ALBERT

Description:    The soundscape is proposed as a phenomenological entity with which to investigate environmental complexity. In particular, the avian soundtope, which is defined as a place in which sound is intentionally structured by different bird species, is regarded as an agency acting to achieve several goals. In fact, the soundtope could be viewed as a special case of an eco-field used by birds, not only to establish territorial ownership and patrol an area but also as a means of locating and evaluating the availability of many other material and immaterial resources. The meaning of the multifaceted acoustic pattern produced by bird communities during the breeding season is discussed here under the acoustic niche hypothesis in terms of community coalescence and the permanent establishment of an inter-specific communication network. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal dimensions of a bird soundscape have also been analyzed and discussed in terms of their relationship with environmental proxies. A new Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), coupled with the implementation (ACI plug-in) of a specific sound editor (WaveSurfer©), is proposed as a way of processing sound data efficiently, thus providing new opportunities to use the bird soundscape signature for landscape characterization and describing the ecological dynamics of long-term monitoring schemes. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9617-z Authors Almo Farina, Department of Basic Sciences and Fundaments, Urbino University, Urbino, Italy Emanuele Lattanzi, Department of Basic Sciences and Fundaments, Urbino University, Urbino, Italy Rachele Malavasi, Department of Basic Sciences and Fundaments, Urbino University, Urbino, Italy Nadia Pieretti, Department of Basic Sciences and Fundaments, Urbino University, Urbino, Italy Luigi Piccioli, Department of Basic Sciences and Fundaments, Urbino University, Urbino, Italy Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973

Description:    Conservation strategies should be based on a solid understanding of processes underlying species response to landscape change. In forests fragmented by agriculture, elevated nest predation rates have been reported in many forest bird species, especially near edges. In intensively-managed forest landscapes, timber harvesting might also be associated with negative edge effects or broader “context” effects on some species when the matrix provides additional resources to their major nest predators. In this study, we hypothesized that proximity to a forest edge and proportion of cone-producing plantations will increase nest predation risk in fragments of relatively undisturbed forest. We focused on the Brown Creeper ( Certhia americana ), an indicator species of late-seral forests. We compared habitat configuration and composition at four spatial scales (0.14, 0.5, 1 and 2 km) around 54 nests and related daily nest survival rate to the distance to the nearest forest edge, mean patch size of late-seral forest ( r  = 141 m), proportion of non-forested lands ( r  = 141 m), density of maintained roads ( r  = 1 km), proportion of cone-producing spruce plantations ( r  = 2 km), and year. The best model included distance to the nearest edge and proportion of cone-producing plantations. Distance of nests to the nearest edge was the best individual predictor of daily nest survival. A larger sample of nests showed a significant threshold in distance to the nearest forest edge; nests located at least 100 m away were more likely to fledge young. These results suggest that even in managed forest landscapes, matrix effects can be important and some bird species may exhibit negative edge effects. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9615-1 Authors Jean-François Poulin, Chaire de recherche du Canada en conservation des paysages, Département de biologie, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB E1A 3E9, Canada Marc-André Villard, Chaire de recherche du Canada en conservation des paysages, Département de biologie, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB E1A 3E9, Canada Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973

Description:    Ecological theory predicts a positive influence of local-, landscape-, and regional-scale spatial environmental heterogeneity on local species richness. Therefore, knowing how heterogeneity measured at a variety of scales relates to local species richness has important implications for conservation of biological diversity. We took a statistical modeling approach to determine which metrics of heterogeneity measured at which scales were useful predictors of local species richness, and whether the heterogeneity-local richness relationship was always positive. Local plant species richness data came from 400-m 2 vegetation plots in North and South Carolina, USA. At each of four scales from within plots to across regions, we used either GIS or field data to calculate measures of heterogeneity from abiotic environmental variables, vegetation productivity data, and land cover classifications. Among all predictors at all scales, we found that no measure of heterogeneity was a better predictor of local richness than mean pH within plots. However, at scales larger than within plots, measures of heterogeneity were correlated most strongly with local richness, and each of the three classes of variables we used had a distinct scale at which it performed better than the others. These results highlight the fact that ecological processes occurring across multiple scales influence local species richness differently. In addition, relationships between heterogeneity and richness were usually, though not always, positive, underscoring the importance of processes that occur at a variety of scales to local biodiversity conservation and management. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9613-3 Authors Jennifer K. Costanza, Curriculum for the Environment and Ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3275, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3275, USA Aaron Moody, Curriculum for the Environment and Ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3275, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3275, USA Robert K. Peet, Curriculum for the Environment and Ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3275, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3275, USA Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973

