Projected future climatic forcing on the global distribution of vegetation types.

Most emissions scenarios suggest temperature and precipitation regimes will change dramatically across the globe over the next 500 years. These changes will have large impacts on the biosphere, with species forced to migrate to follow their preferred environmental conditions, therefore moving and fragmenting ecosystems. However, most projections of the impacts of climate change only reach 2100, limiting our understanding of the temporal scope of climate impacts, and potentially impeding suitable adaptive action. To address this data gap, we model future climate change every 20 years from 2000 to 2500 CE, under different CO2 emissions scenarios, using a general circulation model. We then apply a biome model to these modelled climate futures, to investigate shifts in climatic forcing on vegetation worldwide, the feasibility of the migration required to enact these modelled vegetation changes, and potential overlap with human land use based on modern-day anthromes. Under a business-as-usual scenario, up to 40% of terrestrial area is expected to be suited to a different biome by 2500. Cold-adapted biomes, particularly boreal forest and dry tundra, are predicted to experience the greatest losses of suitable area. Without mitigation, these changes could have severe consequences both for global biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.

The scope of empowerment for conservation and communities.

Conservationists increasingly position conservation that is mutually beneficial to people and biodiversity on the promise of empowerment of people through participatory discourse, metrics, processes, and outcomes. Empowerment represents multidimensional concepts and theories that permeate the interlinking levels of power, from the psychological to the political, and social scales in which conservation operates. The multifaceted nature of empowerment makes it challenging to understand, pursue, and evaluate as a central philosophical commitment and goal-oriented practice in conservation. Moreover, definitional and methodological uncertainty may disempower interested and affected groups because they can foster conceptual assumptions that reinforce institutionalized barriers to systemic changes. Despite these complexities, there are no targeted reviews of empowerment in conservation. We conducted a scoping review of the conservation literature to synthesize the meanings and uses of empowerment in the field. We reviewed 121 of the most cited conservation articles that invoked or assessed empowerment from 1992 to 2017 to document geographic, conceptual, and methodological trends in the scales and theories of empowerment deployed by conservationists. Research claiming or assessing empowerment through conservation often focused on communities in the Global South. Most studies relied on qualitative and mixed methods (78%) collected largely from male or non-Indigenous participants. Few studies (30%) defined the 20 types of empowerment they referenced. Fewer studies (3%) applied empowerment theories in their work. Our findings show that empowerment discourse of local and Indigenous communities permeates the discourse of people-centered conservation. Yet, overreliance on empowerment's rhetorical promise and minimal engagement with theory (e.g., postcolonial theory) risks disempowering people by obscuring empowerment's foundational value to conservation and communities and oversimplifying the complex realities of people-centered conservation. Lasting change could come from more meaningful engagement with empowerment, including coproducing definitions and measures with and for disempowered social groups to tackle widespread power disparities in conservation today.

El alcance del empoderamiento para la conservación y las comunidades Resumen Con frecuencia los conservacionistas posicionan a la conservación como benéfica para las personas y la biodiversidad mediante discursos, medidas, procesos y resultados participativos que prometen el empoderamiento de la gente. El empoderamiento representa conceptos y teorías multidimensionales que permean los niveles interconectados de poder, desde el psicológico al político, y las escalas sociales en las que opera la conservación. La naturaleza multifacética del empoderamiento complica que se entienda, se dé seguimiento y se evalúe como un compromiso filosófico central y una práctica orientada hacia las metas dentro de la conservación. Además, la incertidumbre metodológica y de definición pueden restar autoridad a los grupos interesados o afectados pues pueden promover suposiciones conceptuales que refuerzan las barreras institucionales de los cambios sistémicos. A pesar de estas complejidades, no existen revisiones focalizadas del empoderamiento en la conservación. Realizamos una revisión de alcance de la literatura de conservación para sintetizar los significados y usos de la palabra empoderamiento en este campo. Revisamos 121 de los artículos sobre conservación más citados que invocaron o evaluaron el empoderamiento entre 1992 y 2017 para documentar las tendencias geográficas, conceptuales y metodológicas en las escalas y teorías del empoderamiento usadas por los conservacionistas. La mayoría de los artículos que afirmaban o evaluaban el empoderamiento por medio de la conservación se enfocaron en comunidades del Sur Global. La mayoría de los estudios dependieron de métodos cualitativos y mixtos (78%) tomados principalmente de participantes masculinos o no indígenas. Pocos estudios (30%) definieron los 20 tipos de empoderamiento que referenciaron. Todavía menos estudios (3%) aplicaron las teorías de empoderamiento a su trabajo. Nuestros descubrimientos muestran que el discurso de empoderamiento de las comunidades locales e indígenas permea el discurso de la conservación centrada en la gente. Sin embargo, depender en exceso de la promesa retórica del empoderamiento e involucrarse en lo mínimo con la teoría (p. ej.: teoría postcolonial) arriesga que la gente se pierda autoridad al oscurecer el valor fundamental que tiene el empoderamiento para la conservación y las comunidades y simplificar sobremanera las realidades complejas de la conservación centrada en las personas. El cambio duradero podría venir de involucrarse de forma más significativa con el empoderamiento, lo que incluye la coproducción de definiciones y medidas con y para los grupos sociales no empoderados para resolver la disparidad de poder que existe hoy en día en la conservación.

