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In the context of global warming, the strength and frequency of drought events are projected to grow in the future, and the onset of drought can have dramatic effects on vegetation growth in terrestrial ecosystems. Central Asia is the largest non-territorial drought area in the world, and the response of vegetation to drought events is extremely sensitive in the area. However, few studies have quantified and compared the vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP) response to the lagged and cumulative effects of drought. In this research, the solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence GPP and Standardized Precipitation Evaporation Index (SPEI) were used to analyze the time and space patterns of vegetation GPP and the SPEI in Central Asia and to quantify and compare the lagged and cumulative effects of drought on the GPP of various vegetation types. During the period from 2000 to 2018, the general trends of vegetation GPP showed a slight increase in Central Asia, with the ratio of variation being 1.35 g C m−2 y−1 and a spatially decreasing distribution from north to south. SPEI showed a trend of decreasing and then increasing over a period of 19 years, with a slight decreasing (drying) trend and a rate of change of −0.02 y−1, and the overall spatial pattern was drying out from north to south. In 13 months, 72.44% of regional droughts had lagged impacts on vegetation. The maximum correlation coefficients of vegetation and the lagged effectiveness of drought were concentrated in the range of 0.15–0.35, and the high correlation was distributed in southern and northwestern Kazakhstan, which are prairie regions. Of the regions in Central Asia, 75.86% showed cumulative drought effects concentrated at 9–12 months. The maximum correlation coefficients were concentrated in the range of 0.20–0.50, and the high correlation regions were primarily situated in south Kazakhstan and east Uzbekistan. Comparing the correlation coefficients of the lagged effect of vegetation GPP and SPEI with the cumulative effect shows that the cumulative rather than lagged impacts of drought on vegetation cover were found in 86.75% of the regions in Central Asia. This research enhances our comprehension of the influence of drought events on ecosystems in arid regions and has a certain reference value for helping arid region ecosystems to cope with global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ecoscience (Ecoscience) is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Plains rough fescue (Festuca hallii), once a dominant grassland in the Northern Great Plains, has been reduced to a fraction of its original extent by agricultural intensification and energy sector disturbances and has become a threatened community type. Despite thousands of kilometers of pipelines in grasslands, little is documented about long‐term restoration outcomes. This research assessed recovery of rough fescue grassland 6–21 years after pipeline construction with topsoil stripping and natural regeneration relative to undisturbed reference sites in south‐central Canada. Soil properties varied between pipelines and undisturbed prairie, although most were within theoretical values to support plant growth and development. Vegetation cover, species richness and Shannon diversity and evenness did not differ significantly between pipelines and undisturbed prairie. Multivariate analysis (multi‐response permutation procedure) showed plant community composition, and its dominant species differed significantly between pipelines and undisturbed prairie. Bray–Curtis dissimilarity indices showed dominant species and functional species groups on pipelines were more similar to undisturbed prairie than the undesirable species group. Presence of early‐ to late‐successional species and increasing F. hallii with pipeline age indicate restoration was possible with topsoil salvage and replacement, using natural regeneration as a revegetation method, but requires time to develop and restore a typical rough fescue grassland ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wetlands represent one of the world's most biodiverse and threatened ecosystem types and were diminished globally by about two‐thirds in the 20th century. There is continuing decline in wetland quantity and function due to infilling and other human activities. In addition, with climate change, warmer temperatures and changes in precipitation and evapotranspiration are reducing wetland surface and groundwater supplies, further altering wetland hydrology and vegetation. There is a need to automate inventory and monitoring of wetlands, and as a study system, we investigated the Shepard Slough wetlands complex, which includes numerous wetlands in urban, suburban, and agricultural zones in the prairie pothole region of southern Alberta, Canada. Here, wetlands are generally confined to depressions in the undulating terrain, challenging wetlands inventory and monitoring. This study applied threshold and frequency analysis routines for high‐resolution, single‐polarization (HH) RADARSAT‐2, synthetic aperture radar mapping. This enabled a growing season surface water extent hyroperiod‐based wetland classification, which can support water and wetland resource monitoring. This 3‐year study demonstrated synthetic aperture radar‐derived multitemporal open‐water masks provided an effective index of wetland permanence class, with overall accuracies of 89% to 95% compared with optical validation data, and RMSE between 0.2 and 0.7 m between model and field validation data. This allowed for characterizing the distribution and dynamics of 4 marsh wetlands hydroperiod classes, temporary, seasonal, semipermanent, and permanent, and mapping of the sequential vegetation bands that included emergent, obligate wetland, facultative wetland, and upland plant communities. Hydroperiod variation and surface water extent were found to be influenced by short‐term rainfall events in both wet and dry years. Seasonal hydroperiods in wetlands were particularly variable if there was a decrease in the temporary or semipermanent hydroperiod classes. In years with extreme rain events, the temporary wetlands especially increased relative to longer lasting wetlands (84% in 2015 with significant rainfall events, compared with 42% otherwise). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woody plant encroachment into semiarid and subhumid rangelands is a global phenomenon with important hydrological implications. Observational and experimental results reported both increases and decreases in annual runoff for encroached watersheds and little is known regarding the underlying runoff generation mechanisms. To systematically study the effect of woody plant encroachment on runoff generation processes, seven experimental watersheds were instrumented in 2010, three on grassland sites and four on adjacent sites that were heavily encroached by eastern redcedar ( Juniperus virginiana) in the southern Great Plains, USA. Results showed that the runoff coefficient was 1.4 ± 0.6% in eastern redcedar encroached watersheds, significantly lower than 4.4 ± 0.7% in grassland watersheds for the four water years from 2011 to 2014. Eastern redcedar encroachment resulted in reduction of both surface and subsurface flows and the magnitude of reduction depended on annual precipitation. While there were nearly equal contributions between overland flow and subsurface flow, 87% of the total runoff from grassland watersheds occurred under saturated or nearly saturated soil condition, while 86% of runoff under encroached watersheds was generated under unsaturated soil condition, suggesting a shift from saturation excess overland flow to infiltration excess overland flow. These results permitted reconciliation of observed difference of streamflow responses associated with Juniperus spp. encroachment in the region and provided insights to better predict change in water resources under vegetation changes in subhumid regions of the south-central USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Both substrate moisture content and atmospheric forcing govern green roof ET. • ET rates for mixed species treatment in comparison to monoculture treatments. • ET greater for deeper substrate however enhancement with depth small. • Above and below ground biomass enhanced ET in mixed treatments. Evapotranspiration (ET) is the key hydrologic process governing the capacity of a green roof to retain rainfall as it regenerates available water storage space in the green roof substrate (soil) between rainfall events. In this field study, the impact of climatological conditions, vegetation type, and substrate depth on ET rates were evaluated from experimental, modular extensive green roofs installed in three climate regions in Canada: Calgary AB (Prairies), London ON (Great Lakes/St. Lawrence), and Halifax NS (Atlantic/ Maritime). Daily ET rates and cumulative ET over two field seasons were quantified for two substrate depths (10 and 15 cm), substrate only treatments (no vegetation), and four vegetation treatments (monoculture treatments of Sedum spurium , Sporobolus heterolepis , and Aquilegia canadensis , and a mixed species treatment consisting of the three aforementioned species). 73 %, 67 % and 33 % of the cumulative rainfall was returned to the atmosphere via ET over the two field seasons in Calgary, London and Halifax, respectively. Importantly, ET rates were shown to be a strong function of substrate moisture content as well as atmospheric forcing with the relative importance of each varying between the different cities. ET rates were typically greater in the mixed species treatment in comparison to the three monoculture treatments (Sedum spurium , Sporobolus heterolepis , and Aquilegia canadensis) and for deeper substrate depths, although ET rate enhancement with substrate depth was comparatively small. This study provides valuable insights on the impact of climatological conditions and green roof design parameters (i.e., vegetation type and substrate depth) on ET rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Fire Ecology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Climate change is already affecting many fish and wildlife populations. Managing these populations requires an understanding of the nature, magnitude, and distribution of current and future climate impacts. Scientists and managers have at their disposal a wide array of models for projecting climate impacts that can be used to build such an understanding. Here, we provide a broad overview of the types of models available for forecasting the effects of climate change on key processes that affect fish and wildlife habitat (hydrology, fire, and vegetation), as well as on individual species distributions and populations. We present a framework for how climate-impacts modeling can be used to address management concerns, providing examples of model-based assessments of climate impacts on salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest, fire regimes in the boreal region of Canada, prairies and savannas in the Willamette Valley-Puget Sound Trough-Georgia Basin ecoregion, and marten Martes americana populations in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. We also highlight some key limitations of these models and discuss how such limitations should be managed. We conclude with a general discussion of how these models can be integrated into fish and wildlife management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survival of waterfowl nests is positively correlated with the amount of grassland on the landscape, and population growth rates of some waterfowl species (e.g., mallards [ Anas platyrhynchos]) are sensitive to nest survival rates. Thus, the effect of actions that alter grassland vegetation physiognomy, such as grazing, on waterfowl production is of interest to waterfowl habitat managers. Additionally, grasslands contribute other ecological goods (e.g., forage for livestock and wildlife) and services (e.g., photosynthesis, carbon sequestration), which can be influenced by grazing practices. We address key uncertainties about the linkages between grazing, vegetation physiognomy, and the survival and density of duck nests at