scholarly journals Diversity of European habitat types is correlated with geography more than climate and human pressure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Cervellini ◽  
Michele Di Musciano ◽  
Piero Zannini ◽  
Simone Fattorini ◽  
Borja Jiménez‐Alfaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Pressure ◽  
Habitat Types

Environmental factors determining the distribution pattern of leeches (Clitellata: Hirudinida) in large river systems: A case study of the Oder River system

Biologia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Izabela Jabłońska-Barna ◽  
Aleksander Bielecki ◽  
Joanna M. Cichocka ◽  
Edyta Buczyńska ◽  
Pawel Buczyński ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Distribution Pattern ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
River System ◽  
Large River ◽  
Taxonomic Structure ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Oder River

AbstractThe largest rivers in Europe are under strong human pressure, resulting in habitat changes and consequently in structural changes in the quantitative and qualitative composition of fauna assemblages. The aim of this study was to identify the taxonomic structure of leech assemblages and the main environmental factors influencing their distribution pattern on a 306 km stretch of the Oder River encompassing different habitat types. Representatives of 28 leech taxa were recorded in 527 samples of bottom macrofauna. The most abundant and most frequently recorded species was the eurytopic

scholarly journals Diversity of EU habitat types is correlated with geography more than climate and human pressure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Cervellini ◽  
Michele Di Musciano ◽  
Piero Zannini ◽  
Simone Fattorini ◽  
Borja Jiménez-Alfaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Additive Models ◽  
Boosted Regression Trees ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
European Environmental Agency ◽  
Bioclimatic Variables

Aims: Habitat richness, i.e. the diversity of ecosystem types, is a complex, spatially explicit aspect of biodiversity, which is affected by bioclimatic, geographic and anthropogenic variables. The distribution of habitat types is a key component for understanding broad-scale biodiversity and for developing conservation strategies. To test which factors are related with habitat richness we used EU habitat distribution data to answer the following questions: i) how do bioclimatic, geographic, and anthropogenic variables affect habitat richness? ii) which category is the most important? iii) how do interactions among these variables influence habitat richness and which combinations produce the strongest interactions? Study area: European Union (excluding Greece) plus the United Kingdom. Methods: We used the distribution maps of 233 terrestrial habitat types defined by the European Environmental Agency, to calculate habitat richness for the EU 10 km x 10 km grid map. We then investigated how environmental variables affect habitat richness, using generalized linear models, generalized additive models and boosted regression trees. Results: The main factors associated with habitat richness were geographic variables, with negative relationships observed for both latitude and longitude, and a positive relationship for terrain ruggedness. Bioclimatic variables played a secondary role, with habitat richness increasing slightly with annual mean temperature and overall annual precipitation. An interaction between anthropogenic variables was important: the combination of increased landscape fragmentation and increased population density strongly decreased habitat richness. Main conclusions: This is the first attempt to disentangle spatial patterns of habitat richness at the continental scale, as a key tool for protecting biodiversity. The diversity of European habitats is correlated withgeography more than climate and human pressure, reflecting a major component of biogeographical patterns similar to the drivers observed at the species level. The interaction between anthropogenic variables highlights the need for coordinated, continental-scale management plans for biodiversity conservation.

Disentangling the role of shared ancestry and the environment on leaf stable isotopes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marko J. Spasojevic ◽  
Sören Weber1
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Environmental Controls ◽  
Shared Ancestry

Stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopes in plants are important indicators of plant water use efficiency and N acquisition strategies. While often regarded as being under environmental control, there is growing evidence that evolutionary history may also shape variation in stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) among plant species. Here we examined patterns of foliar δ13C and δ15N in alpine tundra for 59 species in 20 plant families. To assess the importance of environmental controls and evolutionary history, we examined if average δ13C and δ15N predictably differed among habitat types, if individual species exhibited intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in δ13C and δ15N, and if there were a significant phylogenetic signal in δ13C and δ15N. We found that variation among habitat types in both δ13C and δ15N mirrored well-known patterns of water and nitrogen limitation. Conversely, we also found that 40% of species exhibited no ITV in δ13C and 35% of species exhibited no ITV in δ15N, suggesting that some species are under stronger evolutionary control. However, we only found a modest signal of phylogenetic conservatism in δ13C and no phylogenetic signal in δ15N suggesting that shared ancestry is a weaker driver of tundra wide variation in stable isotopes. Together, our results suggest that both evolutionary history and local environmental conditions play a role in determining variation in δ13C and δ15N and that considering both factors can help with interpreting isotope patterns in nature and with predicting which species may be able to respond to rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Evoluzione della copertura vegetale in aree alpestri del Canton Ticino nel periodo 1971–2001 | Evolution of Vegetation Cover in the Alpine Regions of Canton Tessin: 1971–2001

2004 ◽  
Vol 155 (7) ◽  
pp. 284-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pietro Stanga ◽  
Niklaus Zbinden
Keyword(s):  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Aerial Photos ◽  
Alpine Regions ◽  
Subsequent Decrease ◽  
Site Fertility ◽  
Strong Expansion ◽  
Evolution Of Vegetation

The retrospective study based on aerial photos (1971–2001) of the Canton Tessin made it possible to measure and analyze the evolution of the vegetation of eleven Alpine zones. The analysis shows a strong expansion of the arborescent vegetation and, at the same time, a decrease in other forms of ground cover (bush, shrub, meadow and unproductive spaces). Analysis of the data gives rise to the conjecture that the strong evolutionary dynamism evidenced by the areas under investigation is a result of the vast clearings carried out in past centuries to create pastures. Following the subsequent decrease in human pressure, nature today is attempting to rebalance the level of the biomass. These processes manifest themselves in different ways and with various intensity, depending on the interaction of numerous factors (e.g. climatic conditions, site fertility, initial conditions, evolution of anthropological pressure, etc.).

scholarly journals Do the assemblages of benthic macroinvertebrates in nearshore waters of Western Australia vary among habitat types, zones and seasons?

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.D. Wildsmith ◽  
I.C. Potter ◽  
F.J. Valesini ◽  
M.E. Platell
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Subtidal Zone ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Environmental Characteristics ◽  
Deposit Feeding ◽  
Number Of Individuals

Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled seasonally in the subtidal and upper and lower swash zones at two sites in each of six nearshore habitat types on the lower west coast of Australia. The habitat types, which differed mainly in the extent of their exposure to wave activity and whether sea grass and/or nearshore reefs were present, had been distinguished quantitatively using values for a suite of seven statistically-selected enduring environmental characteristics (Valesini et al., 2003). The core samples yielded 121 species representing eight phyla, among which the Polychaeta, Malacostraca and Bivalvia were the most speciose classes, contributing ∼38, 23 and 10%, respectively, to the total number of individuals. The total number of species and mean density of macroinvertebrates at the most protected habitat type (1), i.e. 70 and 209·2 individuals 0·1 m−2, respectively, were far greater than in any other habitat type. Habitat type influenced species composition to a greater extent than either zone or season. Furthermore, the extents of the differences among the species compositions of the six habitat types statistically matched the extents of the differences among the values for the suite of enduring environmental characteristics that distinguished each of those habitat types. Overall, the species composition at habitat type 1 was the most distinct, containing five abundant species of polychaetes that were adapted to deposit-feeding in calm waters with high levels of organic material and which were rare in all other habitat types. In contrast, the fauna at the most exposed habitat type was characterized by four crustacean species and a species of bivalve and polychaete, whose mobility and tough external surface facilitated their survival and feeding in turbulent waters. The zonal differences in faunal compositions among habitat types were greatest in the case of the subtidal zone. The faunal compositions differed among zones and seasons only at the most protected habitat type.

