The value of small,natural and man‐made wetlands for bird diversity in the east Colombian Piedmont

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Constrained by aliens,shifting landscape,or poor water quality? Factors affecting the persistence of amphibians in an urban pond network

1. Freshwater communities and especially pond‐breeding amphibians are extremely vulnerable to land‐use change, alien species introductions and the use of pesticides or other toxic chemicals, as reflected in their worldwide decline. Effective conservation and management of ponds requires a better understanding of the biotic and abiotic factors that shape diversity patterns and species distribution, especially in cases of habitat loss
2. The present study aimed to reveal and classify which pond and landscape characteristics are the most important determinants for the occurrence patterns of amphibian species as well as for the overall amphibian species richness in an urban pond network. To achieve this aim, 17 biotic and abiotic variables were measured for 61 ponds and the dataset was analysed by means of a machine‐learning approach, suitability indices and co‐occurrence modelling
3. The highest probability of Triturus macedonicus occurrence was found at fishless artificial and semi‐natural ponds. The persistence of Lissotriton graecus in ponds was predicted by high pond connectivity and the absence of fish reflecting the species dispersive potential. Pelophylax kurtmuelleri showed a higher probability of occurrence with increased pond connectivity and macrophyte cover.
4. Amphibian species richness was higher in fishless ponds with well‐oxygenated waters located in sites with a low to intermediate road density network. Ponds categorized as ‘average’ in terms of newt suitability were more frequently inhabited by fish than Triturus macedonicus. Alien fish species showed negative associations with both newt species, while both newt species showed a positive association between them.
5. The results support the view that conserving a greater number of water bodies with increased landscape connectivity and without any fish presence could provide amphibian species with alternative habitat choices, especially in sites with human pressure where pond stability is at stake owing to continuous landscape changes.

     

Taxonomic and functional macroinvertebrate diversity of high-altitude ponds in the Macun Cirque,Switzerland

1. Global environmental change is threatening freshwater biodiversity with ecological impacts predicted to be particularly severe in high-altitude regions. Despite this, an ecological understanding of high-altitude pond networks remains patchy, with only limited knowledge of the environmental and spatial predictors of taxonomic and functional diversity. Moreover, previous studies of pond ecosystems have focused primarily on taxonomic richness and largely overlooked functional diversity.
2. This study examined the influence of local environmental and spatial factors on taxonomic and functional α and β diversity (including the turnover and nestedness-resultant components) of 17 high-altitude (~2,500 m above sea level) pond macroinvertebrate communities, in the Macun Cirque, Switzerland.
3. Spatial processes (pond connectivity) were important drivers for taxonomic α diversity, while local environmental variables (pond permanence and surface area) were important determinants of functional α diversity. Species turnover was the most important component of β diversity for taxonomic composition, and functional composition demonstrated a nested spatial pattern.
4. Variation in taxonomic and functional composition (and the turnover and nestedness components of β diversity) were determined by local environmental variables despite the limited environmental gradients within the pond network. No significant effects of spatial variables on community composition were recorded for either facet of diversity, indicating that compositional variation was determined at a local scale. Water temperature, depth and pond permanence were consistently the most important measured drivers of diversity.
5. Given the importance of both spatial and environmental variables in structuring taxonomic and functional diversity, landscape-scale conservation and management activities that aim to improve or protect high-altitude freshwater biodiversity should focus on maintaining connectivity among ponds and environmental heterogeneity, particularly pond surface area, water depth, and hydroperiod. Understanding the mechanisms driving taxonomic and functional diversity will be critically important for the management and conservation of macroinvertebrate communities in high-altitude pond networks in the face of climatic warming.

     

Conservation of newt guilds in an agricultural landscape of Belgium: the importance of aquatic and terrestrial habitats

• 1. Amphibians are declining worldwide in response to local and global pressures. Pond‐breeding species are particularly vulnerable to environmental change because they rely on two components of the landscape: aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Agricultural practices are changing rapidly at world and local scales. As a consequence, farm ponds and their surrounding terrestrial landscapes will probably be affected.
• 2. This study investigated the main habitat determinants for the occurrence of four species of newts (genus Triturus) inhabiting the Pays de Herve, a rural area in Belgium. Newt occurrence was determined for 258 ponds and the effect of habitat on distribution determinants was evaluated using generalized linear models.
• 3. Newts were found in 42% of the ponds. Contrary to expectations, the distribution of newts was not positively associated with a high density of ponds. However, a low occurrence of newts and the low water depth of many ponds suggest a low quality of habitats. Proximity to forest, deep water, and an absence of fish in ponds are factors that significantly favour newts, but terrestrial habitat requirements vary among species.
• 4. These results indicate the necessity of maintaining both forest and meadow patches in close proximity to ponds inhabited by newts, and of controlling fish introduction in those ponds. These findings stress the importance of conservation and management of terrestrial and aquatic habitats for maintaining amphibian diversity.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Macrophytes promote aquatic insect conservation in artificial ponds

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Mapping the potential distribution of shorebirds in Japan: the importance of landscape‐level coastal geomorphology

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Linking vegetation patterns,wetlands conservation,and ecosystem services provision: From publication to application

