基于生态环境需水的大凌河生态系统服务功能价值评估

目前对河流生态系统服务功能价值的评估,均没有考虑河流生态环境需水的问题。河流的来水量如果达不到河流生态环境需水量,河流的生态系统服务功能将不能正常发挥。对大凌河生态系统服务功能进行分类,用市场价值法、代替花费法和机会成本法经行计算,并且在计算供水功能价值、贮水功能价值和输沙功能价值时考虑了河流的生态环境需水,其它功能的实现也是在满足河流生态环境需水的基础上。结果表明：直接使用价值为92.64亿元/a,间接使用价值为215.17亿元/a,总价值为307.81亿元/a。通过分析,得出大凌河河流生态系统的核心服务功能是调蓄洪水功能、水产品功能和栖息地功能,应在充分发挥核心功能的同时兼顾其它功能。     

伊犁河流域林业生态科技示范区建设对生态服务价值的影响

采用生态系统服务价值计算方法,估算伊犁河流域林业生态科技示范区建设前后生态服务价值变化.结果显示:草地退化前,示范区生态服务价值为64.0万元·a-1;近几十年由于超载过牧草地,生物量明显下降,2003年生态服务价值降至45.9万元.示范区建设以后,生态服务价值显著提高.与草地退化前相比,2006年生态服务价值增长64.5%;与草地退化后相比,生态服务价值增长129.2%,主要由生态服务间接利用价值提供.表明伊犁河流域林业生态科技示范区建设提升了该区生态服务价值,生态经济效益显著.     

基于RS和GIS的武汉市生态系统服务价值变化研究

以武汉市为例,利用从1996年和2001年TM数据中获取的景观数据,估算了武汉市生态服务价值并分析了景观之间的转化所引起的生态服务价值的变化。结果表明:各景观类型中水域景观的生态服务价值贡献系数最大,达到2.869;研究区域生态服务价值总量变化不大,2001年比1996年只下降了3688.79万元,但各景观生态服务价值变动很大,其中库塘生态服务价值增加了2.38亿元,河流的生态服务价值减少了2.33亿元,其变化率分别达到40.74%和-9.16%;由于河湖被占用所造成的生态服务价值损失达到9891.68万元,城市建设占用其它景观类型所带来的生态服务价值损失达到9908.37万元,这说明建设用地的发展对其他自然景观占用已经影响到了武汉市生态系统服务功能发挥。     

广州市萝岗区生态系统服务功能价值空间评估

基于遥感与GIS,选取生产有机物质、涵养水源、净化环境污染、气体调节、营养物质循环、保土育肥6项生态系统服务功能主要指标,计算得到的各项量化的生态服务功能效益,通过影子工程法、市场价值法和机会成本法等转换成生态系统服务价值,在小空间格网上对广州市萝岗区生态系统服务功能价值进行了定量评估和空间分析。结果表明：萝岗区2007年生态系统服务价值达到16.13亿元,平均为37 175.81元/hm2。从空间分布看：萝岗区北部农林地区生态服务价值最高,中部、东部山区的服务价值较高,南部工业地区服务价值较低。不同的生态景观具有不同的生态服务功能,保持生态景观的多样性和均衡性能促进生态系统服务价值的增加。萝岗区生态城建设要保护该区原生的自然生态景观特征和景观格局,促进区域生态服务功能的全面提升和生态服务价值总体增加。     

湘西生态系统服务时空变化分析

为提升丘陵屏障带生态系统服务技术,以典型喀斯特地貌地形特征且森林覆盖率较高的南方核心保护区域湘西为例,利用遥感(RS)、地理信息系统(GIS)获取1980—2018年各土地利用类型面积变化数据,进行区域生态系统服务价值核算及生态功能驱动力因素分析。结果表明:(1)1980—2018年湘西土地利用转移中,转出面积最大的是林地,为2 404 km~2,净转出面积最大的是耕地,为73 km~2,转入面积最大的是城建用地,为203 km~2;(2)在生态系统服务价值时空变化上,2010—2018年凤凰、古丈和永顺耕地减少较大,分别为3 886.14万元、1 470.43万元、2 835.83万元,2010—2018年花垣、龙山林地减少较大,分别为6 729.42万元、14 580.415 2万元,吉首市及周边的城镇用地明显增加;(3)2010年林地服务总价值达到最大值4 074 291.41万元,1980—2018年耕地总服务价值逐年递减,湘西生态系统服务总价值先增后减。综合以上各因素分析得出结论:湘西生态系统服务价值减少,生态系统服务能力正在下降;时空变化上,城建用地由州中心向周边扩散,水田耕地正朝着区域空心化的格局演变,有林地则正朝着边缘化的格局转变;湘西生态系统服务能力逐年下降主要是由政策性城建用地所致,其次是受暴雨引发的洪水泥石流等气象自然灾害影响。对此提出严守耕地红线、开荒造田,建立以森林为主的国家公园自然保护地建设、开发旅游景区,修建蓄水设施、加强防灾防水意识等初步建议,对于生态功能提升和农村社区可持续发展有着重要的意义。     

