Find research datasets worth reusing

opennotspecifiedJan 2020View details →

FIGURE 4 in A protocol for online documentation of spider biodiversity inventories applied to a Mexican tropical wet forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae)

FIGURE 4. Species richness estimations. Red triangles with values indicated with (*) correspond to the species estimations for those treatments fitted to a lognormal distribution. White and red triangles over the x axis indicate higher overestimations.

opennotspecifiedJan 2020View details →

FIGURE 5. Species richness estimations slopes. Jack 2s in A protocol for online documentation of spider biodiversity inventories applied to a Mexican tropical wet forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae)

FIGURE 5. Species richness estimations slopes. Jack 2s indicates the slope average for these estimations based on incidence (BAT) and abundance (Bat and Estimates). Same averages were calculated for Jack 1s and Chao 1 and 2 estimation slopes. Column indicated with (*) correspond to the slope value for pitfalls under Chao's estimations.

opencc-zeroOct 2020View details →

Biodiversity and Forest structure one year following the 2016 Fort McMurray (Alberta) fire event

Exploration practices for oil sands developments in the boreal forest of western Canada create a network of thousands of kilometers of linear features, particularly seismic lines that dissect these forests posing significant environmental challenges. As wildfire is one of the prevalent stand-replacing natural disturbances in the Canadian boreal forest, it is an important driver of environmental change and stand development that may contribute to the mitigation of such linear industrial footprint. Here, we evaluate the short-term cumulative (also known as combined) effects of seismic lines and wildfire on biodiversity and site conditions. One year after the Horse River (Fort McMurray, Alberta) fire event in the spring of 2016, we compared dissected and undisturbed forests in burned and unburned boreal peatlands, assessing changes in overall stand structure and the responses of a variety of organisms. Soil moisture was significantly higher on seismic lines than in the adjacent forest, suggesting why most of the study sites within the fire perimeter showed little evidence of burning at the line in relation to the adjacent forest. Low fire severity on seismic lines seemed an important driver of local species diversity for ants, beetles, spiders, and plants in disturbed peatlands, resulting in similar species composition on seismic lines both within and outside the burned area, but different assemblages in burned and unburned adjacent forests. Our results suggest that fire did not erase seismic lines; rather, wildfire might increase the influence of this footprint on the recovering adjacent forest. Longer term monitoring will be necessary to understand how boreal treed peatlands respond to the cumulative effect of wildfire and linear disturbances.

opencc-zeroNov 2019View details →

Water availability drives above-ground biomass and bird richness in forest restoration plantings to achieve carbon and biodiversity co-benefits

To combat global warming and biodiversity loss we require effective forest restoration that encourages recovery of species diversity and ecosystem function to deliver essential ecosystem services, such as biomass accumulation. Further, understanding how and where to undertake restoration to achieve carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation would provide an opportunity to finance ecosystem restoration under carbon markets. We surveyed 30 native mixed-species plantings in subtropical forests and woodlands in Australia, and used structural equation modelling to determine vegetation, soil and climate variables most likely driving above-ground biomass accrual and bird richness, and investigate the relationships between plant diversity, above-ground biomass accrual and bird diversity. We focussed on woodland and forest-dependent birds, and functional groups at risk of decline (insectivorous, understorey-nesting, and small-bodied birds). We found that mean moisture availability strongly limits above-ground biomass accrual and bird richness in restoration plantings, indicating potential synergies in choosing sites for carbon and biodiversity purposes. Counter to theory, woody plant richness was a poor direct predictor of above-ground biomass accrual, but was indirectly related via significant, positive effects of stand density. We also found no direct relationship between above-ground biomass accrual and bird richness, likely because of the strong effects of moisture availability on both variables. Instead, moisture availability and patch size strongly and positively influenced the richness of woodland and forest dependent birds. For understorey-nesting birds, however, shrub cover and patch size predicted richness. Stand age or area of native vegetation surrounding the patch did not influence bird richness. Our results suggest that in subtropical biomes, planting larger patches to higher densities, ideally using a diversity of trees and shrubs (characteristics of ecological plantings) in more mesic locations will enhance the provision of carbon and biodiversity co-benefits. Further, ecological plantings will aid the rapid recovery of woodland and forest bird richness, with comparable above-ground biomass accrual to less diverse forestry plantations.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Deforestation and forest fragmentation in South Ecuador since the 1970s - losing a hotspot of biodiversity

