The desolation of Smaug: The human-driven decline of the Sungazer lizard (Smaug giganteus)

The Sungazer (Smaug giganteus) is a threatened lizard species endemic to the Highveld grasslands of South Africa. The species faces risks from habitat loss and fragmentation, and illegal harvesting for traditional medicine and the pet trade. Despite these threats, the current conservation status of the species was poorly validated. We visited 79 Sungazer populations recorded in 1978 to assess population change since the initial surveys, and surveyed an additional 164 sites to better define the distribution and estimate the current population size. We interrogated all known historical trade data of the species. One-third of Sungazer populations have been extirpated over the past 37 years. The distribution includes two allopatric populations, with the smaller Mpumalanga population experiencing a significantly higher decline. The species has an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 34 500 km², and an area of occupancy (AOO) of 1149 km². The interpreted distribution is 17 978 km², and just under 60% remains untransformed grassland. We estimate a population size of 677 000 mature individuals, down 48% from the estimated historical population, prior to commercial agricultural development. A total of 1194 live Sungazers were exported under permit from South Africa between 1985 and 2014, with a significant increase in numbers exported over the last decade. Without any evidence of captive breeding, we believe that these animals are all wild-caught. Based on the AOO, level of decline, fragmentation within the distribution and suspected level of exploitation, we recommend classification of the species as Vulnerable under IUCN Red List Criteria A2acd and B2ab(ii–v). The establishment of a protected area network, genetic research and further investigations into the pet and traditional medicine trades are urgently needed.     

A habitat quality indicator for common birds in Europe based on species distribution models

The EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy requires the gathering of information on biodiversity to aid in monitoring progress towards its main targets. Common species are good proxies for the diversity and integrity of ecosystems, since they are key elements of the biomass, structure, functioning of ecosystems, and therefore of the supply of ecosystem services. In this sense, we aimed to develop a spatially-explicit indicator of habitat quality (HQI) at European level based on the species included in the European Common Bird Index, also grouped into their major habitat types (farmland and forest). Using species occurrences from the European Breeding Birds Atlas (at 50 km × 50 km) and the maximum entropy algorithm, we derived species distribution maps using refined occurrence data based on species ecology. This allowed us to cope with the limitations arising from modelling common and widespread species, obtaining habitat suitability maps for each species at finer spatial resolution (10 km × 10 km grid), which provided higher model accuracy. Analysis of the spatial patterns of local and relative species richness (defined as the ratio between species richness in a given location and the average richness in the regional context) for the common birds analysed demonstrated that the development of a HQI based on species richness needs to account for the regional species pool in order to make objective comparisons between regions. In this way, we proved that relative species richness compensated for the bias caused by the inherent heterogeneous patterns of the species distributions that was yielding larger local species richness in areas where most of the target species have the core of their distribution range. The method presented in this study provides a robust and innovative indicator of habitat quality which can be used to make comparisons between regions at the European scale, and therefore potentially applied to measure progress towards the EU Biodiversity Strategy targets. Finally, since species distribution models are based on breeding birds, the HQI can be also interpreted as a measure of the capacity of ecosystems to provide and maintain nursery/reproductive habitats for terrestrial species, a key maintenance and regulation ecosystem service.     

Geographic position of sample grid and removal of uncommon species affect multivariate analyses of diverse assemblages: The case of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida)

In view of the rapid loss of biodiversity, large-scale environmental monitoring programs are urgently needed, over a range of local, regional and global scales. These programs can be made more efficient and cost-effective through shortcuts such as reduction of sampling effort and the use of low-cost surrogates. We revisited a large-scale dataset composed by 161 species recorded in 72 plots of 250 m, distributed over an 8 m × 8 m sampling grid in the tropical rainforest. Samples of litter and soil were collected and oribatid mites were extracted with a Berlese–Tullgren apparatus. Using a “moving window” procedure, we delimited smaller 5 km × 5 km grids in 16 possible positions within the larger grid. We first evaluated which fraction was more important to explain environmental and spatial patterns in the species composition: known environmental or spatial filters representing unknown causes of aggregation, and the confounded variance that might be associated with either or both. We used soil clay content, litter quantity, soil pH, number of trees, and distance to the nearest stream as environmental predictors. The spatial filters were generated using Moran Eigenvector mapping through the Principal Coordinates of Neighbor Matrices technique. To evaluate the influence of these fractions on the species composition, we used partial Redundancy Analysis. Using Principal Coordinates Analysis for abundance and presence/absence data, we evaluated if reduced matrices, discarding sets of less-frequent species, could identify the relationships captured with the complete dataset. All smaller grids contained more than 100 species. The effect of environmental variables on oribatid-mite community composition was always low, and each smaller grid position produced different results. Soil clay content and pH were the main factors associated with oribatid-mite distributions. The effects of unknown spatial patterns were greater than the environmental ones. Independently of the grid position, similar results were obtained for analyses with all oribatid-mite species, to the results obtained from analyses of only the most frequent species. Sets of more frequent and easily identifiable species proved to be a reliable surrogate for the complete assemblage. Omitting identifications of most species will improve the cost-effectiveness of monitoring programs. More emphasis should be placed on investigating the role of spatial heterogeneity and the effects of grid position in relation to patterns in species associations. Efficient biomonitoring could target surrogate species, to enable rapid tracking of environmental change while enlarging the sampling area to provide data for conservation strategies.     

