Forest distribution and site quality in southern Lower Michigan, USA

Aim The primary objectives of this research were to determine whether current forest patches in southern Lower Michigan are a proportionate sample of forest types present in the pre‐settlement cover and, if not, to establish the degree to which certain types are over‐ or under‐represented in the contemporary landscape. This determination is useful not only because any conservation policy designed to restore the present forest to pre‐settlement biodiversity through preservation of existing stands requires an accurate understanding of the degree to which these stands in sum mirror past forest diversity, but also because it fills a gap in the existing ecological literature. Location The research was conducted within four counties in southern Lower Michigan, USA (Ionia, Livingston, Tuscola and Van Buren). Methods Soil survey data were used to characterize the range of site quality across the study area and the areal extent of each quality category. The geographic locations of all current forest patches in each county were then determined from land use maps and were overlaid on the site quality classification. This procedure yielded the observed distribution of forest relative to site quality. The expected areal extent of forest within each category of site quality on the landscape was determined by assuming a random distribution and multiplying the total area of forestland by the proportion of landscape within each category of site quality. This procedure calculated the expected distribution of forest in terms of site quality by dividing the total forestland among the landscape types, relative to how well represented the landscape types were. The observed and expected distributions were then compared both in terms of absolute difference and normalized difference. Results Overall results indicate that categories of site quality that support a large proportion of the present‐day forest patches are generally composed of agriculturally inferior soil and are over‐represented with forest. Surviving or reforested tracts are concentrated on inferior types of habitat. Main conclusions Results suggest that the present‐day forest patches may not be a proportionate sample of the primeval forest. Rather, they are concentrated on agriculturally‐inferior (coarse‐textured, steeply‐sloped, or poorly‐drained) types of habitat. Unless these stands are for some unknown reason compositionally richer than their pre‐settlement counterparts, these results suggest that the existing forest resource in southern Lower Michigan is an inferior (biased) sample of the primeval cover. Furthermore, because forest types associated with the most heavily‐developed agricultural sites have apparently suffered the most loss of habitat, species more characteristic of these types may have experienced a greater decline in overall importance across the landscape. This study suggests that policy aimed at increasing the potential biodiversity of the area should include provisions that encourage the redevelopment of forest habitat on those sites no longer supporting their equal share of forest.     

Local and landscape factors determining occurrence of phyllostomid bats in tropical secondary forests

Neotropical forests are being increasingly replaced by a mosaic of patches of different successional stages, agricultural fields and pasture lands. Consequently, the identification of factors shaping the performance of taxa in anthropogenic landscapes is gaining importance, especially for taxa playing critical roles in ecosystem functioning. As phyllostomid bats provide important ecological services through seed dispersal, pollination and control of animal populations, in this study we assessed the relationships between phyllostomid occurrence and the variation in local and landscape level habitat attributes caused by disturbance. We mist-netted phyllostomids in 12 sites representing 4 successional stages of a tropical dry forest (initial, early, intermediate and late). We also quantitatively characterized the habitat attributes at the local (vegetation structure complexity) and the landscape level (forest cover, area and diversity of patches). Two focal scales were considered for landscape characterization: 500 and 1000 m. During 142 sampling nights, we captured 606 individuals representing 15 species and 4 broad guilds. Variation in phyllostomid assemblages, ensembles and populations was associated with variation in local and landscape habitat attributes, and this association was scale-dependent. Specifically, we found a marked guild-specific response, where the abundance of nectarivores tended to be negatively associated with the mean area of dry forest patches, while the abundance of frugivores was positively associated with the percentage of riparian forest. These results are explained by the prevalence of chiropterophilic species in the dry forest and of chiropterochorous species in the riparian forest. Our results indicate that different vegetation classes, as well as a multi-spatial scale approach must be considered for evaluating bat response to variation in landscape attributes. Moreover, for the long-term conservation of phyllostomids in anthropogenic landscapes, we must realize that the management of the habitat at the landscape level is as important as the conservation of particular forest fragments.     

