Beaver‐created successional gradients increase β‐diversity of invertebrates by turnover in stream‐wetland complexes

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Evidence for a possible extinction debt in Swiss wetland specialist plants

1. Habitat loss leading to smaller patch sizes and decreasing connectivity is a major threat to global biodiversity. While some species vanish immediately after a change in habitat conditions, others show delayed extinction, that is, an extinction debt. In case of an extinction debt, the current species richness is higher than expected under present habitat conditions.
2. We investigated wetlands of the canton of Zürich in the lowlands of Eastern Switzerland where a wetland loss of 90% over the last 150 years occurred. We related current species richness to current and past patch area and connectivity (in 1850, 1900, 1950, and 2000). We compared current with predicted species richness in wetlands with a substantial loss in patch area based on the species‐area relationship of wetlands without substantial loss in patch area and studied relationships between the richness of different species groups and current and historical area and connectivity of wetland patches.
3. We found evidence of a possible extinction debt for long‐lived wetland specialist vascular plants: in wetlands, which substantially lost patch area, current species richness of long‐lived specialist vascular plants was higher than would have been expected based on current patch area. Additionally and besides current wetland area, historical area also explained current species richness of these species in a substantial and significant way. No evidence for an extinction debt in bryophytes was found.
4. The possible unpaid extinction debt in the wetlands of the canton of Zürich is an appeal to nature conservation, which has the possibility to prevent likely future extinctions of species through specific conservation measures. In particular, a further reduction in wetlands must be prevented and restoration measures must be taken to increase the number of wetlands.

     

Population change in breeding boreal waterbirds in a 25-year perspective: What characterises winners and losers?

1. Understanding drivers of variation and trends in biodiversity change is a general scientific challenge, but also crucial for conservation and management. Previous research shows that patterns of increase and decrease are not always consistent at different spatial scales, calling for approaches combining the latter. We here explore the idea that functional traits of species may help explaining divergent population trends.
2. Complementing a previous community level study, we here analyse data about breeding waterbirds on 58 wetlands in boreal Fennoscandia, covering gradients in latitude as well as trophic status. We used linear mixed models to address how change in local abundance over 25 years in 25 waterbird species are associated with life history traits, diet, distribution, breeding phenology, and habitat affinity.
3. Mean abundance increased in 10 species from 1990/1991 to 2016, whereas it decreased in 15 species. Local population increases were associated with species that are early breeders and have small clutches, an affinity for luxurious wetlands, an herbivorous diet, and a wide breeding range rather than a southern distribution. Local decreases, by contrast, were associated with species having large clutches and invertivorous diet, as well as being late breeders and less confined to luxurious wetlands. The three species occurring on the highest number of wetlands all decreased in mean abundance.
4. The fact that early breeders have done better than late fits well with previous research about adaptability to climate change, that is, response to earlier springs. We found only limited support for the idea that life history traits are good predictors of wetland level population change. Instead, diet turned out to be a strong candidate for an important driver of population change, as supported by a general decrease of invertivores and a concomitant increase of large herbivores.
5. In a wider perspective, future research needs to address whether population growth of large-bodied aquatic herbivores affects abundance of co-occurring invertivorous species, and if so, if this is due to habitat alteration, or to interference or exploitative competition.

     

Colony persistence in waterbirds is constrained by pond quality and land use

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Breeding in the stable boreal landscape: lake habitat variability drives brood production in the teal (Anas crecca)

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Increased autumn rainfall disrupts predator–prey interactions in fragmented boreal forests

There is a pressing need to understand how changing climate interacts with land‐use change to affect predator–prey interactions in fragmented landscapes. This is particularly true in boreal ecosystems facing fast climate change and intensification in forestry practices. Here, we investigated the relative influence of autumn climate and habitat quality on the food‐storing behaviour of a generalist predator, the pygmy owl, using a unique data set of 15 850 prey items recorded in western Finland over 12 years. Our results highlighted strong effects of autumn climate (number of days with rainfall and with temperature <0 °C) on food‐store composition. Increasing frequency of days with precipitation in autumn triggered a decrease in (i) total prey biomass stored, (ii) the number of bank voles (main prey) stored, and (iii) the scaled mass index of pygmy owls. Increasing proportions of old spruce forests strengthened the functional response of owls to variations in vole abundance and were more prone to switch from main prey to alternative prey (passerine birds) depending on local climate conditions. High‐quality habitat may allow pygmy owls to buffer negative effects of inclement weather and cyclic variation in vole abundance. Additionally, our results evidenced sex‐specific trends in body condition, as the scaled mass index of smaller males increased while the scaled mass index of larger females decreased over the study period, probably due to sex‐specific foraging strategies and energy requirements. Long‐term temporal stability in local vole abundance refutes the hypothesis of climate‐driven change in vole abundance and suggests that rainier autumns could reduce the vulnerability of small mammals to predation by pygmy owls. As small rodents are key prey species for many predators in northern ecosystems, our findings raise concern about the impact of global change on boreal food webs through changes in main prey vulnerability.     

