ALBERT

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Lina Mtwana Nordlund How do you, as a university lecturer, change from teacher-centered teaching to a more student-centered, active teaching? This paper aims to inspire you to make a change, big or small, to increase your students’ engagement and learning, by presenting suggestions on what you can do. The ideas and suggestions synthesized here are based on several different teaching philosophies and methods, which are well tested and shown to be effective in the right setting. The selection of suggestions is believed to be specifically suitable for ecology. The paper includes suggestions on how to plan a course or a lecture by setting a good learning environment. Both pre-lecture activities and during lecture activities are included, with a focus on activities to engage students and encourage increased discussion and reflections, as well as what to think about when choosing learning activities and how and why it is important to teach students to think and act like professionals in ecology. While changing teaching methods takes investment of time, time that is limited for many researchers, even small changes in your teaching can make big differences in learning, and the investment will hopefully pay back by making teaching more fun and rewarding. The suggestions presented are understandable without being be conversant in the ‘education literature’, but will provide you with a vocabulary of teaching activities that will be useful if you are inspired to find more information and learn more about teaching.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Susan M. Cheyne, Wiwit Juwita Sastramidjaja, Muhalir, Yaya Rayadin, David W. Macdonald Using camera traps at eight grids across Indonesian Borneo we show how mammalian species assemblages can provide reliable information about how disturbance affects a forest. This enables us to use the large mammal community structure at each site to assess the impacts of human disturbance and habitat variables. Occupancy ranged from 0.01–0.77 with pig-tailed macaques, muntjac, orang-utans, sun bears, bearded pigs and common porcupines consistently having an occupancy of > 0.5. These large mammals were generally making use of the whole forest surveyed and avoided the forest edge in only a few grids. A General Linear Model with general contrasts and survey effort as a covariate was performed to assess the impact of different variables. Logging and hunting were positively associated with low species number ( F = 6.3 , p = 0.012 and F = 5.4 , p = 0.003 respectively). Logging and hunting contributed to a low % of carnivorous species ( F = 1.5 , p = 0.021 and F = 4.8 , p = 0.041 respectively) and a higher % of IUCN Endangered and Vulnerable species ( F = 5.9 , p = 0.044 and F = 5.0 , p = 0.044 respectively). The presence of burnt areas within the study grids was positively associated with reduced species numbers ( F = 5.3 , p = 0.018 ) and reducted % of carnivorous species ( F = 6.8 , p = 0.023 ) but not the % of IUCN Endangered and Vulnerable species. This is likely a result of burnt areas reducing the area of suitable habitat for many mammals. The proximity of the grids to roads, villages, rivers and presence of logging camps have been proposed as suitable parameters to indicate disturbance. In our study none of these parameters significantly affected the total species numbers, % of carnivores, and % of IUCN concern (Endangered and Vulnerable), nor did the protected status of the forest. We have identified 4 species as specific indicators whose presence or absence can help determine the type and/or extent of forest disturbance and/or be a proxy indicator for the presence of other species. Leopard cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ) and pig-tailed macaques ( Macaca nemestrina, generalists); sambar deer ( Rusa unicolour, large, wide-ranging herbivores) and clouded leopards ( Neofelis diardi ) as a proxy for at least 2 of the smaller felid species.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Annabelle Langlois, Stéphanie Pellerin With a growing number of species at risk of extinction, reintroductions have become an important component of several recovery schemes. In 2005, a recovery program including reintroduction and reinforcement efforts as well as monitoring activities was implemented in Québec for the endangered false hop sedge ( Carex lupuliformis ). Between 2005 and 2010, a total of 600 plants were reintroduced in different habitats (dry and wet) on five distinct sites (swamps). Our objective was to determine which environmental variables (soil moisture, light availability, competition, aphid infestation) influenced the survival and vigour (height, number of shoots, number of fruiting shoots) of the transplanted individuals. We also compared the survival, growth and fecundity of transplanted and wild individuals. Discriminant analyses and ANOVAs indicated that exotic aphid infestation, excessive soil moisture and low light availability were the main causes of premature transplant death. Soil moisture (when not excessive, as shown by the survival analyses), light availability and competition volume positively influenced transplant vigour. Although only 4% of original transplants remain alive after a decade, at least one new population has established and total population has increased six-fold, when wild individuals and transplants still alive in 2015 are included in the calculations. Furthermore, at least 33% of transplants produced seeds at least once. Overall, transplants were less vigorous than wild individuals, but were found to live on average just as long, suggesting that the biological success of our reintroduction program is promising. Further studies of false hop sedge should include an examination of seed viability, to evaluate whether the small, newly-created populations experienced reduced germination.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Katherine R. Amato, Jessica L. Metcalf, Se Jin Song, Vanessa L. Hale, Jonathan Clayton, Gail Ackermann, Greg Humphrey, Kefeng Niu, Duoying Cui, Hongxia Zhao, Mark D. Schrenzel, Chia L. Tan, Rob Knight, Josephine Braun Primates of the Colobinae subfamily are highly folivorous. They possess a sacculated foregut and are believed to rely on a specialized gut microbiota to extract sufficient energy from their hard-to-digest diet. Although many colobines are endangered and would benefit from captive breeding programs, maintaining healthy captive populations of colobines can be difficult since they commonly suffer from morbidity and mortality due to gastrointestinal (GI) distress of unknown cause. While there is speculation that this GI distress may be associated with a dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, no study has directly examined the role of the gut microbiota in colobine GI health. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing to examine the gut microbiota of three genera of colobines housed at the San Diego Zoo: doucs ( Pygathrix) ( N = 7 ), colobus monkeys ( Colobus) ( N = 4 ), and langurs ( Trachypithecus) ( N = 5 ). Our data indicated that GI-healthy doucs, langurs, and colobus monkeys possess a distinct gut microbiota. In addition, GI-unhealthy doucs exhibited a different gut microbiota compared to GI-healthy individuals, including reduced relative abundances of anti-inflammatory Akkermansia. Finally, by comparing samples from wild and captive Asian colobines, we found that captive colobines generally exhibited higher relative abundances of potential pathogens such as Desulfovibrio and Methanobrevibacter compared to wild colobines, implying an increased risk of gut microbial dysbiosis. Together, these results suggest an association between the gut microbiota and GI illness of unknown cause in doucs. Further studies are necessary to corroborate these findings and determine cause-and-effect relationships. Additionally, we found minimal variation in the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota along the colobine GI tract, suggesting that fecal samples may be sufficient for describing the colobine gut microbiota. If these findings can be validated in wild individuals, it will facilitate the rapid expansion of colobine gut microbiome research.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): A. Dellinger, J. Plotkin, B. Duncan, L. Robertson, T. Brady, C. Kepley Crustaceans, such as crab and lobster, comprise an important global food commodity. They are captured in traps using primarily forage fish (e.g. anchovies, herring, and menhaden), as bait. Approximately 18 million tons of these fish are used annually to bait traps, worldwide (U. Nations, 2014). In addition to natural predators dependent on forage fish (Pikitch et al., 2012), myriad other factors are further intensifying demand and collectively threatening stocks ( e.g. Omega-3 supplements, pet food, livestock feed,–in addition to direct human consumption). Forage fish capture methods pose collateral environmental risks from by-catch ( e.g. seals, dolphins, turtles) indiscriminately killed in nets. Sustainable alternatives to stem further depletion are desperately needed, and toward this end, a synthetic crustacean bait has been developed. The technology mimics molecules released from forage fish by employing a formulation that is dispersed at a controlled rate from a soluble matrix. The synthetic bait reliably caught stone crab, blue crab, and American lobster in field trials. This technology addresses major ecological threats, while providing economic and operational benefits to the crustacean fishing industry. One Sentence Summary: A synthetic crustacean bait has been developed to obviate the need for forage fish capture and depletion.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Wilfrid Rodriguez, Ika C. Feller, Kyle C. Cavanaugh General circulation models predict warming trends and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns that have the potential to alter the structure and function of coastal habitats. The purpose of this study was to quantify the expansion and contraction of mangroves and saltmarsh habitats and assess the impact of climate on these landscape changes. The study was conducted in a mangrove/saltmarsh ecotone in Flagler County, FL, near the northern range limit of mangroves along the Atlantic coast of North America. We used time series of historical aerial photography and high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery from 1942 to 2013 to quantify changes in the extent of mangrove and saltmarsh vegetation and compared these changes to climate variables of temperature and precipitation, temperature–seasonality, as well as historical sea-level data. Results showed increases in mangrove extent of 89% between 1942 and 1952, and a continuous increase from 1995 to 2013. Largest decrease in saltmarsh extent occurred between 1942 and 1952 (-136%) and between 2008 and 2013 (-81%). We found significant effects of precipitation, temperature, seasonality, and time on mangrove and saltmarsh areal extent. The statistical effect of sea-level was rather small, but we speculate that it might have ecological impacts on these two coastal ecosystems. Results also showed a cyclical dynamism as well as a reversal in habitat dominance, which may be the result of complex interactions between plant habitats and several environmental drivers of change such as species interactions, and hydrological changes induced by sea-level rise, in addition to temperature and precipitation effects. Our results on mangrove/saltmarsh expansion and contraction may contribute to the improvement of management and conservation strategies for coastal ecosystems being impacted by climate change.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Michael Abedi-Lartey, Dina K.N. Dechmann, Martin Wikelski, Anne K. Scharf, Jakob Fahr On-going fragmentation of tropical forest ecosystems and associated depletion of seed dispersers threatens the long-term survival of animal-dispersed plants. These threats do not only affect biodiversity and species abundance, but ultimately ecosystem functions and services. Thus, seed dispersers such as the straw-coloured fruit bat, E. helvum , which traverse long distances across fragmented landscapes, are particularly important for maintaining genetic connectivity and colonizing new sites for plant species. Using high-resolution GPS-tracking of movements, field observations and gut retention experiments, we quantify dispersal distances for small- and large-seeded fruits foraged by E. helvum during periods of colony population low (wet season) and high (dry season) in an urban and a rural landscape in the forest zone of Ghana. Gut passage time averaged 116 min (range 4–1143 min), comparable to other fruit bats. Movements were generally longer in the urban than in the rural landscape and also longer in the dry than in the wet season. As the majority of seeds are dispersed only to feeding roosts, median dispersal distances were similar for both large (42–67 m) and small (42–65 m) seeds. However, small seeds were potentially dispersed up to 75.4 km, four times further than the previous maximum distance estimated for a similar-sized frugivore. Maximum seed dispersal distances for small seeds were almost twice as long in the rural (49.7 km) compare to the urban (31.2 km) landscape. Within the urban landscape, estimated maximum dispersal distances for small seeds were three times longer during the dry season (75.4 km) compared to the wet season (22.8 km); in contrast, distances in the rural landscape were three times longer in the wet season (67 km) compared to the dry season (24.4). Dispersal distances for large seeds during the dry season (551 m) in the rural landscape were almost twice that in the wet season (319 m). We found no influence of food phenology on dispersal distances. The maximum likelihood for seed dispersal beyond feeding roosts (mean distance from food tree 263 m) was 4.7%. Small seeds were dispersed over even longer distances, >500 and >1000 m, with a likelihood of 3.0 % and 2.3 % respectively. Our data show that E. helvum retains ingested seeds for very long periods and may traverse large distances, probably making it an important long distance seed disperser in tropical Africa. We suggest E. helvum is important for ecosystem functioning and urge its conservation.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Nooshin Torabi, Luis Mata, Ascelin Gordon, Georgia Garrard, Wayne Wescott, Paul Dettmann, Sarah A. Bekessy Carbon farming programs typically aim to maximise landholder participation rates to achieve desired environmental outcomes. This is critical for programs aiming to tackle both climate change and biodiversity loss simultaneously, as landholder participation in those schemes directly determines the level of carbon sequestered and the potential biodiversity gains. Biodiverse carbon planting is a key private land conservation practice that needs active stakeholder involvement to deliver successful policy design and implementation. In this study we developed a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) of landholder participation in biodiverse carbon planting schemes to determine factors most likely to influence program participation. An initial conceptual model was developed based on a review of the literature. The model was refined through interviews with participating landholders and other key stakeholders and, finally, parameterised using expert-elicited information. Our results indicate that participation rates are most influenced by program attractiveness and the identified values of co-benefits (such as biodiversity conservation) rather than financial incentives. Scenario evaluation revealed that providing a combination of biodiversity incentives with more flexible permanence options could increase the program adoption rate. Stacking or bundling credits combined with contract agreements is also likely to increase the participation rate. These findings can assist policy development by focusing on the aspects of policy design most likely to increase participation.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Max Ritts, Stuart H. Gage, Chris R. Picard, Ethan Dundas, Steven Dundas This paper combines methodological discussion and scientific analysis to convey the results of an effort by the Gitga’at First Nation and academic partners to construct an acoustic baseline in Gitga’at Territory (aka. British Columbia, CA). Between June 2013 and 2014, we collected 257,327 field-recordings from eight sites as part of the Gitga’at Ecological and Cultural Monitoring Program. Our goals were: (1) to develop an acoustic baseline in a portion of Gitga’at Territory prioritized by local decision-makers, (2) to advance Gitga’at research capacity through the collaborative and reflexive structure of our approach. We argue that reorienting ecological knowledge production as praxis-based “Street Science” benefits resource management, as well as academic and local community interests. Gitga’at oral histories ( adawx ), and laws ( ayaawx ) guided our application of soundscape ecology, including our use of the normalized difference soundscape index (NDSI). Our results suggest Gitga’at Territory is a diverse acoustic-ecological space with numerous site-specific features. Significant differences were found between recording sites, with the greatest amount of biological activity noted June and July. We also found that the frequency and intensity of anthropogenic noise (i.e., technophony) in the Territory is currently very low, suggesting a low degree of anthropogenic disturbance. We conclude that soundscape ecology is well-suited for collaboration with indigenous communities, provided it is ‘attuned’ to the complex terms of engagement that constitute cross-cultural research.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Bellemain Eva, Patricio Harmony, Gray Thomas, Guegan Francois, Valentini Alice, Miaud Claude, Dejean Tony Pressures on freshwater biodiversity in Southeast Asia are accelerating, yet the status and conservation needs of many of the region’s iconic fish species are poorly known. The Mekong is highly species diverse and supports four of the six largest freshwater fish globally, three of which, including Mekong giant catfish ( Pangasianodon gigas ), are Critically Endangered. Emerging environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques have potential for monitoring threatened freshwater biodiversity, yet have not been applied in complex and biodiverse tropical ecosystems such as the Mekong. We developed species-specific primers for amplifying Mekong giant catfish DNA. In situ validation demonstrated that the DNA amplification was successful for all samples taken in reservoirs with known presence of Mekong giant catfish independent of fish density. We collected water samples from six deep pools on the Mekong, identified through Local Ecological Knowledge, in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand. DNA was extracted and amplified from these samples using the designed primers and probes. Mekong giant catfish DNA was detected from one sample from the species’ presumed spawning grounds on the Mekong mainstream, near the border between northern Thailand and Lao PDR. eDNA sampling using species-specific primers has potential for surveying and monitoring poorly known species from complex tropical aquatic environments. However accounting for false absences is likely to be required for the method to function with precision when applied to extremely rare species that are highly dispersed within a large river system. We recommend that such approach be utilised more widely by freshwater conservation practitioners for specific applications. The method is best suited for baseline biodiversity assessments or to identify and prioritise locations for more rigorous sampling. Our methods are particularly relevant for systems or species with limited baseline data or with physical characteristics that logistically limit the application of conventional methods. Such attributes are typical of large tropical rivers such as the Mekong, Congo, or Amazon.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Howard Peters, Bethan C. O’Leary, Julie P. Hawkins, Callum M. Roberts Cape Verde in the Eastern Atlantic is typical of many island groups in supporting a wealth of endemic species both terrestrial and marine. Marine gastropod molluscs of the genus Conus, commonly known as cone snails, occur in coastal tropical waters throughout the globe, but in Cape Verde their endemism reaches its apogee with 53 out of 56 species occurring nowhere else, the majority of which are restricted to single islands and frequently to single bays. However, Cape Verde is rapidly moving to a tourism-based economy with a projected boom in infrastructure development often coincidental with the shallow-water habitat of many range-restricted Conus . The conservation assessment of Conus to standards of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species, found that 45.3% of 53 species assessed from Cape Verde are threatened or near-threatened with extinction compared to 7.4% of 579 species in the rest of the world. The only three Conus species globally assessed as Critically Endangered and on the cusp of extinction are all endemic to Cape Verde. Our analysis of Conus species distribution, together with spatial data of coastal protected areas and tourism development zones, identify important areas for future research and new marine protection. Our findings show that endemism with its associated risks for Conus in Cape Verde has worldwide parallels with many non-marine taxa, while our proposed strategy for Conus conservation extends beyond the confines of the country and this taxonomic group.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Alicia Srinivas, Lian Pin Koh Oil palm is one of the world’s most rapidly expanding crops, replacing humid forests across tropical regions. Studies examining the effect of this land conversion on biodiversity have tended to focus predominantly on Southeast Asia, where the majority of the world’s oil palm is produced. Because the Amazon possesses the greatest area of suitable land for oil palm expansion, oil palm is considered an emerging threat to Amazonian biodiversity. This is the first study to examine how oil palm agriculture affects avian diversity within the context of Western Amazonia. We used mist nets to conduct avifaunal surveys of forest and oil palm habitat in the Pucallpa region of Peruvian Amazonia. Bird species richness, species evenness, and overall abundance were all significantly higher in the forest than in oil palm habitat. Strikingly, less than 5% of all captured species were common to both forest and oil palm habitat. The species absent from the oil palm plantations were disproportionately habitat specialists, forest interior birds, birds with high sensitivity to disturbance, and insectivores and frugivores. The results suggest that oil palm is particularly poor habitat for Amazonian birds, and that the species that are persist on them are of lower conservation value. Given the apparent lack of diversity on oil palm plantations, preventing further conversion of forests to oil palm should be prioritized.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Henry F. Howe Dispersal syndromes and networks must be used cautiously in conserving and restoring seed-dispersal processes. In many tropical forests most tree and shrub species require dispersal by animals for local persistence and for migration in response to environmental change. The most important errors to avoid in practical use of both dispersal syndromes (suites of fruit and seed characteristics that attract different dispersal agents) and network modules (groups of interacting dispersal agents and plants bearing fruits or seeds that they eat) are: (1) assuming that use of fruit resources by fruit-eating animals implies effective seed dispersal; (2) assuming that superficially similar fruits imply equally effective dispersal by similar animals, and (3) assuming that fruit resources at issue support animal populations. This essay explores strengths and weaknesses of uses of dispersal syndromes and disperser networks modules in conservation and restoration. Examples include some that are consistent with expectations from syndrome categorization and some that are not. An unappreciated weakness in using either dispersal syndromes or network modules is that contingent foraging by animals in highly disturbed habitats, now comprising 60%–70% of tropical land biomes, may not resemble foraging choices or consequences in protected closed forests, where most research on tropical seed dispersal is done. General prescriptions for the future include maintaining or creating habitat heterogeneity in largely deforested landscapes where remnant closed forests still exist, and active restoration in landscapes where little heterogeneity remains. In both cases, adaptations of multiple frame-work tree approaches have the best chance of preserving or enhancing populations of animal-dispersed trees and their seed vectors, and in opening migration paths in response to climate change.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Beth E. Ross, David A. Haukos, Christian A. Hagen, James C. Pitman Habitat loss and degradation compound the effects of climate change on wildlife, yet responses to climate and land cover change are often quantified independently. The interaction between climate and land cover change could be intensified in the Great Plains region where grasslands are being converted to row-crop agriculture concurrent with increased frequency of extreme drought events. We quantified the combined effects of land cover and climate change on a species of conservation concern in the Great Plains, the Lesser Prairie-Chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ). We combined extreme drought events and land cover change with lek count surveys in a Bayesian hierarchical model to quantify changes in abundance of male Lesser Prairie-Chickens from 1978 to 2014 in Kansas, the core of their species range. Our estimates of abundance indicate a gradually decreasing population through 2010 corresponding to drought events and reduced grassland areas. Decreases in Lesser Prairie-Chicken abundance were greatest in areas with increasing row-crop to grassland land cover ratio during extreme drought events, and decreased grassland reduces the resilience of Lesser Prairie-Chicken populations to extreme drought events. A threshold exists for Lesser Prairie-Chickens in response to the gradient of cropland:grassland land cover. When moving across the gradient of grassland to cropland, abundance initially increased in response to more cropland on the landscape, but declined in response to more cropland after the threshold ( δ = 0.096 , or 9.6% cropland). Preservation of intact grasslands and continued implementation of initiatives to revert cropland to grassland should increase Lesser Prairie-Chicken resilience to extreme drought events due to climate change.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Chantel E. Markle, Patricia Chow-Fraser Mapping suitable habitat for a species at risk is one of the first steps in a conservation plan. Creating habitat suitability maps can be very challenging when the area of interest is large and located in remote areas where field excursions can be difficult to implement. Such is the case for the Blanding’s turtle, a threatened species in Ontario, that live on the Georgian Bay archipelago. With increasing anthropogenic pressures, maps indicating suitable habitat can aid management decisions and prioritize areas for protection. We apply an interdisciplinary approach using traditional field data and generalized linear models to produce high resolution, regional maps which identify suitable habitat for Blanding’s turtles throughout the archipelago. We assessed the accuracy of our models using an independent survey dataset of 16 island sites distributed throughout the archipelago, and evaluated models using a reference island as a threshold for determining suitability of survey sites. Islands with higher proportions of wetlands and vernal pools were generally considered to be suitable for Blanding’s turtles compared to those with lower proportions. Our findings highlight the importance of both permanent and temporary wet habitats for Blanding’s turtles. Based on our final model, approximately 64% of evaluated islands support habitat for Blanding’s turtles. Our study is the first to produce detailed habitat suitability maps for Blanding’s turtles on the Georgian Bay archipelago. We recommend an integrative approach be applied to create habitat suitability maps for other species at risk in Georgian Bay.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Mona van Schingen, Thomas Ziegler, Markus Boner, Bruno Streit, Truong Quang Nguyen, Vicki Crook, Stefan Ziegler The international wildlife trade in allegedly “captive-bred” specimens has globally increased during recent years, while the legal origin of respective animals frequently remains doubtful. Worldwide, authorities experience strong challenges to effectively control the international trade in CITES-listed species and are struggling to uncover fraudulent claims of “captive-breeding”. Forensic analytical methods are being considered as potential tools to investigate wildlife crime. The present case study is the first of its kind in reptiles that investigates the application of δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope ratios to discriminate between captive and wild crocodile lizards from Vietnam. The CITES-listed crocodile lizard Shinisaurus crocodilurus is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List mainly due to habitat loss and unsustainable exploitation for the international pet trade. Our results revealed significant differences in the composition of the two tested isotope systems between captive and wild individuals. Isotope values of skin samples from captive specimens were significantly enriched in 13 C and 15 N as compared to specimens from the wild. We also used the weighted k -Nearest Neighbor classifier to assign simulated samples back to their alleged place of origin and demonstrated that captive bred individuals could be distinguished with a high degree of accuracy from specimens that were not born in captivity. We conclude that isotope analysis appears to be highly attractive as a forensic tool to reduce laundering of wild caught lizards via breeding farms, but acknowledge that this potential might be limited to range restricted or ecologically specialist species.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Ileana Frasier, Elke Noellemeyer, Eva Figuerola, Leonardo Erijman, Hugo Permingeat, Alberto Quiroga The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of a change in management on the soil microbial community and C sequestration. We conducted a 3-year field study in La Pampa (Argentina) with rotation of sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ) in zero tillage alternating with rye ( Secale cereale) and vetch (Vicia villosa ssp. dasycarpa ). Soil was sampled once a year at two depths. Soil organic matter fractions, dissolved organic matter, microbial biomass (MBC) and community composition (DNA extraction, qPCR, and phospholipid FAME profiles) were determined. Litter, aerial- and root biomass were collected and all material was analyzed for C and N. Results showed a rapid response of microbial biomass to a bacterial dominance independent of residue quality. Vetch had the highest diversity index, while the fertilized treatment had the lowest one. Vetch–sorghum rotation with high N mineralization rates and diverse microbial community sequestered more C and N in stable soil organic matter fractions than no-till sorghum alone or with rye, which had lower N turnover rates. These results reaffirm the importance of enhanced soil biodiversity for maintaining soil ecosystem functioning and services. The supply of high amounts of N-rich residues as provided by grass–legume cover crops could fulfill this objective. Graphical abstract

