The Response of Aquatic Invertebrates to the Removal of the Invasive Prussian Carps in the Muumilampi Pond

Non peer reviewe

Water Mites: Beauty and Pest

A mini-review about water mites parasitising on aquatic water beetles (Coleoptera)

Jakomäki-Vaarala and Fazerila Wetlands

The Jakomäki-Vaarala wetland group and the Fazerila pond were studied in the summer 2017. The Fazerilanplotti had the most diverse invertebrate fauna (Table 3), while the Sydänlampi had the most diverse vertebrate fauna (Table 2). The smooth newts were found in the Twin-Länsi, Twin-Itä, and the Fazerilanplotti (Table 2). The biodiversity value of the Fazerilanplotti should be protected. The Jakomäki-Vaarala wetlands can be developed in different directions. The Vaaralanlampi and probably also the Sydänlampi can be developed for recreation, while the Twin ponds developed for their biodiversity values

Diving beetle (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) community dissimilarity reveals how low landscape connectivity restricts the ecological value of urban ponds.

Context: Structural and functional connectivity, as subconcepts of landscape connectivity, are key factors in biodiversity conservation and management. Previous studies have focused on the consequences of connectivity for populations of terrestrial organisms, which may not be appropriate for aquatic organisms. Objectives: As landscape connectivity critically affects the potential value of ponds for biodiversity, here we used diving beetles (Dytiscidae), an indicator taxon of wetland biodiversity, to investigate how structural connectivity affects functional connectivity to aquatic invertebrates in an urban landscape. Methods: We assessed pairwise similarities of dytiscid community, i.e. the variation of species composition between clustered and isolated ponds in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. We investigated how dytiscid community similarity is affected by Euclidean distances between ponds, as an indicator of structural connectivity. Results: We found that clustered ponds shared more species than isolated ponds. Dytiscid species community similarity responded negatively to increasing Euclidean distance between ponds. Effectively dispersing species were widely distributed across the landscape, while poor dispersers were scarcely distributed in the same landscape. Conclusions: Structural connectivity determines which species are able to disperse successfully, with poor dispersers restricted to well-connected ponds. The different responses of effective dispersers and poor dispersers to the same structural connectivity indicate that functional connectivity determines species composition. We recommend providing well-connected aquatic habitats in urban landscapes and the implementation of measures to reduce isolation of wetland assemblages. Even clustered ponds need dispersal from other habitats to ensure their contribution to urban biodiversity.Peer reviewe

Seeking criteria for biodiversity roofs under Finnish conditions

Urbanisation has caused many environmental problems, such as air pollution and the loss of biodiversity. One way to mitigate these problems is to expand green spaces. Roofs, as the last frontier, could be made full use of. Green roofs have become a hot topic in recent years. In this study, I investigated the ability of green roofs to support urban biodiversity by conducting a literature review, and then I sought the criteria for biodiversity roofs under Finnish conditions by interviewing ecologists. My research questions in this study were 1) What kinds of habitats could be 'ideal ecosystems' to be mimicked on biodiversity roofs in Finland; 2) which plant species could exist on roofs and whether they contribute to biodiversity; 3) what kinds of substrates support the biodiversity on roofs; 4) whether green roofs support faunal diversity and what faunal taxa could exist on roofs; 5) if and how roof structural characteristics influence roof biodiversity; 6) what kinds of management are practiced on biodiversity roofs; 7) what are people s attitudes towards or perceptions of biodiversity roofs in general. In this study, I conduct that 1) Sunny dry habitats, such as meadows and tundra, can be regarded as 'model ecosystems' for biodiversity roofs in the Finnish context. 2) Substrate heterogeneity is a key to biodiversity on green roofs. Different materials and different combinations of materials could be applied on the same roof to mimic diverse types of soil types in the most biodiverse Finnish ecosystems. 3) Native species from the model ecosystems are ideal plants for biodiversity roofs. Combining multiple greening methods on the same roof can be a solution to achieve 'instant greening effects' with only native species. 4) An ideal biodiversity roof in the Finnish context could support birds, bats, and invertebrates, such as spiders. To attract and support fauna, a roof needs a diverse plant community, as well as extra elements, such as deadwood. 5) Roof structural characteristics (i.e. roof height, size, slope, direction, location, and age) impact biodiversity by determining the accessibility to and the dispersal of flora and fauna, as well as microclimates on roofs. 6) Management, such as irrigation, might help biodiversity at least for newly established biodiversity roofs, but biodiversity roofs aim at being self-sustaining eventually. 7) People have generally positive attitudes towards green roofs, but their willingness to actually install a biodiversity roof is influenced by other issues, such as the financial cost and roof safety

Microhabitats with emergent plants counterbalance the negative effects of fish presence on diving beetle (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) diversity in urban ponds

Aquatic plants are important prey refuges for aquatic organisms, and their species richness is positively related with aquatic invertebrate species richness. Yet, it is unclear how the quantity of refuges, i.e. aquatic vegetation cover, affect aquatic invertebrate assemblages and their habitat use under different levels of predation risk (e.g. in the presence or absence of fish), nor at different scales (i.e. microhabitat and pond scales). Here, we investigated how provision of refuges affects diving beetle (Dytiscidae) species richness and abundance in the presence and absence of fish predators. We sampled diving beetles (Dytiscidae) with 1-L activity traps and estimated emergent plant cover at both the pond and microhabitat scales. We found that plant cover affected dytiscid populations differently: At the pond scale, dytiscid presence was positively correlated with increasing plant cover, both with and without fish, indicating the importance of emergent plants for aquatic biodiversity. At the microhabitat scale, dytiscid species richness and abundance were positively correlated with increasing plant cover in ponds with fish, but there was no such relationship in ponds without fish, emphasizing that the level of predation risk can alter prey species’ use of prey refuges. Our findings provide evidence that the availability of both vegetated and non-vegetated microhabitats can benefit aquatic invertebrates. We suggest maintaining variation in the provision of emergent plant cover, to retain high habitat heterogeneity in urban ponds and to enhance freshwater biodiversity.Peer reviewe

Jakomäki-Vaarala and Fazerila Wetlands

The Jakomäki-Vaarala wetland group and the Fazerila pond were studied in the summer 2017. The Fazerilanplotti had the most diverse invertebrate fauna (Table 3), while the Sydänlampi had the most diverse vertebrate fauna (Table 2). The smooth newts were found in the Twin-Länsi, Twin-Itä, and the Fazerilanplotti (Table 2). The biodiversity value of the Fazerilanplotti should be protected. The Jakomäki-Vaarala wetlands can be developed in different directions. The Vaaralanlampi and probably also the Sydänlampi can be developed for recreation, while the Twin ponds developed for their biodiversity values

Beaver actions facilitate other mammals

Peer reviewe