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Using Qualitative and Quantitative Methods to Choose a Habitat Quality Metric for Air Pollution Policy Evaluation.

ABSTRACT: Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has had detrimental effects on species composition in a range of sensitive habitats, although N deposition can also increase agricultural productivity and carbon storage, and favours a few species considered of importance for conservation. Conservation targets are multiple, and increasingly incorporate services derived from nature as well as concepts of intrinsic value. Priorities vary. How then should changes in a set of species caused by drivers such as N deposition be assessed? We used a novel combination of qualitative semi-structured interviews and quantitative ranking to elucidate the views of conservation professionals specialising in grasslands, heathlands and mires. Although conservation management goals are varied, terrestrial habitat quality is mainly assessed by these specialists on the basis of plant species, since these are readily observed. The presence and abundance of plant species that are scarce, or have important functional roles, emerged as important criteria for judging overall habitat quality. However, species defined as 'positive indicator-species' (not particularly scarce, but distinctive for the habitat) were considered particularly important. Scarce species are by definition not always found, and the presence of functionally important species is not a sufficient indicator of site quality. Habitat quality as assessed by the key informants was rank-correlated with the number of positive indicator-species present at a site for seven of the nine habitat classes assessed. Other metrics such as species-richness or a metric of scarcity were inconsistently or not correlated with the specialists' assessments. We recommend that metrics of habitat quality used to assess N pollution impacts are based on the occurrence of, or habitat-suitability for, distinctive species. Metrics of this type are likely to be widely applicable for assessing habitat change in response to different drivers. The novel combined qualitative and quantitative approach taken to elucidate the priorities of conservation professionals could be usefully applied in other contexts.

SUBMITTER: Rowe EC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4996518 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Using Qualitative and Quantitative Methods to Choose a Habitat Quality Metric for Air Pollution Policy Evaluation.

Rowe Edwin C EC Ford Adriana E S AE Smart Simon M SM Henrys Peter A PA Ashmore Mike R MR

PloS one 20160824 8

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has had detrimental effects on species composition in a range of sensitive habitats, although N deposition can also increase agricultural productivity and carbon storage, and favours a few species considered of importance for conservation. Conservation targets are multiple, and increasingly incorporate services derived from nature as well as concepts of intrinsic value. Priorities vary. How then should changes in a set of species caused by drivers such as N de ...[more]

PMID: 27557277

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Project description:RATIONALE:Fine particulate matter air pollution of 2.5 ?m or less in diameter (PM2.5) has been associated with an increased risk of respiratory disease, but assessments of specific respiratory infections in adults are lacking. OBJECTIVES:To estimate the rate of respiratory infection healthcare encounters in adults associated with acute increases in PM2.5 concentrations. METHODS:Using case-crossover methods, we studied 498,118 adult New York State residents with a primary diagnosis of influenza, bacterial pneumonia, or culture-negative pneumonia upon hospitalization or emergency department (ED) visit (2005-2016). We estimated the relative rate of healthcare encounters associated with increases in PM2.5 in the previous 1-7 days and explored differences before (2005-2007), during (2008-2013), and after (2014-2016) implementation of air quality policies and economic changes. RESULTS:Interquartile range increases in PM2.5 over the previous 7 days were associated with increased excess rates (ERs) of culture-negative pneumonia hospitalizations (2.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7-3.2%) and ED visits (2.5%; 95% CI, 1.4-3.6%), and increased ERs of influenza ED visits (3.9%; 95% CI, 2.1-5.6%). Bacterial pneumonia hospitalizations, but not ED visits, were associated with increases in PM2.5 and, though imprecise, were of a similar magnitude to culture-negative pneumonia (Lag Day 6 ER, 2.3%; 95% CI, 0.3-4.3). Increased relative rates of influenza ED visits and culture-negative pneumonia hospitalizations were generally larger in the "after" period (P?<?0.025 for both outcomes), compared with the "during" period, despite reductions in overall PM2.5 concentrations. CONCLUSIONS:Increased rates of culture-negative pneumonia and influenza were associated with increased PM2.5 concentrations during the previous week, which persisted despite reductions in PM2.5 from air quality policies and economic changes. Though unexplained, this temporal variation may reflect altered toxicity of different PM2.5 mixtures or increased pathogen virulence.

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Using Qualitative and Quantitative Methods to Choose a Habitat Quality Metric for Air Pollution Policy Evaluation.

Publications

Using Qualitative and Quantitative Methods to Choose a Habitat Quality Metric for Air Pollution Policy Evaluation.

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