Indicators Of Ecosystem Condition Research Articles

Assessing pollinator habitat suitability considering ecosystem condition in the Hannover Region, Germany

Abstract Context Habitat suitability for pollinator species is an important indicator for pollination ecosystem service potential, i.e. for biodiversity and crop provision. Modelling habitat suitability using an expert- and process-based models such as ESTIMAP-pollination is a common and accepted approach to spatially analyse pollination service potential and to make recommendations for planning. Objectives However, the suitability as a pollinator habitat depends not only on the land use type. It is also important to consider the condition of the habitat. For this reason, ecosystem condition information was used as a parameter for ESTIMAP modelling for the first time. Ecosystem condition data was used besides the commonly (in ESTIMAP) used information from expert assessments and from land use data. Methods As parameters for ecosystem condition, the management intensity in agro ecosystems, the management of forests and the proportion of green space in urban areas were included and affected the modelled habitat suitability for wild bees. Results Not all ecosystem types of the region were equally affected by the inclusion of the ecosystem condition parameter in the model. The most affected types were agricultural areas, such as arable and horticultural biotopes, whose suitability values decreased by 25.7%. As a result, areas with low suitability account for 41% of the region and 76.6% of the agro ecosystems. In forest, shrubs and woody plants land use types, the suitability decreased respectively by 4.3 and 6%. On the other hand, urban ecosystems in the city of Hannover were characterised by relatively good habitat suitabilities, especially in the proximity of wide urban forests. In 3.4% of the agricultural land, measures to support pollinators have been established. 1.6% of these measures are located in areas with low suitability. Conclusions The results show that ecosystem condition is, in addition to land use type, an important parameter to indicate habitat suitability for pollinators. Especially for ecosystem types with varying habitat suitabilities, such as agro ecosystems, the implementation of ecosystem condition parameters is recommendable. However, the selection of suitable ecosystem condition indicators still requires further research and concise definitions.

Vegetation Trend Detection Using Time Series Satellite Data as Ecosystem Condition Indicators for Analysis in the Northwestern Highlands of Ethiopia

Vegetation is an essential component of the terrestrial ecosystem and has changed significantly over the last two decades in the Northwestern Highlands of Ethiopia. However, previous studies have focused on the detection of bitemporal change and lacked the incorporation of entire vegetation time series changes, which are considered significant indicators of ecosystem conditions. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series dataset from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is an efficient method for analyzing the dynamics of vegetation change over a lengthy period using remote sensing techniques. This study aimed to utilize time series satellite data to detect vegetation changes from 2000 to 2020 and investigate their links with ecosystem conditions. The time-series satellite processing package (TIMESAT) was used to estimate the seasonal parameter values of NDVI and their correlation across the seasons during the study period. Break Detection for Additive Season and Trend (BFAST) was applied to identify the year of breakpoints, the direction of magnitude, and the number of breakpoints. The results were reported, analyzed, and linked to ecosystem conditions. The overall trend in the study area increased from 0.58 (2000–2004) to 0.65 (2015–2020). As a result, ecosystem condition indicators such as peak value (PV), base value (BV), amplitude (Amp), and large integral (LI) exhibited significant positive trends, particularly for Acacia decurrens plantations, Eucalyptus plantations, and grasslands, but phenology indicator parameters such as start of season (SOS), end of season (EOS), and length of season (LOS) did not show significant trends for almost any vegetation type. The most abrupt changes were recorded in 2015 (24.7%), 2012 (18.6%), and 2014 (9.8%). Approximately 30% of the vegetation changes were positive in magnitude. The results of this study imply that there was an improvement in the ecosystem’s condition following the establishment of the Acacia decurrens plantation. The findings are considered relevant inputs for policymakers and serve as an initial stage for the assessment of the other environmental and climatic implications of Acacia decurrens plantations at the local scale.

