Species Home-Making in Ecosystems: Toward Place-Based Ecological Metrics of Belonging

Globalization has undeniably impacted the Earth’s ecosystems, but it has also influenced how we think about natural systems. Three fourths of the world’s forests are now altered by human activity, which challenges our concepts of native ecosystems. The dichotomies of pristine vs. disturbed as well as our view of native and non-native species, have blurred; allowing us to acknowledge new paradigms about how humans and nature interact. We now understand that the use of militaristic language to define the perceived role of a plant species is holding us back from the fact that novel systems (new combinations of all species) can often provide valuable ecosystem services (i.e., water, carbon, nutrients, cultural, and recreation) for creatures (including humans). In reality, ecosystems exist in a gradient from native to intensely managed – and “non-nativeness” is not always a sign of a species having negative effects. In fact, there are many contemporary examples of non-native species providing critical habitat for endangered species or preventing erosion in human-disturbed watersheds. For example, of the 8,000–10,000 non-native species introduced to Hawai‘i, less than 10% of these are self-sustaining and 90 of those pose a danger to native biota and are considered invasive. In this paper, we explore the native/non-native binary, the impacts of globalization and the political language of invasion through the lens of conservation biology and sociology with a tropical island perspective. This lens gives us the opportunity to offer a place-based approach toward the use of empirical observation of novel species interactions that may help in evaluating management strategies that support biodiversity and ecosystem services. Finally, we offer a first attempt at conceptualizing a site-specific approach to develop “metrics of belonging” within an ecosystem.

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THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE OF A HIGHLY URBANIZED NEOTROPICAL CITY: THE ROLE OF THE URBAN VEGETATION IN PRESERVING NATIVE BIODIVERSITY

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Arborização Urbana ◽

10.5380/revsbau.v11i4.63481 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 66 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

João Carlos Castro Pena ◽

Danilo Marques Magalhães ◽

Ana Clara Mourão Moura ◽

Robert John Young ◽

Marcos Rodrigues

Keyword(s):

Green Infrastructure ◽

Native Species ◽

Urban Landscape ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Urban Forestry ◽

Management Tool ◽

Urban Vegetation ◽

Urban Resilience ◽

Street Trees

We mapped and described the composition of the urban vegetation that comprises the green infrastructure of a highly urbanized Neotropical city, and discussed how it can be used to preserve and maintain urban biodiversity. Almost half of our study area is occupied by 12 types of arboreal and herbaceous vegetation, composed mostly of urban parks, gardens and street trees. Forty-one percent of the almost 90,000 street trees are composed of 10 species with only 4 native species. These results show that this urban landscape is highly heterogeneous and has a great potential for biodiversity conservation. However, management strategies are needed, such as better planning of the urban forestry. This study is the first step towards a better understanding of how this landscape influences local biodiversity, and can be used as a management tool to increase urban resilience and functionality.

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Role of nano-biochar in attenuating the allelopathic effect from Imperata cylindrica on rice seedlings

Environmental Science Nano ◽

10.1039/c9en00828d ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 116-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yu Shen ◽

Haiyan Tang ◽

Wenhao Wu ◽

Heping Shang ◽

Di Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

Chlorophyll Concentration ◽

Rice Seedling ◽

Imperata Cylindrica ◽

Allelopathic Effect ◽

Rice Seedlings ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Gene Expressions ◽

Stress Gene

This study applies nano-BC to protect the native species, and reduce the negative effects of rice seedling growth and chlorophyll concentration, as well as oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and stress gene expressions from invasive species.

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Changes in carbon storage with land management promoted by payment for ecosystem services

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892916000199 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (4) ◽

pp. 397-406 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

LEAH L. BREMER ◽

KATHLEEN A. FARLEY ◽

OLIVER A. CHADWICK ◽

CAROL P. HARDEN

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Soil Carbon ◽

Carbon Storage ◽

Land Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Payment For Ecosystem Services ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

Soil Carbon Stocks ◽

A Site

SUMMARYAndean grasslands (páramos) are highly valued for their role in regional water supply as well as for their biodiversity and large soil carbon stocks. Several Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programmes promote either afforestation or alteration of traditional burning regimes under the assumption that these land management strategies will maximize páramo ecosystem services, including carbon storage. However, knowledge of the effects of incentivized land uses is limited. In an evaluation of how afforestation and elimination of burning affect carbon storage at a site in southern Ecuador, we found the highest above-ground biomass carbon levels at afforested sites (99.3–122.0 t C ha−1), while grassland sites reached 23.9 t C ha−1after 45 years of burn exclusion. Soil carbon storage from 0–20 cm was high across all sites (172.8–201.9 t C ha−1), but was significantly lower with afforestation than with burn exclusion. These findings suggest that, although afforestation is generally favoured when carbon is the primary ecosystem service of interest, grasslands with infrequent burning have important potential as a land management strategy when both above-ground biomass and soil carbon are considered. These results are relevant to the development and adaptation of PES programmes focused on carbon as well as those focused on multiple ecosystem services.

