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Jointly building the Economic Corridor of the Eurasia Continent (ECEC), which is one of the most important parts of the Silk Road Economic Belt, is a pivotal initiative for fostering regional development. Forests, which serve as a green foundation of economic resilience, underpin this effort. However, there is an imbalance in ecological status due to differences in natural resources and the social economy along the economic corridor. This imbalance has led to alterations in landscapes, yet the specific changes and their underlying relationships are still much less understood. Here, we quantitatively detected changes in the forest landscape and its ecological efforts over the ECEC via widespread, satellite-based and long-term land cover maps released by the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI). Specifically, the coupling between changes in forest coverage and landscape patterns, e.g., diversity, was further examined. The results revealed that forest coverage fluctuated and declined over the ECEC from 1992 to 2018, with an overall reduction of approximately 9784.8 km2 (i.e., 0.25%). Conversions between forests and other land cover types were widely observed. The main displacements occurred between forests and grasslands/croplands (approximately 48%/21%). Moreover, the landscape diversity in the study area increased, as measured by the effective diversity index (EDI), during the study period, despite obvious spatial heterogeneity. Notably, this pattern of landscape diversity was strongly associated with forest displacement and local urban development through coupling analysis, consequently indicating increasing fragmentation rather than biological diversity. This study highlights the coupled relationship between quantitative and qualitative changes in landscapes, facilitating our understanding of environmental protection and policy management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, landscape homogenization, and the decline of beneficial insects threaten pollination services to wild plants and crops. Understanding how pollination potential (i.e. the capacity of ecosystems to support pollination of plants) is affected by climate change and landscape homogenization is fundamental for our ability to predict how such anthropogenic stressors affect plant biodiversity. Models of pollinator potential are improved when based on pairwise plant–pollinator interactions and pollinator's plant preferences. However, whether the sum of predicted pairwise interactions with a plant within a habitat (a proxy for pollination potential) relates to pollen deposition on flowering plants has not yet been investigated. We sampled plant–bee interactions in 68 Scandinavian plant communities in landscapes of varying land‐cover heterogeneity along a latitudinal temperature gradient of 4–8°C, and estimated pollen deposition as the number of pollen grains on flowers of the bee‐pollinated plants Lotus corniculatus and Vicia cracca. We show that plant–bee interactions, and the pollination potential for these bee‐pollinated plants increase with landscape diversity, annual mean temperature, and plant abundance, and decrease with distances to sand‐dominated soils. Furthermore, the pollen deposition in flowers increased with the predicted pollination potential, which was driven by landscape diversity and plant abundance. Our study illustrates that the pollination potential, and thus pollen deposition, for wild plants can be mapped based on spatial models of plant–bee interactions that incorporate pollinator‐specific plant preferences. Maps of pollination potential can be used to guide conservation and restoration planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant community succession can impact greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the soil by altering the soil carbon and nitrogen cycles. However, the effects of community landscape diversity on soil GHG emissions have rarely been fully understood. Therefore, this study investigated how plant landscape diversity, structure type, and species composition, affect soil GHG emissions in a riparian zone. Soil GHG emissions were assessed by measuring the air samples collected from four study sites, which have different plant community structure types and species compositions (natural sites with complex plants, landscaped sites with fruit trees and grasses, untended sites with ruderals, and farmland sites), using the static chamber method. Significant differences were observed in soil carbon dioxide (CO2; p < 0.001), nitrous oxide (N2O; p < 0.001), and methane (CH4; p = 0.005) emissions. The untended site with ruderals exhibited the highest CO2 emissions, while N2O emissions increased as plant community diversity decreased. All sites acted as sinks for CH4 emissions, with decreased CH4 uptake efficiency in more diverse plant communities. The Mantel test and variance partitioning analysis revealed soil microbial biomass as an indirect influencer of GHG emissions. This study could help predict soil GHG emissions and their global warming potential under future changes in the island riparian zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim is to analyse the landscape diversity (LD) of the northern sub‐area of the Volga River delta landscape using a series of mathematical operations.The work is based on full‐stack landscape works including field experiments. Descriptive method, GIS‐analysis and remote sensing data were used in the work.A set of landscape diversity indices was calculated for the northern sub‐area of the Volga Delta landscape on the basis of mathematical apparatus and the entropic complexity of landscape pattern (or Shannon diversity index) of the studied region was estimated. The results of the analysis made it possible to identify two habitats with rather high landscape diversity indices in this region.LD is one of the most important geographical characteristics of the region and allows assessment of the stability of geosystems to anthropogenic loads, reflection on the nature of economic development and use of geosystems and their conservation potential. By comparing HR indicators and retrospective analysis of economic development of the Volga River Delta, it was found that areas with low landscape diversity index were more often used for agriculture, as single large tracts are easier to adapt to economic needs. Areas with a complex morphological structure and, accordingly, a high level of landscape diversity are generally not subject to most types of economic impact.

Problem formulation. Assessment of the representation of landscapes in the modern network of Nature Reserve Fund is based on natural and biosphere reserves, national nature parks, which has the status of the highest category in accordance with regional physical and geographical areas - natural areas (subzones), provinces (country), landscape divisions. The constant monitoring analysis of the state of representativeness of the nature reserve fund on the basis of geographical criteria is considered relevant and at the same time difficult. The purpose. The aim of the research was to assess the degree of representativeness of the modern network of biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks in accordance with the system of physical and geographical zoning of Ukraine. Methodology and materials. The methodological basis for the presented analysis can be considered zoning of the earth's surface by components of the natural environment. Accordingly, for comparative analysis used as the main method of identification and accounting of biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks within the physical-geographical areas, zones and mountainous countries of their location. For the above-mentioned physical and geographical ranks were calculated indicators of nature reserves. Results. These physical and geographical ranks are not equally provided by the studied objects. Most biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks are located in the steppe zone (24) and the Ukrainian Carpathians (15). Slightly more than a third (36%) of the physical-geographical provinces are provided with biosphere reserves and reserves. A much higher (80%) degree of representativeness of branches of biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks has developed at the level of physical and geographical areas. Categorically the most developed and territorially dense regional networks of objects are observed in the Ukrainian Carpathians and Polissya province. Accordingly, most of the biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks have the following physical and geographical areas of these two natural regions: the Outer Carpathians (8 sites), Polonynsko-Chornohirska (7 sites) and Volyn Polissya (7 sites). The highest reserve index (10,4 %), which is formed by biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks, was found for the zone of deciduous forests. Scientific novelty. According to the composition of the physical-geographical provinces, for the first time a complete geographical network of biosphere reserves in Ukraine has been proposed, which should be formed by at least 14 objects. The current level of provision of physical and geographical areas with branches of biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks is analyzed. In the zonal dimension, the indicators of nature reserves formed by these categories of the nature reserve fund are determined. Practical meaning. The article provides the functional analysis of the regional distribution of the territory of the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine for the optimal conservation and protection of protected landscape diversity.

