Pond Biodiversity Research Articles

How can we conserve cold stenotherm communities in warming Alpine ponds?

Freshwater biodiversity has shown to be highly vulnerable to climate warming, alpine cold stenotherm populations being especially at risk of getting extinct. This paper aims at identifying the environmental factors favouring cold stenotherm species in alpine ponds. This information is required to provide management recommendations for habitats restoration or creation, needed for the mitigation of the effects of climate warming on alpine freshwater biodiversity. Cold stenotherm species richness as well as total (i.e. stenotherm and eurytherm) richness were analyzed for aquatic plants, Coleoptera and Odonata in 26 subalpine and alpine ponds from Switzerland and were related to environmental factors ecologically relevant for pond biodiversity. Our results confirmed that the set of environmental variables governing pond biodiversity in alpine or subalpine ponds is specific to altitude. Altitude and macrophyte presence were important drivers of cold stenotherm and total species richness, whereas connectivity did not show any significant relation. Therefore, the management of pond biodiversity has to be ‘altitude-specific’. Nevertheless, cold stenotherm species from the investigated alpine ponds do not show some specific requirements if compared to the other species inhabiting these ponds. Therefore, both total and cold stenotherm species richness could be favoured by the same management measures.

The role of pond management for biodiversity conservation in an agricultural landscape

ABSTRACT Debate surrounds the best way to deal with pond terrestrialization so as to maximize landscape‐scale biodiversity. One way of addressing this issue is to re‐set succession via management activities, but the merits of this approach relative to non‐intervention and pond creation are little known. Manor Farm in Norfolk, UK, possesses around 40 ponds, and each year three to four ponds are subject to management involving tree (de‐shading) and/or sediment removal. To determine the consequences of management for pond biodiversity, macrophyte and invertebrate communities were surveyed for replicate ponds covering four ‘time since management’ categories: no management, and managed over the periods 1999–2003, 2004–2006 and 2007–2009. Macrophyte diversity was significantly lower in unmanaged ponds compared with ponds managed in 2004–2006 and 2007–2009. In addition, with the exception of Mollusca, invertebrate diversity was significantly lower in the unmanaged ponds compared with all the managed ponds. A tendency was evident for diversity to peak 3–5 years after management and for a subsequent decline in diversity (significant for macrophytes). No distinctive species assemblages were associated with the different pond successional stages, although several species were confined to individual ponds. Although many species were absent from the non‐managed ponds, especially in the macrophytes and Coleoptera, few species were unique to these ponds. The principal driver of species turnover in the ponds was shade, which was negatively correlated with macrophyte cover. Shade was substantially higher in the unmanaged ponds, whose species‐poor assemblages appeared to be a consequence of low oxygen levels. By arresting succession and restoring macrophyte‐dominated early‐ and mid‐successional ponds, management may have an essential role in biodiversity conservation. In pond‐rich landscapes, where a high proportion of ponds are heavily terrestrialized, management provides a sustainable means both of preserving heterogeneity in the pond network and preventing the loss of large numbers of species which favour early‐ and mid‐successional ponds. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A New Control and Design of PEM Fuel Cell System Powered Diffused Air Aeration System

The goal of aquaculture ponds is to maximize production and profits while holding labor and management efforts to the minimum. Poor water quality in most ponds causes risk of fish kills, disease outbreaks which lead to minimization of pond production. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) is considered to be among the most important water quality parameters in fish culture. Fish ponds in aquaculture farms are usually located in remote areas where grid lines are at far distance. Aeration of ponds is required to prevent mortality and to intensify production, especially when feeding is practical, and in warm regions. To increase pond production it is necessary to control dissolved oxygen. Aeration offers the most immediate and practical solution to water quality problems encountered at higher stocking and feeding rates. Many units of aeration system are electrical units so using a continuous, high reliability, affordable, and environmentally friendly power sources is necessary. Fuel cells have become one of the major areas of research in the academia and the industry. Aeration of water by using PEM fuel cell power is not only a new application of the renewable energy, but also, it provides an affordable method to promote biodiversity in stagnant ponds and lakes. This paper presents a new design and control of PEM fuel cell powered a diffused air aeration system for a shrimp farm in Mersa Matruh in Egypt. Also Artificial intelligence (AI) control techniques are used to control the fuel cell output power by controlling its input gases flow rate. Moreover the mathematical modeling and simulation of PEM fuel cell is introduced. A comparative study is applied between the performance of fuzzy logic controller (FLC) and neural network controller (NNC). The results show the effectiveness of NNC over FLC.

