ecological change
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2022 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 102434
Author(s):  
Sarah Lawless ◽  
Philippa J. Cohen ◽  
Cynthia McDougall ◽  
Sangeeta Mangubhai ◽  
Andrew M. Song ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem Goedkoop ◽  
Joseph M. Culp ◽  
Tom Christensen ◽  
Kirsten S. Christoffersen ◽  
Elena Fefilova ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilesanmi Akanmidu Paul

Migration is a global phenomenon. From time immemorial, man has been moving from one place to another for temporary or permanent settlements. This is largely facilitated by natural or artificial factors. The former include nat­ural disasters such as ecological change and draught, while the latter can be in­stigated by wars and search for better fortunes. This study examines the nature of the movements of the Okun-Yoruba people from the western region of Ni­geria to the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers in the Central Geograph­ical Zone of Nigeria. It reveals how their long years of interactions with peoples of the confluence region were aided by the European delimitation of the area as part of the North, which has been the basis of sociopolltical agitation. The study reveals that Okun-Yoruba people, despite their geographical delimitation as northerners, see themselves more as southerners.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1399
Author(s):  
Jasmine E. Bruno ◽  
Stephen J. Leisz ◽  
Jake S. Bobula ◽  
María E. Fernández-Giménez

Land changes in rangeland systems cascade through interconnected social and ecological spheres, affecting both humans and the environment. This study applied a multi-method approach to examine the causes and consequences of change in two rangeland communities in northeastern (NE) Colorado. First, this study used a Random Forest supervised classifier to analyze 36 years of land-cover data and create a land-cover/use change classification model. Second, the research team analyzed transcripts of interviews with 32 ranchers, examining how ranchers’ adaptive strategies influence land-cover change trends. Lastly, the analysis integrated the quantitative and qualitative data, constructing a social–ecological rangeland change conceptual model. This study found that the cultivated area decreased in both study sites from 1984–2019, with 16.0% and 18.7% of each site transitioning out of the cultivated area. Moreover, 10.3% and 18.4% of each site, respectively, transitioned to herbaceous/grassland cover from 1984–2019. The qualitative analysis identified the role of conservation policies, such as open space programs, on land change. Also, despite the relatively small area that transitioned to developed cover—1.83% and 0.183% of each site—participants emphasized that the associated demographic and cultural shifts drive land-use change. This study highlights that while rangelands are undergoing social–ecological change, land-use decisions and land conservation programs can help mitigate the global trend of declining rangeland and grassland cover.


PhytoKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 187 ◽  
pp. 23-70
Author(s):  
Eduardo A. Morales ◽  
Carlos E. Wetzel ◽  
Luc Ector

Based on two Andean Altiplano samples and on light and scanning electron microscopy analyses, we present six new species of “araphid” diatoms in the genus Pseudostaurosira, P. aedessp. nov., P. frankenaesp. nov., P. heteropolarissp. nov., P. oblongasp. nov., P. occultasp. nov., and P. pulchrasp. nov. Additional data are provided for four other known taxa, Nanofrustulum cataractarum, N. rarissimum, P. sajamaensis and P. vulpina, the latter species corresponding to a stat. nov. based on a variety of P. laucensis. Each taxon is described morphologically and compared with closely related published taxa, using characters such as axial area, virgae, vimines, areolar shape, volae, internal striae depositions, spines, flaps and apical pore fields, which are not usually used for species distinction within the genus. It is our intention that the detailed morphological descriptions of each taxon and the elaborate comparative tables we provide serve as a basis for correction of neo and paleo-databases for the Altiplano to produce a better account of autecological data and ecological change in the region. Some arguments for our continued use of a morphologically based approach are given in the context of rapid environmental degradation in the Andes and the difficulties in applying molecular approaches in countries such as Bolivia.


Author(s):  
Anat Koplowitz-Breier

Abstract This article explores the ecopoetry written by three women poets who also identify themselves as Jewish poets: Alicia Ostriker, Marge Piercy and Naomi Ruth Lowinsky. It examines whether they employ any or some/all of the “emancipatory strategies” characteristic of the ecofeminist re-imagination of nature and human relationships with the natural world, seeking to answer several questions: How far can these poems be considered part of eco-Judaism? Does the fact that their authors are women also make them ecofeminist works? Does the poets’ Jewish feminist identity contribute to their ecopoetic call for ecological change?


