Use of amphibians to define riparian zones of headwater streams

Riparian areas are known for their high species richness and their influence on ecological processes. However, riparian zones are difficult to define because of their ambiguous borders. Defining riparian zones by examining habitat use of species that require both terrestrial and aquatic environments is one method that has not been thoroughly examined. We sampled amphibians in Maine, USA, with pitfall traps located at five distances (1, 8, 18, 28, and 33 m) from 15 headwater streams. We captured 1897 amphibians of 10 species over 73 536 trap-nights. We used a repeated-measures analysis of variance to determine if species' capture rates varied among pitfall-trap locations. The highest numbers of three species, spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus), two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata), and dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus), were captured in trap locations closest to the streams. Total species richness and average species richness were highest in the trap location located closest to the stream. We conclude that the riparian zone along headwater streams, as defined by amphibian species richness and abundance, is relatively narrow (79 m).

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Changes of arthropod diversity across an altitudinal ecoregional zonation in Northwestern Argentina

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4117 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e4117 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Andrea X. González-Reyes ◽

Jose A. Corronca ◽

Sandra M. Rodriguez-Artigas

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Polynomial Regression ◽

Species Turnover ◽

Predictor Variable ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Pitfall Trap ◽

Northwestern Argentina ◽

Higher Taxa ◽

Total Species Richness ◽

Wide Range

This study examined arthropod community patterns over an altitudinal ecoregional zonation that extended through three ecoregions (Yungas, Monte de Sierras y Bolsones, and Puna) and two ecotones (Yungas-Monte and Prepuna) of Northwestern Argentina (altitudinal range of 2,500 m), and evaluated the abiotic and biotic factors and the geographical distance that could influence them. Pitfall trap and suction samples were taken seasonally in 15 sampling sites (1,500–4,000 m a.s.l) during one year. In addition to climatic variables, several soil and vegetation variables were measured in the field. Values obtained for species richness between ecoregions and ecotones and by sampling sites were compared statistically and by interpolation–extrapolation analysis based on individuals at the same sample coverage level. Effects of predictor variables and the similarity of arthropods were shown using non-metric multidimensional scaling, and the resulting groups were evaluated using a multi-response permutation procedure. Polynomial regression was used to evaluate the relationship between altitude with total species richness and those of hyperdiverse/abundant higher taxa and the latter taxa with each predictor variable. The species richness pattern displayed a decrease in species diversity as the elevation increased at the bottom wet part (Yungas) of our altitudinal zonation until the Monte, and a unimodal pattern of diversity in the top dry part (Monte, Puna). Each ecoregion and ecotonal zone evidenced a particular species richness and assemblage of arthropods, but the latter ones displayed a high percentage of species shared with the adjacent ecoregions. The arthropod elevational pattern and the changes of the assemblages were explained by the environmental gradient (especially the climate) in addition to a geographic gradient (the distance of decay of similarity), demonstrating that the species turnover is important to explain the beta diversity along the elevational gradient. This suggests that patterns of diversity and distribution of arthropods are regulated by the dissimilarity of ecoregional environments that establish a wide range of geographic and environmental barriers, coupled with a limitation of species dispersal. Therefore, the arthropods of higher taxa respond differently to the altitudinal ecoregional zonation.

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A review of the influence of beaver Castor fiber on amphibian assemblages in the floodplains of European temperate streams and rivers

Herpetological Journal ◽

10.33256/hj30.3.135146 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 135-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lutz Dalbeck

