842 resultados para ecosystem services
Resumo:
Urbanization is a global process contributing to the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats. Many studies have focused on the biological response of terrestrial taxa and habitats to urbanization. However, little is known regarding the consequences of urbanization on freshwater habitats, especially small lentic systems. In this study we examined aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity (family and species level) and variation in community composition between 240 urban and 784 non-urban ponds distributed across the UK. Contrary to predictions, urban ponds supported similar numbers of invertebrate species and families compared to non-urban ponds. Similar gamma diversity was found between the two groups at a family level, and while at a species level gamma diversity was higher in non-urban ponds, this difference was not statistically significant. The biological communities of urban ponds were markedly different to those of non-urban ponds and the variability in urban pond community composition was greater than that in non-urban ponds, contrary to previous work showing homogenisation of communities in urban areas. Positive spatial autocorrelation was recorded for urban and non-urban ponds at 0-50 km (distance between pond study sites) and negative spatial autocorrelation was observed at 100-150 km, and was stronger in urban ponds in both cases. Ponds do not follow the same ecological patterns as terrestrial and lotic habitats (reduced taxonomic richness) in urban environments; in contrast they support high taxonomic richness and contribute significantly to regional faunal diversity. Individual cities are complex structural mosaics which evolve over long periods of time and are managed in diverse ways, promoting the development of a wide-range of environmental conditions and habitat niches in urban ponds which can promote greater heterogeneity between pond communities at larger scales. Ponds provide an opportunity for managers and environmental regulators to conserve and enhance freshwater biodiversity in urbanized landscapes whilst also facilitating key ecosystem services including storm water storage and water treatment.
Resumo:
At the national level, with a fixed amount of resources available for public investment in the restoration of biodiversity, it is difficult to prioritize alternative restoration projects. One way to do this is to assess the level of ecosystem services delivered by these projects and to compare them with their costs. The challenge is to derive a common unit of measurement for ecosystem services in order to compare projects which are carried out in different institutional contexts having different goals (application of environmental laws, management of natural reserves, etc.). This paper assesses the use of habitat equivalency analysis (HEA) as a tool to evaluate ecosystem services provided by restoration projects developed in different institutional contexts. This tool was initially developed to quantify the level of ecosystem services required to compensate for non-market impacts coming from accidental pollution in the US. In this paper, HEA is used to assess the cost effectiveness of several restoration projects in relation to different environmental policies, using case studies based in France. Four case studies were used: the creation of a market for wetlands, public acceptance of a port development project, the rehabilitation of marshes to mitigate nitrate loading to the sea, and the restoration of streams in a protected area. Our main conclusion is that HEA can provide a simple tool to clarify the objectives of restoration projects, to compare the cost and effectiveness of these projects, and to carry out trade-offs, without requiring significant amounts of human or technical resources.
Resumo:
Conservation of the seven lagoons of the Palavas complex (southern France) has been severely impaired by nutrient over-enrichment during at least four decades. The effluents of the Montpellier wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) represented the main nutrient input. To improve the water quality of these lagoons, this WWTP was renovated and upgraded and, since the end of 2005, its effluents have been discharged 11km offshore into the Mediterranean (total investment 150M). Possibilities of ecosystem restoration as part of a conservation programme were explored by a focus group of experts. Their tasks were: (i) to evaluate the impact of the reduction of the nutrient input; (ii) if necessary, to design additional measures for an active restoration programme; and (iii) to predict ecosystem trajectories for the different cases. Extension of Magnoliophyta meadows can be taken as a proxy for ecosystem restoration as they favour the increase of several fish (seahorse) and bird (ducks, swans, herons) species, albeit they represent a trade-off for greater flamingos. Additional measures for active ecosystem restoration were only recommended for the most impaired lagoon Mjean, while the least impaired lagoon Ingril is already on a trajectory of spontaneous recovery. A multiple contingent valuation considering four different management options for the Mjean lagoon was used in a pilot study based on face-to-face interviews with 159 respondents. Three levels of ecosystem restoration were expressed in terms of recovery of Magnoliophyta meadows, including their impact on emblematic fish and avifauna. These were combined with different options for access (status quo, increasing access, increasing access with measures to reduce disturbance). The results show a willingness of local populations to pay per year about 25 for the highest level of ecological restoration, while they were only willing to allocate about 5 for additional footpaths and hides.
