The history of natural history and race: Decolonizing human dimensions of ecology

Maria N. Miriti, Ariel J. Rawson, Becky Mansfield. 2022. Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2748

Abstract

Natural history, loosely defined as the observational study of organisms in the habitats where they occur, is recognized at the roots of ecology. Although the centrality of natural history in ecology has shifted over time, natural history is currently in resurgence: many again consider it to be the foundation of ecological and evolutionary inquiry and advocate the value of organism-centered approaches to address contemporary ecological challenges. Educators identify natural history as the foundational entryway into the practice of ecology, for example in the Ecological Society of America's Four-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) framework. A strong natural history foundation can help generate testable hypotheses to refine mechanistic understanding of the drivers regulating species distributions and abundances and to inform restoration and conservation efforts. Given the resurgence of natural history as the foundation for ecological knowledge and practice, it is important to recognize that natural history has a long history of racism that has impacted ecological thought and priorities. This history shapes not only who conducts ecological science but also foundational ecological concepts. For example, natural history's emphasis on pristine nature untouched by humans disregards or appropriates stewardship and knowledge of most of the world's population. Because of the legacy of chattel slavery, this exclusion is particularly strong for people of African descent. This exclusion narrows ecological inquiry, limits the capacity to find solutions to ecological problems, and risks interventions that perpetuate the relation between eugenics, ecological knowledge, and natural systems. If ecology is to become an inclusive, responsive, and resilient discipline, this knowledge gap must be addressed. We here present the colonial and racist underpinnings of natural history and offer strategies to expand inclusion in the study of nature. Natural history was steeped in racism, providing a hierarchy of cultures and a taxonomy of races. Complementing growing interest in traditional and Indigenous ecological knowledge, we focus on Black ecological knowledge, for example in the study of “maroon ecologies.” Addressing the racist history of natural history is necessary for removing structural and racist barriers to diverse participation and expanding ecological knowledge bases in service of better and more just science.

Catalogue of the free-living and arthropod-associated Laelapidae Canestrini (Acari: Mesostigmata), with revised generic concepts and a key to genera

GILBERTO JOSÉ DE MORAES, GRAZIELLE FURTADO MOREIRA, RENATA ANGÉLICA PRADO FREIRE, FRÉDÉRIC BEAULIEU, HANS KLOMPEN, BRUCE HALLIDAY. Zootaxa. Vol. 5184 No. 1: 13 Sept. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5184.1.1

Abstract

The cosmopolitan mite family Laelapidae includes both free-living predatory species and species associated with arthropods, mammals or birds. This work presents a list of free-living and arthropod-associated species of laelapids, with corresponding taxonomic information and references. It includes 1088 species (in addition to three subspecies) assigned to 73 genera, 61 new combinations and two new synonymies at the generic level. Laelaps (Apolaelaps) Silvestri is raised to the generic level. Many of the species described before about 1950 are poorly characterised and cannot be classified with confidence at the family or generic level. Hence, ten genera, one subgenus, 121 species (ca. 70% of which were reported as Hypoaspis Canestrini or Laelaps (Hypoaspis) Canestrini) and one subspecies, are considered incertae sedis, because of their inadequate morphological characterisation in the literature. Some of these may not even belong to the Laelapidae or to the groups of interest for this publication. A total of 89 species, 30 genera, one subgenus, one tribe and one subfamily previously associated with genera treated in this catalogue are now placed in other families or, less commonly, in laelapid genera not considered here because they are considered essentially vertebrate parasites (taxa excluded). Twenty-six other species (one cited as a “variety”) are cited as nomina nuda. An illustrated key to the 73 genera included in the catalogue along with revised generic diagnoses are provided.

Decoupled spatiotemporal patterns of avian taxonomic and functional diversity

Marta Jarzyna and James Stagge. Authorea. 2022. https://doi.org/10.22541/au.166333709.96106762/v1

Abstract

Each year, seasonal bird migration leads to an immense redistribution of species occurrence and abundances, with pervasive, though unclear, consequences for patterns of multi-faceted avian diversity. Here, we uncover stark disparities in spatiotemporal variation between avian taxonomic and functional diversity across the continental US. In the eastern US, the temporal patterns of taxonomic and functional diversity are diametrically opposed, with functional richness highest in winter despite seasonal loss of species, and the remaining most abundant species amassed in a few regions of the functional space that likely reflect the resources available in winter. In contrast, in the western US, both species and functional richness are high during the breeding season, and species’ abundances are regularly distributed and widely spread across the functional space. We anticipate that the uncovered complexity of spatiotemporal associations among avian diversity measures will be the catalyst for adopting an explicitly temporal framework for multi-faceted biodiversity analysis.