Deforestation and fragmentation are major components of global change; both are contributing to the rapid loss of tropical forest area with important implications for ecosystem functioning and biodiversity conservation. The forests of South Ecuador are a biological 'hotspot' due to their high diversity and endemism levels. We examined the deforestation and fragmentation patterns in this area of high conservation value using aerial photographs and Aster satellite scenes. The registered annual deforestation rates of 0.75% (1976–1989) and 2.86% (1989–2008) for two consecutive survey periods, the decreasing mean patch size and the increasing isolation of the forest fragments show that the area is under severe threat. Approximately 46% of South Ecuador's original forest cover had been converted by 2008 into pastures and other anthropogenic land cover types. We found that deforestation is more intense at lower elevations (premontane evergreen forest and shrubland) and that the deforestation front currently moves in upslope direction. Improved awareness of the spatial extent, dynamics and patterns of deforestation and forest fragmentation is urgently needed in biologically diverse areas like South Ecuador.

opencc-zeroFeb 2020View details →

Above- and below-ground biodiversity jointly regulate temperate forest multifunctionality along a local-scale environmental gradient

1. Tree diversity has been shown to promote a broad range of ecosystem functions in forests. However, how important these effects are in driving ecosystem multifunctionality in natural forests, relative to other drivers, such as below-ground biodiversity (e.g., soil microbial diversity), community-level functional traits and environmental conditions, remains poorly understood. Here, we hypothesise that tree species or phylogenetic diversity, stand structure, functional traits and soil microbial diversity jointly regulate temperate forest multifunctionality along a local-scale environmental gradient. 2. Using repeated census data from a 25-ha old-growth temperate forest, we first quantified eight ecosystem functions and properties related to above- and below-ground nutrient cycling. We then used these to estimate ecosystem multifunctionality using both an averaging and multiple thresholds (50, 75, and 95%) approaches. Finally, we used structural equation models to explore how different facets of tree (tree species, functional and phylogenetic diversity) and soil (bacteria, fungi, and nematode diversity) biodiversity influence ecosystem multifunctionality, as well as how these relationships are modulated by stand structural attributes and environmental conditions (topography and soil nutrients). 3. Forest multifunctionality was positively related to stand structural complexity but negatively related to acquisitive traits (i.e. community-weighted mean of specific leaf area). Plant phylogenetic diversity had no significant direct effect on forest multifunctionality, but it had a significant indirect effect via increased stand structural complexity. The effect of soil microbial diversity on forest multifunctionality increased with increasing threshold levels of forest multifunctionality and outperformed tree diversity and environmental conditions at the highest threshold level (i.e. 95%). Forests on steep slopes had lower levels of ecosystem multifunctionality due to decreased stand structural complexity. Soil nutrients were responsible for regulating forest multifunctionality via plant trait composition and, to a lesser extent, via tree diversity, stand structure and soil microbial diversity. 4. Synthesis: Plant phylogenetic diversity, stand structure and soil microbial diversity jointly regulated forest multifunctionality, and these effects were influenced by local-scale changes in environmental conditions. Soil microbial diversity was a key driver of highly multifunctional forests, whereas conservation of complex stand structure and conservative trait dominance could enhance mean values of multiple functions. 1. Tree diversity has been shown to promote a broad range of ecosystem functions in forests. However, how important these effects are in driving ecosystem multifunctionality in natural forests, relative to other drivers, such as below-ground biodiversity (e.g., soil microbial diversity), community-level functional traits and environmental conditions, remains poorly understood. Here, we hypothesise that tree species or phylogenetic diversity, stand structure, functional traits and soil microbial diversity jointly regulate temperate forest multifunctionality along a local-scale environmental gradient. 2. Using repeated census data from a 25-ha old-growth temperate forest, we first quantified eight ecosystem functions and properties related to above- and below-ground nutrient cycling. We then used these to estimate ecosystem multifunctionality using both an averaging and multiple thresholds (50, 75, and 95%) approaches. Finally, we used structural equation models to explore how different facets of tree (tree species, functional and phylogenetic diversity) and soil (bacteria, fungi, and nematode diversity) biodiversity influence ecosystem multifunctionality, as well as how these relationships are modulated by stand structural attributes and environmental conditions (topography and soil nutrients). 3. Forest multifunctionality was positively related to stand structural complexity but negatively related to acquisitive traits (i.e. community-weighted mean of specific leaf area). Plant phylogenetic diversity had no significant direct effect on forest multifunctionality, but it had a significant indirect effect via increased stand structural complexity. The effect of soil microbial diversity on forest multifunctionality increased with increasing threshold levels of forest multifunctionality and outperformed tree diversity and environmental conditions at the highest threshold level (i.e. 95%). Forests on steep slopes had lower levels of ecosystem multifunctionality due to decreased stand structural complexity. Soil nutrients were responsible for regulating forest multifunctionality via plant trait composition and, to a lesser extent, via tree diversity, stand structure and soil microbial diversity. 