Effects Of Landscape Configuration Research Articles

Exploring spatial relationship between landscape configuration and ecosystem services: A case study of Xiamen–Zhangzhou–Quanzhou in China

Human activities have significantly impacted our landscapes and the functioning of our ecosystems. Landscape planning can be optimized by understanding the spatial relationships between landscape patterns and ecosystem services. However, existing research on these relationships is scarce. We sought to fill this gap with a case study of the Xiamen–Zhangzhou–Quanzhou area in China. Changes in landscape configuration were estimated in terms of the number of patches, edge density, Shannon's diversity index, and aggregation index. We applied the spatial analysis tools in GIS and InVEST to examine the following five ecosystem services: grain production, water retention, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and habitat quality. We performed multiscale geographically-weighted regression to investigate the spatial relationships between landscape configuration and the provision of ecosystem services between 2000 and 2020. The results showed that the landscape was fragmented and diversified with a decline in various ecosystem services. The spatial relationships were characterized by non-stationarity and heterogeneity. The effect of landscape configuration on ecosystem services generally weakened, and landscape aggregation had the strongest influence on service provision. Our findings serve as a reference for the formulation of policy on landscape planning and management.

Multiscale Analysis of the Effects of Landscape Pattern on the Trade-Offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Services in Southern Zhejiang Province, China

Identifying the trade-offs and synergies (TOSs) of ecosystem services (ESs) and their responses to landscape patterns at various scales, especially in mountainous areas, could benefit the strategies of ES management and landscape optimization. In this study, the southern Zhejiang Province, a hilly region in eastern China, was chosen as the study area. Five ESs, including food production (FP), carbon sequestration (CS), flood mitigation (FM), water conservation (WC), and soil retention (SR) in 2020 were quantified. The TOSs of these ESs were identified at four spatial scales (i.e., grid, watershed, town, and county scales) through Pearson correlation analysis and the spatial overlay method. The effects of landscape patterns on the TOSs of ESs were analyzed by applying a logistic regression model. Results showed that FP and other ESs were trade-offs, while the other ES pairs were synergies. Spatial overlay results showed that weak synergies increased significantly, while strong synergies decreased significantly with the increase of the scale. The direction of the influence of landscape pattern on TOSs did not change, but the magnitudes of the impacts were scale-dependent. Landscape composition (i.e., cropland%, forest%, construction land%) had more significant effects on the trade-offs of ESs than spatial configuration (i.e., LSI, PD, COHE, and SHDI). The magnitudes of impact of landscape composition were strengthened at larger scales, while the effects of landscape configuration on the TOSs of ESs became complex as the scale changed. The results of this study could contribute to understanding how landscape patterns affect TOSs across scales, which will promote the hierarchical governance of ESs in mountainous areas.

Planning for wolf-livestock coexistence: landscape context predicts livestock depredation risk in agricultural landscapes.

Extensive pastoral livestock systems in Central Europe provide multiple ecosystem services and support biodiversity in agricultural landscapes but their viability is challenged by livestock depredation (LD) associated with the recovery of wolf populations. Variation in the spatial distribution of LD depends on a suite of factors, most of which are unavailable at the appropriate scales. To assess if LD patterns can be predicted sufficiently with land use data alone at the scale of one federal state in Germany, we employed a machine-learning-supported resource selection approach. The model used LD monitoring data, and publicly available land use data to describe the landscape configuration at LD and control sites (resolution 4km*4km). We used SHapley Additive exPlanations to assess the importance and effects of landscape configuration and cross-validation to evaluate the model performance. Our model predicted the spatial distribution of LD events with a mean accuracy of 74%. The most influential land use features included grassland, farmland and forest. The risk of livestock depredation was high if these three landscape features co-occurred with a specific proportion. A high share of grassland, combined with a moderate proportion of forest and farmland, increased LD risk. We then used the model to predict the LD risk in five regions; the resulting risk maps showed high congruence with observed LD events. While of correlative nature and lacking specific information on wolf and livestock distribution and husbandry practices, our pragmatic modelling approach can guide spatial prioritisation of damage prevention or mitigation practices to improve livestock-wolf coexistence in agricultural landscapes.

