Landscape Matrix Research Articles

Habitat use and movements of a large dragonfly (Odonata: Anax imperator) in a pond network

Abstract Local movements of aquatic insects within the surroundings of waterbodies aim essentially to find food, mates, resting sites, or avoid predation. Distances moved are very variable among species and may also differ depending on sex or age at the intraspecific scale. Despite a large panel of studies on odonate activities near waterbodies, little is known about their movements and behaviour in the surrounding landscape matrix. This knowledge is, however, crucial to support management schemes of pond networks and allow improvement of connectivity between them. In this study, 87 individuals of the large dragonfly Anax imperator were identified with a unique code on the wings and monitored visually on five ponds during summers 2017 and 2018. Simultaneously, 54 individuals were equipped with radio transmitters and tracked for up to 15 days. We built Cormack Jolly Seber models to test which factors are important for movement and survival of individuals, and calculated home ranges. Additionally, we performed a step selection analysis on the telemetry data to identify the terrestrial habitats selected by A. imperator at the interface between a rural area and a suburban area in north‐western France. A reduction of the survival rate was observed on the day immediately following capture regardless of the marking method. Individuals equipped with radio transmitters had a lower estimated daily survival (0.78; 95% confidence interval = 0.70–0.85) compared to wing‐marked individuals (0.89; 95% confidence interval = 0.85–0.92). Wing loading and age were the main variables influencing dragonfly survival for both methods. The probability of movement between ponds was similar for both sexes, but radio‐tracking data showed that females moved significantly further away in the landscape matrix than males, with one female detected up to 1,902 m away from the release pond. Females also had a larger home range (mean 95% kernel: 50 ha) than males (mean 95% kernel: 5 ha). Reproductive behaviour of males and flying behaviour of females were positively related to air temperature. Individuals of both sexes were present on ponds more often than in all other habitats whatever their activity. High trees were the preferred place to rest when air temperatures were low, especially for females. Overall, this study highlights the importance of integrating neighbouring trees in management schemes of ponds. It also confirms that preservation of pond networks must include on several hectares of land around ponds to meet the aquatic and terrestrial needs of amphibious organisms such as odonates. Our radio‐tracking data provide a basis for further studies on the persistence of odonate meta‐populations in fragmented landscapes.

Do landscape and riverscape shape genetic patterns of the Neotropical otter, Lontra longicaudis, in eastern Mexico?

Functional connectivity of semiaquatic species is poorly studied despite that freshwater ecosystems are amongst the most threatened worldwide due to habitat deterioration. The Neotropical otter, Lontra longicaudis, is a threatened species that represents a good model to evaluate the effect of landscape-riverscape features on genetic structure and gene flow of freshwater species. We aimed to assess the spatial genetic structure of L. longicaudis and to evaluate the landscape-riverscape attributes that shape its genetic structure and gene flow at local sites (habitat patches) and between sites (landscape matrix). We conducted the study in three basins located in Veracruz, Mexico, which have a high degree of ecosystem deterioration. We used a non-invasive genetic sampling and a landscape genetics individual-based approach to test the effect stream hierarchical structure, isolation-by-distance, and isolation-by-resistance on genetic structure and gene flow. We found genetic structure that corresponded to the latitudinal and altitudinal heterogeneity of the landscape and riverscape, as well as to the hierarchical structure of the streams. Open areas and steep slopes were the variables affecting genetic structure at local sites, whereas areas with suitable habitat conditions, higher ecosystem integrity and larger streams enhanced gene flow between sites. The landscape-riverscape characteristics that maintain functional connectivity of L. longicaudis differed between the upper, middle, and lower basins. Our results have important implications for the conservation of the species, including the maintenance of larger suitable areas in Actopan and the necessity to improve connectivity in Jamapa, through the establishment of biological corridors.

