Management Application of an Agent-Based Model: Control of Cowbirds at the Landscape Scale

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Harper ◽  
James D. Westervelt
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Fort Hood ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Military Installation ◽  
Feeding Habitat ◽  
Central Texas ◽  
Negative Impacts

Brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) has negative impacts on a large number of songbird species. Cowbirds are obligate brood parasites, meaning that females lay their eggs in the nests of other species and do not provide care to their offspring. Parasitism by cowbirds often results in reduced reproductive success for the host, sometimes to the exclusion of fledging any of their own young. Clearly parasitism by cowbirds can have a substantial impact on the population dynamics of the host species. Over 200 species of birds are known to be parasitized by cowbirds. Cowbirds breed in shrublands and forests, and especially parasitize host nests located near ecotones, or borders between habitat types. Human land use in general may promote the success of cowbirds; landscapes with forest openings, clearcuts, small tracts of forests, and large amounts of habitat edge have higher parasitism rates than do landscapes with contiguous forest tracts. Cowbirds readily forage in feedlots, overgrazed pastures, and grasslands, and the expansion of agricultural land use over the past century has provided abundant feeding habitat for cowbirds. Large increases in the numbers of cowbirds have been documented and this increase has been implicated as one factor responsible for the decline of a large number of passerines. Compounding their impact is the fact that cowbirds can affect host populations over broad spatial scales. Because they do not protect their young or a nest, they can range large distances in search of suitable feeding areas; researchers have reported maximum daily movements from 7 to 13 km for cowbirds (Rothstein et al., Cook et al., respectively). At Fort Hood, a U.S. Army military installation located in central Texas, cowbirds parasitize the nests of numerous songbird species, including those of the black-capped vireo ( Vireo atricapillus) and the golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia), two federally endangered species. The black-capped vireo appears to be particularly vulnerable to parasitism. Once her nest is parasitized, a host female often abandons it. The female may then attempt to renest but, when cowbirds are abundant, this nest is also likely to be parasitized.

scholarly journals Northern Bobwhite Occupancy Patterns on Multiple Spatial Scales Across Arkansas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellery V. Lassiter ◽  
Marcus Asher ◽  
Grace Christie ◽  
Connor Gale ◽  
Andrhea Massey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
State Level ◽  
Northern Bobwhite ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
The State ◽  
Ouachita Mountains ◽  
Priority Areas ◽  
Human Land Use

Northern bobwhite Colinus virginianus populations have been rapidly declining in the eastern, central, and southern United States for decades. Declines have been driven by land use change and an incompatibility between northern bobwhite resource needs and human land use practices. Here, we applied occupancy analyses on two spatial scales (state-level and ecoregion-level) to more than 5,000 northern bobwhite surveys conducted over six years across the entire state of Arkansas to explore patterns in occupancy and land use variables, and to identify priority areas for management and conservation. At the state level, northern bobwhite occupied 29% of sites and northern bobwhite were most likely to occur in areas with a high percentage of early successional habitat (grassland, pasture, and shrubland). The statewide model predicted that northern bobwhite were likely to occur (≥75% predicted occupancy) in <20% of the state. Arkansas is comprised of five distinct ecoregions, and analyses at the ecoregion spatial scale showed that habitat associations of northern bobwhite could vary between ecoregions. For example, northern bobwhite occupancy in both the Arkansas River Valley and Ozark Mountains ecoregions was best predicted by early successional habitat, but was further refined by other habitat associations such as the proportion of herbaceous habitat and hay-pasture habitat, respectively. Contrastingly, northern bobwhite occupancy in the Ouachita Mountains ecoregion was best predicted by richness of landcover classes alone. Ecoregion-level models were thus more discerning than the state level model and should be more helpful to managers in identifying priority conservation areas. However, in 2 of 5 ecoregions, northern bobwhite were too rarely encountered to accurately predict their occurrence. We found that likely occupied northern bobwhite habitat lay primarily on private properties (95%), but that numerous public entities own and manage land identified as suitable or likely occupied. We conclude that management of northern bobwhite in Arkansas could benefit from cooperation among state, federal, and military partners, as well as surrounding private landowners and that ecoregion-specific models may be more useful in identifying priority areas for management. Our approach incorporates multiple landscape scales when using remote sensing technology in conjunction with monitoring data and could have important application for the management of northern bobwhite and other grassland bird species.

