Relationships between air pollution, population density, and lichen biodiversity in the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve
| Autor: | Rachel Malyon, Richard Troy McMullin, Marie Gutgesell, Annemarie Mantione, Owen J. Bjorgan, Amanda T. Piotrowski, Danielle A. Bourque, Charlotte J. Burke, Steven G. Newmaster, Nicholas Y. Tam, Lindsay L. Bennett, Yolanda F. Wiersma, Peter L. Krawiec, Mackenzie A. Clarke, Alyson C. Van Natto |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Pollution geography geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology media_common.quotation_subject Biodiversity Biota Escarpment 010501 environmental sciences 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Population density Habitat destruction Canonical correspondence analysis Species richness Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 0105 earth and related environmental sciences media_common |
| Zdroj: | The Lichenologist. 48:593-605 |
| ISSN: | 1096-1135 0024-2829 |
| DOI: | 10.1017/s0024282916000402 |
| Popis: | The fragmented ecosystems along the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve provide important habitats for biota including lichens. Nonetheless, the Reserve is disturbed by dense human populations and associated air pollution. Here we investigated patterns of lichen diversity within urban and rural sites at three different locations (Niagara, Hamilton, and Owen Sound) along the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario, Canada. Our results indicate that both lichen species richness and community composition are negatively correlated with increasing human population density and air pollution. However, our quantitative analysis of community composition using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicates that human population density and air pollution is more independent than might be assumed. The CCA analysis suggests that the strongest environmental gradient (CCA1) associated with lichen community composition includes regional pollution load and climatic variables; the second gradient (CCA2) is associated with local pollution load and human population density factors. These results increase the knowledge of lichen biodiversity for the Niagara Escarpment and urban and rural fragmented ecosystems as well as along gradients of human population density and air pollution; they suggest a differential influence of regional and local pollution loads and population density factors. This study provides baseline knowledge for further research and conservation initiatives along the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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