Description: Publication date: January 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 5 Author(s): Lei Deng, Guang-yu Zhu, Zhuang-sheng Tang, Zhou-ping Shangguan Despite hundreds of field studies and at least a dozen literature reviews, there is still considerable disagreement about the direction and magnitude of changes in soil C stocks with land use change. This paper reviews the literature on the effects of land use conversions on soil C stocks, based on a synthesis of 103 recent publications, including 160 sites in 29 countries, with the aims of determining the factors responsible for soil C sequestration and quantifying changes in soil C stocks from seven land use conversions. The results show that as an overall average across all land use change examined, land use conversions have significantly reduced soil C stocks (0.39 Mg ha − 1 yr − 1 ). Soil C stocks significantly increased after conversions from farmland to grassland (0.30 Mg ha − 1 yr − 1 ) and forest to grassland (0.68 Mg ha − 1 yr − 1 ), but significantly declined after conversion from grassland to farmland (0.89 Mg ha − 1 yr − 1 ), forest to farmland (1.74 Mg ha − 1 yr − 1 ), and forest to forest (0.63 Mg ha − 1 yr − 1 ). And after conversion from farmland to forest and grassland to forest, soil C stocks did not change significantly. Globally, soil C sequestration showed a significant negative correlation with initial soil C stocks ( P 〈0.05), and the effects of climatic factors (mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation) on soil C sequestration varied between the land use conversion types. Also, the relationships between soil C sequestration and age since land use conversion varied in different land use change types. Generally, where the land use changes decreased soil C, the reverse process usually increased soil C stocks and vice versa. Soil C sequestration dynamics were not determined by age since land use conversion at the global level when all land use change types were combined. Graphical abstract

