Natural Landscape Research Articles

Management dampens seasonal variability in soil microclimates and alters its chemical and physical properties in a semi-arid region

Abstract The urbanization process substantially alters every aspect of the soil environment. In this study, we compared soil microclimate, chemistry, and physical characteristics of unmanaged natural soils with managed soils of three common urban land uses (stormwater natural treatment systems, ornamentally landscaped areas, and lawns) across three University of California campuses. Over the course of 1-year, average monthly soil temperatures among land uses showed fewer than expected differences. Average monthly soil moisture reflected wet and dry seasonal changes, but this pattern was muted in managed land uses compared to natural soils due to irrigation. From April through December, lawns and landscaped areas were significantly wetter than natural soils (e.g. 1.5–3 times higher in August and September). Soil organic matter, total carbon, and total nitrogen were significantly higher in lawns compared to other land uses, while their bulk density was significantly lower. Principle component analysis confirmed that natural and lawn soil properties were distinct from each other. These differences in the managed soils, particularly lawns, are attributable to typical urban land management practices such as fertilization, irrigation, and the installation of organic-rich sod. As urbanization continues to change the native landscape of semi-arid regions, these changes to soil microclimate, chemistry, and physical characteristics are important to consider for urban best practices and sustainable development.

Tourist satisfaction model: Structural relationship of destination image, electronic word of mouth, and service quality in Bali destination

Purpose: This research aims to investigate the interplay between destination image, Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WoM), service quality, and tourist satisfaction during their stay in Bali.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: The research design uses quantitative causality. The data collection technique employed in this study involves a questionnaire distributed to 600 respondents, determined through incidental sampling.
 Findings: Service quality, while the services provided by the Monkey Forest staff are well-received by tourists; destination image, while the attractiveness of Monkey Forest tourist attractions is unique and appealing; and the beauty of the natural landscape. Tourist satisfaction exerts a positive and significant influence on e-WoM, while a satisfied traveler with the image and service quality of the monkey forest destination is willing to engage in marketing through electronic word of mouth. Additionally, two moderation relationships are discovered: the relationship between service quality and e-WoM, which is positively and significantly influenced by the variable of tourist satisfaction, and the clause relationship, wherein destination image positively and significantly influences e-WoM, with tourist satisfaction as a moderating variable.
 Conclusions: So, it can be concluded that there are five clause relationships between variables as hypotheses, including three direct effects and two moderating relationships (indirect effects).
 Research Limitations: The limitations of this research lie in the limited coverage of the research object, focusing on either a specific area or solely on one destination.
 Practical Implications: The implication of this study on the e-WoM variable, which serves as an endogenous variable, significantly impacts the Normated Fit Index, albeit within reasonable limits.

Spatial planning constraints will mitigate the fragmentation trajectory of natural and semi-natural landscapes: a case of Lushan City, China

ContextThe biodiversity faces an underlying threat from landscape fragmentation resulting from rapid urbanization. Examining the future trajectory of landscape fragmentation is imperative to understanding the impact of current spatial planning constraints on natural and semi-natural habitat preservation, ecosystem services, and sustainability.MethodsWe employed a Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model to simulate and predict the land use and landscape pattern changes in Lushan City under two distinct scenarios: “Planning Constraints (PC)” and “Natural Development (ND)”. We then identified an appropriate landscape fragmentation index (LFI) that effectively captured the fragmentation essence. To determine the optimal scale, we adopted an experimental approach using both the moving window (MW) method and the semi-variance function. By constructing a LFI spatiotemporal sequence and conducting trend analysis, we identified the potential fragmentation areas (PFA) with significant fragmentation tendencies.ResultsThe spatial planning constraints will (1) prevent the encroachment of construction land into 2.14 km2 of cropland, 0.21 km2 of forest, and 0.13 km2 of grassland; (2) shift the highly fragmented area from the northeastern portion of Lushan to the planned area defined by the development boundary; (3) mitigate and decelerate the trend of landscape fragmentation in natural and semi-natural landscapes, decrease PFA by 7.74 km2 and preserve 15.61 km2 of natural landscapes. (4) still leave 29.42% of forest and 22.82% of grassland at risk of fragmentation.ConclusionsSpatial planning constraints will effectively control the potential fragmentation in natural and semi-natural landscapes by changing the spatial distribution of LFI and PFA. This control mechanism will greatly exclude the anthropogenic impact and ensure the conservation of habitats. The habitats remaining within PFA should be focused in future eco-management optimization.