Incomplete recovery of tree community composition and rare species after 120 years of tropical forest succession in Panama.

Determining how fully tropical forests regenerating on abandoned land recover characteristics of old-growth forests is increasingly important for understanding their role in conserving rare species and maintaining ecosystem services. Despite this, our understanding of forest structure and community composition recovery throughout succession is incomplete, as many tropical chronosequences do not extend beyond the first 50 years of succession. Here, we examined trajectories of forest recovery across eight 1-hectare plots in middle and later stages of forest succession (40-120 years) and five 1-hectare old-growth plots, in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument (BCNM), Panama. We first verified that forest age had a greater effect than edaphic or topographic variation on forest structure, diversity and composition and then corroborated results from smaller plots censused 20 years previously. Tree species diversity (but not species richness) and forest structure had fully recovered to old-growth levels by 40 and 90 years, respectively. However, rare species were missing, and old-growth specialists were in low abundance, in the mid- and late secondary forest plots, leading to incomplete recovery of species composition even by 120 years into succession. We also found evidence that dominance early in succession by a long-lived pioneer led to altered forest structure and delayed recovery of species diversity and composition well past a century after land abandonment. Our results illustrate the critical importance of old-growth and old secondary forests for biodiversity conservation, given that recovery of community composition may take several centuries, particularly when a long-lived pioneer dominates in early succession. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.

Determinar en que medida los bosques tropicales que se regeneran en tierras abandonadas recuperan las características de los bosques primarios es cada vez más importante para comprender su papel en la conservación de especies raras y el mantenimiento de los servicios ecosistémicos. A pesar de ello, nuestro entendimiento sobre la recuperación de la estructura del bosque y la composición de la comunidad a lo largo de la sucesión es incompleta, ya que muchas cronosecuencias tropicales no van más allá de los primeros 50 años de sucesión. En este estudio, investigamos las trayectorias de recuperación del bosque en ocho parcelas de 1 hectárea en estadíos medios y tardíos de la sucesión forestal (40­120 años) y cinco parcelas de 1 hectárea de bosque primario, en el Monumento Natural Barro Colorado (MNBC), Panamá. En primer lugar, verificamos que la edad del bosque tenía un mayor efecto que la variación edáfica o topográfica en la estructura, diversidad y composición del bosque y luego corroboramos los resultados de parcelas más pequeñas estudiadas 20 años antes. La diversidad de especies arbóreas, pero no la riqueza de especies, y la estructura forestal se habían recuperado completamente hasta alcanzar los niveles de bosque primario a los 40 y 90 años, respectivamente. Sin embargo, los bosques secundarios carecían de especies raras y presentaban una escasa abundancia de especies especialistas del bosque antiguo, lo que condujo a una recuperación incompleta de la composición de especies, incluso a 120 años de sucesión. También encontramos pruebas de que el predominio de un pionero longevo en las primeras etapas de la sucesión provocó una alteración de la estructura forestal y retrasó la recuperación de la diversidad y composición de especies más allá de un siglo después el abandono de las tierras. Nuestros resultados ilustran la importancia crítica de los bosques primarios y secundarios más antiguos para la conservación de la biodiversidad, dado que la recuperación de la composición de la comunidad puede llevar varios siglos, especialmente cuando un pionero longevo domina en la sucesión temprana.

Twenty years later: Biodiversity of marine symbiotic Siphonostomatoida (Copepoda) off Southern Africa.

