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1. Soil resource partitioning and dispersal limitation have been shown to shape the tree community structure of mature tropical forests, but are poorly studied in the context of forest succession. We examined the relative contributions of both ecological processes to the variation in the species composition of young tropical secondary forests at different spatial scales, and if the relative importance of these two ecological processes changed during succession. At the species level, we examined if the association between species abundances and soil fertility differed between early and late successional species and/or changed over the course of succession. 2. We used vegetation and soil data from 47 secondary forest sites with two plots each in a tropical agricultural landscape. A distance-based redundancy analysis and variation partitioning were employed to examine the relative importance of spatial distance (proxy for dispersal limitation) and heterogeneity in soil nutrients (proxy for soil nutrient partitioning) at the landscape scale, and a linear regression to test their effects at the local scale. We examined interspecific variation in species' responses to successional age and soil nutrients with a joint species distribution model. 3. Dispersal limitation and soil niche partitioning drove considerable variation in the composition of plant communities at local and landscape scales. The relative contribution of these two ecological processes changed with scale (local vs. landscape) and topography (lower slope vs. upper slope plots). At the species level, significant abundance-soil fertility associations were mostly positive. Most species became less responsive to soil nutrients over the first few decades of tropical forest succession, probably because light became the main limiting resource in older forests. 4. Synthesis. Our key finding is that spatial heterogeneity in soil resources and spatial distance jointly drive compositional variation within and across early successional forests. Our results highlight that a network of forest fragments enhances the resilience of ecological processes and the potential of secondary forests to restore and preserve biodiversity in human-modified landscapes. To advance our understanding of ecological succession, we need to move beyond single-factor and local-scale studies and examine the effects of multiple variables on succession at different spatial scales.

Biodiversity maintenance in human‐altered landscapes (HALs) depends on the species turnover among localities, but the patterns and determinants of β‐diversity in HALs are poorly known. In fact, declines, increases and neutral shifts in β‐diversity have all been documented, depending on the landscape, ecological group and spatial scale of analysis. We shed some light on this controversy by assessing the patterns and predictors of bird β‐diversity across multiple spatial scales considering forest specialist and habitat generalist bird assemblages. We surveyed birds from 144 point counts in 36 different forest sites across two landscapes with different amount of forest cover in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. We analysed β‐diversity among points, among sites and between landscapes with multiplicative diversity partitioning of Hill numbers. We tested whether β‐diversity among points was related to within‐site variations in vegetation structure, and whether β‐diversity among sites was related to site location and/or to differences among sites in vegetation structure and landscape composition (i.e. per cent forest and pasture cover surrounding each site). β‐diversity between landscapes was lower than among sites and among points in both bird assemblages. In forest specialist birds, the landscape with less forest cover showed the highest β‐diversity among sites (bird differentiation among sites), but generalist birds showed the opposite pattern. At the local scale, however, the less forested landscape showed the lowest β‐diversity among points (bird homogenization within sites), independently of the bird assemblage. β‐diversity among points was weakly related to vegetation structure, but higher β‐diversity values were recorded among sites that were more isolated from each other, and among sites with higher differences in landscape composition, particularly in the less forested landscape. Our findings indicate that patterns of bird β‐diversity vary across scales and are strongly related to landscape composition. Bird assemblages are shaped by both environmental filtering and dispersal limitation, particularly in less forested landscapes. Conservation and management strategies should therefore prevent deforestation in this biodiversity hotspot.

