Urbanization and homogenization - Comparing the floras of urban and rural areas in Germany

The process of urbanization has resulted in an expansion of alien plant species and declines of native species, in particular already rare species. These processes may cause a greater similarity between different urban regions, i.e. biotic homogenization. We explored the relationship between urban regions and homogenization for plant species in Germany using (i) all plant species, (ii) only native species, (iii) all alien species and only those introduced (iv) before or (v) after 1500, respectively. We used the database FLORKART for species distribution on a 6 min latitude × 10 min longitude (ca. 130 km²) scale. We calculated mean similarities for the 60 “most urbanized” cells. We then resampled 60 randomly drawn “less urbanized” cells and 60 “rural” cells and compared these results to the “most urbanized” cells taking distance effects into account. Urbanization does not have an overall effect on homogenization of all species, but native species as well as pre-1500 alien plant assemblages show effects of homogenization while post-1500 alien plant assemblages show the opposite effect. On a regional scale, urbanization is not unequivocally related to homogenization. This might be different when extending the analysed range across several bioclimatic regions. Specific urban habitats, or what remains of them, require special protection and management if the trend towards homogenization is to be avoided.     

Assessing potential production of maize using simulation models for land evaluation in Brazil

Abstract. The paper highlights the advantages of modelling to simulate dynamic processes and to couple environmental data more closely with effects on crops. The CERES-Maize crop model and the DSSAT software package were selected for the work and the region of the Triângulo Mineiro in the state of Minas Gerais was selected as the study area. The results showed that there are differences in the potential production of the Latosols of the Triângulo Mineiro and this should be taken into account when extrapolating or transferring technology for other regions within the same cerrado ecosystem of central-west Brazil. It is essential to improve the number of points with weather data collection since, as demonstrated for Frutal, the climate of the Triângulo can determine differences in potential agricultural production as well as risk for production. The study showed that the use of crop models can improve land suitability evaluations, for land use planning, or establishing strategies for rural funding.     

The impact of erosion on the productivity of a Ferralsol and a Cambisol in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil

Abstract. The impact of soil erosion on soil productivity was estimated for a Rhodic Ferralsol and a Eutric Cambisol in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Over equivalent periods, total soil losses were an order of magnitude different (868 and 68 t/ha respectively on the bare soil control), yet the impact on maize yield per tonne of soil lost was far greater at the Cambisol site with less erosion. Similar interesting contrasts between sites were found for the other measures of impact with decline in pH and phosphorus and increase in free aluminium being the most obvious induced soil differences. The results demonstrate the variable nature of erosion impact according to soil type and they highlight the importance of examining a number of measures of impact before pronouncing on the sustainability of any particular agricultural practice.     

Changing sediment yield as an indicator of improved soil management practices in southern Brazil

Catchment-level soil and water conservation programmes have been widely employed in Brazil. An important component of these programmes is the implementation of water and sediment monitoring projects to evaluate the impact of changes in soil management on water resources. In general, results from monitoring projects have been inconclusive, due to a series of difficulties associated with data collection and limited timeframes. This study presents results from a hydrosedimentological monitoring project undertaken in a small (1.19 km²) rural catchment in Southern Brazil before and after the introduction of conservation tillage practices implemented by the RS-RURAL — Program Against Rural Poverty. These practices, including use of winter cover crops and minimum tillage tobacco cultivation, were gradually adopted by local farmers. Data on precipitation, runoff volume, maximum flow and sediment yield were assembled for representative storm events occurring between May 2002 and March 2006, and analyzed to identify changes in the storm runoff and storm-period sediment response of the study catchment. The results provide evidence of statistically significant reductions in storm runoff, maximum flow rate and sediment yield after implementation of the conservation practices. Sediment sources were also investigated using the fingerprinting technique and this work demonstrated a statistically significant reduction over the study period in the proportion of the sediment contributed by fields (62% to 54%) and unmetalled roads (36% to 24%). This reduction was offset by an increased contribution of sediment from channel sources (2% to 22%). The increased proportion of sediment mobilized from the channel is in part a function of the reduced contribution from the two other sources, but it also reflects the reduction in sediment inputs to the channel from the fields and unmetalled roads, which results in an increase in the energy available for channel scour. Results emphasize the complexity of the relationship between sediment yield, the effects of climactic variability, and changes in land use and management.     

