Landscape Context Research Articles

Heterogeneity does matter: estimating relationships between anuran diversity and the environment at different spatial scales in a protected páramo of Colombia

ContextThe impact of Environmental Heterogeneity (EH) on assemblage diversity remains unclear due to biases in landscape context, taxa studied, and spatial scales typically analyzed.ObjectiveWe explore how EH components influence anuran diversity at local and landscape scales in a protected páramo ecosystem in Chingaza National Park, Colombia.MethodsWe implemented a multi-scale approach using habitat focal patches (HFPs) with 50, 100, and 200 m buffers derived from drone photography. Land cover mosaics were generated for 42 types, and landscape metrics were calculated. The most significant 10 land cover types were further analyzed with three class metrics each, identifying the scale of effect on species richness, total abundance, and assemblage structure. Multivariate DISTLM and Poisson models were applied to determine predictors at each spatial scale.ResultsSpecies richness showed a slight negative correlation with local-scale land cover diversity, while total abundance was strongly influenced by rosette cover and relative humidity, reflecting the importance of microhabitat features at smaller scales. Assemblage structure was shaped by exposed soil cover and Chusquea spp., indicating the role of these variables in assemblage turnover. At the landscape scale, class-level metrics were consistently stronger predictors than landscape composition, with the 200 m buffer emerging as the most influential scale, particularly through water bodies and dense scrub. These findings highlight that landscape configuration, rather than composition, plays a key role in shaping anuran diversity across scales.ConclusionsThe habitat amount hypothesis and the scale of effect are more complex than expected in naturally heterogeneous landscapes. Structurally complex land cover types, such as dense scrub and water bodies availability, were critical in explaining anuran diversity. The use of drones allowed us to capture ecologically meaningful spatial scales at 4 cm/píxel resolution, offering valuable insights into how landscape configuration influences amphibian diversity patterns.

Red-necked avocets disperse at continental scales and breed following high rainfall in distant locations

Nomadic species present conservation challenges due to their dynamic use of habitats at broad spatial scales. We carried out the first tracking of Red-necked Avocets (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae), a nomadic waterbird, to document their movements as they dispersed from the Coorong (a coastal refuge that regularly supports > 5% of the global population) to core breeding areas in central Australia. Dispersal from the Coorong to wetlands in the Lake Eyre Basin was most likely soon after high seven-day rainfall in that basin (departure odds diminished 5.24% per additional day post-rainfall event), whereas dispersal to wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin was not significantly associated with any local or distant rainfall patterns. Tracking revealed ten nesting attempts (from six individuals) spread across three Australian states. Only four attempts showed evidence of hatching. The three individuals tracked for > 1 year all returned to the Coorong, suggesting high site fidelity to this wetland. Consequently, long-term Coorong census data is likely to be a genuine index of Red-necked Avocet population abundance rather than reflecting flux of birds visiting only once. This work supports the conservation of a connected habitat network for this nomadic species, as site-based conservation measures are less effective if broader landscape context is ignored.

Exploring the impact of women's leadership and governance towards stability and development: a case study of Limpopo Province

This study explores the impact of women’s leadership and governance on stability and development in Limpopo province in South Africa, employing a qualitative research approach to provide a comprehensive analysis. Limpopo Province, with its complex socio-political landscape and historical context, presents a unique case for examining the role of women in leadership positions within both governmental and non-governmental sectors. The research integrates qualitative data to assess how women in leadership contribute to fostering stability, promoting socio-economic development, and influencing policy reforms. The qualitative component involves in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with women leaders, policymakers, and community members to gain insights into the strategies, challenges, and impacts of female leadership in governance. The findings showed that women in leadership positions have a positive influence on governance practices, social cohesion, and inclusive development, though challenges related to gender-based discrimination, political power dynamics, and institutional barriers remain significant. This study contributes to the broader discourse on gender equality in leadership, offering policy recommendations aimed at enhancing women’s participation in governance to achieve sustainable development and long-term stability in South Africa. Anti-discrimination laws must also be given top priority by governments and organizations, and prejudices in hiring and promotion procedures must be actively addressed.