Biodiversity accounts for the butterflies of the Australian Capital Territory

AbstractBiodiversity accounting is promoted as a way of improving the conservation of species and ecosystems. Advancing the theory and practice of biodiversity accounting is driven by the United Nation's standardization of ecosystem accounting in 2021 and a desire to make production of ecosystem accounts commonplace and useful. While the theory of biodiversity accounting has advanced, in practice few accounts have been produced and all have focused on iconic or threatened species. We present a set of novel biodiversity accounts for the 92 butterfly species of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), spanning 1978–2021, using historical records and systematic surveys of 224 sites between 2014–15 and 2020–21 in the Southern Hemisphere survey season (Spring‐Autum). We conclude that species level biodiversity accounting is useful for biodiversity conservation and that species accounting must go beyond accounting for iconic and threatened species and reflect other characteristics, such as the distribution, abundance, residential status, breeding status, endemism, and ecological status of all species. Habitat specialization provides a link to ecosystem condition accounting, with changes in the distribution and abundance of habitat specialists a likely indicator of ecosystem condition. With such information, species accounts can be used to assess and target conservation activity and examples for ACT butterflies are provided.

Integrating theory and experiments to link local mechanisms and ecosystem-level consequences of vegetation patterns in drylands

Self-organized spatial patterns of vegetation are frequent in drylands and, because pattern shape correlates with water availability, they have been suggested as important indicators of ecosystem health. However, the mechanisms underlying pattern emergence remain unclear. Some theories hypothesize that patterns could result from a water-mediated scale-dependent feedback (SDF) whereby interactions favoring plant growth dominate at short distances and growth–inhibitory interactions dominate in the long range. However, we know little about how the presence of a focal plant affects the fitness of its neighbors as a function of the inter-individual distance, which is expected to be highly ecosystem-dependent. This lack of empirical knowledge and system dependency challenge the relevance of SDF as a unifying theory for vegetation pattern formation. Assuming that plant interactions are always inhibitory and only their intensity is scale-dependent, alternative theories also recover the typical vegetation patterns observed in nature. Importantly, although these alternative hypotheses lead to visually indistinguishable patterns, they predict contrasting desertification dynamics, which questions the potential use of vegetation patterns as ecosystem-state indicators. To help resolve this issue, we first review existing theories for vegetation self-organization and their conflicting predictions about desertification dynamics. Second, we discuss potential empirical tests via manipulative experiments to identify pattern-forming mechanisms and link them to specific desertification dynamics. A comprehensive view of models, the mechanisms they intend to capture, and experiments to test them in the field will help to better understand both how patterns emerge and improve predictions on the fate of the ecosystems where they form.

Using deep learning to detect an indicator arid shrub in ultra-high-resolution UAV imagery

Effective monitoring of arid and semi-arid rangelands around the world is essential to understand and combat degradation caused by anthropogenic use and facilitate effective management practices. Remote sensing technologies provide ideal approaches for enhancing traditional on-ground monitoring. However, while broad-scale monitoring of vegetation in rangelands using satellites has been widely adopted, there has been far less uptake of remote sensing for measuring fine-scale indicators of ecosystem condition. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using ultra-high-resolution UAV (Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle) imagery and deep-learning-based object detection models to provide plant recognition and survey information relevant for operational monitoring programmes in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Seven different object detectors using varying convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures are tested at three image resolutions to detect a widespread, dominant arid shrub species (pearl bluebush, Maireana sedifolia) that serves as a key indicator of overall site condition in southern Australian rangelands. To maximise the strength of statistical analysis, each method is trained on six different training datasets (each using 2,000 to 3,000 training samples) at six widely dispersed sites. This results in 90 trained models, each validated at two sites. To test model generalisability, training and validation data was always sourced from separate vegetation monitoring sites. The influence of variability between sites on detection accuracy is also considered.The best performing models achieved F1 scores (overall accuracy) of around 75% for pearl bluebush detection, a level of accuracy that provides useful monitoring information to land managers. Information extracted from UAV imagery using this approach relates directly to indicators of ecological condition measured in ground-based monitoring; including dominant plant species count, location and density. Continued development and eventual implementation of this method would provide objective conservation-relevant information at broad scales in a far reduced time and at a lower cost than is currently achievable using on-ground approaches.

