Exploring Effective Conservation of Charismatic Flora: Orchids in Armenia as a Case Study

Plants are the bedrock of life on Earth but are increasingly threatened with extinction. The most cost-effective way of conserving plant diversity is through Protected Areas (PAs). However, the locality, size, and management of PAs are crucial for effectively maintaining diversity and have been criticized as currently inadequate. Using Armenia as our study site and orchids as our study taxa, we sought to (1) identify spatial patterns of orchid diversity hotspots and corresponding PA network sites; (2) examine if the current PA network is effective at capturing orchid species richness and diversity and (3) explore the relationship between the range of area suitability of species and level of protection. We used data collected from herbarium, field visits and GBIF occurrence records. Using freely available mapping software, we created heatmaps of observations and species richness. We compared PA sites based on the number of species (species richness) and diversity (Shannon–Weiner Index). Species range was developed using the MaxEnt model and a correlation analysis was performed against the proportion of the range within PA. We found that 57% of PA sites have a representation of at least one species of orchid, but some threatened species are not presented within any PA site. The Tavush and Syunik province not only held the highest species richness (>10 species), but the PA network within also held high orchid diversity (2.5 diversity index value for Dilijan National Park). We did not find a significant relationship between the range of area suitability for orchids and protection; however, all our target species had less than 30% of their range under protection. Our study highlights important challenges related to the limitations of available data, and we discuss these implications towards effective conservation outcomes for orchids for the region.

Baseline Assessments of Wildlife Biodiversity Within Selected Areas of Central Visayas, Philippines

A comprehensive inventory of faunal biodiversity was conducted within three Key Biodiversity Areas of Central Visayas. Mt. Bandilaan Natural Park (MBNP), Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park (BTLNP), and Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape (RSPL). Three primary wildlife groups were surveyed: bats, birds and amphibians. Species diversity and population trends were then analyzed to assess areas of biodiversity importance. RSPL generally had the highest species richness and diversity index while MBNP consistently had the lowest. When pooled. The surveyed areas resulted in a high diversity index and rate of endemicity showing the importance of multiple areas of protection. These findings can be utilized to prioritize habitat protection as well as to serve as a baseline information for future biodiversity inventories. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2020, 6(2): 27-34

Faunistic Study on Butterflies in the Lowland Forests of Central Surigao del Sur, Philippines

The province of Surigao del Sur is among the areas in the Philippines with limited wildlife studies, especially on lepidopteran fauna. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the butterfly congregation and diversity in Gamut and Mat-e, areas which are underexplored for lepidopteran surveys. It also aimed to assess the conservation and ecological status of the species. Sweep netting for a total of 196 person-hours was carried out to document the species. The results revealed a total of 29 species belonging to four families. Among the families, Nymphalidae was the most represented, comprising 48% of the total richness. The species Gandaca harina mindanaensis and Junonia hedonia ida were the most dominant in both sites representing 12% (each) of the total population. Species richness and diversity (H’) were relatively higher in Mat-e (n=22; H’=1.22) than in Gamut (n=15; H’=1.00). The total endemicity was 31%, but higher endemism was observed in Mat-e (36%) compared with Gamut (20%). The noteworthy findings are the listing of the nationally and globally assessed as rare species (Acrophtalmia leto ochine and Jamides celeno), but were locally assessed as common in Mat-e. One recorded butterfly (Atrophaneura semperi aphtonia) was assessed to be a threatened species. Based on the results, the two habitats showed a poor representation of butterfly assemblage, however, these results are highly affected by the limitations of the observation. Thus, it is recommended that an intensive study on butterflies in the area should be considered.

Effects of Landscape Attributes on Campuses Bird Species Richness and Diversity, Implications for Eco-Friendly Urban Planning

Landscape changes due to urban expansion may severely influence urban biodiversity through direct and indirect effects. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of the urban expansion effects on species diversity is essential for conservation biologists, urban planners, and policymakers to help design more practical and effective conservation strategies. Here, based on monthly bird survey data of 12 university campuses distributed in the center and the Xianlin university town of Nanjing city, we first compared the differences of the campuses bird species richness, Shannon-Wiener, and Simpson indices. Then, we analyzed the effects of a variety of landscape attributes on the campuses bird species richness. Unlike other studies, we also constructed a 2 km buffer area surrounding each campus and analyzed the effects of the landscape attributes of the buffer area on species richness. We found that bird species richness was higher in the campus of Xianlin compared to those in the center. Landscape attributes played an important role on bird species richness, especially for the determinants in the buffer area. Specifically, species richness, Shannon-Wiener, and Simpson indices increased with the increasing area of water and green space both within the campus and the buffer area. Not surprisingly, bird species richness and diversity were more affected by fragmentation of the buffer area, increasing with the aggregation index and decreasing with the splitting index. Our study emphasized that landscape attributes of both campuses and buffer areas determined bird species richness and diversity, offering several practical implications for urban biodiversity maintenance and eco-friendly urban planning.

