Mycotoxins in developing countries: A case study of maize in Nepal

Maize (Zea mays) is an important food crop in the foothills of the Nepal Himalaya Mountains. Surveys have found that maize in Nepal is contaminated withFusarium species, mainlyF. verticillioides andF. proliferatum, which produce fumonisins, andF. graminearum, which produces trichothecenes, mainly nivalenol and 4-deoxynivalenol. Maize from smallholder farms and markets is often contaminated with fumonisins and trichothecenes above 1000 ng/g, a level of concern for human health. These mycotoxins were not eliminated by traditional fermentation for producing maize beer, but Nepalese women were able to detoxify contaminated maize by hand-sorting visibly disease kernels. An integrated approach to reduce mycotoxins risks in maize in Nepal and other developing countries should include plant breeding to produce ear rot resistant cultivars, along with education in mycotoxins risks and in agricultural and grain storage practices to reduce mycotoxin contamination. Presented at the EU-USA Bilateral Workshop on Toxigenic Fungi & Mycotoxins, New Orleans, USA, July 5–7, 2005     

Both habitat change and local lek structure influence patterns of spatial loss and recovery in a black grouse population

Land use change is a major driver of declines in wildlife populations. Where human economic or recreational interests and wildlife share landscapes this problem is exacerbated. Changes in UK black grouse Tetrao tetrix populations are thought to have been strongly influenced by upland land use change. In a long-studied population within Perthshire, lek persistence is positively correlated with lek size, and remaining leks clustered most strongly within the landscape when the population is lowest, suggesting that there may be a demographic and/or spatial context to the reaction of the population to habitat changes. Hierarchical cluster analysis of lek locations revealed that patterns of lek occupancy when the population was declining were different to those during the later recovery period. Response curves from lek-habitat models developed using MaxEnt for periods with a declining population, low population, and recovering population were consistent across years for most habitat measures. We found evidence linking lek persistence with habitat quality changes and more leks which appeared between 1994 and 2008 were in improving habitat than those which disappeared during the same period. Generalised additive models identified changes in woodland and starting lek size as being important indicators of lek survival between declining and low/recovery periods. There may also have been a role for local densities in explaining recovery since the population low point. Persistence of black grouse leks was influenced by habitat, but changes in this alone did not fully account for black grouse declines. Even when surrounded by good quality habitat, leks can be susceptible to extirpation due to isolation.     

农业区城市化对植物多样性的影响:遵化的研究

选择河北省遵化市(39°55'～40°22'N,117°34'～118°14'E),调查了城郊和乡村在东南西北4个方向上以及市区的植物多样性,同时考察了不同取样点土壤养分的差异结果表明,西部和北部接近,而东部和南部的土壤养分特殊,城郊与乡村明显差异;西部物种丰富度低于其它方向,而南部最高,这种差异由草本造成;城市与东南西北4个方向的生物多样性差异明显;城市植物多样性与城郊和乡村呈现梯度变化;本研究统计的物种总数只有126种,而与之同纬度的北京东灵山区却有高等植物997种.城市化的影响是引进了一些观赏物种,区域地形和土壤养分等自然特征的影响微弱.     

Linking species assemblages to environmental change: Moving beyond the specialist-generalist dichotomy

Environmental changes due to land use developments, climate change and nitrogen deposition have profound influences on species assemblages. Investigating the dynamics in species composition as a function of underlying traits may increase our understanding of ecosystem functioning and provide a basis for effective conservation strategies. Here, I use a broad array of species traits for butterflies to identify four main components of associated traits. These reflect the spatial use of the landscape, abiotic vulnerability, developmental rate and phenology, and food specialisation, respectively. The first three trait components each contribute to determine Red List status, but only the developmental rate and phenology component is related to recent population trends. I argue that the latter component reflects the environmental impact of nutrient availability and microclimate, as affected by nitrogen deposition. This perspective sheds a new light on ongoing changes in community composition. Thus, a multidimensional view of trait associations allows us to move beyond the simplistic specialist–generalist dichotomy, renew our view on species-specific studies and help in setting new priorities for conservation.     