Spatial and diel patterns of volatile organic compounds, DMSP-derived compounds, and planktonic microorganisms around a tropical scleractinian coral colony

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are constituents of marine ecosystems including coral reefs, where they are sources of atmospheric reactivity, indicators of ecosystem state, components of defense strategies, and infochemicals. Most VOCs result from sunlight-related processes; however, their light-driven dynamics are still poorly understood. We studied the spatial variability of a suite of VOCs, including dimethylsulfide (DMS), and the other dimethylsulfoniopropionate-derived compounds (DMSPCs), namely, DMSP, acrylate, and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), in waters around colonies of two scleractinian corals (Acropora pulchra and Pocillopora sp.) and the brown seaweed Turbinaria ornata in Mo’orean reefs, French Polynesia. Concentration gradients indicated that the corals were sources of DMSPCs, but less or null sources of VOCs other than DMS, while the seaweed was a source of DMSPCs, carbonyl sulfide (COS), and poly-halomethanes. A focused study was conducted around an A. pulchra colony where VOC and DMSPC concentrations and free-living microorganism abundances were monitored every 6 h over 30 h. DMSPC concentrations near the polyps paralleled sunlight intensity, with large diurnal increases and nocturnal decrease. rDNA metabarcoding and metagenomics allowed the determination of microbial diversity and the relative abundance of target functional genes. Seawater near coral polyps was enriched in DMS as the only VOC, plus DMSP, acrylate, and DMSO, with a large increase during the day, coinciding with high abundances of symbiodiniacean sequences. Only 10 cm below, near the coral skeleton colonized by a turf alga, DMSPC concentrations were much lower and the microbial community was significantly different. Two meters down current from the coral, DMSPCs decreased further and the microbial community was more similar to that near the polyps than that near the turf alga. Several DMSP cycling genes were enriched in near-polyp with respect to down-current waters, namely, the eukaryotic DMS production and DMS oxidation encoding genes, attributed to the coral and the algal symbiont, and the prokaryotic DMS production gene dddD, harbored by coral-associated Gammaproteobacteria. Our results suggest that solar radiation-induced oxidative stress caused the release of DMSPCs by the coral holobiont, either directly or through symbiont expulsion. Strong chemical and biological gradients occurred in the water between the coral branches, which we attribute to layered hydrodynamics.

Unraveling environmental drivers of chlorophyll seasonal and interannual variability in the East China Sea

Phytoplankton, the dominant marine primary producers, are considered highly sensitive indicators of ecosystem conditions and changes. The East China Sea (ECS) includes a variety of oceanic and coastal domains that collectively challenge our understanding of phytoplankton dynamics and controls. This study evaluates the seasonal and interannual variability of phytoplankton in the ECS and the underlying environmental determinants based on 22-year satellite chlorophyll (Chl-a) data and concurrent environmental variables. A seasonal spring bloom was found in the ECS, classically driven by increased stratification, which is associated with increases in sea surface temperature (SST), photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), net heat flux (NHF), and reduced wind mixing. The most significant Chl-a interannual variability was present in a triangular area surrounded by three SST fronts in the southern ECS during springtime. Anomalously high Chl-a (~30% increase) occurred with increased SST and NHF and enhanced wind mixing during negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) modes. This seems to be contrary to the stratification control model, which fits the seasonal spring bloom observed in this region. More front activities during the negative PDO and ENSO could be associated with Chl-a increase in this triangular area. Contrary to this mixing control scenario, a significant Chl-a increase (~36% increase) also developed during the positive PDO and ENSO modes after 2014 under conditions of higher SST, NHF, and weaker wind mixing following the stratification control scenario. This study used biologically relevant objective regionalization of a heterogeneous area to elucidate phytoplankton bloom dynamics and controls. Our analyses highlight the triangular area in the ECS for its region-specific linkages between Chl-a and multiple climate-sensitive environmental drivers, as well as the potential structural and functional variability in this region.

