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After centuries of extinction due to human persecution, Eurasian beavers Castor fiber L. have been released to Southern Europe in the last decades. Being ecosystem engineers, beavers have attracted great attention regarding restoration of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nonetheless, the effects of the species on aquatic invertebrates known to date are not univocal and mostly refer to central European riverine systems. Here, we evaluated the effects of beaver presence on aquatic macroinvertebrates for the first time in a Mediterranean riverine ecosystem, by applying a sound control‐impact sampling design and controlling for seasonal variation in macroinvertebrate assemblage composition. A significant variation in response to season was evident for macroinvertebrate communities, revealing distinct assemblages during spring and summer. Furthermore, the presence of beavers was also identified as a significant driver of species composition, as samples near the beaver dam showed significant variation from control sites. Macroinvertebrate community traits changed according to the relative position to the beaver dam, as control sites featured on average higher abundances of taxa with higher values of bioindication score, larger size, lower adaptation to drag, and were less frequently of introduced origins. Yet, these differences were strongly taxon‐ and season‐specific in their intensity and direction. Differences across sites were mainly driven by the relative abundances of few taxa—including both alien species and high environmental quality indicators—such as those from genera Potamopyrgus, Baetis, Habrophlebia, Ephemerella, Leuctra, and Radix, which explained about 70% of the observed divergence among conditions. Our results indicate that beavers and their engineering activity may induce highly variable species‐specific responses in macroinvertebrates, thus possibly representing a driver of environmental heterogeneity along Mediterranean rivers, and that both bioindicators and alien species may exploit such heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-induced environmental change and globalization facilitate biological invasions, which can lead to the displacement of native species by non-native ones. 1,2,3,4 Analogously, biodiversity loss may occur within species when habitat modifications facilitate the expansion of a specific population's range, leading to genetic admixture with native local populations. We demonstrate such intraspecific loss in population-level diversity in the Southern Small White (Pieris mannii), an originally sedentary butterfly 5 that recently expanded its range across Central Europe due to urbanization. 6,7,8 Using genome-wide markers from historical museum specimens and contemporary samples, we identify a distinct population initiating this expansion and reveal the genetic homogenization of native local populations by admixture with the expansive one. Our study illustrates how human-made environmental change can simultaneously benefit a species by permitting range expansion and drive cryptic biodiversity loss through the genetic homogenization of conspecific populations. • Range expansion in Pieris mannii butterflies is driven by a distinct population • This population now mixes with formerly isolated local populations • Population mixing causes loss of evolutionary distinctiveness within this species The butterfly Pieris mannii recently expanded its range across Central Europe in response to urbanization. Comparing DNA sequence data from museum and contemporary specimens, Blattner et al. show that this expansion is driven by a distinct lineage and that the mixing of this lineage with local ones results in within-species genetic homogenization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Not all plant–pollinator interactions are mutualistic, and in fact deceptive pollination systems are widespread in nature. The genus Arisaema has a pollination system known as lethal deceptive pollination, in which plants not only attract pollinating insects without providing any rewards, but also trap them until they die. Many Arisaema species are endangered from various disturbances, including reduction in forest habitat, modification of the forest understorey owing to increasing deer abundance, and plant theft for horticultural cultivation. We aimed to theoretically investigate how lethal deceptive pollination can be maintained from a demographic perspective and how plant and pollinator populations respond to different types of disturbance. Methods We developed and analysed a mathematical model to describe the population dynamics of a deceptive plant species and its victim pollinator. Calibrating the model based on empirical data, we assessed the conditions under which plants and pollinators could coexist, while manipulating relevant key parameters. Key Results The model exhibited qualitatively distinct behaviours depending on certain parameters. The plant becomes extinct when it has a low capability for vegetative reproduction and slow transition from male to female, and plant–insect co-extinction occurs especially when the plant is highly attractive to male insects. Increasing deer abundance has both positive and negative effects because of removal of other competitive plants and diminishing pollinators, respectively. Theft for horticultural cultivation can readily threaten plants whether male or female plants are frequently collected. The impact of forest habitat reduction may be limited compared with that of other disturbance types. Conclusions Our results have emphasized that the demographic vulnerability of lethal deceptive pollination systems would differ qualitatively from that of general mutualistic pollination systems. It is therefore important to consider the demographics of both victim pollinators and deceptive plants to estimate how endangered Arisaema populations respond to various disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amphibians are increasingly threatened, leading to growing concern about their key role in natural ecosystems globally as predators and essential consumers in food webs. Effective conservation plans are linked to up‐to‐date distributional and ecological information, but dietary knowledge is often underrepresented. This information is essential for understanding ecological requirements, changes in the species and populations, impacts of habitat modification, and developing conservation strategies. Here, we present the current knowledge on amphibian diets in Colombia, to determine (a) the number of species studied and their distribution across families and genera; (b) the temporal and regional patterns in number of articles on amphibian diets; and (c) the trends in topics studied associated with amphibian diets; and to offer (d) a qualitative description of amphibian diets and the methods used for stomach contents collection. We found 70 published studies on the diet of Colombian amphibians between the years 1914 and 2022, including 100 species (11.6% of Colombian species). The Andean region is the best represented, and the Amazon and Orinoco the least. The topics most frequently studied were prey items consumed and ontogeny, followed by systematics and taxonomy, and land‐use change impacts. Forty‐one prey items were consumed, where Coleoptera and Hymenoptera were the most common prey items. While the development of information on amphibian diets has recently increased, knowledge remains limited, with a significant information gap for many Colombian species in different regions. Conducting studies in little‐explored areas of the country, especially the Amazon, Orinoco, and Pacific regions, should have high priority. Investigations should be focused on Caudata and Gymnophiona, plus the anurans of the Hemiphractidae and Pipidae families that do not have diet records in Colombia. Indeed, we evidence the necessity to perform trophic network analysis to understand better the energy flow between species and the associated spatial, temporal, or functional trait changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biodiversity crisis is exacerbated by a growing human population modifying nearly three‐quarters of the Earth's land surface area for anthropogenic uses. Habitat loss and modification represent the largest threat to biodiversity and finding ways to offset species decline has been a significant undertaking for conservation. Landscape planning and conservation strategies can enhance habitat suitability for biodiversity in human‐modified landscapes. Artificial habitat structures such as artificial reefs, nest boxes, chainsaw hollows, artificial burrows, and artificial hibernacula have all been successfully implemented to improve species survival in human‐modified and fragmented landscapes. As the global shift towards renewable energy sources continues to rise, the development of photovoltaic systems is growing exponentially. Large‐scale renewable projects, such as photovoltaic solar farms have large space requirements and thus have the potential to displace local wildlife. We discuss the feasibility of 'conservoltaic systems' – photovoltaic systems that incorporate elements tailored specifically to enhance wildlife habitat suitability and species conservation. Artificial habitat structures can potentially lessen the impacts of industrial development (e.g., photovoltaic solar farms) through strategic landscape planning and an understanding of local biodiversity requirements to facilitate recolonization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystems and biodiversity across the world are being altered by human activities. Habitat modification and degradation are among the most important drivers of biodiversity loss. These modifications can have an impact on species behavior, which can, in turn, impact their mortality. While several studies have investigated the impacts of habitat degradation and fragmentation on terrestrial species, the extent to which habitat modifications affect the behavior and fitness of marine species is still largely unknown, particularly for pelagic species. Since the early 1990s, industrial purse seine vessels targeting tuna have started deploying artificial floating objects—Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (DFADs)—in all oceans to increase tuna catchability. Since then, the massive deployment of DFADs has modified tuna surface habitat, by increasing the density of floating objects, with potential impacts on tuna associative behavior and mortality. In this study, we investigate these impacts for yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean. Using an individual‐based model based on a correlated random walk and newly available data on DFAD densities, we quantify for the first time how the increase in floating object density, due to DFAD use, affects the percentage of time that yellowfin tuna spend associated, which, in turn, directly impacts their