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Lifestyle Properties, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity Protection in Peri-Urban Aotearoa–New Zealand: A Case Study from Peri-Urban Palmerston North

Land ◽

10.3390/land10121345 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1345

Author(s):

Diane Pearson

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Native Species ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Urban Fringe ◽

Collaborative Action ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand

Intensive agriculture and urbanization are putting pressure on natural capital in Aotearoa–New Zealand (NZ), with native ecosystems and water quality suffering degradation. As the population has increased, so development has pushed into the rural–urban fringe. Over the last 30 years, the number of lifestyle properties in NZ has increased dramatically. Many of these properties have been developed on some of NZ’s most productive soils, meaning a loss of provisioning services from this land. However, given their location, these developments present new opportunities for the enhancement and protection of other ecosystem services. This paper presents the findings of an exploratory study conducted on lifestyle block residents in peri-urban Palmerston North. The results showed that these residents have a good sense of environmental stewardship and a desire to plant native species, improve connectivity, and protect their land from the invasion of pests and weeds. These residents are also quite community-focused and protective of their special place. This creates an excellent basis from which to encourage greater collaborative action towards protecting and enhancing biodiversity and to put in place land management strategies that can enhance natural capital and assist in other ecosystem service protection serving to improve the landscape ecology of peri-urban environments.

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Seagrass: A Dynamic System

10.26686/wgtn.17060444.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Alison Duncan

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Enrichment ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Grazing Pressure ◽

Small Scale ◽

Nutrient Loads ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Epiphytic Algae ◽

Seagrass Meadows ◽

A Site

<p>Small herbivorous invertebrates consume algal epiphytes, reducing negative effects (e.g. shading) on seagrass. Much research to date has focused on crustacean grazers, and comparatively little on gastropods. The aim of this research was to 1) examine seasonal and spatial variation in seagrass and associated gastropods in a large, tidal estuary and 2) examine the response of seagrass and epiphytic algae to nutrient enrichment and grazing pressure in a laboratory experiment. Surveys were conducted in summer and winter of 2016 to assess the seasonal fluctuations in the associated gastropods and relationships with seagrass and epiphyte biomass within three sites in the Porirua Harbour. Seagrass, gastropods and epiphytic algae showed seasonal trends, including evidence of a loss of grazer control on epiphytes during winter. Potamopyrgus estuarinus, Notoacmea scapha, Diloma spp. and Micrelenchus spp. were the dominant gastropod grazers in the system in both seasons. The gastropod assemblage and seagrass characteristics differed between sites, likely in response to small scale differences in abiotic factors. Seagrass from Elsdon (a site with elevated nutrient levels) and Browns Bay (a relatively pristine site) were used to investigate the role of select grazers and nutrient enrichment on epiphyte and seagrass growth. Nutrient treatments represented nitrate and phosphate concentrations of Elsdon (High), a 20% increase (High+) and a control (no addition). Little evidence was found for epiphyte regulation by gastropods, nor did epiphyte loads increase with nutrient addition. Seagrass from Browns Bay responded more strongly to High+ treatments than that of Elsdon. The results suggest that seagrass from Elsdon is adapted to the site’s high nutrient loads, where seagrass from Browns Bay is not. The results of this thesis support prior research findings of high variation in seagrass over a small scale, and adds to the currently lacking information on the role of micro-grazers in New Zealand’s seagrass meadows.</p>

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Success and failure of ecological management is highly variable in an experimental test

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1911440116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (46) ◽

pp. 23169-23173 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Easton R. White ◽

Kyle Cox ◽

Brett A. Melbourne ◽

Alan Hastings

Keyword(s):

Adaptive Management ◽

Experimental Test ◽

Management Strategy ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Ecological Management ◽

Controlled System ◽

Precautionary Approach ◽

Single Observation ◽

Natural Systems

When managing natural systems, the importance of recognizing the role of uncertainty has been formalized as the precautionary approach. However, it is difficult to determine the role of stochasticity in the success or failure of management because there is almost always no replication; typically, only a single observation exists for a particular site or management strategy. Yet, assessing the role of stochasticity is important for providing a strong foundation for the precautionary approach, and learning from past outcomes is critical for implementing adaptive management of species or ecosystems. In addition, adaptive management relies on being able to implement a variety of strategies in order to learn—an often difficult task in natural systems. Here, we show that there is large, stochastically driven variability in success for management treatments to control an invasive species, particularly for moderate, and more feasible, management strategies. This is exactly where the precautionary approach should be important. Even when combining management strategies, we show that moderate effort in management either fails or is highly variable in its success. This variability allows some management treatments to, on average, meet their target, even when failure is probable. Our study is an important quantitative replicated experimental test of the precautionary approach and can serve as a way to understand the variability in management outcomes in natural systems which have the potential to be more variable than our tightly controlled system.

