Biodiversity Features Research Articles

Putting bryophyte communities in the map: A case study on prioritizing monitoring of human pressure in riverscapes

Freshwater ecosystems support biological communities with high species richness and conservation interest. However, these ecosystems are highly altered by human intervention and threatened worldwide, making them a priority in conservation planning and biodiversity monitoring. Bryophytes, including several conservation-interest taxa, are recognized indicators of ecological status in freshwaters. We aimed to develop a framework for designing monitoring networks to detect trends in aquatic and semi-aquatic bryophyte communities, prioritizing high-conservation interest communities in different contexts of human pressure (specifically, resulting from the intersection of two criteria: (i) protection status and (ii) presence of a potential impact area).The framework consists of three steps: (1) Spatial modelling of biodiversity; (2) Spatial conservation prioritization; and (3) Model-assisted monitoring network design. Community-level modelling was used to model the distribution of the main bryophyte assemblages in the study area. A conservation prioritization software was utilized to identify areas with high conservation value. The monitoring network was designed using stratified random sampling and unequal-probability sampling techniques to target high conservation value sites distributed across different contexts of human pressure.We have identified four distinct community types, each characterized both by a small group of common and dominant species, and by small group of rarer, conservation-interest species. This typification of four species assemblages occurring in the study area, also highlighted those with potentially higher conservation-interest. The most valuable areas for the conservation of aquatic and semi-aquatic bryophyte communities coincide with specific environmental zones: mountainous areas in Lusitania, large watercourses in the Mediterranean North and some locations in the Mediterranean Mountains. Finally, we obtained a potential monitoring network consisting of 64 monitoring points, unequally distributed across different contexts of human pressure, privileging locations with higher conservation value.The framework presented here illustrates the potential of combining biodiversity modelling, spatial conservation prioritization and monitoring design in the development of monitoring networks. Namely, this framework allowed us to counter data deficiencies, to identify high priority areas to monitor and to design a monitoring network considering different scenarios of human pressure at a regional scale.This framework can also be valuable for conservation efforts as an approach to monitoring conservation-interest biodiversity features in anthropogenically modified riverscapes, which present different degrees of human pressure and the cumulative effects of these different impact elements. Moreover, this approach allows for the comprehensive monitoring of biodiversity values important for management at the national and regional levels. In addition, this framework is one of the first efforts in the development of monitoring networks that target aquatic and semi-aquatic bryophyte communities, a long-neglected plant group of high ecological and conservation importance in freshwater ecosystems.

How well are biodiversity drivers reflected in protected areas? A representativeness assessment of the geohistorical gradients that shaped endemic flora in Japan

Protected areas function as a lifeboat that can preserve the origins and maintenance of biodiversity. We assessed the representativeness of biodiversity in existing protected areas in Japan using a distribution dataset and phylogenetic tree for 5565 Japanese vascular plant species. We first examined the overlap of species distribution with the existing protected areas and identified the minimum set representing all plant species. Second, we evaluated the relative importance of environmental variables in explaining the spatial arrangement of protected areas using a random forest model. Finally, we clarified how potential drivers of plant diversity were sufficiently captured within the protected areas network. Although the protected areas captured the majority of species, nearly half of the minimum set areas were selected from outside the existing protected areas. The locations of existing protected areas are mainly associated with geographical and socio-economic factors rather than key biodiversity features (including evolutionary distinctiveness). Moreover, critical biodiversity drivers, which include current climate, paleoclimatic stability, and geographical isolation, were biasedly emulated within the existing protected areas. These findings demonstrate that current conservation planning fails to represent the ecological and evolutionary processes relevant to species sorting, dispersal limitation, and allopatric speciation. In particular, under-representativeness of historically stable habitats that function as evolutionary hotspots or refugia in response to climate changes may pose a threat to the long-term persistence of Japan’s endemic biota. This study provides a fundamental basis for developing prioritization measures to retain species assembly processes and in situ diversification along current climatic and geohistorical gradients.

