Global protected-area coverage and human pressure on tidal flats

Tidal flats are a globally distributed coastal ecosystem important for supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services. Local to continental-scale studies have documented rapid loss of tidal habitat driven by human impacts, but assessments of progress in their conservation are lacking. With an internally consistent estimate of distribution and change, based on Landsat satellite imagery, now available for the world's tidal flats, we examined tidal flat representation in protected areas (PAs) and human pressure on tidal flats. We determined tidal flat representation and its net change in PAs by spatially overlaying tidal flat maps with the World Database of Protected Areas. Similarly, we overlaid the most recent distribution map of tidal flats (2014–2016) with the human modification map (HM_c) (range from 0, no human pressure, to 1, very high human pressure) to estimate the human pressure exerted on this ecosystem. Sixty-eight percent of the current extent of tidal flats is subject to moderate to very high human pressure (HM_c > 0.1), but 31% of tidal flat extent occurred in PAs, far exceeding PA coverage of the marine (6%) and terrestrial (13%) realms. Net change of tidal flat extent inside PAs was similar to tidal flat net change outside PAs from 1999 to 2016. Substantial shortfalls in protection of tidal flats occurred across Asia, where large intertidal extents coincided with high to very high human pressure (HM_c > 0.4–1.0) and net tidal flat losses up to 86.4 km² (95% CI 83.9–89.0) occurred inside individual PAs in the study period. Taken together, our results show substantial progress in PA designation for tidal flats globally, but that PA status alone does not prevent all habitat loss. Safeguarding the world's tidal flats will thus require deeper understanding of the factors that govern their dynamics and effective policy that promotes holistic coastal and catchment management strategies.     

Identifying the possibilities and pitfalls of conducting IUCN Red List assessments from remotely sensed habitat information based on insights from poorly known Cuban mammals

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species (RLS) is the key global tool for objective, repeatable assessment of species’ extinction risk status, and plays an essential role in tracking biodiversity loss and guiding conservation action. Satellite remote sensing (SRS) data sets on global ecosystem distributions and functioning show exciting potential for informing range-based RLS assessment, but their incorporation has been restricted by low temporal resolution and coverage of data sets, lack of incorporation of degradation-driven habitat loss, and noninclusion of assumptions related to identification of changing habitat distributions for taxa with varying habitat dependency and ecologies. For poorly known mangrove-associated Cuban hutias (Mesocapromys spp.), we tested the impact of possible assumptions regarding these issues on range-based RLS assessment outcomes. Specifically, we used annual (1985–2018) Landsat data and land-cover classification and habitat degradation analyses across different internal time series slices to simulate range-based RLS assessments for our case study taxa to explore potential assessment uncertainty arising from temporal SRS data set coverage, incorporating proxies of (change in) habitat quality, and assumptions on spatial scaling of habitat extent for RLS parameter generation. We found extensive variation in simulated species-specific range-based RLS assessments, and this variation was mostly associated with the time series over which parameters were estimated. However, results of some species-specific assessments differed by up to 3 categories (near threatened to critically endangered) within the same time series, due to the effects of incorporating habitat quality and the spatial scaling used in RLS parameter estimation. Our results showed that a one-size-fits-all approach to incorporating SRS information in RLS assessment is inappropriate, and we urge caution in conducting range-based assessments with SRS for species for which habitat dependence on specific ecosystem types is incompletely understood. We propose novel revisions to parameter spatial scaling guidelines to improve integration of existing time series data on ecosystem change into the RLS assessment process.     

