fungivores showing the strongest diversity increase. Overall, our findings show that current post-disturbance logging of small-scale disturbances in Central Europe amplifies canopy openings created by natural disturbances. This leads to a positive response of insect diversity shortly after disturbance, yet effects vary among feeding guilds and phylogenetic lineages. Our combination of innovative spaceborne and metabarcoding information provides new insights into the complex impacts of increasing tree mortality on insect diversity in Central European forests.

整个欧洲的森林都在经历更高的树木死亡率，而许多昆虫数量正在下降，但这两种生态变化之间的联系还没有得到很好的理解。虽然自然干扰引起的树木死亡率的波动可以通过树冠开口和枯木积累（这两个因素都是高价值昆虫栖息地的关键因素）提高结构复杂性，但干扰后的树木移除可能会降低栖息地质量。我们系统地研究了自然干扰和干扰后采伐对欧洲主要森林类型昆虫总多样性的影响，比较了未受干扰、受干扰和砍伐后森林斑块的三组。利用元条形码技术和新建立的系统发育模型，对19目347科21218个昆虫OTUs的分类和系统发育多样性进行了定量分析（以Hill数为标准）。与未受干扰的斑块相比，干扰和干扰后的清除使受干扰斑块的分类多样性增加了12%，清除后的斑块增加了26%。然而，系统发育多样性仅在稀有物种中有所增加。星载数据表明，冠层开放度是这一增长的主要驱动因素，但不同的摄食行业对这一增长的反应各不相同，其中拟寄生物和食真菌动物的多样性增长最为明显。总的来说，我们的研究结果表明，目前中欧对小尺度扰动的扰动后测井放大了自然扰动造成的冠层开口。这导致昆虫多样性在受到干扰后不久产生积极的反应，但影响因摄食行会和系统发育谱系而异。我们结合了创新的星载和元条形码信息，为中欧森林中树木死亡率增加对昆虫多样性的复杂影响提供了新的见解。

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引用次数: 0

Historical data to recover the distribution of freshwater fishes across 1950s Japan 恢复1950年代日本淡水鱼分布的历史数据

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-12-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111644

Kosei Ogawa , Takumi Moriyama , Naohisa Nakashima , Tomomichi Kato , Shinji Fukuda

Freshwater ecosystems face severe anthropogenic threats, making historical data invaluable for damage assessment and conservation planning. We reconstructed spatial distributions of four culturally significant freshwater fish species, eel, ayu, bitterling, and catfish, across 1950s Japan. To obtain 1950s fish occurrence data, elderly citizens contributed childhood recollections through a national survey, while historical land cover maps from 1950 and topographical factors provided habitat information. Species Distribution Models accurately mapped distributions across the nation for all species examined. Occurrence patterns across the four taxa revealed lowland rivers and coastal corridors as bottlenecks that constrain distributions. Land cover composition determines the permeability of the corridors. Urban development consistently degraded habitat suitability, whereas agricultural wetlands enhanced probability at low-to-moderate landscape proportions. Land-cover analysis revealed species-specific preferences: undeveloped areas benefited ayu, agricultural paddies increased bitterling and catfish occurrence, while forests negatively affected catfish population. Projections to 1985 showed declining habitat suitability, particularly in coastal plains where farmland mosaics gave way to urban development. Contemporary occurrence records diverged from predictions based solely on land cover changes, suggesting that river fragmentation and other factors influence connectivity limitations in lowland areas. Our study captures valuable ecological knowledge before Japan's major environmental transformations, providing a quantitative baseline. Reconstructing ecological conditions from before major environmental disruptions establishes baseline species-environment relationships, which subsequently facilitate both the evaluation of anthropogenic effects and the development of evidence-based restoration approaches.

淡水生态系统面临着严重的人为威胁，这使得历史数据对损害评估和保护规划具有宝贵的价值。在20世纪50年代的日本，我们重建了四种具有重要文化意义的淡水鱼——鳗鱼、阿尤鱼、苦鱼和鲶鱼的空间分布。为了获得1950年代鱼类发生数据，老年人通过全国调查提供童年回忆，而1950年的历史土地覆盖图和地形因素提供栖息地信息。物种分布模型准确地绘制了所有被调查物种在全国的分布。四个分类群的分布模式显示，低地河流和沿海走廊是限制分布的瓶颈。土地覆盖构成决定了廊道的通透性。城市发展持续降低了生境适宜性，而农业湿地则增加了低至中等景观比例的可能性。土地覆盖分析揭示了物种的特定偏好：未开发地区有利于鲶鱼，农田增加了鲶鱼的苦味和数量，而森林则对鲶鱼的数量产生了负面影响。到1985年的预测显示生境适宜性下降，特别是沿海平原，那里的农田让位于城市发展。当代的发生记录与仅基于土地覆盖变化的预测存在差异，这表明河流破碎化和其他因素影响了低地地区的连通性限制。我们的研究捕获了日本重大环境转型之前的宝贵生态知识，提供了定量基线。重建重大环境破坏之前的生态条件可以建立物种-环境关系的基线，从而促进对人为影响的评估和基于证据的恢复方法的发展。

