scholarly journals Population structure of Laurus nobilis L. in Central Italian forests: evidence for its ongoing expansion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Alessi ◽  
Camilla Wellstein ◽  
Francesco Spada ◽  
Stefan Zerbe
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Population Structure ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Propagule Pressure ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Laurus Nobilis ◽  
Population Type

AbstractDuring the last decades, an ongoing spread of broad-leaved evergreen laurophyllous species has been reported for forests of Southern Europe. Several factors were suggested as the main drivers of the phenomenon, namely global warming, land-use change, evolutionary history, and increase in atmospheric CO2. Among laurophylls, Laurus nobilis L. is considered one of the most prominent from the morphological, evolutionary, and ecological point of view. We studied the population structure of L. nobilis in Central Italy in its natural habitat to investigate its regeneration and potential expansion along with the influence biotic and abiotic factors. To define types of population structures, we collected proportions of six growth classes of L. nobilis in 16 sites. We obtained three types of population structure, i.e., (1) stable, (2) dynamic, and (3) regressive. The first two types are the most frequent, suggesting a potential increase of L. nobilis abundance within forests of Central Italy. The regressive population type occurs mainly in sites with heavy ungulate impact. High propagule pressure along with shaded and moist environmental conditions favor L. nobilis regeneration. Accordingly, we found evidence of a recent L. nobilis spread in Central Italian forests. We suggest the increase of forest cover and age, due to the abandonment of traditional rural practices, as key factors for the regeneration of this apparently late-successional laurophyll. In conclusion, the recent expansion of L. nobilis that we observed in the Italian forest stands can therefore be ascribed to a process of natural recover of a potential niche following land-use change.

scholarly journals Toward a Dualistic Growth? Population Increase and Land-Use Change in Rome, Italy

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 749
Author(s):  
Leonardo Bianchini ◽  
Gianluca Egidi ◽  
Ahmed Alhuseen ◽  
Adele Sateriano ◽  
Sirio Cividino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Per Capita

The spatial mismatch between population growth and settlement expansion is at the base of current models of urban growth. Empirical evidence is increasingly required to inform planning measures promoting urban containment in the context of a stable (or declining) population. In these regards, per-capita indicators of land-use change can be adopted with the aim at evaluating long-term sustainability of urbanization processes. The present study assesses spatial variations in per-capita indicators of land-use change in Rome, Central Italy, at five years (1949, 1974, 1999, 2008, and 2016) with the final objective of quantifying the mismatch between urban expansion and population growth. Originally specialized in agricultural productions, Rome’s metropolitan area is a paradigmatic example of dispersed urban expansion in the Mediterranean basin. By considering multiple land-use dynamics, per-capita indicators of landscape change delineated three distinctive waves of growth corresponding with urbanization, suburbanization, and a more mixed stage with counter-urbanization and re-urbanization impulses. By reflecting different socioeconomic contexts on a local scale, urban fabric and forests were identified as the ‘winner’ classes, expanding homogeneously over time at the expense of cropland. Agricultural landscapes experienced a more heterogeneous trend with arable land and pastures declining systematically and more fragmented land classes (e.g., vineyards and olive groves) displaying stable (or slightly increasing) trends. The continuous reduction of per-capita surface area of cropland that’s supports a reduced production base, which is now insufficient to satisfy the rising demand for fresh food at the metropolitan scale, indicates the unsustainability of the current development in Rome and more generally in the whole Mediterranean basin, a region specialized traditionally in (proximity) agricultural productions.

scholarly journals Modelling population structure in the context of urban land use change in Europe

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 667-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Terama ◽  
Elizabeth Clarke ◽  
Mark D. A. Rounsevell ◽  
Stefan Fronzek ◽  
Timothy R. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Population Structure ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Urban Land Use Change

scholarly journals Understanding of Forest Cover Dynamics in Traditional Landscapes: Mapping Trajectories of Changes in Mountain Territories (1824–2016), on the Example of Jeleniogórska Basin, Poland

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Jaworek-Jakubska ◽  
Maciej Filipiak ◽  
Anna Napierała-Filipiak
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Cultural Landscapes ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Depth Analysis

