A synthesis of European seahorse taxonomy, population structure, and habitat use as a basis for assessment, monitoring and conservation

Accurate taxonomy, population demography, and habitat descriptors inform species threat assessments and the design of effective conservation measures. Here we combine published studies with new genetic, morphological and habitat data that were collected from seahorse populations located along the European and North African coastlines to help inform management decisions for European seahorses. This study confirms the presence of only two native seahorse species (Hippocampus guttulatus and H. hippocampus) across Europe, with sporadic occurrence of non-native seahorse species in European waters. For the two native species, our findings demonstrate that highly variable morphological characteristics, such as size and presence or number of cirri, are unreliable for distinguishing species. Both species exhibit sex dimorphism with females being significantly larger. Across its range, H. guttulatus were larger and found at higher densities in cooler waters, and individuals in the Black Sea were significantly smaller than in other populations. H. hippocampus were significantly larger in Senegal. Hippocampus guttulatus tends to have higher density populations than H. hippocampus when they occur sympatrically. Although these species are often associated with seagrass beds, data show both species inhabit a wide variety of shallow habitats and use a mixture of holdfasts. We suggest an international mosaic of protected areas focused on multiple habitat types as the first step to successful assessment, monitoring and conservation management of these Data Deficient speciespublishersversionPeer reviewe

Concert recording 2013-04-14b

[Track 01]. Winter spirits for solo flute / Katherine Hoover -- [Track 02]. Il bacio / Luigi Arditi -- [Track 03]. Sonata for flute and piano. First movement / Otar Taktakishvili -- [Track 04]. Euphonium Concerto. Andante ; [Track 05]. Finale-Giocoso / Vladimir Cosma -- [Track 06]. Flute concerto in D, op. 283. Allegro molto moderato / Carl Reinecke -- [Track 07]. White knuckle stroll / Casey Cangelosi -- [Track 08]. Into the air / Ivan Trevino -- [Track 09]. Horn concerto no. 1 in E♭ major. Allegro / Richard Strauss -- [Track 10]. Pulsar / Augusta Read Thomas -- [Track 11]. Concerto in F minor. Movement one / Oskar Bohme -- [Track 12]. Fugue in G minor, Little Fugue / J.S. Bach

Coupled networks of permanent protected areas and dynamic conservation areas for biodiversity conservation under climate change

The complexity of climate change impacts on ecological processes necessitates flexible and adaptive conservation strategies that cross traditional disciplines. Current strategies involving protected areas are predominantly fixed in space, and may on their own be inadequate under climate change. Here, we propose a novel approach to climate adaptation that combines permanent protected areas with temporary conservation areas to create flexible networks. Previous work has tended to consider permanent and dynamic protection as separate actions, but their integration could draw on the strengths of both approaches to improve biodiversity conservation and help manage for ecological uncertainty in the coming decades. As there are often time lags in the establishment of new permanent protected areas, the inclusion of dynamic conservation areas within permanent networks could provide critical transient protection to mitigate land-use changes and biodiversity redistributions. This integrated approach may be particularly useful in highly human-modified and fragmented landscapes where areas of conservation value are limited and long-term place-based protection is unfeasible. To determine when such an approach may be feasible, we propose the use of a decision framework. Under certain scenarios, these coupled networks have the potential to increase spatio-temporal network connectivity and help maintain biodiversity and ecological processes under climate change. Implementing these networks would require multidisciplinary scientific evidence, new policies, creative funding solutions, and broader acceptance of a dynamic approach to biodiversity conservation

The impacts of forest harvest on the persistence and colonisation potential of pacific giant salamanders (dicamptodon tenebrosus) in British Columbia

The Pacific Giant Salamander {Dicamptodon tenebrosus) is considered vulnerable to local extirpation from British Columbia by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and is red-listed by the BC Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks. The impacts of forest practices potentially threaten the long-term persistence of Pacific Giant Salamanders in Canada. I used microsatellite and AFLP markers to indirectly assess the impacts of forest harvesting on the population structure and colonisation potential of Pacific Giant Salamanders. Levels of genetic variation and population differentiation were compared among eight sub-populations in three coastal forest types (old-growth, secondgrowth and clear-cut) in the Chilliwack River Valley, British Columbia, and other populations across D. tenebrosus' biogeographic range. Patterns of genetic variation and heterozygosity revealed that populations at the northern extent of D. tenebrosus' range have lower allelic richness and heterozygosity than more central and southern populations. Comparisons of genetic variation among forest types in BC revealed that recently clear-cut sites have less genetic variation than secondgrowth and old-growth sites, suggesting that clear-cutting may cause genetic bottlenecks. The level of genetic variation (allelic richness and percent polymorphic loci) and heterozygosity were significantly correlated with stand age. There was no relationship between geographic distance and genetic differentiation within the Chilliwack Valley. Analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) and estimates of population structure Fst and Φst, confirmed that there was slight to moderate differentiation among sub-populations of D. tenebrosus in BC. The colonisation potential of Pacific Giant Salamanders appears to be sufficient to re-establish locally extirpated sub-populations or to recover lost genetic variation from surrounding streams, particularly among clustered streams within drainages. However, long-term studies are required to assess whether the recovery of sub-populations is occurring faster than they are being disturbed, and whether Pacific Giant Salamanders are numerically stable in BC, or whether they are in decline. [Scientific formulae used in this abstract could not be reproduced.]Science, Faculty ofZoology, Department ofGraduat

