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Invasion by Hyptis suaveolens modifies the effects of altered rainfall variability on nutrient cycling across seasons in a dry tropical grassland experiment Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Talat Afreen, Prakash Rajak, Hema Singh
Ecosystems often recover rapidly when changes in climatic conditions are moderate, but extreme changes may push the ecosystem beyond its biological threshold, resulting in rather profound changes i...
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Heterotroph removal alters the difference in plant biomass among plant species compositions in systems with different N availability Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-12 Xile Xu, Xueyi Wu, Jinqi Yu, Jingwen Tao, Luping Yang, Kai Shen, Yi Wu, Wenjuan Han
We studied the effects of heterotroph removal on the relationship between species composition and plant biomass in systems with different N availability. Two understory herb species (Ophiopogon bod...
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Décalage temporel dans l’établissement des érables en forêt boréale révélé par une population marginale à la limite nordique de l’érable à sucre Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-04 Laurianne Dumont, Todor S. Minchev, Pierre-Yves Mondou Laperrière, Pierre Grondin, Guillaume de Lafontaine
Given their position at the limit of a species’ bioclimatic tolerance envelope, range-edge populations are particularly sensitive to variations in environmental conditions. Understanding ecological...
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Temporal and spatial variation in extrafloral nectar and associated ants in Canavalia rosea (Fabaceae) on coastal dunes along the Gulf of Mexico Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2024-01-17 Elizabeth Navarro-Ulloa, Betsabé Ruiz Guerra, Cecilia Díaz Castelazo, Victor Rico-Gray, Kleber Del-Claro, Armando Aguirre-Jaimes
Extrafloral nectar production can vary depending on the structure of the plant in which it is found, as well as environmental conditions. This can in turn influence plant-ant interactions. We evalu...
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Increasing trend in ecosystem-scale photosynthetic efficiency in the Yellow River Basin since 2000 caused by afforestation and climate change Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2024-01-09 Bin Wang, Shuna Xue, Zhongen Niu
We used the leaf area index (LAI) and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) to represent vegetation greenness and photosynthetic capacity, respectively, and the ratio of SIF to LAI (SIF/LAI)...
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Interactions between hooded crows (Сorvus cornix) and Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) and their nesting site preferences in anthropogenic landscapes Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2024-01-08 Valeriia S. Dupak, Valeriia S. Telizhenko
The interrelationships of many urban birds, especially the ones that influence other birds’ nesting populations, remain understudied. Hooded crows (Corvus cornix) and Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) a...
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A synthesis of plant invasion control: important factors to consider when choosing a control method Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-12-27 Norul Sobuj, Chaeho Byun
Experimental studies on invasive plant control often involve a small number of invasive plants and are conducted in a particular habitat. Moreover, different invasive plant control strategies vary ...
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Grazing and right-of-way affect native rangeland 12 years after pipeline construction in southern Alberta Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-12-21 D. Kelly Ostermann, Amalesh Dhar, M. Anne Naeth
Over the past 100 years, large areas of native grasslands have been lost due to human activities and natural disturbances. Construction of pipelines for oil and gas transportation continues to pose...
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An 8500-year history of climate-fire-vegetation interactions in the eastern maritime black spruce–moss bioclimatic domain, Québec, Canada Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-12-17 Augustin Feussom Tcheumeleu, Laurent Millet, Damien Rius, Adam A. Ali, Yves Bergeron, Pierre Grondin, Sylvie Gauthier, Olivier Blarquez
The eastern, maritime portion of the black spruce – moss bioclimatic domain in Québec (Canada) is characterized by large wildfires with low occurrence. However, it is still poorly understood how cl...
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Lire le passé forestier dans un bourbier : histoire écologique et dynamique contemporaine d’une population marginale nordique d’érable rouge (Acer rubrum) Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Camille Bussières, Pierre-Yves Mondou Laperrière, Pierre Grondin, Martin Lavoie, Guillaume de Lafontaine
Populations at the edge of a species range are vulnerable to climate change. Studying their ecological history helps understanding resilience processes acting at the limit of the species’ tolerance...