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Tual Cin Khai, Nobuya Mizoue, Tsuyoshi Kajisa, Tetsuji Ota, Shigejiro Yoshida Appropriate cutting cycles and annual allowable cuts are crucial to ensure sustainability of tropical selective logging, but there have been limited field data to verify long-term effects of different cutting cycles. This study reveals some evidence of forest degradation in selectively logged production forests of Myanmar, which are subject to inappropriate cutting frequency. We compared stand structure, commercial species composition, and incidence of illegal logging between two compartments with low (LCF; 1 time) and high (HCF; 5 times) cutting frequency over a recent 18 years. Prior to the latest cutting, LCF had 176 trees ha − 1 with an inverted-J shape distribution of diameter at breast height (DBH), including a substantial amount of teak ( Tectona grandis ) and other commercially important species in each DBH class. HCF prior to the latest cut had only 41 trees ha − 1 without many commercially important species. At HCF, nearly half the standing trees of various species and size were illegally cut following legal operations; this was for charcoal making in nearby kilns. At LCF, two species, teak and Xylia xylocarpa , were cut illegally and sawn for timber on the spot. More extensive and systematic surveys are needed to generalize the findings of forest degradation and illegal logging. However, our study calls for urgent reconsideration of logging practices with high cutting frequency, which can greatly degrade forests with accompanying illegal logging, and for rehabilitating strongly degraded, bamboo-dominated forests. To reduce illegal logging, it would be important to pay more attention on a MSS regulation stating that logging roads should be destroyed after logging operations.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Ben F. Chappell, Kevin G. Smith Among invasive species, introduced predators have some of the most dramatic impacts on native biodiversity, causing declines and extinctions. Selective predation by invasive predators may contribute to their effects on native taxa and taxa that are preyed upon out of proportion to their abundance may be at greatest risk of decline. In this study we aimed to document patterns of selective predation by a spreading invasive species, the Indo-Pacific lionfish ( Pterois volitans / miles ), with the goal of the identification of native taxa that may be subject to future decline. We took advantage of published data on invasive lionfish stomach contents and native reef fish abundances from a single region (hardbottom reef habitats of North Carolina) and applied a null simulation model to identify native fish taxa that were occurred as lionfish prey more or less frequently than would be expected based on their abundances. Using this method, we found that six of 28 native fish families were significantly under-represented in lionfish stomachs, suggesting that these taxa are avoided by lionfish or occur in different microhabitats. Twelve taxa appeared as prey items only as frequently as would be expected, given their abundance. We identified ten fish families that occurred as lionfish prey drastically and significantly more frequently than would be expected based on their abundance alone. These families include ecologically important species that play important functional roles and help maintain reefs (some parrotfish; Scaridae) and popular food and sport fish and some of the few native species to have been observed eating lionfish in the wild (some groupers; Serranidae). Preferred families were consumed at rates up to 90 times greater than would be expected based on natural abundance, suggesting the potential for local population declines as a result of lionfish predation.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): R.E. Burham, R.S. Palm, D.A. Duffus, X. Mouy, A. Riera Observations of cetaceans during the winter are difficult, if not impossible in some locations, yet their presence, habitat use, and behaviour during this period are important for conservation and management. Typically, observations come from vessel surveys, with citizen science networks increasingly adding significant sighting data. In compliment to this, acoustic data collection systems can be deployed to collect information remotely over long periods, and in almost any conditions. Here we describe how the combination of these data collection techniques works to fill knowledge gaps, with data from a well-established citizen science network, and a single passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) recorder integrated to identify killer whale presence during winter months in Clayoquot Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Together these data show the overwinter use of Clayoquot Sound by killer whales is greater than previously thought. During the study period, February 21 to April 25, 2015, the citizen science network noted 14 visual encounters ranging from Amphitrite Point to Hot Spring Cove, Vancouver Island. The PAM recorded 17 acoustic encounters within the 10 km detection radius of the recorder, deployed off Siwash Point, Flores Island. This included 15 encounters not recorded by the visual network. Both resident and Bigg’s (transient) transient whale groups were recorded, although analysis of vocalizations determined that the majority of the encounters recorded acoustically were of northern resident killer whales. This may be a function of life history, with Bigg’s killer whales typically noted to be less acoustically active, or could represent greater site use by this group. This first use of acoustic monitoring over the winter, complemented with visual data, can establish a better understanding of year-round use of this area by killer whales and has broader application to other sites.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Sonia Kleindorfer, Frank J. Sulloway The rate of evolution depends on the strength of selection, which may be particularly strong for introduced parasites and their naive hosts. Because natural selection acts on phenotypes and because parasites can alter host phenotype, one fruitful starting point to measure the impact of novel pathogens is to quantify parasite-induced changes to host phenotype. Our study system is Darwin’s finches on Floreana Island, Galápagos Archipelago, and the virulent fly larvae of Philornis downsi that were first discovered in Darwin’s finch nests in 1997. We use an experimental approach and measure host phenotype in parasitized and parasite-free chicks in Darwin’s small ground finch ( Geospiza fuliginosa ). Beak size did not differ between the two treatment groups, but naris size was 106% larger in parasitized chicks (∼3.3 mm) versus parasite-free chicks (∼1.6 mm). To test if P. downsi was present prior to the 1960s, we compared naris size in historical (1899–1962) and contemporary birds (2004–2014) on Floreana Island in small ground finches ( G. fuliginosa ) and medium tree finches ( Camarhynchus pauper ). Contemporary Darwin’s finches had significantly larger naris size (including extreme deformation), whereas historical naris size was both smaller and less variable. These findings provide the first longitudinal analysis for the extent of P. downsi -induced change to host naris size and show that Darwin’s finches, prior to the 1960s, were not malformed. Thus natural selection on altered host phenotype as a consequence of P. downsi parasitism appears to be contemporary and novel.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Erika L. Rowland, Nancy Fresco, Donald Reid, Hilary A. Cooke Protected area networks are the foundation of conservation, even in northern Canada where anthropogenic impact on the landscape is currently limited. However, the value of protected areas may be undermined by climate change in this region where the rate and magnitude is high, and shifts in vegetation communities and associated wildlife species are already underway. Key to developing responses to these changing conditions is anticipating potential impacts and the risks they pose. Capitalizing on an existing modeled dataset for Yukon from Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (SNAP), we examine projected shifts in the distribution of 18 clusters of climate parameters, and the vegetation communities currently associated with them (collectively termed “cliomes”) across three 30-year time steps, from the present through the 2090s. By the 2090s, Yukon may lose seven cliomes and gain one. Three regional changes, if accompanied by vegetation redistribution, represent biome shifts: complete loss of climate conditions for arctic tundra in northern Yukon; emergence of climate conditions supporting grasslands in southern Yukon valleys; reduction in climates supporting alpine tundra in favor of boreal forests types across the mountains of central and northern Yukon. Projections suggest that, by the end of the 21st century, higher elevations in southern Yukon change least when compared to the turnover in cliomes exhibited by the high latitude, arctic parks to the north. This analysis can assist with: planning connectivity between protected areas; identifying novel conservation zones to maximize representation of habitats during the emerging changes; designing plans, management and monitoring for individual protected areas.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Grace Koech, Daniel Ofori, Anne W.T. Muigai, Jonathan Muriuki, Parveen Anjarwalla, Jan De leeuw, Jeremias G. Mowo Rural communities value Faidherbia albida in farming systems and pastoralism. Faidherbia albida provides products such as medicine, fodder, fuel, wood, food and services such as shade, soil fertility and nutrient cycling. Excessive browsing by animals, branch lopping and pod harvesting, have critically reduced the natural regeneration in some areas which exposes it to challenges due to dependence upon natural regeneration. The objective of this research was to evaluate response of Faidherbia albida provenances from eastern (Taveta Wangingombe) and southern Africa (Lupaso, Kuiseb Manapools) to different watering regimes to aid in selection of provenances for domestication. The observed difference in growth was analyzed to determine whether they are genetic or environmentally induced. Genotype  ×  interaction were significant at ( p ≤ 0.001, p ≤ 0.05) in seedling height, diameter and leaf numbers. Seedling height (r=0.94 p=0.001) recorded the highest correlation coefficient among all the growth variables analyzed. The growth variation was greater for seedling height than that of diameter and leaf numbers (h 2 =0.97). Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped the provenances into three clusters with cluster iii consisting of Taveta, Kuiseb and Lupaso while cluster ii and i composed of Wangingombe and Manapools respectively. Manapools recorded the highest genetic distance from Taveta, Kuiseb and Lupaso at 84.55 units. Wangingombe and Manapools are closely related genetically at a distance of 7.32. The maximum inter-cluster distance between cluster i and iii indicated wider genetic diversity between the provenances in these clusters and selection should be from this clusters for hybridization program to achieve novel breeds.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Eli H. Walker, Matti Nghikembua, Brent Bibles, Laurie Marker Namibian cheetahs ( Acinonyx jubatus ) are known to use specific trees when choosing sites for scent-marking and these are normally large and visually conspicuous trees, often referred to by Namibian farmers as “playtrees”. The aim of this study was to identify the physical and ecological attributes of known scent-marking trees within a fixed area and in turn identify the key characteristics preferred by cheetahs when selecting these trees for use. We used mulitple linear regression to determine the physical characteristics most influential on cheetah scent-marking tree preference. Results show that cheetahs prefer scent-marking trees that are easy to detect and provide good visibility to the cheetah while at the tree as it maximises each mark’s detectability by conspecifics. This study provides new insight into the spatial structuring and organisation of Namibian cheetahs.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Brie A. Edwards, F. Meg Southee, Jenni L. McDermid Aim: In order to overcome data limitations on predicting future distributions of freshwater fishes at the lake scale, our aim was to build simple species distribution models for three focal fishes from warm-, cool- and cold-water guilds, using a small set of local environmental variables paired with climate information. Location: A total of 6715 inland freshwater lakes across Ontario, Canada. Methods: Multiple logistic regression techniques were employed to model historical species occurrence with seven candidate local environmental variables, including a climate index. Model accuracy was tested by: (i) validating with a subset of the historical dataset (centered around the 1970s), and (ii) predicting species occurrence in lakes using a contemporary dataset (centered around the 2000s), representing ∼30 years of climatic change. Projected climate data was then used to model species occurrence into the 2041–2070 time period. Results: The models for each thermal guild performed well (average AUC of 0.79) using the historical validation dataset as well as the contemporary dataset. The final set of predictors was unique to each species; however lake surface area, and the climate index were significant in all models. In all three models, the climate index was the most influential variable. Cold-water lake whitefish and cool-water walleye are predicted to be lost from a large number of lakes (1283 and 1792, respectively) by 2041–2070 across central and southern Ontario. Nevertheless, numerous hospitable lakes will be available to both fishes in Ontario’s far north (OFN), where 108 lakes are predicted to be suitable for lake whitefish and 247 are predicted to be suitable for walleye. Thousands of lakes across Ontario are predicted to be hospitable for rock bass in the future, including 35 locations in OFN. Main Conclusions: Modified logistic regression models, incorporating a minimum of local environmental and climate information, show promise in predicting the future distributions of fishes in Ontario lakes. This is an important first step in building conservation capacity for freshwater fishes in northern regions, where conservation value is very high, but data are particularly limited.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Leonardo Sáenz, Tracy Farrell, Annette Olsson, Will Turner, Mark Mulligan, Natalia Acero, Rachel Neugarten, Max Wright, Madeleine McKinnon, Cesar Ruiz, Jairo Guerrero Freshwater is arguably one of Earth’s most threatened natural resources, on which more than 7 billion people depend. Pressures on freshwater resources from infrastructure, resource development, agricultural pollution and deforestation are mounting, particularly in developing countries. To date, conservation responses such as Protected Areas (PAs) have not typically targeted freshwater ecosystems and their services, and thus little is known about the effectiveness of these efforts in protecting them. This paper proposes and pilots an innovative freshwater services metrics framework to quantify the representation of potential freshwater services in PAs under conditions of scarce data, with a pilot application for Cambodia. Our results indicate that conservation actions have more effectively represented potential freshwater regulation services than potential freshwater provisioning services, with major rivers remaining generally unprotected. Results from the framework are then used to propose a series of context and region specific management options to improve the conservation of freshwater services in Cambodia. There is an acute need for such management options, as the country’s food security depends largely on important freshwater ecosystems such as the Tonle Sap Lake and the deep water pools systems of the Mekong River. The framework proposed can be applied in other countries or large river basins to explore the degree of representation of freshwater services within PAs systems, under conditions of sparse data.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Charles H. Black, Kevin M. Cummins, Dawn M. Lawson, Coralie Cobb Fires in Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs) have been studied widely with emphasis on shrub and grassland vegetation types. Although vernal pools comprise a very small fraction of MTEs, they are important to regional biodiversity due to high local endemism. Fire frequency has been increasing in MTEs and while altered fire regimes have been shown to threaten native shrub communities, their effect on vernal pools is uncertain. Due to the number of at-risk species in this habitat, experiments with potentially harmful effects are problematic. Therefore, we initiated this study to take advantage of two anthropogenic but unplanned fire events. The analysis uses data collected from 2001 to 2009 on a site burned in 2000 and 2003. We analyzed the data in an exploratory framework and applied unadjusted and adjusted models using different parameterizations of the exposure variables. The results did not provide evidence that fire reduced the abundance of native vernal pool species in southern California. There is provisional evidence of a positive but temporary effect of fire on native vernal pool species. Our analysis demonstrates an exploratory analytical approach for use with problematic data sets that can arise when conservation objectives constrain opportunities for experimental studies.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Nophea Sasaki, Kimsun Chheng, Nobuya Mizoue, Issei Abe, Andrew J. Lowe Adoption of the Paris Agreement suggests the urgent need for developing countries to establish a forest reference emission level (FREL) if they wish to seek financial support to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Analysis of past trends of deforestation is important for establishing a FREL, but so far only a handful of studies exist on such analysis at the commune level. We used the available data of forest cover in 2002 and 2006 and forest inventory data to analyze forest cover and carbon stock changes according to seven forest types at commune level in Cambodia. Carbon stocks were estimated in four carbon pools, namely aboveground, belowground, litter and deadwood pools. This analysis formed the basis for determining the FREL at national and provincial levels in Cambodia. We found that carbon emissions due to deforestation were 82.2 TgCO 2 yr − 1 , but carbon sinks (removals) due to increase of forest cover were 72.3 TgCO 2 yr − 1 , representing the net emission loss of 9.9 TgCO 2 yr − 1 between 2002 and 2006. Taking the trend of deforestation between 2002 and 2006 as a baseline, FREL for a 30-year timeframe was estimated for six time intervals. FRELs at national level were estimated to be 26.8 to 69.2 TgCO 2 yr − 1 or up to 36% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Cambodia. Our study provides a first look at how to set subnational and national FRELs for Cambodia using a retrospective approach. Such a framework could form a useful basis for Cambodia to adopt the national and subnational FRELs, for which effective policies can be developed to address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Sapana Lohani, Philip Heilman, J. Edward de Steiguer, D. Phillip Guertin

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Mariah O. Pfleger, Steven J. Rider, Carol E. Johnston, Alexis M. Janosik Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a relatively new technique that has proven to be a successful tool for the detection of rare and/or spatially and temporally variable organisms. For aquatic species, field sampling can require extensive effort and may be unreliable in terms of determining the presence or absence of a target species, especially when the target species is rare. For this study we used eDNA to try to detect Alabama Sturgeon ( Scaphirhynchus suttkusi ) and Gulf Sturgeon ( Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi ) presence in the Mobile River Basin of Alabama. These two sturgeon species make ideal model organisms for examination of this technique in the detection of rare species, as the Alabama Sturgeon is critically endangered and the Gulf Sturgeon is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In spite of the critical need for information on these species, riverine sampling is expensive and produces low detection. Results using eDNA have revealed temporally logical, positive detections of Alabama and Gulf sturgeon throughout the Mobile River Basin sites included in this study. Successful detection of these species could reveal vital information such as understanding of habitat use for management purposes as well as identify specific localities for field sampling. Removal of at least one passage barrier will benefit both of these imperiled fishes. Graphical abstract

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Casey J. Wagnon, Thomas L. Serfass We evaluated the efficacy of placing camera traps at river otter ( Lontra canadensis ) latrines (discrete sites in riparian areas where otters regularly deposit scats, urine, and anal secretions) to detect other carnivores occupying Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey, USA. We postulated that scents at latrines may serve as an attractant to other carnivores and evaluated this premise by using camera traps to compare carnivore detection rates (overall and by species) and richness (overall and for each survey month) between latrine ( n = 5 ) and non-latrine riparian areas ( n = 5 ). On average carnivore richness was about 1.7 times higher than that of a non-latrine, and mean richness was higher at latrines for all survey months. Likewise, the overall carnivore detection frequency was 3.5 times greater at latrines, and the detection frequencies for red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ), northern raccoons ( Procyon lotor ), river otters, mink ( Neovison vison ), long-tailed weasels ( Mustela frenata ), and Virginia opossums ( Didelphis virginiana ) were greater at latrines. American black bears ( Ursus americanus ) and eastern coyotes ( Canis latrans ) where detected more frequently at non-latrines. Our study provides evidence that placement of camera traps at otter latrines may serve as a new and novel approach for monitoring carnivore populations in riparian areas.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Kumiko Sawabe, Yosihiro Natuhara Grasslands in Japan are decreasing in area and becoming increasingly fragmented. To understand how this will affect grassland organisms, it is important to predict species distributions on a landscape scale. Large-scale models are well suited to identifying potential habitats on a regional scale, but the applicability of such models across different landscapes is not clear. In previous studies of the harvest mouse ( Micromys minutus ), local-scale species distribution models (SDMs) have been devised for some areas; however, no studies have compared the applicability of such models between different landscapes. Here, we construct an extensive SDM fitted to two districts of western Japan as well as local models for each district. We also verified the accuracy of these extensive models and the transferability to local models. Extensive models using different landscapes for harvest mice yielded acceptable predictions. Rice paddies and forest areas within a 500m radius and perennial grassland habitats were favored as the predictors of mouse presence in the extensive model. Additionally, it became clear that local models had no transferability to other ranges. In the district with significant amounts of grassland (e.g., rural area), mice preferred larger patches sizes and perennial plant types; however, in the district with fewer grasslands (e.g., urban area), mice initially preferred a larger amount of grassland within a 500-m radius, regardless of patch size. Thus, habitat selection by harvest mice differed between rural and urban areas. These results demonstrate that not only patch quality but also the landscape around the habitat patch are important for habitat selection by the harvest mouse, especially in urban areas with limited grasslands