Honeybee presence restructures pollination networks more than landscape context by reducing foraging breadths of wild bees

Honeybee presence restructures pollination networks more than landscape context by reducing foraging breadths of wild bees

Small populations, big challenges: Genetic, demographic, and landscape context collectively shape population performance of a perennial herb

Small populations, big challenges: Genetic, demographic, and landscape context collectively shape population performance of a perennial herb

Assessment of light environmental impacts from offshore wind farms in South Korea.

Assessment of light environmental impacts from offshore wind farms in South Korea.

Individuality, diel time, and landscape context shape space-use of an elusive carnivore in a risky environment

ContextIndividual animal’s perception of risk can alter how it navigates a landscape altered by anthropogenic and natural disturbances. As perception depends on experience, we should expect habitat selection to be context dependent and individualistic.ObjectivesWe hypothesized that: (i) fine-scale habitat selection of fisher (Pekania pennanti) in a human dominated landscape is driven by multiple interacting spatio-temporal factors; and (ii) an individual’s response to these factors depend on their exposure to anthropogenic disturbance within their home range (i.e., functional response).MethodsWe used fine-scale GPS location data of fisher in step-selection functions to make inference on the effects of human development, habitat loss, and road risk on fisher habitat selection.ResultsWe found fisher habitat selection is individualistic, spatio-temporally dependent and a function of their exposure to anthropogenic disturbance in their home range. Fisher selected areas of lower road risk more frequently relative to availability, particularly during daylight hours. Higher road risk areas were only used more frequently when they were available at night. With a higher human land use in their home ranges fisher selected space near roads at night only, however when the extent of human use in their home range was lower, they selected areas further from roads at all times.ConclusionsOur study shows how individual variability allows fisher to adapt their diel activity to utilize resources in areas of high human land use. This further emphasizes the importance of accounting for individuality and multiple interacting spatio-temporal factors in habitat selection, particularly in highly human modified landscapes.

Mixed tree plantation as forage for European honey bees (Apis mellifera L.): a melissopalynological analysis

Abstract This study aimed to assess the contribution of tree plantation’s woody species and understory vegetation as forage for pollinators using melissopalynological analysis. Honey from European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) hives placed adjacent to a ten-year-old plantation of aspen, willow, alder, birch, lime, maple, and wild cherry was analysed. In total, 40 types of pollen were identified in the honey. In early spring, predominant pollen originated from Salix spp. (willow), in spring - pollen of Brassicaceae (oilseed rape) dominated in the honey, but in summer multiflower honey was picked up. These findings support the importance of mass flowering woody species for early-season foraging, sustaining food resources for pollinators throughout the season within the landscape context. However, during the later stages of spring and summer, the understory flora of the tree plantation was poorly utilised by honey bees. Even though 65 species of vascular plants were present in the understory, honey bees exhibited a preference for nearby mass-flowering crops of oilseed rape. It should be investigated further if this behaviour temporarily alleviates the competition with wild pollinators in surrounding ecosystems.

Estimating and mapping the value of cultural ecosystem services in an urban landscape context

Estimating and mapping the value of cultural ecosystem services in an urban landscape context

Memory-Based Navigation in Elephants: Implications for Survival Strategies and Conservation.

