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Testing the Value of Six Taxonomic Groups as Biodiversity Indicators at a Local Scale
Abstract
We examined six groups of taxa—woody plants, aquatic and terrestrial herpetofauna, small ter-restrial birds, orchids, and Orthoptera—to determine their efficiency as biodiversity indicators in the Dadia Reserve in northern Greece. We investigated the indicator value of each group by examining the degree of congruence of its species-richness pattern with that of the other groups and the efficiency of its complementary network in conserving the other groups and biodiversity. The two techniques differed in many respects in their outputs, but they both showed woody plants as the best biodiversity indicator. There was in general low congru-ence in the species richness patterns across the different groups. Significant relationships were found between woody plants and birds, Orthoptera and terrestrial herpetofauna, and birds and aquatic herpetofauna. None of the optimal complementary networks of the groups we examined protected all species of the other groups. Nevertheless, the complementary network of woody plants adequately conserved all groups except orchids. We conclude that the principle of complementarity must be integrated into the methodology of evaluating an indicator. In an applied context, our results provide a scientific background on which to base a biomon-itoring program for the Dadia Reserve. In a wider scope, if the group of woody plants prove an adequate biodiversity indicator for other Mediterranean areas as well, this will be important because it will facilitate conservation-related decisions for the entire Mediterranean region.
... Bajo este criterio, la indemnización es concebida como una manera de regresar al menos a la condición inicial (p.e., a partir de la restauración de ambientes) o, de sustituir aquellos componentes del medio que han sido impactados (Calle et al., 2014). Los aspectos más frecuentemente empleados para evaluar la equivalencia ecológica son: la composición de especies, la similitud entre comunidades y las medidas de diversidad (Kati et al., 2004;Urbina-Cardona et al., 2006). Estas métricas proporcionan medidas cuantitativas claras e información sobre el papel de la biodiversidad en el funcionamiento y la salud de los ecosistemas (Laurila-Pant et al., 2015), por lo que juegan un papel protagónico sobre el cual basar decisiones de manejo (Kerr, 1997;McKenney & Kiesecker, 2009;Rodrigues et al., 2004;Ten Kate et al., 2004). ...
... Entre los grupos sustitutos empleados más comúnmente en estudios ambientales se incluyen: plantas vasculares (Anand et al., 2005;Kati et al., 2004;Norden et al., 2007;Urbina-Cardona et al., 2006), vertebrados (Fausch et al., 1990;Lund & Rahbek, 2002), mariposas (Lovell et al., 2007;Nally & Fleishman, 2004) y escarabajos (Azeria et al., 2009;Baldi, 2003;Lovell et al., 2007); aunque otros invertebrados, como hormigas (Andersen, 1997;Majer, 1983) y macroinvertebrados en sistemas acuáticos (Pérez, 1999;Heino, 2010), también son extensamente utilizados. ...
... El uso de indicadores de biodiversidad como herramienta para el análisis del impacto ambiental y conservación de entornos naturales es frecuente (Perevochtchikova, 2013) y se ha empleado para dilucidar acciones rápidas contra la pérdida de biodiversidad (Gerhardt, 2003;Kati et al., 2004;Lindenmayer et al., 2000;Soberón et al., 2000). La idea de utilizar estos indicadores se basa principalmente en la suposición de que diferentes taxones tienen patrones congruentes de riqueza de especies, de modo que pueden reflejar los patrones de distribución de otros taxones no censados o de la biodiversidad general (Kati et al., 2004;McGeoch, 1998). ...
Diversity of indicator groups in the analysis of environmental compensation: Its application in the case of the Río Piedras Reservoir, Costa Rica Introduction: About 113 hectares within the Lomas de Barbudal Biological Reserve (RBLB) would be flooded if the Río Piedras irrigation reservoir were established in northwestern Costa Rica. Given this inevitable impact, Costa Rican legislation requires evaluating the loss of diversity in the site and compensating for it following the principle of ecological equivalence. Objetive: Our goal was to assess the loss of diversity at that site and evaluate the condition of an adjacent private property as a potential site to compensate for those losses. Methodology: The diversity, composition, and conservation priority of vascular plants, vertebrate fauna, and understory arthropods were assessed at the RBLB flood site and on an adjacent private property identified as a potential offset site. The equivalence in diversity between both sites was evaluated by assigning scores to
... Biodiversity often responds to environmental or spatial gradients in a consistent manner over large spatial scales (Lamoreux et al., 2006;Qian and Ricklefs, 2008). The concordance in pattern between multiple taxon groups, also termed cross-taxon congruence, is important for both fundamental and applied reasons (Heino, 2010;Howard et al., 1998;Kati et al., 2004), such as understanding multi-organism responses to environmental gradients, and surrogacy for conservation planning and biomonitoring purposes. The complexity of ecosystems can result in an inability to adequately describe biodiversity in many systems, through lack of financial resources or expertise, giving rise to the need for costeffective solutions in biodiversity and conservation work (Gardner et al., 2008;Heino, 2010). ...
... Consequently, much of this research has focused on the development of surrogate or indicator taxa for applied purposes. However, while concordance has been found in a variety of systems and between a wide range of organisms (Bilton et al., 2006;Heino, 2002;Lund and Rahbek, 2002;Su et al., 2004), linkages may be weaker at smaller spatial scales (Kati et al., 2004;Paavola et al., 2006). ...
... Cross-taxon congruence is of fundamental importance for the selection of indicator (or surrogate) taxa, often with the focus on whether or not surrogate taxa are able to predict spatial patterns in other taxa. This topic has received significant attention in conservation biology and applied ecology (Fattorini et al., 2012;Heino, 2010;Kati et al., 2004), stemming from the lack of resources to effectively monitor every component of highly complex ecosystems. We examined the congruence in species richness and community structure between four organism groups in a river-floodplain system, and whether or not these linkages were influenced by anthropogenic land-use stress. ...
Organisms often respond in similar ways to environmental or spatial gradients, particularly at large spatial scales, but patterns at finer scales and across ecotones are less certain. It is important to understand these relationships at multiple spatial scales, as managers often need suitable surrogate taxa for conservation and monitoring purposes. We explored whether community concordance at the river-riparian interface was decoupled by increasing anthropogenic stress (a gradient of local land-use intensity) at 15 sites over three years within the LTER site, Rhine-Main Observatory, a low mountain river system in central Germany. We assessed concordance between four organism groups: riparian spiders and carabid beetles, benthic macroinvertebrates, and combined aquatic macrophytes and riparian plants. This represented three different linkages: (1) predator-prey, (2) direct competition, and (3) habitat associations. While there were no correlations in richness patterns, multivariate community structure was highly concordant between all groups. Anthropogenic stress strongly reduced links between riparian spiders and carabid beetles, likely resulting from their shared resource requirements. However, increasing concordance occurred between plants and other groups. We posit that patterns may be resulting from two processes: (1) linkages between directly competing species decouple with increasing anthropogenic stress, and (2) stronger coupling may occur between habitat providers and dependent species when overall habitat complexity is reduced. These results highlight the complex manner in which anthropogenic stress can influence ecosystems and the importance of considering community structure when exploring biodiversity patterns in basic and applied ecological research, particularly at small scales and for surrogate taxa development.
... Actualmente se debate el supuesto de que taxa diferentes tengan patrones congruentes de riqueza de especies, pues se han reportado patrones contrastantes en cuanto al valor de taxa indicadores de biodiversidad. Lo anterior conduce a la necesidad de integrar el principio de complementariedad a la metodología empleada para evaluar un indicador (Kati et al., 2004). Esto ha resultado en un cambio reciente hacia un enfoque de comunidades ecológicas, que reconoce la importancia del mantenimiento de las relaciones y procesos funcionales en los ecosistemas (Smith et al. 2005). ...
... Sin embargo, los estudios que consideran más de una especie son relativamente escasos. Muchos de estos estudios se han enfocado a reglas de ensamblaje de comunidades (Williams et al. 2002) y, en el caso de indicadores, a indicadores de biodiversidad (Kotze y Samways 1999, Kati et al. 2004, Thomson et al. 2005, Tognelli 2005), pero los resultados han sido ambiguos (Kati et al. 2004). ...
... Sin embargo, los estudios que consideran más de una especie son relativamente escasos. Muchos de estos estudios se han enfocado a reglas de ensamblaje de comunidades (Williams et al. 2002) y, en el caso de indicadores, a indicadores de biodiversidad (Kotze y Samways 1999, Kati et al. 2004, Thomson et al. 2005, Tognelli 2005), pero los resultados han sido ambiguos (Kati et al. 2004). ...
C a p í t u l o 20 Resumen Entre los impactos más importantes del desarrollo económico-social está la modificación de las funciones del ecosistema y de sus servicios ambientales y la pérdida de biodiversidad. En este capítulo utilizamos el método del Valor Indicador para investigar cuáles especies son indicadoras ecológicas de los hábitat, resultado de diferente manejo o grado de conservación, de cinco fincas cafetaleras y un fragmento de bosque mesófilo de montaña. Las especies pertenecen a cinco grupos biológicos (aves, epífitas, helechos, hormigas y mamíferos pequeños) que fueron muestreados en 10 puntos distribuidos en cada sitio. De las 331 especies registradas, 34 fueron indicadoras y 50 detectoras. Los mamíferos y los helechos proporcio-naron los mayores porcentajes de especies indicadoras (40% y 15%, respectivamente) y las aves y epífitas los menores porcentajes (6.9 y 8.2%, respectivamente). El mayor número de especies indicadoras se asoció con los extremos del gradiente de manejo (bosque mesófilo y café a sol). La identificación cuantitativa de especies indicadoras del fragmentado bosque mesófilo de montaña puede aportar a su futuro manejo. Se discute la utilidad de usar varios grupos taxonómicos, el que sean muy o poco diversos, y cuál grupo resulta mejor indicador con base al número de especies indicadoras y los requerimientos ambientales de las mismas. Abstract Among the main impacts of socio-economical development are the modification of ecosystem functions and environmental services, and the loss of biodiversity. In this chapter we used the Indicator Value method to investigate which species are ecological indicators of the different habitats that resulted from different management intensity in five coffee farms and one cloud forest fragment. We used species from five different taxonomic groups (ants, birds, epiphytes, ferns, and small mammals) which were sampled in ten points at each study site. We detected 34 indicator and 50 detector species out of a total of 331 species. Small mammals and ferns held the highest percentages of indicator species (40 and 15% respectively), and birds and epiphytes had the lowest proportions (6.9 y 8.2%, respectively). A high number of indicator species was associated with the extremes of the management gradient (montane forest and sun coffee). We provide a quantitative identification of indicator species for the highly fragmented montane forest remnants that are useful for future management actions. We discuss the advantages of using several taxonomic groups, whether they have high or low diversity, and which group is the best indicator based on the number of indicator species and their environmental requirements.
... Conservation researchers attempt to recognize taxa that are well known, easily surveyed, and have the propensity to be used as indicators of the biodiversity distribution patterns at different spatial scales [9]. Recently, test of the Value of six taxonomic groups (woody plants, aquatic and terrestrial herpetofauna, small terrestrial birds, orchids, and Orthoptera) as biodiversity indicators in the Dadia Reserve in northern Greece was accomplished [10]. ...
... We also tested the value of each indicator taxon for the conservation of biodiversity (BD). The parameter BD was defined as the total number of species found at a site (of all five taxa examined) minus the species belonging to the indicator taxon [10]. For the evaluation of the indicator value of each taxon, the degree of congruence of the species richness patterns across the several taxa and BD with Pearson correlation coefficients was estimated. ...
... In our study was found little congruence of species richness patterns among five indicator groups studied in all and each olive grove management system, only one correlation was highly significant. Similarly low congruence of species richness patterns at a small scale was found by several researchers from the tropics [25], the boreal forests of North Europe [26], the rainforests of Australia and the forest of northern Greece [10] . Researchers from the broader scales in researches of North America [27] and the tropics [28] found weak correlations of species richness patterns. ...
Mediterranean ecosystems support high biodiversity and are considered to be biological-hotspot‖. The olive grove is one of the most important crops grown in the Mediterranean region, both in terms of total surface area and its socioeconomic and environmental impact. Biodiversity constitutes the most important working component of a natural and agro ecosystems. It helps maintain ecological processes, recycles nutrients, has a moderating effect on the climate, degrades waste, controls diseases and above all, provides an index of health of an ecosystem. In order to advise farmers and their associates about taxa monitoring quickly and inexpensively biodiversity in olive groves we compared and contrasted organic, conventional and abandoned olive groves and a typical Mediterranean maquis, in central Greece. Species richness of different taxa were estimated in the chosen plots by line point method (herbaceous plants), plots of 100 m 2 (woody plants), point count method (breeding birds) and pitfall traps (carabids and tenebrionids). Indicator value of each group was investigated by examining the degree of congruence of its species-richness pattern with that of the other groups and the efficiency of its complementary network in conserving the other groups and biodiversity. It is concluded that overall taxa comparison specified carabids and birds as the best candidates for monitoring biodiversity at olive groves whose employment could facilitate conservation-related decisions in the entire Mediterranean.
... Specifically, we tested the following hypotheses: 1) Contrasting environmental conditions and vegetation structure between field defects and OSR crops will result in significant differences in arthropod abundance, species richness, and species composition; 2) Dispersal limitation will result in reduced abundance and species richness of arthropods in plots situated in field interiors compared to those at field margins (Boetzl et al., 2019); 3) Temporal changes in resource availability (OSR mass blooming in spring, increased flowering of wild plants in field defects in summer) will affect the spatial distribution of arthropods (Riedinger et al., 2014); 4) Addition of flower resources (sowing of nectar-rich plants in defects) will increase field defect attractiveness to flower-visiting arthropods (Rundloef et al., 2018). As particular taxa may strongly differ in their responses to local environmental conditions, the only robust approach to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation measures is to investigate diverse taxonomic groups in parallel in the same experimental setup (Kati et al., 2004;Billeter et al., 2008). In the present study, we investigated the effect of artificial field defects on eight arthropod taxa with varying resource requirements and dispersal abilities. ...
... To gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of artificial defects in supporting different arthropod communities, we used a multitaxa approach (Kati et al., 2004;Billeter et al., 2008). Samples were collected for eight arthropod taxa: butterflies (diurnal Lepidoptera), bees and wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata), hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae), carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), spiders (Araneae), and myriapods (Diplopoda and Chilopoda combined). ...
Biodiversity is rapidly declining worldwide, with agricultural intensification being among the main drivers of this process. Effective conservation measures in agricultural landscapes are therefore urgently needed. Here we introduce a novel low-cost conservation measure called artificial field defects, i.e., areas where crop is not sown and spontaneous vegetation grows. To evaluate their biodiversity potential, we compared abundance and species richness of various arthropod taxa between artificially created field defects and control plots within oilseed rape (OSR) fields. The effectiveness of field defects to support biodiversity was examined using an experiment with a factorial design comparing OSR flowering and ripening phases, location of field defects (field edge vs interior) and field defect type (sown with a nectar-rich plant vs no sowing). Arthropod sampling was conducted by employing several complementary methods: pitfall trapping, pan trapping, sweep netting and individual counting. Butterflies, true bugs, bees and wasps were more abundant and species-rich in both types of defects than in OSR controls. In contrast, ground-dwelling taxa had more individuals and species in controls. Overall, arthropod abundance and species richness increased, and field defects became relatively more attractive, during OSR ripening compared to OSR flowering. Location of defects had little effect, with only butterfly and spider assemblages being more abundant and species-rich at field edges compared to interiors. Our data indicate that artificial field defects can provide a simple agri-environmental measure to support various arthropod groups. However, further studies are needed to assess their biodiversity value at the landscape scale, and evaluate the balance between costs and benefits for farmers.
