Pub Date : 2024-10-13DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110814
Bunyeth Chan , Zeb S. Hogan , Michael I. Grant , Samol Chhuoy , Chheana Chhut , Kong Heng , Sébastien Brosse
The Critically Endangered giant salmon carp (Aaptosyax grypus) is an endemic mega fish from the Mekong River basin. It had not been recorded in the wild since 2005, and was considered as possibly extinct. Here, we report the capture of three new specimens between 2020 and 2023. Those recent observations indicate that the species persists, and that one or more populations of A. grypus inhabit the Cambodian Mekong and its tributaries. Though the rarity of A. grypus makes it difficult to set specific conservation actions, we suggest building on the recent development of environmental DNA techniques and citizen science to investigate A. grypus geographic range and habitats as a first step before initiating actions to conserve its habitats. Given the emblematic species status of A. grypus, its conservation could have an umbrella effect contributing more broadly to the conservation of the globally significant freshwater biodiversity in the Mekong Basin ecosystem.
极度濒危的大马哈鱼（Aaptosyax grypus）是湄公河流域特有的大型鱼类。自 2005 年以来，它在野外再无记录，被认为可能已经灭绝。在此，我们报告了 2020 年至 2023 年间捕获的三个新标本。这些最新观察结果表明，该物种仍然存在，而且柬埔寨湄公河及其支流中栖息着一个或多个蝼蛄种群。虽然蝼蛄的稀有性使我们很难制定具体的保护行动，但我们建议在启动保护其栖息地的行动之前，首先利用最近发展起来的环境 DNA 技术和公民科学来调查蝼蛄的地理分布和栖息地。鉴于蝼蛄的标志性物种地位，对其进行保护可以产生保护伞效应，更广泛地促进湄公河流域生态系统中具有全球意义的淡水生物多样性的保护。
{"title":"Rediscovery and future approaches to conservation of the elusive giant salmon carp Aaptosyax grypus, a Critically Endangered megafish in the Mekong","authors":"Bunyeth Chan , Zeb S. Hogan , Michael I. Grant , Samol Chhuoy , Chheana Chhut , Kong Heng , Sébastien Brosse","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110814","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110814","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Critically Endangered giant salmon carp (<em>Aaptosyax grypus</em>) is an endemic mega fish from the Mekong River basin. It had not been recorded in the wild since 2005, and was considered as possibly extinct. Here, we report the capture of three new specimens between 2020 and 2023. Those recent observations indicate that the species persists, and that one or more populations of <em>A. grypus</em> inhabit the Cambodian Mekong and its tributaries. Though the rarity of <em>A. grypus</em> makes it difficult to set specific conservation actions, we suggest building on the recent development of environmental DNA techniques and citizen science to investigate <em>A. grypus</em> geographic range and habitats as a first step before initiating actions to conserve its habitats. Given the emblematic species status of <em>A. grypus,</em> its conservation could have an umbrella effect contributing more broadly to the conservation of the globally significant freshwater biodiversity in the Mekong Basin ecosystem.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110814"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142434177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110789
Stewart Lockie , Henry A. Bartelet , Brent W. Ritchie , Csilla Demeter , Bruce Taylor , Lintje Sie
The scale and pace of global environmental change calls for a dramatic upscaling of ecosystem restoration and for actions that build the resilience of ecosystems to future environmental change. This research aimed to quantify public perceptions of threats to the health of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia, and their support for strategies to address those threats including large-scale restoration and resilience-building actions. We examine how these perceptions change over time and across social cohorts including people living closer to the Reef (n = 2621) and the general Australian population (n = 5825). Respondents were concerned about both the current state and future of the GBR. They identified climate change as the largest threat to the GBR with the strength of this perception increasing between 2018 and 2022. Respondents were ambivalent about existing management and overwhelmingly of the view that more should be done to save the GBR. Strong support was expressed for a range of responses including preventing threats, local restoration, measures to increase the resilience of the GBR to future threats, providing more research funding, and large-scale restoration. Trust in science to develop solutions for Reef protection and repair was high and strongly correlated with support for action. The results suggest that ongoing scientifically-informed action – underpinned by deep engagement with impacted communities and stakeholders and the full, prior and informed consent of rights-holders including First Nations – is needed to build public confidence in Reef management and the deployment of technological interventions.
