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Conservation across Space and Time—Using the Past to Conserve for the Present and Future

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A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Phylogeny and Evolution".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2021) | Viewed by 18227

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Liang-Chi Wang

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Guest Editor

Department of Earth and Environment Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan
Interests: paleoecology; paleolimnology; vegetation; climate change

Dr. Chun-Hsiang Chang

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Guest Editor

Department of Geology, National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan
Interests: paleontology; comparative anatomy

Dr. Cheng-Tao Lin

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Guest Editor

Department of Biological Resources, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, Taiwan
Interests: plant ecology; vegetation ecology; species distribution models; assessment on climate change impacts; ecoinformatics/biodiversity informatics

Dr. Chien-Hsiang Lin

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Guest Editor

Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: paleontology; paleoecology; conservation paleobiology; marine ecology and conservation; ichthyology and taxonomy; otolith morphology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Paleoecological data from nature archives (sediments, tree ring, ice core, stalagmite, and fossil) and long-term observation data are useful for determining the baseline conditions of an organism, defining species range of expansions and diversities, and discriminating between natural and anthropogenic causes of environmental change. Both of them can supply long-term information that is difficult to obtain, using instrument observation and experiments within a seasonal-to-annual time scale. Paleoecological perspectives and long-term records increase our understanding of what does not usually occur in a short period, like ecosystem processes, ecosystem responses, or ecosystem resilience. Knowledge from the past can be employed to guide conservation decisions and help ecosystem management in the present and even in the future. This Special Issue provides a platform to advance our understanding of (i) the application of paleoecological information in present-day conservation, as well as (ii) the use of long-term observation data in present-day conservation. We welcome contributions across all types of paleo-records, as well as long-term observation data from all kinds of ecosystems across tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions.

Dr. Liang-Chi Wang
Dr. Chun-Hsiang Chang
Dr. Cheng-Tao Lin
Dr. Chien-Hsiang Lin
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. Diversity 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

paleoecology
paleontology
long-term observation data
ecosystem management
conservation paleobiology

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2082 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How the Strength of Monsoon Winds Shape Forest Dynamics

by Chen-Chia Ku, Kuo-Jung Chao, Guo-Zhang M. Song, Huan-Yu Lin, Su-Wei Fan and Wei-Chun Chao

Diversity 2022, 14(3), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14030169 - 26 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2549

Abstract

Monitoring long-term forest dynamics can improve our understanding of how tree species change under varying environmental conditions over time. The Nanjenshan Nature Reserve, located in the southernmost part of Taiwan, is covered by natural tropical forest and affected by the northeast monsoon wind in the winter. To explore how monsoon wind shapes the structure of vegetation, we used the long-term data of the Lanjenchi plot (high wind exposure forest) and Nanjenshan plot I (low wind exposure forest) located in the Nanjenshan Nature Reserve. In these two plots, all free-standing trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 1 cm were identified, measured, and mapped five times in thirty years (1989–2019). Temporal changes of tree abundance, dominance, recruitment, and mortality were calculated for all species. We recorded 9694 ± 3924 individual ha⁻¹ belonging to 126 species in the high wind exposure forest and 4019 ± 1791 individual ha⁻¹ belonging to 105 species in the low wind exposure forest in the latest census (census 5). From 1989 to 2019, stem density in the high wind exposure forests decreased (from 12,179 ± 6689 to 9694 ± 3924 individual ha⁻¹), while stem density in the low wind exposure forests increased (from 3253 ± 1208 to 4019 ± 1791 individual ha⁻¹). The stem density of the rare species, which survived only in the high wind exposure forest, decreased over time. However, the basal areas of these two forests barely changed during the study periods. Due to environmental conditions, the two forests have developed different forest structures in spaces and time. Species stem density in the high wind exposure forest and diversity could continually decrease and affect the maintenance of species diversity in the monsoon wind-shaped forest. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conservation across Space and Time—Using the Past to Conserve for the Present and Future)

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14 pages, 3137 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Anthropogenic Disturbances on Diatom Diversity in a Shallow Spring-Fed Pool

by Liang-Chi Wang, Hong-Chun Li and Liang-Jian Shiau

Diversity 2022, 14(3), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14030166 - 26 Feb 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2363

