小流域森林生态系统土壤发生与元素地球化学特性

本文研究了广东五华县牛角塘综合治理试验区几种典型森林生态系统土壤的物质迁移、肥力特性及元素迁移与富集传性，结果表明，生态类型的差异不仅会影响到土壤的肥力状况，同时由于水土流失等因素的影响，还会造成土壤机械组成、元素迁移富集特点以及其它发生学特性的差异，林地、半林地及光山地之间在这些方面也存在着明显的差异性．     

稻田生态系统的特点及其分区——以太湖地区为例

本文分析了水稻土生态系统的特点及其中作物与土壤系统的相互影响,作物的适种性与土壤供肥性是左右生态系统功能的主要因素,这均与土壤基础肥力水平有密切关系,所以土壤基础肥力水平是运筹熟制的重要依据。 基于热量条件,土壤水文状况与土壤基础肥力的区域差异,讨论了太湖地区水稻土生态分区。     

施用氮肥对不同肥力红壤性水稻土硝化作用的影响

通过室内培养试验,研究了施用尿素、硫铵条件下不同肥力红壤性水稻土的硝化作用变化特征,以明确土壤肥力和施用氮肥对红壤性水稻土硝化作用的影响.结果表明,不施氮条件下,不间肥力红壤性水稻土硝化作用表现为高肥力土壤<低肥力土壤.施用尿素条件下红壤性水稻土硝化作用显著增强,120和360 mg·kg-1施氮量下,高肥力土壤平均硝化速率分别比不施氮对照升高了75.8%和357.1%,而低肥力土壤则分别升高了52.0%和146.9%,硝化作用强度表现为:高肥力土壤>低肥力土壤,360 mg·kg-1施氮量>120 mg·kg-1施氮量.施用硫铵条件下红壤性水稻土硝化作用强度降低,120和360 mg·kg-1施氮量下,高肥力土壤平均硝化速率分别比对照降低了41.8%和74.7%,低肥力土壤则分别降低了3.1%和65.3%,硝化作用表现为:低肥力土壤>高肥力土壤,120 mg·kg-1施氮量>360 mg·kg-1施氮量.     

江英乡石灰岩山区农业综合开发与治理研究 Ⅰ.自然资源、环境与土壤肥力特性

论述了阳山县江英乡生态环境特点、土壤类型和各类土壤的肥力特性。着重讨论了生态环境与作物生长的关系,指出了各类土壤种植作物的适宜性,为阳山县江英乡农业综合开发与治理提供了科学依据。     

阿特拉津对不同肥力土壤磷酸酶的影响

通过室内恒温培养法，研究除草剂阿特拉津对4种长期定位施肥处理下的土壤的磷酸酶活性的影响。试验结果表明，在阿特拉津质量分数不同和处理时间长短不同的情况下，阿特拉津对土壤磷酸酶的活性既有激活作用又有抑制作用。在试验过程中，4种不同肥力的土壤其磷酸酶活性随着处理时间的延续而呈现出“降低→升高→降低→升高”的消长趋势。不同阿特拉津质量分数对磷酸酶的影响没有规律，同一质量分数处理既有激活作用，也有抑制作用。在4种不同肥力的土壤中，磷酸酶活性最高的是以氮、磷、钾无机肥配合有机肥施用的土壤。     

广东陆丰海岸带荒地的改造利用

在广东省陆丰市红江橙示范场进行的海岸带荒地改造利用试验表明，将海岸带荒地改造为果园后，可取得较好的经济效益和明显的生态效益，土壤理化性质和肥力得到改善，荒地的旱生性禾本科植物被阴生性植物取代，生物量也由0.19t/hm^2提高于13.95t/hm^2。通过比较一地的沿海荒地改造效益，认为在海岸带荒地改造时，要因地制宜，综合考虑土壤、水分、品种、病虫害和园艺措施等多方面因素才能取得较好的生态、经济和社会效益。     

