Towards the use of ecological heterogeneity to design reserve networks: A case study from Dadia National Park, Greece

Biodiversity surrogates; Complementarity; Ecological heterogeneity; Ecological networks; Indicator; Landscape metrics; Mediterranean; Reserve design; Vegetation complexity; Vertical structure; Mediterranean environment; Dadia National Park; Eastern Macedonia and Thrace; Evros; Greece; Aves; Orchidaceae; Orthoptera; Passeriformes

Abstract :

[en] In this paper, we present a novel approach for using ecological heterogeneity in reserve design. We measured five ecological heterogeneity indices (EHI) and we used a database of six biological groups (woody plants, orchids, orthopterans, aquatic and terrestrial herpetofauna and passerine birds) across 30 sites in a Mediterranean reserve (Greece). We found that all the five EHI were significantly related to the overall species richness and to the species richness of woody plants and birds. Two indices, measuring vertical vegetation complexity (1/D) and horizontal heterogeneity of landcover types (SIDI) in terms of Simpson's index, predicted well overall species richness and had significantly higher values inside the complementary reserve networks designed after five of the six biological groups. We compared five methods of forming reserve networks. The method of ecological heterogeneity (selecting those sites with the greatest 1/D and then SIDI) was less efficient (non-significantly) than the species-based methods (scoring and complementary networks) but significantly more efficient than the random method (randomly selected network). We also found that the method of complementary ecological heterogeneity (selecting those sites where each EHI had its maximum value) was not that efficient, as it did not differ significantly from the random method. These results underline the potential of the ecological heterogeneity method as an alternative tool in reserve design. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Disciplines :

Environmental sciences & ecology

Author, co-author :

Kati, V.; Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Seferi 2, 30100 Agrinio, Greece

Poirazidis, K.; World Wide Fund Greece, Dadia Project, Dadia, 68400 Soufli, Greece

Dufrêne, Marc ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Forêts, Nature et Paysage > Biodiversité et Paysage

Halley, J. M.; Department of Biological Applications and Technologies, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

Korakis, G.; Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, 68200 Orestiada, Greece

Schindler, S.; Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria

Dimopoulos, P.; Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Seferi 2, 30100 Agrinio, Greece

Language :

English

Title :

Towards the use of ecological heterogeneity to design reserve networks: A case study from Dadia National Park, Greece

Publication date :

2010

Journal title :

Biodiversity and Conservation

ISSN :

0960-3115

eISSN :

1572-9710

Publisher :

Springer Science & Business Media B.V., Dordrecht, Netherlands

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

1585-1597

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 24 March 2013

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