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  • OPEN ACCESS
    Correction: Impacts of hypoxia on estuarine macroinvertebrate assemblages across a regional nutrient gradient
    FACETS • Vol. 4 • No. 1 • pp. 161
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Complementary responses of stream fish and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages to environmental drivers in a shale-gas development area
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 200 - 227
    Shale-gas production could impact freshwater quality through contamination of the physical and chemical habitat (e.g., fracturing fluids, untreated or treated effluent) or development-related impacts. Despite environmental concerns, information is lacking to support biomonitoring as a diagnostic tool to assess impacts of shale-gas production. We characterized water quality and biota in areas of high shale gas potential (Early Carboniferous bedrock in New Brunswick, Canada) and surrounding geologic areas, and we assessed patterns in benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) and fish assemblages. Early Carboniferous stations differed primarily based on water chemistry, and BMI were associated with a gradient in conductivity and temperature across geologic classes. Concordance analysis indicated similar classification of stations by both organism groups, though fish were more related to turbidity and nutrients. Concordance among fish and BMI was strongest at high conductivity, Early Carboniferous stations. These results suggest that geology plays a strong role in driving abiotic habitats and biotic communities of streams, even at small spatial scales. Furthermore, they suggest BMI and fish can provide complementary information for biomonitoring in shale-gas development areas, with BMI responding to increased ion concentrations from surface water contamination, and fish responding to changes in nutrients and turbidity resulting from development.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Tracking insect outbreaks: a case study of community-assisted moth monitoring using sex pheromone traps
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 91 - 104
    Insect outbreaks can cover vast geographic areas making it onerous to cost-effectively monitor populations to address management or ecological questions. Community science (or citizen science), which entails engaging the public to assist with data collection, provides a possible solution to this challenge for the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens), a major defoliating pest in North America. Here, we lay out the Budworm Tracker Program, a contributory community science program developed to help monitor spruce budworm moths throughout eastern Canada. The program outsources free pheromone trap kits to volunteers who periodically check and collect moths from their traps throughout the budworm flight period, then return them in a prepaid envelope to the organizers. Over three years, the program engaged an average of 216–375 volunteers and yielded a data return rate of 68%–89%, for a total of 16 311–54 525 moths per year. Volunteer retention among years was 71%–89%. Data from this program offer compelling evidence for the range of long-distance moth dispersal. Although our program was designed for spruce budworm, this template could easily be adapted for forestry, urban forestry, and agricultural systems to monitor any of the numerous organisms for which there is an established trapping method.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Ecological research should consider Indigenous peoples and stewardship
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 534 - 537
    The relationship between Indigenous peoples and the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems has received increased attention in recent years. As a result, it is becoming more critical for researchers focusing on terrestrial ecosystems to work with Indigenous groups to gain a better understanding of how past and current stewardship of these lands may influence results. As a case study to explore these ideas, we systematically reviewed articles from 2008 to 2018 where research was conducted in North America, South America, and Oceania. Of the 159 articles included, 11 included acknowledgement of Indigenous stewardship, acknowledged the Indigenous Territories or lands, or named the Indigenous group on whose Territory the research was conducted. Within the scope of this case study, our results demonstrate an overall lack of Indigenous acknowledgement or consideration within the scope of our review. Given the recent advancements in our understanding of how Indigenous groups have shaped their lands, we implore researchers to consider collaboration among local Indigenous groups as to better cultivate relationships and foster a greater understanding of their ecosystems.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    A turtle population study in an isolated urban wetland complex in Ontario reveals a few surprises
    FACETS • Vol. 4 • No. 1 • pp. 584 - 597
    We report on the results of the first mark–recapture survey of freshwater turtles in an isolated urban wetland complex in one of Canada’s fastest growing municipalities. Although we found turtles in every surveyed wetland, the density and assemblage of turtles in smaller wetlands were significantly different than in larger wetland bodies. We also documented two species of turtles that were thought to be absent from this wetland complex, the Northern Map turtle and Eastern Musk turtle. We noted that a wetland that was bisected by a high-traffic road showed a male-skewed sex ratio in the population of Midland Painted turtles but not in the population of Eastern Snapping turtles. As a whole, the sex ratios inside the wetland complex were not skewed. These results reinforce the conclusions of a previous study of a single wetland within this same complex that had found a correlation between road mortality and a male-skewed sex ratio in Midland painted turtles. We discuss population sources and sinks within the complex and the importance of protecting the overland corridors that support the safe turtle movements within this provincially significant wetland complex.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    A molecular assessment of infectious agents carried by Atlantic salmon at sea and in three eastern Canadian rivers, including aquaculture escapees and North American and European origin wild stocks
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 234 - 263
    Infectious agents are key components of animal ecology and drivers of host population dynamics. Knowledge of their diversity and transmission in the wild is necessary for the management and conservation of host species like Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Although pathogen exchange can occur throughout the salmon life cycle, evidence is lacking to support transmission during population mixing at sea or between farmed and wild salmon due to aquaculture exposure. We tested these hypotheses using a molecular approach that identified infectious agents and transmission potential among sub-adult Atlantic salmon at marine feeding areas and adults in three eastern Canadian rivers with varying aquaculture influence. We used high-throughput qPCR to quantify infection profiles and next generation sequencing to measure genomic variation among viral isolates. We identified 14 agents, including five not yet described as occurring in Eastern Canada. Phylogenetic analysis of piscine orthoreovirus showed homology between isolates from European and North American origin fish at sea, supporting the hypothesis of intercontinental transmission. We found no evidence to support aquaculture influence on wild adult infections, which varied relative to environmental conditions, life stage, and host origin. Our findings identify research opportunities regarding pathogen transmission and biological significance for wild Atlantic salmon populations.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    How to rescue Ontario’s Endangered Species Act: a biologist’s perspective
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 423 - 431
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Fluctuating water levels influence access to critical habitats for threatened Cowichan Lake lamprey
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 488 - 502
    Cowichan Lake lamprey (Entosphenus macrostomus) is a threatened species resident to Mesachie Lake, Cowichan Lake, and adjoining Bear Lake and their major tributaries in British Columbia. Decreases in trapping success have created concerns that the population is declining. Some potential threats include water use, climate change, and management actions. Owing to the absence of long-term data on population trends, little information is available to estimate habitat quality and factors that influence it. We sought to fill this gap by examining associations between habitat area and variables representing suspected key drivers of habitat availability. Critical habitat areas were imaged using an unmanned aerial vehicle over a period of three years at three sites at Cowichan Lake and a subsequent habitat area was classified. Meteorological and anthropogenic controls on habitat area were investigated through automatic relevance detection regression models. The major driver of habitat area during the critical spawning period was water level during the storage season, which also depends on the meteorological variables and anthropogenic control. It is recommended that regulation of the weir should aim to ensure that the water level remains above the 1 m mark, which roughly equates to the 67% coverage of water on the habitat area used for spawning.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Role of green alder in boreal conifer growth: competitor or facilitator?
