Modelling dynamics of ecosystem services basket in Mediterranean landscapes: a tool for rational management

Natural ecosystems are life-supporting systems providing diverse ecosystem services (ESs) and benefits to human societies: e.g., food and clean water, recreation opportunities or climate regulation. The contribution of natural and semi-natural ecosystems to the provision of such services depends to a large extent on vegetation structure and composition, which, in turn, change as a result of interactions between human decisions about land management, and spontaneous biological and environmental processes. Rational management of these dynamic ecosystems requires an ability to predict short- and long-term effects of management decisions on the desired ESs. The vegetation then contributes to, and modifies, the products and services obtained from the land. We applied mathematical modeling to study these complex relationships. We developed a model for a Mediterranean ecosystem which predicts the dynamics of multiple services in response to management scenarios, mediated by vegetation changes. Six representative ESs representing different groups were selected, based on available scientific information, for a detailed study: (1) density of geophytes, (2) potential contribution to honey production, (3) energy density of fleshy fruits foraged by birds, (4) forage for goats, (5) forage for cattle, and (6) carbon retention in woody plants. Mean contributions to each service by different vegetation cover types were estimated, and the overall service provided by the site was calculated as a weighted mean of these contributions. Services were measured in their appropriate units and subsequently standardized to a percentage of the maximum value observed in the study area. We attempted to combine all studied ESs, despite their different nature, into one “ESs basket”. This paper presents the dynamics of simulated vegetation composition and values of services in response to management scenarios involving grazing, fire and their combinations. Our approach can help land managers to evaluate alternative management scenarios by presenting the “services basket” obtained from the entire managed area.     

Behavior as a tool for assessing a managed landscape: a case study of the Karner blue butterfly

In an increasingly human-dominated landscape, effective management of disturbance-maintained ecosystems, such as grasslands and savannas, is critical to the conservation of biodiversity. Yet, the response of individual organisms to landscapes created by disturbances and management is rarely studied. In this study, we examined the endangered Karner blue butterfly, Lycaeides melissa samuelis, in a heterogeneous oak savanna. Our objective was to quantify the butterfly’s habitat use and behavior to assess the effects of prescribed burning. The oak savanna management in Ohio, USA divides each Karner blue site (n = 4) into three units. Each one-third unit is then burned, mowed, or unmanaged in an annual rotation within each site, and the result is a fire return interval of ~3 years. Our surveys measured habitat use, while behavior observations quantified reproduction and foraging for the two annual broods. Our habitat use results showed burned treatments were recolonized quickly, but there was not a clear selection for burned treatments. Foraging rates were similar in all treatments; however, females oviposited significantly less in unmanaged treatments (only 5 of 127 ovipositions). This oviposition preference was likely due to habitat degradation and the availability of recently burned, early successional habitat. Since Karner blues avoided reproduction in units unburned for ≥4 years, these units could be burned to create high quality early successional habitat. These results demonstrate how behavioral decisions can be pivotal forces driving spatial population dynamics. Our case study demonstrates how a fine-scale landscape perspective combined with measurements of behavioral processes can assist with management decision-making.     

Integrative approach for landscape-based graph connectivity analysis: a case study with the common frog (Rana temporaria) in human-dominated landscapes

Graph-based analysis is a promising approach for analyzing the functional and structural connectivity of landscapes. In human-shaped landscapes, species have become vulnerable to land degradation and connectivity loss between habitat patches. Movement across the landscape is a key process for species survival that needs to be further investigated for heterogeneous human-dominated landscapes. The common frog (Rana temporaria) was used as a case study to explore and provide a graph connectivity analysis framework that integrates habitat suitability and dispersal responses to landscape permeability. The main habitat patches influencing habitat availability and connectivity were highlighted by using the software Conefor Sensinode 2.2. One of the main advantages of the presented graph-theoretical approach is its ability to provide a large choice of variables to be used based on the study’s assumptions and knowledge about target species. Based on dispersal simulation modelling in potential suitable habitat corridors, three distinct patterns of nodes connections of differing importance were revealed. These patterns are locally influenced by anthropogenic barriers, landscape permeability, and habitat suitability. And they are affected by different suitability and availability gradients to maximize the best possible settlement by the common frog within a terrestrial habitat continuum. The study determined the key role of landscape-based approaches for identifying the “availability-suitability-connectivity” patterns from a local to regional approach to provide an operational tool for landscape planning.     

