ORCID Profile
0000-0001-7383-9112
Current Organisation
NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2005
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2005.02.022
Abstract: Acid mine drainage (AMD) is frequently linked with changes in macroinvertebrate assemblages, but the relative contribution of water and sediment to toxicity is equivocal. We have shown that the macroinvertebrate fauna of Neubecks Ck, a mine impacted stream in New South Wales, Australia, was much poorer than in two reference streams. Multivariate RELATE analyses indicated that the patterns in the biological data were more strongly correlated with the concentrations of common metals in the surface water than the pore water of these streams. From this we hypothesised that the water was more toxic to the biota than the sediment and we tested this hypothesis with a sediment transplant experiment. Sediment from Neubecks Ck that was placed in reference streams retained high concentrations of metals throughout the experiment, yet supported a macroinvertebrate assemblage similar to that in the reference streams. Sediment from the reference streams that was placed in Neubecks Ck supported few, if any, animals. This indicates that water in Neubecks Ck is toxic to biota, but that sediment is able to support aquatic biota in clean water. Therefore, remediation should focus on improving water quality rather than sediment quality.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 06-12-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-03-2016
DOI: 10.1002/RSE2.15
Publisher: Michigan State University Press
Date: 04-2003
Abstract: Predictions from AUSRIVAS were used to compare macroinvertebrate data from s les collected over several years from two nearby river sites in the Hunter Valley Region in NSW, Australia. One of the sites was in agricultural land and the other one was in a National Park. Both sites had good water quality and a erse range of macroinvertebrate habitats. The AUSRIVAS output most commonly used for assessing river condition is the Observed/Expected (O/E50) value. Only relatively common taxa, ie those that have greater than 50% probability of occurrence are included in the calculation of O/E50 values. T-tests used to test differences between the mean O/E50 values for the in idual s les showed no significant differences between the two sites. When similar analyses were performed on outputs calculated using rare taxa, significant differences were found between the two sites for the riffle habitat but not for the edge habitat. Including the rare taxa in calculating AUSRIVAS outputs and utilising multiple-year outputs for assessing site condition may allow detection of impacts not detected by examining the commonly used outputs.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-07-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-018-0608-1
Abstract: Inadequate information on the geographical distribution of bio ersity h ers decision-making for conservation. Major efforts are underway to fill knowledge gaps, but there are increasing concerns that publishing the locations of species is dangerous, particularly for species at risk of exploitation. While we recognize that well-informed control of location data for highly sensitive taxa is necessary to avoid risks, such as poaching or habitat disturbance by recreational visitors, we argue that ignoring the benefits of sharing bio ersity data could unnecessarily obstruct conservation efforts for species and locations with low risks of exploitation. We provide a decision tree protocol for scientists that systematically considers both the risks of exploitation and potential benefits of increased conservation activities. Our protocol helps scientists assess the impacts of publishing bio ersity data and aims to enhance conservation opportunities, promote community engagement and reduce duplication of survey efforts.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12196
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-03-2023
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13648
Abstract: Aquatic insects comprise 64% of freshwater animal ersity and are widely used as bioindicators to assess water quality impairment and freshwater ecosystem health, as well as to test ecological hypotheses. Despite their importance, a comprehensive, global database of aquatic insect occurrences for mapping freshwater bio ersity in macroecological studies and applied freshwater research is missing. We aim to fill this gap and present the Global EPTO Database , which includes worldwide geo‐referenced aquatic insect occurrence records for four major taxa groups: Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Odonata (EPTO). A total of 8,368,467 occurrence records globally, of which 8,319,689 (99%) are publicly available. The records are attributed to the corresponding drainage basin and sub‐catchment based on the Hydrography90m dataset and are accompanied by the elevation value, the freshwater ecoregion and the protection status of their location. The database covers the global extent, with 86% of the observation records having coordinates with at least four decimal digits (11.1 m precision at the equator) in the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) coordinate reference system. S ling years span from 1951 to 2021. Ninety‐nine percent of the records have information on the year of the observation, 95% on the year and month, while 94% have a complete date. In the case of seven sub‐datasets, exact dates can be retrieved upon communication with the data contributors. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Odonata, standardized at the genus taxonomic level. We provide species names for 7,727,980 (93%) records without further taxonomic verification. The entire tab‐separated value (.csv) database can be downloaded and visualized at roject/epto_database/ . Fifty in idual datasets are also available at fred.igb‐berlin.de , while six datasets have restricted access. For the latter, we share metadata and the contact details of the authors.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-07-2021
DOI: 10.1002/AQC.3634
