藏羚羊

藏羚羊(Pantholopshodgsoni)属牛科、藏羚属,别名:藏羚、长角羊、羚羊,主要分布在中国青海、西藏、新疆三省区,现存种群数量约在7～10万只。藏羚羊是中国青藏高原的特有动物、国家一级保护动物,也是列入《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》(CITES)中严禁进行贸易活动的濒危动物。     

青海藏羚资源现状与保护

从青海藏羚资源现状出发,分析其生存所面临的形势,并提出今后保护的有效对策。     

低温雪灾后莽山保护区森林植被恢复遥感评价

以2008年1月的低温雪灾为背景,选择反映植被长势的植被覆盖度为研究对象,以受人类活动干扰最少、最能体现植被自然恢复的莽山保护区为研究区,以像元二分模型为基础,通过计算样区植被遥感直方图的拐点来确定NDYI(soil)和NDVI(veg),通过植被覆盖的变化情况来衡量低温雨雪后森林植被的恢复状况,并对不同地形条件下、不同林龄和树种的森林植被恢复情况进行了分析,以期为整个莽山乃至南方受灾地区的受灾程度评价提供方法支持,为灾后重建决策提供数据参考.     

鞍山铁矿植被恢复中物种选择的探讨

通过对鞍山市铁矿岩土理化性质的分析，探讨铁矿植被恢复中的物种选择。     

干旱荒漠区植被恢复与重建的探讨

西北干旱荒漠区生境严酷，物种贫乏，植被稀疏低矮，加上不合理的开发利用，致生境恶化。利用当地有限的水源来实现干旱荒漠区的植被恢复，防止流沙蔓延，可以从以下两方面入手：一方面，以裸地为立地条件，利用当地的关键种(keystone specics)或优势种(dominant species)，选择合适的生境，采用人工种子库和幼苗移植等方法，促使已缺失的植物种在目的地重新定居；另一方面，利用灌丛效应选择合适物种加以配合，提高干旱荒漠区的植被盖度。研究表明：以上两种途径对实现干旱荒漠区的植被恢复和重建是可行的。     

天津市蓟县盘山金碧旅游度假中心植被现状调查与分析

在对国内外植被现状调查分析和蓟县环境可持续发展现状调研基础上,运用抽样调查方法对蓟县盘山旅游度假中心的植被进行实地调查,用植物重要值、分层刈割法等分析方法对植被确定进行研究分析。本研究成果不仅对于蓟县今后的植被保护工作和区域的环境可持续发展提供了有价值的决策参考,还为研究区域植被现状调查分析提供了依据,也为区域植被建设工作提供了借鉴的测评思路。     

塔里木河下游应急输水植被恢复现状与问题

对塔里木河应急输水进行了介绍,比较了应急输水前后主要断面植被恢复状况,分析了应急输水后植被恢复的特征与存在的问题,提出了巩固植被恢复效果、扩大植被恢复面积及有效保护植被的措施和建议。     

塔河上游地区阿拉尔段天然退化生态系统植物群落物种多样性特征分析及恢复途径

通过对塔河上游阿拉尔地区天然植被的物种多样性的特征分析,并结合实际情况,得出了该地区天然植被生态系统在人类干扰下普遍存在退化现象,尤其在绿洲—荒漠过渡带,这种现象更为严重。应采取有效措施对天然植被特别是过渡带的植被进行生态恢复。另外还讨论了本地区植被恢复与重建的对策。     

乌鲁木齐市东南部荒山植被类型及其特征

采用典型样地法对乌鲁木齐市东部荒山植被进行了调查.依据中国植被和新疆植被分类的原则,遵循群落学-生态学原则,用重要值优势度分类方法确定各层片优势种.将此地区自然植被划分为5个植被型,8个植被亚型、20个群系和24个群丛.并对植被型的基本特征进行了分析和描述.     

克拉克凝析气田开发建设对胡杨林保护区植被的影响

通过对塔里木胡杨自然保护区内吉拉克凝析气田建设进行的生态调查,论述了区域内的植被分布状况和生长特点,对植被生长的地理区域进行了研究,通过对吉拉克凝析气田开发建设对塔里木胡杨自然保护区植被的影响分析,提出了相应的恢复保护措施和建议。     

Short-Term Influence of Tank Tracks on Vegetation and Microphytic Crusts in Shrubsteppe Habitat

Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) habitat within the Idaho Army National Guard Orchard Training Area in southwestern Idaho. The purpose of this study was to determine the short-term (1–2 years) influence of tank tracks on vegetation and microphytic crusts in shrubsteppe habitat. The two types of tank tracks studied were divots (area where one track has been stopped or slowed to make a sharp turn) and straight-line tracks. Divots generally had a stronger influence on vegetation and microphytic crusts than did straight-line tracks. Tank tracks increased cover of bare ground, litter, and exotic annuals, and reduced cover of vegetation, perennial native grasses, sagebrush, and microphytic crusts. Increased bare ground and reduced cover of vegetation and microphytic crusts caused by tank tracks increase the potential for soil erosion and may reduce ecosystem productivity. Reduced sagebrush cover caused by tank tracks may reduce habitat quality for rodents. Tank tracks may also facilitate the invasion of exotic annuals into sagebrush habitat, increasing the potential for wildfire and subsequent habitat degradation. Thus, creation of divots and movement through sagebrush habitat by tanks should be minimized.     

