Hasil untuk "General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution"

Ian SC Parker, Don Franklin

Seth Harju, Tarita Harju, Jodi Berg et al.

Abstract Monitoring trends in the structure and composition of vegetation structure is a critical part of land and wildlife management. Advanced tools and technologies can help reduce the cost and improve the implementation of such monitoring. Most applications of remote‐sensing technologies, however, focus on either vegetation structure reflecting habitat requirements of a single avian species or on general measures of ecosystem productivity or biodiversity. While important, these applications ignore the needs of many applied land and wildlife managers who are often legally or administratively tasked with managing landscapes for multiple avian species with divergent habitat requirements. We used current state‐of‐the‐art technologies to assess vegetation structure in a dryland riparian ecosystem and compared this structure to avian nesting habitat metrics. We demonstrated how 3‐dimensional canopy structure, including multi‐layer canopy cover, voxelized leaf area density, and habitat‐based patch‐level leaf area density, can be quantified and tied to each species' a priori known nesting habitat. We evaluated these results in light of monitoring vegetation potentially serving as nesting habitat for 3 species of management concern. We also provided directions on future monitoring to ensure that managed parcels provide suitable vegetation structure for at least some, and possibly all, of the species given their divergent habitat requirements.

Ben Okita-Ouma, Rob Slotow

Kelsey Swieca, Kelsey Swieca, Su Sponaugle et al.

IntroductionGlobally, anchovy and sardine typically display asynchronous population fluctuations with anchovy dominating during cool periods and sardine dominating during warm periods. However, this anchovy-sardine cold-warm paradigm has recently broken down in the California Current, suggesting that recruitment may not be a simple product of large-scale physical drivers. Instead, consideration of larval fish trophodynamics together with local oceanography is likely necessary to mechanistically relate survival and recruitment to the physical environment.MethodsWe examined otolith-derived metrics of northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) growth in the context of local oceanography and anchovy in situ prey and zooplankton predators in the northern California Current (NCC).ResultsAnchovy growth was spatially variable and the regions that conferred heighted growth differed with regard to the cross-shelf extent of upwelled waters. When upwelling was restricted to the nearshore environment, anchovy larvae grew significantly faster inshore than offshore. Conversely, when the upwelling front moved farther offshore following sustained upwelling, offshore anchovy larvae grew significantly faster than inshore larvae. Modelling individual anchovy growth revealed that growth was affected by ambient copepod prey availability and gelatinous zooplankton predation pressure, with growth peaking at intermediate prey availability and the highest abundance of predators. Fast growth under high predation pressure may be indicative of the selective loss of slow growing larvae. Notably, larval anchovy abundances were high offshore but diminished immediately inshore of the upwelling front regardless of its cross-shelf position. This suggests that the upwelling front may act as a shoreward boundary for anchovy larvae, affecting their access to the highly nutritious prey base typical of the Oregon continental shelf waters in summer.DiscussionVariation in larval anchovy growth with local oceanographic conditions and fine-scale distributions of prey and predators provides a mechanistic hypothesis of food-web dynamics which will enhance our ability to predict the response of forage fishes to ecosystem variability.

Lenore Fahrig

Abstract Negative landscape‐scale fragmentation effects are often inferred from negative patch‐scale edge effects. I tested this cross‐scale extrapolation using two evaluations. First, I searched for studies that estimated the direction of both a patch‐scale edge effect and a landscape‐scale fragmentation effect. The directions were concordant and discordant in 55% and 45% of cases, respectively. Second, I extracted from the literature a sample of landscape‐scale fragmentation effects on individual species. Then, for each species I searched for studies from which I could calculate the slope of its patch‐scale edge effect. Species showing negative patch‐scale edge effects were nearly equally likely to show negative or positive landscape‐scale fragmentation effects, and likewise for species showing positive patch‐scale edge effects. The results mean that the efficacy of policies related to habitat fragmentation cannot be inferred from observed patch‐scale edge effects. Such policies require landscape‐scale evidence, comparing species' responses in landscapes with different levels of fragmentation.

Yuri Geraldo Gomes Ribeiro, Yuri Geraldo Gomes Ribeiro, Rodrigo Matta Bastos et al.

