The umbrella value of caribou management strategies for biodiversity conservation in boreal forests under global change
Data files
Nov 15, 2023 version files 141.26 KB
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Beetles_ProbaOcc.xlsx
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Birds_ProbaOcc_DecMixte.xlsx
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Birds_ProbaOcc_Mature.xlsx
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DataFinal_BirdsBeetlesOccChanges.csv
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DataFinal_IBM_Caribou_winter.csv
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README.md
Abstract
Single-species conservation management is often proposed to preserve biodiversity in human-disturbed landscapes. How global change will impact the umbrella value of single-species management strategies remains an open question of critical conservation importance. We assessed the effectiveness of threatened boreal caribou as an umbrella for bird and beetle conservation under global change. We combined mechanistic, spatially explicit models of forest dynamics and predator-prey interactions to forecast the impact of management strategies on the survival of boreal caribou in boreal forest. We then used predictive models of species occupancy to characterize concurrent impacts on bird and beetle diversity. Landscapes were simulated based on three scenarios of climate change and four of forest management. We found that strategies that best mitigate human impact on boreal caribou were an effective umbrella for maintaining bird and beetle assemblages. While we detected a stronger effect of land-use change compared to climate change, the umbrella value of management strategies for caribou habitat conservation were still impacted by the severity of climate change. Our results showed an interplay among changes in forest attributes, boreal caribou mortality, as well as bird and beetle species assemblages. The conservation status of some species mandates the development of recovery strategies, highlighting the importance of our study which shows that single-species conservation can have important umbrella benefits despite global change.
README: The umbrella value of caribou management strategies for biodiversity conservation in boreal forests under global change
Datasets generated and analyzed within the study area located in the Côte-Nord region of Québec, Canada. To identify species-specific movement rules that were implemented in the IBM, we used empirical data collected for caribou, moose, and wolves over the study area. To evaluate the umbrella value of management strategies for caribou habitat conservation, we used predictive models of species occupancy to characterize concurrent impacts on bird and beetle diversity.
Description of the data and file structure
"Beetles_ProbaOcc.xlsx"; "Birds_ProbaOcc_DecMixte.xlsx" and "Birds_ProbaOcc_Mature.xlsx" were used to determine the Jaccard dissimilarity index for each group: beetles, birds associated with boreal mixed forests and birds associated with boreal coniferous forests. The probability of occurrence presented in these files was based on predictive models of occupancy of birds and beetles previously developed from field observations (Bouderbala et al. 2023) as mentioned in the manuscript. The first columns corresponded to 76 beetle species, 20 and 7 bird species associated with boreal mixed or boreal coniferous forests, respectively. Scenario, CC (climate change) and LUC (land use change) represented the details of the scenarios presented in the study.
Bouderbala, I., Labadie, G., Béland, J., Boulanger, Y., Hébert, C., Desrosiers, P., Allard, A., Fortin, D., 2023. Effects of global change on bird and beetle populations in boreal forest landscape: an assemblage dissimilarity analysis. Divers. Distrib. 29, 757–773.
Bird codes - All birds were identified at the species level:
Code | Species<br>English name<br>(Scientific name) |
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WCSP | White-crowned sparrow<br>(Zonotrichia leucophrys) |
GRYE | Greater yellowlegs<br>(Tringa melanoleuca) |
OVEN | Ovenbird<br>(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
BLWA | Blackburnian warbler (Setophaga fusca) |
REVI | Red-eyed vireo<br>(Vireo olivaceus) |
WTSP | White-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) |