Segment Anything Model Can Not Segment Anything: Assessing AI Foundation Model’s Generalizability in Permafrost Mapping

This paper assesses trending AI foundation models, especially emerging computer vision foundation models and their performance in natural landscape feature segmentation. While the term foundation model has quickly garnered interest from the geospatial domain, its definition remains vague. Hence, this paper will first introduce AI foundation models and their defining characteristics. Built upon the tremendous success achieved by Large Language Models (LLMs) as the foundation models for language tasks, this paper discusses the challenges of building foundation models for geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) vision tasks. To evaluate the performance of large AI vision models, especially Meta’s Segment Anything Model (SAM), we implemented different instance segmentation pipelines that minimize the changes to SAM to leverage its power as a foundation model. A series of prompt strategies were developed to test SAM’s performance regarding its theoretical upper bound of predictive accuracy, zero-shot performance, and domain adaptability through fine-tuning. The analysis used two permafrost feature datasets, ice-wedge polygons and retrogressive thaw slumps because (1) these landform features are more challenging to segment than man-made features due to their complicated formation mechanisms, diverse forms, and vague boundaries; (2) their presence and changes are important indicators for Arctic warming and climate change. The results show that although promising, SAM still has room for improvement to support AI-augmented terrain mapping. The spatial and domain generalizability of this finding is further validated using a more general dataset EuroCrops for agricultural field mapping. Finally, we discuss future research directions that strengthen SAM’s applicability in challenging geospatial domains.

METHODS OF IMPLEMENTING GREEN ARCHITECTURE IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

The article discusses the relevance of environmental pollution and the limited availability of natural resources, and shows the importance of studying aspects of architectural ecology in the education of architectural students. The article presents some of the techniques used by students during the course and diploma design and practical tasks of the Architectural Ecology course. Architectural movements, the main concept of which is unity with nature, emerged in the middle of the twentieth century, when environmental problems began to escalate. An interesting direction for architecture students is to master the peculiarities of creating green architecture, green roofs, living walls and vertical trusses to integrate architecture into the natural landscape with the involvement of natural components in forming, merging architecture with nature. The involvement of natural components in architectural form-making can vary depending on the volume, space, functionality, and constructive use. Examples include courtyards, roofs, building facades, balconies, terraces, galleries, loggias, separate buildings and constructions, small architectural forms, landscape theatres, etc. All of these methods of using natural elements improve the aesthetic, psychological, planning, functional, energy-efficient, and structural qualities of buildings and their grounds. They reduce noise levels, change temperature, refresh the space, have a positive effect on people, improve mood, and serve as natural insulation. The use of green technologies in construction can reduce the negative impact of human activity on the environment. Green roofs and living walls contribute to the preservation of biodiversity, improve air quality and reduce temperatures in cities. Vertical trusses open up new opportunities for efficiently growing food in urban environments, helping to reduce the distance between production and consumption, and minimizing the use of resources and chemicals. Green architecture is becoming not only a symbol of aesthetics, but also a key element of modern urban development, ensuring harmony between cities and nature. Such modern constructions and design approaches can be an important step towards creating the healthier, more environmentally friendly and liveable environment.