IntroductionThere has been a gradual increase in studies of social media data usage in biodiversity conservation. Social media data is an underused source of information with the potential to maximize the outcomes of established conservation measures. In this study, we assessed how structured social media data can provide insight into species conservation through a species conservation plan, based on predefined actions. MethodsWe established a framework centered on a set of steps that go from defining social media platforms and species of interest to applying general analysis of data based on data dimensions—three W’s framework (What, When, Who) and the public engagement that posts received. The final and most important step in our proposed framework is to assess the overlap between social media data outcomes and measures established in conservation plans. In our study, we used the Brazilian National Action Plan (BNAP) for big cats as our model. We extracted posts and metrics about jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) from two social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter. ResultsWe obtained 159 posts for both jaguars and pumas on Facebook (manually) and 23,869 posts for the jaguar and 14,675 posts for the puma on Twitter (through an application user interface). Data were categorized for content and users (only Facebook data) based on analysis of the content obtained and similarities found between posts. We used descriptive statistics for analyzing the metrics extracted for each data dimension (what, when, who, and engagement). We also used algorithms to predict categories in the Twitter database. Our most important findings were based on the development of a matrix summarizing the overlapping actions and dimensions of the data. Our findings revealed that the most prominent category of information for jaguars on Facebook was the sighting of wildlife outside protected areas, while for pumas, it was the trespassing of property by wildlife. From the Twitter dataset, we observed that the most prominent category of information for jaguars was: the sighting of wildlife outside protected areas, while for pumas, it was wildlife depredation by direct or indirect means. We found temporal trends that highlight the importance of categories in understanding information peaks on Facebook and Twitter. DiscussionWhen we analyze online engagement, we see a predominance of positive reactions on Facebook, and on Twitter, we see a balanced reaction between positive and negative. We identified 10 of 41 actions in the BNAP that might benefit from social media data. Most of the actions that could benefit from our dataset were linked to human–wildlife conflicts and threats, such as wildlife–vehicle collisions. Communication and educational actions could benefit from all dimensions of the data. Our results highlight the variety of information on social media to inform conservation programs and their application to conservation actions. We believe that studies on the success of applying data to conservation measures are the next step in this process and could benefit from input from decision-makers.

Shanshan Jin, Zexun Wei, Zexun Wei et al.

Sea surface temperature (SST) is an important element in studying the global ocean-atmospheric system, as well as its simulation and projection in climate models. In this study, we evaluate the simulation skill of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models in simulating the climatological SST in the Asian Marginal Seas (AMS), known as the most rapidly warming region over the global ocean. The results show that the spatial patterns and seasonal variability of Asian Marginal Seas (AMS) climatological SST simulated by the CMIP6 models are generally in good agreement with the observations, but there are simulation biases in the values. In boreal winter, the simulated climatological SST tends to be overestimated in the Japan/East Sea and the East China Seas (ECSs) by up to 2°C, while being underestimated in the Sea of Okhotsk by up to 2°C. In boreal summer, the simulated climatological SSTs are overestimated in the Indonesian seas and western Arabian Sea, while being underestimated in the Sea of Okhotsk and the northern ECSs by 1.2–1.5 and 2°C, respectively. Furthermore, we calculate the projected sea surface warming trends in the AMS under different future scenarios in the CMIP6 models. The results show warming trends of 0.8–1.8, 1.7–3.4, and 3.8–6.5°C/century for the Shared Socio-Economic Pathway (SSP) of low- (global radiative forcing of 2.6 W/m² by the year 2100), medium- (global radiative forcing of 4.5 W/m² by 2100) and high-end (8.5 W/m² by 2100) pathways, respectively. In addition, the middle and high latitudes of the AMS are found to have faster warming trends than the low latitudes, with the most rapidly warming occurring in the Sea of Okhotsk, which is around 2 times larger than the global mean SST warming trend. The SST warming trends are relatively slow in the South China Sea and the Indonesian seas, roughly equal to the global mean SST warming trend.