availability to fishers and fishing mortality. This modification of tuna associative behavior could also have indirect impacts on their fitness, by retaining tuna in areas detrimental to them or disrupting schooling behavior. Hence, there is an urgent need to further investigate DFAD impacts on tuna behavior, in particular, taking social behavior into account, and to continue regulation efforts on DFAD use and monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish habitats and reproduction can be significantly altered downstream of hydroelectric power plants operated by hydropeaking and resulting in rapid and frequent changes in river hydrodynamic conditions. To mitigate the impacts, it is necessary to maintain the habitat quality through operational measures. The microhabitat method, coupling 1 D or 2 D hydraulic simulations to biological models, is a useful tool to assess the evolution of hydromorphological parameters and fish habitats and define these mitigation measures. Calibration of the hydraulic model must be carried out carefully because the model must accurately reproduce hydraulic conditions from low to high flows. The objective is therefore to evaluate the sensitivity of the habitat value as a function of the type of calibration and the friction law for shallow habitats. The analysis is performed by estimating the uncertainty in fish habitat values resulting from Strickler's law or Nikuradse's law. The study is carried out on a river in the French Pyrenees based on the modeling of 2 stations with different cross-sectional shapes, one with progressive overflow and the other without these phenomena. Thanks to field measurements at low and high flowrates, the calibration process showed that the friction coefficient can be multiplied by 2. Two dimensionnal simulations give similar results to those obtained with 1 D when the flow remains unidirectional but differ for areas with high overflows. Calibration and models can lead to different conclusions regarding the estimation of habitat modifications due to hydropeaking operation and the definition of base flow and maximum turbine discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation cover has been consistently reported to be a factor influencing soil biota. Massive spreading of invasive plants may transform native plant communities, changing the quality of habitats as a result of modification of soil properties, most often having a directional effect on soil microorganisms and soil fauna. One of the most numerous microarthropods in the litter and soil is Acari. It has been shown that invasive plants usually have a negative effect on mites. We hypothesized that invasive Spiraea tomentosa affects the structure of the Uropodina community and that the abundance and species richness of Uropodina are lower in stands monodominated by S. tomentosa than in wet meadows free of this alien species. The research was carried out in wet meadows, where permanent plots were established in an invaded and uninvaded area of each meadow, soil samples were collected, soil moisture was determined and the mites were extracted. We found that Uropodina mite communities differed in the abundance of individual species but that the abundance and richness of species in their communities were similar. S. tomentosa invasion led primarily to changes in the quality of Uropodina communities, due to an increase in the shares of species from forest and hygrophilous habitats. Our results suggest that alien plant invasion does not always induce directional changes in mite assemblages, and conclude that the impact of an alien species on Uropodina may cause significant changes in the abundance and richness of individual species without causing significant changes in the abundance and diversity of their community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1970s oil boom, nations surrounding the Arabian Gulf have witnessed rapid coastal urbanization, which accelerated in the early 2000s with the emergence of large-scale coastal 'mega-projects' designed to accommodate growing populations, attract international investments, and promote tourism. This development surge has had profound environmental impacts, including significant habitat modification, land use and land cover (LULC) change, and increased environmental pressure. Remote sensing (RS) technologies have become indispensable tools for monitoring these changes, offering costeffective and non-intrusive methods to map and assess coastal zones. However, RS applications across the Arabian Gulf have been spatially limited, often focusing narrowly on specific cities or habitats while neglecting the broader geographical and coastal dimensions of urbanization. This study addresses this gap by conducting a systematic review of peer-reviewed RS literature from 1971 to 2022, covering the coastal regions of the eight nations bordering the Arabian Gulf. A total of 186 publications were categorized into three focal areas: 1) coastal urbanization and LULC, 2) coastal and marine habitats, and 3) environmental pressures and state changes. The results reveal a significant increase in RS studies in recent years, with around two-thirds of the publications (64.3%) appearing between 2016 and 2022. Studies predominantly focused on environmental pressures and state changes (35%), followed by habitat modification (27%), and coastal urbanization (20%). Geographically, RS research primarily concentrated on the coasts of the southern Gulf (UAE and Qatar) and western Gulf (Bahrain and Saudi Arabia), where major urban centers are located, while the northern Gulf (Kuwait and Iraq) and Iranian coast have been less studied. The systematic review highlights the need for integrated RS and GIS-based monitoring systems that combine different sources of RS data and in situ measurements to evaluate the Gulf as a unified system. Expanding spatial coverage, enhancing temporal analysis, and fostering regional collaboration are necessary to improve the understanding and management of coastal urbanization and environmental changes in the Arabian Gulf. This approach will more effectively inform decision-makers, and support more sustainable coastal management and long-term environmental resilience in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limnonectes leporinus, the endemic giant river frog, is a riparian (stream dwelling) species that lives along streams with moderate to steep gradients. The most serious threats to the species are deforestation caused by severe clear cutting, which fragments its distribution, and overhunting for local consumption. Excessive landscape modification alters habitat, making it critical for an organism to maintain heterozygozity for the population to be fit to adapt to a changing environment. The goal of this research was to project suitable habitats and predict the potential for habitat connectivity to allow gene flow across the Sarawak landscape. The presence data file and environmental layers were converted into ASCII format using ArcGIS and then used in MaxEnt modelling to generate the map of suitable habitats. To perform the connectivity model, the potential habitat model and genetic attributes of haplotype data were computerised in Circuitscape software. The findings revealed that suitable habitats corresponded to species distribution in lowland areas with sustainable stream networks as breeding sites, while higher elevations were identified as unsuitable habitats. Gene flow data, on the other hand, revealed that connectivity circuits are mostly found in unprotected forest, which includes development areas and private lands. As a result, prioritising conservation areas should include local governments and landowners in proper landscape management as well as species management strategies. This indirectly sustains and protects Borneo's forests, flora and fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study monitored the spatial and temporal fluctuations in the riverine ecosystem of Noa Dihing, Arunachal Pradesh, over three years (October 2020 to December 2023). The habitat quality of the riparian ecosystem, along with key physicochemical parameters (such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and others), organic matter composition (OMC), substrate composition, and fish species diversity, was assessed seasonally. The habscore and riverine habitat quality index (RHQI) were recorded the highest in the upstream regions (8.00 and 0.85, respectively), while OMC was the highest in the downstream (7.51). Fish biodiversity was evaluated through indices like the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, which peaked at 3.60 in the post-monsoon, and the Margalef richness index, which reached 6.61 in the same season. Simpson's dominance index showed its highest value in winter (0.7), while the evenness index was the greatest in the post-monsoon (0.90). Altogether, 46 fish species from 5 orders were recorded, with Cyprinids being the dominant group. The study utilized Duncan's multiple range test (DMRT) (P≤ 0.05) to confirm the importance of water quality in shaping fish assemblages. Principal component analysis (PCA) on physicochemical parameters explained over 60% of the total variance, with eigenvalues greater than 1.0. Species such as those from the genera Balitora, Garra, Sisor, and Oreichthys exhibited notable structural adaptations to their environment, while species like Pseudoecheneis and Glyptothorax showed thoracic modifications, and Chagunius, Garra, and Paracanthocobitis bore suctorial discs for adhesion. This comprehensive study illustrates the diverse ecological dynamics of the Noa Dihing River, emphasizing the critical role of habitat quality and physicochemical factors in influencing fish diversity and adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Chihuahua Chub Gila nigrescens is a species of conservation concern throughout its distribution. The species is threatened by habitat degradation, nonnative species, and stochastic events (e.g., wildfire and drought). Although conservation efforts are ongoing, it is unclear how Chihuahua Chub in the Mimbres River, New Mexico, respond to conservation actions and stochastic events. Methods: To address these uncertainties, we collected population demographic and dynamics data on Chihuahua Chub in the Mimbres River and used the data to construct an age‐structured, female‐based population model. The model was used to evaluate the response of Chihuahua Chub to (1) habitat improvement, (2) conservation stocking, and (3) stochastic events. Habitat improvements were modeled as a 50% increase in current abundance. Conservation stocking was represented by two stocking regimes: annual "maintenance" stocking of 200 fish or "catastrophe" stocking of 400–1500 fish for two consecutive years after a stochastic event. The effects of stochastic events were represented by 20–95% reductions in annual survival. Each scenario was simulated for 5000 iterations over 25 years. Result: In the absence of conservation