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Influence of competition on root architecture and root anchorage of young hybrid poplar plantations on waste rock slopes Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-13 Khadija Babi, Marie Guittonny, Bruno Bussière, Guy R. Larocque
ABSTRACT Root systems are crucial to tree and soil stability in terms of mechanical support, but are rarely considered in revegetation studies. This study aimed at determining the effect of planting density and herbaceous hydroseeding on the root architecture and mechanical resistance to uprooting of planted hybrid poplars on waste rock piles. The study took place at an open pit gold mine in the Canadian
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Ecological response of Rotaria rotatoria (Bdelloid Rotifera) to unbalanced nitrogen in food: experimental insights from life history strategy and feeding behavior Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-07 Xianling Xiang, Meng Li, Sen Feng, Lingyun Zhu, Tianjin Hong, Qiulei Xu, Yilong Xi
ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) cycle in ecosystems has been overbalanced by human activities. However, it remains uncertain whether the altered N supply results in a change in the elemental composition of phytoplankton and, consequently, affects the life history strategy of zooplankton. To investigate these impacts, a simple lab-based food chain was established. Results show that lack or excess of nitrogen
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Predator types, urbanization, and tree cover drive top-down control of herbivorous and carnivorous preys in an urban agroecosystem Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-07 Asraf K. Lidasan, Jirizza O. Roquero, Navel Kyla B. Balasa, Angelo Rellama Agduma, Renee Jane A. Ele, Krizler Cejuela Tanalgo
ABSTRACT Prey-predator interactions hold significant importance, widely acknowledged as crucial processes within ecosystems. Yet, there is a scarcity of empirical data that effectively illustrates the influence of urbanization on such interactions. We performed a common garden experiment utilizing 1250 clay models to assess the predation risks faced by herbivorous and carnivorous prey in an urban agroecosystem
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Investigating spatiotemporal patterns, spatial density dependence and fruit quality in a plant-bruchine-parasitoids system Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-07-21 Marcelo N. Rossi, Ligia M. S. Rodrigues
ABSTRACT Many of the spatial patterns observed in nature are governed by interactions between species and between species and their environment, providing valuable information about which processes are determinants in shaping ecological communities. In a system composed of Mimosa bimucronata, the bruchine Acanthoscelides schrankie and its parasitoids, we examined the spatial distribution patterns of
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No evidence of a northward biome shift of treeline in the Mackay Lake region, north-central Canada Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-07-04 Kevin P. Timoney
ABSTRACT Major changes in boreal and subarctic climates have occurred in recent decades, but uncertainty exists as to how biota are responding, e.g., whether the subarctic forest-tundra (‘treeline’) will advance northward. Ground-based vegetation data from the Mackay Lake region of the Northwest Territories were used to determine if there is evidence of a northward biome shift. Near the treeline, current
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Wild boar (Sus scrofa) has minor effects on soil nutrient and carbon dynamics Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-06-04 Andreas Lundgren, Joachim Strengbom, Gustaf Granath
ABSTRACT Wild boar populations have increased worldwide, but the consequences of their disturbances on boreal forest ecosystems are largely unknown. We investigated how wild boars affect soil processes in a Swedish boreal forest. We estimated effects on ecosystem functioning using phospholipid fatty acid analyses (PLFA) to characterise microbial groups, and by measuring soil respiration, soil carbon
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An ecoregionalization of the Sierra Madre Occidental, México, based on non-volant, small mammal distributions Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-05-09 Celia López González, Sarahi Sandoval, Jonathan G. Escobar Flores
ABSTRACT The Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) is the largest mountain range in Mexico, spanning nearly 1,400 km from northwest to southeast. It is a region of high ecological complexity, yet, few attempts at ecoregionalization are available. Using Maxent and five high-resolution (30 m) physiographic layers, we generated niche models for 33 species of small, non-flying mammals. We generated a proposal
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Early ecosystem establishment using forest floor and peat cover soils in oil sands reclamation Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-04-18 Heather A. Archibald, Amalesh Dhar, M. Anne Naeth
ABSTRACT Early trends of plant community development provide the basis of ecosystem function and reclamation success of oil sand extraction sites. However, few studies have explicitly investigated species-level interactions with different cover soil types, placement depths, and time since reclamation during early plant community development in boreal forests. We investigated effectiveness of forest