The effect of landscape configuration on outdoor thermal environment: A case of urban Plaza in Xi'an, China

Regulating landscape configuration (building, greenery, and water bodies) is a commonly accepted mitigation strategy for responding to the rapidly deteriorating urban thermal environment. Studies on urban plazas' thermal comfort, particularly those focusing on winter and summer, are still lacking. It also needs to be determined how the strategies interact with one another. This paper used quantitative studies and regression analysis to uncover these gaps. By changing the landscape configuration using the Envi-met model, 15 remodeled schemes of a typical urban plaza were proposed. Thirty simulations and analysis results for thermal environment conditions (summer and winter) were provided. This study also preliminarily investigated the interaction mechanisms between mitigation strategies. The findings demonstrate that increasing the plaza's water and greenery areas can significantly improve the summertime thermal environment. Wintertime thermal comfort is negatively impacted when the growth of the water body is greater than 15%, and the development of the greenery is greater than 40%. When the building coverage is increased within 15%, there is a beneficial effect on both summer and winter thermal comfort. Meanwhile, an interaction can be observed between the three landscape factors' mitigating effects on PET. Our findings could help designers use appropriate configurations to maximize the impact of mitigation.

Effects of Landscape Configuration on the Body Condition of Migratory and Resident Tropical Birds

Landscape structure and configuration may affect bird body condition, with contrasting effects on resident and migratory species. There is little empirical evidence to support this hypothesis in tropical regions, where land-use change poses a major threat to biodiversity. We aimed to assess the effects of landscape structure and configuration on the body condition of neotropical migrant and resident bird species. We compiled body condition data (using the scaled mass index) of nine bird species (five resident and four migratory). We characterized landscape structure and configuration at 26 localities. We evaluated the effects of landscape metrics on bird body condition using Bayesian linear mixed models. The landscapes in our study largely varied in forest, crop, and grassland cover, as well as in landscape metrics. When we examined migrant birds, we found a positive effect of landscape connectivity and crop cover on body condition. Similarly, body condition of resident birds was positively affected by connectivity and crop cover, but also by forest patch area and capture day. Changes in landscape structure and configuration may indirectly alter the access to resources, causing additional energy expenditures, leading to a deteriorated body condition. Conversely, landscape heterogeneity may have a positive effect on bird body condition. Therefore, we recommend maintaining connectivity and complementary resources in the landscape.

Effects of Landscape Structures on Bacterioplankton Communities at Multi-spatial Scales in the Yuanhe River

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between land use and bacterioplankton communities at different spatial scales and the mechanisms underlying the effects of land use on bacterioplankton communities. Here, surface water samples were collected in 14 tributaries of the Yuanhe River in August 2019 (wet season) and January 2020 (dry season), and high-throughput sequencing technology was used to determine the characteristics of the bacterioplankton communities. Statistical methods such as Bioenv and variance partitioning analysis (VPA) were used to explore the relationships among landscape structure (i.e., landscape compositions and landscape configurations), water chemistry, and bacterioplankton communities. Furthermore, metacommunity theory was employed to explain the mechanisms by which land use and water chemistry affect bacterial communities. The results showed that:① in general, the effects of landscape configuration on bacterial communities were weak, whereas the effects of landscape composition on bacterial communities were significant and greater at the buffer scale than that at the sub-basin scale. ② There was no distinct distance-decay pattern for the effects of landscape composition on bacterial communities from the near-distance (100 m) to the long-distance (1000 m) buffer zones, with the maximal effects occurring in the 500 m circular buffer (wet season) and 300 m riparian buffer (dry season), respectively. ③ Land use influenced the bacterioplankton communities both directly through exogenous inputs (i.e., "mass effect" process) and indirectly by affecting water chemistry (i.e., "species sorting" process). VPA showed that the total explanation of bacterial community variations by water chemistry and the intersection of water chemistry and land use (13.5% in the wet season and 11.7% in the dry season) was higher than that of land use alone (2.7% in the wet season and 6.9% in the dry season). These results suggest that mass effects and species sorting jointly shaped bacterial community assembly but that the effects of species sorting outweighed those of mass effects. This study revealed the variability of landscape structure at different spatial scales on bacterial communities, and its results will help to determine the optimal spatial scale affecting bacterial communities and provide a reference basis for watershed land-use management.

