Correlated biodiversity change between plant and insect assemblages resurveyed after 80 years across a dynamic habitat mosaic.

Historical data on co-occurring taxa are extremely rare. As such, the extent to which distinct co-occurring taxa experience similar long-term patterns in species richness and compositional change (e.g., when exposed to a changing environment) is not clear. Using data from a diverse ecological community surveyed in the 1930s and resurveyed in the 2010s, we investigated whether local plant and insect assemblages displayed cross-taxon congruence-that is, spatiotemporal correlation in species richness and compositional change-across six co-occurring taxa: vascular plants, non-vascular plants, grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera), ants (Hymenoptera: Formicinae), hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae), and dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata). All taxa exhibited high levels of turnover across the ca. 80-year time period. Despite minimal observed changes at the level of the whole study system, species richness displayed widespread cross-taxon congruence (i.e., correlated temporal change) across local assemblages within the study system. Hierarchical logistic regression models suggest a role for shared responses to environmental change underlying cross-taxon correlations and highlight stronger correlations between vascular plants and their direct consumers, suggesting a possible role for biotic interactions between these groups. These results provide an illustration of cross-taxon congruence in biodiversity change using data unique in its combination of temporal and taxonomic scope, and highlight the potential for cascading and comparable effects of environmental change (abiotic and biotic) on co-occurring plant and insect communities. However, analyses of historical resurveys based on currently available data come with inherent uncertainties. As such, this study highlights a need for well-designed experiments, and monitoring programs incorporating co-occurring taxa, to determine the underlying mechanisms and prevalence of congruent biodiversity change as anthropogenic environmental change accelerates apace.

Changes in vegetation structure and composition of a lowland mire over a sixty-five-year interval.

Mires are characterized by plant communities of high conservation and societal value, which have experienced a major decline in area in many parts of the world, particularly Europe. Evidence suggests that they may be particularly vulnerable to changes in climate and nutrient addition. Although they have been the focus of extensive paleoecological research, few attempts have been made to examine the dynamics of mire vegetation during the current era of anthropogenic environmental change.To assess long-term change in the spatial structure and composition of a lowland mire community, in 2016 we resurveyed plots first surveyed in 1951. Measures of species richness and composition were compared between the two surveys, and changes in community composition were related to plant traits.Overall, mean species richness declined by 26%. The area of occupancy declined in 37% of species, which were primarily oligotrophic species typical of nutrient-poor bog communities. Conversely, occupancy increased in 21% of species, especially those that were more tolerant of higher nutrient availability. These changes were associated with variation in plant functional traits, as indicated by an increase mean Ellenberg trait values for nitrogen and mean temperature, and a decline in values for precipitation. These results suggest that eutrophication and climate change have been key drivers of floristic change on this site. Synthesis. This investigation provides a rare assessment of the dynamics of a mire community over a multi-decadal interval. Results indicate that substantial change has occurred in the composition of the community, and the distribution of species within it. The investigation provides evidence of the impact of environmental change on the composition and structure of a lowland mire community, and highlights challenges for its future conservation.

Pollen metabarcoding reveals broad and species-specific resource use by urban bees.

Bee populations are currently undergoing severe global declines driven by the interactive effects of a number of factors. Ongoing urbanisation has the potential to exacerbate bee declines, unless steps are taken to ensure appropriate floral resources are available. Sown wildflower strips are one way in which floral resources can be provided to urban bees. However, the use of these strips by pollinators in urban environments remains little studied. Here, we employ pollen metabarcoding of the rbcL gene to compare the foraging patterns of different bee species observed using urban sown wildflower strips in July 2016, with a goal of identifying which plant species are most important for bees. We also demonstrate the use of a non-destructive method of pollen collection. Bees were found to forage on a wide variety of plant genera and families, including a diverse range of plants from outside the wildflower plots, suggesting that foragers visiting sown wildflower strips also utilize other urban habitats. Particular plants within the wildflower strips dominated metabarcoding data, particularly Papaver rhoeas and Phacelia tanacetifolia. Overall, we demonstrate that pollinators observed in sown wildflower strips use certain sown foodplants as part of a larger urban matrix.