海南省滨海自然湿地生态系统服务功能价值评估

以海南主岛的滨海自然湿地为研究对象,采用最新的海南省第二次(2009─2013年)湿地资源调查以及海南省统计年鉴(2013年)和相关调查统计资料,构建生态系统服务功能价值评估体系,结合国内外通用的湿地评价方法,对海南省滨海自然湿地生态系统服务功能价值进行了较全面的评估。结果表明,海南省滨海自然湿地生态系统生态服务功能总价值为5 848 665.00万元,其中水文调节价值2 846 803.55万元,固碳价值2 351 567.77万元,动物产品价值1 469 500.00万元,防风消浪价值1 175 287.62万元,生物多样性维持价值985 544.48万元,分别占总价值的31.72%、26.20%、16.37%、13.10%和10.98%,是主要的生态服务功能。文章对海南省滨海自然湿地生态系统所进行的定量评估,不仅可提高人类对滨海自然湿地生态系统的正确认识,还可为湿地资源的合理开发利用以及当地政府湿地保护相关政策的制定提供科学依据。     

大丰市滩涂生态系统服务价值评估

利用遥感技术,通过对TM影像的解译,分析了江苏省大丰市不同历史阶段滩涂开发状况。运用Costanza方法计算了滩涂生态系统的服务价值。研究结果表明,在1984年至2002年18a间,由于缺乏科学规划,滩涂开发对大丰市滩涂生态系统服务功能造成损害;与1997年相比,2002年大丰市滩涂生态系统服务价值损失达88.38万美元,减少33.46%。     

南四湖湿地景观格局变化的生态系统服务价值响应

利用1987-2010年5期卫星遥感影像监测南四湖湿地景观格局变化,并且采用市场比较法、影子工程法、工业制氧成本法、碳税法和价值替代法等多种评估方法对南四湖湿地景观格局变化的生态系统服务功能价值响应进行深入探讨.结果表明,南四湖湿地中大量芦苇、荷田等自然湿地景观转化为养殖水域、水稻田等人工湿地,景观格局趋于破碎化;湖泊湿地景观格局变化对于湿地的供给功能、调节功能、文化功能和支持功能均有影响,其中对供给功能和调节功能影响最大.以2010年不变价计算,南四湖湿地景观格局变化导致2010年湿地生态系统服务功能价值比1987年减少3.06亿元,其中大气成分调节功能价值损失11.7亿元,净化功能价值损失3.77亿元,涵养水源功能损失0.65亿元,物质生产功能价值增加13.06亿元,其他功能价值对湿地景观格局变化的响应不明显.     

黑河流域土地利用变化对生态系统服务价值的影响

利用1987年和2000年1：100000Landsat TM图像解译数据分析了黑河流域土地利用变化，在此基础上，采用中国陆地生态系统服务价值的测算方法，评估了黑河流域土地利用变化引起的生态环境质量变化。结果表明，在过去的13年间，黑河流域土地利用变化总的趋势是森林、草地、河流冰川面积大幅减少，耕地、盐碱地和建筑用地迅速增加。这一变化损害了该区域的生态系统服务功能，使生态系统服务总价值(人民币)从404．22亿元／a下降到370．3亿元／a，损失率达到了8．39％。     

城市空间扩展对生态系统服务价值的影响——以南宁市区为例

以南宁市区1994～2004年土地利用统计数据为基础,参照中国陆地生态系统服务价值系数,分析了南宁市区土地利用变化特征及其对生态系统服务价值的影响。结果表明,10年来,南宁市区土地利用变化比较剧烈,建设用地增加明显,且占用耕地和林地现象较为突出,林地、草地和水田面积减少较多,园地、旱地面积增加明显;区域生态系统服务价值由1994年的8751．9×106元／a下降到2004年的8 636．5×106元／a,区域生态系统服务功能出现明显衰退。     

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.     

Sequestration of cucurbitacin analogs by New and Old World chrysomelid leaf beetles in the tribe Luperini

Summary Two South American polyphagous leaf beetles,Diabrotica speciosa andCerotoma arcuata, selectively accumulated the bitter tasting compound 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin D in their body after ingesting root tissues of cucurbit plants. Similarly, three Asian Cucurbitaceae-feeding specialists in the genusAulacophora were found to sequester the same compound. Cucurbitacin analogs were shown to deter feeding by a bird predator, indicating an allomonal role for these compounds in cucurbitacin-associated chrysomelid leaf beetles both of New and Old Worlds. The strong affinity to cucurbitacins, selective sequestration of the analogs and consequent protection from predators suggested an ecological adaptation mechanism developed in common among these two geographically isolated subtribes in the Luperini.