effects of extensive grazing on the vegetation of a landscape-scale restoration site

The Wicken Fen Vision (Cambridgeshire, UK) is a landscape-scale habitat restoration project that uses process-driven, open-ended approaches to develop habitats on highly degraded and drained peat soils of former intensive arable land. The project land is extensively grazed with herds of free-roaming, minimally managed herds of Highland cattle and Konik horses. In one 119 ha area, seven 25m x 25 m grazing exclosures were erected and vascular plant species were recorded from 2007 to 2017. Plant species data were analysed to (1) compare changes in plant species composition and diversity in grazed and ungrazed areas; (2) use plant species traits and plant-environment associations to explore the nature of changes in plant composition; (3) use remote sensing to explore changes in vegetation structure; (4) examine the influence of land use histories on grazing outcomes in different parts of the site.There was a clear divergence through time between grazed and ungrazed areas, attributed to significantly greater canopy height, Ellenberg L (Light) and Ellenberg N (fertility) values within the exclosures. Species richness was significantly higher in grazed compared with ungrazed areas and species assemblages separated through the study period. After ten years, extensive free-roaming grazing has had significant impacts on vegetation structure and species richness but effects varied across the study site because of differing historical land use.

Roe deer population trend after reintroduction of Eurasian lynx within the Palatinate Forest: a first insight into a long-term study

After becoming extinct approximately 250 years ago in the Palatinate Forest, the first Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) were reintroduced within this area in 2016, with 20 lynx reintroduced in the following five years. We observed the roe deer population within the Palatinate Forest before (2016) and during (2017–2019) the lynx reintroduction by estimating the population and evaluating the hunting bag. The roe deer population estimation based on the distance sampling method was conducted on ten defined transects with an average length of 48 km from 2016 to 2019, observing a 6,000 km transect length for 120 nights overall. An average of 6.54 ± 1.28 roe deer km-² was estimated over the course of the four years (2016 – 2019). Since we suspect that our estimations might underestimate the roe deer population within the Palatinate Forest, hence we preferred to use the roe deer count index for further analysis. Over the first four years (2016–2019), significant differences were neither found in the roe deer count index nor for the hunting bag in relation to the reintroduction of the lynx. The data and findings presented in this study provide a first insight into a long-term observation of a predator-prey system within the Palatinate Forest, with roe deer not having experienced a natural predator over a long time. In order to make coherent interpretations, long-term data is needed to estimate the population trends of both species within the Palatinate Forest.

Relationship between external weather conditions and number of hibernating bats in two caves in the western Italian Alps

Weather conditions can influence the hibernation behaviour of temperate cave-dwelling bats that are tolerant to low temperatures, and their number can be correlated with weather variables. In this work a first assessment on the correlation between the number of individuals of three species of hibernating bats (Barbastella barbastellus, Myotis emarginatus and Rhinolophus hipposideros) and the environmental weather conditions before the survey was carried out is provided for two hibernacula of the Italian Western Alps. For the B. barbastellus, a significant inverse correlation was observed between the number of bats detected and the average daily temperature for thirty days preceding the count (p= 0.036) and ten days before counting (p= 0.036). A significant positive correlation was observed for M. emarginatus between the number of individuals and the average daily temperatures for thirty days preceding the count (p= 0.018). For R. hipposideros, a significant inverse correlation was observed with the average daily temperatures for the ten days before the count (p= 0.048) and the differences in the maximum and minimum temperature of the ten days preceding the count (p= 0.002). Results of this study show how the ambient temperatures before a count can influence the number of bats present in hibernacula. This confirms how the abundance of bats at underground hibernating sites can be used as an indicator of climate change, as temperature is an important factor controlling hibernation, although further studies are needed in order to better evaluate how the climatic variables interact with each other in regulating the number of bats in the hibernacula.

