Landscape changes and ecological studies in agricultural regions,Québec,Canada

Most landscape definitions in the western world are based on soil, climatic, or physiographic features and do not integrate humans as an integral part of the landscape. We present an approach where landscape types have been delineated in southern Québec, Canada based on current land use where anthropogenic and agricultural activities are concentrated as a practical application of the holistic approach in landscape definition. Landsat-TM satellite images were classified and the 27 habitat classes were regrouped into 5 general land cover classes (cash crop, dairy farming, forest, anthropogenic, wetlands) and overlaid onto soil landscape polygons to characterize natural boundary units. Cluster analyses were used to aggregate these polygons into seven agricultural types of land scape forming a gradient from urban and high-intensity cash crop farming activities to landscapes dominated by a mosaic of agriculture and forested areas. Multivariate analyses of raw data and of socio-economic and farming practices variables were used to describe the defined types of landscape and these were projected over three established land classification systems of southern Québec (Canadian ecoregions, North American Bird Conservation Initiative regions and Corn Heat Unit regions) to compare their similarity in terms of land cover and for planning of future ecological studies. Because agricultural landscapes are highly dynamic, they are bound to undergo changes in the near future. Our landscape delineation may serve as an experimental setup where land scape dynamics and wildlife populations and community structures could be monitored. Because the information we used to delineate and characterize agricultural landscape types is readily available in other countries, our approach could easily be adapted to similar data sources under and a wide variety of landscape types. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

我国大蒜产业现状及发展对策

大蒜是一种经济作物。我国大蒜种植历史悠久,目前以大蒜产业为主要收入的农户有千万人以上;在国际市场上,我国大蒜占据超过60%的份额,是世界上最大的大蒜生产国和消费国。然而,随着经济的发展,大蒜产业在发展过程中逐渐暴露出许多问题。本文针对我国大蒜产业的现状和问题,提出了解决对策,为我国调整大蒜产业发展结构提供理论依据。     

Optimizing landscape selection for estimating relative effects of landscape variables on ecological responses

Empirical studies of the relative effects of landscape variables may compromise inferential strength with common approaches to landscape selection. We propose a methodology for landscape sample selection that is designed to overcome some common statistical pitfalls that may hamper estimates of relative effects of landscape variables on ecological responses. We illustrate our proposed methodology through an application aimed at quantifying the relationships between farmland heterogeneity and biodiversity. For this project, we required 100 study landscapes that represented the widest possible ranges of compositional and configurational farmland heterogeneity, where these two aspects of heterogeneity were quantified as crop cover diversity (Shannon diversity index) and mean crop field size, respectively. These were calculated at multiple spatial extents from a detailed map of the region derived through satellite image segmentation and classification. Potential study landscapes were then selected in a structured approach such that: (1) they represented the widest possible range of both heterogeneity variables, (2) they were not spatially autocorrelated, and (3) there was independence (no correlation) between the two heterogeneity variables, allowing for more precise estimates of the regression coefficients that reflect their independent effects. All selection criteria were satisfied at multiple extents surrounding the study landscapes, to allow for multi-scale analysis. Our approach to landscape selection should improve the inferential strength of studies estimating the relative effects of landscape variables, particularly those with a view to developing land management guidelines.     

A fuzzy logic method to assess the relationship between landscape patterns and bird richness of the Rolling Pampas

The loss of biodiversity in productive ecosystems is a global concern of the last decades. The Rolling Pampas of Argentina is an intensively cropped region that underwent important land use and landscape change, with different impacts on biodiversity of both plants and animals. Land use type and habitat complexity are hypothesized to be the most important factors determining species richness in agro-ecosystems. But it is not easy to define these attributes in an unambiguous fashion, or determine their interactions at different spatial scales. A fuzzy logic approach allows overcoming some of these problems by using linguistic variables and logic rules to relate them and formulate hypothesis. We constructed fuzzy logic models to study how bird species richness in the Rolling Pampas is related to land use and habitat complexity, and how these variables interact at two spatial scales. Results showed that at the local scale, landscape complexity is the most important factor determining species numbers; trees and bodies of water are the most influential complexities. The effect of local scale landscape attributes was modified depending on the context at broader scales, so that agricultural sites were enriched when surrounded by more favorable landscapes. There was a high dispersion in the predicted/observed value relationship, indicating that landscape factors interact in more complex ways than those captured by the models we used. We suggest that the fuzzy logic approach is suitable for working with biological systems, and we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of its use.     

