Forest Ecoregion Research Articles

Characterizing ecoregions in Argentinian Patagonia using extant continental ostracods.

In order to characterize Patagonian (Argentina) ecoregions using non-marine ostracods, their associations in 69 environments were assessed. Twenty eight taxa were recorded, including 12 endemic of the Neotropical region. Our results indicate that Patagonian ostracods are mainly influenced by electrical conductivity (EC), altitude, pH, and temperature; and shows a correlation with Argentinian ecoregions. Assemblage I is composed of sites located at high altitude in the Andean Patagonian forest ecoregion. Host waters have low temperature, EC and pH, and support as representative species Cypris pubera, Eucypris virens, Bradleystrandesia fuscata, Tonacypris lutaria and Amphicypris nobilis. Assemblage II, related to mid-altitude environments in the Patagonian Steppe ecoregion, thrived in waters with moderate to high EC, and alkaline pH values. Dominant species includes Limnocythere rionegroensis, L. patagonica, E. virgata, Riocypris whatleyi, Riocypris sarsi, Newnhamia patagonica, Kapcypridopsis megapodus, Ilyocypris ramirezi and Penthesinelula incae. Assemblage III inhabited environments within Monte and Espinal ecoregions, situated in the eastern part of the study area at low altitude, EC moderate and temperate waters, supporting Heterocypris hyalinus, Amphicypris argentinensis, Sarscypridopsis aculeata, Cypridopsis vidua, Herpetocypris intermedia and Chlamidotheca incisa. Our results indicates that Argentinian Patagonia hosts a diverse ostracod fauna and highlights their capacity as proxies in ecological and palaeoenvironmental studies.

Beyond deforestation: Land cover transitions in Mexico

Conversion of land cover is one of the main causes of global environmental change and identifying the regions where sustained trends of land change are occurring provides useful information for land and resources management. For all ecoregions in Mexico, we analyzed land use changes over 14 years (2001–2014) using MODIS images (250m) and identified regions that had significant gains or loss of woody vegetation, pasturelands, or croplands. The land use patterns varied greatly among the 40 major ecoregions, but in general, woody vegetation and cropland cover increased while pastures decreased. In contrast to previous studies, much of the increase in croplands did not correspond with hotspots of decline in pastures but occurred in the Sonora and Chihuahuan deserts ecoregions in northern Mexico. Industrial cotton, sorghum, and pecans production for export where the major crops responsible for the increase in these ecoregions. Similar to patterns in the rest of Latin America, pasture expansion mainly occurred in ecoregions in the tropical moist forest biome (e.g. Veracruz and Peten-Veracruz ecoregions). The ecoregions that experienced the greatest increase in woody vegetation were the Balsas dry forest ecoregion along the Pacific coast and Trans Mexican volcanic oak-pine ecoregion. In both regions, rural-urban migration appears to be an important driver of the transition from grasslands to woody vegetation, while the conversion of croplands to woody vegetation in the Tamaulipan mezquital ecoregion was clearly associated with drug related violence. This study documents how the complex interactions among national and international demand for agricultural products, national policies, demography, violence and climate change are affecting land change across Mexico.

Quantifying the Monetary Value of Alaska National Forests to Commercial Pacific Salmon Fisheries

AbstractForested landscapes support a diversity of ecological processes and organisms having direct value to society. Assessments placing monetary value on forest processes and organisms can help inform management actions affecting these ecosystem services. The temperate rain forest ecoregion along the west coast of North America is home to five species of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. that support subsistence, personal‐use, sport, and commercial fisheries. This study aimed to quantify the number and monetary value of commercially caught Pacific salmon originating from Alaska's Tongass and Chugach national forests, two adjacent national forests containing some of the world's largest remaining tracts of intact temperate rain forest. The proportion of commercially harvested wild Pacific salmon originating from streams and lakes within national forest boundaries was estimated by subtracting hatchery salmon and salmon originating outside national forest areas from the total commercial catch. The Tongass and Chugach national forests were major contributors to the overall number and value of commercially caught Pacific salmon in southeastern and southcentral Alaska. From 2007 to 2016 these national forests contributed an average of 48 million Pacific salmon annually to commercial fisheries, with a dockside value averaging US$88 million (inflation adjusted to the base year 2017). These “forest fish” represented 25% of Alaska's commercial Pacific salmon catch for this time period and 16% of the total commercial value. These findings emphasize the importance of Alaska's forest rivers and lakes for sustaining Pacific salmon and can contribute to discussions about alternative land management strategies that might impact Pacific salmon populations and associated commercial salmon fisheries.