Incorporating livelihoods in biodiversity conservation: a case study of cacao agroforestry systems in Talamanca,Costa Rica

Over the past two decades, various organizations have promoted cacao agroforestry systems as a tool for biodiversity conservation in the Bribri-Cabécar indigenous territories of Talamanca, Costa Rica. Despite these efforts, cacao production is declining and is being replaced by less diverse systems that have lower biodiversity value. Understanding the factors that influence household land use is essential in order to promote cacao agroforestry systems as a viable livelihood strategy. We incorporate elements of livelihoods analyses and socioeconomic data to examine cacao agroforestry systems as a livelihood strategy compared with other crops in Talamanca. Several factors help to explain the abandonment of cacao agroforestry systems and their conversion to other land uses. These factors include shocks and trends beyond the control of households such as crop disease and population growth and concentration, as well as structures and processes such as the shift from a subsistence to a cash-based economy, relative prices of cacao and other cash crops, and the availability of market and government support for agriculture. We argue that a livelihoods approach provides a useful framework to examine the decline of cacao agroforestry systems and generates insights on how to stem the rate of their conversion to less diverse land uses.     

农业区域市化对植物多样性的影响：遵化的研究

选择河北省遵化市(39°55'～40°22'N,117°34'～118°14'E),调查了城郊和乡村在东南西北4个方向上以及市区的植物多样性,同时考察了不同取样点土壤养分的差异结果表明,西部和北部接近,而东部和南部的土壤养分特殊,城郊与乡村明显差异;西部物种丰富度低于其它方向,而南部最高,这种差异由草本造成;城市与东南西北4个方向的生物多样性差异明显;城市植物多样性与城郊和乡村呈现梯度变化;本研究统计的物种总数只有126种,而与之同纬度的北京东灵山区却有高等植物997种.城市化的影响是引进了一些观赏物种,区域地形和土壤养分等自然特征的影响微弱.     

区域生态服务价值对土地利用变化的响应——以重庆市沙坪坝区为例

土地利用通过生态进程与服务间的相互作用影响生态系统提供的产品与服务.本研究以重庆市沙坪坝区为例,采用GIS与实地调查,运用Costanza等提出的生态服务价值系数,结合敏感度分析,探讨了区域生态服务价值对土地利用变化的响应.结果表明,重庆市沙坪坝区在1992～2002年间生态服务价值从1.74×10⁷ ＄降低到1.68×10⁷ ＄,净损失5.40×10⁵ ＄,平均土地净损失生态服务价值13.62＄·hm^-2;赋予各种土地利用类型生态服务价值系数的大小对区域总的生态服务价值变化影响不明显,其变化趋于相对稳定;耕地、林地和园地生物量生态服务价值系数总和接近于区域真实值,水域生态服务价值系数偏大,调整30%为每年5 667＄·hm^-2,更接近于真实值;运用现状数据库、变更数据库和Costanza模型估算区域土地利用变化导致生态服务价值变化切实可行,可为区域土地利用效益评价及土地利用规划提供借鉴.     

Effectiveness of natural protected areas to prevent land use and land cover change in Mexico

This study evaluated the extent to which natural protected areas (NPAs) in Mexico have been effective for preventing land use/land cover change, considered as a major cause of other degradation processes. We developed an effectiveness index including NPA percentage of transformed areas (agriculture, induced vegetation, forestry plantations, and human settlements) in 2002, the rate and absolute extent of change in these areas (1993–2002), the comparison between rates of change observed inside the NPA and in an equivalent surrounding area, and between the NPA and the state(s) in which it is located. We chose 69 terrestrial federal NPAs, decreed before 1997, that were larger than 1,000 ha, not urban/reforested with non-native vegetation, not islands and not coastal strips, and estimated the extent of transformed areas using 1993 and 2002 land use/land cover maps. Over 54% of NPAs were effective, and were heterogeneously distributed by management categories: 65% of Biosphere Reserves, 53% of Flora and Fauna Protection Areas, and 45% of National Parks. 23% of NPAs were regarded as weakly effective, and the remaining 23% as non-effective. We recognize the importance of NPAs as a relevant conservation instrument, as half of NPAs analyzed (particularly biosphere reserves) prevented natural vegetation loss compared with their geographic context. Our results suggest that conservation based on NPAs in Mexico still faces significant challenges. Our approach can be expanded for evaluating the effectiveness of NPA in other regions, as land use/land cover maps are now available almost worldwide.     

