A comparison of wetland characteristics between Agricultural Conservation Easement Program and public lands wetlands in West Virginia,USA

In West Virginia, USA, there are 24 conservation easement program wetlands enrolled in the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). These wetlands are located on private agricultural land and are passively managed. Due to their location within fragmented agricultural areas, wetlands enrolled in ACEP in West Virginia have the potential to add wetland ecosystem services in areas that are lacking these features. We evaluated ACEP wetlands compared to reference wetlands on public land in West Virginia by using surrounding land cover, vegetative cover, and wetland features and stressors such as the presence or absence of erosion, upland inclusion, algal mats, and evidence of impacts from the surrounding landscape as surrogate measurements of wetland function on 13 ACEP wetlands and 10 reference wetlands. ACEP wetlands had higher percentages of tree coverage and a higher proportion of agricultural land in the areas immediately surrounding the wetland. Reference wetlands had higher percent coverage of emergent vegetation and had a higher proportion of forest in the immediate landscape. Our findings suggest that ACEP wetlands provide valuable early successional and forested wetland cover in a state that is largely forested. Because of this, it is important to maintain and even expand ACEP in West Virginia to continue providing a valuable source of early successional wetland habitat.     

Phenological and biogeographical aspects of coastal dune plant communities in southern Brazil

The coastline of southern Brazil is characterized by vast sand dunes. From March 1982 to April 1984 the dune vegetation was sampled along a transect between the Atlantic shore and an inland freshwater marsh, and phenological cycles of plant species were observed at monthly intervals.The occurrence of 23 annual species in the local dunes and peak germination, growth and flowering of 21 perennial species during spring, summer and fall, suggest that unfavourable temperatures and inundation of slacks during winter are seasonally limiting factors for this flora.Differences in the floristic composition between this region and its southern and northern extremes in the southwestern Atlantic together with a marked seasonality of the total species number and of germination and flowering periods, suggest that this area corresponds to a warm temperate biogeographic transition zone between northern tropical and southern cold temperate regions.     

IMPROVEMENT OF CR PHYTOREMEDIATION BY PISTIA STRATIOTES IN PRESENCE OF NUTRIENTS

The effects of different concentrations of P and N, added separately or combined, on the Cr(III) accumulation capacity of P. stratiotes were studied. Plants and pond water with the addition of contaminant(s) were placed in plastic aquaria. Cr concentration was 5 mg L^–1, while P and N concentrations were 5 mg L^–1or 10 mg L^–1. Nutrient addition significantly favoured Cr removal and enhanced Cr translocation to leaves. In Cr treatments a high detritus formation from loss of root biomass was observed probably due to its toxicity. Cr was mainly accumulated in the detrital fraction, whereas P and N were retained fundamentally in leaves. A toxic effect was observed in the Cr + P10 and Cr + N10 treatments. These results could be applied to enhance Cr removal efficiency of constructed wetlands using P. stratiotes, where nutrient enrichment could be attained by treating sewage together with the industrial effluents.     

Nursery ground value of an endangered wetland to juvenile shrimps

Although urban development impacts wetlands around the world, until now there have been no studies of its effects on coastal wetlands in tropical regions of developed countries such as Australia. In fact the ecological value of such wetlands is poorly understood. This study provides an initial step in evaluating the ecological value of urbanised, tropical coastal wetlands by determining (a) the extent to which a remnant wetland, in a highly urbanised estuary in northern Australia, is used by juvenile commercial penaeid shrimps, and (b) the extent to which the shrimps rely on food chains based on wetland plants versus marine based food chains. Juvenile penaeids were abundant in the 11 wetland pools sampled. Catches included 5 commercial penaeids with two species, Fenneropenaeus merguiensis and Metapenaeus bennetae, comprising half the catch. Densities in the wetland pools were usually substantially higher than in adjacent estuarine habitats. Stable isotope analysis indicated that much of the nutrition of juvenile shrimps was supplied by marine primary producers (phytoplankton, epiphytic and epilithic algae, microphytobenthos, green filamentous algae) however the locally abundant saltmarsh grass Sporobolus virginicus was also a major contributor. In contrast, there was little indication of nutritional support from mangrove carbon. The lack of importance of mangrove carbon is surprising because the catches of F. merguiensis are often closely linked to the area or extent of mangroves, suggesting that aspects of mangrove systems other than the supply of mangrove carbon may determine the distribution of juvenile F. merguiensis.     

