scholarly journals The Main Drivers of Wetland Changes in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 2619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyun Zhang ◽  
Quan Zhen ◽  
Min Cheng ◽  
Zhiyun Ouyang
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Wetland Loss ◽  
Wetland Type ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
National Priority ◽  
Natural Wetlands ◽  
Lakes And Reservoirs ◽  
Land Surfaces ◽  
Species Specific

Wetlands are the most threatened ecosystem in China, and wetland conservation is a national priority because of their importance for water security, flood mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. A goal has been established for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region (BTH) to recover 340 km2 of wetlands by 2020. To guide restoration and protection efforts, policymakers need information on the trends of wetland loss, conversion of wetlands, and their associated human drivers. The main drivers of changes in different wetland types in the BTH were identified and quantified from 2000 to 2015. In 2015, there was 6264.07 km2 less wetland area than in 2000, with the remaining wetlands primarily located in Hebei and Tianjin. Reservoirs/ponds were the most abundant wetland type, followed by herbaceous swamps, rivers, canals and channels, and then lakes as the least represented. There were continuous losses of wetlands from 2000 to 2015, with marked decreases for rivers (30.48%), channels/canals (23.30%), and herbaceous swamps (16.12%). However, there was an increase in the area of lakes and reservoirs/ponds, with increases of 54.96% and 3.47%, respectively. The largest changes in natural wetlands were due to agricultural production followed by artificialization and grassland expansion. The driving forces of the observed changes were specific to each local region. According to an aggregated boosted trees (ABT) analysis, gross farm production, total aquatic products, and irrigated area were the top three drivers of the decrease in natural wetlands, which agreed with the main patterns of change in the BTH. The purpose of this study was to provide guidance for policy makers working to meet the 2020 BTH wetland recovery target. Recommendations were provided at the provincial level, including water transfers across provincial boundaries, the control of agricultural expansion, exploration of species-specific irrigation deficits, a reduction in the artificialization of land surfaces, the development of a sustainable intensified aquaculture model, and the promotion of awareness of wetland importance among local people.

Relationships between gregarine infection in damselflies, wetland type, and landscape characteristics

2011 ◽  
Vol 143 (5) ◽  
pp. 460-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia J. Mlynarek ◽  
Daniel G. Bert ◽  
G. Haydeé Peralta-Vázquez ◽  
Joanna A. James ◽  
Mark R. Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Road Density ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Artificial Wetlands ◽  
Wetland Type ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Natural Wetlands ◽  
Ischnura Verticalis ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Wetland Cover

AbstractAlthough human-modified landscapes are characterized by the loss of natural habitats, new habitats also can be created and exploited by many species. The importance of landscape change to invertebrate associations (particularly host-parasite associations) is understudied. Our objective was to determine whether prevalence and intensity of gregarine parasitism in the damselfly Ischnura verticalis (Say) (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) differed between 17 artificial and 7 natural wetlands in landscapes that varied in amount of forest and wetland cover and road density determined at spatial extents of 500m and 1km from each wetland. Wetlands were located in and around Ottawa, Ontario, and Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. Wetland type did not account for significant variation in principal components based on forest and wetland cover and road density at either spatial extent. Gregarine prevalence was higher in damselflies collected from natural wetlands than in those collected from artificial wetlands and was positively associated with increasing forest cover. In contrast, gregarine intensity was inversely related to road density. Our results suggest that parasitism of damselflies by gregarines is associated with wetland type and landscape characteristics, although the mechanisms producing such relationships are unknown.

scholarly journals End-to-End Modeling Reveals Species-Specific Effects of Large-Scale Coastal Restoration on Living Resources Facing Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim de Mutsert ◽  
Kristy A. Lewis ◽  
Eric D. White ◽  
Joe Buszowski
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ecosystem Model ◽  
Wetland Loss ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Plan Implementation ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Specific Species

