Category: Research summaries

Plain language summaries, Research summaries

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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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

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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Research summaries, Plain language summaries

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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Research summaries

Winner – Sylvia Ascher: Misplaced fears? What the evidence reveals of the ecological effects of tidal power generation

Shortlisted for the Georgina Mace Prize About the research Overview Our paper focuses on understanding whether the ecological fears surrounding tidal energy are actually backed by evidence. Tidal power is a reliable, clean, and predictable renewable energy source, yet projects are frequently delayed or cancelled due to concerns about environmental harm. We systematically reviewed the empirical literature, 54 papers spanning decades, covering both tidal range (barrages) … Continue reading Winner – Sylvia Ascher: Misplaced fears? What the evidence reveals of the ecological effects of tidal power generation

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Careers, Research summaries, Restoration

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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Research summaries

Muhammad Iqbal Md Jamaluddin: Ecological corridors enhance adaptation success of translocated conflict elephants

Shortlisted for the Chico Mendes Prize About the research Overview My research investigates the ecological adaptation of a translocated sub-adult male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) as a strategy to mitigate increasing human-elephant conflict (HEC). By tracking a satellite-collared individual relocated from its original conflict zone, I sought to determine if a relocated elephant can successfully integrate into new habitats without exhibiting homing behaviour or resuming conflict. … Continue reading Muhammad Iqbal Md Jamaluddin: Ecological corridors enhance adaptation success of translocated conflict elephants

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Careers, Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Amanda Hsiung: Effectiveness of novel hybrid mangrove living shorelines is context dependent

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview Coastal areas are increasingly vulnerable to hazards such as erosion and flooding, and there is growing recognition that nature-based approaches can play an important role in coastal protection because they can adapt to changing environmental conditions. As new approaches are developed, it is important to test how well they perform under different environmental contexts and to … Continue reading Amanda Hsiung: Effectiveness of novel hybrid mangrove living shorelines is context dependent

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Careers, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Qing Cao: Coexistence between Przewalski’s horse and Asiatic wild ass in the desert

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview Our paper explores how two closely related wild equids—Przewalski’s horses and Asiatic wild asses—coexist in the extremely water-limited deserts of the Dzungarian Gobi. Classical niche theory would predict competitive exclusion under such scarcity, especially since horses are more water-dependent. By combining controlled water-use experiments with long-term camera trap data, we asked: what defines their fundamental water … Continue reading Qing Cao: Coexistence between Przewalski’s horse and Asiatic wild ass in the desert

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Research summaries

Winner – Allan Edelsparre: Fast-tracking species at risk conservation: A framework for addressing recovery actions through multi-agency collaboration

Shortlisted for the Chico Mendes Prize About the research Overview Our paper asks a simple but uncomfortable question: why do so many species recovery strategies fail to translate into recovery outcomes? Using more than a decade of collaborative work on the endangered semi-aquatic queensnake (Regina septemvittata) in Ontario, we developed and tested a framework for coordinating recovery actions across agencies and organizations. Recovery actions are … Continue reading Winner – Allan Edelsparre: Fast-tracking species at risk conservation: A framework for addressing recovery actions through multi-agency collaboration

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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Messier forest stands support more spider species under retention forestry

Background Managed forests often become structurally simple: fewer layers, less deadwood, and a poorer understory. Retention forestry tries to avoid this by keeping key habitat features during timber use. Spiders matter because they are common predators in forests, but we still need clearer evidence on which forest features support them, and whether food availability plays a role. What did we study? We worked in 55 … Continue reading Messier forest stands support more spider species under retention forestry

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