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Nuijten RJM, Katzner TE, Allen AM, Bijleveld AI, Boorsma T, Börger L, Cagnacci F, Hart T, Henley MA, Herren RM, Kok EMA, Maree B, Nebe B, Shohami D, Vogel SM, Walker P, Heitkönig IMA, Milner‐Gulland EJ. Priorities for translating goodwill between movement ecologists and conservation practitioners into effective collaboration. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rascha J. M. Nuijten
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford United Kingdom
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Todd E. Katzner
- U.S. Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center Boise Idaho USA
| | - Andrew M. Allen
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology Radboud University Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - Allert I. Bijleveld
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research Den Burg The Netherlands
| | - Tjalle Boorsma
- Asociación Civil Armonía Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences Swansea University Swansea UK
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre Fondazione Edmund Mach San Michele all'Adige Italy
| | - Tom Hart
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Michelle A. Henley
- Applied Behavioural Ecology and Environmental Research Unit University of South Africa Pretoria South Africa
- Elephants Alive Limpopo South Africa
| | | | - Eva M. A. Kok
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research Den Burg The Netherlands
| | | | | | - David Shohami
- Movement Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Faculty of Science The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Susanne Marieke Vogel
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology Aarhus University Aarhus C Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology Aarhus University Aarhus C Denmark
| | | | - Ignas M. A. Heitkönig
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - E. J. Milner‐Gulland
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford United Kingdom
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Buckley YM, Puy J. The macroecology of plant populations from local to global scales. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:1038-1050. [PMID: 34536970 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Population ecologists develop theoretical and pragmatic knowledge of how and why populations change or remain stable, how life histories evolve and devise management strategies for populations of concern. However, forecasting the effects of global change or recommending management strategies is often urgent, requiring ecologists to work without detailed local evidence while using data and models from outside the focal location or species. Here we explore how the comparative ecology of populations, population macroecology, can be used to develop generalisations within and between species across different scales, using available demographic, environmental, life history, occurrence and trait data. We outline the strengths and weaknesses of using broad climatic variables and suitability inferred from probability of occupancy models to represent environmental variation in comparative analyses. We evaluate the contributions of traits, environment and their interaction as drivers of life history strategy. We propose that insights from life history theory, together with the adaptive capacity of populations and individuals, can inform on 'persist in place' vs 'shift in space' responses to changing conditions. As demographic data accumulate at landscape and regional scales for single species, and throughout plant phylogenies, we will have new opportunities for testing macroecological generalities within and across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne M Buckley
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Javier Puy
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Muscatello A, Elith J, Kujala H. How decisions about fitting species distribution models affect conservation outcomes. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2021; 35:1309-1320. [PMID: 33236808 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Species distribution models (SDMs) are increasingly used in conservation and land-use planning as inputs to describe biodiversity patterns. These models can be built in different ways, and decisions about data preparation, selection of predictor variables, model fitting, and evaluation all alter the resulting predictions. Commonly, the true distribution of species is unknown and independent data to verify which SDM variant to choose are lacking. Such model uncertainty is of concern to planners. We analyzed how 11 routine decisions about model complexity, predictors, bias treatment, and setting thresholds for predicted values altered conservation priority patterns across 25 species. Models were created with MaxEnt and run through Zonation to determine the priority rank of sites. Although all SDM variants performed well (area under the curve >0.7), they produced spatially different predictions for species and different conservation priority solutions. Priorities were most strongly altered by decisions to not address bias or to apply binary thresholds to predicted values; on average 40% and 35%, respectively, of all grid cells received an opposite priority ranking. Forcing high model complexity altered conservation solutions less than forcing simplicity (14% and 24% of cells with opposite rank values, respectively). Use of fewer species records to build models or choosing alternative bias treatments had intermediate effects (25% and 23%, respectively). Depending on modeling choices, priority areas overlapped as little as 10-20% with the baseline solution, affecting top and bottom priorities differently. Our results demonstrate the extent of model-based uncertainty and quantify the relative impacts of SDM building decisions. When it is uncertain what the best SDM approach and conservation plan is, solving uncertainty or considering alterative options is most important for those decisions that change plans the most.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Muscatello
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Jane Elith
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Heini Kujala
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FI-00140, Finland
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Phenotypic and environmental correlates of natal dispersal in a long-lived territorial vulture. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5424. [PMID: 33686130 PMCID: PMC7970891 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84811-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Natal dispersal, the movement between the birth and the first breeding site, has been rarely studied in long-lived territorial birds with a long-lasting pre-breeding stage. Here we benefited from the long-term monitoring programs of six populations of Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) from Spain and France to study how the rearing environment determines dispersal. For 124 vultures, we recorded a median dispersal distance of 48 km (range 0-656 km). Linear models were used to assess the effect of population and individual traits on dispersal distance at two spatial scales. Dispersal distances were inversely related to vulture density in the natal population, suggesting that birds perceive the abundance of conspecifics as a signal of habitat quality. This was particularly true for declining populations, so increasing levels of opportunistic philopatry seemed to arise in high density contexts as a consequence of vacancies created by human-induced adult mortality. Females dispersed further than males, but males were more sensitive to the social environment, indicating different dispersal tactics. Both sexes were affected by different individual attributes simultaneously and interactively with this social context. These results highlight that complex phenotype-by-environment interactions should be considered for advancing our understanding of dispersal dynamics in long-lived organisms.
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McGowan J, Beaumont LJ, Smith RJ, Chauvenet ALM, Harcourt R, Atkinson SC, Mittermeier JC, Esperon-Rodriguez M, Baumgartner JB, Beattie A, Dudaniec RY, Grenyer R, Nipperess DA, Stow A, Possingham HP. Conservation prioritization can resolve the flagship species conundrum. Nat Commun 2020; 11:994. [PMID: 32094329 PMCID: PMC7040008 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14554-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Conservation strategies based on charismatic flagship species, such as tigers, lions, and elephants, successfully attract funding from individuals and corporate donors. However, critics of this species-focused approach argue it wastes resources and often does not benefit broader biodiversity. If true, then the best way of raising conservation funds excludes the best way of spending it. Here we show that this conundrum can be resolved, and that the flagship species approach does not impede cost-effective conservation. Through a tailored prioritization approach, we identify places containing flagship species while also maximizing global biodiversity representation (based on 19,616 terrestrial and freshwater species). We then compare these results to scenarios that only maximized biodiversity representation, and demonstrate that our flagship-based approach achieves 79-89% of our objective. This provides strong evidence that prudently selected flagships can both raise funds for conservation and help target where these resources are best spent to conserve biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer McGowan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia.
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
- The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, USA.
| | - Linda J Beaumont
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Robert J Smith
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, UK
| | - Alienor L M Chauvenet
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Environmental Futures Research Institute & School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, 4222, Australia
| | - Robert Harcourt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Scott C Atkinson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York, New York, USA
| | - John C Mittermeier
- School of Geography and Environment, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - John B Baumgartner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA), School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew Beattie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Rachael Y Dudaniec
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Richard Grenyer
- School of Geography and Environment, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - David A Nipperess
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Adam Stow
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, USA
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