污泥和垃圾堆肥用作林木育苗基质的研究

通过容器栽培试验，用出苗率，苗木生长指标，形态质量指数，叶片叶绿素含量等４指标对污泥和垃圾堆肥替代泥炭用作林木育苗容器基质的可行性进行了研究。结果显示，污泥和垃圾堆肥可以部分替代灰，能明显促进苗木生长，苗木叶片中的叶绿素含量明显高于对照，且叶片的生长期较对照长。     

利用餐厨和绿化垃圾提高蚯蚓堆肥效率处理剩余污泥的研究

为了显著提高蚯蚓堆肥处理剩余污泥的效率,在实验室条件下进行了掺入不同比例餐厨和绿化垃圾的剩余污泥蚯蚓堆肥试验。在保持剩余污泥占主体的情况下,试验按照剩余污泥：餐厨垃圾：绿化垃圾的质量比（干质量）顺序,共设6个不同配比处理组,分别为100/0/0、90/5/5、80/10/10、70/15/15、70/20/10和70/10/20,各组接种蚯蚓后恒温（25±1）℃暗室培养,中途适时补充基质和水分,试验为期7周。试验结束后,去除未被降解基质,分离并量测蚯蚓质量和数量以及蚓粪质量及其养分含量,并据此量化比较各组蚯蚓堆肥效率。试验结果表明,与纯污泥相比,增加餐厨和绿化垃圾的总比例可以显著加快蚯蚓的生长、成熟和繁殖速度,显著提高对应基质的降解速率和蚓粪生产速率,而且相应蚓粪的养分（总有机碳、全钾）含量也会显著增加（全氮和全磷含量无显著影响）。在保持剩余污泥占70%比例下,掺入15%餐厨垃圾和15%绿化垃圾的组别蚯蚓堆肥处理剩余污泥的效率达到最高（蚓粪的养分含量除外）,并与其他组别相比具有统计显著性。总之,餐厨和绿化垃圾的掺入能够显著提高蚯蚓堆肥处理剩余污泥的效率。     

城市污泥和建筑垃圾混合基质对臭椿生长及重金属转移的影响

城市污泥与建筑垃圾是城镇主要固体废弃物,为促进其安全低成本的土地利用,采用盆栽方式,配置城市生污泥体积占比为0%、20%、40%、60%、80%和100%等6种生污泥与建筑垃圾混合基质,播种臭椿种子,分析混合基质的理化性状与植物当年生长量变化.结果显示,随着污泥含量增加,基质中黏粒含量、电导率、有机质、养分和重金属砷、镉、钴、铜、镍、锌含量显著增加,而铬、铅变化不大.污泥含量40%及以下的基质中各重金属含量均达到国家《土壤环境质量标准》旱地Ⅰ-Ⅱ级标准,污泥占比60%和80%基质中各重金属含量均达到III级标准.污泥含量为20%和40%的基质最适宜臭椿生长,植株干重比对照提高54.57%以上,高于40%则抑制臭椿生长,高比例污泥基质中臭椿萌发与生长差,基质黏粒含量高、透气透水性差是主要原因.臭椿根茎叶重金属含量及富集系数随着生长基质中重金属增加而增加,臭椿对镉的富集系数最大,在0.1-0.5之间,对锌、镍的富集系数次之,叶片对重金属的富集系数大多高于根茎.综合考虑植株生物量、重金属污染,未经前处理的生污泥与建筑垃圾直接混合成植物生长基质是完全可行的,生污泥占比为40%的混合基质适宜种植臭椿,臭椿对基质中的重金属具有较强的富集能力.     

