Abstract Title
Seen, but Not Heard?: Evaluating the Visibility of Plants in the Conservation Translocation Literature
Additional Funding Sources
This project was made possible by the NSF Idaho EPSCoR Program and by the National Science Foundation under Award No. OIA-1757324.
Abstract
Human activities are affecting the sustainability of functional ecosystems worldwide, with an estimated 100-1000x increase in recent extinction rates due to anthropogenic factors. Conservation translocations —or the movement of organisms to enhance recovery efforts— are an important tool to combat anthropogenic impacts such as climate change, habitat loss, fragmentation, and barriers to dispersal that can lead to reduced adaptive capacity and extinction. While exemplars in conservation translocation science have largely included vertebrates, fewer models exist for plants, despite their ecological importance as sources of food and habitat. In order to develop best management practices for improved plant translocation success, we evaluate the visibility of plants in the conservation translocation literature using the newly developed R-package LitRevieweR. Preliminary results indicate that plants constitute a mere 17% of IUCN conservation translocation case studies, but comprise 40% of peer-reviewed literature found through Scopus. Literature mining peer-reviewed studies and current IUCN Conservation Translocation Guidelines has revealed language specific to plant conservation translocations, including the words important to plant translocation success (e.g., soil microbial communities, and climate change). We recommend the development of IUCN conservation translocation guidelines specific to plants using this informed approach to increase plant conservation and restoration success worldwide.
Seen, but Not Heard?: Evaluating the Visibility of Plants in the Conservation Translocation Literature
Human activities are affecting the sustainability of functional ecosystems worldwide, with an estimated 100-1000x increase in recent extinction rates due to anthropogenic factors. Conservation translocations —or the movement of organisms to enhance recovery efforts— are an important tool to combat anthropogenic impacts such as climate change, habitat loss, fragmentation, and barriers to dispersal that can lead to reduced adaptive capacity and extinction. While exemplars in conservation translocation science have largely included vertebrates, fewer models exist for plants, despite their ecological importance as sources of food and habitat. In order to develop best management practices for improved plant translocation success, we evaluate the visibility of plants in the conservation translocation literature using the newly developed R-package LitRevieweR. Preliminary results indicate that plants constitute a mere 17% of IUCN conservation translocation case studies, but comprise 40% of peer-reviewed literature found through Scopus. Literature mining peer-reviewed studies and current IUCN Conservation Translocation Guidelines has revealed language specific to plant conservation translocations, including the words important to plant translocation success (e.g., soil microbial communities, and climate change). We recommend the development of IUCN conservation translocation guidelines specific to plants using this informed approach to increase plant conservation and restoration success worldwide.