New and little known earthworm species from the Mt. Nimba, Guinea (Oligochaeta, Acanthodrilidae: Benhamiinae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2141 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
CSABA CSUZDI ◽  
MARTINEZ ARNAUTH GUEI ◽  
JÉRÔME EBAGNERIN TONDOH
Keyword(s):  
Original Description ◽  
Recent Survey ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Earthworm Species ◽  
New Material ◽  
Independent Species

A recent survey in the main habitat types of Mt. Nimba, Guinea (upland prairie, Serengbara forest and piedmont savannah) resulted in recording of 13 earthworm species of which 9 are first reported after the original description and three, Dichogaster (Dichogaster) cornuta sp. n., Guineoscolex geminatus sp. n. and Guineoscolex ungulatus sp. n., proved to be new to science. On the basis of the new material collected Benhamia inaequalis f. nimbai Omodeo is redescribed and resurrected from synonymy of Guineoscolex inaequalis (Michaelsen) as an independent species Guineoscolex nimbai (Omodeo). With 17 original figures.

scholarly journals The Impact of Human Pressure and Climate Change on the Habitat Availability and Protection of Cypripedium (Orchidaceae) in Northeast China

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Huanchu Liu ◽  
Hans Jacquemyn ◽  
Xingyuan He ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Yanqing Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Changbai Mountains ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Terrestrial Orchids ◽  
The Future ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
The Impact

Human pressure on the environment and climate change are two important factors contributing to species decline and overall loss of biodiversity. Orchids may be particularly vulnerable to human-induced losses of habitat and the pervasive impact of global climate change. In this study, we simulated the extent of the suitable habitat of three species of the terrestrial orchid genus Cypripedium in northeast China and assessed the impact of human pressure and climate change on the future distribution of these species. Cypripedium represents a genus of long-lived terrestrial orchids that contains several species with great ornamental value. Severe habitat destruction and overcollection have led to major population declines in recent decades. Our results showed that at present the most suitable habitats of the three species can be found in Da Xing’an Ling, Xiao Xing’an Ling and in the Changbai Mountains. Human activity was predicted to have the largest impact on species distributions in the Changbai Mountains. In addition, climate change was predicted to lead to a shift in distribution towards higher elevations and to an increased fragmentation of suitable habitats of the three investigated Cypripedium species in the study area. These results will be valuable for decision makers to identify areas that are likely to maintain viable Cypripedium populations in the future and to develop conservation strategies to protect the remaining populations of these enigmatic orchid species.

scholarly journals Responses of Bat Communities (Mammalia: Chiroptera) to Forest Loss and Habitat Conversion in Southern Cameroon

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 194008292110103
Author(s):  
Patrick Jules Atagana ◽  
Eric Moïse Bakwo Fils ◽  
Sevilor Kekeunou
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Habitat Transformation ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Southern Cameroon ◽  
Habitat Conversion ◽  
Species Specific

We aimed to assess how bats are affected by habitat transformation by comparing bat assemblages in four habitat types: primary forest, secondary forest, cocoa plantations and human habitations in the Dja Biosphere Reserve of southern Cameroon. Bats were sampled in the four habitat types using mist nets. During 126 nights, a total of 413 bats were captured, belonging to four families, 16 genera and 24 species. Ninety three individuals (17 species) were captured in the primary forest, followed by plantations (105 individuals, 14 species), human habitations (159 individuals, 10 species), and secondary forest (55 individuals, eight species). Megaloglossus woermanni was recorded in all the four habitats, and was the most abundant species (105 individuals). The analysis of bat assemblage between habitat types showed a statistically significant difference in species composition. The distribution of the six most abundant species ( Epomops franqueti, Megaloglossus woermanni, Rousettus aegyptiacus, Dohyrina cyclops, Hipposideros cf. caffer and Hipposideros cf. ruber) was influenced by habitat types. Our results suggest that the decrease in species richness observed in disturbed habitats may be due to habitat perturbations of primary forest habitats. Therefore, it is important to examine the effects of habitat conversion at species level, as responses are often species-specific.

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