{"title":"Australians support multi-pronged action to build ecosystem resilience in the Great Barrier Reef","authors":"Stewart Lockie , Henry A. Bartelet , Brent W. Ritchie , Csilla Demeter , Bruce Taylor , Lintje Sie","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110789","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110789","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The scale and pace of global environmental change calls for a dramatic upscaling of ecosystem restoration and for actions that build the resilience of ecosystems to future environmental change. This research aimed to quantify public perceptions of threats to the health of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia, and their support for strategies to address those threats including large-scale restoration and resilience-building actions. We examine how these perceptions change over time and across social cohorts including people living closer to the Reef (<em>n</em> = 2621) and the general Australian population (<em>n</em> = 5825). Respondents were concerned about both the current state and future of the GBR. They identified climate change as the largest threat to the GBR with the strength of this perception increasing between 2018 and 2022. Respondents were ambivalent about existing management and overwhelmingly of the view that more should be done to save the GBR. Strong support was expressed for a range of responses including preventing threats, local restoration, measures to increase the resilience of the GBR to future threats, providing more research funding, and large-scale restoration. Trust in science to develop solutions for Reef protection and repair was high and strongly correlated with support for action. The results suggest that ongoing scientifically-informed action – underpinned by deep engagement with impacted communities and stakeholders and the full, prior and informed consent of rights-holders including First Nations – is needed to build public confidence in Reef management and the deployment of technological interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110789"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142421124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110808
Mingming Liu , Wenzhi Lin , Mingli Lin , Lijun Dong , Binshuai Liu , Shenglan Chen , Mingyue Ouyang , Peijun Zhang , Zixin Yang , Hui Kang , Songhai Li
Despite being recognized as a global marine biodiversity hotspot, the South China Sea (SCS) is a distinct “cetacean data-deficient area”. In particular, robust scientific knowledge and conservation baseline information available for offshore cetacean species in this region remain scarce. Between 2019 and 2023, we conducted six systematic ship-based surveys to investigate cetaceans occurring potentially in the offshore waters of the SCS, primarily around the Xisha-Zhongsha Islands. During the field surveys, 211 cetacean sightings comprising 187 single- and 24 mixed-species sightings were recorded. We identified 17 odontocete species, all offshore and deep-diving species. Notably, the pantropical spotted dolphin, short-finned pilot whale, and Fraser's dolphin, were recognized as the dominant species because of regular presence, commonness and high relative abundance. Based on the field sightings reported in this study and supplementary opportunistic sightings, we confirm 25 cetacean species living in the SCS. By integrating several additional data sources, such as stranding records and taxidermy/skeletal specimens, we further establish a cetacean species checklist consisting of at least 36 species. Biogeographically, the northern SCS (especially Xisha-Zhongsha waters) not only supports a remarkably high level of cetacean richness, and may also function as nursery and/or feeding grounds for the “Vulnerable” sperm whale and serve as critical habitats for many other offshore and deep-diving species. Therefore, we recommend that the Xisha-Zhongsha waters be proposed as a candidate Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA), which has great potential to be delineated and managed for conservation.
