磺胺类兽药对土壤微生物数量的影响

采用室内培养的方法,研究磺胺类兽药(磺胺二甲基嘧啶、磺胺甲噁唑)污染对土壤微生物数量(细菌、真菌、放线菌、固氮菌、兼气性固氮菌、硝化细菌、亚硝化细菌、反硝化细菌及氨化细菌)的影响.结果表明,磺胺类兽药对土壤细菌数量有一定的激活作用,其最大激活率在700%以上.兽药对土壤真菌数量的影响主要呈现抑制作用,其最高抑制率为92.9%.兽药对土壤放线菌数量有一定的抑制作用,对土壤固氮菌数量则有一定的激活作用.兽药对土壤兼气性固氮菌数量的影响表现为较低浓度时(10 mg.kg-1)抑制,而较高浓度时(50 mg.kg-1)则激活.兽药对土壤硝化细菌、亚硝化细菌、反硝化细菌及氨化细菌有一定的激活作用,其中对硝化细菌的最大激活率可达1000%以上.     

铝对土壤微生物区系组成的影响

通过大豆盆栽试验,研究了金属铝对土壤微生物区系组成的影响。结果表明,当铝质量分数<1.1 g/kg时,土壤细菌、放线菌的数量随着铝质量分数的增加而增加;当铝质量分数>1.1 g/kg时,土壤细菌、放线菌的数量随着铝质量分数的增加而减少。铝对丝状真菌的生长具有明显的促进作用。在低质量分数下,铝对土壤氨化细菌、硝化细菌、反硝化细菌具有一定的刺激作用;当质量分数>1.1 g/kg时,则表现为抑制作用,最大抑制率分别达48%、96%和95%;土壤硝化细菌、反硝化细菌可以作为铝污染土壤生态环境的指示菌。自生固氮菌的数量随铝质量分数的升高而逐渐下降。铝对土壤微生物区系产生抑制作用的临界质量分数在1.3 g/kg左右。     

连作茶树根际土壤酸度对土壤微生物的影响

为了解连作茶树根部土壤酸化对微生物生物量及区系的影响,以不同种植年限黄金桂茶树根际土壤为研究对象,分析茶树根际土壤p H值对土壤微生物量、微生物数量和微生物类群的影响以及土壤微生物对土壤酸度响应的敏感性趋势.结果显示,茶树根际土壤的微生物生物量碳、微生物呼吸强度、微生物生物量氮及细菌、放线菌、氨化细菌、亚硝酸细菌、反硝化细菌、好气性自生固氮菌、好气性纤维素分解菌的数量随着茶树树龄的增加呈现下降趋势,且与茶树根际土壤p H值呈现极显著正相关(P0.01),而真菌、嫌气性纤维素分解菌、硫化细菌的数量呈现上升趋势,且与茶树根际土壤p H值呈现极显著正相关(P0.01).敏感性分析结果显示,不同微生物指标响应茶树根际土壤p H值变化的趋势为微生物呼吸强度(8.721 8)细菌(8.428 7)微生物量碳(7.955 2)硫化细菌(7.726 8)放线菌(5.780 0)真菌(4.740 8)嫌气性纤维素分解菌(4.065 0)氨化细菌(3.760 6)好气性自生固氮菌(2.368 3)反硝化细菌(2.340 6)微生物量氮(2.324 2)亚硝酸细菌(2.219 8)好气性纤维素分解菌(1.772 0).综上表明,茶树根际土壤酸化显著影响了土壤微生物数量变化,不同的微生物指标响应土壤酸度的敏感性存在一定差异.(图3表3参32)     