Eva Almeida Lima, Salomé Meneses

The Azores UNESCO Global Geopark, located in the North Atlantic Ocean is a volcanic archipelago with several non-inhabited islets and nine inhabited islands. The 27 volcanic systems with polygenetic central volcanoes and volcanic ridges, most of them active but dormant, represent an exuberant geological heritage, most of which (77% of geosites) is protected. The quantity and quality of the Azorean geosites, their international relevance, and high range of geodiversity, together with the rich biodiversity and the notable cultural heritage of the archipelago sustain the Azores UNESCO Global Geopark through the motto “Nine Islands - One Geopark”. The Azores Geopark, the first archipelagic geopark in the world, is established on the basis of 121 geosites distributed across the nine islands and surrounding marine area. The unique geological and geographical setting of the archipelago allowed the development of outstanding landscapes and a culture that is deeply linked to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. One of the priorities of the geopark is to provide the tools and knowledge for sustainable use of this heritage  through geotourism. Here, we review the Geopark, and introduce a new geosite, the Ponta da Ajuda, the largest and best outcrop of columnar jointing on São Miguel island.

A. Giani

Luz Erandi Saldaña-Ruiz, Alesa Flores-Guzmán, Frida Cisneros-Soberanis et al.

The main key drivers of vulnerability for marine species are anthropogenic stressors, ranging from pollution and fishing to climate change. The widely documented impacts of fishing activities on marine species, the growing concern about the population status of many marine species, and the increase in per capita consumption of marine products worldwide have led to the development of environmentally responsible fishing standards and initiatives to inform consumers about the health status of the species. In Mexico, fishing is a vital source of jobs and food security for many coastal communities, but the population status of many species of commercial importance has not been evaluated. Management efforts and fisheries certification procedures and standards to achieve the sustainability of many Mexican fisheries are hindered by a lack of biological and fishery data for many species. In this study, a risk assessment methodology for data-limited fisheries, a Productivity, and Susceptibility Analysis was used to estimate the relative vulnerability of marine invertebrates and fishes commercially important in Mexico to fishing. Ninety-eight invertebrates, 66 elasmobranchs, and 367 bony fish were analyzed. The vulnerability among the 531 evaluated species is high for 115 (22%), moderate for 113 (21%), and low for 303 (57%). The most vulnerable species are the Mexican geoduck (Panopea globosa) and the Black Sea Cucumber (Holothuria atra) for invertebrates, the Spiny butterfly ray (Gymnura altavela) among elasmobranches, and the Black-and-yellow rockfish (Sebastes chrysomelas) for bony fishes. This study provides a first screening of the many species potentially affected by fisheries, prioritizes marine species for future research and management efforts, identifies the main data gaps, and sets the baseline for future research efforts and management. Furthermore, the results could improve market-based approaches like eco-labeling initiatives and the Responsible Seafood Consumption Guide, developed by Mexican authorities in collaboration with Comunidad and Biodiversidad (COBI, a civil society organization), to inform consumers about the origin and sustainability of fishery products.

Shujian Chen, Shujian Chen, Shujian Chen et al.

An 8 weeks trial was performed to test the effects of light spectra [full-spectrum, violet (405 nm), blue (470 nm), cyan (500 nm), green (525 nm), yellow (570 nm), and red (625 nm)] on growth performance, molting, antioxidant capacity, stress response and expression of molting, and apoptosis-related genes in Scylla paramamosain. Results showed that spectrum had a significant effect on S. paramamosain physiology. Compared to blue light, crabs exposed to violet light had a significantly lower survival rate (79.5 ± 3.6% vs. 94.9 ± 3.6%), weight gain (49.2 ± 5.4 vs. 67.6 ± 6.7), molt frequency (4.2 ± 0.2 vs. 4.5 ± 0.1), and extended intermolt intervals between instar 1 and 2 stages (C1–C2) (6.3 ± 0.3 vs. 5.0 ± 0.1 days). Expression of the molt-inhibiting hormone (mih) gene was upregulated in crabs reared under violet light. According to the regression analysis, maximum SGR would be at 449.97 nm. Crabs exposed to blue light also had lower melatonin levels than under full-spectrum and lower cortisol levels than violet and yellow groups. Regarding oxidative stress, crabs in full-spectrum had lower H2O2 and MDA contents, however, no significant difference was found in total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in hepatopancreas from crabs under different spectra. Gene expression of hsp40, hsp70, hsp90 were down-regulated in crabs exposed to the full-spectrum light group. Regarding apoptosis-related genes, bcl-2 gene expression in crabs under cyan and the cox IV and caspase 3 in green were upregulated, suggesting cyan light may inhibit, while green light may promote apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that blue or cyan light would promote growth performance, while full-spectrum light could reduce stress response in S. paramamosain.

