I document observations of birds feeding on the larvae of the leaf-mining moth Phyllonorycter emberizaepenella (Gracillariidae) in Michigan, USA. The larvae were feeding on Amur honeysuckle, Lonicera maackii (Caprifoliaceae), a non-native plant that has not been documented as a host for any species of Gracillariidae in North America, and which has few records of use by invertebrate herbivores anywhere in its range. Most bird observations were of chickadees (Paridae), which have been previously recorded feeding on leaf-mining insects. Observations also include three species of warblers (Parulidae) and one kinglet (Regulidae), which represent the first documentation of these families feeding on leaf-mining moth larvae. I describe this novel multitrophic interaction between a non-native plant, a native insect, and native vertebrate predators, and discuss the potential spread of the moth in North America, its use as a food source by birds, and the ecological implications.

The native environment in northwestern China is characterized by a loose surface, gullies, a dry climate and serious soil erosion. The purpose of this study was to reveal the effects of the subsidence of a coal mine on plant diversity and community structure. For this purpose, six sample plots were surveyed at the Daliuta coal mine based on different subsidence times. The species richness and importance value as well as α diversity indexes were applied. The results indicate that species richness varied across study sites. Coal mine subsidence had little effect on plant diversity and community structure. The number of species increased in subsided sites in loam soils, especially in the number of unique perennial herbs, but there were no differences in sandy soils. There was less biomass in the subsidence sites than in the control sites after several years of subsidence. The community structure did not change in general, but on some loam soils constructive species changed in response to coal mine subsidence. Surface subsidence induced by coal mining can be characterized as an intermediate disturbance to plant communities in northwestern China.

The use of phylogeny in ecology has gained attention due to its benefits in understanding biological diversity and adaptation processes. In this study, phylogenetic positions of 12 Astragalus taxa were evaluated by comparing with 419 Astragalus taxa sequences in a database. Additionally, the influence of ecological traits on morphology was assessed. Although the samples were grouped according to subgenera or sections they belong to, this division was not striking. The phylogenetic relationships of the nine endemic and three common Astragalus taxa based on nrDNA region sequences and morphological features as well as their interplay with the environment were examined. Furthermore, soil characteristics of the fields where each Astragalus taxon grows were determined. Analysis of the sequences revealed that the 12 taxa were grouped into three clades using the Bayesian Inference method. A cladogram of 431 Astragalus taxa showed that the samples were divided into ten major clades. Morphological traits were found to be correlated with soil properties, which could indicate adaptation to environmental conditions of these taxa.

The conversion of rural habitat into built-up areas often affects animal species negatively. However, some generalist bird species and raptors relying on avian prey have colonised urban environments. Surprisingly, no study has compared the breeding biology of urban and rural populations of a very common old-world raptor, the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). Here, we compare the territory occupancy rate, breeding success and productivity (i.e., the number of fledglings) over four years (2009–2012) of an urban and a rural sparrowhawk population in Scotland. Our results showed that urban sparrowhawk territories were occupied significantly more frequently (mean % years occupied ± se: 66.8 ± 5.9%) than rural territories (42.8 ± 4.7%). Clutch size, brood size and the number of fledglings produced did not differ between the populations. However, the breeding success was significantly higher in the urban (annual mean ± se: 97.2 ± 2.3% nests successful) than in the rural population (80.5 ± 6.6%) because of a higher nest desertion rate at the egg and chick stages in the rural population. Our study suggests that warm weather in July may have more negative effects on rural sparrowhawks compared to urban sparrowhawks. The mechanism behind the difference is unknown and requires further work.