Some results of the research of mammals and birds inhabiting the Polar Ural Mountains foothills

This paper describes some results of the research of mammals and birds fauna and population structure as ecosystem condition indicators, and provides an investigation of flora and soil to establish habitats structural peculiarities. The research covered an area of a future road from Kharp Village through a ski resort to the Snowflake International Arctic Station (Priuralsky District, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia). Our study aims at assessing the environmental impact of the project. In the areas typical habitats, we registered two small mammal species (Clethrionomys (= Myodes) rutilus, Sorex araneus), 25 bird species, traces of three medium and large mammal species presence (Lepus timidus, Vulpes vulpes, Rangifer tarandus). Micromammals show very low abundance, low indices of small mammal communities diversity and sustainability, Cl. rutilus being an absolute dominant. The bird species show a relatively low level of abundance. The composition and structure of animal and bird communities are in line with natural and climate conditions of the Polar Urals foothills. The investigation results revealed low resource capacity, sustainability and biotic communities vulnerability to any impact. The study materials suggest that the future road from Kharp Village to the Snowflake International Arctic Station will not significantly harm mammal and bird population of the area, and will provide facilities for recreational and tourist activities, and will mitigate risks of anthopogenic impact on these vulnerable ecosystems.

Inclusion of condition in natural capital assessments is critical to the implementation of marine nature-based solutions

Current approaches to measure ecosystem services (ES) within natural capital (NC) and nature-based solutions (NbS) assessments are generally coarse, often using a single figure for ecosystem services (e.g., nutrient remediation or blue carbon sequestration) applied to the local or national habitat stock, which fails to take account of local ecosystem conditions and regional variability. As such, there is a need for improved understanding of the link between habitat condition and ES provision, using comparable indicators in order to take more informed management decisions. Here the UK, Solent Marine Sites (SEMS) is used as a case study system to demonstrate how Water Framework Directive (WFD) ‘ecological status’ and other indicators of ecosystem condition (state or quality) can be coupled with habitat extent information to deliver a more precise locally-tailored NC approach for active coastal and marine habitat restoration. Habitat extent and condition data are collected for seven NbS relevant coastal habitats (littoral sediment, mat-forming green macroalgae, subtidal sediment, saltmarsh, seagrass, reedbeds and native oyster beds). The workflow includes: 1) biophysical assessment of regulatory ES; 2) monetary valuation; and 3) compilation of future scenarios of habitat restoration and creation. The results indicate that incorporating classifications by condition indices into local NC extent accounts improved ES benefits by 11–67%. This suggests that omitting condition from NC assessments could lead to undervaluation of ES benefits. Future scenarios of restoration in the SEMS also show that the additional regulatory benefits of reaching ‘Good’ ecological status are £376 million annually, but could be as much as £1.218 billion if ‘High‘status and all habitat creation targets were met. This evidence of the potential value of restoration and importance of including condition indices in assessments is highly relevant to consider when investing in water ecosystems conservation and restoration as called for by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021−2030), and more generally in global nutrient neutrality and blue carbon policy strategies.