Lembakaria gen. nov. – a New Genus of Selizini from Madagascar Spiny Forest Ecoregion (Hemiptera: Fulgoromoprha: Flatidae)

A new genus of flatid planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Flatidae), Lembakariagen. nov., is described for Lembakaria saintemariaesp. nov. (type species) and Lembakaria mikeaesp. nov. from the island of Madagascar. Habitus, male and female external and internal genital structures of the new species are illustrated. Lembakaria is probably endemic to Madagascar where it is known to date, only from a southern part of the island and is confined to the vegetation of Spiny Forest Ecoregion.

Vulnerability of global forest ecoregions to future climate change

The vulnerability of global forest ecoregions to future climate change represents a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystems worldwide. Therefore, it is important to investigate this vulnerability to improve the global conservation management network for biodiversity and ecosystems. We used species–area relationship coupled with correlative distribution modelling to conduct a global vulnerability assessment on 387 forest ecoregions under future climate change across different (1) biomes, (2) biogeographical realms and (3) conservation statuses. We found that 8.8% of global forest ecoregions were highly vulnerable in a low-greenhouse-gas-concentration scenario, and 32.6% of the global forest ecoregions were highly vulnerable in the high-greenhouse-gas-concentration scenario. Furthermore, the overall vulnerability of forest ecoregions was significantly greater for the high-rather than the low-greenhouse-gas-concentration scenario. In particular, critical or endangered forest ecoregions of Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests, Temperate Conifer Forests, Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests and Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests were highly vulnerable in Nearctic, Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Furthermore, relatively stable and intact Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests may be threatened in Neotropic and Afrotropic realms due to their climate change vulnerability. Hence, due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, future climate change must be incorporated into forest ecoregion conservation management to improve the effectiveness of global conservation network systems for biodiversity and ecosystems.

Revisión de las experiencias de revegetación con fines de restauración en bosques de la Argentina

Fil: de Paz, Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentina

The response of English yew (Taxus baccata L.) to climate change in the Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forest ecoregion

The Hyrcanian climate in the northern parts of Iran has warmed over the past 50 years, but the impacts on plant species are unknown. As the longest-lived tree in the Hyrcanian forest, English yew, Taxus baccata L., is a rare and endangered species in the forests along the Iranian coasts of the Caspian Sea, which is likely affected by climate change. This paper explores the current and future distribution of this species, using four species distribution models. In order to project the effect of climate change on the distribution of English yew by 2050 and 2070, output from the HadGEM2-ES climate model was used for two RCPs scenarios (2.6 and 8.5). The results showed a good accuracy of all the models for the distribution of this species with a mean area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of 0.92. Using ensemble forecasting as an algorithm for reducing the uncertainty in species distribution modeling shows that the suitable habitats for this species is about 6000 km2 for the current climate conditions in the study area. Range size analysis indicates that in 2050, in the most optimistic scenario (RCP 2.6), only 17% of the habitats will retain their suitability, while in the most pessimistic scenario (RCP 8.5), this amount will decrease to 2%. In 2070, in the most optimistic scenario, only 10% of the currently suitable habitats will retain their suitability, while in the RCP 8.5, no stable suitable habitats will be left. It is strongly recommended that the impacts of climate change on English yew should be considered in the management decisions and conservation plans in the Hyrcanian forests.

Perceptions and livestock predation by felids in extensive cattle ranching areas of two Bolivian ecoregions

Human-carnivore conflicts arise as one of the most urgent carnivore conservation issues worldwide. Jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) coexist with livestock in much of their range and have been historically blamed for livestock predation. At present, livestock landscapes are increasing, enlarging the conflict scenario where local perceptions are vital to understand the context in which the conflict emerges and data of livestock predation become an effective tool to plunge into it. We assess local perceptions about felids and identify the bases of the conflict in the Bolivian Pantanal and dry forest ecoregions using livestock predation data. We interviewed local ranchers and crossed information with the governmental livestock database achieving a comprehensive study on the conflict, based on descriptive statistics for local perceptions and generalized linear mixed models for analyzing cattle predation by felids. The conflict appeared to be widespread since most ranchers suffered predation on cattle, especially in the Pantanal. Annual cattle loss is generally low (1.8%) with some exceptions that may magnify the generalized negative perception towards felids. Factors related to cattle management practices explained better felid predation on livestock rather than habitat quality of the ranch or ranchers’ attitude towards felids. We recommend local administrations to recover livestock predation data and to highlight the importance that husbandry practices may have to reduce cattle losses by felids.

