Category: Research summaries

Agriculture, Research summaries

On the benefits of organic farming: Japanese rice fields in spring

Based on their research in Japan, Naoki Katayama and colleagues highlight how organic rice farming supports more plants, spiders, dragonflies, frogs and waterbirds than conventional farming. A version of this post in Japanese is available here. The intensification of agriculture since the mid-20th century, and the more recent abandonment of farmlands, have presented major threats to farmland biodiversity. Organic farming and less strict low-input farming … Continue reading On the benefits of organic farming: Japanese rice fields in spring

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Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

The amorphous, heterogeneous spatial spread of Wolbachia

Penelope A. Hancock presents recently published work on ‘Predicting the spatial dynamics of Wolbachia infections in Aedes aegypti arbovirus vector populations in heterogeneous landscapes‘. Uncertainty surrounding density-dependent mosquito population growth rates prevents us from predicting the outcome of mosquito control interventions. A timely example is the introduction of Wolbachia bacterial infections into wild Aedes aegypti populations, the major vector of the dengue, Zika and chikungunya … Continue reading The amorphous, heterogeneous spatial spread of Wolbachia

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Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Anyone’s game: do gamebird releases lead to increases in generalist predators?

In their new research, published this week, Henrietta Pringle and colleagues recommend the recording of gamebird releases and predator numbers. Every year, 40-50 million non-native gamebirds (ring-necked pheasant Phasianus colchius and red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa) are released in the UK, equivalent to around 46000 tonnes of biomass. Fewer than half these birds are shot, with the remaining birds predated, scavenged or surviving to breed or … Continue reading Anyone’s game: do gamebird releases lead to increases in generalist predators?

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Agriculture, Forests, Research summaries

Forest patches in working landscapes offer surprising opportunities to conserve neotropical birds

A Spanish version of this post is available here. After years of research into the biodiversity value of agricultural countrysides, it has become clear that, while there is great potential to conserve wildlife alongside humanity in ‘working landscapes’, wildlife communities remain distinct from those in nature reserves. But can working landscapes ever support vulnerable, reserve-affiliated species? New research from Costa Rica by Karp et al. … Continue reading Forest patches in working landscapes offer surprising opportunities to conserve neotropical birds

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Agriculture, Forests, Research summaries, Translation

Parches boscosos en paisajes agrícolas: la estrategia para conservar las aves Neotropicales

An English version of this post is also available here. Tras investigar la biodiversidad en zonas agrícolas y ganaderas por varios años, se ha encontrado que las fincas, haciendas y jardines tienen mucho potencial para conservar la biodiversidad. Sin embargo, dichas áreas no son reemplazos de las áreas protegidas ya que hay algunas especies que solamente habitan en áreas protegidas. Un nuevo artículo de investigación … Continue reading Parches boscosos en paisajes agrícolas: la estrategia para conservar las aves Neotropicales

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Citizen science, Research summaries, Urban ecosystems

Measuring the ‘urbanness’ of a bird community

Harnessing the power of global citizen science data sets to improve local understanding, Corey T. Callaghan (Centre for Ecosystem Science, UNSW Sydney) introduces the Urban Greenspace Integrity Index as a means to track restoration efforts in urban areas. Restoring urban biodiversity has many benefits (for examples, see here, here, or here), but what should we actually be focusing on in our restoration efforts? If we … Continue reading Measuring the ‘urbanness’ of a bird community

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Research summaries, Themed collections, Urban ecosystems

Virtual Issue: Urban Ecosystems

An increasingly prevalent part of applied ecology, urban ecosystems provide us with both new challenges and opportunities to make the most of the natural resources around us. In a new Virtual Issue, Executive Editor Marc Cadotte brings together some of the recent research published in the journal that aims to bring environmental benefits to our cities’ inhabitants. The articles are free to read for a … Continue reading Virtual Issue: Urban Ecosystems

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Freshwater, Invasive species, Research summaries, Video

eDNA snapshots of invasion, infection and extinction from a freshwater crayfish tragedy

For the first time, a devastating crayfish plague outbreak has been monitored from the onset to crayfish extinction using eDNA methodology. David A. Strand and colleagues surveyed a watercourse over three years and discovered a remarkable correlation between eDNA fluctuations and host-pathogen dynamics. Noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) are macroinvertebrates that can be found in both lotic and lentic freshwater systems across most of Europe. Previously … Continue reading eDNA snapshots of invasion, infection and extinction from a freshwater crayfish tragedy

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Freshwater, Research summaries, Video

Why quantifying riverine ecosystem services matters

Dalal Hanna, aquatic and landscape ecologist, talks about her article reviewing riverine ecosystem service quantification. This paper was on the 2018 list of highly commended papers for this year’s Southwood Prize early career researcher award. An additional video about Dalal’s research is available here. Read the full article, A review of riverine ecosystem service quantification: research gaps and recommendations in issue 55:3 of Journal of … Continue reading Why quantifying riverine ecosystem services matters

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Research summaries, Restoration

Measuring ecosystem functioning to assess river restoration success

Shortlisted for this year’s Southwood Prize early career researcher award, André Frainer talks us through his work on river restoration and habitat heterogeneity. When rivers are drained, dredged, channelised, or altered in a thousand different ways, they face an almost imminent loss of biodiversity and important ecological functions. This is often a consequence of the loss of habitat diversity and the fauna and flora that … Continue reading Measuring ecosystem functioning to assess river restoration success

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