4. Synthesis: Plant phylogenetic diversity, stand structure and soil microbial diversity jointly regulated forest multifunctionality, and these effects were influenced by local-scale changes in environmental conditions. Soil microbial diversity was a key driver of highly multifunctional forests, whereas conservation of complex stand structure and conservative trait dominance could enhance mean values of multiple functions. 1. Tree diversity has been shown to promote a broad range of ecosystem functions in forests. However, how important these effects are in driving ecosystem multifunctionality in natural forests, relative to other drivers, such as below-ground biodiversity (e.g., soil microbial diversity), community-level functional traits and environmental conditions, remains poorly understood. Here, we hypothesise that tree species or phylogenetic diversity, stand structure, functional traits and soil microbial diversity jointly regulate temperate forest multifunctionality along a local-scale environmental gradient. 2. Using repeated census data from a 25-ha old-growth temperate forest, we first quantified eight ecosystem functions and properties related to above- and below-ground nutrient cycling. We then used these to estimate ecosystem multifunctionality using both an averaging and multiple thresholds (50, 75, and 95%) approaches. Finally, we used structural equation models to explore how different facets of tree (tree species, functional and phylogenetic diversity) and soil (bacteria, fungi, and nematode diversity) biodiversity influence ecosystem multifunctionality, as well as how these relationships are modulated by stand structural attributes and environmental conditions (topography and soil nutrients). 3. Forest multifunctionality was positively related to stand structural complexity but negatively related to acquisitive traits (i.e. community-weighted mean of specific leaf area). Plant phylogenetic diversity had no significant direct effect on forest multifunctionality, but it had a significant indirect effect via increased stand structural complexity. The effect of soil microbial diversity on forest multifunctionality increased with increasing threshold levels of forest multifunctionality and outperformed tree diversity and environmental conditions at the highest threshold level (i.e. 95%). Forests on steep slopes had lower levels of ecosystem multifunctionality due to decreased stand structural complexity. Soil nutrients were responsible for regulating forest multifunctionality via plant trait composition and, to a lesser extent, via tree diversity, stand structure and soil microbial diversity. 4. Synthesis: Plant phylogenetic diversity, stand structure and soil microbial diversity jointly regulated forest multifunctionality, and these effects were influenced by local-scale changes in environmental conditions. Soil microbial diversity was a key driver of highly multifunctional forests, whereas conservation of complex stand structure and conservative trait dominance could enhance mean values of multiple functions.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: The impacts of climate change and disturbance on spatio-temporal trajectories of biodiversity in a temperate forest landscape

The ongoing changes to climate challenge the conservation of forest biodiversity. Yet, in thermally limited systems, such as temperate forests, not all species groups might be affected negatively. Furthermore, simultaneous changes in the disturbance regime have the potential to mitigate climate-related impacts on forest species. Here, we (i) investigated the potential long-term effect of climate change on biodiversity in a mountain forest landscape, (ii) assessed the effects of different disturbance frequencies, severities and sizes and (iii) identified biodiversity hotspots at the landscape scale to facilitate conservation management. We employed the model iLand to dynamically simulate the tree vegetation on 13 865 ha of the Kalkalpen National Park in Austria over 1000 years, and investigated 36 unique combinations of different disturbance and climate scenarios. We used simulated changes in tree cover and composition as well as projected temperature and precipitation to predict changes in the diversity of Araneae, Carabidae, ground vegetation, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Mollusca, saproxylic beetles, Symphyta and Syrphidae, using empirical response functions. Our findings revealed widely varying responses of biodiversity indicators to climate change. Five indicators showed overall negative effects, with Carabidae, saproxylic beetles and tree species diversity projected to decrease by more than 33%. Six indicators responded positively to climate change, with Hymenoptera, Mollusca and Syrphidae diversity projected to increase more than twofold. Disturbances were generally beneficial for the studied indicators of biodiversity. Our results indicated that increasing disturbance frequency and severity have a positive effect on biodiversity, while increasing disturbance size has a moderately negative effect. Spatial hotspots of biodiversity were currently found in low- to mid-elevation areas of the mountainous study landscape, but shifted to higher-elevation zones under changing climate conditions. Synthesis and applications. Our results highlight that intensifying disturbance regimes may alleviate some of the impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity. However, the projected shift in biodiversity hotspots is a challenge for static conservation areas. In this regard, overlapping hotspots under current and expected future conditions highlight priority areas for robust conservation management.

