Populations, communities, and conservation

2020 ◽  
pp. 140-154
Author(s):  
Graham Scott
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Population Change ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Habitat Availability ◽  
Natural Range ◽  
Avian Diseases ◽  
The Impact

In this final chapter populations, population change, and population regulation are discussed, particularly in the context of threats to species and the conservation strategies employed to protect them. Population size, structure, and distribution in relation to ecology and habitat availability are analysed. The movements and establishment of species through natural range expansion and through introduction are considered in the context of climate change, conservation, and threat. The impact and management of emerging avian diseases is discussed. Extinction, the threat of extinction, and conservation efforts are considered and throughout the chapter the roles of professional and citizen scientist ornithologists are emphasized.

scholarly journals The impact of Hurricane Michael on longleaf pine habitats in Florida

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Zampieri ◽  
Stephanie Pau ◽  
Daniel K. Okamoto
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
The North ◽  
Integral Role ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem of the North American Coastal Plain (NACP) is a global biodiversity hotspot. Disturbances such as tropical storms play an integral role in ecosystem maintenance in these systems. However, altered disturbance regimes as a result of climate change may be outside the historical threshold of tolerance. Hurricane Michael impacted the Florida panhandle as a Category 5 storm on October 10th, 2018. In this study, we estimate the extent of Florida longleaf habitat that was directly impacted by Hurricane Michael. We then quantify the impact of Hurricane Michael on tree density and size structure using a Before-After study design at four sites (two wet flatwood and two upland pine communities). Finally, we identify the most common type of tree damage at each site and community type. We found that 39% of the total remaining extent of longleaf pine habitat was affected by the storm in Florida alone. Tree mortality ranged from 1.3% at the site furthest from the storm center to 88.7% at the site closest. Most of this mortality was in mature sized trees (92% mortality), upon which much of the biodiversity in this habitat depends. As the frequency and intensity of extreme events increases, management plans that mitigate for climate change impacts need to account for large-scale stochastic mortality events in order to effectively preserve critical habitats.

The impact of climate change on Australian Aboriginal hunter-gatherers and their response over the last 35,000 years.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan N. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Population Change ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

In a recent article, I (and my colleagues) present models of population change for key regions across Australia over the last 35,000 years. We use these models to test an archaeological method (the use of numbers of radiocarbon dates as an indicator of human behaviour), explore the relationship of Aboriginal people and climate change, and to provide a status update for Australian archaeological research. We find that the archaeological technique is reliable, albeit with well-documented caveats that the user needs to be aware of. We find a close relationship between Aboriginal population and climate change for much of the last 35,000 years, with increasing divergence of the records in the last 6,000 years as numbers of people increase and techniques were developed to survive environmental shifts. We identify key areas of future research for the Australian archaeological community, including the need to fill spatial gaps across parts of the continent, and to focus on key temporal periods where significant change in society appears evident.

scholarly journals Modelling of climate change impact on flow conditions in the lowland anastomosing river

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9275
Author(s):  
Paweł Marcinkowski ◽  
Dorota Mirosław-Świątek
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Hydraulic Modeling ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
The Impact

The progressive degradation of freshwater ecosystems worldwide requires action to be taken for their conservation. Nowadays, protection strategies need to step beyond the traditional approach of managing protected areas as they have to deal with the protection or recovery of natural flow regimes disrupted by the effects of future climate conditions. Climate change affects the hydrosphere at catchment scale altering hydrological processes which in turn impact hydrodynamics at the river reach scale. Therefore, conservation strategies should consider mathematical models, which allow for an improved understanding of ecosystem functions and their interactions across different spatial and temporal scales. This study focuses on an anastomosing river system in north-eastern Poland, where in recent decades a significant loss of the anabranches has been observed. The objective was to assess the impact of projected climate change on average flow conditions in the anastomosing section of the Narew River. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT software) for the Narew catchment was coupled with the HEC-RAS one-dimensional unsteady flow model. The study looked into projected changes for two future time horizons 2021–2050 and 2071–2100 under the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 using an ensemble of nine EURO-CORDEX model scenarios. Results show that low flow conditions in the anastomosing section of the Narew National Park will remain relatively stable in 2021–2050 compared to current conditions and will slightly increase in 2071–2100. Duration of low flows, although projected to decrease on an annual basis, will increase for August–October, when the loss on anastomoses was found to be the most intense. Hydraulic modeling indicated extremely low flow velocities in the anastomosing arm (<0.1 m/s) nowadays and under future projections which is preferable for in-stream vegetation development and their gradual sedimentation and closure.

