The influence of patch and landscape attributes on species richness and occurrence of terrestrial mammals in Hong Kong

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharne Ellen Mcmillan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Landscape Attributes

scholarly journals Evaluating Plantation Forest vs. Natural Forest Regeneration for Biodiversity Enhancement in Hong Kong

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 593
Author(s):  
Janet E. Nichol ◽  
Sawaid Abbas
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Forest Regeneration ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Plantation Forestry ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Continuous Increase ◽  
Natural Forest Regeneration ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Global trends predict a continuous increase in the proportion of forest occupied by plantations up to the end of the 21st century, while a dramatic loss of biodiversity is foreseen as a result of anthropogenic exploitation and climate change. This study compares the role and performance of plantation policies in Hong Kong, with natural regeneration of secondary forest, using detailed spatio-temporal data extracted from a previous study. The study extends over a 70-year period from 1945 to 2014 using aerial photographs and satellite images of five time periods to document spatio-temporal trends in plantation forestry and natural forest succession. Field data on species richness and woody biomass at different stages of forest succession are compared with available data from plantations in the same study area. Results indicate that plantation forests support relatively few native species in the understory, with much lower species richness than naturally regenerated forest, even after 6 to 7 decades. Time-sequential maps of habitat change show that natural forest succession from barren grassy hillsides, progressed at an annual rate of 7.8%, from only 0.2% of the landscape post WWII, to over 37% today. Plantation forestry on the other hand has been less successful, and has even acted as a barrier to natural forest regeneration, as mono-cultural plantations from the late 1960s to 1980s are still plantations today, whereas other similar areas have succeeded naturally to forest. The theory of plantations acting as a nurse crop for a woody native understory is not supported, as Pinus massoniana plantations, destroyed by two deadly nematodes during the 1970s, apparently had no woody understory, as they were seen to have reverted to grassland in 1989 and are still mainly grassland today.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic diversity as a window into the evolutionary and biogeographic histories of present-day richness gradients for mammals

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1576) ◽  
pp. 2414-2425 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Jonathan Davies ◽  
Lauren B. Buckley
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Environmental Predictors ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Biogeographic History ◽  
Shared Ancestry ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dispersal Events

Phylogenetic diversity (PD) captures the shared ancestry of species, and is increasingly being recognized as a valuable conservation currency. Regionally, PD frequently covaries closely with species richness; however, variation in speciation and extinction rates and/or the biogeographic history of lineages can result in significant deviation. Locally, these differences may be pronounced. Rapid recent speciation or high temporal turnover of lineages can result in low PD but high richness. In contrast, rare dispersal events, for example, between biomes, can elevate PD but have only small impact on richness. To date, environmental predictors of species richness have been well studied but global models explaining variation in PD are lacking. Here, we contrast the global distribution of PD versus species richness for terrestrial mammals. We show that an environmental model of lineage diversification can predict well the discrepancy in the distribution of these two variables in some places, for example, South America and Africa but not others, such as Southeast Asia. When we have information on multiple diversity indices, conservation efforts directed towards maximizing one currency or another (e.g. species richness versus PD) should also consider the underlying processes that have shaped their distributions.

Incorporating local habitat heterogeneity and productivity measures when modelling vertebrate richness

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Justin Cooper ◽  
William J McShea ◽  
David A Luther ◽  
Tavis Forrester
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Measurement Scale ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Declining Species ◽  
Monitoring Technologies

SummaryDeclining species richness is a global concern; however, the coarse-scale metrics used at regional or landscape levels might not accurately represent the important habitat characteristics needed to estimate species richness. Currently, there exists a lack of knowledge with regard to the spatial extent necessary to correlate remotely sensed habitat metrics to species richness and animal surveys. We provide a protocol for determining the best scale to use when merging remotely sensed habitat and animal survey data as a step towards improving estimates of vertebrate species richness on broad scales. We test the relative importance of fine-resolution habitat heterogeneity and productivity metrics at multiple spatial scales as predictors of species richness for birds, frogs and mammals using a Bayesian approach and a combination of passive monitoring technologies. Model performance was different for each taxonomic group and dependent on the scale at which habitat heterogeneity and productivity were measured. Optimal scales included a 20-m radius for bats and frogs, an 80-m radius for birds and a 180-m radius for terrestrial mammals. Our results indicate that optimal scales do exist when merging remotely sensed habitat measures with ground-based surveys, but they differ between vertebrate groups. Additionally, the selection of a measurement scale is highly influential to our understanding of the relationships between species richness and habitat characteristics.

