Management Of Natural Ecosystems Research Articles

Assessment of plausible changes in Climatic Impact-Drivers relevant for the viticulture sector: A storyline approach with a climate service perspective

Under the pressing warming of climate, interpretable and useful-for-adaptation information has become a need in society and has promoted rapid methodological advances in climate science. One such advance is the development of the dynamical-storyline approach, with which the spread in multi-model scenario projections can be represented as a set of physically plausible scenarios (storylines) defined by (a) a global warming level and (b) changes in large-scale dynamical conditions that arise from climate forcing. Moreover, if changes in regional climate are assessed in such a way that they can clearly inform societal systems or management of natural ecosystems, they can potentially aid decision-making in a practical manner. Such is the aim of the climatic impact-driver (CID) framework, proposed in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Here, we combine the dynamical-storyline approach with the CID framework and apply them to climate services. We focus on CIDs associated with the viticulture sector and the region of the South American Andes, where currently both Argentina and Chile produce wine. We explain the benefits of this approach from a communication and adaptation perspective. In particular, we found that the CIDs related to seasonally aggregated temperatures are mainly dependent on the global warming level although in some regions, but they can also be sensitive to changes in dynamical conditions. Meanwhile, CIDs related to extreme temperature values and precipitation depend strongly on the dynamical response. We show how adaptation to climate-related compound risks can be informed by a storyline approach, given that they can address compound uncertainty in multiple locations, variables and seasons.

Assessing Changes in the Ecosystem Services Value in Response to Land-Use/Land-Cover Dynamics in Shanghai from 2000 to 2020.

Land resources are foundational for human survival and development. In contrast, land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics drive considerable changes in ecosystem services. Recently, China witnessed a new stage of rapid urbanization. Therefore, investigating the relationships between ecosystem services value (ESV) and LULC in these areas is highly relevant. Based on the data of land use and socioeconomic development in Shanghai from 2000 to 2020, we adopted a land use/land cover dynamics analysis method and established the ESV per unit area at the city scale, discussed the impact of LULC on ESV spatially and quantitatively, and tested the research process based on the sensitivity analysis of the ESV coefficient. The results show that from 2000 to 2020, the LULC pattern in Shanghai rapidly changed. In particular, the area of cultivated land has shrunk by 123.96 thousand hm2, while the construction land has expanded by 141.26 thousand hm2, which has led to a decline in ESV of the entire city (especially regarding hydrological adjustment and biodiversity). Nevertheless, although the area of trench and lakes only occupies 1.67–3.16% of the total area of land, its ecological value accounts for an astonishing 23.80–50.70% of the total ESV. At the district level, the primary decline in eco-system services value was noted in the Chongming District in the north and Pudong New Area in the east of Shanghai. However, due to the overall planning of the city and the advantages of its resource endowment, Qingpu District and its surrounding areas in western Shanghai have witnessed improvements in terms of the values of hydrological adjustment, water supply, and environmental purification. This study presents a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of issues regarding ESV in rapidly urbanized areas, thereby providing an important reference for decision-makers regarding the rational layout of cities, sustainable use of land, and management of natural ecosystems.

Sequencing our seas

The Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project has been established to collect all eukaryote species in Britain and Ireland for genomic sequencing. New tech developments have enabled high-quality genomic data to be a feasible outcome for some of Earth’s smallest inhabitants. This project will create a new resource of data open to all, which will contain the blueprint of thousands of organisms, holding the key to the evolutionary histories of understudied single-cell protists alongside more well-understood animals like the grey seal. This ambitious project is a collaboration of experts from different geographic and intellectual areas. It will provide the templates for new ways of working and uncover new scientific ground. In a world struggling under the threat of ecological collapse, this project will provide new bio-tech and engineering information to aid our understanding and management of natural ecosystems and the creatures which create them. The Marine Biological Association UK, based in Plymouth, is currently in the process of collecting marine organisms for the project. The marine environment has not been as well studied as terrestrial environments, and this offers a huge opportunity to expand our understanding of this underexplored realm and the creatures that live there, as well as providing context and detail to marine science which will provide new insights to marine research.

