Perceptions of Species Abundance,Distribution, and Diversity: Lessons from Four Decades of Sampling on a Government-Managed Reserve

/ We examined data relative to species abundance, distribution, anddiversity patterns of reptiles and amphibians to determine how perceptionschange over time and with level of sampling effort. Location data werecompiled on more than one million individual captures or observations of 98species during a 44-year study period on the US Department of Energy's(DOE) Savannah River Site National Environmental Research Park (SRS-NERP) inSouth Carolina. We suggest that perceptions of herpetofaunal speciesdiversity are strongly dependent on level of effort and that land managementdecisions based on short-term data bases for some faunal groups could resultin serious errors in environmental management. We provide evidence thatacquiring information on biodiversity distribution patterns is compatiblewith multiyear spatially extensive research programs and also provide aperspective of what might be achieved if long-term, coordinated researchefforts were instituted nationwide.To conduct biotic surveys on government-managed lands, we recommend revisionsin the methods used by government agencies to acquire and report biodiversitydata. We suggest that government and industry employees engaged inbiodiversity survey efforts develop proficiency in field identification forone or more major taxonomic groups and be encouraged to measure the status ofpopulations quantitatively with consistent and reliable methodologies. Wealso suggest that widespread academic cooperation in the dissemination ofinformation on regional patterns of biodiversity could result byestablishment of a peer-reviewed, scientifically rigorous journal concernedwith status and trends of the biota of the United States. KEY WORDS: Abundance; Amphibian; Biodiversity; Distribution; Landmanagement; Reptile     

Using Information on Spatial Variability of Small Estuaries in Designing Large-Scale Estuarine Monitoring Programs

In the early 1990s, EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) documented the ecological condition of the overall population of small estuaries along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. However, the Program did not provide detailed information on the condition of individual estuaries less than 260 km² in surface area, a group of estuaries of concern to environmental managers. To address the needs of environmental managers, when EMAP returned to the region in summer 1997, it included a study of the spatial variability of ecological indicators within individual small estuaries. At 127 probability-based sites in 10 estuaries, EMAP measured a variety of parameters of water quality and sediments, including dissolved oxygen (DO), nutrients, grain size of sediments, contaminants in sediments, and community structures of benthic macroinvertebrates. From this information the ecological condition (e.g., percent area with DO concentrations below 5mg L^–1) for each estuary, along with 90% confidence interval, was determined. The width of the confidence interval was then recalculated for sample sizes ranging from two stations to the total number of stations sampled in that estuary. Confidence interval widths were then plotted against sample size. These plots can be useful in designing future regional monitoring programs with a goal of describing conditions in individual systems as well as broad geographic regions. Results illustrate that beyond five stations per estuary, the reduction in the width of the confidence interval with increasing sampling intensity is relatively small; however, individual program managers need to determine "how small is small enough."     

Forest-Climate Interactions in the Quetico-Superior Ecotone (Northwest Ontario and Northern Minnesota)

Acute ecological changes in North American boreal forests in this century are attributed to an array of factors including human activities. In the Quetico-Superior Ecotone of Northwest Ontario and Northern Minnesota warmer, drier climate conditions since mid-century have concurred with extensive manipulation of regional forests by fire suppression and clear-cut logging. Predicted effects of climate changes expected for the next century could compete with transformations in these systems over the past 10 000 yr. The degree of alteration of natural processes and patterns in North American boreal forests requires implementation of realistic strategies to ensure that sufficiently large tracts of these systems maintain their natural integrity.     

INFLUENCE OF REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY SOURCE ON QUANTIFICATION OF RIPARIAN LAND COVER/LAND USE1

ABSTRACT: This paper compares approaches to quantifying land cover/land use (LCLU) in riparian corridors of 23 watersheds in Oregon's Willamette Valley using color infrared aerial photography (AP) and Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery. For each imagery source, LCLU adjacent to stream networks were quantified across a range of lateral and longitudinal scales. Single‐date AP data had higher LCLU class accuracies than the multi‐date TM data, except for row crops. Correlations among LCLU classes for the two imagery sources increased with increased spatial extent. In general, LCLU proportions for AP and TM differed, but lateral/longitudinal patterns were similar. An aggregated vegetation class comprised of forest, shrub/scrub, and grass/forb was strongly associated with a fish index of biotic integrity (IBI) for both AP and TM data, although AP correlations were higher. Highest fish IBI correlations for both data sources were with the aggregated vegetation class close to the stream and for the longest longitudinal scales. The row crop class was strongly associated with stream nitrate for both data sources, although correlations for the TM data were higher. Stream nitrate correlations were strongest for the widest lateral and longest longitudinal scales. Overall, both single‐date AP and multi‐date TM imagery appear to have potential for use in estimating indicators of stream ecological condition.     

An ecological approach to environmental impact assessment

Carbon cycling analysis is presented as a means for assessing anthropogenic perturbations in an ecosystem. Data from oligotrophic, eutrophic, and dystrophic (bog) lakes are used to show general trends in the lacustrine carbon cycle. The oligotrophic lake is an unstressed system and the eutrophic lake is under nutrient enrichment with high algal standing crops and productivity. The bog lake is a pH-stressed environment that is primarily a grazing ecosystem. It is hoped that a more effective environmental impact assessment will result from the use of carbon cycling as a unifying concept in ecosystem analysis.     

Linking academic and local knowledge: community-based research and service learning for sustainable rural development in Hungary

Discussions about the potential role of academic and research institutions in regional sustainability initiatives (RSIs) inevitably raise the issue of the role of science in society in general. In democratic societies, it can be argued that science–society relationships should be based on establishing and institutionalizing mutual dialogues, making public concerns not only visible but the public as equal partner. In order to fulfil the social responsibilities of academic institutions involved in RSIs through establishing dialogues with diverse stakeholders, a possible methodology is conducting participatory action research (PAR) combined with the educational model of service learning. The PAR project reported here aims at facilitating a bottom-up, micro-region level sustainability planning and development process in one of the most socio-economically disadvantaged rural areas of north-east Hungary. Some of the main results of this university–community partnership were its contribution to sustainability, including the activation of local capabilities and networking across various local stakeholder groups through various small-scale projects and the co-production of a socially grounded and landscape-based rural development plan for the micro-region.