Grassland Cover Research Articles

Waterbird guilds predict environmental attributes of inland saline aquatic ecosystems on multi-spatial scales

Inland saline waters in Central Asia constitute an important part of steppe ecosystems, providing considerable ecological functions and ecosystem services. Here we aim to present a multi-spatial scale analysis of nutrient cycling and transport waterbird guilds, and the environmental attributes of saline-soda aquatic ecosystems in Kazakhstan. The density, biomass, and diversity of waterbird guilds was determined in the case of three nutrient cycling and transport guilds: a) net-importer (IM), b) importer-exporter (IMEX), c) net-exporter (EX), according to the Boros's guild classification method, and for several traditional feeding guilds: carnivorous, herbivorous, invertebrate eater, omnivorous and piscivorous.Our results revealed that waterbird guilds, as predictors represented by the complete waterbird community, are in close relationship with several (N = 12) environmental attributes of inland saline waters through complex trophic linkages of waterbird populations on multi-spatial scales. The density and the biomass of the EX and IMEX guilds are strongly and positively correlated (i) with the productivity metrics of habitats (e.g., CHL, GPP), indicating their trophic position, and (ii) with water depth. We found significant correlations among guild density, biomass, diversity and environmental attributes on multi-spatial scales for IMEX and EX. Our results revealed that IMEX predicts the surrounding environment of aquatic habitats, whereas EX species are substantial environmental predictors of aquatic ecosystems. However, the diversity metric had valid models only with EX. The herbivorous and omnivorous guilds, that feed chiefly on plant materials consist mainly of IMEX and EX duck species, which were positively related to grassland coverage and the shoreline development index.As a methodological result, here we present a novel approach, the guild transport index, which has more robust relationships with environmental attributes than individual guilds, thus it provides a complex evaluation of the nutrient cycling by birds between aquatic and terrestrial environments on multi-spatial scales.

Measuring changes in financial and ecosystems service outcomes with simulated grassland restoration in a Corn Belt watershed

While provisioning ecosystem services generated through agricultural production are high, this often comes at the expense of other ecosystem services. Approaches that support both farm income and a balanced array of ecosystem services are needed. We employed a landscape modeling approach to demonstrate the financial and ecosystem service outcomes of strategically restoring grassland cover within a Corn Belt agricultural watershed. We assessed potential changes associated with a “Baseline” land use scenario and two alternative scenarios for the Grand River Basin (Iowa and Missouri, USA). In a “Buffered” scenario we simulated the impacts of replacing cropland within 20 m of streams with restored native grassland cover. In a “Productivity-based” scenario we simulated the replacement of annual row crops on poorly performing croplands with native grassland cover. Grasslands comprised 0.4% of the Baseline scenario. Grassland was expanded to 0.8% of the watershed in the Buffered scenario, reducing annual nutrient and sediment loss by 1.44%, increasing soil carbon sequestration by 0.12% over 10 years, and increasing pollinator abundance by 0.01%. The estimated annual value of these enhancements was $1.7 million for nitrogen reduction, $0.1 million for phosphorus reduction, $0.5 million for sediment reduction, and $1.3 million for soil carbon sequestration. Grassland comprised 4.9% of the watershed in the Productivity-based scenario, reduced annual nutrient and sediment loss by 11.50%, increased soil carbon sequestration by 1.13% over 10 years, and increased pollinator abundance by 0.42%. The estimated annual value of enhancements was $18 million for nitrogen reduction, $1.4 million for phosphorus reduction, $2.5 million for sediment reduction, and $14 million for soil carbon sequestration. We also calculated the value of grassland biomass for a potential energy market. The benefit of producing and selling grassland biomass ranged -$445 to $1,291 ha−1 yr−1. Scaled to the watershed, annual revenues ranged -$7.3 million to $21.1 million for the Buffered scenario and -$44.2 million to $128.8 million for the Productivity-based scenario. This study was the first to quantify changes in revenue and the value of ecosystem services associated with grassland restoration in the Grand River Basin and can help inform discussion among watershed stakeholders.

