We analyzed germination percentages and germination rates at four temperature treatments (5/15, 10/20, 15/25 and 20/35 °C) and in light or darkness in four endemic species of the genus Gymnocalycium with different flowering phenologies from the Córdoba Mountains (Argentina). Gymnocalycium bruchii flowered and dispersed its seeds very early in the season in comparison to the other three species. No seeds germinated in darkness or at the coldest temperature regime. For all species except G. bruchii, germination was higher at the two warmest treatments. Gymnocalycium bruchii germination was maximum at the second warmest temperature (15/25 °C) and did not germinate at all at the highest temperature treatment (20/35 °C). Germination varied strongly among species, from about 80% in G. quehliaum to 20% in G. monvillei. Germination rate (t₅₀) varied more strongly among temperature treatments (from 15 to 7 days in the coldest and warmest treatments respectively) than among species. The lack of germination of G. bruchii at 20–35 °C could be related to its early flowering phenology.

Nationwide, private land conservation (PLC) is on the rise. Land trusts, local government open space and natural area programs, and revised land use codes, as well as federal and state tax laws, combine to offer an increasing number of incentives and opportunities for landowners to consider. Such programs mitigate the loss of agricultural lands, wildlife habitat, and open space occurring as a result of development pressure. Larimer County, Colorado, has considerable development pressure and a diversity of voluntary and quasi-regulatory programs that stimulate PLC. This study probes the motivations, characteristics, and management practices of the landowners involved, and how these differ according to the mechanisms chosen to conserve private land. We surveyed all County landowners (grantors) who conserved private land using conservation easements, covenants, and cluster developments and interviewed a subset of those landowners. The typical grantor is older, married, well-educated, and likely retired. Five motivational domains were derived from responses to survey items. The natural resource protection domain was assigned the highest importance by participating landowners followed by community- mindedness, family commitments, financial incentives, and sustaining agricultural production. Motivations also differ significantly according to the type of conservation program utilized, geographic location, and the amount of land owned. Half of the respondents were found to be quite to fully engaged in management and monitoring activities. These and other findings may be useful to local governments and other entities engaged in private land conservation wishing to optimize available resources, the approaches, and practices used with different landowners.

We studied the effect of browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) on vegetation at three sites with high densities of deer and six sites with low densities of deer along the Missouri and Platte Rivers in southeastern Nebraska in 1995-1996. Vegetation volume from 0-1 m high was similar between sites with high and low deer densities (P > 0.05). From 1–2 m high, vegetation volume was less at sites with more deer in both years (P < 0.05). Densities for eight of 11 small woody plant categories (< 3 cm dbh) were less common at sites with high densities of deer (P < 0.05). Overall densities of small trees (3–15 cm dbh) were similar between sites with high and low densities of deer. However, small hackberry trees (Celtis occidentalis L.) were more common (P = 0.03), while all other small trees were less common (P = 0.038), at sites with more deer. Frequencies of ground cover plants were not randomly distributed (χ² = 588.2, P < 0.001, df = 12). Shrubs were less common and grasses more common than expected at sites with more deer. Forests at sites with high densities of deer are in the process of succeeding to a state dominated by hackberry in the overstory with reduced woody vegetation and increased grasses in the understory due to intensive browsing by deer.

We investigated the effects of mowing on butterfly counts in fields and woodland openings in upstate New York. We predicted that total counts of butterfly individuals would decrease immediately after mowing, but increase in the year following mowing at corresponding times in the growing season. To test these predictions, we used modified Pollard transects to obtain counts from three sampling sessions prior to and three sampling sessions after mowing. These counts were compared to those on similar dates in subsequent non-mowing years. The results show a significant decrease in counts of butterflies immediately following mowing, compared to the same periods in non-mowed years. The immediate decrease in counts following mowing may be due to the loss of nectaring sources, since nectaring and nectaring sources declined sharply following mowing, but recovered within a month following mowing. In the year following mowing, the rebound was significantly greater in fields (≥ 0.20 ha) than in woodland openings (≤ 0.19 ha). While species varied in their rebound, only two of 24 species (Pieris rapae and Danaus plexippus) declined significantly in the year following mowing.

Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br. is a non-native invasive fern that has become a serious problem in many habitats in southern Florida. The effectiveness of fire and/or triclopyr ester in killing L. microphyllum, the time and amount of herbicide required for inspections and re-applications, and the effects of these treatments on a southern Florida pine flatwoods community were examined. These treatments were: (1) herbicide application with bimonthly inspection and re-application if necessary, (2) herbicide application with biannual inspection/re-application, (3) prescribed fire to reduce L. microphyllum biomass followed by biannual inspection and herbicide application, and (4) untreated controls. All fire and/or herbicide treatments killed standing L. microphyllum, and the prescribed fire reduced by about one-half the amount of subsequent herbicide, but not the time, required to kill regrowth. No treatment prevented L. microphyllum regrowth, and every treatment had at least one new frond at the end of the three-year study. Fire and/or herbicide treatments did not permanently decrease native species cover, richness, evenness, or diversity (Shannon's H′), and native species cover increased following biannual herbicide and fire/biannual herbicide treatments. Two-month inspection/retreatment intervals were not more effective than six-month intervals. Lygodium microphyllum can return to former amounts of biomass and cover within a few years of burning. Waiting too long to inspect and retreat negates the benefits of using fire to reduce L. microphyllum biomass.

