Assessing biodiversity hotspots below the species-level in Canada using designatable units
The biodiversity hotspot approach is commonly used to identify key regions of conservation priority based on species richness and uniqueness. Like other countries, Canada uses below species-level conservation units, called Designatable Units (DUs), for assessing extinction risk on a case-by-case bas...
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doaj-e06d29d52ad041528bd7c756074b61252021-04-16T04:54:05ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942021-04-0126e01506Assessing biodiversity hotspots below the species-level in Canada using designatable unitsGillian Muir0Elizabeth R. Lawrence1James W.A. Grant2Dylan J. Fraser3Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street W., Montreal, Quebec, H4B 1R6, Canada; Department of Environmental & Life Sciences, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 0G2, Canada; Corresponding author. Department of Environmental & Life Sciences, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 0G2, Canada.Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street W., Montreal, Quebec, H4B 1R6, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street W., Montreal, Quebec, H4B 1R6, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street W., Montreal, Quebec, H4B 1R6, CanadaThe biodiversity hotspot approach is commonly used to identify key regions of conservation priority based on species richness and uniqueness. Like other countries, Canada uses below species-level conservation units, called Designatable Units (DUs), for assessing extinction risk on a case-by-case basis. Researchers have yet to investigate conservation unit hotspots below the species level, despite the potential benefits to optimize the impact of conservation strategies. Across taxa, we: (i) identified at-risk DU hotspots, eco-geographic regions in Canada with a disproportionate number of at-risk DUs relative to species richness; and (ii) compared at-risk DU hotspots using two sets of eco-geographic maps adopted by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). DU richness counts were based on COSEWIC assessed species and hence biased towards at-risk DUs; species richness values were obtained from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. At-risk DU hotspots were consistently found in the Pacific and Great Lakes regions. A positive correlation was observed between at-risk DUs and species richness using both eco-geographic maps, but important regional nuances were also detected, i.e., hotspots were not always found in regions of high species richness. Moreover, there were 3.45 at-risk DUs for every at-risk species across all taxa, providing greater resolution for refining conservation prioritization across regions. For Canada, the at-risk DU hotspot approach permits the identification of regions with a high number of at-risk DUs relative to species richness, enabling the targeting of multiple DUs and taxa in one management plan. More generally, these results emphasize the importance of incorporating below species-level metrics into conservation decisions to better account for different components of biodiversity and extinction risk.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421000561Designatable unitsHotspotsIntraspecific diversityAt-riskSpecies richnessEndangered species |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Gillian Muir Elizabeth R. Lawrence James W.A. Grant Dylan J. Fraser |
spellingShingle |
Gillian Muir Elizabeth R. Lawrence James W.A. Grant Dylan J. Fraser Assessing biodiversity hotspots below the species-level in Canada using designatable units Global Ecology and Conservation Designatable units Hotspots Intraspecific diversity At-risk Species richness Endangered species |
author_facet |
Gillian Muir Elizabeth R. Lawrence James W.A. Grant Dylan J. Fraser |
author_sort |
Gillian Muir |
title |
Assessing biodiversity hotspots below the species-level in Canada using designatable units |
title_short |
Assessing biodiversity hotspots below the species-level in Canada using designatable units |
title_full |
Assessing biodiversity hotspots below the species-level in Canada using designatable units |
title_fullStr |
Assessing biodiversity hotspots below the species-level in Canada using designatable units |
title_full_unstemmed |
Assessing biodiversity hotspots below the species-level in Canada using designatable units |
title_sort |
assessing biodiversity hotspots below the species-level in canada using designatable units |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Global Ecology and Conservation |
issn |
2351-9894 |
publishDate |
2021-04-01 |
description |
The biodiversity hotspot approach is commonly used to identify key regions of conservation priority based on species richness and uniqueness. Like other countries, Canada uses below species-level conservation units, called Designatable Units (DUs), for assessing extinction risk on a case-by-case basis. Researchers have yet to investigate conservation unit hotspots below the species level, despite the potential benefits to optimize the impact of conservation strategies. Across taxa, we: (i) identified at-risk DU hotspots, eco-geographic regions in Canada with a disproportionate number of at-risk DUs relative to species richness; and (ii) compared at-risk DU hotspots using two sets of eco-geographic maps adopted by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). DU richness counts were based on COSEWIC assessed species and hence biased towards at-risk DUs; species richness values were obtained from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. At-risk DU hotspots were consistently found in the Pacific and Great Lakes regions. A positive correlation was observed between at-risk DUs and species richness using both eco-geographic maps, but important regional nuances were also detected, i.e., hotspots were not always found in regions of high species richness. Moreover, there were 3.45 at-risk DUs for every at-risk species across all taxa, providing greater resolution for refining conservation prioritization across regions. For Canada, the at-risk DU hotspot approach permits the identification of regions with a high number of at-risk DUs relative to species richness, enabling the targeting of multiple DUs and taxa in one management plan. More generally, these results emphasize the importance of incorporating below species-level metrics into conservation decisions to better account for different components of biodiversity and extinction risk. |
topic |
Designatable units Hotspots Intraspecific diversity At-risk Species richness Endangered species |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421000561 |
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