Elephants exhibit remarkable cognitive and social abilities, which are integral to their navigation, resource acquisition, and responses to environmental challenges such as climate change and human-wildlife conflict. Their capacity to acquire, recall, and utilise spatial information enables them to traverse large, fragmented landscapes, locate essential resources, and mitigate risks. While older elephants, particularly matriarchs, are often regarded as repositories of ecological knowledge, the mechanisms by which younger individuals acquire this information remain uncertain. Existing research suggests that elephants follow established movement patterns, yet direct evidence of intergenerational knowledge transfer is limited. This review synthesises current literature on elephant navigation and decision-making, exploring how their behavioural strategies contribute to resilience amid increasing anthropogenic pressures. Empirical studies indicate that elephants integrate environmental and social cues when selecting routes, accessing water, and avoiding human-dominated areas. However, the extent to which these behaviours arise from individual memory, social learning, or passive exposure to experienced individuals requires further investigation. Additionally, elephants function as ecosystem engineers, shaping landscapes, maintaining biodiversity, and contributing to climate resilience. Recent research highlights that elephants' ecological functions can indeed contribute to climate resilience, though the mechanisms are complex and context-dependent. In tropical forests, forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) disproportionately disperse large-seeded, high-carbon-density tree species, which contribute significantly to above-ground carbon storage. Forest elephants can improve tropical forest carbon storage by 7%, as these elephants enhance the relative abundance of slow-growing, high-biomass trees through selective browsing and seed dispersal. In savannah ecosystems, elephants facilitate the turnover of woody vegetation and maintain grassland structure, which can increase albedo and promote carbon sequestration in soil through enhanced grass productivity and fire dynamics. However, the ecological benefits of such behaviours depend on population density and landscape context. While bulldozing vegetation may appear destructive, these behaviours often mimic natural disturbance regimes, promoting biodiversity and landscape heterogeneity, key components of climate-resilient ecosystems. Unlike anthropogenic clearing, elephant-led habitat modification is part of a long-evolved ecological process that supports nutrient cycling and seedling recruitment. Therefore, promoting connectivity through wildlife corridors supports not only elephant movement but also ecosystem functions that enhance resilience to climate variability. Future research should prioritise quantifying the net carbon impact of elephant movement and browsing in different biomes to further clarify their role in mitigating climate change. Conservation strategies informed by their movement patterns, such as wildlife corridors, conflict-reducing infrastructure, and habitat restoration, may enhance human-elephant coexistence while preserving their ecological roles. Protecting older individuals, who may retain critical environmental knowledge, is essential for sustaining elephant populations and the ecosystems they influence. Advancing research on elephant navigation and decision-making can provide valuable insights for biodiversity conservation and conflict mitigation efforts.

Traditional almond orchards in contrasting landscapes maintain extremely diverse parasitoid communities threatened by abandonment

Hymenopteran parasitoids are an extremely diverse insect group, crucial for ecosystem functioning and pest control. Due to their high trophic level and high degree of specialization, parasitoids are particularly sensitive to disturbance and extinction events, which makes them good indicators of arthropod diversity. Different studies have shown that parasitoids can be affected by management practices and landscape composition and configuration but few have evaluated the consequences of agricultural abandonment, a process that threatens the high biodiversity associated with European High Nature Value Farmland. In this context, we aimed to determine the effects of traditional almond orchard abandonment on the hymenopteran parasitoid community (at genus level), the role of landscape complexity in mediating these effects, and the impact of several land-use variables at different scales, in Spain. Traditional almond orchards supported a highly diverse parasitoid community, more abundant and richer than that of abandoned orchards in certain months, particularly when surrounded by a high cover of semi-natural habitats. The landscape context influenced the effects of agricultural abandonment: abandoned orchards served as refuges in late summer only in simple landscapes, whereas complex landscapes generally favored parasitoid abundance, especially in traditional orchards. The strong seasonality drove a high turnover rate and shaped community responses to land-use variables at both 150 m and 500 m scales.

The Role of Spatial Planning in Landscape-Based Groundwater Recharge: A Systematic Literature Review

Groundwater is a vital resource for ecosystems, with its recharge process influenced by climate change and urbanization. The transformation of natural and urban landscapes and the over-extraction of groundwater contribute to its depletion and degradation. Groundwater recharge and management are intricately linked to land use and the landscape. Despite this close connection, spatially integrating groundwater recharge strategies in the landscape context remains underexplored. This systematic review synthesizes state-of-the-art research at the intersection of spatial planning, landscapes, and groundwater recharge. We employed a combination of bibliometric visualization and thematic analysis and reviewed 126 studies published between 1990 and April 2024 from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Based on their objectives and outcomes, we found four prominent themes in these clusters: groundwater recharge potential studies, groundwater vulnerability studies, design-based studies, and participatory studies. When organized iteratively, these clusters can become potential building blocks of a framework for a landscape-based groundwater recharge approach. With interdisciplinary collaboration, spatial visualization and mapping, a co-creative design, and a feedback mechanism at its core, this approach can enhance stakeholder communication and translate highly specialized technical knowledge into adaptive, actionable insights. This study also highlights that including spatial design can help develop landscape-based groundwater recharge for long-term sustainable regional development.

Setting goals for pollinator gardens.