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 166 - 181
    Sustainable forest management implies successful regeneration after disturbances. Low N availability and competition can, however, limit tree establishment in boreal ecosystems. To develop silviculture strategies that maintain productivity in such context, we established a field trial in northern Québec, Canada. We evaluated if a companion N2-fixing species (Alnus alnobetula) promotes or hinders Picea mariana and Pinus banksiana establishment over six growing seasons. We tested if Alnus has a facilitation effect through nutritional processes and a competition effect through light interception. Foliar stable nitrogen isotope ratio (δ15N = 15N/14N, ‰) results confirmed that Alnus obtains a substantial part of its N through biological fixation and represents an N source in this system. Although we did not observe increased foliar N concentrations in either conifer species in the presence of Alnus, Pinus growth was nonetheless higher in presence of Alnus, whereas no difference was observed for Picea. In the plots where Alnus cohabited with the conifers, the former had a negative impact on seedling growth, suggesting a significant competition for light. Overall, the net effect of Alnus was positive for Pinus and neutral for Picea. Our results have significant implications for silviculture in N-limited systems, especially in the context of climate change that imposes increased levels of stress on regeneration.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Sublethal effects of wild-type and a vIF-2α-knockout Frog virus 3 on postmetamorphic wood frogs (Rana sylvatica): potential for a stage-specific reservoir
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 738 - 757
    Ranaviruses have been associated with rising numbers of mass die-offs in amphibian populations around the globe. However, most studies on ranaviruses to date focused on larval amphibians. To assess the role of postmetamorphic amphibians in the epidemiology of ranaviruses and to determine the role of viral immune-suppression genes, we performed a bath-exposure study on post-metamorphic wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) using environmentally relevant concentrations of wild-type Frog virus 3 (WT FV3), and a gene-knockout mutant (KO FV3), deficient for the putative immune-suppression gene vIF-2α. We observed a 42% infection rate and 5% mortality across the virus challenges, with infection rates and viral loads following a dose-dependent pattern. Individuals exposed to the knockout variant exhibited significantly decreased growth and increased lethargy compared with wild-type treatments. Although 85% of exposed individuals exhibited common signs of ranavirosis throughout the experiment, most of these individuals did not exhibit signs of infection by 40 d post-exposure. Overall, we showed that even a single short time exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of ranavirus may cause sublethal infections in postmetamorphic amphibians, highlighting the importance of this life stage in the epidemiology of ranaviruses. Our study also supports the importance of the vIF-2α gene in immune-suppression in infected individuals.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Is the cure worse than the disease? Comparing the ecological effects of an invasive aquatic plant and the herbicide treatments used to control it
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 353 - 366
    Invasive species are known to have negative ecological effects. However, few studies have evaluated the impacts of invasive species relative to the effects of invasive species control, thereby limiting our ability to make informed decisions considering the benefits and drawbacks of a given management approach. To address this gap, we compared the ecological effects of the invasive aquatic plant Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum L.) with the effects of lake-wide herbicide treatments used for M. spicatum control using aquatic plant data collected from 173 lakes in Wisconsin, USA. First, a pre–post analysis of aquatic plant communities found significant declines in native plant species in response to lake-wide herbicide treatment. Second, multi-level modeling using a large data set revealed a negative association between lake-wide herbicide treatments and native aquatic plants, but no significant negative effect of invasive M. spicatum. Taken together, our results indicate that lake-wide herbicide treatments aimed at controlling M. spicatum had larger effects on native aquatic plants than did the target of control—invasive M. spicatum. Our comparison reveals an important management tradeoff and encourages careful consideration of how we balance the real and perceived impacts of invasive species and the methods used for their control.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Sustaining Canadian marine biodiversity: Policy and statutory progress
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 264 - 288
    A 2012 Expert Panel Report on marine biodiversity by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) concluded that Canada faced significant challenges in achieving sustainable fisheries, regulating aquaculture, and accounting for climate change. Relative to many countries, progress by Canada in fulfilling international obligations to sustain biodiversity was deemed poor. To track progress by Canada since 2012, the RSC struck a committee to track policy and statutory developments on matters pertaining to marine biodiversity and to identify policy challenges, and leading options for implementation that lie ahead. The report by the Policy Briefing Committee is presented here. It concluded that Canada has made moderate to good progress in some areas, such as prioritization of oceans stewardship and strengthening of the evidentiary use of science in decision-making. Key statutes were strengthened through amendments, including requirements to rebuild depleted fisheries (Fisheries Act) and new means of creating marine protected areas (Oceans Act) that allowed Canada to exceed its international obligation to protect 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020. Public release of mandate letters has strengthened ministerial accountability. However, little or no progress has been made in reducing regulatory conflict with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), decreasing ministerial discretion under the Fisheries Act, clarifying the role of science in sustainable fisheries policy, and accounting for climate change. Five future policy challenges are identified: (1) Ensure climate change impacts and projections are incorporated into ocean-related decision making and planning processes; (2) Resolve DFO’s regulatory conflict to conserve and exploit biodiversity; (3) Limit ministerial discretionary power in fisheries management decisions; (4) Clarify ambiguities in how the Precautionary Approach is applied in sustainable fisheries policy; and (5) Advance and implement marine spatial planning. Since 2012, there has been progress in recovering and sustaining the health of Canada’s oceans. Failure to further strengthen biodiversity conservation threatens the capacity of Canada’s oceans to provide ecosystem services that contribute to the resilience of marine life and the well-being of humankind. Unprecedented and enduring changes in the ocean caused by climate change have made the achievement of meaningful progress all the more urgent.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Amphibian ranaviruses in Europe: important directions for future research
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 598 - 614