Assessing the performance of the existing and proposed network of marine protected areas to conserve marine biodiversity in Chile

The growing concern about the profound influence of human activities on marine ecosystems has been the driving force behind the creation of marine reserves in the last few decades. With almost 4200 km of coastline, Chile has not been the exception to this trend. A set of conservation priority sites has recently been proposed by the Chilean government to expand the current marine reserve network. In this study, we used the most comprehensive information currently available on the distribution of 2513 marine species in Chile to assess the efficiency of the existing system of marine protected areas (MPA) and the conservation priority sites identified by the government. Additionally, we evaluated the vulnerability of the reserve network selected with respect to threatening human activities. Our results show that both the existing protected areas and the proposed priority sites are relatively effective at protecting Chilean marine biodiversity. However, the majority of the species that are not represented within the existing or projected MPA network have very restricted distributions and are, therefore, of high conservation concern. To cover all species requires a network of 35 MPAs (46% of the total number of planning units). Many of the sites identified as irreplaceable present conflict with one or more human activities, particularly in the central region of the country. This study emphasizes the need for a systematic conservation planning approach to maximize the representation of species and prioritize those areas where conflicts between marine biodiversity conservation and human activities may occur.     

Sediment pollution in the southern baltic

In 1991 geochemical mapping of sediments in the southern Baltic was begun by the Polish Geological Institute, Marine Geology Branch to determine sediment pollution, sediment spreading and the rate of accumulation of pollutants to define ‘hot-spot’ regions. the initial results on the concentration of heavy metals in 36 samples collected in the Gdansk Basin are presented. One ‘hot-spot’ is the network of channels in Gdansk Harbour where the bottom sediment (sludge) is highly contaminated. Sampling results and proposals for dredging, separation of the sand fraction, dewatering and the deposition of sludge are discussed.     

Organic carbon stocks in the soils of Brazil

Abstract. Soil organic carbon stocks to 1 m for Brazil, calculated using an updated Soil and Terrain (SOTER) database and simulation of phenoforms , are 65.9–67.5 Pg C, of which 65% is in the Amazonian region of Brazil. Other researchers have obtained similar gross results, despite very different spatial patterns mapped due to use of different methods.     

Connectivity of litter islands remaining after a fire and unburnt forest determines the recovery of soil fauna

Forest wildfires can dramatically affect soil communities and reduce abundance and diversity of soil fauna. The recovery of soil animals after a fire depends both on immigration from the unburnt forest and on local survival in less-burnt spots, but the relative importance of these mechanisms is poorly known. Therefore, these factors were studied with regard to soil macrofauna and soil mites seven years after a wildfire occurring in a pine forest area with shallow soil in 2001 in central Sweden. Three replicate transects, each consisting of four plots were studied. The plots were located in (i) the unburnt forest close to the fire edge; (ii) slightly burnt patches directly attached to the unburnt forest; (iii) slightly burnt patches surrounded by bare rock but connected to the unburnt forest edge by a corridor with mostly unburnt litter and vegetation; and (iv) island patches not connected with a corridor to the unburnt forest edge. The hypothesis was that that soil animals would particularly disperse from the unburnt forest to moderately burnt plots inside a burnt area via the network of less-burnt corridors. Poor dispersers would be especially few in the island patches lacking connection to the “mainland”, whereas good dispersers would be independent of gaps in connectivity. As expected, the highest abundance of both macrofauna and oribatid mites was found in the unburnt forest. Resident soil macro- and mesofauna representatives had half the abundance in the edge and corridor plots as compared to the control, but their abundance was not lower in the island plots than in the corridor plots indicating on-site survival and recovery. Mobile mesostigmatid mites did not show any significant reduction of abundance in any of the plots. The abundance of soil-dwelling oribatid mites did not differ between islands and unburnt forest, but mobile aboveground oribatids had significantly lower abundance on the islands than in the unburnt forest. The opposite was observed for aboveground and belowground oribatid mite species richness. In conclusion, belowground animals showed mainly local survival and seemed to be independent of corridors presence, whereas most aboveground and mobile macro- and mesofauna seemed to be more responsive to isolation induced by forest fires. Soil and litter corridors connecting unburnt patches inside the burnt forests with the unburnt edges were important mainly for less mobile groups of soil macrofauna. This supports the idea that there is a relatively slow process of soil ecosystem recovery and that external colonization of the burnt areas dominates over the local survival and recovery from refuges.     

