Broad Habitat Research Articles

Current status of zoobenthic fauna associated with macroalgae fields from the southern Romanian Black Sea coast

The European environmental policies related to marine water management require a periodic environmental status assessment. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC clearly specifies that assessment must take into consideration benthic habitat types, including their associated biological communities. The aim of this study is to present the results of the ecological analysis of the zoobenthic communities associated with benthic habitats with macrophytic substrate and to provide new data regarding the qualitative and quantitative structure of macroinvertebrates that populate these habitats type. The broad habitats type Infralittoral rock and biogenic reef and Infralittoral sands were investigated. The analyzed data covers the summer season, 2023 based on the processing of 13 samples collected from Navodari to 2 Mai – Vama Veche, on depths ranging between 1m to 3 m. A total of 80 macrozoobenthic species were found in all macrophytic assemblages, the Polychaeta, Crustacean and Gastropod were the dominant groups, especially Perinereis cultrifera, Platynereis dumerilii, Ampithoe ramondi, Stenothoe monoculoides, Rissoa splendida, Tricolia pullus registering a large number of individuals. For data interpretation a synecological analysis was performed allowing the identification of the species with the most significant contribution in the ecosystem in terms of function, energy exchanges with the environment, the characteristic species of a biotope or those that have an accidental presence in the studied area.

Exceptionally preserved burrows of ichnogenus Asterosoma from the lower Silurian of South China: systematic ichnology, palaeoecology and implications for ecosystem recovery following the late Ordovician mass extinction

Exceptionally preserved complex burrows are described from the lower Silurian of South China, and they are identified as Asterosoma ludwigae Schlirf, 2000, which is characterized by the straight or curved bulbs that bud from an axial, vertical or horizontal, cylindrical burrow following a dichotomous or fan-like pattern. Striae and concentric lamination of burrow fills indicate that the special mining behaviour of the tracemaker reflects appendages that imprinted the burrow wall during their activities, speculating that polychaetes or holothuroides could be strong candidates of the tracemaker of A . ludwigae . Abundant organic-matter-rich peloids and muddy matrix in burrow fills may consist of tracemaker's secretions or excrement. Abundant extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and clay minerals in filling sediment indicate the possible presence of microbes, implying that Asterosoma is not a simple fodinichnion, but rather created a beneficial symbiosis between tracemakers and microbes in burrows. Phanerozoic spatiotemporal distributions indicate that Asterosoma was distributed in broad habitats from deep sea to delta, but showed a strong preference for the shallow sea. Compilation of new ichnofossils and previously reported ichnotaxa from South China reveals that ichnospecies richness, burrow size and complexity all increased significantly during the late Aeronian, indicating a full recovery after the late Ordovician mass extinction.

Limited evidence for the influence of the physical structure and floristics of habitat on a boreal forest bird community

Studies conducted at regional and continental scales show that avian richness, community composition, and abundance are associated with variation in the vegetation physical structure and community composition (floristics) within broad habitat types. The relative contributions of physical structure and floristics are contested, and relationships are often taxon-specific. We used 110 microphone arrays deployed across 90 sampling locations and two breeding seasons to survey an avian community in the boreal forest in Labrador, Canada. Our objectives were (1) to describe the avian community of an underrepresented portion of the boreal forest, (2) to estimate the relationships between avian species richness and habitat characteristics, (3) to estimate if species detection at a given location was related to local habitat characteristics, and (4) to investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of the avian community composition. We detected 32 species at our sampling locations; physical structure and floristics were not related to avian species richness, although estimates of richness were higher on warmer days and lower on windier days. Habitat characteristics were associated with the detection of Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus), Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata), American Robin (Turdus migratorius), and Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens). Finally, avian community composition was only moderately consistent among three categorical forest types and between audio sampling periods in two consecutive breeding seasons. Overall, we show that the structural and floristic traits measured at our study site are not related to the detection of most avian species or to species richness.