Identifying areas expected to remain buffered from climate change and maintain biodiversity and ecological function (i.e., climate refugia) is important for climate adaptation planning. As structurally diverse transitional zones between terrestrial and aquatic environments, riparian areas are often biological hotspots and provide critical corridors for species movement, particularly in arid and semi‐arid regions. In our study region in the western and central USA, identifying riparian areas that could serve as climate refugia is a priority for wildlife managers. We mapped areas with connected riparian habitats that, based on landscape diversity and projected changes in summer temperatures and landscape runoff, are expected to serve as climate refugia. To incorporate uncertainty and balance the need for near‐ and long‐term planning, we mapped potential refugia for 2 future time periods (2040–2069, 2070–2099) based on 2 climate models that represented divergent but plausible climate outcomes. The approach we developed is not constrained by physiology or behavior of target species and can be used to identify areas expected to fare comparatively well under a wide range of future climate scenarios. Our approach can also be used to identify areas where restoration could increase riparian connectedness and climate resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increased demand for agricultural products, the agricultural industry has become intensified, resulting in a homogenization of the rural landscape. Our study defines rural landscape types at three scales (national, regional, and local) using a multi-scale method. We generated three landscape element datasets using literature and gray statistical analysis. Subsequently, we used the overlay approach and two-step cluster analysis to identify landscape regions, types, and subtypes. The findings indicate the presence of 47 landscape regions at the national scale, 448 landscape types at the regional scale, and 44 landscape subtypes at the local scale with Dahongshan Mountain Region serving as the empirical study site. Furthermore, we have developed a novel method to evaluate landscape diversity index (LDI) which utilizes the proportion of land area occupied by landscape elements in various landscape types. This method incorporates diverse elements, such as topography, landform, land cover/use, vegetation, and agroforestry industries. To examine the role of LDI in landscape planning, we analyzed the relationship between LDI and recreation services using the geographically weighted regression model. The result facilitates landscape planning and management at different administrative levels.Article Highlights: Definition of landscape regions, types, and subtypes at multiple scales through overlay method and two-step cluster analysis method. An assessment approach of landscape diversity was carried out using data from the agricultural and forestry industries, topography and landform, land cover and use, and other elements. The GWR regression model of LDI and RS provides a potential use of LDI. This broadly applicable strategy and its results enable landscape monitoring and policy implementation at all scales, from the national to the regional to the local. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroecology frameworks do not explicitly include nutrition, but nutrition is an outcome of many principles of agroecology, with growing evidence that agroecological interventions improve diet quality and nutrition. In this paper, we argue that more explicit attention to the importance of wild foods from diverse agroecological landscapes will further enhance the nutrition outcomes associated with agroecology. In rural landscapes around the world, wild foods provide nutrient-dense and culturally important foods that make significant contributions to the diet in some contexts and are culturally important and highly valued delicacies in others. Agroecological principles, science, and practice already support the maintenance of wild foods in food systems by highlighting ecological principles. These include low or no use of pesticides, landscape diversity, and maintenance of biodiversity, alongside social principles such as traditional knowledge and cultural practices. The focus in agroecology on working with traditional knowledge and cultural practices supports the preservation of traditional knowledge required to responsibly harvest and prepare wild foods. Centering landscape diversity and nutrition as outcomes of agroecology supports the continued use of wild foods and cultural knowledge, especially in rural communities around the globe. More explicit attention to wild foods in agroecological systems will further contribute to associated nutrition outcomes, while simultaneously promoting the maintenance of landscape diversity, biodiversity, preservation of cultural knowledge, and other ecological sound and socially just agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural intensification not only increases food production but also drives widespread biodiversity decline. Increasing landscape heterogeneity has been suggested to increase biodiversity across habitats, while increasing crop heterogeneity may support biodiversity within agroecosystems. These spatial heterogeneity effects can be partitioned into compositional (land‐cover type diversity) and configurational heterogeneity (land‐cover type arrangement), measured either for the crop mosaic or across the landscape for both crops and semi‐natural habitats. However, studies have reported mixed responses of biodiversity to increases in these heterogeneity components across taxa and contexts. Our meta‐analysis covering 6397 fields across 122 studies conducted in Asia, Europe, North and South America reveals consistently positive effects of crop and landscape heterogeneity, as well as compositional and configurational heterogeneity for plant, invertebrate, vertebrate, pollinator and predator biodiversity. Vertebrates and plants benefit more from landscape heterogeneity, while invertebrates derive similar benefits from both crop and landscape heterogeneity. Pollinators benefit more from configurational heterogeneity, but predators favour compositional heterogeneity. These positive effects are consistent for invertebrates and vertebrates in both tropical/subtropical and temperate agroecosystems, and in annual and perennial cropping systems, and at small to large spatial scales. Our results suggest that promoting increased landscape heterogeneity by diversifying crops and semi‐natural habitats, as suggested in the current UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, is key for restoring biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local and landscape diversity loss, habitat fragmentation and land‐use changes commonly co‐occur and impair ecosystem multifunctionality, yet they are often studied in isolation. Therefore, we ignore the relative importance of these drivers of ecosystem change or whether or not they interact to determine ecosystem functioning.We measured how changes in local (plant richness) and landscape (different land uses) diversity, land use (orchards, shrubland, pine, oak and mixed forests) and habitat sise, and their interactions, affected the functioning of Mediterranean ecosystems. At 49 plots, we measured 17 above‐ and below‐ground functions, related to nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and biotic interactions. Additionally, we generated different combinations of plots to compose artificial landscapes where multifunctionality and biodiversity conservation can be maximised, in order to aid land managers to preserve or design functional and diverse areas.The relative importance of local and landscape attributes varied slightly depending on the target function, yet land use was by far the strongest predictor of most functions and multifunctionality above local plant biodiversity, habitat sise or landscape diversity. Oak and mixed forest were the most multifunctional land uses but were functionally wcomplemented by other land uses that maximised some individual functions.The relative proportion of each land use within optimal landscapes varied if the target was biodiversity conservation (with an even dominance of land uses), carbon stocks or multifunctionality (highly dominated by native oak and mixed forests).Synthesis and applications: Our results highlight the importance of remnant native forest to provide multiple ecosystem functions and the potential to restore them and complement these uses with sustainable agriculture. By merging landscape and ecosystem approaches we provide specific numbers regarding the proportion that each land use should have in order to maximise biodiversity conservation and/or functioning in these charismatic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Identifying areas expected to remain buffered from climate change and maintain biodiversity and ecological function (i.e., climate refugia) is important for climate adaptation planning. As structurally diverse transitional zones between terrestrial and aquatic environments, riparian areas are often biological hotspots and provide critical corridors for species movement, particularly in arid and semi‐arid regions. In our study region in the western and central USA, identifying riparian areas that could serve as climate refugia is a priority for wildlife managers. We mapped areas with connected riparian habitats that, based on landscape diversity and projected changes in summer temperatures and landscape runoff, are expected to serve as climate refugia. To incorporate uncertainty and balance the need for near‐ and long‐term planning, we mapped potential refugia for 2 future time periods (2040–2069, 2070–2099) based on 2 climate models that represented divergent but plausible climate outcomes. The approach we developed is not constrained by physiology or behavior of target species and can be used to identify areas expected to fare comparatively well under a wide range of future climate scenarios. Our approach can also be used to identify areas where restoration could increase riparian connectedness and climate resilience.