Coastal erosion and wetland loss are affecting Louisiana to such an extent that the loss of land between 1932 and 2016 was close to 5,000 km2. To mitigate this decline, coastal protection and restoration projects are being planned and implemented by the State of Louisiana, United States. The Louisiana Coastal Master Plan (CMP) is an adaptive management approach that provides a suite of projects that are predicted to build or maintain land and protect coastal communities. Restoring the coast with this 50-year large-scale restoration and risk reduction plan has the potential to change the biomass and distribution of economically and ecologically important fisheries species in this region. However, not restoring the coast may have negative impacts on these species due to the loss of habitat. This research uses an ecosystem model to evaluate the effects of plan implementation versus a future without action (FWOA) on the biomass and distribution of fisheries species in the estuaries over 50 years of model simulations. By simulating effects using a spatially-explicit ecosystem model, not only can the changes in biomass in response to plan implementation be evaluated, but also the distribution of species in response to the planned restoration and risk reduction projects. Simulations are performed under two relative sea level rise (SLR) scenarios to understand the effects of climate change on project performance and subsequent fisheries species biomass and distribution. Simulation output of eight economically important fisheries species shows that the plan mostly results in increases in species biomass, but that the outcomes are species-specific and basin-specific. The SLR scenario highly affects the amount of wetland habitat maintained after 50 years (with higher levels of wetland loss under increased SLR) and, subsequently, the biomass of species depending on that habitat. Species distribution results can be used to identify expected changes for specific species on a regional basis. By making this type of information available to resource managers, precautionary measures of ecosystem management and adaptation can be implemented.

scholarly journals Water Security Assessment of China’s One Belt and One Road Region

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaofang Zhang ◽  
Weijun He ◽  
Min An ◽  
Dagmawi Degefu ◽  
Liang Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Utilization Efficiency ◽  
Security Level ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
Water Utilization ◽  
Environmental Systems

The sustainable development of socioeconomic and environmental systems are highly dependent on water capital and water utilization efficiency. Nowadays, a significant portion of the world is facing water security issues due to a combination of various factors. As a result, socioeconomic and environmental systems are threatened. China is also currently experiencing problems. Water security assessment helps to identify key determining factors for optimal water utilization, so the authors present the Driving Forces-Pressures-Carrying Capacity-State-Impacts-Responses (DPSCIR) water security assessment framework. Unlike previous methods, the proposed framework incorporates the carrying capacity of the environment, and as a result, yields assessment results that are more realistic. As a case study, the proposed framework coupled with the entropy method is applied to assess the water security status of the One Belt and One Road (B&R) region in China. In addition, the water security level of the provinces and municipalities in this region are simulated for the time period from 2017 to 2022 using the Grey Prediction Model. The results show that Responses, State, Pressures, and Carrying Capacity Subsystems greatly influence water security of the region. According to the assessment, water security of the area improved from 2011 to 2016. The results portray the following trend among the three subregions of the study area, the water security of the 21st Maritime Silk Road (One Road) area is better than Silk Road Economic Belt (One Belt) and the Strategy Support and Pivotal Gateway (SSPG) of B&R areas. Generally, from the evaluation results it can be concluded that only focusing on the subsystem of Responses cannot entirely address the water security problems within the B&R area. Therefore, to ensure sustainable water security in the region and in the country, the government needs to design water resource management mechanisms that take all the subsystems into account.

scholarly journals Epidemics as an adaptive driving force determining lifespan setpoints

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (30) ◽  
pp. 17937-17948
Author(s):  
Peter V. Lidsky ◽  
Raul Andino
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Genetic Control ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
New Host ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Pathogen Clearance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Species Lifespan ◽  
Infection Spread

Species-specific limits to lifespan (lifespan setpoint) determine the life expectancy of any given organism. Whether limiting lifespan provides an evolutionary benefit or is the result of an inevitable decline in fitness remains controversial. The identification of mutations extending lifespan suggests that aging is under genetic control, but the evolutionary driving forces limiting lifespan have not been defined. By examining the impact of lifespan on pathogen spread in a population, we propose that epidemics drive lifespan setpoints’ evolution. Shorter lifespan limits infection spread and accelerates pathogen clearance when compared to populations with longer-lived individuals. Limiting longevity is particularly beneficial in the context of zoonotic transmissions, where pathogens must undergo adaptation to a new host. Strikingly, in populations exposed to pathogens, shorter-living variants outcompete individuals with longer lifespans. We submit that infection outbreaks can contribute to control the evolution of species’ lifespan setpoints.

