Bird conservation and the land sharing-sparing continuum in farmland-dominated landscapes of lowland England

Empirical evidence from many regions suggests that most species would be least negatively affected if human food demand were met through high-yield agricultural production and conservation of nonfarm ecosystems (land sparing), rather than through wildlife-friendly farming over a larger area (land sharing). However, repeated glaciation and a long history of agriculture may lead to different results in regions such as western Europe. We compared the consequences of land sparing and land sharing on breeding bird species in 2 lowland regions of England, The Fens, with 101 species, and Salisbury Plain, with 83. We derived density–yield responses for each species and then estimated regional population size under regional food production strategies, including land sharing and land sparing, a range of intermediate strategies, and a novel mixed strategy. In both regions, more species achieved maximum regional population size under land sparing than land sharing. In The Fens, the majority of birds were loser species (estimated to have smaller populations under all food production strategies than in the preagricultural baseline scenario), whereas in Salisbury Plain the majority were winners (smaller populations in the preagricultural baseline scenario). Loser species overwhelmingly achieved maximum regional population size under land sparing, whereas winner species achieved maximum regional population size under either land sharing or an intermediate strategy, highlighting the importance of defining which groups of species are the target of conservation. A novel 3-compartment strategy (combining high-yield farming, natural habitat, and low-yield farming) often performed better than either land sharing or land sparing. Our results support intermediate or 3-compartment land-sparing strategies to maximize bird populations across lowland agricultural landscapes. To deliver conservation outcomes, any shift toward land sparing must, however, ensure yield increases are sustainable in the long term, do not entail increased negative effects on surrounding areas, and are linked to allocation of land for nature.     

Association of extinction risk of saproxylic beetles with ecological degradation of forests in Europe

To reduce future loss of biodiversity and to allocate conservation funds effectively, the major drivers behind large‐scale extinction processes must be identified. A promising approach is to link the red‐list status of species and specific traits that connect species of functionally important taxa or guilds to resources they rely on. Such traits can be used to detect the influence of anthropogenic ecosystem changes and conservation efforts on species, which allows for practical recommendations for conservation. We modeled the German Red List categories as an ordinal index of extinction risk of 1025 saproxylic beetles with a proportional‐odds linear mixed‐effects model for ordered categorical responses. In this model, we estimated fixed effects for intrinsic traits characterizing species biology, required resources, and distribution with phylogenetically correlated random intercepts. The model also allowed predictions of extinction risk for species with no red‐list category. Our model revealed a higher extinction risk for lowland and large species as well as for species that rely on wood of large diameter, broad‐leaved trees, or open canopy. These results mirror well the ecological degradation of European forests over the last centuries caused by modern forestry, that is the conversion of natural broad‐leaved forests to dense conifer‐dominated forests and the loss of old growth and dead wood. Therefore, conservation activities aimed at saproxylic beetles in all types of forests in Central and Western Europe should focus on lowlands, and habitat management of forest stands should aim at increasing the amount of dead wood of large diameter, dead wood of broad‐leaved trees, and dead wood in sunny areas.     

Measuring participation by socially vulnerable groups in hazard mitigation planning,Bertie County,North Carolina

In accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act, most US counties have a hazard mitigation plan (HMP) to reduce future disaster losses. HMPs are important as they can be used to proactively assess risk, direct future development, raise awareness and build consensus. Using a population-based sample, we interviewed residents of Bertie County, NC, about their awareness of and participation in the HMP process to determine if demographics, social vulnerability or hazard vulnerability were associated with increased awareness or participation. We also assessed whether these factors were associated with knowledge of policy changes and investments that were adopted in the HMP. Overall, the unemployed were the only group less likely to report awareness of or participation in HMP development. African-Americans, mobile home residents, the poor, short-term residents and those with less disaster experience were less likely to be aware of policies and investments prioritised in the HMP. Targeted efforts to increase awareness could potentially improve disaster outcomes among vulnerable populations.     

Le système assimilation-régénération des sels nutritifs dans les eaux superficielles de l'océan Austral