Habitats Heterogeneity Affects Bee Species Assemblage in an Urban Green Space: A Case Study of Nairobi Museum Botanic Garden, Kenya

The conversion of natural landscapes into human-dominated areas has been identified as one major threat to the existence of biodiversity. However, properly managed anthropogenic biomes can act as areas of biodiversity conservation with the potential to provide ecosystem services similar to those obtained in natural habitats. Classic examples are botanic gardens that have become popular in urban centres as examples of nature-based solutions to landscape loss and degradation. To assess the importance of botanic gardens as biodiversity habitats, a study was carried out in the Nairobi Museum Botanic Garden (NMBG). Bees were sampled using pan traps and sweep nets in four habitats classified as gardens, including the Herbal Garden (HG), Memorial Garden (MG), Succulent Garden (SG), and Quarry Garden (QG). A total of 286 individual bees were collected, with MG having 83 individuals, QG (75), SG (66), and HG (62). Though HG recorded the lowest abundance of bees, it recorded the highest number of bee species (14), MG (13), SG (12), and QG (5). The diversity of bees was highest in the HG (H’=1.89), SG (1.88), MG (1.67), and QG (1.15). Meanwhile, high bee abundances and richness were strongly correlated with diverse flowering plants per habitat, with HG having the highest number of flowering plants (23), MG (16), SG (13) and QG (7). The study found that different flowering plants provided habitats that supported unique assemblages of bee communities, a scenario attributed to enhanced habitat heterogeneity. The findings demonstrated that botanic gardens can act as important habitats and refugia for bees in human-dominated landscapes. Therefore, the establishment and conservation of botanic gardens in urban areas is one way to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 11 of ensuring sustainable cities and human settlements

Connectivity conservation planning through deep reinforcement learning

Abstract The United Nations has declared 2021–2030 the decade on ecosystem restoration with the aim of preventing, stopping and reversing the degradation of the ecosystems of the world, often caused by the fragmentation of natural landscapes. Human activities separate and surround habitats, making them too small to sustain viable animal populations or too far apart to enable foraging and gene flow. Despite the need for strategies to solve fragmentation, it remains unclear how to efficiently reconnect nature. In this paper, we illustrate the potential of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to tackle the spatial optimisation aspect of connectivity conservation planning. The propensity of spatial optimisation problems to explode in complexity depending on the number of input variables and their states is and will continue to be one of its most serious obstacles. DRL is an emerging class of methods focused on training deep neural networks to solve decision‐making tasks and has been used to learn good heuristics for complex optimisation problems. While the potential of DRL to optimise conservation decisions seems huge, only few examples of its application exist. We applied DRL to two real‐world raster datasets in a connectivity planning setting, targeting graph‐based connectivity indices for optimisation. We show that DRL converges to the known optimums in a small example where the objective is the overall improvement of the Integral Index of Connectivity and the only constraint is the budget. We also show that DRL approximates high‐quality solutions on a large example with additional cost and spatial configuration constraints where the more complex Probability of Connectivity Index is targeted. To the best of our knowledge, there is no software that can target this index for optimisation on raster data of this size. DRL can be used to approximate good solutions in complex spatial optimisation problems even when the conservation feature is non‐linear like graph‐based indices. Furthermore, our methodology decouples the optimisation process and the index calculation, so it can potentially target any other conservation feature implemented in current or future software.

Complex characteristics of landscape components affected by the disaster at the Ka-hovka Hydropower Plant

The paper provides an in-detail analysis of the flooding in Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts as a result of the explosion at the Kahovka Hydropower Plant (HPP). We considered the possibility of using a combined analysis of the data of on-ground and remote monitoring of the course and consequences of the flooding. Based on the materials of the Ukrainian Hydometeorological Center of the State Service of Ukraine, we determined control points of chronology of the events and the dynamics of the main hydrometric indicators. The flooding began on 05/06/2023, the water returning back to the regular levels on average on 26/06/2023. The highest levels of water were observed in the period between June 7 and June 9, 2023. The synchronicity of the satellite surveillance of the territory during this time is representative. Based on the parameters of spatio-temporal resolution and degree of cloud cover, we chose the satellite images from Landsat 9 as the basic materials for our study. Using a modified normalized water index, we identified changes in the water area in the indicated time period. Using a digital model of the territory’s relief, we elaborated the zone of spread of the water surface in areas with dense vegetative cover. We found flooded zones where the water was much higher than the maximal levels recorded at the hydrological-monitoring checkpoints. The elucidation of estimations of the flooding zone revealed the components of natural landscapes that have been affected by the techogenic catastrophe. The flooding pummeled the azonal landscape complexes and complexes of above-floodplain terraces and coastal plains. The results of our study are an important step towards assessing the degradation of the downstream-Dnipro ecosystem. They will lay the groundwork for designing plans to liquidate the aftermath of the emergency and adaptation measures in the conditions of increasing risk of devastating technogenic events.

