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Background: Grasslands provide a wide range of ecosystem services (ESs). However, there is currently no method for easily diagnosing the level of ESs produced. Our aim was to develop ES indicators based on botanical surveys, which are readily available data and integrative of grassland spatiotemporal variability. Methods: Based on academic knowledge and expertise, we identified several simple vegetation criteria that we aggregated using a multicriteria analysis tool to construct indicators of the level of ESs provided by grasslands. In this study, the indicators were calculated from over 2000 botanical surveys spread over a wide biogeographical gradient. Results: Analyses of correlation between the various indicators show that "forage supply" and "diversity conservation" were not correlated. "Forage availability" and "nitrogen availability for the vegetation" were positively linked together and negatively linked to the robustness of the plant community to extreme events. A temporal approach highlights that the "biodiversity conservation" score decreased from 1970 to 2010 and that "nitrogen availability for the vegetation" was lower in 1970 and 1980 than in 2000 and 2010. Conclusions: These results show that our aggregation method based on a large data set of botanical surveys could be appropriate for studying temporal dynamics of ESs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

great interest is given to the medicinal plants, which constitute an invaluable wealth for most of the inhabitants of karia Ba Mohamed and its regions. To identify and evaluate the aromatic and medicinal plants, traditionally used in the region, to treat and care for the hair; we conducted an ethnobotanical survey of 100 people of different ages and sexes using a questionnaire in order to collect as much information as possible on the therapeutic uses practiced. The results found have identify dozens of species of medicinal plants; most of them are used for the treatment and care of the hair. The data obtained was analyzed by specific quantitative indices such as frequency citation (FC), relative frequency of citation (RFC) and family importance value (FIV). A total of 42 species were identified and divided into 28 families. The most cited families are the Lythraceae (FIV=0.700); Rosaceae (FIV=0.560); Zygophyllaceae (FIV= 0.460); Lamiaceae (FIV = 0.360); Papaveraceae (FIV = 0.330) Alliaceae (FIV = 0.290). Among the most used species, we note Origanum compactum Benth, Rosa centifolia L., Allium cepa L., Allium sativum L., Matricaria chamomilla L., Lawsonia inermis L., Peganum harmala L. These plants have been identified and presented considering the part used and the preparation method. These results provide a database for further studies to assess these plants' biological and chemical potential in phytochemistry and pharmacology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flora within Protected Areas (PAs) plays a crucial role in providing essential resources for wildlife, including forage, shelter, breeding sites, and water. However, the current understanding of the floristic composition of Mikumi National Park (MINAPA) is limited, hindering the implementation of effective conservation and management strategies. This study aimed to update the plant species records for MINAPA based on the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) IV classification by analyzing the data from unpublished surveys conducted between the 1960s and 1990s, as well as a more recent survey in 2021. A total of 951 species records were compiled, representing 504 genera and 124 families. Among these, 35 species were listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list with 15 (1.6%) classified as Vulnerable (VU), 7 (0.7%) as Near Threatened (NT), 10 (1.0%) as Endangered (EN), and 3 (0.3%) as Critically Endangered (CR). Additionally, 16 species were found to be endemic to Tanzania. The data from the 1960s-1990s surveys revealed 778 species distributed across 421 genera and 106 families with 12 (1.5%) listed in the IUCN red list. Notably, 173 species (18.2%) were newly recorded in 2021 and distributed across 148 genera and 58 families. Among these newly recorded species, 21 (2.2%) were listed in the IUCN red list and 13 were found to be endemic to Tanzania. This study significantly enhanced our understanding of the flora of MINAPA and emphasized the importance of conducting regular surveys to update the status of floral resources in PAs, particularly where reports are based on outdated taxonomic nomenclature. These findings will contribute to the advancement of scientific research and management techniques, particularly in the context of ongoing changes in climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study conducted a survey for establishing in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures for northern lineage plants that are vulnerable to climate change and for designating Forest Genetic Resource Reserve for 25 algific talus slope sites, which are specific areas