scholarly journals Impact of Habitat Loss and Mining on the Distribution of Endemic Species of Amphibians and Reptiles in Mexico

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Mayani-Parás ◽  
Francisco Botello ◽  
Saúl Castañeda ◽  
Víctor Sánchez-Cordero
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Potential Increase ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Combined Impact ◽  
The Impact

Mexico holds an exceptional diversity and endemicity of amphibian and reptile species, but several factors pose a threat to their conservation. Here, we produced ecological niche models for 179 Mexican endemic amphibian and reptile species and examined the impact of habitat loss and mining activities on their projected potential distributions, resulting in their extant distributions. We compared extant species distributions to the area required to conserve a minimum proportion of the species distribution. The combined impact of habitat loss and mining on extant species distribution was significantly higher than the impact of habitat loss alone. Only 40 species lost <30% of their distribution, while 83 species lost between 30–50%, 54 species lost between 50–80%, and 2 species lost more than 80% of their distribution. Furthermore, the size and configuration of the area required to conserve 20% of the extant species distributions changed considerably by increasing the number of fragments, with a potential increase in local population extirpations. Our study is the first to address the combined impact of habitat loss and mining on a highly vulnerable rich endemic species group, leading to a decrease in their potential distribution and a potential increase in the extinction risk of species.

scholarly journals The Influence of the Interaction between Climate and Competition on the Distributional Limits of European Shrews

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Tomé Neves ◽  
Luís Borda-de-Água ◽  
Maria da Luz Mathias ◽  
Joaquim T. Tapisso
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Presence Data ◽  
Geographical Scale ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Distributional Limits

It is known that species’ distributions are influenced by several ecological factors. Nonetheless, the geographical scale upon which the influence of these factors is perceived is largely undefined. We assessed the importance of competition in regulating the distributional limits of species at large geographical scales. We focus on species with similar diets, the European Soricidae shrews, and how interspecific competition changes along climatic gradients. We used presence data for the seven most widespread terrestrial species of Soricidae in Europe, gathered from GBIF, European museums, and climate data from WorldClim. We made use of two Joint Species Distribution Models to analyse the correlations between species’ presences, aiming to understand the distinct roles of climate and competition in shaping species’ distributions. Our results support three key conclusions: (i) climate alone does not explain all species’ distributions at large scales; (ii) negative interactions, such as competition, seem to play a strong role in defining species’ range limits, even at large scales; and (iii) the impact of competition on a species’ distribution varies along a climatic gradient, becoming stronger at the climatic extremes. Our conclusions support previous research, highlighting the importance of considering biotic interactions when studying species’ distributions, regardless of geographical scale.

Influence of climate and human land use on the distribution of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the western boreal forest

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.L. Dawe ◽  
E.M. Bayne ◽  
S. Boutin
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Individual Factor ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Boreal Ecosystem ◽  
Western Boreal Forest ◽  
Use Factors ◽  
The Impact

Understanding the factors that drive species distributions is emerging as an important tool in wildlife management, under unprecedented changes in species ranges. While invasion ecologists have long studied the impact of human land use on species’ distributions, and models developed more recently to explain changes in species range boundaries have been largely parameterized by climate variables, few authors have considered climate and land-use factors together to explain species distribution. The purpose of this study was to test two main competing hypotheses involving human land use and climate effects on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) distribution, which has expanded into the boreal ecosystem in recent decades. Using a species distribution modeling approach with data from boreal Alberta, we found that climate, as measured by an index of winter severity, was the most important individual factor determining current white-tailed deer distribution in boreal Alberta. Human land use (as measured by total land-use footprint) acted to substantially increase white-tailed deer presence but only in areas with more severe winter conditions. We use our findings to recommend where limiting or reclaiming the industrial footprint may be most beneficial to limiting white-tailed deer distribution.