Comparison of methods to model species habitat networks for decision-making in nature conservation: The case of the wildcat in southern Belgium

Facing the loss of biodiversity caused by landscape fragmentation, implementation of ecological networks to connect habitats is an important biodiversity conservation issue. It is necessary to develop easily reproducible methods to identify and prioritize actions to maintain or restore ecological corridors. To date, several competing methods are used with recurrent debate on which is best and if expert-based approaches can replace data-driven models. We compared three methods: knowledge-driven (expert based), data-driven (based on species distribution model), and a mixed approach. We quantified their differences in habitat and corridor mapping, and prioritizations of landscape elements in terms of importance for connectivity. Key parameters generating these differences were identified. To put this into practice, the case study of the wildcat (Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777) was chosen. The results highlighted differences and similarities between approaches used. The data-driven approach was more successful in identifying the suitable habitat with regard to wildcat ecology, while the knowledge-driven approach was better able to account for obstacles to wildcat movements in the landscape matrix. However, these two methods converged for the identification of patterns of habitat patches and corridors that are important for global landscape connectivity. For both methods, we identified adjustments that can improve the outcome. The mixed approach largely differed in that it required more inputs to be performed. In the end, conservation actions were identified and could guide nature conservation practitioners in their efforts to restore landscape connectivity.

The Noongar of south-western Australia: a case study of long-term biodiversity conservation in a matrix of old and young landscapes

AbstractOccurring across all southern hemisphere continents except Antarctica, old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes (OCBILs) are centres of biological richness, often in biodiversity hotspots. Among a matrix of young, often disturbed, fertile landscapes (YODFELs), OCBILs are centres of endemism and diversity in the exceptionally rich flora of the south-west Australian global biodiversity hotspot, home to Noongar peoples for ≥ 48 000 years. We analysed contemporary traditional Noongar knowledge of adjacent OCBILs (e.g. granite outcrops) and YODFELs (e.g. creekline fringes) both at a single site and in two larger areas to test whether patterns of disturbance dictated by Noongar custom align with OCBIL theory. We found that Noongar traditional knowledge reflects a regime of concentrated YODFEL rather than OCBIL disturbance—a pattern which aligns with maximal biodiversity preservation. SIMPER testing found traditional Noongar OCBIL and YODFEL activities are 64–75% dissimilar, whereas Pearson’s chi-square tests revealed camping, burning, travelling through country and hunting as primarily YODFEL rather than OCBIL activities. We found that Noongar activities usually avoid OCBIL disturbance. This combined with high floristic diversity following enduring First Peoples’ presence, suggests that traditional Noongar knowledge is valuable and necessary for south-west Australian biodiversity conservation. Similar cultural investigations in other OCBIL-dominated global biodiversity hotspots may prove profitable.

Consolidating the layout of rural settlements using system dynamics and the multi-agent system

The Chinese government has emphasized the consolidation of rural settlements because of their extensive use and hollowing-out in the hope that agricultural land losses can be mitigated nationally, the ecological environment can be protected, and improvements can be made to agricultural production and rural livelihoods. Rural settlement consolidation, however, necessitates a complex optimization approach that involves multiple aspects including rural development policies as well as the evaluation and classification of settlement layout, the land-use decision-making behaviors of villagers, and spatial layout optimization models. Current rural settlement consolidation methods lack these respective modules and have therefore led to unsatisfactory results. We therefore coupled a spatial layout evaluation module, system dynamics (SD) models, and the multi-agent system (MAS) to establish the rural settlement consolidation model (RSCM), an approach which can comprehensively consider all these aspects. This model was then applied in Jizhou District, Tianjin, using the three policy scenarios of ecology priority, coordinated ecology and economic development, and economy priority. The results of this analysis show that, in the first place, given an optimized rural settlement layout, the average suitability value and degree of average spatial compactness increased by 3.23% and 96.68% respectively. These outcomes indicate that the model can improve land-use suitability and solve the village hollowing-out issue. Data also show that landscape pattern indices including average plaque density, average patch shape index, and average fractal dimension all decreased by 54.17%, 26.20, and 4.60%, respectively, while average plaque area increased by 117.22%. These outcomes indicate that the use of this model can reduce rural settlement complexity and alleviate the pressure on the landscape matrix. Secondly, results show that the consolidation of rural settlements leads to clear socioeconomic and ecological benefits within the study area as well as improvements in agricultural production and rural livelihoods because of spatial layout adjustments. Third, ecological and economic policy priorities reduce the effectiveness of rural settlement consolidation, hinder economic development, and can even exacerbate the hollowing-out of villages. Rural development policies must therefore strike a balance between environmental protection and economic development.

