Impacts of multiple stressors on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: the role of species co-tolerance

Ecosystem resistance to a single stressor relies on tolerant species that can compensate for sensitive competitors and maintain ecosystem processes, such as primary production. We hypothesize that resistance to additional stressors depends increasingly on species tolerances being positively correlated (i.e. positive species co-tolerance). Initial exposure to a stressor combined with positive species co-tolerance should reduce the impacts of other stressors, which we term stress-induced community tolerance. In contrast, negative species co-tolerance is expected to result in additional stressors having pronounced additive or synergistic impacts on biologically impoverished functional groups, which we term stress-induced community sensitivity. Therefore, the sign and strength of the correlation between species sensitivities to multiple stressors must be considered when predicting the impacts of global change on ecosystem functioning as mediated by changes in biodiversity.     

Influence of surrounding vegetation on insect herbivory: A matter of spatial scale and herbivore specialisation

The diversity of surrounding vegetation is thought to modify the interactions between a focal plant and its herbivores, disrupting (associational resistance) or enhancing (associational susceptibility) host plant location and colonisation. We compared the effects of host plant concentration on herbivory by generalist and specialist insects feeding on oak seedlings by increasing local concentration of seedlings. We also assessed the effects of the composition and structure of surrounding vegetation, both at stand and local levels. The damage caused by generalist leaf-feeding insects depended on the structure of plant communities at stand level, and increased with tree cover. By contrast, infestation by specialist leaf miners was affected by local understorey vegetation surrounding oak seedlings, and decreased with increasing shrub cover and stratification diversity. Leaf mine abundance was higher at higher oak seedling density, giving support to the host concentration hypothesis. However, the abundance of these specialist herbivores was also negatively correlated with damage caused by the generalist external leaf-feeders, suggesting competitive interactions.     

Monitoring marine macroalgae: the influence of spatial scale on the usefulness of biodiversity surrogates

Aim To examine the influence of spatial scale on the usefulness of commonly employed biodiversity surrogates in subtidal macroalgae assemblages. Location South‐west Australia. Methods The relationship between biodiversity surrogates and univariate and multivariate species‐level patterns was tested at multiple spatial scales, ranging from metres (between quadrats) to hundreds of kilometres (between regions), using samples collected from almost 2000 km of temperate coastline that represented almost 300 species. Biodiversity surrogates included commonly used cost‐effective alternatives to species‐level sampling, such as those derived from functional groups and from taxonomic aggregation. Results Overall, surrogates derived from taxonomic aggregation to genus or family level correlated strongly with species‐level patterns, although the family‐level surrogate was a less effective predictor of species richness at large spatial scales. Surrogates derived from aggregation to coarser taxonomic levels and functional groups performed poorly, while the effectiveness of a surrogate measure derived from canopy‐forming species improved with increasing spatial scale. Main conclusions A critical, but rarely examined, assumption of biodiversity surrogates is that the relationship between surrogate and species‐level patterns is consistent in both space and time, and across a range of spatial and temporal scales. As the performance of all surrogates was, to some degree, scale‐dependent, this work empirically demonstrated the need to consider the spatial extent and design of any biodiversity monitoring programme when choosing cost‐effective alternatives to species‐level data collection.     

Saying it with genes,species and habitats: biodiversity education and the role of zoos

This paper considers the role of zoological gardens as vehicles for teaching about biodiversity and conservation. The general importance of conservation and biodiversity education is outlined in the context of Agenda 21 and the Global Biodiversity Strategy, and the unique niche of zoo education for meeting these challenges is defined. This includes the exhibition of real live animals, accessibility. immediacy, popularity, egalitarianism and the unique combination of strengths and resources offered by zoo education departments. Effective zoo education for biodiversity conservation depends on answering certain criticisms (including behavioural distortion, ecological context and people/animal relationships); working within the available resource framework; and careful strategic planning that considers appropriate messages, target audiences and communication methods. Future zoo education trends might include developing the unique niche; teaching about zoos' role in interactive management; and the contribution of zoo networks to education.     

