Temporal and spatial patterns of small vertebrate roadkill in a supercity of eastern China
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wu Q
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10569179 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:Wildlife-vehicle collisions are one of the main causes of mortality for wild mammals and birds in the UK. Here, using a dataset of 54,000+ records collated by a citizen science roadkill recording scheme between 2014-2019, we analyse and present temporal patterns of wildlife roadkill of the 19 most commonly reported taxa in the UK (84% of all reported roadkill). Most taxa (13 out of 19) showed significant and consistent seasonal variations in road mortality and fitted one of two seasonal patterns; bimodal or unimodal: only three species (red fox Vulpes vulpes, European polecat Mustela putorius and Reeves' muntjac deer Muntiacus reevesi) showed no significant seasonality. Species that increase movement in spring and autumn potentially have bimodal patterns in roadkill due to the increase in mate-searching and juvenile dispersal during these respective time periods (e.g. European badger Meles meles). Unimodal patterns likely represent increased mortality due to a single short pulse in activity associated with breeding (e.g. birds) or foraging (e.g. grey squirrels Sciurus carolinensis in autumn). Importantly, these patterns also indicate periods of increased risk for drivers, potentially posing a greater threat to human welfare. In addition to behaviour-driven annual patterns, abiotic factors (temperature and rainfall) explained some variance in roadkill. Notably, high rainfall was associated with decreased observations of two bird taxa (gulls and Eurasian magpies Pica pica) and European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. By quantifying seasonal patterns in roadkill, we highlight a significant anthropogenic impact on wild species, which is important in relation to conservation, animal welfare, and human safety.
| S-EPMC8494347 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Despite increases in the frequency and intensity of disturbances on coral reefs over the past few decades, the response of subtropical coral assemblages to climate change is poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap on Australian reefs and provide a baseline for future comparisons, we quantified spatial (10-100's of kilometres) and temporal (decadal) patterns of benthic assemblages across a latitudinal gradient along the east Australian coastline (23.5° S to 31.5° S). Benthic community composition was quantified at six locations from the southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland (Heron Reef, 23.5° S, 152° E) to northern New South Wales (31° S, 153.1° E) and at Lord Howe Island (31.5° S, 159.1° E). Our results indicate significant latitudinal differences in benthic assemblages, while community composition at some sites was more similar to those hundreds of kilometres away than to that of neighbouring reefs. A general trend was observed with decreasing cover of Acroporidae with increasing latitude, corresponding with an increasing cover of Pocilloporidae and Dendrophylliidae. Heron Reef comprised a high proportion of Acropora corals (43% total coral cover) and coralline algae (44%). In contrast, high-latitude reefs were dominated by mixed coral assemblages (0-52%) and high macroalgal cover (16-27%). Decadal comparisons of high-latitude reefs showed regional stability of benthic assemblages (9 out of 11 assemblages remained stable at > 75% similarity), during a period of warming oceans (0.15-0.24°C per decade). Such temporal stability suggests that eastern Australian subtropical communities may be more resistant than tropical reef communities that have experienced assembly shifts caused by perturbations associated with recent global climate change. Despite the clear differences in the structure of coral assemblages evident in our spatial surveys, we suggest that the temporal stability of high-latitude reefs may provide a limited refuge for tropical coral populations in an increasingly uncertain future.
| S-EPMC3772894 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Elevated ground-level ozone (O3), which is an important aspect of air quality related to public health, has been causing increasing concern. This study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution of ground-level O3 concentrations in China using a dataset from the Chinese national air quality monitoring network during 2013-2015. This research analyzed the diurnal, monthly and yearly variation of O3 concentrations in both sparsely and densely populated regions. In particular, 6 major Chinese cities were selected to allow a discussion of variations in O3 levels in detail, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, Shanghai, and Urumchi, located on both sides of the Heihe-Tengchong line. Data showed that the nationwide 3-year MDA8 of ground-level O3 was 80.26 μg/m3. Ground-level O3 concentrations exhibited monthly variability peaking in summer and reaching the lowest levels in winter. The diurnal cycle reached a minimum in morning and peaked in the afternoon. Yearly average O3 MDA8 concentrations in Beijing, Chengdu, Lanzhou, and Shanghai in 2015 increased 12%, 25%, 34%, 22%, respectively, when compared with those in 2013. Compared with World Health Organization O3 guidelines, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai suffered O3 pollution in excess of the 8-hour O3 standard for more than 30% of the days in 2013 to 2015.
