Establishment of wildflower strips in a wide range of environments: a lesson from a landscape‐scale project

Abstract The EU Commission has established Green infrastructure as one of the tools to preserve biodiversity and grant the provision of ecosystem services that reduce impacts on natural values like those produced by climate change. Therefore, a European green infrastructure strategy has been created that commit member states to incorporate green infrastructure to their territorial planning. Yet, methodologies to delimit green infrastructure so as to facilitate its inclusion in territorial plans are still scarce. The available methods are mainly based in multicriteria evaluation and focus on zoning general green infrastructure areas taking into account the provision potential of just a few ecosystem services. Considering the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services to delimit green infrastructure elements is key to grant their multifunctionality and increase their efficiency mitigating climate change impacts in natural values and human population. However, the lack of data or the high cost to accurately map ecosystem services provision potential, leads most of the time to infer it from land cover data. This creates problems when using these maps to delimit green infrastructure in areas with fragmented landscapes; since identified green infrastructure areas may be irregular and scattered. There are heuristic methods like simulated annealing that have been used to identify ecosystem services hot spots which consider the regularity and size of the identified patches. These methods can be used to delimit green infrastructure in fragmented landscapes finding a balance between the regularity of the areas and their potential to provide multiple ecosystem services. In the current work, a comparison has been made between the performance of simulated annealing and current multicriteria evaluation methods to delimit green infrastructure multifunctional buffer zones in an area of north-western Spain with a very fragmented landscape. Results have shown that simulated annealing delimits more regular multifunctional buffer areas but with a less average potential for providing multiple ecosystem services. The conclusions of the paper indicate that simulated annealing is good produces more regular multifunctional areas but with a lower ESs provision potential. It was observed that in the case of ESs that were mapped considering factors at landscape scale, their provision potential did not vary too much between the multifunctional buffer areas delimited with each of the methods. This indicates that delineation methods may produce more regular GI elements if ESs provision potential is mapped considering the influence of biophysical factors at a wider landscape scale.

Download Full-text

Home Range and Habitat Selection of Long-Eared Owls (Asio Otus) in Mediterranean Agricultural Landscapes (Crete, Greece)

Avian Biology Research ◽

10.3184/175815618x15263010605630 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 204-218 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

D. Emin ◽

A.G. Toxopeus ◽

Ir.T.A. Groen ◽

I. Kontogeorgos ◽

E. Georgopoulou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Model Performance ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Landscape Scale ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Range Size ◽

Nominal Scale ◽

Wide Range ◽

Selection Of

The Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) in Crete (Greece) is a common agricultural species affected by the recent changes in agro-forestry systems. Concrete studies of habitat selection are needed in order to improve our knowledge of its foraging behaviour in managed rural landscapes. In the present study, we analysed the home range size and habitat selection of 11 Long-eared Owls inside olive groves in the plain of central Crete using radio tracking data and remote sensing images. Six nominal scale and 11 landscape scale predictors were used for habitat selection analysis, using a maximum entropy approach. Home range size ranged between 337 and 969 ha while a 52% of home range overlap was observed suggesting that Long-eared Owls do not defend hunting territories. At the nominal scale, distance to potential roosts (trees) was the most important contributor to model performance, followed by vegetation heterogeneity. Furthermore, local heterogeneity of greenness was a better predictor than simply greenness at the presence location. At the landscape scale the amount of habitat openness significantly improved model performance. Incorporating landscape heterogeneity improved habitat selection prediction compared to using only discrete land cover classification. Results of our study pinpoint that although Long-eared Owls exhibit a wide range of habitat tolerance, they prefer mixed habitat conditions avoiding particularly open areas or dense olive plantations. The research has implications in the face of new reforms of European Common Agricultural policy which emphasised the importance of landscape structure in preserving biodiversity in agricultural areas of Europe.

Download Full-text

A tethered-balloon PTRMS sampling approach for rapid surveying of landscape-scale biogenic VOC fluxes

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions ◽

10.5194/amtd-7-979-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 979-999 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. P. Greenberg ◽

A. Guenther ◽

A. Turnipseed ◽

X. Jiang ◽

R. Seco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Proton Transfer Reaction ◽

Fast Response ◽

Emission Factors ◽

Landscape Scale ◽

Emission Model ◽

Tethered Balloon ◽

Sampling System ◽

Weather Model ◽

Short Period ◽

Wide Range

Abstract. To survey landscape-scale fluxes of biogenic gases, a 100 m Teflon tube was attached to a tethered balloon as a sampling inlet for a fast response Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTRMS). Along with meteorological instruments deployed on the tethered balloon and at 3 m and outputs from a regional weather model, these observations were used to estimate landscape scale biogenic volatile organic compound fluxes with two micrometeorological techniques: mixed layer variance and surface layer gradients. This highly mobile sampling system was deployed at four field sites near Barcelona to estimate landscape-scale BVOC emission factors in a relatively short period (3 weeks). The two micrometeorological techniques agreed within the uncertainty of the flux measurements at all four sites even though the locations had considerable heterogeneity in species distribution and complex terrain. The observed fluxes were significantly different than emissions predicted with an emission model using site-specific emission factors and land-cover characteristics. Considering the wide range in reported BVOC emission factors of VOCs for individual vegetation species (more than an order of magnitude), this flux estimation technique is useful for constraining BVOC emission factors used as model inputs.

