The palatability of Arctic willow for greater snow geese: the role of nutrients and deterring factors

Temporary feeding on willow buds and leaves by nesting greater snow geese provided us with an opportunity to test the relative importance of nutrients and deterrents in affecting the palatability for geese of a food plant with a high phenol content. Protein, total phenol and fiber (neutral and acid detergent fiber, and lignin) were analyzed in closed and open buds and in rolled and open leaves. Geese feed on willows at the open-buds and rolled-leaf stages but not at the closed-bud and open-leaf stages. Protein content was higher in open buds and rolled leaves (25–27%) than in closed buds and open leaves (19–21%). Phenol content increased during leaf emergence but was already high (14%) in rolled leaves. All plant fibers were very high in closed buds but declined rapidly during leaf emergence. The increase in phenol: protein ratio appeared to be more important than phenol concentration alone in explaining the cessation of feeding by geese on willow leaves whereas the high fiber content of closed buds may explain why they were not eaten. Our results illustrate the value of a multifactorial approach in the study of the food selection process in herbivores.     

The role of phenolic compounds and nutrients in determining food preference in greater snow geese

Summary We tested Buchsbaum's hypothesis that food palatability in geese is determined by a hierarchy of feeding cues among which deterrent secondary metabolites (mostly phenols) have a primary role (Buchsbaum et al. 1984). In preference tests, greater snow goose feeding was slightly depressed when grass was sprayed with ferulic acid but not when grass was sprayed with p-coumaric and tannic acids. Extracts of Timothy grass, red clover or alfalfa sprayed on grass also failed to depress goose feeding. In a multifactor experiment, phenol and protein content and height of grass were manipulated simultaneously. When ferulic acid was sprayed, protein and phenol content interacted in determining goose feeding preferences; protein content had no effect in the absence of phenol but did have an effect when phenol was added. When tannic acid was used in a similar experiment, results were inconclusive because of a significant and complex interaction between protein content and height of grass. Our results generally failed to support Buchsbaum's hypothesis that phenol content of plants has a primary role in determining food preference in geese. Protein content of plants seemed to be a more important factor.     

Breeding dispersal in a heterogeneous landscape: the influence of habitat and nesting success in greater snow geese

Despite numerous studies on breeding dispersal, it is still unclear how habitat heterogeneity and previous nesting success interact to determine nest-site fidelity at various spatial scales. In this context, we investigated factors affecting breeding dispersal in greater snow geese (Anser caerulescens atlanticus), an Arctic breeding species nesting in two contrasting habitats (wetlands and mesic tundra) with variable pattern of snowmelt at the time of settlement in spring. From 1994 to 2005, we monitored the nesting success and breeding dispersal of individually marked females. We found that snow geese showed a moderate amount of nest-site fidelity and considerable individual variability in dispersal distance over consecutive nesting attempts. This variability can be partly accounted for by the annual timing of snowmelt. Despite this environmental constraint, habitat differences at the colony level consistently affected nesting success and settlement patterns. Females nesting in wetlands had higher nesting success than those nesting in mesic tundra. Moreover, geese responded adaptively to spatial heterogeneity by showing fidelity to their nesting habitat, independently of snowmelt pattern. From year to year, geese were more likely to move from mesic to high-quality wetland habitat, regardless of previous nesting success and without cost on their subsequent nesting performance. The unpredictability of snowmelt and the low cost of changing site apparently favour breeding-site dispersal although habitat quality promotes fidelity at the scale of habitat patches.     

Physicochemical environments and tolerances of cyprinodontoid fishes found in estuaries and salt marshes of eastern North America

Individuals of 28 species of cyprinodontoid fishes have been reported from estuaries/salt marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. Some species show limited latitudinal distributions and/or occupy a limited range of habitats; others are widely distributed and/or occupy a wide range of habitats.A literature survey was made of conditions of water temperature, dissolved-oxygen (DO) concentrations, and salinities at sites where individuals of each species had been collected, and of laboratory-determined tolerances or lethal limits and other responses to those abiotic conditions. Individuals of Cyprinodon variegatus showed the widest overall range of tolerance of environmental temperatures, −1.9–45.4°C, with Gambusia rhizophorae showing the highest lower temperature-tolerance limit, 17°C. The only species highly sensitive to hypoxia was Floridichthys carpio, which showed “stress” at DO levels of 6–8 mg kg⁻¹. All showed use of aquatic surface respiration, except for Kryptolebias marmoratus, which uses aerial respiration in the presence of H₂S, and/or under hypoxic conditions. Individuals of C. variegatus were found to tolerate ambient salinities ranging from < 0.5 to 125.2, or higher, and several species of the genus Fundulus were found to tolerate concentrations ranging from <0.5 to ≥100. However, some of the species discussed cannot tolerate salinities beyond those of dilute brackish waters. In most instances, laboratory-determined tolerance limits of temperature and salinity were wider than conditions under which individuals of these species had been found in nature. The majority of available information related to adult individuals, with few studies focused on immature stages; however, existing information permitted a brief review of spawning, incubation, and early development features in Fundulus heteroclitus.Suggestions were made, based on existing information, as to species that would be most likely to show altered population distributions resulting from continued global warming. These included five species that have tropical/subtropical, or subtropical/temperate distributions. Also, a few others were included that show extensive latitudinal distributions, most extending northward into cooler temperate regions of the Atlantic coast. At present, none of these species has shown a range alteration that can be attributed to global warming.     