... We used only the species richness and the combined index because they were often used as a proxy of overall biodiversity (Gotelli and Colwell, 2001;Hill et al., 2016;Rey Benayas and de la Montaña, 2003). To preserve independence between the correlates, we recalculated the overall Biodiversity Index excluding the considered taxon before testing the correlations (Kati et al., 2004;Leal et al., 2010;Ricketts et al., 1999). Then, we investigated which species of the indicator group can be used as indicators of overall biodiversity. ...
... Our results showed that birds and reptiles are the best indicator taxonomic groups for the biodiversity of vertebrates. Generally, birds are considered good indicators both for other taxa and for the overall biodiversity (Chase et al., 2000;Fraixedas et al., 2020;Kati et al., 2004;Leal et al., 2010;Yong et al., 2016), also in agricultural areas (Sauberer et al., 2004), even though this is not always the case (Moore et al., 2003). In the same way, reptiles could be used as indicators (Mazaris et al., 2008;Ricketts et al., 1999), even if sometimes they are inadequate (Reid, 1998;Yong et al., 2016). ...
Nowadays, the loss of biodiversity in agroecosystems due to the intensification of farming practices is happening very fast, and therefore, stopping or slowing it down should be a priority for conservation. To detect changes in these environmental contexts, one approach contemplates focusing on a limited set of indicator species that can alert us to ongoing changes in progress. In this research, we aimed to measure the biodiversity of vertebrates using a multi-taxa approach in an intensively cultivated and highly inhabited area located in northern Italy. We investigated the relationships between biodiversity and environmental characteristics and we identified the taxonomic groups that can be used as indicators of biodiversity. Data collection was carried out in 2016 with different methods depending on the taxonomic group, in 131 sampling units chosen using a Tessellation Stratified Sampling. Then we calculated for each sampling unit a standardized Biodiversity Index, which was related to environmental variables concerning the land use and the landscape configuration using Multiple Linear Regression Analysis and Information-Theoretic approach. We used correlation analyses and the Indicator Species Analysis (IndVal) to identify the taxonomic groups and species that can be used as indicators of biodiversity. Biodiversity was positively related to the number of patches of natural vegetation, whereas it was negatively affected by the number of patches of artificial surfaces and by habitat diversity. Our findings agree with those obtained by many other researchers, which pointed out that agroecosystems provide adequate shelters, suitable foraging habitats and nesting sites. The negative effect of habitat diversity was explained by the area-heterogeneity trade-off. Therefore, sites with high heterogeneity will not contain enough cover of residual natural vegetation, essential to maintain high biodiversity, because increasing compositional heterogeneity within a fixed area simultaneously reduces the surface of each cover type. The analyses showed that birds and reptiles might be used as biodiversity indicators of vertebrates. Eurasian Magpie and Green Whip Snake, both generalist species, were associated with sites of low biodiversity, whereas seven birds, both generalists and farmland specialists, were associated with sites of medium biodiversity. In high biodiversity sites there were not indicator species. To conclude, in less natural environments, such as urban and agricultural landscapes, a combination of specialist and generalist indicator species seems adequate to monitor biodiversity changes. Our findings increase the knowledge of these very dynamic ecosystems, being important both to plan strategies for biodiversity conservation and to guarantee ecosystems services useful for humans.
... Trees can provide different habitats, whereas birds represent the group of vertebrates where we have an in-depth knowledge of their relationships with forest age, structure and composition with global coverage (Drapeau et al., 2000;Gil-Tena et al., 2007;Drever et al., 2008). Furthermore, bird assemblages and trees can be considered as complementary when used as indicators of biodiversity (Kati et al., 2004), thus increasing biodiversity surrogacy . Therefore, we defined an overall biodiversity value as the standardized sum of tree and bird species richness. ...
... Birds represent the group of vertebrates where we have an in-depth knowledge of their relationships with forest age, structure and composition with global coverage (Drapeau et al., 2000;Gil-Tena et al., 2007;Drever et al., 2008). Furthermore, bird assemblages and trees can be considered as complementary when used as indicators of biodiversity (Kati et al., 2004), thus increasing biodiversity surrogacy . ...
Forest ecosystems provide a wide variety of benefits for human well-being, commonly
referred to as ecosystem services (ES). Understanding how these ES are distributed across
the landscape and identifying their main drivers is essential to inform policy to protect,
enhance and restore these ecosystems. Besides, protected areas (PAs) are fundamental for
biodiversity conservation and the provision of ES, yet their effectiveness in maintaining ES and biodiversity is still unclear. Currently, forests are increasingly under pressure from climate change, resulting in changes in disturbance regimes (e.g., wildfires, drought, insect-outbreaks, and windstorms). Predicting where these natural hazards will occur in the future and to what extent forest ES will be affected are also fundamental research challenges.
The general objective of this thesis is to analyze the spatial distribution of forest ES, their relevance in conservation and their vulnerability and risk to climate change hazards,
especially wildfires. To do so, 1) we have analyzed the spatial distribution, relationship, and drivers of forest carbon stocks and biodiversity in two regions (Spain and Quebec) and five subclimates (steppe, dry Mediterranean, humid Mediterranean, temperate, and boreal); 2) we have determined the role of PAs in preserving ES and biodiversity in forests and
hrublands of Catalonia (NE Spain); 3) we have developed a general framework of forest vulnerability and risk of losing ES due to different climate change hazards; and 4) we have assessed the spatial patterns and drivers of forest vulnerability to wildfires and the corresponding risk of losing ES in Catalonia (NE Spain). We have found a general positive relationship between carbon stocks and biodiversity, with the highest values in northern Spain (humid Mediterranean subclimate) and southern Quebec (temperate subclimate). High density and structural diversity have simultaneously favored carbon stocks, tree and overall biodiversity. The variables positively affecting carbon and biodiversity have been also driving their hotspots, emphasizing the viability of ‘win-win’ solutions. Regarding PAs, we have found more carbon stocks, coverage of community-interest habitats, priority- habitats and geological-interest sites in PAs than in buffer zones, but none of the biodiversity variables considered (i.e., tree and bird richness) have showed differences between PAs and buffer zones. PAs with higher degree of protection (i.e., moderate vs partial protection) have not provided higher levels of ES and biodiversity, or vice versa. Furthermore, we have proposed a general framework to assess forest vulnerability and risk based on the components of exposure, hazard magnitude, susceptibility and lack of adaptive capacity. We have suggested a standardized procedure to define and combine these components, as well as a list of indicators readily applicable to the main climate change-related hazards to forests. Finally, we have applied this general framework to the particular case of wildfires in Catalonia. The results have indicated that hazard magnitude is the most important factor defining ES at risk from wildfires. Climate is the main driving factor of ES at risk under average conditions, but forest functional type - in particular non-Mediterranean conifers that have low adaptive capacity - have gained importance under extreme conditions. The highest increases in risk have been found in relatively wet forests with currently low risk, which according to climate trends will become common in the
future.
Overall, this thesis has gained evidence on the positive relationship between carbon stocks and biodiversity and their main drivers in five subclimates, and has showed that the conservation strategy in Catalonia is only effective at maintaining some of the ES and conservation variables considered. It has also contributed with an innovative conceptual framework of forest vulnerability and risk of losing ES due to climate change hazards,
constituting a basis for a systematic operationalization of forest risk and vulnerability. The application of this framework to the case of wildfires has showed relevant implications on the future risk of losing ES due to wildfires, which could contribute to future-oriented policies by anticipating conditions associated with particularly high risks and guiding efficient forest management.
... Kati et al., 2004a,b). For this study we used a species data set obtained from Kati et al. (2004a) at 30 sampling sites that were selected by random sampling. The six taxa woody plants, orchids, Orthoptera, amphibians, reptiles, and small terrestrial birds had been surveyed applying sampling techniques appropriate for each group under study (Kati et al., 2004a). ...
... For this study we used a species data set obtained from Kati et al. (2004a) at 30 sampling sites that were selected by random sampling. The six taxa woody plants, orchids, Orthoptera, amphibians, reptiles, and small terrestrial birds had been surveyed applying sampling techniques appropriate for each group under study (Kati et al., 2004a). Satellite images (IKONOS, July 2001, pixel size 1 m in the panchromatic channel and 4 m in the multispectrum) of the study area were digitized and used to produce a raster map with a grain of 5 m and a thematic resolution of nine land cover categories, namely: oak forest, pine forest, pine-oak forest, oak-pine forest, broadleaves, openings, fields, roads, and urban areas . ...
... Haddad et al. (2001) ascribed a positive effect of plant richness and composition on insect diversity to the greater availability of alternate plant resources or greater vegetation structure. Sauberer et al. (2004) recommended using vascular plants as an essential first step in selecting surrogates as these showed the highest correlations with overall invertebrate species richness, while Kati et al. (2004) concluded that woody plants acted as the best surrogate for biodiversity. ...
... Plant species' distributions are also much better known while large gaps remain for invertebrates. Despite the usefulness of woody plants as surrogates for biodiversity (Kati et al., 2004), their use has serious limitations (Chiarucci et al., 2005). Woody vegetation does not always represent invertebrate diversity in general, and may in some cases be a poor surrogate for certain groups (Chiarucci et al., 2005;Foord et al., 2013). ...
This study measured within- and cross-taxon congruence in the diversity of epigeal invertebrates (spiders, beetles and millipedes) and woody vegetation sampled at small spatial grains (0.25 ha) across a large area (30 000 km²) within the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR) in South Africa. Beetle, spider, millipede and woody plant diversity was recorded at 160 point localities in 20 sites stratified across the dominant vegetation types of the VBR. Surrogacy relationships were explored using multiple linear regression (species richness) and Mantel tests (composition), while complementarity was analysed using the species accumulation index (SAI). Very little (< 10%) of the variation in invertebrate species richness was explained by woody vegetation richness alone, but the relationship improved when vegetation type was added to the regression, especially for beetles. Woody vegetation assemblages showed a positive but weak congruence with beetle assemblages, especially Tenebrionidae. Woody vegetation assemblage showed poor congruence for spider communities in general, with the exception of Lycosidae. Although cross-taxonomic congruence was observed between woody vegetation and invertebrate taxa, the relations based on SAI were stronger than expected for Coleoptera (Carabidae, Scarabaeidae and Tenebrionidae), positive but weak for spiders (all families), and weak for millipedes which had several localised endemics. Tests of higher taxonomic categories as surrogates were shown to have much greater potential than cross-taxon surrogacy. Genera in particular are excellent surrogates for species. Tribal- or generic-level determinations can be a cost-efficient approach for regional conservation planning exercises which aim to represent smaller scale variations in invertebrate diversity.
... As in our study, the use of species groups (woodpeckers, Drever et al. 2008;owls, Koch et al. 2011) has been a more reliable approach than using single species as surrogates. Other authors had also previously recorded a significant concordance between plants and birds (Cueto and Lopez 1999; Kati et al. 2004;Saetersdala et al. 2004;Kissling et al. 2008;Qian et al. 2009;Qian and Kissling 2010). In addition, studies in Mediterranean ecosystems have found that the network of woody plants adequately captures all analyzed groups (Saetersdala et al. 2004). ...
... We expected the concordance with plants to be stronger for primary consumers (herbivores) than for higher trophic levels (predators). Rather than just providing food resources, plant diversity seems to facilitate a high species richness of other taxa through structuration and habitat complexity (Kati et al. 2004;Saetersdala et al. 2004); more plant species increase spatial complexity which, in turn, fosters a higher niche availability (MacArthur and MacArthur 1961;Andrews and O'Brien 2000;Kissling et al. 2008). A clear ecological explanation for the concordance between mammals and reptiles and birds and mammals is missing. ...
Prioritizing biodiversity conservation strategies is urgently needed. Surrogate species have been used for that purpose as a means to lower costs/effort to assess representation of other species important for conservation planning. Such strategy should include multiple species and habitats within a given landscape or geographic area. The use of surrogates provides an appealing shortcut to monitoring biodiversity as it enables an efficient use of limited resources. As a group, raptors feed on a very wide range of prey sizes and, therefore, on a high diversity of prey species, which should improve their surrogacy complementarity. The aim of this paper is to identify a suitable approach that can be used as an efficient surrogate of regional diversity in desert ecosystems. First, through assemblage concordance analysis we tested two alternative approaches either using: (a) a single raptor species or (b) the entire group of raptor species as surrogates of biodiversity. Second, through correlation analysis we also tested whether the species richness of single target groups (raptors, other birds, reptiles, mammals and plants), or of two-group combinations, was correlated with the pooled species richness of the remaining groups, and then determine each of the taxonomic groups as surrogates of the entire biodiversity at the regional scale. Four single raptor species showed significant concordance with the entire bird community but, overall, most comparisons between single raptor species and other taxonomic groups failed to show any consistent correlation. A remarkable finding from the single species approach was that the strongest significant positive association was that found between caracara C. cheriway and bird species richness. This raptor is a habitat and diet generalist, thus contradicting the hypothesis that specialist species make the best bioindicators. Raptor species were significantly associated with non-raptor birds, vegetation and rodents, but not with the mammal or reptile communities. Plant species richness showed a statistically significant concordance with most of the other groups except for reptiles. Reptiles were the group that showed less concordance with the others. Between-groups comparisons showed that the species richness was strongly correlated between birds and plants, followed by between raptors and birds; correlations between birds and mammals, reptiles and mammals and raptors and plants were weak albeit statistically significant. Species richness of some individual groups, namely other birds, plants and mammals, were significantly correlated with their corresponding remaining richness values. The pooled species richness of two-group combinations were strongly correlated for raptors and other birds, raptors and plants, other birds and mammals, and reptiles and plants, and their corresponding remaining richness. We propose an approach using the combined species richness of two taxonomic groups given the high, statistically significant correlation with their corresponding remaining richness in the Baja California peninsula and possibly in other desert ecosystems too.
... Una medida idónea para poder evaluar la riqueza y el análisis del grado de conservación en este caso del BMM, es sin duda el elaborar estudios multitaxonómicos, en los cuales se analicen diversos grupos y se obtengan así, cifras y estimaciones de la diversidad biológica, sin dejar a un lado aquellos grupos que no son tan comúnmente estudiados como insectos u hongos (Kati et al. 2004). Estos estudios ayudarán en gran medida a focalizar los esfuerzos de conservación en los sitios prioritarios, muchos de los cuales están siendo fragmentados a una tasa acelerada. ...
El bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM) es catalogado como un ambiente altamente rico en especies de flora y fauna, y con un alto número de endemismos; del mismo modo, ha sido considerado como uno de los ecosistemas más amenazados. En el presente trabajo se hace una reseña de las principales problemáticas que enfrenta este tipo de vegetación así como la importancia de desarrollar estudios que analicen y evalúen la riqueza de diversos grupos biológicos. Los principales problemas que enfrenta el BMM son el cambio de uso de suelo, la tala ilegal, asentamientos humanos y el cambio climático. Si bien, el BMM contiene una alta riqueza de especies de distintos grupos biológicos, a la fecha no se sabe a ciencia cierta el número de estas especies, por lo que el desarrollar estudios multitaxonómicos para conocer la biodiversidad de este ambiente resulta una tarea prioritaria.
