J. M. Heberling, Joseph T. Miller, Daniel Noesgaard
et al.
Significance As anthropogenic impacts to Earth systems accelerate, biodiversity knowledge integration is urgently required to support responses to underpin a sustainable future. Consolidating information from disparate sources (e.g., community science programs, museums) and data types (e.g., environmental, biological) can connect the biological sciences across taxonomic, disciplinary, geographical, and socioeconomic boundaries. In an analysis of the research uses of the world’s largest cross-taxon biodiversity data network, we report the emerging roles of open-access data aggregation in the development of increasingly diverse, global research. These results indicate a new biodiversity science landscape centered on big data integration, informing ongoing initiatives and the strategic prioritization of biodiversity data aggregation across diverse knowledge domains, including environmental sciences and policy, evolutionary biology, conservation, and human health. The accessibility of global biodiversity information has surged in the past two decades, notably through widespread funding initiatives for museum specimen digitization and emergence of large-scale public participation in community science. Effective use of these data requires the integration of disconnected datasets, but the scientific impacts of consolidated biodiversity data networks have not yet been quantified. To determine whether data integration enables novel research, we carried out a quantitative text analysis and bibliographic synthesis of >4,000 studies published from 2003 to 2019 that use data mediated by the world’s largest biodiversity data network, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Data available through GBIF increased 12-fold since 2007, a trend matched by global data use with roughly two publications using GBIF-mediated data per day in 2019. Data-use patterns were diverse by authorship, geographic extent, taxonomic group, and dataset type. Despite facilitating global authorship, legacies of colonial science remain. Studies involving species distribution modeling were most prevalent (31% of literature surveyed) but recently shifted in focus from theory to application. Topic prevalence was stable across the 17-y period for some research areas (e.g., macroecology), yet other topics proportionately declined (e.g., taxonomy) or increased (e.g., species interactions, disease). Although centered on biological subfields, GBIF-enabled research extends surprisingly across all major scientific disciplines. Biodiversity data mobilization through global data aggregation has enabled basic and applied research use at temporal, spatial, and taxonomic scales otherwise not possible, launching biodiversity sciences into a new era.
Tom P Lansley, Olivia Crowe, Stuart H. M. Butchart
et al.
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are the largest and most complete network of significant sites for the global persistence of biodiversity. Although important sites for birds worldwide have been relatively well assessed, a key question is how effectively the global KBA network represents avian diversity. We identified bird species, orders, habitats, and geographic regions that are underrepresented by KBAs. Area of Habitat (AOH) maps for 10,517 terrestrial bird species were cropped and masked by the extent of each KBA. Almost all species had at least one part of their seasonal distribution in one or more KBAs. Twenty‐nine species had no habitat overlap with KBAs, and 1900 species had <8% of their AOH overlapping KBAs. Species with KBAs identified for them (5219 trigger species) had on average 2.6% greater representation of their AOH in KBAs than species that did not. The extent of species’ AOH represented by KBAs varied with region, habitat, and taxonomic group. Northern North America had the most underrepresented terrestrial bird species (up to 178 underrepresented species per 100 km2). Terrestrial bird species of tropical forests were 12.8% better represented in KBAs than expected by chance, whereas boreal and temperate forest species were less well represented than expected by chance (74.4% and 25.1%, respectively). Among avian orders, Anseriformes and Charadriiformes were underrepresented in KBAs (29.0% and 17.9%, respectively), whereas Trogoniformes and Psittaciformes were better represented (16.2% and 6.9%, respectively) than expected by chance. Bird species for potential KBA identification include marsh antwren (Formicivora paludicola) and Tabar pitta (Erythropitta splendida). These are mainly due to recent changes in species’ taxonomy or their International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List category. Identifying poorly represented species and where they occur highlights shortfalls where expansion of the network could bring conservation benefits.
Benjamin J. Phillips, Joanne K. Garrett, Lewis R. Elliott
et al.