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引用次数: 0

Terrain ruggedness and human activities influence the distribution of Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) and eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the Tayna Nature Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo 地形起伏和人类活动影响了刚果民主共和国泰纳自然保护区格劳厄大猩猩（Gorilla beringei graueri）和东部黑猩猩（Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii）的分布

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-12-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111641

Alice Michel , Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke , Benezeth Kambale Visando , Sonya Kahlenberg , Katie Fawcett , Damien Caillaud

The Albertine Rift Hotspot in east-central Africa is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. It hosts a number of conservation-priority species, including Critically Endangered Grauer's gorillas and Endangered eastern chimpanzees. Yet, prolonged insecurity in the region has made wildlife monitoring and conservation challenging. This is particularly true of the northeastern limits of the range of Grauer's gorillas, where wide stretches of unprotected forest could harbor behaviorally and genetically unique peripheral populations of great apes and other species. Here, we developed a rapid wildlife survey method to map population distributions and monitor the impact of various human activities in the Tayna Nature Reserve in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite a lack of surveys since the early 2000s, we find that Grauer's gorillas and eastern chimpanzees, as well as a number of smaller-bodied species, have persisted in Tayna. Observations of gorilla and chimpanzee signs were highly heterogeneous. They were less dense near human settlements and artisanal mines and peaked in areas with rugged terrain. The association with rugged terrain may be a result of historical anthropogenic pressure, behavioral avoidance of human activities, and/or ecological preference. Maintaining connectivity between patches of suitable great ape habitat will be critical for long-term conservation in the Albertine Rift region. Our findings also demonstrate the utility of priority species monitoring driven by local communities for conservation initiatives.

位于非洲中东部的艾伯丁裂谷热点是世界上生物多样性最丰富的地区之一。这里有许多优先保护的物种，包括极度濒危的格劳尔大猩猩和濒临灭绝的东部黑猩猩。然而，该地区长期的不安全局势给野生动物的监测和保护带来了挑战。在格劳尔大猩猩活动范围的东北边界尤其如此，那里大片未受保护的森林可能庇护着行为和基因独特的类人猿和其他物种的边缘种群。在这里，我们开发了一种快速野生动物调查方法来绘制刚果民主共和国东部Tayna自然保护区的种群分布并监测各种人类活动的影响。尽管自21世纪初以来缺乏调查，但我们发现，格劳尔大猩猩和东部黑猩猩，以及一些体型较小的物种，一直在泰纳生存。观察到的大猩猩和黑猩猩的符号是高度异质的。在人类住区和手工矿山附近，它们的密度较低，在地形崎岖的地区达到峰值。与崎岖地形的关联可能是历史人为压力、对人类活动的行为回避和/或生态偏好的结果。维持类人猿栖息地之间的连通性对艾伯丁裂谷地区的长期保护至关重要。我们的研究结果还证明了由当地社区推动的优先物种监测对保护倡议的效用。

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引用次数: 0

Plants in danger: Floral and other plant traits as drivers of vulnerability in Mediterranean countries 濒危植物：地中海国家植物和其他植物性状导致脆弱性

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-11-27 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111626

Amparo Lázaro , Anastasia Stefanaki , Martha Charitonidou , Joana Cursach , Maria Panitsa , Ioannis Bazos , Rosa Ranalli , Mauro Fois , Marta Galloni , Gianluigi Bacchetta , Sílvia Castro , João Loureiro , Katerina Goula , Luis Navarro , Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat , Rhea Kahale , Nathalie Machon , Gabrielle Martin , Udayangani Liu , Giovanna Aronne , Theodora Petanidou

Plants with complex floral morphologies are adapted to be pollinated by restricted pollinator assemblages and may suffer pollinator limitation. Understanding how floral traits and other variables relate to plant vulnerability can provide a powerful tool for predicting the conservation status and prioritizing the assessment of plants with scarce field data. Using circa 3000 records of rare and threatened (sensu IUCN) entomophilous plant taxa from seven Mediterranean countries, we evaluated how six floral traits and other eight intrinsic and extrinsic variables were related to plant vulnerability (less vs. more threatened plants). Besides, we analyzed 29 experts' opinions regarding the floral traits most related to floral complexity. Floral shape, reproductive unit, and flowering duration were good vulnerability indicators. Taxa with lip- and flag-shaped flowers were the most threatened, which agrees with the opinion of experts who considered lip- and flag-shaped flowers to have more complex morphologies. Also, plants with cylindrical inflorescences or solitary flowers were more threatened than those with flat-spherical inflorescences; and longer flowering durations reduced the probability of being threatened. Regarding extrinsic variables, coastal and freshwater habitats, i.e. habitats heavily impacted by human activities, had the highest percentage of highly threatened taxa. Yet, plant vulnerability decreased with maximum elevation and total distribution range. These results may serve as a basis for managers and practitioners when field data are scarce or unavailable, so that, depending on their traits, species could be provisionally listed in Red Lists as deserving priority for assessment to ascertain conservation status and actions.