A bioenergetic assessment of the influence of stocking practices on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) growth and consumption in a New Zealand lake

Summary

• 1 To investigate the carrying capacity and factors affecting growth of rainbow trout in Lake Rotoiti, we employed a bioenergetics model to assess the influence of stocking rates, timing of releases and prey abundance on growth and prey consumption. We hypothesised that stocking rates and prey abundance would affect growth and prey consumption by influencing per‐capita prey availability, and that the environmental conditions encountered by fish at the time of stocking would affect growth and consumption.
• 2 Prey consumption of stocked rainbow trout was calculated with the Wisconsin bioenergetics model. We calculated growth trajectories of released trout based on data from stocked trout that were released in spring and autumn from 1993 to 2009 and then re‐captured by anglers. Diet, prey energy density, body mass lost during spawning and lake temperature were measured locally.
• 3 Stocking timing had no effect on return rates to anglers or length or weight of caught fish. Although trout released in autumn were smaller than those released in spring, autumn‐released trout grew at a faster rate and had similar lengths and weights to spring cohorts after 2 years of growth in the lake. Modelled consumption parameters were negatively correlated with trout population size, suggesting that stocking rates (347–809 fish ha^?1 year^?1) caused density‐dependent effects on growth. Although common smelt (Retropinna retropinna) accounted for 85% of total prey consumption, no significant relationship was found between prey consumption by individual trout and adult smelt abundance, possibly because trout are targeting smaller smelt that our abundance estimate did not account for.
• 4 Releasing trout in autumn appears to be advantageous for growth, possibly because (i) temperature is more suitable for growth in autumn–winter than in spring–summer and (ii) prey for small trout is abundant in autumn. Mild winter conditions appear to enhance overwinter survival and growth of rainbow trout in warm‐temperate lakes compared to higher latitudes. This implies that moderately productive warm‐temperate lake ecosystems are highly suitable for trout growth in winter, but less so in summer, when lake stratification and high nutrient levels may create conditions suitable for algal blooms and hypolimnetic deoxygenation. High growth rates of trout in warm‐temperate lakes can therefore be supported by timing releases to coincide with favourable winter conditions.

     

Responses of a wetland ecosystem to the controlled introduction of invasive fish

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Seasonal variation in effects of urea and phosphorus on phytoplankton abundance and community composition in a hypereutrophic hardwater lake

1. Urea accounts for half of global agricultural fertiliser applications, yet little is known of its role in eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems, nor how it interacts with phosphorus (P) in regulating phytoplankton composition, especially during spring and autumn.
2. To identify when and how urea and P inputs interact across the ice-free period, we conducted seven monthly fertilisation experiments in 3,240-L mesocosms from ice-off to ice-formation in a hypereutrophic lake. In addition, we ran bioassays with ammonium (NH₄⁺) to compare the effects of urea with those of NH₄⁺, the immediate product of chemical decomposition of urea.
3. Analysis of water-column chlorophyll a and biomarker pigments by high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that addition of inorganic P alone (100 µg P L^–1 week^–1) had no significant impact on either algal abundance or community composition in hypereutrophic Wascana Lake. Instead, fertilisation with urea (4 mg N L⁻¹ week^–1) alone, or in concert with P, significantly (p < 0.05) increased algal abundance in spring and much of summer, but not prior to ice formation in October. In particular, urea amendment enhanced abundance of cryptophytes, chlorophytes, and non-diazotrophic cyanobacteria during April and May, while fertilisation in summer and early autumn (September) increased only chlorophytes and non-diazotrophic cyanobacteria.
4. Comparison of urea mesocosms with NH₄⁺ bioassays demonstrated that urea lacked the inherent toxicity of NH₄⁺ in cool waters, but that both compounds stimulated production during summer experiments.
5. This study showed that urea pollution can degrade water quality in P-rich lakes across a variety of seasonal conditions, including spring, and underscores the importance of quantifying the timing and form of N inputs when managing P-rich freshwaters.