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Non-native plants observed in North America by 18th century naturalists Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-02-21 Carolyn A. Copenheaver, John A. Peterson, Kyrille Goldbeck DeBose, Jacob N. Barney
ABSTRACT Writings of 18th century naturalists provide a rich description of the flora, agricultural practices, and ecological and cultural landscape during the migration of large numbers of European and African peoples to North America. We employed a mixed methods approach to: 1) compare the percentages of non-native vs. native plant species recorded by the naturalists; 2) quantify the relative frequency
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Habitat selection and diet of the Asian small-clawed otter in Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary, Odisha, India Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-01-10 Himanshu Shekhar Palei, Pratyush P. Mohapatra, Syed Ainul Hussain
ABSTRACT Conservation of habitats and flagship species, such as the Asian small-clawed otter, is one of the most effective ways to conserve aquatic biodiversity. The study was conducted at Karlapat wildlife sanctuary, Odisha, India, and aims to determine the habitat and diet preferences of Asian small-clawed otters. Presence-absence of Asian small-clawed otters and associated habitat variables were
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Disturbance and nutrient availability drive absinthe (Artemisia absinthium) invasion in a native rough fescue grassland Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2023-01-10 John Paul M Wasan, Lysandra A. Pyle, Jonathan A. Bennett
ABSTRACT Understanding plant invasion is a critical issue in the conservation of native grasslands. Diverse and productive plant communities may inhibit invader establishment via biotic resistance, whereas disturbances may facilitate invasion by weakening resistance. These factors may also interact, yet their combined effects on invasion are unclear. Absinthe (Artemisia absinthium) is an invasive herbaceous
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Effects of intensive agricultural landscapes on farmland use by medium and large mammals in Japan Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-12-07 Eiki Aikawa, Masayuki U. Saito
ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the effects of landscape differences associated with intensive agricultural activities on farmland use by medium and large mammals in Japan. We compared the species diversity of mammals that used farmland within three regions with different agricultural activity levels, and analyzed the relationship between the occurrences and escape responses of mammals in the
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Factors influencing the distributions of two endangered lichens in Nova Scotia, Canada Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-10-09 Sean R. Haughian, Logan Gray, Karen A. Harper
ABSTRACT The lichens Erioderma pedicellatum (Hue) P.M. Jørg. and Erioderma mollissimum (G. Sampaio) Du Rietz are endangered species in Canada. Both species are obligate epiphytes found in forested wetlands near the Atlantic Coast. They are thought to be primarily threatened by logging and acid pollution, but the influence of these factors has not been examined at large-extents or relative to other
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Population trends and viability of the critically endangered Cozumel Curassow: a 25-year perspective Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-09-07 Jonathan Morales-Contreras, Miguel Angel Martínez-Morales, Alfredo D. Cuarón, Luis-Bernardo Vázquez
ABSTRACT The Cozumel Curassow (Crax rubra griscomi) is a critically endangered endemic bird from Cozumel Island, Mexico. After it was believed to be extinct, it was rediscovered in 1994. Its population status was assessed in 1994–1995, and later in 2005, predicting a population decline over the next four decades. A new evaluation of its population size was carried out in 2017 and 2019. Some of the
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Taxonomic estimates of climbing plants in India: how many species are out there? Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-07-15 Vivek Pandi, Kanda Naveen Babu, Munisamy Anbarashan, C. Sudhakar Reddy, Jishnu Borgohain, Khumukcham Shynyan, Anju Achamma Mathew, H. Rakshith, Jibin Joseph, Vishal Nandha Kennedy, Narayanaswamy Parthasarathy
ABSTRACT We present the first-ever attempt to estimate the taxonomic diversity of climbing plants in India, following the recent APG IV classification. We used more than 100 published and unpublished sources spanning more than a century to compile the extensive list of climbers. Our study revealed that the climbing plants in India are phylogenetically diverse, representing 2624 species radiated across
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Influence of thermal regime, oxygen conditions and land use on source and pathways of carbon in lake pelagic food webs Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-07-07 Valentin Essert, Hélène Masclaux, Valérie Verneaux, Laurent Millet
ABSTRACT Intensification of anthropogenic activities in many lake catchments during the twentieth century led to increased autochthonous organic matter sedimentation and degradation of hypolimnetic oxygen conditions due to the intensification of heterotrophic processes. These processes can be amplified by the effect of climate warming on thermal stratification in lakes. This study aimed to assess how
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Cover image Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-05-20
(2022). Cover image. Écoscience: Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 87-87.