The conservation value of urban riparian areas for landbirds during spring migration: Land cover, scale, and vegetation effects

Urbanization changes bird community structure during the breeding season but little is known about its effects on migrating birds. We examined patterns of habitat use by birds at the local and landscape level during 2002 spring migration at 71 riparian plots along an urban gradient in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Using linear regression, we examined variation in relative density, species richness, and evenness of four migratory guilds associated with natural land covers and building area at four scales (50, 100, 250, 500 m radial buffers). We also examined the influence of local vegetation using multiple regression models. As building area increased, riparian forests tended to be narrower and have fewer native trees and shrubs. In general, native birds were positively associated with tree cover (within 250-500 m of stream) and native vegetation, and negatively with building area (within 250 m); exotic species responded inversely to these measures. Short-distance migrants and permanent residents displayed the weakest responses to landscape and vegetation measures. Neotropical migrants responded strongest to landscape and vegetation measures and were positively correlated with areas of wide riparian forests and less development (>250 m). Resident Neotropical migrants increased with wider riparian forests (>500 m) without buildings, while en-route migrants utilized areas having a wide buffer of tree cover (250-500 m) regardless of buildings; both were positively associated with native vegetation composition and mature trees. Consequently, developed areas incorporating high native tree cover are important for conserving Neotropical migrants during stopover.     

Organic farming fosters agroecosystem functioning in Argentinian temperate soils: Evidence from litter decomposition and soil fauna

Benefits of organic farming on soil fauna have been widely observed and this has led to consider organic farming as a potential approach to reduce the environmental impact of conventional agriculture. However, there is still little evidence from field conditions about direct benefits of organic agriculture on soil ecosystem functioning. Hence, the aims of this study were to compare the effect of organic farming versus conventional farming on litter decomposition and to study how this process is affected by soil meso- and macrofauna abundances. Systems studied were: (1) organic farming with conventional tillage (ORG), (2) conventional farming with conventional tillage (CT), (3) conventional farming under no-tillage (NT), and (4) natural grassland as control system (GR). Decomposition was determined under field conditions by measuring weight loss in litterbags. Soil meso- and macrofauna contribution on decomposition was evaluated both by different mesh sizes and by assessing their abundances in the soil. Litter decomposition was always significantly higher after 9 and 12 months in ORG than in CT and NT (from 2 to 5 times in average), regardless decomposer community composition and litter type. Besides, mesofauna, macrofauna and earthworm abundances were significantly higher in ORG than in NT and CT (from 1.6 to 3.8, 1.7 to 2.3 and 16 to 25 times in average, respectively for each group). These results are especially relevant firstly because the positive effect of ORG in a key soil process has been proved under field conditions, being the first direct evidence that organic farming enhances the decomposition process. And secondly because the extensive organic system analyzed here did not include several practices which have been recognized as particularly positive for soil biota (e.g. manure use, low tillage intensity and high crop diversity). So, this research suggests that even when those practices are not applied, the non-use of agrochemicals is enough to produce positive changes in soil fauna and so in decomposition dynamics. Therefore, the adoption of organic system in an extensive way can also be suggested to farmers in order to improve ecosystem functioning and consequently to achieve better soil conditions for crop production.     

Food-web traits of protected and exploited areas of the Adriatic Sea

This study presents a comparative analysis of protected and exploited Mediterranean Sea food webs using standardized ecological models of two ecosystems: the Central-North Adriatic Sea (highly exploited) and the Miramare Natural Marine Reserve (Northern Adriatic Sea, protected since 1986). Food webs are analysed in terms of structural and functional traits including trophic levels, transfer efficiency, trophic role of species and keystoneness, trophic spectra and other synthetic ecological indicators. Our results highlight similarities between food webs of the Adriatic Sea, differences that are likely due to the impact of fishing and differences that should be related to other factors. Analysis of biomass distribution along functional groups and of trophic spectra indicates that protected area presents higher mean trophic level of the community, higher biomasses, lower production and generally lower transfer efficiency than fished area. Our results indicate that measures of food web complexity (system omnivory index and ascendency), as well as pelagic/demersal and fish/invertebrates biomass ratios are higher in the protected area than in exploited ecosystem due to fishing-induced changes. Thus, this study highlights that marine protected areas can efficiently contribute to maintain structural and functional traits of marine ecosystems.     

Strategic Adaptive Management in freshwater protected areas and their rivers

Aquatic ecosystems are connected over large spatial scales, have varied drivers, strong and often conflicting societal interests and interacting management processes. Many of the world’s protected areas (>100,000, ∼12% of land) include freshwater ecosystems, some specifically declared for freshwater protection, but often supplied by rivers outside their protected boundaries. Such complex socio-ecological systems have considerable challenges. We report on Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM), a management framework that should be implemented, irrespective of resourcing, in protected areas of any river system, ranging from heavily managed or regulated through to pristine rivers. We briefly outline the four stages of the SAM process for aquatic protected areas and present three case studies from South Africa and Australia in different stages of SAM implementation. Progress is incremental, reflecting gaps, problems, and socio-ecological dynamism. Real-world implementation usually means such management is passive although experimentation with environmental flows remains possible. While maturity in SAM is incremental over years or decades, it can and should be applied even if environmental problems are urgent and contentious. The stages of SAM should produce an agreed vision and/or mission among stakeholders, with an appropriate hierarchy of objectives that determines indicators to be measured, allowing ongoing reflection, learning and adaptation. There is no panacea for achieving aquatic conservation, but Strategic Adaptive Management offers hope with its interlinked processes for navigating complexity and learning. SAM in freshwater conservation is progressing because of the imperative for sustainability, history of interaction between scientists and managers and the need for transdisciplinary governance of rivers.     