     

Functional equivalency of created and natural wetlands: diet composition of red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens)

Evaluating the adequacy of created wetlands to replace functions of lost natural wetlands is important because wetland mitigation is a major tool used to offset wetland losses. However, measurements such as vegetative cover and wildlife presence may not be evidence enough that created wetlands are functioning properly and thus, examining the ecology of wetland biota such as amphibians may be a more useful surrogate for function. Our objectives were to measure the diet composition of adult red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) and compare the selection of prey by newts between created and natural wetlands. Newts were trapped during the spring and summer of 2009 and 2010, and the stomach contents of 149 newts were obtained with gastric lavage. Invertebrate prey availability was obtained within a 5 m radius of each captured newt. Selection of prey by newts was nonrandom, but was only minimally affected by wetland type. Both dietary breadth and prey selection were affected primarily by time of year, likely driven by temporal variation in invertebrate abundance. Our results suggest that the function of providing an adequate prey base for a generalist wetland predator such as the red-spotted newt is being fulfilled for the created wetlands that we examined.     

Effects of irrigation system alterations on the trophic position of a threatened top predator in rice‐field ecosystems

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Wetland isolation facilitates larval mosquito density through the reduction of predators

• 1 Wetlands harbour high biodiversity and offer important ecosystem services, but they are also a habitat for mosquito larvae (Diptera: Culicidae), which are important disease vectors.
• 2 Isolation among remnant, or newly created wetlands and ponds, and their consequent density in the landscape, is a key factor that can influence a variety of food web processes, including effects on mosquitoes which are important prey to many predators.
• 3 We assess the impact of habitat isolation on the density of pond‐breeding mosquitoes (several Anopheles and Culex species) both directly and indirectly through the food web.
• 4 Results from structural equation modelling of survey data shows that larval mosquitoes are denser in ponds that are more isolated from one another, and that this result was primarily driven indirectly by a reduction of larval mosquito predators (e.g. predaceous insects and amphibians). Furthermore, results from a long‐term mesocosm experiment factorially manipulating isolation and predator reduction show that the effect of isolation on mosquito density was eliminated when predators were experimentally reduced.
• 5 It is concluded that metacommunity processes, both directly and indirectly mediated through predators, can play an important role in the local abundance of wetland breeding mosquitoes and possibly the diseases they spread.

     

Direct and indirect effects of predatory young‐of‐year fishes in a dryland river food web

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Competition during early ontogeny: Effects of native and invasive planktivores on the growth,survival, and habitat use of bluegill

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Test of theory of foraging mode: Goldcrests,Regulus regulus,forage by high‐yield,energy‐expensive hovering flight when food is abundant but use low‐yield,low‐cost methods when food is scarce

1. Here, I describe foraging behavior of goldcrests, Regulus regulus, based on eight years of field observation in a coniferous forest dominated by Norway spruce Picea abies in southwestern Sweden. The aim was to test predictions from theory on the choice of optimal foraging modes in relation to food availability.
2. Mortality from early November to early March amounts to 70–86% among goldcrests in the resident population, suggesting they are food‐limited in winter. Food‐limitation manifests itself as a shortage of time for foraging. It promotes the use of foraging methods that minimize the daily foraging time by maximizing the rate of net energy gain. It increases both individual survival and competitiveness. Elimination of competitors by exploitation occurs when an individual is able to support itself, while food density in the habitat is reduced to levels at which others cannot.
3. Theory shows that when food is abundant, high‐efficiency energy‐expensive search and capture methods give shorter daily foraging times than low‐efficiency low‐cost methods, whereas the latter gives shorter daily foraging times at food shortages (Norberg 2021). Hovering flight is extremely expensive in energy but results in high foraging efficiency. Hover‐foraging should therefore be used when food is abundant.
4. In autumn, there were 85.3 arthropods per kilogram of branch mass, as opposed to 12.9 in spring. The numerical decline of arthropods, their fat metabolism, and size‐biased predation by birds reduced the spring density of food for goldcrests to less than 15.1% of the autumn density.
5. Hover‐foraging occurred 5.29 times per minute in autumn but only 0.23 times per minute in spring, which is 4.4% of the autumn frequency.
6. Foraging conditions are favorable at midsummer because of long days, high temperatures, and an abundance of arthropod prey. Parent birds that were feeding fledglings gathered food at a high rate and hovered 5.42 times per minute. But adults with no young to feed were not compelled to maximize the rate of net energy gain and only hover‐foraged 0.52 times per minute, which is 10% of that of providers.
7. These results are highly consistent from year to year and in qualitative agreement with theory.

Goldcrests minimize daily foraging time by using high‐efficiency energy‐expensive hover‐foraging when food is abundant but low‐efficiency low‐cost methods at food shortages.     

