Journal Article

Similar Local and Landscape Processes Affect Both a Common and a Rare Newt Species

Denoël, Mathieu, Perez, Amélie, Cornet, Yves, Ficetola, Gentile Francesco

2013

Overview

Although rare species are often the focus of conservation measures, more common species may experience similar decline and suffer from the same threatening processes. We tested this hypothesis by examining, through an information-theoretic approach, the importance of ecological processes at multiple scales in the great crested newt Triturus cristatus, regionally endangered and protected in Europe, and the more common smooth newt, Lissotriton vulgaris. Both species were similarly affected by the same processes, i.e. suitability of aquatic and terrestrial components of their habitat at different scales, connectivity among breeding sites, and the presence of introduced fish. T. cristatus depended more on water depth and aquatic vegetation than L. vulgaris. The results show that environmental pressures threaten both common and rare species, and therefore the more widespread species should not be neglected in conservation programs. Because environmental trends are leading to a deterioration of aquatic and terrestrial habitat features required by newt populations, populations of the common species may follow the fate of the rarest species. This could have substantial conservation implications because of the numerical importance of common species in ecosystems and because commonness could be a transient state moving towards rarity. On the other hand, in agreement with the umbrella species concept, targeting conservation efforts on the most demanding species would also protect part of the populations of the most common species.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: agricultural landscape / alien species / ammonium / amphibian decline / amphibien / Animal behavior / Animals / Aquatic habitats / Aquatic plants / Aquatic sciences & oceanology / Aquatic vegetation / Belgium / biological conservation / Biology / Breeding sites / buffer zones / common species / commonness / connectivity / Conservation / conservation biology / Conservation of Natural Resources / crested newt / Discriminant analysis / ecological modelling / ecological processes / Ecology / Ecosystem / Ecosystems / Eggs / Endangered & extinct species / Endangered Species - legislation & jurisprudence / Endangered Species - trends / Environmental sciences & ecology / espèce parapluie / Europe / Female / fertilizers / fish introduction / flagship species / historical landscape / Hypotheses / Information theory / Introduced fish / Introduced fishes / introduced species / Laboratories / Life sciences / Lissotriton vulgaris / macrophyre cover / Male / mare / nitrites / nitrogeneous compounds / nutrients / orthophosphates / past landscape / Pays de Herve / pollution / pond / Ponds / Populations / Predation / Protected species / Rare species / rarity / Reptiles & amphibians / Salamandridae / Salamandridae - physiology / Scales / Sciences aquatiques & océanologie / Sciences de l’environnement & écologie / Sciences du vivant / smooth newt / Species Specificity / Studies / Terrestrial environments / triton crêté / triton ponctué / Triturus cristatus / umbrella concept / vegetation / Vesdre Basin / Wallonia / Water depth / water quality / wetlands / Wildlife conservation / écologie du paysage