生物多样性不同层次尺度效应及其耦合关系研究进展

生物多样性包含遗传、物种、生态系统和景观多样性4个层次,虽然各个层次的研究较多,但是各层次间相互关系的研究较少。物种多样性多采用野外样方调查法,景观多样性采用遥感、地理信息系统和野外调查,研究方法较为成熟;生态系统多样性研究因生物地理地域和尺度的不同,常采用不同的分类体系,尚无统一评估标准。物种多样性的尺度效应在α、β、γ指数上均有不同体现,景观多样性的尺度效应非常明显。生境异质性与物种α和β多样性指数密切相关,在一定尺度上,丰富的景观多样性提高了物种多样性。未来研究需要揭示不同生物多样性层次之间的耦合关系,并将研究结果应用到生态系统红色名录制定、区域生物多样性综合监测与评估等实践之中。     

Predicting impact of freshwater exotic species on native biodiversity: Challenges in spatial scaling

Abstract Global homogenization of biota is underway through worldwide introduction and establishment of nonindigenous (exotic) species. Freshwater ecologists should devote more attention to exotic species for two reasons. First, exotics provide an opportunity to test hypotheses about what characteristics of species or habitats are related to successful establishment or invasibility, respectively. Second, predicting which species will cause large ecological change is an important challenge for natural resource managers. Rigorous statistical relationships linking species characteristics to probability of establishment or of causing ecological impacts are needed. In addition, it is important to know how reliable different sorts of experiments are in guiding predictions. We address this issue with different spatial scales of experiments testing the impact of two predators on native snail assemblages in northern Wisconsin USA lakes: an exotic crayfish, the rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus); and a native fish predator, the pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibossus). For the crayfish, laboratory experiments, a field cage experiment, and a snapshot survey of 21 lakes gave consistent results: the crayfish reduced abundance and species richness of native snails. Laboratory and field experiments suggested that pumpkinseed sunfish should have a similar impact, but the lake survey suggested little impact. Unfortunately, no algorithms exist to guide scaling up from small-scale experiments to the whole-lake, long-term management scale. To protect native biodiversity, management of freshwater exotic species should be targeted on lakes or drainages that are both vulnerable to colonization by an exotic, and that harbour endemic species. Management should focus on preventing introduction because eradication after establishment is usually not possible.     

The influence of spatial scale on the congruence of classifications circumscribing morphological units of biodiversity

Aim The ‘taxonomic impediment’ has led to a growing trend in ecology and conservation biology to use operational surrogates for species within the context of a particular research project. Because such ‘parataxonomic’ classifications are typically spatially limited in scope, we examined the influence of increasing spatial scale on the congruence of two such approaches with a more traditional taxonomic classification. Location Sturt National Park, north‐western New South Wales, Australia. Methods Specimens of two ant genera, Camponotus and Rhytidoponera, were classified by three independent methods. The ‘parataxonomic’ classification assigned specimens to morphospecies without specialist taxonomic expertise; the ‘taxonomic’ classification assigned specimens to either described species or, where this was not possible, to operational taxonomic units (OTUs) using specialist taxonomic expertise; the ‘phenetic’ classification assigned specimens to putative species using a K‐means partitioning algorithm on basic morphometric data. Specimens of each genus were pooled into ‘assemblages’, which were defined at multiple spatial scales using a nested sampling design. Congruence in the interspecimen relationships of the different classifications was tested for each assemblage using pair‐wise Mantel correlations. Results Classification congruence tended to decrease with increasing spatial scale. There were, however, clear differences between the genera. Parataxonomic–taxonomic congruence was consistently greater for Camponotus, while phenetic–taxonomic congruence showed the opposite pattern. Conclusions Observed patterns in classification congruence are attributed to two principal causes: (i) within‐species morphological variation, including ecotypic variation in Rhytidoponera and caste polymorphism in Camponotus; and (ii) a limit to the morphological similarity of potentially competing species at small spatial scales. Regardless of cause, the decline in agreement as the spatial scale of observation is increased has important implications for the measurement of biodiversity, particularly when comparing samples over regional, continental, and global scales.     

