Guidelines for the development of community level habitat evaluation models

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Selected abstracts

94Z/00006 Guidelines foi" the development of community level habitat evaluation models R. L. Schroeder & S. L. Haire, Biological Report - US Fish & Wildlife Service, 8, 1993, 8 pp. An increasing number of community-level models are being developed for assessment of impacts, mitigation of losses, or management of wildlife habitat. A review of these models indicates that a checklist of basic guidelines would assist biologists in improving model quality and usefulness. Guidelines are provided for the output definitions and testing, documentation of sources, statement of assumptions, definitions of variables, verification of performance, and levels of resolution. -from Authors 94Z/00007 Desert springs - both r a r e and endangered W. D. Shepard, Aquatic Conservation, 3(4), 1993, pp 351-359. Desert spring floras and faunas in North America exhibit high diversity but many of the species are undescribed or poorly known. Factors endangering desert spring systems include the misuse of the spring and/or tts supporting aquifer, poor conservation practices and the introduction of exotic species. -from Author 94Z/00008

Habitat mapping from satellite imagery

and wildlife survey data using a Bayesian modeling p r o c e d u r e in a GIS R. Aspinall & N. Veitch, Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 59(4), 1993, pp 537-543. A method for using coarse resolution data from wildlife survey to classify a Landsat Thematic Mapper image and digital elevation model (DEM) is described. Classification is based on an analytical Bayesian probability method implemented within a GIS and is illustrated using a case study of curlew Numenius arquata in part of the Grampian Region, NE Scotland. The product of the analysis is a detailed map ('information surface ) at the spatial resolution of the satellite image that describes the distribution of the species as probably of occurrence. This can also be used as a map of habitat quality or suitability and analyzed further with a GIS. -from Authors 94Z/00009 The influence of nature management on the macromycete flora P.J. Keizer, in: Fungi of Europe: investigation, recording and conservation, ed D.N. Pegler & others, (Royal Botanic Gardens), 1993, pp 251-269. Consideration is given to maintenance management, restoration management and nature development with regard to forests, grasslands, tree-meadows and parkland. -from Author 94Z/00010 The vanishing tropical rain forest as an environment for bryophytes and lichens S . R . Gradstein, in: Bryophytes and lichens in a changing environment, ed J.W. Bates & A.M. Farmer, (Clarendon Press), 1992, pp 234-258. Examines the consequences of deforestation for bryophytes and lichens, with attention paid to habitat, species richness, dispersal and distribution. Major sections are on bryophytes and lichens in the rain forest; impact of rain forest destruction on bryophytes and lichens; and conservation issues. The flora of secondary forests and plantations is usually much impoverished compared with virgin forest, with shade epiphytes being more vulnerable than those of the canopy. -P.JJarvis 94Z/00011 Single large or several small marine reserves? An experimental a p p r o a c h with seagrass fauna S. E. McNeill & P. G. Fairweather, Journal of Biogeography, 20(4), 1993, pp 429-440. Compared the diversity and abundance of fish and macroinvertebrates associated with small and large seagrass beds. In natural beds, several small beds had signiticantly more species than a single large bed, because a large proportion of species were not shared among beds, but experiments using artificial seagrass beds to manipulate size of beds were equivocal. More species and more individuals were found in several small beds on only few occasions in experimental treatments. -from Authors

94Z/00012 Regulating endangered species T. Swanson, Economic Policy, 16, 1993, pp 183-205. Terrestrial species compete for land; land use primarily reflects human decisions about its allocation. Even overexploitation is the result of human allocation decisions; species that ate overexploited are those for which society ChOOSeS not to invest m their management. Species that survive are thus those in which humans chose to invest, whilst extinction should be interpreted as disinvestment in ecies or their ancillary resources (habitat management). ade bans do not address this fundamental cause of extinction. The paper sets out how demand should be constructively managed to encourage continuing investment in endangered species. A discussion follows the article. -from Author

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94Z/00013 Terrestrial a r t h r o p o d assemblages: their use in conservation planning C. Kremen, R. K. Colwell, T. L. Erwin, D. D. Murphy, R. F. Noss & M. A. Sanjayan, Conservation Biology, 7(4), 1993, pp 796-808. Conservation biologists should take advantage fo terrestrial arthropod diversity as a rich data source for conservation planning and management. For reserve selection and design, documentation of the microgeography of selected arthropod taxa can delineate distinct biogeographic zones, areas of endemism, community types, and centers of evolutionary radiation to improve the spatial resolution of consevarion planning. For management of natural areas, monitoring of terrestrial arthropod indicators can provide early warnings of ecological changes, and can be used to assay the effects of further fragmentation on natural areas that no longer support vertebrate indicator species. Many arthropod indicators respond to environmental changes more rapidly than do vertebrate indicators, which may exhibit population responses that do not become evident until too late for proactwe management. -from Authors 94Z/00014 Fish protection N. Rajaratnam & C. Katopodis, in: Water quality and its control, ed M. Hino, (Balkema; IAHR Hydraulic Structures Design Manual, 5), 1994, pp 243-255. Examines the hydraulics of fishways, including culverts with fish-passing arrangements. They may be built in streams, at lake outlets, waterfalls and other diversions, and in many countries are required by law if fish migration would otherwise be hindered. Migration characteristics have to be considered, dependent on the water system and fish species involved. For successful fishways, swimming performance must also be appraised. -R.Gower

Species 94Z/00015 Parasites as probes for biodiversity S . L . Gardner & M. L. Campbell, Journal @Parasitology, 78(4), 1992, pp 596-600. Cestodes of the genus Linstowia, parasitic in marsupials, show patterns of coevolution and ancient historical-ecological connections. Correlated with the breakup of the austral landmasses (Gondwanaland) of the Neotropical and Australian regions from the Antarctic continent, the age of this host-parasite community is estimated to be between 60-70 million yr old. Based on the data from the survey of pharasites of mammals from throughout Bolivia and from e phylogenetic analysis of the cestodes, the authors urge the planners of biodiversity preserves in the neotropics to consider the Yungas of Bolivia as a region that supports an ancient ecological community worthy of eonsideratton as a biopreserve. -Authors 94Z/00016 Conservation of fungi in Europe E. Amolds & B. De Vries, in: Fungi of Europe: investigation, recordin~l and conservation, ed D.N. Pegler & others, (Royal Botanic Gardens), 1993, pp 211-230. A concise survey is given of historical development of fungal conservation in Europe, including the role of the European Council for Conservation of Fungi. Main problems concerning fungal conservation axe discussed at the hand of an analysis of Red Lists of threatened macrofungi from 11 European countries. Data from southern Europe are