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Drivers of extreme wildfire years in the 1965–2019 fire regime of the Tłı̨chǫ First Nation territory, Canada Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-05-04 Dorian M. Gaboriau, Hugo Asselin, Adam A. Ali, Christelle Hély, Martin P. Girardin
ABSTRACT Exceptionally large areas burned in 2014 in central Northwest Territories (Canada), leading members of the Tłı̨chǫ First Nation to characterize this year as ‘extreme’. Top-down climatic and bottom-up environmental drivers of fire behavior and areas burned in the boreal forest are relatively well understood, but not the drivers of extreme wildfire years (EWY). We investigated the temporal and
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Lack of evidence for indirect effects from stonefly predators on primary production under future climate warming scenarios Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-04-12 Scott G. Morton, Travis S. Schmidt, N. LeRoy Poff
ABSTRACT Consumptive and non-consumptive interactions of predators and prey can have strong direct and indirect effects on primary producers, such as stream algae. Increasing water temperatures may alter these interactions and thus influence productivity in streams. For each of 3 temperature treatments (‘ambient’, +2°C and +4°C), we measured the amount of algal biomass removed by grazing mayflies from
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Optimal foraging strategies in varying nutrient heterogeneity: responses of a stoloniferous clonal plant to patch pattern, size and quality Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-03-09 Xiaona Zheng, Yang Gao, Yanan Wang, Fu Xing, Meixuan Zhao, Ying Gao
ABSTRACT Contrast and aggregation are two components of spatial heterogeneity. To precisely determine the influence of varying nutrient heterogeneity on the foraging behavior of clonal plants, we selected Potentilla anserina L. as the material and designed different patch patterns, sizes and qualities. In Experiment 1, compared with random and uniform patch patterns, aggregation increased ramet density
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Tree species composition, stand structure and distribution patterns across three Kashmir Himalayan forests, India Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-03-07 Ashaq Ahmad Dar, Narayanaswamy Parthasarathy
ABSTRACT Himalayan ecosystems provide a unique opportunity to analyze the determinants of species richness across large elevation gradients. Understanding forest diversity and structure is fundamental to set conservation priorities. A quantitative assessment of tree species was conducted in Kashmir Himalayan forests to ascertain their composition, stand structure and distribution in 143 plots of 50 × 50
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Leaf beetle herbivory shapes the subsequent flower-visiting insect community and impacts plant reproduction Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-03-02 Livia Aparecida de Souza, Brígida Souza, Ramom Vasconcelos Pereira, Mírian Nunes Morales, Maria Fernanda G. V. Peñaflor
ABSTRACT Herbivory can induce changes in flower traits influencing the community of flower-visiting insects and ultimately impacting the plant’s reproductive output. Here, we investigated how leaf herbivory on sweet pepper plants, Capsicum annuum L., by Diabrotica speciosa (Germar) adults influences the community of insect floral visitors and alters plant reproduction. In an experimental field, we
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Anthropogenic interventions regulate forest structure and carbon stock in transitional dry forests of Similipal Biosphere Reserve, India Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2022-02-25 Manas R. Mohanta, Yasaswinee Rout, Bikram Pradhan, Dhiren Bhoi, Pradeep K. Chand, Sudam C. Sahu
ABSTRACT Tropical dry forests play an important role in the storing of significant amounts of biomass and carbon. However, carbon storage in these forests is linked to biotic, edaphic and climatic factors as well as human interventions. The forest structure and carbon storage in relation to human interventions and soil properties were studied in tropical dry forest patches located in a transition region
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The Centre d’études nordiques (CEN): challenges and perspectives of research on nordicity in partnership with Indigenous communities Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-12-20 Najat Bhiry, Monique Bernier, Nicolas Lecomte, Richard Fortier, James Woollett
(2021). The Centre d’études nordiques (CEN): challenges and perspectives of research on nordicity in partnership with Indigenous communities. Écoscience: Vol. 28, No. 3-4, pp. 199-215.