A retrospective analysis of land cover change using a polygon shape index

Aim This study tests the hypothesis that the propensity of land cover patches to change is related to their shape and geometric complexity. Location The analysis is based on a 1000‐km² area of the Cairngorms in Scotland, incorporating part of Speyside and the high plateau area within the Grampian Mountains. Methods A combined dataset was created by intersecting 1964 land cover data (derived from archive aerial photography) and 1988 land cover data (from the Land Cover of Scotland dataset). A shape index was calculated for each land cover polygon inside a GIS. Information on land cover change was analysed with reference to land cover class and the polygon shape index using a regression analysis. Results For upland seminatural land cover classes, subject to low levels of management, change is related to polygon shape, such that the more complex patches were found to be more susceptible to change. This relationship breaks down where classes are more intensively managed or have been aggregated into mosaic classes. Conclusions Propensity to change was related to shape index for seminatural land cover classes. This implies that at least some landscape processes, such as anthropogenic disturbance of seminatural land covers, can be linked to ecological theory via measurements of spatial pattern. The study also highlighted some of the cartographic issues involved in estimating changes between land cover classes: there are advantages in replacing the ‘cartographic paradigm’ of comparing two derived datasets (in this case land cover maps) with direct comparison of the digital data — air photographs or satellite imagery. Such a direct approach avoids the compounding of errors introduced by the approximation of each successive air photo as a thematic map.     

Effects of habitat transitions on rainforest bird communities across an anthropogenic landscape mosaic

We compared bird community responses to the habitat transitions of rainforest‐to‐pasture conversion, consequent habitat fragmentation, and post‐agricultural regeneration, across a landscape mosaic of about 600 km² in the eastern Australian subtropics. Birds were surveyed in seven habitats: continuous mature rainforest; two size classes of mature rainforest fragment (4–21 ha and 1–3 ha); regrowth forest patches dominated by a non‐native tree (2–20 ha, 30–50 years old); two types of isolated mature trees in pasture; and treeless pasture, with six sites per habitat. We compared the avifauna among habitats and among sites, at the levels of species, functional guilds, and community‐wide. Community‐wide species richness and abundance of birds in pasture sites were about one‐fifth and one‐third, respectively, of their values in mature rainforest (irrespective of patch size). Many measured attributes changed progressively across a gradient of increased habitat simplification. Rainforest specialists became less common and less diverse with decreased habitat patch size and vegetation maturity. However, even rainforest fragments of 1–3 ha supported about half of these species. Forest generalist species were largely insensitive to patch size and successional stage. Few species reached their greatest abundance in either small rainforest fragments or regrowth. All pastures were dominated by bird species whose typical native habitats were grassland, wetland, and open eucalypt forest, while pasture trees modestly enhanced local bird communities. Overall, even small scattered patches of mature and regrowth forest contributed substantial bird diversity to local landscapes. Therefore, maximizing the aggregate rainforest area is a useful regional conservation strategy.     

Landscape‐level tree cover predicts species richness of large‐bodied frugivorous birds in forest fragments

Large‐bodied frugivorous birds play an important role in dispersing large‐sized seeds in Neotropical rain forests, thereby maintaining tree species richness and diversity. Conversion of contiguous forest land to forest fragments is thought to be driving population declines in large‐bodied frugivores, but the mechanistic drivers of this decline remain poorly understood. To assess the importance of fragment‐level versus local landscape attributes in influencing the species richness of large‐bodied (>100 g) frugivorous birds, we surveyed 15 focal species in 22 forest fragments (2.7 to 33.6 ha, avg. = 16.0 ha) in northwest Ecuador in 2014. Fragment habitat variables included density of large trees, canopy openness and height, and fragment size; landscape variables included elevation and the proportion of tree cover within a 1 km radius of each fragment. At both the individual species level, and across the community of 12 species of avian frugivore we detected, there was higher richness and probability of presence in fragments with more tree cover on surrounding land. This tendency was particularly pronounced among some endangered species. These findings corroborate the idea that partially forested land surrounding fragments may effectively increase the suitable habitat for forest‐dwelling frugivorous birds in fragmented landscapes. These results can help guide conservation priorities within fragmented landscapes, with particular reference to retaining trees and reforesting to attain high levels of tree cover in areas between forest patches.     