BBWA | Bay-breasted Warbler(Setophaga castanea) |
CMWA | Cape May warbler(Setophaga tigrina) |
CSWA | Chestnut-sided warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) |
WIWA | Wilson's warbler (Cardellina pusilla) |
RUBL | Rusty blackbird<br>(Euphagus carolinus) |
BCCH | Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) |
BRCR | Brown creeper<br>(Certhia americana) |
FOSP | Fox sparrow<br>(Passerella iliaca) |
AMRE | American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) |
SWTH | Swainson's thrush (Catharus ustulatus) |
EVGR | Evening grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) |
PAWA | Palm warbler<br>(Setophaga palmarum) |
WWCR | Two-barred crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) |
ALFL | Alder flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) |
CAGO | Canada goose<br>(Branta canadensis) |
GCKI | Golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa) |
LISP | Lincoln's sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) |
TEWA | Tennessee warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) |
DEJU | Dark-eyed junco<br>(Junco hyemalis) |
MAWA | Magnolia warbler (Setophaga magnolia) |
YEWA | American yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia) |
AMCR | American Crow<br>(Corvus brachyrhynchos) |
AMGO | American Goldfinch<br>(Spinus tristis) |
CHSP | Chipping Sparrow<br>(Spizella passerine) |
SASP | Savannah Sparrow<br>(Passerculus sandwichensis) |
Beetle codes - The beetles were identified at the species level when possible; otherwise (if "species"=NA), the identification to the genus level was standardized
(92% identifications were at the species level):
Code | Family | Genus | Species |
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CARAPLANDECC | Carabidae | Platynus | decentis |
CARAPTERADST | Carabidae | Pterostichus | adstrictus |
CERAACMSPROT | Cerambycidae | Acmaeops | proteus |
CERAGNATPRAT | Cerambycidae | Gnathacmaeops | pratensis |
CIIDCISZSTRU | Ciidae | Cis | striolatus |
CLERTHANUNDS | Cleridae | Thanasimus | undatulus |
CLERZENOSANG | Thanerocleridae | Zenodosus | sanguineus |
CORYCLYPFUSG | Corylophidae | Clypastraea | fusca |
CRYPATOM | Cryptophagidae | Atomaria | NA |
CRYPCRYPCROU | Cryptophagidae | Cryptophagus | croceus |
CRYPCRYPDIFF | Cryptophagidae | Cryptophagus | difficilis |
CUCUPEDIFUSC | Cucujidae | Pediacus | fuscus |
CURCRHYOMACS | Curculionidae | Rhyncolus | macrops |
ELATCTENTRZO | Elateridae | Pseudanostirus | triundulatus |
ELATCTENWATS | Elateridae | Pseudanostirus | watsoni |
ELATNEOHTUME | Elateridae | Neohypdonus | tumescens |
ELATSERIINCQ | Elateridae | Sericus | incongruus |
ENDOPHYMPULE | Endomychidae | Phymaphora | pulchella |
LATHCORA | Latridiidae | Corticaria | NA |
LATHCORALAPP | Latridiidae | Corticaria | lapponica |
LATHCORASERR | Latridiidae | Corticaria | serricollis |
LATHCORASERT | Latridiidae | Corticaria | serrata |
LATHENICTENO | Latridiidae | Enicmus | tenuicornis |
LEIOAGAT | Leiodidae | Agathidium | NA |
LEIOAGATEXIS | Leiodidae | Agathidium | exiguum |
LEIOAGATFAWC | Leiodidae | Agathidium | fawcettae |
LEIOAGATREPN | Leiodidae | Agathidium | repentinum |
LEIOLEIO | Leiodidae | Leiodes | NA |
LYMEELATLUGU | Lymexylidae | Hylecoetus | lugubris |
MELAXYLILAEA | Melandryidae | Xylita | laevigata |
MORDMORDBORE | Mordellidae | Mordellaria | borealis |
NITIEPURBORD | Nitidulidae | Epuraea | rufomarginata |
NITIEPURLINA | Nitidulidae | Epuraea | linearis |
NITIEPURPARN | Nitidulidae | Epuraea | parsonsi |
NITIEPURPLAZ | Nitidulidae | Epuraea | planulata |
NITIEPURTRUT | Nitidulidae | Epuraea | truncatella |
NITIGLISSANS | Nitidulidae | Glischrochilus | sanguinolentus |
NITIGLISVITT | Nitidulidae | Glischrochilus | vittatus |
PSELEUPL | Staphylinidae | Euplectus | NA |
PSELPSELBELX | Staphylinidae | Pselaphus | bellax |
PTILPTIO | Ptiliidae | Ptiliola | NA |
RHIZRHIZDIMI | Monotomidae | Rhizophagus | dimidiatus |
SCIRCYPHVARB | Scirtidae | Cyphon | variabilis |
SCOLDRYOAUTO | Curculionidae | Dryocoetes | autographus |
SCOLDRYOBETU | Curculionidae | Dryocoetes | betulae |
SCOLPITKSPAR | Curculionidae | Pityokteines | sparsus) |
SCOLPITP | Curculionidae | Pityophthorus | NA |
SCOLPOLYRUFP | Curculionidae | Polygraphus | rufipennis |
SCOLTRYDLINM | Curculionidae | Trypodendron | lineatum |
SCYDBRACPUBP | Staphylinidae | Brachycepsis | pubipennis |
