Global Change Abstracts The Swiss Contribution - SCNAT

Global Change Abstracts – The Swiss Contribution | Oceans and Fresh Water Systems
08.1-241
Biodiversity and distribution patterns of freshwater
invertebrates in farm ponds of a southwestern
French agricultural landscape
Cereghino R, Ruggiero A, Marty P, Angelibert S
France, Switzerland
Biodiversity , Marine & Freshwater Biology , Agriculture,
Soil Sciences , Ecology , Zoology
We assessed the importance for biodiversity of
man-made farm ponds in an agricultural landscape
in SW France lacking natural wetlands.
The ponds were originally created to provide a
variety of societal services (irrigation, visual amenity,
water for cattle, etc.). We also assessed the
environmental factors influencing invertebrate
assemblages in these ponds. Only 18 invertebrate
taxa out of 114 taxa occurring in the study area
were common to ponds and rivers indicating that
the contribution of farm ponds to freshwater biodiversity
was potentially high. A Self-Organizing
Map (SOM, neural network) was used to classify 36
farm ponds in terms of the 52 invertebrate families
and genera they supported, and to specify
the influence of environmental variables related
to land-use and to pond characteristics on the
assemblage patterns. The SOM trained with taxa
occurrences showed five clusters of ponds, most
taxa occurring only in 1-2 clusters of ponds. Abandoned
ponds tended to support higher numbers
of taxa, probably because they were allowed to
undergo a natural succession. Nevertheless, abandoned
ponds were also amongst the largest, so
that it remained difficult to separate the effects of
pond size and abandonment, although both factors
were likely to interact to favour higher taxon
richness. The invertebrate communities in the
ponds appeared to be influenced mainly by widely
acting environmental factors (e.g. area, regionalization
of assemblages) with little evidence that
pond use (e.g. cattle watering, amenity) generally
influenced assemblage composition. Our results
support the idea that agricultural landscapes
containing man- made ponds make a significant
contribution to freshwater biodiversity indicating
that protection of farm ponds from threats such
as in- filling and pollution can make a positive
contribution to the maintenance of aquatic biodiversity.
This added value for biodiversity should
be considered when calculating the economic
costs and benefits of constructing water bodies
for human activities.
Hydrobiologia, 2008, V597, FEB, pp 43-51.
129
08.1-242
The Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain): A singular
natural ecosystem threatened by human
activities
Conesa H M, Jimenez Carceles F J
Switzerland, Spain
Ecology , Agriculture, Soil Sciences , Marine &
Freshwater Biology
The Mar Menor lagoon is one of the most important
ecological singularities in the Mediterranean
area. At the same time, it is an area where many
economic and industrial activities meet. The sum
of the impacts of mining, agriculture and urban
development in the surroundings to the lagoon
during the last decades has affected its ecosystem.
In this paper, we have reviewed the studies done
by researchers over two decades regarding the
impacts of human activities in the lagoon, reporting
data of contamination levels and the effects
generated in the ecosystem of the lagoon. The
discharge of enriched nutrient waters seems to be
the most important input in the lagoon. Changes
to more friendly agricultural techniques in the
surrounding areas are therefore necessary. After
our review, we can conclude that it is necessary
to have higher efforts from the public administrations
and stricter environmental regulations in
order to preserve, on one hand, the important ecological
values of the lagoon, and on other hand,
public health.
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2007, V54, N7, JUL, pp
839-849.
08.1-243
Earth Observation for wetland inventory, assessment
and monitoring
Davidson N C, Finlayson C M
Switzerland, Sri Lanka
Marine & Freshwater Biology , Instruments & Instrumentation
, Remote Sensing , Ecology
1. Wetland inventory, assessment and monitoring
are widely recognized as essential tools for a
range of purposes that underpin sound decisionmaking
and the management of wetlands so as to
maintain their ecological character, including the
critical services they provide to people worldwide.
2. In recognition of this, the Ramsar Convention
on Wetlands has adopted a suite of tools designed
for: (i) describing the ecological character of wetlands;
(ii) assessing the pressures and associated
risks of adverse change; and (iii) monitoring the
extent of any change that occurs as a consequence
of management actions. 3. As a prelude to considering
the application of Earth Observation techniques
to wetlands a review of the needs and purposes
of inventory, assessment and monitoring is