Impacts of changing climate and land use on vegetation dynamics in a Mediterranean ecosystem: insights from paleoecology and dynamic modeling

Forests near the Mediterranean coast have been shaped by millennia of human disturbance. Consequently, ecological studies relying on modern observations or historical records may have difficulty assessing natural vegetation dynamics under current and future climate. We combined a sedimentary pollen record from Lago di Massacciucoli, Tuscany, Italy with simulations from the LandClim dynamic vegetation model to determine what vegetation preceded intense human disturbance, how past changes in vegetation relate to fire and browsing, and the potential of an extinct vegetation type under present climate. We simulated vegetation dynamics near Lago di Massaciucoli for the last 7,000 years using a local chironomid-inferred temperature reconstruction with combinations of three fire regimes (small infrequent, large infrequent, small frequent) and three browsing intensities (no browsing, light browsing, and moderate browsing), and compared model output to pollen data. Simulations with low disturbance support pollen-inferred evidence for a mixed forest dominated by Quercus ilex (a Mediterranean species) and Abies alba (a montane species). Whereas pollen data record the collapse of A. alba after 6000 cal yr bp, simulated populations expanded with declining summer temperatures during the late Holocene. Simulations with increased fire and browsing are consistent with evidence for expansion by deciduous species after A. alba collapsed. According to our combined paleo-environmental and modeling evidence, mixed Q. ilex and A. alba forests remain possible with current climate and limited disturbance, and provide a viable management objective for ecosystems near the Mediterranean coast and in regions that are expected to experience a mediterranean-type climate in the future.     

Human appropriated net primary productivity as a metric for land use planning: a case study in the US Great Lakes region

Context

Human appropriation of net primary productivity (HANPP) is employed as a measure of human pressures on biodiversity, though largely at global and national scales rather than landscape to regional scales where many conservation decisions take place. Though gaining in familiarity, HANPP is not widely utilized by conservation professionals.

Objectives

This study, encompassing the US side of the Great Lakes basin, examines how regional distributions of HANPP relate to landscape-based biodiversity proxy metrics used by conservation professionals. Our objectives were (1) to quantify the HANPP of managed lands at the county scale; and (2) to assess spatial patterns of HANPP in comparison to landscape diversity and local habitat connectedness to determine if the metric can provide useful information to conservation professionals.

Methods

We aggregated forest and cropland NPP data between 2005 and 2015 and coupled it with previously published potential vegetation maps to quantify the HANPP of each county in the study region. We mapped the outputs at 500 m resolution to analyze spatial relationships between HANPP and landscape metrics of biodiversity potential.

Results

Area-weighted HANPP across our study region averaged 45% of NPP, down to 4.9% in forest-dominated counties. Greater HANPP correlated with reduced landscape diversity (p?<?0.001, r²?=?0.28) and reduced local habitat connectedness (p?<?0.001, r²?=?0.36).

Conclusion

HANPP could be used as an additional tool for conservation professionals during regional-scale land use planning or conservation decision-making, particularly in mixed-use landscapes that both support important biodiversity and have high levels of primary production harvest.

     

Graph theory as an invasive species management tool: case study in the Sonoran Desert

Context

Biodiversity in arid regions is usually concentrated around limited water resources, so natural resource managers have constructed artificial water catchments in many areas to supplement natural waters. Because invasive species may also use these waters, dispersing into previously inaccessible areas, the costs and benefits of artificial waters must be gauged and potential invasion- and climate change-management strategies assayed.

Objectives

We present a network analysis framework to identify waters that likely contribute to the spread of invasive species.

Methods

Using the Sonoran Desert waters network and the American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)—a known predator, competitor, and carrier of pathogens deadly to other amphibians—as an example, we quantified the structural connectivity of the network to predict regional invasion potential under current and two future scenarios (climate change and management reduction) to identify waters to manage and monitor for invasive species.

Results

We identified important and vulnerable waters based on connectivity metrics under scenarios representing current conditions, projected climate-limited conditions, and conditions based on removal of artificial waters. We identified 122,607 km² of land that could be used as a buffer against invasion and 67,745 km² of land that could be augmented by artificial water placement without facilitating invasive species spread.

Conclusions

Structural connectivity metrics can be used to evaluate alternative management strategies for invasive species and climate mitigation.