Coexistence trend contingent to Mediterranean oaks with different leaf habits.

In a previous work we developed a mathematical model to explain the co‐occurrence of evergreen and deciduous oak groups in the Mediterranean region, regarded as one of the distinctive features of Mediterranean biodiversity. The mathematical analysis showed that a stabilizing mechanism resulting from niche difference (i.e. different water use and water stress tolerance) between groups allows their coexistence at intermediate values of suitable soil water content. A simple formal derivation of the model expresses this hypothesis in a testable form linked uniquely to the actual evapotranspiration of forests community. In the present work we ascertain whether this simplified conclusion possesses some degree of explanatory power by comparing available data on oaks distributions and remotely sensed evapotranspiration (MODIS product) in a large‐scale survey embracing the western Mediterranean area. Our findings confirmed the basic assumptions of model addressed on large scale, but also revealed asymmetric responses to water use and water stress tolerance between evergreen and deciduous oaks that should be taken into account to increase the understating of species interactions and, ultimately, improve the modeling capacity to explain co‐occurrence.

Habitat structure determines spider diversity in highland ponds

AbstractWetlands (e.g. ponds, meadows) can be found in many landscapes, playing an important role in maintaining regional biodiversity and supporting heterogeneous communities. Spiders are diversified predators that are highly influenced by changes in plant community structure, heterogeneous habitats sustain high spider diversity and abundance. We investigated the characteristics of spider biodiversity in ponds with different habitat structures, by examining patterns across habitats of ponds with different vegetation levels. Sampling took place in four occasions over a year. We compared spider abundance, species richness and composition among ponds including distinct vegetation variables, related to life form, type of leaves, coverage and height. Overall 1174 individuals (194 adults) of 11 families and 37 morphospecies were sampled. We found mostly expected differences in the manner that communities were structured between different habitats. Thus, higher variability of abundance was explained for higher habitat structure of ponds. We also found differences in species composition between ponds with low emergent vegetation and higher habitat structures. Additionaly, spiders were consistently structured more by turnover than nestedness components, with a greater beta diversity of web‐builders. Our results suggest varying levels of habitat structures and species substitution shape pond spider communities, depending on habitat heterogeneity and spider guild. Those findings demonstrate the clear role of spatial habitat structure, with more spider species preferring to build webs or actively hunt at vegetated environments on ponds.

从生物地理区划到生态功能区划——全球生态区划研究进展

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 从生物地理区划到生态功能区划——全球生态区划研究进展 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201707251338 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家重点研发计划项目（2017YFA0604701） From biogeography to ecological function:Progress and prospect of global ecological regionalization research Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:全球生态区划可以为全球和区域的生态系统保护与管理起到关键的空间指引作用，但当前全球生态区划方案存在重视生物地理分布特征而忽视生态系统服务的问题。系统梳理了全球生态区划研究进展，并总结为萌芽、发展和再认识的3个阶段。Bailey和Olson等的两套全球生态区划方案在近40年来使用最为广泛，但两套以生物多样性保护为区划目标的方案均属于生物地理区划范畴。为实现对区域生态安全保障和人地关系协调的全面支持，有必要开展以功能区划为主的全球生态区划研究，进一步完善生态区划理论体系、探索生态区划方法集成、突出生态系统服务权衡并聚焦人地关系动态演化。 Abstract:Global ecological regionalization plays a key role in spatially guiding the conservation and management of ecosystems at global and regional scales. However, the current zoning scheme for the global ecoregion has some limitations, as it focuses on the geographical distribution of biodiversity characteristics while neglecting the ecological services for human beings. This study systematically demonstrates the research progress of global ecological regionalization. The course has been summarized into three stages:rudiment, development, and reconsideration. Two sets of global ecoregion schemes have been most widely applied in the last 40 years. Nevertheless, both schemes belong to the category of biogeographic regionalization, with the objective of biodiversity conservation. To understand the comprehensive support for regional ecological security as well as coordinate the human-nature relationship, it is necessary to study global ecological functional regionalization on the basis of ecosystem services. Four future directions for this research goal have been set:further improvement of the theoretical system of ecological regionalization, exploration of the integration of ecological regionalization methods, highlighting the trade-off of ecosystem services, and focusing on the dynamic evolution of the human-nature relationship. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Integrating biodiversity, ecosystem services and socio-economic data to identify priority areas and landowners for conservation actions at the national scale

