#conservationbiology — Public Fediverse posts

Our new paper in Conservation Biology introduces #EcoKnowGames, a transdisciplinary project using digital games to bridge the gap between human behaviour and ecological modeling. 🎮🌿

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70308

Thanks to the authors: @bradduthie, Isabel Jones, Daksha Patel, and Nils Bunnefeld

#ConservationBiology #SeriousGames #DigitalHumanities #OpenScience #Ecology #AcademicFedi #FediScience #SciComm #Gamification #Sustainability #Biodiversity #TechForGood

Our new paper in Conservation Biology introduces #EcoKnowGames, a transdisciplinary project using digital games to bridge the gap between human behaviour and ecological modeling. 🎮🌿

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70308

Thanks to the authors: @bradduthie, Isabel Jones, Daksha Patel, and Nils Bunnefeld

#ConservationBiology #SeriousGames #DigitalHumanities #OpenScience #Ecology #AcademicFedi #FediScience #SciComm #Gamification #Sustainability #Biodiversity #TechForGood

Our new paper in Conservation Biology introduces #EcoKnowGames, a transdisciplinary project using digital games to bridge the gap between human behaviour and ecological modeling. 🎮🌿

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70308

Thanks to the authors: @bradduthie, Isabel Jones, Daksha Patel, and Nils Bunnefeld

#ConservationBiology #SeriousGames #DigitalHumanities #OpenScience #Ecology #AcademicFedi #FediScience #SciComm #Gamification #Sustainability #Biodiversity #TechForGood

Our new paper in Conservation Biology introduces #EcoKnowGames, a transdisciplinary project using digital games to bridge the gap between human behaviour and ecological modeling. 🎮🌿

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70308

Thanks to the authors: @bradduthie, Isabel Jones, Daksha Patel, and Nils Bunnefeld

#ConservationBiology #SeriousGames #DigitalHumanities #OpenScience #Ecology #AcademicFedi #FediScience #SciComm #Gamification #Sustainability #Biodiversity #TechForGood

Our new paper in Conservation Biology introduces #EcoKnowGames, a transdisciplinary project using digital games to bridge the gap between human behaviour and ecological modeling. 🎮🌿

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70308

Thanks to the authors: @bradduthie, Isabel Jones, Daksha Patel, and Nils Bunnefeld

#ConservationBiology #SeriousGames #DigitalHumanities #OpenScience #Ecology #AcademicFedi #FediScience #SciComm #Gamification #Sustainability #Biodiversity #TechForGood

University of Washington researchers have deciphered the specific vocalizations of endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales to map the behavioral context of their calls and determine how human-generated marine noise disrupts their communication network.
#MarineBiology #Bioacoustics #BehavioralEcology #ConservationBiology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/mb05132601.html

https://www.europesays.com/africa/231366/ Trade-offs between nature and people in Ethiopia’s protected areas demonstrate challenges in translating global conservation targets into national realities #BiologicalAndPhysicalAnthropology #ConservationBiology #DevelopingWorld #Ecology #EnvironmentalImpact #Ethiopia #EvolutionaryBiology #General #LifeSciences #Paleontology #zoology

https://www.europesays.com/iran/99237/ Vote for Katy: fuel the passion of Lebanon’s second-grade conservationist | News #biodiversity #biogeography #ConservationBiology #ecology #EnvironmentalProtection #EnvironmentalConservation #habitat #Lebanon #NationalWildlifeFederation #NaturalEnvironment #NaturalResourceManagement #NaturalResources #NaturalSciences #nature #NatureConservation #organisms #SustainableDevelopment #wildlife

The complete annual life cycle of the red-necked nightjar—including feeding, migration, and breeding—is strictly synchronized with the 29-day lunar cycle due to its reliance on moonlight for energy acquisition.
#Ornithology #BehavioralEcology #Chronobiology #ConservationBiology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/zoo05022601.html