     

Land-use changes and sustainable development in mountain areas: a case study in the Spanish Pyrenees

Land-use changes affecting Mediterranean mountains represent the intensification of use in valley bottoms, accompanied by land-use conflicts, and a generalized abandonment of the hillslopes, which in the past were perfectly integrated in the system of land management. Farmland abandonment, reforestation, diminution of the livestock pressure and substitution of cereal crops by meadows are the most outstanding features of the recent land-use changes. The question is whether the new spatial organisation is in accordance with a longterm policy of sustainable development in mountain areas. The results obtained confirm that farmland abandonment on steep slopes — and the resulting colonization of old fields by a dense shrub cover — and afforestation contribute to control both soil erosion and surface runoff. As a result some of the most important rivers and alluvial fans have recently stabilized their sedimentary structures.     

The influence of landscape on insect pest dynamics: a case study in southeastern France

Managing the spatial distribution of crop and non-crop habitats over landscapes could be used as a means to reduce insect pest densities. In this study, we investigated whether or not landscape characteristics affected the number of codling moths in commercial orchards. To do this, we collected overwintering larvae in 2006 and 2007 in 76 orchards over a 70 km2 area in southeastern France. We analysed variations in the number of larvae using correlation tests and linear models. As independent variables, we took both characteristics of focus orchards (pear vs. apple, organic vs. conventional orchards) and of their surrounding landscape (orchard density and hedgerow network attributes) into account in buffers with widths varying from 50 to 500 m. Although the codling moth is specialised on orchards, the number of codling moths was lower in orchards within a high orchard density area. There was some indication that this effect was mostly due to the density of conventional orchards and thus to the intensity of insecticide treatments. Conversely, we found no particular effect of abandoned or organic orchards. In 2006, the number of codling moths was also significantly lower in a focus orchard when the hedgerow network acted as a protection against the prevailing wind. Finally, major effects of landscape variables on the number of codling moths were observed for distances of less than 150 m from the focus orchards, suggesting that codling moth management should be organised over areas of about 16 ha. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Conservation planning with spatially explicit models: a case for horseshoe bats in complex mountain landscapes

Context

Context Bats are considered as an ecological indicator of habitat quality due to their sensitivity to human-induced ecosystem changes. Hence, we will focus the study on two indicator species of bats as a proxy to evaluate structure and composition of the landscape to analyze anthropic pressures driving changes in patterns.

Objectives

This study develops a spatially-explicit model to highlight key habitat nodes and corridors which are integral for maintaining functional landscape connectivity for bat movement. We focus on a complex mountain landscape and two bat species: greater (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) and lesser (Rhinolophus hipposideros) horseshoe bats which are known to be sensitive to landscape composition and configuration.

Methods

Species distribution models are used to delineate high-quality foraging habitat for each species using opportunistic ultrasonic bat data. We then performed connectivity analysis combining (modelled) suitable foraging habitat and (known) roost sites. We use graph-theory and the deviation in the probability of connectivity to quantify resilience of the landscape connectivity to perturbations.

Results

Both species were confined to lowlands (<1000 m elevation) and avoided areas with high road densities. Greater horseshoe bats were more generalist than lesser horseshoe bats which tended to be associated with broadleaved and mixed forests.

Conclusions

The spatially-explicit models obtained were proven crucial for prioritizing foraging habitats, roost sites and key corridors for conservation. Hence, our results are being used by key stakeholders to help integrate conservation measures into forest management and conservation planning at the regional level. The approach used can be integrated into conservation initiatives elsewhere.

     

The historical use of fire as a land management tool in New Zealand and the challenges for its continued use

Landscape Ecology - New Zealand’s use of fire as a land management tool has had an extensive and lasting impact on New Zealand’s rural landscapes. We reviewed the historical rural use...     

Spatio-temporal modelling of broad scale heterogeneity in soil moisture content: a basis for an ecologically meaningful classification of soil landscapes

We describe the classification of landscapes characterised bymineral soil using a model that calculates soil moisture availability on amonthly basis. Scotland is used as a case study area. The model uses potentialsoil moisture deficit, estimated using broad scale (40 × 40 km)climate patterns, in conjunction with meteorological station measurements toobtain finer scale values of climatic soil moisture deficit. Point estimates ofsoil available water are obtained for soil characteristics using appropriatepedotransfer functions, and geostatistical techniques are used to upscale theresults and interpolate to a 1-km grid. Known heterogeneityin soil physical characteristics is used to provide local corrections to thepotential soil moisture deficit, estimated using the climatic variables above.Temporal profiles of monthly water content are modelled for each1-km location and classified into six classes usingunsupervised cluster analysis. The spatial distribution of these classesreflects regional variations in the availability of moisture and energy, onwhich finer-grained topographic patterns are superimposed. In the case study,the broad scale spatial heterogeneity of heathlands and grasslands on mineralsoils in Scotland is shown to be strongly related to the soil moistureclassification. The results can be used in studies investigating the patternsofdistribution of communities at the landscape and regional scale.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Modelling the impacts of agriculture in mixed-use landscapes: a review and case study involving two species of dabbling ducks

