Ecotourism, by definition, aims to engage peoples’ interest in wildlife and the environment. The use of tourist roads and trails to access sites within protected areas (PAs) can detrimentally affect the behavior and distribution of species. The way mammals respond to anthropogenic pressures may differ across taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic groups; nevertheless, how ecotourist trail-use affects these different diversity remains under-investigated. Here, we assessed 6 metrics of taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity for a mammal community in a PA in central China, recording how Trail use (using Trail type as a proxy) and habitat variables affected sightings and signs of mammals across 60 replicate 0.5 km transects. We then examined how Trail use affected the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity indices of species (>1 kg). Using generalized liner mixed modeling, we identified that more used trail types had a greater adverse effect on all diversity richness indices than did less used trail types. Consequently, tourist pressure was associated with a general tendency to homogenize the site's mammal community. In contrast, the effects of Trail Types on all diversity evenness indices were non-significant. Furthermore, more developed and more heavily used trail types had a greater, significant negative effect on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic richness, whereas these richness indices were unaffected by minor trail types, used less intensively. As a general principle, lower biodiversity indices reduce ecosystem resilience, and so it is vital to better understand these responses to balance public access against biodiversity management in PAs. 相似文献
Knowledge about vegetation patterns along disturbance gradients is essential for conservation and management of coastal habitats in arid regions. This study focuses on the floristic diversity and the factors controlling the vegetation structure in the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia). For this purpose, the floristic diversity of 120 relevés belonging to three coastal sites with different disturbance levels (40 relevés per site) was analyzed in relation with 10 environmental and anthropogenic factors. Therophytes constitute 54% of the 237 plants species belonging to 44 families identified in the present study. The species richness and floristic diversity indices exhibited a similar trend and peaked in the slightly disturbed site (H′?=?3.38; S?=?176). The similarity between sites was relatively low and reached its maximum between the little and the highly disturbed sites. Two-way indicator species analysis and detrended correspondence analysis applied on the floristic data resulted in groups mainly determined by disturbance level by explicitly segregating the three sites. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that the spatial pattern of species composition was mainly influenced by anthropogenic variables. Partial CCA revealed that the effect of anthropogenic variables on floristic composition was thrice higher than the effect of environmental variables (57.5% vs. 18.4%, respectively). Overall, this study provides a broad understanding of the floristic diversity and vascular plant richness in the Gulf of Gabès. The obtained results reflected a disturbance–diversity pattern and thus revealed the obvious importance of maintaining the intermediate disturbance for biodiversity conservation and monitoring. 相似文献
In northern Patagonia, Argentina we quantify changes in fire frequency along a gradient from mesic Nothofagus dombeyi forest to xeric woodlands of Austrocedrus chilensis at the steppe ecotone, and we examine patterns of vegetation change coincident with the changes in fire regimes across a range of spatial scales. At a regional scale changes in land cover types are documented by comparing 1:250000 scale cover type maps from 1913 and 1985. Changes in landscape structure are analyzed by comparing vegetation patterns on 1:24000 scale aerial photographs taken in 1940 and 1970. Fire frequency peaked in the late nineteenth-century due to widespread burning and clearing of forests by European settlers late in the century. Subsequently, fire frequency declined dramatically about 1910 due to the cessation of intentional fires and has remained low due to increasingly effective fire exclusion. At a regional scale there has been a dramatic increase during the twentieth century in the proportion of forest cover relative to areas mapped as recent burns or shrublands in 1913. Remnant forest patches that survived the widespread late-nineteenth century burning have coalesced to form more continuous forest covers, and formerly continuous areas of shrublands have become dissected by forest. Under reduced fire frequency there has been a shift in dominance from short-lived resprouting species (mostly shrubs) towards longer-lived species and obligate seed-dispersers such as Austrocedrus chilensis and Nothofagus dombeyi. Due to limited seed dispersal of these tree species, the spatial configuration of remnant forest patches plays a key role in subsequent changes in landscape pattern. 相似文献
Dividing regions into manageable landscape units presents special problems in landscape ecology and land management. Ideally,
a landscape should be large enough to capture a broad range of vegetation, environmental and disturbance dynamics, but small
enough to be useful for focused management objectives. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal landscape size
to summarize ecological processes for two large land areas in the southwestern United States. We used a vegetation and disturbance
dynamics model, LANDSUMv4, to simulate a set of nine scenarios involving systematically varied topography, map resolution,
and model parameterizations of fire size and fire frequency. Spatial input data were supplied by the LANDscape FIRE Management
Planning System (LANDFIRE) prototype project, an effort that will provide comprehensive and scientifically credible mid-scale
data to support the National Fire Plan. We analyzed output from 2,000 year simulations to determine the thresholds of landscape
condition based on the variability of burned area and dominant vegetation coverage. Results show that optimal landscape extent
using burned area variability is approximately 100 km2 depending on topography, map resolution, and model parameterization. Variability of dominant vegetation area is generally
higher and the optimal landscape sizes are larger in comparison to those features determined from burned area. Using the LANDFIRE
project as a case study, we determined landscape size and map resolution for a large mapping project, and showed that optimal
landscape size depends upon geographical, ecological, and management context.