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Renata S. Mendonça, Rafaela S.C. Takeshita, Tomoko Kanamori, Noko Kuze, Misato Hayashi, Kodzue Kinoshita, Henry Bernard, Tetsuro Matsuzawa We report a case of a juvenile female orangutan ( Pongo pygmaeus morio ) that remained in a durian tree ( Durio zibethinus ) for about one month, nearby a road delimiting Danum Valley Conservation Area (DVCA), East Borneo. The juvenile was rescued and brought to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (SORC). Before rescue and after release, we recorded the juvenile’s activity and collected fecal samples for the determination of fecal glucocorticoids (fGC). We compared the behavior and stress levels between the two conditions and made comparisons with DVCA juveniles. Additionally, we obtained hematological and biochemical parameters pre and post-quarantine, to monitor her health condition and recovery. The pre-quarantine diagnosis revealed dehydration, malnourishment and slight anemia, but after quarantine her condition stabilized. The juvenile showed abnormal activity in both conditions, with high bark consumption before rescue and a high proportion of resting time after release. fGC levels were higher in comparison to DVCA juveniles, and showed a marked increase after the release. The results suggest that rescue programs help reestablish health parameters, but release processes are stressful for wild orangutans. Early separation from the mother in orangutans may occur more often than reported, particularly in fragmented habitats, and result in poor health that could hasten death.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Stephen S. Ban, Hussein M. Alidina, Thomas A. Okey, Rachel M. Gregg, Natalie C. Ban The effects of climate change on marine ecosystems are accelerating. Identifying and protecting areas of the ocean where conditions are most stable may provide another tool for adaptation to climate change. To date, research on potential marine climate refugia has focused on tropical systems, particularly coral reefs. We examined a northeast Pacific temperate region – Canada’s Pacific – to identify areas where physical conditions are stable or changing slowly. We analyzed the rate and consistency of change for climatic variables where recent historical data were available for the whole region, which included sea surface temperature, sea surface height, and chlorophyll a . We found that some regions have been relatively stable with respect to these variables. In discussions with experts in the oceanography of this region, we identified general characteristics that may limit exposure to climate change. We used climate models for sea surface temperature and sea surface height to assess projected future changes. Climate projections indicate that large or moderate changes will occur throughout virtually the entire area and that small changes will occur in only limited portions of the coast. Combining past and future areas of stability in all three examined variables to identify potential climate refugia indicates that only 0.27% of the study region may be insulated from current and projected future change. A greater proportion of the study region (11%) was stable in two of the three variables. Some of these areas overlap with oceanographic features that are thought to limit climate change exposure. This approach allowed for an assessment of potential climate refugia that could also have applications in other regions and systems, but revealed that there are unlikely to be many areas unaffected by climate change.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Sehinde Akinbiola, Olusegun Awotoye, Kayode Adepoju, Ayobami Salami Most forests in the tropics have not only been reduced in size but have also experienced forest degradation. The delicate balance of the components of the forest ecosystem has been altered largely by the landuse systems which have resulted in the disappearance of some species and the introduction of new ones. In order to understand the influence of human disturbance caused by artisanal mining on plant biodiversity and the physical environment, this study assessed changes in vegetation characteristics using plant functional groups, such as invasive, pioneer and understory species. The study was conducted at two sites in two Southwestern states of Nigeria, Itagunmodi in Atakumosa West Local Government Area of Osun State and Olode in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State. Complete enumerations of woody, non-woody and herbaceous plant species were carried out in 20 m by 20 m plots selected using stratified random sampling as representative of landuse classes: freshly mined (〈6 months), abandoned mine (>6 months) and a control plot (secondary forest). The results showed that the control plot in Itagunmodi had undergone degradation as indicated by the presence of Alchornea laxiflora , Geophilia obvallata, Musa sapientum, Elaeis guineensis and Keetia hispida. However, if left undisturbed, it has the potential of regeneration back to its original state because of its woody tree species composition and lianas ( Triclisia gilletii ). In addition the forest soils in the mines had been exposed to direct insolation for a long period, and the soil structure and texture have been affected, consequently altering the viability of the seed bank. Poaceae and Papilionoideae were the most common in the freshly mined plots while invasive species were the most common in abandoned mined plots. In conclusion, the floristic composition in the mining sites has been altered and there was no clear evidence that regrowth would bring restoration of the lost ecosystem services.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Rosangela Lessa, Vandick S. Batista, Francisco M. Santana The daggernose shark, Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus is endemic to the northern of South America from Trinidad and Tobago to Tubarão bay in Maranhão state (Brazil) where collapsed since the 1990’s, due to several gillnet fisheries for teleost fishes, fisheries targeting sharks, including the daggernose shark, itself, and trawling for shrimp. Based on gillnets with meshes 80– > 200 mm, we analyzed the intrinsic and extrinsic vulnerabilities of the species through different scenarios investigating the species’ resilience. Samples were collected from December 1989 to September 1991, off the coast of Maranhão. Mortalities were M = 0.188 and Z = 0.653 for males and 0.725 in females. Only a scenario without fishing allowed for the population to remain in equilibrium. The survival of young specimens between 1 to 6 years was critical to sustainability according to elasticities that exceeded 70%. The intrinsic rebound ( r z ) of 0.039, demonstrated the species low resilience. An unsustainable exploitation was revealed for different ages at first capture ( t c ) when the maximal yield per recruit ( YPR ) provided F m a x (0.15), below the actual F = 0.47 in 1991 when an exploitation rate E = 0.72 was obtained. Using data collected in 1980/1990 the species was globally categorized in 2006 as critically endangered (CR) similar to assessments in Brazil in 2004. After a three-generation period the species, which did not recover, is now collapsed matching the predicted quasi-extinction condition which claims for urgent and effective conservation measures.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Alejandro Frid, Madeleine McGreer, Angela Stevenson Canada’s constitution grants indigenous people priority access to marine resources, yet indigenous, commercial and recreational fishers target the same species. Avoiding conflict between different users, therefore, requires evidence-based policies that manage fisheries for conservation while respecting indigenous rights. From 2006 to 2015, Canada’s Conservative government demoted the role of science in resource management, stifling research by federal agencies like Fisheries and Oceans Canada. To address ensuing data gaps, during 2014–2015 the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xai’Xais, Nuxalk, and Wuikinuxv First Nations conducted coordinated research on Dungeness crab ( Cancer magister ), a culturally-significant resource. These indigenous groups are experiencing declining catch rates of Dungeness crab and postulate that commercial and recreational fisheries are primary causes of local declines. Accordingly, they applied indigenous laws and declared spatial fishery closures for commercial and recreational fishers at 10 sites (closed) while allowing exploitation by all users to continue at 10 other sites (open). Sampling occurred repeatedly over time and analyses compared temporal trends in population characteristics between closed and open sites. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that fisheries decrease the abundance and size of exploited species, but spatial protection can reverse these effects. The body size and catch-per-unit effort of legal-sized males increased over time at closed sites but declined at open sites. Importantly, fishery status did not affect temporal changes in the relative abundance of unfished classes of crab–sublegal males and females–which is logically consistent with the hypothesis. Our study demonstrates that indigenous governance can create spatial closures for conservation and research when Canada’s government fails to do so. Long-term solutions, however, require collaboration in research and management between federal and indigenous governments. Towards that end, Canada’s newly elected Liberal government has begun to restore federal science and to address indigenous rights, thereby enhancing the possibility of such collaboration.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Rickard Abom, Lin Schwarzkopf Fire is frequently used as a management tool to reduce the cover of weeds, to reduce the amount of fuel available for future fires, and to create succession mosaics that may enhance biodiversity. We determined the influence of fire on wildlife, by quantifying reptile assemblage composition in response to fire in a weedy environment characterised by very short-term fire return intervals (〈2 years). We used reptiles because they are often understudied, and are only moderately vagile compared to other vertebrates, and they respond strongly to changes in vegetation structure. We repeatedly sampled 24 replicate sampling sites after they had been unburned for two years, just prior to burning (pre-burnt), just after burning (post-burnt), and up to 15 months after burning (revegetated) and monitored vegetation structure and reptile richness, abundance and assemblage composition. Our sites were not spatially auto-correlated, and were covered by native kangaroo grass ( Themeda triandra ), black spear grass ( Heteropogon contortus ), or an invasive weed (grader grass, Themeda quadrivalvis ). Reptile abundance and richness were highest when sites had been unburned for 2 years, and greatly reduced in all areas post burning. The lowest reptile abundances occurred in sites dominated by the weed. Reptile abundance and richness had recovered in all grass types 15 months after burning, but assemblage composition changed. Some species were present only in before our focus fire in native grass, and their populations did not recover even 15 months post-burning. Even in fire-prone, often-burnt habitats such as our study sites, in which faunal richness and abundance were not strongly influenced by fire, reptile assemblage composition was altered. To maintain faunal biodiversity in fire-prone systems, we suggest reducing the frequency of prescribed fires, and (if possible) excluding fire from weedy invasions if it allows native grasses to return.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Jon P. Beckmann, Sarah H. Olson, Renee G. Seidler, Joel Berger To meet societal demands for energy, ∼ 50,000 gas sites are developed annually in North America, among which many are in western less-developed and wildlife rich areas. To evaluate effects of increasing energy infrastructure requires sufficiently robust study designs, an onerous issue given the vastness of scale, limited funds, and an abject dearth of baseline data. Here we address these issues, first by discussion of the type of approaches needed to develop proper inference about potential effects of energy footprints, and subsequently through an empirical approach by examining the biological performances of more than 370 GPS radio-collared adult female pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana ). A rigorous attempt to examine if industrial development has any impact on pronghorn is based on three assumptions: (i) late-winter body mass reflects a period of inadequate food availability because winter habitat is altered; (ii) variation between population segments reflects spatial differences in food availability, increased energetic costs, or varying survival rates between gas field and non-developed sites; and (iii) reproductive correlates including physiological and immunological markers and adult survival are lower at sites varying in habitat quality. Our study area situated in one of the world’s premier wildlife regions–the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem–harbors approximately 100,000 wintering ungulates, some of North America’s longest migrations, and two of the continent’s largest gas fields. We compared the response of five variables between wild pronghorn in control (not disturbed) and experimental (developed gas fields with well pads, roads, and traffic) sites—pregnancy, chronic stress, immune function, body mass, and adult survival. Despite shifts in animal movements, which included avoidance of energy infrastructure where development is occurring at the highest densities inside two of the largest natural gas fields in North America (Pinedale Anticline Project Area [PAPA] and Jonah fields) and other behavioral or ecological observations of sub-lethal effects, we failed to reject the null hypothesis that development is unrelated to parity in pronghorn biological responses. Studies intent on producing knowledge to assess whether energy development is inimical or not to ungulates will increasingly require appropriate time scales and understanding whether populations are below an expected food ceiling. Further, as with pronghorn in our study region, knowing if individuals are at the limits of their biological range (e.g. altitude) where stressful winter conditions may mask impacts of development is important. Graphical abstract

