Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica L.) is an invasive Eurasian shrub that has successfully invaded many of the woodlands of the northeastern United States. While the ecology and invasive properties of this species are well documented, little research has focused on buckthorn's effects on wildlife species. In this study, we surveyed 35 forest preserves and natural areas in the Chicago metropolitan region for the presence of buckthorn. Motion-triggered infrared cameras were used to detect mammal species in sites with and without buckthorn. Cameras were active for an average of four weeks for seven seasons during 2010 and 2011. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimm.) were more likely to be present in sites without buckthorn, while coyotes (Canis latrans Say) and Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana Kerr) were more likely to be present in sites invaded with buckthorn. While there was no overall significant difference in raccoon (Procyon lotor L.) presence between the two site types, raccoons were more likely to be present in invaded sites during the spring season, a trend that was also observed for other mesocarnivores. Our results strongly suggest that the presence of invasive buckthorn impacts habitat use and the presence of wildlife species.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) forage selectively, modifying upland forest species composition and in some cases shifting ecosystems to alternative stable states. Few studies, however, have investigated plant selection by deer in bottomland forests. Herbaceous invasive species are common in wetlands and their expansion could be promoted if deer avoid them and preferentially feed on native woody species. We surveyed plant species composition and winter deer browsing in 14 floodplain forest restoration sites along the Upper Mississippi River and tributaries. Tree seedling density declined rapidly with increasing cover of invasive Phalaris arundinacea, averaging less than 1 per m² in all sites in which the grass was present. Deer browsed ∼46% of available tree seedling stems (branches) at mainland restorations, compared to ∼3% at island sites. Across all tree species, the number of browsed stems increased linearly with the number available and responded unimodally to tree height. Maximum browsing rates were observed on trees with high stem abundances (>10 per plant) and of heights between 50 and 150 cm. Deer preferred Ulmus americana and Acer saccharinum, and avoided Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Acer negundo, and Quercus spp. at mainland sites, and did not browse Phalaris arundinacea if present. Depending on plant growth responses to herbivory and the competitive effects of unbrowsed species, our results suggest that selective foraging could promote the expansion of invasive species and/or alter tree species composition in bottomland forest restorations. Islands may, however, serve as refuges from browsing on a regional scale.

We developed a monitoring program to assess the health of urban fragments of pine rockland, a globally critically imperiled, fire-dependent plant community, in order to provide feedback for adaptive land management. Our results showed negative effects of fire exclusion, including low native herb and grass cover, excessive leaf litter accumulation, and high densities of native trees in most of the twelve preserves sampled. We provide quantitative evidence of the need for instituting regular prescribed fires to Miami-Dade County's pine rockland preserves, and lend support to the idea that, in degraded urban fragments, manual hardwood reduction is sometimes a required first step toward achieving maintenance conditions. We demonstrate that simple actions like measuring litter depth or visually estimating hardwood cover can be utilized by preserve managers as a quick, inexpensive way to prioritize hardwood reduction and burn scheduling. Our results serve as a case study for other urban forest fragments with similar issues.

The forests and woodlands of the Prairie Peninsula region in the Midwestern USA have been heavily impacted by human influences over the past ∼150 years. Current composition, structure, and dynamics in forest communities across the region lie outside the historical range of variability. However, areas along major waterways were afforded greater fire protection historically than the landscape as a whole (and are common locations for modern natural areas), and historical and modern conditions may be more analogous in these locations. This study assessed composition and structure of woodlands in a series of natural areas along the Des Plaines River in Lake County, Illinois, and related current conditions to historical baselines for the locality and region. Modern composition and structure in even these fire-protected habitats appear to lie outside the historical range of variability. High canopy cover, stem density, and dominance by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica L.) are especially inconsistent with historical conditions. Current structure suggests a continued trajectory toward homogenized, closed-canopy ecosystems with increased dominance by mesophytic and invasive species and decreased importance of historically-dominant oak (Quercus spp.) species. Community-specific management strategies focused on modifying canopy structure and composition will be necessary to shift these communities toward conditions of increased light availability, structural complexity, and biological diversity. Strategies to achieve these goals are currently not well established, especially those that could be applied in urban natural areas. Implementation of multiple approaches in an adaptive management framework would aid in developing best management practices for wooded ecosystems in the region.

Although white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) are generalist herbivores, they can have significant effects on species composition and abundance of forest trees, especially when deer densities are high and most plant species are heavily browsed but a few are selectively avoided as browse. We evaluated effects of selective deer browsing on tree species abundance in an old-growth mesic/wet-mesic forest in central Illinois by repeated sampling of permanent study plots in 2003 and 2008 and relating changes in stem density between the two samples to the intensity of deer browsing of individual species. The study site has high deer density (75 deer km²) during winter months, and initial observations indicated that paw paw (Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal) was strongly avoided as browse. Paw paw density increased in the seedling stratum between the two sample periods. However, nearly all other tree species declined in density; blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata Michx.) — a low-use browse species, had a small increase in seedling density. Tree species diversity decreased in the seedling stratum, but not in the sapling stratum, although sapling density declined for some species. The current trajectory of tree species growth and recruitment suggests that the development of a dense paw paw understory canopy will further decrease species diversity and reduce tree species recruitment. Based on the life history traits of paw paw, and high deer densities and selective browsing, this issue is of concern for current and future forest communities.

