Description: The seasonal variability of food web-based transfer factors ( TF web ) of radiocesium ( 137 Cs) in white-spotted char ( Salvelinus leucomaenis ) was examined in the 2nd and 3rd year after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Two headwater streams with similar landscape characteristics, but different amounts of fallout, were selected in Fukushima and Gunma Prefectures, Japan. The TF web of predator–prey systems was based on the dietary contributions of prey items estimated from stable isotopes compared to their respective 137 Cs activity concentrations. Char consumed more terrestrial food sources with higher contamination levels in summer than in winter based on their dietary-based 137 Cs contributions. The TF web values in Fukushima and Gunma in all seasons indicated 137 Cs bioaccumulation from prey to predator. The TF web in Gunma exhibited significant seasonal variation; the greatest values were observed in winter, while the lowest values were observed in summer. In contrast, the seasonal TF web in Fukushima did not vary seasonally. Despite similar consumption patterns and the specific metabolic rates of char, the different seasonal patterns of TF web at the two sites can be explained by the relative excretion rate with respect to the concentration of 137 Cs consumed. 137 Cs levels can remain relatively constant in the char body throughout the year in areas with high contamination, such as Fukushima, possibly because 137 Cs intake overwhelms the excretion rate. Examining seasonal patterns in the transfer processes of 137 Cs in white-spotted char are essential for understanding mechanisms of 137 Cs accumulation in aquatic biota.

Description: Coastal forests on the Sendai Plain reduced the force of the 2011 Great East Japan tsunami, but the tsunami also produced driftwood that increased the impact force or additional drag force due to accumulation in front of houses (damming). The advantage of reducing the tsunami force and disadvantage of increasing the force on houses after collisions of driftwood were repeatedly pointed out after the tsunami, but have never been compared quantitatively. Therefore, a driftwood model was developed to evaluate tree washout, motion of the drifting trees, and collisions with houses. Two-dimensional non-linear long wave equations were coupled with the equation for motion of driftwood, and the impact force was solved assuming the collision to be inelastic. Experiments were conducted to clarify the driftwood movement and determine the impact duration in the simulation. The ratio of the impact force of driftwood to the maximum drag force on a house was comparatively small, around 0.01–0.10. On the other hand, when driftwood piled up in front of a house, the increasing water depth caused additional fluid force. The rate of accumulation of driftwood was not large in experiments, but the magnitude of the drag force increase after accumulation was far larger than that of the impact force of collision. However, in comparison with the reduction of fluid force by the coastal forest, the fluid force due to the damming in front of a house was found to be smaller and not a main factor in the washout of houses.

Description: Cities are commonly described as mosaics of habitats with increasing degrees of human impact along a gradient from the outskirts to the centers, which may lead to both an increase and a decline in species richness and diversity. Data on species richness in the city of Lublin had been collected in a model transect containing 20 1-km 2 study squares. We used ordination methods correspondence analysis (CA) and redundancy analysis (RDA), Spearman’s rank correlation, forward selection, and the Monte Carlo permutation test to determine which factors have the greatest effect on species richness in various types of city habitats. There were 795 vascular plant species in squares, with predominance of native (540) rather that alien (255) species. The greatest richness was reported in the city center, where residential areas border railway infrastructure and extensively cultivated agricultural areas. The lowest number of species was found in peripheral areas overgrown by seminatural vegetation. The main factor determining species richness and flora quality in the city is human impact. Species richness of native and alien plants is influenced by the landscape structure created by land-use and land-cover variability, hemeroby level, and the period under urban pressure.

Description: We identified wildlife corridors as linkages for carabid migration between two fragmented forests. Three wildlife corridors, constructed in 2007 to connect two forests fragmented by a two-lane road in South Korea, were selected. We collected 982 individuals of 13 carabid species from the wildlife corridors and connected forests. Carabid diversity in the forest sites was significantly higher than in the wildlife corridor sites. The number of individuals of carabid beetle species within wildlife corridor sites was significantly correlated with flight capacity of the species. Carabid beetles were concentrated closest to the forest edge, which resulted in a steady decline in carabid richness and number of individuals further away from the edge of the forest fragment to the center of the corridor, because environmental variables in the corridor were not comparable to those of the forest fragments. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that trap sites were clearly divided into forest fragment and wildlife corridor sites. Carabid preference for forest habitat was strongly associated with tree cover, whereas their preference for corridors was correlated with exposed areas and grass cover, respectively. Thus, in forested regions, wildlife corridors with dry grassland or open areas provide a heterogeneous habitat for carabids.

Description: Human activity together with climatic changes have resulted in the substantial loss of wetlands in the Tumen River Basin of China in the past five decades. In this study, the landscape dynamics of wetlands upstream, midstream and downstream of the Tumen River Basin from 1960 to 2009 were investigated using remote sensing and geographic information systems. Analytical methods, such as dynamic degree, transfer matrix and indices, e.g., patch number (NP), area percentage of landscape patches, mean patch size, patch density, Shannon’s diversity index (SHDI), and Shannon’s evenness index (SHEI), were utilized to describe the landscape dynamics. The results showed that over the past 50 years, human-made wetlands, including paddy fields and reservoirs, increased, whereas natural wetlands, including marshes, lakes and rivers, decreased. In the study period, a large number of natural wetlands were converted by humans into other types of wetlands and non-wetlands. For wetland landscape changes, the NP, landscape fragmentation index, and SHEI increased, whereas the average patch area and SHDI decreased. In addition, we found that human factors were the main driving forces for the reduction of natural wetlands in this area, among which agricultural activities had the strongest impact. Great losses of natural wetlands have led to ecological problems in the region, such as a decline in biodiversity and soil degradation.