The development and implementation of programs for the use and protection of agricultural lands in the regional projects for the development of agriculture and agricultural clusters, and state regulation of agricultural lands fertility

2021 ◽  
pp. 325-330
Author(s):  
V.V. Alakoz
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Agricultural Lands ◽  
Environmentally Safe ◽  
Negative Impacts

Land legislation - the Land Code of the Russian Federation, the Federal Law " Land Management", the Federal Law "Turnover of Agricultural Lands", the Federal Law "State Regulation of Agricultural Lands Fertility" proclaimed the obligation of state authorities, local governments, legal entities and individuals realize their activities with preservation of land as the most important component of the environment and a natural resource, and carry out measures for the reproduction of the fertility of agricultural lands. There are proclamations, but no effective economic, administrative mechanisms and institutions of enforcement to save productive land and soil fertility. Regulations for the environmentally safe use of separately cultivated plots of arable land, contours of hayfields and pastures with spatial identification of the boundaries of their action on the map for land management have not been established – we can see negative impacts of excessive cultivation of arable land. The proposed measures to ensure the fertility of agricultural lands are aimed not at land use with soil-saving agricultural technologies in the process of agricultural activities when growing crops (in accordance with the established regulations), but at restoration of soil fertility after depletion of agricultural land use through reclamation and other measures for agrochemical services. This article proposes to restore the compulsory land management activities in case of identification of lands with water and wind erosion and other negative impacts with the development of regulations for environmentally safe agricultural land use for each field or part of it, the contour of hayfields and pastures exposed to negative impacts of anthropogenic or natural load. It is easier to prevent than to cure.

Canadian agricultural land-use and land management data for Kyoto reporting

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Huffman ◽  
R. Ogston ◽  
T. Fisette ◽  
B. Daneshfar ◽  
P-Y. Gasser, L. White ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Land Use And Management ◽  
National Analysis ◽  
The Impact

The land use and management data requirements for assessing, monitoring and reporting on the impact of agricultural production practices on the environment, especially in a country as large as Canada, are considerable. In view of the fact that environmental assessments are a relatively new phenomenon, data collection activities targeted toward these needs are not widespread. As a result, we find it necessary to acquire and integrate a variety of data sources with differing time lines, spatial scales and sampling frameworks. This paper uses our current activities with respect to Kyoto reporting as a focus to present and discuss the types of data required and the spatial analysis and integration procedures being developed to provide them. The essential data for this activity include the area of crop and land use types, land use changes since 1990, farm and land management practices and biomass production. The spatial framework selected for national analysis is the Soil Landscapes of Canada, and the primary existing data sources are the Census of Agriculture, sample-derived yield estimates and satellite-based land cover products. These are supplemented with detailed, multi-season, multi-year satellite image interpretations conducted at an ecologically and statistically stratified sample of sites across the country. The use of these data in preparing an account of greenhouse gas sources and sinks identified a number of gaps and problems, and a brief outline of future work designed to improve the data inputs is presented. Key words: Kyoto reporting, data integration, land use and management, greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration

scholarly journals Negative Impacts of Human Land Use on Dung Beetle Functional Diversity

PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e17976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Barragán ◽  
Claudia E. Moreno ◽  
Federico Escobar ◽  
Gonzalo Halffter ◽  
Dario Navarrete
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Negative Impacts

Reconciling productivity with protection of the environment: Is temperate agroforestry the answer?