| S-EPMC5473832 | biostudies-literature
Project description:How, when, and from where Madagascar's vertebrates arrived on the island is poorly known, and a comprehensive explanation for the distribution of its organisms has yet to emerge. We begin to break that impasse by analyzing vertebrate arrival patterns implied by currently existing taxa. For each of 81 clades, we compiled arrival date, source, and ancestor type (obligate freshwater, terrestrial, facultative swimmer, or volant). We analyzed changes in arrival rates, with and without adjusting for clade extinction. Probability of successful transoceanic dispersal is negatively correlated with distance traveled and influenced by ocean currents and ancestor type. Obligate rafters show a decrease in probability of successful transoceanic dispersal from the Paleocene onward, reaching the lowest levels after the mid-Miocene. This finding is consistent with a paleoceanographic model [Ali JR, Huber M (2010) Nature 463:653-656] that predicts Early Cenozoic surface currents periodically conducive to rafting or swimming from Africa, followed by a reconfiguration to present-day flow 15-20 million years ago that significantly diminished the ability for transoceanic dispersal to Madagascar from the adjacent mainland.
| S-EPMC3325680 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Elevational gradients provide an excellent opportunity to assess biodiversity patterns and community structure. Previous studies mainly focus on higher elevations or are limited to small areas in mountainous regions. Little information can be found on amphibian biodiversity in middle- and low-elevational areas, hence our study was devoted to filling up the current gaps in these research areas. To understand the variability of biodiversity of amphibian species in the Fujian Junzifeng National Nature Reserve in eastern China, our study included taxonomic and phylogenetic components to describe the various patterns of regional and elevational distribution. The results showed that (1) most of the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity metrics were correlated; with regard to the surveyed area, Faith's phylogenetic diversity index (PD) and net relatedness index (NRI) were positively correlated with the Shannon-Wiener index (H'), Margalef index (DMG), and species richness (S), while negatively with the Pielou index; whereas for elevation, only the Pielou index was positively correlated with the nearest taxon index (NTI), but negatively with other indices; (2) taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities did not differ among the three survey locations but differed significantly along the elevational gradient; Simpson index, H', S, and DMG had a hump-shaped relationship with elevations, and PD decreased gradually with the increase in elevation, whereas NRI and NTI sharply increased at the elevation above 900 m; (3) the species range size and the corresponding midpoint of amphibians were affected by a strong phylogenetic signal, which supports the elevational Rapoport's rule upon removal of Pachytriton brevipes and Boulenophrys sanmingensis from the study.
| S-EPMC10045056 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Dramatic increases in populations of wild ungulates have brought a new ecological issue in the Qinling mountains. Information on species' niche differentiation will contribute to a greater understanding of the mechanisms of coexistence, so as to ultimately benefit the conservation and management of ecological communities. In this study, camera trapping was used to investigate spatial and temporal activity patterns of sympatric wild ungulates in the Qinling Mountains of China, where top predators were virtually absent. We obtained 15,584 independent detections of seven wild ungulate species during 93,606 camera-trap days from April 2014 to October 2017. Results showed that (i) the capture rate differed significantly across species, with the capture rate of reeve muntjac being significantly higher than that of other species; (ii) the wild boar had a higher occupancy rates (ψ = 0.888) than other six ungulates, and distance to settlements had a negative relationship with wild boar (β = -0.24 ± 0.17); (iii) the forest musk deer and mainland serow had low spatial overlaps with other five wild ungulates, while spatial overlap indices of any two given pairs of wild ungulates were relatively high; (iv) all wild ungulates species (expect wild boar) were mainly active during crepuscular and diurnal periods, and showed bimodal activity peaks at around 05:00-07:00 and 17:00-19:00; and finally, (v) all wild ungulates showed moderate to high temporal overlaps. The results provided detailed information of the spatial and temporal ecology of wild ungulate communities in forest ecosystems of China, which also would be a guide to establish conservation priorities as well as efficient management programs.