污灌对农田土壤微生物特性影响研究

污灌对农田土壤特性和农作物生长有重要影响,通过分析污灌对农田土壤微生物特性影响,为农田污灌的实际应用和标准制定提供理论依据。分别采用平板计数法和最大可能数(Most-Probable-Number,MPN)法,研究了污水灌溉对农田土壤中普通微生物(细菌、放线菌、真菌)和功能微生物(亚硝化细菌、硝化细菌、氨氧化细菌、反硝化细菌、好气性自生固氮菌、好气性纤维素分解菌)的数量和分布特性的影响,并对不同类群微生物数量与土壤理化性状进行相关分析。结果表明:污灌减少农田土壤放线菌、真菌、亚硝化细菌、硝化细菌和反硝化细菌数量,增加细菌、氨氧化细菌和好气性纤维素分解菌的数量,其中细菌、好气性纤维素分解菌数量变化分别达显著水平(P0.05),氨氧化细菌变化达极显著水平(P0.01);污灌区大豆(Glycine max)、玉米(Zea mays)和水稻(Oryza sativa)根系土壤微生物数量分布差异很大,但都呈现真菌、好气性自生固氮菌和好气性纤维素分解菌数量变化显著的趋势(P0.05);污灌土壤中微生物含量与土壤理化性状相关分析表明,细菌、反硝化细菌和好气性纤维素分解菌与有机质显著正相关(r=0.843,P0.05;r=0.220,P0.05;r=0.843,P0.05),放线菌与全磷极显著负相关(r=-0.921,P0.01),亚硝化细菌和好气性自生固氮菌数量与氨氮含量显著正相关(r=0.973,P0.05;r=0.988,P0.05),氨氧化细菌和反硝化细菌与有效磷含量显著负相关(r=-0.967,P0.05;r=-0.988,P0.05)。这说明污灌对农田土壤微生物和理化特性影响显著,对农作物会产生一定的影响。     

不同秸秆覆盖水平对砂姜黑土生物学性状的影响

为明确秸秆覆盖对土壤生物学特性的影响,筛选出安徽淮北砂姜黑土区适宜的秸秆覆盖量,采用大田试验研究了7种秸秆覆盖水平M0(0 kg·hm-2)、M1(3 000 kg·hm-2)、M2(6 000 kg·hm-2)、M3(9 000 kg·hm-2)、M4(12 000 kg·hm-2)、M5(15 000 kg·hm-2)和M6(18 000 kg·hm-2)对玉米根际土壤微生物数量和酶活性的影响。结果表明,单位质量的土壤硝化细菌、氨化细菌和溶磷菌数量随秸秆覆盖量的增加呈先增加后下降的趋势,霉菌的数量随秸秆覆盖量的增加而增加。秸秆覆盖可显著增加土壤中的微生物数量,且不同种类微生物对应的最佳秸秆覆盖量存在一定的差异,其中吐丝期和灌浆中期单位质量的土壤溶磷菌数量和硝化细菌数量都以M4处理最高,氨化细菌数量以M3处理最高,霉菌数量以M6处理最高。土壤酶活性受秸秆覆盖的显著影响,但当秸秆覆盖量增加到一定程度,秸秆覆盖量的变化对土壤酶活性的影响不再明显。吐丝期和灌浆中期土壤中蔗糖酶、淀粉酶和磷酸酶活性以M4最高,过氧化氢酶活性以M3处理最高。土壤中硝化细菌、氨化细菌、溶磷菌、霉菌和总微生物数量与磷酸酶、过氧化氢酶、蔗糖酶和淀粉酶活性皆呈正相关关系。研究得出,秸秆覆盖在改善土壤生物学特性方面发挥着重要作用,但秸秆覆盖量过高则不利于土壤微生物数量和酶活性的增加,且不同种类微生物和酶对应的最佳秸秆覆盖量存在一定差异,秸秆覆盖量为9 000~12 000 kg·hm-2时最有利于淮北砂姜黑土生物学特性的改善。     

西藏当雄拉屋矿区污染土壤微生物及其活性研究

通过现场采样及室内培养分析,研究了西藏当雄拉屋矿区污染土壤微生物区系组成、主要生理类群及其活性。结果表明：矿区土壤受重金属Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd不同程度污染,矿区污染土壤几种重金属质量分数比非矿区土壤有明显的增加。矿区土壤微生物区系组成和各生理类群发生了明显变化,土壤细菌、真菌、放线菌以及各生理类群数量均显著降低,且3大微生物以及各生理类群对矿区污染的敏感性大小分别表现为放线菌〉细菌〉真菌,硝化细菌〉氨化细菌〉纤维分解菌。矿区土壤酶活性较低,对照土壤的各种酶活性最高,而矿区土壤基础呼吸和代谢商则受到刺激明显提高,其中土壤脱氢酶的活性变化最大,作为矿区重金属污染的指标更灵敏。可见,土壤中微生物区系组成及参与物质转化的生理类群种类、数量及土壤酶活和微生物活性在一定程度上可反映该矿区污染生境的重金属污染特征及其生态功能的演变规律。     

