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Animal Versus Wind Dispersal and the Robustness of Tree Species to Deforestation
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Studies suggest that populations of different species do not decline equally after habitat loss. However, empirical tests have been confined to fine spatiotemporal scales and have rarely included plants. Using data from 89,365 forest survey plots covering peninsular Spain, we explored, for each of 34 common tree species, the relationship between probability of occurrence and the local cover of remaining forest. Twenty-four species showed a significant negative response to forest loss, so that decreased forest cover had
a negative effect on tree diversity, but the responses of individual species were highly variable. Animal-dispersed species were less vulnerable to forest loss, with six showing positive responses to decreased forest cover. The results imply that plant-animal interactions help prevent the collapse of forest communities that suffer habitat destruction.
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Conserving the Stage: Climate Change and the Geophysical Underpinnings of Species Diversity
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Conservationists have proposed methods for adapting to climate change that assume species distributions are primarily explained by climate variables. The key idea is to use the understanding of species-climate relationships to map corridors and to identify regions of faunal stability or high species turnover. An alternative approach is to adopt an evolutionary timescale and ask ultimately what factors control total diversity, so that over the long run the major drivers of total species richness can be protected. Within a single climatic region, the temperate area encompassing all of the Northeastern U.S. and Maritime Canada, we hypothesized that geologic factors may take precedence over climate in explaining diversity patterns.
If geophysical diversity does drive regional diversity, then conserving geophysical settings may offer an approach to conservation that protects diversity under both current and future climates. Here we tested how well geology predicts the species diversity of 14 US states and three Canadian provinces, using a comprehensive new spatial dataset. Results of linear regressions of species diversity on all possible combinations of 23 geophysical and climatic variables indicated that four geophysical factors; the number of geological classes, latitude, elevation range and the amount of calcareous bedrock, predicted species diversity with certainty (adj. R2 = 0.94). To confirm the species-geology relationships we ran an
independent test using 18,700 location points for 885 rare species and found that 40% of the species were restricted to a single geology. Moreover, each geology class supported 5–95 endemic species and chi-square tests confirmed that calcareous bedrock and extreme elevations had significantly more rare species than expected by chance (P,0.0001), strongly corroborating the regression model. Our results suggest that protecting geophysical settings will conserve the stage for current and future biodiversity and may be a robust alternative to species-level predictions.
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University at Buffalo
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The University at Buffalo, New York State’s flagship, is consistently recognized as one of the world's most exceptional, most affordable universities, making it a top choice for students and faculty around the globe.
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Adams State University
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Join us for a learning experience that links education to community, fosters a sense of belonging, and celebrates diverse cultural and social perspectives. Adams State University’s driving purpose is to provide equitable access to education for all.
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Cleveland Museum of Natural History
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We make science relatable by cultivating your curiosity. When you visit the Museum, you’ll have the opportunity to delve deep into the past in our dinosaur hall, discover the outer reaches of the Universe through our astronomy programs, and experience natural wonders in outdoor galleries. Traveling exhibits bring the world to Cleveland with an ever-changing variety of new subjects to explore.
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Introduction to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Conservation
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Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to achieving our mission of protecting essential ecosystem services, creating sustainable working lands, and enhancing biodiversity. This course is an introduction to the podcast "Ted Takeaways" and how we can work together to address landscape-level issues and promote sustainable working lands with an eye towards equity and inclusion.
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