Atmospheric Change, Forests and Biodiversity

Predicted atmospheric change, mainly climate change, will have profound effects on the biodiversity of Canadian forests. Predictions derived from forest models, responses of species and ecosystems related to modern ecological characteristics and paleoecological studies suggest large-scale, wide-ranging changes from the biome to physiological levels. Paleoecological analogues in B.C. and other parts of Canada reveal that major changes must be expected in forest composition, range, structure and ecological processes. In B.C., past warmer and drier climates supported a different forest pattern, including forest types with no modern analogue. This produced dramatically different disturbance regimes, specifically more fires, and affected tree growth rates. The relationship of forests with non-forest habitats, especially wetlands and grasslands was different suggesting implications for wildlife biodiversity. British Columbia's Forest Practices Code prescribes guidelines for biodiversity objectives but ignores the issue of atmospheric change. This omission may result from a lack of understanding of the profound potential effects of atmospheric change on forest biodiversity in the next harvest cycle and lack of mechanisms to assess impacts and develop management strategies for specific sites. An example of a simple paleoecological assessment method involving pollen ratios is proposed.     

马尾松苗期体内铝离子存在方式、形态和分布

本文用溶液培养方法研究铝在马尾松幼苗体内的存在方式、形态及其分布。结果表明,①松苗吸收的铝主要积累于根部,只有较少量的铝转移至地上部分;②针叶内铝离子主要以束缚态的方式存在,根内束缚态与自由态的存在比例大致相当;③铝离子在表面自由空间大部分以三价铝离子的形态存在,其中针叶内约占63～85％,根内占41—67％;④铝离子在根组织内的含量以外皮层为最高,中柱最低,呈现为从内向外增多的分布状态.     

铝处理马尾松对高温、低温、干旱和SO2的抗性研究

马尾松在不同浓度铝溶液(0、30、60、120、240、480ppm)中生长两个月后,转移至高温、低温、干旱或SO₂熏气罩中,结果发现,经过铝培养松苗的膜透性显著高于未经过铝培养松苗的膜透性,且铝浓度越大,膜透性越大,表明铝处理马尾松对高温、低温、干旱和SO₂的抵抗性降低.300ppb的SO₂熏气30h后,未经铝培养的松苗没有明显受害症状出现,而经过铝培养的松苗却表现出针叶发黄、叶缘和叶尖出现明显可见伤害斑点等SO₂受害症状,高温、低温和干旱处理的主要症状表现为针叶发黄、萎蔫。     

Importance of conserving large and old trees to continuity of tree-related microhabitats

Protecting structural features, such as tree-related microhabitats (TreMs), is a cost-effective tool crucial for biodiversity conservation applicable to large forested landscapes. Although the development of TreMs is influenced by tree diameter, species, and vitality, the relationships between tree age and TreM profile remain poorly understood. Using a tree-ring-based approach and a large data set of 8038 trees, we modeled the effects of tree age, diameter, and site characteristics on TreM richness and occurrence across some of the most intact primary temperate forests in Europe, including mixed beech and spruce forests. We observed an overall increase in TreM richness on old and large trees in both forest types. The occurrence of specific TreM groups was variably related to tree age and diameter, but some TreM groups (e.g., epiphytes) had a stronger positive relationship with tree species and elevation. Although many TreM groups were positively associated with tree age and diameter, only two TreM groups in spruce stands reacted exclusively to tree age (insect galleries and exposed sapwood) without responding to diameter. Thus, the retention of trees for conservation purposes based on tree diameter appears to be a generally feasible approach with a rather low risk of underrepresentation of TreMs. Because greater tree age and diameter positively affected TreM development, placing a greater emphasis on conserving large trees and allowing them to reach older ages, for example, through the establishment of conservation reserves, would better maintain the continuity of TreM resource and associated biodiversity. However, this approach may be difficult due to the widespread intensification of forest management and global climate change.     

Evaluating pollution-related damage and restoration success in urban forests with participatory monitoring and digital tools

Peri-urban forest monitoring requires indicators of vegetation damage. An example is the sacred fir (Abies religiosa) forests surrounding Mexico City, which have been heavily exposed to tropospheric ozone, a harmful pollutant, for over 4 decades. We developed a participatory monitoring system with which local community members and scientists generated data on ozone tree damage. Santa Rosa Xochiac rangers (13) used the digital tool KoboToolBox to record ozone damage to trees, tree height, tree ages, tree condition, tree position, and whether the tree had been planted. Thirty-five percent of the trees (n = 1765) had ozone damage. Younger trees had a lower percentage of foliage damaged by ozone than older trees (p < 0.0001), and asymptomatic trees tended to be younger (p < 0.0001). Symptomatic trees were taller than asymptomatic trees of the same age (R²_c = 0.43, R²_m = 0.27). Involving local communities facilitated forest monitoring and using digital technology improved data quality. This participatory system can be used to monitor forest condition change over time and thus aids restoration efforts driven by government or local communities’ interests, facilitating local decision-making.     

