Effects of Different Burn Regimes on Tallgrass Prairie Herpetofaunal Species Diversity and Community Composition in the Flint Hills, Kansas

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Wilgers ◽  
E. A. Horne
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Flint Hills

scholarly journals Tree Species Diversity, Composition and Aboveground Biomass Across Dry Forest Land-Cover Types in Coastal Ecuador

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 194008292199541
Author(s):  
Xavier Haro-Carrión ◽  
Bette Loiselle ◽  
Francis E. Putz
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Tree Species Diversity ◽  
Land Cover Types ◽  
Schizolobium Parahyba

Tropical dry forests (TDF) are highly threatened ecosystems that are often fragmented due to land-cover change. Using plot inventories, we analyzed tree species diversity, community composition and aboveground biomass patterns across mature (MF) and secondary forests of about 25 years since cattle ranching ceased (SF), 10–20-year-old plantations (PL), and pastures in a TDF landscape in Ecuador. Tree diversity was highest in MF followed by SF, pastures and PL, but many endemic and endangered species occurred in both MF and SF, which demonstrates the importance of SF for species conservation. Stem density was higher in PL, followed by SF, MF and pastures. Community composition differed between MF and SF due to the presence of different specialist species. Some SF specialists also occurred in pastures, and all species found in pastures were also recorded in SF indicating a resemblance between these two land-cover types even after 25 years of succession. Aboveground biomass was highest in MF, but SF and Tectona grandis PL exhibited similar numbers followed by Schizolobium parahyba PL, Ochroma pyramidale PL and pastures. These findings indicate that although species-poor, some PL equal or surpass SF in aboveground biomass, which highlights the critical importance of incorporating biodiversity, among other ecosystem services, to carbon sequestration initiatives. This research contributes to understanding biodiversity conservation across a mosaic of land-cover types in a TDF landscape.

First Data on Bryoindication Mapping of Small Towns of Ukraine

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 311-334
Author(s):  
Yu. V. Gapon ◽  
S. Y. Kondratyuk ◽  
S. V. Gapon
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Left Bank ◽  
Natural Conditions

Results of bryoindication mapping based on calculation of an index of atmospheric purity (IAP) of towns of the Left Bank Ukraine, i.e. the smallest Romny (Sumy oblast) and Myrhorod (Poltava oblast) towns, small Pryluky (Chernihiv oblast) and Lubny (Poltava oblast) towns as well as medium size Poltava town (Poltava oblast), are provided. It is found that isotoxic bryoindication zones of moderately polluted air are predominate and often forming entire areas in the centre / industrial / densely built-up areas of Poltava, Lubny and Pryluky towns while isotoxic zones with slightly polluted or unpolluted air are predominant or more widely distributed in smaller towns Romny and Myrhorod. Correlation of data on species diversity, community composition of bryophytes as well as data of the IAP zoning of the territory of all towns mentioned as well as natural conditions of their territory and anthropogenic pressure is discussed.

scholarly journals Grazing management effects on plant species diversity in tallgrass prairie

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Hickman ◽  
David Hartnett ◽  
Robert Cochran ◽  
Clenton Owensby
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Plant Species Diversity ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Management Effects

Effect of Artificial Grassland Establishing on the Vegetation Restoration in the Degraded Ecosystem

2014 ◽  
Vol 955-959 ◽  
pp. 3474-3478
Author(s):  
Tie Jun Sun
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Vegetation Restoration ◽  
Bromus Inermis ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Degraded Ecosystem ◽  
Annual Grasses

Experiment was executed to plant Bromus inermis artificially in the degraded ecosystem, and study effect of grass planting on vegetation restoration. The results indicated that natural vegetation restored rapidly in the degraded ecosystem in two years after grass planted. But species diversity changed little in the early period of vegetation restoration, while vegetation biomass, coverage and anti-interference improved quickly. In addition, species number and important value of perennial grasses increased while those of annual grasses decreased. Then community composition with annual plants mainly changed gradually into that with perennial plants mainly after Bromus inermis planted. However, overground biomass and coverage of restored vegetation and dominance of Bromus inermis planted decreased after vegetation cut once a year. And species diversity and important value of annual grasses increased. Thus it could be good for uniformity of species distribution and stability of community composition and structure to develop.

