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Local versus landscape spatial influence on biodiversity: a case study across five European industrialized areas
E Piano1, M Isaia2, E Falasco1
1Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|February 27, 2017
Summary
Habitat loss drives biodiversity decline. This study found that the extent of natural areas, both locally and in surrounding landscapes, positively influences species richness across various ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Land use change, primarily habitat loss and fragmentation, is a major global driver of biodiversity loss.
- The habitat amount hypothesis posits that species richness depends on the extent of suitable habitats, regardless of patch characteristics.
- Highly anthropogenic landscapes present challenges for biodiversity conservation due to extensive human land use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of natural area extent on species richness within highly anthropogenic landscapes.
- To differentiate between local and landscape-scale effects of natural habitats on biodiversity indicators.
- To assess the role of surrounding landscapes as biodiversity sources in human-dominated environments.
Main Methods:
- Defined five 5 km radius sampling areas around industrial sites in France, Italy, and Germany.
- Monitored seven biodiversity indicators: breeding birds, butterflies, vegetation, odonata, amphibians, aquatic plants, and benthic diatoms.
- Analyzed the response of indicators to the extent of natural land uses within the sampling area (local effect) and a surrounding peripheral ring (landscape effect).
Main Results:
- Five of seven biodiversity indicators showed a positive response to the extent of natural areas.
- Aquatic plants and odonata responded positively to local natural habitat extent.
- Birds, vegetation, and diatoms responded positively to the landscape-scale extent of natural habitats; diatoms showed a combined response.
Conclusions:
- Surrounding landscapes play a crucial role as biodiversity sources, enhancing local species richness even in highly anthropogenic contexts.
- Both local habitat availability and the broader landscape context are important for maintaining biodiversity.
- Conservation strategies should consider landscape connectivity and the preservation of natural areas beyond immediate project sites.
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