scholarly journals Habitat loss is information loss: Species distribution models are compromised in anthropogenic landscapes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell Dinnage ◽  
Marcel Cardillo
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Species Distribution Models ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Anthropogenic Landscapes ◽  
Point Process Models ◽  
Species Mapping

AbstractSpecies distribution models (SDMs) are valuable tools to estimate species’ distributions, but are vulnerable to biases in the probability of a species being observed. One such bias is habitat loss, which has affected a substantial and increasing proportion of the Earth. In regions of severe habitat loss, data on a species’ occurrence may represent a small, non-random subset of sites it once occupied. This could cause distorted reconstructions of species distributions, and misleading inferences of evolutionary and ecological processes. We present a statistical approach for quantifying the influence on SDMs of habitat loss, and generating distribution predictions that are robust to these biases. We explored some of the effects of accounting for habitat loss on inferences from common downstream biogeographic and ecological analysis methods.We used herbarium record data to model the distribution of 325 plant species in the genera Banksia and Hakea across Australia, using point process models. We accounted for biases in the models by including a proxy variable representing habitat loss, and compared the fit of models without this variable to those with it. We explored the influence of habitat loss by mapping biodiversity patterns predicted with and without accounting for it.Generally, accounting for habitat loss in SDMs led to increases in the mean area of modelled species distributions of ~10% for Banksia and ~12% for Hakea across Australia (in some cases, up to several 100,000 km2 increases in predicted range), with somewhat greater average increases (11% and 15%) for species in the southwest Australian biodiversity hotspot. Accounting for habitat loss leads to an increase in predicted species richness (Alpha and Gamma diversity), but a decrease in compositional turnover (Beta diversity), across most of Australia. Accounting for habitat loss in SDMs had minimal influence on a downstream macroevolutionary analysis (Age-Range Correlation) that utilizes species distributions, seemingly because exposure to habitat loss did not show a phylogenetic pattern in this taxonomic group.The influence of habitat loss on species distributions estimated with SDM is likely to be context-dependent and difficult to generalize, but will tend to cause underestimates of range sizes. This may have consequences for mapping spatial patterns of diversity and for some downstream analyses of biogeographic, evolutionary, or ecological processes, based on species distributions, as well as conservation measures that rely on accurate species mapping.

A Preliminary Assessment on the Herpetofaunal Diversity of the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL), Batangas Philippines

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Ecological Community ◽  
Preliminary Assessment ◽  
Taal Volcano ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Baseline Information ◽  
Study Sites

The Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL) encompasses a prehistoric volcano caldera that caters to many documented endemic species. Although regarded as a unique area with the potential to house a diverse ecological community, biodiversity research in TVPL is still found wanting. The present paper aims to provide baseline information and increase research interests on the herpetofaunal diversity of TVPL, in light of its many undocumented terrestrial faunal species. Twelve study sites within the municipalities of Tanauan, Mataasnakahoy, and Balete were visited during survey trips from May to November 2015. A combination of transect and opportunistic sampling techniques were utilized, with morphometric data and sexual maturity recorded for each specimen collected. This preliminary survey provided 24 newly documented species of amphibians and reptiles occurring within TVPL. A total 10 frog species (from families Bufonidae, Ceratobatrachidae, Microhylidae, Dicroglossidae, Ranidae, and Rhacophoridae) and 14 reptile species (from families Agamidae, Gekkonidae, Scincidae, Varanidae, Acrochordidae, Colubridae, Elapidae, and Tryonychidae) were documented. Of the reptiles recorded, 3 are endemic species and widespread throughout the Philippines: Gekko mindorensis, Hydrosaurus pustulatus, and Draco spilopterus. Also recorded were the Philippine endemic frogs Kaloula picta and Limnonectes woodworthi along with the Luzon endemics Platymantis mimulus and Varanus marmoratus. The species-effort curve of amphibians showed a distinct plateau whereas the species-effort curve of reptiles has shown an increasing trend suggesting that additional sampling efforts should be done in the area to further increase knowledge of the TVPL herpetofaunal diversity.