Spatial ecology and conservation of the microendemic ovenbird Cipo Cinclodes (Cinclodes espinhacensis) from the Brazilian highlands

Birds in the genus Cinclodes are habitat specialists, with most restricted to the highlands of South America. The recently described Cipo Cinclodes (C. espinhacensis) is isolated in the southern Espinhaço Range of Brazil and is considered Endangered in Brazil and Near Threatened by the IUCN, but as a subspecies of Long‐tailed Cinclodes (C. pabsti). We examined the population and spatial ecology of Cipo Cinclodes at two geographic scales to improve our understanding of their basic biology and conservation status. We monitored 30 birds at Serra do Breu and found relatively large home ranges (mean = 9.3 ha), a density of paired adults of 0.09/ha, a male‐skewed adult sex ratio (males/total adults = 0.57) due to territories occupied by unpaired males, and long‐term site fidelity. Cipo Cinclodes used all habitat types available in our study area, including rocky outcrops, grasslands, and riparian areas, but habitat selection analyses revealed the importance of riparian areas for foraging and rocky outcrops for nesting. At the species distribution scale, we compiled known and novel recorded occurrence points and used them to calculate the extent of occurrence (EOO) and the area of occupancy (AOO). We used a Maxent species distribution model to generate a binary map to estimate upper limits for EOO (EOO around the model predicted area) and AOO (comprised by the model predicted area within the EOO). We obtained 41 locations, resulting in an EOO of 890.7 km² (up to 1748.7 km²) and an AOO of 100 km² (up to 327.5 km²). The global population is estimated to be between 880 and 2882 birds, which is concerning because small populations are at risk of extinction due to demographic stochasticity, genetic drift, and the interaction of these factors. As such, our results support the designation of Cipo Cinclodes as Endangered on the Brazilian red list.     

Mapping soil organic matter in low-relief areas based on land surface diurnal temperature difference and a vegetation index

Accurate estimates of the spatial variability of soil organic matter (SOM) are necessary to properly evaluate soil fertility and soil carbon sequestration potential. In plains and gently undulating terrains, soil spatial variability is not closely related to relief, and thus digital soil mapping (DSM) methods based on soil–landscape relationships often fail in these areas. Therefore, different predictors are needed for DSM in the plains. Time-series remotely sensed data, including thermal imagery and vegetation indices provide possibilities for mapping SOM in such areas. Two low-relief agricultural areas (Peixian County, 28 km × 28 km and Jiangyan County, 38 km × 50 km) in northwest and middle Jiangsu Province, east China, were chosen as case study areas. Land surface diurnal temperature difference (DTD) extracted from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (LST), and soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) at the peak of growing season calculated from Landsat ETM+ image were used as predictors. Regression kriging (RK) with a mixed linear model fitted by residual maximum likelihood (REML) and residuals interpolated by simple kriging (SK) were used to model and map SOM spatial distribution; ordinary kriging (OK) was used as a baseline comparison. The root mean squared error, mean error and mean absolute error calculated from leave-one-out cross-validation were used to assess prediction accuracy. Results showed that the proposed covariates provided added value to the observations. SAVI aggregated to MODIS resolution was able to identify local highs and lows not apparent from the DTD imagery alone. Despite the apparent similarity of the two areas, the spatial structure of residuals from the linear mixed models were quite different; ranges on the order of 3 km in Jiangyan but 16 km in Peixian, and accuracy of best models differed by a factor of two (3.3 g/kg and 6.3 g/kg SOM, respectively). This suggests that time-series remotely sensed data can provide useful auxiliary variable for mapping SOM in low-relief agricultural areas, with three important cautions: (1) image dates must be carefully chosen; (2) vegetation indices should supplement diurnal temperature differences, (3) model structure must be calibrated for each area.     