Ecosystem services in changing landscapes: An introduction

The concept of ecosystem services from landscapes is rapidly gaining momentum as a language to communicate values and benefits to scientists and lay alike. Landscape ecology has an enormous contribution to make to this field, and one could argue, uniquely so. Tools developed or adapted for landscape ecology are being increasingly used to assist with the quantification, modelling, mapping, and valuing of ecosystem services. Several of these tools and methods encased therein are described among the eleven papers presented in this special issue, and their application has the potential to facilitate the management and promotion of services within ecosystems. Papers are associated with each of the four key categories of services that ecosystems provide to humans: supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural. The papers represent work conducted in eleven different countries, especially from South America. Each carries a unique approach to address a particular question pertaining to a particular set of ecosystem services. These studies are designed to inform and improve the economic, environmental and social values of the ecosystem services. This knowledge should help to develop new management alternatives for sustaining and planning ecosystems and the services they provide at different scales in space and time. We believe that these papers will create interest and inform management of some potential methods to evaluate ecosystem services at the landscape level with an integrative approach, offering new tools for management and conservation.     

Data quality in citizen science urban tree inventories

Citizen science has been gaining popularity in ecological research and resource management in general and in urban forestry specifically. As municipalities and nonprofits engage volunteers in tree data collection, it is critical to understand data quality. We investigated observation error by comparing street tree data collected by experts to data collected by less experienced field crews in Lombard, IL; Grand Rapids, MI; Philadelphia, PA; and Malmö, Sweden. Participants occasionally missed trees (1.2%) or counted extra trees (1.0%). Participants were approximately 90% consistent with experts for site type, land use, dieback, and genus identification. Within correct genera, participants recorded species consistent with experts for 84.8% of trees. Mortality status was highly consistent (99.8% of live trees correctly reported as such), however, there were few standing dead trees overall to evaluate this issue. Crown transparency and wood condition had the poorest performance and participants expressed concerns with these variables; we conclude that these variables should be dropped from future citizen science projects. In measuring diameter at breast height (DBH), participants had challenges with multi-stemmed trees. For single-stem trees, DBH measured by participants matched expert values exactly for 20.2% of trees, within 0.254 cm for 54.4%, and within 2.54 cm for 93.3%. Participants’ DBH values were slightly larger than expert DBH on average (+0.33 cm), indicating systematic bias. Volunteer data collection may be a viable option for some urban forest management and research needs, particularly if genus-level identification and DBH at coarse precision are acceptable. To promote greater consistency among field crews, we suggest techniques to encourage consistent population counts, using simpler methods for multi-stemmed trees, providing more resources for species identification, and more photo examples for other variables. Citizen science urban forest inventory and monitoring projects should use data validation and quality assurance procedures to enhance and document data quality.     

The Effects of Uncertainty on Estimating the Relative Environmental Quality of Watersheds Across a Region

Landscape ecologists may be faced with ranking the relative environmental quality of watersheds across a region. The rankings would be based on measured or modeled variables with inherent sources of error. This paper examines the impact of data uncertainty on the ranking assigned to watersheds. The approach is Monte Carlo simulation in which the individual variables are considered to be estimated with uncertainty. The results show that watersheds in the best and the worst condition have rankings that are robust to uncertainty but intermediate watersheds may be difficult or impossible to assign to a rank. Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect offcial Agency policy.     

