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Restoration Programmes (restoration + programme)
Selected AbstractsPopulation dynamics and reproduction of Northern Lapwings Vanellus vanellus in a meadow restoration area in central SwedenIBIS, Issue 3 2002Åke Berg To investigate the effectiveness of a meadow restoration programme, we studied the relationships between population changes and environmental changes, return rates and hatching success in a population of Northern Lapwings Vanellus vanellus. The study was performed on mixed farmland (59 km2) in central Sweden, an area that underwent extensive meadow restoration between 1985 and 1994. The study included more than 2600 nests, supplemented with observations of 127 individually colour-ringed Northern Lapwings. The breeding population varied (2.7,5.3 pairs/km2), but showed no significant trend with time. The population increased in years with high spring flooding levels. Population size was unrelated to demographic factors (e.g. hatching success the previous year (14,50%), and return rate). Lapwings moved considerably between years and their nest site fidelity was unrelated to previous hatching success or other factors, suggesting that changes in habitat quality and migration between populations were important in regulating population size. Recent extensive meadow restoration did not seem to aid the Northern Lapwing population; birds continued nesting on tillage even though most nests were destroyed by farming activities. A relatively high relaying frequency improved hatching success, which was still lowest in the most preferred habitats (spring sown crops, total hatching success c. 30%). The few Northern Lapwings breeding in the least preferred habitats (meadows and cultivated grassland) had a better hatching success (> 70% total hatching success), suggesting that habitat selection was not determined by hatching success. From these results, recommendations are made for the management of Northern Lapwing (and associated species) populations on farmland. [source] Lighting the Cavern: ,Alvar Aalto: Through the Eyes of Shigeru Ban'ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Issue 4 2007Michael Spens Abstract Michael Spens has an intimate working knowledge of the buildings of Alvar Aalto having supported a restoration programme for Aalto's Viipuri Library in Russia between 1993 and 1997, which involved professionals from Russia and Finland. Here he offers his thoughts on the recent Aalto exhibition at the Barbican. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Runoff and soil loss under individual plants of a semi-arid Mediterranean shrubland: influence of plant morphology and rainfall intensityEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 5 2006E. Bochet Abstract The influence of plant morphology and rainfall intensity on soil loss and runoff was determined at the plant scale for three representative species of a semi-arid patchy shrubland vegetation of east Spain, representing contrasting canopy structures and plant phenologies (Rosmarinus officinalis, Anthyllis cytisoides and Stipa tenacissima). Twenty-seven microplots of less than 1 m2, each containing one single plant, were built to quantify runoff volume and sediment yield under the canopies of the three species. Runoff and rates of soil loss measured in these plots under natural rainfall conditions were compared with control microplots built in the bare inter-plant areas. Precipitation was automatic-ally recorded and rainfall intensity calculated over a two-year period. Results indicated that individual plants played a relevant role in interrill erosion control at the microscale. Compared with a bare soil surface, rates of soil loss and runoff reduction varied strongly depending on the species. Cumulative soil loss was reduced by 94·3, 88·0 and 30·2 per cent, and cumulative runoff volume was reduced by 66·4, 50·8 and 18·4 per cent under the Rosmarinus, Stipa and Anthyllis canopies, respectively, compared with a bare surface. Anthyllis was significantly less efficient than the two other species in reducing runoff volume under its canopy. Differences between species could only be identified above a rainfall intensity threshold of 20 mm h,1. The different plant morphologies and plant compon-ents explained the different erosive responses of the three species. Canopy cover played a major role in runoff and soil loss reduction. The presence of a second layer of protection at the soil surface (litter cover) was fundamental for erosion control during intense rainfall. Rainfall intensity and soil water status prior to rainfall strongly influenced runoff and soil loss rates. The possible use of these species in restoration programmes of degraded areas is discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Restoration of sturgeons: lessons from the Caspian Sea Sturgeon Ranching ProgrammeFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 3 2000D.H. Secor Depletion of sturgeon stocks world-wide has increased interest in aquaculture-based restoration programmes. The Caspian Sea Sturgeon Ranching Programme (SRP) of the former Soviet Union represents a unique opportunity to evaluate expense, benefits and potential ecological and genetic effects of such restoration programmes. The SRP was initiated in the 1950s to compensate for lost spawning habitat in the Volga River and elsewhere. After its completion in 1962, the Volgograd Dam reduced spawning grounds in the Volga River system, the principal spawning tributary of the Caspian Sea, by ,80%. For two of the three commercial sturgeon species (Russian sturgeon, Acipenser güldenstädti, and stellate sturgeon, A. stellatus), yields improved after the imposition of the 1962 moratorium on sturgeon harvests in the Caspian Sea. Volga River fisheries were managed for spawning escapement. Although imprecisely