The Integration of Nature-Based Solutions into Climate Adaptation Policy and Planning in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is regarded as one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in South Asia due to its unique geographical location and socio-economic conditions. Natural disasters, changing temperatures, precipitation, and sea level rise have affected agricultural production, infrastructure, and livelihoods in the country. To face these challenges, nature-based solutions (NbS) can address climate change adaptation, protection and management of natural ecosystems, and biodiversity conservation. For example, in Bangladesh, coastal mangroves can protect communities from storm surge and sea level rise, forests in hilly regions can prevent landslides, and green spaces in urban areas can reduce heat stress and promote the well-being of inhabitants. However, effective design, implementation, and upscaling of NbS requires support from national policies and plans. This study reviews relevant Bangladeshi national policies from the past three decades to investigate NbS as a potential framework to address climate change and societal challenges in the country. We systematically analyzed twenty policy documents across three sectors: national development; disaster management and climate change; and environment and forest. Our study found growing emphasis on preservation, protection, and management of natural ecosystems in the national policies. However, our analysis showed that among the twenty policies, nineteen of them have no direct mention of NbS terminology. Instead, the policies include various strategies and terminologies that fall under the NbS umbrella, such as ecosystem-based adaptation, ecosystem services, and green and eco-building. However, these policies are still widely missing specific implementation guidelines, robust financial support, and institutional mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating NbS initiatives in Bangladesh. We recommend several policy actions to facilitate effective and inclusive NbS interventions in Bangladesh: enhance inter-ministry cooperation; develop national funding support; develop a national promotional campaign; pursue evidence-based research and capacity-building activities; and involve youth, marginalized people, and women. These actions can optimize the benefits of NbS to enhance the country’s resilience against climate change and foster sustainable development.

An allometric niche model for species interactions in temperate freshwater ecosystems

AbstractTrophic interactions are central in understanding ecosystem processes and the management of natural ecosystems but are frequently complex to estimate. To address this issue, body size has been shown to be a useful trait to reconstruct species interactions, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. An allometric niche model (aNM) considering body size as a niche trait is proposed to predict trophic interactions in temperate freshwater ecosystems. The aNM calibration was based on 26 ubiquitous freshwater species with known minimal and maximum prey body sizes that permitted the establishment of prey body size ranges for vertebrate and invertebrate consumers. The aNM inferences were validated for 13 empirical freshwater food webs, and the model was applied to an extensive inventory of 474 species (spanning six orders of body size magnitude) from the largest natural French lake (Lake Bourget). This application permitted to strengthen the aNM validation with predator‐prey mass ratio comparisons, predicted diet analyses, and allowed the exploration of the lake food web structure. The aNM provided appreciable intrinsic validity (specificity = 87 ± 12%, sensitivity = 59 ± 29%, accuracy = 81 ± 10%), and departures among inferred and empirical trophic interactions were explained by foraging specificities or limited sampling of stomach contents. In Lake Bourget, 26,037 trophic links were inferred. Predator–prey mass ratios for vertebrates and invertebrates were consistent with those empirically established and were occasionally higher for invertebrates as the aNM considers small prey (e.g., bacteria) as possible resources for invertebrates. The inferred diets for three species selected for their well‐known foraging ecology also revealed plausible outcomes of the aNM. The nested structure of the lake food web was determined by highlighting different topologies among the benthic and the pelagic food sub‐webs and the role of top predator fish in the coupling of both food sub‐webs. Due to the large number of species inventories available worldwide for freshwater ecosystems anchored in the ecological monitoring, the aNM may represent a valuable tool for both ecologists and managers to address complementary facets of applied biodiversity studies (e.g., reconstruct highly resolved food webs, predict pressures on important species or new interactions with invasive species).

