Understory plant root proliferation into the litter layer occurs in many forest ecosystems and dramatically accelerates litter decomposition and nutrient release in the early stages. Mechanical fragmentation of leaf litter by fine roots could be one main reason, but its mechanism is poorly understood. To quantitatively assess the influence of fine roots on the mechanical fragmentation of leaf litter

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important component of the carbon (C) cycle in forest ecosystems, and is largely influenced by tree species. Leaf litter originated from different vegetations introduce organic materials into soil with different quantities and qualities, and influence the formation and stability of soil C pool. We present a study on the influence of tree species on SOC stability under

Ancient ecological legacies and past land use changes may inform on the present structure of biological communities. However, regions providing such successive ecosystems are scarce. In France, the ‘Landes de Gascogne’ area provides such ecological shifts since a few ancient moorland, peatland and oak areas prior the afforestation with maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) 160 years ago still remain. Focusing

Acid deposition, resulting from the atmospheric transport of acidifying compounds emitted during the combustion of fossil fuels, has historically resulted in stream acidification in many headwater streams in the eastern United States, including streams in Shenandoah National Park (SHEN). Though restrictions on these emissions were established by an amendment to the Clean Air Act in 1990, reductions

Reynoutria japonica is a globally successful invasive plant that spreads rapidly after introduction, mainly along riparian or road corridors where dense stands often extend over several hundred square meters. Little is known, however, about the impacts of its spread in protected habitats of upland regions. This study was conducted to characterize the communities of plants and soil nematodes in ruderal

The Chinese Grass-babbler Graminicola striatus is a little-known grassland specialist with a broad distribution range in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. It is currently categorized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with a suspected small population size and decline in habitat availability, and Hong Kong is considered the global stronghold. To understand its current conservation

Our paper entitled “Shark conservation hindered by lack of habitat protection” (Birkmanis et al., 2020a), prompted Braccini and Newman to write a reply based on (i) our title, which they thought implied that a global assessment was made, and (ii) their interpretation of our paper “that shark conservation depends predominantly on establishing MPAs in highly suitable habitats”. We clearly state in the

Documenting juveniles’ presence is a crucial criterion for ensuring that a protected area can support robust populations of horseshoe crabs. Yet, there are no studies on the juvenile of Asian horseshoe crab in Indonesia. As the first report on the juvenile of Asian horseshoe crabs in Indonesia, this study aims to analyze the population density of the juvenile Asian horseshoe crab and the characteristics

Indonesia is a country rich in medicinal plant biodiversity. The conservation and sustainable use of such species in Indonesia are critical because of incipient population growth, changing land usage, forest clearance, and climate change in a country where the majority of the population depend on traditional medicines for their health care and wellbeing. Identifying the conservation gap is a crucial

Tropical montane forests are being lost at an alarming rate but harbor some of the globe’s most unique biodiversity. The Hawaiian archipelago is a prime example of the importance of high elevation forests to species conservation and persistence as they serve as the last refugia for Hawaiian birds. Yet these forests have been converted to invasive dominated pastures, and efforts to restore them have

The soil seed bank (SSB) plays an important role in determining future community composition and health of forests. The extent to which abiotic conditions alter the abundance and diversity of the future forest composition via modulating the regenerative capacity of the SSB and their relationship with each other is not fully understood. We studied how elevation and abiotic conditions (canopy openness

Ecotourism is increasing worldwide for financial, educational and social purposes. Organized viewing of wildlife, especially at feeding sites where wildlife is “ready-to-view”, increases the opportunities for tourists to observe animals in the wild. However, feeding sites might retain only a subsample of wild populations. We thus hypothesized that such human intervention could induce population subdivisions

Nature has the potential to provide wide-ranging economic contributions to society – from ecosystem services to providing income to communities via fair trade of resources. Unsustainable trade in wildlife, however, threatens biodiversity and its ability to support communities and a functioning planet. It is therefore important to have clear systems in place for tracing traded wildlife. Monitoring legal