1. Natural wetlands emerge as the best sites to preserve the diversity of aquatic and riparian vegetation; however, especially in the lowlands, pristine wetlands and aquatic ecosystems have almost completely disappeared through land reclamation and agricultural development. Actions are needed, therefore, to maintain and recreate a wide network of wetlands able to preserve adequate levels of vegetation diversity.
2. Focusing on a complex wetland system located in an overexploited plain, the article entitled ‘The importance of being natural in a human‐altered riverscape: Role of wetland type in supporting habitat heterogeneity and the functional diversity of vegetation’, published in 2016 in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (AQC) explored the role of wetland origin and hydrology as the main drivers of physical and vegetation functional diversity, following a hierarchical sampling approach.
3. The main results reinforced the key contribution of natural sites in maintaining vegetation diversity in heavily impaired riverine contexts, suggesting a direct effect of the interannual and seasonal dynamics of water‐level variations in the observed vegetation patterns.
4. The article offered an important contribution to our knowledge of vegetation patterns in wetlands, partly attributed to the innovative functional, hierarchical approach applied which is able to guarantee reliable data on the distribution patterns of physical heterogeneity and wetland vegetation.
5. The findings of the article have been applied and adopted in a series of technical handbooks designed, inter alia, to support the monitoring programmes of habitats of community interest or vegetation of relevance for aquatic biodiversity conservation. In addition, this article has helped to raise awareness of the essential roles played by wetlands in agricultural landscapes and has emphasized the need for a better synergy between the European Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive. Several ecological recovery projects have been funded in line with the results described in the AQC article.

     

The role of lateral connectivity in the maintenance of macrophyte diversity and production in large rivers

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Do network relationships matter? Comparing network and instream habitat variables to explain densities of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in mid‐coastal Oregon,USA

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Distribution,habitat associations and conservation implications of Sri Lankan freshwater terrapins outside the protected area network

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Can satellite ponds buffer the impact of introduced fish on newts in a mountain pond network?

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Status of aquatic and riparian biodiversity in artificial lake ecosystems with and without management for recreational fisheries: Implications for conservation

1. Humanity is facing a biodiversity crisis, with freshwater-associated biodiversity in a particularly dire state. Novel ecosystems created through human use of mineral resources, such as gravel pit lakes, can provide substitute habitats for the conservation of freshwater and riparian biodiversity. Many of these artificial ecosystems are subject to a high intensity of recreational use, however, which may limit their biodiversity potential.
2. The species richness of several taxa (plants, amphibians, dragonflies, damselflies, waterfowl, and songbirds) was assessed and a range of taxonomic biodiversity metrics were compared between gravel pit lakes managed for recreational fisheries (n = 16) and unmanaged reference lakes (n = 10), controlling for non-fishing-related environmental variation.
3. The average species richness of all the taxa examined was similar among lakes in both lake types and no substantial differences in species composition were found when examining the pooled species inventory. Similarly, there were no differences between lake types in the presence of rare species and in the Simpson diversity index across all of the taxa assessed.
4. Variation in species richness among lakes was correlated with woody habitat, lake morphology (surface area and steepness), and land use, but was not correlated with the presence of recreational fisheries. Thus, non-fishing-related environmental variables had stronger effects on local species presence than recreational fisheries management or the presence of recreational anglers.
5. Collectively, no evidence was found that anglers and recreational fisheries management constrain the development of aquatic and riparian biodiversity in gravel pit lakes in the study region; however, the conservation of species diversity in gravel pit lakes could benefit from an increasing reliance on habitat enhancement activities.

     

If you build it,they will go: A case study of stream fish diversity loss in an urbanizing riverscape

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Biodiversity and rarity distributions of native freshwater fish in an agricultural landscape: the importance of β diversity between and within water‐body types

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Sensitivity of ephemeral wetland swards with Isoetes histrix Bory to environmental variables: implications for the conservation of Mediterranean temporary ponds

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Can management practices in rice fields contribute to amphibian conservation in southern Brazilian wetlands?

• 1. Rice field expansion is one of the activities associated with the disappearance of 90% of the wetlands in southern Brazil. Worldwide, rice agriculture has been recognized as having considerable potential value for many aquatic species. Nevertheless, management practices in such systems must be ameliorated and better investigated.
• 2. This study evaluated the potential role of rice fields as refugia for amphibians, and whether different hydrologic management practices after rice cultivation could contribute to wetland amphibian conservation in southern Brazil.
• 3. Six collections were made in six rice fields with different management practices after cultivation (three dry and three flooded) and three natural wetlands. The amphibians were sampled through six random 15‐min visual transects per collection in each rice field and the natural wetlands.
• 4. In total, 2139 anuran individuals were observed in rice fields (798) and Reserva Lake (1341), comprising 12 anuran species distributed among five anuran families. Anuran richness and abundance varied over the rice cultivating cycle, and they were higher in the growing phases than in the fallow phases. The mean anuran richness and abundance was higher in Reserva Lake than in flooded and dry rice fields.
• 5. The different management practices adopted after the harvesting period (presence or lack of surface water) did not influence the anuran richness and abundance. It did, however, influence species composition.
• 6. The difference in species composition between the management practices adopted is an interesting result in terms of biodiversity conservation. Rice producers could maintain part of their agricultural land flooded during the fallow phase as a strategy to preserve a higher diversity of anurans. These results should be taken into consideration in wetland conservation plans in southern Brazil; however, the percentage of each agricultural land that should be kept flooded should be decided by Brazilian agricultural and conservation policies. Such a strategy would reconcile agricultural/economic needs with the conservation of biodiversity in southern Brazil, where more than 90% of wetland systems have already been lost. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Small mountain reservoirs in the Alps: New habitats for alpine freshwater biodiversity?