Spatial ecology and habitat use of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) in South Africa

The lack of long-term studies remains a limiting factor in understanding the home range, spatial ecology and movement of giraffes. We equipped eight giraffes with GPS satellite units and VHF capacity, which were built in to the collars for the remote collection of data on their movements and home ranges over two years on Khamab Kalahari Nature Reserve (KKNR) within the Kalahari region of South Africa. Giraffe numbers in KKNR dropped from 135 individuals to 111 in just five years, revealing the lack of knowledge about their required habitat needs, space use and diet. With over 1000 km² available for roaming within the reserve, habitat selection, principle and preferred food species played a significant role in home range size and overlap between individuals. These giraffes used an average annual home range of 206 km² (20 602 ha) as calculated by a 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) with a standard deviation core home range calculated by a 50% MCP of 10.1 km² to satisfy their annual needs for survival and reproduction in their preferred vegetation. In the wet, hot season (summer: December–February) when food was abundant, giraffes frequented smaller areas (average 177 km²), while in the dry, cool season (winter: June to August) the mean home range size increased to approximately 245 km². Rainfall influenced spatial distribution since it determined vegetation productivity and leaf phenology. The different seasons influenced giraffe movements, while different vegetation types and season influenced their home range size. Season and food availability also influenced home range overlap between different giraffe herds. Home range overlap occurred when giraffes were forced to roam in overlapping areas during the dryer months when the winter deciduous nature of the majority of the tree species resulted in lower food availability. In winter, the overlap was approximately 31% and in autumn approximately 23%. During the wet and warmer months, overlapping was 15% in summer and 19% in spring, respectively. The percentage of time spent in different vegetation type areas was influenced by the abundance of the principal food species of that plant community. It is thus concluded that the movements of giraffes were primarily influenced by a combination of environmental factors such as season, rainfall and vegetation density.     

Free-ranging domestic cats reduce the effective protected area of a Polish national park

Poland's Animal Protection Act, as of 2002, made it legal to shoot free-ranging cats and dogs. The act triggered substantial social debate with opponents arguing that this legislation was weakly supported by scientific evidence of the ecological impacts of free-ranging pets. Our main research goal was to examine the activity of free-ranging domestic cats within a Polish protected area by applying radio-telemetry methods to determine space use and degree of encroachment into the national park. We trapped and radio-tracked 19 animals from three sites (focal households) located in Ojcow National Park (ONP) in southern Poland from June 2003 to March 2006. Annual 100% MCP home range size varied from 0.02 km² to 1.46 km², and was significantly larger for males (mean ± SE = 0.79 ± 0.34 km²; median = 0.53 km²) than for females (mean ± SE = 0.13 ± 0.05 km²; median = 0.13 km²). The distance travelled by individual cats from focal sites did not significantly differ between males (mean ± SE = 232.00 ± 21.05 m; median = 191 m) and females (mean ± SE = 232.50 ± 12.47 m; median = 228 m), with maximum distances of 1.5 km for males and 1.1 km for females. All monitored cats were in close proximity to nature reserves and ranged into protected areas without any human control. Cats living in the households in the park and its surrounding buffer zone, roaming at 200 m and 1000 m radius distances from their households, occupied from 6% to 100% of the park area, respectively. Our results reveal that free-ranging domestic cats roam through and potentially impact the entire national park, thus reducing its effective protected area.     

