Conservation ecology of birds in Mt. Hilong-hilong, a Key Biodiversity Area on Mindanao Island, the Philippines

The identification of key areas for conservation and protection according to science-based evidence is an important component to circumvent the negative impacts of environmental changes within geopolitical territories and across the globe. Priority areas for biodiversity played an important role to ensure the protection of many species particularly those that are unique and threatened. There are more than 200 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in the Philippines, yet many important research and biodiversity data are either unpublished or unconsolidated. Birds are commonly studied indicators for KBA identification due to their high species richness, diversity, and sensitivity to forest ecosystems. By combining data from past and present surveys, we accounted for a total of 148 bird species of 51 families, with 20 new records from recent field surveys. Our analysis showed a high level of endemism within Mt. Hilong-hilong with 36% Philippine endemic, 14% restricted to Mindanao faunal region and 11% migrant. In terms of conservation, 8% of the species were considered in threatened categories. The species richness and endemism were higher in lowland to mid-elevation areas compared to higher elevation areas of the KBA. Endemism (i.e., Mindanao endemic) and increasing body mass were important determinants of binary extinction risk for bird species in Mt. Hilong-hilong. The high biodiversity in Mt. Hilong-hilong indicates an example of the vital role of KBAs in preserving nationally and globally important bird species. Lastly, we emphasise the importance of collaboration and integrating past and present information to synthesise relevant information to complement ongoing conservation efforts in Mt. Hilong-hilong and other key habitats in the Philippines.

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Ecological Diversity of Pteridophytes Across Land Use Types in Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, Luzon Island, Philippines

Journal of Marine and Island Cultures ◽

10.21463/jmic.2020.09.2.08 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Marjorie D. delos Angeles ◽

Ailene A. Alcala ◽

Inocencio E. Buot Jr.

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Species Richness ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

The Philippines ◽

Forest Conversion ◽

Edaphic Factors ◽

Forest Reserve ◽

Community Patterns ◽

Land Use Types ◽

Fern Species

Changes are evident in fern species richness, composition, and abundance as a result of environmental changes caused by forest conversion to various land use types. This study identified fern species and described its distribution pattern with reference to ecological parameters obtained from various land use types across the northeastern slope of Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, Los Baños, Philippines. The plot technique was employed using a 20x20 meter quadrat. Three 5x2 subquadrats were randomly distributed within the established quadrat. Cluster and ordination analysis were used and edaphic factors were analyzed. Fern specimens were identified (sensu PPG) and measured. Samples were collected for herbarium vouchers and were deposited at the Plant Biology Division Herbarium, University of the Philippines Los Baños (PBDH). Cluster analysis revealed six land use types: buffer, agroforest, agri-farm, roadside, mahogany, and forest. Twenty-nine (29) fern species belonging to 23 genera from 14 families were recorded across the different land use types. Among the land use types, the forest had the highest fern species richness (13) and the agri-farm and Mahogany had the least (6). Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that moisture, OM, pH, and CEC were significant explanatory drivers of fern distribution especially in the Mahogany and Agroforest land use type. Understanding the fern community patterns and edaphic factors in Mt. Makiling would aid in its conservation planning.

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Latent variable models for multi-species counts modeling in ecology

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d190539 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (5) ◽

pp. 1871-1876 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

RIKI HERLIANSYAH ◽

IRMA FITRIA

Keyword(s):

Endemic Species ◽

Latent Variable ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Bird Species ◽

Latent Variable Models ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Variable Model ◽

Ordinary Regression ◽

Negative Impacts

Herliansyah R, Fitria I. 2018. Latent variable models for multi-species counts modeling in ecology. Biodiversitas 19: 1871-1876. High-dimensional multi-species counts are often collected in ecology to understand the spatial distribution over different locations and to study effects of environmental changes. Modeling multivariate abundance is challenging as we need to consider the possibility of interactions across species. Latent variable models are the recent popular approaches in statistical ecology to address such issue that has a similar framework to ordinary regression models. In this paper, we employed the poisson distribution for modeling count responses and a negative binomial distribution for more frequent zeros in observations. The implementation of a latent variable model, Generalized Linear Latent Variable Models (GLLVMs), was demonstrated on multi-species counts of endemic bird species collected in 37 different sites in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The main objectives were to study the effect of logging activities on abundance of endemic species and their interactions and to observe the habitat preference of certain species. Our study found that out of four endemic species, Alophoixus bres and Eurylaimus javanicus species were significantly affected by logging activities. The sign of parameters was negative indicating the logging activities in 1989 and 1993 bring significantly negative impacts on those species. The interaction created among species was strongly negative for major endemic species especially Alophoixus bres and Eurylaimus javanicus that prefer living in primary forest than in logging areas.

