Anthropic Effects Research Articles

Occurrence of kleptoparasitic sarcophagid flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae) in natural and human modified sites in Southern South American Andean landscapes

Sarcophagid flies belonging to the subfamily Miltogramminae are mainly kleptoparasites of bees and solitary wasps. Twenty-six locations were surveyed to accomplish the first specific exploration on the diversity of Miltogramminae in southern Andean areas of South America. We evaluated changes in abundance, richness and composition among habitat types to establish the effect of anthropization on the Miltogramminae community. Habitat types were considered as human modified (trails and roads, parks and meadows) and natural sites (watercourses and lake beaches, sandy and shrubby areas), distributed in two ecoregions (Valdivian forest and Patagonian steppe). We found differences in the capture rate and composition of Miltogramminae among habitat types. The species Opsidia intonsa Aldrich was highly dominant in samples, with higher proportional abundance in human modified habitats. Richness of Miltogramminae was higher in natural sites. Comparisons between the ecoregions surveyed indicated the genus Opsidia Coquillett did not show differences in abundance between ecoregions, whereas Senotainia Macquart was more abundant in the Patagonian steppe. The results provide evidence on the significant effects of human influence on landscapes in kleptoparasitic fly diversity. Slight modifications of natural areas (as proliferation of trails or isolated houses) should be addressed to evaluate the conservation of kleptoparasitic Diptera.

Using occurrence data to evaluate extinction reveals a strong resilience of butterflies in a National Park of Southern Europe (Alta Murgia National Park)

Butterflies from southernmost European regions encompass a large fraction of faunistic and genetic diversity but are also at the forefront of extinction risk for climate change. Nevertheless, monitoring schemes aimed at detecting their population trends were only recently established. In this study, we gathered all occurrence records of the 81 species of butterflies recorded for the Alta Murgia National Park (Italy, Apulia), a prime conservation area for butterflies. By using literature, citizen science, and unpublished sample data, we traced potential extinctions since 1966. We also provided a dedicated index to evaluate the potential extinction at the whole community level. We found that among the 29 species recorded before 2009, three were not recovered from 2009 to 2021. Another group of nine species was not recorded in the last five years. However, given the not standardized sampling methodology and the possibility that apparently disappeared species were due to inaccurate identification, we conclude that the butterfly community of the Park is showing a strong resilience. We hypothesize that such resilience may be attributed to the existence of the protected area and the presence of heterogeneous environments, which allow to buffer climatic changes and any other negative anthropic effects. The objective recognition of rare species in the surrounding region of 200 km ray also allowed identifying which species should be considered as prime targets for the conservation of local and regional diversity.

One million years of diversity shifts in amphibians and reptiles in a Mediterranean landscape: resilience rules the Quaternary

AbstractIn contrast with the well documented strain on extant amphibian and reptile populations today, the Quaternary fossil record of these groups is very conservative showing few changes over long periods of time. In order to establish the non‐human‐induced effect of climate change on herpetofaunal diversity, we collected data from Pleistocene sites in the Sierra de Atapuerca complex (Burgos, Spain), which records the last few million years of changes. Diversity was measured in terms of richness and evenness indices and its relationship to the climatic parameters was analysed with OLS regression models. The highest diversity (richness and evenness; 1‐D) occurred in periods considered to be analogues of the current interglacial, whereas minimum diversity values were reached during periods when conditions were harsher (cooler or glacial stage). In all cases, the diversity values were always restored subsequently, pointing to great resilience. Temperature proves to be the most influential climatic factor. Accordingly, amphibians and reptiles have been able to overcome previous climatic changes successfully. In contrast, the effects of anthropization have generated an uncommon loss of diversity, the like of which has not been seen in the last few million years. The data presented here demonstrate that the current amphibian loss seems to be driven by anthropogenic influence, with climate a factor of a secondary importance.

Understanding curriculum as geo/biospheric text.

