Public understanding of protected area designation

Protected areas have a central role to play in educating people about biodiversity and nature conservation. However, there is little evidence regarding how effective public education efforts related to protected areas have been. We used on-site questionnaires at Sites of Special Scientific Interest to determine whether visitors to sites were aware of their protected status. Less than one-third of visitors knew the site they were visiting was a SSSI. However, there was substantial variation in understanding across sites (8-43%). When we compared this variation to five possible predictor variables, only membership of conservation organisations was retained in all models in the 95% confidence set, with members of these groups being better informed about protected area designations. However, the predictive power of all models was low. These results represent a challenge for those aiming to reengage people with conservation and the countryside, and to educate them about its value and contribution.     

A Prediction Model Framework for Cyber-Attacks to Precision Agriculture Technologies

This study examines farmer-consumer interactions from the perspective of 30 Alabama farmers that are predominantly selling their produce directly to consumers via farmers’ markets, on-site sales, and roadside markets. The findings demonstrate that respondents are actively engaged in educating consumers in several ways; for instance, providing recommendations and food tastings, while those growers that are involved in agritourism are—whether consciously or unconsciously—also educating visitors about the farm and its produce. Clearly, the importance of direct sales may be a compelling argument for farmers to be involved in educational activities. However, given the current emphasis that government, consumer groups, and consumers themselves are placing on healthier diets and the social aspect of local food consumption, the future implications for food growers with regard to consumer education may extend beyond the sales aspect.     

The wildlife preferences shown by countryside visitors

This study presents the data from part of a questionnaire survey in the Dalby Forest Area, Yorkshire, England. Of nearly 200 species mentioned, visitors hoped prior to their visit that they would see roe deer, badgers, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, woodpeckers, kingfishers and adders, but the survey indicated that what they had in fact seen was very different. The number of times that visitors mentioned five groups of wildlife (mammals, birds, plants, trees and insects) altered with four different questions used, indicating that the degree of interaction that a visitor had with these groups varied at different physical, aesthetic and emotional levels.     

The conservation value of farmland ponds: Predicting water beetle assemblages using vascular plants as a surrogate group

Ponds are among the most diverse and yet threatened components of freshwater biodiversity. The conservation of ponds would greatly benefit from the identification of surrogate taxa in preliminary assessments aimed at detecting ponds of potentially high biodiversity value. Here, we used predictive co-correspondence analysis (Co-CA) to quantify the strength of plant species composition and plant community types in predicting multivariate patterns in water beetle assemblages, based on data from 54 farmland ponds in Ireland. The predictive accuracy of a number of environmental variables as well as that of plant diversity (species richness and evenness) was calculated using predictive canonical correspondence analysis (CCA-PLS). The study ponds supported over 30% of the Irish water beetle fauna (76 species), with five species having some form of IUCN Red List Status in Ireland, as well as 67 wetland plant species, including a nationally rare one. Co-CA showed that plant species composition had a positive predictive accuracy, which was significantly higher compared to that of data at the plant community type level. Although environmental variables showed a higher predictive capacity compared to that of plant species composition, the difference was not significant. Explanatory CCA analyses showed that plants and beetles both responded to the same subset of environmental conditions, which explained approximately 18% of the variation in both plant and beetle species composition. Regional differences as well as permanency, substratum, and grazing intensity affected the composition of both plant and beetle assemblages. These findings have important implications in conservation planning. First, wetland plants can be effectively used as a surrogate taxon in the identification of conservation-priority ponds. Second, conservation strategies aimed at maintaining and enhancing pond biodiversity should be based on considerations on plant species composition.     