INVESTIGATING CROSS CONGRUENCE BETWEEN BUTTERFLY TAXA AND ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF SYSTEMATIC CONSERVATION PLANNING: A CASE STUDY FROM LESSER CAUCASUS ECOREGION OF TURKEY

Cross taxa congruence was investigated between butterfly taxa and ecological community for fine spatial scale (10 × 10 km² UTM grids) in north-eastern part of Turkey. The study area was evaluated within the scope of systematic conservation planning, and analyses were performed for sets of priority protected areas composed using complementarity-based site selection software Marxan. Cross taxa congruence was subsequently examined both in species richness and ecologic complementarity. Accordingly, it has been observed that the cross-taxon congruence between butterfly taxa and ecological community was relatively better than the results of previous studies. Another remarkable finding is that ecological community was a more robust surrogate than butterfly taxa. Although the results are valuable for conservation studies, they highlight the fact that a simple surrogate-based site selection would be inadequate to represent overall biodiversity. The weakness of congruence patterns among surrogates would also lead to gaps in biodiversity conservation. These findings therefore draw attention to the necessities of incorporating surrogates of distinct ecology or some other surrogates like environmental parameters into conservation planning. Otherwise, there may be mistakes regarding species representation and the vast majority of species may be misrepresented in protected areas and protected area plans. At this point, it should be emphasized that understating cross taxa congruence and/or relationships is a key component for efficient biodiversity conservation.

FISH COMMUNITY COMPOSITION INDICATES LOW IMPACT OF CAPTURE EFFORTS IN WAR-TORN SOUTH SUDAN

A survey conducted in Terekeka, Mongalla (=Mongalla) and Gemmaiza (= Gemeiza), payams of Central Equatoria in South Sudan using face-to-face interviews, structured questionnaire and focused group discussion provided information on income generating strategies of fishing communities. These included: full time or part time fishing, small-scale farming, cattle breeding and firewood collection. Stationary gill nets were the dominant type of fishing gear, followed by monofilament, hook and long line, cast nets, spears and harpoons. Fishing vessels included planked canoes, steel boats and fibreglass. The best fishing months were August, September, followed by May. Main species caught included large bodied potamodromous predators adapted to channel habitats, as well as floodplain migrants. Overall the fish community appeared to be at equilibrium, with no evidence of impacts due to excessive catch efforts. The good health of the White Nile fishery is related to the high resilience of South Sudanese aquatic ecosystems as well as to the low potential of fish capture in a country disrupted by war and lack of security.

Making room for the 3Rs principles of animal use in ecology: potential issues identified through a survey

Research on animals is one of the most controversial ethical issues in our society. It is imperative that animal welfare is being considered and the harm and distress to animals used in research is minimized. This could be achieved through implementation of the so-called 3Rs principles for animal research, which are now implemented in many legislations worldwide. These principles serve as a basis for research without the use of animals (Replacement), with as few animals as possible (Reduction), and in which the animal’s welfare is as good as possible (Refinement). While there has been a lot of focus on implementation of these principles, only a few studies have documented the knowledge and adoption of the 3Rs among researchers. One field that has been particularly neglected is ecological research, which can involve many practices that affect animal welfare. Moreover, the knowledge, experience, and attitudes about animal use in ecological research and education has never been examined before. In order to close this gap, I conducted a survey among European ecologists. Responses from 107 respondents from 23 countries revealed that lethal and invasive research methods are prevalent, and that more than half of the respondents have never heard of the 3Rs principles for animal research. Major concerns are also the lack of calculation of the minimum sample size and widespread of dissection classes as part of education. Additionally, most respondents experienced ethical doubts about their research, and did not receive any training in animal welfare or ethics. These findings revealed that it is necessary to implement rigorous standards for ecological research and enforce the implementation of the 3Rs principles. Furthermore, the evaluation of current educational practices in ecology is urgently needed.

Current and future predicting habitat suitability map of Cunninghamia konishii Hayata using MaxEnt model under climate change in Northern Vietnam

Cunninghamia konishii Hayata is a rare and endangered plant species that plays a relevant role in ecological andcommercial systems of natural forests in Vietnam. In this research, we evaluated the potential geographic distribution ofC. konishii under current and future climatic conditions in Northern Vietnam using the ecological niche modelling approachbased on the largest available database of occurrence records for this species. C. konishii is mainly distributed inthe northern part of Vietnam at altitudes above 1000 m where the slopes range between 12 and 25 degrees, particularlyin special-use and protected forest. The optimal distribution area of C. konishii requires specific climatic conditions: anannual precipitation around 1200 mm, precipitation of the warmest quarter ranging from 600 to 800 mm, a precipitationseasonality of 90 to100 mm, an annual mean temperature ranging from 12°C to 19°C, and a temperature seasonalityranging from 300 to 350. Additionally, the species requires specific soil groups: humic acrisols, ferralic acrisols, andyellow-red humic soils. Considering these requirements, the results of our research show that the suitable regions for thegrowth of C. konishii are found in the provinces of Ha Giang, Son La, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, covering a total area of1509.56 km2. However, analyzing the results under the Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4) model, itis possible to observe that the area will decline to 504.39 km2 by 2090 according to RCP 2.6 scenario, to 406.25 km2 inthe RCP 4.5 scenario, and to 47.62 km2 in the RCP 8.5 scenario. The findings of this present research may be applied toseveral additional studies such as identifying current and future locations to establish conservation areas for C. konishii.

