Fig 1 - uploaded by Merlijn van Weerd
Content may be subject to copyright.
Main forest types in the NSMNP and the locations of survey plots; letters refer to tree survey plots, numbers to bird and bat survey plots, codes as in Appendix 1. Cut-off in West and East is arbitrary, in North and South follows provincial boundaries. Inset shows location of NSMNP in Isabela Province in the Philippines. Map based on NAMRIA (1995), NORDECO and DENR (1998), Carranza et al. (1999), Andal et al. (2005), and ground validation by the first author
Source publication
Indicator species groups are often used as surrogates for overall biodiversity in conservation planning because inventoriesc of multiple taxa are rare, especially in the tropics where most biodiversity is found. At coarse spatial scales most studies show congruence in the distribution of species richness and of endemic and threatened species of dif...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... Philippines is part of the Malesian floristic region ( Collins et al. 1991). Several distinct forest types can be found in the NSMNP (Fig. 1) related to differences in soil characteristics, elevation and location. (1) Mangrove forest is found in shallow waters in secluded coastal bays and coves under saline conditions. Canopy height of mangrove forest in the NSMNP is 15 m at maximum and tree density (of trees [1 cm diameter at breast height) in a 1 ha study plot was 3,769 ...
Context 2
... species diversity was determined by Hubert Garcia and co-workers (Garcia 2002a, b, c, d; Fortus and Garcia 2002a, b) during the period 1996-2002 using eight delineated plots in mangrove forest, lowland dipterocarp forest, ultrabasic forest and montane forest (Fig. 1, Appendix 1). Plot size was roughly based on the extent of the forest types within the park and varied from 0.04 ha (one plot), 0.25 ha (two plots), to 1 ha (five plots). All trees with a diameter at breast height over 1 cm were marked and identified using scientific and local names and species codes for morphospecies by trained teams of local ...
Context 3
... and bat species diversity was determined by Van Weerd from 1999 to 2006 in survey plots of varying size ( Fig. 1, Appendix 1) using a variety of methods to obtain the most complete species lists possible. Only data gathered in the four selected forest types have been used here and data were pooled for each survey plot. In mangrove forest one survey plot for birds and bats was established; in lowland dipterocarp forest, data were gathered in 10 ...
Similar publications
Governments have agreed to expand the global protected area network from 13% to 17% of the world's land surface by 2020 (Aichi target 11) and to prevent the further loss of known threatened species (Aichi target 12). These targets are interdependent, as protected areas can stem biodiversity loss when strategically located and effectively managed. H...
Large birds of prey, such as the Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori), are among the most threatened species, due to their high habitat requirements as top predators. In order to develop effective conservation plans for this group, more detailed knowledge of the different aspects of their biology and interaction with human communities is re...
In this study we projected the effect of anthropogenic climate change in endemic and restricted-range Andean bird species that spread out from the center of Bolivia to southeastern Peru. We also analyzed the representation of these species in protected areas. The ensemble forecasts from niche-based models indicated that 91–100% of species may reduc...
Significance
Identifying priority areas for biodiversity is essential for directing conservation resources. We mapped global priority areas using the latest data on mammals, amphibians, and birds at a scale 100 times finer than previous assessments. Priority areas have a higher—but still insufficient—rate of protection than the global average. We i...
Intense deforestation causes massive species losses. These losses occur because the habitats supplanting primary forest are inadequate to sustain viable populations of forest-dependent species. Despite this, certain species do seem to persist within the secondary habitats that replace original forest. This implies that there is a special class of s...
Citations
... The functional traits were grouped into morphology, ecology, and behavior categories which are characteristics commonly found in the literature to represent broadly the ecosystem support services performed by the studied groups (e.g. Hocking and Babbitt 2014;Villéger et al. 2017;Lourenço-de-Moraes et al. 2019b). For fishes, 10 functional traits were evaluated: ...