华北丘陵及平原有机及常规农田地表蜘蛛多样性研究

为满足日益增长的粮食需求,丘陵地区的农业发展已受到越来越多的重视,而农业集约化生产是导致生物多样性丧失的主要原因之一。为了解地形区域、生产管理模式及边界树篱带对农田地表天敌多样性的影响,在我国华北典型农区,选取5种农田,包括丘陵地区的常规管理无植物篱玉米地(CM)、常规管理有植物篱玉米地(CMH)、有机管理无植物篱玉米地(OM)、有机管理有植物篱玉米地(OMH)和平原地区常规管理无植物篱玉米地(PCM),于2019年8—9月采用陷阱法展开蜘蛛多样性调查。结果表明:处于丘陵地区的玉米地蜘蛛的香农多样性和物种稀疏指数显著高于平原地区,有机管理下的玉米地蜘蛛物种稀疏指数显著高于常规管理下的玉米地,有植物篱的玉米地蜘蛛的物种稀疏指数高于无植物篱的玉米地;且丘陵与平原、有植物篱与无植物篱、有机和常规管理下蜘蛛群落结构显著不同。基于上述研究结果,研究建议农业发展和生物多样性保护应当加强区域土地利用规划和分区管理;丘陵地区因受人类干扰较小,维持了较平原地区更高的蜘蛛物种库,可以作为集约化农区生物多样性保护的热点区,农业发展应优先规划发展低集约化的生产模式(如有机农业等),并加强景观多样性建设。而平原地区也应合理保留农田半自然边界带和降低集约化管理强度以推动生态环境改善和绿色发展。     

Effect of increasing potassium levels for alleviating sodium chloride stress on the growth and yield of tomato

Abstract

The efficacy of using various levels of potassium (K) (4, 8, and 16 mM) under saline conditions to alleviate the detrimental effects of salt‐stress were studied using five tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) cultivars, ‘Strain 19’, ‘Pearson’, ‘Montecarlo’, ‘Maruthuam’, and ‘Pusa Rub’. Results of the study revealed that 50 mM sodium chloride (NaCl) in a Hoagland nutrient solution significantly reduced stem height, fruit weight, and whole plant dry weights, but increased number of fruits/plant and improved fruit quality by increasing total soluble solids. It did not significantly affect leaf count, percent fruit set, or dry weight. The addition of 4, 8 and 16 mM potassium nitrate (KNO₃) to the nutrient solution containing 50 mM NaCl resulted in sodium/potassium (Na/K) ratios of 12.5, 6.3, and 3.1, respectively. The Na/K ratios of 12.5 and 6.3 produced significant improvement in stem height, percent fruit set, number of fruits/plant, fruit weight, and whole plant dry weight. The Na/K ratio of 3.1 was found to be detrimental as it resulted in sharp reduction of plant dry weight compared to the control. Percent total soluble solids was not significantly affected by the addition of any level of K to the saline nutrient solution. The performance of the tomatoplant grown under saline conditions supplemented with K in the nutrient solution indicated a higher response at the lowest K concentration used in this study.     

Promoting community-based bird monitoring in the tropics: Conservation,research, environmental education,capacity-building,and local incomes

Long-term, locally-based biodiversity monitoring programs are essential for understanding and mitigating the effects of global change on tropical biodiversity while providing capacity-building, environmental education, and public outreach. However, these programs are lacking in most tropical countries. Birds are the best-known major group of organism, comprise excellent environmental indicators, are relatively easy to monitor, and are met with enthusiasm and interest by people worldwide. Bird monitoring programs using mist nets and bird banding (ringing) are especially valuable, as these well-established techniques enable the use of capture-mark-recapture (CMR) models to measure population change and other demographic parameters. Equally important for conservation, the ability to capture and release birds makes it possible to provide hands-on ornithological training and educational activities to students, conservationists, villagers, decision-makers, journalists, and other local people. Bird banding programs provide local jobs for research assistants, who often go on to productive careers in conservation, education, research, or ecotourism. Long-term bird banding stations also provide the nuclei, infrastructure, and staff for monitoring, education, and conservation programs focused on other taxa. As successful examples from Costa Rica and Ethiopia show, bird monitoring programs that integrate conservation, ecological research, environmental education, capacity-building, and income generation are cost-effective tools to achieve the goals of community-based biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction in the developing world. Therefore, locally-based and long-term bird monitoring programs should be encouraged, established, and funded throughout the tropics.     