Improving estimates of environmental change using multilevel regression models of Ellenberg indicator values.

Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs) are a widely used metric in plant ecology comprising a semi-quantitative description of species' ecological requirements. Typically, point estimates of mean EIV scores are compared over space or time to infer differences in the environmental conditions structuring plant communities-particularly in resurvey studies where no historical environmental data are available. However, the use of point estimates as a basis for inference does not take into account variance among species EIVs within sampled plots and gives equal weighting to means calculated from plots with differing numbers of species. Traditional methods are also vulnerable to inaccurate estimates where only incomplete species lists are available.We present a set of multilevel (hierarchical) models-fitted with and without group-level predictors (e.g., habitat type)-to improve precision and accuracy of plot mean EIV scores and to provide more reliable inference on changing environmental conditions over spatial and temporal gradients in resurvey studies. We compare multilevel model performance to GLMMs fitted to point estimates of mean EIVs. We also test the reliability of this method to improve inferences with incomplete species lists in some or all sample plots. Hierarchical modeling led to more accurate and precise estimates of plot-level differences in mean EIV scores between time-periods, particularly for datasets with incomplete records of species occurrence. Furthermore, hierarchical models revealed directional environmental change within ecological habitat types, which less precise estimates from GLMMs of raw mean EIVs were inadequate to detect. The ability to compute separate residual variance and adjusted R 2 parameters for plot mean EIVs and temporal differences in plot mean EIVs in multilevel models also allowed us to uncover a prominent role of hydrological differences as a driver of community compositional change in our case study, which traditional use of EIVs would fail to reveal. Assessing environmental change underlying ecological communities is a vital issue in the face of accelerating anthropogenic change. We have demonstrated that multilevel modeling of EIVs allows for a nuanced estimation of such from plant assemblage data changes at local scales and beyond, leading to a better understanding of temporal dynamics of ecosystems. Further, the ability of these methods to perform well with missing data should increase the total set of historical data which can be used to this end.

Grassland habitat restoration: lessons learnt from long term monitoring of Swanworth Quarry, UK, 1997-2014.

Habitat restoration projects are often conducted when prior use or extraction of natural resources results in land degradation. The success of restoration programmes, however, is variable, and studies that provide evidence of long term outcomes are valuable for evaluation purposes. This study focused on the restoration of vegetation within a limestone quarry in Dorset, UK between 1997 and 2014. Using a randomised block design, the effect of seed mix and seed rate on the development of community assemblage was investigated in comparison to a nearby target calcareous grassland site. We hypothesised that seed mix composition and sowing rate would influence both the trajectory of the grassland assemblage and final community composition. We found that species composition (in relation to both richness and community assemblage) was strongly influenced by time and to some extent by seed rate and seed mix. However, no treatments achieved strong resemblance to the calcareous grassland target vegetation; rather they resembled mesotrophic communities. We conclude that (as with previous studies) there is no "quick fix" for the establishment of a grassland community; long-term monitoring provides useful information on the trajectory of community development; sowing gets you something (in our case mesotrophic grassland), but, it may not be the target vegetation (e.g., calcicolous grassland) you want that is difficult to establish and regenerate; it is important to sow a diverse mix as subsequent recruitment opportunities are probably limited; post-establishment management should be explored further and carefully considered as part of a restoration project.

Environmental volunteer well-being: Managers' perception and actual well-being of volunteers.

