Abstracts, Reviews, and Meetings

To develop the following abstracts, the editorial staff searches more than 100 scientific journals, professional and organizational newsletters, conference proceedings, and other resources for information relevant to ecological restoration practice and research. Please send suggested abstract sources to the editorial staff (ERjournal@aesop.rutgers.edu).

Grasslands

Determinants of Actual Functional Connectivity for Calcareous Grassland Communities Linked by Rotational Sheep Grazing. 2012. Rico, Y. (Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L, Canada, yessica.rico@utoronto.ca), H.J. Boehmer, and H.H. Wagner. Landscape Ecology 27(2):199-209.

Maintenance of genetic diversity in plants relies heavily on the dispersal capabilities of pollen and seeds. In fragmented landscapes, connectivity is often modeled as a function of the distance between patches. However, consideration of both alternate dispersal vectors, as well as pre- and post-dispersal processes, may increase model accuracy. In this paper, Rico and colleagues test alternative connectivity models of calcareous grasslands with differing assumptions of source patch effects ( patch area and species occupancy) and dispersal (distance among patches, matrix composition, sheep grazing routes). The best model combined distance along sheep grazing routes including consistently grazed patches with mean species occupancy as a proxy for pre-dispersal effects. Patch colonization rates depended on connectivity and post-dispersal processes. The study demonstrates that functional connectivity of calcareous grasslands cannot be determined by physical distance alone.

Which Plant Traits Predict Species Loss in Calcareous Grasslands with Extinction Debt? 2012. Saar, L. (Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, 51005 Tartu, Estonia, liina.saar@ut.ee), K. Takkis, M. Partel, and A. Helm. Diversity and Distributions 18(8):808-817.

Habitat loss and fragmentation can result in the extinction of habitat characteristic species; however, in many cases there is a delayed response between environmental changes and population decline, leading to extinction debt. Saar and colleagues compared the historic and current species composition in highly fragmented grasslands to characterize the species that constitute extinction debt. The authors correlated 11 life history traits and habitat preferences to local extinctions in grasslands where extinction debt has been paid. They discovered that their study sites have lost 90% of their total area and 30% of their characteristic plant populations over the past 90 yr. The traits largely contributing to local extinction were shorter life span, self-pollination, lack of clonal growth, fewer seeds per shoot, lower average height, lower soil nitrogen preferences, and higher light requirements. Wind dispersal, low seed weight, and low terminal velocity of seeds were also factors. These results can help to identify at-risk species in grasslands where extinction debt has not yet been paid.

Woodlands

Between Ecological Theory and Planning Practice: (Re-)Connecting Forest Patches for the Wildcat in Lower Saxony, Germany. 2012. Klar, N. (UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Department of Ecological Modelling (OESA), Permoserstr 15, D-04318 Leipzig, Germany, ninaklar@gmx.de), M. Herrmann, M. Henning-Hahn, B. Pott-Dorfer, H. Hofer, and S. Kramer-Schadt. Landscape and Urban Planning 105(4):376-384.

The health of the wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Germany is threatened by habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic barriers to movement. Using statistical habitat selection models and least-cost analyses, Klar and colleagues developed a corridor plan to reconnect fragmented wildcat habitat patches through Lower Saxony, Germany. Their analysis, based on a combination of >800 wildcat sightings and road kills, identified 9500 km² of suitable habitat and highlighted locations where corridors may be most effective. The authors call for improved land use plans to manage suitable wildcat habitat and suggest ways of optimizing corridor establishment.

Potential Habitat Connectivity of European Bison (Bison bonasus) in the Carpathians. 2012. Ziolkowska, E. (Department of GIS, Cartography and Remote Sensing, Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland, eziolkowska@gis.geo.uj.edu.pl), K. Ostapowicz, T. Kuemmerle, K. Perzanowski, V. Radeloff, and J. Kozak. Biological Conservation 146(1):188-196.

The European bison (Bison bonasus) is a species that occurs in small, isolated populations, making connectivity an essential component for its persistence. Ziolkowska and colleagues used an existing habitat suitability map...