Post-fire seedling establishment in relation to microsite conditions and relationships of seedlings (saplings) to older tree individuals was studied in two treatments (i.e., burned and unburned sites) in an area known as the pitch pine (Pinus rigida) ridge on Hill Island, St. Lawrence Islands National Park, Eastern Ontario. Pinus rigida is a rare tree species in Canada at the northern limit of its range. Pinus strobus (eastern white pine) and Quercus alba (white oak) are also common species of the site. The negative correlation between density of mature P. rigida trees and total canopy cover and hardwood density was con.rmed in unburned plots on the ridge. On the other hand, P. strobus density was positively correlated with those parameters. The density of P. rigida seedlings is higher (by 48%) and P. strobus seedlings lower (by 82%) in burned plots than in unburned plots. Seedling recruitment was also dependent on the occurrence of seed trees of both species. The density of P. strobus seedlings was generally higher than that of P. rigida seedlings, especially in unburned plots. The long absence of .re, high seed production of P. Strobus, and relatively low number of P. rigida seed-producing trees, which have a low amount of fertile cones, are probably the main factors in.uencing seedling recruitment on the ridge. Discriminant analysis con.rmed different seedbed requirements of both species. Pinus strobus seedlings occurred within both treatments, especially on deeper soil pro.les with thicker litter depth, although, for seed regeneration, a mineral soil seedbed or a greatly reduced organic layer was also important. Pinus rigida seedling recruitment on burned and unburned plots was comparatively higher on mineral soil, thinner litter layer, and moss and lichen cushions.

Pitfall traps were used to sample ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from adjacent climax big sagebrush and disturbed cheatgrass dominated communities at the Hanford Site, which is located in southcentral Washington. Although the number of species captured was the same (S=15) in each plant community, the composition and abundance of species were dramatically different. Herbivorous species dominated the cheatgrass stand while predaceous species were dominant in the sagebrush. These findings, while preliminary, suggest that long-term changes in vegetation alone can affect ground beetle communities.

The Lowcountry Forest Conservation Project was designed to encourage conservation forestry practices on South Carolina's lower coastal plain. The area has great ecological diversity and need for the type of protections afforded by conservation forestry. The project provided demonstrations of these practices and offered forest owners an estimate of the cost-effectiveness of the techniques. This article reports on a financial analysis of the three main practices: (1) the reintroduction of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Miller) into areas that are now loblolly pine plantations (Pinus taeda L.), (2) more and better use of prescribed fire, and (3) bottomland hardwood management. Longleaf pine reintroduction was accomplished using partial clearcuts of existing pine plantations over several decades. Financial return was shown to be competitive with intensively-managed loblolly pine plantations. Pine straw production played a large role in increasing cash flows. Prescribed burning was shown to “pay for itself” in increased stumpage prices and reduced harvesting costs. A technique to better manage bottomland hardwoods for economic returns was discussed. Conservation forestry practices were shown to be economically-effective means to manage forests while benefiting wildlife, aesthetics, and other ecological values. These techniques can be used to analyze other practices and techniques that are used to protect natural areas. Often they can be shown to “pay their own way.”

The legislation governing protected areas in Ontario, Canada, had not been significantly revised in more than half a century – since its introduction in 1954. During this time, the number of protected areas under the jurisdiction of the Government of Ontario increased from eight to 631 sites, now covering approximately 94,000 km² or 9% of the province. In recent decades, many different stakeholders, independent experts, and government panels and agencies have called for new legislation with a mandate to conserve biodiversity and maintain ecological integrity. This paper discusses recent legislative changes that guide the planning and management of protected areas in Ontario, Canada. This paper concludes that the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 is a significant improvement to the legislative framework governing Ontario's protected areas, but that concerns remains with regard to adequate government funding and the overall approach to Crown land management.

Feral horse (Equus caballus L.) populations are found on properties managed by governmental agencies in western states, the Missouri Ozarks, and on several Atlantic coast barrier and estuarine islands. These animals are descendants of free-roaming horses introduced decades to centuries earlier. Public sentiment has influenced development of policies that have allowed the herds to remain. The North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve is a state program with federal support and oversight that manages four properties; two (Rachel Carson in Beaufort, NC, and Currituck Banks near Corolla, NC) include feral horse populations. Current reserve policies include maintenance of these herds; however, impacts on salt marshes and other ecosystems represent a conflict with federal regulations. Among the Atlantic Coast herds, conditions at the Rachel Carson site are least accommodating for the animals. With a combination of pertinent research results plus 20 years of site-specific management experience as a basis, I argue that feral horses of the Rachel Carson site should be removed for programmatic, ecologic, and humane reasons. To maintain estuarine reserve character, the Currituck Banks site should be protected from roaming horse impacts by creation of one or more delimited pastures outside reserve property.