Solitary bees are in constant decline due to climate change, pesticide toxicity, and habitat loss. Provision of nesting sites is an important conservation strategy. Various factors affect bee nesting, including parasitism, entrance orientation, nesting substrate type, and diameter. This study explored the impact of nesting substrate, cavity diameter, and entrance orientation on solitary bee nesting preferences. Additionally, it investigated the influence of landscape type and seasonality on bee nesting efficiency which is the ability of a bee to successfully establish nest. Trap nests were placed at eight locations, representing five landscapes (forest, desert, agriculture, peri-urban, and urban). These trap nests had five different nesting substrates (bamboo reeds, wooden blocks, wooden logs, mud blocks, and paper tubes). At each location, four traps were set in all directions. The results showed maximum cavity occupation in south-facing nests. Peri-urban landscapes were the most favored for nesting, followed by forests. Solitary bees primarily preferred bamboo reeds for nesting, with peak occupation from April to June. Bees favored cavities with 6- and 8-mm entrance diameters, while wasps occupied smaller diameters (< 5 mm). Overall, bee species occupied fewer nests compared to parasitic wasps. Future research should explore brood chamber numbers and species-specific nesting preferences for bees, along with the impact of cavity microclimate on bee growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial afforestation is considered as one of the key ecological restoration measures. The early large-scale, single-species afforestation method is considered detrimental to the environment. However, there is still a lack of empirical research on the differences in understory biodiversity between monoculture and mixed forests, as well as the response mechanisms of understory plants to environmental factors. We compared the differences in understory plant diversity in different types of plantations and analyzed the differences in understory species composition and the impact of understory plants on local scales (soil organic matter, soil-available phosphorus, and distance from the road) and landscape scales (patch density, landscape fragmentation, and patch diversity) and environmental variable response mechanisms in a mountainous area. Our findings revealed that there was no significant difference in overall understory plant diversity between monoculture and mixed forests, but the perennial species and native species in the mixed forest were significantly higher than those in the monoculture. In monoculture plots, the disparity in species composition was more pronounced compared to that observed in mixed plots. Soil organic matter had a positive effect on understory plant diversity, and soil available phosphorus and distance from the road significantly affected plant diversity in monoculture forests but had no effect in mixed forests. Landscape-scale environmental factors have no effect on understory species diversity. The findings of the current study emphasize the disparities in the plant species composition between mixed and monoculture forest plantations, as well as their respective reactions to environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem formulation. Assessment of the representation of landscapes in the modern network of Nature Reserve Fund is based on natural and biosphere reserves, national nature parks, which has the status of the highest category in accordance with regional physical and geographical areas - natural areas (subzones), provinces (country), landscape divisions. The constant monitoring analysis of the state of representativeness of the nature reserve fund on the basis of geographical criteria is considered relevant and at the same time difficult. The purpose. The aim of the research was to assess the degree of representativeness of the modern network of biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks in accordance with the system of physical and geographical zoning of Ukraine. Methodology and materials. The methodological basis for the presented analysis can be considered zoning of the earth's surface by components of the natural environment. Accordingly, for comparative analysis used as the main method of identification and accounting of biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks within the physical-geographical areas, zones and mountainous countries of their location. For the above-mentioned physical and geographical ranks were calculated indicators of nature reserves. Results. These physical and geographical ranks are not equally provided by the studied objects. Most biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks are located in the steppe zone (24) and the Ukrainian Carpathians (15). Slightly more than a third (36%) of the physical-geographical provinces are provided with biosphere reserves and reserves. A much higher (80%) degree of representativeness of branches of biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks has developed at the level of physical and geographical areas. Categorically the most developed and territorially dense regional networks of objects are observed in the Ukrainian Carpathians and Polissya province. Accordingly, most of the biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks have the following physical and geographical areas of these two natural regions: the Outer Carpathians (8 sites), Polonynsko-Chornohirska (7 sites) and Volyn Polissya (7 sites). The highest reserve index (10,4 %), which is formed by biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks, was found for the zone of deciduous forests. Scientific novelty. According to the composition of the physical-geographical provinces, for the first time a complete geographical network of biosphere reserves in Ukraine has been proposed, which should be formed by at least 14 objects. The current level of provision of physical and geographical areas with branches of biosphere and nature reserves, national nature parks is analyzed. In the zonal dimension, the indicators of nature reserves formed by these categories of the nature reserve fund are determined. Practical meaning. The article provides the functional analysis of the regional distribution of the territory of the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine for the optimal conservation and protection of protected landscape diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiments have shown that plant community productivity typically increases with species diversity. In these studies, diversity is generally quantified using metrics of taxonomic, phylogenetic, or functional differences among community members. Research has also shown that the relationships between species diversity and functioning depends on the spatial scale considered, primarily because larger areas may contain different ecosystem types and span gradients in environmental conditions, which result in a turnover of the species set present locally. A fact that has received little attention, however, is that ecological systems are hierarchically structured, from genes to individuals to communities to entire landscapes, and that additional biological variation occurs at levels of organization above and below those typically considered in BEF research. Here, we present cases of diversity effects at different hierarchical levels of organization and compare these to the species‐diversity effects traditionally studied. We argue that when this evidence is combined across levels, a general framework emerges that allows the transfer of insights and concepts between traditionally disparate disciplines. Such a framework presents an important step towards a better understanding of the functional importance of diversity in complex, real‐world systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy crops are a new player in the traditional agricultural landscape. The present paper analyses the land uses surrounding and the spatial characteristics of the main energy crops in Sweden (willow, poplar, hybrid aspen and reed canary grass) compared to traditional agricultural crops during the period 2006–2018. Spatial metrics (number of shape characterising points, shape index and rectangularity ratio) are calculated for each field, as well as the nearby land uses at varying distances, at radius: 500 m, 1000 m, 2000 m and 5000 m. A total of 1560 energy crop fields are studied in the 2006 dataset and 3416 fields in the 2018 dataset, which are compared to 58,246 fields with cereal crops in 2006 and 131,354 fields in the 2018 dataset. Results show that, despite being established on previous agricultural land, energy crops present a different spatial profile compared to traditional agricultural crops. Field shapes present less complexity than before, and the overall spatial features become more regular with time in both cases of energy crops and cereals, suggesting an increasing trend in cost-efficient agricultural practices and planning. Important differences concerning land use diversity at different scales are found between plantations versus grasses. In general, willow plantations are located in agriculture-dominated areas (> 70% at 500 m, > 50% at 2000 m), whereas reed canary grass is in forest-dominated landscapes (> 30% at 500 m, > 60% at 2000 m); both contribute to diversifying existing land uses although with varying effects. The results of this study are a basis to assess the impacts of energy crops at landscape level and can translate into applications in energy policy and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing number of visitors and conflicts resulting from shared use in valorising sensitive wetlands make effective visitor and site management measures essential. In the course of this research, the landscape pattern, the current spatial distribution of tourist activities and the possible arrangement of expedient further development were examined. The study area, Lake Tisza, is an artificial lowland reservoir established in the 1970s with an area of 127 km2 in Hungary. Among its original functions, in addition to flood control, nature conservation and recreation have become the main profiles. The diverse hydro-ecological features and mosaic landscape