Time‐varying trends in frost indicators in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

AbstractClimatic frost indicators, including the dates of the last spring frost (LSF), the dates of the first fall frost (FFF), and the length of the frost‐free season (FFSL), are critical factors in anthropogenic and natural ecosystem management and can be directly calculated from daily minimum temperatures. Daily minimum temperature from the Applied Climate Information System was used to determine long‐term trends of frost indicators across the U.S. Southern Great Plains. The results demonstrated statistically significant trends of earlier LSF in eastern Kansas, western and eastern Oklahoma, and eastern Texas from 1950 to 2017. However, significantly later FFF trends and longer FFSL trends were mainly identified in eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas. Overall, the region was characterized by the trends toward earlier LSF, later FFF, and longer FFSL from 1950 to 2017. In addition, the choice of time period in the climatic time series played an important role in LSF, FFF, and FFSL trends. Furthermore, the results from the correlation analysis of LSF and FFF with multiple climate indices indicated that the increasing trends in the spring Arctic Oscillation (AO) were consistent with the earlier onset of spring in Kansas and Texas, and the fall Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) was positively correlated with the later FFF dates in Kansas.

Forthcoming risk of Prosopis juliflora global invasion triggered by climate change: implications for environmental monitoring and risk assessment.

Climate is a determinant factor in species distribution and climate change will affect the species abilities to occupy geographic regions. Prosopis juliflora is one of the most problematic invasive species and its biological invasion causes various negative effects in tropical, arid, and semi-arid regions of the world. As eradication efforts subsequent to the establishment of an alien invasive species are costly and time-consuming, assessing patterns of the introduction of an invasive species to new regions is among the most cost-effective means of monitoring and management of natural ecosystems. In this study by using the concept of species distribution modeling (SDM) and maximum entropy (MaxEnt) method, the effect of climate change on the current and future distribution of P. juliflora has been assessed at a global scale. Bioclimatic variables in current condition and 2050 regarding two global circulation models (GCM) and two climate change scenarios were considered as explanatory variables. Our results showed that annual mean temperature (BIO1), annual precipitation (BIO12), and temperature mean diurnal range (BIO2) represented more than 87% of the variations in the model, and with an AUC of 0.854 and TSS of 0.51, the model showed a good predictive performance. Our results indicate that on a global scale, suitable ranges for P. juliflora increase across all the GCM and RCP scenarios. In a global scale, Mediterranean Basin, Middle East, and North America are regions with the highest risk of range expansion in the future. Regarding the negative impacts of P. juliflora on structure and function of natural habitats in the invaded areas, findings of this study could be considered as a warning appliance for the environmental monitoring of the regions highly sensitive to the global invasion of the species. We suggest that assessing impacts of climate change on the global distribution of the invasive species could be used as an efficient tool to implement broad-scale and priority-setting monitoring programs in natural ecosystems.

Mapping of forest alliances with simulated multi-seasonal hyperspectral satellite imagery

A consistent and hierarchical classification of vegetation, such as the U.S. National Vegetation Classification (NVC) system, supports comprehensive conservation and management of natural ecosystems. At a detailed level, the NVC alliance is defined by diagnostic species and composition. Maps at this level of classification are often produced at local to regional scales (areas <25,000 km2) with costly manual to semi-automated interpretation of high resolution imagery. The main objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of machine learning for automated, per-pixel (30 m) mapping of forest alliances with multi-seasonal hyperspectral imagery from a future satellite mission (HyspIRI), as simulated from Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer Classic (AVIRIS-C) data. The study area was the San Francisco (S.F.) Bay Area, California, where we mapped forest alliances at regional and county scales. We implemented the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier in a two-stage approach, first mapping regional land cover followed by forest alliances in closed-canopy tree pixels. Predictor variables were reflectance bands and hyperspectral metrics based on indices, derivatives and absorption-fitting techniques applied to reflectance spectra, with data grouped into summer and three-season (spring, summer, fall) sets. For forest alliances, hyperspectral metrics improved overall accuracy of classifications by 2.9 to 6.4% relative to classifications based on the original reflectance bands. Multi-seasonal data improved overall accuracy by 1.3 to 6.2% relative to summer-only data. Using multi-seasonal metrics, the S.F. Bay Area regional classification with 21 alliances had an overall accuracy of 65.7% (Kappa 0.63), while the Sonoma County classification with 16 alliances had an accuracy of 75.9% (Kappa 0.72). Most forest alliances had internal variation in lifeform, species and structural properties that increased within-class spectral-temporal variation and complicated discrimination. Despite this challenge, classification accuracies were similar to regional NVC alliance reference data. We conclude that a hyperspectral satellite, with its repeat and global image acquisitions, has strong potential for accurate and economical mapping and monitoring the Earth's vegetation communities.