actions, the Chihuahua Chub population was projected to decline due to stochastic events. However, stocking and habitat improvement decreased the risk of extirpation. When stochastic events resulted in a 95% decline in annual survival, catastrophe stocking reduced population declines in abundance by 47–58% relative to no conservation stocking. When stochastic events caused a 20% reduction in annual survival, habitat improvement increased the median population size after 25 years by almost 50% relative to no habitat improvements. Conclusion: Collectively, our results suggest that an increase in habitat and conservation stocking efforts is likely the most effective approach for conserving Chihuahua Chub in the face of future stochastic events. Impact statementThe Chihuahua Chub population in the Mimbres River is threatened by drought and wildfire. Habitat improvement and supplemental stocking improve the long‐term viability of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the importance of integrating natural and cultural heritage in conservation practices, highlighting the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities who view them as interconnected. It provides practical suggestions for collaboration, openness, and inclusiveness in conservation efforts, while acknowledging diverse perspectives and terminology. The article aims to promote dialogue and equitable approaches to conservation. Additionally, the document provides guidance on assessing and understanding the values of a place in relation to natural and cultural heritage, emphasizing the need to engage with different communities and manage conflicts between different values. It also discusses the importance of coordination, collaboration, and governance in integrating natural and cultural heritage practices. The document concludes by providing a list of resources for further exploration on the topic. [Extracted from the article]

In coastal environments, eutrophication and ocean acidification both decrease pH, impacting the abiotic conditions experienced by marine life. Infaunal invertebrates are exposed to lower pH conditions than epifauna, as porewater pH is typically lower than the overlying water. We investigated the effects of altering sediment carbonate chemistry, through the addition of transplanted green algae and/or crushed shell hash, on an infaunal community. This factorial field experiment was conducted on an intertidal mudflat in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, from July to September of 2020. After 1 month, sediment pH was increased across all depths (0.09 ± 0.03 pH units, or 0.84–2.5%) by the shell hash, but was not affected by the algae, while the multivariate community composition was impacted by an interaction between algae and experimental block (6.9% of variation) as well as shell hash treatment (2.7% of variation). After month 2, all responses to the treatments disappeared, likely due to tidal currents washing away some of the shell hash and algae, suggesting reapplication of the treatments is needed. Most of the variation in the community composition was explained by spatial variation in the treatment replicates among the treatment blocks (33.5% of variation). Despite the small effects of the experimental treatments on sediment carbonate chemistry, distance-based linear modeling indicated that sediment pH may be an important driver of variation in the infaunal community. Given the complexity of the processes driving sediment chemistry in coastal environments, further experiments exploring changing environmental conditions that drive infaunal marine community structure are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat disturbance driven by human activities poses a major threat to biodiversity and can disrupt ecological interactions. Butterfly–plant mutualisms represent an ideal model system to study such anthropogenic impacts, as butterflies exhibit intimate dependencies on larval host plants and adult nectar sources, rendering them highly sensitive to habitat changes affecting the availability of these floral resources. This study examined flower-visiting butterfly communities and their associations with flowering plants in a landscape altered by anthropogenic factors in central Mexico. The study area encompassed a mosaic of vegetation types, including native juniper forests, agricultural lands, and introduced eucalyptus plantations, representing different degrees of human-induced habitat modification. Monthly surveys were conducted over a single year, covering both rainy and dry seasons, to analyze butterfly and plant diversity, community composition, and interactions. Results showed the highest diversity in juniper forests, followed by eucalyptus and agricultural sites. Seasonal turnover was the primary driver of community changes, with habitat-based segregation persisting within seasons. Butterfly diversity strongly correlated with flower abundance, while plant richness played a secondary role. SIMPER and indicator species analyses identified key taxa contributing to compositional dissimilarities among habitats and associated with specific vegetation types and seasons. Our research provides insights into temporal dynamics structuring butterfly–plant interactions across this forest disturbance spectrum, highlighting how habitat changes and seasonality shape these mutualistic communities in changing landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: São Tomé and Príncipe oceanic islands, in Central West Africa, are characterised by exceptional levels of endemism. Since human colonisation in the mid-15th century, São Tomé and Príncipe have lost 74% and 67% of their native habitat, respectively. Today, these islands are mainly covered by remaining old-growth forests, secondary regrowth forests, shaded plantations (mostly of cocoa), oil palm plantations (in the case of São Tomé), small-scale agricultural areas and urban areas. Yet, little is known about how species on these islands are coping with land-use changes. Island ecosystems are particularly important for bats, with about 25% of the world's bat species being entirely restricted to island systems. São Tomé and Príncipe Islands comprise six and four native insectivorous bats, respectively. Two species, Chaerephon tomensis and Macronycteris thomensis, are island-endemics in São Tomé; Pseudoromicia principis is an island-endemic in Príncipe; and Miniopterus newtoni is endemic from both São Tomé and Príncipe. Here, we present a dataset comprising a comprehensive compilation of occurrence records derived from acoustic sampling of insectivorous bats across the predominant land-use types of both the São Tomé and Príncipe Islands. In each sampling site, standardised surveys consisted of deploying one Audio Moth device that recorded for 1 minute every 5 minutes over a 48-hour period. We identified a total of 19,437 bat-passes across the 115 sites surveyed in São Tomé Island and 17,837 bat-passes across the 50 sites surveyed in Príncipe Island. New information: Based on a sampling effort of 1,584 hours of recordings manually processed to identify all the contained bat passes, this dataset, publicly available on GBIF, provides comprehensive information on the activity of insectivorous bats across two endemic-rich oceanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea. For each bat pass identified, we report the identified species, geographic coordinates, land-use type, altitude, date and time. This is the first public dataset providing detailed information on species-level habitat use for insectivorous bats on oceanic islands in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater crabs play a crucial role in aquatic ecosystems by contributing to decomposition of organic matter and facilitating energy flow in food webs. They also serve as sensitive indicators of habitat modification, pollution, and other anthropogenic activities. We assessed the relationship between the integrity of Amazonian stream habitats and the abundance and interspecific competition among species of freshwater crab species in Pará, Brazil. Our findings, based on surveys across 35 streams of varying habitat integrity and employing generalized linear models for data analysis, revealed that the loss of riparian vegetation and increased streambank erosion negatively impacted the abundance of freshwater crabs of the family Trichodactylidae. Interactions between species also influenced the abundance of species of Pseudothelphusidae and Trichodactylidae, where their co-occurrence in the streams was analyzed. Our findings underscore the importance of understanding how environmental changes affect the diversity of freshwater crabs and that such changes can be valuable in identifying and mitigating long-term environmental impacts on streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

São Tomé and Príncipe oceanic islands, in Central West Africa, are characterised by exceptional levels of endemism. Since human colonisation in the mid-15th century, São Tomé and Príncipe have lost 74% and 67% of their native habitat, respectively. Today, these islands are mainly covered by remaining old-growth forests, secondary regrowth forests, shaded plantations (mostly of cocoa), oil palm plantations (in the case of São Tomé), small-scale agricultural areas and urban areas. Yet, little is known about how species on these islands are coping with land-use changes. Island ecosystems are particularly important for bats, with about 25% of the world’s bat species being entirely restricted to island systems. São Tomé and Príncipe Islands comprise six and four native insectivorous bats, respectively. Two species, Chaerephon tomensis and Macronycteris thomensis, are island-endemics in São Tomé; Pseudoromicia principis is an island-endemic in Príncipe; and Miniopterus newtoni is endemic from both São Tomé and Príncipe. Here, we present a dataset comprising a comprehensive compilation of occurrence records derived from acoustic sampling of insectivorous bats across the predominant land-use types of both the São Tomé and Príncipe Islands. In each sampling site, standardised surveys consisted of deploying one Audio Moth device that recorded for 1 minute every 5 minutes over a 48-hour period. We identified a total of 19,437 bat-passes across the 115 sites surveyed in São Tomé Island and 17,837 bat-passes across the 50 sites surveyed in Príncipe Island.Based on a sampling effort of 1,584 hours of recordings manually processed to identify all the contained bat passes, this dataset, publicly available on GBIF, provides comprehensive information on the activity of insectivorous bats across two endemic-rich oceanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea. For each bat pass identified, we report the identified species, geographic coordinates, land-use type, altitude, date and time. This is the first public dataset providing detailed information on species-level habitat use for insectivorous bats on oceanic islands in Africa.

