Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
3,105
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
3,105 results for “Vegetation =”
Data from: Edge influence on vegetation at natural and anthropogenic edges of boreal forests in Canada and Fennoscandia
1. Although anthropogenic edges are an important consequence of timber harvesting, edges due to natural disturbances or landscape heterogeneity are also common. Forest edges have been well-studied in temperate and tropical forests, but less so in less productive, disturbance-adapted boreal forests. 2. We synthesized data on forest vegetation at edges of boreal forests and compared edge influence among edge types (fire, cut, lake/wetland; old vs. young), forest types (broadleaf vs. coniferous) and geographic regions. Our objectives were to quantify vegetation responses at edges of all types and to compare the strength and extent of edge influence among different types of edges and forests. 3. Research was conducted using the same general sampling design in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec in Canada, and in Sweden and Finland. We conducted a meta-analysis for a variety of response variables including forest structure, deadwood abundance, regeneration, understorey abundance and diversity, and nonvascular plant cover. We also determined the magnitude and distance of edge influence using randomization tests. 4. Some edge responses (lower tree basal area, tree canopy and bryophyte cover; more logs; higher regeneration) were significant overall across studies. Edge influence on ground vegetation in boreal forests was generally weak, not very extensive (distance of edge influence usually < 20 m) and decreased with time. We found more extensive edge influence at natural edges, at younger edges and in broadleaf forests. The comparison among regions revealed weaker edge influence in Fennoscandian forests. 5. Synthesis. Edges created by forest harvesting do not appear to have as strong, extensive or persistent influence on vegetation in boreal as in tropical or temperate forested ecosystems. We attribute this apparent resistance to shorter canopy heights, inherent heterogeneity in boreal forests and their adaptation to frequent natural disturbance. Nevertheless, notable differences between forest structure responses to natural (fire) and anthropogenic (cut) edges raise concerns about biodiversity implications of extensive creation of anthropogenic edges. By highlighting universal responses to edge influence in boreal forests that are significant irrespective of edge or forest type, and those which vary by edge type, we provide a context for the conservation of boreal forests.
Data from: Islands in the ice: detecting past vegetation on Greenlandic nunataks using historical records and sedimentary ancient DNA meta-barcoding
Nunataks are isolated bedrocks protruding through ice sheets. They vary in age, but represent island environments in "oceans" of ice through which organism dispersals and replacements can be studied over time. The J.A.D. Jensen's Nunataks at the southern Greenland ice sheet are the most isolated nunataks on the northern hemisphere - some 30 km from the nearest biological source. They constitute around 2 km2 of ice-free land that was established in the early Holocene. We have investigated the changes in plant composition at these nunataks using both the results of surveys of the flora over the last 130 years, and through reconstruction of the vegetation from the end of the Holocene Thermal Maximum (5528±75 cal yr BP) using meta-barcoding of plant DNA recovered from the nunatak sediments (sedaDNA). Our results show that several of the plant species detected with sedaDNA are described from earlier vegetation surveys on the nunataks (in 1878, 1967 and 2009). In 1967, a much higher biodiversity was detected than from any other of the studied periods. While this may be related to differences in sampling efforts for the oldest period, it is not the case when comparing the 1967 and 2009 levels where the botanical survey was exhaustive. As no animals and humans are found on the nunataks, this change in diversity over a period of just 42 years must relate to environmental changes likely being climate-driven. This suggests that even the flora of fairly small and isolated ice-free areas reacts quickly to a changing climate.