Ground-dwelling spiders and understory vascular plants on Fuegian austral forests: Community responses to variable retention management and their association to natural ecosystems

Variable retention mitigates negative effects of traditional harvesting on biodiversity, maintaining legacies in harvested forests as habitat for sensitive species, and generating other habitats for early-seral species. Their assessment, including drivers, has a high concern for society. Likewise, species association with ecosystems in the landscape (as different forest types, grasslands and peatlands) are unknown for some taxa and regions, and could explain species flow into harvested areas. Therefore, we evaluated the forest harvest impact on ground-dwelling spiders and vascular plants, their diversity and association to vegetation types in the landscape matrix, and richness and abundance correlations with forest structure. Six natural common habitats were studied in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), where variable retention has been implemented: aggregated (AR) and dispersed (DR) retention in harvested Nothofagus pumilio forests, unharvested primary forests (NPF) as reference, grasslands (G), peatlands (P), and unharvested N. antarctica forests (NAF). We surveyed spiders (N = 432, by 6 habitats × 6 replicates × 6 collections × 2 years), and vascular plants (N = 36, by 6 habitats × 6 replicates), and characterized forest structure in wooded ecosystems. We determined for both taxa richness, relative abundance (total captures/ground cover) and Shannon-Wiener and Pielou indices, compared assemblage composition and indicator species among harvesting treatments and vegetation types, and analyzed correlations. We sampled 752 individuals of spiders from 33 species (six families), and 79 vascular plant species (28 families) that averaged 52% total vegetation cover. Total spider captures and overall richness were higher in DR > NPF > AR, although differences were not detected at plot level for any variable. For understory vascular plants, richness and cover were the highest on DR, followed by AR and NPF, as well as at plot level, with no affectation in indices. Likewise, highest richness and abundance occurred in NAF and NPF for spiders, and in NAF and G for vascular plants, with unique assemblages in each vegetation type despite the shared species. Assemblages also differed in harvested areas, including species of other vegetation types mainly in DR, where new conditions were generated by reduction of forest structure variables (evidenced by negative correlations), while AR maintained species composition similar to NPF, contributing to the conservation of forest specialists. Indicators occurred for both taxa in several habitats. This study highlights the importance of different vegetation types for spider and plant conservation at landscape level, while provides tools for developing monitoring strategies and conservation policies.

Landscape predictors of human\u2013leopard conflicts within multi-use areas of the Himalayan region

Conflict with humans is a significant source of mortality for large carnivores globally. With rapid loss of forest cover and anthropogenic impacts on their habitats, large carnivores are forced to occupy multi-use landscapes outside protected areas. We investigated 857 attacks on livestock in eastern Himalaya and 375 attacks in western Himalaya by leopards between 2015 and 2018. Multivariate analyses were conducted to identify the landscape features which increased the probability of livestock depredation by leopards. The risk of a leopard killing livestock increased within a heterogeneous landscape matrix comprising of both closed and open habitats (very dense forests, moderate dense forests, open forests, scrubland and non-forests). We used the results to map potential human–leopard conflict hotspots across parts of the Indian Himalayan region. Our spatial risk maps indicate pockets in the eastern, central and western part of eastern Himalaya and the central, northern part of western Himalaya as hotspots of human–leopard conflicts. Most of the attacks occurred when livestock were grazing freely within multi-use areas without supervision of a herder. Our results suggest that awareness about high risk areas, supervised grazing, and removing vegetation cover around human settlements should be initiated to reduce predation by leopards.