Importance of patch scale vs landscape scale on selected forest birds

The management and protection of natural areas have primarily occurred in isolation from surrounding land management. The structure of surrounding land cover, however, may be important to the abundance and reproductive success of birds within a habitat patch. We investigated the relative importance of forest patch area, within patch habitat and surrounding landscape forest cover on the abundance of three Neotropical migrant bird species thought to be area-sensitive (ovenbird [ Seiurus aurocapillus ], wood thrush [ Hylocichla mustelina ] and red-eyed vireo [ Vireo olivaceus ]), and on pairing success of the ovenbird. We selected 31 isolated forest patches of differing sizes, and three 80-ha plots in continuous forest each centered within non-overlapping 200-ha landscapes, such that patch area and landscape forest cover were uncorrelated among landscapes. Each study plot was surveyed to estimate abundances of territorial males and ovenbird pairing success. Landscape forest cover ( p <0.05) explained the most variation in ovenbird abundance, while percent deciduous forest cover within patches ( p <0.05) and patch size ( p <0.05) explained the most variation in red-eyed vireo and wood thrush abundance, respectively. Patch size was a significant ( p <0.05) predictor of abundance for all three study species; however, density for all species decreased significantly ( p <0.05) with patch size. Ovenbird pairing success was higher in continuous forest plots than in forest patches ( p =0.018). This study's findings suggest that the relative importance of within patch characteristics, patch size and landscape forest cover varies for different bird species, and that conservation efforts would benefit from the inclusion of all three factors.     

Matrix type and landscape attributes modulate avian taxonomic and functional spillover across habitat boundaries in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Land use intensification drives biodiversity loss worldwide. In heterogeneous landscape mosaics, both overall forest area and anthropogenic matrix structure induce changes in biological communities in primary habitat remnants. However, community changes via cross‐habitat spillover processes along forest–matrix interfaces remain poorly understood. Moreover, information on how landscape attributes affect spillover processes across habitat boundaries are embryonic. Here, we quantify avian α‐ and β‐diversity (as proxies of spillover rates) across two dominant types of forest–matrix interfaces (forest–pasture and forest–eucalyptus plantation) within the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot in southeast Brazil. We also assess the effects of anthropogenic matrix type and landscape attributes (forest cover, edge density and land‐use diversity) on bird taxonomic and functional β‐diversity across forest–matrix boundaries. Alpha taxonomic richness was higher in forest edges than within both matrix types, but between matrix types, it was higher in pastures than in eucalyptus plantations. Although significantly higher in forests edges than in the adjacent eucalyptus, bird functional richness did not differ between forest edges and adjacent pastures. Community changes (β‐diversity) related to species and functional replacements (turnover component) were higher across forest–pasture boundaries, whereas changes related to species and functional loss (nested component) were higher across forest–eucalyptus boundaries. Forest edges adjacent to eucalyptus had significant higher species and functional replacements than forest edges adjacent to pastures. Forest cover negatively influenced functional β‐diversity across both forest–pasture and forest–eucalyptus interfaces. We show the importance of matrix type and the structure of surrounding landscapes (mainly forest cover) on rates of bird assemblage spillover across forest‐matrix boundaries, which has profound implications to biological fluxes, ecosystem functioning and land‐use management in human‐modified landscapes.     

Landscape connectivity dynamics based on network analysis in the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve,China

Lack of landscape connectivity and habitat loss is major threats to biodiversity and ecosystem integrity in nature reserves aimed at conservation. In this study, we used structural pattern and functional connectivity metrics to analyze the spatial patterns and landscape connectivity of habitat patches for the Shangyong sub-reserve of the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve from 1970, 1990, and 2000. On the basis of vegetation and land cover data, we applied the equivalent connected area ECA(PC) indicator to analyze the changes in forest connectivity. Four distance thresholds (2, 4, 8, 12 km) were considered to compare the patch importance of connectivity by dECA values. The results showed the declining trends of landscape connectivity measured by ECA(PC) index from 1970 to 2000. The importance of connectivity in each forest patch varied with the increment of dispersal distances at the patch level, and some important habitat patches, which exhibit a potential to enhance landscape connectivity, should be given more attention. The least-cost pathways based on network structure were displayed under four dispersal distances in three periods. The results showed that the number of paths among the fragments of forest patches exhibited radical increases for larger dispersal distances. Further correlation analyses of AWF, ECA (IIC), and ECA (PC) showed the weakest and least-frequent correlations with the structural pattern indices, while H presented more significant correlations with the PD fragmentation metric. Furthermore, Kendall's rank correlations between the forest patch area and functional connectivity indicators showed that dECA (PC) and dAWF indicators should provided the area-based prioritization of habitat patches. Moreover, the low-rank correlations showed that dF and dLCP can be considered as effective and appropriate indicators for the evaluation of habitat features and network patterns.     

