Historical comparisons reveal multiple drivers of decadal change of an ecosystem engineer at the range edge

Biogenic reefs are important for habitat provision and coastal protection. Long-term datasets on the distribution and abundance of Sabellaria alveolata (L.) are available from Britain. The aim of this study was to combine historical records and contemporary data to (1) describe spatiotemporal variation in winter temperatures, (2) document short-term and long-term changes in the distribution and abundance of S. alveolata and discuss these changes in relation to extreme weather events and recent warming, and (3) assess the potential for artificial coastal defense structures to function as habitat for S. alveolata. A semi-quantitative abundance scale (ACFOR) was used to compare broadscale, long-term and interannual abundance of S. alveolata near its range edge in NW Britain. S. alveolata disappeared from the North Wales and Wirral coastlines where it had been abundant prior to the cold winter of 1962/1963. Population declines were also observed following the recent cold winters of 2009/2010 and 2010/2011. Extensive surveys in 2004 and 2012 revealed that S. alveolata had recolonized locations from which it had previously disappeared. Furthermore, it had increased in abundance at many locations, possibly in response to recent warming. S. alveolata was recorded on the majority of artificial coastal defense structures surveyed, suggesting that the proliferation of artificial coastal defense structures along this stretch of coastline may have enabled S. alveolata to spread across stretches of unsuitable natural habitat. Long-term and broadscale contextual monitoring is essential for monitoring responses of organisms to climate change. Historical data and gray literature can be invaluable sources of information. Our results support the theory that Lusitanian species are responding positively to climate warming but also that short-term extreme weather events can have potentially devastating widespread and lasting effects on organisms. Furthermore, the proliferation of coastal defense structures has implications for phylogeography, population genetics, and connectivity of coastal populations.

D6.1 – Ecosystem Software Platform with Underlying Software Repository, Digital Library and Media Archive

The objective of D6.1 is to make the Ecosystem software platform with underlying Software Repository, Digital Library and Media Archive available to the degree, that the RAGE project can start collecting content in the form of software assets, and documents of various media types. This paper describes the current state of the Ecosystem as of month 12 of the project, and documents the structure of the Ecosystem, individual components, integration strategies, and overall approach. The deliverable itself is the deployment of the described components, which is now available to collect and curate content. Whilst this version is not yet feature complete, full realization is expected within the next few months. Following this development, WP6 will continue to add features driven by the business models to be defined by WP7 later on in the project.

Integrating Scientific Publication into an Applied Gaming Ecosystem

Salman, M. et al. (2016). Integrating Scientific Publication into an Applied Gaming Ecosystem. GSTF Journal on Computing (JoC), Volume 5 (Issue 1), pp. 45-51.

A Review of the Dodo and its Ecosystem: Insights from a Vertebrate Concentration Lagerstätte in Mauritius

The dodo Raphus cucullatus Linnaeus, 1758, an extinct and flightless, giant pigeon endemic to Mauritius, has fascinated people since its discovery, yet has remained surprisingly poorly known. Until the mid-19th century, almost all that was known about the dodo was based on illustrations and written accounts by 17th century mariners, often of questionable accuracy. Furthermore, only a few fragmentary remains of dodos collected prior to the bird’s extinction exist. Our understanding of the dodo’s anatomy was substantially enhanced by the discovery in 1865 of subfossil bones in a marsh called the Mare aux Songes, situated in southeastern Mauritius. However, no contextual information was recorded during early excavation efforts, and the majority of excavated material comprised larger dodo bones, almost all of which were unassociated. Here we present a modern interdisciplinary analysis of the Mare aux Songes, a 4200-year-old multitaxic vertebrate concentration Lagerst€atte. Our analysis of the deposits at this site provides the first detailed overview of the ecosystem inhabited by the dodo. The interplay of climatic and geological conditions led to the exceptional preservation of the animal and associated plant remains at the Mare aux Songes and provides a window into the past ecosystem of Mauritius. This interdisciplinary research approach provides an ecological framework for the dodo, complementing insights on its anatomy derived from the only associated dodo skeletons known, both of which were collected by Etienne Thirioux and are the primary subject of this memoir.