Dissolved Metal (Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, Co, Cd, Pb) and Metalloid (As, Sb) in Snow Water across a 2800 km Latitudinal Profile of Western Siberia: Impact of Local Pollution and Global Transfer

Snow cover is known to be an efficient and unique natural archive of atmospheric input and an indicator of ecosystem status. In high latitude regions, thawing of snow provides a sizable contribution of dissolved trace metals to the hydrological network. Towards a better understanding of natural and anthropogenic control on heavy metals and metalloid input from the atmosphere to the inland waters of Siberian arctic and subarctic regions, we measured chemical composition of dissolved (<0.22 µm) fractions of snow across a 2800 km south–north gradient in Western Siberia. Iron, Mn, Co, Ni, and Cd demonstrated sizable (by a factor of 4–7) decrease in concentration northward, which can be explained by a decrease in overall population density and the influence of dry aerosol deposition. Many elements (Mn, Ni, Cu, Cd, Pb, As, and Sb) exhibited a prominent local maximum (a factor of 2–3) in the zone of intensive oil and gas extraction (61–62° N latitudinal belt), which can be linked to gas flaring and fly ash deposition. Overall, the snow water chemical composition reflected both local and global (long-range) atmospheric transfer processes. Based on mass balance calculation, we demonstrate that the winter time atmospheric input represents sizable contribution to the riverine export fluxes of dissolved (<0.45 µm) Mn, Co, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Sb during springtime and can appreciably shape the hydrochemical composition of the Ob River main stem and tributaries.

Using literature and expert knowledge to determine changes in the bird community over a century in a Turkish wetland

Context Bird species have been studied and documented abundantly in the past decades and are good indicators of ecosystem conditions, providing useful information of the changes in the ecological state of wetlands over time. However, monitoring data for birds in wetland sites are often disparate and not homogeneous over time and among species, which complicates the interpretation of trends. Aims We examined historical literature from 1835 to 2019, complemented by an expert knowledge survey and citizen-science databases to estimate the abundance of species, and evaluated changes in the structure and composition by average bird abundances. Key results Our results suggested that land-cover and land-use changes have shaped the local bird community, with a decline in agricultural and grassland bird species as a result of changes in agricultural practices. Coastal wetland and marine birds have increased in abundance, most probably linked to the extension of saltpans and successful conservation measures. Conclusions These trends in bird communities demonstrate the impacts of different land management strategies on biodiversity. Implications This methodology can be replicated in other Ramsar and wetland sites around the world to raise new conservation issues and improve site conservation.

Utilizing LiDAR data to map tree canopy for urban ecosystem extent and condition accounts in Oslo

LiDAR-based segmentation of urban tree canopies and their physical properties (canopy height, canopy diameter, 3D surface and volume) is a replicable, complementary and useful information source for urban ecosystem condition accounts, and an important basis for ecosystem service modeling and valuation. However, using available LiDAR data collected for municipal purposes other than vegetation mapping (such as for example engineering) entails a level of accuracy which may limit the usefulness of the data for change detection in ecosystem accounts. To account for changes in the urban tree canopy of Oslo (capital city of Norway) between 2011 and 2017, a segmentation model was developed based on available airborne LiDAR data scanned for general purposes. The results from the entire built-up area of Oslo indicate a general increase in the number of tall trees (>15 m) and a moderate increase in the number of small trees (<15 m), with the exception of trees between 6 and 10 m which seem to have a relatively constant development over the given period. The total tree canopy area within the built-up area increased by 17.15%, with a corresponding 21.35% increase in the tree canopy volume. The results for the Small House plan area, a policy focus area subject to urban densification and special regulations for felling of large trees, indicate a large increase in small trees (<10 m) and a moderate decrease in tall trees (>10 m). The total tree canopy area within the Small House plan area decreased by 1.04%, with a corresponding 2.13% decrease in the tree canopy volume. With respect to the segmentation accuracy, the changes in aggregate tree canopy cover are too small to determine canopy change with confidence. This study demonstrates the potential for identifying ecosystem condition indicators as well as the limitations of using general purpose LiDAR data to improve the precision of urban ecosystem accounting. For future ecosystem service accounting in urban environments, we recommend that municipalities implement data acquisition programs that combine concurrent field data sampling and LiDAR campaigns designed for urban tree canopy detection, as part of general urban structural inventorying. We recommend using LiDAR and satellite remote sensing data depending on canopy densities. We also recommend that future tree canopy segmentation is done within a cloud-computing environment to ensure sufficient geoprocessing capacity.

