Habitat suitability estimated by niche models is largely unrelated to species abundance

Despite the mounting evidence supporting positive relationships between species abundance and habitat suitability, the capacity of ecological niche models (ENMs) to capture variations in population abundance remains largely unexplored. This study focuses on sympatric populations of hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus), surveyed in 1997 and 2017 in an upland moor area in northwestern Spain. The ENMs performed very well for both species (with area under the ROC curve and true skill statistic values of up to 0.9 and 0.75). The presence of both species was mainly correlated with heathlands, although the normalized difference water index derived from Landsat images was the most important for hen harrier, indicating a greater preference of this species for wet heaths and peat bogs. The findings showed that ENM-derived habitat suitability was significantly correlated with the species abundance, thus reinforcing the use of ENMs as a proxy for species abundance. However, the temporal variation in species abundance was not significantly explained by changes in habitat suitability predicted by the ENMs, indicating the need for caution when using these types of models to infer changes in population abundance.

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Cross-scale monitoring of habitat suitability changes using satellite time series and ecological niche models

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147172 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 147172

Author(s):

Salvador Arenas-Castro ◽

Neftalí Sillero

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Habitat Suitability ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Ecological Niche Models ◽

Niche Models

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Ecological niche differentiation between Acanthodactylus micropholis and A. khamirensis (Sauria: Lacertidae) in southern Iran

Zoologia (Curitiba) ◽

10.3897/zoologia.36.e27357 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 36 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nastaran Heidari

Keyword(s):

Habitat Suitability ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Species Distribution Modeling ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Valid Species ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Species Differentiation ◽

Ecological Niche Models ◽

Niche Models

Acanthodactylusmicropholis Heidari, Rastegar-Pouyani, Rastegar-Pouyani & Rajabizadeh, 2013 and A.khamirensis Blanford, 1874 are genetically and morphologically distinct, but their ecological differentiation has not previously been evaluated. The ecological niche models of these two sister species Acanthodactylus were reconstructed using climate and geographical data. Species distribution modeling for A.micropholis and A.khamirensis was used to make predictions and showed that most parts of southern and southeastern Iran are suitable for the distribution of both species. Habitat suitability was mostly dependent upon minimum temperature of the coldest month and seasonal precipitation for A.micropholis and A.khamirensis, respectively. Niche similarity tests (niche overlap and identity tests) were performed to evaluate species differentiation based on the ecological species criterion. Our results indicate that both species have different ecological niches and are significantly separated from each other. Therefore, our study corroborates previous analyses based on molecular and morphological evidences that suggested that A.micropholis and A.khamirensis were valid species.

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Characterisation of range restriction amongst the rare flora of Banded Ironstone Formation ranges in semiarid south-western Australia

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt18111 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 67 (3) ◽

pp. 234 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

T. P. Robinson ◽

G. Di Virgilio ◽

D. Temple-Smith ◽

J. Hesford ◽

G. W. Wardell-Johnson

Keyword(s):

Habitat Suitability ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Ecological Niche Models ◽

Endemic Plant ◽

Surface Hydrology ◽

Range Restriction ◽

Specialist Species ◽

Habitat Generalist ◽

Endemic Plant Species ◽

Niche Models

Banded Ironstone Formation (BIF) ranges feature numerous rare and endemic plant species. We tested whether non-occurrence in neighbouring ranges is due to habitat dissimilarity across five groups of proximal ranges for three sets of species (18 taxa). Set 1 comprised 15 BIF-specialist species centred on the Helena and Aurora Range (HAR); Set 2, of one BIF species endemic to Mt Jackson and Set 3, of two non-BIF species. All species were used as input into ecological niche models to determine the importance and behaviour of five environmental variables derived from 2m resolution LiDAR imagery over 1605km2, extrapolate habitat suitability and compare niche similarity. We hypothesised that if BIF species are not range-restricted, suitable habitat will be found on all five groups and variable importance and behaviour will be similar for Sets 1 and 2 but not for Set 3. Topographical control on surface hydrology is the most important predictive variable for most BIF species, with ruggedness and shade also important to species in Sets 1–2 but not Set 3, which either preferred flat plains or had no preference (habitat generalist). We conclude that habitat suitability is not range restrictive. Such endemism is more likely a result of stochasticity and limited seed dispersal.