Plants as bioindicator for temperature interpolation purposes: Analyzing spatial correlation between botany based index of thermophily and integrated temperature characteristics

The success of interpolation techniques relies heavily on the density and regularity of field reference data points. For instance temperature interpolations in the Arctic are hampered by few and scattered meteorological stations. The major objective of this study is to analyze the spatial relationship between plants, defined in terms of an index of thermophily (I_t) and temperature distribution. The study area is located in Kongsfjorden, northwest Spitsbergen (Svalbard). A systematic recording of floristic data covering the study area was made within quadrates of 1 km × 1 km (93 units). For each of them, the I_t was calculated. I_t provides a synthetic measure by which plants are taken as temperature indicators at a long time scale. Temperature values were recorded by means of 39 temperature loggers during the summer 2000. The model for spatial interpolation of temperature was developed using multiple regression of remote sensed data (Landsat TM) and topographical features derived from a digital elevation model (DEM). Continuous temperature layers were calculated at a spatial resolution of 50 m × 50 m, and aggregated to a resolution of 1 km × 1 km in order to correspond with the observed botanical units. Different maps were produced showing spatial distribution of the modelled temperature and I_t. Correlations between the I_t and temperature values derived from the modelled temperature layers were systematically explored. Correlation between the I_t and temperatures works well as standard deviation of residues is 0.7 °C only. Highest correlations (r) of I_t and the spatial distribution of temperature were obtained for: (a) maximum average temperature for August, excluding all areas higher than 100 m above sea level (0.75), (b) average daily maximum temperature for July–October (0.67), (c) average temperature for July and August (0.64, 0.65), and (d) when temperature range is >8 °C (0.55). Areas with low correlations between I_t and temperature were mainly attributed to the fact that these measurements represent (a) different time scales and (b) different spatial scales. However, results from this study have shown that calculating I_t provide a mean for restoring selected temperature parameters and thus can contribute to fill in and extend the network of field data points for temperature interpolation purposes.     

The distribution of vascular plant species of conservation concern in Ireland,and their coincidence with designated areas

Protected areas (that are usually designated) play an important role in the effort to halt on-going losses of biodiversity. However, areas outside of designated sites for protection can also hold important elements of biodiversity, and knowledge of their distribution is necessary to ensure effective conservation strategies. We collated and mapped vascular plant distribution data for species of conservation concern on the island of Ireland. For the first time in Ireland, we extracted 6078 distribution records of 176 species of conservation concern and mapped them at the tetrad (2 km × 2 km) scale. We examined the extent to which tetrads with records of species of conservation concern overlapped with designated areas (Natura 2000, Natural Heritage Areas, Areas of Special Scientific Interest). A conservative estimate suggests that many of these tetrads do not overlap with designated areas (in the range of 22–40% for available records). The coincidence of records of individual species with designated areas ranged from 0% to 100% (mean = 79%). The mapped distribution data for all vascular plant species offers guidance to where additional recording may be helpful in supporting conservation activities. The analysis of the distribution of species of conservation concern indicates the importance of both designated areas and the (non-designated) wider countryside for biodiversity conservation. In particular the presence of species of conservation concern in non-designated areas highlights the need for conservation measures outside of designated areas.     

Population densities,group size and biomass of ungulates in a lowland tropical rainforest forest of the eastern Himalayas

Large ungulate population monitoring is a crucial wildlife management tool as ungulates help in structuring and maintaining the large carnivore populations. Reliable data on population status of major ungulate prey species are still non-existent for most of the protected areas in the Indian part of the eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. Twenty transects were monitored over a period of three years (2009–2011) totaling 600 km with an average length of 2 km. The estimated mean density of ungulates was 17.5 km⁻² with overall density of 48.7 km⁻². The wild pig Sus scrofa had the highest density (6.7 ± 1.2 km⁻²) among all the prey species followed by barking deer Muntiacus muntjak (3.9 ± 0.6 km⁻²), sambar Rusa unicolor (3.8 ± 0.5) and gaur Bos gaurus (3.5 ± 0.9 km⁻²). The estimated total ungulate biomass density was 2182.56 kg km⁻². This prey biomass can support up to 7.2 tigers per 100 km⁻². However, with two other sympatric carnivores sharing the same resources, the actual tiger numbers that can be supported will be lower. The estimated minor prey species was 31 km⁻² significantly 30.6% crop damages were reported by wild pig (p = 0.01) and 35.4% was elephant (p = 0.004). This data on ungulate densities and biomass will be crucial for carnivore conservation in this understudied globally significant biodiversity hotspot.     