The primacy of density‐mediated indirect effects in a community of wolves, elk, and aspen

AbstractThe removal or addition of a predator in an ecosystem can trigger a trophic cascade, whereby the predator indirectly influences plants and/or abiotic processes via direct effects on its herbivore prey. A trophic cascade can operate through a density‐mediated indirect effect (DMIE), where the predator reduces herbivore density via predation, and/or through a trait‐mediated indirect effect (TMIE), where the predator induces an herbivore trait response that modifies the herbivore's effect on plants. Manipulative experiments suggest that TMIEs are an equivalent or more important driver of trophic cascades than are DMIEs. Whether this applies generally in nature is uncertain because few studies have directly compared the magnitudes of TMIEs and DMIEs on natural unmanipulated field patterns. A TMIE is often invoked to explain the textbook trophic cascade involving wolves (Canis lupus), elk (Cervus canadensis), and aspen (Populus tremuloides) in northern Yellowstone National Park. This hypothesis posits that wolves indirectly increase recruitment of young aspen into the overstory primarily through reduced elk browsing in response to spatial variation in wolf predation risk rather than through reduced elk population density. To test this hypothesis, we compared the effects of spatiotemporal variation in wolf predation risk and temporal variation in elk population density on unmanipulated patterns of browsing and recruitment of young aspen across 113 aspen stands over a 21‐year period (1999–2019) in northern Yellowstone National Park. Only 2 of 10 indices of wolf predation risk had statistically meaningful effects on browsing and recruitment of young aspen, and these effects were 8–28 times weaker than the effect of elk density. To the extent that temporal variation in elk density was attributable to wolf predation, our results suggest that the wolf–elk–aspen trophic cascade was primarily density‐mediated rather than trait‐mediated. This aligns with the alternative hypothesis that wolves and other actively hunting predators with broad habitat domains cause DMIEs to dominate whenever prey, such as elk, also have a broad habitat domain. For at least this type of predator–prey community, our study suggests that risk‐induced trait responses can be abstracted or ignored while still achieving an accurate understanding of trophic cascades.

A global database of soil seed bank richness, density, and abundance.

A soil seed bank is the collective name for viable seeds that are stored naturally in the soil. At the species or population level, the ability to form a seed bank represents a strategy for (re)colonization following a disturbance or other change in the local environmental conditions. At the community level, seed banks are thought to buffer local diversity during periods of environmental change and are often studied in relation to the potential for passive habitat restoration. The role that seed banks play in plant population and community dynamics, as well as their importance in the agricultural sector, means that they have been widely studied in ecological research. This database is the result of a comprehensive literature search, including all seed bank studies from the Web of Science from which data could be extracted, as well as an additional search of the Russian language literature. The database contains information on the species richness, seed density, and/or seed abundance in 3096 records from at least 1929 locations across the world's seven continents, extracted from 1442 studies published between 1940 and 2020. Records are grouped into five broad habitat categories (aquatic, arable, forest, grassland-including shrubland-and wetland), including information relating to habitat degradation from, or restoration to other habitats (total 14 combinations). Sampling protocols were also extracted for each record, and the database was extensively checked for errors. The location of each record was then used to extract summary climate data and biome classification from external published databases. The database has several potential uses. The large geographical spread relative to many other global biodiversity datasets is relevant for investigating patterns of diversity in biogeographical or macroecological contexts. Habitat type and status (intact, degraded, and restored) can be used to provide insights for biodiversity conservation, while the potential effects of sampling method and effort can be used to inform optimized data collection for future seed bank studies. This database is released under the CC-BY license.