Conservation of Northern European plant diversity: the correspondence with soil pH

Effective biodiversity conservation requires an analysis of the existing reserve system. In temperate and boreal regions, plant diversity has a strong positive association with soil pH. Consequently, in order to protect plant diversity effectively, a relatively large proportion of protected areas should be on high pH soils. Since biodiversity data are never complete for all taxa, biodiversity indicators, e.g., threatened species, should be used. We studied soil pH distributions in protected areas in Northern Europe and tested whether soil pH requirement differs between threatened and non-threatened bryophyte and vascular plant species. As result, the proportion of high pH soils in protected areas was significantly greater than the proportion of these soils in general. This ensures that a large regional pool of plant species preferring high pH soils is relatively well protected. Threatened and non-threatened species in Northern Europe did not differ in their soil pH requirements, but threatened species required a narrower soil pH range than non-threatened species. Consequently, threatened species diversity can be used for indicating overall plant diversity.     

Fungal diversity in set-aide agricultural soil investigated using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism

As part of the restoration of biodiversity on former agricultural land there has been focused on methods to enhance the rate of transition from agricultural land towards natural grasslands or forest ecosystems. Management practices such as sowing seed mixtures and inoculating soil of later successional stages have been used. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a managed plant community on the diversity of soil fungi in a newly abandoned agricultural land. A field site was set up consisting of 20 plots where the plant diversity was managed by either sowing 15 plant species, or natural colonization was allowed to occur. The plant mixture contained five species each of grasses, legumes and forbs that all were expected to occur at the site. A subset of the plots (five from each treatment) was inoculated with soil cores from a late successional stage. The plant community composition was subject to a principal component analysis based on the coverage of each species. Five years after abandonment, soil samples were taken from the plots, DNA was extracted and the ITS region of the rDNA gene was amplified using fluorescently labelled fungal specific primers (ITS 1F/ITS 4). The PCR products were digested using HinfI and TaqI and sequenced. Results from both restriction enzymes were combined and a principal component analysis performed on the presence/absence of fragments. Also the fungal diversity expressed as number of restriction fragments were analysed. There was significantly higher fungal species richness in the experimental plots compared to the forest and field soils, but no differences between sown and naturally colonized plots. The different plant treatments did not influence the below ground fungal community composition. Soil water content on the other hand had an impact on the fungal community composition.     

Experimental closure of footpaths in a woodland national nature reserve in Scotland

Visitors' reactions to six types of path barrier were recorded both by observation and by means of a questionnaire survey. ‘Natural’ barriers such as logs or branches were not very effective. A plank with notice was the most efficient barrier, and also the type most preferred by visitors. Barbed wire was effective but disliked by visitors. Few people objected to the closure of paths. Children and bird watchers took less notice of barriers than did other categories of visitors.     

昼夜连续照射LED红蓝光对不同品种生菜生长和品质的影响

为探究生菜对全生长期连续光照的响应及品种差异性,在密闭式植物工厂内,以LED红蓝光为光源研究了水培条件下常规光照（12h/12h,NL）与连续光照（24h/0h,CL）对5种生菜生长和品质的影响。结果表明：与常规光照（NL）处理相比,连续光照（CL）处理显著提高了除“大卫”外其它4种生菜的地上部鲜重,其中“绿罗”生菜增加幅度最高。生长初期连续光照（CL）处理下5种生菜叶片叶绿素含量显著高于常规光照（NL）处理,但在生长后期,5种生菜两个处理下的叶绿素含量均无显著差异。与常规光照处理相比,连续光照处理显著提高了5种生菜可溶性糖、总酚和类黄酮含量,以及其中2种紫叶生菜的花青素含量。除“绿罗”外,其它4个品种连续光照处理下的抗坏血酸总量均略有或显著升高,其中主要提高了还原型抗坏血酸的含量,对脱氢抗坏血酸含量的影响不显著。总之,全生长期连续光照能显著提高生菜的产量,促进可溶性糖和抗氧化物质合成;5个品种生菜对连续光照的适应性存在差异,其中“绿罗”的适应性最强;全生长期连续光照运用于植物工厂生菜生产对提高产量和品质的潜力较大。     

The use and attraction of nature trails in upland Britain

Although there are now a large number of nature trails in Britain, there has so far been little investigation of their use and effectiveness. This study presents data from interviews of visitors at ten upland trail sites.At sites having a trail and no other facilities numbers of visitors were less than a third of those at sites with other attractions. Most trail sites attracted a largely middle-class clientele. The trails appear to have increased numbers of visitors, and some people may have stopped because the presence of the trail indicated that the site was suitable for other activities.Most people seemed satisfied with the detail provided in the booklets, but many expected to see more animals or plants.In relation to their possible roles in education, publicity, management and recreation in the countryside, some trails were considered doubtfully effective, and possibly wrongly located.     