Gaps in research exist for country-wide analyses to identify areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services to help reach Aichi Target 11 in developing countries. Here we provide a spatial conservation prioritization approach that ranks landowners for maximizing the representation of biodiversity features and ecosystem services, while exploring the trade-offs with agricultural and commercial forestry production and land cost, using Uruguay as a case study. Specifically, we explored four policy scenarios, ranging from a business as usual scenario where only biodiversity and ecosystem services were included in the analysis to a potentially unsustainable scenario where expansion of alternative land uses and economic development would be given higher priority over biodiversity and ecosystem services. At the 17% land target proposed for conservation, the representation levels for biodiversity and ecosystem services were, on average, higher under the business as usual scenario. However, a small addition to the proposed target (from 17 to 20%) allowed to meet same representation levels for biodiversity and ecosystem services, while decreasing conflict with agricultural and commercial forestry production and opportunity costs to local landowners. Under the unsustainable scenario, a striking 41% addition to the conservation target (from 17 to 58%) was needed to meet same representation levels for threatened ecosystems and ecosystem services, which are crucial to sustain human well-being. Our results highlight that more realistic and potentially higher conservation targets, than politically set targets, can be achieved at the country level when sustainable development needs are also accounted for.

Evaluating the ecological performance of protected areas

While protected areas are a key component of the global conservation strategy, quantitative demonstrations of their positive ecological performance, meaning the extent to which they conserve the biodiversity features they were designated for, is broadly lacking. This commentary presents the emerging field of impact of evaluation of protected areas, with a focus on establishing their ecological performance. It highlights recent advances in protected area evaluations and explores the challenges remaining in developing a more credible evidence base to demonstrate the biodiversity conservation benefits of protected areas.

Ecosystem services and connectivity in spatial conservation prioritization

ContextSpatial conservation prioritization (SCP) concerns, for example, identification of spatial priorities for biodiversity conservation or for impact avoidance in economic development. Software useable for SCP include Marxan, C-Plan and Zonation. SCP is often based on data about the distributions of biodiversity features (e.g., species, habitats), costs, threats, and/or ecosystem services (ES).Objectives and methodsAt simplest ES can be entered into a SCP analysis as independent supply maps, but this is not very satisfactory because connectivity requirements and consequent ideal spatial priority patterns may vary between ES. Therefore, we examine different ES and their connectivity requirements at the conceptual level.ResultsWe find that the ideal spatial priority pattern for ES may differ in terms of: local supply area size and regional network requirements for the maintenance of ES provision, for flow between provision and demand, and with respect to the degree of dispersion that is needed for ES provision and access across different administrative regions. We then identify existing technical options in the Zonation software for dealing with such connectivity requirements of ES in SCP.ConclusionsThis work helps users of SCP to improve how ES are accounted for in analysis together with biodiversity and other considerations.