Characteristics of Urban Natural Areas Influencing Winter Bird Use in Southern Ontario,Canada

Characteristics of urban natural areas and surrounding landscapes were identified that best explain winter bird use for 28 urban natural areas in southern Ontario, Canada. The research confirms for winter birds the importance of area (size) and natural vegetation, rather than managed, horticultural parkland, within urban natural areas as well as percent urban land use and natural habitat in surrounding landscapes. Alien bird density and percent ground feeding species increased with percent surrounding urban land use. Higher percent forest cover was associated with higher percentages of forest, bark feeding, small (<20 g) and insectivorous species. Natural area size (ha) was related to higher species richness, lower evenness and higher percentages of insectivorous, forest interior, area-sensitive, upper canopy, bark feeding, and non-resident species. Higher number of habitat types within natural areas and percent natural habitat in surrounding landscapes were also associated with higher species richness. Common, resident bird species dominated small areas (<6.5 ha), while less common non-residents increased with area, indicative of a nested distribution. Areas at least 6.5 ha and more generally >20 ha start to support some area-sensitive species. Areas similar to rural forests had >25% insectivores, >25% forest interior species, >25% small species, and <5% alien species. Indicator species separated urban natural areas from rural habitats and ordination placed urban natural areas along a gradient between urban development and undisturbed, rural forests. More attention is needed on issues of winter bird conservation in urban landscapes.     

Habitat, Landscape and Bird Composition in Mountain Forest Fragments

The study attempts to separate the effects of forest fragmentation related to landscape (patch area, isolation) and habitat (altitude, vegetation structure) on bird community composition in a mountain pine forest. Bird composition was related, using a multivariate approach (canonical correspondence analyses), to either habitat or to landscape, eliminating the effect of habitat statistically. Bird composition and species richness varied with patch area and isolation from large pine stands, but this effect could be assigned principally to variation in vegetation structure and altitude. Another effect, that of increasing occurrence and numbers of Anthus trivialis with decreasing distance to nearest low-altitude forest, could be assigned to both habitat (grass cover) and landscape (connectivity effects). Management implications are drawn from the results.     

Recommended design for more accurate duplication of natural conditions in salt marsh creation

Construction of 653 ha of salt marsh habitat from dredged material near the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, has been proposed, with the goal of increasing the area of habitat available to endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana). We assessed prototype created wetlands, and their similarity to natural reference sites, in terms of topography, vegetation, and hydrology. The created sites were steeply sloped relative to natural sites and were dominated by monotypic stands of Spartina alterniflora. Natural sites were dominated by vegetation more tolerant of desiccation and hypersalinity and by unvegetated salt pans. Differences in vegetation communities and distributions of habitat types resulted from efforts to enhance habitat diversity in created marsh cells through manipulation of marsh topography. However, the scale at which this diversity occurred in natural marsh of the study area was not considered. When constructing wetlands in cellular configurations, we recommend creation of large complexes of adjoining, hydrologically linked, cells wherein the desired habitat diversity is created at the scale of the entire complex, rather than within a single cell. Suggested design modifications would increase the similarity of created marshes to natural reference sites, potentially improving habitat function.     

Recommended Design for More Accurate Duplication of Natural Conditions in Salt Marsh Creation

Construction of 653 ha of salt marsh habitat from dredged material near the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, has been proposed, with the goal of increasing the area of habitat available to endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana). We assessed prototype created wetlands, and their similarity to natural reference sites, in terms of topography, vegetation, and hydrology. The created sites were steeply sloped relative to natural sites and were dominated by monotypic stands of Spartina alterniflora. Natural sites were dominated by vegetation more tolerant of desiccation and hypersalinity and by unvegetated salt pans. Differences in vegetation communities and distributions of habitat types resulted from efforts to enhance habitat diversity in created marsh cells through manipulation of marsh topography. However, the scale at which this diversity occurred in natural marsh of the study area was not considered. When constructing wetlands in cellular configurations, we recommend creation of large complexes of adjoining, hydrologically linked, cells wherein the desired habitat diversity is created at the scale of the entire complex, rather than within a single cell. Suggested design modifications would increase the similarity of created marshes to natural reference sites, potentially improving habitat function.     