Data from: Forest restoration as a double-edged sword: the conflict between biodiversity conservation and pest control

1. Forestry has markedly changed a large proportion of the world's boreal forests, often with negative effects on biodiversity. As a result, forest restoration is increasingly implemented to counteract the negative effects. However, restoration measures aimed at mimicking natural disturbance regimes could simultaneously increase the risk of unwanted negative effects, such as damage by forest pest species. This study compares the effect of two restoration methods (prescribed burning and gap-cutting), on both biodiversity conservation and pest control, to provide a basis for solutions to this potential conflict. 2. Bark beetles are ideal for studying this conflict, as this group is both species-rich and contains notorious pest species. We conducted a unique, large-scale field experiment in which we compared the effect of two different restoration methods on the abundance, species richness and assemblage composition of bark beetles. In addition, we estimated uncontrolled tree mortality by the number of trees that died post-restoration. 3. Beetles were divided in two groups, primary and secondary, the former with an ability to kill growing trees. Bark beetle diversity did not differ between treatment groups prior to restoration. However, after restoration, assemblage composition and primary bark beetle abundance differed between the treatments. Furthermore, species richness was higher in burned and gap-cut stands compared to reference stands. 4. The number of trees that died post-restoration was highest on burned sites, whereas no difference was found between gap-cut and reference stands. The number of dead trees was correlated with the number of primary beetles. 5. Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate the potential for a conflict between forest restoration for biodiversity conservation and the potential risk for tree mortality caused by forest pests. This is likely to become a problem in many boreal forests; however, our results suggest that this conflict can be moderated by the choice of restoration method. The restoration method gap-cutting had a similar positive impact on bark beetle species richness as compared to the burning method, but did not as burning increase tree mortality. Thus, in areas where there is an apparent risk for pest outbreaks, our data suggest that gap-cutting should be the chosen method to avoid an unwanted increase in tree mortality at the stand level. 13-Mar-2017

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Biodiversity along temperate forest succession

1. The successional dynamics of forests – from canopy openings to regeneration, maturation and decay – influences the amount and heterogeneity of resources available for forest-dwelling organisms. Conservation has largely focused only on selected stages of forest succession (e.g. late-seral stages). However, to develop comprehensive conservation strategies and to understand the impact of forest management on biodiversity, a quantitative understanding of how different trophic groups vary over the course of succession is needed. 2. We classified mixed mountain forests in Central Europe into nine successional stages using airborne LiDAR. We analysed α- and β-diversity of six trophic groups encompassing approximately 3,000 species from three kingdoms. We quantified the effect of successional stage on the number of species with and without controlling for species abundances and tested whether the data fit the more-individuals hypothesis or the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis. Furthermore, we analysed the similarity of assemblages along successional development. 3. The abundance of producers, first-order consumers and saprotrophic species showed a U-shaped response to forest succession. The number of species of producer and consumer groups generally followed this U-shaped pattern. In contrast to our expectation, the number of saprotrophic species did not change along succession. When we controlled for the effect of abundance, the number of producer and saproxylic beetle species increased linearly with forest succession, whereas the U-shaped response of the number of consumer species persisted. The analysis of assemblages indicated a large contribution of succession-mediated β-diversity to regional γ-diversity. 4. Synthesis and applications. Depending on the species group, our data supported both the more-individuals hypothesis and the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis. Our results highlight the strong influence of forest succession on biodiversity and underline the importance of controlling for successional dynamics when assessing biodiversity change in response to external drivers such as climate change. The successional stages with highest diversity (early and late successional stages) are currently strongly underrepresented in the forests of Central Europe. We thus recommend that conservation strategies aim at a more balanced representation of all successional stages.