We examined the influence of climate and habitat changes on the occurrence of butterflies in South Korea, using data recorded in two different periods: (i) past (1938–1950) and (ii) present (1996–2011). Butterfly species were classified according to their distribution types (northern, southern, and miscellaneous) to examine the effect of climate change. They were also classified according to three

Agricultural intensification seriously threatens European biodiversity. To mitigate this threat, farmland habitat suitability should be improved. Mid-field woodlots surrounded by intensively cultivated fields or grasslands, represent one of the promising tools for such improvement. However, woodlots can be dominated by non-native plants and their impacts on woodlot function as refugees for biodiversity

Natural disturbances are largely suppressed in Central European landscapes due to economic and human safety concerns. European goals to increase the extent of secondary wilderness areas have the potential to support the restoration of threatened habitats associated with natural disturbances. Germany is among the Central European countries with the most advanced wilderness goals. This study aimed to

Habitat loss from unrelenting human pressure is causing an unprecedented decline in global biodiversity. Protected areas (PAs) are meant to counteract loss and fragmentation of ecosystems and today PAs form the backbone of conservation strategies worldwide. However, anthropogenic climate change can severely reduce the effectiveness of PAs. Conservation professionals are in need of concrete spatial

Salt marshes and tidal flats are ecosystems providing considerable value to human beings and widely distributed in the world temperate coastal zone. However, they have been seriously damaged due to human activities over the past half century. Previous studies often used area-based statistic measures to track tidal wetlands loss while neglected to extract other important information such as changes

Terrestrial biomes are the main reservoirs of biodiversity and CO2 on the planet. In South America, they play a crucial role in climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. Despite scientific advances and recent efforts, there is still no detailed analysis of trends in surface air temperature and precipitation changes until the end of the 21st century and magnitude of change for South America’s

Human activity, combined with climate change, has led to severe degradation of natural grasslands all over the world. As such, artificial grasslands created with species suited to the geographical area present a popular alternative. However, species that are both native and suitable for creating artificial grasslands are rare, especially in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China. In this study, we performed

Hiraoka is the created wetland that was constructed in 2000 in an urban park in Sapporo City. We introduced fen and bog plants and monitored the hydrochemical conditions and species assemblage composition four times during the 16 years after construction (YAC). The species richness indices of total, exotics, and annuals resembled those of the target fens within 11 YAC, but the species assemblages did

The wildlife that inhabits natural wetlands has been threatened in recent years because of human activities, such as land use changes. Rice fields, however, have been receiving attention as possible substitutes for natural wetlands. Amphibians are one of the representative taxa that inhabit rice fields and are critical for their food webs and ecosystem maintenance. This study was conducted to understand

Insights into the food habits of predators are essential for maintaining healthy predator populations and the functioning of ecosystems. Stomach content and stable isotope analyses were used to investigate the foraging habits of an apex predator, the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) in south-western Australia. A total of 2,594 prey items from 26 families were identified from the stomachs

Invasive species have a massive impact on their environment and predicting geographical zones at risk of invasion is paramount to the control of further invasions. Invasive anurans are particularly detrimental to native amphibian species, other vertebrates, and even aquaculture through competition, predation, disease transmission, toxicity, or a combination of these. Four species have been designated

Global climate change has led to the nonlinear response of the radial growth of trees to climate change at high altitudes and high latitudes in the northern hemisphere, and the responses of different tree species on climate change due to differences in physiological and ecological adaptations are also significantly different. Therefore, we analyzed the response stability and growth trends and the sustainability

Forests provide many resources, ecosystem services and absorb carbon dioxide, which helps in climate regulation. In spite of the enormous benefits of forests, the issue of deforestation is still ongoing. There has been a continuous decline in forests globally and the forest area of Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary (BFMS) in Ghana is facing a similar threat. The aim of the study is to determine the different

Land use change is the most widespread driver of biodiversity loss in densely populated tropical countries. Biodiversity loss, in turn, results in changes in functional guilds responsible for various forest ecosystem services. It is thus necessary to understand the extent and types of biodiversity loss and functional guild alteration caused by land use change in order to facilitate sustainable land

