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Yu H, Yin D, Yang B, Yang Y, Chen F. Challenges for sustainable development goal of land degradation neutrality in drylands: Evidence from the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 932:173094. [PMID: 38729378 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
The SDG 15.3.1 target of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) only has 15 years from conception (in 2015) to realization (in 2030). Therefore, investigating the effectiveness and challenges of LDN has become a priority, especially in drylands, where fragile ecosystems intersect with multiple disturbances. In this study, solutions are proposed and validated based on the challenges of LDN. We chose the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains as a case study and set baselines in 2005 and 2010. The region and degree of land change (including degraded, stable, and improved) were depicted at the pixel scale (100 × 100 m), and LDN realization was assessed at the regional scale (including administrative districts and 5000 × 5000 m grids). The results showed a significant disparity between the two baselines. The number of areas that realized the LDN target was rare, regardless of the scale of the administrative districts or grids. Chord plots, Spearman's correlation, and curve estimation were employed to reveal the relationship between LDN and seven natural or socioeconomic factors. We found that substantial degradation was closely related to the expansion of unused, urban, and mining land and reduction in water, glaciers, and forests. Further evidence suggests that agricultural development both positively and negatively affects LDN, whereas urbanization and mining activities are undesirable for LDN. Notably, the adverse effects of glacier melting require additional attention. Therefore, we consider the easy-to-achieve and hard-to-achieve baselines as the mandatory and desirable targets of LDN, respectively, and focus further efforts in three aspects: preventing agricultural exploitation from occupying ecological resources, defining reasonable zones for urbanization and mining, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate warming. Overall, this study is expected to be a beneficial addition to existing LDN theoretical systems and serve as a case validation of the challenges of LDN in drylands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haochen Yu
- College of Economics and Management, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China
| | - Dengyu Yin
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
| | - Bin Yang
- School of Public Policy and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
| | - Yongjun Yang
- School of Environment and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
| | - Fu Chen
- School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
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Wyckhuys KAG, Pozsgai G, Ben Fekih I, Sanchez-Garcia FJ, Elkahky M. Biodiversity loss impacts top-down regulation of insect herbivores across ecosystem boundaries. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 930:172807. [PMID: 38679092 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Biodiversity loss, as driven by anthropogenic global change, imperils biosphere intactness and integrity. Ecosystem services such as top-down regulation (or biological control; BC) are susceptible to loss of extinction-prone taxa at upper trophic levels and secondary 'support' species e.g., herbivores. Here, drawing upon curated open-access interaction data, we structurally analyze trophic networks centered on the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and assess their robustness to species loss. Tri-partite networks link 80 BC organisms (invertebrate or microbial), 512 lepidopteran hosts and 1194 plants (including 147 cultivated crops) in the Neotropics. These comprise threatened herbaceous or woody plants and conservation flagships such as saturniid moths. Treating all interaction partners functionally equivalent, random herbivore loss exerts a respective 26 % or 108 % higher impact on top-down regulation in crop and non-crop settings than that of BC organisms (at 50 % loss). Equally, random loss of BC organisms affects herbivore regulation to a greater extent (13.8 % at 50 % loss) than herbivore loss mediates their preservation (11.4 %). Yet, under moderate biodiversity loss, (non-pest) herbivores prove highly susceptible to loss of BC organisms. Our topological approach spotlights how agriculturally-subsidized BC agents benefit vegetation restoration, while non-pest herbivores uphold biological control in on- and off-farm settings alike. Our work underlines how the on-farm usage of endemic biological control organisms can advance conservation, restoration, and agricultural sustainability imperatives. We discuss how integrative approaches and close interdisciplinary cooperation can spawn desirable outcomes for science, policy and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris A G Wyckhuys
- Chrysalis Consulting, Danang, Viet Nam; Institute for Plant Protection, China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing, China; School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Australia; Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rome, Italy.