Soil microbial community composition in tallgrass prairie restorations converge with remnants across a 27-year chronosequence.

Restoration and management of natural ecosystems is a critical strategy in mitigating global biodiversity loss. This is exemplified in the American Midwest by efforts aimed at reclaiming historical grasslands lost to high-yield agriculture. While restorations traditionally take the form of plant reintroduction and management, advances in microbial analyses suggest that soil communities could be indicators restoration success. However, current understanding of key microbial taxa and functional activities in both natural and restored ecosystems is limited. Here, we investigated the impact of nearly 30 years of carefully managed restoration on soil microbial communities at the Nachusa Grasslands in northern Illinois, USA. We characterized bacterial and archaeal communities in a chronosequence of restored tallgrass prairies ranging from 1 to 27 years old across a growing season and compared them to communities in pre-restoration agricultural fields and remnant prairies. Results indicate that older restorations harboured communities statistically distinct from newer restorations. These communities converged toward those in local prairie remnants, suggesting that plant-focussed restoration has yielded soil bacterial communities reflective of a successful restoration. Recovery of microbial clades within the Verrucomicrobia and Acidobacteria are an important feature of this convergence, and these groups could be targeted for future soil-focussed, bottom-up restoration studies.

Using dark diversity and plant characteristics to guide conservation and restoration

Summary Dark diversity is a promising concept for prioritising management efforts as it focuses on species that are present in the regional pool, but locally absent even though environmental requirements are met. Currently, we lack knowledge of what characterises species belonging to the dark diversity more often than others, although this is important knowledge for restoration and conservation actions. We applied the concept to a massive national (Danish) plant diversity data base, containing 236 923 records from 15 160 surveys involving 564 species. This enabled the first geographically comprehensive (43 000 km2) assessment of dark diversity, at a spatial resolution relevant for conservation and restoration planning (78 m2) across multiple terrestrial habitats, thereby maximising the practical applications of this concept. The probability for a given plant species to belong to the dark diversity was computed and logistically regressed against variables representing its ecological preferences (e.g. nutrient availability), strategies (competitor, stress tolerant, ruderal), mycorrhizal relationships, establishment capacities (seed mass) and dispersal abilities. Forty‐six percent of the species had a high probability (&gt;95%) of being part of dark diversity, whereas for 7% of the species this probability was less than 60%. Typical dark diversity plant species tended to depend on mycorrhiza, were mostly adapted to low light and low nutrient levels, had poor dispersal abilities and were ruderals and stress intolerant. Synthesis and applications. Characterising species that are more often absent from suitable sites than others (dark diversity species) has important implications for the planning and management of natural ecosystems. From our study, practitioners gain insight into the factors triggering the absence of individual plant species in a seemingly suitable habitat. We highlight the need to carefully consider mycorrhizal inoculations with a suitable assemblage of fungi to promote the establishment success of dark diversity plants. Additionally, time‐lags in plant species dispersal and establishment as well as spatial connectivity in fragmented habitats are central to consider in nature management although assisted migration might also aid poor dispersers. Finally, nutrient‐poor localities are probably important ‘islets’ allowing nitrophobic dark diversity plant species to thrive within agricultural landscapes that are generally nutrient‐rich.