A New Control and Design of PEM Fuel Cell Powered Air Diffused Aeration System

Aeration of water by using PEM fuel cell power is not only a new application of the renewable energy, but also, it provides an affordable method to promote biodiversity in stagnant ponds and lakes. This paper presents a new design and control of PEM fuel cell powered by diffused air aeration system for a shrimp farm in Mersa Matruh in Egypt. Also Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques control is used to control the fuel cell output power by controlling input gases flow rate. Moreover the mathematical modeling and simulation of PEM fuel cell is introduced. A comparison study is applied between the performance of fuzzy logic control (FLC) and neural network control (NNC). The results show the effectiveness of NNC over FLC.

A New Control and Design of PEM Fuel Cell System Powered Diffused Air Aeration System

The goal of aquaculture ponds is to maximize production and profits while holding labor and management efforts to the minimum. Poor water quality in most ponds causes risk of fish kills, disease outbreaks which lead to minimization of pond production. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) is considered to be among the most important water quality parameters in fish culture. Fish ponds in aquaculture farms are usually located in remote areas where grid lines are at far distance. Aeration of ponds is required to prevent mortality and to intensify production, especially when feeding is practical, and in warm regions. To increase pond production it is necessary to control dissolved oxygen. Aeration offers the most immediate and practical solution to water quality problems encountered at higher stocking and feeding rates. Many units of aeration system are electrical units so using a continuous, high reliability, affordable, and environmentally friendly power sources is necessary. Fuel cells have become one of the major areas of research in the academia and the industry. Aeration of water by using PEM fuel cell power is not only a new application of the renewable energy, but also, it provides an affordable method to promote biodiversity in stagnant ponds and lakes. This paper presents a new design and control of PEM fuel cell powered a diffused air aeration system for a shrimp farm in Mersa Matruh in Egypt. Also Artificial intelligence (AI) control techniques are used to control the fuel cell output power by controlling its input gases flow rate. Moreover the mathematical modeling and simulation of PEM fuel cell is introduced. A comparative study is applied between the performance of fuzzy logic controller (FLC) and neural network controller (NNC). The results show the effectiveness of NNC over FLC.

Environmental correlates of plant and invertebrate species richness in ponds

Ponds (lentic water bodies <2 ha) constitute a considerable biodiversity resource. Understanding the environmental factors that underlie this diversity is important in protecting and managing the habitat. We surveyed 425 ponds for biological and physical characteristics with 78 of those also surveyed for chemical characteristics. A total of 277 invertebrate species and 265 plant species were found. Species richness varied between 2 and 99 (mean 27.2 ± 0.6 SE) for invertebrates and 1 and 58 (mean 20.8 ± 0.4 SE) for plants. Generalised additive models were used to investigate variables that correlate with the species richness of plants and invertebrates, with additional models to investigate insect, Coleoptera, Odonata, Hemiptera, Trichoptera and Mollusca species richness. Models performed reasonably well for invertebrates in general (R 2 = 30.3%) but varied between lower-order invertebrate taxa (12.7–34.7%). Ponds with lower levels of shading and no history of drying contained higher numbers of species of plants and all invertebrate groups. Aquatic plant coverage positively correlated with species richness in all invertebrate groups apart from Trichoptera and the presence of fish was associated with high invertebrate species richness in all groups apart from Coleoptera. The addition of chemistry variables suggested non-linear relationships between oxygen demand and phosphate concentration and higher-order richness. We demonstrate that the composition of biological communities varies along with their species richness and that less diverse ponds are more variable compared to more diverse ponds. Variables positively correlated with richness of one taxon may be negatively correlated with that of another, making comprehensive management recommendations difficult. Promoting a high landscape-level pond biodiversity will involve the management of a high diversity of pond types within that landscape.