Siphonostomatoida (Copepoda) consists of 40 families of symbionts infecting vertebrates (17 families) and invertebrates (23 families) found mostly in marine habitats. In 2004, a list was compiled of all the reported families, genera and species symbiotic with marine fish in Southern African waters. Since this was done 20 years ago, it is necessary to re-evaluate the progress made in 20 years regarding our knowledge of the diversity of marine siphonostomatoids. To assess the current knowledge, the 2004 list was updated with reports published since 2004 as well as with new host and locality records including species with changes in taxonomy. Additionally, species collected but unreported as well as species previously reported but with new hosts and/or localities were also added. Currently reports include 16 families, 75 genera and 234 species. However, amongst these are reports of only two families (3 species) infecting invertebrates. Even though the report includes 71 additional species it still compares poorly with the about 2 274 accepted species, especially regarding species infecting invertebrates. Considering South Africas wealth in possible marine host species, examination of more hosts (especially marine teleosts and invertebrates) will definitely result in an increase in the current knowledge about the biodiversity of marine siphonostomatoids off Southern Africa.

Preserving a Legacy: Ensuring the Access and Conservation of the Harold (Harry) G. Fowler (19502018) Ant Collection and Data.

Biological collections are important repositories of biodiversity, as they include various types of data potentially useful to different areas of science and can contribute to the establishment of biodiversity conservation policies. For a long time, scientific collections were considered only as physical databases; in this context Harold G. Fowler (19502018) built an ant collection at the Universidade Estadual Paulista, campus Rio Claro (So Paulo state, Brazil), over the course of a 34-year career, comprising around 20,000 ant specimens. Most specimens came from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, but many others came from distinct locations in Brazil and abroad. After his death, the collection was left without the necessary curatorial care for a period of time, which required a project to be conceived for its recovery and conservation, with the goal of incorporating it to the Zoology Museum of the University of So Paulo (MZSP). In addition to applying modern technical curation protocols, other activities such as checking, material identification and digitization of the information contained on the sample labels were carried out, forming an accurate database. This process enabled the identification of new distribution records and the discovery of possible undescribed species and unpublished natural history data. After validating this information, we counted 524 valid species and 201 morphospecies belonging to 105 genera and 10 subfamilies. In addition, we integrated technical curation activities with scientific outreach to draw the general publics attention to the importance of biological collections, thus fostering interest in science, biodiversity and nature conservation. Our work highlights the importance of preserving the areas sampled by Fowlers research group. The preservation of vouchers using curatorial practices reinforces the role of scientific collections as important tools for the study, understanding and preservation of biodiversity.

[Plant community differentiation of desertification region in northwest Liaoning Province, China]. / è¾½è¥¿åŒ—è’æ¼ åŒ–åŒºæ¤ç‰©ç¾¤è½åˆ†å¼‚.

Understanding plant communities in desertification area is the scientific basis of evaluating the local eco-environmental quality and carrying out desertification control. According to longitude, we divided the desertification area in northwest Liaoning Province into three regions: the eastern region (122°50'37″ -123°49'40″ E), the middle region (121°16'41″-122°35'00″ E), and the western region (119°20'03″ -120°02'41″ E), and investigated the plant communities in each region. The results showed that the proportion of forest and canopy density of tree layer increased from the west to the east. Ass. Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica and Ass. Populus sp. in the eastern, Ass. Pinus tabuliformis and Ass. Populus sp. in the middle, as well as Ass. P. tabuliformis and Ass. Prunus sibirica in the western were dominant communities, respectively. The proportion of brush community in the eastern, middle and western was 0, 22.2%, and 28.0%, respectively. Grasslands formed mainly by human disturbance in the eas-tern and middle regions. The total species numbers were 110 in the middle, 88 in the western and 75 in the eastern, respectively. Therophytes were dominant in the eastern and middle with proportions of 68.2% and 66.7%, respectively. Hemicryptophytes were the dominant type (36.3%) in the western region. The proportion of microphanerophyt, nanophanerophyte, chamaephyte, and geophyte increased from the eastern to the western. The species number, Shannon index, and Simpson diversity index of the middle were the highest among the three regions. Pielou evenness index increased gradually from the eastern to the western. Community similarity between the eastern and the western was the lowest, as shown by the ß-biodiversity, and the similarity between the middle and the western was the highest. The community type, species number, characteristics of species composition and species biodiversity of the middle region had the characteristics of ecological transition zone. In general, vegetation status in the desertification area of northwest Liaoning Province was in good condition. There were still some problems including the monotonous vertical structure of forest and tree species as well as the serious human interference.

Freshwater macroinvertebrates along the Nigeria-Cameroon border enhance the conservation value of the lower Guinea forest biodiversity hotspot.