Biodiversity renewal activities are causing major changes to landscapes and ecological assemblages in some areas. Initiatives are inherently intertwined with local people and communities, who can be drivers, inhibitors and beneficiaries of renewal efforts. It is therefore critical to understand how biodiversity renewal impacts people's pro‐nature attitudes and behaviours, health and well‐being. Research to date has established that exposure to nature is linked to health and well‐being, as well as to pro‐environmental behaviours. However, most studies have been cross‐sectional, hindering causal inference, or have focused on attitudes and behaviours relating to the environment in general, rather than on the impacts of biodiversity or environmental improvement efforts. Relatively little is known about how people's interactions with nature vary, or which components contribute to pro‐nature attitudes and behaviours, health, or well‐being over time. Here we introduce the Renewing Biodiversity Longitudinal Survey (ReBLS), a pioneering new longitudinal panel study exploring people's pro‐nature attitudes and behaviours, health and well‐being and whether these are affected by processes of environmental change and the renewal of biodiversity (both actual and perceived). This will be one of the first attempts to track changes in environmental responses, attitudes and behaviours over time within individuals. The survey will involve a national sample of approximately 18,000 adults from across England. The panel will be invited to complete the survey once a year for 3 years initially. We will link the longitudinal survey data with highly localised spatial information about the environment where participants live, including land cover, habitats and species distributions. We will measure participants' exposure to biodiversity renewal using several approaches, including self‐reported awareness of and direct and indirect involvement in biodiversity renewal activities, as well as a spatial assessment based on an audit of renewal activities within England. The ReBLS survey will advance understanding of whether, and how, biodiversity renewal affects pro‐nature attitudes and behaviours, health and well‐being. More generally, it will produce data with broad applications for both academics working on topics relating to people and nature and for practitioners making strategic decisions around biodiversity renewal, land management and public health.
Modern humans widely shaped present ecosystems through intentional and unintentional geographical redistribution of wildlife, both in historical and pre‐historical times. However, the patterns of ancient human‐mediated indirect changes in wildlife range are largely unknown, and the mechanisms behind them remain obscure. We used a multidisciplinary approach to (a) reconstruct the process of colonization of the Mediterranean Basin by a long‐lived bird of prey, the Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata), and (b) test the hypothesis that this colonization was unintentionally favoured by anatomically modern humans through a release of competition by dominant species, primarily golden eagles (A. chrysaetos). The fossil record of Bonelli's eagles in the Mediterranean Basin was restricted to the last c. 50 ky. This timing matches the period of modern human presence in Europe. Distribution modelling showed that Bonelli's eagles find more suitable conditions in interglacial periods, while glacial maxima are largely unfavourable unless in coastal refugia. In agreement with this, all Bonelli's eagle's fossils were found in coastal areas, and demographic inference from genetic data revealed a drop in the effective population size by around the last glacial maximum. In today's communities, we found a strongly asymmetric competitive relationship between (subordinate) Bonelli's and (dominant) golden eagles, with the former occupying far more humanized areas than the latter both at the landscape scale and the local (i.e. nesting cliff) scale. Moreover, the nesting habitat overlap analysis indicated that, in the absence of the other species, a notably higher population of Bonelli's eagle, but not of golden eagle, could be expected. Our findings are consistent with the human‐mediated competitor release hypothesis, by which anatomically modern humans could have unintentionally favoured the large‐scale colonization by Bonelli's eagles of a previously competitively hostile Mediterranean Basin. Reconstructing the role of ancient humans in shaping present ecosystems may help to understand the historical, current and future population trajectories of competing species of conservation concern under the ongoing scenario of global environmental change. It also illustrates how human‐mediated apparent competition may promote large‐scale redistribution and colonization of wildlife, including long‐lived species. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Alexey Mishonov, Alexey Mishonov, Dan Seidov
et al.