The world is experiencing crises related to the cascading effects of anthropization. These crises result from imperialist and capitalist practices that categorize and exploit the other (e.g., the land, the water, and their resources and beings) for maximizing profit. Such malpractices have led to climate crises of drought, famine, and extinctions. In the present, things are categorized through detachment, whereby the self-absorbed hyperbolic sees greatness in being and acting in meager ways, in nationalism and populism. In the midst of experiencing such a world of isms, this article suggests an important change for education—a curricular adjustment that not only allows for addressing subject matter (i.e., health and economics) and the subjects of such matters (i.e., the students and the teachers in the classrooms) but also acknowledges the importance of the other (i.e., the non-human world), which has been at the mercy of a singular reliance on the “incomplete” human consciousness. An inclusive curriculum underscores the different forms of concrete conscious beings and is mindful of a togetherness that ensures the continuation of life. “Event-ually”, through highlighting each individual with the natural environment, the latent bonds each individual has with the other and another, and with the world itself, will expose themselves in new ways.

The interaction between displacements and water level changes due to natural and anthropogenic effects in the Po Plain (Italy): The different point of view of GNSS and piezometers

Like other sedimentary plains, the Po Plain in Northern Italy has largely subsided due to natural processes and human activities. Displacements of the Earth surface of hydrological origin are caused by groundwater changes, which in turn, are expected to be related to rainfall changes. In the Bologna metropolitan area (located in the Southeastern border of Po Plain), the 2010 politic decision of dismissing civil water supply from the groundwater withdrawal has provided us the opportunity to test a methodology for the retrieval of an anthropic effect in two different data sets: vertical displacements measured by continuous GNSS sites and piezometric water table fluctuations. The data sets have been analyzed by means of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and compared to rainfall time series from the Po Plain rain gauges. Several piezometers undergo a clear increase in the water level following the withdrawal decrease. Differently, the anthropic induced surface displacements are significantly smaller than the ones induced by rainfall. Accordingly, without a multivariate analysis such an effect on vertical displacements would have remained hidden in the raw time series. Only looking at the spatial distribution of the principal components we have highlighted that anthropic effects are local and present even in GNSS data, entailing for the 2010 case a decrease of about 4 mm/y of vertical velocity in some sites closest the withdrawal wells. Moreover, the multivariate analysis allowed us to assess that, on time scales larger than months, the rainfall-related hydrological response of vertical displacement depends on the geological setting. In the Apennines chain a water level increase causes subsidence, in agreement with the predictions of elastic models, whereas in the Po Plain it causes uplift, suggesting a dominant poro-elastic response, in agreement with the guess that the subsidence of the Po Plain is related to soil compaction. Our results suggest that in cases of the aquifers over-exploitation, a PCA analyses and the combined use of different observables such as GNSS, piezometers time series, rainfall data, geological setting allow getting a correct identification of the anthropic and natural signals.

Effects of landscape anthropization on sylvatic mosquito assemblages in a rainforest in Chiapas, Mexico

Global change and ecosystem transformation at regional and local scales during recent decades have facilitated the exponential increase of outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquito-borne pathogens are responsible for millions of infections, mainly in tropical regions where marginalized human populations are located, and where in recent years processes of landscape anthropization have occurred. Anthropogenic landscape transformation is known to change species assemblages. However, the magnitude of these effects is largely unknown, and the effects of anthropogenic landscape transformation on sylvatic mosquito assemblages are poorly known in Mexican ecosystems. We evaluate how mosquito abundance, richness, and diversity change along a gradient of three human-modified landscapes—one highly anthropized, one moderately anthropized, and one slightly anthropized—within a tropical forest matrix in a Protected Natural Area in Chiapas. A total of 4 538 mosquitoes belonging to 23 species were captured and identified at the three sites. We found differences in the structure and abundance of the three mosquito assemblages. The species assemblage of the highly anthropized site was significantly different from the other sites, and the relative abundance of the assemblages increased with landscape anthropization. Our results suggest that landscape anthropization alters the composition and structure of mosquito assemblages, modifying the abundance and species richness of mosquitoes associated with sylvatic ecosystems. This could support the hypothesis of intermediate disturbance that suggests the diversity is maximized when late and early successional species coexist in these ecosystems. This information is essential to understand the ecology of potential sylvatic vectors and the environmental factors that are involved in the emergence and re-emergence of mosquito-borne diseases.

