A participatory decision making framework for artisanal fisheries collaborative governance: Insights from management committees in Chile

Fisheries management is increasingly transitioning towards collaborative governance. Collaborative systems depend on stakeholders’ capacity to design and implement legitimate and scientifically robust management plans within collective action arenas. Here we propose that collaborative governance outcomes, in fisheries management, will benefit from using structured participatory decision making frameworks that enhance deliberative thinking among stakeholders. We tested our approach in the artisanal fishery of Chile, an important producer of marine resources. Recently in 2013, Chile made important changes to fisheries policies by creating multi-sectorial management committees to manage de facto open access fishing areas. We applied a structured decision making framework to inform the restructuring of a management plan within a committee. As a result, we identified goals,objectives and indicators, including social, economic, biological and ecological dimensions; we explored tradeoffs, assessing the relative importance of the objectives; finally, we created scenarios and prioritized alternatives, reflecting on the interplay between self-regulation and government control. Members of the management committee were able to rationalize the different steps of the framework and identify ways forward which highlighted the importance of self-regulation in comparison to central authorities’ control. We concluded that structured decision making promotes spaces for rational analysis of alternatives costs and benefits. Promoting deliberative thinking in fisheries management can improve equity, legitimacy and sustainability of collaborative governance.     

Dissolved Oxygen and Nutrient Fluxes Across the Sediment–Water Interface of the Neckar River,Germany: In Situ Measurements and Simulations

A benthic in situ flume and a 1D biogeochemical sediment model to evaluate solute fluxes across the sediment–water interface have been developed. The flume was successfully used to determine oxygen and nutrient fluxes at various locations of the Neckar River in Germany. The experimental results were linked with vertical pore water concentration profiles and independently verified with the model. By combining experimental and model results we assessed the influence of dissolved oxygen concentrations in the water column and the availability of degradable organic matter on sediment oxygen demand. The results and the derived relations can be used to parameterize the sediment module of large scale water quality models, allowing one to assess the influence of sediment–water interactions on various aspects of river water quality. Moreover, the biogeochemical sediment model can help to improve the general understanding of the processes governing solute concentrations and fluxes in sediments and across their interfaces.     

大沽夹河生态健康的生物学评价

通过背景资料调查、野外采样、实验室分析与鉴定,获得大沽夹河流域23个采样点的物理、化学和生物学指标数据.采用全部采样点数据的95th(或5th)百分位标准化指标数据,利用简单加和法计算综合指数,并根据参考点综合指数的25th百分位划分生态健康级别,评价各采样点生态健康.结果表明:底栖大型无脊椎动物是河流生态健康最综合的指示器,但其特征不能准确指示水质现状;利用采样点数据百分位进行指数标准化和生态健康级别划分,可体现评价标准的区域性特征;评价结果显示,大沽夹河生态健康不佳.      

Effectiveness of amphibians as biodiversity surrogates in pond conservation

Amphibian decline has led to worldwide conservation efforts, including the identification and designation of sites for their protection. These sites could also play an important role in the conservation of other freshwater taxa. In 89 ponds in Switzerland, we assessed the effectiveness of amphibians as a surrogate for 4 taxonomic groups that occur in the same freshwater ecosystems as amphibians: dragonflies, aquatic beetles, aquatic gastropods, and aquatic plants. The ponds were all of high value for amphibian conservation. Cross‐taxon correlations were tested for species richness and conservation value, and Mantel tests were used to investigate community congruence. Species richness, conservation value, and community composition of amphibians were weakly congruent with these measures for the other taxonomic groups. Paired comparisons for the 5 groups considered showed that for each metric, amphibians had the lowest degree of congruence. Our results imply that site designation for amphibian conservation will not necessarily provide protection for freshwater biodiversity as a whole. To provide adequate protection for freshwater species, we recommend other taxonomic groups be considered in addition to amphibians in the prioritization and site designation process.     