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Anthropogenic pressures decrease structural complexity in Caucasian forests of Iran Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-12-19 Kiomars Sefidi, Carolyn A. Copenheaver, Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi
ABSTRACT The Arasbaran Protected Area of northern Iran encompasses 160,000 ha of deciduous, broad-leaved forest with 78,560 ha recently designated as a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve. Our study objectives were to (1) quantify whether anthropogenic pressures measurably impacted the structural complexity of Arasbaran forests and (2) determine
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Forest composition and structure after 200 years of succession following the eruption of Mount Tambora (Indonesia) Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-12-19 Asep Sadili, Arief Hidayat, Supardi Jakalalana, Adi Kurniawan, Deni Sahroni, Solikin, Francis Q. Brearley
ABSTRACT We examined the changes in tropical forest diversity, structure and trait composition during primary succession after volcanic disturbance. Whilst many studies have examined early stages of succession, fewer have looked at a precisely dated older location: 200 years old in this instance. To do this, we established a 0.5 ha plot on the lower slopes of Gunung (Mount) Tambora (Sumbawa, Indonesia)
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Current climate and latitude shape the structure of bat-fruit interaction networks throughout the Neotropical region Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-12-17 Erick J. Corro, Fabricio Villalobos, Andrés Lira-Noriega, Roger Guevara, Wesley Dáttilo
ABSTRACT How ecological interactions vary across spatial and environmental gradients has received increasing attention in recent years, contributing to the revelation of the drivers of biodiversity. However, it is still unclear how the structure of ecological interactions varies across large spatial scales and which climatic factors are associated with such variation. Here, specific predictions were
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Forest dependent birds are the main frugivorous species in mutualistic networks from the Brazilian Cerrado Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-11-08 Adriano Marcos Da Silva, Luís Paulo Pires, Celine De Melo
ABSTRACT Not all frugivore species are equally important to the structure and maintenance of mutualistic networks and identifying the most relevant species is of great relevance to conservation ecology. Centrality metrics provide insightful information on the relative contribution of individual fruit-eating species to the topology of the networks, but there is still considerable debate on what ecological
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Deer and invasive plants in suburban forests: assessing variation in deer pressure and herbivory Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-10-15 Janet A. Morrison, Megan Fertitta, Catherine Zymaris, Amanda diBartolo, Chika Akparanta
ABSTRACT Fragmented suburban forests of the northeastern US are challenged by abundant white-tailed deer and nonindigenous plant invasions. Deer browsing/grazing pressure varies among sites, potentially affecting herbivory on nonindigenous plants and their invasion success. We aimed to identify a useful deer pressure indicator for suburban forests and then use it to relate deer pressure to grazing
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Weak evidence of spatial segregation between the vulnerable southern water vole (Arvicola sapidus) and the two main invasive mammals of European freshwater ecosystems Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-10-14 Emilie Ladent, Agathe Leriche, Bastien Thomas, Alexandre Millon
ABSTRACT Niche differentiation by spatial segregation facilitates the coexistence of species sharing ecological preferences, which can buffer the impact of biological invasions on native species. The introduction of two semi-aquatic rodents, the coypu Myocastor coypus and the muskrat Ondatra zibethicus, to most freshwater ecosystems across Western Europe, has been pinpointed as a cause for the decline
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Landscape Freeze/Thaw Mapping from Active and Passive Microwave Earth Observations over the Tursujuq National Park, Quebec, Canada Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-09-15 Cheima Touati, Tahiana Ratsimbazafy, Jimmy Poulin, Monique Bernier, Saeid Homayouni, Ralf Ludwig
ABSTRACT We investigated the sensitivity to vegetation cover type of active (PALSAR) and passive (SMAP) freeze/thaw (F/T) classification. We also used F/T classification from high-resolution PALSAR data (30 m) to follow the evolution of frozen and thawed soil states obtained from an adaptive algorithm with low-resolution SMAP data (36 km). We used PALSAR and SMAP scenes acquired from June 2015 to January
