Groundwater–Vegetation Interactions in Rangeland Ecosystems: A Review

Water, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(8), P. 1174 - 1174

Published: April 14, 2025

Water scarcity is a growing global issue, especially in arid and semi-arid rangelands, primarily due to climate change population growth. Groundwater crucial resource for vegetation these ecosystems, yet its role supporting plant life often not fully understood. This review explores the interactions between groundwater dynamics various rangeland types. serves as critical water source that helps sustain plants, but changes availability, depth, quality can significantly impact health, biodiversity, ecosystem stability. Research indicates depth affects types their distribution, with specific plants thriving at certain levels. For instance, grasslands, shallow support diverse herbaceous species, while deeper conditions may favor drought-tolerant shrubs trees. Similarly, forest extensive root systems access both soil moisture, playing vital regulation. Savanna environments showcase complex interactions, where trees grasses compete water, potentially benefiting during dry seasons. Climate poses additional challenges by altering rainfall patterns temperatures, affecting recharge availability. As result, it develop effective management strategies integrate conservation health. Innovative monitoring techniques, including remote sensing, provide valuable information about levels on vegetation, enhancing management. emphasizes importance of understanding groundwater–vegetation guide sustainable land practices. By our knowledge connections utilizing advanced technologies, we promote resilience, secure resources, biodiversity systems. Collaborative efforts among local communities, scientists, policymakers are essential address pressing issues ensure sustainability ecosystems future generations.

Language: Английский

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The dynamics of cave roost use by bats in the central Himalayas of Nepal: implications for conservation

Journal of Zoology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 18, 2025

Abstract The seasonal use of caves by bats can be attributed to physiologically demanding activities like mating and reproduction in spring torpor winter. Cave use, however, varies within across species depend on the physical microclimatic conditions caves. Understanding current patterns predictors cave is therefore crucial develop a reference for assessing response future changes climatic conditions. We quantified diversity abundance 41 that varied structure temperature (mid‐winter, late‐winter early‐spring) an elevational (400–2700 m above sea level) gradient central Himalayas. Richness bat exhibited variation, with more individuals present during early‐spring ( n = 15) compared mid‐winter 9). Species richness declined linearly elevation but remained relatively similar until 900 msl then early‐spring. such as Hipposideros armiger (20.14 ± 1.60°C 17.97 0.88°C mid‐winter), Rhinolophus affinis (19.98 1.76°C 16.18 3.09°C mid‐winter) cf. pusillus (19.55 1.64°C 15.43 2.87°C preferred warmer microclimates mid‐winter. season‐ species‐specific we report here suggests even minor fluctuations temperatures could potentially alter composition communities inside Prioritization assessment based vulnerability index indicates different must protected their specific usage they support at various times. Overall, highlight importance studying cave‐dwelling climate‐vulnerable areas Himalayas where high help understand predict responses animals climate change.

Language: Английский

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A literature-based database of the natural heritage, the ecological status and tourism-related impacts in show caves worldwide

Nature Conservation, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 50, P. 159 - 174

Published: Nov. 10, 2022

The touristic use of caves causes multiple environmental alterations to the subterranean ecosystem, having potential effects on all components, from atmosphere lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Setting a baseline current knowledge ecological status world show is pivotal implement monitoring management programs aiming at their conservation. However, information this topic scattered throughout several publications, making it difficult access data ultimately delaying advances towards sustainable caves. We provide literature-based dataset relative 265 worldwide. Data were collated 289 papers selected through systematic literature survey an initial set more than 1,000 scientific papers. made compiled available two complementary datasets, reporting: (i) references (ii) 44 fields main characteristics investigated in literature. These encompass about geographic locations, cave general characteristics, natural heritage, specific components—and related parameters—investigated each considered study. Such improves our accessibility basic provided by caves, also pointing out some gaps that should be addressed future research. By these freely re-usable, we hope stimulate research field tourism, conservation, cave-based ecology.

Language: Английский

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Taking e DNA underground: Factors affecting e DNA detection of subterranean fauna in groundwater

Molecular Ecology Resources, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 23(6), P. 1257 - 1274

Published: March 31, 2023

Stygofauna are aquatic fauna that have evolved to live underground. The impacts of anthropogenic climate change, extraction and pollution on groundwater pose major threats health, prompting the need for efficient reliable means detect monitor stygofaunal communities. Conventional survey techniques these species rely morphological identification can be biased, labour-intensive often indeterminate lower taxonomic levels. By contrast, environmental DNA (eDNA)-based methods potential dramatically improve existing in a large range habitats all life stages, reducing destructive manual collection critically endangered or specialized expertise. We compared eDNA haul-net samples collected 2020 2021 from 19 bores cave Barrow Island, northwest Western Australia, assessed how sampling factors influenced quality detection stygofauna. two were complementary; metabarcoding was able soft-bodied taxa fish missed by nets, but only detected seven nine crustacean orders identified specimens. Our results also indicated could 54%-100% stygofauna shallow-water 82%-90% sediment samples. However, there significant variation diversity between sample years types. findings this study demonstrate has tendency underestimate substantially efficiency surveys.

Language: Английский

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Legal frameworks for the conservation and sustainable management of groundwater ecosystems

Elsevier eBooks, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 551 - 571

Published: Jan. 1, 2023

Language: Английский

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