具有复杂花形态的植物适应于受限制的传粉者组合，并可能受到传粉者的限制。了解花性状和其他变量与植物脆弱性的关系，可以为预测植物的保护状况和对缺乏田间数据的植物进行优先评估提供有力的工具。利用来自7个地中海国家的近3000份珍稀和濒危昆虫植物类群的记录，我们评估了6个花性状和其他8个内在和外在变量与植物脆弱性（受威胁程度较低与受威胁程度较高的植物）的关系。此外，我们还分析了29位专家对与花复杂性最相关的花性状的意见。花形、繁殖单位和花期是较好的脆弱性指标。唇形和旗形花的分类群受到的威胁最大，这与专家认为唇形和旗形花具有更复杂形态的观点一致。此外，柱状花序或单生花的植物比扁平球形花序的植物受到的威胁更大；更长的花期减少了受到威胁的可能性。在外部变量方面，沿海和淡水生境（即受人类活动严重影响的生境）的高度受威胁类群比例最高。随着海拔高度和总分布范围的增大，植物的易损性逐渐降低。这些结果可作为管理人员和实践者在实地数据缺乏或无法获得时的基础，以便根据其特征，在红色名单中暂时列出值得优先评估的物种，以确定保护状况和行动。

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引用次数: 0

Anthropogenic water depletion outweighs climate change as a cause of wet grassland bird decline in Lake Neusiedl – Seewinkel National Park 在Neusiedl - Seewinkel湖国家公园，人为的水资源消耗超过了气候变化，是导致湿草地鸟类减少的原因

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation

Pub Date : 2025-11-27 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111632

Georg Bieringer , Erwin Nemeth , Bernhard Kohler

Changes in hydrology pose one of the greatest threats to continental wetlands. As global climate warming can affect hydrology by directly altering the hydrological cycle or by increasing agricultural water demand, it is generally difficult to correctly attribute the effects observed at site-level to either driver. We attempted to disentangle the effects of local and global factors on the regional population trends of bird species that act as indicators of semi-natural wet grasslands. Using long-term bird survey data from Lake Neusiedl – Seewinkel National Park, we analysed the effects of near-surface air temperature, spring precipitation, groundwater levels and European population trends on breeding abundance. We found that groundwater levels were the strongest predictor of Northern Lapwing and Common Redshank abundance, while Black-tailed Godwit abundance was more closely correlated with its European population trend. During the study period, groundwater levels declined significantly, a trend that could not be attributed to changes in precipitation or the climatic water balance. This strongly suggests that anthropogenic water abstraction is the actual cause. High plot-level habitat quality mitigated the effects of groundwater levels on Lapwings and Redshanks, but not the effects of European population trends on Godwits. This study demonstrates that local factors can outweigh the effects of global warming in the conservation of wet grasslands. High habitat quality can buffer periods of temporarily unfavourable conditions, and this will become increasingly important as weather extremes become more frequent. Our findings emphasise the crucial role of effective governance in wet grassland conservation.

水文变化是陆地湿地面临的最大威胁之一。由于全球气候变暖可以通过直接改变水文循环或增加农业用水需求来影响水文，通常很难将在站点水平上观察到的影响正确归因于任何一个驱动因素。以半自然湿草地为研究对象，探讨了局地因子和全球因子对区域鸟类种群变化趋势的影响。利用Neusiedl - Seewinkel湖国家公园的长期鸟类调查数据，我们分析了近地表气温、春季降水、地下水位和欧洲种群趋势对繁殖丰度的影响。我们发现地下水位是北田凫和红脚鹬丰度的最强预测因子，而黑尾Godwit丰度与其欧洲种群趋势更密切相关。在研究期间，地下水位显著下降，这一趋势不能归因于降水或气候水平衡的变化。这有力地表明，人为的取水是真正的原因。高样地水平的栖息地质量减轻了地下水位对田凫和红脚鸭的影响，但没有减轻欧洲人口趋势对高头鸭的影响。本研究表明，在保护湿草地的过程中，局部因素的影响大于全球变暖的影响。高质量的栖息地可以缓冲暂时不利条件的时期，随着极端天气变得更加频繁，这将变得越来越重要。我们的研究结果强调了有效治理在湿草地保护中的关键作用。

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引用次数: 0