Background: Environmental volunteering can increase well-being, but environmental volunteer well-being has rarely been compared to participant well-being associated with other types of volunteering or nature-based activities. This paper aims to use a multidimensional approach to well-being to explore the immediately experienced and later remembered well-being of environmental volunteers and to compare this to the increased well-being of participants in other types of nature-based activities and volunteering. Furthermore, it aims to compare volunteer managers' perceptions of their volunteers' well-being with the self-reported well-being of the volunteers. Methods: Onsite surveys were conducted of practical conservation and biodiversity monitoring volunteers, as well as their control groups (walkers and fieldwork students, respectively), to measure general well-being before their nature-based activity and activity-related well-being immediately after their activity. Online surveys of current, former and potential volunteers and volunteer managers measured remembered volunteering-related well-being and managers' perceptions of their volunteers' well-being. Data were analysed based on Seligman's multidimensional PERMA ('positive emotion', 'engagement', 'positive relationship', 'meaning', 'achievement') model of well-being. Factor analysis recovered three of the five PERMA elements, 'engagement', 'relationship' and 'meaning', as well as 'negative emotion' and 'health' as factors. Results: Environmental volunteering significantly improved positive elements and significantly decreased negative elements of participants' immediate well-being, and it did so more than walking or student fieldwork. Even remembering their volunteering up to six months later, volunteers rated their volunteering-related well-being higher than volunteers rated their well-being generally in life. However, volunteering was not found to have an effect on overall mean well-being generally in life. Volunteer managers did not perceive the significant increase in well-being that volunteers reported. Conclusions: This study showed how environmental volunteering immediately improved participants' well-being, even more than other nature-based activities. It highlights the benefit of regarding well-being as a multidimensional construct to more systematically understand, support and enhance volunteer well-being.

The design of trapping devices in pollination traps of the genus Arum (Araceae) is related to insect type.

Pollinators have long been known to select for floral traits, but the nature of this relationship has been little investigated in trap pollination systems. We investigated the trapping devices of 15 Arum spp. and compared them with the types of insects trapped. Most species shared a similar general design of trap chamber walls covered in downward-pointing papillate cells, lacunose cells in the chamber wall and elongated sterile flowers partially blocking the exit of the trap. However, there was significant variation in all these morphological features between species. Furthermore, these differences related to the type of pollinator trapped. Most strikingly, species pollinated by midges had a slippery epidermal surface consisting of smaller papillae than in species pollinated by other insects. Midge-pollinated species also had more elongated sterile flowers and tended to have a larger lacunose area. We conclude that pollination traps evolve in response to the type of insect trapped and that changes to the slippery surfaces of the chamber wall are an important and previously little recognized variable in the design of pollination traps.

Reconstructing the origin and elaboration of insect-trapping inflorescences in the Araceae.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Floral traps are among the most sophisticated devices that have evolved in angiosperms in the context of pollination, but the evolution of trap pollination has not yet been studied in a phylogenetic context. We aim to determine the evolutionary history of morphological traits that facilitate trap pollination and to elucidate the impact of pollinators on the evolution of inflorescence traps in the family Araceae. • METHODS: Inflorescence morphology was investigated to determine the presence of trapping devices and to classify functional types of traps. We inferred phylogenetic relationships in the family using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. Character evolution of trapping devices, trap types, and pollinator types was then assessed with maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods. We also tested for an association of trap pollination with specific pollinator types. • KEY RESULTS: Inflorescence traps have evolved independently at least 10 times within the Araceae. Trapping devices were found in 27 genera. On the basis of different combinations of trapping devices, six functional types of traps were identified. Trap pollination in Araceae is correlated with pollination by flies. • CONCLUSIONS: Trap pollination in the Araceae is more common than was previously thought. Preadaptations such as papillate cells or elongated sterile flowers facilitated the evolution of inflorescence traps. In some clades, imperfect traps served as a precursor for the evolution of more elaborate traps. Traps that evolved in association with fly pollination were most probably derived from mutualistic ancestors, offering a brood-site to their pollinators.

Características clínico-epidemiológicas de infección por klebsiella pneumoniae productora de B-lactamasa de espectro extendido (BLEE) en el Instituto de Salud del Niño, Enero-Diciembre 2008-2009 / Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of infection-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae B extended spectrum-lactamase (ESBL) in the Institute of Child Health, January-December 2008-2009

