Tag: habitats

Research summaries

Considering animal behaviour to improve ecological restoration

In this post Robin Hale discusses his Review paper with Stephen Swearer ‘When good animals love bad restored habitats: how maladaptive habitat selection can constrain restoration‘ Restoration is vital to offset the effects of habitat loss on biodiversity Recent biodiversity assessments paint a bleak picture. For example, vertebrates have suffered dramatic population declines (e.g. by 58% since 1970) and been lost at 100 times the … Continue reading Considering animal behaviour to improve ecological restoration

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Optimally controlling invasive species in spatially-connected networks

In this post Sam Nicol discusses his recent article with Regis Sabbadin, Nathalie Peyrard and Iadine Chadès ‘Finding the best management policy to eradicate invasive species from spatial ecological networks with simultaneous actions‘ Lots of invasive species live in spatial networks, which means that they live in a series of discrete habitat sites, but occasionally move between the sites. Managing invasive species in these networks … Continue reading Optimally controlling invasive species in spatially-connected networks

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Invasive wild pigs making themselves at home throughout the USA

In this post Nathan Snow discusses his recent paper ‘Interpreting and predicting the spread of invasive wild pigs‘ The eruption of invasive wild pigs Sus scrofa throughout the world exemplifies the need to understand the influences of exotic and non-native species expansions. In particular, the continental USA is precariously threatened by a rapid expansion of these wild pigs, and a better understanding of the rate … Continue reading Invasive wild pigs making themselves at home throughout the USA

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Forest thinning: a bat’s friend or foe?

In this post, Rachel Blakey discusses her paper in the latest issue of Journal of Applied Ecology ‘Bat communities respond positively to large-scale thinning of forest regrowth‘ The world’s forests are changing. Most of the remaining forests are re-growing after being cleared, but do these regrowth forests resemble the original primary forests? Often, where large tracts of forests were cleared at once (e.g. clear-felling), they … Continue reading Forest thinning: a bat’s friend or foe?

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The Web Of Life: Understanding Complex Animal Relationships for Applied Conservation

In this post Susan Cheyne, who is taking part in our Associate Editor mentoring opportunity discusses a paper she recently handled by Paula Perrig and colleagues ‘Puma predation subsidizes an obligate scavenger in the high Andes‘ Of great interest in understanding biological systems is the often complex interplay between animals occupying different niches. Past studies involving ecological indicators of ecosystem function have selected individual indicator … Continue reading The Web Of Life: Understanding Complex Animal Relationships for Applied Conservation

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Choosing the appropriate analytical resolution for protected area planning

Blog post by Moreno Di Marco, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Based on: Di Marco, M., Watson, J.E.M., Possingham, H.P. & Venter, O. (2016). Limitations and trade-offs in the use of species distribution maps for protected area planning. J. Appl. Ecol. doi 10.1111/1365-2664.12771. From local-scale management to global scale policy, conservation decisions are influenced by the knowledge of … Continue reading Choosing the appropriate analytical resolution for protected area planning

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Maintaining diverse bee communities on farmland: the importance of floristic diversity

In this post Thomas Wood discusses his recent paper ‘Providing foraging resources for solitary bees on farmland: current schemes for pollinators benefit a limited suite of species‘ Farmland biodiversity was negatively affected across most European nations throughout the 20th century, predominantly due to a period of rapid agricultural intensification following the Second World War. Flowery hay meadows were ploughed up and herbicides, fertilisers and other … Continue reading Maintaining diverse bee communities on farmland: the importance of floristic diversity

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More accurate mapping of coastal wetlands is vital for their management and conservation

In this post, Associate Editor Nathalie Butt discusses a recent paper ‘Habitat mapping of coastal wetlands using expert knowledge and Earth Observation data’ by Maria Adamo, Cristina Tarantino, Valeria Tomaselli, Guiseppe Veronico, Harini Nagendra and Palma Blonda. Habitats at risk What do we usually think of when we hear ‘wetland’ or ‘coastal wetland’? A flat marshy area by the sea somewhere, perhaps with a bird … Continue reading More accurate mapping of coastal wetlands is vital for their management and conservation

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Are models useful? – Predicting intertidal seagrass habitats

In this post Associate Editor Yolanda Wiersma discusses a paper she recently handled by Eelke Folmer and colleagues ‘Consensus forecasting of intertidal seagrass habitat in the Wadden Sea‘ “All models are wrong, but some are useful” The above quote, from British statistician George E.P. Box, has become something of an aphorism in modelling. Upon discovery of the quote, graduate students immediately take comfort from it, … Continue reading Are models useful? – Predicting intertidal seagrass habitats

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Why did the mammal cross the road?

A new long-term study from Canada explores the effectiveness of wildlife passages for smaller mammals. Check out the infographic below for a look at some of the major highlights and findings from the work. As you’ll see, at both the global and species level, some of the structural and environmental characteristics associated with the passages influenced the discovery (step 1) and use (step 2) of … Continue reading Why did the mammal cross the road?

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