Low primary-productivity levels in high-nutrient environments of the Southern Ocean are not yet well understood. An accurate knowledge of nutrient assimilation by phytoplankton, at the base of the pelagic food-web, therefore appears to be essential. A study of the mesoscale hydrological structure and chemical observations in the upper layers of the Indian sector of the Antarctic Ocean (Cruise MD-25 FIBEX of M.S. Marion Dufresne, January–February 1981) permitted us to develop a method for estimating nutrient consumption by phytoplankton. After strong vertical mixing in winter, the homogeneous Antarctic Surface Water (ASW) is, in summer, divided into two parts by a well-formed pycnocline. In the upper layer, corresponding approximately to the photic zone, we observed nutrient depletion resulting from photosynthetic activity, while the underlaying thermal minimum layer displayed unaltered winter characteristics, including nutrient concentrations typical of winter surface-water conditions. Taking into account the nutrient depletion in summer, we calculated the assimilation ratios for Antarctic phytoplankton as follows: ([NO ₃ ^- lower]-[NO ₃ ^- upper]):([PO ₄ upper])=N:P=11.2±2.4 and N:Si=0.27±0.05. These ratios are lower than the classical Redfield ratios (N:P=16 and N:Si=1), but are in good agreement with the elementary composition of phytoplankton samples collected during the same cruise. Moreover, they agree with previously published data on stoechiometric determinations of particulate matter in surface-water samples. Besides, in the transition layer between the lower layer and Warm Deep Water (WDW), the calculated mineralization ratios were slightly higher than the assimilation ratios: N:P=14.6 and N:Si=0.37. From these ratios, it would appear that, in these surface layers of the Southern Ocean (down to 250 m), assimilation-regeneration mechanisms operate in such a way that phosphate and silicate contents decrease much more than nitrate content during the northward drift of the surface waters. The determination of assimilation ratios taking into account the nutrient depletion of the upper layer allowed us to evaluate the carbon net-production which integrates time-space variations in the photic layer over the whole early summer period. We estimated a production rate (0.4 g C m^-2 d^-1) of the same order of magnitude as the mean value obtained by the ¹⁴C method (0.2 g C m^-2 d^-1). The theoretic silicium consumption by phytoplankton along a meridian transect, calculated using an estimated assimilation ratio of C:Si=1,85, indicates that the marked south-north decrease in silicate concentration in the Antarctic Surface Water would mainly result from biological activity. The silicate concentrations thus calculated were in good agreement with concentrations measured along a previous transect across the Southern Ocean.

---

Le système assimilation-régénération des sels nutritifs dans les eaux superficielles de l'océan Austral

     

A molecular genetic analysis of social structure, dispersal, and interpack relationships of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus )

The African wild dog is a highly social, pack-living predator of the African woodland and savannah. The archetypal wild dog pack consists of a single dominant breeding pair, their offspring, and non-breeding adults who are either offspring or siblings of one of the breeding pair. Non-breeding adults cooperate in hunting, provisioning and the protection of young. From these observations follows the prediction that the genetic structure of wild dogs packs should resemble that of a multigenerational family, with all same-sexed adults and offspring within a pack related as sibs or half-sibs. Additionally, a higher kinship between females from neighboring packs should be evident if females tend to have small dispersal distances relative to males. We test these predictions through analysis of mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and 14 microsatellite loci in nine wild dog packs from Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. We show that as predicted, African wild dog packs generally consist of an unrelated alpha male and female, subdominant close relatives, and offspring of the breeding pair. Sub-dominant wild dogs occasionally reproduce but their offspring rarely survive to 1 year of age. Relatedness influences the timing and location of dispersal events as dispersal events frequently coincide with a change in pack dominance hierarchy and dispersers often move to areas with a high proportion of close relatives. Received: 22 February 1996 / Accepted after revision: 16 November 1996     

Redistribution of uranium by physical processes during weathering and implications for radon production

Erosion of the Edale shales of Derbyshire during the Tertiary and Quaternary has resulted in sediment deposits in and on the underlying karstified limestones. Sorting during sedimentation has generated clay-rich sediments which are uranium enriched due to a clay association of uranium in the shales. Radon production in these sediments is at or close to equilibrium with their uranium content, and their fine grain-size ensures efficient radon release. Such sediments are therefore potent local sources of environmental radon.     

Lateral or along-shore distribution of the polychaetous annelids of an intertidal,sandy habitat

The lateral or along-shore distribution of the polychaetous annelids of a subtropical, sandy, intertidal habitat in Florida (USA) was studied on three transects (covering 2.5 km of shoreline), sampled quarterly for 2 years. Although the average species number and density of individuals were not significantly different at specific tidal levels, the species composition was highly variable over time. Composition of density dominants was identical along-shore, and down-shore density distribution of selected species was also identical. Analysis by entire transects rather than by individual stations decreased along-shore heterogeneity by 10 to 15%.     

Ontogenetic habitat shift and risk of cannibalism in the common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon)

Ontogenetic habitat shifts have been documented in numerous fish and amphibians and in some reptiles. Intraspecific competition together with differential predation, prey size, social interactions, size-related thermal requirements, and morphological constraints on movement are often implicated in this ontogenetic habitat separation. In the current study, we combined field observation with experiments in seminatural arenas to test various hypotheses regarding the ontogenetic habitat shift that we have documented in the common chameleon. Juveniles (mean, 1 g) occupied low grasses and the adults (mean, 35 g) were found on bushes and trees. Overlap in habitat use between these two age classes was minimal. Our field experiments showed that juveniles actively avoid the presence of adults by concealment or flight. Adults readily attacked and consumed juveniles, regardless of their own mass. These results suggest that the risk of cannibalism towards juveniles is an important selective force behind the ontogenetic habitat shift observed in the common chameleon and may be important in other species too.