Home ranges, habitat selection, and energy expenditure of Strix varia (Barred Owls): Understanding the full diel cycle matters for enhancing urban landscapes

Abstract We integrated GPS and accelerometer data to examine habitat selection and energy expenditure patterns across the diel cycle in Strix varia (Barred Owls), addressing a critical gap in wildlife research that often overlooks activity during the “inactive” phase. Owls in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, selected forests with tall canopies and open understories, particularly in affluent neighborhoods, supporting the “luxury effect” in urban biodiversity. Nocturnal home ranges were larger (31.8 ha) compared to diurnal home ranges (8.9 ha), indicating broader habitat use at night. The total area of preferred nocturnal habitat was 33% of the Baton Rouge study area, whereas preferred diurnal habitat comprised only 5%. Energy expenditure was inversely related to preference in nocturnal home ranges but increased with preference in diurnal home ranges. Our models were validated using independent data from Clemson, South Carolina, supporting the robustness of our analysis and revealing generalities in owl habitat selection across these regions. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of urban ecology, highlighting habitat components preferred by owls and possibly other forest-dwelling species. It emphasizes the difference in nocturnal and diurnal home range sizes, the scarcity of daytime refuges for S. varia in urban landscapes, and the variation in energy expenditure in preferred habitats. Our findings advocate for urban designs that accommodate wildlife activity throughout the day and night, and highlight the positive correlation between preferred owl habitat and affluent neighborhoods, underscoring the need for equitable distribution of green spaces to foster biodiversity across socioeconomic gradients. These insights will help develop strategies to enhance the ecological value of urban environments and the conservation of S. varia and associated forest-dwelling species in rapidly urbanizing areas.

Russian olive distribution and invasion dynamics along the Powder River, Montana and Wyoming, USA

The invasive shrub, Russian olive (Elaeagnus augustifolia), is widely established within riparian areas across North America and eastern Europe. Limited information on its distribution and invasion dynamics in northern regions has hampered understanding and management efforts. Given this lack of spatial and ecological information we worked with local stakeholders and developed two main objectives: (1) map the distribution of Russian olive along the Powder River (Montana and Wyoming, United States) as of 2020 with field data and remote sensing; and (2) relate that distribution to environmental variables to understand its habitat suitability and community/invasion dynamics. Field data showed Russian olive has reached near equal canopy cover (18.3%) to native Plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides; 19.1%) and has a broader distribution. At the watershed scale, we modeled Russian olive distribution using field surveys, ocular sampling of aerial imagery, and spectral variables from Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument using a random forest model (RMSE = 15.42, R2 = 0.64). A statistical model linking the resulting Russian olive percent cover detection map to environmental variables for the entire watershed indicated Russian olive cover increased with flow accumulation and decreased with elevation, and was associated with poorer soil types. We attribute the success of Russian olive to its broad habitat suitability combined with changing hydrologic conditions favoring it over natives. The maps of Russian olive cover along the Powder River and its main tributaries in northern Wyoming and southern Montana revealed regions of the watershed with high and low cover, which can guide landscape-scale management prioritization. This study provides a repeatable Russian olive detection method due to the use of Sentinel-2 imagery that is available worldwide and provides insight into Russian olive’s ecological relationships and success with relevance for management across areas with similar environmental conditions.

Fragments maintain similar herpetofauna and small mammal richness and diversity to continuous habitat, but community composition and traits differ

ContextHuman disturbance has transformed ecosystems globally, yet studies of the ecological impact of landscape modification are often confounded. Non-random patterns of land clearing cause differing vegetation types and soil productivity between fragments in modified landscapes and reference areas—like national parks—with which they are compared.ObjectivesWe sought to explore the influence of land modification on herpetofauna and small mammal communities using multiple biodiversity measures—species richness and diversity, individual species abundance, and community composition. We also aimed to investigate the role of traits such as diet, habitat breadth, and litter size in moderating species responses to land modification.MethodsWe established 100 sampling sites to survey herpetofauna and small mammals in 11 fragments in an agricultural landscape compared to 11 ecologically equivalent ‘pseudo-fragments’ in a nearby national park in south-eastern Australia. We selected pairs of fragments and pseudo-fragments of the same size and vegetation type, and used identical survey methods to sample pairs simultaneously, thereby controlling for numerous confounding factors, such as differing vegetation type, weather, and survey effort.ResultsSpecies richness and diversity were similar between fragments and pseudo-fragments. Despite this, we found community composition differed markedly—driven by the varying responses of individual species—indicating a shift in fauna communities associated with land modification. Fossorial habit, omnivorous diet, and broad habitat requirements led to higher abundance in fragments whilst arboreality, carnivorous diet, and narrow habitat requirements led to higher abundance in pseudo-fragments.ConclusionsAlthough fragments hold similar numbers of species to continuous areas, they contain distinct and novel communities, and sustain high abundances of some species. These diverse communities are dominated by native species, including threatened species, and their distinctive composition is shaped by traits conducive to persistence amidst land modification. These novel communities may provide a reservoir of resilience in the face of environmental change and should be viewed as complementary to conservation areas.