Forest Vegetation of the garden and park landscapes of the Middle Pobuzhzhia region (Vinnytsia and Cherkasyoblasts, Ukraine)

The article presents the results of a comprehensive phytosociological survey of forest vegetation of garden landscapes of the Middle Pobuzhzhia region, including the establishment of its syntaxonomic structure, revealing of the leading factors of differentiation, analysis of vegetation units and studied parks in terms of species richness and diversity. The data for the study were 90 vegetation plots sampled by the authors on the territory of 15 objects (8 parks-monuments of landscape art of state importance, 5 – local importance, one arboretum of state importance, and one landscape reserve of local importance). The data were analysed using modern quantitative methods of phytosociological research in the environment of the Juice software. As a result of the study, seven vegetation units were obtained, six of them were interpreted to the level of association (Salicetum albae, Urticodioicae-Alnetumglutinosae, Chelidonio-Robinietum,Tilio-Carpinetum,Isopyro thalictroidis-Carpinetumand Galeobdolo lutei-Carpinetum) and one as a derivative community. The resulted units represent four classes of vegetation - Salicetea purpureae, Alnetea glutinosae, Carpino-Fagetea sylvaticae and Robinietea. The ordination analysis revealed the ecological separation of the derivative community Taraxacum officinale + Fraxinus excelsior, which combined park phytocenoses with the most intensive management, from other vegetation units, as well as the leading role of moisture and continentality in differentiation of the studied vegetation. A comparative analysis on the level of species richness and values of Shannon-Wiener and Simpson diversity indices showed the dependence of these indicators on landscape diversity, managment intensity and area of studied parks. The highest species richness and diversity was observed for floodplain alder forests of the class Alnetea glutinosae, which are very rare in the studied parks. The results of the study can be a theoretical background for planning the management and reconstruction of garden and park landscapes in the region. Стаття присвячена результатам комплексного фітосоціологічного обстеження лісової рослинності садово-паркових ландшафтів Середнього Побужжя, зокрема встановленню її синтаксономічної структури, з’ясуванню провідних факторів диференціації, аналізу одиниць рослинності і досліджених парків за рівнем видового багатства та різноманітності. Матеріалами для дослідження були 90 повних геоботанічних описів, виконаних авторами на території 15 об’єктів (8 парків-пам’яток садово-паркового мистецтва загальнодержавного, 5 – місцевого значення, один дендрологічний парк загальнодержавного значення і один ландшафтний заказник місцевого значення). Описи оброблялися за допомогою сучасних кількісних методів фітосоціологічних досліджень у середовищі програми Juice. В ході дослідження було отримано сім одиниць рослинності, шість з яких були інтерпретовані до рівня асоціації (Salicetum albae,Urtico dioicae-Alnetum glutinosae, Chelidonio-Robinietum,Tilio-Carpinetum,Isopyro thalictroidis-Carpinetum і Galeobdolo lutei-Carpinetum) і одна як дериватне угруповання. Отримані одиниці репрезентують чотири класи рослинності – Salicetea purpureae,Alnetea glutinosae,Carpino-Fagetea sylvaticae і Robinietea. За допомогою ординаційного аналізу було встановлено найбільшу екологічну відокремленість дериватного угруповання Taraxacum officinale+Fraxinus excelsior, яке об’єднало паркові фітоценози з найбільш інтенсивним доглядом,від решти одиниць рослинності, а також провідну роль вологості і континентальності у диференціації дослідженої рослинності. Порівняльний аналіз синтаксонів і парків за рівнем видового багатства і значеннями індексів різноманітності Шеннона-Уінера і Сімпсона засвідчив залежність цих показників від ландшафтного різноманіття, інтенсивності догляду та площі досліджених парків, а також найвище видове багатство та різноманітність заплавних вільхових лісів класу Alnetea glutinosae, які є дуже рідкісними в досліджених парках. Результати проведеного дослідження можуть бути теоретичним підґрунтям при плануванні управління та реконструкції садово-паркових ландшафтів у регіоні.