Geographic separation and genetic differentiation of populations are not coupled with niche differentiation in threatened Kaiser's spotted newt (Neurergus kaiseri)

The combination of niche modelling and landscape genetics (genomics) helps to disentangle processes that have shaped population structure in the evolutionary past and presence of species. Herein, we integrate a comprehensive genomic dataset with ecological parameters and niche modelling for the threatened Kaiser's newt, a newt species adapted to mountain spring-ponds in Iran. Genomic analysis suggests the existence of two highly differentiated clades North and South of the Dez River. Genetic variation between the two clades (76.62%) was much greater than within clades (16.25%), suggesting that the Dez River prevented gene flow. River disconnectivity, followed by geographic distance, contributed mostly to genetic differentiation between populations. Environmental niche and landscape resistance had no significant influence. Though a significant difference between climatic niches occupied by each clade at the landscape-scale, habitat niches at the local-scale were equivalent. 'Niche similarity analysis' supported niche conservatism between the two clades despite the southward shift in the climatic niche of the Southern clade. Accordingly, populations of different clades may occupy different climatic niches within their ancestral niche. Our results indicate that the change of climatic conditions of geographically and genetically separated populations does not necessarily result in the shift of an ecological niche

Effects of landscape characteristics on fragmented wetland plant communities and experimental metapopulations of Arabidopsis thaliana

In my Ph.D. thesis, I conducted both observational and experimental studies on the effects of landscape patterns (habitat fragmentation and spatial structure) and landscape dynamics (changes in landscape patterns through time) on plant communities. Evolutionary and ecological process in spatially structured landscapes were investigated at different scales from natural landscapes to experimental microcosms and involved observation of large scale population processes as well as experimentally manipulated short-lived metapopulations. In the observational study, changes in the biodiversity of 36 species-rich, pre-alpine fen meadows in NE Switzerland over the last 10 years, has been studied. This study revealed that effects of landscape structure on plant biodiversity were more pronounced at the time of the second census in 2005/06, conservation planning should take into account the lag effect of habitat fragmentation, because populations and metapopulations may respond with a time lag to the structure of the landscape. Isolation measures (e.g. increasing distance, presence of barriers, reducing number of neighbouring habitats) have more serious consequences for regional plant species survival when occurring in combination than when occurring separately. In experimental study, we artificially created islands of suitable habitat embedded in an unsuitable matrix to simulate islands of natural habitats in nature, using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model species. We investigated selection on dispersal abilities of Arabidopsis thaliana over five generations in landscapes differing in the degree of habitat fragmentation and disturbance rate of patches. This study revealed that disturbance regime was more important than area of the habitat patches, thus, temporal change and landscape dynamics have also an important role and should be taken into account in landscape scales studies on biodiversity. Habitatfragmentierung, also die Zerstückelung grosser, verbundener Flächen in kleinere, isolierte Lebensräume wird als eine starke Bedrohung der globalen biologischen Vielfalt angesehen. Ich untersuchte die Auswirkungen von Habitatfragmentierung auf die Pflanzenvielfalt in einer vergleichenden Studie in artenreichen schweizer Flachmooren und in einem Fragmentierungs- und Störungs- experiment mit Arabidopsis thaliana (Acker-Schmalwand). Unsere Flachmooruntersuchungen ergaben, dass sich die Habitatfragmentierung mit Zeitverzögerung vor allem auf spezialisierte Arten auswirkt und die Kombination verschiedener Isolationsmechanismen den stärksten Effekt auf die Biodiversität hat. Unser Arabidopsis Experiment zeigte, dass Störung einen grösseren Einfluss auf die Populationsdichte und die Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit hat als Habitatgrösse. Diese Ergebnisse sind unter anderem wichtig für die Naturschutzplanung

Ecological impact assessment of road networks at landscape scale using spatial road disturbance index (SPROADI)

Development of roads can have deleterious effects on natural habitats containing species of conservation concern. Fragmentation of habitat into small, non-contiguous patches may result in dramatic population declinesthus appropriate studies quantifying ecological impacts of roads at landscape scale are essential. The main goal of this study was ecological impact assessment of roads network in Eastern part of Isfahan Province, including Abassabad wildlife refuge and Siahkouh National park, which are among the most important habitats for Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. For this purpose, Spatial Road Disturbance Index (SPROADI), as a new landscape index was applied for the ecological impact assessment of the roads. This index uses three sub-indices including traffic intensity, vicinity impact and fragmentation grade to calculate the ecological impacts of road networks. Results obtained through quantifying the landscape Index (SPROADI) showed that the degree of disturbance by roads network is between 0 and 54.53. Our results also revealed that 12 percent of Abassabad wildlife and wide range of suitable habitats for Asiatic Cheetah were affected by roads, which presents a conservation concern for this critically endangered species