scholarly journals Effect of climate change on the potential distribution of Heloderma alvarezi (Squamata, Helodermatidae)

ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1070 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Aarón Gómez-Cruz ◽  
Nancy G. Santos-Hernández ◽  
José Alberto Cruz ◽  
Daniel Ariano-Sánchez ◽  
Christian Ruiz-Castillejos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Potential Distribution ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Human Footprint ◽  
Bioclimatic Variables ◽  
The Impact

Climate change represents a real threat to biodiversity conservation worldwide. Although the effects on several species of conservation priority are known, comprehensive information about the impact of climate change on reptile populations is lacking. In the present study, we analyze outcomes on the potential distribution of the black beaded lizard (Heloderma alvarezi Bogert &amp; Martin del Campo, 1956) under global warming scenarios. Its potential distribution, at present and in projections for the years 2050 and 2070, under both optimistic and pessimistic climate change forecasts, were computed using current data records and seven bioclimatic variables. General results predict a shift in the future potential distribution of H. alvarezi due to temperature increase. The optimistic scenario (4.5 W/m2) for 2070 suggests an enlargement in the species’ distribution as a response to the availability of new areas of suitable habitat. On the contrary, the worst-case scenario (7 W/m2) shows a distribution decrease by 65%. Moreover, the range distribution of H. alvarezi is directly related to the human footprint, which consequently could magnify negative outcomes for this species. Our research elucidates the importance of conservation strategies to prevent the extinction of the black beaded lizard, especially considering that this species is highly threatened by aversive hunting.

scholarly journals A review of climatic change as a determinant of the viability of koala populations

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailee J. Reckless ◽  
Michael Murray ◽  
Mathew S. Crowther
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Toxic Chemicals ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Local Conservation ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
Low Genetic Diversity ◽  
Anthropogenic Processes ◽  
The Impact

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) occupies a broad range of eastern and southern Australia, extending over tropical coastal, semiarid inland and temperate regions. In many areas koala populations are under threat, in particular from the direct and indirect effects of ongoing habitat destruction due to increased urbanisation and other anthropogenic processes. Climate change presents additional threats to the integrity of koala habitats because many species of food and non-food trees have narrow climate envelopes and are unable to adapt to altered temperatures and rainfall. Climate extremes also produce physiological stresses in koalas that may increase the likelihood of outbreaks of chlamydiosis and other diseases. Climate change–related increases in the relative content of toxic chemicals in leaves are further stresses to the koala after ingestion. In addition, populations that originated from a small number of founder individuals are at potential risk due to their relatively low genetic diversity. Strategies that maintain residual habitat fragments and promote the construction of new refugia are now being formulated. Modelling of the impact of habitat metrics on koala distribution is providing important information that can be used in the rehabilitation of koala refugia. In future these models could be augmented with metrics that describe koala homeostasis to inform local conservation strategies. These considerations are also relevant for the maintenance of other taxa in the wider ecosystem that are also at risk from habitat destruction and climate change.

scholarly journals How can a knowledge of the past help to conserve the future? Biodiversity conservation and the relevance of long-term ecological studies