Genetic variability and size estimates of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) population in the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem

Even though recent years have shown a slow recovery of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) populations from their previous lows, the species is still highly endangered in most parts of its European distribution range. Surprisingly, only a few studies have so far assessed the species’ genetic variability and population density, and they have mostly been carried out only in small territories. In Germany, most otter populations live in protected areas whose management urgently needs data on population sizes and densities as well as on genetic variability of the species under their custody. Thus, we analyzed genetic variability and assessed size and density of the otter population in the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem, an area that had not been included in the few previous molecular studies. The study area comprised of 1500 km², divided into fifteen squares of 10 × 10 km², each of which was sampled in two collection periods. Overall we collected 261 fecal samples (spraints), of which 60 (23%) could be genotyped at least at eight microsatellite loci, yielding 38 distinct otter genotypes. The low genotyping success rate was the result of high ambient temperature at the time of sampling rather than that of high humidity. The population did not show signs of a past bottleneck, indicating a small yet stable population size. Population size was estimated to be 118 (CI_95% 64–163) individuals, with a mean density of 1 animal per 8.5 km² or 3.1 km river length. Our results imply that hunting, requested by local fishpond owners, should remain banned to avoid a decline in (effective) population size.     

Plant species and communities assessment in interaction with edaphic and topographic factors; an ecological study of the mount Eelum District Swat,Pakistan

The current analyses of vegetation were aimed to study the different effects of environmental variables and plant species and communities interaction to these variables, identified threats to local vegetation and suggestion for remedial measures in the Mount Eelum, Swat, Pakistan. For assessment of environmental variability quantitative ecological techniques were used through quadrats having sizes of 2 × 2, 5 × 5 and 10 × 10 m² for herbs, shrubs and trees respectively. Result of the present study revealed 124 plant species in the study area. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was used to analyze the ecological gradient of vegetation. The environmental data and species abundance were used in CANOCO software version 4.5. The presence absence data of plant species were elaborated with Cluster and Two Way Cluster Analysis techniques using PC-ORD version 5 to show different species composition that resulted in five plant communities. Findings indicate that elevation, aspect and soil texture are the strongest variables that have significant effect on species composition and distribution of various communities shown with P value 0.0500. It is recommended to protect and use sensibly whole of the Flora normally and rare species particularly in the region.     

Modelling potential impacts of climate change on the bioclimatic envelope and conservation of the Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

Forecasting the influence of climatic changes on the distribution of the Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is important for the conservation of the species. We explored the environmental characteristics than best explain the current distribution of the species, modelled the past and present distribution, projected the niche model into the future, and identified suitable areas for conservation. Niche modelling was performed using Maxent and 21 environmental variables. For past conditions, we considered the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the mid-Holocene (MH) climates. For future conditions, we used the A2a greenhouse gas emission scenario for 2050. Four General Circulation Models (FGOALS 1.0, HADCM3, IPSL-CM4 and MIROC 3.2) were used. The resulting niche model (AUC = 0.89 ± 0.02) predicts maximum probability of presence at precipitation of 106 mm during the coldest quarter, of 396 mm during the warmest quarter, and in totally flat areas. The suitable area for the Maned Wolf currently covers 4,320,364 km². For the LGM, there were inter-model differences in predicted areas (from 819,324 km² to 6,395,886 km²) and in geographic location. The MH models showed drastic changes with respect to the present and considerable inter-model variation. Predictions for 2050 show significant (at least 33%) reductions in distribution. Only a minor fraction (39%) of the current distribution can be considered stable for the period LGM-2050. The FGOALS model was the best option for projecting species occurrence into the future because it included the three localities known for the Maned Wolf from the late Pleistocene and predicts stable areas that coincide with spatial patterns of genetic diversity. The FGOALS projection for 2050 predicts a 33% reduction in suitable habitats, indicating some stable areas (central South America) that will probably be key sites for the conservation of the species.     

The impact of forest encroachment after agricultural land abandonment on passerine bird communities: The case of Greece

Agricultural land abandonment is one of the main drivers of land use change, leading to various responses of farmland ecological communities. In an effort to better understand the effect of agricultural land abandonment on passerine bird communities, we sampled 20 randomly selected sites [1 km × 1 km] in remote Greek mountains, reflecting an abandonment gradient, in terms of forest encroachment. We sampled 169 plots using the point count method of fixed distance (47 passerine species), and we investigated bird diversity and community structure turnover along the gradient. We found that grazing intensity has a beneficial effect hampering forest encroachment that follows progressively land abandonment. Habitat composition changes gradually with forests developing at the expense of open meadows and heterogeneous grasslands. Forest encroachment has a significant negative effect on bird diversity and species richness, affecting in particular typical farmland and Mediterranean shrubland species. Birds form five distinct ecological clusters after land abandonment: species mostly found in pinewoods and cavity-dwelling species; species that prefer open forests forest edges or ecotones; species that prefer shrubland or open habitats with scattered woody vegetation; Mediterranean farmland birds that prefer semi-open habitats with hedges and/or woodlots; and, generalist forest-dwelling or shrubland species. We extracted a set of 22 species to represent the above ecological communities, as a new monitoring tool for agricultural land use change and conservation. We suggest that the maintenance of rural mosaics should be included in the priorities of agricultural policy for farmland bird diversity conservation.     