Positive and Negative Effects of a Threatened Parrotfish on Reef Ecosystems

Species that are strong interactors play disproportionately important roles in the dynamics of natural ecosystems. It has been proposed that their presence is necessary for positively shaping the structure and functioning of ecosystems. We evaluated this hypothesis using the case of the world's largest parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), a globally imperiled species. We used direct observation, animal tracking, and computer simulations to examine the diverse routes through which B. muricatum affects the diversity, dispersal, relative abundance, and survival of the corals that comprise the foundation of reef ecosystems. Our results suggest that this species can influence reef building corals in both positive and negative ways. Field observation and simulation outputs indicated that B. muricatum reduced the abundance of macroalgae that can outcompete corals, but they also feed directly on corals, decreasing coral abundance, diversity, and colony size. B. muricatum appeared to facilitate coral advancement by mechanically dispersing coral fragments and opening up bare space for coral settlement, but they also damaged adult corals and remobilized a large volume of potentially stressful carbonate sediment. The impacts this species has on reefs appears to be regulated in part by its abundance—the effects of B. muricatum were more intense in simulation scenarios populated with high densities of these fish. Observations conducted in regions with high and low predator (e.g., sharks) abundance generated results that are consistent with the hypothesis that these predators of B. muricatum may play a role in governing their abundance; thus, predation may modulate the intensity of the effects they have on reef dynamics. Overall our results illustrate that functionally unique and threatened species may not have universally positive impacts on ecosystems and that it may be necessary for environmental managers to consider the diverse effects of such species and the forces that mediate the strength of their influence. Efectos Positivos y Negativos de un Pez Loro Amenazado Sobre Ecosistemas Arrecifales     

三峡库区城市富营养化河流凋落物的混合分解效应

以三峡库区重庆市主城段清水溪为典型的城市富营养化河流代表,选取河岸带3种常见凋落叶为分解对象,设计了7种凋落物组合（3个单种和4个混合物种）和3种孔径的分解袋（50μm、250μm和2mm）,开展原位实验,探讨混合凋落物的性状、功能多样性与底栖分解者类群及其交互作用对叶片质量损失和混合效应的影响.结果表明,仅有50%的处理表现为显著非加和效应（且均为负值）,这与凋落物的性状密切相关.随着混合凋落物功能离散度的增加,尤其组合中含高木质素等难分解物质的凋落物时,分解变慢.微生物在富营养化河流混合凋落物的分解中占主导作用,小型和大型底栖动物均抑制了混合凋落物的分解过程.在富营养化河流的修复过程中,需重视河流凋落物分解功能,注重调整河岸带植物的配置,以及提升底栖动物的生物多样性并恢复底栖动物在凋落物分解中的正面效应.     

拉林河流域底栖硅藻群落结构特征及水生态健康评价

随着农业活动的发展,对水域生态系统评估成为受农业活动影响区域水环境管理的有效手段.以我国东北典型水稻种植区拉林河流域为研究区域,调查分析了全流域范围河流内23个样点的底栖硅藻群落结构和水环境理化特征,基于优势种和理化指标的冗余分析（RDA）揭示了底栖硅藻群落生态分布特征并对关键影响因子进行识别.在此基础上应用底栖硅藻生物完整性指数（D-IBI）对拉林河流域水生态系统健康状况进行评价,并分析了底栖硅藻在农业活动区和非农业活动区下的群落结构及不同土地利用类型下的D-IBI.研究结果表明,拉林河流域底栖硅藻群落结构具有明显的空间差异性;D-IBI评价结果显示,拉林河流域水体整体健康状况为一般,农业活动会影响河流生态健康状况.其中,拉林河上游为健康,中游区域为较好至一般,下游区域轻度污染至重度污染.D-IBI和多数环境因子及IBI核心指标有显著或极显著的相关关系,能较好地反映研究区域环境信息,并适用于受农业活动干扰的拉林河流域生态健康评价.     

北方深水河流岸边带底栖动物采集方法比较研究

深水河流底栖动物的采集比较复杂,采集结果与客观实际往往存在较大的差异,通过2012年-2015年对黑龙江、松花江和乌苏里江等11个断面15个点位的调查、监测,取得81组有效数据,利用统计学方法总结、研究,发现同一采样点不同方法之间的物种数、群落组成和评价结果均存在显著的差异,建议深水河流在应用底栖动物开展水生态评价时,应结合采样点的实际情况,尽量采用多种方法进行底栖动物的采集,合并统计的数据更能准确的代表采集点位的客观情况,是客观、准确评价水生态环境状况的前提.     

海洋污损硅藻附着强度的定量测定

以海洋底栖硅藻新月菱形藻MMDL533作为模型污损物种,利用显微镜-图像分析软件、平行平板流动装置测定了其在羟基化玻璃表面及改性玻璃上的附着性质。研究表明,环境温度为20℃时,新月菱形藻MMDL533在羟基化玻璃表面的附着量最大,在1 h的接触时间后达到87±9/mm2;同时,其附着量随着接触时间延长而变大,并在3 h后达到一个较为稳定的值(110±15/mm2左右);当用水流冲刷后细胞的移除率来表征细胞在特定表面的附着强度时,新月菱形藻MMDL533的附着强度随着表面接触角逐渐增大,并在80°左右达到最大值,然后呈下降趋势。     

Responses of benthic insect communities to effluent from the abandoned Ferris-Haggarty copper mine in southeast Wyoming, USA

This study provided information about the benthic insect communities that are present in the impacted reaches of Haggarty Creek.