Fish reduce anuran abundance and decrease herpetofaunal species richness in wetlands

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敦煌西湖湿地鸟类栖息地重要性模糊综合评判

根据2007～2008年在甘肃敦煌西湖国家级自然保护区进行的湿地鸟类调查种类和数量数据,运用模糊综合评判法对保护区内的8块湿地进行了湿地鸟类栖息地重要性评价. 评判中隶属度的确定采用最佳因子值法,并分春、秋两种最佳因子值进行评判.结果表明:(1)春季各湿地均比秋季的重要性程度高,春季是管理的重点;(2)春秋两季南湖湿地重要性(0.938和0.966)都要远大于其它的湿地.春季盐池湾、羊水海子、南大湖的结果较相近,重要性程度次之,可持有相同程度的管理水平.党河水库、墩子湾、马圈湾、南园湖的重要性程度较低,只需一般水平的管理;(3)秋季各湿地水平除了南湖外普遍较低,羊水海子和盐池湾的重要性(0.340和0.269)相对较高些,但也只需一般水平的管理.     

Does a long‐term shift in Wood Stork diet foreshadow adaptability to human‐induced rapid environmental change?

To preserve biodiversity, identifying at‐risk populations and developing conservation plans to mitigate the effects of human‐induced rapid environmental change (HIREC) are essential. Changes in diet, especially for food‐limited species, can aid in detecting populations being impacted by HIREC, and characterizing the quality, abundance, and temporal and spatial consistency of newly consumed food items may provide insight concerning the likelihood of a species persisting in a changing environment. We used Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) nesting in the Florida Everglades as a model system to study the possible effects of HIREC on a food‐limited population. We compared the diets of Wood Storks in 2013 and 2014 with those reported during the 1970s before major anthropogenic activities affected the Everglades system and prey availability. Wood Storks in our study consumed more large‐bodied sunfish species (Lepomis spp.), fewer native marsh fishes, and more non‐native fish species than during the 1970s. Large sunfish and non‐native fish are relatively rare in the drying pools of Everglades marshes where storks traditionally forage, suggesting that Wood Storks may be using novel foraging habitats such as created wetlands (i.e., canals and stormwater ponds). Although created wetlands have long hydroperiods conducive to maintaining large‐bodied fishes and could provide alternative foraging habitat when prey availability is reduced in natural marshes, additional studies are needed to determine the extent to which these wetlands are used by Wood Storks and, importantly, the quality of prey items potentially available to foraging Wood Storks in created wetlands.     

When carnivores collide: a review of studies exploring the competitive interactions between bobcats Lynx rufus and coyotes Canis latrans

1. Bobcats Lynx rufus and coyotes Canis latrans are two widespread mesopredators with a complex history of sympatry. The competitive interactions between these species are of interest to biologists due to the furbearer status of bobcats, the recent range expansion of coyotes, and the recolonisation of several parts of North America by bobcats following their extirpation. Although studies exploring the dynamics and competition between bobcats and coyotes span decades, there is a lack of understanding regarding what factors influence exploitative or interference competition, and what methodologies are conducive to identifying these types of competition.
2. We gathered a comprehensive list of research papers (n = 41) exploring bobcat–coyote competitive interactions in North America. From them, we collected the following: study site characteristics, number and types of research methods, number and types of metrics explored, history of sympatry of the two species at the study location, presence of apex predators, and documentation of interference and/or exploitative competition.
3. Using generalised linear models, we determined that interference competition between bobcats and coyotes was observed primarily in open habitat. However, habitat heterogeneity, the number of research methods and metrics used, presence of an apex predator, and history of sympatry could not be used to predict the occurrence of interference competition. Studies that included diet overlap were less likely to observe interference competition than studies that used other metrics to infer competition.
4. Competitive interactions between coyotes and bobcats are largely a function of prey availability. Our findings suggest that habitat type may be a surrogate for prey availability, which many researchers mention, but do not explicitly measure. Future studies investigating bobcat–coyote interactions should include the quantification of prey densities to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the system at large, and should avoid using solely diet or habitat overlap as metrics to assess competition.

     

Linear woodlots increase wild bee abundance by providing additional food sources in an agricultural landscape

1. Mid-field woodlots play an important role in maintaining biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. However, it is not clear whether non-linear or linear woodlots are most beneficial for wild bee conservation.
2. We assessed the attractiveness of two common types of woodlots in an agricultural landscape in northern Poland (non-linear and linear: 7 and 9 sites, respectively) in terms of wild bee abundance, species richness, and functional diversity.
3. Linear habitats had higher abundance of wild bees. However, woodlot type did not affect wild bee species composition or functional trait composition. Species composition responded significantly to measures of syntaxonomic heterogeneity and landscape heterogeneity. Woodlot area, landscape context (isolation and landscape heterogeneity), and syntaxonomic heterogeneity explained most of the differences among habitats (non-linear vs. linear) in wild bee abundance and species richness, regardless of the habitat type. The higher attractiveness of linear woodlots was due to increased food availability in the herbaceous layer in the spring–summer (June) and summer (July–August) periods.
4. Linear woodlots have the potential to be used as tools for integrating agricultural production with biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services.