Data from: Late Neolithic phytolith and charcoal records of human activities and vegetation change in Shijiahe culture, Tanjialing site, China
There is significant archaeological evidence marking the collapse of the Shijiahe culture in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in China during the late Neolithic Period. However, the causes for this cultural collapse remain unclear. Our sedimentary records from a 3.3 m long profile and 76 phytolith and charcoal samples from the Tanjialing archaeological sites provide records of interactions between an ancient culture and vegetation change. During the early Shijiahe culture (c, 4850-4400 cal BP), the climate was warm and humid. Fire was intensively used to clear the vegetation. In the mid-period of the Shijiahe culture (c, 4400-4200 cal BP), the climate became slightly dry-cold and this was accompanied by decreasing water, leading to settlements. From c, 4200 cal BP, severe drought eroded the economic foundation of rice-cultivation. These conditions forced people to abandon the Shijiahe ancient city to find water in other regions, leading to the collapse of the Shijiahe culture.
Data from: Revising traditional theory on the link between plant body size and fitness under competition: evidence from old-field vegetation
The selection consequences of competition in plants have been traditionally interpreted based on a "size-advantage" hypothesis – that is, under intense crowding/competition from neighbors, natural selection generally favors capacity for a relatively large plant body size. However, this conflicts with abundant data, showing that resident species body size distributions are usually strongly right-skewed at virtually all scales within vegetation. Using surveys within sample plots and a neighbor-removal experiment, we tested: (1) whether resident species that have a larger maximum potential body size (MAX) generally have more successful local individual recruitment, and thus greater local abundance/density (as predicted by the traditional size-advantage hypothesis); and (2) whether there is a general between-species trade-off relationship between MAX and capacity to produce offspring when body size is severely suppressed by crowding/competition – that is, whether resident species with a larger MAX generally also need to reach a larger minimum reproductive threshold size (MIN) before they can reproduce at all. The results showed that MIN had a positive relationship with MAX across resident species, and local density – as well as local density of just reproductive individuals – was generally greater for species with smaller MIN (and hence smaller MAX). In addition, the cleared neighborhoods of larger target species (which had relatively large MIN) generally had – in the following growing season – a lower ratio of conspecific recruitment within these neighborhoods relative to recruitment of other (i.e., smaller) species (which had generally smaller MIN). These data are consistent with an alternative hypothesis based on a 'reproductive-economy-advantage' – that is, superior fitness under competition in plants generally requires not larger potential body size, but rather superior capacity to recruit offspring that are in turn capable of producing grand-offspring – and hence transmitting genes to future generations – despite intense and persistent (cross-generational) crowding/competition from near neighbors. Selection for the latter is expected to favor relatively small minimum reproductive threshold size and hence – as a tradeoff – relatively small (not large) potential body size.
Data from: Impact of ecological redundancy on the performance of machine learning classifiers in vegetation mapping
Vegetation maps are models of the real vegetation patterns and are considered important tools in conservation and management planning. Maps created through traditional methods can be expensive and time‐consuming, thus, new more efficient approaches are needed. The prediction of vegetation patterns using machine learning shows promise, but many factors may impact on its performance. One important factor is the nature of the vegetation–environment relationship assessed and ecological redundancy. We used two datasets with known ecological redundancy levels (strength of the vegetation–environment relationship) to evaluate the performance of four machine learning (ML) classifiers (classification trees, random forests, support vector machines, and nearest neighbor). These models used climatic and soil variables as environmental predictors with pretreatment of the datasets (principal component analysis and feature selection) and involved three spatial scales. We show that the ML classifiers produced more reliable results in regions where the vegetation–environment relationship is stronger as opposed to regions characterized by redundant vegetation patterns. The pretreatment of datasets and reduction in prediction scale had a substantial influence on the predictive performance of the classifiers. The use of ML classifiers to create potential vegetation maps shows promise as a more efficient way of vegetation modeling. The difference in performance between areas with poorly versus well‐structured vegetation–environment relationships shows that some level of understanding of the ecology of the target region is required prior to their application. Even in areas with poorly structured vegetation–environment relationships, it is possible to improve classifier performance by either pretreating the dataset or reducing the spatial scale of the predictions.