Mapping shrub cover in grasslands with an object-based approach and investigating the connection to topo-edaphic factors

Shrubs are important for grasslands; however, shrub encroachment has threatened the integrity of grasslands worldwide. Understanding shrub extent and local effects on encroachment can prioritize management. Studies that map low stature shrubs using an object-based approach in large areas of northern grasslands are limited. This study i) locates shrubs with an object-based approach using 30 cm colour-infrared aerial imagery and Support Vector Machine classification; and ii) investigates shrub distribution by topo-edaphic factors in the native fescue grasslands of the West Block in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Saskatchewan, Canada. The overall accuracy of detected shrubs was above 92%. Loam flat regions, North-facing slopes, and areas with 0% to 25% slope rise are connected to high shrub cover and relate to soil moisture. Shrub presence is high closer to watercourse lines and waterbodies, and low closer to wetlands. This research can apply to other shrub encroached areas to facilitate shrub management worldwide.

Seasonal variations in soil–plant interactions in contrasting urban green spaces: Insights from water stable isotopes

• Stable water isotope monitoring in soil and vegetation in green spaces to understand partitioning. • Soil evaporation higher with grassland cover. • High turnover of water particular in shallow soil under grassland. • Depending on moisture conditions strong seasonal root water uptake of trees. We used stable isotopes to help assess ecohydrological partitioning in different types of urban green space in the city of Berlin. We focused particularly on the role of the near-surface of soils as a crucial interface that determines shallow subsurface (“non-Hortonian”) flows and water cycling in cities. Grassland soils tended to be wetter than soils under continuous urban tree cover, and areas around individual trees in parks or on streets. This is consistent with greater interception losses and transpiration from trees. Soil water isotopes showed distinct seasonality in response to precipitation inputs, mixing with resident soil water and the effects of evaporative fractionation. Effects of fractionation were most marked under individual trees and grasslands, where the effects of evaporation on the isotopic composition of percolating water from the upper 0.1 m of the soil was also most pronounced. Isotope dynamics showed that under all land covers, the upper soils had rapid water turnover and were dominated by younger water (<2 months old). At depths of 0.4 m, more damping was evident with water being ∼ 6 months old. Isotopes in plant water also show seasonal variations which were more marked in grasses than trees. Mixing models revealed that grass most likely recycled shallow, younger soil water in transpiration, whilst trees were more dependent on deeper, older sub-soil and groundwater sources. These preliminary results highlight the urgent need for a much greater understanding of water movement and cycling in the shallow critical zone of urban green spaces. This is essential to manage future resilience to climate change and understand the trade-offs between partitioning urban water between evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge.

Grassland greening impacts on global land surface temperature.

Grassland vegetation greenness has been increasing globally during the past decades. Although the vegetation coverage change could have significant effects on climate by affecting albedo and evapotranspiration (ET), the effects of global grassland greening on climate remain unclear due to the lack of long-term field observation data. Here, we used satellite measurements of land surface temperature (LST) from high coverage grassland and adjacent low coverage grassland (divided according to the leaf area index) to quantify, for the first time, the biogeophysical effects of global grassland greening on surface temperatures. Results showed that grassland greening decreased the annual mean LST and daytime LST (LSTD), but did not significantly change nighttime LST (LSTN) globally from 2003 to 2017. Spatially, grassland greening had significant cooling effects on the annual mean LST and LSTD for latitudes south of 50°N due to the cooling effect of increased ET, whereas warming affects on the annual mean LST and LSTD in the high northern latitudes (> 50°N) because of the warming effects of decreased albedo. This study revealed that the effects of grassland greening on surface temperatures changed with latitude. During June, July, and August (JJA), the increasing grassland vegetation coverage decreased the LST between 25°S and 50°N, but increased the mean LST in high northern latitudes. By contrast, grassland greening has no significant effect on the mean LST in the temperate southern hemisphere (> 25°S) during JJA due to cooling and warming effects on LSTD and LSTN, respectively. During December, January, and February, grassland greening decreased the mean LST and LSTD for latitudes south of 25°N, but increased the mean LST and LSTN for latitudes north of 25°N. This study highlights the importance of including grassland vegetation coverage in models of regional surface temperature dynamics and future climate forecast.