Phytoplankton production in relation to simulated hydro- and thermodynamics during a hydrological wet year – Goczałkowice reservoir (Poland) case study

Phytoplankton is one of the crucial components of water body ecosystems. Its presence and development depend on biological, physical and chemical factors and in consequence it is an important indicator of ecosystem condition. Monitoring of phytoplankton production, measured as chlorophyll a concentration, is a useful tool for assessing the status of dam reservoirs. Modeled chlorophyll a concentrations are used as water quality indicators in locations not included in monitoring systems, in situations when the temporal resolution of the monitoring is not enough, and in assessments of the impacts of future activities. Therefore, the aim of this study was to find correlations between hydro- and thermodynamics and the chlorophyll a concentration for possible application in reservoir monitoring and management, using an ELCOM-CAEDYM model. The analysis included summer and fall which are most prone to algal blooms, and four phytoplankton groups identified as dominant in the reservoir based on periodic observations.Comparisons of simulated water temperature and both observed and simulated chlorophyll a concentrations confirmed that these variables are significantly correlated (correlation of hourly chlorophyll a and water temperature was 0.70, ranging from 0.55 to 0.81 in the bottom and surface water layers, respectively, while for daily outputs it was 0.74, ranging from 0.60 to 0.83). This relation was stronger than that of chlorophyll a to nutrient (N, P and Si) concentrations. What is more, the method used allowed the assessment of a much more detailed spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton groups compared with conventional monitoring techniques.The study indicated that the phytoplankton community was dominated by Chlorophytes and Diatoms with a larger share of Chlorophytes in shallow parts of the reservoir. This domination was weaker after short water mixing events in summer and especially after the fall turnover. The increase in phytoplankton diversity was estimated to occur mainly near the surface and in shallow parts of the reservoir. Most of the observed concentrations of individual phytoplankton groups differed from simulation results by less than 25% and the model reflected accurately 74% of observed trends in concentrations. Calculated chlorophyll a concentration was well matched to hourly monitoring data (mean squared error = 5.6, Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient = 0.51, Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.72 and p-value = 0.0007).High compatibility of the model to the values measured in the reservoir make it a promising tool for the prediction and planning of actions aimed at maintaining good functioning of the reservoir.

Refining the Tiered Approach for Mapping and Assessing Ecosystem Services at the Local Scale: A Case Study in a Rural Landscape in Northern Germany

Spatially explicit assessments of ecosystem services (ES) potentials are a key component in supporting a sustainable land use management. The ES matrix method is a commonly used approach as it allows for a comparably fast, comprehensible and accessible ES assessment. As it is often based on land use/land cover data (LULC) with no spatial variability, a main critique is that the results fail to assess spatial variability at landscape levels, which limits the reliability of the outputs for spatial planning applications. By using the case study area of Bornhöved in northern Germany, we analyzed three assessment methods that combine expert judgments, LULC data with different resolutions and ecosystem condition indicators, in order to find the required resolution and data for ES assessment and mapping at a local scale. To quantify map discrepancies, we used the structural similarity index (SSIM) and analyzed the differences in local mean, variance and covariance between the maps. We found that using different spatial resolutions led to a relatively small difference in the outcomes, in which regulation and maintenance services are more affected than the other services categories. For most regulation, maintenance and cultural ES, our results indicate that assessments based only on LULC proxies are not suitable for a local quantitative assessment of ES, as they cannot sufficiently cover the spatial heterogeneity of ES capacities that arise from different ecosystem conditions.

