scholarly journals A continental measure of urbanness predicts avian response to local urbanization

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey Thomas Callaghan ◽  
Richard E. Major ◽  
William K. Cornwell ◽  
Ailstair G. B. Poore ◽  
John Wilshire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Specific Variation ◽  
Species Specific

Understanding species-specific relationships with their environment is essential for ecology, biogeography, and conservation biology. Moreover, understanding how these relationships change with spatial scale is critical to mitigating potential threats to biodiversity. But methods which measure inter-specific variation in responses to environmental parameters, generalizable across multiple spatial scales, are lacking. We used broad-scale citizen science data, over a continental scale, integrated with remotely-sensed products, to produce a measure of response to urbanization for a given species at a continental-scale. We then compared these responses to modelled responses to urbanization at a local-scale, based on systematic sampling within a series of small cities. For 49 species which had sufficient data for modelling, we found a significant relationship (R2 = 0.51) between continental-scale urbanness and local-scale urbanness. Our results suggest that continental-scale responses are representative of small-scale responses to urbanization. We also found that relatively few citizen science observations (~250) are necessary for reliable estimates of continental-scale urban scores to predict local-scale response to urbanization. Our method of producing species-specific urban scores is robust and can be generalized to other taxa and other environmental variables with relative ease.

Patterns of abundance and size of Dictyoceratid sponges among neighbouring islands in central Torres Strait, Australia

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan R. Duckworth ◽  
Carsten W. Wolff
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Size Frequency Distribution ◽  
Abundance Patterns ◽  
Size Frequency ◽  
Dysidea Herbacea ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Species Specific

Distribution and size frequency patterns of sessile organisms such as sponges may vary among and within neighbouring reefs. In the present study, we examined small-scale variation of dictyoceratid sponges (class Demospongiae), commonly found on coral reefs, by surveying six neighbouring islands in central Torres Strait. Each island had four study sites, at least 1 km apart, with each site consisting of three shallow (4 to 6 m) and three deep (10 to 15 m) 20 m2 transects. For each transect, we recorded the number of each species and measured the size of the more common dictyoceratid sponges. Seven species of dictyoceratid were recorded in central Torres Strait, with only three species, Coscinoderma sp., Dysidea herbacea and Hyrtios erecta, common to all six islands. Abundance patterns generally varied greatly among islands or sites within islands, perhaps resulting from a combination of physical, biological and stochastic factors. More dictyoceratids were found in deeper water; however, abundance across depth for some species varied among islands or sites. Size-frequency distribution patterns also varied greatly among islands and dictyoceratid species, indicating that factors that may promote growth for one species may not necessarily promote growth for a related species. This study shows that patterns of abundance and size of dictyoceratids can vary greatly over small spatial scales, and that patterns are species-specific.

Mismatched spatial scales can limit the utility of citizen science data for estimating wildlife‐habitat relationships

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javan M. Bauder ◽  
Alyson M. Cervantes ◽  
Alexandra C. Avrin ◽  
Laura S. Whipple ◽  
Morgan J. Farmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Science Data

Heterogeneous urban green areas are bird diversity hotspots: insights using continental-scale citizen science data

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 1231-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey T. Callaghan ◽  
Gilad Bino ◽  
Richard E. Major ◽  
John M. Martin ◽  
Mitchell B. Lyons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Urban Green Areas ◽  
Green Areas

Citizen science data accurately predicts expert-derived species richness at a continental scale when sampling thresholds are met

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1323-1337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey T. Callaghan ◽  
J. Dale Roberts ◽  
Alistair G. B. Poore ◽  
Ross A. Alford ◽  
Hal Cogger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Continental Scale

scholarly journals Management of invasive alien species in Spain: A bibliometric review

NeoBiota ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 123-150
Author(s):  
Rafael Muñoz-Mas ◽  
Martina Carrete ◽  
Pilar Castro-Díez ◽  
Miguel Delibes-Mateos ◽  
Josep A. Jaques ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Research Management ◽  
Giant Reed ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Inland Waters ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
Species Specific

