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Land
Special Issues
Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss II
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Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss II

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 7198

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Michela Balestri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
Interests: stress; wildlife management; conservation education; outreach; primates; animal behaviour
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Marco Campera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
Interests: conservation; agroforestry; bio-loggers; biodiversity; translocations; animal behaviour; ecosystem services
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Understanding species’ vulnerability to habitat loss is of pivotal importance for conservation planning of threatened species. It is well known that habitat loss is one of the major threats of biodiversity loss worldwide. When a habitat is destroyed, degraded, or becomes fragmented, the plants, animals, and other organisms that occupy the habitat exeperience a reduction in the capacity or ability to survive, to the point that populations can decline and become extinct. Some species, however, can thrive in conditions of degraded and fragmented habitats, and can  even spread into human-modified habitats.

In this Special Issue we are seeking original articles, commentaries, meta-analyses, and reviews that investigate species’ responses to habitat loss and the creation of new habitats. What are the traits that are linked to the ability to survive in conditions of habitat loss? What are the consequences of habitat loss in terms of physiological responses and stress levels? This Special Issue is mainly focused on plants and animals, but original contributions on other organisms may be accepted.

We encourage submissions on the following topics:

  • Species traits that can predict vulnerability to habitat loss;
  • Species responses to edge habitats;
  • Stressors and stresses linked to habitat loss;
  • The ability of species to survive in human-modified habitats;
  • Importance of dispersal in allowing the persistence of species in fragmented landscapes;
  • Successful conservation planning strategies.

Other topics relevant to the SI can be also considered prior to an inquiry sent to the guest editors.

Dr. Michela Balestri
Dr. Marco Campera
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • edge effect
  • stress
  • species trait
  • threatened species
  • fragmentation
  • habitat shift
  • dispersal
  • extinction risk
  • conservation planning

