Changes in Avian and Plant Communities of Aspen Woodlands over 12 Years after Livestock Removal in the Northwestern Great Basin

Abstract: Riparian and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) woodlands are centers of avian abundance and diversity in the western United States, but they have been affected adversely by land use practices, particularly livestock grazing. In 1990, cattle were removed from a 112,500‐ha national wildlife refuge in southeastern Oregon. Thereafter, we monitored changes in vegetation and bird abundance in years 1–3 (phase 1) and 10–12 (phase 2) in 17 riparian and 9 snow‐pocket aspen plots. On each 1.5‐ha plot, we sampled vegetation in 6 transects. Three times during each breeding season, observers recorded all birds 50 m to each side of the plot's 150‐m centerline for 25 minutes. We analyzed data with multivariate analysis of variance and paired t tests with p values adjusted for multiple comparisons. In both periods, riparian and snow‐pocket aspen produced extensive regeneration of new shoots ( stems/ha and 7079 stems/ha, respectively). By phase 2, a 64% increase in medium‐diameter trees in riparian stands indicated successful recruitment into the overstory, but this pattern was not seen in snow‐pocket stands, where the density of trees was over 2 times greater. By phase 2 in riparian and snow‐pocket stands, native forb cover had increased by 68% and 57%, respectively, mesic shrub cover had increased by 29% and 58%, and sagebrush cover had decreased by 24% and 31%. Total avian abundance increased by 33% and 39% in riparian and snow‐pocket aspen, respectively, ground or understory nesters increased by 133% and 67% and overstory nesters increased by 34% and 33%. Similarly, ground or understory foragers increased by 25% and 32%, aerial foragers by 55% and 57%, and overstory foragers by 66% and 43%. We interpreted the substantial regeneration of aspen shoots, increased densities of riparian forbs and shrubs, and increased avian abundances as a multitrophic‐level response to the total removal of livestock and as substantial movement toward recovery of biological integrity.     

Efficacy of Control Measures for European Buckthorn (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhamnus cathartica</Emphasis> L.) in Saskatchewan

Introduced to Saskatchewan in the 1930s as a potential shelterbelt species, European buckthorn is now a prominent understory shrub in riparian woodland and shrub communities around Saskatoon. Locally, the Meewasin Valley Authority (MVA) is actively controlling buckthorn as part of its mandate to conserve natural heritage resources of the South Saskatchewan River Valley, with the goal of restoring the natural biodiversity of remnant patches of native vegetation. European buckthorn is normally dioecious, and MVA has chosen to treat only fruiting stems in an attempt to limit seed production. Two control techniques have been used. In one treatment, glyphosate was applied to stems after cutting; alternatively Garlon 4 Dow AgroSciences herbicide (active ingredient triclopyr) was applied as a chemical girdle directly to the stems using a streamline basal bark spray method. To date, more than 347,000 fruiting stems of buckthorn have been treated. Results indicate good initial progress in limiting seed production in dense buckthorn sites, but at a high cost. Although seed eradication is not a practical short-term goal for the Saskatoon buckthorn population, chemical girdling can substantially and strategically reduce seed and effectively limit spread. Field-tested strategies to reduce costs and improve efficiencies are discussed.     

上海城区六种林地凋落物中土壤动物群落结构

为探究上海城区不同林地凋落物中土壤动物的群落组成、群落多样性及其与环境因子的关系,于2014年4月~2015年1月分四个季度,对上海市建成年代较久的不同林地凋落物层土壤动物群落进行调查,共捕获凋落物土壤动物9 391只,隶属于2门11纲21个类群,其中优势类群为蜱螨亚纲和弹尾纲,两个类群共占总密度的90.31%,常见类群为双翅目、寡毛纲和等足目,占总密度的的5.29%。不同林地凋落物中土壤动物密度存在极显著差异(F=146.31,P0.01),其中香樟悬铃木林土壤动物密度最高,水杉林密度最低。此外各林地土壤动物季节动态表现出一定的差异性。密度-类群指数大小顺序为香樟悬铃木林(4.62)悬铃木林(2.69)香樟杨树林(1.86)香樟林(1.36)香樟水杉林(0.91)水杉林(0.85),该顺序可以较好地表征各林地的群落多样性。CCA分析显示凋落物有机碳、生物量、表土含水量、温度是影响城市林地凋落物土壤动物群落的主要环境因子,不同类群对环境因子适应程度不同。     