England's statutory biodiversity metric enhances plant, but not bird nor butterfly, biodiversity

Abstract Biodiversity net gain is a policy focus worldwide, acknowledging ongoing losses of biodiversity to development, and a commitment to offsetting any residual impacts on biodiversity elsewhere. At least 37 countries have mandatory offsetting policies, and a further 64 countries enable voluntary offsets. Offsets rely on credible and evidence‐based methods to quantify biodiversity losses and gains. Following the introduction of the United Kingdom's Environment Act in November 2021, all new developments requiring planning permission in England must demonstrate a biodiversity net gain of at least 10% biodiversity net gain from 2024, calculated using a statutory biodiversity metric framework. The metric uses habitat as a proxy for biodiversity, scoring habitats' intrinsic distinctiveness and current condition. We carried out a study of the metric's performance across England in terms of outcomes for biodiversity. We used generalized linear mixed models to regress baseline biodiversity units against five long‐established single‐attribute proxies for biodiversity (species richness, individual abundance, number of threatened species, mean species range and mean species range/population change). Data were gathered for species belonging to three commonly used indicator taxa (vascular plants, butterflies and birds) from 24 sites, including all terrestrial broad habitats except urban. In baseline assessments, metric‐derived biodiversity units correlated with most plant biodiversity variables, but not with any of the bird or butterfly biodiversity variables used in this study. Plant species recorded in habitats with higher baseline biodiversity units had slightly more restricted ranges (slope −16.22 ± 1.52, p < 0.001) on average and had shown stronger past declines (slope −0.02 ± 0.00, p < 0.001) than those in habitats with lower baseline biodiversity units. Each additional baseline biodiversity unit was associated with a 1% increase in plant species richness (p < 0.01). Synthesis and applications: Using the statutory biodiversity metric to define 10% biodiversity net gain without additional species‐focused conservation management is likely to translate into small gains for plant biodiversity, and negligible gains for birds and butterflies. We make specific recommendations to improve the metric's efficacy in achieving desirable biodiversity outcomes. Our results provide a valuable case study for other countries interested in developing metrics to support biodiversity net gain policies.

Seasonality in functional connectivity: A case study with the American marten in Forillon National Park

AbstractProtected areas are essential tools for reducing loss of global biodiversity. To fulfill their ecological functions, protected areas must be connected to their surroundings, a requirement that is difficult to meet in landscapes intensively disturbed by anthropogenic activities. Therefore, protecting movement corridors at the edges of protected areas is crucial, especially for species with broad habitat needs, such as the American marten (Martes americana). However, habitat selection and space use patterns are dynamic processes, so we could expect that functional connectivity would vary temporally in response to changing environmental conditions and levels of human activities. In this study, we aimed at predicting the location of movement corridors for the American marten in Forillon National Park and its periphery during two contrasted periods (snow‐free: May–November; snow‐covered: December–April). We used “seasonal” resource selection functions to identify core areas (interpreted as circuit “nodes”) and CircuitScape to delineate movement corridors between them based on the electrical circuit theory. Habitat selection patterns differed between periods, with martens avoiding open areas, high elevations and road proximity during the snow‐free period, while avoiding areas closer to secondary roads but selecting areas closer to primary roads and housing structures during the snow‐covered period. Consequently, the location of movement corridors differed partially between periods. Functional connectivity was favored by the presence of forest patches for both periods, while being constrained by open environments, especially during the snow‐free period. Our study highlights the importance of modeling functional connectivity at fine temporal scales in order to provide movement corridors that fulfill the requirements of a species at each period of its annual cycle.