{"title":"Species diversity and critical habitats of offshore and deep-diving cetaceans in the South China Sea","authors":"Mingming Liu , Wenzhi Lin , Mingli Lin , Lijun Dong , Binshuai Liu , Shenglan Chen , Mingyue Ouyang , Peijun Zhang , Zixin Yang , Hui Kang , Songhai Li","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110808","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110808","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite being recognized as a global marine biodiversity hotspot, the South China Sea (SCS) is a distinct “cetacean data-deficient area”. In particular, robust scientific knowledge and conservation baseline information available for offshore cetacean species in this region remain scarce. Between 2019 and 2023, we conducted six systematic ship-based surveys to investigate cetaceans occurring potentially in the offshore waters of the SCS, primarily around the Xisha-Zhongsha Islands. During the field surveys, 211 cetacean sightings comprising 187 single- and 24 mixed-species sightings were recorded. We identified 17 odontocete species, all offshore and deep-diving species. Notably, the pantropical spotted dolphin, short-finned pilot whale, and Fraser's dolphin, were recognized as the dominant species because of regular presence, commonness and high relative abundance. Based on the field sightings reported in this study and supplementary opportunistic sightings, we confirm 25 cetacean species living in the SCS. By integrating several additional data sources, such as stranding records and taxidermy/skeletal specimens, we further establish a cetacean species checklist consisting of at least 36 species. Biogeographically, the northern SCS (especially Xisha-Zhongsha waters) not only supports a remarkably high level of cetacean richness, and may also function as nursery and/or feeding grounds for the “Vulnerable” sperm whale and serve as critical habitats for many other offshore and deep-diving species. Therefore, we recommend that the Xisha-Zhongsha waters be proposed as a candidate Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA), which has great potential to be delineated and managed for conservation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110808"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142421123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-10-03DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110801
F.J. Pflüger , C. Frank , M. Busch , J. Wahl , R. Dröschmeister , C. Sudfeldt , J. Kamp
Protected areas aim to conserve and restore populations of target species and their habitats, but it is challenging to quantify their effectiveness. Assessments of protected area effectiveness require long-term monitoring data, which are rarely available for all target species. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of semi-structured citizen science data to derive population trends of target species, and use these to assess the effectiveness of EU Special Protection Areas (SPA). We derived occupancy trends for 42 target species across the SPA network of Germany over a 11-year period. We found that 62 % of the target species were more likely to occur in SPA than outside, especially when these sites also comprised parts of other types of protected areas. 17 % of the species showed more positive occupancy trends (including slower declines) in SPA, whereas 21 % showed more negative trends than outside. We conclude that the German SPA network represents target species well approximately two decades after the designation of most SPA, but is currently only effective for a minority of studied target species.
Our results contribute to mounting evidence of mixed effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network to maintain populations of target species in Europe. We therefore call for greater conservation efforts, especially for declining species. Our results can help to define priority species and initiate or optimize species-specific management. Thus, semi-structured data have the potential to inform national impact assessments when data from structured monitoring programs are lacking.
{"title":"Semi-structured citizen science data reveal mixed effectiveness of EU Special Protection Areas (SPA) in Germany","authors":"F.J. Pflüger , C. Frank , M. Busch , J. Wahl , R. Dröschmeister , C. Sudfeldt , J. Kamp","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110801","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110801","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Protected areas aim to conserve and restore populations of target species and their habitats, but it is challenging to quantify their effectiveness. Assessments of protected area effectiveness require long-term monitoring data, which are rarely available for all target species. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of semi-structured citizen science data to derive population trends of target species, and use these to assess the effectiveness of EU Special Protection Areas (SPA). We derived occupancy trends for 42 target species across the SPA network of Germany over a 11-year period. We found that 62 % of the target species were more likely to occur in SPA than outside, especially when these sites also comprised parts of other types of protected areas. 17 % of the species showed more positive occupancy trends (including slower declines) in SPA, whereas 21 % showed more negative trends than outside. We conclude that the German SPA network represents target species well approximately two decades after the designation of most SPA, but is currently only effective for a minority of studied target species.</div><div>Our results contribute to mounting evidence of mixed effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network to maintain populations of target species in Europe. We therefore call for greater conservation efforts, especially for declining species. Our results can help to define priority species and initiate or optimize species-specific management. Thus, semi-structured data have the potential to inform national impact assessments when data from structured monitoring programs are lacking.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110801"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142421400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-03DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110803
La-Mei Wu , Rui-Chang Quan , Bo Wang
Forest fragmentation often leads to changes in the abundance and composition of various organisms, thereby affecting biotic interactions. Currently, many studies lack consensus on the magnitude or direction of the impact of forest fragmentation on plant-animal interactions. Here, we employed seed-rodent interaction as a case study and assessed the removal by rodents of 66,960 seeds belonging to 31 woody species in 18 fragmented forests with areas of 1.05–14,517.63 ha, in a seriously fragmented tropical area in Southwest China for two consecutive years. Our study provided strong evidence that forest fragmentation affected seed-rodent interactions but did not follow a consistent pattern between years. Forest size and edge effects on seed removal were mainly due to variations in seed availability but not rodent activity. Interestingly, the effect of fragment size on seed removal was species-specific with monotonic decreases as well as U-shaped and humped-shaped patterns. These remarkable spatiotemporal and interspecific variations pertaining to forest fragmentation impact on seed removal may translate into subsequent seed germination and seedling regeneration processes, which may further influence the species composition in different fragmented forests. This complexity in responses among plant species reiterates the need to consider the interspecies specificity in conservation and management initiatives of fragmented forests. Additionally, we recommend that multiple field surveys involving multiple species be conducted in future studies focusing on forest fragmentation to help us better understand fragmentation effects on ecological processes.