In recent years, declines in animal pollinators have stimulated tremendous interest in pollinator-friendly gardening. There is a widespread notion that pollinator gardens are beneficial, but the specific capacity of pollinator gardens to improve biodiversity conservation and societal well-being remains unclear. We argue that setting clear ecological and social goals can clarify the value of pollinator gardens for both pollinators and people. Effective goals will articulate specific, quantifiable, and realistic endpoints across scales of biological organization. Opportunities and challenges for setting goals will vary across landscape contexts, cultural systems, stakeholder values, and geographic regions. In community-based pollinator projects, harnessing the potential of gardens to improve outcomes requires an evidence-based, iterative process involving identifying shared values, defining specific goals and measurable indicators, proposing straightforward interventions, monitoring progress, and evaluating success, including adaptive management if success is not met. These ideas provide ecologists and conservation practitioners with a practical framework for how to channel the swell of enthusiasm for pollinator gardening and, more generally, community-driven conservation efforts in dynamic socioecological systems toward measurable impacts on biodiversity and people.

Erratum to “Impacts of forest extent, configuration and landscape context on presence of declining breeding Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata and implications for planning new woodland” [For. Ecol. Manag. 572 (2024) 122281

Erratum to “Impacts of forest extent, configuration and landscape context on presence of declining breeding Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata and implications for planning new woodland” [For. Ecol. Manag. 572 (2024) 122281

Urban pollinator communities are structured by local-scale garden features, not landscape context

ContextUnderstanding the drivers of urban pollinator communities is relevant to both biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture, particularly in urban community gardens. However, much interest has been placed on bee communities, focused on bee species alpha diversity and which large-scale factors predict their occurrence and abundance.ObjectivesIn this study we build on previous urban bee work by investigating how a suite of specific local-scale garden features and landscape context influence the composition of the entire arthropod flower visiting community in urban agroecosystems.MethodsWe conducted pollinator observations in 33 gardens across two large German cities, Berlin & Munich, over two years. We then tested the influence of local-scale and landscape-scale factors on pollinator community composition, and beta diversity.ResultsAcross the two cities, local-scale garden features predominantly influenced pollinator communities in urban community gardens, more so than landscape context. Features such as vegetation height, floral and woody plant richness and bare soil cover significantly influenced pollinator community composition—leading to a dominance of preferable taxa such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies, while garden size and urbanization did not. Beta diversity of pollinator communities did not decrease along an urbanization gradient indicating no urban homogenization impact on the full pollinator community.ConclusionsDecisions made at the local garden scale can significantly influence pollinator communities and their floral resources. As we found that garden features can support beneficial taxa that provide important ecosystem services in urban agroecosystems, gardeners and practitioners can focus on implementing these features to support pollinators and therefore garden productivity.

Spatio-temporal variation in pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) in rural-urban mosaic landscapes in Northern Europe.

Pollen is a source of protein, lipids, vitamins and minerals for bees and other flower-visiting insects. The composition of macro- and micronutrients of pollen vary among different plant species. Honey bees are long-distance foragers, collecting nectar and pollen from plants within several kilometers of their hive. Availability of pollen within the foraging range of honey bees is highly dynamic, changing seasonally, and across different landscapes. In the present study, the aim was to investigate the composition of pollen collected by honey bees in rural-urban landscape mosaics typical of Northern Europe. Samples of corbiculate pollen were collected 3-9 times during the growing season by citizen scientist bee keepers from a total of 25 observation apiaries across Denmark in 2014-2015. Palynological analysis was conducted identifying 500 pollen grains per sample to pollen type (mostly plant genus). Pollen diversity denoted the number of different pollen types in a sample, while relative abundance was calculated as the proportional representation of a pollen type, if found in >1% of the sample. The quantity of pollen types across study years and sites was measured as the occurrence of each pollen type (number of samples with the pollen type present) and abundance (total number of pollen grains). Pollen diversity was highly variable, with effects of season, year, and area of green urban spaces. In terms of quantity, a few key pollen types occurred repeatedly and abundantly in the samples. Only 17 pollen types were present in >15 samples. These pollen types were consistent across study years and different landscapes. Pollen diversity may impact colony health, and hence foraging decisions by honey bees, especially in late summer. However, the bulk of the pollen collected by colonies came from a limited number of pollen sources, regardless of year and landscape context in the rural-urban landscape mosaics of Denmark.