Machine learning for non-experts: A more accessible and simpler approach to automatic benthic habitat classification

Automating identification of benthic habitats from imagery, with Machine Learning (ML), is necessary to contribute efficiently and effectively to marine spatial planning. A promising method is to adapt pre-trained general convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to a new classification task (transfer learning). However, this is often inaccessible to a non-specialist, requiring large investments in computational resources and time (for user comprehension and model training). In this paper, we demonstrate a simpler transfer learning framework for classifying broad deep-sea benthic habitats. Specifically, we take an ‘off-the-shelf’ CNN (VGG16) and use it to extract features (pixel patterns) from benthic images (without further training). The default outputs of VGG16 are then fed in to a Support Vector Machine (SVM), a classical and simpler method than deep networks. For comparison, we also train the remaining classification layers of VGG16 using stochastic gradient descent. The discriminative power of these approaches is demonstrated on three benthic datasets (574–8353 images) from Norwegian waters; each using a unique imaging platform. Benthic habitats are broadly classified as Soft Substrate (sands, muds), Hard Substrate (gravels, cobbles and boulders) and Reef (Desmophyllum pertusum). We found that the relatively simplicity of the SVM classifier did not compromise performance. Results were competitive with the CNN classifier and consistently high, with test accuracy ranging from 0.87 to 0.95 (average = 0.9 (±0.04)) across datasets, somewhat increasing with dataset size. Impressively, these results were achieved 2.4–5× faster than CNN training and had significantly less dependency on high-specification hardware. Our suggested approach maximises conceptual and practical simplicity, representing a realistic baseline for novice users when approaching benthic habitat classification. This method has wide potential. It allows automated image grouping to aid annotation or further model selection, as well as screening of old-datasets. It is especially suited to offshore scenarios as it can provide quick, albeit crude, insights into habitat presence, allowing adaptation of sampling protocols in near real-time.

Species distribution modeling combined with environmental DNA analysis to explore distribution of invasive alien mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in China.

China has become one of the most serious countries suffering from biological invasions in the world. In the context of global climate change, invasive alien species (IAS) are likely to invade a wider area, posing greater ecological and economic threats in China. Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), which is known as one of the 100 most invasive alien species, has distributed widely in southern China and is gradually spreading to the north, causing serious ecological damage and economic losses. However, its distribution in China is still unclear. Hence, there is an urgent need for a more convenient way to detect and monitor the distribution of G. affinis to put forward specific management. Therefore, we detected the distribution of G. affinis in China under current and future climate change by combing Maxent modeling prediction and eDNA verification, which is a more time-saving and reliable method to estimate the distribution of species. The Maxent modeling showed that G. affinis has a broad habitat suitability in China (especially in southern China) and would continue to spread in the future with ongoing climate change. However, eDNA monitoring showed that occurrences can already be detected in regions that Maxent still categorized as unsuitable. Besides temperature, precipitation and human influence were the most important environmental factors affecting the distribution of G. affinis in China. In addition, by environmental DNA analysis, we verified the presence of G. affinis predicted by Maxent in the Qinling Mountains where the presence of G. affinis had not been previously recorded.