Species distribution patterns are widely used to guide conservation planning and are a central issue in ecology. The usefulness of spatial correlation analysis has been highlighted in several ecological applications so far. However, spatial assumptions in ecology are highly scale-dependent, in which geographical relationships between species diversity and distributions can have different conservation concerns. Here, an integrative landscape planning was designed to show the spatial distribution patterns of taxonomic and functional diversity of amphibians and fishes, from multiple species traits regarding morphology, life history, and behavior. We used spatial, morphological, and ecological data of amphibians and fishes to calculate the functional diversity and the spatial correlation of species. Mapping results show that the higher taxonomic and functional diversity of fishes is concentrated in the West Atlantic Forest. Considering amphibians, are located in the East portion of the biome. The spatial correlation of species indicates the regions of the Serra do Mar and the extreme southern part of the Central Corridor as the main overlapped species distribution areas between both groups. New key conservation sites were reported within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest hotspot, revealing cross-taxon mismatches between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. This study offers useful spatial information integrating suitable habitats of fishes and amphibians to complement existing and future research based on terrestrial and freshwater conservation. New priorities for biodiversity conservation in rich-species regions highlight the importance of spatial pattern analysis to support land-use planning in a macroecological context.
... Richness correlations among taxonomic groups are closely related to the effects of shared environmental factors on the species richness of the taxa [28,56]. Toranza and Arim [29] confirmed three common environmental factors (latitude, potential evapotranspiration, and temperature) significantly contributed to RCs between mammals and birds in the Brazilian savanna. ...
Identifying indicator taxa is a solution to the problem of a lack of diverse data. However, the variation between studies on richness correlations (RCs) among taxa from different climate regions makes the application value of indicator taxa questionable. Few studies have compared the RCs among climatic regions in a single study, leaving the variation in RCs and the underlying ecological drivers among climatic regions unknown. In this study, data were compiled on vascular plants, vertebrates (including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians), and environmental factors across 219 nature reserves located in subtropical and temperate regions of China to examine RCs among taxonomic groups and underlying ecological mechanisms. Results showed that the climatic region could affect between-taxon correlations in species richness and that the effectiveness of vascular plants as suitable indicator taxa for vertebrates varied with the climatic region and target taxa. Energy (temperature and evapotranspiration) and habitat heterogeneity (area and elevation range) were ecological drivers of RCs among taxonomic groups in the subtropical and temperate regions. The differences in the effect of abiotic factors on RCs among taxonomic groups caused the difference in RCs between subtropical and temperate regions. Our findings provide new evidence for understanding the variation of RCs and the underlying mechanisms and highlight the positive role of climatic variables and habitat heterogeneity in determining RCs between vascular plants and vertebrates.
... The functional traits were grouped into morphology, ecology, and behavior categories which are characteristics commonly found in the literature to represent broadly the ecosystem support services performed by the studied groups (e.g. Hocking and Babbitt 2014;Villéger et al. 2017;Lourenço-de-Moraes et al. 2019b). For fishes, 10 functional traits were evaluated: ...
Context: Species distribution patterns are widely used to guide conservation planning and are a central issue in ecology. The usefulness of spatial correlation analysis has been highlighted in several ecological applications so far. However, spatial assumptions in ecology are highly scale-dependent, in which geographical relationships between species diversity and distributions can have different conservation concerns.
Objectives: An integrative landscape planning was designed to show the spatial distribution patterns of taxonomic and functional diversity of amphibians and fishes, from multiple species traits regarding morphology, life history, and behavior.
Methods: We used spatial, morphological, and ecological data of amphibians and fishes to calculated the functional diversity and the spatial correlation of species.
Results: Mapping results show that the higher taxonomic and functional diversity of fishes are concentrated in the West Atlantic Forest. Considering amphibians, they are located in the East portion of the biome. Spatial correlation of species indicates the regions of the Serra do Mar and the southern part of the Central Corridor as the main overlapped species distribution areas between both groups.
