Ecological Applications[JOURNAL]
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200 papers
Microsite creation increases native plant density and biomass in a semiarid grassland restoration.
Karban CC, Gugel SD, Barger NN
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jul · PMID 42397301 · Publisher ↗
Degradation in drylands is widespread, yet our ability to restore dryland native plant communities is nearly nonexistent. Recruitment from seed is often <10%, due to many factors including harsh conditions that lead to s...
Degradation in drylands is widespread, yet our ability to restore dryland native plant communities is nearly nonexistent. Recruitment from seed is often <10%, due to many factors including harsh conditions that lead to seed dormancy and seedling mortality and high levels of competition with invasive species. Degradation exacerbates these challenges by decreasing topography, water-holding capacity in soil, and perennial vegetation which can act as microsites for seed regeneration. In this experiment, we tested soil pits, biochar soil amendments, and seed pellets as three strategies to create seed microsites and ameliorate harsh conditions in a degraded landscape. We measured seedling density and biomass of both native and non-native species after one growing season. We also assessed impacts of the treatments on soil microbial communities. Seeding alone, with or without a seed pellet, did not result in seedlings in the absence of other treatments. Microsite creation increased native plant density by about 10-fold, and biomass by about 100-fold, compared to controls. Native plant biomass was even higher-about 300-fold greater than controls-with the addition of biochar to the microsites. Non-native seedling density and biomass was also highest, by about 10-fold and 6-10-fold, in pits and pits with biochar, respectively. Soil moisture was significantly higher in microsites, likely driving these native and non-native vegetation trends. There was no effect of seed pellets on plant density or biomass, and in most cases, pellets performed slightly worse than broadcast bare seeds. Bacterial communities in reference soils did not differ from those in degraded areas, but there were differences in response to the microsite treatments. Our results support our hypothesis that microsite limitation, coupled with seed limitation, poses a barrier to seeded restoration in highly degraded semiarid grasslands. Addressing this barrier could improve stubbornly low plant recruitment rates in dryland restoration, making projects more effective.
Flower-rich and diverse road verges support pollinators, but traffic speed limits the ecological benefits across Europe.
Wyver C, Andrić A, Biegerl C … +25 more , Blomqvist S, Dominik C, Feldmann N, Fiordaliso W, Garratt M, Holzschuh A, Honchar H, Karise R, Knežević M, Korten H, Lescot S, Liiskmann E, MacArthur J, Mänd M, Michez D, Öckinger E, Schweiger O, Skendžić T, Smith HG, Steffan-Dewenter I, Truslove L, Veselić S, Vujanović D, Senapathi D, Potts SG
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42365521 · Full text
Roads are vital for human societies, yet they can also have negative impacts on the ecological communities that live in close proximity to them. Insect pollinators, which nest and forage in road verges running alongside...
Roads are vital for human societies, yet they can also have negative impacts on the ecological communities that live in close proximity to them. Insect pollinators, which nest and forage in road verges running alongside roads, are a group of particular importance. These verges may act as an "ecological trap," drawing insect pollinators into contact with traffic, increasing the risk of pollinator-traffic collisions. Spanning six European regions, we evaluated the complex relationships between traffic, road verge floral composition, and surrounding land use to understand how these factors influence abundance and richness of bees, butterflies, and hoverflies sampled within road verges. Across the study, we observed 10,960 pollinators belonging to 293 species of bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. We observed greater pollinator abundance in verges with higher flower cover, and greater pollinator richness in verges with more species of flowering plants. Lower abundances of bees and butterflies and lower species richness of bees were observed when traffic speed in the adjacent road was higher. This study indicates that road verges with abundant and diverse floral resources support more abundant and diverse pollinator populations, especially on verges alongside lower speed roads. We recommend that lower speed roads should be prioritized for floral enhancements.
Methods to estimate marine functional connectivity: A primer.
