Summary1. Shortcuts to measuring biodiversity enable prioritization of conservation effort in the face of limited time, personnel and funding. The conservation umbrella approach focuses management effort according to individual species that may confer protection to a larger community. This approach can help guide the management agenda towards attainable goals by maximizing conservation returns per unit effort. The development of the umbrella index has shown promise in identifying umbrella species in terrestrial ecosystems but has received little attention with respect to the management of wetland ecosystems. 2. We used the umbrella index to assess the umbrella potential of vascular plants and dragonflies (Odonata) from 15 wetland impoundments in northern Mississippi, USA. The presence of adult odonates was determined by repeated visual surveys and plant lists were compiled from 50 plots per site. 3. Umbrella schemes, or the sites occupied by top umbrella species, missed large numbers of beneficiary species and occurrences. With one exception, umbrella schemes failed to optimize conservation returns relative to randomized schemes in both assemblages. Also, umbrella schemes approximately equalled the performance of non-umbrella schemes both overall and for species with a low rate of occurrence. Low occurrence rates in both assemblages may have hindered umbrella index performance because the index assumes that species with moderate occurrence rates have the most umbrella potential. 4. Cross-taxon analyses (Mantel tests and McNemar tests) suggested transferability of plant and dragonfly umbrella schemes, and non-random association between the plants and dragonflies in these wetlands. 5. Synthesis and applications. Despite the questionable performance of umbrella schemes in our study, the use of a quantitative ecological tool such as the umbrella index instead of political or popularity criteria is strongly recommended for future selection of umbrella species. The results of cross-taxon analyses supported growing evidence for spatial and functional relationships between wetland macrophytes and adult odonates. We suggest that the more easily measured assemblage can be used to set priorities for wetland conservation planning in circumstances where human resources are constrained.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding for the work described here is provided by a combination of sources including USACE's Engineering With Nature (EWN) Initiative and the Dredge Operations and Environmental Research (DOER) Program; NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science; cooperative agreement F18AC00019 through which USFWS provides funding to MDDNR. Special thanks to USACE Baltimore District Big Thorofare/Twitch Cove Maintenance Dredging Project Delivery Team, USFWS site managers for field work facilitation, as well as Shay Viehman and Carolyn Currin of (NCCOS) for critical reviews of this communication. Data Availability: There are no data associated with this submission EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is part of the special series "Incorporating Nature-based Solutions to the Built Environment." The series documents the way in which the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets can be addressed when naturebased solutions (NBS) are incorporated into the built environment. This series presents cutting-edge environmental research and policy solutions that promote sustainability from the perspective of how the science community contributes to SDG implementation through new technologies, assessment and monitoring methods, management best practices, and scientific research.
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