Behavioral strategies used in scent communication can reflect the adaptive capacity of animals. Signal detection theory and the principle of least effort posit that scent marking must be efficient and energy maximizing. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a solitary species that relies heavily on scent communication. There have been few studies on scent communication of wild pandas due to their

The Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus is iconic, yet threatened throughout its range in the southeastern United States. It is a burrowing, herbivorous tortoise whose upland habitats have been greatly reduced by habitat destruction, fragmentation and/or reduction in quality due to anthropogenic changes in the disturbance regimes, such as fire, that are necessary to maintain quality habitat. Importantly

The protected areas of the Amazon Basin provide a core refuge for many threatened forest mammals species, but their effectiveness in wildlife conservation is poorly documented. To better understand the impact of protected areas on mammal conservation in the Amazon Basin, this study evaluates the diversity, abundance, and conservation status of medium and large forest mammals in a borderland sector

In the Felidae, only 6 of 38 species have stable or increasing populations, and most felid species are threatened by anthropogenic influences, especially habitat loss and fragmentation. We documented changes in genetic diversity in an isolated, reintroduced population of bobcats on Cumberland Island (CUIS), Georgia, USA, compared to another bobcat population on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA, that

Thuja sutchuenensis Franch. is an extremely endangered conifer (Cupressaceae) species that is endemic to southwestern China. It was once considered extinct in the wild and was rediscovered after 100 years later in October 1999. Due to the habitat destruction from nature and humans, the population has decreased sharply and the distribution range is narrow. Thus there is an urgent need to evaluate genetic

A network of connected wetlands supports migratory movements of waterfowl. These networks are rapidly changing due to intensive human activities around natural habitats. Quantifying how anthropogenic factors change waterfowl movements via a reduction of habitat availability and quality can facilitate a better understanding of the dynamics of these migration networks, and provide early-warning signals

Brontispa longissima (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a significant pest of palm plants worldwide, has caused huge economic losses in China since its invasion. The maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model and geographical information system (GIS) software were used to predict the adaptive impact of climate change on B. longissima in China. Future distributions of B. longissima were modeled under three climate scenarios

Winter snowpack maintains a relatively warm environment for soil microorganisms and modulates soil biogeochemical cycles in cold ecosystems; however, snowpack reduction induced by climate warming may change soil dissolved nutrient leaching and microbial biomass. Here, we performed a snow depth manipulation experiment in an alpine forest on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. We assessed the following effects

Random migration often plays important roles in soil microbial community assembly. However, it remains unexplored that whether its role is affected by anthropogenic disturbances, and whether the effects of different disturbances are consistent. Here, we report a novel and general pattern that different disturbances consistently restrain the role of migration in soil bacterial community assembly. We

Human-elephant conflicts (HEC) are detrimental for both humans and elephants. A better understanding of HEC enhances effective mitigation strategies and promotes the well-being of humans and wild elephants. This study assesses the pattern and distribution of HEC in three different HEC hotspots in Myanmar and identifies local factors that contribute to HEC. A face-to-face questionnaire survey was performed

The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is a widespread but locally endangered species across Pakistan. The current study investigates the occupancy of grey wolf and conflict with humans in Khanbari Valley Gilgit Baltistan. The study was conducted from the 5th of December 2014 to the 11th of January 2015. The study area was delineated into blocks following natural watersheds, and overall 47 motion-triggered cameras

Deciduous broadleaved forests and evergreen broadleaved forests constitute the majority of global subtropical forests. Subtropical vegetation has faced strong anthropogenic pressures, and many natural forests destroyed throughout history have been restored to secondary forests due to various government conservation policies. In early forest restoration, deciduous and evergreen species with significantly

Global warming impels countries to dramatically reduce their release of greenhouse gas emissions and increase their reliance on green energy, notably wind power. Yet, without cautious planning, the sprawl of wind turbines could negatively impact biodiversity, especially flying vertebrates that are otherwise already threatened. Inherent risks for vulnerable and endangered species are usually mitigated

