Landscape Ecology最新文献

Context

As complementary terrestrial and aquatic habitats are pulled apart by environmental change, animals will have to adjust their behaviours to successfully track their fundamental niches. We introduce a novel example of how climate change impacts can drive separation between complementary foraging and breeding habitats in seabirds.

Objectives

We evaluated how Black Noddies (Anous minutus) modified their movement behaviour across the seascape to access complementary habitat types during a period of local food scarcity; and whether this influenced their breeding success.

Methods

We quantified characteristics of foraging behaviour relating to energy consumption (time, distance and area covered) over four breeding seasons for Black Noddies (A. minutus) and compared favourable years (2019, 2020 and 2021) to an unfavourable year (2022). We also quantified and compared chick health and survival rates over the same period.

Results

In 2022, severe reduction in local food abundance on Heron Island led breeding Black Noddies to forage further by an order of magnitude, utilizing a remote wooded island (Bushy Islet) as an overnight roosting location. This was a novel and completely unexpected response to the altered environmental conditions. At the same time, 2022 saw significant increases in chick mortality and decreases in chick health compared to other years.

Conclusions

We show how a growing mismatch between nesting, roosting, and foraging sites pushed individuals in a breeding tropical seabird population to extend their foraging range by an order of magnitude, with direct negative consequences for juveniles. Our findings highlight the need to explicitly consider habitat complementation in land- and seascape conservation initiatives and planning.

Context

Human disturbance has transformed ecosystems globally, yet studies of the ecological impact of landscape modification are often confounded. Non-random patterns of land clearing cause differing vegetation types and soil productivity between fragments in modified landscapes and reference areas—like national parks—with which they are compared.

Objectives

We sought to explore the influence of land modification on herpetofauna and small mammal communities using multiple biodiversity measures—species richness and diversity, individual species abundance, and community composition. We also aimed to investigate the role of traits such as diet, habitat breadth, and litter size in moderating species responses to land modification.

Methods

We established 100 sampling sites to survey herpetofauna and small mammals in 11 fragments in an agricultural landscape compared to 11 ecologically equivalent ‘pseudo-fragments’ in a nearby national park in south-eastern Australia. We selected pairs of fragments and pseudo-fragments of the same size and vegetation type, and used identical survey methods to sample pairs simultaneously, thereby controlling for numerous confounding factors, such as differing vegetation type, weather, and survey effort.

Results

Species richness and diversity were similar between fragments and pseudo-fragments. Despite this, we found community composition differed markedly—driven by the varying responses of individual species—indicating a shift in fauna communities associated with land modification. Fossorial habit, omnivorous diet, and broad habitat requirements led to higher abundance in fragments whilst arboreality, carnivorous diet, and narrow habitat requirements led to higher abundance in pseudo-fragments.

Conclusions

Although fragments hold similar numbers of species to continuous areas, they contain distinct and novel communities, and sustain high abundances of some species. These diverse communities are dominated by native species, including threatened species, and their distinctive composition is shaped by traits conducive to persistence amidst land modification. These novel communities may provide a reservoir of resilience in the face of environmental change and should be viewed as complementary to conservation areas.

Context

Reinforcement of agrobiodiversity in peri-urban areas requires a landscape lens. Relationships between land use composition and indicators of ecosystem services can depend on weather conditions and differ between regions.

Objectives

In this study we present new empirical data on relationships between landscape composition and indicators of regulating and provisioning agroecosystem services. Furthermore, we check if these data are consistent between two different ecoregions and different years.

Methods

We apply an innovative methodology in a research landscape in the province of Antwerp (Flanders, Belgium) in 2021 with 1 m²-garden as phytometers along a landscape compositional gradient. Landscape composition at different scales is used as explanatory variable for microclimate variation, arthropod activity, leaf herbivory and crop yield in the 1 m²-gardens. Results are compared to an identical experiment in another ecoregion in East Flanders in 2018, 2019.

Results

We found that the proportion of built-up areas is negatively related to local agroecosystem functioning. High-value herbaceous vegetation (e.g. extensive grasslands) promotes the activity of predators and high green vegetation buffers soil moisture and temperature variation, during dry and warm periods. Comparison between cases indicates that there is more consistency in the response of predatory invertebrates to the landscape composition than in the response of pollinators. The buffering effect of high green vegetation in the landscape increases when temperature and drought extremes occur.

