Linking vertebrate species richness to tree canopy height on a global scale

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 814-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Roll ◽  
Eli Geffen ◽  
Yoram Yom-Tov
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Canopy Height ◽  
Vertebrate Species

scholarly journals Species delimitation at a global scale reveals high species richness with complex biogeography and patterns of symbiont association in Peltigera section Peltigera (lichenized Ascomycota: Lecanoromycetes)

Taxon ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 836-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Magain ◽  
Camille Tniong ◽  
Trevor Goward ◽  
Dongling Niu ◽  
Bernard Goffinet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Delimitation ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
High Species Richness

scholarly journals Scavenging in the Anthropocene: Human impact drives vertebrate scavenger species richness at a global scale

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Sebastián-González ◽  
JM Barbosa ◽  
JM Pérez-García ◽  
Z Morales-Reyes ◽  
F Botella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Human Impact ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrate ◽  
Latitudinal Patterns

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Understanding the distribution of biodiversity across the Earth is one of the most challenging questions in biology. Much research has been directed at explaining the species latitudinal pattern showing that communities are richer in tropical areas; however, despite decades of research, a general consensus has not yet emerged. In addition, global biodiversity patterns are being rapidly altered by human activities. Here, we aim to describe large-scale patterns of species richness and diversity in terrestrial vertebrate scavenger (carrion-consuming) assemblages, which provide key ecosystem functions and services. We used a worldwide dataset comprising 43 sites, where vertebrate scavenger assemblages were identified using 2,485 carcasses monitored between 1991 and 2018. First, we evaluated how scavenger richness (number of species) and diversity (Shannon diversity index) varied among seasons (cold vs. warm, wet vs. dry). Then, we studied the potential effects of human impact and a set of macroecological variables related to climatic conditions on the scavenger assemblages. Vertebrate scavenger richness ranged from species-poor to species rich assemblages (4–30 species). Both scavenger richness and diversity also showed some seasonal variation. However, in general, climatic variables did not drive latitudinal patterns, as scavenger richness and diversity were not affected by temperature or rainfall. Rainfall seasonality slightly increased the number of species in the community, but its effect was weak. Instead, the human impact index included in our study was the main predictor of scavenger richness. Scavenger assemblages in highly human-impacted areas sustained the smallest number of scavenger species, suggesting human activity may be overriding other macroecological processes in shaping scavenger communities. Our results highlight the effect of human impact at a global scale. As species-rich assemblages tend to be more functional, we warn about possible reductions in ecosystem functions and the services provided by scavengers in human-dominated landscapes in the Anthropocene.

scholarly journals Accuracy Assessment of GEDI Terrain Elevation and Canopy Height Estimates in European Temperate Forests: Influence of Environmental and Acquisition Parameters

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 3948
Author(s):  
Markus Adam ◽  
Mikhail Urbazaev ◽  
Clémence Dubois ◽  
Christiane Schmullius
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Temperate Forests ◽  
Accuracy Assessment ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Canopy Height ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Vegetation Height ◽  
Height Estimates ◽  
Terrain Elevation

Lidar remote sensing has proven to be a powerful tool for estimating ground elevation, canopy height, and additional vegetation parameters, which in turn are valuable information for the investigation of ecosystems. Spaceborne lidar systems, like the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), can deliver these height estimates on a near global scale. This paper analyzes the accuracy of the first version of GEDI ground elevation and canopy height estimates in two study areas with temperate forests in the Free State of Thuringia, central Germany. Digital terrain and canopy height models derived from airborne laser scanning data are used as reference heights. The influence of various environmental and acquisition parameters (e.g., canopy cover, terrain slope, beam type) on GEDI height metrics is assessed. The results show a consistently high accuracy of GEDI ground elevation estimates under most conditions, except for areas with steep slopes. GEDI canopy height estimates are less accurate and show a bigger influence of some of the included parameters, specifically slope, vegetation height, and beam sensitivity. A number of relatively high outliers (around 9–13% of the measurements) is present in both ground elevation and canopy height estimates, reducing the estimation precision. Still, it can be concluded that GEDI height metrics show promising results and have potential to be used as a basis for further investigations.

scholarly journals Canopy height explains species richness in the largest clade of Neotropical lianas

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Meyer ◽  
José Alexandre F. Diniz‐Filho ◽  
Lúcia G. Lohmann ◽  
Joaquín Hortal ◽  
Elisa Barreto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Canopy Height

scholarly journals The underestimated biodiversity of tropical grassy biomes

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1703) ◽  
pp. 20150319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett P. Murphy ◽  
Alan N. Andersen ◽  
Catherine L. Parr
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Scientific Interest ◽  
Periodic Disturbance ◽  
Fire Exclusion ◽  
Human Use ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Lower Plant

