Optimizing dispersal corridors for the Cape Proteaceae using network flow

We introduce a new way of measuring and optimizing connectivity in conservation landscapes through time, accounting for both the biological needs of multiple species and the social and financial constraint of minimizing land area requiring additional protection. Our method is based on the concept of network flow; we demonstrate its use by optimizing protected areas in the Western Cape of South Africa to facilitate autogenic species shifts in geographic range under climate change for a family of endemic plants, the Cape Proteaceae. In 2005, P. Williams and colleagues introduced a novel framework for this protected area design task. To ensure population viability, they assumed each species should have a range size of at least 100 km2 of predicted suitable conditions contained in protected areas at all times between 2000 and 2050. The goal was to design multiple dispersal corridors for each species, connecting suitable conditions between time periods, subject to each species' limited dispersal ability, and minimizing the total area requiring additional protection. We show that both minimum range size and limited dispersal abilities can be naturally modeled using the concept of network flow. This allows us to apply well-established tools from operations research and computer science for solving network flow problems. Using the same data and this novel modeling approach, we reduce the area requiring additional protection by a third compared to previous methods, from 4593 km2 to 3062 km , while still achieving the same conservation planning goals. We prove that this is the best solution mathematically possible: the given planning goals cannot be achieved with a smaller area, given our modeling assumptions and data. Our method allows for flexibility and refinement of the underlying climate-change, species-habitat-suitability, and dispersal models. In particular, we propose an alternate formalization of a minimum range size moving through time and use network flow to achieve the revised goals, again with the smallest possible newly protected area (2850 km2). We show how to relate total dispersal distance to probability of successful dispersal, and compute a trade-off curve between this quantity and the total amount of extra land that must be protected.     

Postfire stand structure in a semiarid savanna: cross-scale challenges estimating biomass.

Algorithms relating remotely sensed woody cover to biomass are often the basis for large-scale inventories of aboveground carbon stocks. However, these algorithms are commonly applied in a generic fashion without consideration of disturbances that might alter vegetation structure. We compared field and remote sensing estimates of woody biomass on savannas with contrasting disturbance (fire) histories and assessed potential errors in estimating woody biomass from cover without considering fire history. Field surveys quantified multilayer cover (MLC) of woody and succulent plants on sites experiencing wildfire in 1989 or 1994 and on nearby unburned (control) sites. Remote sensing estimates of the woody cover fraction (WCF) on burned and control sites were derived from contemporary (2005) dry-season Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery (during a period when herbaceous cover was senescent) using a probabilistic spectral mixture analysis model. Satellite WCF estimates were compared to field MLC assessments and related to aboveground biomass using allometry. Field-based MLC and remotely sensed WCFs both indicated that woody cover was comparable on control areas and areas burned 11-16 years ago. However, biomass was approximately twofold higher on control sites. Canopy cover was a strong predictor of woody biomass on burned and control areas, but fire history significantly altered the linear cover-biomass relationship on control plots to a curvilinear relationship on burned plots. Results suggest predictions of woody biomass from "generic" two-dimensional (2-D) cover algorithms may underestimate biomass in undisturbed stands and overestimate biomass in stands recovering from disturbance. Improving the accuracy of woody-biomass estimates from field and/or remotely sensed cover may therefore require disturbance-specific models or detection of vegetation height and transforming 2-D vegetation cover to 3-D vegetation volume.     

An Evaluation of Techniques to Control Problem Bird Species on Landfill Sites

Birds feeding on landfill sites cause problems in terms of nuisance to neighbors, flight safety, a threat to public health, and affecting the day to day site operation. A number of control measures exist to deter problem species; however, research into their effectiveness across sites and for multiple species has been limited. We use a modeling approach in order to assess the effectiveness of nine techniques — pyrotechnics, hand-held distress calls, static distress calls, blank ammunition, a combination of blank and lethal use of ammunition, the use of falcons, the use of hawks, wailers and helium-filled bird-scaring kites — at deterring three commonly recorded species — the Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus), the Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) and the Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) — from six landfill sites across the United Kingdom. The use of distress calls, falconry, and combinations of lethal and nonlethal use of ammunition were the most effective techniques for initially deterring birds from these sites. However, when habituation is considered, there is a clear difference between techniques such as falconry, which have a lethal aspect and may act to reinforce the deterrence, and the use of techniques such as distress calls, which do not. However there are problems related to legislation and public perception when lethal techniques are used.     

