scholarly journals Location, location, location: finding a suitable home among the noise

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1742) ◽  
pp. 3622-3631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni A. Stanley ◽  
Craig A. Radford ◽  
Andrew G. Jeffs
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Underwater Sound ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Location Finding ◽  
Settlement And Metamorphosis

While sound is a useful cue for guiding the onshore orientation of larvae because it travels long distances underwater, it also has the potential to convey valuable information about the quality and type of the habitat at the source. Here, we provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that settlement-stage coastal crab species can interpret and show a strong settlement and metamorphosis response to habitat-related differences in natural underwater sound. Laboratory- and field-based experiments demonstrated that time to metamorphosis in the settlement-stage larvae of common coastal crab species varied in response to different underwater sound signatures produced by different habitat types. The megalopae of five species of both temperate and tropical crabs showed a significant decrease in time to metamorphosis, when exposed to sound from their optimal settlement habitat type compared with other habitat types. These results indicate that sounds emanating from specific underwater habitats may play a major role in determining spatial patterns of recruitment in coastal crab species.

scholarly journals The interplay between facilitation and habitat type drive spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Berdugo ◽  
Santiago Soliveres ◽  
Sonia Kéfi ◽  
Fernando T. Maestre
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Geographical Regions

ABSTRACTThe size distribution of discrete plant patches (PSD), a common descriptor of the spatial patterns of vascular vegetation, has been linked to variations in land degradation and ecosystem functioning in drylands. However, most studies on PSDs conducted to date have focused on a single or a few study sites within a particular region. Therefore, little is know on the general typology and distribution of PSDs at the global scale, and on the relative importance of biotic and abiotic factors as drivers of their variation across geographical regions and habitat types. We analyzed 115 dryland plant communities from all continents except Antarctica to investigate the general typology of PSDs, and to assess the relative importance of biotic (plant cover, frequency of facilitation, soil amelioration, height of the dominant species) and abiotic (aridity and sand content) factors as drivers of PSDs across contrasting habitat types (shrublands and grasslands). We found that both power-law and lognormal PSDs were generally distributed regardless of the region of the world considered. The percentage of facilitated species in the community drives the emergence of power-law like spatial patterns in both shrublands and grasslands, although mediated by different mechanisms (soil and climatic amelioration, respectively). Other drivers of PSDs were habitat-specific: height of the dominant species and total cover were particularly strong drivers in shrublands and grasslands, respectively. The importance of biotic attributes as drivers of PSDs declined under the most arid conditions in both habitats. We observed that PSDs deviated from power law functions not only due to the loss of large, but also of small patches. Our results expand our knowledge about patch formation in drylands and the habitat-dependency of their drivers. They also highlight different ways in which facilitation may act on ecosystem functioning through the formation of plant spatial patterns.

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.

scholarly journals Recent Invasion of the Endemic Banggai Cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni at The Strait of Bali: Assessment of the Habitat Type and Population Structure

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Nyoman Giri Putra ◽  
I Dewa Nyoman Nurweda Putra
Keyword(s):  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Marine Organisms ◽  
Aquarium Trade ◽  
Small Populations ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Weight Relationship ◽  
Narrow Bay ◽  
Sexually Mature

The demands of marine organisms for the aquarium trade are remain high and seems continue to increase. Consequently, many of marine organisms has been spread out from its natural habitat as in the case of endemic Banggai cardinalfish, (Pterapogon kauderni). That has invaded “new” habitat since it being trade in 1995. In recent years, a small populations of P. kauderni is known to be exist in a narrow bay near the Gilimanuk harbor, Bali. An underwater visual fish census survey was conducted on June 2018 to estimate the habitat types and densities of P. kauderni.  Additionally, 23 specimens of P. kauderni were collected randomly in order to assess biological parameters such as the length-weight relationship. We successfully recorded 30 groups of P. kauderni that inhabit a shallow areas with a depth range between 0.5m to 2m. Of these, more than 90% of the groups were found to be associated with sea urchin (Diadema sp.) while the rest were found to live together with branching coral (Acropora sp.) and branching sponge (Ptylocaulis sp.). Total number of fish observed during the survey were 381 individuals. The fish density is 0.76 individu.m-2. Length-weight relationship showed that P. kauderni exhibit is negative allometry (b<3) which mean that the increase in length is faster than the weight gain. Interestingly, from the 23 specimens collected, none of these were sexually mature (SL<41 mm) which may indicated that the population of P. kauderni in Bali are under serious threats of exploitation.     