Data from: Comparing forest structure and biodiversity on private and public land: secondary tropical dry forests in Costa Rica

Secondary forests constitute a substantial proportion of tropical forestlands. These forests occur on both public and private lands and different underlying environmental variables and management regimes may affect post‐abandonment successional processes and resultant forest structure and biodiversity. We examined whether differences in ownership led to differences in forest structure, tree diversity, and tree species composition across a gradient of soil fertility and forest age. We collected soil samples and surveyed all trees in 82 public and 66 private 0.1‐ha forest plots arrayed across forest age and soil gradients in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. We found that soil fertility appeared to drive the spatial structure of public vs. private ownership; public conservation lands appeared to be non‐randomly located on areas of lower soil fertility. On private lands, areas of crops/pasture appeared to be non‐randomly located on higher soil fertility areas while forests occupied areas of lower soil fertility. We found that forest structure and tree species diversity did not differ significantly between public and private ownership. However, public and private forests differed in tree species composition: 11 percent were more prevalent in public forest and 7 percent were more prevalent in private forest. Swietenia macrophylla, Cedrela odorata, and Astronium graveolens were more prevalent in public forests likely because public forests provide stronger protection for these highly prized timber species. Guazuma ulmifolia was the most abundant tree in private forests likely because this species is widely consumed and dispersed by cattle. Furthermore, some compositional differences appear to result from soil fertility differences due to non‐random placement of public and private land holdings with respect to soil fertility. Land ownership creates a distinctive species composition signature that is likely the result of differences in soil fertility and management between the ownership types. Both biophysical and social variables should be considered to advance understanding of tropical secondary forest structure and biodiversity.

Data from: The impact of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on regional biodiversity of multiple taxa in European beech forests

For managed temperate forests, conservationists and policymakers favour fine-grained uneven-aged management over more traditional coarse-grained even-aged management, based on the assumption that within-stand habitat heterogeneity enhances biodiversity. There is, however, little empirical evidence to support this assumption. We investigated for the first time how differently grained forest management systems affect the biodiversity of multiple above- and below-ground taxa across spatial scales. We sampled 15 taxa of animals, plants, fungi and bacteria within the largest contiguous beech forest landscape of Germany and classified them into functional groups. Selected forest stands have been managed for more than a century at different spatial grains. The even-aged (coarse-grained management) and uneven-aged (fine-grained) forests are comparable in spatial arrangement, climate and soil conditions. These were compared to forests of a nearby national park that have been unmanaged for at least 20 years. We used diversity accumulation curves to compare γ-diversity for Hill-numbers 0D (species richness), 1D (Shannon diversity) and 2D (Simpson diversity) between the management systems. Beta diversity was quantified as multiple-site dissimilarity. Gamma diversity was higher in even-aged than in uneven-aged forests for at least one of the three Hill-numbers for six taxa (up to 77%), while eight showed no difference. Only bacteria showed the opposite pattern. Higher γ-diversity in even-aged forests was also found for forest specialists and saproxylic beetles. Between-stand β-diversity was higher in even-aged than in uneven-aged forests for one third (all species) and half (forest specialists) of all taxa, driven by environmental heterogeneity between age-classes, while α-diversity showed no directional response across taxa or for forest specialists. Synthesis and applications. Comparing even-aged and uneven-aged forest management in Central European beech forests, our results show that a mosaic of different age-classes is more important for regional biodiversity than high within-stand heterogeneity. We suggest reconsidering the current trend of replacing even-aged management in temperate forests. Instead, the variability of stages and stand structures should be increased to promote landscape scale biodiversity.

