Knowledge of the drivers of liana community structure is fundamental to understand the processes driving community assembly. We investigated variation in liana community structure (diversity, composition, abundance, basal area, distribution) among different elevations, and assessed the environmental factors structuring composition and distribution. We randomly established thirty 20 × 20 m plots across three elevations (lower = 200 m a.s.l.; middle = 500 m a.s.l.; upper = 850 m a. s.l.) in the Mount Jerai Forest Reserve, Malaysia. We used Canonical Correspondence Analysis to assess the relationships between liana species distribution and composition, and environmental factors. Liana diversity differed significantly among elevations, being highest and lowest in the middle and upper elevations, respectively. Liana abundance and basal area were higher at lower elevations. Species abundance varied significantly across elevations. The environmental factors showed significant variation among the elevations. Liana species composition and distribution patterns were explained by elevation, soil moisture, Ca, P, pH and N. The different environmental factors affected species composition and distribution in different ways. These findings increase our understanding of the drivers of liana community structure and may be useful in liana management and conservation.

Caribbean islands are important hotspots for endemic species, concentrating high biodiversity on exceptionally small areas. Cozumel Island is not an exception, yet little published information exists on its bird diversity. In this study, we assessed the contribution of each major ecosystem of Cozumel Island (i.e., tropical forest, mangrove, palm thicket, and urban setting) to the island's avian diversity. Avian richness was highest in tropical forests, followed by mangroves, palm thickets, and urban setting. Bird densities were highest in urban settings, followed by tropical forests, mangroves, and palm thickets. Species composition similarity among ecosystems was low, with the most dissimilar ecosystem being the urban setting. Interestingly, we recorded the highest number of unique species in mangroves, followed by tropical forests, urban settings, and palm thickets. Tropical forests and mangroves of Cozumel Island are the main ecosystems harboring high avian diversity, with tropical forests housing high avian densities and endemics and mangroves including the most unique species. As expected, the contribution of urban settings to the avian diversity of Cozumel Island is limited and includes some highly abundant invasive species, of which the Eurasian Collared-Dove could represent a major ecological threat.

Over the past two decades, monarch butterfly populations have been declining. This decline has been partly attributed to the extensive loss of breeding habitat through the reduction of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca, the larval host plant) through herbicides. While the decline of milkweed has been well documented in the US, less is known about its decline in Canada. To take a first step in quantifying its potential decline, we compared roadside milkweed abundance at sites around Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 2018, to a county-wide estimate of milkweed abundance in 1943 and 1944. We also evaluated the effect of roadside characteristics on milkweed abundance at these sites. Current milkweed density in the Ottawa region is 33–86% lower than it was 75 years ago. We found milkweed at 67% of our 100 sites and found less milkweed at sites with a higher number of lanes in the road adjacent to the roadside. Interestingly, mowing indices were not significant predictors of milkweed abundance. Here we document the first quantitative evidence for milkweed decline over the past 75 years in Canada, which has likely contributed to the decline of breeding monarchs in Canada.

Landscapes can influence the distribution of harvesting by influencing animal distribution and hunter access. For species like caribou, Rangifer tarandus, decades-long shifts in abundance and distribution might alter such relationships, but few studies have been conducted at such scales. We examined relationships between landscape features and 21,380 harvest records of migratory caribou in Newfoundland during caribou population growth (1980s), cessation of growth (1990s), and decline (2000s). We focused on features hypothesized to influence the distributions of caribou and hunters: lichen landcover, roads, cutblocks, outfitter camps, power lines, and towns. We uncovered larger harvests by resident hunters of male and female caribou among lichen landcover, likely providing preferred caribou forage, and larger harvests by non-resident hunters of male caribou away from towns, reflecting the locations of outfitter camps. Only during later decades, resident harvests occurred nearer power lines and cutblocks, likely providing hunter access and reflecting risk-prone foraging by caribou. We surmise that the harvest was facilitated by open habitats, preferred by caribou, and anthropogenic features leading to hunter access, especially as the caribou population declined. Such knowledge at broad scales is increasingly important in an era of widespread disruption to landscapes.

Stockpiling of soils is essential for reclamation after oil sands mining, and can influence revegetation through degradation of seed viability and soil quality. Three peat-mineral stockpiled areas in upland boreal forest, aged 26 to 34 years, were assessed for effects on soil, vegetation, and successional status to study the natural recovery of vegetation. Six upland (five native, one nonnative) and one lowland native species community types were identified where non-vascular had more communities than vascular plants. Upland boreal species that were likely not present in the soil seed bank, colonized the sites relatively quickly with a plant community of early to mid successionals, including persistence of a lowland species (Amblystegium serpens) and nonnatives. Presence of a non-native community (Melilotus officinalis) 26 to 34 years after reclamation can be concerning. Stockpiled soil texture (clay) and tall shrub stem density were most influential on plant community development. Stem density (DBH > 5 cm), self-thinning of early successional species (Salix, Betula papyrifera), and presence of climax species (Picea glauca) resembled the successional trend of natural boreal forests in the region. Results from this study suggest natural recovery of upland boreal forest on lowland peat substrate is possible and can support evolving plant communities.

The increase in anthropogenic activities that lead to fragmentation and habitat loss, could result in a reduction of connectivity among habitat patches of terrestrial species. We used ecological niche models, circuit and graph theories to evaluate functional connectivity among home-range patches and suitable habitat patches of the Mexican Leaf Frog (Agalychnis dacnicolor), in a heterogeneous landscape of tropical dry forest (TDF) in central-western Mexico. We found high connectivity among home-range patches within the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve (CCBR) and among those surrounding the CCBR. Similarly, suitable habitat patches along the Pacific slope (except those in the South) were well-connected. Conversely, we detected weak connectivity in the southern and eastern parts of the study area, which is in accordance with the poor habitat quality and fragmentation that characterize that zone. Suitable habitat patches with the largest areas of TDF were the most important in maintaining functional connectivity, but only one patch was within a natural protected area. Our results highlight the importance of conserving large and continuous patches of habitat in a very threatened landscape to maintain connectivity in A. dacnicolor and probably in other anurans.