Find research datasets worth reusing

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2004View details →

Fig. 2 in Conservation Of The Javan Gibbon Hylobates Moloch: Population Estimates, Local Extinctions, And Conservation Priorities

Fig. 2. Relation between number of groups calling per day and number of census days in the Telaga Warna Nature Reserve (Sept 1999) and Lingo Asri, Dieng mountains (Sept 1998).

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2004View details →

Fig. 1 in Conservation Of The Javan Gibbon Hylobates Moloch: Population Estimates, Local Extinctions, And Conservation Priorities

Fig. 1. Current distribution of the Javan gibbon Hylobates moloch. Based on Kappeler, 1984, Asquith et al., 1995, Nijman 2001b, and present study. All areas where the species' presence has been confirmed are indicated in black; areas where the species' possible presence was reported by Andayani et al. (1999) are indicated in white. The three main study areas are: A, Telaga Warna Nature Reserve; B, Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park; C, Dieng mountains. The insert shows Java with all remaining forest patches on the island.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2021View details →

Fig. 3 in Advertisement calls of six glassfrog species in the Colombian Andes, and comments on priorities for future research and conservation

Fig. 3. Counts of glassfrog species for those with and without the call described, and categorized by: (A) IUCN conservation status categories; (B) Endemism or distribution range (see details in Materials and Methods); and (C) Occurrence in National Protected Areas.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2021View details →

Fig. 2 in Advertisement calls of six glassfrog species in the Colombian Andes, and comments on priorities for future research and conservation

Fig. 2. Spectrograms (top) and oscillograms (bottom) of the described glassfrogs advertisement calls. All calls are displayed at Blackman window (length = 512) and 80% overlap, at the same frequency range, and all but S. punctulata and C. huilensis are displayed at the same temporal scale.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2021View details →

Fig. 1 in Advertisement calls of six glassfrog species in the Colombian Andes, and comments on priorities for future research and conservation

Fig. 1. Fieldwork localities in the Central and Eastern Cordilleras where the advertisement calls were obtained.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Factoring economic costs into conservation planning may not improve agreement over priorities for protection

Conservation organizations must redouble efforts to protect habitat given continuing biodiversity declines. Prioritization of future areas for protection is hampered by disagreements over what the ecological targets of conservation should be. Here we test the claim that such disagreements will become less important as conservation moves away from prioritizing areas for protection based only on ecological considerations and accounts for varying costs of protection using return-on-investment (ROI) methods. We combine a simulation approach with a case study of forests in the eastern United States, paying particular attention to how covariation between ecological benefits and economic costs influences agreement levels. For many conservation goals, agreement over spatial priorities improves with ROI methods. However, we also show that a reliance on ROI-based prioritization can sometimes exacerbate disagreements over priorities. As such, accounting for costs in conservation planning does not enable society to sidestep careful consideration of the ecological goals of conservation.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Variation in population structure and dynamics of montane forest tree species in Ethiopia guide priorities for conservation and research

The greatest extent of Afromontane environments in the world is found in Ethiopia. These areas support exceptional biodiversity, but forest cover and ecological integrity have declined sharply in recent decades. Conservation and management efforts are hampered in part by an inadequate understanding of the basic ecology of major tree species. We investigated population structure and inferred population dynamics from size frequency distributions of 22 forest tree species encountered in montane forests of Ethiopia. We collected new empirical data from four sites in the Bale Mountains, where some of the country's most extensive and least disturbed forests remain, and conducted a systematic review and analysis of all such studies that reported population structure for one or more of these species in Ethiopia. Thirteen widespread montane tree species showed a reverse-J size distribution, indicating a relatively stable population structure. Six other species had size-frequency distributions that indicate episodic recruitment and/or removal of certain size classes. Specific causes of these patterns are uncertain: they may involve timber harvesting, herbivory, fire, or natural disturbances, but patterns were inconsistent and locality dependent. For three other tree species, existing data are inadequate for any interpretation of population structure and dynamics. A species of particular conservation concern that emerged from this analysis was Hagenia abyssinica, which was found in all areas to consist only of larger individuals with no recent recruitment. For management and conservation purposes, the species in most urgent need of new research are those with inadequate or inconsistent data, and H. abyssinica..