{"title":"Forest fragmentation effects on plant-animal interaction do not always show consistent patterns – Evidence from a seed removal experiment of 31 woody species","authors":"La-Mei Wu , Rui-Chang Quan , Bo Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110803","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110803","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest fragmentation often leads to changes in the abundance and composition of various organisms, thereby affecting biotic interactions. Currently, many studies lack consensus on the magnitude or direction of the impact of forest fragmentation on plant-animal interactions. Here, we employed seed-rodent interaction as a case study and assessed the removal by rodents of 66,960 seeds belonging to 31 woody species in 18 fragmented forests with areas of 1.05–14,517.63 ha, in a seriously fragmented tropical area in Southwest China for two consecutive years. Our study provided strong evidence that forest fragmentation affected seed-rodent interactions but did not follow a consistent pattern between years. Forest size and edge effects on seed removal were mainly due to variations in seed availability but not rodent activity. Interestingly, the effect of fragment size on seed removal was species-specific with monotonic decreases as well as U-shaped and humped-shaped patterns. These remarkable spatiotemporal and interspecific variations pertaining to forest fragmentation impact on seed removal may translate into subsequent seed germination and seedling regeneration processes, which may further influence the species composition in different fragmented forests. This complexity in responses among plant species reiterates the need to consider the interspecies specificity in conservation and management initiatives of fragmented forests. Additionally, we recommend that multiple field surveys involving multiple species be conducted in future studies focusing on forest fragmentation to help us better understand fragmentation effects on ecological processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110803"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142421125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-10-02DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110802
Jan Peter George , Mari Rusanen , Egbert Beuker , Leena Yrjänä , Volkmar Timmermann , Nenad Potočić , Sakari Välimäki , Heino Konrad
Ash dieback (ADB) has been threatening populations of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior & F. angustifolia) for more than three decades. Although much knowledge has been gathered in the recent past, practical conservation measures have been mostly implemented at local scale. Since range contraction in both ash species is likely to be exacerbated already in the near future by westward expansion of the emerald ash borer and climate change, systematic conservation frameworks need to be developed to avoid long-term population-genetic consequences and depletion of genomic diversity. In this article, we address the advantages and obstacles of conservation approaches aiming to conserve genetic diversity in situ or ex situ during tree pandemics. We are reviewing 47 studies which were published on ash dieback to unravel three important dimensions of ongoing conservation approaches or perceived conservation problems: i) conservation philosophy (i.e. natural selection, resistance breeding or genetic conservation), ii) the spatial scale (ecosystem, country, continent), and iii) the integration of genetic safety margins in conservation planning. Although nearly equal proportions of the reviewed studies mention breeding or active conservation as possible long-term solutions, only 17 % consider that additional threats exist which may further reduce genetic diversity in both ash species. We also identify and discuss several knowledge gaps and limitations which may have limited the initiation of conservation projects at national and international level so far. Finally, we demonstrate that there is not much time left for filling these gaps, because European-wide forest health monitoring data indicates a significant decline of ash populations in the last 5 years.