Landscape matrix in urban development of West Siberia

The paper proposes a different approach to the process of prospective settlement instead of the modern urban model of the spatial development in Russia. The proposed approach involves large settlements and connections considered as an interaction between several systems and networks (environmental system, transport system, economic links between settlement nodes, fluvial network), the density of which is determined by the territory, relief, landscapes, environmental qualities and economic potential. This gives rise to a different typology of territories that constitute the land use map, the pattern of which is determined by the landscape matrix. A study of the landscape elements makes it possible to identify their influence on the settlement development and connections of any system or network. The understanding of the basis for the formation and interaction of different systems allows to accurately predict the urban development of the settlement system. The paper predicts the routes of development of the settlement system in West Siberia.

Abstract A47: In silico organoids: A model for deconvolution of microenvironmental and drug effects on tumor growth

Abstract In vivo tumor microenvironments are heterogeneous in their architecture, cellular contents, metabolic landscape, and extracellular matrix (ECM) composition. Moreover, these microenvironments can undergo temporal and spatial changes. This may alter tumor responses to anticancer therapies. To examine the complex and dynamic changes within tumors and in tumor microenvironments, we developed a computational single cell-based model of the three-dimensional multicellular organotypic cultures: Organoid3D. This model was calibrated to experimental data and reproduced growth dynamics and morphologies of four human breast cell lines: a nontumorigenic epithelial MCF-10A, a mildly tumorigenic MCF-10AT1, and metastatic MCF-10CA-1a and MCF-10CA-1d lines grown in various microenvironmental conditions. By explicitly including the fibril structure of the ECM in the model, we examined how ECM properties promote or suppress the growth of in silico tumor organoids. The quantitative integration of experimental data for organoids exposed to different concentrations of doxorubicin allowed us to derive hypotheses on relative importance of microenvironmental factors and chemotherapeutic treatments on organoid growth. Thus, the in silico organoid model interrogated with experimental data provides a tool for fast and broad hypotheses testing and presents an opportunity to explore experimental conditions beyond what is physically feasible in laboratory experiments. Citation Format: Katarzyna A. Rejniak, Sharan Poonja, Jessica Kingsley, Shreya Mathur, Ibrahim Chamseddine, Aleksandra Karolak, Dmitry A. Markov, Lisa J. McCawley. In silico organoids: A model for deconvolution of microenvironmental and drug effects on tumor growth [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Evolving Landscape of Cancer Modeling; 2020 Mar 2-5; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A47.

About agricultural manuals, gardens and coffee plantations: mosaics and landscape transformation in the Paraiba do Sul Valley, Brazil

Economic cycles have often become the landscape matrix, in a hybrid process of society-nature transformation, leaving distinct legacies in it. The coffee plantation showed great productivity in the Paraíba do Sul Valley to the detriment of forests, resulting in profound changes in geo-hydric cycles. Although the transformation by coffee has been significant on a spatial scale and in environmental changes, the Paraíba do Sul Valley landscape needs to be understood in a broader perspective. There were also other crops in the landscape inside or outside large estates. This work aims to recognize the spatial organization of these cultures and develop an understanding of the pattern of the coffee landscape, showing the performance of different social actors. The methodology consisted of a bibliographic review and analysis of historical agricultural manuals. Spatializing such past activities and social groups in the landscape shows us what was previously hidden, omitted by the traditional historical narrative This research showed that colonial knowledge developed a landscape compartmentalization, spatializing the crops according to pedological and topographic evidence.