Objetivo: Conocer las características clínico - epidemiológicos de los pacientes con bacteriemia por Klebsiella pneumoniae productora de ¡3 Lactamasas de espectro extendido (BLEE) en el Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño (ISN) durante el período Enero 2008 - Diciembre 2009. Métodos: Estudio de tipo descriptivo retrospectivo, con una población de 12 pacientes pediátricos con diagnóstico de Klebsiella pneumoniae productora de ¡3- Lactamasas de espectro extendido (BLEE) en muestras de sangre, líquido cefalorraquídeo y médula ósea en el periodo de Enero 2008 a Diciembre de 2009 en el Instituto de Salud del Niño, Lima - Perú. Se obtuvo la información de las historias clínicas mediante una ficha de recolección de datos, se ordenó la información en una base de datos, procesada con el programa SPSS 15.0. Resultados: Se estudiaron 12 pacientes, con edades comprendidas entre 7 días de nacido y 12 años de edad. El porcentaje de varones fue de 67 por ciento y el de mujeres de 33 por ciento. Respecto al uso de sondas y catéteres, se obtuvo que 66.7 por ciento usó sonda previamente y un 91.7 por ciento catéter. El diagnóstico de ingreso fue debido a Sepsis en un 33.2 por ciento y Apendicitis un 24.9 por ciento. Los cultivos positivos de Klebsiella pneumoniae BLEE se obtuvieron de muestras de sangre en un 91.7 por ciento y líquido cefalorraquídeo en un 8.3 por ciento, no encontrándose ningún caso de muestra obtenida de médula ósea. Conclusiones: Encontramos predominancia en el género masculino con una mediana de 17 meses y el 58 por ciento de los pacientes provino de provincias. No encontramos diferencia en el número de casos entre los servicios de Cirugía y Medicina. Siendo el uso de catéter la intervención pediátrica más frecuente. El 58.3 por ciento usó previamente antibióticos. El 91.7 por ciento de los diagnósticos de Klebsiella se obtuvieron por hemocultivo

Objective: The purpose of this study is get to know the clinic-epidemiologic features of the patients with bacteremia by extended-spectrum f3-lactamase- producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL) at the Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño (ISN) during the period of January 2008 - December 2009. Methods: A descriptive, retrospective, involving 12 pediatric patients with the diagnosis of extended-spectrum f3-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL) in samples of blood, cerebrospinal fluid and bone marrow during the period of January 2008 - December 2009 at the Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño (ISN), Lima - Perú. Data were obtained from Clinical histories using a data recollection file and processed using SPSS 18. Results: Of the 12 patients, between the ages of 7 days and 12 years old, 8 of them were males and 4 were females. Regarding the use of probes and catheters, we found that 66.7 per cent used probe previously and 91.7 per cent used catheter previously. The admission diagnosis was sepsis due to 33.2 per cent and 24.9 per cent appendicitis. Positive samples of Klebsiella pneumonia BLEE were obtained from blood samples in a 91.7 per cent and cerebrospinal fluid by 8.3 per cent, we found no case of samples obtained from bone marrow. Conclusions: We found much more frequency in males with a median of 17 months and 58 per cent of patients came from the provice and there were no difference between departments of Surgery and Medicine. The most common pediatric procedure was using catheter. 58.3 per cent previously used antibiotics. 91.7 per cent of Klebsiella diagnosis was obtained by blood culture

Enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem services by ecological restoration: a meta-analysis.

Ecological restoration is widely used to reverse the environmental degradation caused by human activities. However, the effectiveness of restoration actions in increasing provision of both biodiversity and ecosystem services has not been evaluated systematically. A meta-analysis of 89 restoration assessments in a wide range of ecosystem types across the globe indicates that ecological restoration increased provision of biodiversity and ecosystem services by 44 and 25%, respectively. However, values of both remained lower in restored versus intact reference ecosystems. Increases in biodiversity and ecosystem service measures after restoration were positively correlated. Results indicate that restoration actions focused on enhancing biodiversity should support increased provision of ecosystem services, particularly in tropical terrestrial biomes.

Contrasting behaviour of cadmium and zinc in a soil-plant-arthropod system.