Resumo:
Ecosystems can provide many services. Wetlands, for example, can help mitigate water pollution from point sources as well as non-point sources, serve as habitat for wildlife, sequester carbon and serve as a place for recreation. Studies have found that these services can have substantial value to society. The sale of ecosystem credits has been found to be a possible way to finance construction investments in wetlands and easements to farmers to take their land out of production. At the same time, selling one ecosystem service credit may not always be enough to justify the investment. Traditionally market participants have only been allowed to sell a single credit from one piece of land, but recently there have been discussions about the possibility of selling more than one credit from a piece of land because it potentially could lead to more efficient ecosystem service provision. Selling multiple credits is sometimes referred to as credit stacking. This paper is an empirical study of the potential for credit stacking applied to the services provided by wetlands in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, specifically nitrogen, phosphorus and wildlife credits. In the setting of our study where costs are discrete rather than continuous we found that wetlands are a cost-effective way to reduce the nitrogen loads from wastewater treatment plants and that stacking nitrogen, phosphorus and wildlife credits may improve social welfare while leading to a higher level of ecosystem services. However, for credit stacking to be welfare improving we found that there needs to be a substantial demand for the credit that covers the majority of the investment in wetlands, while the credit aggregator has a choice between what ecosystem projects to undertake. If the credit that covers the majority of investment is sold first and is the sole basis of the investment decision and the objective is to improve welfare, a sequential implementation of ecosystem credits is not recommended; it would not lead to an increase in the total amount of ecosystem services provided though it would increase profit for the credit producer.
Resumo:
Forested areas within cities host a large number of species, responsible for many ecosystem services in urban areas. The biodiversity in these areas is influenced by human disturbances such as atmospheric pollution and urban heat island effect. To ameliorate the effects of these factors, an increase in urban green areas is often considered sufficient. However, this approach assumes that all types of green cover have the same importance for species. Our aim was to show that not all forested green areas are equal in importance for species, but that based on a multi-taxa and functional diversity approach it is possible to value green infrastructure in urban environments. After evaluating the diversity of lichens, butterflies and other-arthropods, birds and mammals in 31 Mediterranean urban forests in south-west Europe (Almada, Portugal), bird and lichen functional groups responsive to urbanization were found. A community shift (tolerant species replacing sensitive ones) along the urbanization gradient was found, and this must be considered when using these groups as indicators of the effect of urbanization. Bird and lichen functional groups were then analyzed together with the characteristics of the forests and their surroundings. Our results showed that, contrary to previous assumptions, vegetation density and more importantly the amount of urban areas around the forest (matrix), are more important for biodiversity than forest quantity alone. This indicated that not all types of forested green areas have the same importance for biodiversity. An index of forest functional diversity was then calculated for all sampled forests of the area. This could help decision-makers to improve the management of urban green infrastructures with the goal of increasing functionality and ultimately ecosystem services in urban areas.
Resumo:
Among insects, which are the most diverse eukaryotic group on earth, Lepidoptera is one of four enormously diverse orders, with approximately 10,000 described species in North America. Within the order, Nearctic microlepidoptera, which represent an overwhelmingly large percentage of diversity within the order, remain poorly known despite their ecological importance in many plant communities. In this thesis, I undertook several studies of microlepidoptera diversity in a natural community type (hill prairie) and a managed community type (biofuel feedstock). In two Illinois hill prairies differing in size, latitude, and plant composition, alpha diversity of Pyraloidea and Tortricidae was similar, but the prairies were found to support different sets of species of these moth groups. It is concluded that the similarity in alpha diversity occurs because the larger prairie supports primarily a complement of moth species that feed as larvae on prairie plants (especially species of Asteraceae and Fabaceae), whereas the moths collected in the small prairie represent relatively few prairie-associated species, plus a large component of species that feed as larvae on deciduous trees that surround the prairie. This agrees with the finding of high beta diversity of moths between the sites, which reflects a high level of larval hostplant specificity in most species of Pyraloidea and Tortricidae. Based on published information plus observations made on microlepidoptera collected during the course of this study, 31 families of basal microlepidoptera were reviewed with an aim toward evaluating the likelihood of their including species that are dependent on tallgrass prairie. Of these families, 12 were evaluated as possible, and two as likely or certain, to include prairie-dependent species. In a comparison of moth diversity in light-trap samples from corn, miscanthus, switchgrass, and native prairie, alpha diversity was highest in prairie and was higher in switchgrass than in the other two biofuel crops. Moth species complements generally were similar among the biofuel crops, and prairie shared higher species complementarity with switchgrass than with corn or miscanthus. These findings suggest that large-scale conversion of land to biofuel crops may, to a substantial degree, detrimentally affect arthropod biodiversity, with a resulting loss of valuable arthropod-derived ecosystem services both within the cropping systems and in the surrounding landscape. During the course of this study, rearing efforts yielded two species of moths of the family Gelechiidae, both of which are monophagous leaf feeders on leadplant, Amorpha canescens (Fabaceae). Because these moths are restricted to tallgrass prairie, they are likely to be of interest to conservation biologists. In the interest of naming the moths to facilitate communication regarding them, and to augment our taxonomic knowledge of their respective genera, the moths are described, and diagnoses are provided to differentiate them from similar, related species.