Dependence of animal diversity on plant diversity and environmental factors in farmland ponds

Farmland ponds represent habitats with a high conservation value that make a significant contribution to regional biodiversity. Understanding the influence of plant species composition and environmental variables in driving variations in animal species composition in ponds is an important issue in the fields of ecological research and conservation biology. Using variance partitioning techniques to quantify independent effects, we examined how plant species composition, local-landscape configuration and physicochemical variables interact in influencing aquatic insect and amphibian community composition. The ponds investigated in this study were located in the Site of Community Importance - Special Protected Area (Natura 2000 Network) “Monte Labbro - Alta Valle dell’Albegna” (Tuscany, central Italy). Our results showed that: (i) plant community composition (such as Carex hirta, Gliceryafluitans, Potamogeton natans, Typha latifolia) is a good predictor for amphibian but not for aquatic insect species composition; (ii) aquatic insect species composition was more strongly affected by the landscape context, whereas for amphibians the local characteristics of the ponds were determining; (iii) the physicochemical context is a poor predictor for these animal taxa; (iv) lastly, and notably, the explanatory variables explained a high proportion of the total variation in amphibian and aquatic insect species composition. Our results have important implications with respect to the creation of new ponds, which should preferentially take place close to semi-natural grasslands and other wetlands, in order to maintain greater connectivity, and away from urban areas. Moreover, larger ponds are preferable for the preservation of pond biodiversity. The management and conservation of ponds is necessary to ensure the protection of habitats, the survival of individual species and overall pond biodiversity.

Identifying the drivers of pond biodiversity: the agony of model selection

Ponds contribute substantially to the maintenance of regional biodiversity. Despite a growing body of literature on biotic-abiotic relationships in ponds, only few generalizations have been made. The difficulty in identifying the main drivers of pond biodiversity has been typically attributed to the heterogeneity of the local and regional conditions characterizing ponds. However, little is known on how the use of different analytical approaches and community response variables affects the results of analysis of community patterns in ponds. Here, we used a range of methods to model the response of water beetle and plant community data (species richness and composition) to a set of 12 environmental and management variables in 45 farmland ponds. The strength of biotic-abiotic relationships and the contribution of each variable to the overall explained variance in the reduced models varied substantially, for both plants and beetles, depending on the method used to analyze the data. Models of species richness included a lower number of variables and explained a larger amount of variation compared to models of species composition, reflecting the higher complexity characterizing multispecies response matrices. Only two variables were never selected by any of the model, indicative of the heterogeneity characterizing pond ecosystems, while some models failed to select important variables. Based on our findings, we recommend the use of multiple modeling approaches when attempting to identify the principal determinants of biodiversity for each response variable, including at least a non-parametric approach, as well as the use of both species richness and composition as the response variables. The results of this modeling exercise are discussed in relation to their practical use in the formulation of conservation strategies.

Assessing the conservation value of farmland ponds: Use of predictive techniques to identify surrogare groups

Abstract Background/Question/Methods. Ponds are among the most diverse and yet threatened components of freshwater biodiversity. The conservation of ponds would greatly benefit from the identification of surrogate taxa in preliminary assessments aimed at detecting ponds of potentially high biodiversity value. Vascular plants and water beetles have often been used in pond conservation assessments. To evaluate whether wetland plants are a suitable surrogate group to evaluate pond biodiversity, we used plant, beetle, and environmental data collected from 54 ponds located in two farmed regions in Ireland. Specifically, we aimed at assessing cross-taxon congruence between water beetles and plants; quantifying and comparing the capacity of vegetation data and environmental variables to predict beetle species composition; assessing and comparing the response of plant and beetle communities to environmental conditions. The predictive strength of vegetation data was evaluated at the levels of species and community type composition, and species diversity. To identify the best predictor data-set for beetle species composition, we used predictive co-correspondence analysis (Co-CA) and predictive canonical correspondence analysis (CCA-PLS). Congruence in species richness was calculated using simple regression analysis, while a generalized linear model was developed to quantify the effect of environmental variables on patterns of beetle and plant diversity. Results/Conclusions. The study ponds supported over 30% of the Irish water beetle fauna (76 species), with five species having some form of IUCN Red List Status in Ireland, and 67 wetland plant species, including a nationally rare one. Co-CA showed that plant species composition had a positive predictive accuracy, which was significantly higher compared to that of data at the plant community type level. Although environmental variables showed a higher predictive capacity compared to that of plant species composition, the difference was not significant. Explanatory CCA analyses showed that plants and beetles both responded to the same subset of environmental conditions, explaining ca.18% of the variation in both plant and beetle species composition. Regional differences, permanency, substratum, and grazing intensity affected the composition of both plant and beetle assemblages. The relationship between plant and beetle diversity was rather weak, reflecting the contribution of few plant species in supporting diverse beetle assemblages. These findings have important implications in conservation planning. First, the composition of wetland plants can be effectively used as a surrogate taxon in the identification of conservation-priority ponds. Second, conservation strategies aimed at maintaining and enhancing pond biodiversity should be based on considerations on the vegetation.