of forest biodiversity. The survey was conducted in South Korea within a distance of 50 m to the east, west, north and south from the core area where wind blows to the algific talus slopes. The study was conducted once or twice per season from April 2016 to November 2021. New information:Vascular plants of 25 algific talus slope sites in South Korea included a total of 1,052 taxa of 125 families, 486 genera, 947 species, 23 subspecies, 75 variety and 7 forma. The maximum surveyed area was 0.09 km, accounting for only 0.00014% of the 62,860 km forest area in Korea, but comprise 22.27% of the 4,724 species of vascular plants in Korea. The algific talus slopes are areas rich in forest biodiversity. Six taxa were categorized as endangered, including Paeonia obovata Maxim. Sixty-seven taxa, including Astilboides tabularis (Hemsl.) Engl.; 58 taxa endemic to the Korean Peninsula, including Weigela subsessilis (Nakai) L.H. Bailey; and 317 taxa of floristic target plants were categorized as rare plants in the Red list. Further, 181 taxa were identified as northern lineage plants and 32 taxa, including Sillaphyton podagraria (H. Boissieu) Pimenov, were limestone area plants. Regarding alien plants, 75 taxa, including Oenothera biennis L., were identified and the naturalization and urbanization rates were 7.13% and 12.12%, respectively. Plants specific to the phytogeography of the 25 algific talus slope sites in this study were Vaccinium vitis-idaea L., Rosa koreana Kom., Syringa villosa Vahl subsp. wolfii (C.K. Schneid.) Jin Y.Chen & D.Y. Hong, Lonicera chrysantha Turcz. ex Ledeb., Tephroseris flammea (Turcz. ex DC.) Holub, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of observer error on four commonly used species diversity measures: species richness, Shannon–Weiner diversity, Shannon–Weiner evenness and Simpson's index of diversity. We also evaluated how observer error affects inferences derived from multivariate analyses of species–abundance relationships as determined by non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination. Grassland vegetation was sampled by three different botanists at two national park units in Missouri and Kansas, USA. The same plots were sampled by two of the botanists, who compiled lists of species composition and estimated foliar cover. Differences in the data records were then compared. Pseudoturnover (i.e. apparent turnover due to observer error) ranged from 17.1% to 22.1%, and differences in cover class estimation ranged from 21.5% to 30.5%. The percentage difference in species diversity measures between pairs of observers depended on how data were summarized, but were always <20%, and often <10%. Based on these results, species diversity metrics are affected to a relatively smaller extent by observer error than turnover indices. Turnover indices, however, contain more information because they track individual species, whereas species are interchangeable in most species diversity indices. Thus, less of the error is identified because of how species diversity indices are calculated. NMS ordinations revealed that while the characterizations of some plots by different observers were similar, differences between observers' records for other plots resulted in greater separation in ordination space. Points representing one observer's records were often shifted in ordination space in the same direction compared with the other observer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable groundwater management provides an opportunity for environmental water needs to be considered and secured by establishing appropriate groundwater thresholds. Ecosystems that require access to groundwater for some or all their water requirements are referred to as groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs). However, large data gaps often exist around the cause-and-effect relationships between groundwater conditions and the impacts they have on GDEs. These data gaps are largely attributed to a lack of shallow monitoring wells near GDEs, and a lack of practical biological metrics to characterize ecosystem health. This transdisciplinary study explores the use of geophysics (electrical resistivity tomography) to fill in our understanding of shallow subsurface soil-hydrological conditions within GDEs. In addition, we develop an approach to characterize ecosystem health within GDEs, using groundwater-dependent vegetation (phreatophytes) as indicators. Ten vegetation variables were used to characterize six biological indicators—growth, diversity, recruitment, structure, native plant dominance, and survivorship—which were used to infer ecosystem health conditions. Health indicators for groundwater-dependent vegetation were found to directly correlate with subsurface conditions, where greater groundwater availability (higher soil moisture content and shallower groundwater levels) was associated with “healthier” vegetation. This study provides a new approach to integrate hydrological, geophysical, and biological data to strengthen monitoring programs and inform water resource management decisions.

