Habitat Value Research Articles

Ecological release and patch geometry can cause nonlinear density–area relationships

A primary driver of species extinctions and declining biodiversity is loss and fragmentation of habitats owing to human activities. Many studies spanning a wide diversity of taxa have described the relationship between population density and habitat patch area, i.e., the density–area relationship (DAR), as positive, neutral, negative or some combination of the three. However, the mechanisms responsible for these relationships remain elusive. We employ a theoretical spatially explicit population model built upon the reaction–diffusion framework with absorbing boundary conditions to model a habitat specialist dwelling in islands of habitat surrounded by a hostile matrix. We consider patches with a convex or non-convex geometry. Our results show that a single species following logistic-type population growth exhibits a strictly positive and continuous DAR. However, when multiple asymptotically stable steady states are preset in the system, a discontinuous DAR arises. In the case of two species governed by diffusive Lotka–Volterra growth and competitive interactions, we observe that overall DAR structure can be either (1) positive, (2) positive for small areas and neutral for large, or (3) hump-shaped, i.e., positive for area below a threshold and negative for area above. Patch complexity such as non-convex geometry can cause discontinuities in DAR slope for a single species and create qualitatively different patterns in a competitive system as compared to a convex patch. We also compared our theoretical results with two empirical studies (Anolis lizards on islands and crossbills and pine squirrels in forest fragments) where the pragmatic view of DAR fails to give a mechanistic understanding of what was observed. Close qualitative agreement between theoretical and observed DAR indicates that our model gives a reasonable explanation of the mechanisms underpinning DAR found in those studies. From a conservation perspective, the DAR is crucial to the identification of valuable habitat fragments that favor high abundance and the design of a reserve for a target species. When it comes to protecting a single species, these results suggest that there is unlikely to be a simple solution and that conservation decisions should always be made on a case-by-case basis.

Factors influencing lion movements and habitat use in the western Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania

Protected areas that restrict human activities can enhance wildlife habitat quality. Efficacy of protected areas can be improved with increased protection from illegal activities and presence of buffer protected areas that surround a core protected area. Habitat value of protected areas also can be affected by seasonal variation in anthropogenic pressures. We examined seasonal space use by African lions (Panthera leo) within a core protected area, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and surrounding buffer protected areas with varying protection strengths. We used lion locations in logistic regression models during wet and dry seasons to estimate probability of use in relation to protection strength, distance to protected area edge, human and livestock density, distance to roads and rivers, and land cover. Lions used strongly protected buffer areas over the core protected area and unprotected areas, and moved away from protected area boundaries toward the core protected area when buffer protected areas had less protection. Lions avoided high livestock density in the wet season and high human density in the dry season. Increased strength of protection can decrease edge effects on buffer areas and help maintain habitat quality of core protected areas for lions and other wildlife species.

Facilitating restoration of degraded biological soil crusts using mixed culture inoculation

In arid and semiarid ecosystems, the biological soil crust (biocrust) community is ecologically critical and it is advantageous to restore damaged biocrust. Coastal sage scrub (CSS) is a unique and imperiled valuable habitat. At present, studies of biocrust restoration in CSS habitat do not exist. This study examined the feasibility of isolating and culturing a mix of endemic CSS cyanobacteria and green algae to inoculate native CSS soil, thereby facilitating recovery of disturbed biocrust. To gauge whether inoculation increases soil function, we measured culture growth, chlorophyll a, extractable polysaccharides, and stability. Growth of biocrust organisms and increases in functionality were compared among three inoculation treatments (mixed culture, ground biocrust, and uninoculated control) with either autoclaved or non-autoclaved native soil to determine the extent that native crust organisms can regrow without inoculation. A novel genus and species of cyanobacteria was isolated and classified as Trichotorquatus maritimus. The mixed culture included a green alga, possibly Chlamydomonas callunae. Mixed inoculum added to non-autoclaved native soil significantly improved the soil functions. After two months, the mixed inoculum increased chlorophyll levels, soil stability, and increased extractable polysaccharides. It may be possible in the future to restore biocrust in CSS using mixed culture inoculation.