The Influence of Urbanization to the Outer Boundary Ecological Environment Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques—A Case of the Greater Bay Area

Urbanization brings great enrichment to human production and life, but also has certain environmental impact on the area where the city is located. Many studies have revealed the negative effects of urbanization on the ecological environment of urban or urban agglomerations, especially in the early stage of urbanization, but there are few studies on the impact on the peripheral ecological space environment. Will the peripheral environment be better off with less human interference as people move to cities during urbanization? In order to answer this question, we took the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the most economically dynamic area in China, as an example to explore the relationship between impervious changes of urban agglomerations monitored by remote sensing in the Bay Area and ecological indicators of forest and grassland in Guangdong Province outside the Bay area. The results showed that:(1) in the past 30 years, the area of grassland outside the bay area did not change regularly, while the area of forest decreased year by year. The landscape indices of forest and grassland were gradually fragmented and discrete. Moreover, the distribution of Fraction Vegetation Coverage (FVC) of forest and grassland has changed since before urbanization. (2) Through correlation analysis, it is found that the changes in forest area and the landscape index of forest and grassland are strongly correlated with the development of urbanization in the Greater Bay Area. This shows that the process of urbanization in the Greater Bay Area will have a non-negligible impact on the peripheral environment. In the process of urban development, we should not only focus on the inner city but also consider the outer environment of the city.

Land Use and Land Cover Change Dynamics and Perceived Drivers in Rangeland Areas in Central Uganda

Sustainable rangeland management requires understanding the nature of human-ecosystem interactions and local communities’ perspectives regarding evolving changes. This study integrated perceptions from the local community and remote sensing to characterize the extent and drivers of land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the rangelands of Nakasongola district in Central Uganda. The aim of the study was to determine the perceived drivers of land use and land cover change in of Nakasongola district in the Central Uganda district to support decision making for present and future rangeland management. Satellite imagery for 1985, 1995, 2005, 2015 and 2021 were obtained from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and analyzed to determine the LULC dynamics. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to obtain perceived drivers of LULC. Results showed that by 1985 grassland covered 31.7%, wetlands 26.4%, woodland 11.5% and farmland 7.2% of the total land area. However, by 2021, farmland covered 35.8% of the total land area, wetland 21.6% and had reduced to grassland 18.5 percent. Future LULC projections using a Markov chain model showed that farmland cover will increase by 13.85% while grassland cover will further decline by 9.89% in 2040. Wood fuel extraction, subsistence farming, population growth and overgrazing were perceived as key drivers of LULC change. Both remote sensing techniques and local perceptions were in agreement with the identification of patterns and perceived drivers revealing the inherent value of tacit knowledge resident within the community. This knowledge in addition to remotely sensed information can thus be tapped by the decision leaders to better guide interventions aimed at securing better rangeland health and management.

The Trend of Grassland Restoration and Its Driving Forces in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China from 1988 to 2018

Since the implementation of the grassland ecological protection policy of prohibition grazing on natural grasslands throughout the territory in 2003, the growth of grasslands in Ningxia has improved. This study investigated the spatial differentiation mechanism of normalized vegetation index (NDVI) in Ningxia grasslands from 1988 to 2018, analyzed the relative contributions of climate change (CC) and human activities (HA) to NDVI changes, and predicted the future trend of grassland changes. The results show that except in winter, the annual, seasonal and monthly average values of NDVI after grazing prohibition were higher than those before grazing prohibition. After grazing prohibition, the growth rate decreased by 17.91%, but the degradation rate increased by 3.92%. After grazing prohibition, the proportion of medium coverage increased by 16.15%, mainly in the path of “lower coverage grassland→medium coverage grassland”. The transformation trend was mainly positive, and the ecological construction project has achieved remarkable results. The main factors affecting NDVI differentiation in Ningxia grassland were snow depth, potential evapotranspiration, radiation, and precipitation. After grazing prohibition, the explanatory power of each factor and the interaction between the factors decreased significantly, but the explanatory power of wind speed was greatly improved. After the grazing prohibition, 53.22% of the total area was affected by human activities and climate change. The relative contribution of human activities decreased in NDVI-increased areas but increased in NDVI-decreased areas.

