Plant communities in relation to flooding and soil contamination in a lowland Rhine River floodplain

Using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), relationships were investigated between plant species composition and flooding characteristics, heavy metal contamination and soil properties in a lowland floodplain of the Rhine River. Floodplain elevation and yearly average flooding duration turned out to be more important for explaining variation in plant species composition than soil heavy metal contamination. Nevertheless, plant species richness and diversity showed a significant decrease with the level of contamination. As single heavy metal concentrations seemed mostly too low for causing phytotoxic effects in plants, this trend is possibly explained by additive effects of multiple contaminants or by the concomitant influences of contamination and non-chemical stressors like flooding. These results suggest that impacts of soil contamination on plants in floodplains could be larger than expected from mere soil concentrations. In general, these findings emphasize the relevance of analyzing effects of toxic substances in concert with the effects of other relevant stressors.     

Dynamics in the global protected-area estate since 2004

Nations of the world have committed to a number of goals and targets to address global environmental challenges. Protected areas have for centuries been a key strategy in conservation and play a major role in addressing current challenges. The most important tool used to track progress on protected-area commitments is the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). Periodic assessments of the world's protected-area estate show steady growth over the last 2 decades. However, the current method, which uses the latest version of the WDPA, does not show the true dynamic nature of protected areas over time and does not provide information on sites removed from the WDPA. In reality, this method can only show growth or remain stable. We used GIS tools in an approach to assess protected-area change over time based on 12 temporally distinct versions of the WDPA that quantify area added and removed from the WDPA annually from 2004 to 2016. Both the narrative of continual growth of protected area and the counter-narrative of protected area removal were overly simplistic. The former because growth was almost entirely in the marine realm and the latter because some areas removed were reprotected in later years. On average 2.5 million km² was added to the WDPA annually and 1.1 million km² was removed. Reasons for the inclusion and removal of protected areas in the WDPA database were in part due to data-quality issues but also to on-the-ground changes. To meet the 17% protected-area component of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 by 2020, which stood at 14.7% in 2016, either the rate of protected-area removal must decrease or the rate of protected-area designation and addition to the WDPA must increase.     

Grazing as a measure against grass encroachment in Dutch dry dune grassland: effects on vegetation and soil

A grazing experiment was started in 1984 and 1989 respectively, in two parts of a dune grassland in the nature reserve ‘Zwanenwater’, North Holland; a third part with similar geology and topography was used as a control area and not grazed. An evaluation of the effects of grazing on vegetation patterns, species composition, vegetation structure and humus form was made with the help of vegetation maps from 1986 and 1992 as well as field surveys. Dense tall-grass communities dominated byAmmophila arenaria increased over the period 1986–1992 in the grazed areas, and especially in the non-grazed area (increase in area to 20%, 22% and 50%, respectively). Open communities decreased in the grazed areas, but are still prevalent, while in the ungrazed area they virtually disappeared, with the result that the present percentage areas are 53%, 38% and 17%. Field survey data were classified by TWINSPAN producing four vegetation types. These occur more or less equally in grazed and ungrazed areas, albeit with different percentage areas: (1) open vegetation dominated byCorynephorus canescens; (2) open vegetation characteized, byKoeleria macrantha; (3) heathland dominated byEmpetrum nigrum; and (4) tall-grass communities dominated byAmmophila arenaria. Within a vegetation type, species composition was only marginally affected by grazing regime. Within the open communities the number of species, vegetation height, vegetation cover and soil organic horizons were not affected by grazing. In the tall-grass communities the number of species was significantly larger and the height of the vegetation significantly lower in the area grazed since 1984. In the heathland community the number of species and cover of the moss layer were significantly higher in the 1984 area and ectorganic and endorganic horizons significantly thicker in the ungrazed area. It is suggested that these effects are the result of an increased availability of light, but possibly also of a decreased stock of organic matter and nutrients, due to a decreased input of litter and accelerated rates of decomposition.     

Prediction of near-field shear dispersion in an emergent canopy with heterogeneous morphology

The evaluation of longitudinal dispersion in aquatic canopies is necessary to predict the behavior of dissolved species and suspended particles in marsh and wetland systems. Here we consider the influence of canopy morphology on longitudinal dispersion, focusing on transport before constituents have mixed over depth. Velocity and longitudinal dispersion were measured in a model canopy with vertically varying canopy density. The vertical variation in canopy morphology generates vertical variation in the mean velocity profile, which in turn creates mean-shear dispersion. We develop and verify a model that predicts the mean-shear dispersion in the near field from morphological characteristics of the canopy, such as stem diameter and frontal area. Close to the source, longitudinal dispersion is dominated by velocity heterogeneity at the scale of individual stems. However, within a distance of approximately 1 m, the shear dispersion associated with velocity heterogeneity over depth increases and eclipses this smaller-scale process.     