Sugarcane and Eucalyptus plantation equally limit the movement of two forest‐dependent understory bird species

Habitat fragmentation results in landscape configuration, which affects the species that inhabit it. As a consequence, natural habitat is replaced by different anthropogenic plantation types (e.g. pasture, agriculture, forestry plantations and urban areas). Anthropogenic plantations are important for biodiversity maintenance because some species or functional groups can use it as a complementary habitat. However, depending on plantation permeability, it can act as a barrier to the movement of organisms between habitat patches, such as forest fragments, reducing functional connectivity for many species. Anthropogenic plantations are becoming the most common land use and cover type in the Anthropocene and biodiversity conservation in fragmented landscapes requires information on how different plantation types affect the capacity of the species to move through the landscape. In this study, we evaluated the influence of the type and structure of plantations on the movement of two forest‐dependent understory bird species – plain antvireo (Dysithamnus mentalis) and flavescent warbler (Myiothlyps flaveola) – within a highly fragmented landscape of Atlantic Forest hotspot. Knowing that forestry plantation is assumed to be more permeable to dependent forest bird species than open ones, we selected six study areas containing a forest fragment and surrounding plantation: three with sugarcane plantation and three with Eucalyptus sp. plantation. We used playback calls to stimulate the birds to leave forest fragments and traverse the plantations. Control trials were also carried out inside the forest fragments to compare the distances crossed. We observed that individuals moved longer distances inside forest than between plantation types, which demonstrate that plantations do constrict the movements of both species. The two plantation types equally impeded the movements of the species, suggesting the opposite of the general assumption that forestry plantations are more permeable. Our results indicate that, for generalist species, plantation type does not matter, but its presence negatively impacts movement of these bird species. We highlight that plantations have negative influences on the movements of common bird species, and discuss why this is important when setting conservation priorities.     

High-Resolution Satellite Imagery Is an Important yet Underutilized Resource in Conservation Biology

Technological advances and increasing availability of high-resolution satellite imagery offer the potential for more accurate land cover classifications and pattern analyses, which could greatly improve the detection and quantification of land cover change for conservation. Such remotely-sensed products, however, are often expensive and difficult to acquire, which prohibits or reduces their use. We tested whether imagery of high spatial resolution (≤5 m) differs from lower-resolution imagery (≥30 m) in performance and extent of use for conservation applications. To assess performance, we classified land cover in a heterogeneous region of Interior Atlantic Forest in Paraguay, which has undergone recent and dramatic human-induced habitat loss and fragmentation. We used 4 m multispectral IKONOS and 30 m multispectral Landsat imagery and determined the extent to which resolution influenced the delineation of land cover classes and patch-level metrics. Higher-resolution imagery more accurately delineated cover classes, identified smaller patches, retained patch shape, and detected narrower, linear patches. To assess extent of use, we surveyed three conservation journals (Biological Conservation, Biotropica, Conservation Biology) and found limited application of high-resolution imagery in research, with only 26.8% of land cover studies analyzing satellite imagery, and of these studies only 10.4% used imagery ≤5 m resolution. Our results suggest that high-resolution imagery is warranted yet under-utilized in conservation research, but is needed to adequately monitor and evaluate forest loss and conversion, and to delineate potentially important stepping-stone fragments that may serve as corridors in a human-modified landscape. Greater access to low-cost, multiband, high-resolution satellite imagery would therefore greatly facilitate conservation management and decision-making.     

Ferns,frogs, lizards,birds and bats in forest fragments and shade cacao plantations in two contrasting landscapes in the Atlantic forest,Brazil