Data from: Continental divide: predicting climate-mediated fragmentation and biodiversity loss in the boreal forest

Climate change threatens natural landscapes through shifting distribution and abundance of species and attendant change in the structure and function of ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how climate-mediated variation in species' environmental niche space may lead to large-scale fragmentation of species distributions, altered meta-population dynamics and gene flow, and disrupted ecosystem integrity. Such change may be especially relevant when species distributions are restricted either spatially or to a narrow environmental niche, or when environments are rapidly changing. Here, we use range-wide environmental niche models to posit that climate-mediated range fragmentation aggravates the direct effects of climate change on species in the boreal forest of North America. We show that climate change will directly alter environmental niche suitability for boreal-obligate species of trees, birds and mammals (n=12), with most species ranges becoming smaller and shifting northward through time. Importantly, species distributions will become increasingly fragmented, as characterized by smaller mean size and greater isolation of environmentally-suitable landscape patches. This loss is especially pronounced along the Ontario-Québec border, where the boreal forest is narrowest and roughly 78% of suitable niche space could disappear by 2080. Despite the diversity of taxa surveyed, patterns of range fragmentation are remarkably consistent, with our models predicting that spruce grouse (Dendragapus canadensis), boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus), moose (Alces americanus) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) could have entirely disjunct east-west population segments in North America. These findings reveal potentially dire consequences of climate change on population continuity and species diversity in the boreal forest, highlighting the need to better understand: 1) extent and primary drivers of anticipated climate-mediated range loss and fragmentation; 2) diversity of species to be affected by such change; 3) potential for rapid adaptation in the most strongly-affected areas; and 4) potential for invasion by replacement species.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Trade-offs in berry production and biodiversity under prescribed burning and retention regimes in Boreal forests

1. Green tree retention and prescribed burning are practices used to mitigate negative effects of forestry. Beside their effects on biodiversity, these practices should also promote non-timber forest products (NTFPs). We assessed: (1) how prescribed burning and tree retention influence NTFPs by examining production of bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and cowberry; Vaccinium vitis-idaea (2) if there are synergies or trade-offs in the delivery of these NTFPs in relation to delivery of species richness, focusing on five groups of forest dwelling species. 2. We used a long-term experiment located in eastern Finland with three different harvesting treatments: clearcut-logging, logging with retention patches and unlogged, which were combined with or without prescribed burning. Eleven years after the treatment application, we scored plant cover and berry production in different microhabitats within these treatments, while species richness data for five species groups (ground-layer lichens and bryophytes, vascular plants, saproxylic beetles, pollinators – here bees and hoverflies) were collected at the stand level. 3. Logging favoured cowberry production, particularly for plants growing in the vicinity of stumps. Logging was detrimental for cover and berry production of bilberry. Retention mitigated these negative effects slightly, but cover and berry production were still substantially lower compared to unlogged forests. Prescribed burning increased cowberry production in retention patches and in unlogged forest. Bilberry production decreased with burning, except in unlogged forest where the effect was neutral. 4. No single management treatment simultaneously favoured all values - NTFPs and richness - and trade-offs among values were common. Only bilberry production and beetle diversity were higher under retention forestry, or in unlogged stands, compared to logged stands. Prescribed burning favoured many values when performed in combination with retention forestry, or in unlogged stands, but different treatment combinations favoured different species groups. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our results demonstrate that widely-applied conservation practices in managed forests are unlikely to benefit all ecosystem values everywhere. If high multi-functionality is desired, managing at a landscape scale, countering the local trade-offs among values, may be more appropriate than the stand scale conservation practices commonly practiced today.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Reconciling timber extraction with biodiversity conservation in tropical forests using reduced-impact logging

1. Over 20% of the world's tropical forests have been selectively logged, and large expanses are allocated for future timber extraction. Reduced-impact logging (RIL) is being promoted as best practice forestry that increases sustainability and lowers CO2 emissions from logging, by reducing collateral damage associated with timber extraction. RIL is also expected to minimize the impacts of selective logging on biodiversity, although this is yet to be thoroughly tested. 2. We undertake the most comprehensive study to date to investigate the biodiversity impacts of RIL across multiple taxonomic groups. We quantified birds, bats and large mammal assemblage structures, using a before-after control-impact (BACI) design across 20 sample sites over a 5-year period. Faunal surveys utilized point counts, mist nets and line transects and yielded >250 species. We examined assemblage responses to logging, as well as partitions of feeding guild and strata (understorey vs. canopy), and then tested for relationships with logging intensity to assess the primary determinants of community composition. 3. Community analysis revealed little effect of RIL on overall assemblages, as structure and composition were similar before and after logging, and between logging and control sites. Variation in bird assemblages was explained by natural rates of change over time, and not logging intensity. However, when partitioned by feeding guild and strata, the frugivorous and canopy bird ensembles changed as a result of RIL, although the latter was also associated with change over time. Bats exhibited variable changes post-logging that were not related to logging, whereas large mammals showed no change at all. 4. Indicator species analysis and correlations with logging intensities revealed that some species exhibited idiosyncratic responses to RIL, whilst abundance change of most others was associated with time. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our study demonstrates the relatively benign effect of reduced-impact logging (RIL) on birds, bats and large mammals in a neotropical forest context, and therefore, we propose that forest managers should improve timber extraction techniques more widely. If RIL is extensively adopted, forestry concessions could represent sizeable and important additions to the global conservation estate – over 4 million km2.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Effects of fire regime on the population genetics of natural pine stands, in Genetic structure of forest trees in biodiversity hotspots at different spatial scales (Ph.D. thesis).