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Landscape features and caribou harvesting during three decades in Newfoundland Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-09-07 Jordan A. McNamara, James A. Schaefer, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Shane P. Mahoney
ABSTRACT Landscapes can influence the distribution of harvesting by influencing animal distribution and hunter access. For species like caribou, Rangifer tarandus, decades-long shifts in abundance and distribution might alter such relationships, but few studies have been conducted at such scales. We examined relationships between landscape features and 21,380 harvest records of migratory caribou in
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Translating a species distribution model into management recommendations for an at-risk lichen Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-08-27 Alexandra Setchell, Sean R. Haughian
ABSTRACT Species distribution models are powerful tools on their own for the management of rare and at-risk species, but their utility as such can be limited if their accuracy is low, or if management policies are applied without consideration of the structure of the data. We tested the accuracy of a MaxEnt species distribution model for white-rimmed shingle lichen (Fuscopannaria leucosticta) in New
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Effect of climate warming on seedling growth and biomass accumulation of Acacia modesta and Olea ferruginea in a subtropical scrub forest of Pakistan Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-08-13 Gul Zareen Ghafoor, Faiza Sharif, Amin Ul Haq Khan, Memuna Ghafoor Shahid, Zafar Siddiq, Laila Shahzad
ABSTRACT This study investigated the short-term impacts of projected climate warming on two dominant tree species of the Hayat-ul-Mir subtropical scrub forest of Pakistan. Seedlings of Acacia modesta and Olea ferruginea were exposed to ambient (To) and warming temperature (To + 2.3°C and To + 4.5°C) with control (M15%) and elevated (M20%) soil moisture in plant growth chamber for 90 days. To + 4.5°C
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Natural recovery of vegetation on reclamation stockpiles after 26 to 34 years Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-08-11 Brenda E Shaughnessy, Amalesh Dhar, M. Anne Naeth
ABSTRACT Stockpiling of soils is essential for reclamation after oil sands mining, and can influence revegetation through degradation of seed viability and soil quality. Three peat-mineral stockpiled areas in upland boreal forest, aged 26 to 34 years, were assessed for effects on soil, vegetation, and successional status to study the natural recovery of vegetation. Six upland (five native, one non-native)
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A 2233-year tree-ring chronology of subarctic black spruce (Picea mariana): growth forms response to long-term climate change Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-08-02 Ann Delwaide, Hugo Asselin, Dominique Arseneault, Claude Lavoie, Serge Payette
ABSTRACT We present the longest tree-ring chronology to date in northeastern North America (2233 years; 227 BCE – 2005 CE), resulting from several research projects conducted at the subarctic treeline in northern Quebec. This raw chronology of tree-ring width includes 464 black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) shrubs (krummholz) growing in wetlands and preserved within peatlands. An indexed series
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Differential effect of agricultural matrices on bamboo abundance in forest fragments Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-08-02 Mariane Patrezi Zanatta, João Pedro Costa Elias, Caroline Cambraia Furtado Campos, Sara Ribeiro Mortara, Flavio Nunes Ramos
ABSTRACT Bamboos, abundant in tropical forests, have high potential to dominate disturbed areas due to their high vegetative growth rate and preference for disturbed habitats. However, there are no studies exploring the influence of forest patch characteristics and anthropogenic land-use on bamboo populations. We investigated the influence of landscape matrix characteristics on the abundance of two
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Numerical modelling of permafrost dynamics under climate change and evolving ground surface conditions: application to an instrumented permafrost mound at Umiujaq, Nunavik (Québec), Canada Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-07-27 Julie Perreault, Richard Fortier, John W. Molson
ABSTRACT Numerical simulations were carried out based on a conceptual cryohydrogeological model of a permafrost mound near Umiujaq, Nunavik (Québec), Canada, to assess the impacts of climate warming and changes in surface conditions on permafrost degradation. The 2D model includes groundwater flow, advective-conductive heat transport, phase change and latent heat. Changes in surface conditions which