The traditional shade cacao plantations (cabrucas) of southern Bahia, Brazil, are biologically rich habitats, encompassing many forest-dwelling species. However, a critical question for the conservation management of this specific region, and the highly fragmented Atlantic forest in general, is to what extent the conservation value of cabrucas relies on the presence of primary forest habitat in the landscape. We investigated the relative importance of cabrucas and forests for the conservation of five diverse biological groups (ferns, frogs, lizards, birds and bats) in two contrasting landscapes in southern Bahia, one dominated by forest with some interspersed cabrucas, and one dominated by cabrucas with interspersed forest fragments. The community structure (richness, abundance and diversity) of all biological groups differed between cabrucas and forests, although these differences varied among groups. A high number of forest species was found in the cabrucas. However, there were pronounced differences between the two landscapes with regard to the ability of cabrucas to maintain species richness. Irrespective of the biological group considered, cabrucas located in the landscape with few and small forest fragments supported impoverished assemblages compared to cabrucas located in the landscape with high forest cover. This suggests that a greater extent of native forest in the landscape positively influences the species richness of cabrucas. In the landscape with few small forest fragments interspersed into extensive areas of shade cacao plantations, the beta diversity of birds was higher than in the more forested landscape, suggesting that forest specialist species that rarely ventured into cabrucas were randomly lost from the fragments. These results stress both the importance and the vulnerability of the small forest patches remaining in landscapes dominated by shade plantations. They also point to the need to preserve sufficient areas of primary habitat even in landscapes where land use practices are generally favorable to the conservation of biodiversity.     

The Circe principle explains how resource-rich land can waylay pollinators in fragmented landscapes

Global declines in pollinators, associated with land-use change [1-6] and fragmentation [7-10], constitute a serious threat to crop production and biodiversity [11]. Models investigating impacts of habitat fragmentation on pollen flow have categorized landscapes simply in terms of habitat and nonhabitat. We show that pollen flow depends strongly on types of land use between habitat fragments. We used paternity analysis of seeds and a combination of circuit and general linear models to analyze pollen flow for the endangered tree Gomortega keule (Gomortegaceae) [12] in the fragmented Central Chile Biodiversity Hotspot [13]. Pollination probability was highest over pine plantation, moderate over low-intensity agriculture and native forest, and lowest over clearfells. Changing the proportions of the land uses over one kilometer altered pollination probability up to 7-fold. We explain our results by the novel "Circe principle." In contrast to models where land uses similar to native habitat promote pollinator movement, pollinators may actually be waylaid in resource-rich areas between habitat patches. Moreover, pollinators may move with higher probability between habitat patches separated by some resource-poor land uses. Pollination research in fragmented landscapes requires explicit recognition of the nature of the nonhabitat matrix, rather than applying simple binary landscape models.     

Demographic variation in cycad populations inhabiting contrasting forest fragments

Reduced habitat quality after fragmentation can significantly affect population viability, but the effects of differing quality of the remaining habitat on population fitness are rarely evaluated. Here, I compared fragmented populations of the cycad Zamia melanorrhachis from habitats with different history and subject to contrasting levels of disturbance to explore potential demographic differences in populations across habitat patches that could differ in habitat quality. Secondary-forest fragments had a lower canopy cover and soil moisture than remnant-forest fragments, which may represent a harsh environment for this cycad. A smaller average plant size and lower population density in the secondary-forest fragments support the hypothesis that these fragments may be of lower quality, e.g., if plants have reduced survival and/or fecundity in these habitats. However, variation in the stage-structure of populations (i.e., the relative proportions of non-reproductive and reproductive plants) was associated with the area of the forest fragments rather than the type of habitat (remnant versus secondary forest). These results suggest that different demographic parameters may respond differently to habitat fragmentation, which may be explained if processes like adult survival and recruitment depend on different characteristics of the habitat, e.g., average light/water availability versus suitable area for plant establishment. This study shows that forest fragments may differ drastically in environmental conditions and can sustain populations that can vary in their demography. Understanding how forest fragments may represent different habitat types is relevant for evaluating population viability in a heterogeneous landscape and for designing conservation programs that account for this heterogeneity.     

Relations Between Regional–Local Habitat Loss and Metapopulation Properties of Epiphyllous Bryophytes in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Richness and occupancy patterns of epiphyll bryophytes in a fragmented landscape of tropical rain forests in northeastern Brazil (Murici Ecological Station) were investigated to assess the influence of regional and local disappearance of habitat on epiphyllous metapopulation indicators. Bryophytes were collected from ten forest fragments, from the fragment's border to 100 m inside the forest. The number of colonized phorophytes and the cover on leaves were scored. Decreasing trends in regional and local abundance linked to habitat loss were observed, which may be related to the sexual and asexual expression. Although fertility was not related to constancy in the fragments, frequently fertile species colonized more sites within fragments than infertile species. Landscape metrics and indicators of habitat quality explained better the variation in epiphyll richness and occupancy than distance from the forest's edge. This suggests that the abrupt habitat quality modification resulting from edge creation is secondary in the area studied, while irreversible landscape modifications still play an important role. The results add to empirical support that metapopulations are prone to negative and long-term effects in fragmented landscapes. Thus, the selection of priority areas for conservation must take into account the remaining amount of habitat as well as the connectivity between the landscape's patches.     