Advances in global sensitivity analyses of demographic-based species distribution models to address uncertainties in dynamic landscapes

Developing a rigorous understanding of multiple global threats to species persistence requires the use of integrated modeling methods that capture processes which influence species distributions. Species distribution models (SDMs) coupled with population dynamics models can incorporate relationships between changing environments and demographics and are increasingly used to quantify relative extinction risks associated with climate and land-use changes. Despite their appeal, uncertainties associated with complex models can undermine their usefulness for advancing predictive ecology and informing conservation management decisions. We developed a computationally-efficient and freely available tool (GRIP 2.0) that implements and automates a global sensitivity analysis of coupled SDM-population dynamics models for comparing the relative influence of demographic parameters and habitat attributes on predicted extinction risk. Advances over previous global sensitivity analyses include the ability to vary habitat suitability across gradients, as well as habitat amount and configuration of spatially-explicit suitability maps of real and simulated landscapes. Using GRIP 2.0, we carried out a multi-model global sensitivity analysis of a coupled SDM-population dynamics model of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) in Mount Rainier National Park as a case study and quantified the relative influence of input parameters and their interactions on model predictions. Our results differed from the one-at-time analyses used in the original study, and we found that the most influential parameters included the total amount of suitable habitat within the landscape, survival rates, and effects of a prevalent disease, white pine blister rust. Strong interactions between habitat amount and survival rates of older trees suggests the importance of habitat in mediating the negative influences of white pine blister rust. Our results underscore the importance of considering habitat attributes along with demographic parameters in sensitivity routines. GRIP 2.0 is an important decision-support tool that can be used to prioritize research, identify habitat-based thresholds and management intervention points to improve probability of species persistence, and evaluate trade-offs of alternative management options

Data from: Putatively adaptive genetic variation in the giant California sea cucumber (Parastichopus californicus) as revealed by environmental association analysis of restriction‐site associated DNA sequencing data

Understanding the spatial scale of local adaptation and the factors associated with adaptive diversity are important objectives for ecology and evolutionary biology, and have significant implications for effective conservation and management of wild populations and natural resources. In this study, we used an environmental association analysis (EAA) to identify important bioclimatic variables correlated with putatively adaptive genetic variation in a benthic marine invertebrate – the giant California sea cucumber (Parastichopus californicus) – spanning coastal British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. We used a redundancy analysis (RDA) with 3,699 SNPs obtained using RAD sequencing to detect candidate markers associated with 11 bioclimatic variables, including sea bottom and surface conditions, across two spatial scales (entire study area and within sub-regions). At the broadest scale, RDA revealed 59 candidate SNPs, 86% of which were associated with mean bottom temperature. Similar patterns were identified when population structure was accounted for. Additive polygenic scores, which provide a measure of the cumulative signal across all candidate SNPs, were strongly correlated with mean bottom temperature, consistent with spatially varying selection across a thermal gradient. At a finer scale, 23 candidate SNPs were detected, primarily associated with surface salinity (26%) and bottom current velocity (17%). Our findings suggest that environmental variables may play a role as drivers of spatially varying selection for P. californicus. These results provide context for future studies to evaluate the genetic basis of local adaptation in P. californicus and help inform the relevant scales and environmental variables for in situ field studies of putative adaptive variation in marine invertebrates

Data from: The structure and distribution of benthic communities on a shallow seamount (Cobb Seamount, Northeast Pacific Ocean)

Partially owing to their isolation and remote distribution, research on seamounts is still in its infancy, with few comprehensive datasets and empirical evidence supporting or refuting prevailing ecological paradigms. As anthropogenic activity in the high seas increases, so does the need for better understanding of seamount ecosystems and factors that influence the distribution of sensitive benthic communities. This study used quantitative community analyses to detail the structure, diversity, and distribution of benthic mega-epifauna communities on Cobb Seamount, a shallow seamount in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Underwater vehicles were used to visually survey the benthos and seafloor in ~1600 images (~5 m2 in size) between 34 and 1154 m depth. The analyses of 74 taxa from 11 phyla resulted in the identification of nine communities. Each community was typified by taxa considered to provide biological structure and/or be a primary producer. The majority of the community-defining taxa were either cold-water corals, sponges, or algae. Communities were generally distributed as bands encircling the seamount, and depth was consistently shown to be the strongest environmental proxy of the community-structuring processes. The remaining variability in community structure was partially explained by substrate type, rugosity, and slope. The study used environmental metrics, derived from ship-based multibeam bathymetry, to model the distribution of communities on the seamount. This model was successfully applied to map the distribution of communities on a 220 km2 region of Cobb Seamount. The results of the study support the paradigms that seamounts are diversity 'hotspots', that the majority of seamount communities are at risk to disturbance from bottom fishing, and that seamounts are refugia for biota, while refuting the idea that seamounts have high endemism