Can botanic gardens serve as refuges for taxonomic and functional diversity of Odonata? The case of the botanic garden of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain).

In a scenario with declining biodiversity and habitat loss, botanic gardens could serve as refuges for invertebrates, but the opportunities they offer for animal conservation are still poorly understood. Odonata is a good model group for conservation studies, because it includes threatened species and responses to habitat disturbance are well documented. In this study, we assessed the role of the botanic garden of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain as a refuge for members of Odonata by analysing their taxonomic and functional diversity. We explored if the small size of the botanic garden might constrain the taxonomic diversity of Odonata and if low habitat diversity might limit their functional diversity. We sampled adult Odonata from five water bodies along a gradient of human impact and characterized the Odonata communities based on 12 functional traits in Odonata. We used a species–area relationship to control for differences in the size of water bodies. Compared with natural lakes, the Odonata communities contained less species and their functional diversity was lower in the botanic garden ponds, where generalist species were basically hosted. Despite these limitations, the botanic garden ponds hosted the number of species expected for natural water bodies with the moderate surface area and functional diversity, thereby demonstrating that they are a valuable habitat for Odonata in an urban environment. Appropriate management involving the removal of exotic fish and habitat diversification, including creating lotic environments, would increase the taxonomic and functional diversity of Odonata in this urban system.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10201-022-00704-3.

Configurational landscape heterogeneity: Crop-fallow boundaries enhance the taxonomic diversity of carabid beetles and spiders

Arthropod biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is favoured by high levels of compositional and configurational heterogeneity. In terms of composition, the high value of non-crop habitats is firmly established. In contrast, the causes underlying positive effects of configurational heterogeneity, i.e. patch size and boundary length, are less well understood. We here test the hypothesis that boundaries comprise valuable habitats in its own right by enhancing the taxonomic diversity of carabid beetles and spiders. We used pitfall traps placed along transects running from the interior of wheat fields across the habitat boundary to the interior of unmanaged grassland fallows. Taxonomic diversity was highest around the boundaries due to (1) spillover effects but also (2) species showing a distinct preference for edge habitat. For carabids, habitat boundaries harboured distinct species assemblages. Grassland fallows had, especially in spiders, positive effects on the taxonomic diversity of crop fields close to the boundary, while no negative effects of crop fields on adjacent fallows could be found. Overall, taxonomic diversity was higher in grassland fallows than in crop fields, though differences were surprisingly small. The high taxonomic diversity found for boundaries suggest that these may comprise valuable habitats in its own rights, which in turn may causally underpin positive effects of configurational heterogeneity on arthropod diversity in agroecosystems. Thus, increasing configurational heterogeneity, e.g. by promoting small field sizes and high edge density, seems an important tool for preserving farmland biodiversity.

College squirrels gone wild? Using Sciurus carolinensis behavior to assess the ecosystem value of urban green spaces

Predicted rapid increases in urbanization in the face of accelerating biodiversity loss underscores the need for urban development that promotes, rather than displaces, native plants and animals. One approach for increasing urban biodiversity is through the development of “green infrastructure”. Although research has explored urban-rural gradients and the overall value of urban green infrastructure, few studies have investigated the habitat value for wildlife of different types of urban greenspace. Here, we use a well-established metric in ecology, giving up-densities (GUDs), to compare foraging costs for a common urban wildlife species, the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), among three green infrastructure categories: municipal parks, college campuses, and residential yards. We found that GUDs for gray squirrels did not differ significantly among location categories after controlling for proximity to roads, but proximity to roads was associated with significantly higher GUDs in all locations. In an explicit test, we also found that both proximity to roads and traffic volume were associated with higher GUDs. We also found that maximum distance from roads was significantly higher for campuses and parks than for residential yards, indicating a greater proportion of the area of campuses and parks is “away from roads” compared to residential yards. Our results indicate that vehicle traffic may contribute significantly to an “urban landscape of fear” for gray squirrels and suggest that campus and park configurations that reduce road effects could improve habitat quality for squirrels and possibly other animals.

