Land | Special Issue : Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss

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21 pages, 2685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in the Occurrence of Five Invasive Plant Species in Different Ecosystem Types between 2009–2018 in Hungary

by Márton Bence Balogh, Miklós Kertész, Katalin Török, Georgina Veronika Visztra and Péter Szilassi

Land 2023, 12(9), 1784; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091784 - 14 Sep 2023

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Abstract

Modelling and analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics of plant invasion can help in mapping and predicting the spread of invasive plants. The aim of our research was to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of five common invasive plant species (Ailanthus altissima, Asclepias syriaca [...] Read more.

Modelling and analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics of plant invasion can help in mapping and predicting the spread of invasive plants. The aim of our research was to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of five common invasive plant species (Ailanthus altissima, Asclepias syriaca, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Solidago spp.) within different land cover (ecosystem)-type categories. The basis of the study was the National Geospatial Database of Invasive Plants (NGDIP) of Hungary, and the ecosystem types of the Ecosystem Map of Hungary (EMH). The GIS-based analysis of the detailed occurrence database of the invasive species (NGDIP) and the thematic land-cover (ecosystem)-type maps (EMH) examined allow us to answer the question of in which habitat types the occurrence and distribution of the given invasive plant has stagnated, decreased, or increased between 2006 and 2018. We developed a methodology with relevant data sources and demonstrated invasion variation, which can be used for future management planning and invasive biology research. Our results show that Asclepias syriaca and Robinia pseudoacacia are increasingly threatening grasslands and are also spreading more intensively in complex cultivated areas. The occurrences of Ailanthus altissima and Asclepias syriaca are declining in built-up areas due to the increasingly extreme environmental conditions of cities or modified urban planning. The spread of Solidago spp. is increasingly common in wetlands, threatening the biodiversity of floodplain (riparian) vegetation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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18 pages, 5932 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Habitat Use, Terrestriality and Feeding Behaviour of Javan Slow Lorises in Urban Areas of a Multi-Use Landscape in Indonesia

by Laura Karimloo, Marco Campera, Muhammad Ali Imron, Shrey Rakholia, Abhinav Mehta, Katherine Hedger and K.A.I. Nekaris

Land 2023, 12(7), 1349; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071349 - 06 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1782

Abstract

Urban areas are rapidly expanding into natural habitats worldwide. When species are threatened with habitat loss, it is vital to understand how they will respond or adapt to the change in their environment. One primate species threatened by habitat loss is the fully [...] Read more.

Urban areas are rapidly expanding into natural habitats worldwide. When species are threatened with habitat loss, it is vital to understand how they will respond or adapt to the change in their environment. One primate species threatened by habitat loss is the fully arboreal Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus). This non-leaping species not only relies on canopy continuity but is also subject to capture for illegal wildlife trade, especially in anthropogenic landscapes where they are easier to catch. We examine the use of urban areas by Javan slow lorises in terms of habitat use as well as feeding and terrestriality behaviours in the municipality of Cipaganti in West Java, Indonesia. For this study, we observed Javan slow lorises from May 2018 to April 2020 for two dry periods and two wet periods. We combined home ranges and core areas with a land cover classification of the area to understand the composition of the loris habitat. We also included feeding and terrestriality data to determine the ratio of these activities within each land cover class. We found that approximately half of their territory falls into natural areas (bamboo patches: 45–60%), and the other half is in human land use areas (agriculture, shade gardens, urban areas, and fallow land). Urban areas ranged from 0 to 54% of an individual loris’s habitat, with the proportion of urban land cover being higher in some individuals’ core areas than in their home ranges. Only urban areas showed a variation between periods, with p-values of 0.06 and 0.002 for home ranges and core areas, respectively, showing a significant increase usage during dry periods. Of all feeding observations, 4% occurred in urban areas with nectar being the most common feeding item. We recorded thirteen different food species in urban areas with Calliandra calothrysus being the most frequent. We found that 7% of terrestriality events occurred in urban areas. The findings from this study show that human land use areas cover a significant portion of the Javan slow lorises habitat in this region, further emphasising the need to consider the needs of these Critically Endangered primates when developing natural habitats into those of human managed landscapes. The same principles are true for the large number of species that are able to persist in urban areas in a world increasingly dominated by humans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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26 pages, 3935 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effect of Canal Bank Engineering Disturbance on Plant Communities: Analysis of Taxonomic and Functional Beta Diversity

by Brittany E. Pugh and Richard Field

Land 2023, 12(5), 1090; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051090 - 18 May 2023

Viewed by 1386

Abstract

We aimed to determine how patterns of functional and taxonomic dissimilarities and their components differ between disturbed and undisturbed plant communities. Taxonomic (species) and functional (trait) diversity are key aspects of biodiversity, and their respective dissimilarities are important in diversity scaling and for [...] Read more.