About agricultural manuals, gardens and coffee plantations: mosaics and landscape transformation in the Paraiba do Sul Valley, Brazil

Economic cycles have often become the landscape matrix, in a hybrid process of society-nature transformation, leaving distinct legacies in it. The coffee plantation showed great productivity in the Paraíba do Sul Valley to the detriment of forests, resulting in profound changes in geo-hydric cycles. Although the transformation by coffee has been significant on a spatial scale and in environmental changes, the Paraíba do Sul Valley landscape needs to be understood in a broader perspective. There were also other crops in the landscape inside or outside large estates. This work aims to recognize the spatial organization of these cultures and develop an understanding of the pattern of the coffee landscape, showing the performance of different social actors. The methodology consisted of a bibliographic review and analysis of historical agricultural manuals. Spatializing such past activities and social groups in the landscape shows us what was previously hidden, omitted by the traditional historical narrative This research showed that colonial knowledge developed a landscape compartmentalization, spatializing the crops according to pedological and topographic evidence

Comparative ecological and behavioral study of Macaca assamensis and M. mulatta in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Nepal

Resource partitioning reduces the competition between different species within the same habitat, promoting their coexistence. To understand how such species co-adapt to reduce conflicts, we examined the behavior of two primates, Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis) and rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), from April 2017 to March 2018 in Sivapuri Nagarjun National Park (SNNP), Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. We performed 1580 and 1261 scan sessions on wild multi-male/multi-female groups of Assamese and rhesus macaques, respectively, at 15-min sampling intervals. Assamese macaques consumed fewer plant species (38 species) than rhesus macaques (88 species). Overlapping food sources between the macaque species resulted in a Pianka index of 0.5. Assamese macaques consumed more items of tree, climber, and vine species, whereas rhesus macaques fed on more shrub, herb, and grass species. The proportions of plant parts consumed by the two species differed—more leaves, fruits and cones were used by Assamese macaques than rhesus macaques, whereas more flowers, seeds, and pods were consumed by rhesus macaques than Assamese macaques. Assamese macaques had a smaller home range (0.55 km2) than rhesus macaques (4.23 km2), and Assamese macaques had a shorter daily moving distance (1.6 km) than rhesus macaques (4.0 km). Although feeding time did not differ between the two macaque species, less time was devoted to social activities by Assamese macaques (16.0%) than by rhesus macaques (33.7%). Assamese macaques were generally arboreal, with 94.0% of their activities in trees, whereas rhesus macaques were largely terrestrial, with 58.5% of their activities on the ground. These differences in food selection, home-range size, ranging and activity patterns, and habitat use suggest that Assamese and rhesus macaques reduce resource competition through resource partitioning to coexist in a landscape matrix.

Beaver effects on macroinvertebrate assemblages in two streams with contrasting morphology

Beaver populations are increasing throughout Europe and especially in Switzerland. Beaver are major ecological engineers of fluvial systems, dramatically influencing river morphology, ecohydrology and, consequently, aquatic and terrestrial biota. This study compared macroinvertebrate assemblages and trophic structure at two beaver complexes with contrasting topography in Switzerland over an annual cycle. One complex (Marthalen) was in a low gradient open basin, whereas the other complex (Flaach) flowed through a higher gradient ravine-like basin. Both complexes were embedded in an overall agricultural landscape matrix. Water physico-chemistry differed between the two complexes with nitrogen, phosphorus, and DOC being higher at Marthalen than at Flaach. Both complexes showed strong seasonality in physico-chemistry, but retention of nutrients (N, P) was highest in summer and only at Marthalen. Both complexes also showed strong seasonality in macroinvertebrate assemblages, although assemblages differed substantially between complexes. At Marthalen, macroinvertebrate assemblages were predominantly lentic in character at ‘pool’ sites within the complex. At Flaach, lotic macroinvertebrate assemblages were common at most sites with some lentic taxa also being present. Dietary shifts based on carbon/nitrogen stable isotopes occurred in spring and summer among sites at both complexes (autochthonous resource use increasing over allochthonous resource use downstream), although being most pronounced at Marthalen. In contrast, similar resource use across sites occurred in winter within both complexes. Although beaver significantly influenced fluvial dynamics and macroinvertebrate assemblage structure at both complexes, this influence was most pronounced at Marthalen where beaver caused the system to become more wetland in character, e.g., via higher hydraulic residence time, than at Flaach. We conclude that topography can shape beaver effects on fluvial systems and resident biota.

