Managing habitats

key references are in moodle and available in all slides 

Criteria based on biodiversity - these criterias are very important for the outcome of biodiversity 

• Richness

• Rarity / endemism

• Similarity

• In order to use species diversity in scientific studies it must be quantified
- most straightforward way to count species

• Most simply we can use Species Richness, which is defined as the number of species

• But the relative abundance of different species is also important

– It affects our measurement of species richness

– It affects the ‘perceived’ number of species by individuals within the community.

* relative abundance is key need to know this.

• But the relative abundance of different species is also important

Which is the most diverse community A, B or C?

The shape of the abundance distribution is encapsulated in the concept of EVENNESS

More even, more diverse!

nature is pretty much like A, fewer species with more individuals <- hyperdominant species less rare.. at the end of the graph rarer species - few number 

• These show how the recorded number of species increases with sample size towards the real total species richness of the community.

• They also allow us to assess whether the amount of sampling is adequate to characterise the community.

The number of species increases when you collect more individuals- related with number of samples. then youre going to reach the limiting factor- cant collect any more species - stop sampling expensive

The more even the community, the steeper the accumulation curve

  Are range of indices that have been developed to simultaneously measure species richness and abundance distribution (evenness)

• Simpson’s index:

• Shannon-­Wiener

• Often it is useful to give an index which tells us how similar two communities are

• Two common similarity indices are:

- Jaccard Index (shared individuals between two sites) 
a score of 0.3 means the sites share 30% of species 

– Sørensen Index

Similarity indices (Jaccard) are important to define complementarity areas

Representing as much biodiversity as possible in a limited area of land available for conservation

Hotspots for African mammals based on species richness, endemicity & complementarity

How many shared tree species? Jaccard…

Cerrados shared a much larger proportion (55%) of their flora with Atlantic forests than did Amazonian forests.

A global assessment of endemism and species richness across island and mainland regions (Kier in PNAS)

Endemism and species richness are highly relevant to the global prioritization of conservation efforts in which oceanic islands have remained relatively neglected. When compared to mainland areas, oceanic islands in general are known for their high percentage of endemic species but only moderate levels of species richness, prompting the question of their relative conservation value.

areas which you should conserve should be islands of the pacific- huge more endemic than any other type of forest in the world- full of species?

The study used these Star ratings in combination with species distribution data to measure bioquality concept;;

1)High bioquality implies a high proportion of globally rare plants in an area – species that stand to be lost from the global pool.

The bioquality map reveals the most significant areas for global plant biodiversitycontinentally, but also reveals considerable variation within these areas at a more local scale.

Where, precisely, to position a new protected area? Where to develop infrastructure? How to measure the impact of a new development on biodiversity?

Managing habitats is complex 

What is the best criteria for selecting habitats for conservation?

What is the best ecological criteria for selecting habitats for conservation?

We need to consider complex landscapes and species…

Degree of representativeness (try to conserve maximum area possible- but wont happen in real world people not happy if you conserve everything)

Area

Degree of conservation of the habitat structure and function and restoration possibility (if forest can be conserved itself)

BAP = Biodiversity Action Plan

Classifcation by Natural England 

Start to define which areas to onserve-both criteria work together-use biophysical information plus biodiversity to conserve area

Naturalness
Area
Fragmentation

Some examples 

Limestone pavements
Lowland heaths
Upland oakwoods
Coastal sand dunes

NAF LLUC 

• Total area in the UK ~ 67,500 ha

• Ash is the dominant species, also abundant oak, birch, elm, lime and hazel

• Biological important (richest habitats for wildlife in the uplands)

• Nature reserves in the Arnside & Silverdale AONB, Yorkshire Dales NP

Plant community associated with mixed Ashwoods

Lime, Primrose, Common Ash, Wood cranesbill, Hazel

Rare species

Lancaster whitebeam
Dormouse (Use this as a flag species, have to protect it. A flagship species is a species selected to act as an ambassador, icon or symbol for a defined habitat)

• Overgrazing by sheep, deer and rabbits

• Ash dieback disease

• Replacement of native trees with planted conifers and other non-­ native broadleved species (sycamore & beech)

• Cessation of traditional management practices such as coppicing
coppicing is regularly cutting trees down to a stump called a stool - the tree grows back quickly in most cases

Threats to Upland Mixed Ashwood - OARC 

- Coppicing helps trees to increase their lifespan 
- coppicing is good for wildlife and biodiversity because it creates a patchwork of conditions in the woodland each suitable for different sets of flora and fauna. 