Biomass, quality traits and methane production of extensive grassland: biodiversity effects and sensor approaches

Energy policies around the world are mandating for a progressive increase in renewable energy production. Extensive grassland areas with low productivity and land use limitations have become target areas for sustainable energy production to avoid competition with food production on the limited available arable land resources and minimize further conversion of grassland into intensively managed energy cropping systems or abandonment. However, the high spatio-temporal variability in botanical composition and biochemical parameters is detrimental to reliable assessment of biomass yield and quality regarding anaerobic digestion. In an approach to assess the performance for predicting biomass using a multi-sensor combination including NIRS, ultra-sonic distance measurements and LAI-2000, biweekly sensor measurements were taken on a pure stand of reed canary grass (Phalaris aruninacea), a legume grass mixture and a diversity mixture with thirty-six species in an experimental extensive two cut management system. Different combinations of the sensor response values were used in multiple regression analysis to improve biomass predictions compared to exclusive sensors. Wavelength bands for sensor specific NDVI-type vegetation indices were selected from the hyperspectral data and evaluated for the biomass prediction as exclusive indices and in combination with LAI and ultra-sonic distance measurements. Ultrasonic sward height was the best to predict biomass in single sensor approaches (R² 0.73 – 0.76). The addition of LAI-2000 improved the prediction performance by up to 30% while NIRS barely improved the prediction performance. In an approach to evaluate broad based prediction of biochemical parameters relevant for anaerobic digestion using hyperspectral NIRS, spectroscopic measurements were taken on biomass from the Jena-Experiment plots in 2008 and 2009. Measurements were conducted on different conditions of the biomass including standing sward, hay and silage and different spectroscopic devices to simulate different preparation and measurement conditions along the process chain for biogas production. Best prediction results were acquired for all constituents at laboratory measurement conditions with dried and ground samples on a bench-top NIRS system (RPD > 3) with a coefficient of determination R2 < 0.9. The same biomass was further used in batch fermentation to analyse the impact of species richness and functional group composition on methane yields using whole crop digestion and pressfluid derived by the Integrated generation of solid Fuel and Biogas from Biomass (IFBB) procedure. Although species richness and functional group composition were largely insignificant, the presence of grasses and legumes in the mixtures were most determining factors influencing methane yields in whole crop digestion. High lignocellulose content and a high C/N ratio in grasses may have reduced the digestibility in the first cut material, excess nitrogen may have inhibited methane production in second cut legumes, while batch experiments proved superior specific methane yields of IFBB press fluids and showed that detrimental effects of the parent material were reduced by the technical treatment

End-to-end modelling for an ecosystem approach to fisheries in the Northern Humboldt Current Ecosystem

This work represents an original contribution to the methodology for ecosystem models' development as well as the rst attempt of an end-to-end (E2E) model of the Northern Humboldt Current Ecosystem (NHCE). The main purpose of the developed model is to build a tool for ecosystem-based management and decision making, reason why the credibility of the model is essential, and this can be assessed through confrontation to data. Additionally, the NHCE exhibits a high climatic and oceanographic variability at several scales, the major source of interannual variability being the interruption of the upwelling seasonality by the El Niño Southern Oscillation, which has direct e ects on larval survival and sh recruitment success. Fishing activity can also be highly variable, depending on the abundance and accessibility of the main shery resources. This context brings the two main methodological questions addressed in this thesis, through the development of an end-to-end model coupling the high trophic level model OSMOSE to the hydrodynamics and biogeochemical model ROMS-PISCES: i) how to calibrate ecosystem models using time series data and ii) how to incorporate the impact of the interannual variability of the environment and shing. First, this thesis highlights some issues related to the confrontation of complex ecosystem models to data and proposes a methodology for a sequential multi-phases calibration of ecosystem models. We propose two criteria to classify the parameters of a model: the model dependency and the time variability of the parameters. Then, these criteria along with the availability of approximate initial estimates are used as decision rules to determine which parameters need to be estimated, and their precedence order in the sequential calibration process. Additionally, a new Evolutionary Algorithm designed for the calibration of stochastic models (e.g Individual Based Model) and optimized for maximum likelihood estimation has been developed and applied to the calibration of the OSMOSE model to time series data. The environmental variability is explicit in the model: the ROMS-PISCES model forces the OSMOSE model and drives potential bottom-up e ects up the foodweb through plankton and sh trophic interactions, as well as through changes in the spatial distribution of sh. The latter e ect was taken into account using presence/ absence species distribution models which are traditionally assessed through a confusion matrix and the statistical metrics associated to it. However, when considering the prediction of the habitat against time, the variability in the spatial distribution of the habitat can be summarized and validated using the emerging patterns from the shape of the spatial distributions. We modeled the potential habitat of the main species of the Humboldt Current Ecosystem using several sources of information ( sheries, scienti c surveys and satellite monitoring of vessels) jointly with environmental data from remote sensing and in situ observations, from 1992 to 2008. The potential habitat was predicted over the study period with monthly resolution, and the model was validated using quantitative and qualitative information of the system using a pattern oriented approach. The nal ROMS-PISCES-OSMOSE E2E ecosystem model for the NHCE was calibrated using our evolutionary algorithm and a likelihood approach to t monthly time series data of landings, abundance indices and catch at length distributions from 1992 to 2008. To conclude, some potential applications of the model for shery management are presented and their limitations and perspectives discussed.