In Nigeria and tropical Africa, the bias towards the protection of natural sites on account of terrestrial biodiversity or their resultant ecosystem services has led to a considerably low number of freshwater conservation studies in the region. To close this gap, six lotic freshwater systems in three different natural sites (Obudu Mountains, Agbokim Waterfalls, and Cross River National Park) along the Cameroon border of Nigeria were evaluated for the biodiversity of macroinvertebrates and some aspects of water quality in December 2021 and March 2022. Among other macroinvertebrate-related indices, the community conservation index (CCI), which considers the presence of threatened, rare, and notable species, was used for the conservation evaluation of the freshwater systems. The Ephemeroptera-Plecoptera-Trichoptera (EPT) species were notably rich at the sites, with over 12 species each at the Afundu Stream, Kwa River, Cataract Stream, and Agbokim River. All of the sites had a very high conservation value, according to the CCI, which was greater than 20. Some Obudu sites (Grotto and Becheve streams), despite having fewer EPT taxa, had higher CCI than the Kwa or Agbokim River. This was due to the presence of the endangered damselflies (Africocypha centripunctata and Allocnemis vicki) at the Obudu sites and a rare mayfly species in Nigeria (Tricorythus tinctus), which was reported at Agbokim and Kwa Rivers. The presence of a notable damselfly genus (Pentaphlebia) at the Afundu stream of the Obudu Mountains also raises some hope that the critically endangered damselfly (Pentaphlebia gamblesi), whose adult was last seen in 1973, could still be alive at the site. Canonical Correspondence Analysis revealed that the proportion of scrapers had a strong association with high BOD and EC in Agbokim River, while the Becheve and Grotto streams which had high vegetal cover was positively associated with shredders. Also, increasing DO in Afundu Stream, Kwa River and Cataract Stream was positively associated with EPT richness. This study revealed that more freshwater ecological studies need to be conducted at isolated natural sites and protected areas in Africa. Findings from such studies have implications for preserving freshwater ecosystems of high conservation value from the various threats that characterize the Anthropocene.

The biocontrol nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita infects and increases mortality of Monadenia fidelis, a non-target terrestrial gastropod species endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America, in laboratory conditions.

Inundative biological control (biocontrol) efforts in pest management lead to the mass distribution of commercialized biocontrol agents. Many 'biocontrol gone awry' incidents have resulted in disastrous biodiversity impacts, leading to increased scrutiny of biocontrol efforts. The nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita is sold as a biocontrol agent on three continents and targets pest gastropods such as Deroceras reticulatum, the Grey Field Slug; P. hermaphrodita is not presently approved for use in the United States. Investigations into the potential for P. hermaphrodita to infect non-target gastropod species of conservation relevance, however, are limited. We examined the effects of three strains of P. hermaphrodita on mortality in Monadenia fidelis, the Pacific Sideband, a snail species endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America, in laboratory conditions. Across a 71-day laboratory infectivity assay, snails exposed to each of the three nematode strains, each analyzed at two doses, experienced a mean 50% mortality by days 20-42. All nematode-treated snails were dead by the end of the study. By contrast, 30/30 water-control snails experienced no mortality. Nematodes killed smaller, juvenile-stage snails significantly faster than those in larger and more developmentally advanced hosts. Our results provide direct evidence that the biocontrol nematode P. hermaphrodita infects and kills M. fidelis, a non-target gastropod species endemic to the Pacific Northwest, in laboratory conditions. This study suggests that introduction of P. hermaphrodita to new ecosystems might negatively impact endemic gastropod biodiversity and advocates for further investigation of non-target effects, including in conditions closer to the natural environments of non-target species.

Forb stability, dwarf shrub stability and species asynchrony regulate ecosystem stability along an experimental precipitation gradient in a semi-arid desert grassland.

Precipitation pattern changes may affect plant biodiversity, which could impact ecosystem stability. However, the effects of changes in precipitation regime on ecosystem stability and their potential mechanisms are still unclear. We conducted a 3-year field manipulation experiment with five precipitation treatments (-40%, -20%, 0% (CK), +20% and +40% of ambient growing season precipitation) in a semi-arid desert grassland to examine the effects of precipitation alterations on functional group stability, species asynchrony, and diversity, and the underlying mchanisms of ecosystem stability using structural equation modelling. Alterations in precipitation had different effects on community biomass and functional group biomass. Moreover, ecosystem stability was mainly driven by forb stability (path coefficient = 0.79). Changes in precipitation had significant effects on soil dissolved inorganic N (P < 0.01) further affecting ecosystem stability through species asynchrony (path coefficient = 0.25). Dwarf shrubs had a stabilizing effect on ecosystem stability (path coefficient = 0.32), mainly via deep roots. Ecosystem stability tended to be lower in the -40% (4.72) and +40% (2.74) precipitation treatments. The common reduction in species asynchrony and stability of forb and dwarf shrub functional groups resulted in lower ecosystem stability under the -40% treatment. The lower stability under the +40% treatment might be ascribed to unimproved dwarf shrub stability. Higher dwarf shrub and forb stability contributed to higher ecosystem stability under normal precipitation changes (±20% treatments) and CK. Species diversity was not a crucial driver of ecosystem stability. Our results indicate that precipitation alteration can regulate ecosystem stability via functional group stability (e.g. forb stability, dwarf shrub stability) and species asynchrony in a semiarid desert grassland.

