Divorce in common murres (Uria aalge): relationship to parental quality

Behavioral precursors of 12 divorces were examined in 30 color-banded pairs of common murres (Uria aalge) over six breeding seasons. Common murres are long-lived seabirds that typically return each year to the same mate and nest site in dense colonies. At least one parent is present continuously from egg lay to chick fledging. Murres, therefore, have considerable opportunities to compare their mates parental behavior with that of several familiar neighbors. Previous reproductive success was lower for divorcing birds than for reuniting pairs. As predicted by the better option hypothesis, there were clear choosers (seven females and five males) that initiated divorce by moving to a new birds site or by courting a new partner at their current site. Choosers improved their reproductive success after the divorce, whereas their previous partners, the victims did not. Yearly divorce rates (average 8.2% per year) were significantly correlated with yearly mortality rates. Divorces appear to be opportunistic: pairs divorced after varying numbers of reproductive failures with the immediate precursor usually being the disappearance (death) of a murre from a successful neighboring site. In contrast to the delays experienced by victims, choosers formed new pairs quickly and laid their eggs no later than reuniting pairs. Prior to the divorce, victims fed their chicks less often than choosers, and some engaged in other behaviors that compromised egg or chick survival. These observations suggest that deficiencies in parental behavior were precursors to the divorce. This report is one of the first cases where reproductive failure of divorcing pairs has been linked to deficits in the parental behavior of the subsequent divorce victim.Communicated by C. Brown     

Obtaining species: sample size considerations

Suppose fish are to be sampled from a stream. A fisheries biologist might ask one of the following three questions: ‘How many fish do I need to catch in order to see all of the species?’, ‘How many fish do I need to catch in order to see all species whose relative frequency is more than 5%?’, or ‘How many fish do I need to catch in order to see a member from each of the species A, B, and C?’. This paper offers a practical solution to such questions by setting a target sample size designed to achieve desired results with known probability. We present three sample size methods, one we call ‘exact’ and the others approximate. Each method is derived under assumed multinomial sampling, and requires (at least approximate) independence of draws and (usually) a large population. The minimum information needed to compute one of the approximate methods is the estimated relative frequency of the rarest species of interest. Total number of species is not needed. Choice of a sample size method depends largely on available computer resources. One approximation (called the ‘Monte Carlo approximation’) gets within ±6 units of exact sample size, but usually requires 20–30 minutes of computer time to compute. The second approximation (called the ‘ratio approximation’) can be computed manually and has relative error under 5% when all species are desired, but can be as much as 50% or more too high when exact sample size is small. Statistically, this problem is an application of the ‘sequential occupancy problem’. Three examples are given which illustrate the calculations so that a reader not interested in technical details can apply our results.     

传统生存方式变迁对农村环境的影响

随着农村社会经济的发展,农户的生存方式开始逐步由传统的生存方式逐步转变为现代的生存方式。在具体的案例研究过程中,我们既可以看到传统生存方式的环境友好的一面,也可以看到传统生存方式变迁过程中农户经济行为变化对于农村环境的不利影响。与此同时,社会经济发展过程中,新的现代生产生活要素的介入,在不断使农户的生活逐步走向现代化的同时,也带来了种种环境问题。总之,农村环境问题的产生既有传统生存方式本身存在的问题,也来自于生存方式变迁过程中新的外部物质的介入,因此,对于农村环境的改善需要同时从这两方面着手,在改善农户生存方式的同时,更要从根本上控制外部的污染物质的介入。     

Ontogenetic habitat shift and risk of cannibalism in the common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon)

Ontogenetic habitat shifts have been documented in numerous fish and amphibians and in some reptiles. Intraspecific competition together with differential predation, prey size, social interactions, size-related thermal requirements, and morphological constraints on movement are often implicated in this ontogenetic habitat separation. In the current study, we combined field observation with experiments in seminatural arenas to test various hypotheses regarding the ontogenetic habitat shift that we have documented in the common chameleon. Juveniles (mean, 1 g) occupied low grasses and the adults (mean, 35 g) were found on bushes and trees. Overlap in habitat use between these two age classes was minimal. Our field experiments showed that juveniles actively avoid the presence of adults by concealment or flight. Adults readily attacked and consumed juveniles, regardless of their own mass. These results suggest that the risk of cannibalism towards juveniles is an important selective force behind the ontogenetic habitat shift observed in the common chameleon and may be important in other species too.     

