Philip A. Stephens
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View article: Camera trapping for small mammals: the case of a non- native shrew
Camera trapping for small mammals: the case of a non- native shrew Open
In recent decades, motion sensor camera traps have revolutionised wildlife monitoring as a cost-effective strategy requiring less time investment than traditional monitoring methods. While medium-to-large body sized mammals are captured at…
View article: Potential for academic institutions to support international biodiversity commitments
Potential for academic institutions to support international biodiversity commitments Open
The implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) emphasises a “whole of government and whole of society” approach to achieving ambitious biodiversity conservat…
View article: Establishment, current status and possible origin of the greater white-toothed shrew Crocidura russula in Great Britain
Establishment, current status and possible origin of the greater white-toothed shrew Crocidura russula in Great Britain Open
Great Britain has three native shrews, while the greater white-toothed shrew (GWT: Crocidura russula ) is native to the European continent and some Channel islands. The GWT shrew was first reported in northern England in 2022. We detail it…
View article: Multi‐Species Impacts of Invasive <i>Opuntia</i> Cacti on Mammal Habitat Use
Multi‐Species Impacts of Invasive <i>Opuntia</i> Cacti on Mammal Habitat Use Open
Biological invasions impact ecosystems worldwide, including through changing the behaviour of native species. Here, we used camera traps to investigate the effects of invasive Opuntia spp. on the habitat use of 12 mammal species in Laikipi…
View article: Ecological citizen science in schools: a case study of impact on pupils’ connection to nature and knowledge of UK mammals
Ecological citizen science in schools: a case study of impact on pupils’ connection to nature and knowledge of UK mammals Open
View article: Increasing citizen scientist accuracy with artificial intelligence on <scp>UK</scp> camera‐trap data
Increasing citizen scientist accuracy with artificial intelligence on <span>UK</span> camera‐trap data Open
As camera traps have become more widely used, extracting information from images at the pace they are acquired has become challenging, resulting in backlogs that delay the communication of results and the use of data for conservation and m…
View article: Investigating the greater white-toothed shrew invasion in Great Britain
Investigating the greater white-toothed shrew invasion in Great Britain Open
The greater white-toothed shrew (GWT: Crocidura russula) was first reported in northern England in 2022. We detail the immediate investigation through national authorities, non-government bodies and individuals. Among 595 small mammals cap…
View article: Expanding protected area coverage for migratory birds could improve long-term population trends
Expanding protected area coverage for migratory birds could improve long-term population trends Open
View article: What is favourable conservation status?: A systematic map protocol
What is favourable conservation status?: A systematic map protocol Open
Background Favourable Conservation status (FCS) is the overarching goal of the Habitats and Birds Directives, in which it is described as the situation in which a habitat or species is thriving throughout its natural range and is expected …
View article: Restoring riparian habitats for benefits to biodiversity and human livelihoods: a systematic map protocol for riparian restoration approaches in the tropics
Restoring riparian habitats for benefits to biodiversity and human livelihoods: a systematic map protocol for riparian restoration approaches in the tropics Open
Background Riparian zones are vital transitional habitats that bridge the gap between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They support elevated levels of biodiversity and provide an array of important regulatory and provisioning ecosystem …
View article: Contrasting impacts of invasive<i>Opuntia</i>cacti on mammal habitat use
Contrasting impacts of invasive<i>Opuntia</i>cacti on mammal habitat use Open
Biological invasions impact ecosystems worldwide, including through changing the behaviour of native species. Here, we used camera traps to investigate the effects of invasive Opuntia cacti on the habitat use of twelve mammal species in La…
View article: Looking beyond Popper: how philosophy can be relevant to ecology
Looking beyond Popper: how philosophy can be relevant to ecology Open
Current workflows in academic ecology rarely allow an engagement of ecologists with philosophers, or with contemporary philosophical work. We argue that this is a missed opportunity for enriching ecological reasoning and practice, because …
View article: An assessment of seasonal bait uptake by individual grey squirrels to develop a delivery system for oral contraceptives
An assessment of seasonal bait uptake by individual grey squirrels to develop a delivery system for oral contraceptives Open
Globally, human–wildlife conflicts continue to increase, owing to human population growth and expansion. Many of these conflicts concern the impacts of invasive non‐native species. In the UK, the invasive, non‐native grey squirrel Sciurus …
View article: Spatial variation in spring arrival patterns of <scp>Afro‐Palaearctic</scp> bird migration across Europe
Spatial variation in spring arrival patterns of <span>Afro‐Palaearctic</span> bird migration across Europe Open
Aim Geographical patterns of migrant species arrival have been little studied, despite their relevance to global change responses. Here, we quantify continent‐wide interspecific variation in spatiotemporal patterns of spring arrival of 30 …
View article: Continent‐wide differences in diet breadth of large terrestrial carnivores: the effect of large prey and competitors
Continent‐wide differences in diet breadth of large terrestrial carnivores: the effect of large prey and competitors Open
Despite their importance for understanding consumer‐resource dynamics, the dietary responses of large terrestrial predators to variations in prey richness and competition pressure are unclear. While a greater predator selectivity along wit…
View article: Efficient data collection for camera trap‐based density estimation: A preliminary assessment
Efficient data collection for camera trap‐based density estimation: A preliminary assessment Open
