Invasion versus Isolation: Trade-Offs in Managing Native Salmonids with Barriers to Upstream Movement

Abstract: Conservation biologists often face the trade‐off that increasing connectivity in fragmented landscapes to reduce extinction risk of native species can foster invasion by non‐native species that enter via the corridors created, which can then increase extinction risk. This dilemma is acute for stream fishes, especially native salmonids, because their populations are frequently relegated to fragments of headwater habitat threatened by invasion from downstream by 3 cosmopolitan non‐native salmonids. Managers often block these upstream invasions with movement barriers, but isolation of native salmonids in small headwater streams can increase the threat of local extinction. We propose a conceptual framework to address this worldwide problem that focuses on 4 main questions. First, are populations of conservation value present (considering evolutionary legacies, ecological functions, and socioeconomic benefits as distinct values)? Second, are populations vulnerable to invasion and displacement by non‐native salmonids? Third, would these populations be threatened with local extinction if isolated with barriers? And, fourth, how should management be prioritized among multiple populations? We also developed a conceptual model of the joint trade‐off of invasion and isolation threats that considers the opportunities for managers to make strategic decisions. We illustrated use of this framework in an analysis of the invasion‐isolation trade‐off for native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) in 2 contrasting basins in western North America where invasion and isolation are either present and strong or farther away and apparently weak. These cases demonstrate that decisions to install or remove barriers to conserve native salmonids are often complex and depend on conservation values, environmental context (which influences the threat of invasion and isolation), and additional socioeconomic factors. Explicit analysis with tools such as those we propose can help managers make sound decisions in such complex circumstances.     

Thresholds in Songbird Occurrence in Relation to Landscape Structure

Abstract:  Theory predicts the occurrence of threshold levels of habitat in landscapes, below which ecological processes change abruptly. Simulation models indicate that below critical thresholds, fragmentation of habitat influences patch occupancy by decreasing colonization rates and increasing rates of local extinction. Uncovering such putative relationships is important for understanding the demography of species and in developing sound conservation strategies. Using segmented logistic regression, we tested for thresholds in occurrence of 15 bird species as a function of the amount of suitable habitat at multiple scales (150–2000-m radii). Suitable habitat was defined quantitatively based on previously derived, spatially explicit distribution models for each species. The occurrence of 10 out of 15 species was influenced by the amount of habitat at a landscape scale (≥500-m radius). Of these species all but one were best predicted by threshold models. Six out of nine species exhibited asymptotic thresholds; the effects of habitat loss intensified at low amounts of habitat in a landscape. Landscape thresholds ranged from 8.6% habitat to 28.7% (     = 18.5 ± 2.6%[95% CI]). For two species landscape thresholds coincided with sensitivity to fragmentation; both species were more likely to occur in large patches, but only when the amount of habitat in a landscape was low. This supports the fragmentation threshold hypothesis. Nevertheless, the occurrence of most species appeared to be unaffected by fragmentation, regardless of the amount of habitat present at landscape extents. The thresholds we identified may be useful to managers in establishing conservation targets. Our results indicate that findings of landscape-scale studies conducted in regions with relatively high proportions of habitat and low fragmentation may not be applicable in regions with low habitat proportions and high fragmentation.     

Thresholds of species loss in Amazonian deforestation frontier landscapes

In the Brazilian Amazon, private land accounts for the majority of remaining native vegetation. Understanding how land‐use change affects the composition and distribution of biodiversity in farmlands is critical for improving conservation strategies in the face of rapid agricultural expansion. Working across an area exceeding 3 million ha in the southwestern state of Rondônia, we assessed how the extent and configuration of remnant forest in replicate 10,000‐ha landscapes has affected the occurrence of a suite of Amazonian mammals and birds. In each of 31 landscapes, we used field sampling and semistructured interviews with landowners to determine the presence of 28 large and medium sized mammals and birds, as well as a further 7 understory birds. We then combined results of field surveys and interviews with a probabilistic model of deforestation. We found strong evidence for a threshold response of sampled biodiversity to landscape level forest cover; landscapes with <30–40% forest cover hosted markedly fewer species. Results from field surveys and interviews yielded similar thresholds. These results imply that in partially deforested landscapes many species are susceptible to extirpation following relatively small additional reductions in forest area. In the model of deforestation by 2030 the number of 10,000‐ha landscapes under a conservative threshold of 43% forest cover almost doubled, such that only 22% of landscapes would likely to be able to sustain at least 75% of the 35 focal species we sampled. Brazilian law requires rural property owners in the Amazon to retain 80% forest cover, although this is rarely achieved. Prioritizing efforts to ensure that entire landscapes, rather than individual farms, retain at least 50% forest cover may help safeguard native biodiversity in private forest reserves in the Amazon. Umbrales de Pérdida de Especies en los Paisajes Fronterizos de Deforestación en el Amazonas Ochoa‐Quintero     