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 2472 KiB  
Article
Early Detection of Wild Ungulate Herbivory Cessation in Mediterranean Landscapes Using Hill Numbers as Vascular Plant Diversity Indices
by José M. García del Barrio, Ramón Perea, Rafael Villafuerte-Jordán and María Martínez Jaúregui
Land 2024, 13(12), 2006; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122006 - 25 Nov 2024
Viewed by 517
Abstract
Herbivory by ungulates is a seminal driving force in Mediterranean landscapes, where habitat diversity contributes to supporting high population densities. We investigated the influence of grazing and browsing, primarily by red deer (Cervus elaphus), on herbaceous and woody plant species, using [...] Read more.
Herbivory by ungulates is a seminal driving force in Mediterranean landscapes, where habitat diversity contributes to supporting high population densities. We investigated the influence of grazing and browsing, primarily by red deer (Cervus elaphus), on herbaceous and woody plant species, using a twin-plot design with herbivory exclusion. The prompt detection of herbivory cessation in vegetation was measured in multiscale plots by calculating Hill’s numbers (0, 1, and 2) as diversity indices over two years. The results revealed an increased diversity gradient by habitats (Pine reforestation→Mediterranean woodland→dehesas of Quercus spp.) with an initial increase in overall species and herbaceous species richness in the fenced plots. Woody vegetation did not change significantly in species richness, or typical or dominant ones. In addition to the early changes detected in the richness of herbaceous species (0Dher), medium–long term variations in woody species (presence and abundance) would represent good indicators of herbivory pressure for a diverse array of Mediterranean habitats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss II)
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15 pages, 2660 KiB  
Article
The Response of Insects and Weeds within the Crop to Variation in Sowing Density of Canola
by Lucie Vykydalová, Petra Martínez Barroso, Igor Děkanovský, Eva Hrudová, Yentriani Rumeta Lumbantobing, Markéta Michutová and Jan Winkler
Land 2024, 13(9), 1509; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091509 - 17 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 908
Abstract
The relationships between weeds and insects in canola stands with different seeding rates are not fully understood. Varying seeding rates in canola crops can create different conditions that affect both weed and insect populations and their interactions. The aim of this work was [...] Read more.
The relationships between weeds and insects in canola stands with different seeding rates are not fully understood. Varying seeding rates in canola crops can create different conditions that affect both weed and insect populations and their interactions. The aim of this work was to determine the response of weeds and insects of selected taxa to different densities of canola stand densities and to clarify the interactions between weeds and insects in canola stands. The field experiment was conducted on a plot located in the cadastral area of the municipality of Pěnčín (Moravia, Czech Republic). The results show that a reduced canola sowing rate of oilseed rape leads to increased weed infestation, which is dominated by one taxon (Papaver rhoeas L.). The increase in weed infestation of canola stands is not reflected in an increase in the diversity of captured insects. Increased canola seeding rate improves weed suppression but increases the number of canola pest insects. A higher number of plants and more canola biomass increase the food supply and, thus, make the stand more attractive to canola pests. The taxon Brassicogethes aeneus dominated the pests species spectrum. Changing the seeding rate of canola results in a response in weed and insect populations. The standard recommended seeding rate is optimal in terms of competitive suppression of weeds and the occurrence of pests and trapped insects. Increasing or decreasing the seeding rate of rapeseed does not bring any benefits in terms of pest regulation or biodiversity. However, the results obtained indicate an interesting weed–insect interaction in the conditions of canola stands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss II)
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10 pages, 2071 KiB  
Article
Environmental Factors Driving Diversification of Ponderosa Pine in the Western United States
by James H. Speer and Megan Heyman
Land 2024, 13(9), 1428; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091428 - 4 Sep 2024
Viewed by 899
Abstract
We used cluster analysis on 200-year-old tree-ring chronologies to examine the patterns that emerge from self-organization, driven by environmental heterogeneity, that might drive diversification in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). We determined the natural patterns on the landscape and then tested these [...] Read more.
We used cluster analysis on 200-year-old tree-ring chronologies to examine the patterns that emerge from self-organization, driven by environmental heterogeneity, that might drive diversification in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). We determined the natural patterns on the landscape and then tested these groups against historically separated varieties within this species that could be evidence of diversification. We used 178 previously collected tree-ring chronologies from the western United States that were archived in the International Tree-Ring Databank. We explored a variety of clustering techniques, settling on Ward’s clustering with Euclidian distance measures as the most reasonable clustering process. These techniques identified two (p = 0.005) to ten (p = 0.01) potential natural clusters in the ponderosa pine chronologies. No matter the number of clusters, we found that the ponderosa pine varieties ponderosa and benthamiana always cluster together. The variety scopulorum differentiates clearly on its own, but brachyptera is a mix of diverse groups, based on the environmental driving factors that control tree-ring chronology variability. Cluster analysis is a useful tool to examine natural grouping on the landscape using long-term tree-ring chronologies, enabling the researcher to examine the patterns of environmental heterogeneity that should lead to speciation. From this analysis, we suggest that the brachyptera variety should be more varied genetically. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss II)
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16 pages, 2680 KiB  
Article
Habitat and Body Condition of Small Mammals in a Country at Mid-Latitude
by Linas Balčiauskas and Laima Balčiauskienė
Land 2024, 13(8), 1214; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081214 - 6 Aug 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1000
Abstract
The relationship between the body condition of different small mammal species and the habitat they occupy is poorly analyzed. We analyzed the body condition index, BCI, of 18 small mammal species trapped in forest, shrub, wetland, meadow, riparian, mixed and fragmented, disturbed, agricultural, [...] Read more.