Estimating Forest Ecosystem Evapotranspiration at Multiple Temporal Scales With a Dimension Analysis Approach1

Abstract:  It is critical that evapotranspiration (ET) be quantified accurately so that scientists can evaluate the effects of land management and global change on water availability, streamflow, nutrient and sediment loading, and ecosystem productivity in watersheds. The objective of this study was to derive a new semi‐empirical ET modeled using a dimension analysis method that could be used to estimate forest ET effectively at multiple temporal scales. The model developed describes ET as a function of water availability for evaporation and transpiration, potential ET demand, air humidity, and land surface characteristics. The model was tested with long‐term hydrometeorological data from five research sites with distinct forest hydrology in the United States and China. Averaged simulation error for daily ET was within 0.5 mm/day. The annual ET at each of the five study sites were within 7% of measured values. Results suggest that the model can accurately capture the temporal dynamics of ET in forest ecosystems at daily, monthly, and annual scales. The model is climate‐driven and is sensitive to topography and vegetation characteristics and thus has potential to be used to examine the compounding hydrologic responses to land cover and climate changes at multiple temporal scales.     

Watershed Evapotranspiration Increased due to Changes in Vegetation Composition and Structure Under a Subtropical Climate1

Abstract: Natural forests in southern China have been severely logged due to high human demand for timber, food, and fuels during the past century, but are recovering in the past decade. The objective of this study was to investigate how vegetation cover changes in composition and structure affected the water budgets of a 9.6‐km² Dakeng watershed located in a humid subtropical mountainous region in southern China. We analyzed 27 years (i.e., 1967‐1993) of streamflow and climate data and associated vegetation cover change in the watershed. Land use/land cover census and Normalized Difference of Vegetation Index (NDVI) data derived from remote sensing were used to construct historic land cover change patterns. We found that over the period of record, annual streamflow (Q) and runoff/precipitation ratio did not change significantly, nor did the climatic variables, including air temperature, Hamon’s potential evapotranspiration (ET), pan evaporation, sunshine hours, and radiation. However, annual ET estimated as the differences between P and Q showed a statistically significant increasing trend. Overall, the NDVI of the watershed had a significant increasing trend in the peak spring growing season. This study concluded that watershed ecosystem ET increased as the vegetation cover shifted from low stock forests to shrub and grasslands that had higher ET rates. A conceptual model was developed for the study watershed to describe the vegetation cover‐streamflow relationships during a 50‐year time frame. This paper highlighted the importance of eco‐physiologically based studies in understanding transitory, nonstationary effects of deforestation or forestation on watershed water balances.     

A preliminary in vitro assessment of GroBiotic-A, brewer's yeast and fructooligosaccharide as prebiotics for the red drum Sciaenops ocellatus

This study examined the effects of brewers yeast, fructooligosaccharide (FOS), and GroBiotic-A, a mixture of partially autolyzed brewers yeast, dairy components and dried fermentation products, on the intestinal microbial community of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus. Gastrointestinal (GI) tracts were aseptically removed from three sub-adult red drum previously maintained on a commercial diet and placed in an anaerobic chamber. Intestinal contents were removed, diluted and incubated in vitro in one of four liquid media: normal diet alone, diet + 2% (w/w) GroBiotic-A, diet + 2% brewers yeast, and diet + 2% FOS. After 24 and 48 h of incubation at 25 degrees C, supernatants were removed for volatile fatty acid (VFA) analysis and DNA was extracted for denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on a highly conserved region of M 16S rDNA and the amplicons were subjected to DGGE. The microbial community (MC) fingerprint was used to distinguish microbial populations. The intestinal contents incubated with GroBiotic-A had significantly (P<0.05) higher acetate and total VFA concentrations at 48 h compared to the other treatments. DGGE analysis demonstrated that the microbial community was significantly altered by Grobiotic-A and brewers yeast.     

The application of generalized linear mixed models to multi-level sampling for insect population monitoring

Iwao's quadratic regression or Taylor's Power Law (TPL) are commonly used to model the variance as a function of the mean for sample counts of insect populations which exhibit spatial aggregation. The modeled variance and distribution of the mean are typically used in pest management programs to decide if the population is above the action threshold in any management unit (MU) (e.g., orchard, forest compartment). For nested or multi-level sampling the usual two-stage modeling procedure first obtains the sample variance for each MU and sampling level using ANOVA and then fits a regression of variance on the mean for each level using either Iwao or TPL variance models. Here this approach is compared to the single-stage procedure of fitting a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) directly to the count data with both approaches demonstrated using 2-level sampling. GLMMs and additive GLMMs (AGLMMs) with conditional Poisson variance function as well as the extension to the negative binomial are described. Generalization to more than two sampling levels is outlined. Formulae for calculating optimal relative sample sizes (ORSS) and the operating characteristic curve for the control decision are given for each model. The ORSS are independent of the mean in the case of the AGLMMs. The application described is estimation of the variance of the mean number of leaves per shoot occupied by immature stages of a defoliator of eucalypts, the Tasmanian Eucalyptus leaf beetle, based on a sample of trees within plots from each forest compartment. Historical population monitoring data were fitted using the above approaches.     

