High Levels Of Species Richness Research Articles

Disentangling direct and indirect effects of landscape structure on urban bird richness and functional diversity.

As fragmented landscapes become increasingly common around the world, managing the spatial arrangement of landscape elements (i.e., landscape configuration) may help to promote the conservation of biodiversity. However, the relative effects of landscape configuration on different dimensions of biodiversity across species assemblages are largely unknown. Thus, a key challenge consists in understanding when it is necessary to focus on landscape configuration, in addition to landscape composition, to achieve multifunctional landscapes. We tested the effects of landscape composition (the percentage of tree cover and built infrastructure) and landscape configuration (degree of fragmentation) on landscape-level species richness and different metrics of functional diversity of urban birds. We collected data on different bird guilds (nectarivores/frugivores, insectivores) from Brisbane, Australia. Using structural equation models, we found that landscape structure (landscape composition and configuration) affected functional diversity via two main pathways: (1) through effects of landscape composition, mediated by landscape configuration (indirect effects), and (2) through direct ("independent") effects of landscape composition and configuration, filtering species with extreme trait values. Our results show that landscape-level species richness declined with the extent of built infrastructure, but patterns of trait diversity did not necessarily correlate with this variable. Landscape configuration had a stronger mediating effect on some metrics of the functional diversity of insectivores than on the functional diversity of frugivores/nectarivores. In addition, fragmentation increased the effects of built infrastructure for some traits (body size and dispersal capacity), but not for others (habitat plasticity and foraging behavior). These results suggest that differential approaches to managing landscape structure are needed depending on whether the focus is on protecting functional diversity or species richness and what the target guild is. Managing landscape fragmentation in areas with high levels of built infrastructure is important if the objective is to protect insectivore species with uncommon traits, even if it is not possible to preserve high levels of species richness. However, if the target is to enhance both functional diversity and species richness of multiple guilds, the focus should be on improving composition through the reduction of negative effects of built infrastructure, rather than promoting specific landscape configurations in growing cities.

Higher-order interactions on disease transmission can reverse the dilution effect or weaken the amplification effect to unimodal pattern

Determining whether species richness protects host species against infectious diseases transmission (i.e., dilution effect) within established communities is a core concern of disease ecology. Previous modeling studies have focused on pairwise transmission between hosts, largely ignoring the impact of neighboring species on pathogen transmission. Here, we modified the multi-host susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model to investigate the effects of higher-order interactions on the dilution effect. We found that compared with direct transmission, higher-order interactions that impede pathogen transmission can disproportionately decrease disease risk at high species richness levels under additive community assembly and thereby enhance a dilution effect or neutralizing an amplification effect into a unimodal species richness-disease relationship. Conversely, higher-order interactions that promote infection among host neighbors can enlarge an amplification effect and diminish a dilution effect or even reverse it. Higher-order interactions did not affect the emergence of the dilution effect for substitutive community assembly. Our results provide a unified framework for understanding the dilution and amplification effects and emphasize the importance of taking higher-order interactions into account for understanding mechanisms underlying the dilution effect.

Identifying priority areas for bat conservation in the Western Ghats mountain range, peninsular India

AbstractUnderstanding patterns of species distribution and diversity plays a vital role in biodiversity conservation. Such documentation is frequently lacking for bats, which are relatively little studied and often threatened. The Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in peninsular India is a bat hotspot with 63 species. We conducted a comprehensive bat survey across the southern Western Ghats and used maximum entropy modeling (MaxEnt) to model the potential distribution of 37 bat species for which sufficient data were available. We generated binary maps of each species using species-specific thresholds to estimate suitable habitat areas and overlaid binary maps of species to produce bat hotspots (we use the term “bat hotspot” for regions that were suitable for more than 25 bat species). We also estimated species richness across protected area networks in the southern Western Ghats to assess the level of protection. The highest levels of species richness were found mainly along the southmost Periyar–Agastyamalai landscape. The study also identified a 1,683 km2 area of potential bat hotspot and 726 km2 (43%) of the total bat hotspots are currently within the protected area network. However, more than 50% of suitable habitats for each of the 37 species remain unprotected. Therefore, conservation decisions are needed to take into account both bat hotspots and species with restricted distributions.