Relationship between distributions of threatened plants and protected areas in Britain

The establishment and maintenance of a system of protected areas is central to regional and global strategies for the conservation of biodiversity. The current global trend towards human population growth and widespread environmental degradation means that such areas are becoming increasingly isolated in fragmented habitat islands. In regions in which this process is well advanced a high proportion of species are thus predicted to have become restricted to protected areas. Here using uniquely detailed datasets for Britain, a region with close to the global level of percentage coverage by statutory protected areas, we determine the extent of restriction of Red List vascular plant species of conservation concern to these areas. On the basis of currently known distributions, overall our results strongly support the importance of a dual conservation strategy in Britain, in which protected areas are maintained with particular reference to those biodiversity features (such as many threatened plant species) that are highly dependent on them, and in which components of the wider landscape are also managed in such a way as to promote the abundance and distribution of such features with particular reference to those which are unlikely to persist in protected areas alone.     

The buffer effect and the selection of protected areas for waterbirds in Britain

The buffer effect predicts that where the reproductive success and survivorship of a species vary between potential habitats, sites will be sequentially filled according to a preference hierarchy. Once favoured sites reach saturation, numbers on the less-suitable/poorer quality sites will show a greater rate of increase compared with those on favoured sites. Supporting evidence for a buffer effect is readily available in the literature for many species, although this is generally restricted to small-scale analyses. In this paper we test for a buffer effect on a national scale for 19 species of waterbirds regularly wintering in the UK for which populations have increased nationally. The results provide little support for the effect, with only four species showing significant negative correlations. Nonetheless, a number of factors are likely to confound the occurrence/identification of a buffer effect for these species, including site area and data limitations. By contrast, for the majority of these 19 species, those sites where initial population totals are largest are also those with the fastest rates of population increase. Encouragingly, these sites are, therefore, more likely to be classified and managed as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) or Ramsar sites using the current numerical criteria for identifying such conservation areas.     

四川紫色土丘陵区不同土地利用方式下大型土壤动物群落结构

为了解不同利用方式土地大型土壤动物群落结构,于2006年冬季和2007年春季对四川紫色土丘陵区农田边界、农田、果园和退耕林地进行了大型土壤动物调查,采用野外手捡法共采集大型土壤动物2 838只,隶属于3门9纲24类.研究结果表明:不同土地利用方式大型土壤动物群落的个体密度、类群数和DG多样性指数存在差异.冬季,农田边界的个体密度显著高于其他土地利用方式,类群数和DG多样性指数显著高于退耕林地和农田;农田的个体密度、类群数和DG多样性指数明显处于最低水平.大型土壤动物群落的个体密度和类群数在垂直分布上具有明显的表聚性.Jaccard相似性系数和Grower系数表明农田边界、果园与退耕林地三者间相似程度较高,农田与农田边界、退耕林地、果园之间相似程度较低.研究认为土地利用方式对大型土壤动物的群落结构有明显影响,农田边界的存在对大型土壤动物生物多样性的保护具有重要意义.     

Importance of reservoirs for the conservation of freshwater molluscs in a tropical urban landscape

Freshwater species and ecosystems are gravely imperiled, particularly within urban landscapes of tropical Asia. In one of the region’s most urbanized landscapes (i.e., Singapore), we determined: (1) the importance of six different habitats (i.e., catchment reservoirs, estuarine reservoirs, forest streams, rural streams, ponds and monsoon canals) for conserving the diversity of freshwater molluscs; (2) key environmental factors (e.g., pH) affecting molluscan distribution; (3) important biogeographical determinants (e.g., area) of molluscan richness within each habitat; and (4) the habitat affinities of introduced species. High sampling saturation was achieved at most study habitats with minimal sampling effort, suggesting that the utilization of molluscs as bioindicators can expedite freshwater conservation initiatives. Estuarine reservoirs (6.0 ± 2.0) had the highest molluscan richness, vis-à-vis catchment reservoirs, forest streams, rural streams, ponds and monsoon canals (3.0 ± 1.5; 0; 3.3 ± 2.0; 1.8 ± 0.5 and 3.5 ± 0.5 respectively). Both reservoir types possessed species compositions distinct from other habitats and contained majority (76%) of the sampled species. Reservoirs therefore serve to conserve the bulk of local freshwater malacofauna, especially if they are maintained at near-neutral pH levels (i.e., ∼7.3) and contain large substrates (i.e., rocks). Area was the best predictor of molluscan richness across all habitats, implying that larger freshwater habitats require higher conservation priorities than smaller ones. Introduced (non-native) species (e.g., Pomacea canaliculata) had high affinities for reservoirs, which are in need of monitoring to curb population expansions. The interminable growth of human settlements urgently requires a reconciliatory approach, which includes the ecologically-sound design and management of modified habitats to complement reserves in sustaining native freshwater species.     