Patch Size and Connectivity Thresholds for Butterfly Habitat Restoration

Abstract:  Recovery of endangered species in highly fragmented habitats often requires habitat restoration. Selection of restoration sites typically involves too many options and too much uncertainty to reach a decision based on existing reserve design methods. The Fender's blue butterfly (  Icaricia icarioides fenderi ) survives in small, isolated patches of remnant prairie in Oregon's Willamette Valley—a habitat for which <0.5% of the original remains. Recovery of this species will require considerable habitat restoration. We investigated the potential of biologically based rules of thumb and more complex models to serve as tools in making land acquisitions. Based on Fender's blue dispersal behavior and demography, we have estimated that restored patches should be <1 km from existing habitat and at least 2 ha. We compared these rules to the results of two modeling approaches: an incidence function model and a spatially explicit simulation of demography and dispersal behavior. Not surprisingly, the simple rules and complex models all conclude that large (>2 ha) connected (<1 km) patches have the highest restoration value. The dispersal model, however, suggests that small, connected patches have more restoration value than large, isolated patches, whereas the incidence function model suggests that size and connectivity are equally important. These differences stem from model assumptions. We used incidence functions to predict long-term, stochastic, steady-state conditions and dispersal simulations to predict short-term (25-year) colonization dynamics. To apply our results in the context of selecting restoration sites on the ground, we recommend selecting nearby sites when short-term colonization dynamics are expected to be an important aspect of a species' biology.     

Habitat Fragmentation and Species Loss across Three Interacting Trophic Levels: Effects of Life-History and Food-Web Traits

Abstract:  Not all species are likely to be equally affected by habitat fragmentation; thus, we evaluated the effects of size of forest remnants on trophically linked communities of plants, leaf-mining insects, and their parasitoids. We explored the possibility of differential vulnerability to habitat area reduction in relation to species-specific and food-web traits by comparing species–area regression slopes. Moreover, we searched for a synergistic effect of these traits and of trophic level . We collected mined leaves and recorded plant, leaf miner, and parasitoid species interactions in five 100-m² transects in 19 Chaco Serrano woodland remnants in central Argentina. Species were classified into extreme categories according to body size, natural abundance, trophic breadth, and trophic level . Species–area slopes differed between groups with extreme values of natural abundance or trophic specialization. Nevertheless, synergistic effects of life-history and food-web traits were only found for trophic level and trophic breadth: area-related species loss was highest for specialist parasitoids. It has been suggested that species position within interaction webs could determine their vulnerability to extinction. Our results provide evidence that food-web parameters, such as trophic level and trophic breadth, affect species sensitivity to habitat fragmentation .     

土壤中铜和镍的不同毒性阈值间量化关系

污染物的剂量-效应关系是生态毒理学的重要基础。在剂量-效应关系中,EC₁₀ (10%有效抑制浓度) 是建立基于风险的环境质量基准值的基础,但有关污染物生态效应的研究报导中多数采用毒性阈值EC₅₀ (半数抑制浓度),如何将EC₅₀转化为EC₁₀是建立污染物环境质量基准急需解决的问题。利用log-logistic拟合了中国17种代表性土壤中大麦、西红柿、小白菜3种植物的铜和镍剂量—效应曲线,获得了不同土壤中铜、镍剂量—效应曲线中段的斜率(b值),并依据计量—效应曲线获得3种植物在不同土壤中的铜、镍EC₁₀和EC₅₀值。结果表明：铜和镍的剂量—效应曲线 b值受土壤性质显著影响,但不同物种间的变化较小,大麦、西红柿及小白菜的铜、镍剂量—效应曲线b值绝对值的平均值分别接近于6.0和7.0。利用来自中国土壤的毒理学数据建立的铜和镍EC₅₀和EC₁₀单因子量化模型能较为准确地通过铜和镍EC₅₀值预测其EC₁₀值,其量化模型的决定系数 分别为0.704和0.799,当分别考虑土壤pH和有机碳 (OC) 的影响时,铜和镍的EC₁₀量化模型的决定系数分别提高至0.730和0.885。土壤中铜、镍EC₁₀与EC₅₀量化关系的建立可为中国土壤中铜、镍的风险评价及相关标准的制定提供更多的数据基础。     