Data from: Vegetation trends over eleven years on mountain summits in NW Argentina
As global climate change leads to warmer and dryer conditions in the central Andes, alpine plant communities are forced to upward displacements following their climatic niche. Species range shifts are predicted to have major impacts on alpine communities by reshuffling species composition and abundances. Using a standardized protocol, we surveyed alpine plant communities in permanent plots on four high Andean summits in NW Argentina, which range from 4040 to 4740 m a.s.l. After a baseline survey in 2006-2008, we re-surveyed the same plots in 2012, and again in 2017. We found a significant decrease in plant cover, species richness and diversity across the elevation gradient in the three censuses, and a strongly decrease in soil temperature along the elevation gradient. We found a high plant community turnover (37-49%) among censuses, differentiating according to summits and aspects; major changes of community turnover were observed in the lowest summit (49%) and on the northern (47%) and western (46%) aspects. Temporal patterns in community changes were represented by increases in plant cover in the highest summit, in richness in the lower summit, and in diversity (Shannon index) in the four summits, over time, with promotion of small herbs and non-tussock grasses. We suggest that the observed trend in plant community dynamics responds to short term temperature and precipitation variability, which is influenced by El Niño Southern oscillation (ENSO), and due to time-lags in plant community response, it may take much longer than one decade for the observed trends to become stables and statistically significant. Our study provides an important foundation for documenting more profound changes in these subtropical alpine plant communities as global climate change continues.
Data from: Changes in Eocene plant diversity and composition of the vegetation: the lacustrine archive of Messel (Germany)
Based on high resolution palynological analysis of 680 samples from a core, short-term changes in plant diversity and floristic composition within the Paleogene greenhouse have been detected in the lacustrine succession of a Lower to Middle Eocene maar lake at Messel (Federal State of Hesse, Germany). The microfloristic data show that taxonomic diversity increased rapidly within some decades during recolonization of a volcanically devastated area around the lake. With the establishment of a climax vegetation at the end of recolonization the maximum in palynological diversity was reached in the crater area. During the following 640 Kyr the composition of the palynospectrum changed only gradually. However, different richness and evenness estimations show that alpha and gamma diversity decreased up to 35% which can be related to the establishment of an equilibrium stage within the climax vegetation that led to the dominance of an assemblage of self-replacing species. Nevertheless, time series analysis of alpha diversity changes within the climax vegetation reveals that orbitally controlled climate change of Milankovitch and Sub-Milanovitch order influenced the diversity of the vegetation resulting in a rise of beta diversity. Based on the composition of the vegetation and comparison to modern analogues our analysis now proves that Eocene paratropical plant diversity increased during periods of slightly higher temperature and precipitation. Therefore, both composition and diversity of the vegetation was highly susceptible to minor-scale short-term changes in climate even during equable greenhouse conditions.
Data from: Functional response of plant communities to clearcutting: management impacts differ between forest vegetation zones
1. Understanding of the ecological impacts of logging practices on biodiversity and associated ecosystem processes is essential for developing sustainable forest management approaches. We documented the impacts of clearcutting on the functional structure of tree and herbaceous communities in hemiboreal, cool-temperate, warm-temperate and subtropical forests in the Japanese archipelago and identified forest vegetation that is vulnerable to deterioration of important ecosystem functions. 2. We combined species data for leaf, stem, flower and fruit traits related to productivity, nutrient cycling and habitat quality for wildlife with phytosociological vegetation data from unmanaged and previously-clearcut forests, then calculated functional structure indices (community mean of trait values, functional richness and functional divergence) of plant communities. 3 .For tree species, functional structure indices of specific leaf area (SLA), leaf carbon and nitrogen concentrations, maximum height, wood density and flower size differed between unmanaged and clearcut forests, while for herb species, only maximum height differed between the two forest types. 4. Functional structure indices showed divergent patterns across forest vegetation zones. In hemiboreal, cool-temperate and warm-temperate forests, the community means of SLA and leaf nitrogen concentration were greater and that of leaf carbon concentration was smaller in clearcut than in unmanaged forests. Although clearcut forests had greater species richness than unmanaged forests, functional richness and/or functional divergence of maximum height were smaller in clearcut forests. In hemiboreal and cool-temperate forests, functional richness and functional divergence of SLA were also smaller in clearcut forests. In contrast, subtropical forests showed no differences in species richness and functional structures between unmanaged and clearcut forests. 5. Synthesis and applications. Functional redundancy of plant communities differs among traits and among forest vegetation zones. After intensive logging, hemiboreal, cool-temperate and warm-temperate forests were more vulnerable to the loss of ecosystem functions related to leaf and stem traits of tree species than were subtropical forests, which appeared relatively resilient. Locally adaptive management to maintain multiple ecosystem functions should be developed based on the degree of functional complementarity among plant species in forest communities.