Exotic pine plantations, installed mainly for timber production and carbon sequestration purposes, cover an ever-expanding area of equatorial and tropical regions; however, their economic and environmental benefits are under debate due to their potential negative effects on native plant species conservation. The native understory plant species richness and cover under pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plantations were compared with natural grasslands in the Ecuadorian Páramo. We analyzed the vegetation in four zones: Antisana (8-year-old pines), Cajas (16-year-old pines), Tisaleo (41-year-old pines) and Cotopaxi (53-year-old pines). The total understory plant cover decreased between 29% and 90% under pine plantations in all zones. The mean species richness in the pine plantations decreased by 44% in Antisana, Cajas and Tisaleo but not in Cotopaxi. Pine plantations strongly reduced the abundance of herbaceous light-demanding species (59%), except small herbs whose cover increased under pine (17.6%). Shrub cover was also negatively affected in Tisaleo and Cotopaxi (7.4%). Pine afforestation effects on Páramo vegetation depend mainly on canopy cover which changes with age and growing conditions (altitude) and secondarily on the vegetation state at the time of planting, resulting from land use history and ecological conditions. The pine effect was therefore more pronounced in the young and dense plantations of Antisana and Cajas than in the old and open stand of Cotopaxi, whose understory vegetation was more similar to that of grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Improving public engagement in ecological research improves the visibility of science and educates a wider audience about the value of ecology and its study. To this end, we assess the success of two simple activities, designed to track forest cover and understorey conditions, implemented at Lammi Biological Station Science Trail, Finland, in terms of effective public participation and useability of the data generated. We consider how best to engage participants in the activities, and we validate the data obtained by comparison of its reliability and useability against standard ecological approaches. It is also increasingly timely for researchers to utilise the large datasets that can be generated through effective public engagement. If experiments are effectively designed, these data can provide information at a larger scale than is attainable with the resources typically available to individual research projects. Consequently, given high enough uptake, such activities hold the potential for upscaling or generalisation from their findings. Both activities proved useful to collect more intensive data than would otherwise have been feasible. The quadrat vegetation survey (Activity 1) provided useable data to determine species phenology but not species composition. The canopy disk observations (Activity 2) reliably tracked seasonal changes in canopy cover when calibrated against baseline data. Training in these activities fostered engagement in how climate change affects forest ecology, improving the quality of data collected, and engaging participants eager to learn about and contribute to research into these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1 m2 quadrat is a standard field survey tool in ecology. Traditionally, a researcher places a square frame on the ground and manually records data about organisms (typically plants) within that quadrat. Collecting data through this method can require a great deal of time on‐site. For some studies, it would be more efficient to collect data as images in the field, and then extract desired data from the images later. Equipment currently available for precise aerial imaging of plants is most applicable to large‐scale settings (e.g. entire fields) or controlled environments (e.g. greenhouses or growth chambers). There is a lack of technology suited to 1 × 1 m quadrat surveys of natural communities.To satisfy this need, we developed a portable, low‐cost platform ('Robotany') that automatically takes a set of data samples to precisely cover a 1 m2 field plot. The current design is optimized for taking aerial photographs of short herbaceous plants in mowed or grazed habitats, at a spatial resolution of 24 non‐overlapping photographs per 1 m2, using a digital single‐lens reflex (DSLR) camera with the lens 55 cm above the ground. Novel attachment and actuation methods allow for fast, convenient assembly and disassembly, and the waterproof frame can be disinfected with ethanol.The device was reliable and precise in its initial two summers of field testing (ca. 200 plots imaged). These images were of sufficient resolution to identify common plant taxa, and to collect information on plant size, flowering status, and damage by foliar pathogens and herbivores. The apparatus was robust to frequent disassembly, transport and reassembly.The on‐site time and labour of quadrat‐based field surveys can be greatly reduced with this device. For some applications, images may replace on‐site (manual) data collection from quadrats. For other applications, the images may complement on‐site data collection, as a digital back‐up and source of additional data (e.g. high‐resolution spatial mapping of plant species or traits, or types of ground cover). The Robotany is modular and can be adapted to different research needs, including replacement of the camera with a different type of sampler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands, two island groups located in the Caribbean archipelago, hold unique plant diversity and high endemism. Until recently, Solanum conocarpum was considered