Conclusions

The extent of high green vegetation can be enhanced at landscape level to maximise their ability to buffer extreme weather conditions. In peri-urban areas we should avoid further urban sprawl into the rural matrix and promote high-value herbaceous vegetation.

Context

Land use history of urban forests impacts present-day soil structure, vegetation, and ecosystem function, yet is rarely documented in a way accessible to planners and land managers.

Objectives

To (1) summarize historical land cover of present-day forest patches in Baltimore, MD, USA across land ownership categories and (2) determine whether social-ecological characteristics vary by historical land cover trajectory.

Methods

Using land cover classification derived from 1927 and 1953 aerial imagery, we summarized present-day forest cover by three land cover sequence classes: (1) Persistent forest that has remained forested since 1927, (2) Successional forest previously cleared for non-forest vegetation (including agriculture) that has since reforested, or (3) Converted forest that has regrown on previously developed areas. We then assessed present-day ownership and average canopy height of forest patches by land cover sequence class.

Results

More than half of Baltimore City’s forest has persisted since at least 1927, 72% since 1953. About 30% has succeeded from non-forest vegetation during the past century, while 15% has reverted from previous development. A large proportion of forest converted from previous development is currently privately owned, whereas persistent and successional forest are more likely municipally-owned. Successional forest occurred on larger average parcels with the fewest number of distinct property owners per patch. Average tree canopy height was significantly greater in patches of persistent forest (mean = 18.1 m) compared to canopy height in successional and converted forest patches (16.6 m and 16.9 m, respectively).

Conclusions

Historical context is often absent from urban landscape ecology but provides information that can inform management approaches and conservation priorities with limited resources for sustaining urban natural resources. Using historical landscape analysis, urban forest patches could be further prioritized for protection by their age class and associated ecosystem characteristics.

Context

In 2005 Marc Antrop published the article “Why landscapes of the past are important for the future” that became a milestone for traditional and cultural landscapes research and planning, highlighting their multifunctional role and importance for sustainable development.

Objectives

After 20 years, this paper analyzes the current role of traditional rural landscapes in relation to the concept of Ecosystem Services, to understand if and why these landscapes are still important for the future of rural areas and communities.

Results

Traditional rural landscapes still represent a resource capable of providing a wide range of Ecosystem Services to local communities, having a potential key-role for sustainable development. Institutional initiatives for their conservation and valorization testify a growing interest towards these systems and related ecological knowledge. In the context of climate change, they represent examples of sustainable adaptation and resilient strategies and practices. The preservation of these landscapes often rely only on farmers’ everyday work, while the benefits are enjoyed by the whole society; therefore, adequate support by governments and institutions should be provided to farmers who apply traditional and sustainable practices.

Conclusions

Traditional landscapes should be preserved not as museums, but only making them the multifunctional basis of rural society and economy by applying the principles of dynamic conservation.

Context

Understanding the movement of bioaerosols, such as spores and pollen, through the atmosphere is important for a broad spectrum of landscape research, including agricultural fungal outbreaks and pollen threats to public health. As spores and pollen can be transported in the air over large distances, the use of aircraft has historically played a role in detecting and mapping their presence in the lower atmosphere.

Objectives

We present a simple alternative to costly and specialized aircraft and associated equipment that are typically used in the study of spores and pollen in the atmosphere.

Methods

We use 3D printable components and common lab supplies mounted on an uncrewed aircraft (UA). Conveniently, this setup does not require additional electronic components to control collection during flight, using the UA landing gear mechanism instead.

Results

We demonstrate that this apparatus can collect fungal spores in the atmosphere and describe potential impacts by the environment and experimental protocol on collection efficiency. These include the effects of: (1) competing airflows from UA rotors, flight trajectories, and wind, (2) flight altitude, and (3) particle size and Petri dish collection medium.

Conclusions

Complex biological mechanisms and atmospheric dynamics dictate the release, transport, and deposition of bioaerosols. Economical methods to sample bioaerosols in the lower atmosphere can increase the amount and type of data collected and unlock new understanding. The methodology presented here provides an economical method to sample bioaerosols that can help improve landscape-level understanding of the dispersal of bioaerosols.

