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Local Ecosystem (local + ecosystem)
Selected AbstractsSpatial and temporal variation in the morphology (and thus, predicted impact) of an invasive species in AustraliaECOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2006Ben L. Phillips The impact of an invasive species is unlikely to be uniform in space or time, due to variation in key traits of the invader (e.g. morphology, physiology, behaviour) as well as in resilience of the local ecosystem. The weak phylogeographic structure typical of an invasive population suggests that much of the variation in an invading taxon is likely to be generated by the environment and recent colonisation history. Here we describe effects of the environment and colonisation history on key morphological traits of an invader (the cane toad Bufo marinus). These "key traits" (body size and relative toxicity) mediate the impact of toads on Australian native predators, which often die as a consequence of ingesting a fatal dose of toad toxin. Measurements of museum specimens collected over >60 yr from a wide area show that seasonal variation in toad body size (due to seasonal recruitment) effectively swamps much of the spatial variance in this trait. However, relative toxicity of toads showed strong spatial variation and little seasonal variation. Thus, the risk to a native predator ingesting a toad will vary on both spatial and temporal scales. For native predators capable of eating a wide range of toad sizes (e.g. quolls, varanid lizards), seasonal variation in overall toad size will be the most significant predictor of risk. In contrast, gape-limited predators restricted to a specific range of toad sizes (such as snakes) will be most strongly affected by the relative toxicity of toads. Gape-limited predators will thus experience strong spatial variation in risk from toad consumption. [source] Invasive Acacia auriculiformis Benth. in different habitats in Unguja, ZanzibarAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Riitta Kotiluoto Abstract Acacia auriculiformis Benth., Mimosaceae, has been introduced relatively recently as a plantation tree to the island of Unguja, Zanzibar. It has been reported to establish itself outside the plantations, but it is not known if the success of establishment depends on habitat quality. We investigated the occurrence of A. auriculiformis in 5-m-wide sample lines, which started from the edge of acacia plantations and reached farthermost the distance of 1 km. The results of 7.24 ha studied showed that: (1) A. auriculiformis occurred in most of the studied habitats in Unguja and appeared to be more abundant in deep soils than in shallow coral-derived soils. However, statistical analyses suggested that the species has little preference or avoidance towards any of the habitats, even though forests , the least disturbed habitats , seemed to have less acacias than other more disturbed habitats. (2) The number of acacias decreased rapidly with the distance from an acacia plantation, and most of the found acacias were still young, below three metres tall. Our results suggest that the invasion of A. auriculiformis is at its beginning in Unguja. If no preventive measures are taken, A. auriculiformis may have an increasing impact on local ecosystem in the future. Résumé Acacia auriculiformis Benth., une mimosacée, a été introduit assez récemment sous forme de plantation dans l'île d'Unjuga, à Zanzibar. On a rapporté qu'il s'était établi de lui-même en dehors des plantations, mais on ne sait pas si la réussite de cette installation dépend de la qualité de l'habitat. Nous avons étudié la présence d'Acacia auriculiformis sur des bandes échantillons de cinq mètres de large qui commençaient à la lisière des plantations d'acacia et s'éloignaient jusqu'à un kilomètre. Les résultats obtenus sur les 7,24 ha étudiés montrent que 1) Acacia auriculiformis existe dans la plupart des habitats étudiés à Unjuga et semble plus abondant dans des sols profonds que dans des sols peu profonds dérivés des coraux. Cependant, les analyses statistiques suggèrent que l'espèce montre peu de préférences ou de rejet envers aucun des habitats, même si les forêts , les habitats les moins perturbés , semblent contenir moins d'acacias que d'autres habitats plus perturbés et que 2) le nombre d'acacias diminue rapidement quand on s'éloigne des plantations d'acacias, et que la plupart des acacias trouvés sont encore jeunes et mesurent moins de trois mètres de haut. Nos résultats suggèrent que l'invasion d'Acacia auriculiformis en est encore à ses début sur Unjuga. Si l'on ne prend pas de mesures préventives, A. auriculiformis pourrait avoir un impact croissant sur l'écosystème local dans le futur. [source] Southern French Neolithic populations: Isotopic evidence for regional specificities in environment and dietAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Estelle Herrscher Abstract The Middle Neolithic of the Northwestern Mediterranean area (,4500,3500 BC cal) is characterized by the development of food production techniques