Effects of climate and land-cover change on the conservation status of gibbons

Species shift their distribution in response to climate and land-cover change, which may result in a spatial mismatch between currently protected areas (PAs) and priority conservation areas (PCAs). We examined the effects of climate and land-cover change on potential range of gibbons and sought to identify PCAs that would conserve them effectively. We collected global gibbon occurrence points and modeled (ecological niche model) their current and potential 2050s ranges under climate-change and different land-cover-change scenarios. We examined change in range and PA coverage between the current and future ranges of each gibbon species. We applied spatial conservation prioritization to identify the top 30% PCAs for each species. We then determined how much of the PCAs are conserved in each country within the global range of gibbons. On average, 31% (SD 22) of each species’ current range was covered in PAs. PA coverage of the current range of 9 species was <30%. Nine species lost on average 46% (SD 29) of their potential range due to climate change. Under climate-change with an optimistic land-cover-change scenario (B1), 12 species lost 39% (SD 28) of their range. In a pessimistic land-cover-change scenario (A2), 15 species lost 36% (SD 28) of their range. Five species lost significantly more range under the A2 scenario than the B1 scenario (p = 0.01, SD 0.01), suggesting that gibbons will benefit from effective management of land cover. PA coverage of future range was <30% for 11 species. On average, 32% (SD 25) of PCAs were covered by PAs. Indonesia contained more species and PCAs and thus has the greatest responsibility for gibbon conservation. Indonesia, India, and Myanmar need to expand their PAs to fulfill their responsibility to gibbon conservation. Our results provide a baseline for global gibbon conservation, particularly for countries lacking gibbon research capacity.     

Effects of seawater salinity on nitrite accumulation in short-range nitrification to nitrite as end product

The effect of seawater salinity on nitrite accumulation in short-range nitrification to nitrite as the end product was studied by using a SBR. Experimental results indicated that the growth of nitrobacteria was inhibited and very high levels of nitrite accumulation at different salinities were achieved under the conditions of 25--28℃, pH 7.5--8.0, and the influent ammonia nitrogen of 40--70mg/L when seawater flow used to flush toilet was less than 35% (salinity 12393 mg/L, Cl^- 6778mg/L) of total domestic wastewater flow, which is mainly ascribed to much high chlorine concentration of seawater. Results showed that high seawater salinity is available for short-range nitrification to nitrite as the end product. When the seawater flow used to flush toilet accounting for above 70% of the total domestic wastewater flow, the removal efficiency of ammonia was still above 80% despite the removal of organics declined obviously(less than 60% ). It was found that the effect of seawater salinity on the removal of organics was negative rather than positive one as shown for ammonia removal.     

辽宁中部城市群灰霾天气的外来影响——个案分析

利用MODIS卫星资料、空气质量监测资料、地面气象资料及后向轨迹方法,分析研究了2011年10月28-29日辽宁中部城市群一次灰霾天气过程.结果表明:此次辽宁中部城市群灰霾过程主要受京津冀外来灰霾污染的影响;在高压后部弱西南气流天气形势控制下,近地面的西南气流通过辽西走廊和海上通道,将京津冀地区灰霾污染物传输至辽宁中部地区,从而造成辽宁中部城市群灰霾污染过程;MODIS卫星图和后向轨迹图显示的灰霾范围、传输路径及PM10浓度跃变点自南向北推移的时间变化也支持这一结论.虽然“联防联控”是治理区域灰霾污染的重要手段,但也要看到区域灰霾污染的跨区域影响问题.     

基于频次分析法的污水处理厂在线监测预警技术研究

针对目前我国污染源监控数据缺乏深层次利用,监测数据对污染源不能有效预警的状况,以S市某污水处理厂为例,在全面分析2010年出水COD在线监测数据的变化规律的基础上,建立基于频次分析法的预警阈值确定方法,确定了污水处理厂排放不同警情的阈值范围.结果显示,污水处理厂全年出水浓度集中在40~60mg/L,16:00,20:00以及22:00排水COD较高,超标率大,应加强监控.污水厂正常、一般、不正常以及极不正常状态阈值范围分别可设为小于30%频次、20%频次、10%频次以及超过10%频次对应的浓度范围.对污水厂全年监测数据进行警情状态验证,结果显示全年正常、一般、不正常以及极不正常状态出现的比例分别为70.4%、9.9%、9.8%以及9.9%.     

Deriving state-and-transition models from an image series of grassland pattern dynamics

We present how state-and-transition models (STMs) may be derived from image data, providing a graphical means of understanding how ecological dynamics are driven by complex interactions among ecosystem events. A temporal sequence of imagery of fine scale vegetation patterning was acquired from close range photogrammetry (CRP) of 1 m quadrats, in a long term monitoring project of Themeda triandra (Forsskal) grasslands in north western Australia. A principal components scaling of image metrics calculated on the imagery defined the state space of the STM, and thereby characterised the different patterns found in the imagery. Using the state space, we were able to relate key events (i.e. fire and rainfall) to both the image data and aboveground biomass, and identified distinct ecological ‘phases’ and ‘transitions’ of the system. The methodology objectively constructs a STM from imagery and, in principle, may be applied to any temporal sequence of imagery captured in any event-driven system. Our approach, by integrating image data, addresses the labour constraint limiting the extensive use of STMs in managing vegetation change in arid and semiarid rangelands.     

