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"rare species"
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Gone is gone : wildlife under threat
\"This nonfiction book for middle readers looks at why and what species have become endangered, how scientists are learning about endangered wildlife, what people are doing to conserve species and what young people can do to help. Illustrated with unique photos by the photo-journalist author. \"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Rock climbing affects cliff-plant communities by reducing species diversity and altering species coexistence patterns
Cliffs are unique ecosystems with an outstanding but relatively unknown plant diversity, harboring rare, endemic and threatened species, but also rock-specialist or generalist species that can become locally common and dominant on cliffs. The rising popularity of climbing represents an increasing threat to cliff biota, affecting community composition and potentially diminishing diversity and species associations. We used a novel sampling design of closely-paired climbed versus unclimbed points along the cliff-face. We sampled along climbing routes of different climbing intensities in El Potrero Chico (Nuevo León, Mexico), identifying plant species and analyzing species associations and community composition in climbed and unclimbed plots. Diversity on the sampled cliffs was high, even greater than in other regional ecosystems. We found reduced abundance, cover, and diversity in climbed plots, irrespective of climbing intensity. Dominant species on the sampled cliffs were the most negatively affected by rock climbing in terms of abundance, and some locally rare species, including endemics and endangered species, were entirely absent from climbed plots. Co-occurrence analysis showed that the number of associations between pairs of dominant and common species were greatly reduced in climbed plots, and that positive associations between locally rare species existed in unclimbed plots but not in climbed plots, which may contribute to the disappearance of endemic and threatened species. Finally, NMDS analysis revealed that the community composition changed significantly due to climbing. Our results indicate that conservation science should convince stakeholders of the need for a holistic conservation of cliff ecosystems and not focus solely on emblematic or rare species, since plant community dynamics and preservation depend on interactions between plant species.
Journal Article
The golden mole : and other living treasure
\"A gloriously illustrated and fascinating bestiary of the world's most extraordinary endangered animals-a treasure trove of vanishing wonders.\" -- Publisher.
Book
Asymmetric interactions of seed-predation network contribute to rare-species advantage
Although the asymmetry of species linkage within ecological networks is now well recognized, its effect on communities has scarcely been empirically investigated. Based on theory, we predicted that an asymmetric architecture of antagonistic plant–herbivore networks would emerge at the community level and that this asymmetry would negatively affect community-common plants more than rare ones. We tested this prediction by analyzing the architectural properties of an alpine plant and pre-dispersal seed-predator network and its effect on seed loss rate of plants in the Tibetan Plateau. This network showed an asymmetric architecture, where the common plant species (with a larger aboveground biomass per area) were infested by a higher number of predator species. Moreover, they asymmetrically interacted with specialized herbivores, presumably because of greater seed resource abundance. In turn, the asymmetric interactions led to a higher proportion of seed loss in the common plants at the species level. Our results suggest that asymmetric antagonistic networks may improve species coexistence by contributing to a mechanism of rare-species advantage.
Journal Article
The most endangered animals in the world
\"Interesting facts, colorful photographs, and simple text introduce readers to the world's most endangered animals\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Ectomycorrhizal communities of adult and young European larch are diverse and dynamics at high altitudinal sites
Background/Aims
The European larch is a pioneer tree and a valuable economic resource in subalpine ecosystems, thus playing crucial roles to ecosystem services and human activities. However, their ectomycorrhizal fungal community remains unknown in high altitudinal natural habitats. Here, we explore the mycobiont diversity of
Larix decidua
var.
decidua
between naturally rejuvenated and adult trees, compare ectomycorrhizal colonization patterns in geographically disjunct areas within the Alps of South Tyrol, Italy, characterized by distinct climatic conditions, and explore turnover rates across various seasons.
Methods
Our approach combines morphotyping of mycorrhized root tips with molecular analysis. Particular effort was given to monitor both ectomycorrhizal host-specialist and -generalist fungi.
