Threatened vascular plant species in spontaneously revegetated post‐mining sites

The occurrence of threatened vascular plant species has been occasionally reported from some disturbed sites. Nevertheless, almost nothing is known about the conservation potential of post‐mining habitats for vascular plant species at a landscape scale. We asked how much threatened species occur in the artificial habitats, and if the participation of particular threatened species categories differ over the course of succession. We studied 10 successional series running in 321 post‐mining sites across the Czech Republic, Central Europe. In total, 2,597 vegetation samples comprising 935 vascular plant species were analyzed. We found 235 threatened species (14% of the country's threatened flora). The majority of the threatened plants, namely 223, avoided plots overgrown by woody species, in which only 48 species occurred. The importance of spontaneously revegetated habitats for nature conservation differed among successional stages formed by discontinuous vegetation cover (not fully developed and still open, up to approximately 25 years since site abandonment), which harbored especially critically endangered species of open habitats, and continuous vegetation cover (fully developed and closed, over approximately 25 years), which was suitable for specialized threatened species typical of fully established vegetation. A mosaic of various successional stages comprising both categories of vegetation cover should be applied as an effective restoration solution to maintain a variety of habitats for threatened species.     

Biodiversity conservation in a fast-growing metropolitan area in China: a case study of plant diversity in Beijing

As the capital of China, Beijing has experienced extensive urbanization in the past two decades. To explore the effect of urbanization on plant diversity, we investigated the vascular plant diversity of the whole Beijing Municipality in three different functional (urban, suburban and exurban) regions. For its geo-diversity, Beijing has a rather abundant vascular plant diversity (2,276 species), including 207 species of conservation concern such as endemic, threatened and protected species. The exurban region had not only the highest species diversity (1,998 species), but also the most species of conservation concern (194 species). Urban region possessed the maximum alien species in terms of both absolute number and proportional representation, while the suburban region had the least species diversity (1,026 species). Some problems, such as wetland shrink and biological invasions, were common in the whole Beijing Municipality. However, primary threats to biodiversity differed in the three functional regions. The urban and suburban regions mainly suffered from habitat loss and fragmentation due to urban sprawl, while the exurban region faced serious ecosystem degradation from increasing disturbance from both local and urban people. Based on our investigation, we put forward conservation strategies for the three regions: improving the structure and ecological function of green spaces in urban region, preserving as much remnant natural habitats in the suburban region, and restricting the rural tourism and establishing a biosphere reserve in the exurban region. In addition, improving public education and orientating that more to social aspects of conservation practice is strongly recommended.     

海南鹦哥岭自然保护区的珍稀濒危植物与保育

对鹦哥岭的珍稀濒危植物进行野外调查表明,本区共有野生分布的珍稀濒危植物79种,隶属于47科71属。其中属于1999年国家重点一级保护4种,如海南苏铁(Cycas hainansis)、坡垒(Hopea hainansis)、台湾苏铁(Cy-cas taiwaniana)和伯乐树(Bretschneidera sinensis),国家二级保护14种。建议将18种列入国家保护名录中,20种列入省级保护名录,其中有30种为海南特有种。鹦哥岭珍稀濒危植物面临的威胁主要有原始森林面积的减少、人为毁林开荒和分布区限制。针对珍稀濒危植物的现状和受到的威胁,提出了应重点加强保护的6个地点及相应的保护对策和建议。     

Are there contrasted impacts of urbanization and land uses on population persistence? The case of Teucrium pseudochamaepitys, an endangered species in Southern France

Among the endangered flora of the Mediterranean basin, Teucrium pseudochamaepitys, endemic Lamiaceae, is threatened by human activities. The threats are even more important that its distribution in Mediterranean France is very limited. This study was based on the comparison of nine sites urbanized or impacted by other human activities. Particularly, the associated plant community, the density and reproductive parameters of the study species, and pollinator activities were compared to asset the effect of urbanization and land use changes on the local population persistence. Interestingly, in urban sites, the result shows more ruderal species and a higher density of T. pseudochamaepitys due to clonal growth. Surprisingly, reproductive success is low in each site despite an effective insect pollination. However, diversity of pollinators is lower in urban sites. Effects are thus contrasted considering urbanization and land use changes. Changes in land uses lead to closing landscape which threaten short term persistence of populations due to competition while the loss of pollinator diversity may impact urban populations over the long term only.     