This study investigates the transfer of Cd and Zn from a soil amended with sewage sludge at rates up to 100 t ha(-1) through a multi-trophic system consisting of barley, the aphid Sitobion avenae and the larvae of the lacewing Chrysoperla carnae. Results show marked differences in the transfer of the two metals. Cadmium was freely accumulated in barley roots, but accumulation in the shoot was restricted to a concentration of around 0.22 mg kg(-1) (dry weight). This limited the transfer of Cd to higher trophic levels and resulted in no significant accumulation of Cd in S. avenae or in C. carnae. Zinc transfer in the system was largely unrestricted, resulting in significant accumulation in roots and shoots, in S. avenae and in C. carnae. Cadmium biomagnification occurred in lacewing pupae, with concentrations up to 3.6 times greater than in aphids. S. avenae biomagnified Zn by a factor of ca. 2.5 at low sludge amendment rates, but biomagnification decreased to a factor of 1.4 at the highest amendment rate. Biomagnification of Zn did not occur in C. carnae, but concentrations were up to 3.5 time higher than in soil. Results are discussed in light of the mechanisms regulating transfer of the two metals in the system.

The impact of sika deer grazing on the vegetation and infauna of Arne saltmarsh.

Arne saltmarsh, an RSPB reserve, is situated in Poole Harbour on the English south coast. In recent years, there has been concern about possible changes in the suitability of the site for Redshank (Trigna totanus) due to sika deer (Cervus nippon) grazing. In order to assess these changes, 50 plots were established in three different locations: 20 in grazed areas, 20 in ungrazed areas and 10 fenced enclosures. Deer grazing was found to significantly affect structural and species diversity of the saltmarsh vegetation. Spartina anglica dominated in ungrazed areas whilst Salicornia ramosissima and, to a lesser extent, Puccinellia maritima dominated in grazed sites. In grazed areas the vegetation cover was significantly lower, as was vegetation height and volume. In addition, significant changes were observed in the root biomass, which was lower in grazed areas. Infaunal diversity was generally low throughout the survey area. However, significant variations were observed. Invertebrates abundance was more abundant in grazed plots than in ungrazed plots, and least abundant in fenced plots. The study indicated that in its current condition, localised areas of Arne saltmarsh do not provide adequate habitat requirements for Tringa totanus.

Competitive relationships in a fertile grassland community - does size matter?

There is currently much debate about the relative importance of two contrasting mechanisms thought to be involved in regulating plant communities. One of these mechanisms is thought to result from species which possess particular traits, becoming dominant within the community and thus determining the abundance of other species. The second mechanism is thought to result from the complementarity of different species exploiting different resources and thus promoting co-existence. To investigate the relevant importance of these two mechanisms, a series of pot experiments were performed in which the competitive relationships of eight species of grass were estimated in monoculture, in pair-wise comparisons and by the impact of their removal on the remaining community. Although superficially above-ground biomass appeared to be a good predictor of competitive ability, more detailed analysis revealed that size was ineffective as a predictor of a species' impact on a community. In contrast there was evidence that complementarity was important in determining species-species interactions both at the level of pairs of species and even more so at community level. It is argued that complementarity is more important in diverse communities than in pair-wise interactions because complementarity is an emergent property of species diversity.

Evidence for stabilising selection acting on flowering time in Arum maculatum (Araceae): the influence of phylogeny on adaptation.

The relationship between flowering time and reproductive success was investigated in the fly-pollinated, monoecious perennial herb Arum maculatum L. (Araceae). This species temporarily traps its principle pollinator, a psychodid midge. Probability of fruit set was analysed in relation to early, peak and late periods of the flowering phenology of four British populations between 1992 and 1997. In three out of five cases, plants which flowered during early and late periods were significantly less likely to set fruit. In addition, one population showed a similar relationship for percentage fruit set of individual inflorescences, and seeds from peak-flowering plants were significantly heavier. There was no variation in number of female flowers per inflorescence over the flowering season. Probability of fruit set appears to be mediated by the likelihood of trapping psychodid midges that have previously been trapped and picked up pollen, an unlikely event during early and late flowering periods when few inflorescences are open. The majority of plants in all populations produce only one inflorescence which means that timing of flowering may be crucial to reproductive success. We interpret our findings as evidence that stabilising selection may be acting on some populations and/or during some years. The ultimate cause, however, can be related to the very short (12-18 h) female phase of each inflorescence, a phylogenetically conservative trait within the Araceae.