Anthropogenic habitat modification is a major contributor to global change. While the modification of natural habitats to agroecosystems attracts most of the attention, little is known about the conversion of one natural ecosystem to another. Dry dipterocarp forest is the key dry forest type across Southeast Asia. Moderate fire disturbance is essential for its regeneration, but humans often prevent fire in these forests. Consequently, dry dipterocarps can change to dry evergreen forests through succession. The consequences of this conversion on food webs are unknown. Using the network approach, we compared the food webs of web-building spiders and their prey in the understory between dry dipterocarp (open canopy, uniform understory) and dry evergreen forests (closed canopy, heterogeneous understory) in north-eastern Thailand. Overall, we collected 560 individual web-building spiders belonging to 37 genera. Further, we collected 1139 prey items from spider webs belonging to 16 arthropod orders. The composition of captured prey and the network structure differed between the forest types. Specifically, the web-building spiders were more specialized and their niches overlapped less in dry dipterocarps than in dry evergreens. The differences in food-web structure were driven mostly by trophic groups turnover rather than interaction rewiring. Implications for insect conservation: The transformation of dry dipterocarp to dry evergreen forests from the prevention of fire disturbance may lead to an altered ecological function of web-building spiders in forest understories. As trophic links and their strength are rewired, habitat modification may also lead to changes in nutrient and energy flow in forest understories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Host–parasite interactions are influenced by present and past eco‐evolutionary interactions and the local environment. An ecological community defines the potential host range of each parasite and the potential parasite diversity of each host species. Past and present processes translate potential to realised interaction niches of parasite and host species. Host–parasite interactions are antagonistic, which may slow the saturation of their interaction niches. Intervality, a property of bipartite networks, measures saturation of interaction niches. Intervality of a community increases as the interaction niches of species of one guild (e.g. hosts) become saturated for their interactions with another guild (e.g. parasites). Characteristics driving intervality in host and parasite communities are largely unknown, as well as the effect of environmental change on intervality of these communities. In our study, we assess if the characteristics ‘phylogenetic relatedness' and ‘overlap in ecological interactions' explain intervality of rodent host–helminth parasite communities. In addition, we contrast intervality of these communities from habitats that differ in their history of human‐driven modification. We performed the analyses for the interaction niches of both parasites and hosts, independently. Our results indicated that host and parasite communities were non‐interval or significantly less interval than expected by chance. Phylogenetic relatedness and overlap in ecological interactions did not explain the maximum values of intervality. We speculate that antagonistic coevolution in host–parasite communities may hinder communities to reach saturation, which would explain why it is difficult to find the characteristics that explain intervality of a community. Interestingly, intervality of the interaction niche of parasites (host range) increased with habitat modification (i.e. saturation increased), whereas intervality of the interaction niche of hosts (parasite diversity) decreased as habitat modification increased. These opposite trends suggest that interaction niches of parasites and hosts respond differently to habitat modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) play a significant role in the modification of their habitat, foremost by decreasing woody vegetation cover and density. Little is known regarding the effects of elephant habitat disturbance (EHD) on medium-to-large mammal and bird communities. While the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) predicts species richness and diversity will be maximised in areas of moderate EHD, high levels of EHD could result in habitat degradation and negatively impact certain wildlife communities. To examine this relationship, we compared mammal and avian community assemblages, richness, and diversity across differing severities (low, medium, high) of elephant disturbed habitats (woodland, shrubland, and mixed wood/shrubland) within Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS) in south-eastern Kenya. From June–November 2022, we collected wildlife detection data via driving transects and surveyed EHD through observation of elephant tree damage. While EHD level did impact community assemblage, possibly through vegetation modification and/or increased habitat heterogeneity, EHD had no negative impacts on species richness and diversity in the three habitat types. In contrast to our IDH prediction, richness and diversity were highest in high EHD areas within shrubland habitat and showed no difference across EHD levels for the other two habitats. Overall, this study provides evidence that elephants in RWS are not disturbing habitats to an extent that negatively impacts sanctuary viability, and at least for shrub habitat appear to enhance it. Additionally, smaller wildlife habitats may be able to mitigate lasting elephant overpopulation damages through increased connectivity to other protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classification of bird species is of significant importance in the field of ornithology, as it plays an important role in assessing and monitoring environmental dynamics, including habitat modifications, migratory behaviors, levels of pollution, and disease occurrences. Traditional methods of bird classification, such as visual identification, were time-intensive and required a high level of expertise. However, audio-based bird species classification is a promising approach that can be used to automate bird species identification. This study aims to establish an audio-based bird species classification system for 264 Eastern African bird species employing modified deep transfer learning. In particular, the pre-trained EfficientNet technique was utilized for the investigation. The study adapts the fine-tune model to learn the pertinent patterns from mel spectrogram images specific to this bird species classification task. The fine-tuned EfficientNet model combined with a type of Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) namely Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) and Long short-term memory (LSTM). RNNs are employed to capture the temporal dependencies in audio signals, thereby enhancing bird species classification accuracy. The dataset utilized in this work contains nearly 17,000 bird sound recordings across a diverse range of species. The experiment was conducted with several combinations of EfficientNet and RNNs, and EfficientNet-B7 with GRU surpasses other experimental models with an accuracy of 84.03% and a macro-average precision score of 0.8342. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pampas grasslands' biodiversity is severely threatened by habitat modification, as is the case for the Pampas meadowlark (Leistes defilippii). Here we study the areas used by the species throughout the year in the Southern Pampas of Argentina, in association with seasonal changes in behavior, in an attempt to provide information for its effective conservation. We selected four grassland sites with livestock activities in which we studied vegetation characteristics and the abundance and behavior of the Pampas meadowlark, during breeding and non-breeding seasons. The species was absent in sites with higher bare ground cover and lower cover of >30 cm vegetation, and with high proportions of forb, shrub or exotic grass species. In those areas where the Pampas meadowlark was present during the breeding season, its abundance was higher where the grassland was entirely dominated by native grasses, and abandoned another site when the grassland became dominated by introduced plant species, after the breeding period. We are the first to report the behavior of a Pampas meadowlark population throughout an entire year with its seasonal changes. Our results and description of the behavior throughout the year highlight the importance of structural heterogeneity of the grasslands, determined by a low intensity of grazing, for the breeding of the Pampas meadowlark. Also, features associated with breeding habitat can't predict the presence of flocks during the non-breeding season, as noted in our results for vegetation structure, but vegetation composition, food availability and landscape variables could play an important role in determining which areas serve as appropriate habitat during the non-breeding season, when large flocks search the grasslands for food. A better understanding of the habitat requirements and the use of space at different scales by the Pampas meadowlark will allow the identification of the most urgent and effective measures for its conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment of an organism exerts selective pressures that affect mobility, feeding, reproduction as well as predator–prey and conspecific interactions. Land use changes induced by human activities modify these selective pressures and may result in the adaptation of organisms. Amphibians are ectotherms that typically show a biphasic life cycle with an aquatic and terrestrial phase, which makes them particularly sensitive to environmental change. We studied the impact of habitat modifications on palmate newt populations in the Ile de France region across four types of habitats: urban, mixed, agricultural, and natural with at least two replicates for each habitat type. We measured the morphology of newts using callipers, quantified maximal running and swimming speed and acceleration using high‐speed video recordings, and quantified the swelling of the hind limb linked to an inflammatory reaction. Our results show that in urban habitats, newts are larger and heavier and have a better body condition. Females, moreover, have a larger head in natural habitats, possibly due to diet specialisation of females during the breeding season. In mixed and agricultural habitats, newts have longer limbs and show a tendency to run faster, possibly associated with the selective pressures on movement in mixed habitats. Differences in inflammatory responses were observed between sexes but not habitat types. Overall, our results show differences in morphology and trends for differences in performance in newts living in different habitats suggesting that animals are adapting to human‐induced changes in their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need for breakthrough innovation in order to achieve ambitious targets for marine macrophyte restoration. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has called for the restoration of critical habitats such as kelp forests and seagrass meadows. While new restoration projects and methods have been developed, achieving these targets remains challenging due to the difficulties of working in marine environments and the limitations of current restoration methods. The authors argue that a transformative approach, involving interdisciplinary collaboration and diverse perspectives, is necessary to overcome these challenges and scale up restoration efforts. They suggest that breakthrough innovation, similar to NASA's open innovation challenges, could harness diverse skills and perspectives to solve the problem of scaling up marine macrophyte restoration. However, it is also emphasized that efforts to reduce ongoing stressors and prevent further macrophyte decline should remain a priority. [Extracted from the article]