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Development of habitat suitability criteria for Neotropical stream fishes and an assessment of their transferability to streams with different conservation status

Neotropical Ichthyology ◽

10.1590/s1679-62252013005000009 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 395-402 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Fabrício Barreto Teresa ◽

Lilian Casatti

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

Habitat Suitability ◽

Good Predictor ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Stream Fishes ◽

Opposite Pattern ◽

Pattern Preference ◽

Neotropical Stream

We assessed the preference of 10 fish species for depth and velocity conditions in forested streams from southeastern Brazil using habitat suitability criteria (HSC curves). We also tested whether preference patterns observed in forested streams can be transferred to deforested streams. We used data from fish sampled in 62 five-meter sites in three forested streams to construct preference curves. Astyanax altiparanae, A. fasciatus, Knodus moenkhausii, and Piabina argentea showed a preference for deep slow habitats, whereas Aspidoras fuscoguttatus, Characidium zebra, Cetopsorhamdia iheringi, Pseudopimelodus pulcher, and Hypostomus nigromaculatus showed an opposite pattern: preference for shallow fast habitats. Hypostomus ancistroides showed a multimodal pattern of preference for depth and velocity. To evaluate whether patterns observed in forested streams may be transferred to deforested streams, we sampled 64 five-meters sites in three deforested streams using the same methodology. The preference for velocity was more consistent than for depth, as success in the transferability criterion was 86% and 29% of species, respectively. This indicates that velocity is a good predictor of species abundance in streams, regardless of their condition

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Predicting bycatch hotspots based on suitable habitat derived from fishery-independent data

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13302 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 641 ◽

pp. 159-175

Author(s):

J Runnebaum ◽

KR Tanaka ◽

L Guan ◽

J Cao ◽

L O’Brien ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Suitability ◽

Mixed Model ◽

Linear Mixed Model ◽

Gulf Of Maine ◽

Homarus Americanus ◽

Management Tool ◽

American Lobster ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Suitability Index

Bycatch remains a global problem in managing sustainable fisheries. A critical aspect of management is understanding the timing and spatial extent of bycatch. Fisheries management often relies on observed bycatch data, which are not always available due to a lack of reporting or observer coverage. Alternatively, analyzing the overlap in suitable habitat for the target and non-target species can provide a spatial management tool to understand where bycatch interactions are likely to occur. Potential bycatch hotspots based on suitable habitat were predicted for cusk Brosme brosme incidentally caught in the Gulf of Maine American lobster Homarus americanus fishery. Data from multiple fisheries-independent surveys were combined in a delta-generalized linear mixed model to generate spatially explicit density estimates for use in an independent habitat suitability index. The habitat suitability indices for American lobster and cusk were then compared to predict potential bycatch hotspot locations. Suitable habitat for American lobster has increased between 1980 and 2013 while suitable habitat for cusk decreased throughout most of the Gulf of Maine, except for Georges Basin and the Great South Channel. The proportion of overlap in suitable habitat varied interannually but decreased slightly in the spring and remained relatively stable in the fall over the time series. As Gulf of Maine temperatures continue to increase, the interactions between American lobster and cusk are predicted to decline as cusk habitat continues to constrict. This framework can contribute to fisheries managers’ understanding of changes in habitat overlap as climate conditions continue to change and alter where bycatch interactions could occur.

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Patterns in diversity and composition of the microbenthos of subarctic intertidal beaches with different morphodynamics

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13419 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 648 ◽

pp. 19-38

Author(s):

AI Azovsky ◽

YA Mazei ◽

MA Saburova ◽

PV Sapozhnikov

Keyword(s):

Species Abundance ◽

Abundance Ratio ◽

Wave Action ◽

Coarse Grained ◽

Sediment Properties ◽

Β Diversity ◽

Α Diversity ◽

Wide Range ◽

Similar Mode ◽

Abundance And Diversity

Diversity and composition of benthic diatom algae and ciliates were studied at several beaches along the White and Barents seas: from highly exposed, reflective beaches with coarse-grained sands to sheltered, dissipative silty-sandy flats. For diatoms, the epipelic to epipsammic species abundance ratio was significantly correlated with the beach index and mean particle size, while neither α-diversity measures nor mean cell length were related to beach properties. In contrast, most of the characteristics of ciliate assemblages (diversity, total abundance and biomass, mean individual weight and percentage of karyorelictids) demonstrated a strong correlation to beach properties, remaining low at exposed beaches but increasing sharply in more sheltered conditions. β-diversity did not correlate with beach properties for either diatoms or ciliates. We suggest that wave action and sediment properties are the main drivers controlling the diversity and composition of the intertidal microbenthos. Diatoms and ciliates, however, demonstrated divergent response to these factors. Epipelic and epipsammic diatoms exhibited 2 different strategies to adapt to their environments and therefore were complementarily distributed along the environmental gradient and compensated for each other in diversity. Most ciliates demonstrated a similar mode of habitat selection but differed in their degree of tolerance. Euryporal (including mesoporal) species were relatively tolerant to wave action and therefore occurred under a wide range of beach conditions, though their abundance and diversity were highest in fine, relatively stable sediments on sheltered beaches, whereas the specific interstitial (i.e. genuine microporal) species were mostly restricted to only these habitats.

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