The World Ocean’s surface, particularly in the North Atlantic, has been heating up for decades. There was concern that the thermohaline circulation and essential climate variables, such as the temperature and salinity of seawater, could undergo substantial changes in response to this surface warming. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has changed noticeably over the last centennial and possibly slowed down in recent decades. Therefore, concerns about the future of the North Atlantic Ocean climate are warranted. The key to understanding the North Atlantic current climate trajectory is to identify how the decadal climate responds to ongoing surface warming. This issue is addressed using in-situ data from the World Ocean Atlas covering 1955-1964 to 2005-2017 and from the SODA reanalysis project for the most recent decades of 1980-2019 as fingerprints of the North Atlantic three-dimensional circulation and AMOC’s dynamics. It is shown that although the entire North Atlantic is systematically warming, the climate trajectories in different sub-regions of the North Atlantic reveal radically different characteristics of regional decadal variability. There is also a slowdown of the thermohaline geostrophic circulation everywhere in the North Atlantic during the most recent decade. The warming trends in the subpolar North Atlantic lag behind the subtropical gyre and Nordic Seas warming by at least a decade. The climate and circulation in the North Atlantic remained robust from 1955-1994, with the last two decades (1995-2017) marked by a noticeable reduction in AMOC strength, which may be closely linked to changes in the geometry and strength of the Gulf Stream system.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
Ports are of great significance in processing cargo containers and facilitating global marine logistics. Nevertheless, the susceptibility of the container shipping network for hazardous cargo is likely to intensify in the event of a significant disruption at a major port, such as adverse weather conditions, inadequate management practices, or unforeseen catastrophes. Such situations require the deployment of port protection emergency response and prevention in advance. This study proposes a digital twin (DT) model that employs extensive and trajectory data within containers to comprehensively analyze the occurrence of hazardous cargo failures within the port storage process. The virtual models of physical entities in the port are created through a data-driven approach, and the behavior of these entities in a port environment with big data is then simulated. A combination of a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm is employed to provide predictions for the service layer of the DT system. The predicted correlation coefficients of temperature and humidity in the container reach 0.9855 and 0.9181, respectively. The developed system driven by DT models integrated with a CNN and the LSTM algorithm can more effectively assist the safety manager in achieving prevention in port operations. This study enables marine authorities and decision-makers to optimize emergency procedures, thereby reducing the probability of accidents in port operations and logistics.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
Shunta Ichimura, Hideko Takayanagi, Hideko Takayanagi
et al.
Temperature seasonality during the middle Cretaceous provides vital information about climate dynamics and ecological traits of organisms under the conditions of the “supergreenhouse” Earth. However, sub-annual scale paleotemperature records in the mid-latitude region remain limited. In this study, sclerochronological and stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) analyses of bivalve fossils from the northwestern Pacific (paleolatitude: 44°N) were used to estimate their life history and sub-annual scale temperature patterns of the middle Cretaceous. The materials studied included Cucullaea (Idonearca) delicatostriata and Aphrodina pseudoplana recovered from middle Turonian (middle Cretaceous) shallow marine deposits in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Growth increment width and shell δ18O of C. (I.) delicatostriata revealed that the growth rate was temporally maximized and then minimized, which can be interpreted as representing spring and winter growth, respectively. Approximately 25 fortnightly growth increments occurred within that cycle, suggesting that shell formation proceeded continuously throughout the year. Based on shell δ18O values, shallow-water temperatures from 28°C to 35°C with 7°C seasonality were estimated, under the assumption that seawater δ18O values were annually invariant at −1‰ relative to VSMOW. This temperature seasonality in the middle Cretaceous is more than 5°C smaller than the seasonality of modern shallow-water environments at the same latitudes. These findings, taken together with previous studies of other oceanic regions, suggest that the Northern Hemisphere had low seasonal shallow-water temperature variation of up to 10°C in the middle Cretaceous.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
Maya Rocha‐Ortega, P. Rodríguez, Angela Nava-Bolaños
et al.