1. Agricultural expansion and intensification are major threats to tropical biodiversity. In addition to the direct removal of native vegetation, agricultural expansion often elicits other human-induced disturbances, many of which are poorly addressed by existing environmental legislation and conservation programmes. This is particularly true for tropical freshwater systems, where there is considerable uncertainty about whether a legislative focus on protecting riparian vegetation is sufficient to conserve stream fauna. 2. To assess the extent to which stream fish are being effectively conserved in agricultural landscapes, we examined the spatial distribution of assemblages in river basins to identify the relative importance of human impacts at instream, riparian and catchment scales, in shaping observed patterns. We used an extensive dataset on the ecological condition of 83 low-order streams distributed in three river basins in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. 3. We collected and identified 24,420 individual fish from 134 species. Multiplicative diversity partitioning revealed high levels of compositional dissimilarity (DS) among stream sites (DS = 0.74 to 0.83) and river basins (DS = 0.82), due mainly to turnover (77.8% to 81.8%) rather than nestedness. The highly heterogeneous fish faunas in small Amazonian streams underscore the vital importance of enacting measures to protect forests on private lands outside of public protected areas. 4. Instream habitat features explained more variability in fish assemblages (15%-19%) than riparian (2%-12%), catchment (4%-13%) or natural covariates (4%-11%). Although grouping species into functional guilds allowed us to explain up to 31% of their abundance (i.e. for nektonic herbivores), individual riparian - and catchment - scale predictor variables that are commonly a focus of environmental legislation explained very little of the observed variation (partial R² values mostly <5%). 5. Policy implications. Current rates of agricultural intensification and mechanization tropical landscapes are unprecedented, yet the existing legislative frameworks focusing on protecting riparian vegetation seem insufficient to conserve stream environments and their fish assemblages. To safeguard the species-rich freshwater biota of small Amazonian streams, conservation actions must shift towards managing whole basins and drainage networks, as well as agricultural practices in already-cleared land.

Aim: The biodiversity value of scattered trees in modified landscapes is often overlooked in planning and conservation decisions. We conducted a multitaxa study to determine how wildlife abundance, species richness and community composition at individual trees are affected by (1) the landscape context in which trees are located; and (2) the size of trees. Location: Canberra, south-eastern Australia. Methods: Trunk arthropod, bat and bird surveys were undertaken over 3 years (2012-2014) at 72 trees of three sizes (small (20-50 cm DBH), medium (51-80 cm), large (≥80 cm)) located in four landscape contexts (reserves, pasture, urban parklands, urban built-up areas). Results: Landscape context affected all taxa surveyed. Trunk arthropod communities differed between trees in urban built-up areas and reserves. Bat activity and richness were significantly reduced at trees in urban built-up areas suggesting that echolocating bats may be disturbed by high levels of urbanization. Bird abundance and richness were highest at trees located in modified landscapes, highlighting the value of scattered trees for birds. Bird communities also differed between non-urban and urban trees. Tree size had a significant effect on birds but did not affect trunk arthropods and bats. Large trees supported higher bird abundance, richness and more unique species compared to medium and small trees. Main conclusions: Scattered trees support a diversity of wildlife. However, landscape context and tree size affected wildlife in contrasting ways. Land management strategies are needed to collectively account for responses exhibited by multiple taxa at varying spatial scales. We recommend that the retention and perpetuation of scattered trees in modified landscapes should be prioritized, hereby providing crucial habitat benefits to a multitude of taxa.

Conservation biology faces the challenge of ensuring species persistence in increasingly modified landscapes. Agriculture covers a large proportion of the Earth's surface, but the degree to which crop production is compatible with species use of the landscape is still uncertain, particularly for woodland carnivores with large territories. Here, we focus on the Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus, an emblematic endangered species that has coexisted for centuries with human‐modified Mediterranean mosaics, as a case study to unravel habitat and dispersal preferences in heterogeneous landscapes. We estimated species resource selection from ≈40 000 telemetry locations for 48 GPS‐collared individuals covering all the current Iberian lynx range, including more fragmented areas where the species was reintroduced from 2009. We differentiated GPS locations within home ranges (to estimate habitat suitability) and those corresponding to dispersal or exploratory movements (to estimate landscape permeability). We built mixed conditional logistic regression models with 12 land cover classes, terrain slope and roads as predictors. We found that lynx response to agriculture largely depends on the crop type and on the presence of natural vegetation remnants. Lynx largely avoided intensive cultivation areas such as irrigated arable lands when establishing home ranges, but frequently selected permanent crops (olive groves) and/or heterogeneous agricultural lands, which were used with smaller differences to the most preferred shrubland or forest covers than reported in previous studies. Such differences further narrowed down when lynx moved outside home ranges, with some agricultural covers being as permeable as shrublands for lynx dispersal. The species dispersal plasticity was also evidenced by a much weaker avoidance of roads and steep terrain when dispersing than when selecting territories. Synthesis and applications. We conclude that (i) the widespread consideration of all agricultural lands within a single (and usually regarded as unsuitable) class for the study and management of woodland or forest species is not supported and that (ii) the ability of woodland species to use fragmented and heterogeneous agricultural landscapes may have been underestimated, which may mislead conservation measures due to a priori assumptions that do not relate to the actual species responses to heterogeneous land covers. We suggest that Iberian lynx conservation and reintroduction may be successful in a wider set of more heterogeneous areas than previously thought, including mainly well‐conserved Mediterranean woodlands but also some extensive agricultural lands with permanent crops and natural vegetation remnants.