Development of a preliminary vegetation-based indicator of ecosystem health for coastal wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Wetland plants, due to their sedentary nature, hold great potential for use as indicators of ecosystem condition in the Great Lakes. However, natural variations in lake levels have historically confounded efforts to create such indicators. Our goal was to use zone-level vegetation data collected over a seven-year period of low to high water levels to overcome these difficulties and identify metrics capable of accurately reflecting disturbance despite lake-level variation. Through a combination of multivariate statistical analyses and a review of the literature, we identified and tested a series of plant-based metrics for wet meadow, emergent, and submergent zones of lacustrine coastal wetlands of Western Lake Huron. These were combined into zone-specific indicators of ecosystem health, which were then applied to wetlands of the remaining Great Lakes to assess basin-wide viability. The resulting indicators were found to reflect disturbance without bias towards high or low water levels. While they must be assessed for use in riverine and barrier-beach coastal wetlands before full-scale implementation can occur, we suggest their use on a preliminary basis in monitoring and management efforts.

Imprint of Regional Oceanography on Foraminifera of Eastern Pacific Coral Reefs

ABSTRACT The marginal marine environments of the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) serve as an ideal natural laboratory to study how oceanographic and climatic variability influence coral-reef ecosystems. Reefs along the Pacific coast of Panamá span a natural gradient of nutrients, pH, and temperature as a result of stronger seasonal upwelling in the Gulf of Panamá relative to the Gulf of Chiriquí. The ecosystems are not only influenced by spatial and seasonal variations in oceanography but are affected by the climatic variability of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Foraminifera can be robust indicators of ecosystem condition because the composition of their assemblages and the geochemistry of their tests can change rapidly in response to environmental variability. We studied benthic foraminifera in sediment samples collected from 3 m below mean sea level in the Gulf of Panamá and the Gulf of Chiriquí. Temperature loggers deployed from 2016 to 2019 showed that average temperatures were lower and more variable in the Gulf of Panamá due to seasonal upwelling. All sites in both gulfs were dominated by heterotrophic foraminifera, which was likely the result of nutrient enrichment due to upwelling, combined with ENSO effects. However, the Gulf of Chiriquí was characterized by higher abundances of symbiont-bearing foraminifera than the Gulf of Panamá. The orders Miliolida and Rotaliida dominated the foraminiferal assemblages in both gulfs, with Quinqueloculina and Rosalina being the most abundant genera in the two orders, respectively. Miliolids were less abundant in the Gulf of Panamá than in the Gulf of Chiriquí, whereas rotaliid densities were not significantly different between the two gulfs. Lower pH in the Gulf of Panamá as a result of upwelling may have contributed to the lower abundance of miliolids, which secrete tests of high-magnesium calcite. Geochemical analysis of tests of the symbiont-bearing miliolid Sorites marginalis revealed that foraminiferal Mg/Ca ratios were lower in the Gulf of Panamá than in the Gulf of Chiriquí. The offset in foraminiferal Mg/Ca is consistent with the lower mean annual temperature observed in the Gulf of Panamá due to stronger seasonal upwelling. Because the geochemistry and assemblages of foraminifera reflect differences in environmental conditions, they could potentially be used in tandem with coral proxies to reconstruct past environmental change and project the future of coral-reef systems within the ETP.

A review of ecosystem condition accounts: lessons learned and options for further development

Ecosystem condition accounts are part of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EEA). An ecosystem condition account contains aggregated statistical information about the overall abiotic and biotic quality of an ecosystem at a policy relevant spatial scale. This article reviews 23 publicly-accessible reports undertaken or commissioned by government agencies, academic and non-government organisations that discuss or present an ecosystem condition account. This analysis revealed that ecosystem condition is usually reported for one or more ecosystem types, but there is little consistency in the terminology used to define ecosystem types. All case studies report variables or indicators that measure specific ecosystem characteristics in order to make inferences about the overall condition of ecosystems. All studies included biotic indicators and almost all studies included species-based indicators in the condition account. The thematic aggregation of indicators into a single composite index (or in a few composite sub-indices) is not a standard practice, but applied in about half of the studies. The definition and use of a reference condition or reference levels for specific indicators against which the reported condition can be evaluated is not a standard practice, but was applied in about half of the studies. Based on this analysis, we suggest the revision of the SEEA EEA to propose a globally-consistent typology of ecosystem types; to recommend a list of ecosystem condition indicators according to an agreed classification; to provide further guidance on aggregation methods and on the development of an ecosystem condition index that can be used to compare ecosystem condition across ecosystem types and across different accounting areas; to provide further guidance on how best to set reference levels and reference conditions against which the past, current and future ecosystem condition can be assessed; and to propose a standard set of statistical tables for reporting the condition account.