scholarly journals Diet of otters (Lutra lutra) in various habitat types in the Pannonian biogeographical region compared to other regions of Europe

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2266 ◽  
Author(s):  
József Lanszki ◽  
István Lehoczky ◽  
Antoinette Kotze ◽  
Michael J. Somers
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Type ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
Fish Diet ◽  
Fish Farms ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Mediterranean Regions ◽  
Biogeographical Region ◽  
Study Sites

Knowledge of the effect of habitat type and region on diet and feeding behaviours of a species facilitates a better understanding of factors impacting populations, which contributes to effective conservation management. Using spraint analysis and relative frequency of occurrence data from the literature, we described the dietary patterns of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in 23 study sites within the Pannonian biogeographical region in Hungary. Our results indicated that diet composition varied by habitat type and is therefore context dependant. The differences among habitat types were however lower than expected. We noticed a decline in the fish consumption with a concomitant increase in trophic niche breadth and amphibian consumption in rivers, ponds (fish farms), backwaters, marshes and small watercourses. The main differences in diet were not attributed to the consumption of primary and secondary food types (fish and amphibians), but rather to differences in other, less important food types (mammals, birds). Using hierarchical cluster analysis, rivers and ponds could clearly be separated from other habitat types. We found the main fish diet of otters in most of these areas consisted of small (<100 g), eurytopic, littoral and non-native, mostly invasive species. Dietary studies from 91 sites in six European biogeographical regions showed that fish are consumed most frequently in the Atlantic and Boreal, less in the Continental and Pannonian, and least in the Alpine and Mediterranean regions. Comparative analysis indicated that the Mediterranean region (with frequent crayfish consumption) and Alpine region (frequent amphibian consumption) cluster separate from the other regions.

scholarly journals Use of summer habitat by caribou on the north slope of a mountain near the Macmillan Pass, N.W.T.

Rangifer ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 311 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F. Quayle ◽  
G. Peter Kershaw
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Type ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
The North ◽  
Feeding Cycle ◽  
Alpine Habitats ◽  
Pellet Density ◽  
Insect Harassment

Habitat use by woodland caribou was investigated by counting pellet-groups, sampling phytomass, and evaluating topography in nine habitat-types on the north slope of an unnamed mountain near Macmillan Pass, N.W.T. Caribou pellets were most abundant in high elevation habitat-types, and pellet density was greatest in an alpine Lichen-Grass habitat-type with a slope of &lt;1&deg;. The high density of pellets in alpine areas may have resulted from of the use of cool, windy, alpine habitats by caribou seeking relief from insect harassment. There were no apparent relationships between pellet abundance, and phytomass of mosses, lichens, or graminoids, possibly as a result of caribou feeding and defecating in different habitats. The occurrence of pellets with a coalesced morphology in the barren Lichen-Grass habitat-type provided indirect evidence in support of a feeding cycle, whereby caribou visit lush habitats to feed, and return to open, alpine habitats to rest and ruminate.

scholarly journals Effect of Climate and Habitat on Morphological Characteristics and Fruit Production of Picralima Nitida (Stapf) in West Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghislain Comlan AKABASSI ◽  
Elie Antoine Padonou ◽  
Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo ◽  
Noël Zirihi Guede
Keyword(s):  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Home Gardens ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industries