as well as by increasing social complexity. These characteristics could have had an impact on human dietary patterns. To evaluate human dietary practices and lifeways of the Middle Neolithic populations from the South of France, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was carried out on 57 human and 53 faunal bones from seven archaeological sites located in the Languedoc and Garonne regions between 20 and 100 km from the Mediterranean Sea, respectively. Results show regional differences in carbon isotope values. Animal and human bones from the Languedoc region are significantly enriched in 13C relative to the Garonne. Conversely, human and dog bones from the Garonne region are significantly enriched in 15N compared to human and dog bones from the Languedoc region. These results highlight the importance of the local ecosystem in human and animal diet as well as a regional differentiation of palaeodietary behavior, which probably relates to economic and social factors. The comparison of stable isotope data with archaeological and biological evidence does not show any significant intra- or interpopulation differences. However, the presence of human outliers suggests that migration probably occurred, perhaps in relation to the trade of animals and/or materials. This study also highlights the importance of investigating local animal stable isotope values for the interpretation of human palaeodiet. Am J Phys Anthropol 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Green Footstep: A Tool for Evaluating a Building's Life-Cycle Carbon Footprint and Informing Carbon Decisions During the Building Design ProcessARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Issue 3 2010Michael Bendewald Abstract The Green Footstep model provides a valuable set of metrics for ecodesign and masterplanning. Here Michael Bendewald and Victor Olgyay of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), with Ken Yeang, describe the significance of this new online tool. In addition to supplying the basis for balancing the built environment's engineering systems, the Green Footstep enables efficiency with the use of renewable energy systems, such as photovoltaics (illustrated here). By presenting the critical case for increasing the percentage of new vegetation and trees in new developments, it enhances local biodiversity. Carbon emissions are offset from: on-site clearance of vegetation, the disturbance of the many constituents of the local ecosystem and the removal of organic rich soil by new construction. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Meta-ecosystems: a theoretical framework for a spatial ecosystem ecologyECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 8 2003Michel Loreau Abstract This contribution proposes the meta-ecosystem concept as a natural extension of the metapopulation and metacommunity concepts. A meta-ecosystem is defined as a set of ecosystems connected by spatial flows of energy, materials and organisms across ecosystem boundaries. This concept provides a powerful theoretical tool to understand the emergent properties that arise from spatial coupling of local ecosystems, such as global source,sink constraints, diversity,productivity patterns, stabilization of ecosystem processes and indirect interactions at landscape or regional scales. The meta-ecosystem perspective thereby has the potential to integrate the perspectives of community and landscape ecology, to provide novel fundamental insights into the dynamics and functioning of ecosystems from local to global scales, and to increase our ability to predict the consequences of land-use changes on biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services to human societies. [source] Winter cover crops for local ecosystems: linking plant traits and ecosystem functionJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 4 2008Brook J Wilke Abstract Winter cover crops are capable of supplying multiple economic and environmental benefits in temperate environments of North America, but the lack of adapted populations for specific environmental and agricultural contexts has resulted in cover crops that are unreliable and perform ecosystem functions unevenly. To maximize the benefits provided by winter cover crops, we argue for trait selection by crop scientists that is cognizant of desired ecosystem functions, with the goal of providing commercially available populations that have variable functions. We illustrate this approach through a case study of a promising winter annual legume cover crop, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa). Six key traits and associated functions are considered within specific agroecological contexts. We discuss tradeoffs that may occur among desired plant traits and illustrate how over-selection for a particular trait could negatively affect performance and overall benefits from a cover crop. Intraspecific combinations of complementary cover crops are suggested as means to achieve multiple agroecosystem functions. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] | ||||||||||