scholarly journals Four Years Continuous Monitoring Reveals Different Effects of Urban Constructed Wetlands on Bats

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1087
Author(s):  
Han Li ◽  
Radmila Petric ◽  
Zinah Alazzawi ◽  
Jake Kauzlarich ◽  
Rania H. Mahmoud ◽  
...  

Proactive artificial wetland constructions have been implemented to mitigate the loss of wetlands and their ecosystem services. As wetlands are habitats for bats, short-term (one or two years) studies find that constructed wetlands can immediately increase local bat activity and diversity. However, it is not clear how constructed wetlands affect bats through time while the wetlands are aging. We collected four years of continuous bat acoustic monitoring data at two constructed wetlands in an urban park in Greensboro, NC, USA. We examined bat activity and community composition patterns at these wetlands and compared them with reference sites in the city. With four years of data, we found that the effects of constructed wetlands were both habitat- and species-specific. The wetland in forests significantly increased bat activity, while the wetland in the open grass altered bat community composition. Specifically, in terms of species, we found that over time, constructed wetlands no longer attracted more big brown, silver-haired, or evening bats than control sites while the wetlands aged, highlighting the need to study broadly how each bat species uses natural and artificial wetlands. We emphasize the importance of long-term monitoring and the periodical evaluation of wildlife conservation actions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-104
Author(s):  
Andrew Greenwood

Experienced veterinary professionals use their specialist expertise gained from working with various taxa in captive situations such as zoos, falconry and exotic pets, to assist with all stages of wildlife conservation projects from initial stabilisation of critically-endangered populations through captive management, reintroduction/translocation and long-term monitoring.


Acrocephalus ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (154-155) ◽  
pp. 271-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Al Vrezec

Abstract Among 48 raptor species (birds of prey, owls, shrikes) recorded recently in Slovenia, some long-term monitoring activities are being conducted for more than half of them, mainly for conservation and research purposes. However, national coverage is achieved only in 15% of the species, whereas other monitoring programmes are more or less local. Two monitoring approaches are considered, the species specific approach and assemblage approach. Current ongoing monitoring programmes for raptors in Slovenia lack monitoring of breeding success, which is now confined to only a few owl species. Use of nestboxes should therefore be considered more broadly in the future for some species at least


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph L. Pettit ◽  
Joy M. O'Keefe

Abstract White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease suspected to have infected Indiana caves in the winter of 2010–2011. This disease places energetic strains on cave-hibernating bats by forcing them to wake and use energy reserves. It has caused >5.5 million bat deaths across eastern North America, and may be the driving force for extinction of certain bat species. White-nose syndrome infection can be identified in hibernacula, but it may be difficult to determine whether bats in a particular area are affected if no known hibernacula exist. Thus, our aim was to use long-term monitoring data to examine changes in a summer population away from hibernacula that may be attributable to WNS effects during winter. We used capture data from a long-term bat-monitoring project in central Indiana with data from 10 repeatedly netted sites consistent across all reproductive periods. We modeled capture data by WNS exposure probability to assess changes in relative abundance of common species and reproductive classes as WNS exposure probability increases. We base exposure probability on a cokriging spatial model that interpolated WNS infection from hibernaculum survey data. The little brown bat Myotis lucifugus, the Indiana bat M. sodalis, and the tri-colored bat Perimyotis subflavus suffered 12.5–79.6% declines; whereas, the big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus, the eastern red bat Lasiurus borealis, and the evening bat Nycticeius humeralis showed 11.5–50.5% increases. We caught more nonreproductive adult females and postlactating females when WNS exposure probabilities were high, suggesting that WNS is influencing reproductive success of affected species. We conclude that, in Indiana, WNS is causing species-specific declines and may have caused the local extinction of M. lucifugus. Furthermore, WNS-affected species appear to be losing pups or forgoing pregnancy. Ongoing long-term monitoring studies, especially those focusing on reproductive success, are needed to measure the ultimate impacts of WNS.