The pond biodiversity index “IBEM”: a new tool for the rapid assessment of biodiversity in ponds from Switzerland. Part 2. Method description and examples of application

The pond biodiversity index "IBEM": a new tool for the rapid assessment of biodiversity in ponds from Switzerland. Part 2. Method description and examples of application Ponds are now widely recognized to contribute signicantly to regional freshwater biodiversity. Therefore, tools to easily and rapidly assess biological quality specically for these aquatic habitats have been increasingly requested by conservation planners and nature managers. In close association with practitioners, we developed such a method for Switzerland; the pond biodiversity index "IBEM". The IBEM-Index is based on the assessment of the taxonomic richness of 5 groups: aquatic vege- tation, Gastropoda, Coleoptera, adult Odonata and Amphibia. No abundance data are necessary and genus level identication is required for all groups except Amphibia (species level). The sampling methodology is a stratied random strategy and allows the use of richness estimators to transform the observed taxonomic richness (Sobs) into true taxonomic richness (Strue). As the IBEM assessment follows the methodology presented in the Water Framework Directive, it is based on the calculation of the ratio of true taxonomic richness (Strue) to reference-based predicted richness (Sref). Each of theve taxonomic groups is assessed separately and the overall biological quality of any given pond (i.e. the IBEM-Index) is the average of theve ratios. This score is later converted into one ofve quality classes for each pond: bad (0 to 0.2), poor ( > 0.2 to 0.4), moderate (> 0.4 to 0.6), good (> 0.6 to 0.8), and high (> 0.8 to 1). In this paper, the implementation of the IBEM-Index is described in detail. The sampling methodologies are developed (for the biodiversity and the environmental variables) as well as the assessment methodology. Finally, two examples are presen- ted in detail, for a "good" quality pond and for a "bad" quality pond. The method implementation also includes a website (http://campus.hesge.ch/ibem) which allows the online calculation of the index, and provides support for both sampling and assessment methodologies to users. The IBEM-Index is a rapid assessment method which gives an overall value of pond biodiversity in terms of taxa richness and can be used, for example, in regional screenings or site monitoring in Switzerland. Moreover, as biodiversity is generally recognized as a good indicator of global ecological quality, the IBEM-Index can also be used to investigate ecosystem quality.

The pond biodiversity index “IBEM”: a new tool for the rapid assessment of biodiversity in ponds from Switzerland. Part 1. Index development