Conclusions: New key conservation sites were reported within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest hotspot, revealing cross-taxon mismatches between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. This study offers useful spatial information integrating suitable habitats of fishes and amphibians to complement existing and future research based on terrestrial and freshwater conservation. New priorities for biodiversity conservation in rich-species regions highlight the importance of spatial pattern analysis to support land-use planning in a macroecological context.
... The studies conducted by Fattorini et al. (2011Fattorini et al. ( , 2012 on arthropods of Turkey have been the only studies that investigated cross congruence for surrogates in Turkey. This is a significant deficiency because studies on cross congruence reveal relationships between surrogates and, thus, provide input for conservation planning (Margules and Pressey 2000;van Weerd and Udo de Haes 2010). ...
... In addition, the software provided easy implementation with its user-friendly interface. Consequently, outputs of the study presented slightly better congruence pattern between surrogate groups than the previous studies that have already been reported low or non-congruent patterns between most of the surrogate groups (Gaston 2000;Negi and Gadgil 2002;Ricketts et al. 2002;Juutinen and Monkkonen 2004;Posa and Sodhi 2006;Nöske et al. 2008;van Weerd and Udo de Haes 2010;Axmacher et al. 2009;. Accordingly, Species representation and complementarity scores of butterflies obtained in priority area sets of the ecological communities were better than the scores of the ecological communities calculated in the area sets of butterfly taxa. ...
Cross taxa congruence was investigated between butterfly taxa and ecological community for fine spatial scale (10 × 10 km² UTM grids) in north-eastern part of Turkey. The study area was evaluated within the scope of systematic conservation planning, and analyses were performed for sets of priority protected areas composed using complementarity-based site selection software Marxan. Cross taxa congruence was subsequently examined both in species richness and ecologic complementarity. Accordingly, it has been observed that the cross-taxon congruence between butterfly taxa and ecological community was relatively better than the results of previous studies. Another remarkable finding is that ecological community was a more robust surrogate than butterfly taxa. Although the results are valuable for conservation studies, they highlight the fact that a simple surrogate-based site selection would be inadequate to represent overall biodiversity. The weakness of congruence patterns among surrogates would also lead to gaps in biodiversity conservation. These findings therefore draw attention to the necessities of incorporating surrogates of distinct ecology or some other surrogates like environmental parameters into conservation planning. Otherwise, there may be mistakes regarding species representation and the vast majority of species may be misrepresented in protected areas and protected area plans. At this point, it should be emphasized that understating cross taxa congruence and/or relationships is a key component for efficient biodiversity conservation.
... In French forests, however, although bats were the most congruent taxon for alpha-diversity with bryophytes and ground beetles, they were classified as a low-cost yet inefficient surrogate group [50]. Likewise, [51] examined four tropical forest types in the Philippines and restricted their analysis to bats, birds, and trees, showing results that discourage the use of bats as a surrogate taxon in those contexts at moderate (100 × 35 km) spatial scales. Similarly, in Amazonian tropical forests, bats did not show good performances as biodiversity indicators, possibly-as the authors put it-because of bats' specific responses to land-use change and high mobility. ...
Bats show responses to anthropogenic stressors linked to changes in other ecosystem components such as insects, and as K-selected mammals, exhibit fast population declines. This speciose, widespread mammal group shows an impressive trophic diversity and provides key ecosystem services. For these and other reasons, bats might act as suitable bioindicators in many environmental contexts. However, few studies have explicitly tested this potential, and in some cases, stating that bats are useful bioindicators more closely resembles a slogan to support conservation than a well-grounded piece of scientific evidence. Here, we review the available information and highlight the limitations that arise in using bats as bioindicators. Based on the limited number of studies available, the use of bats as bioindicators is highly promising and warrants further investigation in specific contexts such as river quality, urbanisation, farming practices, forestry, bioaccumulation, and climate change. Whether bats may also serve as surrogate taxa remains a controversial yet highly interesting matter. Some limitations to using bats as bioindicators include taxonomical issues, sampling problems, difficulties in associating responses with specific stressors, and geographically biased or delayed responses. Overall, we urge the scientific community to test bat responses to specific stressors in selected ecosystem types and develop research networks to explore the geographic consistency of such responses. The high cost of sampling equipment (ultrasound detectors) is being greatly reduced by technological advances, and the legal obligation to monitor bat populations already existing in many countries such as those in the EU offers an important opportunity to accomplish two objectives (conservation and bioindication) with one action.