structure allow for nature conservation and utilisation in tourism. This differentiated use is in line with the worldwide trend of favouring locations with multiple leisure activities in close proximity to each other. Based on the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) 2018 database, 12 different land use categories were identified in the study area. The largest proportion is represented by water bodies (53.29%), while inland marshes and broad-leaved forests cover 22.25% and 16.64%, respectively. The heterogeneity of the area is considerably enhanced by the high patch sizes of the categories pastures, broad-leaved forests and inland marshes. According to the Shannon diversity index, the most complex landscape diversity can be found in the Tiszavalk (1.5) and Poroszló (1.4) basins, considered to be the most suitable for ecotourism, while the lower values of the Sarud (1.1) and Abadszalók (1.1) basins provide suitable conditions for water sport activities and recreational tourism. Continuous adaptation to social needs and the joint protection of natural values is crucial for the sustainable development of Lake Tisza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Iberian wood-pastures (dehesas) constitute important habitats for flower-visiting insects, thus supporting the delivery of essential ecosystem services. However, dehesas have been experiencing increasing degradation either by farming intensification or abandonment. Objectives: We assess if alternative management strategies linked to ecological intensification, designed to maximize productivity in Iberian dehesas, are also favorable for biodiversity, specifically pollinators. Methods: We carried surveys in nine dehesas located across western and southwestern Spain. Each site comprised five paddocks under different management: conventional grazing, alternative systems linked to ecological intensification (rotational grazing, legume-enriched young and old pastures) and abandonment. We surveyed bees and hoverflies along fixed transects, together with flower cover and botanical composition, and we assessed landscape configuration. Results: Results showed that rotational grazing, legume-enriched and abandonment enhanced pollinator abundance compared to conventional management. Yet, ecological intensification practices were the most beneficial, showing a positive impact also on pollinator richness. Flower cover, together with plant diversity and landscape composition, were important drivers of pollinator diversity metrics. These patterns varied among pollinator groups, e.g., hoverflies were less impacted by management than bees, while being more affected by plant diversity. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that alternative management linked to ecological intensification has potential in low-input farming systems such as Iberian dehesas. These measures can help to maximize productivity, whilst preserving biodiversity and essential ecosystem services such as pollination. Complementary measures, such as the preservation or restoration of semi-natural habitats, also appear to be crucial for effectively safeguarding pollinating insects in this High Nature Value farming system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring and assessing wetland diversity is crucial for its accurate preservation. Hyperspectral satellites have been proven effective for detailed investigations of plant diversity in many places. However, it's unclear whether spectral diversity invert landscape diversity, and whether the inversion accuracy varies with spatial scale. In this study, the ZY1-02D hyperspectral remote sensing images of the Yellow River Estuary were supervised and classified by the support vector machine. Then, the landscape diversity indices (i.e., community richness, Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson index, and Pielou index) and spectral diversity indices (i.e., coefficient of variation, convex hull volume, and eight vegetation indices) were calculated. A random forest model was used to predict landscape diversity by using spectral diversity. The spatial scale relationship between spectral diversity and landscape diversity were explored lastly. Our results showed that the overall accuracy of plant community classification in the Yellow River Estuary was 91.53 %, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.90. Spectral diversity had the best inversion accuracy on the Shannon-Wiener index (14 ∼ 57 %, average = 38 %), while the intermediate on Pielou index (3 ∼ 56 %, average = 30 %) and community richness (2 ∼ 48 %, average = 30 %), but the lowest on the Simpson index (2 ∼ 43 %, average = 16 %). The inversion accuracy of landscape diversity index increased first and then stabilized with the increase of scales, reaching stability at a sampling size of 2880 m × 2880 m. Our results indicated that ZY1-02D hyperspectral data can be used to monitor spatial changes of landscape diversity in wetland systems. However, its accuracy is affected by diversity index type and spatial scaling effects. Our findings provide a new perspective for the conservation and management of large-scale wetland landscape diversity.

Plant community succession can impact greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the soil by altering the soil carbon and nitrogen cycles. However, the effects of community landscape diversity on soil GHG emissions have rarely been fully understood. Therefore, this study investigated how plant landscape diversity, structure type, and species composition, affect soil GHG emissions in a riparian zone. Soil GHG emissions were assessed by measuring the air samples collected from four study sites, which have different plant community structure types and species compositions (natural sites with complex plants, landscaped sites with fruit trees and grasses, untended sites with ruderals, and farmland sites), using the static chamber method. Significant differences were observed in soil carbon dioxide (CO2; p < 0.001), nitrous oxide (N2O; p < 0.001), and methane (CH4; p = 0.005) emissions. The untended site with ruderals exhibited the highest CO2 emissions, while N2O emissions increased as plant community diversity decreased. All sites acted as sinks for CH4 emissions, with decreased CH4 uptake efficiency in more diverse plant communities. The Mantel test and variance partitioning analysis revealed soil microbial biomass as an indirect influencer of GHG emissions. This study could help predict soil GHG emissions and their global warming potential under future changes in the island riparian zones.

The article discusses the regional features of the natural components and landscape structure of the Makazhoy basin as a natural resource potential for the potential development of regenerative animal husbandry in the mountainous part of the Chechen Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability of agroecosystems depends on the ecosystem services, provided by beneficial organisms, such as the syrphids (Diptera: Syrphidae) acting as other‐insect predators and pollinators in different crops. In the case of olive groves, syrphids are predators of important pests and are endangered by the continuous intensification of agriculture, including landscape simplification. In this work, the effect of landscape structure on the abundance and species richness of syrphids in the olive agroecosystem of central Spain is assessed.Adult syrphids were sampled in 2015 and 2016 in the centre of circular areas of 15 olive grove landscapes (from 250 to 1500 m radius) representing a gradient of landscape complexity, in the province of Madrid, central Spain.The syrphid assemblage was made up of 57 species, although Eupeodes corollae, Eristalis tenax, Eristalis similis and Chrysotoxum intermedium made up 76% of the captures.Syrphid abundance and species richness were favoured in complex landscapes, with low olive grove area (CAO). Other landscape indices showed also this trend although their effect was not as strong and consistent as that of CAO. The area of scrublands (CAS) favoured syrphids in spring, but was unfavourable in autumn. The effect of Shannon's Evenness Index (SHEI) and mean shape index (MSI) was less consistent. The effect of CAO increased with increasing buffers radii, while the effect of CAS, SHEI and MSI was detected in general at smaller radii, indicating these indices affect different processes.Redundancy analysis (RDA) detected some differences between species regarding their abundance in spring versus autumn, and their relationship with landscape indices.This work provides new evidence that maintenance of complex landscapes is essential for maintaining functional biodiversity in the olive agroecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical swine fever (CSF) has been widespread among wild boars in Japan since the first outbreak in September 2018 after 26 years of absence. Although oral vaccination against CSF has been implemented, CSF infections are ongoing in the wild boar population. Therefore, increasing the effectiveness of oral vaccination in wild boars by distributing the vaccine in an environment where wild boars are likely to ingest the vaccine is necessary. This study aimed to investigate the landscape elements that facilitate the uptake of oral vaccines by wild boars. We used data from the oral vaccine campaign in Gunma and Tochigi prefectures in eastern Japan and analyzed the vaccine uptake rate and landscape structure at the vaccine distribution sites in two seasons. The uptake rate of the oral vaccine was significantly higher in the first season (Gunma: 41.5%, Tochigi: 37.1%) than in the second season (Gunma: 28.5%, Tochigi: 25.7%). We also found that broadleaf forest and bamboo woodland were negatively associated with vaccine uptake in Gumma Prefecture in the first and second seasons, respectively. These results indicate that vaccine uptake may be influenced by seasonal changes in wild boar food resources. Moreover, the results suggest that the uptake of oral vaccination may increase in environments with high landscape diversity, i.e., forest edge environments, which contain mainly forest elements and a small amount of cultivated land and city areas, whereas it may decrease in environments with mainly cultivated land and city areas