Biology subjects

Scheffers, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Scheffers, B..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Decision analysis shows scientific and economic value of community-based monitoring in Madagascar

Community-based monitoring (CBM) could enable long-term biodiversity monitoring in remote areas and benefit local communities, but its benefits have rarely been quantified. We use a multi-criteria decision analysis framework to systematically examine the scientific and socioeconomic values and financial costs associated with biodiversity monitoring for vertebrates by scientists and local community members in six protected areas (PAs) in Madagascar, encompassing diverse ecosystems spanning tropical rainforests to spiny deserts. We compare the number of species observed during scientist and community surveys, identify the ideal number of scientist and community surveys that would be required to maximize the scientific and socioeconomic values of monitoring efforts while minimizing financial cost, and compare monitoring plans across several conservation philosophies representing "ecocentric" and "people-centered" perspectives. Scientists generally observed more species than community members. However, including a greater proportion of surveys conducted by community members improves wildlife monitoring across PAs, taxonomic groups, and diverse conservation philosophies due to the lower financial cost of travel and compensation relative to monitoring exclusively conducted by scientists. While the valuation schemes we use are simplistic representations of the complex costs and values associated with CBM, this study indicates the benefits of community monitoring regardless of the conservation philosophy used to anchor valuation and decision-making. Increasing integration of CBM into existing conservation management could therefore offer a financially viable method to consistently monitor biodiversity and benefit local communities in the face of limited funding and global challenges.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Functional traits and phylogeny predict vertical foraging in terrestrial mammals and birds

Earths ecosystems are characterized by numerous gradients related to the distribution of environmental conditions and resources. Niche theory predicts that animals will evolve traits to exploit changing resource availability and environmental conditions across these gradients. Much work has been done examining how animal traits like body mass and diet change across gradients from regional to global scales. Environmental and resource gradients in the vertical dimension tend to exhibit strong changes over relatively short distances due to the influence of elevation and vegetation. Vegetation structure may be an especially important vertical axis as it contributes to strong gradients in micro- climate, food resources, and predation risk. To investigate interrelationships between the vertical niche and its presumed drivers, we use functional traits, phylogenies, and predation risk to predict the vertical foraging niche for 4,828 mammals and 9,437 birds globally. To provide biogeographic context to the predictive analysis, we use species ranges to map geographic distributions of the vertical foraging niche and relationships between the niche and its presumed drivers. Linking trait databases with species range maps revealed distinct global distributions of vertical foraging niches for mammals and birds. The most important predictors of these niches varied by taxon but there were several systematic relationships. Diet, body mass, and phylogeny were strong predictors of vertical foraging niche across mammal and bird species. Percent fruit in diet exhibited progressively more positive relationships with higher canopy foraging positions. Predation pressure was relatively unimportant in predicting most vertical foraging niches for birds and mammals but displayed a positive trend with arboreal foraging. Geographic hotspots for the importance of fruit in both mammal and bird diets included the Andes-Amazon transition zone, the Amazon Basin, and New Guinea. Our results provide support for the theory of resource driven vertical niche partitioning but also reveal that vertical niches are strongly associated with phylogeny, suggesting niche conservatism in numerous mammal and bird families. Geographic patterns in variable importance values suggest multiple mechanisms behind spatial structure in eco- evolutionary relationships, including latitudinal gradients in vegetation structure and composition, historical patterns of island isolation (in Southeast Asia), and the influence of habitat heterogeneity driven by tectonic processes (in South America).

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Re-drawing Koppen-Geiger classes with microclimate: implications for nature and society

Scientists have long categorized the planets climate using the Koppen-Geiger (KG) classification to understand climate change impacts, biogeographical realms, agricultural suitability, and conservation. However, global KG maps primarily rely on macroclimate data collected by weather stations, which may not represent microclimatic conditions experienced by most life on Earth. Few studies have explored microclimate at broad scales, largely due to data and computational constraints. Here, we predicted KG classes separately from macroclimate and microclimate for over 32 million locations across six continents. Microclimate reclassified 38% of the total area, and microclimate KG classes were both more spatially variable, and encompassed a broader range of latitudes, relative to macroclimate KG classes. By redrawing the lines of climate classes, our study prompts a reevaluation of the importance of meteorological drivers of ecology across scales, shedding light on how natural, agricultural, and social systems experience and respond to global change.

ecology↗