Floral biodiversity of allotment gardens and its contribution to urban green infrastructure

Allotment gardens are a key feature of the urban landscape, providing numerous benefits beyond those of food production. These include ecosystem services such as local climate modification, pollination, and providing a pleasant location for socialising. The biodiversity of flora underpins many of these ecosystem services. The aims of this study are to assess the spontaneous vascular flora of urban allotment gardens and derive estimates of the species richness and diversity. In doing so, the specific position of allotment gardens within urban green infrastructure will be revealed and the role of allotment users in shaping local biodiversity determined. 358 species of spontaneous flora were recorded in 11 representative allotment garden estates (total area 150 ha) in Poznan, Poland. Fourteen biodiversity features were taken into account. The investigated areas exhibited high plant species richness, high diversity, low synanthropisation level, and contained valuable geobotanical elements, including plants of key importance for the European Community. For these reasons, allotment gardens should be considered as biodiversity hotspots for native species within urban green infrastructure. Based on an analysis of the spatial and functional organization of 110 individual plots, four types of usage, and corresponding plant diversity have been distinguished. The composition of the flora depends mostly on spatial and functional organization of allotment gardens and, to a much lesser extent, on the habitat conditions, which on individual plots varied very little. The high species richness and diversity in allotment gardens has important consequences for urban planning.

Evolutionary conservatism explains increasing relatedness of plant communities along a flooding gradient.

Abiotic filters have been found either to increase or reduce evolutionary relatedness in plant communities, making it difficult to generalize responses of this major feature of biodiversity to future environmental change. Here, we hypothesized that the responses of phylogenetic structure to environmental change ultimately depend on how species have evolved traits for tolerating the resulting abiotic changes. Working within ephemeral wetlands, we tested whether species were increasingly related as flooding duration intensified. We also identified the mechanisms underlying increased relatedness by measuring root aerenchyma volume (RAV), a trait which promotes waterlogging tolerance. We found that species-specific responses to flooding explained most of the variation in occurrence for 63 vascular plant species across 5170 plots. For a subset of 22 species, we attributed these responses to variation in RAV. Large RAV specifically increased occurrence when flooding lasted for longer time periods, because large RAV reduced above-ground biomass loss. As large RAV was evolutionarily conserved within obligate wetland species, communities were more phylogenetically related as flooding increased. Our study shows how reconstructing the evolutionary history of traits that influence the responses of species to environmental change can help to predict future patterns in phylogenetic structure.

Understanding local‐scale drivers of biodiversity outcomes in terrestrial protected areas

Conservation relies heavily on protected areas (PAs) maintaining their key biodiversity features to meet global biodiversity conservation goals. However, PAs have had variable success, with many failing to fully maintain their biodiversity features. The current literature concerning what drives variability in PA performance is rapidly expanding but unclear, sometimes contradictory, and spread across multiple disciplines. A clear understanding of the drivers of successful biodiversity conservation in PAs is necessary to make them fully effective. Here, we conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current state of knowledge concerning the drivers of biological outcomes within PAs, focusing on those that can be addressed at local scales. We evaluate evidence in support of potential drivers to identify those that enable more successful outcomes and those that impede success and provide a synthetic review. Interactions are discussed where they are known, and we highlight gaps in understanding. We find that elements of PA design, management, and local and national governance challenges, species and system ecology, and sociopolitical context can all influence outcomes. Adjusting PA management to focus on actions and policies that influence the key drivers identified here could improve global biodiversity outcomes.

The reliability of a composite biodiversity indicator in predicting bird species richness at different spatial scales

Several biodiversity features can be linked to landscape heterogeneity, that, in turn, can be informative for management and conservation purposes. Usually, the more the landscape is complex the more the biodiversity increases. Biodiversity indicators can be a useful tool to assess biodiversity status, in function of landscape heterogeneity. In this study, we developed a biodiversity indicator, based on Shannon diversity index and built from distribution maps of protected species. With such an approach, we seek to evaluate the feasibility of using a combination of target species as a surrogate for assessing the status of the whole bird community. Our approach was spread over multiple spatial scales, to determine which was the most informative. We selected four species protected by European regulation and generated a presence-absence map from species distribution modelling. We, therefore, used the FRAGSTATS biodiversity metric to calculate Shannon index for the overlapped presence-absence maps, at two spatial scales (500m and 1000m). Then, the relationships with the whole community was assessed through generalised least square models, at the spatial scale of 4ha, 9ha and 25ha. Results showed that the higher rate of variability of community was explained by the biodiversity indicator at 1000m scale. Indeed, the more informative spatial scale for the whole bird community was 9ha. In addition, a pattern emerged about the relationships between biodiversity indicator and community richness, that is worth of further research. Our study demonstrates that the usefulness of surrogate species for biodiversity and community assessment can become clear only at a certain spatial scales. Indeed, they can be highly predictive of the whole community, and highly informative for conservation planning. Moreover, their use can optimize biodiversity monitoring and conservation, focusing on a small number of noteworthy species.

