0000000000267848
AUTHOR
Ana Maria Benedek
A novel method to predict dark diversity using unconstrained ordination analysis
[Questions] Species pools are the product of complex ecological and evolutionary mechanisms, operating over a range of spatial scales. Here, we focus on species absent from local sites but with the potential to establish within communities — known as dark diversity. Methods for estimating dark diversity are still being developed and need to be compared, as well as tested for the type, and amount, of reference data needed to calibrate these methods. [Location] South Bohemia (48°58′ N, 14°28′ E) and Železné Hory (49°52′ N, 15°34′ E), Czech Republic. [Method] We compared a widely accepted algorithm to estimate species pools (Beals smoothing index, based on species co-occurrence) against a nove…
Geographical clines in the size of the herb field mouse ( Apodemus uralensis )
Patterns of body size variation along geographical gradients have long been searched for and generalized into eco-geographical rules. However, no rodent species has yet been analyzed in relation to the 3 dimensions of latitude, longitude and altitude. We analyzed geographical clines and dimorphism of body and skull size in the herb field mouse (Apodemus uralensis) across the species range, based on field data and on data from the literature. Sexual dimorphism in adult A. uralensis was not expressed at a large scale, while local patterns were inconsistent. Age-dependent size changes were most expressed in adult individuals: most characters of adults exceeded in size those of subadults, while…
Small Mammals in Forests of Romania: Habitat Type Use and Additive Diversity Partitioning
Small mammals are key components of forest ecosystems, playing vital roles for numerous groups of forest organisms: they exert bottom-up and top-down regulatory effects on vertebrate and invertebrate populations, respectively
A century after introduction: variability in Cepaea hortensis (Müller, 1774) in Sibiu, central Romania
AbstractThe polymorphic land snail Cepaea hortensis was introduced to the city of Sibiu, central Romania, in the first decade of the 20th century and has spread widely across the city. A total of 97 locations were examined in 2017 across the city to determine the habitat preferences and variation in shell size, shape, colour and banding polymorphism of C. hortensis, and to relate these to the same features in the likely source population from Mannheim, Germany, and the first established population in Sibiu. We found that C. hortensis was largely restricted to sites with some woody vegetation cover and showed a marked preference for abandoned and overgrown private gardens. Mean adult shell s…
Effects of Long-Term Habitat Protection on Montane Small Mammals: Are Sorex araneus and S. minutus More Sensitive Than Previously Considered?
Protection of natural areas by restricting human activities aims to preserve plant and animal populations and whole communities, ensuring the conservation of biological diversity and enhancement of ecosystem services. Therefore, it is expected that the longer the protection, the stronger the desired effects. We evaluated the responses of small mammals at the population and community levels under protection in the southern Carpathian Mountains. We surveyed small mammals for five years in sites with long- and short-term protection and non-protected. Besides protection status, we included elevation, habitat heterogeneity, and the month of survey as predictors in our models. As response variabl…
Dynamics of small-mammal communities along an elevational gradient
Elevation is one of the most important natural gradients that is strongly shaping communities across relatively small areas. However, few studies have followed the temporal dynamics of elevational patterns, even in organisms for which population and community fluctuations have been extensively studied, such as rodents. Here we report the multiannual dynamics of small-mammal communities along an elevational gradient in the Southern Carpathians. During a 5-year survey, we conducted live-trapping in forested and shrubby habitats, at elevations between 820 and 2040 m. We used partial constrained multivariate analysis and mixed-effects models to test the effect of elevation, year, and their int…
Exploring land snails’ response to habitat characteristics and their potential as bioindicators of riparian forest quality
Abstract Riparian ecosystems are crucial for landscape-level biodiversity, especially in highly anthropic and agricultural areas. Although the low mobility of snails reduces their dispersal capacity and makes them vulnerable to habitat degradation, they are less commonly used as indicators. We evaluated the potential of land snails as bioindicators of riparian forest quality in central European riparian forests by surveying snail communities in relation to habitat characteristics that characterize its quality. Habitat characteristics were found to affect both snail abundance and species richness. The abundance of snail species increased with the forest continuity, forest width and abundance…
Responses of small mammal communities to environment and agriculture in a rural mosaic landscape
Intensification of agriculture is an increasing threat for biodiversity. Central Romania still preserves a traditional rural landscape with a matrix of small plots of crops and large surfaces covered by grasslands and forests, but its biodiversity is very poorly studied. Small mammals are key components of agrarian and semi-natural ecosystems but rodents are also viewed as major pests. Knowledge of the driving factors of small mammal communities in agricultural landscapes may enable taking management measures that pursue both conservation and economic goals. Here we evaluate the response of small mammals to environmental variables, including vegetation characteristics, land use and geograph…