The Distribution of Lianas and Their Change in Abundance in Temperate Forests Over the Past 45 Years

Lianas (woody vines) are an important and dynamic component of many forests throughout the world, and increases in CO2, mean winter temperature, and forest fragmentation may promote their growth and proliferation in temperate forests. In this study, we used a 45‐year data set to test the hypothesis that lianas have increased in abundance and basal area in the interiors of 14 deciduous temperate forests in Wisconsin (USA) since 1959. We also censused woody plants along a gradient from the forest edge to the interior in seven of these forests to test the hypothesis that the abundance of lianas declines significantly with increasing distance from the forest edge. We found that lianas did not increase in abundance within the interiors of temperate forests in Wisconsin over the last 45 years. However, relative and absolute liana abundance decreased sharply with increasing distance from forest edges. Our findings suggest that forest fragmentation, not climate change, may be increasing the abundance of lianas in northern deciduous temperate forests, and that lianas may further increase in abundance if the severity of forest fragmentation intensifies

Spatial heterogeneity in forested landscapes: an examination of forest fragmentation and suburban sprawl in the Florida Parishes of Louisiana

Forest fragmentation refers to the spatial distribution of forests in a landscape. Forest fragmentation drastically alters forest composition, habitat quality, genetic flow and many other ecological processes associated with forested ecosystems. This research examined spatial patterns and rates of forest fragmentation during the 1991-2001 period for a region in southeast Louisiana known as the Florida Parishes. Following classification of 1991 and 2001 Landsat data into forest and non-forest classes, spatial patterns were examined using Fragstats 3.3 spatial analysis software. Spatial statistics such as patch density, perimeter to area ratios, core area indices, edge density, and various landscape continuity indices were used to assess patterns and trends of forest fragmentation in landscapes throughout the region. A variety of patch, core and edge metrics indicated increasing forest fragmentation in a majority of the landscapes examined. Values of various landscape continuity indices were also found to suggest significant increases in forest fragmentation in a majority of landscapes. The correlation of various forest fragmentation metrics with metrics associated with suburban sprawl was shown to be relatively weak by low R2 values. These findings may suggest that suburban sprawl was not the only factor affecting the spatial arrangement of forests in the Florida Parishes during the study period. The results of this research facilitate an increased understanding of the current trends of forest land-cover fragmentation in the Florida Parishes and the potential influences of these trends on related ecological processes

Characterizing forest fragmentation : Distinguishing change in composition from configuration

This project was funded by the Government of Canada through the Mountain Pine Beetle Program, a three-year, $100 million program administered by Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service. Additional information on the Mountain Pine Beetle Program may be found at: http://mpb.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca.Forest fragmentation can generally be considered as two components: 1) compositional change representing forest loss, and 2) configurational change or change in the arrangement of forest land cover. Forest loss and configurational change occur simultaneously, resulting in difficulties isolating the impacts of each component. Measures of forest fragmentation typically consider forest loss and configurational change together. The ecological responses to forest loss and configurational change are different, thus motivating the creation of measures capable of isolating these separate components. In this research, we develop and demonstrate a measure, the proportion of landscape displacement from configuration (P), to quantify the relative contributions of forest loss and configurational change to forest fragmentation. Landscapes with statistically significant forest loss or configurational change are identified using neutral landscape simulations to generate underlying distributions for P. The new measure, P, is applied to a forest landscape where substantial forest loss has occurred from mountain pine beetle mitigation and salvage harvesting. The percent of forest cover and six LPIs (edge density, number of forest patches, area of largest forest patch, mean perimeter area ratio, corrected mean perimeter area ratio, and aggregation index) are used to quantify forest fragmentation and change. In our study area, significant forest loss occurs more frequently than significant configurational change. The P method we demonstrate is effective at identifying landscapes undergoing significant forest loss, significant configurational change, or experiencing a combination of both loss and configurational change.PostprintPeer reviewe

The importance of forest type when incorporating forest edge deposition in the evaluation of critical load exceedance

