How mycorrhizas can help forests to cope with ongoing climate change?

The ongoing climate change have multi-faceted effects not only on metabolism of plants, but also on the soil properties and mycorrhizal fungal community. Under climate change the stability of the entire forest ecosystems and the carbon balance depend to a large degree on the interactions between trees and mycorrhizal fungi. The main drivers of climate change are CO₂ enrichment, temperature rise, altered precipitation patterns, increased N deposition, soil acidification and pollutants, ecosystem fragmentation and habitat loss, and biotic invasion. These drivers can impact mycorrhizal community directly and indirectly. We discussed the influence of each driver on mycorrhizal community and outlined how mycorrhizas play an important role in the resilience and recovery of forest ecosystems under climate change, by mitigating detrimental effects of CO₂ enrichment, temperature rise, drought, lack of nutrients, soil acidification, pollutants, pests, and diseases. Conservation of the overall biodiversity in forest ecosystems as well as providing the most favourable conditions for the development of mycorrhizae can contribute to increasing the resilience of forest ecosystems to climate change.

Green Infrastructure—Countering Ecosystem Fragmentation: Case Study of a Municipality in the Carpathian Foothills

This paper discusses green infrastructure, which can be considered a useful tool in the process of ensuring the sustainable development of rural structures in the polish Carpathian region. It allows for achieving a better quality of the environment of human life and healthy wildlife linkages. The element that supports defining information about the existing state of green infrastructure and its resources is the green infrastructure fragmentation coefficient based on edge effect calculations, which is the relation between the edge of the patch (circumference) to its surface area. With the use of model analysis of green infrastructure, it is possible to implement the provisions of the Carpathian Convention and coordinate planning documents that facilitate the sustainable development of spatial structures. Our study on the state of green infrastructure in rural areas of the Polish Carpathian Mountains is a source of knowledge about the quality of this area, its natural environment and fragmentation. Determining the territory’s green infrastructure fragmentation coefficient provides an opportunity for higher-precision studies and the detection of threats and integration of GI fragments and addressing proper solutions in conflict areas.

Corrigendum to: A threatened ecological community: research advances and priorities for Banksia woodlands

The rapid expansion of urban areas worldwide is leading to native habitat loss and ecosystem fragmentation and degradation. Although the study of urbanisation's impact on biodiversity is gaining increasing interest globally, there is still a disconnect between research recommendations and urbanisation strategies. Expansion of the Perth metropolitan area on the Swan Coastal Plain in south-western Australia, one of the world's thirty-six biodiversity hotspots, continues to affect the Banksia Woodlands (BWs) ecosystem, a federally listed Threatened Ecological Community (TEC). Here, we utilise the framework of a 1989 review of the state of knowledge of BWs ecology and conservation to examine scientific advances made in understanding the composition, processes and functions of BWs and BWs' species over the last 30 years. We highlight key advances in our understanding of the ecological function and role of mechanisms in BWs that are critical to the management of this ecosystem. The most encouraging change since 1989 is the integration of research between historically disparate ecological disciplines. We outline remaining ecological knowledge gaps and identify key research priorities to improve conservation efforts for this TEC. We promote a holistic consideration of BWs with our review providing a comprehensive document that researchers, planners and managers may reference. To effectively conserve ecosystems threatened by urban expansion, a range of stakeholders must be involved in the development and implementation of best practices to conserve and maintain both biodiversity and human wellbeing.

Green Infrastructure—Countering Ecosystem Fragmentation: Case Study of a Municipality in the Carpathian Foothills

This paper discusses Green Infrastructure, which can be considered a useful tool in the process of ensuring the sustainable development of urban structures in the Carpathian region. It allows for achieving a better quality of the environment of human life and healthy wildlife linkages. The element that supports defining information about the existing state of Green Infrastructure and its resources is the Green Infrastructure fragmentation coefficient based on edge effect calculations, which is the relation between the edge of the patch (circumference) to its surface area [1, 2]. With the use of model analysis of Green Infrastructure, it is possible to implement the provisions of the Carpathian Convention and coordinate planning documents that facilitate the sustainable development of spatial structures. Our study on the state of Green Infrastructure in rural areas of the Polish Carpathian Mountains is a source of knowledge about the quality of this area, its natural environment and fragmentation. Determining the territory’s Green Infrastructure fragmentation coefficient provides an opportunity for higher-precision studies and the detection of threats and integration of GI fragments and addressing proper solutions in conflict areas.

Erosion of phylogenetic diversity in Neotropical bat assemblages: findings from a whole-ecosystem fragmentation experiment

The traditional focus on taxonomic diversity metrics for investigating species responses to habitat loss and fragmentation has limited our understanding of how biodiversity is impacted by habitat modification. This is particularly true for taxonomic groups such as bats which exhibit species-specific responses. Here, we investigate phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity of Neotropical bat assemblages across two environmental gradients, one in habitat quality and one in habitat amount. We surveyed bats in 39 sites located across a whole-ecosystem fragmentation experiment in the Brazilian Amazon, representing a gradient of habitat quality (interior-edge-matrix, hereafter IEM) in both continuous forest and forest fragments of different sizes (1, 10, and 100 ha; forest size gradient). For each habitat category, we quantified alpha and beta phylogenetic diversity, then used linear mixed-effects models and cluster analysis to explore how forest area and IEM gradient affect phylogenetic diversity. We found that the secondary forest matrix harboured significantly lower total evolutionary history compared to the fragment interiors, especially the matrix near the 1 ha fragments, containing bat assemblages with more closely related species. Forest fragments ≥ 10 ha had levels of phylogenetic richness similar to continuous forest, suggesting that large fragments retain considerable levels of evolutionary history. The edge and matrix adjacent to large fragments tend to have closely related lineages nonetheless, suggesting phylogenetic homogenization in these IEM gradient categories. Thus, despite the high mobility of bats, fragmentation still induces considerable levels of erosion of phylogenetic diversity, suggesting that the full amount of evolutionary history might not be able to persist in present-day human-modified landscapes.