Amphibian reproductive success as a gauge of functional equivalency of created wetlands in the Central Appalachians

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel F. Strain ◽  
Philip J. Turk ◽  
Jordan Helmick ◽  
James T. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Growth Curves ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Wetland Mitigation ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Created Wetlands ◽  
Green Frog ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Wetland Type ◽  
Natural Wetlands

Context Evaluating the adequacy of created wetlands to replace the functions of lost natural wetlands is important because wetland mitigation is a major tool used to offset wetland losses. However, measurements such as vegetative cover and presence of wildlife may not provide sufficient evidence that created wetlands are functioning properly. Thus, examining the ecology of wetland biota such as that of amphibians may be a more useful surrogate for function. Aims The objectives of this study were to compare the abundance of amphibian metamorphs and survival and growth of larval amphibians in created wetlands, relative to natural wetlands. Methods Amphibian metamorphs were trapped in created and natural wetlands during the spring (April–May) and summer (June–August) of 2009 and 2010, and 165 green frog (Lithobates clamitans) larvae were raised during the spring of 2010 in laboratory aquaria containing water from created or natural wetlands. Key results Abundance of spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) metamorphs decreased significantly from 2009 to 2010 and abundance of green frog metamorphs increased with habitat complexity, but both were unaffected by wetland type. Detection probability of metamorphs of both species was low, increased with water temperature and declined with month of observation. Survival, growth curves and mass were similar among green frog larvae raised in created and natural wetland aquaria. Conclusions Our results suggest that the created and natural wetlands we examined function similarly with respect to providing adequate breeding habitat for green frogs and spring peepers. Implications Wetlands created to offset the loss of natural wetlands, although generally not designed for the purpose of wildlife habitat, can function as adequate breeding habitat for generalist amphibians such as green frogs and spring peepers.

scholarly journals A Study of Forest Swamp Mapping in Hani Wetland Integrating Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Satellite Images

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingfa Wang
Keyword(s):  
Information Extraction ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Kappa Coefficient ◽  
Artificial Wetlands ◽  
Wetland Type ◽  
Red Edge ◽  
International Importance ◽  
Natural Wetlands ◽  
Landscape Types ◽  
Sentinel 2

As a unique wetland type, forest swamps play an important role in regional carbon cycling and biodiversity conservation. Taking Hani wetland in Jilin province as the research object, we integrated the application of Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 multispectral images, fully exploited the potential of Sentinel-1 multi-polarization band features and Sentinel-2 red edge index for forest swamp remote sensing identification, and applied the random forest method to realize the extraction of forest swamp distribution information of Hani wetland. The results show that when the optimal number of decision trees for forest swamp information extraction is 1200, the fusion of Sentinel-1VV and VH backscattering coefficient radar band features and Sentinel-2 red-edge band features can significantly improve the extraction accuracy of forest swamp distribution information, and the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of forest swamp information extraction in protected areas are as high as 89% and 0.85, respectively. The overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of forest swamp information extraction in the protected area were 89% and 0.85, respectively. The landscape types of Hani Wetlands of International Importance are diversified, with natural wetlands, artificial wetlands and non-wetland landscape types co-existing. Among the natural wetland types, the forest swamp has the largest area of 27.1 km2, accounting for 11.2% of the total area of the reserve; the river has the smallest area of 0.7 km2, accounting for 0.3% of the total area of the reserve. The forest swamp extraction method provides data support for the sustainable management of Hani wetlands and case guidance for forest swamp mapping in other regions.

scholarly journals Glycomics, Glycoproteomics and Glycogenomics: an Inter-Taxa Evolutionary Perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. mcp.R120.002263
Author(s):  
Christopher M. West ◽  
Daniel Malzl ◽  
Alba Hykollari ◽  
Iain B. H. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
First Line ◽  
Biochemical Basis ◽  
Unicellular Eukaryotes ◽  
Carbohydrate Recognition Domains ◽  
Invertebrate Animals ◽  
Species Specific