Landscape heterogeneity and management practices drive habitat preferences of wintering and breeding birds in intensively-managed fruit-tree plantations

Intensively-managed fruit-tree plantations consisting of low-stem trees have progressively replaced traditional high- and mid-stem orchards in Europe during the intensification of agriculture in the second part of the 20th century. Such perennial agricultural systems often form dense, homogeneous landscapes interspersed with open fields, urban areas and semi-natural structures. This observational study investigated the patterns driving landscape- and field-scale habitat preferences of bird communities in landscape units with varying fractions of intensively-managed fruit-tree plantations. At landscape scale, habitat homogeneity, notably a large proportion of fruit-tree plantations, had negative effects on both overall bird species richness and on the abundance of insectivorous birds. A higher proportion of semi-natural features, such as natural woody structures (hedgerows, isolated trees and forest patches) and marshes, positively affected overall bird species richness and abundance as well as insectivorous bird abundance. At field scale, we detected general, trait- and species-specific preferences for older trees during both winter and spring. In winter, leftover fruit is a crucial resource driving field selection by the avifauna. In spring, bird preferences for low and sparse ground vegetation were best explained by increased food accessibility for terrestrially foraging birds. Overall landscape heterogeneity as well as in situ management practices both matter to enhance bird habitat in fruit-tree plantations. Increasing the proportion of diverse semi-natural structures would promote wintering and breeding bird diversity and abundance. At field scale, conditions for birds can be improved by preserving older fruit-tree plantations and by maintaining patches of bare ground and short vegetation in the plantation inter-tree rows. However, given the current high-intensity management in most fruit-tree plantations in our study area, promoting natural features within the wider landscape matrix might represent a more cost-effective solution to enhance bird biodiversity in this agro-ecosystem.

The Effects of Habitat Alteration on Anuran Diversity and Assemblages on Mount Mulanje, Malawi

Anthropogenic disturbance and increased environmental degradation often lead to losses in species diversity. As continuous forests become increasingly limited, it is important to determine conservation and biodiversity values of intact forests and surrounding landscapes. Currently, there is little data on how anuran communities react to the alarming growth of habitat degradation in tropical East Africa, nor on the value of remnant forests. This study evaluated the alpha, beta and gamma diversity of frogs in an altered landscape on Mount Mulanje, Malawi, East Africa, and assessed the impact of habitat degradation and diversity of a landscape matrix of various habitat types. Nine sites were sampled: three intact miombo forests, three eucalyptus plantations, and three secondary forests. Twenty-nine species were found throughout these landscapes. Intact miombo forests contained significantly more frog species than the other habitats. The degree of canopy cover and area size appeared to determine species diversity across all three landscapes. Although eucalyptus plantations were impoverished, naturally regenerating secondary forests can help relieve the effects of habitat alteration. Nevertheless, degraded habitats cannot substitute for continuous blocks of forest; therefore understanding these differences is crucial for maintaining the biodiversity value in the long term.

Anthropogenic Disturbance and Population Viability of Woodland Caribou in Ontario