Effects of landscape configuration on the occurrence and abundance of an arboreal marsupial from the Valdivian rainforest

BackgroundHabitat fragmentation and degradation processes affect biodiversity by reducing habitat quantity and quality, with differential effects on the resident species. However, their consequences are not always noticeable as some ecological processes affected involve idiosyncratic responses among different animal groups. The Valdivian temperate rainforests of southern Chile are experiencing a rapid fragmentation and degradation process despite being a biodiversity hotspot. Deforestation is one of the main threats to these forests. There inhabits the arboreal marsupial Dromiciops gliroides, an iconic species from the Valdivian rainforest, it is the only extant representative of the ancient Microbiotheria order, and it is currently threatened by habitat loss. Here we tested the effects of habitat configuration on D. gliroides occurrence and abundance along 12 landscapes of southern Chile with different disturbance levels.MethodsWe estimated D. gliroides occurrence and abundance using camera traps and related those metrics with landscape configuration indices obtained from FRAGSTATS (i.e., forest %, connectivity, patch number, contiguity, and distance to the nearest patch) using Bayesian linear mixed models.ResultsWe found that D. gliroides occurrence was not influenced by landscape configuration, while its abundance was positively influenced by forest contiguity.ConclusionsAlthough this arboreal marsupial is present in disturbed forests, its restricted movement capabilities and high dependency on the forest three-dimensional structure may affect its long-term persistence. We urge to rethink native forest conservation and management policies to improve habitat connectivity with possible positive consequences for native fauna.

Habitat Specificity Modulates the Response of Small Mammals to Habitat Fragmentation, Loss, and Quality in a Neotropical Savanna

Landscape conversion of natural environments into agriculture and pasture are driving a marked biodiversity decline in the tropics. Consequences of fragmentation might depend upon habitat amount in the landscape, while the quality of remnants can also affect some species. These factors have been poorly studied in relation to different spatial scales. Furthermore, the impacts of these human-driven alterations may go beyond species loss, possibly causing a loss of ecosystem function and services. In this study, we investigated how changes in landscape configuration (patch size and isolation), habitat loss (considering a landscape gradient of 10, 25, and 40% of remnant forest cover), and habitat quality (forest structure) affect small mammal abundance, richness, taxonomic/functional diversity, and species composition in fragmented landscapes of semideciduous forests in the Brazilian Cerrado. Analyses were performed separately for habitat generalists and forest specialists. We live-trapped small mammals and measured habitat quality descriptors four times in 36 forest patches over the years 2018 and 2019, encompassing both rainy and dry seasons, with a total capture effort of 45,120 trap-nights. Regression analyses indicated that the effect of landscape configuration was not dependent on the proportion of habitat amount in the landscape to determine small mammal assemblages. However, both patch size and habitat loss impacted different aspects of the assemblages in distinct ways. Smaller patches were mainly linked to an overall increase in small mammal abundance, while the abundance of habitat generalists was also negatively affected by habitat amount. Generalist species richness was determined by the proportion of habitat amount in the landscape. Specialist richness was influenced by patch forest quality only, suggesting that species with more demanding habitat requirements might respond to fragmentation and habitat loss at finer scales. Taxonomic or functional diversity were not influenced by landscape structure or habitat quality. However, patch size and habitat amount in the landscape were the major drivers of change in small mammal species composition in semideciduous forests in the Brazilian savanna.