Abstract Picralima nitida is an important African medicinal plant species used in pharmaceutical industries and traditional medicine to treat several diseases. Despite its importance, the species faces conservation problem. This study evaluated the effect of climate and habitat on morphological characteristics and fruit production of P. nitida. A total of 132 fruiting trees was randomly sampled from three habitat types (home gardens, botanical garden and natural forest) and three soils (Nitisols, Arenosols and Acrisols) in Dahomey Gap and Guineo-Congolese zone. A total of 5 morphological traits and fruit production were recorded per tree to describe the relationship between morphological determinism of the species and climate. Pearson correlation was performed to identify the suitable habitat type in each climatic zone. Harmonized World Soil Database was used to determine physicochemical characteristics of the soil types on which the species occurred. Results revealed that the climatic zones (p < 0.001) and habitat types (p < 0.0001) influenced significantly the morphological characteristics and fruit production of P. nitida. High trees with more number of fruits were observed in home gardens on acid soils (Nitisols (pH: 5) and Arenosols (pH: 5.3)) in Dahomey Gap. In Guineo-Congolese zone, the species was more present in natural forest on acid Acrisols (pH: 5).

scholarly journals Transforming Abandoned Farm Fields to Conifer Plantations Reduces Ruffed Grouse Density

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 405-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Roy ◽  
Marc J. Mazerolle ◽  
Louis Imbeau
Keyword(s):  
Wood Fiber ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Old Fields ◽  
Ruffed Grouse ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Rock Outcrops ◽  
Conifer Plantations ◽  
Coniferous Plantations

Abstract Natural forests likely will be unable to fulfill society’s needs sustainably for wood fiber in the near future. In an attempt to meet increasing demands while protecting intact forests, producers have increasingly considered alternative sources of timber, such as intensively managed plantations. In regions that are economically dependent on forest harvesting, abandoned farm fields are often targeted for conversion to intensive coniferous plantations. These sites are generally in an early successional stage that is dominated by deciduous stands, which provide an important habitat type for several game species, including ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus). Therefore, conversion could represent a loss of habitat for this species and several others that are associated with early successional deciduous stages. We conducted grouse drumming surveys in northwestern Quebec, Canada to evaluate the effects of transforming old fields into conifer plantations on ruffed grouse by comparing densities between two habitat types: abandoned farm fields (n  =  22) and old fields converted to conifer plantations (n  =  19). To correct any audibility bias between habitat types, we located all drumming males that were heard at each site. We then analyzed the number of individuals that were detected in the sites with repeated count models. Our results show that overall drumming males avoided plantations. Overhead cover increased drumming male densities in both habitat types, whereas lateral cover increased drumming grouse densities only in plantations. The density of deciduous stems and fruit-bearing stems also had a tendency to increase drumming male densities, but their effects were marginal. Most ruffed grouse in abandoned farm fields used piles of woody debris on the ground as drumming structures rather than large logs or rock outcrops. Our results suggest that plantations do not have the vegetative cover and quantity of food stems necessary to support high ruffed grouse densities during the drumming season and that conversion of abandoned farm fields to coniferous plantations may exert negative cascading effects for reproduction and population growth.

Benthic Habitats and the Effects of Fishing

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Type ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Benthic Habitat ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Placopecten Magellanicus ◽  
Benthic Species ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Closed Area ◽  
Sea Scallops ◽  
Moderate Complexity