    Ranaviruses are an emerging group of pathogens capable of infecting all cold-blooded vertebrates. In Europe, ranaviruses pose a particularly potent threat to wild amphibian populations. Since the 1980s research on amphibian-infecting ranaviruses in Europe has been growing. The wide distribution of amphibian populations in Europe, the ease with which many are monitored, and the tractable nature of counterpart ex situ experimental systems have provided researchers with a unique opportunity to study many aspects of host–ranavirus interactions in the wild. These characteristics of European amphibian populations will also enable researchers to lead the way as the field of host–ranavirus interactions progresses. In this review, we provide a summary of the current key knowledge regarding amphibian infecting ranaviruses throughout Europe. We then outline important areas of further research and suggest practical ways each could be pursued. We address the study of potential interactions between the amphibian microbiome and ranaviruses, how pollution may exacerbate ranaviral disease either as direct stressors of amphibians or indirect modification of the amphibian microbiome. Finally, we discuss the need for continued surveillance of ranaviral emergence in the face of climate change.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Discovery of granulocyte-lineage cells in the skin of the amphibian Xenopus laevis
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 571 - 597
    The ranavirus Frog Virus 3 (FV3) and the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) are significant contributors to the global amphibian declines and both pathogens target the amphibian skin. We previously showed that tadpoles and adults of the anuran amphibian Xenopus laevis express notable levels of granulocyte chemokine genes (cxcl8a and cxcl8b) within their skin and likely possess skin-resident granulocytes. Presently, we show that tadpole and adult X. laevis indeed possess granulocyte-lineage cells within their epidermises that are distinct from their skin mast cells, which are found predominantly in lower dermal layers. These esterase-positive cells responded to (r)CXCL8a and rCXCL8b in a concentration- and CXCR1/CXCR2-dependent manner, possessed polymorphonuclear granulocyte morphology, granulocyte marker surface staining, and exhibited distinct immune gene expression from conventional granulocytes. Our past work indicates that CXCL8b recruits immunosuppressive granulocytes, and here we demonstrated that enriching esterase-positive skin granulocytes with rCXCL8b (but not rCXCL8a) may increase tadpole susceptibility to FV3 and adult frog susceptibility to Bd. Furthermore, pharmacological depletion of skin-resident granulocytes increased tadpole susceptibility to FV3. This manuscript provides new insights into the composition and roles of immune cells within the amphibian skin, which is a critical barrier against pathogenic contributors to the amphibian declines.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Spatial distribution and conservation hotspots of mammals in Canada
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 692 - 703
    High-latitude countries often contain the polar range edge of species that are common farther south, potentially focusing national conservation efforts toward range-edge populations. The global conservation value of edge populations is controversial, but if they occur where biodiversity is high, there need not be trade-offs in protecting them. Using 152 of 158 terrestrial mammal species in Canada, we tested how species’ distributions relate to their national conservation status and total mammal richness. We found that half of “Canadian” mammals had <20% of their global range in Canada. National threat status was strongly associated with range area; mammals considered “at risk” had 42% smaller Canadian ranges than mammals considered secure. However, after accounting for range area, taxa with smaller proportions of their global range in Canada were not more likely to be considered at risk, suggesting edge populations are not inherently more vulnerable. When we calculated mammal diversity across Canada (100 × 100 km grid cells), we found that hotspots of at-risk or range-edge mammals were twice as species rich as nonhotspot cells, containing up to 44% of Canadian mammal diversity per grid cell. Our results suggest that protecting areas with the most at-risk or range-edge mammals would simultaneously protect habitat for many species currently deemed secure.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Ten simple rules to facilitate evidence implementation in the environmental sciences
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 642 - 650
    There is a gap between fundamental science and managers. There are many general solutions including the need to better leverage the primary scientific literature for decision-making. Herein, we provide a list of 10 simple rules to support environmental management through better scientific writing and suggest practices for more transparent publications. These rules can also be used as a checklist for reusing the primary literature when searching for relevant evidence in the environmental sciences. We need to better structure knowledge in papers for connections within sustainable societies.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Extreme rainfall drives early onset cyanobacterial bloom
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 899 - 920
    The increasing prevalence of cyanobacteria-dominated harmful algal blooms is strongly associated with nutrient loading and changing climatic patterns. Changes to precipitation frequency and intensity, as predicted by current climate models, are likely to affect bloom development and composition through changes in nutrient fluxes and water column mixing. However, few studies have directly documented the effects of extreme precipitation events on cyanobacterial composition, biomass, and toxin production. We tracked changes in a eutrophic reservoir following an extreme precipitation event, describing an atypically early toxin-producing cyanobacterial bloom and successional progression of the phytoplankton community, toxins, and geochemistry. An increase in bioavailable phosphorus by more than 27-fold in surface waters preceded notable increases in Aphanizomenon flos-aquae throughout the reservoir approximately 2 weeks postevent and ∼5 weeks before blooms typically occur. Anabaenopeptin-A and three microcystin congeners (microcystin-LR, -YR, and -RR) were detected at varying levels across sites during the bloom period, which lasted between 3 and 5 weeks. These findings suggest extreme rainfall can trigger early cyanobacterial bloom initiation, effectively elongating the bloom season period of potential toxicity. However, effects will vary depending on factors including the timing of rainfall and reservoir physical structure.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Weighing the importance of animal body size in traditional food systems
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 286 - 318
    Traditional food systems based on harvest from the local environment are fundamental to the well-being of many communities, but their security is challenged by rapid socio-ecological change. We synthesized literature and data describing how a fundamental form of biodiversity, animal body size, contributes to the security of traditional food systems through relationships with species availability, accessibility, adequacy, and use. We found larger vertebrate species were more available, accessible, and used on a per kilogram basis, particularly for mammals. Conversely, larger species were no more or less adequate from a combined nutritional, health, and cultural perspective. Larger species represented more biomass, and this biomass required less time to harvest, with greater but more variable mean caloric returns over time. Smaller species provided more consistent caloric returns and were harvested during documented shortages of prey. This reliance on species with a range of body sizes is consistent with optimal foraging theory and the evolutionary value of flexibility, and highlights the importance of a biodiverse pool of species for traditional food security in times of change. Our synthesis of published literature and data highlights the many socio-ecological correlates of species size and how these relate to the security of traditional food systems.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Lack of molecular detection of frog virus 3-like ranavirus (FV3) in mosquitoes during natural outbreak and nonoutbreak conditions
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 812 - 820