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Headwater Streams ◽

Castor Fiber ◽

Amphibian Species ◽

Study Region ◽

Beaver Ponds ◽

Species Numbers ◽

Eurasian Beaver ◽

Catchment Areas ◽

Surrounding Landscape

Once widespread throughout Eurasia and hunted nearly to extinction, the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber has returned to large parts of its former range, largely through active conservation measures. Beavers can substantially alter small, low order streams and their floodplains through dam construction, burrowing activities and tree felling. Therefore, it is presumed they can significantly influence amphibian distributions, species richness and numbers. We undertook a literature review to compare the available data addressing the effects of beaver dams on amphibians in streams of central temperate and boreal Europe. All 19 amphibian species occurring in the study region were found in beaver ponds, despite their distinctly different habitat requirements. Amphibian species acting as pioneers / early colonisers were under-represented in beaver ponds compared to typical forest species. Open country and ubiquitous species showed intermediate patterns. Beaver ponds in headwater streams often supported the entire spectrum of species occurring in the surrounding landscape, and species numbers in beaver modified headwater streams were comparable to those in floodplains of larger natural rivers. In small headwater streams, beavers tended to be the primary providers of essential habitat for amphibians. In contrast, beaver ponds in the floodplains of larger rivers appeared to have less effect and supported lower average species numbers compared to beaver ponds in headwater streams. We propose that beavers and their habitat creating activities are pivotal determinants of amphibian species richness in the headwater streams, which account for 60–80 % of the water bodies in catchment areas in temperate Europe. By creating habitat for endangered amphibian species, beavers and their ability to modify habitats offer extensive opportunities to implement many aspects of the European Water Framework Directive across the continent and to restore amphibian habitats, contributing to their long-term conservation.

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Do small headwater streams have a riparian zone defined by plant communities?

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x06-114 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 36 (9) ◽

pp. 2131-2140 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

John M Hagan ◽

Sacha Pealer ◽

Andrew A Whitman

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Plant Community ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Riparian Zone ◽

Headwater Streams ◽

Vascular Plant ◽

Herbaceous Plants ◽

Riparian Zones ◽

Herbaceous Plant ◽

Stream Bank

Defining riparian zones is important because sustainable forestry programs typically include a requirement to protect riparian zones. To help determine whether small first-order headwater streams have a riparian zone, we surveyed vascular plant communities along 15 streams in a managed forest landscape in western Maine, USA. Along each stream we recorded all vascular plant species in 5 m × 50 m quadrats at different lateral distances from the stream bank: 05, 1318, 2530, and 4045 m. Trees and shrubs showed no statistical differences among zones in either species richness or community composition. Species richness of herbaceous plants was greater in the 0-5 m zone adjacent to the stream bank than in other zones, and species composition of herbaceous plants was statistically different in the 05 m zone relative to more distant zones. Twenty-four herbaceous species (of 129) were determined to be indicators of the riparian plant community. Twenty-three of the 24 indicator species were more likely to occur near the stream, and 1 species was more likely to be found away from the stream (a negative riparian indicator). These results show that a narrow riparian zone exists on small headwater streams that is reflected by the herbaceous plant community.

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An evaluation of methods for sampling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in British Columbia, Canada

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/tce.2012.50 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 144 (3) ◽

pp. 491-507 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

R.J. Higgins ◽

B.S. Lindgren

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Species Richness ◽

Boreal Forests ◽

Pitfall Trap ◽

Assemblage Structure ◽

Pitfall Traps ◽

Pitfall Trapping ◽

Nontarget Organisms ◽

Total Species Richness ◽

Total Species

AbstractAnts (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are ubiquitous and of considerable ecological interest, yet poorly studied in Canada. Given their natural history attributes and relatively low density and diversity in cool boreal forests, there is a need to evaluate the applicability of commonly used approaches to sampling and analysis. We examined the relative utility of two pitfall trap designs, mini-Winkler litter extractions, and colony versus forager sampling for ecological studies. First, we found that Laurent (conventional) and Nordlander (modified to exclude larger nontarget organisms) pitfall traps were equally efficacious for estimating total species richness. Second, pitfall trapping yielded marginally higher total species richness than mini-Winkler litter sampling, by the incidence-based estimator (Chao2). Third, two studies considering the relationship between captures of individual ants in pitfall traps and identified ant colonies argued for caution in how pitfall captures are interpreted. In the first study, Nordlander traps placed in a grid surrounding nests ofFormica obscuripesForel revealed unique and highly patchy captures of individuals, with no patterns relating to proximity to the nest. In the second study, abundance estimates to compare ant assemblage structure in a simple grassland ecosystem by pitfall trapping (relative) and area-based hand sampling (absolute) for colonies, revealed that relative sampling does not reflect the absolute ant assemblage structure. Our results support, equivocally, the use of pitfall traps (Nordlander) over mini-Winklers in the cool moist forests of west-central British Columbia, but individual specimen counts should not be used when analysing the data.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Riparian zones increase regional species richness by harboring different, not more, species