study-site, field, and nest-site spatial scales. Using data from 2,554 duck nests found in 434 grazed or idled fields (median field size = 48.0 ha) in the Canadian Prairie Pothole Region between 2002 and 2009, we found that vegetation physiognomy affected nest survival at both the field and nest-site scales, such that nest survival increased with nest-site vegetation density and late-season field vegetation density. Nest survival also responded to early-season within-field variation in vegetation height in a quadratic manner, such that survival was greatest in fields with moderate variation in vegetation height. Nest survival was negatively related to the intensity of grazing and to the amount of cropland in the surrounding landscape. Both the abundance of wetlands and the average vegetation height in the field had a positive influence on nest density. Fields idled during the breeding season had greater densities of nests than fields grazed either early or late in the breeding season. Leaving lands idled may be the most effective way to increase both waterfowl nest survival and nest density. When management of upland vegetation is required, we recommend grazing at moderate stocking rates (between 2 and 2.5 animal unit months [AUM]/ha) after the waterfowl breeding season is complete and monitoring vegetative characteristics to ensure they remain suitable to attract nesting waterfowl (e.g., leaving vegetation height >28 cm). Where grazing must be carried out during the breeding season, low to moderate stocking rates should be encouraged as these rates appear to have the least negative impact on both waterfowl nest survival and nest density. These stocking rates also will maintain rangeland in good condition to the long-term benefit of producers. © 2013 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prescribed fire is used widely to manage grasslands on National Wildlife Refuges and other public lands in the northern Great Plains, but its effects on habitat use or production of wildlife in the region are poorly understood. During 1998-2003, we used point counts to examine effects of prescribed fire on vegetation and passerines in a mixed-grass prairie complex in north-central North Dakota, USA (n 5 7 units, each 40-70 ha). Vegetation structure and, to a lesser extent, plant community composition varied with year of study (likely related to changes in annual precipitation) and with number of growing seasons since fire. Fire altered plant structure, especially the amount of residual vegetation, which in turn influenced bird species richness and abundance. The number of indicated pairs for sedge wren (Cistothorus platensis), clay-colored sparrow (Spizella pallida), Le Conte's sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii), Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), and bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) were lowest during the first postfire growing season but generally increased and stabilized within 2-3 postfire growing seasons. Our results support the premise that grassland passerines are well-adapted to frequent, periodic fires, generally corresponding to those occurring prior to Euro-American settlement of the region. Prescribed fire is important for reducing tree and shrub invasion, restoring biological integrity of plant communities, and maintaining or enhancing populations of grassland-dependent bird species. Managers in the northern mixed-grass prairie region should not be overly concerned about reductions in bird abundances that are limited mostly to the first growing season after fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Index-based development yields a stronger MMI. • The index-based approach minimizes subjective decision making in MMI creation. • The Presence/Absence of S. galericulata & H. jubatum resulted in suitable predictors. • Cover of annuals/biennials & proportion of annual richness are adequate predictors. Multi-metric indices (MMIs) are the most common tool used to assess ecological integrity. Traditionally, only the metrics with the highest correlation to disturbance are incorporated. The rationale being that combining the metrics with the strongest individual relationships to disturbance should yield an MMI with the strongest possible relationship to disturbance. An alternative to this traditional metric-based method was proposed, which we term the index-based approach. Under this method, thousands of MMIs are generated through the random selection of candidate metrics and then a model competition framework is adopted to select the best performing MMI. An index-based approach may prove more sensitive to disturbance because even metrics weakly related to disturbance on their own may nonetheless contribute unique and valuable information to the whole MMI. Our goal was to compare the traditional metric-based method with the novel index-based approach to MMI development and validation to ascertain which generates a superior MMI for vegetation-based biomonitoring in prairie pothole wetlands. We sampled vegetation from 72 marshes from across prairie Alberta between 2014 and 2015. These ranged from temporarily- to permanently-ponded marsh classes and spanned a gradient in anthropogenic disturbance. Vegetation surveys yielded 732 initial metrics associated with abundance, richness and traits, 88 of which were reasonably sensitive to disturbance (p < 0.1). We developed a four-metric MMI using the metric-based method and successfully validated it on an independent set of wetlands (R2 = 0.2518, F 1,22 = 7.404, p = 0.012). We also generated 50,000 four-, six-, and eight-metric MMIs using the index-based approach and contrasted these in a model competition framework. The best-fitting four-metric MMI developed using the index-based approach was also successfully validated (R2 = 0.2706, F 1,22 = 8.163, p = 0.009). It provided the best fit (AICc = 754.93) and was superior to the metric-based MMI (AICc weight = 0.97). We conclude that the index-based approach can yield a superior biomonitoring tool and recommend that it be adopted as the standard method for MMI creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]