Resumo:
Les cosystmes dunaires remplissent plusieurs fonctions cologiques essentielles comme celle de protger le littoral grce leur capacit damortissement face aux vents et vagues des temptes. Les dunes jouent aussi un rle dans la filtration de leau, la recharge de la nappe phratique, le maintien de la biodiversit, en plus de prsenter un attrait culturel, rcratif et touristique. Les milieux dunaires sont trs dynamiques et incluent plusieurs stades de succession vgtale, passant de la plage de sable nu la dune bordire stabilise par lammophile ligule courte, laquelle permet aussi ltablissement dautres herbaces, darbustes et, ventuellement, darbres. Or, la survie de ces vgtaux est intimement lie aux microorganismes du sol. Les champignons du sol interagissent intimement avec les racines des plantes, modifient la structure des sols, et contribuent la dcomposition de la matire organique et la disponibilit des nutriments. Ils sont donc des acteurs cls de lcologie des sols et contribuent la stabilisation des dunes. Malgr cela, la diversit et la structure des communauts fongiques, ainsi que les mcanismes influenant leur dynamique cologique, demeurent relativement mconnus. Le travail prsent dans cette thse explore la diversit des communauts fongiques travers le gradient de succession et de conditions daphiques dun cosystme dunaire ctier afin damliorer la comprhension de la dynamique des sols en milieux dunaires. Une vaste collecte de donnes sur le terrain a t ralise sur une plaine de dunes reliques se trouvant aux les de la Madeleine, Qc. Jai chantillonn plus de 80 sites rpartis sur lensemble de ce systme dunaire et caractris les champignons du sol grce au squenage haut dbit. Dans un premier temps, jai dress un portait densemble des communauts fongiques du sol travers les diffrentes zones des dunes. En plus dune description taxonomique, les modes de vie fongiques ont t prdits afin de mieux comprendre comment les variations au niveau des communauts de champignons du sol peuvent se traduire en changements fonctionnels. Jai observ un niveau de diversit fongique lev (plus de 3400 units taxonomiques oprationnelles au total) et des communauts taxonomiquement et fonctionnellement distinctes travers un gradient de succession et de conditions daphiques. Ces rsultats ont aussi indiqu que toutes les zones des dunes, incluant la zone pionire, supportent des communauts fongiques diversifies. Ensuite, le lien entre les communauts vgtales et fongiques a t tudi travers lensemble de la squence dunaire. Ces rsultats ont montr une augmentation claire de la richesse spcifique vgtale, ainsi quune augmentation de la diversit des stratgies dacquisition de nutriments (traits souterrains li la nutrition des plantes, soit mycorhizien arbuscule, ectomycorhizien, mycorhizien ricoide, fixateur dazote ou non spcialis). Jai aussi pu tablir une forte corrlation entre les champignons du sol et la vgtation, qui semblent tous deux ragir de faon similaire aux conditions physicochimiques du sol. Le pH du sol influenait fortement les communauts vgtales et fongiques. Le lien observ entre les communauts vgtales et fongiques met lemphase sur limportance des interactions biotiques positives au fil de la succession dans les environnements pauvres en nutriments. Finalement, jai compar les communauts de champignons ectomycorhiziens associes aux principales espces arborescentes dans les forts dunaires. Jai observ une richesse importante, avec un total de 200 units taxonomiques oprationnelles ectomycorhiziennes, appartenant principalement aux Agaricomyctes. Une analyse de rseaux na pas permis de dtecter de modules (c'est--dire des sous-groupes despces en interaction), ce qui indique un faible niveau de spcificit des associations ectomycorhiziennes. De plus, je nai pas observ de diffrences en termes de richesse ou de structure des communauts entre les quatre espces htes. En conclusion, jai pu observer travers la succession dunaire des communauts diversifies et des structures distinctes selon la zone de la dune, tant chez les champignons que chez les plantes. La succession semble toutefois moins marque au niveau des communauts fongiques, par rapport aux patrons observs chez les plantes. Ces rsultats ont aliment une rflexion sur le potentiel et les perspectives, mais aussi sur les limitations des approches reposant sur le squenage haut-dbit en cologie microbienne.