Can local landscape attributes explain species richness patterns at macroecological scales?

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Xu ◽  
Zheng Y. X. Huang ◽  
Ting Chi ◽  
Bin J. W. Chen ◽  
Mingjuan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Landscape Attributes

scholarly journals Effects of extreme rainfall, typhoons and declaration of marine reserve status on corals beached at Cape d'Aguilar (1998 and 1999)

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 729-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Morton
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Extreme Rainfall ◽  
Tropical Storm ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
Relative Dominance ◽  
Ecological Parameters ◽  
Tropical Depressions ◽  
Goniastrea Aspera

In the years 1996 and 1997, the pattern of deposition of beached coral heads and pieces onto the shore of Telecom Bay within the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve, Hong Kong suggested that typhoons were a significant natural perturbation. In August 1997, 808 pieces weighing 60,930 g were washed up following passage of Typhoon Victor. 1997 was also Hong Kong's wettest year on record and a survey of the living corals in the reserve in 1998 showed changes in a number of ecological parameters of species richness, composition and diversity but, most noticeably, that the formerly dominant Goniastrea aspera had been superseded by Platygyra sinensis. In 1998 and 1999, this was reflected in the changed proportions of these two beached corals. Dramatically lowered salinities in the bay during July and August 1997 may have effected this change in relative dominance. Following Typhoon Dan in October 1998, 342 pieces of corals weighing 75,600 g were collected. The 1996 and 1997 pattern seemed to be repeating itself. 1999 was a bad year for severe tropical storms and typhoons in Hong Kong, seven being reported upon. Yet, after each one only 12,490 g (Typhoon Leo), 3390 g (Typhoon Maggie), 3550 g (Severe Tropical Storm: no-name), 55 g (Typhoon Sam), 4500 g (Typhoon York and Typhoon Cam) and 3160 g (Typhoon Dan) were washed up. That is, the seven tropical depressions deposited about 27,640 g coral, approximately the same amount as only Typhoon Sally in 1996 (25,000 g) and Tropical Storm Penny and Typhoon Babs in 1998 (24,574 g) and less than half that of Typhoon Victor in 1997 (60,000 g). In July 1996, Cape d'Aguilar was declared a marine reserve, fishing banned in its 18 hectares of sea and ghost nets removed. The fishing ban seems to be halting the dislodgement of corals and they are thus not now being beached by typhoons.

Spatial patterns of species richness and functional diversity in Costa Rican terrestrial mammals: implications for conservation

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
José F. González-Maya ◽  
Luis R. Víquez-R ◽  
Andrés Arias-Alzate ◽  
Jerrold L. Belant ◽  
Gerardo Ceballos
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals

scholarly journals Effects of Landscape Attributes on Campuses Bird Species Richness and Diversity, Implications for Eco-Friendly Urban Planning

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5558
Author(s):  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Chao Jiang ◽  
Sheng Chen ◽  
Yuanyuan Zhang ◽  
Hui Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Urban Biodiversity ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Buffer Area ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Landscape Attributes

Landscape changes due to urban expansion may severely influence urban biodiversity through direct and indirect effects. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of the urban expansion effects on species diversity is essential for conservation biologists, urban planners, and policymakers to help design more practical and effective conservation strategies. Here, based on monthly bird survey data of 12 university campuses distributed in the center and the Xianlin university town of Nanjing city, we first compared the differences of the campuses bird species richness, Shannon-Wiener, and Simpson indices. Then, we analyzed the effects of a variety of landscape attributes on the campuses bird species richness. Unlike other studies, we also constructed a 2 km buffer area surrounding each campus and analyzed the effects of the landscape attributes of the buffer area on species richness. We found that bird species richness was higher in the campus of Xianlin compared to those in the center. Landscape attributes played an important role on bird species richness, especially for the determinants in the buffer area. Specifically, species richness, Shannon-Wiener, and Simpson indices increased with the increasing area of water and green space both within the campus and the buffer area. Not surprisingly, bird species richness and diversity were more affected by fragmentation of the buffer area, increasing with the aggregation index and decreasing with the splitting index. Our study emphasized that landscape attributes of both campuses and buffer areas determined bird species richness and diversity, offering several practical implications for urban biodiversity maintenance and eco-friendly urban planning.

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