scholarly journals GalliForm, a database of Galliformes occurrence records from the Indo-Malay and Palaearctic, 1800–2008

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth H. Boakes ◽  
Richard A. Fuller ◽  
Georgina M. Mace ◽  
Changqing Ding ◽  
Tzo Tze Ang ◽  
...  

Abstract Historical as well as current species distribution data are needed to track changes in biodiversity. Species distribution data are found in a variety of sources, each of which has its own distinct bias toward certain taxa, time periods or places. We present GalliForm, a database that comprises 186687 galliform occurrence records linked to 118907 localities in Europe and Asia. Records were derived from museums, peer-reviewed and grey literature, unpublished field notes, diaries and correspondence, banding records, atlas records and online birding trip reports. We describe data collection processes, georeferencing methods and quality-control procedures. This database has underpinned several peer-reviewed studies, investigating spatial and temporal bias in biodiversity data, species’ geographic range changes and local extirpation patterns. In our rapidly changing world, an understanding of long-term change in species’ distributions is key to predicting future impacts of threatening processes such as land use change, over-exploitation of species and climate change. This database, its historical aspect in particular, provides a valuable source of information for further studies in macroecology and biodiversity conservation.

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 159-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Pěknicová ◽  
D. Petrus ◽  
K. Berchová-Bímová

AbstractThe distribution of invasive plants depends on several environmental factors, e.g. on the distance from the vector of spreading, invaded community composition, land-use, etc. The species distribution models, a research tool for invasive plants spread prediction, involve the combination of environmental factors, occurrence data, and statistical approach. For the construction of the presented distribution model, the occurrence data on invasive plants (Solidagosp.,Fallopiasp.,Robinia pseudoaccacia,andHeracleum mantegazzianum) and Natura 2000 habitat types from the Protected Landscape Area Kokořínsko have been intersected in ArcGIS and statistically analyzed. The data analysis was focused on (1) verification of the accuracy of the Natura 2000 habitat map layer, and the accordance with the habitats occupied by invasive species and (2) identification of a suitable scale of intersection between the habitat and species distribution. Data suitability was evaluated for the construction of the model on local scale. Based on the data, the invaded habitat types were described and the optimal scale grid was evaluated. The results show the suitability of Natura 2000 habitat types for modelling, however more input data (e.g. on soil types, elevation) are needed.


1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 2392-2397 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. E. de March

In the absence of distribution data for juvenile broad whitefish, Coregonus nasus, laboratory experiments were designed to elucidate the salinity ranges that the species will tolerate. Larval fish (12–18 mm) died within 120 h at salinities of 12.5‰ and higher at both 5 and 10 °C, though more slowly at 5 °C. Salinities of 12.5 and 15‰, but no higher, were tolerated for 120 h at 15 °C. Larvae fed readily at 15 °C but not at 5 or 10 °C. Slightly larger and more-developed larvae (15–19 mm) were tolerant of 12.5‰ but died within 120 h at 15‰ at the same three temperatures. These fish fed more readily than the younger ones. Larger fish (33–68 mm) were generally tolerant of 15–20‰ but not of higher salinities in 120-h tolerance tests. Larger field-collected fish (27–200 mm) reacted similarly but were more tolerant of salinities between 20 and 27‰ in 96-h tests. Analysis of both experiments with larger fish suggests that time to death was inversely related to size as well as to salinity. Coregonus nasus does not seem to be more tolerant of saline conditions than other freshwater or migratory fish species. Experimental results combined with limited information about the species' distribution suggest that man-made constructions on the arctic coast might seriously affect dispersal or annual migrations.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lambert ◽  
G. Dorémus ◽  
V. Ridoux

AbstractThe main type of zonal conservation approach corresponds to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which are spatially defined and generally static entities aiming at the protection of some target populations by the implementation of a management plan. For highly mobile species the relevance of an MPA over time might be hampered by temporal variations in distributions or home ranges. In the present work, we used habitat model-based predicted distributions of cetaceans and seabirds within the Bay of Biscay from 2004 to 2017 to characterise the aggregation and persistence of mobile species distributional patterns and the relevance of the existing MPA network. We explored the relationship between population abundance and spatial extent of distribution to assess the aggregation level of species distribution. We used the smallest spatial extent including 75% of the population present in the Bay of Biscay to define specific core areas of distributions, and calculated their persistence over the 14 studied years. We inspected the relevance of the MPA network with respect to aggregation and persistence. We found that aggregation and persistence are two independent features of marine megafauna distributions. Indeed, strong persistence was shown in both aggregated (bottlenose dolphins, auks) and loosely distributed species (northern gannets), while some species with aggregated distributions also showed limited year-to-year persistence in their patterns (black-legged kittiwakes). We thus have demonstrated that both aggregation and persistence have potential impact on the amount of spatio-temporal distributional variability encompassed within static MPAs. Our results exemplified the need to have access to a minimal temporal depth in the species distribution data when aiming to designate new site boundaries for the conservation of mobile species.


Author(s):  
Aleksandre Gogaladze ◽  
Mikhail Son ◽  
Matteo Lattuada ◽  
Vitaliy Anistratenko ◽  
Vitaly Syomin ◽  
...  

