Threats to at-risk salmonids of the Canadian Rocky Mountain region

Trout and charr, members of the salmonid family, have high conservation value but are also susceptible to anthropogenic threats in part due to the specificity of their habitat requirements. Understanding historical and future threats facing these species is necessary to promote their recovery. Of freshwater trout and charr in the Canadian Rocky Mountain region, westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi), bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus; a charr species) and Athabasca rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are of conservation concern. And indeed, range contractions and declining populations are evident throughout much of their ranges. Range contraction was most evident in the southern Alberta designatable unit (DU) of westslope cutthroat trout. Diminished populations were also evident in the downstream watersheds of the Alberta bull trout range, and throughout the Athabasca rainbow trout range. We assessed historical and future threats to evaluate the relative importance of individual threats to each DU and compare their impact among species. Individual threats fall into the broad categories of angling, non-native species and genes, habitat loss and alteration, and climate change. Severity of each threat varies by DU and reflects the interaction between species’ biology and the location of the DU. Severity of threats facing each DU has changed over time, reflecting extirpation of native populations, changes in management and industry best practices, expansion of non-native species and progressing climate change. The overall threat impact for each DU indicates a high probability of substantial and continuing declines and calls for immediate action.     

Responses of Australian sea lions,Neophoca cinerea,to anthropogenic activities in the Perth metropolitan area,Western Australia

1. Tourist‐based activities, partly due to their rapid increase, have raised concerns regarding the impacts of anthropogenic activity on marine fauna. Documented effects on pinnipeds in proximity to humans include changes in behaviour, site use and potentially higher aggression levels towards people. Effects vary considerably between populations and sites, thus requiring separate assessment of human impacts on activity and energy budgets.
2. Responses of the endangered Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea, to human visitation were recorded from November 2013 through April 2014. Exposure levels and response types to anthropogenic activities were assessed at two easily accessible locations with different management schemes, Seal (landing prohibited) and Carnac (landing permitted) islands, Western Australia. Exposure levels were measured as both stimulus type (i.e. ‘People’, ‘Paddlers’, ‘Small’, ‘Medium’, and ‘Large vessels’, ‘Tour vessels’, and ‘Jet skies’), and people (‘Direct’, ‘Attract’, ‘Interact’, ‘View’, ‘Incidental’, ‘Water’, ‘Low‐level’), and vessel activities (‘Interact’, ‘Approach/Follow’, ‘Anchor noise’, ‘Engine noise’, ‘Close to beach’, ‘Moderate/Fast travel’, ‘Slow travel’, ‘Transit’, ‘Drift/At anchor’, ‘Aircraft noise’).
3. Exposure levels varied significantly between the islands in numbers, stimuli type, duration and minimum approach distances. The instantaneous behaviours of ‘Lift head’, ‘Interact’ and ‘Sit’ were the most frequent responses. ‘Aggressive’ and ‘Retreat’ responses, the highest disturbance levels measured, occurred on Carnac approximately once per day, but rarely on Seal Island. ‘Aggressive’ behaviour towards ‘People’ was observed only on Carnac Island and elicited only by ‘People’. ‘People’, ‘Tour vessels’, and scenic ‘Aircrafts’ on both islands as well as ‘Jet skis’ on Carnac Island had the highest probability of triggering responses. Owing to their relatively high visitation at Seal Island, ‘Paddle powered vessels’, followed by ‘Tour vessels’ elicited the highest number of responses, compared with ‘People’, ‘Small’, and ‘Medium vessels’ at Carnac Island. The majority of responses occurred when any stimulus type was at short‐range (≤10 m), and ‘People’ ‘Viewing’ N. cinerea elicited most. Vessels triggered more responses at larger ranges than ‘People’.
4. To limit close‐range access to N. cinerea, one possibility is to close the beach at Carnac Island to human visitation and increase the minimum approach distance by vessels and ‘People’ by installing marker buoys at least 15 m from the shore.

© 2016 The Authors. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ecotourist trail-use affects the taxonomic,functional and phylogenetic diversity of mammals in a protected area: lessons for conservation management

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.     