Indigenous Medicine and Primary Health Care: The Importance of Lay Knowledge and Use of Medicinal Plants in Rural South Africa

Indigenous medicine is important to rural livelihoods, but lay knowledge and use of medicinal plants has not been extensively studied. Research in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, showed that medicinal plants were frequently used by villagers and contributed to their ability to cope with health problems. Knowledge of plants and household remedies was extensive and varied in that households often held different knowledge. Villagers mainly relied on common species, and were generally aware of alternative species for a certain ailment. People were flexible in their use of indigenous and western health care, which were both perceived as beneficial. Improved cooperation between health care systems could improve health standards. Extraction of medicinal plants has been described as unsustainable in the region—a situation not found in the study area. It is argued that conservation policies aimed to restrict access should be differential and potentially not include local consumption, since this may be ecologically unnecessary and entail local hardships.     

Identification of hotspots of at-risk terrestrial vertebrate species in the south-central Great Plains of North America: A tool to inform and address regional-scale conservation

Biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate, and resources for conservation efforts are limited. This is particularly problematic in the Great Plains of North America, where land-cover conversion for agriculture and energy production has reduced habitat for many species. In the U.S. portion of the Great Plains, a growing human population and a concomitant increasing need for food, fiber, and energy have caused landscape transformations that have resulted in over 700 vertebrate species currently being listed by state and federal conservation agencies as being at-risk in this region. Conservation efforts for such a large number of species will be most efficient when applied to areas with large numbers of these species, but such areas have never before been identified. We overlaid range maps created by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Gap Analysis Program for terrestrial vertebrate species to identify hotspots of high concentrations of U.S. state-defined Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN; species that have identified as being rare or otherwise vulnerable enough to warrant conservation action in a given state) in the short- and mixed-grass prairie ecoregions of the southern and central Great Plains of the United States. We identified hotspots for species currently listed as SGCN as well as those pending designation, and a combined (current and pending) group. We then used data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Protected Areas Database on land ownership and from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service on land use/land cover to quantify the types of land ownership and land use/land cover types in hotspots to give land managers necessary information to address conservation of at-risk species in the Great Plains. Sufficient data were present for examination of 289 at-risk terrestrial vertebrate species. Hotspots of these species were located mostly on state- or federally-managed land in eastern New Mexico, Colorado, and west Texas. The current hottest hotspots were associated with areas with more natural/less anthropogenic forms of land use/land cover; areas with the lowest numbers of SGCNs had proportionately more cropland and less grassland than did hotspots. Identifying regional hotspots of at-risk biodiversity, and describing land use/land cover features associated with such areas, offers an opportunity to take a multi-species approach in more precisely establishing areas of conservation concern in the U.S.     

The effects of population density changes on ecosystem services value: A case study in Western Jilin,China

In recent decades, the semi-arid ecosystem of China's Western Jilin province has changed dramatically due to intensive human activities. This article simulated the population density in Western Jilin using a Kernel Density Estimation method and explored the influence of population density on both the value and structure of ecosystem services in various regions. The results showed that lower population density correlated with higher values of ecosystem services per unit area. Apart from food production value, the value of each type of ecosystem service per unit area decreased as population density increased, with the greatest change observed in the value of waste disposal and the lowest in the value of raw materials. Analysis of demographic change on the structure of ecosystem services value produced a Gourd Phenomenon. Sensitivity analysis showed that the sensitivity coefficient of farmland ecosystems was highest, followed by wetland ecosystems and water ecosystems. Therefore, we should restore farmland to grassland and wetland (with its associated rivers and lakes) when reconstructing the eco-environment in Western Jilin.     