Is a disease of Ash trees caused by a fungus called Chalara

Chalara causes leaf loss and crown dieback
Once a tree is infected the disease is  usally fatal directly or indirectly by weakening the tree so it succumbs to attacks by other pests of pathogens e.g. honey funghus 

First case discovered in 2012 expect to find new cases

not all trees die of the infection - some are likely to have genetic factors which give them tolerance of, or resistance to, the disease. Want to use recurrent selection to breed ash dieback disease tolerant trees. 

Forest Rsearch industry given £2.4million research funding to help fight it

Forestry comission - source

• Grazing with appropriate animals and at suitable stocking level

• Traditional coppicing

• Remove no-­native species if become dominant (Sycamore)

• Restore areas of plantation woodland to native woodland

• Total area in the UK <3000ha

• Geological and biological important

• Non-­renewable resource

Common species associated with limestone pavements
• Herb Robert      • Common Ash 

Rare plants

Rigid buckler fern - narrow dispersal range endemic

• Overgrazing of some upland pavements and abandonment of lowland pavements

• Illegal or incidental removal of pavements

• Legal removal of pavements  by planning permissions

look like rocks no life there- not true

• Remove no-­native conifers  and retain Juniper and Yew

• Appropriate animals used when grazing and at suitable stocking level 

• Control of rabbit populations

• Coppicing

• Ensure pavement is not removed or damage

• Deer control and fencing of coppice regrowth

• Cover c. 56,000 ha

• Examples from northwest England:

– Sefton Coast

– N. Walney

– Sandscale

• Important ecosystems and habitat for rare species: natterjack toad, sand lizard & fen orchid - threatened by tourism- tourist movement

Foredune

• Lack of water • High salinity • Windy • Accretion of sand • Calcium rich • Low nutrient levels

diversity lowwwwww 

Dune Slack

• High water table • Relative low salinity • High nutrients • Stable sand • Low pH

The dune slack is located down below with sheltered conditions for the creeping willow. 
Diversity increases - cut me some slack I'm overworked fam

Vegetation zones in the dunes

Because there are better physical conditions for land restoration (plat restauration)
Diversity increases from foredune to dune slack

Plants in the foredune

Marram grass (Pioneer species binds sand and assists accretion) , sea holly and sea spurge

Plants in the dune slack

Bee Orchid 

Rare species associated with dunes (flag species!)

Natterjack toad needs water 
Fern orchid
Sand lizard

Aims to maintain the different communities found in the various stages of the duneland succession

Main threats:

• Destruction by housing development

• Over-­stabilisation (increasing vegetation cover)

• Erosion due to trampling

related to beaches-dunes move around a lot - unstable environment 5km-. If we over-stablise  it won't let environment work aroud this dynamic proceess.

Authorities  eager to protect the dunes by planting marram grass - stablisation trap sand.
in some cases resulted in  a fixed dune position.  the flexibility of the natural dune is lost resulting gradual disappearance of the dune because of erosion,  the natural protection is lost.

• Controlled grazing

• Reducing scrub & wood

• Educating people

• Encouraging development of young dunes

• Protecting paths with boardwalks

• Planting marram grass

• Sensitive areas access limited. 

• UKBAP habitats are selected based on rarity, area and naturalness.

• Different management actions are required to conserve different types of habitats.

• Upland mixed ashwoods are important reservoirs of wildlife diversity in northern Britain. Prevent new threats.

• Limestone pavements are physically resistant but one destroyed is effectively lost forever.

• Sand dune communities are easily damaged but if protected rapidly recover.

• UKBAP habitats are selected based on rarity, area and naturalness. 

- jaccards will be more critical like this- have a table (30) score areas- provide info- conservation

• Limestone pavements are physically resistant but one destroyed is effectively lost forever. 
- move the rocks destroyed forever

• Sand dune communities are easily damaged but if protected rapidly recover.

Different ways to conserve these environments- think about how you're going to conserve that area, species diversity, how that area is connected= going to learn how to do biodiversity in the best way.