Zonas de amortecimento em Unidades de Conservação urbanas. Dois casos em Salvador-BA-Brasil

<p>A Zona de Amortecimento tem por função criar um espaço-anteparo a fim de minimizar efeitos antrópicos negativos impostos pela ocupação urbana desordenada, sobretudo aquela já consolidada, sobre as áreas protegidas. Unidades de Conservação urbanas precisam ser manejadas de maneira diferenciada das áreas protegidas rurais. Sendo assim, estabelecer uma Zona de Amortecimento em áreas urbanas ou em centros metropolitanos traz, como desafio principal, a mediação entre garantir a integridade dos objetivos da UC e, ao mesmo tempo, oferecer benefícios ambientais e sociais, não apenas no que diz respeito às amenidades proporcionadas pela proximidade com elementos naturais. Deste modo, faz-se de suma importância que uma Zona de Amortecimento de uma Unidade de Conservação em área urbana seja delimitada, considerando-se critérios ambientais, sociais, culturais e institucionais.</p><p>Abstract</p><p>The Buffer Zone has the function of creating a bulkhead in order to minimize negative anthropic effects imposed by the disorderly urban occupation, especially that already consolidated, on the protected areas. Urban Conservation Units need to be managed differently from rural protected areas. Thus, establishing a Buffer Zone in urban areas or metropolitan centers brings, as a main challenge, the mediation between ensuring the integrity of the objectives of the PA and, at the same time, offering environmental and social benefits, not only as regards the amenities provided by the proximity to natural elements. Thus, it is of utmost importance that a Buffer Zone of a Conservation Unit in an urban area be delimited considering, environmental, social, cultural and institutional criteria.</p>

Quantification and composition analysis of plastic pollution in riverine beaches of the lower Paraná River, Argentina.

Plastic pollution and the numerous consequences it has on aquatic life have become a huge concern in recent years. While many studies have been conducted in marine environments, studies in freshwater ecosystems are scarce and insufficient. The Paraná River is the most important water course in the La Plata River basin and the fifth in the world with a mean annual discharge of 18,000 m3 per second. Currently available studies show the presence of plastic in river shores and fish gut, but more research should be carried out in order to know the extension and origin of plastic contamination. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantify and characterize macro-, meso-, and microplastics found in the riverine beaches next to Rosario city, the most populated city standing by the lower Paraná River coast in Argentina. The results show that plastic pollution is ubiquitous, but the city shores are significantly more polluted than the wetland shore with a mean of 30,780 and 6375 microplastics per square meter respectively (p = 0.024). The food and beverage industry packaging combined were the most frequent macroplastics found. Also, 3 out of 4 meso- and microplastics were white/transparent, the color that is most likely to be ingested by fish and invertebrates. Finally, all micro- and mesoplastics found were secondary and, in the case of microplastics, they were mainly fibers (93.4%) which highlight its ecological relevance. As a whole, plastic contamination is a serious issue in the Rosario area, specially single-use plastics and short-lived products. The anthropic effect of the cities and how it contributes to plastic pollution are evident.

Emergy unsustainability index for agricultural systems assessment: A proposal based on the laws of thermodynamics