Importance of forest fragments as pollinator habitat varies with season and guild

Large areas of Western Europe are covered with intensively managed agricultural land. In these landscapes, wild pollinators depend on fragments of semi-natural habitat for foraging or reproduction. Small forest patches are often the most abundant type of semi-natural habitat in these agricultural landscapes. We investigated the role these patches play in conserving the pollinator community in intensively managed agricultural landscapes.Our survey of the pollinator community in 16 forest fragments showed that the pollinator community in the edges of small forest fragments is strongly influenced by forest and forest edge characteristics. Old forest fragments with a well-developed herb layer had more diverse bee communities than recent forests or old forests without a herb layer, but overall lower activity-abundances, while sun exposure of the forest edges had a strong positive effect on pollinater activity-abundance in general. The hoverfly community had higher activity-abundances in forest edges with a higher flower-index, while saproxylic hoverflies were caught in higher numbers in sites with a higher forest cover in the surrounding landscape.We also detected a strong seasonal effect. The effects of herb layer cover on bee species richness and activity-abundance were much stronger in spring than in summer, while bee species richness was also strongly positively correlated with forest age in spring. A strong positive correlation between pollinator species richness and sun exposure was found in summer, after canopy closure.While the sampled forest edges harbour a rich and diverse pollinator community, cavity-nesting bees were very scarce. This is probably caused by the low amount of dead wood in the studied forest fragments.We conclude that small forest fragments can play an important role in conserving the pollinator community, especially bees and saproxylic hoverflies. The importance of these forest fragments is strongest in spring, when the herb layer provides foraging resources.     

Effects of environment,habitat configuration and forest continuity on the distribution of forest plant species

In present day European landscapes many forest plant species are restricted to isolated remnants of a formerly more or less continuous forest cover. The two major objectives of this study were (1) to determine the relative importance of habitat quality (mainly in terms of soil parameters), habitat configuration (patch size and isolation) and habitat continuity for the distribution of herbaceous forest plant species in a highly fragmented landscape and (2) to examine if groups of species with different habitat requirements are affected differently. Deciduous forest patches in northwestern Germany were surveyed for the presence of a large set of forest species. For each patch, habitat quality, configuration and continuity were determined. Data were analysed by Redundancy Analysis with variation partitioning for effects on total species composition and multivariate logistic regression for effects on individual species, for two different data sets (base‐rich and base‐poor forest patches). Overall, we found strong effects of habitat quality (particularly of soil pH, water content and topographic heterogeneity in the base‐rich forest patches; and of calcium content and disturbance in the base‐poor patches), but only relatively weak effects of habitat configuration and habitat continuity. However, a number of species were positively affected by patch area and negatively affected by patch isolation. Furthermore, the relative importance of habitat configuration tended to be higher for species predominantly growing in closed forests compared to species occurring both in the forest and in the open landscape.     

Beetle assemblages of kahikatea forest fragments in a pasture- dominated landscape

Fragments of kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) forest provide a major opportunity for conservation of indigenous biodiversity in the heavily deforested landscape of the Waikato Basin, New Zealand. However, there is little documented information on what indigenous fauna survives in these fragments. Using Malaise traps set 20 m and 50 m into fragments and 20 m and 50 m into the adjacent pasture, we analysed the beetle (Coleoptera) assemblages associated with two such kahikatea forest fragments in the south Waikato Basin in order to determine the scope of biotic invasion by adventive species and use of the surrounding pasture by indigenous species. A total of 3706 beetles were caught, encompassing 37 families and 206 recognisable taxonomic units. The forest fragments had a sharply defined edge, and were dominated by indigenous beetle species, with only a few adventive species present. Beetle assemblages sampled in the surrounding pasture were numerically dominated by adventive species. Despite no indigenous plant species being present in the pastures, 55 indigenous beetles species (61% of total species sampled in the pasture) were recorded in this habitat. Traps in the pasture of greatest floral diversity caught the most indigenous beetle species. Beetles of the detritivore guild dominated the samples from forest, but in samples from pasture, detritovores and predatores were co-dominant. Indigenous herbivore species were poorly represented in samples from pasture compared to other guilds. The kahikatea fragments have a rich indigenous beetle fauna and represent important refuges in the pastoral landscape of the Waikato. Many indigenous species are utilising the pasture to some degree, although their abundance and species richness declines with distance from the forest edge. This may have implications for successful dispersal to new patches. Species that could potentially be used as indicators of kahikatea forest fragment community structure and its resistance to invasion are suggested.     

