| 1. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N, et al.
(författare)
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The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 7:1, s. 145-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
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| 2. |
- Kehyayan, Aram, et al.
(författare)
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The effect of a visuospatial interference intervention on posttraumatic intrusions : a cross-over randomized controlled trial
- 2024
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Ingår i: European Journal of Psychotraumatology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 2000-8198 .- 2000-8066. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Intrusive memories form a core symptom of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Based on concepts of visuospatial interference and memory-updating accounts, technological innovations aim to attenuate such intrusions using visuospatial interventions.Objective: This study aims to test the effect of a visuospatial Tetris-based intervention versus a verbal condition (Wiki) and a never-targeted control (no intervention) on intrusion frequency.Method: A randomized crossover trial was conducted including N = 38 PTSD patients who had at least 3 distinct intrusive memories of trauma. After both 2 weeks (intervention 1) and 4 weeks (intervention 2), one of the three memories was randomly selected and either the visuospatial intervention (memory reminder of a traumatic memory + Tetris) or verbal condition (reading a Wikipedia article + answering questions) was performed on their first memory in randomized order. In the week 4 session, the patient conducted the other intervention condition on their second memory (crossover). The third memory was never targeted (no intervention). Daily occurrence of intrusions over 8 weeks was collected using a diary and analysed using mixed Poisson regression models.Results: Overall, there was no significant reduction in intrusion frequency from either intervention compared to each other, and to no intervention control (relative risk Tetris/Wiki: 0.947; p = .31; relative risk no intervention/Tetris: 1.060; p = .15; relative risk no intervention/Wiki: 1.004; p = .92).Conclusions: There was no effect of either intervention on intrusions when administered in a crossover design where participants received both interventions. Design shortcomings and consequences for future studies are discussed.
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| 3. |
- Barbero-Palacios, Laura, et al.
(författare)
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Herbivore diversity effects on Arctic tundra ecosystems : a systematic review
- 2024
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Ingår i: Environmental Evidence. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 2047-2382. ; 13:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Northern ecosystems are strongly influenced by herbivores that differ in their impacts on the ecosystem. Yet the role of herbivore diversity in shaping the structure and functioning of tundra ecosystems has been overlooked. With climate and land-use changes causing rapid shifts in Arctic species assemblages, a better understanding of the consequences of herbivore diversity changes for tundra ecosystem functioning is urgently needed. This systematic review synthesizes available evidence on the effects of herbivore diversity on different processes, functions, and properties of tundra ecosystems.Methods: Following a published protocol, our systematic review combined primary field studies retrieved from bibliographic databases, search engines and specialist websites that compared tundra ecosystem responses to different levels of vertebrate and invertebrate herbivore diversity. We used the number of functional groups of herbivores (i.e., functional group richness) as a measure of the diversity of the herbivore assemblage. We screened titles, abstracts, and full texts of studies using pre-defined eligibility criteria. We critically appraised the validity of the studies, tested the influence of different moderators, and conducted sensitivity analyses. Quantitative synthesis (i.e., calculation of effect sizes) was performed for ecosystem responses reported by at least five articles and meta-regressions including the effects of potential modifiers for those reported by at least 10 articles.Review findings: The literature searches retrieved 5944 articles. After screening titles, abstracts, and full texts, 201 articles including 3713 studies (i.e., individual comparisons) were deemed relevant for the systematic review, with 2844 of these studies included in quantitative syntheses. The available evidence base on the effects of herbivore diversity on tundra ecosystems is concentrated around well-established research locations and focuses mainly on the impacts of vertebrate herbivores on vegetation. Overall, greater herbivore diversity led to increased abundance of feeding marks by herbivores and soil temperature, and to reduced total abundance of plants, graminoids, forbs, and litter, plant leaf size, plant height, and moss depth, but the effects of herbivore diversity were difficult to tease apart from those of excluding vertebrate herbivores. The effects of different functional groups of herbivores on graminoid and lichen abundance compensated each other, leading to no net effects when herbivore effects were combined. In turn, smaller herbivores and large-bodied herbivores only reduced plant height when occurring together but not when occurring separately. Greater herbivore diversity increased plant diversity in graminoid tundra but not in other habitat types.Conclusions: This systematic review underscores the importance of herbivore diversity in shaping the structure and function of Arctic ecosystems, with different functional groups of herbivores exerting additive or compensatory effects that can be modulated by environmental conditions. Still, many challenges remain to fully understand the complex impacts of herbivore diversity on tundra ecosystems. Future studies should explicitly address the role of herbivore diversity beyond presence-absence, targeting a broader range of ecosystem responses and explicitly including invertebrate herbivores. A better understanding of the role of herbivore diversity will enhance our ability to predict whether and where shifts in herbivore assemblages might mitigate or further amplify the impacts of environmental change on Arctic ecosystems.
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| 4. |
- Brehm, Gunnar, et al.
