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Lupi D, Zanetti A, Triberti P, Facchini S, Rigato F, Jucker C, Malabusini S, Savoldelli S, Cortesi P, Loni A. Insect Biodiversity in a Prealpine Suburban Hilly Area in Italy. Insects 2023; 14:727. [PMID: 37754695 PMCID: PMC10532219 DOI: 10.3390/insects14090727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Human activities and habitat fragmentation are known to greatly influence biodiversity. The aim of this study was to update an entomological checklist of a prealpine area in Italy, and also to evaluate the influence of different habitats and the proximity to cities on the entomological fauna. This study included different areas of a local park in Northern Italy, covering about 4000 ha, and situated at altitudes between 190 and 960 m asl. The surveys were carried out between 2010 and 2013 using different monitoring techniques (pitfall traps, car mounted nets, light traps, direct catches on soil and vegetation, visual sampling, gall collection). Furthermore, to assess the effect of habitat and locality on the composition of epigeic beetles, pitfall traps were set and inspected from April to September. All captured specimens were classified to species level. A total of 409 species were recorded, belonging to 7 orders and 78 families. A total of 76.1% were represented by Coleoptera, 13% Lepidoptera, 9.4% Hymenoptera, followed by other orders. In particular, some species with peculiar characteristics, or whose presence in the area had not been previously reported, were detected, such as Atheta pseudoelongatula, Ocypus rhaeticus, Tasgius tricinctus, Euplagia quadripunctaria, Scotopteryx angularia, Elachista constitella, Parornix bifurca, Oegoconia huemeri, and Lasius (Lasius) alienus. It seems possible that the habitat affected the community more than the locality. The woods showed a reduced biodiversity, and a simplified community structure. The comparison of the same habitats in different localities did not show significant differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Lupi
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy; (C.J.); (S.M.); (S.S.); (P.C.)
| | - Adriano Zanetti
- Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Lungadige Porta Vittoria, 9, 37129 Verona, Italy; (A.Z.); (P.T.)
| | - Paolo Triberti
- Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Lungadige Porta Vittoria, 9, 37129 Verona, Italy; (A.Z.); (P.T.)
| | | | - Fabrizio Rigato
- Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Corso Venezia 55, 20121 Milano, Italy;
| | - Costanza Jucker
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy; (C.J.); (S.M.); (S.S.); (P.C.)
| | - Serena Malabusini
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy; (C.J.); (S.M.); (S.S.); (P.C.)
| | - Sara Savoldelli
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy; (C.J.); (S.M.); (S.S.); (P.C.)
| | - Paolo Cortesi
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy; (C.J.); (S.M.); (S.S.); (P.C.)
| | - Augusto Loni
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
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Jones CS, Thomas FM, Michael DR, Fraser H, Gould E, Begley J, Wilson J, Vesk PA, Rumpff L. What state of the world are we in? Targeted monitoring to detect transitions in vegetation restoration projects. Ecol Appl 2023; 33:e2728. [PMID: 36053922 PMCID: PMC10078301 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring vegetation restoration is challenging because monitoring is costly, requires long-term funding, and involves monitoring multiple vegetation variables that are often not linked back to learning about progress toward objectives. There is a clear need for the development of targeted monitoring programs that focus on a reduced set of variables that are tied to specific restoration objectives. In this paper, we present a method to progress the development of a targeted monitoring program, using a pre-existing state-and-transition model. We (1) use field data to validate an expert-derived classification of woodland vegetation states; (2) use these data to identify which variable(s) help differentiate woodland states; and (3) identify the target threshold (for the variable) that signifies if the desired transition has been achieved. The measured vegetation variables from each site in this study were good predictors of the different states. We show that by measuring only a few of these variables, it is possible to assign the vegetation state for a collection of sites, and monitor if and when a transition to another state has occurred. For this ecosystem and state-and-transition models, out of nine vegetation variables considered, the density of immature trees and percentage of exotic understory vegetation cover were the variables most frequently specified as effective to define a threshold or transition. We synthesize findings by presenting a decision tree that provides practical guidance for the development of targeted monitoring strategies for woodland vegetation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Stuart Jones
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and PlanningArthur Rylah Institute for Environmental ResearchHeidelbergVictoriaAustralia
| | - Freya Mary Thomas
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Centre for Urban ResearchRMIT UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Damian Richard Michael
- ANU Fenner School of Environment & SocietyAustralian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
- Gulbali Institute for Agriculture, Water and EnvironmentCharles Sturt UniversityAlburyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Hannah Fraser
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Elliot Gould
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Jim Begley
- Goulburn Broken Catchment Management AuthoritySheppartonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Jenny Wilson
- Goulburn Broken Catchment Management AuthoritySheppartonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Peter Anton Vesk
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- NESP Threatened Species Recovery HubUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Libby Rumpff
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- NESP Threatened Species Recovery HubUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
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Thompson CW, Elizalde A, Cummins S, Leyland AH, Botha W, Briggs A, Tilley S, de Oliveira ES, Roe J, Aspinall P, Mitchell R. Enhancing Health Through Access to Nature: How Effective are Interventions in Woodlands in Deprived Urban Communities? A Quasi-experimental Study in Scotland, UK. Sustainability 2019; 11:3317. [PMID: 31844557 DOI: 10.3390/su11123317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
High prevalence of poor mental health is a major public health problem. Natural environments may contribute to mitigating stress and enhancing health. However, there is little evidence on whether community-level interventions intended to increase exposure to natural environments can improve mental health and related behaviours. In the first study of its kind, we evaluated whether the implementation of a programme designed to improve the quality of, and access to, local woodlands in deprived communities in Scotland, UK, was associated with lower perceived stress or other health-related outcomes, using a controlled, repeat cross-sectional design with a nested prospective cohort. Interventions included physical changes to the woodlands and community engagement activities within the woodlands, with data collected at baseline (2013) and post-intervention (2014 and 2015). The interventions were, unexpectedly, associated with increased perceived stress compared to control sites. However, we observed significantly greater increases in stress for those living >500 m from intervention sites. Visits to nearby nature (woods and other green space) increased overall, and moderate physical activity levels also increased. In the intervention communities, those who visited natural environments showed smaller increases in stress than those who did not; there was also some evidence of increased nature connectedness and social cohesion. The intervention costs were modest but there were no significant changes in quality of life on which to base cost-effectiveness. Findings suggest factors not captured in the study may have contributed to the perceived stress patterns found. Wider community engagement and longer post-intervention follow-up may be needed to achieve significant health benefits from woodland interventions such as those described here. The study points to the challenges in evidencing the effectiveness of green space and forestry interventions to enhance health in urban environments, but also to potential benefits from more integrated approaches across health and landscape planning and management practice.