Évolution naturelle des savanes mises en défens à Ibi-village, sur le plateau des Bateke, en République Démocratique du Congo

En République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), les savanes couvrent 76,8 millions d’hectares et constituent le second type d’écosystème après les forêts denses qui représentent 10% des forêts au niveau mondial. Ces formations herbeuses et arbustives offrent des potentialités importantes de séquestration du dioxyde de carbone pouvant contribuer par le fait même à la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique. C’est dans cette optique que se situe cette thèse intitulée « Évolution naturelle de savanes mises en défens à Ibi-village sur le plateau des Bateke en République Démocratique du Congo» dans le cadre du projet puits carbone d’IBI-Bateke. L’objectif général de notre recherche est d’étudier l’évolution naturelle en absence de feu de savanes situées dans des zones climatiques avec précipitations abondantes. Le plateau des Bateke nous a servi d’analyse de cas. Les inventaires floristiques et dendrométriques de la strate arbustive et arborescente de nos dispositifs hiérarchiques, ont permis de suivre ce processus naturel en tenant compte du gradient écologique dans les trois types de formations végétales (îlot forestier, la galerie forestière et la plantation d’Acacia auriculiformis). Nous avons mis en défens des savanes arbustives du plateau des Bateke pour étudier leur évolution naturelle vers une forêt, leur établissement, qualité, régénération forestière et en déterminer le taux de séquestration du carbone à l’aide des équations allométriques de Chave et al. (2005). Nous avons obtenu des valeurs moyennes de 107,477 t/ha de biomasse totale soit 51,05 Mg C/ha dans la galerie forestière, 103,772 t/ha de biomasse totale soit 49,29 Mg C/ha dans l’Îlot forestier, et 22,336 t/ha de biomasse totale soit 10,60 Mg C/ha dans la plantation. La mise en défens a stimulé l’installation des espèces forestières, et par le fait même accéléré la production de biomasse et donc la fixation de carbone. La comparaison de la richesse et la diversité spécifiques de l’Îlot et la galerie montre 22 familles botaniques inventoriées avec 55 espèces dans l’îlot forestier contre 27 familles dont 58 espèces dans la galerie. L’analyse canonique réalisée entre les variables de croissance et les variables environnementales révèle qu’il existe effectivement des relations fortes d’interdépendance entre les deux groupes de variables considérées. Cette méthodologie appropriée à la présente étude n’avait jamais été évoquée ni proposée par des études antérieures effectuées par d’autres chercheurs au plateau des Bateke. Mots Clés : Galerie forestière, Îlot forestier, mise en défens, plantation d’Acacia auriculiformis, reforestation, régénération naturelle, République Démocratique du Congo, savanes.

Using crowdsourced imagery to detect cultural ecosystem services: a case study in South Wales, UK

Within ecological research and environmental management, there is currently a focus on demonstrating the links between human well-being and wildlife conservation. Within this framework, there is a clear interest in better understanding how and why people value certain places over others. We introduce a new method that measures cultural preferences by exploring the potential of multiple online georeferenced digital photograph collections. Using ecological and social considerations, our study contributes to the detection of places that provide cultural ecosystem services. The degree of appreciation of a specific place is derived from the number of people taking and sharing pictures of it. The sequence of decisions and actions taken to share a digital picture of a given place includes the effort to travel to the place, the willingness to take a picture, the decision to geolocate the picture, and the action of sharing it through the Internet. Hence, the social activity of sharing pictures leaves digital proxies of spatial preferences, with people sharing specific photos considering the depicted place not only “worth visiting” but also “worth sharing visually.” Using South Wales as a case study, we demonstrate how the proposed methodology can help identify key geographic features of high cultural value. These results highlight how the inclusion of geographical user-generated content, also known as volunteered geographic information, can be very effective in addressing some of the current priorities in conservation. Indeed, the detection of the most appreciated nonurban areas could be used for better prioritization, planning, and management.