Description:    The distribution and abundance of a species may be simultaneously influenced by both local-scale habitat features and the broader patch and landscape contexts in which these populations occur. Different factors may influence patch occupancy (presence–absence) versus local abundance (number of individuals within patches), and at different scales, and thus ideally both occupancy and abundance should be investigated, especially in studies that seek to understand the consequences of land management on species persistence. Our study evaluated the relative influences of variables associated with the local habitat patch, hillside (patch context), and landscape context on patch occupancy and abundance of the collared lizard ( Crotaphytus collaris ) within tallgrass prairie managed under different fire and grazing regimes in the northern Flint Hills of Kansas, USA. Using a multi-model information-theoretic approach that accounted for detection bias, we found that collared lizard abundance and occupancy was influenced by factors measured at both the local habitat and landscape scales. At a local scale, collared lizard abundance was greatest on large rock ledges that had lots of crevices, high vegetation complexity, and were located higher up on the hillslope. At the landscape scale, collared lizard abundance and occupancy were both higher in watersheds that were burned frequently (1–2 year intervals). Interestingly, grazing only had a significant effect on occupancy and abundance within less frequently burned (4-year burn interval) watersheds. Our results suggest that, in addition to the obvious habitat needs of this species (availability of suitable rock habitat), land-management practices have the potential to influence collared lizard presence and abundance in the grasslands of the Flint Hills. Thus, mapping the availability of suitable habitat is unlikely to be sufficient for evaluating species distributions and persistence in such cases without consideration of landscape management and disturbance history. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9612-4 Authors Emilie Blevins, Laboratory for Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA Kimberly A. With, Laboratory for Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973

Description:    Landscape ecology focuses on the spatial patterns and processes of ecological and human interactions. These patterns and processes are being altered by both changing resource-management practices of humans and changing climate conditions associated, in part, with increases in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. Dominant resource-extraction and land-management activities involve energy, and the use of fossil energy is one of the key drivers behind increasing greenhouse gas emissions as well as land-use changes. Alternative energy sources (such as wind, solar, nuclear, and bioenergy) are being explored to reduce greenhouse gas emission rates. Yet, energy production, including alternative-energy options, can have a wide range of effects on land productivity, surface cover, albedo, and other factors that affect carbon, water, and energy fluxes and, in turn, climate. Meanwhile, climate influences the potential output, relative efficiencies, and sustainability of alternative energy sources. Thus, land use, climate change, and energy choices are linked, and any comprehensive analysis in landscape ecology that considers one of these factors should be cognizant of these interactions. This analysis explores the implications of linkages between land use, climate hange, and energy and points out ecological patterns and processes that may be affected by their interactions. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-19 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9606-2 Authors Virginia H. Dale, Center for Bioenergy Sustainability, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Bethel Valley Road, Building 1505, Room 200, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6036, USA Rebecca A. Efroymson, Center for Bioenergy Sustainability, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Bethel Valley Road, Building 1505, Room 200, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6036, USA Keith L. Kline, Center for Bioenergy Sustainability, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Bethel Valley Road, Building 2040, Room E233, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6301, USA Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973

Description:    Kibale National Park, within the Albertine Rift, is known for its rich biodiversity. High human population density and agricultural conversion in the surrounding landscape have created enormous resource pressure on forest fragments outside the park. Kibale presents a complex protected forest landscape comprising intact forest inside the park, logged areas inside the park, a game corridor with degraded forest, and forest fragments in the landscape surrounding the park. To explore the effect of these different levels of forest management and protection over time, we assessed forest change over the previous three decades, using both discrete and continuous data analyses of satellite imagery. Park boundaries have remained fairly intact and forest cover has been maintained or increased inside the park, while there has been a high level of deforestation in the landscape surrounding the park. While absolute changes in land cover are important changes in vegetation productivity, within land cover classes are often more telling of longer term changes and future directions of change. The park has lower Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values than the forest fragments outside the park and the formerly logged area—probably due to forest regeneration and early succession stage. The corridor region has lower productivity, which is surprising given this is also a newer regrowth region and so should be similar to the logged and forest fragments. Overall, concern can be raised for the future trajectory of this park. Although forest cover has been maintained, forest health may be an issue, which for future management, climate change, biodiversity, and increased human pressure may signify troubling signs. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9616-0 Authors Joel Hartter, Department of Geography, University of New Hampshire, 102 Huddleston Hall, 73 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824, USA Sadie J. Ryan, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, Illick Hall, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Jane Southworth, Department of Geography, Land Use and Environmental Change Institute (LUECI), PO Box 117315, 3141 Turlington Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA Colin A. Chapman, McGill School of Environment, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T7, Canada Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973

