Abundance and habitat covariates of lesser florican and spiny-tailed lizard in Kachchh, India (2008-09)

please provide abstract

Potential connections (least-cost paths) between existing and potential bison habitat patches in the Carpathian Mountains

Habitat connectivity is important for the survival of species that occupy habitat patches too small to sustain an isolated population. A prominent example of such a species is the European bison (Bison bonasus), occurring only in small, isolated herds, and whose survival will depend on establishing larger, well-connected populations. Our goal here was to assess habitat connectivity of European bison in the Carpathians. We used an existing bison habitat suitability map and data on dispersal barriers to derive cost surfaces, representing the ability of bison to move across the landscape, and to delineate potential connections (as least-cost paths) between currently occupied and potential habitat patches. Graph theory tools were then employed to evaluate the connectivity of all potential habitat patches and their relative importance in the network. Our analysis showed that existing bison herds in Ukraine are isolated. However, we identified several groups of well-connected habitat patches in the Carpathians which could host a large population of European bison. Our analysis also located important dispersal corridors connecting existing herds, and several promising locations for future reintroductions (especially in the Eastern Carpathians) that should have a high priority for conservation efforts. In general, our approach indicates the most important elements within a landscape mosaic for providing and maintaining the overall connectivity of different habitat networks and thus offers a robust and powerful tool for conservation planning.

Plant communities and soil chemistry of shrub-steppe and pine savannah grasslands in southern British Columbia, Canada

Habitat fragmentation alters the edges of remnant habitat patches. We examined changes in the plant community and soil in relation to distance from edge and edge type for shrub-steppe and pine savannah grasslands in southern British Columbia, Canada. Community composition showed significant nonlinear relationships with distance-to-edge more frequently at paved roads and fruit crops than at dirt roads or control sites (i.e., in the interior of grassland patches), with changes typically extending 25-30 m. More exotic species and fewer native species were found near edges, and edges showed decreased cryptogam cover and increased bare ground, especially near paved roads. The soil factors that best predicted compositional changes were soil pH and Cu/Mn at paved roads, soil pH and nitrogen at fruit crops, and soil resistance at dirt roads. Variation partitioning suggested that both direct (e.g., propagule pressure) and indirect (environmental change) factors mediated edge-related community changes, and provided evidence that nonlinear responses at developed edges were not due to natural gradients. Given the range of grassland patch sizes in this region (many patches 1-100 ha), the edge effects we observed represent a considerable loss of "core" habitat, which must be accounted for in conservation planning and site restoration.

Habitat traits and food availability determine the response of marine invertebrates to ocean acidification

Energy availability and local adaptation are major components in mediating the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on marine species. In a long-term study, we investigated the effects of food availability and elevated pCO2 (ca 400, 1000 and 3000 µatm) on growth of newly settled Amphibalanus (Balanus) improvisus to reproduction, and on their offspring. We also compared two different populations, which were presumed to differ in their sensitivity to pCO2 due to differing habitat conditions: Kiel Fjord, Germany (Western Baltic Sea) with naturally strong pCO2 fluctuations, and the Tjärnö Archipelago, Sweden (Skagerrak) with far lower fluctuations. Over 20 weeks, survival, growth, reproduction and shell strength of Kiel barnacles were all unaffected by elevated pCO2, regardless of food availability. Moulting frequency and shell corrosion increased with increasing pCO2 in adults. Larval development and juvenile growth of the F1 generation were tolerant to increased pCO2, irrespective of parental treatment. In contrast, elevated pCO2 had a strong negative impact on survival of Tjärnö barnacles. Specimens from this population were able to withstand moderate levels of elevated pCO2 over 5 weeks when food was plentiful but showed reduced growth under food limitation. Severe levels of elevated pCO2 negatively impacted growth of Tjärnö barnacles in both food treatments. We demonstrate a conspicuously higher tolerance to elevated pCO2 in Kiel barnacles than in Tjärnö barnacles. This tolerance was carried-over from adults to their offspring. Our findings indicate that populations from fluctuating pCO2 environments are more tolerant to elevated pCO2 than populations from more stable pCO2 habitats. We furthermore provide evidence that energy availability can mediate the ability of barnacles to withstand moderate CO2 stress. Considering the high tolerance of Kiel specimens and the possibility to adapt over many generations, near future OA alone does not seem to present a major threat for A. improvisus