Erosion of phylogenetic diversity in Neotropical bat assemblages: findings from a whole-ecosystem fragmentation experiment

The traditional focus on taxonomic diversity metrics for investigating species responses to habitat loss and fragmentation has limited our understanding on how biodiversity is impacted by habitat modification. This is particularly true for taxonomic groups such as bats which exhibit species-specific responses. Here, we investigate phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity of Neotropical bat assemblages across two environmental gradients, one in habitat quality and one in habitat amount. We surveyed bats in 39 sites located across a whole-ecosystem fragmentation experiment in the Brazilian Amazon, representing a gradient of habitat quality (interior-edge-matrix, hereafter IEM) in both continuous forest and forest fragments of different sizes (1, 10, and 100 ha; forest size gradient). For each habitat category, we quantified alpha and beta phylogenetic diversity, then used linear models and cluster analysis to explore how forest area and IEM gradient affect phylogenetic diversity. We found that the secondary forest matrix harboured significantly lower total evolutionary history compared to the fragment interiors, especially the 1 ha fragments, containing bat assemblages with more closely related species. Forest fragments ≥ 10 ha had levels of phylogenetic richness similar to continuous forest, suggesting that large fragments retain considerable levels of evolutionary history. The edge and matrix adjacent to large fragments tend to have closely related lineages nonetheless, suggesting phylogenetic homogenization in these IEM gradient categories. Thus, despite the high mobility of bats, fragmentation still induces considerable levels of erosion of phylogenetic diversity, suggesting that the various evolutionary history might not be able to persist in present-day human-modified landscapes.

Aranhas epígeas de um fragmento de mata em área urbana em Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil

<p>A adaptação das aranhas aos diversos tipos de ambientes e suas relações com as comunidades vegetais existentes, as colocam como peças-chaves nos ecossistemas florestais e excelentes organismos bioindicadores devido à sensibilidade aos efeitos da urbanização e fragmentação de ecossistemas. Visando inventariar e investigar a riqueza da fauna de aranhas de solo de um fragmento de mata antropizado, utilizou-se 50 “pitfalls trap” (número total de amostras = 600), durante 12 meses no período entre 2010–2011. Um total de 1238 indivíduos foi coletado, os quais estiveram distribuídos em 51 espécies pertencentes a 18 famílias, das quais Zodariidae e Lycosidae foram as mais abundantes, e Salticidae e Theridiidae as com maior riqueza. Observou-se ainda um alto percentual de espécies raras (“Singletons e Doubletons”). A tendência de não estabilização dos estimadores de riqueza e a relação da predição de espécies coletadas e esperadas indicam que a área precisa de uma melhor amostragem, visando melhor conhecimento da biodiversidade existente e contribuindo para o desenvolvimento para a preservação e conservação da biodiversidade local.</p><p><strong>Palavras chave</strong>: Araneofauna, aracnídeos, ecossistemas, urbanização.</p><p><strong>Epigeal spiders in a forest fragment in an urban area of the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil</strong></p><p><strong>Abstract</strong>: Spiders are indicators of environment quality due fact of been sensible to environment changes. Their adaptions among the environment and their relations between vegetal communities make them have a special role in forest ecosystems. However, this relation makes spiders susceptible to effects of urban process and to defloration and ecosystem fragmentation process. A spider fauna survey was developed using 50 “pitfall traps”, annual sample process begun in 2010 and finished in 2011 (total samples = 600) in an urbanized patch. A total of 1238 individuals were collected, constituting 51 species belonged to 18 families which Zodariidae and Lycosidae were most abundant, and Salticidae and Theridiidae were the richest families. It´s also observed many rare species (Singletons and Doubletons). The richness estimators didn´t exhibit a trend do exhibit an asymptote and the relation between collected species and estimated species, suggesting more samples process also suggests a necessity of develop politics to preserve the local biodiversity.</p><p><strong>Key words</strong>: Araneofauna, arachnids, ecosystems, urbanization.</p>

A Mata Atlântica e sua conservação

Resumo: A Mata Atlântica é o terceiro maior bioma brasileiro e possui uma dasmaiores biodiversidades do mundo. Tem função reguladora do fluxo dos mananciaishídricos, mantém a fertilidade do solo, controla o equilíbrio climático, eevita deslizamentos de escarpas e encostas de regiões serranas. Desde temposcoloniais vem sofrendo os impactos da atividade exploratória e do crescimentopopulacional e urbano, que causaram fragmentação de ecossistemas, perda debiodiversidade e deterioração de recursos naturais. Aproximadamente 8,5% desua cobertura são áreas preservadas com mais de 100 hectares. A conservaçãodesses fragmentos e a recuperação de áreas degradadas são fundamentais paraa manutenção do bioma e da qualidade de vida das populações associadas a ele.Palavras-chave: Bioma Mata Atlântica. Conservação. Biodiversidade.Abstract: The Atlantic Rainforest is the third largest brazilian biome and has oneof the world’s largest biodiversity. It regulates the flow of water sources, keepssoil fertility, controls the climate balance, and avoids the landslide of slopes andhillsides. Since colonial times it has been suffering the impacts of exploitation,population growth and urban expansion, which caused ecosystem fragmentation,biodiversity loss, and deterioration of natural resources. Approximately 8.5% ofits coverage are preserved areas with more than 100 hectares. The conservationof these fragments and the restoration of degraded areas are fundamental tomaitain the biome and the life quality of the peoples associated to it.Keywords: Atlantic Rainforest Biome. Conservation. Biodiversity.