Effectiveness of vegetation‐based biodiversity offset metrics as surrogates for ants

Biodiversity offset schemes are globally popular policy tools for balancing the competing demands of conservation and development. Trading currencies for losses and gains in biodiversity value at development and credit sites are usually based on several vegetation attributes combined to yield a simple score (multimetric), but the score is rarely validated prior to implementation. Inaccurate biodiversity trading currencies are likely to accelerate global biodiversity loss through unrepresentative trades of losses and gains. We tested a model vegetation multimetric (i.e., vegetation structural and compositional attributes) typical of offset trading currencies to determine whether it represented measurable components of compositional and functional biodiversity. Study sites were located in remnant patches of a critically endangered ecological community in western Sydney, Australia, an area representative of global conflicts between conservation and expanding urban development. We sampled ant fauna composition with pitfall traps and enumerated removal by ants of native plant seeds from artificial seed containers (seed depots). Ants are an excellent model taxon because they are strongly associated with habitat complexity, respond rapidly to environmental change, and are functionally important at many trophic levels. The vegetation multimetric did not predict differences in ant community composition or seed removal, despite underlying assumptions that biodiversity trading currencies used in offset schemes represent all components of a site's biodiversity value. This suggests that vegetation multimetrics are inadequate surrogates for total biodiversity value. These findings highlight the urgent need to refine existing offsetting multimetrics to ensure they meet underlying assumptions of surrogacy. Despite the best intentions, offset schemes will never achieve their goal of no net loss of biodiversity values if trades are based on metrics unrepresentative of total biodiversity.     

Predicting Bird Species Distributions in Reconstructed Landscapes

Abstract:  Landscape optimization for biodiversity requires prediction of species distributions under alternative revegetation scenarios. We used Bayesian model averaging with logistic regression to predict probabilities of occurrence for 61 species of birds within highly fragmented box–ironbark forests of central Victoria, Australia. We used topographic, edaphic, and climatic variables as predictors so that the models could be applied to areas where vegetation has been cleared but may be replanted. Models were evaluated with newly acquired, independent data collected in large blocks of remnant native vegetation. Successful predictions were obtained for 18 of 45 woodland species (40%). Model averaging produced more accurate predictions than "single best" models. Models were most successful for smaller-bodied species that probably depend on particular vegetation types. Predictions for larger, generalist species, and seasonal migrants were less successful, partly because of changes in species distributions between model building (1995–1997) and validation (2004–2005) surveys. We used validated models to project occurrence probabilities for individual species across a 12,000-km² region, assuming native vegetation was present. These predictions are intended to be used as inputs, along with landscape context and temporal dynamics, into optimization algorithms to prioritize revegetation. Longer-term data sets to accommodate temporal dynamics are needed to improve the predictive accuracy of models.     

半干旱黄土区退耕还林十年植被恢复变化分析——以陕西吴起县为例

黄土高原退耕还林（草）政策实施已逾10 a,了解植被恢复变化状况及存在的问题,对于制定和完善生态环境治理方略具有重要意义。以吴起县为例,基于实地调查及遥感等数据,对退耕还林（草）以来植被覆盖度、主要植被类型变化及不同立地条件下植被恢复变化的差异进行了定量分析。结果表明：2000年至2009年,植被覆盖度大于30%的面积在全县总面积中的比例由不足1%上升至91.96%;其中缓坡立地类型上的乔灌林地类型面积增长最为显著,而阳向陡坡等恶劣生境下的植被恢复缓慢;有林地、灌木林地及疏林地均呈现规模增大趋势,属扩张状态;中覆盖度草地、低覆盖度草地、坡耕地及耕地呈现规模减少趋势,属缩减状态。     

Multispecies and Multiscale Conservation Planning: Setting Quantitative Targets for Red‐Listed Lichens on Ancient Oaks