Assessment of the threat status of the amphibians in Vietnam - Implementation of the One Plan Approach

The current decline in global biodiversity is most evident in amphibians with 41% percent of all species worldwide classified as threatened with extinction. Hence, a major challenge in amphibian conservation is the high number of threatened species, leading to a common approach of identifying priority species and regions for conservation efforts. As a part of one of 36 globally designated biodiversity hotspots, Vietnam is considered to be of particular importance for conservation action. To improve amphibian conservation in Vietnam, this study provides an updated species list and assesses their threat status by compiling data from a variety of sources. Furthermore, a Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) analysis was conducted to determine the representation of extant amphibians from Vietnam in zoos worldwide. The batrachofauna of Vietnam is characterized by a high level of species richness and local endemism as well as a high rate of new discoveries, with more than half of the endemic species reported exclusively from their type locality, making them especially vulnerable to extinction. Up to 18% of all amphibians extant in Vietnam and 28% of endemic species are classified as threatened with extinction by the IUCN. In many cases, the IUCN Red List status is either missing or outdated, highlighting the urgent need of action. Around 14% of endemic amphibian species have been recorded exclusively from unprotected areas, suggesting prioritization for further research and conservation measures. The continuing decline in many species remains an unresolved problem. As a guide for future research and conservation measures, a list of the top 57 species was compiled. In addition, according to the ZIMS analysis, only 8% of threatened and 3% of endemic amphibian taxa from Vietnam are currently kept in zoos worldwide, and a richness analysis revealed that the highest density of husbandries is found in Europe and North America. To achieve maximum outcome for the conservation of threatened species, this study recommends a general shift by zoos towards maintaining species in greater need of captive assurance populations and breeding programs to support integrative strategies that combine in situ and ex situ conservation efforts following the IUCN’s One Plan Approach.

The Ordovician diversification of sea urchins: systematics of the Bothriocidaroida (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)

The echinoids of the order Bothriocidaroida represent the initial burst of sea urchin diversification. They were the first echinoids to achieve widespread biogeographical dispersal and achieved high levels of species richness compared to other clades of stem group echinoids. Following long-standing controversy regarding their phylogenetic affinities within the phylum Echinodermata, bothriocidaroids are now regarded as echinoids. The species- and genus-level phylogenetic relationships of the bothriocidaroids, are, however, less clearly known. We herein compile a database of bothriocidaroid occurrences, undertake detailed phylogenetic analyses of all named species within the Bothriocidaroida, and provide updated diagnoses for all species. Our phylogenetic analysis includes species belonging to three genera: Bothriocidaris, Unibothriocidaris and Neobothriocidaris. Furthermore, we describe a new species, Neobothriocidaris pentlandensis sp. nov., from the Silurian of Scotland and Sweden, using micro-computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy. This species has implications for understanding the diversity dynamics of bothriocidaroids before and after the Late Ordovician mass extinction and the palaeobiogeographical distribution of bothriocidaroids in the Silurian. Using Bayesian and parsimony-based phylogenetics, we demonstrate that Neobothriocidaris is a distinct clade, and depending upon the analytical technique, Unibothrioidaris and Bothriocidaris are also resolved as monophyletic. Unibothriocidaris appears to have become extinct in the Sandbian, while Neobothriocidaris and Bothriocidaris survived the Late Ordovician extinction events and lasted at least until the Ludlow. Furthermore, we performed statistical time-calibration of our phylogenetic trees and show that bothriocidaroids originated in the Dapingian or Darriwilian, diversifying in the Darriwilian to Sandbian and reaching peak diversity in the Sandbian and Katian. This Sandbian and Katian peak is similar to that observed in other echinoderm clades, as well as other animal groups during the Ordovician radiation, and may be linked to heightened sea level and expansive tropical shelves present in the Upper Ordovician, and to new inhabitable environments linked with Ordovician oxygenation.