Temporal scales of landscape change following storms on a human-altered coast,New Jersey,USA

Cycles of storm destruction and rebuilding of human facilities are as much a part of a predictable cycle of shoreline change as destruction and re-establishment of landforms and wildlife habitat by natural processes. An evaluation of the human-induced and natural geomorphic responses to three storms in two vulnerable developed areas in New Jersey reveals that storms can have limited effect in re-establishing a natural coastal resource base of lasting significance. Reconstruction of coastal landscapes by human action may be more rapid than natural restoration, decreasing the likelihood for geomorphic features to develop based on natural processes. Reliance on storm processes to create new natural habitat in locations where there is human investment in buildings and support infrastructure is not realistic unless a proactive stance is taken to include naturally-functioning characteristics of the coastal system in reconstruction efforts. By striving to control construction of shorefront buildings to reduce their potential for damage, managers may be taking attention away from the separate but critical issue of ensuring that post-storm reconstruction effort include the potential for replacing loss of natural geomorphic features and wildlife habitat.     

城市街道空气质量与道路绿化型式的关系

通过对街区中茂密行道树对空气污染物扩散的利弊进行理论分析的基础上，以CO为自然示踪气体，对西安市几个典型街道中的气态污染物浓度分布做了实测。实测结果指出，道路车流量的大小是行道树树冠的净化功能和对污染物扩散的阻碍作用所占权重的主要影响因素，行道树对污染物扩散的阻碍作用主要受控于树木郁闭度而非绿量，指出城市道路绿化不应盲目追求绿量的提高，并据此提出在街道绿化中应根据车流量的大小采取不同绿化方案的建议。     

The Value of Biodiversity in Reserve Selection: Representation, Species Weighting, and Benefit Functions

Abstract:  The limited availability of resources for conservation has led to the development of many quantitative methods for selecting reserves that aim to maximize the biodiversity value of reserve networks. In published analyses, species are often considered equal, although some are in much greater need of protection than others. Furthermore, representation is usually treated as a threshold: a species is either represented or not, but varying levels of representation over or under a given target level are not valued differently. We propose that a higher representation level should also have higher value. We introduce a framework for reserve selection that includes species weights and benefit functions for under- and overrepresentation (number of locations for each species). We applied the method to conservation planning for herb-rich forests in southern Finland. Our use of benefit functions and weighting changed the identity of about 50% of the selected sites at different funding levels and improved the representation of rare and threatened species. We also identified a small area of additional land that would substantially enhance the existing reserve network. We suggest that benefit functions and species weighting should be considered as standard options in reserve-selection applications.     

广州李坑生活垃圾填埋场周围植被现状调查与影响分析

为对垃圾填埋场封场后如何进行生态恢复研究提供基础资料，对超负荷运转中的广州市李坑生活垃圾填埋场周围的植被现状进行了调查，测算了物种量、覆盖度、污染状况等。同时运用植被覆盖度、结构、物种量和相对物种量等级评价以及对Zn、Cd等6种污染物的质量指数进行了评价。结果表明，所调查填埋场场区及灌区内有轻度污染，而场外与灌区外则相对较轻或无污染。     

内蒙古锡林郭勒盟景观尺度土壤保持功能的空间分布

景观作为理解和塑造人类社会与环境最具操作性的尺度,其土壤保持功能是实现景观可持续性的重要条件。在遥感和GIS技术的支持下,采用改进的通用土壤流失方程(RUSLE)对内蒙古锡林郭勒盟景观土壤保持功能的空间分布进行研究。研究表明,研究区土壤保持总量为1.699×10~9 t?a~(-1),单位面积土壤保持量为85.39 t?hm~(-2)?a~(-1);土壤中N、P、K元素保持量分别为9.25×10~6 t?a~(-1)、6.14×10~6 t?a~(-1)、3.41×10~7 t?a~(-1)。按一级景观估算,土壤保持能力从强到弱依次为林地耕地草地住宅用地未利用地水域;按二级景观估算,土壤保持能力以灌木林地为最高,其次分别为有林地、疏林地、丘陵旱地、平原旱地、高盖度草原、山地旱地、中盖度草原,最差的是盐碱地和裸岩石质地。不同景观的土壤保持功能随植被覆盖度的增加呈非线性增长趋势,当植被覆盖度小于50%时,单位面积土壤保持量随植被覆盖度增大而缓慢增加;当植被覆盖度大于50%时,土壤保持功能随植被覆盖度增大而显著增加。因地制宜地提高研究区的植被覆盖度,合理配置景观空间分布格局,有助于景观服务功能的发展,从而对区域生态安全和人类福祉做出更大贡献。