Climate change,phenology, and habitat degradation: drivers of gosling body condition and juvenile survival in lesser snow geese

Nesting migratory geese are among the dominant herbivores in (sub) arctic environments, which have undergone unprecedented increases in temperatures and plant growing days over the last three decades. Within these regions, the Hudson Bay Lowlands are home to an overabundant breeding population of lesser snow geese that has dramatically damaged the ecosystem, with cascading effects at multiple trophic levels. In some areas the overabundance of geese has led to a drastic reduction in available forage. In addition, warming of this region has widened the gap between goose migration timing and plant green‐up, and this ‘mismatch’ between goose and plant phenologies could in turn affect gosling development. The dual effects of climate change and habitat quality on gosling body condition and juvenile survival are not known, but are critical for predicting population growth and related degradation of (sub) arctic ecosystems. To address these issues, we used information on female goslings marked and measured between 1978 and 2005 (4125 individuals). Goslings that developed within and near the traditional center of the breeding colony experienced the effects of long‐term habitat degradation: body condition and juvenile survival declined over time. In newly colonized areas, however, we observed the opposite pattern (increase in body condition and juvenile survival). In addition, warmer than average winters and summers resulted in lower gosling body condition and first‐year survival. Too few plant ‘growing days’ in the spring relative to hatch led to similar results. Our assessment indicates that geese are recovering from habitat degradation by moving to newly colonized locales. However, a warmer climate could negatively affect snow goose populations in the long‐run, but it will depend on which seasons warm the fastest. These antagonistic mechanisms will require further study to help predict snow goose population dynamics and manage the trophic cascade they induce.     

The ecological significance of sulfur in the energy dynamics of salt marsh and coastal marine sediments

Sulfur is an important element in the metabolism of salt marshes and subtidal, coastal marine sediments because of its role as an electron acceptor, carrier, and donor. Sulfate is the major electron acceptor for respiration in anoxic marine sediments. Anoxic respiration becomes increasingly important in sediments as total respiration increases, and so sulfate reduction accounts for a higher percentage of total sediment respiration in sediments where total respiration is greater. Thus, sulfate accounts for 25% of total sediment respiration in nearshore sediments (200 m water depth or less) where total respiration rates are 0.1 to 0.3gCm^–1 day^–1 , for 50% to 70% in nearshore sediments with higher rates of total respiration (0.3 to 3gCm^–2 day^–1), and for 70% to 90% in salt marsh sediments where total sediment respiration rates are 2.5 to 5.5gcm^–2 day^–1 .During sulfate reduction, large amounts of energy from the respired organic matter are conserved in inorganic reduced sulfur compounds such as soluble sulfides, thiosulfate, elemental sulfur, iron monosulfides, and pyrite. Only a small percentage of the reduced sulfur formed during sulfate reduction is accreted in marine sediments and salt marshes. When these reduced sulfur compounds are oxidized, energy is released. Chemolithoautotrophic bacteria which catalyze these oxidations can use the energy of oxidation with efficiencies (the ratio of energy fixed in organic biomass to energy released in sulfur oxidation) of up to 21–37% to fix CO₂ and produce new organic biomass.Chemolithoautotrophic bacterial production may represent a significant new formation of organic matter in some marine sediments. In some sediments, chemolithoautotrophic bacterial production may even equal or exceed organoheterotrophic bacterial production. The combined cycle of anaerobic decomposition through sulfate reduction, energy conservation as reduced sulfur compounds; and chemolithoautotrophic production of new organic carbon serves to take relatively low-quality organic matter from throughout the sediments and concentrate the energy as living biomass in a discrete zone near the sediment surface where it can be readily grazed by animals.Contribution from a symposium on the role of sulfur in ecosystem processes held August 10, 1983, at the annual meeting of the A.I.B.S., Grand Forks, ND; Myron Mitchell, convenor.     