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Patterns of biodiverse, understudied groups do not mirror those of the surrogate groups that set conservation priorities: a case study from the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain of eastern North America

We conducted biodiversity inventories of lichens, woody plants, and sedges at 32 sites on the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain of eastern North America between November 2012 and June 2015. Each site comprised a single, uniform habitat, and sites were classified as: Coastal Plain Floodplain forest, Coastal Plain Flatwood swamp, Coastal Plain Oak-Pine forest, Maritime forest, Mixed Mesic Hardwood forest, or Tidal forest. We compared alpha diversity and community assemblages of each organismal group across the sites, and compared selected minimal reserve sets in order to visualize biodiversity patterns and assess whether specific components of vascular plants (sedges and woody plants) serve as an effective surrogate for lichens. Woody plants provide a direct substrate for lichen growth, but there was no significant correlation between the alpha diversity of these groups. For conserving maximal species richness among the studied groups, lichens outperformed the sedges and woody plants as the better surrogate group for building minimum reserve sets, even though vascular plants are more commonly used as a surrogate. Likewise, sedge alpha diversity was not correlated with lichens, or with woody plants. Although no group was an effective indicator for high alpha diversity sites of other organisms, a significant correlation between the community assemblages of lichens and woody plants suggests that protecting varied types of plant communities might serve as a workable surrogate for protecting lichens. The lack of congruence between species richness patterns across organismal groups suggests that the mechanisms that shape patterns of diversity are not identical, and that identifying and incorporating specific biodiversity indicators for understudied groups into conservation policy is necessary to ensure their protection.

opencc-zeroJan 2024View details →

Data from: mapping endemic freshwater fish richness to identify high priority areas for conservation: an ecoregion approach

Freshwater ecosystems are experiencing accelerating global biodiversity loss. Thus, knowing where these unique ecosystems' species richness reaches a peak can facilitate their conservation planning. By hosting more than 290 freshwater fishes, Iran is a major freshwater fish hotspot in the Middle East. Considering the accelerating rate of biodiversity loss, there is an urgent need to identify species rich areas and understanding of the mechanisms driving biodiversity distribution. In this study, we gathered distribution records of all endemic freshwater fishes of Iran (85 species) to develop their richness map and determine the most critical drivers of their richness patterns from an ecoregion approach. We performed a generalized linear model (GLM) with quasi-Poisson distribution to identify contemporary and historical determinants of endemic freshwater fish richness. We also quantified endemic fish similarity among the 15 freshwater ecoregions of Iran. Results showed that endemic freshwater fish richness is highest in the Zagros Mountains while moderate level of richness was observed between Zagros and Alborz Mountains. High, moderate and low richness of endemic freshwater fish match with Upper Tigris & Euphrates, Namak, and Kavir & Lut Deserts ecoregions respectively. Kura - South Caspian Drainages and Caspian Highlands were the most similar ecoregions and Orumiyeh was the most unique ecoregion according to endemic fish presence. Precipitation and precipitation change velocity since the Last Glacial Maximum were the most important predictors of endemic freshwater fish richness. Areas identified to have the highest species richness have high priority for the conservation of freshwater fish in Iran, therefore, should be considered in future protected areas development.

opencc-zeroNov 2021View details →

Data from: Sequential use of niche and occupancy models identifies conservation and research priority areas for two data-poor endemic birds from the Colombian Andes

The lack of high-quality information on data-poor species can hinder efforts to inform conservation actions via spatial distribution modeling. This is particularly true for tropical birds of conservation concern, for which ecological studies and assessments of their conservation status have received limited funding. Here we use a cost- and time-efficient protocol for assessing the distribution of range-restricted taxa and to identify priority areas for their conservation based on a sequential application of Environmental Niche Models (ENMs) and Occupancy-Detection Models. This approach first uses available geographical information and niche-theory to prioritize potential study sites, which can later be surveyed to obtain high-quality presence-absence data to accurately model distributional ranges with limited resources. We apply this protocol to identify priority areas for two Neotropical birds of conservation concern endemic to the Colombian Andes: Yellow-headed Brush-finch (Atlapetes flaviceps) and Tolima Dove (Leptotila conoveri). We first fitted ENMs using spatially-filtered datasets containing all available records up to 2018. We then conducted field surveys across climatically suitable areas identified for both species, carrying out a total of 1750 counts to generate input data for the occupancy models. Overall, our results suggested more extended and more continuous distribution ranges for both species than previously reported, but also identified population strongholds that are not currently represented within the national protected areas system. Both species occupied a narrow elevational belt (~1300–2600) of the Central Andes of Colombia primarily on the slopes of the Magdalena River valley, with isolated populations in the Western and Eastern Andes; these areas have undergone some of the most marked landscape transformations in Colombia. This straightforward protocol maximizes available information and minimizes costs, while allowing for estimation of occurrence probabilities for range-restricted, data-poor taxa.