... Howard et al. (1998) discovered that pairs of forests with high complementarity for one taxon generally exhibited high complementarity for all other taxa. In contrast, the lack of overlap of complementary sets across taxa was found in many studies (Grenyer et al. 2006;van Weerd and Haes 2010). Currently, fewer studies have been effectively conducted to explore congruence among hotspots and complementary sets. ...
Hotspots and complementary sets have been widely used to identify conservation priorities. It is pivotal to detect the congruence among priority areas for diverse taxa. However, congruence between hotspots and complementary sets of vertebrates and vascular plants in China is poorly understood. Here, we made a comprehensive assessment of the congruence between hotspots and complementary sets for 15,521 wild woody plant, fern, amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species from 2376 counties in the terrestrial and inland water ecosystems of China. Our results showed the extensive incongruence among hotspots of vertebrates and plants, inconcordance among the complementary sets of the six taxa, and little coincidence between hotspots and complementary sets in China. Our findings suggest that diverse taxa should be considered for identification of priority conservation areas according to their different ecological requirements and life histories using different methods.
... Lowland forest here is dominated by dipterocarp species but has been disturbed by logging, even inside protected areas (van der Ploeg et al., 2011). In addition to lowland dipterocarp forest, the area has large areas of forest on ultrabasic soils and, in elevations over 800 m, montane forest (van Weerd & Udo de Haes, 2010). The northern Sierra Madre is emerging as one of the richest areas in terms of amphibian and reptile diversity in the Philippines . ...
Little is known about the ecology and diet of Varanus bitatawa, a recently discovered monitor lizard endemic to the Sierra Madre Mountains of Northern Luzon. Here we present data that show that it has a seasonal omnivorous diet comparable to its southern congener Varanus olivaceus. Consumption of fruits from Pandanus sp., Canarium sp. and Microcos stylocarpa was evident in fecal samples, from spool and line tracking observations, and from camera trap images. The frugivorous diet was supplemented with snails and insects belonging to the orders Orthoptera, Phasmatodea and Coleoptera. Habitat of V. bitatawa was studied in lowland disturbed dipterocarp forest at an elevation below 300 m. In three sampled sites basal area of dipterocarp trees ranged from 16.23 to 84.14 m 2 ha-1 , total tree density from 624.6 to 1021.4 trees per ha-1 and density of Pandanus from 115.15 to 222.30 trees per ha-1. Predominantly arboreal, V. bitatawa showed reliance on large sentinel trees. Of trees utilized, 47.4% were estimated at over 30 m tall with a mean circumference at breast height (CBH) of 176.28 cm and were significantly larger than the mean CBH of trees in sampled habitats. Shy and reclusive, V. bitatawa is likely to be vulnerable to disturbance. Illegal selective logging further degrades remaining habitat threatening the large dipterocarp trees on which they rely. Continued and improved protection of the forests within the Sierra Madre Mountain Range is imperative to safeguard the future of this restricted range species.
... Howard et al. (1998) discovered that pairs of forests with high complementarity for one taxon generally exhibited high complementarity for all other taxa. In contrast, the lack of overlap of complementary sets across taxa was found in many studies (Grenyer et al. 2006;van Weerd and Haes 2010). Currently, fewer studies have been effectively conducted to explore congruence among hotspots and complementary sets. ...
... Pairwise comparisons of complementary species sets revealed a mean overlap of less than 10% in South Africa (van Jaarsveld et al. 1998). van Weerd andHaes (2010) found weak cross-taxon congruence in complementarity of species richness in pairs of forest types for trees and birds, and birds and bats in the Philippines. Overlaps among complementary sets of vertebrates were also low at a global level (Grenyer et al. 2006). ...