甘南亚高寒草甸不同坡向土壤微生物群落分布特征

为了探究坡向变化对土壤微生物群落分布的影响,采用稀释涂布平板法和最大可能数(MPN)法测定了亚高寒草甸3年间(2014年、2015年和2016年)不同坡向土壤微生物类群及2016年微生物功能群的分布特征,并分析了微生物类群及功能群分布与植物生物量、土壤理化性质等环境因子的关系。结果表明,不同坡向土壤微生物群落分布差异显著(P0.05),由阳坡向阴坡变化时,土壤微生物类群总数整体呈上升趋势。同一坡向土壤细菌数量所占比例最大,放线菌次之,真菌最小;2016年微生物总数较2014年与2015年分别下降了61.75%和68.23%。土壤微生物功能群总数随阳坡向阴坡变化呈现先增加后减少的趋势,氨化细菌数量显著高于固氮菌与硝化细菌数量(P0.05)。相关分析表明,亚高寒草甸坡向梯度上土壤微生物群落分布是多种环境因子共同作用的结果,其中,土壤含水量、全磷和土壤p H值是影响土壤微生物类群分布的主导因子,固氮菌、硝化细菌数量与有机碳含量相关性达到显著水平。综合分析表明,阴坡土壤环境明显优于阳坡,更适宜土壤微生物进行生命活动。     

恩诺沙星对土壤细菌数量及微生物生物量碳的影响

为了评价兽药恩诺沙星(Enrofloxacin,ENR)对土壤微生物的影响,采用平板计数法和熏蒸浸提法研究了不同含量恩诺沙星(wENR)对土壤细菌数量和土壤微生物生物量碳(MBC)含量的影响.结果发现,添加药物组细菌数量和土壤微生物生物量碳含量均低于对照组,且药物含量越高,细菌数量和土壤微生物生物量碳含量越低;较低含量的恩诺沙星(wENR<0.1μg·g-1,细菌数量;wENR<1μg·g-1,MBC)对细菌数量和微生物生物量碳含量影响不显著(与对照组比较,p>0.05),而较高含量的恩诺沙星(wENR≥0.1μg·g-1,细菌数量;wENR≥1μg·g-1,MBC)则影响显著(与对照组比较,p<0.05).以上结果表明恩诺沙星残留可显著影响土壤细菌数量和微生物生物量碳含量,进而可能影响土壤特性和土壤的一些生态过程。     

施肥及种植作物对汞污染土壤中微生物生态的修复

以中性紫色土为材料，通过向土壤添加氯化汞的模拟培养试验、施肥试验以及作物栽培试验，研究了汞对土壤中微生物区系和重要微生物生理群繁育的毒害效应。结果表明，向土壤中添加HgCl2，总体上抑制了细菌、真菌、放线菌及氨化细菌的繁育，硝化细菌、自生固氮菌、纤维素降解菌在一定质量分数范围内被汞刺激增长，在另一定质量分数段则被汞抑制。施肥和栽种作物削弱了汞对微生物的毒害，使土壤微生物生态得到一定程度的修复，说明利用农业措施修复汞污染的土壤是可行的。栽种作物时，汞对微生物的抑制效应受到掩蔽，作物产量和植株体内汞含量是汞污染程度的良好指标。以微生物和植物对汞污染的反应，基本一致的HgCl2危害质量分数指标是5mg．kg^-1。     