Identifying Conservation Priority Zones for Effective Management of Tropical Forests in Eastern Ghats of India

There are thousands of protected forest areas existing on earth, yet the deforestation rate continues unabated both inside and outside the protected areas especially in the tropical forests. It identifies the less effectiveness of the current conservation strategies, which is normally oriented around the forest area cover rather than the quality of the protected areas. This calls for realistic and effective management strategies for forests. Based on the drawbacks the present study aims at identifying conservation priority sites within the protected areas (Reserved Forests) of Shervarayan hills, Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. The remnant forest patches having less effective management/protection is identified and analysed for its qualitative contribution to the ecosystem. Quadrats of 20 × 20 m were laid in different vegetation based on the percentage of forest cover and assess the species diversity pertaining the richness, Endemism and Red list categories. Thematic layers (maps) such as vegetation type, floristic species richness, floristic endemism, and red list flora are created and categorized according to their weightage classes and overlaid in GIS domain to demarcate the Conservation Priority Zones (CPZ). The CPZ are classified according to the priority status i.e., high, moderate and low based on the contributing species richness, levels of endemism and concentration of Red listed plants.     

Are CORINE land cover classes reliable proxies of plant species assemblages? A test in Mediterranean forest landscapes

In land cover mapping, the complexity of landscapes is fitted into classes that may limit the recognition of natural variability. In this study, we tested the power of land cover classes (defined on the CORINE land cover classification scheme, a standardized legend set by EU for land cover inventory) to separate different vascular plant assemblages in forest ecosystems. In order to separately identify the role of different sources of inconsistency between land cover classes and species composition, we compared three different inventory processes, based on (i) dominant tree species as observed in the field, (ii) visual interpretation of remotely sensed images and (iii) semi-automatic supervised classification of satellite images. Our results underline that classifying forest ecosystems on the basis of their canopy species produces an over-simplification of habitat variability. Consequently, land cover maps based on non-specialized classification schemes should not be regarded as good proxies for plant biodiversity. If land cover maps are intended to describe and manage landscapes and their associated biodiversity, it is necessary to improve their capacity to represent the complexity of ecosystems.     

Remnants fragments preserve genetic diversity of the old forest lichen <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lobaria pulmonaria</Emphasis> in a fragmented Mediterranean mountain forest

Fragmentation represents a serious threat to biodiversity worldwide, however its effects on epiphytic organisms is still poorly understood. We study the effect of habitat fragmentation on the genetic population structure and diversity of the red-listed epiphytic lichen, Lobaria pulmonaria, in a Mediterranean forest landscape. We tested the relative importance of forest patch quality, matrix surrounding fragments and connectivity on the genetic variation within populations and the differentiation among them. A total of 855 thalli were sampled in 44 plots (400 m²) of 31 suitable forest fragments (beeches and oaks), in the Sierra de Ayllón in central Spain. Variables related to landscape attributes of the remnant forest patches such as size and connectivity and also the nature of the matrix or tree species had no significant effects on the genetic diversity of L. pulmonaria. Values of genetic diversity (Nei’s) were only affected by habitat quality estimated as the age patches. Most of the variation (76%) in all populations was observed at the smallest sampled unit (plots). Using multiple regression analysis, we found that habitat quality is more important in explaining the genetic structure of the L. pulmonaria populations than spatial distance. The relatively high level of genetic diversity of the species in old forest patches regardless of patch size indicates that habitat quality in a highly structured forest stand determines the population size and distribution pattern of this species and its associated lichen community. Thus, conservation programmes of Mediterranean mountain forests have to prioritize area and habitat quality of old forest patches.