三十多年来，欧洲白蜡树（Fraxinus excelsior & F. angustifolia）的枯萎病（ADB）一直威胁着欧洲白蜡树（Fraxinus excelsior & F. angustifolia）的种群。虽然近些年来已经收集了很多相关知识，但实际的保护措施大多是在当地范围内实施的。由于在不久的将来，这两种白蜡树的分布范围可能会因翡翠白蜡螟的西扩和气候变化而进一步缩小，因此需要制定系统的保护框架，以避免长期的种群遗传后果和基因组多样性的耗竭。在本文中，我们探讨了在树木大流行期间旨在原地或异地保护遗传多样性的保护方法的优势和障碍。我们回顾了已发表的 47 篇有关白蜡枯死的研究，以揭示当前保护方法或保护问题的三个重要方面：i) 保护理念（即自然选择、抗性育种或基因保护）；ii) 空间尺度（生态系统、国家、大陆）；iii) 将基因安全系数纳入保护规划。虽然几乎同等比例的综述研究都提到育种或积极保护是可能的长期解决方案，但只有 17% 的研究认为存在其他威胁，可能会进一步减少两种灰树种的遗传多样性。我们还发现并讨论了一些知识差距和局限性，这些差距和局限性可能限制了迄今为止国家和国际层面保护项目的启动。最后，我们表明，由于全欧洲的森林健康监测数据表明白蜡树种群数量在过去 5 年中显著下降，留给填补这些空白的时间已经不多了。
{"title":"Lessons to learn for better safeguarding of genetic resources during tree pandemics: The case of ash dieback in Europe","authors":"Jan Peter George , Mari Rusanen , Egbert Beuker , Leena Yrjänä , Volkmar Timmermann , Nenad Potočić , Sakari Välimäki , Heino Konrad","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110802","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110802","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ash dieback (ADB) has been threatening populations of European ash (<em>Fraxinus excelsior & F. angustifolia</em>) for more than three decades. Although much knowledge has been gathered in the recent past, practical conservation measures have been mostly implemented at local scale. Since range contraction in both ash species is likely to be exacerbated already in the near future by westward expansion of the emerald ash borer and climate change, systematic conservation frameworks need to be developed to avoid long-term population-genetic consequences and depletion of genomic diversity. In this article, we address the advantages and obstacles of conservation approaches aiming to conserve genetic diversity in situ or ex situ during tree pandemics. We are reviewing 47 studies which were published on ash dieback to unravel three important dimensions of ongoing conservation approaches or perceived conservation problems: i) conservation philosophy (i.e. natural selection, resistance breeding or genetic conservation), ii) the spatial scale (ecosystem, country, continent), and iii) the integration of genetic safety margins in conservation planning. Although nearly equal proportions of the reviewed studies mention breeding or active conservation as possible long-term solutions, only 17 % consider that additional threats exist which may further reduce genetic diversity in both ash species. We also identify and discuss several knowledge gaps and limitations which may have limited the initiation of conservation projects at national and international level so far. Finally, we demonstrate that there is not much time left for filling these gaps, because European-wide forest health monitoring data indicates a significant decline of ash populations in the last 5 years.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110802"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142421127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110800
Badrul Azhar , Peter van der Meer , Rutger F. Sterenborg , Muhammad Syafiq Yahya , Norhisham Razi , Maisarah Burhanuddin , Jasmijn Rookmaker , Nur Syarihah Sahimi , Welmoed van der Pal , Frisco Nobilly , Siti Aisyah Mohd Azam , Meriam Ubachs , Muhammad Izzuddin Syakir , Wan Mamat Wan Zaki , Nurin Athilah Zulkipli , Aslinda Oon
Soil biodiversity, like terrestrial biodiversity, is currently under threat by changes in land use. Intensively managed farming activities with agrochemicals have degraded both soil biodiversity and health. However, little is known about how these changes in land use affect the distribution of earthworm biomass in Southeast Asia. We conducted earthworm sampling across multiple habitats, including lowland forests, exotic monoculture plantations (e.g., oil palm and rubber tree), and agroforestry orchards. To survey earthworm populations, we excavated the top 30 cm of soil at 18 sites encompassing 399 plots distributed across natural and human-modified ecosystems in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia. We found that earthworm abundance was negatively related to increasing soil compaction, leaf litter weight, soil pH, and undergrowth height, whereas it was positively associated with increasing undergrowth and canopy cover. Our findings demonstrated that agroforestry orchards, rubber tree plantations, and mature oil palm plantations had higher earthworm abundance than those in logged lowland forests. Earthworm abundance in unlogged lowland forests and young oil palm plantations, on the other hand, was lower than in logged lowland forests. Overall earthworm weight was greater in rubber tree plantations, agroforestry orchards, mature oil palm plantations, and unlogged lowland forests than those in logged lowland forests, while young oil palm plantations exhibited lower earthworm weight than logged lowland forests. Our data indicate that increases in soil compaction and leaf litter weight were associated with decreased earthworm weight. These results demonstrate the importance of site-level habitat management for maintaining healthy earthworm populations and soil biodiversity.