有机肥料对杉木根际土壤生化性质的影响

施用不同有机肥料对杉木幼林根际土壤生物化学性质的影响的研究结果表明，施有机肥料有如下的作用：（１）在很大程度上增加了杉木根际土壤三大类微生物数量．其中以牛栏肥和绿肥混施效果最好，施绿肥又比施牛栏肥效果好，并且施用有机肥料能提高微生物中细菌所占的比例；（２）能增加氨化细菌、硝化细菌、纤维素分解菌和芳香族化合物分解菌的数量，其中氨化细菌提高幅度最大，并以混合施用最好，纤维素分解菌则以单施绿肥最高，芳香族化合物分解菌则以施牛栏肥最高；（３）提高了土壤酶活性，过氧化氢酶、脲酶、磷酸酶和蛋白酶的活性为：混合施用＞施牛栏肥＞施绿肥＞不施肥；（４）不同程度地降低了杉木根际土壤多酚氧化酶的活性．     

Achieving Open Access to Conservation Science

Conservation science is a crisis discipline in which the results of scientific enquiry must be made available quickly to those implementing management. We assessed the extent to which scientific research published since the year 2000 in 20 conservation science journals is publicly available. Of the 19,207 papers published, 1,667 (8.68%) are freely downloadable from an official repository. Moreover, only 938 papers (4.88%) meet the standard definition of open access in which material can be freely reused providing attribution to the authors is given. This compares poorly with a comparable set of 20 evolutionary biology journals, where 31.93% of papers are freely downloadable and 7.49% are open access. Seventeen of the 20 conservation journals offer an open access option, but fewer than 5% of the papers are available through open access. The cost of accessing the full body of conservation science runs into tens of thousands of dollars per year for institutional subscribers, and many conservation practitioners cannot access pay‐per‐view science through their workplace. However, important initiatives such as Research4Life are making science available to organizations in developing countries. We urge authors of conservation science to pay for open access on a per‐article basis or to choose publication in open access journals, taking care to ensure the license allows reuse for any purpose providing attribution is given. Currently, it would cost $51 million to make all conservation science published since 2000 freely available by paying the open access fees currently levied to authors. Publishers of conservation journals might consider more cost effective models for open access and conservation‐oriented organizations running journals could consider a broader range of options for open access to nonmembers such as sponsorship of open access via membership fees. Obtención de Acceso Abierto a la Ciencia de la Conservación     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Some polyphagous Homoptera gain protection from their natural enemies by feeding on the toxic plantsSpartium junceum andErythrina corallodendrum (Leguminosae)

Summary Interactions were studied among alkaloid-containing legumes (Erythrina corallodendrum andSpartium junceum) and non-toxic plants (Citrus sinensis, Cucurbita moschata andEuphorbia tirucalli), several polyphagous homopterans,Aphis craccivora (Aphididae),Icerya purchasi, I. aegyptiaca (Margarodidae),Lepidosaphes ulmi (Diaspididae) andPlanococcus citri (Pseudococcidae), and some major natural enemies of these homopterans. Significant reductions in survival due to negative effects of alkaloid containing as compared with non-alkaloidal plants were recorded for the predatorsRodolia cardinalis andChilocorus bipustulatus, but not forCryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) andSympherobius sanctus (Neuroptera: Sympherobiidae). The development time of the larvae or pupae ofR. cardinalis, C. carnea andS. sanctus was longer on the toxic plants than on the non-toxic ones. The percentage of parasitism ofA. craccivora collected from the non-alkaloidal plantsVicia palaestina andMelilotus albus was much higher than that onS. junceum. The parasitoid complexes ofA. craccivora differed between both plant groups. The nutritive value of honeydew ofI. purchasi andA. craccivora, as expressed by the life span ofEncyrtus infelix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) adults, was also investigated. Life spans were significantly longer when the wasps fed on honeydew produced on non-alkaloidal plants (C. sinensis andPittosporum tobira) than on alkaloid containing plants whenI. purchasi — but notA. craccivora — was the producer. It is suggested that the chemical defense ofE. corallodendrum andS. junceum is exploited by polyphagous phytophages to reduce predation. In nature, population growth and density of four of the investigated homopterans are conspicuously high when they developed on the alkaloid containing plant species, and very low on non-alkaloid plants. The efficiency of their natural enemies may be reduced by sequestration of alkaloids (or other toxic plant compounds) or their transfer into excreted honeydew. Therefore it is assumed that a generalist phytophagous homopteran may be protected from its natural enemies, although at different rates of efficiency, if it can safely sequester the host allelochemical when it develops on toxic species within its host range.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.