Regression models for spatial prediction: their role for biodiversity and conservation

This paper is an introduction to a Special Issue on regression models for spatial predictions published in Biodiversity and Conservation following an international workshop held in Switzerland in 2001 (http://leba.unige.ch/workshop). This introduction describes how the exponential growth in computing power has improved our ability to reach spatially explicit assessment of biodiversity and to develop cost-effective conservation management. New questions arising from these modern approaches are listed, while papers presenting examples of applications are briefly introduced.     

居群、物种与生物多样性

正受《生物多样性》主编之邀,我对洪德元先生(2016)的"生物多样性事业需要科学、可操作的物种概念"一文谈一点体会。鉴于在学术声望上我只能望洪先生之项背以及"可操作性的物种概念"之复杂性,我后悔轻率答应了撰文。但为了引起我国植物分类与系统植物学界关注这一重要问题的讨论,我不得不勉为其难。1三个目的我理解,洪先生撰写此文有三个非常明确的目的:第一,他以熟知的芍药属(Paeonia)植物为例,指出科学认识物种是有效保护我国珍稀濒危物种     

Ecotone formation through ecological niche construction: the role of biodiversity and species interactions

Rapid changes in species composition, also known as ecotones, can result from various causes including rapid changes in environmental conditions, or physiological thresholds. The possibility that ecotones arise from ecological niche construction by ecosystem engineers has received little attention. In this study, we investigate how the diversity of ecosystem engineers, and their interactions, can give rise to ecotones. We build a spatially explicit dynamical model that couples a multispecies community and its abiotic environment. We use numerical simulations and analytical techniques to determine the biotic and abiotic conditions under which ecotone emergence is expected to occur, and the role of biodiversity therein. We show that the diversity of ecosystem engineers can lead to indirect interactions through the modification of their shared environment. These interactions, which can be either competitive or mutualistic, can lead to the emergence of discrete communities in space, separated by sharp ecotones where a high species turnover is observed. Considering biodiversity is thus critical when studying the influence of species–environment interactions on the emergence of ecotones. This is especially true for the wide range of species that have small to moderate effects on their environment. Our work highlights new mechanisms by which biodiversity loss could cause significant changes in spatial community patterns in changing environments.     

Assessing the role of the spatial scale in the analysis of lagoon biodiversity. A case-study on the macrobenthic fauna of the Po River Delta

The analysis of benthic assemblages is a valuable tool to describe the ecological status of transitional water ecosystems, but species are extremely sensitive and respond to both microhabitat and seasonal differences. The identification of changes in the composition of the macrobenthic community in specific microhabitats can then be used as an “early warning” for environmental changes which may affect the economic and ecological importance of lagoons, through their provision of Ecosystem Services. From a conservational point of view, the appropriate definition of the spatial aggregation level of microhabitats or local communities is of crucial importance. The main objective of this work is to assess the role of the spatial scale in the analysis of lagoon biodiversity. First, we analyze the variation in the sample coverage for alternative aggregations of the monitoring stations in three lagoons of the Po River Delta. Then, we analyze the variation of a class of entropy indices by mixed effects models, properly accounting for the fixed effects of biotic and abiotic factors and random effects ruled by nested sources of variability corresponding to alternative definitions of local communities. Finally, we address biodiversity partitioning by a generalized diversity measure, namely the Tsallis entropy, and for alternative definitions of the local communities. The main results obtained by the proposed statistical protocol are presented, discussed and framed in the ecological context.     