Plant This, Not That: Native Alternatives for Your Garden | News https://www.allforgardening.com/1656229/plant-this-not-that-native-alternatives-for-your-garden-news/ #agriculture #biogeography #biology #botany #ConservationBiology #ecology #EnvironmentalConservation #garden #gardening #habitat #horticulture #Kingdoms(biology) #landscape #LandscapeArchitecture #NaturalEnvironment #NatureConservation #organisms #PlantAgriculture #plants #PlantsAndHumans #SustainableDevelopment

Spotted #hyenas and other native scavengers in Mekelle, Ethiopia, function as essential components of the urban #ecosystem by consuming thousands of tons of discarded organic meat waste. This natural scavenging acts as a vital ecosystem service, positioning these predators as accidental "eco-warriors" within high-density human settlements.
#Ecology #ConservationBiology #Environmental #Zoology #ClimateChange #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/eco03102601.html

The #prehistoric extinction of large #herbivorous #megafauna in Panama resulted in cascading ecological disruptions, specifically an increase in regional wildfires and a significant decline in plant species reliant on massive animals for seed dispersal.
#Paleoecology #ConservationBiology #Geosciences #EarthScience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/es03032601.html

The #prehistoric extinction of large #herbivorous #megafauna in Panama resulted in cascading ecological disruptions, specifically an increase in regional wildfires and a significant decline in plant species reliant on massive animals for seed dispersal.
#Paleoecology #ConservationBiology #Geosciences #EarthScience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/es03032601.html

The #prehistoric extinction of large #herbivorous #megafauna in Panama resulted in cascading ecological disruptions, specifically an increase in regional wildfires and a significant decline in plant species reliant on massive animals for seed dispersal.
#Paleoecology #ConservationBiology #Geosciences #EarthScience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/es03032601.html

The #prehistoric extinction of large #herbivorous #megafauna in Panama resulted in cascading ecological disruptions, specifically an increase in regional wildfires and a significant decline in plant species reliant on massive animals for seed dispersal.
#Paleoecology #ConservationBiology #Geosciences #EarthScience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/es03032601.html

The #prehistoric extinction of large #herbivorous #megafauna in Panama resulted in cascading ecological disruptions, specifically an increase in regional wildfires and a significant decline in plant species reliant on massive animals for seed dispersal.
#Paleoecology #ConservationBiology #Geosciences #EarthScience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/es03032601.html

RE: https://mastodon.social/@comoe_stiftung/116073522381604049

Adding some tags for visibility:

#UNESCO #WorldHeritage #ComoeNationalPark #IvoryCoast #DSCN #Comoé #FAPNAC #biodiversity #wildlife #conservationbiology #ecology #ecologycrisis #ecologyandconservation #massextinction #WestAfrica

Endangered species (Habitat 🌄)

An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular region. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, invasive species, and climate change. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red Lis...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_species

#EndangeredSpecies #Habitat #IucnRedList #Biodiversity #ConservationBiology #AllPagesNeedingCleanup

Wild Ones Can Help Gardeners Go Native | News https://www.allforgardening.com/1570236/wild-ones-can-help-gardeners-go-native-news/ #agriculture #archaeplastida #biodiversity #biogeography #biology #botany #ConservationBiology #ecology #EnvironmentalConservation #garden #gardening #horticulture #Kingdoms(biology) #landscape #LandscapeArchitecture #michigan #NaturalEnvironment #nature #organisms #plant #PlantAgriculture #plants #PlantsAndHumans #seed #TwinLake

Wild Ones Can Help Gardeners Go Native | News https://www.allforgardening.com/1570236/wild-ones-can-help-gardeners-go-native-news/ #agriculture #archaeplastida #biodiversity #biogeography #biology #botany #ConservationBiology #ecology #EnvironmentalConservation #garden #gardening #horticulture #Kingdoms(biology) #landscape #LandscapeArchitecture #michigan #NaturalEnvironment #nature #organisms #plant #PlantAgriculture #plants #PlantsAndHumans #seed #TwinLake