Key Aspects of Assessing Effectiveness and Efficiency of Implementation of the Federal Clean Air Project on the Example of the Comprehensive Emission Reduction Action Plan in Nizhny Tagil

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-60
Author(s):  
SV Yarushin ◽  
DV Kuzmin ◽  
AA Shevchik ◽  
TM Tsepilova ◽  
VB Gurvich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Industrial Enterprises ◽  
Clean Air ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: Key issues of assessing effectiveness and economic efficiency of implementing the Federal Clean Air Project by public health criteria are considered based on the example of the Comprehensive Emission Reduction Action Plan realized in the city of Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk Region. Materials and methods: We elaborated method approaches and reviewed practical aspects of evaluating measures taken in 2018–2019 at key urban industrial enterprises accounting for 95 % of stationary source emissions. Results: Summary calculations of ambient air pollution and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic inhalation health risks including residual risks, evaluation of the impact of air quality on urban mortality and morbidity rates, economic assessment of prevented morbidity and premature mortality cases have enabled us not only to estimate health effects but also to develop guidelines for development and implementation of actions aimed at enhancing effectiveness and efficiency of industrial emission reduction in terms of health promotion of the local population. Conclusions: We substantiate proposals for the necessity and sufficiency of taking remedial actions ensuring achievement of acceptable health risk levels as targets of the Comprehensive Emission Reduction Action Plan in Nizhny Tagil until 2024 and beyond.

The Biology of Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen J. Esler ◽  
Anna L. Jacobsen ◽  
R. Brandon Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Type Ecosystems

The world’s mediterranean-type climate regions (including areas within the Mediterranean, South Africa, Australia, California, and Chile) have long been of interest to biologists by virtue of their extraordinary biodiversity and the appearance of evolutionary convergence between these disparate regions. Comparisons between mediterranean-type climate regions have provided important insights into questions at the cutting edge of ecological, ecophysiological and evolutionary research. These regions, dominated by evergreen shrubland communities, contain many rare and endemic species. Their mild climate makes them appealing places to live and visit and this has resulted in numerous threats to the species and communities that occupy them. Threats include a wide range of factors such as habitat loss due to development and agriculture, disturbance, invasive species, and climate change. As a result, they continue to attract far more attention than their limited geographic area might suggest. This book provides a concise but comprehensive introduction to mediterranean-type ecosystems. As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book is on the organisms that dominate these regions although their management, conservation, and restoration are also considered.

Two Visions of Lithuania

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Balkelis
Keyword(s):  
Local Population ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Proletarian Revolution ◽  
The Impact

This chapter explores the initial conjunction and subsequent disentanglement of social and nationalist revolutions in Lithuania by focusing on the impact that war and various mobilizations had on the local population in 1918–19. Despite the explosion of social and nationalist unrest all over the country in late 1918, in a matter of several months the Bolsheviks lost their case. The key reasons for their failure were their military defeat by German, Lithuanian, and Polish troops, but also economic mismanagement, the refusal to distribute land to peasants, and an inability to present their revolution as “native.” Following the Leninist doctrine of “proletarian revolution” that relegated peasantry to a secondary position, the Bolsheviks failed to forge an alliance with the largest population group of Lithuanian society, which resulted in their downfall.

scholarly journals The implications of vehicle collisions for the Endangered endemic Zanzibar red colobus Piliocolobus kirkii