Spatial predictors and species’ traits: evaluating what really matters for medium‐sized and large mammals in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Abstract Habitat loss and the conversion of natural environments to anthropogenic land uses are among the main drivers of biodiversity decline worldwide. The remaining habitats are inserted in highly modified landscapes, presenting contrasting patch and landscape features. Understanding species’ responses to these anthropogenic land‐use changes is essential for informing conservation planning. We evaluate which spatial predictors (measured at the patch and landscape scales) and species’ life‐history traits best predict the occurrence of medium‐sized and large mammals in forest fragments of the threatened Atlantic Forest of South America. We gathered occurrence data for 36 medium‐sized and large mammal species recorded by camera traps, distributed over 220 forest fragments spanning the entire Atlantic Forest biome. Species were classified according to their characteristics as follows: ‘hunted forest‐dependent’, ‘non‐hunted forest‐dependent’, and ‘generalist’ species. Further, each species’ occurrence was related to spatial predictors and life‐history trait variables. We revealed a severe defaunation of forest mammals occurring in most forest fragments in the Atlantic Forest. Landscapes containing large forest patches, low road density, and high human population density harboured high numbers of mammal species, including those exhibiting greater body mass. Nevertheless, mammal groups diverge in their sensitivity to landscape changes. Hunted forest‐dependent species mainly occurred in landscapes with lower edge density and numbers of patches and with less anthropogenic disturbance, while non‐hunted forest‐dependent species mainly occupied large forest fragments. Finally, generalist species also occurred in landscapes with low edge density and number of patches, but were more prevalent in landscapes with higher human population density. We stress the importance of maintaining large forest fragments, considering the effects of landscape configuration on conservation strategies, and reducing anthropogenic disturbances to ensure a greater persistence of mammal species in the Atlantic Forest.

Landscape structure as a mediator of ecosystem service interactions

Management of multiple ecosystem services (ES) is complex, in part due to synergies and trade-offs among ES. Landscape configuration—the spatial arrangement of patches in a landscape—affects the provision of many ES, and may also influence the strength and direction of these interactions. Understanding how landscape configuration can influence ES interactions may provide landscape managers with a tool to promote positive interactions and avoid negative interactions among ES. We investigate the relationship between ES, their interactions, and landscape configuration across the Monteregie region of Quebec, Canada. Through this, we explore the potential for landscape configuration to serve as a tool to mediate ES interactions. We quantified seven ES at a 30 m spatial resolution across the Monteregie region of Quebec, Canada. The strength and direction of pairwise correlations in ES provision was compared across five classes of landscape configuration. We found significant variation in response to landscape configuration for almost all pairwise ES interactions. In some cases, two ES showed a trade-off in one type of landscape and a synergy in another. Response to landscape configuration varied by ES, and no single type of landscape configuration was better overall at promoting synergies and reducing trade-offs. The effect of landscape configuration was relatively small compared to the effect of land use and land cover. However, directed manipulation of landscape configuration may allow managers to enhance the provision of specific ES, or influence the strength and direction of interactions between specific pairs of ES.

Ordinary least squares modelling of urban heat island intensity based on landscape composition and configuration: A comparative study among three megacities along the Yangtze River

The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon, arising from rapid urbanization, has attracted both social and academic attention because of its effects on citizens’ daily life. This paper investigated the relationship between landscape composition and configuration, population and land surface temperature (LST) in three megacities along the Yangtze River, aiming at providing useful information to reduce the effect of UHI. A correlation analysis and ordinary least squares (OLS) models were used to discover the relationship between these indices. The results showed that the effects of landscape composition, especially impervious surfaces (IS), on the LST increased obviously from 2000 to 2019. The correlation coefficients of the density of IS increased from 0.608 to 0.839 in Nanjing, from 0.368 to 0.777 in Wuhan, and from 0.416 to 0.874 in Chongqing, respectively. On contrast, the effects of landscape configuration on LST differs in different cities. In Nanjing, small and scattered patches of green spaces showed the highest capacity in cooling the surrounding areas. In Wuhan, small patches of waterbodies owned the highest cooling effect. While in Chongqing, small and scattered patches of forest with irregular shapes showed the highest cooling effect. The findings proved that reorganizing landscape configuration was applicable in relieving UHI.