<strong><em>Abstract. </em></strong>In late 1994, substantial portions of Georges Bank were closed to commercial fishing to assist with stock rebuilding. These areas were Closed Area I (CAI), located on the western portion of the bank, and Closed Area II (CAII), on the eastern portion. After about 5 years of closure, the southern portion of CAII and the central portion of CAI, having exhibited substantial increases in biomass and density of sea scallops <em>Placopecten magellanicus</em>, were reopened to scallop fishing. Before the industry was allowed entry, we conducted surveys to monitor the recovery of benthic habitat and fauna inside both areas. Sampling sites were selected in a paired station design for an inside–outside comparison representative of major habitat types in each closed area; other stations were chosen to survey the remainder of the closed areas. At each station, we examined a suite of biotic and abiotic variables ranging from substrate type to benthos to nekton. Our results suggest few differences between the inside–outside paired stations in both closed areas for nekton and benthic species composition and species richness. Fish abundance and biomass were similar inside and outside the closed areas. However, individuals of species such as skates (<em>Raja </em>spp.), haddock <em>Melanogrammus aeglefinus</em>, and flounders (Pleuronectiformes) were generally larger inside than outside the closed areas. Additionally, habitat type was important in determining the distribution, abundance, biomass, size, and feeding ecology for some of the more benthic-oriented species studied. In CAI, the differences we observed in the suite of biotic metrics are likely a result of the high diversity of habitat types, with many of the habitat types composed of higher-relief material (e.g., cobble, gravel, etc.) in the region. The seabed in the southern portion of CAII is a relatively high-energy sand habitat of low to moderate complexity and has a relatively low vulnerability to trawling and dredging, which may explain why there were less pronounced differences in abundance or biomass across habitat types in that closed area as compared to CAI. Other parts of closed areas on the northeastern shelf may exhibit more obvious changes in the same biological metrics due to the presence of more complex habitats and increased vulnerability to bottom tending fishing gear. Those differences we observed for CAI and CAII may have implications for the population dynamics of commercially valuable benthic species, yet that question remains a major challenge.

Assessing Uncertainty in Coastal Marsh Core Sampling for Waterfowl Foods

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 238-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Ringelman ◽  
Christopher K. Williams ◽  
John M. Coluccy
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Coastal Marsh ◽  
Energy Estimates ◽  
Large Animal ◽  
Soil Core ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Core Samples ◽  
Landscape Scales

Abstract Quantifying foraging resources available to waterfowl in different habitat types is important for estimating energetic carrying capacity. To accomplish this, most studies collect soil-core samples from the marsh substrate, sieve and sort food items, and extrapolate energy values to wetland or landscape scales. This is a costly and time-intensive process; furthermore, extrapolation methods yield energy estimates with large variances relative to the mean. From both research and management perspectives, it is important to understand sources of this variation and estimate the number of soil cores needed to reduce the variance to desired levels. Using 2,341 cores collected from freshwater and salt marsh habitats at four sites along the Atlantic Coast, we examined sampling variation and biological variation among sites and habitats. When we removed extreme outliers in the data caused by large animal food items found in a small core sample, estimates of energy density decreased by an order of magnitude for most habitats. After removing outliers, we found inconsistent geographical variation among habitat types that was especially pronounced in freshwater and no evidence for within-season temporal depletion of food resources for any site or habitat. We used a Monte Carlo simulation approach to estimate the optimal number of cores (minimizing both cost and estimated variance) sampled in each habitat type. Across most contexts, a reduction in the coefficient of variation reached diminishing returns near 40 core samples. We recommend that researchers explicitly address outliers in the data and managers acknowledge the imprecision that can arise from including or excluding outliers when estimating energy density at landscape scales. Our results suggest that collecting 40–50 cores per habitat type was sufficient to reduce the variance to acceptable levels while minimizing overall sampling costs.

Ponderosa Pine Habitat Types as an Indicator of Site Quality in the Dixie National Forest, Utah

1989 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Verbyla ◽  
Richard F. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Quercus Gambelii ◽  
Generally True

Abstract Forest habitat types have been purported to be useful indicators of site quality. This is generally true for habitat types with different dominant tree species. However, few have studied the site indicator value of habitat types with the same dominant tree species. We measured site index (base age 25) from 172 randomly selected plots within the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) zone of the Dixie National Forest, Utah. The range of site index within any one habitat type was broad. Poor sites occurred on all five habitat types. However, the best sites occurred only on the Pinus ponderosa/Symphoricarpos oreophilus and Pinus ponderosa/Quercus gambelii habitat types. Therefore, habitat type may be useful in predicting the best sites, but only if other site information is used in addition to habitat type. West. J. Appl. For. 4(2):52-54, April 1989.

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