Conflicts and opportunities for commercial tree plantation expansion and biodiversity restoration across Brazil.

Substantial global restoration commitments are occurring alongside a rapid expansion in land-hungry tropical commodities, including to supply increasing demand for wood products. Future commercial tree plantations may deliver high timber yields, shrinking the footprint of production forestry, but there is an as-yet unquantified risk that plantations may expand into priority restoration areas, with marked environmental costs. Focusing on Brazil-a country of exceptional restoration importance and one of the largest tropical timber producers-we use random forest models and information on the economic, social, and spatial drivers of historic commercial tree plantation expansion to estimate and map the probability of future monoculture tree plantation expansion between 2020 and 2030. We then evaluate potential plantation-restoration conflicts and opportunities at national and biome-scales and under different future production and restoration pathways. Our simulations show that of 2.8 Mha of future plantation expansion (equivalent to plantation expansion 2010-2020), ~78,000 ha (3%) is forecast to occur in the top 1% of restoration priority areas for terrestrial vertebrates, with ~547,500 ha (20%) and ~1,300,000 ha (46%) in the top 10% and 30% of priority areas, respectively. Just ~459,000 ha (16%) of expansion is forecast within low-restoration areas (bottom 30% restoration priorities), and the first 1 Mha of plantation expansion is likely to have disproportionate impacts, with potential restoration-plantation overlap starkest in the Atlantic Forest but prominent in the Pampas and Cerrado as well. Our findings suggest that robust, coherent land-use policies must be deployed to ensure that significant trade-offs between restoration and production objectives are navigated, and that commodity expansion does not undermine the most tractable conservation gains under emerging global restoration agendas. They also highlight the potentially significant role an engaged forestry sector could play in improving biodiversity outcomes in restoration projects in Brazil, and presumably elsewhere.

Influence of microclimate and forest management on bat species faced with global change.

Climate refugia, areas where climate is expected to remain relatively stable, can offer a near-term safe haven for species sensitive to warming temperatures and drought. Understanding the influence of temperature, moisture, and disturbance on sensitive species is critical during this time of rapid climate change. Coastal habitats can serve as important refugia. Many of these areas consist of working forestlands, and there is a growing recognition that conservation efforts worldwide must consider the habitat value of working lands, in addition to protected areas, to effectively manage large landscapes that support biodiversity. The sensitivity of forest bats to climate and habitat disturbance makes them a useful indicator taxon. We tested how microclimate and forest management influence habitat use for 13 species of insectivorous bats in a large climate refugium in a global biodiversity hotspot. We examined whether bat activity during the summer dry season is greater in forests where coastal fog provides moisture and more stable temperatures across both protected mature stands and those regularly logged. Acoustic monitoring was conducted at a landscape scale with 20 study sites, and generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the influence of habitat variables. Six species were positively associated with warmer nighttime temperature, and 5 species had a negative relationship with humidity or a positive relationship with climatic moisture deficit. Our results suggest that these mammals may have greater climate adaptive capacity than expected, and, for now, that habitat use may be more related to optimal foraging conditions than to avoidance of warming temperatures and drought. We also determined that 12 of the 13 regionally present bat species were regularly detected in commercial timberland stands. Because forest bats are highly mobile, forage over long distances, and frequently change roosts, the stewardship of working forests must be addressed to protect these species.