Using the connoisseur method during the introductory phase of landscape planning and management

The European Landscape Convention (ELC) has called for a broad anchoring in all sorts of landscape issues in local society. The connoisseur approach aims to improve communication in decision making processes by ensuring that personal and local knowledge on people, and their knowledge and feelings of everyday landscape is considered in projects on landscape development. The approach described here was tested in three Swedish case studies. Two were part of the European NeighbourWoods research project: the Skrylle Recreation Forest in south-west Sweden and the Ronneby Brunn area in south-east Sweden. Two areas that are heavily used for recreation by groups unrelated to the management of the forests. The Tinnerö area near Linköping was included as a third case. Our approach involved identifying and testing methods for introductory phase of management planning and countryside development.The methods developed in the connoisseur approach included in-depth interviews during field walks, walk-and-talk encounters, designating favourite places and routes on maps and management meetings between connoisseurs (local people, planners, and experts). Such concrete methods, which benefit from being mainly conducted outdoors, sought to empower local people, nurture a sense of belonging to a place and the management process, raise awareness of the local landscape and its potential, and identify shared values. The connoisseur approach proved to be a useful tool in the introductory phase, by clarifying the varying interests of local user groups, and was successful in creating links between the user groups, manager team, local politicians and administrators. Although unfamiliar to many people, the connoisseur method may effectively complement standardized, expert-dominated, top-down concepts of planning.     

Application of artificial intelligence for tree risk assessment optimization in Itanhaém – São Paulo,Brazil

Tree risk assessment consists of the identification of a set of defects that may affect the stability of the tree, leading to a possible collapse or failure, either of the whole plant or a part of it; and also, the identification of the targets to be reached and the side effects caused by any eventual failure. Although this is a necessary practice, the large number of variables involved in this evaluation makes the analysis time-consuming. Thus, this research aimed to optimize the tree risk assessment by creating a new protocol with the three visual assessment methods common variables and generating a new protocol applied to trees of species frequently used in urban afforestation worldwide: Terminalia catappa, Ficus Benjamin and Delonix regia. Altogether 36 variables were used for tree risk visual assessment applied in the evaluation of 230 trees located in the urban forest in Itanhaém - São Paulo - Brazil. The data collection was carried out using a smartphone and a data spreadsheet created in ODK collect app, facilitating data storage and processing. To identify the variables with the greatest possibility to determine the risk of falling, artificial intelligence was used through the Decision Tree algorithm (C4.5) in the WEKA software. The results showed that, from the 36 variables evaluated, 14 were enough to determine the risk of tree falling, with 73% hit rate in the tree risk classification. It is concluded that the use of artificial intelligence was essential in detecting tree problems in order to redirect management practices.     

Beliefs about urban fringe forests among urban residents in Sweden

The aim of this study was to examine predictors of beliefs about urban fringe forests among urban residents in Sweden (n = 586). Based on a cognitive hierarchical model, the study investigated how socio-demographic variables, as well as different values and beliefs, were related to the more specific beliefs urban residents have about urban fringe forests. Results demonstrated that the urban fringe forest was perceived to be essential for personal wellbeing, but preservation and accessibility to the forest were also important. Certain differences between socio-demographic groups were identified; for example, the importance of urban fringe forests for personal wellbeing was emphasized more by women, older people and those with a university degree. However, the importance of socio-demographic variables was modest compared with the influence of people's values and beliefs. More specifically, results showed that urban residents’ basic values and ecological worldview, as well as forest values and beliefs (i.e., concerning forest qualities and forest requirements), were important in explaining their beliefs about urban fringe forests. Overall, the study revealed that urban residents are characterized by a heterogeneous set of beliefs concerning urban fringe forests. Recognizing these multiple beliefs in urban fringe forest development processes may help mitigate future conflicts between forest visitors, urban planners, forest owners and forest managers, thus enhancing our way toward good urban living environments.     