Though on a global scale, for ecological reasons, increased forest cover is universally regarded as positive, on a local scale, the reforestation of arable land may pose threats to cultural landscapes by removing characteristic landscape features. Particularly vulnerable are marginal rural areas, e.g., mountain regions, where most traditional land use systems have survived and which are subject to the most spectacular land use change. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the issue of the management of forest cover in historical cultural landscapes in mountain territories in Poland within the context of widespread land use change in Eastern Europe. Land cover data were obtained from historical and contemporary aerial photographs, as well as topographic maps from five time points between 1824 and 2016. The study was conducted by means of spatio-temporal forest cover trajectory analysis (LCTA), transition and time–depth analysis, and land cover change calculations that were made by means of ArcGIS. Our research indicates that the rate of change has risen considerably in the last two decades, and the current share of forest cover is much bigger than that reflected in the official data. Eight principal forest cover trajectory types were identified. The biggest area is occupied by woodland of long-term stability. Another large group is constituted by forests created on the basis of arable land and grassland as a result of simple conversion at one point in time, mainly in the years 1824–1886 and 1939–1994. At the same time, a sizeable group is made up by areas that have been subject to unplanned cyclical or dynamic changes during various periods. A very important group is comprised new forests that were created in 1994–2016, predominantly as a result of natural succession, that are often not included in official land classifications. The constant expansion of woodlands has led to a shrinking of historical former coppice woodlands. This indicates that the current landscape management mechanisms in Poland are inadequate for protecting the cultural landscape. The barriers include the lack of intersectoral cooperation and the overlooking of the historical context of landscapes. The present situation calls not only for verification of the existing forest policy but also for increasing the role and engagement of local communities, as well as making comprehensive local development plans, all of which may be helped by the findings of our study and of similar research.

Change in agricultural land use constrains adaptation of national wildlife refuges to climate change

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER M. HAMILTON ◽  
WAYNE E. THOGMARTIN ◽  
VOLKER C. RADELOFF ◽  
ANDREW J. PLANTINGA ◽  
PATRICIA J. HEGLUND ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Species Invasions ◽  
Business As Usual

SUMMARYLand-use change around protected areas limits their ability to conserve biodiversity by altering ecological processes such as natural hydrologic and disturbance regimes, facilitating species invasions, and interfering with dispersal of organisms. This paper informs USA National Wildlife Refuge System conservation planning by predicting future land-use change on lands within 25 km distance of 461 refuges in the USA using an econometric model. The model contained two differing policy scenarios, namely a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario and a ‘pro-agriculture’ scenario. Regardless of scenario, by 2051, forest cover and urban land use were predicted to increase around refuges, while the extent of range and pasture was predicted to decrease; cropland use decreased under the business-as-usual scenario, but increased under the pro-agriculture scenario. Increasing agricultural land value under the pro-agriculture scenario slowed an expected increase in forest around refuges, and doubled the rate of range and pasture loss. Intensity of land-use change on lands surrounding refuges differed by regions. Regional differences among scenarios revealed that an understanding of regional and local land-use dynamics and management options was an essential requirement to effectively manage these conserved lands. Such knowledge is particularly important given the predicted need to adapt to a changing global climate.

scholarly journals The ecology of Nipah virus in Bangladesh: a nexus of land use change and opportunistic feeding behavior in bats

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifton D. McKee ◽  
Ausraful Islam ◽  
Stephen P. Luby ◽  
Henrik Salje ◽  
Peter J. Hudson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Current System ◽  
Nipah Virus ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Roosting Behavior

AbstractNipah virus is a bat-borne paramyxovirus that produces yearly outbreaks of fatal encephalitis in Bangladesh. Understanding the ecological conditions that lead to spillover from bats to humans can assist in designing effective interventions. To investigate the current and historical processes that drive Nipah spillover in Bangladesh, we analyzed the relationship between spillover events and climatic conditions, the spatial distribution and size of Pteropus medius roosts, and patterns of land use change in Bangladesh over the last 300 years. We found that 53% of annual variation in winter spillovers is explained by winter temperature, which may affect bat behavior, physiology, and human risk behaviors. We infer from changes in forest cover that a progressive shift in bat roosting behavior occurred over hundreds of years, producing the current system where a majority of P. medius populations are small (median of 150 bats), occupy roost sites for 10 years or more, live in areas of high human population density, and opportunistically feed on cultivated food resources – conditions that promote viral spillover. Without interventions, continuing anthropogenic pressure on bat populations similar to what has occurred in Bangladesh could result in more regular spillovers of other bat viruses, including Hendra and Ebola viruses.