The Value Expression and Driving Factors of Rural Spatial Ecological Products: A Case Study of B&Bs in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces, China

In the context of rural revitalization strategies and humans’ increasing leisure pursuits, rural tourism has begun to act as a new development path of rural economic growth and industrial transformation. This phenomenon generally occurs in rural areas around metropolitan areas, manifesting as the transformation or reconstruction of rural spaces. As a result, many new types of tertiary industry spaces utilizing rural land for leisure activities have emerged. We analyze the connotations of rural spatial and industrial transformation from the perspective of spatial production and innovatively propose that the transformed space is an ecological product, which includes three types in practice: industrial space, consumption space, and residential space. This study facilitates urban–rural integration and common prosperity. Given the lack of analysis of rural ecological products, especially rural spatial ecological products (e.g., rural B&Bs and other tertiary industry spaces), this study aims to explore the value expression and driving factors of rural spatial ecological products based on geo-visual (spatially visualizing) analytical tools looking at 10361 B&Bs in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces of China as typical examples. Our results show that (1) the value of rural spatial ecological products is reflected in the price that urban consumers are willing to pay for rural natural landscapes, which constitutes an ecological premium; and (2) the prices of rural spatial ecological products are strikingly different at multiple spatial scales, and this difference is related to the local ecological resources. This study provides insights into the rational allocation of the limited resources required for rural construction, which helps optimize the spatial planning of rural ecotourism and enhance the gametogenous development momentum of rural areas. At the same time, this study theoretically expands the research results of cultural ecosystem services.

Scenery deconstruction: a new approach to understanding the historical characteristics of Nanjing cultural landscape

The “Eight Scenic Views Paintings” represent crucial visual materials for investigating the history of cultural landscapes. However, traditional methods of interpreting materials struggle to discern the inherent connections between different landscape elements. This study proposes an approach for deconstructing historical images, taking the example of the Forty Scenic Views in the Late Ming Dynasty in Nanjing, China. To explore the co-occurrence structure, hierarchical clustering, and correlation features among various elements, various digital humanities quantification methods were applied, including spatial analysis of ArcGIS, co-occurrence and clustering of KH Coder, and correlation analysis of SPSS. This study reveals the characteristics of the landscape construction of Nanjing in the Late Ming: natural landscape as the foundation, artificial landscape as the core, and advocating tradition as the fashion. It also uncovers the landscape order: mountains, waters, and scenic views interweaved and coexisted, as well as nature and culture intertwined and clustered. In addition, multiple information graphs of the subordinate and co-occurrence relationships of 20 landscape elements were constructed, 5 landscape paradigms were extracted, and 36 pairs of related relationships were discovered, deepening the historical understanding of the urban landscape construction of Nanjing in the Late Ming. This paper puts forward the idea of analyzing historical images by digital method, which provides some essential and detailed historical basis for explaining the value of cultural landscape heritage and shaping contemporary urban landscape.

ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ АРХИТЕКТУРНОЙ СРЕДЫ ОБЩЕСТВЕННЫХ ПРОСТРАНСТВ В УСЛОВИЯХ СЛОЖНОГО РЕЛЬЕФА

The mountain landscape distinguishes the location of urban routes, the functional-spatial structure and layout of public areas from the design of an urban environment on flat terrain. This study examines the issues of rational use of urban areas in conditions of complex terrain using the example of the territory of the largest city of Chongqing, located in the central part of China. The research is based on an integrated approach, methods of urban planning analysis and functional-spatial modeling. Various aspects of the transformation of complex natural landscapes to expand public urban spaces and form their identity are analyzed using the example of public spaces in the structure of high-density residential development in Chongqing. The study identified the characteristic problems of the planning organization of public areas on difficult terrain (insufficient insolation, lack of green areas, non-standard location of transport infrastructure, irrational organization of pedestrian traffic, lack of public access to public areas, isolation and incoherence of public spaces, etc.). Functional planning models for the organization of public recreational spaces are proposed, which are promising for use both in areas of existing high-density development and for the development of undeveloped territories in the mountainous regions of China. Prospective directions for the development of public spaces in the Baixiangju residential area in Chongqing have been identified.