Spatial-temporal dynamics of alpine grassland coverage and its response to climate warming in Mt. Qomolangma Nature Preserve during 2000–2019

Spatial-temporal dynamics of alpine grassland coverage and its response to climate warming in Mt. Qomolangma Nature Preserve during 2000–2019

Watershed health assessment using the coupled integrated multistatistic analyses and PSIR framework

Quantitatively assessing watershed health under anthropogenic activities and management responses is important for the scientific planning and management of watersheds. The current research on watershed health assessments insufficiently reflects watershed scale information from different dimensions, which leads to the incomplete understanding of watersheds and thus the lack of systematic management. This study investigated the health status in the Chaohu Lake watershed (CLW) based on monthly sampling data at 46 river sites in 2018. Watershed health assessment comprehensively considered four dimensions including socioeconomic and natural pressures, nonpoint pollution export, river water quality and management responses with the pressure-state-impact-response (PSIR) framework. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and variance partitioning analysis (VPA) were integrated to further quantify the inter-relationships among the variables of each PSIR index. An obstacle degree model was applied to examine the factors of mainly affecting the status of watershed health. The results showed that phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment exports of CLW increased more and river water quality in CLW worsened due to socioeconomic and natural pressures. Water quality improvement effectively responds to increasing woodland and grassland. Compared with natural factors, phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment exports had closer relationships with the pressures from socioeconomic activities. Moreover, socioeconomic pressures explained more changes in phosphorus and nitrogen exports, while natural factors explained relatively more changes in sediment exports. Phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment exports and woodland and grassland coverage explained <35 % of the variation in river water quality. Additionally, the obstacle degrees of pressures and phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment exports were lower, and the obstacle degrees of river water quality and woodland and grassland coverage were higher in urban sub-watersheds, which was the opposite in agricultural sub-watersheds. This research provides a new evaluation framework of watershed health and its obstacle factors, which is crucial to improve watershed health.

Relative contributions of natural and anthropogenic factors to the distribution patterns of nature reserves in mainland China

Nature reserves (NRs) are designated as a result of the ecosystem, species, economy, population, and land use coordination. However, the extent to which these factors influence the geographical pattern of NRs is unclear. Here, 11 indices (seven natural and four anthropogenic) were examined to identify these relationships in over 2600 terrestrial NRs in mainland China at the provincial level. Correlation analysis between natural and anthropogenic factors and NRs showed that desert and grassland had a positive correlation with NR coverage and area, and a negative correlation with NR density. This result was reversed in the correlation analysis between forest wetland coverage, endangered species, wildlife and NR coverage, area, and density. Similar results were found in the correlation analysis of all anthropogenic factors (population density, agricultural land, roads, and per capita GDP) with the coverage, area, and density of NRs. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that three significant natural indicators (desert ecosystems, grasslands ecosystems, and forested and wetlands ecosystems) could explain 64.2 % of the pattern of NRs. The largest contributor was desert coverage, explaining 48.3 % (P = 0.002) of all indicators, followed by grassland coverage, explaining 8.6 % (P = 0.012), and forest and wetland coverage, explaining 7.3 % (P = 0.008). Human activities were significantly positively correlated with forest and wetland coverage, flora, and fauna, and negatively correlated with desert and grassland coverage. Compared with sand and grassland in the western region, the forest wetlands and wildlife in the eastern and central provinces were under greater pressure from anthropogenic activities. Therefore, natural factors determine the general layout of NRs, while the influence of anthropogenic activities makes the distribution of NRs patchy. When establishing national parks, governments must design strategies to coordinate areas with high biodiversity and high levels of human activity.