... A strength of our study is the multi-taxa approach that allows to compare patterns among ground-dwelling arthropod groups. Previous studies have shown that species distribution patterns are rarely uniform across taxa and thus conservation or agricultural management decisions based on the results of single-taxon studies can be misleading (Billeter et al., 2008;Boetzl et al., 2022;Kati et al., 2004). From this perspective, the importance of NCHI for overwintering arthropods from all the investigated taxa provides strong evidence that the presence of non-crop habitats in intensively-managed arable landscapes is indispensable. ...
Non-crop habitats are supposed to provide valuable resources to beneficial arthropods inhabiting agricultural landscapes during both the growing and winter seasons. Unfortunately, studies focused on the performance of non-crop habitats during the winter period are much less abundant, despite their importance for efficient biodiversity conservation measures. In this study, we assessed the distribution of ground-dwelling arthropods overwintering on arable land as well as the boundaries and interiors of neighbouring grassy and forest non-crop habitat islands. Myriapods, spiders, carabid and rove beetles were collected using a combination of quadrat sampling (soil sampling) and pitfall trapping. Our results revealed the importance of both non-crop habitat islands for overwintering arthropods, though slightly higher abundance and species richness were recorded in forest compared to grassy islands. Abundance and species richness of overwintering arthropods were lower on arable land for all the investigated taxa. Carabid and rove beetles overwintered more on non-crop boundaries than interiors, whereas spiders and myriapods used both boundaries and interiors. Landscape composition had stronger effects on carabids and myriapods collected with pitfall traps, which were benefitted in landscapes with high non-crop habitat cover. Grassy and forest non-crop habitat islands hosted different assemblages of myriapods, carabids and rove beetles, highlighting the complementarity of both non-crop habitat types for ground-dwelling arthropods. We recommend to preserve all existing non-crop habitat patches and to create new permanent non-crop habitat patches in intensively managed agricultural landscapes, as even relatively small non-crop habitat islands within the cultivated land can play a relevant role for overwintering arthropods.
... Evaluating avian response to forest management can inform the understanding of ecological impacts of silvicultural systems, because bird assemblages can act as a proxy for ecosystem integrity at multiple spatial scales (Canterbury et al., 2000;Gregory and van Strien, 2010;Drever et al., 2008;Hudson et al., 2017). Monitoring of bird assemblages is an effective and efficient method to obtain a proxy of forest condition (Larrieu et al., 2018), and species richness of woody plants (Kati et al., 2004). ...
Active forest management alters the resources available to forest-obligate species. Large-scale intensive management practices where timber production is the primary objective can lead to notable ecological changes in forest ecosystems. A key concept of ecological forestry is to design forest management activities to emulate natural disturbance regimes as a way to maintain the ecological integrity of forests. The Acadian Forest Ecosystem Research Program (AFERP) was undertaken as an experimental demonstration of management reflective of the region’s disturbance regime, which typically produces small canopy gaps. AFERP includes nine research areas assigned to three silvicultural treatments: unharvested control, small gap (expanding-group selection with reserves), and large gap (irregular expanding-group shelterwood with reserves). Initial harvests took place in the winter of 1995 and two subsequent harvests have been conducted, every 10 years, making AFERP the longest running experimental study of these silvicultural treatments. Using a territory mapping approach, the avian assemblage was surveyed from 1995-1998 and again in 2020-2021. A significant decline in the abundance and diversity of birds was noted between the early set of surveys and the most recent surveys, regardless of treatment. Despite these declines, composition of the avian assemblage remained similar among treatments. The majority of bird species found on territory mapping surveys are declining in abundance region-wide with species-specific changes in abundance at AFERP mirroring those observed at larger scales. These results indicate that the natural disturbance-based silviculture systems studied here retained the mature forest bird assemblage over the course of multiple harvest entries. Natural disturbance-based forest management has the potential to meet the objectives of many landowners. Retention of mature trees within harvested gaps is a component of ecological forestry as these trees support natural regeneration and promote structural diversity post-harvest. At present three types of harvests gaps exist at AFERP: small, expanded-small, and large. Retention, in both the form of long-term reserve trees and overwood, is present in each gap type. Avian use of these retention trees was recorded via observational surveys conducted in each gap type. Avian preference for tree type, gap type, and tree type within each gap type was calculated using a Vanderploeg-Scavia index for each of the nine bird species most frequently observed during observational surveys. Birds generally avoided small gaps and preferred larger gap sizes; however small gaps are a necessary part of the silvicultural system. Bird preferences for tree type was stronger than for gap types, each bird species most strongly preferred a different type of tree and those preferences were broadly consistent with the forest type associations of each species. All nine bird species are forest-obligates and their use of retained trees within gaps indicates that these trees act as important resources for forest birds in areas where such resources might not otherwise exist. These results support selecting a diverse set of tree species for retention within harvested gaps in order to support a diverse group of forest birds.
... We focused on avian biodiversity because birds are often used as indicators of biodiversity (Kati et al., 2004) and because the data we used had sufficient resolution to conduct a comprehensive analysis from local to regional scales. We conducted surveys to assess long-term changes in avian diversity in Hainan. ...
Resolving trade-offs between economic development and biodiversity conservation needs is crucial in currently developing countries and in particularly sensitive systems harboring high biodiversity. Yet, such a task is challenging because human activities have complex effects on biodiversity. We assessed the effects of intense economic development on Hainan Island (southern China) on different components of biodiversity. This highly biodiverse tropical island has undergone extensive economic development and conversion of forest to agriculture and urban area. We identified 3 main transformation areas (low, medium, and high transformation) based on land-use, local-climate, and economic changes across 145 grids (10 × 10 km), and estimated changes in avian biodive6rsity from 1998 to 2013. We recorded ongoing taxonomic biotic homogenization throughout the island. Differences between traditional and directional alpha diversity decreased by 5%. Phylogenetically clustering increased by 0.5 points (W = 7928, p < 0.01), and functional overdispersion increased by 1 point (W = 16,411, p < 0.01). Initial taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional scores correlated negatively with changes in these scores across all transformation areas (all ps < 0.01). At the local scale, economic and environmental indicators showed complex and divergent effects across transformation areas and biodiversity components. These effects were only partially ameliorated in an ecological function conservation area in the mountainous central part of the island. We found complex effects of economic development on different biodiversity dimensions in different areas with different land uses and protection regimes and between local and regional spatial scales. Profound ecosystem damage associated with economic development was partially averted, probably due to enhanced biodiversity conservation policies and law enforcement, but not without regional-scale biotic homogenization and local-scale biodiversity loss.
... Birds constitute an important component of most ecosystems of all biomes; they contribute to many ecosystem services (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2003;Whelan et al., 2008), and can be useful indicators of habitat quality and biodiversity (Blair, 1999;Kati et al., 2004;Orme et al., 2005;Frederick et al., 2009;Fraixedas et al., 2020). It is well documented that birds can be both negatively and positively affected by linear infrastructure (Benítez-López et al., 2010;Rytwinski and Fahrig, 2012;Morelli et al., 2014;Ouédraogo et al., 2020), and they have been widely studied in most contexts, including road ecology. ...
Roadsides can harbour remarkable biodiversity; thus, they are increasingly considered as habitats with potential for conservation value. To improve construction and management of roadside habitats with positive effects on biodiversity, we require a quantitative understanding of important influential factors that drive both positive and negative effects of roads. We conducted meta-analyses to assess road effects on bird communities. We specifically tested how the relationship between roads and bird richness varies when considering road type, habitat characteristics and feeding guild association. Overall, bird richness was similar in road habitats compared to non-road habitats, however, the two apparently differ in species composition. Bird richness was lowered by road presence in areas with denser tree cover but did not differ according to road type. Richness differences between habitats with and without roads further depended on primary diet of species, and richness of omnivores was positively affected by road presence. We conclude that impacts of roads on bird richness are highly context-dependent, and planners should carefully evaluate road habitats on a case by case basis. This emphasizes the need for further studies that explicitly test for differences in species composition and abundance, to disentangle contexts where a road will negatively affect bird communities, and where it will not.
... Insect predators are known to be more practical than many chemicals in controlling economically damaging insects. Thanks to their conspicuousness and susceptibility to environmental factors many insect taxa may be used as bio indicators (Kati et al., 2004). As an example, butterfly population dynamics are suggested as indicators of species richness for pollinators overall and of the structural and floristic diversity of habitats, as indicators of temperature change and further ecological parameters, and of landscape distinctiveness (Peter and Settele, 2008). ...
Insects are the most species-rich group on the Earth, hence it play numerous crucial roles in ecosystem functioning and the global-economy. The conservation of insect diversity is therefore a topic of global importance. Threats to insect biodiversity are rapidly increasing day by day. Six interrelated principles are emerging from recent research on the possible thanks to manage the landscape for insect and other biodiversity conservation. A perfect management strategy is to keep up reserves and promote habitat heterogeneity while softening the disturbed matrix immediately surrounding the reserve. Outside reserves, put aside land for biodiversity and simulate natural conditions and disturbance. Link good-quality habitats with corridors, which has both short-term ecological value and long-term evolutionary value and may be a buffer within the face of worldwide global climate change. Permeating these six landscape principles may be a population-level approach, involving the meta-population trio, which are large habitat size, good patch quality, and reduced patch isolation. Overlying these coarse-filter, landscape principles is that the fine-filter, species approach, which recognizes the requirements of particular species under threat.
... An apparent reason for that was that the main environmental gradients for vascular plants were either standardized (soil-based site types) or varied little (light and disturbance regimes; management history; landscape connectivity) in our study system (cf Pärtel et al. 2005;Reier et al. 2005;Palo et al. 2013). While vascular plants may be informative for some forest conservation planning goals (e.g., Kati et al. 2004;Lelli et al. 2019), they are apparently less informative for assessing conservation perspectives for small undisturbed old-forest set-asides in large forests. ...
Protecting habitats for charismatic vertebrates can provide an ‘umbrella’ for less conspicuous organisms, especially when these are threatened by the same processes. However, such a conservation scheme is vulnerable to the extirpation of the focal species. We studied wider biodiversity values in long protected black stork (Ciconia nigra) nest sites, which were abandoned by the bird and thus legally subject to de-listing. In 20 abandoned nest sites in Estonia, we (i) mapped breeding birds within 600 m from the stork nest, and (ii) carried out time-limited surveys of lichens, polypore fungi, vascular plants and bryophytes in 2-ha plots. The breeding bird assemblages (64 species recorded) included 19 red-listed species, and showed no clear aggregation to the immediate surroundings of the stork nest. We recorded 740 plant and fungal species, of which 134 (18%) were of conservation concern (nationally protected, red-listed or extremely rare). Across the 2-ha plots, the numbers of the species of conservation concern varied more than three-fold (maximum 42 species), being affected notably by dead wood accumulation over time and presence of nemoral broad-leaved trees. The results demonstrate that many abandoned nest sites of the black stork have broader biodiversity significance, both due to the bird’s habitat requirements and the natural development during the protection. Expanding the umbrella function to sites abandoned by a focal species, but intact from anthropogenic degradation, can thus be a cost-effective conservation approach due to its low additional administrative burden. In most jurisdictions, the assessment procedure for such situations should be formalized, however.
... Birds, butterflies or ground beetles are the most used indicators, mainly because of data availability, relative ease of collection and identification, and because many have known susceptibility to environmental changes or have ecosystem functions such as pest reduction, pollination or seed dispersal (Bibby, 1999;Brown and Freitas, 2000;Koivula, 2011;Lawton et al., 1998;Morrison, 1986;Peh et al., 2006;Rainio and Niemelä, 2003;Schulze et al., 2004). Much has been written on birds as highly effective indicators of the impacts of environmental changes, notably in the search for global indices to monitor ecosystem health in Europe and North America (Gregory and van Strien, 2010), and as proxy for overall biodiversity and environmental planning (Kati et al., 2004). ...
In the context of Borneo’s drastic landscape fragmentation, we assessed the role of diverse forest and land uses—swidden agriculture, mixed garden, smallholder rubber and oil palm plantations—in determining (1) diversity levels and composition of bird species in different vegetation types; (2) the potential for bird species to act as indicators of habitat quality; and (3) the agricultural matrix’s contribution to preserving forest-dependent species.
Field campaigns across West Kalimantan sites were conducted during both rainy and dry seasons, using mist nets and 10-minute point count recordings along transects. We used four diversity indices, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and the Indicator Value index (IndVal) for our analysis.
Our results endorsed the general trend found across the tropics of a significant reduction in bird species richness, from the complex natural and old secondary forest structures to the simplified monoculture habitats. We recorded 10,519 individuals across 214 bird species, representing almost 90% of Borneo’s lowland forest species. NMDS differentiated intact forest from forest fragments and land under different agriculture uses. Eighty percent of the bird species preferred an intact forest environment. Industrial oil palm sites were the most ‘avoided’ vegetation type. Using IndVal, we found six indicator species significantly associated with forest, three indicator species for depleted forest, one for mixed garden, and none for oil palm plantation.
Farm-dependent species richness was strikingly low, and species had little conservation value as per IUCN standards; industrial oil palm plantations were poorest in bird species. Notable exceptions were traditional mixed gardens and old fallows associated with swidden agriculture, when in proximity to forest. These traditional agroforestry systems have higher conservation value than industrial and smallholder monoculture plantations, however, their long-term preservation is uncertain, and monitoring programs are lacking that can contribute to long-term biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service maintenance.
More data are needed to determine the viable population sizes for the bird indicator species identified in our study. Such knowledge on population trends can be used to monitor habitat quality and health of forest agriculture landscape mosaics and improve the effectiveness of management, conservation and monitoring in future.
... Among plant spec ies, woody species are considered to be associated with biodiversity or ecosystem function in forests and affect other taxa, by providing microhabitats such as tree cavities (Remm and Lõhmus 2011;Larrieu et al. 2018;Paillet et al. 2018;Cockle et al. 2019), food resources (Molleman et al. 2006;Bässler et al. 2010;Felton et al. 2010) and structural heterogeneity (Lutz et al. 2013), in addition to regulating microclimate (Nepstad et al. 1994;Martin et al. 2001;Rambo and North 2009;Meakem et al. 2018) and nutrient cycling (Nepstad et al. 1994;Meakem et al. 2018). For these reasons, woody species diversity often indicates cross-taxon congruence (Howard et al. 1998;Kati et al. 2004; Barlow et al. 2007) and some functional woody species are expec ted to be biodiversity indicators. In addition to woody species, it is possible that a shrub or herb species may indicate the diversity and ecological function of the forest because the composition of forest floor vegetation change greatly depending on the condition of upper trees, light conditions and disturbance (Mölder et al. 2008;Baeten et al. 2009;Durak 2012). ...
Degradation of old-growth forests is an important issue for global biodiversity conservation. Robust indicator species greatly facilitate the identification of old-growth forests requiring protection. Understanding why particular species are associated with priority forests is necessary for assessing the reliability of indicator species. Here, we surveyed the vegetation of 69 sites in Yambaru forests (Okinawa Island) varying in forest age and analyzed the relationships between the dominance of vascular species and three criterion parameters (forest age and species richness (SR) of epiphytes and endangered plants). Eleven species showing significant positive correlations with three parameters were designated as potential candidate indicator species, ten of which were woody species. Of the above eleven candidate indicator species, Distylium racemosum was considered one of the most useful indicator species because it can be easily identified in the field and its ecological characteristics are well documented. Regarding three woody traits – sprouting ability, annual growth rate and wood density – which are expected as the cause of indexing, endangered SR increased when tree species with low sprouting ability and high wood density were dominant, and epiphyte SR increased when tree species with low annual growth rate and high wood density were dominant. These woody species traits were associated with forest age and could explain why D. racemosum is an indicator of priority forest. These results suggest that large trees with such woody characteristics are effective indicators of priority forests.
