Search results for "Species richness"

Developing and comparing methods for mapping habitat types and conservation values using remote sensing data and GIS methods

2014

The Utility of Ground Bryophytes in the Assessment of Soil Condition in Heavy Metal-Polluted Grasslands

2022

Bryophytes are commonly used in biomonitoring heavy metal pollution, whereas the bioindicative value of bryophyte communities is a less known issue. The aim of the present study is to recognize the utility of the bryophyte community’s structure in the assessment of soil condition in heavy metal-polluted, dry grasslands. The study plots are examined with respect to bryophytes; vascular plants; concentrations of Zn, Pb, Cd, and As in the soil; total nitrogen and organic carbon content in the soil; and soil pH. The results show that both bryophyte species richness and composition greatly depend on soil chemical characteristics, including heavy-metal pollution levels and soil pH. Three groups o…

Seasonal variation in diversity of marine benthic invertebrates leads to a positive species-genetic diversity correlation (SGDC)

2018

Species-genetic diversity correlations (SGDCs) are useful indicators of processes that simultaneously affect diversity at multiple biological levels. We combined spatial and temporal sampling of 4 study sites in the Danish Isefjord-Roskilde Fjord Estuary at 4 time points over 1 yr to investigate the effect of seasonal variation on SGDCs. Species diversity was estimated as species richness from samples comprising 20752 individuals representing 51 benthic invertebrate taxa. Genetic diversity was estimated for a single focal taxon, the polychaete Pygospio elegans, as mean allelic richness at 7 microsatellite loci. Combining all samples, a significant positive correlation between species richne…

Weed vegetation of cereal crops in Tajikistan (Pamir Alai Mts., Middle Asia)

2013

The paper presents results of investigations of weed vegetation conducted in crop fields, in Tajikistan (Middle Asia) - one of the world cradles of the weed flora. The study has been based on 299 phytosociological relevés obtained in various geobotanical regions of the country in 2009-2012. In the examined vegetation patches 469 vascular plant species were noted. Many of the recorded species are widespread weeds. However, there were also some rare and endemics taxa (e.g. Prangos pabularia, P. saraw-schanica and Thlaspidium thlaspi) observed in the sample plots. The collected material presents probably, the majority of the variability among the weed communities of crop cultivations in the Mi…

Comparing Conservation Value Maps and Mapping Methods in a Rural Landscape in Southern Finland

2015

We tested to what extent conservation value maps are different if the valuation and mapping method is changed. We compared 66 different conservation value and 4 different ecosystem service maps. Using remote sensing and other georeferenced data, we produced 2 different habitat type maps, which were 50 % similar. We valued each mapped habitat type based on rarity corrected potential number of vascular plant species and naturalness using 6 different valuation alternatives. We mapped habitat type connectivity and complementarity using 2 main approaches. The habitat type valuation alternatives were quite similar, but if the habitat type naturalness was taken into account, differences were large…

Semi-natural habitats in boreal Europe: a rise of a social-ecological research agenda

2021

The European continent contains substantial areas of semi-natural habitats, mostly grasslands, which are among the most endangered habitats in Europe. Their continued existence depends on some form of human activity, for either production or conservation purposes, or both. We examined the share of semi-natural grasslands within the general grassland areas in boreal Europe. We reviewed research literature across the region to compile evidence on semi-natural grasslands and other semi-natural habitats, such as wooded pastures, in respect to a range of topics such as ecology, land-use change, socioeconomics, and production. We also explored drivers of the research agenda and outlined future re…

The “genetic erosion” of the soil ecosystem

2013

Abstract This paper takes into consideration the influence of human activities on the loss of pedodiversity in a Mediterranean area due to large scale farming. In particular it examines the quantitative and qualitative soil changes in a period of 53 years (from 1955 to 2008) evaluating the loss of soil diversity at soil subgroups level of the USDA Soil Taxonomy system. The following indices were used: richness; Shannon’s diversity index; Simpson diversity index; Shannon’s evenness index; Simpson’s evenness index. In this case study, considering what we observed in time, the human intervention in soil transformation could increase the diversity in the landscape in an initial phase, but forwa…