Many contaminant releases to the terrestrial environment are of small areal extent. Thus, rather than evaluating the ecological impact on species in the immediate vicinity of the release, it may be more ecologically meaningful to determine if population impacts occur at the landscape level. In order to do this, the cumulative impact of all releases in the landscape under consideration must be e...

In contrast to the body of work in more mesic habitats, few studies have examined boundary processes between natural and anthropogenic desert landscapes. Our research examined processes occurring at boundaries between a desert sand dune community and an encroaching suburban habitat. We measured responses to an anthropogenic boundary by species from multiple trophic levels, and incorporated meas...

Artificial reefs are used by many fisheries managers as a tool to mitigate the impact of fisheries on coastal fish communities by providing new habitat for many exploited fish species. However, the comparison between the behavior of wild fish inhabiting either natural or artificial habitats has received less attention. Thus the spatio-temporal patterns of fish that establish their home range in...

In Nepal, the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) has been sparsely studied, although its range covers a wide area. The present study was carried out in the previously untapped Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape (CHAL) situated in central Nepal with an aim to explore current distributional status and identify key habitat use. Extensive field surveys conducted in 10 red panda range districts were used to estim...

Forage is one of the main products of rangeland ecosystems, which is threatened by different anthropogenic disturbances. This study was conducted to assess the impact of urbanization, rural development, agriculture extension, road construction and industry on forage production in an arid and semiarid rangeland using InVEST habitat quality model in spring 2018. In 14 rangeland types, thirty 2×1m...

1. Research on habitat selection has focused on the role of vegetative and geologic characteristics or antagonistic behavioural interactions. 2. Conspecifics can confer information about habitat quality and provide positive density-dependent effects, suggesting habitat selection in response to the presence of conspecifics can be an adaptive strategy. 3. We conducted a manipulative field experim...

Ideal free distribution (IFD) theory has frequently been used to investigate habitat selection when fitness payoffs are frequency-dependent. To date, however, researchers have not considered the possibility that individuals may simultaneously differ in their ability to compete for resources and their susceptibility to predation. Such differences might be expected to occur as a consequence of di...

This paper explores the effects of spatial resolution on the performance and applicability of habitat models in wildlife management and conservation. A Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) model for the Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, is presented. The model was exclusively built on non-spatial, small-scale variables of forest structure and without any consideration of...

Citation: Giannoulaki M, Pyrounaki MM, Bourdeix J-H, Ben Abdallah L, Bonanno A, Basilone G, Iglesias M, Ventero A, De Felice A, Leonori I, Valavanis VD, Machias A and Saraux C (2017) Habitat Suitability Modeling to Identify the Potential Nursery Grounds of the Atlantic Mackerel and Its Relation to Oceanographic Conditions in the Mediterranean Sea. Front. Mar. Sci. 4:230. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2017...