Contrasted responses of dominant ground-dwelling arthropods to landscape salt-marsh fragmentation

In spite of their highly patchy distribution, the effects of landscape configuration on specialist biodiversity has been little studied in salt marshes. We investigated the impact of patch size on the abundance of specialist arthropods in two contrasted salt-marsh environments. Dominant ground-active species were sampled by pitfall traps in increasing areas of natural vegetation (dominated by Atriplex portulacoides) along two transects surrounded by either grazed (dominated by Puccinellia maritima) or invasive (dominated by Elymus athericus) vegetation. Spatially- and temporally-replicated sampling took place in the Mont Saint-Michel Bay (Western France) during 2012. Three dominant species, the wolf spider Pardosa purbeckensis (Araneae, Lycosidae), the ground beetle Pogonus chalceus (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and the beach-hopper Orchestia gammarellus (Amphipoda, Talitridrae), constituted 96% of all arthropods caught (N = 66,299). Patch size only had an effect on the carabid and on the amphipod, with large patches more populous than small ones, reinforcing the idea that the effects of fragmentation are stronger for species with limited mobility. Environment had a significant effect on the population density of all species, with systematically more individuals in patches surrounded by invaded than by grazed salt marshes, which confirms the particularly negative impact of over-grazing on salt-marsh biodiversity. This study finally suggests that both invasive species and grazing impact salt-marsh biodiversity also at a landscape scale.

A landscape connectivity model to quantify contributions of heat sources and sinks in urban regions

The effect of landscape configuration on urban temperatures is always an important issue in landscape planning and mitigation of urban heat islands. However, landscape indices used in previous studies did not focus on thermal processes. We proposed a landscape source-sink distance (LSSD) index used to quantify the landscape connectivity and investigate its contribution to variations in land surface temperature (LST) in Beijing. Monthly LST was derived from MODIS remote sensing products in 2002 and 2012. Landscape composition and connectivity was calculated based on QuickBird and IKONOS images. The LSSD of each LST grid was calculated according to the accumulative shortest distance between green-impervious, water-impervious, and green-water types. The contributions of landscape composition and connectivity to variations in LST were assessed using a geographically weighted regression model. Heat sources and sinks were designated as having positive and negative effects on the LST, respectively. Results showed that (1) green spaces served as heat sinks both day and night. Water areas served as daytime heat sinks and nighttime heat sources; (2) the influence of green and water types on daytime LST varied in different months while their influence on nighttime LST was stable seasonally; and (3) a large distance between green and impervious land increased variations in day-night LST while a large distance for water-impervious connectivity might mitigate diurnal variations in LST. This study shows that landscape planners need to rationally use landscape connectivity among different landscape types and should focus on specific time and season for the effective mitigation of urban heating.

On the effects of landscape configuration on summer diurnal temperatures in urban residential areas: application in Phoenix, AZ

The impacts of land-cover composition on urban temperatures, including temperature extremes, are well documented. Much less attention has been devoted to the consequences of land-cover configuration, most of which addresses land surface temperatures. This study explores the role of both composition and configuration—or land system architecture—of residential neighborhoods in the Phoenix metropolitan area, on near-surface air temperature. It addresses two-dimensional, spatial attributes of buildings, impervious surfaces, bare soil/rock, vegetation and the “urbanscape” at large, from 50 m to 550 m at 100 m increments, for a representative 30-day high sun period. Linear mixed-effects models evaluate the significance of land system architecture metrics at different spatial aggregation levels. The results indicate that, controlling for land-cover composition and geographical variables, land-cover configuration, specifically the fractal dimension of buildings, is significantly associated with near-surface temperatures. In addition, statistically significant predictors related to composition and configuration appear to depend on the adopted level of spatial aggregation.

Predators do not spill over from forest fragments to maize fields in a landscape mosaic in central Argentina.

South America is undergoing a rapid and large‐scale conversion of natural habitats to cultivated land. Ecosystem services still remain important but their level and sustainability are not known. We quantified predation intensity in an Argentinian agricultural landscape containing remnants of the original chaco serrano forest using artificial sentinel prey. We sought to identify the main predators and the effect of landscape configuration and maize phenology on predation pressure by invertebrate and vertebrate predators in this landscape. The most common predators were chewing insects (50.4% predation events), birds (22.7%), and ants (17.5%). Overall predation rates in forest fragments (41.6% per day) were significantly higher than in the surrounding maize fields (21.5% per day). Invertebrate predation was higher inside and at the edge of forest fragments than within fields, and did not change with increasing distance from a fragment edge, indicating a lack of spillover from the native habitat remnants to the cultivated matrix at the local scale. Distance from a continuous forest had a positive impact on predation by invertebrates and a negative impact on vertebrate predation.