Resumo:
Wydzia Nauk Geograficznych i Geologicznych
Resumo:
Dados suplementares associados com este artigo disponveis na verso online em: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.06.021
Resumo:
Increasing plant diversity in conventionally monoculture agrosystems has been promoted as a method to enhance beneficial arthropod density and efficacy, suppress herbivory and provide a range of ecosystem services. I investigated the pest suppressive potential and economic impact of plant diversification in organic field corn. The experiment consisted of two treatments, corn grown in monoculture (C) and bordered by strips of partridge pea (PP). Pest and natural enemy populations, corn damage, yield, and profits were compared among treatments. Natural enemy and herbivore arthropod populations were affected by treatment and distance from plot border. Corn damage due to pests was also affected by treatment and location, but did not significantly affect yield. Yield in monoculture plots was generally greater than in PP but did not result in greater profit. Pest and natural enemy arthropod abundances were elevated in partridge pea treatment borders, but these populations did not consistently diffuse into plot interiors. The potential causes and implications of findings are discussed.
Resumo:
Restoration of natural wetlands may be informed by macroinvertebrate community composition. Macroinvertebrate communities of wetlands are influenced by environmental characteristics such as vegetation, soil, hydrology, land use, and isolation. This dissertation explores multiple approaches to the assessment of wetland macroinvertebrate community composition, and demonstrates how these approaches can provide complementary insights into the community ecology of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Specifically, this work focuses on macroinvertebrates of Delmarva Bays, isolated seasonal wetlands found on Marylands eastern shore. A comparison of macroinvertebrate community change over a nine years in a restored wetland complex indicated that the macroinvertebrate community of a rehabilitated wetlands more rapidly approximated the community of a reference site than did a newly created wetland. The recovery of a natural macroinvertebrate community in the rehabilitated wetland indicated that wetland rehabilitation should be prioritized over wetland creation and long-term monitoring may be needed to evaluate restoration success. This study also indicated that characteristics of wetland vegetation reflected community composition. The connection between wetland vegetation and macroinvertebrate community composition led to a regional assessment of predaceous diving beetle (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) community composition in 20 seasonal wetlands, half with and half without sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.). Species-level identifications indicated that wetlands with sphagnum support unique and diverse assemblages of beetles. These patterns suggest that sphagnum wetlands provide habitat that supports biodiversity on the Delmarva Peninsula. To compare traits of co-occurring beetles, mandible morphology and temporal and spatial variation were measured between three species of predaceous diving beetles. Based on mandible architecture, all species may consume similarly sized prey, but prey characteristics likely differ in terms of piercing force required for successful capture and consumption. Therefore, different assemblages of aquatic beetles may have different effects on macroinvertebrate community structure. Integrating community-level and species-level data strengthens the association between individual organisms and their ecological role. Effective restoration of imperiled wetlands benefits from this integration, as it informs the management practices that both preserve biodiversity and promote ecosystem services.