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): José L. Tella, Sergio A. Lambertucci, Karina L. Speziale, Fernando Hiraldo Most ecosystems of the world are being increasingly invaded by a variety of alien species. However, little is known about the combined ecological impacts of multiple co-occurring invaders. We assessed the impact of a community of exotic mammals (five domestic and four wild) on forests of monkey puzzle ( Araucaria araucana ), a globally endangered tree restricted to ca 400 km 2 on the slopes of the Andes in Chile and Argentina. Seeds of monkey puzzles provide food during winter to a small community of native mice and Austral parakeets ( Enicognathus ferrugineus ). We recorded the number of uneaten seeds and the number of young seedlings at the end of winter under 516 female monkey puzzle trees located across the species’ distribution, and identified the signals of native and exotic species that visited the under-canopy of each tree. Moreover, we studied the diet and foraging behavior of Austral parakeets to explore the potential indirect effects of exotic mammals through the disruption of a key ecosystem service (seed dispersal) supposedly provided by parakeets. All but one tree were visited by at least one seed predator species. Austral parakeets and mice predated seeds from 85% and at least 45% of the trees, respectively, and both the number of remaining seeds and seedlings were significantly larger when only parakeets or mice predated seeds than when exotic mammals also visited the trees. At least 90% of trees were visited by one or more exotic species, and the number of seeds and seedlings dropped drastically when at least two and four exotic species visited the tree, respectively. Austral parakeets mostly foraged on monkey puzzle trees during the winter period and dispersed their seeds in most feeding instances once seeds fell to the ground. The proliferation of exotic mammals may reduce the populations of native seed-predators in the long-term as well as the regeneration of monkey puzzle forests, directly through a reduction of seed availability and seedling survival, and indirectly through the disruption of dispersal processes. Our results show how strategies based on protecting areas may assure the survival of individuals of this long-lived (up to 1300 yr) tree species. However, forest regeneration and the community of native seed-predators and related ecological processes further depend on the proper management of exotic mammal invasions.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Angelina Sanderson Bellamy, Ola Svensson, Paul J. van den Brink, Michael Tedengren Export banana production in Latin America is pesticide intensive, receiving much negative publicity regarding human health problems and environmental degradation. The Rainforest Alliance (RA) certification scheme was established to certify farms that met a number of social, occupation health and environmental standards set by RA and their certifying body, the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). This study was one of the first, independent studies of the environmental impact of some of the principles set by RA and SAN. The study focuses on insect and bird diversity as an indicator of ecosystem health. Five RA certified farms, six non-RA certified farms, and five organic certified farms were sampled. The data was analyzed with RDA multivariate analyses and Monte Carlo permutation tests. The results showed that RA certified farms had less insect diversity compared to non-RA certified farms and that both farm types had less insect diversity than organic farms. There was little difference between RA and non-RA certified farms with regards bird community composition. Thus, organic farming conserves biodiversity, while alternative environmental labels (e.g. a Rainforest alliance seal) may not have any visible positive effect on in-farm biodiversity. This study points to the need for improvements in SAN certification standards to achieve improved environmental conditions.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): James C. Russell, Nik C. Cole, Nicolas Zuël, Gérard Rocamora The diversity of introduced mammals and their introduction history varies greatly across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) islands, from ancient introductions in the past millennia on islands off the East coast of Africa where extant terrestrial native mammal communities exist, to very recent invasions in the past decades on islands in the Mascarene archipelago. We compile the distribution of 16 introduced mammal taxa on 28 island groups comprising almost 2000 islands. Through an exhaustive literature review and expert consultation process we recorded all mammal eradications, and species recoveries which could be attributed to introduced mammal eradication or control. All island groups have been invaded by mammals, and invasive cats and rats in particular are ubiquitous, but cultural contingency has also led to regional invasions by other mammals such as lemurs, civets and tenrecs. Mammal eradications have been attempted on 45 islands in the WIO, the majority in the Seychelles and Mauritius, and where successful have resulted in spectacular recovery of species and ecosystems. Invasive mammalian predator eradication or control in association with habitat management has led to improved conservation prospects for at least 24 species, and IUCN red-list down-listing of eight species, in the Mascarene Islands. Future island conservation prioritisation in the region will need to take account of global climate change and predicted sea-level rises and coastal inundation. Greater investment and prioritisation in island conservation in the region is warranted, given its high biodiversity values and the extent of invasions.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Nicolas Labrière, Bruno Locatelli, Ghislain Vieilledent, Selly Kharisma, Imam Basuki, Valéry Gond, Yves Laumonier Understanding how carbon and biodiversity vary across tropical forest landscapes is essential to achieving effective conservation of their respective hotspots in a global context of high deforestation. Whether conservation strategies aimed at protecting carbon hotspots can provide co-benefits for biodiversity protection, and vice versa, highly depends on the extent to which carbon and biodiversity co-occur at the landscape level. We used field measurements and easily accessible explanatory variables to model aboveground carbon density, soil carbon density and tree alpha diversity (response variables) over a mostly forested area of northern Borneo. We assessed the spatial relationships between response variables and the spatial congruence of their hotspots. We found a significant positive relationship between aboveground carbon density and tree alpha diversity, and an above-than-expected-by-chance spatial congruence of their hotspots. Consequently, the protection of areas of high aboveground carbon density through financial mechanisms such as REDD + is expected to benefit tree diversity conservation in the study area. On the other hand, relationships between soil carbon density and both aboveground carbon density and tree alpha diversity were negative and spatial congruences null. Hotspots of soil carbon density, mostly located in peatlands, therefore need specific conservation regulations, which the current moratorium on peat conversion in Indonesia is a first step toward.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Jukka Miettinen, Chenghua Shi, Soo Chin Liew Insular Southeast Asian peatlands have experienced rapid land cover changes over the past decades inducing a variety of environmental effects ranging from regional consequences on peatland ecology, biodiversity and hydrology to globally significant carbon emissions. In this paper we present the land cover and industrial plantation distribution in the peatlands of Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo in 2015 and analyse their changes since 1990. We create the 2015 maps by visual interpretation of 30 m resolution Landsat data and combine them with fully comparable and completed land cover maps of 1990 and 2007 (Miettinen and Liew, 2010). Our results reveal continued peatland deforestation and conversion into managed land cover types. In 2015, 29% (4.6 Mha) of the peatlands in the study area remain covered by peat swamp forest (vs. 41% or 6.4 Mha in 2007 and 76% or 11.9 Mha in 1990). Managed land cover types (industrial plantations and small-holder dominated areas) cover 50% (7.8 Mha) of all peatlands (vs. 33% 5.2 Mha in 2007 and 11% 1.7 Mha in 1990). Industrial plantations have nearly doubled their extent since 2007 (2.3 Mha; 15%) and cover 4.3 Mha (27%) of peatlands in 2015. The majority of these are oil palm plantations (73%; 3.1 Mha) while nearly all of the rest (26%; 1.1 Mha) are pulp wood plantations. We hope that the maps presented in this paper will enable improved evaluation of the magnitude of various regional to global level environmental effects of peatland conversion and that they will help decision makers to define sustainable peatland management policies for insular Southeast Asian peatlands.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Mariana Munguía, I. Trejo, C. González-Salazar, O. Pérez-Maqueo Drastic changes have been caused by human influence in natural landscapes, which may exert an intensive effect on species loss. However, species loss from human pressure is not random but depends on a series of environmentally associated factors. Linking species traits to environmental attributes may allow us to detect the ecological impacts of habitat so that meaningful habitat degradation gradients can be identified. The relationships between environmental factors and species traits provide the basis for identifying those biological traits that make species more sensitive to disturbance. These relationships are also helpful to detect the geographic distribution of latent risk to reveal areas where biodiversity is threatened. Here, we identify a “Human Impact Gradient for Biodiversity (HIGB)” based on a three-table ordination method (RLQ analysis) and fourth-corner analysis to identify key species traits that are associated with environmental gradient. Species distribution and environmental geographic data were gathered nationwide to analyze 68 localities, which represent 27% of Mexico’s surface, including 211 species of mammals. Nine environmental variables (including biophysical, geophysical and land-use impacts) were analyzed by using the Geographic Information System. Three types of species’ traits were evaluated: locomotion, trophic habit and body size. We identified a human impact gradient, which was mainly determined by the percentage of the area that was covered by seedlings, the plant richness, the understory coverage percentage and the human settlement index. The most important species traits that are associated with non-human-impacted sites were carnivores, frugivores–herbivores and a body size that was greater than 17.8 kg; 25 species were selected by the decision criteria framework for species that were sensitive to degradation based on ecological function information. Conversely, granivores, fossorial and semifossorial traits were associated with highly impacted sites. The environmental attributes were mapped to highlight the spatial patterns of human risk for species. Finally, we highlighted the need to apply science-based monitoring to future research based on the decision criteria framework for selecting species that are sensitive to degradation.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Matthew D. Miller The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) is a famous issue in spatial analysis that states the output of a spatial analysis is influenced by the spatial extent of the units used in the analysis. This study demonstrates that the MAUP is accompanied with another intractable spatial issue in spatial modeling; the Modifiable Conceptual Unit Problem (MCUP). The MCUP states that the conceptualization of spatial processes impacts the output of spatial analysis and occurs when a model with one spatial dimension is applied to a spatial model with more than one spatial dimension. This study demonstrates the MCUP by developing three conceptual models of dispersal and showing how they produce different results even when given the same initial dispersal curves and areal units. Three conceptual models of dispersal ( sum of curve points model, area of distance range model, and the volume of distance range model) are described and applied to a grid landscape with a single point of dispersal and a grid landscape with multiple points of dispersal. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is used to evaluate how the models differ in their distribution of pollen or seeds across the landscapes. The three models of dispersal are each valid conceptualizations of the dispersal process, but when given the same dispersal curve parameters, they produce different distributions of dispersed items across grid landscapes. The sum of curve points model is the least complicated model because it only uses a few points from the defined dispersal curve. The area of distance range model uses the entire dispersal curve, but is based on a single dimension of space and thus conceptually abstracted from the grid landscape. The volume of distance range model uses the two spatial dimensions present in the grid landscape and thus is the most conceptually sound model of the three. The underlying conceptualization of the dispersal process can impact the results of dispersal models. Applying dispersal curves with one spatial dimension to grids with two spatial dimensions makes inherent assumptions about the conceptualization of dispersal. This study highlights the necessity of researchers to declare their conceptual models of dispersal when applying modeled dispersal curves to grid landscapes.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Megan A. Owen, Jennifer L. Keating, Samuel K. Denes, Kathy Hawk, Angela Fiore, Julie Thatcher, Jennifer Becerra, Suzanne Hall, Ronald R. Swaisgood Hearing sensitivity is a fundamental determinant of a species’ vulnerability to anthropogenic noise, however little is known about the hearing capacities of most conservation dependent species. When audiometric data are integrated with other aspects of species’ acoustic ecology, life history, and characteristic habitat topography and soundscape, predictions can be made regarding probable vulnerability to the negative impacts of different types of anthropogenic noise. Here we used an adaptive psychoacoustic technique to measure hearing thresholds in the endangered giant panda; a species that uses acoustic communication to coordinate reproduction. Our results suggest that giant pandas have functional hearing into the ultrasonic range, with good sensitivity between 10.0 and 16.0 kHz, and best sensitivity measured at 12.5–14.0 kHz. We estimated the lower and upper limits of functional hearing as 0.10 and 70.0 kHz respectively. While these results suggest that panda hearing is similar to that of some other terrestrial carnivores, panda hearing thresholds above 14.0 kHz were significantly lower (i.e., more sensitive) than those of the polar bear, the only other bear species for which data are available. We discuss the implications of this divergence, as well as the relationship between hearing sensitivity and the spectral parameters of panda vocalizations. We suggest that these data, placed in context, can be used towards the development of a sensory-based model of noise disturbance for the species.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Christopher P. McKay We present year round meteorological and conductivity measurements of colonized hypolithic rocks in the Arava Valley, Negev Desert, Israel. The data indicate that while dew is common in the Negev it is not an important source of moisture for hypolithic organisms at this site. The dominance of cyanobacteria in the hypolithic community is consistent with predictions that cyanobacteria are confined to habitats supplied by rain. To monitor the presence of liquid water under the small Negev rocks we developed and tested a simple field conductivity system based on two wires placed about 0.5 cm apart. Based on 21 replicates recorded for one year in the Negev we conclude that in natural rains (0.25 mm to 6 mm) the variability between sensor readings is between 20 and 60% decreasing with increasing rain amount. We conclude that the simple small electrical conductivity system described here can be used effectively to monitor liquid water levels in lithic habitats. However, the natural variability of these sensors indicates that several replicates should be deployed. The results and method presented have use in arid desert reclamation programs.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Klemens Pütz, Andrea Raya Rey, Luciano Hiriart-Bertrand, Alejandro Simeone, Ronnie Reyes-Arriagada, Benno Lüthi Ten Humboldt ( Spheniscus humboldti ) and eight Magellanic Penguins ( S. magellanicus ) were successfully equipped with satellite transmitters in March 2009 on Islotes Puñihuil in central south-Chile to follow their post-moult dispersal. Overall, Humboldt Penguins could be followed for a mean period of 49 ±18 days (range: 25–93) and Magellanic Penguins for 57 ±12 days (range 35–68). Irrespective of species and sex, seven study birds remained in the vicinity of their breeding ground throughout the transmission period. All other penguins moved northwards, either only a relatively short distance (max 400 km) to Isla Mocha at 38°S ( n = 3 ) or further north beyond 35°S ( n = 8 ). However, eight of these birds (73%) turned south again towards the end of the individual tracking periods. The total area used by both species during the tracking period was restricted to a coastal area stretching from the breeding site at 42°S about 1000 km to the north at about 32°S. The area used by Humboldt penguins overlapped by 95% the area used by Magellanic penguins, whereas the area used by the latter species was much larger and overlapped only by 45% with the area used by Humboldt penguins. Overall, our results indicate that Magellanic Penguins in the Pacific Ocean are probably less migratory than their conspecifics on the Atlantic side, while Humboldt Penguins appear to be more migratory than previously anticipated. In general, there was a poor relationship between preferred foraging areas and chlorophyll-a, as a proxy for primary productivity, indicating the limitations of using remote-sensed primary productivity as a proxy to interpret the foraging behaviour of marine predators. In addition, there was also no clear relationship between the preferred foraging areas and the amount of regional fish catches by artisanal fishery.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Tinde van Andel, Berry van der Hoorn, Michael Stech, Saskia Bantjes Arostegui, Jeremy Miller Caribbean dry forests are among the most endangered tropical ecosystems on earth. Several studies exist on their floristic composition and their recovery after natural or man-made disturbances, but little is known on the small Dutch Caribbean islands. In this study, we present quantitative data on plant species richness and abundance on St. Eustatius, one of the smallest islands of the Lesser Antilles. We collected and identified trees, shrubs, lianas and herbs in 11 plots of 25 x 25 m in different vegetation types. We compared their floristic composition and structure to vegetation surveys from roughly the same locations in the 1990s and 1950s. We found substantial differences among our 11 plots: vegetation types varied from evergreen forests to deciduous shrubland and open woodland. The number of tree species ≥ 10 cm DBH ranged between one and 17, and their density between three and 82 per plot. In spite that all plots were subject to grazing by free roaming cattle, canopy height and floristic diversity have increased in the last decades. Invasive species are present in the open vegetation types, but not under (partly) closed canopy. Comparison with the earlier surveys showed that the decline of agriculture and conservation efforts resulted in the regeneration of dry forests between the 1950s and 2015. This process has also been reported from nearby islands and offers good opportunities for the future conservation of Caribbean dry forests.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Benjamin Barca, Adrien Lindon, Meredith Root-Bernstein Migratory bird hunting has a long tradition in the Mediterranean, but remains a highly controversial issue. Here we examine the Mediterranean migratory bird hunting controversies through the case of Italy. We interviewed key informants and carried out participant observation on both legal and illegal migratory bird hunting and migratory bird protection, in four key migratory bird hunting sites in Italy. In many cases, both migratory bird hunters and bird protection activists consider themselves as the stewards of nature. Environmentalists accuse hunters of illegal practices, while hunters believe anti-poaching activists aim to threaten the existence of hunting itself. Yet surprisingly, the legality of specific hunting practices emerges as peripheral to the concerns of both groups. The lack of dialogue and increasingly polarized positions on both sides make it difficult to assure compliance with EU and national migratory bird hunting laws, and hinders finding shared solutions that consider differing values in a rapidly changing society.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Alienor Jeliazkov, Yves Bas, Christian Kerbiriou, Jean-François Julien, Caterina Penone, Isabelle Le Viol Monitoring biodiversity over large spatial and temporal scales is crucial to assess the impact of global changes and environmental mitigation measures. However, large-scale monitoring of invertebrates remains poorly developed despite the importance of these organisms in ecosystem functioning. The development of new recording techniques and new methods of automatic species recognition based on sound detection and easily applicable within a citizen-science framework, offers interesting possibilities. However, the value of such protocols has not been tested for the study of temporal trends on a large spatial scale. We used an acoustic region-wide citizen-monitoring program of Orthoptera, conducted along roads, to assess the relevance of automatic species recognition methods to detect temporal trends while taking into account spatial and seasonal patterns of two Orthoptera species activity ( Tettigonia viridissima Linnaeus, 1758, and Ruspolia nitidula Scopoli, 1786) at a large scale. Additionally, we tested the effect of climate and land-use variables on spatio-temporal abundance patterns using generalized linear mixed models. We found negative temporal trends for the two species across the survey period (2006–2012). The spatial variations were largely explained by the geoclimatic conditions and, to a lesser extent, by land use (negative effects of urbanization). The temporal variations were highly correlated to the climatic conditions of the year, and of the previous year (nonlinear effect of temperature, precipitation). To our knowledge, this paper describes the first successful attempt to calculate large-scale temporal trends of insect populations on the basis of an automatic identification process of acoustic data. We argue that acoustic monitoring along roads, coupled with the automatic recognition of species sounds, offers several advantages for assessing Orthoptera biodiversity response to global changes and environmental measures. Graphical abstract