Data from: Linking vital rates of landbirds on a tropical island to rainfall and vegetation greenness
Remote tropical oceanic islands are of high conservation priority, and they are exemplified by range-restricted species with small global populations. Spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall and plant productivity may be important in driving dynamics of these species. Yet, little is known about environmental influences on population dynamics for most islands and species. Here we leveraged avian capture-recapture, rainfall, and remote-sensed habitat data (enhanced vegetation index [EVI]) to assess relationships between rainfall, vegetation greenness, and demographic rates (productivity, adult apparent survival) of three native bird species on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons), bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus), and golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei). Rainfall was positively related to vegetation greenness at all but the highest rainfall levels. Temporal variation in greenness affected the productivity of each bird species in unique ways. Predicted productivity of rufous fantail was highest when dry and wet season greenness values were high relative to site-specific 5-year seasonal mean values (i.e., relative greenness); while the white-eye species had highest predicted productivity when relative greenness contrasted between wet and dry seasons. Survival of rufous fantail and bridled white eye was positively related to relative dry-season greenness and negatively related to relative wet-season greenness. Bridled white-eye survival also showed evidence of a positive response to overall greenness. Our results highlight the potentially important role of rainfall regimes in affecting population dynamics of species on oceanic tropical islands. Understanding linkages between rainfall, vegetation, and animal population dynamics will be critical for developing effective conservation strategies in this and other regions where the seasonal timing, extent, and variability of rainfall is expected to change in the coming decades.
Data from: Complex biotic interactions drive long-term vegetation dynamics in a subarctic ecosystem
Predicting impacts of global warming requires understanding of the extent to which plant biomass and production are controlled by bottom-up and top-down drivers. By annually monitoring community composition in grazed control plots and herbivore-free exclosures at an Arctic location for 15 years, we detected multiple biotic interactions. Regular rodent cycles acted as pulses driving synchronous fluctuations in the biomass of field-layer vegetation; reindeer influenced the biomass of taller shrubs, and the abundance of plant pathogenic fungi increased when densities of their host plants increased in exclosures. Two outbreaks of geometrid moths occurred during the study period, with contrasting effects on the field layer: one in 2004 had marginal effects, while one in 2012 severely reduced biomass in the control plots and eliminated biomass that had accumulated over 15 years in the exclosures. The latter was followed by a dramatic decline of the dominant understory dwarf-shrub Empetrum hermaphroditum, driven by an interaction between moth herbivory on top buds and leaves, and increased disease severity of a pathogenic fungus. We show that the climate has important direct and indirect effects on all these biotic interactions. We conclude that long time series are essential to identify key biotic interactions in ecosystems, since their importance will be influenced by climatic conditions, and that manipulative treatments are needed in order to obtain the mechanistic understanding needed for robust predictions of future ecosystem changes and their feedback effects.