Sturrock AM, Tanner SE, Arnaud-Haond S … +29 more , Aguzzi J, Barboza FR, Beger M, Blanco A, Brophy D, Carreton M, Childs AR, Costantini F, Gaggiotti OE, Gillanders BM, González-Irusta JM, Guizien K, Guy-Haim T, Haase S, Hunter E, Kotta J, Lacroix G, Öztürk RÇ, Pérez-Ruzafa A, Reis-Santos P, Riginos C, Rilov G, Rinkevich B, Rotllant G, Secor DH, Smoliński S, Trueman CN, Walther BD, Darnaude AM
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42338405 · Full text
Organism movement is a key process in the transfer of individuals, genes, functional traits, matter, and energy among habitat patches, at sea and across the land-sea interface. The resulting fluxes, collectively termed m...
Organism movement is a key process in the transfer of individuals, genes, functional traits, matter, and energy among habitat patches, at sea and across the land-sea interface. The resulting fluxes, collectively termed marine functional connectivity (MFC), underpin planetary health and an array of ecosystem services. The ecological and economic impacts of rapid environmental change, including climate change, overexploitation, habitat loss and fragmentation, and the global transport of nonindigenous species make accurate estimation and prediction of MFC patterns paramount. However, estimating MFC is challenging given the relative inaccessibility of the oceans and the small size of many of the organisms and life stages with the highest dispersal potential. Here, we provide a methodological roadmap to help researchers and stakeholders understand, use, and integrate different tools to estimate organism movement and connectivity, focusing on (1) tagging and telemetry, (2) analysis of chemical markers in body tissues and structures, (3) genetics, and (4) numerical modeling. We describe method strengths and weaknesses, and the spatiotemporal resolution and scale of resulting connectivity estimates. Ancillary and emerging methods to estimate MFC are also reviewed. We then present case studies that have successfully applied or integrated different methods, particularly to support (1) marine protected area design, (2) global change predictions, focusing on climate change and bioinvasions, and (3) fisheries management. Finally, we highlight methodological innovations and concepts that promise to transform MFC research in the future.
Invisible invaders: A new warning flag for molecularly detected alien species (MODAS) in databases and information systems.
Guy-Haim T, Christoforou E, Stern N … +2 more , Briski E, Katsanevakis S
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42318997 · Full text
Invasive alien species (IAS) threaten biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and services. Early detection and monitoring are essential for preventing IAS spread and mitigating their impacts. Conventional monitoring approa...
Invasive alien species (IAS) threaten biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and services. Early detection and monitoring are essential for preventing IAS spread and mitigating their impacts. Conventional monitoring approaches rely on physical evidence and frequently fail to detect species in inaccessible habitats, cryptic life stages, or poorly studied taxa. Advances in environmental DNA (eDNA) and other high-throughput molecular tools offer a sensitive alternative that can identify species undetectable by traditional methods. However, current regulatory frameworks require morphological verification, excluding molecularly detected IAS. Here, we propose adding molecularly detected alien species (MODAS) as a warning flag for alien species identified exclusively through molecular data. We define metadata requirements for the MODAS designation, including information on sampling, molecular analyses, DNA marker(s), sequence quality, taxonomic assignment confidence, and reference database. Incorporating MODAS flag into existing IAS databases and information systems would help prioritize validation efforts, support rapid response actions, and improve surveillance coverage, particularly in understudied or vulnerable environments. Moreover, tracking MODAS over spatial and temporal scales can provide critical feedback for refining and advancing IAS monitoring and surveillance approaches. This framework provides a precautionary, complementary approach for integrating molecular biodiversity tools into policy and management, promoting international coordination, and addressing gaps in current IAS monitoring strategies.
Balancing conflict and coexistence: Interactions between invasive monk parakeets and native urban birds.
Blanco-González J, López-Rull I, Enríquez F … +1 more , Cayuela L
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42312596 · Full text
Biological invasions often generate complex ecological paradoxes, particularly when invasive species act as ecosystem engineers that simultaneously compete with and benefit native communities. Understanding these dual dy...