Ecosystem engineering is a ubiquitous process where species influence the physical environment and thereby structure ecological communities. However, there has been little effort to synthesize or predict how ecosystem engineering may impact the structure and stability of interaction networks.To assess current scientific understanding of ecosystem engineering impacts via habitat forming, habitat modification and bioturbation on interaction networks/food webs, we reviewed the literature covering marine, freshwater and terrestrial food webs, plant‐pollinator networks and theory.We provide a conceptual framework and identify three major pathways of engineering impact on networks through changes in resource availability and energy flow, habitat heterogeneity and environmental filtering. These three processes often work in concert and most studies report that engineering increases species richness. This is particularly marked for engineers that increase habitat heterogeneity and thereby the number of available niches.The response of network structure to ecosystem engineering varies, however some patterns emerge from this review. Engineered habitat heterogeneity leads to a higher number of links between species in the networks and increases link density. Connectance can be negatively or positively affected by ecosystem engineer impact, depending on the engineering pathway and the engineer impact of species richness.We discuss how ecosystem engineers can stabilize or destabilize communities through the changes in niche space, diversity, network structure and the dependency on the engineering impact. Theory and empirical evidence need to inform each other to better integrate ecosystem engineering and ecological networks. A mechanistic understanding how ecosystem engineering traits shape interactions networks and their stability will be important to predict species extinctions and can provide crucial information for conservation and ecosystem restoration. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia has lost vast areas of its natural vegetation through agriculture and urbanization, resulting in the area of suitable habitat for many Australian bird species being greatly diminished. Given the geographical and ecological biases in anthropogenic land use, the impact of habitat loss now and into the future may be disproportionately high for some species, threatening their long-term persistence. Such changes are occurring rapidly, and habitat loss needs to be monitored dynamically to prevent extinction. To monitor changes in available unmodified species habitat, we use species' area of feeding habitat (AFH), which represents the area of habitat within a species' range with vegetation matching their feeding requirements. We analysed the past, current and future threats of habitat modification for 467 Australian bird species by calculating AFH across three time periods: pre-colonization, current (2020), and a projected future scenario (2100). These values were used to identify species subject to substantial habitat loss due to urbanization and agriculture and delineate predictors of such losses. Most species had experienced habitat loss since colonization (n = 442, 95%), and species that had already experienced considerable habitat loss were more likely to lose habitat into the future. Species with particular habitat associations (e.g., Mallee), were also more prone to greater proportions of habitat lost. The results highlight the utility of AFH and emphasize the importance of protecting what habitat remains for the species with highly depleted geographic ranges, noting that those that have experienced the most loss of unmodified habitat are the most likely to lose more unmodified habitat under future conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excavation of Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is expected to alter habitat heterogeneity and thus affect the functioning and structure of forest ecosystems. In this study, the bioturbation of Chinese pangolin on forest soils in three regions (Heping, Tianjingshan, and Wuqinzhang) across Guangdong province was quantified. Overall, a mean of 2.66 m3·ha−1 and 83.1 m2·ha−1 of burrows and bare mounds, respectively, was excavated by Chinese pangolin; the disturbed soils had significantly lower water content and P, C, available N concentrations, but higher bulk density, pH, and microbial abundance than those undisturbed soils. The unevenness of habitat heterogeneity improvement was mainly ascribed to the stronger soil disturbance caused in resting burrows by pangolins. Patterns of altering habitat heterogeneity were site‐specific, with high‐intensity soil disturbance occurring most in shrubs, meadows, steep habitats at high elevations, and mountain tops in Heping, while in broad‐leaved, coniferous and mixed coniferous and broad‐leaved forests away from human settlements in Tianjingshan and upper mountains at high elevations far away from roads and human settlements in Wuqinzhang. Road networks are the main interference for the burrow distribution in Heping and Wuqinzhang and should be programmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases are influenced by local biotic and abiotic factors, with host declines occurring when conditions favour the pathogen. Deterioration in the population of the micro-endemic Tanzanian Kihansi spray toad (Nectophrynoides asperginis) occurred after the construction of a hydropower dam, implicating habitat modification in this species decline. Population recovery followed habitat augmentation; however, a subsequent outbreak of chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) led to the spray toad's extinction in the wild. We show using spatiotemporal surveillance and mitogenome assembly of Bd from archived toad mortalities that the outbreak was caused by invasion of the BdCAPE lineage and not the panzootic lineage BdGPL. Molecular dating reveals an emergence of BdCAPE across southern Africa overlapping with the timing of the spray toad's extinction. That our post-outbreak surveillance of co-occurring amphibian species in the Udzungwa Mountains shows widespread infection by BdCAPE yet no signs of ill-health or decline suggests these other species can tolerate Bd when environments are stable. We conclude that, despite transient success in mitigating the impact caused by dams' construction, invasion by BdCAPE caused the ultimate die-off that led to the extinction of the Kihansi spray toad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Habitat modification and land use changes impact ecological interactions and alter the relationships between humans and nature. Mexico has experienced significant landscape modifications at the local and regional scales, with negative effects on forest cover and biological biodiversity, especially in the Yucatan peninsula in southeastern Mexico. Given the close relationship between landscape modification and the transmission of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, it is essential to develop criteria for identifying priority zoonoses in the south of the country. Methodology/Principal findings: We reviewed 165 published studies on zoonotic and vector-borne diseases in the region (2015–2024). We identified the most frequent vectors, reservoirs, and hosts, the most prevalent infections, and the factors associated with transmission risk and the anthropogenic landscape modification in urban, rural, ecotone, and sylvatic habitats. The most relevant pathogens of zoonotic risk included Trypanosoma cruzi, arboviruses, Leishmania, Rickettsia, Leptospira, and Toxoplasma gondii. Trypanosoma cruzi was the vector-borne agent with the largest number of infected vertebrate species across habitats, while Leishmania and arboviruses were the ones that affected the greatest number of people. Dogs, cats, backyard animals, and their hematophagous ectoparasites are the most likely species maintaining the transmission cycles in human settlements, while rodents, opossums, bats, and other synanthropic animals facilitate connection and transmission cycles between forested habitats with human-modified landscapes. Pathogens displayed different prevalences between the landscapes, T. cruzi, arbovirus, and Leptospira infections were the most prevalent in urban and rural settlements, whereas Leishmania and Rickettsia had similar prevalence across habitats, likely due to the diversity and abundance of the infected vectors involved. The prevalence of T. gondii and Leptospira spp. may reflect poor hygiene conditions. Additionally, results suggest that prevalence of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases is higher in deforested areas and agricultural aggregates, and in sites with precarious health and infrastructure services. Conclusions: Some hosts, vectors, and transmission trends of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases in the YP are well known but others remain poorly recognized. It is imperative to reinforce practices aimed at increasing the knowledge, monitoring, prevention, and control of these diseases at the regional level. We also emphasize the need to perform studies on a larger spatio-temporal scale under the socio-ecosystem perspective, to better elucidate the interactions between pathogens, hosts, vectors, environment, and sociocultural and economic aspects in this and many other tropical regions. Author summary: Modification of the landscape and ecosystems is tightly linked with the transmission of zoonotic and vector-biorne diseases, with crucial consequences on public health. We reviewed the published literature (2015–2024) on the most frequent vectors, reservoirs and hosts, the prevalent infections, as well as the factors associated with transmission risk and the anthropogenic landscape modification in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. The most relevant pathogens of zoonotic risk included Trypanosoma cruzi, arboviruses, Leishmania, Rickettsia, Leptospira, and Toxoplasma gondii. Our summary suggests that prevalence is higher in deforested areas and agricultural aggregates, and in sites with precarious health and infrastructure services. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of zoonotic agents in the peninsula highlights the need to better understand the impact of land use changes on zoonoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The given text is a program for the Forty-Fifth Meeting of The American Society of Primatologists, held from June 20-23, 2023. It includes information about the board of directors, chairs of committees, local arrangements, meeting sponsors, and exhibitors. The program outlines the schedule of events, including meetings, sessions, and social gatherings. The document provides a schedule of presentations and sessions at a primate research conference, covering topics such as welfare assessment, neuroscience, conservation, and primate self-medication. The document also includes information about breaks and social events during the conference. Additionally, the text includes a collection of abstracts on various topics related to primate behavior, health, and welfare. The abstracts provide valuable insights into the relationships between different factors and their impact on primate well-being. [Extracted from the article]

