1. Extinction risk alert: evaluating conservation trends for the Golden-dimpled Ground Beetle (Carabus clatratus auraniensis J. Müller, 1903) in Western BalkansAndreja Brigić, Lea Ružanović, Mihaela Kristina Mlinarić, Snježana Vujčić-Karlo, Toni Koren, Al Vrezec, Andrej Kapla, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Due to extensive habitat loss and specialised ecological niche, the Golden-dimpled Ground Beetle (Carabus clatratus) became a locally extinct species with fragmented distribution throughout Europe. The subspecies C. clatratus auraniensis J. Müller, 1903 was described from the Vrana Lake in the Mediterranean biogeographical region of Croatia. This study aims to: assess conservation status of C. clatratus auraniensis in the Western Balkans through a chronogeonemy analysis; evaluate habitat suitability at the type locality by analyzing historical land use changes; and determine the effectiveness of protected area networks in ensuring the long-term survival of the species in core area of its distribution in Western Balkans. The chronogeonemy analysis reveals the extinction of C. clatratus auraniensis in the Mediterranean biogeographical region, including in its type locality. This is most likely caused by land use changes such as ongoing habitat degradation and wetland drainage, primarily driven by urbanisation and agriculture. However, the gap analysis indicated a good coverage by protected areas, contradicting previous results. The protected areas were established after the subspecies extinction and therefore have no impact on its conservation success. This indicates that gap analysis must be combined with other methods, e.g. chronogeonemy analysis, in order to detect real-time conservation trends. The conservation status of C. clatratus auraniensis in the Continental biogeographical region is stable, with continuous occurrence since the late 19th century and an increase in records in the last three decades, even with long dispersal records (e.g. Mura River in NE Slovenia). Records increase are linked to large well-preserved semi-natural wetlands along the Sava, Drava and Danube rivers, reflecting the subspecies’ good prospects. Reintroduction into protected areas in the Mediterranean region of Croatia could be a viable strategy to support the survival of this subspecies, enhancing the conservation prospects for rare C. clatratus in Europe.
Keywords: chronogeonemy analysis, Croatia, gap analysis, habitat loss, land use change, local extinction, protected areas
Published in DiRROS: 25.09.2025; Views: 401; Downloads: 185
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2. Pelagic calcifiers face increased mortality and habitat loss with warming and ocean acidificationNina Bednaršek, Brendan Carter, Ryan M. McCabe, Richard Alan Feely, Evan M. Howard, Francisco P. Chavez, Meredith Elliott, Jennifer L. Fisher, Jaime Jahncke, Zach Siegrist, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Global change is impacting the oceans in an unprecedented way, and multiple lines of evidence suggest that species distributions are changing in space and time. There is increasing evidence that multiple environmental stressors act together to constrain species habitat more than expected from warming alone. Here, we conducted a comprehensive study of how temperature and aragonite saturation state act together to limit Limacina helicina, globally distributed pteropods that are ecologically important pelagic calcifiers and an indicator species for ocean change. We co-validated three different approaches to evaluate the impact of ocean warming and acidification (OWA) on the survival and distribution of this species in the California Current Ecosystem. First, we used colocated physical, chemical, and biological data from three large-scale west coast cruises and regional time series; second, we conducted multifactorial experimental incubations to evaluate how OWA impacts pteropod survival; and third, we validated the relationships we found against global distributions of pteropods and carbonate chemistry. OWA experimental work revealed mortality increases under OWA, while regional habitat suitability indices and global distributions of L. helicina suggest that a multi-stressor framework is essential for understanding pteropod distributions. In California Current Ecosystem habitats, where pteropods are living close to their thermal maximum already, additional warming and acidification through unabated fossil fuel emissions (RCP 8.5) are expected to dramatically reduce habitat suitability.
Keywords: California current ecosystem, climate change, global data synthesis, habitat loss, habitat suitability modeling, multiple stressors, ocean acidification, pelagic calcifiers, pteropods, species distribution, warming
Published in DiRROS: 17.07.2024; Views: 1159; Downloads: 869
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