... They are key for assessing local biodiversity levels, and thus support conservation-related decisions. Most bioindicators that have been studied are well-known groups of plants (Kati et al. 2004a) and vertebrates (Fernandez, Selma, and Aymerich et al. 2005;Piratelli et al. 2008) using the concept of complementary networks in order to evaluate the degree of congruence of a bioindicator in revealing species richness patterns (Kati et al. 2004b). However, invertebrates -in particular, insects -have been used to assess biodiversity only in recent times. ...
The use of mantids as indicators for biodiversity and environmental conservation has been studied on different islands of the Mediterranean Basin, specifically the Maltese and Balearic archipelago. The study focused on three model species: a generalist and cosmopolitan species (Mantis religiosa); a species that is uncommon but widespread in the Mediterranean area, adapted to maquis and garrigue environments (Ameles spallanzania); and a rare species linked to dry and semi-desertic biotopes (Rivetina baetica). Their presence and distribution have been found to be significantly correlated with the species richness of Orthoptera, already known to be sound indicators of biodiversity, as well as other elements of their complementary network. All three species preferred both natural and well-preserved habitats over areas subject to human impacts on the land, such as medium to intensive agriculture or habitat degradation. This therefore qualifies them as sound bioindicators for habitat conservation, and their role as such is discussed within both local and global contexts.
Key policy insights
● Praying mantids proved to be good indicators for biodiversity and environmental conservation in some representative Mediterranean environments and may be used also in some more global contexts.
● Some land-uses and human activities have a significant impact on the biology of at least three wide-spread mantid species and their complementary network.
● Ecological corridors of unmanaged natural vegetation can have a key role in maintaining the presence of these insects and the biodiversity they represent.
... Despite hypothesised strong relationships among taxonomic groups, concordance between patterns of environmental variables and ecological communities are sensitive to the spatial scale and taxonomic groups studied (Kati et al., 2004;Paavola et al., 2003Paavola et al., , 2006Paszkowski & Tonn, 2000;Tonkin et al., 2016). At broader geographic scales encompassing multiple ecosystems, concordance is reported to be high relative to analyses conducted within ecosystems, suggesting local environmental filters are perhaps more taxon-specific than regional filters (Paavola et al., 2006). ...
• Parasites are known to respond strongly to changes in host diversity and may ultimately reflect changes in ecosystems. However, it remains unclear whether strong relationships between host and parasite richness also reflect those at the level of community composition. A complementary approach is to test for concordance between host and parasite composition to evaluate whether shifts in parasite community structure mirror patterns of their hosts and potentially the environment.
• I tested for concordance between patterns of community similarity in parasites, their fish hosts, and environmental factors sampled across three sites and four seasons within each of two river ecosystems. I constructed ordinations of parasites, fish, and environmental variables to establish their patterns of similarity in multivariate space and used Procrustes analysis to evaluate whether patterns in community structure were concordant.
• Spatial and seasonal patterns in fish and parasite community structure were concordant when analysing patterns in community composition (i.e. presence–absence), but not community abundance (i.e. numerical density). Patterns in fish communities were concordant with the physical river environment. However, despite finding concordance between fish and parasite communities and fish and their environment, parasites were concordant with the river environment in only one ecosystem.
• Re‐evaluating the relationship between host and parasite diversity under a community concordance framework showed that patterns among host and parasite community composition exist, but this relationship is weaker than expected. The looser connection between patterns in host and parasite community composition can be mediated by parasite life history and parasites responding both indirectly and directly to changes in host communities and the local environment.
... Given that spatial and taxonomic representation of biodiversity is often poor at the regional level, species-level surrogates are often necessary in a conservation context to ensure that critical habitats and ecosystems within the region are not missed (Lessmann et al., 2016;Peralvo, Sierra, Young, & Ulloa, 2006). Birds, as a charismatic and well-known group of vertebrates, are good surrogates and defining areas that are important for bird conservation is an excellent first step to delineating areas that are important for conservation efforts more generally (Barnagaud et al., 2017;Kati et al., 2004). Besides, birds are important indicators of landscape conditions due to their strong vulnerability to environmental alterations (Chambers, 2008;Fahrig, 2003;Foley et al., 2005;Imbeau, Monkkonen, & Desrochers, 2001;Lawton et al., 1998;O'Connell, Jackson, & Brooks, 2000;Sekercioglu, 2006). ...
Aim: To assess the representativeness values of Mesoamerican endemic birds within the current network of protected areas (PAs) to determine high-priority and complementary conservation areas to maximize the long-term protection of species. Location: From central Mexico to southern Panama.
Methods: We selected 180 bird species that are geographically restricted to Mesoamerica and estimated their potential ranges using species distribution models. Then, using two different removal rules in ZONATION software, we assessed the species' representativeness levels within the current PA network. We also defined forest remnants that could be used to strategically expand PAs (to reach Aichi biodiversity targets) and maximize the species protection, explicitly considering anthropic pressures.
Results: Current PAs cover ~13% of the land area of Mesoamerica, representing an average of ~19% of the total potential distribution for the endemic bird species considered. We also observed that there is <30% overlap between current PAs and the priority areas we define. Our prioritization analyses showed that strategically increasing protection coverage to 17%, as stipulated in the Aichi targets, would substantially increase the representativeness values of PAs (regardless of the removal rule used) and would increase the range by >35% for all species and >29% for threatened species. The consensus priority conservation areas identified were mainly distributed in Costa Rica (~48%), Mexico (~28%), and Panama (~10%).
Main conclusions: Consistent with the global picture, Mesoamerican PAs showed low representativeness of their vulnerable endemic avifauna; therefore, well-informed decisions to guide conservation strategies are imperative. We provide insights about where future conservation efforts should focus to accomplish a representative and well-connected regional PA network.
... Vane -Wright & al. 1991, Pressey & al. 1993, Csuti & al. 1997 Πηγές: (Simberloff 1998, Caro 1999, Kati et al. 2004a ...
... Passerines have often been proposed as potential indicators of the presence of other, unrelated taxa (Prendergast et al. 1993, Lombard 1995, Howard et al. 1998, Kati et al. 2004a or as indicators of environmental change to be integrated into broader monitoring schemes (Gregory et al. 2004). Songbirds are also frequently included in evaluation studies for overall biodiversity conservation (Dobson et al. 1997, Lawton et al. 1998, Vessby et al. 2002, Kati et al. 2004b. ...
We present an ecological analysis of landbird (Passeriformes, Piciformes, Coraciiformes) distribution in Dadia–Lefkimi– Soufli Forest National Park and suggest measures for their conservation. We conducted two point-count studies, one inside the park (155 points) and the other in an adjoining agricultural zone (75 points) and recorded 120 species of landbirds, including 39 species with an unfavourable conservation status in Europe (SPEC 2 and 3). Vegetation cover and height were the two main environmental gradients affecting bird distribution (Principal Coordinate Analysis). We also identified eight distinct bird habitats (k-means clustering) and found 13 species characterizing them (IndVal procedure). Hence, we proposed a set of selected species to be monitored on a permanent basis (SPEC/typical species). We demonstrated the importance of the buffer zone for landbird conservation rather than the pine-dominated core zone, and more particularly the mosaic sites and forest clearings. Both studies confirmed the unique importance of rural mosaics, thus providing strong arguments against further land re-allotment and agricultural intensification in the broader area around the park.
... These taxa were selected because they are good candidates for estimating biodiversity patterns along altitudinal gradients [61][62][63][64]. In particular, they are: (i) well represented in mountain ecosystems, both in terms of species richness and number of individuals, and (ii) characterized by species with different ecological needs and different levels of specialization. ...
Mountain biodiversity is associated with rare and fragile biota that are highly sensitive to climate change. To estimate the vulnerability of biodiversity to temperature rise, long-term field data are crucial. Species distribution models are an essential tool, in particular for invertebrates, for which detailed information on spatial and temporal distributions is largely missing. We applied presence-only distribution models to field data obtained from a systematic survey of 5 taxa (birds, butterflies, carabids, spiders, staphylinids), monitored in the northwestern Italian Alps. We estimated the effects of a moderate temperature increase on the multi-taxa distributions. Only small changes in the overall biodiversity patterns emerged, but we observed significant differences between groups of species and along the altitudinal gradient. The effects of temperature increase could be more pronounced for spiders and butterflies, and particularly detrimental for high-altitude species. We observed significant changes in community composition and species richness, especially in the alpine belt, but a clear separation between vegetation levels was retained also in the warming scenarios. Our conservative approach suggests that even a moderate temperature increase (about 1 °C) could influence animal biodiversity in mountain ecosystems: only long-term field data can provide the information to improve quantitative predictions, allowing us to readily identify the most informative signals of forthcoming changes.
... Επιπλέον υπάρχουν παραδείγματα όπου οι πεταλούδες έχουν δείξει μεγάλη ικανότητα πρόβλεψης της βιοποικιλότητας άλλων ομάδων (Lund & Rahbek 2002) Ξυλώδη φυτά: Τα φυτά εν γένει είναι οι οργανισμοί που έχουν χρησιμοποιηθεί περισσότερο ως βιοδείκτες. Τα ξυλώδη φυτά, αν και δεν είναι ταξινομική αλλά λειτουργική ομάδα, ήταν ο αποτελεσματικότερος βιοδείκτης στην πρόβλεψη της βιοποικιλότητας έξι ομάδων στη βόρεια Ελλάδα (Kati et al. 2004) Ορχιδέες: Εξαιτίας της μοναδικότητας και τις σπανιότητάς τους, συχνά οι ορχιδέες αποτελούν εμβληματικά είδη (flagship species) σε προγράμματα διαχείρισης φυσικού περιβάλλοντος (Wang et al. 2015). Επιπροσθέτως λόγω της ευαισθησίας τους στην περιβαλλοντική υποβάθμιση έχουν χρησιμοποιηθεί σαν βιοδείκτες έγκαιρης προειδοποίησης περιβαλλοντικής υγείας (Cribb et al. 2003;Swarts and Dixon 2009). ...
Η εν λόγω τεχνική έκθεση είχε ως στόχο την ταχεία παρουσίαση και τη συνοπτική αξιολόγηση των
στοιχείων του φυσικού περιβάλλοντος της περιοχής Κυθήρων και Αντικυθήρων και αποτελεί
μέρος του ευρύτερου προγράμματος INCREAte, που εκπονεί το Μεσογειακό Ινστιτούτο για τη
Φύση και τον Ανθρωπο (MedINA) με την χρηματοδότηση του Ιδρύματος MAVA για τη Φύση.
Από την χρήση δευτερογενών δεδομένων, όπως αυτά έχουν δημοσιευτεί στην ελληνική και
διεθνή βιβλιογραφία, ανέκυψε η ανάγκη επικαιροποίησης κάποιων εξ αυτών αλλά και η
ανάγκη να συμπεριληφθούν πρόσθετα πρωτογενή στοιχεία, για τα οποία δεν υπήρχαν
βιβλιογραφικές αναφορές. Γι’ αυτόν τον λόγο πραγματοποιήθηκαν, τόσο επισκέψεις πεδίου κατά τα έτη 2016-2018 όσο και επιπρόσθετη ανάλυση δευτερογενών δεδομένων.
... A variety of taxonomic groups are being used to assess and monitor diverse parameters such as biodiversity (Andersen et al., 2004;Cardoso et al., 2004), forest condition (Canterbury et al., 2000), logging impacts (Cleary, 2004), and ecological and socioeconomic changes of integrated conservation and development programs (Kremen et al., 1998). Research continues to improve methods of indicator species development, based on data collected through in-depth field research (Dufrêne and Legendre, 1997;McGeoch, 1998;Noss, 1999;Grove, 2002;Kati, 2003;Andersen et al., 2004;Schmidt et al., 2006). ...
Natural Resource Dynamics and Social Ecological Systems in Central Vietnam: Development, Resource Changes and Conservation Issues, Volume 3, focuses on the issues specific to Central Vietnam that are also found globally. War had significantly impacted both land and water resources, from which it had to recover environmentally.
Additionally, this is an area with growing urbanization pressures and industrial development, both of which are known for stretching resources beyond their limits. The introduction of several hydro-electric power projects have even further eroded the local agricultural and forest ecosystems. This volume looks at Central Vietnam holistically, from management and use to policy and data-driven solutions.
... 'the surrogate') can consistently predict changes in another taxon of interest (i.e. 'the target'), or broader components of biodiversity (Barton et al. 2015;Ware et al. 2018 whether different taxa show similar responses to habitat disturbance and modification (Schulze et al. 2004) or associations in diversity (Kati et al. 2004;Westgate et al. 2014) is therefore critical to identifying cross-taxon surrogates. ...
Determining the shared responses of different taxa to landscape modification is a key step for identifying which groups of species are good surrogates for other groups. Yet, surprisingly little is known about the spatial processes that drive cross-taxonomic congruence of diversity or how this knowledge can be used to improve the management
of modified landscapes for biodiversity, especially insects. We investigated how assemblages of two ecologically important insect groups, wild bees and beetles, respond to different landscape contexts and habitat structure in an Australian agricultural landscape, and how this, in turn, influenced either group’s potential as a surrogate
for the other. Bee and ground-active beetle assemblages were sampled in remnant woodland patches in two landscape contexts: woodland patches surrounded by pine plantation and woodland patches surrounded by open grazing land. Bee species richness, and the richness of functionally-defined bee groups did not differ between landscape contexts, in contrast to beetles. We found that landscape context exerted a stronger effect on species composition than species richness of both groups. Although some landscape and habitat variables were useful in predicting the diversity of both insect groups, few were shared. Our findings showed that bee and beetles are
poor surrogates for each other in landscapes that are highly modified. Our study highlighted the need to consider: (1) taxon-specific responses to landscape context, (2) the influence of different metrics of cross-taxonomic surrogacy and, (3) dissimilar ecological attributes among insect taxa when selecting insects as biodiversity surrogates.
It should not be assumed that agricultural landscapes managed to conserve specific insects (e.g. bees) will necessarily benefit other insects.
... They have short generation times and respond quickly to minor ecological changes in the environment (Work et al., 2002). Because of their conspicuousness and susceptibility to environmental factors many insect taxa can be used as ecological indicators of ecosystem integrity (Pyle, 1976;Heath, 1981;Kremen, 1994;King et al., 1998;Tscharntke et al., 1998;Kati et al., 2004;Choi, 2006;Langor and Spence, 2006;Maleque et al., 2009). ...
The compliance of this book is helpful for academicians, researchers, students, as well as other people seeking the relevant material in current trends of studies on the topic of environmental degradation.
... They have short generation times and respond quickly to minor ecological changes in the environment (Work et al., 2002). Because of their conspicuousness and susceptibility to environmental factors many insect taxa can be used as ecological indicators of ecosystem integrity (Pyle, 1976;Heath, 1981;Kremen, 1994;King et al., 1998;Tscharntke et al., 1998;Kati et al., 2004;Choi, 2006;Langor and Spence, 2006;Maleque et al., 2009). ...