配施的有机无机肥料氮在红壤性水稻土中的残留特征

（１５）Ｎ追踪结果显示，熟化上（Ａ）和低肥力土（Ｃ）有机、无机肥料配施的氮的残留特征均为随配施有机成分和土壤肥力水平的变化而变化．肥力制约残留水平，肥料氮总平衡影响残留率一利用率一损失率的关系；配施有机肥是造成氮残留差异的基本因素，相关分析表明，总残留主体为有机肥氮，残留率随有机肥Ｃ／Ｎ和木质素含量的增减而增减；影响无机肥氮残留的相关因素较复杂．有机氮残留量占总残留量的百分数与无视氮残留量占总残留量的百分数之比，在Ａ，Ｃ两种土壤中约为２．肥力对氮残留作用的实质是，肥料氮在低肥力土中具固持优势，而在熟化土中具矿化利用优势．肥力因素对无机氮残留的影响更显著．根据配施组合中有机成分Ｃ／Ｎ－木质素含量与氮残留／平衡特征的关系．将不同配施组合划分为三大类型。     

子午岭植被演替过程中土壤生物学特性的动态

土壤生物学特性在土壤有机质的形成和降解、营养循环等方面起重要作用。植被的恢复演替显著影响土壤生物学特性,尤其影响土壤酶活性。植被演替过程中土壤酶活性的研究结果表明,随着植被恢复年限的延长,土壤脲酶和转化酶的活性逐渐提高,17 a达到最大值,随后有所降低。土壤酶活性和土壤化学特性和微生物量的相关性分析表明,土壤转化酶和脲酶不仅互相之间具有显著的相关性,而且它们与土壤有机碳、全氮、微生物碳氮之间都具有显著的正相关性,说明土壤酶活性与土壤有机质紧密相关,与微生物的大小紧密相关,所以土壤酶活性可以表征土壤生物学肥力。     

中亚热带区域几种典型生态系统土壤质量评价Ⅱ.不同生态系统对土壤质量的影响

采用定位研究方法,以中亚热带区域七种典型森林生态系统为研究对象,探讨了不同生态系统对土壤生物学肥力指数、内梅罗土壤质量指数、土壤退化指数的影响,以及各指数之间的相互关系.结果表明,土壤生物学肥力指数和内梅罗土壤质量指数都是以常绿阔叶林最高,其次是混交林和阔叶纯林,连栽杉木纯林最低.土壤退化指数与内梅罗土壤质量指数正好相反,连栽杉木纯林土壤退化指数最高,混交林和阔叶纯林稍低.另外,混交树种不同,土壤质量指数也有差异.相关分析表明,内梅罗土壤质量指数、土壤退化指数与土壤生物学肥力指数相互之间存在正的相关性;另外,这3种土壤质量指示指标分别和林下植被层、森林凋落物现存量之间也有着显著的正相关.     

不同森林恢复类型对土壤生物学特性的影响

比较研究了南方红壤侵蚀区4种主要森林恢复类型下土壤中有机质、微生物结构与功能以及酶活性.结果表明,不同的森林恢复类型导致了土壤生物学性状的明显差异.4种森林类型的土壤生物学性状均比长期干扰下CK的高.人工林土壤生物学性状相对比天然次生林土壤差.整合上述指标的土壤生物学肥力指数分别为:天然次生林(0.752)、油茶林(0.611)、杉木林(0.422)、湿地松林(0.439)、对照(0.124).在森林恢复初期,采用自然恢复有效地提高了土壤生物学肥力.导致天然次生林土壤生物学活性相对较高的主要因素是较高的凋落物产量和质量、较高的根系生物量、较丰富的植物种类组成、较优越的土壤生态条件和快速的植物生长.在反映土壤生物学活性的指标选择方面,培养基平均颜色变化率(AWCD)、培养基丰富度和培养基Shannon-Wiener多样性指数与反映土壤生物学活性的大部分指标具有较好的相关关系,是反映土壤生物学活性的较好指标.图3表6参68     

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.