Evaluating the ecological benefits of wildfire by integrating fire and ecosystem simulation models

Fire managers are now realizing that wildfires can be beneficial because they can reduce hazardous fuels and restore fire-dominated ecosystems. A software tool that assesses potential beneficial and detrimental ecological effects from wildfire would be helpful to fire management. This paper presents a simulation platform called FLEAT (Fire and Landscape Ecology Assessment Tool) that integrates several existing landscape- and stand-level simulation models to compute an ecologically based measure that describes if a wildfire is moving the burning landscape towards or away from the historical range and variation of vegetation composition. FLEAT uses a fire effects model to simulate fire severity, which is then used to predict vegetation development for 1, 10, and 100 years into the future using a landscape simulation model. The landscape is then simulated for 5000 years using parameters derived from historical data to create an historical time series that is compared to the predicted landscape composition at year 1, 10, and 100 to compute a metric that describes their similarity to the simulated historical conditions. This tool is designed to be used in operational wildfire management using the LANDFIRE spatial database so that fire managers can decide how aggressively to suppress wildfires. Validation of fire severity predictions using field data from six wildfires revealed that while accuracy is moderate (30-60%), it is mostly dictated by the quality of GIS layers input to FLEAT. Predicted 1-year landscape compositions were only 8% accurate but this was because the LANDFIRE mapped pre-fire composition accuracy was low (21%). This platform can be integrated into current readily available software products to produce an operational tool for balancing benefits of wildfire with potential dangers.     

Tradeoffs between forestry resource and conservation values under alternate policy regimes: A spatial analysis of the western Canadian boreal plains

An important element of resource management and conservation is an understanding of the tradeoffs between marketed products, such as timber, and measures of environmental quality, such as biodiversity. In this paper, we develop an integrated economic-ecological spatial optimization model that we then apply to evaluate alternate forest policies on a 560,000 km² study region of managed boreal forest in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. The integrated model incorporates dynamic forest sector harvesting, current levels of oil and gas sector development, coarse-filter or habitat-based old forest indicators, a set of empirical forest bird abundance models, and statistical models of the natural and current fire regimes. Using our integrated model, economic tradeoff curves, or production possibility frontiers, are developed to illustrate the cost of achieving coarse-filter targets by a set time (50 years) within a 100-year time horizon. We found levels of ecological indicators and economic returns from the timber industry could both be increased if spatial constraints imposed by the current policy environment were relaxed; other factors being equal, this implies current policy should be revised. We explore the production possibility frontier's relationship to the range of natural variation of old forest habitat, and show how this range can be used to guide choices of preferred locations along the frontier. We also show that coarse-filter constraints on the abundance of certain habitat elements are sufficient to satisfy some fine-filter objectives, expressed as the predicted abundances of various species of songbirds.     

秦岭火地塘森林水质的季节性变化特征

在秦岭火地塘林区选择2个闭合小流域及2个支沟集水区,对流域出口径流及支沟集水区溪流水pH值及水化学成分进行了8 a的测试,采用机理分析方法,就森林水质的季节性变化特征进行了研究.结果表明,林区径流pH值在7.1～8.4之间,冬、春季较高,夏、秋季较低,总体上水呈弱碱性;NO-3浓度春季和初夏较高,NH 4冬季和初春较高,PO3-4冬季与夏季较高;K 浓度春、秋季较高,Na 浓度则9月最大,8月最小;Ca2 浓度以6月和10月较高,年内变化范围19.4～44.3 mg·L-1,Mg2 则3月较高,年内变化范围2.18～5.25 mg·L-1;Cd浓度随季节的变化以1～4月较高,Pb浓度12、1月较高,但Cd、Pb均以秋季较低,年内变化范围分别为0.019～0.326 5 μg稬-1和0.217～3.886 μh稬-1;Mn浓度5、12月较高,Fe浓度春季较高,Zn则以3、8月较高.林区径流水质属Ⅰ类,相对而言,水质随季节的变化以秋季较好,冬、春季较差.     

Nestmate recognition in ants is possible without tactile interaction

Ants of the genus Camponotus are able to discriminate recognition cues of colony members (nestmates) from recognition cues of workers of a different colony (non-nestmates) from a distance of 1 cm. Free moving, individual Camponotus floridanus workers encountered differently treated dummies on a T-bar and their behavior was recorded. Aggressive behavior was scored as mandibular threat towards dummies. Dummies were treated with hexane extracts of postpharyngeal glands (PPGs) from nestmates or non-nestmates which contain long-chain hydrocarbons in ratios comparable to what is found on the cuticle. The cuticular hydrocarbon profile bears cues which are essential for nestmate recognition. Although workers were prevented from antennating the dummies, they showed significantly less aggressive behavior towards dummies treated with nestmate PPG extracts than towards dummies treated with non-nestmate PPG extracts. In an additional experiment, we show that cis-9-tricosene, an alkene naturally not found in C. floridanus' cuticular profile, is behaviorally active and can interfere with nestmate recognition when presented together with a nestmate PPG extract. Our study demonstrates for the first time that the complex multi-component recognition cues can be perceived and discriminated by ants at close range. We conclude that contact chemosensilla are not crucial for nestmate recognition since tactile interaction is not necessary.