Studying the dietary flexibility of primates that live in human‐modified environments is crucial for understanding their ecological adaptations as well as developing management and conservation plans. Southern gelada (Theropithecus gelada obscurus) is an endemic little‐known subspecies of gelada that inhabits human‐modified landscapes in the northern central highlands of Ethiopia. During an 18‐month period, we conducted this intensive study in an unprotected area of a human‐modified landscape at Kosheme in Wollo to investigate the feeding ecology of southern geladas and their dietary responses to seasonal variations. We quantified the monthly and seasonal diet data from a band of southern geladas using instantaneous scan sampling method at 15‐min intervals, and green grass phenology and availability using visual inspection from the randomly selected permanent plots. The overall average diet of southern geladas at Kosheme constituted grass blades 55.4%, grass undergrounds 13.2%, grass bulbs 5.6%, grass seeds 5.4%, herb leaves 4.0, fruits 7.3%, and cereal crops 5.6%. Grass blade consumption increased with increasing green grass availability, while underground food consumption increased with decreasing green grass availability, and vice versa. Southern geladas spent significantly more time feeding on the grass blades and herb leaves and significantly less time on bulbs during the wet season than the dry season. Underground grass items (rhizomes and corms) were not consumed during the wet season, but made up 22.3% of the dry season diet. Thus, although grass blades are staple diet items for geladas, underground diet items are important “fallback foods” at Kosheme. Our result shows insights into the dietary flexibility southern geladas adopt to cope with human‐modified landscapes of the north‐central Ethiopian Highlands. Thus, the study contributes to a better understanding of how changing environments shape primate ecology and evolution. Studying the dietary flexibility of primates that live in human‐modified environment is crucial for understanding ecological adaptations. We conducted this intensive study in an unprotected area of human‐modified landscape to investigate the dietary responses of southern geladas to human disturbances and seasonal variations. The study contributes to a better understanding of how changing environments shape primate ecology and evolution.

Habitat loss threatens biodiversity worldwide being particularly detrimental in tropical rainforests where a cumulative deforestation expands for decades. Tropical rainforests harbor a rich mammal diversity with a wide range of species using different habitats, ranging from forest‐dwelling to arboreal species. Recent techniques such as camera trapping have proven to be useful to study the ecology of arboreal mammals. Here, we assessed the overall community structure of arboreal mammals in a protected area by analyzing the patterns of diversity and abundance and their spatial and seasonal variations. A total of 21 camera‐trapping stations were set in clusters in three zones. Spatial and seasonal alpha‐diversity and community evenness patterns were estimated using Hill's numbers, and Sørensen's dissimilarities were used as a proxy to estimate beta‐diversity. A relative abundance index was calculated for each species, at each site and season. To estimate the influence of spatial and tree morphology on arboreal use by mammals, a Principal Component Analysis was performed. We observed a high species richness (14 species) of arboreal mammals. Species richness remained similar between sites, although shifts in abundances and a decreasing gradient in community evenness related to the distance of camera trap station located in each site were noted. We observed a high‐ and low‐diversity dissimilarity between camera trap stations and between zones, respectively. Seasonality showed no significant effect over abundance, alpha, and beta diversities. This protected area holds the natural habitat conditions to ensure the persistence of this rich arboreal mammal community. Arboreal camera trapping provides insights about mammals' community in a human‐modified landscape. High species richness in the area nourish the notion of HML as refuges for fauna.

