Towards the identification of hotspots of freshwater biodiversity in North-Western Africa: A case study using species distribution models for water beetles in Morocco

Belhaj, Abla; Pallarés, Susana; Bennas, Nard; Chergui, Brahim; Sánchez-Fernánde, David

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02441

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…To identify the environmental factors affecting bird distribution, we selected factors from five dimensions: climate, topography, landscape pattern, vegetation, and built environment. These factors were chosen based on previous studies [30,39,40] and are listed in Table 2. In order to improve the accuracy of SDMs, we adopted a differentiated approach when selecting environmental factors, taking into account their temporal variability, particularly in relation to Bio1 (precipitation) and Bio2 (temperature).…”

Section: Environmental Predictorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Machine learning algorithms, such as Maximum Entropy (Maxent), RF, the Generalized Linear Model (GLM), and Classification and Regression Tree (CART), have demonstrated better performance in species prediction than traditional regression algorithms [44]. Although the Maxent model is commonly used for species prediction simulation [16,[45][46][47], studies have shown that the RF model outperforms it in predicting species distribution and can provide more accurate simulation results with fewer species records [39,40]. While the RF model has mainly been used for simulating single species, its potential for identifying bird diversity hotspots remains underutilized.…”

Section: Prediction Of Bird Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To ensure the accuracy and reliability of our RF model, we used a sample size referenced from previous research [40] and excluded bird species with less than 6 observation records. A total of 198 simulated species were selected, including 49 resident birds, 32 summer migratory birds, 66 winter migratory birds, and 51 transient birds.…”

Section: Prediction Of Bird Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identification of Bird Habitat Restoration Priorities in a Central Area of a Megacity

Wang,

Lu,

Wang

et al. 2023

Forests

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Rapid global urbanization has caused habitat degradation and fragmentation, resulting in biodiversity loss and the homogenization of urban species. Birds play a crucial role as biodiversity indicators in urban environments, providing multiple ecosystem services and demonstrating sensitivity to changes in habitat. However, construction activities often disrupt urban bird habitats, leading to a decline in habitat quality. This paper proposes a framework for prioritizing habitat restoration by pinpointing bird hotspots that demand attention and considering the matching relationship between bird richness and habitat quality. Shanghai represents a typical example of the high-density megacities in China, posing a significant challenge for biodiversity conservation efforts. Utilizing the random forest (RF) model, bird richness patterns in central Shanghai were mapped, and bird hotspots were identified by calculating local spatial autocorrelation indices. From this, the habitat quality of hotspot areas was evaluated, and the restoration priority of bird habitats was determined by matching bird richness with habitat quality through z-score standardization. The results were as follows: (1) Outer-ring green spaces, large urban parks, and green areas along coasts or rivers were found to be the most important habitats for bird richness. Notably, forests emerged as a crucial habitat, with approximately 50.68% of the forested areas identified as hotspots. (2) Four habitat restoration types were identified. The high-bird-richness–low-habitat-quality area (HBR-LHQ), mainly consisting of grassland and urban construction land, was identified as a key priority for restoration due to its vulnerability to human activities. (3) The Landscape Shannon’s Diversity Index (SHDI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are considered the most significant factors influencing the bird distribution. Our findings provide a scientifically effective framework for identifying habitat restoration priorities in high-density urban areas.

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Section: Environmental Predictorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prediction Of Bird Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prediction Of Bird Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identification of Bird Habitat Restoration Priorities in a Central Area of a Megacity

Wang,

Lu,

Wang

et al. 2023

Forests

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“…Protected areas play a key role in the protection of biodiversity and are the mainstay of most conservation plans directed to avoid biodiversity loss (Belhaj et al 2023a). Morocco established the Dahir (royal decree) on the creation of National Parks in 1934 and has since created ten National Parks throughout the country, including Tazekka National Park (TZNP), which was established in 1950.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Data on Biodiversity and Chorology of Aquatic Insects of Tazekka National Park (Middle Atlas, Morocco) I: Odonata, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera

Belahcen,

Chergui,

Haissoufi

et al. 2023

Transactions of the American Entomological Society

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Aquatic insects play a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems, and their diversity and distribution are important indicators of ecosystem health. In this study, we present old and new faunistic and distributional data on three orders of aquatic insects (Odonata, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera) in the Tazekka National Park, located in the Eastern Middle Atlas. An annotated list of 85 species is provided, of which 53 were identified from 1023 specimens collected seasonally between summer 2018 and summer 2019 at a total of 19 sampling sites. The remaining 32 species were identified from the literature but were not captured in this study. The 85 species are classified into 47 genera and 24 families, which are divided into 8 species of Odonata, 14 species of aquatic Hemiptera, and 63 species of aquatic Coleoptera. Eighteen of the captured species are new to the Tazekka National Park.A chorological analysis shows that most species are essentially Mediterranean (63%), whilst those whose distribution is wider in Palearctic (25%) or extends into Nearctic, Australian, or Afrotropical regions (12%) are clearly less represented. This chorotype pattern is similar to that observed for OCH in other national parks in northern Morocco.

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Conservation of freshwater biodiversity in North Africa under future climate and land-cover changes

Belhaj,

Mingarro,

Sánchez-Fernández

et al. 2024

Biodivers Conserv

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Towards the identification of hotspots of freshwater biodiversity in North-Western Africa: A case study using species distribution models for water beetles in Morocco

Cited by 4 publications

References 81 publications

Identification of Bird Habitat Restoration Priorities in a Central Area of a Megacity

Identification of Bird Habitat Restoration Priorities in a Central Area of a Megacity

New Data on Biodiversity and Chorology of Aquatic Insects of Tazekka National Park (Middle Atlas, Morocco) I: Odonata, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera

Conservation of freshwater biodiversity in North Africa under future climate and land-cover changes

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