农用污泥中铜的生态安全阈值研究

本论文采用污泥和土壤外源铜的活性差异系数法研究了农用污泥中铜的生态安全阈值。首先通过比较确定不同土壤条件下污泥中铜和水溶性铜的活性差异的系数,然后利用系数法得到相应土壤条件下污泥铜HC5值(即能够保护95%物种的浓度),并建立了土壤理化性质参数与污泥铜HC5值的量化关系和预测模型。最后与我国现行污泥农用标准值进行了比较,提出了修改建议。结果表明,土壤中来源污泥的铜活性均值约为来源水溶性盐的40%左右。土壤阳离子交换量(CEC)是影响土壤中污泥源铜的毒性的主控因子,可影响污泥铜HC5值变异的84.6%,而土壤pH值和有机碳含量(OC)分别可影响污泥铜HC5值变异的8.4%和1.8%。基于土壤pH、OC和CEC的三因子模型进行预测优于基于土壤pH和CEC的两因子模型,其相关性达到94.8%。与模型预测值相比,我国现行污泥农用标准GB4284-84与CJ/T309-2009中对铜限值的规定均存在着不同程度的保护不足或保护过度问题。     

Trophic Flexibility and the Persistence of Understory Birds in Intensively Logged Rainforest

Effects of logging on species composition in tropical rainforests are well known but may fail to reveal key changes in species interactions. We used nitrogen stable‐isotope analysis of 73 species of understory birds to quantify trophic responses to repeated intensive logging of rainforest in northern Borneo and to test 4 hypotheses: logging has significant effects on trophic positions and trophic‐niche widths of species, and the persistence of species in degraded forest is related to their trophic positions and trophic‐niche widths in primary forest. Species fed from higher up the food chain and had narrower trophic‐niche widths in degraded forest. Species with narrow trophic‐niche widths in primary forest were less likely to persist after logging, a result that indicates a higher vulnerability of dietary specialists to local extinction following habitat disturbance. Persistence of species in degraded forest was not related to a species’ trophic position. These results indicate changes in trophic organization that were not apparent from changes in species composition and highlight the importance of focusing on trophic flexibility over the prevailing emphasis on membership of static feeding guilds. Our results thus support the notion that alterations to trophic organization and interactions within tropical forests may be a pervasive and functionally important hidden effect of forest degradation. Flexibilidad Trófica y la Persistencia de Aves de Sotobosque en un Bosque Lluvioso Talado Intensivamente     

Rapid Evolution in the Wild: Changes in Body Size, Life-History Traits, and Behavior in Hunted Populations of the Japanese Mamushi Snake

Abstract:  Rapid evolution caused by human exploitation of wildlife is not usually addressed in studies of the impacts of such exploitation despite its direct relevance to population persistence. Japanese mamushi ( Gloydius blomhoffii ), an endemic venomous snake of the Japanese archipelago, has been heavily hunted by humans, and many populations appear to be declining or are already extirpated. We compared local populations that have been hunted regularly with populations that have not been hunted. Mamushi in hunted populations were smaller, had fewer vertebrae, produced more and smaller offspring, had increased reproductive effort among smaller females, and in nature fled at greater distances from an approaching human and were less defensive than mamushi in unhunted populations, as predicted from life-history theory. Heritability estimates for body size, number of vertebrae, and antipredator behavior were statistically significant, and neonates from hunted sites showed the same distribution of altered characters (compared with those from unhunted sites) as adults. Thus, distribution of the divergent trait between hunted and unhunted sites appeared in part to be genetically based, which suggests rapid evolution to human predation pressures. Trait distributions in hunted populations probably deviate from naturally (as opposed to anthropogenically) selected optima and, therefore, may have long-term negative repercussions on population persistence. Because rapid evolution affects a suite of parameters that characterize exploited populations, accurate understanding of the impacts of exploitation and effective resource management and conservation can only be achieved if evolutionary consequences are considered explicitly.     