Wildlife corridor (Habitat 🌄)

A wildlife corridor, also known as a habitat corridor, or green corridor, is a designated area that connects wildlife populations that have been separated by human activities or structures, such as development, roads, or land clearings. These corridors enable movement of individuals between populations, which helps to prev...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_corridor

#WildlifeCorridor #Habitat #Habitats #SystemsEcology #AnimalMigration #ConservationBiology

Genetic resources conservation and sustainable use (Genetics 🧬)

Genetic resources means genetic material of actual or potential value where genetic material means any material of plant, animal, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity... Genetic resources thus refer to the part of genetic diversity that has o...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_resources_conservation_and_sustainable_use

#GeneticResourcesConservationAndSustainableUse #Genetics #ConservationBiology

https://www.europesays.com/ie/174370/ Hybridization mitigates climate change risk in mountainous birds #Biodiversity #ClimateChange #ClimateChange/ClimateChangeImpacts #ConservationBiology #EcologicalGenetics #Éire #Environment #EnvironmentalLaw/Policy/Ecojustice #EvolutionaryEcology #general #IE #Ireland #Science

👀 When’s the last time you saw a #mustelid?

The #weasel, #stoat, and #polecat may be silently disappearing from the Dutch landscape, or are they just hiding? 🐾

Biologists from #GELIFES at the UG are finding out how to monitor these small carnivores. 🔎

Curious? Read more 👇
🔗 https://www.rug.nl/fse/news/highlighted-papers/2025/weaseling-out-the-best-way-to-monitor-small-carnivores

🧪 #SciComm #ScienceNewsroom #mustelids #FSE #research #ecology #conservation #biology #wildlife #biodiversity #ScientistsOnMastodon #conservationbiology @universityofgroningen

Another ‘little-known’ Aussie animal declared extinct: ‘Tragedy’

There’s a high-pitched sound that once echoed across an Australian tropical island that will never be heard again.…
#NewsBeep #News #Wildlife #AU #Australia #ChristmasIsland #ChristmasIslandshrew #Conservationbiology #GettyImages #IUCN #JohnWoinarski #nativespecies #Science #threatenedspecies #tropicalisland #YahooNewsAustralia
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/221769/

Dragonflies survived asteroids but may get wiped out by climate change | Outdoors

Clément Falize By Talker By Stephen Beech Dragonflies are facing extinct…
#NewsBeep #News #Science #adaptation #Animals #biologicalevolution #biology #CA #Canada #climatechange #Conservationbiology #Dragonfly #earthsciences #Ecology #effectsofclimatechange #Evolution #Extinction #naturalenvironment #nature #organisms #Predation #species #stephenbeech #wildfire #Wildlife #Zoology
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/163503/

Reconsidering space-for-time substitution in climate change ecology

Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA Margaret E. K. Evans Department of Wildland Resources,…
#NewsBeep #News #Environment #AU #Australia #Biodiversity #Climatechange #ClimateChange/ClimateChangeImpacts #Climate-changeecology #Conservationbiology #Ecosystemservices #EnvironmentalLaw/Policy/Ecojustice #Evolutionaryecology #general #Science
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/42613/

Ecoregion conservation status (Landscape ecology 🏞️)

Conservation status is a measure used in conservation biology to assess an ecoregion's degree of habitat alteration and habitat conservation. It is used to set priorities for conservation. Ecoregion Conservation Status refers to the assessment and categorization of the ecological health, biodiversity...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecoregion_conservation_status

#EcoregionConservationStatus #Ecoregions #LandscapeEcology #ConservationBiology

New publication: Global hotspots of mycorrhizal fungal richness are poorly protected. #biodiversity #conservationbiology #mycorrhizalfungi
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09277-4

Conservation paleobiology (Paleontology 🦕)

Conservation paleobiology is a field of paleontology that applies the knowledge of the geological and paleoecological record to the conservation and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Despite the influence of paleontology on ecological sciences can be traced back at least at the 18th century, the current field has b...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_paleobiology