Color, chlorophyll a, and suspended solids effects on Secchi depth in lakes: implications for trophic state assessment.

Secchi depth (SD), a primary metric to assess trophic state, is controlled in many lakes by algal densities, measured as chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration. Two other optically related water quality variables also directly affect SD: non-algal suspended solids (SSNA ) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM, expressed as the absorption coefficient at 440nm, a440 ). Using a database of ~1,460 samples from ~625 inland lake basins in Minnesota and two other Upper Midwest states, Wisconsin and Michigan, we analyzed relationships among these variables, with special focus on CDOM levels that influence SD values and the Minnesota SD standards used to assess eutrophication impairment of lakes. Log-transformed chl-a, total suspended solids (TSS), and SD were strongly correlated with each other; log(a440 ) had major effects on log(SD) but was only weakly correlated with log(chl-a) and log(TSS). Multiple regression models for log(SD) and 1/SD based on the three driving variables (chl-a, SSNA , and CDOM) explained ~80% of the variance in SD in the whole data set, but substantial differences in the form of the best-fit relationships were found between major ecoregions. High chl-a concentrations (> 50μg/L) and TSS (> 20mg/L) rarely occurred in lakes with high CDOM (a440 >~4m-1 ), and all lakes with a440 >8m-1 had SD≤2.0m despite low chl-a values (<10μg/L) in most lakes. Further statistical analyses revealed that CDOM has significant effects on SD at a440 values > ~ 4m-1 . Thus, SD is not an accurate trophic state metric in moderately to highly colored lakes, and Minnesota's 2-m SD criterion should not be the sole metric to assess eutrophication impairment in warm/cool-water lakes of the Northern Lakes and Forest ecoregion. More generally, trophic state assessments using SD in regions with large landscape sources of CDOM need to account for effects of CDOM on SD.

Relative pollen productivity estimates in the forest steppe landscape of southeastern Romania

Estimates of relative pollen productivity (RPP) represent key input parameters for model-based quantitative reconstructions of past vegetation cover. In this study, we provide the first RPP estimates for 13 taxa from the forest steppe ecoregion in southeastern Romania (southeastern Europe). We used modern pollen assemblages from 26 points together with vegetation surveys and mapping, covering a 1.5 km radius around each sampling site. We have estimated the relevant source area of pollen (RSAP) and pollen productivity for 13 taxa relative to Poaceae using the ERV (Extended R-value model), sub-model 3, as this model shows the best goodness of fit. The estimated RSAP is about 100 m and falls within the range of RSAP estimates of moss pollsters and forest hollows from other RPP-related studies. Results show that Rubiaceae (7.97), Apiaceae (5.91), Artemisia (5.89) and Fraxinus (2.99) are high pollen producers compared to Poaceae, while Plantago lanceolata (0.58), Fabaceae (0.40), Acer (0.30), Rosaceae (0.29), Carpinus orientalis (0.24), Cerealia (0.22) and Asteraceae (0.16) are low pollen producers with lower RPPs than Poaceae. Quercus (1.10) has a pollen productivity close to that of Poaceae. The RPPs for Carpinus orientalis and Fabaceae are published here the first time for Europe. The high pollen producing plants include both entomophilous and anemophilous species, while the low pollen producers are mostly entomophilous species. Our results form an essential contribution to improving the accuracy of quantitative reconstruction of forest steppe ecoregion in Europe and generally in regions with a similar climate and vegetation setting.