Download Full-text

GENERAL INTRODUCTION: CONSERVING NOVA SCOTIA’S BIODIVERSITY

Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science (NSIS) ◽

10.15273/pnsis.v42i2.3599 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

Author(s):

J.H.Martin Willison

Keyword(s):

Nova Scotia ◽

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Conservation Planning ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Landscape Scale ◽

General Introduction ◽

Present Volume ◽

Wide Range

The papers on biodiversity in this issue focus on the richness of life in Nova Scotia, and the means by which this richness might be conserved. Mammals, birds, fish, beetles, and diatoms are examples of the richness of life described in the volume. The conservation status of selected species is outlined, as are the threats to these species. Special attention is paid to moose and roseate terns, and a wide range of birds, beetles, fish, mammals and other species receive some attention. Conservation options based on the protection of habitat in Nova Scotia, as well as comprehensive landscape-scale strategies for biodiversity conservation planning, are similarly described both in detail and in general by a variety of authors.Les articles du présent volume portent principalement sur la richesse du vivant en Nouvelle-Écosse et sur les moyens de conserver cette richesse. Mammifères, oiseaux, poissons, coléoptères et diatomées sont au nombre des taxons traités dans le volume. On décrit la situation de certaines espèces et les menaces qui pèsent sur elles. Une attention particulière est accordée à l’orignal et à la Sterne de Dougall, et une grande variété d’oiseaux, de coléoptères, de poissons, de mammifères et d’autres espèces sont également considérées. Plusieurs auteurs décrivent de manière générale ou détaillée des options en matière de conservation fondées sur la protection des habitats en Nouvelle-Écosse ainsi que des stratégies globales à l’échelle des paysages pour la planification de la conservation de la biodiversité.

Download Full-text

A tethered-balloon PTRMS sampling approach for surveying of landscape-scale biogenic VOC fluxes

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques ◽

10.5194/amt-7-2263-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (7) ◽

pp. 2263-2271 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

J. P. Greenberg ◽

J. Peñuelas ◽

A. Guenther ◽

R. Seco ◽

A. Turnipseed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Compound ◽

Volatile Organic Compound ◽

Emission Factors ◽

Landscape Scale ◽

Tethered Balloon ◽

Sampling System ◽

Short Period ◽

Wide Range ◽

Volatile Organic ◽

Biogenic Volatile Organic Compound

Abstract. Landscape-scale fluxes of biogenic gases were surveyed by deploying a 100 m Teflon tube attached to a tethered balloon as a sampling inlet for a fast-response proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer (PTRMS). Along with meteorological instruments deployed on the tethered balloon and a 3 m tripod and outputs from a regional weather model, these observations were used to estimate landscape-scale biogenic volatile organic compound fluxes with two micrometeorological techniques: mixed layer variance and surface layer gradients. This highly mobile sampling system was deployed at four field sites near Barcelona to estimate landscape-scale biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emission factors in a relatively short period (3 weeks). The two micrometeorological techniques were compared with emissions predicted with a biogenic emission model using site-specific emission factors and land-cover characteristics for all four sites. The methods agreed within the uncertainty of the techniques in most cases, even though the locations had considerable heterogeneity in species distribution and complex terrain. Considering the wide range in reported BVOC emission factors for individual vegetation species (more than an order of magnitude), this temporally short and inexpensive flux estimation technique may be useful for constraining BVOC emission factors used as model inputs.

Download Full-text

A Conceptual Model Framework for Mapping, Analyzing and Managing Supply–Demand Mismatches of Ecosystem Services in Agricultural Landscapes

Land ◽

10.3390/land10020131 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 131

Author(s):

Mostafa Shaaban ◽

Carmen Schwartz ◽

Joseph Macpherson ◽

Annette Piorr

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Conceptual Model ◽

Model Simulation ◽

Cooperative Behavior ◽

Landscape Scale ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Integrated Modelling ◽

Model Framework ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Wide Range

Appreciation for agricultural sustainability and ecosystem services (ESS) has received considerable attention from the scientific community. However, research has not yet systematically and sufficiently considered the spatial dimension of ESS trade-offs as a source of conflicts. Moreover, approaches for ESS management that address a wide range of beneficiaries and their interactions at landscape scale are lacking. Our main research question is how to motivate different beneficiaries of agricultural landscapes to cooperate in reducing supply–demand mismatches and accompanied conflicts, as well as to assess how different scenarios would impact relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We present a novel and conceptual integrated model in which we employ a combination of three methodological tools: participatory geographic information system (PGIS), agent-based modelling (ABM) and a Bayesian belief network (BBN). The objective of our model simulation is to identify and manage site-specific spatial trade-off patterns and to provide decision support for shifting competitive behavior of individual stakeholders in satisfying their demand for ESS to a collective and cooperative scheme, while jointly striving to attain relevant targets outlined in the SDGs. Attached to this work is a short video depicting our conceptual model. We strongly suggest that tackling a complex social-ecological system necessitates a highly integrated modelling approach that fosters the transition from farm- to landscape-scale management, from individualistic to collective action, and from competitive to cooperative behavior.

