- Topic:Biodiversity
Differential survival and feeding rates of three commonly traded gastropods across salinities
This study investigates the establishment and impact risks posed by three readily available, traded snail species – Melanoides tuberculata, Tarebia granifera and Anentome helena – by assessing their survival and feeding responses across a spectrum of salinity levels.
The frequent five: Insights from interviews with urban wildlife professionals in Germany
The authors interviewed 36 urban wildlife professionals in 4 large cities in Germany. Red foxes, wild boars, raccoons, stone martens and Eurasian beavers were the five mammal species most frequently highlighted in interviews to cause human-wildlife conflicts. The interviewees emphasized the need to create refuges for beavers and better inform the public about foxes.
A modelling approach to assess climate change impacts on taxonomic and functional diversity of European stream macroinvertebrates: Implications for water quality monitoring
The authors used bioclimatic models to predict EU freshwater macroinvertebrate habitats. The future distribution of macroinvertebrates reveals significant regional variations. Functional diversity was projected to change less than taxonomic diversity. Changes in environmentally suitable areas will impact widely used biological indices.
Divergent temporal responses of native macroinvertebrate communities to biological invasions
Freshwater megafauna shape ecosystems and facilitate restoration
This is a review, synthesizing how megafauna shape ecological processes in freshwater ecosystems and discussing their potential for enhancing ecosystem restoration. Restoring freshwater megafauna can revive essential ecological processes like disturbances, trophic cascades, and species dispersal, boosting biodiversity and enhancing nature's contributions to people.
Reintroduced, but not accepted: Stakeholder perceptions of beavers in Germany
The authors conducted a scientific online survey among representatives of the general public, forestry and agriculture to find out their opinions on beavers in Germany. The majority of the general public have a positive view of beavers, while the agricultural and forestry sectors have a much more negative view. There are also regional differences.
A candidate sex determination locus in amphibians which evolved by structural variation between X- and Y-chromosomes
The authors have identified a gene locus responsible for sex determination in the European green toad. This reveals only the second known genetic mechanism for sex differentiation in amphibians.
Inland navigation and land use interact to impact European freshwater biodiversity
Using a comprehensive set of long-term data, the authors show that shipping has contributed to a significant loss of biodiversity of fish and macroinvertebrates in European rivers in recent decades – and that the animal communities are becoming increasingly homogeneous and river-typical species are being lost. Invasive species, on the other hand, are significantly increasing.
The potential of citizen science to transform science: Lessons for a sustainable future
The authors analysed 8 citizen science projects within Accelerator Programme of the EU H2020 funded ACTION project that deal with environmental pollution. Citizen science involves the public in the scientific process, making research more relevant and responsive. Our findings show that this can lead to a more sustainable future, where science and society work together to solve pressing problems.
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.