Parasites alter the topology of a stream food web across seasons

Relatively few published food webs have included parasites, and in this study we examined the animal community in a stream across eight contiguous seasons to test how inclusion of helminth parasites alters the topology or structure of the food web. Food webs constructed for each season and analyzed using common binary matrix measures show that species richness, linkage density, and the number of observed and possible links increased when parasites were included as individual species nodes. With parasite–parasite and predator–parasite links omitted, measures of community complexity, such as connectance (C), generally increased over multiple seasons. However, relative nestedness (n*) decreased when parasites were included, which may be a result of low resolution of basal resources inflating specialist-to-specialist links. Overall, adding parasites resulted in moderate changes in food web measures when compared to those of four other published food webs representing different ecosystems. In addition, including parasites in the food web revealed consistent pathways of energy flow, and the association of parasite life histories along these pathways suggest stable evolutionary groups of interacting species within the community. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The impact of salinity pulses on the emergence of plant and zooplankton from wetland seed and egg banks

1. In this study we compared the emergence of aquatic biota from sediments under 14‐day pulses of high (5000 mg L⁻¹) and low (1000 mg L⁻¹) salinity with emergence under freshwater and equivalent constant salinity levels. We tested the hypothesis that pulses of high salinity and short duration have no impact on the emergence of aquatic plants and zooplankton from wetland sediment. 2. The way salt is moved through the landscape may alter the response of biota to increases in salinity. Under natural hydrological regimes in rivers and floodplains salinity pulses occur often at concentrations that exceed predicted tolerance levels for aquatic biota. The impacts of natural pulses of high salinity followed by rapid return to fresh conditions may be used to inform management guidelines for the potential release of non‐natural saline water into river systems with minimal impact. 3. For both aquatic plants and zooplankton the abundance and richness of the emerging taxa decreased at higher salinities kept at constant levels. In contrast, pulses of salinity followed by return to freshwater conditions did not have a negative impact on the emergence of aquatic plants or zooplankton. For many taxa of zooplankton a positive impact was demonstrated with higher emergence following the salinity pulse. 4. The responses of aquatic plant and zooplankton taxa are grouped into five response types. Type 1: negatively impacted by all salt regimes. Type 2: preference for constant salinities. Type 3: no difference between fresh and either pulse regime. Type 4: preference for high concentration pulses. Type 5: emergence higher under a low concentration pulse. 5. Although previous studies indicate that constant high‐level salinity in rivers and wetlands can decrease the species richness of aquatic communities, this current study shows pulses may not have the same impact. Our results support the hypothesis that pulses of high salinity and short duration do not impact on the emergence of aquatic plants and zooplankton from wetland sediments. For zooplankton, pulses of salt may trigger emergence. 6. These trends may be used to explore the potential to use managed water releases to move salt through the landscape with minimal impact of salinity on aquatic biota. However, before such preliminary results are applied in management of saline water releases we need to determine the implications for interacting processes in natural ecosystems.     

Landscape Modeling for Everglades Ecosystem Restoration

A major environmental restoration effort is under way that will affect the Everglades and its neighboring ecosystems in southern Florida. Ecosystem and population-level modeling is being used to help in the planning and evaluation of this restoration. The specific objective of one of these modeling approaches, the Across Trophic Level System Simulation (ATLSS), is to predict the responses of a suite of higher trophic level species to several proposed alterations in Everglades hydrology. These include several species of wading birds, the snail kite, Cape Sable seaside sparrow, Florida panther, white-tailed deer, American alligator, and American crocodile. ATLSS is an ecosystem landscape-modeling approach and uses Geographic Information System (GIS) vegetation data and existing hydrology models for South Florida to provide the basic landscape for these species. A method of pseudotopography provides estimates of water depths through time at 28 × 28-m resolution across the landscape of southern Florida. Hydrologic model output drives models of habitat and prey availability for the higher trophic level species. Spatially explicit, individual-based computer models simulate these species. ATLSS simulations can compare the landscape dynamic spatial pattern of the species resulting from different proposed water management strategies. Here we compare the predicted effects of one possible change in water management in South Florida with the base case of no change. Preliminary model results predict substantial differences between these alternatives in some biotic spatial patterns. Received 30 April 1997; accepted 16 September 1997.     