Influencia del microclima y el manejo forestal sobre especies de murciélagos ante el cambio global Resumen Los refugios climáticos, áreas en donde se espera que el clima permanezca relativamente estable, pueden ofrecer un santuario a corto plazo para las especies sensibles al aumento de temperaturas y la sequía. Es muy importante entender la influencia de la temperatura, la humedad y las perturbaciones sobre las especies sensibles durante estos tiempos de cambio climático repentino. Los hábitats costeros pueden funcionar como refugios importantes. Muchas de estas áreas consisten en bosques funcionales y cada vez hay más reconocimiento de que los esfuerzos mundiales de conservación deben considerar el valor del hábitat de los suelos funcionales, además de las áreas protegidas, para manejar de manera efectiva los extensos paisajes que mantienen a la biodiversidad. La sensibilidad de los murciélagos de los bosques ante las perturbaciones climáticas y de hábitat hace que sean un taxón indicador útil. Analizamos cómo los microclimas y el manejo forestal influyen sobre el uso de hábitat de 13 especies de murciélagos insectívoros en un refugio climático amplio dentro de un punto caliente de biodiversidad mundial. Examinamos si la actividad de los murciélagos durante la temporada seca de verano es mayor en los bosques en donde la niebla costera proporciona humedad y temperaturas más estables tanto en los árboles maduros como aquellos que son talados con regularidad. Realizamos el monitoreo acústico a escala de paisaje en 20 estudios de sitio y usamos modelos lineales mixtos generalizados para examinar la influencia de las variables del hábitat. Seis especies estuvieron asociadas positivamente con la temperatura nocturna más cálida y cinco especies tuvieron una relación negativa con la humedad o una relación positiva con el déficit climático de humedad. Nuestros resultados sugieren que estos mamíferos pueden tener una mayor capacidad de adaptación climática de lo que se pensaba y, por ahora, que el uso de hábitat puede estar más relacionado con las condiciones óptimas de forrajeo que con la evasión de las temperaturas elevadas y la sequía. También determinamos que 12 de las 13 especies con presencia regional fueron detectadas con regularidad en los puntos de tala comercial. Ya que los murciélagos del bosque tienden a moverse mucho, forrajear a lo largo de grandes distancias y con frecuencia cambiar de nido, debemos abordar la administración de los bosques funcionales para proteger a estas especies.

How the COVID-19 pandemic signaled the demise of Antarctic exceptionalism.

This paper explores how the COVID-19 pandemic affected science and tourism activities and their governance in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean. The pandemic reduced the ability of Antarctic Treaty Parties to make decisions on policy issues and placed a considerable burden on researchers. Tourism was effectively suspended during the 2020-2021 Antarctic season and heavily reduced in 2021-2022 but rebounded to record levels in 2022-2023. The pandemic stimulated reflection on practices to facilitate dialog, especially through online events. Opportunities arose to integrate innovations developed during the pandemic more permanently into Antarctic practices, in relation to open science, reducing operational greenhouse gas footprints and barriers of access to Antarctic research and facilitating data sharing. However, as well as the long-term impacts arising directly from the pandemic, an assemblage of major geopolitical drivers are also in play and, combined, these signal a considerable weakening of Antarctic exceptionalism in the early Anthropocene.

Multi-objective ecological restoration priority in China: Cost-benefit optimization in different ecological performance regimes based on planetary boundaries.

In the context of the "United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration", optimizing spatiotemporal arrangements for ecological restoration is an important approach to enhancing overall socioecological benefits for sustainable development. However, against the background of ecological degradation caused by the human use of most natural resources at levels that have approached or exceeded the safe and sustainable boundaries of ecosystems, it is key to explain how to optimize ecological restoration by classified management and optimal total benefits. In response to these issues, we combined spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics at the national scale in China to construct five ecological performance regimes defined by indicators that use planetary boundaries and ecological pressures which served as the basis for prioritizing ecological restoration areas and implementing zoning control. By integrating habitat conservation, biodiversity, water supply, and restoration cost constraints, seven ecological restoration scenarios were simulated to optimize the spatial layout of ecological restoration projects (ERPs). The results indicated that the provinces with unsustainable freshwater use, climate change, and land use accounted for more than 25%, 66.7%, and 25%, respectively, of the total area. Only 30% of the provinces experienced a decrease in environmental pressure. Based on the ecological performance regimes, ERP sites spanning the past 20 years were identified, and more than 50% of the priority areas were clustered in regime areas with increased ecological stress. As the restoration area targets doubled (40%) from the baseline (20%), a multi-objective scenario presents a trade-off between expanded ERPs in areas with highly beneficial effects and minimal restoration costs. In conclusion, a reasonable classification and management regime is the basis for targeted restoration. Coordinating multiple objectives and costs in ecological restoration is the key to maximizing socio-ecological benefits. Our study offered new perspectives on systematic and sustainable planning for ecological restoration.

Reclamation history and land use types across multiple spatial scales shape anuran communities in the coastal land reclamation region.