    Ranaviruses are worldwide pathogens of ectothermic vertebrates that can threaten herptile conservation efforts. Identifying transmission routes is critical for understanding disease ecology and promoting species conservation. Frog virus 3 (FV3) DNA was detected in mosquitoes during a ranavirus outbreak in semicaptive box turtles, but the role that insect vectors play under natural conditions is unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we collected mosquito species known to take blood meals from reptiles and amphibians (Aedes canadensis, Culex erraticus, Culex territans, and Uranotaenia sapphirina) from mid-May to early August, 2014, at four study sites in Vermilion County, Illinois, two of which had historic or ongoing FV3 outbreaks in box turtles and amphibians. Mosquitoes were batched by date and species, DNA was extracted, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed for detection of FV3. FV3 was not detected despite one of the sites having an active FV3 outbreak during the study period. Our findings indicate that FV3 detection is uncommon in mosquitoes during outbreak and nonoutbreak conditions at these sites in Illinois. Thus, we cannot establish that mosquitoes contribute to transmission during natural mortality events without performing further studies.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    COVID-19 and threats to bats
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 349 - 352
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Time to refine mercury mass balance models for fish
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 272 - 286
    Mercury mass balance models (MMBMs) for fish are powerful tools for understanding factors affecting growth and food consumption by free-ranging fish in rivers, lakes, and oceans. Moreover, MMBMs can be used to predict the consequences of global mercury reductions, overfishing, and climate change on mercury (Hg) concentration in commercially and recreationally valuable species of fish. Such predictions are useful in decision-making by resource managers and public health policy makers, because mercury is a neurotoxin and the primary route of exposure of mercury to humans is via consumption of fish. Recent evidence has emerged to indicate that the current-day version of MMBMs overestimates the rate at which fish eliminate mercury from their bodies. Consequently, MMBMs overestimate food consumption by fish and underestimate Hg concentration in fish. In this perspective, we explore underlying reasons for this overestimation of Hg-elimination rate, as well as consequences and implications of this overestimation. We highlight emerging studies that distinguish species and sex as contributing factors, in addition to body weight and water temperature, that can play an important role in how quickly Hg is eliminated from fish. Future research directions for refining MMBMs are discussed.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Are we paying-to-play? A quantitative assessment of Canadian open access research in ecology and evolution
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 537 - 544
    Open access (OA) allows for peer-reviewed research to be freely accessed and there has been a collective shift from both researchers and publishers towards more OA publishing. OA typically occurs either through article-processing charges (the gold road) or via self-archiving (the green road); the former can be expensive, while the latter has seen minimal uptake. The gold road of OA has led to predatory publishers and, to some, questionable publications. Here, I used publicly available grant information in Canada and combined this with individual publishing statistics to test a variety of factors and their influence on OA publishing. I showed that an individual’s award amount, H-index, and gender did not influence the proportion of OA articles they published, but an individual’s H-index scaled with the number of OA publications. Institute size influenced OA publishing patterns, with researchers at large universities (i.e., >20 000 full-time students) publishing proportionately more OA articles than medium and small institutes. I discuss the potential for this pattern to build on pre-existing systemic biases when it comes to funding and publishing.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Correction: Tracking insect outbreaks: a case study of community-assisted moth monitoring using sex pheromone traps
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 557 - 558
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Upholding science-based risk assessment under a weakened Endangered Species Act
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 980 - 988
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Review of plastic pollution policies of Arctic countries in relation to seabirds
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 1 - 25
    Marine plastic is a ubiquitous environmental problem that can have an impact on a variety of marine biota, such as seabirds, making it an important concern for scientists and policy makers. Although research on plastic ingestion by seabirds is increasing, few studies have examined policies and long-term monitoring programs to reduce marine plastic in the Arctic. This paper provides a review of international, national, and regional policies and long-term monitoring programs that address marine plastic in relation to seabirds in the Arctic countries: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark (Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. Results show that a broad range of international, national, regional and local policies address marine debris, specifically through waste management and the prevention of pollution from ships. However, few policies directly address seabirds and other marine biota. Further, policies are implemented inconsistently across regions, making it difficult to enforce and monitor the efficacy of these policies given the long-range transport of plastic pollution globally. To reduce marine plastic pollution in the Arctic environment, pan-Arctic and international collaboration is needed to implement standardized policies and long-term monitoring programs for marine plastic in the Arctic and worldwide.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Correction: Ecological research should consider Indigenous peoples and stewardship
    FACETS • Vol. 5 • No. 1 • pp. 617 - 618
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Establishment, contagiousness, and initial spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Canada
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 180 - 194
    This study empirically quantifies dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 establishment and early spread in Canada. We developed a transmission model that was simulation tested and fitted in a Bayesian framework to timeseries of new cases per day prior to physical distancing interventions. A hierarchical version was fitted to all provinces simultaneously to obtain average estimates for Canada. Across scenarios of a latent period of 2–4 d and an infectious period of 5–9 d, the R0 estimate for Canada ranges from a minimum of 3.0 (95% CI: 2.3–3.9) to a maximum of 5.3 (95% CI: 3.9–7.1). Among provinces, the estimated commencement of community transmission ranged from 3 d before to 50 d after the first reported case and from 2 to 25 d before the first reports of community transmission. Among parameter scenarios and provinces, the median reduction in transmission needed to obtain R0 < 1 ranged from 46% (95% CI: 43%–48%) to 89% (95% CI: 88%–90%). Our results indicate that local epidemics of SARS-CoV-2 in Canada entail high levels of stochasticity, contagiousness, and observation delay, which facilitates rapid undetected spread and requires comprehensive testing and contact tracing for its containment.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Salty summertime streams—road salt contaminated watersheds and estimates of the proportion of impacted species
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 317 - 333
