Decadal data reveal declines, not species replacement, of salamanders under agrarian reform
Long-term data are uniquely suited to test hypotheses on processes in ecology, contemporary biogeography and conservation. I tested for species replacement among crested and marbled newts (genus Triturus) in western France, for which historical data showed a mutual range shift of 1 km per year. Trit...
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425001684 |
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| author | Jan W. Arntzen |
| author_facet | Jan W. Arntzen |
| author_sort | Jan W. Arntzen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Long-term data are uniquely suited to test hypotheses on processes in ecology, contemporary biogeography and conservation. I tested for species replacement among crested and marbled newts (genus Triturus) in western France, for which historical data showed a mutual range shift of 1 km per year. Triturus population sizes were estimated in 23 ponds from 1979 to the present. The data show a massive amphibian decline from pond infilling, succession and neglect, arising from the agrarian transition from cattle to arable farming. In eight persisting ponds, Triturus populations declined in unmanaged ponds and were stable in two managed ponds. Species composition was stable or changed in either direction. The absence of further notable species replacement is in line with population isolation by less dispersal from fewer and smaller populations in a thinning network of ponds. It is concluded that the large-scale agrarian reform that progressed over the post-World War II period intervened with, and eventually frustrated the original aim of the research project. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6ff0c9a169954d51886cf4e111c155ff |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-6ff0c9a169954d51886cf4e111c155ff2025-08-20T01:55:11ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942025-06-0159e0356710.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03567Decadal data reveal declines, not species replacement, of salamanders under agrarian reformJan W. Arntzen0Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, the NetherlandsLong-term data are uniquely suited to test hypotheses on processes in ecology, contemporary biogeography and conservation. I tested for species replacement among crested and marbled newts (genus Triturus) in western France, for which historical data showed a mutual range shift of 1 km per year. Triturus population sizes were estimated in 23 ponds from 1979 to the present. The data show a massive amphibian decline from pond infilling, succession and neglect, arising from the agrarian transition from cattle to arable farming. In eight persisting ponds, Triturus populations declined in unmanaged ponds and were stable in two managed ponds. Species composition was stable or changed in either direction. The absence of further notable species replacement is in line with population isolation by less dispersal from fewer and smaller populations in a thinning network of ponds. It is concluded that the large-scale agrarian reform that progressed over the post-World War II period intervened with, and eventually frustrated the original aim of the research project.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425001684Contemporary biogeographyHabitat lossLong-term dataNewtsSympatryTriturus cristatus |
| spellingShingle | Jan W. Arntzen Decadal data reveal declines, not species replacement, of salamanders under agrarian reform Global Ecology and Conservation Contemporary biogeography Habitat loss Long-term data Newts Sympatry Triturus cristatus |
| title | Decadal data reveal declines, not species replacement, of salamanders under agrarian reform |
| title_full | Decadal data reveal declines, not species replacement, of salamanders under agrarian reform |
| title_fullStr | Decadal data reveal declines, not species replacement, of salamanders under agrarian reform |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decadal data reveal declines, not species replacement, of salamanders under agrarian reform |
| title_short | Decadal data reveal declines, not species replacement, of salamanders under agrarian reform |
| title_sort | decadal data reveal declines not species replacement of salamanders under agrarian reform |
| topic | Contemporary biogeography Habitat loss Long-term data Newts Sympatry Triturus cristatus |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425001684 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT janwarntzen decadaldatarevealdeclinesnotspeciesreplacementofsalamandersunderagrarianreform |