Analysis of the Kemata Air Senjoyo Tourism Area Development Strategy for Tourist Interest

The ecotourism potential in Senjoyo Village, Salatiga, lies in its beautiful natural landscapes and enjoyable water activities, supported by adequate infrastructure and facilities. Accessibility to Senjoyo Salatiga is convenient, with a friendly local community. The ecotourism management strategy in Senjoyo Salatiga focuses on maximizing promotion, improving road access, enhancing and supplementing ecotourism activity facilities, fostering the local community as ecotourism guides, and implementing training on tourism awareness and the importance of preserving the ecotourism site in Senjoyo Salatiga.

Home ranges and hatching success of threatened Eurasian curlew in north-eastern Europe relates to habitat type: Natural vs. agricultural landscapes

Farmland birds are among the most threatened species in Europe, largely as a result of the intensification of agriculture leading to widespread biodiversity losses. Ground-breeding shorebirds in grassland and arable habitats are particularly exposed to human threats and predation in highly modified landscapes; however, parts of their populations still breed in natural habitats and could provide a reservoir for threatened populations. This study aimed to improve our knowledge of the spatio-temporal use of breeding habitats by Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata arquata in a core area of the population in remote north-eastern Europe. A total of 83 adult birds across Europe were tagged with GPS devices between 2014 and 2022 to analyse their home-range sizes, habitat use and hatching success. Birds were distributed at breeding sites from 52°N to 66°N between Finland and the Ural Mountains. Forty-one percent of individuals nested in bogs, 33% in grassland, and 20% in abandoned farmland. Birds nested predominantly in bogs at northern latitudes and in grassland at southern latitudes, while abandoned farmland was mainly used at intermediate latitudes. The mean home range was largest for birds breeding predominantly in grassland while birds in bogs had the highest hatching success rate. Russia and Finland host the core population of the subspecies N. a. arquata during breeding period, which is essential for preserving the species on a European scale. Their survival may depend on well-preserved bogs and the maintenance of grassland areas, given that large areas of abandoned farmland are destined to become either forest or to be reclaimed for cereal crops or fodder grass in the short and medium terms. Given the large breeding populations in both countries, Russia and Finland have major responsibilities to maintain these essential populations on a biogeographical scale.

Analisis Pengembangan Pariwisata Terkait Mata Pencaharian Ekonomi Kreatif

Tourism is a rapidly growing industry globally and is currently a source of employment and livelihood for many people. Tourism development in the region as a development sector cannot be separated from the development of local communities and the construction of supporting facilities. One of the factors in the success of developing a tourist destination is communication. Through communication, opportunities for the popularity of a tourist destination will open up to become more widely known by the wider community. The world of tourism is a sector that can be relied on as a foreign exchange earner so it has a big opportunity to continue to be monitored and developed. This sector is increasingly sought after by the public because tertiary needs are related to the lifestyle patterns of modern society. The higher the economy, education and level of work routine, the greater the demand for travel. The communication revolution that accompanies the tourism industry can be aligned with utilizing promotional strategies through digital means for easy access to fulfill human tertiary needs. The service team targets tourism potential. Rural areas are a source of tourist attraction that utilizes the uniqueness of the region with its natural landscape and original culture. Rural tourism can have an organizational form in the form of a tourist village where all the attractions, amenities and institutions that oversee it come from the initiative of the residents themselves. Rural tourism is a form of memorial tourism, namely activities to remember the past even though in reality, rural tourism tends to divert tourist activities from their daily routine or a kind of escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE BY IMPLEMENTING THE GREEN ECONOMY CONCEPT IN BULGARIA AND BULGARIAN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

