Alison Cameron

Bio: Alison Cameron is an academic researcher from Queen's University Belfast. The author has contributed to research in topics: Climate change & Biodiversity. The author has an hindex of 16, co-authored 28 publications receiving 8165 citations. Previous affiliations of Alison Cameron include University of Leeds & University of York.

Organic Carbon Stocks in all Pools Following Land Cover Change in the Rainforest of Madagascar

Abstract: Land use change, along with the release of carbon (C) as carbon dioxide, constitutes a major source of emissions that contribute to climate change. Consequently, accurate carbon stock estimation is required to both inform and mitigate climate change. This study determined the importance of five C pools, including above-ground biomass (AGB), below-ground biomass (BGB), soil organic C (SOC), deadwood (DW), and litter, as well as the effect of land use change on these five pools for a region in eastern Madagascar. We assessed the importance of each pool, as well as the effect of land use change, on a closed-canopy forest (CC), tree fallow (TF), shrub fallow (SF), and degraded land (DL). Our results show that more C was stored in below-ground pools than in above-ground pools, and that SOC represented the largest (76.49%) contributor to the total C stock (186.64 Mg C ha − 1 ), followed by AGB (13.54%) and BGB (6.64%). DW represented an important pool in CC, representing 6.64% of the total C stock in this land use type. Conversely, the litter pool represented the lowest contribution to total C stock. Among the five pools, only the SOC showed little variation following land use change, while AGB, DW, and BGB were the most affected after deforestation and subsequent land degradation, most notably from CC to TF. The litter showed significant decreases of C stock from CC to TF and SF. These results highlighted the importance of considering all five pools in an accurate estimate of C stock for a better implementation of initiatives, such as “Reducing C Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation” (REDD +).

Expertly validated models suggest responses to climate change are related to species traits: a phylogenetically-controlled analysis of the Order Lagomorpha

Abstract: Climate change during the last five decades has impacted significantly on natural ecosystems and the rate of current climate change is of great concern among conservation biologists. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) have been used widely to project changes in species’ bioclimatic envelopes under future climate scenarios. Here, we aimed to advance this technique by assessing future changes in the bioclimatic envelopes of an entire mammalian Order, the Lagomorpha, using a novel framework for model validation based jointly on subjective expert evaluation and objective model evaluation statistics. SDMs were built using climatic, topographical and habitat variables for all 87 species under past and current climate scenarios. Expert evaluation and Kappa values were used to validate past and current distribution models and only those deemed ‘modellable’ through our framework were projected under future climate scenarios (58 species). We then used phylogenetically-controlled regressions to test whether species traits were correlated with predicted responses to climate change. Climate change will impact more than two-thirds of the Lagomorpha, with leporids (rabbits, hares and jackrabbits) likely to undertake poleward shifts with little overall change in range extent, whilst pikas are likely to show extreme shifts to higher altitudes associated with marked range declines, including the likely extinction of Kozlov’s Pika (Ochotona koslowi). Smaller-bodied species were more likely to exhibit range contractions and elevational increases, but showing little poleward movement, and fecund species were more likely to shift latitudinally and elevationally. Our results suggest that species traits may be important indicators of future climate change and we believe multi-species approaches, as demonstrated here, are likely to lead to more effective mitigation measures and conservation management.

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Abstract: Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

Novel methods improve prediction of species' distributions from occurrence data

Abstract: Prediction of species' distributions is central to diverse applications in ecology, evolution and conservation science. There is increasing electronic access to vast sets of occurrence records in museums and herbaria, yet little effective guidance on how best to use this information in the context of numerous approaches for modelling distributions. To meet this need, we compared 16 modelling methods over 226 species from 6 regions of the world, creating the most comprehensive set of model comparisons to date. We used presence-only data to fit models, and independent presence-absence data to evaluate the predictions. Along with well-established modelling methods such as generalised additive models and GARP and BIOCLIM, we explored methods that either have been developed recently or have rarely been applied to modelling species' distributions. These include machine-learning methods and community models, both of which have features that may make them particularly well suited to noisy or sparse information, as is typical of species' occurrence data. Presence-only data were effective for modelling species' distributions for many species and regions. The novel methods consistently outperformed more established methods. The results of our analysis are promising for the use of data from museums and herbaria, especially as methods suited to the noise inherent in such data improve.

Predicting species distribution: offering more than simple habitat models.

Abstract: In the last two decades, interest in species distribution models (SDMs) of plants and animals has grown dramatically. Recent advances in SDMs allow us to potentially forecast anthropogenic effects on patterns of biodiversity at different spatial scales. However, some limitations still preclude the use of SDMs in many theoretical and practical applications. Here, we provide an overview of recent advances in this field, discuss the ecological principles and assumptions underpinning SDMs, and highlight critical limitations and decisions inherent in the construction and evaluation of SDMs. Particular emphasis is given to the use of SDMs for the assessment of climate change impacts and conservation management issues. We suggest new avenues for incorporating species migration, population dynamics, biotic interactions and community ecology into SDMs at multiple spatial scales. Addressing all these issues requires a better integration of SDMs with ecological theory.