Assessing ecosystem service potentials to evaluate terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystem types in Northern Germany – An expert-based matrix approach

Abstract In this article, a revised and enlarged version of a qualitative assessment matrix for the appraisal of ecosystem service potentials is introduced. The product is a simple tool for scoring terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystem types with respect to their abilities to provide provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem services as well as indicators of ecosystem state by applying criteria of ecosystem integrity. The methodological steps of matrix development are described, and the emerging expert opinions are illustrated by characterizing different ecosystem types, analysing different ecosystem services and showing the outcomes of linked GIS-based mapping exercises. The applicability of the matrix is demonstrated by some case studies. The related uncertainties are characterized and discussed in context with limitations, arising challenges and conceptual problems. The tool is made available on the internet, and the authors are looking forward to critical checks and proposals for improvement.

Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas

Protected areas (PAs) have been established worldwide for achieving long-term goals in the conservation of nature with the associated ecosystem services and cultural values. Globally, 15% of the world’s terrestrial lands and inland waters, excluding Antarctica, are designated as PAs. About 4.12% of the global ocean and 10.2% of coastal and marine areas under national jurisdiction are set as marine protected areas (MPAs). Protected lands and waters serve as the fundamental building blocks of virtually all national and international conservation strategies, supported by governments and international institutions. Some of the PAs are the only places that contain undisturbed landscape, seascape and ecosystems on the planet Earth. With intensified impacts from climate and environmental change, PAs have become more important to serve as indicators of ecosystem status and functions. Earth’s remaining wilderness areas are becoming increasingly important buffers against changing conditions. The development of remote sensing platforms and sensors and the improvement in science and technology provide crucial support for the monitoring and management of PAs across the world. In this editorial paper, we reviewed research developments using state-of-the-art remote sensing technologies, discussed the challenges of remote sensing applications in the inventory, monitoring, management and governance of PAs and summarized the highlights of the articles published in this Special Issue.

English

Indonesia is a country with the third largest biodiversity after Brazil and Madagascar. Of the about 325.530 species of flora and fauna globally, an estimated 25% of the world's species are found in Indonesia. Macrofauna, a land animal that plays a role in influencing the soil ecosystem has specific environmental requirements that enables it to be used as biological indicators of ecosystem conditions, mainly rice paddy ecosystem. This research is necessary owing to the demand for an easy and accurate indicator in predicting soil fertility for farmers. In addition, this study conducted in July TO August 2018 can be used as an inventory of macrofauna indigenous species that may still remain in the paddy field, Dukuhseti district. The implementation of observations was done in paddy fields in the Dukuhseti district in Pati regency, Central Java. Macro fauna specimens and soil samples were taken at various points. 121 individual macro faunas were found and divided into three phyla and 10 Order. The results showed that macro fauna diversity was not always positively correlated with soil chemical properties. Total N, available P, organic C and pH is not directly proportional to the increasingly diverse types of macro fauna in a rice field. The soil’s chemical nature in the form of base saturation has a positive correlation with macro fauna diversity that makes it serve as an indicator of fertility. Base saturation in the fields can be associated with the presence of different kinds of macrofauna decomposers such as earthworms, millipedes and denitrivor. Indigenous macrofauna species was not found in the paddy fields in the Dukuhseti district due to intensive land management. Key words: Macrofauna, soil fertility, soil biology.