Coastal vegetated ecosystems including mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes are often shaped by positive plant–environment feedbacks. Plants improve their own living conditions with increasing patch size and density by attenuating hydrodynamics and stabilizing sediments. As these habitat modifications are critical for survival and growth, the positive density‐dependent nature of these feedbacks can lead to establishment thresholds for young plants in absence of mature conspecifics. Although feedback strength is known to depend on hydrodynamic exposure and plant traits (e.g. stiff versus flexible stems), it remains unclear how 1) opposing morphological plant traits affect establishment in contrasting environments, and 2) whether trait plasticity influences establishment success. Here, we investigate this by transplanting two tidal species with opposing growing strategies – Spartina anglica forms tussocks of stiff stems while Zostera noltii forms patches of stress‐avoiding flexible shoots – from two different donor sites in eight experimental locations. Results show that the survival and growth of both species was most successful at field locations with diverging environmental characteristics, while overall survival was highest for Z. noltii. Mainly, S. anglica survival was highest at locations with high organic matter and silt content and higher elevation relative to the tidal amplitude. In contrast, Z. noltii survival was highest at locations with larger grainsize and lower relative elevations. Furthermore, despite initial differences in plant traits between the two donor sites of Z. noltii, we found no effects of donor origin. Contrastingly, we found a significant effect of donor origin on S. anglica growth, even though transplants from the two donor sites showed no initial trait differences. Collectively, these results suggest that the stress‐tolerance strategy of S. anglica hampers establishment in exposed conditions, whereas the stress‐avoiding Z. noltii appears to be more susceptible to stress from desiccation and silty sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining patterns of genetic diversity are crucial for conservation planning on endangered species, while inferring the underlying process of recent anthropogenic habitat modifications in the context potential long‐term demographic changes remains challenging. The globally endangered scaly‐sided merganser (SSME), Mergus squamatus, is endemic to a narrow range in Northeast Asia, and its population has recently been contracted into two main breeding areas. Although low genetic diversity has been suggested in the Russian population, the genetic status and demographic history of these individuals have not been fully elucidated. We therefore examined the genetic diversity and structure of the breeding populations of the SSME and investigated the relative importance of historical and recent demographic changes to the present‐day pattern of genetic diversity. Using 10 nuclear microsatellite (SSR) markers and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences, we found limited female‐inherited genetic diversity and a high level of nuclear genetic diversity. In addition, analysis of both markers consistently revealed significant but weak divergence between the breeding populations. Inconsistent demographic history parameters calculated from mtDNA and bottleneck analysis results based on SSR suggested a stable historical effective population size. By applying approximate Bayesian computation, it was estimated that populations started to genetically diverge from each other due to recent fragmentation events caused by anthropogenic effects rather than isolation during Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and post‐LGM recolonization. These results suggest that limited historical population size and shallow evolutionary history may be potential factors contributing to the contemporary genetic diversity pattern of breeding SSME populations. Conservation efforts should focus on protecting the current breeding habitats from further destruction, with priority given to both the Russian and Chinese population, as well as restoring the connected suitable breeding grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Recent unprecedented efforts to digitise and mobilise biodiversity data have resulted in the generation of 'biodiversity big data', enabling ecological research at scales previously not possible. However, gaps, biases and uncertainties in these data influence analytical outcomes and the validity of scientific research and conservation actions. Here, we estimated tree species inventory completeness globally and identified where future surveys should focus to maximise regional inventories. Location: Global. Methods: We analysed spatial patterns in sampling effort of tree species occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity and Information Facility (GBIF) and estimated global tree species inventory completeness for 100 × 100 km grid cells (sampling units) and ecoregions. We also identified forested areas for future botanical exploration, by examining the spatial overlap between inventory completeness, remaining natural habitat and protected areas and degrees of forest modification by anthropogenic pressure (forest integrity). Results: Spatial patterns in sampling effort and tree species inventory completeness were unevenly distributed around the world. Only 35% of ecoregions and 18% of sampling units can be considered well surveyed, most of which were concentrated in the Global North, including Europe, North America and Australia. Large areas in species‐rich tropical regions, especially in Southeast Asia, remained poorly documented. Moreover, our results showed that many areas with low inventory completeness overlapped with ecoregions retaining less than 50% of natural habitat and protected land area, as well as sampling units with low forest integrity. Main Conclusions: Due to limitations in biodiversity data, simply sampling more will not necessarily lead to increasing knowledge. We illustrated how gaps in these data can be used to improve existing knowledge by identifying priority areas for future surveys. With ongoing anthropogenic impacts and escalating rates of biodiversity loss, limited resources should be allocated to strategically survey regions likely to yield new knowledge and improve biodiversity representativeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Characterizing habitat associations is useful to aid in understanding the habitat requirements of native fishes, particularly those of conservation concern. Our study objective was to characterize mesoscale habitat associations of the only remaining wild population of the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Hybognathus amarus (a federally endangered desert river fish), and provide comparisons with mesohabitat availability in the middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, from 1994 to 1996. Methods: We collected fish monthly at two sites (separated by 160 km) near the northern and southern limits of the species' current range, and we recorded depth, velocity, substrate, and mesohabitat type for each habitat surveyed. Mesohabitat availability was recorded across 10 equally spaced and fixed transect lines at both study sites. Result: Rio Grande Silvery Minnow most frequently occupied mesohabitats characterized by relatively shallow depths (≤25 cm) and low to near‐zero water velocities (≤15 cm/s). Statistical analyses indicated that mesohabitats occupied by the species were not the most frequently available at the study sites, suggesting a preference for shallow, low‐velocity habitats. Relatively high abundance of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow (n = 10,971), especially compared with post‐2009 abundance, facilitated robust characterization of species‐specific habitat associations. Conclusion: Comparison of our results with other studies of pelagic broadcast‐spawning leuciscids (pelagophils) endemic to the Great Plains and desert rivers of North America suggested broad overlap in mesohabitat associations among members of this reproductive guild. Our work contributes to a growing body of research aimed at conserving this declining reproductive ecotype of freshwater fishes and suggests that increasing hydraulic diversity through innovative management approaches (e.g., habitat creation, restoration of fluvial processes, and preservation of natural streamflow characteristics) will be crucial for their long‐term recovery and conservation. Impact statementShallow, low‐velocity habitats are frequently used by native fishes, including threatened and endangered species, yet the availability of these hydraulic conditions is often diminished in large, intensively managed rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giraffe populations have declined by around 40% in the last three decades. Climate change, poaching, habitat loss, and increasing human pressures are confining giraffes to smaller and more isolated patches of habitats. Masai giraffes (Giraffa tippelskirchi) have been subjected to habitat loss and fragmentation, diseases, poaching, and unpredictable calamities such as wildfires and climate change. In this study, we aimed to identify (1) suitable Masai giraffe habitats within the transboundary landscape of Tsavo‐Mkomazi in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania; and (2) key connecting corridors in a multiple‐use landscape for conservation prioritization. We combined Masai giraffe presence data collected through a total aerial survey with moderate resolution satellite data to model habitat suitability at 250 m resolution using species distribution models (SDMs) implemented in Google Earth Engine (GEE). Model accuracy was assessed using area under precision recall curve (AUC‐PR). We then used the habitat suitability index as a resistance surface to model functional connectivity using Circuitscape theory and cost‐weighted distance pairwise methods. Human habitat modification, rainfall, and elevation were the main model predictors of Masai giraffe habitat and corridors. On average, our 10‐fold model fitting attained a good predictive performance with an average AUC‐PR = 0.80 (SD = 0.01, range = 0.79–0.83). The model predicted an area of 15,002 km2 as potential suitable Masai giraffe habitat with over 17% outside protected areas within the landscape. Although Tsavo West National Park formed a key habitat and a key connecting corridor, nonprotected community ranches connecting Tsavo West and Tsavo East National Parks are equally important in maintaining landscape connectivity joining more than two Masai giraffe core areas with low resistance and high permeability. To maintain critical Masai giraffe's habitats and landscape functional connectivity, especially in multiple‐use landscapes, conservation‐compatible land use practices, capacity building, and land use planning should be considered at the outset of any new infrastructure development and land use changes. This modeling shows the potential of utilizing remotely sensed information and ground surveys to guide the management of habitats and their connecting corridors across important African landscapes, complementing existing