Aim The unique aquatic Pontocaspian (PC) biota of the Black Sea Basin (BSB) is in decline. Lack of detailed knowledge on the status and trends of species, populations and communities hampers a thorough risk assessment and precludes effective conservation. This paper aims to review PC biodiversity trends using endemic molluscs as a model group. We aim to assess changes in PC habitats, community structure and species distribution over the past century and to identify direct anthropogenic threats. Location Black Sea Basin (Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia). Methods Presence/absence data of target mollusc species was assembled from literature, reports and personal observations. PC biodiversity trends in the NW BSB coastal regions were established by comparing 20th and 21st century occurrences. Direct drivers of habitat and biodiversity change were identified and documented. Results A very strong decline of PC species and communities during the past century is driven by a) damming of rivers, b) habitat modifications negatively affecting salinity gradients, c) pollution and eutrophication, d) invasive alien species and e) climate change. Four out of 10 studied regions, namely, the Danube Delta – Razim Lake system, Dniester Liman, Dnieper-South Bug Estuary and Taganrog Bay-Don Delta contain the entire spectrum of ecological conditions to support PC communities and still host threatened endemic PC mollusc species. Distribution data is incomplete, but the scale of deterioration of PC species and communities is evident from the assembled data, as are major direct threats. Main conclusions PC biodiversity in the BSB is profoundly affected by human activities. Standardised observation and collection data as well as precise definition of PC biota and habitats are necessary for targeted conservation actions. This study will help to set the research and policy agenda required to improve data collection to accommodate effective conservation of the unique PC biota.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary N. Ervin ◽  
D. Christopher Holly

AbstractSpecies distribution modeling is a tool that is gaining widespread use in the projection of future distributions of invasive species and has important potential as a tool for monitoring invasive species spread. However, the transferability of models from one area to another has been inadequately investigated. This study aimed to determine the degree to which species distribution models (SDMs) for cogongrass, developed with distribution data from Mississippi (USA), could be applied to a similar area in neighboring Alabama. Cogongrass distribution data collected in Mississippi were used to train an SDM that was then tested for accuracy and transferability with cogongrass distribution data collected by a forest management company in Alabama. Analyses indicated the SDM had a relatively high predictive ability within the region of the training data but had poor transferability to the Alabama data. Analysis of the Alabama data, via independent SDM development, indicated that predicted cogongrass distribution in Alabama was more strongly correlated with soil variables than was the case in Mississippi, where the SDM was most strongly correlated with tree canopy cover. Results suggest that model transferability is influenced strongly by (1) data collection methods, (2) landscape context of the survey data, and (3) variations in qualitative aspects of environmental data used in model development.


Author(s):  
Basak Aldemir Bektas ◽  
Zachary Hans ◽  
Brent Phares ◽  
Emmanuel Nketah ◽  
Joe Carey ◽  
...  

Bats play an important role in the natural balance of many ecosystems. There has been a growing concern about the bat population in the United States, mainly because of white-nose syndrome (WNS). The primary objective of this work was to better understand what types of bridges are the most likely to be used by bats as roosting locations. In one of the most comprehensive studies in the United States to date, 517 structures in the state of Iowa were inspected for evidence of bat roosting. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify structure, land cover distribution, and predicted bat species distribution characteristics that increase the probability of bat roosting. The final model indicated that probability of bat roosting on bridges increases under the following conditions: structures are prestressed concrete continuous, prestressed concrete or steel continuous; increased superstructure height above ground; increased superstructure depth; increased wetland coverage within a 0.1-mile radius of the structure; and increased number of potential bat species present at the location. The findings show that bridge characteristics, combined with land cover and bat species distribution data, are significant for higher probabilities of bat roosting. This information can be useful to transportation agencies as they plan bridge maintenance and renewal and can also help conservation efforts targeted toward bats. It is thought that the integration of objective, geospatial land cover data with potential bat presence data, and estimation of quantitative and relative influence of variables on probability of bat roosting are unique to this study.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e8059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin M. Marshall ◽  
Colin T. Strine

A species’ distribution provides fundamental information on: climatic niche, biogeography, and conservation status. Species distribution models often use occurrence records from biodiversity databases, subject to spatial and taxonomic biases. Deficiencies in occurrence data can lead to incomplete species distribution estimates. We can incorporate other data sources to supplement occurrence datasets. The general public is creating (via GPS-enabled cameras to photograph wildlife) incidental occurrence records that may present an opportunity to improve species distribution models. We investigated (1) occurrence data of a cryptic group of animals: non-marine snakes, in a biodiversity database (Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)) and determined (2) whether incidental occurrence records extracted from geo-tagged social media images (Flickr) could improve distribution models for 18 tropical snake species. We provide R code to search for and extract data from images using Flickr’s API. We show the biodiversity database’s 302,386 records disproportionately originate from North America, Europe and Oceania (250,063, 82.7%), with substantial gaps in tropical areas that host the highest snake diversity. North America, Europe and Oceania averaged several hundred records per species; whereas Asia, Africa and South America averaged less than 35 per species. Occurrence density showed similar patterns; Asia, Africa and South America have roughly ten-fold fewer records per 100 km2than other regions. Social media provided 44,687 potential records. However, including them in distribution models only marginally impacted niche estimations; niche overlap indices were consistently over 0.9. Similarly, we show negligible differences in Maxent model performance between models trained using GBIF-only and Flickr-supplemented datasets. Model performance appeared dependent on species, rather than number of occurrences or training dataset. We suggest that for tropical snakes, accessible social media currently fails to deliver appreciable benefits for estimating species distributions; but due to the variation between species and the rapid growth in social media data, may still be worth considering in future contexts.


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