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ContextThe role of landscape diversity and structure is crucial for maintaining biodiversity. Both landscape diversity and structure have often been analysed on one thematic layer, focusing on Shannon diversity. The application of compositional diversity, however, has received little attention yet.ObjectivesOur main goal was to introduce a novel framework to assess both landscape compositional diversity and structure in one coherent framework. Moreover, we intended to demonstrate the significance of the use of a neutral model for landscape assessments.MethodsBoth entire Hungary and nine of its regions were used as study areas. Juhász-Nagy’s information theory-based functions, i.e. “compositional diversity” and “associatum”, were introduced and applied in landscape context. Potential and actual landscape characteristics were compared by analysing a probabilistic representation of potential natural vegetation (multiple PNV, MPNV) and actual vegetation (AV), treating MPNV as a neutral model.ResultsA significant difference was found between the MPNV- and AV-based, maximal compositional diversity estimates. MPNV-based maximal compositional diversity was higher and the maximum appeared at a finer spatial scale. The differences were more prominent in human-modified regions. Associatum implied the spatial aggregation of both MPNV and AV. Fragmentation of AV was indicated by larger units carrying maximal compositional diversity and maximal associatum values.ConclusionsApplying the multiscale Juhász-Nagy’s functions to landscape composition allowed more precise characterization of the landscape state than traditional Shannon diversity. Our results underline, that increasingly transformed landscapes host decreasing complexity of vegetation type combinations and increasing grain that carries the richest information on landscape vegetation patterns.

The large-scale studies of the Lower Don and the Taganrog Bay coastal zone were carried out to determine the background concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils. The content of 15 priority PAHs was determined by saponification method with HPLC detection and varied widely from 77 µg kg−1 to 16,017 µg kg−1 with mean and median values of 1040 µg kg−1 and 406 µg kg−1, respectively. PAHs’ highest concentration level was observed in the soils of the Don River delta and industrial areas of Taganrog city affected by pyrogenic contamination sources. Background monitoring sites were mostly represented with hydromorphic (Fluvisols Salic and Tidalic Fluvisols) and automorphic (Rendzic Leptosols, Mollic Leptosols) soil types in the study area. The PAHs content in the soils of the background plots did not exceed 600 µg kg−1, with a share of low-molecular-weight PAHs: about 50%. Benzo(a)pyrene content did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration (20 µg kg−1), and low-molecular-weight compounds did not exceed the threshold level for the impact of polyarenes. In automorphic soils, naphthalene and phenanthrene (35–54%) dominated in the composition of the low-molecular-weight PAHs compounds, and only phenanthrene (59–70%) dominated in hydromorphic soils.

Roads have direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity, although the impacts on insects are not yet fully understood. In a plantation forestry-dominated landscape in South Africa, where natural grasslands make up ecological networks of conservation corridors among plantation compartments, we investigated the impact of maintained unpaved roads and unmanaged tracks on dung beetles. We show that these two types of roads have little impact on dung beetle species richness and assemblage structure, indicating that road verges are attractive habitats for dung beetles. Yet, nocturnal dung beetle abundance increased with distance away from roads, suggesting that areas farther away from roads are important to maintain their population sizes. Vegetation characteristics, especially total cover by grasses and overall vegetation height, were important drivers of dung beetles, yet substrate characteristics were unimportant. With vegetation characteristics being related to road maintenance, roads in the landscape have an indirect impact on dung beetle species richness, abundance, and assemblage composition, rather than a direct impact. Road construction in production landscapes is unavoidable, and their edges are attractive to dung beetles. This means that road users should avoid unnecessary road killings by strictly keeping to the road tracks. Habitat heterogeneity across the overall landscape should be encouraged to minimize current and future impacts of roads on dung beetles. The expansion of road networks, or the maintenance of existing road networks, should be done cautiously so as to promote habitat heterogeneity which is important for maintaining regional dung beetle diversity patterns.

Human activity is affecting and transforming the natural environment, changing the ecosystem mosaic and natural biogeochemical processes in urban-industrial landscapes. Among the anthropogenic ecosystems, there are many present features of Novel Ecosystems (NE), e.g., the de novo created habitats on post-mineral excavation sites. The biological nature of the functional mechanisms of Novel Ecosystems is mostly unknown. In natural and semi-natural ecosystems, biodiversity is considered as the primary element influencing ecosystem processes and functioning. The preliminary studies conducted on post-mineral excavation sites have shown that, in poor oligotrophic habitats, the species composition of the assembled vascular plants is non-analogous, distinctive, and not found in natural and semi-natural habitats. This paper aims to present the gaps between scientific identification of the biological mechanisms driving ecosystem processes and functioning (including the expanding areas of Novel Ecosystems created de novo). Among the identified gaps, the following issues should be listed. The detailed identification and understanding of the processes and biodiversity-dependent functioning of Novel Ecosystems is crucial for proper environmental management, particularly when facing the challenges of ecological constraints and of global change. The ecology of Novel Ecosystems is a social and economic issue because of the relationships with densely populated urban-industrial areas.