This paper provides an assessment of the effect of incorporating edge deposition in the evaluation of critical load exceedance in forests, taking into account pollutant type, meteorological conditions, edge orientation, and forest type. In particular we have calculated critical load exceedance in five Flemish regions differing in forest fragmentation extent and/or share of coniferous forest

Increasing signs of forest fragmentation in the Cross River National Park in Nigeria: Underlying drivers and need for sustainable responses

Protected areas are expectedly intact habitats for biodiversity and key for ecosystem conservation. However, where inadequately protected, human-induced forest fragmentation can degrade them and reduce their functioning. Therefore, monitoring forests in protected areas is essential to ascertain their protection. This paper assesses forest fragmentation in the Cross River National Park, a biodiversity hotspot in the tropical rainforest of Nigeria. Forest fragmentation was analyzed using the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework. Fragmentation analysis of the State used class-level pattern metrics on Landsat and Sentinel images from the years 2000, 2015 and 2020. Forest fragmentation has reduced total forest area, decreased average size of forest patches, increased the number of forest patches and amount of edge. Only the isolation of forest patches has not yet reached a measurable intensity. However, spatio-temporal forest fragmentation over the years 2000, 2015 and 2020 indicates a rising trend, especially between 2015 and 2020. The Drivers, Pressures, Impacts and Responses were investigated through a systematic literature review. Many studies show that the main proximate Drivers of forest fragmentation are agricultural activities mainly by the local communities, demand for forest resources by the growing population, and by external actors through illegal logging and infrastructure building, which have increased. However, wider literature highlight issues of disproportionately blaming local resource users, and the need to examine the neglect of justice, rights and local values, and their implications for sustainable protected areas. Reported Impacts include hindered migration of the endangered Cross River gorilla and impaired ecosystem services like water cycling, carbon sequestration and disease regulation. Responses have generally excluded the local communities, have failed or are yet to become effective. There is thus a need to identify, together with the involved actors, why measures have failed and to implement more sustainable options to reduce fragmentation in the park while addressing local users’ needs

Effects of forest fragmentation on the vertical stratification of neotropical bats

Vertical stratification is a key component of the biological complexity of rainforests. Understanding community- and species-level responses to disturbance across forest strata is paramount for evidence-based conservation and management. However, even for bats, known to extensively explore multiple layers of the complex three-dimensional forest space, studies are biased towards understory-based surveys and only few assessments of vertical stratification were done in fragmented landscapes. Using both ground and canopy mist-nets, we investigated how the vertical structure of bat assemblages is influenced by forest fragmentation in the experimentally fragmented landscape of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Central Amazon, Brazil. Over a three year-period, we captured 3077 individuals of 46 species in continuous forest (CF) and in 1, 10 and 100 ha forest fragments. In both CF and forest fragments, the upper forest strata sustained more diverse bat assemblages than the equivalent understory layer, and the midstory layers had significantly higher bat abundance in fragments than in CF. Artibeus lituratus and Rhinophylla pumilio exhibited significant shifts in their vertical stratification patterns between CF and fragments (e.g. R. pumilio was more associated with the upper strata in fragments than in CF). Altogether, our study suggests that fragmentation modulates the vertical stratification of bat assemblages

Ecologia da paisagem voltada para o manejo de avifauna

A análise da paisagem, mais especificamente a ecologia da paisagem permite estabelecer uma base de estudo para compreendermos os impactos humanos na fragmentação da vegetação e na distribuição e conservação das aves. Os estudos de fragmentação da vegetação exploram as várias áreas de conhecimento, sendo um deles o impacto da fragmentação na distribuição das espécies. Para se fazer às análises de fragmentação e de distribuição existem duas ferramentas muito importantes que são ouso de imagens de satélite para a análise da vegetação e o uso do sistema de informações geográficas (SIG) para as análises de distribuição das espécies e dos fragmentos de vegetação. Com esta base teórica e com as ferramentas necessárias, é possível se obter informações importantes e conhecimento sobre as causas da fragmentação e suas conseqüências além de podermos utilizar este conhecimento para fazermos estudos de conservação da natureza para manutenção da biodiversidade e manejo e manutenção de espécies ameaçadas. _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe Landscape Analysis, more specifically Landscape Ecology, provides the basic knowledge necessary in order to understand the human impacts on forest fragmentation and on the distribution and conservation of bird species. The study of forest fragmentation has been explored in many fields, including the study of forest fragmentation and its impacts on the distribution of bird populations. There are two main resources that are used to help in the analysis, the use of satellite images to visualize the forest fragmentation and the use of geographic information systems (GIS)for the species distribution analysis. With the basis background knowledge and the necessary tools, one is able to predict the causes of forest fragmentation and its consequences, as well as being able to use these predictions to study biodiversity and conservation of endangered species