Functional diversity: a key aspect in the provision of ecosystem services

Functional diversity is one of the crucial aspects of the functioning of ecosystems and the provision of ecosystem services. In this review paper, we analyze how biodiversity contributes to human well-being through the provision of goods and ecosystem services, and related aspects of ecological processes and their relationship with the functional diversity of ecosystems are presented. It aims to explain in a simple way, the concepts related to functional diversity, the importance of the functional groups and the role of functional traits of the species as a key element in the responses of organisms to environmental changes. Understanding the relationship between ecosystem processes, functional diversity of species and providing ecosystem services, allow better management of natural ecosystems and their biodiversity, enabling conservation and sustainable use of different types of services provided by ecosystems.

The Quality Management of Natural Ecosystems: a New Approach

In this paper, we examine methodological aspects of creating an information-measuring subsystem, which can be used for recognition of technical and environmental conditions and for making a choice of optimal programs for control of objects in natural and industrial systems. We provide an exemplary functional diagram of a subsystem and classification of controlled characteristics. We describe one of the possible methods for selecting the working vocabulary of characteristics of the controlled subsystem providing optimal allocation of expenses for creation (acquisition) of each instrument within the allocated funds for development of measuring equipment. We also outline the prospects of using measuring equipment in creation of an information-measuring system that provides support to managerial decision-making for allocation of quotas for sewage treatment at the station of biochemical treatment by industrial enterprises in the city of Tambov.

微生物生态学理论框架初探

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 微生物生态学理论框架 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201407051384 作者: 作者单位: 城市与区域生态国家重点实验室,城市与区域生态国家重点实验室 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金(41025004, 41230857); 地下生态调查项目(STSN-21-02) A preliminary theoretical framework of microbial ecology Author: Affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology,Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences,State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology,Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:微生物是生态系统的重要组成部分,直接或间接地参与所有的生态过程.微生物生态学是基于微生物群体的科学,利用微生物群体DNA/RNA等标志物,重点研究微生物群落构建、组成演变、多样性及其与环境的关系,在生态学理论的指导和反复模型拟合下由统计分析得出具有普遍意义的结论.其研究范围从基因尺度到全球尺度.分子生物学技术的发展,使人们可以直接从基因水平上考查其多样性,从而使得对微生物空间分布格局及其成因的深入研究成为可能.进而可以从方法学探讨微生物生物多样性、分布格局、影响机制及其对全球变化的响应等.在微生物生态学研究中,群落构建与演化、分布特征(含植物-微生物相互关系)、执行群体功能的机理(生物地球化学循环等)、对环境变化的响应与反馈机理是今后需要关注的重点领域.概述了微生物生态学的概念,并初步提出其理论框架,在对比宏观生态学基础理论和模型的基础上,分析微生物多样性的研究内容、研究方法和群落构建的理论机制,展望了今后研究的重点领域. Abstract:Microorganisms are important parts of ecosystems, and are essential to virtually all ecological processes such as the material cycle and energy transformation. Microbial ecology is the ecology of microorganisms, especially the guilds/consortia or community, and their relationship with one another and with their environment. Using DNA/RNA as the biomarker from the gene to the global scale, the construction of communities, change in composition, diversity, and the relationship with the environment are investigated. Sampling designs, statistical evaluation of results, and modeling approaches are widely used in microbial ecology studies. The target is to reach universal conclusions through model fitting and ecological theoretical syntheses. However, microbial ecology is limited by the lack of conceptual and theoretical approaches. The rapid accumulation of molecular data is uncovering vast diversity, abundant uncultivated microbial groups, and novel microbial functions. This accumulation of data requires the application of theory to provide organization, structure, mechanistic insight, and, ultimately, predictive power that is of practical value, but the application of theory in microbial ecology is currently very limited where, paradoxically, it is required most. It is possible that microbial diversity can be measured at the gene level using molecular biological technology. After a brief historical introduction, microbial diversity and the function in ecosystem are reviewed, and ecological parameters and their measurement are then discussed. This work also provides insights into relevant methodologies for the characterization of microorganisms in the environment. Differences between micro-and macro-organisms when ecological theories are applied are also described. Microbial activities in biogeochemical cycling and applied aspects of microbial ecology could also be considered in future. We argue that the full potential of the ongoing revolution will not be realized if research is not directed and driven by theory, and that the generality of established ecological theory must be tested using microbial systems. Understanding the ecology of microorganisms is arguably one of the most compelling intellectual challenges facing contemporary ecology. Although worthy for its intellectual merits alone, developing such an understanding is essential to meet many of the major challenges facing human society today, such as the management of natural ecosystems and the mitigation of climate change. In addition to carbon fixation, the key metabolic processes of microorganisms (including nitrogen fixation, methane metabolism, and sulfur metabolism) collectively control global biogeochemical cycling. The studies in the theoretical field have primarily focused on terrestrial macro-organisms for a long time. The microbial ecosystem has been neglected, especially the construction of a theoretical framework. However, microorganisms drive the biogeochemical cycling of elements and participate in ecosystem process. Therefore, the construction of a theoretical framework is crucial to the proper development of this academic subject. In this paper, we briefly introduce the concepts and research approaches of microbial ecology, research units (guilds/consortia, community), and the theoretical framework. Furthermore, we compare the application of ecological theories in microbial, animal, and botanical communities. This paper introduces microbial guilds/consortia and communities and explores a preliminary theoretical framework to the microbial ecology field, extending and deepening our understanding of microbial ecology. We also predict developments in the field of microbial ecology. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Water Resources Response to Changes in Temperature, Rainfall and CO2 Concentration: A First Approach in NW Spain