{"title":"Resilience underground: Understanding earthworm biomass responses to land use changes in the tropics","authors":"Badrul Azhar , Peter van der Meer , Rutger F. Sterenborg , Muhammad Syafiq Yahya , Norhisham Razi , Maisarah Burhanuddin , Jasmijn Rookmaker , Nur Syarihah Sahimi , Welmoed van der Pal , Frisco Nobilly , Siti Aisyah Mohd Azam , Meriam Ubachs , Muhammad Izzuddin Syakir , Wan Mamat Wan Zaki , Nurin Athilah Zulkipli , Aslinda Oon","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110800","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110800","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil biodiversity, like terrestrial biodiversity, is currently under threat by changes in land use. Intensively managed farming activities with agrochemicals have degraded both soil biodiversity and health. However, little is known about how these changes in land use affect the distribution of earthworm biomass in Southeast Asia. We conducted earthworm sampling across multiple habitats, including lowland forests, exotic monoculture plantations (e.g., oil palm and rubber tree), and agroforestry orchards. To survey earthworm populations, we excavated the top 30 cm of soil at 18 sites encompassing 399 plots distributed across natural and human-modified ecosystems in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia. We found that earthworm abundance was negatively related to increasing soil compaction, leaf litter weight, soil pH, and undergrowth height, whereas it was positively associated with increasing undergrowth and canopy cover. Our findings demonstrated that agroforestry orchards, rubber tree plantations, and mature oil palm plantations had higher earthworm abundance than those in logged lowland forests. Earthworm abundance in unlogged lowland forests and young oil palm plantations, on the other hand, was lower than in logged lowland forests. Overall earthworm weight was greater in rubber tree plantations, agroforestry orchards, mature oil palm plantations, and unlogged lowland forests than those in logged lowland forests, while young oil palm plantations exhibited lower earthworm weight than logged lowland forests. Our data indicate that increases in soil compaction and leaf litter weight were associated with decreased earthworm weight. These results demonstrate the importance of site-level habitat management for maintaining healthy earthworm populations and soil biodiversity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110800"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142359598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}
Pub Date : 2024-09-30DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110795
Iding A. Haidir , Oliver R. Wearn , Nicolas J. Deere , Matthew J. Struebig , Alue Dohong , David W. Macdonald , Matthew Linkie
Managing protected areas (PAs) requires measurable indicators to assess effectiveness. The status of populations and guilds of multiple species are potential indicators that should be useful in biodiversity-rich tropical countries. We quantified such indicators using data from an intensive camera trap survey of seven sites at the forest-farmland interface of Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia. Surveys between 2014 and 2016 covered 671 camera locations set along habitat gradients comprising primary to degraded forest and lowland to sub-montane forest. We ran Bayesian multi-species occupancy models that incorporated landscape covariates and patrol intensity to generate four population parameters: relative abundance, probability of habitat use, species richness and detection probability. Model-derived beta coefficients summarized at the guild-level were extrapolated using detailed spatially-explicit data on landscape covariates to produce multi-guild occurrence maps to explore the role of habitats in supporting multiple overlapping functional groups. From 55,856 trap nights, we recorded 33 species from six guilds: carnivores; frugivores; granivores; herbivores; insectivores; and omnivores. All guilds were negatively correlated with elevation and positively correlated with primary forest. Five areas with high multi-guild overlap were identified and recommended for increased protection and other conservation measures, such as increasing the frequency of SMART patrols. Our data-driven guild-level approach for improving conservation practice has high relevance to other biodiversity-rich countries. Further utility of this guild approach, with potential future refinement and improvement, should greatly assist PA managers with improving area-based conservation effectiveness, such as higher patrol frequencies and or prioritizing wildlife, and habitat and ecosystem inventory, under-pinned by enhanced research, and cost-efficient budget allocation.