ABSTRACTOne of the most challenging tasks in wildlife conservation and management is to clarify how spatial variation in land cover due to anthropogenic disturbance influences wildlife demography and long‐term viability. To evaluate this, we compared rates of survival and population growth by woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) from 2 study sites in northern Ontario, Canada that differed in the degree of anthropogenic disturbance because of commercial logging and road development, resulting in differences in predation risk due to gray wolves (Canis lupus). We used an individual‐based model for population viability analysis (PVA) that incorporated adaptive patterns of caribou movement in relation to predation risk and food availability to predict stochastic variation in rates of caribou survival. Field estimates of annual survival rates for adult female caribou in the unlogged ( 0.90) and logged ( 0.76) study sites recorded during 2010–2014 did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) from values predicted by the individual‐based PVA model (unlogged: = 0.87; logged: 0.79). Outcomes from the individual‐based PVA model and a simpler stage‐structured matrix model suggest that substantial differences in adult survival largely due to wolf predation are likely to lead to long‐term decline of woodland caribou in the commercially logged landscape, whereas the unlogged landscape should be considerably more capable of sustaining caribou. Estimates of population growth rates (λ) for the 2010–2014 period differed little between the matrix model and the individual‐based PVA model for the unlogged (matrix model = 1.01; individual‐based model = 0.98) and logged landscape (matrix model = 0.88; individual‐based model = 0.89). We applied the spatially explicit PVA model to assess the viability of woodland caribou across 14 woodland caribou ranges in Ontario. Outcomes of these simulations suggest that woodland caribou ranges that have experienced significant levels of commercial forestry activities in the past had annual growth rates <0.89, whereas caribou ranges that had not experienced commercial forestry operations had population growth rates >0.96. These differences were strongly related to regional variation in wolf densities. Our results suggest that increased wolf predation risk due to anthropogenic disturbance is of sufficient magnitude to cause appreciable risk of population decline in woodland caribou in Ontario. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

Spatially explicit modeling of metapopulation dynamics of broadcast spawners and stabilizing/destabilizing effects of heterogeneity of quality across local habitats

Many coastal invertebrate species are broadcast spawners. These species have a highly sedentary adult stage and disperse by oceanic transport of planktonic larvae. One commercially important group of broadcast spawners is abalones, which live in suitable habitat patches of rock reefs that are discretely distributed. Because of these life-history and habitat characteristics, abalones tend to exhibit a metapopulation structure. Despite fisheries management and the release of juveniles, wild populations of broadcast spawners have undergone dramatic reductions in density due to overexploitation, which has been partly attributed to a failure to account for spatial structure. To clarify the relationship between the persistence of a metapopulation and the bottleneck that occurs during reproduction and dispersal processes caused by spatial structure, we developed a spatially explicit metapopulation model accounting for the effects of both life history and fishery pressure. By analyzing the model, we derived a metric to evaluate metapopulation quality as the leading eigenvalue of a non-negative matrix (the landscape matrix). Using this measure, we clarified that the effect of spatial structure on metapopulation stability is explained well by the mean and variance of parameter values across patches under the condition in which the heterogeneity of the metapopulation network is weak. In particular, the presence of both a higher average and higher variance of quality in the landscape could indicate stable fishery stocks under certain conditions. For example, when the decline in the mean longevity of local patch due to the fishery pressures gradually diminishes, the rescue effects by good patches would work more effectively than the negative effect of bad patches and then the stabilizing effect of spatial heterogeneity could be observed in a metapopulation. Furthermore, optimal patch characteristics for the improvement of quality strongly depend on specific parameter values. For example, when adult fertility is improved, a patch with higher “source” ability is more suitable. In contrast, when the settlement success of planktonic larvae is improved or fishery pressure is reduced, a patch with higher “buffer” ability is more suitable for the improvement of fishery management.

Multiple lines of genetic inquiry reveal effects of local and landscape factors on an amphibian metapopulation