Factors affecting fruit set in Aizoaceae species of the Succulent Karoo

By reducing the number of flowers and fruits, intense grazing activities of domestic livestock are considered to have negative effects on the plant recruitment of perennial plants in the Succulent Karoo, South Africa. In the present study, the fruit set of six perennial species belonging to the Aizoaceae was investigated under two different grazing intensities. Two species (Cheiridopsis imitans and Leipoldtia schultzei) were examined more closely to determine whether factors other than grazing impact fruit production of these plants. Apart from reproductive output, the population structure of these two species was explored in heavily and slightly grazed areas.For all investigated species, heavy livestock grazing was identified as a major threat to fruit production. Deviations from this pattern were recorded in a drought year, when harsh weather conditions reduced herd sizes dramatically and the usually high grazing pressure was alleviated. However, detailed analyses revealed that also other biotic factors can cause severe fruit and flower losses even exceeding that caused by grazing. Caterpillars of the noctuid moth, Diaphone eumela, and two rodent species, Otomys unisulcatus and Rhabdomys pumilio, proved to be further important herbivores of flowers and fruits. Experiments with caged plants, excluding livestock from grazing, confirmed though that livestock grazing definitely accounts for a continuous reduction of fruit production. Insufficient pollination success was another parameter reducing fruit set; however, this was almost exclusively observed under low grazing pressure.     

Conservation with a Gun: Understanding Landowner Attitudes to Deer Hunting in the Scottish Highlands

Conservation conflicts are often difficult to resolve due to a combination of poorly defined property rights, inadequate funding, high transaction costs, and contrasting value systems among stakeholders. This paper explores these barriers to collaboration in the context of the emerging deer crisis in the Scottish Highlands, where deer numbers are now higher than at any time in recorded history. In particular we explore the potential role of recreational hunting in the government’s strategy to contain rising deer numbers from the landowners’ perspective. Using both qualitative and quantitative analysis we find that hunting traditions and personal preferences, reinforced by antipathy to conservationists and their perceptions of land stewardship, are the major barriers to shooting more deer for conservation objectives. We conclude that an expansion of commercial hunting opportunities is the best practical approach to resolving the current conflict over deer, but conservationists and landowners must work together to create a more positive context for hunter-conservation initiatives and activities.

Assessment of land use changes through an indicator-based approach: A case study from the Lamone river basin in Northern Italy

This study has been performed in order to evaluate the land use changes and related environmental impacts which occurred in recent decades in the Lamone river basin (Northern Italian Apennines). Using the DPSIR indicator-based approach, agricultural land use changes and conversions occurred within the periods 1976–1994 and 1994–2003, have been associated with the shortage of water in the river and the modification of the landscape structure. Results show that Lamone river basin in 1976 was mainly dominated by forest (27.4%) and cropland (32.3%) and through the entire period the valley presented a strong persistence of land uses and the main conversions detected are afforestation and agricultural intensification. The hydrological balance analysis results indicate that the agricultural intensification process produced a water deficit in summer periods equal to 0.89 mln m³ in 2003. The landscape of the Lamone valley became more homogeneous, showing a decrease in diversity (Shannon Diversity Index values decreased from 1.81 to 1.58) and the riparian corridor became more human-dominated (Human Habitat values increased from 0.61 to 0.77). An integrated assessment of possible management options has been conducted, using the MULINO-DSS software as a support. Thirteen different management scenarios have been produced in order to solve the water balance issue and to enhance the riparian corridor. Attributing equal weight to the environmental, social and economical criteria, the best solution corresponds to the sole creation of artificial basins and the actual situation is placed at position 8 (out of 13).     

Spatial and temporal dynamics of the male effective population size in bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Eusociality and male haploidy of bumblebees (Bombus spp.) enhance the deleterious effects of population decline and aggravate the degeneration of population fitness compared to solitary and diploid species. The highly dispersive male sex may be the prime driver to connect otherwise isolated populations. We therefore studied the temporal and spatial structure of the male population of Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus 1758) and Bombus lapidarius (Linnaeus 1758) using microsatellite DNA markers. We found that the majority of the males in a 1000 m2 sampling area originated from colonies located outside of the workers foraging range, which was consistent with the genetic distances among colonies. The analyses of temporal population sub-structure based on both colony detection rate over time and the clustering software STRUCTURE consistently suggested one large and temporally unstructured male population. Our results indicate an extended male flight distance for both species. Though the range of queen dispersal remains to be studied, the effective size (N _e) of bumblebees is increased by extended male mating flight ranges (A _m ) exceeding worker foraging distance by factor 1.66 (A _m  = 69.75 km²) and 1.74 (A _m  = 13.41 km²), B. terrestris and B. lapidarius, respectively. Thus this behaviour may counteract genetic deprivation and its effects. All populations were genetically highly diverse and showed no signs of inbreeding. We discuss the implications of our findings in context of bumblebee population dynamics and conservation. We also highlight the effects and benefits of sampling both workers and males for population genetic studies.     

