In recent years, the "forest-specialist" pine marten Martes martes has been reported to also occur also in largely fragmented, lowland landscapes of north-western Italy. The colonization of such an ...apparently unsuitable area provided the opportunity for investigating pine marten ecological requirements and predicting its potential south- and eastwards expansion. We collected available pine marten occurrence data in the flood plain of the River Po (N Italy) and relate them to 11 environmental variables by developing nine Species Distribution Models. To account for inter-model variability we used average ensemble predictions (EP). EP predicted a total of 482 suitable patches (8.31% of the total study area) for the pine marten. The main factors driving pine marten occurrence in the western River Po plain were the distance from watercourses and the distance from woods. EP suggested that the pine marten may further expand in the western lowland, whilst the negligible residual wood cover of large areas in the central and eastern plain makes the habitat unsuitable for the pine marten, except for some riparian corridors and the pine wood patches bordering the Adriatic coast. Based on our results, conservation strategies should seek to preserve remnant forest patches and enhance the functional connectivity provided by riparian corridors.
The introduction of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) can modify plant-soil feedback, resulting in an alteration of the abiotic and biotic characteristics of ecosystems. Prunus serotina, Quercus ...rubra and Robinia pseudoacacia are IAPS of European temperate forests, where they can become dominant and suppress the native biodiversity. Assuming that the establishment of these invasive species may alter native forest ecosystems, this study comparatively assessed their impact on ecosystems. This study further investigated plant communities in 12 forest stands, dominated by the three IAPS and native trees, Quercus robur and Carpinus betulus (three plots per forest type), in Northern Italy, and collected soil samples. The relationships between the invasion of the three IAPS and modifications of humus forms, soil chemical properties, soil biological quality, bacterial activity and plant community structure and diversity (α-, β-, and γ-diversity) were assessed using one-way ANOVA and redundancy analyses (RDA). Our comparative study demonstrated that invaded forests often had unique plant and/or soil properties, relative to native forests, and the degree of dissimilarity depended on the invasive species. Particularly, Q. rubra is related to major negative impacts on soil organic horizons and low/modified levels of microarthropod and plant biodiversity. R. pseudoacacia is associated with an altered base content of soil and, in turn, with positive feedback to the soil biological quality (QBS-ar) and plant diversity, but with a high cover compared with other alien plant species. P. serotina is associated with intermediate impacts and exhibits a plant species assemblage that is more similar to those of native forest stands. Our work suggests impact-based management decisions for the three investigated IAPS, since their effects on the diversity and composition of resident ecosystems are very different.
Rice fields represent a valuable surrogate habitat for many wetland species, playing an important role for biodiversity conservation in human-managed landscapes. Despite the fact that several ...taxonomic groups have been thoroughly investigated in this agroecosystem, little is known about the orthopteran fauna which lives in and around rice paddies, especially in Europe. In this paper, we provide a first description of the orthopteran assemblages hosted in the rice agroecosystems of northern Italy, trying to evaluate their conservation value through an analysis of species ecological traits (habitat specificity and dispersal capacity). During field samplings in summer 2016, we detected 25 orthopteran species. The 24% of the community was composed by habitat specialist species and the 56% of the sampled
was characterised by high dispersal capacities. Rice fields are an extremely dynamic ecosystem, characterised by the continuous succession of flooding and drying periods and conditioned by many other farming activities. Consequently, the orthopteran fauna in rice crops is mainly composed of species well adapted to sudden environmental changes. On the other hand, rice fields represent a particular biotope, providing a suitable habitat especially for hygrophilous species, which are otherwise restricted to scattered marsh areas. In order to preserve orthopteran diversity in rice agroecosystems, sustainable farming practices should be applied, especially by preserving and restoring marginal semi-natural habitats, by reducing grass management intensity on paddy banks and by discouraging rice cultivation in dry soils.
Extrinsic and intrinsic factors may influence the activity budget of wild animals, resulting in a variation in the time spent in different activities among populations or individuals of the same ...species. In this study, we examined how extrinsic and intrinsic factors affect the behaviour of the alpine marmot (
Marmota marmota
), a hibernating social rodent inhabiting high-elevation prairies in the European Alps. We collected behavioural observations during scan sampling sessions on marked individuals at two study sites with different environmental characteristics. We used Bayesian hierarchical multinomial regression models to analyse the influence of both intrinsic (sex and age-dominance status) and extrinsic (environmental and climatic variables) factors on the above-ground activity budget. Marmots spent most of their time above ground foraging, and were more likely to forage when it was cloudy. Extrinsic factors such as the site, period of the season (June, July–August, and August–September), and time of the day were all related to the probability of engaging in vigilance behaviour, which reaches its peak in early morning and late afternoon and during July, the second period included in the study. Social behaviours, such as affiliative and agonistic behaviours, were associated mostly with sex and age-dominance status, and yearlings were the more affiliative individuals compared to other status. Overall, our results suggest that in alpine marmots, intrinsic factors mostly regulate agonistic and affiliative behaviours, while extrinsic factors, with the unexpected exception of temperature, affect the probabilities of engaging in all types of behavioural categories.