Download Full-text

Recent Applications of High Resolution Electron Microscopy to Crystalline Arrays of Virus Particles

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100070199 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 470-482 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R.W. Horne

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Image Processing ◽

Analytical Techniques ◽

Staining Technique ◽

High Resolution Electron Microscopy ◽

Optical Diffraction ◽

Full Potential ◽

Virus Particles ◽

Resolution Electron ◽

Wide Range

The technique of surrounding virus particles with a neutralised electron dense stain was described at the Fourth International Congress on Electron Microscopy, Berlin 1958 (see Home & Brenner, 1960, p. 625). For many years the negative staining technique in one form or another, has been applied to a wide range of biological materials. However, the full potential of the method has only recently been explored following the development and applications of optical diffraction and computer image analytical techniques to electron micrographs (cf. De Hosier & Klug, 1968; Markham 1968; Crowther et al., 1970; Home & Markham, 1973; Klug & Berger, 1974; Crowther & Klug, 1975). These image processing procedures have allowed a more precise and quantitative approach to be made concerning the interpretation, measurement and reconstruction of repeating features in certain biological systems.

Download Full-text

Microfabrication research at the National Submicron Facility

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100074331 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 86-89

Author(s):

E.D. Wolf

Keyword(s):

Integrated Circuits ◽

Particle Physics ◽

High Speed ◽

New Technology ◽

High Energy ◽

High Energy Particle ◽

New Science ◽

Wide Range ◽

Intermediate Domain ◽

Circuit Function

Most microelectronics devices and circuits operate faster, consume less power, execute more functions and cost less per circuit function when the feature-sizes internal to the devices and circuits are made smaller. This is part of the stimulus for the Very High-Speed Integrated Circuits (VHSIC) program. There is also a need for smaller, more sensitive sensors in a wide range of disciplines that includes electrochemistry, neurophysiology and ultra-high pressure solid state research. There is often fundamental new science (and sometimes new technology) to be revealed (and used) when a basic parameter such as size is extended to new dimensions, as is evident at the two extremes of smallness and largeness, high energy particle physics and cosmology, respectively. However, there is also a very important intermediate domain of size that spans from the diameter of a small cluster of atoms up to near one micrometer which may also have just as profound effects on society as “big” physics.

Download Full-text

Application of TEM to Deformation, Wear, and Fracture of Ceramics

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100052377 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 472-473

Author(s):

B. J. Hockey

Keyword(s):

Wear Resistance ◽

High Temperature ◽

Mechanical Behavior ◽

Brittle Materials ◽

High Temperature Strength ◽

Wide Range ◽

Corrosive Environments ◽

Further Development

Ceramics, such as Al2O3 and SiC have numerous current and potential uses in applications where high temperature strength, hardness, and wear resistance are required often in corrosive environments. These materials are, however, highly anisotropic and brittle, so that their mechanical behavior is often unpredictable. The further development of these materials will require a better understanding of the basic mechanisms controlling deformation, wear, and fracture.The purpose of this talk is to describe applications of TEM to the study of the deformation, wear, and fracture of Al2O3. Similar studies are currently being conducted on SiC and the techniques involved should be applicable to a wide range of hard, brittle materials.

Download Full-text

Observation of Atom Rows in Thorium Pyromellitate Using a Field Emission STEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010007802x ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 80-81

Author(s):

H. Todokoro ◽

S. Nomura ◽

T. Komoda

Keyword(s):

Field Emission ◽

Amorphous Carbon ◽

Carbon Film ◽

Dark Field Image ◽

Dark Field ◽

Amorphous Carbon Film ◽

Atomic Size ◽

Wide Range ◽

A Chain

It is interesting to observe polymers at atomic size resolution. Some works have been reported for thorium pyromellitate by using a STEM (1), or a CTEM (2,3). The results showed that this polymer forms a chain in which thorium atoms are arranged. However, the distance between adjacent thorium atoms varies over a wide range (0.4-1.3nm) according to the different authors.The present authors have also observed thorium pyromellitate specimens by means of a field emission STEM, described in reference 4. The specimen was prepared by placing a drop of thorium pyromellitate in 10-3 CH3OH solution onto an amorphous carbon film about 2nm thick. The dark field image is shown in Fig. 1A. Thorium atoms are clearly observed as regular atom rows having a spacing of 0.85nm. This lattice gradually deteriorated by successive observations. The image changed to granular structures, as shown in Fig. 1B, which was taken after four scanning frames.

Download Full-text