Research summaries

Biodiversity restoration in the rice terraces of Japan

In this post Kei Uchida and Atushi Ushimaru discuss their recent paper “Land abandonment and intensification diminish spatial and temporal β-diversity of grassland plants and herbivorous insects within paddy terraces” For our recent article published in the Journal of Applied Ecology we studied the traditional paddy terraces of the agricultural lands in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (Photo 1, Uchida & Ushimaru 2015) and compared them with … Continue reading Biodiversity restoration in the rice terraces of Japan

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Research summaries

Using citizen science to protect Montagu’s harrier nests

In this post Andrea Santangeli discusses his recent paper ‘Identifying effective actions to guide volunteer-based and nationwide conservation efforts for a ground-nesting farmland bird’ Countless conservation actions are implemented by local practitioners worldwide with the intention to help target species to persist in landscapes under increasing pressure from human activities. Unfortunately, still very few implemented interventions are evaluated for their effectiveness (Ferraro & Pattanayak 2006). … Continue reading Using citizen science to protect Montagu’s harrier nests

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Research summaries

VIDEO – Doing more with less: ecosystem services in Massachusetts

For this post Meghan Blumstein has created a video about her recent paper with Jonathan Thompson “Land-use impacts on the quantity and configuration of ecosystem service provisioning in Massachusetts, USA” Ecosystem services are the benefits that we receive from nature every day, both tangible, such as clean drinking water and recreational opportunities, and some less visible, such as climactic regulation through the uptake of carbon by … Continue reading VIDEO – Doing more with less: ecosystem services in Massachusetts

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Research summaries

Where the eel was: applying historical data to plan a species recovery

 In this post Miguel Clavero writes about his recent paper with Virgilio Hermoso: “Historical data to plan the recovery of the European eel” Once there were European eels all around. Plenty of them. From its breeding grounds around the Sargasso Sea the eel used to colonize European and Northern African aquatic systems in such numbers that it lead to one of the few commercial freshwater … Continue reading Where the eel was: applying historical data to plan a species recovery

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Research summaries

‘Fruiting dead’ – or the still unpaid extinction debt of a common shrub

In this post Juan P. González-Varo, Rafael G. Albaladejo, Marcelo A. Aizen, Juan Arroyo and Abelardo Aparicio discuss their recent paper ‘Extinction debt of a common shrub in a fragmented landscape’. A key question with direct implications for biodiversity conservation and restoration in fragmented areas is whether the persistence of those species we currently observe in habitat remnants is ensured in the long-term. Habitat-specialist species, … Continue reading ‘Fruiting dead’ – or the still unpaid extinction debt of a common shrub

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Research summaries

Location matters for oyster reef ecosystem services

In this post, Ashley Smyth writes about her paper “Habitat context influences nitrogen removal by restored oyster reefs”, which was published in the Issue of Journal of Applied Ecology out today. Location matters – where an oyster reef is restored relative to other habitats can influence its affect on nitrogen removal, an important ecosystem service targeted in restoration efforts. Watershed development has increased inputs of … Continue reading Location matters for oyster reef ecosystem services

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Research summaries

With rapid advances in camera trap technology, researchers should “hurry up and wait”

In this post Pen-Yuan Hsing discusses the recent paper from Cole Burton and colleagues ‘Wildlife camera trapping: a review and recommendations for linking surveys to ecological processes’ and the exciting new advances in camera trap technology. Camera traps have come a long way since first entering the ecologist’s toolbox more than a hundred years ago. Early iterations involved bulky film cameras powered by lead acid … Continue reading With rapid advances in camera trap technology, researchers should “hurry up and wait”

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Research summaries

Resilience: buzzword or quantifiable theory with management application?

In this post, David Angeler discusses a paper he recently handled by Kirsty Nash and colleagues “Herbivore cross-scale redundancy supports response diversity and promotes coral reef resilience” This paper will appear as part of a forthcoming special profile ‘Quantifying Resilience’ in Journal of Applied Ecology. We are living in a time of spurious certitude. The unprecedented transformation of the biosphere is shown by rapid changes … Continue reading Resilience: buzzword or quantifiable theory with management application?

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Research summaries

Sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island iconic species dying out

In this post, Dana Bergstrom writes about her recent paper “Rapid collapse of a sub-Antarctic alpine ecosystem: the role of climate and pathogens”, which shows that the cushion plants, Azorella macquariensis, estimated to be hundreds of years old, are dying due to windier and drier conditions. Early in the austral summer of 2008/09, I was beginning my field season on remote sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, a … Continue reading Sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island iconic species dying out

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Conferences and events

Culling badgers to control cattle tuberculosis – a black and white issue?

Last month, the Zoological Society of London together with the British Ecological Society organised a one day symposium, entitled “ The Conservation Science Policy/Interface: Challenges and Opportunities”. Acting as the launch event for the BES’s revitalised Conservation Special Interest Group, the symposium brought together over 150 scientists, conservationists and policy-makers to explore how the links between science and policy can be strengthened. Among the speakers … Continue reading Culling badgers to control cattle tuberculosis – a black and white issue?

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