Hotspots and complementary sets have been widely used to identify conservation priorities. It is pivotal to detect the congruence among priority areas for diverse taxa. However, congruence between hotspots and complementary sets of vertebrates and vascular plants in China is poorly understood. Here, we made a comprehensive assessment of the congruence between hotspots and complementary sets for 15,521 wild woody plant, fern, amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species from 2376 counties in the terrestrial and inland water ecosystems of China. Our results showed the extensive incongruence among hotspots of vertebrates and plants, inconcordance among the complementary sets of the six taxa, and little coincidence between hotspots and complementary sets in China. Our findings suggest that diverse taxa should be considered for identification of priority conservation areas according to their different ecological requirements and life histories using different methods.
... Howard et al. (1998) discovered that pairs of forests with high complementarity for one taxon generally exhibited high complementarity for all other taxa. In contrast, the lack of overlap of complementary sets across taxa was found in many studies (Grenyer et al. 2006;van Weerd and Haes 2010). Currently, fewer studies have been effectively conducted to explore congruence among hotspots and complementary sets. ...
... Pairwise comparisons of complementary species sets revealed a mean overlap of less than 10% in South Africa (van Jaarsveld et al. 1998). van Weerd andHaes (2010) found weak cross-taxon congruence in complementarity of species richness in pairs of forest types for trees and birds, and birds and bats in the Philippines. Overlaps among complementary sets of vertebrates were also low at a global level (Grenyer et al. 2006). ...
Hotspots and complementary sets have been widely used to identify conservation priorities. It is pivotal to detect the congruence among priority areas for diverse taxa. However, congruence between hotspots and complementary sets of vertebrates and vascular plants in China is poorly understood. Here, we made a comprehensive assessment of the congruence between hotspots and complementary sets for 15,521 wild woody plant, fern, amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species from 2376 counties in the terrestrial and inland water ecosystems of China. Our results showed the extensive incongruence among hotspots of vertebrates and plants, inconcordance among the complementary sets of the six taxa, and little coincidence between hotspots and complementary sets in China. Our findings suggest that diverse taxa should be considered for identification of priority conservation areas according to their different ecological requirements and life histories using different methods.
... However, we also found that taxonomic and functional richness of birds and bats were associated with different structural attributes of forest stands. Although few studies have predicted that species richness and diversity of different taxa should respond in similar ways at the same sites, response of birds and bats to habitat structure has been shown to differ (Lund and Rahbek, 2002;van Weerd and De Haes, 2010). For instance, a study in Denmark found at sites with high species richness of butterflies and large moths, an increased species richness of bats, but not of birds (Lund and Rahbek, 2002), supporting our findings. ...
Taxonomic and functional diversity of animals respond to habitat heterogeneity. However, how structural heterogeneity at the stand level of differently managed forests drives species richness across taxa is not clear. Here we analyze how birds and bats, sharing the ability to fly, respond to the structural composition of the vegetation layers in differently managed forests. We combined datasets of birds and bats and compared their response as taxonomic vs. functional richness towards forest structure. Overall our results revealed that bird and bat species richness were positively correlated and species richness of both taxa peaked within the same forest stands. In contrast to our prediction that richness of mobile vertebrates with similar ecological traits (the ability to fly) should respond alike to forest stand characteristics, our results showed almost no congruence. Using Generalized Linear Mixed Effects Modeling (GLMM) with model selection based on AICc and model averaging, we found that taxonomic richness of birds and bats as well as functional richness (based on main diet and foraging mode) responded to forest structure in very different ways. While the taxonomic richness of birds was mainly associated with the structural parameters contrast and forest height, representing tall trees and a relatively closed canopy, richness of bat species increased with vertical and horizontal heterogeneity within forest stands. Our findings indicate that functional richness is more useful to understand responses of bird and bats species richness to land use, forest structure and forest management, rather than focusing solely on taxonomic groups.