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Evolutionary simulations clarify and reconcile biodiversity-disturbance models

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2021.0240 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 288 (1949) ◽

Author(s):

Euan N. Furness ◽

Russell J. Garwood ◽

Philip D. Mannion ◽

Mark D. Sutton

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Environmental Stability ◽

Small Scale ◽

Biodiversity Crisis ◽

Environmental Instability ◽

The Stability ◽

Stability Time ◽

High Level

There is significant geographic variation in species richness. However, the nature of the underlying relationships, such as that between species richness and environmental stability, remains unclear. The stability-time hypothesis suggests that environmental instability reduces species richness by suppressing speciation and increasing extinction risk. By contrast, the patch-mosaic hypothesis suggests that small-scale environmental instability can increase species richness by providing a steady supply of non-equilibrium environments. Although these hypotheses are often applied to different time scales, their core mechanisms are in conflict. Reconciling these apparently competing hypotheses is key to understanding how environmental conditions shape the distribution of biodiversity. Here, we use REvoSim, an individual-based, eco-evolutionary system, to model the evolution of sessile organisms in environments with varying magnitudes and scales of environmental instability. We demonstrate that when environments have substantial permanent heterogeneity, a high level of localized environmental instability reduces biodiversity, whereas in environments lacking permanent heterogeneity, high levels of localized instability increase biodiversity. By contrast, broad-scale environmental instability, acting on the same time scale, invariably reduces biodiversity. Our results provide a new view of the biodiversity–disturbance relationship that reconciles contrasting hypotheses within a single model and implies constraints on the environmental conditions under which those hypotheses apply. These constraints can inform attempts to conserve adaptive potential in different environments during the current biodiversity crisis.

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Avian diversity in a fragmented landscape of central Indian forests (Bhopal Forest Circle)

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.6528.13.5.18177-18188 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 18177-18188

Author(s):

Amit Kumar ◽

Yogesh Dubey ◽

Advait Edgaonkar

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Anthropogenic Disturbance ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Community Dynamics ◽

Bird Species ◽

Vital Role ◽

Fragmented Landscape ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Forest Patches ◽

The Impact

With increasing fragmentation of natural areas and a dramatic reduction of forest cover in several parts of the world, quantifying the impact of such changes on species richness and community dynamics has been a subject of much concern. Therefore, this study intends to assess avifaunal biodiversity in fragmented forests. Forest patches between the sizes of 10ha and 700ha were identified in Bhopal Forest Circle (BFC), which covers the Vindhyan plateau. Forest patches were classified based on their size and degree of isolation. A sample of 21 forest fragments was selected using proportional sampling. Bird surveys were conducted using the point count method at each site. Three replicates were taken at each site. Avian species richness of each patch was calculated. The results suggest that species richness is positively associated with the size of the forest patches. Larger forest patches such as Binapur (166ha, Chao 1= 73), Sayar (107ha, Chao 1= 78) and Kalyanpura (133ha, Chao 1= 80) had relatively high species richness, except for patches including Narsinghgarh (393ha, Chao 1= 28) and Singota (184ha, Chao 1= 45) with high levels of anthropogenic disturbance. Smaller forest patches were found to have fewer bird species, although small forest patches with lesser degrees of anthropogenic disturbance such as Lalghati (99ha, Chao 1 = 62), Lasudli (16ha, Chao 1 = 65), Ghot (36ha, Chao 1 = 53), and Nasipur (23ha, Chao 1 =52) were more diverse than other patches. These patches were more protected due to being sacred groves (Lalghati and Lasudli) or under private ownership (Ghot and Nasipur). A total of 131 bird species were recorded from all the sampled forest patches. These results suggest that forest patches embedded in an agrarian landscape play a vital role in conserving biodiversity, hence conservation efforts should also be focused on these forest fragments.

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The electromagnetic radiations and its impacts on bird diversity in India

International International Journal of Avian & Wildlife Biology ◽

10.15406/ijawb.2020.05.00166 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 5-7

Author(s):

Kirandeep K Dhami

Keyword(s):

Bird Species ◽

Cellular Phone ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Base Stations ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Cellular Phones ◽

Free Standing ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Development Approach ◽

Electromagnetic Radiations

Cellular phones are essential to our lives and so are the cellular phone base stations. They are not simply free standing towers but a balloon of invisible electromagnetic field with radiations that continue to threaten life around them, specifically of the birds. This article explores the various published scientific studies of the effects that electromagnetic radiations produce on various bird species in India. Relevant information was collected from different peer reviewed publications on how the electromagnetic radiations have been impacting the bird species. Research results from the available studies are presented and discussed. The limited number of observations and studies endorse the negative impacts the electromagnetic radiations carry for the various bird species in the country. Overall, there is a decline in the diversity of the bird species. Therefore, it becomes important to pay considerable attention to the observed patterns and opt for a sustainable development approach for the protection of bird species

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Functional evenness of bird communities varies along the elevational gradient in Europe: Conservation implications

10.32942/osf.io/sx9n8 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Federico Morelli ◽

Yanina

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Elevation Gradient ◽

Bird Species ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Negative Association ◽

Bird Communities ◽

Breeding Bird ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Large Spatial Scale ◽

Functional Evenness

ContextThe negative association between elevation and species richness is a well-recognized pattern in macro-ecology. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate changes in functional evenness of breeding bird communities along an elevation gradient in Europe. MethodsUsing the bird data from the EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds we estimated an index of functional evenness which can be assumed as a measure of the potential resilience of communities.ResultsOur findings confirm the existence of a negative association between elevation and bird species richness in all European eco regions. However, we also explored a novel aspect of this relationship, important for conservation: Our findings provide evidence at large spatial scale of a negative association between the functional evenness (potential community resilience) and elevation, independent of the eco region. We also found that the Natura2000 protected areas covers the territory most in need of protection, those characterized by bird communities with low potential resilience, in hilly and mountainous areas.ConclusionsThese results draw attention to European areas occupied by bird communities characterized by a potential lower capacity to respond to strong ecological changes, and, therefore, potentially more exposed to risks for conservation.