{"title":"Prioritizing wildlife conservation along habitat gradients in Sumatra","authors":"Iding A. Haidir , Oliver R. Wearn , Nicolas J. Deere , Matthew J. Struebig , Alue Dohong , David W. Macdonald , Matthew Linkie","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110795","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110795","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Managing protected areas (PAs) requires measurable indicators to assess effectiveness. The status of populations and guilds of multiple species are potential indicators that should be useful in biodiversity-rich tropical countries. We quantified such indicators using data from an intensive camera trap survey of seven sites at the forest-farmland interface of Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia. Surveys between 2014 and 2016 covered 671 camera locations set along habitat gradients comprising primary to degraded forest and lowland to sub-montane forest. We ran Bayesian multi-species occupancy models that incorporated landscape covariates and patrol intensity to generate four population parameters: relative abundance, probability of habitat use, species richness and detection probability. Model-derived beta coefficients summarized at the guild-level were extrapolated using detailed spatially-explicit data on landscape covariates to produce multi-guild occurrence maps to explore the role of habitats in supporting multiple overlapping functional groups. From 55,856 trap nights, we recorded 33 species from six guilds: carnivores; frugivores; granivores; herbivores; insectivores; and omnivores. All guilds were negatively correlated with elevation and positively correlated with primary forest. Five areas with high multi-guild overlap were identified and recommended for increased protection and other conservation measures, such as increasing the frequency of SMART patrols. Our data-driven guild-level approach for improving conservation practice has high relevance to other biodiversity-rich countries. Further utility of this guild approach, with potential future refinement and improvement, should greatly assist PA managers with improving area-based conservation effectiveness, such as higher patrol frequencies and or prioritizing wildlife, and habitat and ecosystem inventory, under-pinned by enhanced research, and cost-efficient budget allocation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110795"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142359672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-09-30DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110794
Joshua D. Stewart , Melissa R. Cronin , Erick Largacha , Nerea Lezama-Ochoa , Jon Lopez , Martin Hall , Melanie Hutchinson , Emma G. Jones , Malcolm Francis , Maitane Grande , Jefferson Murua , Vanessa Rojo , Salvador J. Jorgensen
Bycatch remains a major challenge in commercial fisheries, with large numbers of threatened species impacted by incidental capture. One of the most vulnerable bycatch groups in global tuna fisheries are the manta and devil rays (mobulids), which have experienced significant population declines in response to both targeted and incidental capture. The retention of mobulids has been banned by many countries and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), but major knowledge gaps exist in the group's survival rates following release after incidental capture. Mobulids are accidentally captured in purse seine fisheries, and in recent years, many RFMOs have mandated handling and release procedures for mobulids in an effort to maximize survivorship and reduce impacts of fishery bycatch. We synthesize data from four empirical studies using satellite tags (n = 89) to estimate survival rates of four species of mobulids (Mobula birostris, M. mobular, M. tarapacana and M. thurstoni) released from tuna purse seine vessels in three global regions. We directly estimate the effects of intrinsic, environmental, and operational factors, and handling and release methods on mobulid survival rates. We found a significant negative effect of time spent on deck; likely negative effects of the brailer number in which a ray was brought out of the sacked net, and remaining in the sacked purse seine net until after brailing was complete; and likely positive effects of being captured in a floating object set and body size on survival probability. The observed survival rates of mobulids with known fates were 50 % for M. birostris, 74.2 % for M. mobular, 33.3 % for M. tarapacana, and 20 % for. M thurstoni. The median predicted survival probability under optimal handling conditions was 83.7 % for M. birostris, 95.3 % for M. mobular, 82.2 % for M. tarapacana, and 53.7 % for M. thurstoni. These empirical estimates can improve handling methods and vulnerability assessments of these endangered species in global fisheries.
