Description:    The emerging interest in the biological and conservation significance of locally rare species prompts a number of questions about their correspondence with other categories of biodiversity, especially global rarity. Here we present an analysis of the correspondence between the distributions of globally and locally rare plants. Using biological hotspots of rarity as our framework, we evaluate the extent to which conservation of globally rare plants will act as a surrogate for conservation of locally rare taxa. Subsequently, we aim to identify gaps between rarity hotspots and protected land to guide conservation planning. We compiled distribution data for globally and locally rare plants from botanically diverse Napa County, California into a geographic information system. We then generated richness maps highlighting hotspots of global and local rarity. Following this, we overlaid the distribution of these hotspots with the distribution of protected lands to identify conservation gaps. Based on occupancy of 1 km 2 grid cells, we found that over half of Napa County is occupied by at least one globally or locally rare plant. Hotspots of global and local rarity occurred in a substantially smaller portion of the county. Of these hotspots, less than 5% were classified as multi-scale hotspots, i.e. they were hotspots of global and local rarity. Although, several hotspots corresponded with the 483 km 2 of protected lands in Napa County, some of the richest areas did not. Thus, our results show that there are important conservation gaps in Napa County. Furthermore, if only hotspots of global rarity are preserved, only a subset of locally rare plants will be protected. Therefore, conservation of global, local, and multi-scale hotspots needs serious consideration if the goals are to protect a larger variety of biological attributes, prevent extinction, and limit extirpation in Napa County. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s10531-011-0137-6 Authors Benjamin J. Crain, Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA Jeffrey W. White, Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA Steven J. Steinberg, Department of Environmental Science and Management, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA Journal Biodiversity and Conservation Online ISSN 1572-9710 Print ISSN 0960-3115

Description:    Land use change and human population growth are accelerating the fragmentation and insularization of wildlife habitats worldwide. The conservation and management of wildlife in the resultant ‘island’ ecosystems in the context of global warming is challenging due to the isolation and reduced size of the ecosystems and hence the scale over which ecosystem processes can operate. We analyzed trends in numbers of nine large herbivores in Kenya’s Lake Nakuru National Park to understand how rainfall and temperature variability, surrounding land use changes, and boundary fencing affected wildlife population dynamics inside the park during 1970–2011. Buffalo, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle numbers increased persistently. Grant’s gazelle and impala increased initially then gradually declined. Waterbuck and warthog numbers progressively declined to levels that potentially threatened their local population persistence. The total biomass of ungulates tripled from 1970 to 2011, with buffalo replacing waterbuck as the predominant species in biomass. Increased competition from buffalo and zebra, heightened predation and illicit human harvests probably all contributed to the declines by waterbuck and warthog. Density-dependent limitation of population growth within the park confines was evident for buffalo, impala, eland, giraffe, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles. Fluctuations in the lake level related to varying rainfall affected changes in animal abundance through expansion of the lake area and flooding of grasslands bordering the lake. Unusually, the most stressful conditions were associated with high water levels following high rainfall. There was also evidence of carry-over effects from prior habitat conditions affecting all species. The relatively stable populations of all species except warthog and waterbuck demonstrate the remarkable capacity of this small, insularized park to retain viable populations of most of the large herbivores, without much management intervention. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-21 DOI 10.1007/s10531-012-0239-9 Authors Joseph O. Ogutu, International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi, 00100 Kenya Norman Owen-Smith, Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, 2050 South Africa Hans-Peter Piepho, Bioinformatics Unit, Institute for Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstrasse 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany Bernard Kuloba, Kenya Wildlife Service, Lake Nakuru National Park, P.O. Box 539, Nakuru, Kenya Joseph Edebe, Kenya Wildlife Service, Lake Nakuru National Park, P.O. Box 539, Nakuru, Kenya Journal Biodiversity and Conservation Online ISSN 1572-9710 Print ISSN 0960-3115

Description:    In the last decades, due to climate changes, soil deterioration, and Land Use/Land Cover Changes (LULCCs), land degradation risk has become one of the most important ecological issues at the global level. Land degradation involves two interlocking systems: the natural ecosystem and the socio-economic system. The complexity of land degradation processes should be addressed using a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, the aim of this work is to assess diachronically land degradation dynamics under changing land covers. This paper analyzes LULCCs and the parallel increase in the level of land sensitivity to degradation along the coastal belt of Sardinia (Italy), a typical Mediterranean region where human pressure affects the landscape characteristics through fires, intensive agricultural practices, land abandonment, urban sprawl, and tourism concentration. Results reveal that two factors mainly affect the level of land sensitivity to degradation in the study area: (i) land abandonment and (ii) unsustainable use of rural and peri-urban areas. Taken together, these factors represent the primary cause of the LULCCs observed in coastal Sardinia. By linking the structural features of the Mediterranean landscape with its functional land degradation dynamics over time, these results contribute to orienting policies for sustainable land management in Mediterranean coastal areas. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00267-012-9831-8 Authors S. Bajocco, Unit for Climatology and Meteorology in Agriculture (CRA-CMA), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via del Caravita 7a, 00186 Rome, RM, Italy A. De Angelis, Unit for Climatology and Meteorology in Agriculture (CRA-CMA), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via del Caravita 7a, 00186 Rome, RM, Italy L. Perini, Unit for Climatology and Meteorology in Agriculture (CRA-CMA), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via del Caravita 7a, 00186 Rome, RM, Italy A. Ferrara, Department of Crop Science, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano, Potenza, PZ, Italy L. Salvati, Centre for Soil-Plant Relationships (CRA-RPS), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via della Navicella 2-4, 00184 Rome, RM, Italy Journal Environmental Management Online ISSN 1432-1009 Print ISSN 0364-152X

Description:    Recent studies have demonstrated the geomorphic complexity and wide range of hydrologic regimes found in alpine headwater channels that provide complex habitats for aquatic taxa. These geohydrologic elements are fundamental to better understand patterns in species assemblages and indicator taxa and are necessary to aquatic monitoring protocols that aim to track changes in physical conditions. Complex physical variables shape many biological and ecological traits, including life history strategies, but these mechanisms can only be understood if critical physical variables are adequately represented within the sampling framework. To better align sampling design protocols with current geohydrologic knowledge, we present a conceptual framework that incorporates regional-scale conditions, basin-scale longitudinal profiles, valley-scale glacial macroform structure, valley segment-scale (i.e., colluvial, alluvial, and bedrock), and reach-scale channel types. At the valley segment- and reach-scales, these hierarchical levels are associated with differences in streamflow and sediment regime, water source contribution and water temperature. Examples of linked physical-ecological hypotheses placed in a landscape context and a case study using the proposed framework are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of this approach for monitoring complex temporal and spatial patterns and processes in glaciated basins. This approach is meant to aid in comparisons between mountain regions on a global scale and to improve management of potentially endangered alpine species affected by climate change and other stressors. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-16 DOI 10.1007/s00267-012-9957-8 Authors Anne A. Weekes, Natural Systems Design, Seattle, WA, USA Christian E. Torgersen, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA David R. Montgomery, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Andrea Woodward, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Seattle, WA, USA Susan M. Bolton, School of Environmental and Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Journal Environmental Management Online ISSN 1432-1009 Print ISSN 0364-152X