Land reclamation is a widely adopted method for managing land shortage and promoting coastal economic development globally. However, its impacts on biodiversity vary based on distinct reclamation histories and land use management strategies in different regions. This study aims to examine the effects of reclamation history and land use types at different spatial scales on anuran communities in coastal reclaimed land, which are an important taxon in the coastal ecosystem. We used visual and acoustic encounter methods to survey anurans in 2016 and 2017 across 20 1-km radius coastal land reclamation landscapes with different reclamation histories (10, 20, and 60 y after reclamation) in Nanhui Dongtan of Shanghai, an important coastal land reclamation region along the Yangtze River Estuary. Landscape variables (farmlands, woodlands, and impermeable surface covers, and the landscape Shannon diversity index) at four different spatial scales (250 m, 500 m, 750 m and 1000 m) and water salinity in each landscape were measured. Our findings reveal differences in anuran communities between study sites with 10, 20, and 60 years of reclamation history. Abundances of the ornamented pygmy frog (Microhyla fissipes) and Beijing gold-striped pond frog (Pelophylax plancyi) in landscapes with a 10-year reclamation history were significantly lower compared to those with histories of 20 and 60 years. Zhoushan toad (Bufo gargarizans) abundance was significantly negatively related to farmland cover at the 1000 m scale and impermeable surface cover at the 250 m scale; Hong Kong rice-paddy frog (Fejervarya multistriata) abundance was significantly positively related to farmland cover at the 1000 m scale; ornamented pygmy frog abundance was positively related to farmland cover at the 1000 m scale; and Beijing gold-striped pond frog abundance was significantly positively and negatively related to the landscape Shannon diversity index at the 1000 m scale and to water salinity, respectively. Amphibians quickly migrated and colonized coastal reclaimed land from older natural lands. However, two anuran species with specific habitat requirements tended to avoid areas with shorter reclamation histories. The single-species models revealed different responses to various land uses at the various scales, which indicated that land use management was important to amphibian conservation in coastal reclamation regions.

Go with the flow: Impacts of high and low flow conditions on freshwater mussel assemblages and distribution.

Understanding the drivers of distribution and assemblage composition of aquatic organisms is an important aspect of management and conservation, especially in freshwater systems that are inordinately facing increasing anthropogenic pressures and decreasing biodiversity. For stream organisms, habitat conditions during high flows may be impossible to measure in the field, but can be an important factor for their distribution, especially for less mobile organisms like freshwater mussels. Hence, the objective of this study was to use a two dimensional HEC-RAS model to simulate hydraulic conditions during high and baseline flows (flows approx. 10-600 x and 0.7 x median daily flows respectively) in a 20 km segment in the San Saba River, Texas in combination with existing mussel survey data from 200 sites (collected every 100m) to 1) examine whether hydraulic conditions differed between areas of increased mussel richness and diversity (referred to as hotspots) and other sites, and 2) understand how well site occupancy and species abundance could be explained by hydraulic conditions occurring under different flow conditions. The results showed that richness and diversity hotspots occurred in deeper areas with lower shear stress, stream power, and Froude number during both high and low flows. Occupancy could be predicted with 67-79% accuracy at the site scale and 60-70% accuracy at the mesohabitat scale (∼20 to 1200 m long). In addition, hydraulic conditions across flow scenarios explained up to 55% of variation in species abundances, but predictions were less successful for species often observed to occupy micro-scale flow refuges such as bedrock crevices. The results indicate that pools may serve as important refuge for all species during both high and low flow events, which may be relatively unique to bedrock-dominated systems. Understanding hydraulic conditions that occur at extreme flows such as these is important given that the frequency and magnitude of such events are increasing due to climate change.

Deciphering the impact of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) on benthic foraminiferal communities: Insights from Cell-Tracker Green staining and eDNA metabarcoding.

This study investigates the ecotoxicological effects of BDE-209, a persistent organic pollutant (POP) prevalent in Kuwait's coastal-industrial areas, on benthic foraminiferal communities. We conducted a mesocosm experiment in which we exposed benthic foraminiferal communities sampled from the coastal-industrial areas of Kuwait to a gradient of BDE-209 concentrations (0.01 to 20 mg/kg). The impact of exposure was assessed using live-staining and metabarcoding techniques. Despite the significantly different taxonomic compositions detected by the two techniques, our results show that BDE-209 significantly affects foraminiferal communities, with moderately high concentrations leading to reduced α-diversity and considerable taxonomic shifts in both molecular and morphological assemblages. At concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/kg, no living foraminifera were detected after 8 weeks, suggesting a threshold for their survival under BDE-209 exposure. The parallel responses of molecular and morphological communities confirm the reliability of both assessment methods. This study is the first to investigate the reaction of eukaryotic communities, specifically foraminifera, to POPs such as BDE-209, generating valuable insights that have the potential to enhance field studies and aid the refinement of sediment quality guidelines.