{"title":"Get them off the deck: Straightforward interventions increase post-release survival rates of manta and devil rays in tuna purse seine fisheries","authors":"Joshua D. Stewart , Melissa R. Cronin , Erick Largacha , Nerea Lezama-Ochoa , Jon Lopez , Martin Hall , Melanie Hutchinson , Emma G. Jones , Malcolm Francis , Maitane Grande , Jefferson Murua , Vanessa Rojo , Salvador J. Jorgensen","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110794","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110794","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bycatch remains a major challenge in commercial fisheries, with large numbers of threatened species impacted by incidental capture. One of the most vulnerable bycatch groups in global tuna fisheries are the manta and devil rays (mobulids), which have experienced significant population declines in response to both targeted and incidental capture. The retention of mobulids has been banned by many countries and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), but major knowledge gaps exist in the group's survival rates following release after incidental capture. Mobulids are accidentally captured in purse seine fisheries, and in recent years, many RFMOs have mandated handling and release procedures for mobulids in an effort to maximize survivorship and reduce impacts of fishery bycatch. We synthesize data from four empirical studies using satellite tags (<em>n</em> = 89) to estimate survival rates of four species of mobulids (<em>Mobula birostris</em>, <em>M. mobular</em>, <em>M. tarapacana</em> and <em>M. thurstoni</em>) released from tuna purse seine vessels in three global regions. We directly estimate the effects of intrinsic, environmental, and operational factors, and handling and release methods on mobulid survival rates. We found a significant negative effect of time spent on deck; likely negative effects of the brailer number in which a ray was brought out of the sacked net, and remaining in the sacked purse seine net until after brailing was complete; and likely positive effects of being captured in a floating object set and body size on survival probability. The observed survival rates of mobulids with known fates were 50 % for <em>M. birostris</em>, 74.2 % for <em>M. mobular</em>, 33.3 % for <em>M. tarapacana</em>, and 20 % for. <em>M thurstoni</em>. The median predicted survival probability under optimal handling conditions was 83.7 % for <em>M. birostris</em>, 95.3 % for <em>M. mobular</em>, 82.2 % for <em>M. tarapacana</em>, and 53.7 % for <em>M. thurstoni</em>. These empirical estimates can improve handling methods and vulnerability assessments of these endangered species in global fisheries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110794"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142359597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110797
Tobias Schwoerer , Jennifer I. Schmidt , Tammy J. Davis , Aaron E. Martin
Wild landscapes are critical strongholds for biodiversity, yet even in the remotest parts of the globe, increasing human use and development are leading to an influx of biodiversity threats including invasive species. Natural resource management agencies, and those that rely on public lands, need a better understanding of the long-distance dispersal pathways in which invasive species are introduced to remote locations. Pathway information is essential for targeting prevention and early detection across vast landscapes, but it is often challenged by information gaps and high surveillance costs. Data-driven approaches centered around a participating public can help resource managers and biosecurity professionals to better prioritize prevention and early detection activities to minimize incipient and secondary invasions. This study employed surveys with resource users to integrate and analyze multiple human-mediated dispersal networks for aquatic invasive species (AIS) across Alaska's part of the North American Boreal Forest. Specifically, it applied network analysis to further inform management priorities that so far were only based on a single pathway and different metrics. Results underline the vulnerability of remote wild freshwater systems to the introduction of AIS and provide a waterbody-specific tool for prioritizing monitoring and inform pathway-specific interventions that were unavailable through past research. The study compares the prioritization of waterbodies under newly derived network topology metrics accounting for multiple generic pathways with the existing single- species and single-pathway prediction model. Advantages of a more comprehensive multi-pathway network topology are discussed in the context of various invasion stages, multiple invasive taxa, and resource constraint conservation management systems.
{"title":"Human-connected wild lands: How network analysis can inform invasive species management","authors":"Tobias Schwoerer , Jennifer I. Schmidt , Tammy J. Davis , Aaron E. Martin","doi":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110797","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110797","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wild landscapes are critical strongholds for biodiversity, yet even in the remotest parts of the globe, increasing human use and development are leading to an influx of biodiversity threats including invasive species. Natural resource management agencies, and those that rely on public lands, need a better understanding of the long-distance dispersal pathways in which invasive species are introduced to remote locations. Pathway information is essential for targeting prevention and early detection across vast landscapes, but it is often challenged by information gaps and high surveillance costs. Data-driven approaches centered around a participating public can help resource managers and biosecurity professionals to better prioritize prevention and early detection activities to minimize incipient and secondary invasions. This study employed surveys with resource users to integrate and analyze multiple human-mediated dispersal networks for aquatic invasive species (AIS) across Alaska's part of the North American Boreal Forest. Specifically, it applied network analysis to further inform management priorities that so far were only based on a single pathway and different metrics. Results underline the vulnerability of remote wild freshwater systems to the introduction of AIS and provide a waterbody-specific tool for prioritizing monitoring and inform pathway-specific interventions that were unavailable through past research. The study compares the prioritization of waterbodies under newly derived network topology metrics accounting for multiple generic pathways with the existing single- species and single-pathway prediction model. Advantages of a more comprehensive multi-pathway network topology are discussed in the context of various invasion stages, multiple invasive taxa, and resource constraint conservation management systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55375,"journal":{"name":"Biological Conservation","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 110797"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142320366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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