scholarly journals Current Condition of Pannonic Salt Steppes at Their Distribution Limit: What Do Indicator Species Reveal about Habitat Quality?

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 530
Author(s):  
Zuzana Dítě ◽  
Róbert Šuvada ◽  
Tibor Tóth ◽  
Pavol Eliáš Jun ◽  
Vladimír Píš ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Central Area ◽  
East Central Europe ◽  
Conservation Practice ◽  
Ecological Conditions ◽  
Typical Habitat ◽  
Priority Habitat

Little is known about the suite of ecological conditions under which characteristic species may continue to develop under the pressure of recent habitat deterioration. We aimed to determine the niche of three indicator species of the priority habitat Pannonic salt steppes and to find out how their vegetation composition, land use, and soil chemistry mirror the current condition of their typical habitat. A plot-based vegetation survey was conducted in degraded and in pristine (reference) inland salt steppes in East-Central Europe. We confirmed decreased habitat quality at their northern geographical limit. Most of the sites there showed a strong prevalence of generalists (e.g., Elytrigia repens) and lack of specialists, both resulting from lowered habitat extremity and inappropriate land use (abandonment). A small proportion of plots (19%) were in the same good condition as the reference vegetation in the central area. Soil analyses revealed that the studied halophytes are able to persist on desalinized soils if the land use is suitable. The occurrence of the annual Camphorosma annua (Amaranthaceae) was driven largely by abiotic stress; grazing alone is insufficient for its long-term persistence, while the perennial Artemisia santonicum (Asteraceae) and Tripolium pannonicum (Asteraceae) have higher survival chances as they are able to coexist with generalists. Overall habitat quality can be reliably determined from the analyzed ecological conditions of indicator species. The outcomes of the presented work are relevant for conservation practice and can serve as a quick tool for assessing the current stage of other grassland habitats.

scholarly journals Multi-Scenario Analysis of Habitat Quality in the Yellow River Delta by Coupling FLUS with InVEST Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2389
Author(s):  
Qinglong Ding ◽  
Yang Chen ◽  
Lingtong Bu ◽  
Yanmei Ye
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Scenario Analysis ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Invest Model ◽  
Unused Land ◽  
Dongying City

The past decades were witnessing unprecedented habitat degradation across the globe. It thus is of great significance to investigate the impacts of land use change on habitat quality in the context of rapid urbanization, particularly in developing countries. However, rare studies were conducted to predict the spatiotemporal distribution of habitat quality under multiple future land use scenarios. In this paper, we established a framework by coupling the future land use simulation (FLUS) model with the Intergrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. We then analyzed the habitat quality change in Dongying City in 2030 under four scenarios: business as usual (BAU), fast cultivated land expansion scenario (FCLE), ecological security scenario (ES) and sustainable development scenario (SD). We found that the land use change in Dongying City, driven by urbanization and agricultural reclamation, was mainly characterized by the transfer of cultivated land, construction land and unused land; the area of unused land was significantly reduced. While the habitat quality in Dongying City showed a degradative trend from 2009 to 2017, it will be improved from 2017 to 2030 under four scenarios. The high-quality habitat will be mainly distributed in the Yellow River Estuary and coastal areas, and the areas with low-quality habitat will be concentrated in the central and southern regions. Multi-scenario analysis shows that the SD will have the highest habitat quality, while the BAU scenario will have the lowest. It is interesting that the ES scenario fails to have the highest capacity to protect habitat quality, which may be related to the excessive saline alkali land. Appropriate reclamation of the unused land is conducive to cultivated land protection and food security, but also improving the habitat quality and giving play to the versatility and multidimensional value of the agricultural landscape. This shows that the SD of comprehensive coordination of urban development, agricultural development and ecological protection is an effective way to maintain the habitat quality and biodiversity.