Historical Land‐use and Vegetation Change in Northern Kwazulu‐Natal,South Africa

The role of anthropogenic activity is increasingly recognized as an agent of environmental change. Photographs, taken more than 130 years ago in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa, show a very different landscape to that viewed today. In attempting to understand some of the dynamics behind the changes in the landscape, we explored the history of land‐use in communal rangelands in KwaZulu‐Natal from the arrival of Iron Age man through to modern practices. Communal farming is frequently cited as a major cause of environmental degradation. Traditional lifestyles have been eroded by social, political and economic changes since the arrival of European explorers and settlers in the early 1800s. This may have contributed to encroachment by woody plants into the open savannas and grasslands of KwaZulu‐Natal in recent times because of increased grazing pressure and, perhaps reduced fires. Furthermore, there is decreasing dependence on wood for everyday needs due to the increased availability of electricity. Interviews with a number of community members indicate that they have noted a change in climate and in vegetation structure. Their observations have been confirmed by climate data and historic photographs. Environmental planners need to view change in a holistic manner, taking cognisance not only of the physical changes but also of the history of land‐use and human needs and to give credence to community perceptions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anthropogenically disturbed potentially toxic elements in roadside topsoils of a suburban region of Bishkek,Central Asia

The ecological environment in Central Asia is vulnerable to pressure from human activity due to the physical geography and climatic fragility of this region. A set of indicators suitable for the future assessment of this pressure needs to be proposed. Thirty‐six topsoil samples (0–5 cm) were collected from roadsides in a suburban region of Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia, and a risk assessment of anthropogenically disturbed potentially toxic elements (PTEs) was systematically conducted with classic statistical methods. The results of detrended correspondence analysis and principal component analysis clearly showed that topsoil samples with high contents of PTEs (Pb, Zn and Cu) were strongly affected by traffic within a distance threshold of 200 m and that anthropogenic effects decreased significantly with increasing distance from the highway. The enrichment factor and anthropogenic contribution for Pb were the highest among the three PTEs, with average values of 2.0% and 47.4%, respectively, suggesting enrichment. However, the results of the human health risk assessment also indicated that noncarcinogenic risks did not occur for any of the anthropogenic PTEs. The reported method provides a new systematic pathway to reveal anthropogenic influences on the geochemical composition of soil. The conclusions of this work will be highly valuable as important guidelines for agriculture, and the results of the PTE contents will provide a scientific basis for soil collection in future studies.     

城市公园土壤和植被：自然和人为因子的影响

Various soil surface components, such as trees, shrubs and biological crusts, and human recreational activities, e.g., barbecues and trampling by visitors, may divide the area of the urban park into smaller fragments/microenvironments, differentiated by their microenvironmental conditions, which may differ in soil and vegetation characteristics. The spatial changes in the soil and vegetation characteristics and their causes were investigated in an urban park located south of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Israel. The area of the park is 0.5 km², including groves, a lake, lawns, and rest areas. Soil was sampled in nine microenvironments, of which seven were within the park: under Ceratonia siliqua trees (CsU), under Ficus sycomorus trees (FiU), rest area between tables under F. sycomorus (FiB), rest area under tables under F. sycomorus (FiT), open area with bare soil (OaS), open area with biological crust cover (OaC), and open area covered by herbaceous vegetation (OaV). Two more microenvironments, planar and sloping open areas (CoP and CoS, respectively) in the vicinity of the park, were used as the controls. Electrical conductivity, concentrations of soluble ions (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺ and HCO₃^-), pH, contents of organic carbon, calcium carbonate and moisture, and grain size distribution were determined. In addition, herbaceous vegetation cover, number and diversity of herbaceous vegetation species were measured. It was found that soil properties and herbaceous vegetation characteristics varied within the park. Soil organic carbon, electrical conductivity, soluble salts, penetration depth, and vegetation characteristics were affected by human activities, mainly in the rest area between the tables. In contrast, the above characteristics were affected by natural factors mainly in the rest of the microenvironments, which were subjected to low levels of anthropogenic intervention. The heterogeneous structure of the park, as represented by the various microenvironments, offered new habitats and promoted the preservation of natural vegetation.     

