Threats of land use to the global diversity of vascular plants

Aim: Land use is a main driver of biodiversity loss worldwide. However, quantifying its effects on global plant diversity remains a challenge due to the limited availability of data on the distributions of vascular plant species and their responses to land use. Here, we estimated the global extinction threat of land use to vascular plant species...

Behavioral Responses of a Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Depend on the Frequency Content of Pile-Driving Sounds

Benthic Habitat Variations Over Tidal Ridges, North Sea, The Netherlands

Marine ecosystems on continental shelves endure an increasing burden of human activity offshore, and the impacts on benthic habitats are not well known. An improved understanding of how benthic habitats vary in relation to substrate types and seabed features is therefore essential to both scientists and offshore developers. This case study shows...

Acoustic habitat and shellfish mapping and monitoring in shallow coastal water - Sidescan sonar experiences in The Netherlands

Sidescan sonar has been applied in a number of shallow water environments along the Dutch coast to map and monitor shellfish and seabed habitats. The littoral setting of these surveys may hamper data acquisition flying the towfish in zones of turbulence and waves, but also offers valuable opportunities for understanding, interpreting and...

Species-specific responses of two benthic invertebrates explain their distribution along environmental gradients in freshwater habitats

The absence of species in polluted sediments does not necessarily imply exclusion due to toxicity. Other factors, like for instance food availability and oxygen content, could also partly cause their absence. Hence, knowledge of the (combinations of) factors acting on individual organisms is essential in order to understand how populations can...