M. Slifka, Lina Gao

A. Lehmann, J. Overton, J. Leathwick

Adam Ayouche, Guillaume Charria, Xavier Carton et al.

Instability and mixing are ubiquitous processes in river plumes but their small spatial and temporal scales often limit their observation and analysis. We investigate flow instability and mixing processes in the Gironde river plume (Bay of Biscay, North-East Atlantic ocean) in response to air-sea fluxes, tidal currents, and winds. High-resolution numerical simulations are conducted in March (average river discharge) and in August (low discharge) to explore such processes. Two areas of the Gironde river plume (the bulge and the coastal current) experience different instabilities: barotropic, baroclinic, symmetric, and/or vertical shear instabilities. Energy conversion terms reveal the coexistence of barotropic and baroclinic instabilities in the bulge and in the coastal current during both months. These instabilities are intensified over the whole domain in August and over the inner-shelf in March. The Hoskins criterion indicates that symmetric instability exists in most parts of the plume during both periods. The evolution of the Gironde plume with the summer stratification, tidal currents and winds favors its development. During both seasons, ageostrophic flow and large Rossby numbers characterize rapidly-growing and small-scale frontal baroclinic and symmetric instabilities. The transition between these instabilities is investigated with an EKE decomposition on the modes of instability. In the frontal region of the plume, during both months, symmetric instabilities grow first followed by baroclinic and mixed ones, during wind bursts and/or high discharge events. In contrast, when the wind is weak or relaxing, baroclinic instabilities grow first followed by symmetric and then mixed ones. Their growth periods range from a few hours to a few days. Mixing at the ocean surface is analyzed via Potential Vorticity (PV) fluxes. The net injection of PV at the ocean surface occurs at submesoscale buoyant fronts of the Gironde plume during both months. Vertical mixing at these fronts has similar magnitude as the wind-driven and surface buoyancy fluxes. During both months, the frontal region of the plume is restratified during wind relaxation events and/or high river discharge events through frontogenetic processes. Conversely, wind bursts destratify the frontal plume interior through non-conservative PV fluxes.

Katie E. Costello, Katie E. Costello, Sharon A. Lynch et al.

Although research into the ecology and impacts of invasive species is prevalent, there are knowledge gaps relating to the role of invasive species in parasite transmission. This work synthesises invasive host–parasite interactions and impacts, using marine bivalves as a model group, to consider how global movement of shellfish consignments for aquaculture purposes facilitates the unintentional transfer of invasives. We discuss how invasive species can act as both hosts or parasitic organisms themselves, and introductions may lead to diseases within the bivalve aquaculture sector. This review highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research, with particular regard to the fields of parasitology and invasion ecology. We suggest that further integrating these fields will enhance critical knowledge of marine diseases, parasite-invasive-bivalve interplay dynamics, and potential mitigation strategies, including temperature-based disease surveillance models. We also address how climate change might impact invasive species, again with a focus on marine bivalves, and the potential outcomes for parasite transmission, including changes in host/parasite distribution, life-history and virulence. We acknowledge the importance of horizon scanning for future invasive host–parasite introductions and note that increased screening of invasive species, both in their native and invaded ranges, will provide clarity on invasion dynamics and potential impacts.

Victoria L. G. Todd, Victoria L. G. Todd, Laura Lazar et al.