Impact of crop exposure and agricultural intensification on the phenotypic variation of bees

In a context of rapid global change, understanding how environmental stressors can impact phenotypic variation, and which phenotypic traits are predominantly affected can be particularly relevant. Indeed, potential phenotypic modifications could affect the functionality of traits from taxa that are in decline but that are keystone species in many ecosystems. In this study, we assessed the impact of environmental drivers and agricultural intensification on two crucial pollinator species: the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). Among eight countries representing four major European biogeographical regions [i.e., Boreal (Sweden and Estonia), Atlantic (Ireland and United Kingdom), Continental (Germany and Switzerland) and Mediterranean (Spain and Italy)] and two type of crops (i.e., apple orchards and oilseed rape) we assessed how landscape structure, latitude and pesticide management could impact their wing morphology. Two sampling sessions were conducted: the first one when the hives/nests were settled on the field (T0) and a second sampling session after the potential effect of agricultural intensification (T1). Using a dataset of more than 7238 wings, we measured the wing size, shape and asymmetry. We observed that, in several countries, a shift in most of the morphological traits occurred between T0 and T1. When focusing on the drivers of phenotypic variation in T1, the levels of significance for some potential drivers were sometimes high, while most of the variation remained unexplained. The latitude and, more rarely, grassland cover were found to partly explain the wing modifications. In light of these results, we conclude that phenotypic shifts can occur in a very short period, after encountering new field conditions. Further studies should be conducted to better understand which alternative drivers could explain morphological changes in the agro-ecosystem after crop exposition, as well as the potential consequences of these changes on foraging performance or pollination efficiency.

Large-scale PVA modeling of insects in cultivated grasslands: The role of dispersal in mitigating the effects of management schedules under climate change.

In many species, dispersal is decisive for survival in a changing climate. Simulation models for population dynamics under climate change thus need to account for this factor. Moreover, large numbers of species inhabiting agricultural landscapes are subject to disturbances induced by human land use. We included dispersal in the HiLEG model that we previously developed to study the interaction between climate change and agricultural land use in single populations. Here, the model was parameterized for the large marsh grasshopper (LMG) in cultivated grasslands of North Germany to analyze (1) the species development and dispersal success depending on the severity of climate change in subregions, (2) the additional effect of grassland cover on dispersal success, and (3) the role of dispersal in compensating for detrimental grassland mowing. Our model simulated population dynamics in 60‐year periods (2020–2079) on a fine temporal (daily) and high spatial (250 × 250 m2) scale in 107 subregions, altogether encompassing a range of different grassland cover, climate change projections, and mowing schedules. We show that climate change alone would allow the LMG to thrive and expand, while grassland cover played a minor role. Some mowing schedules that were harmful to the LMG nevertheless allowed the species to moderately expand its range. Especially under minor climate change, in many subregions dispersal allowed for mowing early in the year, which is economically beneficial for farmers. More severe climate change could facilitate LMG expansion to uninhabited regions but would require suitable mowing schedules along the path. These insights can be transferred to other species, given that the LMG is considered a representative of grassland communities. For more specific predictions on the dynamics of other species affected by climate change and land use, the publicly available HiLEG model can be easily adapted to the characteristics of their life cycle.

Impacts and Implications of Land Use Land Cover Dynamics on Groundwater Recharge and Surface Runoff in East African Watershed

Assessing the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use land cover (LULC) change on water resources is vital for watershed sustainability and developing proper management strategies. Evaluating LULC scenarios synergistically with hydrologic modeling affords substantial evidence of factors that govern hydrologic processes. Hence, this study assessed the spatiotemporal effects and implications of LULC dynamics on groundwater recharge and surface runoff in Gilgel Gibe, an East African watershed, using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. Three different LULC maps (2000, 2010, and 2020) were derived from Landsat images, and the comparisons pointed out that the land-use pattern had changed significantly. The agricultural land and grassland cover increased by 3.76% and 1.36%, respectively, from 2000 to 2020. The implications acquired for 2000 show that forested land covers decreased by 5.49% in 2020. The SWAT simulation process was executed using a digital elevation model, soil, LULC, and weather data. The model was calibrated and validated using streamflow data to understand the surface runoff and groundwater recharge responses of each Hydrologic Response Units on reference simulation periods using the Calibration and Uncertainty Program (SWAT-CUP), Sequential Uncertainty Fitting (SUFI-2) algorithm. The observed and simulated streamflows were checked for performance indices of coefficient of determination (R2), Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE), and percent bias (PBIAS) on monthly time steps. The results show that there is good agreement for all LULC simulations, both calibration and validation periods (R2 &amp; NSE ≥ 0.84, −15 &lt; PBIAS &lt; +15). This reveals that for the LULC assessment of any hydrological modeling, the simulation of each reference period should be calibrated to have reasonable outputs. The study indicated that surface runoff has increased while groundwater decreased over the last two decades. The temporal variation revealed that the highest recharge and runoff occurred during the wet seasons. Thus, the study can support maximizing water management strategies and reducing adverse driving environmental forces.