Connecting seas: western Palaearctic continental flyway for water birds in the perspective of changing land use and climate

The western Palaearctic continental flyway that connects the tundra and taiga belts of Russia with north‐west Europe is the major migratory avenue for an estimated 9.3 million herbivorous water birds (swans, geese and ducks). Agricultural practices together with protection measures subsidize the carrying capacity of winter habitats of the birds. Densities of these birds are highest in the Netherlands, where nitrogen (N) inputs to farmland have increased during the last 70 years and became the highest in Europe (>250 kg manure and fertilizer ha^?1 yr^?1). A comparison of population trends of 13 species of avian herbivores reveals generally expanding populations in the past 50 years, with the greatest increases from 1970 to 1990. Populations of the smallest avian herbivores, such as ducks, are either stable or have peaked and are now in decline, whereas numbers of larger herbivores (geese and swans) continue to increase and barnacle and greylag geese now breed in the Netherlands, in addition to northern sites. During the northerly spring migration, stop‐over sites, mostly in the agricultural regions of eastern Europe and Scandinavia, lie between the 3 and 6°C mean daily temperature isotherms in April, temperatures at which grasses start to grow, where flooding of riparian wetlands frequently occurs and fertilizers are applied to farmland. However, the restructuring of agricultural practices in an enlarged EU is likely to affect water bird populations and their migration routes. The reduced use of N in the Netherlands is predicted to constrain population growth, especially of the smallest avian herbivores with their high basal metabolic rates, because of the declining food quality of grass leaves. The introduction of large‐scale farming of oilseed rape, winter cereals, sugar beet and potatoes at the expense of grassland also will adversely affect these birds, whereas larger species are likely to continue exploiting these crops.     

Global change and the distributional dynamics of migratory bird populations wintering in Central America

Understanding the susceptibility of highly mobile taxa such as migratory birds to global change requires information on geographic patterns of occurrence across the annual cycle. Neotropical migrants that breed in North America and winter in Central America occur in high concentrations on their non‐breeding grounds where they spend the majority of the year and where habitat loss has been associated with population declines. Here, we use eBird data to model weekly patterns of abundance and occurrence for 21 forest passerine species that winter in Central America. We estimate species’ distributional dynamics across the annual cycle, which we use to determine how species are currently associated with public protected areas and projected changes in climate and land‐use. The effects of global change on the non‐breeding grounds is characterized by decreasing precipitation, especially during the summer, and the conversion of forest to cropland, grassland, or peri‐urban. The effects of global change on the breeding grounds are characterized by increasing winter precipitation, higher temperatures, and the conversion of forest to peri‐urban. During spring and autumn migration, species are projected to encounter higher temperatures, forests that have been converted to peri‐urban, and increased precipitation during spring migration. Based on current distributional dynamics, susceptibility to global change is characterized by the loss of forested habitats on the non‐breeding grounds, warming temperatures during migration and on the breeding grounds, and declining summer rainfall on the non‐breeding grounds. Public protected areas with low and medium protection status are more prevalent on the non‐breeding grounds, suggesting that management opportunities currently exist to mitigate near‐term non‐breeding habitat losses. These efforts would affect more individuals of more species during a longer period of the annual cycle, which may create additional opportunities for species to respond to changes in habitat or phenology that are likely to develop under climate change.     

Moderate disturbances accelerate forest transition dynamics under climate change in the temperate–boreal ecotone of eastern North America

Several temperate tree species are expected to migrate northward and colonize boreal forests in response to climate change. Tree migrations could lead to transitions in forest types, but these could be influenced by several non‐climatic factors, such as disturbances and soil conditions. We analysed over 10,000 forest inventory plots, sampled from 1970 to 2018 in meridional Québec, Canada, to identify what environmental conditions promote or prevent regional‐scale forest transitions. We used a continuous‐time multi‐state Markov model to quantify the probabilities of transitions between forest states (temperate, boreal, mixed, pioneer) as a function of climate (mean temperature and climate moisture index during the growing season), soil conditions (pH and drainage) and disturbances (severity levels of natural disturbances and logging). We further investigate how different disturbance types and severities impact forests' short‐term transient dynamics and long‐term equilibrium using properties of Markov transition matrices. The most common transitions observed during the study period were from mixed to temperate states, as well as from pioneer to boreal forests. In our study, transitions were mainly driven by natural and anthropogenic disturbances and secondarily by climate, whereas soil characteristics exerted relatively minor constraints. While major disturbances only promoted transitions to the pioneer state, moderate disturbances increased the probability of transition from mixed to temperate states. Long‐term projections of our model under the current environmental conditions indicate that moderate disturbances would promote a northward shift of the temperate forest. Moreover, disturbances reduced turnover and convergence time for all transitions, thereby accelerating forest dynamics. Contrary to our expectation, mixed to temperate transitions were not driven by temperate tree recruitment but by mortality and growth. Overall, our results suggest that moderate disturbances could catalyse rapid forest transitions and accelerate broad‐scale biome shifts.     