Prevalence-adjusted optimisation of fuzzy models for species distribution

Most performance criteria which have been applied to train ecological models focus on the accuracy of the model predictions. However, these criteria depend on the prevalence of the training set and often do not take into account ecological issues such as the distinction between omission and commission errors. Moreover, a previous study indicated that model training based on different performance criteria results in different optimised models. Therefore, model developers should train models based on different performance criteria and select the most appropriate model depending on the modelling objective. This paper presents a new approach to train fuzzy models based on an adjustable performance criterion, called the adjusted average deviation (aAD). This criterion was applied to develop a species distribution model for spawning grayling in the Aare River near Thun, Switzerland. To analyse the strengths and weaknesses of this approach, it was compared to model training based on other performance criteria. The results suggest that model training based on accuracy-based performance criteria may produce unrealistic models at extreme prevalences of the training set, whereas the aAD allows for the identification of more accurate and more reliable models. Moreover, the adjustable parameter in this criterion enables modellers to situate the optimised models in the search space and thus provides an indication of the ecological model relevance. Consequently, it may support modellers and river managers in the decision making process by improving model reliability and insight into the modelling process. Due to the universality and the flexibility of the approach, it could be applied to any other ecosystem or species, and may therefore be valuable to ecological modelling and ecosystem management in general.     

Modeling the Effect of Population Dynamics on the Impact of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease

Abstract:  The European wild rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) is a staple prey species in Mediterranean ecosystems. The arrival and subsequent spread of rabbit hemorrhagic disease throughout southwestern Europe, however, has caused a decline in rabbit numbers, leading to considerable efforts to enhance wild rabbit populations, especially through habitat management. Because rabbit population dynamics depend on habitat suitability and changes in habitat structure and composition subsequent to habitat management, I evaluated the effects of population dynamics on the long-term impact of rabbit hemorrhagic disease on rabbit populations. I used an age-structured model with varying degrees of population productivity and turnover and different habitat carrying capacities, and I assumed the existence of a unique, highly pathogenic virus. My results suggest that disease impact may be highly dependent on habitat carrying capacity and rabbit population dynamics, and the model provided some insight into the current abundance of wild rabbits in different locations in southwestern Europe. The highest disease impact was estimated for populations located in habitats with low to medium carrying capacity. In contrast, disease impact was lower in high-density populations in habitats with high carrying capacity, corresponding to a lower mean age of rabbit infection and a resulting lower mortality from rabbit hemorrhagic disease. The outcomes of the model suggest that management strategies to help rabbit populations recover should be based on improving habitats to their maximum carrying capacity and increasing rabbit population productivity. In contrast, the use of strategies based on temporary increases in rabbit density, including vaccination campaigns, translocations, and temporal habitat improvements at medium carrying capacities, may increase disease impact, resulting in short-term decreases in rabbit population density.     

Dynamics of Habitat Distribution in Birds Differing in the Level of Site Tenacity

The dynamics of habitat distribution in two bird species differing in the level of site tenacity—willow warbler (relatively tenacious) and little bunting (more flexible)—were studied at the boundary of the northern taiga and forest–tundra zones over ten years. The distribution pattern proved to be more uniform in the willow warbler than in the little bunting. Both species occupied their habitats according to a well-known scheme: initially, the birds settled in their favorable floodplain habitats and later; when their abundance increased, in less preferable habitats (terraces above the floodplain, moss bogs, and the tundra). In the case of willow warbler, the process of occupying the floodplain was stepwise: bird density increased sharply, remained at the same level in the next year, then increased again, etc. In the case of little bunting, the degree of floodplain occupation by birds remained high, except for the years when high spring floods interfered with bird settling.     

On the Biology of Five-toed Pigmy Jerboa (Cardiocranius paradoxus Satunin, 1902) in the Ubsu-Nuur Depression

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

COARSE WOODY DEBRIS AND CHANNEL MORPHOLOGY: A FLUME STUDY1

ABSTRACT: In recent years, logs and other structures have been added to streams for the purposes of altering channel morphology to improve fish habitat. This flume study was conducted to evaluate the effects of coarse woody debris on local channel morphology. Wooden dowels were used to simulate the effects of individual logs in a stream, and scour depth and surface area were determined at the end of each test run. The maximum scour depth was significantly correlated (90 percent confidence level) with both the vertical orientation of the dowels and the channel opening ratio; the scour surface area was significantly correlated (90 percent confidence level) with both the flow depth and the vertical orientation. Upstream-oriented dowels caused relatively large streambed scour and also deflected flows toward the streambank. Downstream-oriented dowels generally caused less bed scour and appeared to provide better bank protection because flow was generally deflected from the bank. In conjunction with data from field studies, these results provide information on the effects of orientation, hydraulic function, and relative stability of coarse woody debris in streams.     