海河流域生态水分利用效率时空变化及其与气候因子的相关性分析

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 海河流域生态水分利用效率时空变化及其与气候因子的相关性分析 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201810072158 作者: 作者单位: 河北工程大学 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（2017YFB0503602）；教育部人文社会科学研究一般项目（18YJCZH257）；河北省自然科学青年基金项目（D2017402159）；河北省高等学校科学技术研究项目（BJ2018043，QN2018054，ZD2018230）；邯郸市科学技术研究与发展计划项目（1724230057-1） Spatio-temporal characteristics of water-use efficiency and its relationship with climatic factors in the Haihe River basin Author: Affiliation: Hebei University of Engineering 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:生态水分利用效率（water use efficiency，WUE）是碳-水循环的重要参数之一，明晰其时空演变特征对水资源短缺地区生态系统的健康发展具有重要的意义。海河流域水资源短缺是区域农业发展的重要制约因素，基于遥感、气象数据，利用趋势分析、相关分析等方法分析了海河流域2000-2014年总初级生产力（gross primary productivity，GPP）、蒸散量（evapotranspiration，ET）及WUE的时空分布特征，并识别WUE对降水、气温及干旱的响应。研究结果表明：（1）时间上，GPP和ET的变化趋势不显著，WUE呈现显著的增加趋势，增速为0.0185 gC/kg H2O a-1（R2=0.6299，P < 0.01）；（2）空间上，WUE和GPP均呈现从东南向西北减小的趋势，高值区主要分布在华北平原农业生态区和京津唐城镇与城郊农业生态区。从变化趋势来看，黄土高原农业与草原生态区的GPP和WUE上升趋势最大；（3）植被类型中，农田的WUE值最高，草地的WUE最低，农田、有林草原和草地均呈现显著的增加趋势（P < 0.05）；（4）影响因素上，降水对WUE的影响最大，WUE由降水、干旱和气温控制的区域分别占整个流域植被面积的44.44%、39.23%和16.01%。 Abstract:Water-use efficiency (WUE) is a key indicator of the interactions between the water and carbon cycles of terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding the spatiotemporal characteristics of WUE and the climatic factors that affect it could guide sustainable management of water resources and ecosystem services in areas lacking water. The Haihe River basin is located in a region sensitive to climate change and human activities, and water shortages have constrained sustainable development of regional agricultural and ecological environments. Using 2000-2014 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and meteorology data, we investigated the spatiotemporal changes in gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), and WUE in the Haihe River basin using linear trend analysis, correlation analysis, Mann-Kendall (M-K) tests, and other statistical methods, revealing four key results. (1) The change in annual GPP trended upward non-significantly (R2=0.1784, P > 0.1), and ET trended downward non-significantly (R2=0.0269, P > 0.1). Annual WUE significantly increased over 2000-2014 at a rate of 0.0185 gC/kg H2O a-1 (R2=0.6299, P < 0.01). (2) The spatial patterns of average annual WUE and GPP in the Haihe River basin's vegetated areas varied widely, and the annual average WUE and GPP values decreased from the southeast to the northwest. High WUE and GGP values were mainly found in the North China Plain agricultural ecoregion and the Tianjin-Beijing-Tangshan urban and suburban agricultural ecoregion. The lowest WUE and GGP values were mainly found in the East Central Inner Mongolian Plateau typical steppe ecoregion, Loess Plateau agricultural and steppe ecoregion, and the deciduous forest ecoregion northwest of the Yanshan-Taihang Mountains. The WUE of the Haihe River basin increased, with WUE values of 91.11% and 60.17% of the Haihe River basin's vegetated areas increasing and increasing significantly (P < 0.05), respectively. That of the Loess Plateau agricultural and steppe ecoregion increased the most significantly. (3) The WUE means and trends among the different land use types also varied significantly. The mean WUE of croplands (CRO) was highest, and the WUE of grasslands (GRA) was lowest. The WUE of CRO, woody savannas (WSA), and GRA each increased significantly (P < 0.05). (4) Annual WUE was mainly affected by precipitation, and 41.44%, 33.23%, and 16.01% of WUE estimates in the Haihe River basin's vegetated areas were dominated by inter-annual variation in precipitation, drought, and temperature, respectively. The vegetated areas in which WUE was primarily shaped by precipitation were mainly found in the northern portion of the Yanshan-Taihang Mountains deciduous forest ecoregion, the North China Plain agricultural ecoregion, and the Tianjin-Beijing-Tangshan urban and suburban agricultural ecoregion. The vegetated areas in which WUE was primarily shaped by drought were mainly found in the northeast of the North China Plain agricultural ecoregion and the southern portion of the Yanshan-Taihang Mountains deciduous forest ecoregion. The vegetated areas in which WUE was primarily shaped by temperature were mainly found in the western portion of the Yanshan-Taihang Mountains deciduous forest ecoregion and the East Central Inner Mongolian Plateau typical steppe ecoregion. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Mapping tropical disturbed forests using multi-decadal 30 m optical satellite imagery