Effects of landscape configuration and composition on phylogenetic diversity of trees in a highly fragmented tropical forest

Summary Fragmentation of tropical forests is a major driver of the global extinction crisis. A key question is understanding how fragmentation impacts phylogenetic diversity, which summarizes the total evolutionary history shared across species within a community. Conserving phylogenetic diversity decreases the potential of losing unique ecological and phenotypic traits and plays important roles in maintaining ecosystem function and stability. Our study was conducted in landscapes within the highly fragmented Brazilian Atlantic forest. We sampled living trees with d.b.h. ≥ 4.8 cm in 0.1 ha plots within 28 fragment interiors and 12 fragment edges to evaluate the impacts of landscape configuration, composition and patch size, as well as edge effects, on phylogenetic diversity indices (PD, a measure of phylogenetic richness; MPD, phylogenetic distance between individuals in a community in deep evolutionary time; and MNTD, phylogenetic distance between each individual and its nearest phylogenetic neighbour). We found that PD and MPD were correlated with species richness, while MNTD was not. Best models suggest that MPD was positively related to edge density and negatively related to the number of forest patches, but that there was no effect of landscape configuration and composition metrics on PD or MNTD, or on standardized values of phylogenetic structure (sesPD, sesMPD and sesMNTD), which control for species richness. Considering all selected models for phylogenetic diversity and structure, edge density and number of forest patches were most frequently selected. With increasing patch size, we found lower PD in interiors but no change at edges and lower sesMNTD regardless of habitat type. Additionally, PD and sesMNTD were higher in interiors than at edges. Synthesis. Changes in MPD and sesMNTD suggest that extirpation of species at edges or in highly fragmented landscapes increases the dominance of species within a subset of clades (phylogenetic clustering), likely those adapted to disturbance. Smaller patch sizes are phylogenetically diverse and overdispersed, probably due to an invasion of edge‐adapted species. Conservation must enhance patch area and connectivity via forest restoration; pivotally, even small forest patches are important reservoirs of phylogenetic diversity in the highly threatened Brazilian Atlantic forest.

Effects of landscape configuration on mapping ecosystem service capacity: a review of evidence and a case study in Scotland

Humans structure landscapes for the production of food, fibre and fuel, commonly resulting in declines of non-provisioning ecosystem services (ESs). Heterogeneous landscapes are capable of providing multiple ESs, and landscape configuration—spatial arrangement of land cover in the landscape—is expected to affect ES capacity. However, the majority of ES mapping studies have not accounted for landscape configuration. Our objective is to assess and quantify the relevance of configuration for mapping ES capacity. A review of empirical evidence for configuration effects on the capacity of ten ESs reveals that for four ESs configuration is relevant but typically ignored in ES quantification. For four ESs we quantify the relevance of configuration for mapping ESs using Scotland as a case study. Each ES was quantified through modelling, respectively ignoring or accounting for configuration. The difference in ES capacity between the two ES models was determined at multiple spatial scales. Configuration affected the capacity of all four ESs mapped, particularly at the cell and watershed scale. At the scale of Scotland most local effects averaged out. Flood control and sediment retention responded strongest to configuration. ESs were affected by different aspects of configuration, thus requiring specific methods for mapping each ES. Accounting for configuration is important for the assessment of certain ESs at the cell and watershed scale. Incorporating configuration in landscape management provides opportunities for spatial optimization of ES capacity, but the diverging response of ESs to configuration suggests that accounting for configuration involves trade-offs between ESs.