Effects of the application of ‘cash’ on the growth,fruit yield,and nutrient status of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown in reclaimed saline soil

Summary

The effects of ‘cash’ [a novel 2:5:1 (w/w/w) mixture of calcium sulphate, ground sunflower heads, and humic acid] as a soil amendment on the growth, fruit yield, and leaf nutrient status of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown on reclaimed saline soil (EC = 9.4 dS m^–1) were investigated. A glasshouse experiment was performed in a completely randomised design with six treatments (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 g ‘cash’ kg^–1 soil) each with four replicates. The results indicated that ‘cash’ increased both the shoot dry weight (DW) plant^–1 and the root DW plant^–1, the free proline contents of leaves, and leaf chlorophyll contents. The use of ‘cash’ also increased the number of fruit plant^–1, fruit yield pot^–1, and fruit vitamin C contents, although total soluble solids (TSS) contents were not affected. The contents of nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and calcium (Ca), and the Ca:Na ratios of leaf tissues increased with all application rates of ‘cash’. Leaf phosphorus (P) contents showed no response to any applied level of ‘cash’. Leaf sodium (Na) contents declined gradually with an increase in the level of ‘cash’ applied to the soil. We concluded that ‘cash’ has a pronounced positive effect on the growth and fruit yield of tomato plants grown in reclaimed saline soil. ‘Cash’ therefore has the potential to be used as a soil amendment for vegetable crops such as tomato to overcome the adverse effects of salinity in newly-reclaimed soils.     

Relationships between watershed Stressors and sediment contamination in Chesapeake Bay estuaries

Three methods for assessing the relationships between estuarine sediment contaminant levels and watershed Stressors for 25 Chesapeake Bay sub-estuaries were compared. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to delineate watersheds for each sub-estuary and analyze land use pattern (area and location of developed, herbaceous and forested land) and point source pollution (annual outflow and contaminant loading) using three landscape analysis methods: (1) a watershed approach using the watershed of the estuary containing the sampling station. (2) a partial watershed approach using the area of the watershed within a 10 km radius of the sampling station and (3) a weighted partial watershed approach where Stressors within the partial watershed were weighted by the inverse of their linear distance from the sampling station. Nine sediment metals, 16 sediment organics and seven metals loading variables were each reduced to one principal component for statistical analyses. Relationships between the first principal components for sediment metals and organics concentrations and watershed stressor variables were analyzed using rank correlation and stepwise multiple regression techniques. For both metals and organics, the watershed method yieldedR ² values considerably lower than the partial and weighted partial watershed analysis methods. Regression models using Stressor data generated by the weighted partial watershed landscape analysis method explained 76% and 47% of the variation in the first principal component for sediment metals and organics concentrations, respectively. Results suggest that the area of developed land located in the watershed within 10 km of the sediment sampling station is a major contributing factor in the sediment concentrations of both metals and organics.     

Soil Phosphorus Variability: Scale-dependence in an Urbanizing Agricultural Landscape

We examine the hypothesis that human activity changes patterns of variance in soil P (Bray-1) concentrations across several spatial scales. We measured soil P concentrations and variability for each of four different land uses at three distinct levels of analysis. Land uses were remnant prairie, lawns, corn fields of cash grain farms, and corn fields of dairies in Dane County, Wisconsin (USA). For each land use type, levels of analysis were sites (an agricultural field, residential lawn or prairie, ranging in size from 100 m² to approximately 20 ha), 10-m plots within a site, and points within the 10-m diameter plot. The rank of mean soil P concentrations was cash grain > dairy > lawn > prairie. For all land use types, most of the variance was accounted for by site-to-site variation. Among-site variance was higher for human-dominated sites (0.55, 0.15, 0.14 [log (mg/kg)]² for cash grain, dairy, and lawn sites, respectively) than it was for prairies (0.07 [log (mg/kg)]²). However, prairies had the highest among-plot variation (0.04 [log (mg/kg)]²) compared to other sites (0.01, 0.002, and 0.01 [log (mg/kg)]² for cash grain, dairy, and lawn sites, respectively). The results indicate that in this watershed, human activity has increased the mean soil P and variance of soil P, and shifted the scale of variance to larger spatial extents. Human impacts on landscape pattern extend to soil properties that affect nutrient flow and eutrophication of surface waters. Because soil P turns over slowly, the legacy of altered soil P patterns may affect freshwaters for centuries.     