Spatial analysis of selected biodiversity features in protected areas: a case study in Tuscany region

The development of strategies for biodiversity analysis is critical at several levels, particularly at the national one. The World Conference on Biological Diversity held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the European Natura 2000 network and the Environmental Conference of the Regions of Europe (EN.CO.RE) brought forward several measures aiming at the preservation of Biodiversity. Targets for biodiversity preservation include protected areas among others. Accordingly, the analysis of the degree of biodiversity of protected areas proves to be a valid tool to evaluate the effectiveness of those measures.The present manuscript analyses the degree of some relevant features of biodiversity in the Region of Tuscany, through the implementation of multidimensional indicators in a Spatial MultiCriteria Analysis. After a state of the art of biodiversity definition, four indicators have been used for the analysis. A raster map in which pixels have higher or lower values of biodiversity was produced in order to investigate which of these values might be located in protected areas. Protected areas with high value of biodiversity confirmed that the adopted environmental policies are positively related to the conservation of biodiversity. The result of the analysis, corroborated through auto-correlational statistical analysis, has highlighted the important role of protected areas in maintaining a certain degree of biodiversity.

OPERATIONAL REMOTE SENSING SERVICES IN NORTH EASTERN REGION OF INDIA FOR NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, EARLY WARNING FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION AND SERVICES

North Eastern Region (NER) of India comprising of eight states considered to be most unique and one of the most challenging regions to govern due to its unique physiographic condition, rich biodiversity, disaster prone and diverse socio-economic characteristics. Operational Remote Sensing services increased manifolds in the region with the establishment of North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) in the year 2000. Since inception, NESAC has been providing remote sensing services in generating inventory, planning and developmental activities, and management of natural resources, disasters and dissemination of information and services through geo-web services for NER. The operational remote sensing services provided by NESAC can be broadly divided into three categories viz. natural resource planning and developmental services, disaster risk reduction and early warning services and information dissemination through geo-portal services. <br><br> As a apart of natural resources planning and developmental services NESAC supports the state forest departments in preparing the forest working plans by providing geospatial inputs covering entire NER, identifying the suitable culturable wastelands for cultivation of silkworm food plants, mapping of natural resources such as land use/land cover, wastelands, land degradation etc. on temporal basis. <br><br> In the area of disaster risk reduction, NESAC has initiated operational services for early warning and post disaster assessment inputs for flood early warning system (FLEWS) using satellite remote sensing, numerical weather prediction, hydrological modeling etc.; forest fire alert system with actionable attribute information; Japanese Encephalitis Early Warning System (JEWS) based on mosquito vector abundance, pig population and historical disease intensity and agriculture drought monitoring for the region. <br><br> The large volumes of geo-spatial databases generated as part of operational services are made available to the administrators and local government bodies for better management, preparing prospective planning, and sustainable use of available resources. The knowledge dissemination is being done through online web portals wherever the internet access is available and as well as offline space based information kiosks, where the internet access is not available or having limited bandwidth availability. <br><br> This paper presents a systematic and comprehensive study on the remote sensing services operational in NER of India for natural resources management, disaster risk reduction and dissemination of information and services, in addition to outlining future areas and direction of space applications for the region.

