The Ranská jezírka are system of water bodies located in a forest complex on the western edge of the Žďárské vrchy PLA. These water bodies were created by flooding of depressions after surface mining ...of iron limonite ores. Currently, there are several larger and a number of smaller oligotrophic to mesotrophic pools covered with various types of littoral vegetation. Aquatic molluscs of this isolated and biologically interesting site were studied in 2023. In total, 15 species (6 gastropods and 9 bivalves) were found at 7 sites. Molluscan communities in water bodies with poorer vegetation were species-poor while water bodies more overgrown with littoral vegetation were inhabited by relatively species-richer communities. The rare and endangered bivalve Sphaerium nucleus was found. No non-native species were found.
Increasingly, the world is becoming socioeconomically and environmentally connected, but many studies have focused on human-environment interactions within a particular area. Although some studies ...have considered the impacts of external factors, there is little research on multiple reciprocal socioeconomic and environmental interactions between a focal area and other areas. Here we address this important knowledge gap by applying the new integrated framework of telecouplings (socioeconomic and environmental interactions between two or more areas over distances). Results show that even a protected area - i.e., the Wolong Nature Reserve for giant pandas in southwest China - has multiple telecoupling processes with the rest of the world; these include panda loans, tourism, information dissemination, conservation subsidies, and trade of agricultural and industrial products. The telecoupling processes exhibit nonlinear patterns, they change over time, and they have varying socioeconomic and environmental effects across the world. We also find complex relationships among different telecouplings - e.g., amplification, offsetting, spatial overlaps - which cannot be detected by traditional separate studies. Such an integrated study leads to a more comprehensive understanding of distant human-environment interactions and has significant implications for global sustainability and human well-being.
•Vegetation was mapped from 281 UAV images using 3 image processing approaches.•Pixel classification, visual interpretation and machine learning had comparable accuracies.•Convolutional neural ...networks successfully detected Lomandra plants from UAV images.
We evaluate three approaches to mapping vegetation using images collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to monitor rehabilitation activities in the Five Islands Nature Reserve, Wollongong (Australia). Between April 2017 and July 2018, four aerial surveys of Big Island were undertaken to map changes to island vegetation following helicopter herbicide sprays to eradicate weeds, including the creeper Coastal Morning Glory (Ipomoea cairica) and Kikuyu Grass (Cenchrus clandestinus). The spraying was followed by a large scale planting campaign to introduce native plants, such as tussocks of Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia). Three approaches to mapping vegetation were evaluated, including: (i) a pixel-based image classification algorithm applied to the composite spectral wavebands of the images collected, (ii) manual digitisation of vegetation directly from images based on visual interpretation, and (iii) the application of a machine learning algorithm, LeNet, based on a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) for detecting planted Lomandra tussocks. The uncertainty of each approach was assessed via comparison against an independently collected field dataset. Each of the vegetation mapping approaches had a comparable accuracy; for a selected weed management and planting area, the overall accuracies were 82 %, 91 % and 85 % respectively for the pixel based image classification, the visual interpretation / digitisation and the CNN machine learning algorithm. At the scale of the whole island, statistically significant differences in the performance of the three approaches to mapping Lomandra plants were detected via ANOVA. The manual digitisation took a longer time to perform than others. The three approaches resulted in markedly different vegetation maps characterised by different digital data formats, which offered fundamentally different types of information on vegetation character. We draw attention to the need to consider how different digital map products will be used for vegetation management (e.g. monitoring the health individual species or a broader profile of the community). Where individual plants are to be monitored over time, a feature-based approach that represents plants as vector points is appropriate. The CNN approach emerged as a promising technique in this regard as it leveraged spatial information from the UAV images within the architecture of the learning framework by enforcing a local connectivity pattern between neurons of adjacent layers to incorporate the spatial relationships between features that comprised the shape of the Lomandra tussocks detected.
Ecosystem service value (ESV) included some contributions of ecological environments to human health and living, and provide cultural and economic benefits for sustaining and fulfilling living ...organisms. The author selected the Ebinur lake Wetland Nature Reserve as our study site to analyze the spatial distribution and dynamics of ecosystem services, and we used 1972, 1998, 2006, 2014 and 2016 images to study land use/cover change (LUCC) over these periods. LUCC is one of the key drivers that affect ecosystem services. Firstly, in 1972–2030, land use/cover (LULC) significantly changed, with all LUCC practices increasing except for the categories of water area, bare land area and barren land/other. Secondly, changes in ESV were significant during the last 60 years. The total annual ESV in the study area decreased by 50.89% between 1972 and 2030, mostly attributable to the 6.82% growth of saline land, 0.09% growth of desert, 1% decrease of wetlands and 0.95% decrease of water bodies. Thirdly, the spatial-temporal variation of ESV was prominent. Spatial correlation was significant, and the degree of spatial clustering was relatively high in the study area, which was mainly distributed in the water body and wetland regions, and these high-value regions exhibited a decreasing trend. Low values occurred around the lake areas, which increased over time.
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•Analyzed and predicted land use /cover change using CA-Markov model.•Analyzed and predicted ecosystem service values.