Conservation of insect biodiversity is essential as insects play numerous crucial roles in ecosystem functioning and the global economy. The Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project is the largest hydropower project in South Asia envisaged to built at the confluence of the River Sarju with the River Mahakali, forming international boundary of India with the North-West of Nepal. Despite its nature to threaten the existence of biological diversity at large scale, the serious efforts to quantify regional diversity have been entirely overlooked in the current project. Keeping this in view, a study was conducted during 2017-2018 aimed to inventorize diversity and richness of entomofauna with reference to the adverse impacts of pre-dam construction activities and degradation of forests at the Pancheshwar dam site located in the district Champawat of the state Uttarakhand, Central Himalaya. A total of 5908 individuals and 140 species under seven insect orders were reported of which the Lepidoptera was the most species rich (67.85%) and abundant (47.61%) group of insects with 10 species of butterflies protected under the Indian law. The present records indicated the existence of rich insect diversity in the dam site which is expected to meet the needs of understanding the importance of biodiversity conservation in such critical areas which are continuously being affected from the large-scale developmental projects, eroding and threatening flora and fauna.
... Birds are well-known vertebrates that have long attracted the attention of scientists, decision makers, and non-governmental organizations to highlight and promote conservation policies and needs (e.g., Kati et al., 2004;Barnagaud et al., 2017). Because of their importance in tropical ecosystems, ranging from shaping the structure of communities to their contribution in many ecological processes (e.g., seed dispersion, pollination, and plant reproduction), and their strong vulnerability to environmental alterations (Lawton et al., 1998;Sekercioglu, 2006), using birds represent an excellent alternative to address the conservation efforts in Latin America (Kujala et al., 2013). ...
We assessed the effects of global climate change as a driver of patio-temporal biodiversity patterns in bird assemblages associated to Neotropical seasonally dry forests (NSDF). For this, we estimated the geographic distribution of 719 bird species under current and future climate (2050 and 2070) projections considering two dispersal ability assumptions (contiguous dispersal vs. no dispersal). Then, using Sørensen-based multiple-site dissimilarity and range-diversity plots analyses, we assessed the potential changes of range size and covariance in species composition, as well as in alpha and beta diversities across NSDF and within the current Protected Areas (PAs). Over 77% of species tended to reduce their potential distributional ranges for years 2050 and 2070 (regardless climate and dispersal scenarios), including several species extirpations from the NSDF. In fact, considering the contiguous dispersion, we observed that, on average, only ∼7% of species will be favored (increasing >10% their current distributional areas) by new climate conditions. We estimated a general decrease in local species richness and increase in Whittaker’s beta diversity across NSDF and PAs under future scenarios, which is indicative of biotic heterogeneity. This scenario suggests that NSDF’s avian assemblages could be prone to an uneven structural reorganization (likely decreasing the taxonomic similarity between sites) as a consequence of climate change. Such change in biodiversity patterns imply a threat for conservation of birds in this highly diverse and fragile ecosystem; however, the spatio-temporal patterns for the NSDF avifauna identified herein can be useful to guide new conservation efforts.
... Mediterranean Europe shelters no less than 45 endemic tree species (Médail et al. 2019), for which scarcely any phylogenetic information is available. Trees are likely to be excellent witnesses of deep history events and the tree flora is known to be a good proxy of biodiversity in general and in the Mediterranean region (Kati et al. 2004;Thompson 2005;Petit and Hampe 2006;Conord et al. 2012). ...
We produced the first time-calibrated phylogeny of all 64 native tree genera occurring on the European side of the Mediterranean Basin. This phylogeny is based on 3 plastid DNA sequences (rbcL matK and trnH-psbA), 4 recognized fossil dates and 10 secondary calibrations. Based on the inferred topology, we then tested whether the investigated tree flora exhibits phylogenetic clustering in both life-history traits known to influence reproduction and species’ vulnerability to extinction. Our topology and the estimated dates mostly conform to published partial phylogenies and are highly congruent with the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification except for some minor incongruences including the still debated phylogenetic position of Magnoliids. The four strictly endemic genera of the Mediterranean Basin (Chamaerops, Phillyrea, Spartium and Tetraclinis) all showed emergence dates (11–72 Ma) long before the onset of the Mediterranean climate. We did not find any imprints of phylogenetic sorting processes on the life-history traits we studied, except for the mode of seed dispersal, which showed a clustered distribution across our topology. The presence of species at risk of potential extinction within a given genus was randomly distributed along the phylogenetic tree. Species with deficient data were significantly nested within a few of the most recently evolved angiosperm genera. Our analysis closes knowledge gaps and provides a valuable basis for studying the biogeographical and ecological processes that have generated the Mediterranean tree flora. It can also inform conservation planning strategies that aim at broadening traditional taxonomy-focused perspectives with components of evolutionary history and phylogenetic singularity.
... Indicator species by contrast offer the dual advantage of being biologically explicit and relatively efficient. However, as with any conservation surrogate (Kati et al., 2004;Lindenmayer et al., 2015), effective application of indicator species may require context. Spatial-environmental heterogeneity can make it difficult to attribute changes in ecological responses to natural versus anthropogenic forces (Fratterigo & Rusack, 2008), or to apply taxonomic surrogates for biodiversity assessment (Stewart, Underwood, Rahel, & Walters, 2018). ...
Indicator species need context to perform optimally for conservation purposes. If indicator potential is context‐dependent, then indicators should improve with increasing spatial‐environmental stratification. We tested this hypothesis by hierarchically stratifying a species combinations matrix (plants and wetlands) using regionalization and site typology and analyzing class specificity and occupancy rate for indicators shared across strata. Performance of indicators collectively improved with increased sample stratification providing greater spatial‐environmental context. Carefully considered sample classification schemes could strengthen the value of indicator species for monitoring biodiversity loss, environmental change, and management progress. However, the better accuracy of context‐specific indicators will have to be weighed against the practical need for fewer broad‐based indicators.
... The growing impact of human-induced changes on natural ecosystems, such as land transformation and habitat degradation, is leading to the pressing need for straightforward methodologies for monitoring biodiversity in space and time [1][2][3][4][5]. Although broad-scale patterns of biodiversity are well documented, accurate descriptions of the distribution of biodiversity which down at fine spatial, temporal, or taxonomic scales are still missing, even for well-described groups, such as vascular plants or vertebrates [6]. ...
Despite that congruence across taxa has been proved as an effective tool to provide insights into the processes structuring the spatial distribution of taxonomic groups and is useful for conservation purposes, only a few studies on cross-taxon congruence focused on freshwater ecosystems and on the relations among vascular plants and lichens. We hypothesized here that, since vascular plants could be good surrogates of lichens in these ecosystems, it would be possible to assess the overall biodiversity of riparian habitats using plant data only. In this frame, we explored the relationship between (a) species richness and (b) community composition of plants and lichens in a wetland area located in central Italy to (i) assess whether vascular plants are good surrogates of lichens and (ii) to test the congruence of patterns of species richness and composition among plants and lichens along an ecological gradient. The general performance of plant species richness per se, as a biodiversity surrogate of lichens, had poor results. Nonetheless, the congruence in compositional patterns between lichens and vascular plants varied across habitats and was influenced by the characteristics of the vegetation. In general, we discussed how the strength of the studied relationships could be influenced by characteristics of the data (presence/absence vs. abundance), by the spatial scale, and by the features of the habitats. Overall, our data confirm that the more diverse and structurally complex the vegetation is, the more diverse are the lichen communities it hosts.
... Indicator species are often used as a short-cut to monitor changes in overall biodiversity because the assessment of the diversity of various taxa is time-consuming, costly, and there is a lack of taxonomic experts (Piorr, 2003;Kati et al., 2004;Gregory et al., 2008;Lewandowski et al., 2010;Tiede et al., 2017). Suitable indicator species require low-cost, relatively quick data collection with well-established, standardized methods (Heink and Kowarik, 2010;Dröschmeister and Sukopp, 2009). ...
Agricultural intensification has led to severe declines in biodiversity. Arthropods in particular have suffered from agricultural intensification but are rarely incorporated in large-scale biodiversity monitoring. Instead, a few established indicator taxa such as birds or plants are often used as a cost- and time-efficient assessment of overall biodiversity. However, recent studies provide varying results regarding correlations between these indicators and other taxa. The strong variability in cross-taxa relationships has been attributed to the spatial scale of the analyses, the studied habitat types, and the trophic interactions between taxa.
Here, we studied cross-taxa relationships of birds, spiders, butterflies and moths, leaf- and planthoppers, and plants across different spatial scales in 21 landscapes. We first compared species richness of birds with the species richness of different arthropod taxa and plants at the landscape scale. In addition, we compared the species richness of plants with the species richness of the different arthropod taxa at the landscape and the plot scale. Therefore, we distinguished between three different habitat types and between trophic interactions of varying degrees of specialization.
Positive relationships between the studied taxa were scarce and depended on the spatial scale of the analysis. Spiders were the only taxon that was positively related to the species richness of birds. At the plot scale, the species richness of plants was positively related to all studied arthropod taxa across different habitat types. Relationships between adjacent trophic levels and those with a high degree of specialization were stronger compared to less specialized species, with some exceptions.
Given the inconsistency of positive cross-taxa relationships, we suggest that the use of indicator taxa involves a high degree of uncertainty concerning predictions on the species richness of arthropods. We therefore encourage conservationists to incorporate multiple arthropod taxa in large-scale monitoring in order to achieve a more comprehensive and reliable measurement of biodiversity.
... Nevertheless, examining the correlation between species richness patterns is only one of the possible ways to evaluate biodiversity indicators (Kati et al., 2004), and these results only partially match with those obtained with the community composition assessment. Previous studies suggest that strong concordance between multiple organism groups should be indicated by r-values > 0.7 (e.g., Heino, 2010). ...
The need to use surrogates of biodiversity is quite relevant in threatened habitats harboring high values of biodiversity, such as the Mediterranean aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we assess the performance of eight macroinvertebrate groups (Coleoptera, Heteroptera, Odonata, Trichoptera, Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Crustacea, and Mollusca) as surrogates of the whole aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblage in 49 localities from Northern Africa (Tunisia). Specifically, we aimed to test i) the congruence of the patterns of species richness and composition among these eight groups (at species level) in order to propose which groups could be accurate as indicators of diversity of the whole community, and ii) if higher-taxon levels (genera or families) are suitable for predicting overall species richness and composition in these ecosystems. In total, we found 72 families, 157 genera and 280 species. Our results show a high congruence between the patterns of species richness and composition of Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera (even at higher taxonomic levels, especially genus) and the whole community. Thus, we recommend the use of these two groups as surrogates of macroinvertebrate diversity in inland aquatic ecosystem in the study area. They can be used for both i) the rapid and inexpensive monitoring of biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems and ii) conservational studies in order to identify areas with the highest values of freshwater biodiversity in Mediterranean areas. Finally, high values of congruence among taxonomic levels were found suggesting that, in general, higher taxa can be used as biodiversity surrogates for cost-effective practical survey in Mediterranean aquatic ecosystems from Northern Africa.
... Encouraging local-scale woody vegetation cover within arable land A second key finding was that, within arable land, localscale woody vegetation cover had positive effects on both forest specialists and farmland birds. A strong positive effect of woody vegetation cover on farmland birds has been observed across Europe (Kati et al. 2004, Sanderson et al. 2009, Wuczynski et al. 2011, Batáry et al. 2012. Surprisingly, the effect of woody vegetation cover was stronger compared to the more general effects of (compositional) heterogeneity, indicating the importance of woody vegetation within farmland for farmland birds regardless of heterogeneity (see also Sanderson et al. 2009). ...
Traditional farming landscapes harbour high biodiversity worldwide, but are increasingly threatened by agricultural intensification. Here, we aimed to assess the impact of current and potential future land-use intensification on the avifauna in Transylvania, Romania, one of Europe's most notable traditional farming landscapes. We conducted repeated point counts for breeding birds in a randomly selected set of 30 forest, 60 grassland, and 60 arable sites. We first compared the overall bird richness and the richness of birds with different habitat specialization between the three main land-use types. Second, we examined the responses of bird richness to a gradient in woody vegetation cover and compositional heterogeneity in arable land and grassland to indicate changes in land-use intensity. Third, we examined at which spatial scales the effects occurred. All three land-use types contributed to the overall regional bird diversity, including several species of conservation concern. Overall species richness and richness of forest specialists was highest in forests, whereas the opposite was true for farmland birds. Within farmland, richness of forest specialists and farmland birds was most strongly positively affected by woody vegetation cover within one hectare. However, for farmland birds this effect was stronger in arable land compared to grassland. In contrast, woody vegetation cover had a negative effect on the richness of open-country specialists within 50 hectares. Maintaining forest cover in farming landscapes will be important to conserve forest specialists. To conserve farmland species, individual farmers should be encouraged to maintain woody vegetation cover at the local scale. In contrast, open-country specialists would benefit from extensive grassland areas with low cover of woody vegetation. Thus, maintaining bird diversity in traditional farming landscapes requires a combination of small- and large scale conservation approaches. For this to be successful, cooperation among multiple stakeholders is necessary to achieve largerscale conservation action.
... The use of birds as surrogates represents an excellent first step to delineate conservation efforts as it is a charismatic and well known group of vertebrates (e.g., Mikusiński et al., 2001;Kati et al., 2004;Barnagaud et al., 2017). However, future studies including additional taxa are needed to generate a comprehensive proposal of PA's expansion. ...
... Global warming accelerates the current biodiversity crisis that will especially lead to the extinction of those species living on mountain tops (Spehn et al. 2010). To measure the impact of deforestation and global warming on the species level, biodiversity indicators are very useful to monitor local biodiversity losses (Caro and O'Doherty 1999;Lindenmayer et al. 1999;Soberόn et al. 2000;Kati et al. 2004). Orchids are an ideal flagship group to investigate biodiversity changes because of their enormous popularity amongst plant enthusiasts worldwide and widespread distribution (Newman et al. 2007). ...
We present a multilingual interactive key available online (http://glomera.linnaeus.naturalis.nl) that can be used on any web browser without the need for installing additional software. The key includes 169 species of Glomera , a genus within the necklace orchids (Coelogyninae) not yet comprehensively treated in any recent field guide or web-based survey. With this key, plants can be identified using a combination of vegetative and floristic characters in addition to distribution and ecology as a first step to further taxonomic revisions. We urge anyone with an interest in wild orchids in Southeast Asia to contribute new observations to update current information on the distribution of these overlooked plants as a first step for a taxonomic revision and to gain more insight into their conservation status.
... When selecting soniferous species in agricultural environments, two taxonomic groups display the most potential: birds and bats. Birds and bats are relatively easy to monitor acoustically and they exhibit peaks in activity around dawn and/or dusk (Kati et al., 2004;Scanlon and Petit, 2009;Wimmer et al., 2013). There is currently a wide range of specialist equipment available to undertake real-time presence studies or to undertake post hoc analysis (e.g. ...