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Decline in common milkweed along roadsides around Ottawa, Canada Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-07-07 Samantha Lalonde, Jenny L. McCune, Stephanie A. Rivest, Heather M. Kharouba
ABSTRACT Over the past two decades, monarch butterfly populations have been declining. This decline has been partly attributed to the extensive loss of breeding habitat through the reduction of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca, the larval host plant) through herbicides. While the decline of milkweed has been well documented in the US, less is known about its decline in Canada. To take a first step
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Impact of urbanization and landscape changes on the vegetation of coastal dunes along the Gulf of Mexico Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-07-06 Karla Salgado, M. Luisa Martínez, L. Lucero Álvarez-Molina, Patrick Hesp, Miguel Equihua, Ismael Mariño-Tapia
ABSTRACT In Mexico, as in other countries, coastal urbanization and landscape changes are occurring at an unprecedented scale and rate, with potential negative impacts on local biodiversity. Nevertheless, studies of the impacts that such changes have on coastal dune vegetation are relatively scarce. In this study, we examined (a) the trends of urban sprawl and landscape changes along the coast of Veracruz
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Understanding rabies persistence in low-density fox populations Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-06-30 E. Joe Moran, Nicolas Lecomte, Patrick Leighton, Amy Hurford
ABSTRACT Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) and its tundra habitat are a unique system for the study of rabies virus epidemics. Contrary to theoretical calculations reporting a critical density (KT) of approximately 1 fox/km2 for rabies endemicity, arctic rabies persists at densities below this. The calculation of KT = 1 fox/km2 assumes uniform fox density across the landscape and unrestricted mixing between
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Assessing the probability of wildfire occurrences in a neotropical dry forest Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-04-21 Carlos Campos-Vargas, Daniela Vargas-Sanabria
ABSTRACT In tropical dry forests, wildfires are likely to become a major disturbance as a result of anthropogenic pressures and dryer conditions due to climate warming. Based on remote sensing techniques, this paper assesses the probability of fires occurring in the dry region of the Guanacaste Conservation Area (GCA), northwestern Costa Rica, testing the roles as fire determinants of topography, early
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Phenology and regeneration status of Terminalia tomentosa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn.: a tropical tree species of Indian forests Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-05-12 Manas R. Mohanta, Rama C. Mohanty, Sudam C. Sahu
ABSTRACT Terminalia tomentosa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn., an important tree species in the tropical forests of India, is often reported to have poor or no regeneration in many parts of the country. The present study was conducted to evaluate the population structure and regeneration status of the species in three different forest types of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve, along with phenological behaviours
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Anthropogenic and climate impacts on subarctic forests in the Nain region, Nunatsiavut: Dendroecological and historical approaches Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-06-10 Natasha Roy, James Woollett, Najat Bhiry, Isabel Lemus-Lauzon, Ann Delwaide, Dominique Marguerie
ABSTRACT Several recent dendrochronological, macrofossil and palynological studies have surveyed modern spruce forests at multiple locations in the Nain region of coastal Nunatsiavut (north-central Labrador) in order to reconstruct past forest composition, growth rates, species diversity and harvesting patterns. The present paper synthesizes original and previously collected data to evaluate the extent
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Local environmental factors shape liana community structure along an elevation gradient in a tropical rainforest Écoscience (IF 1.3) Pub Date : 2021-06-09 Zakaria Bin Rahmad, Mohamad Syafiq Johari, Patrick Addo-Fordjour
ABSTRACT Knowledge of the drivers of liana community structure is fundamental to understand the processes driving community assembly. We investigated variation in liana community structure (diversity, composition, abundance, basal area, distribution) among different elevations, and assessed the environmental factors structuring composition and distribution. We randomly established thirty 20 × 20 m