Biological invasions often generate complex ecological paradoxes, particularly when invasive species act as ecosystem engineers that simultaneously compete with and benefit native communities. Understanding these dual dynamics is critical for managing urban biodiversity. Here, we investigated the interactions between invasive monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) and native avifauna to assess the balance between behavioral competition and structural commensalism. We assessed competition through (1) agonistic interactions and (2) correlations between parakeet abundance and that of native species. Commensalism was evaluated by analyzing tenant species in parakeet nests and the drivers of their occurrence. Agonistic interactions manifested through highly species-specific conflicts: Density-dependent aggression with rock pigeons (Columba livia) was strictly reciprocal, while parakeets directed targeted intimidation toward Eurasian magpies (Pica pica). Conversely, direct agonistic encounters involving either Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus) or house sparrows (Passer domesticus) were negligible. However, spatially, Passer spp. abundance correlated negatively with the number of parakeet nest chambers (a proxy for parakeet abundance), whereas common blackbirds (Turdus merula) showed a positive correlation. Furthermore, parakeets provided a massive structural subsidy. We recorded 11 native species breeding in 48% of surveyed parakeet nests (N = 252). Tree sparrows and stock doves (Columba oenas) dominated this tenant community, accounting for 86% of native breeding pairs. Native breeding abundance-including tree sparrows, stock doves, and rock pigeons-as well as total species richness scaled positively with nest chamber density. Yet, active parakeet presence limited nest use for stock doves but did not deter tree sparrows or rock pigeons from successful co-nesting. Our findings reveal a dual ecological dynamic: Parakeets show a negative spatial correlation with declining urban sparrows, yet simultaneously act as ecosystem engineers by providing valuable breeding habitats for local biodiversity. However, without data on tenant reproductive success and pathogen transmission, these novel subsidies risk functioning as ecological traps. Consequently, while indiscriminate nest removal could inadvertently harm native tenants, current evidence does not confirm the long-term safety of this commensalism. Effective management must transcend simple eradication, adopting a holistic framework that weighs the loss of nesting resources against the competitive and sanitary risks of retaining these invasive populations.
Using information theory to select spatial scales for species-habitat responses with camera traps.
Dyck MA, Arthurs E, Braun M … +4 more , Marks S, Smith RM, Barnas AF, Fisher JT
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42267639 · Full text
Widespread anthropogenic landscape change, particularly from energy development, has fundamentally reshaped ecosystems, and understanding species responses remains a central ecological challenge. Remote camera traps are...
Widespread anthropogenic landscape change, particularly from energy development, has fundamentally reshaped ecosystems, and understanding species responses remains a central ecological challenge. Remote camera traps are widely used to estimate mammal abundance and distribution, but inferring species-habitat relationships from these data is complicated by the spatial scale at which landscape features are measured. We apply foundational concepts of landscape ecology to explore whether predictable patterns in scale emerge within a broad mammal community inhabiting a highly developed landscape. Using camera trap data from 11 mammal species and a multi-scale, information-theoretic modeling approach, we investigated: (1) how best-supported spatial scales differ between anthropogenic and natural features; (2) species-scale patterns when modeling similar landscape attributes separately versus together; and (3) evidence for patterns of species-scale relationships based on body size and trophic level. We found that best-supported spatial scales spanned the entire range of sizes considered, from 250 to 5000 m. Best-supported scales differed between anthropogenic disturbances and natural landcover model sets for most species, but without a predictable direction. Similarly, optimal scales varied across species but showed no consistent relationship with species traits such as body size or trophic level. Species' best-supported spatial scales did not converge on a characteristic scale more frequently when similar landscape attributes were considered in individual models versus combined into a global model, nor did scale domains emerge consistently for global models. Our findings emphasize the complex and context-dependent nature of species-landscape interactions and underscore the importance of evaluating spatial scale in ecological analyses. Explicit consideration of scale, including evaluating a broad range of spatial extents, and, where appropriate, implementing multi-scale approaches can improve ecological inference and interpretation. Transparent reporting of scale decisions and critical evaluation of how scale influences results are essential for robust assessments of species responses to landscape change.