Context

This study synthesizes evidence from three separate surveys of American Black Duck and Mallard breeding habitat usage to quantify the effects of agriculture at the landscape scale.

Objectives

To assess duck breeding activity in agricultural landscapes within the Canadian maritimes in order to measure the overall impact of agricultural land use, the response to particular agricultural activities, and the influence of landscape configuration.

Methods

Models, constructed using a long-term census (SURVEY1), were used to predict habitat selection for two other independent surveys (SURVEY2, SURVEY3). Predictions incorporated information about wetland area and diversity, as well as anthropogenic factors, allowing subsequent analyses to focus on the remaining residual error attributable to agricultural effects.

Results

SURVEY2 results demonstrated that the proportion of active agriculture is an important indicator of the severity of human disturbance, yielding threshold estimates of 39% for Mallards and 60% for Black Ducks, with an overall average of 50%. Agricultural conversion beyond these thresholds deterred breeding ducks independently of other factors. SURVEY3 land cover information demonstrated that the presence of cropland intensified this deterrence effect, even at levels as low as 10%. Woodland cover (in excess of 30%) was important for both species, but its configuration was not.

Conclusions

In addition to quantifying threshold effects, this study reaffirms that woodland is an important part of the maritime landscape matrix, and contributes positively to habitat diversity in mixed use, moderate intensity agricultural regions. Wetland restoration in agricultural landscapes should monitor and promote less crop-intensive, mixed-use practices.

     

Impact of urban greenspace spatial pattern on land surface temperature: a case study in Beijing metropolitan area,China

Landscape Ecology - Urban greenspace can significantly decrease the land surface temperature (LST). The spatial characteristics and vegetation composition of urban greenspace have a great influence...     

Re-think urban drainage following a SuDS retrofitting approach against urban flooding: A modelling investigation for an Italian case study

In the last decades, urban sprawl and soil sealing led to an increase of urban flooding phenomena. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) seem able to weaken stormwater-related criticalities, enhancing sustainability and city resilience.Relying on a detailed and feasible preparatory study of SuDS feasible retrofit design, based on a punctual identification of the areas suitable for retrofitting and the most appropriate combination of SuDS technologies, the reported research aimed to assess the effectiveness of a sustainable drainage approach in Sesto Ulteriano (Italy), an urban catchment suffering from stormwater management concerns. In particular, using the approach of a typical scenario analysis, this comparative modeling analysis involved SWMM5 for the assessment of the differences in the catchment hydrological behaviour between the mentioned specific and feasible SuDS retrofitting scenarios and a potential one, where non-specificity is considered for SuDS retrofitting location. Besides, the analyses focused on investigating how rainfall severity, areal extension and land use typical feature could influence the effectiveness of the sustainable redevelopment of the urban area.Results indicate that SuDS projects based on potential designs, which does not account for the feasible suds location, might result in a significant overestimation of the hydrological benefit. They showed, indeed, an improved hydrological performance, with average total volume reductions of the Combined Sewer Overflows up to over 70 % (retrofitting the 8.3 % of the catchment area), that is about 40 % higher than those obtained under the same areal extension by the feasible scenarios. Moreover, it was found that there could be an optimal SuDS retrofitting percentage above which additional hydrological benefits are undetectable. Land use, resulting in the variability in the degree of imperviousness necessarily associated to a variability in the retrofitting potential, also seemed to affect SuDS hydrological performance and for this reason should be included in an overall assessment. SuDS also proved to act successfully on the actual maximum percentage of nodes of the drainage network above a 0.7 filling degree threshold (about 52 % under 10-year return period rainfall) reducing it to 24 % with a feasible retrofitting involving the 8.3 % of the study area.     