Assessment of the diverse responses of water resources to climate change and high concentrations of CO2 is crucial for the appropriate management of natural ecosystems. Despite numerous studies on the impact of climate change on different regions, it is still necessary to evaluate the impact of these changes at the local scale. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to evaluate the potential impact of changes in temperature, rainfall and CO2 concentration on water resources in a rural catchment in NW Spain for the periods 2031–2060 and 2069–2098, using 1981–2010 as a reference period. For the simulations we used compiled regional climate models of the ENSEMBLES project for future climate input data and two CO2 concentration scenarios (550 and 660 ppm). The results showed that changes in the concentration of CO2 and climate had a significant effect on water resources. Overall, the results suggest a decrease in streamflow of 16% for the period 2031–2060 (intermediate future) and 35% by the end of the 21st century as a consequence of decreasing rainfall (2031–2060: −6%; 2069–2098: −15%) and increasing temperature (2031–2060: 1.1 °C; 2069–2098: 2.2 °C).

Some Perspectives on the Risks and Benefits of Biological Control of Invasive Alien Plants in the Management of Natural Ecosystems

Globally, invasions by alien plants are rapidly increasing in extent and severity, leading to large-scale ecosystem degradation. Weed biological control offers opportunities to arrest or even reverse these trends and, although it is not always effective or appropriate as a management strategy, this practice has an excellent record of safety and many notable successes over two centuries. In recent years, growing concerns about the potential for unintended, non-target damage by biological control agents, and fears about other unpredictable effects on ecosystems, have created an increasingly demanding risk-averse regulatory environment. This development may be counter-productive because it tends to overemphasize potential problems and ignores or underestimates the benefits of weed biological control; it offers no viable alternatives; and it overlooks the inherent risks of a decision not to use biological control. The restoration of badly degraded ecosystems to a former pristine condition is not a realistic objective, but the protection of un-invaded or partial restoration of invaded ecosystems can be achieved safely, at low cost and sustainably through the informed and responsible application of biological control. This practice should therefore be given due consideration when management of invasive alien plants is being planned. This discussion paper provides a perspective on the risks and benefits of classical weed biological control, and it is aimed at assisting environmental managers in their deliberations on whether or not to use this strategy in preference, or as a supplement to other alien invasive plant control practices.

