Leif Schulman

CARBON BALANCE OF A BOREAL BOG DURING A YEAR WITH AN EXCEPTIONALLY DRY SUMMER

Northern peatlands are important terrestrial carbon stores, and they show large spatial and temporal variation in the atmospheric exchange of CO2 and CH4. Thus, annual carbon balance must be studied in detail in order to predict the climatic responses of these ecosystems. Closed-chamber methods were used to study CO2 and CH4 in hollow, Sphagnum angustifolium lawn, S. fuscum lawn, and hummock microsites within an om- brotrophic S. fuscum bog. Micrometeorological tower measurements were used as a ref- erence for the CH4 efflux from the bog. Low precipitation during May-August in 1994 (84 mm below the long-term average for the same period) and a warm July-August period caused the water table to drop by more than 15 cm below the peat surface in the hollows and to 48 cm below the surface in high hummocks. Increased annual total respiration exceeded gross production and resulted in a net C loss of 4-157 g/m2 in the different microsites. Drought probably caused irreversible desiccation in some lawns of S. angus- tifolium and S. balticum and in S. fuscum in the hummocks, while S. balticum growing in hollows retained its moisture and even increased its photosynthetic capacity during the July-August period. Seasonal (12 May-4 October) CH4 emissions ranged from 2 g CH4- C/M2 in drier S. fuscum hummocks and lawns to 7 and 14 g/m2 in wetter S. angustifolium- S. balticum lawns and hollows, respectively. Aerodynamic gradient measurements at the tower showed slightly higher CH4 flux rates than the average estimates for the whole bog obtained by closed-chamber methods. Winter C efflux comprised 30 g C02-C/m2 and 1 g CH4-C/m2 out of a total loss of 90 g C/M2 on average in the bog, and there was an estimated annual loss of 7 g C/M2 by leaching. This study shows how delicately the boreal bogs C balance in different microsites depends on climatic variations, especially the distribution of precipitation. It also confirms that severe C losses can occur in boreal bogs during extended summer droughts, even in years with annual temperatures close to the long-term average and with precipitation clearly greater than the long-term average.

A geo-ecologically specialised new species of Adelobotrys (Melastomataceae: Merianieae) from Peruvian Amazonia

Summary. A new species of Adelobotrys DC., A. ruokolainenii Schulman, is described and illustrated. Biogeographical and ecological data suggest that the new species is a narrow-range endemic of northern Peruvian Amazonia, restricted to a particular geological formation. It is endangered by anthropogenic habitat destruction.

A Cladistic Analysis of Adelobotrys (Melastomataceae) Based on Morphology, with Notes on Generic Limits within the Tribe Merianieae

Abstract Adelobotrys (Merianieae: Melastomataceae) is a neotropical, primarily Amazonian genus of 23 lianas and eight arborescent species. A cladistic analysis was performed to test the monophyly of Adelobotrys, discover its synapomorphies, and clarify its internal relationships. The results also allowed a preliminary appraisal of generic limits within Merianieae. For the analysis, 117 morphological characters were coded for 53 ingroup taxa (52 of Adelobotrys plus Sarmentaria decora) and 12 outgroup species from the genera Meriania, Graffenrieda, Axinaea, Centronia, Phainantha, Behuria, Huberia, Pachyloma, and Pternandra. The analysis resulted in a single most parsimonious tree. The result suggests that Adelobotrys is polyphyletic. However, species that fall within the original circumscription of the genus form a well-supported monophyletic group. This group of lianoid species with narrow hypanthia; 5-locular ovaries; short fruiting pedicels; urceolate to globose fruiting hypanthia; elongated, winged seeds; and a vestiture of malpighian hairs is here termed Adelobotrys sensu stricto. Several well-defined lineages are recognized within Adelobotrys s.s., although most of them have only weak support. Purported problems persist with circumscriptions of merianean genera, in particular Meriania.

Coming to Terms with the Concept of Moving Species Threatened by Climate Change - A Systematic Review of the Terminology and Definitions

Intentional moving of species threatened by climate change is actively being discussed as a conservation approach. The debate, empirical studies, and policy development, however, are impeded by an inconsistent articulation of the idea. The discrepancy is demonstrated by the varying use of terms, such as assisted migration, assisted colonisation, or managed relocation, and their multiple definitions. Since this conservation approach is novel, and may for instance lead to legislative changes, it is important to aim for terminological consistency. The objective of this study is to analyse the suitability of terms and definitions used when discussing the moving of organisms as a response to climate change. An extensive literature search and review of the material (868 scientific publications) was conducted for finding hitherto used terms (N = 40) and definitions (N = 75), and these were analysed for their suitability. Based on the findings, it is argued that an appropriate term for a conservation approach relating to aiding the movement of organisms harmed by climate change is assisted migration defined as follows: Assisted migration means safeguarding biological diversity through the translocation of representatives of a species or population harmed by climate change to an area outside the indigenous range of that unit where it would be predicted to move as climate changes, were it not for anthropogenic dispersal barriers or lack of time. The differences between assisted migration and other conservation translocations are also discussed. A wide adoption of the clear and distinctive term and definition provided would allow more focused research on the topic and enable consistent implementation as practitioners could have the same understanding of the concept.

