Clustered warming tolerances and the nonlinear risks of biodiversity loss on a warming planet

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 380(1917)

Published: Jan. 9, 2025

Anthropogenic climate change is projected to become a major driver of biodiversity loss, destabilizing the ecosystems on which human society depends. As planet rapidly warms, disruption ecological interactions among populations, species and their environment, will likely drive positive feedback loops, accelerating pace magnitude losses. We propose that, even without invoking such amplifying feedback, loss should increase nonlinearly with warming because non-uniform distribution biodiversity. Whether these non-uniformities are uneven populations across species’ thermal niche, or niche limits within an community, we show that in both cases, resulting clustering population tolerances drives nonlinear increases risk discuss how fundamental constraints physiologies geographical distributions give rise clustered tolerances, responses changing climates could variously temper, delay intensify dynamics. argue risks be null expectation under warming, highlight empirical research needed understand causes, commonness consequences better predict where, when why losses occur. This article part discussion meeting issue ‘Bending curve towards nature recovery: building Georgina Mace’s legacy for biodiverse future’.

Language: Английский

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Integrating Conservation and Community Engagement in Free-Roaming Cat Management: A Case Study from a Natura 2000 Protected Area

Animals, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(3), P. 429 - 429

Published: Feb. 4, 2025

La Graciosa, a Natura 2000 site in the Canary Islands, faces substantial conservation challenges, including large free-roaming cat population that threatens island’s native biodiversity. In July 2024, Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR) campaign achieved an 81.4% sterilization rate within urban areas, highlighting TNR’s short-term effectiveness reducing reproductive potential and, consequently, mitigating predation pressures primarily through prevention of new litters and reduced activity cats. The campaign’s success relied heavily on active involvement local community, who assisted with identifying, trapping, monitoring cats, thereby facilitating high rate. However, administrative restrictions hindered access to peri-urban zones, leaving essential clusters unsterilized limiting overall scope. Additionally, strong opposition from groups, amplified by extensive media coverage, halted project prematurely, effective 69.3% three months. Population Viability Analysis (PVA) suggests achieving rates could lead reduction over time; however, inability all segments reach ideal 93–95% threshold limits as long-term standalone solution. Our findings underscore need for adaptive, context-specific management frameworks ecologically sensitive areas integrate TNR complementary measures, consider regulatory barriers, value community involvement. This case study provides crucial insights policymakers conservationists seeking balance biodiversity humane practices protected areas.

Language: Английский

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Contrasting and altitude‐specific temporal trends in functional, phylogenetic, and species diversity in Austrian butterfly communities

Oikos, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 17, 2025

Climate change and anthropogenic alteration of landscapes negatively impact the abundance species diversity plant animal communities worldwide. Much less is known about effects on phylogenetic community functioning. Here we use long‐term butterfly data (1980–2022) from Austrian Alps along an elevation gradient. We assessed how adjust structures functionality to increasing temperatures, these changes are linked trait expression Species decreased at low intermediate altitudes, increased high ones. Functional was lower than expected by a random model altitudes with time high, but not altitudes. Phylogenetic did show significant temporal trends altitude, Multifunctionality significantly correlated functional diversity, diversity. argue that ongoing homogenisation Alpine strongly affects species, The assessment richness alone, as provided common surveys, might give false impression state insect in course climate change. directions faunal heavily depend altitude therefore specific climatic conditions. Higher face decreasing multifunctionality despite due induced altitudinal up‐hill shifts many species. conclude studies series should include besides being focused endangerment. Red lists be extended categories importance distinctness.