We aimed to determine how patterns of functional and taxonomic dissimilarities and their components differ between disturbed and undisturbed plant communities. Taxonomic (species) and functional (trait) diversity are key aspects of biodiversity, and their respective dissimilarities are important in diversity scaling and for informing conservation. We utilized a pseudo-experimental setting, the Basingstoke Canal, UK, where sections of canal bank have been repaired over a four-year period and are interspersed with sections left undisturbed. We collected plant community data, computed functional beta diversity and taxonomic beta diversity and partitioned them into species loss and replacement components. We compared disturbed and undisturbed plots with respect to these dissimilarity measures, the time since disturbance, invasive species, plant life-forms and environmental dissimilarity. We found high levels of taxonomic (85–90%) and functional (70–76%) dissimilarities between disturbed and undisturbed sites, primarily driven by turnover. The total dissimilarity was lower for functional dissimilarity than taxonomic dissimilarity. Disturbed sites had greater between-site taxonomic and functional dissimilarities and lower plant abundances than undisturbed sites, driven by both turnover and nestedness components. The disturbed site functional diversity diverged strongly from null expectations. We found no significant effects of time since disturbance, environmental variables or invasive species, possibly indicating the dominance of stochastic, local-scale processes. However, disturbed sites had lower levels of phanerophyte richness and higher levels of therophyte richness. Our results indicate that small-scale disturbances may increase taxonomic and functional between-community dissimilarities in anthropogenic habitats without increasing invasive species, lending support to local-scale conservation that enhances habitat heterogeneity to promote taxonomic diversity and its corresponding biotic functions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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14 pages, 1726 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Habitat Use and Positional Behavior of Northern Palm Squirrels (Funambulus pennantii) in an Urban Forest in Central Nepal

by Anastasia Perodaskalaki, Dimitra-Lida Rammou, Tilak Thapamagar, Shivish Bhandari, Daya Ram Bhusal and Dionisios Youlatos

Land 2023, 12(3), 690; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030690 - 16 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1847

Abstract

Urban forests impose significant challenges to the animals that inhabit them due to the altered properties of available substrates from anthropogenic interventions. To cope with these structural peculiarities, urban species exhibit behavioral adjustments to successfully exploit the urban habitat. The present study examined [...] Read more.

Urban forests impose significant challenges to the animals that inhabit them due to the altered properties of available substrates from anthropogenic interventions. To cope with these structural peculiarities, urban species exhibit behavioral adjustments to successfully exploit the urban habitat. The present study examined habitat use and positional behavior of northern palm squirrels (Funambulus pennantii) in the urban forests of Kathmandu, Nepal, to test such behavioral modifications. Between July and August 2018, we collected focal animal instantaneous data on the behavior, locomotor/postural mode, forest layer, tree crown part, and substrate type, size, and inclination use of four different individuals. Our results indicated a primarily arboreal species, mostly using the middle canopy layers and the intermediate and central tree parts. Moreover, tree branches and artificial substrates were commonly used that were mainly large and horizontal. Locomotion was dominated by quadrupedalism and claw climb, whereas postures by quadrupedal stand, and, to a lesser extent, sit and claw cling. Most of our initial predictions were only partly supported by our findings. This behavioral idiosyncrasy most likely reflects the adaptive flexibility of the species to human-modified habitats. In this way, northern palm squirrels apparently expanded their ecological niche and successfully persisted against anthropogenic pressures throughout their range. As urban expansion is inexorable, more research is required to understand the behavioral and ecological flexibility of animals that effectively exploit these impacted habitats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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29 pages, 4447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Role of Natural and Induced Landscape Heterogeneity for the Support of Pollinators: A Green Infrastructure Perspective Applied in a Peri-Urban System

by Giulia Capotorti, Simone Valeri, Arianna Giannini, Valerio Minorenti, Mariagrazia Piarulli and Paolo Audisio

Land 2023, 12(2), 387; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020387 - 31 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1641

Abstract

Pollinators are key ecosystem components and their conservation represents a critical target for both nature and human health. In a world of increasing urbanisation, cities and peri-urban areas have to be active players in addressing this target, and in-depth knowledge of the effects [...] Read more.