桉树林和针阔混交林对植物多样性的影响比较

为了系统评价桉树林和针阔混交林对生物多样性的影响,采用立地条件控制及空间代替时间法,对南亚热带桉树林（2代和1代）和针阔混交林（10～11 a生和5～7 a生）乔木层、灌木层和草本层生物多样性进行了比较。结果表明,针阔混交林Ⅰ（10～11 a生）有68种植物,隶属38科62属,桉树林Ⅱ（桉树2代）有41种,隶属26科39属,针阔混交林Ⅲ（5～7 a生）有53种植物,隶属30科48属,桉树林Ⅳ（桉树1代）有55种植物,隶属33科51属。针阔混交林乔木层重要值较大的科为杉科、樟科、金缕梅科、大戟科、山茶科、木兰科和楝科,灌木层为五加科和大戟科,草本层以禾本科、鳞始蕨科和乌毛蕨科为主。桉树林乔木层重要值较大的科为桃金娘科、芸香科、樟科、大戟科和漆树科,灌木层为冬青科、樟科、大戟科和芸香科,草本层以禾本科和里白科为主。4种试验林间乔木层、灌木层和草本层物种丰富度指数（S）、Shannon-Wiener指数（H’）、Simpson优势度指数（D）、Pielou均匀度指数（E）差异不显著（P > 0.05）。针阔混交林Ⅰ乔木层和灌木层H’指数、D指数及E指数显著高于草本层（P < 0.05）,桉树林Ⅱ乔木层、灌木层和草本层间H’指数、D指数及E指数均存在显著差异（P < 0.05）。针阔混交林乔木层均匀度指数（E）均大于桉树林。与针阔混交林Ⅲ相比,针阔混交林Ⅰ乔木层物种S,H’,D及E指数呈上升趋势,而灌木层和草本层呈下降趋势。与1代桉树林Ⅳ相比,2代桉树林Ⅱ灌木层和草本层S,H’和D指数呈下降趋势。研究结果为桉树人工林物种多样性保护和可持续经营提供科学依据。     

Evaluating patterns of biodiversity in managed grasslands using spatial turnover metrics

Market and policy incentives that encourage agricultural intensification, such as incentives for bioenergy, may contribute to biodiversity decline when they encourage a large-scale conversion of native and semi-natural ecosystems to production fields. In order to appreciate the impact of these incentives on biodiversity, it is imperative to better understand how native and semi-natural ecosystems contribute to plant diversity and composition. We studied the five most common types of managed grasslands in Northeastern Kansas, a region undergoing agricultural intensification. We analyzed plant community data recorded at three spatial scales in 98 managed grassland sites, and examined patterns of diversity and composition of plant species and functional groups; and spatial turnover of species and functional groups measured at different spatial scales. We found reduced soil quality and plant diversity as well as a lack of scale-dependent community patterns on sites that were historically cultivated. Forage management practices (haying or grazing) altered plant diversity and composition in native grassland remnants but not in non-native grasslands. We identified several opportunities where changes to existing management practices could benefit both conservation and bioenergy production objectives. Recommendations to conserve biodiversity include increasing the use of hay management or other biomass collection on native grassland remnants and improving the Conservation Reserve Program by increasing enrollment, adding more native species to seed mixes, and incorporating a periodic biomass collection. We also found that using measures of spatial turnover in community composition added important insights in understanding the effects of management decisions on biodiversity.     