The concept of a green economy has gained significant traction as societies worldwide seek to balance economic growth with environmental preservation. Bulgaria, a country known for its rich cultural heritage and diverse natural landscapes, stands at a crucial juncture in its development journey. By capitalizing on the nation's strengths and addressing its challenges, Bulgaria can forge a path toward economic growth while preserving its natural heritage for generations to come. Through collective effort, informed policies, and innovative practices, Bulgaria can serve as a shining example of a country committed to harmonizing economic advancement with environmental stewardship. Embracing a green economy offers Bulgaria the opportunity to foster sustainable growth, reduce environmental degradation, and enhance overall well-being. The transition to a Green economy allows Bulgaria to transform its own economy – from a low-efficiency and resource-intensive one to an economy based on knowledge, digitalization and green growth, generating high added value and guaranteeing long-term sustainability. The green economy concept centers on the integration of economic development, environmental protection, and social well-being. It emphasizes resource efficiency, the minimization of waste, and the shift towards renewable energy sources. A green economy is characterized by sustainable and environmentally friendly practices that promote economic growth while minimizing negative impacts on the environment. A green economy is an economic system that aims to reduce environmental risks and ecological scarcities while promoting sustainable development. It focuses on creating a balance between economic growth, environmental protection, and social well-being. In the context of agriculture, a green economy involves implementing practices that minimize negative impacts on the environment, conserve natural resources, and promote sustainable food production. It encompasses sectors like energy, transportation, industry, and agriculture, among others. The concept revolves around the efficient use of resources, reduction of pollution, and conservation of biodiversity. This approach aims to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, promoting sustainable practices that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The successful transition to a green economy requires collaboration among government, businesses, and civil society, along with strategic investments and supportive policies. This report delves into the theoretical basis of a green economy, explores its pros and cons, identifies obstacles to its implementation, discusses challenges in the agricultural sector, highlights promising sectors, provides examples of green initiatives in Bulgaria, and on this basis offers guidelines for a more efficient transition. Keywords: green economy, good practices, sustainable development JEL: Q56

Ecosystem Services Value Realization and Ecological Industry Design in Scenic Areas of Karst in South China

Ecosystem services (ESs) value realization and ecological industry (eco-industry) are essential components of regional development. Due to the vulnerability and non-renewability of natural landscape resources in Karst areas, once unreasonable resource development takes place, it is easy to pose threats and causes damage to its ecosystem. This article selects the grain data correction equivalent factor coefficients in Guizhou Province, China, and establishes accounting indicators for Karst scenic areas. It is found that the total economic value of ESs is as follows: Shanmuhe Scenic Area (CNY 5096.3 thousand) > DaXiaoQiKong Scenic Area (CNY 2778.6 thousand) > Huangguoshu Scenic Area (CNY 2130.7 thousand). Among them, the value of regulating services plays a dominant role in the composition of ESs, and the value of forests accounts for the largest proportion. Through web crawlers, tourism data can be acquired, and the Product–Experience–Feedback–Improvement (PEFI) model can be applied to reveal that tourists have a predominantly positive perception of Karst scenic areas. This indicates that karst landscape resources are deeply loved by domestic and foreign tourists, especially mountain, water and forest landscapes. Based on the results of the ES value accounting of the scenic area and the external perception data of tourists towards the scenic area, the eco-industry spatial layout development plan is formulated. According to local conditions, the development, construction, and protection of the scenic area are carried out, jointly promoting the realization of the ecological product value (EPV) of the Karst scenic area, to determine the optimal development direction of the eco-industry, and to promote the coordinated development of ecological resources and assets.

Range expansion of a declining forest species, the Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus), into semiarid woodland