1. Today, aquatic biodiversity suffers from many pressures linked to human activities, including climate change, which particularly affects alpine areas. Many alpine freshwater species have shifted their geographical distribution to colder areas, but a reduced availability of suitable habitats is also forecasted. New artificial water bodies could provide habitat enhancement opportunities, including small mountain reservoirs built to overcome a lack of snow during winter.
2. To investigate the role of reservoirs as a habitat for freshwater invertebrates, a case study was conducted on eight reservoirs in the Swiss Alps. The study aimed to compare the water quality and freshwater biodiversity of the reservoirs with those of 39 natural and newly excavated ponds. Data were collected on physico‐chemistry, freshwater habitat structure, and aquatic insects (dragonflies and aquatic beetles).
3. The study showed that the mountain reservoirs investigated did not differ from natural ponds in terms of surface area, conductivity, and trophic level. Similarly to natural ponds, reservoirs showed signs of impairment owing to surface run‐off carrying pollutants linked to ski tourism. They presented a low diversity of mesohabitats, and in particular lacked vegetation. Compared with natural ponds, the species richness in reservoirs was lower for dragonflies but not for beetles. At the regional scale, the community from the reservoirs was a subset of the natural ponds community, supporting 38% of the regional species richness for these two insect groups.
4. The results suggest that mountain reservoirs are likely to be important for biodiversity in alpine areas, both as habitats and as stepping stones for species shifting their geographical range. These water bodies can be enhanced further by some nature‐friendly measures to maximize benefits for biodiversity, including margin revegetation or the creation of adjacent ponds. Ecological engineering needs to be innovative and promote freshwater biodiversity in artificial reservoirs.

     

Value of artificial ponds for aquatic beetle and bug conservation in the Cape Floristic Region biodiversity hotspot

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Inter‐annual variability in amphibian assemblages: implications for diversity assessment and conservation

• 1. Diversity assessments and conservation management should take into account the dynamic nature of populations and communities, particularly when they are subject to highly variable and unpredictable environmental conditions.
• 2. This study evaluates the inter‐annual variability in the assemblage composition (temporal turnover) of an amphibian community breeding in a highly dynamic habitat, a Mediterranean temporary pond system, during a 4‐year period.
• 3. A comprehensive framework is provided to evaluate temporal turnover from data of a differing nature (species richness, presence/absence and relative abundance) and, especially, to discern variation in richness (species loss) from changes in the identity or abundance of species (species replacement).
• 4. Results show that the pond amphibian assemblages in Doñana National Park exhibited high inter‐annual variability during the study period, both in the number of species, species identity and their relative abundance. This result provides evidence for the inadequacy of surveys conducted only in one breeding season to characterize the species assemblage associated with a given pond. Besides, it suggests that a given pond offers different breeding opportunities over time, being suitable for different species depending on the year. This alternation will contribute to the medium‐term preservation of all species in the assemblage.
• 5. It is highly relevant to preserve the natural dynamism and spatial variability of temporary pond systems, which will favour the conservation of populations through their intrinsic variability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Contrasting biodiversity and food web structure of three temporary freshwater habitats in a tropical biodiversity hotspot

1. In many biomes, a variety of different small freshwater habitats, such as pools and phytotelmata can occur together in the same habitat matrix. However, both the biodiversity and the functioning of these ecosystems remain poorly known.
2. Three freshwater habitat types in a tropical West African biodiversity hotspot were studied.
3. The study demonstrated that animal communities in water-filled tree holes, temporary ponds and granite rock pools were strongly differentiated with exclusive faunas despite their spatial proximity and similar disturbance in the form of seasonal drought.
4. In particular, granite rock pools stood out with a high gamma diversity. Rock pools were also functionally different from the other two habitat types. The three habitats had contrasting predator assemblages, a differential reliance on primary production and different concentrations of available nutrients.
5. The work illustrates that the biodiversity and functions of small temporary freshwater habitats can be strongly differentiated. This shows the unique and potentially complementary roles that these habitats can fulfil in mediating fluxes of energy and nutrients and preserving aquatic biodiversity in landscapes.
6. Temporary aquatic habitats are typically overlooked in conservation policy and local management plans despite being threatened by habitat transformation. In addition, livestock can threaten savanna ponds, wood exploitation can threaten tree holes, and mining and sediment disruption can threaten rock pools. Hence, better knowledge about the ecological functioning of these ecosystems is vital to the implementation of effective conservation strategies.