Evaluating species at risk in data-limited fisheries: A productivity-susceptibility analysis for marine aquarium fish.
Baillargeon GA, Wynn AA, Baldisimo JGP … +2 more , Tlusty MF, Rhyne AL
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42262143 · Full text
The marine aquarium trade (MAT) is a significant global industry harvesting millions of wild-caught, live coral reef fishes for public and private aquaria markets in the United States and Europe annually, while supportin...
The marine aquarium trade (MAT) is a significant global industry harvesting millions of wild-caught, live coral reef fishes for public and private aquaria markets in the United States and Europe annually, while supporting fisher livelihoods in the Indo-Pacific. This diverse and species-rich trade is considered data-limited, creating barriers to quantifying the current and future socio-ecological sustainability of the fishery. We present a revised and expanded productivity-susceptibility analysis (PSA) that serves as a holistic risk assessment to estimate the vulnerability of marine aquarium fish to overfishing. Our global analysis includes 306 species that are actively in trade. Improvements to the PSA framework from previous research including novel susceptibility factors, methods to overcome missing data for individual species factors, and assessing a large, diverse group of marine fish under a single, targeted assessment framework. Our results show that an overwhelming 81.4% of species evaluated fall into the least or moderately vulnerable classification, while the remaining species (n = 57) have higher vulnerability scores designating them as high priority for localized assessment and management initiatives. Most teleost fish in the trade are considered sustainable, while eels and elasmobranchs have the highest vulnerability scores. A comparative case study between our PSA and the popular FishBase vulnerability tool illustrates how the latter can be ill-suited to handle the data limitations common to nonfood fishes. Our study demonstrates how the PSA is a robust, data-limited fishery assessment to prioritize species in the MAT for further assessment, monitoring, and management.
Riverscape heterogeneity shapes population diversity for a migratory fish.
Baldock JR, Rosenthal WC, Al-Chokhachy RK … +3 more , Campbell MR, Wagner CE, Walters A
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42249587 · Full text
Habitat patch dynamics can scale up to influence population demography and diversity with implications for resilience to environmental stochasticity. But how the spatial arrangement and size of habitat patches interact w...
Habitat patch dynamics can scale up to influence population demography and diversity with implications for resilience to environmental stochasticity. But how the spatial arrangement and size of habitat patches interact with other components of habitat heterogeneity to shape population diversity at larger spatial scales is not well understood. For riverine fishes, there is increasing evidence that tributary streams provide critical demographic support to main stem rivers. However, the extent to which main stem rivers rely on demographic contributions from tributaries, and the factors underlying this dependence, have not been assessed. Here, we used genetic stock identification to evaluate the effect of tributaries on population diversity of Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus virginalis bouvieri) occupying the main stem Snake River, Wyoming, USA. We found that the main stem relied almost entirely on tributaries for demographic support, but main stem composition varied spatially among river sections. Distance between habitat patches, catchment area, and groundwater availability acted in concert to determine the contribution of specific tributaries to the main stem, but contributions were ultimately modulated by habitat connectivity. We also found evidence for multi-scale spatial structure in tributary contributions, providing insight into untested drivers of main stem river population diversity. Our results demonstrate how spatially discrete and distributed riverscape attributes influence population diversity at broader spatial scales, illustrating how ecosystem resilience emerges from the dynamic, two-way exchange of individuals and energy across habitat networks. Management plans for large rivers that address the ecological contributions of tributaries may be needed to achieve optimal outcomes. Similarly, conservation strategies that exclusively focus on headwater streams may fail to capture the broader habitat requirements necessary to maintain robust cold-water fish populations and associated recreational fisheries, particularly under global environmental change.