Legal deforestation can jeopardize plant diversity conservation in an agricultural frontier in the brazilian Cerrado: a spatial explicit contribution to Santana and Simon (2022)

The work of Santana and Simon (2022) provides a unique database on angiosperm flora in the Cerrado?s agricultural frontier (known as MATOPIBA), revealing that its plant biodiversity remains largely unknown. However, ongoing deforestation combined with areas that can still be legally deforested, has the potential to jeopardize plant conservation in the region if measures to prevent land clearing are not adopted. Based on the databased provided by the authors, high resolution vegetation maps and land tenure data, it is demonstrated that almost 5 Mha of Cerrado vegetation has been converted from 1990 to 2020, and further 10.1 Mha can still be legally cleared, which 1.58 Mha in small, 2.25 Mha in medium and 6.27 Mha in large farms. This has practical implications for biodiversity conservation in the MATOPIBA and, thus, the clearing of “areas where populations of endemic and threatened”, as well as rare, species occur should be avoided. In general, the whole region should be better sampled in order to fill the knowledge gap on its plant diversity, but certain areas could be prioritized to optimize sampling efforts and provide botanical information that inform conservation plans with the objective to avoid the extinction of endemic, threatened and unknown species. Proactive conservation measures are yet palliative because the current environmental legislation still allows the suppression of large extensions of Cerrado vegetation – likely to be converted to mechanized agriculture as soon as it becomes profitable.

     

Effectiveness of mowing for the flora diversity preservation: a case study of steppe-like grassland in Croatia (NATURA 2000 site)

Intensive human activities have resulted in a critical reduction of grasslands in Croatia, one of the richest Europian countries in terms of biodiversity. Sub-Pannonic steppic grasslands are very rare, only few occur in the continental part of Croatia and most of them are protected as NATURA 2000 sites. We studied vascular flora of the Sub-Pannonic stepic grassland with the aim to examine the changes in plant communities 15 years from the mowing application. Results showed that hand mowing once per year at the end of vegetation season increased the species diversity as well as the number of medium and low growth taxa. The critically endangered, nearly threatened and vulnerable species remained preserved. The occurrence of trees, shrubs and invasive species as a consequence of succession and anthropogenic influences could be important threat for steppe-like grassland flora. From a conservation point of view infrequent mowing regime could be an effective management tool, although it needs to be adapted to regional and local circumstances for maintaining high biodiversity of steppe-like grasslands and valuable plant species.     

北京市平原区受胁鸟类栖息地识别和评价

在北京分布的受胁鸟类主要分布在平原区,而平原区为城市发展的主要区域,因此,在城市管理中融入受胁鸟类保护的内容十分必要。以北京市平原区分布的24种受胁鸟类为研究对象,以鸟类对栖息地的需求为分类依据,结合国家土地利用分类标准,采用人工目视解译法,在北京市平原区的高清卫星影像图上识别出5类一级鸟类栖息地和17类二级鸟类栖息地,得到北京市平原区鸟类栖息地分布图。使用24种受胁鸟类的空间分布模型掩膜鸟类栖息地分布,得到24种受胁鸟类的预测空间分布,叠加之后获得受胁鸟类丰富度分布格局,结果显示,水域是受胁鸟类丰富度最高的栖息地。将受胁鸟类丰富度分布格局与北京市国家级和市级自然保护区分布叠加进行空缺分析,结果显示：1）北京市的自然保护区多分布在山区,不能有效保护受胁鸟类;2）受胁鸟类的保护与平原区的城市建设、绿地管理关系密切。采用分区统计方法,计算各类栖息地中分布的平均鸟类种类数,作为栖息地保护行动优先级指标,得出湖泊、水库、坑塘、滩地、沼泽地等湿地区域是具有最高保护优先级的栖息地类型,在保护实践资源充足的情况下,应对各类栖息地开展综合保护。该研究首次为北京城市区域受胁鸟类保护提出空间参考和管理建议。     