Anthropogenic climate and land-use change drive short- and long-term biodiversity shifts across taxa.

Climate change and habitat loss present serious threats to nature. Yet, due to a lack of historical land-use data, the potential for land-use change and baseline land-use conditions to interact with a changing climate to affect biodiversity remains largely unknown. Here, we use historical land use, climate data and species observation data to investigate the patterns and causes of biodiversity change in Great Britain. We show that anthropogenic climate change and land conversion have broadly led to increased richness, biotic homogenization and warmer-adapted communities of British birds, butterflies and plants over the long term (50+ years) and short term (20 years). Biodiversity change was found to be largely determined by baseline environmental conditions of land use and climate, especially over shorter timescales, suggesting that biodiversity change in recent periods could reflect an inertia derived from past environmental changes. Climate-land-use interactions were mostly related to long-term change in species richness and beta diversity across taxa. Semi-natural grasslands (in a broad sense, including meadows, pastures, lowland and upland heathlands and open wetlands) were associated with lower rates of biodiversity change, while their contribution to national-level biodiversity doubled over the long term. Our findings highlight the need to protect and restore natural and semi-natural habitats, alongside a fuller consideration of individual species' requirements beyond simple measures of species richness in biodiversity management and policy.

Towards harmonized standards for freshwater biodiversity monitoring and biological assessment using benthic macroinvertebrates.

Monitoring programs at sub-national and national scales lack coordination, harmonization, and systematic review and analysis at continental and global scales, and thus fail to adequately assess and evaluate drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation and loss at large spatial scales. Here we review the state of the art, gaps and challenges in the freshwater assessment programs for both the biological condition (bioassessment) and biodiversity monitoring of freshwater ecosystems using the benthic macroinvertebrate community. To assess the existence of nationally- and regionally- (sub-nationally-) accepted freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate protocols that are put in practice/used in each country, we conducted a survey from November 2022 to May 2023. Responses from 110 respondents based in 67 countries were received. Although the responses varied in their consistency, the responses clearly demonstrated a lack of biodiversity monitoring being done at both national and sub-national levels for lakes, rivers and artificial waterbodies. Programs for bioassessment were more widespread, and in some cases even harmonized among several countries. We identified 20 gaps and challenges, which we classed into five major categories, these being (a) field sampling, (b) sample processing and identification, (c) metrics and indices, (d) assessment, and (e) other gaps and challenges. Above all, we identify the lack of harmonization as one of the most important gaps, hindering efficient collaboration and communication. We identify the IUCN SSC Global Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Sampling Protocols Task Force (GLOSAM) as a means to address the lack of globally-harmonized biodiversity monitoring and biological assessment protocols.

Advancing ethnobiology for the ecological transition and a more inclusive and just world: a comprehensive framework for the next 20 years.

This opinion piece, written by ethnobiologists from different parts of the world, emphasizes the importance of ethnobiology research in advancing contemporary biology, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and, especially, contributing to the ecological transition and more just and inclusive world. To achieve these goals, it is essential to develop research and collaborate with social groups that live in close relationship with nature in research activities, such as Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC), as well as Afro-descendants and other Marginalized, Minority or Minoritized Communities (AMMC). Ethnobiology can identify and provide locally appropriate solutions to local problems, enabling sustainable resource management at the landscape level. The text explores important aspects that need to be considered to guide the future of ethnobiology in the next 20 years, aiming to integrate and amplify previous discussions held in the discipline and identify points that demand ongoing attention. This paper highlights reflections from diverse researchers, emphasizing how ethnobiology can embrace different perspectives and employ rigorous analysis of complex phenomena toward effective policies and practices. This approach holds the potential to address the challenges the planet is currently facing in the coming decades.

Global monitoring for biodiversity: Uncertainty, risk, and power analyses to support trend change detection.

Global targets aim to reverse biodiversity declines by 2050 but require knowledge of current trends and future projections under policy intervention. First, given uncertainty in measurement of current trends, we propose a risk framework, considering probability and magnitude of decline. While only 11 of 198 systems analyzed (taxonomic groups by country from the Living Planet Database) showed declining abundance with high certainty, 20% of systems had a 70% chance of strong declines. Society needs to decide acceptable risks of biodiversity loss. Second, we calculated statistical power to detect trend change using ~12,000 populations from 62 systems currently showing strong declines. Current trend uncertainty hinders our ability to assess improvements. Trend change is detectable with high certainty in only 14 systems, even if thousands of populations are sampled, and conservation action reduces net declines to zero immediately, on average. We provide potential solutions to improve monitoring of progress toward biodiversity targets.