| | - Gabor Pozsgai
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of the Azores, Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
| | - Ibtissem Ben Fekih
- Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium
| | | | - Maged Elkahky
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rome, Italy
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Lecomte X, Bugalho MN, Catry FX, Fernandes PM, Cera A, Caldeira MC. Ungulates mitigate the effects of drought and shrub encroachment on the fire hazard of Mediterranean oak woodlands. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2971. [PMID: 38581136 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Climate change is increasing the frequency of droughts and the risk of severe wildfires, which can interact with shrub encroachment and browsing by wild ungulates. Wild ungulate populations are expanding due, among other factors, to favorable habitat changes resulting from land abandonment or land-use changes. Understanding how ungulate browsing interacts with drought to affect woody plant mortality, plant flammability, and fire hazard is especially relevant in the context of climate change and increasing frequency of wildfires. The aim of this study is to explore the combined effects of cumulative drought, shrub encroachment, and ungulate browsing on the fire hazard of Mediterranean oak woodlands in Portugal. In a long-term (18 years) ungulate fencing exclusion experiment that simulated land abandonment and management neglect, we investigated the population dynamics of the native shrub Cistus ladanifer, which naturally dominates the understory of woodlands and is browsed by ungulates, comparing areas with (no fencing) and without (fencing) wild ungulate browsing. We also modeled fire behavior in browsed and unbrowsed plots considering drought and nondrought scenarios. Specifically, we estimated C. ladanifer population density, biomass, and fuel load characteristics, which were used to model fire behavior in drought and nondrought scenarios. Overall, drought increased the proportion of dead C. ladanifer shrub individuals, which was higher in the browsed plots. Drought decreased the ratio of live to dead shrub plant material, increased total fuel loading, shrub stand flammability, and the modeled fire parameters, that is, rate of surface fire spread, fireline intensity, and flame length. However, total fuel load and fire hazard were lower in browsed than unbrowsed plots, both in drought and nondrought scenarios. Browsing also decreased the population density of living shrubs, halting shrub encroachment. Our study provides long-term experimental evidence showing the role of wild ungulates in mitigating drought effects on fire hazard in shrub-encroached Mediterranean oak woodlands. Our results also emphasize that the long-term effects of land abandonment can interact with climate change drivers, affecting wildfire hazard. This is particularly relevant given the increasing incidence of land abandonment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Lecomte
- Forest Research Center, Associate Laboratory TERRA, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Center for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Miguel N Bugalho
- Center for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Filipe X Catry
- Center for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Paulo M Fernandes
- Center for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
- ForestWISE-Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest and Fire Management, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Andreu Cera
- Center for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Maria C Caldeira
- Forest Research Center, Associate Laboratory TERRA, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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Silliman BR, Hensel MJS, Gibert JP, Daleo P, Smith CS, Wieczynski DJ, Angelini C, Paxton AB, Adler AM, Zhang YS, Altieri AH, Palmer TM, Jones HP, Gittman RK, Griffin JN, O'Connor MI, van de Koppel J, Poulsen JR, Rietkerk M, He Q, Bertness MD, van der Heide T, Valdez SR. Harnessing ecological theory to enhance ecosystem restoration. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R418-R434. [PMID: 38714175 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Ecosystem restoration can increase the health and resilience of nature and humanity. As a result, the international community is championing habitat restoration as a primary solution to address the dual climate and biodiversity crises. Yet most ecosystem restoration efforts to date have underperformed, failed, or been burdened by high costs that prevent upscaling. To become a primary, scalable conservation strategy, restoration efficiency and success must increase dramatically. Here, we outline how integrating ten foundational ecological theories that have not previously received much attention - from hierarchical facilitation to macroecology - into ecosystem restoration planning and management can markedly enhance restoration success. We propose a simple, systematic approach to determining which theories best align with restoration goals and are most likely to bolster their success. Armed with a century of advances in ecological theory, restoration practitioners will be better positioned to more cost-efficiently and effectively rebuild the world's ecosystems and support the resilience of our natural resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R Silliman
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA.