Eliciting and integrating expert knowledge to assess the viability of the critically endangered golden sun‐moth Synemon plana

The critically endangered golden sun‐moth Synemon plana occurs in urban fringe areas of southeastern Australia that are currently experiencing rapid and extensive development. The urban fringe is a complex and uncertain environment in which to manage threatened species with the intersection of fragmented natural habitats, built environments and human populations generating novel, poorly understood interactions. In this context, management frameworks must incorporate ecological processes as well as social considerations. Here, we explore how biodiversity sensitive urban design might improve the fate of the golden sun‐moth, and threatened species generally, in urban fringe environments. We: (i) developed an expert‐informed Bayesian Belief Network model that synthesizes the current understanding of key determinants of golden sun‐moth population viability at sites experiencing urbanizing pressure; (ii) quantified the nature and strength of cause‐effect relationships between these factors using expert knowledge; and (iii) used the model to assess expectations of moth population viability in response to different combinations of management actions. We predict that adult survival, bare ground cover and cover of resource plants are the most important variables affecting the viability of golden sun‐moth populations. We also demonstrate the potential for biodiversity sensitive urban design as a complementary measure to conventional management for this species. Our findings highlight how expert knowledge may be a valuable component of conservation management, especially in addressing uncertainty around conservation decisions when empirical data are lacking, and how structured expert judgements become critical in supporting decisions that may help ameliorate extinction risks faced by threatened species in urban environments.     

Effects of urban land cover on the local species pool in Britain

Regression models were used to quantify the relationship between the amount of urban land and composition of local species pools. There was no evidence that urban land cover increases the richness of plant species, based on a survey of 785 2-km squares of which 157 had > 10% urban land cover. However, the number of alien plants is significantly higher in urban areas. Complete urbanization approximately doubles the proportion of alien species, and the proportion of aliens is twice as high in southern Britain as in the north. The flora of urban tetrads consists of ubiquitous native species and introduced species characteristic of waste ground, but woodland species are poorly represented. At the tetrad scale. enhanced dispersal by man is not the main factor for maintaining the urban flora; availability of urban habitats and high levels of disturbance are more important. The planned housing expansion to greenfield sites in Britain will increase the proportion of alien species, yet the majority of native species should persist in urban areas if existing woodland is preserved.     

Conservation Investment for Rare Plants in Urban Environments

Budgets for species conservation limit actions. Expending resources in areas of high human density is costly and generally considered less likely to succeed. Yet, coastal California contains both a large fraction of narrowly endemic at-risk plant species as well as the state''s three largest metropolitan regions. Hence understanding the capacity to protect species along the highly urbanized coast is a conservation priority. We examine at-risk plant populations along California''s coastline from San Diego to north of San Francisco to better understand whether there is a relationship between human population density and: i) performance of at-risk plant populations; and ii) conservation spending. Answering these questions can help focus appropriate strategic conservation investment. Rare plant performance was measured using the annualized growth rate estimate between census periods using the California Natural Diversity Database. Human density was estimated using Census Bureau statistics from the year 2000. We found strong evidence for a lack of a relationship between human population density and plant population performance in California''s coastal counties. Analyzing US Endangered Species expenditure reports, we found large differences in expenditures among counties, with plants in San Diego County receiving much higher expenditures than other locations. We found a slight positive relationship between expenditures on behalf of endangered species and human density. Together these data support the argument that conservation efforts by protecting habitats within urban environments are not less likely to be successful than in rural areas. Expenditures on behalf of federally listed endangered and threatened plants do not appear to be related to proximity to human populations. Given the evidence of sufficient performance in urban environments, along with a high potential to leverage public support for nature in urban environments, expenditures in these areas appear to be an appropriate use of conservation funds.     