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Shermin de Silva Conservation biology is conceived as a discipline that must balance the short-term aim of gathering data on pressing conservation issues with the long-term vision of protecting populations, species, and functional ecosystems. Asian wildlife face imminent threats ranging from hunting to loss of critical habitats, but there are few examples of detailed longitudinal wildlife research in the region. Longitudinal research is essential for protecting populations especially in light of the high volumes of legal and illegal trade, understanding basic population dynamics, notably with respect to long-lived species, as well as accommodating the spatial needs of animals. It is also critical for evaluating the success of conservation or management interventions and adaptively improving outcomes. Such studies, particularly when requiring sustained field work, are impeded by mismatches between needs on the ground vs. the priorities of different stakeholders, the ephemeral and inefficient nature of funding mechanisms, and by the logistics of maintaining sites and personnel. Yet we cannot adequately protect biodiversity in Asia unless the magnitude of human impacts on its species is quantitatively understood and used to inform management. Graphical abstract

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): P. Kretzschmar, S. Kramer-Schadt, L. Ambu, J. Bender, T. Bohm, M. Ernsing, F. Göritz, R. Hermes, J. Payne, N. Schaffer, S.T. Thayaparan, Z.Z. Zainal, T.B. Hildebrandt, H. Hofer The reasons for catastrophic declines of Sumatran rhinos are far from clear and data necessary to improve decisions for conservation management are often lacking. We reviewed literature and assembled a comprehensive data set on surveys of the Sumatran rhino subspecies ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni ) in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo to chart the historical development of the population in Sabah and its exploitation until the present day. We fitted resource selection functions to identify habitat features preferred by a remnant population of rhinos living in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah, and ran a series of population viability analyses (PVAs) to extract the key demographic parameters most likely to affect population dynamics. We show that as preferred habitat, the individuals in the reserve were most likely encountered in elevated areas away from roads, in close distance to mud-volcanoes, with a low presence of human trespassers and a wallow on site, and within a neighbourhood of dense forest and grassland patches preferably on Fluvisols and Acrisols. Our population viability analyses identified the percentage of breeding females and female lifetime reproductive period as the crucial parameters driving population dynamics, in combination with total protection even moderate improvements could elevate population viability substantially. The analysis also indicates that unrestrained hunting between 1930 and 1950 drastically reduced the historical rhino population in Sabah and that the remnant population could be rescued by combining the effort of total protection and stimulation of breeding activity. Based on our results, we recommend to translocate isolated reproductively healthy individuals to protected locations and to undertake measures to maximise conceptions, or running state-of-the-art reproductive management with assisted reproduction techniques. Our study demonstrates that a judicious combination of techniques can do much to illuminate causes of population declines, improve decision making for conservation management and possibly prevent similar developments in populations of other species of similar ecological standing.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Laura Tensen Wild animals and their derivatives are traded worldwide. Consequent poaching has been a main threat to species conservation. As current interventions and law enforcement cannot circumvent the resulting extinction of species, an alternative approach must be considered. It has been suggested that commercial breeding can keep the pressure off wild populations, referred to as wildlife farming. During this review, it is argued that wildlife farming can benefit species conservation only if the following criteria are met: (i) the legal products will form a substitute, and consumers show no preference for wild-caught animals; (ii) a substantial part of the demand is met, and the demand does not increase due to the legalized market; (iii) the legal products will be more cost-efficient, in order to combat the black market prices; (iv) wildlife farming does not rely on wild populations for re-stocking; (v) laundering of illegal products into the commercial trade is absent. For most species encountered in the wildlife trade, these criteria are unlikely to be met in reality and commercial breeding has the potential to have the opposite effect to what is desired for conservation. For some species, however, none of the criteria are violated, and wildlife farming can be considered a possible conservation tool as it may help to take the pressure off wild populations. For these species, future research should focus on the impact of legal products on the market dynamics, effective law enforcement that can prevent corruption, and wildlife forensics that enable the distinction between captive-bred and wild-caught species.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): C. Battisti, L. Fortunati, V. Ferri, D. Dallari, G. Lucatello We studied a set of common breeding birds living in a heterogeneous oak wood mosaic of Apennines (central Italy) where a wind farm occurred. Aim to assess differences in composition and structure between a treatment area (with wind farm turbines) and a control area (without wind farm turbines). We did not observe differences at assemblage (uni-and bi-variate metrics of diversity: mean species richness, Shannon–Wiener diversity index, evenness, Whittaker β w index and diversity/dominance diagrams), guild and species level (relative frequencies). The limited habitat perforation and dissection induced by wind farm turbines and service roads (10% in area) and the consequent changes in spatial heterogeneity and level of anthropogenic disturbance (induced by a higher motor-car and people frequentation) did not seem to affect the breeding bird communities in oak mosaics, as supported also by the diversity/dominance analysis. However, our preliminary conclusions are limited only to the indirect impact on common breeding bird species and are not related on to possible direct impacts deriving from wind farm facilities and related infrastructures (e.g., direct impact for collision). Moreover, further research is necessary to detect possible higher thresholds in habitat perforation that may induce changes in breeding bird assemblages.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Fery Kurniawan, Luky Adrianto, Dietriech G. Bengen, Lilik Budi Prasetyo The Indonesian government is currently directing its focus of development on the optimum uses of marine and coastal ecosystem services including the marine and coastal tourism. One of the main locus of coastal and marine tourism is the small islands tourism such as Gili Matra Islands among others. Small islands tourism is one of the favourite touristic activities because the destination provides beauty, exotism, aesthetic and a diversity of natural habitats including the warm, clear and attractive water. Tourism is being considered as a development instrument in order to boost a country’s economy and has become part of the global industry. However, tourism is also one of the actors that is responsible for environmental depletion, due to the constructions of buildings and tourism activities. This paper aims to study the level of vulnerability in small islands to tourism as a basis of integrated small islands management in Indonesian conservation area. The group of islands in this study consists of three islands namely Gili Ayer Island, Gili Meno Island and Gili Trawangan Island (known as Gili Matra Islands) that were observed using Small Islands Vulnerability Index (SIVI). The results indicate that Gili Matra Islands have a vulnerability status from low into moderate, ranging from 2.25 to 2.75. Gili Ayer Island has the highest vulnerability with SIVI of 2.75 (Moderate), followed by Gili Meno Island with SIVI of 2.50 (Low) and Gili Trawangan Island with SIVI of 2.25 (Low). The driving factor of vulnerability is the intensive utilization of marine tourism activities. Tourism is the sole stress to Gili Matra Island’s ecosystem due to its direct damaging impact and reducing its environmental quality. The vulnerability index which was built from the coastline, coral reef, live coral reef, and development area was applicable to assess the small island’s vulnerability in Indonesia, especially for coral island.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Jessie Yc Han, HaiFeng Xiao, JiangYun Gao Paphiopedilum spicerianum (Rchb. f) Pfitzer has only one wild population with 38 individuals in Pu’er, southern China, and has been closely monitored under the Plant Species with Extremely Small Population project launched in 2005. Immediate conservation actions, including ex situ conservation, pollination observations, and studies of asymbiotic germination, reintroduction and relocation to new habitats have been conducted because the single existing population is threatened by habitat degradation. In this study, next generation sequencing by Illumina MiSeq with primer pair ITS-3 (F) and ITS-4OF (R) amplified ITS 2 region was conducted to identify and explore the associated uncultivatable fungal community structure and dynamics through seasonal and environmental changes. Assessments of the entire fungal communities from different seasons and habitats indicated that the communities were sensitive to changes in habitat but not to seasonal changes. Between plant roots and soil, two independent fungal communities and compartmentalization of microhabitats were detected. Hydrolysable nitrogen, total phosphorous, and water content were the most significant factors for fungal communities. Fungal community change could be related to nutrient requirements and plant phenology. Paphiopedilum spicerianum can associate with a wide range of orchid mycorrhizal fungal genera and is capable of utilizing different genera simultaneously. The low specificity to mycorrhizal fungi in adult Paphiopedilum spicerianum suggests that the choice of locations for new populations might be broader than initially anticipated.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Juanita Joseph, Hideaki Nishizawa, Wahidah M. Arshaad, Syed Abdullah S. Kadir, Saifullah A. Jaaman, James Bali, Noorul Azliana Jamaludin, Masaya Katoh Knowledge of genetics composition and growth stages of endangered green turtles, as well as the connectivity between nesting and foraging grounds is important for effective conservation. A total of 42 green turtles were captured at Brunei Bay with curved carapace length ranging from 43.8 to 102.0 cm, and most sampled individuals were adults and large juveniles. Twelve haplotypes were revealed in mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. Most haplotypes contained identical sequences to haplotypes previously found in rookeries in the Western Pacific, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. Haplotype and nucleotide diversity indices of the Brunei Bay were 0.8444 ± 0.0390 and 0.009350 ± 0.004964 , respectively. Mixed-stock analysis (for both uninformative and informative prior weighting by population size) estimated the main contribution from the Southeast Asian rookeries of the Sulu Sea (mean ≥ 45.31 % ), Peninsular Malaysia (mean ≥ 17.42 % ), and Sarawak (mean ≥ 12.46 % ). Particularly, contribution from the Sulu Sea rookery was estimated to be the highest and lower confidence intervals were more than zero ( ≥ 24.36 % ). When estimating contributions by region rather than individual rookeries, results showed that Brunei Bay was sourced mainly from the Southeast Asian rookeries. The results suggest an ontogenetic shift in foraging grounds and provide conservation implications for Southeast Asian green turtles.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6 Author(s): Jonathan David Morales Méndez, Ramón Silva Rodríguez This work is an attempt to develop a corporate social responsibility (CSR) profile based on the practices and processes used by the mining companies present in the Santurban moorland, in the department of Santander. To achieve this, a census was applied based on 82 variables in 6 planes related to corporate social responsibility and the stakeholders. Information was collected between June of 2013 and May of 2014 using a census that was applied only to those mining companies with current registrations in the Bucaramanga Chamber of Commerce and with more than 10 employees each. The results enabled the evaluation of sectorial strengths as well as those elements that need to be improved in order to achieve an optimal level of CSR. The weaknesses found in the gold companies include: lack of clear and transparent hiring practices; lack of programs for employees who are mothers with small children; and lack of sufficient tools for identifying the needs of the closest community to the sites. They do practice diverse social investment strategies but do not track the impact of applying these in the region. It was also found that they have no clear processes for identifying, selecting, contracting and evaluating their suppliers. The greatest weakness found was with respect to the Client given that they have no client service department. The strengths found amongst the Mining Companies in the Santurban Moorland include that most of them do have a CSR policy or strategy and demonstrate a positive attitude towards implementing this kind of program. In addition, they have gender equity and anti-discrimination policies and agreements that go beyond they law.

Description: Publication date: January 2017 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 9 Author(s): Sanjay Gubbi, N.S. Harish, Aparna Kolekar, H.C. Poornesha, Vasanth Reddy, Javeed Mumtaz, M.D. Madhusudan To conserve a large, wide-ranging carnivore like the tiger, it is critical not only to maintain populations at key habitat sites, but also to enable the persistence of the species across much larger landscapes. To do this, it is important to establish well-linked habitat networks where sites for survival and reproduction of tigers are complemented by opportunities for dispersal and colonization. On the ground, expanding protection to areas with a potential for tiger recovery still remains the means of operationalizing the landscape approach. Yet, while the gazetting of protected areas is necessary to enable this, it is not sufficient. It is essential to benchmark and monitor the process by which establishment of protected areas must necessarily be followed by management changes that enable a recovery of tigers, their prey and their habitats. In this paper, we report a case study from the Cauvery and Malai Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuaries of southern India, where we document the infrastructural and institutional changes that ensued after an unprecedented expansion of protected areas in this landscape. Further, we establish ecological benchmarks of the abundance and distribution of tigers, the relative abundance of their prey, and the status of their habitats, against which the recovery of tigers in this area of vast conservation potential may be assessed over time.

Description: Publication date: January 2017 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 9 Author(s): Richard E. Feldman, Michael J.L. Peers, Rob S.A. Pickles, Daniel Thornton, Dennis L. Murray Species interactions like parasitism influence the outcome of climate-driven shifts in species ranges. For some host species, parasitism can only occur in that part of its range that overlaps with a second host species. Thus, predicting future parasitism may depend on how the ranges of the two hosts change in relation to each other. In this study, we tested whether the climate driven species range shift of Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) accounts for predicted changes in parasitism of two other species from the family Cervidae, Alces alces (moose) and Rangifer tarandus (caribou), in North America. We used MaxEnt models to predict the recent (2000) and future (2050) ranges (probabilities of occurrence) of the cervids and a parasite Parelaphostrongylus tenuis (brainworm) taking into account range shifts of the parasite’s intermediate gastropod hosts. Our models predicted that range overlap between A. alces / R. tarandus and P. tenuis will decrease between 2000 and 2050, an outcome that reflects decreased overlap between A. alces / R. tarandus and O. virginianus and not the parasites, themselves. Geographically, our models predicted increasing potential occurrence of P. tenuis where A. alces / R. tarandus are likely to decline, but minimal spatial overlap where A. alces / R. tarandus are likely to increase. Thus, parasitism may exacerbate climate-mediated southern contraction of A. alces and R. tarandus ranges but will have limited influence on northward range expansion. Our results suggest that the spatial dynamics of one host species may be the driving force behind future rates of parasitism for another host species.

