The effects of adjacent land use on wetland amphibian species richness and community composition

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 1078-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff E Houlahan ◽  
C Scott Findlay
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Amphibian Declines ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Road Density ◽  
Amphibian Species

Habitat destruction and fragmentation have been identified as possible causes of large-scale amphibian declines. Here, we examine the effects of adjacent land use and water quality on wetland amphibian species richness, abundance, and community composition in 74 Ontario wetlands. Species richness was positively correlated with wetland area, forest cover, and the amount of wetlands on adjacent lands and negatively correlated with road density and nitrogen levels. The land-use effects peak at 2000–3000 m. Amphibian abundance was positively correlated with forest cover, distance to wetlands >20 ha, and amount of marsh habitat and negatively correlated with road density. The effects of adjacent land use were strongest at around 200 m. Land-use and water quality effects varied widely across species, although most species are positively correlated with forest cover and amount of wetlands on adjacent lands and negatively correlated with road density and water quality. These results suggest that the effects of adjacent land use on amphibian communities can extend over comparatively large distances. As such, effective wetland conservation will not be achieved merely through the creation of narrow buffer zones between wetlands and intensive land uses, but rather will require maintaining a heterogeneous regional landscape containing relatively large areas of natural forest and wetlands.

Adjacent land-use affects amphibian community composition and species richness in managed forests in New Brunswick, Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 1687-1697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Jacobs ◽  
Jeff E. Houlahan
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Road Density ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Precommercial Thinning ◽  
Amphibian Community ◽  
Land Use Effects

Here, we examine the effects of adjacent land use in a managed forest on pond-breeding amphibian species richness and community composition at 34 New Brunswick, Canada, ponds. Amphibian species richness was negatively correlated with the proportion of roads, precommercial thinning, and hardwood forest and positively correlated with the proportion of wetlands in adjacent lands. These land-use effects peak at 180 m from the ponds. Road density was negatively correlated with Lithobates catesbeiana and Lithobates septentrionalis presence. Precommercial thinning was negatively correlated with Ambystoma spp. presence and positively correlated with Anaxyrus americanus presence. Wetlands were positively correlated with L. septentrionalis and Notopthalamus viridescens presence. Correlations were also found between water table height and A. americanus, Lithobates palustris , and Ambystoma spp. presence. In addition, L. catesbeiana and N. viridescens presence–absence was positively correlated with the proportion of mature and overmature forest on the landscape (at scales of 500 and 1000 m, respectively). Lastly, the proportion of regenerating and sapling forest on the landscape was negatively correlated with L. palustris presence–absence but, by contrast, was positively correlated with A. americanus. These results suggest that the effects of adjacent land use may significantly impact amphibian populations in managed eastern Canadian forests.

scholarly journals Urban Amphibians of the Texas Panhandle

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-253
Author(s):  
Rasika Ramesh ◽  
Kerry Griffis-Kyle ◽  
Gad Perry ◽  
Michael Farmer
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Amphibian Declines ◽  
Amphibian Conservation ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Road Density ◽  
Amphibian Species

Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation due to urbanization are implicated in amphibian declines worldwide. Conservation efforts require information on resident species and their habitat interactions, but amphibian ecology is largely  unstudied in urban centers of the Southern High Plains. Here, we gathered baseline data on amphibian presence, species richness, and habitat preferences at site-specific and landscape scales during a severe drought year in the city of Lubbock, in northwestern Texas. Ephemeral playa wetlands are characteristic of this landscape. During urbanization, these have been extensively modifiied for stormwater drainage,  agriculture, and construction of roads, buildings and neighborhoods. A semi-arid climate with frequent droughts, together with urbanization, could have an adverse effect on resident amphibians. In 2011, we sampled 23 urban lakes for amphibian presence, using a combination of audio, visual, and larval surveys. We detected five amphibian species at seven lakes; Texas Toads (Anaxyrus speciosus) and Spotted Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris clarkii) were the most frequently encountered species. We found significant negative effects of nearby road density on amphibian species presence and richness. We also detected significant negative effects of basic pH on amphibian species richness. These data can be used for prioritizing lakes for amphibian conservation strategies, to monitor ecosystem function in urban wetlands, and to guide future development and restoration efforts.

scholarly journals Land-use-driven stream warming in southeastern Amazonia

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1619) ◽  
pp. 20120153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia N. Macedo ◽  
Michael T. Coe ◽  
Ruth DeFries ◽  
Maria Uriarte ◽  
Paulo M. Brando ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Soya Bean ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Small Streams

Large-scale cattle and crop production are the primary drivers of deforestation in the Amazon today. Such land-use changes can degrade stream ecosystems by reducing connectivity, changing light and nutrient inputs, and altering the quantity and quality of streamwater. This study integrates field data from 12 catchments with satellite-derived information for the 176 000 km 2 upper Xingu watershed (Mato Grosso, Brazil). We quantify recent land-use transitions and evaluate the influence of land management on streamwater temperature, an important determinant of habitat quality in small streams. By 2010, over 40 per cent of catchments outside protected areas were dominated (greater than 60% of area) by agriculture, with an estimated 10 000 impoundments in the upper Xingu. Streams in pasture and soya bean watersheds were significantly warmer than those in forested watersheds, with average daily maxima over 4°C higher in pasture and 3°C higher in soya bean. The upstream density of impoundments and riparian forest cover accounted for 43 per cent of the variation in temperature. Scaling up, our model suggests that management practices associated with recent agricultural expansion may have already increased headwater stream temperatures across the Xingu. Although increased temperatures could negatively impact stream biota, conserving or restoring riparian buffers could reduce predicted warming by as much as fivefold.