Results
Both adult and young trees show a 100% mycorrhization rate, with a total diversity of 68 ectomycorrhizal species. The ectomycorrhizal composition is dominated by typical host specialists of larch trees (e.g.,
Lactarius porninsis
,
Russula laricina
,
Suillus cavipes
,
S. grevillei
,
S. viscidus
), which are widely distributed across sites. A rich diversity of host generalists was also detected. The composition of rare species within a habitat was comparatively consistent during one sampling campaign, but exhibited significant differences among individual sampling campaigns. The ectomycorrhizal compositions were only weakly correlated with distinct climatic conditions and tree ages. However, species richness and diversity, particularly of generalist fungi, was consistently higher in warmer, drier sites compared to cooler, more humid ones.
Conclusions
This study suggests potential mycobiont community shifts across climatic conditions with significant implications for the adaptability and resilience of subalpine forests in the face of climate change.
Journal Article
Animals on the edge : science races to save species threatened with extinction
Describes the research and modern technology that is used to save animals from extinction.
Book
REVIEW: The detection of aquatic animal species using environmental DNA – a review of eDNA as a survey tool in ecology
Knowledge of species distribution is critical to ecological management and conservation biology. Effective management requires the detection of populations, which can sometimes be at low densities and is usually based on visual detection and counting. Recently, there has been considerable interest in the detection of short species‐specific environmental DNA (eDNA) fragments to allow aquatic species monitoring within different environments due to the potential of greater sensitivity over traditional survey methods which can be time‐consuming and costly. Environmental DNA analysis is increasingly being used in the detection of rare or invasive species and has also been applied to eDNA persistence studies and estimations of species biomass and distribution. When combined with next‐generation sequencing methods, it has been demonstrated that entire faunas can be identified. Different environments require different sampling methodologies, but there remain areas where laboratory methodologies could be standardized to allow results to be compared across studies. Synthesis and applications. We review recently published studies that use eDNA to monitor aquatic populations, discuss the methodologies used and the application of eDNA analysis as a survey tool in ecology. We include innovative ideas for how eDNA can be used for conservation and management citing test cases, for instance, the potential for on‐site analyses, including the application of eDNA analysis to carbon nanotube platforms or laser transmission spectroscopy to facilitate rapid on‐site detections. The use of eDNA monitoring is already being adopted in the UK for ecological surveys.
Journal Article
Can we save them? : endangered species of North America
Discusses the physical characteristics, habits, natural habitat, and protection of many endangered species in North America, including Florida panthers, Puerto-Rican parrots, and a variety of wildflowers.
Book
Seasonal Variability of Conditionally Rare Taxa in the Water Column Bacterioplankton Community of Subtropical Reservoirs in China
Conditionally rare bacteria are ubiquitous and perhaps the most diverse of microbial lifeforms, but their temporal dynamics remain largely unknown. High-throughput and deep sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene has allowed us to identify and compare the conditionally rare taxa with other bacterioplankton subcommunities. In this study, we examined the effect of season, water depth, and ecological processes on the fluctuations of bacterial subcommunities (including abundant, conditionally rare, moderate, and rare taxa) from three subtropical reservoirs in China. We discovered that the conditionally rare taxa (CRT) made up 49.7 to 71.8% of the bacterioplankton community richness, and they accounted for 70.6 to 84.4% of the temporal changes in the community composition. Beta-diversity analysis revealed strong seasonal succession patterns among all bacterioplankton subcommunities, suggesting abundant, conditionally rare, moderate, and rare taxa subcommunities have comparable environmental sensitivity. The dominant phyla of CRT were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, whose variations were strongly correlated with environmental variables. Both deterministic and stochastic processes showed strong effect on bacterioplankton community assembly, with deterministic patterns more pronounced for CRT subcommunity. The difference in bacterial community composition was strongly linked with seasonal change rather than water depth. The seasonal patterns of CRT expand our understanding of underlying mechanisms for bacterial community structure and composition. This implies their importance in the function and stability of freshwater ecosystem after environmental disturbance.
Journal Article