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1.
There is debate among ecologists about whether total habitat area or patch arrangement contributes most to population and/or
community responses to fragmented or patchy landscapes. We tested the relative effects of patch area and isolation for predicting
bird occurrence in a naturally patchy landscape in the Bear River Mountains of Northern Utah, USA. We selected focal patches
(mountain meadows) ranging in elevation from 1,920 to 2,860 m and in size from 0.6 to 182 ha. Breeding birds were sampled
in each focal meadow during the summers of 2003 and 2004 using variable-distance point transects. Logistic regression and
likelihood-based model selection were used to determine the relationship between likelihood of occurrence of three bird species
(Brewer’s sparrow, vesper sparrow, and white-crowned sparrow) and area, isolation, and proximity metrics. We used model weights
and model-averaged confidence intervals to assess the importance of each predictor variable. Plots of area versus isolation
were used to evaluate complex relationships between the variables. We found that meadow area was the most important variable
for explaining occurrence for two species, and that isolation was the most important for the other. We also found that the
absolute distance was more appropriate for evaluating isolation responses than was the species-specific proximity metric.
Our findings add clarity to the debate between ecologists regarding the relative importance of area and isolation in species
responses to patchy landscapes. 相似文献
2.
Dramatic declines in the endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, a genetically unique population of small, burrowing rabbits in Northwestern United States, are likely the combined results of habitat degradation and fragmentation, disease, and predation. A critical component of pygmy rabbit habitat includes big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), which constitutes 82-99% of their winter diet and 10-50% of their summer diet. Sagebrush also forms the bulk of hiding cover around burrow sites. Across the range of pygmy rabbits, sagebrush habitat is grazed extensively by cattle. However, grazing has unknown effects on pygmy rabbits inhabiting the remaining, fragmented shrub-steppe habitat. We evaluated the effects of four grazing treatments on the distribution of pygmy rabbit burrows, diets of pygmy rabbits, and quality and quantity of vegetation at Sagebrush Flat in central Washington. Ungrazed areas contained significantly more burrows per unit area than did grazed areas. Vegetation composition and structure differed little among treatments in early summer before annual grazing by cattle. However, cattle grazing in late summer through winter removed about 50% of the grass cover, and reduced the nutritional quality (e.g., increased fiber and decreased protein) of the remaining grass. Although pygmy rabbits ate <2% grasses in winter, grasses and forbs comprised 53% of late summer diets. Because these endangered rabbits avoided grazed areas, removing cattle grazing from key habitat locations may benefit efforts to restore this rabbit in Washington. 相似文献
3.
Helga Van Miegroet Janis L. Boettinger Michelle A. Baker Julia Nielsen Dave Evans Alex Stum 《Forest Ecology and Management》2005,220(1-3):284-299
Relatively little is known about soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in montane ecosystems of the semi-arid western U.S. or the stability of current SOC pools under future climate change scenarios. We measured the distribution and quality of SOC in a mosaic of rangeland-forest vegetation types that occurs under similar climatic conditions on non-calcareous soils at Utah State University's T.W. Daniel Experimental Forest in northern Utah: the forest types were aspen [Populus tremuloides] and conifer (mixture of fir [Abies lasiocarpa] and spruce [Picea engelmannii]); the rangeland types were sagebrush steppe [Artemisia tridentata], grass-forb meadow, and a meadow-conifer ecotone. Total SOC was calculated from OC concentrations, estimates of bulk density by texture and rock-free soil volume in five pedons. The SOC quality was expressed in terms of leaching potential and decomposability. Amount and aromaticity of water-soluble organic carbon (DOC) was determined by water extraction and specific ultra violet absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA) of leached DOC. Decomposability of SOC and DOC was derived from laboratory incubation of soil samples and water extracts, respectively.
Although there was little difference in total SOC between soils sampled under different vegetation types, vertical distribution, and quality of SOC appeared to be influenced by vegetation. Forest soils had a distinct O horizon and higher SOC concentration in near-surface mineral horizons that declined sharply with depth. Rangeland soils lacked O horizons and SOC concentration declined more gradually. Quality of SOC under rangelands was more uniform with depth and SOC was less soluble and less decomposable (i.e., more stable) than under forests. However, DOC in grass-forb meadow soils was less aromatic and more bioavailable, likely promoting C retention through cycling. The SOC in forest soils was notably more leachable and decomposable, especially near the soil surface, with stability increasing with soil depth. Across the entire dataset, there was a weak inverse relationship between the decomposability and the aromaticity of DOC. Our data indicate that despite similar SOC pools, vegetation type may affect SOC retention capacity under future climate projections by influencing potential SOC losses via leaching and decomposition. 相似文献
4.