Belowground biomass accounts for most of the carbon fluxes between biosphere and atmosphere. However, the relative importance of geographical, climatic, vegetation, and soil factors to belowground biomass at the regional scale is not well understood. To improve our understanding and estimations of belowground biomass, we used multilevel regression modeling to estimate the primary productivity of natural grasslands and determine the effects of the above-mentioned factors on belowground biomass. Mean annual precipitation (MAP), longitude, soil bulk density (SB), and soil moisture content (SMC) explained 22.4% (highest density interval, HDI: 12.6–32.5%), 10.5% (HDI: 0.6–20.6%), 10.2% (HDI: 1.9–18.8%), and 13.1% (HDI: 1.5–25.2%) of the variation in regional belowground biomass, respectively. Our results clearly demonstrate that belowground biomass values of ecological communities exhibited the pattern meadow > steppe > desert steppe. MAP was the most important driver of productivity, and SMC was a goodpredictor of variations in productivity at the regional scale. Our results show that multifunctionality indices that appropriately account for the comprehensive responses of the multiple drivers of grassland ecosystems are important at the regional scale.

This study investigated the effects of two fungal pathogens, the smut fungus Sporisorium kusanoi and the discomycete Naemacyclus culmigenus, on the Japanese pampas grass Miscanthus sinensis, under experimental warming. In a cool-temperate grassland in a montane region, a field experiment was conducted with two treatments: 1) warming plots in open-top chambers (OTC); and 2) control plots with ambient temperature. Mean air temperature was 1.1°C higher in OTC than control. The fate, length, number of leaves, and aboveground biomass of uninfected and infected shoots of M. sinensis naturally established within the plots were recorded during the 2014 growing season. Disease symptoms emerged earlier in OTC. Infected shoots were shorter and had fewer leaves in OTC, whereas uninfected shoots were similar between OTC and control. Shoot biomass tended to be higher for uninfected shoots than infected shoots, but similar between OTC and control. Finally, shoot survival tended to be lower in OTC than control, as well as in infected than uninfected shoots. These results indicated that survival and growth of M. sinensis shoots were reduced following pathogen infection and that the detrimental effects of pathogens were more apparent under the warming condition.

Native seed is often collected en masse from remnant ecosystems to supply landscape-scale restoration. Successful large-scale restoration depends on sustained seed yields but also on donor population persistence. Native plants that reproduce solely by seed are especially sensitive to harvesting practices. We addressed the challenge of procuring sufficient seed from remnant sources to restore landscapes while also maintaining remnant populations of native plants. We evaluated: 1) the sustainability of seed harvest at varying intensities in Rudbeckia hirta, a seedreliant plant; and 2) the contribution of fire in promoting sustainability of seed donor populations. We planted seedlings of R. hirta in a field experiment that manipulated management type (burned or unburned) and harvest intensity (0, 50%, or 100% seed removed), and measured changes in seedling recruitment and seed production among treatments. Moderate intensity harvest and burning did not significantly reduce seedling recruitment, but high intensity harvest with burning reduced recruitment by 95% compared to controls. Seed production nearly doubled in burned treatments. In unburned prairie, recruitment is negligible, and harvest intensity does not have an effect on recruitment. For harvest-sensitive prairie species, a strategy incorporating moderate intensity seed harvest with burning is most likely to provide seed for large-scale restoration sustainably.

Catchments form an important terrestrial-aquatic habitat complex for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. Riparian and stream components are debated about how much habitat need to be maintained or restored in rivers subject to habitat degradation and fragmentation. Using brown trout as a focal species we tested the hypothesis that presence of suitable habitat in lotic stream sections can be predicted using habitat modelling. We modelled brown trout habitat at the catchment scale in terms of quality, size, juxtaposition of stream segments using digital elevation data, and presence of dams. The habitat models were validated against presenceabsence data for local brown trout populations. A self-reproducing brown trout population was defined as having three year-classes. We identified the required minimum length (270 m) of a lotic stream section hosting a local brown trout population, corresponding to 3500 m². Adjacent areas of lotic stream habitat between dams had a significant positive effect on brown trout presence. The abundance of brown trout was significantly positively correlated to habitat quality, and negatively to hydropower water regulation. Critical habitat loss thresholds can be used for gap analysis regarding selection of dams to be removed and where restoration measures will be most effective in a catchment.