ДО ВИВЧЕННЯ ФАУНИ ПАВУКІВ (ARACHNIDA, ARANEI) ЧЕРНІГІВСЬКОГО ПОЛІССЯ: ПАВУКИБИКІВНЯНСЬКОГОЛІСОВОГОМАСИВУМІСТАКИЄВА

For the first time, a study of the species composition of spiders of the Bykivnyan forest area, which is located within the eastern outskirts of the city of Kyiv and the southern borders of Chernihiv Polissia, was conducted. Vegetation layers and litter of pine and birch forests and psamophilous grass habitat were examined. 123 species of spiders belonging to 21 spider families have been identified. The most widely represented in the faunal assemblages are the family Linyphiidae – 28 species (22.8 % of the total number of species detected), Gnaphosidae – 17 (13.8 %) and Lycosidae – 15 species (12.2 %). Pardosa lugubris was the most massive species in the litter layer of the pine forest. The Lycosidae family is also the most widely represented in the litter layer, accounting for 41.8 % of the total number of specimens. The share of representatives of the Gnaphosidae and Linyphiidae families was 24.6 % and 12.5 %, respectively. Taking into account the literature data and the obtained results, the araneofauna of Chernihiv Polissia currently includes at least 389 species from 29 spider families. 26 species from 13 spider families were identified, which are indicated for the first time for Chernihiv Polissia, including 14 species from 8 spider families that are new to the territory of Ukrainian Polissia. For species new to the region, data on faunal material, period of time, place and the method of collection, ecological features and findings of these species on the territory of Ukrainian Polissia are given. Most of the species new to the Chernihiv Polissia have a wide range of distribution – 15 of them. There were species with European range type: Lepthyphantes minutus, Trichoncus affinis, Typhochrestus digitatus and Titanoeca spominima. The European-ancient Mediterranean habitat type is characteristic of 4 more species: Alopecosa cursor, Lathys humilis, Drassyllus praeficus and Ozyptila scabricula. European-Caucasian species: Asagena meridionalis and Gibbaranea gibbosa. With the Scythian type range of Alopecosa taeniopus. The fact of the coexistence of Pisaura novicia and P. mirabilis, which was previously described by other authors, was confirmed. Five species: Hahnia nava, Centromerus incilium, Sintula spiniger, Stemonyphantes lineatus and Trochosa terricola were found in all three types of biotopes investigated. The Jacquard index of faunal similarity showed a slight similarity of the species complexes of spiders of the pine forest and the psammophilic grassland habitat – 0.23, and the value of the Shannon index for both was identical – 4.277 bits, indicating a potentially high level of species richness of the spider fauna of the Bykivnian forest area.

Local stability properties of complex, species-rich soil food webs with functional block structure.

Ecologists have long debated the properties that confer stability to complex, species‐rich ecological networks. Species‐level soil food webs are large and structured networks of central importance to ecosystem functioning. Here, we conducted an analysis of the stability properties of an up‐to‐date set of theoretical soil food web models that account both for realistic levels of species richness and the most recent views on the topological structure (who is connected to whom) of these food webs. The stability of the network was best explained by two factors: strong correlations between interaction strengths and the blocked, nonrandom trophic structure of the web. These two factors could stabilize our model food webs even at the high levels of species richness that are typically found in soil, and that would make random systems very unstable. Also, the stability of our soil food webs is well‐approximated by the cascade model. This result suggests that stability could emerge from the hierarchical structure of the functional organization of the web. Our study shows that under the assumption of equilibrium and small perturbations, theoretical soil food webs possess a topological structure that allows them to be complex yet more locally stable than their random counterpart. In particular, results strongly support the general hypothesis that the stability of rich and complex soil food webs is mostly driven by correlations in interaction strength and the organization of the soil food web into functional groups. The implication is that in real‐world food web, any force disrupting the functional structure and distribution pattern of interaction strengths (i.e., energy fluxes) of the soil food webs will destabilize the dynamics of the system, leading to species extinction and major changes in the relative abundances of species.

The Promise of Genetics and Genomics for Improving Invasive Mammal Management on Islands

Invasive species are major contributors to global biodiversity decline. Invasive mammalian species (IMS), in particular, have profound negative effects in island systems that contain disproportionally high levels of species richness and endemism. The eradication and control of IMS have become important conservation tools for managing species invasions on islands, yet these management operations are often subject to failure due to knowledge gaps surrounding species- and system-specific characteristics, including invasion pathways and contemporary migration patterns. Here, we synthesize the literature on ways in which genetic and genomic tools have effectively informed IMS management on islands, specifically associated with the development and modification of biosecurity protocols, and the design and implementation of eradication and control programs. In spite of their demonstrated utility, we then explore the challenges that are preventing genetics and genomics from being implemented more frequently in IMS management operations from both academic and non-academic perspectives, and suggest possible solutions for breaking down these barriers. Finally, we discuss the potential application of genome editing to the future management of invasive species on islands, including the current state of the field and why islands may be effective targets for this emerging technology.