Puma spatial ecology in open habitats with aggregate prey

Solitary felids are commonly associated with structurally complex habitats, where their foraging success is attributed to stealth and remaining undetected by competitive scavengers. Research in North America suggests that pumas (Puma concolor), a wide-ranging species found throughout the Americas, conform to the general characteristics of solitary felids and avoid open grasslands with aggregating prey. Researchers hypothesize that pumas are limited to structurally complex habitats in North America because of pressures from other large, terrestrial competitors. We explored the spatial ecology of pumas in open habitat with aggregating prey in Chilean Patagonia, where pumas lack large, terrestrial competitors. We tracked 11 pumas over 30 months (intensive location data for 9 pumas with GPS collars for 9.33 ± 5.66 months each) in an area where mixed steppe grasslands composed 53% of the study area and carried 98% of available prey biomass, to track resource use relative to availability, assess daily movements, quantify home ranges and calculate their density. As determined by location data and kill sites, Patagonia pumas were primarily associated with open habitats with high prey biomass, but at finer scales, preferentially selected for habitat with complex structure. On average, pumas traveled 13.42 ± 2.50 km per day. Estimated 95% fixed kernel home ranges averaged 98 ± 31.8 km² for females and 211 ± 138.8 km² for males, with high spatial overlap within and between the sexes. In a multivariate analysis, available prey biomass was the strongest predictor of variation in the size of an individual puma's home range. Finally, we determined a total puma density of 3.44 pumas/100 km², a significantly smaller estimate than previously reported for Patagonia, but similar to densities reported for North America.     

Ecological risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the water from a large Chinese lake based on multiple indicators

In the surface water of Lake Chaohu, China, the concentrations of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured by gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). Based on the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) model and the probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) model, the indicators were calculated to assess the potential ecological risk of the individual and of multiple congeners of PAHs and their probabilities. The results revealed that the average residual level of the total PAHs (PAH₁₆) in the water ranged from 95.2 to 370.1 ng/L, with a mean value 181.5 ± 70.8 ng/L. The PAH content in the water was dominated by the low-molecular-weight congeners. The multi-substance potentially affected fractions (msPAFs) of the studied PAHs obtained by the SSD model varied from 0.29% (site B3) to 1.58% (site B6), with an average of 0.51 ± 0.34%. The average of the msPAFs (0.93%) for the inflow rivers was greater than that for the western (0.42%) and eastern (0.34%) parts of the lake. The greatest ecological risk probability calculated by the PRA model was found for Pyr (1.55%), followed by Ant (7.07 × 10⁻²%), Fla (2.21 × 10⁻²%), Phe (9.25 × 10⁻⁶%), Nap (1.01 × 10⁻⁵%), Flo (1.16 × 10⁻¹⁴%) and Ace (2.86 × 10⁻¹⁶%). The same order of ecological risks calculated by the two models was found for the studied PAH compounds. The toxicity data might be the primary source of the ecological risk uncertainties, as indicated by the greater values of coefficients of variation (CV) for the toxicity. This study concluded that the combinations of multiple indicators based on the SSD and PRA models for the ecological risk assessment are necessary to provide more general information on the spatial variations and the probabilities of potential ecological risks of the individual and multiple congeners of PAHs.     