Restoration of Mountain Big Sagebrush Steppe Following Prescribed Burning to Control Western Juniper

Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis ssp. occidentalis Hook) encroachment into mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata spp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle) steppe has reduced livestock forage production, increased erosion risk, and degraded sagebrush-associated wildlife habitat. Western juniper has been successfully controlled with partial cutting followed by prescribed burning the next fall, but the herbaceous understory and sagebrush may be slow to recover. We evaluated the effectiveness of seeding perennial herbaceous vegetation and sagebrush at five sites where juniper was controlled by partially cutting and prescribed burning. Treatments tested at each site included an unseeded control, herbaceous seed mix (aerially seeded), and the herbaceous seed mix plus sagebrush seed. In the third year post-treatment, perennial grass cover and density were twice as high in plots receiving the herbaceous seed mix compared to the control plots. Sagebrush cover and density in the sagebrush seeded plots were between 74- and 290-fold and 62- and 155-fold greater than the other treatments. By the third year after treatment, sagebrush cover was as high as 12 % in the sagebrush seeded plots and between 0 % and 0.4 % where it was not seeded. These results indicate that aerial seeding perennial herbaceous vegetation can accelerate the recovery of perennial grasses which likely stabilize the site. Our results also suggest that seeding mountain big sagebrush after prescribed burning encroaching juniper can rapidly recover sagebrush cover and density. In areas where sagebrush habitat is limited, seeding sagebrush after juniper control may increase sagebrush habitat and decrease the risks to sagebrush-associated species.     

Equine Grazing in Managed Subalpine Wetlands: Effects on Arthropods and Plant Structure as a Function of Habitat

Grazing management necessarily emphasizes the most spatially extensive vegetation assemblages, but landscapes are mosaics, often with more mesic vegetation types embedded within a matrix of drier vegetation. Our primary objective was to contrast effects of equine grazing on both subalpine vegetation structure and associated arthropods in a drier reed grass (Calamagrostis muiriana) dominated habitat versus a wetter, more productive sedge habitat (Carex utriculata). A second objective was to compare reed grass and sedge as habitats for fauna, irrespective of grazing. All work was done in Sequoia National Park (CA, USA), where detailed, long-term records of stock management were available. We sampled paired grazed and control wet meadows that contained both habitats. There were moderate negative effects of grazing on vegetation, and effects were greater in sedge than in reed grass. Conversely, negative grazing effects on arthropods, albeit limited, were greater in the drier reed grass, possibly due to microhabitat differences. The differing effects on plants and animals as a function of habitat emphasize the importance of considering both flora and fauna, as well as multiple habitat types, when making management decisions. Sedge supported twice the overall arthropod abundance of reed grass as well as greater diversity; hemipteran and dipteran taxa were particularly abundant in sedge. Given the greater grazing effects on sedge vegetation, greater habitat provision for terrestrial arthropods, and value as aquatic arthropod habitat, the wetter sedge assemblage is worthy of additional consideration by managers when planning for grazing and other aspects of land usage.     

The effects of military tank traffic on prairie: A management model

The effect of various frequencies and seasons of military tank traffic on native mixed-grass prairie was examined in a randomized and replicated field experiment. Vegetation (in 10×10 m plots) was subjected to tank traffic at the following rates: (a) one pass per day of training from May until August; (b) one pass per day in May and June; (c) one pass per day in July and August; (d) one pass every three weeks from May until August; (e) zero (control). Species composition and the amount of bare ground were found to vary significantly with traffic frequency. Plant species alien to North America invaded plots subjected to spring driving. Regression analysis showed spring driving to produce more bare ground than summer driving. The regression models suggested that much higher intensities of training could be conducted without damage if spring driving were avoided. Regression models were also used to estimate the frequency of traffic associated with a significant change in species composition, where species composition was expressed as the ratio ofBouteloua gracilis toStipa spartea, an indicator of disturbance-induced change in prairie vegetation. This relationship predicted the capacity of the vegetation of a training area of any given width to support tank traffic without changing species composition. The predictive ability of the model was tested by comparing predicted traffic capacities with the amount of traffic actually applied to two training areas in 1986. Where traffic capacity was exceeded, the model successfully predicted a significantly higher frequency of bare ground and ratio ofBouteloua gracilis toStipa spartea.     

Vegetation associated with different walking track types in the Kosciuszko alpine area, Australia

Tourism infrastructure such as walking tracks can have negative effects on vegetation including in mountain regions. In the alpine area around continental Australia's highest mountain, Mt Kosciuszko (2228 m), there is a range of walking tracks (paved, gravel and raised steel mesh surfaces) in addition to an extensive network of informal/non-hardened tracks. Vegetation characteristics were compared between track types on/under tracks, on the track verge, and in the adjacent native vegetation. For a raised steel mesh walkway there was no difference in vegetation under the walkway, on the verge, and 3m away. In contrast, for a non-hardened track there was 35% bare ground on the track surface but no other detectable impacts. Gravel and paved tracks had distinct verges largely comprising bare ground and exotic species. For non-hardened tracks there was an estimated 270 m2 of disturbance per km of track. For wide gravel tracks the combined area of bare ground, exotic plants and gravel was estimated as 4290 m2 per km, while for narrow gravel tracks it was estimated as 2940 m2 per km. For paved tracks there was around 2680 m2 per km of damage. In contrast, there was no detectable effect of raised steel mesh walkway on vegetation highlighting some of the benefits of this surface over other track types.