Data from: A comparative study of ancient sedimentary DNA, pollen and macrofossils from permafrost sediments of northern Siberia reveals long-term vegetational stability
Although ancient DNA from sediments (sedaDNA) has been used to investigate past ecosystems, the approach has never been directly compared to the traditional methods of pollen and macrofossil analysis. We conducted a comparative survey of 18 ancient permafrost samples spanning the Late Pleistocene (46–12.5 thousand years ago), from the Taymyr Peninsula in northern Siberia. The results show that pollen, macrofossils and sedaDNA are complementary rather than overlapping, and in combination reveal more detailed information on plant palaeocommunities than can be achieved by each individual approach. SedaDNA and macrofossils share greater overlap in plant identifications than with pollen, suggesting that sedaDNA is local in origin. These two proxies also permit identification to lower taxonomic levels than pollen, enabling investigation of temporal changes in species composition and the determination of indicator species to describe environmental changes. Combining data from all three proxies, reveals an area continually dominated by a mosaic vegetation of tundra-steppe, pioneer and wet-indicator plants. Such vegetational stability is unexpected, given the severe climate changes taking place in the northern hemisphere during this time, with changes in average annual temperatures of > 22ºC. This may explain the abundance of ice-age mammals such as horse and bison in Taymyr Peninsula during the Pleistocene, and why it acted as a refugium for the last mainland woolly mammoth. Our finding reveals the benefits of combining sedaDNA, pollen and macrofossil for palaeovegetational reconstruction and add to the increasing evidence suggesting large areas of the northern hemisphere remained ecologically stable during the Late Pleistocene.
Data from: How persistent are the impacts of logging roads on Central African forest vegetation?
1. Logging roads can trigger tropical forest degradation by reducing the integrity of the ecosystem and providing access for encroachment. Therefore, road-management is crucial in reconciling selective logging and biodiversity conservation. Most logging roads are abandoned after timber harvesting, however little is known about their long-term impacts on forest vegetation and accessibility, especially in Central Africa. 2. In 11 logging concessions in the Congo Basin we field-sampled a chronosequence of roads that, judged by satellite images, had been abandoned between 1985 and 2015. We assessed recovery of timber resources, tree diversity and above-ground biomass in three zones: the road track, the road edge (where forest had been cleared during road construction) and the adjacent logged forest. 3. The density of commercial timber species ≤ 15 cm DBH was almost three times higher in the road track (327 individuals ha-1) and edge (278) than in the logged adjacent forest (111). Over time, tree species diversity converged to a comparable level between roads and adjacent forests, along with decreasing soil compaction and increasing canopy closure. 4. The average width of forest clearing for road construction was 20 m, covering a total 0.76% of the forest area inside concessions. After 15 years following abandonment, road tracks had recovered 24 Mg ha-1 of above-ground woody biomass, which was 6% of that in the adjacent forest, while road edges had accumulated 167 Mg ha-1 (42%). Ten years after abandonment, roads were no longer penetrable by poachers on motorcycles. Exotic herb species were fully replaced by dominant Marantaceae that have even higher abundance in the adjacent forest. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our evidence of vegetation recovery suggests that logging roads are mostly transient elements in forest landscapes. However, given the slow recovery of biomass on abandoned road tracks, we advocate both reducing the width of forest clearing for road construction and reopening old logging roads for future harvests, rather than building new roads in intact forests. Road edges seem suitable for post-logging silviculture which needs to be assisted by removing dominant herbs during the early years after abandonment while the road track is still accessible
Data from: Are landscape attributes a useful shortcut for classifying vegetation in the tropics? A case study of La Amistad International Park
Effective vegetation classification schemes identify the processes determining species assemblages and support the management of protected areas. They can also provide a framework for ecological research. In the tropics, elevation-based classifications dominate over alternatives such as river catchments. Given the existence of floristic data for many localities, we ask how useful floristic data are for developing classification schemes in species-rich tropical landscapes and whether floristic data provide support for classification by river catchment. We analyzed the distribution of vascular plant species within 141 plots across an elevation gradient of 130 to 3200 m asl within La Amistad National Park. We tested the hypothesis that river catchment, combined with elevation, explains much of the variation in species composition. We found that annual mean temperature, elevation, and river catchment variables best explained the variation within local species communities. However, only plots in high-elevation oak forest and Páramo were distinct from those in low- and mid-elevation zones. Beta diversity did not significantly differ in plots grouped by elevation zones, except for low-elevation forest, although it did differ between river catchments. None of the analyses identified discrete vegetation assemblages within mid-elevation (700–2600 m asl) plots. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that river catchment can be an alternative means for classifying tropical forest assemblages in conservation settings.