a rare plant species endemic to the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Ongoing botanical surveys in this region are revealing new populations and refining our understanding of the distribution of these narrow endemic plant species. The objective of this paper is to assess the conservation status of S. conocarpum, including a review of its geographic range, population numbers, threats and conservation actions needed for its long-term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exotic pine plantations, installed mainly for timber production and carbon sequestration purposes, cover an ever-expanding area of equatorial and tropical regions; however, their economic and environmental benefits are under debate due to their potential negative effects on native plant species conservation. The native understory plant species richness and cover under pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plantations were compared with natural grasslands in the Ecuadorian Páramo. We analyzed the vegetation in four zones: Antisana (8-year-old pines), Cajas (16-year-old pines), Tisaleo (41-year-old pines) and Cotopaxi (53-year-old pines). The total understory plant cover decreased between 29% and 90% under pine plantations in all zones. The mean species richness in the pine plantations decreased by 44% in Antisana, Cajas and Tisaleo but not in Cotopaxi. Pine plantations strongly reduced the abundance of herbaceous light-demanding species (59%), except small herbs whose cover increased under pine (17.6%). Shrub cover was also negatively affected in Tisaleo and Cotopaxi (7.4%). Pine afforestation effects on Páramo vegetation depend mainly on canopy cover which changes with age and growing conditions (altitude) and secondarily on the vegetation state at the time of planting, resulting from land use history and ecological conditions. The pine effect was therefore more pronounced in the young and dense plantations of Antisana and Cajas than in the old and open stand of Cotopaxi, whose understory vegetation was more similar to that of grasslands.

Hitts Siding Prairie Nature Preserve, 3 km northeast of Braidwood, Will County, Illinois, is dominated by an extensive mesic prairie on sandy loam. The trailing shrub Rubus flagellaris was the dominant species of the dry-mesic to mesic prairie with a mean cover of 14.18 and an importance value (I.V.) of 11.9 (possible 200). Schizachyrium scoparium was the dominant grass (I.V. of 11.2) followed by Sorghastrum nutans (I.V. of 9.2) and Andropogon gerardii (I.V. of 6.8). Dominant forbs included Euthamia gymnospermoides (I.V. of 10.8), Helianthus mollis (I.V. of 10.7), Solidago missouriensis (I.V. of 8.6), and Coreopsis tripteris (I.V. of 7.6). A total of 106 species were recorded for the survey plots of the prairie. Of the species recorded in the plots 72 had an I.V. of 1.4 or less while six exotic species were recorded. A small sedge meadow dominated by Carex haydenii/stricta (I.V. of 51.2) forming small tussocks was surveyed in the Preserve as well as a marsh dominated by Onoclea sensibilis (I.V. of 43.3) and Thelypters palustris (I.V. of 30.9). We recorded 360 vascular plant species from the Preserve. The study was conducted to determine vascular plant species composition, and vegetation structure of the least disturbed plant communities of the Preserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors applied satellite monitoring data of agricultural lands of the geographic information system of International Production Assessment Division of the United States Department of Agriculture on the example of winter cereal cultivation. The authors did so according to the indices of vegetation index NDVI, information on atmospheric precipitation, soil moisture, and air temperature compared to Earth observations to estimate the condition of their sowing area. According to the research results, one can use remote sensing data of the IPAD USDA geographic information system to monitor agricultural land, yield capacity prediction and the estimation of gross agricultural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many natural resource agencies are managing white-tailed deer populations in suburban areas and require information about deer populations, deer impacts on vegetation, and human preferences toward deer and deer management to support decision making. We utilized a multi-faceted approach to investigate common obstacles in suburban deer management and discuss findings from our study based in the Chicago Metropolitan Area during 2007-2011. We discuss the need for managers to examine suburban deer populations and management issues at a broader scale (i.e., countywide versus single community) and promote proactive deer management in lieu of the conventional paradigm of beginning management only when deer populations have become overabundant. Discussion topics include practicality and costs of deer density estimation and herbivory monitoring techniques over multiple plant communities and numerous study sites. In addition, we illustrate how a comprehensive human dimensions survey can identify determinants that contribute to the public’s perceptions of deer density and assess the acceptability, conflict, and beliefs regarding deer management methods. Lastly, we describe the relationship between landscape characteristics and deer density; this information can be utilized to determine suburban lands that may be prone to high deer densities and inform land management practices. Our work provides suburban natural resource managers with techniques to identify management practices supported by their public constituents and information useful for managing deer populations.