Composición del ensamblaje de aves en una zona periurbana de Medellín, Colombia

Las áreas periurbanas han sido documentadas como zonas de transición entre ambientes naturales y zonas urbanas las cuales son fundamentales para el mantenimiento de la avifauna asociada a las grandes urbes, albergando incluso altos niveles de riqueza y diversidad de especies. En el presente trabajo es documentado el ensamblaje de aves en una zona periurbana del municipio de Medellín (Colombia), la cual, en el último siglo ha sufrido una fuerte transformación de su cobertura natural y es considerada de alto interés para la conservación de los servicios ecosistémicos de la ciudad. El estudio se llevó a cabo en la sede de prácticas de la Corporación Universitaria Remington, ubicada en el corregimiento de Santa Elena. El registro de la avifauna se realizó mediante la captura de individuos con redes de niebla y la observación directa en recorridos libres, llevados a cabo en muestreos en agosto-septiembre de 2017, febrero-mayo de 2018 y septiembre de 2020. Adicionalmente, registros para algunas especies fueron obtenidos del muestreo con cámaras trampa, avistamientos ocasionales y datos sonoros. Se registraron un total de 54 especies de aves pertenecientes a 12 órdenes y 27 familias, incluidas dos especies endémicas, una casi endémica y dos especies migratorias. Este trabajo reporta la presencia de 35 especies que no habían sido previamente registradas en listados publicados para el corregimiento, principalmente especies asociadas a áreas abiertas y zonas de bordes de bosque. Los resultados presentados resaltan la importancia de las áreas periurbanas en la diversidad de la avifauna local en las grandes ciudades.

SPECIES DIVERSITY OF MAMMALS AND BIRDS USING CAMERA-TRAPS IN A CLOUD FOREST IN A MEXICAN HOTSPOT

The cloud forests comprise high levels of species richness and endemism, and are the most threatened habitat in Mexico. They are listed as priority regions for conservation nationwide. Here, we estimated species richness and relative abundance of birds and mammals using camera-traps in a cloud forest located in a biodiversity hotspot of Mexico. From December 2013 to December 2014, we sampled 538 independent records from 27 species, including 11 species listed with some level of threat. Expected species richness, using first-order Jackknife estimator, was 37.08 species DE ± 2.86. We reported the greatest number of birds and mammals observed in cloud forests using camera-traps, and a high relative abundance index for some species. We found a significant difference between species composition observed in our study and other studies using camera-traps in Mexico. We observed a similar species composition in a nearby tropical rainforest habitat, suggesting that the recorded species are not restricted to cloud forests and move between different habitats. This highlights the importance of this region as a connector with “Los Chimalapas,” the largest and northernmost rain forest patch in Mexico.

Quaternary climatic cycles promoted (re)colonization and diversification events in Adriatic sand gobies

The Adriatic Sea and Adriatic Sea drainage system (or Adriatic region) is characterized by high levels of species richness. This especially applies to endemic fishes, as exemplified by the sand gobies. However, the diversity of this group is probably still underestimated. Several keys for gobiid identification, notably of the Adriatic region, have been proposed on the basis of morphological characters, but difficulties persist in species identification. Molecular phylogenies support the monophyly of the sand gobies, but relationships between genera and species remain poorly resolved. In this work, the diversity and evolutionary history of the Adriatic sand gobies (Pomatoschistus and Knipowitschia) were investigated by applying phylogenetic reconstructions, species delimitation tests, and molecular dating based on mitochondrial cytochrome b and nuclear rhodopsin 1 genes. The concatenation of both genes allowed, for the first time, the creation of a highly resolved phylogeny at the interspecific level. The generic diversity within the sand gobies is probably considerably higher than formerly assumed. Our results highlight cryptic diversity and suggest that new species remain to be described within Knipowitschia and Pomatoschistus. Most of all, our results emphasized the urgent need of a taxonomic revision of the sand gobies. Several past events were at the origin of sand goby diversification in the Adriatic region. It seems that glacial periods promoted the intraspecific diversification of the endemic species, whereas interglacial periods promoted the (re)colonization of the Adriatic Sea by more widespread species.