Camera traps have great potential for generating wildlife insights by providing high resolution site‐specific data. Methods of data collection and analysis reliant on these tools for population density estimation can be relatively resource…
View article: Host movement dominates the predicted effects of climate change on parasite transmission between wild and domestic mountain ungulates
Host movement dominates the predicted effects of climate change on parasite transmission between wild and domestic mountain ungulates Open
Climate change is shifting the transmission of parasites, which is determined by host density, ambient temperature and moisture. These shifts can lead to increased pressure from parasites, in wild and domestic animals, and can impact the e…
View article: Explaining and predicting animal migration under global change
Explaining and predicting animal migration under global change Open
Many migratory species are declining due to global environmental change. Yet, their complex annual cycles make unravelling the impacts of potential drivers such as climate and land‐use change on migrations a major challenge. Identifying wh…
View article: Spatial variation in spring arrival patterns of Afro-Palearctic bird migration across Europe
Spatial variation in spring arrival patterns of Afro-Palearctic bird migration across Europe Open
Migratory species vary in the timing of their return to breeding areas, but geographical patterns of arrival and the factors governing them have been little studied, despite potentially affecting responses and vulnerability to global chang…
View article: MAMMALNET – Citizen Science Data Collection from a One Health Perspective
MAMMALNET – Citizen Science Data Collection from a One Health Perspective Open
The ambition of One Health (OH) is to focus on people, animals and the ecosystem equally (Tripartite and UNEP support OHHLEP’s definition of “One Health” (who.int)). This requires adequate data on wildlife. MAMMALNET is a European consorti…
View article: A camera trap method for estimating target densities of grey squirrels to inform wildlife management applications
A camera trap method for estimating target densities of grey squirrels to inform wildlife management applications Open
Effective wildlife population management requires an understanding of the abundance of the target species. In the United Kingdom, the increase in numbers and range of the non-native invasive grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis poses a subst…
View article: Drivers of the changing abundance of European birds at two spatial scales
Drivers of the changing abundance of European birds at two spatial scales Open
Detecting biodiversity change and identifying its causes is challenging because biodiversity is multifaceted and temporal data often contain bias. Here, we model temporal change in species' abundance and biomass by using extensive data des…
View article: Remote monitoring of short‐term body mass variation in savanna ungulates
Remote monitoring of short‐term body mass variation in savanna ungulates Open
Large herbivores in seasonal environments often experience mass variation due to temporal changes in the availability of critical resources like water and forage, as well as due to breeding events. Yet the documentation of mass variation i…
View article: Removing Human Bottlenecks in Bird Classification Using Camera Trap Images and Deep Learning
Removing Human Bottlenecks in Bird Classification Using Camera Trap Images and Deep Learning Open
Birds are important indicators for monitoring both biodiversity and habitat health; they also play a crucial role in ecosystem management. Declines in bird populations can result in reduced ecosystem services, including seed dispersal, pol…
View article: Feral American mink <i>Neogale vison</i> continues to expand its European range: time to harmonise population monitoring and coordinate control
Feral American mink <i>Neogale vison</i> continues to expand its European range: time to harmonise population monitoring and coordinate control Open
The American mink Neogale vison is an invasive alien species in Europe that threatens endemic biodiversity and can transmit zoonotic diseases, including the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. The last attempt to map the geographic range of this species in …
View article: Factors affecting bait uptake by the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and the future delivery of oral contraceptives
Factors affecting bait uptake by the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and the future delivery of oral contraceptives Open
Context Invasive species negatively affect natural communities and human activities. The grey squirrel is an invasive species in the UK, causing damage to forestry and the decline of the native red squirrel. Oral contraceptives have the po…
View article: Estimating mesocarnivore abundance on commercial farmland using distance sampling with camera traps
Estimating mesocarnivore abundance on commercial farmland using distance sampling with camera traps Open
Mesocarnivores are of particular interest in wildlife management. Their adaptability makes them a focus of public attention globally, as negative interactions with people occur regularly, but their importance to wider ecosystem function is…
View article: Multi‐lingual literature searches are needed to unveil global knowledge
Multi‐lingual literature searches are needed to unveil global knowledge Open
Scientific syntheses integrate and assess knowledge in a field of research by laying out the current state of knowledge and identifying gaps, thereby fostering research on new or overlooked questions (Pullin & Stewart, 2006; Wyborn et al.,…
View article: Model selection in occupancy models: Inference versus prediction
Model selection in occupancy models: Inference versus prediction Open
Occupancy models are a vital tool for ecologists studying the patterns and drivers of species occurrence, but their use often involves selecting among models with different sets of occupancy and detection covariates. The information‐theore…
View article: Large‐scale mammal monitoring: The potential of a citizen science camera‐trapping project in the United Kingdom
Large‐scale mammal monitoring: The potential of a citizen science camera‐trapping project in the United Kingdom Open
In light of global biodiversity loss, there is an increasing need for large‐scale wildlife monitoring. This is difficult for mammals, since they can be elusive and nocturnal. In the United Kingdom, there is a lack of systematic, widespread…