(författare)
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Moths are strongly attracted to ultraviolet and blue radiation
- 2021
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Ingår i: Insect Conservation and Diversity. - : Wiley. - 1752-458X .- 1752-4598. ; 14:2, s. 188-198
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We carried out three choice experiments with 6116 nocturnal lepidopteran individuals (95 species, 7 families, 32 075 counts), each replicated 105 times during the seasons of 2 years. Moths were released indoors at the centre of a 10 × 10 m area with different lamps placed at each corner. In experiment 1, lamps emitted ultraviolet (UV) (peak at 365 nm), blue (450 nm), green (520 nm) or cool white (450 and 520 nm) radiation. In experiment 2, UV was replaced by red (640 nm). In experiment 3, we used UV and three mixed radiation lamps of different emission intensities (365–520 nm). We applied a linear mixed effect model to test for differences in attraction to the light sources. Among all counts, 12.2% (males) and 9.2% (females) were attracted to a lamp. Among the lamp counts, 84% were made at the UV lamp in experiment 1. In experiment 2, 63% of the counts were made at the blue lamp. In experiment 3, most counts were made at the strongest mixed radiation lamp (31%), and the UV lamp (28%). Patterns were generally similar across Lepidopteran families, and for both sexes. Moths are clearly preferentially attracted to short-wave radiation. Even small quantities of UV radiation, emitted, for example, by metal halide lamps and certain mercury vapour tubes, will disproportionately contribute to light pollution. Since blue light also attracts moths strongly, lamps with a low proportion of blue light should be given priority in lighting planning.
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| 5. |
- Dawson, Michael N., et al.
(författare)
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A second horizon scan of biogeography: Golden ages, Midas touches, and the Red Queen
- 2016
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Ingår i: Frontiers of Biogeography. - : University of California. - 1948-6596. ; 8:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Are we entering a new 'Golden Age' of biogeography, with continued development of infrastructure and ideas? We highlight recent developments, and the challenges and opportunities they bring, in light of the snapshot provided by the 7th biennial meeting of the International Biogeography Society (IBS 2015). We summarize themes in and across 15 symposia using narrative analysis and word clouds, which we complement with recent publication trends and 'research fronts'. We find that biogeography is still strongly defined by core sub-disciplines that reflect its origins in botanical, zoological (particularly bird and mammal), and geographic (e.g., island, montane) studies of the 1800s. That core is being enriched by large datasets (e.g. of environmental variables, 'omics', species' occurrences, traits) and new techniques (e.g., advances in genetics, remote sensing, modeling) that promote studies with increasing detail and at increasing scales; disciplinary breadth is being diversified (e.g., by developments in paleobiogeography and microbiology) and integrated through the transfer of approaches and sharing of theory (e.g., spatial modeling and phylogenetics in evolutionary-ecological contexts). Yet some subdisciplines remain on the fringe (e.g., marine biogeography, deep-time paleobiogeography), new horizons and new theory may be overshadowed by popular techniques (e.g., species distribution modelling), and hypotheses, data, and analyses may each be wanting. Trends in publication suggest a shift away from traditional biogeography journals to multidisciplinary or open access journals. Thus, there are currently many opportunities and challenges as biogeography increasingly addresses human impacts on, and stewardship of, the planet (e.g., Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). As in the past, biogeographers doubtless will continue to be engaged by new data and methods in exploring the nexus between biology and geography for decades into the future. But golden ages come and go, and they need not touch every domain in a discipline nor affect subdisciplines at the same time; moreover, what appears to be a Golden Age may sometimes have an undesirable 'Midas touch'. Contexts within and outwith biogeography-e.g., methods, knowledge, climate, biodiversity, politics-are continually changing, and at times it can be challenging to establish or maintain relevance. In so many races with the Red Queen, we suggest that biogeography will enjoy greatest success if we also increasingly engage with the epistemology of our discipline.
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| 6. |
- Downey, Harriet, et al.
(författare)
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Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecological Solutions and Evidence. - : Wiley. - 2688-8319. ; 2:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. To be effective, the next generation of conservation practitioners and managers need to be critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how to make evidence-based decisions and of the value of evidence synthesis.2. If, as educators, we do not make these priorities a core part of what we teach, we are failing to prepare our students to make an effective contribution to conservation practice.3. To help overcome this problem we have created open access online teaching materials in multiple languages that are stored in Applied Ecology Resources. So far, 117 educators from 23 countries have acknowledged the importance of this and are already teaching or about to teach skills in appraising or using evidence in conservation decision-making. This includes 145 undergraduate, postgraduate or professional development courses.4. We call for wider teaching of the tools and skills that facilitate evidence-based conservation and also suggest that providing online teaching materials in multiple languages could be beneficial for improving global understanding of other subject areas.
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| 7. |
- Martin, Philip A., et al.
(författare)
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Meta-analysis reveals that the effects of precipitation change on soil and litter fauna in forests depend on body size
- 2024
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 30:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anthropogenic climate change is altering precipitation regimes at a global scale. While precipitation changes have been linked to changes in the abundance and diversity of soil and litter invertebrate fauna in forests, general trends have remained elusive due to mixed results from primary studies. We used a meta-analysis based on 430 comparisons from 38 primary studies to address associated knowledge gaps, (i) quantifying impacts of precipitation change on forest soil and litter fauna abundance and diversity, (ii) exploring reasons for variation in impacts and (iii) examining biases affecting the realism and accuracy of experimental studies. Precipitation reductions led to a decrease of 39% in soil and litter fauna abundance, with a 35% increase in abundance under precipitation increases, while diversity impacts were smaller. A statistical model containing an interaction between body size and the magnitude of precipitation change showed that mesofauna (e.g. mites, collembola) responded most to changes in precipitation. Changes in taxonomic richness were related solely to the magnitude of precipitation change. Our results suggest that body size is related to the ability of a taxon to survive under drought conditions, or to benefit from high precipitation. We also found that most experiments manipulated precipitation in a way that aligns better with predicted extreme climatic events than with predicted average annual changes in precipitation and that the experimental plots used in experiments were likely too small to accurately capture changes for mobile taxa. The relationship between body size and response to precipitation found here has far-reaching implications for our ability to predict future responses of soil biodiversity to climate change and will help to produce more realistic mechanistic soil models which aim to simulate the responses of soils to global change.
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