and less forest elements due to the influence of human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Prolonged fire suppression in conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, California, USA, has led to ingrowth of conifer seedlings, converting the open heterogeneous structure into uniformly dense and layered forest. The threat of a stand‐replacing fire has increased because of fuel buildup in combination with rising drought and extreme heat frequency caused by climate change. With such high severity fire, there is also rising concern regarding conifer forest converting to shrublands as severe fire favors the establishment of large shrub patches altering landscape vegetation pattern and heterogeneity. However, a clear understanding of the effects of increased fire severity, size, and frequency on landscape‐scale heterogeneity and postfire patch dynamics is lacking, which is critical in implementing restoration and forest management activities. Our aim was to understand multiscale dynamics and spatial heterogeneity patterns of conifer forests and chaparral shrublands due to repeated mixed‐severity fire. Location: A mosaic of burned and unburned patches spanning the boundary of Lassen and Plumas National Forests, CA, USA. Methods: We used secondary geospatial landcover data classified by cover type before modern fires (1999) and after eight modern fires (2014). We calculated various landscape diversity and fragmentation metrics at patch and landscape scales using FRAGSTATS for comparison before and after fires. Results: At the fire severity patch scale, high‐severity fire reduced vegetation cover type heterogeneity by half, but reburning at low to moderate severity nearly doubled cover type heterogeneity. At the full landscape scale mixed‐severity fire, including all burn severities, increased vegetation cover type heterogeneity. Fragmentation indexes confirmed that fire created larger patches of shrub and fragmented patches of conifer forest. Conclusions: The effects of frequent large fire events on vegetation pattern and heterogeneity vary with the scale of analysis. Hence, heterogeneity and vegetation pattern change need to be evaluated at more than one scale to understand past and future ecological processes before prioritizing management actions for the conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern agriculture, especially monocultures, is increasingly blamed by proponents of agroecology for loss of biodiversity in agroecosystems through loss of natural vegetation and crop genetic diversity. However, loss of natural vegetation to agriculture has slowed in recent years, and the claim for 75% loss of crop genetic diversity due to the widespread use of improved crop varieties lacks evidence. The main objective of this perspective paper is to identify and analyze the kinds of diversity already developed by agricultural research in the context of their function, need and relevance to particular agroecological elements and principles related to biodiversity. The paper shows that biodiversity is already incorporated into agroecosystems in a multitude of ways such as improved crop varieties with functional traits; crop mixtures and dual-purpose crops in monocultures; inter-crops, strip crops or relay crops; cover crops; crop rotations; field margins; landscape diversification; crop-livestock systems; and agroforestry. Emphasis is also given to crop-associated biodiversity above ground and soil biodiversity. The paper highlights that more research is needed to (a) breed crops for multi-cropping systems; (b) improve understanding of how components of diversity interact within or across systems and scales; (c) understand the role of soil biodiversity in soil function; and (d) successfully use crop-associated biodiversity to manage pests and beneficial organisms. In the future, the promotion of agroecological principles should incorporate inputs from crop breeders, agronomists, ecologists and crop protectionists for the benefit of farmers, or such principles will remain aspirational. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invasive Halyomorpha halys is a serious pest for several fruit trees, causing millions of dollars of crop damage every year across the world's major fruit-growing regions. Once established in an orchard, H. halys quickly becomes the predominant stink bug species and is a major season-long pest. Annual increases in the population size of H. halys have resulted in increased pest pressure and a growing risk of severe crop damage. Reliable monitoring is indispensable for H. halys control and management, providing comprehensive information on the seasonality of pest population dynamics, abundance, and interaction with the environment, and is essential for the successful implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies to prevent crop damage. Our study followed the seasonal population dynamics of H. halys in three apple orchards in the Goriška region of western Slovenia over the period 2019–2021. Pherocon® Dual Panel Adhesive Traps (Trece Inc.) and pyramidal Rescue® Stink Bug Traps, both baited with Trécé lures (two-component H. halys aggregation pheromone + pheromone synergist), were used to monitor H. halys adults and nymphs weekly from late March to the end of November. Captures taken with both types of trap clearly describe the seasonal dynamics of H. halys, with the first occurrence of overwintering adults in April and May, and with two peak occurrences in adults, in the middle of summer and in the beginning of autumn, corresponding to the appearance of two generations per year in the study area. The growing trap captures observed during the 3-year monitoring period suggest that H. halys was only recently introduced to the area and that natural enemies have not yet been fully recruited. Pyramid traps captured significantly more adults and nymphs than clear sticky traps and provided accurate monitoring of H. halys life stages throughout the season. Regardless of the lower trap catches of adults and juveniles, clear sticky traps clearly displayed H. halys seasonal dynamics pattern. Therefore, their use is recommended as an early detection tool in areas where pests are not yet present, or in areas with small H. halys populations. Halyomorpha halys adult trap captures were higher in Šempeter orchards, within areas of great landscape diversity and a large share of urban land. The seasonal dynamics of H. halys over the 3-year period were closely related to weather conditions, with temperature and relative humidity as the major factors affecting population growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmentally sustainable insect pest control products, such as microbial biopesticides, are increasingly replacing chemical pesticides for crop protection. Most insecticide resistance management deals with chemical insecticides and transgenic crops, and was not designed to tackle resistance to microbial biopesticides containing living pathogens. The unique properties of host–parasite interactions offer novel opportunities to proactively manage the risk of pests evolving biopesticide resistance. Genotype-by-environment interactions (GEIs) can have especially large effects on pathogen resistance: resistance allele fitness depends on many aspects of the host environment. By encouraging landscape-wide crop heterogeneity and by diversifying the biopesticides available to farmers, we can exploit GEIs to minimize resistance risks and preserve biopesticide efficacy. Microbial biopesticides containing living parasites are valuable emerging crop protection technologies against insect pests, but they are vulnerable to resistance evolution. Fortunately, the fitness of alleles that provide resistance, including to parasites used in biopesticides, frequently depends on parasite identity and environmental conditions. This context-specificity suggests a sustainable approach to biopesticide resistance management through landscape diversification. To mitigate resistance risks, we advocate increasing the range of biopesticides available to farmers, whilst simultaneously encouraging other aspects of landscape-wide crop heterogeneity that can generate variable selection on resistance alleles. This approach requires agricultural stakeholders to prioritize diversity as well as efficiency, both within agricultural landscapes and the biocontrol marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the assessment of landscape diversity and biodiversity in a projected tourist-recreational territory. Bolshaya Belokurikha, located at the junction of the Altai plains and mountains, is used as a case study to illustrate the significance of these factors. The study area covers a 40 km section from Makaryevka to Krasny Gorodok villages, which attracts more than 250 thousand tourists annually due to its favorable climatic conditions and landscape diversity. The authors use modern methods, including mathematical modeling and spatial data analysis, to develop a GIS model of landscape diversity using the Shannon method of numerical entropy estimation. The model is presented as an isolinear map for cartographic visualization. The authors emphasize the importance of natural and ecological elements in the tourist frame of the projected area. They also propose considering landscape diversity as a stimulating factor for tourism development and as a basis for sustainable development of tourist territories in a two-level design, which includes the tourist-recreational complex and tourist area. To efficiently use the potential of the territory and ensure maximum preservation of existing landscapes, the authors suggest using constructed maps and GIS models of landscape diversity and biodiversity as a basis for functional zoning of the territory. This approach would help identify areas suitable for tourist development while also preserving the flora and fauna species diversity. Overall, the article provides a comprehensive approach to the sustainable development of tourist-recreational territories. By using modern methods and GIS models, the authors demonstrate how landscape diversity and biodiversity can be integrated into the planning and management of tourist areas, leading to a more sustainable and responsible approach to tourism development.