Abstract Globally, animals that are range-restricted are frequently becoming species of conservation concern, in part due to competitive exclusion by phylogenetically and ecologically similar species that are more tolerant of human disturbance. However, climate and land use changes to natural landscapes can create pockets of refugia for range-restricted species. Western gray squirrels (Sciurus griseus) are native to the west coast of North America, principally California and western Oregon. Over the past several decades, Western Gray Squirrel populations have declined in human-dominated areas, with increased competition from introduced congeneric species native to eastern North America cited as a primary driver. Despite declines in their established range west of the Pacific Crest in western North America, western gray squirrels are extending their range into the Great Basin, where they were not historically found. Using a network of remote camera traps deployed across the Sierra Nevada–Great Basin ecotone in northwestern Nevada, we detected western gray squirrels across 16 of 100 camera-trapping sites. The majority of detections were located in piñon–juniper woodland, a land cover type not previously occupied by this species. Occupancy modeling revealed that western gray squirrels were equally likely to occur in piñon–juniper woodland compared to mature pine forest that they occupy elsewhere in their range. A species distribution model parameterized with historical gray squirrel observations (pre-1950), indicated increased climatic suitability for the species on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in recent decades, which may have facilitated this range expansion. Our findings reveal the potential for species declining in their historical range to colonize novel habitats that become increasingly suitable as a result of human-driven changes to ecosystems.

Instream barriers contribute to population isolation of a small‐bodied, benthic, headwater‐specialist fish (Percidae)

AbstractGenetic differentiation in aquatic systems is often driven by geographic distance (isolation by distance) due to the linear and hierarchical distribution of populations, but habitat fragmentation often exacerbates this effect by decreasing population connectivity, leading to isolation by resistance. Stronghold populations of the Kentucky Arrow Darter (Etheostoma spilotum) in the South Fork Kentucky River system within the Daniel Boone National Forest of eastern Kentucky, USA have a high population structure not explained by distance alone. Higher than expected levels of genetic differentiation among proximate populations were hypothesized to be driven by land‐use change, but this was not previously tested. Here we use a riverscape genetics approach to test for the effects of natural landscape features including slope, elevation and stream size, and anthropogenically altered habitat features, including specific conductance (conductivity), culverts and forest cover, on population connectivity and genetic diversity of E. spilotum. We found isolation of populations among all tributary systems and a strong, positive relationship between genetic and geographic distances as expected. However, high conductivity levels due to surface coal mining best explain the population structure observed. We also found signatures of low genetic diversity overall and indicators that culverts may limit upstream movements of E. spilotum. This study provides a novel fine‐scale view of the effects of instream and landscape features on connectivity among, and genetic diversity within populations of an imperilled, small‐bodied, benthic fish.

Batik Tambun Bungai Penciptaan Motif Lokal Untuk Kejatidirian Eknonomi Kreatif Kalimantan Tengah

This research aims to create local batik motif. This research was focused on creating local Tambun Bungai batik motifs for the creative economic identity of Central Kalimantan Province in supporting SDGs in regional development. This research uses a design creation approach that is implemented on fabric using a digital batik printing process. The design creation research methods involves the following steps. (1) identification (2) research (3) idea formulation (4) prototype (5) selection (6) implementation (7) evaluation. The results yield are typical Tambun Bungai batik which has its own uniqueness, inspired by the richness of the natural landscape, traditional art and has bold color patterns that convey a strong impression of the philosophical values ​​inherent in Central Kalimantan batik motifs as well as being an effective regional promotional media. Keywords: Batik, Dayak, Creative economy, Central Kalimantan

Regional and fine-scale local adaptation in salinity tolerance in Daphnia inhabiting contrasting clusters of inland saline waters.

Understanding the spatial scales at which organisms can adapt to strong natural and human-induced environmental gradients is important. Salinization is a key threat to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services of freshwater systems. Clusters of naturally saline habitats represent ideal test cases to study the extent and scale of local adaptation to salinization. We studied local adaptation of the water flea Daphnia magna, a key component of pond food webs, to salinity in two contrasting landscapes-a dense cluster of sodic bomb crater ponds and a larger-scale cluster of soda pans. We show regional differentiation in salinity tolerance reflecting the higher salinity levels of soda pans versus bomb crater ponds. We found local adaptation to differences in salinity levels at the scale of tens of metres among bomb crater pond populations but not among geographically more distant soda pan populations. More saline bomb crater ponds showed an upward shift of the minimum salt tolerance observed across clones and a consequent gradual loss of less tolerant clones in a nested pattern. Our results show evolutionary adaptation to salinity gradients at different spatial scales, including fine-tuned local adaptation in neighbouring habitat patches in a natural landscape.