SCYDPARACOYA | Staphylinidae | Parascydmus | corpusculus |
SCYDSTENPEFS | Staphylinidae | Stenichnus | perforatus |
SCYDSTENTURT | Staphylinidae | Stenichnus | turbatus |
SILVSILVBIDE | Silvanidae | Silvanus | bidentatus |
STAPACIDQUAR | Staphylinidae | Acidota | quadrata |
STAPACRO | Staphylinidae | Acrotona | NA |
STAPATHE | Staphylinidae | Atheta | NA |
STAPBORSLAMF | Staphylinidae | Boreostiba | frigida |
STAPDINABORE | Staphylinidae | Dinaraea | borealis |
STAPGABIMICQ | Staphylinidae | Gabrius | microphthalmus |
STAPGYRP | Staphylinidae | Gyrophaena | NA |
STAPISCHSPLI | Staphylinidae | Ischnosoma | splendidum) |
STAPLEPSBREL | Staphylinidae | Leptusa | brevicollis |
STAPLIOGALAO | Staphylinidae | Liogluta | aloconotoides |
STAPLIOGTERM | Staphylinidae | Liogluta | terminalis |
STAPOLOPROTL | Staphylinidae | Olophrum | rotundicolle |
STAPOMALRIVE | Staphylinidae | Omalium | rivulare |
STAPPHLOLAPP | Staphylinidae | Phloeostiba | lapponica |
STAPPLACPSUE | Staphylinidae | Placusa | pseudosuecica |
STAPPROT | Staphylinidae | Proteinus | NA |
STAPPROTPARQ | Staphylinidae | Proteinus | parvulus |
STAPQUEDPLAG | Staphylinidae | Quedius | plagiatus |
STAPQUEDRUST | Staphylinidae | Quedius | rusticus |
STAPSTEH | Staphylinidae | Stenichnus | NA |
STAPSYNTGRAH | Staphylinidae | Syntomium | grahami |
STAPTACIELON | Staphylinidae | Tachinus | elongatus |
TROGTHYMMARQ | Trogossitidae | Thymalus | marginicollis |
"DataFinal_BirdsBeetlesOccChanges.csv" corresponded to the percentage change ("PercChange") of beetles and birds ("taxa") for each species ("species" determined with the codes explained above) in function of the different scenarios ("CC": climate change, "LUC": land use change). The column "IncDec" indicated if the value of "PercChange" was for the group that increased (inc) or decreased (dec). The column "n" represented the total number of species that increased or decreased for each scenario and taxa.
"DataFinal_IBM_Caribou_Winter.csv" corresponded to the IBM outputs with the proportion of caribou agents killed ("Prop.Caribou_killed": number of caribou killed/total number of caribou), in function of the different scenarios ("CC", "LUC", "Year", "Season", "Scenario"). Each simulation was replicated ten times. The columns "Prop.CutsRoads", "Prop.Fire", "Prop.Broadleaf", "Homogenization", "Isolation" correspond to the different variables we tested to predict the cumulative impact of anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. To explore how changes in forest structure and composition impacted the proportion of caribou killed, we used the proportion of areas disturbed by cuts and roads ("Prop.CutsRoads"), burned areas ("Prop.Fire"), and landscape characteristics, such as the proportion of deciduous vegetation ("Prop.Broadleaf"), landscape homogenization ("Homogenization") and isolation ("Isolation") of mature conifer stands.
To assess changes in landscape configuration, we used the ‘landscapemetrics’ package in R (Hesselbarth et al. 2019). At the patch level (i.e., neighboring cells belonging to the same land cover class), we calculated the mean “isolation index” (calculated as 1 − “cohesion index”), characterized as the connectedness of patches belonging to a land cover class (Hesselbarth et al., 2019). If the value of the “isolation index” was close to 0, patches of the same class were aggregated, while an increase in the value indicated that patches became isolated. At the landscape level, we calculated the “homogenization index” (calculated as 1/“conditional entropy,” characterized as the complexity of a landscape pattern configuration) (Hesselbarth et al.,
2019;Nowosad &Stepinski, 2019). If the value of the “homogenization index” is small, cells of one category are adjacent to cells of many different categories. All the details of these variables are presented in the study.
Hesselbarth, M. H. K., M. Sciaini, K. A. With, K. Wiegand, and J. Nowosad. 2019. “Landscapemetrics: An Open-Source R Tool to Calculate Landscape Metrics.” Ecography 42: 1648–57.
Nowosad, J., and T. F. Stepinski. 2019. “Information Theory as a Consistent Framework for Quantification and Classification of Landscape Patterns.” Landscape Ecology 34: 2091–101.
Methods
All the methods are detailed in the article: Labadie G. et al. The umbrella value of caribou management strategies for biodiversity conservation in boreal forests under global change.