Influence of land use on water quality in a tropical landscape: a multi-scale analysis

There is a pressing need to understand the consequences of human activities, such as land transformations, on watershed ecosystem services. This is a challenging task because different indicators of water quality and yield are expected to vary in their responsiveness to large versus local-scale heterogeneity in land use and land cover (LUC). Here we rely on water quality data collected between 1977 and 2000 from dozens of gauge stations in Puerto Rico together with precipitation data and land cover maps to (1) quantify impacts of spatial heterogeneity in LUC on several water quality indicators; (2) determine the spatial scale at which this heterogeneity influences water quality; and (3) examine how antecedent precipitation modulates these impacts. Our models explained 30–58% of observed variance in water quality metrics. Temporal variation in antecedent precipitation and changes in LUC between measurements periods rather than spatial variation in LUC accounted for the majority of variation in water quality. Urbanization and pasture development generally degraded water quality while agriculture and secondary forest re-growth had mixed impacts. The spatial scale over which LUC influenced water quality differed across indicators. Turbidity and dissolved oxygen (DO) responded to LUC in large-scale watersheds, in-stream nitrogen concentrations to LUC in riparian buffers of large watersheds, and fecal matter content and in-stream phosphorus concentration to LUC at the sub-watershed scale. Stream discharge modulated impacts of LUC on water quality for most of the metrics. Our findings highlight the importance of considering multiple spatial scales for understanding the impacts of human activities on watershed ecosystem services.     

Correction to: Individual based modelling of fish migration in a 2-D river system: model description and case study

Landscape Ecology - In the original publication of the article, the third author name has been misspelt. The correct name is given in this Correction. The original version of this article was revised.     

Landscape planning for a rural ecosystem: case study of a resettlement area for residents from land submerged by the Three Gorges Reservoir,China

The goals of landscape planning are multiple for rural ecosystems of the resettlement area in the Hubei Province of China. They relate to the types, diversity and patterns of the ecosystems, and to the conservation of ecosystem functions and biodiversity. We were interested in the improvement of socio-economic conditions, and the promotion of the development of farmland ecosystems and natural forest ecosystems. The landscape planning took into account the conservation and the restoration of forestlands, and the reconstructions of farmlands, towns and villages. The areas of towns and villages were assigned by trade-off analysis balancing ecological, economic and social benefits. The spatial pattern of used lands was designed by a multi-criteria optimal spatial planning, resulting in the strengthening of some primary ecosystem functions. In the resettlement area forests will expand to a matrix, and cropland patches together with tree fences will form patch-corridor systems. Significant ecological, economic and social benefits can be derived from this landscape pattern.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Evaluating methods for identifying large mammal road crossing locations: black bears as a case study

Landscape Ecology - Roads have several negative effects on large mammals including restricting movements, isolating populations, and mortality due to vehicle collisions. Where large mammals...     

Climate and land change impacts on future managed wetland habitat: a case study from California’s Central Valley

Landscape Ecology - California’s Central Valley provides critical habitat for migratory waterbirds, yet only 10% of naturally occurring wetlands remain. Competition for limited water supplies...     

Using step and path selection functions for estimating resistance to movement: pumas as a case study

Context

GPS telemetry collars and their ability to acquire accurate and consistently frequent locations have increased the use of step selection functions (SSFs) and path selection functions (PathSFs) for studying animal movement and estimating resistance. However, previously published SSFs and PathSFs often do not accommodate multiple scales or multi-scale modeling.

Objectives

We present a method that allows multiple scales to be analyzed with SSF and PathSF models. We also explore the sensitivity of model results and resistance surfaces to whether SSFs or PathSFs are used, scale, prediction framework, and GPS collar sampling interval.

Methods

We use 5-min GPS collar data from pumas (Puma concolor) in southern California to model SSFs and PathSFs at multiple scales, to predict resistance using two prediction frameworks (paired and unpaired), and to explore potential bias from GPS collar sampling intervals.

Results

Regression coefficients were extremely sensitive to scale and pumas exhibited multiple scales of selection during movement. We found PathSFs produced stronger regression coefficients, larger resistance values, and superior model performance than SSFs. We observed more heterogeneous surfaces when resistance was predicted in a paired framework compared with an unpaired framework. Lastly, we observed bias in habitat use and resistance results when using a GPS collar sampling interval longer than 5 min.

Conclusions

The methods presented provide a novel way to model multi-scale habitat selection and resistance from movement data. Due to the sensitivity of resistance surfaces to method, scale, and GPS schedule, care should be used when modeling corridors for conservation purposes using these methods.