Bird Communities in Amazonian White‐Sand Vegetation Patches: Effects of Landscape Configuration and Biogeographic Context

AbstractVegetation growing on white‐sand soils is patchily distributed across the Amazon and is characterized by scrublands or open vegetation types (white‐sand campinas) and by forests (white‐sand forests) surrounded by contrasting habitat types. We studied birds in patches of white‐sand campinas in contrasting landscapes in four regions located in distinct biogeographic units delimited by major rivers. Our aim was to investigate the contribution of landscape configuration and biogeographic context to patterns of species diversity and distribution. Aracá and Viruá landscapes (on opposite sides of Rio Branco) are composed by large and continuous patches of white‐sand campinas, while Jaú, Novo Airão and Uatumã landscapes (on opposite sides of Rio Negro) are composed by small patches of white‐sand campinas isolated by continuous terra firme forests. Birds were sampled using mist‐nets and qualitative censuses, and were classified as white‐sand vegetation specialists or non‐specialists. Bird species diversity was significantly different among studied regions, and composition was significantly different for both, specialists and non‐specialists birds. Local variability in species diversity and composition was best explained by white‐sand campina area, patch proximity, and distance to major rivers. We conclude that landscape configuration and biogeographical context influence patterns of bird diversity, abundance, and composition in Amazonian white‐sand campinas.

Effects of landscape configuration on the exchange of materials in seagrass ecosystems

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 532:89-100 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11384 Effects of landscape configuration on the exchange of materials in seagrass ecosystems Aurora M. Ricart*, Andreu Dalmau, Marta Pérez, Javier Romero Facultat de Biologia, Departament d’Ecologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain *Corresponding author: auroramartinez@ub.edu ABSTRACT: Landscape (or seascape) attributes play an important role in modulating the flow rates of materials between habitats in the coastal marine environment. Seagrass meadows are known to both export and import organic matter, thus establishing links with other habitats. Most of those links remain unexplored, and little is known about the relevance of landscape configuration on these flows. We studied the relationships between landscape configuration (continuous meadows, patchy meadows in a sand matrix and patchy meadows in a rock matrix) and the exchange and accumulation of detrital material. Moreover, we evaluated the impact of landscape configuration on (1) plant nutrient content and (2) the diet of a model deposit feeder (holothurians). We determined detritus stocks in seagrass meadows as well as the carbon and nitrogen elemental and isotopic composition of plants, detritus and other food sources (e.g. suspended organic matter). Based on this, we identified, by applying mixing models, the different contributions of these sources to the diets of deposit feeders. Our results showed that landscape configuration influences the exchange of materials across the coastal seascape. Less accumulation of detrital seagrass leaves was found in patchy meadows, although no effects were found for allochthonous materials. In addition, patchy seagrass meadows showed significantly lower nitrogen concentrations in leaves compared to continuous meadows. Landscape configuration had no effect on the diet of the deposit feeder studied. These findings highlight the importance of landscape-level processes in coastal waters and specifically warn of the possible effects of changes in meadow size on seagrass performance. KEY WORDS: Coastal seascape · Habitat linkages · Spatial subsidy · Deposit feeder diets · Stable isotopes · Holothuria Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Ricart AM, Dalmau A, Pérez M, Romero J (2015) Effects of landscape configuration on the exchange of materials in seagrass ecosystems. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 532:89-100. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11384 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 532. Online publication date: July 21, 2015 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2015 Inter-Research.

Effect of landscape configuration and habitat quality on the community structure of waterbirds using a man-made habitat

Species occurrence and community structure are strongly influenced by multiple factors like habitat selection, species movement capabilities, competition, or conspecific and heterospecific attractions. More specifically, in waterbird communities, previous studies have identified the importance of environmental and structural characteristics of wetlands for their occupation and use. However, the effect of the surrounding landscape configuration remains unknown. In this article, we use a large network of artificial irrigation ponds to evaluate the importance of pond features in comparison to the effect of landscape and spatial configuration on the community at three different spatial scales. Our results show that landscape configuration has relatively little influence on structure of the waterbird community. Pond features were by far the most important variables to describe waterbird abundance and richness. At the species level, we detected differences in habitat preferences relating to species-specific ecological requirements. Our results highlight the importance of using a multiscale approach to understand and predict richness and abundance in waterbird communities. Our findings emphasize the need to maintain high-quality ponds to enhance their suitability for use as breeding and foraging sites.