scholarly journals Determining Plant Diversity within Interconnected Natural Habitat Remnants (Ecological Network) in an Agricultural Landscape: A Matter of Sampling Design?

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Francesco Liccari ◽  
Maurizia Sigura ◽  
Enrico Tordoni ◽  
Francesco Boscutti ◽  
Giovanni Bacaro
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Sampling Design ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Integrated Method

In intensively used and human-modified landscapes, biodiversity is often confined to remnants of natural habitats. Thus, identifying ecological networks (ENs) necessary to connect these patches and maintain high levels of biodiversity, not only for conservation but also for the effective management of the landscape, is required. However, ENs are often defined without a clear a-priori evaluation of their biodiversity and are seldom even monitored after their establishment. The objective of this study was to determine the adequate number of replicates to effectively characterize biodiversity content of natural habitats within the nodes of an EN in north-eastern Italy, based on vascular plant diversity. Plant communities within habitat types of the EN’s nodes were sampled through a hierarchical sampling design, evaluating both species richness and compositional dissimilarity. We developed an integrated method, consisting of multivariate measures of precision (MultSE), rarefaction curves and diversity partitioning approaches, which was applied to estimate the minimum number of replicates needed to characterize plant communities within the EN, evaluating also how the proposed optimization in sampling size affected the estimations of the characteristics of habitat types and nodes of the EN. We observed that reducing the total sampled replicates by 85.5% resulted to sufficiently characterize plant diversity of the whole EN, and by 72.5% to exhaustively distinguish plant communities among habitat types. This integrated method helped to fill the gap regarding the data collection to monitor biodiversity content within existing ENs, considering temporal and economic resources. We therefore suggest the use of this quantitative approach, based on probabilistic sampling, to conduct pilot studies in the context of ENs design and monitoring, and in general for habitat monitoring.

scholarly journals Naturalization of European plants on other continents: The role of donor habitats

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (52) ◽  
pp. 13756-13761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Kalusová ◽  
Milan Chytrý ◽  
Mark van Kleunen ◽  
Ladislav Mucina ◽  
Wayne Dawson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Species Association ◽  
Alien Flora

The success of European plant species as aliens worldwide is thought to reflect their association with human-disturbed environments. However, an explicit test including all human-made, seminatural and natural habitat types of Europe, and their contributions as donor habitats of naturalized species to the rest of the globe, has been missing. Here we combine two databases, the European Vegetation Checklist and the Global Naturalized Alien Flora, to assess how human influence in European habitats affects the probability of naturalization of their plant species on other continents. A total of 9,875 native European vascular plant species were assigned to 39 European habitat types; of these, 2,550 species have become naturalized somewhere in the world. Species that occur in both human-made habitats and seminatural or natural habitats in Europe have the highest probability of naturalization (64.7% and 64.5% of them have naturalized). Species associated only with human-made or seminatural habitats still have a significantly higher probability of becoming naturalized (41.7% and 28.6%, respectively) than species confined to natural habitats (19.4%). Species associated with arable land and human settlements were recorded as naturalized in the largest number of regions worldwide. Our findings highlight that plant species’ association with native-range habitats disturbed by human activities, combined with broad habitat range, play an important role in shaping global patterns of plant invasions.

scholarly journals Habitats naturels des écosystèmes du Cameroun

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3247-3265
Author(s):  
Jean-Michel Onana ◽  
Jean Louis Fobane ◽  
Elvire Hortense Biye ◽  
Eric Ngansop Tchatchouang ◽  
Marguérite Marie Abada Mbolo
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
International Union ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats ◽  
Materials Used

Dans le cadre de la Stratégie et le Plan d’Action National sur la Biodiversité, afin d’améliorer la compréhension et la documentation des écosystèmes, l’objectif de cette étude est l’identification et la cartographie les habitats naturels du Cameroun. Les matériels utilisés ont été les référentiels  constitués de la classification standard des habitats de l’Union   Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature (UICN) pour la  nomenclature, et les cartes phytogéographique, du relief et de  l’hydrographie pour les habitats terrestres et aquatiques pour les cartes thématiques respectivement. Les méthodes ont été d’adapter la  classification de l’UICN à celle des phytochories pour la nomenclature ; et la fabrique des délimitations sur des fonds de cartes existantes pour la  cartographie. Les résultats obtenus sont la reconnaissance de différents  types d’habitats naturels du Cameroun : trois cartes qui présentent les  délimitations des habitats naturels terrestres par écosystème, et  aquatiques par bassin hydrographique ; et que la répartition des habitats terrestres est corrélée avec la nature des sols. Ces données complètent les connaissances sur les écosystèmes et sont un outil pour l’application de l’approche par écosystème. C’est une contribution à la cartographie des milieux naturels du Cameroun en rapport avec la gestion durable de la biodiversité.Mots clés. Cameroun, habitat naturel, écosystème, phytochorie,  hydrographie, cartographie. English Title: Natural habitats of the ecosystems of CameroonWithin the framework of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, to improve the understanding and documentation of the ecosystems, the objectives of this study are the identification and the mapping of natural habitats of Cameroon. The materials used have been the referentials made up of the classification standard scheme of the habitats of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for  nomenclature, and the phytogeographic, relief and hydrography maps for terrestrial and aquatic habitats respectively. The methods have been to adapt the IUCN classification to that of phytochoria for nomenclature; and fabricate boundaries on existing maps for cartography. The results obtain are the recognition of different natural habitat types in Cameroon: three maps showing the boundaries of terrestrial natural habitats by ecosystem, and aquatic by watershed; and that the distribution of terrestrial habitats is correlated with the nature of the soil. These data improve the knowledge on ecosystems, and are an instrument for the implementation of the  ecosystem approach. It’s a contribution to the mapping of natural  environments of Cameroon in relation with the sustainable management of the biodiversity.Keywords: Cameroon, natural habitat, ecosystem, phytochoria, hydrography, mapping