2007 ◽  
Vol 362 (1478) ◽  
pp. 175-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine J Willis ◽  
Miguel B Araújo ◽  
Keith D Bennett ◽  
Blanca Figueroa-Rangel ◽  
Cynthia A Froyd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Biological Invasions ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Conservation Practice ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

This paper evaluates how long-term records could and should be utilized in conservation policy and practice. Traditionally, there has been an extremely limited use of long-term ecological records (greater than 50 years) in biodiversity conservation. There are a number of reasons why such records tend to be discounted, including a perception of poor scale of resolution in both time and space, and the lack of accessibility of long temporal records to non-specialists. Probably more important, however, is the perception that even if suitable temporal records are available, their roles are purely descriptive, simply demonstrating what has occurred before in Earth's history, and are of little use in the actual practice of conservation. This paper asks why this is the case and whether there is a place for the temporal record in conservation management. Key conservation initiatives related to extinctions, identification of regions of greatest diversity/threat, climate change and biological invasions are addressed. Examples of how a temporal record can add information that is of direct practicable applicability to these issues are highlighted. These include (i) the identification of species at the end of their evolutionary lifespan and therefore most at risk from extinction, (ii) the setting of realistic goals and targets for conservation ‘hotspots’, and (iii) the identification of various management tools for the maintenance/restoration of a desired biological state. For climate change conservation strategies, the use of long-term ecological records in testing the predictive power of species envelope models is highlighted, along with the potential of fossil records to examine the impact of sea-level rise. It is also argued that a long-term perspective is essential for the management of biological invasions, not least in determining when an invasive is not an invasive. The paper concludes that often inclusion of a long-term ecological perspective can provide a more scientifically defensible basis for conservation decisions than the one based only on contemporary records. The pivotal issue of this paper is not whether long-term records are of interest to conservation biologists, but how they can actually be utilized in conservation practice and policy.

scholarly journals The history, goals, and application of conservation physiology

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Christine L. Madliger ◽  
Oliver P. Love ◽  
Steven J. Cooke ◽  
Craig E. Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Conservation Physiology ◽  
Wildlife Conflict ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Disciplinary Field ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Human Wildlife Conflict

Conservation physiology is a rapidly expanding, multi-disciplinary field that utilizes physiological tools, knowledge, and concepts to understand and solve conservation problems. Here we provide a consolidated overview of the scope and goals of conservation physiology, with a focus on animals. We outline the major avenues by which conservation physiology is contributing to the monitoring, management, and restoration of animal populations, and provide a summary of the tools currently available in the conservation physiology toolbox. Overall, we illustrate how a conservation physiology approach can provide sensitive biomarkers of environmental change, reveal the underlying mechanisms of conservation issues, and allow for proactive conservation strategies. In turn, conservation physiology can tackle diverse conservation issues ranging from monitoring environmental stress, predicting the impact of climate change, understanding disease dynamics, improving captive breeding, reducing human–wildlife conflict, and many others. The diversity of taxa, biological scales, and ecosystems that are highlighted illustrate the far-reaching nature of the discipline and allow readers to gain an appreciation of the purpose, value, and status of the field.

scholarly journals U.S. flood risk in the Anthropocene

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Wing ◽  
William Lehman ◽  
Paul Bates ◽  
Chris Sampson ◽  
Niall Quinn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Population Change ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Climate Signal ◽  
Climate Risks ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Impact

Abstract A national depiction of high-resolution flood risk estimates has previously been thought to be beyond the grasp of reasonable computational capabilities. However, recent developments in inundation modelling now permit the first comprehensive national flood risk assessment of the US, which indicates an expected annual direct damage to property of 27 billion USD in 2020’s climate. Current flood risk is disproportionately borne by poorer and more White communities, and is concentrated on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Northeast through Appalachia, and the Pacific Northwest. Under a medium-case concentration pathway (RCP4.5), we project a 37% increase in risk by 2050 due to climate change alone. This climate signal appears to disproportionately impact Black communities, with risk increases concentrated again on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Medium-case (SSP2) projections of population change cause flood risk increases that dwarf the impact of climate change by 4:1, illustrating the need for a holistic view on changes in risk with consideration of all its constituent causes. These results make clear the desperate need for adaptation to flood and emergent climate risks in the US, with mitigation required to prevent acceleration of this risk into the latter half of the century. These results can and should inform zoning, regulations, and targeted adaptation policies, as well as motivate wide reaching reforms in how flood risk and emergencies are managed.