How Rising Water Levels Altered Ecosystem Provisioning Services of the Area around Qinghai Lake from 2000 to 2020: An InVEST-RF-GTWR Combined Method

The water level of Qinghai Lake, the largest saltwater lake in China, has been rising consistently, which has altered the lake’s ecosystem service patterns and produced an unpredictable impact on local ecological security and sustainable development. To explore the changes in the area around Qinghai Lake’s ecosystem provisioning services that respond to the rise in water level, the spatial and temporal changes of three ecosystem services (water yield, soil conservation, and habitat quality) from 2000 to 2020 were calculated by the InVEST model. Then, the ecosystem service transformation of the rise in Qinghai Lake’s underwater level was evaluated, and the trade-off and synchrony among the three ecosystem services were discussed. Finally, Random Forest and Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression models were used, to reveal the driving factors and spatial differentiation of ecosystem service change. Results showed that: (1) Although three ecosystem provisioning services were increased by 3.21%, 31.67%, and 6.19%, respectively, in 2000–2020, an overall change trend was observed that they increased first and then decreased. After reaching their peak values in 2005 (444.68 mm), 2015 (341.89 t·hm−2·a−1) and 2015 (0.67), three ecosystem provisioning services decreased to 349.27 mm, 271.82 t·hm−2·a−1, and 0.66 in 2020, respectively. (2) Three ecosystem provisioning services, as well as ecosystem services among different land use types, presented a synchronous relationship during the research periods. (3) Natural factors, such as precipitation and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), accounted for 30.0% of ecosystem services changes, and Social-economic factors, such as GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and population accounted for 28.0% of three ecosystem provisioning services changes. These driving factors exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity (adjusted R2 > 0.6). There were limitations in the scope of ecosystem services evaluation and insufficient consideration of the value of aquatic habitats, which deserved further exploration. This study may provide a scientific basis for the evaluation and management of the plateau lake ecosystem under the background of climate change.

Protection of the endangered fish lake minnow, Eupallasella percnurus (Pallas, 1814), within the Natura 2000 network in Poland: Present status and perspectives

Abstract The Natura 2000 network in Poland comprises over a thousand Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for habitats and plant and animal species. One of these animals is the fish species lake minnow, Eupallasella percnurus, which is highly endangered with extinction and under strict protection. Presently it occurs in 27 SACs at 73 sites, i.e., considerably fewer than in the previous decade, when it occurred in 35 SACs at about 100 sites. Since it is very likely that the decline in the number of E. percnurus sites will continue in coming years, serious doubts are raised concerning the perspectives for its conservation within the Natura 2000 network and throughout Poland. The major threat to the existence of its habitats is climate change resulting in water bodies drying up at accelerated rates. Introductions of predatory fish species also contribute to the extinction of E. percnurus populations. Obviously, preserving the occurrence of E. percnurus in Polish inland waters will require the wide-ranging use of active conservation measures with a special emphasis on the revitalization of its most valuable habitats.

Functional Connectivity of Naturally Valuable Habitats in the Jeseníky Protected Landscape Area

Abstract This paper focuses on evaluating the functional connectivity of naturally valuable habitats within the territory of the Jeseníky Protected Landscape Area (PLA). Analysis of functional connectivity was carried out for individual zones of classified nature preservation. The methodological approach that is applied is based on determining indicators for expressing the degree of the natural character of individual landscape segments (Nd), the distance to naturally valuable habitats (Dn), and a composite index Distance to Nature (D2N). The results for the individual zones and the PLA as a whole are mutually compared and consequently confronted with values for the territory of the entire Czech Republic. All three research questions, i.e. whether naturally valuable habitats prevail in the most valuable area in the first protected zone of the Jeseníky PLA, whether the distance to naturally valuable habitats in the first zone of the Jeseníky PLA is the shortest, and whether the territory of the Jeseníky PLA is better functionally interlinked when compared with the remaining territory of the Czech Republic (CR), were answered positively. The results highlight the need to assess the connectivity of natural habitats in the least protected zones of other PLAs in the Czech Republic and EU, to decide whether planning measures to support the ecological network are necessary.