Regional ecosystem health response to rural land use change: A case study in Lijiang City,China

Quantitative analysis of the response of ecosystem health to rural land use change is required to comprehend the human-nature coupling mechanism and to explore the process of global environmental change, which can interpret the ecological effects of regional land use and land cover change comprehensively. However, the existing regional ecosystem health assessment largely ignored either the internal connection of ecosystem health to land use patterns or the internal representation of ecosystem services to ecosystem health. Using Lijiang City of China as a study area, the average normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), landscape metrics, and ecosystem elasticity coefficient based on different land use types were used as quantitative indicators. Then the coefficient of spatial neighboring effect was introduced to characterize the adjacency effect on ecosystem services, and to generate the index of integrated ecosystem health. The results showed the change of land use was close to 30% at county level from 1986 to 2006, and forest land was the primary land use type. With respect to the declining physical health of ecosystems in all the four counties, the integrated health experienced a slight increase in Lijiang County. The vast majority of towns’ ecosystem physical health and integrated health declined, while more than 70% of towns did not change distinctly. Ecosystem physical health had distinct influence on the integrated ecosystem health, and ecosystem vitality was the main factor affecting the condition of physical health. Emphasized in the interconnection of pattern and process, this study provided an ecosystem health approach to assessing the integrated ecological effects of regional land use change.     

Perceptions, use and availability of woody plants among the Gourounsi in Burkina Faso

The present study was conducted in five villages around the Nazinga Game Ranch, Burkina Faso. Fifty informants of the Gourounsi ethnic group were used. Eighty-one useful woody species were identified, out of a total of 110 woody species in the area. Woody plant use was quantified as: edible fruits (28 species), vegetable sauce (22 species), firewood (33 species), construction (29 species) and medicine (64 species and 167 remedies). Further, species accumulation curves were used to estimate that more than 650 remedies for medicine are used in the area. The community's knowledge of plants was analysed in relation to age, gender, village of residence and amount of intercultural visits. The knowledge pattern was remarkably uniform, with only two variations: (1) men generally identified more edible fruit trees than women, and (2) one village reported more firewood species than the other four villages. The informants had a variety of opinions concerning the availability of useful plants, but the majority found the availability to be fine and 47% of the informants searched for useable products in the savanna on a daily basis. No correlation was found between an informant's impression of useful products availability and his/her frequency of visits into the savanna. The results show that the Gourounsi people live in intimate relation with the savanna surrounding their villages. They are aware of the environment and are willing to learn and adopt new conservation practices.     

Patterns of use and knowledge of wild edible plants in distinct ecological environments: a case study of a Mapuche community from northwestern Patagonia

The multiple use of distinct ecological environments in the search for wild resources has been practiced since ancestral times in aboriginal communities inhabiting northwestern Patagonia. This paper examines the actual use and knowledge of wild edible plants in a Mapuche community presently settled in one of the most arid areas of Patagonia, far from the temperate forests where their ancestors used to live. The difference between knowledge of and use of wild plants is analyzed emphasizing that these differences could contribute to the understanding of eroding processes believed to be occurring in the community. These objectives are studied quantitatively by utilizing ethnobotanical indices, partially derived from ecological theory. Our results indicate that the Paineo dwellers still utilize multiple ecological gathering environments and have thorough plant knowledge of both native and exotic species. The Andean forest, more than 50km away from this community, is the environment from which the Paineo dwellers know the greatest total richness and the highest diversity of wild edible plants, followed by the Monte–Steppe species and lastly, those growing around their homes. The transmission of wild edible plant knowledge in the Paineo community diminishes with age, and the forest plants are the most vulnerable to loss. Our results have shown that the knowledge and consumption of wild edible plants follows a pattern according to ecological conditions of the gathering environments, as well as the cultural heritage of the Paineo people.