    Road salt runoff is a leading cause of secondary freshwater salinization in north temperate climates. Increased chloride concentrations in freshwater can be toxic and lead to changes in organismal behavior, lethality, biotic homogenization, and altered food webs. High chloride concentrations have been reported for winter months in urban centers, as road density is highest in cities. However, summer chloride conditions are not typically studied as road salt is not actively applied outside of winter months, yet summer is when many taxa reproduce and are most sensitive to chloride. In our study, we test the spatial variability of summer chloride conditions across four watersheds in Toronto, Canada. We find 89% of 214 sampled sites exceeded the federal chronic exposure guidelines for chloride, and 13% exceeded the federal acute guidelines. Through a model linking concentration to cumulative proportion of impacted species, we estimate 34% of sites show in excess of one-quarter of all species may be impacted by their site-specific chloride concentrations, with up to two-thirds of species impacted at some sites. Our results suggest that even presumed low seasons for chloride show concentrations sufficient to cause significant negative impacts to aquatic communities.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    A systematic conservation planning approach to maintaining ecosystem service provision in working landscapes
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 1570 - 1600
    Balancing human well-being with the maintenance of ecosystem services (ES) for future generations has become one of the central sustainability challenges of the 21st century. In working landscapes, past and ongoing production-centered objectives have resulted in the conversion of ecosystems into simple land-use types, which has also altered the provision of most ES. These inevitable trade-offs between the efficient production of individual provisioning ES and the maintenance of regulating and cultural ES call for the development of a land-use strategy based on the multifunctional use of the landscape. Due to the heterogeneous nature of working landscapes, both protection and restoration actions are needed to improve their multifunctionality. Systematic conservation planning (SCP) offers a decision support framework that can support landscape multifunctionality by indicating where ES management efforts should be implemented. We describe an approach that we developed to include ES provision protection and restoration objectives in SCP with the goal of providing ongoing benefits to society. We explain the general framework of this approach and discuss concepts, challenges, innovations, and prospects for the further development of a comprehensive decision support tool. We illustrate our approach with two case studies implemented in the pan-Canadian project ResNet.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Canadian private protected areas are located in regions of higher vertebrate species richness than government protected areas
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 1323 - 1336
    Nongovernmental organizations contribute to the securement and management of protected areas, but it is not well known how their lands compare to government protected areas or the effectiveness of different land acquisition strategies. Using data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International, we estimated total and at-risk terrestrial native vertebrate species richness in southern Canada among (i) private protected areas secured by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), government protected areas, and randomly sampled land; (ii) conservation agreements and fee simple (directly acquired) NCC properties; and (iii) purchased or donated fee simple properties. Controlling for property size and ecoregion, NCC protected areas were predicted to be in areas with 6% and 13% more total and at-risk species than randomly sampled land and 4% and 6% more total and at-risk species than government protected areas. Within NCC protected areas, conservation agreements were predicted to be in areas with 2% and 4% more total and at-risk species than fee simple properties, but purchased properties had similar numbers of total and at-risk species as donated properties. Although we caution that diversity estimates were based on course-grained range maps, our findings suggest that private protected areas are important in conserving biodiversity.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    A case for restoring unity between biotelemetry and bio-logging to enhance animal tracking research
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 1260 - 1265
    Monitoring animals with electronic tags is an increasingly important tool for fundamental and applied ecological research. Based on the size of the system under study, the ability to recapture the animal, and research medium (e.g., aerial, freshwater, saltwater, terrestrial), tags selected may either log data in memory (bio-logging), transmit it to a receiver or satellite (biotelemetry), or have a hybrid design. Over time, we perceive that user groups are diverging based on increasing use of technology specific terms, favouring either bio-logging or biotelemetry. It is crucial to ensure that a divide does not become entrenched in the community because it will likely hinder efforts to advance field and analytical methods and reduce accessibility of animal tracking with electronic tags to early-career and new researchers. We discuss the context for this emerging problem and the evidence that this is manifesting within the scientific community. Finally, we suggest how the animal tracking community may work to address this issue to maximize the benefits of information transfer and integration between users of the two technologies.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Way out there: pathogens, health, and condition of overwintering salmon in the Gulf of Alaska
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 247 - 285
    Salmon are keystone species across the North Pacific, supporting ecosystems, commercial opportunities, and cultural identity. Nevertheless, many wild salmon stocks have experienced significant declines. Salmon restoration efforts focus on fresh and coastal waters, but little is known about the open ocean environment. Here we use high throughput RT-qPCR tools to provide the first report on the health, condition, and infection profile of coho, chum, pink, and sockeye salmon in the Gulf of Alaska during the 2019 winter. We found lower infectious agent number, diversity, and burden compared with coastal British Columbia in all species except coho, which exhibited elevated stock-specific infection profiles. We identified Loma sp. and Ichthyophonus hoferi as key pathogens, suggesting transmission in the open ocean. Reduced prey availability, potentially linked to change in ocean conditions due to an El Niño event, correlated with energetic deficits and immunosuppression in salmon. Immunosuppressed individuals showed higher relative infection burden and higher prevalence of opportunistic pathogens. We highlight the cumulative effects of infection and environmental stressors on overwintering salmon, establishing a baseline to document the impacts of a changing ocean on salmon.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 701 - 717
    Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are threatened in Canada because of the drastic decline in population size caused primarily by human-induced landscape changes that decrease habitat and increase predation risk. Conservation efforts have largely focused on reducing predators and protecting critical habitat, whereas research on dietary niches and the role of potential food constraints in lichen-poor environments is limited. To improve our understanding of dietary niche variability, we used a next-generation sequencing approach with metabarcoding of DNA extracted from faecal pellets of woodland caribou located on Lake Superior in lichen-rich (mainland) and lichen-poor (island) environments. Amplicon sequencing of fungal ITS2 region revealed lichen-associated fungi as predominant in samples from both populations, but amplification at the chloroplast trnL region, which was only successful on island samples, revealed primary consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) based on relative read abundance (83.68%) with dogwood (Cornus spp.; 9.67%) and maple (Acer spp.; 4.10%) also prevalent. These results suggest that conservation efforts for caribou need to consider the availability of food resources beyond lichen to ensure successful outcomes. More broadly, we provide a reliable methodology for assessing ungulate diet from archived faecal pellets that could reveal important dietary shifts over time in response to climate change.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Language of citation and publishing performance of graduate students in French-speaking countries with different economic and linguistic advantages