Influence of land use on fine sediment in salmonid spawning gravels within the Russian River Basin, California

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 2740-2751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff J Opperman ◽  
Kathleen A Lohse ◽  
Colin Brooks ◽  
N Maggi Kelly ◽  
Adina M Merenlender
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Fine Sediment ◽  
Road Density ◽  
Watershed Land Use ◽  
Russian River

Relationships between land use or land cover and embeddedness, a measure of fine sediment in spawning gravels, were examined at multiple scales across 54 streams in the Russian River Basin, California. The results suggest that coarse-scale measures of watershed land use can explain a large proportion of the variability in embeddedness and that the explanatory power of this relationship increases with watershed size. Agricultural and urban land uses and road density were positively associated with embeddedness, while the opposite was true for forest cover. The ability of land use and land cover to predict embeddedness varied among five zones of influence, with the greatest explanatory power occurring at the entire-watershed scale. Land use within a more restricted riparian corridor generally did not relate to embeddedness, suggesting that reach-scale riparian protection or restoration will have little influence on levels of fine sediment. The explanatory power of these models was greater when conducted among a subset of the largest watersheds (maximum r2 = 0.73) than among the smallest watersheds (maximum r2 = 0.46).

scholarly journals Potential Changes of Annual-Averaged Nutrient Export in the South Saskatchewan River Basin under Climate and Land-Use Change Scenarios

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Morales-Marín ◽  
Howard Wheater ◽  
Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Nutrient Export ◽  
The South ◽  
South Saskatchewan River

Climate and land-use changes modify the physical functioning of river basins and, in particular, influence the transport of nutrients from land to water. In large-scale basins, where a variety of climates, topographies, soil types and land uses co-exist to form a highly heterogeneous environment, a more complex nutrient dynamic is imposed by climate and land-use changes. This is the case of the South Saskatchewan River (SSR) that, along with the North Saskatchewan River, forms one of the largest river systems in western Canada. The SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed (SPARROW) model is therefore implemented to assess water quality in the basin, in order to describe spatial and temporal patterns and identify those factors and processes that affect water quality. Forty-five climate and land-use change scenarios comprehended by five General Circulation Models (GCMs) and three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) were incorporated into the model to explain how total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) export could vary across the basin in 30, 60 and 90 years from now. According to model results, annual averages of TN and TP export in the SSR are going to increase in the range 0.9–1.28 kg km − 2 year − 1 and 0.12–0.17 kg km − 2 year − 1 , respectively, by the end of the century, due to climate and land-use changes. Higher increases of TP compared to TN are expected since TP and TN are going to increase ∼36% and ∼21%, respectively, by the end of the century. This research will support management plans in order to mitigate nutrient export under future changes of climate and land use.

The effects of adjacent land use on wetland species richness and community composition

Wetlands ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff E. Houlahan ◽  
Paul A. Keddy ◽  
Kristina Makkay ◽  
C. Scott Findlay
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Wetland Species

Effect of Forest Cover on Water Treatment Costs

2017 ◽  
Vol 03 (04) ◽  
pp. 1750006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis Warziniack ◽  
Chi Ho Sham ◽  
Robert Morgan ◽  
Yasha Feferholtz
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Treatment Costs ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
The Impact

This paper studies the relationship between forest cover and drinking water chemical treatment costs using land use data and a survey by the American Water Works Association (AWWA). The survey gathers cost and water quality data from 37 treatment plants in forested ecoregions of the United States. We model the effect of forest conversion on the cost of water treatment using a two-step process. First, we examine the effect of changes in land use on water quality through an ecological production function. Second, we examine the effect of changes in water quality on cost of treatment through an economic benefits function. We find a negative relationship between forest cover and turbidity, but no relationship between forest cover and total organic carbon (TOC). Increasing forest cover in a watershed by 1% reduces turbidity by 3%, and increasing development by 1% in a watershed increases turbidity by 3%. The impact of development is more consistent across models than the impact of forest cover. We also find a large impact on turbidity from grazing in the watershed. Our economic benefits function shows a 1% increase in turbidity increases water treatment costs by 0.19%, and 1% increase in TOC increases water treatment costs by 0.46%. TOC has a clearer impact on costs than turbidity, which becomes insignificant when we omit one of our observations with high turbidity.

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