Global biodiversity is declining rapidly while the human population grows exponentially. This creates pressure for agricultural industries to improve productivity, but also demonstrate that on-farm management actions are minimising impacts on biodiversity. However, the costs and logistical considerations of traditional biodiversity assessment methods are beyond the scope of many agricultural industries and landholders. Our goal was to evaluate the potential for acoustic biodiversity monitoring in agricultural systems. We assessed a range of species-specific and more general acoustic indices using five key criteria (i.e. relevance to industry, diagnostic capability, spatio-temporal scale, logistical feasibility, and utility as a biodiversity surrogate) to determine whether they were suitable for assessing biodiversity outcomes for agricultural industries and individual farmers. Based on these assessment criteria, species-specific or guild-specific acoustic bioindicators that are processed using automatic recognisers are more appropriate for biodiversity monitoring when the goal is to assess industry- or farm-specific impacts on biodiversity. If there is no need to establish a diagnostic link between on-farm management practices and biodiversity, then acoustic indices are more logistically feasible to use and may more accurately reflect overall biodiversity. We also recommend using birds and bats for acoustic monitoring in agricultural systems because they are relatively easy to monitor, exhibit peaks in activity around dusk or dawn, and are not necessarily water dependent. We believe that acoustic monitoring has the potential to deliver consistent, repeatable results at a relatively low cost compared to traditional biodiversity monitoring, which will allow individual farmers and agricultural industries to more easily track their sustainability performance. This becomes even more critical as we consider the increasing role that agricultural regions will have in sustaining the world's rapidly declining biodiversity.
Natural disturbance-based silvicultural systems are forestry approaches that emulate ecological patterns and processes and are assumed to accommodate native bird assemblages better than conventional alternatives. The Acadian Forest Ecosystem Research Program (AFERP) represents the longest-running experimental application of expanding gap approaches to ecological forestry in the northeastern US. This project assessed long-term ecological effects of two expanding gap silvicultural systems (irregular expanding-group shelterwood with reserves and expanding-group selection with reserves) as indicated by the abundance, diversity, and composition of the bird assemblage associated with mature forest conditions. Birds were surveyed using a territory mapping method during three periods: pre-harvest, immediately after initial gap creation, and twenty-five years later after the third harvest entry. Declines in bird abundance and diversity occurred in all treatments and paralleled declines in abundance observed at regional scales, suggesting that treatments did not cause declines. Species-specific responses varied, but 65% were similar to regional population changes. Assemblage similarity among treatments was stable through time. The natural disturbance-based silvicultural systems studied did not disrupt the mature forest bird assemblage following three harvest entries despite declines in bird abundance and two measures of diversity across all treatments. Minor changes in the structure of the bird assemblages were noted, which corresponded to habitat elements associated with the gap harvests. Natural disturbance-based approaches to forest management have broad potential to meet landowner objectives while minimizing negative ecological impacts on mature forest ecosystems.
In this paper, we have summarized all the data concerning Orthoptera insects recorded on the Macedonian side of the Shar Mountain, by gathering all the available data (collections of the Natural History Museum of Skopje, literature and personal samplings). Among the 54 species recorded, four species are protected and/or are considered as threatened.Our objective was also to acquire a better knowledge on the typology of the populations and their distribution, depending on the environment and elevation. The average species richness of montane localities is significantly richer; this certainly results from a more heterogeneous vegetation structure that hosts more diverse ecological niches.
Birds are suffering from steep population declines on a global scale and
they are one of the few taxonomic groups for which these declines are
well documented by long-term monitoring data. This study provides a
synthesis of the status of the breeding birds of Greece. To this aim, we
retrieved population size estimates from six sources spanning 22 years
(1992-2014) and calculated species’ trends in Greece. Using the IUCN
Red List assessments for each species we assessed whether ecological
traits including habitat and diet preferences are associated with species’
trends and conservation status in Europe and determined major threats
affecting birds in Greece. Moreover, we assessed the importance of
Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in terms of declining trigger
species. Results showed that almost one fifth of the breeding birds in
Greece have declining populations. Raptors were found to be the most
threatened group of birds whereas the highest declines by dietary group
were observed in scavengers, with 60% of species showing a decreasing
trend. The most common threats were the ones that cause habitat
alteration and degradation as well as more direct effects such as
poisoning. Our results suggest that habitat and ecosystem functions
restoration along with the management of protected areas and
improvement of legislation should be the main conservation actions
undertaken and pinpointed the IBAs where they should be prioritized for
implementation. Finally, further research especially on specific drivers of
population change along with further examination of current and past
population trends will increase the power and accuracy of future regional
Red List Assessments especially concerning the breeding species for
which the country bears the greatest responsibility.
Der Schutz der biologischen Vielfalt ist eine gesellschaftlich sehr wichtige Aufgabe, deren Bedeutung in den letzten Jahrzehnten zunehmend auch politisch erkannt wird. Nationale wie globale Zielsetzungen, den Verlust der biologischen Vielfalt aufzuhalten und eine positive Trendwende zu erreichen, wurden bislang allerdings verfehlt. Als wichtige Ursachen für den Verlust der Artenvielfalt werden sowohl der Landnutzungswandel als auch Klimaveränderungen gesehen. Landnutzungsintensivierungen haben insbesondere seit der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts zu einem zunehmenden Rückgang der Artenvielfalt in der Agrarlandschaft geführt. Die Ursachen für diesen Rückgang sind vielfältig. Sie umfassen eine Abnahme der Nahrungsgrundlage vieler Arten, u.a. durch den Einsatz von Herbiziden und Insektiziden, und den Verlust von geeigneten Fortpflanzungs- und Nahrungshabitaten durch einen Rückgang der Strukturvielfalt und des Anteils naturnaher Habitate. Seit Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts rückt zunehmend auch der Klimawandel als Einflussgröße für den Rückgang der Artenvielfalt in den Fokus. Einhergehend mit steigenden Temperaturen wurden bereits Verschiebungen von Verbreitungsgrenzen und Veränderungen in der Phänologie von Arten beobachtet. Bis zum Ende des 21. Jahrhunderts werden neben weiter steigenden Temperaturen die Zunahme von Hitzewellen und extremen Niederschlagsereignissen, eine Veränderung der Niederschlagsverhältnisse und ein weiterer Anstieg des Meeresspiegels erwartet.
Zwischen Klima und Landnutzung gibt es vielfältige Wechselwirkungen und sich gegenseitig verstärkende Effekte - auch in ihrer Wirkung auf einzelne Arten und die biologische Vielfalt. Hier gilt es, Methoden zur Erfassung und Bewertung von Auswirkungen landnutzungs- und klimawandelbedingter Umweltveränderungen zu entwickeln und aufzuzeigen, durch welche Maßnahmen negative Auswirkungen auf die Artenvielfalt vermieden oder vermindert werden können. Akteure zur Umsetzung solcher Maßnahmen sind einerseits der behördliche und ehrenamtliche Naturschutz. Andererseits ist gerade in der Agrarlandschaft auch die Einbindung von Landwirten entscheidend, um möglichst dauerhafte und großflächige Wirkungen zu erzielen.
Ein Weg der Einbindung von Landwirten in naturschutzfachliche Maßnahmenprogramme führt über die lebensmittelerzeugenden Unternehmen, die Abnehmer ihrer Produkte sind. Solche Unternehmen, gerade aus der Biobranche, suchen zunehmend nach Möglichkeiten, ihren Kunden transparent und glaubwürdig zu kommunizieren, was ihre Zulieferlandwirte für den Erhalt und die Förderung der Artenvielfalt leisten. Flächendeckende Vor-Ort-Erfassungen von Arten sind dabei aber sowohl aus Kosten- als auch aus Zeitgründen unrealistisch. Einfache Modelle bzw. Indikatorensets, die die Artenvielfalt auf landwirtschaftlichen Flächen valide abbilden und dabei zeiteffizient und praxisnah in der Datenerhebung und Anwendung sind, werden daher dringend benötigt, fehlen aber bislang. Auf Basis solcher Modelle können auch Maßnahmen für die Betriebsebene und deren Potenzial zur Steigerung der Artenvielfalt abgeleitet werden.
Im Hinblick auf Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf Tierarten fehlen derzeit vor allem auf regionaler Ebene Einschätzungen über die Empfindlichkeit von Artengemeinschaften gegenüber den projizierten Klimaänderungen und darüber, wie sich klimabedingte Arealverschiebungen auf die Zusammensetzung regionaler Artengemeinschaften auswirken könnten. Solche Einschätzungen braucht es aber, um den naturschutzfachlichen Handlungsbedarf für Anpassungsstrategien und -maßnahmen zu identifizieren und zu konkretisieren. Zu entsprechenden Anpassungsmaßnahmen gibt es bereits eine Reihe von Empfehlungen, die allerdings häufig unspezifisch bleiben, so dass vielen Praktikern unklar ist, welche Maßnahmen Priorität haben und wie diese konkret umgesetzt werden sollen und können. Daher ist es erforderlich, solche allgemeinen Maßnahmenempfehlungen für die jeweilige regionale Ebene unter Berücksichtigung der Empfindlichkeit der dort vorkommenden Arten und möglicher klimabedingter Ein- und Abwanderungsprozesse zu konkretisieren.
Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Wissenslücken war das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit, einen Beitrag dazu zu leisten, Auswirkungen landnutzungs- und klimawandelbedingter Umweltveränderungen auf Tierarten auf der regionalen bzw. lokalen Ebene zu ermitteln und zu bewerten, um darauf aufbauend geeignete und für die jeweilige Ebene hinreichend konkrete naturschutzfachliche Maßnahmen zur Verminderung negativer Auswirkungen ableiten zu können. Dazu wurde exemplarisch für einzelne Regionen, Lebensräume und Tierartengruppen untersucht,
1) anhand welcher Indikatorensets und Modelle sich die Artenvielfalt auf der Ebene landwirtschaftlicher Betriebe praxistauglich, zeiteffizient und valide abbilden lässt,
2) an welchen Kriterien eine Empfindlichkeit von Tierarten gegenüber klimatischen Veränderungen auf naturräumlicher Ebene festgemacht werden kann,
3) wie sich ein klimawandelbedingter Turnover in Artengemeinschaften eines Naturraums abschätzen lässt,
4) welche Maßnahmen zum Erhalt und zur Förderung der Artenvielfalt basierend auf den Ergebnissen solcher Analysen auf lokaler und regionaler Ebene abgeleitet werden können,
5) welche Synergien sich im Hinblick auf Maßnahmen zur Verringerung negativer Auswirkungen von Klimawandel und Landnutzung ergeben und welche Grenzen die entwickelten Methoden zur Einschätzung solcher Auswirkungen aufweisen.
Hinsichtlich der Auswirkungen landnutzungsbedingter Umweltveränderungen auf Tierarten wurde untersucht, ob und wie sich die Artenvielfalt und mögliche Veränderungen durch die Landnutzung oder durch Naturschutzmaßnahmen auf der Ebene landwirtschaftlicher Betriebe mit Hilfe von einfach handhabbaren Modellen und Indikatorensets abbilden lassen. Dazu wurden in umfangreichen Literaturstudien mögliche Einflussvariablen identifiziert, die für die Artenvielfalt von Tagfaltern auf Rainen und die Artenvielfalt von Vögeln in Hecken sowie auf Äckern von Bedeutung sein können. Auf sieben über Deutschland verteilten landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben wurden sowohl Daten zu diesen möglichen Einflussvariablen erhoben als auch Erfassungen der Artengruppen Tagfalter und Vögel durchgeführt. Durch multiple lineare Regressionsanalysen wurden aus dem Set der möglichen Einflussvariablen anhand der auf den Betrieben erhobenen Daten diejenigen identifiziert, die die Artenvielfalt von Tagfaltern und Vögeln am besten vorhersagen. Bei Tagfaltern auf Rainen sind dies die Heterogenität der umgebenden Landschaft, der Mahdzeitpunkt, die Breite, Länge und das Gräser-Kräuter-Verhältnis des Rains sowie die Bewirtschaftungsart angrenzender Felder. Für die Artenvielfalt von Vögeln in Hecken wurden die Variablen Länge und Breite der Hecke, die Anzahl der Gehölzarten, das Vorkommen von Höhlen/Totholz, das Vorhandensein von Dornsträuchern sowie die Breite des angrenzenden Krautsaums als wichtigste Einflussfaktoren zur Vorhersage der Artenvielfalt ermittelt. Ein Modell zur Vorhersage der Artenvielfalt von Vögeln auf Äckern wurde verworfen, da die Ergebnisse deutlich von der Datenlage der Stichprobe geprägt waren und nur zum Teil den Erkenntnissen aus der zuvor durchgeführten Literaturstudie entsprachen.
Die aus den Modellergebnissen ableitbaren Maßnahmen für die Betriebsebene beziehen sich auf die jeweils bedeutsamen Einflussfaktoren - z.B. das Mahdregime bzw. den Mahdzeitpunkt bei Rainen und die Anlage oder Verbreitung von Krautsäumen zwischen Hecken und den an diese angrenzenden Feldern - und betreffen sowohl die Optimierung vorhandener Strukturen als auch die Neuanlage von Landschaftselementen. Diese stellen einen Baustein im Spektrum sinnvoller Maßnahmen auf landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben dar und sollten durch weitere flankiert werden. Dazu ist eine gesamtbetriebliche Perspektive wichtig, die die betriebs- und landschaftsraumspezifischen Voraussetzungen einbindet. Zur Unterstützung hierbei kann einerseits landwirtschaftliche Beratung, andererseits aber auch eine vom Landwirt selbst bedienbare naturschutzfachliche Managementsoftware dienen. In eine solche Software (MANUELA - Managementsystem Naturschutz für eine nachhaltige Landwirtschaft) wurden die in der vorliegenden Arbeit entwickelten Modelle bereits implementiert und ergänzen dort bereits vorhandene Tools, zum Beispiel zur Ermittlung und Bewertung der Pflanzenartenvielfalt auf Äckern, aber auch zum Landschaftsbild und zum Biotopverbund.
Hinsichtlich der Auswirkungen klimawandelbedingter Umweltveränderungen wurde unter-sucht, an welchen Kriterien sich eine Empfindlichkeit von Tierarten gegenüber solchen Umweltveränderungen auf naturräumlicher Ebene festmachen lässt und welche Eigenschaften eine Anpassung an sich ändernde Umweltbedingungen erschweren. Mit Hilfe einer auf solchen Kriterien basierenden Empfindlichkeitsanalyse wurde ermittelt, wie viele Tierarten in den naturräumlichen Regionen „Harz“ und „Lüneburger Heide und Wendland“ eine erhöhte Empfindlichkeit gegenüber klimawandelbedingten Umweltveränderungen aufweisen. Dabei wurden Vertreter der Artengruppen Brutvögel, Amphibien, Reptilien, Heuschrecken, Tagfalter und Libellen mit einbezogen. Eine voraussichtlich erhöhte Empfindlichkeit gegenüber spezifisch klimawandelbedingten Umweltveränderungen lässt sich bei jeweils ca. 39% der untersuchten Tierarten in den naturräumlichen Regionen „Harz“ und „Lüneburger Heide und Wendland“ feststellen. Dabei scheinen insgesamt mehr Arten negativ von einer Abnahme der Sommerniederschläge betroffen zu sein als von einer Erhöhung der Temperaturen. Weiterhin wurde ermittelt, wie klimabedingte Veränderungen der Zusammensetzung von Vogellebensgemeinschaften in einem Naturraum abgeschätzt und Prognosen über mögliche klimabedingte Zu- und Abwanderungen von Arten getroffen werden können. Dazu wurde der Artenpool des Naturraums Lüneburger Heide mit den Artenpools zukünftig klimaanaloger Räume verglichen. Zukünftig klimaanaloge Räume sind Gebiete, die gegenwärtig klimatische Verhältnisse aufweisen, die zukünftig für das Untersuchungsgebiet projiziert werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Mehrzahl der Vogelarten die für den Zeitraum 2071-2100 erwarteten Klimabedingungen im Naturraum Lüneburger Heide vermutlich tolerieren kann, die Artenvielfalt insgesamt aber möglicherweise abnehmen wird. Viele der potenziell aus dem Naturraum abwandernden Arten sind an Feuchtgebiete als Lebensraum gebunden.