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1060
Author(s):  
Paige R. Chesshire ◽  
Lindsie M. McCabe ◽  
Neil S. Cobb

The structural patterns comprising bimodal pollination networks can help characterize plant–pollinator systems and the interactions that influence species distribution and diversity over time and space. We compare network organization of three plant–pollinator communities along the altitudinal gradient of the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona. We found that pollination networks become more nested, as well as exhibit lower overall network specialization, with increasing elevation. Greater weight of generalist pollinators at higher elevations of the San Francisco Peaks may result in plant–pollinator communities less vulnerable to future species loss due to changing climate or shifts in species distribution. We uncover the critical, more generalized pollinator species likely responsible for higher nestedness and stability at the higher elevation environment. The generalist species most important for network stability may be of the greatest interest for conservation efforts; preservation of the most important links in plant–pollinator networks may help secure the more specialized pollinators and maintain species redundancy in the face of ecological change, such as changing climate.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina R. Eccles ◽  
Emily J. Bethell ◽  
Alison L. Greggor ◽  
Claudia Mettke-Hofmann

Shifts in resource availability due to environmental change are increasingly confronting animals with unfamiliar food types. Species that can rapidly accept new food types may be better adapted to ecological change. Intuitively, dietary generalists are expected to accept new food types when resources change, while dietary specialists would be more averse to adopting novel food. However, most studies investigating changes in dietary breadth focus on generalist species and do not delve into potential individual predictors of dietary wariness and the social factors modulating these responses. We investigated dietary wariness in the Gouldian finch, a dietary specialist, that is expected to avoid novel food. This species occurs in two main head colors (red, black), which signal personality in other contexts. We measured their initial neophobic responses (approach attempts before first feed and latency to first feed) and willingness to incorporate novel food into their diet (frequency of feeding on novel food after first feed). Birds were tested in same-sex pairs in same and different head color pairings balanced across experiments 1 and 2. Familiar and novel food (familiar food dyed) were presented simultaneously across 5 days for 3 h, each. Gouldian finches fed on the familiar food first demonstrating food neophobia, and these latencies were repeatable. Birds made more approach attempts before feeding on novel than familiar food, particularly red-headed birds in experiment 1 and when partnered with a black-headed bird. Individuals consistently differed in their rate of incorporation of novel food, with clear differences between head colors; red-headed birds increased their feeding visits to novel food across experimentation equaling their familiar food intake by day five, while black-headed birds continually favored familiar food. Results suggest consistent among individual differences in response to novel food with red-headed birds being adventurous consumers and black-headed birds dietary conservatives. The differences in food acceptance aligned with responses to novel environments on the individual level (found in an earlier study) providing individuals with an adaptive combination of novelty responses across contexts in line with potential differences in movement patterns. Taken together, these novelty responses could aid in population persistence when faced with environmental changes.


PLoS Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. e1009864
Author(s):  
Gemma G. R. Murray ◽  
Andrew J. Balmer ◽  
Josephine Herbert ◽  
Nazreen F. Hadijirin ◽  
Caroline L. Kemp ◽  
...  

Mutation rates vary both within and between bacterial species, and understanding what drives this variation is essential for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of bacterial populations. In this study, we investigate two factors that are predicted to influence the mutation rate: ecology and genome size. We conducted mutation accumulation experiments on eight strains of the emerging zoonotic pathogen Streptococcus suis. Natural variation within this species allows us to compare tonsil carriage and invasive disease isolates, from both more and less pathogenic populations, with a wide range of genome sizes. We find that invasive disease isolates have repeatedly evolved mutation rates that are higher than those of closely related carriage isolates, regardless of variation in genome size. Independent of this variation in overall rate, we also observe a stronger bias towards G/C to A/T mutations in isolates from more pathogenic populations, whose genomes tend to be smaller and more AT-rich. Our results suggest that ecology is a stronger correlate of mutation rate than genome size over these timescales, and that transitions to invasive disease are consistently accompanied by rapid increases in mutation rate. These results shed light on the impact that ecology can have on the adaptive potential of bacterial pathogens.


Human Ecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indiana Reid-Shaw ◽  
Azjargal Jargalsaihan ◽  
Robin S. Reid ◽  
Chantsallkham Jamsranjav ◽  
María E. Fernández-Giménez

AbstractPastoral people in rangelands worldwide are experiencing uncertainty due to a combination of climatic, economic, and political stressors. Our study seeks to create a full view of the drivers, impacts, and adaptations to change for livestock herders in rural Mongolia, making use of herder traditional knowledge and select instrumental data. Interview respondents described undesirable trends in livestock herds, pasture, wildlife, and their livelihoods in three sites in northern, central, and eastern Mongolia from 1995 to 2015, including decreased lake levels. There was more agreement for precipitation trends than for temperature. We developed a systems model based on herder descriptions of the sequence and prominence of interacting drivers of change. Finally, we describe measures herders are taking to adapt to these changes, such as more frequent livestock movement. We present a transdisciplinary view of social-ecological change and applications for more regionally focused governance in an era of climate uncertainty.


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