Using biogeographical patterns of endemic land snails to improve conservation planning for limestone karsts

Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben; Ng, Peter K. L.; Lu, Xixi; Ambu, Stephen; Schilthuizen, Menno; Bradshaw, Corey J. A.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2008.08.011

Cited by 78 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(42 reference statements)

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“…Although defining hotspots as congruent with whole biogeographic subregions ( Fig. 1: Indochina, Sundaic, Philippine and Wallacea), as done by Conservation International (2007), may be too broad-scale for some purposes, the identification of smaller areas of endemism or species richness can guide the location of protected areas, e.g., the Mentawi islands with their 17 species of endemic mammals (Corlett 2009a), numerous isolated karst mountains (Clements et al 2006(Clements et al , 2008, IUCN's Key Biodiversity Areas (Brooks et al 2008), and BirdLife International's Important Bird Areas (Chan et al 2004). Understanding the history of today's hotspots is necessary to establish whether they are ancient and geographically fixed, or whether they have moved in response to past climatic change?…”

Section: Patterns Of Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeography and conservation in Southeast Asia: how 2.7 million years of repeated environmental fluctuations affect today’s patterns and the future of the remaining refugial-phase biodiversity

2010

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Understanding the historical biogeography of this global biodiversity hotspot is as important to long-term conservation goals as ecology and evolution are to understanding current patterns and processes. Today's geography is, however, misleading and typical of only *2% of the last million years; [90% of that time the region's land area was 1.5-2.0 times larger as mean sea levels were 62 m below today's, climates were cooler, and extensive forests and savanna covered the emerged Sunda plains. The region's land area varied two-fold as sea levels fluctuated up to ±50 m with each of *50 Pleistocene glacial cycles, and forests expanded and contracted with oscillations in land area and seasonality. This dynamic geographic history is relevant to the development of biogeographic regionalism and shows that it is today's forests that are refugial, not those of the Last Glacial Maximum. This history affects how species will adapt or shift their ranges in response to global warming and further decreases in land area (submergence of low-lying coastal areas) during the 21st century. The alternative is mass species extinction. The biota is also threatened by the continued destruction of forest, destruction of Mekong River flood-pulse based ecosystems, and continued human population growth. Human biogeography will become more important in conservation planning as tens of millions of people who depend on protected area forests, riverine ecosystems, and coastal habitats become environmental refugees. Conservation scientists need to become more involved in regional ecological education, environmental stewardship, and ecosystem-based adaptation to sustain as much as possible of this rich biota and the ecological services it provides.

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Section: Patterns Of Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeography and conservation in Southeast Asia: how 2.7 million years of repeated environmental fluctuations affect today’s patterns and the future of the remaining refugial-phase biodiversity

2010

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“…Created by climate fluctuations throughout the Quaternary and Mid to Late Tertiary (Bowler 1982), these patches essentially have been acting as habitat islands whereby gene fl ow is restricted by intervening unsuitable habitat, resulting in allopatric patterns of speciation and endemism in the isolated refuges (Cameron 1992). The high levels of endemism of land snails in the limestone karsts of Malaysia has Determinants of species richness and similarity of species composition of land snail communities on Kimberley islands been similarly explained (Clements et al 2008), as well as land snails occurring on islands or within island archipelagos (e.g. Cowie 1995;WelterSchultes and Williams 1999;Chiba 2007;Cook 2008;Overton et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of species richness and similarity of species composition of land snail communities on Kimberley islands

Gibson¹,

Köhler²

2012

Rec West Aust Mus Sup

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-We investigated patterns in species richness and similarity in species composition of land snail communities in relation to biogeographic and environmental gradients on continental islands along the Kimberley coastline of Western Australia. The camaenid land snails demonstrated high overall species richness, restricted geographical ranges (mostly to a single island) and almost complete turnover of species among islands. In comparison, the overall number of the smaller non-camaenid land snail species was much lower. They also had much wider distributions and a lower level of species turnover among islands. These results are consistent with the differing dispersal abilities of the two groups, one fostering in situ speciation and the other inter-island colonisation. We also show that dispersal ability was not the only driver of species richness and composition of land snail species on islands, but that rainfall, island area and availability of habitat also played a role. Rainfall was the major environmental driver of richness and composition for both groups of land snails. Rainfall was also highly correlated with extent of rainforest cover, habitat that provides a suitable micro-climate for snails and additional ecological niches compared to more open habitats.

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“…Hence, the biodiversity richness and endemism patterns on these hills are, on the whole, shaped by the same ecological and evolutionary processes as on islands. Two main island characteristics, size and isolation, have been shown to be the main determinants of endemism and geographically structured genetic patterns for species on limestone hills [13,35,[39][40][41].…”

Section: Limestone Hill Physical Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Google Earth to Improve the Management of Threatened Limestone Karst Ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia

Liew

Price

Clements

2016

Tropical Conservation Science

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In a world of limited resources and so many species and habitats in need of protection, informed prioritization is essential. However, we cannot prioritize effectively if historical and current information regarding a particular habitat or species remains scattered. Several good platforms have been created to help users find, use and create biodiversity information. However, good platforms for sharing habitat information for threatened ecosystems are still lacking. Limestone hills are an example of threatened ecosystems that harbor unique biodiversity, but are facing intensifying anthropogenic disturbances. As limestone is a vital resource for the construction industry, it is not possible to completely halt forest degradation and quarrying in developing countries such as Malaysia, where 445 limestone hills have been recorded in the peninsula to date. As such, there is an urgent need to identify which hills must be prioritized for conservation. To make decisions based on sound science, collating spatial and biological information on limestone hills into a publicly accessible database is critical. Here, we compile Malaysia's first limestone hill GIS map for 445 limestone hills in the peninsula, based on information from geological reports and scientific literature. To assist in conservation prioritization efforts, we quantified characteristics of limestone hills in terms of size, degree of isolation, and spatial distribution patterns. We also assessed the degree of habitat disturbance in each limestone hill in terms of buffer area forest degradation and quarrying activity. These data are stored in a KMZ file and can be accessed through the Google Earth interface. Rather than being viewed as a final output containing basic limestone hill information, this database should be regarded as a foundational platform for users to collect, store, update and manipulate spatial and biological data from limestone hills to better inform decisions regarding their management.

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Using biogeographical patterns of endemic land snails to improve conservation planning for limestone karsts

Cited by 78 publications

References 41 publications

Biogeography and conservation in Southeast Asia: how 2.7 million years of repeated environmental fluctuations affect today’s patterns and the future of the remaining refugial-phase biodiversity

Biogeography and conservation in Southeast Asia: how 2.7 million years of repeated environmental fluctuations affect today’s patterns and the future of the remaining refugial-phase biodiversity

Determinants of species richness and similarity of species composition of land snail communities on Kimberley islands

Using Google Earth to Improve the Management of Threatened Limestone Karst Ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia

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