The recurrence of wildfires is predicted to increase worldwide due to climate change, resulting in severe impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We used simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to examine the effects of fire regime on genetic diversity, demographic history and fine-scale spatial genetic structure (SGS) of Pinus pinaster and P. halepensis, two conifers with similar adaptations to fire in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. Stands growing under high (HiFi) or low (LoFi) frequency of crown fires had similar levels of genetic diversity and similar demographic history, with bottlenecks detected in all stands in both species. HiFi populations were not genetically depleted, suggesting that adaptations such as a diverse canopy seed bank due to serotinous cones, an early age of first flowering and high gene flow buffer against possible reductions of genetic diversity. Significantly stronger SGS at SNPs in HiFi than LoFi stands of P. halepensis suggested fire-related altered dispersal possibly combined with microenvironmental selection in this fire-sensitive "seeder" species. In contrast, SGS at SNP markers was unrelated to fire regime in P. pinaster. This could be a consequence of more pronounced fire-resistance in this species enabling some adults to survive fire, hence causing a lower dependence on post-fire regeneration. Our results highlight that the impact of fire differs in species with similar life-history traits. Therefore, species-specific studies are needed to understand the role of wildfires for the evolution of future forests

FIGURES 41–46 in Three new species of the genus Trachelas (Araneae: Trachelidae) from an oak forest inside the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot in Mexico

FIGURES 41–46. Trachelas odoreus sp. n., female. 41 Prosoma, anterior view; 42 Habitus, dorsal view; 43 Epigynum, ventral view; 44 Habitus, lateral view; 45 Epigynum, dorsal view; 46 Habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: 41, 42, 44, 46 = 1.0 mm; 43 = 0.5 mm; 45 = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 35–40 in Three new species of the genus Trachelas (Araneae: Trachelidae) from an oak forest inside the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot in Mexico

FIGURES 35–40. Trachelas odoreus sp. n., male. 35 Prosoma, anterior view; 36 Habitus, dorsal view; 37 Palp, retrolateral view; 38 Habitus, lateral view; 39 Palp, ventral view; 40 Habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: 35 = 0.5 mm; 36, 38, 40 = 1.0 mm; 37, 39 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 30–34 in Three new species of the genus Trachelas (Araneae: Trachelidae) from an oak forest inside the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot in Mexico

FIGURES 30–34. Trachelas ductonuda sp. n., genitalia. 30 Epigynum, cleared ventral view; 31 Same, dorsal view; 32 Palp, prolateral view; 33 Same, retrolateral view; 34 Same, ventral view. Scale bars: 30, 31 = 0.1 mm; 32–34 = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 24–29 in Three new species of the genus Trachelas (Araneae: Trachelidae) from an oak forest inside the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot in Mexico

FIGURES 24–29. Trachelas ductonuda sp. n., female. 24 Prosoma, anterior view; 25 Habitus, dorsal view; 26 Epigynum, ventral view; 27 Habitus, lateral view; 28 Epigynum, dorsal view; 29 Habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: 24, 26 = 0.5 mm; 25, 27, 29 = 1.0 mm; 28 = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 18–23 in Three new species of the genus Trachelas (Araneae: Trachelidae) from an oak forest inside the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot in Mexico

FIGURES 18–23. Trachelas ductonuda sp. n., male. 18 Prosoma, anterior view; 19 Habitus, dorsal view; 20 Palp, retrolateral view; 21 Habitus, lateral view; 22 Palp, ventral view; 23 Habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: 18, 19, 21, 23 = 1.0 mm; 20, 22 = 0.2 mm.