Zur Verringerung negativer klimawandelbedingter Auswirkungen auf Tierarten können zum einen derzeitige Gefährdungsursachen und Stressoren minimiert werden, um die Habitatverfügbarkeit und -qualität zu erhöhen und die Resilienz sowie das Anpassungspotenzial von Arten zu stärken. Als prioritäre Maßnahmen sind je nach naturräumlicher Region die folgenden anzusehen: Maßnahmen zum Schutz und zur Wiederherstellung von Feuchtlebensräumen, Maßnahmen zur Verhinderung von Nährstoffeinträgen bzw. Eutrophierung und zur Extensivierung landwirtschaftlicher Nutzung, Maßnahmen zur Erhöhung der Konnektivität in der Landschaft und zur Verringerung des Landschaftsverbrauchs, Maßnahmen zur Offenhaltung von Lebensräumen und Maßnahmen zur naturnahen Waldrandgestaltung bzw. Waldbewirtschaftung. Zum anderen kann zur Verringerung negativer klimawandelbedingter Auswirkungen auf Tierarten die Konnektivität in der Landschaft gefördert und der Erhalt und die Schaffung von Biotopverbundstrukturen gestärkt werden, um den Arten eine Anpassung durch die Verschiebung ihrer Verbreitungsareale zu ermöglichen. Besonders auf überregionale Biotopverbundmaßnahmen zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel angewiesen sind in beiden naturräumlichen Regionen Arten des Offenlandes, in der naturräumlichen Region „Lüneburger Heide und Wendland“ zusätzlich auch Arten der Gewässer.
Da viele der derzeitigen Gefährdungsursachen potenziell klimaempfindlicher Arten nutzungsbezogen sind und auch direkte oder indirekte Folge landwirtschaftlicher Nutzung sein können, sind Synergien zwischen Maßnahmen zur Verminderung negativer Auswirkungen von Landnutzungs- und Klimawandeleinflüssen offenkundig. Dies betrifft auch die Stärkung des Biotopverbunds. Hier spielen Raine und Hecken in der Agrarlandschaft eine wichtige Rolle - auch vor dem Hintergrund des Klimawandels, da viele der auf Biotopverbund als Anpassungsmaßnahme angewiesenen Arten Bewohner des Offenlandes sind. Ein besonderes Gewicht kommt im Hinblick auf den Klimawandel dem Schutz bzw. der Renaturierung und Schaffung von Feuchtlebensräumen zu. Diese werden bislang nur zum Teil durch die Modelle zur Abschät-zung der Artenvielfalt auf landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben abgedeckt, so dass in der Erweiterung der Modelle um die Lebensräume Feuchtgrünland und Grünland im Allgemeinen eine mögliche Weiterentwicklung der vorliegenden Arbeit zu sehen ist. Da ein Großteil der Fläche Deutschlands landwirtschaftlich genutzt wird, kommt der Landwirtschaft bei der Bewahrung der Artenvielfalt eine Schlüsselrolle zu. Die vermehrte Integration naturschutzfachlicher Ziele in die Landbewirtschaftung kann daher wesentlich zum Erhalt und zur Förderung der Artenvielfalt beitragen, nicht nur im Hinblick auf landnutzungsbezogene sondern auch auf klimawandelbezogene Einflüsse. Die vorliegende Arbeit liefert dazu wichtige Ansätze.
The Usumacinta floodplain is an exceptional area for biodiversity with important ecosystem services for local people. The main objective of this paper was to estimate reference values and define local perceptions of ecosystem services provided by wetlands and overlapping them with spatially explicit socioeconomic and biodiversity indicators. We used the Usumacinta floodplain as an example of a territory where high dependence of rural people on ecosystem services is confronted with development projects that threat the flow of ecosystem services, thus affecting rural people well-being. With a combination of data from remote sensing, global databases of ecosystem service values, local perception of ecosystem services and socioeconomic and biodiversity richness indicators in a spatially explicit framework, we develop a policy-oriented approach for rapid assessment to manage wetlands and maintain people’s livelihoods. Regulating and provisioning services are identified as the most relevant ecosystem services in terms of their monetary value and local perceived importance. In a spatially explicit manner, this approach highlights the most valuable wetlands and identifies rural societies that are highly dependent on ecosystem services. Our approach can be replicated elsewhere and could provide valuable information for policymakers to design policies that can contribute to conserve wetland ecosystems where under threat of development.
Avian diversity has long been used as a surrogate for overall diversity. In forest ecosystems, it has been assumed that vegetation structure, composition and condition have a significant impact on avian diversity. Today, these features can be assessed via remote sensing. This study examined how structure metrics from lidar data and narrowband indices from hyperspectral data relate with avian diversity. This was assessed in four deciduous-dominated woods with differing age and structure set in an agricultural matrix in eastern England. The woods were delineated into cells within which metrics of avian diversity and remote sensing based predictors were calculated. Best subset regression was used to obtain best lidar models, hyperspectral models and finally, the best models combining variables from both datasets. The aims were not only to examine the drivers of avian diversity, but to assess the capabilities of the two remote sensing techniques for the task. The amount of understorey vegetation was the best single predictor, followed by Foliage Height Diversity, reflectance at 830 nm, Anthocyanin Reflectance Index 1 and Vogelmann Red Edge Index 2. This showed the significance of the full vertical profile of vegetation, the condition of the upper canopy, and potentially tree species composition. The results thus agree with the role that vegetation structure, condition and floristics are assumed to have for diversity. However, the inclusion of hyperspectral data resulted in such minor improvements to models that its collection for these purposes should be assessed critically
This study examined the effects of pastoralism, including cattle grazing, on populations of three species of locally endemic and rare Peripodisma grasshoppers in calcareous grassland mountain habitats of northwestern Greece and southern Albania. The three Peripodisma species are on the IUCN Red List as near threatened, endangered, and critically endangered species, and cattle grazing had been identified as a key threat to the species. The study sites represented 70% of the known locations of Peripodisma genus. The region was historically grazed by local breeds of nomadic sheep and goats, but grazing practices had recently shifted to cattle grazing from non-local cattle breeds. We found a clear relationship between local abundance of Peripodisma and overall richness of Orthoptera communities. Orthoptera richness decreased at sites with medium to high impacts of livestock grazing. Cattle grazing had significant adverse effects on overall Orthoptera species richness and on Peripodisma abundance. Further studies are urgently needed to gather more data and information to guide grazing management and conservation planning that will provide a more balanced coexistence between livestock and Orthoptera, especially for the rare Peripodisma species that are in dire need of conservation management.
Ce rapport présente une étude faite au Guatemala dans le cadre d'une étude (PPC) à plus grande ampleur, au niveau de l'Amérique centrale, avec le CATIE. Le cadre principal de cette étude est l'agroforesterie à base de cacao. Le but du PCC est de présenter les cacaoyères avec des arbres supérieurs comme des agroforêts qui pourraient suppléer les forêts naturelles qui sont en perpétuel régression et sont remplacées, le plus souvent, par des monocultures. Il s'agit d'une étude en milieu tropical pour sauvegarder la biodiversité et l'environnement tout en permettant aux hommes de vivre et de se nourrir convenablement. Pour mon étude nous avons utilisé l'herpétofaune comme indicateur du milieu et des données floristiques pour caractériser les différents milieux. Le but de mon étude est de trouver un mode de gestion favorable aux cultures tout en préservant un maximum la qualité de l'environnement exprimé par la diversité de l'herpétofaune.
The use and evaluation of indicator taxa as surrogates for unsurveyed species in the identification of sites important to conservation is a widely researched field. However, support for the use of indicator taxa in reserve selection is often varied and conflicting. We consider that these discrepancies in the levels of support for different indicator approaches are often a result of the assessment techniques employed. Our results appear to confirm the assumption that the assessment technique influences the level of support for indicator taxa as biodiversity surrogates. Because the techniques examine different aspects of indicator approaches, we recommend consideration of final goals and standardization of techniques before the implementation of indicator-based approaches in conservation planning.
The increasing interest, and the actual necessity, for adequate means to evaluate how sustainable human activities are, has led to efforts to define indicators of sustainability. We propose the use of ecological indicators of sustainability that take into account the hierarchical structure of biodiversity, distinguishing composition, structure and function at the different levels of biological organization: ecosystem and landscape, community, and population and genetic levels. We evaluated the advantages of selecting and combining indicators of different hierarchical levels by examining several use and management projects. Examples of transformed land like large-scale plantations, perform well when evaluated by ecosystem-level indicators, but lead to neglect of some composition and structure components if evaluated at different levels. Limitations in using a small number of indicators become evident in cases of intensive exploitation of resources, such as the extractive reserves, which yield good results under the ecosystem and community levels, but fail under the population and genetic indicators. Wild species management, a common example of the use of population-level indicators, do not perform well under other indicators at broader scales. We also reviewed projects that are sustainable at different hierarchical levels, like some multispecific exploitation forestry management, in which harvesting of resources is at or below sustainable levels, selective extraction is performed, and where natural regeneration and recruitment of species is allowed. It is evident that the adequacy of indicators is not universal and must take into account the complexity of processes and variables involved in the different biological levels and human components, highlighting possible conflicts and contradictions, while increasing knowledge about maintenance of quality in the use and exploitation of resources that the relevant stakeholders regard as important.
The realization of conservation goals requires strategies for managing
whole landscapes including areas allocated to both production and protection.
Reserves alone are not adequate for nature conservation but they are the cornerstone
on which regional strategies are built. Reserves have two main roles. They
should sample or represent the biodiversity of each region and they should
separate this biodiversity from processes that threaten its persistence. Existing
reserve systems throughout the world contain a biased sample of biodiversity,
usually that of remote places and other areas that are unsuitable for commercial
activities. A more systematic approach to locating and designing reserves
has been evolving and this approach will need to be implemented if a large
proportion of today's biodiversity is to exist in a future of increasing numbers
of people and their demands on natural resources.
Biodiversity is presently a minor consideration in environmental policy. It has been regarded as too broad and vague a concept to be applied to real-world regulatory and management problems. This problem can be corrected if biodiversity is recognized as an end in itself, and if measurable indicators can be selected to assess the status of biodiversity over time. Biodiversity, as presently understood, encompasses multiple levels of biological organization. In this paper, I expand the three primary attributes of biodiversity recognized by Jerry Franklin — composition, structure, and function—into a nested hierarchy that incorporates elements of each attribute at four levels of organization: regional landscape, community-ecosystem, population-species, and genetic. Indicators of each attribute in terrestrial ecosystems, at the four levels of organization, are identified for environmental monitoring purposes. Projects to monitor biodiversity will benefit from a direct linkage to long-term ecological research and a commitment to test hypotheses relevant to biodiversity conservation. A general guideline is to proceed from the top down, beginning with a coarse-scale inventory of landscape pattern, vegetation, habitat structure, and species distributions, then overlaying data on stress levels to identify biologically significant areas at high risk of impoverishment. Intensive research and monitoring can be directed to high-risk ecosystems and elements of biodiversity, while less intensive monitoring is directed to the total landscape (or samples thereof). In any monitoring program, particular attention should be paid to specifying the questions that monitoring is intended to answer and validating the relationships between indicators and the components of biodiversity they represent.
Despite concern about the effects of tropical forest disturbance and clearance on biodiversity,, data on impacts, particularly on invertebrates, remain scarce. Here we report a taxonomically diverse inventory on the impacts of tropical forest modification at one locality. We examined a gradient from near-primary, through old-growth secondary and plantation forests to complete clearance, for eight animal groups (birds, butterflies, flying beetles, canopy beetles, canopy ants, leaf-litter ants, termites and soil nematodes) in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, south-central Cameroon. Although species richness generally declined with increasing disturbance, no one group serves as a good indicator taxon for changes in the species richness of other groups. Species replacement from site to site (turnover) along the gradient also differs between taxonomic groups. The proportion of `morphospecies' that cannot be assigned to named species and the number of `scientist-hours' required to process samples both increase dramatically for smaller-bodied taxa. Data from these eight groups indicate the huge scale of the biological effort required to provide inventories of tropical diversity, and to measure the impacts of tropical forest modification and clearance.
During a field study in 1983-1984 in a 200 km 2 study area in the south of Evros province (Greece) the presence of 11 lizard species was established. For every species a distribution map within the area is supplied. In different parts of the area thc lizards formed different species combinations. Ophisops elegans appeared to vicariate in certain terrains with both Podarcis erhardii and P. taurica. By studying habitat selection and activity patterns of all species data on spatial and temporal niche segregation could be obtained. The activity patterns of all species were strongly influenced by exposition and altitude. In some species a strong altitude influence was also measured on growth and some other life history data. Some pairs of morphologically or ecologically related species are compared in more detail. Some species occurred in very high densities (Lacerta viridis up to 500, Ablepharus kitaibelii up to 1100 ind./ha). Tail loss frequencies of all species are given. For many birds of prey they formed an essential food source.
At six different forest sites in Venezuela, we estimated the diversity and abundance of ants and nymphalid butterflies on the ground and in the canopy, and of plants. Statistical analysis using eight different diversity indices for each species group revealed large variations among them. Ground ants appeared to be the most reliable bioindicators, even when only the five most common species are considered. Results showed in addition that ground ant diversity is correlated to that of canopy ants and that vegetational diversity is linked to butterfly diversity but not to that of canopy ants. Ant species diversity in the canopy was always less than that on the ground. We conclude that no simple index or single taxon describes completely complex ecosystems, thus, biodiversity assessments require tools still to be developed.
The Dadia Forest Reserve, eastern Greek Thraki, is a dry and rocky area, most of it consisting of forested hills. A check-list of Orthoptera is given. The fauna is relatively poor, but some species are biogeographically important. Most interesting is the occurrence of the pamphagid Paranocarodes chopardi Pechev, 1965. The species is new to the Greek fauna. Its range is quite limited and the official protection status of the Dadia Forest Reserve will certainly help to prevent extinction
The region of Dadia, in Thrace, is of exceptional biological conservation interest. Research designed to develop biodiversity assessment methodologies was conducted in parts of it for two years. It focused, in particular, on the link between habitat types and the distribution of species richness for a number of bio-indicator groups, of which orchids was one. The paper summarises orchid observations collected in the course of field work and considers their habitat preferences and their particular conservation requirements
Conservation biologists have used surrogate species as a shortcut to monitor or solve conservation problems. Indicator species have been used to assess the magnitude of anthropogenic disturbance, to monitor population trends in other species, and to locate areas of high regional biodiversity. Umbrella species have been used to delineate the type of habitat or size of area for protection, and flagship species have been employed to attract public attention. Unfortunately, there has been considerable confusion over these terms, and several have been applied loosely and interchangeably. We attempt to provide some clarification and guidelines for the application of these different terms. For each type of surrogate, we briefly describe the way it has been used in conservation biology and then examine the criteria that managers and researchers use in selecting appropriate surrogate species. By juxtaposing these concepts, it becomes clear that both the goals and selection criteria of different surrogate classes differ substantially, indicating that they should not be conflated. This can be facilitated by first outlining the goals of a conservation study, explicitly stating the criteria involved in selecting a surrogate species, identifying a species according to these criteria, and then performing a pilot study to check whether the choice of species was appropriate before addressing the conservation problem itself. Surrogate species need to be used with greater care if they are to remain useful in conservation biology.