REDE ECOLÓGICA DOS GASTRÓPODES ASSOCIADOS AO BANCO DE ALGAS DA PRAIA DA RIBANCEIRA, SANTA CATARINA, BRASIL

Among the rocky shores’ biota, the networks of interaction between macroalgae and associated organisms, especially gastropods, stand out. In order to contribute to the understanding of the ecology of rocky shores, this study aims to evaluate the relation between macroalgae and associated gastropods in Ribanceira Beach, Imbituba, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The survey of algae samples took place in a wet season, using 20 cm x 20 cm quadrants, allocated in 18 transects distributed equally in the infra and mesolittoral zones, with five points each. In the laboratory, algae were screened and associated gastropods identified. Concepts of network theory were applied for a better understanding of interactions among organisms, where connectance descriptors, niche overlap and centrality index for each species were calculated. Multivariate techniques were used to assess the significance of intertidal zones, morphofunctional group and other variables in the composition of the associated gastropods. The sampling resulted in a total of 1.466 gastropods, distributed in 14 species and nine families. In relation to the macroalgae, 14 species were identified, with seven presenting associated gastropods. The ecological network showed low connectance and niche overlap for both levels (gastropods and macroalgae), suggesting the existence of many specific interactions. The centrality values highlighted Eulithidium affine (C.B. Adams, 1850) and Sargassum cymosum C. Agardh as key species in the studied network. The mass and morphofunctional group of the macroalgae sampled showed influence in the composition of the associated community. Cortical algae, especially S. cymosum, stood out with high levels of species richness and species density of associated gastropods, suggesting importance in the structural complexity of macroalgae for gastropods. The non-significant effect of the tidal zone for the gastropod composition was highlighted, suggesting that the nesting and foraging stability provided by the macroalgae allows the same gastropod species to occur in both infralittoral and mesolittoral zones.

Functional Diversity in Ferns Is Driven by Species Richness Rather Than by Environmental Constraints.

Functional traits determine how species interact with their abiotic and biotic environment. In turn, functional diversity describes how assemblages of species as a whole are adapted to their environment, which also determines how they might react to changing conditions. To fully understand functional diversity, it is fundamental to (a) disentangle the influences of environmental filtering and species richness from each other, (b) assess if the trait space saturates at high levels of species richness, and (c) understand how changes in species numbers affect the relative importance of the trait niche expansion and packing. In the present study, we determined functional diversity of fern assemblages by describing morphological traits related to resource acquisition along four tropical elevational transects with different environmental conditions and species richness. We used several functional diversity indices and their standardized effect size to consider different aspects of functional diversity. We contrasted these aspects of functional diversity with climate data and species richness using linear models and linear mixed models. Our results show that functional morphological trait diversity was primarily driven by species richness and only marginally by environmental conditions. Moreover, increasing species richness contributed progressively to packing of the morphological niche space, while at the same time decreasing morphological expansion until a saturation point was reached. Overall, our findings suggest that the density of co-occurring species is the fundamental driving force of morphological niche structure, and environmental conditions have only an indirect influence on fern resource acquisition strategies.

Response of taxonomic and functional diversity to disturbance severity in temperate hardwood forests