Phytosociological evaluation of terrestrial habitat types in Pyramiden area (Svalbard, Norway)

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-211
Author(s):  
Natalia Koroleva
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Landscape Planning ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Arctic Tundra ◽  
Terrestrial Habitat ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Iucn Categories

Natural habitats in the area of Pyramiden town (Svalbard, Norway) were assessed as a part of landscape planning for purposes of tourism development. Habitat types evalu-ation was done by using phytosociological units and assessed by IUCN categories. Altogether, 15 main habitat types were united in following groups: 1. Arctic tundra, 2. Barrens, screes, young alluvia areas and glaciers, 4. Wetlands and marshes, 5. Meadows and grasslands, 6. Anthropogenic open plant communities.

scholarly journals Natural islands and habitat islands as refuges of vegetation cover and wild bees. The case of the Lednica Landscape Park in western Poland

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Józef Banaszak ◽  
Halina Ratyńska
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Habitat Islands ◽  
Simultaneous Study ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Associated Species

Abstract The study has contributed to the identification of the apifauna of central Wielkopolska. The study identified 161 bee species, accounting for 34.2% of the Polish bee fauna. The highest contribution (28.7% of the fauna) comes from four species, namely Andrena haemorrhoa, A. helvola, Evylaeus calceatus and Osmia rufa, while Bombus terrestris and Evylaeus pauxillus are two subdominants. The assemblages of Apiformes in the study area are characterised by a significant contribution of spring-associated species, which is probably an effect of the presence of numerous willow thickets offering abundant host plants (mainly Salix sp. div.). Both the islands and the surroundings of the lake have a unique species composition, and there are differences in the proportions of the individual dominant species. The overall abundance of bees varies greatly, with mean seasonal density figures on Ostrów Lednicki Island being more than twice as high as that on the mainland grassland, with a distinct predominance of bumblebees. The exceptional richness of Apiformes, including bumblebees, on Ostrów Lednicki should be regarded as the basis for treating this island as a life refuge for bumblebees and including it and its environs in the list of sites of Community importance (SCI). A simultaneous study of the vegetation cover contributed significant data on the vascular plant flora and plant communities of the Lednica Landscape Park. For example, it was the first such investigation of Mewia Island. The study revealed the importance of marginal habitats (natural islands and habitat islands) for the preservation of protected and endangered plant species and plant communities receding from an agricultural landscape.

Vegetation and vascular plant diversity of islands surrounding Port Shelter, Hong Kong, China

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 605-609
Author(s):  
Hu Puwei ◽  
Xing Fuwu ◽  
Chen Lin ◽  
Wang Meina ◽  
Wang Faguo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Vascular Plant Diversity

scholarly journals The Relict Ecosystem of Maytenus senegalensis subsp. europaea in an Agricultural Landscape: Past, Present and Future Scenarios

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Antonio J. Mendoza-Fernández ◽  
Fabián Martínez-Hernández ◽  
Esteban Salmerón-Sánchez ◽  
Francisco J. Pérez-García ◽  
Blas Teruel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
European Continent ◽  
Major Interest ◽  
Maytenus Senegalensis

Maytenus senegalensis subsp. europaea is a shrub belonging to the Celastraceae family, whose only European populations are distributed discontinuously along the south-eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, forming plant communities with great ecological value, unique in Europe. As it is an endangered species that makes up plant communities with great palaeoecological significance, the development of species distribution models is of major interest under different climatic scenarios, past, present and future, based on the fact that the climate could play a relevant role in the distribution of this species, as well as in the conformation of the communities in which it is integrated. Palaeoecological models were generated for the Maximum Interglacial, Last Maximum Glacial and Middle Holocene periods. The results obtained showed that the widest distribution of this species, and the maximum suitability of its habitat, occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum, when the temperatures of the peninsular southeast were not as contrasting as those of the rest of the European continent and were favored by higher rainfall. Under these conditions, large territories could act as shelters during the glacial period, a hypothesis reflected in the model’s results for this period, which exhibit a further expansion of M. europaea’s ecological niche. The future projection of models in around 2070, for four Representative Concentration Pathways according to the fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, showed that the most favorable areas for this species would be Campo de Dalías (southern portion of Almería province) as it presents the bioclimatic characteristics of greater adjustment to M. europaea’s ecological niche model. Currently, some of the largest specimens of the species survive in the agricultural landscapes in the southern Spain. These areas are almost totally destroyed and heavily altered by intensive agriculture greenhouses, also causing a severe fragmentation of the habitat, which implies a prospective extinction scenario in the near future.