known, the contribution of the millions of stocked Russian and stellate juveniles during 1962,91 was most likely important to sustaining fisheries, although less so (contributing to <30% of the adult stock) than natural recruitment. Apparently, reduced spawning grounds, supplemented with artificial spawning reefs were sufficient to support reproduction and large fishery yields of Russian and stellate sturgeons. For beluga sturgeon, Huso huso, harvests in the Volga River were nearly all dependent upon hatchery stocking. Beluga sturgeon spawning grounds were mostly eliminated with the construction of the Volgograd Dam. Without the hatchery programme, beluga sturgeon in the Volga River and Caspian Sea would in all likelihood have been extirpated. Currently, sturgeons are severely depleted in the Volga River and Caspian Sea due to poaching and lack of co-operation between countries exploiting the species. Aquaculture-based restoration in Russia is now viewed a chief means of rebuilding stocks of Caspian Sea sturgeons. [source] Spatio-temporal patterns of fish assemblages in a large regulated alluvial riverFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2009RENAUD RIFFLART Summary 1. The River Durance, the last alpine tributary of the River Rhône, is a large, braided alluvial hydrosystem. Following large-scale regulation, flow downstream of the Serre-Ponçon dam has been maintained at 1/40th of previous annual mean discharge. To assess the effects of historical disturbances, fish assemblages and habitat use were analysed during five summers in a representative reach of the middle Durance. 2. Habitat availability and use were assessed with a multi-scale approach including the variables water depth, current velocity, roughness height of substratum, amount of woody debris and lateral/longitudinal location. Eighteen fish species were sampled by electrofishing in 289 habitat sample units. 3. Partial least square (PLS) regression showed that taxa were mainly distributed according to relationships between their total length and water depth/velocity variables. Fish assemblage composition was also related to roughness height as well as distance from the bank or to the nearest large woody debris. However, PLS regression revealed no significant differences in habitat selection between two periods of varying hydromorphological stability. 4. Fish distribution patterns and density were related to proximity to the bank and cover, indicating that local scale variables need to be considered in conservation and restoration programmes. [source] Morphological clines in dendritic landscapesFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 9 2007A. CHAPUT-BARDY Summary 1. In complex landscapes such as river networks, organisms usually face spatio-temporal heterogeneity and gradients in geomorphological, water, ecological or landscape characteristics are often observed at the catchment scale. These environmental variables determine developmental conditions for larval stages of freshwater insects and influence adult phenotypic characteristics. Environmental clines are therefore expected to generate morphological clines. Such a process has the potential to drive gradual geographical change in morphology-dependent life history traits, such as dispersal. 2. We studied the influence of aquatic and terrestrial environmental factors on morphological variations in Calopteryx splendens across the Loire drainage. To investigate these effects we took explicitly into account the hierarchical structure of the river network. 3. We analysed eight morphological traits. Results showed significant body size variation between tributaries and the presence of a morphological cline at the drainage scale. We observed an effect of pH and water temperature on body size. Individuals in downstream sites were larger than individuals in upstream sites, and adults whose larval stages were exposed to alkaline pH and high temperatures during summer were larger. 4. Body size affects flight abilities in insects. Thus, our results suggest that morphological clines may generate an asymmetric dispersal pattern along the downstream,upstream axis, downstream populations dispersing farther than upstream ones. Such a process is expected to influence population genetic structure at the drainage scale if larval drift and floods do not balance an asymmetrical dispersal pattern of adults along the downstream,upstream gradient. To assess the influence of environmental gradients on the variation of life history traits it is important to understand the population biology of freshwater insects, and more generally of riverine organisms. It is also essential to integrate such data in conservation or restoration programmes. [source] Recovery of anuran community diversity following habitat replacementJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010David Lesbarrères Summary 1.,Recently habitat degradation, road construction and traffic have all increased with human populations, to the detriment of aquatic habitats and species. While numerous restoration programmes have been carried out, there is an urgent need to follow their success to better understand and compensate for the decline of amphibian populations. To this end, we followed the colonization success of an anuran community across multiple replacement ponds created to mitigate large-scale habitat disturbance. 2.,Following construction of a highway in western France, a restoration project was initiated in 1999 and the success of restoration efforts was monitored. The amphibian communities of eight ponds were surveyed before they were destroyed. Replacement ponds were created according to precise edaphic criteria, consistent with the old pond characteristics and taking into account the amphibian species present in each. The presence of amphibian species was recorded every year during the breeding period for 4 years following pond creation. 