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Habitat connectivity and resident shared predators determine the impact of invasive bullfrogs on native frogs in farm ponds

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2013.2621 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 281 (1786) ◽

pp. 20132621 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Takashi Atobe ◽

Yutaka Osada ◽

Hayato Takeda ◽

Misako Kuroe ◽

Tadashi Miyashita

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Common Carp ◽

Native Species ◽

Interspecific Interactions ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Habitat Connectivity ◽

Negative Effects ◽

The Face ◽

The Difference ◽

The Impact

Habitat connectivity is considered to have an important role on the persistence of populations in the face of habitat fragmentation, in particular, for species with conservation concern. However, it can also impose indirect negative effects on native species through the spread of invasive species. Here, we investigated direct and indirect effects of habitat connectivity on populations of invasive bullfrogs and native wrinkled frogs and how these effects are modified by the presence of common carp, a resident shared predator, in a farm pond system in Japan. The distribution pattern analysis using a hierarchical Bayesian modelling indicated that bullfrogs had negative effects on wrinkled frogs, and that these negative effects were enhanced with increasing habitat connectivity owing to the metapopulation structure of bullfrogs. The analysis also suggested that common carp mitigated these impacts, presumably owing to a top-down trophic cascade through preferential predation on bullfrog tadpoles. These presumed interspecific interactions were supported by evidence from laboratory experiments, i.e. predation by carp was more intense on bullfrog tadpoles than on wrinkled frog tadpoles owing to the difference in refuge use. Our results indicate that metacommunity perspectives could provide useful insights for establishing effective management strategies of invasive species living in patchy habitats.

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Seagrass: A Dynamic System

10.26686/wgtn.17060444 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Alison Duncan

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Enrichment ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Grazing Pressure ◽

Small Scale ◽

Nutrient Loads ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Epiphytic Algae ◽

Seagrass Meadows ◽

A Site

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The Ethics of Ecosystem Management

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199941339.013.40 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Marion Hourdequin

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Management ◽

Adaptive Learning ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Single Species ◽

Ecological Systems ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Natural Systems ◽

Core Concepts ◽

Original Goal

Ecosystem management is an integrative, systems-based approach developed in response to the inadequacy of land management strategies centered on single species or resources such as timber. Contemporary ecosystem management acknowledges the dynamism of natural systems, need for ongoing adaptive learning, and importance of citizen engagement, especially in managing public lands. However, ecosystem management faces both conceptual and ethical challenges. Core concepts—such as ecosystem, stability, health, and resilience—remain difficult to define and operationalize. In addition, rapid directional changes in ecological systems have destabilized the use of historical baselines for management. One response to this challenge is to seek new moorings in an “ecosystem services” approach, focused on the role of ecological systems in supporting human interests and needs. Although ecosystem management began as a way to broaden beyond a focus on maximizing yields of particular resources, ecosystem services approaches may—ironically—reintroduce reductionistic tendencies that thwart this original goal.

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Measuring the Effects of Invasive Plants on Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Prospects

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1614/ipsm-d-11-00095.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 125-136 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Valerie T. Eviner ◽

Kelly Garbach ◽

Jill H. Baty ◽

Sarah A. Hoskinson

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Native Species ◽

Flood Control ◽

Vegetation Type ◽

Plant Invasions ◽

Minimum Size ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Plant Invaders ◽

Quality Of Water

AbstractPlant invasions can have large effects on ecosystem services. Some plant invaders were introduced specifically to restore key services to ecosystems, and other invaders are having unintended, detrimental effects on services, such as the quantity and quality of water delivered, flood control, erosion control, and food production. Many ecosystem services are difficult to measure directly, and although there are extensive studies on plant invaders and ecosystem processes, a number of challenges prevent us from confidently extrapolating those processes as proxies for services. To extrapolate local, short-term measures of processes to ecosystem services, we must: (1) determine which processes are the key contributors to a service, (2) assess how multiple processes interact to provide a given service, (3) determine how vegetation types and species affect those processes, and (4) explicitly assess how ecosystem services and their controls vary over space and time, including reliance of ecosystem services on “hot spots” and “hot moments” and a minimum size of a vegetation type in the landscape. A given invader can have positive effects on some services and negative effects on others. It is important to consider that, in some systems, shifting environmental conditions may no longer support native species and that invasive species may be critical contributors to the resilience of ecosystem services.

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