#ConservationPaleobiology #Paleontology #ConservationBiology

Ecoregion conservation status (Landscape ecology 🏞️)

Conservation status is a measure used in conservation biology to assess an ecoregion's degree of habitat alteration and habitat conservation. It is used to set priorities for conservation. Ecoregion Conservation Status refers to the assessment and categorization of the ecological health, biodiversity...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecoregion_conservation_status

#EcoregionConservationStatus #Ecoregions #LandscapeEcology #ConservationBiology

Range state (Biogeography 🌍)

Range state is a term generally used in zoogeography and conservation biology to refer to any nation that exercises jurisdiction over any part of a range which a particular species, taxon or biotope inhabits, or crosses or overflies at any time on its normal migration route. The term is often expanded to also include, particularly in i...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_state

#RangeState #Biogeography #EndangeredSpecies #BiologyTerminology #ConservationBiology

Genetic resources conservation and sustainable use (Genetics 🧬)

Genetic resources means genetic material of actual or potential value where genetic material means any material of plant, animal, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity... Genetic resources thus refer to the part of genetic diversity that has o...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_resources_conservation_and_sustainable_use

#GeneticResourcesConservationAndSustainableUse #Genetics #ConservationBiology

#Sad but #true

#Survival of Eurasian #lynx in the human-dominated landscape of #Europe

#OpenAccess
#ConservationBiology

#IllegalKilling was the main cause of #mortality (33.8%), and mortality rates were similar in protected and hunted populations (8.6% and 7.0% per year, respectively). Due to the low natural mortality rates in protected and hunted populations, #anthropogenic causes of mortality are likely close to additive, such that maintaining or increasing refuge #habitat with little human #disturbance is critical to lynx #conservation.

https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.14439

🤗🤗🤗 We welcome Fabian Royer as PhD student @Mol_Ecol @uniinnsbruck !

Fabian will work on the #ConservationBiology of wild #bees in Central Europe.

https://molecular-ecology.at/fabian-royer/

#ecology #biodiversity #pathogens

Paper by me (+ Cooper & Rott) on Tick hazard in the South Downs National Park (UK) + how to control without reducing ecosystem health. Free-to-read in @PeerJ at: https://peerj.com/articles/17483

Funders: @britishdeersoc , @BritishEcolSoc

ABSTRACT:
Background. #SouthDowns National Park (SDNP) is UK’s most visited #NationalPark, and a focus of tick-borne #Lymedisease. UK's first presumed locally acquired cases of #TBE and #babesiosis were recorded in 2019–20. The #SouthDownsNationalPark aims to conserve wildlife and encourage recreation, so interventions are needed that reduce hazard without negatively affecting ecosystem health. To be successful these require knowledge of site hazards.

Methods. British Deer Society members submitted ticks removed from deer. Key potential intervention sites were selected and six 50 m2 transects drag-sampled per site (mostly twice yearly for 2 years). #Ticks were identified in-lab (sex, life stage, species), hazard measured as tick presence, density of ticks (all life stages, DOT), and density of nymphs (DON). Sites and habitat types were analysed for association with hazard. Distribution was mapped by combining our results with records from five other sources.

Results. A total of 87 Ixodes ricinus (all but one adults, 82% F) were removed from 14 deer (10 Dama dama; three Capreolus capreolus; one not recorded; tick burden, 1–35) at 12 locations (commonly woodland). Five key potential intervention sites were identified and drag-sampled 2015–16, collecting 623 ticks (238 on-transects): 53.8% nymphs, 42.5% larvae, 3.7% adults (13 M, 10 F). Ticks were present on-transects at all sites: I. ricinus at three (The Mens (TM); Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP); Cowdray Estate (CE)), Haemaphysalis punctata at two (Seven Sisters Country Park (SSCP); Ditchling Beacon Nature Reserve (DBNR)). TM had the highest DOT at 30/300 m2 (DON = 30/300 m2), followed by QECP 22/300 m2 (12/300 m2), CE 8/300 m2 (6/300 m2), and SSCP 1/300 m2 (1/300 m2). For I. ricinus, nymphs predominated in spring, larvae in the second half of summer and early autumn. The overall ranking of site hazard held for DON and DOT from both seasonal sampling periods. DBNR was sampled 2016 only (one adult H. punctata collected). Woodland had significantly greater hazard than downland, but ticks were present at all downland sites. I. ricinus has been identified in 33/37 of SDNPs 10 km2 grid squares, Ixodes hexagonus 10/37, H. punctata 7/37, Dermacentor reticulatus 1/37.

