Alex LS

Thank you so much Carl!

GitHub - Calotriton/ECELS: ECELS R package (ecology) ECELS R package (ecology). Contribute to Calotriton/ECELS development by creating an account on GitHub.

Oh, and if you want to use the ECELS index yourselves, I created a R package to make it easier! You can find it here: github.com/Calotriton/E...

Thank you for reading!

Conservation efforts targeting the preservation of natural pond hydrological processes and mitigating nutrient pollution are critical for safeguarding amphibian biodiversity in Europe and contributing to broader freshwater conservation goals.

Specifically, we observed that non-eutrophic ponds characterized by permeable and shallow basins with smooth slopes, and without weirs, foster a higher amphibian diversity.

By utilising Generalised Linear Mixed Models, we determined that a higher amphibian species richness, and a higher number of protected ones, are found in shallow ponds with a better pond condition, meaning a higher conservation status and a better water quality.

For this, we investigated the condition of 154 ponds across six European countries, considered through measurements of their conservation status (Shallow Lentic Ecosystem Conservation Status index, ECELS), water quality and trophic state, and physical characteristics.

In this study, we assessed if the favourable condition of a pond and its conservation status promotes its amphibian species richness, which was determined by using environmental DNA metabarcoding.

Most #amphibian species in Europe inhabit, or depend on, ponds, which are highly threatened and not usually considered in coservation and management policies. Thus, their effective management may present a significant opportunity to alleviate the ongoing decline of amphibians

Amphibian conservation in Europe: the importance of pond condition - Biodiversity and Conservation Most amphibians found in Europe inhabit ponds, small aquatic ecosystems commonly threatened by habitat degradation and destruction. Despite this situation, ponds are rarely considered in conservation ...

Our new paper, "Amphibian conservation in Europe: the importance of pond condition", has just been published in Biodiversity and Conservation! Here's a short thread with the main results 🧵
#ecology #amphibian #conservation #research
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A dark red newt with an orange underbelly is seen resting on top of an egg mass underwater. More egg masses are visible in the background.

If I send Newts, does this get flagged as Newt-ity? Sierra Newt (Taricha sierrae) cuddling an egg mass. #herps #newt #taricha #sendnewts #newtity #tarichasierrae #amphibians #salamanders #fieldwork

Thank you so much!!!

Hi Miguel! Thanks!
Chl-a is kind of a proxy for eutrophication, which promotes pathogenic infections and overall less survival chances for both eggs and tadpoles. Plus, highly eutrophic ponds have less oxygen so that's a big problem in agricultural ponds.

Regarding crayfish, we have no data :(

Thank you for reading!

In conclusion, our results emphasize the importance of local biotic and abiotic factors, especially chlorophyll-a concentration and pond size, in shaping richness patterns for European amphibians, drivers that should be considered in the implementation of conservation and actions

The highest richness was observed in low-nutrient, fishless, intermediate-sized, shallow ponds, located in warmer regions with higher precipitation rates.

Our results suggest that local factors, particularly chlorophyll-a concentration, but also pond area and depth, are the main drivers of amphibian richness, together with climatic variables such as annual mean precipitation and temperature.

To assess the importance of the drivers of richness, we used Boosted Regression Trees, a #machinelearning technique that allows you to see the relative contribution of each variable and their particular effect at each level.

In these assessed ponds, the most common species was Lissotriton vulgaris, found in 41.8% of them, followed by Triturus cristatus (30.4%), Bufo bufo (27.9%) and Rana temporaria (25.4%)

In our study, we assessed over 201 ponds in 7 European countries. These ponds where characterised through a long list of variables, and their amphibian species richness was assessed using #eDNA metabarcoding.

As you know, amphibians are the most endangered animal group on the planet. Moreover, ponds, which are vital for them in European ecosystems, are highly threatened and not usually considered in legislations and managemen practises.

Drivers of amphibian species richness in European ponds Amphibians are commonly occurring inhabitants of most lentic freshwater ecosystems, yet their global populations are in alarming decline. Ponds in particular play a crucial role in supporting amphibi...

Our last paper from @ponds4climate has just been published in @ecography.bsky.social ! We here assessed the drivers of #amphibian species richness in European ponds. You can find the full article here: nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Here's to a short threat:

Yeah I'd love to! Thanks!

Hi fellow ecologists!

Do you know of any labs or research institutes that might have, or will have, open positions in amphibian research or conservation?

Thanks!

If you have a 500px for wildlife pics we can follow each other!
500px.com/p/Alex_LS?vi...

Would love to be added!

ecoevojobs.net 2024-25

📣 📣 📣 Still lots of TT jobs being advertised: The 2024-2025 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resources! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Amazing fossil alert.

Jurassic salamander from China. You can see the soft tissue of the eye, gills, limbs, even the folds of its tail. And its last meal its stomach…

🧪 #evolution #paleontology

🐸 www.researchgate.net/profile/Alej...

Would love to be included!