Tropical disturbed forests play an important role in global carbon sequestration due to their rapid post-disturbance biomass accumulation rates. However, the accurate estimation of the carbon sequestration capacity of disturbed forests is still challenging due to large uncertainties in their spatial distribution. Using Google Earth Engine (GEE), we developed a novel approach to map cumulative disturbed forest areas based on the 27-year time-series of Landsat surface reflectance imagery. This approach integrates single date features with temporal characteristics from six time-series trajectories (two Landsat shortwave infrared bands and four vegetation indices) using a random forest machine learning classification algorithm. We demonstrated the feasibility of this method to map disturbed forests in three different forest ecoregions (seasonal, moist and dry forest) in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and found that the overall mapping accuracy was high, ranging from 81.3% for moist forest to 86.1% for seasonal forest. According to our classification, dry forest ecoregion experienced the most severe disturbances with 41% of forests being disturbed by 2010, followed by seasonal forest and moist forest ecoregions. We further separated disturbed forests into degraded old-growth forests and post-deforestation regrowth forests based on an existing post-deforestation land use map (TerraClass) and found that the area of degraded old-growth forests was up to 62% larger than the extent of post-deforestation regrowth forests, with 18% of old-growth forests actually being degraded. Application of this new classification approach to other tropical areas will provide a better constraint on the spatial extent of disturbed forest areas in Tropics and ultimately towards a better understanding of their importance in the global carbon cycle.

Climate variability and trends in climate extremes in the priority conservation area El Tokio and adjacent areas in northeastern Mexico

El Tokio, a priority conservation area in Mexico and North America, and its adjacent areas hold the world's last remaining colonies of the Mexican Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys mexicanus) and serve as home to over 250 bird species, including global wintering grassland birds of high conservation concern, and other rare, endemic and endangered species of flora and fauna. While alarming changes in distribution and migration patterns of species existing in the study area have been reported, studies on the role of climate in these changes are scarce, partly because of the lack of climate information. To fill this gap, this study defined the climate types and eight bioclimatic variables of five ecoregions within and adjacent to El Tokio and analyzed climate indices showing trends of climate extremes, using 30-year climate data and the software RClimDex 1.0 RCs. Results showed climate variability in the study area, with 14 climate types, mostly arid and semi-arid. The analysis of bioclimatic variables showed that the Plains of Zacatecano-Potosino Plateau ecoregion, which contains prairie dog colonies, had the highest annual and mean temperature in the most humid, driest and hottest trimesters of the year; its precipitation had lower seasonality in relation to other ecoregions. Climate indices to detect trends in climate extremes showed greater intensity in precipitation, but also longer dry intervals during the year in the Plains of Zacatecano-Potosno Plateau, while the adjacent Sierra with Forests ecoregion, which borders some colonies, showed trends of warmer winters, summers with fewer days with high minimum temperatures, and precipitation that was less in amount and intensity. The generated climate datasets and analyses contribute essential input for climate change studies and for biological studies and conservation programs for the species and ecosystems present in the biologically rich study area, some of which are greatly threatened and of international concern.

ECOREGIONAL INFLUENCES ON THE AMPHIBIAN ASSEM- BLAGE OF RESERVA NATURAL LAGUNA BLANCA, DEPARTAMENTO SAN PEDRO, PARAGUAY

Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca (RNLB) has recently been proposed as Paraguay’s first Important Area for the Conservation of Reptiles and Amphibians. The reserve lies within the Atlantic Forest ecoregion of Paraguay as currently understood. A similarity analysis was performed to assess which of the ecoregions most influence upon the community of amphibians. It was concluded that the amphibian fauna of the reserve is most strongly influenced by the Cerrado ecoregion and it should thus be considered a southern fragment of this ecosystem. The results suggest that the inventory of the amphibian fauna of the Paraguayan Cerrado is not yet complete. This study highlights the utility of local scale biogeographical analysis as a conservation tool for conservation planners, land managers and biologists for designating national priority areas for conservation and identifying potential areas of endemism in under–sampled regions.