Climate change simulations in Alpine summer pastures suggest a disruption of current vegetation zonation

Alpine summer grazing areas (high-altitude pastures) represent hotspots of biodiversity and high cultural heritage values. Low density forests (Alpine Larix decidua and/or Pinus cembra forests) and species-rich open land (Alpine and boreal heaths, siliceous Alpine and boreal grasslands) are protected according to the Flora-Fauna-Habitat-directive of the European Union. These habitats are threatened by the accelerated mountain climate warming and the expected upslope shift of vegetation zones. With climate change, tree growth accelerates and montane species spread to higher altitudes. The fate of low density larch forests, alpine heathlands and grasslands is unclear. We used the process-based wooded pasture model WoodPaM to simulate large-scale and long-term dynamics of the forest and tree line under several land-use scenarios and climate change. The simulation results for the central Alpine summer grazing area Furggtal (Canton Valais, Switzerland) showed a plausible projection of the upslope migration of vegetation zones due to climate warming in the very long-term. For the upcoming centuries however, the existing vegetation zonation was disrupted by the intermixing of tree species during the migration process. This unexpected result emerged from the process-based modelling of tree species specific dispersal and establishment in interaction with livestock grazing. This effect was most pronounced in simulations of grazing abandonment and current low intensity grazing of free ranging livestock, which failed to buffer climate change effects. The establishment of paddocks and thereby intensified grazing on the current pastures on the valley floor promised the conservation of valuable open habitats. We conclude that the ongoing rapid upslope shift of climate zones in mountain regions might not be followed by a similar shift of vegetation zones. Widespread colonisation processes might lead to a period dominated by very dynamic vegetation communities that might not zone along climatic gradients as it was in the past of comparable stable climate. Climate change may therefore impact more like disturbance on alpine ecosystems rather than to drive continuous range shifts. During this disruptive transformation, adapted grazing management in summer pastures can help to maintain continuity for valuable habitats but would require subsidies to establish infrastructure and to increase livestock numbers. • Rapid warming disturbs the ecological balance among larch forests, Alpine grasslands, and livestock grazing. • The upslope shift of climate zones in mountain regions might not be followed by a continuous shift of vegetation zones. • During a disruptive transformation period, colonisation processes might be dominated by dynamic vegetation communities. • Climate change might therefore impact like disturbance on Alpine ecosystems. • Adapted grazing management in summer pastures can help to maintain continuity for valuable habitats.

An ecological assessment of Australia's first community oyster gardens

SummaryOyster gardening is a community‐driven activity where oysters are grown in cages hanging off docks or other coastal infrastructure. Besides the provision of adult oysters for restoration programmes, oyster gardening may also support other ecosystem services such as providing habitat for fishes and invertebrates as well as encouraging community involvement and citizen science. Australia's first oyster gardening programme was undertaken in a canal estate on Bribie Island in Moreton Bay, Queensland between October 2016 and November 2017. Oyster gardens consisting of plastic mesh cages were deployed with either three species of bivalves (polyculture), or exclusively Sydney Rock Oysters (monoculture) to investigate whether the habitat value differed between the two garden types. After one year of growth, polyculture cages supported higher abundances and species richness of both invertebrates and fish compared to the monoculture gardens. Our study showed that oyster gardening can provide habitat for a range of invertebrate and fish species in the highly modified coastal environment of a canal estate. Further studies are needed to discern whether these oyster gardens would also support larger and mobile fauna, such as species with commercial and recreational importance.

Habitat value of subsea wells and pipelines for fishery target species in Australia