In oceans and seas worldwide, an increasing number of end-of-life anthropogenic offshore structures (e.g., platforms, pipelines, manifolds, windfarms, etc.) are facing full or partial removal. As part of the decommissioning process, studies on potential importance of subsea infrastructure to marine megafauna (defined as: cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, large fish – such as sharks, rays, billfishes, and tuna, as well as marine reptiles, and seabirds) are lacking. Dedicated scientific Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) surveys around offshore installations are rare, but there is a wealth of archived industrial data and noteworthy species sightings posted publicly on various social media platforms. This study used routine, incidentally collected ROV (n = 73) and commercial diver (n = 9) video recordings spanning 1998–2019 globally. Data were gathered directly from industrial partners (n = 36) and the public domain (YouTube; n = 46) to provide an account of marine megafauna presence and potential feeding behavior in the near-visible vicinity of subsea anthropogenic structures. A total of 79 video clips and 3 still images of marine megafauna near offshore structures were examined, resulting in 67 individual sightings and 16 sub-sightings (in which an individual was recorded within the same day). At least 178 individuals were identified to a minimum of 17 species of marine megafauna, amounting to a total (combined) sighting duration of 01:09:35 (hh:mm:ss). Results demonstrated proximate presence of marine megafauna (many of which are threatened species) to anthropogenic structures, with most animals displaying foraging or interaction behaviors with the structures. Observations included the deepest (2,779 m) confirmed record of a sleeper shark (Somniosus spp.) and the first confirmed visual evidence of seals following pipelines. These ROV observations demonstrate a latent source of easily accessible information that can expand understanding of marine megafauna interactions with offshore anthropogenic infrastructure. Consequently, other workers in this field should be encouraged to re-analyze archived datasets, commence further collaborative research projects with industrial partners, and/or expand Internet search terms to additional species assemblages, in a bid to quantitatively elucidate relationships between offshore infrastructure and marine species.

Jian-Huan Yang, Xiang-Yuan Huang, Jian-Fang Ye et al.

We present the results from a series of herpetological surveys conducted in the Tengchong Section of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China between April 2014 and November 2018.  A total of 59 species of amphibians and reptiles (one salamander, 30 batrachians, four lizards, and 24 snakes) were recorded during the surveys including three newly described amphibian species and 17 new records for Tengchong, 10 of which also represent new generic records for the area.  Natural history notes of some little-known species are presented.  Our survey results clearly demonstrate that the herpetofauna diversity of this mountain range is still underestimated and warrants further systematic study.

Maxime M. Grand, Agathe Laes-Huon, Susanne Fietz et al.

Trace metal micronutrients are integral to the functioning of marine ecosystems and the export of particulate carbon to the deep ocean. Although much progress has been made in mapping the distributions of metal micronutrients throughout the ocean over the last 30 years, there remain information gaps, most notable during seasonal transitions and in remote regions. The next challenge is to develop in situ sensing technologies necessary to capture the spatial and temporal variabilities of micronutrients characterized with short residence times, highly variable source terms, and sub-nanomolar concentrations in open ocean settings. Such an effort will allow investigation of the biogeochemical processes at the necessary resolution to constrain fluxes, residence times, and the biological and chemical responses to varying metal inputs in a changing ocean. Here, we discuss the current state of the art and analytical challenges associated with metal micronutrient determinations and highlight existing and emerging technologies, namely in situ chemical analyzers, electrochemical sensors, passive preconcentration samplers, and autonomous trace metal clean samplers, which could form the basis of autonomous observing systems for trace metals within the next decade. We suggest that several existing assets can already be deployed in regions of enhanced metal concentrations and argue that, upon further development, a combination of wet chemical analyzers with electrochemical sensors may provide the best compromise between analytical precision, detection limits, metal speciation, and longevity for autonomous open ocean determinations. To meet this goal, resources must be invested to: (1) improve the sensitivity of existing sensors including the development of novel chemical assays; (2) reduce sensor size and power requirements; (3) develop an open-source “Do-It-Yourself” infrastructure to facilitate sensor development, uptake by end-users and foster a mechanism by which scientists can rapidly adapt commercially available technologies to in situ applications; and (4) develop a community-led standardized protocol to demonstrate the endurance and comparability of in situ sensor data with established techniques. Such a vision will be best served through ongoing collaborations between trace metal geochemists, analytical chemists, the engineering community, and commercial partners, which will accelerate the delivery of new technologies for in situ metal sensing in the decade following OceanObs’19.

E. Sanderson, K. Redford, C. Chetkiewicz et al.

T. Akiyama, K. Kawamura