efforts to identify, conserve, and protect wildlife habitats and their linkage zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological invasions are among the threats to global biodiversity and social sustainability, especially on islands. Identifying the threshold of area at which non-native species begin to increase abruptly is crucial for early prevention strategies. The small-island effect (SIE) was proposed to quantify the nonlinear relationship between native species richness and area but has not yet been applied to non-native species and thus to predict the key breakpoints at which established non-native species start to increase rapidly. Based on an extensive global dataset, including 769 species of non-native birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles established on 4277 islands across 54 archipelagos, we detected a high prevalence of SIEs across 66.7% of archipelagos. Approximately 50% of islands have reached the threshold area and thus may be undergoing a rapid increase in biological invasions. SIEs were more likely to occur in those archipelagos with more non-native species introduction events, more established historical non-native species, lower habitat diversity and larger archipelago area range. Our findings may have important implications not only for targeted surveillance of biological invasions on global islands but also for predicting the responses of both non-native and native species to ongoing habitat fragmentation under sustained land-use modification and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most birds are characterized by a seasonal phenology closely adapted to local climatic conditions, even in tropical habitats where climatic seasonality is slight. In order to better understand the phenologies of resident tropical birds, and how phenology may differ among species at the same site, we used ~70 000 hours of audio recordings collected continuously for two years at four recording stations in Singapore and nine custom‐made machine learning classifiers to determine the vocal phenology of a panel of nine resident bird species. We detected distinct seasonality in vocal activity in some species but not others. Native forest species sang seasonally. In contrast, species which have had breeding populations in Singapore only for the last few decades exhibited seemingly aseasonal or unpredictable song activity throughout the year. Urbanization and habitat modification over the last 100 years have altered the composition of species in Singapore, which appears to have influenced phenological dynamics in the avian community. It is unclear what is driving the differences in phenology between these two groups of species, but it may be due to either differences in seasonal availability of preferred foods, or because newly established populations may require decades to adjust to local environmental conditions. Our results highlight the ways that anthropogenic habitat modification may disrupt phenological cycles in tropical regions in addition to altering the species community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raptors are threatened by anthropogenic land modifications, but targeted quantitative assessment of these impacts is lacking. We conducted the first global quantitative evaluation of the impacts of human‐modified land on raptors. We used eBird data from 2001 to 2020 on 425 raptor species and occupancy models to assess the impacts of human‐modified land on raptor distribution. The mean spatiotemporal correlations of human settlement, cropland, and pasture with raptor occupancy probability were −0.048 (SE 0.031), −0.134 (0.032), and −0.145 (0.032), respectively. The mean sensitivity of raptor occupancy probability to settlement, cropland, and pasture was −5.760 (2.266), −3.128 (1.540), and −2.402 (1.551), respectively. The occupancy probability of raptors with a large body mass was more negatively correlated with cropland (phylogenetic generalized least squares regressions: slope = −0.052 [SE 0.022], t = −2.335, df = 1, 407, p = 0.020, λ = 0.006) and more positively correlated with pasture (slope = 0.047 [0.022], t = 2.118, df = 1, 407, p = 0.035, λ = 0.013). The occupancy probability of raptors with a more extensive range size was more positively correlated with cropland (slope = 0.002 [0.004], t = 0.399, df = 1, 407, p < 0.001, λ = 0.000). Raptors that prefer open habitats were more positively correlated with cropland (analysis of variance: F = 3.424, df = 2, p = 0.034, λ = 0.000) and pasture (F = 6.577, df = 2, p = 0.002, λ = 0.000). In Africa and South America, where raptor species are most abundant, raptor occupancy probability decreased over 20 years, most likely due to habitat fragmentation associated with human land modification. Although raptors with different ecological characteristics had different responses to human land modification, the impacts of settlement, cropland, and pasture on mean raptor occupancy probability were negative, regardless of space and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use changes are considered a significant cause of amphibian declines worldwide. However, little is known regarding which land uses have more pervasive impacts and which help to supplement the biodiversity conserved in protected areas. In addition, amphibian species respond to a broad array of geographical constraints, which may blur responses to disturbance, depending on the species' natural history.Here, we explored whether functional diversity patterns of amphibian assemblages are linked to human land use while considering spatial autocorrelation and phylogenetic relatedness among species. We surveyed tadpoles along 500 km in coastal wetlands in southern Brazil and quantified four traits related to tadpole habitat use and predator avoidance.Spatial components influenced functional richness to a greater extent than land use. Functional evenness was higher in ponds surrounded by more exotic reforestation, and to a lesser extent an effect of crop area. Functional divergence was also associated with reforestation areas.Our results showed that some land uses (reforestation with exotic species and temporary crops) have more pervasive impacts on tadpole communities. Such changes in amphibian communities occurred even at low levels of landscape change. Our findings highlight that conversion to human land use requires complementary approaches (i.e., tadpole and adult responses) to provide early warning signals about habitat modification effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A branch of island biogeography has emerged to explain alien species diversity in the light of the biogeographic and anthropogenic context, yet overlooking the functional and phylogenetic facets. Evaluating alien and native birds of 407 oceanic islands worldwide, we built structural equation models to assess the direct and indirect influence of biotic, geographic, and anthropogenic contexts on alien functional diversity (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD). We found that alien taxonomic richness was the main predictor of both diversities. Anthropogenic factors, including colonization pressure, associated with classic biogeographical variables also strongly influenced alien FD and PD. Specifically, habitat modification and human connectivity markedly drove alien FD, especially when controlled by taxonomic richness, whereas the human population size, gross domestic product, and native PD were crucial at explaining alien PD. Our findings suggest that humans not only shape taxonomic richness but also other facets of alien diversity in a complex way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Annual patterns in behaviour and demography define longer-term changes in reptile populations, probability of species detection and risks of local extinction. Aims: To determine seasonal activity and demographic parameters of species in an isolated assemblage adapted to a seasonally predictable climate. Methods: A 37-year pitfall trapping, capture–release study in a 338-ha inner-city bushland experiencing a Mediterranean climate. Pit trap methodology changed after 7 years. Results: Reproductive activity of 29 species peaked during austral spring to early summer with hatching or births occurring from late summer to early autumn. Growth, as determined from size changes over demi-monthly periods, indicated sexual maturity varied from <1 year to 5 years. Five of eight uniquely marked species had longevity exceeding a decade while individuals within six species moved over a kilometre. Dimorphism in adult length and mass was significantly greater in females for 15 of the 18 species with adequate data. Adult male activity peaked earlier in spring than adult females' over the latter 30 years; hatchlings had different species-specific activity and annual cohort survival patterns. Activity declined in adults through summer and autumn before brumation in late autumn and winter in all species and age-size categories. Capture frequency in most species changed between methodologies. Conclusions: Species had broadly similar seasonal activity but different demographic parameters within an isolated reptile assemblage currently experiencing increasing temperature and declining rainfall. Implications: Comprehending seasonal variation is essential for interpreting decadal-long changes in reptile numbers experiencing a drying climate that alters activity, reproduction and survival to inform species detectability and likely extinction risk. South-western Australia's species are adapted to a predictable climate that is now experiencing increasing temperatures and declining rainfall. Population parameters for most of 29 reptile species, evaluated in situ , are documented to assist in interpreting species performance and predicting persistence under ongoing habitat modification and a varying climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens) is a migratory songbird with a widespread and continuous distribution in the North American West. Previously published morphological data support the designation of 2 putative subspecies based on subtle differences in plumage and song; however, whether these patterns are clinal or discrete has yet to be determined. Furthermore, given that patterns of morphological variation occur across multiple distinct habitats and geographical boundaries, underlying population genetic structure may be present. To investigate this question and explore the evolutionary history of S. nigrescens, we conducted the first range-wide phylogeographic analysis of this species using genetic (mitochondrial DNA [mtDNA], ND2 gene sequences), morphological (body measurements), and environmental (niche modeling) data. Overall, our results identified 2 major mtDNA clades. One clade occurs east of the Cascade-Sierra ranges throughout the southwestern, Great Basin, and Rocky Mountain regions in North America (Interior clade), while a second widespread clade is comprised of birds that span the Pacific Northwest, and also across the Great Basin and southwest into the Rocky Mountains (Coastal clade). Divergence time estimates suggest a Pleistocene epoch vicariance event. Environmental niche models predict habitat modification and fragmentation from glacial–interglacial cycles, which were frequent over the Pleistocene. Range expansion northwards following the Last Glacial Maximum was identified from neutrality tests and shifts in suitable habitat from the Mid-Holocene to present-day conditions, where both clades are likely experiencing