The outcomes of integrating biological interactions into rebuilding plans depend on prey specialization.
Odell AN, Oken KL, Baskett ML
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42246675 · Full text
Ecosystem dynamics can lead to trade-offs between reaching harvest targets and protecting vulnerable species across fisheries management decisions. However, in the context of rebuilding overfished populations, considerin...
Ecosystem dynamics can lead to trade-offs between reaching harvest targets and protecting vulnerable species across fisheries management decisions. However, in the context of rebuilding overfished populations, considering predator-prey interactions might provide opportunities to minimize or reverse these trade-offs if overfished prey can recover when predators in shared habitat are harvested. To understand whether and under what conditions such opportunities might arise, we explore the effect of predator harvest on the rebuilding outcomes of a recovering prey that experiences bycatch mortality. We developed an age-structured model with predation and harvest to evaluate changes in the population dynamics of prey at steady state and in their rebuilding time under increasing harvest of predators. We parameterized our models based on yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus), a U.S. West Coast Groundfish stock under a rebuilding plan, and one of their known predators, lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus). We found that lingcod harvest reduced the long-term spawning biomass and increased the rebuilding time of yelloweye rockfish regardless of their prey specialization; these negative effects were due to yelloweye rockfish bycatch in the lingcod fishery. However, the degree to which predator harvest affects prey rebuilding depends on prey specialization, where the steady-state dynamics of yelloweye rockfish were less affected by lingcod harvest and rebuilding occurred more rapidly when lingcod acted as a specialist compared to a generalist predator. As efforts to leverage ecosystem attributes in fisheries management are applied to recovery strategies, we highlight the role that the nature and strength of biological interactions can play in shaping outcomes of recovery.
Spatially explicit power analysis reveals challenges for a long-term threatened species monitoring program in Australia.
Menon V, Southwell D, Robley A … +6 more , Rees MW, Wilkinson DP, Giljohann K, Pascoe J, Wintle B, Hradsky BA
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42246581 · Full text
Long-term monitoring programs are crucial to assess trends in biodiversity and so make informed decisions for conservation and resource management. However, disregarding the statistical power of a monitoring program can...
Long-term monitoring programs are crucial to assess trends in biodiversity and so make informed decisions for conservation and resource management. However, disregarding the statistical power of a monitoring program can lead to incorrect conclusions about species population trends, potentially resulting in ineffective management and misdirected resource allocation. In Australia, predation by introduced red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cats (Felis catus) remains a major cause of native faunal decline and extinction. Australia spends more than $16 million yearly in controlling foxes for biodiversity conservation, primarily through landscape-scale poison baiting. Using a long-term fox baiting and threatened species monitoring program in southeastern Australia, we collated data from 2132 camera-trap deployments to: (1) explore drivers of the distribution of threatened native mammals and introduced predators, (2) conduct a spatially explicit power analysis to assess the program's ability to detect trends in native and introduced species occupancy for the next 10 years, and (3) provide recommendations for improving monitoring efforts through alternative scenarios. We found that threatened native mammals were more likely to occupy areas with high densities of fox baits, whereas foxes were less likely to occupy these areas; however, these areas were quite localized within baited regions. The power of the existing monitoring design was sensitive to the magnitude of change in occupancy, but robust to approximately 15% changes in the number of survey sites. The monitoring program showed adequate power (>0.8) to detect its original aims: increases in threatened native mammal occupancy and decreases in fox occupancy in baited areas. Hence, the lack of a strong signal of increasing native mammal occupancy in the last 8 years likely indicates that the system has reached a stable state under current management, rather than poor statistical power. This may potentially be the case in many long-term predator management programs. If removing some sites from an existing monitoring design does not considerably vary power, managers could consider diverting these resources to, for example, improving understanding of species-habitat relationships or intensifying predator management efforts.