银川不同湿地陆生昆虫群落多样性与稳定性

【目的】调查和分析银川不同湿地陆生昆虫群落结构组成、功能多样性及其稳定性变化。【方法】2016年5-10月选取银川黄河湿地(HH)、鸣翠湖湿地(MCH)、芦花台湿地(LHT)、水洞沟湿地(SDG)4种湿地生境,采用棋盘式扫网和陷阱捕捉的方法进行昆虫采集。根据调查数据进行昆虫群落结构多样性分析、主成分分析和聚类分析。【结果】4种湿地生境共采集昆虫38 668头,隶属13目97科370种。双翅目、同翅目、膜翅目在4种生境中均为优势类群。植食性(Ph)昆虫功能团的科数和种数在4种生境昆虫群落中占比均最大。植食性-中性昆虫(Ph-Ne)间个体数在4种生境下均存在显著负相关(P<0.01);植食性-捕食性昆虫(Ph-Pr)间个体数在MCH生境下存在显著正相关(P<0.05);中性-捕食性昆虫(Ne-Pr)间个体数在MCH生境下存在显著负相关(P<0.01),在LHT生境下存在显著负相关(P<0.05);4种功能团结构的其他组合的个体数在4种生境下均不存在显著相关性。主成分分析结果表明,捕食性类群是4个类群中影响构成昆虫群落组成的主要成分。同种功能团在4种生境下的多样性分析结果表明,捕食性功能团(Pr)与寄生性功能团(Pa)在4种生境群落中的群落丰富度、均匀程度［辛普森指数(Simpson index)］差异性显著(P<0.05),而植食性功能团(Ph)与中性功能团(Ne)的群落丰富度、均匀程度的差异性不显著(P>0.05);中性功能团(Ne)在4种生境群落中个体出现的不确定程度［香农-维纳指数(Shannon-Wiener index)］差异性不显著(P>0.05),在4种生境的均匀度指数(Pielou evenness index)差异性显著(P<0.05),其余3个功能团在4种生境下的香农-维纳指数均差异性显著(P<0.05),在4种生境下的均匀度指数均差异性不显著(P>0.05)。4种生境昆虫群落特征指数的聚类分析分为2类,永久性湿地HH和MCH为第1类,季节性湿地LHT和SDG为第2类。Ss/Si和Sa/Sp两个稳定性指标均显示MCH昆虫群落稳定性最高,4种生境昆虫群落最稳定的时期是5和9月。【结论】双翅目和膜翅目昆虫在银川不同湿地生境中均为优势类群,可作为环境指示参考;昆虫群落稳定性最好的湿地类型为永久性湖泊湿地;不同生境昆虫群落多样性随季节时序变化,在银川最稳定的时期是5和9月。气候因子、环境因素如何驱动各湿地昆虫群落多样性及稳定性的变化因素还有待开展研究。     

Eutrophication gradients in coastal lagoons as exemplified by the Bassin d'Arcachon and the Étang du Prévost

The conditions of eutrophication are described in three lagoon systems differing by their structure, their catchment area and their connection with the sea: the Bassin d'Arcachon on the Atlantic coast, SW France, the semi-artificial fish ponds of the Bassin d'Arcachon, and the Étang du Prévost on the Mediterranean. The Bassin d'Arcachon is a shallow semi-enclosed bay, strongly influenced by climatic factors and tidal currents. The Bassin receives significant inflow of freshwater and the waters are only partially renewed. The greatest part of the primary production is due to the seagrass Zostera noltii. Although the ecosystem remains on the whole in steady state, some evidence of potential eutrophication are visible. For instance, the flux of nitrogen into the Bassin d'Arcachon has increased by more than 50% during the last 25 years. The most significant change among primary producers is the massive development since 1988 of the green alga Monostroma obscurum. The fish reservoirs of the Bassin d'Arcachon are man-made enclosures designed for extensive aquaculture and where the water renewal is only possible during certain periods of time. Thus, because of the shallowness and the confined nature of these fish ponds, acute eutrophication is sometimes observed in summer. The Étang du Prevost is extremely eutrophic due to agricultural and urban run-off. Red waters occur periodically during the warm summer months as a consequence of ecological events beginning in the early spring with a bloom of green macroalgae (Ulva sp.). In summer, the algal biomass is degraded by aerobic heterotrophic bacteria; the oxygen demand encompasses the oxygen production, leading to the predominence of anaerobic processes and dystrophic crisis. From the comparison of the selected sites, three stages of eutrophication are recognized according to the conceptual model of Nienhuis (1992) describing the relation between the relative dominance of primary producers connected to the availability of nutrients. Such macroscopic observations should, now, be explained by the study of microbiological processes including meiofauna, protozoa, bacteria and all the components of the microbial loop.     

Enhanced invertebrate prey production following estuarine restoration supports foraging for multiple species of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.)

Estuaries provide crucial foraging resources and nursery habitat for threatened populations of anadromous salmon. As such, there has been a global undertaking to restore habitat and tidal processes in modified estuaries. The foraging capacity of these ecosystems to support various species of out‐migrating juvenile salmon can be quantified by monitoring benthic, terrestrial, and pelagic invertebrate prey communities. Here, we present notable trends in the availability of invertebrate prey at several sites within a restoring large river delta in Puget Sound, Washington, U.S.A. Three years after the system was returned to tidal influence, we observed substantial additions to amphipod, copepod, and cumacean abundances in newly accessible marsh channels (from 0 to roughly 5,000–75,000 individuals/m²). In the restoration area, terrestrial invertebrate colonization was dependent upon vegetative cover, with dipteran and hymenopteran biomass increasing 3‐fold between 1 and 3 years post‐restoration. While the overall biodiversity within the restoration area was lower than in the reference marsh, estimated biomass was comparable to or greater than that found within the other study sites. This additional prey biomass likely provided foraging benefits for juvenile Chinook, chum, and coho salmon. Primary physical drivers differed for benthic, terrestrial, and pelagic invertebrates, and these invertebrate communities are expected to respond differentially depending on organic matter exchange and vegetative colonization. Restoring estuaries may take decades to meet certain success criteria, but our study demonstrates rapid enhancements in foraging resources understood to be used for estuary‐dependent wildlife.