Data from: How the litter-feeding bioturbator Orchestia gammarellus promotes late successional salt marsh vegetation
1.Traditionally, studies on vegetation succession have focused either on plant-plant interactions, or on interactions between plants and their physical environment, e.g. through organic matter build-up and increased nutrient cycling. These interactions can change conditions for macrodetritivores that feed on plant litter, but their role in vegetation succession is rarely studied. In this paper we explore whether the bioturbating crustacean macrodetritivore Orchestia gammarellus alters soil conditions in a salt marsh ecosystem in such a way that it promotes late successional, less stress-tolerant plant species at the expense of early successional species. 2.To answer this, we performed a field and a laboratory experiment in which we manipulated abundances of O. gammarellus, and studied the consequences for soil physical and chemical parameters and for vegetation community composition. 3.Our field experiment showed that O. gammarellus stimulated nitrogen mineralization, likely resulting from the positive effect of this macrodetritivore on soil aeration and litter decomposition. Moreover, results from the laboratory experiment showed that O. gammarellus negatively affected dicot seedling survival of mainly early successional plant species, likely through grazing, thus affecting plant community composition. 4.The experiments together provided evidence that O. gammarellus promotes late successional plant species in multiple ways: by alleviation of anoxic conditions, by promoting nutrient cycling and by selective herbivory on early successional species. 5.Synthesis: By demonstrating that a species traditionally considered as part of the detrital ('brown') food web is thus an important accelerator of vegetation succession, this study documents an important but often overlooked link in food web and ecosystem ecology.
Data from: Increase in light interception cost and metabolic mass component of leaves are coupled for efficient resource use in the high altitude vegetation
Global syntheses of leaf trait scaling relationships report an increase in light interception costs or 'diminishing returns' with increase in leaf area. However, variation in light interception costs across ecological gradients and plant strategies to cope up with these costs are not adequately understood. We analyzed leaf area (A) - leaf dry mass (M), leaf water mass (W) - M and W - A scaling relationships in plants occurring in a high altitude region of western Himalaya across environmental gradients to understand changes in light interception cost and metabolic mass component. M represents light interception cost, whereas, W is considered as a proxy of metabolic mass component for liquid phase being the ultimate source of metabolic activity. Trait values were measured from 9278 leaves belonging to 136 dominant species occurring at different sites, slope aspects, elevations and habitat types. Overall, light interception cost increased with increasing A (scaling exponent (α) <1 in A-M relationship) and metabolic mass component increased disproportionately high with increasing M and A. We found significant differences in scaling exponents of leaf trait relationship between sites, elevations, slope aspects and habitat types, indicating that increase in light interception cost was more evident at higher elevations, southern slopes and open habitats. Further, with increase in light interception cost, metabolic mass component also increased (α>1 in W-M and W-A relationships). The changes in scaling exponents of various leaf trait relationships across ecological gradients indicated that vegetation of different regions have differences in light interception cost and metabolic mass component. Moreover, increasing light interception cost (increase in mechanical and hydraulic tissues) with increasing A and increasing metabolic mass (leaf thickness) with increasing A and M are favored in high altitude vegetation. This could be a key strategy of high altitude plants for efficient resource capture and use in harsh environments.
