New Research on Biodiversity and Nature

A round-up of recent work published in scientific journals

Umbrella species. Deep-sea sharks. War harming distant biodiversity. Tree lizards. And much more…

Assessing the validity of calling species umbrellas: An umbrella species is one whose protection benefits many others. Large, charismatic animals are typically identified as such, and are monitored by scientists as proxies for wider ecosystem health. But there is little data on whether this approach is appropriate. This study asked whether eight possible umbrella species really do represent broader patterns of mammal biodiversity in the largest remaining rainforest in Sumatra, Indonesia. Using data from camera traps, the researchers showed that sambar deer and clouded leopard were consistently ranked as the top umbrellas, being associated with a greater richness and diversity of other mammal species. By contrast, the Sumatran tiger and rhinoceros were among the lower ranked species, despite being commonly regarded as umbrellas. The researchers call for conservation managers to monitor multiple species and use this study’s approach to better interrogate the validity of assumptions about presumed umbrella species elsewhere. Read the full paper in Biological Conservation.

Deep-sea sharks need special protection: Sharks and rays that live deep in the ocean are especially vulnerable to exploitation by humans as they take a long time to reproduce, have few offspring and are generally beyond the reach of conservation and sustainable management. These species are ecologically important predators but are heavily targeted by fishing vessels to supply human demand for liver oil and meat. This study assessed that threat. The authors say that 25 of the 53 deep-water shark species targeted for the international liver-oil trade are threatened with extinction. They say a global depth-limit to fishing activity and the creation of more no-fishing areas would help to protect these species, alongside effective implementation of existing regulations. Read the press release or the full paper in Science.

How the Russia-Ukraine war threatens distant biodiversity: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had many impacts on biodiversity there. This study says the effects are more far-reaching than that. It shows how the war’s impacts on food production can trigger rapid destruction of forests and other habitats to grow crops in distant countries. This will hammer biodiversity, and limit the ability of countries to meet their global commitments to protect and restore nature. The researchers simulated the expansion of global cropland under different scenarios. In the baseline situation, with Ukraine’s crop exports down by one third, they say the war will lead to cropland expanding by an extra 8.48 million hectares compared to a no-war scenario. Biodiversity would suffer most in countries such as the United States, Spain, France, India and Brazil. If Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, cropland expansion and impacts on biodiversity would double from this baseline level, they say. Read the press release or find the full paper in Nature Sustainability.

How tree loss harms lizards in a warming world: Lizards cannot regulate their own temperatures — to warm up or cool down, they must move. One way some of them do this is by climbing trees, either to bask in the sun or to seek shade or the cooler temperatures of higher positions. While some global warming is likely to benefit many lizard species in higher latitudes — by giving them more time to forage and reproduce — this study on North American lizards shows how deforestation would largely offset these gains for many species. The authors used computer simulations to conclude that deforestation would reverse any positive effects of warming for two-thirds of the lizard populations they considered, and would accelerate declines for another 18 percent of them. Read the press release or find the full paper in Nature Climate Change.

See also, new papers on:

• Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants

• Analysis of 20 years of turtle exports from the United States

• Human-bear interactions in China

• Global impacts of human land modification on raptors

• How protected areas in Indonesia affect local people’s wellbeing

• Attitudes of local people towards chimpanzees in a national park in Cameroon

• People returned to nature after COVID-19 lockdowns faster than returning to luxury

• Research stations in the tropics provide cost-effective conservation gains

• Illegal trade in carnivore products in Benin and Niger

• Using drones and deep learning to survey threatened medicinal plants in Tibet

• An updated look at the area and fragmentation of South America’s Atlantic Forest

In case you missed it…

Earlier this week, I published Nature Beat #19 — full of news, resources, jobs, great stories, and more.

Nature Beat #19

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