The anthropic effects of agriculture call for more sustainable systems. Agricultural sustainability conventionally communicates an idea of perennity. However, the sustainability of living open systems, like agricultural systems, can be regarded as a mere utopian idea when the effects of the laws of thermodynamics are taken into account. Under such physical laws, what really exists is the fact that any system alone has the property of unsustainability. The rate of entropy production can denote the potential level of the unsustainability of a system. The higher the rate of entropy production in an agricultural system, the higher its potential for unsustainability. Directly measuring entropy in living open systems is unfeasible. Even so, such systems are subject to the laws of thermodynamics. Indirect measurements of entropy in living open systems can be assessed by approximation through an analysis of the energy flows of the system. We used emergy analysis to account for the energy flows and compare the unsustainability among agricultural systems. However, the indicators proposed by emergy analysts have been more aligned with the perspective of sustainability. To change this perspective, we propose an emergy unsustainability index applied in this paper specifically to agricultural systems (EUIAS). EUIAS is not a simple inversion of the ESI obtained by the ratio between the Emergy Yield Ratio (EYR) and the Environmental Loading Ratio (ELR). The use of renewable exergy stored from one production cycle to another is one of the peculiarities of long-term agricultural systems. Therefore, quantifying the renewable and non-renewable fractions of resources used is fundamental to the EUIAS. A higher EUIAS means that an agricultural system is more dependent on non-renewable economic resources than renewable resources, and, in general, environmental impacts are higher due to the use of non-renewable resources.

Spatial and seasonal variability of the planktonic ciliates assemblages along the Eastern Mediterranean Coast (Sfax coast, Tunisia)

In the present study we investigated the effects of restoration (northern coast) and anthropization (southern coast) on the spatial and seasonal distribution of ciliates communities in relation to environmental factors in coastal Sfax area. The low pH value was attributed to anthropogenic waste inputs around the southern coast. The nutrients concentrations, recorded in the southern coast, were higher than those recorded in the northern coast. Analyses demonstrated that ciliates communities’ structures showed significant differences between the northern and southern parts of the sampling coast (F = 6.54, df = 12, p < 0.001). Ciliates diversity was significantly more important in the southern coast (65 taxa) than in the northern coast (40 taxa). The ciliates abundance was 6.33 ×102±3.38× 102 cells L−1 in northern stations. The abundance of ciliates was high over the whole southern coast (12.12×102±3.78× 102 cells L−1), which increased during summer (27 × 102 cells L−1at station 1), and decreased during the spring (3 × 102 cells L−1at station 3). Tintinnids abundance was higher than naked ciliates abundance reported for all seasons, both in the north and south Sfax coast. Some tintinnids species, like Tintinnopsis beroidea, Tintinnopsis nana and Tintinnopsis parvula attained important abundance in the southern area, because they are able to survive under adverse conditions owing to its adaptive strategies. Tintinnidium balechi was a dominant and common species, with high occurrence and represented an important contributor to the ciliate communities. Pearson’s correlation coefficients showed that the seasonal ciliates variations were significantly correlated with nutrients (total nitrogen with tintinnids and orthophosphate plus total phosphate with naked ciliates).

Population Fluctuation, Influence of Abiotic Factors and the Height of Traps on the Abundance and Richness of Calliphoridae and Mesembrinellidae.

Calliphoridae and Mesembrinellidae are relevant to environmental conservation, public health, and forensic entomology. Researches regarding the flight behavior and the influence of abiotic factors on these insects may assist the application of entomology sciences. This study aimed to analyze the population fluctuation of Calliphoridae and Mesembrinellidae, verifying the influence of environmental factors, trap height, and the anthropic effect in the Itaipu-Piratininga lagoon complex, Niterói (RJ). The collections were carried out monthly from September 2015 to August 2016, with fish bait (sardines) exposed for 48 h, totaling six traps, installed in three physiognomies (mangrove, ombrophilous forest, and restinga) at 1.5 and 2.5 m from the ground. Nine thousand seven hundred seventy-three individuals were captured, comprising two families, five genera and 11 species. Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) was the predominant species and Mesembrinella bellardiana (Aldrich, 1922) (Diptera: Mesembrinellidae) the least representative, indicating the low preservation level of this ecosystem. There was a weak, positive correlation between abundance of Chloroprocta idioidea (Robineau Desvoidy, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Ch. megacephala, Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann, 1818) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), and Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) with the temperature, as well as between the abundance of C. idioidea and Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) with precipitation; however, there was no correlation between abundance and relative humidity. No significant influence of the trap height was observed. We stated a high influence of anthropic effects on the restinga and mangrove physiognomies, while the forest physiognomy still retains its preserved characteristics, with the dominance of forestall species.