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Smith ◽  
Bruce D. Pearce ◽  
Martin S. Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
World Population ◽  
Research Dissemination ◽  
Agricultural Knowledge ◽  
Multifunctional Land Use ◽  
Temperate Agroforestry ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Trees And Shrubs

AbstractMeeting the needs for a growing world population calls for multifunctional land use, which can meet the multiple demands of food and fuel production, environmental and biodiversity protection, and has the capacity for adaptation or resilience to climate change. Agroforestry, a land-use system that integrates trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock production, has been identified by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) as a ‘win–win’ approach that balances the production of commodities (food, feed, fuel, fiber, etc.) with non-commodity outputs such as environmental protection and cultural and landscape amenities. Evidence is now coming to light that supports the promotion of agroforestry in temperate developed countries as a sustainable alternative to the highly industrialized agricultural model with its associated negative environmental externalities. This paper reviews this evidence within the ‘ecosystem services’ framework to evaluate agroforestry as part of a multifunctional working landscape in temperate regions. Establishing trees on agricultural land can help to mitigate many of the negative impacts of agriculture, for example by regulating soil, water and air quality, supporting biodiversity, reducing inputs by natural regulation of pests and more efficient nutrient cycling, and by modifying local and global climates. The challenge now lies in promoting the adoption of agroforestry as a mainstream land use through research, dissemination of information and policy changes.

The effect of fine-scale variations in agricultural land use on the abundance of red-winged blackbirds

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1951-1955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert G. Clark ◽  
Patrick J. Weatherhead
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Agelaius Phoeniceus ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Sharp Decline ◽  
Corn Production ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Feeding Habitat

We used censuses of breeding red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and of land use to test the prediction that blackbirds should be most abundant where there is a mix of hayfield (breeding habitat) and corn production (feeding habitat) but fewer birds where either habitat predominates. Red-winged blackbird abundance increased in response to increases in both hayfields and cropland. Multivariate analysis including hayfield, cropland, and wetland abundance as explanatory variables explained substantially more variation in blackbird abundance than any of the variables could by themselves. Although our analyses indicated some evidence of a decline in numbers of blackbirds when either hayfields or cropland became very abundant, none of the areas censused approached true monoculture and therefore the conditions under which a sharp decline in the blackbird population was predicted were not encountered. However, evidence from other locations and local population trends suggest that the prediction is correct.

scholarly journals Understanding the Impacts of Aggregate Production on Agriculture and Identifying Mitigating Strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Reichheld and Emily Hehl
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Promising Practices ◽  
Land Use Impacts ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Land Owners ◽  
Negative Impacts

Across Ontario, aggregate extraction provides economic stimulus for many rural locales, but these operations significantly alter the landscapes upon which they occur and are often considered a nuisance to adjacent land owners. Especially in Southern Ontario, these operations frequently occur on agricultural land or within close proximity to productive farmland. Given the potentially disruptive nature of aggregate extraction, it is important to understand their impacts on nearby farms so that measures to mitigate these impacts can be developed and implemented. Thus, research is needed that understands the social, economic, environmental and land use impacts of aggregate operations to help ensure that adjacent agricultural operations prosper. This research therefore seeks to identify the farm operator’s perspective on impacts on crop and livestock production, along with corresponding best practices that can be utilized to mitigate these impacts. Additionally, this project will involve a jurisdictional scan to identify social, economic, environmental and land use impacts, as well as quantitative and qualitative research intended to identify impacts on agriculture (such as dust, noise and water) and promising practices that aggregate operators and municipal planners could use to limit these impacts. The goal is to see these best practices implemented early in the planning process to avoid conflict and negative impacts on agricultural production from future aggregate operations. The project is supported by a three-year research grant from OMAFRA.

scholarly journals Mapping dynamics of agricultural land use in the dry steppe zone of the Northern Кazakhstan

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-18
Author(s):  
Tatiana Vorobyova ◽  
Yelaman Smagulov
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
Northern Kazakhstan ◽  
Dry Steppe