Flexibility,learning, and irreversibility in environmental decisions: A bayesian approach

The Bayes decision is characterized and studied for a two-period decision problem involving a proposed resource development project. It is assumed that development is irreversible and that expectations about benefits and costs during the second period vary with experiences resulting from the first-period action. The amount and types of learning achieved depend upon the particular action taken during the first period. Flexible sequential decision procedures are compared with fixed once-and-for-all decisions. It is shown that under this specification, optimal development decisions are not necessarily more conservative when a sequential procedure is used. The possibility of reneging on a fixed decision is formally specified and studied.     

Flexibility in daily travel routines causes regional variation in bird migration speed

We used novel Global Positioning System-based satellite telemetry to reconstruct daily time budgets on travelling days of a long-distance migrant, the Osprey Pandion haliaetus, to reveal how landscape affects migratory performance. We compared daily travel routines between the Ospreys’ passage of Europe and the Sahara. In Europe, where feeding habitat is abundant, Ospreys fed both before–after flights and during interruptions, thus, combining migration with foraging. This resulted in a 2.7-h shorter daily flight period in Europe than in the Sahara. A calculated energy budget indicated that a ‘fly-and-forage migration strategy’ is favourable in Europe because associated benefits (energy intake) more than outweigh costs (reduced flight time). The much shorter flight time in Europe was the main explanation why Ospreys covered on average 78 km less distance on a travelling day in Europe than in the Sahara. In addition, there were regional differences in hourly flight speeds that are most probably the result of variation in thermal soaring conditions. We conclude that landscape properties have a profound effect on migration through regional variation in daily routines.     

农用地土壤重金属生态安全阈值确定方法的研究进展

农用地土壤重金属生态安全阈值作为农用地土壤环境质量基准制定的重要依据,近年来随着多学科的共同发展,农用地土壤重金属生态安全阈值的确定方法变得越来越完善,但目前对其的研究综述却鲜见报道。因此,文章综述了农用地土壤重金属生态安全阈值的确定方法,详细阐述了点模型、概率模型以及经验模型中的代表方法在确定农用地土壤重金属生态安全阈值方面的概念、原理、发展及应用,并深入探讨了各方法的适用情况和优缺点,系统分析了各方法在确定农用地土壤重金属生态安全阈值时的不确定性及影响因素,最后在前人的研究基础上提出了今后的主要发展方向,以期为我国农用地土壤环境质量标准的完善与细化及农用地土壤其他污染物生态安全阈值的确定提供参考依据。     

Determining Decision Thresholds and Evaluating Indicators when Conservation Status is Measured as a Continuum

Categorization of the status of populations, species, and ecosystems underpins most conservation activities. Status is often based on how a system's current indicator value (e.g., change in abundance) relates to some threshold of conservation concern. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves can be used to quantify the statistical reliability of indicators of conservation status and evaluate trade‐offs between correct (true positive) and incorrect (false positive) classifications across a range of decision thresholds. However, ROC curves assume a discrete, binary relationship between an indicator and the conservation status it is meant to track, which is a simplification of the more realistic continuum of conservation status, and may limit the applicability of ROC curves in conservation science. We describe a modified ROC curve that treats conservation status as a continuum rather than a discrete state. We explored the influence of this continuum and typical sources of variation in abundance that can lead to classification errors (i.e., random variation and measurement error) on the true and false positive rates corresponding to varying decision thresholds and the reliability of change in abundance as an indicator of conservation status, respectively. We applied our modified ROC approach to an indicator of endangerment in Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) (i.e., percent decline in geometric mean abundance) and an indicator of marine ecosystem structure and function (i.e., detritivore biomass). Failure to treat conservation status as a continuum when choosing thresholds for indicators resulted in the misidentification of trade‐offs between true and false positive rates and the overestimation of an indicator's reliability. We argue for treating conservation status as a continuum when ROC curves are used to evaluate decision thresholds in indicators for the assessment of conservation status. Determinación de Umbrales de Decisiones y Evaluación delos Indicadores cuando se Mide el Estado de de Conservación como un Continuo