scholarly journals Integrating Plant Diversity Data into Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem and Their Services (MAES) Implementation in Greece: Woodland and Forest Pilot

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 956
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Kotsiras ◽  
Ioannis P. Kokkoris ◽  
Arne Strid ◽  
Panayotis Dimopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Biodiversity Data ◽  
Ecosystem Condition ◽  
Natural Capital Accounting ◽  
United Nations System

Research Highlights: This is the first approach that integrates biodiversity data into Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem and their Services (MAES) implementation and natural capital accounting process, at the national scale, using an extensive vascular plant dataset for Greece. Background and Objectives: The study aims to support the MAES implementation in Greece, by assessing, as a pilot, the woodland and forest ecosystem type; the targets of the study are: (a) Identify and map ecosystem type extent; (b) identify ecosystem condition using biodiversity in terms of plant species richness (i.e., total, ecosystem exclusive, endemic, ecosystem exclusive endemic diversity); (c) develop ecosystem asset proxy indicators by combining ecosystem extent and ecosystem condition outcomes; (d) identify shortcomings; and (e) propose future steps and implications for the MAES implementation and natural capital accounting, based on biodiversity data. Materials and Methods: Following the national European Union’s and United Nations System of Environmental Economic Accounts-Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EEA) guidelines and the adopted National Set of MAES Indicators, we developed a set of four proxy ecosystem asset indicators to assess ecosystem types with respect to ecosystem area extent and ecosystem condition. This was as interpreted by its plant diversity in terms of species richness (total, ecosystem exclusive, endemic, and ecosystem exclusive endemic diversity). Results: The results revealed that when indicators use well-developed biodiversity datasets, in combination with ecosystem extent data, they can provide the baseline for ecosystem condition assessment, ecosystem asset delineation, and support operational MAES studies. Conclusions: The relation among biodiversity, ecosystem condition, and ecosystem services is not a linear equation and detailed, fine-scale assessments are needed to identify and interpret all aspects of biodiversity. However, areas of importance are pinpointed throughout Greece, and guidance is provided for case-study selection, conservation strategy, and decision-making under the perspective of national and EU environmental policies.

scholarly journals Relationship between moth (night active Lepidoptera) diversity and vegetation characteristics in southern Sweden

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1005-1015
Author(s):  
Torbjörn Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Vascular Plant Diversity ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract The diversity and community composition of moths (both macro- and micromoths) at 32 sites, representing a wide range of habitat types (forests, grasslands, wetlands, agricultural and urban areas) within a restricted region in central Scania, southern-most Sweden, was investigated by use of light moth traps and compared with vascular plant species richness and habitat characteristics. The results revealed a highly significant general association between vegetation composition and the composition of the moth community and multivariate (CCA) analyses indicated light availability and soil fertility parameters (pH and macronutrients) to be the habitat characteristics that best correlated with moth community composition. Less strong, but still significant, positive relationships between moth abundance and local vascular plant diversity were also revealed. Moth species richness was positively correlated with diversity of woody plant genera in the neighborhood, but not with local vascular plant diversity in general. As for more general site characteristics, there were tendencies for higher moth richness and abundance at sites with more productive soils (well-drained, high pH, high nutrient availability), while shading/tree canopy cover, management, soil disturbance regimes and nectar production appeared unrelated to moth community parameters. It is concluded that local moth assemblages are strongly influenced by site characteristics and vegetation composition. Implications for insect conservation: The results show that obtaining moth data on a local scale is useful for conservation planning and does not need to be very cumbersome. Local moth assemblages monitored are indeed related to local site characteristics of conservation relevance.

scholarly journals Superhost Plants Alter the Structure of Plant–Galling Insect Networks in Neotropical Savannas

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Araújo ◽  
Moreira ◽  
Falcão ◽  
Borges ◽  
Fagundes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Neotropical Savannas ◽  
Galling Insects

Host plants may harbor a variable number of galling insect species, with some species being able to harbor a high diversity of these insects, being therefore called superhost plants. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the occurrence of superhost plant species of genus Qualea (Vochysiaceae) affects the structure of plant–galling insect ecological networks in Brazilian Cerrado. We sampled a total of 1882 plants grouped in 131 species and 43 families, of which 64 species and 31 families of host plants hosted 112 galling insect species. Our results showed that occurrence of superhosts of genus Qualea increased the linkage density of plant species, number of observed interactions, and the size of plant–galling insect networks and negatively affected the network connectance (but had no effect on the residual connectance). Although the occurrence of Qualea species did not affect the plant species richness, these superhosts increased the species richness and the number of interactions of galling insects. Our study represents a step forward in relation to previous studies that investigated the effects of plant diversity on the plant–insect networks, showing that few superhost plant species alter the structure of plant–herbivore networks, even without having a significant effect on plant diversity.

scholarly journals Changes in plant diversity in a water-limited and isolated high-mountain range (Sierra Nevada, Spain)

Alpine Botany ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Lamprecht ◽  
Harald Pauli ◽  
Maria Rosa Fernández Calzado ◽  
Juan Lorite ◽  
Joaquín Molero Mesa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mountain Range

AbstractClimate change impacts are of a particular concern in small mountain ranges, where cold-adapted plant species have their optimum zone in the upper bioclimatic belts. This is commonly the case in Mediterranean mountains, which often harbour high numbers of endemic species, enhancing the risk of biodiversity losses. This study deals with shifts in vascular plant diversity in the upper zones of the Sierra Nevada, Spain, in relation with climatic parameters during the past two decades. We used vegetation data from permanent plots of three surveys of two GLORIA study regions, spanning a period of 18 years (2001–2019); ERA5 temperature and precipitation data; and snow cover durations, derived from on-site soil temperature data. Relationships between diversity patterns and climate factors were analysed using GLMMs. Species richness showed a decline between 2001 and 2008, and increased thereafter. Species cover increased slightly but significantly, although not for endemic species. While endemics underwent cover losses proportional to non-endemics, more widespread shrub species increased. Precipitation tended to increase during the last decade, after a downward trend since 1960. Precipitation was positively related to species richness, colonisation events, and cover, and negatively to disappearance events. Longer snow cover duration and rising temperatures were also related to increasing species numbers, but not to cover changes. The rapid biotic responses of Mediterranean alpine plants indicate a tight synchronisation with climate fluctuations, especially with water availability. Thus, it rather confirms concerns about biodiversity losses, if projections of increasing temperature in combination with decreasing precipitation hold true.

scholarly journals Nitrogen deposition and climate change have increased vascular plant species richness and altered the composition of grazed subalpine grasslands

2017 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 1199-1209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Boutin ◽  
Emmanuel Corcket ◽  
Didier Alard ◽  
Luis Villar ◽  
Juan-José Jiménez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Nitrogen Deposition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Vascular Plant Species ◽  
Subalpine Grasslands
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