Subsea pipelines and wells installed to support the oil and gas industry represent some of the most extensive and numerous anthropogenic structures throughout global marine ecosystems. There remains a paucity of information on the habitat value of these structures for fishery target species and, as a result, little understanding of how decommissioning should be conducted to minimise impacts to populations of these economically and socially important species. We assess the diversity and abundance of species that are targets of recreational and commercial fisheries on 33 subsea wells and 17 pipelines across the tropical northwest and temperate southeast marine regions of Australia. We examine relationships between fish identity and abundance and a range of environmental (e.g., depth, location), infrastructure-specific (e.g., pipeline position, diameter, age, length of pipeline, height of well, position on well), and biological (% cover of epibiota) variables using video filmed by remotely operated vehicles during their routine offshore inspection and maintenance campaigns. A total of 100 fishery target species were observed across subsea well and pipeline infrastructure, 56 species uniquely observed on pipelines and nine unique to wells. The families Lutjanidae (snapper), Serranidae (rock cods, groupers, perch), and Carangidae (trevallies) were most common and abundant on both wells and pipelines. In the northwest, lutjanids were most abundant around the base of wells, in shallow depths, on shorter wells, and where pipelines spanned the seafloor. A greater number of fishery target species and abundance of ocean perch (Helicolenus spp.) were also associated with pipelines that spanned the seafloor in temperate southeast Australia. The combined biomass of three species of snapper on wells in the northwest was 1,270 kg, with production levels for these species on each well estimated to be 105.2 g m2 year-1. The present study serves as an important reference point for informing decommissioning decisions for pipeline and well infrastructure and demonstrates the utility of industry-held data for science. We suggest that key predictor variables identified here be incorporated into comprehensive before-after-control-impact scientific studies for specific fields/assets to enable the prediction of potential impacts of decommissioning scenarios on marine communities present and quantification of such impacts after the decommissioning activity has occurred.

Differential effects of wildfire on salt marsh and coastal forest plant community abundance and diversity in the urbanized Long Island Sound

Coastal marshes are dynamic ecosystems that provide essential ecosystem services and are impacted by a variety of natural and anthropogenic disturbances including flooding, fire, climate change, and urbanization. Coastal saltmarshes are sometimes managed through prescribed burning to enhance habitat value for wildlife and increase plant diversity, but this practice is uncommon in urbanized environments and the effects are unclear. In this study, we observed the effects of a 2017 wildfire on a Spartina saltmarsh and oak-hickory coastal forest over three years on Long Island Sound, New York. The objectives were to determine the impact of the fire on plant abundance, diversity, and invasive species. We studied the marshland and nearby coastal forest. It was concluded that the marsh habitat was more resilient than the forested habitat as its plant composition, abundance and diversity returned to that of the unburned marsh two years post fire. The wildfire caused large shifts in community composition, increasing abundance and diversity in the burned forest relative to the unburned forest, but it also facilitated an increase in non-native species. Because these systems provide countless ecosystem services, further research on the effect of wildfire and interactions with other disturbances is needed.

Drift macroalgal distribution in northern Gulf of Mexico seagrass meadows.

Drift macroalgae, often found in clumps or mats adjacent to or within seagrass beds, can increase the value of seagrass beds as habitat for nekton via added food resources and structural complexity. But, as algal biomass increases, it can also decrease light availability, inhibit faunal movements, smother benthic communities, and contribute to hypoxia, all of which can reduce nekton abundance. We quantified the abundance and distribution of drift macroalgae within seagrass meadows dominated by turtle grass Thalassia testudinum across the northern Gulf of Mexico and compared seagrass characteristics to macroalgal biomass and distribution. Drift macroalgae were most abundant in areas with higher seagrass shoot densities and intermediate canopy heights. We did not find significant relationships between algal biomass and point measures of salinity, temperature, or depth. The macroalgal genera Laurencia and Gracilaria were present across the study region, Agardhiella and Digenia were collected in the western Gulf of Mexico, and Acanthophora was collected in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Our survey revealed drift algae to be abundant and widespread throughout seagrass meadows in the northern Gulf of Mexico, which likely influences the habitat value of seagrass ecosystems.

Spatial Planning of the Coastal Marine Socioecological System—Case Study: Punta Carnero, Ecuador