Limitations on using CDOM as a proxy for DOC in temperate lakes

Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) has been widely studied as part of efforts to improve understanding of the aquatic carbon cycle, by laboratory, in situ, and remote sensing methods. We studied ecoregion-scale differences in CDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to understand variability in organic matter composition and the use of CDOM as a proxy for DOC. Data from 299 lakes across the U.S. Upper Midwest showed that CDOM, measured as absorptivity at 440 nm (a440), correlated strongly with DOC (R2 = 0.81, n = 412). Colored lakes in the Northern Lakes and Forests (NLF) ecoregion drove this relationship. Lakes in the North Central Hardwood Forests (NCHF) had low color (most had a440 < 3 m−1) and weaker CDOM-DOC relationships (R2 = 0.47). Spectral slopes and specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA), indicated relatively low aromaticity and non-terrestrial DOM sources in low color lakes. Multiple regression analyses that included total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and CDOM, but not chlorophyll a, improved DOC estimates in low color lakes, suggesting a dominant contribution of non-planktonic sources of low color DOM in these lakes. Our results show that CDOM is a reliable, regional proxy for DOC in lakes where forests and wetlands dominate the landscape and the DOM is primarily terrestrial in origin. Mapping of lake DOC at broad spatial scales by satellite-derived CDOM has lower accuracy in low color lakes.

Partitioning tadpole beta diversity in highland ponds with different hydroperiods

Pond hydroperiod and other aspects of environmental heterogeneity play important roles in metacommunity organization in freshwater systems. We examined tadpole species richness and dissimilarities among assemblages at different hydroperiods (3, 7, and 13 mo) in highland ponds in the Araucaria moist forest ecoregion of southern Brazil. We also investigated whether β diversity components changed in accordance with spatial and environmental factors. We sampled tadpoles at 18 ponds between September 2012 and April 2013. Tadpole species richness was lower in permanent than in temporary ponds, but pond hydroperiod was not associated with tadpole abundance and species dissimilarities. β diversity was almost completely caused by species replacement associated with pond area, presence of predatory fish, and type of margin. Despite its small contribution, the nestedness component was associated with water depth and geographic patterns. Our study suggests that tadpole communities in the highlands of Araucaria moist forests are niche structured.

Evaluation of a Bayesian Algorithm to Detect Burned Areas in the Canary Islands’ Dry Woodlands and Forests Ecoregion Using MODIS Data

Burned Area (BA) is deemed as a primary variable to understand the Earth’s climate system. Satellite remote sensing data have allowed for the development of various burned area detection algorithms that have been globally applied to and assessed in diverse ecosystems, ranging from tropical to boreal. In this paper, we present a Bayesian algorithm (BY-MODIS) that detects burned areas in a time series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images from 2002 to 2012 of the Canary Islands’ dry woodlands and forests ecoregion (Spain). Based on daily image products MODIS, MOD09GQ (250 m), and MOD11A1 (1 km), the surface spectral reflectance and the land surface temperature, respectively, 10 day composites were built using the maximum temperature criterion. Variables used in BY-MODIS were the Global Environment Monitoring Index (GEMI) and Burn Boreal Forest Index (BBFI), alongside the NIR spectral band, all of which refer to the previous year and the year the fire took place in. Reference polygons for the 14 fires exceeding 100 hectares and identified within the period under analysis were developed using both post-fire LANDSAT images and official information from the forest fires national database by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment of Spain (MAPAMA). The results obtained by BY-MODIS can be compared to those by official burned area products, MCD45A1 and MCD64A1. Despite that the best overall results correspond to MCD64A1, BY-MODIS proved to be an alternative for burned area mapping in the Canary Islands, a region with a great topographic complexity and diverse types of ecosystems. The total burned area detected by the BY-MODIS classifier was 64.9% of the MAPAMA reference data, and 78.6% according to data obtained from the LANDSAT images, with the lowest average commission error (11%) out of the three products and a correlation (R2) of 0.82. The Bayesian algorithm—originally developed to detect burned areas in North American boreal forests using AVHRR archival data Long-Term Data Record—can be successfully applied to a lower latitude forest ecosystem totally different from the boreal ecosystem and using daily time series of satellite images from MODIS with a 250 m spatial resolution, as long as a set of training areas adequately characterising the dynamics of the forest canopy affected by the fire is defined.