The ecologist's field guide to sequence‐based identification of biodiversity

Summary The past 100 years of ecological research has seen substantial progress in understanding the natural world and likely effects of change, whether natural or anthropogenic. Traditional ecological approaches underpin such advances, but would additionally benefit from recent developments in the sequence‐based quantification of biodiversity from the fields of molecular ecology and genomics. By building on a long and rich history of molecular taxonomy and taking advantage of the new generation of DNA sequencing technologies, we are gaining previously impossible insights into alpha and beta diversity from all domains of life, irrespective of body size. While a number of complementary reviews are available in specialist journals, our aim here is to succinctly describe the different technologies available within the omics toolbox and showcase the opportunities available to contemporary ecologists to advance our understanding of biodiversity and its potential roles in ecosystems. Starting in the field, we walk the reader through sampling and preservation of genomic material, including typical taxonomy marker genes used for species identification. Moving on to the laboratory, we cover nucleic acid extraction approaches and highlight the principal features of using marker gene assessment, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, single‐cell genomics and targeted genome sequencing as complementary approaches to assess the taxonomic and functional characteristics of biodiversity. We additionally provide clear guidance on the forms of DNA found in the environmental samples (e.g. environmental vs. ancient DNA) and highlight a selection of case studies, including the investigation of trophic relationships/food webs. Given the maturity of sequence‐based identification of prokaryotes and microbial eukaryotes, more exposure is given to macrobial communities. We additionally illustrate current approaches to genomic data analysis and highlight the exciting prospects of the publicly available data underpinning published sequence‐based studies. Given that ecology ‘has to count’, we identify the impact that molecular genetic analyses have had on stakeholders and end‐users and predict future developments for the fields of biomonitoring. Furthermore, we conclude by highlighting future opportunities in the field of systems ecology afforded by effective engagement between the fields of traditional and molecular ecology.

Influence of shifting cultivation practices on soil-plant-beetle interactions.

Shifting cultivation (jhum) is a major land use practice in Mizoram. It was considered as an eco-friendly and efficient method when the cycle duration was long (15-30years), but it poses the problem of land degradation and threat to ecology when shortened (4-5years) due to increased intensification of farming systems. Studying beetle community structure is very helpful in understanding how shifting cultivation affects the biodiversity features compared to natural forest system. The present study examines the beetle species diversity and estimates the effects of shifting cultivation practices on the beetle assemblages in relation to change in tree species composition and soil nutrients. Scarabaeidae and Carabidae were observed to be the dominant families in the land use systems studied. Shifting cultivation practice significantly (P < 0.05) affected the beetle and tree species diversity as well as the soil nutrients as shown by univariate (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation and regression, diversity indices) and multivariate (cluster analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), canonical variate analysis (CVA), permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), permutational multivariate analysis of dispersion (PERMDISP)) statistical analyses. Besides changing the tree species composition and affecting the soil fertility, shifting cultivation provides less suitable habitat conditions for the beetle species. Bioindicator analysis categorized the beetle species into forest specialists, anthropogenic specialists (shifting cultivation habitat specialist), and habitat generalists. Molecular analysis of bioindicator beetle species was done using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) marker to validate the beetle species and describe genetic variation among them in relation to heterogeneity, transition/transversion bias, codon usage bias, evolutionary distance, and substitution pattern. The present study revealed the fact that shifting cultivation practice significantly affects the beetle species in terms of biodiversity pattern as well as evolutionary features. Spatiotemporal assessment of soil-plant-beetle interactions in shifting cultivation system and their influence in land degradation and ecology will be helpful in making biodiversity conservation decisions in the near future.