Marine-coastal ecosystems are productive and valuable habitats worldwide due to their significant contributions to human wellbeing. However, human activities, limited territorial planning, and unsustainable demand and consumption of natural goods and services put pressure on marine-coastal ecosystems. In this sense, marine-coastal planning is a management tool to contrast these forces because it manages different human activities on the coast and in the oceans over space and time, strengthening political, social, and tourist development and the economy of the territory. Our objective is to propose marine-coastal spatial planning strategies through an ecosystem-based approach for allocating a mangrove and estuarine zone conservation area. The study methodology is: (i) Compilation of information from the study area with an emphasis on regulations and protected areas. (ii) Analysis of human relations with marine-coastal ecosystems. (iii) Mapping and zoning of the conservation area. (iv) Analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and threats, weaknesses, opportunities, strengths (SWOT–TWOS) matrix to recommend strategies and guarantee the viability of marine-coastal protection. The results show zoning maps of the sector proposed as a conservation area comprising mangroves and an estuarine zone. It also approaches governance strategies or conservation management measures and protection of the marine-coastal space. Finally, as a recommendation, we propose improvements to the current municipal ordinances, guaranteeing the management and protection of the study area, and furthering achievements in the comprehensive development of land-use planning.

Characteristics of the Avifauna in a Rice Field Dominated Rural Area, and Habitat Use by Grassland Birds in Western Hokkaido, Japan

Rural areas provide various habitats for birds, and some studies have revealed habitat associations in rural bird communities in Japan. Previous studies have primarily focused on waterbirds or the habitat values of abandoned farmland, thus little is known about the importance of cultivated land for rural bird communities. Therefore, in this study, I clarified the characteristics of the avifauna in a rural area of the Ishikari Plain in Shinshinotsu Village, Western Hokkaido, and examined habitat utilization of cultivated land by eight major grassland species; Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus, Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis, Black-browed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps, Siberian Rubythroat Calliope calliope, Stejneger's Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri, Chestnut-eared Bunting Emberiza fucata, Black-faced Bunting E. spodocephala, and Common Reed Bunting E. schoeniclus. I conducted bird surveys along three 2-km line-transect routes among rice fields with some wheat, non-wheat crop fields, and weedy areas from April to October from 2016 to 2018. I recorded a total of 51 species of three general types: grassland birds, residential birds, and water birds. Rice fields in this study areas were flooded during early to mid-May to mid to late August, however species-specific habitat utilization analyses revealed that a small number of Eurasian Skylark, Stejneger's Stonechat, and Chestnut-eared Bunting inhabited the rice fields during study periods other than the flooding season. A relatively large number of Eurasian Skylark was observed in wheat fields and non-wheat crop fields throughout the study period, and Stejneger's Stonechat and Chestnut-eared Bunting were temporarily observed in those habitats. The other five species only rarely observed in rice, wheat, or non-wheat crop fields, but all eight species were observed in weedy areas. The characteristics of the avifauna in this rural area of Western Hokkaido proved to be quite different from previous studies conducted in the Kanto Region of Honshu. For the conservation of biodiversity and birds in rural areas, it is necessary to investigate the avifaunal characteristics of various regions of Japan.

Effects of flooding on the Mediterranean Cymodocea nodosa population in relation to environmental degradation

Abstract Cymodocea nodosa is a common seagrass species of shallow and sheltered Mediterranean waters, where extreme flushing of plumes can occur during excessive rainfall. Cymodocea nodosa shoots were sampled from two habitats of Kavala Gulf, one nearly pristine (less stressed, Vrasidas) and another highly stressed (Nea Karvali), to study if flooding might negatively affect seagrass habitats. Photosynthetic performance of shoots from the pristine habitat acclimated better than shoots from highly stressed conditions simulating a flooding event. Indeed, a significant (p < 0.01) interaction between habitat and flooding on photochemical energy harvesting (ΔF/Fm′) values was found, with lower ΔF/F m′ values in the pristine habitat under control conditions. Furthermore, based on relative electron transport rate (rETR) curves reconstructed from fluorescence-versus-irradiance data, shoots from the pristine habitat performed better after 18 days of treatment to flooding. On the other hand, shoots from highly stressed habitats grew faster than pristine ones, but their growth decreased similarly under flooding conditions. The implications for management and conservation priorities for this phenotypically plastic seagrass in the Mediterranean are discussed.

