scholarly journals Lowland extirpation of anuran populations on a tropical mountain

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e4059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marconi Campos-Cerqueira ◽  
T. Mitchell Aide
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ◽  
Amphibian Population ◽  
Tropical Mountain ◽  
Luquillo Mountains

BackgroundClimate change and infectious diseases threaten animal and plant species, even in natural and protected areas. To cope with these changes, species may acclimate, adapt, move or decline. Here, we test for shifts in anuran distributions in the Luquillo Mountains (LM), a tropical montane forest in Puerto Rico by comparing species distributions from historical (1931–1989)and current data (2015/2016).MethodsHistorical data, which included different methodologies, were gathered through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and published literature, and the current data were collected using acoustic recorders along three elevational transects.ResultsIn the recordings, we detected the 12 native frog species known to occur in LM. Over a span of ∼25 years, two species have become extinct and four species suffered extirpation in lowland areas. As a consequence, low elevation areas in the LM (<300 m) have lost at least six anuran species.DiscussionWe hypothesize that these extirpations are due to the effects of climate change and infectious diseases, which are restricting many species to higher elevations and a much smaller area. Land use change is not responsible for these changes because LM has been a protected reserve for the past 80 years. However, previous studies indicate that (1) climate change has increased temperatures in Puerto Rico, and (2)Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd)was found in 10 native species and early detection of Bd coincides with anurans declines in the LM. Our study confirms the general impressions of amphibian population extirpations at low elevations, and corroborates the levels of threat assigned by IUCN.

scholarly journals Non-indigenous bamboo along headwater streams of the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico: leaf fall, aquatic leaf decay and patterns of invasion

2000 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. O'connor ◽  
Alan P. Covich ◽  
F. N. Scatena ◽  
Lloyd L. Loope
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Aquatic Communities ◽  
Luquillo Experimental Forest ◽  
Syzygium Jambos ◽  
Fine Mesh ◽  
Bamboo Leaves ◽  
Luquillo Mountains

The introduction of bamboo to montane rain forests of the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico in the 1930s and 1940s has led to present-day bamboo monocultures in numerous riparian areas. When a non-native species invades a riparian ecosystem, in-stream detritivores can be affected. Bamboo dynamics expected to influence stream communities in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) were examined. Based on current distributions, bamboo has spread downstream at a rate of 8 m y−1. Mean growth rate of bamboo culms was 15.3 cm d−1. Leaf fall from bamboo stands exceeded that of native mixed-species forest by c. 30% over a 10-mo study. Bamboo leaves (k = −0.021), and leaves from another abundant riparian exotic, Syzygium jambos (Myrtaceae) (k = −0.018), decayed at relatively slow rates when submerged in streams in fine-mesh bags which excluded macro-invertebrate leaf processors. In a second study, with leaf processors present, bamboo decay rates remained unchanged (k = −0.021), while decay rates of S. jambos increased (k = −0.037). Elemental losses from bamboo leaves in streams were rapid, further suggesting a change in riparian zone / stream dynamics following bamboo invasion. As non-indigenous bamboos spread along Puerto Rico streams, they are likely to alter aquatic communities dependent on leaf input.

scholarly journals Unexploited Biodiversity Data Sources: The case of airborne pollen

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arturo H. Ariño ◽  
Mónica González-Alonso ◽  
Anabel Pérez de Zabalza
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Airborne Pollen ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Pollen Data ◽  
Biodiversity Data ◽  
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ◽  
Darwin Core ◽  
Presence Data ◽  
Past Climate Change ◽  
Source Of Information

With more than one billion primary biodiversity data records (PBR), the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is the largest and, arguably, most comprehensive and accurate resource about the biodiversity data on the planet. Yet, its gaps (taxonomical, geographical or chronological, among others) have often been brought to attention (Gaijy et al. 2013) and efforts are continuously made to ensure more uniform coverage. Especially as data obtained through this resource are increasingly being used for science, policy, and conservation (Ariño et al. 2018), drawing on every possible source of information to complement already existing data opens new opportunities for supplying the integrative knowledge required for global endeavors, such as understanding the global patterns of ecosystem and environment changes. One such potential source that exists, but so far has experienced little integration, is the vast body of data acquired through airborne particle monitoring systems (for example, the European Aeroallergen Network, EAN). A large portion of pollen data is comprised of quantitative sampling of airborne pollen collected through semi-automated spore traps throughout the world. Its main use is clinical, as it forms the basis of the widespread allergen forecast bulletins. While geolocating the source of airborne pollen is fraught with obviously large uncertainty radii, the time and taxon components of the PBR remain highly precise and are therefore fit for many other uses (Hill et al. 2010). Presence data, and under certain circumstances, frequency data inferred from pollen counts have been often proposed as an excellent proxy for past climate change assessments as far back as the start of the Holocene (Mauri et al. 2015) and might therefore also be possibly used for current climate change detection. We call for a concerted effort throughout the palynological community to first increase harmonizing, and then eventually standardizing, pollen data acquisition through the adoption of Darwin Core (DwC) and, eventually, DwC extensions to mine current data and pipeline future airborne pollen data as PBR. mine current data and pipeline future airborne pollen data as PBR. Success in this endeavor may contribute to a better understanding of global change.

scholarly journals How will climate change affect the potential distribution of Eurasian tree sparrows Passer montanus in North America?