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-14
Author(s):  
Elena Lapina ◽  
Larisa Lapina ◽  
Vera Kudryashova

The Ivankovo reservoir is an important source of drinking water for the city of Moscow. The water quality status of aquifers around the reservoir is important for its safety, as groundwater inflow into the reservoir is considerable. The chemical composition of the shallow groundwater around the Ivankovo reservoir is studied. The study is based on long-term monitoring (1999–2019) of both surface and groundwater quality. The aim of the paper is to identify changes in groundwater quality over this period and to determine their causes. The results show that over this 20 year-period, the groundwater quality in the study area shifted from HCO3–Ca to HCO3–Ca-Mg type, proven by statistical methods. The median values of the total dissolved solids (TDS) decreased by 13% in summer and by 17% in winter. It is shown that the ongoing processes of transformation of the groundwater chemical composition are mainly due to climate change, and atmospheric precipitation in the spring-winter period is a possible source of the Mg2+ ion entering the groundwater table. Among other components, concentrations of chlorides and sulfates underwent the largest change, the median values of which have decreased by two or more times, which is caused by both the dilution of the groundwater by melt water and a decrease in the anthropogenic load.


Author(s):  
MERVE KURT ◽  
ALI CEMAL GÜCÜ

The Northeastern Mediterranean coasts that border southern Turkey host one of the last strongholds for the survival of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus, 1779). The seal colonies inhabiting south coast of Turkey have been studied since 1994 through various short-term research projects focusing on distinct small populations that were thought to be isolated. In this study, the entire extent of the area was monitored approximately for 3 years (between 2015 and 2018) with camera traps places in 20 caves known to be actively used by the seals. A total of 7014 images taken throughout the study period, along with 25,100 images taken previously, were used to identify the seals inhabiting the area.  In total, 37 individuals were identified based on the natural marks on the body. Based on photo-identified seals, a mark-recapture method was applied to estimate the total population size within the Northeastern Mediterranean. The overall population size was found to be 46 (SE=7.7) in the case of closed population and 53(SE=34.8) in the case of open population during the study period.  The range of identified seals was almost six times larger than previously documented in the same area, reaching distances up to 245 km. The population estimate indicated a decrease in population size compared to previous studies.  Finally, the study emphasises the importance of long-term monitoring studies elucidating changes in the demographic parameters in relation to threats posed, rather than cut-paste measurement suggestions which are not applicable in reality, while structuring the conservation actions targeting survival of this highly endangered species.


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-97

The present survey was carried out in the framework of MEDPOL Phase III (2004 – 2006), aiming to provide recent information for the long-term monitoring of pollution trends in selected susceptible marine environments along the Mediterranean coastline. Information was collected from a network of four stations spaced out along the eastern coast of the Island of Lesvos, Greece, including a high risk station near the harbour of the city of Mytilini. Pollutants in abiotic components of the marine environment (seawater, sediment) as well as in selected marine organisms (M. barbatus and B. boops) were measured. It was found that there is no evidence of substantial pollution of the marine environment (seawater, sediment and fish) with respect to the pollutants measured. However, it was shown that although the uncontrolled discharge of untreated effluents has been reduced since the beginning of the operation of the Mytilini sewage treatment plant in 2001, sediments near the harbour of the city still carry increased loads of metals of anthropogenic origin. Furthermore, the small quantity of untreated sewerage that still flows out in the harbour of the city seems to affect water quality, since a higher mesotrophic character with eutrophic trends was observed in the area.


2003 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron C. Farrell ◽  
Ronald B. Scheckenberger

Abstract Constructed wetlands have gained acceptance as a means of treating stormwater runoff from urban developments. Much of the available data regarding the performance of these facilities is based upon monitoring conducted over the course of less than two years, and as such inherently assumes that the period of analysis represents the “typical” or “design” conditions under which these facilities are intended to operate. While this information has provided guidance regarding the mechanisms by which wetlands provide quality treatment of urban runoff, it does not fully reflect the variability of conditions under which the facilities operate over the fullness of time, which is of particular concern to designers and operators. The construction of the Dartnall Road Interchange, as part of Hamilton's Lincoln Alexander Parkway, required a monitoring program—which included five years of water quality sampling—as a condition of approval by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. This paper reports on the quantitative and qualitative wetland water quality monitoring data (sediment, nutrients, metals) obtained over the course of a total seven-year program, and provides information regarding the operating conditions and estimates on contaminant removal efficiencies from the facilities.


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