Future scenarios impact on land use change and habitat quality in Lithuania

2021 ◽  
pp. 111101
Author(s):  
Eduardo Gomes ◽  
Miguel Inácio ◽  
Katažyna Bogdzevič ◽  
Marius Kalinauskas ◽  
Donalda Karnauskaitė ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Future Scenarios

scholarly journals Assessing Habitat Vulnerability and Loss of Naturalness: Applying the GLOBIO3 Model in the Czech Republic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5355
Author(s):  
Vilém Pechanec ◽  
Ondřej Cudlín ◽  
Miloš Zapletal ◽  
Jan Purkyt ◽  
Lenka Štěrbová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
New Equation ◽  
The Impact

Global and regional biodiversity loss is caused by several drivers including urban development, land use intensification, overexploitation of natural resources, environmental pollution, and climate change. The main aim of our study was to adapt the GLOBIO3 model to the conditions of the Czech Republic (CR) to assess loss of naturalness and biodiversity vulnerability at the habitat level on a detailed scale across the entire CR. An additional aim was to assess the main drivers affecting the biodiversity of habitat types. The GLOBIO3 model was adapted to CZ-GLOBIO by adapting global to local scales and using habitat quality and naturalness data instead of species occurrence data. The total mean species abundance (MSA) index of habitat quality, calculated from the spatial overlay of the four MSA indicators by our new equation, reached the value 0.62. The total value of MSA for natural and near-natural habitats was found to be affected mainly by infrastructure development and fragmentation. Simultaneously, intensity of land use change and atmospheric nitrogen deposition contributed primarily to the low total value of MSA for distant natural habitats. The CZ-GLOBIO model can be an important tool in political decision making to reduce the impact of the main drivers on habitat biodiversity in the CR.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impacts of Urban Expansion on Habitat Quality by Combining the Concepts of Land Use, Landscape, and Habitat in Two Urban Agglomerations in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huina Wang ◽  
Lina Tang ◽  
Quanyi Qiu ◽  
Huaxiang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Yangtze River Delta ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variability ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Urban Agglomerations

Understanding the spatiotemporal variability of habitat quality as a function of land-use changes is important for expanding scientific knowledge of ecological conservation. In this study, the impacts of land-use change on habitat quality were assessed in two urban agglomerations in China at different stages of development, namely (1) the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA), which has reached the middle and late stage of urbanization, and (2) the Golden Triangle of Southern Fujian (GTSF), which has reached the middle and early stage. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) habitat quality model was applied to determine the habitat quality and the degree of habitat degradation in these two agglomerations. Overall, the habitat quality in the YRDUA was found to be clearly inferior to that in the GTSF. In the GTSF, more than 65% of the habitat was of good or excellent quality, whereas in the YRDUA, less than 45% of the habitat reached this quality. By combining the concepts of land use, landscape, and habitat, the boundary of degradation and the general increase in habitat quality from 2000 to 2015 were found to be mainly related to the landform, the dominant landscape, and the concentration of non-habitat areas. Additionally, the type, distribution, and fragmentation of the dominant habitat were shown to play important roles in habitat quality. Moreover, changes in industrial composition over time were demonstrated to be critical drivers of changes in areas of construction land.

scholarly journals Forest floor temperature and greenness link significantly to canopy attributes in South Africa’s fragmented coastal forests

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Pfeifer ◽  
Michael JW Boyle ◽  
Stuart Dunning ◽  
Pieter Olivier
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Quality Metrics ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Ground Surface Temperature ◽  
Forest Models ◽  
Random Forest Models

Tropical landscapes are changing rapidly due to changes in land use and land management. Being able to predict and monitor land use change impacts on species for conservation or food security concerns requires the use of habitat quality metrics, that are consistent, can be mapped using above - ground sensor data and are relevant for species performance. Here, we focus on ground surface temperature (Thermalground) and ground vegetation greenness (NDVIdown) as potentially suitable metrics of habitat quality. We measure both across habitats differing in tree cover (natural grassland to forest edges to forests and tree plantations) in the human-modified coastal forested landscapes of Kwa-Zulua Natal, South Africa. We show that both habitat quality metrics decline linearly as a function of increasing canopy closure (FCover, %) and canopy leaf area index (LAI). Opening canopies by about 20% or reducing canopy leaf area by 1% would result in an increase of temperatures on the ground by more than 1°C, and an increase in ground vegetation greenness by 0.2 and 0.14 respectively. Upscaling LAI and FCover to develop maps from Landsat imagery using random forest models allowed us to map Thermalground and NDVIdown using the linear relationships. However, map accuracy was constrained by the predictive capacity of the random forest models predicting canopy attributes and the linear models linking canopy attributes to the habitat quality metrics. Accounting for micro-scale variation in temperature is seen as essential to improve biodiversity impact predictions. Our upscaling approach suggests that mapping ground surface temperature based on radiation and vegetation properties might be possible, and that canopy cover maps could provide a useful tool for mapping habitat quality metrics that matter to species. However, we need to increase sampling of surface temperature spatially and temporally to improve and validate upscaled models. We also need to link surface temperature maps to demographic traits of species of different threat status or functions in landscapes with different disturbance and management histories testing for generalities in relationships. The derived understanding could then be exploited for targeted landscape restoration that benefits biodiversity conservation and food security sustainably at the landscape scale.