Functional indicators to explain the anthropic effects on community plant composition changes: The case of a temperate forest in Mexico

Abstract In plant communities, changes in composition driven by the dominance of weed species have been used as ecological indicators to predict the anthropic impacts on these species. Nevertheless, anthropic disturbances do not act directly on species composition, but their effects depend on the species' functional responses. Hence, anthropic effects follow a logical sequence, in which disturbances act at different levels. In order to understand the sequence of the changes in the community there is a need to develop functional and compositional integrated indicators. In order to integrate them we suggest a method based on inference by abduction, to reduce the complexity in predicting the anthropic effects on species functional responses. With this method we develop functional indicators of responses to anthropic disturbances and the effect on composition changes. The method involves building structural equation models (SEMs), through which we evaluate the anthropic and environmental effects on the functional response of species and composition changes in an integral way. From these causal paths, we select the best-fitting model with plausible functional indicators to explain the anthropic effects, according to Akaike’s information criterion (AIC). This research develops a methodological proposal to build up functional indicators with foliar attributes associated to resource acquisition and use strategies of herb and shrub species in the temperate Abies religiosa forest in the Magdalena river basin in Mexico City. The built indicators demonstrate for the first time and in a simultaneous way, that characteristic species (original component) and native weeds (component established under perturbation conditions) have different responses to anthropic perturbations as well as different contributions to community composition changes. This result represents a methodological contribution in the evaluation of anthropic impacts and the use of native weed species as functional indicators.

Plant-solitary bee networks have stable cores but variable peripheries under differing agricultural management: Bioindicator nodes unveiled

• Plant-solitary bee networks have a stable core but a variable periphery. • Osmia caerulescens is a good bioindicator of management types. • Osmia bicornis is a good bioindicator of ecosystem recovery. • Aboveground cavity-nesting bees pollinate many wild herb plants in olive orchards. • Plant species identified at the core are of conservation priority for bees. The identification of important nodes structuring pollination networks represents a key contribution to biodiversity conservation and pollination functioning. Understanding how species and their importance covary with management is essential if we aim to predict anthropic effects on the environment. In this study we used 96 bee trap nests to sample plant (pollen)-solitary bee interaction networks in 18 pairs of olive groves employing differing management techniques (intensive vs. organic). We applied a novel dual analytical approach consisting of identifying important nodes from two different perspectives: nodes that strongly determine the topological structure of the network and nodes that sustain rare or infrequent interactions. We employed this analytical approach to identify important nodes for the conservation of these networks and to study how different agricultural management practices modify the importance of the nodes. Specifically, Osmia caerulescens appeared in the core of the network of organic farms and acts as a good bioindicator of agricultural management types. As well, O. bicornis participated in important singular interactions but only on organic farms and so can be considered as a good bioindicator of ecosystem recovery. Our results highlight the species that should be prioritized for conservation or restoration and reveal a core-periphery structure in networks, in which, despite most structuring species remaining constant across management types, certain important singular interactions differ. We demonstrate that the switch from intensive to organic farming on olive farms can restore the structure of these plant-solitary bee networks, mainly through the recovery of certain species and rare or infrequent interactions.

The Effect of Anthropization on Sarcophagidae (Diptera: Calyptratae) Community Structure: An Assessment on Different Types of Habitats in the Humid Chaco Ecoregion of Argentina.

