- Topic:Biodiversity
A scenario-guided strategy for the future management of biological invasions
The study used a scenario-based approach to explore management options for invasive species in Europe. During two workshops involving a multidisciplinary team of experts, a management strategy arranged into 19 goals relating to policy, research, public awareness, and biosecurity was developed considering different future scenarios of biological invasions.
Global introductions and environmental impacts of freshwater megafish
The authors investigated the introductions of freshwater megafish on a global scale and assessed their environmental impacts. Of the 134 extant freshwater megafish species, 46% have been introduced to new environments, and of these, 69% have established self-sustaining alien populations and posed negative impacts on native species through nine different mechanisms.
Stream macroinvertebrate communities in restored and impacted catchments respond differently to climate, land-use, and runoff over a decade
The potential of historical spy-satellite imagery to support research in ecology and conservation
This study evaluated the spatial, temporal, and seasonal coverage of over one million declassified images from 4 US spy-satellite programmes, showing that this data spans nearly the entire globe and all seasons. Their use could lead to better mapping of the historical extent and structure of ecosystems and human impacts, and help reconstruct past habitats and species distributions.
Health risk ranking of antibiotic resistance genes in the Yangtze River
Aquatic microorganisms in China's Yangtze River are particularly resistant to many antibiotics, posing a high health risk.
Three hundred years of past and future changes for native fish species in the upper Danube River Basin—Historical flow alterations versus future climate change
The authors show that fish have been particularly sensitive to changes in flow regimes in the past, while higher temperatures will pose the greatest threat in the future. The threat assessment will remain at least as high in the future. However, it could probably be mitigated by reconnecting former floodplains and improving river connectivity.
The shape of density dependence and the relationship between population growth, intraspecific competition and equilibrium population density
The authors focused on extensions of the logistic growth model, and how intrinsic rates of increase and equilibrium population densities are not independent, but instead are functions of the same underlying parameters. They highlight several options for modeling population growth, and provide a mechanistic understanding of how the model parameters of each model relate to one another.
Using the IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for AlienTaxa to inform decision-making
The Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) has been adopted as an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) standard to measure the severity of environmental impacts caused by organisms living outside their native ranges. This article clarifies the underlying principles, objectives, and uses of EICAT.
Quantifying interspecific and intraspecific diversity effectson ecosystem functioning
The authors included effects of intraspecific variation to a variance partitioning method that allows quantifying effects of losses and gains of inter- and intraspecific groups to changes in ecosystem functioning. The method will also provide information on how biodiversity loss at different ecological levels changes ecosystem functioning.
Flagship individuals in biodiversity conservation
This study extends the concept of flagship species to include individual organisms, who can garner public attention and attract conservation support. Flagship individuals typically share a similar suite of characteristics, including: (1) charismatic species-level traits; (2) unique or distinctive individual traits; (3) a high degree of exposure to humans; and (4) a noteworthy life history or fate.