Vegetation increases abundances of ground and canopy arthropods in Mediterranean vineyards

Ecological responses to hydrological connectivity in grassland riparian zones: Insights from vegetation and ground-dwelling arthropods

Riparian wetlands have suffered from degradation due to global climate change and human activities, which can alter flora and fauna community patterns and disrupt material cycles in the riparian zones. Hydrological connectivity identified by functional and structural connectivity is an important driving force of riparian ecosystems. However, the role of hydrological connectivity in linking riparian hydrology and ecology remains unclear, especially in dryland rivers. By taking the riparian zone of the Xilin River in Eurasian steppe as an example, the functional connectivity was represented by the groundwater depth in the riparian zones. The structural connectivity was quantified by integrating the soil, and vegetation properties of the riparian zone. The structural connectivity decreased from upstream to downstream. Laterally, the highest structural connectivity was found in the riparian zone 25 m away from the river channel. The abundance of three groups of ground-dwelling arthropods (except Araneae) showed a threshold behavior in response to the functional connectivity, with the highest abundance occurring in the medium level of functional connectivity. Both vegetation biomass and ground-dwelling arthropod abundance were significantly and positively correlated to the structural connectivity strength. The results of structural equation models (SEMs) also indicated that structural connectivity was a key factor affecting vegetation and ground-dwelling arthropod abundance. The results underscore the essential function of hydrological connectivity in maintaining the biodiversity in the riparian zones. The study provides a scientific reference of riparian-zone restoration based on hydrological connectivity.

Exploring Winegrowers' Behaviours and Ecological Impacts Under Climate Change and Policy Scenarios-Examples from Three European Winegrowing Regions

Viticulture is an example of a socio-ecological system that poses serious challenges for sustainable soil management and pesticide use, with various interactions between winegrowers' decision-making and ecological consequences. This study introduces an agent-based model (ABM) on winegrowers' decision on inter-row management and pesticide use. The ABM builds upon an empirical study of winegrowers' decision-making in European viticultural landscapes and has been built for three case study regions: Leithaberg (Austria), Palatinate (Germany) and Târnave (Romania). The ABM allows for analysing potential effects of policy instruments including mandatory vegetation cover in the inter-rows, the reduction of fungicide use and ban of insecticides against Lobesia botrana. The effects of policies differ between the case study regions, indicating how important the local context is for effective policies. For example, policies aiming at higher inter-row vegetation cover had the strongest effects on vegetation cover, landscape aesthetics and soil loss in Târnave since many vineyards are currently intensively tilled and there exist no policies supporting inter-row vegetation cover in Romania.

Cool shade and not-so-cool shade: How habitat loss may accelerate thermal stress under current and future climate

Worldwide habitat loss, land-use changes, and climate change threaten biodiversity, and we urgently need models that predict the combined impacts of these threats on organisms. Current models, however, overlook microhabitat diversity within landscapes and so do not accurately inform conservation efforts, particularly for ectotherms. Here, we built and field-parameterized a model to examine the effects of habitat loss and climate change on activity and microhabitat selection by a diurnal desert lizard. Our model predicted that lizards in rock-free areas would reduce summer activity levels (e.g. foraging, basking) and that future warming will gradually decrease summer activity in rocky areas, as even large rocks become thermally stressful. Warmer winters will enable more activity but will require bushes and small rocks as shade retreats. Hence, microhabitats that may seem unimportant today will become important under climate change. Modelling frameworks should consider the microhabitat requirements of organisms to improve conservation outcomes.