Herbivory has been identified as a potent evolutionary force, but its ecological impacts have been frequently underestimated. Leaf‐cutting ants represent one of the most important herbivores of the Neotropics and offer an interesting opportunity to address the role played by herbivorous insects through a perspective that embraces population‐ to ecosystem‐level effects. Here we: (1) qualitatively summarize the multiple ways leaf‐cutting ants interact with food plants and their habitats and elucidate the ultimate outcome of such interactions at multiple organization levels; (2) update our understanding of leaf‐cutting ant‐promoted disturbance regimes; and (3) examine potential ecological roles by leaf‐cutting ants within the context of human‐modified landscapes to guide future research agendas. First, we find that leaf‐cutting ants show that some herbivorous insects are able to generate ecologically important disturbance regimes via non‐trophic activities. Second, impacts of leaf‐cutting ants can be observed at multiple spatio‐temporal scales and levels of biological organization. Third, ecosystem‐level effects from leaf‐cutting ants are ecosystem engineering capable not only of altering the abundance of other organisms, but also the successional trajectory of vegetation. Finally, effects of leaf‐cutting ants are context‐dependent, species‐specific, and synergistically modulated by anthropogenic interferences. Future research should examine how leaf‐cutting ants respond to deforestation and influence remaining vegetation in human‐modified landscapes. By promoting either heterogeneity or homogeneity, leaf‐cutting ants operate not only as agricultural pests but also as ecological key players.

Aim We assess the potential long‐term viability of orangutan populations across Borneo, considering the effects of habitat loss, and various forms of population reduction, including hunting, retaliatory killings and capture and translocation. Location The study focused on the island of Borneo, a region that has experienced substantial deforestation over the past four decades, resulting in the degradation and fragmentation of its lowland forests, thereby threatening the island's unique biodiversity, including orangutan populations. Methods To evaluate the long‐term viability of orangutan populations, we employed a spatially explicit individual‐based model. This model allowed us to simulate various scenarios, including the impact of removing habitat fragments or individuals from the population. Results Our findings revealed that small forest fragments facilitate orangutan movement, thereby increasing the number of individuals settling in non‐natal patches. Crucially, orangutan populations proved highly vulnerable to even small levels of offtake. Annual removal rates exceeding 2% diminished the positive role of small forest patches in sustaining population connectivity, the long‐term viability of populations and prospects for recovery. Main Conclusions Our results suggest that orangutan populations in Borneo could potentially recover from recent declines if removal of orangutans by hunting, retaliatory killings, capture and translocation is reduced, and habitat connectivity is maintained within human‐modified landscapes. These findings emphasize the urgent need for conservation strategies that mitigate negative human–wildlife interactions, and/or help preserve habitat and fragments as stepping stones. Measures could include promoting coexistence with local communities and translocating orangutans only in rare cases where no suitable alternative exists, to ensure the long‐term survival of orangutan populations in Borneo.

While habitat loss is a major threat to species, the effects of habitat fragmentation independent of habitat loss (fragmentation per se) are debated. Metapopulation studies often assert negative fragmentation effects, but they do not measure fragmentation per se. We evaluate the effects of fragmentation per se (patch density) across 20 years of patch occupancy patterns of the Åland Islands Glanville fritillary butterfly, Finland, a famous model system in metapopulation studies. Fragmentation per se had mainly positive effects on patch occupancy, the proportion of years occupied per patch, and patch colonization, and negative effects on patch extinction. These results suggest that fragmentation per se does not threaten persistence of the Åland Islands Glanville fritillary butterfly. Our results support the growing body of research challenging the paradigm that habitat fragmentation per se is mostly negative for species, highlighting the value of small patches for species conservation.