A multi-method analysis of forest fragmentation and loss: The case of ward 11, Chiredzi District of Zimbabwe

Forest fragmentation and loss seriously affect biodiversity. There is need to monitor and assess forest fragmentation and loss in communal areas for effective biodiversity management. In this study, we analysed the extent of forest fragmentation and loss in ward 11, Chiredzi district of Zimbabwe over a 14 year period (1989 to 2003). A multi-method design was adopted for triangulation and verification purposes. This involved the use of GIS and remote sensing techniques for analysis of satellite images of 1989 and 2003. Fragstats was used to compute the density, size and variation of patches between the two years. A patch area method for determining optimum quadrat size was proposed from for observations and measurements were done. Questionnaire surveys were used to complement data produced through GIS analysis. The non aligned block sampling design in which sample locations were randomly nested was used. Questionnaire surveys were used to collect qualitative data. Results show that there is ecologically significant fragmentation and loss of forest. Forest patches increased by 58.04% between 1989 and 2003. A loss of 32.47% of forest area was estimated. People’s perceptions confirm the conclusion that the forest has been significantly fragmented and lost due to collaborative effects of climatic changes and human activities.Key words: Forest fragmentation and loss, multi-method design, remote sensing, geographic informationsystem, Fragstats, patch area method

Design and implementation of Web-based GIS for forest fragmentation analysis

The advantages and limitations of current web GIS software for forest fragmentation information and analysis functionality were investigated using Landsat Thematic Mapper data of 1987 to 1999 for a test site in northern West Virginia. ESRI\u27s ArcIMS technology was used to build a Web-based forest fragmentation analysis system to query, represent, and analyze the status of forest fragmentation using landscape metrics. Both ArcIMS HTML and Java fragmentation analysis tools were constructed. The web GIS was evaluated with respect to accessibility, navigation, interactive cartographic functionality, and spatial analysis functionality. The current ArcIMS approach was found to offer only limited support for the spatial analysis functions required for fragmentation analysis. A variety of enhancements to the current web GIS software are recommended, including support for polygon-based spatial query, interactive representation and operation for raster data, and the integration of user-side and server-side data for spatial analysis

The Rapid Changes of the Landscape Structure of the Meranti-Dangku Tropical Lowland Forest in the South Sumatra Province, Indonesia

The fragmentation of forest vegetation cover can be measured quantitatively, using tools that can characterize the geometry and spatial properties of the patch or patches of mosaic, which depicts the forest loss and the changes in the temporal pattern.   The aims of this paper are to observe the process of the forest fragmentation, to find out the changes of spatial patterns of habitat continuum by applying the spatial dynamics change analysis of the forest fragmentation phases, and to provide the comprehensive approach in determining the rapid change of the forest landscape structure in the spatial transformation process, based on the decision tree models.  We find three phases of the forest fragmentation were identified, namely dissection, dissipation, and attrition.  This study shows that the production forest area and a wildlife conservation area that contiguous or borders, has the same phases in the process of fragmentation of the forest, but both have a difference of the magnitude of forest loss.  We find there are at least five effects of forest fragmentation to the landscape structure, those are  increasing in a number of habitat patches, decreasing in a size of habitat patches, reduction in a habitat amount, increasing in a dispersion and interspersion of patch types, and reduction in a size of spatial connectedness between patches.Keywords: fragmentation, landscape metrics, spatial transformation