We investigated three procedures that may lead to rapid and accurate assessment of epigaeic arthropod biodiversity. They are: (1) the identification of taxa whose diversity is correlated with that of others; (2) the identification of times and methods of sampling that produce estimates of diversity representative of more intensive sampling; and (3) the use of morphospecies inventories generated by non-specialists. Ants, beetles, and spiders were sampled from four forest types, in three seasons, using two collecting methods: pitfall trapping and extraction from litter. Specimens were sorted by a non-specialist to morphospecies and by specialist taxonomists to species. Richness (alpha-diversity) and turnover (beta-diversity) were compared for different sampling regimes using morphospecies and species inventories. We found no significant positive correlations between ant, beetle, and spider species richness but there was a strong negative correlation between ant and beetle richness. For beetles alone, richness within the families Carabidae, Scarabaeidae, and Pselaphidae (i.e., avoiding taxonomically problematic families) was significantly correlated with richness within all other families. Assessment of turnover revealed that: (1) the four forest types contained significantly different assemblages of ants and beetles but not spiders and (2) the four forests were less clearly discriminated using species from the three beetle families Carabidae, Scarabaeidae, and Pselaphidae when compared to species from all beetle families pooled. Analyses of single sampling periods and methods revealed that summer and spring pitfall samples were most representative of more intensive sampling. That is: (1) the richness of ants and beetles in these samples was significantly positively correlated with the richness of all other samples and (2) turnover of beetles and ants among the four forests revealed by summer pitfall samples was similar to turnover using all samples. The three beetle surrogate families recorded by pitfall samples in spring, and to a lesser extent summer, showed significant correlations in richness with all other beetle species recorded in the same samples. However, the assessment of turnover was less accurate when only surrogate families were used. The most accurate and cost-effective assessment of turnover was generated by a summer pitfall sample in which data for ants, carabid, and scarab beetles were combined and analyzed as a single data set. Results were largely consistent regardless of whether species or morphospecies were used, which suggests that monitoring and assessment of terrestrial invertebrate biodiversity may be achieved by the careful use of morphospecies. Our results also suggest those invertebrate taxa, sampling methods, and sampling periods that yield the most consistent and reliable assessment of epigaeic invertebrate biodiversity in Australian temperate hardwood forests. However, empirical studies that follow the protocols discussed in this paper are urgently required in different environments. These studies may point the way to more representative monitoring and assessment of terrestrial biodiversity.
The efficient representation of all species in conservation planning is problematic. Often, species distribution is assessed
by dividing the land into a grid; complementary sets of grids, in which each taxon is represented at least once, are then
sought. To determine if this approach provides useful surrogate information, species and higher taxon data for South African
plants and animals were analyzed. Complementary species sets did not coincide and overlapped little with higher taxon sets.
Survey extent and taxonomic knowledge did not affect this overlap. Thus, the assumptions of surrogacy, on which so much conservation
planning is based, are not supported.
Geographic distribution data for endangered species in the United States were used to locate "hot spots" of threatened biodiversity. The hot spots for different species groups rarely overlap, except where anthropogenic activities reduce natural habitat in centers of endemism. Conserving endangered plant species maximizes the incidental protection of all other species groups. The presence of endangered birds and herptiles, however, provides a more sensitive indication of overall endangered biodiversity within any region. The amount of land that needs to be managed to protect currently endangered and threatened species in the United States is a relatively small proportion of the land mass.
Biologists have identified 25 areas, called biodiversity hotspots, that are especially rich in endemic species and particularly threatened by human activities. The human population dynamics of these areas, however, are not well quantified. Here we report estimates of key demographic variables for each hotspot, and for three extensive tropical forest areas that are less immediately threatened. We estimate that in 1995 more than 1.1 billion people, nearly 20% of world population, were living within the hotspots, an area covering about 12% of Earth's terrestrial surface. We estimate that the population growth rate in the hotspots (1995-2000) is 1.8% yr(-1), substantially higher than the population growth rate of the world as a whole (1.3% yr(-1)) and above that of the developing countries (1.6% yr(-1)). These results suggest that substantial human-induced environmental changes are likely to continue in the hotspots and that demographic change remains an important factor in global biodiversity conservation. The results also underline the potential conservation significance of the continuing worldwide declines in human fertility and of policies and programs that influence human migration.
This book comprises eleven individually authored papers on various aspects of the measurement and estimation of biodiversity: conceptual aspects of the quantification of the extent of biological diversity; biodiversity at the molecular level - the domains, kingdoms and phyla of life; the quantification of plant diversity through time; phylogenetic pattern and the quantification of organismal biodiversity; biodiversity at the molecular genetic level - experiences from disparate macroorganisms; theoretical and practical aspects of the quantification of biodiversity among organisms; selecting indicator taxa for the quantitative assessment of biodiversity; the quantification of biodiversity - an esoteric quest or a vital component of sustainable dvelopment?; a comparison of the efficacy of higher taxa and species numbers in the assessment of the biodiversity in the neotropics; estimating terrestrial biodiversity through extrapolation; and practical approaches to the estimation of the extent of biodiversity in speciose groups. All chapters are abstracted separately. -S.R.Harris
The investigation of six vertebrate taxa (viz freshwater fish, frogs, tortoises and terrapins, snakes, birds, and various mammal orders) at a national scale reveals that hotspots of species richness, endemism and rarity are not coincident within taxa. In order to design a more representative reserve system to protect all vertebrate species, a complementarity algorithm was applied to all taxa, combined and separately. The combined analysis yielded more efficient results (66 reserves are required to represent all 1074 species at least once) than the separate analyses (97 reserves). Many of these representative reserves coincide with both hotspots and existing reserves, and over 85% of the hotspots of most taxa coincide with existing reserves; thus South Africa's vertebrate fauna could be more effectively protected with only moderate acquisition of new, well-sited reserves. -from Author
Although the uses and merits of terrestrial insects as indicators have been extensively discussed, there is a lack of clear definition, goal directedness and hypothesis testing in studies in the field. In an attempt to redress some of these issues and outline an approach for further studies, three categories of terrestrial insect indicators, corresponding to differences in their application, are proposed, i.e. environmental, ecological and biodiversity indicators. The procedures in terrestrial insect bioindicator studies should start with a clear definition of the study objectives and proposed use of the bioindicator, as well as with a consideration of the scale at which the study is to be carried out. Bioindication studies are conducted at a variety of spatial and temporal scales within the contest of earth-system processes, but the objectives of the study will largely determine the scale at which it would be optimally conducted. There is a tendency for studies to be conducted below their space-time scaling functions, giving them apparent predictability. The selection of potential indicator taxa or groups is then based on a priori suitability criteria, the identification of predictive relationships between the indicator and environmental variables and, most importantly, the development and testing of hypotheses according to the correlative patterns found. Finally, recommendations for the use of the indicator in monitoring should be made. Although advocating rigorous, long-term protocols to identify indicators may presently be questionable in the face of the urgency with which conservation decisions have to be made, this approach is critical if bioindicators are to be used with any measurable degree of confidence.
The family of tiger beetles (Cicindelidae) is an appropriate indicator taxon for determining regional patterns of biodiversity because (1) its taxonomy is stabilized; (2) its biology and general life history are well understood, (3) individuals are readily observed and manipulated in the field, (4) the family occurs world-wide and in a broad range of habitat types; (5) each species tends to be specialized within a narrow habitat; (6) patterns of species richness are highly correlated with those of other vertebrate and invertebrate taxa; and (7) the taxon includes species of potential economic importance. Logistical advantages provide some of the strongest arguments for selecting tiger beetles as an appropriate indicator taxon. Species numbers of tiger beetles are relatively well known for 129 countries. Eight countries alone account for more than half the world total of 2028 known species. Species numbers are also indicated for eleven biogeographical zones of the world. For gridded squares across North America, the Indian subcontinent, and Australia, species richness of tiger beetles, birds, and butterflies shows significant positive correlations. However, tiger beetle species numbers can be reliably determined within fifty hours on a single site, compared to months or years for birds or butterflies, and the advantage of using tiger beetles in conservation biology is evident
An important question in conservation biology is whether the biodiversity of different taxa is correlated. We studied the extent to which the number of species of six different taxa—plants, birds, butterflies, bumblebees, ground beetles, and dung beetles—in 31 Swedish seminatural grasslands covary, and whether species diversity can be related to habitat variables. During 1996 and 1997, we surveyed plants and animals with appropriate techniques for each taxa and mapped the grassland habitat. In general, correlations between taxa were few. Grassland plant diversity (currently used as an indicator for conservation value) was only significantly positively correlated to total bird diversity. Bumblebee diversity was significantly positively related to both total and grassland butterflies, whereas there was a significant negative relationship between grassland birds and dung beetles. Plants, birds, bumblebees, and butterflies showed significant similarities in patterns of species composition, as did birds, butterflies, grassland butterflies, and ground beetles. The total number of plants and both subsets of birds (total and grassland) were significantly positively related to area, whereas there was a significant negative association between area and dung-beetle diversity. The diversity of both butterflies and bumblebees was significantly negatively related to the proportion of short-grazed field layer. Bumblebees showed a positive relationship with junipers, whereas ground beetles and grassland birds were negatively associated with trees. The total number of bird species was positively influenced by the occurrence of shrubs. Our results suggest that neither the species richness of grassland plants nor that of any other of the surveyed taxa can be used as an indicator for total biodiversity in seminatural grasslands. The lack of similar patterns of species composition among taxa also makes it difficult to define functional groups with similar habitat demands. Until we have more detailed knowledge of the demands of species and taxa, it is important that we direct management efforts so that we provide a wide spectrum of grassland characteristics.
Resumen: Una pregunta importante para la biología de la conservación es si se correlaciona la biodiversidad de los distintos taxones. Estudiamos hasta donde varía y se relaciona el número de especies de seis diferentes taxones (plantas, aves, mariposas, abejas, escarabajos terrestres y coprófagos) con variables del hábitat en 31 pastizales seminaturales en Suecia. Durante 1996 y 1997 muestreamos plantas y animales mediante técnicas adecuadas para cada taxa y mapeamos el hábitat del pastizal. En general, las correlaciones entre taxones fueron pocas. La diversidad de plantas de pastizal (actualmente utilizada como un indicador de valor de conservación) sólo estuvo significativamente correlacionada positivamente con la diversidad total de aves. La diversidad de abejas se relacionó significativa y positivamente tanto con la diversidad total de mariposas y de pastizales, mientras que hubo una relación significativa negativa entre las aves de pastizal y los escarabajos coprófagos. Las plantas, aves, abejas y mariposas mostraron semejanzas significativas en cuanto a composición de especies, tales como las aves, mariposas, mariposas de pastizal y escarabajos terrestres. El total de plantas y ambos subconjuntos de aves (total y pastizal) se relacionaron significativa y positivamente con el área, mientras que hubo una asociación significativa negativa entre área y diversidad de escarabajos coprófagos. La diversidad tanto de mariposas como de abejas se relacionó significativa y negativamente con la proporción del estrato de campo poco pastoreada. Las abejas mostraron una relación positiva con árboles, mientras que los escarabajos terrestres y las aves de pastizal se asociaron negativamente con los árboles. El total de especies de aves estuvo influenciado positivamente por la ocurrencia de arbustos. Nuestros resultados sugieren que ni la riqueza de especies de plantas de pastizal ni los otros taxones muestreados pueden ser utilizados como un indicador de la biodiversidad total de pastizales seminaturales. La falta de patrones similares en la composición de especies entre taxones también dificulta la definición de grupos funcionales con demandas similares de hábitat. Mientras no haya conocimientos más detallados sobre las demandas de especies y taxones, es importante que dirijamos nuestros esfuerzos de manejo a proporcionar un amplio espectro de características de los pastizales.
Conservation of biodiversity in semi-natural pastures of Sweden is based mainly on management prescriptions to increase botanical values (i.e., species richness of vascular plants confined to pastures), assuming plants to be good indicators of overall biodiversity. We compared species richness and abundance of 29 species of farmland birds breeding in 88 semi-natural pastures of different conservation value as evaluated by a nation-wide inventory of semi-natural pastures in Sweden. We tested whether there was an association between existing measures of conservation value, based mainly on the species richness and rarity of vascular plants, and three species richness subsets of farmland birds. Species richness of all farmland birds, decreasing farmland birds, and dry pasture birds were not associated with the botanical conservation value of pastures. Pastures surrounded by open farmland contained significantly more farmland bird species and more decreasing farmland species than pastures located at forest-field edges within the same landscape. In addition, richness of all farmland bird species, decreasing farmland species, and decreasing dry pasture species increased significantly with increasing pasture area and increasing proportion of a short field layer (reflecting grazing intensity). The species richness of decreasing dry-pasture species of birds was also weakly positively correlated with the proportion of the field layer being artificially fertilized. Our results suggest that there are only weak relationships if any between species richness in birds and vascular plants at the local scale (2–15 ha), so using vascular plants as indicators of overall biodiversity may be unreliable. The present management prescription of intensive grazing to increase overall biodiversity is not supported by the literature on invertebrates, birds, and plants. We suggest that future management of semi-natural pastures should be revised to include a relaxed grazing intensity, which may increase heterogeneity of field layer height, allowing larger areas to be grazed with a given stock size, and may increase meat and milk production due to a higher quality of grazing.
Resumen: La conservación de la biodiversidad en pastizales seminaturales de Suecia se basa principalmente en medidas de manejo para incrementar sus valores botánicos (i.e., riqueza de especies de plantas vasculares confinadas a los pastizales), asumiendo que las plantas son buenos indicadores de la biodiversidad total. Comparamos la riqueza de especies y la abundancia de 29 especies de aves asociadas a cultivos en 88 pastizales con diferentes valores de conservación identificados por un inventario nacional de pastizales seminaturales en Suecia. Probamos si había asociación entre las medidas de valores de conservación existentes, basadas principalmente en la riqueza y rareza de plantas vasculares y tres subconjuntos de riqueza de especies de aves. La riqueza de especies total, la disminución de aves asociadas a cultivos y a pastizales secos no se relacionó con los valores botánicos de conservación de los pastizales. Pastizales rodeados por campos abiertos presentaron significativamente más especies de aves asociadas a cultivos que pastizales localizados en el borde de bosques. Además, la riqueza de especies de aves asociadas a cultivos, la disminución de especies asociadas a cultivos y la disminución de especies de pastizales secos aumentó considerablemente con el incremento de la superficie del pastizal y de la proporción de una capa de camo corta (reflejo de la intensidad de forrajeo). La riqueza de especies de aves en pastizales secos también se correlacionó débil y positivamente con la procorción de la capa de campo fertilizada artificialmente. Nuestoros resultados sugieren que, si acaso, solo hay relaciones débiles entre la riqueza de especies de aves y de plantas vasculares a nivel local (2–15 ha). El uso de plantas vasculares como indicadores de la biodiversidad total puede ser poco confiable. La recomendación de manejo para forrajeo intensivo para incrementar la biodiversidad no esta sustentada por la literatura sobre invertebrados, aves y plantas. Sugerimos que, en el futuro, la conservación de pastizales seminaturales sea revisada para incluir una intensidad de forrajeo intermedia, que puede incrementar la heterogeneidad de la altura de la capa de campo, con lo que se incrementará la superficie de forrajeo. La producción de leche y carne también incrementará como consecuencia de la mejor calidad de forrajeo.