Sarcophagidae (Diptera) are of great interest from a veterinary, medical, and forensic viewpoint, and are potential bioindicators for environmental impact assessments. In this study, we evaluated changes in abundance, species richness, and diversity of flesh flies in different habitat types in the Humid Chaco ecoregion of South America: 1) anthropized habitats: urban, cattle farm, and alfalfa crop, and 2) natural habitats: savanna and forest. We hypothesized that sarcophagid fly community parameters are affected by the anthropization and that spatial turnover will contribute more to the overall beta diversity than nestedness between habitats. In each habitat, samplings were conducted monthly from March 2015 to February 2016 in 25 sites, 5 per habitat, totaling 300 independent samples at the end of the study. We collected 5,790 Sarcophagidae (55 species). Community parameters of Sarcophagidae were evaluated and compared. The ecological effects of anthropization and habitat type were observed in the present study. As expected, our results showed the highest abundance, species richness, and diversity in the savanna and forest habitats (natural), whereas the lowest values were registered in the urban and alfalfa crop habitats, supporting the hypotheses of anthropization as the main driver of diversity loss. In addition, sarcophagid assemblages differed between all habitats and the overall dissimilarity was structured by spatial turnover. The main conclusion of this research is that flesh fly community structure is greatly affected by anthropization and habitat type, and this would be related to canopy cover and microclimate conditions of each environment.

An Ecomorphological Comparative Study of Extant and Late Holocene Sigmodontinae (Rodentia, Cricetidae) Assemblages from Central-Eastern Argentina

The anthropic effect associated with worldwide European settlements over the last 500 years has caused dramatic environmental changes, modified regional patterns of biodiversity, and often led to local or complete extinctions. The sigmodontine rodents of Bahia Samborombon (Humid Pampas, central-eastern Argentina) constitute a good case study: a late Holocene archaeological site allowed us to compare a pre-European settlement assemblage (12 species) with the extant one (nine species). We used linear morphometrics (16 cranial and ten mandibular measurements) to assess interspecific morphological variations of the masticatory apparatus in relation to dietary habits for each assemblage. Even though sigmodontines have a tendency towards omnivory, groups based on dietary preference only overlapped partially. Size was one of the main variables involved in niche segregation, and shape characteristics such as rostrum elongation or mandible robustness were linked to different diets. We found that a combination of dietary preference and size was associated with extinctions. The main morphospace change between the two assemblages was related to the local extinction of the three greater insectivores and the smallest graminivore, located towards the center of the assemblage’s morphospace. An insectivore was incorporated, involving no significant changes in the general morphospace. Graminivores and larvivores were not affected. Our study sheds light on the causes of local extinctions of small mammals at the Humid Pampas, a phenomenon that had never been studied from an ecomorphological approach.

Uncommon biological patterns of a little known endemic Mediterranean skate, Raja polystigma (Risso, 1810)

Rare and poorly studied species, like the endemic skates of the Mediterranean Sea, are considered prone to high rates of extinction and threat because of non-optimal reporting and sampling, which reduce the power of analyses. In this regard, the goal of this study was to establish some basic life-history parameters, unknown to date, of one of these endemics, Raja polystigma, caught as by-catch from experimental and commercial hauls in the Mediterranean Sea. Sexes were equally distributed with no major differences in sizes. The age and growth were assessed through annuli counts of vertebral centra from a sub-sample of 184 individuals. Among different growth models applied to the length at-age-data, the logistic function provided the best fitting curve (L∞: 691.49; k: 0.26; IP: 4.03 years). The oldest female and male were aged 11 (590 mm LT) and 8 years (521 mm TL), respectively. The estimated longevity was 10.6–15.4 years for females and 7.7–11.2 years for males. Females and males matured at about the same size (L50 506.1 mm TL and 488.1 mm TL, respectively), showing an uncommon pattern among Rajidae. A clear reproductive seasonality was observed during spring and summer. Depth influenced the distribution pattern of R. polystigma which appeared to complete its life cycle in coastal waters, with mature adults found exclusively in the shallows and immature specimens in the whole bathymetric range. Given its dependence on the coastal environment and its peculiar life-history features, measures to alleviate anthropic effects on this habitat are urgently needed.