堆肥污泥对杨树幼苗主要抗逆生理动态变化的影响

采用温室盆栽实验研究堆肥污泥对两个杨树品种[凌丰三号(Populus×euramaricanacl.‘Lingfeng 3’)和欧美杨108号(Populus×euramericana‘Guariento’)]幼苗叶片的超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性、过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性、过氧化物酶(POD)活性、脯氨酸(Pro)及丙二醛(MDA)含量在不同生长季(污泥施用后的4周、9周、16周和21周)动态变化的影响,分别设置低量污泥(15 t hm-2,LS)、中量污泥(30 t hm-2,MS)、高量污泥(60 t hm-2,HS)和对照(不施污泥,CK)4个处理。结果表明:施用堆肥污泥对2个杨树品种幼苗叶片的SOD、POD及CAT活性的影响在不同生长季均为显著,其中POD活性普遍有所降低,SOD活性基本呈现降低趋势,而CAT活性则因不同品种、污泥用量和生长季而异。施用堆肥污泥对两个品种叶片Pro含量的影响除了污泥施用前期(4周后)外,其他生长季均为显著。污泥对2个品种叶片的膜质过氧化的影响在不同生长季有所差异,在4周和21周后的影响均显著,而在9周和16周后的影响均不显著,并且在污泥施用前、中期(即4周和16周后),叶片的MDA含量基本呈现增加趋势,而在21周后MDA含量则普遍有所降低。由此说明,杨树幼苗对污泥施用有一个适应过程,但因品种和污泥用量而异。     

美国红枫和元宝枫幼叶春季转色期生理特性研究

为了探索美国红枫(Acer×freemanii‘Autumn Blaze’)和元宝枫(Acer truncatum)在春季转色期的生理特性,测定其春季转色期内幼叶叶绿素含量、类胡萝卜素含量、花青素含量、可溶性糖含量,以及叶绿素荧光、叶片含水率等生理指标,分析各生理指标变化及相关性。结果表明,(1)美国红枫和元宝枫转色期叶绿素a和叶绿素b的含量都呈现逐步上升趋势,总叶绿素含量(Chl)增幅分别为85.3%和235.5%,类胡萝卜素变化不明显。美国红枫花青素含量(Ant)稳步下降,降幅为33.3%,而元宝枫呈现波动状态,整个试验期前者花青素含量都高于后者,树种间差异显著(F=68.69,P0.01)。二者可溶性糖含量均呈波动性变化,树种间差异显著(F=36.54,P0.01);叶片含水率都呈缓慢下降趋势。F_v/F_m树种间差异不显著(F=0.11,P=0.736),都随叶片成熟而逐渐升高,美国红枫最小值为0.53,最大值为0.72;元宝枫最小值为0.49,最大值为0.75。(2)花青素与叶绿素的比例决定了叶片颜色。当两树种的Ant/Chl比值大于2.5时,叶绿素的主导作用减弱,叶片呈现花青素的颜色——红色;当比值小于2.5时,花青素的主导作用减弱,叶片呈现叶绿素的颜色——绿色。(3)相关性研究表明,美国红枫花青素与质体色素表现为显著负相关,而元宝枫表现为显著正相关(P0.01)。两树种在花青素和可溶性糖之间都没有表现出显著相关性;F_v/F_m与各色素间均存在显著相关性(P0.01)。研究美国红枫和元宝枫叶色变化的生理特性,可为园林树种叶色改良或调控观赏期提供理论依据。     

不同基质对马尾松容器苗及其菌根的影响

以10种培养基质，对马尾松进行容器育苗研究．结果表明：以竹叶为基本材料配制基质，比纯黄心主基质培育的马尾松百日苗，干物质重增加对2％；与蛭石基质相比，增加43.9％；与松树皮基质相比，增加25.0％以松针为基本材料配制的基质效果近似于竹叶．两者对苗木生长的影响，与各处理相比较，均达到了极显著水平．培养基质理化性质与苗木生物量相关的矩阵分析表明，容器基质的客重和孔隙度对苗木生长影响最大;基质内有效养分含量，特别是磷含量的多少很重要．竹叶和松针作为基质，表现了良好的理化性质，促进了马尾松苗木早期菌极化，百日苗面根感染率分别比黄心土基质的百日苗提高12.9％和17.0％同时加快了苗木生长．     