Plant species diversity and environmental heterogeneity: spatial scale and competing hypotheses

Questions: What is the observed relationship between plant species diversity and spatial environmental heterogeneity? Does the relationship scale predictably with sample plot size? What are the relative contributions to diversity patterns of variables linked to productivity or available energy compared to those corresponding to spatial heterogeneity? Methods: Observational and experimental studies that quantified relationships between plant species richness and within‐sample spatial environmental heterogeneity were reviewed. Effect size in experimental studies was quantified as the standardized mean difference between control (homogeneous) and heterogeneous treatments. For observational studies, effect sizes in individual studies were examined graphically across a gradient of plot size (focal scale). Relative contributions of variables representing spatial heterogeneity were compared to those representing available energy using a response ratio. Results: Forty‐one observational and 11 experimental studies quantified plant species diversity and spatial environmental heterogeneity. Observational studies reported positive species diversity‐spatial heterogeneity correlations at all points across a plot size gradient from ～1.0 × 10^?1 to ～1.0 × 10¹¹ m², although many studies reported spatial heterogeneity variables with no significant relationships to species diversity. The cross‐study effect size in experimental studies was not significantly different from zero. Available energy variables explained consistently more of the variance in species richness than spatial heterogeneity variables, especially at the smallest and largest plot sizes. Main conclusions: Species diversity was not related to spatial heterogeneity in a way predictable by plot size. Positive heterogeneity‐diversity relationships were common, confirming the importance of niche differentiation in species diversity patterns, but future studies examining a range of spatial scales in the same system are required to determine the role of dispersal and available energy in these patterns.     

Restocking a keystone species in a biodiversity hotspot: Recovering the European rabbit on a landscape scale

Rabbit populations in Iberia remain at low densities in several areas in which their endangered predators still coexist, and the recovery of these populations is therefore urgent if the integrity of Iberian Mediterranean ecosystems is to be maintained. The enhancement of wild rabbit populations has been attempted through the use of in situ extensive rabbit captive breeding enclosures (restocking plots), which reduce mortality caused by terrestrial predators and dispersal movements and permit the breeding of young individuals which can then naturally disperse to settle in the surrounding areas. However, their effectiveness, the role of its size, the optimal habitat management that should be promoted around them and the habitat features remains uncertain. Here, we show results from a four year study of an ambitious rabbit restocking plan on a landscape scale. We measured rabbit abundance in a vast area in which thirty-two restocking plots were built to create an initial rabbit population for further dispersion, in addition to an intensive habitat management program. We also compared rabbit abundance between managed and unmanaged UTM cells of 2.5 km × 2.5 km. Our results showed that rabbit abundance was three times higher in managed cells, but four years after restocking, rabbit abundances had only reached the threshold needed to support stable Iberian lynx presence (at least 10 latrines per km^?1) in 9 of the 23 managed cells. Rabbit abundance was strongly affected by habitat treatment and scrub coverage. The increase of shelter was useful in low cover areas but ineligible in places with high scrub cover, where the increase of refuge plus scrub clearing to create pastures improve rabbit abundance more effectively. In the light of our results, restocking plots should be built only in places with suitable habitat, whereas pastures should be created in dense scrublands and refuge in low cover areas.     

The contribution of geographically common and rare species to the spatial distribution of biodiversity

Motivation and aim

Mapping the spatial distribution of biodiversity is critical for understanding its fundamental drivers (e.g. speciation, environmental filtering) as well as for conservation assessment. An important dimension of this topic is how the distributions of subsets of species contribute to the overall distribution of biodiversity. Although studies have previously investigated the role of geographically common and rare species in determining these patterns, their respective contributions appear to vary between studies. Knowing which species contribute disproportionately to the spatial distribution of biodiversity enables the identification of key indicator species for biodiversity assessments across large areas and is important for prioritising areas for conservation actions. An extensive review of the literature was carried out to synthesise research on how geographic rarity contributes to spatial patterns of biodiversity. We identify potential explanations for the discrepancies in findings between studies and identify opportunities for further research.