Clear and present danger: balancing the land management issues of today with the eternal challenge of climate change

Summary Management of natural ecosystems in Australian landscapes is fraught with difficulties and challenges. While unfavourable climate change is viewed of as an overwhelming critical factor, government and nongovernment groups faced with conserving biodiversity and ecological processes must continue to focus on already well-advanced present-day threats that erode the resilience of species to environmental perturbations and change. The most notable of these are posed by land clearing, introduced pests, weeds and inappropriate fire regimes. There are many positive examples of the biodiversity gains that can be made from reconnecting remnant vegetation, intensive and extensive pest and weed control, and re-adjusting fire regimes. When such pressures are alleviated, native species sometimes display an innate ability to recover. This gives hope that natural systems can be both resurrected and maintained for a range of functions, including providing sufficient suitable habitat to support the movement of component species in response to climate change. Achieving success in managing natural areas over the long term may be further assisted by looking outside the box for funding sources. Monitoring the outcome of land management activities is a key to understanding what is being achieved and should be encouraged wherever possible.

Rethinking Ecosystem Resilience in the Face of Climate Change

Resilience is usually defined as the capacity of an ecosystem to absorb disturbance without shifting to an alternative state and losing function and services [1]–[3]. The concept therefore encompasses two separate processes: resistance—the magnitude of disturbance that causes a change in structure—and recovery—the speed of return to the original structure [4],[5]—which are fundamentally different but rarely distinguished. Yet, resilience has become a central concept in the management of natural ecosystems [6],[7]. Many current management actions aim to alleviate local stressors in an effort to increase ecosystem resilience to global climate change [8],[9]. Such a management philosophy is premised on the belief that eliminating local drivers of ecological change will increase the ability of an ecosystem to resist future climate disturbances, its ability to recover from such disturbances, or both [2],[6]. Measuring resilience is fraught with difficulties [1],[3]. Nevertheless, assessing changes in resilience as a result of management action is critical because there is general agreement for the existence of a strong link between resilience and sustainability [10]. Successfully increasing the resilience of natural systems may therefore have important implications for human welfare in the face of global climate change. In this Perspective, we will argue that the expectation of increased resilience of natural communities to climate change through the reduction of local stressors may be fundamentally incorrect, and that resilience-focused management may, in fact, result in greater vulnerability to climate impacts. We illustrate our argument using coral reefs as a model. Coral reefs are in an ecological crisis due to climate change and the ever-increasing magnitude of human impacts on these biodiverse habitats [11],[12]. These impacts stem from a multiplicity of local stressors, such as fishing, eutrophication, and sedimentation. It is therefore not surprising that the concept of resilience—to climate change in particular—is perhaps more strongly advocated as an underpinning of management for coral reefs than for any other ecosystem [9],. Marine reserves or no-take areas, the most popular form of spatial management for coral reef conservation, are widely thought to have the potential to increase coral reef resilience [11],[13],[14],[17]. But do they really?

New Strategic Plan and Data Portal for Past Global Change Science

How did the main climate forcing factors (e.g., solar irradiance and volcanic aerosols) and feedbacks (e.g., greenhouse gases and sea ice) vary in the past? How do climate variability and extreme events relate to the mean state of the climate system? How do large‐scale climate changes in the Earth system affect regional conditions? How can learning from past environmental patterns and interactions improve the understanding and management of natural ecosystems now and in the future?