Conclusions. Mapping shows tick hazard broadly distributed across SDNP. I. ricinus was most common, but H. punctata’s seeming range expansion is concerning. Recommendations: management of small heavily visited high hazard plots (QECP); post-visit precaution signage (all sites); repellent impregnated clothing for deerstalkers; flock trials to control H. punctata (SSCP, DBNR). Further research at TM may contribute to knowledge on ecological dynamics underlying infection density and predator re-introduction/protection as public health interventions. #EcologicalResearch on H. punctata would aid control. SDNP Authority is ideally placed to link and champion policies to reduce hazard, whilst avoiding or reducing conflict between public health and ecosystem health.

#OneHealth #PlanetaryHealth #TickAware #DiseaseEcology #ConservationBiology #Acarology #MedicalEntomology #parasites #parasitology #lymedisease

Paper by me (+ Cooper & Rott) on Tick hazard in the South Downs National Park (UK) + how to control without reducing ecosystem health. Free-to-read in @PeerJ at: https://peerj.com/articles/17483

Funders: @britishdeersoc , @BritishEcolSoc

ABSTRACT:
Background. #SouthDowns National Park (SDNP) is UK’s most visited #NationalPark, and a focus of tick-borne #Lymedisease. UK's first presumed locally acquired cases of #TBE and #babesiosis were recorded in 2019–20. The #SouthDownsNationalPark aims to conserve wildlife and encourage recreation, so interventions are needed that reduce hazard without negatively affecting ecosystem health. To be successful these require knowledge of site hazards.

Methods. British Deer Society members submitted ticks removed from deer. Key potential intervention sites were selected and six 50 m2 transects drag-sampled per site (mostly twice yearly for 2 years). #Ticks were identified in-lab (sex, life stage, species), hazard measured as tick presence, density of ticks (all life stages, DOT), and density of nymphs (DON). Sites and habitat types were analysed for association with hazard. Distribution was mapped by combining our results with records from five other sources.

Results. A total of 87 Ixodes ricinus (all but one adults, 82% F) were removed from 14 deer (10 Dama dama; three Capreolus capreolus; one not recorded; tick burden, 1–35) at 12 locations (commonly woodland). Five key potential intervention sites were identified and drag-sampled 2015–16, collecting 623 ticks (238 on-transects): 53.8% nymphs, 42.5% larvae, 3.7% adults (13 M, 10 F). Ticks were present on-transects at all sites: I. ricinus at three (The Mens (TM); Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP); Cowdray Estate (CE)), Haemaphysalis punctata at two (Seven Sisters Country Park (SSCP); Ditchling Beacon Nature Reserve (DBNR)). TM had the highest DOT at 30/300 m2 (DON = 30/300 m2), followed by QECP 22/300 m2 (12/300 m2), CE 8/300 m2 (6/300 m2), and SSCP 1/300 m2 (1/300 m2). For I. ricinus, nymphs predominated in spring, larvae in the second half of summer and early autumn. The overall ranking of site hazard held for DON and DOT from both seasonal sampling periods. DBNR was sampled 2016 only (one adult H. punctata collected). Woodland had significantly greater hazard than downland, but ticks were present at all downland sites. I. ricinus has been identified in 33/37 of SDNPs 10 km2 grid squares, Ixodes hexagonus 10/37, H. punctata 7/37, Dermacentor reticulatus 1/37.