Language: Английский

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Addressing the Challenges of Biodiversity Conservation—A Program from China

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Pesticides and veterinary pharmaceuticals in neotropical avian carnivores: A scoping review

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 967, P. 178795 - 178795

Published: Feb. 12, 2025

Language: Английский

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No attenuation of fish and mammal biodiversity declines in the Guiana Shield

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 971, P. 179021 - 179021

Published: March 1, 2025

Real-time biodiversity monitoring should provide more resolved data to quantify shifts in ecological communities progressively altered by anthropogenic disturbances. Identifying trends requires a rapid and efficient inventory method that enables the collection delivery of high-resolution within short intervals. Using aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA), we investigated spatiotemporal changes fish mammal along Maroni River French Guiana. We compared spatial between two years, separated four-year interval, during which an increase disturbances was observed. To evaluate changes, examined impact these on both taxonomic functional diversity. Our findings revealed that, while did not result major decline, it continued drive alterations community richness. Communities underwent their structure, with experiencing decline extreme traits, lost redundancy generalist functions experienced reduction strategies. In context small-scale disturbances, highlight necessity long-term, short-interval capture reorganisation under stress.

Language: Английский

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Effects of Varied Stimuli on Escape Behavior Diversification of Himalayan Marmots for Different Human Disturbances

Animals, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(7), P. 935 - 935

Published: March 25, 2025

We measured the alert distance (AD), flight-initiation (FID), buffer (BD), and fled (DF) of Himalayan marmots (Marmota himalayana) from four populations experiencing human disturbances same persistence but different intensities when subjected to varied stimuli (a running or walking man with without a leashed dog alone). analyzed effects on AD, FID, BD, DF each population relationship among illustrate escape strategy diversification studied for disturbed by stimuli. found that intra-population emerged were threatened The AD FID shorter an individual was toward than he focal marmots. A as stimulus produced similar result alone. Nevertheless, no single threat, all three distances triggered due significantly those alone (walking running) approaching Inter-population also stimulus: dog, their behavior determined intensity disturbance. changes in across populations, two increasing decrease disturbance intensity, showed significant variation areas. No inter-population dog. These diversifications may levels habituation sizes and, consequently, visibilities humans dogs.

Language: Английский

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Provincial-island endemism adds to our understanding of the geographical distribution of species

Peer Community In Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 6, 2025

Language: Английский

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Response of Bird Communities to Human-Dominated Habitats in Southern Anhui Mountainous Area, China

Diversity, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(4), P. 261 - 261

Published: April 7, 2025

Given that many species are threatened by human activities, understanding wildlife responses to land use changes is crucial for effective biodiversity conservation. Quantifying diversity from multiple dimensions provides a more comprehensive of community dynamics, such as insights into functional and phylogenetic diversity, which capturing the full complexity bird communities. In this study, we surveyed communities in Southern Anhui Mountainous Area across four seasons, including two human-dominated types (farmland village) one natural landscape (forest). Variations taxonomic, functional, uses seasons were analyzed, with focus on assembly processes. Our results showed that, during spring summer, supported higher richness all (taxonomic, phylogenetic) compared landscapes (H2,168 > 25, p < 0.001). However, due influence migratory birds, villages exhibited lowest taxonomic evenness = 8.31, 0.016), while had lower 31.27, autumn winter, no significant differences or observed between (H2,42 5.72, 0.05). Functional traits not fully phylogenetically conserved, structures tended cluster, random. Larger birds likely inhabit types, smaller favored 23.06, These findings suggest conservation plans should consider an intermediate disturbance, play roles maintaining diversity. harbor absent environments therefore also require continued protection.

Language: Английский

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Aridity Niche and Species Traits Mediate the Global Vulnerability of Passerine Birds

Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 31(6)

Published: June 1, 2025

Biodiversity is experiencing an unprecedented crisis, with intensifying global aridity representing a critical driver of species extinction. However, the extent to which species' preferences for specific conditions and their tolerance range influence vulnerability remains poorly understood. Using data from 5558 passerine bird species, we examined how niche affects current projected extinction risks whether these relationships are influenced by other ecological life-history traits altering persistence. Bayesian models revealed significant impacts position breadth on both risks, effects varying according traits. Overall, interacted wider risk than risk, indicating broader array requiring conservation attention in future. Our results identified three key groups: (1) preferring humid conditions, (2) confined arid zones small clutch sizes, (3) narrow low habitat breadth, short generation length, omnivorous diet, full migrant strategy. By identifying birds most at our study offers insights prioritizing actions, guiding geographic focus identification more under ongoing climate change.

Language: Английский

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