热带次生林两种林下植物叶片生理特性对氮磷添加的响应

为探究热带次生林林下植物叶片对长期氮(N)、磷(P)添加的响应,阐明热带森林植物对土壤低磷环境适应的生理生态机制,基于华南热带次生林长达9年的氮、磷添加实验,测定两种分布较广的林下乡土树种大青(Clerodendrum cyrtophyllum)和紫玉盘(Uvaria microcarpa)的叶片基本属性、叶绿素含量及氮磷元素含量等指标.结果显示:(1)两种植物叶片的基本属性及光合色素存在显著的种间差异(P 0.05);氮和磷添加提高了大青叶片的比叶面积(35%-38%),对两个树种叶片的叶长、叶宽、叶面积等无显著影响;(2)氮添加显著影响两种植物叶片叶绿素a和总叶绿素含量(P=0.036和P=0.043),而磷添加对光合色素含量无显著影响;(3)对照处理下,大青和紫玉盘叶片的N:P分别为28.71与21.75,大于16,表明两个树种仍受到较强的磷限制;磷添加显著提高了两种植物叶片的磷含量,并降低N:P值;(4)相关性分析表明叶片基本属性、光合色素与氮磷元素含量三者之间的相关性关系较弱.综上,热带森林植物叶片氮和磷元素含量对氮磷添加的响应较敏感,叶绿素a和总叶绿素对氮添加的响应较敏感,而其他属性对氮磷添加的响应较小;因此,在热带森林土壤磷长期缺乏的情况下,植物叶片的生理功能对环境变化具有较好的适应性,其蕴含的生物学机制仍需要进一步的探讨.(图3表2参31)     

广州市污水污泥堆肥在环境绿化中的应用

将广州市大坦沙污水处理厂产生的脱水生污泥与粉煤灰、稻草按质量比例4∶1.2∶1混合堆制而成的污泥堆肥,堆肥总养分含量高于农家肥中的鸡粪,无论单独施用或与化肥结合使用应用于草坪等园林绿地,均有明显效果。污泥堆肥在草坪土壤应用的肥效试验表明,污泥堆肥与化肥结合使用效果较好,能缩短草坪草出苗和成坪时间,显著提高建植初期草坪草的生物量,但每公顷施用纯污泥堆肥30t与60t比较两者草坪草生物量没有显著差异;污泥堆肥施用污染风险初步分析表明,土壤中的重金属含量、渗滤液中的NO3--N和全P含量随着污泥堆肥施用量的增加而明显提高,考虑到广东地处热带、亚热带,雨量丰富且暴雨多,土壤呈酸性的特点,在园林绿地等相对封闭的体系中施用本项目堆制的污泥堆肥,只要将年施用量控制在30t/hm2以下,是基本安全的。     

改良剂对重金属复合污染土壤中菜用大豆品质及生理特性的影响

通过盆栽试验,研究了在重度Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd复合污染土壤上,分别施用凹凸棒土(25 g·kg-1)、硅藻土(25g·kg-1)、泥炭(25 g·kg-1)和腐植酸(4 g·kg-1)4种改良剂对菜用大豆(Glycine max)(以下简称大豆)植株生长、籽粒食用品质及叶片生理特性的影响.结果表明:有机物料能有效提高大豆籽粒产量和粗蛋白含量,改善大豆籽粒的食用品质,但黏土矿物对大豆籽粒产量及品质的影响不明显;有机物料、黏土矿物能缓解重金属对植物的毒害,腐植酸、泥炭、凹凸棒土处理大豆叶片苗期SOD活性显著高于对照(P＜0.05),而硅藻土处理大豆苗期SOD活性与对照之间差异不显著(P＞0.05),但成熟期SOD活性却显著高于对照(P＜0.05).除腐植酸处理外,添加其他改良剂处理苗期、成熟期大豆叶片叶绿素含量与对照之间差异均未达显著水平(P＞0.05);腐植酸降低大豆籽粒中重金属含量的效果最好,该处理大豆籽粒中Zn、Cu、Cd、Pb含量分别比对照降低28.8%、21.6 %、35.0%和12.5%,硅藻土次之,而添加泥炭、凹凸棒土对大豆籽粒中重金属含量的影响与对照相比未达显著水平(P＞0.05).     