Abstract: Species occurrence in a habitat patch depends on local habitat and the amount of that habitat in the wider landscape. We used predictions from empirical landscape studies to set quantitative conservation criteria and targets in a multispecies and multiscale conservation planning effort. We used regression analyses to compare species richness and occurrence of five red‐listed lichens on 50 ancient oaks (Quercus robur; 120–140 cm in diameter) with the density of ancient oaks in circles of varying radius from each individual oak. Species richness and the occurrence of three of the five species were best explained by increasing density of oaks within 0.5 km; one species was best explained by the density of oaks within 2 km, and another was best predicted by the density of oaks within 5 km. The minimum numbers of ancient oaks required for “successful conservation” was defined as the number of oaks required to obtain a predicted local occurrence of 50% for all species included or a predicted local occurrence of 80% for all species included. These numbers of oaks were calculated for two relevant landscape scales (1 km² and 13 km²) that corresponded to various species responses, in such a way that calculations also accounted for local number of oaks. Ten and seven of the 50 ancient oaks surveyed were situated in landscapes that already fulfilled criteria for successful conservation when the 50% and 80% criteria, respectively, were used to define the level of successful conservation. For cost‐efficient conservation, oak stands in the landscapes most suitable for successful conservation should be prioritized for conservation and management (e.g., grazing and planting of new oaks) at the expense of oak stands situated elsewhere.     

隆回县征占用林地管理存在问题及对策

在调查隆回县2003—2007年征占用林地情况的基础上,对非法征占用林地情况的形成原因作了全面的分析,并对以后隆回县征占用林地管理提出了一些建设性意见．参5．     

三峡库区城乡消落带人工植被恢复土壤放线菌多样性特征

为研究人工植被恢复后消落带土壤放线菌群落多样性特征,以三峡库区典型城市消落带重庆江北嘴大剧院消落带和乡村消落带忠县汝溪河流域消落带为研究区域,于2015年6月原位采集0~20 cm、20~40 cm、40~60 cm土壤,利用限制性末端长度多态性(terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism,T-RFLP)方法,对消落带人工恢复植被土壤不同土层的放线菌群落多样性进行研究.结果发现:(1)三峡库区城乡消落带人工植被恢复后的土壤放线菌多样性有差异,表现为城市消落带土壤放线菌多样性高于乡村消落带土壤(P0.05),特别是在表层土壤.(2)在城乡消落带中,林地土壤放线菌多样性高于草地,且在土层之间放线菌多样性无显著性差异.(3)三峡库区城乡消落带人工植被恢复后的土壤放线菌优势种有差异.(4)冗余分析(redundancy analysis,RDA)和蒙特卡罗置换检验(Monte-Carlo permutation test)表明,城市消落带中含水量、速效氮含量显著影响放线菌群落多样性;乡村消落带中土壤含水量、有机质、速效氮和速效钾含量显著影响放线菌群落多样性.结论表明在消落带人工植被修复后,城市消落带土壤放线菌多样性均高于乡村消落带,这有可能是人为干扰和土壤养分增加所致.     

Evaluating complementary networks of restoration plantings for landscape‐scale occurrence of temporally dynamic species

Multibillion dollar investments in land restoration make it critical that conservation goals are achieved cost‐effectively. Approaches developed for systematic conservation planning offer opportunities to evaluate landscape‐scale, temporally dynamic biodiversity outcomes from restoration and improve on traditional approaches that focus on the most species‐rich plantings. We investigated whether it is possible to apply a complementarity‐based approach to evaluate the extent to which an existing network of restoration plantings meets representation targets. Using a case study of woodland birds of conservation concern in southeastern Australia, we compared complementarity‐based selections of plantings based on temporally dynamic species occurrences with selections based on static species occurrences and selections based on ranking plantings by species richness. The dynamic complementarity approach, which incorporated species occurrences over 5 years, resulted in higher species occurrences and proportion of targets met compared with the static complementarity approach, in which species occurrences were taken at a single point in time. For equivalent cost, the dynamic complementarity approach also always resulted in higher average minimum percent occurrence of species maintained through time and a higher proportion of the bird community meeting representation targets compared with the species‐richness approach. Plantings selected under the complementarity approaches represented the full range of planting attributes, whereas those selected under the species‐richness approach were larger in size. Our results suggest that future restoration policy should not attempt to achieve all conservation goals within individual plantings, but should instead capitalize on restoration opportunities as they arise to achieve collective value of multiple plantings across the landscape. Networks of restoration plantings with complementary attributes of age, size, vegetation structure, and landscape context lead to considerably better outcomes than conventional restoration objectives of site‐scale species richness and are crucial for allocating restoration investment wisely to reach desired conservation goals.