Scientific and grey literature on invasive alien species (IAS) is conditioned by social, economic and political priorities, editorial preferences and species and ecosystem characteristics. This leads to knowledge gaps and mismatches between scientific research interests and management needs. We reviewed the literature on IAS management in Spain found in Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Dialnet to identify key deficiencies and priority research areas. The collected literature was classified, employing features describing formal aspects and content. We used bibliometric and keyword co-occurrence network analyses to assess the relationship between features and reveal the existence of additional topics. Most of the compiled documents (n = 388) were focused on terrestrial ecosystems and inland waters, whereas marine and urban ecosystems were under-represented. The literature was largely generic and not species-specific, focusing on raising awareness and proposing changes on current regulation as prominent approaches to prevent further introductions. The compiled authors exhibited many clear publishing preferences (e.g. language or document type), but less regarding target taxa. In addition, there was a strong association between species and the different features considered, especially between the methodological approach (e.g. review, field experiment) and the primary emphasis of study (i.e. basic/theoretical, applied or interdisciplinary). This indicates that research on IAS has had a strong species-specific focus. References about terrestrial species focused mainly on vascular plants, whereas references about inland waters were mostly on fishes and the giant reed (Arundo donax), which has been managed with partial success. Animal culling and plant removal were the most frequent eradication and small-scale control treatments, whereas the documents addressing wider spatial scales were largely theoretical. Consequently, the success of described treatments was largely uncertain. Spanish invasion science research has been occasionally innovative, incorporating novel technologies (e.g. species distribution modelling) and engaging society with citizen-science approaches. However, the ratio between basic/theoretical and applied studies indicates that more applied research/management is needed, especially in inland waters and marine ecosystems. We call for increasing effort in the effective dissemination of experience in IAS management to enhance current practical knowledge, including that of schemes undertaken by public agencies.

scholarly journals Modeling Avian Full Annual Cycle Distribution and Population Trends with Citizen Science Data

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Fink ◽  
Tom Auer ◽  
Alison Johnston ◽  
Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez ◽  
Wesley M. Hochachka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Spatiotemporal Resolution ◽  
Neotropical Migrant ◽  
Mobile Species ◽  
Animal Populations

AbstractInformation on species’ distributions and abundances, and how these change over time are central to the study of the ecology and conservation of animal populations. This information is challenging to obtain at relevant scales across range-wide extents for two main reasons. First, local and regional processes that affect populations vary throughout the year and across species’ ranges, requiring fine-scale, year-round information across broad — sometimes hemispheric — spatial extents. Second, while citizen science projects can collect data at these scales, using these data requires appropriate analysis to address known sources of bias. Here we present an analytical framework to address these challenges and generate year-round, range-wide distributional information using citizen science data. To illustrate this approach, we apply the framework to Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), a long-distance Neotropical migrant and species of conservation concern, using data from the citizen science project eBird. We estimate occurrence and relative abundance with enough spatiotemporal resolution to support inference across a range of spatial scales throughout the annual cycle. Additionally, we generate intra-annual estimates of the range, intra-annual estimates of the associations between species and the local environment, and inter-annual trends in relative abundance. This is the first example of an analysis to capture intra- and inter-annual distributional dynamics across the entire range of a broadly distributed, highly mobile species.

scholarly journals Habitat loss in the restricted range of the endemic Ghanaian cichlid Limbochromis robertsi

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Lamboj ◽  
O. Lucanus ◽  
P. Osei Darko ◽  
J.P Arroyo-Mora ◽  
M Kalacska
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Continental Scale

