Author: Journal of Applied Ecology

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When fire meets warming: Managing mountain grasslands in a hotter world

Fire has shaped mountain grasslands for thousands of years and remains essential for keeping them healthy. But as the climate warms, we need to understand how rising temperatures and fire together will affect these ecosystems. In our study, we tested how warming and different fire frequencies interact in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa. In 2017, we added small open top chambers to a long-running … Continue reading When fire meets warming: Managing mountain grasslands in a hotter world

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Biodiversity in soil seedbanks remains high after low-intensity fire

Prescribed burning is the act of intentionally burning an ecosystem and is used in fire-prone regions around the world to manage fuel loads or conserve biodiversity. Some ecosystems experience fires that are too hot or occur too frequently, while other areas suffer from a lack of fire. Prescribed burning at the right intensity and frequency can help minimise the risk of wildfire while also promoting … Continue reading Biodiversity in soil seedbanks remains high after low-intensity fire

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Creating small clearings helps herbivores keep trees from taking over savannas

In many parts of the world, grasslands and savannas are being taken over by trees. This change reduces biodiversity and alters how these ecosystems work. We wanted to test a simple, low-cost way to slow this process and help restore open grassy areas. In our study, we created small clearings (“glades”) by cutting trees in a heavily wooded savanna in South Africa. We compared these … Continue reading Creating small clearings helps herbivores keep trees from taking over savannas

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Species lists can mislead: Island management should map species interactions

Seed dispersal is essential for plant regeneration, especially on islands where many plants rely on animals to move seeds to safe places to survive. But because this process is hard to observe directly, conservation decisions often fall back on easier measures such as species counts. This can be misleading, because ecosystems are not only defined by the species they contain, but also by the relationships … Continue reading Species lists can mislead: Island management should map species interactions

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Grazing intensity, duration, and regime and livestock type modulate soil microbiota responses

Grasslands account for approximately 40% of the Earth’s land area and are the largest natural ecosystem apart from forests. Livestock grazing is currently the most important human activity in grasslands, with a persistent and strong impact on both the aboveground plant community and underground organisms. Soil microbiota are the most numerous, most diverse, and functionally crucial biological group on the planet. Among them, microbes and … Continue reading Grazing intensity, duration, and regime and livestock type modulate soil microbiota responses

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Navegando los obstáculos del río: La influencia de la tipología de presas de baja altura y la hidrología fluvial en la conectividad genética de los peces

Los ríos están llenos de pequeñas represas que vuelven el curso del agua más lento y complican el desplazamiento de organismos acuáticos (por ejemplo, de los peces). Estas pequeñas represas por lo general solo tienen unos metros de altura y están presentes a través del mundo. Ya que no es posible eliminar todas estas represas, es fundamental identificar cuáles (o más bien qué características) representan … Continue reading Navegando los obstáculos del río: La influencia de la tipología de presas de baja altura y la hidrología fluvial en la conectividad genética de los peces

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Naviguer à travers les obstacles fluviaux : L’influence de la typologie des barrages de faible hauteur et de l’hydrologie des rivières sur la connectivité génétique des poissons

Les rivières sont parsemées de petits barrages qui ralentissent l’eau et compliquent les déplacements des organismes aquatiques, tels que les poissons. Ces petits barrages mesurant généralement quelques mètres de haut sont des millions dans le monde. Comme il est impossible de tous les supprimer, il est essentiel d’identifier ceux qui posent les plus gros problèmes pour le déplacement de la faune aquatique. Dans notre étude, … Continue reading Naviguer à travers les obstacles fluviaux : L’influence de la typologie des barrages de faible hauteur et de l’hydrologie des rivières sur la connectivité génétique des poissons

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Navigating river obstacles: The influence of the typology of low-head dams and river hydrology on fish genetic connectivity

Rivers are dotted with countless small dams that slow the flow of water and disrupt connections between fish populations. These structures, known as low-head dams, typically stand only a few metres tall, yet millions exist worldwide. Since removing all of them is unrealistic, it is crucial to identify which ones most strongly hinder aquatic wildlife movement. In our study, we set out to understand how … Continue reading Navigating river obstacles: The influence of the typology of low-head dams and river hydrology on fish genetic connectivity

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Coral reef connections could collapse under climate warming –but one island may offer hope

We discovered that climate change could dramatically break the natural highways that connect coral reefs across the southwestern Pacific Ocean, but one location may survive as a critical refuge. Coral reefs don’t exist in isolation. When reefs are damaged by bleaching or storms, they recover through baby corals (larvae) that drift from healthy reefs on ocean currents. These “larval highways” connect reefs across hundreds of … Continue reading Coral reef connections could collapse under climate warming –but one island may offer hope

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Mateus Silva: A tool to facilitate seed provenancing for climate-smart ecosystem restoration

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview Seeds can accelerate the restoration of degraded landscapes. But where should practitioners source them, especially as the climate changes? In our latest paper, we address this by proposing a spatially explicit tool that identifies the best areas for sourcing seeds for ecosystem restoration under different strategies, from prioritising local seeds to nonlocal seeds preadapted to future … Continue reading Mateus Silva: A tool to facilitate seed provenancing for climate-smart ecosystem restoration

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