Amy Pocewicz Joseph M. Kiesecker George P. Jones Holly E. Copeland Jody Daline Brian A. Mealor 《Biological conservation》2011,(1):567-574
Conservation easements are the primary tool used globally by land trusts and governmental agencies to achieve conservation goals on private lands, but empirical evaluations of their effectiveness are lacking. Here we compared biodiversity in sagebrush ecosystems and recent rates of change in road and structure densities on properties with and without easements held by The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming, USA. To determine whether any differences between properties with and without easements were better explained by development pressure or by management practices, properties were stratified by low versus high residential development pressure and property managers were surveyed. In areas with high development pressure, easement properties had fewer structures and tended to have fewer, smaller roads than properties without easements. In the high-pressure areas, properties with easements also had greater use by some wildlife species than properties without easements. Regardless of easement presence, there was higher cover of exotic plant species and fewer mammal burrows in high than low-pressure areas. There were no significant differences in land management practices between properties with and without easements, but managers of properties with easements tended to seek management support more often than other managers. This may present an opportunity to provide support for specific management activities on easements to ensure that they continue to meet intended goals. Given the importance of easements as an alternative to nature reserves and the significant investment being made to acquire additional easements, it is essential to continue to evaluate whether easements are an effective tool in other locations. 相似文献
5.
As an alternative to ground-cover data collection by conventional and expensive sampling techniques, we compared measurements
obtained from very large scale aerial (VLSA) imagery for calibrating moderate resolution Landsat data. Using a grid-based
sampling scheme, 162 VLSA images were acquired at 100 m above ground level. The percent vegetation cover in each photo was
derived using SamplePoint (a manual inventory method) and VegMeasure (a reflectance based, automated method). Approximately
two-thirds of the VLSA images were used for calibrating Landsat data while the remainder was used for validation. Regression
models with Landsat bands accounted for 55% of the VegMeasure-based measurements of vegetation, whereas models that included
both Landsat bands and elevation data accounted for 67%. The relationship between the Landsat bands and the percent vegetation
cover measured by SamplePoint was lower (R
2 = 20%), highlighting the differences between the inventory and reflectance based protocols. Results from the model validation
indicated that the model’s predictive power was lower when the vegetation cover was either <20% or >55%. Additional work is
needed in these ecosystems to improve the calibration techniques for sites with low and high vegetation cover; however, these
results demonstrate the VLSA imagery could be used for calibrating Landsat data and deriving rangeland vegetation cover. By
adopting such methodologies the US Federal land management agencies can increase the efficiency of the monitoring programs
in Wyoming and in other western states of the US.
Mention of trade names is for information only and does not imply endorsement by USDA over comparable products or services. 相似文献
6.
蒿类半灌木植物在草地中的地位及饲用评价 总被引：7，自引：3，他引：4
蒿与蒿类半灌木植物是天然草地资源中饲用价值高、分布广、数量多的一类重要牧草。在我国约９属３３５种,占全国草地饲用植物总数的５．２７％,其中蒿属近２３０种,绢蒿属３４种,在生态型上多为旱生和超旱生种类,主要分布在内蒙、新疆、西藏、宁夏、甘肃、青海等省区草原及荒漠草地中、面积４７７６．１９万ｈｍ＾２,约店全国草地总面积的１２．１６％,占六省区草地面积的１７．３％。主要以建群种和优势种构成草原及荒漠类型 相似文献
7.
我国沙区重要蒿属植物的特性及应用 总被引：21，自引：0，他引：21
在中国北方74万平方公里的沙区中,共有蒿属植物50余种。其中有重要资源价值和环境功能的至少有5种,即差不嘎蒿、褐沙蒿、黑沙蒿、白沙蒿和沙蒿。它们是本区沙丘——沙地植被的主要建群种和优势种,由它们构成的沙地草场植被占1亿亩以上,可提供650余万绵羊单位的放牧饲料。它们又都是优良的固沙植物,对沙区环境保护具有重要作用。同时,还可以提供大量的中草药,它们的种子含油丰富,在工业利用上有广阔前景。 相似文献
8.