The general aim is to assess the landscape diversity and the ecological value of a multifunctional and diversified farm in an Italian inner area. The study was carried out in the context of the national DEMETRA research project, aimed at developing and implementing integrated and multifunctional agricultural production systems with a high degree of diversification and sustainability. For landscape context analysis, detailed land cover maps were produced and the composition and spatial configuration of the agricultural and natural landscape were quantified and evaluated. Moreover, using the i-Tree canopy software for rural areas, three ecosystem services were estimated. The results revealed a great diversity of land cover and use types, a small to medium size of the cultivated plots, and frequent contacts of cultivated areas with forest and semi-natural areas. This rural landscape supported the provision of numerous ecosystem services that resulted in a positive buffer effect for the quality of air, water and soil, ensuring great annual carbon sequestration, atmospheric pollution reduction, and consistently avoided runoff. Results highlighted the high ecological value of organic and multifunctional farms in inner areas and their contribution to face the environmental and food production challenges driven by global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessments of the ecological health of algal assemblages in streams typically focus on measures of their local diversity and classify individuals by morphotaxonomy. Such assemblages are often connected through various ecological processes, such as dispersal, and may be more accurately assessed as components of regional‐, rather than local‐scale assemblages. With recent declines in the costs of sequencing and computation, it has also become increasingly feasible to use metabarcoding to more accurately classify algal species and perform regional‐scale bioassessments. Recently, zeta diversity has been explored as a novel method of constructing regional bioassessments for groups of streams. Here, we model the use of zeta diversity to investigate whether stream health can be determined by the landscape diversity of algal assemblages. We also compare the use of DNA metabarcoding and morphotaxonomy classifications in these zeta diversity‐based bioassessments of regional stream health. From 96 stream samples in California, we used various orders of zeta diversity to construct models of biotic integrity for multiple assemblages of diatoms, as well as hybrid assemblages of diatoms in combination with soft‐bodied algae, using taxonomy data generated with both DNA sequencing as well as traditional morphotaxonomic approaches. We compared our ability to evaluate the ecological health of streams with the performance of multiple algal indices of biological condition. Our zeta diversity‐based models of regional biotic integrity were more strongly correlated with existing indices for algal assemblages classified using metabarcoding compared to morphotaxonomy. Metabarcoding for diatoms and hybrid algal assemblages involved rbcL and 18S V9 primers, respectively. Importantly, we also found that these algal assemblages, independent of the classification method, are more likely to be assembled under a process of niche differentiation rather than stochastically. Taken together, these results suggest the potential for zeta diversity patterns of algal assemblages classified using metabarcoding to inform stream bioassessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Southern Europe, the abandonment of the traditional transhumant system where sheep graze lowland areas during winter and distant mountain systems during summer has led to an important cultural loss and still poorly understood ecological consequences. We investigate the landscape-scale implications of contemporary sheep grazing patterns in a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). Our analysis showed a heterogeneous use of mountain grazing areas between 1990 and 2020. The areas most used by sheep had more abundance of pasture, fewer forests, and structurally different landscapes than those that had been fully abandoned by sheep. Likewise, we have detected decreasing trends in landscape diversity in those areas not used by sheep over the study period, whereas landscape heterogeneity is maintained in those areas grazed by sheep. Our study constitutes an original analysis of landscape patterns and shifts in relation to extensive sheep grazing by using novel approaches that combine interviews, updated satellite time series, and state-of-the-art landscape analysis techniques. Likewise, our results constitute a benchmark as they inform on the importance of preserving extensive sheep grazing if we aim to maintain the cultural heritage, and traditional diverse landscape and the semi-natural grasslands in the Mountains of León. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscape diversity index (LDI) is an important level in biodiversity conservation, and its scale dependence has an important role in regional landscape planning and biological conservation. The aim of this study is to analyze in depth the effects of spatial scale changes in the classification of different landscape components on LDI and to explore the thresholds of LDI. The classification of landscape components was accomplished in the ArcMap environment using fusion and merging tools, and the LDI thresholds and scale changes were quantitatively assessed by LDI values. The results show that there are differences in LDI values for different classifications, and the threshold for LDI without considering scale changes can be interpreted as: 0.4215 ≤ LDI ≤ 1.9754. The grain sizes suitable for landscape diversity analysis are 160m and 1280 m, and the effective amplitude range of the I, II and III land type is 9~31 km, while the effective amplitude of three land use types is 20∼31 km, relatively lagging behind. However, when considering amplitude changes, the LDI threshold can be interpreted as 0.3027 ≤ LDI ≤ 2.0947, which is suitable for large-scale regional landscape diversity studies when the grain size is large. In conclusion, the essence of landscape diversity change with scale is caused by changes in the number and area of landscape components, and the threshold analysis should not only take into account the grain size and amplitude, but also consider the landscape background of the study area.

As a typical type of landscape in Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, grassland has been deeply disturbed by the flooding process. However, how the vegetation landscape diversity responds to the flooding process of Poyang Lake remains unclear. In this paper, we randomly selected 10 grasslands in the period of a normal water level from 2010 to 2019 to study the coupling relationship between the vegetation landscape diversity and flooding process, and established the related models based on the island biogeography theory. The results are as follows. (1) There is a positive correlation between the grassland vegetation landscape diversity and grassland area, the best fitting model is the logarithmic function. (2) Using the general dynamic model of island biogeography as a reference, the model of diversity–area–flooding established by using the area of grassland and duration as predictor variables has the highest goodness-of-fit. (3) If grassland was flooded for 120–130 days and the maximum depth of flooding is not more than 2.5 m every year, the vegetation landscape diversity in grasslands will be the highest. The findings have provided an extension to the study of the response of vegetation to flooding processes, and provide a certain theoretical basis for the protection and management of the Poyang Lake ecosystem. HIGHLIGHTS The vegetation landscape diversity is positively correlated with the grassland area in Poyang Lake, China. The island biogeography theory can well explain the vegetation landscape diversity.; Flooding duration affects the vegetation landscape diversity more than maximum depth.; When the grassland is flooded for 120–130 days and the flooding depth does not exceed 2.5 m, the vegetation landscape diversity will be the highest.;

Several time‐series analyses have demonstrated that after extreme summer drought bark beetle damage increased. However, studies predicting stand susceptibility over large spatial extents are limited by technical constraints in obtaining detailed, spatially‐explicit data on infestation spot occurrence.Using a unique dataset of georeferenced bark beetle infestation data, we tested whether the spatial variation of local growing conditions of forest stands, topography, and landscape variables modified the local occurrence of Ips typographus infestations after a severe hot drought in Central Europe.Bark beetle infestation occurrence depended on soil‐related aridity intensity, elevation, slope, and soil conditions. We showed that elevation interacted with growing conditions and topography. At low elevations, spruce forests growing on flat areas and wetter soils were more sensitive to the infestations. On the contrary, forests on steep slopes and soils with low water availability were rarely attacked. At the landscape scale, bark beetle damage increased with host tree cover but decreased with compositional diversity.Our findings are generally consistent with the growth‐differentiation balance hypothesis that predicts that trees growing under chronic dry conditions tend to be more resistant against biotic disturbances.Spruce stands at low elevations located in homogeneous landscapes dominated by spruce were those more exposed to bark beetles in the initial phase of a drought‐induced outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Manipulating crop diversity in the landscape has been suggested as a promising management option to enhance biocontrol but how crop diversity independently of other important aspects of landscape structure affects predator and pest abundances remain largely unexplored. Objectives: Our study assessed the relative and interactive effects of crop composition and configuration on aphids and their generalist predators, i.e. ladybirds, spiders and lacewings. Methods: We sampled arthropods in 47 cotton fields and 21 wheat fields in Hebei, China, located along three landscape gradients: crop diversity (Shannon diversity of crops ranging from 0.27 to 1.32 corresponding to a crop richness varying from 2 to 7 different crops), crop configurational (crop edge density varying from 0.0012 m/ha to 0.066 m/ha) and proportion of semi-natural habitats (varying from 0.5% to 56%). Results: Crop diversity never had any effect on arthropod communities and we found no effect of the proportion of semi-natural habitats on natural enemies' abundances. Aphid abundance was positively correlated with the proportion of semi-natural habitats both in cotton and wheat fields. Lacewing abundance benefited from configurational heterogeneity as abundances increased with crop edge density. Conclusions: Our result provide evidence that crop diversity is probably not the best management option to enhance biocontrol of aphids in Chinese landscapes and confirms that the amount of semi-natural habitats in the landscape is a critical aspect shaping arthropod communities. It also indicates that manipulating crop edge density by promoting agricultural landscapes with small field size for instance can benefit natural enemies of crop pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the basic theories of biodiversity conservation, island biogeography has been widely accepted in the past decades. Originally, island biogeography was put forward and applied in oceanic environments. But later on, it was found out that the application was not only limited to oceanic islands, but also in terrestrial environments with relatively isolated conditions. In terms of biodiversity level, island biogeography generally focuses on a small scale, such as species diversity and genetic diversity. The studies of biodiversity on a large-scale based on island biogeography, such as ecosystem and landscape scales, were seldomly conducted. Taking Poyang Lake, the largest fresh water lake in China as case study area, 30 grasslands were randomly selected to study whether island biogeography can be applied to grasslands at a landscape level from three island attributes (area, distance and shape), and the most important ecological variable (flooding) in Poyang Lake. The results showed that in general, grasslands have the property of an island, and follow the basic principle of island biogeography. We found the area and flooding duration were the two most important determinants of landscape diversity. There was a significant positive correlation between the grassland area and the landscape diversity, which could be well expressed by logarithmic function model (R² = 0.73). There was a negative correlation between flooding duration and landscape diversity, which could be described by an inverse model (R² = 0.206). The distance to mainland and the shape of grassland were correlated with landscape diversity, but the fitting result of the models was not as good as expected. The possible reason could be that Poyang Lake is a seasonal lake, the water level varies with hydrological conditions, so that the grasslands are not strongly isolated and their shape is not stable enough required by island biogeography. Furthermore, it indicates that besides area, distance and shape attributes, flooding strongly affects the biodiversity of grassland vegetation, and should not be ignored when applying island biogeography theory to Poyang Lake. This study is expected to be a supplement for island biogeography in terrestrial environments, and the results are expected to benefit for the biodiversity conservation in Poyang Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimation of urban irrigation water requirements has often been approached from an agricultural perspective. This approach is flawed, as the intention of estimating agricultural water is to optimize yield. Recent studies have reported that urban irrigation systems waste about 34% of water, an alarming number for arid cities. The intention for urban irrigation is complex and dependent on the microclimates created by the development of the landscape. In this paper, we investigate the role of the urban landscape on the irrigation water requirements in arid cities. The role of the landscape in determining the irrigation water requirements is examined through the changes in surface-heat energy exchanges. The effects of landscapes are examined through land use change, buildings' geometry and orientation, and vegetation types. The irrigation water requirement is assessed as the function of urban evapotranspiration and irrigation efficiency. The development of land use characteristics includes the transition from undeveloped (natural) surfaces to residential, commercial, road surfaces, or vegetated surfaces. The orientation and geometry of the streets are assessed by changes in sky view factor values due to building geometry. Three landscapes varying in vegetation type and water use are investigated. The study focuses on understanding the heat exchanges and their effects on irrigation water requirements in arid climates. Two major cities were studied: Las Vegas Valley and Phoenix metropolitan. The study concludes that the development of hardscapes, including commercial and road infrastructures, increases the overall surface temperature by 2 °C per unit change in albedo, thereby increasing evapotranspiration and urban irrigation water requirement. In addition, landscape diversity also plays a crucial role in changing the irrigation water requirement. This study highlights the importance of making development decisions in urban settings and their effects on water resources. It also contributes by providing the major factors changing the urban irrigation requirement. The study can help urban water managers and climatologists to develop improved urban irrigation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To determine the recreational potential of the regional landscape park "Murafa" and to develop an algorithm of actions to increase its suitability for health, recreation and tourism. Methods. Field, cartographic, statistical, system, analytical. Results. It was determined that for the improvement and development of the functional-spatial network of objects and territories of the Eastern Podillia nature reserve fund, the existing four regional landscape parks "Murafa", "Dniester", "Middle Pobuzhya" and "Nemyrivske Pobuzhzhya" can serve as "recreational core", they make up 0.69% of the total area of the region and 30.2% of the total area of its natural reserve fund. The orographic, climatic, hydrological, landscape and aesthetic conditions were analyzed, as well as the level of accessibility of the RLP "Murafa" for the population and the development of transport and recreational infrastructure, the recreational potential of the territory was calculated. It was established that it is at the level of 57% - the potential of an average level for recreation. Conclusions. For the full scale development of recreational activities on the territory of the RLP "Murafa", it is necessary to take into account the organization of tourist and recreational activities, as well as the protection of natural and cultural values that complement active recreation. It is necessary to take a set of measures to prevent and reduce the anthropogenic pressure on the components of the environment and various types of ecosystems.