scholarly journals Predation on Drosophila suzukii within Hedges in the Agricultural Landscape

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 305
Author(s):  
Alexandra Siffert ◽  
Fabian Cahenzli ◽  
Patrik Kehrli ◽  
Claudia Daniel ◽  
Virginie Dekumbis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Drosophila Suzukii ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Host Fruit ◽  
Molecular Gut Content Analysis ◽  
Wild Fruits ◽  
Diverse Community

The invasive Drosophila suzukii feeds and reproduces on various cultivated and wild fruits and moves between agricultural and semi-natural habitats. Hedges in agricultural landscapes play a vital role in the population development of D. suzukii, but also harbor a diverse community of natural enemies. We investigated predation by repeatedly exposing cohorts of D. suzukii pupae between June and October in dry and humid hedges at five different locations in Switzerland. We sampled predator communities and analyzed their gut content for the presence of D. suzukii DNA based on the COI marker. On average, 44% of the exposed pupae were predated. Predation was higher in dry than humid hedges, but did not differ significantly between pupae exposed on the ground or on branches and among sampling periods. Earwigs, spiders, and ants were the dominant predators. Predator communities did not vary significantly between hedge types or sampling periods. DNA of D. suzukii was detected in 3.4% of the earwigs, 1.8% of the spiders, and in one predatory bug (1.6%). While the molecular gut content analysis detected only a small proportion of predators that had fed on D. suzukii, overall predation seemed sufficient to reduce D. suzukii populations, in particular in hedges that provide few host fruit resources.

scholarly journals Family graveyards form underappreciated local plant diversity hotspots in China's agricultural landscapes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Gong ◽  
Liangtao Li ◽  
Jan C. Axmarcher ◽  
Zhenrong Yu ◽  
Yunhui Liu
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Landscape Features ◽  
Habitat Islands ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Ecological Functioning

AbstractIn the intensively farmed, homogenous agricultural landscape of the North China Plain, family graveyards form distinct cultural landscape features. In addition to their cultural value, these graveyards represent semi-natural habitat islands whose potential roles in biodiversity conservation and ecological functioning has remained poorly understood. In this study, we investigated plant species richness on 199 family graveyards of different ages and sizes. In accordance with biogeography theory, both overall and insect-pollinated plant species richness increased with area and age of graveyards. Even small graveyards show a strong potential for conserving local plant richness, and a mosaic of both large and small family graveyards could play an important role in the conservation of farmland biodiversity and related ecosystem functions. The launch of agri-environmental measures that conserve and create semi-natural habitats, in turn benefitting agricultural biodiversity and ecological functioning, has proven difficult in China due to the shortage of dispensable arable land. Given the great value of family graveyards as semi-natural habitats reflected in our study, we propose to focus preliminary efforts on conserving these landscape features as existing, widespread and culturally important semi-natural habitat islands. This would represent an effective, complementary policy to a subsequent re-establishment of other semi-natural habitats for the conservation of biodiversity and ecological functioning in agricultural landscapes.

scholarly journals Landscape structure affects the sunflower visiting frequency of insect pollinators

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Károly Lajos ◽  
Ferenc Samu ◽  
Áron Domonkos Bihaly ◽  
Dávid Fülöp ◽  
Miklós Sárospataki
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Edge Density ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Mass Flowering ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Pollinator Community ◽  
Foraging Ranges

AbstractMass-flowering crop monocultures, like sunflower, cannot harbour a permanent pollinator community. Their pollination is best secured if both managed honey bees and wild pollinators are present in the agricultural landscape. Semi-natural habitats are known to be the main foraging and nesting areas of wild pollinators, thus benefiting their populations, whereas crops flowering simultaneously may competitively dilute pollinator densities. In our study we asked how landscape structure affects major pollinator groups’ visiting frequency on 36 focal sunflower fields, hypothesising that herbaceous semi-natural (hSNH) and sunflower patches in the landscape neighbourhood will have a scale-dependent effect. We found that an increasing area and/or dispersion of hSNH areas enhanced the visitation of all pollinator groups. These positive effects were scale-dependent and corresponded well with the foraging ranges of the observed bee pollinators. In contrast, an increasing edge density of neighbouring sunflower fields resulted in considerably lower visiting frequencies of wild bees. Our results clearly indicate that the pollination of sunflower is dependent on the composition and configuration of the agricultural landscape. We conclude that an optimization of the pollination can be achieved if sufficient amount of hSNH areas with good dispersion are provided and mass flowering crops do not over-dominate the agricultural landscape.

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