First evidence of correlated ecosystem service and food web robustness in a sub-Antarctic marine protected area.
Porter JM, Riccialdelli L, Lovrich GA … +1 more , Marina TI
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42244256 · Publisher ↗
In protected areas management, ecosystem services (ES) are increasingly considered alongside biodiversity conservation. Even so, the decisions made with respect to ecosystem service conservation rarely include the potent...
In protected areas management, ecosystem services (ES) are increasingly considered alongside biodiversity conservation. Even so, the decisions made with respect to ecosystem service conservation rarely include the potential cascade effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystem service provisions. We performed a series of extinction simulations for eight ES integrated into a food web model for the Namuncurá-Burdwood Bank Marine Protected Areas I and II (N-BB MPA; ~54-56° S, ~56-62° W). For the first time in a marine ecosystem of this scale, we find that the robustness of the food web to species loss is highly correlated with ES's robustness to species loss. This study builds on recent efforts to deploy network theory for establishing conservation goals and presents a novel approach for applying network theory to ES maintenance. We determine that ecosystem service providers play little role in maintaining network stability, and that highly connected species and species which support ES indirectly should receive greater attention from conservation planners. While existing data are likely insufficient to determine the true robustness of individual services, we suggest that integrating ES into existing food webs, even without detailed quantitative data on service provision, can complement existing predictions of structural changes to food webs to identify vulnerable ES.
Shedding-weighted network approaches for understanding tuberculosis maintenance in multihost systems using camera traps.
Barroso P, Silk MJ, Perelló A … +4 more , Balseiro A, Relimpio D, Santos N, Gortázar C
Ecol Appl · 2026 Jun · PMID 42244255 · Full text
Understanding the dynamics of multihost pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC), requires considering not only host interaction patterns but also variation in infectiousness across species. Network an...
Understanding the dynamics of multihost pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC), requires considering not only host interaction patterns but also variation in infectiousness across species. Network analysis is a useful tool to assess contact structure and disease risk, but it often depends on invasive methods. Camera trapping offers a noninvasive alternative to build co-occurrence networks in complex communities. In this study, we applied a novel approach that integrates shedding into ecological networks, weighing links between species pairs according to their co-occurrence frequency and shedding capacity, to evaluate tuberculosis (TB) risk across 18 study sites in the Iberian Peninsula. At the community level, TB risk was positively associated with mean strength-out, a local centrality measure of the frequency of interspecific contacts and their infectious potential. Species-specific models revealed that community TB risk increased with the strength-out of wild boar, red deer, and cattle, and with the closeness of red fox and badger. Furthermore, the community TB risk was jointly explained by shedding-weighted connectivity and spatial aggregation of wild boar, whereas red deer mainly contributed through their local abundance. In contrast, shedding-weighted centrality of badgers, foxes, and cattle explained TB risk, suggesting that ecological and management factors may influence TB spread. We defined epidemiological scenarios according to latitude, population factors, and infection pressure. These findings highlight the importance of including host infectiousness in ecological network analyses, as well as combining centrality measures and population data to understand and manage TB risk in complex host communities, with potential applications to other wildlife diseases and multihost systems.
Meta-analysis shows overall benefits of cattle silvopastoral systems for biodiversity in fragmented forest landscapes.
Perez-Alvarez R, Chará J, Snyder LD … +3 more , Bonatti M, Sieber S, Martin EA
Ecol Appl · 2026 Apr · PMID 42186125 · Publisher ↗
Domestic cattle grazing is a leading driver of forest conversion and associated biodiversity loss, yet it also provides a critical livelihood for nearly 1 billion smallholder farmers, creating a paradox that highlights t...