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 648-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Graham ◽  
Catherine Jarnevich ◽  
Nick Young ◽  
Greg Newman ◽  
Thomas Stohlgren
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North America ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Potential Distribution ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ◽  
Habitat Suitability Models ◽  
Passer Montanus

Abstract Habitat suitability models have been used to predict the present and future potential distribution of a variety of species. Eurasian tree sparrows Passer montanus, native to Eurasia, have established populations in other parts of the world. In North America, their current distribution is limited to a relatively small region around its original introduction to St. Louis, Missouri. We combined data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility with current and future climate data to create habitat suitability models using Maxent for this species. Under projected climate change scenarios, our models show that the distribution and range of the Eurasian tree sparrow could increase as far as the Pacific Northwest and Newfoundland. This is potentially important information for prioritizing the management and control of this non-native species.

scholarly journals Baseline amphibian survey and sampling of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the Icaco and Hormiga valleys, Patillas, Puerto Rico

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Norman Greenhawk ◽  
Sara Zlotnik ◽  
Lauren Margaret Billy ◽  
Sam Boas ◽  
Sara Gabel
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Amphibian Population ◽  
The World

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is the pathogen responsible for chytridiomycosis, a disease implicated in amphibian population declines around the world. In Puerto Rico, Bd has been shown to cause mortalities in endemic anurans of the genus Eleutherodactylus. In July 2014, we conducted visual-encounter surveys and collected 143 Bd swab samples at 10 locations in Icaco and Hormiga, two remote and understudied valleys in Patillas, Puerto Rico. We found five species of Eleutherodactylus and one species of Leptodactylus. Individuals of four species (E. coqui, E. cooki, E. richmondi, and E. wightmanae) yielded either positive or equivocal results for Bd, but 93.7% of the samples tested negative for Bd

A 42 year inference of cloud base height trends in the Luquillo Mountains of northeastern Puerto Rico

2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
PW Miller ◽  
TL Mote ◽  
CA Ramseyer ◽  
AE Van Beusekom ◽  
M Scholl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Luquillo Mountains ◽  
Cloud Base Height

Cuba, Puerto Rico, and climate change: shared challenges in agriculture, forestry, and opportunities for collaboration.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Fain ◽  
Kathleen McGinley ◽  
William Gould ◽  
Isabel K Parés ◽  
Grizelle Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Puerto Rico

scholarly journals Effects of Infectious Diseases on Population Dynamics of Marine Organisms in Chesapeake Bay

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerelle A. Jesse ◽  
M. Victoria Agnew ◽  
Kohma Arai ◽  
C. Taylor Armstrong ◽  
Shannon M. Hood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Eastern Oyster ◽  
Marine Organisms ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Climate Change Effects ◽  
Pathogen Dynamics ◽  
Growth And Reproduction

AbstractDiseases are important drivers of population and ecosystem dynamics. This review synthesizes the effects of infectious diseases on the population dynamics of nine species of marine organisms in the Chesapeake Bay. Diseases generally caused increases in mortality and decreases in growth and reproduction. Effects of diseases on eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) appear to be low in the 2000s compared to effects in the 1980s–1990s. However, the effects of disease were not well monitored for most of the diseases in marine organisms of the Chesapeake Bay, and few studies considered effects on growth and reproduction. Climate change and other anthropogenic effects are expected to alter host-pathogen dynamics, with diseases of some species expected to worsen under predicted future conditions (e.g., increased temperature). Additional study of disease prevalence, drivers of disease, and effects on population dynamics could improve fisheries management and forecasting of climate change effects on marine organisms in the Chesapeake Bay.

Preparedness 3.0: Addressing the Future

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 728-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges C. Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Common Occurrence ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
State Sponsorship ◽  
The Future

ABSTRACTThe last 14 years has taught us that that we are facing a new reality; a reality in which public health emergencies are a common occurrence. Today, we live in a world with dangerous people without state sponsorship who are an enormous threat to our safety; one where emerging and reemerging infectious diseases are waiting to break out; a world where the benefits of globalization in trade, transportation, and social media brings threats to our communities faster and with a greater risk than ever before. Even climate change has entered into the preparedness equation, bringing with it the forces of nature in the form of extreme weather and its complications. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:728–729)

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document