Description: The raccoon Procyon lotor (Linnaeus 1758) is a native species of North and Central America, but it can be also found as an alien species in parts of Europe and Asia. The raccoon’s flexibility and capability in coping with environmental changes have made it the most successful invader compared with other species. In 1991, a raccoon was recorded in Iran for the first time. Since then, knowledge about the distribution, expansion range, and influences of this species on native ecosystem has remained unclear. The importance of environmental variables for the distribution of raccoons might vary widely across different spatial resolutions; therefore, we developed a robust statistical framework to predict the raccoon distribution across different spatial resolutions in Iran. Our predictions made by species distribution models (ENFA, GARP, and MaxEnt) highlighted the importance of food availability at a small spatial resolution and water resources, settlements, and population density at a large spatial resolution. The models indicate particular areas, mostly located in forests and rangelands near to the Caspian Sea, that can be a potential habitat for raccoons. We observed that the distribution of the raccoon population in Iran almost entirely overlaps with protected areas, which consequently brings about some conflicts with conservation practices and management plans. It is therefore imperative that the local knowledge be strengthened to adequately respond to the threats posed by raccoon invasions of special protected lands.

Description: Although much has been published on land use-change models (LUCMs), no study has comprehensively dealt with the evolution of land use models based on schools of knowledge. The primary objective of this paper is an explanation of the progress and growth of LUCMs concerning their main ontological, epistemological, and methodological origins. Five main paradigms, i.e., positivism, post-positivism, constructivism, participatory, and pragmatism approaches, are discussed in order to assess the current orientations of LUCMs. Given the complexities of LUCM components, the study concludes that one paradigm cannot adequately address all methodological aspects. Accordingly, it is necessary to combine quantitative and qualitative paradigms to create mixed-method approaches within a systemic framework. Such systemic approaches could shape the most probable future generations of LUCMs, which would be able to cope with the complexity of various subsystems, including biophysical and socioeconomic ones.

Description: Relatively few studies have conducted quantitative assessments of historically important heritage trails. Their current conditions, relative to their long maintenance history, are even less well examined. This research aims to apply trail assessment techniques developed in a recreational context to the heritage trails of the Nakahechi route—which is part of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage network—located in the vast forests of Japan’s Kii Peninsula. Point sampling was used to gather data on the trails’ surface characteristics, conditions, designs, and use-related variables. Trail conditions and design characteristics were summarized according to their surface characteristics, in order to identify the underlying environmental factors that potentially influenced the choice of different managerial methods. A series of exploratory multivariate regressions were then performed to examine the factors that influenced trail incisions. Regression analyses revealed that trail grades, trail widths, and use types are robust predictors for trail incisions. Managerial practices exemplified by the trails’ surface characteristics were found to influence trail design variables. For example, the additions of log water-bars and step construction on trail incisions along the trails were analyzed. The findings suggested that managers must address different trail characteristics when considering their historical context. Trail assessment surveys have been widely reported in the recreational literature, yet they have rarely been applied to heritage trails in mountainous areas. Assessing heritage trails, however, can be of great importance for their sustainable management.

Description: Landscape degradation and habitat fragmentation present one of the most pressing environmental issues associated with human development and the overuse of resources. Ecological networks are claimed to be effective for maintaining and improving landscape connectivity. Although there have been several methods of designation (such as the target species method), the present study builds a regional ecological network via a landscape ecological approach for the purpose of enhancing and restoring landscape connectivity. Using ArcGIS overlay and least-cost path algorithms, the study integrated relevant environmental and socioeconomic data into GIS projects to find optimal solutions for establishing a regional ecological network to act as a framework for improving landscape connectivity. After the addition of riparian protection areas and stepping stones, the resulting landscape configuration map depicts a potential approach to regional ecological connectivity. Further studies are needed, such as integrating this regional nature protection conceptualization with the urban development land use framework.

Description: Manmade ponds are common landscape features in rural areas and also important habitats for maintaining biodiversity. However, they are vulnerable to anthropogenic activities, land-use changes, and habitat degradation; many ponds being filled or (re)created arbitrarily. Little attention has been paid to quantifying the spatial structure of these manmade ponds at a landscape scale, nor to their potential functional benefits in promoting ecological flows and interactions between habitats for whole-ecosystem integrity. In this study, we investigated the patch-based landscape connectivity of household ponds, a particular type of domestic pond prevalent in hilly rural areas of China, by using least-cost path modelling and graph theory based network analysis. A hierarchical network was modelled consisting of 4606 individual ponds, 373 pond patches and 772 potential links within a 1.5-km threshold distance. Network importance analysis revealed that the largest pond patch contributes 24.5 % to network building and that patches with larger areas are generally more important. In contrast, the importance of the simulated links is only 2.3 % at most, indicating that the network has spatial redundancy which can strengthen resilience to uncertain disturbances. Our study moves beyond network simulation and importance assessment by directly relating the connectivity analysis to a real construction context through the incorporation of a spatially explicit land suitability analysis. This approach systematises the analysis of pond landscapes and guides integration with the wider landscape matrix. It provides operational spatial suggestions for holistic landscape planning across local to regional scales.