Wildlife response to land-use change forces encounters between zoonotic disease hosts and farms in agricultural landscapes

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 386, P. 109561 - 109561

Published: March 6, 2025

Language: Английский

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Plants' Contributions to People Shift With Glacier Extinction

Plant-Environment Interactions, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 6(2)

Published: April 1, 2025

ABSTRACT Alpine environments are among the most vulnerable ecosystems to climate change, with glacier retreat rapidly altering plant communities, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions. However, socio‐economic consequences of these biodiversity changes remain largely unexplored. Understanding Nature's Contributions People (NCP) provides a valuable framework for assessing biodiversity's role in human well‐being. While NCP has typically been studied at landscape level, we focus on species‐specific contributions plants highlight importance glacial people. Our novel concept Plants' (PCP) insights into ecological, social, economic significance offers practical approach guiding conservation efforts policy decisions. We surveyed 99 species four Italian Alps; one (Trobio) underwent complete extinction 2023 while another (Amola) widespread surface debris cover is proximate extinction. then grouped early, intermediate, late depending their successional stages, linked 13 different PCP based extensive literature research. By comparing present projected future scenarios, assessed absolute relative under results show that primarily driven by declining richness. Most affected associated air quality, soil health, nutrient regulation, which decrease sevenfold average across species. Whereas natural hazards regulation showed no significant variation, association pest disease increases especially communities may provide qualitatively similar present‐day volume would due loss first evidence shift toward erosion following This case study demonstrates tool ecological helping raise awareness crisis inform actions aimed sustaining functions changing world.

Language: Английский

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Assessing the importance of species and their assemblages for the biodiversity‐ecosystem multifunctionality relationship

Ecology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 104(8)

Published: May 19, 2023

Biodiversity changes, such as decline in species richness and biotic homogenization, can have grave consequences for ecosystem functionality. Careful investigation of biodiversity-ecosystem multifunctionality linkages with due consideration conceptual technical challenges is required to make the knowledge practically useful managing social-ecological systems. In this paper, we introduced different methods assess perspectives regarding issue diversity-multifunctionality, including a possible multifunctional redundancy/uniqueness, influences number identity functions on multifunctionality. particular, aimed align detecting mechanisms underpinning diversity-multifunctional relationships that are free from statistical biases. Based set novel excluded analytical biases resulting differences identities multiple considered, found substantial portion disproportionately supported diversity effects were more markedly observed when considered. These results jointly emphasize individual are, some extent, both functionally unique well redundant, highlighting complexity necessity managed assemblages retain high levels diversity. We also relative magnitude uniqueness or redundancy differ between therefore should be defined context. further only small subset was identified significantly less important, especially at low Taken together, given level identified, stress unraveling hierarchical roles biodiversity levels, their assemblages, research priority, theory practice.

Language: Английский

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Increasing biodiversity knowledge through social media: A case study from tropical Bangladesh

BioScience, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 73(6), P. 453 - 459

Published: June 1, 2023

Abstract Citizen science programs are becoming increasingly popular among naturalists but remain heavily biased taxonomically and geographically. However, with the explosive popularity of social media near-ubiquitous availability smartphones, many post wildlife photographs on media. Here, we illustrate potential harvesting these data to enhance our biodiversity understanding using Bangladesh, a tropical biodiverse country, as case study. We compared records extracted from Facebook those Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), collating geospatial for 1013 unique species, including 970 species 712 GBIF. Although most observation were toward major cities, more evenly spatially distributed. About 86% Threatened Facebook, whereas GBIF almost entirely Of Least Concern species. To reduce global shortfall, key research priority now is development mechanisms extracting interpreting data.

Language: Английский

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Ten new insights in climate science 2023

Global Sustainability, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 7

Published: Jan. 1, 2023

Abstract Non-technical summary We identify a set of essential recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, across natural and social sciences: (1) looming inevitability implications overshooting the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgent need for rapid managed fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding future contribution sinks, (5) intertwinedness crises biodiversity loss change, (6) compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility face risks, (9) adaptation justice, (10) just transitions food systems. Technical The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports provides scientific foundation international negotiations constitutes an unmatched resource researchers. However, assessment cycles take multiple years. As to cross- interdisciplinary understanding diverse communities, we have streamlined annual process synthesize significant advances. collected input from experts various fields using online questionnaire prioritized 10 key insights relevance. This year, focus on: overshoot urgency scale-up joint governance accelerated amidst present succinct account these insights, reflect their implications, offer integrated policy-relevant messages. science synthesis communication effort is also basis report contributing elevate every year time United Nations Conference. Social media highlight – more than 200 experts.