草地植物多样性对人类干扰的多尺度响应

人类干扰是草地生态系统植物多样性变化的主要导因之一。植物多样性的形成依赖于一定空间和时间尺度上的生态系统结构与过程,只有在特定的时空尺度上才能充分表达其主导作用与效应。植物多样性的尺度特征和人类干扰的大尺度效应决定了草地植物多样性保护的复杂性和艰巨性。论述了不同尺度的草地植物多样性对放牧、旅游、刈割、施肥及开垦等各种人类干扰响应的方式、过程与生态后果,明确了尺度问题在研究中的重要作用,探讨了草地植物多样性在人类干扰下的变化导因与响应机制,以期为草地植物多样性的保护、合理利用及草地生态系统的可持续发展提供科学依据。     

中国和日本农业活动对流域氮素收支的影响

To analyze the effect of agricultural activity on nitrogen(N) budget at the watershed scale,a comparative study was conducted at two Japanese watersheds,the Shibetsu River watershed(SRW) and Upper-Naka River watershed(UNRW),and one Chinese watershed,the Jurong Reservoir watershed(JRW).The total area and the proportion of agricultural area(in parentheses) of the watersheds were 685(51%),1 299(21%),and 46 km 2(55%) for SRW,UNRW,and JRW,respectively.The main agricultural land use in SRW was forage grassland,while paddy fields occupied the highest proportion of cropland in UNRW(11% of total area) and JRW(31% of total area).The farmland surplus N was 61,48,and 205 kg N ha 1 year 1 for SRW,UNRW,and JRW,respectively.The total input and output for the whole watershed were 89 and 76,83 and 61,and 353 and 176 kg N ha 1 year 1 for SRW,UNRW,and JRW,respectively.The proportion of discharged N to net anthropogenic N input was 31%,37%,and 1.7% for SRW,UNRW,and JRW,respectively.The two watersheds in Japan showed similar proportions of discharged N to those of previous reports,while the watershed in China(JRW) showed a totally different characteristic compared to previous studies.The high N input in JRW did not increase the amount of discharged N at the outlet of the watershed due to high proportions of paddy fields and water bodies,which was an underestimated N sink at the landscape scale.     

我国三个典型流域人类活动净氮输入量估算及其影响因素

目的 人类活动氮素过量投入是引起面源污染的重要原因之一。阐明人类活动净氮输入量的时空分布特征及其影响因素,为解决面源氮素污染问题提供数据支持。方法 利用人类活动净氮输入量（net anthropogenic nitrogen input,NANI）模型,通过统计年鉴和文献综述获得NANI相关数据和参数,对农业化的香溪河流域、城镇化的太湖流域和全面推进农业绿色发展模式的洱海流域的净氮输入量进行评估。结果 从NANI强度上看,3个典型流域NANI平均值按照大小排序为：太湖流域（13 241 kg·km^-2·a^-1）、香溪河流域（2 183 kg·km^-2·a^-1）、洱海流域（1 582 kg·km^-2·a^-1）。从来源上看,氮肥施入（Nfer）和食品/饲料氮（Nim）是NANI最大来源,占比58%—97%,对NANI贡献从大到小排序为：氮肥施入、食品/饲料氮输入、氮沉降输入、作物固氮输入。从时间尺度看,2019年同2010年相比,香溪河流域NANI中食品/饲料氮输入比例下降23个百分点,氮沉降比例上升34个百分点;洱海流域NANI中氮肥施入比例下降86个百分点;太湖流域NANI中食品/饲料氮输入比例上升31个百分点,作物固氮量和氮沉降输入比例下降14个百分点和12个百分点。从影响因素上看,3个典型流域NANI与城镇人口密度均呈现显著相关性（P<0.05）,且随城镇人口密度的增加NANI随之升高;耕地面积占比与NANI的拟合上,香溪河流域有显著影响（P<0.05）,但洱海流域和太湖流域均无显著影响（P>0.05）。结论 香溪河流域中昭君镇、峡口镇和黄粮镇,洱海流域中下关镇、上关镇和凤仪镇,太湖流域中张家港市、嘉兴市秀城区、杭州市拱墅区和上海市南汇区是NANI的关键源区;以农业为主的香溪河流域化肥施入是NANI的主要来源;城镇化程度较高的太湖流域食品/饲料氮和肥料氮投入是NANI主要来源;农业绿色发展措施可显著减少人类活动净氮输入量。因此,在关键源区大力推广农业绿色发展措施,同时有效降低饲料和肥料的投入量,有利于控制农业面源污染。