Soil arthropods are important components of savannas, contributing to nutrient cycling and thus primary productivity. To investigate how fire and mammalian herbivores influence arthropod food webs, we used two long term herbivore exclosures (ca. 20 y) and burning trials (ca. 5-y return) located along rivers in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Herbivory and fire will usually have negative effects

The loss of tropical forest cover caused by land-use change is causing changes in populations of animal trophic guilds, including those belonging to Phyllostomidae bat species. They fulfill important ecosystem functions such as pollination, seed dispersion, and regulations of vertebrate and invertebrate populations in Neotropical forests and human disturbed habitats. However, the effect of habitat

Sampling and testing were conducted on the groundwater level depth, soil water content, and vegetation coverage in the delta oasis of the WeiGan-KuChe River Basin, and a method for analyzing soil water balances for groundwater-dependent vegetation (GDV) was developed using the soil water balance model with the Richards equation. Three typical observation points (sites A, B, and C) were selected to

Grassland contains enormous soil organic carbon (SOC) reserves, and even minor fluctuation may remarkably reflect the climatic change. N, P and S in soil organic matters (SOMs) have important influences on SOC sequestration. The soil in soda-alkaline grassland is featured by high pH, high ESP, deteriorated physical properties and poor nutrients, etc. N and P are the primary limiting elements, and the

Pinus armandii, or Chinese white pine, is one of the pine species native to China and plays an important role in ecological conservation and regional socioeconomic development. However, few studies have focused on the distribution of its habitat and important environmental factors related to suitability. Therefore, we used a MaxEnt model to represent the current species distribution of P. armandii

It is widely recognized that the conservation of the Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) in their wild habitats is fundamental to ensure the continuous supply of novel genetic material, crucial for future crop improvement. Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) and V. subterranea (bambara groundnut) are amongst the most significant African legumes as sources of food and fodder. In this study we investigated the diversity

The world population of Przewalski’s horses has recovered from very few survivors, and is still categorized as “Endangered” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. For this reason, the maintenance of genetically valuable populations is highly important. The 3000 ha Pentezug Reserve in Hortobagy National Park, Hungary, was home to 270 Przewalski’s horses at the end of 2018, approximately 30% of

The Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) is an island endemic bird species from Indonesia. Its populations have rapidly decreased over the last decades and where the species was once widespread, only fragmented populations now remain. The species is protected on a national level and any capture or trade of wild individuals is strictly prohibited. Yet, illegal domestic trade continues to threaten

The spread of non-indigenous crayfish species poses a threat to local populations of crayfish as well as to other fauna and flora across Europe and around the world. Several methods have been used in attempt to reduce their numbers and stop their further spread. Crayfish barriers are the best way to stop the non-anthropogenic spread of established invasive crayfish populations. Up to now there are

With the development of biodiversity informatics, more and more data repositories have emerged, providing massive stores of open scientific data. The use of open data is increasingly valuable for scientific research and related decision making but little is known about which topics are addressed, especially in non-English publications. Further, how this data should be cited has been called into question

Better conservation planning requires updated information about leopard distribution to prioritize and allocate limited resources available. The long-term persistence of leopards and sympatric tigers can be compromised by linear infrastructure development such as roads that fragment habitat. We used detection and non-detection data collected along walking search paths (~4140 km) in 96 grid cells (each

Many wildlife species are impacted by unsustainable consumption. Wildlife is consumed for such diverse purposes as food, medicine, ornamentation, entertainment, and social status. However, it is still debated whether legalization and wildlife farming can saturate demand and thus reduce poaching, or if these policies increase demand, and subsequently poaching of vulnerable wildlife. This paper used

Management zone designations are important to improving the core function of biodiversity conservation in any protected area. However, land managers of most protected areas can barely identify whether the zones they manage are ideally designated due to lack of clear information related to the protected objects as well as other related in-situ conservation information on a regional scale. Here we focused