Lunar illumination shapes small mammal activity in lowland agricultural landscapes

The behavioural patterns of small mammalian prey species have been shown to be widely impacted by predator avoidance. Cues to avoid predation may come from the predator itself or environmental cues, such as moonlight and available vegetative cover. We investigated how the activity of the bank vole Myodes glareolus, field vole Microtus agrestis, wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus and the common shrew Sorex araneus were impacted by changes in habitat and lunar light conditions across a range of habitats (mainly grassland protected sites) in Lincolnshire (UK). Microhabitat vegetation density as well as weather conditions were recorded across all trap sites, with Longworth traps set overnight and the successfully captured species recorded the following morning. Overnight temperature was found to positively influence capture rate across all species. The lunar phase was found to significantly impact capture rate, with the gibbous lunar phase providing the highest capture rate across species. The interaction between illumination and vegetation density was also found to impact activity levels in the bank vole and wood mouse, with the bank vole showing higher activity in thick vegetation at low light levels and across habitats at higher light levels, whereas wood mice were more often captured in intermediate cover at low and intermediate illumination but across a range of habitats at brighter illumination. In combination, it suggests that small mammal activity is altered to potentially reduce predation risk. However, in this community at least, brighter lunar illumination leads to increase activity.

At the table with the big three carnivores - a sympatric occurrence of the golden jackal with bear, wolf and lynx captured on a camera trap in Slovakia

In last decades, golden jackals expanded significantly their distribution range, increasing their population density, being nowadays present in many countries in Europe. In Slovakia, their dispersion and population increase became more constant from 2009. Records of wolves, lynx and bear from camera traps are rather common across Slovakia, while those of golden jackals are still rare, despite a large number of active traps. In this work, we present records of a camera-trap, located on the east side of the Kysuce Protected Landscape Area, where, for the first time, we detect a sympatric occurrence of the golden jackal with all three native large carnivores.

Does the micro land snail, Kaliella barrakporensis (Mollusca: Gastropoda), exhibit plant preference and aggregation? A spatial scale analysis

The spatial scale occurrence of the micro land snail Kaliella barrakporensis (L. Pfeiffer, 1852) in the host plants was assessed in selected sites of West Bengal, India. In course of a survey, the collection of K. barrakporensis from randomly selected plants was accomplished for the purpose of highlighting – (a) distribution in host plants, (b) variation in abundance in different height and (c) the dispersion pattern. Although the snails were observed in seven different plants, the presence was more prominent in the lemon plant (Citrus limon), with an average of about 24 individuals / 100 leaves. The logit based principal component regression indicated significant differences in the choice of the host plants with abundance in C. limon followed by Hibiscus rosa sinensis and Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, which was further substantiated through ANOVA (F(1),6, 69 = 10.918; P < 0.001). The heterogeneity in the distribution of K. barrakporensis at different heights of the plant C. limon was also observed with maximum abundance at about 90cm height with least number of snails at the ground level (F(1)6,139 = 3.797;P < 0.0001). On the basis of the variance to mean ratio (s2/m = 1.847±0.161SE), negative binomial aggregation parameter k (1.034± 0.33 SE) and Lloyd mean crowding (ṁ) (1.083 ± 0.16SE) the dispersion of the snail appeared to comply with the clumped distribution in host plants. Apparently, the micro land snail K. barrakporensis exhibited clumped distribution in selected plant species that serve as the preferred resource and complies with the arboreal adaptation. However, further studies should be initiated on the resource preferences of the micro snail K. barrakporensis, to support conservation initiative and spread beyond native habitats.