Due to legal requirements, nature managers increasingly have to carry out assessments of biodiversity for conservation purpo­seso For ponds, a type of waterbody now widely recognized as an important reservoir for freshwater biodiversity, standardized bioassessment methods are needed, but still rare. We produced such a tool for smalllowland waterbodies in Switzerland: the Pond Biodiversity Index ("IBEM"). This Index is the adaptation of a method used by researchers for assessing the biodiver­sity in ponds, PLOCH, which does not currently meet the requirements for routine use by nature managers because it is too expensive and requires a high skill level in taxonomic identification. A method intended for practitioners has to be simple, standardized, cheap, adjustable, and consistent with the legislative framework. In order to fulfill these requirements, the theoretical and practical aspects of IBEM were developed with a group of representative end users including nature conservation managers, consuitants, govemmental organizations and taxonomic experts. To develop the method, we used a species dataset from 63 Swiss lowland ponds which included five taxonomic groups: aquatic plants, aquatic Gastropoda, aquatic Coleopte­ra, adult Odonata and Amphibia. The following topics were addressed: (i) the number and type of taxonomic groups which should be used for producing the index (is it possible to use surrogates?) (ii) the level of identification for each taxonomic group (species? genus? family?) (iii) the sampling strategy (sampling technique, number of replicates), (iv) the calculation of a unique index and the strategy for assessing its score, and (v) the transfer of this new method to end users. The new method IBEM uses all five taxonomic groups, because a subset of groups did not produce reliable assessments of pond biodiversity. Identification to genus level is required for four groups (aquatic plants, aquatic Gastropoda, aquatic Coleoptera, aduit Odona­ta) and species level for Amphibia. The sampling methodology is based on the stratified random strategy used in the PLOCH method, but with a slight modification in the number of samples per pond. The assessment follows the methodology adopted by the European Water Framework Directive, and the ratio of the observed richness to a reference-based predicted richness is translated into one of five quality categories for each pond. The final index is the mean of the five assessment scores. To facilitate the implementation of the IBEM method, a website (http://campus.hesge.ch/ibem) enables online calculation of the index, and provides instructions on both sampling and assessment methodologies. Furthermore, training courses are organized by the authors of the method for end users.

The conservation value of farmland ponds: Predicting water beetle assemblages using vascular plants as a surrogate group

Ponds are among the most diverse and yet threatened components of freshwater biodiversity. The conservation of ponds would greatly benefit from the identification of surrogate taxa in preliminary assessments aimed at detecting ponds of potentially high biodiversity value. Here, we used predictive co-correspondence analysis (Co-CA) to quantify the strength of plant species composition and plant community types in predicting multivariate patterns in water beetle assemblages, based on data from 54 farmland ponds in Ireland. The predictive accuracy of a number of environmental variables as well as that of plant diversity (species richness and evenness) was calculated using predictive canonical correspondence analysis (CCA-PLS). The study ponds supported over 30% of the Irish water beetle fauna (76 species), with five species having some form of IUCN Red List Status in Ireland, as well as 67 wetland plant species, including a nationally rare one. Co-CA showed that plant species composition had a positive predictive accuracy, which was significantly higher compared to that of data at the plant community type level. Although environmental variables showed a higher predictive capacity compared to that of plant species composition, the difference was not significant. Explanatory CCA analyses showed that plants and beetles both responded to the same subset of environmental conditions, which explained approximately 18% of the variation in both plant and beetle species composition. Regional differences as well as permanency, substratum, and grazing intensity affected the composition of both plant and beetle assemblages. These findings have important implications in conservation planning. First, wetland plants can be effectively used as a surrogate taxon in the identification of conservation-priority ponds. Second, conservation strategies aimed at maintaining and enhancing pond biodiversity should be based on considerations on plant species composition.

Pond conservation: from science to practice

In Europe, ponds are an exceptionally numerous and widely distributed landscape feature forming a major part of the continental freshwater resource and contributing significantly to freshwater biodiversity conservation. This has been reflected by a growing scientific concern over the first few years of the twenty-first century and is evidenced by an increasing number of academic publications on pond related topics, particularly those relating to biodiversity. It is essential, however, that this expanding scientific knowledge is widely disseminated to those involved with pond management and is then rapidly translated into action. Inevitably, the task of transferring science to practice remains a significant challenge. As a first step towards meeting this challenge the European Pond Conservation Network (EPCN), at its biennial meeting in 2008 in Valencia (Spain), made this the main theme of the conference together with two special workshops further encouraging exchanges between scientists, practitioners and policy makers. The papers selected for this special issue of Hydrobiologia (from over 120 communications presented) are all from the conference. They represent a diverse collection of themes from across the continent and North Africa and present new and original insights into topics as wide ranging as: pond biodiversity; human disturbance; landscape ecology; ecological assessment and monitoring; practical management measures; ecological restoration; hydrology and climate change; invasive species and threatened species. In all cases, the papers demonstrate an overriding need for the development of a tight link between scientific knowledge and management. Furthermore, scientific advances have to be beneficial for on the ground management and, vitally, have to be disseminated, communicated and implemented into local, national and international policy. As such, national and international networks (such as the EPCN) have a central role to play and have to develop a robust information and communication strategy which will enable the dissemination of best practice materials and advice across the continent and beyond. The work contained in this volume represents a step in the right direction and will help to ensure that ponds remain a characteristic and highly visible feature of the European landscape in the twenty-first century.