Modifying the SWAT Model to Simulate Eco-Hydrological Processes in an Arid Grassland Dominated Watershed

Grasslands are the main land cover type and one of the most important ecosystems in arid and alpine endorheic basins. The vegetation coverage of grasslands is spatially heterogeneous in arid and alpine areas and it may lead to variations in water allocation. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is one of the most widely used semi-distributed catchment-scale eco-hydrological models. The leaf area index (LAI) is one of the vegetation coverage indexes and is incorporated in the SWAT model. However, in SWAT, the LAI accumulation is controlled by heat, and neglects other relevant factors such as precipitation and terrain. To address the drawbacks of the SWAT in simulating vegetation coverage and plant patterns, several studies have focused on improving LAI estimation. However, they still have been limited to arid and alpine grasslands with different vegetation coverages. In this study, we modified the SWAT model using remotely sensed LAI data with high temporal and spatial resolution. We used this to better simulate eco-hydrological processes in grassland basins with different vegetation coverages in the upper reaches of the Bayin River Basin. Results showed that for the original SWAT model, the simulated LAI was homogeneous within each land use/cover type, whereas the remotely sensed LAI was spatially heterogeneous and better captured the vegetation coverage of the entire basin. The proper estimation of the LAI was reflected in the improved simulation of the monthly streamflow and sediment yield at the basin outlet and the monthly ET. These findings indicate that the modified SWAT could better simulate hydrological processes in arid and alpine grasslands with different vegetation coverages.

Research on the Regional Environmental Impact and Risk Assessment Affected by Mineral Resource Development: A Case Study of the Taojia River Watershed in Hunan

The mining and production of mineral resources can directly lead to soil and water pollution, posing a serious threat to human health. In this study, the Taojia River basin, a tributary of the Xiangjiang River, was selected as the study area. Based on the concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Pb, and Zn) in 653 soil/substrate samples collected from 342 points in the study area in 2013 and 2021, the changes in soil heavy metal concentrations in the region were systematically analyzed to assess their environmental risks and impacts on regional environmental quality. The results showed that from 2013 to 2021, the As, Pb, and Zn pollution in regional soil, tailing sand, and surface water was reduced, while the Cd pollution increased. The average soil As, Pb, and Zn concentrations decreased from 3,750, 2,340, and 1,180 mg/kg to 457, 373, and 387mg/kg, respectively, while the Cd concentration increased from 0.11to 1.91 mg/kg; additionally, the overall distribution trend of heavy metal concentrations was high in the south, low in the north, and gradually decreased from upstream to downstream. The single evaluation index of heavy metal pollution risk showed that the percentages of medium to heavy pollution points in the soil As, Pb, and Zn were 84, 57, and 28%, respectively, in 2013, and this index decreased to 38, 37, and 25%, respectively, in 2021. The regional environmental quality was closely related to the intensity of mineral resource development. From 2000 to 2010, frequent mining development activities led to an increase in the area of construction land and a continuous decrease in the area of arable land, grassland, and vegetation cover in the region. During 2010–2020, the area of construction land decreased, and the vegetation coverage increased. The comprehensive evaluation index showed that the overall soil pollution risk in the watershed decreased, and the proportion of heavily polluted points decreased from 80 to 65%. It was shown by principal component analysis and factor analysis that mining development activities were the largest source of heavy metal pollution, in addition to mixed sources of tailings, solid waste, agriculture, and traffic emission sources. The results provide a scientific basis for the management and risk control of heavy metal pollution in the Taojia River basin.

