Category: Research summaries

Freshwater, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Can artificial floods restore ecological health below the riverbed?

Kate Mathers and colleagues describe their latest research which aims to fill a much needed knowledge gap in the effects of artificial floods on subsurface habitats Naturally, river systems and their flow regimes are dynamic, reacting to changing meteorological events such as intense rainfall or annual snowmelt. This hydrological variability is vital in supporting a healthy river system because fluctuating flows regulate sediment transport (gravels … Continue reading Can artificial floods restore ecological health below the riverbed?

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Tortoises are unlikely to be detrimental for endemic skinks. A Telfair’s skink is basking on the head of an introduced Aldabra giant tortoise. Photo Nik Cole.
Research summaries, Restoration

Seven years of rewilding with giant tortoises

Rosemary Moorhouse-Gann speaks on their latest research which investigates how rewilding Giant Tortoise can affect an Island ecosystem. The dodo, perhaps the most famous animal originating from Mauritius, is tragically extinct. Less well known are the two extinct species of giant tortoise that were found only in Mauritius. You can see shadows of the lost tortoises in Mauritian plant communities today, in the form of … Continue reading Seven years of rewilding with giant tortoises

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Coastal and marine, Freshwater, Research summaries

Temporal trends in geographic clines of salmon eggs associated with global warming and hatchery programs

Koh Hasegawa and colleagues describe their latest research examining the geographic clines in Japanese chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta). Many animal and plant species show geographic clines which are often recognized as adaptations to the associated transitional environments. A well-known example is that the body size of bears increase in more northern regions. Even people may notice clines in their daily lives, such as people in … Continue reading Temporal trends in geographic clines of salmon eggs associated with global warming and hatchery programs

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Research summaries

Sensory ecology in conservation breeding programmes: an overlooked, but vital, consideration

Captive breeding programmes are key to species reintroduction strategies, but could potentially be associated with adaptations that are maladaptive in their natural habitat. In a recent paper, Chris Freelance and colleagues explored differences in sensory organ morphology between wild and captive-bred populations of a critically endangered insect. Captive breeding programmes are a well-established part of threatened species conservation strategies. These programs create insurance populations against … Continue reading Sensory ecology in conservation breeding programmes: an overlooked, but vital, consideration

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Agriculture, Research summaries

Bird-friendly agriculture: finding the right balance to benefit birds and farmers

Promoting birds in agroecosystems is contentious. In their latest research, Olivia Smith and colleagues demonstrate how farmers can use landscape and farm diversification practices to harness ecosystem services from birds while reducing negative trade offs. Birds play many roles in human societies, including as consumers of crops and pests, carriers of pathogens and beloved icons. Consider, for example, the nearly globally distributed barn swallow. The … Continue reading Bird-friendly agriculture: finding the right balance to benefit birds and farmers

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Forests, Research summaries

The surprising connections between deer and the forest canopy

Ungulates place immense consumptive pressure on forest vegetation globally, leaving legacies of reduced biodiversity and simplified vegetative structure. In their latest research, Samuel Reed and colleagues sought to determine whether browse-induced changes occurring early in succession ultimately manifest themselves in the developed forest canopy. Herbivores are incredibly influential around the world and can re-shape entire ecosystems over time. In North American temperate forests, white-tailed deer … Continue reading The surprising connections between deer and the forest canopy

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Coastal and marine, Research summaries, Restoration

Social distancing between plants may amplify coastal restoration at early stage

Climate change and anthropogenic activities are jeopardising coastal ecosystems world-wide. Once degraded, these valuable ecosystems are not easy to recover. In their latest research, Hao Huang and colleagues conducted transplanting experiments to search for the optimal spatial design of coastal restoration. Few ecosystems can equate to coastal wetlands in terms of connections with humans. They provide many ecosystem services that are vital to current societies, … Continue reading Social distancing between plants may amplify coastal restoration at early stage

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Editor's Choice, Human-wildlife interactions, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

Editor’s Choice 59:1: Taking the road less fragmented slows disease spread

Associate Editors, Bret D Elderd and Anibal Pauchard, introduce this month’s Editor’s Choice article by Prist et al., which demonstrates that the building of roads that crisscross pristine habitat can lead to an increase in vector dispersal and Yellow Fever Virus (YFV) cases. The relationship between human and animal disease and environmental integrity has been highlighted by the recent COVID19 pandemic. However, quantitative studies on … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 59:1: Taking the road less fragmented slows disease spread

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Forests, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries, Restoration

A tool to guide the selection of tree species and seed sources for forest landscape restoration

In their latest research, Tobias Fremout and colleagues present a scalable and freely available online tool, Diversity for Restoration (D4R), to identify suitable tree species and seed sources for climate-resilient tropical forest landscape restoration. Governments, NGOs and companies around the world have made ambitious pledges to restore the Earth’s degraded ecosystems. These grand commitments, such as the Bonn Challenge and the One Trillion Tree Initiative, … Continue reading A tool to guide the selection of tree species and seed sources for forest landscape restoration

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Grasslands, Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Community-level responses of African carnivores to prescribed burning

Fires are common in many ecosystems world-wide, and are frequently used as a management tool. Using South African carnivores as their focal community, Laura C. Gigliotti and colleagues explore the relative changes in carnivore intensity of use in post-fire landscapes associated with hypothesized changes in prey availability and top-down suppression. Prescribed burning is a common form of habitat management and assessing wildlife responses to burning is … Continue reading Community-level responses of African carnivores to prescribed burning

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