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Harry Olgun ◽  
Mzee Khamis Mohammed ◽  
Abbas Juma Mzee ◽  
M. E. Landry Green ◽  
Tim R. B. Davenport ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Road Ecology ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Red Colobus ◽  
Vehicle Collisions ◽  
The Road ◽  
Life History Data ◽  
Natural Predation ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Roads affect wildlife in a variety of negative ways. Road ecology studies have mostly concentrated on areas in the northern hemisphere despite the potentially greater impact of roads on biodiversity in tropical habitats. Here, we examine 4 years (January 2016–December 2019) of opportunistic observations of mammalian roadkill along a road intersecting Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park, Unguja, Zanzibar. In particular, we assess the impact of collisions on the population of an endemic primate, the Endangered Zanzibar red colobus Piliocolobus kirkii. Primates accounted for the majority of roadkill in this dataset. Monthly rainfall was not associated with roadkill frequency for mammals generally, nor for the Zanzibar red colobus. No single age–sex class of colobus was found dead more often than expected given their occurrence in the local population. The overall effect of roadkill on colobus populations in habitats fragmented by roads is unknown given the lack of accurate, long-term life history data for this species. Our findings suggest that mortality from collisions with vehicles in some groups of colobus is within the range of mortality rates other primates experience under natural predation. Unlike natural predators, however, vehicles do not kill selectively, so their impact on populations may differ. Although a comparison with historical accounts suggests that the installation of speedbumps along the road near the Park's entrance has led to a significant decrease in colobus roadkill, further actions to mitigate the impact of the road could bring substantial conservation benefits.

scholarly journals Mapping 20 Years of Urban Expansion in 45 Urban Areas of Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 525
Author(s):  
Yann Forget ◽  
Michal Shimoni ◽  
Marius Gilbert ◽  
Catherine Linard
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Urban Dynamics ◽  
Mapping Approach ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

By 2050, half of the net increase in the world’s population is expected to reside in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), driving high urbanization rates and drastic land cover changes. However, the data-scarce environment of SSA limits our understanding of the urban dynamics in the region. In this context, Earth Observation (EO) is an opportunity to gather accurate and up-to-date spatial information on urban extents. During the last decade, the adoption of open-access policies by major EO programs (CBERS, Landsat, Sentinel) has allowed the production of several global high resolution (10–30 m) maps of human settlements. However, mapping accuracies in SSA are usually lower, limited by the lack of reference datasets to support the training and the validation of the classification models. Here we propose a mapping approach based on multi-sensor satellite imagery (Landsat, Sentinel-1, Envisat, ERS) and volunteered geographic information (OpenStreetMap) to solve the challenges of urban remote sensing in SSA. The proposed mapping approach is assessed in 17 case studies for an average F1-score of 0.93, and applied in 45 urban areas of SSA to produce a dataset of urban expansion from 1995 to 2015. Across the case studies, built-up areas averaged a compound annual growth rate of 5.5% between 1995 and 2015. The comparison with local population dynamics reveals the heterogeneity of urban dynamics in SSA. Overall, population densities in built-up areas are decreasing. However, the impact of population growth on urban expansion differs depending on the size of the urban area and its income class.

Species distribution modeling reveals the ecological niche of extinct megafauna from South America

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Thaísa Araújo ◽  
Helena Machado ◽  
Dimila Mothé ◽  
Leonardo dos Santos Avilla
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Species Distribution Modeling ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
Distribution Modeling ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Climatic and environmental changes, as well as human action, have been cited as potential causes for the extinction of megafauna in South America at the end of the Pleistocene. Among megamammals lineages with Holarctic origin, only horses and proboscideans went extinct in South America during this period. This study aims to understand how the spatial extent of habitats suitable for Equus neogeus and Notiomastodon platensis changed between the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the middle Holocene in order to determine the impact that climatic and environmental changes had on these taxa. We used species distribution modeling to estimate their potential extent on the continent and found that both species occupied arid and semiarid open lands during the LGM, mainly in the Pampean region of Argentina, southern and northeastern Brazil, and parts of the Andes. However, when climate conditions changed from dry and cold during the LGM to humid and warm during the middle Holocene, the areas suitable for these taxa were reduced dramatically. These results support the hypothesis that climatic changes were a driving cause of extinction of these megamammals in South America, although we cannot rule out the impact of human actions or other potential causes for their extinction.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document