Abstract: Freshwater bio ersity is declining at an unprecedented rate. Freshwater conservationists and environmental managers have enough evidence to demonstrate that action must not be delayed but have insufficient evidence to identify those actions that will be most effective in reversing the current trend. Here, the focus is on identifying essential research topics that, if addressed, will contribute directly to restoring freshwater bio ersity through supporting ‘bending the curve’ actions (i.e. those actions leading to the recovery of freshwater bio ersity, not simply deceleration of the current downward trend). The global freshwater research and management community was asked to identify unanswered research questions that could address knowledge gaps and barriers associated with ‘bending the curve’ actions. The resulting list was refined into six themes and 25 questions. Although context‐dependent and potentially limited in global reach, six overarching themes were identified: (i) learning from successes and failures (ii) improving current practices (iii) balancing resource needs (iv) rethinking built environments (v) reforming policy and investments and (vi) enabling transformative change. Bold, efficient, science‐based actions are necessary to reverse bio ersity loss. We believe that conservation actions will be most effective when supported by sound evidence, and that research and action must complement one another. These questions are intended to guide global freshwater researchers and conservation practitioners, identify key projects and signal research needs to funders and governments. Our questions can act as springboards for multidisciplinary and multisectoral collaborations that will improve the management and restoration of freshwater bio ersity.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-06-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1002/AQC.2638
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-08-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-12-2011
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2018
DOI: 10.1002/AQC.2958
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-12-2007
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-06-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-1999
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2018
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 25-11-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-02-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-12-2010
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Publisher: Test accounts
Date: 2011
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1071/MF09297
Abstract: Concentration of human populations with likely impacts of climate change present major challenges for river conservation in the south-eastern coastal region of Australia. Quantitative methods for spatial prioritisation of conservation actions can play a major role in meeting these challenges. We examined how these methods may be applied to help plan for potential impacts of climate change in the region, using macroinvertebrate assemblages as surrogates of river bio ersity. Environmental gradients explaining broad-scale patterns in the composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages are well represented in protected areas however, their effectiveness for conserving river bio ersity with climate change depends on linking management inside and outside protected areas. Projected increases in temperature and sea level may be used to prioritise conservation to counter likely major impacts in high-altitude zones and the coastal fringes, whereas elsewhere, considerable uncertainty remains in the absence of better downscaled projections of rainfall. Applying such spatial prioritisations using bio ersity surrogates could help river-focussed conservation around the world.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 28-02-2020
DOI: 10.3390/W12030651
Abstract: Reptiles are rarely included in urban freshwater bio ersity monitoring and conservation. We explored the global persistence of freshwater dependent turtles, lizards, crocodilians and snakes in cities with a population greater than 100,000 using species occurrence data in online databases from a five-year period (2013–2018). We then used ecological niche models to help identify the locations of suitable habitats for three freshwater reptile species in Sydney, Australia. Our Global analysis showed that sightings of a majority of known species of crocodilians and freshwater turtles were recorded in databases within this 5-year period in contrast to about one in three freshwater lizard species and one in ten freshwater snake species and that freshwater reptiles were observed within 50 km of the center of 40% of the 3525 cities. While global databases hold substantial recent species occurrence records for some regions, they contain very little data for large parts of the world. Modelling showed that potential suitable habitat for the three freshwater species in Sydney was distributed across areas with different levels of urban development. The persistence of populations of freshwater reptiles in and around a large proportion of the world’s cities show that this group can play an important role in urban bio ersity conservation.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 2004
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-06-2019
DOI: 10.1002/AQC.3129
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-09-2013
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12007
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-08-2023
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 18-01-2013
Abstract: A global system of harmonized observations is needed to inform scientists and policy-makers.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-08-2018
DOI: 10.1111/BRV.12359
Abstract: Much bio ersity data is collected worldwide, but it remains challenging to assemble the scattered knowledge for assessing bio ersity status and trends. The concept of Essential Bio ersity Variables (EBVs) was introduced to structure bio ersity monitoring globally, and to harmonize and standardize bio ersity data from disparate sources to capture a minimum set of critical variables required to study, report and manage bio ersity change. Here, we assess the challenges of a 'Big Data' approach to building global EBV data products across taxa and spatiotemporal scales, focusing on species distribution and abundance. The majority of currently available data on species distributions derives from incidentally reported observations or from surveys where presence-only or presence-absence data are s led repeatedly with standardized protocols. Most abundance data come from opportunistic population counts or from population time series using standardized protocols (e.g. repeated surveys of the same population from single or multiple sites). Enormous complexity exists in integrating these heterogeneous, multi-source data sets across space, time, taxa and different s ling methods. Integration of such data into global EBV data products requires correcting biases introduced by imperfect detection and varying s ling effort, dealing with different spatial resolution and extents, harmonizing measurement units from different data sources or s ling methods, applying statistical tools and models for spatial inter- or extrapolation, and quantifying sources of uncertainty and errors in data and models. To support the development of EBVs by the Group on Earth Observations Bio ersity Observation Network (GEO BON), we identify 11 key workflow steps that will operationalize the process of building EBV data products