Landscape Heterogeneity and Island Identity as Drivers of Mesoscale Structure of Pollination Networks

Indirect interactions enforce ecological and evolutionary dynamics within pollination networks. An effective way to study overall indirect interactions in a network is through motif profiles, which represent the network’s mesoscale structure, as well as species’ structural roles, reflecting their participation in motifs. Here, we surveyed 37 pollination networks across eight Aegean islands, a region with a complex biogeographic history, to examine (a) whether species’ structural roles in pollination networks are determined by species, landscape, or island identity; (b) the impact of landscape heterogeneity and island identity on the mesoscale structure of pollination networks; and (c) the variation explained by landscape drivers and island identity in motif profiles compared to link composition. Using PERMANOVA, we found that all three factors significantly grouped species’ structural roles, indicating the combined influence of niche-based and neutral processes. Interestingly, using two dbRDA models to evaluate the combined effects of landscape context and island identity on motif profiles and network link compositions, we found that the first model explained 57% of the variance, whereas the second model accounted for only 16%. This finding emphasizes the potential of motif profiles in revealing interaction dynamics that might otherwise be overlooked. Furthermore, island identity significantly influenced all three responses, suggesting that regional island features play a key role in shaping local interactions.

The influence of urban and agricultural landscape contexts on forest diversity and structure across ecoregions

AbstractForest patches in urban landscapes make outsized contributions to biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human health and well‐being. However, urbanization can alter environmental conditions that underpin forest health. Most studies of forest health in urban landscapes have focused on few forest patches across a single metropolitan region, and synthesis is needed to understand broader patterns. We assessed variation among measures of forest health across land cover gradients and ecoregions by determining (1) whether the degree of urban, agricultural, and forested land surrounding a forest patch was reflected in differences in tree community composition, diversity, and structure and (2) whether these differences were consistent across ecoregions. We synthesized data from 17 observational studies (3334 plots) and remotely sensed land cover (1‐km buffer) across four metropolitan regions (Baltimore–Washington DC, Chicago, New York City, and Philadelphia) spanning five ecoregions of the eastern deciduous forest of North America. Land cover surrounding forest patches differed among ecoregions, and forests were surrounded by heterogeneous land cover even in the most urbanized areas. Patterns of tree species composition and forest structure reflected landscape context. Forest patches surrounded by high canopy cover had greater or equal tree species diversity, density, basal area, and diversity of tree sizes relative to patches surrounded by highly agricultural or highly impervious landscapes. In contrast, there was little difference in structure and diversity between forests in highly agricultural and impervious settings. Tree species composition varied among ecoregions, yet tree community assemblages of forests in intensively urbanized areas were consistently distinct from those of forests in other contexts. Forest patches in the most urban and most agricultural landscapes shared predominantly native species communities and were characterized by low tree species diversity, basal area, and size class diversity, as well as high non‐native tree abundance, highlighting commonalities among these intensive anthropogenic landscapes. These results point to both common challenges to forest health and common opportunities for forest stewardship in urban and agricultural landscapes.

Changes in weed vegetation across transects in maize fields

Changes in weed vegetation across transects in maize fields

The Effect of Habitat Amount on Species Richness and Composition of Medium- and Large-Sized Mammals in the Cerrado Biome, Brazil

Habitat fragmentation and reduction in the Cerrado are the primary threats to this biome’s biodiversity. The amount of habitat in the landscape has been proposed as the sole predictor variable for species richness in fragmented areas, potentially replacing the combined effects of fragment size and isolation (habitat amount hypothesis). This study aimed to test the influence of sampled fragment area, number of fragments, and habitat amount in local landscapes on the species richness of medium- and large-sized mammals in the Cerrado, southeastern Goiás, Brazil. The applicability of the habitat amount hypothesis to medium- and large-sized mammals in fragmented Cerrado habitats was thus evaluated. Medium- and large-sized mammal species were recorded from 2014 to 2018 in 14 Cerrado fragments in southeastern Goiás, Brazil. Using Landsat 7 and 8 satellite imagery from the year 2000 and the mammal sampling period, landscapes were delineated by creating buffers with a radius of 2 km from the central point of each sampled fragment. Through visual classification of these landscapes, the following variables were obtained: habitat amount in the landscape (HA), number of fragments (NP), and area of the sampled fragment (HF). The results indicate that the habitat amount in the past landscape (14 to 18 years before sampling) was the best predictor variable for the species richness and composition of medium- and large-sized mammals. The HA variable from the sampling period and the AREA variable from both periods also significantly influenced species composition. Therefore, considering the historical landscape context, the habitat amount hypothesis was applied to mammals in the Cerrado areas studied.