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 71 - 81
    The performance of graduate students in research varies greatly across countries due to various factors, mainly socioeconomic and linguistic. The current situation is critical because the wealthiest countries are also the most linguistically equipped to navigate the English-dominant landscape of academia. Here, we assess the language of citations and the publishing performance of graduate students from three French-speaking countries: Algeria, Canada, and France, where Algeria is the least English proficient and the most economically disadvantaged. We found that the bibliography of PhD theses were English dominated in all regions (72.5% in Algeria compared with >93.1% in Western countries), whereas those of Masters theses were French dominated in Algeria (63.3%), relatively bilingual in France (47.6% French), but English dominated in Canada-Québec (94.7%) and Canada-BC (98.7%). Algerian PhD students produced fewer papers, were less likely to publish in journals with calculated impact factors, and received fewer citations than students who graduated from universities in France or in two Canadian provinces, British Columbia and Québec. Our results suggest that the economic and linguistic disadvantages faced by graduate students from non-Western backgrounds affect their academic performance, highlighting important issues in facing future global challenges.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Community structure, species–habitat relationships, and conservation of amphibians in forested vernal pools in the Georgian Bay region of Ontario
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 215 - 235
    Forested vernal pools serve an integral role in the recruitment of amphibians in glaciated northeastern North America. In south-central Ontario, vernal pools exist in relatively unimpacted forest networks, but the amphibian communities face uncertain challenges from anthropogenic-induced climate change. We surveyed amphibian larvae and collected measurements of habitat characteristics from vernal pools to collect baseline information on amphibian community structure and species–habitat relationships. Amphibian communities were influenced by hydroperiod length and canopy openness, and the relative abundances of early breeding amphibians were affected by changes in the structure of vegetation communities within pools. Our study suggests that, even across moderate ranges of breeding habitat characteristics, the structure of amphibian communities is dynamic. With anthropogenic-induced climate change leading to more drought-prone summers, the conservation of intact forests that support diverse wetland assemblages will be a necessary component of future legislation.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Self-promotion and the need to be first in science
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 1881 - 1891
    Scientists, like all humans, are subject to self-deceptive valuations of their importance and profile. Vainglorious practice is annoying but mostly harmless when restricted to an individual’s perception of self-worth. Language that can be associated with self-promotion and aggrandizement is destructive when incorporated into scientific writing. So too is any practice that oversells the novelty of research or fails to provide sufficient scholarship on the uniqueness of results. We evaluated whether such tendencies have been increasing over time by assessing the frequencies of articles claiming to be “the first”, and those that placed the requirement for scholarship on readers by using phrases such as “to the best of our knowledge”. Our survey of titles and abstracts of 176 journals in ecology and environmental biology revealed that the frequencies of both practices increased linearly over the past half century. We thus warn readers, journal editors, and granting agencies to use caution when assessing the claimed novelty of research contributions. A system-wide reform toward more cooperative science that values humility, and abhors hubris, might help to rectify the problem.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Host traits and lifetime fitness costs of being parasitized in red-breasted mergansers
    FACETS • Vol. 6 • pp. 2155 - 2176
    The addition of eggs to a nest by a conspecific is known for approximately 250 bird species. Understanding the evolution of conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) requires assessment of fitness consequences to the egg recipient (host). We addressed host traits and the effects of CBP on future reproduction (i.e., annual survival) and hatching success of hosts by following the nesting of 206 red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator) for a colony in which an average of 41% of nests was parasitized annually. Each host was tracked for ≥2 seasons and up to seven seasons. The proportion of a host’s nesting attempts that was parasitized averaged 43% and varied considerably across individuals (range 0%–100%). Probability of parasitism, however, was not repeatable across a host’s nests. Rather, rates of CBP throughout a host’s lifetime increased with earlier dates of nest initiation. CBP had no effect on annual survival of a host. Hatching success throughout a host’s lifetime declined with a greater number of foreign eggs added to the individual’s nests. This study revealed that there may be measurable costs of CBP to lifetime reproductive success in red-breasted mergansers, although our observations suggest that costs to hosts are limited to the most heavily parasitized clutches.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Distinct realized physiologies in green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) populations from barren and kelp habitats
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 822 - 842
    Overgrazing of habitat-forming kelps by sea urchins is reshaping reef seascapes in many temperate regions. Loss of kelp, in particular as a food source, may alter individual consumer physiology, which in turn may impair their ability to respond to climate warming. Here, we measured the temperature dependence of absolute and mass-independent oxygen consumption (M˙O2) using two different exposure protocols (acute exposure and temperature “ramping”), as proxies of realized physiology, between green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) populations from neighbouring barren and kelp habitats. Sea urchins from kelp habitats consumed 8%–78% more oxygen than sea urchins from barrens (across the range of temperatures tested (4–32 °C)) and had higher maximum M˙O2 values (by 26%). This was in part because kelp urchins typically had greater body masses. However, higher mass-independent M˙O2 values of kelp urchins suggest metabolic plasticity in response to habitat per se. In addition, the M˙O2 of sea urchins from kelp habitats was less sensitive to increases in temperature. We conclude that sea urchins from barren and kelp habitats of comparable body mass represent different energetic units. This highlights that habitat type can drive population-level variation that may shape urchins activities and environmental impact. Such variation should be integrated into energy-based models.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Incorporating anthropogenic thresholds to improve understanding of cumulative effects on seagrass beds
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 966 - 987