Parameters for global ecosystem models

We agree that the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model analyses by Tianet al. of carbon fluxes of Amazonian ecosystems represent a methodological improvement compared with extrapolation from site-specific estimates, especially with regard to spatial resolution. However, the resolution of a model cannot be finer than that of the input data, and Tian et al. disregard one important group of ecosystems: peatlands. This is understandable, as the literature grossly underestimates the extent of peatlands in Amazonia. Our estimate is 150,000 km2, ten times more than previously reported.

Botanic gardens in the age of climate change

We are facing an unprecedented plant diversity crisis. If current trends in habitat conversion, over-exploitation, alien species invasions, and climate change continue, up to 50% of the world’s vascular plant flora is expected to become threatened with extinction within the twenty-first century (Pitman and Jorgensen 2002; Root et al. 2003; Hahns et al. 2009). Climate change seems to rapidly have become recognized as the primary threat to many plants. In Europe, more than half of the vascular plant flora may become endangered by the year 2080 as a result of climatic changes (Thuiller et al. 2005), and the first unfavourable trends in the threat status of plant species attributable to such changes have already been observed in successive Red List evaluations (Rassi et al. 2010). The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC; Secretariat of the CBD 2002) was adopted under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2002 as a policy response to the dire situation of plant life, and an updated version of the strategy up to 2020 was recently approved at the Conference of Parties to the CBD in Nagoya (Convention of Biological Diversity 2010). Botanic gardens of the world, largely through their advocate Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), were pivotal in the writing and promotion of the GSPC, and have continued in this role in the implementation, follow-up, and further development of the strategy (Secretariat of the CBD 2009). The role of botanic gardens in the creation and mainstreaming of the GSPC has been a manifestation of the fact that these time-honoured institutions have fully adopted a fourth main task—conservation—alongside their traditional responsibilities in research, teaching, and public education in the field of botany. However, the GSPC puts due emphasis also on these traditional tasks through the recognition that successful conservation must be based on a solid knowledge base and that the understanding of the value of plant diversity must also be disseminated to the widest possible audience in order to make a difference

Using a botanic garden collection to test a bioclimatic hypothesis

Bioclimatic hypotheses are used to explain how climate regulates the occurrence of species. A derivative of these hypotheses is that plants moved between corresponding bioclimatic areas should thrive, whereas plants moved to a different zone should languish. This principle is routinely applied in forestry and horticulture but actual tests of the hypotheses seem scanty. We carried out a test on the Finnish system of bioclimatic vegetation zoning using the plant collection of Helsinki University Botanic Garden in Kumpula, which is situated at the northern limit of the hemiboreal zone. We aimed to test how the plants’ survival depends on their provenance with the expectation that plants from the hemiboreal or southern boreal zones should do best in Kumpula. Probability of survival was estimated using collection database information of 379 plant accessions of known wild origin, and logit models. Different growth forms were analysed separately. In most analyses accessions of temperate and hemiarctic origin showed lower survival probability than those originating from any of the boreal subzones, which among them exhibited rather evenly high probabilities. Trees were an exception showing an almost steadily increasing survival probability from temperate to northern boreal origin. In all, the results gave some support to the tested hypothesis, but the various factors that could not be controlled for produced results that were difficult to interpret. We conclude that botanic gardens should pay due attention to information management and curational practices to ensure widest possible applicability of their plant collections.

Quantitative tools and simultaneous actions needed for species conservation under climate change–reply to Shoo et al. (2013)

We identify four issues in the decision framework for species conservation management under climate change proposed by Shoo et al. (2013) Clim Chan 119:239–246 and suggest ways to address them. First, binary-decision flow charts require Yes/No answers, which are not appropriate in most conservation decisions. A quantitative framework is preferable and action-guidance should be obtained even when the realistic answer to some questions remains “we simply do not know”. Second, the proposed flow chart imposes an a priori order of precedence and does not explicitly allow simultaneous actions. A workable framework should enable optimal allocation between multiple kinds of conservation efforts and permit complementary actions. Third, the probability of success, co-benefit to non-target species, and cost are unlikely to have a simple, consistent relationship across taxa. These variables need to be assessed case-by-case for each conservation measure and species. Finally, the decision framework disregards the legal, social, and ethical aspects pertaining to decision-making.

Assisted Migration as a Conservation Approach Under Climate Change

Assisted migration (AM) is a conservation approach in which species threatened by anthropogenic climate change are protected through moving them outside their indigenous range to areas where they would be predicted to move as climate changes, were it not for lack of time. The discussion on the topic has mainly revolved around the biological feasibility and risks, legal challenges, and ethical justification of AM. Here, a brief history of this interdisciplinary topic and the main disagreements and uncertainties surrounding it is provided.

Adelobotrys atlantica (Melastomataceae: Merianieae): the first species of Adelobotrys from Brazil's Mata Atlântica

SummaryA new species of Adelobotrys DC., A. atlantica Schulman, is described and illustrated. This is the first record of the genus in the Atlantic rainforests of Brazil. The only known specimen of the new species was collected in 1943 close to the sizeable city of Ilhéus in an area that has probably now been converted to managed land. It is therefore possible that A. atlantica is already extinct.