Screening and assessing physical pressures affecting seafloor integrity in the Μediterranean region

Ecosystem based management requires assessment of human activities and generated pressures that cause physical disturbance and loss of the seabed within the Mediterranean, also accounting for the strength of their interaction. To support the implementation of Descriptor 6 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the present work aimed at testing the applicability of an exposure-effect methodology and harmonizing - across countries sharing the same marine waters - the identification of the MSFD key physical pressures on benthic habitats and their relative importance at different spatial scales (national, subregional, regional) in the Mediterranean Sea. The methodology uses 24 MSFD relevant human activities, five physical pressures, and 13 Broad Habitat Types (BHT). Τhe links between human activities, physical pressures and the different MSFD Broad Habitat Types affected are identified and scored using three criteria; namely Spatial Extent, Frequency of Occurrence, and Degree of Impact. The methodology assesses the risk of pressures in a semi-quantitative way, integrating both quantitative (data) and qualitative (expert judgement) information, where quantitative data is not available, and allows the ranking of the physical pressures affecting the seafloor. The methodology was applied in the marine waters of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Greece. Abrasion (e.g., related to fishing or boating) and sealing (e.g., caused by structures) were ranked as top pressures; the former is widespread over different BHTs, in a persistent manner and presents intense impacts; the latter appears locally, at specific sites, and persistently, generating an acute impact. According to the results, the infralittoral and circalittoral habitats are those most affected by physical pressures. The identification of major pressures can assist considerably towards the elimination or mitigation of the impacts through actions on the human activities, as it enables the prioritisation of tailor-made measures to achieve or maintain the Good Environmental Status (GES) in the region.

Long-term shift towards shady and nutrient-rich habitats in Central European temperate forests.

Biodiversity world-wide has been under increasing anthropogenic pressure in the past century. The long-term response of biotic communities has been tackled primarily by focusing on species richness, community composition and functionality. Equally important are shifts between entire communities and habitat types, which remain an unexplored level of biodiversity change. We have resurveyed > 2000 vegetation plots in temperate forests in central Europe to capture changes over an average of five decades. The plots were assigned to eight broad forest habitat types using an algorithmic classification system. We analysed transitions between the habitat types and interpreted the trend in terms of changes in environmental conditions. We identified a directional shift along the combined gradients of canopy openness and soil nutrients. Nutrient-poor open-canopy forest habitats have declined strongly in favour of fertile closed-canopy habitats. However, the shift was not uniform across the whole gradients. We conclude that the shifts in habitat types represent a century-long successional trend with significant consequences for forest biodiversity. Open forest habitats should be urgently targeted for plant diversity restoration through the implementation of active management. The approach presented here can be applied to other habitat types and at different spatio-temporal scales.

Species- or habitat- based assessments of vulnerability to climate change? Informing climate change adaptation in Special Protection Areas for birds in England

It is increasingly important to understand the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystems to support the development of effective adaptation strategies. The impact of climate change will vary for different species and habitats, with some at greater risk than others in any given location. Assessments of climate vulnerability are frequently the starting point for adaptation planning but there are a variety of different approaches and it is not clear which is best in different circumstances.Protected areas are core to nature conservation and are the focus of this study. We compare two commonly used approaches, one focused on species, the other on the vegetation which forms the habitats these species utilise, to assess the vulnerability to climate change of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds in England. Our aim was to test whether the two approaches identify the same locations as being of high vulnerability and to inform the prioritisation of adaptation actions.The vulnerability of bird communities varied significantly between protected areas with differing predominant habitat types but there was no simple relationship between vulnerability of habitats and species. Bird communities in upland habitats were most vulnerable, with lower vulnerability found in other habitats and many species potentially able to benefit from climate change. In contrast the habitat vulnerability assessment showed that the upland habitats had relatively low vulnerability, but others, particularly coastal sites were more vulnerable.It is therefore important to develop adaptation strategies based on an understanding of the vulnerability of both the species and their habitats, with different prioritisations in different contexts.SPAs were grouped according to the vulnerability of bird species which they were intended to protect and the broad habitat type. Six broad habitat types were identified; freshwater/wetland, coastal, grassland, heathland, woodland and upland.These groupings were used to help determine which sites are at greatest risk and the type of action that may be required, particularly whether intervention should focus on adaptation for the habitats, the species or both.