Intensive orchards are artificial habitats managed according to production criteria, but they may mimic open woodlands and harbour wild species. We investigated the effect of orchard features on the ...true abundance (estimated with occupancy models) of some bird species widespread in orchards. Our study was carried out in Val di Non (Trento province, Italy) where apple cultivation is the most widespread and intensive. We counted blackcaps
Sylvia atricapilla
, chaffinches
Fringilla coelebs
, and greenfinches
Carduelis chloris
three times at 44 transects 300-m long. At each transect, we estimated the number of territories/pairs and recorded variables describing the cover of the habitats and management factors. Blackcap abundance was positively affected by the cover of shrubland and broadleaved woodland and by a low cover of coniferous forests. Chaffinch abundance was driven by a negative impact of anti-hail nets and secondarily by bare ground and urbanized areas, with chaffinches more abundant in areas with grassland ground cover and 5–10 % cover of urban habitats. Greenfinch abundance increased with wetland cover, cover of other natural/semi-natural habitats and tree height and decreased with grassland cover. Both the availability of natural and semi-natural vegetation and the orchard traits determined by management can significantly affect the abundance of common species. The conservation of the remaining patches of woodland, shrubland, wetland (and other natural/semi-natural habitats) is essential for bird conservation. The already reported negative impact of anti-hail nets and the importance of the height of apple trees are confirmed; irrigation systems and bare ground may also be important factors.
Ambrosiaartemisiifolia
(common ragweed) is an invasive species native to North America and was accidentally introduced to Europe in the 19
th
century. Widespread in disturbed habitats, it is a major ...weed in spring-sown crops and it causes serious allergic rhinitis and asthma due to its allergenic pollen. The aim of this research was to analyse the effects of both competitive vegetation and herbivory by
Ophraellacommuna
to control
A.artemisiifolia
in an agricultural area of north-western Italy. Hayseed mixtures, both over-seeded over the resident plant community or after ploughing, when seeded before the winter season, were able to suppress the establishment of
A.artemisiifolia
as well as to reduce its growth in terms of plant height and inflorescence size. Defoliation of
A.artemisiifolia
by
O.communa
at the end of the growing season was conspicuous but most of the plants still produced flowers and seeds. However, significant
O.communa
attack was recorded for reproductive structures. As for non-target species,
O.communa
was mainly recorded on Asteraceae, with low density and low degree of damage. Reduction of inflorescence size due to competitive vegetation and damage to male flowers by
O.communa
may diminish the amount of available pollen. The results of this study may be useful for the implementation of management measures to control
A.artemisiifolia
in agricultural areas using mixtures of native species.
•Rice crops have recently lost their original value as surrogate wetland habitat.•Ditches may be insufficient to improve paddy suitability for breeding Odonata.•Odonata benefit from a well-developed ...vegetation, especially on paddy banks.•Semi-natural wetlands are essential to achieve Odonata conservation in rice crops.•Low frequency and rotational mowing should be implemented on paddy and canal banks.
Paddy systems have recently lost their original value as surrogate habitat for several wetland species due to rice farming intensification. Changes in water regimes largely compromised the survival of many aquatic organisms formerly abundant in rice fields, such as Odonata, inducing the introduction of new agricultural practices supposed to mitigate the negative impacts of intensive rice cultivation on biodiversity. For instance, the construction of a water retention structure (ditch) within paddies has been incentivized in Italy, in order to reduce the detrimental effects of drying periods on aquatic organisms. In this research, we investigate the effects of ditch occurrence and dimensions on Odonata diversity in rice fields, and furthermore we evaluate the response of these insects to vegetation height on paddy and canal banks, as an approximation of grass management intensity. Field surveys revealed that ditch occurrence may not be sufficient to improve the suitability of rice fields as breeding habitat for Odonata, especially for sensitive species. Paddies with ditches of larger dimensions supported more abundant adult populations than other field types, but no clear differences have been observed concerning larval stages. Conversely, the occurrence of a well-developed bank vegetation produced clear benefits for these insects in rice fields, while a not significant effect have been observed along irrigation canals. In order to achieve Odonata conservation in rice agroecosystems, together with the excavation of large ditches within paddies, the creation of a network of semi-natural wetlands should be encouraged, as well as the implementation of extensive grass management strategies on rice field and canal banks.
Background Inland wetlands are crucial for biodiversity conservation, especially in highly-urbanized landscapes. In the European Union, many wetlands are included in the EU 'Natura 2000' network, the ...main tool for biodiversity conservation over the continent, which requires the development of site-specific management plans. Clear and feasible recommendations are necessary to provide site managers with effective tools for the maintenance of biodiversity in these unstable environments. Birds are excellent umbrella species, therefore a management targeted at increasing habitat suitability for focal bird species would likely benefit broader wetland biological communities. Methods During spring-summer 2017, we collected presence/absence data for 10 bird species of conservation interest at a site scale for 21 Natura 2000 sites. We also carried out a point count survey to detect presence/absence of four reedbed-dwelling species at 75 points. At the site level, we estimated landscape characteristics from regional GIS-layers, whereas fine-scaled habitat composition was recorded on the field within a 100 m-buffer around the 75 points. We analysed the effect of the extent of different habitats on species' occurrence probability by means of multi-species binomial multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) at both scales. We also run species-specific MARS models to compare their performance with those of multi-species models. Results At the site scale, the extent of the reedbeds/mires was positively associated with the occurrence of all species of conservation concern. At the point-count scale, reedbed extent positively predicted species' occurrence, but only in presence of patches of clear shallow water. Species-specific MARS models showed qualitatively similar results for some species, but generally were outperformed by multi-species ones. Conclusions Multi-species MARS models confirmed to be an efficient tool in disclosing species-habitat relationships even for set of species including scarce taxa and when only short-term monitoring data are available. In terms of conservation measures, our findings stress the importance of Phragmites australis reedbed as a key habitat for avian biodiversity, but only when it is flooded and interspersed with scattered patches of open water. The preservation of wide (> 100/150 ha) and flooded reedbeds structured in spots of no less than 2 ha emerges as the main conservation measure for the long-term conservation of the threatened avifauna of inland pre-Alpine wetlands. Keywords: Multivariate adaptive regression spline, Natura 2000, Pre-Alpine belt, Species-habitat relationship, Umbrella species, Urbanized landscape
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