For decades, there has been enormous scientific interest in tropical savannahs and grasslands, fuelled by the recognition that they are a dynamic and potentially unstable biome, requiring periodic disturbance for their maintenance. However, that scientific interest has not translated into widespread appreciation of, and concern about threats to, their biodiversity. In terms of biodiversity, grassy biomes are considered poor cousins of the other dominant biome of the tropics—forests. Simple notions of grassy biomes being species-poor cannot be supported; for some key taxa, such as vascular plants, this may be valid, but for others it is not. Here, we use an analysis of existing data to demonstrate that high-rainfall tropical grassy biomes (TGBs) have vertebrate species richness comparable with that of forests, despite having lower plant diversity. The Neotropics stand out in terms of both overall vertebrate species richness and number of range-restricted vertebrate species in TGBs. Given high rates of land-cover conversion in Neotropical grassy biomes, they should be a high priority for conservation and greater inclusion in protected areas. Fire needs to be actively maintained in these systems, and in many cases re-introduced after decades of inappropriate fire exclusion. The relative intactness of TGBs in Africa and Australia make them the least vulnerable to biodiversity loss in the immediate future. We argue that, like forests, TGBs should be recognized as a critical—but increasingly threatened—store of global biodiversity. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation’.

A new look at age and area: the geographic and environmental expansion of genera during the Ordovician Radiation

Paleobiology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold I. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Direct Link ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Higher Taxa ◽  
Kinetics Of ◽  
New Look

Although available paleobiological data indicate that the geographic ranges of marine species are maintained throughout their entire observable durations, other evidence suggests, by contrast, that the ranges of higher taxa expand as they age, perhaps in association with increased species richness. Here, I utilize a database of Ordovician genus occurrences collected from the literature for several paleocontinents to demonstrate that a significant aging of the global biota during the Ordovician Radiation was accompanied by a geographic and environmental expansion of genus ranges. The proportion of genera occurring in two or more paleocontinents in the database, and two or more environmental zones within a six-zone onshore-offshore framework, increased significantly in the Caradocian and Ashgillian. Moreover, widespread genera tended to be significantly older than their endemic counterparts, suggesting a direct link between their ages and their environmental and geographic extents. Expansion in association with aging was corroborated further by demonstrating this pattern directly among genera that ranged from the Tremadocian through the Ashgillian. Taken together, these results are significant not only for what they reveal about the kinetics of a major, global-scale diversification, but also for what they suggest about the interpretation of relationships between diversity trends at the α (within-community) and β (between-community) levels.

scholarly journals Potential ecological effects of the free-roaming horses Equus caballus (Perissodactyla: Equidae) on wild mammals: a review of current knowledge

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. e3488
Author(s):  
Brayan Morera Chacón ◽  
Víctor Montalvo Guadamuz ◽  
Ronald Sánchez Porras ◽  
Eduardo Carrillo Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Interference Competition ◽  
Equus Caballus ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Large Herbivore ◽  
Feral Horses ◽  
Wild Mammals ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Wide Range

 Introduction: The horse (Equus caballus) is an adaptable large herbivore distributed in a wide range of terrestrial biomes that negatively affects ecosystems around the world.  Most research on horse–ecosystems interactions have been focused on plants and soils, whereas horse effects on vertebrate species are poorly understanded. Objective: We aimed to synthesize, at a global scale, the effects of free-roaming horses on wild mammals. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review that included these words; "feral horses + competition ", "feral horses + interactions", "feral horses + impacts", "feral horses + effects", based on the “Web of Science” internet search engine. Results: We located 366 articles in our search, but only 14 peer-reviewed documents described the effects of horses on local wild mammals. Most studies were published in the last decade (64%), and were located in United States (64%).  Additional information showed most studies used correlational approaches while experimental approaches were used less. The effect of horses on mammal taxonomic groups varied significantly, suggesting changes on habitat structure mostly affects vertebrate species such as small rodents. Nevertheless, large ungulates exhibited interference competition derived from presence of free-roaming horses. Conclusion: This review identified patterns and gaps in our current knowledge about the effect of horse presence on wild mammals, and can help to readdress further research. Therefore, we recommend careful monitoring of horses and their potential effects on wildlife by using species proxies such as ungulates and rodents to determine if the presence of horses in protected areas affects conservation objectives

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