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Shearman TM, Varner JM, Robertson K, Hiers JK. Allometry of the pyrophytic Aristida in fire-maintained longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystems. Am J Bot 2019; 106:18-28. [PMID: 30629749 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Aboveground biomass (AGB) of herbaceous vegetation is a primary source of fuel in frequent surface fires that maintain grasslands, savannas, and woodlands. Methods for nondestructively estimating AGB are required to understand the mechanisms by which fuels affect fire behavior and the effects of time since the last burn. We developed allometric equations to estimate AGB in wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana/A. stricta), a dominant bunchgrass in Pinus palustris ecosystems and a key species for ecological restoration. METHODS We collected wiregrass from North Carolina to Florida, across a range of time-since-last burn and site types. We tested 32 mixed effect models to see which predictors were best at predicting live, dead, and total AGB. We also examined how time since burn (TSB) affected the live-to-dead ratio (LDR) using regression. KEY RESULTS Wiregrass AGB was found to increase with increasing latitude (relative to tussock volume), possibly due to an increase in precipitation, and was greater on more fertile clay soils and flatwoods than on sandy soils. The LDR decreased as a power function with TSB, resulting in rapid accumulation of dead, highly flammable, biomass in the fire-free period. CONCLUSIONS Greater biomass will support fires of higher intensity. Our models can be useful in the parameterization of future physics-based models to predict fire behavior. Understanding the environmental variables that influence the allometry of wiregrass should help increase the precision of AGB estimates and the subsequent effects on fire behavior and effects on neighboring vegetation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M Shearman
- University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- USDA Forest Service Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, Seattle, WA, 98103, USA
| | - J Morgan Varner
- USDA Forest Service Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, Seattle, WA, 98103, USA
| | | | - J Kevin Hiers
- Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL, 32312, USA
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Bodart C, Brink AB, Donnay F, Lupi A, Mayaux P, Achard F. Continental estimates of forest cover and forest cover changes in the dry ecosystems of Africa between 1990 and 2000. J Biogeogr 2013; 40:1036-1047. [PMID: 23935237 PMCID: PMC3736226 DOI: 10.1111/jbi.12084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
AIM This study provides regional estimates of forest cover in dry African ecoregions and the changes in forest cover that occurred there between 1990 and 2000, using a systematic sample of medium-resolution satellite imagery which was processed consistently across the continent. LOCATION The study area corresponds to the dry forests and woodlands of Africa between the humid forests and the semi-arid regions. This area covers the Sudanian and Zambezian ecoregions. METHODS A systematic sample of 1600 Landsat satellite imagery subsets, each 20 km × 20 km in size, were analysed for two reference years: 1990 and 2000. At each sample site and for both years, dense tree cover, open tree cover, other wooded land and other vegetation cover were identified from the analysis of satellite imagery, which comprised multidate segmentation and automatic classification steps followed by visual control by national forestry experts. RESULTS Land cover and land-cover changes were estimated at continental and ecoregion scales and compared with existing pan-continental, regional and local studies. The overall accuracy of our land-cover maps was estimated at 87%. Between 1990 and 2000, 3.3 million hectares (Mha) of dense tree cover, 5.8 Mha of open tree cover and 8.9 Mha of other wooded land were lost, with a further 3.9 Mha degraded from dense to open tree cover. These results are substantially lower than the 34 Mha of forest loss reported in the FAO's 2010 Global Forest Resources Assessment for the same period and area. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Our method generates the first consistent and robust estimates of forest cover and change in dry Africa with known statistical precision at continental and ecoregion scales. These results reduce the uncertainty regarding vegetation cover and its dynamics in these previously poorly studied ecosystems and provide crucial information for both science and environmental policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Bodart
- Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Environment and SustainabilityIspra, Italy
- *Correspondence: Catherine Bodart E-mail:
| | - Andreas B Brink
- Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Environment and SustainabilityIspra, Italy
| | - François Donnay
- Reggiani SpA, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Environment and SustainabilityIspra, Italy
| | - Andrea Lupi
- Reggiani SpA, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Environment and SustainabilityIspra, Italy
| | - Philippe Mayaux
- Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Environment and SustainabilityIspra, Italy
| | - Frédéric Achard
- Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Environment and SustainabilityIspra, Italy
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