Glycosylation is a highly diverse set of co- and post-translational modification of proteins. For mammalian glycoproteins, glycosylation is often site-, tissue- and species-specific, and diversified by microheterogeneity. Multitudinous biochemical, cellular, physiological and organismic effects of their glycans have been revealed, either intrinsic to the carrier proteins or mediated by endogenous reader proteins with carbohydrate recognition domains. Furthermore, glycans frequently form the first line of access by or defense from foreign invaders, and new roles for nucleocytoplasmic glycosylation are blossoming. We now know enough to conclude that the same general principles apply in invertebrate animals and unicellular eukaryotes – different branches of which spawned the plants or fungi and animals. The two major driving forces for exploring the glycomes of invertebrates and protists are (i) to understand the biochemical basis of glycan-driven biology in these organisms, especially of pathogens, and (ii) to uncover the evolutionary relationships between glycans, their biosynthetic enzyme genes, and biological functions for new glycobiological insights. With an emphasis on emerging areas of protist glycobiology, here we offer an overview of glycan diversity and evolution, to promote future access to this treasure trove of glycobiological processes.

Study on Spatio-Temporal Changes of Wetland Landscape Patterns in the Modern Yellow River Delta

2014 ◽  
Vol 955-959 ◽  
pp. 1346-1350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Chang ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Tao Li
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Yellow River Delta ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Combination Method ◽  
Landscape Index ◽  
Natural Wetlands ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Modern Yellow River Delta

The wetland distribution in the modern Yellow River Delta is extracted by using a combination method of supervised classification based on the Landsat TM images in 1991, 2001 and 2011. The changes of wetland were analyzed from landscape index in the paper. The result shows that the area of natural wetland degrades, while the area of artificial wetland increases from 1991 to 2011. The transfer trajectory of spatial centroids of the wetland shows that it shifts towards southeast. Man-made driving forces are the main factors that cause natural wetlands degrades.

How much wetland has the world lost? Long-term and recent trends in global wetland area

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (10) ◽  
pp. 934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick C. Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Wetland Loss ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Ramsar Convention ◽  
Wetland Area ◽  
The World ◽  
Natural Wetlands ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
National Governments

It has been frequently stated, but without provision of supporting evidence, that the world has lost 50% of its wetlands (or 50% since 1900 AD). This review of 189 reports of change in wetland area finds that the reported long-term loss of natural wetlands averages between 54–57% but loss may have been as high as 87% since 1700 AD. There has been a much (3.7 times) faster rate of wetland loss during the 20th and early 21st centuries, with a loss of 64–71% of wetlands since 1900 AD. Losses have been larger and faster for inland than coastal natural wetlands. Although the rate of wetland loss in Europe has slowed, and in North America has remained low since the 1980s, the rate has remained high in Asia, where large-scale and rapid conversion of coastal and inland natural wetlands is continuing. It is unclear whether the investment by national governments in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has influenced these rates of loss. There is a need to improve the knowledge of change in wetland areas worldwide, particularly for Africa, the Neotropics and Oceania, and to improve the consistency of data on change in wetland areas in published papers and reports.

From self-subsistence farm production to khat: driving forces of change in Ethiopian agroforestry homegardens

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
MERSHA GEBREHIWOT ◽  
MARINE ELBAKIDZE ◽  
GUN LIDESTAV ◽  
MATS SANDEWALL ◽  
PER ANGELSTAM ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Household Wealth ◽  
Wealth Status ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Food Crop Production ◽  
Financial Income ◽  
Traditional Agroforestry ◽  
Development Trajectories

SUMMARYTraditional agroforestry homegardens deliver multiple products and benefits, including food security and livelihoods for rural households in Ethiopia. However, this land use has been changing towards monoculture production of khat (Catha edulis). This study analyses the development trajectories and causes of change in agroforestry homegardens. In total, 84 interviews, including key informant and semi-structured household interviews, and eight focus group discussions were conducted in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Regional State. It was found that khat production was increasing regardless of household wealth status. The proximate causes included better financial income for households, smaller sizes of farms due to farm land redistribution, favourable market conditions for khat, access to irrigation, decrease in governmental subsidies to buy fertilizer and quality seeds for food crop production, a positive experience of other farmers in khat production, and minimizing risks of theft and wildlife damage. Khat production challenges the implementation of national policies towards eradication of poverty and hunger.

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