Domestic cattle grazing is a leading driver of forest conversion and associated biodiversity loss, yet it also provides a critical livelihood for nearly 1 billion smallholder farmers, creating a paradox that highlights the need for conservation strategies to balance human and ecological needs. Cattle-based silvopastoral systems (SPS) integrate trees with cattle pastures, offering a promising solution to boost livestock productivity while safeguarding biodiversity in forest-dominated landscapes where ranching has replaced native forests. However, evidence for the biodiversity benefits provided by SPS is limited to studies focusing on specific geographic regions or taxa. Through a meta-analysis of 45 studies spanning 15 countries, 4 biogeographic regions, and 7 taxa, we provide the first quantitative synthesis evaluating how cattle-based SPS affect biodiversity (diversity and abundance) relative to treeless pastures and natural forests. Overall, we show that SPS harbor higher levels of diversity and abundance than treeless pastures and perform comparably to nearby forests. However, variations exist across regions and taxa, with the strongest positive responses in tropical and subtropical regions and for low-mobility taxa such as invertebrates and plants. Mammals, birds, and soil microorganisms, on the other hand, showed no significant biodiversity differences between treeless pastures and SPS. Thus, integrating SPS and protected areas as complementary components of a multifunctional landscape will be key to halting multitaxa biodiversity loss and supporting working lands. Our findings support the conservation potential of SPS in forest-fragmented regions, while underscoring the need for strategic implementation to maximize benefits for biodiversity conservation.
Expansion trends and impacts of Phragmites australis on the Louisiana Gulf Coast.
Guo Y, Roberts BJ, Nyman JA … +4 more , Plumlee JD, Davenport TM, Hopper GW, La Peyre MK
Ecol Appl · 2026 Apr · PMID 42179315 · Publisher ↗
Invasive plant species pose substantial threats to ecosystem integrity by disrupting ecosystem processes, reducing biodiversity, and complicating restoration and management efforts. Non-native lineages of Phragmites aust...
Invasive plant species pose substantial threats to ecosystem integrity by disrupting ecosystem processes, reducing biodiversity, and complicating restoration and management efforts. Non-native lineages of Phragmites australis are invasive in wetlands across parts of North America, causing declines in the diversity of native wetland plants and disrupting biogeochemical cycles. Despite recognition of these effects, important knowledge gaps remain regarding the spatiotemporal dynamics, environmental drivers, and consequences of Phragmites expansion for native communities. Here, we examined long-term data from the Louisiana Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS), collected from 2006 to 2023 and spanning 390 sites across nine basins, to quantify basin-specific Phragmites cover trajectories and evaluate their associations with co-occurring native plant cover and soil properties. Louisiana supports both long-established noninvasive and (since ~2000) invasive European P. australis lineages, but CRMS cannot distinguish them; thus, our basin-level trajectories reflect species-level cover dynamics that may integrate lineage-specific turnover. Phragmites dynamics varied markedly among basins over the study period: Phragmites cover decreased in the Mississippi River Delta (initially >25%), whereas the Calcasieu-Sabine, Mermentau, Teche-Vermilion, and Terrebonne basins, each starting with <5%, exhibited positive expansion trends. The remaining four basins maintained low and stable Phragmites cover (<5%) over the study period. These distinct basin-level trajectories may reflect basin-to-basin differences in a hydrogeomorphic setting and associated sediment and nutrient inputs. In basins with positive expansion trends, Phragmites cover was associated with decreases in native plant cover. Overall, Phragmites expansion was positively associated with higher soil nutrients, lower pH, and higher salinity, highlighting key environmental factors that could inform targeted management to prevent or mitigate its expansion. Although Phragmites cover remains low in most basins (<10%), expansion in several basins suggests the value of basin-specific early-warning monitoring to maintain native plant cover and associated ecosystem functions. Our two-step framework offers a transferable monitoring template that integrates Phragmites cover trends (expanding/stable/declining), concurrently measured native plant cover, and key soil and pore-water indicators to flag emerging hotspots and prioritize adaptive management in other estuarine and deltaic systems.
Understory frog communities recover quickly during tropical forest regeneration.
