Roads and their major ecological effects

Article Abstract:

Networks of roads and fast-moving vehicles accompanied by pollution of many sorts constitute an ecology frontier for plants and for animals of all sizes, down to birds and insects. Road network structure and density should be included in ecology assays. Road avoidance on the part of wildlife, especially because of noise coming from traffic, has great ecological impact, actually greater than road kill, which rarely limits population size overall. The barriers they create subdivided populations with demographic consequences and likely genetic ones. Landslides, floods, subsurface flow, logging, sedimentation, seed transport, all are related to roads. Roadside or verge is often intensively managed and have relatively high plant species richness, but few regionally rare species. Chemicals, sedimentation, and mowing are factors. In Australia and the Netherlands special projects are in place to minimize loss of species and to enhance ecological flows. Roadways and corrective measures in New York, California, and Florida in the US, Britain, Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, and France are discussed.

United States, Australia, Netherlands, Industrialized Countries, Motor vehicles, Observations, Animal migration, Roads, Environmental policy research, Industrial nations, Population genetics

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Recovery of forest soil fauna diversity and composition after repeated summer droughts

Article Abstract:

The recovery of total abundance, diversity and community composition of forest soil mesofauna, which included both predators and detritivores/fungivores, after a six-year climatic disturbance was studied to examine the resilience of soil animal communities to large-scale disturbances. Results reveal that there is a tendency for more mobile groups to recover faster than the slow-moving oribatids, suggesting the importance of dispersal ability for the resilience of soil communities.

Sweden, Food and nutrition, Soil microbiology, Predatory animals, Droughts, Detrivores

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Adjacency arrangement effects on plant diversity and composition in woodland patches

Article Abstract:

Adjacency arrangement is the configuration of a patch and its adjoining elements. The relation of adjacency effects to the resource availability and disturbance in affecting plant species richness and composition in the woodland understory is described.

Management dynamics, Analysis, Management, Company business management, Forest flora, Forest plants

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