opencc-by-4.0Feb 2022View details →

A framework to identify priority wetland habitats and movement corridors for urban amphibian conservation

Core corridors: derived from Circuitscape modeling results -top 50% of wood frog, boreal chorus frog and tiger salamander results converted to binary value and summed to produce core corridors (probable movement for 2-3 amphibian species).  To derive core corridors, we summed connectivity models for three amphibian species. For each species we derived focal nodes from high habitat value (based on HSI modelling), used three resistance scenarios and summed the three scenarios for each species to represent probable movement pathways between focal nodes. Species connectivity models were then classified to top 50% of the model, and converted to a binary value of 0 to 1. The three species were summed where by values 0-3 represent number of amphibian species the corridor probably supports movement.

opencc-by-4.0Feb 2022View details →

A framework to identify priority wetland habitats and movement corridors for urban amphibian conservation - Raw Data

Call of the Wetland Program observation data reported by citizen scientists at wetlands in the City of Calgary during three amphibian seasons from 2017 to 2019.  Wetlands were surveyed up to 11 times per season and participants reported observations to a smartphone application – where they documented species, and type of observation (eggs, adult, juvenile, tadpole or call). Participants also recorded when they participated in a survey and there were no observations.  Observations associated without a site ID represent opportunistic observations at non-survey wetlands. This data was used to validate habitat suitability models derived from the occupancy modeling results.    Survey wetland location shapefile (centroid point of wetland) also included.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

Fig. 2 in Seasonal Variation In A Small-Mammal Assemblage In A Priority Site For Conservation In South-Central Chile

Fig. 2. Rodent capture rate (plus standard deviations) in the study

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Latitudinal cline in the foraging dichotomy of loggerhead sea turtles reveals the importance of East China Sea for priority conservation

Aim: Quantifying the importance of habitat areas for conservation of highly migratory marine species with complex life histories can be challenging. For example, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in Japan forage both oceanically and neritically after their reproductive period. Here, we aimed to quantify the proportions of turtles using these two contrasting habitats (foraging dichotomy) to suggest priority conservation areas. Methods: We examined the occurrence of foraging dichotomy at three nesting sites (Ishigaki, Okinoerabu Islands, and Ichinomiya) based on stable isotope analysis of the egg yolks for 82 turtles and satellite tracking of post-nesting migration for 12 turtles. Moreover, we used the data of three other sites from previous studies (Yakushima Island, Minabe, and Omaezaki). Results: Two neritic foraging grounds (East China Sea and the coastal area of the Japanese archipelago), and an oceanic ground (North Pacific Ocean) were identified. We found a latitudinal cline with respect to the occurrence of foraging dichotomy; >84% of the females nesting at southern sites (Ishigaki and Okinoerabu Islands), 73% at middle sites (Yakushima Island and Minabe), and <46% at northern sites (Omaezaki and Ichinomiya) were neritic foragers; the proportion of oceanic foragers increased at northern sites. Based on the annual number of nests in the entire nesting region of Japan, satellite tracking, and the latitudinal cline of foraging dichotomy, we estimated that 70% and 9% of annual nesting females in Japan utilise the neritic foraging habitat in the East China Sea and the coastal area of the Japanese archipelago, respectively and that and 22% utilise the oceanic habitat of the North Pacific Ocean. Main conclusions: The East China Sea represents a critical foraging habitat for the North Pacific populations of endangered loggerhead sea turtles. Our findings emphasise the need for international management to ensure their protection.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2022View details →

Data from: Using functional traits to identify conservation priorities for the world's crocodylians