scholarly journals The use of environmental DNA in monitoring aquatic biodiversity for conservation: a review of challenges and opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Stephenson
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Biodiversity Monitoring ◽  
Aquatic Biodiversity ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Global Biodiversity

Evidence-based decision-making in conservation and natural resource management is often constrained by lack of robust biodiversity data. Technology offers opportunities for enhanced data collection, with satellite-based remote sensing increasingly complemented by Earth-based sensors such as camera traps, acoustic recording devices and drones. In aquatic as well as terrestrial systems, environmental DNA is increasingly promoted as a tool to monitor species diversity and community composition. But if conservationists and natural resource managers are to know when to use eDNA, they need to understand its relative advantages and disadvantages, and when it can be used with or instead of other tools. In this paper, I expand on two recent publications (Stephenson 2020; Stephenson et al. 2020) to review lessons learned from the application of eDNA, especially metabarcoding, to the monitoring of aquatic biodiversity for conservation and to identify factors affecting its relevance and applicability. Over the past decade there have been many advances in technological solutions for biodiversity monitoring. eDNA and various remote sensing tools offer opportunities to create the enabling conditions for enhanced biodiversity monitoring, and are becoming cheaper and easier to use for scientists, public and private sector resource managers, and citizen scientists. Nonetheless, a number of challenges need to be addressed to, for example, improve the standardisation of tool use and to enhance capacity for the use, storage, sharing and analysis of huge volumes of data, especially in high-biodiversity countries. More studies comparing the relative efficiency and cost-effectiveness of different tools with different species in different habitats would help managers choose the right tools for their needs and capacity and better integrate them into monitoring schemes. eDNA is becoming the go-to option for the monitoring of aquatic species diversity and community composition and has also proven successful in some terrestrial settings. eDNA is especially useful for monitoring species that are in low densities or difficult to observe with traditional observer-based methods; indeed, several studies show eDNA metabarcoding techniques have a much better detection probability overall for taxa such as amphibians and fish. In some cases, eDNA has been shown to complement other tools when used together, by either increasing animal detection probabilities or increasing the number of indicators that can be measured at one site. This suggests that, in future, more effort should be made to test the effectiveness of integrating eDNA with one or more other tools to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of measuring indicators and to increase the diversity of species detected. For example, eDNA could be combined with camera traps for monitoring vertebrates visiting waterholes. Testing multiple tools would also provide better opportunity to quantify when and how traditional observer-based methods can complement the technological solutions and when they are more cost-effective. However, it is noteworthy that, in general, the taxa for which data are most lacking, such as invertebrates, plants and fungi, are still those less easily monitored by eDNA and other new technologies. This suggests a focus only on technological solutions for biodiversity monitoring may perpetuate existing taxonomic data biases. I conclude by discussing the international policy context and the relevance of eDNA for monitoring global biodiversity indicators. Several opportunities exist to integrate eDNA into monitoring programmes to measure government, business and civil society contributions towards delivery of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.

scholarly journals Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Prescribed Burning in Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystems

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew R. Whitehill ◽  
Ingrid George ◽  
Russell Long ◽  
Kirk R. Baker ◽  
Matthew Landis
Keyword(s):  
Organic Compound ◽  
Volatile Organic Compound ◽  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Hazardous Air Pollutants ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Flint Hills ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Negative Impacts

Prescribed pasture burning plays a critical role in ecosystem maintenance in tallgrass prairie ecosystems and may contribute to agricultural productivity but can also have negative impacts on air quality. Volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations were measured immediately downwind of prescribed tallgrass prairie fires in the Flint Hills region of Kansas, United States. The VOC mixture is dominated by alkenes and oxygenated VOCs, which are highly reactive and can drive photochemical production of ozone downwind of the fires. The computed emission factors are comparable to those previous measured from pasture maintenance fires in Brazil. In addition to the emission of large amounts of particulate matter, hazardous air pollutants such as benzene and acrolein are emitted in significant amounts and could contribute to adverse health effects in exposed populations.

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