生物学的侵入と人間活動 ため池の管理形態が水棲外来動物の分布に及ぼす影響

Biological invasion is one of the major threats to farm pond biodiversity. Farm ponds may serve as biodiversity hot spots because they provide refuge sites for a variety of animals and plants inhabiting floodplain marshes. Developing effective management methods with regard to the multifunctionality of farm ponds is one of the major concerns among environmental managers. Here, we investigated through a field survey and interviews the effects of pond management on the presence/absence of alien species in 64 farm ponds in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The result of the field survey indicated that bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) and red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) are the most widespread and abundant aquatic invaders in the study region. Although it is generally believed that pond draining is effective in eradicating alien fish, pond draining showed no effect on the presence/absence of bluegill sunfish, but influenced the occurrence of red swamp crayfish, with crayfish generally found in drained ponds. The presence/absence of bluegill sunfish was generally high where dam water or agriculture draining is used as the major water supply. Thus, the alien bluegill sunfish probably immigrate into farm ponds from dams or irrigation systems even though they may temporarily disappear following pond draining. If the (mutually exclusive) distributions of bluegill sunfish and red swamp crayfish are determined at least in part by interspecific interactions between the two species, eradication of one species may lead to an increased density of the other.

Biodiversity in southern Wisconsin storm-water retention ponds: Correlations with watershed cover and productivity

This research is based on the management principle that watershed land cover is a better predictor of pond biodiversity than primary productivity. Ponds in watersheds with more than 30% lawn cover have few zooplankton species, no macrophytes, no snails, and no amphibians. A recent meta-analysis generated the hypothesis that watershed (catchment basin) land cover is a better predictor of lake biodiversity than traditional predictors (such as in-lake primary productivity) if the watershed includes human development (agriculture, residential, or urban). This hypothesis was tested via a field survey of 23 similar-sized artificial ponds in southern Wisconsin. The ponds had similar climate and geology, but differed in the relative proportions of land cover in the watershed. Twelve environmental variables (including pond area, depth, and primary productivity surrogates) and seven watershed land cover variables were correlated with biodiversity measures of seven major aquatic communities. Percent lawn cover was negatively correlated with zooplankton richness (r2 = 0.41), macrophyte abundance (r2 = 61), molluscan presence (r2 = 0.48), and amphibian presence (r2 = 0.55 for spring species and r2 = 0.78 for summer species). Fish presence was negatively correlated with percent watershed covered by meadow (r2 = 0.16). Chlorophyll a (a primary productivity surrogate) was negatively correlated with three groups: zooplankton richness (r2 = 0.18), macrophyte abundance (r2 = 0.23), and molluscan presence/absence (r2 = 0.31). Total phosphorus and nitrogen (surrogates of in-lake primary productivity) were weakly correlated with biodiversity.

Ecology and conservation status of temporary and fluctuating ponds in two areas of southern England