Description: Publication date: January 2017 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 9 Author(s): David Spencer, David Haukos, Christian Hagen, Melinda Daniels, Doug Goodin Since the beginning of the 20th century, the overall occupied range of the lesser prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ) has declined by 84% commensurate with population trends. Much of this decline has been attributed to the loss and fragmentation of native grasslands throughout the lesser prairie-chicken range. However, quantification of changes in land cover in the distribution of the lesser prairie-chicken is lacking. Our objectives were to (1) document changes in the areal extent and connectivity of grasslands in the identified lesser prairie-chicken range in Kansas, USA, (>60% of extant lesser prairie-chicken population) from the 1950s to 2013 using remotely sensed data and (2) assess the potential of the Conservation Reserve Program (U.S. Department of Agriculture Program converting cropland to permanent cover; CRP) to mitigate grassland loss. Digital land cover maps were generated on a decadal time step through spectral classification of LANDSAT images and visual analysis of aerial photographs (1950s and 1960s). Landscape composition and configuration were assessed using FRAGSTATS to compute a variety of landscape metrics measuring changes in the amount of grassland present as well as changes in the size and configuration of grassland patches. With the exception of a single regional portion of the range, nearly all of the grassland converted to cropland in the lesser prairie-chicken range of Kansas occurred prior to the 1950s. Prior to the implementation of CRP, the amount of grassland decreased 3.6% between the 1950s and 1985 from 18,455 km 2 to 17,788 km 2 . Since 1985, the overall amount of grassland in the lesser prairie-chicken range has increased 11.9% to 19,898 km 2 due to implementation of CRP, although the area of grassland decreased between 1994 and 2013 as CRP contracts were not renewed by landowners. Since 1986 grassland in Kansas became more connected and less fragmented in response to the CRP. While the CRP has been successful in increasing grassland quantity and connectivity throughout the lesser prairie-chicken range in Kansas, offsetting loss of grassland since the 1950s, abundance and occupied range of lesser prairie-chickens has declined since the 1980s, suggesting that habitat quality is the principal factor influencing population demography of the species. Although the CRP is contributing to conservation actions for lesser prairie-chickens, efforts to improve habitat quality throughout the range of the lesser prairie-chicken are likely necessary to meet management goals. Continuation of the CRP faces an uncertain future in the face of rising commodity prices, energy development, and reduction in program scope, leaving open the possibility that these areas that have created habitat for lesser prairie-chickens could be lost.

Description: Publication date: January 2017 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 9 Author(s): Elena Bassi, Antonio Canu, Ilaria Firmo, Luca Mattioli, Massimo Scandura, Marco Apollonio Hybridization between wolves ( Canis lupus ) and domestic dogs ( Canis familiaris ) can represent a threat to wild populations via genetic introgression and ecological competition. Therefore understanding the ecological role of hybrids may be crucial for developing appropriate conservation strategies. The Italian wolf population has a peculiar genetic composition due to a long-lasting geographic isolation. Nowadays, however, its genetic integrity is threatened by the spread of canine genes as a result of the hybridization with stray dogs in the wild. The aim of the present study was to gain insights into the ecological role of free-ranging wolf–dog hybrids by investigating their winter food habits in comparison with wolves in a mountain area of Central Italy. Levels of genetic introgression from the dogs were assessed in two adjacent areas occupied by up to five different packs by analyzing non-invasive samples and carcasses collected therein with a set of uniparental and bi-parental molecular markers. The obtained results enabled us to classify the two areas as ‘hybrid’ and ‘wolf’ areas based on their level of genetic introgression. Trophic niche and similarity/dissimilarity analyses did not detect significant difference in the diet between the two areas: in both of them, wild boar was the main prey, followed by roe deer. Furthermore, the same age/body mass classes of the two ungulates were selected by wolves and hybrids. Our findings confirmed wolf–dog hybrids as potential competitors for wolves. Further studies on other aspects of their biology and ecology are recommended in order to better estimate the impact of hybridization on natural wolf populations.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Yonten Jamtsho, Sangay Wangchuk Bhutan has 2 of the 8 species of bears recorded in the world: Asiatic black bear and Sloth bear. Asiatic black bear is listed in Appendix I of the CITES and categorized as vulnerable in IUCN Red List. Asiatic black bear is increasingly becoming nuisance to people by attacking crops, livestock and even humans, threatening its own existence as a result of retaliation. With the need to understand the interactions between the communities living within the Wangchuck Centennial National Park (WCNP) and the Asiatic black bears, 620 households in and around WCNP were interviewed in 2010. Between 1960 and 2010, Asiatic black bears mauled 40 people in and around WCNP and four district hospitals within which WCNP operates recorded 19 cases of humans mauled by bear from 2013 to 2015. Majority (45% and 43% of respondents) reported the crop and livestock depredation during summer and autumn season respectively and 75% of the respondents reported sighting bear in 2010. About 52% of respondents believed that killing of bears could reduce the conflict, which may be a potential threat to the bear, though stringent conservation rules of the country restricts killing it. Community outreach programs like creating awareness on importance of bear and its habitat conservation may be pursued to help reduce the conflict. Integrated conservation measures such as providing electric fences may be initiated to help garner support for conservation. This may ensure the survival of Asiatic black bear, and also reduce the significant economic losses to inhabitants in and around WCNP.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Benard S. Guedes, Bengt A. Olsson, Erik Karltun There is a strong need in Mozambique to counteract decades of deforestation and forest degradation by planting new forests. Plantations of Pinus/Eucalyptus species and maintenance of mature miombo forests are activities supported by the REDD+ mechanism (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) in climate negotiations. This study examined the effects of first-rotation P. taeda L. (Loblolly pine) and E. grandis Hill ex Maiden plantations (ca. 34 years old) on soil carbon status compared with adjacent dry miombo forest. At three study sites located in the Western Highlands of Manica Province, Mozambique, study plots with Pinus taeda, Eucalyptus grandis and mixed-deciduous miombo species were delineated. The selection criteria were (i) forest stand of first-rotation plantation of Pinus/Eucalyptus , located adjacent to miombo forest, (ii) plantations established on soils similar to miombo forest soils, and (iii) former land use similar to that at current miombo sites. Stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (N) and extractable phosphorus (P) were quantified. Soil pH (H 2 O), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation (BS) were measured in soil extracted with ammonium acetate. Plantations of P. taeda and E. grandis increased total SOC stocks (0–50 cm) and N stocks in the top 10 cm. Assuming steady state in the miombo stands, the estimated net stock change in soil carbon was 1.41 Mg ha −1 yr −1 in P. taeda and 1.53 Mg ha −1 yr −1 in E. grandis stands. Estimated N accumulation rate was 32 kg ha −1 yr −1 in P. taeda and E. grandis stands. P. taeda had no significant effect on extractable P, soil pH and BS, but had significantly higher. CEC compared with miombo forest soil. E. grandis decreased P stocks, but increased soil pH and BS. Overall, P. taeda and E. grandis plantation had a large impact on SOC in dry miombo forest and also affected soil acidity and soil nutrient status, except for total soil N stocks. These effects of tree plantation on soil reflected differences in management practices between miombo forest and plantations, with the latter being subjected to better protection against fires and illegal cutting.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Gregory P. Asner, Roberta E. Martin With the goal of advancing remote sensing in biodiversity science, Spectranomics represents an emerging approach, and a suite of quantitative methods, intended to link plant canopy phylogeny and functional traits to their spectral-optical properties. The current Spectranomics database contains about one half of known tropical forest canopy tree species worldwide, and has become a forecasting asset for predicting aspects of plant functional and biological diversity to be remotely mapped and monitored with current and future spectral remote sensing technology. To mark ten years of Spectranomics, we review recent scientific outcomes to further stimulate engagement in the use of spectral remote sensing for biodiversity and functional ecology research. In doing so, we highlight three major emerging opportunities for the science and conservation communities based on Spectranomics.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Thi Hoa Hong Dao, Joachim Saborowski, Dirk Hölscher In tropical forest conservation, areas with full statutory protection are often surrounded by buffer zones. Information on the patterns of tree community structure differences in these zones is helpful to evaluate the conservation efficacy. Our study was implemented within a biodiversity hotspot, in the Ta Xua Nature Reserve of north-western Vietnam, which has a statutorily protected core zone and a buffer zone, where local H’Mong people are permitted low intensity forest use. The forests are rich in tree species (249 observed). Many of these tree species provide non-timber forest products (NTFPs) (48%) or valuable timber (22%), and 18 species are red-listed. Overall tree density was not different in the two zones, but tree diameter and species richness were lower in the buffer zone. At the tree level, logistic regression analysis indicated that red-listed status, large diameter, and low density of conspecifics increased the probability of tree absence from the buffer zone but not the potential use as a NTFP. However, most NTFP species had different densities in the core and buffer zones, and this correlated with signs of human interference. At the species level, the density of species was the most important variable, and rarity strongly increased the probability of species absence. Our results also indicate that rare and red-listed trees were depleted in the buffer zone. In consideration of conservation goals, the future monitoring of these species at the Ta Xua Nature Reserve and other protected areas is needed, and conservation measures most likely need to be improved.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Lemessa Kumsa, Kristoffer Hylander, Dessalegn Gurmessa, Sileshi Nemomissa Effective conservation of biodiversity in patches of (semi-) natural vegetation is dependent on an understanding of the influence of management as well as spatial and temporal factors. In southwestern Ethiopia coffee generally grown under a rather dense layer of indigenous trees (so called semi-forest coffee - SFC) often in patches embedded in an open agricultural landscape. The aim of the study was to disentangle what governs the variation in species richness of woody species among such patches. We collected data on species and possible explanatory factors in 40  ×  40 m plots centered in 40 SFC patches, measured the patch area for 1987 and 2013, and the amount of surrounding SFC-area for each patch. We recorded the number of coffee stems and the level of disturbance caused by slashing of the understory vegetation. Species richness of large coffee shade trees (>20 cm in diameter) was higher in larger patches with even slightly better fit of the statistical models when the historical area was taken into account. However, most species of large trees also occurred as seedlings showing that there is still a potential to conserve these species in the patches. Coffee management negatively affected the richness and density of woody species, especially in the intermediate size class (1.6–20 cm diameter). Disturbances accompanying coffee management such as slashing of the ground vegetation also negatively affected tree seedling density as well as species richness. There was no effect of connectivity on species richness. Based on the combination of these results we conclude that small patches of semi-forest coffee had fewer species of large trees, not because of a lack of tree seedlings, but probably because of differentiated local extinctions, perhaps during the time when the species were intermediate sized. To maintain the species richness of large trees in semi-forest coffee patches, the sites need to be actively managed.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Mercédesz Ludányi, E.T.H.M Edwin Peeters, Béla Kiss, Ivo Roessink Three native crayfish species, i.e.~ Astacus astacus , Astacus leptodactylus and Austropotamobius torrentium , occur in Hungary. Lately, however, non-indigenous crustaceans have also invaded the country Their most recent distribution and impact on the occurrences of the native species is not clear. Consequently, the first object of the present study was to investigate the present-day distribution and habitat preference of the native and invasive crayfish and crab species in Hungary according to water types and surface water velocity values. The second aim was to investigate the changes in the distribution patterns of all species over the last 20 years and to identify potential risks for native species in Hungary. Although A. astacus was discovered on several new locations the overall distribution of the species is decreasing. The rarest crayfish is A. torrentium which was found only at three locations, making this the most endangered crayfish in Hungary. Although A leptodactylus used to occur especially in the main branches of the Danube and Tisza Rivers it shifted towards its tributaries after O. limosus appeared here. Despite their overlapping habitat preference and the fact that O. limosus is a carrier of the lethal crayfish plague, both species still co-occur at a few locations in Hungary Pacifastacus leniusculus is invading the country from the West and although it is not present in large numbers yet, it has replaced the local A. astacus populations and may further impact its distribution when it further increases its range in the future. Although occurrences of the Chinese mitten crab ( Eriocheir sinensis ) the marbled crayfish ( Procambarus fallax f. virginalis ) and the red swamp crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii ) have been reported in the literature, these species were not encountered during the survey Thus indicating that their occurrence in Hungary is not widespread yet. The increasing distribution of the invaders forms a constant threat to native crayfish populations in Hungary To ensure the survival of the native species it is important to keep track of the ongoing changes in crayfish distributions. Nevertheless, additional protection measures will be required to safe-guard the survival of the native crayfish populations in Hungary.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Yao Sadaiou Sabas Barima, Akoua Tamia Madeleine Kouakou, Issouf Bamba, Yao Charles Sangne, Michel Godron, Julien Andrieu, Jan Bogaert The aim of this study is to determine landscape dynamics in the classified forest of Haut-Sassandra (CFHS) during the periods of conflict in Ivory Coast (or Côte d’Ivoire). To achieve this, the land cover of this protected area was determined by classifying satellite images obtained before, during and after the conflicts, and via ground surveys. Metrics of landscape ecology were calculated. A ground campaign for observing the CFHS’s flora and damages incurred was carried out using a sampling of eighteen 500 m-long transects. The results show that forest fragmentation intensified during and after the period of conflicts. Forests covered over 93% of the CFHS’s area before conflicts and under 28% in 2015. The main cause of this deforestation is cacao growing. Anthropic activities caused the loss of 40% of plant species, including some which are endemic in Ivory Coast.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): David C. Marvin, Lian Pin Koh, Antony J. Lynam, Serge Wich, Andrew B. Davies, Ramesh Krishnamurthy, Emma Stokes, Ruth Starkey, Gregory P. Asner Integration of multiple technologies greatly increases the spatial and temporal scales over which ecological patterns and processes can be studied, and threats to protected ecosystems can be identified and mitigated. A range of technology options relevant to ecologists and conservation practitioners are described, including ways they can be linked to increase the dimensionality of data collection efforts. Remote sensing, ground-based, and data fusion technologies are broadly discussed in the context of ecological research and conservation efforts. Examples of technology integration across all of these domains are provided for large-scale protected area management and investigation of ecological dynamics. Most technologies are low-cost or open-source, and when deployed can reach economies of scale that reduce per-area costs dramatically. The large-scale, long-term data collection efforts presented here can generate new spatio-temporal understanding of threats faced by natural ecosystems and endangered species, leading to more effective conservation strategies.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Eve Afonso, Pierline Tournant, Jean-Christophe Foltête, Patrick Giraudoux, Pierre-Emmanuel Baurand, Sébastien Roué, Victoria Canella, Danièle Vey, Renaud Scheifler While the lesser horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus hipposideros ) was common in most western and Central Europe, this species endured a dramatic decline in the 1950s–1970s. The causes are thought to comprise the extensive spread of chemical pollutants affecting both bat and prey populations, changes in landscape composition and structure leading to population fragmentation or roost deterioration, and infectious diseases. While lesser horseshoe bat populations recently increased after nearly thirty years of decline in the Franche-Comté region (eastern France), it is unclear whether bats are currently confronted with causes that may have contributed to former demographic disturbances. Although stressors are generally studied separately, we simultaneously measured several variables directly or indirectly reflecting the supposed causes of bat decline: availability of woodland habitats around bat roosts, genetic differentiation amongst colonies, and exposure to chemical pollutants and to a protozoan parasite, Eimeria hessei . Twenty maternity colonies were sampled using a non-invasive approach based on droppings. Maternity roosts were located in buildings mainly surrounded by woodland and shrubland (48% of a 2500 m radius buffer around the colonies), which are preferentially used by the lesser horseshoe bat as foraging areas. Low genetic differentiation ( F ST = 0 . 023 –0.028, D = 0 . 076 –0.097) and no genetic clusters were found among the 20 sampled colonies, in which 449 individuals were distinguished over two sampling sessions (2010 and 2011). This suggests that no obvious physical barrier acts as a constraint with respect to gene flow, and we conclude that all individuals sampled belong to a unique non-fragmented population. Among the 66 chemical substances measured in bat droppings, the insecticides endosulfan alpha ( 0 . 035 μ g∕g dm ) and lindane (from 0.013 to 0 . 112 μ g∕g dm ) were the only organic compounds found at detectable concentrations in one and 7 colonies, respectively. Fourteen metals were measured in the guano. Metal concentrations were lower than or of the same order of magnitude as concentrations reported in bats in the literature. The overall faecal prevalence of E . hessei was 42% (range: 0%–80%) and did not differ between the two sampling sessions. Faecal prevalence was not related to lindane concentrations in droppings. Despite the low concentrations of metals, a positive relationship was found between cadmium and zinc concentrations and E. hessei faecal prevalence. Although it is difficult to conclude on the risks of adverse effects due to the lack of both toxicological references and knowledge on E. hessei pathogenicity, this study stresses out the interest of systemic approaches in the study of ecology of wildlife species, especially via the investigation of multiple exposures.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Abigail Powell, Dominique Pelletier, Timothy Jones, Delphine Mallet Marine protected areas (MPA) and in particular no-take marine reserves have been identified as important tools for the conservation of reef fish and habitats. A significant challenge of reef fish monitoring is to determine the influence of temporal factors on fish counts. Fish assemblages are dynamic and changes in activity patterns throughout the day can influence the results of surveys. While many monitoring programs account for the impacts of spatial heterogeneity on fish assemblages the effects of short-term temporal variation are less well known. In the present study, we analysed data from 197 video drops inside and outside New Caledonian MPAs and examined temporal variations in various metrics commonly used to monitor marine reserves. In addition to describing short-term temporal patterns related to time of day, tide height and state, and lunar cycle; we also examined the influence of these temporal factors on the size and direction of any MPA effects detected. Fewer Serranidae were observed at full moon than the rest of the lunar cycle and there were negative correlations between Chaetodontidae and Acanthuridae abundance and tide height. We did not find any consistent effects of time of day. Generally, variation in short term temporal factors did not affect the direction MPA effects detected but did affect the size of the effects for some metrics. For both small fish abundance and species richness, bigger differences between protected and unprotected sites were detected at high tide than low tide. These results highlight how survey results can vary with timing of sampling and have implications for developing optimal monitoring programs.