Habitat partitioning among sympatric tinamous in semiarid woodlands of central Argentina.

Sympatric, phylogenetically related and morphologically similar species that overlap in their distributions at a regional scale display different patterns of co-occurrence at local assemblages. Occurrence of each species at local scales might be the result of interspecific competition for limiting resources. However, these patterns could also arise from species-specific habitat preferences along the abiotic or land use gradients. To assess the role of these mechanisms, we investigated niche partitioning among sympatric tinamou species occurring in semiarid woodlands of central Argentina. We used occupancy models incorporating habitat characteristics and interspecific interactions, while accounting for detectability, to examine the spatial overlap among elegant crested tinamous (Eudromia elegans), brushland tinamous (Nothoprocta cinerascens), and nothura tinamous (Nothura darwinii and N. maculosa) across a wide regional scale. In addition, we investigated time partitioning among these species by estimating the degree of overlap in their daily activity patterns. The regional distribution of the three species was influenced by the gradient in plant productivity and vegetation structure, in agreement with their broad habitat requirements. We also found that the occurrence of each species was presumably affected by the presence of one or two predator species. Models including interactions among tinamou species found weak negative and positive interactions among species pairs, suggesting that co-occurrence patterns were mainly driven by species-specific habitat use rather than interspecific competition. The three species were diurnal, showing two main peaks of activity, and overlapped widely in their overall diel activity, although subordinate species tended to shift their activity patterns to reduce encounters with the dominant tinamou species, suggesting some segregation in this niche dimension. Projected changes in rainfall seasonality and warmer conditions in this region could benefit elegant crested tinamous over the other two species, although climate and land use changes will likely have a negative impact on all tinamou species.

Bird atlas in action: using citizen science data to generate population trend alerts in Hessequa, South Africa

Citizen science data are rapidly transforming the conservation landscape. Targeted participatory citizen science initiatives generate nuanced data capable of monitoring trends in populations and generating early warnings for species and habitats experiencing significant declines. In the Hessequa Atlasing Area, Western Cape, South Africa, citizen science 'atlasers' involved with the Second Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2) have worked with scientific leadership since 2014 to improve the quality of bird atlas data in their region for species monitoring. In this study, we used reporting rates from SABAP2 checklists in the Hessequa Atlasing Area to calculate changes in range size and relative abundance for the 165 most commonly reported species in the region. We used a seven-tier alert system and broad habitat categories to sort species by priority for conservation action. Our results showed that wetland and marine associated species are experiencing the greatest declines in range and relative abundance in the Hessequa Atlasing Area, whilst urban and grassland associated species are largely increasing. We discuss how observed changes in populations may be used to guide conservation action and provide recommendations for scientists and non-scientific community members on engaging with and responding to the changes highlighted in each of the seven alert levels provided.

The importance of habitat type and historical fire regimes in arthropod community response following large-scale wildfires.

Novel wildfire regimes are rapidly changing global ecosystems and pose significant challenges for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. In this study, we used DNA metabarcoding to assess the response of arthropod pollinator communities to large-scale wildfires across diverse habitat types in California. We sampled six reserves within the University of California Natural Reserve System, each of which was partially burned in the 2020 Lightning Complex wildfires in California. Using yellow pan traps to target pollinators, we collected arthropods from burned and unburned sites across multiple habitat types including oak woodland, redwood, scrub, chamise, grassland, forest, and serpentine habitats. We found no significant difference in alpha diversity values between burned and unburned sites; instead, seasonal variations played a significant role in arthropod community dynamics, with the emergence of plant species in Spring promoting increased pollinator richness at all sites. When comparing all sites, we found that burn status was not a significant grouping factor. Instead, compositional differences were largely explained by geographic differences, with distinct communities within each reserve. Within a geographic area, the response of arthropods to fire was dependent on habitat type. While communities in grasslands and oak woodlands exhibited recovery following burn, scrublands experienced substantial changes in community composition. Our study highlights the importance of examining community responses to wildfires across broad spatial scales and diverse habitat types. By understanding the nuanced dynamics of arthropod communities in response to fire disturbances, we can develop effective conservation strategies that promote resilience and maintain biodiversity in the face of increasing wildfire frequency and severity driven by climate change.