我国无人岛保护与持续利用途径研究:生境更新的方法及应用

通过对我国无人岛保护和开发现状及其开发模式演变趋势的分析 ,阐明生境更新的内涵和方法 ,提出 1种新型的保护性海岛开发模式 ,包括建设自然保护区 ,实施生态旅游 ,开发海洋牧场、港口等。按照保护性开发和生态恢复等原则 ,运用生境更新的原理和方法 ,将我国无人岛划分为生态型、开发型、居民迁出型及国防型 4种类型 ,以利于实行有效的分类管理。     

淀山湖浮游动物群落时空分布特征及其与环境因子的关系

淀山湖是上海市最大的淡水湖泊,属亚热带浅水湖泊.于2017年对该湖的浮游动物和水质参数进行逐月调查,并结合浮游植物群落数据,采用多元回归树模型(multivariate regression trees,MRT)和主坐标分析(principal coordinates analysis,PCo A)等方法研究了该湖浮游动物群落结构时空分布特征及其与环境因子的关系.结果表明,淀山湖浮游动物群落结构季节差异显著(P 0. 05),但仅在春、夏季节存在空间差异(P 0. 05),其他季节空间差异不显著(P 0. 05).水温、叶绿素a、氨氮以及蓝藻丰度是引起淀山湖浮游动物群落时空变化的关键性因子. MRT分析表明,当水温13. 07℃时,表现为冬季群落特征,当水温在13. 07～19. 57℃之间时,表现为春季群落特征;当水温≥19. 57℃时,叶绿素a浓度≥9. 03μg·L-1,则为夏季群落特征,而当叶绿素a浓度9. 03μg·L-1时,则表现为秋季群落特征.聚类分析将淀山湖浮游动物群落分成3个空间区域;春季时,当氨氮浓度1. 11 mg·L-1时,上游进水区(区域Ⅱ)浮游动物群落与其他两个区域有显著差异(P 0. 05);而夏季当蓝藻生物量≥2. 58 mg·L-1时,区域Ⅰ的浮游动物群落与其他两个区域有显著的空间差异(P 0. 05).     

大伙房水库入库河流物理生境评价及其对水质状况的影响

2012年8—9月对大伙房水库入库河流39个河段的物理生境特征和水质状况进行调查,并运用相关分析和冗余分析的方法识别物理生境特征与水质状况的响应关系.研究结果表明,大伙房水库入库河流物理生境质量等级为较好以上的河段占43.6%,一般河段占48.7%,较差河段占5.1%,物理生境质量好的河段主要位于浑河上游地区,质量较差的河段主要位于大伙房水库周边地区.大伙房水库入库河流总磷(TP)、氨氮(NH+4-N)、总氮(TN)多符合国家Ⅱ类地表水环境标准,五日生化需氧量(BOD5)和化学耗氧量(CODCr)较高,部分点位超过了国家Ⅲ类地表水环境标准.大伙房水库入库河流物理生境特征与水质状况显著相关,物理生境综合评价指数与水体中TP、NH+4-N、溶解性固体总量(TDS)、电导率和硅酸盐呈显著负相关.物理生境指标中人类活动、土地利用方式、植被多样性和栖境复杂性对水质影响较大,在流域水生态管理中应以减少人为活动干扰、合理配置土地类型、控制农业面源污染和恢复自然植被为主要对策.