云南被子植物菊类分支的系统发育多样性及其分布格局

全球气候变化与人为活动等因素导致的生物多样性丧失,引起了全球各界对生物多样性保护的高度关注。传统生物多样性保护主要对物种、特有种、受威胁物种的种类组成及其分布模式开展研究,忽视了进化历史在生物多样性保护中的作用。云南是全球生物多样性热点地区的交汇区,生物多样性的保护历来受到广泛关注,为了更好地探讨云南生物多样性的保护措施,该研究以云南被子植物菊类分支物种为研究对象,基于物种间的演化关系,结合其地理分布,从进化历史的角度探讨物种、特有种、受威胁物种的种类组成及系统发育组成的分布格局,并整合自然保护地的空间分布,识别生物多样性的重点保护区域。结果表明：云南被子植物菊类分支的物种、特有种及受威胁物种的物种密度与系统发育多样性均显著正相关;通过零模型分析发现,由南向北标准化系统发育多样性逐渐降低;云南南部、东南部、西北部是云南被子植物菊类分支的重点保护区域,加强这些区域的保护,将最大化地保护生物多样性的进化历史和进化潜能。由此可见,融合进化历史信息的植物多样性格局分析不仅有助于更加深入地理解植物多样性的形成与演变,也为生物多样性保护策略的制定提供更多的思路。     

Hamiguitan Range: A sanctuary for native flora

Hamiguitan Range is one of the wildlife sanctuaries in the Philippines having unique biodiversity resources that are at risk due to forest degradation and conversion of forested land to agriculture, shifting cultivation, and over-collection. Thus, it is the main concern of this research to identify and assess the endemic and endangered flora of Hamiguitan Range. Field reconnaissance and transect walk showed five vegetation types namely: agro-ecosystem, dipterocarp, montane, typical mossy and mossy-pygmy forests. Inventory of plant species revealed 163 endemic species, 35 threatened species, and 33 rare species. Assessment of plants also showed seven species as new record in Mindanao and one species as new record in the Philippines. Noteworthy is the discovery of Nepenthes micramphora, a new species of pitcher plant found in the high altitudes of Hamiguitan Range. This species is also considered site endemic, rare, and threatened. The result of the study also showed that the five vegetation types of Mt. Hamiguitan harbor a number of endangered, endemic, and rare species of plants. Thus, the result of this study would serve as basis for the formulation of policies for the protection and conservation of these species and their habitats before these plants become extinct.     

Plant diversity and conservation in China: planning a strategic bioresource for a sustainable future

China is one of the richest countries for plant diversity with approximately 33 000 vascular plant species, ranking second in the world. However, the plant diversity in China is increasingly threatened, with an estimated 4000–5000 plant species being threatened or on the verge of extinction, making China, proportionally, one of the highest priorities for global plant biodiversity conservation. Coming in the face of the current ecological crisis, it is timely that China has launched China's Strategy for Plant Conservation (CSPC). China has increasingly recognized the importance of plant diversity in efforts to conserve and sustainably use its plant diversity. More than 3000 nature reserves have been established, covering approximately 16% of the land surface of China. These natural reserves play important roles in plant conservation, covering more than 85% of types of terrestrial natural ecosystems, 40% of types of natural wetlands, 20% of native forests and 65% of natural communities of vascular plants. Meanwhile, the flora conserved in botanical gardens is also extensive. A recent survey shows that the 10 largest botanical gardens have living collections of 43 502 taxa, with a total of 24 667 species in ex situ conservation. These provide an important reserve of plant resources for sustainable economic and social development in China. Plant diversity is the basis for bioresources and sustainable utilization. The 21st century is predicted to be an era of bio-economy driven by advances of bioscience and biotechnology. Bio-economy may become the fourth economy form after agricultural, industrial, and information and information technology economies, having far-reaching impacts on sustainable development in agriculture, forestry, environmental protection, light industry, food supply and health care and other micro-economy aspects. Thus, a strategic and forward vision for conservation of plant diversity and sustainable use of plant resources in the 21st century is of far-reaching significance for sustainable development of Chinese economy and society.     