The influence of landscape,patch, and within-patch factors on species presence and abundance: a review of focal patch studies

Understanding the influence of large and small-scale heterogeneity on species distribution and abundance is one of the major foci of landscape ecology research in fragmented environments. Although a large number of studies have addressed this issue individually, little effort has been made to synthesize the vast amount of literature published in the last decade. We reviewed 122 focal patch studies on 954 species published between 1998 and 2009 to determine the probability of species responding significantly to landscape, patch, and within-patch variables. We assessed the influence of taxonomic, life history, and methodological variables on probability of response to these 3 levels. Species in diverse taxa responded at high rates to factors at all three levels, suggesting that a multi-level approach is often necessary for understanding species response in patchy systems. Mammals responded at particularly high rates to landscape variables and therefore may benefit more than other taxa from landscape-level conservation efforts in fragmented environments. The probability of detecting a species response to landscape context, patch, and within-patch factors was influenced by a variety of methodological aspects of the studies such as type of landscape metric used, type of response variable, and sample size. Study design issues rarely are discussed by authors as reasons why a particular study did not find an effect of a variable, but should be given more consideration in future studies.     

Thermal imaging to detect spatial and temporal variation in the water status of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.)

Thermal imaging can detect variation in stomatal conductance and therefore spatial variation in the water status of grapevine. Temporal variation can also be assessed, using indices that relate canopy temperature to reference temperatures, but, as yet, there is no standard approach to obtain these reference values. Also, the potential of above-canopy imaging is uncertain for vine rows with mainly vertically oriented leaves. Thermal images of the side (vertical leaves) and top (horizontal leaves) of ‘Tempranillo’ (Vitis vinifera L.) grapevine rows were captured on different dates and in different plots in a vineyard in the Rioja, Spain. Reference temperatures were determined separately (i) as the temperature of artificial leaves placed in the grapevine canopy, or (ii) by calculation from the leaf energy budget. With respect to imaging the side of grapevine rows, the two approaches exhibited similar potential to indicate variation in stomatal conductance or stem water potential within a single date and time of day. Over different dates (implying temporal as well as spatial variability) and both sides of the grapevines, the use of the artificial surfaces resulted in stronger correlations between thermal indices and physiological variables than the application of energy budget models. The use of such reference surfaces would allow a standardised approach to thermography. Imaging the top of rows produced some highly significant correlations between thermal indices and physiological variables. Modified artificial leaves could be developed to standardise the determination of reference temperatures, at the same spatial resolution as the leaves of interest. That imaging the top of grapevine canopies provides useful information on water status suggests that aerial imaging could be used to assess spatial variation in water status across entire vineyards.     

Values and beliefs about urban forests from diverse urban contexts and populations in the Greater Toronto area

Cities around the world are diverse. People’s perceptions of urban forests may vary according to urban contexts and people’s diverse identities. A better understanding of these diverse perceptions is critical to support stewardship initiatives, inform urban tree decisions, and guide community engagement, among other key management and governance processes in urban forestry. This study examines the values and beliefs that diverse people living in a variety of urban contexts associate with urban trees. Using an urban gradient approach, 2009 responses were collected through an online panel survey conducted in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to understand variations in values and beliefs of urban forests across municipal types (inner core, suburban, peri-urban, and regional cities). The GTA has an ethnoculturally diverse population, allowing us to also explore perceptions held by people with various identities. The study uses analytical techniques, such as means differences and linear regression models, to segment the diverse meanings people attribute to urban trees by municipal types and people’s identities. The results show that, while people value the urban forest very highly, people’s value orientations vary depending on their context and identities. For example, respondents who speak European or South Asian languages tend to hold value orientations related to cultural, social, and identity issues. Respondents living in inner municipal types tend to hold values related to identity issues, whereas respondents living in outer municipal types and regional cities tend to hold values related to natural issues. The results also show that people’s beliefs about urban forests are primarily positive. Urban forests managers and stewardship initiatives should recognize the diverse set of values and beliefs that people associate with urban forests, incorporating these perceptions into policy and programs. Additionally, since specific value and belief orientations may depend on personal identity and urban contexts, tailored messaging may also help generate support for policy or stewardship initiatives across different communities and in varied urban contexts.     