Plasma cholinesterase activity as an environmental impact biomarker in juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to evaluate the enzymatic activity of plasma cholinesterase in Chelonia mydas marine turtles belonging to two populations, according to their capture sites, under the absence and probable influence of anthropic effects. A total of 74 animals were used and later divided into two groups, based on the capture site. Blood samples were collected from all captured animals, which were then released into the sea at the site of capture. A descriptive statistical analysis of the plasma cholinesterase activity values and an analysis comparing these values based on the capture site were performed. Samples of heparinized plasma from animals captured at the two different sites were analyzed. Plasma cholinesterase activity ranged from 121 to 248U/L, with a mean and standard deviation of 186.1±30.68U/L. When comparing plasma cholinesterase activity values in individuals based on the capture site, a significant difference was observed. Establishing reference values for different sea turtle populations is necessary to interpret future sampling results and to allow sea turtles to be used as sentinels of ecosystem health. Future studies are needed to evaluate other populations and the activity of plasma cholinesterase in juvenile marine turtles, in relation to environmental contamination.

Application of the Lake Biotic Index (LBI) in the ecological characterization of a North Patagonian lake in Chile

Increased pollution and degradation of water resources and their associated ecosystems has stimulated the development of tools and methodologies to characterize, estimate, predict, and reverse the environmental impact of anthropic effects on water bodies. The Secondary Water Quality Standards (NSCA) adopted in Chile have incorporated the use of bioindicators complementary to physicochemical analyses, in order to determine the ecological condition of lotic and lentic environments. Our research used the "Lake Biotic Index" (LBI) to establish the ecological condition of Lake Rupanco using benthic macroinvertebrates. The results indicated an Oligo-Eubiotic condition for this lake given the high concentration of oxygen and low organic matter content in sediments, in addition to low biogenic potential and good taxa preservation in both the autumn and spring surveys. Features of the ecological condition obtained through the application of the LBI (benthic subsystem) conform to the results of physicochemical and microalgae analyses undertaken previously in Lake Rupanco (pelagic subsystem). Based on these results, we support application of the LBI index as a complementary tool for the integrated management of lentic ecosystems.

Fragment configuration or environmental quality? Understanding what really matters for the conservation of native mammals in the Atlantic Forest of Argentina

The fragmentation of natural environments is one of the most important threats to biodiversity and involves changes in landscape configuration and habitat quality. The Atlantic Forest of South America has been highly fragmented, which creates concern for the conservation of its biodiversity. We evaluated the effects of forest loss and fragmentation on the terrestrial mammal assemblage of the Atlantic Forest of Misiones, Argentina. The area still contains large fragments and a forest cover >50%. We evaluated the effect of the configuration of the fragments (area, isolation) and the quality of the environment surrounding them (% of forest, land uses, poaching). We sampled mammal assemblages with camera-traps. We used generalized linear models, with the number of species in smaller forest fragments (49 stations) and the difference in their composition to that of the largest forest fragment (control situation; 53 stations) as response variables. Species richness in the fragments increased with the proportion of forest in their surroundings and decreased with the distance to population sources. The dissimilarity of the assemblages of smaller fragments to those of the largest fragment increased with forest disturbance and by the contrast of the land uses (e.g., annual crops) surrounding the fragments. We modeled and mapped these effects, which can be used as spatially explicit planning tools for the conservation of the mammal assemblage in this landscape. The effect of fragmentation on the mammal assemblage is mediated by both anthropic effects that affect the quality of the environment and by the spatial configuration of fragments in the landscape.

Variability of orographic enhancement of precipitation in the Alpine region

Climate change impacts are non uniformly distributed over the globe. Mountains have a peculiar response to large scale variations, documented by elevation gradients of surface temperature increase observed over many mountain ranges in the last decades. Significant changes of precipitation are expected in the changing climate and orographic effects are important in determining the amount of rainfall at a given location. It thus becomes particularly important to understand how orographic precipitation responds to global warming and to anthropogenic forcing. Here, using a large rain gauge dataset over the European Alpine region, we show that the distribution of annual precipitation among the lowlands and the mountains has varied over time, with an increase of the precipitation at the high elevations compared to the low elevations starting in the mid 20 century and peaking in the 1980s. The simultaneous increase and peak of anthropogenic aerosol load is discussed as a possible source for this interdecadal change. These results provide new insights to further our understanding and improve predictions of anthropic effects on mountain precipitations, which are fundamental for water security and management.