Abstract One approach to prioritise conservation efforts is to identify hotspots that are either species-rich or that harbour a high proportion of narrow-ranged species with varying functional roles. Given this, we have developed full ant species distribution models as tools for identifying biodiversity and hotspot areas in Mexico. We predicted ant species richness and potential areas of endemism using the more complete data available from across America (i.e., including both North America and South America) and habitat/ecological specificity (functional diversity) in a species distribution model (SDM). In Mexico, the ecoregions more relevant for ant species richness and endemism are Mesoamerica, Petenes, Sierra Madre Oriental, Trans-Mexican Volcanic, and the Sierra Madre Occidental. While for hypogeic and arboreal ants the hotspots were localized in the tropic biomes, for epigeic and subterranean ants, hotpots were most prevalent in the tropics and desert. Moreover, the geographical patterns suggest that some hotspots for ants converge with those hotspots proposed for other invertebrates and vertebrates. Implications for insect conservation Our study highlights the importance of hotspots areas for biodiversity conservation, and provides data and maps for ant conservation programs.
Julie J H Nati, Lewis G Halsey, Paul C D Johnson
et al.
AbstractMany abiotic and biotic factors are known to shape species' distributions, but we lack understanding of how innate physiological traits, such as aerobic scope (AS), may influence the latitudinal range of species. Based on theoretical assumptions, a positive link between AS and distribution range has been proposed, but there has been no broad comparative study across species to test this hypothesis. We collected metabolic rate data from the literature and performed a phylogenetically informed analysis to investigate the influence of AS on the current geographical distributions of 111 teleost fish species. Contrary to expectations, we found a negative relationship between absolute latitude range and thermal peak AS in temperate fishes. We found no evidence for an association between thermal range of AS and the range of latitudes occupied for 32 species. Our main results therefore contradict the prevailing theory of a positive link between AS and distribution range in fish.
Tifanie Briaudeau, Gustavo Guerrero-Limón, Izaskun Zorita
et al.
IntroductionEstuarine ecosystems are under high anthropogenic pressure and receive a wide Q7 variety of contaminants, including metals. They can remain trapped in estuarine sediments at high concentrations for long periods but eventually they can be released to the overlying water and become toxic for the resident benthic biota. As a consequence, biomonitoring programs surveying the health status of estuaries and coastal areas count with benthic species for the assessment of health disturbances in these specific ecosystems. The present investigation aims at recognizing toxicopathic effects elicited in estuarine life stages of the benthic fish Solea senegalensis on exposure to waterborne Cd, a model compound for metal contamination.MethodsBiological responses to metal exposure were assessed based on the application of a “biomarker + histopathology” approach. Two-year old sole juveniles were exposed to various concentrations of waterborne Cd for 3 and 7 days (Control; Low Cd: 1 µg/l; Mid Cd: 10 µg/l and High Cd: 1000 µg/l). Liver samples were collected for chemical analysis at day 7. Biological samples were collected at days 3 and 7 for biochemical (brain and liver), histochemical (liver) and histopathological analysis (liver, gills and gonad).ResultsBrain acetyl cholinesterase was inhibited after 7 days exposure, indicating neurotoxic effects on exposure to 1000 µg Cd/l. Hepatic catalase and glutathione-Stransferase were induced at day 3 and inhibited at day 7, which suggests a bell-shaped response. A dose-dependent lysosomal membrane destabilization in hepatocytes was recorded at day 7. In parallel, histopathological lesions in gills, liver and gonad were more frequent at day 7 in soles exposed to high Cd concentrations.DiscussionOverall, the “biomarker + histopathology” approach revealed that waterborne Cd causes toxicopathic effects in sole juveniles upon exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations (10 µg Cd/l). The effects were clearly time dependent, and thus it is conceivable that more severe biological effects would be elicited by these low concentrations of Cd at longer exposure periods. Therefore, biomarkers and histopathology in combination provide early-warning indications of altered health status after waterborne Cd exposure in sole juveniles, a prospective sentinel for biological effects assessment of metal contamination in pollution monitoring programs in estuaries and coastal areas.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
M. Emilia Bravo, Miriam I. Brandt, Jesse M. A. van der Grient
et al.