Pollinators are key ecosystem components and their conservation represents a critical target for both nature and human health. In a world of increasing urbanisation, cities and peri-urban areas have to be active players in addressing this target, and in-depth knowledge of the effects of the urbanisation gradient and related landscape features on pollinators has to be acquired. Accordingly, an experimental study on the relationships between bee communities and natural vs. human-induced environmental heterogeneity has been carried out in a transitional peri-urban landscape of the Metropolitan area of Rome (Italy). A multi-step procedure was adopted, arranged into plant and bee communities field sampling, detailed mapping of actual and potential ecosystems, and combined processing and modelling of the respective results. The potential contribution of experimental findings to the deployment of a pollinator-friendly Green Infrastructure (GI) has been then explored, with statistical correlations between bee diversity and landscape metrics adopted for defining conservation and restoration actions and a multi-criteria analysis adopted for site prioritisation in the study area. Such a planned GI could represent an effective solution for enhancing resilience and resistance of peri-urban landscapes against land take and agricultural intensification, as local expressions of global biodiversity loss drivers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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17 pages, 1030 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contrasting Response of Mountain Plant-Pollinator Network to Fragmented Semi-Natural Grasslands

by Francesca Della Rocca, Arianna Tagliani, Pietro Milanesi, Matteo Barcella and Silvia Paola Assini

Land 2023, 12(2), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020356 - 28 Jan 2023

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Abstract

The majority of the world’s plants rely on animal pollinators for reproduction, making pollination a key ecosystem service for the maintenance of natural and cultivated plant communities. Mutual interactions between plants and pollinators, also called “plant-pollinator networks”, are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to [...] Read more.

The majority of the world’s plants rely on animal pollinators for reproduction, making pollination a key ecosystem service for the maintenance of natural and cultivated plant communities. Mutual interactions between plants and pollinators, also called “plant-pollinator networks”, are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to the intensification of anthropogenic land use and climate change. Thus, due to the rapid decline of semi-natural grasslands in the Northern Apennines (Italy), we aimed at understanding how the fragmentation of these habitats, the spatial distribution, and the amount of semi- and natural areas surrounding them, could affect species diversity and plant-pollinator networks. Specifically, in the Northern Apennines, we monitored semi-natural grasslands belonging to the EU habitat type 6510 to evaluate the effect of fragmentation on plant and pollinator richness and on the plant-pollinator network. We carried out generalized linear models considering three taxonomical and six network descriptors as response variables and the combinations of grasslands size and isolation, as well as 10 other factors describing landscape composition as explanatory variables. We found a well-structured plant-pollinator network, characterized by a high diversity of both plants and pollinators, with mutual relations marginally specialized, highly affected by habitat fragmentation and the land use of surrounding grasslands. Moreover, large and neighboring patches increased pollinator richness and improved the overall network structure while the occurrence of meadows and shrubs around fragmented patches was important to ensure the continuity of floristic resources. Finally, extensive croplands and agricultural settlements significantly reduced plant and pollinator diversity, favoring generalist (probably invasive) species, which however increased the strength and stability of the network. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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16 pages, 1210 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identifying Critical Thresholds in the Impacts of Invasive Alien Plants and Dune Paths on Native Coastal Dune Vegetation

by Maria Carla de Francesco, Francesco Pio Tozzi, Gabriella Buffa, Edy Fantinato, Michele Innangi and Angela Stanisci

Land 2023, 12(1), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010135 - 31 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1506

Abstract

Invasive alien plants (IAP) pose a major threat to biodiversity and have a negative impact on the integrity and conservation status of plant communities. Mediterranean dunes are widely exposed to IAP, due to their environmental heterogeneity and the anthropogenic pressures to which they [...] Read more.