scholarly journals Determination of load capacity of BOD pollutant in Cisadane River with Qual2kw model & its effect on DO parameters

2021 ◽  
Vol 894 (1) ◽  
pp. 012014
Author(s):  
I Rahmandani ◽  
D Hendrawan ◽  
W Astono
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Water Quality Analysis ◽  
Pollutant Load ◽  
Agriculture Industry ◽  
Pollutant Sources

Abstract The research to determine the carrying capacity of pollutant loads in the middle to downstream Cisadane River segment started from Jl. Teuku Umar, Tangerang and ends at Muara Tanjung Burung, Tangerang Regency with a research time starting from March – June 2021. Increased land-use change due to human and industrial activities so that population growth and limited residential land make watersheds a target for land conversion. The purpose of this study is to identify sources of pollutants that have the potential to contaminate the Cisadane River in the middle to downstream segments, analyze water quality and pollutant load capacity, the Cisadane River in the middle to downstream segments along 34 km. The method used for identification of pollutant sources is carried out by conducting field surveys, water quality analysis is carried out by SNI and compared with quality standards according to Peraturan Pemerintah No. 22 of 2021, as well as analysis of the Pollutant Load Capacity (PLC) BOD and DO using the QUAL2Kw model. The results of identifying potential pollutant sources in the middle to a downstream segment of the Cisadane River are dominated by settlements, agriculture, industry, and other domestic activities, namely restaurants and stalls. The results of water quality analysis for BOD parameters ranged from 2.51 mg/L - 5.1 mg/L, and DO range from 5.4 mg/L – 7,2 mg/L. BOD parameters from all points 1-2 meet the quality standard class 2 (3 mg/L) & points 4-6 do not meet the quality standard. The DO parameter is still in good condition because the more significant the DO value, the waters are in good condition. The high levels of BOD in the Cisadane River are influenced by domestic waste that enters the river, and the land is dominated by built-up spaces as settlements, schools, hotels and malls. Land use around the river is very influential on the load of pollutants that enter the river. The lowest DTBP of the Cisadane River for BOD is 22497,9 kg/day, and the highest is 33201,6 kg/day. The decrease in the concentration of BOD load must be lowered in the Cisadane River by 29% - 42%.

scholarly journals Influence of grazing on populations of the specialist grasshopper Mioscirtus wagneri inhabiting hypersaline habitats in La Mancha Region, Central Spain

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-81
Author(s):  
María Pilar Aguirre ◽  
Joaquin Ortego ◽  
Pedro J. Cordero
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Grazing Impact ◽  
Central Spain ◽  
Hypersaline Ecosystems ◽  
La Mancha ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Educational Campaigns

Grazing is an influential land use that has introduced profound changes in worldwide landscapes, ecosystems and their species. In this paper, we analysed the influence of grazing on the presence and abundance of the endangered Mioscirtuswagneri, a monophagous grasshopper inhabiting inland hypersaline ecosystems in Spain and showing a marked spatial and genetic fragmentation. Using count transects, we analyzed the presence and abundance of this grasshopper in relation to specific vegetation cover and the abundance of goat and sheep droppings, considering this variable as a surrogate of livestock activity and grazing impact. We found that both the presence and abundance of M.wagneri were positively related to the cover of its host plant Suaedavera and negatively associated with the abundance of droppings. We conclude that dropping abundance is a useful parameter to assess livestock impact and evaluate habitat quality and the conservation status of M.wagneri and many other singular species of macroinvertebrates inhabiting inland hypersaline ecosystems. We highly recommend the use of electric shepherd fencing around all sensitive and protected areas where inland hypersaline ecosystems are present in order to deter livestock. We also suggest intensive educational campaigns for farmers and shepherds, revealing the ecological importance of these singular and unique habitats for rare and exclusive species like M.wagneri and many other coexisting plants and invertebrates.

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