Abstract A high proportion of ponds are temporary in nature, although the biodiversity value of such sites is still poorly recognized. This work explores the plant and macroinvertebrate communities of 76 temporary and fluctuating water bodies in two regions of southern England (Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall and New Forest, Hampshire) that have retained high pond densities. The ecology and conservation status of sites is examined, and comparisons made with ponds elsewhere in England and Wales. Lizard and New Forest ponds supported 119 plant and 165 macroinvertebrate species respectively. Patterns of community similarity for plants and macroinvertebrates were highly concordant, taxa being related in a similar manner to measured environmental variables including pond area, depth, pH and water chemistry. Patterns of pond occupancy revealed that most species were locally rare, over half occurring in less than 10% of ponds, and less than 10% being recorded from more than 50% of sites. More than 50% of ponds supported at least one nationally rare plant and almost 75% at least one nationally rare macroinvertebrate. These taxa occupied a wide range of pond types in each region, and did not have predictably different ecologies from common species. Comparisons with ponds elsewhere in England and Wales revealed that Lizard and New Forest communities are nationally distinct, being most similar to ponds in areas of low intensity agriculture elsewhere in western Britain. Individual ponds in both regions supported more nationally rare taxa, on average, than ponds sampled in the national survey. Ponds in the two areas have high conservation value, both regionally and nationally, supporting almost 75% of the global species richness of temporary ponds sampled across England and Wales. Within each region, many taxa are found in relatively few sites, and effective conservation of pond biodiversity will require a regional management approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Second European Pond Workshop: Conservation of pond biodiversity in a changing European landscape

A meeting held in Toulouse, France, from 23rd to 25th February 2006 and co-organised by the University Paul Sabatier Toulouse III & CNRS (France), Pole Relais Mares et Mouilleres de France (France), University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (Switzerland), University of Geneva (Switzerland), Pond Conservation (UK), University of Leuven (Belgium).

Second European Pond Workshop: Conservation of pond biodiversity in a changing European landscape

A meeting held in Toulouse, France, from 23rd to 25th February 2006 and co-organised by the University Paul Sabatier Toulouse III & CNRS (France), Pôle Relais Mares et Mouillères de France (France), University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (Switzerland), University of Geneva (Switzerland), Pond Conservation (UK), University of Leuven (Belgium).

How wide to cast the net? Cross‐taxon congruence of species richness, community similarity and indicator taxa in ponds

Summary1. Broad‐scale assessments of biodiversity often rely on the use of surrogate taxa, whose reliability has rarely been tested, particularly in freshwater systems. Here we use data from 46 ponds in two regions of the U.K. to explore the performance of macroinvertebrate taxa as surrogates for the rapid assessment of pond biodiversity. For the four dominant taxonomic groups in these ponds (Chironomidae, Coleoptera, Gastropoda and Trichoptera) we explore cross‐taxon species richness relationships in each of the two regions, and also determine the degree of concordance between the different taxa in accurately representing the similarity relationships between pond assemblages.2. Patterns of cross‐taxon congruence in species richness were highly variable among taxa and study sites, making the use of a single taxon as a predictor of overall macroinvertebrate species richness problematic. In contrast, all four taxa show &gt;70% congruence with the pattern of community similarity between sites resulting from the entire macroinvertebrate dataset, this result being consistent within and between regions. Canonical correspondence analysis demonstrated that all taxa were related in a similar manner to measured environmental parameters, meaning that limited additional ecological information is gained by including a wider range of pond taxa in rapid site assessment.3. Single taxonomic groups can, therefore, perform consistently as indicators of community similarity between ponds, and no one taxon dramatically outperforms any other in this respect. The relative merits of the four focal taxa as surrogates for pond invertebrate assemblage composition are discussed with reference to ease of survey, ease of identification and ecological range occupied.4. It is suggested that Coleoptera have a number of advantages as a surrogate taxon, being diverse, easily sampled, readily identified, taxonomically stable, ecologically well understood and occurring across a wide spectrum of pond types. They are therefore recommended for use as a focal group in rapid pond biodiversity assessments, employing an approach such as ours, which examines patterns of assemblage similarity, rather than species richness alone.

兵庫県東播磨地域における生物保全に対するため池管理者の意識

This research identifies irrigation pond managers' awareness of the significance of conserving the biodiversity in irrigation ponds in the East-Harima area, Hyogo Prefecture. The main findings of the study show that the ratio of all the irrigation pond managers in the area who had an interest in conserving the biodiversity in 2001 is 10.9%. In addition, irrigation pond managers who are interested in conserving the biodiversity have generally 1) awareness of loss of biodiversity in irrigation ponds, 2) interest in collaboration with urban residents and 3) experience in contact with bird and nature watchers at irrigation ponds.