scholarly journals The effects of country-level population policy for enhancing adaptation to climate change

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 9239-9256
Author(s):  
N. K. Gunasekara ◽  
S. Kazama ◽  
D. Yamazaki ◽  
T. Oki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Population Change ◽  
Population Policy ◽  
Policy Scenario ◽  
Fertility Reduction ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The effectiveness of population policy scenarios in reducing the combined impacts of population change and climate change on water resources is explored. One no-policy scenario and two scenarios with population policy assumptions are employed in combination with water availability under the SRES scenarios A1b, B1 and A2 for the impact analysis. The population data used are from the World Bank. The river discharges per grid of horizontal resolution 0.5° are obtained from the Total Runoff Integrating Pathways (TRIP) of the University of Tokyo, Japan. Unlike the population scenarios utilized in the SRES emission scenarios and the newest Representative Concentration Pathways, the scenarios employed in this research are based, even after 2050, on country-level rather than regional growth assumptions. Our analysis implies that in combination with a more heterogeneous pattern of population changes across the world, a more convergent, environmentally friendly emissions scenario, such as B1, can result in a high-impact climate scenario, similar to A2, for the already water-stressed low latitudes. However, the effect of population change supersedes the changes in the climate scenarios. In 2100, Africa, Middle-East and parts of Asia are in extreme water-stress under all scenarios. For countries with high population momentum, the population policy scenario with fertility-reduction assumptions gained a maximum of 6.1 times the water availability in Niger and 5.3 times that in Uganda compared with the no-policy scenario. Most of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa. These countries represent 24.5% of the global population in the no-policy scenario and the scenario with fertility- reduction assumptions reduces it to 8.7% by 2100. This scenario is also effective at reducing the area under extreme water stress in these countries. However, the policy scenario with assumptions of population stabilization at the replacement fertility rate increases the water stress in high-latitude countries. Nevertheless, the impact is low due to the high per capita water availability in the region. This research is expected to widen the understanding of the combined impacts of climate change in the future and of the strategies needed to enhance the space for adaptation.

scholarly journals Conservation strategies to mitigate impacts from climate change in Amazonia

2008 ◽  
Vol 363 (1498) ◽  
pp. 1881-1888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J Killeen ◽  
Luis A Solórzano
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Habitat Diversity ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Humid Forest ◽  
Infrastructure Investments ◽  
Conservation Corridors ◽  
The Impact

Protected area systems and conservation corridors can help mitigate the impacts of climate change on Amazonian biodiversity. We propose conservation design criteria that will help species survive in situ or adjust range distributions in response to increased drought. The first priority is to protect the western Amazon, identified as the ‘Core Amazon’, due to stable rainfall regimes and macro-ecological phenomena that have led to the evolution of high levels of biodiversity. Ecotones can buffer the impact from climate change because populations are genetically adapted to climate extremes, particularly seasonality, because high levels of habitat diversity are associated with edaphic variability. Future climatic tension zones should be surveyed for geomorphological features that capture rain or conserve soil moisture to identify potential refugia for humid forest species. Conservation corridors should span environmental gradients to ensure that species can shift range distributions. Riparian corridors provide protection to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Multiple potential altitudinal corridors exist in the Andes, but natural and anthropogenic bottlenecks will constrain the ability of species to shift their ranges and adapt to climate change. Planned infrastructure investments are a serious threat to the potential to consolidate corridors over the short and medium term.

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