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Decision-making process for introduction of maternal vaccines in Kenya, 2017–2018

Implementation Science ◽

10.1186/s13012-021-01101-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nancy A. Otieno ◽

Fauzia A. Malik ◽

Stacy W. Nganga ◽

Winnie N. Wairimu ◽

Dominic O. Ouma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Policy Development ◽

Implementation Process ◽

Policy Formulation ◽

Advisory Group ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Middle Income ◽

Maternal Immunization ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

High Level

Abstract Background Maternal immunization is a key strategy for reducing morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases in mothers and their newborns. Recent developments in the science and safety of maternal vaccinations have made possible development of new maternal vaccines ready for introduction in low- and middle-income countries. Decisions at the policy level remain the entry point for maternal immunization programs. We describe the policy and decision-making process in Kenya for the introduction of new vaccines, with particular emphasis on maternal vaccines, and identify opportunities to improve vaccine policy formulation and implementation process. Methods We conducted 29 formal interviews with government officials and policy makers, including high-level officials at the Kenya National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, and Ministry of Health officials at national and county levels. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. We analyzed the qualitative data using NVivo 11.0 software. Results All key informants understood the vaccine policy formulation and implementation processes, although national officials appeared more informed compared to county officials. County officials reported feeling left out of policy development. The recent health system decentralization had both positive and negative impacts on the policy process; however, the negative impacts outweighed the positive impacts. Other factors outside vaccine policy environment such as rumours, sociocultural practices, and anti-vaccine campaigns influenced the policy development and implementation process. Conclusions Public policy development process is complex and multifaceted by its nature. As Kenya prepares for introduction of other maternal vaccines, it is important that the identified policy gaps and challenges are addressed.

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Responses of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities of Two Tropical, High-Mountain Lakes to Climate Change and Deacidification

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13060243 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 243

Author(s):

Javier Alcocer ◽

Luis A. Oseguera ◽

Diana Ibarra-Morales ◽

Elva Escobar ◽

Lucero García-Cid

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Species Richness ◽

Water Temperature ◽

Water Level ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Mountain Lakes ◽

High Mountain ◽

Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽

High Mountain Lakes ◽

La Luna

High-mountain lakes are among the most comparable ecosystems globally and recognized sentinels of global change. The present study pursued to identify how the benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI) communities of two tropical, high mountain lakes, El Sol and La Luna, Central Mexico, have been affected by global/regional environmental pressures. We compared the environmental characteristics and the BMI communities between 2000–2001 and 2017–2018. We identified three principal environmental changes (the air and water temperature increased, the lakes’ water level declined, and the pH augmented and became more variable), and four principal ecological changes in the BMI communities [a species richness reduction (7 to 4), a composition change, and a dominant species replacement all of them in Lake El Sol, a species richness increase (2 to 4) in Lake La Luna, and a drastic reduction in density (38% and 90%) and biomass (92%) in both lakes]. The air and water temperature increased 0.5 °C, and lakes water level declined 1.5 m, all suggesting an outcome of climate change. Contrarily to the expected acidification associated with acid precipitation, both lakes deacidified, and the annual pH fluctuation augmented. The causes of the deacidification and the deleterious impacts on the BMI communities remained to be identified.

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Debris Flows Occurrence in the Semiarid Central Andes under Climate Change Scenario

Geosciences ◽

10.3390/geosciences11020043 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 43

Author(s):

Stella M. Moreiras ◽

Sergio A. Sepúlveda ◽

Mariana Correas-González ◽

Carolina Lauro ◽

Iván Vergara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Debris Flows ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Urban Expansion ◽

Central Andes ◽

Semiarid Region ◽

Change Scenario ◽

Permafrost Degradation ◽

Mountain Areas ◽

Negative Impacts

This review paper compiles research related to debris flows and hyperconcentrated flows in the central Andes (30°–33° S), updating the knowledge of these phenomena in this semiarid region. Continuous records of these phenomena are lacking through the Andean region; intense precipitations, sudden snowmelt, increased temperatures on high relief mountain areas, and permafrost degradation are related to violent flow discharges. Documented catastrophic consequences related to these geoclimatic events highlight the need to improve their understanding in order to prepare the Andean communities for this latent danger. An amplified impact is expected not only due to environmental changes potentially linked to climate change but also due to rising exposure linked to urban expansion toward more susceptible or unstable areas. This review highlights as well the need for the implementation of preventive measures to reduce the negative impacts and vulnerability of the Andean communities in the global warming context.

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