Conclusions. Mapping shows tick hazard broadly distributed across SDNP. I. ricinus was most common, but H. punctata’s seeming range expansion is concerning. Recommendations: management of small heavily visited high hazard plots (QECP); post-visit precaution signage (all sites); repellent impregnated clothing for deerstalkers; flock trials to control H. punctata (SSCP, DBNR). Further research at TM may contribute to knowledge on ecological dynamics underlying infection density and predator re-introduction/protection as public health interventions. #EcologicalResearch on H. punctata would aid control. SDNP Authority is ideally placed to link and champion policies to reduce hazard, whilst avoiding or reducing conflict between public health and ecosystem health.

#OneHealth #PlanetaryHealth #TickAware #DiseaseEcology #ConservationBiology #Acarology #MedicalEntomology #parasites #parasitology #lymedisease

Paper by me (+ Cooper & Rott) on Tick hazard in the South Downs National Park (UK) + how to control without reducing ecosystem health. Free-to-read in @PeerJ at: https://peerj.com/articles/17483

Funders: @britishdeersoc , @BritishEcolSoc

ABSTRACT:
Background. #SouthDowns National Park (SDNP) is UK’s most visited #NationalPark, and a focus of tick-borne #Lymedisease. UK's first presumed locally acquired cases of #TBE and #babesiosis were recorded in 2019–20. The #SouthDownsNationalPark aims to conserve wildlife and encourage recreation, so interventions are needed that reduce hazard without negatively affecting ecosystem health. To be successful these require knowledge of site hazards.

Methods. British Deer Society members submitted ticks removed from deer. Key potential intervention sites were selected and six 50 m2 transects drag-sampled per site (mostly twice yearly for 2 years). #Ticks were identified in-lab (sex, life stage, species), hazard measured as tick presence, density of ticks (all life stages, DOT), and density of nymphs (DON). Sites and habitat types were analysed for association with hazard. Distribution was mapped by combining our results with records from five other sources.

Results. A total of 87 Ixodes ricinus (all but one adults, 82% F) were removed from 14 deer (10 Dama dama; three Capreolus capreolus; one not recorded; tick burden, 1–35) at 12 locations (commonly woodland). Five key potential intervention sites were identified and drag-sampled 2015–16, collecting 623 ticks (238 on-transects): 53.8% nymphs, 42.5% larvae, 3.7% adults (13 M, 10 F). Ticks were present on-transects at all sites: I. ricinus at three (The Mens (TM); Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP); Cowdray Estate (CE)), Haemaphysalis punctata at two (Seven Sisters Country Park (SSCP); Ditchling Beacon Nature Reserve (DBNR)). TM had the highest DOT at 30/300 m2 (DON = 30/300 m2), followed by QECP 22/300 m2 (12/300 m2), CE 8/300 m2 (6/300 m2), and SSCP 1/300 m2 (1/300 m2). For I. ricinus, nymphs predominated in spring, larvae in the second half of summer and early autumn. The overall ranking of site hazard held for DON and DOT from both seasonal sampling periods. DBNR was sampled 2016 only (one adult H. punctata collected). Woodland had significantly greater hazard than downland, but ticks were present at all downland sites. I. ricinus has been identified in 33/37 of SDNPs 10 km2 grid squares, Ixodes hexagonus 10/37, H. punctata 7/37, Dermacentor reticulatus 1/37.

Conclusions. Mapping shows tick hazard broadly distributed across SDNP. I. ricinus was most common, but H. punctata’s seeming range expansion is concerning. Recommendations: management of small heavily visited high hazard plots (QECP); post-visit precaution signage (all sites); repellent impregnated clothing for deerstalkers; flock trials to control H. punctata (SSCP, DBNR). Further research at TM may contribute to knowledge on ecological dynamics underlying infection density and predator re-introduction/protection as public health interventions. #EcologicalResearch on H. punctata would aid control. SDNP Authority is ideally placed to link and champion policies to reduce hazard, whilst avoiding or reducing conflict between public health and ecosystem health.