Invasive alien plants (IAP) pose a major threat to biodiversity and have a negative impact on the integrity and conservation status of plant communities. Mediterranean dunes are widely exposed to IAP, due to their environmental heterogeneity and the anthropogenic pressures to which they are subjected. The current study explored the possible existence of critical thresholds of IAP cover/abundance and dune path impacts that may cause the decline in diagnostic species cover in shifting and transition dunes. A random sampling of 126 plots in areas invaded and not invaded by IAP across the Italian Adriatic dunes has been used and the recorded species have been classified in ecological guilds. In order to explore the effect of plant community composition and distances from dune paths on the diagnostic species cover, a Random Forest regression model has been fitted. The results revealed that three main critical thresholds can be detected concerning IAP total cover, IAP Oenothera stucchii Soldano abundance and the distance from dune paths and they work differently in shifting and transition dunes. The identification of such cut-off points provides useful insights for an array of actions to preserve the biodiversity of the Mediterranean coastal dunes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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20 pages, 822 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Depth of Edge Influence in a Madagascar Lowland Rainforest and Its Effects on Lemurs’ Abundance

by Marco Campera, Michela Balestri, Megan Phelps, Fiona Besnard, Julie Mauguiere, Faniry Rakotoarimanana, Vincent Nijman, K. A. I. Nekaris and Giuseppe Donati

Land 2023, 12(1), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010081 - 27 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1797

Abstract

Edge effects result from interactions between adjacent habitats, which can modify abiotic and biotic conditions and produce various negative effects on biodiversity. Given the high degree of forest fragmentation in Madagascar, understanding lemur responses to edges is a conservation priority. We aim to [...] Read more.

Edge effects result from interactions between adjacent habitats, which can modify abiotic and biotic conditions and produce various negative effects on biodiversity. Given the high degree of forest fragmentation in Madagascar, understanding lemur responses to edges is a conservation priority. We aim to determine the depth of edge influence in a continuous low-land rainforest of south-eastern Madagascar and identify the response of six lemur species. We surveyed lemur abundance along nine 1 km transects from May 2015 to July 2016 totaling 112.2 km of survey effort during the day and 88.5 km at night. We characterized the habitat structure via 33 plots centered along the line transects. We used Generalized Additive Models and Generalized Linear Models to test the effect of distance from the forest edge on vegetation parameters and animal encounter rates. Edge effect on the vegetation structure can be detected up to around 100 m in terms of tree diversity and density. We found a negative edge response for Madame Fleurette’s sportive lemurs (Lepilemur fleuretae) and collared brown lemurs (Eulemur collaris), and a positive edge response for Anosy mouse lemurs (Microcebus tanosi), Southern bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur meridionalis) and Southern woolly lemurs (Avahi meridionalis). Since around half of the forested areas in Madagascar are within 100 m of forest edge, taking into account edge effect is vital when producing estimates of population sizes and informing conservation management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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12 pages, 1044 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climatic and Altitudinal Variation in Physicochemical Properties of Citrus sinensis in India

by Jahan Anand, Jagmohan Singh Rawat, Vidyawati Rawat, Bhupendra Singh, Vinod Prasad Khanduri, Manoj Kumar Riyal, Prabhat Kumar, Marina M. S. Cabral Pinto and Munesh Kumar

Land 2022, 11(11), 2033; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11112033 - 13 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1300

Abstract

C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck is grown in large-scale, in-home gardens of traditional agroforestry systems in the Garhwal Himalaya. The present investigation of C. sinensis was conducted on the basis of twenty-six populations in different home gardens located in different geographical variables. The aim [...] Read more.