Over half of all crocodylians are threatened with extinction, with many species considered to be functionally extinct throughout their historical ranges. How such losses impact crocodylian functional diversity (FD) and its conservation is poorly understood, but can be investigated using measurable traits. Where such information is unavailable, phylogenetic diversity (PD) has been proposed as an effective strategy to capture FD, but this assumption is not well tested. We constructed a global trait database for 28 extant crocodylians [uploaded here], and quantified their functional diversity, distinctiveness and groupings. Functionally distinctive crocodylians include the most and least evolutionarily distinct species, likely because unusual trait values and combinations can be produced by both evolutionary isolation and evolutionarily recent adaptive radiation. We identified four functional groups of crocodylians, within which species have similar ecological roles.  Highly distinctive species, such as the gharial, fit less well into functional groups. We combined functional distinctiveness and threat ranking scores to prioritise species for conservation. The metric is termed EcoDGE (Ecologically Distinct and Globally Endangered), and we tested how well it operates to preserve crocodylian FD amongst extant Crocodylia. Under current extinction scenarios, 32-38% of crocodylian FD might be lost within 100 years. Losses increase to 48% if all threatened species go extinct, with Asia identified as a hotspot of threatened FD in crocodylians. Highly-threatened distinctive species lead this extinction scenario, exacerbated by clusters of species sharing traits linked to high extinction risk. These traits include habitat specialism and lower reproductive investment; in contrast, species that tolerate climate extremes are more resilient. Prioritising at-risk species based on functional distinctiveness and threat status appears to be an effective way to conserve present-day crocodylian diversity. Conservation prioritisation based on the EcoDGE metric performed well to minimize projected losses in FD. Among extant crocodylians, FD losses are projected when high diversity overlaps with high extrinsic threats. We then examined the utility of PD-based measures as surrogates for FD conservation, to better understand the advantages and drawbacks of such substitutions. A PD-based measure such as the EDGE metric, provided an effective tool to capture functional diversity in our tests.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Assessing the conservation priority of freshwater lake sites based on taxonomic, functional and environmental uniqueness

Aim: We propose a novel approach that considers taxonomic uniqueness, functional uniqueness and environmental uniqueness, and show how it can be used in guiding conservation planning. We illustrate the approach using data for lake biota and environment. Location: Lake Puruvesi, Finland. Methods: We sampled macrophytes and macroinvertebrates from the same 18 littoral sites. By adapting the original 'ecological uniqueness' approach, we used distance‒based methods to calculate measures of taxonomic (LCBD‒t), functional (LCBD‒f) and environmental (LCEH) uniqueness for each site. We also considered the numbers and locations of the sites needed to protect up to 70% of total variation in taxonomic, functional or environmental features in the studied part of the lake. Results: Relationships between taxonomic (LCBD‒t), functional (LCBD‒f) and environmental (LCEH) uniqueness were generally weak, and only the relationship between macrophyte LCBD‒t and LCBD‒f was statistically significant. Overall, however, if the whole biotic dataset was considered, macroinvertebrate LCBD‒f values showed a consistent positive relationship with macrophyte LCBD‒f. Depending on the measure of site uniqueness, between one third to one half of the sites could help protect up to 70% of the ecological uniqueness of the studied part of Lake Puruvesi. Main conclusions: Although the dataset examined originated from a large lake system, the approach we proposed here can be applied in different ecosystems and at various spatial scales. An important consideration is that a set of sites has been sampled using the same methods, resulting in species and environmental matrices that can be analysed using the methodological approach proposed here. This framework can be easily applied to grid‒based data, sets of islands, or sets of forest fragments. We suggest that the approach based on taxonomic, functional and environmental uniqueness will be a useful tool in guiding nature conservation and ecosystem management, especially if associated with meta‒system ideas or network thinking.

opencc-by-nc-4.0Apr 2022View details →

Figure 2 in Reproduction phenology of a high conservation priority cracid - the Bare-faced Curassow (Crax fasciolata; Aves, Galliformes, Cracidae)

Figure 2. Sampling effort (y-axis) in SESC Baía das Pedras Park (northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso State, Brazil) expressed in days per month (x-axis) for different years (2015, 2016, and 2017) is represented by stacked bars. The presence of Bare-faced Curassow (Crax fasciolata) offspring is represented by the shapes on the x-axis. The triangle represents their presence during surveys in 2016, and the circle represents those in 2017.