Scale-dependent effects of landscape context on urban bee diversity

As urbanization continues throughout much of the world, there is great interest in better understanding the value of urban and residential environments to pollinators. We explored how landscape context affects the abundance and diversity of bees on 50 residential properties in northern Georgia, USA, primarily in and around Athens, GA. Over 2 years of pan trap sampling we collected 4938 bees representing 111 species, from 28 genera in five families, constituting 20% of the species reported for the state. Development correlated positively with bee diversity at small (< 2.5 square km) scales, and positively with six of eight individual bee species’ abundances. Agriculture often correlated positively with bee diversity at larger spatial scales (> 2.5 square km), and negatively at smaller spatial scales. Forest cover correlated negatively with bee diversity at small spatial scales, but positively at larger scales. This trend was also largely true for individual bee species abundances. Bee communities differed between sites by predominant land cover types (agriculture, forest and development). Simper and indicator species analysis revealed which species contributed heavily to the observed patterns and helped to determine group distinctions.Implications for insect conservationOur results show that residential landscapes can support high bee diversity and that this diversity is sensitive to landscape context at different scales. Although development appears to have a negative effect on bee diversity overall, some bee species are favored by the open conditions characteristic of developed areas. Moreover, forest remnants appear to be valuable habitats for many species and are thus important to regional bee diversity. Urban planning that prioritizes and incorporates forest remnant conservation will promote bee abundance and diversity.

Producing rice while conserving the habitat of an endangered waterbird: Incentives for farmers to integrate water management

Effective incentive programs for farmers to conserve biodiversity on their properties are vital for sustainability. Most such programs have focussed on natural areas, like revegetating waterways, but novel agricultural habitats amplify the commitment required of farmers and the need for collaboration in the conservation process. The rice fields of Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin are a key habitat for a globally endangered waterbird, the Australasian bittern, but early and sufficient ponding periods that facilitate successful breeding are inconsistent with maximising yield per megalitre of water used. We aimed to understand farmers’ willingness to undertake ‘bittern-friendly’ rice growing practices and their preferences for hypothetical incentive programs. Public recognition of the habitat values of their fields was a key motivation for participation, and, across the industry, we estimated that rice growers were willing to forgo an annual profit margin totalling $AU1.42 million per annum to further bittern conservation. We tested for social desirability bias, finding the inferred valuation – their nearest rice growing neighbour – was 51 % lower, but still a substantial in-kind contribution. More than half of growers did not need compensation to control foxes and cats, or to avoid herbicide use on rice bay banks, while about a third would undertake each of the other conservation actions. For financial incentives, a choice experiment showed the payment rate was important but farmers strongly preferred less demanding management requirements. The 11-day variation in ponding commencement and period was highly valued by growers, and can be crucial to bitterns. Growers also preferred higher levels of contract flexibility, while the intensity of compliance monitoring had little impact on their choices. The preferred incentive type was to use public environmental water with no money exchanged, followed by a consumer-funded program with bittern-friendly rice products, and a standard government contract, whereas a pledge system and a tender were relatively unpopular. Bittern-friendly rice growing incentive programs should be successful if they foster custodianship, harness in-kind contributions, improve rice farming’s public image, and work with growers where opportunity costs for additional water are low.

Factors contributing to the biodiversity value of an archaeological landscape in Jordan

Archeological landscapes are important places because they protect areas of historical importance, shape cultural and national identity, are recreational spaces, and vital sources of tourism revenue. Archaeological landscapes have the potential to assist in reptile conservation. The objective of this study was to compare the diurnal reptile richness of an archaeological site to the reptile richness of a nature reserve (treatment control for biodiversity value) and a modern olive grove (treatment control for poor biodiversity value). Our results suggest that archaeological landscapes provide valuable reptile habitat, as our archaeological site supported similar reptile richness as the natural site, with both sites having higher species richness than the modern olive tree farm. The high reptile richness and densities were the result of high potential food availability and habitat mosaic of relatively low tree density and open areas with exposed, tall, rocky ruins. Reptile richness had a negative relationship with tree density. The ruins and high food availability of the archaeological site supported higher densities of saxaphilic lizard species as the density of these species increased as mean maximum rock height and percentage of green ground vegetation cover increased. Promoting the reptile richness of archaeological sites provides another justification for the protection and visitor appreciation for archaeological sites as places of historical, cultural and biodiversity importance. Keywords: Stellagama stellio, Ptyodactylus puiseuxi, reptile richness, rock outcroppings, vegetation greenness indices