咸阳市生态环境与城市化交互耦合规律的实证研究

在环境污染与城市化发展变化特征分析的基础上,利用计量经济学的方法,对1984～2004年成阳市生态环境与城市化耦合特征进行了实证分析.结果显示,成阳市工业三废排放量与城市化水平呈现倒"U"型曲线.工业废水排放与城市化的耦合曲线正处于倒"U"的右侧,而工业固体废物和工业废气与城市化的耦合曲线则处于倒"U"型左侧.目前成阳市城市化水平还比较低,仍处于初级阶段.城市化进程的加快带来了人口的聚集和经济的快速发展,从而使三废的排放不断增加.在今后城市发展中,政府应加大环境保护力度,制定严格的环境保护政策,促使以煤炭为主的能源结构向清洁能源转变,以高能耗、高排放、高污染的经济结构向低能耗、低排放、低污染转变,以及以第二产业为主的产业结构向污染较少的第三产业转变,达到工业三废排放量逐渐下降,生态环境逐步改善,生态环境和城市化协调发展.     

Consequences of adult and juvenile movement for marine protected areas

Adult and juvenile mobility has a considerable influence on the functioning of marine protected areas. It is recognized that adult and juvenile movement reduces the core benefits of protected areas, namely protecting the full age–structure of marine populations, while at the same time perhaps improving fisheries yield over the no-reserve situation through export of individuals from protected areas. Nevertheless, the study of the consequences of movement on protected area functioning is unbalanced. Significant attention has been paid to the influence of certain movement patterns, such as diffusive movement and home ranges, while the impacts of others, such as density-dependent movements and ontogenetic migrations, have been relatively ignored. Here we review the diversity of density-independent and density-dependent movement patterns, as well as what is currently known about their consequences for the conservation and fisheries effects of marine protected areas. We highlight a number of ‘partially addressed’ issues in marine protected area research, such as the effects of reserves targeting specific life phases, and a number of essentially unstudied issues, such as density-dependent movements, nomadism, ontogenetic migrations, behavioral polymorphism and ‘dynamic’ reserves that adjust location as a realtime response to habitat changes. Assessing these issues will be essential to creating effective marine protected area networks for mobile species and accurately assessing reserve impacts on these species.     

Nature conservation in Italy: the existing national parks and other protected areas

This paper briefly reviews the present status of the Italian National Parks and other protected areas. Nature conservation is still rather weak in Italy and the likely causes of this are pointed out and discussed. Inadequate boundaries, hostility of park inhabitants, speculation by promoters, insufficient support by the State and by the Regional Governments badly affect all National and Natural Parks. This may depend partly on historical factors and partly on the lack of State interest and public opinion on nature preservation. On the other hand, there are a few signs that this situation is slowly becoming better and the management of the Parks has noticeably improved during the last five years. The activity of associations such as the World Wildlife Fund has been of particular importance in stimulating public opinion and in protecting valuable areas.     

Forest degradation deepens around and within protected areas in East Asia

Forest degradation in protected areas has been monitored around the world with remote sensing data, but degradation processes undetectable by widely used satellite sensors have been largely overlooked. Increased human pressures and socioeconomic development make forest protection more challenging, particularly for forest ecosystems that lie across national borders because of the differences in national socioeconomic policies and conditions within them. Here with Landsat data, Google Earth images, and field observations, we show that, in two adjacent biosphere reserves across the border of China and North Korea, over one half of primary forest landscapes have been deteriorated by exploitive uses, including seed harvesting and systematic logging. The combined effects of detectable and hidden degradation processes have further damaged forest ecosystems in the core areas in the two biosphere reserves, threatening sustainable biodiversity conservation in the region. It is urgent to develop cross-border collaborative conservation strategies that can help combat both detectable and hidden degradation processes at a regional scale.