@article{TschoepeWallschlaegerBurkartetal.2011,
  author    = {Tsch{\"o}pe, Okka and Wallschl{\"a}ger, Hans-Dieter and Burkart, Michael and Tielb{\"o}rger, Katja},
  title     = {Managing open habitats by wild ungulate browsing and grazing a case-study in North-Eastern Germany},
  series = {Applied vegetation science : official organ of the International Association for Vegetation Science},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Applied vegetation science : official organ of the International Association for Vegetation Science},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {1402-2001},
  doi       = {10.1111/j.1654-109X.2010.01119.x},
  pages     = {200 -- 209},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Question: Can wild ungulates efficiently maintain and restore open habitats? Location: Brandenburg, NE Germany. Methods: The effect of wild ungulate grazing and browsing was studied in three successional stages: (1) Corynephorus canescens-dominated grassland; (2) ruderal tall forb vegetation dominated by Tanacetum vulgare; and (3) Pinus sylvestris-pioneer forest. The study was conducted over 3 yr. In each successional stage, six paired 4 m(2)-monitoring plots of permanently grazed versus ungrazed plots were arranged in three random blocks. Removal of grazing was introduced de novo for the study. In each plot, percentage cover of each plant and lichen species and total cover of woody plants was recorded. Results: Wild ungulates considerably affected successional pathways and species composition in open habitats but this influence became evident in alteration of abundances of only a few species. Grazing effects differed considerably between successional stages: species richness was higher in grazed versus ungrazed ruderal and pioneer forest plots, but not in the Corynephorus sites. Herbivory affected woody plant cover only in the Pioneer forest sites. Although the study period was too short to observe drastic changes in species richness and woody plant cover, notable changes in species composition were still detected in all successional stages. Conclusion: Wild ungulate browsing is a useful tool to inhibit encroachment of woody vegetation and to conserve a species-rich, open landscape.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WasiolkaBlaum2011,
  author    = {Wasiolka, Bernd and Blaum, Niels},
  title     = {Comparing biodiversity between protected savanna and adjacent non-protected farmland in the southern Kalahari},
  series = {Journal of arid environments},
  volume    = {75},
  journal   = {Journal of arid environments},
  number    = {9},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {0140-1963},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.04.011},
  pages     = {836 -- 841},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {In this study we investigated the effect of different land use options (wildlife versus livestock) on species richness of plants and reptiles in the protected Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) versus adjacent non-protected farmland within the same savanna habitat type (Aoub dune veld) in the southern Kalahari, South Africa. Our results show that both plant and reptile species richness as well as plant cover and reptile abundance was significantly higher in the protected KTP than in the non-protected farmland. The higher proportion of shrub but lower proportions of perennial grass cover, herb cover, and herb species richness in the farmland can be explained by higher stocking rates and the differences in feeding behaviour between native wild ungulates (e.g. Antidorcas marsupialis, Oryx gazella) and livestock (mainly sheep). The reptile's prey availability and microhabitats (perennial grass tussocks and rodent burrows) for thermoregulation and protection against predators were significantly lower in the farmland. To conclude, our results clearly show that long term effects of different land use options (wildlife in protected KTP versus extensive livestock production in the non-protected farmland) even within the same habitat type have led to significant changes in vegetation composition, availability of microhabitat structures and in the reptile community.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AmbarliMenguellueoğluFickeletal.2018,
  author    = {Ambarli, H{\"u}seyin and Meng{\"u}ll{\"u}oğlu, Deniz and Fickel, J{\"o}rns and F{\"o}rster, Daniel W.},
  title     = {Hotel AMANO Grand Central of brown bears in southwest Asia},
  series = {PeerJ},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {PeerJ},
  publisher = {PeerJ Inc.},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {2167-8359},
  doi       = {10.7717/peerj.5660},