The relationship between the body condition of different small mammal species and the habitat they occupy is poorly analyzed. We analyzed the body condition index, BCI, of 18 small mammal species trapped in forest, shrub, wetland, meadow, riparian, mixed and fragmented, disturbed, agricultural, and commensal habitats of Lithuania during the span of 1980–2023. The composition of small mammal communities was habitat-dependent, being richest in meadows, with eighteen species, and poorest in riparian habitats, with nine species. A significant variation in the BCI with respect to habitat was observed in eight small mammal species (Sorex araneus, S. minutus, Apodemus agrarius, A. flavicollis, Clethrionomys glareolus, Alexandromys oeconomus, Microtus agrestis, and M. arvalis). The highest average BCI for most of these species was found in disturbed habitats, with S. minutus and M. arvalis showing the highest BCI in agricultural habitats. The lowest average BCI for most species was found in mixed habitats, while C. glareolus and M. arvalis exhibited the lowest BCI in shrub habitats. In general, species dominating certain habitats did not have the highest BCI. This is the first multi-species, multi-habitat study of body condition in small mammals at mid-latitudes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss II)
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12 pages, 750 KiB  
Article
Non-Breeding Season Habitat Selection of Three Commonly Occurring Bird Species in a Patchy Habitat in SE China
by Xin Luo, Shuai Gao, Sichun Tong, Yao Cai, Zheng Wang and Ning Li
Land 2024, 13(6), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060807 - 6 Jun 2024
Viewed by 836
Abstract
Research into bird habitat selection can unveil the impact of specific habitat characteristics on bird survival. However, empirical information on the environmental factor preferences and differences within the yew ecological garden for birds is still lacking. This study was conducted in a yew [...] Read more.
Research into bird habitat selection can unveil the impact of specific habitat characteristics on bird survival. However, empirical information on the environmental factor preferences and differences within the yew ecological garden for birds is still lacking. This study was conducted in a yew ecological garden located in the southern experimental area of the Meihua Mountain National Nature Reserve, Fujian Province, China. We selected three commonly occurring bird species for analysis to discern the factors influencing habitat selection and interspecific differences and the impact of habitat environmental factors. Canopy density and coverage were identified as dominant factors influencing habitat selection for the Red-billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha), Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus), and Orange-bellied Leafbird (Chloropsis hardwickii). The height of perching trees, average tree height, and average diameter at breast height were all important determinants for the habitat selection of Red-billed Blue Magpie and Black Bulbul. These dominant factors were consistent with logistic regression analysis results. Both one-way ANOVA and stepwise discriminant analysis revealed significant differences in habitat selection among three commonly occurring bird species. Our results provide important insights into avian habitat selection in patchy habitats, which can be used as a guideline for future conservation and habitat management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss II)
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24 pages, 5821 KiB  
Article
Identifying the Climatic and Anthropogenic Impact on Vegetation Surrounding the Natural Springs of the Arava Valley Using Remote Sensing Methods
by Ariel Mordechai Meroz, Avshalom Babad and Noam Levin
Land 2024, 13(3), 361; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13030361 - 12 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1413
Abstract
Natural springs, recognized as biodiversity hotspots and keystone ecosystems, exert positive ecological influences beyond their immediate extent, particularly in dryland environments. The water feeding these springs, largely governed by natural climatic conditions, is susceptible to anthropogenic impacts. The objective of this study was [...] Read more.
Natural springs, recognized as biodiversity hotspots and keystone ecosystems, exert positive ecological influences beyond their immediate extent, particularly in dryland environments. The water feeding these springs, largely governed by natural climatic conditions, is susceptible to anthropogenic impacts. The objective of this study was to determine the factors that cause fluctuations in water availability to springs of the hyper-arid Arava Valley (Israel/Jordan). Using the Standard Precipitation Index, we statistically classified the historical record of yearly rainfall for the past four decades into clusters of dry and wet sub-periods. We assessed changes in vegetation cover around the springs using the Landsat-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for each sub-period. To assess the anthropogenic effects, we examined the correlations between vegetation cover, water extraction from the aquifer, and the status of adjacent agricultural plots that share a hydrological connection with the springs. Our findings revealed fluctuations between wet and dry sub-periods over the last four decades. We observed high responsiveness of vegetation cover around the springs to these fluctuating sub-periods. Of the 25 studied springs, 12 were directly influenced by anthropogenic factors—7 experienced a decline in vegetation, which we attributed to water extraction from the aquifers, while vegetation increase in 5 springs was attributed to water seepage from agricultural areas upstream. In conclusion, addressing vital habitats such as natural springs in arid drylands requires a holistic approach that integrates long-term climatic, ecological, and anthropogenic observations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss II)
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Review

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18 pages, 355 KiB  
Review
Alien Plant Invasion: Are They Strictly Nature’s Enemy and How Can We Use Their Supremacy?
by Lenka Bobuľská, Lenka Demková, Gabriela Pinčáková and Tomáš Lošák
Land 2025, 14(1), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14010107 - 7 Jan 2025
Viewed by 639
Abstract
The invasion of plant species is considered to be one of the most dangerous forces in biodiversity change and alteration of soil properties. Due to their significant impact on ecology and the economy, it is important to find an effective approach to manage [...] Read more.
The invasion of plant species is considered to be one of the most dangerous forces in biodiversity change and alteration of soil properties. Due to their significant impact on ecology and the economy, it is important to find an effective approach to manage invasive plant expansion and utilize them as a beneficial biomass source. This review focuses on the characterization of the negative and positive features of invasive plant species in general. Most studies focus on invasive species removal and lack an evaluation of their potential in modern biotechnologies. Currently, there are studies aimed at investigating their use in soil remediation, medicine, the chemical industry, the textile industry, and even gastronomy. Based on these reviews, we bring forward possible future developments in this research field which might serve as a theoretical premise for further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss II)
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