Laetoli, Tanzania: Extant terrestrial mollusc faunas shed new light on climate and palaeoecology at a Pliocene hominin site.

Laetoli, Tanzania is one of the most important palaeontological and palaeoanthropological localities in Africa. We report on a survey of the extant terrestrial gastropod faunas of the Laetoli-Endulen area, examine their ecological associations and re-examine the utility of Pliocene fossil molluscs in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Standardised collecting at 15 sites yielded 7302 individuals representing 58 mollusc species. Significant dissimilarities were found among the faunas of three broad habitat types: forest, woodland/bushland and open (grassland and scattered, xeric shrubland). Overall, more species were recorded in the woodland/bushland sites than in the forest sites. Open sites were less diverse. Environmental factors contributing most strongly to the separation of habitat types were aridity index and elevation. The results are supplemented with new mollusc data from the Mbulu Plateau south of Lake Eyasi, and compared to the list of species cumulatively recorded from the Ngorongoro area. Some regional variation is apparent and historical factors may explain the absence of some fossil taxa from Laetoli today. Differences in seasonality separated upland forest sites on the Mbulu plateau from those at Lemagurut at Laetoli. Indicator species were identified for each habitat. These included several large-bodied species analogous to the Laetoli Pliocene fossil species that were then used for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Based on the estimated aridity index, and adopting the widely used United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) global climate classification, the four stratigraphic subunits of the Upper Laetolil Beds (3.6-3.85 Ma) would be placed in either the UNEP's Dry Sub-humid or Semi-arid climate classes, whereas the Upper Ndolanya Beds (2.66 Ma) and Lower Laetolil Beds (3.85-<4.36 Ma) would be assigned to the Humid and Semi-arid climate classes respectively. Pliocene precipitation at Laetoli is estimated as 847-965 mm per year, refining previous estimates. This is close or slightly higher than the present mean annual precipitation, and is likely to have corresponded to a mosaic of forest, woodland and bushland within a grassland matrix consistent with other reconstructions.

Future changes in key plant traits across Central Europe vary with biogeographical status, woodiness, and habitat type

Many plant traits covary with environmental gradients, reflecting shifts in adaptive strategies and thus informing about potential consequences of future environmental change for vegetation and ecosystem functioning. Yet, the evidence of trait–environment relationships (TERs) remains too heterogeneous for reliable predictions, partially due to insufficient consideration of trait syndromes specific to certain growth forms and habitats. Moreover, it is still unclear whether non-native and native plants' traits align similarly along environmental gradients, limiting our ability to assess the impacts of future plant invasions. Using a Bayesian multilevel modelling framework, we assess TERs for native and non-native woody and herbaceous plants across six broad habitat types in Central Europe at a resolution of c. 130 km2 and use them to project trait change under future environmental change scenarios until 2081–2100. We model TERs between three key plant traits (maximum height, Hmax; specific leaf area, SLA; seed mass, SM) and individual environmental factors (7 climate variables and % urban land cover) and estimate trait change summed across all environmental effects. We also quantify the change in the average trait difference between native and non-native plants. Our models depict multiple TERs, with important differences attributed to biogeographical status and woodiness within and across habitat types. The overall magnitude of trait change is projected to be greater for non-native than native taxa and to increase under more extreme scenarios. Native woody plant assemblages may generally experience a future increase across all three traits, whereas woody non-natives may decline in Hmax and increase in SLA and SM. Herbaceous Hmax is estimated to increase and SLA to decrease in most habitats. The obtained trait projections highlight conditions of competitive advantage of non-native plants over natives and vice versa and can serve as starting points for projecting future changes in ecosystem functions and services.