The Effect of the Irrigated Gudeuljang Paddy System on Biodiversity on Cheongsan-do (“Island”)

Abstract: This study has been conducted to identify the characteristics of the biodiversity promoted and maintained by gudeuljang paddy field. For this purpose, a literature review was used to identify the distribution of gudeuljang paddy field on Cheongsan-do. Based on the results of the review, a target area was selected to conduct an investigation of the flora of the vascular plants and a phytosociological examination, which included general farmlands and neighboring areas, was made for comparison. As a result of the study, we were able to identify the differences between the type of gudeuljang paddy field that uses continuous irrigation and other types of land use. We found that the unique physical structure for water passage found in gudeuljang paddy fields with continuous irrigation is more effective in promoting biodiversity than the other types of land use in this area. In conclusion, the presence of gudeuljang paddy fields on Cheongsan-do contributes more to the creation of an appropriate biohabi...

Pichia kudriavzevii as a representative yeast of North Patagonian winemaking terroir

Terroir concept includes specific soil, topography, climate, landscape characteristics and biodiversity features. In reference to the last aspect, recent studies investigating the microbial biogeography (lately called ‘microbial terroir’) have revealed that different wine-growing regions maintain different microbial communities. The aim of the present work was to identify potential autochthonous fermentative yeasts isolated from native plants in North Patagonia, Schinus johnstonii, Ephedra ochreata and Lycium chilense, that could be associated to the specific vitivinicultural terroir of this region. Different Pichia kudriavzevii isolates were recovered from these plants and physiologically and genetically compared to regional wine isolates and foreign reference strains of the same species. All isolates were subjected to molecular characterization including mtDNA-RFLP, RAPD-PCR and sequence analysis. Both wine and native P. kudriavzevii isolates from Patagonia showed similar features, different from those showed by foreign strains, suggesting that this species could be part of a specific regional terroir from North Patagonia.

Exploring stream communities in a tropical biodiversity hotspot: biodiversity, regional occupancy, niche characteristics and environmental correlates

Exploring and describing biodiversity and the mechanisms structuring it is fundamental to advancing ecology. This is particularly pertinent in understudied biogeographical regions, such as the Afrotropics, that are characterised by strong seasonal climatic shifts. We investigated the characteristics of stream biodiversity in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, a tropical biodiversity hotspot, by examining patterns in 20 stream invertebrate communities across both the wet and dry seasons. For this, we took a multi-faceted approach accounting for the three levels of biodiversity (α, β and γ), including partitioning the nestedness and turnover components of β diversity, regional occupancy-abundance patterns, niche characteristics, and the environmental drivers of community structure. α diversity was low in these streams, with strong turnover between sites leading to high β diversity contributing to regional biodiversity, but there was little variation in communities between seasons. The proportion of sites occupied by taxa declined with increasing niche position, and decreasing niche breadth. Occupancy was predicted well by a combination of these two factors (niche position and breadth), but not mean local abundance, as the abundance-occupancy link was an upper-limit unimodal relationship. On average, community structure was linked more strongly to environmental variables in the wet season. Our findings demonstrate the clear role of spatial, but not temporal, turnover in assemblages, which likely reflects the environmental heterogeneity of this region. This is further supported by the fact that regional occupancy was mostly related to niche characteristics, particularly niche position. We emphasise the importance of continued basic and applied ecological work in this important biogeographic region to enable better protection of its biodiversity.

Intelligent Habitat Restoration Under Uncertainty

Conservation is an ethic of sustainable use of natural resources which focuses on the preservation of biodiversity, i.e., the degree of variation of life. Conservation planning seeks to reach this goal by means of deliberate actions, aimed at the protection (or restoration) of biodiversity features. In this paper we present an intelligent system to assist conservation managers in planning habitat restoration actions, with focus on the activities to be carried out in the islands of the Great Barrier Reef (QLD) and the Pilbara (WA) regions of Australia. In particular, we propose a constrained optimisation formulation of the habitat restoration planning (HRP) problem, capturing aspects such as population dynamics and uncertainty. We show that the HRP is NP-hard, and develop a constraint programming (CP) model and a large neighbourhood search (LNS) procedure to generate activity plans under budgeting constraints.