Globally rare sandplain grassland and coastal heathland plant communities of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, merit high conservation priority because they support many rare and endangered species. Management (brush-cutting, grazing, and prescribed fire) has been effective in maintaining these communities, but less successful in transforming overgrown native scrub oak shrubland to diverse grassland. These scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia Wangenh.) communities may lack a seed bank of grassland species in their soil. To examine this on Nantucket, we used the seedling emergence method to compare the soil seed bank of grassland, heathland, and scrub oak sites. We classified seedlings by growth form (graminoid, forb, or woody) and identified them to genus and species when possible. We observed that seedling density declined along a successional gradient, with the highest total density and highest graminoid density at grassland sites and the lowest at one of the scrub oak sites. A nMDS ordination grouped grassland sites with dominant graminoids and heathland sites with dominant woody species and forbs. Seeds of key grassland dominants were absent from scrub oak and heathland samples but were found in grassland samples. Our results suggest that lack of seed bank of desirable grassland species may be a limiting factor in restoration projects intended to convert scrub oak shrubland to sandplain grassland. Scarcity of grassland species in the scrub oak seed bank highlights the importance of maintaining existing grassland communities, rather than attempting to restore them once they are gone.

Silene spaldingii S. Watson (Spalding's catchfly) is a threatened wildflower that relies on insect-mediated pollination. However, its pollination ecology is not well understood, particularly in the Zumwalt Prairie of northeastern Oregon, which contains the largest known S. spaldingii population. Our objectives were to: (1) describe the principal insect visitors to S. spaldingii in the Zumwalt Prairie, (2) quantify the available pool of pollinators in the area, and (3) determine whether the visitation rate to individual plants is associated with the density of S. spaldingii at the patch scale, as predicted by the resource concentration hypothesis, and/or by the density and composition of non-S. spaldingii blooming plants, as predicted by the facilitation and competition hypotheses. We recorded insect visits to S. spaldingii during peak bloom at 30 patches and characterized the local bee community using blue vane traps. We quantified the patch-scale density of S. spaldingii and the composition and abundance of other blooming species at each patch. Two bumble bee species comprised all observed visits, although they constituted only 20% of the total bees sampled on the prairie. Bumble bees showed a high degree of host fidelity even when other blooming plants were present. Per capita visitation rates increased with catchfly density and blooming plant abundance at the patch scale, supporting the resource concentration and facilitation hypotheses. Silene spaldingii in the Zumwalt Prairie appears to rely on a narrow pool of pollinators that may preferentially visit it over other blooming plants, and more dense patches of S. spaldingii may increase pollination efficiency.

Garden loosesrtife (Lysimachia vulgaris L.) is a highly invasive wetland plant species that is rapidly spreading in parts of western Washington. It is known to spread asexually through rhizomes, but the contribution of seed reproduction is largely unknown. We investigated seed germination under different temperature treatments, finding a strong effect. Seeds sown under summer conditions were able to germinate at high rates immediately. Seeds sown in spring/fall and winter conditions had low germination until moved into summer temperatures, when they germinated quickly at high rates. This facultative dormancy allows seeds to overwinter if germination conditions are not appropriate in the autumn, at the time of seed maturation. We suggest seed production should be eliminated to prevent further spread of the species.

Extreme sports, adventure, and ecotourism are bringing increasing numbers of people into remote backcountry areas worldwide. The number of people visiting wilderness areas is set to increase further, and nature tourism is the fastest growing sector in the $3.5 trillion global annual tourism market (Mehmetoglu 2006). What impacts will this have on the social perceptions, economic, and conservation values of these areas and the species that are found there? Reflecting on over a decade's research on the impacts of the bear-viewing (Ursus spp.) ecotourism industry in British Columbia, Canada, this paper considers authenticity, place, and ‘place making’ via a case study of bear tourism in British Columbia (B.C.), Canada.

Serbia is a small European country whose biodiversity is rich in quality but poor in quantity. That is why all government entities have a great responsibility for the management of biodiversity in accordance with the principles of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Plant-pollinator interactions are a critical component of a healthy plant community and a healthy ecosystem. However, these interactions are at risk due to many factors, including potential phenological mismatches that may disrupt the timing of successful pollination. Environmental variables influence both when plants flower and when insects pollinate, and if those variables change, so might the timing of each species. If those changes do not track each other, plants and pollinators may not be active at the same time, potentially causing substantial problems to both groups. Yet, there is little consensus thus far about how the timing of plants and pollinators has been changing and how that might ultimately influence this important ecological interaction. Here, we review the evidence for phenological shifts in both species and find that there is evidence of change, but that it is extremely species-specific with some species advancing their activities, some delaying, and some staying about the same. We also provide some management guidelines to help promote healthy plant-pollinator relationships in light of the potential variability in phenological shifts and the other threats these species face in natural areas.

Using a scorecard approach, we assessed the condition of natural resources within the major habitats in Mount Rushmore National Memorial (MORU), South Dakota, and Niobrara National Scenic River (NIOB), Nebraska, as part of a “pilot” effort to determine a National Park Service (NPS) system-wide approach to Natural Resource Condition Assessments (NRCA). Both parks are considered small — MORU because of size (517 ha) and NIOB because the NPS does not own land within the boundary of the park. Small parks often contain resources that are not well-known because they lack research, monitoring, and staff expertise. However, we found adequate information to assess the condition, and sometimes trend, of 12 of 15 biodiversity and process indicators at MORU and 17 of 22 at NIOB, although most of the data we used to establish reference conditions came from sources outside of the parks. We believe forested habitats at MORU and NIOB are in poor condition and deteriorating primarily due to the suppression of fire for over 100 years. This is in contrast to the rivers, streams, and wetland habitats at both parks that are in good condition but threatened by an exotic fish (MORU) and reductions in streamflow and exotic plants (NIOB). For two habitats — stream and wetland (MORU) and Niobrara River and tributaries (NIOB) — we suggest several indicators of current condition be added as Vital Signs for long-term monitoring. The score-card approach is limited to those small parks with data to establish reference conditions for indicators.