Spatial Prioritization for Ecotourism through Applying the Landscape Resilience Model

Given the growing universal demand for sustainable development in recent years, ecotourism has become one of the top effectual actions that can be employed to reconcile environmental conservation with economic growth. Therefore, sustainable development can be supported by assessing ecotourism ecosystem services at the landscape scale. In this regard, we presented a new technique that considers a potential model of ecotourism along with a landscape resilience measurement to identify the priority areas for sustainable ecotourism development. For this purpose, a multi-criteria fuzzy model with a geographic information system (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was first used to evaluate potential zones for ecotourism. The landscape ecological risk index (ERI) was then applied to measure the landscape resilience. The usefulness of our novel technique was then tested in a case study in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province (Ch & B), situated in the central part of the Zagros Mountain Chains, Iran. The area has a coarse terrain with climate that varies considerably, which results in high potential for ecotourism development. The results indicated that about half of the provincial area had high potential for developing ecotourism and attracting tourists. However, when considering the landscape resilience, approximately 33% of the study area near the western and central regions had both high potential for ecotourism and the high values of landscape resilience, making these locations suitable for sustainable ecotourism development. Overall, the present study demonstrated that utilizing the integrated models and the ecotourism potential model, together with the landscape resilience assessment, might provide a powerful tool for ecotourism prioritization for the purpose of sustainable development

Spatial Prioritization for Ecotourism through Applying the Landscape Resilience Model

Given the growing universal demand for sustainable development in recent years, ecotourism has become one of the top effectual actions that can be employed to reconcile environmental conservation with economic growth. Therefore, sustainable development can be supported by assessing ecotourism ecosystem services at the landscape scale. In this regard, we presented a new technique that considers a potential model of ecotourism along with a landscape resilience measurement to identify the priority areas for sustainable ecotourism development. For this purpose, a multi-criteria fuzzy model with a geographic information system (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was first used to evaluate potential zones for ecotourism. The landscape ecological risk index (ERI) was then applied to measure the landscape resilience. The usefulness of our novel technique was then tested in a case study in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province (Ch & B), situated in the central part of the Zagros Mountain Chains, Iran. The area has a coarse terrain with climate that varies considerably, which results in high potential for ecotourism development. The results indicated that about half of the provincial area had high potential for developing ecotourism and attracting tourists. However, when considering the landscape resilience, approximately 33% of the study area near the western and central regions had both high potential for ecotourism and the high values of landscape resilience, making these locations suitable for sustainable ecotourism development. Overall, the present study demonstrated that utilizing the integrated models and the ecotourism potential model, together with the landscape resilience assessment, might provide a powerful tool for ecotourism prioritization for the purpose of sustainable development

The Gender Gap in Land Sciences: A Review of Women’s Presence on the Editorial Boards of Peer-Reviewed Journals

Women are disadvantaged across all stages of academic publishing. In science, contribution to editorial boards of journals is evidence of a high reputation within a specialty or field. Therefore, the low presence of women on editorial boards can be considered a disadvantage indicator for women in academia. This study aims to highlight the gap in women’s contributions in land science journals. We assessed the gender composition of editorial boards in 60 peer-reviewed journals using systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and we obtained data on current and past editorial boards of these journals. The result shows that the current number of editorial board members is 5197 of which only 25.47 percent are women. Gender inequality is very evident in this group of journals to the extent that journals with a high impact factor indicate inequality that is even more than 75 percent. The results of the time series analysis have also shown that the presence of women on editorial boards has increased over the last decade, although this increase has been more in the Nordic countries. The geographical distribution of editorial board members is also quite unequal in the North and South, 83 percent of female editorial board members are from northern countries, while only 12 percent are from the global South. According to the results, there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality, especially in the field of land science. Our results also support previous findings of a considerable gender difference in urban land science, geoscience community, biodiversity conservation, and veterinary sciences. Thus, the academic community, editors, and journals must take proactive measures to achieve gender balance