    Cumulative human impact analysis is a promising management tool to estimate the impacts of stressors on ecosystems caused by multiple human activities. However, connecting cumulative impact scores to actual ecosystem change at appropriate spatial scales remains challenging. Here, we calculated cumulative effects (CE) scores for 187 seagrass beds in Atlantic Canada that accounts for both bay-scale and local-scale anthropogenic activities. We then developed a CE threshold to evaluate where degradation of seagrass beds from multiple human activities is more likely. Overall, the CE score was the best predictor of human impacts for seagrass beds. Locations with high watershed land alteration and nitrogen loading had the highest CE scores; however, we also identified seagrass beds with high CE scores in regions characterized by generally low levels of human activities. Forty-nine seagrass beds exceeded the CE threshold and, of these, 86% had CE scores that were influenced by three or more stressors that cumulatively amounted to a large score. This CE threshold approach can provide a simplified metric to identify areas where management of cumulative effects should be prioritized and further highlights the need to consider multiple human activities when assessing anthropogenic impacts to coastal habitats.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Temporal diversity patterns for fungi and mites associated with decaying Sporobolus pumilus (Spartina patens) in the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 654 - 673
    Coastal salt marshes provide many ecosystem services; however, little is known of the biology of decomposer taxa in these systems. This study employed aboveground and belowground litterbags to characterize the fungal and mite communities associated with the dominant salt marsh grass, Sporobolus pumilus, in the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia. Decomposition rates of aboveground and belowground tissues and environmental variables were quantified to contextualize temporal patterns in community composition. Aboveground litterbag mass loss peaked in July and decreased consistently over succeeding months, which positively correlated with fungal richness. Fungal and mite richness displayed inverse relationships over time, with mites gradually increasing in diversity before peaking in November, suggesting the presence of a complex detrital network where mites and fungi respond to different and possibly unrelated environmental cues. This study offers a first look at temporal community dynamics of two neglected groups of decomposers associated with S. pumilus in Canada.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Macrofungal conservation in Canada and target species for assessment: a starting point
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 448 - 463
    Despite the ecological importance of fungi, we still know little about their diversity in Canada. One of the largest hurdles to implementing fungal conservation initiatives is the lack of fungal distribution data. As anthropogenic impacts accelerate the speed of environmental change, it is imperative that we fill this major information gap, critical for fungal protection. To gain insight on the conservation status of Canadian macrofungi, we took advantage of the large and growing body of fungal biodiversity data from government research (Wild Species 2020), citizen science, trained independent mycologists, university, and museum biodiversity research. The majority of macrofungi are data deficient; we do not know their geographic distribution or habitat requirements, occurrence, or abundance in Canada. For mushrooms that fruit only a few days of the year and are often difficult to positively identify, there is a lot of work to overcome the uncertainty of distinguishing under-sampling from rarity. Our work stresses the importance of building a strong network of professional and amateur mycologists to develop resources, disseminate information to make educated decisions, and advance conservation actions. We found that several fungi can be prioritized; we present a short list for consideration for formal conservation assessment.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Population structure of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) from the Mississippian lineage in North America
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 853 - 874
    The lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is a commercially valuable freshwater species with a broad distribution in North America. Some phylogeographic work has been done on this species, but little is known about genetic population subdivision among populations of the widely dispersed Mississippian lineage. We used 3,173 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 508 lake whitefish from 22 different lakes to examine population structure across central Canada and the United States. Bayesian clustering, ordination, and fixation indices identified population subdivision that largely reflected geographic distance and hydrological connectivity, with greater differentiation between lakes that are farther apart. Population subdivision was hierarchical, with greater differentiation between Canadian provinces and less differentiation based on river basins within provincial boundaries. Interestingly, isolation by distance alone was not sufficient to account for all of the observed genetic differentiation among populations. We conclude that important components of lake whitefish genetic diversity are present at different spatial scales, and that populations within the Mississippian lineage have differentiated widely across their range.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Mismatches in salmon social–ecological systems: Challenges and opportunities for (re)alignment in the Skeena River watershed
    FACETS • Vol. 8 • pp. 1 - 30
    Mismatches between institutions and social–ecological systems (SESs) are one of the foremost challenges in natural resource management. However, while mismatches are often cited in the literature as a major challenge, empirical evidence of mismatches and their consequences is limited. This is particularly true for complex SESs, such as on the Pacific Coast of North America, where salmon drive interactions across multiple environments, jurisdictions, and scales. Here, I use the theoretical concept of fit to examine institutional alignment in a large-scale Pacific salmon SES, the Skeena River watershed in British Columbia, Canada. Utilizing Canadian federal environmental assessments as a proxy for colonial environmental governance institutions, I describe the common causes and consequences of mismatches between institutions and salmon SESs. This case study suggests that mismatches are threatening salmon sustainability and negatively affecting Indigenous People’s rights, livelihoods, and approaches to resource management and stewardship. I argue that improving social–ecological fit in salmon SESs will require new or revitalized forms of environmental governance that consciously fit the underlying social–ecological dynamics. While these findings are based on the Skeena River watershed, they may be generalizable to other salmon SESs in which mismatches between social and ecological processes and institutions exist.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Assessing the representation of species included within the Canadian Living Planet Index
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 1121 - 1141
    To effectively combat the biodiversity crisis, we need ambitious targets and reliable indicators to accurately track trends and measure conservation impact. In Canada, the Living Planet Index (LPI) has been adapted to produce a national indicator by both World Wildlife Fund-Canada (Canadian Living Planet Index; C-LPI) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Species Index) to provide insight into the status of Canadian wildlife, by evaluating temporal trends in vertebrate population abundance. The indicator includes data for just over 50% of Canadian vertebrate species. To assess whether the current dataset is representative of the distribution of life history characteristics of Canadian wildlife, we analyzed the representation of species-specific biotic variables (i.e., body size, trophic level, lifespan) for vertebrates within the C-LPI compared to native vertebrates lacking LPI data. Generally, there was considerable overlap in the distribution of biotic variables for species in the C-LPI compared to native Canadian vertebrate species lacking LPI data. Nevertheless, some differences among distributions were found, driven in large part by discrepancy in the representation of fishes—where the C-LPI included larger-bodied and longer-lived species. We provide recommendations for targeted data collection and additional analyses to further strengthen the applicability, accuracy, and representativity of biodiversity indicators.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Dynamic coastal pelagic habitat drives rapid changes in growth and condition of juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) during early marine migration