This paper was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and therefore is in the public domain and
not subject to copyright. The use of trade or firm names in this paper is for reader information and does not imply endorsement
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service. 相似文献
Abstract – Effects of local environmental influences on the structure of fish assemblages were evaluated from 159 sites in two regions of the Great Plains with limited anthropogenic disturbance. These regions offered an opportunity to evaluate the structure and variation of streams and fish assemblages within the Great Plains. We used canonical correspondence analyses to determine the influence of environmental conditions on species abundances, species occurrences and assemblage characteristics. Analysis of regions separately indicated that similar environmental factors structured streams and fish assemblages, despite differences in environmental conditions and species composition between regions. Variance in fish abundance and assemblage characteristics from both regions was best explained by metrics of stream size and associated metrics (width, depth, conductivity and instream cover). Our results provide a framework and reference for conditions and assemblage structure in North American prairie streams. 相似文献
A hailstorm in October 1994 was found to have moderately or severely impacted on 5.3% of the mangrove forests in Port Curtis. All mangrove species showed evidence of hail damage, including the three most common species (Rhizophora stylosa, Ceriops tagal and Avicennia marina). Physical effects of hail damage included stripping of leaves from plants, holes punched through leaves, bruising to bark, divots removed from bark, branch and plant death. Speciesspecific differences in vulnerability to the effects of hail were observed with C.tagal experiencing relatively higher mortality rates than the other two common mangrove species. A delayed pattern of mortality was observed in two species _ C.tagal and A.marina. Alterations to mangrove community structure included: (1) reductions in stem density, stem diameter and basal area, (2) reductions in canopy cover (based on a photographic index of foliage projective cover) and (3) changes in relative abundance of species in mangrove zones. Recovery was observed in some stands but others had not recovered to prehail levels of canopy cover two years after the hailstorm. Recovery had occurred by regeneration of fresh leaves but no recruitment of young plants had been observed during the study. The forests in the impact area were dominated by either Ceriops tagal or Rhizophora stylosa with Avicennia marinaas a subdominant in places. C.tagal dominated forests within the impact area were relatively more severely affected (41.8% in the severe category) than R.stylosa dominated communities (only 17.4% in the severe category). This indicated that C.tagal dominated forests were more vulnerable to the effects of hail damage than R.stylosa dominated forests. In addition, hailimpacted C.tagal dominated forests represented a relatively high percentage of the area of C.tagal dominated forests in Port Curtis (44.3%). This percentage was much higher than hailimpacted R.stylosa dominated forests in Port Curtis (2.7%). These two factors – relatively severe impact on C.tagal communities and a relatively higher percentage affected within the Port Curtis area – illustrate that hailstorms, as a form of natural disturbance, are an important influence on the forest ecology of mangrove ecosystems in this region. 相似文献
We investigated how multiple-crop forestry has influenced the magnitude and variability of soil and plant phosphorus (P) fertility and site disturbance. Kinleith Forest, on Mamaku Plateau, covers >100,000 ha and comprises mainly plantation Pinus radiata. Three study areas in the forest were chosen to represent natural state (native forest), first crop of P. radiata (24 years growth), and second crop of P. radiata (4 years growth of second crop). The adjacent areas have similar relief and climate, and the soils are all the same age, being predominantly Andic Haplohumods developed in 1770 calendar-year-old non-welded tephra (Taupo Ignimbrite, ca. 0.5–0.8 m in thickness) and overlying a buried paleosol on earlier tephric material.
Soil properties were compared using a random geometric sampling scheme stratified in a 40-m grid. Soil samples (0–20 cm) were taken at 1.5, 4.5 and 13 m spatial intervals in random directions away from each primary node, providing 192 sample sites for each study area. Additionally at selected sites, samples of the current year's foliage from the upper crowns were collected, the thickness of Taupo Ignimbrite (i.e. depth to buried paleosol) was recorded by augering, and site disturbance was assessed using a new six-point scale based on change relative to a modal soil profile. Geostatistics and geographical information systems (GIS) were used to assess variability and effects of forest management on the measured properties. Soil Bray-2 P concentrations were below guidelines for satisfactory growth (12 mg kg−1) at all sites, and no differences were recorded between the different management areas. However, the amount of within-site variability in Bray-2 P increased with the number of crops. Foliar P concentrations were only marginally deficient in both the first and second crops, indicating that P is currently not significantly limiting growth. The lack of difference in foliar P between first and second crops indicates no crop-to-crop decline in foliar P status and suggests that no site P fertility decline has occurred. The soils have an unusual ability to continue releasing P through successive sequential extractions in the Bray-2 P test, indicating a strong buffering capacity, and this may explain the apparent lack of deficiency even with Bray-2 P values of <12 mg kg−1. The site disturbance index increased and the spatial distribution of P data became increasingly variable with crop rotation.
GIS, inverse-distance weighting and kriging proved useful in illustrating the trends between crops. The spatial variability of results indicated that there was no obvious pattern to the variability and that more site-specific forest management in the region would be difficult. However, there was some evidence that less disturbance during harvesting may minimise variability of soil P supply. 相似文献