Species diversity and life history traits in calcareous grasslands vary along an urbanization gradient

Calcareous grasslands are among the most species-rich plant communities in Europe with a particularly high nature conservation value. During the past centuries their distribution has markedly decreased, at least partly due to urbanization. Thus we investigated the effects of urbanization on species diversity along a spatio-temporal urbanization gradient from traditionally managed grassland to areas affected by urban developments, which was situated in the plains northwest of Munich, Germany. Both a RLQ analysis linking species and environmental traits, and a redundancy analysis of the plant community features showed that soil disturbance, soil sealing and mean temperature explained most of the environmental variation along the gradient. The species in urban habitats showed increased insect pollination, earlier flowering and prolonged seed longevity. While urbanization favored short-lived species with dysochorous dispersal, the reference grasslands harbored more wind-pollinated perennials with effective vegetative spread and relatively large, short-lived seeds. Compared to the urban sites, traditionally used grasslands had a higher species diversity, more threatened species and a lower proportion of non-natives. We conclude that even under conservation management, urban habitats are not capable of maintaining the original biodiversity. However, we also found threatened species occurring exclusively in urban sites. Hence, urbanization decreased the area and diversity of traditional calcareous grasslands, but it also established niches for endangered species which are not adapted to the living conditions in calcareous grasslands.     

广西木论国家级自然保护区植物物种多样性初步研究

广西木论国家级自然保护区位于我国滇黔桂植物区和华南植物区的交错地带，是古北极与古热带两大植物区系交接过渡的中心地带，在我国生物多样性保护区域中占据不可替代的地位。为摸清广西木论国家级自然保护区植物物种多样性，该文基于历史文献整理、野外调查、标本采集和鉴定以及数据统计分析，对该保护区维管束植物物种多样性组成及其特点进行了研究。结果表明：(1)该区共有维管束植物1 735种，包括石松类和蕨类植物218种、种子植物1 517种，具有较丰富的维管束植物多样性组成以及较复杂的植物区系成分。(2)该区共有中国特有植物486种、广西特有植物56种、岩溶特有植物262种，具有显著的植物特有性。(3)该区共有国家重点保护野生植物68种、广西重点保护野生植物153种、我国极小种群野生植物4种、受威胁植物108种、列入《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》(CITES)附录植物144种，具有较高程度的植物珍稀濒危性。综上表明，该区是我国重要的岩溶植物基因库，具有极其重要的保护价值。该研究结果为自然保护区的建设和管理、植物保护和利用以及其他科研工作的开展提供了重要依据。     

Comparative effects of urban and agricultural land transformation on Odonata assemblages in a biodiversity hotspot

Rivers of the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) biodiversity hotspot are threatened by land transformation. This region is a centre of endemism for many taxa, including Odonata. These insects are highly sensitive to changes in physical habitat structure, which makes them good bioindicators, and this led to the development of the Dragonfly Biotic Index (DBI). We investigated the effects of local agricultural and urban land transformations on Odonata species richness, assemblage composition and DBI scores in three CFR rivers. A total of 48 sites were selected and categorized as natural, agricultural or urban land use. Adult male Odonata and four environmental variables were recorded over two seasons. Land transformation significantly influenced Odonata assemblage composition but did not always significantly reduce species richness. Average vegetation height also affected Odonata assemblage composition and decreased species richness. Agricultural and urban sites had Odonata assemblages differing from those in the natural areas. Agricultural and urban local land use types reduced opportunities for some endemic species but provided for the persistence and establishment of widespread, generalist species, as indicated by great changes in DBI scores. Mitigating the adverse influences of land transformation through establishment of protected areas is essential for the conservation of rare taxa, particularly in an area with a high number of endemic species.     