within and across research infrastructures worldwide. These workflow steps take multiple sequential activities into account, including identification and aggregation of various raw data sources, data quality control, taxonomic name matching and statistical modelling of integrated data. We illustrate these steps with concrete ex les from existing citizen science and professional monitoring projects, including eBird, the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring network, the Living Planet Index and the Baltic Sea zooplankton monitoring. The identified workflow steps are applicable to both terrestrial and aquatic systems and a broad range of spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales. They depend on clear, findable and accessible metadata, and we provide an overview of current data and metadata standards. Several challenges remain to be solved for building global EBV data products: (i) developing tools and models for combining heterogeneous, multi-source data sets and filling data gaps in geographic, temporal and taxonomic coverage, (ii) integrating emerging methods and technologies for data collection such as citizen science, sensor networks, DNA-based techniques and satellite remote sensing, (iii) solving major technical issues related to data product structure, data storage, execution of workflows and the production process/cycle as well as approaching technical interoperability among research infrastructures, (iv) allowing semantic interoperability by developing and adopting standards and tools for capturing consistent data and metadata, and (v) ensuring legal interoperability by endorsing open data or data that are free from restrictions on use, modification and sharing. Addressing these challenges is critical for bio ersity research and for assessing progress towards conservation policy targets and sustainable development goals.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-02-2009
DOI: 10.1007/S10661-008-0186-9
Abstract: It is a fundamental tenet of Rapid Biological Assessments (RBA) that the s les collected reflect the community from which they are drawn. As with any biological s ling, RBA collections are subject to s ling error resulting in the omission of some taxa. The aim of this study is to compare the composition of RBA s les with an estimate of community structure based on extensive quantitative s ling. We used logistic regression to explore the relationships between the frequency of a taxon being collected in an RBA s le and its biological and ecological traits, namely its abundance, distribution, body size and habit. RBA s les and quantitative estimates of community structure were made in riffles in the Kangaroo and Nepean Rivers, New South Wales, Australia. Single RBA s les may collect up to 63% of the taxa that are collected by extensive quantitative s ling at a site. The frequency of a taxon being recorded in an RBA s le was significantly and positively related to all traits tested indicating a bias in the collection methods towards large, abundant and widely distributed taxa. Accordingly, taxa missed by RBA s ling were generally small, narrowly distributed or rare. These findings enhance our understanding of what RBA s les represent, and the bias and source of errors associated with RBA s ling. This study also quantifies the utility of RBA methods for bio ersity assessment.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 13-02-2014
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 02-01-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-03-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-019-0826-1
Abstract: Species distributions and abundances are undergoing rapid changes worldwide. This highlights the significance of reliable, integrated information for guiding and assessing actions and policies aimed at managing and sustaining the many functions and benefits of species. Here we synthesize the types of data and approaches that are required to achieve such an integration and conceptualize 'essential bio ersity variables' (EBVs) for a unified global capture of species populations in space and time. The inherent heterogeneity and sparseness of raw bio ersity data are overcome by the use of models and remotely sensed covariates to inform predictions that are contiguous in space and time and global in extent. We define the species population EBVs as a space-time-species-gram (cube) that simultaneously addresses the distribution or abundance of multiple species, with its resolution adjusted to represent available evidence and acceptable levels of uncertainty. This essential information enables the monitoring of single or aggregate spatial or taxonomic units at scales relevant to research and decision-making. When combined with ancillary environmental or species data, this fundamental species population information directly underpins a range of bio ersity and ecosystem function indicators. The unified concept we present links disparate data to downstream uses and informs a vision for species population monitoring in which data collection is closely integrated with models and infrastructure to support effective bio ersity assessment.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-10-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-10-2011
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-06-2012
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1071/MF09318
Abstract: Integrated water resources management offers an ideal platform for addressing the goals of freshwater conservation and climate change adaptation. Environmental flow assessment and systematic conservation planning have evolved separately in respective aquatic and terrestrial realms, and both are central to freshwater conservation and can inform integrated water resources management. Integrating these two approaches is mutually beneficial. Environmental flow assessment considers dynamic flow regimes, measuring social, economic and ecological costs of development scenarios. Conservation planning systematically produces different conservation scenarios that can be used in assessing these costs. Integration also presents opportunities to examine impacts of climate change on conservation of freshwater ecosystems. We review progress in environmental flow assessment and freshwater conservation planning, exploring the mutual benefits of integration and potential ways that this can be achieved. Integration can be accomplished by using freshwater conservation planning outputs to develop conservation scenarios for assessment against different scenarios, and by assessing the extent to which each scenario achieves conservation targets. New tools that maximise complementarity by achieving conservation and flow targets simultaneously should also be developed.
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 02-01-2018
Location: Australia
No related grants have been discovered for Eren Turak.