#OneHealth #PlanetaryHealth #TickAware #DiseaseEcology #ConservationBiology #Acarology #MedicalEntomology #parasites #parasitology #lymedisease

Paper by me (+ Cooper & Rott) on Tick hazard in the South Downs National Park (UK) + how to control without reducing ecosystem health. Free-to-read in @PeerJ at: https://peerj.com/articles/17483

Funders: @britishdeersoc , @BritishEcolSoc

ABSTRACT:
Background. #SouthDowns National Park (SDNP) is UK’s most visited #NationalPark, and a focus of tick-borne #Lymedisease. UK's first presumed locally acquired cases of #TBE and #babesiosis were recorded in 2019–20. The #SouthDownsNationalPark aims to conserve wildlife and encourage recreation, so interventions are needed that reduce hazard without negatively affecting ecosystem health. To be successful these require knowledge of site hazards.

Methods. British Deer Society members submitted ticks removed from deer. Key potential intervention sites were selected and six 50 m2 transects drag-sampled per site (mostly twice yearly for 2 years). #Ticks were identified in-lab (sex, life stage, species), hazard measured as tick presence, density of ticks (all life stages, DOT), and density of nymphs (DON). Sites and habitat types were analysed for association with hazard. Distribution was mapped by combining our results with records from five other sources.

Results. A total of 87 Ixodes ricinus (all but one adults, 82% F) were removed from 14 deer (10 Dama dama; three Capreolus capreolus; one not recorded; tick burden, 1–35) at 12 locations (commonly woodland). Five key potential intervention sites were identified and drag-sampled 2015–16, collecting 623 ticks (238 on-transects): 53.8% nymphs, 42.5% larvae, 3.7% adults (13 M, 10 F). Ticks were present on-transects at all sites: I. ricinus at three (The Mens (TM); Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP); Cowdray Estate (CE)), Haemaphysalis punctata at two (Seven Sisters Country Park (SSCP); Ditchling Beacon Nature Reserve (DBNR)). TM had the highest DOT at 30/300 m2 (DON = 30/300 m2), followed by QECP 22/300 m2 (12/300 m2), CE 8/300 m2 (6/300 m2), and SSCP 1/300 m2 (1/300 m2). For I. ricinus, nymphs predominated in spring, larvae in the second half of summer and early autumn. The overall ranking of site hazard held for DON and DOT from both seasonal sampling periods. DBNR was sampled 2016 only (one adult H. punctata collected). Woodland had significantly greater hazard than downland, but ticks were present at all downland sites. I. ricinus has been identified in 33/37 of SDNPs 10 km2 grid squares, Ixodes hexagonus 10/37, H. punctata 7/37, Dermacentor reticulatus 1/37.

Conclusions. Mapping shows tick hazard broadly distributed across SDNP. I. ricinus was most common, but H. punctata’s seeming range expansion is concerning. Recommendations: management of small heavily visited high hazard plots (QECP); post-visit precaution signage (all sites); repellent impregnated clothing for deerstalkers; flock trials to control H. punctata (SSCP, DBNR). Further research at TM may contribute to knowledge on ecological dynamics underlying infection density and predator re-introduction/protection as public health interventions. #EcologicalResearch on H. punctata would aid control. SDNP Authority is ideally placed to link and champion policies to reduce hazard, whilst avoiding or reducing conflict between public health and ecosystem health.