西北地区种植业需水分析——以泾河流域为例

采用面积定额法估算泾河流域31个县的农作物需水量,从农作物需水结构着手,探讨农业用水存在的问题。结果表明,泾河流域农作物需水量总计740 543.20万m3,农作物需水占总需水量的比例较高,为41.58%。粮食作物需水定额较经济作物高;就具体作物而言,菜、瓜类、水稻、棉花等需水定额较高,向日葵、薯类、胡麻等较低。各县(区)单位面积需水量差异较大,平均值为4 583 m3.hm-2;泾阳县最高,为5 682 m3.hm-2,定边县最低,为4 022 m3.hm-2。由于事先设定大多数作物的需水定额不随县(区)的改变而改变,因此需水量与作物结构密切相关。农业用水浪费严重,使泾河流域农作物实际用水量远高于需水量的理论计算值。为此,提出合理利用泾河流域农业水土资源的4项对策:调整种植业结构;多角度实施农业节水;完善农业水土资源优化配置定量方法;退耕还林还草,发展生态林牧业。     

环境应急监测工作现状存在的问题及对策研究

近年来,各类突发性环境污染事故时有发生,造成生命、财产的巨大损失和生态系统的严重破坏,这一问题引起了世界各国的高度重视.由于突发性污染事故具有爆发的突然性.危害的严重性以及影响的广泛性和长期性等特点,采取切实有效的措施来预防这类事故的发生以及提高对事故处理处置应变能力,已经成为环境保护一项非常重要的工作,因此建立健全有效的环境应急监测系统,加强各级环境监测站应急监测能力建设,提高其应急监测能力,意义十分重大.环境应急监测对于防范突发性环境污染事故,在事前预防、事中监测、事后恢复的各个过程中起着极其重要的作用,环境应急监测已成为环境监测的重要组成部分.本文系统地分析了我国环境应急监测工作现状,针对实际工作中存在的问题,提出了解决对策.     

A hybrid method for inverse characterization of subsurface contaminant flux

The methods presented in this work provide a potential tool for characterizing contaminant source zones in terms of mass flux. The problem was conceptualized by considering contaminant transport through a vertical "flux plane" located between a source zone and a downgradient region where contaminant concentrations were measured. The goal was to develop a robust method capable of providing a statement of the magnitude and uncertainty associated with estimated contaminant mass flux values. In order to estimate the magnitude and transverse spatial distribution of mass flux through a plane, the problem was considered in an optimization framework. Two numerical optimization techniques were applied, simulated annealing (SA) and minimum relative entropy (MRE). The capabilities of the flux plane model and the numerical solution techniques were evaluated using data from a numerically generated test problem and a nonreactive tracer experiment performed in a three-dimensional aquifer model. Results demonstrate that SA is more robust and converges more quickly than MRE. However, SA is not capable of providing an estimate of the uncertainty associated with the simulated flux values. In contrast, MRE is not as robust as SA, but once in the neighborhood of the optimal solution, it is quite effective as a tool for inferring mass flux probability density functions, expected flux values, and confidence limits. A hybrid (SA-MRE) solution technique was developed in order to take advantage of the robust solution capabilities of SA and the uncertainty estimation capabilities of MRE. The coupled technique provided probability density functions and confidence intervals that would not have been available from an independent SA algorithm and they were obtained more efficiently than if provided by an independent MRE algorithm.     

江苏省重要生态功能保护区划分的问题及对策分析

江苏省重要生态功能保护区的划分,为实现社会经济和生态环境的协调发展奠定了良好基础。针对重要生态功能保护区划分过程中存在的各种问题,如划分区域分割、划分随意性大、禁止开发区少、管理不到位等,分别从技术层面和管理层面提出了相应的对策与建议,为重要生态功能保护区划分的完善和生态功能的充分发挥提供了可行方案。     

浅谈节约型城市的构建

构建节约型社会是实现城市可持续发展的必然要求。节约型城市的构建应通过转变经济增长模式、推行循环经济、加强节能科技的创新,发展替代能源,同时结合政策手段、宣传教育和法律手段来实现。