Publications by authors named "J Marcus Rowcliffe"
Article Synopsis
- Logged and disturbed forests, often seen as degraded, actually harbor significant biodiversity and should not be dismissed in conservation efforts.
- A study in Sabah, Malaysia examined the effects of logging intensity on 1,681 species, revealing two important conservation thresholds.
- Lightly logged forests (less than 29% biomass removed) can recover well, while heavily degraded forests (over 68% biomass removed) may need more intensive recovery efforts, highlighting the varying conservation values of logged forests.
Article Synopsis
- Many lesser-known carnivore species, like the serval, striped hyaena, and aardwolf, are getting less conservation focus compared to iconic large carnivores, despite facing significant human threats.
- A study in Tanzania used camera traps and spatial modeling to assess population densities of these species across different habitats: Ruaha’s tourist area, miombo woodlands, and a community-run wildlife management area, revealing the miombo woodlands had the highest serval density.
- The findings suggest that factors like precipitation, predator presence, and human impact influence carnivore populations, highlighting the critical need for miombo woodland and community-managed conservation efforts.
Parasites have the capacity to affect animal populations by modifying host survival, and it is increasingly recognized that infectious disease can negatively impact biodiversity. Populations of the house sparrow () have declined in many European towns and cities, but the causes of these declines remain unclear. We investigated associations between parasite infection and house sparrow demography across suburban London where sparrow abundance has declined by 71% since 1995.
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- Carnivores, especially cats, serve as important models for understanding how similar species coexist and how their interactions influence community structure and diversity.
- The study focuses on five species of cats in Neotropical forests, analyzing their habitat use and temporal activity through advanced occupancy models that consider habitat features and interspecies interactions.
- Findings suggest that prey availability primarily drives habitat use rather than competition, with different patterns of activity signaling how these species manage coexistence in overlapping environments.