Language: Английский

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Plant growth–defense trade‐offs are general across interactions with fungal, insect, and mammalian consumers

Ecology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 105(5)

Published: April 3, 2024

Abstract Plants face trade‐offs between allocating resources to growth, while also defending against herbivores or pathogens. Species differences along defense trade‐off axes may promote coexistence and maintain diversity. However, few studies of plant communities have simultaneously compared an array pathogens for which investment differ, even fewer been conducted in the complex natural these interactions unfold. We tested predictions about role with competition growth diversity maintenance by tracking species abundance a field experiment that removed individual consumer groups (mammals, arthropods, fungi) added nutrients. Consistent growth–defense trade‐off, increased mass response nutrient addition when consumers were removed. This occurred all studied. Nutrient reduced richness, is consistent theory. Removing foliar fungi via evenness, whereas removal other had little effect on diversity, counter expectations. Thus, are general across groups, this observed wild does not necessarily support maintenance.

Language: Английский

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Systematic and persistent bias against introduced species

BioScience, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 74(1), P. 44 - 53

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Abstract Critics of invasion biology have argued that conservation science is biased against introduced species. We reviewed 300 randomly selected articles described the ecological effects species and assessed whether they were framed negatively, neutrally, or positively. then asked their framing was related to harms as defined by community; knowledge about species, using species’ taxonomy, habitat, region proxies; journal’s focus prestige author's country affiliation. also analyzed differed across space time. If unbiased, one would expect negative be more common for associated with harm. found negatively in two thirds articles. Introduced regardless attributed taxonomies, journals, globe, Our results support are persistently regarded harmful, a bias raises questions validity claims made them.

Language: Английский

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Frontiers in soil ecology—Insights from the World Biodiversity Forum 2022

Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 1(4), P. 245 - 261

Published: Nov. 11, 2022

Abstract Global change is affecting soil biodiversity and functioning across all terrestrial ecosystems. Still, much unknown about how function will in the future response to simultaneous alterations climate land use, as well other environmental drivers. It crucial understand direct, indirect interactive effects of global drivers on communities ecosystems contexts, not only today but also near future. This particularly relevant for international efforts tackle like Paris Agreement, considering failure achieve 2020 targets, especially target halting degradation. Here, we outline main frontiers related ecology that were presented discussed at thematic sessions World Biodiversity Forum 2022 Davos, Switzerland. We highlight multiple knowledge associated with data integration, causal inference, scenarios, critical facets, underrepresented drivers, collaboration, application transdisciplinarity, policy public communication. These identified research priorities are immediate interest scientific community may be considered priority programmes calls funding.

Language: Английский

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Discussion. Has the human population become a sentinel for the adverse effects of PFAS contamination on wildlife health and endangered species?

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 901, P. 165939 - 165939

Published: Sept. 26, 2023

Language: Английский

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Risky business: Protecting nature, protecting wealth?

Conservation Letters, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 16(4)

Published: July 1, 2023

Abstract Finance is a precondition for many of the activities that harm ecosystems, but how to address this underlying driver biodiversity loss remains topic debate. This paper reviews Task Force on Nature‐Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), corporate‐led effort aims identify changes may create financial risks companies and investors. approach also promoted as strategy managing impact business biodiversity, with assumption risk disclosure will more effectively price biodiversity‐harming activities. We assess potential TNFD toward end, invite conservation scientists, practitioners, policymakers engage critically its theory change. find relationship between disclosing redirecting finance away from environmental degradation tenuous unproven, making mechanism insufficient addressing sector nature. question embrace another industry‐led implies lack information greatest barrier stopping loss. Further, there are reinforce highly unequal concentration power wealth, which itself inimical transformative change, called by Intergovernmental Science–Policy Platform Biodiversity Ecosystem Services.

Language: Английский

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