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 1328 - 1347
    Migrating marine taxa encounter diverse habitats that differ environmentally and in foraging conditions over a range of spatial scales. We examined body (RNA/DNA, length-weight residuals) and nutritional (fatty acid composition) condition of juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in British Columbia, while migrating through oceanographically variable waters. Fish were sampled in the stratified northern Strait of Georgia (NSoG); the highly mixed Johnstone Strait (JS); and the transitional zone of Queen Charlotte Strait (QCS). In 2015, body and nutritional condition were high in the NSoG but rapidly declined to reach lowest levels in JS where prey availability was low, before showing signs of compensatory growth in QCS. In 2016, juvenile salmon had significantly lower condition in the NSoG than in 2015, although zooplankton biomass was similar, condition remained low in JS, and no compensatory growth was observed in QCS. We provide evidence that differences in juvenile salmon condition between the two years were due to changes in the food quality available to juvenile fish. We propose that existing hypotheses about fish survival need to be extended to incorporate food quality in addition to quantity to understand changes in fish condition and survival between years.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    If this title is funny, will you cite me? Citation impacts of humour and other features of article titles in ecology and evolution
    FACETS • Vol. 8 • pp. 1 - 15
    Titles of scientific papers play a key role in their discovery, and “good” titles engage and recruit readers. Humour is a particularly interesting aspect of title construction, but little is known about whether funny titles boost or limit paper impact. We used a panel of scorers to assess title humour for 2439 papers in ecology and evolution, and measured associations between humour and subsequent citation (self-citation and citation by others). Papers with funnier titles were cited less, but this appears to reflect confounding with paper importance: self-citation data suggest that authors give funnier titles to papers they consider less important. After correction for this, papers with funny titles have significantly higher citation rates (P < 2.2 × 10−16; roughly doubling from lowest to highest humour score)—suggesting that humour recruits readers. We also examined associations between citation rates and other features of titles. Inclusion of acronyms and taxonomic names was associated with lower citation rates, while assertive-statement phrasing and presence of colons, question marks, and political regions were associated with somewhat higher citation rates. Title length had no effect on citation. Our results suggest that scientists can use creativity with titles without having their work condemned to obscurity.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Effects of turbine height and cut-in speed on bat and swallow fatalities at wind energy facilities
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 1281 - 1297
    Understanding the relationship between the height of wind turbines and wildlife fatalities is important for informing and mitigating wildlife collisions as ever taller and denser arrays of wind turbines are erected across the landscape. We examined relationships between turbine height and fatalities of bats and swallows at 811 turbines in Ontario, Canada, ranging from 119 to 186 m tall. We accounted for cut-in speeds, operational mitigation, and taller turbines projecting carcasses farther from the turbine base than shorter turbines. Fatalities of hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus Palisot de Beauvois, 1796), silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans Le Conte, 1831), and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus Palisot de Beauvois, 1796) increased with increased maximum blade height of turbines. In contrast, fatalities of little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus Le Conte, 1831) and eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis Müller, 1776) decreased with increased turbine height. Fatalities of purple martins (Progne subis Linnaeus, 1758) and tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor Vieillot, 1808) were higher at taller turbines than shorter turbines. However, fatalities of cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Vieillot, 1817) and barn swallow (Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758) were not associated with turbine height. Our results suggest that varying flight height among species may be one factor affecting collision risk.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Correction: DNA metabarcoding of faecal pellets reveals high consumption of yew (Taxus spp.) by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in a lichen-poor environment
    FACETS • Vol. 7 • pp. 875
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Saskatchewan Condition Assessment of Lotic Ecosystems (SCALE): A multivariate tool for assessing the integrity of Northern Great Plains wadeable rivers and streams
    FACETS • Vol. 8 • pp. 1 - 31
    Human access to surface water resources in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) is challenged by availability and quality, and ecosystem health objectives for these characteristics have not been well developed. Here, we present a predictive multivariate model using the reference condition approach to inform goals for ecosystem health assessment. Benthic communities and abiotic variables were collected at 280 potential reference sites and 8 test sites, and of these, reference sites with least amount of human activity (n = 83) were classified into three community groups and summary metrics. Discriminant function analysis and cross-validation determined that stream order and ecoregion predicted 68.7% of the sites correctly, thus enabling comparison of sites with unknown condition to reference site groups. We then evaluated metrics through Test Site Analysis and stressor gradient analysis in each biological group. Beetle and amphipod fauna were found to be important for condition assessment in addition to traditional metrics of species richness, abundance, detritivory, Ephemeroptera/Plecoptera/Trichoptera dominance, and assemblage composition. These results provide least disturbed reference condition and ecological insights into land use impacts in the NGP. Ultimately, this model is an effective tool for evaluating biotic condition, enables prioritizing river management strategies, and can quantify the efficacy of mitigation measures.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Forested wetlands in a protected area and the adjacent working landscape provide complementary biodiversity value based on breeding birds: A case study from Nova Scotia, Canada
    FACETS • Vol. 8 • pp. 1 - 31
    Protected areas (PAs) are a key component of most conservation strategies because they are thought to enhance biodiversity value relative to similar habitats in working landscapes. To examine whether PAs in Nova Scotia are functioning to enhance the biodiversity value of the landscapes in which they are embedded, we surveyed breeding bird communities in forested wetlands inside and outside of a large PA during 2018 and 2019. We found significantly higher species richness and diversity at sites in the working landscape relative to those inside the PA. Bird communities from different wetland types inside the PA were distinct from each other and those outside the PA, whereas bird communities at outside sites were homogenized and comprised of more early-successional species. There were numerous species of conservation concern at both inside and outside sites, indicating that both types of sites are playing important conservation roles. Abundances of these key species were driven by a combination of local (e.g., water table depth, herb, and shrub cover) and landscape scale factors (e.g., edge density and human disturbance). The higher abundance of long-distance migrants and insectivores at inside sites suggests PAs are providing critical additional support to key guilds that are in steep decline.