The importance of defining focal assemblages when evaluating amphibian and reptile responses to land use

Habitat loss and degradation are primary threats to amphibians and reptiles, but the relative effects of common land uses on assemblages and the mechanisms that underlie faunal responses are poorly studied. We reviewed the effects of four prevalent types of habitat alteration (urbanization, agriculture, livestock grazing, and silviculture) on amphibian and reptile species richness and abundance by summarizing reported responses in the literature and by estimating effect sizes across studies for species richness in each land‐use type. We then used a multinomial model to classify species as natural habitat specialists, generalists, and disturbed habitat specialists and examined variation in effect sizes for each land‐use type according to habitat specialization categories. There were mixed conclusions from individual studies, some reporting negative, neutral, or positive effects of land use on species richness and total abundance. A large proportion of studies reported species‐specific effects of individual species abundance. However, in our analysis of effect sizes, we found a general trend of negative effects of land use on species richness. We also demonstrate that habitat associations of common species and species turnover can explain variation in the effect of land use on herpetofauna. Our review highlights the pervasive negative effects of common land uses on amphibians and reptiles, the importance of identifying groups vulnerable to land‐use change (e.g., forest‐associated species) in conservation studies, and the potential influence of disturbance‐associated species on whole assemblage analyses.     

喀斯特地区长期草地利用制度对群落稳定性的影响

草地利用方式和混播组合对群落特性的长期影响不同。利用方式对白三叶（Trifolium repens）盖度没有显著影响,而混播组合与利用方式的交互作用影响显著。白三叶在宿营处理和刈割为主利用下的与鸭茅（Dactylis glomerata）混播中的比例最低,而在刈割利用和宿营处理的多年生黑麦草（Lolium perenne）组合中的盖度最高。混播组合对禾本科组分盖度影响不显著,但利用方式和交互作用有显著的作用,长期放牧绵羊的混播草地多年生黑麦草很少。混播组合对杂草密度、盖度和多样性指数的影响不明显,而利用方式和交互作用显著地影响杂草盖度和多样性指数。放牧草地中的杂草密度高于刈割草地的,其中放牧利用的白三叶/多年生黑麦草草地最高。放牧牛的草地杂草密度较少,而放牧绵羊的草地杂草较多。白三叶、禾本科牧草以及杂草的密度都显著地受混播组合、利用方式及其交互作用的影响,说明密度是一个敏感的指标。     

青藏高原高寒牧区聚落用地适宜性评价及其重构——以藏北那曲县为例

本文建立了适用于高寒牧区的聚落布局适宜性评价体系,利用自组织神经网络（SOFM）对青藏高原藏北地区那曲县展开聚落布局适宜性评价,并评估其现状聚落布局的合理性,在此基础上提出其聚落未来重构的思路。结果表明:（1）那曲县对于聚落布局的适宜性整体较低,适宜性水平高于一般适宜的区域零散分布在海拔较低、地势低缓的河谷地区,仅占全县面积的12%。其他适宜性较低的区域占全县面积的88%,分布相对集中。不同乡镇对于聚落布局的适宜性差异显著。（2）那曲县现有的聚落空间占全县总面积的0.47%,为7594 hm²,其中分布在一般适宜及以上等级区的面积占聚落总面积的86.47%,而较不适宜、不适宜和禁建区内的聚落占比高达13.53%。那曲县聚落空间布局倾向于较高级别的适宜区,聚落用地适宜性条件较好的乡镇其布局合理性越高。那曲县局部聚落布局不合理的原因包括:缺失空间布局指引、村级行政区划欠佳、藏民对神山的宗教信仰和历史遗存的地域环境认同。（3）聚落的空间重构可推动生态移民、适度“村庄化”等要素的整合来实现。聚落的经济重构要建设由特色产业为基础的村镇系统、充分利用“点—轴”结构的辐射效应等结构要素的重组来实现。聚落的社会重构需要通过合理安排基础设施、增强藏族社会关系组织程度、提倡藏区优秀文化传承等优化功能的措施来实现。     

Consequences of Buffelgrass Pasture Development for Primary Productivity,Perennial Plant Richness,and Vegetation Structure in the Drylands of Sonora,Mexico

Abstract: In large parts of northern Mexico native plant communities are being converted to non‐native buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) pastures, and this conversion could fundamentally alter primary productivity and species richness. In Sonora, Mexico land conversion is occurring at a regional scale along a rainfall‐driven gradient of primary productivity, across which native plant communities transition from desert scrub to thorn scrub. We used a paired sampling design to compare a satellite‐derived index of primary productivity, richness of perennial plant species, and canopy‐height profiles of native plant communities with buffelgrass pastures. We sampled species richness across a gradient of primary productivity in desert scrub and thorn scrub vegetation to examine the influence of site productivity on the outcomes of land conversion. We also examined the influence of pasture age on species richness of perennial plants. Index values of primary productivity were lower in buffelgrass pastures than in native vegetation, which suggests a reduction in primary productivity. Land conversion reduced species richness by approximately 50% at local and regional scales, reduced tree and shrub cover by 78%, and reduced canopy height. Land conversion disproportionately reduced shrub species richness, which reflects the common practice among Sonoran ranchers of conserving certain tree and cactus species. Site productivity did not affect the outcomes of land conversion. The age of a buffelgrass pasture was unrelated to species richness within the pasture, which suggests that passive recovery of species richness to preconversion levels is unlikely. Our findings demonstrate that land conversion can result in large losses of plant species richness at local and regional scales and in substantial changes to primary productivity and vegetation structure, which casts doubt on the feasibility of restoring native plant communities without active intervention on the part of land managers.     

Production and Consumption of NO in Forest and Pasture Soils from the Amazon Basin

NO production and the rate constant of NO consumptionin soil samples from Amazonian forest and pasturesites were determined in the laboratory. The purposewas to study NO production and consumption in soilsfrom both types of land use as functions of soiltemperature and soil moisture. NO productionincreased exponentially with soil temperature. Thedegree of increase depended on soil moisture,indicating that the response of NO production to achange in soil temperature is most pronounced at acertain intermediate soil moisture. NO productionpeaked at a soil moisture of 0.10 g g^-1, correspondingto 0.27 and 0.38 water-filled pore space for forestand pasture soils, respectively. The optimum soilmoisture for which maximum NO release was observedwas independent of soil temperature. NO consumptionwas most efficient at high soil temperatures andunder dry soil conditions. NO release wasapproximately 10 times larger for forest than pasturesoil. The difference may be related to the higherNO₃ ^- content in forest soil.