An Assessment of the Ecological Condition of Long Island Sound, 1990–1993

Data from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) from 1990 to 1993 were used to assess the condition of the Long Island Sound (LIS) estuary. Ambient water, sediment and biota were collected during the summer months from 53 LIS stations using an unbiased sampling design. The design consists of two LIS subunits, LIS proper, and small estuaries (<2.6 km2) at the margins of the Sound. Selected indicators of condition included: benthic species composition, abundance and biomass; fish species composition and gross external pathology; sediment physical and chemical characterization and sediment toxicity; and water clarity and quality. Results of the four-year sampling indicated that 28(±11)% of the areal extent of LIS proper had a benthic index < zero (impacted) and 51(±12)% of the area of small estuaries was impacted. Analysis of the results of other indicators also shows that small estuaries were particularly affected. For example, 42(±10)% of the areal extent of small estuaries exhibited sediment toxicity, and significant chemical contamination was evident in 22% of the area of small estuaries. Low dissolved oxygen (D.O.) concentrations (<5 ppm), however, appeared to affect only the deeper open waters of western LIS. Approximately 48(±12)% of the areal extent of LIS proper documented exposure to at least moderate D.O. stress (<5 ppm). The overall results of this monitoring study indicate that significant anthropogenic impacts have occurred in LIS and that if remediation was to take place, specific localized sediment problems would need attention. Point source and non-point source nutrient inputs to the Sound, which are believed to be the primary causative factor for the observed hypoxic conditions, would also need attention.     

CHARACTERIZATION OF INORGANIC PARTICLES IN SELECTED RESERVOIRS AND TRIBUTARIES OF THE NEW YORK CITY WATER SUPPLY1

ABSTRACT: Individual particle analysis (IPA) by scanning electron microscopy interfaced with automated image and X‐ray analyses was used to characterize inorganic particles in five reservoirs and four tributaries located within the Catskill and Delaware systems of the New York City water supply. Individual particle analysis provides combined elemental and morphologic characterizations. Results are presented in terms of particle projected area per unit volume (PAV), consistent with optical impacts, and partitioned into seven generic particle types according to composition. Minerals of terrigenous origins, particularly clay minerals, dominated the inorganic particle populations of all the study systems except one downstream reservoir. Higher PAV levels were observed in the Catskill system. Particle dynamics represented by PAV were driven primarily by runoff, while the reservoirs were also greatly influenced by the timing of sediment resuspension promoted by drawdown of the surface and fall mixing. The benefit of the serial configuration of the reservoirs in decreasing inorganic particles with progression downstream towards the city is demonstrated. The patterns in PAV levels among the study systems generally tracked those of more common metrics of impacts of suspensoids, including mass concentrations of suspended solids, turbidity, and Secchi disc transparency.     

Importance of Sediment–Water Interactions in Coeur d’Alene Lake,Idaho, USA: Management Implications

A field study at Coeur dAlene Lake, Idaho, USA, was conducted between October 1998 and August 2001 to examine the potential importance of sediment–water interactions on contaminant transport and to provide the first direct measurements of the benthic flux of dissolved solutes of environmental concern in this lake. Because of potential ecological effects, dissolved zinc and orthophosphate were the solutes of primary interest. Results from deployments of an in situ flux chamber indicated that benthic fluxes of dissolved Zn and orthophosphate were comparable in magnitude to riverine inputs. Tracer analyses and benthic-community metrics provided evidence that solute benthic flux were diffusion-controlled at the flux-chamber deployment sites. That is, effects of biomixing (or bioturbation) and ground-water interactions did not strongly influence benthic flux. Remediation efforts in the river might not produce desired water-quality effects in the lake because imposed shifts in concentration gradients near the sediment–water interface would generate a benthic feedback response. Therefore, development of water-quality models to justify remediation strategies requires consideration of contaminant flux between the water column and underlying sediment in basins that have been affected by long-term (decadal) anthropogenic activities.