Mount Sigogor Nature Reserve area is a mountainous tropical rain forest, administratively located in Pupus Village, Ngebel District, Ponorogo Regency, East Java, Indonesia. One of the main functions ...of this nature reserve is as a water catchment area for the villages around the nature reserve area. Water sources and flows within the Mount Sigogor Nature Reserve area have the potential as natural habitat for dragonflies. This study aims to determine the diversity and abundance of dragonflies (Odonata) in the Mount Sigogor Nature Reserve Area. The method of collecting dragonflies data used the Visual Day Flying method by recording the diversity of dragonflies species and counting the number of individuals from each observed dragonflies species. The data obtained were analyzed using the Relative abundance, Shannon-Wiener Heterogeneity Index and the frequency of Presence. The results of the research conducted showed that there were 14 species from 7 families with a total of 464 individuals. The Shannor-Wiener diversity index shows that the diversity value is H'= 1.81. Meanwhile, the presence frequency analysis showed that there were four species with a value of 100% which were classified as abundant Frequency of Presence, namely Euphaea variegata, Vestalis luctuosa, Rhinocypha anisoptera and Coeliccia membranipes.
Based on the diversity of angiosperms which are widespread throughout the world and play an important role, identification is necessary, especially in flora reserves. This study aims to determine the ...type of angiosperms in the Kembang Nature Reserve, Jingotan Village, Kembang District, Jepara Regency. The method used in this research was the shipping method from Pal 2 to Pal 6 of the Kembang Nature Reserve cruise line using a purposive sampling technique. The results of the study found that 30 angiosperms, 9 species from the monocot class and 21 species from the dicot class. The monocot class includes 9 species: Vanilla planifolia, Ottochloa nodosa, Zingiber zerumbet, Arenga pinata, Salacca zalacca, Tacca palmata, Costus speciosus, Amorhophallus variabili, and Amorphophallus muelerri Blume. 21 species belonging to the class of dicots, namely Tectona grandis, Clerodendrum japonicum, Lantana camara, Leea indica, Sauropus androgynus, Elephantopus sp., Paederia foetida, Cyclea barbata, Anacardium occidentale, Dracontomelon dao, Mangifera indica, Teucapera cubeba, Cocephala, Clerodendrum infortunatum, Ficus septica, Artocarpus altilis, Cinnamomum iners, Dysoxylum densiflorum, Dysoxylum gaudichaudianum, and Dysoxylum densiflorum.
Microplastic (MP) pollution is an emerging global challenge and actually has become a reality in aquatic ecosystems in Albania. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report of 2019, Albania, is ...one of the most problematic countries, with the highest percentage of untreated plastic waste, 73 %, and one of the top four countries with the highest norm of untreated plastic waste in the Mediterranean. This study evaluates and characterizes for the first time the MPs in water, sediment, and gastrointestinal tracts of two crab species, C. aestuarii and C. sapidus, common inhabitants of the lagoonary complex of Kune-Vain Nature Reserve, known for their important role in the lagoon ecosystem. The results showed that all sampled crabs had MPs in their gut in an average of 11.0 ± 1.85 items g−1, while the total MPs content in water ranges from 370 to 750 MPs per L−1. No significant difference in the content of MPs between the two crab species was found and a positive Pearson correlation, between microplastic abundance in the water and in the crabs regardless of species, was confirmed. The composition of microplastics showed consistency in crabs, sediment, and water, with fibers and pellets as the dominant types followed by microbeads, and fragments. Characterized MPs varied in size from <0.1 mm to 0.1–0.5 mm, showing variable colors of black, blue, and red domination. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis of the chemical composition of microplastics distinguished presence of the high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which showed consistency in water, sediment, and crab samples. In conclusion, high levels of MPs pollution observed in the Kune-Vain complex represent a serious threat to the lagoon ecosystem and to the local inhabitants. Furthermore, studies on MPs' impact on biota and local population health are urgently required.
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•Microplastic pollution in Kune-Vain lagoonary complex (Albania) is confirmed.•High abundance of 370 to 750 MPs per L−1 in water and 11.0 ± 1.85 items g−1 in crab were recorded.•Fibers and pellets were the predominant type of MPs found, with sizes ranging from <0.1 mm to 0.1–0.5 mm.•First study on microplastics in a Nature Reserve, Important Bird Area, and Special Protected Area.•Polypropylene (PP), and Polyethylene (PE) were the polymers identified.
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•The LULC change features were the increase of forest and decrease of cultivated land.•Landscape ecological risk increased during 1986–2008 and declined during 2008–2015.•Human ...management intensities deeply affected landscape ecological risk in reserves.
It is necessary to improve the ecological environment and keep ecological balance of nature reserves that have particularly important function on precious and endangered wildlife species conservation. Human activities give rise to the remarkable changes in land use/land cover (LULC) and further have an effect on the landscape and eco-environment in nature reserves. This study evaluated the landscape ecological risk based on LULC changes in Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve according to different management zones from 1986 to 2015. Results showed that the significant change characteristics of LULC were the increase of forest and the decrease of cultivated land from 1986 to 2015. The major LULC changes took place in the experimental zone, and there was 85.61 km2 cultivated land transferred to the forest. Generally, the ecological risk level was low, and the area percentages of the lowest and lower risk regions to the total area were all higher than 97% from 1986 to 2015. Moreover, the values of ecological risk were discrepant in different time, the order of that being 1986 < 2015 < 1995 < 2008. Combining the components of different ecological risk levels in every management zone, the ecological risk from low to high was the core zone, buffer zone, and experimental zone. The ecological risk tended to be aggregated in space during 1986–2008, and it was enhanced slightly from 2008 to 2015. This study focuses on Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve to provide assessment for environmental protection and ecological management in hope that the method can be applied to other national nature reserves in China.
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