C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck is grown in large-scale, in-home gardens of traditional agroforestry systems in the Garhwal Himalaya. The present investigation of C. sinensis was conducted on the basis of twenty-six populations in different home gardens located in different geographical variables. The aim was to understand variations in physicochemical properties, viz., fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width, peel thickness, peel weight, juice sacks, juice weight, seeds/fruits, rudimentary seeds/fruits, seed weight, total soluble solids, citric acid, ascorbic acid and sugar content. The results of the study revealed that the physicochemical properties of C. sinensis were significantly varied among the populations. The fruit weight was the most variable among the morphological characteristics, and vitamin C among the nutritive parameters. The average fruit weight varied from 96.64 to 296.86 g/fruit. The other study traits were found to oscillate between 7.73 and 12.76 °Brix (total soluble solids); 3.04 and 5.96% (citric acid); 31.45 and 86.45 mg/g⁻¹ (vitamin C) and 4.65 and 9.27% soluble sugar. Geographical variables (altitude, latitude and longitude, temperature and rainfall) have influenced the physicochemical parameters of C. sinensis significantly. Amongst the physicochemical properties, fruit weight and vitamin C were the most variable parameters and could be used for the improvement of C. sinensis. These variations in the C. sinensis population have enabled great advances in better understanding the variability in the physicochemical properties of fruit and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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16 pages, 2304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Balancing Rare Species Conservation with Extractive Industries

by Joshua D. Carrell, Edward Hammill and Thomas C. Edwards

Land 2022, 11(11), 2012; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11112012 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2571

Abstract

The Colorado Plateau has abundant oil, gas, and alternative energy potential. This energy potential is scattered among a patchwork of land ownership, with private, tribal, and public lands being actively developed for energy extraction. Elements of biodiversity (e.g., listed and sensitive plant and [...] Read more.

The Colorado Plateau has abundant oil, gas, and alternative energy potential. This energy potential is scattered among a patchwork of land ownership, with private, tribal, and public lands being actively developed for energy extraction. Elements of biodiversity (e.g., listed and sensitive plant and animal species) are distributed among all land tenures, yet the laws protecting them can vary as a function of land tenure. It is imperative to understand the spatial distributions of threatened endangered, and sensitive species in relation to land tenure to preserve habitat and conserve species populations in areas undergoing energy development. We developed species distribution models and spatial conservation optimization frameworks to explore the interactions among land ownership, existing and potential energy extraction, and biodiversity. Four management scenarios were tested to quantify how different approaches to energy extraction may impact rare plant distributions. Results show that incorporating risk and land tenure in spatially optimized frameworks it is possible to facilitate the long-term viability of rare plant species. The scenarios developed here represent a different attitude towards the value of rare plants and the risk of energy development. Results gives insight into the financial consequences of rare species protection and quantifies the biodiversity costs of energy development across landscapes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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15 pages, 2729 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Revisiting Vegetation Gradient Analysis and the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis for the Interpretation of Riverine Geomorphic Patterns

by Tommaso Sitzia, Simone Iacopino, Edoardo Alterio, Francesco Comiti, Nicola Surian, Luca Mao, Mario Aristide Lenzi, Thomas Campagnaro and Lorenzo Picco

Land 2023, 12(2), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020378 - 31 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1705

Abstract

Human effects on the water economy of the river systems are currently well documented at the worldwide scale, impacting a range of ecosystem services. In this perspective article, we discuss the findings of recent papers that under different intensities of human disturbance have [...] Read more.

Human effects on the water economy of the river systems are currently well documented at the worldwide scale, impacting a range of ecosystem services. In this perspective article, we discuss the findings of recent papers that under different intensities of human disturbance have coupled the analyses of riverine geomorphological and plant community patterns. The discussion is carried out within the historical framework of past and current methods of sampling and analysing the river geomorphology and the plant communities along cross-sectional profiles. The research has been conducted along three major gravel-bed rivers of the south-eastern Italian Alps: Brenta, Piave, and Tagliamento. The collated and summarised results here demonstrate the existence of a strong relationship between the woody species variance that can be explained by geomorphologic patterns and human disturbance intensity. The less disturbed river has an intermediate value of species variance that can be explained by geomorphology, the intermediate-disturbed river has the highest value, and the highly disturbed river has the lowest value. Then, we proposed an interpretation key and an adaptation of the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, which reads as: “in rivers, the greatest influence of geomorphic properties on vegetation occurs in the moderate or middle ranges of a human disturbance gradient”. We argue that the “influence of the geomorphic properties on vegetation” is assessed through the species constrained variance through an ordination analysis, such as that which is explained here. The most recent collection techniques based on field survey and remote sensing are making it increasingly easy and accurate to study of the trends of geomorphic and plant community variables throughout time and space. Thus, we encourage that researchers should check whether and how our observation is conserved through different groups of taxa and intensities of natural and human disturbance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Species Vulnerability and Habitat Loss)

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