蚯蚓粪作为坪床基质对草坪草生长的影响

研究了蚓粪作为草坪草坪床基质改良剂对基质理化性状和草坪草生长的影响,以确定蚓粪作为坪床基质改良剂的可行性.在砂中添加20、40、60、80和100 g·kg-1蚓粪作为坪床基质,并与添加40g·kg-1泥炭的坪床基质进行比较,结果表明,添加蚓粪可使基质pH值下降,电导率σ值明显增加,100 g·kg-1蚓粪处理σ值比对照(未添加蚓粪或泥炭)提高了约16倍,但成坪后基质σ值明显下降,并与对照接近.添加蚓粪能够明显改良坪床基质,有利于草坪草的生长.与40g·kg-1泥炭处理相比,添加40、60、80和100 g·kg-1蚓粪处理的草坪成坪时间更短,草坪颜色较深,叶片变宽,再生速度快.蚓粪可作为一种良好的坪床基质改良剂,在20、40、60、80和100 g·kg-1蚓粪添加量条件下,蚓粪添加量越高,其对基质的改良效果越明显,但在实际应用中应注意因蚓粪含磷量较高而可能带来草坪草后期长势过快的问题.     

Achieving Open Access to Conservation Science

Conservation science is a crisis discipline in which the results of scientific enquiry must be made available quickly to those implementing management. We assessed the extent to which scientific research published since the year 2000 in 20 conservation science journals is publicly available. Of the 19,207 papers published, 1,667 (8.68%) are freely downloadable from an official repository. Moreover, only 938 papers (4.88%) meet the standard definition of open access in which material can be freely reused providing attribution to the authors is given. This compares poorly with a comparable set of 20 evolutionary biology journals, where 31.93% of papers are freely downloadable and 7.49% are open access. Seventeen of the 20 conservation journals offer an open access option, but fewer than 5% of the papers are available through open access. The cost of accessing the full body of conservation science runs into tens of thousands of dollars per year for institutional subscribers, and many conservation practitioners cannot access pay‐per‐view science through their workplace. However, important initiatives such as Research4Life are making science available to organizations in developing countries. We urge authors of conservation science to pay for open access on a per‐article basis or to choose publication in open access journals, taking care to ensure the license allows reuse for any purpose providing attribution is given. Currently, it would cost $51 million to make all conservation science published since 2000 freely available by paying the open access fees currently levied to authors. Publishers of conservation journals might consider more cost effective models for open access and conservation‐oriented organizations running journals could consider a broader range of options for open access to nonmembers such as sponsorship of open access via membership fees. Obtención de Acceso Abierto a la Ciencia de la Conservación     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Some polyphagous Homoptera gain protection from their natural enemies by feeding on the toxic plantsSpartium junceum andErythrina corallodendrum (Leguminosae)

Summary Interactions were studied among alkaloid-containing legumes (Erythrina corallodendrum andSpartium junceum) and non-toxic plants (Citrus sinensis, Cucurbita moschata andEuphorbia tirucalli), several polyphagous homopterans,Aphis craccivora (Aphididae),Icerya purchasi, I. aegyptiaca (Margarodidae),Lepidosaphes ulmi (Diaspididae) andPlanococcus citri (Pseudococcidae), and some major natural enemies of these homopterans. Significant reductions in survival due to negative effects of alkaloid containing as compared with non-alkaloidal plants were recorded for the predatorsRodolia cardinalis andChilocorus bipustulatus, but not forCryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) andSympherobius sanctus (Neuroptera: Sympherobiidae). The development time of the larvae or pupae ofR. cardinalis, C. carnea andS. sanctus was longer on the toxic plants than on the non-toxic ones. The percentage of parasitism ofA. craccivora collected from the non-alkaloidal plantsVicia palaestina andMelilotus albus was much higher than that onS. junceum. The parasitoid complexes ofA. craccivora differed between both plant groups. The nutritive value of honeydew ofI. purchasi andA. craccivora, as expressed by the life span ofEncyrtus infelix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) adults, was also investigated. Life spans were significantly longer when the wasps fed on honeydew produced on non-alkaloidal plants (C. sinensis andPittosporum tobira) than on alkaloid containing plants whenI. purchasi — but notA. craccivora — was the producer. It is suggested that the chemical defense ofE. corallodendrum andS. junceum is exploited by polyphagous phytophages to reduce predation. In nature, population growth and density of four of the investigated homopterans are conspicuously high when they developed on the alkaloid containing plant species, and very low on non-alkaloid plants. The efficiency of their natural enemies may be reduced by sequestration of alkaloids (or other toxic plant compounds) or their transfer into excreted honeydew. Therefore it is assumed that a generalist phytophagous homopteran may be protected from its natural enemies, although at different rates of efficiency, if it can safely sequester the host allelochemical when it develops on toxic species within its host range.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.