ABSTRACTRemote sensing, through satellite image analysis has become an integral and invaluable tool to inform biodiversity conservation and monitoring of habitat degradation and restoration over time. Despite the disproportionately high levels of biodiversity loss in freshwater ecosystems worldwide, ichthyofauna are commonly overlooked in favor of other keystone species. Freshwater fish, as indicators of overall aquatic ecosystem health can also be indicators of larger scale problems within an ecosystem. If endemic and specialized fishes are at risk, the forest and landscape around their habitat is also undergoing change. As a case study demonstrating the utility of multi-temporal, multi-resolution satellite imagery, we examined deforestation and forest fragmentation around the Atewa Forest Reserve, south eastern Ghana. Within small creeks, Limbochromis robertsi, a unique freshwater cichlid with an extremely limited distribution range can be found. Historically, the land cover in the area has undergone substantial deforestation for agriculture and artisanal small-scale mining, primarily for gold. We found deforestation accelerated along with increased forest fragmentation in the 2014 – 2017 period with the majority of the forest loss along the river and creek banks due to small-scale mining operations and increased agriculture. Field visits indicate a decrease in the total population by approximately 90% from the early 1990s to 2018. We illustrate the benefits of determining landscape metrics from local scale remote sensing studies as proxies to assess the decline of endemic species with restricted ranges, whose habitat characteristics and the subsequent pressures they face require detailed analysis at fine temporal and spatial scales not captured by global or continental scale datasets.

The Greenspace Bird Calculator: a citizen-driven tool for monitoring avian biodiversity in urban greenspaces

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 468-476
Author(s):  
Corey T. Callaghan ◽  
John H. Wilshire ◽  
John M. Martin ◽  
Richard E. Major ◽  
Mitchell B. Lyons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Urban Greenspaces ◽  
Avian Biodiversity ◽  
Web App ◽  
The Web

Urbanisation is altering local flora and fauna, but urban greenspaces can provide refugia for a variety of taxa. However, we often lack basic biodiversity information (e.g., species richness) for these urban greenspaces. Citizen science projects are continuously improving our understanding of ecology at broad temporal and spatial scales. But, many conservation-relevant decisions are idiosyncratic and made at small management scales (e.g., local government). Given a general bias of citizen science data towards areas with large human populations, citizen scientists are best placed to contribute to improving our understanding of the biodiversity within cities and urban greenspaces. We introduce the Greenspace Bird Calculator: a web-app aimed at enhancing our collective knowledge of bird diversity in urban greenspaces. Users of the web-app could be land managers seeking to understand the bird diversity in the greenspaces they manage. It is built in a reproducible workflow, allowing anyone to delineate a greenspace and submit it to the web-app administrator, receiving an output comprising the greenspace’s total bird diversity. The Greenspace Bird Calculator web-app provides an automated tool to utilise existing eBird citizen science data to calculate species richness for urban greenspaces globally. Critically, the GBC web-app statistically assesses available data that otherwise would be unlikely to be considered by decision-makers. This web-app is an example of the evolution of citizen science, whereby the data collected has been analysed to allow accessible interpretation and inclusion into urban greenspace management and planning.

scholarly journals Capitalizing on opportunistic citizen science data to monitor urban biodiversity: a multi-taxa framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey Thomas Callaghan ◽  
Ian Ozeroff ◽  
Colleen Hitchcock ◽  
Mark Chandler
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Urban Biodiversity ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Biological Community ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Broad Scale

Monitoring urban biodiversity is increasingly important, given the increasing anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity in urban areas. While the cost of broad-scale monitoring by professionals may be prohibitive, citizen science (also referred to as community science) will likely play an important role in understanding biodiversity responses to urbanization into the future. Here, we present a framework that relies on broad-scale citizen science data –– collected through iNaturalist –– to quantify (1) species-specific responses to urbanization on a continuous scale, capitalizing on globally-available VIIRS night-time lights data; and (2) community-level measures of the urbanness of a given biological community that can be aggregated to any spatial unit relevant for policy-decisions. We demonstrate the potential utility of this framework in the Boston metropolitan region, using > 1,000 species aggregated across 87 towns throughout the region. Of the most common species, our species-specific urbanness measures highlighted the expected difference between native and non-native species. Further, our biological community-level urbanness measures –– aggregated by towns –– negatively correlated with enhanced vegetation indices within a town and positively correlated with the area of impervious surface within a town. We conclude by demonstrating how towns can be ‘ranked’ promoting a framework where towns can be compared based on whether they over- or under-perform in the urbanness of their community relative to other towns. Ultimately, biodiversity conservation in urban environments will best succeed with robust, repeatable, and interpretable measures of biodiversity responses to urbanization, and involving the broader public in the derivation and tracking of these responses will likely result in increased bioliteracy and conservation awareness.

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