离子交换树脂袋法研究森林土壤硝态氮及其对氮沉降增加的响应

用离子交换树脂袋法，研究了鼎湖山三种森林（马尾松林、马尾松针叶阔叶混交林和季风常绿阔叶林）土壤硝态氮对外加氮的响应特征。结果表明，土壤硝态氮显著地受森林类型、季节和氮处理的影响。整体而言，阔叶林土壤硝态氮极显著高于马尾松林和混交林，而马尾松林和混交林之间的差异则不显著。三种森林土壤硝态氮的季节变化均表现为春季和夏季极显著高于冬季和秋季，而冬季又显著高于秋季。外加氮处理提高土壤硝态氮水平，其中在马尾松林和阔叶林氮处理效应显著。所得结果与直接采集土壤或土壤水测定的硝态氮含量的结果一致，表明离子交换树脂袋法是评价土壤硝态氮水平行之有效的手段之一。     

融合多源时空数据的地下水硫酸盐预测模型

准确预测地下水SO₄ ^2-空间变化趋势对改善地下水质量、提高区域地下水管理水平具有重要意义.以2011、2014、2017和2020年叶尔羌河流域平原区土地覆盖数据、土壤参数数据、数字高程数据等多源时空数据和地下水pH值为特征变量,分析其与地下水SO₄ ^2-浓度的相关性,利用贝叶斯优化算法优化随机森林回归,建立BOA-RFR模型,并基于BOA-RFR模型对特征变量进行重要性分析,对模型预测精度进行评价,最后生成地下水SO₄ ^2-预测图.结果表明,pH值、地面高程（GE）和贡献区荒地（BAR）面积占比作为影响地下水水化学组分的重要参数,与地下水SO₄ ^2-浓度均呈现极显著负相关,对地下水SO₄ ^2-浓度预测的重要度均大于25 %;地统计插值方法作为空间分布预测建模的辅助手段,加入辅助样本后的BOA-RFR模型,地下水SO₄ ^2-浓度预测的R²均大于0.96,且多辅助样本构建模型的RMSE和MAE最大值较少样本模型的最小值分别降低了4.7 %和23.8 %;在地下水SO₄ ^2-浓度预测中,高SO₄ ^2-地下水向叶尔羌河流域平原区东北部富集,且面积呈扩张趋势.     

Human disturbance and shifts in vertebrate community composition in a biodiversity hotspot

Understanding how human modification of the landscape shapes vertebrate community composition is vital to understanding the current status and future trajectory of wildlife. Using a participatory approach, we deployed the largest camera-trap network in Mesoamerica to date to investigate how anthropogenic disturbance shapes the occupancy and co-occurrence of terrestrial vertebrate species in a tropical biodiversity hotspot: the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. We estimated species richness in different categories of land protection with rarefaction analysis and estimated the expected occupancy with a joint species distribution model that included covariates for anthropogenic disturbance, land protection, habitat quality, and habitat availability. Areas with the most stringent land-use protections (e.g., Corcovado National Park, 24 species [95% CI 23–25]) harbored significantly more species than unprotected areas (20 species [19.7–20.3]), mainly due to a reduced presence of large-bodied species of conservation concern in unprotected areas (e.g., jaguar Panthera onca and white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari). Small-bodied generalist species, such as opossums (Didelphidae) and armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), in contrast, were more common at disturbed sites, resulting in a significant difference in vertebrate community composition between sites with low and high disturbance. Co-occurrence of species was also mainly associated with response to disturbance. Similar responses to disturbance create two groups of species, those whose site-level occupancy usually increased as anthropogenic disturbance increased and those whose estimated occupancy decreased. The absence of large-bodied species entails an important loss of ecological function in disturbed areas and can hinder forest development and maintenance. Efforts to protect and restore forested landscapes are likely having a positive effect on the abundance of some threatened species. These efforts, however, must be sustained and expanded to increase connectivity and ensure the long-term viability of the wildlife community.     

山水林田湖草生态保护修复江苏实践与思考

“实施山水林田湖草生态保护和修复工程，全面提升自然生态系统稳定性和生态服务功能”是习近平生态文明思想的重要创新成果，为开展生态环境保护修复工作提供了重要指引和根本遵循。2019年以来，江苏省开展山水林田湖草生态保护修复省级试点工程共5类59个工程项目。在总结了试点地区工作经验做法的基础上，针对存在的生态保护修复和绿色发展协同理念认识不足、生态修复保护整体性和系统性不够、生态修复经验总结及全周期管理有待加强、打破界限的体制机制改革创新亟需完善等问题及难点，提出了相应的工作政策建议，以期打造全国生态保护修复的江苏样板。     

黑龙江省“十三五”时期生态环境质量变化及趋势预测

以黑龙江省生态环境监测网监测结果为基础,总结归纳了"十三五"期间黑龙江省生态环境质量变化特征,并采用随机森林和GM(1,1)预测模型对"十四五"期间黑龙江省生态环境质量状况进行了预测。结果表明:"十三五"期间,黑龙江省环境空气、水环境和声环境质量全面好转。其中,环境空气主要污染物PM_2.5、PM₁₀、SO₂、NO₂和CO的年均质量浓度均呈现出明显下降的趋势,"哈大绥"重点区域PM₁₀、SO₂、NO₂和CO年均质量浓度呈现下降趋势。地表水水质总体呈波动变化趋势,水质状况均为轻度污染。"十四五"期间,黑龙江省生态环境质量将处于稳中向好的趋势。环境空气主要污染物及地表水主要污染指标年均质量浓度均呈现明显的下降趋势,道路交通声环境质量也将得到进一步改善。