#OneHealth #PlanetaryHealth #TickAware #DiseaseEcology #ConservationBiology #Acarology #MedicalEntomology #parasites #parasitology #lymedisease

Reid's paradox of rapid plant migration (Paleontology 🦕)

Reid's Paradox of Rapid Plant Migration or Reid's Paradox, describes the observation from the paleoecological record that plant ranges shifted northward, after the last glacial maximum, at a faster rate than the seed dispersal rates commonly occur. Rare long...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid's_paradox_of_rapid_plant_migration

#ReidSParadoxOfRapidPlantMigration #Paleontology #ForestEcology #ConservationBiology #EnvironmentalModelling

Why the '50/500 rule' in #conservationbiology is too low www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Remember that numbers refer to effective population size (Ne), not census population size (Nc) and Ne is always << Nc #conservation #minimumviablepopulationsize #biodiversity

For my followers in the Davis, California area, mark your calendars for one month from today for a free author event for my book, _The Land Is Our Community: Aldo Leopold’s Environmental Ethic for the New Millennium_ at our local bookstore, the Avid Reader!

#EnvironmentalEthics
#EnvironmentalHistory
#PhilBio
#HPB
#ConservationBiology
#Ecology

I am thrilled to read the first (that I am aware of) journal review of my @UChicagoPress book _The Land Is Our Community_. It is thoughtful and generous, and honestly, as much I could have hoped for (review by Samuel McKee for _Philosophy in Review_).

https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/pir/article/view/22095

#EnvironmentalEthics
#EnvironmentalHistory
#PhilBio
#HPB
#ConservationBiology
#Ecology
#PhilSci

Previously posted paper, now with an assigned issue & page numbers, #OpenAccess: https://doi.org/10.1017/psa.2023.133

#EnvironmentalEthics
#EnvironmentalHistory
#PhilBio
#HPB
#ConservationBiology
#Ecology
#PhilSci
#Values

For anyone who couldn't watch the livestream of this event, well, live, here is a link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/live/AUUcPS7gu_M?si=nDHd7t80KudJwZJW&t=333

#EnvironmentalEthics
#EnvironmentalHistory
#PhilBio
#HPB
#ConservationBiology
#Ecology

Looking forward to my session this Sunday at the Philosophy of Science Association meeting in NOLA! I'm taking a self-reflective look at the methodology I used to develop Leopoldian land ethic policy for my book _The Land Is Our Community_. (What Would Leopold Do? or WWLD).

#EnvironmentalEthics
#EnvironmentalHistory
#PhilBio
#HPB
#ConservationBiology
#Ecology

Hey everyone—I know there's a lot going on right now, but fans of Aldo Leopold's _A Sand County Almanac_ should mark their calendars for this "Science Friday" event on Tuesday, Nov. 19. Curt Meine, Buddy Huffaker, and I will be discussing and taking questions about the book. It should be fun!

Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/g4H0QW16dk2Cj971j3VWzg2

Please boost!! ⬆️

#EnvironmentalEthics
#EnvironmentalHistory
#PhilBio
#HPB
#ConservationBiology
#Ecology

Aldo Leopold's _A Sand County Almanac_ turns 75 today! A fine time to relish his wisdom with a (re)read or to learn about how his ideas are still very much relevant today in _The Land Is Our Community_.

https://www.aldoleopold.org/products/75th-anniversary-edition-a-sand-county-almanac?variant=47620353327417

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/L/bo219284936.html

#EnvironmentalEthics
#EnvironmentalHistory
#PhilBio
#HPB
#ConservationBiology
#Ecology

Al zeg ik het zelf, maar @joerimorpurgo is een van de snelst reizende sterren in de Urban Ecologen in de wereld.

Zijn kennis, kunde en publicaties op het gebied van Skills and
#Biodiversity #SpatialAnalysis
#WildlifeConservation
#Conservation
#ConservationBiology
#ConservationEcology
#SpeciesDiversity
#AnimalEcology
#Ecology and #Evolution
#LandscapeEcology zijn niet onopgemerkt gebleven.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joerimorpurgo/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joeri-Morpurgo

Here is a better link for my interview with Carrie Figdor, New Books in Philosophy, about my book _The Land Is Our Community: Aldo Leopold’s Environmental Ethic for the New Millennium_

https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-land-is-our-community

#EnvironmentalEthics
#EnvironmentalHistory
#PhilBio
#HPB
#ConservationBiology
#Ecology