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1025555.299039 ◽

2005 ◽

Author(s):

James Wickham

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Riparian Zones

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Relationships among Isolated Wetland Size, Hydroperiod, and Amphibian Species Richness: Implications for Wetland Regulations

Conservation Biology ◽

10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.99161.x ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 414-419 ◽

Cited By ~ 231

Author(s):

Joel W. Snodgrass ◽

Mark J. Komoroski ◽

A. Lawrence Bryan ◽

Joanna Burger

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Amphibian Species ◽

Isolated Wetland

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Partial cutting reduces species richness of fungi on woody debris in oak-rich forests

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x08-031 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 38 (7) ◽

pp. 1807-1816 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Björn Nordén ◽

Frank Götmark ◽

Martin Ryberg ◽

Heidi Paltto ◽

Johan Allmér

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Woody Debris ◽

Basal Area ◽

Fruiting Bodies ◽

Partial Cutting ◽

Total Species Richness ◽

Before And After ◽

Closed Canopy ◽

And Control ◽

Total Species

Partial cutting is increasingly applied in European temperate oak-dominated forests for biofuel harvesting, and to counteract succession in protected stands. Effects on biodiversity of these measures need to be carefully evaluated, and species-rich but neglected taxa such as fungi should be considered. We studied the effects of partial cutting on fungal fruiting bodies on woody debris. In 21 closed canopy forests rich in large oaks in Sweden, on average 25%–30% of the basal area was cut. Fruiting bodies were counted and some were collected in treated and control plots before and after treatment. We found 334 basidiomycete and 47 ascomycete species. Species richness of basidiomycetes declined significantly more in treated plots (on average 26%) than in control plots (on average 13%) between seasons. Species richness of ascomycetes increased by 17% in control plots and decreased by 2% in treated plots. Total species richness was significantly reduced on fine woody debris (1–10 cm in diameter), but not on coarse woody debris (>10 cm). Overall species composition did not change significantly as a result of partial cutting, but red-listed species tended to decrease more in treated plots. We suggest that approximately 30% of the stands should not be thinned, and dead stems and fallen branches should not be removed, to favor saproxylic fungi and their associated fauna.

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Altitudinal Vascular Plant Richness and Climate Change in the Alpine Zone of the Lefka Ori, Crete

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13010022 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 22

Author(s):

George Kazakis ◽

Dany Ghosn ◽

Ilektra Remoundou ◽

Panagiotis Nyktas ◽

Michael A. Talias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Species Richness ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Vascular Plant ◽

Monitoring Network ◽

Mediterranean Area ◽

Mean Annual Temperature ◽

High Mountain ◽

Species Loss ◽

Total Species Richness

High mountain zones in the Mediterranean area are considered more vulnerable in comparison to lower altitudes zones. Lefka Ori massif, a global biodiversity hotspot on the island of Crete is part of the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA) monitoring network. The paper examines species and vegetation changes with respect to climate and altitude over a seven-year period (2001–2008) at a range of spatial scales (10 m Summit Area Section-SAS, 5 m SAS, 1 m2) using the GLORIA protocol in a re-survey of four mountain summits (1664 m–2339 m). The absolute species loss between 2001–2008 was 4, among which were 2 endemics. At the scale of individual summits, the highest changes were recorded at the lower summits with absolute species loss 4 in both cases. Paired t-tests for the total species richness at 1 m2 between 2001–2008, showed no significant differences. No significant differences were found at the individual summit level neither at the 5 m SAS or the 10 m SAS. Time series analysis reveals that soil mean annual temperature is increasing at all summits. Linear regressions with the climatic variables show a positive effect on species richness at the 5 m and 10 m SAS as well as species changes at the 5 m SAS. In particular, June mean temperature has the highest predictive power for species changes at the 5 m SAS. Recorded changes in species richness point more towards fluctuations within a plant community’s normal range, although there seem to be more significant diversity changes in higher summits related to aspects. Our work provides additional evidence to assess the effects of climate change on plant diversity in Mediterranean mountains and particularly those of islands which remain understudied.

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