The trauma of no-choice: Wild food ethnobotany in Yaghnobi and Tajik villages,Varzob Valley,Tajikistan

Due to global change and the migration crisis both needing rapid attention, there has been growing debate about the drivers of change in the diet of migrants. Our study aimed to evaluate the consequences of forced resettlement on local ecological knowledge related to wild food plants among forcefully resettled Yaghnobi people in Tajikistan. We conducted 49 semi-structured in-depth interviews and recorded 27 wild food taxa and five unidentified folk taxa used by Yaghnobis and Tajiks in the villages surrounding Yaghnob Valley (including families ressetteled from Yaghnob Valley) in central Tajikitsan. The comparision between the two considered groups showed a high level of Tajikisation among Yaghnobis, both those who live alongside Tajiks as well as those living separately. The few families that still have distinct Yaghnobi plant uses are the ones which were given the opportunity to choose the spot in which to relocate and still visit the Yaghnob Valley regularly. On the basis of our study, we suggest that affording a choice of where to relocate is better than no choice, as the loss of motivation also affects the use of wild food plants. Given the pressure of the possible relocation of many groups of people in the light of global change, we suggest focusing efforts on studying similar cases in order to minimize the damage caused to people by relocation. The trauma of forced relocation, even just a few kilometers away, directly or indirectly affects wild food plant use and with this the food security of the community.

     

Characterizing Farmer Users and Nonusers of Mass Media as Channels of Agricultural Information in Benue State,Nigeria

This study characterized farmer users and nonusers of mass media as channels of agricultural information. A structured interview was used to obtain data from 316 randomly selected farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. The data were subjected to discriminant analysis and the following socioeconomic characteristics significantly differed at a 5% level of probability between users and nonusers of mass media (and their F-ratio values): education (6.30), income (5.12), gender (4.84), and socioeconomic status (4.83). Farmer users of mass media are therefore those who have good level of education, belong to a relatively high income bracket, and are typically male and of a relatively high socioeconomic status. Farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics should be considered in planning mass media usage in agricultural information dissemination.     

Factors influencing public preferences for invasive alien species management

Invasive species research has traditionally focused on the ecological aspects of invasions and their threats to biodiversity. Few studies have incorporated social dimensions of invasive alien species (IAS) management. In this study, we surveyed visitors (N = 1166) to Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA, USA, to measure their knowledge of, attitudes toward, and preferences for various IAS management options. Multinomial logistic regression, two-step cluster analysis, and the Potential for Conflict Index were used to determine factors that predict support for IAS control, identify subgroups of visitors with unique management preferences, and evaluate the level of consensus among these distinct groups. Results showed that, although knowledge and perceived threat scores were related to management preferences, environmental attitude orientations were the best indicators of support for IAS control. Absolute ecocentric visitors (typically younger, less educated individuals with less experience in parks) believed that all living things have a right to coexist without disruption and favored a hands-off management approach. Adaptive ecocentric visitors (typically older, more educated individuals with more experience in parks) believed that some degree of human interference is necessary to maintain ecosystem integrity and favored hands-on management. Despite these different perspectives, adaptive on-site control of invasive species was viewed as the most acceptable and least controversial management option across all visitor subgroups. This study may inform IAS management practices by providing a framework for identifying stakeholder characteristics and synthesizing public preferences to minimize conflict and highlight ecologically beneficial and socially acceptable outcomes.     

Does science replace traditions? Correlates between traditional Tibetan culture and local bird diversity in Southwest China

A positive relationship between traditional cultures and biodiversity exists worldwide, but when traditional and formal conservation institutions coexist, how they interact and affect biodiversity remains poorly studied. From 2005 to 2007, we studied the relationship between Tibetan traditional practices and biodiversity. Specifically, how traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and scientific ecological knowledge (SEK) affect local biodiversity by affecting people’s attitudes and behaviors towards conservation. We interviewed 331 villagers in nine Tibetan villages in Sichuan Province, China. We used proxy questions to measure the traditional practices, TEK, SEK, conservation attitudes and behaviors of village residents. Meanwhile, we assessed the bird diversity around the villages by stratified sampling and point counts. The results indicate traditional practices exhibited a strong positive correlation with TEK, but a negative correlation with formal education and SEK. The villagers with high traditional practices had more positive attitudes towards conservation and more actively participated in conservation than villagers with low traditional practices, and villagers with medium traditional practices were the least concerned about, or participated in, conservation activities. Bird species richness, abundance, and the Shannon–Wiener diversity index were positively correlated with the traditional practice index of each village. The results of a negative binomial regression showed the traditional practice index was a positive correlative factor of bird species richness, while formal education was not a significant variable, after controlling for other potential sampling and environment factors. Government-sponsored conservation education was somewhat successful in raising people’s environmental awareness, but these efforts have yet to correlate with enhanced biodiversity measures.