secondary contact. We found support for nonequivalent environmental niches among both clades based on a spatial analysis of environmental variables, with the Coastal clade showing greater tolerance to both temperate and xeric climatic conditions across the North American West; however, the environmental space occupied by both clades was more similar to each other than expected by chance. High levels of geographic overlap and a lack of discrete patterns in morphology suggest few contemporary reproductive barriers to gene flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of anthropogenically-driven habitat modifications on insectivorous bat activity and diversity along a stretch of the Eerste River, Stellenbosch, South Africa, by determining insect abundance, water quality and vegetation and river characteristics at four sites of varying anthropogenic impact. Passive acoustic monitoring was used to determine species composition and activity of bats at each of the sites. A total of 14,457 bat passes was recorded, with the same six species being found at each of the sites: four clutter edge foragers (Myotis tricolor, Eptesicus hottentotus, Miniopterus natalensis and Laephotis capensis) and a single clutter forager (Rhinolophus clivosus) and open-air forager (Tadarida aegyptiaca). Bat activity was greater at the lower two most eutrophied sites, and greatest at the residential (urban) site. Laephotis capensis, an urban-adapted species, was by far the most active, probably on account of both insensitivity to light pollution, and roost-site availability. The highest and most pristine site (Eiland) and the lowest and most polluted site (Spier) displayed the greatest diversity, despite highly elevated levels of chloride and nitrate at the latter site. So anthropogenic effects on water quality appear not to have negatively affected bat diversity along this stretch of the Eerste River. As these effects are likely to increase, this study serves as a baseline for future monitoring of bats along its course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Human activities, through the development of agricultural and urbanized areas, are considered a threat to wildlife species. However, there are species that can be unaffected or even benefited by these man-made scenarios. This could be the case of the chimango caracara (Milvago chimango), a raptor species that may prove to be highly adapted to anthropogenic modifications of its habitat, requiring more detailed local population information to scientifically support that hypothesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate variation of density of chimango caracara in a urban gradient in central Argentina. During the Austral summer-autumn of 2017, I measured the abundance of chimango caracaras in 148 transects located in urban-suburban-rural urbanization gradients of 19 localities with human populations varying from 483 to 103,000 inhabitants per locality. Detection and density of chimango caracaras in each locality was analyzed as function of urban gradient, climate and number of inhabitants in each locality using a Distance Sampling approach. Urbanization and climate affected both detection and density. The selected model predicted the highest densities of chimango caracara in suburban, then in urban, and finally in rural habitats (0.18, 0.15 and 0.01 ind/ha respectively). These findings could be the result of the successful process of adaptation of chimango caracara to life in urbanized habitats and indicates that on certain occasions the anthropic disturbance could not be negative in terms of abundance for some species of birds with flexible behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropization affects wildlife feeding behavior due to changes in resource availability related to land use and land cover change. To better understand the ecological responses of wildlife towards anthropogenic change, it is essential to evaluate whether human land use, characterized by high human-modified food availability, has an impact on wildlife feeding ecology. The chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) is an interesting study subject for potential diet changes as it is largely present along a gradient of anthropized areas in Southern Africa. In this study, fecal samples from chacma baboon troops were collected in different habitats with distinct land uses (peri-urban, agricultural and natural forest habitat) in the Garden Route, South Africa, and their carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic ratios were measured. Results showed significant differences between δ15N ratios according to land use, suggesting a shift towards higher protein intake in areas with human influence in comparison to natural forest habitats. The large majority of the collected samples reflected the C3 ecosystem of the Garden Route region, with the exception of some samples in peri-urban habitats showing higher δ13C ratios, which could be associated with the consumption of anthropogenic foods (e.g. sugar or corn). The potential protein increase, as well as sources of C4 plants present in the diets in anthropized areas, suggest a dietary shift for this species between natural and transformed landscapes. In the future, it will be essential to determine whether and how the consumption of human-modified food could affect the health and associated fitness of chacma baboons.

Reliable estimates of how human activities may affect wildlife populations are critical for making scientifically sound resource management decisions. A significant issue in estimating the consequences of management, development, or conservation measures is the need to account for a variety of biotic and abiotic factors, such as land use and climate change, that interact over time altering wildlife habitats and populations. The snow leopard Panthera uncia (Schreber, 1775), as a vulnerable species, is extremely sensitive to indirect impacts of climate change. Given that it is highly difficult undertaking conservation measures on the entire range of snow leopards, identifying hotspots for conservation is necessary. This study was conducted in Bagrot and Haramosh valleys, in the Trans-Himalayan region, to evaluate the impacts of climate and human pressure on snow leopard habitat. Hybrid classification of Landsat satellite data for 2010 and 2020 was performed to elucidate land use changes that suggested a decrease in permanent snow by 10 % and 3 % in Haramosh and Bagrot while an increase in settlements cover by 16 % and 23 %, respectively. Life zone comparison for 2010 and 2020 using the Holdridge life zone (HLZ) classification system disclosed a change from three life zones to five life zones in Haramosh, and four life zones to five life zones in Bagrot, caused by a temperature increase of 2°C to 3°C, indicating that the area is becoming more and more suitable for settlements and less favorable for snow leopards. This study underlines again that mountainous regions are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Warming weather is making survival more difficult for snow leopards. Although they are resilient to the direct effects of climate change, indirect impacts like avalanches, flash floods, urbanization, and human-wildlife conflict make them more vulnerable and threaten their survival. Thus, we recommend establishing further protected areas, better controlling illegal wildlife trade, and conducting genetic studies to understand impacts on snow leopards and rangeland management, livelihood improvement, and human-wildlife conflict reductions.

Globally, there is growing concern on the occurrence of multiple non‐native species within invaded habitats. Proliferation of multiple non‐native species together with anthropogenic‐driven habitat modifications raise questions on the mechanisms facilitating the co‐occurrence of these species and their potential impact within the recipient systems. Using the Great Fish River system (South Africa) which is anthropogenically‐modified by inter‐basin water transfer (IBWT), as a case study, this research employed trait‐based approaches to explore patterns associated with the co‐occurrence of multiple non‐native fish species. This was achieved by investigating the role of functional diversity of non‐native and native fishes in relation to their composition, distribution and environmental relationships. Nineteen functional traits that defined two broad ecological attributes (habitat use and feeding) were determined for 13 fish species that comprised eight native and five non‐native fishes. We used these data to, firstly, evaluate functional diversity patterns and to compare functional traits of native and non‐native fishes in the Great Fish River system. Secondly, we employed multivariate ordination analyses (factor analysis, RLQ and fourth‐corner analyses) to investigate interspecific trait variations and potential species‐trait‐environmental relationships. From a functional diversity perspective, there were no significant differences in most functional diversity indices between native and non‐native species. Despite interspecific variation in body morphology‐related traits, we also found no clear separation between native and non‐native species based on the ordination analysis of the functional traits. Furthermore, while RLQ ordination showed broad spatial patterns, the fourth‐corner analyses revealed no significant relationships among species distribution, functional traits and environmental variables. The weak species‐trait‐environment relationship observed in this study suggests that environmental filtering was likely a poor determinant of functional trait structure within the Great Fish River. Modification of the natural flow regime may have weakened the relationship between species traits and the environment as has been shown in other systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dwarf caiman species of the genus Paleosuchus (Paleosuchus palpebrosus and Paleosuchus trigonatus) are old, widespread crocodilian lineages with populations affected by habitat modification. For both species, phylogeographical studies revealing crucial information have already been performed, but for important ecoregions, such as the Orinoco, knowledge is lacking. In this study, the phylogenetic identity of individuals of Paleosuchus spp. from the Orinoco basin of Colombia and Venezuela was evaluated. The genetic structure of the two species of Paleosuchus was also determined and their genetic diversity quantified. The results show a marked genetic structuring in both species, also indicating that the populations of P. trigonatus and P. palpebrosus of the Orinoco basin are well differentiated from those of other hydrographic basins. For Colombia, it was possible to infer that there are two independent management units for both species (Orinoco and Amazonas) and that the populations of the Orinoco basin present high genetic and haplotypic diversity. In Venezuela, only one management unit was identified for each species. This finding, together with the results of previous studies, show that, in total, there are at least five management units for P. palpebrosus and six for P. trigonatus , throughout their distribution areas. It is necessary to take this information into account when establishing conservation strategies for these species, although it is stressed that the geographical sampling must be improved in future phylogeographical studies, because information gaps persist at the geographical level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]