The zoologists concluded that play is sensitive «even to very small changes
in habitat quality».
Ecologically speaking, these terms represent vegetation structure with very different ramifications
for habitat quality.
In a paper published in the recent edition of the Journal of Applied Ecology, a team of wildlife experts from San Diego Zoo Global, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Nevada analyzed the effect
of habitat quality on the survival and dispersal of released desert tortoises.
DNA analysis of more than 900 scat samples collected over several summers allowed researchers to develop detailed maps of the species frequenting these habitats, including a sense of how their movements were influenced
by habitat quality, topography, roadways and other human disturbances.
GEDI will also quantify how the vertical arrangement of leaves and branches in a forest
affects habitat quality and biodiversity.
It resulted in
diminished habitat quality for island species, such as the Santa Cruz Island silver lotus, Santa Cruz Island fox, island scrub jay, and migratory waterfowl.
«Grazed lands play a major, essential role in grassland bird conservation in South America, and this important research reveals that specialized birds may be limited
by habitat quality.
«Without large - scale restoration
of habitat quality the fishery decline will continue even in the well - managed and funded MPAs,» said Tom, adding, «It just does not work.»
Mammals, while responsive to changes
in habitat quality, are particularly difficult to study directly so remote cameras offer a way to gather valuable information about these important ecological indicators.
If low requirements for shade production become mainstreamed and legitimized, and are seen as the true benchmarks for eco-friendly coffee production,
habitat quality and biodiversity will suffer.
The program coordinates a multi-year effort to restore the bay's water quality and
habitat quality and to increase its productivity.
This study is one of the first to demonstrate that shale gas development can affect songbird reproductive success and productivity, both directly through the presence of fracking infrastructure and indirectly through effects on
habitat quality.
It will also inform our understanding of how carbon storage can be used to assess other fundamental ecosystem characteristics such as hydrology,
habitat quality, and biodiversity.