基于土地利用变化的喀斯特断陷盆地景观格局演变与生态安全评价

喀斯特地区生态重要性与脆弱性并存,研究喀斯特断陷盆地景观生态安全格局演变对当地土地利用高效管理和生态修复具有重要意义。以云南、四川、贵州三省交界处的喀斯特断陷盆地为研究对象,基于2000-2020年土地利用数据,通过构建土地利用转移矩阵、计算景观格局指数和景观生态安全指数,系统分析土地利用、景观格局与景观生态安全水平的时空演变特征。结果如下：（1）林地、草地、耕地是研究区主要土地利用类型,面积占比超过96%。土地利用变化主要发生在2005-2010年和2015-2020年,空间上表现出整体稳定而局部变化剧烈的特点,以退耕还林还草和林地向草地转换为主,耕地面积在过去20年共减少了386.62 km²。（2）景观多样性与均匀度上升,景观蔓延度下降。林地的最大斑块面积比例下降而草地上升,多数用地的斑块密度上升而集聚度下降,土地利用结构整体优化,但破碎化趋势明显,尤其是林地、耕地和草地。此外,建设用地呈连片化扩张。（3）景观生态安全水平明显提升,一般安全及以上安全区面积占比由2000年的62.35%上升到2020年的98.11%。在石漠化治理和生态保护的推动下,南部的生态安全水平大幅提高,推动空间格局从"北高南低"逐步转向"南北相对均衡"。景观生态安全水平的空间集聚性明显,高-高值集聚区主要在北部而低-低值集聚区主要在南部,需进一步推动北部生态保护以保障其生态屏障功能的发挥,并加强南部生态修复来提升其生态安全水平。此外,需持续推进石漠化治理并合理调控当地经济发展与生态保护间的关系,来维持生态安全水平的长期稳定。     

The legacy of past climate and landscape change on species' current experienced climate and elevation ranges across latitude: a multispecies study utilizing mammals in western North America

Aim Elevation and climate ranges across latitude experienced by 21 wide‐ranging mammal species in western North America were summarized to examine two questions: (1) do populations in the northern and southern portions of a species’ range experience different climates or are environments selected to remain similar to climates at the core of ranges; and (2) how do species’ elevational ranges, experienced temperature seasonality and temperature ranges change across latitude? Given the larger effects of climate oscillations in the north vs. the south, a predicted outcome is for species to conserve climate niches across latitude and to show reduced climate and elevation ranges in the north. An alternative outcome is latitudinal niche diversification and increased climate variation in the north. Location Western North America. Methods The questions above were examined using a combination of species occurrence data bases, climate data bases, simple summaries of means and standard deviations and by testing summaries against random distributions across latitude for 21 mammal species from a variety of orders. Results The results showed that: (i) most species conserve their niche strongly or weakly given overall temperature gradients from north to south; (ii) seasonality experienced by species is relatively static until the highest latitudes despite directional trends across the region; and (iii) the elevation range and temperature variation that species experience decreases from south to north. Main conclusions Populations at range edges appear to partition environments to remain closer to temperature values similar to those at the core of the range. In addition, seasonality is not a likely explanatory factor of genetic diversity in latitudinal gradients. The data are instead more consistent with predictions that a combination of higher gene‐flow, increasing environmental instability and decreasing elevation gradients in the north compared to the south may lead to negative correlations between latitude and species’ climate variation. The results corroborate risks faced by northern mammal populations to global climate changes.     