AbstractAims:Quantify changes in taxonomic and functional diversity (FD) and identity to determine if responses to a disturbance severity gradient follow a “colonization/competition” hypothesis: diversity will (a) increase with disturbance severity as more open conditions favor species with traits linked to colonization; and (b) become more similar between regeneration and overstorey layers as environmental filtering favors species with traits linked to increasing competition for light.Location:North Carolina, USA.Methods:Taxonomic (richness [S], evenness [E], and Shannon diversity [H′]) and functional diversity (richness [FRic], evenness [FEve], and dispersion [FDis]) and identities were calculated for regeneration and overstorey before and after restoration treatments: control (CONT); “undesirable” subcanopy stems removed via herbicide (HERB); repeated burning (RRXF); and timber harvest followed by burning (HARV).Results:In the overstorey, HARV affected taxonomic and FD. In HARV, S and H′ were lower than in other treatments. At high levels of species richness, FEve was lower in HARV than in HERB and RRXF. Similarly, at high levels of species richness, FDis was greater in HARV than other treatments. In the regeneration layer, taxonomic and FD did not differ across treatments during any of the post‐treatment years. In the regeneration stratum, HARV increased the means of traits associated with rapid post‐disturbance establishment, carbon capture, and maximum height. Greater dissimilarity in composition between the overstorey and regeneration suggests stronger treatment effects on regeneration in HARV than less severe treatments.Conclusion:Patterns do not support the hypothesis that taxonomic diversity increases with disturbance severity or decreases with time after disturbance in the regeneration layer. Of the restoration treatments tested in this study, only HARV affected aspects of functional identity of the regeneration stratum; even so, FD remained unchanged. In mixed Quercus forests, functional identity rather than taxonomic or FD may provide insight into nuanced effects of restoration treatments on ecosystem function.

Seed germination and dormancy break in Eragrostis polytricha, a native Brazilian grass species with potential for recovery of degraded lands

Ferruginous Rocky Outcrops have high levels of species richness and endemism, but have been threatened by several anthropic actions, especially mining. Eragrostis polytricha, a common grass species in the vegetation of these outcrops, has shown promising features for use in the recovery of mining areas. However, in order to fully understand the species’ potential for such use, its requirements for germination, seed dormancy break and seedling development must be determined. Thus, we aimed to: (1) assess the temperature conditions needed for seeds of E. polytricha to germinate; (2) evaluate the effects of KNO₃ in breaking seed dormancy; and (3) analyze the germination efficiency of seeds that are still in spikelets. The experiment included seven treatments: 15-35 ºC with KNO₃, 20-30 ºC with KNO₃, 15 ºC with KNO₃, 25 ºC with KNO₃, 35 ºC with KNO₃, 20-30 ºC with water, and 20-30 ºC with KNO₃ using spikelets. The treatments with alternating temperatures associated with KNO3 yielded the highest germination rates, suggesting that these two factors combined can break seed dormancy. Seeds inside spikelets exhibited a high germination percentage, and thus represent an interesting alternative for seedling production.

Toward Unifying Global Hotspots of Wild and Domesticated Biodiversity.

Global biodiversity hotspots are areas containing high levels of species richness, endemism and threat. Similarly, regions of agriculturally relevant diversity have been identified where many domesticated plants and animals originated, and co-occurred with their wild ancestors and relatives. The agro-biodiversity in these regions has, likewise, often been considered threatened. Biodiversity and agro-biodiversity hotspots partly overlap, but their geographic intricacies have rarely been investigated together. Here we review the history of these two concepts and explore their geographic relationship by analysing global distribution and human use data for all plants, and for major crops and associated wild relatives. We highlight a geographic continuum between agro-biodiversity hotspots that contain high richness in species that are intensively used and well known by humanity (i.e., major crops and most viewed species on Wikipedia) and biodiversity hotspots encompassing species that are less heavily used and documented (i.e., crop wild relatives and species lacking information on Wikipedia). Our contribution highlights the key considerations needed for further developing a unifying concept of agro-biodiversity hotspots that encompasses multiple facets of diversity (including genetic and phylogenetic) and the linkage with overall biodiversity. This integration will ultimately enhance our understanding of the geography of human-plant interactions and help guide the preservation of nature and its contributions to people.