| S-EPMC9264793 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Schistosomiasis is still prevalent in some parts of China. A shift in strategy from morbidity control to elimination has led to great strides in the past several decades. The objective of this study was to explore the spatial and temporal characteristics of schistosomiasis in Anhui, an eastern province of China. In this study, township-based parasitological data were collected from annual cross-sectional surveys during 1997-2010. The kernel k-means method was used to identify spatial clusters of schistosomiasis, and an empirical mode decomposition technique was used to analyze the temporal trend for Schistosoma japonicum in each clustered region. Overall, the prevalence of schistosomiasis remained at a low level except for the resurgence in 2005. According to the Caliński-Harabas index, all the townships were classified into three different clusters (median prevalence: 3.6 per 10,100, 1.8 per 10,000 and 1.7 per 10,000), respectively representing high-, median-, and low-risk clusters. There was an increasing tendency observed for the disease over time. The prevalence increased rapidly from 2003 to 2005, peaked in 2006, and then decreased afterward in the high-risk cluster. A moderate increase was observed in the median-risk cluster from 1998 to 2006, but there was an obvious decreasing tendency in the low-risk cluster after the year 2000. The spatial and temporal patterns of schistosomiasis were nonsynchronous across the three clusters. Disease interventions may be adjusted according to the risk levels of the clusters.
| S-EPMC5928817 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Exploring species richness patterns across space and time can help in understanding species distribution and in formulating conservation strategies. Among taxa, amphibians are of utmost importance as they are highly sensitive to environmental changes due to their unique life histories (Zhong et al., 2018). Here, we investigated the spatial and temporal patterns of amphibian species richness on Tianping Mountain in China. Specifically, we established 10 transects at low to high elevations, and sampled amphibians in April, June, August, and October 2017. Our results demonstrated that amphibian species composition and richness varied significantly at both spatial and temporal scales and were associated with gradients of environmental change in microhabitats on Tianping Mountain.
| S-EPMC7109012 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Animal development requires coordinated communication between cells. The Connexin family of proteins is a major contributor to intercellular communication in vertebrates by forming gap junction channels that facilitate the movement of ions, small molecules, and metabolites between cells. Additionally, individual hemichannels can provide a conduit to the extracellular space for paracrine and autocrine signaling. Connexin-mediated communication is widely used in epithelial, neural, and vascular development and homeostasis, and most tissues likely use this form of communication. In fact, Connexin disruptions are of major clinical significance contributing to disorders developing from all major germ layers. Despite the fact that Connexins serve as an essential mode of cellular communication, the temporal and cell-type-specific expression patterns of connexin genes remain unknown in vertebrates. A major challenge is the large and complex connexin gene family. To overcome this barrier, we determined the expression of all connexins in zebrafish using single-cell RNA-sequencing of entire animals across several stages of organogenesis. Our analysis of expression patterns has revealed that few connexins are broadly expressed, but rather, most are expressed in tissue- or cell-type-specific patterns. Additionally, most tissues possess a unique combinatorial signature of connexin expression with dynamic temporal changes across the organism, tissue, and cell. Our analysis has identified new patterns for well-known connexins and assigned spatial and temporal expression to genes with no-existing information. We provide a field guide relating zebrafish and human connexin genes as a critical step toward understanding how Connexins contribute to cellular communication and development throughout vertebrate organogenesis.
| S-EPMC9073686 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Muling River, situated amidst cultivated lands in Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China, has long been subjected to sand-digging activities, resulting in severe damage to its riverbed. However, little research has been conducted on the impact of this disturbance on the status of fish community structure and trophic guilds in this river. In this study, environmental factors, fish community structure, and fish trophic guild biomass distribution patterns from the Muling River basin were investigated among seasons (spring, summer, and autumn) and sections (upper, middle, and lower stream) in 2015 and 2017. During the six sampling times periods, 46 species of five orders and 12 families of fish were classified into seven trophic guilds. Fish species number and biomass were higher upper reaches of the watershed. The insectivores (16.26%), phytoplanktivores (10.09%), benthivores (40.17%), and omnivores (11.86%) were the dominant trophic guilds. We found that fish trophic guilds biomass and environmental factors such as transparency, water depth, pH value, total phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand were highest in the upper section compared to other sections. Variation partitioning revealed that fish trophic guilds biomass was influenced more by environmental factors (61.2%), followed by section (0.7%) and season (0.1%). Partial RDA ordination showed that fish trophic guilds were positively correlated with water depth and transparency, while negative with turbidity. This study underscores the importance of considering trophic guilds of freshwater fishes to inform management strategies in regions experiencing significant environmental change.
| S-EPMC11257708 | biostudies-literature