F.B. Pierson P.R. Robichaud C.A. Moffet K.E. Spaeth C.J. Williams S.P. Hardegree P.E. Clark 《CATENA》2008,74(2):98-108
Millions of dollars are spent each year in the United States to mitigate the effects of wildfires and reduce the risk of flash floods and debris flows. Research from forested, chaparral, and rangeland communities indicate that severe wildfires can cause significant increases in soil water repellency resulting in increased runoff and erosion. Few data are available to document the effects of fire on the spatial and temporal variability in soil water repellency and potential impacts on infiltration and runoff on sagebrush-dominated landscapes. Soil water repellency, infiltration and runoff were assessed after two wildfires and one prescribed fire in three steep, sagebrush-dominated watersheds with coarse-textured soils. Water repellency was generally greater on unburned hillslopes and annual variability in water repellency had a greater impact on infiltration capacity than fire effects. The most significant impact of fire was canopy and ground cover removal on coppice microsites. Infiltration rates decreased on coppice microsites after fire even though soil water repellency was reduced. Fire-induced reduction in infiltration resulted from the combined effect of canopy and ground cover removal and the presence of naturally strong water repellent soils. Removal of ground cover likely increased the spatial connectivity of runoff areas from strongly water repellent soils. The results indicate that for coarse-textured sagebrush landscapes with high pre-fire soil water repellency, post-fire increases in runoff are more influenced by fire removal of ground and canopy cover than fire effects on soil water repellency and that the degree of these impacts may be significantly influenced by short-term fluctuations in water repellent soil conditions. 相似文献
9.
Daniel?J.?ManierEmail author N.?Thompson.?Hobbs David?M.?Theobald Robin?M.?Reich Mohammed?A.?Kalkhan Mark?R.?Campbell 《Landscape Ecology》2005,20(1):1-17
Invasion of grasslands by woody plants has been identified as a key indicator of changes in ecosystem structure and function in arid and semi-arid rangelands throughout the world. We investigated changes in the balance between woody and herbaceous components of a semi-arid landscape in western Colorado (USA) using historical aerial photography. Aerial photographs from 1937, 1965–67, and 1994 were sampled at matched locations within overlapping photographs. We modeled change in spatial pattern and heterogeneity across the entire landscape and found a small, net decrease in woody canopy cover; however means disguised normal distributions of change that demonstrated offsetting increases and decreases. We described a region of widespread canopy decline within piñon-juniper forests between 2300 and 2600 m (7500–8500 feet) and a region of predominant increase at lower elevations, between 1800 and 2250 m (5900–7400 feet). It remains unclear whether this shift was driven by climate or by human-caused or natural disturbance. Mean conifer cover decreased within coniferous forests, which counteracted a trend of increased conifer cover in mixed forests, savanna-like woodlands, and the shrub steppe. Disturbance had a significant interaction with cover change in several communities, including forests, savanna and shrublands. Anthropogenic disturbances counteracted successional trends toward canopy closure more than wildfires, but this did not entirely explain observed canopy decline. The natural dynamics in this region also caused diverse changes rather than a simple progression towards increased forest cover. Importantly, temporal change in vegetation varied spatially across the landscape illustrating the importance of landscape level, spatially explicit analyses in characterizing temporal dynamics. 相似文献
10.
Widespread degradation of the sagebrush ecosystem in the western United States, including the invasion of cheatgrass, has prompted resource managers to consider a variety of approaches to restore and conserve habitats for sagebrush-associated species. One such approach involves the use of greater sage-grouse, a species of prominent conservation interest, as an umbrella species. This shortcut approach assumes that managing habitats to conserve sage-grouse will simultaneously benefit other species of conservation concern. The efficacy of using sage-grouse as an umbrella species for conservation management, however, has not been fully evaluated. We tested that concept by comparing: (1) commonality in land-cover associations, and (2) spatial overlap in habitats between sage-grouse and 39 other sagebrush-associated vertebrate species of conservation concern in the Great Basin ecoregion. Overlap in species’ land-cover associations with those of sage-grouse, based on the ? (phi) correlation coefficient, was substantially greater for sagebrush obligates than non-obligates . Spatial overlap between habitats of target species and those associated with sage-grouse was low (mean ? = 0.23), but somewhat greater for habitats at high risk of displacement by cheatgrass (mean ? = 0.33). Based on our criteria, management of sage-grouse habitats likely would offer relatively high conservation coverage for sagebrush obligates such as pygmy rabbit (mean ? = 0.84), but far less for other species we addressed, such as lark sparrow (mean ? = 0.09), largely due to lack of commonality in land-cover affinity and geographic ranges of these species and sage-grouse. 相似文献