The deep ocean comprises complex ecosystems made up of numerous community and habitat types that provide multiple services that benefit humans. As the industrialization of the deep sea proceeds, a standardized and robust set of methods and metrics need to be developed to monitor the baseline conditions and any anthropogenic and climate change-related impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem services. Here, we review what we have learned from studies involving offshore-energy industries, including state-of-the-art technologies and strategies for obtaining reliable metrics of deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem function. An approach that includes the detection and monitoring of ecosystem services, with open access to baseline data from multiple sectors, can help to improve our global capacity for the management of the deep ocean.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
We should begin to consider the issue of “Birds and power lines” in Russia with the state plan for the electrification of Russia, which was adopted in the USSR in 1920. The length of overhead power lines (PLs) had increased by several dozen times over ten years back then, but they were seated on wooden supports, which are pretty much safe for birds. The issue arose in the 1970s, with the adoption of the standard for PL on grounded reinforced concrete supports with pin insulators. Introduction of this standard led to the widespread bird mortality from electric shock.
General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution, Zoology
Alvise Finotello, Alvise Finotello, Andrea D’Alpaos
et al.
We present a new bidimensional, spatially-explicit ecological model describing the dynamics of halophytic vegetation in tidal saline wetlands. Existing vegetation models employ relatively simple deterministic or stochastic mechanisms, and are driven by local environmental conditions. In the proposed model, in contrast, vegetation dynamics depend not only on the marsh local habitat, but also on spatially-explicit mechanisms of dispersal and competition among multiple interacting species. The role of habitat quality, here determined by the local elevation relative to the mean sea level as a proxy for environmental conditions, is mathematically modeled by a logistic function that represents the fundamental (theoretical) niche of each halophytic species. Hence, the model does not artificially impose any constraints to the ability of a species to colonize elevated areas where it is usually not observed: such limitations naturally arise through competition with fitter species across marsh topographic gradients. We qualitatively test our model against field data based on a suitable assemblage of focus species, and perform a sensitivity analysis aimed at determining how dynamic equilibria in vegetation distributions are affected by changes in model input parameters. Results indicate that the model is robust and can predict realistic vegetation distributions and species-richness patterns. More importantly, the model is also able to effectively reproduce the outcomes of classical ecological experiments, wherein a species is transplanted to an area outside its realized niche. A direct comparison shows that previous models not accounting for dispersal and interspecific competitions are unable to reproduce such dynamics. Our model can be easily integrated into virtually any existing morphodynamic model, thereby strengthening our ability to simulate the coupled biotic and abiotic evolution of salt marshes under changing climate forcings.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
Laila Thomaz Sandroni, Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de BarrosFerraz, Silvio Marchini
et al.
Abstract Transdisciplinary projects are fundamental to a more effective and just conservation, but their application and coherent framing present challenges, since their nature is to bring together different epistemological backgrounds and world views. This paper identifies the possibilities offered by stakeholder mapping as a tool for generating common understandings in transdisciplinary conservation research projects. Lessons are drawn from experiential learning through the case of jaguar conservation in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF). Stakeholder mapping proved to be an essential diagnostic tool that generated an overview of the material context of human–jaguar interactions in the BAF to stakeholders engaged in the project. The process and overview drew attention to gaps in stakeholder knowledge that need to be addressed to enhance conviviality between humans and jaguars in fragmented landscapes. Recognizing these knowledge gaps assists in the production of methodologies that can effectively encompass different social groups, and increase all parties' perceptions of the legitimacy of conservation activities. We argue that, due to its collective nature, stakeholder mapping can foster mutual learning and deeper communication in the context of divergent framings of complex nature conservation problems, such as in jaguar conservation.
Ecology, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution