Integrating demography and distribution modeling for the iconic <i>Leontopodium alpinum</i> Colm. in the Romanian Carpathians.

Both climate change and human exploitation are major threats to plant life in mountain environments. One species that may be particularly sensitive to both of these stressors is the iconic alpine flower edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum Colm.). Its populations have declined across Europe due to over-collection for its highly prized flowers. Edelweiss is still subject to harvesting across the Romanian Carpathians, but no study has measured to what extent populations are vulnerable to anthropogenic change.Here, we estimated the effects of climate and human disturbance on the fitness of edelweiss. We combined demographic measurements with predictions of future range distribution under climate change to assess the viability of populations across Romania.We found that per capita and per-area seed number and seed mass were similarly promoted by both favorable environmental conditions, represented by rugged landscapes with relatively cold winters and wet summers, and reduced exposure to harvesting, represented by the distance of plants from hiking trails. Modeling these responses under future climate scenarios suggested a slight increase in per-area fitness. However, we found plant ranges contracted by between 14% and 35% by 2050, with plants pushed into high elevation sites.Synthesis. Both total seed number and seed mass are expected to decline across Romania despite individual edelweiss fitness benefiting from a warmer and wetter climate. More generally, our approach of coupling species distribution models with demographic measurements may better inform conservation strategies of ways to protect alpine life in a changing world

Plant and bird communities at Phoenix valley

南投縣鹿谷鄉鳳凰谷地區植物茂盛, 野生鳥類眾多。本研究係就鳳凰谷地區生育地環 境概況、植物組成、野鳥種類及季節性變化, 飼養鳥籠之植栽, 生蛋月份及死亡率等 進行調查與探討。所得結果摘述如下: 1.鳳凰谷地區的維管束植物, 初步調查共計116 科376 種。以大戟科與樟科、菊科最 多。 2.本地區樹姿優美而能適應低海拔之鄉土植物, 在喬木有烏心石、南投黃肉楠、瓊楠 、五掌楠、牛樟、香桂、鳳凰山茶、大頭茶、重陽木、烏 、青剛櫟、九丁榕、青楓 、黃蓮木、黃杞、鵝掌柴、烏皮九芎等; 灌木有華八仙、野牡丹、山煙草、硃砂根、 通草、銳葉柃木、小葉桑、燈稱花、密毛冬青、水雞油、通條樹、十大功勞、台灣莢 等; 草木則有普剌特草、油點草、倒地蜈蚣、五節芒等。 3.鳳凰谷地區的野生鳥類, 初步調查共計有21科57種。以畫眉科與鶇科最多。其中以 大冠 、藍腹鷴、翡翠、五色鳥、巨嘴鴉、紅山椒鳥、紅嘴黑鴨、紫嘯鶇、鉛色水鶇 、白鶺鴒等10種較具特色。 4.由於冬候鳥加入以及高海拔鳥類往低海拔移棲避寒覓食, 鳳凰谷地區鳥類從九月到 第二年四月種類最多, 從五月起鳥類開始減少, 到七、八月種類最少。 5.野生鳥類從四月起開始有築巢行為, 一直到七月還可發現; 飼養鳥類在鳥籠中二月 底即有築巢行為, 一直延續到八月底。飼養鳥類從三月上旬還可以發現生蛋行為, 其 中以三、四、五、六四個月最多。 6.本地區可提供野生鳥類花蜜、果實或種子等食物的植物有冇骨消、監膚木、百香果 、木瓜、九丁榕、月橘、土蜜樹、蓮霧、小葉桑、構樹、桃、山黃麻、茄苳、樟樹、 朴樹、長果縣鉤子、番石榴、硃砂根、紅果苔、五節芒、龍葵、姑婆芋、長梗紫麻、 山櫻等