中国佛教寺庙植物多样性和佛教树种替代

佛教是我国的主要宗教之一, 佛教寺庙作为佛教文化的物质载体, 对区域生物多样性的保护具有重要意义。本研究收集了中国191座寺庙的树种名录, 分析了不同地区寺庙的树种组成、分布格局及影响因素, 以明确寺庙在生物多样性保护中的作用。结果表明: (1)全国191座寺庙共收集到树种1,059种, 隶属116科410属, 大多数树种(773种)仅出现在1-2座寺庙中; (2)寺庙树种中含有大量乡土植物, 并且保存了丰富的受威胁树种(94种), 具有较高的生物多样性保护价值; (3)不同气候带的佛教树种组成差异较大, 主要受气候因子限制; (4)佛教树种具有清晰的树种替代现象, 由南向北原始佛教树种逐渐由形态相似的本土物种(替代佛教树种)替代。以上结果表明中国寺庙中保存了非常丰富的植物资源, 有效地保护和利用寺庙植物资源对维持区域生物多样性和提升城市绿化水平具有积极作用。     

The vascular flora of Rome

The aim of this paper is to document plant diversity in the metropolitan area of Rome (Italy) by providing a comprehensive inventory of the present-day vascular flora and an overview of its composition and species diversity. We compiled the floristic catalogue by including all vascular plant entities that occur spontaneously within the administrative boundaries of the Rome municipality. The data, which were gathered from extensive field surveys, from a broad review of the literature and from herbaria records, were updated and integrated in a comprehensive account. The inventory of the flora of metropolitan Rome lists 1649 entities, from 139 families and 677 genera. The flora contains 228 taxa that are non-native to the Italian flora, 81 of which are established in the study area. The overview of flora reveals a remarkable species diversity and outlines the main characteristics of the flora of Rome, which may be summarized as (1) a large number of taxa of high conservation value which occur in remnants of near-natural vegetation, (2) the loss or decline of some species, particularly of native freshwater plants, (3) a remarkably high native species richness within the urban area, which includes many native woody species and (4) a rich ruderal flora, prevalently composed of native species that are well adapted to human disturbance, along with a variety of taxa of non-native or uncertain origin. The large set of data and the overview presented in this paper represent a fundamental framework for future research and for the conservation of plant diversity in metropolitan Rome.     

Urban riparian systems function as corridors for both native and invasive plant species

Riparian areas are often the only green areas left in urban and suburban landscapes, providing opportunities for conservation and connectivity of both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. While city planners and land managers often tout the importance of riparian networks for these uses, it is not well established if urban riparian plant communities are actually functioning as connected assemblages. Furthermore, urban riparian zones are well known to be highly invaded by non-native plant species and may be functioning to increase the spread of non-native species across the landscape. Here we examine connectivity of plant assemblages in riparian networks within an extensively urbanized landscape. We sampled riparian plant communities at 13 sites along three second-order streams of the Rahway River watershed, New Jersey. We also characterized propagule dispersal at each site by sampling litter packs on the river banks five times between March–October 2011 and identifying germinants from litter packs after cold stratification. Species turnover of both riparian and litter vegetation was more strongly associated with flow distance, particularly for native species, indicating that riverine systems are important for promoting connectivity of native plant assemblages in urban landscapes. However, non-native germinants significantly dominated propagule dispersal along the stream reaches, particularly early in the growing season, suggesting spread utilizing the river system and preemption may be an important mechanism for invasion success in this system. Our data show that management of invasive species should be planned and implemented at the watershed scale to reduce spread via the river system.