Preferences for ecosystem services provided by urban forests in South Korea

The existence of tradeoffs and synergies between ecosystem services emphasize the need to understand the preferences of ecosystem service beneficiaries. In this paper, the preferences of ecosystem services provided by different types of urban forests in South Korea are analyzed to provide insights on the improved distribution and supply of ecosystem services. The Delphi technique was utilized to elicit expert opinions on the categorization of ecosystem services provided by urban forests. A choice experiment on 500 Seoul citizens was then conducted to analyze the preferences for 7 types of ecosystem services – food provision, water flow regulation, noise reduction, microclimate regulation & air quality improvement, moderation & prevention of landslides, biodiversity enhancement, recreation, and health services. An AHP analysis was carried out to investigate experts’ ranking of the relative importance of these ecosystem services. The results showed that except for microclimate regulation & air quality improvement, Seoul citizens’ preferences for different types of urban forests did not differ according to the attribute level of each ecosystem service. There were also no significant differences between the preferences for urban natural parks and urban neighborhood parks, possibly indicating that Seoul citizens perceive them to be similar. Secondly, the results indicate a higher preference for urban forests with certain features, such as a higher proportion of fruit trees and deciduous trees, higher leaf area, denser tree canopy cover, wider distances between trees, and higher levels of species richness. The enhancement of biodiversity was considered the most influential service for Seoul citizens in their choice of urban forests. Seoul citizens were willing to pay 12,176 KRW/year and 21,036 KRW/year to enhance the level of biodiversity from “poor” to “average” and from “average” to “rich,” respectively. Finally, preferences and relative importance for almost all ecosystem services were different for citizens and experts. As it is impossible to maximize the provision of all ecosystem services concurrently, policymakers and urban forest managers need to consider citizens’ preferences and opinions when designing and managing urban forests in order to increase user satisfaction and welfare.

Diversity and structure of urban forests of Sahel cities in Niger

Urbanization in the Sahel is constantly competing with and greatly affecting the woody flora in urban areas. Urbanization can replace the species mix, leading to changes in plant community composition; however, there are limited studies that assess these attributes in Sahelian cities. This study assessed urban forests in Niamey and Maradi, two important cities of Niger, West Africa for differences between the cities and across LULC types in terms of species diversity and stand structure. Woody species were inventoried in 357 plots in urban forests located across seven land use/land cover types. Stem diameter at breast height of trees and shrubs ≥2.5 cm, total height and crown diameter were measured. Eighty-six species belonging to 69 genera with 33 families were inventoried in Niamey, while in Maradi 91 species belonging to 70 genera with 30 families were enumerated. Fabaceae was the dominant family in both cities. Azadirachta indica accounted for 41 and 54% of all stems in Niamey and Maradi. Residential areas had a higher species richness than other land uses. The majority of the species documented in the two cities were exotics representing 52% of all species encountered. Mean Shannon diversity index (H′) and standard deviation was 2.31 ± 0.43 for Niamey and 2.14 ± 0.74 for Maradi. The similarity index of the two cities was 70%. Urban forests of Maradi had significantly higher levels of species richness and evenness as well as tree density and canopy cover than urban forests of Niamey. Across LULC types, canopy cover varied significantly (p < 0.05) but basal area had a marginal variation whilst, stem density was not significantly different. There were significant positive relationships (p < 0.05) between species richness, basal area and canopy cover across the LULC types in both cities. The study shows that land use/land cover types influence the characteristics of urban forests and differences exist in diversity and stand structural characteristics of urban forests in the two cities. Future development of urban forests in the two cities must increase the planting of native species to improve their value for biodiversity conservation.

Towards a cohesive strategy for the conservation of the United States’ diverse and highly endemic crayfish fauna

Freshwater biodiversity of the United States has long been recognized for its high level of species richness. The US crayfish fauna is richer than that found in any other country or continent in the world. Crayfishes are critically important members of freshwater ecosystems and have long been utilized for human consumption. Combined, these factors argue for effective conservation. When compared to other diverse aquatic groups such as fishes or unionid mussels, conservation efforts for US crayfishes are lacking. We review here, knowledge gaps that prevent effective conservation and past and ongoing crayfish conservation and management activities. We conclude by proposing a strategy of actions to improve the conservation standing of this important group of organisms. These action items include improved outreach efforts, funding and research to fill numerous knowledge gaps, and the inclusion of crayfishes in broader scale aquatic conservation activities.

A new species of Paratelmatobius (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Paratelmatobiinae) from the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil.

A new species of Paratelmatobius is described from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil. Adults, tadpoles, and vocalizations are described. Morphological traits and phylogenetic analysis place the new species within the P. cardosoi group. The new species can be readily distinguished from its congeners by its advertisement call being composed of two note types and comprised of a series of 2-4 notes. The new species is classified as an explosive breeder, having reproductive activity strongly associated with heavy rainfall. This discovery highlights the importance of intensifying survey efforts in the Atlantic Forest, a domain with high levels of species richness and endemism.