Context

The Regional Safe and Just Operating Space (RSJOS), serving as a conceptual framework that supports environmental governance and policy formulation, has garnered growing recognition. However, the application of ecosystem services in the RSJOS framework still constitutes a knowledge gap in the realm of landscape sustainability science.

Objectives

Our objective was to discuss the role of ecosystem services within the Safe and Just Operating Space (SJOS) framework to promote regional sustainability.

Methods

We analyzed the relationship between ecosystem services and the SJOS framework, including their similarities in core concepts and research objectives, as well as how ecosystem services relate to environmental ceilings and social foundations. Based on these analyses, we discussed the potential and challenges of bridging safe space and just space using an ecosystem services approach.

Results

We found that ecosystem services have the potential to help understand the interaction between ecological ceilings and social foundations when assessing RSJOS, using ecosystem service flows to link “safe” and “just” boundaries. However, challenges in applying ecosystem services to assess RSJOS can limit the benefits of this framework.

Conclusions

The examination of RSJOS should extend beyond snapshots of the current regional state and encompass their inherent interconnections and impact mechanisms. This broader perspective can subsequently inform policy decisions. Ecosystem services play a pivotal role in addressing the challenges within the RSJOS framework.

Context

Birds, as indicators of biodiversity, are experiencing habitat reduction and loss due to landscape changes. Evidence is mounting that the response of bird richness to landscape patterns remains controversial on a global scale. In this study, we conducted a quantitative global synthesis to gain a comprehensive understanding of this relationship. Our findings contribute to the development of bird conservation strategies that align with the objectives of SDG15.

Objective

Through a quantitative review, this study investigated the effects of landscape patterns on bird richness and analyzed the sources of heterogeneity in the results.

Methods

A random-effects model was utilized to merge the impacts of landscape metrics on bird richness, and a meta-regression analysis was performed to investigate the origins of heterogeneity.

Results

The review encompassed 101 articles from 51 countries worldwide. Field sampling emerged as the primary method for acquiring bird data, with multiple linear regression and generalized linear models as the main analytical approaches. The meta-analysis results highlighted landscape area as a crucial factor influencing bird richness. Regarding landscape composition, the proportions of forests, shrublands, and water bodies positively impacted bird richness, while agricultural land and urban land had negative effects. The relationship between landscape complexity and bird richness is influenced by factors, including net primary productivity (NPP) and precipitation. Landscape heterogeneity was identified as a contributing factor to increased species richness.

Conclusion

Compared to landscape complexity, indicators of landscape composition and heterogeneity are more suitable as reference tools for bird conservation. The results of landscape complexity exhibit variation. Moreover, our findings underscore the crucial role of preserving forested areas in supporting bird diversity, emphasizing the necessity to account for regional variations when establishing forest cover thresholds.

Context

Landscape patterns result from complex social-ecological interactions, such as urban-rural integration which is especially notable in China. However, the impacts of urban-rural integration on landscape sustainability remain understudied.

Objectives

Our objectives were to examine the impacts of urban-rural integration on landscape patterns and to explore its implications for landscape sustainability.

Methods

The study area is the Changsha metropolitan area in central China, which has undergone urban-rural integration since 2005. A three-step approach was used to (1) assess the spatiotemporal patterns of urban-rural integration dynamics with a multidimensional indicator system, (2) quantify landscape pattern dynamics using landscape metrics, and (3) explore the main drivers and processes involved in urban-rural integration responsible for the observed changes in landscape patterns through a time-fixed effects model.

Results

Our findings reveal a significant increase in the level of urban-rural integration in the Changsha metropolitan area from 2005 to 2020. Concurrently, the regional landscape has experienced increasing trends characterized by the loss and fragmentation of natural and agricultural patches, as well as heightened connectivity among constructed patches. Urban-rural integration exerts notable impacts on landscape patterns through processes such as societal convergence, economic interaction, technology sharing, and spatial interlinkage, subsequently influencing landscape (un)sustainability.

Conclusions

The different drivers and processes of urban-rural integration have varying effects on landscape patterns, with complex and intertwined impacts on landscape sustainability. Therefore, integrated landscape governance is imperative for addressing the disadvantages of urban-rural integration while strategically leveraging its advantages in various social-ecological contexts.