A central tenet of landscape ecology is that both characteristics of patches and the matrix between them influence functional connectivity. Landscape genetics seeks to evaluate functional connectivity by determining the role of spatial processes in the distribution of genetic diversity on the landscape. However, landscape genetics studies often consider only the landscape matrix, ignoring patch-level characteristics, and possibly missing significant drivers of functional connectivity. (1) Evaluate drivers of functional connectivity for an amphibian metapopulation, and (2) determine whether local characteristics are as important as landscape features to functional connectivity of this species. We used gravity models to evaluate the evidence for hypothesized drivers of functional connectivity for Dryophytes wrightorum that included both local and landscape attributes and a novel combination of methods of genetic inquiry: landscape genetics and environmental DNA (eDNA). Hypothesized drivers of connectivity included effects of hydrology, canopy cover, and species interactions. Evidence weights indicated that stream networks were the most likely driver of functional connectivity, and connectivity along stream networks was positively correlated with gene flow. We also found a strong correlation between abundance of D. wrightorum from eDNA data and effective population size estimates from microsatellite data. We found evidence that functional connectivity of D. wrightorum was strongly driven by stream networks, despite considering multiple local and landscape processes. This suggests that management of this species focused on landscape hydrologic connectivity as gene flow corridors while maintaining current local management action is likely to have a positive effect on species conservation.

Diversidad de mamíferos y su relación con la dispersión endozoócora de semillas en viñedos

Fernandez, C., Puerta-Pinero, C. 2019. Mammal diversity and its relationship with endozoochorous seed dispersal in vineyards. Ecosistemas 28(3):126-141. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.1830 The vineyards are a very important study crop in the Mediterranean landscape used as a model in scenarios of global change due to a strong dependence of their production on the landscape, climate and types of management. In this research we have evaluated the influence of landscape, altitude and type of management on mammals diversity and seed dispersal. Twenty five vineyard farms were sampled (tempranillo variety, 9 in organic and 16 in non-organic management) during 4 months, between April and July in Andalusia, Spain. In each farm, the presence of mammals was estimated by searching for traces (tracks and excrements) in 12 transects of 20m x 12m per farm. The excrements founded were later desegregate to quantify and identify the dispersed seeds present in them. We found 230 excrements that belonged on 10 different mammal species (fox, badger, rabbit, hare, deer, goat, sheep, wild boar, beech marten and micromamiferous) and 4 taxonomic groups (artiodactyls, carnivores, lagomorphs and micromammals). Feces had a total of 258 seeds, including 67 different morphotypes. The results shown that the diversity of mammals (species and groups) are mainly related to the matrix and other characteristics of the landscape surrounding the farm. Likewise, seed dispersal is also influenced by the management (with more morphotypes of seeds found in organic crops), the taxonomic group of the seed disperser mammal, the landscape matrix and other variables related to the landscape as distance to the nearest point of water, or secondary or primary roads, urban settlements or natural areas.

Environmental management of protected objects of the Eastern Podillya: Theory and practice

The article deals with environmental management of the objects and territories of the Eastern Podillya Nature Reserve in the structure of the regional ecological network from the standpoint of physical and geographical zoning. A system of approaches and principles is proposed, which should be used when forming a network of protected objects. The main criterion for the selection of these objects should be the principle of representativeness, while it is advisable to take into account their three types - biotic (botanical; zoological; mycological); geographical (landscape; biogeographic); geosozological (objective; categorical; functional). The area, its size, configuration, state of internal ecological equilibrium, he qualitative and quantitative composition of the protected objects, the degree of anthropogenic impact and the types of conservation regimes play an important role in the creation of the protected objects. But also, of great importance in forming a network of protected objects is the matrix representation, which is widely used in EU countries. The basis is the landscape-zonal principle, where the matrix of biodiversity and landscapes are systems of units of natural areas (biogeographical, geobotanical, floristic, zoogeographic, physical and geographical). According to this principle, the creation of protected objects must be represented by typical (indicator) species of biodiversity, landscapes of all natural zones, subzones, regions, provinces, sub-provinces, districts. On-site surveys of the Eastern Podillya have found that a large proportion of protected sites do not fulfill the function of biodiversity and landscape diversity. The conducted field studies have shown that in the present ecological conditions of the region there is a risk of loss of this diversity. Therefore, using the principle of representativeness, we propose to optimize the nature reserve fund of Eastern Podillya from the point of view of physical and geographical zoning.