Developing characterisation factors for land fragmentation impacts on biodiversity in LCA: key learnings from a sugarcane case study

Habitat change was identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment as the main direct driver of biodiversity loss. However, while habitat loss is already implemented in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods, the additional impact on biodiversity due to habitat fragmentation is not assessed yet. Thus, the goal of this study was to include fragmentation effects from land occupation and transformation at both midpoint and endpoint levels in LCIA. One promising metric, combining the landscape spatial configuration with species characteristics, is the metapopulation capacity λ, which can be used to rank landscapes in terms of their capacity to support viable populations spatially structured. A methodology to derive worldwide regionalised fragmentation indexes based on λ was used and combined with the Species Fragmented-Area Relationship (SFAR), which relies on λ to assess a species loss due to fragmentation. We adapted both developments to assess fragmentation impacts due to land occupation and transformation at both midpoint and endpoint levels in LCIA. An application to sugarcane production occurring in different geographical areas, more or less sensitive to land fragmentation, was performed. The comparison to other existing LCIA indicators highlighted its great potential for complementing current assessments through fragmentation effect inclusion. Last, both models were discussed through the evaluation grid used by the UNEP-SETAC land use LCIA working group for biodiversity impact assessment models. Midpoint and endpoint characterisation factors were successfully developed to include the impacts of habitat fragmentation on species in LCIA. For now, they are provided for bird species in all forest ecoregions belonging to the biodiversity hotspots. Further work is required to develop characterisation factors for all taxa and all terrestrial ecoregions.

Classification of humus forms in Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests ecoregion (Iran): Comparison between two classification methods

Temperate forest productivity and functioning may be explained by complex interactions among tree canopy composition, topographic conditions, climate, morphogenetic identification and classification of humus forms. In this study, we report the main morphological feature of humus profiles classified according to both American (AHCM) and European (EHCM) classifications under the six most common forest stands in northern Iran, i.e., Alnus subcordata (AS), Acer velutinum (AV), Fagus orientalis-Carpinus betulus (FO-CB), Carpinus betulus (CB), Fagus orientalis (FO), and Fagus orientalis-Carpinus betulus-Parrotia persica (FO-CB-PP). Organic and organic-mineral layers samples were collected in 61 permanent plots (20 × 20 m) within a 30 × 30 cm metal frame, for identification. Our result showed that Mull was the dominant humus system according to both classifications, whereas Mor (AHCM) and Amphi (EHCM) were the less frequent humus systems in the study area. Mull and Amphi (EHCM) were dominant at the lowest slope and altitude under AS canopy cover; Moder was usually present at intermediate slope and altitude under FO-CB and FO-CB-PP; while Mor was the dominant form at intermediate slopes and highest altitudes under FO and FO-CB. Due to the temperature changes and litter decomposition, altitude seems to be the best predictor of humus type and litter thickness. Our findings also indicate that EHCM could be preferred in the identification and classification of humus forms in temperate deciduous forests in Iran.

Diversity of teiid lizards from Gran Chaco and Western Cerrado (Squamata: Teiidae)

The Gran Chaco dry forest ecoregion corresponds to the southern portion of the South America diagonal belt of open formations, being one of the most threatened subtropical woodland savannas in the world. The area is still poorly known biologically and has been suffering with impressively high forest cover loss in the last 10 years. Integrating morphological and molecular data, we detected and describe a cryptic new species of lizard genusAmeivulaendemic from the eastern part of this ecoregion, the called Humid Chaco.Ameivula apipensissp nov. is characterised by a whitish brown vertebral stripe in adults and juveniles, a lateral field without ocelli and with overlapping spot, presence of an interfrontoparietal scale in 46.2% of the specimens, 12–17 femoral pores, an hemipenis without lateral sac, five xiphisternal ribs, and by a combination of meristic features as confirmed by discriminant analysis. The new species was recovered sister to a clade from Western Cerrado in our analysis, the first phylogenetic hypothesis for theAmeivulaandGlaucomastixgenera based on 1977 base pairs of three mitochondrial (12S, 16S and cyt‐b) and one nuclear (c‐mos) genes, including all the recognised species at the moment. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference recovered the monophyly ofAmeivulaandGlaucomastixwith strong support. Reinforcing previous studies, our results suggest the presence of additional cryptic species inAmeivulafrom the Western Cerrado.