Neira-Salamea K, Tartara A, de la Cruz L … +7 more , Newell FL, Endara MJ, Escobar S, Guevara-Andino JE, Donoso DA, Heethoff M, Rödel MO
Ecol Appl · 2026 Apr · PMID 42178298 · Publisher ↗
Millions of hectares of tropical forest have been lost to agriculture, posing a major threat to biodiversity. However, where agricultural activities do not cause irreversible damage, forests can regenerate after abandonm...
Millions of hectares of tropical forest have been lost to agriculture, posing a major threat to biodiversity. However, where agricultural activities do not cause irreversible damage, forests can regenerate after abandonment, forming secondary forests that are increasingly important for conserving forest species. We investigated how understory frog communities respond to forest regeneration using a space-for-time substitution approach within a mosaic landscape in the lowland Chocó forest of northwestern Ecuador. The chronosequence included 38 plots distributed across active pastures, cacao plantations, regenerating forests (0-37 years after cacao or pasture abandonment), and old-growth forests. We tested whether understory frog species richness, diversity, and composition increase along the regeneration gradient using regeneration time, land-use legacy (cacao vs. pasture), basal area, and proximity to the nearest forest as predictors. Additionally, we assessed shifts in community composition across regeneration stages and estimated the time required for full recovery. Regeneration time had a significant positive effect on species richness, diversity, and composition, all of which increased along the chronosequence. Amphibian richness and diversity were estimated to recover fully after approximately 30 years. In this highly forested landscape, neither land-use legacy nor distance to forest significantly affected richness, diversity, or composition. We suggest that age-related forest characteristics, such as increased structural complexity, promote the recovery of understory frog communities, while landscape heterogeneity further supports community recovery. Our findings underscore the role of regenerating forests in sustaining amphibian diversity and highlight the potential contribution to long-term conservation of local frog communities.
A state and transition framework to guide riparian woodland vegetation management and environmental water decisions.
Good MK, Jones CS
Ecol Appl · 2026 Apr · PMID 42178183 · Publisher ↗
River regulation and water extraction are major threats to the health and persistence of water-dependent ecosystems, such as riparian woodlands and forests. In heavily modified agricultural landscapes, riparian vegetatio...
River regulation and water extraction are major threats to the health and persistence of water-dependent ecosystems, such as riparian woodlands and forests. In heavily modified agricultural landscapes, riparian vegetation is also impacted by site-level stressors like livestock grazing, tree clearing, and weed invasions. Complex interactions among spatial and temporal drivers in water-dependent ecosystems can result in poorly articulated conservation objectives and inefficient or siloed management decisions. Where restoration funds and environmental water allocations are limited, these inefficiencies are magnified. We propose a management-focused state and transition model to identify restoration pathways that involve changes in site and flow management, describe common riparian woodland states, and develop measurable targets aligned with transitions among riparian states. We demonstrate how this approach can be used to support spatially explicit strategies and prioritization of environmental flows or other management actions in a case study within a highly fragmented catchment in southeastern Australia. Additionally, we provide templates and workflows to guide management agencies to further refine our generic model based on local knowledge and values, which will facilitate better communication, structured decision-making, targeted monitoring, and adaptive management by land and waterway managers.
Erratum for "What can we learn from 100,000 freshwater forecasts? A synthesis from the NEON Ecological Forecasting Challenge".
Ecol Appl · 2026 Apr · PMID 42169454 · Publisher ↗
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Erratum for "Developing custom computer vision models with Njobvu-AI: A collaborative, user-friendly platform for ecological research".
Ecol Appl · 2026 Apr · PMID 42169448 · Publisher ↗
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Erratum for "Quantifying large carnivore predation relative to human harvest on moose in an intensively managed boreal ecosystem".
Ecol Appl · 2026 Apr · PMID 42169445 · Publisher ↗
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Erratum for "Evaluating sources of bias in pedigree-based estimates of breeding population size".
Ecol Appl · 2026 Apr · PMID 42169441 · Publisher ↗
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