Browsing by Author "Haelewaters, Danny"
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- Biological knowledge shortfalls impede conservation efforts in poorly studied taxa—A case study of LaboulbeniomycetesPublication . Haelewaters, Danny; Matthews, Thomas J.; Wayman, Joseph P.; CAZABONNE, Jonathan; Heyman, Felix; Quandt, C. Alisha; Martin, Thomas EABSTRACT: Most empirical research on biological shortfalls has focused on vertebrate taxa. This is important given many species in poorly studied groups such as invertebrates, plants, and fungi are predicted to possess high conservation risk. Here, we focus on Laboulbeniomycetes: a class of microfungi that are understudied. We examined four shortfalls: Linnean (knowledge gaps in species diversity), Wallacean (knowledge gaps in distributions), Latimerian (knowledge gaps in species persistence), and the newly introduced Scottian (knowledge gaps in species conservation assessments) shortfalls. The Linnean shortfall in Laboulbeniomycetes is hard to predict due to inconsistent spe-cies description rates. Analysis of distribution patterns indicates Laboulbeniomycetes are likely to experience an extremely high Wallacean shortfall, with many species hav-ing highly disjunct known distributions. Latimerian shortfall analysis shows over half (51%) of Laboulbeniomycetes have not been recorded in >50 years, while the group has a collective Scottian shortfall of 100%, given none of the 2454 described species have received an IUCN threat assessment. We suggest continued study of natural his-tory collections, expanded citizen science programmes, and machine- learning iden-tification approaches as important tools for reducing knowledge shortfalls in both Laboulbeniomycetes and poorly studied taxa more generally.
- Editorial: Ladybirds: Conservation, ecology and interactions with other organismsPublication . Haelewaters, Danny; Losey, John E.; Soares, António O.Human impact on the natural world has expanded enormously over the past century and a half, with rapid population growth and an increasingly globalized economy causing pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change (Johnson et al., 2017). This threatens biodiversity and proper functioning of natural ecosystems, which we depend on for resources (wood, food, etc.) and ecological services (water storage and purification, waste treatment, pollination, etc.) (Vilà et al., 2006; Newbold et al., 2015; Dasgupta, 2021). […].
- A roadmap for ladybird conservation and recoveryPublication . Soares, António O.; Haelewaters, Danny; Ameixa, Olga M. C. C.; Borges, Isabel; Brown, Peter M. J.; Cardoso, Pedro; de Groot, Michiel D.; Evans, Edward W.; Grez, Audrey A.; Hochkirch, Axel; Holecová, Milada; Honěk, Alois; Kulfan, Ján; Lillebø, Ana I.; Martinková, Zdenka; Michaud, J. P.; Nedvěd, Oldřich; Omkar, null; Roy, Helen E.; Saxena, Swati; Shandilya, Apoorva; Sentis, Arnaud; Skuhrovec, Jiří; Viglášová, Sandra; Zach, Peter; Zaviezo, Tania; Losey, John E.Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) provide services that are critical to food production, and they fulfill an ecological role as a food source for predators. The richness, abundance, and distribution of ladybirds, however, are compromised by many anthropogenic threats. Meanwhile, a lack of knowledge of the conservation status of most species and the factors driving their population dynamics hinders the development and implementation of conservation strategies for ladybirds. We conducted a review of the literature on the ecology, diversity, and conservation of ladybirds to identify their key ecological threats. Ladybird populations are most affected by climate factors, landscape composition, and biological invasions. We suggest mitigating actions for ladybird conservation and recovery. Short-term actions include citizen science programs and education, protective measures for habitat recovery and threatened species, prevention of the introduction of non-native species, and the maintenance and restoration of natural areas and landscape heterogeneity. Mid-term actions involve the analysis of data from monitoring programs and insect collections to disentangle the effect of different threats to ladybird populations, understand habitat use by taxa on which there is limited knowledge, and quantify temporal trends of abundance, diversity, and biomass along a management-intensity gradient. Long-term actions include the development of a worldwide monitoring program based on standardized sampling to fill data gaps, increase explanatory power, streamline analyses, and facilitate global collaborations.