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Salamander Population Size Helps Predict Health of Forest Ecosystems and Inform Forest Management Decisions, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostJanuary 25, 2014Naturebiodiversity, conservation, forest ecosystems, forest management, grant connette, life history, predictor, ray semlitsch, salamander population, salamander recovery, salamander recovery rate, southern appalachian mountains, survival of amphibians, united states, university of missouri, woodland salamanders

Researchers suggest a balance between timber harvest and conservation biology

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Woodland salamanders are small, lungless amphibians that live in moist, forest habitats throughout the U.S. and the world. Salamanders often serve as vital links in forest food chains; their population size and recovery from major disturbances can help predict the health of forest ecosystems. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have determined that salamander population size reflects forest habitat quality and can predict how ecosystems recover from forest logging activity. MU researchers believe these findings can be translated to other species within forest ecosystems throughout the world.

“One of our primary interests is in conservation of amphibians and the habitats that they utilize,” said Ray Semlitsch, Curators’ Professor of biological sciences in the College of Arts and Science at MU. “We are trying to understand how land use, and particularly forest management, affects the survival of amphibians on the landscape. We also determined that salamander recovery—or the amount of time it takes for salamanders to repopulate a cut forest area—can help forest managers determine appropriate logging schedules.” (more…)

Habitat research methods give a new peek at tiger life with conservation

By Guest PostOctober 28, 2013Naturebhim gurung, biodiversity, China, chitwan national park, conservation, habitat research, himalayan lowlands, human population, jianguo jack liu, michigan state university, neil carter, nepal, nepal tiger trust, panda, protected area, sustainability, systems integration, tiger habitat, tiger life

Twelve years ago, a team led by Jianguo “Jack” Liu at Michigan State University showed that China needed to revisit how it was protecting its pandas. Now research on tiger habitat in Nepal, published in Ecosphere journal of the Ecological Society of America, again shows that conservation demands not only good policy, but also monitoring even years down the road.

“Understanding long-term outcomes of conservation programs is crucial and requires innovative methods,” Liu said. “Now we’re learning that Nepal’s outstanding efforts to protect tigers are best supported with close monitoring because conservation situations are so dynamic. In both cases, the key is to understand how the people who live near the valued wildlife are faring as well.” (more…)

Mapping Out How to Save Species

By Guest PostJuly 14, 2013Natureamphibians, analytical methods, biodiversity, birds, blue moon foundation, cambridge, clinton jenkins, conservation, duke university, England, global concentration, global network, lucas joppa, mammals, map, microsoft research, north Carolina, priority areas, protected areas, saving species blog, species, state university, stuart pimm

In stunning color, new biodiversity research from North Carolina State University maps out priority areas worldwide that hold the key to protecting vulnerable species and focusing conservation efforts.

The research, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pinpoints the highest global concentrations of mammals, amphibians and birds on a scale that’s 100 times finer than previous assessments. The findings can be used to make the most of available conservation resources, said Dr. Clinton Jenkins, lead author and research scholar at NC State University. (more…)

Border Fences Pose Threats to Wildlife on U.S.-Mexico Border, Study Shows

By Guest PostJuly 19, 2011Nature, Sciencearroyo toad, biological diversity, border fences, california coasts, california red legged frog, conservation, department of homeland security, fire, harmful mutations, human impacts, human migration barriers, human population growth, hurricane, impacts on the ecosystem, inbreeding depression, jesse lasky, landscape, species in california, texas gulf, the jaguarondi, the university of texas at austin, threats to wildlife populations, tim keitt, unforeseen disturbances, us mexico border, walter jetz

AUSTIN, Texas — Current and proposed border fences pose significant threats to wildlife populations, with those animals living in border regions along the Texas Gulf and California coasts showing some of the greatest vulnerability, a new study from The University of Texas at Austin shows.

“Our study is the first comprehensive analysis of threats to species across the entire U.S.-Mexico border,” says Jesse Lasky, a graduate student in the laboratory of Tim Keitt, associate professor of integrative biology. “The scale at which these fences stretch across the landscape is large, so it’s important for us to also have a large-scale view of their effects across the continent.” (more…)

Tag Archives: conservation

Salamander Population Size Helps Predict Health of Forest Ecosystems and Inform Forest Management Decisions, MU Study Finds

Habitat research methods give a new peek at tiger life with conservation

Mapping Out How to Save Species

Border Fences Pose Threats to Wildlife on U.S.-Mexico Border, Study Shows