Circuit theory emphasizes the importance of edge-crossing decisions in dispersal-scale movements of a forest passerine

Measuring landscape connectivity in ways that reflect an animal’s propensity or reluctance to move across a given landscape is key for planning effective conservation strategies. Resistance distance, based on circuit theory, is one such measure relevant for modeling how broad-scale animal movements over long time periods may lead to gene flow across the landscape. Despite the success of circuit theory in landscape genetic studies, its applicability to model finer-scale processes such as the movement patterns of individual animals within their breeding grounds (e.g., while prospecting for territories) has yet to be tested. Here, we applied both circuit models and least-cost models to understand the relationship between landscape connectivity and return time of Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) that had been translocated at least 20 km from their home territory near Québec City, Canada. Using an iterative optimization process, we derived resistance values for three cover types (forest, edge, and open) that resulted in resistance distance values that best explained Ovenbird return times. We also identified the cover-type resistance values that yielded length of least-cost path estimates that best explained return times of the translocated birds. The circuit theory and least-cost path methods were equally supported by the data despite being based on different sets of resistance values. The optimal resistance values for calculating resistance distance indicated that for Ovenbirds, traversing a given distance of edge habitat presented a substantially greater resistance than that of open areas. On the other hand, optimized resistances of edge and open were very similar for calculating length of least-cost path. The circuit theory approach suggested that for an Ovenbird moving through fragmented habitat, the number of forest-open transitions (i.e., edge-crossings) that an individual must make is critical to understanding return times after translocation. The least-cost path approach, on the other hand, suggested that the birds strongly avoid all open areas, regardless of size. Circuit theory offers an important new approach for understanding landscapes from the perspective of individuals moving within their breeding range, at finer spatial scales and shorter time scales than have been previously considered.     

A general model to quantify ecological integrity for landscape assessments and US application

Increasingly, natural resources agencies and organizations are using measures of ecological integrity to monitor and evaluate the status and condition of their landscapes, and numerous methods have been developed to map the pattern of human activities. In this paper I apply formal methods from decision theory to develop a transparent ecological indicator of landscape integrity. I developed a parsimonious set of stressors using an existing framework to minimize redundancy and overlap, mapping each variable as an individual data layer with values from 0 to 1.0, and then combined them using an “increasive” function called fuzzy sum. A novel detailed land use dataset is used to generate empirical measures of the degree of human modification to map important stressors such as land use, land cover, and presence, use, and distance from roads. I applied this general framework to the US and found that the overall average degree of human modification was 0.375. Regional variation was fairly predictable, but aggregation of these raw values into terrestrial or watershed units resulted in large differences at local to regional scales. I discuss three uses of these data by land managers to manage protected areas within a dynamic landscape context. This approach generates an internally-valid model that has a direct, empirical, and physical basis to estimate the degree of human modification.     

Effects of patch characteristics and within patch heterogeneity on the accuracy of urban land cover estimates from visual interpretation

Landscape ecology links landscape pattern to ecological function. Achieving this goal hinges on accurate depiction and quantification of pattern, which is frequently done by visually interpreting remotely sensed imagery. Therefore, understanding both the accuracy of that interpretation and what influences its accuracy is crucial. In addition, imagery is pixel-based but landscape pattern exists, more realistically, as irregularly shaped patches. Patches may contain only one feature type such as trees, but, in some landscapes, patches may contain several different types of features such as trees and buildings. Using a patch-based approach, this paper investigates two types of variables??whole-patch and within-patch??that are hypothesized to influence the accuracy of visually estimating the cover of features within patches. A highly accurate reference map, obtained from object-based classification, was used to evaluate the accuracy of visual estimates of cover within patches. The effects of the variables on the accuracy of these estimates were tested using logistic regressions and multimodel inferential procedures. Though all variables significantly affected the accuracy, the within-patch configuration of features is the most significant factor. In general, errors of cover estimates are more likely to occur when patches are smaller or have more complex shapes, and features within a patch are (1) more diverse; (2) more fragmented; (3) more complex in shape; and (4) physically less connected. These results provide an important first step towards a quantitative, spatially explicit model for predicting error of cover estimates and determining under what circumstances estimation error is most likely to occur.