1. Landscape-scale ecological networks (ENs) are composed of linear corridors and are widely used to mitigate the adverse effects of intensive land use. One drawback with ENs used for conservation is that being small or linear they result in more edge relative to interior than would be the case naturally. Furthermore, there is little evidence to date that ENs do conserve indigenous biodiversity. 2. Here, we use five arthropod taxa at many sites over two geographical areas within South Africa with different elevations and grassland types to test the conservation value of remnant grassland ENs in a plantation forestry context. In particular, the relative value of arthropod biodiversity in exotic plantation blocks, their edges and the interiors of ENs among the plantations were compared with those in neighbouring protected areas (PAs). We use the effects that the plantation blocks have on the adjacent PAs as a reference for comparing the ENs among the plantations. Arthropods were selected to represent biodiversity, as they are small, diverse, habitat sensitive, resource dependent, ecologically important and can be sampled in large numbers. 3. In total, 10 422 individuals from 244 species were sampled. Importantly, there were no significant differences in species richness, abundance or assemblage composition between EN interior zones and PA interior zones in both geographical areas. 4. Using earlier established edge zones of 32 m, we found that plantation blocks had the lowest species richness and abundance compared with either grassland edge zones (< 32 m from the edge) or grassland interior zones (≥ 32 m from the edge). 5. Synthesis and applications. Ecological networks are established to conserve biodiversity in areas of intensive land use. Provided that ecological networks are wide enough (i.e. > 64 m) to overcome edge effects, they can support similar levels and quality of arthropod biodiversity as protected areas. Remnant grassland ecological networks in agroforestry can provide natural finger-like extensions from neighbouring protected areas and therefore have conservation value.

Apex predators ideally require vast intact spaces that support sufficient prey abundances to sustain them. In a developing world, however, it is becoming extremely difficult to maintain large enough areas to facilitate apex predators outside of protected regions. Free-roaming leopards ( Panthera pardus ) are the last remaining apex predator in the Greater Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, and face a multitude of threats attributable to competition for space and resources with humans. Using camera-trap data, we investigated the influence of anthropogenic land modification on leopards and the availability of their natural prey species in two contrasting communities—primarily protected (Cederberg) and agriculturally transformed (Piketberg). Potential prey species composition and diversity were determined, to indicate prey availability in each region. Factors influencing spatial utilisation by leopards and their main prey species were also assessed. Estimated potential prey species richness (Cederberg = 27, Piketberg = 26) and diversity indices (Cederberg— H′ = 2.64, Ds = 0.90; Piketberg— H′ = 2.46, Ds = 0.89), supported by both the Jaccard’s Index ( J = 0.73) and Sørensen’s Coefficient ( CC = 0.85), suggested high levels of similarity across the two regions. Main leopard prey species were present in both regions, but their relative abundances differed. Grey rhebok, klipspringer, and rock hyrax were more abundant in the Cederberg, while Cape grysbok, Cape porcupine, chacma baboon, and common duiker were more abundant in Piketberg. Leopards persisted across the agriculturally transformed landscape despite these differences. Occupancy modelling revealed that the spatial dynamics of leopards differed between the two regions, except for both populations preferring areas further away from human habitation. Overall, anthropogenic factors played a greater role in affecting spatial utilisation by leopards and their main prey species in the transformed region, whereas environmental factors had a stronger influence in the protected region. We argue that greater utilisation of alternative main prey species to those preferred in the protected region, including livestock, likely facilitates the persistence of leopards in the transformed region, and believe that this has further implications for human-wildlife conflict. Our study provides a baseline understanding of the potential direct and indirect impacts of agricultural landscape transformation on the behaviour of leopards and shows that heavily modified lands have the potential to facilitate mammalian diversity, including apex predators. We iterate that conservation measures for apex predators should be prioritised where they are present on working lands, and encourage the collaborative development of customised, cost-effective, multi-species conflict management approaches that facilitate coexistence.

We evaluated the taxonomic and functional diversity of birds in a rural landscape in the north-eastern Andes of Colombia. We carried out seven field trips and used transects of 300 m, separated from each other by 500 m in the dominant plant cover of the rural landscape. We measured alpha (α) and beta (β) diversity at both the taxonomic and functional levels. We registered 10 orders, 21 families, 56 genera and 63 species of birds. In wooded pasture, we recorded 55 species and a relative abundance of 66% and 44 and 34% for an Andean forest fragment. The species that contributed the most to the dissimilarity between the covers were Zonotrichia capensis , Turdus fuscater , Mecocerculus leucophrys , Atlapetes latinuchus and Crotophaga ani . We identified nine functional types, where G1 was made up of small species with anissodactyl and pamprodactyl legs that were insectivorous, frugivorous and nectarivorous as the best represented. The FEve and FDiv were 0.51 and 0.74, respectively in the Andean forest fragment plant cover and, for the wooded pasture, the FEve was 0.45 and the FDiv was 0.81. Both cover types contributed to the diversity of the rural landscape and the dynamics that existed between them formed a complementary factor that favoured the taxonomic and functional richness of the characterised rural landscape.

The article lists the bird species of solid waste landfills for the period 2019–2022 in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. A total of 73 species in 56 genera, 27 families and 11 orders were registered at the seven largest landfills in the region. We performed faunal and ecological analyses to determine the structure of the landfills’ avifauna by status, relative abundance, distribution by landfill zones, and protection status. We found solid waste landfills to play an important role for birds of various ecological groups, as 53% of species use the territory as a nesting place or permanent habitat. In addition, a significant proportion of registered birds are protected by various regulatory and legal acts of Ukraine and the world, pointing out the importance of landfills for endangered birds. We calculated the Menhinick and Shannon indices to estimate the species richness and abundance, which did not show high species diversity. Therefore, we also calculated the Pielow index to quantify the evenness of the grouping structure. In addition, the Berger-Parker index showed the importance of the dominant species, which negates the uniformity and thus, the stability of the groups. The general characteristics of the formation of the avifauna were revealed by the qualitative and quantitative (Jaccard and Sørenson indices) comparisons of bird habitats in the Kharkiv region and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. As a result, we drew conclusions about the similar factors of the formation and grouping structure of the specific avifauna, as well as the environmental conditions creating the differences.

This chapter contains sections titled: Abstract Enclosures in a Caribbean Context Transformed Landscapes and Rock Art Iconographic Comparison Discussion Concluding Remarks References