The increasing number of visitors and conflicts resulting from shared use in valorising sensitive wetlands make effective visitor and site management measures essential. In the course of this research, the landscape pattern, the current spatial distribution of tourist activities and the possible arrangement of expedient further development were examined. The study area, Lake Tisza, is an artificial lowland reservoir established in the 1970s with an area of 127 km2 in Hungary. Among its original functions, in addition to flood control, nature conservation and recreation have become the main profiles. The diverse hydro-ecological features and mosaic landscape structure allow for nature conservation and utilisation in tourism. This differentiated use is in line with the worldwide trend of favouring locations with multiple leisure activities in close proximity to each other. Based on the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) 2018 database, 12 different land use categories were identified in the study area. The largest proportion is represented by water bodies (53.29%), while inland marshes and broad-leaved forests cover 22.25% and 16.64%, respectively. The heterogeneity of the area is considerably enhanced by the high patch sizes of the categories pastures, broad-leaved forests and inland marshes. According to the Shannon diversity index, the most complex landscape diversity can be found in the Tiszavalk (1.5) and Poroszló (1.4) basins, considered to be the most suitable for ecotourism, while the lower values of the Sarud (1.1) and Abadszalók (1.1) basins provide suitable conditions for water sport activities and recreational tourism. Continuous adaptation to social needs and the joint protection of natural values is crucial for the sustainable development of Lake Tisza.

Biodiversity loss is a pressing challenge. This is particularly so in regions where the pressure on ecosystems is high such as in the Sahel region. This pressure is due, inter alia, to different land uses such as pastoralism. In this context, the present systematic review analyses the state of research on the nexus between pastoralism and biodiversity in West Africa. In particular, it explores the relationships between pastoralism (cf. agro-pastoralism, sylvo-pastoralism, agro-sylvo-pastoralism), on the one hand, and plant diversity, animal diversity, and ecosystem diversity, on the other hand. The paper also analyses the bibliometrics of the research field. A search performed in March 2021 on the Web of Science yielded 205 documents and 73 of them were included in the systematic review. The bibliometric analysis suggests an increasing interest in the research field, especially in Burkina Faso and Benin, but also the weakness of the domestic research system as a large share of the selected documents is authored by researchers based outside West Africa. In general, the scholarly literature shows a negative impact of pastoralism on plant diversity (cf. richness, abundance, composition) and animal diversity (cf. wild herbivorous mammals, predators, birds, insects) in West Africa. However, the literature analysis suggests that the effects of pastoralism are rather mixed. They are context-specific and depend on many factors such as grazing intensity and livestock species. The effects on plant diversity differ between woody (trees and shrubs) and herbaceous species. There is a general trend towards the erosion of indigenous livestock genetic diversity due to uncontrolled mating and cross-breeding. The impacts of pastoralism on ecosystem diversity are mainly due to changes in land use and habitat fragmentation. Further multi-country, comparative studies are needed to better qualify the interactions, complementarities and possible conflicts between the different pastoralism-related land uses and biodiversity conservation in West Africa.

The relevance of the study of landscape diversity has become one of the current directions of modern geographical research, allowing to obtain new scientific and practical results in the field of nature management and environmental protection. A comprehensive study and assessment of the diversity of the landscapes of the region is due to the increasing anthropogenic impact on its natural environment. The transformation of natural landscapes in the study area is associated with the raw materials orientation of its economy. As a consequence of the development, we have a wide variety of degrees and types of modifications of natural geosystems. The main results of the assessment of the landscape diversity of the territory of the Tobol river basin within the Kostanay region, performed using GIS, are presented. Landscape diversity evaluation performed using series of landscape diversity indices: uniqueness, relative wealth, landscape mosaic, landscape complexity, landscape fragmentation and the entropy measure of the complexity of landscape drawing (The Shannon index). The factors that determine the landscape diversity of the study region are considered. The results of cartographic analysis of the landscape diversity of the region are presented. A map of the landscape diversity of the territory of the Tobol River basin within the Kostanay region according to the Shannon diversity index has been compiled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing environmental change affects pest populations, migration, and propensity to damage crops, but the responses to climatic drivers could vary among newly invasive and already naturalized closely related species. To compare these responses of a newly invasive aphid, Metopolophium festucae cerealium (Stroyan), with its naturalized congeneric [ M. dirhodum (Walker)] and confamilial [ Sitobian avenae (Fab.)], we conducted annual surveys over four years across a total of 141 winter wheat fields in the inland Pacific Northwest, USA. Key climatic factors (cumulative precipitation for each calendar year to sampling date, cumulative degree days), landscape factors (proportion of wheat and landscape diversity within the sample year), and Julian day were calculated for each sampling event, and aphid abundance by species, total aphid abundance, overall species richness, diversity, and aphid community composition were assessed. Metopolophium f. cerealium , the second most abundant species, was positively associated with precipitation, suggesting a projected increase in precipitation in winter and spring in the region could favor its establishment and expansion. Although M. dirhodum and S. avenae linearly (positively) associated with temperature, M. f. cerealium did not, indicating that continued warming may be detrimental to the species. Despite the weak impacts of landscape factors, our study indicated that more wheat generally facilitates cereal aphid abundance. Metopolophium f. cerealium abundance tended to be higher in earlier (May/early June vs. late June/July) samples when wheat crop could be vulnerable to aphid feeding. This study suggests that the new presence of M. f. cerealium has important pest management implications in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) includes important predatory natural enemies in agricultural crops. To survive, this group uses different occurring resources across the landscape; therefore, the landscape can influence the Coccinellidae community in agroecosystems. In this context, this work aims to evaluate the response of the Coccinellidae community to the landscape context within a gradient of distances from vineyards managed under sustainable production methods. For that, Coccinellidae were sampled in thirty-five vineyards distributed by six wine Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) regions of Portugal, and landscape metrics—composition and configuration—were calculated in a 2000 m, 1500 m, 1000 m, 750 m, and 500 m buffers around the vineyards. Then, Coccinellidae species were identified, and the response of the Coccinellidae to the landscape metrics was analyzed. In total, 326 Coccinellidae from 21 species were collected. The most abundant species were Scymnus apetzi, Scymnus interruptus, Scymnus subvillosus, Coccinella septempunctata, and Stethorus pusillus, which together represented 83.4% of the total collected individuals. Most specimens were concentrated in July and at the vegetation cover. Results from the statistical analysis (Generalized Linear Mixed Models) indicated that the presence of seminatural habitat surrounding the crop may favor Coccinellidae, while habitat fragmentation seems detrimental for them. The potential relevance of the identified Coccinellidae for pest control in vineyards is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Plant diversity can sometimes determine the distribution of pests in ecosystems, but the effects of plant diversity at local and landscape scales on the occurrence of pests on novel marginal hosts are still unknown. Objectives: We explored the direct effects of plant diversity at local and landscape scales on the colonization of the marginal host walnut by Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Methods: We surveyed and compared the occurrence (and damage) of H. armigera in walnut orchards embedded in simple vs. diverse landscapes, and with weeds or without weed cover. The surrounding landscape composition and weed communities in walnut orchards were also investigated to shed light on the mechanisms driving H. armigera responses. Results: Diverse landscapes were associated with lower densities of overwintering adult H. armigera, first generation eggs and larvae, as well as with lower infestation rates of walnut fruits. Weed presence in walnut orchards had no significant effects on the abundance of H. armigera adults or eggs, but was associated with higher larvae densities in orchards, in both simple and diverse landscapes. The effect of within-orchard weed cover on larvae was stronger in diverse landscapes. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that landscape composition coupled with local orchard ground cover vegetation mediated the occurrence of H. armigera on a marginal host walnut. Monoculture production increases walnut's exposure to the pest and may accelerate its evolutionary adaptation to this poor host; weed cover in individual orchards may increase larval density by providing floral resources for adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]