Wine Faults: State of Knowledge in Reductive Aromas, Oxidation and Atypical Aging, Prevention, and Correction Methods.

The review summarizes the latest scientific findings and recommendations for the prevention of three very common wine faults of non-microbial origin. The first group, presented by the reductive aromas, is caused mainly by excessive H2S and other volatile sulfur compounds with a negative impact on wine quality. The most efficient prevention of undesirable reductive aromas in wine lies in creating optimal conditions for yeast and controlling the chemistry of sulfur compounds, and the pros and cons of correction methods are discussed. The second is browning which is associated especially with the enzymatic and non-enzymatic reaction of polyphenols and the prevention of this fault is connected with decreasing the polyphenol content in must, lowering oxygen access during handling, the use of antioxidants, and correction stands for the use of fining agents. The third fault, atypical aging, mostly occurs in the agrotechnics of the entire green land cover in the vineyard and the associated stress from lack of nutrients and moisture. Typical fox tones, naphthalene, or wet towel off-odors, especially in white wines are possible to prevent by proper moisture and grassland cover and alternating greenery combined with harmonious nutrition, while the correction is possible only partially with an application of fresh yeast. With the current knowledge, the mistakes in wines of non-microbial origin can be reliably prevented. Prevention is essential because corrective solutions for the faults are difficult and never perfect.

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.

Assessment of spatiotemporal dynamics of land and vegetation cover change detection in Maze National Park, Southwest Ethiopia.

Biodiversity conservation areas include National Parks which are integral parts of protected areas. In parks, the dynamics of land and vegetation covers are significantly affected by anthropogenic activities and natural factors. These resources are exposed to challenges due to unwise practices. Assessing and monitoring the status of park's natural resources enables us to understand the extent of land and vegetation resources. Few studies have been conducted in Maze National Park (MzNP) but none of them quantified the land and vegetation cover dynamics. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to quantify the extents spatiotemporal dynamics of land and vegetation cover of MzNP using GIS and RS technology considering three decades Landsat images acquired from USGS. GPS and GCPs were collected for the analysis of land cover classification and accuracy assessment, respectively. The trend analysis result revealed that scattered tree and grass land cover area have increased from 19.8% in 1987 to 51.6% in 2019. The area of sparse vegetation cover increased from 19.7% in 2000 to 78.4% in 2019. Highly dense and dense vegetation cover decreased remarkably. Accuracy assessment was 98% and computed Kappa coefficient was 0.97. The results suggested that the extent of MzNP's vegetation cover change was basically due to anthropogenic pressure. This study could be used to alarm responsible bodies to restructure and implement better environmental protection strategies for restoration of the rapidly deteriorating vegetation resource of MzNP.

Winter habitat selection by female moose in southwestern Montana and effects of snow and temperature

Moose Alces alces are among the many species that are vulnerable to both direct and indirect effects of climate change. Habitat selection is one framework to assist investigators in disentangling the various factors (including weather) that ultimately dictate how animals respond to their environment. We investigated patterns of winter habitat selection by adult female moose in southwestern Montana, USA during 2007–2010, and how that selection was affected by snow (quantified by snow water equivalent) and winter temperatures. We used data from GPS collars and a suite of environmental covariates to quantify winter habitat selection at both study area (2nd order) and home range (3rd order) spatial scales using resource selection functions. Moose strongly selected for the willow (Salix spp.) cover type, and against grassland cover. Moose use of conifer cover at the home range scale increased when either amount of snow or ambient temperature was higher, although the latter only during periods of the day when conifer patches were likely to have been cooler than cover types lacking a canopy. Wildlife conservation and management naturally focuses on preferred habitats, particularly those that fulfill essentially all foraging requirements. However, habitats used preferentially under stressful weather conditions, even if used rarely overall, can also form a critical part of a species' overall needs.