scholarly journals Landscape-scale forest loss as a catalyst of population and biodiversity change

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 368 (6497) ◽  
pp. 1341-1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gergana N. Daskalova ◽  
Isla H. Myers-Smith ◽  
Anne D. Bjorkman ◽  
Shane A. Blowes ◽  
Sarah R. Supp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Species Replacement ◽  
Level Shifts ◽  
Biodiversity Change ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Globally Distributed

Global biodiversity assessments have highlighted land-use change as a key driver of biodiversity change. However, there is little empirical evidence of how habitat transformations such as forest loss and gain are reshaping biodiversity over time. We quantified how change in forest cover has influenced temporal shifts in populations and ecological assemblages from 6090 globally distributed time series across six taxonomic groups. We found that local-scale increases and decreases in abundance, species richness, and temporal species replacement (turnover) were intensified by as much as 48% after forest loss. Temporal lags in population- and assemblage-level shifts after forest loss extended up to 50 years and increased with species’ generation time. Our findings that forest loss catalyzes population and biodiversity change emphasize the complex biotic consequences of land-use change.

scholarly journals The Ecology of Nipah Virus in Bangladesh: A Nexus of Land-Use Change and Opportunistic Feeding Behavior in Bats

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Clifton D. McKee ◽  
Ausraful Islam ◽  
Stephen P. Luby ◽  
Henrik Salje ◽  
Peter J. Hudson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Current System ◽  
Nipah Virus ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Roosting Behavior

Nipah virus is a bat-borne paramyxovirus that produces yearly outbreaks of fatal encephalitis in Bangladesh. Understanding the ecological conditions that lead to spillover from bats to humans can assist in designing effective interventions. To investigate the current and historical processes that drive Nipah spillover in Bangladesh, we analyzed the relationship among spillover events and climatic conditions, the spatial distribution and size of Pteropus medius roosts, and patterns of land-use change in Bangladesh over the last 300 years. We found that 53% of annual variation in winter spillovers is explained by winter temperature, which may affect bat behavior, physiology, and human risk behaviors. We infer from changes in forest cover that a progressive shift in bat roosting behavior occurred over hundreds of years, producing the current system where a majority of P. medius populations are small (median of 150 bats), occupy roost sites for 10 years or more, live in areas of high human population density, and opportunistically feed on cultivated food resources—conditions that promote viral spillover. Without interventions, continuing anthropogenic pressure on bat populations similar to what has occurred in Bangladesh could result in more regular spillovers of other bat viruses, including Hendra and Ebola viruses.

scholarly journals Assessing the effects of agricultural intensification on natural habitats and biodiversity in Southern Amazonia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0225914
Author(s):  
Jan Göpel ◽  
Jan Schüngel ◽  
Benjamin Stuch ◽  
Rüdiger Schaldach
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Agricultural Intensification ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Southern Amazonia ◽  
The Impact

The ongoing trend toward agricultural intensification in Southern Amazonia makes it essential to explore the future impacts of this development on the extent of natural habitats and biodiversity. This type of analysis requires information on future pathways of land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) under different socio-economic conditions and policy settings. For this purpose, the spatially explicit land-use change model LandSHIFT was applied to calculate a set of high-resolution land-use change scenarios for the Brazilian states Para and Mato Grosso. The period of the analysis were the years 2010–2030. The resulting land-use maps were combined with maps depicting vertebrate species diversity in order to examine the impact of natural habitat loss on species ranges as well as the overall LULCC-induced effect on vertebrate diversity as expressed by the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII). The results of this study indicate a general decrease in biodiversity intactness in all investigated scenarios. However, agricultural intensification combined with diversified environmental protection policies show least impact of LULCC on vertebrate species richness and conservation of natural habitats compared to scenarios with low agricultural intensification or scenarios with less effective conservation policies.

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