An experimental test of lignocellulosic fabrics for potential use in artificial habitat construction in deserts.
Climate change has profound effects on drylands, where vegetation like shrubs provide microclimatic refugia for animals. However, prolonged drought and higher temperatures are reducing the resilience of vegetation. Artificial habitat constructions, such as shelters, may function similarly to shrubs...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424000106 |
| _version_ | 1797272516714037248 |
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| author | Nargol Ghazian Suzanne E. MacDonald Christopher J. Lortie |
| author_facet | Nargol Ghazian Suzanne E. MacDonald Christopher J. Lortie |
| author_sort | Nargol Ghazian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change has profound effects on drylands, where vegetation like shrubs provide microclimatic refugia for animals. However, prolonged drought and higher temperatures are reducing the resilience of vegetation. Artificial habitat constructions, such as shelters, may function similarly to shrubs in providing climatic refuge. Natural fabrics, including lignocellulosic fabrics, have gained popularity in conservation due to their biodegradability, lightweight, and strength. In this study, we tested the effects of natural fabric canopies on key desert microclimatic variables, including temperature, relative humidity (RH), and light intensity/radiation to select the best-suited fabric for microclimatic amelioration of resident fauna in future field experiments. We used 0.45 m2 microsites of burlap, canvas, and nursery fabrics angled to the ground at three repetitions per fabric and paired them with data loggers for 30 days to record near-surface air temperature, RH, and radiation. We compared uncovered and similarly illuminated 0.45 m2 areas to serve as the control. We saw that the control was consistently the warmest microsite, while burlap and cotton canvas were the coolest. However, burlap offered a lower amplitude of temperature variation compared to cotton canvas. The lowest mean radiation was experienced under burlap and it functioned similarly to cotton canvas when controlling light regimes. We found that nursery fabric showed the highest humidity levels with the lowest variation, while cotton canvas had the lowest humidity and the highest variation. Yet, the high variation in temperature for nursery fabrics suggests it is not ideal for deployment in the field for sheltering resident fauna. Natural fabrics for small shelters could support conservation and management, as they can be deployed, are ecologically friendly, and serve as a stop-gap solution for early restoration efforts in sites while vegetation is re-established post-disturbance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:29:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dbf89dac1825442d804616394e111664 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:29:31Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-dbf89dac1825442d804616394e1116642024-03-06T05:27:17ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942024-04-0150e02806An experimental test of lignocellulosic fabrics for potential use in artificial habitat construction in deserts.Nargol Ghazian0Suzanne E. MacDonald1Christopher J. Lortie2Corresponding author.; Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, CanadaDepartment of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, CanadaDepartment of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, CanadaClimate change has profound effects on drylands, where vegetation like shrubs provide microclimatic refugia for animals. However, prolonged drought and higher temperatures are reducing the resilience of vegetation. Artificial habitat constructions, such as shelters, may function similarly to shrubs in providing climatic refuge. Natural fabrics, including lignocellulosic fabrics, have gained popularity in conservation due to their biodegradability, lightweight, and strength. In this study, we tested the effects of natural fabric canopies on key desert microclimatic variables, including temperature, relative humidity (RH), and light intensity/radiation to select the best-suited fabric for microclimatic amelioration of resident fauna in future field experiments. We used 0.45 m2 microsites of burlap, canvas, and nursery fabrics angled to the ground at three repetitions per fabric and paired them with data loggers for 30 days to record near-surface air temperature, RH, and radiation. We compared uncovered and similarly illuminated 0.45 m2 areas to serve as the control. We saw that the control was consistently the warmest microsite, while burlap and cotton canvas were the coolest. However, burlap offered a lower amplitude of temperature variation compared to cotton canvas. The lowest mean radiation was experienced under burlap and it functioned similarly to cotton canvas when controlling light regimes. We found that nursery fabric showed the highest humidity levels with the lowest variation, while cotton canvas had the lowest humidity and the highest variation. Yet, the high variation in temperature for nursery fabrics suggests it is not ideal for deployment in the field for sheltering resident fauna. Natural fabrics for small shelters could support conservation and management, as they can be deployed, are ecologically friendly, and serve as a stop-gap solution for early restoration efforts in sites while vegetation is re-established post-disturbance.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424000106MicroclimateLignocelluloseBiodegradable shelterTemperatureRelative humidityLight radiation |
| spellingShingle | Nargol Ghazian Suzanne E. MacDonald Christopher J. Lortie An experimental test of lignocellulosic fabrics for potential use in artificial habitat construction in deserts. Global Ecology and Conservation Microclimate Lignocellulose Biodegradable shelter Temperature Relative humidity Light radiation |
| title | An experimental test of lignocellulosic fabrics for potential use in artificial habitat construction in deserts. |
| title_full | An experimental test of lignocellulosic fabrics for potential use in artificial habitat construction in deserts. |
| title_fullStr | An experimental test of lignocellulosic fabrics for potential use in artificial habitat construction in deserts. |
| title_full_unstemmed | An experimental test of lignocellulosic fabrics for potential use in artificial habitat construction in deserts. |
| title_short | An experimental test of lignocellulosic fabrics for potential use in artificial habitat construction in deserts. |
| title_sort | experimental test of lignocellulosic fabrics for potential use in artificial habitat construction in deserts |
| topic | Microclimate Lignocellulose Biodegradable shelter Temperature Relative humidity Light radiation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424000106 |
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