3.,Species richness initially declined following construction of the replacement ponds but generally returned to pre-construction levels. Species diversity followed the same pattern but took longer to reach the level of diversity recorded before construction. Pond surface area, depth and sun exposure were the most significant habitat characteristics explaining both amphibian species richness and diversity. Similarly, an increase in the number of vegetation strata was positively related to anuran species richness, indicating the need to maintain a heterogeneous landscape containing relatively large open wetland areas. 4.,Synthesis and applications. We highlight the species-specific dynamics of the colonization process, including an increase in the number of replacement ponds inhabited over time by some species and, in some cases, an increase in population size. Our work suggests that successful replacement ponds can be designed around simple habitat features, providing clear benefits for a range of amphibian species, which will have positive cascading effects on local biodiversity. However, consideration must also be given to the terrestrial buffer zone when management strategies are being planned. Finally, our study offers insight into the successful establishment of anuran communities over a relatively short time in restored or replacement aquatic environments. [source] The restoration of ecological interactions: plant,pollinator networks on ancient and restored heathlandsJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Mikael Lytzau Forup Summary 1Attempts to restore damaged ecosystems usually emphasize structural aspects of biodiversity, such as species richness and abundance. An alternative is to emphasize functional aspects, such as patterns of interaction between species. Pollination is a ubiquitous interaction between plants and animals. Patterns in plant,pollinator interactions can be analysed with a food web or complex-systems approach and comparing pollination webs between restored and reference sites can be used to test whether ecological restoration has taken place. 2Using an ecological network approach, we compared plant,pollinator interactions on four pairs of restored and ancient heathlands 11 and 14 years following initiation of restoration management. We used the network data to test whether visitation by pollinators had been restored and we calculated pollinator importance indices for each insect species on the eight sites. Finally, we compared the robustness of the restored and ancient networks to species loss. 3Plant and pollinator communities were established successfully on the restored sites. There was little evidence of movement of pollinators from ancient sites onto adjacent restored sites, although paired sites correlated in pollinator species richness in both years. There was little insect species overlap within each heathland between 2001 and 2004. 4A few widespread insect species dominated the communities and were the main pollinators. The most important pollinators were typically honeybees (Apis mellifera), species of bumblebee (Bombus spp.) and one hoverfly species (Episyrphus balteatus). The interaction networks were significantly less complex on restored heathlands, in terms of connectance values, although in 2004 the low values might reflect the negative relationship between connectance and species richness. Finally, there was a trend of restored networks being more susceptible to perturbation than ancient networks, although this needs to be interpreted with caution. 5Synthesis and applications. Ecological networks provide a powerful tool for assessing the outcome of restoration programmes. Our results indicate that heathland restoration does not have to occur immediately adjacent to ancient heathland for functional pollinator communities to be established. Moreover, in terms of restoring pollinator interactions, heathland managers need only be concerned with the most common insect species. Our focus on pollination demonstrates how a key ecological service can serve as a yardstick for judging restoration success. [source] Consequences of soil compaction for seedling establishment: Implications for natural regeneration and restorationAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 8 2005I. E. BASSETT Abstract Soil compaction can affect seedling root development by decreasing oxygen availability and increasing soil strength. However, little quantitative information is available on the compaction tolerances of non-crop native species. We investigated the effects of soil compaction on establishment and development of two New Zealand native species commonly used in restoration programmes; Cordyline australis (Agavaceae) (cabbage tree) a fleshy rooted species, and Leptospermum scoparium (Myrtaceae) (manuka) a very finely rooted species. Seedlings were grown in a range of soil compaction levels in growth cabinet experiments. Low levels of soil compaction (0.6 MPa) reduced both the number and speed of C. australis seedlings penetrating the soil surface. In contrast, L. scoparium seedlings showed improved establishment at an intermediate compaction level. Root and shoot growth of both species decreased with increasing soil strength, with L. scoparium seedlings tolerating higher soil strengths than did C. australis. Despite these results, soil strength accounted for only a small amount of variation in root length (R2 < 0.25), due to greater variability in growth at low soil strengths. Soil strengths of 0.6 MPa are likely to pose a barrier to C. australis regeneration. This is consistent with adaptation to organic and/or soft, waterlogged soils. Active intervention may be necessary to establish C. australis from seed on many sites previously in farmland. [source] | |||||||||||||