Establishment and dispersal of the fire ant decapitating fly Pseudacteon tricuspis in North Florida

The decapitating fly Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier was released at eight sites in North Florida between the summer of 1997 and the fall of 1999 as a self-sustaining biocontrol agent of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Several releases used parasitized fire ant workers while most involved adult flies released over disturbed ant mounds. Establishment and dispersal of fly populations were monitored by disturbing about 10 fire ant mounds at each site and then inspecting them closely for hovering flies over a period of about 30 min. Overwintering populations of flies were successfully established at 6 of 8 release sites. Over several years, fly populations at these sites increased to levels as high or higher than those normally seen in their South American homeland. By the fall of 1999, flies had expanded out 1–6 km from five release sites and occupied about 125 km². By the fall of 2000 the five initial release sites plus one new site had fused into one large area about 70 km in diameter. The flies had expanded out an additional 16–29 km and occupied about 3300 km². By the fall of 2001 the flies had expanded out an additional 10–30 km and occupied approximately 8100 km². Fly dispersal was not related to wind patterns in the Gainesville area. Based on the above rates of dispersal and an establishment rate of 66%, we estimate that a state the size of Florida would require 5–10 releases spaced over a 3-year period to cover the state in 6–9 years.     

Scales characterising a high density thin layer of Dinophysis acuta Ehrenberg and its transport within a coastal jet

An investigation into the distribution of Dinophysis spp. in coastal waters off the south coast of Ireland was carried out in July 2007. Dinophysis acuta was present as a sub surface layer containing up to 55,000 cells L⁻¹. The population had a high percentage of viable cells (mean: 89%; median: 94%; n = 24) with a high specific division rate (∼0.55 d⁻¹). The layer, of approximately 5 m thickness, did not coincide with the fluorescence maximum and was present as a patch of horizontal dimension less than 10 km × 7 km. Both conventional and towed undulating CTD used in conjunction with high vertical resolution sampling methods showed the patch of Dinophysis to move with a similar speed and direction as the coastal flow, which ran parallel to the coast in the form of a coastal jet with speed of the order of 6.5–7 km day⁻¹. The implications of the alongshore transport of populations of harmful species in coastal jets for monitoring programmes and predictive models are discussed.     

Habitat fragmentation determines diversity of annual plant communities at landscape and fine spatial scales

The aim of this study was to disentangle the effects of landscape configuration (i.e., fragment area, connectivity, and proximity to a busy highway) on the assembly of annual plant communities at different spatial scales. Our main hypothesis was that larger and more connected fragments would have higher species densities per plot and this may result in differences in turnover and nestedness patterns at the fine spatial scales where plants interact. Specifically, since Mediterranean annuals are known to form strong competitive hierarchies, we expected to find a nested pattern of beta diversity due to sequential species loss. The study area was a fragmented gypsum habitat in central Spain with a semiarid climate where two fragmentation drivers coexist: agricultural practices and a roadway. Larger fragments had higher species densities per plot (20 × 20 m). Nevertheless, we detected no effect on the species assembly at fine spatial scales (30 × 30 cm). However, when the fragment connectivity was high the species that appeared in poor quadrats (30 × 30 cm) comprised a subset of the species in rich quadrats. These results agree well with the establishment of strong competitive hierarchies among annual species. The distance to the highway influenced the identity of the species established in the community (i.e., species composition) at fine spatial scales, but we detected no effect on species turnover, nestedness, or species densities. The main conclusion of our study is that the effects of habitat fragmentation extend beyond the landscape scale and they determine the spatial assembly at fine spatial scales.     

Ecological indicators and functional groups of copepod assemblages

Copepods are important ecological indicators of ecosystem functioning. In this study, we analyzed the structure of copepod assemblages and cross-shelf patterns based on functional traits and indicator value analysis. Copepod samples were collected from 54 stations distributed along the inner, middle, and outer continental shelves covering a wide geographical area (20,100 km²). Overall, 38 species were identified: 20 Calanoida, 14 Cyclopoida, and 4 Harpacticoida. Copepod density was the highest in the inner shelf profile, with richness and diversity being higher on the outer shelf close to the shelf break. The results suggest that there is a gradient of zooplankton distribution even on narrow (<50 km) continental shelves. The cluster analysis of the stations showed a tendency to form three groups largely corresponding to physical location. Two major functional groups were identified, sorted by spawning strategy. These were subdivided according to the trophic regime and feeding strategy. Temora turbinata (alien species), Clausocalanus furcatus, and Ditrichocorycaeus amazonicus (native species) were found to be ecological indicators. These species have different functional traits and distinct cross-shelf distributions, where the alien species dominates the turbid coastal waters, and C. furcatus is an indicator of outer-shelf waters. Thus, these species can be considered ecological indicators of the different continental shelf waters. The results indicate that it is necessary to understand the functional diversity and ecological indicators of copepods, considering their importance for the basis of marine food webs.