The agricultural use of land resources in the dry steppe regions of Northern Kazakhstan has undergone significant changes over the past century and continues to change at the present time. The middle position in the region is occupied by the Akmola region, one of the leading agricultural regions, where 9.3 % of the country’s gross agricultural output is produced. The main branches of agriculture in the region are grain farming and dairy and beef cattle breeding. The study of the change in the ratio of the areas of arable and pasture lands, the changes that have occurred in the state of agricultural landscapes as a result of long-term use is important for the further development of the agricultural industry in the region. Using the example of the Astrakhan district of the Akmola region, typical for the dry steppe zone, an analysis of changes in the structure of agricultural land from 1953 to 2020 was carried out. with the help of a series of digital maps compiled from detailed maps of scientific reference atlases of Northern Kazakhstan in 1964, 1970, remote sensing data of different times, archival materials and data of modern statistics. The resulting maps visualize significant changes in cropland areas within the study area over the past 70 years. Seven main periods were identified, during which the most significant changes in the structure of land use occurred as a result of political, economic and natural factors. During the years of development of virgin and fallow lands, the highest rates of increase in arable land were observed, which continued on a smaller scale until 1990. The period from 1991-1999 characterized by a large-scale reduction of arable land and abandonment of pastures. This was followed by two periods of gradual restoration of the use of arable and rangelands. Compiled comprehensive map of the dynamics of agricultural land use from 1988 to 2020 made it possible to identify spatial and temporal patterns in changes in the structure of agricultural land use, to determine to which specific natural types of lands the abandoned lands belonged and to which restored ones. Spatial analysis showed that over the past 30, more than half of the area’s area has not changed the type of land use. The results obtained are used to select the optimal ratio of arable and pasture lands in the structure of agricultural land use, as well as to develop a strategy for the rational use of agricultural land in the zone of risky farming.

scholarly journals Soil classification predicts differences in prokaryotic communities across a range of geographically distant soils once pH is accounted for

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Kaminsky ◽  
Blandine Trouche ◽  
Sergio E. Morales
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Soil Classification ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Community Patterns ◽  
Plant Life ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAgricultural land is typically managed based on visible plant life at the expense of the belowground majority. However, microorganisms mediate processes sustaining plant life and the soil environment. To understand the role of microbes we first must understand what controls soil microbial community assembly. We assessed the distribution and composition of prokaryotic communities from soils representing four geographic regions on the South Island of New Zealand. These soils are under three different uses (dairy, sheep and beef, and high country farming) and are representative of major soil classification groups (brown, pallic, gley and recent). We hypothesized that pH would account for major community patterns based on 16S profiles, but that land use and location would be secondary modifiers. Community diversity and structure was linked to pH, coinciding with land use. Soil classification correlated with microbial community structure and evenness, but not richness in high country and sheep and beef communities. The impact of land use and pH remained significant at the regional scale, but soil classification provided support for community variability not explained by either of those factors. These results suggest that several edaphic properties must be examined at multiple spatial scales to robustly examine soil prokaryotic communities.

scholarly journals Teatime in the Serengeti: macrodetritivores sustain recalcitrant plant litter decomposition across human-modified tropical savannahs

2020 ◽  
Vol 456 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 241-258
Author(s):  
Anders Sundsdal ◽  
Bente J. Graae ◽  
James D. M. Speed ◽  
John Bukombe ◽  
Philipo Jacob Mtweve ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Ecological Awareness ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Plant Litter Decomposition ◽  
Rooibos Tea

Abstract Background and aims Intensification of savannah land-use is predicted to negatively influence soil biodiversity and functioning such as litter decomposition by detritivores. Loss of macrodetritivores, particularly termites, may be problematic in drier savannahs due to the capacity of macrodetritivores to sustain litter decomposition. Here we investigate how human land-use and spatiotemporal rainfall influence the contribution of macrodetritivores to plant litter decomposition. Methods We measured decomposition using globally standardized litter: labile green and recalcitrant rooibos tea litter. The contribution of macrodetritivores to litter decomposition was determined through exclusion using meshed litterbags. Litter decomposition was determined in agricultural land, pastureland and wildlife protected areas during both wet and dry seasons and in mesic and wet rainfall regions across the borders of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Results Macrodetritivores consumed recalcitrant rooibos and mainly avoided labile green tea litter. On average macrodetritivores enhanced recalcitrant litter decomposition by 22%, but litter mass loss varied across land-uses, typically being higher on agricultural and pastureland compared to wildlife protected areas, and was sustained during periods of water scarcity. However, we observed instances of higher decomposition of recalcitrant litter by macrodetritivores in wildlife protected areas. In contrast, litter decomposition by microbes and microdetritivores was more constrained by seasonal and regional water availability with a minor influence of land-use. Conclusion We found that moderate human-modification of savannahs is compatible with macrodetritivore litter decomposition. As savannahs become more intensely used by humans, raising ecological awareness among agropastoralist is required to ensure continued contribution of macrodetritivores to litter decomposition.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document