Abstract

Human impacts cause significant problems for shallow lakes in the karst regions of South China. In recent years, the ecological issues related to managing and restoring these critical aquatic ecosystems have come to the fore. Lingshui Pool (LSP) is one of the most-studied spring-fed lake ecosystems in south China, and it has well-preserved chronological profiles. The LSP was a very shallow lake before dam construction in 1962. Due to the dam’s construction, rapid development and urbanization, this important freshwater ecosystem has suffered severe eutrophication and environmental degradation. In order to determine the environmental effects of recent anthropogenic disturbances and establish conservation recommendations for this lake ecosystem, we analyzed diatoms and weak-acid leachable elements from a well-dated sediment core from LSP to reconstruct the changes in aquatic conditions and diatom diversity during the period AD 1960–2013. This revealed shifts in diatom assemblages, diversity, and geochemistry that were strongly linked to the construction of a dam in 1962 and rapid eutrophication after 1990. Diatom diversity was stable and relatively high when submerged macrophytes were present between 1962 and 1990. Thus, the reintroduction of endemic macrophytes could benefit the ecological stability and diversity of this shallow lake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conservation across Space and Time—Using the Past to Conserve for the Present and Future)

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16 pages, 6465 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Paleoecological Data to Inform the Conservation Strategy for Floristic Diversity and Isoetes taiwanensis in Northern Taiwan

by Liang-Chi Wang

Diversity 2021, 13(8), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13080395 - 22 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2252

Abstract

Paleoecological data can be used to inform nature conservation practice. Dream Lake (DL) is the best-preserved peat bog in the Tatun Volcanic Group of northern Taiwan. We analyzed continuous pollen and charcoal data from a well-dated sediment core from DL to reconstruct the changes in climate, lacustrine condition, and floristic diversity during the last 4500 cal BP. An absence of volcanic ash from all sediments indicates weak volcanic activity. Significant changes in lithology and pollen composition show that DL changed from a deep lake to a shallow peat bog from 3000 cal BP onwards. The palynological diversity index was negatively correlated with fire frequency. A substantial decline in Isoetes (quillwort) spores suggests increased vulnerability during the peat bog period. Natural terrestrialization will lower the mean water depth of DL below the minimum required for Isoetes taiwanensis survival within 300 years. Our findings indicate that winter precipitation driven by intense East Asian winter monsoons is the critical force determining the long-term variation in floristic diversity and abundance of I. taiwanensis. This long-term ecological history of DL, derived using paleoecological techniques, will be used to inform conservation practice in the Tatun Volcanic Group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conservation across Space and Time—Using the Past to Conserve for the Present and Future)

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Review

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20 pages, 4119 KiB

Open AccessReview

Evolutionary and Biogeographical History of Penguins (Sphenisciformes): Review of the Dispersal Patterns and Adaptations in a Geologic and Paleoecological Context

by Jonathan S. Pelegrín and Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche

Diversity 2022, 14(4), 255; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14040255 - 30 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 9895

Abstract

Despite its current low diversity, the penguin clade (Sphenisciformes) is one of the groups of birds with the most complete fossil record. Likewise, from the evolutionary point of view, it is an interesting group given the adaptations developed for marine life and the extreme climatic occupation capacity that some species have shown. In the present contribution, we reviewed and integrated all of the geographical and phylogenetic information available, together with an exhaustive and updated review of the fossil record, to establish and propose a biogeographic scenario that allows the spatial-temporal reconstruction of the evolutionary history of the Sphenisciformes, discussing our results and those obtained by other authors. This allowed us to understand how some abiotic processes are responsible for the patterns of diversity evidenced both in modern and past lineages. Thus, using the BioGeoBEARS methodology for biogeographic estimation, we were able to reconstruct the biogeographical patterns for the entire group based on the most complete Bayesian phylogeny of the total evidence. As a result, a New Zealand origin for the Sphenisciformes during the late Cretaceous and early Paleocene is indicated, with subsequent dispersal and expansion across Antarctica and southern South America. During the Eocene, there was a remarkable diversification of species and ecological niches in Antarctica, probably associated with the more temperate climatic conditions in the Southern Hemisphere. A wide morphological variability might have developed at the beginning of the Paleogene diversification. During the Oligocene, with the trends towards the freezing of Antarctica and the generalized cooling of the Neogene, there was a turnover that led to the survival (in New Zealand) of the ancestors of the crown Sphenisciform lineages. Later these expanded and diversified across the Southern Hemisphere, strongly linked to the climatic and oceanographic processes of the Miocene. Finally, it should be noted that the Antarctic recolonization and its hostile climatic conditions occurred in some modern lineages during the Pleistocene, possibly due to exaptations that made possible the repeated dispersion through cold waters during the Cenozoic, also allowing the necessary adaptations to live in the tundra during the glaciations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conservation across Space and Time—Using the Past to Conserve for the Present and Future)

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