The performance of satellite images in mapping aquacultures

Monitoring human pressures is the first step in the management of natural ecosystems, as well as a method to evaluate the effectiveness of the applied conservation measures. In this context, five commercial satellite images (QuickBird bundle, SPOT-5 multispectral, Landsat 7 ETM+, RADARSAT SAR, and ENVISAT ASAR) with various spatial and spectral characteristics have been assessed for their ability to map mussel farms off a coast of northern Greece, where the intensity and uncontrolled expansion of aquacultures is a pressure to a nearby wetland of international importance. The ability to identify the mussel farms on the images from background open water and accurately map these features was tested separately for the two types of mussel farms (pole and long line) present in the study area. The influence of waves on the mussel farms' identification was also investigated. Results indicate that the optimum satellite sensor varied according to mussel farm type, and is not necessarily the one with the highest spatial resolution. Pole farms were identified in all images bearing a spatial resolution superior to 10 m, but were better located and delineated with a high-resolution QuickBird image. Long line farms, on the other hand, were indistinguishable by passive optical sensors, and could only be identified on active microwave images. In addition to this, the findings show that surface waves drastically deteriorate the identification of mussel farms on an ENVISAT image, thus influencing its usefulness for monitoring.

Ecosystem processes and the regeneration niche

Removal experiments, in which certain organisms are eliminated from established natural communities, have received renewed attention as tools for assessing the effects of functional biodiversity on ecosystem processes. The approach has several advantages (e.g. realism), but also some drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is that, when an established species is removed from a community and an ecosystem effect is detected, it is difficult to distinguish between the effect of the absence of the removed organism and the effect of the act of removal. This is particularly true for terrestrial plant communities in which removing whole plants inevitably causes major soil disturbance. Amy Symstad and David Tilman have just presented a fine example of another aspect to consider in the interpretation of removal experiments 1xDiversity loss, recruitment limitation, and ecosystem functioning: lessons learned from a removal experiment. Symstad, A.J. and Tilman, D. Oikos. 2001; 82: 424–435CrossrefSee all References1: recruitment limitation, that is, the effect of the species that gets into the space – and takes up the resources – left behind by the removed species.They performed a plant-removal experiment in which they manipulated functional group diversity (forbs, cool-season C3 graminoids and warm-season C4 graminoids) and composition of a sand prairie–grassland in Minnesota, USA. They monitored the effects of these manipulations on ecosystem properties, such as plant biomass production, nitrogen dynamics in the soil and community resistance to a simulated drought, and found that the removal of different functional types affected ecosystem function. However, rather than attributing these responses to the absence of the functional groups that had been eliminated, the authors attributed them to differential recruitment abilities of the remaining functional groups. In plots where forbs and C3 graminoids were removed, there was a larger proportion of open ground, and higher nitrogen leaching from the soil, than in plots from which forbs and C4 graminoids were removed. That was because C4 graminoids (remaining in the first case) have stronger recruitment limitations, that is, occupy free space and thus take up available resources more slowly than do C3 graminoids (remaining in the second case), which are able to fill in the gaps much more quickly.Does this mean that removal experiments are basically flawed? I believe not. On the contrary, this study adds a new dimension to the search for causal links between biodiversity and the way ecosystems work. Traditionally, biodiversity–ecosystem function studies have focused on the niche of established plants. The fact that recruitment limitation can influence ecosystem processes calls attention to the regeneration niche (sensu Grubb 1977) 2xThe maintenance of species richness in plant communities: the importance of the regeneration niche. Grubb, P.J. Biol. Rev. 1977; 52: 107–145CrossrefSee all References2. Differences among organisms in their local recruitment ability, hardly taken on board in experimental studies in this area, might be important in determining at least the transient effects of diversity loss on ecosystem function. If the fast-growing research field of biodiversity and ecosystem function is to contribute to the understanding and management of natural ecosystems, it needs a diversity of approaches. The study by Symstad and Tilman adds to that diversity by stressing that not only what is lost, and how many different species are involved, but also what gets in and how fast, are functionally important.