Results

Many studies on the contribution of geographic commonness and rarity to the spatial distribution of biodiversity focus on species richness. A prevalent view is that common (widespread) species contribute disproportionately, although this is not ubiquitous across studies due to factors such as the geographic extent from which relative rarity is quantified. We identify research pathways that will further improve our knowledge of how geographically common and rare species shape the spatial distribution of biodiversity including the impact of spatial scale on species contributions and the incorporation of biodiversity components beyond taxonomic alpha diversity, that is functional and phylogenetic diversity.

Main conclusions

Future research should incorporate multiple biodiversity components and model scale dependency. This will further our knowledge on the underlying processes that shape the spatial variation of biodiversity across the planet and help inform biological surveys and conservation activities.     

The role of knowledge and spatial contexts in biodiversity policies: a sociological perspective

In policy processes, biodiversity has been broadened into a holistic notion uniting a variety of cultural, social and economic issues with the biological conservation issue. Therefore, the formation of biodiversity conservation into concrete policy goals appears rather difficult. In this paper, we aim to explore the political implications and consequences of the strong dependency on science of the biodiversity issue. Concentrating especially on environmental policy options, we also examine the globalization and localization processes in the case of biodiversity. In spite of several controversial features and of an evident lack of knowledge on biological diversity, the issue undoubtedly has significant political strengths. However, from the viewpoint of research on environmental policies, the role of scientific knowledge in decision making should be recognized as an open empirical question depending on the concrete contexts of the decision-making process. Further, it is concluded that the concepts relating to global environment are objects of a continuous localization. Thus, any moral-technocratic solutions emphasizing simply universal interests as the basis for global biodiversity management must be met with caution. In future research there is a need for concrete case studies in order to clarify the local conditions and opportunities of biodiversity policies.     

Island ecology and contingent theory: the role of spatial scale and taxonomic bias

Scale, the scale dependency of patterns and processes, and the ways that organisms scale their responses to these patterns and processes are central to island and landscape ecology. Here, we take a database of studies in island ecology and investigate how studies have changed over a 40-year period with respect to spatial scale and organisms studied. We demonstrate that there have been changes in the spatial scale of islands studied and that there is taxonomic bias in favour of vertebrates in island ecological studies when compared to scientific publications as a whole. We discuss how such taxonomic bias may have arisen and discuss the implications for ecology and biogeography.     

Dispersal, spatial scale, and species diversity in a hierarchically structured experimental landscape

Although there has been growing interest in the effect of dispersal on species diversity, much remains unknown about how dispersal occurring at multiple scales influences diversity. We used an experimental microbial landscape to determine whether dispersal occurring at two different scales - among local communities and among metacommunities - affects diversity differently. At the local scale, dispersal initially had a positive effect and subsequently a neutral effect on diversity, whereas at the metacommunity and landscape scales, dispersal showed a consistently negative effect. The timing in which dispersal affected beta diversity also differed sharply between local communities and metacommunities. These patterns were explained by scale- and time-dependent effects of dispersal in allowing spread of species and in removing spatial refuges from predators. Our results suggest that the relative contribution of opposing mechanisms by which dispersal affects diversity changes considerably over time and space in hierarchical landscapes in which dispersal occurs at multiple scales.     

基于物种的大尺度生物多样性热点研究方法

生物多样性热点是建立保护区、制定保护决策的依据,是生物保护研究的热点问题之一。基于物种的研究方法是大尺度陆地生物多样性热点的主要研究方法,但数据的缺乏限制了直接根据物种丰富度确定热点的方法,因此研究中经常采用其他方法间接的反映物种情况,介绍了4种主要的基于物种的替代方法:指示种、高级分类单元、环境模型和景观异质性,详细阐述了各种方法存在的利弊,并从数据的可获取性、操作的便捷性和对物种特征的反映3个方面对各种方法进行了评价。任何单一的方法都无法准确反映出生物多样性热点的真实分布。合适的研究方法是权衡研究目的、时间和资金的结果,建议选择优势互补的多种方法。