| | - Marc J S Hensel
- Biological Sciences Department, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA; Nature Coast Biological Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Cedar Key, FL 32625, USA
| | - Jean P Gibert
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Pedro Daleo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), FCEyN, UNMdP-CONICET, CC 1260 Correo Central, B7600WAG, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Carter S Smith
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | | | - Christine Angelini
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Avery B Paxton
- National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 101 Pivers Island Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - Alyssa M Adler
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - Y Stacy Zhang
- Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Andrew H Altieri
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Holly P Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
| | - Rachel K Gittman
- Department of Biology and Coastal Studies Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - John N Griffin
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Mary I O'Connor
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6R 1W4, Canada
| | - Johan van de Koppel
- Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Yerseke, The Netherlands; Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - John R Poulsen
- The Nature Conservancy, 2424 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302, USA; Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, PO Box 90328, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Max Rietkerk
- Department Environmental Sciences, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Qiang He
- Coastal Ecology Lab, MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Mark D Bertness
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, 90 Witman Street, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Tjisse van der Heide
- Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Den Burg, The Netherlands; Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Stephanie R Valdez
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
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Li F, Zhang T, Zhang Z, Lv T, Yu H, Yu D, Liu C. Predation risk-mediated indirect effects promote submerged plant growth: Implications for lake restoration. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 355:120512. [PMID: 38442660 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Biological manipulation, involving fish stockings, is commonly used to counteract the deterioration of submerged vegetation in eutrophic lakes. Nevertheless, the non-consumptive effects (NCEs) of stocked carnivorous fish are often overlooked. Using a controlled experimental system, we investigated the NCEs of a native carnivorous fish, snakehead (Channa argus), on two key biological factors, herbivore-dominated grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and disturbance-dominated loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), influencing submerged plants growth. Additionally, we conducted a meta-analysis on predation risk and primary productivity. The results reveal that predation risk induces oxidative stress damage and affects grass carp growth. Non-significant changes in cortisol and glucose may be linked to predation risk prediction. Simultaneously, predation risk reduces fish feeding and disturbance behavior, relieving pressure on submerged plants to be grazed and disturbed, thereby supporting plant development. The presence of submerged plants, in turn, enhances loach activity and influences water body characteristics through negative feedback. Furthermore, the meta-analysis results indicate the facilitative effect of predation risk on primary producers. Our findings contribute to the understanding of biological manipulation theory. We demonstrate that the predation risk associated with introducing carnivorous fish can promote the growth of submerged plants through behaviorally mediated indirect effects. This highlights the potential utility of predation risk in lake restoration efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuchao Li
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Tiantian Zhang
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Zhiqiang Zhang
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Tian Lv
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Haihao Yu
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Dan Yu
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Chunhua Liu
- The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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Li C, Chen J, Liao X, Ramus AP, Angelini C, Liu L, Silliman BR, Bertness MD, He Q. Shorebirds-driven trophic cascade helps restore coastal wetland multifunctionality. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8076. [PMID: 38057308 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43951-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecosystem restoration has traditionally focused on re-establishing vegetation and other foundation species at basal trophic levels, with mixed outcomes. Here, we show that threatened shorebirds could be important to restoring coastal wetland multifunctionality. We carried out surveys and manipulative field experiments in a region along the Yellow Sea affected by the invasive cordgrass Spartina alterniflora. We found that planting native plants alone failed to restore wetland multifunctionality in a field restoration experiment. Shorebird exclusion weakened wetland multifunctionality, whereas mimicking higher predation before shorebird population declines by excluding their key prey - crab grazers - enhanced wetland multifunctionality. The mechanism underlying these effects is a simple trophic cascade, whereby shorebirds control crab grazers that otherwise suppress native vegetation recovery and destabilize sediments (via bioturbation). Our findings suggest that harnessing the top-down effects of shorebirds - through habitat conservation, rewilding, or temporary simulation of consumptive or non-consumptive effects - should be explored as a nature-based solution to restoring the multifunctionality of degraded coastal wetlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunming Li
- Coastal Ecology Lab, MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jianshe Chen
- Coastal Ecology Lab, MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Xiaolin Liao
- College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210037, China
| | - Aaron P Ramus
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - Christine Angelini
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lingli Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Brian R Silliman
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC, 28516, USA
| | - Mark D Bertness
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Qiang He
- Coastal Ecology Lab, MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai, 200438, China.
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