Biology subjects

Nania, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Nania, D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Spatial instability affects Key Biodiversity Areas scoping for bumblebees across three decades

Identifying potential Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) using species occurrence records is crucial for integrating hyperdiverse taxa, such as insects, into the KBA network. To ensure the KBA network supports effective conservation decision-making, established KBAs need to be reassessed every 8 to 12 years. Realistically, reassessments for very high numbers of species will be based also on opportunistic occurrence points. However, how changes in species distribution data availability and completeness in different time periods influence the spatial stability of potential KBAs over time has not been investigated in any taxa yet. We performed potential KBA assessments for 28 species and subspecies of bumblebees in Italy using an expert-validated dataset of distribution data collected between 1990 and 2023, using 10-year cumulative and progressive time series. Our findings reveal that KBA scoping for species with distributional knowledge gaps does not ensure stability and reliability over time. Potential KBA turnover percentages between different time periods can be high ([~=]133%). While only seven species/subspecies could trigger potential KBAs, their turnover percentage ranged between 28.5% and 50%. We highlight the need for standardized and strategic monitoring of established KBAs and species distributions between reassessments. We also discuss strategies to optimize monitoring plans under resource constraints.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Neglected predatory insects trigger potential Key Biodiversity Areas in threatened coastal habitats

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are poised to become a powerful tool for identifying regions that host unique biodiversity. With their great diversity, insects hold significant potential as indicators for global KBA mapping, even in highly specialized and narrowly distributed habitats. For instance, species adapted to fragmented ecosystems like coastal sand dunes--among the most heavily impacted habitats worldwide--can serve as critical indicators to trigger KBAs in these fragile environments. Despite their relevance as indicators, the inclusion of insects in KBA assessments remains limited, especially for neglected insect species such as antlions. We tested selected KBA criteria on 26 antlion and owlfly species (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) in Italy, including dunes specialists, and performed COI based genetic analysis to identify potential weaknesses of the assessment. Several endemic and dune specialist species trigger potential KBAs, showing limited (< 20% of their extent) overlap with the current protected area network, confirming the great value of these taxa in narrowly distributed habitats. Genetic data provides evidence of misidentification for widely distributed species. We advise for the integration of both spatial and genetic data to increase reliability of potential KBA assessments using neglected insect taxa.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

An automated approach for systematic detection of Key Biodiversity Areas

The new Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) standard is an important method for identifying regions of the planet hosting unique biodiversity. KBAs are identified through the implementation of threshold-based criteria that can be applied to any target species and region. Efficient methods to rapidly assess the existence of potential KBAs in different areas of the planet are still missing, although they are needed to accelerate the KBA identification process for large numbers of species globally. We developed a methodology to scan geographical regions and detect potential KBAs under multiple criteria. We tested the methodology on 59 species of reptiles and amphibians in Italy through the application of selected KBA criteria. Potential KBAs were identified for multiple species under most criteria, covering 1.4% to 12% of the study area, depending on analytical settings. Unit size used to identify KBAs played an important role in shaping the distribution of potential KBAs, also affecting the degree of overlap between areas triggered by different criteria. New potential KBAs identified in this study are only partially nested within current KBAs in Italy (previously identified for birds) and within the national protected areas.

ecology↗