Key insights for the future of urban ecosystem services research

Understanding the dynamics of urban ecosystem services is a necessary requirement for adequate planning, management, and governance of urban green infrastructure. Through the three-year Urban Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (URBES) research project, we conducted case study and comparative research on urban biodiversity and ecosystem services across seven cities in Europe and the United States. Reviewing > 50 peer-reviewed publications from the project, we present and discuss seven key insights that reflect cumulative findings from the project as well as the state-of-the-art knowledge in urban ecosystem services research. The insights from our review indicate that cross-sectoral, multiscale, interdisciplinary research is beginning to provide a solid scientific foundation for applying the ecosystem services framework in urban areas and land management. Our review offers a foundation for seeking novel, nature-based solutions to emerging urban challenges such as wicked environmental change issues.

Disentangling trade-offs and synergies around ecosystem services with the influence network framework: illustration from a consultative process over the French Alps

An important aspect of sustainability is to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem functioning while improving human well-being. For this, the ecosystem service (ES) approach has the potential to bridge the still existing gap between ecological management and social development, especially by focusing on trade-offs and synergies between ES and between their beneficiaries. Several frameworks have been proposed to account for trade-offs and synergies between ES, and between ES and other components of social-ecological systems. However, to date, insufficient explicit attention has been paid to the three facets encompassed in the ES concept, namely potential supply, demand, and use, leading to incomplete descriptions of ES interactions. We expand on previous frameworks by proposing a new influence network framework (INF) based on an explicit consideration of influence relationships between these three ES facets, biodiversity, and external driving variables. We tested its ability to provide a comprehensive view of complex social-ecological interactions around ES through a consultative process focused on environmental management in the French Alps. We synthetized the interactions mentioned during this consultative process and grouped variables according to their overall propensity to influence or be influenced by the system. The resulting directed sequence of influences distinguished between: (1) mostly influential variables (dynamic social variables and ecological state variables), (2) target variables (provisioning and cultural services), and (3) mostly impacted variables (regulating services and biodiversity parameters). We discussed possible reasons for the discrepancies between actual and perceived influences and proposed options to overcome them. We demonstrated that the INF holds the potential to deliver collective assessments of ES relations by: (1) including ecological as well as social aspects, (2) providing opportunities for colearning processes between stakeholder groups, and (3) supporting communication about complex social-ecological systems and consequences for environmental management.

Interlinking ecosystem services and Ostrom’s framework through orientation in sustainability research

Structuring integrated social-ecological systems (SES) research remains a core challenge for achieving sustainability. Numerous concepts and frameworks exist, but there is a lack of mutual learning and orientation of knowledge between them. We focus on two approaches in particular: the ecosystem services concept and Elinor Ostrom’s diagnostic SES framework. We analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each and discuss their potential for mutual learning. We use knowledge types in sustainability research as a boundary object to compare the contributions of each approach. Sustainability research is conceptualized as a multi-step knowledge generation process that includes system, target, and transformative knowledge. A case study of the Southern California spiny lobster fishery is used to comparatively demonstrate how each approach contributes a different lens and knowledge when applied to the same case. We draw on this case example in our discussion to highlight potential interlinkages and areas for mutual learning. We intend for this analysis to facilitate a broader discussion that can further integrate SES research across its diverse communities.

Jatropha cultivation in Malawi and Mozambique: impact on ecosystem services, local human well-being, and poverty alleviation

Jatropha-based biofuels have undergone a rapid boom-and-bust cycle in southern Africa. Despite strong initial support by governments, donors, and the private sector, there is a lack of empirical studies that compare the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of Jatropha’s two dominant modes of production: large plantations and smallholder-based projects. We apply a rapid ecosystem services assessment approach to understand the impact of two Jatropha projects that are still operational despite widespread project collapse across southern Africa: a smallholder-based project (BERL, Malawi) and a large plantation (Niqel, Mozambique). Our study focuses on changes in provisioning ecosystem services such as biofuel feedstock, food, and woodland products that can have important effects on human well-being locally. Qualitative information is provided for other regulating and cultural ecosystem services. Although at this stage no impact is tremendously positive or negative, both projects show some signs of viability and local poverty alleviation potential. However, their long-term sustainability is not guaranteed given low yields, uncertain markets, and some prevailing management practices.