Data from: The utility of normalized difference vegetation index for predicting African buffalo forage quality
Many studies of mammalian herbivores have employed remotely sensed vegetation greenness, in the form of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a proxy for forage quality. The assumption that reflected greenness represents forage quality often goes untested, and limited data exist on the relationships between remotely sensed and traditional forage nutrient indicators. We provide the first study connecting NDVI and forage nutrient indicators within a free-ranging African herbivore ecosystem. We examined the relationships between fecal nutrient levels (nitrogen and phosphorus), forage nutrient levels, body condition, and NDVI for African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in a South African savanna ecosystem over a 2-year period (2001 and 2002). We used an information-theoretic approach to rank models of fecal nitrogen (Nf) and phosphorus (Pf) as functions of geology, season, and NDVI in each year separately. For each year, the highest ranked models for Nf accounted for 61% and 65% of the observed variance, and these models included geology, season, and NDVI. The top-ranked model for Pf in 2001, although capturing 54% of the variability, did not include NDVI. In 2002, we could not identify a top ranking model for phosphorus (i.e., all models were within 2 AICc of each other). Body condition was most highly correlated (equation image; P ≤ 0.001) with NDVI at a 1 month time lag and with Nf at a 3 months time lag (equation image; P ≤ 0.001), but was not significantly correlated with Pf. Our findings suggest that NDVI can be used to index nitrogen content of forage and is correlated with improved body condition in African buffalo. Thus, NDVI provides a useful means to assess forage quality where crude protein is a limiting resource. We found that NDVI accounted for more than a seasonal effect, and in a system where standing biomass may be high but of low quality, understanding available nutrients is useful for management.
Data from: Fallow management increases habitat suitability for endangered steppe bird species through changes in vegetation structure
In the face of the dramatic worldwide decline of farmland bird populations, the preservation of fallow fields is a conservation measure encouraged through subsidies (e.g. agri‐environmental schemes, AES). Beyond the general benefits of increasing fallow availability for endangered steppe bird populations, there is a lack of knowledge on how fallow management can contribute to meeting species‐specific habitat requirements. We used occurrence data from three steppe bird species protected at the EU level (Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax, and Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra), framed in a quasi‐experimental approach covering an unprecedented spatio‐temporal scale that included 612 fallow fields over a three‐year study period in an agricultural Mediterranean landscape (Spain). We used path analysis to explore the mechanisms by which common agricultural practices affected species‐specific occurrence. We examined partial effects of agricultural practices on vegetation structure and food availability, and the partial effect of these variables on bird occurrence compared to control fields (no agricultural practices applied). Agricultural practices had a significant effect on the presence of the three studied species. Through changes in the vegetation structure, Shredding + Herbicide and Tillage increased the occurrence of the Stone Curlew and Shredding increased the occurrence of the Little Bustard. The occurrence of Calandra Lark was mostly affected by landscape variables. Synthesis and applications. Our study highlights that, in addition to the acknowledged positive role of fallow availability, applying a limited number of specific agricultural practices before the breeding season can further increase bird occurrence by changing the vegetation structure. Using path analysis, we explored the mechanisms driving the occurrence of three steppe bird species under different agricultural practices. Such information is key to providing specific recommendations for future conservation management of endangered species within agri‐environmental schemes.
FIGURES 21–24 in " Cerrado " vegetation, with descriptions of three new species
FIGURES 21–24. Tarsonemus longisetae sp. nov. (female). 21, leg I; 21', sensorial cluster; 22, leg II; 23, leg III; 24, leg IV.
FIGURES 15–18 in " Cerrado " vegetation, with descriptions of three new species
FIGURES 15–18. Metatarsonemus megasolenidii sp. nov. (male). 15, leg I; 16, leg II; 17, leg III; 18, leg IV.
FIGURES 27–30 in " Cerrado " vegetation, with descriptions of three new species
FIGURES 27–30. Tarsonemus longisetae sp. nov. (male). 27, leg I; 28, leg II; 29, leg III; 30, leg IV.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.