Description: Publication date: January 2017 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 9 Author(s): M. Abdul Aziz, Simon Tollington, Adam Barlow, John Goodrich, Mohammad Shamsuddoha, M. Anwarul Islam, Jim J. Groombridge Poaching of tigers and their key prey threatens the survival of tigers across their range. This study investigated the methods, intensity, and driving factors of tiger and prey poaching in the Sundarbans Reserved Forest of Bangladesh, to help better design and direct future management interventions. The study identified a range of snaring methods used to catch prey and an approach to killing tigers by poisoning prey carcasses with a Carbofuran pesticide. We recorded six poisoned baits set to kill tigers and 1427 snare loops in 56 snare sets to kill tiger prey. With an average of 23 snare loops/snare set, this is equivalent to an estimated 6268 snare loops across the Sundarbans or 147 snare loops/100 km 2 . Poachers selected sites that tended to be away from guard posts, and close to river banks, but were not influenced by protected area status or distance to the forest boundary. The current poaching pressure is likely to have contributed to a recent decline in relative tiger abundance. We recommend using better regulation of Carbofuran use across tiger range countries, and using remote camera traps set up around snares and poisoned baits to help authorities identify poachers for arrest. This study demonstrates a simple approach to investigating the methods, intensity and distribution of poaching, that could be replicated across all tiger landscapes to better direct mitigating actions and monitor changes in threat levels over time.

Description: Publication date: January 2017 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 9 Author(s): Alexander Martynov, Kazunori Hasegawa, Tatiana Korshunova The marine gastropod Japonacteon nipponensis is a representative species of endangered tidal flat environments in northeastern Asia. It is rated near-threatened in Japanese Red Data Books. A population of a closely similar species had also been recognized in the Russian part of the Sea of Japan at a single locality in Sukhodol Bay and was recently distinguished taxonomically as a subspecies distinct from the Japanese populations. Here we present for the first time molecular evidence that confirms that both populations represent J. nipponensis with little genetic distance. The Russian population of this near-threatened species will be included in a forthcoming edition of the Red Data Book of Russia. Tidal flats in Japan and elsewhere in Asia have been seriously impacted in recent years by intensive coastal development. Although the sole known locality of this species in Russia in Sukhodol Bay is still intact, there are plans to construct a large coal terminal on the bay. The presence not only of this particular species but also of others specifically associated with this particular kind of biotope make it desirable to protect the whole habitat of Sukhodol Bay and surrounding localities in the Russian part of the Sea of Japan.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Sarah Heinrich, Talia A. Wittmann, Thomas A.A. Prowse, Joshua V. Ross, Steven Delean, Chris R. Shepherd, Phillip Cassey The pangolin is greatly sought after for its various body parts, largely driven by demand from China. The mammal has been driven to the edge of extinction in Asia, with two Asian species listed as Critically Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. With declining Asian pangolin populations, a shift in trade from Asian to African pangolin species has been suggested. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Trade Database provides a unique opportunity to investigate global trends in pangolin trade at the species level, across a broad temporal scale (1977–2014). We found that CITES trade in Asian pangolin species decreased through time, whilst trade in African species increased post 2000. The total number of incidents involving Asian species declined since 2000, yet they were still being traded in large volumes (more than 17,500 estimated whole Asian pangolins were traded from 2001 to 2014) despite a zero export quota for all wild sourced Asian species, traded for primarily commercial purposes. In 2014 all eight pangolin species were recorded in the CITES trade for the first time. An increasingly complex international network was identified through time, with the United States of America (US) being the dominant player in the global pangolin trade that was reported to CITES. The US was the most frequent trade country throughout the entire period and was the greatest importer of pangolins, and their products; measured both in volume as well as frequency. We hope that identifying these global trade network characteristics, and pangolin trade dynamics will help to inform pangolin conservation efforts, and guide enforcement and legislative changes in the future.

Description: Publication date: April 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 6

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8

Description: Publication date: January 2017 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 9 Author(s): Maya Pasgaard, Neil Dawson, Laura Vang Rasmussen, Martin Enghoff, Arne Jensen This study examines the application of mixed-method and participatory approaches to conservation and development research. Both approaches were applied in a research project on the relationship between ecosystem governance and the wellbeing of local communities adjacent to a protected area in Laos. By encouraging four of the involved field researchers to reflect upon and expose their practical approaches as scientific experts (in terms of methodologies, objectives, reliability of results and research influence), this article aims to improve our learning from research practice and to promote reflexivity in research. The reflexive study presented here emphasizes the social and political context or real world situation against which research outputs can and should be evaluated, and retrospectively sheds light on the barriers to reach research objectives. In essence, the article addresses the relation between science and policy, and underlines the political undercurrent of conservation and development research in facilitating institutional change. The article outlines the very role of researchers in developing conservation policies, and provides a foundation for institutions and individual researchers to promote critical and constructive self-reflections in scientific practices.

Description: Publication date: January 2017 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 9 Author(s): I. Diédhiou, D. Diallo, A. Mbengue, R.R. Hernandez, R. Bayala, R. Diéme, P.M. Diédhiou, A. Sène In Senegal, numerous initiatives exist to cultivate Jatropha curcas L. (JCL) trees as a multipurpose energy crop, including for fuel. Thus, research on this drought-resistant shrub has been predominately focused on biofuel production from its seeds, while its potential for carbon (C) sequestration, which could be valuable in sink projects (i.e., afforestation, reforestation) under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto protocol, has been largely unstudied. This study was carried out in Senegal’s Peanut basin to develop allometric equations for estimating biomass of individual JCL shrubs, JCL plantations, and determining their respective C storage potential. We discovered a three-stage evolution of JCL biomass accumulation. A slow build-up stage (1–3 years), followed by a fast production of biomass (3–4 years), and a relatively slower stage where certain fractions-root and leaf biomass-reach a plateau (4–5 years). The ratio between belowground and aboveground biomass varies from 53% (1 year after planting) and 26% (5 year after planting), with an average of 41%. We developed allometric models that provide a reliable estimation of the different biomass fractions of JCL and according to tree age. The models revealed that the stocks of biomass and C become relatively important from the fifth year with a storage capacity of 5.07 kg per tree. Most of the biomass and organic C are stored in the aboveground fractions of trees, suggesting that JCL plantations may be valuable for C sink and CDM projects.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): S.M. Feroz, Abdullah Al Mamun, Md. Enamul Kabir The composition, diversity and spatial distribution pattern of woody species were analyzed along the vertical profile of a tropical wet evergreen forest in Bangladesh. The forest stand consisted of five vertical strata. The species composition was moderately similar among the strata, while the highest degree of similarity was between fourth and bottom strata. Bursera serrata Wall. ex Colebr. was the most dominant species, and may be typically climax species together with Microcos paniculata L. ex W & A. and Maesa ramentaca (Roxb). A. DC in terms of their high importance values. Species–area relationships depict compositional instability of the present forest, because expected maximum numbers of species (165) were four times higher than the recorded numbers of species (40) for the total stand. Smaller species richness in the upper strata was compensated by greater species evenness (Pielou’s index J ′ ), resulting in almost constant Shannon’s index H ′ across the strata. It indicates each stratum may have the same role in maintaining high woody species diversity. The rate of equality of individuals among the different species decreased with increasing species richness due to decrease of J ′ from the top stratum downward. The distribution pattern of the entire stand was greatly influenced by the aggregated distribution of the majority of the juveniles those mainly appeared in the bottom stratum. However, vertical strata shared a mixed distribution pattern of random and aggregate which followed from the upper strata to downward. This type of distribution pattern for stratified stand is probably consistent in tropical forests.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Tilahun Mulatu, Rita Bastos, Mário Santos, José Paulo Sousa, Pedro Martins da Silva, João Alexandre Cabral Context The “Montado”, a human shaped oak agro-forestry dominated landscape of South Western Europe has been experiencing series of changes following the implementation of different agricultural policies. Such changes are responsible for shifting the structure and composition of “Montado” landscape and hence the biodiversity of the system, either by agriculture abandonment or intensification. Traditional oak agro-forestry management practices, which focused on improving the ecological status of a single and common land use (oak agro-forestry), is taken as a conservation paradigm against the perceived changes in the system. Aims We aimed to identify the effect of oak agro-forestry management on “Montado” biodiversity as indicator for ecological status of “Montado” landscape. Methods A recently developed spatially explicit Stochastic Dynamic Methodology (StDM) was applied to model the spatial and temporal patterns of the land use/land cover changes and predict responses in biodiversity patterns, with a focus on passerine functional traits (grassland, woodland and generalist species richness), considering scenarios with and without oak agro-forestry management. Results Model outputs showed that oak agro-forestry management favored the expansion of oak agro-forestry at the expense of other land uses, mainly oak forest and agricultural areas. On the other hand, passerine richness exhibits a gradual decline facing the intensification of oak agro-forestry management practices, with higher declining rate observed for grassland passerine species. Conclusion The oak agro-forestry management does not seem to improve the ecological status of “Montado” landscape, and neither does its abandonment. Hence the conservation paradigm should focus on improving the multi-functionality of the system than merely focusing on a single and common land use

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Timothy C. Bonebrake, Evan J. Pickett, Toby P.N. Tsang, Chung Yun Tak, Manh Quang Vu, Lien Van Vu Species are threatened globally by multiple and often synergistic environmental changes including habitat loss, fragmentation and climate change. However, how these changes act in concert is poorly understood, especially in the tropics where the vast majority of biodiversity resides. Here, using a unique dataset covering 10 years of butterfly surveys (2003–2013) at Tam Dao National Park in northern Vietnam, we examined the combined impacts of habitat degradation (following intensive infrastructure development in 2005) and the possible threat of warming (extrapolating upon the relationship between natural climatic variation and community indices) for tropical butterfly communities. We found that both habitat degradation and warmer temperatures led to fewer narrow-range and forest-associated species comprising the sampled communities. Under projected climate change scenarios, the impact of warming was comparable to habitat degradation with respect to community change, and degraded forest communities were projected to shift towards cosmopolitan and non-forest species even more. The tropics have been heavily deforested world-wide and also suffer from heavy impacts of degradation and fragmentation, especially road construction. Warming will compound habitat degradation impacts such that the conservation of tropical biodiversity will require addressing these multiple global changes simultaneously.

Description: Publication date: October 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 8 Author(s): Alejandro Frid, Madeleine McGreer, Dana R. Haggarty, Julie Beaumont, Edward J. Gregr Indigenous people harvest wild species for food and cultural practice, fundamentally linking biodiversity conservation and indigenous rights. Rockfishes ( Sebastes spp.) are culturally significant to indigenous people (or First Nations) of coastal British Columbia (BC), Canada, who regulate their harvest under traditional governance structures. First Nations elders, however, have observed a decline in the body sizes and abundance of rockfishes, which coincides with increased exploitation by non-indigenous fishers. Rockfishes are vulnerable to overexploitation because fecundity and offspring quality increase with maternal size or age, yet fisheries truncate size and age structure. During 2006, 2007 and 2013–2015, we worked with the Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk, Heiltsuk and Kitasoo/Xai’Xais First Nations of BC’s Central Coast, examining rockfish population characteristics at 282 of their fishing sites. We used hook-and-line gear to collect fishery independent data, and sampled landings from First Nations subsistence fishers. Spatial fishery closures served as experimental treatments. We also applied central place foraging theory to predict declines in size, age and abundance with increasing distance from recreational fishing lodges and other ports. Analyses used linear mixed models and controlled for environmental variables. Our results suggest that spatial closures for commercial and recreational fishers led to greater size and abundance of some, but not all rockfishes, possibly due to interspecific differences in the extent to which closures contain suitable habitat, effects of non-compliance, or other factors. Notably, Yelloweye Rockfish ( Sebastes ruberrimus ), a species key to indigenous diets, were 21% larger inside than outside spatial closures. Possibly reflecting cumulative fishery exploitation, however, old-aged Yelloweye Rockfish were rare. Fishery impacts on size and relative abundance decreased at sites that required longer travel times and greater fuel costs for recreational fishers to exploit, but only for the longest-lived species (size responses) and for long-lived species analysed in aggregate (abundance responses). Measures for protecting indigenous access to rockfishes include evaluation of habitat suitability and compliance within spatial closures, improved understanding of recreational fishery impacts, and treating old-age and large size structures as explicit management objectives. Our study contributes to a global effort to integrate indigenous cultural values with biological conservation.