Long‐term terrestrial carbon dynamics in the Midwestern United States during 1850–2015: Roles of land use and cover change and agricultural management

To meet the increasing food and biofuel demand, the Midwestern United States has become one of the most intensively human‐disturbed hotspots, characterized by widespread cropland expansion and various management practices. However, the role of human activities in the carbon (C) cycling across managed landscape remains far from certain. In this study, based on state‐ and national census, field experiments, and model simulation, we comprehensively examined long‐term carbon storage change in response to land use and cover change (LUCC) and agricultural management in the Midwest from 1850 to 2015. We also quantified estimation uncertainties related to key parameter values. Model estimation showed LUCC led to a reduction of 1.35 Pg (with a range of 1.3–1.4 Pg) in vegetation C pool of the Midwest, yet agricultural management barely affected vegetation C change. In comparison, LUCC reduced SOC by 4.5 Pg (3.1 to 6.2 Pg), while agricultural management practices increased SOC stock by 0.9 Pg. Moreover, we found 45% of the study area was characterized by continuously decreasing SOC caused by LUCC, and SOC in 13% and 31% of the area was fully and partially recovered, respectively, since 1850. Agricultural management was estimated to increase the area of full recovery and partial recovery by 8.5% and 1.1%. Our results imply that LUCC plays an essential role in regional C balance, and more importantly, sustainable land management can be beneficial for strengthening C sequestration of the agroecosystems in the Midwestern US, which may serve as an important contributor to C sinks in the US.     

城市扩张对北京市城乡结合部自然和农业景观的影响——以昌平区三镇为例

城乡结合部自然和农业生态系统是确保城市生态安全的重要基础。研究快速城市化背景下城乡结合部自然和农业景观的时空演变规律和驱动因素,能够为相关规划的编制和保护政策的制定提供科学支撑。以北京市三个典型的城乡结合部乡镇为例,通过对1999、2004和2010年三期SPOT遥感影像的解译,获取三镇三个时期土地利用/覆盖(Land Use/Land Cover,LULC)数据。在此基础上,借助Arc GIS空间叠加功能和土地利用转移矩阵,分析1999—2010年三镇LULC的时空变化特征;并通过空间自相性和景观连通性分析,研究近十年来三镇建设用地的空间聚集特征以及自然和农业景观空间连通性的变化,分析城市扩张对三镇自然和农业景观格局和稳定性的影响。最后,采用定量和定性相结合的方法,分析三镇自然和农业景观变化的驱动力。结果表明,1999—2010年三镇经历了剧烈的LUCC过程,建设用地、林地和草地面积大幅增加,伴随的是农业用地和水域面积的急剧减少。各种土地利用类型之间都存在着相互转移,特别是农业用地向建设用地、林地和草地,以及林地向建设用地转移明显。新增建设用地大多通过侵占原有建设用地周边的农业用地和林地,而实现"成片蔓延式"扩张;并造成了三镇自然和农业景观连通性的急剧下降,危及到该区域生态系统结构的完整性和功能的持续性。社会经济发展、土地利用规划、公共政策等共同决定着三镇LUCC的结构、规模和空间分布,是三镇自然和农业景观格局演变的主要驱动力。     

干旱区绿洲土地利用/覆被及景观格局变化特征——以新疆精河县为例

从宏观上运用3S技术,利用1972年MSS、1990年Landsat TM、2001年Landsat ETM+和2005年CBERS 4个时期遥感影像数据,将GIS和景观生态学的数量分析方法相结合,运用ArcGIS以及Fragstats,分析了干旱区绿洲精河县1972～2005年间的土地利用/覆被和景观格局的变化.结果表明:(1)1972～2005年的33a中,精河县LUCC的总体变化趋势是绿洲面积有小幅度扩张,其中人工绿洲面积扩张尤为显著,天然绿洲面积减少.(2)研究区水域面积的变化受艾比湖湖面面积的变化影响较大,变化不显著,但总体上呈缓慢增长的趋势.(3)盐渍地面积的变化经历了先扩张后减小的一个过程.1990年达到最大值,但到2005年面积又有很大程度减少.沙地面积小幅度减小,其他地类的面积始终呈增加趋势.(4)景观在各个研究时段也发生显著变化.总的来说,整个研究区景观的密度持续增大,最大斑块指数先减小后增大,面积加权形状指数减小,形状趋于规则;斑块间的最邻近距离减小.表明1972年时景观中的优势斑块类型的连接性较2005年好,逐渐向具有多种要素的密集格局演变,景观更加破碎.同时不同斑块间的分离度增大,也说明景观破碎化程度加深.从香农多样性指数和香农均度指数的变化可以看出,景观的多样性增加,且均度增强.景观多样性及破碎化程度增加,也反映了土地利用越来越丰富.总之,要实现区域土地资源的可持续发展和景观生态功能的良性发挥,必须注重土地利用格局优化,维护景观生态过程与格局的连续性.