Description:    While studies have found that bat abundance is positively related to the amount of forest cover in a landscape, the effects of forest fragmentation (breaking apart of forest, independent of amount) are less certain, with some indirect evidence for positive effects of fragmentation. However, in most of these studies, the variables used to quantify fragmentation are confounded with forest amount, making it difficult to interpret the results. The purpose of this study was to examine how forest amount and forest fragmentation independently affect bat abundance. We conducted acoustic bat surveys at the centers of 22 landscapes throughout eastern Ontario, Canada, where landscapes were chosen to avoid a correlation between forest amount and forest fragmentation (number of patches) at multiple spatial scales, while simultaneously controlling for other variables that could affect bat activity. We found that the effects of forest amount on bat relative abundance were mixed across species (positive for Lasiurus borealis , negative for Perimyotis subflavus and Lasionycteris noctivagans ). When there was evidence for an effect of forest fragmentation, independent of forest amount, on bat relative abundance, the effect was positive ( Myotis septentrionalis , Myotis lucifugus and Lasiurus borealis ). We suggest that the mechanism driving the positive responses to fragmentation is higher landscape complementation in more fragmented landscapes; that is, increased access to both foraging and roosting sites for these bat species. We conclude that fragmented landscapes that maximize complementation between roosting and foraging sites should support a higher diversity and abundance of bats. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9614-2 Authors Kevin Ethier, Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory (GLEL), Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada Lenore Fahrig, Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory (GLEL), Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973

Description: Janet Franklin (with a contribution by Jennifer A. Miller): Mapping species distributions: Spatial inference and prediction Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-3 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9603-5 Authors Steven K. Friedman, U.S. National Park Service, Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks, Homestead, FL 33030, USA Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973

Description:    In the temperate forests of the southern Andes, southern beech species ( Nothofagus ), the dominant tree species of the region, experience severe defoliation caused by caterpillars of the Ormiscodes genus (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). Despite the recent increase in defoliation frequency in some areas, there is no quantitative information on the spatial extent and dynamics of these outbreaks. This study examines the spatial patterns of O. amphimone outbreaks in relation to landscape heterogeneity. We mapped defoliation events caused by O. amphimone in northern (ca. 40–41°S) and southern Patagonian (ca. 49°S) Nothofagus forests from Landsat imagery and analyzed their spatial associations with vegetation cover type, topography (elevation, slope angle, aspect) and mean annual precipitation using overlay analyses. We used these data and relationships to develop a logistic regression model in order to generate maps of predicted susceptibility to defoliation by O. amphimone for each study area. Forests of N. pumilio are typically more susceptible to O. amphimone outbreaks than lower elevation forests of other Nothofagus species ( N. dombeyi and N. antarctica ). Stands located at intermediate elevations and on gentle slopes (〈15°) are also more susceptible to defoliation than higher and lower elevation stands located on high angle slopes. Stands in areas with intermediate to high precipitation, relative to the distribution of Nothofagus along the precipitation gradient, are more susceptible to O. amphimone attack than are drier areas. Our study represents the first mapping and spatial analysis of insect defoliator outbreaks in Nothofagus forests in South America. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-13 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9608-0 Authors Juan Paritsis, Biogeography Laboratory, Department of Geography, UCB 260, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0260, USA Thomas T. Veblen, Biogeography Laboratory, Department of Geography, UCB 260, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0260, USA Jeremy M. Smith, Biogeography Laboratory, Department of Geography, UCB 260, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0260, USA Andrés Holz, Biogeography Laboratory, Department of Geography, UCB 260, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0260, USA Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973

Description: Understanding the distribution of life on Earth in an age of phylogenetic systematics Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-2 DOI 10.1007/s10980-011-9598-y Authors Matt Fitzpatrick, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Appalachian Lab, Frostburg, MD 21532, USA Journal Landscape Ecology Online ISSN 1572-9761 Print ISSN 0921-2973