  pages     = {18},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Genetic studies of the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos) have so far focused on populations from Europe and North America, although the largest distribution area of brown bears is in Asia. In this study, we reveal population genetic parameters for the brown bear population inhabiting the Grand Kackar Mountains (GKM) in the north east of Turkey, western Lesser Caucasus. Using both hair (N = 147) and tissue samples (N = 7) collected between 2008 and 2014, we found substantial levels of genetic variation (10 microsatellite loci). Bear samples (hair) taken from rubbing trees worked better for genotyping than those from power poles, regardless of the year collected. Genotyping also revealed that bears moved between habitat patches, despite ongoing massive habitat alterations and the creation of large water reservoirs. This population has the potential to serve as a genetic reserve for future reintroduction in the Middle East. Due to the importance of the GKM population for on-going and future conservation actions, the impacts of habitat alterations in the region ought to be minimized; e.g., by establishing green bridges or corridors over reservoirs and major roads to maintain habitat connectivity and gene flow among populations in the Lesser Caucasus.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LuisHorreoLuisaPelaezBreedveldetal.2019,
  author    = {Luis Horreo, Jose and Luisa Pelaez, Maria and Breedveld, Merel Cathelijne and Suarez, Teresa and Urieta, Maria and Fitze, Patrick S.},
  title     = {Population structure of the oviparous South-West European common lizard},
  series = {European journal of wildlife research},
  volume    = {65},
  journal   = {European journal of wildlife research},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {New York},
  issn      = {1612-4642},
  doi       = {10.1007/s10344-018-1242-6},
  pages     = {9},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Gene flow is an important factor determining the evolution of a species, since it directly affects population structure and species' adaptation. Here, we investigated population structure, population history, and migration among populations covering the entire distribution of the geographically isolated South-West European common lizard (Zootoca vivipara louislantzi) using 34 newly developed polymorphic microsatellite markers. The analyses unravelled the presence of isolation by distance, inbreeding, recent bottlenecks, genetic differentiation, and low levels of migration among most populations, suggesting that Z. vivipara louislantzi is threatened. The results point to discontinuous populations and are in line with physical barriers hindering longitudinal migration south to the central Pyrenean cordillera and latitudinal migration in the central Pyrenees. In contrast, evidence for longitudinal migration exists from the lowlands north to the central Pyrenean cordillera and the Cantabrian Mountains. The locations of the populations south to the central Pyrenean cordillera were identified as the first to be affected by global warming; thus, management actions aimed at avoiding population declines should start in this area.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{deOliveiraSilvaPiratelliZurelletal.2021,
  author    = {de Oliveira-Silva, Anna Elizabeth and Piratelli, Augusto Jo{\~a}o and Zurell, Damaris and da Silva, Fernando Rodrigues},
  title     = {Vegetation cover restricts habitat suitability predictions of endemic Brazilian Atlantic Forest birds},
  series = {Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation},
  volume    = {20},
  journal   = {Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {2530-0644},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.pecon.2021.09.002},
  pages     = {1 -- 8},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Ecological niche models (ENMs) are often used to investigate how climatic variables from known occurrence records can estimate potential species range distribution. Although climate-based ENMs provide critical baseline information, the inclusion of non-climatic predictors related to vegetation cover might generate more realistic scenarios. This assumption is particularly relevant for species with life-history traits related to forest habitats and sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation. Here, we developed ENMs for 36 Atlantic Forest endemic birds considering two sets of predictor variables: (i) climatic variables only and (ii) climatic variables combined with the percentage of remaining native vegetation. We hypothesized that the inclusion of native vegetation data would decrease the potential range distribution of forest-dependent species by limiting their occurrence in regions harboring small areas of native vegetation habitats, despite otherwise favorable climatic conditions. We also expected that habitat restriction in the climate-vegetation models would be more pronounced for highly forest-dependent birds. The inclusion of vegetation data in the modeling procedures restricted the final distribution ranges of 22 out of 36 modeled species, while the 14 remaining presented an expansion of their ranges. We observed that species with high and medium forest dependency showed higher restriction in range size predictions between predictor sets than species with low forest dependency, which showed no alteration or range expansion. Overall, our results suggest that ENMs based on climatic and landscape variables may be a useful tool for conservationists to better understand the dynamic of bird species distributions in threatened and highly fragmented regions such as the Atlantic Forest hotspot.(c) 2021 Associacao Brasileira de Cie circumflex accent ncia Ecol ogica e Conservacao. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).},
  language  = {en}
}