Resumo:
Agroforestry is considered nowadays as a sustainable form of land management that is being promoted by different global institutions like FAO and its Global Alliance Smart Climate Agriculture to mitigate and adaptate to Climate change. The European Commission through the protection of landscape features, greening and Rural Development Programs is promoting the essential presence of woody vegetation across Europe, but in a way that is difficult to recognize by farmers. AGROFE and AGFORWARD projects are both demonstrating the important value of Agroforestry at European level, which together with EURAF are pushing European Commission to include measures enhancing Agroforestry. However, there is a need of a European Agroforestry Strategy that recognizes the drawbacks of Agroforestry to be implemented at European level. This strategy should include the main mechanisms to show farmers how to implement it and at the same time to get funded for the important ecosystem services that they provide when implementing agroforestry. AGFORWARD project has identified the main agroforestry practices in Europe, highlighting silvopasture, but showing the importance that others forms of agroforestry have to play like homegardens with multipurpose trees, or the adequate improvement of fallow lands where woody vegetation can enhance the levels of organic matter in the soil if adequately managed. AGFORWARD also shows the lack of information of the real implementation of agroforestry practices like forest farming, in spite of the important productive and ecosystem benefits it provides. EURAF through the participation in the different civil dialogue groups (CAP, Direct Payments and Greening, Forestry and Cork, Organic Farming, Arable, Environment and Climate Change and Rural Development) has included and promoted agroforestry within the European Agenda. The role of Agroforestry has been also enhanced in the Groups of experts of European Structural and Investments funds and as part of the European Network for Rural Development and its derived groups: innovation, evaluation and CLLD/LEADER. EURAF is pleased to announce that Agroforestry will be discussed as part of a focus group of the European Innovation Partnership, so, apply and join the group. This book represents the lastest findings on agroforestry in Europe, integrating the participation of researchers but also policy makers and farmers and farmers' associations. It was a pleasure for EURAF to integrate all this needed knowledge to be disseminated at European levels. On behalf of EURAF, I wish all of you a successful meeting and invite you to strengthen agroforestry within the different European Union countries when you go back home. Rosa Mosquera-LOSADA President of EURAF
Resumo:
RESUMO: Os solos da regio Noroeste do Paran apresentam cerca de 85 a 90% de areia e nveis crticos de nutrientes, conferindo alta suscetibilidade eroso e baixa capacidade de armazenamento de gua. Alm disso, a regio apresenta clima quente, tornando-a bastante vulnervel a estresses abiticos. Uma das estratgias para aumentar a produtividade e, ao mesmo tempo, incrementar servios ambientais aumentar a diversidade de atividades, por meio do sistema de integrao lavoura-pecuria-floresta (iLPF). O sistema iLPF pode conferir maior taxa de sequestro de carbono, conservao da biodiversidade e melhoria da qualidade do solo, gua e ar, em comparao a sistemas no integrados. No municpio de Santo Incio, PR, foram conduzidas por cinco anos duas reas com sistema iLPF. Nos trs primeiros anos de conduo, foi possvel conciliar a produo de gros (soja), forragem (Brachiaria ruziziensis e B brizantha ) e madeira (eucalipto), sem que um componente prejudicasse o outro. A partir do terceiro ano, as rvores interferiram expressivamente na produtividade de gros e forragem, indicando a necessidade de reduo do nmero de rvores por rea. O iLPF um sistema de produo relevante para aumentar a proviso de bens e servios ecossistmicos na regio Noroeste do Paran, mas que ainda precisa de ajustes tecnolgicos para incrementar os ganhos econmicos e ambientais. ABSTRACT: Most soils in Northwest of Paran state, Brazil, are sandy (85 to 90% sand), with critical nutrient levels, high susceptibility to erosion and low water storage capacity Moreover, the region?s warm weather confers to these soils high vulnerability to abiotic stresses The diversification of production via adoption of integrated cropping-livestock-forestry (ICLF) systems is an important strategy to increase productivity and, simultaneously enhance ecosystem services. ICLF systems can increase carbon sequestration, conserve biodiversity and improve soil, water and air quality, compared with specialized production systems. Two trials were carried out for five years using ICLF in Santo Incio county in Paran state, Brazil. In the first three years, it was possible to harmonize production of grains (soybean), fodder (Brachiaria ruziziensis and brizantha) and wood (Eucalyptus) without negative effects of three components on each other. After the third year, the trees significantly reduced grain yield and fodder production, indicating the need for thinning to reduce tree interference. The ICLF system is relevant to increase the delivery of ecosystem goods and services in Northwestern Paran, though technological adjustments are needed to increase its economic and environmental gains.
Resumo:
Doutoramento em Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais - Instituto Superior de Agronomia - UL
Resumo:
Dissertao de Mestrado, Economia do Turismo e Desenvolvimento Regional, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016