Summary: Droughts and land degradation result in biodiversity and ecosystem service losses with serious implications for human wellbeing. The Sahel region has seen increased plant cover since the end of 1970s–1980s droughts, but understanding the nature and implications of this change remains a priority. This study aimed to assess changes in the woody floristic composition of re-greened agrosystems since the droughts in Burkina Faso. In 148 vegetation survey plots distributed across areas with increasing woody plant cover and those to some extent protected from exploitation, a total of 71 species from 51 genera and 23 families were identified. Compared to pre-drought flora, our measurements show a decline in the diversity and density of woody species. Combretaceae species and thorny species of the genera Acacia and Balanites, which are more tolerant of drought, were the most dominant, indicating a post-drought woody vegetation that is more resistant to water stress. The increased presence of food-producing species in agroforestry parks (cultivated fields with woody plants) seems to reflect the growing needs of the human population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network analysis is an important tool to analyze the structure of complex systems such as tropical forests. Here, we infer spatial proximity networks in tropical forests by using network science. First, we focus on tree neighborhoods to derive spatial tree networks from forest inventory data. In a second step, we construct species networks to describe the potential for interactions between species. We find remarkably similar tree and species networks among tropical forests in Panama, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. Across these sites only 32 to 51% of all possible connections between species pairs were realized in the species networks. The species networks show the common small-world property and constant node degree distributions not yet described and explained by network science. Our application of network analysis to forest ecology provides a new approach in biodiversity research to quantify spatial neighborhood structures for better understanding interactions between tree species. Our analyses show that details of tree positions and sizes have no important influence on the detected network structures. This suggests existence of simple principles underlying the complex interactions in tropical forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The foothills and shortgrass prairie ecosystems of Colorado, United States, have undergone substantial and sustained anthropogenic habitat change over the past two centuries. Riparian systems have been dramatically altered by agriculture, hydrological engineering, urbanisation and the introduction of non-native invasive species. In 2016, Denver Botanic Gardens began a restoration effort of Deer Creek which seeks to modify the hydrology of the creek by mimicking the effects of beaver dams with artificial structures. The site, owned by the US Army Core of Engineers and managed by Denver Botanic Gardens, had been the subject of previous botanical surveys. With the initiation of the restoration project, permanent transects were established along the stream and are sampled for ground vegetation richness and abundance, canopy cover, soil and stream conditions and aquatic macroinvertebrate community makeup on an annual basis. To provide a means for tracking any post-intervention changes in the riparian ecosystem, this resource reports all recorded occurrences and measurements, along with methodologies and motivations from past and current surveys in the form of a sampling event dataset. New information: The current project and past surveys document 382 plant taxa and 157 aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa. A total of 16304 occurrences and 7422 measurements are included in the resource. Occurrence and measurement data taken from transects provide a means to measure species abundance, ground cover and other biotic and abiotic characteristics relevant to assessing the effects of hydrological restoration on riparian plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]